Flying Into Your Heart

Chapter Sixteen

                                                                  AALIYAH

We were approaching the entrance sign of El Paso, Texas still running.

Our clothes were completely muddy and full of sweat and tears.

I wanted to give up after the first mile, but the rest of the way I was leaning onto Jace, as he was sweating excessively and sighed as we stopped finally and tried catching our breath.

"That was the worst idea ever!" Jace shouted. I nodded in agreement and shrugged.

"But it was also the best one too." I pointed out. "Would you rather spent another second with the crazy chick?!" I finished asking out of breath.

"Well look who looks crazy now! Please tell me we're here!" He said.

He then began groaning and falling on the ground, as people were passing and staring at us weirdly. I sighed and looked ahead to see a billboard that said the exactly what we needed to see.

El Paso, Texas.

"Yup!" I said happily.

"Good! Can we please get out of what use to be our clothes now?!" He then asked disgusted.

I giggled to myself and nodded. I loved how he was getting use to have some manners. It was nice to hear. But man did have a point.

"Come on, let's find the nearest store." I told him.

I then turned to find Jace now on the ground laying like he was passed out exhausted or even worse...dead.

"Jace?" I asked cautiously. He didn't answer.

"Jace?!" I asked again. Not another answer. I smirked. "Maybe we should order a car."

I lifted my foot and began trying to kick him in his back to movement but all I got in the end...was nothing.

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We were now in the back seat of a lyft ride as I could see we were drifting off into sleep on our way to the nearest clothing store.

We couldn't shut our eyes just yet. Who knows if we did, would we even wake up in less than 24 hours time or would the trauma of today already just send us to a peaceful 10 day nap?

I turned to him and stared carefully and nudged his eyes open. He quickly shot them up and turned to me.

"What happened now?" He then asked worriedly. I giggled and shook my head.

"Nothing. We're actually normal." I told him. He smiled and sighed nodding.

"Let me guess. You just wanted to see my sparkling shining eyes wide open, to stare deep into yours?" He then asked jokingly.

This kind of flirting I could do. He was being goofy and cute, not condescending.

"Nice try buddy." I answered playfully. He shrugged.

"I'm use to it from you by now anyway." He replied. I looked to him mystified.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked. He chuckled.

"Oh come on. You're the first girl that has ripped me a new one and managed to be highly attractive while doing so effortlessly. I know you might think this the player side of me talking, but it's honestly not. I'm glad you did Aaliyah." He said to me warmly.

I blushed a little and was a bit surprised. "Glad? I thought I was uptight and one dimensional." I called him out.

He stared at me carefully and shook his head, now moving his hand down to touch the top of mine and smiled now charming and sweetly.

God this man can do it all when it came to turning a girl on. Trust me, I wasn't prone to that.

"That guy who said those things was an inconsiderate, cocky, yet cunningly sexy...." He trailed off. I playfully hit his arm. "Jerk. Who didn't know how to act when a gorgeous and striking good woman, was staring right in front of him." He finished off.

I instantly felt butterflies in my stomach circling, feeling like it was just me and him in this car right now and nothing, not even our flight mattered. We didn't have a next move, we didn't even know if we were ever going to make it out Texas, but being here right now with him...it felt like I was at home.

I clutched on his hand and smiled carefully before I uttered my next words calmly and carefully.

"I never wasn't attracted to you Jace." I told him.

He looked at me shocked and stunned. I laughed.

"I still am. But I just don't know if I can handle my dream job I might be fired from already, a new view of life from up in the sky I never had before, and a new boyfriend all at once." I said honestly.

"Aaliyah, you don't have to-" he started to say. I sighed and stared at him carefully.

"But I do. I don't want you to think I'm stringing you along because I don't care." I said.

He smiled wider and tightened his grip on my hand as we both felt an incredible, sensational, and luring pull and shock from each other's touch and feelings.

He wasn't a monster. I could see someone was really true inside of him. Something happened to make him hide all of that. I wanted to find out what before I agreed for us to be together. I wasn't going to push him to do so either. He had to do it from his own heart.

"I know you care Aaliyah. I would be selfish if I pressured you into my life and problems when you have your own to deal with about what you said earlier on why you needed to do this. If I can't have you as a girlfriend. I want you to be in my life...regardless. Because spending all this time with you already, it's been turning out to be quite a pleasant adventure and me a better person." He told me firmly.

I wanted to tear up and rush over to just see what his lips would taste like against mines. I knew it would be the best kiss I ever had in my life. But I knew I just couldn't. Even if it felt so right.

"Even if we look very unpleasant right now?" I then asked him. He laughed and nodded.

"Even more so." He replied. "I'm not the best at expressing my feelings especially toward women but you are literally a shining star. I'm sorry I ever called you those names. Truth is, you're sweet, kind, and amazing." He finished gently.

I gazed at him carefully into his shining and gorgeous eyes as he did the same before I couldn't help myself any longer to not show some kind of attraction I had toward him back.

I quickly then leaned over to him forcefully at first, before pulling him into a full blown frontal hug, as I could feel him smiling into it and wrapping his arms around my torso and leaned over to my ear to whisper, after I found him kissing my cheek then so gently.

"You're gonna be worth it." He uttered.

I didn't know what that meant but it didn't matter because before I knew it, my eyes fluttered closed.

I could feel myself shivering and wanting to cave in and slam him against this backseat.

But in this moment, this was becoming the start of something new.