Love on the Brain

Firework filled the entire sky above their heads, meanwhile graduated teenagers hugged their friends outside in the stadium. The clear night was ahead of them, and one thing was for sure – they had all survived high school.

Jade was soon released from the bonecrushing hug her mother had just given her. The older brunette soon grabbed her tissue and started brushing away the tears that escaped the corner of her eyes, barely able to believe it. Her daughter had graduated. She was going to Yale.

“Mom,” Jade chuckled, wrapping her arms around her mother’s shoulders and giving them a soft squeeze.

She was still wearing her graduation gown over her yellow canary wave dress. The chill summer air brushed passed her thighs, meanwhile her father started hugging her again.

“We’re so proud of you sweetheart. So extremely proud,” Javier told her, resting his chin on top of her head.

“Thanks, dad. I love you,” she muffled, holding his gaze, as she could see how his eyes were watering as well.

“I love you too,” he smiled brightly.

“Jade!” the sound of Mrs Haner’s voice reached her ears.

Both Jan and her husband were hurrying towards the Perez family, their faces filled with joy, as Jan went to hug the redhead.

“Congratulations, sweetheart!” she spoke with her arms around Jade.

“Thank you so much!” Jade smiled brightly, before Brian’s father started hugging her tightly as well.

“You’re getting old!” he told the teenager, meanwhile his son all but rolled his eyes.

“Dad…” Brian announced, as Esther went over and hugged the boy.

“Congratulations, Brian! Jade told us that you got in!” Mrs Perez said happily.

“Thank you so much, Esther!” Brian said, hugging the older brunette.

“Esther, darling, shouldn’t we let the kids celebrate on their own?” Javier suggested, as he knew the students were going to have a bonfire and celebrate the little time they had left.

“They’re hardly kids anymore, darling!” Esther chuckled back, before she turned to her daughter. “We can take the gown with us,” she said, pointing at the gown her daughter was sick of wearing.

“Thanks,” Jade smiled, as she stripped out of it and handed it over to her parents. “Bri, I wanna change before we go down to the beach,” she told her boyfriend, who finally freed his neck from the tie he had been wearing for way too long.

“Sounds like a plan,” he said, his eyes trailing down her bare legs and the short dress she was wearing.

“Come on!” she brought her hand in his and dragged him towards the school.

The two of them had soon managed to get rid of everyone else, as they stepped into the girl’s room, this time for the last time in their lives. Jade could feel the excitement that filled her body as their lips met. Brian lifted her and placed her on the sink, her legs wrapped around his waist, meanwhile their lips united again in another delicate kiss. She linked her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, feeling his teeth that scratched her neck, definitely leaving a mark, as it travelled towards the collar of her dress.

“God,” she moaned out loud, arching her back against his touch, as she enjoyed it all too much.

The sound of footsteps soon emerged into their direction, as the couple instantly escaped towards a booth, Jade’s heart hammering against her chest when the sound of the sink filled their ears.

The look on Brian’s face was priceless. The thrill that hung over the two of them was almost addictive, and they soon picked up where they left when they realized that they were all alone again.

***

The two of them never made it to the bonfire, which didn’t seem to bother any of them, considering they would be celebrating with their friends tomorrow. Now they were both laying on top of his hood, enjoying the silence around them, meanwhile their eyes rested upon the glowing sky above them.

Jade had finally gotten out of her dress, as she was left in a green vintage skirt and a striped shirt that had Brian had buttoned down a lot of times already that evening.

“I can’t believe it’s over,” Brian announced, his arm tugged under his head.

“Same. It’s surreal,” Jade agreed, her breath heavy and her mind filled with thoughts she didn’t want to have.

“We’ll make it,” he said, almost as though he was able to read her mind. “We got this,” Brian moved his hand until it held unto hers.

“I know,” Jade said. “But I’m still scared,” she confessed.

“Me too, but we’re gonna make it,” he promised her. “We’re too good to be driven apart by something like college,” he picked up her hand kissed it firmly.

“I love you too, Brian,” Jade suddenly said, her eyes holding his gaze, meanwhile he looked somewhat puzzled.

“When you told me in your room I was scared and unsure if I really loved you like that. Now I know that I do, so yeah, I really love you, Brian Elwin Haner Jr,” she announced it loud and clear, her voice sounding like music, meanwhile he brought her closer to him.

“I love you too, Jade,” Brian smiled, not able to hide the excitement that filled him.

Silence soon fell over them, but it was a good kind of silence. They didn’t need to say anything nor do anything but to just lean back and feel the moment. The two of them knew what they had ahead of them, but they also knew that the love between them was stronger than most things, including the distance between Hollywood and Connecticut.

Jade enjoyed his embrace, not sure when she would feel his arms around her body again. Brian allowed his fingers to run down her spine, tickling her skin with his rigid fingertips, before he left small kisses on her lips, feeling as though he could never get enough of her now.

That night, after Brian had dumped her off, she was unable to sleep. She kept staring at the ceiling in her room, the sheets barely covering her hips, meanwhile her thoughts circled around the thing that terrified her the most – the future.

Yale was right around the corner, and so was leaving Brian for a long time. The sensation that filled her was horrible, and Jade kept shifting in her bed for what felt like a whole eternity, before she got up and started pacing back and forth in her room. It was an uncomfortable sensation of recklessness that drove her, mixed with the anxiety that tainted her.

She tried to listen to music, going through his favourite songs, and she soon also tried to watch one of his favourite movies, before she realized that it wasn’t working. It was soon five o’clock in the morning, and she was still wide-awake.

Jade returned to her bed, music still blasting from her headphones, meanwhile her gaze rested upon the ceiling.

The future petrified her. She had no idea how things would turn out after she moved, and she had no idea if she would regret leaving for Yale later on if it turned out to drive them apart.

But despite all of the things that scared her, there was one thing she was certain of – Brian Haner loved her, and he was willing to do a lot of things in order to make sure she never questioned it.