Reminiscent

I remember the first time the two of us met. We had collided with each other, quite literally, at the park. I had agreed to take my niece and nephew to the park for a couple of hours, to give my sister a break, where I had then been roped into a game of tag with them both. Apparently Jayden was in a similar situation (except, as I later found out, they were his cousins) and I was running from a pair of hyperactive children. I had looked over my shoulder to check on them and the next thing I knew I was on the floor with someone stood over me.

I had looked up to see Jayden (though I hadn’t known his name then) standing above me, seemingly unaffected by the crash. He looked taller than me (though considering how short I am, isn’t really that difficult) with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. He helped me up and apologised a light blush staining his cheeks that I thought was adorable.

“Don’t worry about it,” I had answered smiling. “I should’ve been looking where I was going.”

At this my sisters two had caught up with me panting. “Uncle Max, are you ok? We saw you fall over,” Kate had asked, her blue eyes worried.

“I’m fine sweetheart,” I answered.

“Who are you then?” Kieran had asked frowning at Jayden.

“My names Jayden, what’s yours?” he had asked smiling at the two of them.

“I’m Kieran and that’s my little sister Katie.”

“Don’t call me Katie,” Kate had screeched and their normal argument had started up.

I had sighed and shook my head, “sorry about them.” I said and to my surprise Jayden had laughed.

“Don’t worry about it. The two I’ve got with me are exactly the same. Speaking of I should probably find them,” he added as he looked around the park.

“You’ve not lost them have you?” I had asked him worried.

“No,” he answered chuckling. “We’ve been playing hide and seek, and it was their turn to hide.”

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I remember our first date. We had been friends for almost a year before he had asked me out. I hadn’t even realised that he had asked me out until almost an hour after. Jayden took me to the fair that was in town for the weekend. It came every year though I hadn’t been for the last couple so I was shocked at how much it had changed.

He had looked shocked when he found out that I didn’t like the faster rides there. He looked even more surprised when he found out that I liked the ferris wheel despite the fact that I didn’t like heights. “We can go on it now if you want,” Jayden had offered and I smiled at him.

“No, it’s still light out. Can we go on later though, after its gotten dark?” I had asked. I liked the lights when the carriage was at the top.

Jayden had grinned at me, “of course.”

Until darkness fell we both wondered around the fairground talking and joking as we often did. The only difference this time was his hand in mine. By the time we had decided to go on the ferris wheel we were both hyper from the obscene amount of sugar that we had eaten. When we had finally got on the ferris wheel we still tittering over nothing, but I calmed down when our carriage stopped at the top to allow other people on the carriages below.

Me calming seemed to have an effect on Jayden too as his laughter stopped and he hesitantly slipped an arm around my shoulders, almost as if he was afraid I would push him away. Instead I had leant into him, my smile widening. “I can see my house from here,” I had murmured quietly.

“No you can’t.”

“I can,” I had answered leaning forward slightly. “Its right there,” I had pointed and he had leant forward too, which had then caused the carriage to start rocking. I had squealed in shock and that had started the laughter back up.

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I remember our first kiss. It was at the end of out third date. We had had diner at his house and then curled up on the couch to watch a couple of films. Jayden had stretched out across the whole of the couch and I had been more or less laid on top of him, my head under his chin.

“Why do you keep looking away?” Jayden had asked when I had twisted so I was facing away from the screen, yet again.

“I don’t like the sight of blood,” I had explained. “Has it gone yet?”

“Yeah, you can look again.”

When I had looked back at the screen there was still blood splattered everywhere and I had gone pale before burying my face in his neck. “You bastard,” I had said scowling at him as he chuckled.

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist,” he whispered, running his fingers through my hair to try and sooth me.

“You will be if you do that again,” I had muttered looking up at him, a smirk on my face.

“Like you could do any damage,” he teased poking me in the side.

“Shut up,” I had retorted poking my tongue out.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

This time instead of answering I had leant up and kissed him. It was a chaste kiss, nothing more than a peck on the lips. When I had pulled away Jayden had smiled at me.

“You’re blushing,” he had told me, stroking my cheek.

“Am not,” I had murmured pouting.

Jayden had snickered before leaning forward and kissing me again. It was slightly awkward; I was laid too far down on his chest for us to meet in the middle properly. His hand had slid from my cheek to my hair whilst I had moved upwards slightly so that the angle wasn’t as awkward. I had placed on of my hands beside his face the other holding onto his shoulder as the kiss deepened, our tongues tentatively meeting. It wasn’t long before we had parted again this time we had both been panting slightly.

Jayden had smiled at me again before leaning up to kiss my forehead softly. “You’re blushing again.”

I didn’t even bother to reply to that.

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I remember our first fight. We had planned to go out and I had been late. It wasn’t the first time that it had happened which is why I think that he had blown up at me that time. I hadn’t meant to be late but my brother had phoned and well, I hardly see him so I had sort of lost track of time.

When I had got to his house I had let myself in (neither of us knocked anymore) and had found him sat on the couch staring at the blank screen of the TV. “Sorry I’m late,” I had said, quite cheerfully as I sat beside him, leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek. He had turned his head away from me, my first clue that something was wrong. “What’s the matter?”

I still remember the look he gave me. It wasn’t even anger in his eyes; I would have preferred that to the disappointment that had lingered there. “You’re late,” he had muttered quietly.

“Yeah, I know, I’m sorry. Robert phoned and I was talking to him longer than I had planned to.” I had explained reaching out to touch his arm. He had let me but he hadn’t leant into the touch like he normally would have done.

“Yeah, I know, you never do.”

“What’s that meant to mean?” I had asked, genuinely confused.

“You’re always late; it’s starting to feel like … like you don’t even care anymore. Like this is just a second thought to you.” Jayden had answered slumping backwards.

“Is that what you think?” I had asked, standing.

Jayden had just nodded looking completely defeated. “If you want to end it, can you just do it now instead of dragging it out and save us both the trouble.”

“You really think that I want to end this? And if I did, you think that I would choose to do it like this? That I wouldn’t just tell you I wanted out?” I had asked, anger starting to creep into my voice.

“Really starting to feel like it,” Jayden had answered finally standing up from the couch. “You’re always late, half the time with a half-cocked excuse, almost like you don’t care about that either.”

“I can’t believe that you think I’m capable of doing that. Maybe I should end it if that’s what you think I’m trying to do.” I had added spitefully.

“Maybe you should then,” he had told me, his jaw clenching and his hands in fists at his sides.

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

I had stomped towards his front door fully intending to storm out. I had reached out to twist the door handle to leave but something had stopped me from going through with it. I remember having turned around and walking back into the living room to see Jayden still stood in the centre of the room, his fists still balled at his sides. Jayden’s eyes had been squeezed shut tight as if to stop himself from crying.

“I don’t like that idea much,” I had whispered and his eyes had snapped open. I remember not knowing if he would throw me out or not and it actually terrified me.

“I don’t either,” he had murmured finally his eyes meeting mine.

Seconds after he had said that I had thrown myself into his arms, my face buried in his chest as tears started rolling down my cheeks. “I’m sorry,” I had sobbed, though it was muffled by his chest. “I’ll never be late again, ever.” I had promised over and over again.

Jayden had chuckled wetly in my ear, “you can be late if want, just not all the time.”

I had laughed before pulling away enough to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

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I remember the first time we had sex together. It was the day after our first fight, well the morning after anyway. I had stayed round his that night and had woken up with him. Jayden had woken up before me if the kisses he was placing along my shoulder blades was anything to go by. “Morning,” I had whispered pressing my back further into his chest, smiling as his arms tightened around my waist.

“Morning,” Jayden had replied pressing one more kiss to my shoulder before rolling me so I was on my back looking up at him. He had leant down to kiss me, a smile etched on his face. I had responded enthusiastically, wrapping my arms around him and pulling him down on top of me. I threaded my fingers through his hair, tugging lightly which had made him moan into my mouth. His mouth had left mine to trail down my neck, occasionally sucking to leave a small mark. I had arched up into him when he had reached my shoulder; my hands had been running up and down his bare sides.

“Jayden,” I had moaned as his mouth had travelled further down my body, his tongue tracing patterns on my skin.

“Hmmm,” he had answered pulling away from my skin to look at me, his hands picking up from where his mouth had left off.

“Please,” I had panted as I wrapped my legs around his waist bringing his hips down into mine, which had caused both of us to moan.

It hadn’t taken long after that for us both to be completely naked in Jayden’s bed, both of our bodies pressed together. He had looked at me, a light blush staining his cheeks, “I … I’m not sure how to do this.” He had admitted to me.

“That makes two of us then,” I had answered him reaching up to push his hair away from his face.

We had got there in the end though it had been awkward and painful, I wouldn’t have changed it.

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I remember the first time I told him I loved him. Well, I sort of do. We had gone to a friends’ twenty first birthday and whilst I hadn’t been completely drunk I’d probably had a few more than I should have. We were both going to stay round my sisters’ house in the guest room as it was closer to where the party was.

We had stumbled upstairs, after a brief argument out on the porch about who my sister had actually given the spare key to (neither of us, she had hidden it underneath the welcome mat) and then through to the spare room. Whilst we had been doing this we had been trying to be quiet, but that never seems to work as well as you’d expect when you’re drunk.

“Shh,” Jayden had hissed into my neck, giggling slightly as he stripped me of my shirt.

“What d’ya mean shhhhh?” I had slurred, “You is making the mostest noise.”

“I know,” he had giggled pushing me towards the bed. “But I’m the one making the mostest sense.” He frowned slightly when he had said that, “Mostest? Morest? No! It’s most!” He had exclaimed looking pleased with himself which had caused me to launch into a fit of laughter from where I was laid on the bed.

When I had calmed down slightly Jayden was still stood at the edge of the bed looking slightly confused. I had sat up and pulled his face down towards mine so I could kiss him. I had smiled into the kiss and pulled him back with me as I had lain back down. Jayden had pulled away after a few minutes to breath and I had smiled up at him again.

“I love you,” I had murmured as I pulled him into another kiss.

When I had woken up the next morning my head was pounding and I was cold. I had groaned as I rolled over snuggling into Jayden’s chest. “Morning,” Jayden had whispered wrapping his arms around me.

“Nrgh,” I had answered.

“That good huh?” he had asked, a hint of teasing in his voice. He had pushed the hair off of my forehead to look at me. I had smiled as he had pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth, my eyes closing as I had buried my face into his neck. “By the way,” he had whispered into my ear quietly, his hands moving up and down my back. “I love you to.”