Chapter 29: Revealing words
The sun started to set in the sky, casting a warm golden glow over the park. After exploring the city, trying different foods, and venturing into fun places, it was Jake's idea to take a leisurely walk in the park. In fact, he had planned our entire day's activities, and I willingly followed along.
Children laughed as they played on the swings, couples strolled hand in hand along the winding paths, and a gentle breeze rustled through the leaves of the old oak trees.
As we entered the park, I couldn't resist sneaking glances at Jake, who walked in front of me. My eyes traced the lines of his broad shoulders, and the memory of the earlier scene flashed through my mind, causing my cheeks to turn a bright shade of red.
Why was I thinking about it? We didn't kiss. I scolded myself mentally. Just forget about it. But my brain seemed to have other plans.
Jake glanced over his shoulder, his eyes meeting mine for a brief moment, and I quickly averted my gaze. He must have noticed because I heard his pace slow down until I was now standing beside him, and then, to my surprise, I felt his hand brush through mine, and our fingers intertwined. "You are too slow; let's sit over there," he pulled me with him. I swear I could feel my heart racing at this small gesture.
I sat on a swing, and he sat beside me. It was quiet, and in the distance, I noticed an ice cream truck surrounded by kids who didn't seem to be buying, but they just stood there, watching.
"You know, there's something about this park that makes me feel really peaceful," Jake suddenly spoke, thankfully breaking the awkward silence.
My brow furrowed as I turned to look at him. "Oh? What is it?" I asked.
He paused for a moment, lost in thought, his gaze fixed forward. "I think it's the way everything slows down here. The laughter of kids, the rustling leaves, and, weirdly, being with you."
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" I mean, I would be grateful, but then I wasn't.
I noticed a grin creeping in at the side of his face as he turned to me and said. "Well, yeah, it's a compliment. I meant it in a good way. You have this calming presence, you know?" He pushed himself forward, his swing slowly moving back and forth.
"I am not calm," I muttered, not too loud but enough for Jake to hear me, causing him to chuckle.
"Well, not exactly, but you do make me feel more at ease," he said in a nonchalant tone while I couldn't stop staring at how different he was acting today.
"I have to admit, Jake, you've surprised me today. Not the old grumpy Jake, the one who thinks he's better than everyone else." His feet pressed on the ground to stop himself from swinging any further, and he turned to look at me with a confused expression.
"That's what you think of me?"
"That's what I used to think of you." I corrected, and it's not like I was wrong, but the way he stared at me. He looked hurt by my words, which confused me further, causing me to quickly looked away. "Not that you were a bad person, you were just…" I bit down on my button lips, struggling to find words. Fuck! Why am I suddenly nervous? Now I am cursing, but I didn't say anything wrong. Did I? Gosh, this was so annoying.
Jake, still looking at the ground, broke the silence again. "I guess I didn't realize I came across that way." He sighed, his voice held a hint of vulnerability. A small smile suddenly played on his lips. "Do you want ice cream?" he asked. His offer seemed like an excuse to change the subject, but seeing how tensed the atmosphere suddenly became, I went with it anyway.
I nodded, "Yeah, ice cream sounds great."
He stood up from the swing and extended his hands towards me. "Well then, let's go get some." I took his hand and made to stand when my phone buzzed in my pocket; it was a call from Matilda.
"You go ahead." I waved Jake off and watched as he made his way to the ice cream truck.
I answered the call, laying the phone by my ear. "Hey Matilda, what's up?"
"Where are you guys!" she yelled through the phone, causing me to pull back a little from the sudden loudness.
"At some park, why?" I asked, my face following Jake. I watched him leaning in closer to the glass display, furrowing his brows, clearly deep in thought as he contemplated his choices, like a kid in a candy store, trying to make the perfect choice.
"Ethan is so messed up right now!" I sat back on the swing, silently watching him and paying attention to every detail.
"What did he do now?"I asked and gave myself a little push to set myself in motion on the swing. A smile tugged at the corner of my lips, watching Jake's confused expression as kids surrounded him, eyeing the ice cream cone he held clutched in his fingers.
He stared at one of the little girls who had her hand in a strong grip on his pants, her head tilted upwards, her gaze not leaving the ice cream, and as it dripped down, she licked her lips. Now things just got interesting; I waited to see Jake's reaction. He was probably feeling uncomfortable by the event that was unfolding.
He leaned down toward the little girl. His shoulders relaxed as he extended the ice cream cone toward her, a genuine smile softening his features. With a gentle and affectionate pat on her head, he offered the sweet treat, and the young girl's eyes sparkled with delight.
"He ate a lot of spicy buffalo wings, and now he doesn't feel so good,"Matila spoke. The little girl took the ice cream cone with a grateful smile, and Jake straightened up. Our eyes briefly met, and he looked slightly embarrassed, as if he hadn't expected me to be watching.
"Don't you puke! Gross!" Matilda's cries snapped me back.
"What is it?" I asked, panicked.
"We have to get going, Piper; we will have to come pick you up later," she stated hurriedly.
"Wait, what about the concert?" She hung up.
I placed my phone in my back pocket and returned my gaze back to Jake, who was now walking over holding two new cones of ice cream, but just as he was about to take a step crossing the road.
I heard a loud honk sound coming from a car, which was driving at full speed. In the middle of the road was a little girl, the same one Jake had given the ice cream. She was fully focused on the cone that she didn't notice the car approaching her; worse, the driver didn't seem to be slowing down either.
I instinctively got up on my feet as the car got closer, but thankfully, Jake was quick enough to pull her out of the way. A deep sigh escaped my lips, my hand on my chest, feeling my heart racing, about to explode, but the driver still didn't stop as he passed them.
A crowd gathered immediately, some inspecting the little girl while others thanked Jake, who was now sitting on the bare ground, his gaze fixed downward.
My heart pounded as I rushed over to Jake, who was now sitting on the ground. His hands trembled, and he was taking deep, shaky breaths. Panic was written all over his face. I knelt beside him, my own hands shaking as I tried to comfort him.
"Jake, are you okay? You saved that girl." I said, my voice quivering with concern.
He looked up at me, his eyes wide with fear. "I... I need my... my pills," he stammered, struggling to speak. He looked to be in pain as beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
My heart raced even faster as Jake mentioned his pills. I couldn't help but ask, "What pills, Jake? What do you need?"
He struggled to respond, his breathing becoming more labored. "Check... my bag," he managed to say weakly.
Without wasting a second, I leaped up and rushed over to the swing where Jake had been sitting earlier. I frantically searched through his bag, my hands trembling as I dug through its contents. Finally, I found a small bottle of pills.
I rushed back to Jake's side, still feeling panic coursing through me. As I handed him the pills, he managed to weakly say, "Quick... help me... with one..."
I grabbed one of the pills and tried to place it in his mouth, but just as I was about to, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, fainting right there in the park. My hands were shaking uncontrollably, and I could feel tears welling up in my eyes.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone