Jared and I spent most of the day with my parents. My mother cooked a vegan meal for us, something she's never done before, and I was shocked as to how good it came out. Neither of my parents were vegan, but mom knew that Jared was. I could tell that she really liked him and thought it was a really nice gesture.
To her dismay, my father disappeared with Jared up to his music room for close to two hours. Just like when I was younger, mom cleared the table and I washed the dishes. We took advantage of our time together, reminiscing about old times. Unlike when I was younger, I now cherished every moment that I had with my mother, because I knew that this was the last visit until the holidays.
She dried the dishes and I confided in her about telling Jared that I loved him. Laughing, she told me that she already knew that I was in love with him and let me know that she told Jason all about it on the phone last night. I knew that my brother knew who he was, but wasn't sure what he thought about my being with Jared. Hopefully he and Jasmin would meet during the Christmas holidays and become friends.
Sadly, our visit came to an end sooner than I wanted. We still had to check out of the hotel and get to the airport for our flight home. Saying goodbye wasn't an easy thing for me, but at least I had Jared there to comfort me after we left.
Sitting next to him on the plane, he held my hand. "I hope you enjoyed this little trip as much as I did."
Turning my head to look at him, I smiled. "I did, thank you so much for doing this. Being away and busy all the time, I don't really focus on how much I miss them, I don't have time to. They really like you a lot ya know?"
He grinned, running his fingertips along my palm. "Your father has very good taste in music. We like a lot of the same stuff and when he told me that he actually listened to some of our music, I was blown away." He shook his head. "He said that he liked it. Jennifer, I really had a great time with him today."
I could stare into the deep oceans in his eyes every day, and still find them just as stunning as when I saw them for the first time. Hearing him say that he had a great time with my father warmed my heart and only made me more determined to put my all in this relationship. "I'm so glad." For the first time in forever my body and mind relaxed. At that moment there were no expectations upon me, no deadlines and no schedules to meet.
During the remainder of the flight, we talked about the coming week being really busy for the both of us. I knew that Luke's schedule was so full and worried about how we would see each other. We landed and finally walked through the airport, holding hands as we were photographed. Shayla was waiting for us and walked to the car, climbing into the back seat with us. "How was your trip?" She asked.
"It was great. We had a really nice time. How were things here?"
He put his arm around me and pulled me closer, listening to her go on about an interview Jared had having to be rescheduled. Things seemed so perfect during this trip and now I wondered how things would be when we got back to our daily routine. I had to work first thing in the morning and was lost in thought. I wasn't even paying attention to the conversation anymore as I stared out the window.
When we arrived at my apartment, he walked me up to my door. "Sure you don't want to come spend the night with me?" He asked, leaning on the door and staring down at me.
"I have to work in the morning and it would be too hard to get up extra early and drive back here to get to Luke's. You know that I'd love to, but I have to say no." I wrapped my arms around him.
His hand wrapped around the front of my neck, tilting it back and making me look at him. There was something in his touch. It started as a tingle in my fingers and toes, much like the feeling I have when I'm anxious, but instead of making me worry, it was warm. "I love you and I want to have dinner with you tomorrow, so I'll pick you up here. Call me when you are leaving Luke's." He leaned in a little closer, our foreheads touching as his lips brushed mine. "Jennifer," he whispered slowly, prolonging each letter as if to savor them. I smiled, my heart fluttering at his voice as I clasp my hands on either side of his face.
I hated to let him go, afraid that things would change once this night was over. His hands were wrapped around my waist and mine locked around his neck, pulling him down slightly. Our lips touched, gently at first, but quickly turned passionate. He tilted my head, deepening the kiss. I felt his hands on the back of my neck play with the ends of my hair that was pulled up. A smile grew on my face as it started to tickle, finally we pulled apart. "Are you absolutely sure I can't talk you into coming home with me?"
"I'm sure." I said, staring right at him. "I love you and I will call you later, I promise." One more quick kiss before I unlocked my door. "Goodnight." I told him, stepping inside and turning to look at him one more time.
"Goodnight, Jennifer." He turned and walked back down to the waiting car. I closed the door and got ready for bed.
After a very rough morning, I drove to Luke's house. I got out of the car and walked inside. "Good morning." I called out, sitting down and opening my laptop.
Luke walked out of the kitchen, still In his pajamas. What the hell was happening here?
"Good morning lover girl. Is there anything I should know? Should I be calling you Mrs. Leto now?" He sat across from me, drinking his coffee and grinning like he knew a secret that no one else did.
"Um, no. You can call me Jennifer, aka Mrs. Evans, just like always." I said in the most sarcastic tone possible. "What's your problem?"
"So, you're not married, but now he's holding your hand in public? What brought that on all of a sudden?" I could feel the ridicule in his voice as he spoke.
I rolled my eyes. "Things are different between us now."
He narrowed his eyes. "Really?" He laughed, "different how? Come on Jennifer, once a cheater, always a cheater."
Why did things have to be this way? He couldn't just be happy for me? I changed the subject in order to stop an argument. "Well, we have a busy week, don't we?" I stared at his packed schedule for the week. Closing the laptop, I stood and folded my arms. "You gonna get ready for this meeting, or are you planning to sit here and criticize my boyfriend all day, because I can just go home?"
