Strawberry Wine (Winner of The Write Affair) | ✔️

Chapter 24

*The second half of this chapter contains mature content.

Ch. 24

I swirled the wine around in my glass, just as I had seen Ruby's parents do on so many occasions, and stared at the pink liquid that I was, admittedly, a little nervous to sample.

"I'm sorry I don't have wine glasses," Jake apologized.  "My aunt and uncle never drink." But I was barely listening.

I brought my nose to the rim and inhaled the pleasant aroma. Glancing up at Jake, I noticed he was carefully gauging my reaction. I gave him a small smile before touching my lips to the glass, tipping a small amount of wine into my mouth. I whirled it around before swallowing, reveling in the crisp yet smooth sensation it left in its wake.

"Well? What do you think?"

"It's delicious," I exclaimed, reluctant to drag myself away from it's fruity flavor. I had never tasted anything quite like it before, and I'd felt very grown up sitting there with Jake, drinking it.

I watched him as he took his first sip, admiring the way his muscles moved underneath his shirt as he lifted the glass to his mouth. I smiled in anticipation as I waited for his reaction.

"This is good," he said finally, after finishing half of what was in his cup. "Probably the nicest wine I've ever tried. You got lucky, Addison. My first taste of wine reminded me of soap."

I laughed and held my glass out for him to pour a little more.

Jake looked at me warily. "Are you sure, Addison? I don't want you to over do it. You're not used to drinking so it probably wouldn't take much to make you...feel funny,"  he said, a slow blush covering his cheeks. I couldn't help but grin at his discomfort, enjoying the fact that it was him for a change.

"Just a little," I persuaded. "It tastes so good!"

He smiled and poured a small amount more into my cup. We brought our glasses together for a quick toast before I drank it down, marveling at the slightly euphoric sensation taking over. I knew better than to ask for more.

"I'm sorry--I can't give you any more," Jake said, regretfully. If I didn't know better, I would have sworn he was psychic.

"That's okay, I'm good." I smiled at his sense of responsibility. So many guys would have taken advantage of the situation...but not Jake.

I set my glass down on the counter and walked closer, enveloping him in a hug. "Thank you."

"What for?" he whispered into my hair as he wrapped his arms around me.

"For everything. For just being you. For making this the best summer of my life. For letting me fall in love with you, and for loving me back. For giving me my first taste of wine-. 'm so glad I got to share this with you." I smiled into his chest, loving the way we fit together. "I love you."

He pulled away from me and brought his hand up to my face, brushing my hair behind my ear. His eyes looked so tender as he stared down at me and I felt myself melt. I didn't drunk, after all, I'd had a few swallows, but I had to wonder if it was the wine that brought out the honesty, or just the fact that I really wanted him to know how I felt.

"I love you, too," he responded quietly.

I inhaled deeply, suddenly needing to hear more.

"Why?" I asked him.

A look of confusion covered his face. "Why what?"

"Why do you love me, Jake?" It felt like a perfectly normal question to ask at the time, but I could tell it had caught him off guard.