I sprint. I’m done. I need a safe haven, a base, a timeout. My legs are burning from my workout earlier and I really don’t know how much farther they will carry me. I run until my legs collapse on the grass field outside of the woods. I’m panting and I swear to God I will never do this shit again. It’s good though. It’s over. Everyone else catches up.

“You ready for the last one, girl?” Sam winks at me as she and Hunter walk by me. Last one? Last one what?

Jake picks me up once more and wraps one of his arms around me. “Almost over.” He places a kiss on my forehead. Almost? I look at where everyone is heading and there is a creepy barn ahead. You have got to be shitting me. When we get to the doors, everyone insists Jake and I go first. I start to protest but he walks forward. I follow not wanting to do this shit alone. The barn opens up to a narrow, dimly lit hallway with strobe lights flashing. At least Jake is in front of me, maybe they will focus on him.

We turn a corner and someone jumps out. “Jesus! Stop! Just stop it!” I scream at them and Jakes laughter sounds once more. Glad he is enjoying this shit so much.

Sam and Jules keep yelling to me and seeing if I’m okay. All of a sudden, a creepy voice is right next to my ear. “Stay here, Nina, stay with us.

I scream and slam myself against the opposite wall. It said my name! It must have heard Sam and Jules. Those bitches. “Jake, please go faster.” My arms are wrapped around his waist and my head buried in his back. They are jumping out and even though I can’t see them I hear them, they still elicit a scream from me.

We finally reach the exit and I see the parking lot. I collapse on the cement wanting to kiss the damn ground. My breathing is heavy as I try to regain some composure.

“Hello!” A voice screams in my ear.

I let out a screech and fall back on to the ground. Holy shit, I just peed myself. Oh my God! I don’t think I could be anymore embarrassed. I look over at the guy doing a crab walk toward me. Jumping up, I sprint to the car and don’t relax until I’m leaning against the cold exterior.

Never. Fucking. Again.

I can’t believe I peed myself! I look down examining that there is no evidence visible. At least it wasn’t enough to go through my pants. I need a bottle of wine, STAT. Sleeping tonight is out of the question. Sam comes toward me. “You get away from me, you evil whore! We are not friends.”

“Aw! You made it though, everything is good now.” She hugs me.

“You all suck.” I hear the locks click and I open the door and sit down. Jake gets in and looks over at me trying to hold back his huge smile. “You just drive, buddy. You threw me to the damn wolves.”

He reaches over and hugs me, placing a kiss on my lips, I respond by biting his bottom lip.

“Shit. You turning into a damn vampire? I might be into that.” He laughs before starting the car and driving out of the lot.

We drop off Hunter and Sam, then go in the opposite way of my apartment. “Where are we going?”

“I thought we could grab a bite to eat.”

“I’m not hungry.” That and I need a shower.

“Well, I am.” He takes my hand and I decide that arguing with him would be pointless. Although all I really want to do is go home, there is no way I am telling him that I peed myself. We pull up to a diner, go inside, and seat ourselves. I look over the menu and decide to get chocolate chip pancakes. Chocolate and carbs make even the worst night better. We order from the waitress and then Jake looks over at me. “So tell me your story.”

His question makes me uneasy. I’m not ready to tell him my story, at least any of my story before six years ago. “I moved to LA for a change of scenery. I had a cosmetology license and I had gotten my license to be a massage therapist. I found a job as a hairdresser for celebrities, and that’s how I met Sam. We worked together almost every day for a year, and when she decided to move away from LA, she asked if I wanted to come. I got a job at the spa, and here we are. See? Completely boring.”

“Nina, there isn’t a damn thing about you that’s boring.” His gaze is fixed on me, and it begins to heat my body. “I want to know what makes you tick.”

His question makes me squirm. “You’re moving way too fast, Flash, slow it down.” Did I just call him that out loud?

He raises an eyebrow at me. “Flash? Did you give me a nickname, Sparky? I have to know how you came up with it.”

“Um, that first night at the bar Tina asked me if you were the flasher, so I started calling you Flash.” His face reddens.

The waitress drops off the food, giving us an excuse to end this awkward conversation. We eat in almost silence. When we get up to leave, he throws some cash on the table and we get in the car to go home.

Jake walks me to my door. I lean against it completely exhausted from tonight's events. His one hand is braced on the door next to my head while the other slowly drags across my jawline.

“You are so damn beautiful.”

He leans in kissing me and I wrap my arms around his neck. We are making out like two horny teenagers and my inner slut wants me to ask him to come inside. I don’t though. I can’t. I break our kiss knowing I don’t have much self-control left.

“Goodnight, Sparky,” he says with one last kiss.

I open the door before turning back toward him. “Goodnight, Flash.” He gives me one last smile as I head inside.

I lean against the closed door enjoying the high I get from being with him and kissing him.

“Holy shit, I never thought I’d see the day.” I look over and Tina is on the couch looking at me.

“See what day?” I pretend like there is nothing happening and that I don’t feel myself getting closer to him.

“The day that Nina Mitchell was falling for a guy.”

“Shut up, T. I am not falling for him.” I walk past her and toward the bathroom for a much needed shower.

“Tell that to the dreamy ass look on your face!” I shut the bathroom door.

I’m so screwed.

Chapter Fourteen

Jake

Thinking about Nina last night, I can’t stop laughing. She looks so cute when she is scared out of her mind, as weird as that is to say. It didn’t go unnoticed how she didn’t tell me anything about her family. I know that I’m still trying to earn her trust, and that it won’t be easy. We will be laughing and having fun one minute and then I see this wall go up.

Today I promised Grace I would take her to the pumpkin patch. Everyone else decided it sounded fun and now it’s become a big group thing.

Me: Going to the Johnson’s Orchard to pick pumpkins and take a hayride. What do you say?

Nina: I say, screw you and your hayride.

Me: Yes and no in that order…

Nina: Watch it.

Me: Grace is coming so there won’t be any murderous zombies. Let me make up for last night…Please?

Nina: Fine, but you’re getting me some apple pie.

Me: Deal.

I smile knowing that I will get to see her again. When Lacey talked to me before she passed away about finding someone, she made it seem like it was this amazing thing. I had tried to find it with numerous girls and none of them ever made me feel anything. Even with as embarrassed as I was the first day I met Nina, I knew something felt different.

She was different. She was sexy, but didn’t know it. She was closed off, but amazing in the quick glimpses of the real her I saw. She was shy, but would also give my shit back to me. I’ve seen three of my friends fall head over heels for girls in a  much shorter time span than I ever thought possible. I swore I wouldn’t be one of those guys. I would never chase after a girl and make myself look like an idiot. Now I am one of those guys and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m not anywhere closer to being in love with her, but I definitely have feelings for her.