Love's In The Water ~Jake Nolan~

Chapter Twenty Three

Hoppo offered me a summer job at the beach and I took so I could pay for student loans for university and not rely on Dad so much. I'm at north with Maxi and I can feel my phone buzzing with missed calls and texts from the girlfriends I made at school. "My phone keeps buzzing and annoying the sh*t out of me" I complain "Then answer it. Not much is going on" Maxi says and I reluctantly pulled out my phone and looked through the hundred and thirty missed message my friends had sent on the group chat. "Far out" I breath out after replying and putting the conversation on mute "What was that all about?" Maxi says "The formal's next week and I don't want to go," I say my head resting against the back of the seat "Why not?" He asks "Its so stupid. Why go to some dance that the school provides just for your year group where everyone acts completely fake behind the fancy clothes" I say "Besides I don't have anyone to go with" I haven't asked Jake and I don't really want to. "Did you and Jake break up or something?" "No, we're fine. It's just that he'd rather somewhere else than a fancy place surrounded by a bunch of high school kids he doesn't know on a Saturday night" I say "It's not his scene. Besides he'd stick out like a sore thumb - tats and all" I say "Have you got a dress?" Maxi asks "Yeah. Navy blue" I say, it really is an amazing dress "Nice. Too bad nobody will see it" Maxi says and the conversation about my high school formal is ended. "See you later Maxi," I say as my shift ends at noon "See ya," He says and Jake comes down and takes my place and I head home.

"Come on Eve! You have to go! It's a once in a lifetime thing!" Grace has been trying to convince me to go to the formal for weeks, even months "Fine! I'll go, but only to get you three of my back!" I say "Good because the four of us have a nail appointment in five minutes," Grace says and we quickly make our way to the other side of the mall to this nail place. The formal is tomorrow so the girls are rushing to fit everything in today and it's going to be crazy tomorrow, luckily I'm getting picked up last so I got more time to get ready.

Jake's P.O.V

"Did you know that Eve's formal is next week?" Maxi asks "Yeah," I say, I was with her and her friends when they got the dresses. They needed a guy's opinion and didn't want their boyfriends to know what they're wearing "And..." He trails "And what?" I ask confused at this conversation, it's going nowhere "She doesn't want to go. Says its stupid" Maxi says "...It is" I say from experience "That's not the point. She's never been one to go out with friends to the mall but go surfing. This is one thing everyone wants to go to if they're still in school" Maxi says "Mate, I've tried. She doesn't want to go and she has no ideas on changing" I say knowing that her friends have been trying to get her to go for months and have even asked me to help, but nothing has worked.

On Friday, the day before Eve's formal her friend Grace just texted me saying that Eve agreed to go, but only to get them off her back. "She hasn't asked you, as she?" Grace asks over the phone "Yeah. Aren't you with her now?" I ask "Yes. Do you think you'd be able to pick her up around five thirty? As a surprise?" She asks "Yeah, sure" I agree, don't know how I'm going to get a suit in time "Thanks, Jake... She's really lucky to have you, after what happened in America" She says "What happened in America?" I ask, Eve only said that America was amazing "It's not my place to say. I gotta go" And she hangs up and I call up Maxi if he had a dark blue blazer I could use.

When he said no I went through my contacts and asked everyone and luckily Bisho has one and is willing to let me borrow it for one night. I pull up outside his house and his wife answer "Hi Vanessa, um, Bisho said that he has a blazer I could borrow" I say at the door "Yeah, sure. Come in" She says and steps out of the way "How's Bailey going?" I ask as she walks to the bedroom "Yeah, good. I guess for a seven month" She says "What colour?" She says pulling the mirror and revealing the different colour blazers Bisho has and I take the dark blue one "Tell him again, I say thanks" I thank and go back to my car and drive the apartment.

*The following night - formal night*

"You're mad mate. Going to a high school formal for her" Harrison says sitting on my bed watching in the mirror as I roll my sleeve halfway and button it there so it doesn't fall during the night "She would do the same for me" I say doing the same to the other "You're crazy for her" He says and I look up and make eye contact with him in the mirror, smiling "I know" I say chuckling "You might want to get going" He says and I turn around "You're sh*tting yourself aren't you?" He asks with the roses in his hand "Oh yeah" I say buttoning the first button on the blazer "Just don't freak out. You're there for her and only her" He says "So don't talk other girls. They love older guys and you're clearly older" Harrison says, he knows so much about girls yet is single "How are you still single?" I ask taking the flowers "I don't know, just am" He says and I go to H's car that I asked to borrow for tonight and drive to Harries' house.

I walk up to Eve's door with the bouquet of white roses and press the doorbell and wait for an answer. "Tell them five more minutes. I swear! Just five!" I could hear Eve call and Emily opens the door "Jake?" She says confused "Hi," I say nervously "So you're taking Eve to the formal?" She went into strict mother mode "Yeah. You good with that?" I ask "I guess so, it's kinda last minute," She says "Yeah, I would have told you but Eve was only agreed to go yesterday," I say "Jake?" Eve says from the top of the stairs, looking stunning in the dark blue dress that showed her body off amazingly. I wanted to say something, but no words would come out of my mouth. Eve descended the stairs and she, she... she looked amazing and I couldn't take my eyes off her. She was perfect. "Those for me?" She asks at the end of the stairs walking over "Y-Yeah" I shudder and hand the flower to her "You look great, Jake" She says to me "Thanks. You look beautiful" I say "I want her home by one," Emily says being serious "She'll be back by twelve-thirty," I say "Good. Take care of her" Emily says and I hold my arm out and Eve wraps her hands around my elbow and bicep and I walk her to the car, open her door and she giggles at how out of character I'm being and kisses my check before getting in and I close the door and go round the drivers side and drive to the tower so Harries can see Eve on her formal evening. 

Eve walks into the sandy tower and all conversations stop. "Dad," She says holding her dress up so it won't get sandy "Wow Evie. Just wow! You look great" Harries says as she walks up the steps to the windows "Thanks Dad," She says "Yeah, you look amazing E," Jesse says "Thanks," She says, going red from all the attention "You clean up well, Jakey," Maxi says "Thanks mate" I say smiling, seeing Eve all smiley and shy makes me smile "Have you guys had photos?" Glick asks "No. I kinda got ready and Jake picked me up and then we came here" Eve explains "Well, you need photos for memories!" Deano exclaims and pushes Eve and Harries outside for father/daughter photos "You're brave mate. Going to a high school formal" Whippet says and I smile and look down. I've fallen so hard for Eve it would hurt so much if she leaves me. "Jake. You're up buddy" Deano says and I head out to the veranda and take some formal photos with Eve and one with Harries for a laugh. "I want to get one with the guys," Eve says walking away to the door. "Please" She begs and the footsteps of the boys were heard and they huddled around Eve, Harries and I and took a serious one. "Wait! Hold it! Hold it!" Deano says from behind the camera "Eve. Jake. I want you two to kiss and boys, look away in disgust" He commands "Shouldn't be too hard" Chappo jokes and Eve connects her lips to mine and gross tongue sounds were made from the guys around us, and I could feel Eve smile into the kiss, trying not to laugh at the boys but pulls away laughing and we head back inside. "Have fun, baby girl!" Harries calls as I shut the door behind me and we walk back to the car and I drive to the venue.