You're the One - Part 1 || Greta Van Fleet

Chapter 105: To Seem Okay

"Knock, knock.." Jake said, peeking his head into the room. Sara turned around, getting up.
"Right on schedule." She giggled, winking at me. My cheeks burned as he made his way over.
"What's that mean?" He asked. I shook my head, reaching up, pulling him into a kiss.
"Nothing." I laughed. His smile grew as he sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching for my hand.

"So.. you ready to head back home?" He asked. I felt my heart beat faster. Home. It really was starting to feel like it. I couldn't wait until we were all moved into our place. Then it would really feel like home.

"Absolutely." I sighed, pushing the blankets off of me.
"You sure you're alright to leave? We don't wanna push it if-"
"Jake, I'm fine." I said. "And the party's tomorrow."
"Yeah, it's tomorrow. I could always come back tomorrow morning if-"
"I'm fine. I promise." I said, giving him a subtle smile. He nodded, helping me up.
"Alright, but if you ever feel-"
"Jake.." I sighed. "I'll tell you, don't worry." He smirked back, his cheeks burning.
"Alright, alright.." He said, pulling me in, kissing my forehead.

"We're gonna miss her here." Sara said, rolling my tray out of the way. "She's been one of my favorites. We talk all the time." She smirked over at me. I felt my cheeks burn.
"Oh yeah? About what?" Jake asked eagerly.
"Nothingggg.. now can we get going?" I said, grabbing my bag. Jake went over, grabbing my jacket, and held it out for me. Sara flashed me another smile, her eyes getting wide. I bit down on my lip, containing my smile.

"Am I missing something?" Jake giggled, as I slid my arms into the sleeves. I turned around to face him.
"No.. she's just kidding." I said, leaning in, gently kissing his cheek. His smile grew as he nodded.
"Alright, then let's get you out of here." He said, slipping his hand into mine.

"Bye, Sara." I said, flashing her a smile. 
"I hope I don't see you again." She laughed. "Unless you're coming back here to give me good news." She said, peeking over at Jake. I felt my heart beating faster, my cheeks burning.
"Don't worry, you'll be the first person I tell." I said softly. She flashed me a smile, nodding.
"Great. Have fun tomorrow."

Jake squeezed my hand, guiding me out of the room and out to the car.
"Are you gonna be okay in-"
"Jake, I'm fine." I laughed, wrapping my arm around his, pulling him closer. I heard him sigh, holding on tighter. He lead me over to the passenger's side, opening the door for me.

He was quiet for most of the drive. I peeked over, gently taking his hand, intertwining our fingers. I saw a small smile escape from his lips, but he kept his eyes forward.
"Jake.. are you okay?" I finally asked, rubbing my thumb over the top of his hand.
"Yeah.." He sighed. "I am now."
"Now?" I asked. He was quiet again, biting down on his lip.
"It's.. been a rough few days." He said quietly, giving me a subtle smile.
"I know.." I could see him clenching his jaw, keeping his eyes forward. 

I decided not to push it.

When we got back to his house, he quickly got out of the car, making his way over to my side to open my door. I couldn't help but smile, shaking my head.
"You don't have to do this every time." I laughed.
"I wanna help. Now come on, I've got something for you." He said, leading me inside. He peeked his head in first, looking around before quickly guiding down the hallway into his bedroom.

"Why are we sneaking around?" I said quietly, giggling to myself. I sat down on the edge of his bed, staring back up at him. He went over to his desk, grabbing a gift bag, and brought it over.
"Because.. I just wanna be with you right now. Anyway, I've had some free time with you being away and all, so.. I went out and got you this." He said, sitting down close to me on his bed, handing me the bag.
"Y-you didn't have to get me anything." I said, my smile growing.
"I think I did. It worked out great the first time.." He said, smirking. I felt my cheeks burn.

"What did you do?" I laughed, pulling out the pieces of tissue paper until I got to the bottom.
"I wanted you to have something nice for the party." He said, peeking over the bag.
"Oh my gosh.." I said, pulling out a short, silver dress. The glitter reflected across the entire room as it hit the light.
"I thought you said these parties weren't a big deal?" I laughed, peeking over at him. He scrunched up his face, his cheeks getting red.
"Y-you don't like it?" He asked, forcing a smile.
"Oh, no, Jake it's gorgeous.. I just.. am I gonna be the only one-" I saw his face dropping.

"No, I love it. Really. Thank you so much." I said, pushing the bag to the side, leaning in, kissing him on the lips. He reached up, gently holding my face in his hand.
"You don't have to wear it if you don't like it, I just thought.. for New Year's Eve, it was a nice-"
"I love it, I swear. It's beautiful. I can't wait to wear it." He nodded, a small smile spreading across his lips.
"I want you to match me though." I said. He stared back at me wide-eyed, his smile growing.
"And how are we gonna do that?"
"Don't worry, we'll find you something." I said, pulling him into another kiss. I felt him smile as he pulled me in closer, kissing me back. 

"I.. got you something else too." He said, backing away. I sighed, rolling my eyes.
"Jake, you don't have to keep getting me gifts." I laughed.
"Don't worry, I didn't have to go too far out of my way for this." He said, pulling my necklace out of his pocket. My eyes got wide as I quickly reached over, taking it from him.

"My necklace! Where did you find it?" I asked, inspecting it close. He shrugged.
"It was under Sam's seat." He said. My heart dropped. So that means it must've fallen off when I.. 

"Thank you." I said, quickly shaking the thought.
"Here, let me help." He moved in closer, taking the necklace from my hands, reaching behind my neck. I felt my heart beating faster as I stared up at him. I leaned in, gently kissing his cheek, then moved down to his neck. He backed away, giving me a wide-eyed smile.
"We are not doing that again." He laughed, his cheeks burning red.
"Fine.." I sighed, smirking back at him. He held his stare on me, his eyes getting heavy.

"Jake, are you okay?" I asked again, gently touching his cheek. He nodded.
"Yeah, I'm just.. I'm tired." He said softly, looking away. "I haven't gotten much sleep."
"Why not?" I asked. He sighed, crawling over, laying down next to me. He reached his arm out, motioning towards him. I couldn't help but smile, cuddling close, wrapping my arm around his stomach, resting my head on his chest.

"That night they called us.. when they found you and Sam.. I.. I didn't know what to do with myself. They didn't let me see you for.. hours. They didn't tell us anything cause.. they didn't know, and.. the thought of losing both of you..."

My heart dropped. 

"So, when they finally let us in and.. I saw you like that I.. I hated myself for not being there. I told you I wanted to go with you and-"
"Jake, you couldn't have done anything to prevent what happened."
"I know but.." He shrugged, biting down on his lip.
"I.. I had no idea. You always seemed.. okay."
"You have no idea how hard it's been to seem okay." He said softly, peeking down at me. "And now I'm scared that.. if I ever let you out of my sight again, something else is gonna happen."
"You can't think like that." I said, gently running my fingers up and down his arm. He nodded, pulling me closer, kissing my forehead. I squeezed him tighter.

No wonder he's been so.. overly attentive. I never really considered how he was handling all of this. Not just with me, but his brother too. I couldn't imagine if he had lost us both. I peeked back up at him to see his eyelids getting heavier.

"Come here.." I said softly, pulling him up against me. He wrapped his arm around me, cuddling close, hiding his face in my neck. I could hear him trying his hardest to hold in his cry, his grip on me getting tighter. I ran my fingers through his hair, when I felt his tears through my shirt. But it wasn't long until I felt his even breaths on my neck again.