Lily Vine has everything she needs for a great future. She's smart, she's passionate, and she's the most in-demand tutor at UCLA. In the midst of a study session, she meets Jacob Day, who becomes an unlikely combination of student and friend. Little...
The days in California were getting warmer by the minute. The birds were chirping louder, the sun was shining brighter, and the people were smiling bigger. Jacob had been in Georgia visiting family, so Lily hadn't seen him in a few weeks. She'd all but forgotten about his strange behavior that day at the Breezy House. Instead, she'd been swamped with essays to write, books to read, and student papers to grade. Her usual routine was always demanding, but it was equally fulfilling, especially with a beautiful climate to live it out in. This afternoon, though, Jacob was flying back into LAX, and he'd asked her to help him with a script for a sponsorship. She'd agreed to meet him at the airport with Ace and drive him home. Since it was early Spring, Lily decided on a white cotton blouse, medium blue jeans, and converse. She even surprised herself for not wearing her staple Juicy Couture zip-up. Although she usually wore her hair straight as it naturally dried, she decided to curl it today, giving her wide undulations of chestnut brown spilling down her slender back.
As her and Ace approached the front door to leave, she noticed Kristian studying her from the couch. "You look pretty," he muttered. "Thank you," Ace said back, flashing a grin. The three of them laughed, Lily enjoying the shared sense of sarcasm among the boys.
"There he is." Lily looked up from Judith McNaught's Something Wonderful and scanned the crowd. There was Jacob, towering above a sea of people that all looked very short. Whether they actually were or not is debatable. He was standing legs slightly apart with his hands in his pockets, wearing a black hoodie and a black mask.
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Lily's heart skipped when their eyes found each other. He thumbed a corner of his mask so that it hung off of one ear. He was smirking and smiling at the same time, somehow. Lily realized she didn't see him as a stranger anymore, but as an old friend. Seeing him again felt like coming home. As she strode towards him, he put down his bag and opened his arms a bit, bending down to reach her better. Lily hurried her pace to get there faster. She didn't plan for their welcome to be so warm, but it felt right. When she got to him, he embraced her with a squeeze and lifted her off the ground a few inches for a second or so. His ability to lift her so effortlessly startled her a little. Lily burrowed her head in his sweatshirt; he smelled the same intoxicating way she remembered. They just held each other for a few moments, Lily not realizing how much she had missed his all-encompassing hugs. "Hi Flower," he spoke through her hair softly. She smiled into his chest. At first, she thought him using Emma's nickname for her was silly, but it was growing on her. "Hi, Jacob." "You look pretty," "That's what Kristian said," Ace said nonchalantly. Lily spun around, completely forgetting that Ace was even there. Jacob released her, falling silent. "What?" He looked at her as if he was trying to read an entire novel in seconds. "Oh, just because I curled my hair," Lily said quickly. She didn't know what was going on between him and Kristian, but she didn't want to be in the middle of any guy drama. "Sup, bro," Ace said, stepping up to Jacob and initiating a man hug. "Missed you, bro," Jacob said distractedly.
Once the three of them finally lugged Jacob's bags into his room and Ace went to go edit, Jacob fumbled through one of them to find his laptop. "I think it's in here," he muttered, referencing the sponsorship guidelines. Lily hopped up onto his bed gingerly; she was always uncomfortable the first time she was in someone's room. She silently perused the anime posters and sword collection he had up on the wall. It was all unfamiliar to her, but intriguing, nonetheless. Once he found it, he jumped up onto the bed and sat on her left, sprawling his legs out in front of him and sighing deeply. He was looking at the words on the laptop, but Lily could see that he wasn't thinking about any of them. She even thought she saw his eyelids flutter a few times. "Hey, Jacob?" she asked quietly. "Mmm?" "You sure you wanna do this right now?" "I'm so tired," he admitted, laughing softly. "I feel guilty. I know you just got here." Lily shook her head. "It's okay. Just rest," she whispered. "Come here." He considered it for a second, but something was holding him back. "I don't wanna hurt you." "You won't." "C'mere." Reluctantly, he inched over and laid his head down on her lap. "Am I hurting you?" he murmured. Lily smiled to herself. "No. Shh." she stroked his hair in a soothing motion. "I haven't been able to sleep in days..." she heard him say faintly, voice trailing off. "It's okay. You can sleep now," she whispered, rubbing his arm softly and coaxing him towards sleep. She felt strange comforting someone so much bigger than her; Lily was used to little kids. But she remembered what he had done for her, and she was happy to return the favor, even if in a small way. As she sat there, she stared at the engraved details on his silver earrings, the dirty blonde just beginning to show at his roots, and the amusing way his long legs dangled off the edge of the bed. Within a few minutes she felt his breathing slow, and she knew he was fast asleep.
A/N: Hi guys, I hope you guys are enjoying reading as much as I am writing! Please remember to vote and comment :)
