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B O N U S - O N E

Today was Easter.

Also today: Jake was gone.

Correction: He was going to be gone for another four days.

How depressing, I thought as I sneezed into a stray tissue that I had rushed to get from my tissue box. The same one I tried to squeeze in place of a stress ball. Where the fuck are you, Jake?

Oh wait, I know, he's enjoying a Mediterranean Cruise with his, oh I don't know, childhood best friend who has a crush on him, while his girlfriend is depressively snacking on countless bars of chocolate she knows she won't gain weight from while suffering from a not-so-severe case of pneumonia, she also happens to be lying on her duvet covered by thousand packets of tissues, so much she thinks that she's a minute away from suffocating.

Why did we have to have a one-week long break from school?

"How are you doing?" asks a quiet voice from the tablet lying a few meters from me. "Callie?"

"Who is this?" My brain isn't exactly in a prime state, so I count this question as relatively valid, however, the voice on the other line probably isn't having it.

"Callie, are you drunk or something?" My mom's voice shrieks in my ears as if I'm not deaf enough. "Get downstairs this instant!"

Taylor bursts through my door without even uttering a word. I see her through a small crack between to packets of tissue. I've been sneezing non-stop since yesterday, and so she has gladfully decided that knocking was now considered unnecessary. "Taylor!" I yell, but she's not having it and pulls me out anyway.

I consider myself to be fully dressed, wearing somewhat comfy clothes beside pajamas. I don't know when I even bothered to change, but it was probably what I was wearing when I came home with a fever yesterday afternoon and just decided to sleep.

Overnight the tissue packets accumulated quickly.

Taylor's subsequently dragging me out of the house now, I have to give it to her, she's beyond strong. She should consider the quarterback position, but she would refuse, saying that it 'requires too much dedication'.

"Where are we going?" I ask, lazily.

"Surprise!" She yells before sprinting away.

"Jake?" I ask.

Jake looks exactly the same, except he didn't shave over the weekend. He's wearing a hoodie with jeans, with his hands are tucked into it. His hair, like always, is a proper mess, although I swear he does it on purpose.

He offers me a smile and pulls me in to hug him, I do so immediately. "So, I decided to come home early." He rests his chin on my shoulder. "Did you miss me?"

"Sure, I did," I reply sounding sarcastic, but we both know I meant it.

"Do you want to do something cliche?"

"Jake, I think we've graduated from that." I laugh.

" It's not the number of breaths we take, but the number of moments that take our breath away." He starts.

"No. Jake. No."

"You know you love me."

"Selfish much."

"Come here, you." He pulls me in repeating something we've already gone through. Me falling on him. It's painful for me, but not to him. Soon, I've rolled off, and he's taken off jumping up and down like a child.

Soon enough, he's picking up flowers from the organize flower patches and throwing them at me, pretending that I'm Ruth from the Hunger Games. I groan in utter annoyance. "Why do I have to be in love with an idiot."

"Because that idiot loves you back." His eye crinkles as he laughs, he holds a makeshift bouquet made from the stray flowers he had plucked out.

I had him a piece of chocolate shaped like an egg 'dressed' with gold foil wrapping as I smile warmly, "Thanks, Jake, I really wasn't expecting you today."

"Bullshit, Callie I know Easter brings back the best memories of your life," He scratches the back of his neck. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Why did you come back early?" I asked. "And how did you convince Taylor to participate in your little plan."

"I told you, I wouldn't miss Easter with you for the world, I had them drop me off in Greece and I took a plane back." He's still holding the golden easter egg I gave him, "Taylor would do anything to see you stop sulking."

"Jake, I'm serious. Thank you." My nose is red from all the rubbing. "I missed you." I wrap my arms around his waist as he does the same.

"I love you too, Callie, I do."