Blind Date ↳ Jared Padalecki

14 | nervous

EMMA LETS OUT a long sigh as she brings her hands up to her head to run through her sweaty hair. She is still catching her breath.

Jared laughs a little from next to her. She narrows her eyes at him. "What's so funny?" She asks, tone daring him to say the wrong thing.

"Nothing, I was just thinking how awesome it is that we've been together so long and I still have this effect on you," Jared says. Emma is still breathing hard. Jared's words don't make her upset. She has just come down from her euphoric state; she's not sure if it's possible to be upset about anything at the moment.

"You always will," Emma points out, pulling the sheets up over her bare body. Jared pulls her to his chest, cradling her waist with his arm.

"You know, it's almost Valentine's Day," Jared says, taking Emma by surprise a little. She already knows this, of course. She keeps her days well planned out.

"I know," she replies, having a good idea of where he's going with this. He doesn't say anything for a moment, just runs his fingers through her brunette hair.

"We should go out again," Jared suggests. "Or something, I don't know." Emma furrows her eyebrows in confusion and amusement and tilts her head to look at Jared.

"What do you want to do with me on Valentine's Day, Jared?" She asks, curious. Jared smiles a little.

"Oh, I want to do everything with you, every day," he tells her. Emma's face gets warm but she doesn't say anything. "But on Valentine's Day, I was thinking we should do something different."

"Like what?" Emma asks, wanting to know what kind of thoughts are running through her boyfriend's head.

"Like, go away for a few days," Jared says hesitantly. Emma purses her lips together, readjusting herself on the bed, and for a few moments, Jared is sure she's going to reject the idea.

"Okay, where?" She says, and he turns on his side to face her. He hasn't really thought about where to go, honestly. He sighs.

"Well, I was thinking about that a little," Jared says. There's something wrong with the way he's talking, like he's afraid to say whatever he's going to say. Emma only tilts her head to the side and keeps listening. "And, I think I want to go down to Texas for a little while. I have some time off that week and I haven't seen my parents in a while. Plus, I talk about you sometimes— to them— and I think they kind of want to meet you."

Emma chuckles nervously, shifting on the bed. "Jared, I'm not good with parents," she tells him.

"Just your own," he points out. Emma purses her lips together. "We don't have to go. I just want you to consider it, okay? And, I promise they're not anything like your parents."

Emma glances at Jared with a faint smile on her face.

"What?" He furrows his eyebrows, though he's still smiling. Emma leans forward and pushes her lips to his.

"Nothing, just thinking about how much I love you," she tells him. He smiles at her, holding eye contact, and he gets this glimmer in his eye that she's seen so many times before. She knows what it means.

"Yeah?" He says, he puts his hand on her hip and pushes her flat on her back and moves on top of her, like he was earlier that night. She is still grinning like mad, feeling floaty in the chest as Jared kisses her again.

He moves her hands across her skin, feeling for the sensitive spots as he kisses her neck.

No matter how many times they do this, Emma will never grow tired of it.

•••

Jared and Emma walk towards the plane four days later, each with a case in hand. Yep, Emma is going to Texas and he's going to meet Jared's parents. She's nervous as hell, too, but she's sure that Jared can't see it right now. She's also nervous about the ride. She hasn't been on a plane in a long time, and she hated it.

The two find their seats on the plane, and Jared gives Emma the one next to the window. She's not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing.

"Hey," he says softly to her, once they are comfy in their seats. She turns to look at him, as she had her head turned towards the window. "You alright?"

Emma shrugs. "Planes aren't my favorite," she tells him shakily, glancing back out the window. Jared doesn't say anything, but he puts his fingers through Emma's for comfort. She has to admit, it works.

"I think if you go to sleep, it won't be as bad," Jared suggests. The flight from Vancouver to Texas is going to be hellishly long, Emma knew this before she got on the plane. But it seems important to Jared that she meets his parents. It's only fair really, now that he met Emma's parents.

"I'm not tired," Emma replies, tapping her feet a little against the floor. It's true, she got a lot of sleep last night, along with a few cups of coffee this morning to make sure she was ready for the crazy day.

Jared brings Emma's hand to his mouth and kisses it, which has her blushing furiously. The small gesture means the world to Emma, and she smiles at him.

"It's going to be okay," he reassures her, reaching a hand up to brush her hair to the side, even though Emma's sure it wasn't a problem anyway. "Just watch a movie, don't worry about what's going to happen tomorrow."

Emma sighs and smiles softly, though she still feels nervous. When they land tonight in Texas, they are going to sleep in a hotel room and then meet Jared's parents the next day. Emma didn't argue with this. She knows the plane ride will make her tired.

"Alright," she says, slouching in her seat to make herself more comfortable. Jared smiles and moves his arm around her shoulder, bringing her closer to him. She rests her head on his chest and closes her eyes, and before she knows it, she is lulled to sleep by the gentle stroke of Jared's fingers through her hair.