Why Won't You Fall Into My Arms?

The sea stretched out ahead of me like one never ending blanket of grey. It would have been nice to call it blue but the sun denied the water any glimpse of anything other than a murky green. The sand felt hot against my feet but I rather liked the sensation so I didn’t move them away. It was bliss to allow the sun to bake into my skin after so long of being cooped up within four walls.

Jack was somewhere behind me but I didn’t care. I’d had enough of caring about Jack all of the time. I did, however, care when his tanned arms encircled me and lifted me up into the stifling air. The sea looked nice and inviting enough but clothes still adorned my sweating being so I struggled in his grip.

“Don’t even dare,” I was trying to be menacing but failing.

“You look a bit hot, I’m just doing you a favour,” he whispered above the soft crashing of waves.

I knew Jack and I knew when he wanted something he got it – and right now he wanted me in that ocean. He had the balls and he had the motivation so, instead of resisting, I allowed him to wade waist deep into the waves before pushing off under the cool salty water.

When I emerged Jack was nowhere in sight but I wasn’t worried. The water was murky enough for him to hide under and he wasn’t a champion swimmer for nothing. Rolling my eyes, I quickly pulled off the shirt and shorts that were now sopping to reveal a skimpy polka dot bikini that I never thought I’d have enough confidence to wear.

There was something in Jack, something in his eyes, which made me comfortable whatever. When he wasn’t looking at me as if I was a piece of meat, he was looking at me as if I was the prettiest girl he’d ever seen.

“Got you,” a gurgled yell startled me as Jack shot abruptly from the water to scoop me up unexpectedly into his arms. He couldn’t keep his hands off of me and I couldn’t keep myself from smiling at the feelings. His tanned skin mixed with my pale skin, meshing together. He held me like a rag doll with the ends of my hair submerged in the sea.

From the angle I was in, it became painfully obvious that Jack was only in his swimming shorts. His warm skin chest pressed smoothly against my exposed skin. My cheeks flushed rose but I felt the uncontrollable grin overcome me.

“You’re unbelievable Jack,” I laughed.

In response he merely spun me around before letting me fall back into the cloudy water. It was peculiar remembering what Jack had once been – so mean and spiteful and cocky. Sure, he was still confident but I knew he’d never deliberately hurt me any longer. And in return I couldn’t think of a horrible thing to truthfully call him. It was weird to remember that I had hated him once.

My dripping hair shone all different colours against my shoulders as I splashed Jack with the salty froth.

“Care to take what you dish out?”

“Gladly,” he smirked and allowed me to devour him with water completely unfazed. It wasn’t until too late did I see the way his chest gleamed when the spray caught in the sun, or the way his hair was unkempt but still incredibly sexy, or the way his smirk made my stomach squirm into knots. It wasn’t until too late did I realise the goofy smile on my lips was impossible to remove.

“Daydreaming about me again Soph?” Jack’s wet face had somehow managed to get close to mine.

“No,” I laughed to cover my guilty tracks “I was thinking about how beautiful the beach is and how I should come here more often.”

“You mean how we should come here more often?” The small thrill inside was undeniable. I loved the way he said ‘we’ and how he felt the need to correct me.

“Maybe,” I teased him before submerging myself completely beneath the water. The feel of slight adrenaline mixed perfectly with my calm so I ended up more excited than anything else. It felt so good to be alive even if nobody else was here to appreciate it.

“Bet you I can get back to the shore first,” I dared suddenly as I stood up.

His sly grin accepted my challenge and then I was off as quickly as I could through the stiff water. But Jack wasn’t a champion athlete for nothing and he quickly over took me much to my disappointment. It would have been nice to excel him physically just to dent his pride. But his ego was still very much intact. And larger than life.

The afternoon went on like that; we were both content to just be with each other. It was surreal, how one of the most popular beaches in our State was completely empty apart from us, and how we were both fine with that. But, of course, my feelings had to go and make things even more complicated. They just weren’t satisfied with being close to Jack unless I was straddling him or being held in his arms. The toll of no other boys was really starting to take effect on my hormones.

We were both lying beneath the setting sun as it cast long shadows over the waters. It was so peaceful it was haunting. There were no delighted screams of children or laughter from playful teens as they danced between the waves. Now the sun was low these things seemed to make a dent in the otherwise perfect atmosphere.

“Sophia?” Jack yawned, stretching his long body out and whisking up a small cloud of sand.

“Hmm?”

“It’s going to be dark soon.”

“Indeed.”

“Do you... you know...”

“Want to go?”I smiled at how shy he seemed to be becoming. “Yeah Jack let’s go home.” My body was already up and moving steadily toward the car. A warm hand caught my wrist and twirled me around gently.

“How about we don’t go home just yet,” his grin was playful and I was almost bowled over at how much I wanted to kiss him.

“What do you mean?” I dared to ask.

“It’s a surprise,” his smile never faltered for a moment.

I remembered his last surprise and how anticlimactic that had been. Either Jack had a poor sense of excitement or he just got too caught up in ideas to realise they were dull.

Still, the butterflies in my stomach told me I’d love the surprise anyway. Because it was Jack Adams, it was him being considerate and caring as only the Jack I knew could be.

“Sure,” I smiled, trying to ignore the small voice telling me what a mistake I was making.

“Come on.”

It was then, as the sun was setting behind us, that Jack reached out and took my hand carefully in his. His touch burnt me but I didn’t let go, it happened too fast for me to change and I didn’t want to change it anyway. Throwing caution and dignity to the wind, I allowed Jack Adams to lead me along the silent street away from the beach and toward the big city.

---

“Dinner is served,” Jack announced grandly, spreading his arms wide to encompass the entire empty restaurant.

We were sat at a table right in the middle, surrounded by empty chairs, cutlery and dishcloths posed perfectly as if still hopefully waiting for more customers. It was an expensive restaurant – one which I would never usually eat at but I hadn’t protested as Jack led me through the large entrance. I didn’t think I could put up much more of a fight with him anymore.

I had spent the last half an hour waiting for Jack to reappear from the restaurant’s huge kitchen, mindlessly staring around at where there should have been other people. I could still smell the ocean under my nose. We were only down the road from it and my clothes were still stiff from their little dip earlier.

Jack set the burger down in front of me as if it were a world class Michelin star dish. I held in my snort because I could tell that he had tried hard. And something in me found it romantic. How many girls could say that a boy had cooked for them? In a professional kitchen nonetheless. It barely mattered that I was eating something I could normally buy in a ‘drive thru’.

His little surprise had me smiling down at my lap, feeling suddenly shy.

“Enjoying your gourmet burger?” Jack smirked.

“Of course,” I said in between a bite, still keeping my eyes firmly away from his. I knew they’d be intense. I knew they’d have me tempted to do so many regrettable things.

“Sophia?”

I finally allowed our eyes to meet, knowing almost instantly what he was trying to do. As if he even needed to try to win me over, he was trying. All of this was set out in his deep look and I couldn’t look away for even a moment.

“Jack,” I told him quickly “I’m just going to tell you now that I’m not the kind of girl who enjoys games involving people’s feelings. I don’t want to get hurt by you because your ego had to prove something.”

He blinked in bewilderment. “I know that, this isn’t some game.”

“Then what is it then?”

“I’m trying to do something nice.”

“Something nice?” I asked sceptically.

“See this is what I mean about everything I do being wrong to you. I’m a jerk and you yell at me, I’m nice and you accuse me of trying to hurt you. I just can’t win!”

He sighed out and stared angrily down at his half eaten burger. I sat, wallowing in my guilt until it consumed me, and stood up slowly. I didn’t know what I was doing, letting my body control itself for once without my mind overanalysing ever second.

The sound of the chair being scraped back made Jack jump. He gazed at me in confusion as I walked around the table to him, and I could tell my face was just as confused.

Then my lips were on his. I pushed myself quickly onto him before common sense could take a hold. I was doing something I had wanted to do all day, for longer than just today.

My mouth moved against his as he remained frozen with the shock. All I really understood was that Jack was upset with me, that he thought I didn’t realize he was special and unique and amazing. I had to prove that I knew he was all of those and so much more. It didn’t matter that he used to be a jerk or that we were only just friends because I had something to prove to him and myself.

And the explosion of butterflies in my stomach had my clammy hands winding around his neck.

Then his lips began working forcefully against mine, his arms clasping me closer onto his lap as we made out in the middle of a deserted restaurant at the dead of night. His lips moved from my mouth to devour my neck with kisses. I moaned into the silence, breaking a thousand different rules.

“Stop Jack,” I gasped out, feeling the world abruptly come to a halt.

My body was screaming for him to carry on but my mind had taken back control. He didn’t move from my neck, his tongue dancing against the rim of my skin like it had only in my wildest dreams.

“Stop,” I pushed him away and stood up.

My face burnt with my mortification but I couldn’t bring myself to regret what I’d done. What I’d wanted to do for so long now.

“What?” he seemed disorientated as if finally awakening from a long enjoyable dream that he wanted to return to.

“I’m sorry I kissed you,” I lied, feeling the predicament needed some form of apology from me. I’d been the one thrusting myself upon him after all.

“I’m sorry you’re not still kissing me,” he huffed, turning back to his burger like nothing had happened. That was what I’d expected him to do but it still stung.

“I want to go home now Jack,” I whispered, feeling stupid at how vulnerable I was.

“Sit back down Soph.”

“No!” I was like a spoilt child stamping her foot on the ground. I felt embarrassed that I’d let my hormones overcome me and angry that I still wanted to kiss him. It should have rid me of that entire desire, not made it worse.

“We aren’t going home,” he stood up alongside me “I thought we’d spend the night in one of the hotel rooms. It’s too late to start the drive back now.”

“And if you’re lucky sweetheart,” he whispered to me “I’ll let you kiss me like that again.”

I groaned and turned away just so that he wouldn’t catch the flash of desperation evident on every single one of my features. I knew this was a bad idea though. Spending the night in a romantic hotel room with the boy I was currently trying not to jump definitely wasn’t a good idea.