Free Always and Forever by Lauren Crossley

It’s practically
unheard of.
    “I guess he just wants to keep you safe and protect you, I
don’t blame him. I can actually understand that.”
    I bite my tongue from revealing the truth. I’m not about to
unload all of my personal life on Jake. He doesn’t deserve that and its way too
soon.
    “I suppose you’re right.” I lie.
    “So, Bethany, what made you decide to come here tonight?”
 
    “Oh, I didn’t have much planned; it was either you or
another episode of Friends.”
    He bursts out laughing and throws another dazzling smile
right at me.
    “But Friends has been finished for years.”
    “I have the whole collection on DVD.”
    “And here I am hoping that you came to see me, not because
you grew bored of Jennifer Aniston reruns.”
    “Actually, it was a toss up between you and another guy.” I
boast.
    His smile immediately disappears, replaced by a look of
annoyance and dare I say… jealousy.
    “Another guy? Who?” He demands.
    “Jake, I was joking.” I stop walking and turn to face him,
trying to conceal my triumph at the thought of making him jealous.
    He glares back at me and I start to worry that I’ve taken it
too far. I bite down on my bottom lip, feeling uncomfortable. Jake’s eyes
instantly drop to my mouth and fixate on my nervous action. Once again, I
recognise the passion and hunger behind that look. Do I really have such a
powerful affect over him? How is that even possible? I decide to test my theory
and lick my lips, pressing them together and watch in fascination as Jake’s jaw
clenches and his eyes turn dark with desire.
    “Sorry, I know I keep on staring. It’s just…”
    “What?” I challenge him.
    “I just can’t help but stare when you do that.” His voice
is low and raspy, stirring something inside of me that I just can’t explain.
    “Maybe we should keep on walking.” I say, changing the
subject.
    Wow, I really am a coward.
    We walk on in silence for a while and I realise that the
further we walk away from where we met, the longer it will take me to get back
home.
    “I have to get going soon, Jake.”
    “Already?”
    “Yeah, I promised my mum that I wouldn’t be long.”
    “What about your dad? He doesn’t mind you going out alone?”
    “That’s the thing, he doesn’t know. The only night he goes
out during the week is Friday. That’s why I could make it tonight.”
    Jake stops walking and gently takes hold of my wrist when I
refuse to quit moving.
    “Wait a minute, you mean that you wouldn’t even be allowed
out if it were up to him?” He moves a fraction closer towards me.
    “He’s overprotective, he always has been.” I hate the fact
that it looks like I’m sticking up for my father but I really can’t reveal
anything to Jake just yet. I don’t feel ready and I don’t want to scare him
away.
    “I understand any man being protective over you but to the
extent that he won’t allow you to go out, that’s fucked up.”
    It actually feels good to hear Jake voice his concerns like
this. For years I’ve been doubting myself, wondering if my hatred towards my
father has been self-inflicted and more about myself than anything he’s done to
me.
    “Jake, you need to understand something. It took me all
week just to convince my mum to allow me to leave the house this evening. I
told her that I’m meeting up with an old friend from school. She doesn’t know
anything about you and if I want to see you again then she never will. I just
don’t see how this is going to work.” I sigh, feeling desolate and sad.
    He exhales slowly and stays quiet for some time.
    “Ok, I can be selfless here and say that I understand. I
could say that I don’t want to cause any problems within your family and that I
don’t want to be the reason for you lying to them about where you’re going but
I’m not going to be that person. I want to see you again, I’ve thought about
you every single day since last week and I know that all of this might seem a
little