Fried Burrito

s e v E N T e e n

After a billion days of thinking, I found myself coming to the conclusion of telling my brothers about the truth... someday. Just not today. These past weeks with Jace have been extraordinary and solely among us. Things felt like bliss between us and I didn't want it to change.

"Caden sweetheart, are you going to tell me what your brothers like or are you going to continue staring at me like I'm a piece of meat?" Jace asked as he shook a box of boxers in my face.

"Well I'm pretty hungry so, I think we both know my answer," I replied before turning to walk down the next aisle of groceries.

Jace's silence was a clear sign of annoyance towards my disregard to his question about my brothers. A pang of guilt flooded me as I turned to face him once more. I swiftly wrapped my arms around his shoulders and stared into his eyes.

"Jace, no matter how many boxers you buy, my brothers are still going to have a hard time accepting you."

"Why? It's not like I'm a bad guy."

"Yes but you're a guy. They don't like the idea of me dating, you know that."

"Yeah but-"

"But nothing. Don't worry about them liking you because I like you," I smiled.

"I guess that's okay," Jace sighed playfully before I landed a smack on his shoulder that ended up hurting me more than him. "But I think I'll need a lot of kisses to cope with the idea."

"Sure can do," I replied before he closed the space between us and filled my stomach with butterflies.

"I adore you, Caden Bennet," Jace smiled as he turned around to move down the next aisle.

I adore you more. 

___________________

"So, where are we off to tonight?" I asked Jace from the passenger's seat. We had been in the car for over an hour, driving to what seemed like the middle of nowhere, and I was starting to become anxious.

"It's a surprise," he replied before placing a soft kiss on my knuckles.

Please don't let him be a mass murderer. Please don't let him be a mass murderer.

"Well, we've been driving for a while... to the middle of nowhere," I said while trying to make out any figures I could see in the setting sun.

Jace smiled from the driver's seat and simply turned up the music he already knew I liked. Instead of protesting any further, I allowed myself to trust his intentions and focus on the music.

After another hour of us singing terribly loud to the songs I loved, we had arrived in the city of New York. My heart swelled as I stared out of the window of the passenger's seat at all of the beautiful lights of each skyscraper with a smile on my face.

"Jace," I said, suddenly lacking the skills to form a proper sentence.

"Don't say anything yet," he interrupted while he opened my door for me. "I haven't even taken you to where we're going ."

Having that said, Jace and I were off, taking in the city. I could not stop smiling at him and his gesture.

"You know that I enjoy seeing you smile sweetheart but, keep smiling like that, I'm sure your face will get stuck." Jace chuckled from my side.

I laughed in reply and just held his hand, full of bliss and adoration for this boy; the boy I swore was going to mess me up, the boy that confused me more than ever, the boy that made me feel higher than life itself. I adored this boy... Maybe I even loved him.

"Caden, are you listening to me?" his voice knocked me out of my head and back into the real world. I hadn't realized we were stopped in front of a dark shop.

"I am now. Where are we?"

"It's somewhere very sacred to both me and my family. I made my first dollar here and it inspired me to keep making my own dollars, except on my own, in my own shop," Jace explained as he unlocked the door. He allowed me to step inside before he turned on the lights. "This is my great grandfather's coffee shop. I know it's not crazy special but, it's important to me and I thought you would've enjoyed to see it."

My heart swelled at the intimacy of his gesture as I took in my surroundings. Old family pictures covered the perfectly rusted walls and the air smelled of genuine dark roast coffee. Out of all the gestures he's ever done for me, this had to be my favorite. Seeing this place was amazing. It was the start of Jace and he somehow made it his future. I was excited that he was letting me learn about him as he continued to learn more about me.

"W-we can leave if you want to, I can take you somewhere else-" he started but I couldn't let him finish.

"We are not going anywhere," I whispered before pressing my lips to his with the feel of my heart fluttering faster than a butterfly's wings.