Dancing in the Florida Sun (Completed)

39- FS Confident

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     Turning onto her hallway, Brooke stopped short. There, in a crumpled pile on the floor sat Jacob.

     As if sensing her presence, he turned his head towards her and jumped up. Concern filled his eyes and he pulled her close. "Where have you been? I've been calling and texting you for the last forty minutes. You let Keith off for the night saying you were staying in your room. I had the manager let me in only to find it empty. I texted Matt and got no answer. I was about..."

     Brooke motioned backwards. "I was with Madness and Elise in Brad and Matt's suite."

     "What? I...I should have thought of that." Jacob gripped her shoulders and stared at her.

     "What's going on?" Brooke tried to keep her mind from jumping to conclusions.

     "I...um, can I come in? We really need to talk," Jacob said flatly, leaving a foreboding feeling an Brooke's chest.

     Mechanically, she nodded and opened the door. He didn't look happy to see her and had begun frantically texting. This couldn't be good. Jacob grabbed her hand and walked her to the sofa, patting the spot beside him. He leaned forward in his elbows and rubbed a hand down his face. She closed her eyes and braced herself for what he would say.

     "So, where to start."

     Brooke felt him grab her hand, but refused to open her eyes.

     "Brooke...I...look at me, please," his voice softened, and she opened her eyes. "I want to date you."

     "What?" That got her attention. She furrowed her brows. "I don't...I thought-"

     "I waited too long didn't I?" Jacob rubbed a hand over his face. "Please understand, I thought you decided you wanted me out of your life so you could date Matt. It wasn't until the hospital with Grams that I learned otherwise."

     Brooke shook her head. "But how...I thought you were dating Mari. And...she kissed you. And you sang that love song with her. And, and you never said you weren't dating, even though everyone was speculating that you were. Are you sure you're not still dating her?" She looked at him accusingly. She needed to know the truth before making herself more vulnerable anymore than she already was.

     Jacob pulled his hand back and ran his fingers through his hair. "Why would you pay attention to what the tabloids say? I thought we had talked about that." His gaze was steely, but there was hurt there. "Our record label asked that we just leave it for a while to help her get some media attention when she was changing over to singing solo. My friends knew better, so I thought...so I figured it was no big deal."

     "But she hangs all over you whenever she's around. That's not normal friend behavior." Brooke leaned away in frustration.

     "I guess, but it's normal for her," Jacob insisted. Brooke made a face. "I guess, I didn't think too much about it, because I wasn't dating you.

     Brooke thought about the things he said, but something wasn't sitting right with her. "We might not have been officially dating, but as much as we were talking, and going out, you made it seem like that was your intention. You sent me so many mixed signals, my head has been a mess."

     "I'm so sorry." Jacob leaned in, reached for her hand again, and started caressing it with his thumb. "That was never my intention. I was trying to give you space. You had just come out of a bad relationship, and I figured you weren't ready for another. I didn't want to be your rebound. I just...I'm really sorry. I've made a mess of this." His hand shot up to his hair again and he pulled at it. "I was attracted to you from the first time I saw you, before we even spoke. You were sitting on Gram's porch, looking like you just woke up. Do you remember? That gorgeous strawberry blond hair of yours was slightly messy, with those piercing green eyes watching me. I knew who you were from our grandmothers — I'd helped get things ready for your arrival — but I wasn't expecting to be knocked off my feet like that. It was like my soul was drawn to yours. I couldn't stay away after that day, even though I told myself that you needed time. I guess that's why I seemed to give mixed messages. It wasn't intentional. I just can't think straight around you. All I know, is that I think about you every second of the day, and it's been so hard to stay away from you. Please give me a chance."

     Brooke couldn't take it anymore and the dam of tears broke as she threw herself at him. "I've missed you. I've missed you so much. And Noah...poor Noah's lost all this time with you. I-" she could hardly speak through the tears, "I wish I had just been honest with you about my feelings. I can't think straight around you either."

     With arms wrapped around her, he kissed the top of her head over and over again. "So is that a yes? You'll date me?"

     Brooke could barely get a word out, she could hardly breath. "Yes." It was a strangled cry, then, "Yes," she said more loudly. "Yes, Jacob," it was almost a whisper the last time as she nuzzled into his chest.

     His body shook. Something between a cry and a chuckle escaped from his lips. "Oh Brooke...Brooke, this makes me so happy. I'll make you so happy, and Noah too." He pulled back again, worry on his face. "But this won't be easy for you. We may not be able to keep it under wraps for long. My job, it will affect you. More than when people thought you were with Matt. Do you still...?" He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

     "Yes," she whispered, doubts creeping into her mind. But her heart won the battle. "Yes," she said again, feeling more confident in her decision. After all, she had thought it through a thousand times, and knew that it was worth it. "You're worth it," she said out loud and Jacob's smile returned, bigger than before.

~~~

A/N: Happy dance:) She said yes!  Only one more chapter, and then the epilogue!  Please vote & comment!