Pieces of Love

Chapter 31

Sophie had taken Jacob to the nurses' office. I walked to the school garden in silence, ignoring the throbbing pain in my stomach as I sat down on the same swing in which Jacob had confessed to me. I cradled my head in my hands, my brain running through the events of the day. It felt like a total mess up there and I felt disorientated just thinking about it.

Firstly, there was the arrival of Tom. Secondly, I confessed to Jacob and we kissed. I agreed go out with him and to perform for the senior class graduation. Then, Jacob landed into a fight with Alan. Lastly, I found out about Jacob's insecurities.

The sound of oncoming footsteps alerted me and I shot up, only to see Lily making her way towards me. "Sophie asked me to find you," she explained before I could utter a single word. She swallowed me into a hug and I relaxed in her arms.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she pulled back. "You should really get it checked up, you know," Lily added as she eyed my stomach. I didn't even realise that I had placed a hand on it sometime or another, trying to sooth the pain.

"How's Jacob?" I asked anxiously. He really wasn't in the best condition right now, both physically and mentally. Lily seemed hesitant. "Sophie told me you guys are going through a rough patch right now," she finally said. I sighed, before explaining everything to her, including our new status and his insecurities. Lily let out a breathy laugh after I was done.

"Man, who needs a reality TV show when we have you two? It's crazy. It's natural that Jacob might feel insecure. I mean, you did go out on your first date with Isaac. You just have to show him that you really like him. As for Isaac, I'll let him know that whatever that is going on between you two remains strictly friends. He had his date with you, so he shouldn't be complaining," she spewed out. Then, she added, "It's so weird being involved in my cousin's love life, even weirder than having to see his underwear."

It was safe to say that Lily had effectively lightened the mood.

***

I knocked loudly on Jacob's front door later in the evening, hoping someone would answer quickly. Earlier in the afternoon, Sophie had accompanied Jacob home, which I owed her for. I tried to dress as best as I could, while trying to look casual. I was wearing my best jeans: light blue skinny jeans and a cute top. I even might have put on a bit of make-up, a contrast to my usual natural, make-up free face. Admittedly, I was trying to convince Jacob that he was the only person that I liked, and I had to pull all the stops.

I heard footsteps on the other side of the door before it pulled open to reveal Fred. "Emma, what are you doing here at this time?" he asked, surprised. I smiled sheepishly at him.

"I came to see how he was doing sir, after what happened this afternoon," I said, although that was the part truth. I haven't seen Jacob ever since Sophie brought him to the nurses' office. As a reminder of the fight, my stomach throbbed painfully again, although I knew it was nothing to worry about. All I had was a bruise, which I was pretty sure would be gone in a week's time.

"Of course! He's up in his room," Fred opened the door wider to let me in. I dashed up the familiar flight of steps and stopped right outside his closed door. For some reason, I didn't barge in like I usually did whenever I came here for study sessions, for now I knew how Jacob truly felt. He had laid all his cards out on the table and it was my turn to lay out mine. I raised a shaking hand and knocked on it softly.

"Come in," Jacob called out and I opened the door slowly, revealing Jacob lying sprawled on his messy bed reading a copy of Harry Potter. There was a huge bandage covering the gash that I saw earlier.

"Hey Jake," I said softly and he jumped up from his bed, the Harry Potter book discarded into a corner.

"Jesus, Em, don't scare me like that! I thought you were my parents or something," he exclaimed. Jacob raked his eyes through my outfit. There was a moment of silence. "Are you trying to make me feel bad or something?" he asked, running a hand through his now messy hair. I looked at what he was wearing: grey sweatpants and a white tee. He still looked handsome in a cute way though.

Wait what?

Shaking my head to get rid of my ridiculous thoughts, I made my way to his bed and sat down, pulling him down beside me. Intertwining our fingers together, I laid my head on his broad shoulder and said, "You know I only have eyes for you right?" Beside me, Jacob stiffened.

"Really?" his voice was disbelieving, as if I had not confessed my feelings to him earlier. "What about Isaac?"

"To me, he's just a friend. He may see me as something more than that, but I don't feel the same way. Don't you get it, I like you, and only you," I reassured him. His grip on my hand tightened, as a show that he now believed me. His body warmth made me feel comfortable, and without thinking, I laid my back down on the bed, relishing in the familiar smell of his comforter. I closed my eyes, a brief smile forming on my lips, for I now have someone that I could call mine.

My reverie was broken when Jacob hesitantly lied down beside me, our hands still intertwined. His shoulder nudged against mine, and my eyes flew open to see his face closer to mine than what I would have been expecting. I suddenly felt woozy and very self-conscious, not daring to make eye contact. My heart rate sped up to an erratic heartbeat and my palms felt clammy, something that is not a good thing when my hand is still in Jacob's.

Jacob lifted my chin to look him in the eye. He had an undecipherable look on his face, before his mouth opened to sound out words that took me a while process: "Would you like to go out on a date with me?"

The way he said it, that adorable look on his face, the way his brown hair stuck out in tufts, how I could see the flecks of gold in his brown eyes; it was all too much. "Yes," I managed to gasp out, still drowning in the seemingly flawless person that was Jacob Lynch.

Said person, former best friend turned boyfriend, responded to my answer in the best way possible: a slow drugging kiss that sent my heart into overdrive.