Him

Double Trouble

"No way!"

"Oh come on."

"No way Jake. I'm not getting on."

"It's not that bad," Jake tries to reason.

I should probably explain what's going on. Today is my shopping trip with Jake. He told me to meet him in the parking lot. When I got out here he asked if I was ready and motioned towards his motorcycle. He seriously thinks we are taking that deathtrap to the mall.

No way. We have literally been arguing about it for ten minutes. Well sorry I don't want to die today. I have so much to look forward to! Like actually graduating and college. So I'm not getting on.

"No thanks. I don't want to die."

"You're not going to die," Jake chuckles.

"You never know!" I reason.

Jake frowns and moves towards my car. Oh good we are taking m- what is he doing? As soon as he gets to my car he stops and leans on the hood. Seriously? I don't think he's going to move.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

He says nothing. He just crosses his arms.

"Are you pouting?"

He looks down at the ground. Oh my gosh. The bad boy is pouting. What a sight! Maybe I should just ride the motorcycle. I'm sure he's a good driver. It won't be that bad.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "Fine, you win."

Jake's face brightens up and he comes towards his motorcycle. Wow, he's such a child. At least we can finally go.

Jake pulls out a helmet. I wait for him to pull out another one, but he doesn’t. He closes the compartment and holds the helmet out for me.

Wait! He's not going to wear one.

"I'm not taking that. You're the driver. You should wear it," I say crossing my arms.

He smiles and lifts the helmet up. Instead of putting it on his head, he places it on mine. His hands don’t leave the sides of my face for a while. The way he is looking at me, I don't know. I can't really explain the feelings I'm getting.

Jake moves away and gets on his motorcycle. I slowly follow. When I get on I start to put my arms around his waist but stop. What if he doesn't want me to? He'll think I am weird.

The engine roars loudly causing me to jump. Jake notices and reaches backwards. He grabs my hands and puts them around his waist. I am careful to not brush my body against his.

"You can hold on tighter if you want,” He yells to me.

I do what he suggests and push myself closer to him. "Is this okay?" I ask him.

He noticeably stiffens but quickly moves so I won’t notice. Even though I already noticed I don’t say anything. "Y-yes," He says.

And with that we are off. I squeal at the light jerk as we move. This is my first time on a motorcycle ever. To say I am nervous would be an understatement. Frightened is a way better word to use.

Pretty quickly my fear washes away. It is pretty fun! Everything goes by quickly and the colors smash together. It is actually really pretty from my view on the motorcycle. Even though I am not as scared, I don’t let go of Jake.

I'm seriously afraid to let go. Somehow I'll end up flying off. Like a bird. Not even a graceful bird. I'd probably look identical to Ron's owl from Harry Potter. Except after my fall, I wouldn't get up. Yeah, I'd die.

So letting go is not an option.

Finally we reach the mall. I get off the motorcycle but Jake has to grab my arm. My legs feel like jelly and I almost fall. I hear Jake quietly chuckle behind me. Does he think this is funny?

"Don't laugh at me," I pouts.

"Sorry. First time on a motorcycle?" He asks.

"Yeah..."

"Thought so."

We walk into the mall and I quickly lead Jake to a*****e. He sighs as he looks around. Clearly he doesn't like this store or shopping. I'm sure he'll be fine though.

After I had picked a few outfits, I look at Jake. He's barely said anything. I bet he's so bored. Well, I'll just make him help me.

"I need one more shirt," I say looking around.

"You said that two shirts ago," Jake groans.

"It'll go faster if you help me."

"Cause clearly I'm a great shopper."

I laugh at his response. He's probably right though. Two shirts catch my attention. They are both a reddish color, one lighter than the other.

"Which one?" I ask Jake holding them up. He gives me a look and then looks at the shirts.

"Aren't they the same?" He asks.

I sigh and lower the shirts. "No, they aren't the same. This one is red and the cross is to the left with a heart. And this one is scarlet with the heart and cross on the other side."

Jake gives me a flat look. "Well, they look the same to me. Why are girls so picky?"

"Picky? I want my outfit to look good. And- Never mind. You're right. The scarlet one is better."

"What. I did not say that!"

Giggling I walk away and pay for my clothes. The lady at the register is quick. Which is good because Jake is definitely not patient.

"Have a nice day," The lady says.

"Thanks. You too."

I meet Jake by the door. He opens it for me and we leave. I have quite a few bags. Maybe Jake would want to carry some. I'm not going to ask him though, because I already forced him to come here with me.

Just then I drop a bag and trip. I accidentally pull Jake down with me. Great, I think. This is like Owen all over again. Looking down I see Jake looking at me. I watch as his eyes trail down to my lips for a second as if he is going to kiss me.

He gives me a small smile and I return it. Butterflies are jumping around in my stomach. I can feel tingles where his body is touching mine. I don’t want to get up.

Realization hits me quick. I get up and pick up some bags. Nervously I reach for more, but Jake stops me. He picks up the rest and helps me to my feet. I am still feeling slight tingles. I also notice how there isn’t as much warmth without him.

"Um so," He say slowly.

"Right so, um," I have no idea what to say. I scratch the back of my head and let out an awkward laugh. Avoiding his eyes I look around.

Something catches my eye and I squeal.

"What? Are you okay?" Jake asks concerned.

"40% off on the boots I've been wanting," I exclaim.

He sighs. I know he was hoping we'd be leaving soon but not yet. Not until I get those boots!

"Come on!" I say as I pull Jake with me. He just shakes his head and smiles. He lets me pull him through the crowd and into the store.

I find my size quickly. Just to make sure they fit okay, I try them on. They make me about two inches taller. I take a few steps and fall into Jake. He steadies me with a laugh.

"If you can't walk in them, maybe you shouldn't buy them," He teases.

I hit him in the chest playfully and sit back down. After taking the boots off I pay for them and we leave.

"You're lucky my motorcycle has compartments," Jake says motioning to the bags.

"I don't have that many Jake."

"No, no. Of course not."

We barely manage to get them all in but we do. After that we head to the school so I can get my car and go home.

We get to the school quickly. This time I get off the motorcycle slowly. I don't want jelly legs again. Once was embarrassing enough. I take off his helmet and hand it back to him. After he sets it on the seat, he helps me with my bags.

I shut my trunk and turn to him.

"Thanks. I had a really good time with you," I say.

"Me too. Even though I really didn't have a choice," He jokes.

I smile at him. He seems like such a great guy. Hopefully we'll get to hang out more. That would be awesome. I notice our sudden closeness. I bite my lip as I step back from him.

"Well, um. See ya," I say nervously.

Quickly I get into my car and start it. I wave to Jake as I pull out of my spot. From my mirror, I see him put his helmet on and get on his motorcycle.

-------------------

K - Where are you?

O - I'm almost there.

I put my phone in my back pocket. I'm at my cousin’s party already. Owen was supposed to meet me 10 minutes ago. He's late. Well obviously, I just said that.

There is a light tap on my leg. I turn and look down at a familiar blonde girl. It is Laci from church. She must go to daycare with Luke, my cousin.

"Hi Laci. How are you?" I ask.

She gives my legs a hug and looks up. A cute smile on her face. "I good." she responds before running back to the rest of the kids.

Luke's mom, well my Aunt Mari walks towards me. She smiles and hugs me. I haven't seen her for a while. She's my mom sister and they look like they could be twins.

"How do you know Laci?" Mari asks me.

"She came to my church a couple weeks ago."

"Well, Luke says that Laci is his girlfriend," She giggles.

I cannot help but smile. Luke calling Laci his girlfriend is absolutely adorable. I don't see anyone here that looks like they could be Laci's mom. I can ask Mari. She'll know.

I turn back to Mari. Before I can say anything I hear a voice. I look to my left and see Owen. A smile makes its way to my face. Mari sees him and walks away. She knew that he was coming. I told her last night.

"Hey Katie," Owen says.

He hugs me and then looks around. There are about 14 kids here. Owen and I get put on bounce house duty. We also have to watch the ball pit. I am really glad Owen is here. I don't pay attention very well.

Right now Owen is helping a little girl out of the bounce house. I don't understand why he doesn't like kids. He's so good with them. The little girl is giggling and Owen is smiling. It's a really cute scene.

I turn my attention back to the ball pit. Luke and Laci are in there. He keeps whispering to her. Every time he does she places a hand over her mouth and giggles. Child couples, if that's what you call them, are the cutest.

Zero percent chance anyone is cuter.

"Having fun?" I say as Owen comes towards me.

"You know, it's not totally terrible!"

"You think I'd make you go through something terrible? I'm not that mean," I say defensively.

He smiles. "I would've done it anyway. No matter how terrible."

I feel myself blush at his words. How sweet is he? I'm really glad he's here. I miss hanging out with him. I know the last time we actually hung out we did... Something. No reason to bring that up. I'm just glad we are talking. It's fun to just be together without doing anything. Not that it was bad or anything! It's just less complicated and more comfortable.

"Cake time," Mari calls.

"We get a break now right?" Owen whispers.

His tone has changed. It isn’t as happy and sweet as it just was.

"Yep."

Owen and I go to an empty table. It is away from everyone. A lot quieter also. Kids are so loud! I can see why Owen doesn't like them now.

"So, how have you been?" Owen asks randomly.

"Good. Um I just saw you yesterday."

"I know."

I look at him. What's his problem? He was perfectly fine a minute ago. Now he's asking dumb questions. He's being weird also.

"Then why are you asking that? You're acting like we haven't talked in forever," I ask.

"I don't know."

"What's your problem?"

"Nothing," He says through his teeth.

I am slightly shocked by his response. Is he okay? I thought he was. Well I mean, earlier he was fine. If it's the kids that are bothering him he can leave.

"If it's the kids that are bothering you, you ca-"

He slams a fist down onto the table. I flinch at the loud noise. A small amount of fear rises in me. He must've noticed because he gets up and moves away from me. I see my Aunt watching us with a worried expression. I send her a look as if saying everything is fine.

Should I go after him? Probably not a good idea. Every time a girl goes after a boy they get locked in a room. Then the guy almost kills her because he's secretly a werewolf.

Okay, no. That never happens. Well, I mean it did happen to Alison Louder on Being Human. But that's just a show.

Getting up I look around. I see Owen going into a room. I follow him. When I get in there he is sitting on a chair with his head in his hands. Cautiously I walk towards him.

"Owen, um. Are you okay?" I ask.

I wait for a response as I close the door. When he doesn’t say anything I move closer to him. I reach out my arm and place my hand on his shoulder.

"I, um. I'm sorry," Owen finally says.

I feel relieved that he answered me. I move in front of him. He looks up.

"It's okay. What's wrong?" I ask.

"You hung out with Jake yesterday," He starts and I give him a strange look. "Hazel told Johnny. That's how I know."

"I thought you didn't care."

"I didn't think I did," He takes my hands and moves me in between his legs. "I'm actually pretty jealous that he got to hang out with you."

I am shocked. Owen's jealous? Wow. And I thought he didn't care about me that much. He really shouldn't be jealous. It's not like I'm dating Jake. Actually, I'm not dating either one of them. So why does it even matter.

"No need to be jealous!" I reassures him.

I put my hands on his shoulders. He looks up and smiles. As he finally stands up, he put his arms around my waist. I move my arms around his neck. The small gap in between us is eventually gone. I can almost feel his lips on mine.

He finally kisses me. I smile into the kiss. He moves his hands up and down my sides. He is making sparks go through my body. He tries to pull me in closer. I jump up, putting my legs around his waist and he moves towards the wall. I can feel the wall behind me now and he pulls back. I let my legs drop and I stand up against the wall on my own.

He begins kissing my jaw. I can feel his breath on my neck. He pulls away again and leans his forehead against mine. I look into his eyes.

"I guess if anyone should be jealous, it's Jake," Owen says.

With that he leaves the room. I lean against the wall with a smile. I missed that also. I smooth out my shirt and follow Owen out. We take our station back at the ball pit.

Actually the parties almost over. Parents should be coming anytime now. I'm glad. I'll be able to go home. I need to text the girls.

They need to give me their expert advice! I can really use it right now. I think I might have a problem. Two guys that are great to me, how awful! Well good, but bad. I just know I'm going to have to choose between the two of them eventually.

Owen's probably my choice right now. He seems to like me. Why doesn't he just ask me out? That'd make this so much easier. I really like being with Jake though.

He's different. And the way I feel around him is new to me. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens.

"Laci! Your mom is here!” Mari calls.

I help her out of the bounce house. She takes my hand and we head to her mom. I'm actually excited to meet her mom. I have to tell her how cute Laci is. Which I'm sure she already knows.

Oh and we have to talk about her cute little relationship with Luke.

"Mommy!" Laci squeals as she lets go of my hand.

I catch up to her and I immediately freeze.

"You're Laci's mom?!"