Exposed

Chapter XXV: Love

Chapter Twenty-Five: Love.

JAKE

I feel even more guilt and shame for letting her walk back to bed upset.

I've always been the guy who avoids being an asshole to anyone, especially to those he loves. Seeing myself, listening to those dirty words come out of my mouth made me feel worthless to a wonderful, beautiful and understanding woman like Sky who puts up with my career shit like no one has before.

The video threw me off track. I'm focused on all of my negative thoughts, too busy to accept Sky's forgiveness because at the moment, I still feel too unworthy to accept it.

I'm the only one who's hating myself right now when she should be hating me, too. Maybe, even more than I do. I exit the terrace closing the glass door.

Everything is quiet. The floor is lit by the dim lights of the kitchen. I place the glass cup in the sink, leaving to wash in the morning before walking upstairs. I'm not sure if she's in our room and I won't blame her if she isn't. I'm the one at fault here and it's only understandable I'm the one who's punished. I begin to open our bedroom door quietly and as I push it further, a sleeping Sky comes to view. Her back is to my side of the bed as if she was making sure she could still ignore me and express her anger even in her sleep. Her hands are hidden under the covers and her pillow. Her legs are curled into her chest to keep herself warm, probably expecting me not to be in bed to share each other's body heat. I shed my sweatshirt, tossing it on the floor to pick up in the morning as I walk to my side. Her body tosses and turns, facing my side now like it has somewhat detected my presence and it's asking for me to hold her like any other night.

I get in bed, pulling her closer to me. Sky unconsciously cuddles further into me, sighing once she's comfortable. I cup her cheek with my right hand and kiss her forehead.

I go to sleep with the insecurity of whether Sky's forgiveness is still available for me to take or it's too late.

I hope it isn't the latter because I need her to stay with me. I need her to continue to love me. No one else will love me the way she does. She's what I've lived and waited for. She's too me what Jen and the girls are to Ethan. What Mom was to Dad. What her mother is to her father; their soulmate. You have tons of loves, but only one of them will be your soulmate. You'll either keep it or let it get away and become someone's soulmate.

I can't let her go.

• • •

SKY

I wake up to the feeling of a familiar heavy weighted arm around me. I'm in awe he decided to come to bed and even bring me closer to him. Last night was one of our lowest nights in the history of our relationship. We've had fights and arguments, but never to the point we don't come to a resolution before the end of the day. It's obvious that I'm in love with him and I don't want to lose the ecstasy of that feeling because of a disagreement or fall out. I open my eyes and gaze up at him. He's awake looking at me with still sleepy eyes.

"Good morning," He rasps. His hand lazily running through strands of my hair.

"Morning."

I put my hand on his chest, bringing myself to a sitting position. I move to get out of the bed, but he catches my hand in his before I get too far. "Where are you going?"

I don't get out of bed as soon as I wake up and doing it now, I knew he would notice and stop me. I struggle to leave the warmth of him and the covers every morning and for me to leave them so willingly today must bother him.

He tries to hide the discomfort my action causes him, although, I can see the tension in his upper body. I'm driving space between us because I don't know where we stand. I haven't kissed him since yesterday evening.

I miss him, even though, he's here. I miss his touch. Not this one, but the one he gives me with love prominent in his eyes instead of doubt and guilt.

I pull my hand out of his grip. "To the bathroom. I'll start to make breakfast once I get out."

I close the door and sigh some of the tension out of my body. It's days like this that I just want to fast forward to the part where we are both content and in peace instead of in a feud.

I brush my teeth and wash my face before leaving the bathroom. I open the door and unexpectedly collide into him.

I recoil, "I'm so--"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I said those things. I'm sorry I was stubborn and hard-headed and didn't accept your apology last night. I'm sorry I'm making things uncomfortable and driving us apart." Jake quickly blurts out. "I love you and I don't want this to be the reason we end. I don't want this to end."

His hands are cupping my face, making me look straight at him, at his eyes with emotion evident in them.

"I'm sorry," he repeats, touching his forehead with mine.

His words dissipate the tension that loomed between us earlier. I feel instantaneously relieved we're out of the dirty road we were in since last night.

The fact that Jake is capable of saying his sorry and admitting his wrong is something I value of his personality. He isn't afraid of saying I'm sorry first. He never silently forces me to say I'm sorry before him if it's his mistake.

I lean upward, separating our foreheads to connect my lips with his. I place my hand in his waist to pull him closer. Have his body touch mine before our lips attach.

Jake makes the kiss more forceful, having all of my blood rush to my lips. He finds pleasure in the feeling of lips touching just like I do. The kiss doesn't have to be sexual for us to feel ecstasy from it.

We pull apart. Our lips lingering close to each other as we take in the moment and the unspoken words still hanging between us.

"We okay?" Jake asks, tentatively.

I nodded, rubbing the tip of my nose with his in one stroke. He moves his face to the crook of my neck, nuzzling it as his lips lightly graze my skin. Goosebumps appear. My hands tightening their grip on his hips. My body is reeling with different sensations and as pleasurable as they are, I can get carried away just yet.

"I have to go take my medication, Bunny."

He groans in protest as I try to pull away. "I've missed you. I haven't kissed you since yesterday afternoon. I haven't touched you in two days, basically."

"We'll have time for that later."

"I want you now."

"Stop whining like a sex-deprived teenage boy."

Jake kisses me slowly, talking against my lips as he cages me, "It's what I basically am. Except for the teenage boy part."

I laugh, softly. "You're being dramatic. Tell Mark to find you an acting gig. I'll bet you'll book it."

"Funny."

I pull away from him, planting a ghost kiss on his lips before leaving the room incredibly amused by his needy behavior. I would be lying if I said I didn't love it. I like feeling needed by him. I like being reminded by his actions that he loves me for more than the sexual pleasure I can bring to the relationship. It's something Ben ever hardly did during our relationship and I longed for it while I was with him. But with Jake, I never have to because he'll always do it before I have time to request it.

He's my dream. Everything I asked for in a man.