by JL Paul
“Let’s go, angel,” he whispered. “I’ll walk you to your room.”
I didn’t argue as I rose to my shaky feet. Jake tucked my arm in his and I waved over my shoulder at the others.
“Are you going back to California soon?” I asked, covering my mouth so I could yawn. The cool night air kissed my cheeks and brought with it a bit adrenaline that I needed to make me coherent.
“Not for at least another week. But we’re almost done so I won’t be staying there long.” He stopped in front of my building and leaned against the bricks with both my hands in his. “Why? Do you need something?”
“I…well…I don’t need anything,” I said, dropping my eyes to the ground. “I just…you know…wanted to ask if you’d come to my graduation next Sunday. If you’re not in California.”
He cupped my face in his hands and forced my eyes to his. “I won’t be in California, and I’d love to come to your graduation.”
“Thanks,” I whispered, trying to smile. “I’ll…um…send you the tickets wherever you’ll be.”
I hated that I sounded like a stammering fool—it had never been this hard talking to Jake.
“Not a problem, Iz,” he said, teasing smile on his face. His thumbs caressed my cheeks as he leaned closer. My heart thumped in anticipation. “I understand you’re dateless for the prom.”
“I am not,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. I cleared my throat. “Cammy is my date.”
“Like I said,” he grinned. “You’re dateless.”
I folded my arms over my chest, indignant. “She’s dumping me for a guy?”
“Yep,” Jake said. His eyes shined. “She sure is.”
“Who?” I demanded.
He laughed and ruffled my hair. “Nick. He was talking to her about prom at the reception and she explained to him how her date canceled. He asked her if he could take her since he dropped out of school and never got to go to his own prom.”
My jaw fell to the ground and nearly scraped on the rocks. Jake chuckled and gently shut my mouth. “That was her reaction also.”
“Wow,” I whispered. I waited for the relief to come but surprisingly, it didn’t. I guess Cammy’s and Annie’s excitement rubbed off on me a little. I wasn’t really excited, but I did sort of want to go since it was our last year. I’d never attended before and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. “Well, that’s good because now I don’t have to go. You know me, that’s not my sort of thing. But Cammy’s date backed out and the girls bought me a dress so I really couldn’t say no. Now I can.”
“Iz,” Jake said, amused.
“Huh?”
“Shut up.” My mouth opened and closed quickly. He grinned. “I’ll take you.”
“I…that’s not really necessary,” I said, weakly. He cocked his head and raised a brow. “Really?”
“Yes, really,” he laughed.
“What if you get mobbed?”
His laughter grew as he hugged me to his chest. He kissed the top of my head. “I missed you, Iz.”
“I missed you, too,” I mumbled in his shirt. I pulled slightly away. “Thanks, Jake.”
“Can you meet me at my hotel in the morning? We’ll go grab some breakfast and maybe talk.”
I stuck my keycard in the slot and he opened the door. “Sure. I’d like that.”
He squeezed my shoulder and waited for me to enter the building. As soon as the door shut I sprinted down the hall to my room. I burst inside, tears rolling down my cheeks. Annie jumped to her feet, alarmed.
“What’s the matter?” she asked.
“Jake’s taking me to the prom,” I sniffled. She exchanged a confused look with Cammy so I took a deep, painful breath and explained to them everything Jake and I had discussed.
“So why are you crying?” Cammy asked, her eyes bright with fright.
“He didn’t even kiss me. Not even a little one like he used to do when we were just friends.”
To me, that was not a god sign.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Although I was extremely tired, I tossed and turned all night. I gave up totally on sleep when the green numbers on my alarm clock read five in the morning. Slipping my feet to the floor as quietly as possible so as not to disturb Annie, I padded to the shower. Once that was finished and I dressed, I paced the room, not quite sure what my next move should be. The guys weren’t staying on campus this time. Instead they rented rooms at a nearby hotel—the same one where Jake stayed when he came to see me for my birthday. My steps slowed as I recalled the squabble Ronnie and Nick had while disassembling equipment—before I fell asleep—about who was staying in what room. The debate ended when Nick produced a keycard envelope with his room number written on it. And he declared Jake was in the room next to him. That made Jake’s room two-oh-six.
“Stop,” Annie murmured as she aimed a pillow at my head. “Either go to bed or go find Jake.”
“Sorry,” I muttered as I stopped in the middle of the room. I bit my lip, glanced at the clock again, and raced for the door.
I was not surprised in the least to see a few reporters lurking around the parking lot. What they expected to find that early, I didn’t know. But it looked like I was going to give them a scoop. What would they write— ‘Sweet Isabella Leaves Campus at Six in the Morning?’ That would sell a lot of papers. Or ‘Innocent Isabella is an Insomniac.’ Who knew what they would come up with and at that point in time, I could care less.
I checked in at Admin, telling them I was going for a jog then out for breakfast, and proceeded to jog to my car.
“Where are you going so early, Isabella?” an eager, bright-eyed young woman asked.
I rolled my eyes. “Shopping. I need two lemons, a box of tampons and some vinegar. Will that make the headlines?”
She blinked at me, not knowing what to say. I waved and jumped in my car. I was sure that my little shopping list would somehow come back to bite me in the rear but I wasn’t overly concerned. It wouldn’t matter if I recited the Gettysburg Address – they’d find a way to make a story out of it.
I parked in front of Jake’s hotel and raced up to his room, smiling at Frankie sitting in his chair. He grunted and I wondered if the man ever slept. Skidding to a stop in front of the door, I bit my lip, hoping he wouldn’t be mad. I knocked softly and waited while the hummingbirds in my stomach flittered their wings. I couldn’t hear a peep so I knocked a little harder.
Jake finally opened the door, bleary eyed and extremely rumpled. My heart tingled and my lips curved. “Um… hi.”
“Iz,” he yawned. “It’s early. You okay?”
All the worry and the hurt and the confusion formed a clump in my throat that I couldn’t swallow. I shook my head and let the tears fall down my face.
“Come here, angel,” he whispered, gently taking my hand. He tugged me in the room and shut the door. He pointed at the messy bed. “Sit. Tell me what’s wrong.”
I opened my mouth to speak but the words just wouldn’t come. How could I explain to him how empty I felt? How could I describe the agonizing pain that clutched my heart with an iron fist?
“I miss you.” The words were feeble and nowhere near what I wanted to say.
He knelt before me and tucked my still damp hair behind my ears. “I never left you, Iz.”
I pushed his hands away, the pain shooting through my heart and spewing from my mouth. “Yes you did. You never called or sent me text messages or anything! You just dropped out of my life. And I hate it.”
The tears were streaming down my face like a tropic storm, but I paid them no heed.
He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me to his chest, whispering softly to me. He kissed my hair, my head, my temple. “Shh, Iz. Calm down, angel and let me talk.”
I buried my face in his chest and allowed the steady beat of his heart soothe me. My tears slowed as my breathing settled. He rubbed his hands up and down my back until my sobs stopped. Edging me back, he pressed his lips softly to m
ine.
“I just wanted you to be able to relax and enjoy the last few weeks of your senior year. I wanted you to be able to study so you could ace your finals. I wanted the reporters to leave you alone.”
I sniffed. “But it’s hard to enjoy any of that without you.”
His lips twitched as his eyes brightened. He brushed his lips against mine again. “Iz, I think we needed this time away from each other. You told me you’re ready for your finals. You managed to organize that whole charity event. You handled those reps like a pro. And you did it all perfectly. I’m so proud of you.”
I blanched as the blood drained from my face. “So you think I’m better off without you?”
“No, Iz,” he said, hugging me to his chest. “Not at all. I just think you had your mind on too many things besides where it needed to be. When I stepped out of the picture for a while, you got the important things done that needed to be done—without the press circus distracting you.”
“I can handle the press now, Jake,” I said firmly.
He squeezed me again. “I know you can.”
“And I’m ready for my finals.”
“So you’ve said.” He tipped my chin and kissed me. “Don’t you know how much I’ve missed you? It was so hard to be without you, knowing I couldn’t just call and tell you that I love you. But, if we want to make it together, we have to be able to make it alone, also. And I think we can do both.”
I wound my hands around his neck and played with the ends of his hair. It had grown out some since the last time I’d seen him. “So, what are you saying?”
“That I want you back, if you’ll have me.”
A glimmer of joy flickered inside me. I stood on my toes and pressed my lips to his. “Of course I will. I love you.”
He scooped me up in his arms and dropped me carefully on the bed. He sat next me and pulled me into his arms.
“I love you, too.” We sat together, silently, for a few minutes. He kissed my head and scooted us further up the bed. “It’s still early. Let’s take a nap and we’ll talk some more when we wake up.”
Grinning, I kicked off my shoes. He held the blankets up and I scampered under them. He tucked me in his arms, dropping random kisses on my face, as the past weeks caught up, lulling me and dropping my eyelids.
Jake’s light breathing and soft snores tickled my hair as I relaxed into him, feeling safe and content in his arms. I was on the edge of blissful sleep when a soft knock on the adjoining door startled me. I waited for Jake to say or do something but he didn’t budge. I climbed over him and padded to the door, cracking it open slightly.
“Jake, dude, you might want to see this,” Nick said.
I pushed the door wider and smiled. “I’m not Jake but maybe I want to see that.”
“Oh, hi, Iz,” Nick grinned. “Where’s Jake?”
“Sleeping,” I said, sweet smile spreading rapidly across my face.
His grin widened as he mussed my hair. “Go sit on my bed while I wake Sleeping Beauty.”
I stood in the doorway and watched as he yanked a pillow out from under Jake’s head and smacked him with it. I wondered briefly if Annie taught him that trick.
“What?” Jake whined sleepily. His hand fumbled blindly over the side of the bed I’d just occupied. “Where’s Iz?”
“In my room. Get up. I want you to see something,” Nick ordered. I giggled as Jake sat up, hair askew and eyes puffy. Nick winked at me as he pushed me into his room. I could hear Jake’s reluctant footsteps behind him.
“This better be good,” he grumbled as he plopped on Nick’s bed and scooped me in his arms. He kissed my shoulder and I shuddered, melting into him. The opening music for Entertainment News This Week rang out from the television speakers and Jake groaned. “I can’t believe you watch this stuff.”
“I was just flipping through the stations and I heard someone say they had news about you and Iz on the special Sunday edition,” Nick explained.
“Let’s see what they came up with this time,” Jake mused as he locked his arms over my stomach. He pressed his lips to my temple.
“Glad to see you two worked things out,” Nick commented, eyes on the heavily made-up hostess. She was rambling about a popular TV star’s secret wedding and I suddenly remembered how I used to envy celebrities. Having had a taste of the paparazzi life, my envy turned to sympathy. I wondered how many reporters had lined up outside that church and how difficult it had been for the wedding guests to get inside for the ceremony.
“Me, too,” Jake murmured against my neck. I shivered as my heart pummeled my ribcage.
“In other news,” Natasha, the hostess in desperate need of a root job, smiled. “Bad boy Jake Johnson visited Isabella Ames’s school campus yesterday to perform a charity concert sweet Isabella organized.”
“I really wish they’d quit calling you bad and me sweet. It’s disgusting,” I said. Nick and Jake laughed as Natasha continued.
“Miss Ames gave a brief statement before the show.” They showed footage of me standing at the podium explaining the purpose of the show. I was amazed at how calm I looked on TV. I remembered how jangled my nerves had been.
“Impressive, Iz,” Nick said with a smile. I blushed. Jake kissed my cheek.
Natasha went on. “Miss Ames would not answer any questions concerning her relationship with Johnson, but sources report she left campus early this morning.”
“I hope you checked out with Admin,” Jake chuckled. I shrugged.
“Entertainment News will keep an eye on the story and bring you updates as they happen,” Natasha promised.
“You woke us up for that?” Jake snorted.
“I didn’t know what she would say. I thought you’d want to see it.”
“They’re grasping at straws now, aren’t they?” I asked.
“Don’t worry, angel,” Jake said as he untangled himself from me to slip off the bed and offer me a hand. I took it and he tugged me to his feet. “They’ll be there when you get back.”
I lifted my chin, steel in my eyes. “They don’t scare me anymore. I can handle them.”
Jake hugged me and kissed the top of my head. “I know you can.” He pushed me gently toward the door. “Let’s finish that nap. I’m beat.”
***
My finals went well, and I was fairly certain I’d aced them all, even Calculus. My obsessive studying came in handy. Before I knew it, it was Friday night and time to prepare for prom. Cammy and Annie treated me like some sort of beauty experiment but this time, I didn’t mind. I relented and allowed them to turn me into a fairy tale princess.
Jake and Nick had driven down Thursday night but I didn’t dare venture off campus to see him. Someone had found out he was escorting me to prom and the tabloids had set up a ‘Jake Watch’ and prowled the perimeter of the school grounds constantly.
When Cammy and I finally walked down to Admin to wait for Jake and Nick, we could see a horde of reporters gathering outside the gates. My heart lifted and flipped when Jake stepped out of his Mustang dressed in an immaculate black tux, his hair gelled in his messy way. His dark sunglasses only added to his devastating looks and when Nick joined his side, dressed similarly, I knew quite a few hearts would be broken that night.
They ignored the questions fired at them as they pushed through the throng and entered the gates. I raced to him, carefully because I was wearing heels and didn’t want to take a tumble. I was certain that photo would make headline tabloid news.
Jake caught me in his arms and kissed my cheeks as he presented a white rose wrist corsage.
“You are stunning, Iz,” he whispered. He offered me his arm. I took it willingly, my eyes not able to leave him. Nick and Cammy followed behind, and we met up with Annie and Zach.
The gym had been transformed into an ‘Evening in Paradise’ theme with white lights twinkling overhead. A tiny wooden bridge stood in the entrance that prom goers had to cross in order to enter the gym.
Small, intimate tables li
ned the walls with tea light candles flickering in hopes of inducing romance. We claimed a table and watched the other couples laugh and dance to the local band. Dean and Lance appeared with their dates, both girls I recognized as sophomores. They acted as if they hadn’t seen us and I smiled.
“What are you smiling at, Iz?” Jake asked, his lips close to my ear.
“I was remembering how I used to think I was in love with Lance,” I said as I nodded in his direction. I took Jake’s hand under the table. “I didn’t even know what love really was.”
His eyes sparkled as the corners crinkled with his smile.
“Come on, Iz. Let’s show these people how to dance.” He scooted his chair back and got to his feet, helping me to mine. He led me to the dance floor and collected me in his arms. As he held me close, I ignored all my classmates as I swayed dreamily in time with Jake.
***
The six of us hung out in town Saturday, just goofing off and enjoying our freedom. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face, ecstatic that Jake and I were together again.
Jake drove me back to school that night and kissed me. He pulled back and smiled. “I want to give you your graduation present tonight.”
I was grateful for the dark because I could feel the heat rushing to my face. “You didn’t have to get me anything, Jake.”
“Right. Like I wouldn’t buy you a present.” He reached across me and opened the glove compartment. He handed me a small package. “Just open it.”
I did as he ordered with shaky fingers. The paper revealed a tiny black box and my heart hammered.
“Jake,” I whispered as I pinched the lid open. Tucked in the velvet padding was a gold ring with a smattering of diamond chips in a heart setting. Blood pumped through my veins as I fingered the jewels. “It’s beautiful.”
He took it from me and slipped the ring on the third finger of my right hand. “It’s not an engagement ring, because I figured maybe you’re too young and maybe we need a little more time together.” He kissed my knuckles and cupped my cheek. “It’s more of an I-promise-to-love-you-forever ring.”