The Craziest Thing

A hotel hallway. And from what I saw a cheap one at that. Deep green and burgundy carpet ran the stretch of the corridor. The walls were covered in sad wallpaper that the seventies left to visually rape the future generations. All the doors were different shades of the same deep red as in the carpet and I'd rather not put any thought toward what was probably happening behind them.

I redirected my gaze to Jake in a slow turning of my head. "Let me guess. Special 8?"

His voice showed just a hint of amusement. "Just trust me. Now go in. Come on." He got pleasure out of this! That bastard.

If he thinks that bringing me to some cheap-ass hotel is romantic or going to get him laid then he can…

My thoughts were halted as he opened the door. The entire room painted white with curtains of the same bleached color hung in the corners. The floor had a bright white material covering; almost like a painter's drop cloth. The room was empty, save a small round table in the center of the room set for two. Red tea-light candles lined a walkway to the quaint place setting. Scattered across the path were bright red rose petals in harsh contrast against the stark white floor. The petals continued up onto the table where two roses sat in a vase with the stems crossed. Boxy chairs with no arms covered in white slipcovers faced pearly settings of white forks, knives, spoons and plates. Clear, tall wine glasses held liquid the color of blood.

The air in my lungs froze as my eyes laid upon the scene before me.
Three thoughts came to mind: It's beautiful. Why here? and It looks like an asylum.
I stated the first.

"Why thank you; it took a lot of time and money so I'd hope so." Jake followed as I walked dreamily into the room, still taking it all in. He pulled out my chair then sat across from me.

"So... Why here?"

He smirked and looked at me evilly. "Remember junior year? You had that huge fight with

Damon and to piss him off you came here with me?"

"How could I forget? I was a virgin no longer."

He laughed and took a sip of the wine in front of him. It was strange to see him looking so dignified. Although I'm sure that with my multitude of piercings I looked out of place in the room of all white as well.

After some comments on the old days and the amazing steak in front of us he clasped his hands on the table in front of him and looked at me with the devlish smirk that always turned me on.

"Oh, God. What now?" I asked in a slightly exasperated voice. I should have known that this couldn't be as simple and nice as a peaceful dinner.

"Well, to get your present you'll have to..." he paused to think of the right words, "go on a little scavenger hunt." He sounded evil. It kind of worried me.

"Uh oh. And where would this scavenger hunt start?" I teased in my most seductive voice. I propped my elbow on the table and rested my head in my hand lightly. Letting my black and bleached bangs hang partially over my eyes I looked up at him. A technique that could usually get me out of anything.

Apparently not this time cuz he just smirked and reminded me, "Remember the first thing we did once we got here?"

"Um... You let me up a bunch of stairs blindfolded?" I really could see no signifigance in this action.

He sighed and shook his head, closing his eyes. "No. I mean when we got here ten years ago."

"Oh!" I exlcaimed, immediatly feeling the shame of my blonde moment.

"Well..." I racked my brain for memories from an decade ago. "We kissed underwater because I told u about how I saw it in a movie and wanted to see if I would drown!" We both laughed at how stupid I was then.

I hopped up from the table causing the wine glasses to clink together and if Jake hadn't stopped his it would have stained the white floor. He let out a hard breath and playfully glared up at me from under long lashes. I simply grabbed his hand that wasn't hold a half-full wine glass and pulled him out the door and toward the elevator spilling the wine in the process. Whoops.

I half-skipped, half-ran to the pool door, key card in hand.

Expecting another breathtaking scene like the room I burst into the humid, chlorine scented room. I slowed before I fell into the blue water.

Jake strolled up to behind me and rested his head on my shoulder. "Are you going to get in or what?"

Slowly I pivoted on one heel so I was angled toward him. In a sharp tenor I questioned, "What?"

He gently laid his right hand on my shoulder and guided me to turn toward him. Facing me he cupped my chin with one hand and used the other to pull my body toward him by my lower back. He leaned in as if to kiss me but at the last minute his mouth broke into a smirk.
I flew with a screamed profanity into the pool.

Once I resurfaced I saw that that Jake was laughing his ass off.

"Aren't you going to join me?" I floated onto my back.

One hand immediately found his immaculately styled hair, the other his fitted, black t-shirt.

An idea immediately formed in my head. I checked around the pool house to confirm that we were alone. I teased in my most seductive voice. "Oh! That reminds me. This chlorine can't be good for this shirt," I stripped off my—now soaked—ribbed tank top, leaving me in my lacey cream-colored bra. With one eyebrow raised he left his beloved "A Static Lullaby" shirt in a puddle next to the edge and dove in head first. Water clung in dropplets on his well-toned arms and I couldn't resist. I swam toward him, putting one hand on each of his shoulders, and leaned in for a kiss.

At the last moment he ducked and swam away underwater leaving me floundering to regain composure.

He popped up behind me and whispered in my ear, "Not yet." I whirled around and tackled him under water. He floated to the bottom and layed on his back with his hand clasped behind his head. I followed and lay down next to him. Ever the optimist, I tried to kiss him again, but he kicked his legs propelling him about ten feet away. I then noticed the large message on the bottom of the pool that read "Let's get steamy..."

I instantly understood and surfaced. By the time he followed I was already standing on the edge toweling off my torso with black-painted fingers. I winked and walked over to the sauna door. There I leaned forward onto the door jam and looked back at Jake as if to ask, "Am I right?" He simply nodded and felt me up with his eyes.

Swaying my hips as I went I closed the door behind me and let what was left of my clothes fall to floor and replaced them with my towel. I took a place on the wooden bench and swung my legs up beside me and waited until Jake walked in wearing nothing but a towel himself.

I shot him a mock-amused look. "It seems as if we've had the same idea for our wardrobe."

He smirked and took his place at the other end of the long seat. I rolled my eyes and crawled toward him. With him sitting back leaned against the wall and me on my hands and knees with my face just inches away, I leaned in. He, once again, dodged my kiss. "What's with you, huh? I thought I was the tease in this relationship."

That extremely hot, devilish look crossed his face again. "You'll have to wait. Not until you finish the hunt."

I sat back and rested my head in my hand. "Oh right. The Hunt." I blew upward out of my mouth causing my drying bangs to fly up and out of my eyes. I glanced up out of annoyance and saw something carved into the wood of the ceiling. It stood out among all the other "I love So-And-So"s and "Jane Doe + John Doe = Love"s and of course my personal favorites, the ones with forever added; because the poor bastard actually believed love can last forver.

This one read, "I heart ?" and matched the small tattoo I have just above my knee.
Memories of a bright red pocket knife and standing on that same bench ten years ago flashed back at me. It was when I first realized that I loved both Jake and Damon. Just a month later I, ilegally, got the matching tattoo. Next to the carving was another. It read simply, "Look down." I did as it said, and saw the matching simple artwork. I looked back at Jake.

"You better put some clothes on. I think walking into the tattoo parlor wearing nothing but a towel would be frowned upon." He smirked.