Limelight

Chapter Twenty-One

~~Birthdays~~

When Aaliyah closed her locker door she was met face to face with Jacks' dreamy smile and sparkling blue eyes. He leaned his head against the neighboring locker, with a balloon in his hand. "Happy birthday, baby."

          Aaliyah took in the sight of him a little impressed and very blown away by his smile alone. She flushed unable to help it. "You remembered," She said softly taking the huge pink balloon with the number eighteen printed in a floral font, "Thank you."

          "You're all over social media, Aaliyah, thanks to Blair. And of course, I remembered, you're my girl. It's my job," Jacks replied, his blue eyes softening considerably, though his smile never dropped, "It's also exactly three months since I got off my ass to ask you're beautiful self out."

          That explains all the birthday wishes she's been receiving since she left the house this morning. "Right the twenty-first," She said nodding pulling the balloon down so it was at her height and she smiled at it before looking over to Jacks with a cocked brow, "Does that mean we get to celebrate us too, because if so, I think I should get two presents?"

          "If we're also celebrating us, I deserve a present too," Jacks argued with a pout. Aaliyah laughed then his face changed from dejection to mischief, an impish grin toying around his mouth. He took her in his arms, hands low on her hips, surprising a yelp from her before he gently pushed her back against her locker. He lowered his head, his floppy hair brushing the top of her forehead, and she shuddered at the sight of his full mouth hovering over hers filling her vision. She loosened her grip on the balloon string a little, as her chest rose as she took in a deep breath so that they were almost touching, "But I think I have an idea." And then he captured her mouth in his, teasing her mouth open with his tongue running over the seam of her lips, prying a moan from deep in her throat.

          She lifted her arms up to twine them around his neck twirling her fingers around his soft hair gripping on the string of the balloon tightly. She tugged gently on his locks making him groan softly, nipping on her bottom lip gently. His hair was much different to Xavier's, which was soft but in a thick afro type of way—

          "God, I love you," Jacks groaned against her mouth, his hands resting on her bare hips over the hemline of her skirt under her woolen coat. Somehow she managed to let Blair convince her into wearing a tennis skirt and a Boondocks T-shirt knotted just above her navel in forty-degree weather. Though she didn't think that, that was the reason for the sudden rush of coldness through her veins.

          "Ugh, guys!" Exclaimed a voice, taking their attention away from each other. Jacks let go of her hips as he turned his head to look at Sol and Christian heading up to the pair of them. Christian looked amused, but Solana only looked disgusted, "Haven't you heard of excessive PDA? You looked like you were a minute away from tearing each other's clothes off in the middle of the hallway."

          "That's like free porn!" Christian chimed in with a wicked grin, "I honestly don't see a problem in it."

          Jacks chuckled looking back to Aaliyah as he ran a hand through his hair. Aaliyah tried not to look away from him slightly flustered and she tried for a smile. Maybe if she pretended that she didn't hear him before, they could ignore what just happened, "I live to please," He replied still looking meaningfully at Aaliyah, who flushed darkly, looking away from him.

          "I think Aaliyah should be worried about gossip sights getting pictures of you two swapping spit," Solana said glancing at the passing teenagers in the hall giggling at their phones before hurrying away like they hadn't just been filming them kissing. Aaliyah suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious as she watched them disappear down the hall. How long would it be before those pictures would be circulating around the school and maybe the whole of New York? She really didn't think she ever wanted to be confronted with memories of this moment, "People are still buzzing about the whole love triangle thing between you, Jacks, and Xavier Adams. This will probably only fuel the fires."