Chapter 39: Chapter 38. I Have an Entire Day Planned Out

CLAIRE

Valentine’s Day. The day of love. A day filled with affection, kisses, and hugs. It was my least favorite day of the year.

I was jolted awake at nine a.m. by the buzz of my phone. I groaned, rolling over on the mattress and burying my face in the pillow of Nancy’s guest bed.

Nancy had left the night before, heading out with a man. I couldn’t help but grin, knowing she had left with him because she secretly liked him.

~Maybe this one will finally tame the Great Tease, Nancy.~ I thought with a hint of sarcasm.

I yawned, reaching for my phone when it buzzed again. Reading the message, I groaned aloud.

Blake

Get your butt up. I’ll be at Nancy’s in half an hour to get you. We’ve got quite a ride ahead of us. And don’t forget: I wasn’t kidding about dragging your sorry butt out, either.

I cursed Blake under my breath for waking me up so early. I honestly didn’t think he was serious. I didn’t want to get up. I wanted to stay in bed, sleep, and maybe eat some ice cream.

I didn’t want to go out, or get dressed, or do anything today. I despised this holiday!

Before I could toss my phone aside, a new message popped up. I nearly choked as I read it. It was like he had read my mind!

Blake

I’m not kidding. If I don’t get a response back in two minutes, I’ll be over right now to drag your butt out of bed! Tick tock, sweetheart

My eyes widened and I quickly scrambled out of bed, not wanting him to show up at Nancy’s and find me in my blue lacy underwear and see-through blue tee shirt that barely covered anything.

I just didn’t like wearing pants to bed. What can I say?

I quickly texted him back, telling him I was up and would be ready in half an hour. After sending the message, I got up from the bed and stretched my tired limbs.

A thought crossed my mind. Today was Valentine’s Day. I might as well make the most of it. After all, someone was taking me out.

I grinned, nodding to myself. I would put a little extra effort into my outfit today. I wouldn’t wear a dress, as it was still February and a bit chilly. So, I opted for a more casual, cute outfit.

I opened the closet doors, revealing a room full of clothes Nancy had bought me, but I had never worn. I never really felt the need to dress up and look pretty. But today, I had an excuse.

After some time, I picked out a maroon crop top, black leggings, a cream sweater, and ankle-high black wedges. Looking in the mirror, I decided to apply a touch of makeup.

I carefully drew a perfect wing on each eye, layered my lashes with mascara, and applied a touch of dark red lipstick to my lips.

Looking at my reflection, I smiled. I looked pretty; like a goddess. The outfit I wore wasn’t something a goddess would wear, but I felt like one nonetheless.

~This is going to be great. You’re going to get out of the house and have some fun!~ I told myself, just as the doorbell rang.

I bit my lip, trying to suppress the grin that threatened to spread across my face. Taking a deep breath, I hurried down the stairs, grabbing my satchel on the way.

As I opened the door, my eyes widened slightly at the sight of Blake’s outfit.

He was wearing a white tee-shirt that hugged his torso, black jeans with holes at the knees, black shoes, and a grey beanie. A black jacket was layered under his blue jean jacket. He looked like a bad boy. The kind that looked sexy no matter what they wore. Blake looked hot.

I wasn’t the only one who thought so. I felt my cheeks heat up as his eyes slowly traveled up and down my body, pausing for a moment to smirk at the sliver of skin showing on my stomach.

I bit my lip, clearing my throat.

His grey eyes met mine, and he groaned aloud. “You’re killing me here,” he mumbled, leaning against the door frame.

I cocked an eyebrow at him, leaning on my hip. “How?” I asked, crossing my arms, my satchel still in my hand.

“Your outfit. You look sexy,” he said, his voice dropping an octave. I grinned, loving the effect I had on him.

I shrugged nonchalantly, stepping out of the doorway and locking the door. “You don’t look too bad yourself,” I told him, secretly drooling over him.

His eyes were filled with lust and desire as he looked at me, before a small chuckle escaped his lips. It was almost an evil chuckle.

He took a step forward, his body nearly brushing against mine, causing a shiver of anticipation to run through me.

I swallowed hard, not liking how his lips leaned down so they brushed my earlobe, making me shudder again.

Then, before I could even speak, his lips crashed against mine. His lips were soft and moved in sync with mine. The kiss was passionate and I didn’t hesitate to kiss him back. I was addicted to his kisses.

His lips were warm, soft, and gentle against my slightly chapped ones. When he pulled back, I giggled.

My lipstick was smeared all over his lips and he licked them, his brows furrowing as he tasted the strange flavor.

“Interesting,” he murmured, glancing back at me. “Tastes like glue, kind of,” he said, licking his lips again.

I quickly stopped him. “Stop,” I told him, grabbing some napkins from my satchel and wiping the lipstick from his lips. After I was done, I reapplied a thin layer of lipstick.

Blake smirked, leaning back down to me. “You know what else is interesting?” He paused, leaving a kiss on my earlobe, causing a warm sensation to course through my body.

“What?” I breathed, my voice hoarse.

“I have the same effect on you, as you have on me,” he replied, before grabbing my hands and pulling me down with him.

A small yelp escaped my lips. “Really?” I scolded him, narrowing my eyes and slapping him on the back.

He jumped and let out a hiss of breath. “Not so hard, woman. I know how strong you are,” he mumbled the last part, making me grin in victory.

“And don’t you forget it,” I replied cheekily, climbing onto the back of his motorcycle.

Blake’s gaze narrowed, a question in his eyes. “You’re not scared?” He gestured towards his motorcycle.

I scoffed, shaking my head. “Not at all. Actually, I’ve always wanted to ride one,” I said, laughing at the small pout that formed on his lips.

“Don’t worry, Blake. I’ll still hold onto you, tightly,” I teased, my tone a mix of playful and seductive. His lips curved into a smile as he climbed onto the bike.

“Hold on, babe.” He grinned, revving up the motorcycle.

***

A few hours later, we finally slowed down. My arms were wrapped tightly around Blake, clinging to his muscular torso as we navigated through city streets and deserted roads.

I was growing tired and hungry, my arms aching from holding onto him so tightly. My face was buried in his back, the wind whipping against my cheeks, turning them a rosy red.

When we finally stopped, I lifted my head, blinking in an attempt to focus on what was in front of me.

I yawned, but my breath hitched as I took in the massive building before me, the letters W13 emblazoned on it. My jaw dropped in surprise.

We were at a wrestling tournament. I turned to look at Blake, his eyes sparkling with delight. “H-how,” I stuttered, at a loss for words. “When?” I asked, looking at him in disbelief.

He shrugged. “A while ago. It’s not a big match or anything. Just a simple wrestling match. I figured you wouldn’t be too impressed with a typical dinner date. So, I thought of this.” He smiled.

I couldn’t help but smile back, excitement bubbling up inside me. I tried to contain it, to play it cool, but I couldn’t hold back.

With a squeal of delight, I threw myself into Blake’s arms, hugging him tightly. “Thank you, thank you, thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me,” I told him, my voice muffled against his chest. His arms wrapped around my waist, holding me close. He rested his chin on top of my head.

“No problem. I knew you needed a break,” he replied, pressing a kiss to my forehead. When we pulled back, I was still grinning as he pulled out the tickets. He waved them in front of me, teasing.

My eyes were glued to the tickets. The match was from noon to three o’clock. There would be several matches, each one lasting until one of the wrestlers was knocked out.

This was my kind of wrestling match. I grinned to myself, grabbing a ticket and racing towards the line to hand them in.

Blake laughed, jogging to catch up with me. As we approached the entrance, I handed my ticket to the man at the gate, noticing the way his eyes roamed over my body.

He was probably in his late twenties, muscular, and had the look of a tough guy with a soft heart. Just like all of them.

Blake noticed too, and possessively wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me close. He shot the man a glare, a silent challenge in his eyes.

The man simply smirked, taking Blake’s ticket and letting us in.

I shot Blake a glare. “Really? No need to act like a jealous boyfriend,” I told him, rolling my eyes as I tried to find our seats. We were somewhere in the middle of the fourth row.

Blake rolled his eyes in response. “He was checking you out, knowing I was right there. I think I had the right. Besides,” Blake suddenly gripped my hips, pulling me against his chest.

His lips traveled down to my earlobe, where he blew gently.

“Today, you are mine,” he whispered, releasing me and taking the paper that indicated where our seats were. A shiver of desire ran through me as I took a deep breath, closing my eyes, and trying to compose myself.

“Ah, here we are,” I heard Blake say cheerfully, taking my arm and leading me to the middle row of four, seats 221 and 222.

As we sat down, he wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to him. I grinned, resting my head on his chest, as we waited for the matches to start. I was beyond excited.

I had never been to a real wrestling match. When I was younger, my parents couldn’t afford it. Plus, my mom thought it was too violent for a child.

But now, I was finally going to see a live wrestling match, and I was absolutely giddy with anticipation!

***

At three o’clock, Blake and I left the building. I was grinning like a fool, while Blake looked horrified.

I couldn’t help but laugh at his shocked expression. “I never knew men would be so cruel as to beat someone with a chair, just to win a match,” he mumbled, causing me to laugh even harder.

With a shrug, I replied, “It was a win or lose match. The winner is the one who isn’t unconscious. Some people will do just about anything to win,” I told him.

He nodded, swallowing hard. “I just never really saw it in real life,” he said, staring blankly at his bike.

I chuckled and patted his back. “So pure and innocent. It’s adorable,” I teased, laughing when he shot me a glare.

“I’m sorry, for never seeing a grown man pick up a metal chair from the ground and start beating his opponent with it, just to win. I didn’t know it was so popular these days,” he retorted sarcastically.

“Trust me, it’ll get worse as the generations go on,” I said.

He just rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Whatever. Anyway, we’re not quite done yet. It’s only three o’clock and we’ve still got nine hours until Valentine’s Day is over. So, come on. We’ve got places to be, people to see, and food to eat.”

Blake cheered, hopping onto his bike.

I gaped at him. “You mean there’s still more things planned?” I asked in disbelief.

He nodded, looking offended. “As if I would just leave now. No. I have an entire day planned out for us.” He grinned, patting the seat behind him.

“Now, hop on. We have a movie to catch in an hour. Don’t want to be late, right?” He grinned cheekily. I rolled my eyes, climbing onto the back of his bike as he started it up again. Today was going to be a long day.

***

True to his word, an hour later, Blake and I arrived at the movie theater. Blake wouldn’t let me see what movie he had chosen, but he did let me pick the candy.

We grabbed a big bowl of popcorn, buttery and warm, mixed with Skittles, Twix, Junior Mints, and a handful of Reese’s.

As we approached the theater entrance, I froze, my eyes widening at the movie title: ~Oculus~. It was a horror flick, and I absolutely loathed those. I backed away, shaking my head vigorously.

“No way, no way. I can’t watch this. It’s a horror movie, and I can’t stand horror movies,” I protested, standing my ground.

Blake just rolled his eyes, grabbing my arm. “You’re watching it. No arguments. Plus,” he paused, a grin spreading across his face. “You’ve got me to keep you safe.” With that, he tugged me into the dark, ominous theater.

***

An hour and forty-five minutes later, I practically sprinted out of the theater. My breath was coming in ragged gasps, my eyes wide with terror. My hands were shaking, and I was a sweaty, nervous wreck.

When Blake strolled out, cool as a cucumber, I nearly lost it. “You—you ass! How can you be so calm? Did you even watch that movie? The mirror! The dad! The kids!” I shouted, my breath hitching.

Blake just laughed. “Relax, it wasn’t that terrifying. And besides, I’ve seen it before.” He shrugged it off.

I narrowed my eyes at him, punching his shoulder. He winced, clutching his shoulder. “Why’d you make me watch it if you’d already seen it?” I demanded, crossing my arms.

He just grinned. “Gave me another excuse to touch you.” He replied. I rolled my eyes at his cheesy response.

“Whatever. It’s five ten. What’s next?” I asked him.

“Now, we go to dinner.” He answered, taking my hand and leading me to his motorcycle.

I couldn’t help but smile as we pulled into the parking lot of Molly’s Diner.

“Like I said before, I know you’re not into fancy restaurants. You appreciate the simple things. Things that hold meaning for you. And Molly’s Diner means something to you,” Blake explained, a smile playing on his lips.

I returned his smile, planting a kiss on his cheek, before we headed inside.

We chatted and laughed as we waited for our food. Molly and I shared a warm hug and a quick catch-up before she had to get back to work.

Blake teased me about my tiny bites, while I ribbed him about the ketchup smeared all over his face.

By the time we finished dinner, it was seven forty-five.

After we left the diner, Blake took me to the woods. He held my hand as we walked, and when we stopped, there was a picnic blanket spread out on a hill, complete with snacks and drinks.

We talked for hours, gazing at the stars as the sun set. And when the clock struck midnight, Blake turned to me, a soft smile on his face, before he spoke.

“Claire, will you be my girl?”