The Reluctant Romantics

Chapter Five: And They Combust

A/N: Hi everyone! Before we get to the latest post to Jake and Tessa's love story, here's something fun for you if you're a big TMMM fan.

Characters Magazine is doing something different and quirky where they interview your favorite book characters for you. You just have to send in your questions and view the whole compilation (with answers) through the app. I think it's pretty cool. I've always wanted to have them interviewed (which is why I wrote that magazine article for the holidays).

To go to the Google form where you can input your questions, copy the link you see below on your browser. Send them in by end of day Wednesday Mountain Daylight Savings Time (MDST). I'll let you know once we've compiled and answered them so you can see the whole thing. It'll be fun! It's a Q&A with Charlotte and Brandon—of course, it'll be fun.

Here's the link (I'll put this in my profile page too so you can click it directly): http://goo.gl/forms/dLuT6UI7XEECIxao2

Enjoy!

***

Jake

A rational man would take one look at this and call it all kinds of stupid.

So despite years of assuming myself to be one, I'm obviously not a rational man.

Because for all its problems and consequences, this is pretty damn perfect.

I tried to wipe the smile off my face as I gazed down at Tessa. In the soft light of the breaking dawn, her sleeping face was young and peaceful, hinting at the sweet, quiet child she'd been. But there was nothing childlike about her anymore and I had a suspicion it had been that way for a while now.

Except that you haven't noticed.

That wasn't exactly true.

I've noticed. I just quickly made myself forget my observation.

Last night, there was no forgetting the all grown-up Tessa who also owned up to a boldness she'd never really displayed before.

Except that one time she poured her heart out to you in a love letter.

I cringed at the memory. I was twenty-one then and I had a vague memory of teasing her with a question of marrying me one day once she was all grown up. She was only twelve and I didn't want to hurt her feelings. In hindsight though, the good intentions behind my response didn't seem so wise now. She should've known then and there that I had no interest in her like that.

But now it's eight years later, and she's all grown up, and you're very interested.

What a spectacular mess.

There were a lot of reasons for it.

First, Tessa was definitely correct about my behavior last night. It was over-the-top protective and I had no real good reason except that it ate at me to sit and watch while every red-blooded male in the party panted after her. I would have to just bluntly admit it and cross my fingers that she'd understand.

Second, Tessa was nowhere in the list of the five women I'd invested my time and commitment to in the last several weeks in hopes of finding something a little more meaningful with one of them. My idea did seem pretty idiotic to me now which would make it really difficult for me to explain to all five women why my experiment had completely backfired. Worse, I would have to convince Tessa to conveniently chalk it up to a serious lapse of judgement that would never happen again.

Lastly, Brandon might kill me before I'm able to do any of these things because she's his baby sister. It's high on the list of things you just never screw around with—literally. And code or not, my not-so-undeserved reputation wouldn't earn me any brotherly vote. I wouldn't vote for myself if this was my sister we were talking about—at least not for the Jake from before last night before he was altered by the petite, seemingly harmless beauty sleeping next to him.