Winning Your Heart
Rated PG-13 for slight language
.
.
.
“I bet I could get her number in less than five minutes.” My best friend Jay said cockily, pointing to a brunette strutting through the clothing store we worked at in her over-sized sunglasses and under-sized outfit.
I laughed. “Jay, you probably couldn’t get a girl’s number even if it was glued to your hand.”
He turned to glare at me. “Reese, must you play me all the time?”
I nodded dutifully. “Yes. Yes, I must.”
Jay sighed. “You’re so damn lucky you help with the rent. Otherwise, I would have gotten rid of you a long time ago.” He fixed the fitted cap on his head and straightened up his clothing. “Now, watch this b-boy in action.” Jay smiled that oh-so-devilish smile and made his way over to the girl. I just watched him in amusement. That was my best friend.
Oh, that’s right. You don’t even know who I am. Well, my name is Teresa, but Jay never calls me that. To Jay Park, I’ve always just been Reese. I was born in Seattle, which is where I met Jay when I was merely three years old. I now live in Los Angeles, California, where Jay and I live in an apartment and go to school together. I’m a Korean-American, like Jay, and I love break dancing, like Jay; in fact, I am the first female member Art of Movement ever had. Why? ‘Cause Jay brought me. As you can see, my life contains a LOT of Jay. But, I don’t mind. I mean, I am in love with him. Yeah, I know. You’re probably thinking, ‘What the hell? You’re in love with him, but you’re okay with him hitting on random girls.’ Well, Jay is a player and he’s happy with that. So, I’m happy too. Cliché, right? But, what can I say? It’s how I feel!
“I told you!” Jay’s enthusiastic voice broke into my inner ramblings and I looked up to see him staring down at me with a smile, a crisp piece of paper clenched in his hand. He thrust the paper into my hand, his smile transforming into a smirk as I opened it to see ten digits sprawled out under a name. ‘Jessica’. Hmph. Sounded like a bitch. But, I wouldn’t tell Jay that.
I handed the paper back to him. “Well, I bet you’ll be done with her in a month. Or less,” I said matter-of-factly, folding my arms across my chest. Jay just scoffed and rolled his eyes playfully, punching my arm lightly as he jogged off to help the group of teenage girls who’d just walked into the store.
.
.
.
Jay and I love making bets and being as competitive as we are with each other, we take those bets pretty damn seriously. I remember this one time, Jay’s mom bought a giant bag of candies for the trick o’ treaters that visit the house during Halloween and Jay and I found it sitting on the kitchen counter, waiting to be opened. I immediately bet him that I could eat more than him and bam! The two of us were stuffing our faces senseless; smacking candies out of each other’s hands, knocking the other out of their chair, anything to ensure a victory. Hell, Jay even punched me in the stomach a few times…which eventually led to me kicking him in the throat. And THAT led to a full-blown wrestling match in the middle of the kitchen room floor, which ended in Jay’s furious mother chasing us out of the house with a broom, covered in chocolate and candy wrappers. Jay and I were twenty-one years old. It’s a good thing we don’t like to drink, huh?
Anyway, the month passed by normally: Jay spending all his time with this Jessica girl and me sitting on the couch bored out of my mind since Jay wasn’t there. I anticipated that end of that month and the eventual break-up because one, it would mean I’d won. Again. And two, I’d get my best friend back and we could finally hang out again. But, imagine my surprise when at the end of the month, Jay walked into our apartment with a now-blond Jessica clinging to his arm. “Oh! Reese! I didn’t know you were home!” He exclaimed brightly as he left Jessica’s side and locked me in a tight embrace. I didn’t even register that his arms were around me and didn’t hug him back. I was still in awe that the girl was standing in our apartment. Why? Jay had never introduced me to one of his girls. Ever. He said, and I quote, “Well, they won’t be around for a long time anyway. Don’t want you getting attached or something.” So, why is she here?
“So…” I started, “you must be Jessica.”
She nodded with a bright smile, her blond hair bobbing delicately. “And you must be Teresa. It’s great to finally meet you. Jay talks about you all the time.” She commented, giving a Jay a look that made him chuckle and smile. Ew. Couple telepathy. Not in front of me please.
“Oh, really? I heard so much about you too.” I said with a smirk directed at Jay, who looked down with a sheepish smile rubbing the back of his neck. I shook my head and chuckled under my breath. “So, what are you guys going to do today?”
“Well, Reese. I was hoping that you would come out with Jess and I.” Jay answered. “We’re going to see a movie and then, go out to eat.”
I stared at him. “So, why do I have to come?”
Jay smiled. “I want the two most important ladies in my life to get to know each other. Maybe even become best friends…”
My mind went blank. Best…friends? Whoa, whoa, whoa. First, he introduces us and now, he wants attachments?! How serious were these two? It turned out, though, I should not have asked.
.
.
.
If I had to see him feed her one more time, I would take these chopsticks and impale myself. Impale myself right through the heart. Or the eyes. Maybe the ears. Whichever will be more painful. The whole time we’d been together, from the movie to now, these two had been sickly sweet. Cooing to each other, pet names, feeding each other, the whole shebang. I wanted to die.
But, I was in for much worse than that. For the first month, that’s all I saw day in and day out. Lovey-dovey crap. Jessica coming over every day, all day. Jay making her breakfast, dinner, lunch; anything her little heart desired. Kisses, hugs, hand-holding, secret touches and whispers. One time, I came home late and Jay and Jessica were half-naked, practically dry-humping on the couch. Let me just say, that was like a horror movie moment for me, scary music and all.
But, after that, things took a turn for the worse. Being as good-looking as they were, people always checked those two out and Jessica and Jay were extremely jealous of people looking at their lover. Fights brewed daily and because of the littlest things: from Jay not calling Jessica to rumors about Jessica and other guys. They even fought about what the other was wearing! But, that wasn’t all. When they weren’t fighting, Jessica was always asking for something. Money, clothing, shoes; anything she could think of, she’d request. And Jay, with all the love in his little heart, would grant it. But, I could tell that, after a while, their relationship was starting to take a toll on him. He was a lot more irritable and annoyed and he snapped at the littlest thing. He even stopped amicably chatting up the customers at the store. It was almost like Jessica was sucking the life out of him. But, whenever I confronted him about it, he would always say the same thing: “Don’t worry about it. I’m perfectly happy.”
So, I left it alone and kept my feelings to myself. As much as being just friends with Jay was fine with me, I knew that if we dated, there would be no problems. No arguments, no kicking, no screaming. Jay and I knew each other so well and we matched so perfectly that it wouldn’t happen. But, he said he was happy. I just left it alone.
The day he came home crying was the day I decided that always sitting back hiding my feelings because he was “happy” just wasn't enough. I was sitting on the couch watching TV. It was almost three in the morning and I had class at ten. But, for some reason, I couldn't sleep. It was if there was something controlling me, telling me "Not yet." The apartment door opened and Jay entered so quietly that, if I hadn't looked up to see him standing there, I wouldn't have even known he'd walked in.
"Ay, the lover boy’s here! How was your date?" I asked cheerfully. When he didn't answer and simply stared at the ground, I knew something was wrong. "Jay? Jay, what happened?" He sniffled and I could see a drop of water fall from his face to the ground. Tears. Jay Park was crying. "Jay. What did Jessica do to you?" I asked angrily, ready to kill the girl who'd hurt him.
"She...she broke up with me." With that, Jay collapsed to the ground in a fit of heart-wrenching sobs.
"Oh, God. Jay..." I cooed softly as I stood up and moved to his side. I wrapped my arms around him and bit my lip sadly as he wrapped his arms around my waist, buried his head in my neck and cried harder. "Shh, shh, it's okay." I soothed, rubbing his back.
"She said I wasn't good enough for her, she said she found someone else, she said she didn't love me anymore. Oh, God, what am I going to do, Reese? I love her so much." He broke off into more crying and his hold on me got tighter and tighter, as if he was afraid I would leave next.
Eventually, the sobs subsided and Jay grew quiet. "Jay?" I lifted his head off my shoulder to see that he'd fallen fast asleep, tears still wetting his flawless features. I sighed and placed his head in my lap, laying the rest of his body out comfortably on the floor. I slowly inched backwards until my back hit the chair. Leaning on it, I sat back and ran my fingers through his silky soft hair. As I cradled the now asleep Jaebeom’s head in my lap and wiped his cold tears, I whispered, “I bet I could win your heart and make you fall in love with me. And I promise you, when I win that bet, you’ll never cry again.”
.
.
.
I knew that I had a lot of work ahead of me if I wanted this to be a success. Jay liked glamorous girls. Ones that looked like they belonged on the front cover of Vogue Magazine or walking a Victoria Secret’s runway. That wasn’t me. I was the girl who liked a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and some kicks. Make-up wasn’t my thing and I damn sure didn’t have sex appeal or bedroom eyes. So, I knew that the first step was a makeover.
The very next day, I woke up early to see Jay’s head was still resting in my lap. In the morning sun, I could see the bags under his eyes and it was obvious that by the time he woke up, they’d be swollen too. I sighed. That Jessica girl better hope I don’t run into her in the streets at nighttime. Because that would be asking for some trouble. I managed to lift Jay’s limp body off the ground and shift him so that he was leaning on me with his arm around my neck. I dragged him over to the couch and lay him out. Pulling the blanket I had left there over his body, I pressed a kiss to his forehead before heading into my room and preparing for the day ahead of me. Before I got into the shower, I sent a simple text message. ‘Meet me at the mall at 11 am.’
It was 10:55 when I stepped out of my car to see Taec waiting patiently on the steps leading into the mall’s plaza. Taecyeon was the only other Korean-American at the university Jay and I went to. So, it was a given that we bonded with him almost immediately and it helped that he fit in perfectly with us. His goofy ways and that joker attitude made him dissolve into the friendship Jay and I had built fairly easy. I called him out here because he was the only one who knew about my feelings for Jay and he was going to help me find what I needed to make Jay mine.
When he spotted me walking towards him, Taec smiled. He stood from the steps and hugged me tightly. Once he’d released me, he looked down at me and said, “So, you want to explain why I’m out here at 11 on Saturday morning?”
I grinned. “Well, we’re at the mall, so I’m going to take a wild guess and say that you’re here to go shopping with me.”
Taec frowned. “What? Shopping? You?” He placed his hand on my forehead and shook his head. “No fever. Did something happen last night?” I sighed. Taec knew me too well. I quickly relayed the story to him and he nodded. “So, basically, you’re finally going to tell Jay how you feel.”
“Yup.”
“And instead of just telling him, you’re going to change your whole persona and look to seduce him.”
“Yup.”
“And I’m supposed to help.”
“Yup.”
“You do know Jay will kill me if he finds out.”
“I do.”
“Then, I’m in.”
“I knew you would be.”
“Am I that predictable?”
“You are.”
“Why are we talking like this?”
“I have no idea.”
We laughed before finally heading into the building, arms linked together. For some reason, Taec was the one I could always be more feminine around. Maybe it was because I hadn’t known him as long as I’d known Jay, so I was a bit reluctant to show my full tomboy side. Or maybe it was the fact that he had a major crush on me and those vibes just pulled it out of me. That day, we just went around to all the top brand-name stores in the mall and I bought everything that Taecyeon suggested. Well, not really, since Taecyeon insisted on paying for everything.
When I got back home (without the bags of clothing; Taec took them so that Jay wouldn’t find anything), Jay was awake. He was still in the clothes he had been wearing the night before and was just staring blank at the TV. His eyes, just as I had predicted, were swollen and red. He looked terrible. “Hey…” I whispered out.
“Hey.” He whispered back with a small smile. He watched me as I stared at him painfully. He chuckled sadly. “I look pathetic, don’t I? Who knew that the playboy Jay Park could sink this damn low.” He sighed and ran his hand over his face. “Now, I understand how all those girls I played felt.” He looked me in the eyes and I could see tears brewing again. “Am I being punished? Is that why I’m going through this?” He broke off the sentence with a sob before he buried his head into his hands.
“No, Jay. That’s not why. You’re going through this because Jessica is heartless and selfish. You’re not being punished. You just…got the short end of the stick this time around. I’m sorry…” I trailed off as I sat next to him slowly. In a repeat of last night, he wrapped his arms around me, buried his face in my shoulder and cried. That’s when I realized that no matter what, I had to follow through with this plan. I didn’t think Jay could survive another heartbreak.
.
.
.
In the time that Jay spent getting over Jessica, I prepared myself for what I called ‘Operation: Win Jay Park’s Heart’. Little by little, I started to change my clothing style and attitude. From gradually shortening the length of my shorts and skirts to tightening my shirts, I did whatever I could to see what exactly got Jay’s attention. At first, he didn’t even turn his head. But, as time went on, I noticed that he began to give me the side-glances and looks he usually gave those other girls. I was ecstatic.
The final stage was Jay’s twenty-fourth birthday party, where I was going to unveil a whole new me. To Jay’s surprise and dismay, I decided to spend the whole day with Taecyeon, who took me to a spa and salon to get a haircut, my make-up done and a much-needed day of relaxation and me time. Let me tell you, seducing a depressed guy is a LOT of hard work.
When time came for me to get dressed and ready to go, the nerves started to kick in. What if this didn’t work? What if I ended up ruining our relationship forever? I shook my head. Now wasn’t the time to be doubtful. I had to go through with it! Teresa hwaiting! …I’m pretty sure I butchered that. God, my Korean is so fail. Anyway, I pulled the skin-tight black dress and matching heels I’d bought with Taec out of the closet of the guest room at his house and proceeded to put it on. Afterwards, I styled my hair the way the ladies at the salon taught me; with some pins and a little bit of hair products, I managed to put it together perfectly. My black hair was pulled into a tight ponytail with a bump in the front. With a light touch-up on my makeup, I was ready to go. Grabbing Jay’s gift off the bed, I stopped to take one last look in the mirror. This wasn’t something Jay was used to seeing me in, so I could only hope that I looked good. It seemed, though, I had nothing to worry about; the reaction I got from Taecyeon and his friend Yoochun as I walked down the stairs told me that I looked much more than good.
“Well, damn. Is that what you’ve been hiding under those jeans and whatnot?” Taecyeon exclaimed as he scurried by my side ecstatically, spinning me around to get a better look. “And I thought I liked you before. Teresa, I think I could easily fall in love with you.” He pouted. “Jay always gets the good ones.” I laughed.
“So this is the Teresa I’ve been hearing about.” Yoochun said as he stood up and moved to Taecyeon’s side, his husky voice and adorable smile making my knees weak. Must stay true to Jay, must stay true to Jay.
I nodded shyly and held my hand out for him to shake. “Nice to meet you. Yoochun, right?”
“Why, yes, beautiful. And it’s so very nice to meet you too.” He whispered, kissing the back of my hand lightly. Must stay true to Jay, must stay true to Jay.
“Yah! That’s Jay’s girl you’re hitting on!” Taec cried.
I rolled my eyes. “Taec, I’m NOT Jay’s girl.” I hissed, punching him in the arm. Jeez, the tall idiot’s over here ruining my chances with Yoo…gah, what am I thinking? Jay Park, Jay Park, Jay Park. Must stay true, must stay true, must stay true. That should be my slogan…
“Not yet.” Taec whined, rubbing the spot I’d punched.
“You make it seem like it’s BOUND to happen.”
Yoochun chuckled. “Well, you’re his ideal type. And you’re pretty spunky and feisty.” Then, he leaned into me. “Then, again, Jay and I have always had similar tastes.” He winked and leaned back, chuckling as my face turned bright red.
“Aish, Yoochun, leave her be!” Taec commanded as he elbowed the boy out of his way and took my head in his hands. “Think Jay, Teresa. Think Jay.” He shook my head softly as if he was setting my mind right.
I blinked up at him and smiled. “Jay who?”
Taec sighed. “Look what you’ve done! She can’t even remember the guy and she’s confessing to him TONIGHT!”
Yoochun shrugged. “Whatever. She’s hot, I’m hot, we can have a party.” He winked and I blushed furiously. Again.
“Dude, you’re impossible. Teresa, let’s go before this idiot gives you amnesia.” Taec pulled me out of the house with Yoochun trailing behind us, flirting incessantly with me. Oh, Jay Park. You’re lucky I’m so in love with you.
.
.
.
When we got to the club, it was packed to the brim with Jay’s friends, family and others. I saw people we’d battled and people we’d gone to school with in Seattle. All those people who knew me through Jay stared incredulously as I walked by, greeting them all on my way to VIP. Haha, they’re getting quite a shocker from this one, huh. Didn’t know I could look like this, huh? Bam! As we got closer and closer to the door of the room I knew Jay was in, my heart began to beat faster and faster. My hand tightened around Taec’s and he looked down at me, already knowing what was wrong. He smiled. “Don’t worry,” he whispered soothingly, “everything will be just fine.” I hope so, Taec. I hope so.
We opened the door and was amazed by what we saw. The room was extremely luxurious; with its own bar and bartender, smooth leather couches that were soft to the touch and an wall replaced by a window facing the dance floor, it couldn’t have been anything but a VIP room. My eyes roamed the small group of people enjoying the room until my eyes landed on the man of the night.
When I found him, my breath caught in my throat and my knees went weak. He looked gorgeous, more gorgeous than usual. His baby soft skin seemed to glisten in the dim light of room as the first real smile I’d seen on him in months beamed on his beautiful face. His broad shoulders and extremely toned upper body was clothed in a white, long-sleeved thermal that fit his body perfectly. His legs traveled down in slightly tight black jeans that ended in a pair of fresh out the box black and white Converse. On his head, his reddish hair was combed down, the fringe of his faux hawk hanging over his forehead and an all-black cap hung loosely off the back of his head.
I noticed that some of the guys around him had seen me and were staring at me lustfully and cringed. Was this how those girls felt all the time? It was damn creepy; what did they like about this attention? One of the guys sitting next to Jay, who I identified as his (actually, our) little brother Jehan, smiled at me as he nudged his brother in the side. When Jay turned to him, he pointed at me and that’s when it happened.
Jay’s mouth dropped and his eyes grew wide, which is something I’ve never seen him do before. I felt myself blush and look down shyly. What the hell? Me shy? Around Jay? I’ve been in love with him for years and I’ve never been shy before. Maybe it’s because this is the first time that I’m sure that he sees me as a girl before he sees me as his best friend. He stood up and made his way through the guys around him and walked over to Taec and I. After high-fiving Taec, who secretly winked at me and left, he turned to me with a small smile. “Wow. Reese, you look…amazing.” His voice was deep and husky, and my heart began to beat faster. This was the voice he used when he was talking to other girls. Looked like I was doing pretty well so far.
I smiled. “Thanks. Happy birthday, Jay.” I slid my present into his hand and wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug. He put the small, bow-tied box into his back pocket before placing his hands on the small of my back and pulling me against him. His hard body was warm, and I was hyperaware of it because of the thin fabric and short length of my dress.
“Thank you, Reese.” He pulled away and smiled at me. “Never thought I’d see the day when you looked like this.”
I smirked and looked down at myself. “To be honest, neither did I.” I answered with a slight shrug. “But, hey, you only turn 24 once. After this, you’ll be in your late-20s! Oldie.” I joked.
Jay rolled his eyes. “Whatever. You’re not too far away either, so don’t go there.”
I stuck my tongue out at him and smiled before walking into the group of guys sitting behind him and joining them. “Well, look who it is.” I teased as I turned to face the younger Park brother. “Little Jehan who has no time for me anymore! How are you doing?”
He chuckled before wrapping his arms around my shoulder in a one-armed hug. “Well, not as good as you. Look at you! Teresa isn’t a tomboy anymore, it’s a miracle.” He sighed. “Why couldn’t you have done this when you were still in Seattle? Then, you and I could have…you know.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me playfully and blew me a kiss.
“Ew, Jehan, never.” I pushed him off me. What, just ‘cause I look a little different, everyone’s going to start hitting on me? Jay, the things I do for you. Speaking of Jay, where the heck did he go? I looked around to see my eyes landing on him sitting at the bar with a girl in a barely-there see-through dress whispering something in his ear. He had his arm around his waist and her hand was rubbing his chest and abs lightly. Hmph. Looked like a slut. But, I wouldn’t tell Jay that.
I sighed and turned back to the group to see Taecyeon staring at me, obviously aware of what I’d just seen. He raised his eyebrow as if asking me if I was okay, and I shrugged. If Jay was going to be a playboy again, that was fine. I’d just keep trying until I got his attention. Taec stood up from his seat and made his way to me. Holding out his hand to me, he motioned to the dance floor with a smile. I shrugged and looked over at Jay. The girl was still there, but this time, his attention was solely on me and Taec. Well, mainly Taec, because if my eyes weren’t deceiving me, Jay was shooting daggers and flames of the hottest degree at our friend. Glaring, if I dare say it. Was he jealous?
Taec stood me up when I took too long to respond and pulled me flush against his body. He leant his head down and brushed his lips against my ear, tilting his head in a way that Jay could see what he was doing. “The best way to get a guy to realize his feelings for you,” he whispered, “is to get him jealous. Let’s dance.” Without hesitation, Taecyeon dragged me out of the room and onto the dance floor. ‘Whatcha Say’ by Jason DeRulo blasted through the speakers while Taec and I moved together. His arms were wrapped tightly around my waist as we grinded to the beat, my back against his chest.
As I danced with Taecyeon, a hundred questions swirled in my head. Was Jay watching us? Was he jealous? Was I being sexy enough? Did I still look okay? Was I making a fool of myself? Well, I couldn’t ask Jay face to face, so I pulled Taecyeon in close. In fact, so close it might have looked like we were kissing from Jay’s standpoint. “Am I overdoing it?” I asked in a whisper. Gah, this is not like me. The Teresa I knew was confident about everything she did! Stupid Jay Park.
Taec smiled that signature smile and laughed. “Nope. To be completely honest, you’re pretty damn sexy right now and I think everyone here knows it.”
“What?” I took the time to look around me to see that every guy in our general vicinity was staring at me hungrily and all the girls were glaring at me with envy. Those girls were jealous? Of me? Awesome. “Well, they aren’t the ones that matter.”
Taec nodded; he already knew what I meant by that. “Well, Jay has been staring since we got on the dance floor.” A bright smile spread across my face and I giggled, which made Taecyeon chuckle in return. That was exactly what I wanted to happen; if he couldn’t look away, that must have meant he liked what he saw, right?
So, I kept going. As the songs played on, Taec and I’s dancing became less and less innocent and I was pretty sure that sooner or later, we would have to be stopped lest we wanted to give everyone a REAL show. But, I didn’t let all that get to me. I was having fun–real fun–something I hadn’t been able to do in a while, so I slowly forgot my plan and let myself get lost in the music and in the arms of my personal giant (Taec is flipping tall!). But, it didn’t last long because I was pulled away from Taec abruptly and met the eyes of a fuming Jay Park.
“Jay? What are you doing?” I asked.
Growling out a harsh “Shut up” in response, Jay dragged me out of the club, ignoring my cries and protests. When he finally came to a stop, he spun around and I immediately cringed. He was looking at me with such a glare in his eyes that I had to fight the urge to run away. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He growled out, his beautiful eyes dark with fury.
I stared at him in shock. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He scoffed nastily. “Really? How about you all over Taec like you have no goddamn sense? Huh?!” He exhaled heavily and ran his hand down his face. “Reese, I’ve just been ignoring it and haven’t said anything. But, I can’t hold back anymore. You’re changing and I can’t really say that I like it. I mean, from your clothes to the way you dance, nothing’s the same. And I miss the Reese I used to know.”
I opened my mouth to answer him, but closed it again. Had I really changed that much? I mean, everything I had done was to gain his attention, to become more that just his friend. But, had I really lost what had brought us together in the first place? “Jay…I…” I stopped. If I told him why I had changed, I would also have to tell him how I felt. And this wasn’t the way I wanted it to happen. When I finally confessed, I wanted to be completely sure about his feelings for me. “Nevermind.” I mumbled, trying to push past him and go back inside.
“Oh, no, you don’t.” He grabbed me by my waist and pulled me back. Trapping me between the brick wall of the club’s exterior and his arms, he stared down at me. “Answer my damn question.” I shook my head. “Reese. Answer me.”
“No.”
“Teresa…” He said in a warning tone.
“Jaebeom…” I said, mocking him.
“Why can’t you just tell me?!” He suddenly exploded, making me jump in surprise. “What, you think I’ll be hurt or something? Did you change for Taec? To impress him? You like him? Or what, you did it for a girl? You’re gay? Just tell me!”
Okay, his reasons were really pissing me off. Gay? Where would he ever get that from? I sighed. Well, seeing that Jay wouldn’t let me leave without telling him, I gave in. “Okay…I did it…because I love you.” I said quietly. But, I knew he heard me because his breath caught in his throat and he quickly grew silent.
“Wh-What?” He stuttered out.
I nodded and continued. “I’ve been in love with you for years, but I knew that you didn’t like girls like me. I mean, tomboys and stuff. So, I decided to change myself so that I could win your heart and make you feel the same way. But, I can tell by your face that I didn’t and you don’t, so I think I’m going to go inside before I embarrass myself any further.” I tried to step around him, but once again, he pulled me back. But, this time, he pulled me in close and when I finally came to a stop, Jay’s lips were pressed firmly against mine and his strong hands were locked around my waist.
My eyes widened in shock. Jay was kissing me. I was kissing Jay. What do I do, what do I do, what do I do? My conscience kicked me mentally. ‘Just shut up and enjoy it.’ My eyes fluttered closed and my arms wrapped around his neck, deepening the kiss. When we finally parted, I was breathless and Jay’s eyes were dark with something I’d never seen him look at me with before: passion.
“You’re an idiot, you know that?” Jay said with a small smile. “Why would you change for me? I mean, I’m flattered and all. But, if I didn’t like you the way you were, I wouldn’t keep you around.” When my jaw dropped, he laughed, before nuzzling my nose with his own. “Yeah. I bet you didn’t know you won my heart a long time ago, Reese. And it took my relationship with Jessica to see that.” He paused. “Reese, I love you. And if you’ll have me, I’d love to be more than your best friend.”
I rolled my eyes. “Idiot. If I’ll have you? I went through all of this so I could GET you. Of course, I’ll have you.”
He laughed. “Well, good. You didn’t really have a choice anyway.” Then, he pressed those soft lips against mine again and I couldn’t help but smile. Victory is mine!
