The Bachelor (Jerika)

Chapter Twenty Six

Erika POV: After a few seconds, he pulls away. "Now, that's what I call a special first kiss," he whispers; his eyes searching my face. I didn't know what to say. As I stared into his eyes, I saw him in a completely new light. Was it possible that I had some deeply buried feelings for Jake? It seemed crazy, but truthfully, why wouldn't it be possible? We had spent hours together in the last few weeks, and we had gotten so close. But that was all as friends. Right? Suddenly he backed away from me. "Sorry about that," he mumbles. I sigh. "No, don't be. It was in the heat of the moment." He nods awkwardly. I reach to place my hand on his. "Honestly, Jake, it's fine. We don't need to complicate things. A kiss is just a kiss, right?" Though I was speaking calmly; on the inside I was freaking out. All this time I had only seen Jake as a friend, but now I wasn't so sure. There was definitely undeniable chemistry between us. But even though we "broke up", I still considered Anthony my boyfriend. Oh god, I wasn't ready to think about all this right now. "Well, it's getting late. We should head back," I suggest. He nods, and we both quickly climb into the car. We ride in silence, and the drive that had once felt freeing felt suffocating. I take a deep breath, and decide to numb myself from the confusion in my head. "You're in love with Anthony. Jake is just your best friend," I tell myself. And that was that.