Flying Into Your Heart

Chapter Thirteen

                                                                AALIYAH

We were now walking through the deserted off roads through New Mexico in silence as the sun kept beating down more and more, getting excruciatingly hotter by the minute.

I was hot and bothered so I didn't want to say anything to Jace right now after his little stunt.

We had no car, we barely had money, no water in our luggage we were still carrying, and our phones were in a no signaled area so we couldn't even make calls with them.

I never felt so alone and abandoned. I just kept walking ahead as I could feel Jace's piercing eyes staring intently to me for the last 10 minutes. 10 minutes.

That's how long we've been out here? It felt like 5 hours.

"Ya know it's rude to stare. Didn't your playerish ways teach you anything that turns a woman off?" I asked smirking. I heard him chuckled and sighed.

"Good thing I wasn't trying to be one." He told me.

I rolled my eyes and kept moving. He continued on before he finally uttered the words I'd been waiting to hear since we've met, after I caught him and Rachel.

"I'm sorry Aaliyah." He said sincerely. I stopped moving and froze.

"What did you just say to me?" I asked turning now slowly toward him, staring at him carefully.

He looked guilty, defeated, like he had an issue he couldn't shake away. It looked so normal.

"I said I'm sorry. I've been a rude jerk to you this whole time. Okay, I'm not use to having someone tell me I'm wrong or a man whore like you have. This is usually natural for me. But it's no excuse for me to treat you like you're no different than the rest of them. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings back there. I really do care if you're feeling well." He said firmly.

I couldn't say another word after that. He sounded so kind and gentle. Nothing and I meant nothing felt rehearsed or full of crap. It was Jace Bennett being well the true Jace Bennett.

"Wow. Are you feeling okay? Is this weather getting to your head making you a little I don't know, wonky?" I asked surprised and in awe. He laughed and shook his head.

"I feel fine. I just wanted to tell you the truth. I don't want to keep knowing you hate me for my attitude, if I can change that and show you I'm not that bad after all. If you give me another chance. Please. I want to be at least friends if we continue on like this." He then told me.

I wanted to tear up at his rawness as I couldn't believe my ears. But I was raised to be the kind of girl who gave second chances, despite if this guy had like 12. I could see something right there and right now that made me feel...good inside.

"I don't really hate you Jace." I admitted.

He was a big pain, but he wasn't hated. I hated the word. To anyone or anything.

"Well you don't like me either." He said smirking. I giggled and nodded.

"True I didn't. But I can. If you just promise you're gonna be real with me. That's all I'm asking." I offered to him now walking back to him and standing in front.

He smiled looking down to me and nodded shyly. "I can do that." He answered. I smiled back.

"So can I." I said now making a big gesture. I held my hand out for him to shake.

He looked at me surprised at my body language and held his hand up and shook mine kindly.

Instantly, I felt the shivers and butterflies in my stomach. This was an exhilarating feeling I never knew I could have with just one man. But I already knew at this rate, Jace wasn't just any man.

As we continued shaking hands, I could feel our eyes now set on looking at each other intently and even longingly as we had a period of more silence. I wanted to know more about him, I really did. Maybe now that if we were like this, I could.

Suddenly though, I felt a small breeze once again as I saw he felt it too as our eyes widened hopefully. We had no car, there was no breeze in the air all morning so that just meant...there was a stream of water somewhere.

We turned around and looked to the side of us to see exactly that. A lake almost.

Smiling happily, we quickly rushed over to it as we needed nothing right now more than water and a way to cool off. I didn't need to get tans before but after being in this sun, I had made up for all the times I never did.

"Oh my god! Jace come here!" I said grabbing his hand now and we both rushed over to it.

Quickly, we both let go and began to drink a little of it at a time. It wasn't filtered in any way but it was either that or we just died of dehydration.

"I've never been so happy to see water!" He shouted with joy. I laughed as he did the same.

As we continued cooling off and rubbing water all over our exposed parts of our body from our uniforms I was having no luck. This was a long sleeve shirt and I was in no way about to continue on like this.

I turned around and grabbed my luggage and opened it up to see a few clothes I had brought along and grabbed a short sleeve shirt and shorts and pulled them out.

I wasn't really thinking about who was standing there while I was about to get undressed, I just needed this uncomfortable uniform off of me completely.

So I began to take my shirt off about to pull it over my head, until I turned to see Jace still standing there pouring water over his arms and face as I blushed and looked to him shyly.

"Um...I have to change?" I blurted out timidly. He looked to me and chuckled.

"Are you asking or telling me?" He then asked mockingly. I giggled.

"Telling. I do need to change." I answered in the same tone.

He stared me down and nodded now holding his hand over his eyes and turning around so I would face his back.

"Go ahead Woods." He then said. I smiled at how gentlemanlike he was actually being.

Quickly, I pulled my shirt over my head only in my bra and took my skirt off now in my underwear as I could see he was tensing up even though he wasn't even peeking.

"What's your problem?" I asked curiously.

"Nothing. Well actually it is something, I'm just turning over a new leaf and I rather not say. I also rather you not look over here during this second so yeah nothing. I'm good." He said hesitant and nervously.

I laughed to myself looking down lower toward his lower back body tensing up and I could instantly tell what was wrong.

"Jace!" I shouted playfully.

"Please don't say my name like that right now." He pleaded. I continued laughing hysterically.

He gave in and began to do so too. I smirked and nodded changing into my new pair of clothes and sighed and putting my uniform away.

"Your turn." I told him once I finished. I then turned around closing my eyes.

I could hear him now turning around facing my back and went into his luggage and began pulling off his clothes.

I would be a liar if I were to say I didn't want to look back right now. I wanted to see what this man really was working with and if he really was having some personal problems, because of me.

I bit my lip and started to turn around a bit, to get even a quick peek at his bare body timidly as he continued on, not realizing I don't think what I was doing.

But just as I was about to get an actual look...we heard a honk from a car behind us.

"Are you guys lost?!" A woman then asked.