A LITTLE LESS SIXTEEN CANDLES; A LITTLE MORE TOUCH ME // Karl Jacobs X Reader

18

After a few days and a few loopholes with the bank, you were fifty thousand dollars richer. 

Noah had been ecstatic, making all sorts of ludicrous plans of what you could do with the money ("we could go on a world tour!" "you could take a bunch of people to Disney!" "donate to charity!"), but she was the most excited when you told her about how you had won the game.

"That's the most romantic shit I've ever heard." She had said. "Holy shit, you're living a cheap rom-com!"

"A cheap rom-com?" You had said. 

"You're right, nevermind, he's sure as hell not cheap." Noah had said. 

You had just laughed and knocked her away playfully when she tried to steal your wallet. 

Still, it was strange, being fifty thousand dollars richer than you had been last week. You didn't really know what to do with it yet - of course you wanted to put most of it towards tuition, but you would still have a significant amount left. Part of you wanted to quit your job at the mall and look for something better, but Bath and Body Works worked well with your class schedule. Still, another part of you wanted to spend it on yourself, but just thinking about it felt guilty. 

It was quite the dilemma. 

You were laid out on your couch pondering it when your phone started to ring. You fished it off the coffee table and answered, putting it on speaker and laying it on the sofa next to you.

"Hi Karl." 

"Hi." He chirped. He sounded giggly. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing much." You said. "Just sitting on the couch. Thinking."

"About?" Karl prompted. 

"You, now." You said with a smile. 

 Karl giggled. "Really?"

"Of course." You said. I'm always thinking of you remained unsaid, hanging in the air. 

There was a moment of pause over the phone before Karl spoke again.

"I actually had a question for you."

"Oh." You perked up. "Alright, shoot."

"Would you maybe want to come to Mexico with me?"

You sat up and stared down at your phone. Had you heard that correctly? Mexico?

What kind of question was that? Was he serious? Of course you would love to go to Mexico with Karl, but what exactly did he mean? 

Immediately, you mind jumped to a romantic getaway, spending your days in the sun and sprawled out on the beaches, enjoying the water and the sand, curled up together watching the sunset. The memory of Karl holding you, hidden away in the wardrobe that day had been haunting you - in a good way of course - and you wanted that again. 

"Y/N?" Karl's voice crackled in the speaker of your phone. "You still there?"

"Mexico?" You asked. 

"Yeah, I mean, Jimmy told me to use the prize money for something fun, and I have a friend down there that I really want to go visit, and I though that since we won it together you might want to come with me." He said. 

"Karl..." You laughed - a little from shock, and a little in surprise. "You're too much." 

"Do you not want to go?" He asked, a little put out. "It's fine if you can't, I just thought..."

You flopped back down onto the couch, looking up at the ceiling. This boy... this wonderful beautiful amazing boy. You hadn't even kissed him yet and he was asking you to come on a vacation with him. 

You would have to kiss him after this. Not that you didn't want to anyway.

"Of course I would love to go." You said. "But Karl... you really need to calm down with the gifts."

"What?" He laughed. "Why? You're supposed to do nice things for people you like." 

"This is too nice!" You said. "First, fifty thousand dollars, and now Mexico?"

"Technically it's for work." Karl tried to justify. "It'll be great to see Alex and we can vlog together, make some content."

You shifted on the couch. "I wouldn't want to intrude on you and your friend if you're making content-"

"No, you wouldn't be intruding!" Karl said. "If you wanted, you could bring one of your friends along too, the more the merrier, you know? It'll be a good time."

You pictured it in your head - the hot sun, long stretches of beach, a slight breeze, the smell of tropical flowers in the air... and Karl. It sounded like paradise, and you wanted to go more than anything. Still, it would be more than just a Mexican dream - there would be travel expenses and logistics and passports and airlines and all sorts of other things. 

"How long would be be going?" You asked. 

"A week, probably?" Karl said, but it sounded like he was asking himself. "However long I can get a suite at a resort for."

A week in Mexico. In a suite. 

"Karl, this is really too much." You said. "Really. I can never repay you for any of this."

"You don't have to." Karl said. "Just come with me."

You rolled over to bury your face in the sofa, your face heating up. He was so adorable... and without even trying. How had you found this man... but you hadn't really found him, had you? He had wandered into your life of his own free will, and you were really just along for the ride. Not that you were complaining of course. 

You opened your phone calendar quickly, looking over the next few weeks. "When would you want to go?"

"Sometime soon." Karl said. "I haven't really figured out the details yet, but..." He trailed off. 

You sighed. It didn't really matter when you were going, really. Arrangements could be made easily. Even if work didn't want to let you off, it wasn't really like you needed the money anymore, and you could always just email your professors for the work online. On that front, it would be relatively easy to go.

"I'll have to take off work. And email my teachers. And ask Noah if she wants to go. But yeah." You said. "I'll come with you."