#The Caravel Tavern Series

[seenoversundown]

You're My Wishlist

Jake x Charlotte (Fem OC)

Warnings: 18+ Smut (warnings will be towards the end so if you want to skip them) Fluff, Christmas Cheer, Family time, A bit of yearning - which is silly because you got him Char come on girl, Sentimental moments, Cute cute cute, silly post sex comments- we know how Jake is lets be honest. SMUT WARNINGS: Oral (M & F) Hands going places, Unprotected Sex (do as I say, not as I do - WRAP IT UP, KIDS) some light ass related things, a lot of sexy commentary, lingerie, Jake is a MAN 🤭 (Soft Dom)

Word Count: 5.8k

Summary: Jake and Charlotte spend their second Christmas together, but lucky for Jake, she has a special present for him waiting at home.

Author's Note: MERRY CHRISTMAS YA FILTHY ANIMALS- there was no chance that I wouldn't write something for the festive season, lets be real. I figured since Danny is rapidly approaching his time to shine, and we just left off with these two at Thanksgiving, I may as well wrap up the year with them one more time.

I hope you enjoy it!! This is absolutely not the last you'll be hearing from them- don't worry. They're sweet banter is just what we all needed for the holiday and to warm us up a bit! Okay okay, I can't wait to hear how you feel and I will see you on the other side! 🎄❤️

A Nonsense Christmas - Sabrina Carpenter "You'll be Santa Claus and I'll be Mrs, I'll take you for a ride, I'll be your vixen."

It’s already our second Christmas we’re spending together, and getting to have him with me makes sitting with my parents a little more fun. He came with me last year, and it was one of the first times he really even met them, but thankfully, he’s so quiet and calm that they love him. 

This year is different because his parents decided to extend their little vacation and stay up here for Christmas. I think they missed all the boys last year, so now, we’re spending Christmas Eve with his family and Christmas Day with mine. It feels like we’re married already. 

The logistics of us spending both days together seemed ridiculous in my head— having to drive down and then back but having my car, and it was all just too much. I’m grateful that Jacob is the person he is; he switched the hours he was going to work with Josh so he could get me last night. 

After spending Thanksgiving with his family and then them being around since, today has been much less overwhelming. Getting to hang out with everyone is always so fun, even though we see most of them almost daily. It proves how attached Jacob and I are because we spend the entire time waiting for a reason to be next to each other.

This catches us up to where we are now; I don’t think he’s aware of how attractive he is, even when he’s not trying at all. He decided to wear the same outfit he wore when we kissed for the first time, whether he knew that or did it by accident— regardless, my mouth was watering over him. 

It’s just a flannel and jeans, really, but it’s how he looks in them. I just can’t help but think of how adorable he was that night anytime he wears even a variation of it. He’s actually a lot more covered than usual, but it’s only because of the cold. 

Now I’m standing here with his family, watching him from across the room, and I still get butterflies when I catch him staring back. I slide my phone out, quickly texting him. I know I could just go see him, but it’s more fun this way. 

Me: baby you look so good tonight 😍 

Seeing how he smiles at his phone before glancing at me, that man is mine. Mine, mine, mine. All mine. The smirk on his lips alone makes my knees weak. He looks back to his phone, typing quickly and then tucking it under his leg. 

Jacob 🖤:  just for you, beautiful 😘 

“So, how has work been for you?” His dad’s voice caught me off guard. 

“Oh!” I let slip out. I composed myself quickly and told him, “We’ve been so busy lately, but we were actually given a few days off because of the holidays, so I can’t complain.”

He chuckles to himself before quietly saying, “Hopefully, you get to enjoy your time off.”

With Jacob? Absolutely, I will. 

“How have things been for you?” I ask him. Listening as he tells me how they’re glad they stayed up here a bit longer, I see Jake walking over out of the corner of my eye. 

His arm slides around me, feeling his hand firmly planted on my side, keeping me close to him. I glance over at him, whispering, “Hi.” His little smile is enough of a response for me. 

His dad chimed in, mentioning something about the bar, but frankly, I was too focused on the handsome man I was attached to. 

Watching Jake as he starts telling him, “Yeah, actually, I just—“ 

And that’s about all I heard. I just stare absentmindedly at how his mouth moves when he talks or how he uses his hands. His fingers tap against me every so often as he explains things, but he always squeezes me or rubs my side when he stops. 

He glances over at me. “Well, I’ll let you two finish catching up, I think I’m being put on Santa duty this year.” Pressing a kiss to the side of my head, he carefully lets his hand run over my ass as he walks off.  

Santa, huh?

His mom sneaks over, her voice distracting me, “So, Jake said you’re seeing your parents tomorrow.” 

“Yes! They’re excited to see him, which is sweet.” 

“Oh, I’m so glad they like him,” she breathes out. A small giggle sneaks out of her as she tells me,  “I’m partial to him.”

“No, they love him,” I reassure her quickly. “I wasn’t super worried because he’s so laid back, but my parents being who they are definitely made me concerned for a minute.” My eyes go wide, and a slight cringe on my face. 

“Well, you never have to worry about us,” she says, grabbing my arm gently. “All of us love you and think you’re perfect for him.” 

“He’s pretty great,” I let out. Looking over at him again, I really do love him so much. “Hopefully, he keeps me around.” 

She laughs, which is oddly relieving. “Oh, don't be silly! Have you seen the way he looks at you? You’re not going anywhere, sweetheart.”

“Good,” I giggle out quietly. “That means we get to hang out more, too,” I whisper, gesturing between the two of us. 

Her arm wraps around me quickly, “That’s the best part about it, isn’t it?” 

I find myself watching him as I hang out with his parents and Quinn, just listening to them ask Quinn about school. Even just him sitting on the couch, with the glow of the Christmas tree, he isn’t doing anything in particular other than existing– he’s so fine. I slide my phone out subtly, texting him and then tucking it back under my arm. 

Me: What if i said i want you to unwrap me like a present and play with me? 🥰

I can see him fighting a smile as he peeks over at me, shaking his head subtly. Watching him blush over little things is my favorite hobby. I have found it really precious that even after a year, he still gets flustered easily. 

Jacob🖤: honey 

I send him a little wink before I run off to help his mom with some snacks in the kitchen. Spending time with her during holidays has really become one of my favorite things. She’s quite possibly the nicest person I’ve ever met— her kids are absolutely a product of that. 

She was so welcoming to me, even after the situation when we started dating. It was almost like she knew something must have been going on prior to me having a conversation with her one-on-one. Thankfully, we do get along incredibly well, and I couldn’t wish for a better potential mother-in-law. Just thinking that I could call him my husband one day makes me sweat. 

Wandering back into the living room, I watch him rearranging the gifts closer to where everybody has slowly been sitting down. He grabs the stockings that his mom put together for everybody, setting them with their piles of gifts. It only takes a minute of being himself before I slide my phone back out. 

He spends a few more minutes organizing everything before sitting back in his spot on the couch. He glances over to me, a little smile on his lips. I silently just shake my phone, watching his eyes move down and then grabbing it from his pocket. 

Me: I can put on some tall socks later and you can stuff me instead 🤭

His eyes get wide reading my text, shifting a little in his seat as he rubs his face to help prevent himself from reacting. How is he so—? Looking up at me, but his stare felt different. I swear I could see his pupils dilate from across the room. 

His quiet voice, barely legible through the chatter of everyone else, “Come here.” His hand patted his thigh as he told me, and if anything was going to light a fire in me, it was that. 

His hand slid around my waist as I sat down on his lap; there was absolutely plenty of space that I could just sit next to him, but this was definitely more fun. 

“You’re taking this whole Santa bit seriously, huh?” I ask him quietly. 

His giggle made his body shake a little as he leaned forward. His face turned so only I could hear him. His voice lowered when he asked, “Have you been a good girl?” 

My heart about stopped; oh my god. Without hesitation, I carefully cross my legs, unprepared for him to say something like that. I never expected that to be so sexy. 

“What’s wrong, Honey?” his question taunted, as his hand squeezes my thigh just hard enough to make me sweat. I may tease him through text, but the moment he opens his mouth, I’m done for. 

“Nothing, baby,” I tell him, a small smile forming on my face. “Just excited to give you a present I forgot at home.” 

His eyes bounced to my lips and back before letting out, “Can’t wait.” 

The sound of wrapping paper ripping distracted the both of us quickly. 

The difference between our families is wild to see. I don’t know if it’s because all three of the boys, when they were younger, just couldn’t stomach waiting, but their parents just let them go wild with opening things. I just kind of watch for a second as they’re all handing gifts back and forth and starting to open them. 

My family is way more quiet, and it was only my sister and I, which, given our age gap, made it a lot easier for us to take our time with Christmas gifts. They typically let me go first since I was younger and too excited, but everyone took turns, so it was a drawn-out process in our house. 

Their parents just watched as everyone started opening things, and the loud chatter only got worse with the mix of ‘Thank you’s. It’s easy to tell that they love spoiling their kids, but I think they just like getting to spend time with them since they’re all adults now. Seeing how their parents treat them– it makes sense why all three of them are the way they are.

Unwrapping a gift from his mom, a deep forest green knit sweater sits in my lap. It’s so soft. I looked over at her, and she already had eyes on me, apparently. 

“Thank you,” I tell her excitedly. “It’s so cute!”

She blows a kiss at me, “You’ll have to show me whatever outfit you put together.” She shoots me a little wink before turning to Sam as he starts to tell her something. 

I could just watch all of them interact with each other and be happy about it. The dynamic between all of them is just so loving and sweet. Knowing full well that when the boys were kids, I can only imagine that it was harder. But seeing everybody as adults, and especially since all of their boys now have partners to share the holidays with, it’s adorable to see how their parents act around them. 

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After a bit, everybody slowly started losing steam, so we took the chance to get out while we could. We both knew it would take a minute for us to be able to leave since we had to say ‘goodnight’ to everyone, even though we will see the bulk of them this week anyway.  The drive to my apartment felt like nothing, maybe because I was selfishly excited to just spend time with him alone.

 Staring at him while he drives is a gift on its own. His side profile could be hung in a museum. Listening to his soft little voice after hours spent surrounded by his family, it’s honestly comical how differently he has to speak when Sam and Josh are in the room. It’s not like we don’t see each other enough, but knowing we have to share our time with family, so of course, I’m going to eat up any second I have him to myself. Just getting to enjoy the feeling of his hand on my leg as he drives. But nothing beats the view of his hand gripping the steering wheel. Mmm. 

I’m not always proud of the fact that his hands were one of the first things I fully focused on when I met him, but they’re wildly nice. They’re also fairly large, which is baffling because he’s not a big man by any means. Even just getting a small glimpse of his wrist gets me going, his sleeve sliding down slightly. I don’t know what it is about him that makes this happen to me, but I’m not going to complain.

His other hand flexed on my thigh, watching the way his fingers pressed into my leg for a second, giving it a little squeeze; how he puts rings on when we have plans that aren’t just sitting in the bar because he’s definitely figured out that I’m obsessed with it. But honestly, it’s hard not to be obsessed. He can’t exist without casually touching me, which I still get butterflies from even after a year. The moment he sits in the driver’s seat, his hand searches for mine or my leg. If we’re out somewhere, he’s holding my hand, touching my back, pulling me closer to him so people can sneak by us, but leaving his hands wherever they’ve landed. 

“So, about this gift you forgot?” he softly asks, his thumb grazing over the back of my hand as he does. My head whips over to him– didn’t realize how zoned out I actually was.

I just hum back, “Mhmm?”

“Did you really forget or..” kept his voice low, but the little smirk on his lips sold him out. Oh, that little shit. He probably has spent the last couple of hours trying to decide what it is and, more than likely, is on the right track with it. 

Looking at the time and seeing that we’re almost to my apartment, I make the executive decision to rile him up a little more. 

I let out quietly, “It’s something I wouldn’t want your mom to see.” Reaching over and tuck some of his hair behind his ear so I have a clearer view of his sweet face. Even in the dark, I can see the red creep into his cheeks as it clicks in his brain. 

“I love you,” he giggles out, pulling my hand up to kiss the back of it a few times.  

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Once we’ve made it inside, dropping our bags that Jake insisted he could carry all of. I watch him plop himself down onto my couch, curling up with one of the throw pillows as he watches me put some of my things away. 

“Hey you,” he says, barely loud enough to get my attention. “You can clean tomorrow.” 

Pouting at him, I whisper back, “I only have like two more things.” 

“Well, hurry up,” he giggles, with a big cheesy grin on his face.  “I need to know what this gift is before I lose my mind.” I can feel the excitement radiating from him. 

“Ohhhh,” I teased him. “Just stay there for me– I’ll go get it.” Shooting him a little wink as I scurried off into my room.  

Pulling the lingerie from my drawer— there’s not much to it. Slipping on the bottoms before working on the top. I spent too much time scrolling, trying to find a cute Christmas set to surprise him, and with that, I ended up here. The bra basically just being a ribbon that you tie over your tits, dreading to admit that it is actually kind of cute once it’s on. I step in front of the mirror to make sure the bow is even. Oh, he’s going to lose his mind, regardless. 

Fluffing my hair up a little and reapplying some lipstick, I do one more little spin in front of the mirror before ripping the metaphorical band-aid off. 

“Baby,” I say loudly as I open my door. “Are you ready?” 

“I don’t know, am I?” 

I can’t help but giggle at his little voice. Telling him quietly, “Probably not.” Rounding the corner to my living room where he is. 

“Oh my–” falls out of him. His hand covering his mouth as he mumbles,  “Holy shit, Char.” 

“Worth the wait?” I ask quietly, feeling the blood rush into my face. Something about standing in front of him in this as he just stares at me makes my body feel warm. 

“I– um,” he hesitates as he stands up from the couch, taking a few steps over to me. His hands grab mine, and holding my arms out as his eyes take down my body. “You’re always gorgeous, but this is something.” 

“Oh, let me show you–” I spit out, starting to slowly spin around, still holding one of his hands.  

“Honey, fuck me,” he whispers. Just listening to him fall apart is already fun. “My god.” To be fair— the bottoms do not really cover much… which was probably a little mean of me. 

“Well, I just thought,” I start, stepping closer to him. “Since you work so hard—“ I adjust the collar on his flannel, trying to avoid eye contact with him because I know he’s already struggling. 

He raises his eyebrows but just hums back, “Mhmm.” 

My hands run down his chest as I keep going,  “And you do so much for me—“ I press myself into him, batting my lashes at him a few times. 

“Anything for you,” his eyes soften, but the little smile on his lips is devious. 

“And I love you so so much,” I tell him, running my finger down the slope of his nose and then holding the side of his face. Feeling his hands slide around my waist as I tell him, “You deserved something extra special for Christmas.” 

“Is that right?” He asks, his voice a bit lower. 

“Mhmm,” I hum back before whispering, “Whatever you want.” 

He leans in, kissing me gently before asking,  “You sure about that?” 

I just nod, wrapping my arms around his neck and walking him toward the couch. He sits down, pulling me into his lap. Instantly, his hands are sliding up my thighs.  

I move to straddle him, sitting up on my knees for a second, and I watch the gears in his head start turning. It takes less than a second before the cool air hits my skin. 

“Oops,” he lets out quietly, giggling to himself as the bow comes undone. His hands wrap around my rib cage, pulling me closer, leaving little kisses against my sternum. 

His hands move to grab my ass; his smirk into me is so cute, but it makes me nervous. Watching him not know what to do as he slides his hands up my body, giving my tits a little squeeze. 

I whisper, not to distract him too much, “I love when you’re like this.” 

“Yeah?” His eyes glance up at me as I’m still hovering over him a bit. 

“Mhm,” I hum. Deciding to lean into it a little, I tell him, “You’re always so gentle; it’s fun when you let loose a little.” 

His stare changed slightly, but a little smile crept onto his face.

“In that case,” he lets out, wrapping an arm around me, picking me up as he stands but quickly plopping me back down onto the couch and crawling over me, sliding his leg in between mine, pressing it against me when he leaned down to kiss me. Fighting every urge as the pressure alone already feels good. 

Leaving wet kisses against my neck, working his way down until I watch his face light up as he’s brushing his thumbs over my nipples. A small whimper sneaks out of me, which makes him look up. 

“Does that feel good?” he asks; the tone of his voice makes me shiver. He carefully rolls them between his thumb and index fingers, his jaw going a little slack while he stares at me. My legs twitch around his at the feeling. “Oh, it’s that good, huh?” 

All I can do is nod. My hands reach to grab his shirt, but he’s quick to grab my wrists, pinning them above me with one of his hands. My breathing is heavy as he hovers over me; he just stares at me for a minute. 

“You said whatever you want,” he whispers, leaning in close to my face. 

All I can manage is a small “mhm.” 

He brushes his lips over mine– his smile making my heart race. He lowers his voice when he tells me, “Then be a good girl and let me play with you.”

My hips defy me, grinding against his thigh as a quiet moan slips out. He’s so sexy, oh my god. 

“Oohh,” he coos, taunting me. “You do like when I call you that.” 

I just bite my lip gently as I look back at him. I don’t know what’s come over him but I’m not about to fight it. 

“Thought you got away with it earlier,” he says smugly. “I knew you crossed your legs because I made your pretty little cunt ache.”

My jaw drops at how he’s speaking, letting out a quiet “Jacob.” 

His sweet little laugh as he leans in to kiss me, feeling the smile against me, taking every chance to kiss his cupid's bow until he mumbles against me, “What, honey?” 

“You’re just,” I start, but the way he’s smiling at me makes my brain stall. “Um, you’re so—“ 

His little raspy voice chimed in, “Tell me.” 

I stare at him in awe; Jacob’s never like this, so forward. He giggles quietly at my lack of response, his free hand holding the side of my face, letting his thumb run over my cheek gently. 

“Mmm, that’s okay,” he whispers, his hand sliding down my neck until I feel him lightly trace circles around one of my nipples. He dips down, wrapping his lips around it, following that same circular movement with his tongue. A small groan comes from me at the feeling when he moves to the other side, teasing me the same way but quietly letting out a small ‘mmm.’  His lips leave a trail of wet kisses down the middle of my chest. 

“Keep these here, alright?” he whispers, squeezing my wrists a few times. I nod at him, biting the inside of my lip. Watching as he sat up, grabbing both of my legs and lifting them– blocking any view I had of whatever he was going to do. Until I feel his tongue flat against my clit, sending a shiver through my body. 

His mouth is warm against me, knowing all the right places to be, god he’s too good at this. The moans practically fall out of me when he slips one of his fingers inside. Years of working with his hands really are just a godsend for me– he can ruin my life with minimal effort. 

Pushing my legs closer to my chest, I feel his mouth moving lower. Um.. But he picks up the pace with his hand, and my mind goes blank again. 

“Mmm, baby,” I let out quietly. Feeling the little smirk on his face as he kisses the inside of my thigh. 

Gently biting at it before he tells me, “I have an idea.” 

Pulling me up to him, planting a kiss on me, and whispering, “Turn around for me.”  

I’ve never moved quicker– turning around and leaning down onto my elbows. The feeling of him gently sliding his hands over my legs gives me butterflies. His breath against my skin alone made me feel a bit desperate, knowing that I was littered with goosebumps. 

His lips made contact with my ass, leaving a few kisses on me before he mumbled, “God, I love you.”  

The gasp I let out when his fingers make contact with my clit, almost maddening how he knows just how to move to make everything feel better. Sliding them to feel how wet he’s made me, which he doesn’t have to try for that to happen. Just knowing he’s behind me is enough. 

Moans keep sneaking out of me, which only keeps him motivated. Feeling his free hand grabbing at my ass every so often, always following it with a small kiss until he just spreads me open.. holding it there for a moment. The cool air hit places I hadn’t anticipated, which felt oddly vulnerable. 

“Whatever I want, right?” he asks. 

I glance back over my shoulder slightly, “Mhm.” 

“You’re sure?” 

I give him a slight nod; what is he doing? 

Without hesitation, he flicks his tongue against my clit, making sweet little circles around it. Licking a wide stripe up, finding it harder to resist grinding against him. He lingers there for a second; I swear I can feel that he’s nervous. 

My jaw falls open as his tongue makes contact, not having felt anything like that before. He laps at me like he’s starving and slips one of his fingers back into me, pressing down as he does. Holy shit. 

“Baby– oh my god,” slips out louder than I wish it did. My hands are grabbing desperately at the couch cushion, not knowing what else to do. Truthfully, I’d never been comfortable enough with a man to let him near my ass like this, but Jacob is different. 

Pulled from my thoughts when his hand rapidly started rubbing my clit; the tension from my orgasm building about to burst. His tongue presses harder into me when it hits. A light layer of sweat covers me as my hands death-grip the couch. 

He whispers, “Stay right here for me, honey.” Luckily for him, I don’t think I could move if I wanted to. 

He’s only gone for maybe a minute before he’s sat in front of me, tucking some hair away from my face. He leans in, kissing my cheek a few times, mumbling, “I cleaned up, don’t worry.” I giggle into him, soaking up the feeling of his lips on mine. 

He slides the flannel off and then pulls his shirt over his head with one hand— no matter how many times I’ve seen him do that, it’s still hot. 

“Sit up for me,” he tells me. I turned to face him, still sitting on my knees. My hands flew to unbutton his jeans for him. Dragging them down his legs until his hand is holding my jaw, laughing into a kiss as he finishes pulling them off. “Mmm, open for me, yeah?” 

He stands fully; I can’t take my eyes off him. Watching him as he stroked himself a couple of times, and my mouth fell open like he asked. He slides himself in, and my lips wrap around him instantly. His hands hold the sides of my head as he starts gently thrusting himself into my mouth. 

I keep my eyes on his face— the way his eyes are closed and that delicious little pout of his.  Occasionally, his mouth falls open slightly, especially when he’s hitting the back of my throat gently. Listening to the little moans come from him, he sounds so sweet.

He pulls back completely, leaning down to kiss me— this man I swear. Grabbing me, he just picks me up, turning me to face the back of the couch. Instinctually propping my arms up on the back of the couch, I push my ass into him a little. 

Taking no time, he slides himself into me, slowly pushing his cock all the way in. Maybe he was onto something with the “cunt aching” thing because, good god, I needed that. 

He gently fucks me, his hips moving at a crawling pace. I let out a few small ‘mmm’s knowing that’s what gets him going; his hands squeezing my hips every time. 

“Mmm, my beautiful girl,” he lets out. My heart pounds at his voice. “Taking my cock so well.” 

“Jake,” I moan, unable to hold it in. Where has he been hiding all this? 

He leans over me, kissing my shoulder blade lightly. His hips stop moving for a second— just long enough for him to whisper, “If you want me to stop, just tell me. Okay?” And there’s my sweet Jacob again. 

Turning my face, so I can just barely see him. I open my mouth to respond to him, but the only thing that comes out is, “Oh.” His thumb lightly grazes my other hole, sending a chill through my body, and I can feel my face heat up. Why does that feel kinda.. 

“Is that okay?” He asks quietly. 

Shyly I mumble back, “um.. yes.” 

His hips start to move again as he gently adds pressure with his thumb— the moan coming out of me sounds feral. Holy shit. 

Every noise that escapes me makes him snap his hips harder into me. He grabs one of my hands, pulling it back towards him and resting it on his wrist before his thumb starts pushing a bit harder. 

The feeling of it starting to slip in, I can’t fight the gasp I let out. He keeps slowly pushing it further, and I have to admit that it feels good, littering the air with my moans, his hips slamming into me, and he finally slips his thumb into me. My hand grabs his wrist quickly at the feeling. 

“Hun—“ his voice sounds serious. 

My head falls back, the sweat starts forming again, and I tell him, “Baby, I’m close—“

He wraps his arm around me, pulling me up against him but gently moving his hand away. His face tucked into my neck, whispering, “Let me have it.” 

“Come with me,” I moan. 

He snakes his hand down, barely touching my clit, and I can already feel myself about to break. 

“Tell me where,” he says, his lips grazing the shell of my ear. My brain feels fuzzy as I try to focus on his voice, but the rest of him is driving me crazy. 

“Baby— fuck,” I spit out. “Come in me.” My body leans forward a little, my legs starting to shake as my orgasm hits. “Fuck, Jacob. Come, baby.” 

His hips are getting sloppy, and I can feel him release. His sweet moans littered the air, a slew of ‘fuck’s as he came down from it– leaving kisses on my shoulder when I heard him giggling. 

He backs up from me, but I feel something soft immediately covering me. What is he-? Glancing down, he’s holding his shirt against me so I can sit and not mess up my couch. Ew, I love him. 

“What are you on about, giggles?” 

He just smiles at me, shaking his head. 

“Jacob, you’re gonna end up telling me. Spit it out,” I say, laughing with him. 

“Hun, it’s just—“ he starts, cutting himself off with a laugh. I’d watch him smile like this forever, even if I never got the rest of his thought. “How am I supposed to look your parents in the eye tomorrow?” Laughing with him this time, he has a point. 

“It won’t be that bad..” I try to make him feel better. 

He wipes his hand over his mouth, looks at me, and fights his smile when he says, “Honey, please. I just ate your ass and came inside you— at what point is it not that bad?” 

“JACOB,” I bark out, my face heating up as I laugh. 

He walks back over, kissing the top of my head before mumbling, “Come on, you– let’s get you cleaned up.” 

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I come out into the living room after showering, and he’s already sitting on the couch. Just seeing him comfortable and not actively checking on the bar is nice. 

Naturally, I’m crawling into his lap; nothing is better than being close to him. He would just pull me into him anyway. 

“I have something for you,” he whispers. 

“Oh?” 

“Mhmm. Here,” he says, handing me a small present. 

Quickly peeling back the wrapping paper, a small ornament is sitting in my hands. A little gold frame that looks vintage, with a cute picture of us from a date night a few weeks ago. 

We found a little Christmas market that was going on in Portland and of course, they had so many cute background options. This specific photo was one of the last ones we took because we were both cold and getting delirious, which you can tell by the way he squished my face a little in his hand as he kissed me. It’s my favorite one; he looks so happy even if I forced him into a million pictures that night. 

Flipping it over, I noticed that he put the year in the bottom corner but wrote, ‘one more?’ in the middle because I definitely asked him every photo if we could just take ‘one more.’

“Jacob,” I whisper, my throat a little tight at how sweet he is. “I love it— I love you.” 

He kisses the side of my head gently, “I’m glad— I love you so much.” 

I stand up from him, walking right over to the skinny tree I have decorated and rearranged a few things to be able to hang this one up. 

Standing back and looking at it, my eyes tear up a little. I take a deep breath as I stare at it; I don’t know what I did to deserve this man. Feeling his arms slide around me and his face tuck into my neck, pressing a little kiss into the side of it. 

“Merry Christmas, honey,��� he whispers, letting his lips rest on my cheek, and I can feel the smile on his face. 

I lean back into him, my heart fluttering because I absolutely just fell in love with him all over again. I turned to look at him, his eyes sparkling from the lights on the tree. Nothing will ever compare to this feeling. If he only knew that he’s the greatest gift I’ll ever get.  I lean in, pressing a kiss against his lips and whispering, “You too, baby.” 

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

FDOG Master Post | Masterlist | Playlist

Sam & Willa : Sparrow Of The Dawn

Josh & Quinn : Amongst The Stars

Danny & Melody : Come Back For Me

Caravel Tavern 😉

Taglist:

@gvfsstardust @myleftsock @dont-go-home-without-me @literal-dead-leaf

@lizzys-sunflower @mackalah @klarxtr @edgingthedarkness @writingcold

@takenbythemadness @earthgrlsreasy @peaceloveunitygvf

@josh-iamyour-mama @anythingforjtk

@broken0mens @whereiskeara @gvf-luna @katuschka @threadofstars @i-love-gvf

@jazzyfigz @smoking-jakelane @gretavanfan @scoreofinfantryvines

@demonrat444 @hollyco @ourlovesdesire

@musicspeaks @wrldabomination @chloeshell1219

@becinabubblegvf @sanguinebats @lallisonl

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@musicislove3389 @allof--mylove @hailthegodsong @fleetingjake

@Mohollandtx @hearts-hunger

[stageworthy]

Julia Nish-Lapidus & James Wallis of Shakespeare BASH'd

JULIA NISH-LAPIDUS Julia is an actor, director, and producer, as well as a Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Shakespeare BASH'd, where she has produced all of the company's productions. She has worked as the Managing Director of Common Boots Theatre and is now part of the team at The Theatre Centre. For Shakespeare BASH'd, Julia has directed The Comedy of Errors, and assistant directed The Changeling. She has also performed in many BASH'd productions, including The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, and Volpone (staged reading).

Selected Additional Credits: Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen and This Property is Condemned (Director, The Playwright Project), Modern Love (Co-Creator, Next Stage), As You Like It (Text Coach, Theatre By the Bay), and as an actor OVER, See Bob Run (Theatre Caravel), reasons to the pretty (The Labute Cycle), The Forest (Red One Theatre Collective), Dublin Carol (Fly on the Wall).​ Julia is a member of the Advisory Board for the Canadian Stage GYM program and a graduate of the joint acting program at UofT and Sheridan College.

JAMES WALLIS James has been a Shakespeare fan all his life, having performed with Resurgence Theatre Company as a teenager and again as a professional later in his career.

After graduating from Ryerson Theatre School, James jumped right into the big bad world of commercial work and film & television acting. He has been seen in a number of national commercials, including spots for Boston Pizza, Honda, and Expedia. Also, he has appeared on The Jon Dore Show, XIII: The Series and in a number of feature films including: And Now A Word From Our Sponsors and The Movie Out Here.

In 2010, James co-founded Shakespeare BASH’d with his wife, Julia. For the company, James has directed staged readings of Romeo and Juliet (2010), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2011), Edward II (2015), and Volpone (2017), as well as the full productions of Romeo & Juliet, Love's Labour's Lost, Macbeth, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Twelfth Night. He played Petruchio in the company's Best of Fringe winning production of The Taming of the Shrew in 2012 and the remount in 2015, and played Benedick in their sold-out production of Much Ado About Nothing in the 2013 Toronto Fringe. In addition, here are some of James’ selected theatre credits: A Midsummer Nights’ Dream, Shakespeare’s Magic, and The Taming of the Shrew (Theatre by the Bay), Danny, King of the Basement (Roseneath Theatre, US Tour), Sleeping Beauty (Sudbury Theatre Centre), Paradise by the River (Shadowpath Theatre).

James just completed his second season at the Stratford Festival as part of the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Directing. There he has assistant directed Macbeth, Bunny, and Romeo and Juliet.

Shakespeare BASH'd presents Richard III by William Shakespeare

February 6-11, 2018 at the Monarch Tavern (12 Clinton St)

Shakespeare's epic drama about a powerful villain manipulating his way to the crown is given a barroom staging by Shakespeare BASH'd. You don't want to miss this bare-bones, visceral, and all too relevant production.

Tickets on sale now at www.shakespearebashd.com $20 online $25 at the door (pending availability)

SHOWTIMES: Tuesday, February 6 - 7:30pm Wednesday, February 7 - 7:30pm Thursday, February 8 - 7:30pm Friday, February 9 - 7:30pm Saturday, February 10 - 2:00pm Saturday, February 10 - 7:30pm Sunday, February 11 - 2:00pm

Directed by Julia Nish-Lapidus

Featuring: Cosette Derome, Jade Douris, Jennifer Dzialoszynski, Suzette McCanny, Shalyn McFaul, Drew O’Hara, Trevor Pease, Catherine Rainville, James Wallis, Kelly Wong, Joseph Zita

Associate Director: Megan Miles Stage Manager: Christopher Brackett Fight Director: Nate Bitton Movement Coach: Brad Cook Marketing Design: Kyle Purcell

Website: www.shakespearebashd.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShakespeareBASHd/ Twitter: @ShakesBASHd  Instagram: @ShakesBASHd

Stageworthy: http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Check out this episode!

[seenoversundown]

Read To Me

Jake Kiszka x Charlotte (Fem OC - For Death Or Glory)

Warnings: 18+ Smut (we know the drill-the sexy warnings go last if you want to avoid them) Fluff, romance, light teasing, Jake being cute as shit, domestic relationship vibes. Jake & Char After Dark: sex (p in v) oral (f receiving) dom/sub/switch, sexual language, edging/orgasm denial, save a horse ride a cowboy.

Word Count: 4k

Author's Note: When I tell you I have quite literally sat on this idea for a year, I wish I were joking. It came in as a request and I was obsessed with the idea but wanted to finish Jake & Char's story before writing it. I ended up in a bit of a little slump and apparently all I needed was these two to get me out of it.

the submission I got about it will be right here

“Thank you so much,” I let out quietly. There’s a possibility that I lied a little bit to Char, but it’s only for her benefit. She thinks I’m running errands for work—which I am, but I may have made a few pit stops. 

The last of which is to grab her a drink on my way back home. Grateful that I can just mobile-order so I can get back to her quicker; it only took officially being in a relationship for a month to convince me that time with her is the most important while we aren’t living together. Now that it’s been over a year, I try to soak up every last second I can with her. 

Pushing the door open as I holler, “Honey?” 

“Hi,” she lets out as she emerges from the bedroom. “What is this?” 

“For you,” I smiled, handing over the coffee I grabbed her. 

“Where did you go?” 

“Well, I had errands to run but I couldn’t help myself,” I laughed to myself before handing her the bag from the bookstore. 

“Jacob,” She almost scolds me, peeking into the bag. “Stop, you did not.” 

Watching her, smiling as I say,  “Well, you kept picking them up and not buying them, so I figured you wanted to read them eventually.” 

“Ugh, you’re too much,” she whispered, looking at me with a little grin on her lips. Moving closer, she leans into me. 

“Funny way of saying thank you, but you’re welcome,” I mumble, listening to her giggle as I leave a little kiss on the side of her head.  

She pulls out one of the books, “What’s this?” 

“Oh,” I let out. My hand holding the back of my neck as I tell her, “I thought maybe.. we could read that one.” 

“Oh really?” Her eyebrows raised as she flips the book around. 

“Well it has dragons on the cover so I thought it would be interesting.” I can feel my face warming a little, even though she will absolutely be excited that I’m even remotely interested in a book she’s reading. 

She giggles quietly, asking, “Baby, did you read the back at all?” 

“No..” 

“Oh, you sweet boy,” she laughs out, piling all the books into her arms. “We can read it together, yes.”

“Wait- why did you laugh?” 

“No reason,” she lets out as she’s walking into my bedroom. 

Staring at the empty hall, and hollering, “I don’t buy that.”

“You’ll understand, I promise,” her sweet voice rings back.

I follow her voice, laughing when I say, “Hun, you can just tell me!” 

She comes out of my room before I can catch up, her hands landing on my chest, like they always do as she leans back into me. 

“I think the surprise will be more fun,” she says, a soft giggle lacing it which makes me nervous. 

Squinting my eyes at her, “You’re lucky I love you.”   ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

“Are you sure you can multitask?” She teases. 

“Hun, please,” I breathe out, turning to face her. “I think I can handle this.” 

“Alriiight,” she giggles. 

She sits on the counter next to me while I start dinner, reading out loud so I get to also know what’s happening. Her voice is so sultry even when she doesn’t mean for it to be. I’ve found comfort in it since we started spending more time together; I could listen to her all day. 

“Well, they’re gonna fall in love, aren’t they?” I ask, smiling at her. We hadn’t made it very far into this book, but the female lead was already butting heads with this man. 

She looks up from the page, laughing quietly, “I mean.. yes, but—“ 

I raise my eyebrows waiting for her to finish. 

“It’s going to take a while.” 

My eyebrows pull together, moving to stand in front of her for a second, “It’s obvious though?”

“Baby,” she coos, her hand holding the side of my face. “It’s a slow burn— they won’t just give in that quickly.”

Shaking my head, I moved back to the stove, and sighing out, “Couldn’t be me.” 

“Not everyone falls in love in two days, Jacob,” she laughs. 

“Hey,” I spit out, pointing the wooden spoon at her. “This isn’t about me, alright?” The grin plastered across her face as she giggles makes my heart swell. Anything to make her smile like that. 

As she started to read again, I felt myself falling in love with her all over again–as I do so often. It quickly became one of our favorite things when she was with me, even for a night. We’d lay in bed together as she just quietly read aloud, though we would never make it far because she would start to drift off as she read. Tonight was different though. 

Lying next to her as she read, I just watched her. The way her voice was so soft, soothing as she read the chapter. Something I’ve found difficult as this routine came about was not getting distracted by her. 

Her green eyes flitted across the pages, occasionally giving me a little glance, which would make my stomach tighten. Even the smallest of looks from her were enough to make me sweat still, after all this time. 

The way her lips moved as she spoke, leaving me daydreaming about the next chance I’ll get to kiss her, though I have unlimited access to her—I’ll never pass up an opportunity. 

“Are you still in there?” Char asks, giggling as it comes out. 

My eyes shoot onto hers, spitting out, “Yes.” 

“I don’t believe you,” she laughs, gently tapping the tip of my nose. 

Blinking slowly at her, the smirk on my face grew, I whispered, “You’re just so pretty, I’m sorry.” 

“Do you want to stop for tonight?” 

Sitting up quickly, not necessarily proud of the desperation in my voice when I tell her, “No, honey. I’m invested—I just let myself get distracted by you.” 

Her hand reaches out, fingers grazing my jaw as she tugs my chin toward her. Pulling me in for a kiss, she whispers, “How about a little break then?” 

Smiling as I lean into her, taking full advantage of the moment. The small sigh that comes out as her lips press into mine, you’d think I hadn’t kissed her in days. I still had days where I couldn’t believe that she was all mine, today might be one of them. She sweetly giggles into me before I pull back to leave little pecks all over her face. 

“Will you do me a favor?” she asks, her little voice is so soft. 

I sit back slightly to be able to look at her, “Of course.”

“Will you grab me some water?” 

Leaning in, I leave a kiss against her forehead before mumbling, “Sure thing, honey.”

It was precious how much Jake enjoyed our reading time together, even if it meant that we weren’t talking about our week. I couldn’t ever tell if he was just really enjoying the story or if he was just happy that I was there. Either way, I would never complain. The look in his eyes when I’d glance over at him was enough to convince me to keep going. 

Though, I was grateful that he chose the book he did, because the slow burn was strong and we hadn’t really encountered any smut–well, until tonight. 

He had gotten up to grab a drink and I scanned through the next page, and realized what we were about to get into. My face was hot at the idea of having to read that to him. It was always bad enough reading it by myself, but the thought of him staring at me was making it a thousand times worse. 

Slipping back into the room, gently closing the door before he comes back to me, I smirk at him for a second, breathing out, “Why don’t we just stop for the night?”

“Really?” his voice was quiet. “Hun, we’re in the middle of a chapter, no?” 

Shit. Cracking open the book and pretending to check like I’m not fully aware. I let an uncomfortable laugh sneak out, “Oh, you’re right.” 

“Just read this one and then we can stop?” he suggests sweetly, and I know he is just enjoying the routine of it. 

I can feel my face flush as he looks at me, “Um, about this chapter..” 

“What is it?” he asks, a smirk growing on his face as his hand reaches out for me. “What are you blushing for?”

My head tilts up, so I can avoid looking at him, “They um… have sex.”

“Are you suddenly shy?” He asks, a shit eating grin on his face. 

My hands hold the sides of my face, trying to hide the flush in my face, “It’s just different reading it,” 

“Oh, well in that case.” 

I start to feel relief, “Thank—“

“Honey you’ve probably said worse to me,” He cuts me off quickly.

“I don’t think I can do it,” 

He lets out confidently, “I will.” 

“What?” 

“Hand me the book,” he says as he’s grabbing it from me.  “I’ll read it.” 

Shit, shit, shit. I squeak out a small, “You don’t have to.”

“I feel like you don’t want me to,” he says, his eyebrow cocked up high. 

“I mean..” I mumbled out.  “I don’t know. Isn’t it weird?”

He giggles to himself, mumbling, “Char, I think we’re past things being weird.” 

“If you want to then,” I cringe, hiding my face in my hands for a moment as he scans over the page. . 

His voice already makes my heart race, I’ve never imagined us in this position before. Which is pretty innocent in comparison to most things. 

“I kissed him back with equal intensity,” his voice doesn’t waver at all as he reads the rest of the paragraph. I watch him as he reads the page, and I can’t help myself from just staring at his mouth the entire time. Not that this was a new development in dating him, I noticed his lips right away when I met him and it’s only gotten worse with time. Listening to him describe a lengthy-heated kiss is making it hard for me to just sit here. 

“I think that qualifies, darling,” he smirks as he says it, glancing over to me and all the air in my body leaves at the same moment. It’s so much worse than I thought.

Jacob knows no bounds when it comes to being sweet to me– it feels fake a lot of the time with how he is, but something about him using pet names I’m not used to hearing, except maybe when he’s had a few drinks. God, he’s so hot. 

“So, you imagined what I’d look like naked?” he reads, giggling quietly to himself. 

Tilting my head at him, “What’s funny about that?” 

“I remember that struggle all too well,” he giggles out, looking over to me. “Glad I don’t have to imagine it anymore though.” Shooting me a quick wink before his eyes darted back over to the book and I’m relieved that he did, because there’s no way he wouldn’t have noticed the effect he had on me with that. 

After a few more minutes, leaning my body into him, I let my head rest against his shoulder, still looking up at him as he kept reading. His arm snaked its way around me, leaving his hand on my leg until he needed to turn the page. Absentmindedly leaving little comforting scratches against me, I swear he had no idea that I was doing everything I could to stay in control while he kept going. 

“Don’t stop. You feel so good,” he reads, and I probably could have bit through my lip.  “Why would I ever stop? I’m not cruel nor foolish enough to walk away from a beautiful woman in a moment of intimacy.” 

If there’s one thing about this man, it’s that he never slips up on being sweet. That includes during sex, he is always so soft and romantic about it. I’ve never been with someone who cares so much about making sure that I’m okay and feeling good. But the desperation in his voice as he reads this smut is driving me wild. 

“She clamped her thighs around his head to control his breathing.” 

My thighs tensed at the description, trying to focus on what he’s reading but finding it increasingly more difficult to not wish it were us doing this. 

“After the first thrust, he settled into a rhythm,” he says, his voice never faltering. He read through the rest of the page and then glances down at me, mumbling, “If this is the kind of stuff you’ve been reading–” 

I fight the laugh, even though my face has flushed, asking him, “What?” 

Setting the book on the nightstand next to me, he grabs my jaw, pulling me into him. Our lips interlock, pressing a few sweet kisses into him until I feel his little smile against me. He pulls back just enough to be able to whisper, “I can do better than that.” 

Giggling into him as he slides himself between my legs, littering kisses down my throat as he hums into me–his lips pull into a smile against me. 

“Mmm,” I hum.  “I know you can do better, baby.” 

His voice lowers when he says, “Is that right, darling?” 

“You can remind me if you want,” I whisper, biting the inside of my lip as he kisses under my jaw. 

“You’d like that, hmmm?” His hum sends a little jolt through me, but I nod quickly at him so he’ll touch me sooner. 

“Take care of you better than any of these men,” his voice is stern, demanding almost, cocking his eyebrow up when he asks, “Right?”

“Yes you do,” I whisper back, sliding my hands up his chest, toying with his necklace as he leans closer to me.  His thigh presses into me, relieving the smallest amount of tension, which pulls a quiet moan out of me. Something about him makes it impossible to not fall apart at the simplest touches. 

The sinister smirk on his lips and the look in his eyes, had me almost begging him for more. He tilts his head when he says, “Needy, are we?” 

A nervous giggle comes out before I can stop myself; Jacob isn’t typically that dominant, at least not in the ways that books portray it. 

“Thought so,” he lets out under his breath. Sliding the bottom of my shirt up, dragging his fingers across my panties when he whispers, “Mmm, dripping for me already.” 

Tugging them down, and smoothly tossing them across the room. In a breath, he’s already pulled his sweats down just  far enough. Watching his mouth open slightly as he drags his cock down slowly and pushing it back up, rubbing against my clit. 

“Haven’t even fucked you yet and you’re already soaking my cock,” he tells me, keeping his voice low. I could feel the goosebumps flood my body; my nipples harden when he says, “Desperate little thing.” 

His eyes meet mine through his eyebrows as he pushes himself into me. Feeling his hands wrap around my hips, he pulls me up with him as he kneels in front of me. Taking no time to pick up his pace, the sounds of his hips hitting mine pulling moans out of me almost instantly. 

“Baby, oh my god,” slips out of me while I’m gripping the sheets tightly. Just the energy he’s exuding makes every little movement feel even better; he’s always hot, but holy shit. 

He stares at me for a minute, sliding one of his hands up, bunching the hem of my shirt up as he pushes it up my body. The cooler air hitting my nipples only made them harder, watching him pull his bottom lip in with his teeth subtly. Letting his fingers trace over them, my hips buck at the feeling. 

“Fuck,” he moans out. His hips stop as he bends down, wrapping his lips around one of them, while his hand plays with the other. My hips, on the other hand, are grinding against him mindlessly. Feeling him hit just the right places–literally like he was built just for me. 

His little groans against my skin only made the feelings stronger, and I could tell he was getting lost. What if I just.. 

“Baby,” I whisper, and his eyes shoot up to mine. “Can you do something for me?” 

He sits up, leaning close to my face, the little daze on his face is so sweet. He whispers back, “Of course–what is it?” 

“Get on the floor,” I tell him, and his eyebrows pull together. “Like with your back against the bed.” 

He doesn’t say anything, but quickly gets up and does what I ask of him, glancing up at me questioning, “Like this?”  

I just hum back a quiet ‘mhm’ while moving off the bed. Standing in front of him, I bend down and kiss him hard, my hand gripping his jaw like it was my lifeline. As I pull back, his eyes stay shut for a moment, but as soon as they open, I tell him, “Now, don’t stop until I come. Can you do that?” 

Stepping forward, with my legs on either side of him, his head tilts back just enough for me to prop my knee up on the bed as he's already leaving kisses on the insides of my thighs. He pulls me against him, and his tongue immediately goes to work on my clit. Fighting the urge to grind against his face, I let a few little ones slip out, making him groan into me. 

He slips one of his fingers into me as he laps at me, and just the pressure from that makes me lose my breath. 

“Mmm, my baby’s so good for me,” I moan. He hums  at the praise, my sweet boy. His hand grabs my hip, pulling it gently, so I’d grind against him. Rolling my hips, the feeling gets more intense as he’s pulling me into him harder. Wanting to fight the orgasm but also missing the sounds coming out of him, something clicks in my head. 

Letting the feeling take over and a few loud moans, I let out, “Baby, yes.” My body is still tingling, but I back up from him. His cheeks flushed, the light sheen on his lips making my stomach flip; the drunk look in his eyes. 

“Lay down for me,” I tell him, patting the bed a few times. The way he moved quickly, I could tell he was desperate for some relief. I crawl over him as he gets comfortable, pressing a few kisses into his chest as I do. His eyes practically sparkling as he stares up at me, carefully I brush the hair away from his face, and leave my hand holding his cheek for a moment. I whisper, “Be good and listen to me, okay?” 

Sitting up, my legs still straddled over his waist, I reached back and let my fingers graze him. The sharp little inhale from him makes me smile. 

“Honey, please,” he lets out quietly. My hand wraps around him, but doesn’t move. 

Swallowing carefully then whispering, “Mm, I love when you beg me.” Sliding my hand up, feeling his hips buck into my fist to get some relief. The soft groans that escape him have my heart skipping a beat. 

“My desperate baby,” I coo at him. Scooting my body back far enough, that I line him up with me and slowly lower myself onto his cock.  Watching the relief wash over his face as he bottoms out in me, fighting the urge to moan myself. 

It feels mean with how slow I’m riding him, but the way he’s reacting, I almost wish I could move slower. The sweet sounds coming from him feel feral. His eyes fixed shut and his mouth slightly open, but his hands are holding my waist like he’s afraid to let go. 

“Baby, look at me,” I tell him, and his eyes meet mine. He’s so obedient. “Don’t come until I say you can.” 

His eyebrows pull together as he looks at me, letting out a whiny, “Char, I don’t know if I can do that.” 

My hips roll against him as I lower myself to whisper in his ear, “If you’re good for me, I’ll let you come inside.” The shaky breath next to my ear makes me giggle, leaving a kiss on his cheek before I sit back up. 

Grabbing his hands for support, I started bouncing on him a bit faster. Letting a few moans of my own slip out, I keep my eyes on him. Watching the way he keeps having to hold his eyes shut to focus; it’s cute how hard he’s trying. 

“Not yet, baby,” comes out as more of a moan than I expected, and the groan I got in response was telling. Pushing his arms up, my body leans closer to him, feeling his cock hit the right spot inside me. My mouth falls open and my breathing gets heavy as I feel another orgasm approaching quickly. “So close. Little longer.” 

He lets out a loud moan, his fingers digging into the backs of my hands. The way his jaw is clenching and his face is flushed, my cunt flutters around him. He’s so—I can’t last much longer. 

Lowering myself next to his ear, my voice is desperate when I whisper, “I’m close, Jake. Fuck— fuck me, fuck me, please.” 

His hands let go of mine, grabbing my hips tightly as he thrusts up into me—hard. My face tucks into his neck, breathing him in, as his hips are relentless.

“Let it go, baby,” I moan into the side of his throat. He’s practically yelling as he comes, his hips slowing down as he works through his orgasm.  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

It’s only a minute before he’s shifted us onto our sides. Brushing the hair out of my face before kissing me, savoring the moment. 

“You,” he giggles against me. 

Batting my lashes at him a few times, I squeak out a small, “what?” 

“You know exactly what,” he says through a smile. “I just wanna know where you hide her.”

I can’t fight the laugh when he says it, but I manage to pop my eyebrows at him a couple times when I tease him, “Oh you liked that?” 

His head falls back for a second, and when he comes back, saying, “Let me clean you up.” 

Always so quick to make sure I’m taken care of, he grabs a towel to clean up what he can. Which he does with a cute little smirk on his face, just staring at what he’s doing. 

“What are you giggling about down there?” 

He glances up as he drops the towel on the floor, moving back to be close to me. His raspy little voice finally says, “If that’s what reading sex scenes does to you, I’ll buy you every book you want.” 

Barking out a laugh at how almost innocent his comment felt. Grabbing his jaw and pulling him into me, and before kissing him, whispering, “Only if you promise we can recreate it everytime..” 

He smiles into the kiss, lingering in it for a moment and then mumbling, “I promise.” 

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Masterlist | For Death Or Glory Masterpost

Taglist: (reply or dm to be added)

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@monkeylaura627 @myownparadise96 @cheersdannyx2 @dyslexicchild13

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@anythingforjtk @musicislove3389

@i-choose-the-road @demolitiondanchipsversion @godly-sinsx

@joshylanefleet @alantern-inthenight

[seenoversundown]

It really feels like they did this for us, doesn't it?

[seenoversundown]

For Death Or Glory Masterpost

Jake Kiszka x Charlotte (Female OC) Completed

Workplace Romance | Friends With Benefits to Lovers | He Falls First

Summary: Jake has always been a hopeless romantic, heavy on the hopeless. He’s gone out with plenty of girls, but they never last. Tired of being told he’s “too sweet”, he tapped out on dating once he bought the bar. Just waiting for the right one to walk in and steal his heart.

*This is an AU Series*

Warnings: Fluff, (eventual) Smut, Anxious Themes, Mentions of Death, Smoking, Drinking (a lot of the story will take place surrounding the bar) Teasing, Yearning, Eventual Smut, Romance, Silly Goofy Boys.

(Warnings will be updated along with the series & More Detailed Warnings will be listed at the beginning of each chapter)

Word Count: 132.2k

Chapters:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | Epilogue

One Shots:

Affirmation ⁂ - Jake x Charlotte (Fem OC) find themselves in an oddities shop where Charlotte has her tarot cards read, whether she believes in it or not.

White Christmas ☠ - Jake x Charlotte (Fem OC) have a million and one things to do on Christmas Day and Charlotte is already stressed by 6 am. Thankfully, Jake knows exactly how to calm her down.

Siren ⁂ ☠️ - Jake x Charlotte (Fem OC) get stuck at the bar on Valentine’s Day, but Jake makes sure to make it up to her after the bar closes.

Allure : Part 1 ⁂ | Part 2 ☠️ - Jake x Charlotte (Fem OC) Family Lake Day! Starts off with Charlotte longingly watching her sweet motherly boyfriend take care of everyone all day but ends with him making it up to her in the sweetest way.

You're My Wishlist ⁂ ☠️ - Jake x Charlotte (Fem OC) Christmas has come and Charlotte has a special present for Jake waiting at home.

Playlist:

Taglist Currently:

@gvfsstardust, @myleftsock , @mindastreamofcolours, @dont-go-home-without-me @literal-dead-leaf @lizzys-sunflower @mackalah @edgingthedarkness @writingcold @i-love-gvf @takenbythemadness @threadofstars, @earthgrlsreasy , @peaceloveunitygvf @musicspeaks , @gretavanfan @jazzyfigz @smoking-jakelane @anythingforjtk @woyayaofdreams @demonrat444 @hollyco @josh-iamyour-mama @wrldabomination @broken0mens @whereiskeara @gvf-luna @katuschka @ourlovesdesire @chloeshell1219 @becinabubblegvf @sanguinebats

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The Caravel Tavern Masterpost | Masterlist (One Shots / Other Fics)

[seenoversundown]

For Death Or Glory : Chapter Fifteen

Jake Kiszka x Charlotte (Fem OC)

Warnings: 18+ Smut (I'll put the gentle stuff first so if you want to skip the smut warnings you can but also please read them if you're worried! Viewer discretion is always advised! 💕) Flirting, Suggestive Language, Sexual Tension runs DEEP, Alcohol/Drinking, sending risque photos / sexting essentially, smoking, & Jake our sweet baby boy being nervous as fuck.

*smut time* including: (oral f/m receiving, mild hand kinks insinuated, fingers in places, fairly rough SEX, literally all our dreams are being insinuated in here folks.)

Word Count: 5k !!

Summary: After using the utmost will power Jake has the night before, Charlotte truly tests his ability to resist his urges the next day while he's working. And well, you can imagine how far he makes it.

Author's Note: THE CANDLE IS AFLAME. LETS GOOOOO!!! I can't wait for you guys to read this one and I especially can't wait to hear your feelings about it! You've been patient with me and I made sure that it was well worth the wait. Enjoy the ride babes! 😘💕

Tear You Apart - She wants Revenge "I want to hold you close, soft breath, beating heart, As I whisper in your ear. "I want to fucking tear you apart."

Nothing in the last eighteen hours has felt real. We laid there talking about whatever came to mind for a while, but she stayed pressed against me the whole time. Alternating between holding my hand or drawing little shapes on my chest as she told me stories. 

Getting to wake up with her curled up in my arms, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t just pretend to sleep for a few minutes just to enjoy the way she played with my hair and kissed my face until I finally “woke up.” Staying in bed until Josh left the apartment so we didn’t sell ourselves out. Just quietly talking and sharing lazy kisses for a while, I felt like I was still dreaming. 

Coming back into the room, she was wrapped up in one of my shirts, just sitting on my bed and scrolling on her phone. 

“I didn’t know friends with benefits meant you stealing my clothes,” I tease. 

Her smile is contagious, “what do you think the benefits part means?” 

“Oh, is that right?” I ask in a taunting tone as I start getting dressed. Watching her pout as I button my pants, “What’s that for?” 

She climbs off the bed quickly, sliding her hands around my waist, “Can you just not look at me when I say this?” The question laced with her giggles. 

“Oh, don’t be shy now,” I laugh. 

“You’re just sooo..” she quietly but quickly spits out. 

My eyebrow raises as she avoids finishing the sentence. Reaching back to grab a shirt from my closet, she’s still clung to me. 

She finally squeaks out, “sexy.” Immediately tucking her face into me, I wrap my arms around her as I laugh. She thinks I’m—? 

“If I didn’t have to be in the bar, trust me— I wouldn’t ruin your fun.” 

She leans back, moving her hands to the same place on my stomach, slowly letting them creep up to my chest, “Starting my day off with a little torture?”

 You have no idea. 

“I haven’t forgotten about that promise,” I mumble to her. Watching her eyes light up, I tell her, “I’ll make it up to you, but I do need to work for a little bit.” 

“Better be good if you’re making me wait even longer.” She taunts. 

“Oh, I think you’ll agree it was worth the wait,” I tell her before whispering, “But you have to let go of me if you ever want to find out.” Leaning forward to press my forehead against hers, trying to not laugh at the pout on her face. 

“I’m not done yet,” she groans, letting herself fall into me and chuckling to myself as she dramatically goes limp in my arms. We stood there like that for a few minutes; she kept leaving little kisses all over my chest, which further convinced me that I deserved an award for self-control. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

After what felt like the longest goodbye, I have never wanted to not be in my bar more than I do today. Time feels like it’s crawling by as I stand here talking to customers at the bar. I’m nodding along to whatever they tell me as Josh mingles amongst the rest of the room. I see my phone light up out of the corner of my eye. 

Charlotte: Hi 

Me: hello there

Well, at least she can keep me company now. I pour a fresh beer and slide it to the man sitting across from me. I carefully tap on my phone, ..she already replied. 

Charlotte: I have a problem..

Me: oh? What’s that? 

Charlotte: Can’t stop thinking about how lol good you looked this morning 🤭

I can feel the heat rush to my face; what is she trying to do right now? I stare straight up at the ceiling for a second before replying. 

Me: and how can I help you with that? 

Charlotte: [sends photo in invisible ink]

Charlotte: I don’t know Jacob, how can you? 

I lock my phone faster than the speed of light. I close my eyes, biting the inside of my mouth. I can’t look at that out here. I make eye contact with Josh from across the room, gesturing to the bathroom as he nods quickly. 

I may as well have run into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. I open her texts, slowly swiping away the invisible ink. There sits a photo of her legs crossed, stretched out in front of her, with dark red lace hugging her hips. Fuck me. Willing away the thoughts racing in my mind, I finally reply. 

Me: holy shit- I wish I was there. 

After a moment of silence and a handful of deep breaths, I make my way back out to the bar. How am I supposed to do this and not be obvious about it? 

Charlotte: Oh, you do? 

Me: You have no idea. 

I’d do anything to be there, Jesus Christ. I ring up a handful of tabs, sliding the receipts and their cards back to them as they head out and new customers take their places at the bar. 

I feel my phone vibrate as I’m taking someone’s order, turning to make it and setting my phone in front of me. 

Charlotte: What would you do if you were here? 

I about drop the bottle I’m holding when I read it. God, I don’t even know what I’d do. It’s been so long since I’ve done anything with a girl I’d probably panic. 

Me: oh honey I wish I could tell you 

Sliding their drink to them and grabbing a few empty glasses, anything to fight the demons away at this point. I pull my hair up into a low bun, trying to relieve myself of some of the heat coming off of me. 

“Warm?” Josh asks as he’s dropping off a handful of cans and glasses. 

Nodding quickly, “Yeah, I don’t know why.” I laugh for a second, definitely not because she’s tormenting me through text or anything. 

“You can go outside for a minute if you want; I got it.” 

“I may just take you up on that.”  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Throwing my phone in my pocket, I grab a cigarette from my office before hustling out back. The crisp, almost winter air hit me, instantly sending a chill through me. I lit the cigarette, only taking one drag from it before pulling my phone out. 

Charlotte: tell me Jacob 

My hands shake as I go to reply, whether it’s nerves or the cold, who knows? I fumble around, trying to convince myself to just say it to her. 

Me: god I just want to taste you

Was that dumb? I don’t know what else to say. I wish I could just BE THERE. Taking another slow drag, I watch the little typing bubble pop up. 

Charlotte: [sends photo] 

“Fucking hell,” I breathe out. 

My head drops back the moment it shows up. Her torso, the dark red lace, so gently cupped her. The glimmer of her nipple piercings caught the light as they’ peaked against the lace on them. She’s beautiful. The way I can see how her body curves and how soft her skin is. 

Charlotte: does that mean you’re a ‘ladies first’ kind of man?

Me: first and second, if that’s okay with you 

Charlotte: omg jacob? 

Charlotte: that’s so hot 

My stomach turns with every text; I’m so nervous. She just can’t know about it. The thought of going down on her plagues my mind. The sounds she’d make, the way she’d taste. 

Me: i’m sorry you look so fucking good

Me: how am I supposed to just stand behind the bar now? 

Taking the last few drags and putting it out, I head back inside. I sipped on the drink I have in my office, and then grab a mint before plopping down in my chair for a minute. 

Charlotte: that’s how I felt this morning 

Charlotte: you’ve been on my mind all day baby

‘Baby’ plays in my head from the other day. I can feel the blood rushing away from my brain with every flirty text she sends. 

Me: what have you been thinking about? 

I almost instantly regret asking because I know that the answer is going to be painful. Opening my email and scrolling through it for a moment before her name popped up in my notifications. 

Charlotte: How I wish you didn’t need to work today 

Charlotte: Just stayed in your bed all day with your hands all over me 

Me: yeah? You want that?

You’re at work, you’re at work, you’re at work. The sigh that falls out of me as I fight off every shiver that goes through my body because of her. Finally, getting up and going back out to the bar, letting Josh go hide for a few minutes. 

I take a chance to go wander around the tables and booths, talking to some of the regulars who were hidden amongst the crowd. I feel my phone vibrate against my thigh, but I try to ignore it while I get a few drink orders. I grab a few empty cans on my way back to the bar, tossing them into their bin before sliding my phone back out under the bar. 

Charlotte: mhmm. Your hands or your mouth, whichever you’d prefer. 

Charlotte: Just want you to touch me.

Me: god you’re killing me 

Pouring the drinks, but Josh sneaks over to grab them before I can. 

“How was your break?” I ask quietly. 

“Lovely,” He nods slightly, “How’s your night going?” His eyes dart to my phone and back at me. The warmth spreads through me again, and I just clear my throat quietly. 

He grabs my arm before quietly spitting out, “Oh, my sweet little brother, I’m not blind. You’ve been obsessively checking it; what is she saying to you?” 

I can’t help but laugh, “I don’t think you want to hear it.” Raising my eyebrows as we look at each other, his grin grows across his face. 

“Oh! Well, in that case, there’s a can of WD-40 in the back if you need to loosen up those joints before you see her,” he winks as he tells me, backing away with the drinks, and I flip him off carefully before I point to the table they’re supposed to be going to. 

Charlotte: I just know you’d take such good care of me 

Me: whatever you wanted 

Charlotte: [sends photo]

A small groan escapes as I look at her. In my shirt, she’s peeking over her shoulder into the mirror. She’s definitely holding it up slightly because she’s sat on the counter, her ass perfectly outlined by that god-forsaken lace again. My cock twitches the longer I stare at her. 

Me: for me? 

My mouth goes dry at the thought of seeing her like that in person; the realization that it could happen was hitting me. I look at the time, 11:58 pm, before locking my phone and tossing it back under the bar. 

“You can go if you want,” I tell Josh, leaning into him. 

He scans the room, “Are you positive?” A fair amount of the booths and tables have cleared out at this point and there are just a few stragglers aside from the actual bar. 

“Very. I can handle the rest of the night. Get out of here while it’s still early..ish,” I tell him, grabbing his shoulder with a light squeeze. 

“I will not argue that,” he mutters, “if I’m asleep, love you and goodnight.” He pats my arm a few times as he walks past me. 

Charlotte: just you baby 🤭 

Me: wish i could kiss you right now 

Charlotte: I wish you could do more than that 

Me: don’t think I’d be able to control myself 

Not a lie. I don’t think I’ve ever felt tension like this in my life. The fact I’m stuck here feels like low-grade torture. I grab a towel and some spray, making my rounds throughout the tables. I try to get some of the cleaning done, hoping it’ll help distract me a little. 

My phone vibrates against my leg, and my heart drops, knowing it’s her. 

Charlotte: [sends photo]

“Fuck me,” I quietly mutter to myself. She’s sat on her floor, her hands pulling some of my shirt in between her legs, but not enough to fully hide her lingerie. Her hair was messy and draped over her shoulders. A glorious shot of her tits, so gently pressed into each other. The desperate need to kiss my way up her legs grows stronger as I stare at them. 

Me: Charlotte. 

I wipe the table in front of me slowly so I can give myself a second to chill out before having to turn around. 

Charlotte: yes, Jacob? 

My self-control is on the floor at this point. 

Me: come here

Charlotte: really? 

Me: yes please come here. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

The moment she walked in, it made the last thirty minutes feel like they hadn’t even happened. She finds her usual seat at the bar, letting a smile sneak onto her face when she gets comfortable. 

Why am I nervous now? 

Bringing over her drink, it’s hard not to notice what she’s wearing. She knows what she’s doing. As I slide it across the bar, I realize that she left the bulk of the shirt unbuttoned and just tucked into her pants carefully. 

“Hi,” she squeaks out, timidly grabbing the glass in front of her. Watching how the glass sits on her lip when she drinks, the movement of her throat when she swallows. I hadn’t thought of what I was doing when I told her to come here. This is worse.

“Hi,” I manage to get out, “you look .. nice.” My eyes trailed down her body, trying not to make it too obvious to anybody else, but the moment I noticed that I could see the same bra she had on in the pictures she sent me, my heart stopped. She must have caught me because she leaned forward in her seat a little, making the shirt shift so I had an even clearer shot of it. 

I slowly blink as my head shakes, taking a subtle deep breath because I still have forty-five minutes before I can kick everybody out. 

“What’s wrong?” she asks coyly. 

“I think you know.” Backing away to make sure everybody else at the bar is good, I feel like I have to manually move my eyes away from her. Why didn’t I tell her to get here later? I have to act normal and I don’t know how I’m supposed to do that right now. 

Thankfully, for me, around 1:30 am is when most people start to head out, so I spend a few minutes grabbing the tabs for people, taking care of those while I feel her eyes on me the entire time. The customers next to her also want to head out, so I bring over their receipt, leaning into the bar a bit purposefully, letting my shirt fall open a little more where I know she can see it. I glance over at her with my eyebrow cocked as I see her eyes shoot up to meet mine. 

“I saw that,” I mumble to her. 

The corners of her lips curling up slightly, she whispers back, “Good.” 

As time crept by, I wonder to myself why I thought having her here would be the better option. We’ve been having staring contests the entire time, not even saying anything to each other, just from across the bar. 

There’s only a few stragglers lingering, so I do one more lap around the tables, making sure to grab anything that was left. But, the moment she’s in my peripheral vision again, my self-control lowers more. 

Strolling up behind her, fighting the urge to wrap my arms around her, I rest my hand on the base of her neck. 

“You doing okay?” I ask, my hand squeezing the back of her neck gently. 

Her head turned a little to try and look at me, “I could be better.” The smile on her face was making me sweat. 

“Give me like ten minutes,” I lean in close to her ear, “I’ll make sure of it.”  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

 Following the last customers to the door, I flip off the signs as they make their way out. My heart is pounding as I turn the locks over on the doors. The sudden realization that we’re fully alone washes over me, but the need to feel her touch overrides it. 

I turn around to look at her, and she’s already walking over to me. I quickly meet her halfway, my hands pulling her face to me, the desperate need to feel her lips on mine finally relieved as the kiss goes on. Her hands pull on my shirt like she can’t get close enough. Leaning down, I grab the backs of her knees, lifting her up, and her legs wrap around me, never detaching from the kiss. Her hands slide up into my hair as she smiles against my lips. 

Walking her back over, I set her on the bar top, my hands on either side of her. Kissing the side of her neck, I can see her breathing getting heavier. Fiddling with the buttons on my shirt, exposing her. The dark red lace against her pale complexion, holy shit, only looking at her for a moment before trailing kisses down her sternum. My hands find their place around her waist, hovering my mouth over her, looking up at her; she’s intently watching me, letting out a tiny whimper. 

“Please, Jacob,” she breathes out. 

My mouth connects with her instantly; her moan rings through my ears. I slide my hand up, gently pulling the lace away from her, and goosebumps slowly creep in. Letting my thumb graze over her peaked nipple, I press a kiss to her other breast. 

Her thighs tense up with every time I swirl my tongue around her. Moving my hands and spreading her thighs so I can stand between them, pulling her to the edge of the bar. She unbuttons her pants, pushing them down, and lifting herself enough to slide them to her thighs for me. 

“Well, aren’t you an eager little thing?” I mumble, pulling them off her. “Lay back for me, honey?” She practically fell to her elbows, her eyes locked on me. 

Pressing wet kisses down her stomach but stopped as soon as I hit the dainty lace. The nerves of touching her for the first time hit; don’t fuck this up.  I run my hands down her thighs, pushing them further apart before teasingly leaving little kisses closer and closer to where she really wants me to be. 

“Is this okay?” Looking up at her from between her legs. She lets out a breathy ‘yes’; her eyes look desperate for some sort of touch. I plant a kiss over her covered clit, getting the most delicious moan out of her. I can’t resist from pulling the fabric to the side. She’s soaked already. 

One slow lick up her center, and she already dropped her head back. Smiling as I swirl my tongue around her clit, lightly sucking, doing anything to keep the noises coming out of her. She’s so quiet typically, I would have never expected her to be so vocal, but I’m not complaining. 

“Oh my god, Jake,” she moans. The sound of my name falling from her lips has me groaning into her. She tastes so sweet; I can’t get enough of her. You would think I was starving with the way my mouth couldn’t stop. Glancing up at her as my tongue laps around her clit, her eyes meeting mine as she lets out another delicious moan. I tease her with my middle finger, just barely touching her, and she jumps at the feeling. 

“Please,” she whines, still looking down at me. 

“Oh, you want this?” I ask, sliding my middle finger into her and slowly pumping my hand into her, watching her mouth fall open. The wetter she gets, the faster I go. Trying to find just the right spot, needing to make her feel good. Pressing up so slightly as I pull back. The way her mouth opens more; that’s it, sweet girl. 

“Oh- oh my god,” she moans out, “more, please. Please, baby.”  The name makes my heart flutter and my dick twitch; my ring finger joins in, watching her eyes roll back and pressing up into that special place that makes her want to scream. I pump my fingers into her, listening to her pretty moans as she keeps grabbing the edges of the bar like they’re her lifeline. 

“Oh, is that good?” 

 A slew of ‘oh my gods’ and ‘holy shit’ come from her as I start to play with her clit with my other hand. Rubbing little circles to drive her mad, watching her writhe with pleasure, her back arching off the bar. Fuck me. 

“Come for me, honey.” 

I can feel her about to break, dipping my head down and swirling around her quickly with my tongue. Her hands tangled themselves in my hair, holding me there. Groaning into her at the feeling and lifting her leg so I can wrap my arm around her, the back of her knee lands over my shoulder as I’m pulling her into me. 

“Oh- baby, don’t stop, please, please- oh, oh my GOD,” her volume increases as her orgasm hits her, and she’s pulling my hair as she’s practically riding my face. My name has never sounded better than the way she’s yelling it. 

She sits up after a minute, pulling my face to hers and planting a kiss on me. 

“Where did you- how- um, so .. yeah, how did you?” She stumbles over her words, and without stopping, she’s unbuttoning my shirt. I laugh as she’s trying to form a coherent thought. 

“I told you it would be worth it,” I whisper into her ear, placing a kiss just below it. “But, I‘m not done with you yet,” comes out of me, in almost a growl.  Who am I? 

Helping her off the bar, she grabs my arms, turning us around and pushing me back into it. Her hands work my belt and button in my jeans as fast as they can as she’s trailing kisses down my neck. Her hand dipping into my boxers; I let out a groan when she wraps her hand around me. 

“I need you,” slips out of me as she strokes a few times. She presses her lips to mine, mumbling in between kisses, “Please, fuck me, Jacob.” I can’t stop the moan that comes out after that. 

“I don’t have a-,“ I start to whisper when she cuts me off quickly. 

“That's okay,” she tells me, kissing underneath my jaw. I grab her arms, already missing the feeling of her hand on me. Walking her backwards, our heated kisses made it hard to walk straight. I slide the shirt off of her and toss it onto a barstool.  Reaching a table, I spin her around so her back is against my chest, my hands snaking around her small frame. I reach up, softly rubbing small circles over her nipples until her head falls back onto me. 

My right hand crept up, sliding it up her throat until I was holding her jaw. Her mouth opens slightly at the feeling; taking the risk, I lightly rest my finger on her lip. Unprepared for her to immediately tilt her head back up, wrapping her lips around it.

“Fuck,” I mumble under my breath. “Can you bend over for me, honey?” Her tongue swirls around it before  She leans forward onto the table, pushing her ass into me. 

 She knows what she’s doing. My hands slide over her. I squat down for just a second, spreading her open and licking a wide stripe up her. I saw the goosebumps on her skin as I kiss her before standing up. 

I slide my boxers down far enough for my cock to be free, the relief from being out alone. I pull the lace to the side again, lining myself up with her. Slowly pushing into her, she lets out a loud moan. God, she feels good.  I let myself bottom out in her, giving her a second before I move. And myself, to be honest. 

“Baaaby,” she lets out. I hold her hips as I start to pull back, slowly thrusting into her. My own moans start falling out as our pace picks up. Looking down as I push into her, my mouth hangs open; the feeling is surreal. 

“Feel good?” 

She lets out a small ‘yes’ while she arches her back more. The sounds of my hips slapping against her, the way I can feel how wet she is, the feeling as she’s pushing back against my thrusts to feel as full as she can. 

“Holy shit, Charlotte.” 

She looks back at me through her eyelashes and, with the sweetest voice, tells me, “harder.”

 My heart pounds at her words. Without hesitation, I step my left foot up onto the booth, gripping her waist, and start snapping my hips as hard as I can into her. I bite the inside of my lip as her moans get louder while I keep hitting the right spot over and over. Fuck, she feels so good.  Watching how she stretches her arms in front of her, her knuckles white with how hard she’s holding her own hand.  

I bend down, hovering my lips over her ear when I whisper, “I know you have one more for me, honey.” Her moan was enough of a response for me. My necklace barely grazed the skin between her shoulder blades, and I watched the goosebumps flood her skin. I press a kiss against that same spot before standing back up. I grab her arms, pulling her up so her back is pressed against me. My hand dipped in between her legs, finding her clit that was just screaming for my attention. My fingers quickly start working at it, as her chest is heaving at this point, and I can feel her orgasm about to break. Both of us breathe heavily as she tilts her head back, and I sneak a kiss on her neck, letting out a small ‘mmm’ against her skin. 

“Jacob, baby,” she moans. 

“Tell me,” I groaned back to her. 

“I’m gonna-“ is all she gets out before her jaw goes slack and her eyes are fixed shut.

“Let it out,” I whisper as I pound into her.  She's moaning loudly in my ear, pulling my hand away when she starts to get too sensitive. I slow my hips down so she can recover, watching the soft smile settle on her lips. She pulls my arms around her, leaning her head back against me until she shifts slightly, and we both remember that I’m still buried inside her. 

“Hun, I’m not gonna last much longer,” I tell her quietly before I press a kiss to her temple. She taps my hip a few times so I’d back up. She drops down and just, with no thought, slides my cock into her mouth. Swirling her tongue around it as she bobs her head up and down the length of it. Using her hands on whatever she can’t comfortably do with her mouth. And god, is she good at it. 

The thought of her doing this after she just came on me inches me closer. I glance down to see her looking back up at me, and the visual alone has me two seconds away from finishing. 

“I’m so close, don’t stop,” it’s my turn to whimper. She pushes it further into her mouth, she swallows around me and I’m done for. One of my hands found its place on the back of her head, fighting the urge to thrust into her. 

“Fuck, Charlotte—“ Practically yelling her name as I release into her throat, her hands working me through it. Swallowing as she stands up, she presses a gentle kiss on my lips. I can’t believe that just happened. 

“Well, um,” I mumble, breathing heavily and wrapping my arms around her, “that was..” 

“So fucking good.” She giggles, tucking her face into me, mumbling, “You’re so hot.”

My face feels warm when she says it; she thought it was that good?  We stand there for a few minutes, just laughing, as she’s curled up in my arms. 

“Wanna just sleep here?”

“Only if you’ll carry me up the stairs,” she says with a little smirk, her hands pressed against my chest, “I don’t think my legs could do it right now.” 

“You’re gonna give me a complex,” I laugh, kissing her forehead, “get dressed real quick.” ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

After pretending to be Prince Charming and carrying her up the two flights of stairs, we both immediately crawl into bed. She makes herself comfortable, tugging my arm over her so she can back herself into me and wiggling her ass against my dick. 

“Hey now,” I mumble, “don’t start something you’re not gonna finish.” 

Her soft laughs fill the room, “Who said I wouldn’t finish it?” 

“Charlotte.”

“What, baby?” Her voice taunts me as she slides her hand into mine and arching her back a little. My entire body feels like it’s full of butterflies. 

My face tucked into her, I quietly laughed while pressing kisses to the top of her shoulder. If she keeps calling me that, I don’t know how I’m going to ever say no to her. I kiss the side of her neck, pulling her body tight against mine before whispering into her ear, “You’re gonna have to stay quiet this time. Can you do that for me, honey?”

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Sixteen

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[seenoversundown]

For Death Or Glory : Chapter Fourteen

Jake Kiszka x Charlotte (Fem OC)

Warnings: PG-13 (not smut but heavy petting), drinking / alcohol, smoking, anxiety mentions, light mentions of grief, fluff, Jake being a sweet little man, and descriptions of Elder Emo culture.

Word Count: 4k

Summary: Charlotte gets swindled into hanging out with Jake, really had to twist her arm. Which turns into long night of getting to know each other.

Author's Note: I have a wildly strong attachment to this chapter. Maybe because it’s how I don’t my early adult years or because it feels like a true New England chapter in my head, either way— I love this chapter a disgusting amount. It also sets up next week.. perfectly 😏😘

Crush - Tessa Violet "You make it difficult to not overthink, And when I'm with you I turn all shades of pink, I wanna touch you but don't wanna be weird."

“What are the odds I can sweet talk you into going to this show with me?” his voice rings through my phone. “As friends… obviously.” His sweet little laugh fills the air.

“Mmm, what kind of show are we talking about?” The smirk on my face would be undeniable if he could see me right now. I’m supposed to be doing some work, but instead, I’m pacing the house. 

“Some of the bar regulars kinda have a band and gave me tickets to go see them,” he tells me.

“Your brothers don’t want to go with you?” I ask. Seems odd that they wouldn’t want to go with him, especially if it’s people they also probably know.  

“Well.. Josh has to work and I don’t think Sam would come,” his voice trailing off a bit. 

“Danny?” 

“He’s also working– I can’t leave Josh completely alone there,” he tells me, making me laugh at the idea of him being afraid to leave Josh at the bar alone. 

“Well then,” I say, through a sigh, “I suppose..” 

“I mean, if you don’t want to come hang out with me…” overdramatizing his sad tone, which I can’t say didn’t make me chuckle at him. 

“Oh, stop,” I quip back. “What time do I need to be ready?”

“Doors are at 8 p.m., but it’s within walking distance of the bar, so if you want to meet me there… Well, here.” 

“Alright, but you have to supply me a drink if they’re going to start screaming.”

I can hear the smile on his face when he says, “Sounds like a deal.”  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

As we walk up to the venue, everybody is in tight black skinny jeans and beanies. Oh no, it’s gonna be all heavy music, isn’t it? I just follow him closely, staying just behind him as we get closer to the doors. I just look around, taking in the atmosphere and trying not to look paranoid. 

He glances over at me for a second before talking to the person at the doors. We only stood there for a second before we were let in. Pulling open the door and letting me through, the venue is small, and there’s a fair amount of people here. 

“Should I just buy you a drink now?” his lips basically grazing my ear to ask.

“Considering the crowd, I’m going to say yes, please,” I try to speak up so he can hear me, making him laugh.

“A deal is a deal, come on,” he says, holding out his hand. My fingers intertwine with his as he leads the way over to the bar. His grip on me is strong, which I’m grateful for, considering the amount of people we’re weaving through. 

“What are you feeling tonight?” he asks. “I don’t think I’ve seen you drink a beer, so I’m sorry in advance.” 

“Whatever they have for Downeast works for me,” I look over at him as he's reading the list of options. Finding it difficult not just to admire him; his side profile really is something to write home about. 

He walks up to the small bar that they have, getting the bartender's attention quickly and ordering. He looks back over at me, pulling his eyebrows together for a split second as I stand there, probably looking a little lost. I mimic him, scowling at him. I don’t know what kind of conversation we’re having right now, but the corners of his lips start to creep upward as we stare at each other. That must be the smile Quinn was talking about. He slightly bobs his head back and forth to the song playing through the speakers, and I can’t stop myself from laughing at him. My laugh pulled the full smile out of him, teeth showing and all. He really is cute. 

After grabbing our drinks, he comes back to me, holding my drink out to me. Excitedly, I took it from him before pushing him in front of me to lead the way. I stay as close to him as I can, hooking one finger into his back pocket so he can’t get too far away. 

He finds a spot off to the side for us, not too close to the stage, as the first band starts. The first scream into the microphone makes me jump; candidly, this isn’t my genre. I can hear him giggling next to me as he sips on his beer. Shooting him a look, even though I can’t hold it for very long before I’m laughing with him. 

“Am I supposed to know what he’s saying?” I say, leaning into him. 

“Absolutely not,” he says, taking another sip. It’s wild to see him drink at all, especially just a beer. Seeing him act so normal outside of the bar is almost refreshing. It’s nice to see him be a person and not be worried about whatever is going on in that building. Maybe we have more in common than I thought. 

People were still filtering in while the first band played, and now we’re watching as the next one is about to go on. It’s funny to watch them have to soundcheck their own stuff, but I haven’t been to many shows this small. 

The lights go back out, and the band loudly announces their presence. This time, I was a little more prepared for it, but what I wasn’t expecting was the crowd. 

I hear the singer say something about a “pit,” and before I know it, everybody is thrashing around. What the fuck? I’m sure I look terrified, never having been to a show like this. I can’t take my eyes off the slew of people basically just throwing punches and shoving each other. It spreads like wildfire as more and more people start joining. 

Very suddenly, Jacob’s arm wraps around me pulling me back to him. His chest rose and fell against me, his arm still wrapped around my waist, his hand resting against my stomach.  Oh okay. 

His face leans closer to my ear, “I should have warned you.” 

I tilt my head back against his chest so he can lean towards me, “It’s okay. It’s mesmerizing,” I giggle, knowing it sounds silly. 

His other arm wrapped around me, carefully holding his drink still. My heart flutters when he does it. I let myself relax against him, and his arms tighten slightly. This is making being here worth it. 

We stayed like that through most of that band's set. He would keep moving us further from everyone, which I appreciated—but never moving his arms from around me except for the occasional sip of his beer.  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

“Jake!” startles me as the two regulars from the bar approach us. They all do that one boy handshake that will never make sense to me before one of them turns to me. 

“Oh! I’m sorry I didn’t know you came with someone,” one of them says. 

“She was gracious enough to come keep me company,” Jake says, glancing over at me.  

I stand there listening to them and sipping on my drink when I feel something brush against my thigh. Without being obvious, I look down, seeing his hand suspiciously close to my leg. He taps me a few more times as he talks. Does he not realize what he’s doing? 

I occasionally chime in but mostly just listen as they go on about the other bands that are going to be playing. Watching as he would laugh with them and really just take him on while he was out in the wild. His free hand settled on my lower back, just softly scratching, which was weirdly comforting. 

“Wanna go outside for a minute?” one of the boys asked loudly. Jacob looked at me wide-eyed, but I just nodded at him. 

“Yeah, for sure.” He tells them. His hand quickly found mine before we made our way through the venue. He kept squeezing gently until I would do it back.

Once making it outside, the few guys who had been talking to him all started lighting cigarettes, Jacob included—keeping it as far away from me as possible when he wasn’t actively inhaling and breathing the smoke straight up to try and not have it near me. I had never said anything about him smoking or even in general, but it’s ..nice that he doesn’t want to force it on me. 

Although I usually find smoking to be a little less than pleasant, for some reason, watching him is different. Maybe my cider just hit harder than I expected, but how it sits on his lip and how he casually holds it between his index and middle finger. Why is it… hot? 

As we stood there, I continued to listen from inside, not really knowing what to say. I stood close to him and occasionally peeked at my phone, but the people-watching here was a little too good that I practically forgot I had it with me. I don’t know if he was worried about me or if he needed comfort, but he was subtly holding my hand, only our ring and pinky fingers intertwined. 

“Do you wanna head back to the bar?”

I look over at him, “If you want to,” not wanting to feel like I’m making him leave. 

“I was mostly here for them,” he whispers, “plus we can make Josh give us better drinks that way.” 

“Are you trying to get me drunk again?” I tease him quietly. 

“I would never dream of it,” he says with a little wink before turning back to the little group that’s formed. He said his goodbyes with the weird handshake hug again, and they all waved at me as we walked off. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

We sat at the end of the bar for a while, watching Josh make drinks. Just talking about the show and how he feels terrible for making me go through it. 

“It wasn’t that bad,” I admit, “watching everybody was fun.” 

“It’s a special kind of crowd, isn’t it?” His smile sneaks out with that one. He sips on the last of his drink, sliding it over for Josh to grab. Tapping on his phone screen and looking back over to me. 

“I may let him leave since it’s calmed down,” he starts, “are you going to head home? I can escort you to your car before I relieve him.” 

What if I don’t want to go home? What are you talking about? The most relaxed I’ve felt has been when I have basically fallen asleep on the phone with him.. What if I just.. stay? 

“I think I should probably stay here, don’t you?” I ask him. “Just since I’ve been drinking and whatnot.” Something possesses me when I bat my eyelashes at him a few times before sliding my hand onto his thigh. His cheeks flush instantly at gestures. 

“You’re so right,” he chokes out. “You can stay with me.” The excited nerves flow through my body when he says it. 

“I’ll just keep you company while you close,” I tell him, “it’ll be like last weekend!” Smiling at me as he stands up, he quickly glances over to see Josh fully invested in a conversation with someone when he moves around the bar, standing in front of me. He holds a hand out towards me; instinctually, I reach my hand out to him. He pulls it to him, pressing his lips against my knuckles for a second, giving me a slow wink as he lets go gently. 

I said ‘goodnight’ to Josh after he was able to head out for the night, and then there I sat. I was just having little conversations with Jake when I could and scrolling on my phone when he was busy. I was intensely ignoring the email my boss had sitting in my inbox.  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Finally, we hustle up the stairs to his apartment once the bar is closed. He quickly unlocks the door, peeking in first. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into his room faster than I would have expected. 

“Make yourself comfortable,” he whispers, “I have to go say hi to Josh but I’ll be right back.” He lingers for a second before letting go of me and disappearing into the dark hall. 

I crawl into his bed, mostly sober this time. Remembering how comfortable it was and the way it smelled like his cologne. He finally wanders back in after talking to Josh for a few minutes. 

“Well, don’t you look cozy,” he says quietly, giggling to himself as he sets his stuff on his nightstand. I nod a few times, curling the blankets up around me. 

“Are you tired? I can go so you can sleep,” his voice more timid this time. My eyebrows pull together. Is he really trying to still give me space? I silently shake my head at him for a second, trying not to laugh. 

“No, come here.” I reach my arms out towards him; seeing his smile when he realizes that I want him to stay is priceless. 

“Uh.. I feel like this is a dumb question,” his sweet face slowly turns red, “Can I just .. not wear these?” he asks, tugging on the belt loop on his pants. 

“I think it’s safe to say we’re past that, Jacob.” 

He laughs to himself, “Right.”  

It’s so cute how he’s so nervous—watching him slide his jeans off and toss them into his dirty laundry. I can’t help but check him out as he goes to turn the light off. Why does he have a nicer ass than me? 

He lifts the comforter a little to let himself in but also lets the cool air in. 

“Hurry, it’s already warm in here,” I giggle as he quickly pulls the blanket back down over the two of us. My heart starts to beat a little harder now that he’s next to me. He’s so warm. Instinctively moving close to him, my hands have a mind of their own. Grabbing his arm and lifting it up, I curl myself up into him. 

My face is tucked into his neck as his hand draws little shapes on my side. Without thinking, I press a few little pecks into the side of his neck. 

“What made you want to stay here tonight?” he breaks the silence. 

I can’t tell him yet. My throat was instantly tight at the thought of telling him why. 

“I didn’t want to drive after I drank. Just wanted to be responsible or whatever,” I lie. 

His hand grabs mine from its place on his chest, bringing it up and placing a kiss on my palm before bringing it back to its spot. 

“It’s cute when you try to dodge the truth. Try again,” his taunting tone makes me smile into him. 

“I just..didn’t want to be alone tonight,” I admit, hoping he doesn’t press further. I’ll tell him at some point, but just.. not right now. I know I have to come out with it eventually, but I still haven’t said it out loud to anyone. 

His arm pulls me against him as he presses a kiss onto my forehead, letting his lips just rest against me. Feeling him just breathe for a second against my skin. 

“I’m sorry, hun,” he mumbles against me, “I’m happy you’re here.” My eyes start to well up; he’s too much.. I prop myself up on my elbow so I can look at him. 

“Me too,” I squeak out. My finger tracing his jawline as we look at each other. My eyes move to his cheekbone, letting my hand cup his jaw and my thumb gently run over his soft lips while he just watches me. I don’t know how I’ve gotten here. Laying in bed with this man who looks at me like I’m the reason the sun comes out in the morning. 

He kisses my thumb as it grazes over him again, pulling me out of my thoughts.  The corners of his mouth are slightly curving up. He reaches up and tucks some of my hair behind my ear. 

“You're pretty cute,” he winks at me. His eyes look more tired than I’m used to, but maybe it’s just because he’s comfortable. 

I lean towards him, placing a small kiss on his nose. Then, peppering his face with little pecks as his smile widens, followed by giggling as I sneak some under his jaw.

“Did you tell Josh that I’m here?” 

He shakes his head, “Nope.”

“Why not?” 

“Just wanted to keep you to myself for a little longer,” he tells me, making my heart flutter a little at the thought that he’s savoring our time together. “Plus, if he knows, he’ll insist on talking to you for hours, and then I wouldn’t get to enjoy this.” 

“As fun as that sounds,” I managed to get out, “This is pretty nice.” I gently pat his chest a few times. 

“I can go get him at any point if I’m boring you,” his smile on full display, “He’s like a toddler; just endless energy.” 

“Jacob,” I try to sound serious but am failing by the second. “I listened to you tell me about pirates for hours the other night. You’re far from boring.” 

“And you,” he says, holding the side of my face with his hand, “are an angel for listening to me.” At this moment, I would listen to him all day long, telling me about absolutely anything. 

We lay there for a while, talking about mindless things as he occasionally ran his hand down the back of my head. He tells me about how he worked at the Shipyard with Danny and how his parents dipped out of Maine the second Sam went off to college. I offer stories of living in the middle of nowhere and ridiculous situations with work.  

Reaching over and tapping his phone screen, holy shit, it’s 5:00 am. 

“I didn’t mean to keep you up so late,” I try to hide my embarrassment, just thankful that it’s dark so he can’t see my face flush a little. 

“Did you already forget what my job is?” his question laced with a laugh, “I’m always up this late.” I drop my head onto his chest, laughing at myself. As if we hadn’t spent a handful of nights talking until the sun was about to come up. 

“It’s late and I’m tired, alright?” 

“Why don’t you try to sleep then?” his voice sounds so sweet. 

I sit back up, my hands on either side of him; we just stare at each other for a second. His lips parted as I ghosted mine over him. Feeling his hands grip my sides as the kiss deepens. My body warms when he pulls my leg over his waist, feeling his body beneath me. I found my hands sliding up into his hair; his heartbeat was strong enough that I could feel it over my own nerves. His hip bones pressing into my ass has my mind wandering to dangerous places. 

He pushes us up, so I’m sitting on his lap with one hand holding me to him. I don’t know what possessed me to lift the bottom of his shirt, sliding my hands around his waist. His skin is so warm and soft, and I just want to kiss every inch of his body. Breaking away from the kiss, he pulls his shirt off in one quick motion—well, that’s hot—tossing it to the side before coming back to me. 

“Wait,” I whisper. Grabbing the hem of my shirt, pulling it off, and revealing my bralette. I can see his eyes light up, even in the dark, as he glances down at the plunging neckline. “It's only fair.” 

His jaw goes slack as we’re both sat there in just our underwear. Timidly, his hands find their place on my waist, and I slowly drape my arms around his neck. It’s hard to believe that we didn’t knock our teeth together, smiling into every kiss. The little noises coming from both of us, every breathy almost moan, making me more intoxicated with him.   

His grip on me tightens, tugging me closer to him if that’s even possible. My hips have a mind of their own, subtly pushing down into him. The smallest amount of friction sends shivers through me. He didn’t move away.. So maybe he doesn’t mind? Deciding to test the waters, I push myself up on my knees slightly, definitely not on purpose, putting some pressure against his subtly hard cock– making him moan into me. His hands pulled me back down, hard against him this time. This tortuous game we’re playing makes every kiss a bit hotter, feeling like a teenager again as I randomly grind my hips into him. 

“Are you trying to kill me?” he whispers, the sound of his raspy voice alone, almost making me moan at this point. 

Letting out a small ‘mmm’ against his lips, “Is it working?” I ask quietly. 

“I swear to god,” he starts, in between kisses, “if Josh wasn’t down the hall..” 

My heart races at the thought, my mouth moving faster than my brain can filter, “What if we’re quiet?” 

His sweet laugh against me, “Mmm, as tempting as that is,” stopped to press a few kisses into me. “I wanna be able to hear all the pretty sounds you’ll make.”

“Jacob,” I moan into his mouth. I’m not entirely proud of how that snuck out, but he is so hot sometimes. We spend another minute with my hands tangled in his hair and his hands slowly making their way down to my ass as he smiles into the kiss when he grabs a handful. 

“Hold on to me,” he mumbles into me before turning us over. Carefully setting me against his pillows, hovering for a second, I can’t help but glance down. His chest and stomach are on display, and god, is he gorgeous. When I thought seeing him in just sweatpants was bad, I had no idea how much worse it would be when I could see the outline of his hard dick on top of that. It is a mouthwatering sight if I can say so myself.

He looks down at my barely clothed body, taking a deep breath before looking back up at me, “I mean this in the most respectful way possible, okay?” My eyebrows pull together, trying to figure out where he’s going with this.

“Okay..”  

He lets his head fall back a bit before finally breathing out, “You’re so fucking hot, my god.”

“Oh, stop,” I whine; my face feels warm instantly as his eyes rake over me. 

“I’m sorry, I don't think I can,” he says, pressing a kiss into the top of my shoulder. “Have you seen yourself?” he asks, carefully brushing some loose hairs out of my face. How he went from being a typical boy to suddenly his normal sweet self is beyond me. 

“Jaaaake—“ 

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop. But I’m not happy about it.” Flopping down next to me with a little grin on his face, he lifts his arm for me to join him. 

He ends up pulling me into him, my head finding a comfortable spot tucked into his chest. We tangle ourselves together, my leg thrown over his hips with his hand immediately staking a claim on my thigh. I slide my free hand up his chest and neck, gently holding the side of his face, and tilt my head up to place one more kiss on his cheek before settling into sleep. 

Breathing him in and relishing in the warmth of this extraordinary man. I’m a breath away from falling asleep when I feel him pressing his lips against my forehead and mumbling, “Sweet dreams, honey.”

Chapter Thirteen  

Chapter Fifteen

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[seenoversundown]

Come Back For Me : Chapter One

Danny Wagner x Melody (Fem OC)

Warnings: Cute wholesome mom & daughter bonding time, the Kiszka Twins, mentions of death/grieving, ASL is used throughout this fic, and a little reminiscing.

Word Count: 3k

Summary: Melody is out with Iris, thinking that they’re just running some errands. Well, that is until some familiar faces from her past abruptly change the course of her day.

Author's Note: AND WERE BACK, BABY!

I’m excited to give you this story and finally get Danny and Mel on the map for everyone. This is a pretty hefty shift from where I last left you— but I think it’ll be a fun change for all of us 😏🤭

*Disclaimer- this story comes before Charlotte exists. There is an order to these stories, but my brain simply couldn’t behave when writing. If you have questions, my DM’s are always open!*

Older - Gracie Abrams "I went quiet, And you went cold, Guess that happened when we got older."

Nothing has changed. 

Walking through this Hannaford, all I see are the same employees; the store hasn’t been renovated and it feels like I’ve been transported back to high school. Running through the aisles with the boys, hoping not to get kicked out. It’s shocking the things we got away with then. 

Flash forward at least four years later; I’m toting my daughter around to grab a few things that we need for dinner. She’s content in the cart with her little stuffed animal, so I can quickly grab what I need. Thank god, honestly. I’m pretty sure she just enjoys hanging out with me at this point; we’re best friends, in my head at least. She doesn’t really have a choice right now. 

Not having a job means that I can come here in the middle of the day when nobody else is here– not that Maine is that busy in general, to be quite honest. After a few years of living on the outskirts of Boston, everywhere feels like a ghost town to me. Not being stuck in ungodly traffic is nice, though, I’ll take the wins where I can get them these days.

Rolling up to the cashier, the lady smiles at Iris and waves. Don’t do it, I think to myself. 

“Hi, sweetheart. Do you want a sticker?” And you did it.. Okay. 

I tap Iris’s arm lightly, her adorable little face glancing up at me. 

‘Do you want a sticker?’ I sign to her. Her smile was enough, but she nodded quickly with a little ‘mmm’ sound. 

“She would love one,” I tell the cashier, smiling softly at her. Iris reached out to take it from her and signed ‘Thank you’ back to her. I hesitate but then spit out, “Oh, um, she says thank you.”

“Well, she’s very welcome.” 

The rest of the interaction was pretty quiet as she rang us up. I don’t mind when people want to talk to her, but we’re both learning ASL together, so it’s not always easy. 

‘Mom wants coffee,’ I tell her as I buckle her into her car seat. She just giggles back at me while I pretend to fall asleep. I don’t know what I did right in order to have a generally happy child, but I thank god every day for it. She loves being out of the house, which bodes well when you’re the only parent. 

‘Ready?’ I ask her, peeking in the rearview mirror to see her nodding. 

Driving through the Old Port is always weird, knowing these places and how to get there, but not having done so in so long. I missed this. All the brick buildings, the small locally owned stores, and the restaurants, are definitely something I longed for while living in a city. 

It only takes a few minutes to get reasonably close to the coffee shop I’ve been craving. Finding parking can be a pain with all the one-way streets but, thankfully, this time of day isn’t terrible. Packing and unpacking my child is one of my many talents at this point— my arms have never been so toned in my life. 

She knows just to stand close to me while I lock the car. Once the little honk sound happens, I pull her up to spare myself the outrageously slow walk. Before I can even finish situating her, my heart jumps into my throat. 

“Melody?”

I haven’t been back here all that long and somehow haven’t really run into anybody that I would talk to. It was all of two seconds before I turned to see him, but I felt frozen in the moment. I haven’t had to introduce anybody to Iris yet, and I was kind of hoping to avoid it a little longer.  My head whips around, not expecting to see him.  Josh? 

“Oh my god, hi!” Not thinking I would be so excited, I moved a little closer to him, shifting Iris up onto my hip. 

His voice sounds the same when he asks, “How are you, dear?” 

“Oh, I’m okay,” I tell him, shaking my head subtly. Before I can return the question, I see his mouth ready to fire off another question. 

“Who is this?” He gestures to Iris, not getting too close to her yet. I can see her eyeing his hair already, though. 

I move some of her curls to make sure her sweet face is visible before telling him, “Her name’s Iris.” She just beams at him. Tapping her belly and then doing a little wave at him, she takes her turn to wave. 

I know that Josh loves kids; he always has– probably because he just a big kid himself. His eyes light up when she looks at him and he just coos at her little smile. 

“How old is she? Hi, beautiful,” He asks but is immediately distracted by her.  

I laugh as I watch him, “She’s three, but she can’t hear you.”

His eyebrows shoot up, “Deaf?” 

“Practically, she’s in the severe hearing loss category. We don’t know what happened, but she’s a happy little thing regardless.” 

‘Nice to meet you,’ Josh signs slowly to her, making her laugh and lean against my shoulder. 

All the thoughts in my head halted as he signed to her. I blankly stared at him for a second before I asked, “You.. know ASL?” 

“I was friends with one of the Deaf students in a college class, just picked up on it,” he tells me, with a shrug. 

Suddenly, it hits me. There is a whole person attached to him. Quickly looking over to them and spitting out, “I’m sorry– I’m Melody, and you are?”

“Quinn! I didn’t want to interrupt,” they respond sweetly; the smile on them could light up a room. I don’t know how to describe the outfit they’re wearing, but it is very clear to me why them and Josh work together. The two of them just look cute together; I can’t imagine that Quinn wouldn’t be a creative person if they were in a relationship with Josh. 

“Ahh, yes! This is my partner! I was caught off guard by the little angel,” Josh chimed back in, looking over to Quinn with a quiet, “Sorry, bug– I haven’t seen Melody since.. Oh goodness, has it actually been four years?” 

“Probably,” I sigh. “God, that’s so long?” 

He nods, letting out quietly,  “It is, it is. When did you move back?” 

“It’s a long story, but,” I breathe out.  “I just moved in with my dad and this one.” 

I had been living in the Boston area for college with my mother. She moved down there when I found out I was pregnant with Iris to help make sure everything went smoothly. It was wonderful getting that time together; nothing prepares you for being a mom, so having mine with me at the beginning was incredibly helpful. 

She unfortunately had been sick for a while, and I lost her a few months back. It’s hard to think about, but I’m glad she’s not miserable anymore. Living in Boston as a single mom just became unreasonable. Plus, staying in the area was just making me depressed. So, I came home and moved in with my dad. 

He took us in happily– I don’t know who needed it more. The three of us have fun together so I’m sure he’s excited to get some time with Iris, especially now that she’s at a fun age. It’s a different dynamic with him, obviously, but I appreciate the fact that he was so willing to help us out. 

“Well, I’m so sorry it’s not the happiest of reasons, but it’s nice to see your face again,” Josh’s hand landing on my arm as he tells me. 

“It’s okay,” I say, with a slight smile, so Iris can’t pick up on what’s being said. Chuckling as I tell him,  “The worst part is trying to find a fucking job at this point.” 

“Oh!” he basically yelps, tapping my arm a few times. “You know what.. Give my boss a call. I think we’re actually hiring.” Winking at me– that’s suspicious. 

“That would be amazing?” Surprised that he was so quick to help. I hand him my phone, “Just text me the number, and I’ll call in a little bit.” Watching him happily add his number to my phone and text himself quickly. 

“There you go, darling,” he says, handing it back to me.  “I’m sure we have something that you could do, but we will let you get going so Miss Iris doesn’t get too antsy!” 

Carefully pulling him into a side hug, I whisper,  “Thank you so much, really.” 

“Anything to help,” he says, his smile beams at Iris as he reaches out to gently give her hand a little squeeze. 

“Nice meeting you,” I say, smiling at Quinn. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around!”

They excitedly let out, “Yes you too!!”

Both of them waving at Iris and giggling as she tucks her face against me– she is the biggest flirt known to man I swear. She gives them a small wave back before we start our trek to find coffee. Breathing out more air than I expected, a small smile creeps onto my face. Maybe things will turn around a little quicker than I thought. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

We take our time walking to grab some coffee, looking into all the shop windows as she points out things she likes or thinks are funny. It does not take much to make you laugh when you’re three. 

I never thought I would want a child so young, but honestly, she’s probably the best thing that happened to me. Definitely put a lot of things into perspective for me and I feel like I have a better grasp of who I am now.

She makes me laugh all the time, especially because of how friendly she is to everyone. I swear she wants to befriend anyone who holds eye contact for more than a second. Lucky for her, she’s adorable, so people aren’t one to say ‘no’ to that. 

She batted her lashes at the nice barista taking our order but got shy when he waved at her. Grabbing my coffee and her snack from the end of the counter, we found a seat outside. She’s three. I can’t let her eat this cookie inside and watch the nice employees sigh when they see how many crumbs are about to hit the ground. 

‘Good?’ I ask her. 

She just grins up at me, still chewing the bite she took. I’ll take that as a yes. Sipping on my coffee as she picks away at this cookie, just enjoying the sun for a few minutes. 

I pulled my phone out and saw a text sitting there. 

Josh: Hi! Here’s the boss’s number :) I’ll let him know that you’ll be calling so he knows to keep an eye out for you! 

Me: thank you again! 

Once she’s about destroyed the cookie, I hold her out and wiggle her around a few times, making her laugh. I do not need more cookie crumbs getting squished into her car seat. Her laugh could brighten anyone’s day; she truly is such a good kid. 

Walking a different way back to the car so she can have fun looking at new store windows. It’s a lot of her pointing, and me trying to decipher what she’s pointing at. 

Something about the Old Port just makes me feel at home. To be fair, we spent a lot of time in this area, between trying to sneak into bars for local shows and going on dates once Daniel had his license. 

He really was such a good boyfriend back in the day. Always giving me rides, even if I told him it wasn’t a big deal. He would take me to different restaurants out here all the time after he started his first job. Parking in the first spot he could find, just as an excuse to have to walk so we could spend more time together.

It’s hard to believe we were so inseparable for so long, and now, I haven’t said a single word to him in at least four years. But it’s okay, really. Times have changed, and I have more important things to worry about now— like how I desperately hope this kid falls asleep on the drive home. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

 I took the longest way home, and my plan worked. Peeking into my rearview mirror to see her sweet face out cold, thank god. Not that it’s the worst to do things while she’s awake, but when I want to focus on something important, the last thing I need is her trying to get me to play or, even worse, have a meltdown. 

Carefully scooping her up out of the car seat, we manage to make it inside with her still asleep. I slip into her room and tuck her into bed so I can hopefully get this phone call done. As I go to leave, I whisper, “Love you, baby.”

Practically falling into the couch, I stare at the texts from Josh. It would really be so helpful if I could work with him. It is very much Josh to do something like this. He has such a pure heart; too much love in that heart of his. 

“Just call him,” I whisper, in hopes that I can pep talk myself. You need this for Iris. Everything I do at this point is to make sure she gets the life she deserves; becoming a mom has really shifted a lot of my perspective on things.  

Tapping on the number, here goes nothing– I listen to it ring maybe twice before they pick up. 

“Hello?”

I take a shallow breath before saying, “Hi, this is Melody. Josh gave me your number because you may be hiring?” 

“Mel! Yes, he mentioned bumping into you— how are you?” Why does he sound familiar..? Oh– 

“Wait..” I hesitate before asking, “Jake?” 

He just hums back a quiet “Mhmm.”

“Oh god, he must have given me your number by accident,” I say with a sigh, my hand immediately rubbing over my face. 

He sighs along with me, “Did he not tell you?” 

“Tell me what?” 

“Ah, for fucks sake, Josh— he works for me,” he tells me. 

“Oh?” I squeak out, whispering,  “I figured it would end up the other way around, but..doing what?”

“I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that,” he breathes out.  “I own a bar in the Old Port. He bartends for me.” 

“Oh shit, sorry,” I let out an uncomfortable laugh. “You would own a bar.” Thinking of the handful of parties I’d attended where he was a bit more drunk than I’m sure he’d like to admit. 

“I’m not that wild anymore,” his soft giggle along with me, telling me, “I do absolutely need more help though if you are interested.” 

“I don’t really know what I could do, but I am desperate.” 

Jake has always been the calmer of the two, so it was less shocking when he asked, “Why don’t you swing by tomorrow if you have a chance, and we can figure something out?” 

“Are you sure?” I know I probably sound nervous, but shit, if I can get a job with people I know, that would be amazing. 

He chuckles, “Of course, I’m sure.” 

“Okay,” I breathe out quietly. “I really appreciate it.” 

Jake and I were never particularly close growing up, but I did spend an awful lot of time around him. Well, with all of them, honestly– given that Daniel is best friends with Sam, and Sam always wanted his brothers around, the five of us did a lot together. 

Jake was typically overshadowed by his brothers because he was the quieter one, which makes picturing him owning a bar even harder. But I definitely know the other two very well. I was a little surprised at how pleasant Josh was, even going as far as offering me a potential job. 

I never had issues with Josh, but given the situation with Daniel, I figured he would have been more hesitant. To be fair, it’s been a while since I’ve seen him, and maybe he’s still the same Josh that I knew growing up. God—I hope he is. 

It makes me wonder how Daniel is doing, but not enough to try to reach out to him. We haven’t spoken since the night we broke up, but now that I’m back here, I feel like it’s only a matter of time before I run into him. 

“Just let me know when you’re gonna head over,” Jake’s voice brings me back to the conversation. “I’m always in the bar, so whenever you have time, works for me.” 

It feels like a weight has been taken off my chest. I nod my head, as if he can see it, saying, “Of course. Thank you so much. I will see you tomorrow.” 

The sense of relief, knowing that there’s a chance I’ll have some sort of a job in the next twenty-four hours, is unexplainable. I never thought I would spend time with the Kiszka twins as an adult, but I’ve never been more excited to see them. They were always fun to be around, even if the chaos was a bit overwhelming sometimes.  I just can’t shake the feeling that where there’s a Kiszka, Daniel will probably come around. It’s been years; I think I can handle it, even if he does show up at some point. I’d like to believe it’s been enough time since we spoke that we could be adults about everything. Also, it’s been so long at this point; there’s no chance he could still be upset.. Right? I kind of want to see him eventually, not like that, but we spent so much time together that we could at least be friends now.. maybe. There’s no use in dwelling on it; we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Chapter Two

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[seenoversundown]

For Death Or Glory : Chapter Sixteen

Jake Kiszka x Charlotte (Fem OC)

Warnings: Brief mentions of sex (nothing too deep) Mentions of Loss / Grief / Death, Sad / Anxious themes briefly, Fluff, RomComs (Char is a crier) , Jake being the little sweetie pie that we know and love him to be, and last but certainly not least- A LOT of references to John Tucker Must Die (may include some spoilers if you haven't watched the movie, but also go watch it?? What are you doing? It's incredible.)

Word Count: 4k.

Summary: After a long night with him, Charlotte finds herself in a bit of a predicament.

Author's Note: Oh, this turned out to be a cute one guys! I honestly went into this chapter with a vague idea of how I wanted it to go and then suddenly had the Jimmy Neutron-style brain blast when I realized what they needed to be doing. I really hope you enjoy it; it's a bit of a niche chapter but, it's actually kind of important in the grand scheme! Can't wait to hear your feedback and I really can't wait for next week. 🤭

Feels Like - Gracie Abrams "Met you at the right time, this is what it feels like."

The feeling of him pulling me back into him as I’m half asleep, letting a little ‘mmm’ slip out with his face tucked into me. Our bodies tangle into each other as he slides one of his legs between mine, keeping me as close to him as possible. The warmth coming from him made up for the lack of clothes we had on. 

We lie there for a while, in and out of sleep, sharing gentle touches occasionally; he’d slide his hand up and down my thigh a few times and then fall back to sleep or kiss the base of my neck slowly. I’ll never understand how he’s real. 

“I have to pee so bad,” he mumbles into me. His morning voice is extra raspy, and despite him being a little too honest, it really is adorable. I just quietly laugh at him as he tightens his grip around me. 

“You should probably go take care of that,” I whisper back, trying not to laugh more. 

He lets out a long breath against me, “I’d have to stand up, and that just sounds awful.”

“Yes, but if you pee on me, I'm never letting you live that down,” I tell him, making him laugh. 

“Alright, alright,” he groans. “But, don’t move– I’m coming right back.” He leaves a kiss on my shoulder before sliding out of bed. I turn around to watch him as he just pulls on a flannel, his legs still fully on display from how short his boxers are. It's hard to believe that no girl has tried to get with him; he is effortlessly gorgeous. 

Once he’s left the room, I grab my phone, unlocking it to see the dreaded email from my boss that I knew I would be receiving. We’ve been going back and forth the past few days trying to figure out what I'm doing. To be honest, I don’t really know what I’m doing. Not cooperating with your job is what you’re doing. Be so for real, Char.

Knowing I’d probably regret my choice, I decided to open his reply. 

‘Charlotte- I’ve been trying to be as flexible as I can with you, and I understand that you’re technically doing work—I can’t stress how much this isn’t an option for you. You were hired as an in-office employee. Now, I know you’re still grieving, but our bereavement days are only supposed to be for immediate family members, and we are already letting that slide for your friend, so I would really appreciate it if you were a little more cooperative.  I need you to figure out a return date within the next week or so and give it to me by the end of the day.'

‘Letting it slide for your friend,’ the sting from that specific line, making my heart pound and my eyes start to well up. I can’t cry right now; I doubt he meant it to be mean, Char. I don’t care how he meant it; it hurts. She may as well have been family, in my mind. Now, the daunting task of how I’m supposed to go back into the office after all of this will plague my mind today. 

My hands are shaking as I scroll up and down through the email. I swallow hard to try and stop the sadness that’s forcing its way up my throat. I quickly lock my phone and toss it to the other end of the bed as the door to his room opens. 

“I had a feeling you’d be up,” his soft voice rang through the room. He looks so sweet, carefully walking over with two mugs full of coffee. I figured you would want this.” He holds it out for me, his gaze finally meeting mine. 

Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. 

“Thank you” comes out a bit more strained than I would have preferred. His eyebrows pull together. He sets his mug down on the nightstand and sits in front of me. 

“What’s going on?”

I shake my head, my throat feeling tight all over again. 

“Hey,” his hands gently rubbed my legs, “Whatever it is, you can tell me.” 

My eyes betray me as they well up. I set my coffee down with his, quickly wiping my eyes as the tears started to come out. 

“It’s a long story,” I choke out quietly. 

“I have time.” 

The tears instantly fall as I sit there in front of him, feeling like he wants nothing more than just to make sure I’m okay. My hands fly up to cover my face, feeling dumb for crying in front of him.. again.

His hands moved to my arms, gently pulling me towards him. He whispered, “Ooh, come here, honey.” 

Without hesitation, I crawled into his lap, resting my face against his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around me. We sit there for a few minutes like that before I finally decide to say it. 

“Um.. my best friend passed away,” I tell him, doing my best to keep it together enough to explain. “Her funeral was the day I came in to help and cried in your office.” I can feel him take a deeper breath before saying anything. 

“I can’t even imagine,” he says softly, “I’m so sorry.” Resting his face against the top of my head. 

“Yeah, it’s just a lot.” My heart aches, replaying the thoughts in my mind before I choke out,  “I miss her so much.” 

“Tell me about her.”

What? He— oh. I shift myself to face him, sitting in between his legs. He sweetly wipes underneath my eyes, his hands dropping to find mine. 

“Her name is Cassie,” I start. Telling him everything I could, how we met, and how she always made me laugh. The way she was so naturally beautiful and inspiring to watch exist. I was explaining how we would always end up spending the night at each other's houses because we would just get too caught up in talking. I found myself laughing at one point while explaining, even with tears still falling. 

He held my hands the whole time. He listened so intently, keeping eye contact and only letting go when I needed one to explain something or if he was wiping a tear away from my face. He was everything I needed at that moment.

“She sounds wonderful,” he says, softly squeezing my hand. 

My eyes well up as I look at him, forcing out a laugh as I stare up at the ceiling, trying to prevent the tears from falling. She would have loved you. The look on his face makes it harder to keep it together, his eyes looking so concerned as more tears sneak out. 

“She really is,” I let out with a sigh, which swiftly turned into a laugh. “I swear I can hear her in my head half of the time.” 

He smiles for a second, “That’s how you know she was a good one.”

A tear falls and lands on his hand, feeling the little spray as it bursts against him. Pulling me out of the moment and realizing how close we are. He's so gentle the way he runs his thumb over my knuckles as we talk. He quickly pulled me into his arms, and as soon as he saw tears, there was no hesitation. My heart shakes at the thought. 

“You know what,” he starts, bringing me back to earth and gently squeezing my hands. Let me talk to Josh real quick. I have an idea.” His eyes are soft, gazing all over my face. 

“Can I know what it is?” I ask quietly. He leans forward, pressing his lips to my forehead carefully. 

“If I can make it happen, yes.” 

I grab the coffee he brought. It’s questionably cold at this point, but I'm sipping on it anyway. Cass, I wish I could get confirmation from you or something. How am I supposed to know if you were right? 

He leans against the doorframe and looks at me. “Okay, are you comfortable hanging out for a little bit?” 

“I can.” 

“I’m going to go down to the bar for a few, and then I need to grab a couple things, and I’ll be back,” he says,  talking faster than I think I’ve ever heard him speak. “If that's okay?”

I nod, “I might try to read a little then.” 

He wanders over to sit in front of me again, “are you positive?”

“Mhmm,” I can’t help but chuckle at him a little, “Do what you need to.”

He gets dressed quickly, which is unfortunate for me, before walking over and kissing the top of my head. 

“You promise you’ll be alright?” he asks, squatting down in front of me and instinctively grabbing my free hand, looking up at me, waiting for an answer.

I can’t help but laugh, “Yes, I’ll be okay.” 

“There she is,” he says, “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

After he left, I spent a few minutes debating whether to reply to my boss but choosing not to do that while I was still emotional felt like the right option. I curled back into his bed, holding his pillow close to me as I drifted in and out of sleep for a while. Hearing the door open, he was definitely carrying something when the thud of it hitting the door rang through the apartment. I crawled out of his bed and snuck out into the living room. 

“Hi,” I squeak out, feeling oddly excited to see him. 

He turns around, a sweet little smile on his lips, “Hey you.” 

I wander over to the couch, pulling the throw blanket over me while he’s putting things away. 

“Okay, so,  I got us some shitty food to make and some Downeast,”  He looks over at me, holding up his hand out of defense,  “I can cook, but it just felt appropriate for today, alright?” 

“Do you not have to work?” I ask, letting my eyebrows pull together as I stare at him. 

He shakes his head, “That’s why I went down early, so I could be free for the evening.” He took the night off for me? 

“You didn’t have to do that!” 

“No, I know,” he says, his smile making my heart melt, “I wanted to.”  

He practically took the wind out of me with that statement. He wanted to..? He’s far too nice to me. It’s almost like I deflated but in a good way. Nobody has ever cared enough to do something like this..  Not realizing how zoned out I had been until his voice brought me back. 

“Want to pick something to watch, hun?” 

Something about the pet name always makes my body tingle. Last night probably didn’t help.  I know immediately what I want to watch, opening Hulu quickly. 

He wanders over, handing me a drink. 

“What’s the verdict?” He asks, sinking into the couch next to me as I click play. 

“John Tucker Must Die,” I tell him, sipping on my drink before setting it on the coaster near me. I have to tell Josh how cute these are. 

“I don’t think I could tell you the last time I watched this,” he admits. 

“Really? We watch it—” I start to say, but being hit by reality again, “Um... Cass and I would watch it all the time when we’d hang out.” It feels like he can tell that I am having a moment because he quickly grabs my hands. 

“Well then, I apparently have been sleeping on a cinematic masterpiece!” He spits out, making me laugh. He sinks back into the couch, propping one of his legs up on the corner of the coffee table. 

I was readjusting myself a little, partially for comfort but also because he was so close, and I didn’t know what to do with my legs. He glanced over as I was trying to get situated, silently grabbing my ankle and pulling my legs over on top of his. There were those butterflies again. 

The opening segment of the movie showcases how terrible John Tucker really is. Unfortunately, I have wasted plenty of dates on men like him. 

“This dude sucks?” he mumbles. 

Giggling quietly, “Well, you’re not really supposed to be rooting for him, so I’m glad you think so.” 

A few minutes later, Scott Tucker, as we know—he is the better brother—shows up on screen. I look over at Jake. He’s focused on the movie, but his hand is holding my leg, casually running it up my calf, and occasionally giving it a little squeeze. 

Watching him for a minute as he’s focused on the TV, I notice that his expression is naturally so soft. I lean forward, pulling some of the throw blanket over him, not realizing I had the bulk of it. 

“Didn't mean to hog the whole thing,” I giggle as I tell him. I was still trying to toss the excess blanket over him. 

The way his eyes smile when he says, “Well, thank you.” He grabs the edge of it, helping me before bringing his hand back to my ankle. How he keeps some form of contact is so funny to me. It’s very clearly an absentminded thing that he does, and I won’t argue that it isn’t nice that he just wants to be touching me casually. It’s a wildly comforting feeling that I didn’t realize I enjoyed. 

His giggles when John has the estrogen meltdown have my heart melting. Just the organic laugh out of him is such a nice sound, especially after earlier. I’ll take any ounce of serotonin I can get. It takes me a few minutes to focus on the TV and not just look at him because I’d almost rather spend the entire movie watching his reactions. 

“Yeahhhh .. been there, bud,” he mumbles, as John is tripping over his words because Kate’s in red lingerie. He looks over with an exaggerated scowl at me as I bark out a laugh. 

“Hey now,” I start, “You seemed to enjoy it!” 

His mouth falls open, “Of course I enjoyed it? I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn’t behind the bar fighting demons the entire time, you little shit.” 

“Oh, was it so terrible?” I tease him, trying not to laugh. 

He grabs his phone, quickly swiping through our messages and clicking on one of the pictures I had sent. He turns it to face me and slowly blinks at me, “How was I supposed to be okay when you look like THAT?” 

“Okay, maybe it was a little unfair,” I let out through a laugh. 

His eyebrows pull together, “A little? God, I was sweating, honey.” 

There’s that pet name again, and I don’t know what makes the butterflies show up, but they do every time. I pull myself closer to him. He looks over at me, lifting his arm for me to get closer to him. 

Staying pressed against his side, his hand lightly drawing little circles on my arm while one of my hands found comfort on his stomach. Something about him, in general, just made me feel safe. The doom and gloom in my brain seemingly lessen when I'm around him.  

I look up at him as Scott asks her to be his lab partner again, feeling my eyes well up a little. It’s him, isn’t it, Cass? Seeing the way his eyes light up at their interaction before glancing over to me.  

“Oh?” He questions, his eyebrow popping up quickly. 

“No, I’m fine,” I laugh out, trying to blink the tears back into my body. “It’s just sweet.” 

“It is,” he says quietly, holding eye contact for a minute. I feel my heart start to pound as he stares at me. Why am I nervous, like we haven’t kissed before? My eyes wander to his lips just for a second. He really does have such a pretty mouth. It's hard not to admire him when he’s so close. 

His stare drops to my mouth now. This is like the worst game of chicken we could ever play. A smile slowly pulls on the corners of my lips as he gazes at them. 

Clearing his throat he starts to sit up, “Do you want some food?”

“Please, I’m shockingly hungry.” I almost couldn’t respond fast enough. 

After a couple of minutes, I can’t help but move into the kitchen with him. 

“You know,” I start, “it’s really unfortunate that they never kissed at the end.” 

“You think so?” he glances over.  

“Mhmm,” I say, “You can’t tell me you weren’t waiting for it.” Folding my arms over myself, waiting to see if he argues against it. Even though there’s not a good argument against that. 

“Mmmmm...” his voice gets quiet. " It probably would have been a good one, too, huh?” He leans against the counter, holding his hands out to me. 

“I feel like it had to be, right?” I move closer, and he smiles as I take his hands. 

“Maybe something like,” he pulls me into him, “this?” 

His hands held my jaw, pressing his lips into mine. Slowly, we moved against each other, my hands pressing against his chest. He lingers over my mouth for a second; his smile grows as he looks at me. Oh, oh no. The butterflies in my stomach go crazy as he smiles a breath away from me. 

“Yeah, that would work,” I mumble. We’ve kissed countless times at this point; I mean, we literally had sex less than 24 hours ago.. Twice even. Something about him today is making my body react differently.  

The oven beeping scares the shit out of me and brings me back to real life as I flinch, still in his arms. 

We fall back into our regular routine of telling each other little stories that we can recall as he makes food; I’m just physically present rather than watching him through Facetime. And it’s not three a.m. 

Not even eating could stop us from laughing about some ridiculous story he was telling me about him and his brothers as kids. I could listen to his stories all day, how he’s so happy when he’s talking about them.

“Should we watch your favorite now?” I ask quietly.  “It is November now.” 

He beams over at me, “I’ll never turn the opportunity down.” 

He steals my plate away from me once I’m done eating, putting all our dishes in the sink. I watch as he just takes care of everything without question, which only encourages those pesky butterflies. I didn’t know who was in control of my body when I stood up, moving over to him at the sink. 

“You can go get comfy if you want,” he tells me, glancing over.

I shake my head at him, “Not yet.” 

His face was visibly lost, grabbing the towel from behind him to dry his hands off when he turned to me. I move into him, wrapping my arms around him. 

“Oh?” he mumbles against me, pulling me tight into him. I soak in the feeling of his arms and chest against me; it’s becoming one of my favorite feelings, and that’s terrifying. 

We just stood there quietly for a moment until I finally said what had been on my mind. 

“Thank you,” I whisper. 

He leans back to look at me, “For what?” 

“Everything,” I start, “You didn’t have to do all this for me, but.. I just really appreciate it.” And you.

“Sometimes we need people, but we don’t know how to ask for that,” He tells me, his calm tone lacing the words. “You deserved this. I couldn’t just send you to be home alone after that.” 

My throat tightens at his words, and I can feel my breathing get heavier; oh, he’s–. 

His hands rub my back a few times before sliding down the back of my arms; he giggles as he says, “C’mon, let’s go so you can laugh at me for loving this movie too much.” 

Sitting back onto the couch but quickly fell into a more comfortable position this time, pulling a blanket over us and tucking his arm back around me. He’s slumped against the arm of the couch, and one leg stretched out so I can lay against his chest. It’s hard to focus on the movie when I’m listening to his heartbeat in one ear and feeling his hands holding onto me, with the subtle little thumb rubs to remind me that he’s still there. 

“This movie really is good, isn’t it?” I mumble. 

His chest vibrates as he giggles, “I’m glad you agree.” 

The warmth coming from him is comforting, but the sudden heaviness of his arms around me makes me look up. He looks so delicate as he’s drifted off to sleep, sweet boy. I snug back into him, just enjoying the occasional little sounds of his breathing.  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

The sound of the door opening startled me awake; I don’t remember falling asleep. I saw Josh and Quinn sliding their shoes off and quietly walking through the apartment. I made eye contact with Josh, sitting up a little to acknowledge him. 

“Hi,” I whisper. 

His grin shines even in the dark, “Well, hello there.” 

“I can wake him up, so you two can do whatever,” I say, not wanting to inconvenience the two of them. 

“Not necessary, love,” he mutters, looking over at his twin, who’s still out cold. “He hardly sleeps before four a.m. Keep him warm, and I’ll see you in the morning.” He shoots me a little wink as he pads off to find Quinn. 

Looking back at this precious sleeping boy, he probably needed the day off. I reach down, grabbing one of the throw pillows that had fallen off the couch. 

“Hey,” I whisper, carefully letting my hand rest on his cheek for a second, “lift your head for me.” Seeing his eyebrows pop up like he didn’t fully hear me.

“Mmm,” is all that comes out of him. His arms pulled me back into him, making me giggle quietly. 

“Jake, let me help,” I laugh out, trying to push myself up again, but he’s tightening his arms around me. Peeking up, he has his eyes closed, but his little grin makes my heart flutter. His silent protest keeps the giggles coming from me. 

“Baby, come on,” slips out; my face warms after calling him that, but his arms relax a bit so I can sit up. “Here, scoot down a little.” He never opens his eyes, but he listens, moving so he should be more comfortable. Slowly, he reaches up, his hand holding my chin and pulling me to him; he gives me one very tired kiss before he mumbles, in the cutest, little, husky tone, “Thank you.” 

“Of course,” I whisper back. I move his leg over so I can squeeze between him and the couch cushions. My leg draped over his, pulling myself into his side and snuggling my face into his neck. His arms tightened around me for a second before I felt his hand run down the back of my head, leaving it there as he kissed my forehead. I can feel his lips smile against me; closing my eyes as a tear sneaks out, hopeful that he doesn’t notice. 

I lay there, listening to his heart slow and his breathing change as he drifts back to sleep. I was just looking at the necklace he had on carefully, trying not to wake him. Occasionally, I softly scratch his chest, just trying to be in the moment, even if the tears are still slowly falling. His hand moved from my side to his stomach, so I decided to take the chance. I grab it and bring it up over his heart with mine, lacing my fingers into his. The sight of it caused a slight smile on my face despite the tears falling this time. 

“Oh, Jacob,” I whisper to him, “what am I supposed to do with you?” 

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Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Seventeen

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[seenoversundown]

For Death Or Glory : Chapter Twenty-Five

Jake Kiszka x Charlotte (Fem OC)

Warnings: 18+ Smut (you know the drill) Fluff, Mild Anxiety, Some sad themes momentarily, A LOT of tears, Jake is in it so the uncomfortably timed jokes are also in it, and it's just painfully cute and sweet and fluffy.

Smut Warnings: Fingering (f receiving) a slight depiction of masturbation (m), sexy phrases being moaned, and last but not least we are practicing safe sex!! (wrap that shit up guys)

Word Count: 7.1k

Summary: After Charlotte leaves the Anniversary Party at the bar, she spends a bit contemplating her choices while she packs and ultimately comes to her decision.

Author's Note: Hiii 🥹

I can't believe this is the last chapter, it feels like we just started this last week. I really hope this is the ending you were rooting for, because it feels very fitting.

I'm going to stick another note at the end to not spoil anything before you read.

Happy Thursday (and Halloween) 🖤

Sea Of Love - Cat Power "Come with me, my love, To the sea, The sea of love."

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“Drive safe, Red.” 

“Will do, Captain.”

The second he walked away from my car, the tears I’d been choking back came out, and unfortunately, I hadn’t stopped the entire drive back to the house to finish grabbing everything, which seemed silly because I could have packed before I went to see him. I spent the whole day trying to decide if I should even go, with breaks where I would just cry because I couldn’t believe that I couldn’t just spit out what happened. 

The way he still insisted on walking me to my car speaks volumes about him, and I really didn’t know what I expected, but I was mentally prepared for him not to want to talk to me after everything. I don’t deserve him by any means. 

I couldn’t stop myself from hugging him. I knew he wasn’t going to try anything because he’s always concerned about whether or not I’m comfortable, and I’m sure he didn’t want to take any chances of getting rejected. 

9:20 p.m.

I pull into the driveway, crying harder as I put my car in park. I don’t want to go home. I should have just stayed there. Taking a deep breath, I force myself to go inside. I set my bag and phone down on a chair in our kitchen, knowing that if I had my phone with me, I’d never get anything packed.  

I wander around the house, silently crying as I grab my things and shove them into my bag. Changing out of my jeans and into some leggings, hoping that maybe being more comfortable will help. Even though I know the only thing that would help right now is him.

Knowing that he came here so we could still spend the night together is making this worse. The way he so happily changed our plans and drove out here. I sit down on the couch, thinking about how he somehow made my catching up on emails more enjoyable. Rewarding me with kisses every time I finished one, I don’t think I’ve ever worked more efficiently than knowing I get to smooch a cute boy every time I hit ‘send.’ 

He was so sweet when I started to fall asleep, wanting to make sure I was comfortable. I was a little surprised when he said he would stay since he wouldn’t be able to check on the bar. Feeling how warm he was when he got into bed with me. Granted, I also was teasing him as he took his pants off. Quietly laughing at the thought, even with tears rolling down my cheeks. 

He always has a way of making things better, even when he isn’t here. When we weren’t together, he’d send me random things he was thinking about throughout his day or asking how my day was going. I don’t think we’ve gone more than a few hours without talking since I called him that night. 

My throat tightened, and I remembered how he reacted to Cass. The way he immediately just pulled me into his arms, letting me take my time to explain. He fully just listened to whatever I had to tell him like he genuinely wanted to know her. I just know that if she could meet him, she would absolutely adore him. Especially considering how he treats me, she would be planning our wedding already. 

I walk through the house one last time to make sure I have everything. I should just go back. My stomach turns at the thought. I don’t even know what I’d say; I’ll just text him tomorrow—shutting the lights off as I walk back towards the kitchen. 

I bring out the bulk of my stuff, shoving it all into my back seat. Quickly walking back inside to grab my bag and lock it up, my chest hurts as I pull the door shut behind me. 

I grab my phone from my bag to check the time, and his name is on my Lock Screen. 

11:02 p.m.

Jacob: hi, just wanted to say thank you again for everything. I don’t know if you’re still driving or not, so don’t feel like you have to reply right away 

Jacob: but I’m still down to keep you company tomorrow, if you are. 🖤

My eyes are full of tears when I laugh—my sweet boy. Dropping my phone into the driver's seat, I stand there with my face in my hands, letting out the sob that had been waiting. I need him. It was like I needed something to tell me that it was the right choice to just go back to him, and that was enough. 

I look up at the moon, “Cass… thank you.” My voice shakes as I say it, but god, it feels good to get it out. “You were right. I needed to find my Scott, and now, I just wish you were here to meet him.”

I have to go get him. 

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My heart races as I drive down the dark roads, waiting until I get a little closer to Portland for more street lamps. But as I’m driving, I swear every song that comes on just makes my mind wander.

Hearing him call me honey for the first time in his office. His arms pulled me in so fast I didn’t have time to think about it. Talking me down or trying to, at least. I felt so safe with him, and I had only met him once before. Something about him was so comforting in that moment, whether it was the way he knew I was about to break and brought me into a quiet space to have my moment. Or the fact that he didn’t let go until I was ready. 

The look in his eyes as he wiped my tears away, gently holding the sides of my face like he thought I would crumble if he added any more pressure. And to think that was just a glimmer of how thoughtful he is. 

I’ve never met a man who just wants to do things like he does. He walked me to my car every night when I was at the bar, opening my door for me like he was straight out of the fifties or something. Always asked me to let him know when I made it home; it was a soft level of protection that I didn’t know I needed. 

Standing there next to the water, the street lamps barely gave us enough light to see each other, but the way his lips looked and how he kept glancing at mine.. I knew I had to take my chance. 

“Is this okay?” 

His smile into me as we kissed made it hard for me not to fall for him. The way he so sweetly giggled against me. Keeping me close to him because it was cold out, but not wanting to stop. Oh, the first of many ‘one more’ kisses. Which always meant another ten minutes trying to escape him, not that I ever really wanted them to end. I’m almost positive that both of us genuinely started contemplating quitting our jobs to hide away together a handful of times. 

Going out of his way to surprise me so I could still go to Salem. Taking a day off, even if I had to badger him a little about not checking in constantly. It was for his own good. It was so adorable how he just happily followed me, looking at all the haunted sites and letting me tell him all the history as we walked around. I suppose it helps that he’s definitely into those types of things, considering the pirate knowledge. 

His sweet face turned red when the girl told us our aura colors were pretty compatible. But I can’t blame her for assuming when he grabbed my hand while she explained them to us. I knew it was because of what she was saying, and he just wanted to make sure I was okay. 

I’ve simply never met a man who understood emotions like he does. I don’t understand how considering he grew up with two brothers, he’s definitely the odd one out of the three. The way he can stay so calm in most situations is beyond me. Even tonight, when I showed up, he seemed nervous for a second, but the moment I said something, he came around. 

I could park right outside the bar because there was nobody out, but I decided to park around the corner so I could mentally prepare. 

Just see if he’s still in the bar, and then if not, he should be at home. I don’t think he’s supposed to see his parents until tomorrow. 

Shutting off the engine, I sit there staring at the sky. Ever since he pointed out the moon that night, I’ve felt comfort in it. Whether or not Cass can hear me, I will keep talking to her through it. I’d like to think she knows. 

I step out, feeling the wind against my skin, shit- it’s cold.  I start walking towards the bar, taking a deep breath before turning the corner. I pulled out my phone one more time, just to make sure he hadn’t said anything while I was driving here. No notifications. 

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11:35 p.m.

 I round the corner, and he’s already standing outside as if he knew I would come back. I see him putting his phone into his pocket and looking down at his boots. It feels surreal to see him for some reason. He finally looks over as I get closer; I can see him trying to fight the smile growing on his face. 

As I walk up to him, I whisper, “Hi.”

“Hey, you,” he whispers back, his voice alone made my eyes well up again. I look down at my feet, hoping to swallow the emotions, but fail miserably. Here goes nothing.

“Um,” I let out. I feel my lip quiver, so I tug it in with my teeth a little. 

His voice was quiet, asking, “What’s wrong?” as he gently tilted my face up to look at him, which only made the tears flow faster.

“I don’t want this to be over, Jacob,” I choke out, pointing between the two of us.  I have cried in front of this man far too many times in the last three weeks.  

 He sweetly wipes the tears before he finally says, “Hun,” Pulling me into him and placing a big kiss against my forehead.  “It doesn’t have to be over.” 

“I just want to be able to kiss you and be with you,“ I ramble out. All of the feelings I’ve been holding back started falling out of me. 

He shakes his head slowly and calmly tells me, “I want that more than you know.” 

“I don’t want to feel like we have to be quiet about it.” 

“We don't have to.” 

“Jake, I just,” I start, my voice sounded a little panicked at this point. “I have stronger feelings for you than I anticipated and—”

He quickly tells me, “I promise those are most definitely mutual, honey.” 

“It scares me a little,” I admit quietly. 

“Hey–” he cuts me off, “I will have you however you’ll let me,” holding my face in his hands, and then he says, “I told you before- whatever you’re comfortable with.” 

“I don’t want you to feel like I’m interested in anyone else,” I start, “Because I only—.” My brain is moving faster than I can move my mouth while still trying to calm down from crying when he leans in. –Want you.  The most relieving kiss I’ve ever felt; time slowed the second his lips met mine. My hands find their spot on his stomach; just having extra contact with him helps me slow down. 

He pulls away, and his hands are still holding the sides of my face as he looks at me. He looks like he wants to say something, but I watch him swallow hard before he finally caves. I feel like I know what’s coming.  

“Say the word, and I’ll forget about the ‘friends who maybe sleep together' thing,” he whispers. “I would do anything to call you mine.” His face is still so close to mine as we stare at each other for a second in comfortable silence. There is only one right answer in my mind. 

“Please.” 

His lips find mine quickly, smiling into me like a kid on Christmas morning. My heart pounds as we practically relive our first kiss. Not knowing how to stop, giggling as we take turns placing little kisses everywhere. 

“You’re sure you want this?” He asks, his hands still holding my jaw. “Like absolutely positive?” 

“I don’t think I’ve ever been more sure about something,” I tell him, a small laugh sneaking out. He stares at me for a second before looking up; his eyes close before he shakes his head a few times. His arms fall, sliding around my waist. When he looks back at me, his eyes are glistening. My hands quickly grabbed him, wiping his tears as they finally fell, “Aw, baby.”

“I feel ridiculous,” he giggles, trying to sniff the emotions away.

“I’ve cried enough times in front of you— I think you’ve earned it.” 

He looks up again, letting out a small laugh, and then looks back at me. His hands grabbed mine, holding onto them tightly when his adorable little voice wavered, telling me, “I just really thought I had lost any chance with you.” He breathes in a shaky breath and, on the exhale, says, “And I’m just so happy that I get to keep you to myself now.” A few tears sneak out as he tells me. He really is the most precious man alive. I steal one of my hands back from him, gently wiping his face again. 

We stood there giggling like teenagers when the realization hit me, “I get to say you’re my boyfriend now.” 

“Mhm,” He hums against me. “I’m all yours.” 

Kissing him a few times before giggling against his lips, “Jacob, I’m your girlfriend.. we’re dating.” He just smiles against me, and I can’t stop the excitement from coming out as I bounce back and forth in his arms. “Did you ever think this would have happened?”

“Honey, you have felt like a fever dream to me for three weeks.” He chuckles to himself, “No, I never thought I would be lucky enough to find someone like you.” 

After a few minutes of bliss,  I finally have to come out with the truth, all of them. 

“I want to tell you something,” I tell him. “Well.. actually, a couple of things.” 

“Go for it,” he says; his smile might be permanent. Let me start with the least important thing.

“Cass made me promise that if I found some boy with long hair and nerdy interests, I had to try,” I admit. “I just didn’t know how to handle it when I found you because I haven’t been in a ton of relationships— but you made it so… easy.” 

“I’ve never been more relieved to be a long-haired nerd in my life.” He giggles at himself, kissing my cheek when he mumbles,  “I hope I make her proud.” 

I don’t know how I could cry more at this point, but my voice shakes when I tell him, “Oh, she would have loved you.”

He tugs me back in for a hug; I just snuggle into him for a minute. Naturally, he would say something like that. 

 “What else is there?” He asks quietly. 

“Well..um,” I hesitated. Just spit out, Char. “I have to go home, like up-north-home, or I’m going to get fired.” 

His eyebrows pull together, letting out a small laugh before finally asking, “You? How would you get fired?” 

“I sort of have been lying to my boss to be .. here,” I tell him, dodging his eye contact. It’s quiet for a beat before he finally speaks up.

“Wait– is that why you were so upset?” 

I nod, “Mhm..he called when I was at Quinn’s, and I had been freaking out since because I was .. scared to tell you.” 

“Oh, hun. Fuck, I’m so sorry,” his smile fades quickly.

“No, I’m sorry,” I tell him, grabbing his hands, “You didn’t know, and I was acting like a dick to you.”

 “I still wish I hadn’t panicked so fast,” he says, the look on his face making my heart hurt. “I’d never say anything like that to you ever again. I thought I’d lost you as soon as it came out.” 

The tears prick my eyes as he tells me. It makes even more sense now– he thought his heart was about to get shattered. The thought of not keeping him around had never crossed my mind; I would have figured out a way. 

“I knew you didn’t mean it, baby,” I told him. “I forgave you the second you started crying.” 

He pulls my hands up, kissing across my knuckles, letting out a long breath. Looking back at me, “So, if you have to go back home, what do we want to do?” 

The way he says ‘we’ could make me cry. 

“Well,” I start. “I don’t mind driving here. And I typically only work during the week, so I could come to you right after I clock out on Fridays.” 

“I will never say no to that,” he tells me. Quickly following up with, “But I can also come to you during the week since the bar isn’t as busy.” His hands gently squeezed mine.

“Are you going to be able to handle not being here?” I tease him. 

“Oh, shut up,” he laughs; oh, I love that laugh. “I’m gonna need to get over it at some point. At least I’ll have you as a distraction.” 

I just hum back, “Mhmm.” 

“We’ll make it work, hun,” he says; he sounds so sure of it. 

“You really don’t mind?” 

“Not at all,” he tells me, “I’ll do whatever I need to if it means getting to be with you.” 

My hands hold the sides of his neck as I kiss him a few times, whispering, “You’re unreal.” Enjoying the butterflies as he giggles against my lips, finding it increasingly more difficult to focus every time I kiss him. I need to tell him first, and then we can have fun. I get a little chill just thinking about getting to spend the night with him after this. FOCUS CHAR. 

“Um, there’s still more,” I spit out. “I sort-of-maybe-kind of lied to you.” Kissing his cheek a couple of times before looking at him with an uncomfortable smile. 

He lets out a laugh, “Really just getting it all out there, are we?” 

“I can’t start a relationship with you and not just tell you all of this!” 

“Whatever you need to do, hun,” he laughs. “Go on.” 

“I didn’t need to be here at all,” I start. “Melody could have just done everything in like a day and your paperwork had been sitting in my car already settled for the past two weeks.”

“I know.”

“What– You know?” I stared at him, my eyebrows pulled in immediately, wholly lost in how he knew what I was doing.  

“Of course, I know,” he giggles. “Who do you think helped Josh get certified, honey?”  

My mouth hangs open for a second, “Why didn’t you say anything?” 

“Well, honestly— it took a few nights of you being here for me to realize, but also,” he laughs, his hands finding mine. “You really think I’m gonna out the most beautiful girl on wanting to be around me–” he pauses, looking at me with his eyebrows raised before shaking his head with a quiet,  “Absolutely not.” 

I can’t get anything out before he quickly adds, “I honestly had just forgotten about it when I hired Mel, so when you asked, I just assumed it was about to screw me more.” 

“Wait— so, you just.. let me interrupt your schedule for like two weeks to vaguely help train Mel?” I ask quietly. 

He nodded quickly at that, “Gladly.” 

“But.. that’s so..” I hesitate.

“I think it paid off,” He lightly tips my chin up to meet his gaze, “Don’t you?” Leaning in and leaving a small kiss on my lips. 

I can’t stop the giggle that sneaks out when I whisper, “Think you’re so smooth, huh?” 

“Is it working?” 

“I mean, you got me,” I laugh. “So, I guess I’m gonna have to say yes.”

Taking every chance I have to kiss him, like I’ve been deprived for so long. A bit dramatic of me, but how am I supposed not to kiss him at this point? 

He shyly asks, “Do you still need to leave?” 

“I can leave in the morning,” I tell him. “They can survive a couple of hours tomorrow without me.”

“So.. you’ll stay with me?” He asks, biting his lip subtly. 

I giggle at how cute he is before whispering, “Yes, baby.” 

“Thank the lord,” he lets out, pulling me into him. 

My arms slid around his neck as snowflakes decorated us slowly. Pressing kiss after kiss onto his face and lips, dimly lit by the street lamp nearby.  Fighting the urge to cry again, holding the back of his neck, I kissed his cupid's bow; the tears that had been threatening to fall made their escape. Pulling away, I start to lean back so I can compose myself again. Seeing the tip of his nose is red, and I can’t shake the chill in the air.  Stopping this moment feels wrong, but I cave.  

“Can we go inside? It’s freezing,” I asked, scooting a little closer to him. I traced my finger down his nose, tapping its tip a few times. 

“In a minute—” 

With no hesitation, his arm wraps around my waist, pressing me up against him. His free hand quickly wipes the tears away from my cheeks. I watch his eyes dance between my eyes and my mouth like he always does. His hands found my jaw, and just like our first kiss, he lingered a breath away before he whispered, “One more.” 

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The moment his bedroom door shuts, I can’t stop myself. My hands pulled his face to mine, and his lips pressed into mine like we hadn’t seen each other in months. Our breathing is already heavy, and we’ve hardly made it past the threshold. 

“I know I told you, but” he pauses to kiss me. “I’m so sorry for everything, and I promise—never again.” He litters my face with little pecks. 

I slide my hands into his, pulling him towards his bed until I feel the frame hit the back of my knees. Tilting my head slightly as I lean into him, kissing him again. 

“No, I’m sorry,” I tell him quietly. “I shouldn’t have lied to you— about any of it.” He leans forward, pressing his lips against my forehead a few times. 

Sitting back on his bed, I grab the collar of his shirt, pulling him to me. Both of us smiled into each other; I couldn't stop myself from holding his jaw. 

“Move back for me, honey.”

 I never want him to call me anything else. I move myself up his bed, laying back on his pillow. He follows suit, watching his necklace swing as he crawls over me, making my mouth water. 

The feeling of his body pressed to mine when I slid my arms around his neck, pulling him against me in a hug. Nothing could have stopped me from kissing the side of his neck a few times. 

“This feels fake,” I tell him quietly, letting out a small giggle. 

He kisses the side of my head before pulling back to look at me, “It does feel different.” Tucking the hair behind my ear as he just stared at me, the slight smile on his lips. 

His eyes gazed down for a second before meeting mine again when he leaned in, his lips finding my bottom one. Every kiss felt more desperate until my hands found their way into his hair. I could see his chest moving from how heavy his breath was. 

His hips shift against me, and it sends a little wave of pleasure through me, letting out a small ‘mmm’ into his mouth, and I can feel the smirk on his face.

He rolls his hips into me again, pulling another quiet moan out of me. I grab his bottom lip gently with my teeth, giggling as I let it go. His eyes are still closed, but that lethal smile of his beams at me. 

“Hi, baby,” I whisper. I felt butterflies when he finally opened his eyes to look at me. 

“Mmm.. honey,” he mumbled back. His hand slid down to the waistband of my leggings, hooking his finger into it. “May I?” 

I lean up, kissing him slowly before telling him, “Please.” His hands waste no time, sliding my leggings off and tossing them on the floor. He lightly drags his fingers up the inside of my thighs, letting his right hand timidly run over the damp fabric. 

“Oh?” He says quietly, popping an eyebrow up at me. 

It’s hard not to blush when he’s hovered over me, looking the way he does. Sliding the fabric over, he rests his hand on me for a minute as he kisses my cheek. 

I feel his finger as he teases me, only for a second before letting it slip into me. Even just his middle finger alone makes me fall apart. Slowly pumping it into me, making my body tingle with every time he grazes that one spot.

“You’re so pretty.” 

I let out another ‘mmm,’ watching his eyes light up at the sound. He starts moving his hand a little faster, and the way his palm is pushing against my clit is making my head spin. 

Snaking my hands down, I unbutton the rest of his shirt. Good lord— he’s so fine.. wow I’m so fucking lucky. Moving to undo his pants, when he giggles softly. 

“Is that what you want?” He whispers, and even hushed, his voice makes me melt. 

I nod a few times, “Please, baby.” I pulled the zipper on his jeans as far as I could reach before just letting my hand run over him.  

Watching him slide his shirt and jeans off, I swear I can feel my pupils dilate. I’ve never been so attracted to a man in my life. He leans back over me, in just his tight boxers, feeling my thighs tense at the sight. 

I just want to touch him constantly, letting my hands run over his shoulders before moving to his chest. His skin is always so warm and soft, and it takes all my willpower not to kiss every inch of him. 

I’m still not used to the way his hair will brush against me when we’re in positions like this. But— he is so sexy when he pushes it out of his face, flipping it to one side. Or pulling it back before he goes down on me like he did the night we were drunk. I hope he knows how gorgeous he really is. 

The way his eyes light up when he slides my sweater off will never get old. He’s always so gentle with everything, even when he slides my bralette over my head. His hands so softly grab at my tits, grazing his thumbs over my nipples. It’s honestly really adorable how much he likes that they’re pierced. 

Littering kisses over my collarbones and then slowly working his way down until he hovers over one of my nipples, letting his tongue lead the kiss. Watching his plump lips wrap around it, a man surely doesn’t need lips like his, but lord, am I glad I’m the one he’s putting them on. It never seems like it could get better, and then he moves to the other side, and I get to relive it. 

He sits up after a minute and reaches over to his nightstand, pulls out a condom, and quickly sets it next to me. Leaning back down, he starts peppering my neck and collarbones with little pecks, running his hand up my side. 

“Babe, you know you don’t have to—” I whisper, glancing over at it. 

He holds my chin, giving me a slow kiss and giggling to himself as he pulls away, finally saying, “Hun, as much as I’d love not to— I’m not taking any more risks right now.” I can’t stop the laugh that sneaks out of me. 

“Plus, this is easier to clean up since Josh is down the hall,” he mumbles quickly, that sweet little smirk of his coming back. Letting my fingers lightly drag down his sides and over his hip bones as I look up at him. 

He slides his boxers off, kneeling between my legs. He starts to stroke himself as he looks at me. My jaw falls open at the sight. 

“What?” He asks through a laugh. You’re so fucking hot. Not only am I able to see his chest and stomach in front of me, but the way his arm is flexing as it moves and how his hair falls around his face when he looks down. 

My brain stalls trying to answer because seeing how his hand is wrapped around his cock has me thoroughly captivated. He grabs the condom, ripping the foil, and quickly rolling it down the length of him; I’ve never seen a man make that sexy, but there’s a first for everything. 

He leans back down, lining himself up with me and slowly pushing in. We both let our little moans at the feeling. He bottoms out in me and just sits there for a second, looking at me with his hands cradling my head, when he whispers, “I missed you.” 

“Oh,” slips out. I pull him in, kissing his face as he starts to move his hips. Gently rocking them into me, fully engulfed in the moment, we take turns pressing kisses into each other. This kind of sex feels different. 

Being able to kiss him and run my hands all over him, just enjoying the feeling of being so close. Holding eye contact while he pushes himself into me slowly, like he’s savoring every second of it. My heart pounds as we look at each other.

He starts to move a bit quicker, and I’m fighting every urge to moan, knowing we aren’t home alone. But nothing could stop me from letting out a quiet, “Harder, babe.” 

Watching his lips curl up, he leans forward, kissing my forehead before sitting up on his knees. His hands wrap around my hips, pulling me closer to him. Thrusting hard into me, he slides one hand over, lightly toying with my clit. His mouth hung open slightly, necklace bouncing off his chest, that small trail of hair on his stomach, his hands touching me; the sight of him alone brings me closer. 

A moan sneaks out; my eyes go wide at him. 

“Does that feel good, honey?” He says, his voice lowered; his voice alone makes me wet. 

I nod, pulling my lip in with my teeth. I tap his hip a few times so he’ll stop. He looks at me with his eyebrow raised.

“Lay down, babe,” I tell him. He moves back as we trade spots, except he leans against his headboard. His hands guiding me onto his lap, feeling so full as I sit on his cock. Taking a second to adjust to the position, I lean into him, letting my lips hover over his ear when I whisper, “You fit so perfectly inside me.” His delicious little groan as the goosebumps flood his skin. 

I start grinding against him, feeling my own orgasm creeping closer, letting quiet whimpers out next to his ear, kissing down his neck. Anything to shower him in affection because he deserves it. 

“Char,” he mumbles. “If you keep doing that, I’m not gonna last long.” 

Resting my forehead against the side of his head, I whisper, “Touch me.” His hand snakes down, rubbing my clit quickly, pulling some quiet moans out of me. I sit up, and my hips start to lift off of him, bouncing slightly. The angle of being on top makes him hit every right spot as I move. My body is starting to feel warm as his hand keeps rubbing tight little circles. 

“Jake,” I breathe out, my hand grabbing the headboard behind him.  “Oh my god.  Baby, I'm gonna—.”

His eyes light up, and I can feel how wet I am as I come down on him, over and over. He finally whispers, “Fuck me, honey.”

I’m seconds from losing it, and my body is tingling; I can feel the knot in my stomach, and even my nipples are peaked when he sends me over the edge, quietly moaning out, “Oh, my sweet girl. Wanna feel you come for me.”

It hits me as I come down on him, my legs refusing to lift me back up as my head drops back in pleasure. His hand slowed and joined the other, holding my sides to support me. 

I lean into him, tucking my face into his neck, feeling our chests rise and fall together. His arms wrapped around me, holding me close. 

“Hold on tight,” he mumbles, so I slide my arms around his neck quickly. Sitting up, he holds me against him with one arm, flipping us over. Making sure not to knock my head against the headboard, he sets me down carefully. 

He leans into my ear, giggling, “This is gonna last like two seconds.” His hips start thrusting into me; he locks his arms behind my knees to hold them up. Driving himself into me quickly, his eyebrows pulled together as his mouth started to open slightly. 

“Mmm, Jake,” I moan quietly, knowing it’ll only help him. “God, you feel so good.” Watching his face get a little red at the praise, his hips move a little faster, he's gotta be so close. I pull his face down to mine, hovering my lips over his, whispering, “Come on, baby. I’m all yours.” 

I can see him suck in a breath before he lowers himself, tucking his face in close to mine as his hips start to struggle. His little jagged breaths next to me when he lets out a small “fuck.” His sweet face presses into mine, letting his lips rest on my cheek, lazily leaving little kisses on me while I’m just running my hands along his back, letting him have his moment to recover as he does for me. 

“Char,” he whispers after we have been lying there for a minute.

I turned my face towards him, “What?” 

“I’m so.. happy,” he says. “I can’t believe I get to call you mine, finally.” 

I run my hand down the back of his head, “I’m happy too.” Holding him close for a second, it feels like I could cry just lying here with him. I can’t fight the giggle that comes out when I tell him, “Let’s go take care of ..that.. we have a night of cuddling to make up for, Sir.” Giving him a little double pat on his ass that makes him laugh. 

“You’re right,” he giggles, moving off of me. I slide out of bed, standing up, and before I can grab anything to pull on, his hands grab my hips. 

“What are you-“ I start to ask until I feel his lips against my ass. He sucks in gently, almost nibbling on my skin for a second before pressing another small little peck against it. 

“Told you I didn’t need to try that hard,” he says, shooting a wink at me as I look down at him. 

My jaw just falls open for a second, glancing down at the small bruise that’s forming. Something about him doing that lit a small fire in me. 

“Um,” I let out. 

He just smiled at me as he stood up, “What?” 

“Since when have you liked doing that?” 

“You like that, huh?” His hands slid around me, giving me chills. “Why don’t you stay here? I’ll bring something back to clean you up.” He mumbles, kissing the side of my head. 

“Well, hurry up,” I giggle. “We have new things to discuss when you get back.” My eyebrows pull together for a second as I tell him. 

I tap his phone to see the time when I’m caught off guard by his Lock Screen. When did he..? There sat a photo of me from our day in Salem, and I felt my eyes start to tear up over him again. He is absolutely everything. 

He’s only gone for a couple of minutes, wandering back into his room, only wearing his little boxer briefs. I’m never going to complain about that. It makes me happy that he’s already comfortable enough with me to do it. 

I sit up to take the towel from him, but he just holds it away from me, shaking his head.

“Absolutely not,” He tells me, fighting a small laugh when he says it. “I can take care of you. You’re my girlfriend now; let me have this.” He kneels on the floor, pulling me to the edge of the bed. 

 “So.. when you did it before was because..?” 

His face starts turning red at the question, his little smirk as he clears his throat, trying to avoid it. Just quietly making sure everything is clean; he really is so cute sometimes. 

“Oh, you have to tell me now. You can’t get all shy on me,” I tease him. 

He looks up at me with those dumb brown eyes, “Definitely wasn’t because you were already mine.. in my head.” 

“Ooohhh,” I coo, gently holding the sides of his face and placing a little kiss on the tip of his nose. Giving him a slow wink when I tell him,  “Your secret is safe with me.” 

I can’t describe the feeling I get when I watch him. Even with things as simple as him picking up a few pieces of clothes from his floor, I just want to stare at him as he does mundane tasks. Maybe it’s because of the slight chance he’ll glance over and shoot me one of those lethal smiles. Sometimes, he just looks at me, and my heart cartwheels. I’ve never felt like this about anybody I’ve dated. 

My heart pounds as I sit here, watching him grab a sweatshirt for me from his closet. He turns around to hand it to me with that soft smile on his lips, a loose strand of hair falling into his face. I can’t help but admire his chest and stomach as he stands in front of me. But nothing prepared me for the look in his eyes when I reached out to take it from him. 

I love you. 

I feel the heat rush into my face at the thought. Is that crazy? I take the sweatshirt from him, but I don’t break eye contact until I pull it over my head, flipping my hair out from it. He’s still staring at me, which makes my whole body heat up. 

I can’t help but laugh out, “What?” 

“You,” he says. 

My eyebrows raise, “What about me?”

He slides into bed, facing me, and grabs my hands. His eyes looked all over before saying, “I don’t want to say too much.” 

I squeeze his hands a couple of times, telling him, “You’re never too much for me.” The look in his eyes changed when I said it. Almost like they softened a bit, and the corners of his lips turned up, we sat there quietly for a moment. 

“Are you okay?” I cave, asking him as he looks down at our hands. His thumbs run over the backs of my hands. 

He nods, his eyes moving back up to meet mine, the smile is still there. “I’m more than okay.”

“What is it then?” I move closer to him. He seems comforted whenever we’re touching.

He takes a deep breath, “I just want to make sure it’s clear that I still mean it when I say ‘whatever you’re comfortable with,” pausing for a second, “I never want to make you feel uncomfortable or pressured into anything.” 

“I will tell you if anything is too much,” I tell him, “but I promise that I don’t think you could scare me away, babes.” 

His sweet little smile at the pet name, “Is that a challenge?” 

Both of us giggled at him, trying not to be loud since it was late. Sitting here with him, just talking and laughing, feels so natural with him. 

“This is nice,” I tell him quietly. 

He just looks at me, wishing I could hear what he was thinking. His arm slides around my waist, pulling me into him as he falls into the pillows. Trying not to laugh too loudly as he peppers my face with kisses, holding me hostage in his arms. Everything with him feels like a dream. 

We finally settled into bed, and I’m curled up against him. Laying there in the quiet, it hit me that he was already outside when I got here. He wasn’t smoking.. I can’t stop myself from finally asking, “Why were you outside?”  

“What do you mean?”

I prop myself up on my elbow to look at him, “When I got here, you were already out there?” 

“Oh,” He looks over at me with a soft smile, gently reaching out and pulling me in close. His lips landed on mine gently, letting a little exhale out mid-kiss like it was what he really needed at the moment. Pulling back to look at me, his hand still holding my jaw, letting his thumb run along my cheek. The look in his eyes had me falling in love with him all over again— and then he whispered, “I was waiting for you to come home.” 

My eyes well up as I look at him. Oh, I really do love you. I softly wipe my thumb across his lip, leaning in close to him. 

“I’ll always come home to you, Jacob,” I whisper. Watching his eyes light up, and just before he kissed me, he quietly let out the two words that changed everything. 

“Oh, honey.”

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Author's Note Part 2 :

😭🖤 my heart is so full. I'm so happy that you finally got to see them fall in love. I can't wait for you to see what else is in store for The Caravel Tavern Series. But please know, I'll keep writing Jake & Char as long as you want to read about them. 🖤

Love you guys so much xoxo

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Chapter Twenty-Four

Epilogue

FDOG Master Post | Masterlist | Playlist

Sam & Willa : Sparrow Of The Dawn

Josh & Quinn : Amongst The Stars

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[seenoversundown]

For Death or Glory : Chapter Twenty-Two

Jake Kiszka x Charlotte (Fem OC)

Warnings: Fluff (like sick to your stomach sweet), Sexual language, Insinuated sex (off page- sorry) 'Captain' is used, vague piratey verbiage, mentions of grief/friend who has passed away, Anxious Themes, unfortunate phone calls, the mean internal monologue makes their appearance, and vague description of a panic/anxiety attack.

Word count: 5k.

Summary: Charlotte get's to have a night with the laid-ease and ends up receiving a message that she probably should have expected.

Author's Note: Well folks, I've been humming and hawing over this chapter all week and to be so honest, I am probably feeling the same way as you. (Let's pretend you're reading this after the fact 😅) I don't have much else to say other than, we're all in this together. 🥺

Honey - Boy Pablo "Baby, you are really something else, 'Cause I don't think I've smiled like this before, When I spend my time with you it tends to stop."

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Waking up before him was a rare thing; the man never sleeps. So, lying here next to him as he’s still sound asleep is a treat. Moving the loose strands of hair out of his face, it’s hard not to stare at him. He’s so beautiful. His eyelashes against his cheeks, the perfect little slope of his nose, and the way I just want to kiss the tip of it every chance I get. His lips, the way they pout when he’s asleep, I’m obsessed with them usually, but good god, they look even better now. 

Resisting the urge to kiss him, I settle for just lightly running my thumb over his cheekbone for a minute. I could watch him sleep forever. I lightly traced my finger down the bridge of his nose. Letting my hand run over his cheek again before settling on holding his jaw. My thumb barely grazed his top lip; something about his cupid's bow will always be my favorite. He gently kisses my thumb before his arm pulls me closer to him, slotting my leg between his and scooting my head over to his pillow, our faces a breath apart. He plants a kiss on my forehead, wrapping his arms around me in a hug; his whole body is warm, keeping me tucked into him. 

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” I tell him, muffled since I’m trapped inside his arms. 

He lets out a long breath, “Not the worst way to be woken up,” his morning voice sends a little shock through my system. The rasp in his voice when he’s freshly awake is so sexy.  

“Remember when you said we should quit our jobs?” I ask, laughing as the question comes out. Listening to his giggle as his chest vibrates against me. 

He tilts to look at me, “Oh, now you’re on board?” 

“It’s never too early for pirate references, huh?” 

“Never.” 

Leaning in, finally getting to kiss that cute little pout of his. I can’t help myself when I whisper, “Well then, can I get you some coffee, Captain?” 

Once I was able to get away from him, approximately forty-seven “one more” kisses later, I started the coffee pot for us. Pulling out another mug and making sure it’s clean since I’m the only one who’s been here in a while. I stand there staring at it as the coffee slowly trickles into the pot. 

His arms slide around my waist, tucking his face into my neck as he hugs me. He’s such a gentle boy, a type of affection I’m certainly not used to. His muffled little voice told me, “Didn’t want to wait for you to come back.” 

My heart swells at his words, holding onto his arms as he sways us slightly. 

“Your parents aren’t just going to walk in, right?” He asks, still muffled. 

I giggle at the thought, “No, babe, you’re safe.” 

“I don’t think they would wanna see my half-naked ass in their kitchen.” His sweet laugh is in my ear, knowing he’s absolutely just in his boxers. 

“That would be a first impression for sure,” I tell him. 

We slowly made our way into the living room with our coffee. I drape a throw blanket over him to keep him warm, which really is a bummer for me. I could stare at him all day long, selfishly. 

“Quinn asked if I wanted to go over for a little bit,” I tell him. “I guess Mel and Iris are going to be there too.” 

He quietly asks, “Are you gonna go?”

“It sounds fun.”

“Oh good,” he says, leaning over and leaving a kiss on my cheek. “I’m glad you’ve found friends in all of them.” 

I glance over at him, letting out a quiet, “Me too.”

“I know it’ll never be the same as Cass,” he says, his hand sliding into mine. “But they’re all really good people, and I’m glad you have more people to lean on.” 

Jacob, oh my god. 

“I’ll cry if you keep talking,” I force a small laugh to try and stop the way my throat just tightened up on me. 

His thumb rubs along mine, “I’m just happy for you.” 

“Jacob, seriously,” I laugh, looking up at the ceiling to try and force the tears back in. He only makes it worse, pulling my hand up and kissing the back of it. The smirk that grew on his face was devious; I could feel it. 

He leans back over to me, kissing my cheek a few times and whispering, “You’re so beautiful, honey.”

“Jacob,”

“What?” 

“What are you trying to do?” 

“I'm just being nice to you!”

My eyebrows pull together as I stare at him. He’s fighting a laugh, so I know there’s something floating around in his head. I mumble, “That smirk is telling me otherwise.”

The laugh that came out when he threw his head back. I wish I could have that on a twenty-four-hour loop; I love seeing him so happy. 

“I don’t wanna say it,” his face goes red as he looks at me. 

“Ohhh,” I coo, squishing his face with my hand. “Now you have to tell me.” 

His eyes look between mine and my lips for a moment before he finally whispers, “Just like hearing you say stuff, I don’t know.” 

“That’s all?”

“Well,” he clears his throat before rambling out, “I just um—“

I raise my eyebrows, quietly asking, “What is it?”

“I like knowing I can make you yell my name,” his sweet face is still red, like he doesn’t whisper foul things to me during sex. 

“Mmm,” I hum. Deciding just to tease him a bit, “You’re good at it too.” Sliding my hand up his thigh as I look at him. 

“Char, you’re playing with fire,” his voice low. 

I lean in closer to him, “I don’t have to clock in yet.” 

“Well, in that case—“ he giggles, wrapping his arms around me as he falls back onto the couch, pulling me on top of him.

I can’t stop the small yelp that sneaks out, “Jacob!” 

He flashes me a smile that would have my knees giving out, pulling my face in for a kiss before mumbling into me, “I know you can be louder than that, honey.”  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Spending my mornings with him has quickly become one of my favorite things. I just get to sit with him while we both try to wake up and listen to him tell me things that he needs to get done before opening the bar– which, for most people, probably sounds incredibly dull, but even just hearing his voice is refreshing. 

Though we don’t always end up in compromising positions, we do tend to fall into them. I can’t lie; it’s usually me starting it. But when he’s just walking around like that, how am I supposed to keep it together?

He spent a few hours with me before he needed to leave, and every time we leave each other, we get increasingly more dramatic about it, to the degree of me lingering outside his car, trying to give him at least ten more kisses before he left. I honestly don’t know what’s come over me. 

Nevertheless, the drive to Quinn’s apartment feels reminiscent of when I would drive to Cass. The closer I get, the more I start to recognize, which is nice and simultaneously weird. They may have been almost neighbors at this rate. The weather this time of year makes for many empty trees, and if there’s no snow on the ground, it’s just a bit sad. 

Once I find where their apartment is and confirm that I’m not parked in someone’s spot, I find my way to their door and knock a few times. 

“It’s unlocked!” I can hear Quinn yell through the door. So I let myself in, sliding my shoes off so I don’t track dirt everywhere. Finding them in the kitchen, pulling something out of the oven.

“I’m so glad you decided to come over!” They giggle, dropping their oven mitts onto the counter and prancing over to hug me. “Mel should be here soon, too.”

“It’s been a minute since I had any semblance of a ‘girl’s’ night,” Making sure to toss some air quotes in there. “It’ll be nice to just laugh with you guys for a bit.” 

Mel showed up not too long after me, having Iris say hi to Willa and me before letting her cling to Quinn. It’s really adorable how much she loves them. The three of us find ourselves on the couch, just catching up about work.

“Do you like working at the bar, or is it terrible?” Willa asks her, looking over at me for a second. 

Mel laughs at her question, “Oh, it’s not terrible. It’ll be nice once Jake realizes that I do know what I’m doing.”

“He does hover quite a bit, doesn’t he?” I chime in, giggling because I’ve called him out for it a few times. 

Mel’s laugh fills the room before spitting out, “Like a helicopter mom!” 

We all fall into a fit of giggles at her comment, which is undeniably true.  

“Since we’re on the topic–” Quinn’s eyebrows pop up a few times when they ask. “So.. what are the updates with our friendly pirate?”

“What do you wanna know?” I giggle quietly. 

Mel quickly shouted, “ANYTHING.”

“We just need to know if things are progressing!” Willa chimed in right after. 

“Well.. we did basically go on a date,” I tell him shyly. “We just kind of didn’t acknowledge that it was a date.”

The instant squeal from everyone made me laugh. It’s cute how excited they are over it. 

Willa can’t hold it in anymore, “DETAILS GIRL!”

“I made him dress up with me a little,” I started. “And then we got dinner, and we went to a different bar afterward, and both of us got a little drunk..”

“What?!” They all yell at the same time. 

I laugh, asking, “What?”

“Jake almost never drinks- let alone gets drunk,” Quinn tells me. 

Mel reaches over, grabs my arm, and asks, “Is he still wild?”

“Oh- he was so goofy and giggly,” I can feel my face heating up as I talk about him. “Also, he was so, so, sweet. I don’t think he went more than a minute without making some sort of contact with me.”

Quinn let out a quiet,  “Oh, my heart.”

“He also started singing to me and made me dance with him.” 

“EW,” Willa yelps. 

I hide my face in my hands, mumbling, “I know.”

“How do you feel about him?” Quinn asks timidly. 

That really is the question, isn’t it? I can feel them all staring at me, waiting for my response. 

“Uh, I don’t know,” I say nervously, knowing they won’t buy it. 

Mel quickly piped up, “Don’t lie! We won’t say anything, don’t worry.”

“I mean.. He’s just.. He’s so nice and caring and..”

“And?” Willa’s eyebrow shoots up. 

I let out a laugh while admitting, “God, he’s so hot.”

“Tell me to shove it if this is too much but.. Have you considered just.. Actually dating him?”

I haven’t really thought about it, but being able to call him mine makes my heart feel weird. 

“Well, um”

“What’s making you doubt it?”

“Or what’s holding you back? Maybe that’s a better way to say it”

My job. Living up north. The fact that I’m scared that this is a fluke because I met him when I was so sad. But I can’t tell them that.. 

“I guess I don’t really know,” I lie. 

Quinn asks, “Have you guys like.. talked about that before?”

“No, we kind of just got into this situation and then left it at that.”

“Well, how did that conversation go?” Willa follows up. 

I sigh, “Naturally, he said whatever I'm comfortable with, so… everything is up to me.”

“Are you worried that he won’t be into it?” Mel asks quietly. 

“Honestly, no, not really. The way he treats me and talks to me tells me that he would be willing to work with whatever.” 

Quinn finally belts out, “LOTTIE— JUST TAKE THE CHANCE.”

But what if I don’t feel like I deserve him? I lied to be able to hang out here longer than I needed to. I’ve inconvenienced him for the last couple of weeks and probably stressed him out by never telling him his paperwork was good to go.  

“Yeah, girl,” Mel starts, “I would just maybe try to slip it into a conversation with him at some point. You’ll literally have the sweetest boyfriend on the planet; what’s there to lose?”

Him.

I hesitate,  “Um.”  I swallow hard, looking down and not knowing what to say. 

Quinn says, “Okay, okay, we can stop, but just.. perhaps think about it?” 

“Yeah, a different note,“ Willa starts, “I have this shoot coming up.”

Thankful that Quinn segued the attention off of me, but now my brain is all over the place. I don’t even know how to begin having that conversation with him. I quietly nod my head, listening to Willa explain the shoot that she has. I know I live only a couple of hours away, but would that make him not want to actually date?  I can’t imagine him giving this up that easily.. Feeling Iris tap my leg, I look down to see her precious little face. I pull her up to sit on my lap, and she leans into me. 

“Oh, how sweet,” Mel coos at the sight of it. 

I glance down, smiling at her, quietly laughing, “I’m glad she’s comfortable.”

“Must be something about you that she likes,” she tells me. Well, if my heart didn’t hurt already, now it does. I was watching her play with the bracelet I had on, thoroughly distracting me for a few minutes. 

“So, Lottie, what are you doing for Thanksgiving?”

Forcing myself back to reality, “I have to go back up North and hang out with my parents and sister, unfortunately.” 

“Oh! I forget you don’t just live down here.”

Yeah, me too, apparently. 

“What are you guys doing?” 

“We’re,” Quinn starts. “Going with the boys to their parents’ Airbnb. It’s going to be interesting  since it’ll be the first holiday with everyone.”

I can see Jake’s face in my mind, the way he looked so sad that he would be the only one there alone. 

“It’s already overwhelming just being around the three of them, and from what I’ve gathered, their mom is basically the same as Josh.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” 

“Quinn, you don’t have to suck up to him.. He’s not here.” 

“I’m not! I’m just going to have a positive mindset about it. I’m sure she’s great.” 

They bicker like an old married couple. 

Mel finally chimed in, “I’ve met them, and they’re wonderful, but yes, Josh is a carbon copy of her, so Willa strap in.” 

I wonder who Jake is more like. 

“I think Danny and I are going to hang out with my Dad for a bit, but then probably make it over to the Kiszka’s because he’s basically part of their family,” Mel tells us. “Plus, it’ll be nice to see them and let Iris meet them since I spent a good amount of time around their house before they moved.”

“Oh, that sounds so fun,” I let out. 

Willa adds, “It’s too bad you won’t be there with us.” 

“Well! Are you going to come by the bar Wednesday night?” Quinn asks. “I think everyone will be there at some point.” 

“Oh, yeah, I figured I’d at least stop in before I head up North.” 

Quinn was excited right away, “Yay! Okay, good! We can all have a drink together before you go!” 

“I’m sure Jake will be happy to see you before you disappear for the weekend, too,” Mel slips in.  

I know, I’m dreading it. 

“We already agreed to bug each other all day since I’ll be bored at home, and he’s the only single one going to Thanksgiving,” I tell them, though it feels like I should have maybe held that in. 

Willa’s face contorted as she said, “Ugh, you two are so cute already; it’s disgusting.” 

“Stooop,” I laugh quietly. 

“I know we said we’d stop talking about it,” Quinn says. “But you guys are honestly precious together.” 

I know it’s probably going to cause a scene, but I ask, “Have you seen the pictures we took in Salem?”

“THE WHAT?” Willa about screamed. 

I bark out a laugh at her reaction, “Hold on, I’ll show you.” 

I slide my phone out from under my leg, swiping through to get to the photos and then handing it over to them to look through. The sounds alone had me laughing, but the way they would all gasp when Willa would swipe to the next photo. 

“Look at how he’s looking at you, oh my GOD.”

“Charlotte– WHY DIDN’T YOU SHOW US THESE SOONER??”

Willa flips the phone around to see the photo of us looking at each other. “GIRL.” 

“What?!” I can feel the heat in my face. 

She turned the phone back to herself, zooming in and then turning it back to me. She zoomed in a little on Jake’s face, his smile, full-on teeth smile, as he looked at me. 

“Be so for real, Charlotte,” she says, letting out a laugh. 

Mel’s eyes flit between my phone and my stare, “Girl, that man l–  adores you.” 

 He WHAT? There’s no way. I mean, I definitely have a crush on him. Maybe a little more than a crush. Okay, I don’t know how much I actually like him. 

“Oh, you both look so happy,” Quinn’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. 

Willa hands my phone back to me, and Iris is still sitting on my lap. She sees the photo before I lock it. 

She points at it, looking at Mel and signing something to her. 

Mel signs back, speaking under her breath as she does, ‘Yes, baby, that’s Uncle Jake.’

You have to be kidding me.  I swipe through the photos as she beams at them, giggling at him for a moment before she looks over at Quinn and starts to climb off my lap. 

We all sat around chatting about whatever came to mind for a while. My phone lights up, looking at it, fuck, and it’s my boss. I look over at Quinn, pointing at the call and then nodding towards the door and quickly hustling outside, dreading the call preemptively. 

“Hello,” I answer, trying to sound confident. 

“Charlotte, we gotta chat,” he says matter-of-factly. 

I know I have to sound terrified when I finally say, “Okay.”

“I have been trying to stay flexible with you,” he starts. “But considering your lack of response the past few days, I’m going to be very real with you.” 

I try to interject, “I’m sorry, I’ve just been busy and forgot to reply-” 

“I’m sure you have been, but,” he says, unfortunately, he isn’t willing to hear me out. “You need to be in the office again on Monday. Otherwise, we’re going to have a problem.”

I start to add, “But I–” 

He cuts me off, “No, you’ve had enough time. If that bar is struggling so badly, fixing it is not your job. Your job right now is to show up Monday morning.”  

I stare at the ground silently, fighting the urge to cry.

“You still there?” he asks. I wish I weren’t. 

“Yeah, I’m sorry.” 

He sighs, “I really don’t want to see you get let go, Charlotte.”

“Wait.. I would be fired?” the panic lacing my voice is unmistakable.  

He hesitates to respond but finally replies, “I’m not going to say for sure, but I can’t say that some of the other higher-ups are thrilled with this situation right now.” 

“Oh… Um okay. I’ll be there Monday,” I let out, my voice timid.  

“Wonderful. Have a great weekend and happy Thanksgiving.” 

I quietly say, “Yeah, you too.”  

I swallow hard as I hang up, locking my phone and staring at the ground. My mind is already racing with conflicting thoughts. 

Well, shit. 

Now, isn’t this the consequence of your own actions?  

But.. Jacob. 

Your job is more important, Charlotte. 

How do I tell him? I don’t think I can just let go of him. 

Well, you’re going to have to; you can’t just throw your career away. 

Maybe he wouldn’t care that I can only visit over the weekend.. 

Literally, you told him friends with benefits; this is your own fault. 

I can’t end it with him. I’ll break his heart. I can’t do that. 

You should have considered that when you decided getting laid was more important.  

I didn’t plan to fall for him. You don’t choose that. 

You chose to fuck with your job and his feelings.  

I just wanted to be happy. 

The thought sits in my mind; he makes me happy. Haunting me, I never anticipated it. Cass, what am I supposed to do? I found him, but I think I messed up. My throat starts to tighten. No, I can’t cry right now. Feeling the sting in my eyes, I look straight down at the ground, blinking the tears out. My breathing picks up as I stand here, trying to figure out what I’m supposed to do. I can’t do this right now. Taking a deep breath, I wipe my eyes carefully. 

“You just need to get through the rest of tonight,” I whisper. 

I slip back into the apartment, sliding my phone into my pocket as I grab my drink from the counter, looking over at Quinn.  

“Lottie… what’s wrong?” Quinn whispers to me.  Shit. 

“What do you mean?”

“Your eyes look like you were crying, babe..” 

I lie, “Oh, it’s just chilly out, I’m okay.”

“Are you sure? Did we say too much?” They ask, grabbing my arm gently. 

I choke out a laugh, “No, no, I’m okay, I promise!” Forcing a smile before continuing, “The cold air just got me good, I guess.” 

“As long as you’re sure,” they look at me a little concerned but squeeze my arm a few times, padding back off to play with Iris. 

I sit on the couch, sipping on my drink. My phone vibrates against me, and I want to ignore it so badly, but I don’t. 

Jacob: i know youre at quinns but im bored without you 

Me: Miss me already? 

Jacob:  i may 

Maybe they’re all .. right? 

Me: I miss you too baby 

Maybe he is what I need.. 

Charlotte.. 

I’ll figure it out. I don’t want to lose him. 

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Once it was close to Iris’ bedtime, I took Mel’s lead and decided to head home. I start the drive, not even realizing the music isn’t playing through my speakers because I haven’t stopped talking to myself in my head. 

I can’t let him go. I haven’t felt like this before, and I don’t want to ruin it. The visual of him pulling me into his arms in his office plays in my mind. The quiet ‘oh honey’ that came out of him, basically choosing the pet name for me at that moment. He kept me in his arms until I was ready to be done. He does everything right. 

The look in his eyes when he watches me talk—the way he always reaches for my hand when we’ve done things. Something about him just draws me in, and I can’t figure out what it is. The pet name he chose, ‘Honey,’ feels so personal as if he only uses it for me. He always wants to pay for things or bring me places without hesitating. Maybe I do want more with him. My eyes fill with tears over the thought of him, oh, my precious boy. 

I pull my phone out once I’m parked and see his name already sitting on my lock screen. 

Jacob: i know youre driving but

Jacob: i hope you had fun with everyone. let me know when you make it home 🖤

I wipe my eyes before replying. How is he like this? He can’t be real. 

Me: I did! I just got home 🥰

Jacob: good :) i’m glad you had a good day 

I wish it were a little better. I pace my kitchen, and my hands shake as I try to think of what to say to him. It would probably be better if I just told him the truth. You should have started with the truth. I didn’t know I’d like him this much. 

I looked back down at my phone, staring at our messages. His little contact photo is sitting at the top, one of the pictures we took in Salem together; his smile was so genuine, and he looked so happy.  

Me: me too. How’s the bar tonight? 

Jacob: honestly, it’s not very busy so i’ll probably head up soon. Tomorrow will be hectic enough lol 

Oh my god. The bar’s anniversary is Wednesday. My heart starts to race as I remember that. I can’t tell him tomorrow. He’s already going to be busy, and I don’t want to do that. Then, the anniversary day. And then the holiday weekend and then I’ll be.. I’ll be back home and–

The anxiety coursing through my body as I try to figure out how to untangle this mess I created. I don’t think he’ll be mad, right? He said whatever I’m comfortable with, and maybe we can figure something out. What if he doesn’t want to deal with that?  

A new wave of panic sets in. What if he doesn’t..? No, there’s no way. The thought of him just calling it quits on everything because I don’t live close makes my chest ache. I feel like I know him better than that.. He would be sad, but I think he would tough it out.. Right? Questioning everything I think, every option starts to make me second-guess myself. 

I finally just stopped. Standing in the middle of my kitchen, it hits me all at once. My ears feel hot, and pain starts to form behind my eyes. I swear I can feel the blood coursing through my veins. I slowly squat down, setting my phone on the floor before dropping my face into my hands. 

“What did I do?” I whisper, my throat feeling tight as it comes out. I feel the tears start to sneak out, fuck. Finally sobbing out, “Cass, why aren’t you here?” 

I can’t hold back the sounds that come out after. I need her to tell me what to do or talk me off a ledge—something because I don’t know how to handle this anymore. I fully sit on the floor, feeling incredibly pathetic as I loudly cry into the quiet of my house. I can hear Jake’s voice in my head telling me to breathe; he’s always so good at handling things like this. 

After a few minutes, I picked up my phone and saw another notification from him.

Jacob: i think i’m sneaking out of here in like 10 mins and then i’m gonna shower but i’ll be free after that 

Jacob: if you want company 

Wiping my face, I stand up, grab my keys, and let the front door slam behind me. Sitting in the driver’s seat, I turn my music up loud this time; anything that’ll drown out the noise in my head. I focus entirely on the road until I reach a red light, looking at my phone quickly to see if he’s sent anything else. The thirty-minute drive felt like nothing. 

Me: are you out of the shower now?

I send him as I walk up the stairs to the apartment.  

Jacob: mhm literally just got dressed 

I knock on his door a few times, sliding my phone into my bag. The door creaks when he opens it, and his eyes widen when he sees me. He’s standing there in just his sweats, his hair still soaking wet from the shower, and just seeing him makes my heart slow down a little. 

“Hi,” I chirp out. 

He looks all over my face, “Is everything okay?” No. Everything is actually really terrible right now. 

“Just—” I hesitate. Don’t say it, just lie. Now is your chance to come clean, Charlotte. I know I should, but I–  “I found something of hers at the house, and I…” 

He grabs my hand, tugs me inside, shuts the door behind us, and pulls me into a hug. 

“I’m sorry, honey,” he whispers; the sound of my pet name makes me want to crawl into him. “Do you need anything?” 

I shake my head, tucking my face into him. Tears prick my eyes when I whisper back, “Just you.” 

“Well, you’re in luck then,” he tells me, kissing the side of my head. “I’m all yours.” 

God, I hope you still say that once I tell you everything. 

He tugs me along, bringing me to his room and grabbing a comfy sweatshirt from his closet before we crawl into bed. 

Quickly curling myself up into him, and let my face rest against his skin. The smell of his cologne is almost calming; he always smells warm, like cinnamon. Which feels fitting for him; he’s such a warm person, so comforting. 

It stayed quiet for a while, and we enjoyed each other’s presence as he ran his hand through my hair, and I traced shapes around the freckle on his stomach. 

He finally breaks the silence when he asks, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Yes, but also no. 

“No, it’s okay,” I tell him, glancing up at him. “Just not being alone is nice.” 

He tilts his head slightly, resting his lips against my forehead, pressing a kiss into me, and then mumbling, “Whatever helps hun.”

My throat tightens, and I try to take a deep breath subtly.  Just feeling his lips against my skin, his little breaths, and how he’s holding me, my heart starts to race again. 

I can’t lose him. 

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Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Three

FDOG Master Post | Masterlist | Playlist

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[seenoversundown]

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT;

Happy to finally announce this story: Come Back For Me 💛

Daniel Wagner x Melody (Fem OC)

High school Sweethearts | Single Mom | Rekindled Romance

A little synopsis:

Daniel and Melody were blissfully in love as teenagers, high school sweethearts if you will! They were best friends and did everything together, until the decision of college came around. Now, six years later, Melody rolls back into town, with a small surprise, giving Daniel the shock of a lifetime.

Official starting date is TBD! (Feel free to join the taglist and I'll keep everybody posted on when this baby will be joining the party!)

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[seenoversundown]

For Death Or Glory : Epilogue

Jake Kiszka x Charlotte (Fem OC)

Warnings: 18+ Smut (you know the drill) Fluff, Romantic Themes, Drinking / Alcohol (once more- it’s a bar) Pining, Harmless Bullying, Swearing, Wholesome Family Fun (which is crazy to say considering what’s coming next)

Smut Warnings: Kissing, Oral Sex, Hands going places, Penetrative Sex | they’re both switches - do with that what you will

Word Count: 10.6k

Summary: It’s the bar’s second anniversary and a certain couple’s first.

Author's Note: I bet you thought we were done here 😉 You already know that I couldn’t let this end that easily! I knew from the start that I would have an epilogue for you, but as I was working on it, I had a thought— luckily for you.. I wrote it in. If you notice the word count, this is astronomically long compared to the rest of the story; I decided to add basically a second chapter once I had the idea. (If you need to pause, there’s a definitive break that you could absolutely stop at! I’ll add a couple ***’s so you know when)

Consider the second half like a bonus chapter if you will 🥰

Anyway this is getting long, I love this story, these two, and you guys for loving them with me. I hope you giggle and kick your feet over this monster of a chapter 🖤 this is definitely not the last you’ll be seeing of these two, but for now, let’s just enjoy this together 🥹

Forever - Noah Kahan "I won’t be alone for the rest of my life, I’ll build a boat for when the river gets high."

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One year later.. 

“That’s okay; just drive safe, honey.” 

I tucked my phone back into my pocket, grabbed a few stray glasses, and rounded the corner behind the bar. Thankful that the bar isn’t busy at the moment, even though I know we’re mere seconds away from the chaos that’ll ensue. 

Deciding to keep the tradition, the bar is only open until eleven tonight because of the holiday. All of our regulars will still make it a point to stop by tonight since it’s the floating anniversary of the official opening. I know there’s an actual date that we opened, but letting it change with the holiday every year is more fun to me. 

It’s nice getting to spend a few hours just working with Josh while everyone else is wrapping up work or getting ready for tomorrow. It is funnier that they’ll all show up tonight, even though we’re about to spend the next two days together. 

“What happened?” Josh asks, leaning against the bar. 

I look over at him as I’m setting all the glasses into the dirty bin, telling him, “Oh, she’s fine,” and letting out a small laugh. “She hit traffic, but she’s almost here– just feels bad she’s ‘late.’ You know how Char is.” 

He chuckles to himself, “Oh, that silly girl must have forgotten that everybody and their cousin is driving today.” 

“I told her that I didn’t care when she got here anyway,” I tell him, giggling at the thought of her stressing over the time. “We have the whole weekend together; I’m not going to complain that she’s twenty minutes behind.” 

Josh just smiles back at me for a second before breathing out, “It’s sweet that she still wants to soak up all the time she can with you, though.” 

“I hit the jackpot with her for sure,” I let out quietly, checking the fridges to make sure everything was good. “Are you good for a minute? I just need to answer a few emails real quick.” 

He shoos me away to my office, where I’ve sat to do a few admin things before it gets busy or Charlotte shows up. I mindlessly read through a few emails that can wait until after the holiday weekend but then start writing back to the more important ones. I know that I could realistically do these after she’s here but the last thing I ever want to do is be this level of distracted from her. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past year, it’s that I love my job, but I love her more. 

I fell in love with Charlotte within three weeks, and she’s only proven to me that it was the greatest thing I could have let myself do. Despite the fact that we don’t live very close to each other, the days we aren’t physically together fly by. It still lets her have some independence, even though I would have asked her to move in the day we started dating. I’m so used to the chaos that I don’t think she could ever bother me. 

Not that I have the most experience with relationships, but I would say that she is probably the most incredible girlfriend that exists. I still feel like I’m dreaming most days; the only downside is when she’s upset, and I can’t get to her fast enough. Not exactly proud of the few times that I’ve almost left the bar because she sounded a little too sad saying she missed me on the phone. 

“Hi baby,” Char’s voice rings through my office. 

“There she is,” slips out as I whip my head over to her. Quickly standing up, reaching for her hands as I got closer, I said, “I missed you.” 

“I swear nobody knows how to drive today,” she tells me in between kisses. “Literally, everybody just kept slowing down even though nothing was happening!” 

Chuckling at her, it’s precious when she’s worked up like this. Kissing her forehead gently before telling her, “Breathe honey, it’s over. You made it.”  

 “I know– you’re right,” She breathes out before quietly asking, “You’re sure your parents don’t mind me being here for Thanksgiving?”

“I think my mom would explode if you didn’t,” I told her. “Plus, I wouldn’t want you to spend the weekend alone.”

“I still don’t know what possessed my parents to plan a vacation during the holidays, but” she rolls her eyes with a laugh but squeezes my hands when she tells me, “I’m much happier to spend them with you.”

Kissing her a few more times before saying, “I’m just excited to have you here all weekend.” 

Pulling her out into the bar, sitting in the booth that the rest of the family will stake claim over later. She sat across from me, telling me about her day since we were both fairly busy and hadn’t gotten to talk much throughout the day. 

“Oh!” She pipes up. “I found this, and I thought you might enjoy it.” She hands me a folder with random paperwork, and I just look at her with my eyebrow raised. She giggles quietly, “Look at the corners, babe.” 

I start reading all her little notes. This is what she was doing the whole time. Every page with the margins filled with little intrusive thoughts she must have been having; ‘hands, hands, hands,’ ‘pretty mouth,’ ‘he’s so cute I could cry.’ Random hearts surrounded some of them, with my name written out in cursive every few pages, like a girl in elementary school.  

Thinking of all the times I would glance over at her, she would just be scribbling things down with a little smirk on her face. Or the way she would tuck pages away when she saw me coming over. 

My heart swelled, seeing that she had been secretly feeling the same way. It always felt like there was something more than ‘friends with benefits,’ but I was so afraid to get my hopes up. I chuckle to myself,  breathing out, “I love you so much.” 

Met with silence– we haven’t actually said that to each other yet. Not that I didn’t want to, but we both just nervously danced around it. My eyes darted up to her, realizing what I said. 

Her eyes are wide, “.. Jake.” I close the folder and set it in front of us. Shit. You’ve made it a whole year without letting it slip; that’s impressive enough, right? 

“Char,” I start; it probably is about time I finally told her. “It sounds insane, but I’ve basically loved you since the day you walked in.” 

She slowly blinked at me, “What do you mean? How?” 

It truly feels like I have to just come clean with it at this point, “I couldn’t stop thinking about you after you left that day; something about you just stuck with me.” 

“I felt like I ruined your whole day. You definitely seemed like you were panicking?” 

“Oh, I was,” I laugh. “But I thought about you every day until you came back.” 

“But—” she hesitates, looking down at the table for a second. “I cried in front of you, literally the second time we actually saw each other.” 

I nod at her, “Oh, I know.” 

“And I lied to you..” 

“Hun,” I start, grabbing her hand. “I would do it all over again a million times if it meant I got you at the end of it.”

She just stares at me, and I watch her eyes as tears creep in. She looks up, trying to fight the inevitable.

I reach up, knocking the little tears off her cheeks like always, before telling her, “You don’t have to say it back. Don’t feel like you have to. I’ll gladly wait until–” 

She cuts me off with a quiet, “I love you.” 

The sound of it practically knocks the wind out of me; I knew from the beginning that she would probably take a while to say it in general or even just say it back because she was so hesitant about her feelings. I never wanted to pressure her into it, even though a year ago, with us standing out in the snow, I knew I was in love with her. 

I slide out of my seat, take two steps to be next to her, squat down, and grab both of her hands. 

“Can I say something to you? I don’t expect anything from you after,” I ask, looking up at her.  

“Of course.” 

I look at her for a split second before I finally let it out, “I’m so, so in love with you, Charlotte. I’ve been waiting for you to feel comfortable saying it because I never want to overwhelm you or push you away. I can’t imagine life without you at this point; you mean everything to me, honey.”

Her eyes are so soft, and her lip quivers a little as she looks back at me. She whispers, “You’re gonna make me cry.” She leans down to me, leaving a few gentle kisses on my lips. 

“And you are far more than I could have ever dreamt of,” She says with a little sniff as she fights back the tears. “I’ve never known a love like yours. Some days I still don’t believe you’re real and that I’m lucky enough that you keep me around even when I’m such a pain in your ass.” 

“You’re my favorite pain in the ass, though,” I tell her, kissing her knuckles gently. My heart is pounding as she’s telling me the sweetest things; it feels unbelievable that she feels the same way. 

Her little giggle blesses my ears before she keeps going, her voice still breaking as she tells me, “I hate that you had to be let down so many times, but I’m so glad that every girl fumbled you, so now, I get you to myself.”

“I’ll be yours for as long as you’ll keep me,” I whisper to her, watching as her chin quivers. She let out a small ‘oh’ as her hand flew up to cover her mouth. Rubbing her legs for a second until she pulls me into a hug. 

I kiss the side of her head before mumbling, “Happy anniversary, hun.”  Leaning back and carefully wiping the tears from under her eyes, trying not to mess up her makeup. Quietly cooing, “Oh, my beautiful girl.”

“Baby, shhhh,” she laughs, looking up to try and avoid more tears. 

I chuckle to myself, letting out, “Oh, I’m sorry. I meant, my absolute knockout—“

Her laugh cuts me off, which I would let happen any day—anything to see her smile. 

I feel a tap on my back, bringing me back to real life. I turned, and honestly, I should have known. 

“Hi, sweetheart,” my mom’s voice rings through the bar. Josh got it from somewhere. Her arms wrapped me in a hug, rocking me back and forth. 

“I’m excited to see you too,” I laugh. She pulls back, brushing the hair out of my face like she always does, just staring at me for a second. 

Her eyes soften as we look at each other; she looks like she wants to say something but holds it back. That’s weird. Gently moving me to the side, her excited voice is back, “Don’t think I didn’t see you!” Charlotte quickly stands up, also getting pulled into a hug. 

“Mmmm, my other sweetheart,” she says, Char’s giggling as she gets the same treatment from my mom. “I missed you two.” 

My parents immediately loved her when they met. Whether it was because they were so excited that I finally found someone or because Char is an incredible girl, who knows? Mom was especially over the moon about her when she discovered that they both enjoy baking and reading. 

I was nervous at the idea of them meeting her, especially when we had barely even figured out what we were doing. But, the moment we walked into the house where they were staying, it went away. We took turns grabbing each other's hands for comfort because it was all still so fresh. It probably seems wild to introduce someone to your parents two days into the relationship, but I’ve never been so sure about someone. 

My dad’s arm slides around my shoulders, pulling me into him for a second. 

“Hey bud,” his voice is way calmer. “I see you’ve lost them.” He chuckles. I glance over as the two of them are fully in conversation, to the point that my mom has stolen my seat. 

“Looks that way, huh?” I laugh, hugging him back. Nodding towards the bar, I ask, “Want a drink?”

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My dad kept us entertained for a bit as he sipped his drink, telling us about the trip to get here. They seem to have the worst luck with flying. I take the chance to slip out from behind the bar, and I sneak off into my office, pulling out my phone, but I quickly get distracted when I hear my mom’s voice. 

“How are you doing sweets?”

I look over at her; she’s leaning against the door frame, her eyebrows raised. I tell her, “Curious about what you didn’t say to me earlier if we’re being honest.”

“You saw that, huh?” She scrunches her nose at me. I move closer to her so she won’t have to be loud. Her hand taps my chest a couple of times, letting out, “I forget how observant you are.” 

“Mhm,” I hum back. “So, spill. What is it?”

She lets out a little sigh, “I’m not gonna be able to get through this.” Her eyes welled up almost instantly, “Being in love looks good on you, Sweetheart.”

“Oh?”

She grabs one of my hands and tells me, “I can just see how happy you are when you’re with her.” A tear sneaks out as she looks at me. “I’m just so glad you found someone who loves you the way you deserve.”

Squeezing my hand a few times, “You’ve always been the sweetest of the three of you.” She pauses to look up, trying to stop the tears. “I knew how badly you just wanted to find someone.” 

“Mom,” I whisper, wiping her face off gently. 

“I'm sorry—I'm just so proud of you. Between the bar and taking care of her, I just feel so lucky to watch the young man that you’ve become.”

My arms wrap around her, rubbing her back a little before mumbling, “Love you.” 

“Love you, too.” She whispers before asking, “Why are you hiding in here?”

I lean back, smiling as I tell her, “Wanted to see if something got delivered.” 

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As I’m helping run some drinks to people for Josh, I hear Against The Wind by Bob Seger playing throughout the bar. Dropping the fresh drinks off to the table, I turn around to see one of Chuck’s friends about to sit at the bar with an empty seat next to him. He must be waiting for him. 

He’s an older gentleman; he definitely looks like he would have been a sailor of sorts. The idea hits me— where is my girlfriend? I think to myself, chuckling at what’s going to happen. 

“Char- honey,” I yell to her as I walk over to the table; she’s sitting with Quinn, Willa, and Sam- the usual, but Mom is with them tonight. 

Her eyes light up as I get closer, looking up at me, oh god,  I’m such an ass. She lets out a quiet “Hi.” 

Sliding into the booth next to her, my arm pulling her close to me. I point to the man, whispering to her, “Remember how I told you about the Old Port Pirate?” 

“Shut up,” her hand flew up to cover her mouth. “Babe, you actually weren’t lying?” 

I just shake my head, “Do you hear what’s playing right now?”

Looking at me with wide eyes, her jaw drops when she realizes, “Oh my god, it’s Bob.” 

She’s so cute, wow. I quietly laugh before letting out, “And you didn’t believe me.” Shaking my head subtly, she will probably kill me if she finds out that he isn’t actually the pirate. 

She leans close, kissing my cheek; the feeling of her lips on me still makes my heart skip. Her face lingers close to mine for a second, and she quietly says, “I’m sorry, baby. I won’t doubt you anymore.” 

She can never find out. 

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Glancing around the table, my mom has Sam and Willa entirely focused on whatever she’s telling them about, and Quinn has disappeared to the bar to talk to Josh. I steal a sip of Char’s drink, realizing it’s practically just water at this point, but before I get up, I have to tease her a little bit. If she thought I didn’t catch some of the little things she wrote down, she is sorely mistaken. 

“So, I did see in your little notes that you think my ass is,” I pause to clear my throat dramatically, “Cute enough to take a bite out of?”

“The heart wants what it wants,” she breathes out, a soft smile forming. Her hand reached up to fix a piece of my hair that was flopped to the wrong side. 

I lean in closer to her, whispering, “If you wanted to eat my ass, honey— all you had to do was ask.”

She barks out a laugh, whisper-yelling, “JACOB, WE’RE IN PUBLIC.” Her eyes darted over towards my mom and back to me. 

“All I'm saying is communication is important in a relationship, and you already know I won’t say no to you,” I tell her, shooting her a wink as I stand up from the booth. “I’ll get you a fresh drink.” 

“Wait—“ Her hand catches mine before I can grab her glass, tugging me to her. She gently kisses me, holding my jaw and wiping my lip off after. If she only knew, I literally couldn’t be bothered if she left any sort of lipstick, gloss, whatever on me—but it’s adorable that she does it, so I’ll never tell her. She quietly lets out, “I love you, baby.” 

“Mmm, I don’t think I'll ever get tired of hearing that,” I mumble against her lips, kissing her once more before telling her, “I love you.”

I wander behind the bar to grab her some water; she’s been alternating all night, so she “doesn’t feel like dying” tomorrow. Before I can bring it back to her, Mel grabs it from me. 

“I’m basically done for the night; I can deliver it for you,” she laughs out. 

Glancing over at the time, it is nearly closing time already. I look back over at her, “You can be free. I’ll let Danny go too if you guys want to get home.” 

“You’re the best,” she shoots me a little smile, dropping off Char’s water and immediately sliding into the booth with everyone. 

I start picking up a little after Josh, which is fine because he has been hustling around for a bit now. But I feel his presence behind me as I’m wiping down some glasses to put back. 

“Meant to tell you– I grabbed our mail earlier..” Josh mumbles to me. Quietly, he asks, “Did you buy a ring?”

“Mhm,” I hum back, turning to him. 

He glances over at Char before asking, “Is it..?”

I just nod, watching his eyes light up. 

Immediately, he tears up, letting out a quiet, “Oh my god—“ 

“Don’t cry,” I giggle. “I don’t know when it’ll happen; I just wanted to be ready. “

His hands landed on my arms, whispering, “I’m so happy for you.” 

“Thank you,” I whisper back. 

He just stares at me for a second, “She really is a good one.” 

I look over at her as she hugs our Mom for probably the hundredth time today. Sitting with all our closest friends and family like she’s been here forever. They really took her in so quickly, which, given the situation when we met, was the most incredible thing they could have done. My eyes shift back to Josh, smiling as I tell him, “I think I’ll keep her around.” 

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After saying our goodnights to the entire family practically, Char sat in her typical spot at the bar. Even after a year, nothing has changed with how we function. Whenever she comes down here for the weekends, she’ll just sit at the end of the bar if I have to close and pester me the entire time. And I would never ask for anything else. 

“Will you make my drink?” She asks, batting her eyelashes at me. Like, I would say no. 

“Well,” I glanced over at her, cocking an eyebrow. “You’re in luck; I’m the only option.”

Quickly mixing everything together for her, I bring it over. Carefully setting it in front of her, but not without leaning over the bar to give her a quick kiss. 

“The service here is exceptional,” she tells me, laced with a slight laugh. 

My eyebrows raise as I tell her, “You’re the only one getting that level of customer service.” 

“I’ve seen the way you talk to Eleanor,” she taunts. 

My eyes roll at her comment; I point at her as I whisper-yell, “DON'T START WITH ME.” Unable to keep the smirk hidden away. 

“I’m not jealous! She was here first,” she says, holding her hands up while giggling away. 

“You shouldn’t be jealous.” 

“Oh, I’m not at all,” she tells me matter-of-factly. Casually sipping her drink as she looked me up and down.  

“Good,” I laugh out, folding my arms across my chest as I watch her. “What’s with that look?”

She waves her hand, making me move closer to her. She so casually whispers, “Just— I love that I’m watching you mix drinks and be silly, but you'll also make it hard to walk tomorrow.” 

My head drops, taking a deep breath. This girl's favorite hobby is making me sweat, I swear. “Jesus Christ,” I laugh out. Pulling my wrist up to check my watch, “What time do we close?” 

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“Wait right here,” I tell her, quickly walking into my room to grab the gift I got her. Pulling the little bag from my closet and the flowers that I had sitting in water on my nightstand, I make my way back to her, mumbling, “These are for you.”

She pouts her lip, looking at me, “Jacob, you’re so sweet.” 

Kissing me before she looks in the bag, a little smile lacing her lips as she realizes. Pulling out the book she’s been eyeing every time we go to the store, with a few little things that I found at her favorite thrift store down here. 

“You’re too much,” she lets out quietly, setting everything back in the bag. “Thank you.”

I lean against the counter, and I look at her, quietly letting out, “Josh went to Quinn’s for the night so we could have the apartment to ourselves.” 

“Well,” She says, her hands sliding up my chest as she leans into me. “Isn’t that just sweet of him?” 

I hum back, letting my arms drape around her hips, “Mhmm.” 

“Get to show my baby how much I love him,” she breathes out. Her lips pressed into my throat quickly. 

I looked up for a second before asking her, “What has gotten into you?” 

“Hopefully, you in a minute,” the sultry tone of her voice made my knees weak. 

“Holy shit, hun,” I breathe out. “A bit needy, are we?” 

She nods, quickly kissing my jaw before letting out,  “I’m sorry, you’re just sooo—” She leans back, the look in her eyes making my heart race. 

“Is that right?” I pop my eyebrow at her, watching the goosebumps flood her skin. 

“Mhm,” she hums back. Pulling her lip in with her teeth gently before telling me, “Hot enough that I’d eat your ass or whatever.” 

My head falls back as I laugh, not expecting her to bring that up. Managing to tell her, “I love you so much.” 

“Mmmm, we really should have started saying that sooner,” she pauses to laugh for a second. “Hearing you say that makes you even hotter.” 

My hands slide to the backs of her thighs, picking her up and setting her on the counter. Moving in between her legs, but her skirt made it difficult to get close.  

“What about when I do this?” I ask quietly, pushing her skirt up so it sits around her hips. Her jaw drops slightly as she looks at me. I can see the way her breathing is already a little heavy. I lean down, kissing her legs, covered with her tights. Gently, I work my way up her thigh until I notice that I can see right through them as I get closer to her hips. I push her legs a little further apart– did she not..? 

I can’t stop myself from smiling against her. My hands slide up her legs, lightly letting my fingers rub over her clit through her tights as I look up at her.  

“You tryin’ to kill me?” I breathe out. “No panties?”

I watch the pink come up in her cheeks as she bites her lip.  

“Lay back for me,” I whisper between kisses against her hip. 

As she leans back on the counter, I hold her hips, pulling her to the edge, grabbing at the waistband of her tights, pulling them down her legs quickly. I kiss the inside of her ankle slowly, leaving wet kisses up her thighs until I get too close. Resting my lips against her pubic bone, I slowly smile against her skin, knowing it’ll drive her crazy. 

“Jake, please,” she whines. Didn’t take long at all. 

I ask quietly, “What do you want?” 

Pressing my lips against her clit gently and then just hovering, letting my breath hit her. 

“Mmm,” she hums out.  

“Oh, you want this?” I taunt her, flattening my tongue against her clit. Lapping at it a few times, pulling a loud moan out of her. My hands still hold her hips as my tongue is practically spelling her name, listening to the sweet sounds that pour out of her. I wrap my lips around her clit for a second, lightly sucking in. 

“Baby, oh my god,” she moans out. 

I hum into her, sliding my hand up to her chin, glancing up at her, tapping her lip a few times until she opens her mouth. I slide my middle and ring finger in, and she wraps her lips around them. Swirling her tongue around them as she moans from the way my mouth is moving.

One of her hands knitted themselves into my hair, and the other held my arm. I carefully pull my hand back from her when she lets out a louder moan, slipping them right into her. ‘Yes’ and ‘Fuck’ litter the air as I push them into her a few times.   

She props herself up, and I stand, leaning in to kiss her and start to pump my fingers faster inside her. She’s holding the back of my neck like it’s her lifeline. Adjusting my arm so my palm is flat against her clit, I curl my fingers up into that spot. 

“Jake, oh my god,” She moans into my mouth

I look at her for a second before whispering, “Soak my fingers, honey.” 

Immediately feel her hands grip my shirt, and the moans start falling out of her mouth. I can hear how wet she is and the way she’s starting to tense up on me. Leaning down, dragging my tongue along her, feeling her heartbeat. Looking back up at her as she breathes heavily, god, she is beautiful. 

“Jake.. baby.. oh.. oh my god, baby..” she mumbles under her breath as she gets closer. Her voice rises as she lets out a loud “Jacob.” That’s my favorite sound. 

Standing back up, her eyes flutter shut as she relaxes against me.  Her face is lying on my shoulder. 

“Come back to me, honey,” I whisper in her ear before kissing her cheek. 

She sits back as I pull my hand from her, “I wanna see something,” she whispers, grabbing my hand that was just inside her. Tugging it up, muttering a quiet  “Open.” 

Sliding my fingers into my own mouth, swirling my tongue around them, tasting her on me. I can feel my cock twitch. I don’t know what she’s doing to me, but it’s working. Her jaw dropped at the sight, and I let out a little groan just to really rile her up. 

“God, you’re so sexy, babe.” 

I can feel my face warm, giggling at her compliment. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the way she treats me.

“Come on,” I tell her, holding my hands out to help her down. As soon as her feet hit the floor, she swung me around. 

“Not so quick, handsome,” She giggles, pushing me gently against the counter. She unbuttons my pants quickly and tugs them down just enough. Her hand pulled my cock from my boxers and slid it into her mouth in one smooth motion.   

My hands gently held her head as she moved further down the length of it. Fighting every urge to let my hips thrust into her. The moment her nose barely grazed my stomach, my head fell back. How is she mine? When it starts to feel a little too good, I lightly tap her shoulders. Holding my hands out to help her up, I make her trade spots with me again, her back against my chest as I tuck my face into her. 

 “Can you bend over for me?” I whisper into her ear.  “Need to feel you.” 

She eagerly leans onto the counter; I drop down, licking a wide stripe up the center of her one more time, with my hands hooking around her hips so I can grab her ass. Leaving a little kiss against her before standing back up.  

I slip into her, letting out a little groan as I do. Even after a year, it still blows my mind how good she feels. Slowly rocking my hips into her, my grip on her hips tightening with every thrust. My hand slipped down, grabbing at her and pulling her back to me quickly. 

She moans quietly, “Baby, you feel so good.” 

My heart pounds at the sound. I start moving faster, fucking her harder. Listening to all her little sounds as I do. Without thought, my hand moves from her hip, coming down against her asscheek with a loud crack. The moan that came out of her practically made my mouth water but also made my face heat up, and grinned as I leaned down, kissing between her shoulder blades.

“You like that?” I mumble against her. 

Letting out a small “Yes.” 

“Mmm,” I hum out. “My sweet girl.” Slowing my hips down, tapping her sides gently. 

I mutter, “Come with me,” as I’m pulling her into the bedroom. 

I unzipped her skirt so it fell to the floor as she unbuttoned my shirt, pushing it off my shoulders. Her hands moved to push my pants down as I grabbed the bottom of her sweater, pulling it over her head. She pushes me back towards the end of my bed, gently pushing me to sit down. 

She unclasps her bra, letting it slide down her arms until her tits are on full display. “Fuck me, you’re so hot,” I let out as I watch her toss the bra onto the floor. 

She crawls into my lap and slips my cock back into her. Her lips pressed into me as she sat down. Rolling her hips against mine as we made out. My hands just run all over her, taking her in as she makes herself feel good.   

When I feel her start to move up, my hands move to hold just under her ass. Helping lift her up, watching her tits bounce as she rides me. 

Her hands hold onto my shoulders for support; as she leans in close to my ear, she mumbles, “Baby, your cock is sooo-” My hips jerk up as she tells me, making her moan at the feeling.  

My hands still holding tight onto her ass as she rides me. I just take her in as she writhes against me, my grip on her tightening a little. Her eyes meet mine quickly, the way her pupils dilate as she stares at me. 

Her sweet voice whispered, “Do it again.” 

My eyebrows pull together until her hand reaches down, tapping my wrist a few times, with a devious little smirk on her lips. OH. 

She rolls her hips against me a few times when I pull my hand back, bringing it back down against her quickly. The sound mixed with the moan she let out— I could get used to that. 

She moans out, “Fuck me, Jake.” 

One of my arms wraps around her waist, holding her close to me as I stand up. I lay her down against my pillows, still sitting between her legs; I lean over, grabbing a condom quietly. I know I won’t last long at this point, so I lean down and start dancing my tongue around her clit. Listening to her moans get higher pitched, her hands grabbing at my hair as she gets close. I plunge my fingers back into her, looking up at her when I say, “Tell me how good it is, honey.” 

Her jaw drops, and the grip on my hair is strong as I work her through her orgasm; the sound of her voice as she comes makes me weak.  

Sitting up on my knees, keeping one hand lightly rubbing her thigh, stroking myself a few times. I slide the condom on as she comes down, just watching her for a minute until she looks back at me. 

I slip back into her, leaning down and kissing her slowly. Feeling the way her breathing is still heavy, she lets out a happy little “mmm” against me. 

Starting to move my hips, I just look down at her. That’s my girl, my gorgeous girl. My heart starts to race as I take her in when I let out a quiet “I love you.” 

Her hands grab my face, pulling me into her. She kisses my top lip gently, the tip of my nose, and lingers her lips against my forehead when she whispers back, “I love you, baby.” 

We stay in this slow pace, littering kisses all over. Her hands basically touch any part of me that she can reach, as if she just wants to feel closer. Cradling her head in my hands, I just stare at her as my hips gently rock into her. 

God— she’s mine, I think to myself. She’s genuinely the most beautiful person I’ve ever known, and I get to have all of her for myself. My hips start to move faster at the thought. 

Leaning down close to her, I tuck my face into her neck, breathing her in. My pace picks up again; she’s mine. The thought makes me smile against her skin. 

“Fuck—mmm…” I groan; I can feel my orgasm starting to build. Snapping my hips into her a little harder,  “mine” slips out, and my eyes go wide. 

Until she whispers back, “Yes baby, I’m all yours.” My heart pounds at the fact she’s encouraging it. 

“Say it again,” I tell her, my voice a little louder. 

“I’m yours,” she breathes out in a moan. 

My eyes roll back a little at the sound, fuck.  

“Come on, Jake, show me how much you love me,” she tells me. My breathing starts to pick up, letting out little whimpers when I exhale. 

She keeps going; her voice is making everything so much more intense. Whispering, “I know you’re close; let me have it.” 

Feeling her legs wrap around me, Fuck— she’s so hot. She holds my face gently, moving me so her lips are just hardly hovering over my ear when she lets out, “Come, baby,” in the sexiest tone I’ve ever heard. 

My orgasm hits me like a freight train, moaning out, “Char—“ 

A minute goes by; she’s just running her hand through my hair, letting me cuddle into her. One of her hands slid down to just gently scratch my back; this is heaven. 

“Feel good, babe?” She asks quietly. 

I just hum back, “Mmmm.. mhm.” 

I can feel her kiss the side of my head a few times, so I lazily kiss her neck. Slowly but surely, I prop myself up to look at her. 

“Come with me?” 

She giggles, moving the hair out of my face. “Where are we going?” 

“I just want to shower real quick,” I tell her, suddenly feeling very vulnerable. My voice gets quiet when I let out, “But.. I want you to be there.” 

She leans up, kissing my cheek, “Okay.” 

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We both stand there in the shower, letting the warm water hit us. I’m just trying to prevent her from getting her hair wet so she can worry about it in the morning. But being able just to hold her for a few extra minutes was perfect. 

She leaned back and looked at me. Her voice was quiet, “Do you want to know when I realized I loved you?” 

“Of course,” I say with a small laugh. 

She smiles at me, her arms sliding around my neck, “Well, you know the one night that we went out together?” 

I laugh before saying, “Hun, we’ve done that a lot in the past year.”

“Oh, true,” she starts, giggling. “When we went on the unspoken date— we were still pretending we didn’t like each other that much.” 

“Yes, absolutely,” I laugh with her this time. “I was incredibly obsessed with you at that point, but yes, continue.”

Her face got a little red at my comment, but she finally told me, “When you were singing to me and making me dance with you— all I could think was how I could spend forever watching you just be happy like that.” 

“Forever’s a long time,” I whisper, my eyebrows raised at her with a little smile. 

She leans in close, whispering back, “Not long enough with you.” 

She is my wife; I’ll make sure of it. 

After spending a couple of minutes struggling to breathe while we made out, we were finally crawling back into bed. We lay there talking for a bit before she started to fall asleep. 

I can’t help but kiss the top of her head as she drifts off, mumbling into her, “I love you so much.” 

She looks up at me, her eyelids heavy, mumbling back, “I love you.” 

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Thanksgiving Day

Listening to the shower run and the random splashes from her washing her hair, I sneak into Josh’s room. Grabbing the package and quickly opening it. The small velvet box creaks as I open it. An oval cut diamond sparkles back at me, little clusters of diamonds sit on either side, and a dainty gold band. I hope she likes it. 

I’ve spent the last year watching her when we’re at stores where there’s jewelry or the occasional glance when I see her scrolling on her phone. She’s never been pushy about anything happening; granted, we just told each other, ‘I love you.’ But she is my little romantic lady, and I’ve watched her zoom in on ring posts, figuring out the things she likes.  I can’t wait to call her my wife one day. 

I wander back into my room, tucking it behind a few things on the shelf in my closet. Knowing she’s too small to get to it and chuckling to myself at the thought of her trying. 

The water shuts off, so I make my way to the bathroom to be a menace. Slowly opening the door, peeking in as she’s wrapping herself up with the towel. 

“Shit— I missed it.”

“Sorry, babes,” she sighs. “Gotta move quicker next time.” 

“I’ll wait,” I giggle. Watching her rub various products into her face. She keeps peeking over at me as I just lean against the counter. She’s so fucking beautiful. 

“Are you really just going to watch me get ready?” She asks through a laugh. 

I just nod at her, “What else could I be doing?” 

She steps over to me, giving me a kiss with a little grin on her face. 

“I’ll make you a deal.” 

My eyebrow pops up instantly, “I’m listening.”

“If you bring me a fresh cup of coffee, I’ll drop the towel,” she tells me with a little wink. 

My eyes widen at the proposition, and no words come out as I scramble to the kitchen to make her more coffee. I’ve never set up the coffee pot faster. 

Practically prancing back to the bathroom with coffee for both of us, holding hers out to her. I’m sure I look like a kid on Christmas, but when your girlfriend is as gorgeous as mine, it’s hard not to be excited. 

She takes it from me, sipping on it quickly, “Mmm.. thank you.” She tilts her head back with her lips already in a cute little pout, waiting for a kiss. I set my mug on the counter, cupping her jaw before kissing her. I feel the towel hit my feet, and the smile that creeps onto my face makes it hard to keep kissing her. 

“Have I told you that you’re the best?” I giggle against her lips. Backing up a little to take her in, I still get butterflies whenever I look at her. She looks at me through the mirror, my smirk selling me out before I can even ask her, “What if we just ditched my family and you stay like this instead?” 

“I think you’d like that a little too much,” she laughs as I wiggle my eyebrows at her. “Plus, your mom would never let you hear the end of it.”

“She already loves you. You don’t have to be on her side, you know?” 

“I’m just trying to save you from another sex lecture from her, baby,” she tells me, a shitty little smirk on her lips. I never should have told her about what my mom said; she’s teased me ever since because almost nothing is worse than to have your mom, of all people, talk to you about your sex life, especially as an adult.  

“Speaking of,” I start, knowing she’s going to yell at me for what I’m about to say. But it’s a little too fun to get her going. Fighting a smirk as I tell her, “If we sleep there, you’re gonna need to control yourself. I know it might be hard for you—“ 

“Excuse me?” She cuts me off. “You’re going to look at me right now and tell me that I have no self-control?” 

I let out a loud laugh as she stared at me. 

“Jake, be so serious,” trying to hold in her laugh, she rolls her eyes at me as she clips her hair up out of her way. 

“You’re right,” I tell her. “But, honey,” I move closer to her, sliding my hands around her waist, “How am I supposed to have self-control when you look like this?” Pressing a kiss into her shoulder. Letting my hands wander up, cupping her breasts and letting my thumbs run over her nipples lightly. 

Her head leans back against me, “Babe, you’re proving my point,” she whispers. She turns her face, kissing my cheek before looking back into the mirror to finish putting her makeup on. “Let me finish getting ready, and I’ll take care of you later, promise.” 

My eyes shoot up, and my hands drop to her hips. I hold them as I meet her stare in the mirror. I can see the red creep into my cheeks as she winks at me. 

“Char—“

“You’ll just have to stay quiet for me,” she says, immediately followed by her little giggle. 

My head drops back because I know I’m blushing hard at this point, “Oh, shut up.” I slap her ass as I move back to my spot, grabbing my coffee and sipping on it as she laughs at me. 

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After watching her eyes light up when she picks out what she wants me to wear. She insisted that we coordinate at least since it’s really the first holiday we’re spending together, and my mom is notorious for taking pictures of everyone throughout the day. 

She always looks good, but I can’t stop staring at her as we walk down to the car. In an oversized cream sweater with her tights and boots, she looks precious, especially so when she’s got her hand wrapped around my arm as we walk—opening her door for her and letting her get comfortable. I toss our bag into the back seat as I make my rounds to the driver’s side. 

Instinctually, I just hand my phone to her so she can pick music. It’s adorable how she tries to find songs that we both like, even though I don’t think I would question anything she puts on. 

Reaching over, she quickly slips her hand into mine. Spending the rest of the drive listening to whatever she picks and the little giggles that come out of her as she scrolls through things on her phone.

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“You ready for the chaos?” I whisper as I throw the car in park. 

She’s gotten more used to spending time with everyone, but adding my parents in is a different beast entirely. They all mean well; it’s just a lot of people with loud personalities.

She leans over to kiss me, whispering, “It’ll be fun.” 

I grab our stuff from the backseat, and as she comes around, I hold my hand out for her. Carefully walking up the dirt driveway, my parents are always choosing different Airbnbs to stay in, and this one is just in the woods this time. As we get up to the door, I turn around to look at her. 

“One more,” I mumble, leaning in to kiss her again. Her little smile against me made everything better. Knocking on the door behind me as I left a few small pecks on her lips. Hearing someone walking towards us, I pull away from her. The last thing I’m going to do is mildly embarrass her right away. 

“LOTTIE,” Quinn’s voice made me jump. 

They squeal and hug as if they don’t see each other almost every day, if not at least talking. They’ve become incredibly close over the past year, which probably doesn’t help that we’re all in the apartment often enough. 

“Which of my babies is that?” My mom’s voice carries from a different room. Waiting for her to come in, knowing exactly what’s going to happen. “Oh my goodness! Don’t you look so cute!” She pulls Char into a hug, and here we go. 

“Thank you,” Char’s sweet giggle laced it. “It already smells amazing in here.” 

“Oh, you’ll have to come see what I’m baking– actually, I may have you help me if you want,” Mom tells her, her eyebrows raised, knowing that Char isn’t going to say no to baking. 

“Ooooo! Yes, please!” 

We’ve been here for two minutes, and I’ve already lost her to my mom. This may be record timing. 

“Hi, Sweetheart, I didn’t forget about you,” Mom coos as she comes over to me, glancing at my outfit. “She dressed you, didn’t she?” 

I just nod, hugging her. Mumbling to her, “Where should I put our bag?” 

“Whichever room you want,” she tells me, “I’m just so happy you’re gonna stay the night.” Her hand patted my chest a few times.

I smile at her, “Of course.” She just looks at me, tucking my hair behind my ear before turning back to steal Char away. 

Wandering down the hall and choosing one of the rooms to throw our stuff in. Feeling a little insane as I just smile to myself, but every time we do something for the first time like this, it’s like I’m falling in love with her all over again.  

“Well, well, well,” Josh’s voice rings from behind me. 

I whip my head around, “Surprised you’re not out there with everyone?” 

“I was kicked out of the kitchen,” he tells me. “Apparently, they don’t agree with my ‘creative decisions’ or something.” Rolling his eyes as he folds his arms over his chest. “So, I’m going to force you to hang out with me instead.” 

“Ahh,” I let out, laughing quietly. “Just like when we were kids.” 

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We found ourselves sitting in the living room with our dad as the parade was starting on TV. Just catching up with him until we hear the front door open, knowing that it must be Sam. Listening to our mom holler through the house, “Is that my baby boy?” 

Josh and I look at each other from across the couch. He rolls his eyes, and I can’t fight the laugh that comes out. 

“I saw that,” our dad mumbles, a small smirk creeping onto his face. 

Josh, being who he is, shrugs dramatically and, with a sarcastic tone, lets out, “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Both of us giggled like children again. 

“You two aren’t as slick as you think,” he laughs. Groaning as he stands up from the couch, he gives my shoulder a squeeze as he walks past. 

It only takes a couple of minutes before he comes back to join us again, with Sam in tow this time. Sam plopping down near me, which is probably for the best at the rate this morning is going. Josh would probably be pestering him instantly. Our dad fell back into the spot he already had claimed. 

Spending the holiday all together was always nice, mostly because none of us were working, and we obviously didn’t get to see our parents all that often. Typically, Josh would get roped into helping our mom, but I think she’s really living her best life with Quinn, Willa, and Char in there instead. She’s always been outnumbered by us, so now we’ve all been told to keep out. 

Getting to spend time with our dad as an adult has been way more fun. He was usually the one in charge of telling us to ‘knock it off’ as kids and having to separate us when we were fighting. But now, we just get to enjoy hanging out with him and seeing him laugh at the stories we tell rather than have to lecture us. 

In the midst of a story from him, Quinn walks in, setting a tray of little snacks for us on the coffee table, pointing out one of them to Josh, but I couldn’t hear what they said because Char slid her hand over my chest from behind the couch. 

“Thought you might want this,” she says, handing me a hot cup of coffee. My head tilted back against the couch to see her as I carefully stole the mug from her. 

I just stare at her for a second, taking in how adorable she looks today, before mumbling back, “Thank you, hun.” She leans down, kissing my forehead before padding back off into the kitchen. My self-control really is low because I absolutely watched her walk away until she was completely out of sight. 

“You good over there, bud?” My dad taps my arm, bringing me back to reality as he chuckles to himself. 

My face heats up a little, but I just sip my coffee to try to hide it. 

“They’re always like that,” Sam chimes in, making a disgusted face at me. I flip him off as I take another sip of my coffee. 

“Samantha, I know you’re not talking,” Quinn says, making the rest of us laugh. “Don’t forget, I can hear you and Wills talking when you’re at our apartment.” 

His jaw drops slightly, just staring back at them. 

“Should I give examples?”

“Nope! I’d rather you didn’t!” 

Josh chimes in, “I personally think it’s cute how she has Jake wrapped around her finger.”

Our dad laughs as soon as it comes out, which makes me laugh. He isn’t wrong. Quinn kissed Josh’s cheek before prancing back off to the kitchen. 

“Hard not to be,” I mumble into my coffee mug. All I can think of is how she’s just the type of love I need in my life. She’s this incredibly independent woman, so confident in her career, and wildly intelligent— she blows my mind every day. But then she’ll come home to me on the weekends and melt into me, just wanting to be loved and so sweet. Or if I go to her and the bar has been overwhelming, she’s so gentle and takes care of me. 

The sound of Sam and Josh cackling brings me back while my dads mutters, “Oh, give him a break.” Probably good that I didn’t hear it. 

We all sat around as Dad updated us on how life outside of New England was. Telling us about all the little places they’ve found, their favorite restaurants, and the few friends they’ve finally made. 

“That’s great, Dad,” Sam chimes in. It feels like we’re all kids again, just hanging out with him; the thought alone makes my heart swell a little.

“You guys should come visit during the winter,” he tells us. “Get out of the cold for a few days.” 

I look over to him, “I’m sure we can plan something.” 

Hearing a fit of laughter coming from the other room, we all look at each other in silence. 

“That’s a scary sound,” Dad groans quietly, and we all giggle. “Everyone knows a secret about one of us now.” 

“Don’t say that.”

“Oh god.”

“No, no, no.”

He throws his head back in laughter, “Figured you boys would have learned at this point. Your mother loves to share secrets with anybody who will listen.” 

“Shit,” I let out under my breath. This isn’t the first time she’s been around Charlotte, but I’m usually right next to her, so the secrets have been kept to a minimum. I’m definitely fucked. 

Quickly distracted by the sound of little feet walking through the room, Iris runs straight over to Josh when she rounds the corner of the couch. He scoops her up in a hug, her little laugh making all of us smile. 

“I should have known that’s where she was going,” Danny’s voice cuts through the laughter, joining Josh and Iris on the other side of the couch. 

My dad has always loved him, well— both of my parents do. But he has an open invitation to every holiday that my parents decide to host. I think they like that he has Mel and Iris now, especially since none of their actual children are going to be giving them grandkids anytime soon. 

They’re mid-conversation when Sam abruptly jumps up, walks to the hall, and yells, “Mom! Santa is almost here!” Coming back to the couch, our dad shot him a wink.  

“Thank you, Sammy,” Mom lets out loudly as she scurries into the room, leaning on the back of the couch behind Dad. Everyone follows her in; Willa is plopping down next to Sam, and Quinn is sitting on the floor below Josh. There she is.

“Hey you,” I whisper as Char sneaks over to me, tucking herself close to me as we watch Mel tell Iris to look for Santa. My arm tugged her as close as I could because I knew I was only getting her for a couple of minutes. 

“Is this a thing?” She whispers in my ear. 

I nod, turning my face to whisper back. “My mom always makes sure that she comes in to watch Santa show up because we would get so excited when we were little. So now, we always make sure to get her before, and she always cries when he shows up.” 

Her little smile when she lets out a little “aw” before looking over to my parents. My mom’s arms are slung around my dad’s neck, and he has one hand covering hers. Her eyes already teared up at just the glimpse of Santa and Mrs Claus, but the tears finally fell when Iris jumped out of Josh’s arms, pointing to the TV. 

“Oh, what a sweet little thing,” Mom lets out quietly. 

I pull Char’s legs over mine, keeping my hand on her thigh. I want to just keep her to myself now. The urge to keep her trapped only got worse when she leaned her head against me. 

Before I knew it, chaos ensued yet again. My mom stole my girlfriend from me, not before I snuck about eighteen “one more” kisses on her— despite being told to get a room. 

Somehow, we all got roped into a game, or a handful of rounds, of hide and seek with Iris, proving that we are still just children. 

All of us laugh as we run around this house, trying to find places to hide that aren’t too hard for her to figure out. The only downside was dependent on who she found first. Unfortunately, Sam only plays to win, so if she found him first, we were all screwed; he would be holding her on his hip as he did all the leg work for her, making a scene when he’d find us, which made her belly laugh every time.  

We spent a few hours entertaining her when my mom finally announced that the food was basically ready. I wander into the kitchen to grab a drink, but I am sidetracked when I sneak behind Charlotte, sliding my arms around her. 

“Hi, baby,” she giggles quietly. 

I snuggle my face into her neck for a second, whispering, “I’ve missed you all day.” 

“I’ll be all yours soon enough.” 

I press a kiss to her cheek before letting go, asking, “What do you want to drink? I’ll bring it in there for you.” 

A collective ‘aw’ rings through the room, and I can feel my face heat up a little. At least they think it’s cute; I’ve just been bullied all day. I poured some of the wine from the fridge into her and grabbed a glass for myself. Going out of my way to give her a kiss, feeling her grab my ass as I turn to join the rest of the boys. I whipped my head to look at her, and she just smirked at me. She subtly blew me a kiss. She’s lucky she’s cute. 

Everyone slowly joins the table, taking turns grabbing food. There are at least fourteen conversations happening at once, but somehow, it’s not overwhelming. Char is sitting to my left, my hand finding comfort on her leg every so often. The conversations varied throughout the meal from everybody focused on Mom telling a story, likely about us as kids or just tapering off into a million different ones. Feeling her hand grab mine once she was done eating, she just mindlessly played with the rings I had on as we sat there. 

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After dinner was done, Mom insisted that none of the kids help with dishes but get into comfy clothes so we could watch Christmas movies together. We all say our goodbyes to Danny, Mel, and Iris since they have more families to visit. 

 I lay on our bed, watching her change into my sweatshirt and some leggings. She looks up at me, giggling as she pulls on some fuzzy socks, “they’re extra comfy,” she told me when she packed them this morning. 

“You ready, honey?” I ask as she sits on the bed with me. 

She lays back, throws her leg over my hips, and plants a kiss on me. Letting out a quiet “Almost.” She snuggles herself into me for a minute, which I won’t complain about. My hand squeezed her thigh a few times. 

“Comfortable?” 

She nods her head against me, “I’ve barely seen you today. Feels weird.” 

“I’m glad you had fun with my mom, at least.” 

She lets out a little laugh, propping herself up on her elbow before telling me, “She told me a little secret about you.” 

“Did she?” 

Her smile is wide as she stares at me, “Mhmm,” she hums. 

“Why do I feel like I know what it is..?” I mumble, squinting my eyes at her. 

Her sweet little laugh sneaks out, “Well.. something about you always crying over having to wash your pirate jammies?” Of course.

“Come on, if we don’t get up now, I’m never gonna go,” I tell her, patting her butt a couple of times. Why does she have to tell everybody that? 

“Oh, don’t be embarrassed!” She hangs on me as I sit up. “It's cute, baby!” 

“Yeah, yeah,” I roll my eyes at her, fighting a smile. “I’m sure she’s ready to spill all my secrets to you.” 

Her lips land on my cheek as she giggles at me, her hand holding the other side of my face. She whispers, “I’ll tell you my secrets later if you want.” 

Jesus Christ. I can feel my heart rate pick up, quickly spitting out, “Alright, you. Let’s go.” 

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We make our way out to the living room, claiming the corner of the couch that I’d been in all morning. I give her the actual corner of the couch and just pull the coffee table closer so I can prop my feet up on there. 

It’s not long before everybody else is coming in and getting comfortable. Sam and Willa steal the other corner since his legs are too long to be banished to the end of the couch. My parents sat between us, mom closer to me. 

Josh and Quinn curl up together at Char’s feet, just propping cushions up so they don’t squish her. Dad shuts off the big lights, just letting the little lamps try to light up this room. 

My mom changed it to The Grinch, and the tradition continued as we all curled up with our own blankets.

I feel Char adjust so she’s cuddled up on my chest, my arm wrapped around her to keep her close. Pressing a kiss to the top of her head without thought. My mom’s hand grazes mine, making me look over at her. She holds my hand for a second as we just stare at each other, giving my hand a few squeezes before she leans into Dad. 

And there we all sat, laughing at the movie like we do every year. Finally, feeling complete as the love of my life giggles against me while I’m surrounded by my family. It feels like nothing could get better at the moment until she tilts her head up, kisses my cheek, and whispers, “I love you.” 

I glance down at her, giving her a quiet kiss, hoping to not out us to the rest of the room. She just stares up at me, the green of her eyes hardly visible in the dim glow of the TV. But the butterflies still erupt inside me when she looks at me like that. I can’t believe I get to spend forever with her. Slowly blinking at her, I just take her in.

Finally, whispering back, “I love you, honey.” 

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Chapter Twenty-Five

FDOG Master Post | Masterlist | Playlist

Sam & Willa : Sparrow Of The Dawn

Josh & Quinn : Amongst The Stars

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Taglist:

@gvfsstardust @myleftsock @dont-go-home-without-me @literal-dead-leaf

@lizzys-sunflower @mackalah @klarxtr @edgingthedarkness @writingcold

@takenbythemadness @earthgrlsreasy @peaceloveunitygvf

@josh-iamyour-mama @anythingforjtk

@broken0mens @whereiskeara @gvf-luna @katuschka @threadofstars @i-love-gvf

@jazzyfigz @smoking-jakelane @gretavanfan @scoreofinfantryvines

@demonrat444 @hollyco @ourlovesdesire

@musicspeaks @wrldabomination @chloeshell1219

@becinabubblegvf @sanguinebats @lallisonl

@nicoleghost18 @lightmy-love @myownparadise96 @cheersdannyx2

@musicislove3389

[seenoversundown]

Come Back For Me : Chapter Two

Danny Wanger x Melody (Fem OC)

Warnings: Fluff, a lot of uncomfortable situations, reminiscing on the past, Josh, Mild Anxiety mentions, and 'One Date Daniel' living up to his name.

Word Count: 3k.

Summary: Danny spends the day relaxing or trying to before having to go a shift at the bar. But nothing would have prepared him for the day he was about to have.

Author's Note: HEHE :) Enter Daniel. (I do love you, just remember that as you read this chapter)

This storyline is much more .. dramatic? and boy oh boy, it is fun to write, read, witness- all of the above! Happy reading!

Someone New - Hozier "Would things be easier if there was a right way? Honey there is no right way, And so I fall in love a little ol' little bit everyday with someone new."

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“Text me later?” She whispers against my lips, glancing up at me. 

My hand holds the base of her neck, kissing her again before muttering back, “Sure.” Feeling her hands slide down my bare chest before backing up, I watch her eyes drift down to the waistband of my sweatpants before she looks back up at me. 

“Bye, Danny,” she says, biting her lip gently as she goes to walk away. I watch her get into her car, sending her a little wave before closing the door behind me, leaning my back against it, and letting my head drop forward. 

“No chance,” I breathe out. 

She wasn’t the worst person I’ve ever gone out with, but there’s no way I’m going out with her again. Maybe hook up with, but nothing more than that.  She was nice, definitely hot, but there was no real connection other than the fact she was more than ready to climb me like a tree. 

I swear I’ve gone out with every last girl in this city and just have not found someone who piques my interest. Sure, it’s nice just to get to know people and at least get out of the house for a little bit, but it would be nice to find someone who was worth keeping around. 

The truth is, I haven’t really dated anybody seriously since Melody. It’s been years since we broke up, and it feels like I’ve been cursed with something because nothing ever sticks like she did. We were friends as kids. She spent a lot of time around Sam and Me, which also meant with his brothers. Growing up in smaller towns in Maine typically meant keeping the same friend group for a while. 

We all spent most of our free time together. She was never bothered by being the only girl unless someone had a girlfriend at the time— but even that was few and far between. It was less than shocking for everyone else to discover that we started dating at the time; I don’t think we were good at hiding our feelings for each other, but to be fair, we were also maybe fourteen years old. 

She was the first girl I ever had feelings for like that. My first real kiss, the only date I had for school dances, who I lost my vir— you get the point. We were inseparable until it came time for college. She had bigger plans than I did, and I wouldn’t hold her back from them. I always wanted her to pursue her dreams because she deserved it. 

Unfortunately, we didn’t last. But it’s fine because I know that even though it took a while to move on, it was probably for the best. I think. I try to not dwell on it too much, despite what Sam would tell you. I should call him. 

“Well, hello there, Daniel,” his voice rings through the phone. We spend a few minutes going on about our usual banter before I fill him in on the girl who just left. Which is really just a lot of humming and hawing from my end about whether or not I think it would be worth it to see her again. 

“I don’t think we would have anything to talk about,” I tell him. 

Sam laughs before saying, “Your nickname is really showing right about now, One Date Daniel.” It’s a fun nickname that they’ve coined over the years—by they, I mean he started it, but naturally, the twins picked up on it, and now I hear it all too often. 

“We’ve gone through this,” I breathe out. “I’m not trying to find the flaws in these girls; they just .. present them quickly.” 

He’s quick to rebuttal with,  “It seems like the flaw is always that they aren’t M—” 

“Shut up, it’s not that,”  I cut him off. 

“Well, it just seems that you find something wrong with all of them, and she was the only one you never complained about.” 

“Maybe I just need to stop trying to date in Portland,” I pitch. “I’m sure there are plenty of options outside of the city.” 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Daniel,” he sighs. “All I know is that when I met Birdie..” 

And then I zoned out. 

I love that Sam found someone and specifically someone who is willing to put up with his shit every day. She’s one of God’s strongest soldiers, for real.  But dear god, the sheer amount of times that our conversations have segued into some lecture where he tells me about how great Willa is and why I should listen to his advice— despite the number of times I’ve heard her tell him to stop meddling in other people's lives. 

He’s convinced that I find problems with any date because they aren’t Melody. I don’t think that’s the issue, personally, but I can’t seem to make him agree with me. I just know what I’m looking for in a woman, and they just don’t typically fit that, which is okay. Today wasn’t my best look. I try not to have too many one-night stands, but what’s a guy to do when he can’t find someone interesting enough to keep around? Sleep with the hot ones.  

“Mhm,” I hum back to whatever Sam told me. I’m sure I’ve heard it all before. 

He sighs on the other end of the call, breathing out, “Well, do you have to work tonight?” 

“I do, why?” 

“I don’t think Bird and I have plans later, so maybe I can swing by for a little bit.” 

Laughing quietly to myself, “If you want, no pressure.” 

Falling back into the couch, I scroll on my phone for a bit, before turning on the TV. Watching whatever mindless thing comes on because it’s too early in the day for it to be anything interesting. 

Me: I should have told you to bring my favorite lady over 

Sam:  you know she’s MY dog right?

Me: she and I haven’t spent time together in a little while, I miss her 

Sam: maybe you can keep her this weekend so birdie and I can go do something 

Penny is the greatest decision Sam has made in a while, besides finding a girlfriend, apparently. She’s such a good dog, and I still personally believe that I’m her favorite human, but I won’t say that to Sam. I’m usually his go-to for babysitting her when he needs it, which I’d like to think is because she and I have fun together, but I’m almost positive it’s because the twins live together, and he doesn’t want to invade their space. 

Regardless of the reason, I love it when I get to steal her for a day or two— not that I don’t enjoy being alone. Sometimes, it is nice to have someone else here, even if that someone hogs my entire bed when we sleep. 

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Once I convince myself to get up, I know I need to run and do a few errands before going to the bar. I pull my hair up into a bun, high on my head. Pulling on a basic outfit since I’ll probably just go straight to work after I’m done. I stare at myself in my mirror for all of a few seconds before I’m off to be productive, hopefully. 

I live close enough to the bar but just far enough away that I typically will drive to just spare myself walking home late at night. Not that the area is terrible, but two in the morning makes for a very tired walk home, especially when it could be a five-minute drive. 

I find a spot close enough to the bar, leaving my car there to just walk to a few places, but starting with the local coffee shop I prefer. Working in this area has been a blessing and a curse because I frequent the same places enough that the employees know who I am, but living around here makes it uncomfortable sometimes. It’s not often that I run into someone I went out with, but every once in a while, they make an appearance, and I can’t even be mad because we both live around here. 

Today is one of those days. 

I keep my eyes locked on my phone as I pretend to look at something, but in reality, I’m just scrolling through my texts with Sam. But a girl that I went with a few weeks ago is sitting in the corner, and I can feel her stare burning a hole in the back of my head. It was another case in which she was very nice, but there just wasn’t anything there. 

I ordered my drink and stood where I wouldn’t make awkward eye contact with her while I waited for my drink. I could just say hello. No, it would get weird. 

Me: you’re not going to believe who’s here 

Sam: 👀

Me: remember the girl from a few weeks ago? 

Me: she was nice but literally nothing to talk about?

Sam: uhhh.. Sure 

Me: she’s sitting 30 feet away from me and these baristas are taking FOREVER

Sam: LMFAO 

“Danny!” one of the baristas yelled as they set my coffee at the end of the counter. Well, there’s no pretending it isn’t me now, grabbing it, glancing over to the set of eyes that I could feel staring the entire time, and shooting her a tight-lipped smile. I watch as she just rolls her eyes as I push open the door to leave. Oops.

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I spent a little over an hour running to a few shops that I need to pick things up from and then running everything back to my car. Sliding my phone from my pocket, I still have an hour and a half before I need to be there. Debating on whether or not I want to grab something to eat, I make the executive decision to stop at the bar; maybe the boys will want food, too.  

Working in this area is definitely more fun than I anticipated. To be honest, anything is more fun than working at the shipyard. Getting to watch people stumble late at night on the cobblestone street across from us is one of my favorite things about having to linger near the door. Those poor girls in their high heels had no idea what would happen to them when they attempted to walk down that street. 

The daytime is pretty calm. We just witnessed a lot of tourists during the summer, which has made a lot of evenings go by with a ton of people coming in because other bars were packed. Not that Jake didn’t do a good job with this one, but it’s not necessarily the most modern bar in the area. The aesthetic being very pirate and a bit dark because we are like half way into a basement doesn’t help. 

 Seeing the sign as I slowly make my way down the street. Pulling open the door to the bar, I immediately stop in my tracks. 

Oh my god. Shit. Why is she here? Maybe it isn’t her. 

I stand there quietly and watch her talk to Jake; everything feels quiet. It had been years since we’d seen each other, let alone spoke to each other. I guess I can’t blame her.  It feels like hours that I stood there just watching them before I could convince myself to move. Walking closer to the bar, Jake looks over at me; his eyes widen a bit, bouncing his stare between the two of us like he’s trying to warn me. I just subtly nod my head to acknowledge it. 

“Oh shit- Daniel?” Melody says as she’s turning around, immediately making eye contact with me. 

I can’t describe the feeling that courses through my body hearing her say my name again. I don’t think anything could have prepared me for it. My eyes are fixed on hers as it feels like time has completely stopped. She looks good. I can feel the blood coursing through me as we stare at each other. The silence was deafening. 

Finally, I uncomfortably choke out, “Hah, yes. How are you?” 

“A little better now,” she tells me, smiling over at Jake. “Nothing like trying to find a job quickly.” No fucking way. Moving my eyes over to Jake, who looks like he’s just seen a ghost and would like to join them at this point. 

“Oh? You uh- live here?” I ask timidly. “I thought you were still in Mass.” 

“Yeah.. I just moved back in with my dad.” She says, glancing at the ground for a minute. Her voice gets much more quiet when she says, “My mom uh..passed away not too long ago, and it’s just not feasible—“ 

I cut her off quickly, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.”

“No, it’s okay, why would you?” She waves her hand at me, dismissing everything. She taps the bar a couple of times. “Anyway, I need to get going,” she says, much more lightheartedly, glancing between Jake and myself. 

“Oh yeah, uh-“ I spit out quickly.  “It was nice to see you.” Forcing a small smile onto my face despite the pit in my stomach. 

She smiles softly back at me, saying, “You too.” 

Seeing her smile made me nauseous, but I couldn’t let her know that. My eyes shift to Jake, mumbling, “Josh is here?”

He just nods at me silently. 

I start to walk out back, knowing I need to find him, but hearing her say, “Thank you so much, Jake. You’re a lifesaver.” 

This can’t be real. She hasn’t spoken to me in years, but now we’re going to work together. What the fuck. I can feel my body warm at the thought, fighting the anger that is threatening to come out at this point. Not that it’s a big deal; it’s been so long, and I’ve moved on from it. It just feels like I should have known about this before she just waltzed back into our lives.  She couldn’t get a job anywhere else in Portland, like how of all places she landed here– and then it hits me. 

Josh told her. There’s no other way. This bar is not one to scream, ‘Women, come in!’ I tilt my head, feeling my neck crack slightly, before tilting it the opposite way so I can see the back room door. 

“Josh, why do I feel like you’re behind this?” I ask, rounding the corner into the back room. There’s no chance he can’t tell that I’m irritated at this point. 

He asks, “Whatever do you mean?” The sing-song tone of his voice isn’t going to save the situation this time. 

“What did you do?” My voice is low as I question him. 

He looks over at me, letting out, “She needed a job, and Jake obviously needs more help.” 

My head rolls back as I let out a deep sigh. This can’t be real right now. 

“So, she definitely works here now?” 

The uncomfortable smile he shoots me is enough, but he weakly says, “.. is that a problem?” 

It isn’t necessarily a problem, but we did go years without speaking and ended on not the greatest of terms. It’s a long story. To just resume life as if nothing happened and work together, I don’t know how I’m supposed to just be around her a few nights a week like that. 

“No,” I breathe out. “It’ll be fine; I just wasn’t anticipating seeing her.” 

We’re both adults now, and we should be able to function around each other without things being weird; I mean, it’s been so long that maybe she’s also past it.  

I can hear the sound of Jake walking towards us, his boots will always sell him out; thankfully it sounds like only he’s coming, so that’s a relief. 

“Hey bud,” his voice is just above a whisper. “I didn’t realize what time it was; I would have warned you.” The look on his face alone tells me that he feels incredibly guilty. 

I don’t think a warning at this point would have even helped. 

I mindlessly crack my knuckles, looking over to him, “It’s okay.” 

“If it helps,” he starts. “She isn’t starting until next week.” The smile on his face seems uncomfortable as if he desperately wants to make things better. 

At least I don’t have to work with her right away. 

“Plus, she’ll be bartending with me. So, you won’t really have to interact with her much if you don’t want to!” Josh interjects in an attempt to make things better. 

If I know anything about either of them, it’s that the last thing they want to do is watch a friend struggle. I’ve been close enough with their whole family to know this. I’m sure that whenever Josh spoke to her, he probably just felt for her and knew that Jake wouldn’t say no. I mean, shit, that’s how I landed my job here. 

Even though I realistically don’t need to be here all that often, it’s not that kind of bar. Jake wanted to get me out of the shipyard because it’s a draining job and once he quit, I was left there to fend for myself. He practically created a job for me and managed to pay me enough to keep me alive. It’s incredible how much money you save when you’re single and depressed. 

“That’s true,” I tell them. “It’ll be fine, I’m sure, but..” 

They look at each other and then over to me. 

“But what?” Jake caves, asking for the both of them. 

It’s shocking to me that neither of them are considering the real issue here, and it’s definitely not Melody and I being in the same room. My hand finds comfort on the back of my neck as I look over to him, “Who’s going to tell Sam?” 

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Chapter One

Chapter Three

CBFM Masterpost | Masterlist | Playlist

Taglist:

@gvfsstardust @myleftsock @imleavingyoufornewyork @mindastreamofcolours-deactivate @dont-go-home-without-me

@literal-dead-leaf @lizzys-sunflower @mackalah

@klarxtr @edgingthedarkness @writingcold @i-love-gvf @takenbythemadness

@ladywhimsymoon @earthgrlsreasy @peaceloveunitygvf

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@brokenbellschipbunkersverion @musicislove3389

@allof--mylove @dyslexicchild13

@nicoleghost18 @monkeylaura627 @fleetingjake

@cheersdannyx2

[seenoversundown]

For Death Or Glory : Chapter Twenty-Four

Jake Kiszka x Charlotte (Fem OC)

Warnings: Wholesome Vibes, Fluff, Happy Tears, Mild Anxious Themes, LINDA AND ELEANOR ARE BACK (our queens), Tension, Mentions of Snow, Parental advice, some pirate/ocean references, and a LOT of hugs. (I think the hugs will really be beneficial for all of us)

Word Count: 5.5k

Summary: It's the bar's anniversary night and there's a slight chill in the air.

Author's Note: Did I cry over this chapter? Possibly ❤️. But for very different reason than last weeks. I really am in disbelief that next week is.. it. Let's all just savor this chapter together and celebrate with our sweet little pirate man 🥂 (I'm ready to scream about it with you guys 🥹)

Caravel - Greta Van Fleet "Sail to the end of the world, For death or glory."

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The Anniversary Party  - 7:15 p.m. 

Pull it together, I think to myself, wiping the tears that were trying to make their escape. I decided that spending the drive in my thoughts sounded better than trying to drown them out with music, which is how I spent most of my day fighting the urge to cry and losing. 

If I thought the idea of just having to tell him that I had to go back home was terrible, watching him cry is probably in the top three worst moments of my life. Seeing the way his eyes looked when I told him that his comment was wrong, I could feel that he regretted it. I can’t even be mad at him when I know he didn’t mean it. Listening to him sob and cry to me that he was sorry broke my heart; I just couldn’t bring myself to say anything at the moment.

Once I got home, even though I was emotionally exhausted, I couldn’t sleep. I could just hear him in my head on a loop, practically begging me to stay. I can’t believe I left. I knew I wouldn’t say anything about my work situation if I stayed, so I didn’t. And now, I regret it. I should have stayed and told him everything. 

I spent a lot of the night just wishing I hadn’t given him attitude because it wasn’t fair to him. I had been working most of the day and finally had someone call me back that I’d been waiting on, but they were upset with the message I had for them. So, I was on the receiving end of one of the angry bar owners, unlike Jacob, when I walked into the bar, and I still didn’t know what made me take that out on him. 

I would take it back in a second if I could. 

Now I’m sitting in my car, parked in my usual spot down the street from the bar, debating heavily on what I should do. I never actually packed anything because I would start crying every time I tried. It’s not even been a full day since we saw each other, and I’m terrified to walk in there. 

I don’t want to have that conversation tonight; I can’t ruin the anniversary party more than I possibly already have. Maybe depending on how he acts, I’ll mention something after Thanksgiving. Then it came back to me; I told him I would text him all day tomorrow… oh god– what have I done? 

I look up at the sky; the moon is faint in the distance, but she’s there. 

“Cass, I did this for you,” I whisper. “I wish you could tell me if it was going to work out or if I royally messed up.” Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I shut off my car. When I step out, a breeze washes over me, the type of cold where you know snow is coming. Making sure I have all his paperwork and my bag, I start my walk over to the bar. 

I really could just go home. 

I know the address.. I could just mail this.

I don’t think I can do it. 

I don’t know what possessed me to look back up, but I did, and the cloud that had been blocking the moon moved. The light from it felt different this time, and a smirk laced my lips as I looked at it. 

I’m taking that as my sign, Cass. I hear you.

As I get closer, I see the number of cars parked along the street and vaguely see through the bar windows. There’s a lot of people here for it being a Wednesday. Good job, Jacob.  

7:36 p.m. 

The door chime goes off, but enough people are talking, and the music is still loud, so there’s no chance anybody heard it. I scan the bar, looking for him, just hand him the paperwork and then leave. You can try to talk to him over the weekend and maybe work something out or at least make sure he doesn’t hate you. I try to pep talk myself. 

Not seeing him anywhere, I start to wander around, kind of hoping not to run into anybody, which is a bold choice right now. I bump into someone while trying to find him, and she turns around quickly. 

“Oh! I’m sorry, honey, didn’t see you there!” Her voice is loud but sweet. “You look lost– what do you need?” She gently holds my arm as she asks. 

“Uh- I need to find Jake. I don’t see him, though,” I tell her. Why do I feel like I should know who she is?

Her eyes widen at the sound of his name, but her expression softens when she tells me, “He’s in there somewhere! I thought I saw him run outback a minute ago.” 

“Oh, okay. Thank you. I’ll just hang out for a few then,” I shoot her a small smile. 

She smiles back at me; her smile feels familiar. She quietly says, “If I run into him, I can let him know you’re here. What’s your name?” 

I hesitate for a second, “Oh, um, Charlotte.” 

“Pretty,” she lets out. “I’ll try to grab him for ya.” 

Not even a minute passes, and I see him come down the hallway, but he definitely can’t see me. He looks so good, too. I linger behind people to avoid making eye contact as my heart rate starts to pick up. You can do it. I watch him from a distance; he’s behind the bar, handing someone a drink. That smile, but his eyes look tired. The way he moves captivates me; it feels like I’m seeing him for the first time all over again.  

He’s just pouring a beer for someone, but even something so mundane makes the butterflies erupt in my stomach. When he slides it over to the customer, his shirt falls open more and shows off his chest, and his necklace dangles, making my body warm because I’ve felt that necklace graze my skin before. Good god, why does he just look like this? 

All I can see in my mind is how gorgeous he is, especially when we were holed up together. He would put together his cute little outfits when we did things. The way he would walk around in his short and tight little boxers, leaving no room for imagination, was fine with me. 

His smile was still my favorite, whether it was just the little grin as he held back some pirate phrase, knowing I’d laugh at how dumb he was. Or when he fully smiles.. that boy is so beautiful. I could probably write a dissertation on how much I love that smile. I love a lot of things about him. His smile, the way he’s always touching me somehow, that silly English accent..maybe I-

Suddenly, I hear a clinking sound that multiplied rapidly, pulling me from my thoughts. Glancing around, I see everyone sitting in the booth they always choose when they’re all together. They all are holding their glasses up, tapping whatever they can against them to get everyone’s attention. 

Josh holds his glass up behind the bar, pulling Jake into his side. Jake’s face is completely red as he looks down, with a slight smile on his face. 

“I feel like everyone here should already know, but my brother is the owner of this fine establishment,” Josh starts, “And I just want to say how proud I am of him for taking the chance and managing to stay open for the past year,” He leans over, kissing the side of Jake’s head, and I see him mumble something to him while everyone claps for him. 

“Now, I know you really want to hear from the man of the hour, so,” Josh lets out,  and I watch Jake shake his head a few times, but everyone gets real quiet. We all collectively just stared at him, waiting to see what he would say, and all I could think was, ‘I’ll even hold your hand if you get nervous,’ when he actually starts to speak. 

“Um, I wasn’t really prepared to say anything, but,” he starts. “I never thought this would actually happen, um.. especially to me.” I watch as he fidgets with the ring he has on. You can do this, Jake.

 “I don’t know that I could have done it without my family basically throwing me overboard into the idea. It was a for death or glory moment for me, and—“ he pauses, looking up at everyone just admiring him. “I’m truly just so happy to be here now.” 

His eyes scan the room, and my heart drops when he meets my stare; blinking slowly, it feels like time has stopped, and all I can do is smile at him. I watch a slight smirk grow on his face when he says, “I couldn’t have done it without you. I’m endlessly grateful for everyone keeping me afloat. It’s only been a year, so—“ he grabs the glass next to him, holding it up, “Too many more.” 

The way everyone cheered and started clinking glasses had my eyes welled up. His brothers, Danny included, pulled him into hugs, which only naturally meant the girls and Quinn were next. I just watch him as he beams at everyone who walks up to him and gets all the praise he deserves. But his eyes kept wandering back to me. 

I’m so proud of you, baby. 

8:03 p.m.

Those green eyes– are all I can think about as I stand there. 

My heart about stopped when I saw her. I never would have expected her to show up after last night. But the second we locked eyes again, I felt less nervous. Maybe it was just the simple fact she showed up or the way I could see her trying to hide a tear as she smiled back at me. 

Finishing my weird toast while looking at her was the closest I was going to get to her holding my hand tonight, and that’s okay. Immediately, Josh pulled me into a hug after rocking me back and forth. 

“She’s here,” he whispers into my ear, almost like he’s trying to protect me.  

I turn my face to whisper back, “I know.” 

He leans back from the hug, looking at me, “You can do this,” he says, squeezing my shoulders a few times. “I’m so proud of you.” 

“Thank you,” is all I can manage to say back to him. 

Once I walk out from behind the bar, I’m practically mauled by the rest of them. I don’t think I’ve hugged so many people back-to-back like that before. Listening to a slew of ‘Proud of you! and ‘Happy anniversary! as they take their turn pulling me into them. 

Getting to Quinn, who quietly asks, “Are you going to talk to her?” 

“I mean,” I whisper back, “I’ll see what she says first.. I’m not going to push too hard today.” 

They nod, leaning back from the hug, “You’ll get her, I promise.” Offering me a smile, which I quickly return. 

“Love you,” I whisper, pulling them back into the hug for a second. 

They just mumble back, “Love you too.” Giving me an extra tight squeeze before letting go. 

I started to walk towards her, but my dad stepped in front of me first. He holds out his arms, inviting me for a hug, like everyone else has so far. 

“Proud of you, kid,” he mumbles next to my ear. 

I rest my head against him for a second before moving back, looking at him, and quietly letting out, “Thank you.”  

“I think someone is waiting to talk to you,” his voice is low, nodding towards Charlotte. His hand grabs my shoulder, squeezing a few times, and then quietly says, “Go get her.” 

When I go to walk over to her, I finally see her, and even though I’ve seen her in all forms the last couple of weeks, she always leaves me breathless. I could stare at her for the rest of my life and still not understand how she can be so effortlessly beautiful. 

“Hey, you,” I say as I get closer to her. “I didn’t know if you’d still be here tonight.” 

“Well, I do have these for you,” Her voice is soft. She holds out a folder filled with paperwork. “Everything is good to go, and Melody is certified.” 

“Thank you,” I say quietly. 

She meets my stare and quietly lets out, “Of course.” A soft smile laces her lips as we look at each other, which only makes the corners of mine twitch. I stepped a little closer to her, but she didn’t back up. 

“Um, I know it’s already kinda late,” I start, knowing I sound nervous but still asking, “Are you staying for a bit, or do you need to go?” 

She uncomfortably says, “I should probably head out.. I have a lot of driving ahead of me.” 

“No, that makes sense,”  I say, looking around for somewhere to set the folder down. “I’ll um..” Turning around, I see my dad, waving him over subtly. 

I tell him quietly, “Hey, I’m gonna walk her to her car. Can you hold this?” He just nods at me, glancing over to Char. 

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” she rambles out, her hand landing on my arm, and my heart drops at the contact. Instinctually,  I cover her hand with mine when I turn back to her. 

“I’ve walked you to your car for three weeks; you really think I’m gonna stop now?” I tell her, which makes her laugh. 

“You know what,” she giggles quietly. “You’re right.” I set my drink on a random table, knowing it’ll be lost in the sea of glasses now, but who cares?

Pushing open the door and gesturing for her to go out first, “After you.” 

The walk to her car is quiet, neither of us really knowing what to say until she finally breaks it, “She looks nice tonight.” 

Looking over at her as she looks at the moon, making me smile despite the heartache, “She does.” 

“Your little toast was nice, by the way,” she says quietly, glancing over at me.  

Looking down at the sidewalk for a second, “I wasn’t ready for that, and as you can imagine, I'm not much of a public speaker.” She laughs at me; my heart starts to race. 

“Well,” she starts, as we make it to her car, “I thought you did a great job.” 

I slowly blink at her, “Thank you.” 

We stare at each other silently for a moment. I would give anything to just pretend that nothing happened and that everything is still how it was yesterday morning.  

“I won’t keep you, it’s freezing.” I lean forward, pulling her door open for her like I always do. She looks at me for a second and then steps closer, wrapping her arms around me. I’ve never let go of her car door faster as I pull her in tight; please don’t let this be the last time. My hand runs down the back of her head, just cherishing the hug while it lasts. Breathing her in slowly, trying to engrave the scent of her perfume into my brain. Turning my face and letting my lips rest against the side of her head, unable to resist the urge just to press one small kiss into her hair. One more. 

Once she starts to let go, I loosen my grip, letting her decide when she’s done. My hands run down the back of her arms as she pulls back until her hands land in mine. We just stare at each other for a second when she squeezes so slightly, and I return the gesture before letting go. I open her door again,  and she sits in her driver's seat, looking back up at me.

“Drive safe, Red.” 

She stares at me for a second and then quietly lets out, ”Will do, Captain.”

I swallow hard at the pet name she chose, but I can’t stop the smile from creeping in. Shutting her door gently, I can’t decide if that made me feel better or worse. 

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8:40p.m

 My mom met me at the door, “So, that was her, right?” 

“Mhm,” I quickly respond, not sure of how far she’s going with this. I don’t know how much I can even talk about right now. 

“She’s beautiful,” she tells me, a little inquisitive inflection laced in it. 

I nod quietly, “She’s incredible.”  

“You really love her, don’t you?”

“I feel insane, but I swear I’d do anything to keep her.” 

“Oh, sweetheart,” she says, grabbing my shoulders. “She’ll come back. I saw how she looked at you.” She runs her hand down the back of my head before tucking my hair behind my ear as she looks at me. “Her eyes lit up the moment she saw you. There was no denying it.”

I glance over to the door and then back down, “I just hope you’re right.” 

“Hey,” she practically scolds me, “If she loves you, she’ll come home, alright?” She gently taps my chest a few times. “And if I know anything about you, there’s no reason she wouldn’t come back to you.” Her hand held the side of my face. She brushed her thumbs over my cheekbones a few times, forcing me to look at her. She just quietly coos, “Oh, my sweet little boy.” 

My throat hurts as I choke back the emotions threatening to come up. I’m gonna cry if she keeps talking. My arms instinctually pull her in for a hug, tucking my face into her shoulder and letting out a deep breath. She rubs my back for a second before I finally mumble out, “I love you, mum.” 

“I love you too,” she tells me, pulling back from the hug enough to look at me. “Now, go enjoy your night, babe. You earned it.”

I just smile at her for a second and then mumble, “Thank you.” 

She pulls my face in, kissing my cheek a few times, and then looks at me with watery eyes, whispering, “I’m so proud of you.” 

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Once I went back to talking to everyone, I started to relax a bit. Taking my mind off the inevitable questions that would come up tomorrow. It was nice to have time just to see all the regulars who had been coming in since we opened. 

I find myself sitting with two of my favorite people for a while, Linda and Eleanor. Listening to them tell me about what their Thanksgiving plans are– which is honestly very sweet. 

“Well, we are both single old broads, so I told Miss Ellie just to come join me, and we could watch the parade together and make some food,” Linda tells me. “Figured it’s better than us sitting at home alone!” 

Eleanor giggled before letting out a quiet, “Absolutely is.” 

“I’m glad you two will be spending the day together,” I tell them. “Are you seeing family at all?”

They go on to tell me about how they either just spend Christmas with their families or sometimes people will come to them, but it just depends on the year and how they’re feeling. 

“What are you boys doing for the holiday?” Eleanor asks. 

I sighed, “Well, my parents are up, obviously. So, we’ll all pile into their Airbnb tomorrow morning, and my mom will spend the whole day making food and forcing us to eat until we’re about to throw up.” Laughing a little at the thought because it’s the truth. 

“I’m sure it’s a wonderful time,” Eleanor says. “Your family seems fun to be around.”

I glance around after she makes the comment. Seeing my brothers laughing together in their typical booth. Sam’s arm draped around Willa, keeping her close like he’s worried she’ll try to escape. I love that he’s found someone like her, even if it is weird to see him so protective over someone. 

Moving my eyes over to Danny, shaking his head at whatever nonsense Sam must have spewed. Mel tucked into him like she always has, but fully engulfed in conversation with Quinn. Oh, Quinn.   

The wonderful person who has my best friend and twin brother wrapped around their finger. I knew that when Josh found someone, they would fit him perfectly because he is such a special person, and there was no way that he could just find an ordinary human to be his partner. After spending as much time as I have with Quinn, I couldn’t imagine someone better. 

The way that Mel and Josh take turns lingering near the table so they can all hang out throughout the night because not only are they all best friends, but we’re all practically family at this point. 

I look back to Eleanor with a soft smile, “They really are.” 

I spent a little longer hanging out with them before deciding to take over the bar for a while. Both of them hugged and congratulated me on the anniversary before I walked off to relieve the other two. 

Sometimes, it was nice to be behind the bar alone, just talking with whoever was sitting up there and making drinks. It made the time pass quickly, and I didn’t have time to think about much else, especially on nights like tonight when the bar was full. The only thing missing was her. 

Having her sit at the end of the bar for the last few weeks for hours, just giving me shit about my job or making little comments that would drive me mad until I could finally close the bar and whisk her away to my bedroom. Spending our nights teasing each other while I served people and trained Melody, I always felt like it was torture because I just wanted to clock out so badly. Now, it feels odd that she isn’t here. 

How she looked at me while we stood there, her lightly squeezing my hands like I’ve done to her so many times in the last couple of weeks. Just to let her know I was there. I feel like it should make me feel more confident about her, but I’m afraid to get my hopes too high, even if it’s probably too late for that.  

When Josh and Mel make their way back to the bar, I let  Josh know that I’m going to step out for a minute. I quietly slide into my office, grabbing my lighter and cigarettes from my desk drawer and hiding them in my pocket before wandering out the back door. 

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10:00 p.m.

It smells like snow. The air is a different type of cold; you can smell winter around the corner. I lit my cigarette, took that first drag, and pulled my phone out. 

She should be home by now, looking at the time and then hesitating to say something to her. I stare out at the docks, watching the boats gently rock. Remembering the moment that she leaned in first, how relieved I was that it wasn’t just me wanting that. Her smile when I went back in for another kiss as if she thought I wouldn’t want that. My heart aches at the thought. I should just .. send her something.

We spent almost a month in this weird situation, and it feels wrong to go radio silent. Maybe Mom is right. 

I start typing away, deleting the message, and starting over probably twenty times, not knowing what to say but just wanting to say anything to keep her in my life potentially. Even if she’s not mine. 

I finally hit send when it doesn’t feel too insane, but my body flinches when I feel someone’s hand on my shoulder. 

“I had a feeling I’d find you out here,” my dad quietly tells me. “You okay?”

I nod, “Mhm, I just needed a break from the noise.” 

“Between your mother and both of your brothers, can’t say I blame you,” he laughs. “I know that isn’t the entire reason, and you don’t have to say it.” 

I let out a deep sigh before inhaling more smoke into my lungs to try and stop the sad from coming back. 

“I just texted her. Hoping that she at least will keep talking to me if anything.” I tell him, feeling a bit pathetic. 

He stares at me for a second, “She really got you good, huh?”

“She’s perfect, dad. How was I supposed to not fall for her?” I almost laugh at it, taking one last drag from the cigarette that is threatening to burn me at this point. Squishing the lit end into the railing before turning to walk back to the bar. “Did I make a bad choice doing that or..?” 

“Your mom is much better in these situations, but,” he starts as we slowly walk back. “I think you saw a beautiful girl and took your chance. I’m positive if I were in the same situation with your mom back then, I would have done the same thing.” 

“I knew I was fucked from the day I met her, y’know?” I say. “I couldn’t stop thinking about her after that.” I just watch the ground as we walk, getting closer to the bar. 

His arm wraps around my shoulders, pulling me into his side as I’m about to pull open the back door for the bar. 

“She’ll come back, bud,” he says. “I saw how she looked at you.. I know that look.”  I lean my head against him for a second before he pulls my shoulders away from him and turns me towards him.

 “Please make sure you wash your hands and drink something, and I won’t tell your mother that you still smoke. I’ll never hear the end of it.” We both laugh at the fact she would absolutely make it his problem.  

“Will do,” I laugh out. “Um.. thank you.” I stare at him, fighting the emotions that want to come out, which, after the last twenty-four hours, is getting more difficult. 

He breathes out a typical dad sigh, a slight smile on his face, before he wraps me up in another hug, “Of course. Just wanna see you happy, kid.”

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The bar is closing early tonight because of the holiday, and truthfully, I’m a bit relieved that I don’t have to sit here until two in the morning.  Mostly, everyone had left, and there were just a few stragglers to take care of during the last hour of the night. Just trying to focus on the fact I’ll get to hang out with my family tomorrow and how nice it’ll be to just spend time with them. Even if I want nothing more than to bring her with me. 

11:00 p.m.

Once everything is basically cleaned up, I sneak out front. Something about being outside helped clear my head, even if it was brief. 

How she looked at me before she left makes my heart skip a beat when I think about it. Maybe she isn’t completely done here. It took all my strength not to kiss her again, but I didn’t want to overstep after last night.

If I can at least keep talking to her, maybe we can make things happen because there’s no chance she wasn’t at least kind of interested. Recounting all the times, she would just look at me from a distance, which I’m sure she didn’t think I would notice. But her stare is a hard one to ignore. 

My mind drifts off to all the moments that I should have realized I was falling in love with her. I don’t know who I was kidding thinking I could survive just being friends with benefits.  

Hearing her cry on the other end of the phone the day after I held her in my office, I never walked out of the bar so fast. She sounded so panicked that I would have gone to her if I had known where she was. But the moment I got her to laugh, my heart felt different. 

Walking into my room and seeing her standing there defeated and drunk, fighting with the zipper on her pants, I know I laughed at her, but she was so cute. And then her in my sweatshirt with her bare legs staring back at me once I got the zipper apart for her. Leaving a kiss on my cheek before I left the room, my heart raced for so long after that. 

The night after we kissed, walking her to her car, she was absolutely terrified that she wouldn’t seem into it. Then she looked at me, leaning against my chest, and let out a quiet, “Jacob.” I knew I needed to kiss her again at that moment. The way she grabbed at my shirt when I did tells me that she was craving it, too. 

When she thought I was fully asleep on the couch, she slipped up and called me ‘baby.’ She just wanted to make sure I was comfortable, but if she only knew that having her curled up to me was enough. Feeling her tuck herself back into me, playing with my necklace as I drifted back to sleep, I could have stayed there forever. 

The entire day we spent in Salem. The fact she wanted me to be present with her, calling me ‘babe’ in public, how she kept holding my hand all day. She was always so shy when I would pay for things, but I wanted nothing more than for her to have a good day and try to make up for the fact that her tradition was disrupted. 

Nothing could have prepared me for the way she looked at me when we took pictures. Seeing it after, it’s written all over my face, even if I didn’t realize it in the moment. 

I’ll never know what possessed me to sing to her in that bar, but the smile on her face was worth it. Swaying around with her, her little giggles as I spun her away from me but quickly pulled her back in. All that I could see in my head was me twirling her around in a white dress someday. And god, she looked beautiful. 

The door creaks as it opens, bringing me back to earth. 

“Enjoying the cold?” Josh asks, walking over. 

I breathe out, “I guess.”

“Well, I’m going to head up,” He says, grabbing my shoulder. “It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.” 

“Yeah— I don’t know how ready I am,” I let out before telling him, “You can leave it unlocked. I’ll be up in a few.”

He pulls me into a hug, “Love you, don’t stay out here too long; it’s already getting late.” 

“Love you too.” 

He looks back at me before slipping inside, with a slight grin on his face, and says, “Just let me know if she shows back up.” 

I smile, giving him a slow nod, “Will do.” 

Something about the air tonight and the pep talks from both of my parents convinced me to stay out here for a little bit longer before going upstairs. Doing the mental gymnastics to make sure I don’t get my hopes too high. I slide my phone from my pocket, seeing that it’s only 11:35 p.m. I go to open my texts and it’s still on hers. 

Read at 11:02 p.m. 

Maybe she just got to her parents and that’s why she didn’t reply yet. 

I stare at my lock screen, a photo I snuck of her in Salem. She was so beautiful and happy. It’s mostly the back of her head as we were walking down the street, but she had glanced over as I took it so you can vaguely see her side profile. I don’t think she’s noticed that I did it, but if anything happens this weekend, I’ll change it. But for now, I’ll just keep her there. 

The streets are dimly lit and quiet now that everyone has gone home; I watch as a few snowflakes start to fall. I suck in a deep breath, letting it slowly leave my body, trying to release some of the anxiety, but the only thing I can do is look up at the moon and think, please come home, Charlotte. 

Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I stare down at my shoes for a moment, and then I hear footsteps. I let out a little breath before I looked over, biting the inside of my lip. 

“Hi.”

“Hey, you.” 

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Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Five

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[seenoversundown]

For Death Or Glory : Chapter Twenty-Three

Jake Kiszka x Charlotte (Fem OC)

Warnings: A little fluff, some very vague Sexual References, a handful of Unfortunate Scenarios, Anxiety, Mentions of Vomiting (super brief and non-descriptive) Anger, Description of a Panic Attack, and.. a lot of crying.

Word Count: 5.2k

Summary: It's the day before the anniversary and something is in the air.

Author's Note: ... I'm so sorry. 😔 The emotional turmoil this chapter has put me through- we all knew something would happen and I just.. we're all in this together, guys 😭🤧🖤 Love you all so much 🥺

Leaving My Love Behind - Lewis Capaldi "Could you tell me is it all a waste of time? Are you leaving my love behind? Baby, say the word and let me know."

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“Are you sure you need to leave now?” I ask her, squeezing her hand gently as we walk towards her car. 

“Yes, sadly,” She sighs. “I need to get a little work done and pack up some stuff for the weekend.”

I look over at her, forcing a slightly disgusted look on my face, “I guess that makes sense.. I don’t like it, though.” I wasn’t able to keep the look on my face, laughing the second she looked at me. 

“Maybe.. If you’re not still busy doing things later, I can come back?” She asks, raising her eyebrows at me. Like, I’ll say no? 

“You can come back even if I am busy,” I tell her. “It might motivate me to get shit done.” 

She turns to face me, giggling as she leans into me, “I’m suddenly feeling like a reward.”

“A very pretty one,” I whisper, kissing her gently. “The prettiest, actually.”

“Now you’re just trying to kiss my ass,” she laughs, gently hitting my chest.  

“Honey, I don’t think I need to try that hard for you to let me do that,” I say quietly, wiggling my eyebrows at her.  

“Jacob!” 

“What?”

“You know what.” 

“Am I wrong?” I ask, my eyebrow pops up, knowing that I’m absolutely correct.  

“I’m mad that you’re not,” she pouts for a moment until she looks back at me with a devilish little grin on her face.  “You could kiss wherever you wanted, babe,”

“You can’t say things like that,” I tell her, pointing at her when I quickly follow it up with,  “Don’t say anything else.”

“Oh, is Captain a little–” she starts to taunt me, but I cut her off. 

“Char,” I say sternly. “Unless you want anybody who walks by to know what I have going on, shut up.” She throws her head back with laughter, like the little shit that she is. 

“Okay, go do things so you can come back to me,” I pull open her car door for her, watching her plop herself into the seat. Her hands grabbed mine and tugged me down to her, the cute little smile she had on her face. I know what she’s waiting for. Leaning in to kiss her again and mumbling, “One more.”  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

“I heard that things must be going well with Ms. Charlotte,” Josh says under his breath. 

“Oh?”

“I guess she seemed pretty flustered when they asked about you,” he tells me. “Also, you two took pictures together, and you didn’t show me?” Oops. 

“Here,” handing him my phone to swipe through the pictures. 

“Oh, well, aren’t you two just precious?” He has a grin plastered on his face. “Look at both of you, just smitten.”

I can feel my face warm as he says it, admitting, “She is pretty great.” 

“Are you going to try and turn it into something?” He asks. 

“I’ve been trying to figure out how,” I tell him. “I feel like she’s starting to lean that way too.” 

“Well, maybe you should mention it,” his voice is filled with excitement. “I can’t imagine she would turn you down. I mean look at her?” He points at her face in one of the photos; her beaming at me before she had turned to the person taking our picture. 

I stare at her for a second before looking back over to him, “Maybe I will after this weekend.” 

Josh takes over with any customers who wander in so I can get everything organized. Thursday is going to be such a good day off after all this. 

I spend a few hours cleaning behind the bar, just trying to get rid of any random empty bottles or trash that have found a way to stay here. It’s helpful that there’s typically only a couple of us back here, so it’s never really terrible to pick up. 

In the middle of pulling some bottles to wipe down, I feel my phone start to vibrate against my leg. 

Why is she calling me? 

I flash my phone screen to Josh before walking down the hall to get away from the noise. I answer, a bit panicked,  “Mum, is everything okay?” 

“Well, our flights got delayed,” She tells me, which instantly makes me feel a bit better. “We won’t be able to stop by tonight. I’m sorry, sweetheart.” She sounds disappointed, which I hate. 

“No, it’s okay.” I breathe out. “As long as you get here, that’s what matters.”

“Oh, I can’t wait to squish your little face,” she says, already back to her usual self. 

I sit in the chair in my office, letting out, “I’ll be excited to see you tomorrow. I miss you.”

“And I miss you, sweets.” 

“Just let me know when you land?”

“Of course.” She says. “How’s everything going today? Are you excited for tomorrow?” 

“I think I’ll be more excited once everything’s done.” I breathe out, knowing I still need to do inventory before the night is over. 

“Josh said that you’ve been in a better mood lately..” the inflection in her voice tells me she’s up to something when she asks, “Who is she?” 

Of course, he told her. They gossip like two teenage girls, I swear. 

“It’s complicated,” I tell her, my voice quiet. “I do really like her, though.” 

She quickly asks, “What do you mean complicated?” 

“Uhh..” I hesitate.  I can’t tell my mom we’ve just been sleeping together. 

“Jacob Thomas!” She scolds before making me more uncomfortable.  “Please just don’t get her pregnant if that’s what you’re doing.” 

“Jesus- MOM,” I say, my hand flying up to cover my face. This can’t be happening right now. 

“I know you’ve had a rough go at dating, but sweetie, I don’t know if just hooking up would be good for you. I-.”

“Mum, please,” I cut her off. I’d rather chew on cement than listen to her talk about my sex life. “I actually really like this girl.” 

“Is she going to be there tomorrow?” 

“I think so,” I know I sound timid, but with the luck I’ve had in the past— it’s hard to sound confident about anything in the dating department. “Please don’t scare her, though. She’s still getting used to everyone.”

Her laugh radiates through the phone, “I’ll keep my mouth shut, but you better point her out.” 

“I can send you a picture so I don’t have to awkwardly point her out.” 

She yells, “You have a picture?!” 

My face is going to be permanently red at the rate I’m going, but I laugh quietly at her. “Yes, I’ll text it to you.” 

“Okay, well,” she starts, “Tell your brothers about the delay so they don’t worry.” 

“I will.” 

“Thank you, sweetheart. I’ll let you go, but.. don’t forget to send that picture. I love you!” 

“I won’t,” I giggle quietly. “I love you, too.” 

I quickly pull up my texts with her sending one of the pictures; otherwise, she’ll never leave me alone. I see the typing bubbles pop up a little too quickly. 

Mom: OMG 

Mom: Oh my she is BEAUTIFUL!! 😍

Mom: I love seeing you smile, sweetheart! 

Me: she is haha 

Me: thank you 🖤

I slide my phone back into my pocket, grab my notebook, and walk back out into the bar. Sam sat in his typical barstool when I came around the corner behind the bar. 

“Hi bud,” I look over at him, “What are you doing here?” Glancing around and not seeing Willa anywhere. 

“So..” he starts. “Remember how I took all those pictures for you?” He anxiously draws little figure eights on the bar top as he looks at me. 

I just hum back, “Mhm.”

“Well.. they’re gone,” his face cringing. 

I let out a long breath before dryly saying, “Wonderful. Did you come here just to tell me this?”

He snaps a picture with flash close to my face, and I just blink slowly at him a few times, “Okay— what are we doing here?” 

“I’m going to try to get new ones for you if that works,” he stares at me with a questionable smile. 

I look around at all the things I need to get done and back at him, “Uh, sure. Just do what you need to.” 

“I’ll try to be quick, promise!” He says, hustling off to take whatever photos he wants. It’s okay; he’ll get everything taken care of. 

I’m elbow-deep in doing inventory behind the bar when I suddenly hit a speed bump; it’s in the shape of my twin brother. 

“So, I think Quinn and I will try to get decorating done in the morning,” he tells me excitedly. The two of them really are the ones who planned the entire night because they love nothing more than celebrating things, apparently. 

I mumble back, “That’s great.”

“They made a bunch of things for the anniversary–” He continues on his tangent about the party. “We also decided to come up with a little specialty menu for you!”

“Mhm.” I don’t want to ignore him, but good god, I just need to get this shit done. 

Hearing him ramble on further, “And we thought this would be good because of–”

“Sure, Josh, whatever you want to do,” I know my tone probably sounds irritated, but he’s slowing me down with all his thoughts that he could have told me before I started this. 

My phone vibrates several times against my leg; what else could be going on? 

Danny: hey, I’m gonna be a few minutes late

Danny: this kid will not chill out. I think she’s just overtired and is refusing to lay down.

At least it’s not really his fault. I can’t blame him for that. 

Me: it’s okay, just get here when you can

What is in the air today? Seems like nobody can catch a break. Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I try to focus back on getting everything accounted for back here so I can escape to the back room. Which that part should go more smoothly.

I grabbed the receipt from the order that came in today, browsing through it to discover that one of the Downeast flavors we tried to get is back ordered. Sick. Slowly stocking the bar and bringing the rest of it to the back, I find another mistake. 

“What the fuck is going on,” I mutter to myself, as I’m moving the extra beer that we didn’t order in the back room to get it out of the way. It’s not that big of a deal. I’ll just call the distributor on Monday and figure it out. 

Grabbing my notebook again, I start writing down everything we have in stock in the backroom. Thankful that we didn’t have to order too many things for tomorrow because it’s looking like it wouldn’t have mattered. 

“I think I got enough shots to make up for the lost ones,” Sam’s voice rings through the room. 

I sigh, looking over at him, “I’m glad.”

“You okay…?” He asks sheepishly before whispering, “You seem mad.” 

I stare at him again for a moment and then let out, “I’m not. Just a bunch of dumb shit has happened, but it’s okay.” Running my hand through my hair when I remember. “Oh, by the way, Mom called. Their flight got delayed, so they’ll be here late.” 

He pouts his bottom lip slightly, “Are you supposed to be grabbing them from the airport?” 

“Yeah,” I breathe out. 

He taps his fingers against the doorframe a few times, “If I can borrow your car, I’ll pick them up.”

That would make my life a little easier.. 

“Sure, that’s fine,” I tell him. “I’ll get you my car key in a minute if you don’t mind hanging out.” 

He nods, “I’ll go piss off Josh until you’re done.” Disappearing into the hall, I close my eyes for a minute. Okay, there’s just a few more things, and then I can at least just be upfront until Char comes back. 

Once I finally finish doing inventory, I drop my notebook on my desk, grab my car key, and then walk out to find Sam. 

“Here you go, bud,” I say, handing it over to him. “Please, just don’t crash.”

He salutes with a quiet, “Got it.” 

We both turn to see a girl stumble out of the bathroom, somehow making it back to her group, which is sitting over in the corner. Sam looks over at me wide-eyed, and I just return the look with a slight smirk. 

“Wanna do me a favor and run some water over to her?” I pat Sam’s back a few times. He just nods and laughs, standing up from the barstool he claimed earlier. 

I walk over, pulling open the door to the bathroom she came out of. 

“Oh, Jesus Christ,” I say out loud. Can something else stupid happen? Please, I love that everything is going wrong today of all days. I glance around for a second, taking a deep breath; well.. not that deep of a breath. Turning around and waving Josh down quickly.

He raises a brow at me, taking a few steps closer. 

“That girl just threw up everywhere..” I tell him, a disgusted look on my face.  “I will be cleaning this up for a minute. Are you good?”

“Yikes,” he lets out. “Yeah, I’m good.”

“It’s the blonde in the corner, don’t let her order any more. I sent Sam over with water already.”

I grab our mop, as many towels and sprays as I can physically hold in my arms. Thank god this doesn’t happen too often, I think to myself, locking myself in the torture chamber. It’s an unfortunate thing that comes with the territory, so I’ve gotten better at cleaning up when it does happen. 

At least Char should be back here soon, I hope. I daydream about how I wish I could bring her with me on Thursday, I believe that full well that my parents would love her. But, knowing that she is already looking forward to texting me the whole day makes my heart swell. One day, I’ll get to bring her ‘home’ to my parents.

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I hear the door chime ring, even with the music and everyone talking. There she is. It’s embarrassing how excited I get when she walks in, but after the day I’ve had, thank god. I see her linger near the door, holding her phone up to her ear but hanging up after not even a minute of being inside. 

I wander towards her until she looks up and notices me. I let out a quiet, “Hey you.” I reach my arm out to hug her, but the moment I start to pull her in, she backs away from me. 

“What are you doing?” laced with an attitude from her. 

“I-” hesitating at her tone, whispering,  “Honey, what do you mean?” 

Her eyebrows pull together, “We’re in public, Jacob.” 

“Okay? Why is that an issue?”

“Nobody is supposed to know?” She snaps, fully with a scowl on her face; her words feel harsh for some reason. 

I don’t know what’s going on, because she seemed fine earlier today. Did I do something?

I calmly tell her, “I’m..sorry. I thought we were kind of past that.” My eyebrow raises at the look on her face. 

“It’s fine,” she sighs. Her head shakes a few times, and she looks down at her shoes, her arms crossed.  

“What’s wrong then?” I ask, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

She avoids eye contact and mutters, “Nothing.”

I fold my arms over my chest; my heart starts to pound as I tell her, “Try again.” 

“It doesn’t matter,” she practically spits out. The way she’s speaking to me makes my heart feel like it’s going to burst through my chest. She’s never been like this around me. I nod my head towards the hallway, getting out of the main part of the bar. 

“What’s going on?” I try to stay calm, though my hands are shaking.  

She snaps again, “I told you, I’m fine.” A pain shoots through my chest at the sound of it. 

I lowered my voice when I finally asked, “What do I have to do, Charlotte?” 

“What do you mean?” she responds, her eyebrows pulled together, seeming genuinely lost. 

“For you to just let me in. You make me think that we’re onto something, and now you’re acting like this?” I can’t stop my voice from slowly rising, letting a ‘fuck’ slip out.

“Babe-” she starts, but I cut her off quickly. 

My voice is stern when I ask,  “No— what did I do wrong?” My heart aches, and it’s causing the anger to take over. I feel myself starting to shake, tensing my muscles to try and stop it. 

She reaches for my arms, her voice sounding more panicked now, “Baby, just listen to me-.” I pull back from her like she already did to me; my heart hurts at the pet name, only adding fuel to the fire. You can’t just call me that when you’re acting like this.    

“That’s all I’ve been trying to do,” I spit out. “You gotta give me something, Char.” She stares quietly, her expression blank. I watch her swallow before I continue, “You’ve been fine telling me things for the last few weeks. Why not now?” 

It was the first time in my life that I should be the one who stopped talking, but the panic is winning;  I lay into her more, “What could have happened, Charlotte? I just saw you this morning. What is it?”

Her expression changed at this point; she looked scared, her voice shaking when she started to say, “It’s just.. It’s–” 

If you’re going to leave me, just fucking do it. 

“If I did something, just say it.” 

Her voice was laced with panic when she told me, “Jacob, it isn’t your fault if you would just let me-” 

I cut her off, my voice raised, and I finally snapped at her, “Then who fucking died for you to be acting like this?” 

I’ve never regretted saying something faster in my life; the moment it left my mouth, I knew I fucked up. I watch the tears instantly flood her eyes. Fucking hell, why would I say that– 

“I— No, I didn't mean that,” I try to recover as fast as I can; the anger I felt disappeared, realizing I just shoved my foot fully down my throat with that comment. But she shakes her head at me before quickly turning and walking fast down the hall towards the back door. “Char, wait-“ No, no, no, no.

She’s absolutely crying by this point, rightfully so, and walks out the back door. I might as well have run out of the bar, the cold air making it painful to breathe. A new type of panic is taking over. 

“Charlotte,” I pick up my pace, “I shouldn’t have said that, I’m sorry.” I’m practically out of breath just walking behind her. “Please, hun, stop.”

 “No, Jacob, you stop!” she yells, turning to face me. We can’t be back to ‘Jacob.’ I can’t. “You didn’t want to listen before; why am I going to waste my breath now?” The pain is clear on her face, the waver in her voice. God, I’m so fucking dumb.

“Honey, I-“

She cuts me off, “No, that wasn’t fucking fair,” her voice and hand shakes as she points at me and my heart breaks more seeing her cry. She sobs out, “And you know that.” The tears rolling down her face make my own throat tighten up. 

“No, I do. I do,” my own voice shakes this time. My chest feels like it’s caving in. The tears welled up and threatened to escape any second. I step closer to her, wiping her tears away as mine start to fall. Her sweet face just barely leaned into my hand; please don’t leave me. 

My other hand comes up to wipe my own face, but I can’t hold it back anymore, “Char, I’m so sorry,” comes out in a sob as I pinch the bridge of my nose, and I feel her close the gap between us. Wrapping her arms tight around me, my hand moves to hold the back of her head. I rest my face against her and close my eyes as I feel her body shake in my arms.  I can't lose her. 

“I’m so sorry, honey. I didn’t mean that, I swear to god.” I manage to quietly let out as I hold her close to me. I hate myself for hurting you. 

After a minute, pulling back to look at her, holding her jaw in my hands, the saddest kiss I’ve ever experienced. The feeling of her tears rolling over my thumbs as her lips press into mine, and I'm trying to hold it together long enough to get through it. Everything about the moment feels like this is ending, and we’re both just avoiding saying it. 

“Please don’t leave,” I manage to choke out, leaning my forehead against hers, “please.”  

 “I’m so sorry, Jacob,” she whispers back. “I just- I think I need to go.”

“No,” Slips out. I can’t stop the sob that comes out with it, feeling pathetic. “Please, tell me what’s wrong.” 

She shakes her head ‘no’ but reaches out, wipes my tears, and whispers, “One more.” She leans in, kissing me softly as both of our lips shake. I hold her close for as long as she’ll let me because I don’t know when or if I’ll get to again after this. I love you, Charlotte. I hope you know that. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

 I watch as her car pulls away and drives off, doing everything in my power not to scream. My body hurts from choking back the heartbreak. 

“God damnit,” falls from my mouth. Trying to swallow the sob that’s sitting in my throat, more tears fall as I’m trying to blink them away. How did I fuck this up so bad? 

I lean against the wall, around the corner from the bar, sliding down until I’m sitting on my feet. Everything just comes out; a hard sob comes out a bit louder than I would have liked, but at this point, I can’t stop it.

 “Oh my god– Jake,” I hear Josh’s voice.  

His hands wrapped around my shoulders, forcing me to stand, and my head hung low. 

“Hey, what’s going on? What happened?”

I  look up at him finally, red-eyed, tears falling down in full force. My chin quivers, and I can’t stop myself from falling into him. Gripping the back of his shirt, I’m practically yelling into his shoulder. She can’t be gone. 

“She left,” I struggle to get out. 

“Charlotte?” 

“Yes,” my voice shakes, “I don’t know what to do.” 

“Ope, oh god, no,” he whispers; I can feel his breathing change a little. He backs up to look at me, wiping the tears off my face. His eyes also welled up, looking all over to try and find an answer.

“Jake, you need to take a breath for me,” his voice shakes as he does his best to instruct while tears start to fall down his face. 

I pull my hands up, covering my face, knowing I can’t look at him as I finally admit the truth, “I’m in love with her, Josh. God, I feel like I’m gonna throw up,” I cry; hearing it out loud just makes it more real. My stomach turning as I think about her.  

“I know you are,” he whispers, rubbing my arms to keep in contact with me. “I have no doubt in my mind— she loves you too.”

Hearing Josh sniffle loudly, I look up to see him standing there, one hand on my shoulder and the other covering his mouth as he watches me. 

“I can’t lose her,” I say shakily. “I– I can’t.” My chest is heaving as the panic comes out, shaking my head at the thought. “Oh god, I feel so stupid. I—”

“Jake, breathe.” 

I feel pathetic as I struggle to take a deeper breath, hearing the jagged sounds as I inhale and slowly let it back out. Fighting the urge to cry with every long breath. I just want her. My voice is practically a whimper when I let out, “Josh, my heart fucking hurts.. I don’t know what to do.”

He goes to say something but pauses, pinching the bridge of his nose to fight back the tears that are sitting in his eyes. 

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. I hate seeing him upset, even if it’s unintentional. 

He quickly waves his hand at me, “Stop, stop, just give me a second. This isn’t at all how I wanted to help you.” He looks up at the sky, sucking in a deep breath before finally looking back at me. 

“I need you to just go home, okay?” he tells me. “I’ll close the bar down; just go take a hot shower or go crawl into bed, but you do not need to be back in there right now.”

“Okay,” I give in easily; I don’t think I could compose myself enough to be there. 

“I know you are going to want to talk to her, but you need to give her the space she wants–,” he starts. I just nod along, knowing he’s right but wishing he wasn’t. He whispers, “Oh, I'm so sorry, Jake.” He pulls me into another hug, rubbing my back for a minute as I just let the tears flow into his shirt.  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

It’s taking everything in me not to slam every door behind me and throw my boots across the room. Why did I say that? I sat on the end of my bed with my head in my hands for a few minutes. I raked my brain for anything that I could have said this morning that maybe was too much or if she had mentioned something, that would have made more sense as to why she was so upset.

“I need to work a little and then pack my stuff for the weekend.” 

The only thing she said that I feel like could have put her in a bad mood, but even then, is she just upset about having to spend the weekend with her parents? She never really brought up what her plan was outside of that. She did come into the bar on the phone, maybe one of her parents pissed her off, and I just made it worse? 

My phone lit up next to me, pulling me out of my head for a second. 

Charlotte: I made it home

Immediately, feeling tears sit in my eyes again. I stare at the message for a minute, debating on how to even respond without just spilling all my feelings to her. 

Charlotte, I love you. No- I’m so fucking in love with you. Maybe I messed up by letting myself fall for you when you said we could just be friends with benefits, but you’re more than I could have imagined. I just want to go back and actually shut up so you could talk. I don’t know why I didn’t just let you tell me what was wrong. That’s a lie. I panicked because I thought you didn’t want to keep me around anymore. I would never intentionally hurt you like I did; I honestly didn’t mean it, and god- I wish I never let that come out of my mouth. It was wrong and disrespectful, and that’s the last thing I ever wanted to do to you. I want to keep you to myself forever. You’re so beautiful and kind and everything I could have dreamt of. I want to spend forever showing you how special you are and giving you the love that you deserve because, my god, you deserve the sun, the moon, and everything in between. 

But– I can’t say that. 

Me: 🖤

I set my phone back down, knowing she isn’t going to say anything else. It’s hard to believe that I even have anything left in me to cry at this point. The tears land on my screen as I stare at it, waiting to see if she opens the text. The screen dims, and just before it would have locked, I see it change from ‘delivered’ to ‘read.’ The typing bubble pops up, and I flip my phone over. I’m not ready to read whatever she’s going to say. 

I feel the slight vibration from her text coming through, and I just leave my phone there. I grab one of my pillows and tuck my arm underneath it as I lay down. Closing my eyes, I try not to think of what she could have said. 

My heart aches as I lay there, doing everything in my power to think of anything else, but she plagues my mind. Her laugh, how she looks at me, the way her hands feel in mine. This can’t be over– I can’t let her go. The tears just continuously fall into my pillow as I try to fall asleep. Honey, I need you. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

“Jake?” 

Josh’s voice startles me awake as he’s sat on the edge of the bed. I look up at him as he reaches over, tucking my hair behind me. 

“Why don’t you at least get comfortable, huh?” He whispers, gesturing at the fact I’m still completely dressed from earlier. “I’ll grab you a sweatshirt. It’s a bit chilly.” 

I unbutton and slide my jeans off, tossing them on the floor next to me before moving under the comforter. 

“Here,” Josh says quietly, handing me the sweatshirt and taking the shirt I had on from me. I pull it over my head and then immediately lay back down. He pulls the blankets up to cover me, sitting back down. “Do you want me to stay for a few minutes?” 

I just nod. His hand runs down the back of my head a few times before he just holds my shoulder, scratching gently to try and help me fall back to sleep. We sat there in silence for a while, having him in the room was enough to help keep me calm. I eventually drifted off, long enough for him to finally leave. I wouldn’t say that I slept well by any means, but I slept some. I tossed and turned relentlessly throughout the night, having to convince myself to sleep again. 

I grab my phone to check the time. 5:32 a.m. glows back at me. I don’t know if it’s curiosity or if I like to torture myself, but I unlock my phone, click on my messages and tap on her name, reading the message and setting my phone back down. I close my eyes, feeling a single tear run down my face before I drift back off to sleep. 

Charlotte: Goodnight Jacob

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Four

FDOG Master Post | Masterlist | Playlist

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