Page 51 of Withered

The doorbell rings as I'm descending, I jump the last two stairs and open the door.

Jake stands outside, looking as good as ever. He’s wearing his crisp white plain T-shirt, black jeans, and black shoes, and he ditched his leather jacket today.Goddamn, I quite like that jacket.His hair has that messy look, like he has run his fingers through it countless times. I’ve seen this look on him way too many times now, and he manages to look like a freaking model every time.

“Hi.” I smile.

“Hey,” he replies, blatantly checking me out. His eyes wander around my neck, and he smirks, “You cover up well, Evans.”

My cheeks warm up because I know he is referring to the hickey.

He backs me up against the door, his gaze shifting from my eyes to my lips as he bends his head down and pecks my lips.

“Sorry, I needed that,” he whispers, his forehead pressed against mine.

“I didn’t take you for someone who apologizes for a kiss, Henderson,” I tease him.

He steps back and rolls his eyes, but I notice a small smirk on his lips.

Locking the door, I follow him to his car, and he surprises me by opening the passenger door.

“Are you sure there aren’t any spiders?” I raise my brows at him.

He snickers, “Just get in.”

He starts driving in the opposite direction of the city as soon as we get out of the driveway.

“Where are we going?” I ask, looking out of the window.

“Somewhere,” he replies, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

“Where is this somewhere?”

He chuckles. “Somewhere.”

I sigh, knowing well enough that he’s not going to give anything away. I look out of the window and see the buildings passing by; they disappear after a while, and all I see are trees.

It’s summer and a great day to hang out, but now that we are surrounded by trees, cold air kisses my cheek as faint English rock music plays in the background. I try my best to understand the lyrics, but I give up. The beats are amazing, though.

I glance at Jake and find him looking at me. I quickly turn away, even though it was I who caught him staring.

I peek at him from the corner of my eye and see him running his hands through his messy hair, making it messier. “How much more until we get there?”

“Just a few more minutes,” he replies, then turns right.

The road beneath is all stones and pebbles. The car starts shaking lightly, and before I know it, we are out in the open.

Jake turns off the engine and exits the car. I look around the surroundings, and a nervous feeling settles inside my stomach as I get out of the car before Jake can even open the door.

He scowls at me and says, “And you say I’m not a gentleman?”

I chuckle, then ask, “What the hell are we doing out in the woods?”

“I brought you out here to kill you,” he says this with a serious tone, and an evil smirk graces his face.

I back up against the car. “You’re joking, right?”

He steps closer to me, caging me. “Of course I am. You should’ve seen your face.”

I hit his chest and say, “You idiot! You gave me a scare.”

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