Forgotten

Chapter 17

Chapter Title: Crossing Lines

A little bit into the night, I started to understand what Jacin was so worried about. His friends were crass and rude, using foul language and cursing like it was punctuation. They drank excessively, almost competitively. One of them kept staring at me, making me feel deeply uncomfortable. Jacin noticed and held my hand tightly, his jaw clenched.

When their girlfriends arrived, I thought things might settle down—but I was wrong. The girls were loud and clingy. Their behavior felt desperate, overly s****l. I’m all for public displays of affection, but I draw the line at climbing onto someone’s lap in a public bar to make out.

Then came the drink situation.

They offered to get me something, and I asked for cranberry juice. Of course, they joked—suggesting vodka with it, over and over. I politely declined and explained that I didn’t drink.

Big mistake.

Suddenly, I became the joke of the night. They poked fun, asking if I was a nun or a child. Jacin was visibly angry. He got up and went to the bar himself to get my drink.

While he was gone, the guy who’d been staring at me scooted closer. He started talking to me, calling me “baby doll,” and then—his hand slipped up my leg.

I quickly pushed it away, but he just put it back.

I became vocal, pushing him harder and saying “Don’t touch me,” just as Jacin came storming back.

Before I knew it, Jacin yanked me up, pulled me behind him, and punched the guy square in the face.

"Oh come on, Jacin. Friends share. You can have my girl," the guy slurred with a twisted smile.

I froze. Surely, I misheard him?

"I don’t share," Jacin growled. "She isn’t some one-night stand. She’s the girl that I love!"

He was furious. I’d never seen him like that before. In that moment, I finally saw how he could have been friends with them once. This was a different side of Jacin—dark and dangerous.

He grabbed my hand and led me out of the bar.

As he approached the bike, I stopped him. “You’re too angry to drive right now.”

He let out a heavy breath, running his hand through his hair.

“Do you see what I meant? I didn’t want you to see this side of me because this… this isn’t who I am anymore.”

I softened. “I should’ve listened to you. I’m sorry. I just kept thinking about our future. I thought maybe if I met them, you’d feel more comfortable bringing them around when I’m there.”

He walked over to me, cupped my face gently, and kissed me. “And I love you for that. I love that you think about things like that. But they’re not important—not if I have you.”

He kissed me again. And again.

He pulled me into his arms, and I held him tight as he spoke.

“As an orphan, nothing is handed to you. You take what you want. And you learn to take care of yourself. My friends taught me how to be strong. Some of the people around me growing up were even worse than them. When I finished school, I decided to change. I wanted more than being drunk and aimless.”

He looked down at me, his voice soft. “When you came into my life, it was the first time I actually saw that I was heading in the right direction. With you, I can see a better future.”

I wrapped my arms around his chest and rested my head against him. He always says the right thing.

“I don’t want you to change,” He whispered. “I like you as you are—cute and… a little rough around the edges. If I wanted something different, I wouldn’t be with you. You stole my heart the moment you drive off in that taxi.”

I looked up at him with a teasing smile. “Does this mean you don’t like my outfit?”

He laughed, loud and full.

“I love the outfit. But I’d prefer it if you only wore it for me.”

I blushed crimson. He leaned down and kissed my burning cheeks.

“Let’s go home.”

---

As soon as we walked into the apartment, he grabbed me and pushed me against the door, kissing me with an intensity that made my knees weak. His lips felt so right on mine. I kissed him back with everything I had, desperate for more. He lifted one of my thighs, wrapping it around him.

I could feel how hard he was for me, and my own desire was undeniable. The time was right. I didn’t want him to stop. I guided his hand to my other leg. He understood instantly, lifting it so that both my legs wrapped around his waist.

The door supported most of my weight as he trailed kisses down my neck to my chest. My hands trembled slightly as I undid the lacing of my bralette, revealing my breasts. I wasn’t wearing a bra underneath.

He lifted his head and gazed at me with wonder before scooping me into his arms and carrying me to the bed.

He stood at the edge, peeled off his shirt, and climbed over me.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered before kissing me again—deep, slow, and tender. His lips moved to my chin, then down to my throat where he kissed and sucked gently. I moaned, arching into him.

His mouth and hands explored me, igniting a slow, building fire inside me. The ache became warmth, the warmth became pressure. And then—release. My o****m ripped through me.

As I was still on that high, he entered me in one sudden thrust.

It hurt—a lot—but I was too far gone to stop. My body was overwhelmed with both pain and pleasure. He moved slowly at first, then faster, deeper. Another o****m started to build, then another. I lost count. Each one more intense than the last, until we finally finished together.

He collapsed on top of me, then quickly rolled over, pulling me into his chest and kissing my sweaty forehead.

My eyes fluttered closed. I was completely exhausted. He had too much stamina.

Before I knew it, I was asleep in his arms.

---

The next morning, I blushed at the memory of the night before. My muscles were sore, and there was a dull ache down there.

“Good morning, Princess,” Jacin called from the kitchen. “I made you some breakfast.”

My stomach growled at the mention of food. I realized I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast the day before. I rushed toward the counter but paused—I was still naked. I darted back to the bed, grabbed Jacin’s shirt from the night before, and pulled it over my head.

He was grinning at me, amused, but I ignored him and made a beeline for the food.

He’d gone all out—scrambled eggs, bacon, beans, tomato slices. I devoured it shamelessly.

“I texted your father from your phone,” he said between sips of coffee. “Pretended to be Liara. Said you ate something that didn’t agree with you and were too sick to come home. I also texted Liara so she’d cover if he called.”

I blinked. I hadn’t even thought about needing a cover story. Last night, I felt like I was home.

“Thank you,” I said. “I didn’t even think about letting them know where I was.”

Once I finished eating, I stood up and stretched.

“You look so damn fine in my shirt,” Jacin murmured, wrapping his arms around me. He kissed my lips, then my nose, then my forehead.

“I’ll go prepare a bath for you. I’ve got a date planned for later.”

As he turned to leave, I caught his hand.

“Prepare the bath for us,” I said with a playful smile.

He beamed and nodded.

I poured myself another glass of juice when there was a knock at the door. The last thing I wanted right now was visitors, but I answered it anyway.

It was his neighbor—fully clothed this time. I looked down at myself and blushed.

“Here’s Jacin’s mail. It ended up in my slot,” she said. I took it and smiled shyly.

“I know this is bad timing,” she added, “but… any chance you have more of those Cinnabon rolls left?”

I grinned. “No, but I can give you the recipe! It’s super easy. And if you’re nervous, I made a video showing the whole process step by step.”

I dashed to the kitchen to scribble down my site info.

“You can come in,” I offered as I wrote.

“Are you a food blogger?” she asked, stepping inside.

“Sort of. I review cafés and restaurants, but Jacin convinced me to make recipe videos. It drives more traffic to my site, which boosts ad revenue—kind of like digital real estate.”

“How old are you?” she asked suddenly.

“Almost eighteen,” I replied as I handed her the recipe.

“She’s crazy talented, right?” Jacin said, walking out of the bathroom.

“Yeah,” she agreed, half-smiling. “When I was eighteen, I had no clue what I wanted. And here she is, running her own business and playing house with the hottest guy in the building.”

Still a bit snippy, but... better.

“See you around, Adrian,” Jacin said, walking her to the door. Once he shut it, he scooped me up into his arms and carried me to the bathroom, slowly peeling off his shirt—and then mine.

We got in the bath together.

He washed my back, then chuckled to himself.

“What’s so funny?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder.

“Only you would make friends with the girl actively trying to sleep with your boyfriend.”

“It’s progress!” I shot back. “At least she wore clothes today.”

Bathing together was more awkward than romantic—we couldn’t reach half of each other properly—but it was still sweet in its own, messy way.

When we were done, we got dressed and left for our date.

---

Jacin warned me what we were about to do wasn’t entirely legal. He had a key to the tourist boat and took me out on the sea. He gave me the same tour he usually gives tourists. He knew I was nervous about being on the water, but it wasn't as bad with him there.

We visited Seal Island and watched the seals lounging and diving. I wanted to kidnap one and keep it in my bathtub.

He let me steer the boat for a while. It was easily one of the best dates we’d ever had.

Later, we docked and went to the Lighthouse Restaurant—where Liara and I had lunch back when I was still searching for him. I ate another large meal. Apparently, s*x had supercharged my appetite.

After lunch, we took a slow stroll on the beach. It was the perfect Sunday.

Eventually, we returned to the apartment. I helped tidy up—clothes everywhere, dishes still on the counter from breakfast. Once the place looked decent, I called a taxi and went home.

I got back late afternoon and planned organizing my things for school. But as I stepped inside, Lyssa was already waiting—ready to pounce.

“You don’t look sick to me. Where were you last night?” she snapped, hands on her hips.

“I was sick. I just ate something that didn’t agree with me,” I replied, sticking to Jacin’s story.

“You’re lying. You went out and got drunk, didn’t you? That’s why you couldn’t come home. Disgraceful behavior!”

I stared at her. “I didn’t even have one drink last night.”

“Oh please. You’re only getting home now because you were hungover!”

Her imagination could earn her a living—or get her committed.

“I didn’t drink,” I said, my voice rising. “But I am getting a headache from how loud you are. Did you ever think that maybe I didn’t come home because you make this house unbearable?”

She scoffed. “Like you’re easy to live with. Your attitude is enough to drive anyone insane.”

My blood boiled. “I can’t wait for this year to be over so I can finally move out and go to university. Then you’ll get your wish—you won’t have to deal with me every day.” I stormed upstairs, slamming the door behind me. She ruined a perfect weekend in seconds flat. I didn’t know how my father tolerated her.

…Maybe she was good in bed?

Wait—was I any good?

It was my first time.

---

The next day at school, I couldn’t wait to tell Liara everything.

I told her about the disaster of meeting Jacin’s friends—and how amazing the s*x was. She couldn’t believe I’d lost my virginity. She always thought she’d be the first.

She’s had more boyfriends than me, but never gone all the way.

I’m officially more experienced now.

What I didn’t realize was that someone had been listening—someone who hung on every word of that conversation. Someone furious.

Liara and I were oblivious. All that mattered was the gossip, the laughter, the friendship.

And in that moment, I decided: the day I finish high school, I’m moving in with Jacin.

There are only a few months left.

I’ll tell my father I’ve found an apartment near campus and that I’ll commute until I get into a dorm. But the truth?

I’m not going to apply for a dorm room .

It’s not like he’d ever check.