Chapter 64

Jake Has there ever been a more tormented male than me? I’ve asked myself that question a billion times tonight.

Sighing, I glance up from my spot around the fire, clenching the red cup in my hand that isn’t filled with anything but water. I haven’t had alcohol tonight, but someone else has…

“Look at this dance move!” Winnie shouts and throws off her hoodie to practice doing some weird belly dance. Seriously?

Now she is losing her clothes?!

Gah!

I hate this. Winnie is tipsy and having too much fun dancing with Cindi and the other girls in front of the fire. She doesn’t seem to realize watching her is turning me on. I can’t wait to get alone with her, but we won’t leave the woods tonight if she keeps drinking.

It’s such a shame.

The weather forecast promised thunder, so I thought it would be nice to sleep at a hotel. Winnie doesn’t normally like thunderstorms, but looking at her now, I’m unsure if she wants to leave…

“Jake, Jake, Jake!” Winnie shouts from the other side of the fire when she notices me looking at her.

There is a huge grin on her face. “You should come and dance with us too!”

“You expect me to dance?”I arch an eyebrow, close to laughing at my drunk girlfriend.

Winnie has this drunk look on her face now, but Cindi is even worse off. She can barely stand up straight and wears a big smile. It baffles me how quickly she bonded with Winnie after a few glasses.

“Come on, it will be fun!” Winnie promises me and flicks her finger back and forth to motion for me to come. “I know you wanna come here! Come and put your hands on me and dance with me!

“Nah… I don’t like to dance… I rather sit here…” I tell her teasingly, knowing she will pout at me.

“No, come here!”

“Nope.”

“You’re no fun!” Winnie’s eyebrow knit with frustration, and a pout grows on her lips. She even crosses her arms over her chest. “If I’m not drunk, how will I ever have the courage to ask you to belly dance again?”

I snort. “Belly dance?”

“I want to see you throw off your t-shirt when you dance for me. Show me those abs…”

Oh, hell no. Winnie can’t be voicing her thirst for me and think she will get away with it after she has tormented me for an hour!

I quickly get rid of my empty cup and stand up from my place. Winnie gives me a questioning look as I approach her, unsure of what I’m about to do. Her chin tilts up, and I smile.

“Time to ve.”

Quickly, I take her hand in mine and pull her into me. She laughs when she crashes into my chest. It’s not a hard impact. I’m not here after hurting her, but I’m feeling cuddly and need her to understand that we ain’t staying here a second longer.

I rub her back, hug her, and try to charm her. It earns me a confused laugh from Winnie. “What are you doing?”

I’m still stroking her. “Trying to charm you into leaving… is it working?”

Her smile spreads wider but vanishes into thin air at the sound of thunder in the distance. There is a weird pause after it, then the rain comes out of nowhere, and everyone panics around the fire.

“Shit!” Raegan swears. “The storm is coming!”

Cindi, drunk as heck, stands up on her wobbly feet. “Everyone, start packing your stuff! We will sleep in the minibus!”

She turns to Winnie and me as her friends throw stuff into their backpacks. “Will you guys be alright?

Your tent and car are further up the slope, right? Do you want to stay with us? There isn’t much space, but it’s pouring right now.

Winnie trembles, but I give her a reassuring smile. “Thank you, but we will be fine. I haven’t had any alcohol, so I can drive us to a hotel,” I peer down at Winnie, who smiles hesitantly. “You want that more than staying in a tent or a minibus, right?”

She nods.

It’s the only sign I need to grip her hand tighter. We say our goodbyes to the others, and then we are finally on our way. The rain is coming down cold.

Winnie coughs a few times, and I feel terrible for not saying yes to staying in the minibus.

The rain comes down even heavier the closer we get to the car, and my guilt is eating me alive. Winnie is trying her hardest to keep up with me, but at some point, I just pick her up into my arms. It will be faster since she is tipsy and she doesn’t complain.

“We are soon by the car,” I clutch her to my chest and grimace at her wet hair and the water that won’t stop coming down. ” Horrible weather, isn’t it?” I ask to try and make light out the situation.

There isn’t a response. And when Winnie coughs again and shields her face from the rain by burying herself into my shoulder, I can’t stop feeling guilty and like the worst boyfriend on earth.

“I’m sorry… we should have stayed in that minibus…” I mutter, angry at myself for hiking up the slope in this weather.

To my surprise, Winnie shakes her head, though. I peer down at her in wonder, and she smiles. “Even though it’s raining, I’m happy to finally be alone with you. I’ve been waiting for this all day.”

“Oh, really?” I breathe a laugh. “Because you seemed to like spending time with the others. Especially with Cindi-the two of you were quite the duo dancing in front of that fire.”

“It was fun,” she agrees, then her lips curl into an even bigger smile. “But the point of coming out into the woods with you was so I could finally tell you I’m in love with you.

That gives me pause. We are standing right by the car, drenched in cold water, but I’m frozen in motion. Winnie is the first one to move. She slips down from my arms, takes the car key, and opens the trunk.

I’m still dazed by her words, and Winnie’s cheeks turn pink. She is definitely misreading my silence as something bad. I should speak out, tell her how long I’ve loved her too. I know we have given each other our declarations of love and affection, but you can’t say stuff like that too often-even now, I’m shocked by Winnie telling me she loves Because while I knew she liked me, saying the L-word out in the rain hits differently. A smile spreads over my lips, and then I follow her to sit in the trunk of the car. The door closes, and we are both breathing hard.

For a long ment, all we do is stare at each other. Winnie is sitting with her legs pulled to her body, and I’m lying down, too tall to sit up without brushing my head against the ceiling.

We smile at each other, both shy, until I can no longer keep quiet. “You love me?”

Her lips can’t hide the shy smile that curls over her lips. “I do… I mean, you probably knew I was in love with you already. I wouldn’t be dating you if I didn’t like you, but… the more time I spend with you, the more I’m beginning to realize that I can see a future with you.

I stare at her, and Winnie’s cheeks turn pinker. “This is hard for me to say, but I think I’ve been dense. I never realized that you were more to me than a friend, but I think you always were. I just didn’t get it.

Now I’m getting it, though, and it’s scary. I really like you, Jake. But it’s early, and I don’t want to rush into anything, but-”

“Nonsense,” I interrupt her and smile. ” We have been friends since the beginning of time, and I’ve been in love with you for years. We aren’t rushing into things; we are finally both realizing this is more than a friendship. And you and I will last no matter the pace.”

Her eyes widen. “How can you be so sure?

Another soft laugh leaves my lips. It’s time to come clean, no matter how pathetic I may sound.

“Because I’ve been in love with you for as long as I can remember. It’s always been you. Only you, and I can’t see myself together with anybody else. You’re my best friend and future, and I way.”

won’t want it a other She looks moved. “That’s so sweet,” she whispers and then frowns. “I’m sorry I never realized until now how I felt.”

I shrug. “Not your fault. We can’t help how we feel. I’m just glad to be here with you now,” I can tell Winnie is thinking about something important, and I poke her leg. “So, what was it that you wanted to tell me? You said you didn’t want to rush into something, but you obviously had something on your mind.”

She gives me a hesitant smile. “Well… I was wondering if we could… you know… look at an apartment together?” Before I can respond, she holds up her hands in panic. “I mean! You can keep paying rent for the flat you own together with Mark. But if I do my internship in your town and find my own apartment, then you could… I don’t know… stay at my place?”

I can’t believe she already wishes to move in together, but it feels right. Back in our hometown, we practically did live together. Winnie didn’t see me as a man back then, but we shared a bed and shit.

“Sure,” I tell her, grinning. “Let’s look for a better flat than the one Mark will keep to himself.”

Winnie giggles. “This is crazy… we are moving too fast… we will crash, and it will be bad, but why does it feel so right?”

I take off her shoe and squeeze her wet foot, warming it in my hand as I peer up into her eyes. “When you’re in a relationship, stop thinking with your head and instead, feel with your heart. If this feels right, then let’s just do it.”

Her smile is trembling. “It does feel right.

“Then let’s move in together.”

Her whole face lit up. “I would love that!”