My Passive Stalker.

TEN

With both suitcases in my hand, Poppy and I walk towards the escalators. She bounces while she walks and almost falls down the escalator as she steps on it. I shake my head at her while watching her. She bites her lip while looking at me. "You will like Jakey. He's a great guy,"

"And if he doesn't like me?" I raise an eyebrow at her. She frowns.

"That's not an option," I chuckle.

"I will try to win your brother over if that is the case," Her frown curls into a smile.

"That's all I ask,"

I shake my head again while looking away from her. I look towards the wave of people waiting for their loved ones when I see a familiar face. My lips curl into a smile as his eyes go on mine. He looked confused for a moment before smiling.

We reach the bottom of the escalator and Poppy runs over to him. He scoops her up and spins her around. Her laughter reaches my ears and it sends a jolt to my heart causing it to pick up its pace. They pull back from the hug as I reach them. Jake's eyes go on mine and Poppy's body tenses as she turns to me.

"Jakey, this is-,"

"Brax fucking Ramirez," He cheers as he wraps his arms around me. I chuckle as I hug him back.

"Jacob Adams? What are the fucking odds?" I chant. He pulls back and looks at me with a wide smile.

"When Poppy said your name was Brax, I was hoping it was you. It's not every day you meet someone with the name Brax," I roll my eyes at his way of joking, trying to get under my skin.

"But every time you turn around there's another Jake or Jacob," He chuckles while shaking his head.

"It's good to see you, man," Poppy's face was scrunched up and her jaw was hanging low. She pointed between Jake and me.

"You two know each other? How do you know each other?" Jake turns to her.

"Brax went to Tennessee with his friend Creg and his girlfriend for his birthday like three years ago. What was her name?" He asks while turning to look at me. The mention of Priscilla leaves a sour taste in my mouth while leaving it dry.

"Ella," I mumble. He nods and looks back at Poppy.

"Priscilla or Ella, as she liked to be called. God you two were inseparable," He breathes while looking at me. Poppy's face drops a little and sadness hides in the corn of her eyes.

"Yeah, we were," I mumble praying to switch the topic. He looks at me for a moment and opens his mouth to ask another question.

"Jakes?" Poppy rushes. He snaps his head at her "I'm tired," He nods and grabs one of the suitcases from me. He leads the way as Poppy starts to walk next to me. I look at Jake as we walk out the door. "I'm sorry about him," I look at her with a warm smile.

"Don't be. I've known him for a long time. I know how he can get," She nods slowly.

"Okay. This is not weird at all," I chuckle.

"Would you rather him not like me?" I raise an eyebrow at her. She shakes her head.

"Nope. This is good," I smile.

POPPY

I lay my head against the window while looking out it. Jake and Brax talk in the background as I feel sleep welcoming me like a warm blanket. I let out a hum while closing my eyes. I hear Jake ask Brax a question but it slips my ears.

"...Yeah, I do," Brax answers. I scrunch up my face as his words make no sense to me.

"Just don't let her get hurt in the crossfire because you can't stop bad habits," I hear Jake say. His voice is serious and demanding.