FicWad

HURRICANE

CHAPTER THREE

“That was close!” Skyla said as she shut the bedroom door behind her. She headed over to one of the armchairs and flopped down in it.

“I'll say!” Shannon said from behind her. Skyla jumped.

“You scared me!” she exclaimed.

“Sorry,” Shannon said. “So, Jared's asleep?”

“Yeah, he almost went to sleep in my room,” Skyla told him.

Shannon thought it over. “So are you saying you prefer Jared over me now?”

Skyla studied him. “Yes, I do.”

Shannon sighed deeply and walked out the door. Skyla curled up in a little ball and closed her eyes for a few hours. When she woke back up, she saw Jared dozing in one of the chairs across from her. She walked over and curled up beside him, putting her legs up over his lap.

“Have a good rest?” she asked him quietly, resting a hand on his chest. She felt him rest his hand on the back of her head, and then move it to the middle of her back. She laid her head on his shoulder and he pulled her close.

“It would've been better if you stayed,” he whispered. Skyla blushed.

“So you knew I was in your room?” she asked him. Jared kissed the top of her head.

“Yes. And you should have stayed.” Jared nuzzled the top of her head.

“Maybe I'll come in tonight, since I didn't stay,” she whispered. Skyla looked at Jared with her jade-green eyes.

“No. I'm planning on coming in your room tonight,” he told her, running his hand up her leg.

“Stop! That tickles!” she giggled. She trailed her hand down Jared's face and began to lean in to kiss him when he pulled her in and kissed her hard. She put her hands on his neck and, as suddenly as he kissed her, he pulled away. Jared looked shaken, as if his sudden action was the worst thing he could've done.

“I-I'll be back,” he told her. He left her room.

Skyla got up out of the plush armchair and walked over to her bed. She plopped down on it and buried her face in her pillows. She wondered what could have happened to Jared that he became so shaken and uncomfortable.

She felt a sudden shift in the mattress while she was pondering, and she looked to her right and saw Jared laying beside her. He reached over and brushed her hair off of her face.

“Have you been crying?” he asked her. He curled a lock of her hair around his fingers.

“No. Why?” Skyla's hands immediately went to her face.

“Your eyes are red,” he told her quietly. “But it makes you look prettier.”

Skyla covered her face again, this time to hide the light red blush that was creeping across her cheeks. Jared wrapped her in his arms and kissed her.

“Why are you hiding your face? You're beautiful when you blush!” he whispered in her ear.

Skyla looked at him and smiled.

Suddenly, Skyla heard Jared's phone ringing in his room.

“I'll be back, okay?” Jared took off toward his room.

Skyla missed his touch. She got up and headed toward the sliding glass doors she hadn't noticed before; she stepped out on the balcony and smelled the fresh scent of salty sea air coupled with the woods. She took a deep breath and exhaled. The grin on her face became wider. She walked over toward the small lawn chair on the balcony and sat down. She noticed that there was a wide stretch of woods all around her; it reminded her so much of Chattanooga her stomach began hurting.

“Sorry. It was Tomo; he just wanted to know how you were liking Los Angeles and I told him – what the fuck? Where'd you go?” she heard Jared saying inside her room. She left her chair and went back inside.

“I'm right here.” Skyla crossed her arms over her stomach. She felt homesick more than ever now. Jared crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her.

“I miss home,” Skyla said quietly. Her words were muffled against Jared's chest.

“You have every right to miss Chattanooga,” Jared replied. He pulled away. “I have a spot if I ever want to escape; want to see it?”

Skyla nodded. He pulled her along to the garage, passing a snoring Shannon on the couch. He seated her in the passenger seat of a white 2001 Cobra and he got behind the wheel.

“This is my car, but I hardly drive it anywhere.” He revved the engine and Skyla could figure out why: it was made for racing! Jared took off and Skyla was deafened by the engine's roar as they drove for about thirty minutes to a small river park close by.

“Come on!” Jared told a laughing Skyla. She grabbed his hand. “This is where I go to not just escape, but also get inspiration.” He pointed at a small bit of beach in between two large palm trees. “Sometimes at night, the tide washes up to there. One of these bigger rocks might be better for us to sit on.”

Skyla climbed down to a large rock, and stood precariously on it. She tried to figure out a way to sit on the rock without falling in. “Do all of the big rocks jut into the water?” she asked him stubbornly.

Jared laughed. “Yes. But we can always go and sit on the beach.”

“No, no... I'll take rocks,” Skyla told him nervously. She watched as Jared plopped down on a rock and sit Indian-style. Before she could kneel down and sit the same way, she fell in the water.

“Oh my God, are you okay?!” Jared asked her as she floated below his rock.

“I will be as soon as you get me out of here!” she cried as her teeth chattered. Jared reached down and pulled her out.

“I uh... better get you back,” Jared told her, averting her eyes.

“Please? I'm cold!” Skyla wrapped her arms around her body. She looked down and found out why Jared didn't want to meet her gaze. “Oh, my...”

Her white t-shirt, which, if it was dry, was perfectly fine. Since it had gotten soaked, it had become almost see-through. She blushed a deep crimson and moved her crossed arms up to her chest.

“Just... get me back, okay?” she begged him.

Jared nodded and finally looked down at her as he quickly walked to his car. His face blushed light enough that Skyla didn't know that he had seen anything.