Whatever It Takes (Bold As Love)

by Lindsay Paige

  No.

  Those people fought for what they wanted and loved. They didn't lean back and wait for their dreams to come rushing at them. Each and every one made their dream come true. They found love because they were searching for it. They didn't let anything get in their way. Every day for the rest of my life, I will fight for my love and my dreams. I will work to make things stick together instead of working to make them fall apart.

  People in love can't just be on the same page, but on the same word of the same line of the same page. Each has to work together to build a beautiful masterpiece that only their puzzle pieces can do. Some edges are smooth and round, while others are jagged and harsh. Together, though... Together, they fits with a love so sweet that neither person can ever live without. I know because I tried and it almost broke my heart.

  The rest of Christmas break is going to be spent in bed with Jake. Even though I've been with him since the wreck, I and all that I am has not been with him. I want to relish in this simple luxury.

  It is a gift as sweet as the charm bracelet he gave me. It's something that I'll never take for granted again. I think Jake learned this lesson as well. Without realizing it, we took each other, our relationship and our love for granted. Of course we cherished it, but not in the same way as we do now.

  “Sweetness,” Jake calls.

  Looking up from my bracelet, I see Jake skating towards me.

  “Everything okay? You aren't skating.”

  “Yeah,” I say looking into those green beauties.

  A smile captures his lips. Grabbing my hands, Jake pulls me with him and we glide across the ice to Drake. What a wonderful day.

  ***

  I pick up the slack that is apparent in my schoolwork. One semester down. One to go. I can't believe that I've already completed a semester of college. There's no way I could have done it without Jake. Laying on our bed, studying over a book, I glance over at him.

  He's chewing on the cap of his pen and his eyebrows are scrunched together as he studies. As if he knows I'm looking, he cocks his head to the side and looks over at me. That mischievous smile smirks at me. My body leans towards him and I gingerly lay my lips upon his.

  The kiss is tempting us towards more and better things. With my eyes still closed, I end the kiss and pull away.

  “Thank you,” I say in a hushed tone.

  “What for?”

  “Everything. Anything. I love you,” I finish as I open my eyes.

  “I love you too, Sweetness. You should thank me more often for all of my extraordinary talents and traits.”

  A giggle escapes and I playfully smack him on the arm for ruining my moment.

  “A simple 'you're welcome' would suffice.”

  “I know,” he grins. “Back to work missy.”

  With that, he ignores me and goes back to studying. Sighing, I focus on my work until I'm exhausted and finished. My face is smushed against my book and a dull ache penetrates through my skull. My eyes flutter until they close for good. It's not the most comfortable of pillows, but it does the job.

  That is, until Jake shakes me awake.

  “What,” I ask, clearly ill.

  “Go change and get in bed.”

  Grudgingly, I do so. When I come out of the bathroom, Jake has the bed cleared off and the covers thrown back.

  “Lay on your stomach,” he instructs.

  Jake straddles me and begins to knead my shoulders. I close my eyes as the pleasant motions of Jake's hot hands put me at ease. Before I know it, I'm asleep.

  18

  Jake

  I massage Emily until I feel all of the tension leave her muscles. Once done, relief flows through my cramped hands. I head to the bathroom to prepare for bed. When I crawl in beside Emily, she gravitates to me until we are tangled together. Soon, my eyes shut and I slip into a peaceful sleep.

  “Jake,” I hear in the distance as something pushes against me.

  “Jake,” it comes again, louder this time. I open my eyes to see Emily propped up on her elbow beside me.

  “What is it, Sweetness?” I ask with a yawn.

  “I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep. Will you stay awake with me?”

  “Of course. C'mere.”

  Emily nestles against me, filling the empty space between my body and hers. I rest my chin on the top of her head and close my eyes.

  “Jake?”

  “Mm?”

  “Don't fall asleep.”

  “I won't,” I yawn.

  “Yes you will. Please Jake.”

  Leaning back, I look at her. The rims of her eyes are red and puffy. My lips graze hers twice before I use my tongue to part her lips and give her a sultry kiss.

  “Feel better?”

  Sweetness laughs softly. “A little bit.”

  “What's the matter?”

  “I'm sure it's nothing...”

  “Sweetness, c'mon. Open up that coconut.”

  She rolls her eyes with a smile, but it quickly vanishes. “When I woke up, I, um, I couldn't remember the past few days. Jake, what if I keep forgetting? What if next time I forget more than just a few days?”

  “Shh. I'm sure everything's okay. We'll make sure when we go to the doctor tomorrow for your checkup. Relax and go to sleep. I'm right here.”

  Sweetness snuggles closer to me and her arms squeeze tighter around me. My hands flow up and down her back, easing her into a calm enough state to fall asleep. She's asleep in minutes. I'm right behind her.

  A firm grasp on my shoulder shakes me awake. Turning away from Sweetness, I stretch. Sweetness is eying me as I turn to face her.

  “Everything okay,” I yawn.

  “Yeah, we need to get ready.”

  Doing the opposite, she cuddles up to me and gives me a kiss. I get the sense that Sweetness is uneasy.

  “I'll admit that I'm a bit nervous.”

  “If it happens, it happens. We made it once, we can surely do it again. Go on and get dressed.”

  With a quick kiss on the forehead, I pull the covers away and drag her to the shower with me. Time is running short on us, leaving no play time.

  “We'll grab something to eat on the way. Ready?”

  “Yeah,” Sweetness confirms grabbing my hand. She tugs me out the door and to the car. We drive across the city to the hospital where Emily will meet with the neurologist for an update. Emily holds my hand the entire way there. Not that I mind.

  I kiss her hand a couple of times while we sit in the half empty waiting room. The white walls, black chairs, bright, white lights surround us. The hospital smell that everyone knows and can easily recognize engulfs us.

  “Emily Johnson?”

  My head snaps towards the nurse. Simultaneously standing, we follow her down the hallway with doors on each side until we come to an open door.

  The nurse leads us inside and Emily takes a seat on the bed. I take my place beside her and the nurse checks Emily's vitals.

  “How have you been since the last time you were here?”

  “Good. I remember now.”

  The nurse beams. “That's wonderful news! I'm sure Dr. Jung will be thrilled to hear that. Just sit tight and he'll be with you in a few minutes.”

  The nurse leaves and the 'few minutes' turns into thirty. Dr. Jung is a tall, broad, muscular man who is bald. I never would have thought he was a doctor if I saw him on the streets.

  “Ms. Johnson, I hear that you've retained your memory. That's wonderful. Any headaches? Unusual pain? Anything like that?”

  “I've had a few headaches. Last night, I woke up and couldn't remember that past few days. It came right back after a few minutes though. Is that normal?”

  “The brain is unpredictable. Everyone is different. If it keeps reoccurring, come back. Otherwise, I'd say that you are healthy.”

  As we thank the doctor and take our leave, an idea pops into my mind. I hook an arm around Emily and lead her to the car. After twenty minutes of driving in the 'wrong' direction, Emily comes
to attention.

  “Where are we going?”

  “There's a new place that I want to try.”

  She rests her head on the headrest and closes her eyes. I snag her hand and place a gentle kiss on her knuckles. Suddenly, Sweetness turns towards me.

  “Let's go get some ice cream.”

  “Have you been reading my mind?”

  “Maybe. You're not the only one with incredible traits.”

  Cracking a smile, I pull into the parking lot of a new ice cream parlor. Inside, the place has a homey feeling to it. Add in the aroma of ice cream and the variety of nuts and Emily is drooling. Emily wraps her arms around me as we step into line and leans into me.

  As involuntarily as breathing, I rest my chin on the crown of her head and snake my arms around her.

  “Hey,” I begin in a soft voice. “Why didn't you tell me about the headaches?”

  “I didn't think much of them until he asked.”

  “Mkay,” I answer as we move forward in line. “Whatcha thinking of getting?” I ask once we come close enough to see the variety of homemade ice cream in two rows.

  “I'm in the mood for butter pecan. You?”

  “Plain ol' chocolate.”

  “The girls are throwing a party for New Year's. I am planning on going. Will you be joining me?” Emily looks up at me and bats her long, black eyelashes.

  “Of course. The team is going to throw one too. Looks like we'll be hitting both.”

  Emily breaks away from me and orders for us. I slip my hands into her back pockets as we wait and move to the end where I tug Emily against my chest and whisper in her ear to grab my wallet so she can pay. Reaching an arm behind her and around me, she finds my back pocket.

  Reluctantly, my hands must leave their place to hold our ice creams. We grab a table for two by the front window and have a seat. It's a small round table so my knees are jammed against Sweetness'.

  Sweetness moans and I chuckle. Digging in to my ice cream, I notice Emily eying me. I look up at her and hold a spoonful of ice cream in her direction.

  “What?”

  Sweetness leans forward and slowly encases the spoon in her mouth. When she pulls away, my spoon is empty and I'm extremely turned on. Desire fiercely burns in her eyes. It doesn't take me long to finish my ice cream. I toss our trash into the container and we head to my car.

  Sweetness wastes no time once we get back to our place. My heart skips beats when she smiles and my blood boils a mixture of love and desire at a simple touch. When she looks at me with eyes so full of caring love, I know that I've found what I've been missing. What should have been in my heart all along.

  Emily.

  19

  Emily

  What a year it has been! It's all coming to an end tonight. I had a really bad headache earlier. Jake is worried because if I drink, it could make things worse.

  He's been following me around the house all day. It's roughly ten so I head to the bathroom for a shower. Remembering that I bought new soap that is still sitting in the kitchen, I turn around and bump into Jake.

  “Jake! I'm fine. A little privacy in my bubble would be nice,” I say while motioning a circle around me.

  “I'm sorry. Whatcha need?”

  “Soap. It's in the bag on the kitchen counter.”

  “I'll get it.”

  “Thank you,” I turn on my heel and start the shower. I'm naked when Jake returns. His eyes roam my body and it's as if his hands are gliding across my skin.

  “C'mon,” I say over my shoulder as I step into the shower.

  ***

  I dress in black skinny jeans and a purple silk shirt that is low cut and flowy. Jake is in blue jeans and a black dress shirt. At Abella's place, I mingle my way to the girls as I realize that I haven't hung out with them in a really long time.

  It's catch up time for sure. Abella squeezes me tightly first before I'm ushered to Hannah and then Jess. I exchange an awkward hug with Kyle. Jake sees Eve and leaves me to catch up with my friends.

  Kyle leaves to get me a drink.

  “How have you been?” Hannah asks.

  “Great. Things are a lot better.”

  “That's good,” Jess inserts.

  “It's time to party!” Abella says before chugging down her drink.

  Kyle returns and I take my drink from him. As I take a sip, my eyes roam the room looking for Jake.

  “I'm glad you have your memory back,” Kyle comments.

  “Thanks. Me too. How have you been?”

  “Let's skip the chit-chat and dance,” Abella says, pushing us to the center of the room. Our bodies move to the beat and I take a swig every so often. Jake slips in behind me and pulls me to him. My head starts to hurt again, but I don't mention it. Jake will just want to go home and I'm having too much fun to leave.

  Thirty minutes of heavy dancing and I'm sweating from the massive heat of all the bodies squirming together. My head is pounding so with a firm grasp on Jake's hand, I lead us outside for fresh air.

  “You alright, Sweetness?” Jake asks from his close position behind me, making me feel claustrophobic.

  “I need some space, Jake.”

  He steps backwards and the cold air wraps its arms around me protectively. My chest rises as I take a deep breath with my eyes closed.

  “Sweetness?”

  Jake's voice echos in my ear after my third breath. Opening my eyes, I turn around and hug him tightly. Jake doesn't miss a beat as his arms begin to warm me up. I bury my face into his chest and a few tears slip out.

  “My head hurts. Can you take me home before you head to the other party?”

  “I'm not leaving you alone on New Year's. C'mon.”

  Jake leads me down the steps and to my car. He drives me to the house and I feel terrible. Not only because of my headache, but because I'm the reason we are not partying right now. The thoughts don't last long. Pain radiates throughout my skull. Jake squeezes my hand in comfort.

  At home, I toss off all my clothes and climb into bed with just my bra and underwear on. I hear Jake ruffling about the house. If I knew exactly where my iPod was, I would get it and listen to some soothing John Mayer. I'm hot under the covers. Tossing them aside, I lay on my stomach on the floor. My cheek is mushed against the hard wood and it's refreshing to feel the cold floor against my hot body. It feels as if the pain in my head is swimming around like a very large fish cramped in a small space.

  “Emily!”

  I roll over to see a panicked Jake. “I'm just hot. I'm fine.”

  Squatting beside me, he lifts me into a standing position and to the bed. My eyes follow Jake as he walks around the bed and sits beside me.

  “Are you sure you're feeling okay?”

  “Just lay with me.” He does and I rest my head on his chest over his heart. “Jake?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Can we listen to 'Fall'?”

  “Sure.” He leans over and finds it on the iPod. Once he is back in place, I close my eyes and let the pain float on the waves of the music. The song plays three times before I prop on my elbow and look at my love.

  “I love you.”

  “I love you too, Sweetness.”

  “No. I love you. I love how you open the door for me. I love how affectionate you are. How caring, loving, and amazing you are. I love every single piece of you. You've stood by me through the good and the bad and I honestly don't know how I would have made it through this without you. I can only hope that I can give you the same amount of love and strength that you give me.”

  Jake leans forward and kisses me. A hot, long kiss. I happen to glance at the clock, blinking on the iHome and realize that we missed the ending of last year and the beginning of this year. Oh well. It was spent in the best of ways.

  20

  Jake

  Emily's words bounce off the walls of my skull even after she's fallen asleep. I could can feel, hear, and see the love. She has left me speechless. There was no other option than to kiss
her. Words were lost, hidden in the depths of my heart, surrounded by love for Sweetness.

  I force myself to fall asleep. School starts back tomorrow and I've got to get up early.

  “Rise and shine, love,” floats in one ear.

  “Five more minutes,” I beg. With my eyes closed, I reach out and pull Sweetness to me. I nuzzle her neck and enjoy every second of the next five minutes, wanting to make it last.

  “C'mon, Jake. You've got to go to practice.”

  “I'm like Rapunzel. I need a kiss to wake up.”

  Emily belts out a laugh. “That's Sleeping Beauty, love,” she says after a quick peck. I sigh and roll away from her warm body. Out of bed I go as I begin to get ready for practice. Sweetness is asleep by the time I'm about ready to leave. I kiss her forehead before I go.

  ***

  The next few weeks are fantastic. Emily doesn't experience any headaches or nightmares. She spends more time with her friends and enjoys her time with them. I've come to appreciate every moment with Emily. More so than before..

  Emily decides that we would should not do anything special for Valentine's Day. “Every day is Valentine's Day with you,” she says. So we stay at home and watch movies together. Our time is still crunched because of our demanding schedule. Nevertheless, we make the most of it.

  Our first year of college is complete and we will be heading home for the summer in the next few days. An offer has been made to me, but I still have to discuss it with Emily. Her reaction is what I'm worried about. I'm not sure what to expect.

  How do you tell your girlfriend that even though you've made plans to spend two weeks at the cabin with her, you've been offered to go to Canada for those same two weeks to a hockey camp where you will work with the best of the best?

  Summer is approaching fast and I have to make a decision by this weekend. Walking into the apartment, Emily is sitting on the couch. She turns to me and smiles. Here goes nothing.

  Lindsay Paige is a young adult romance author who loves to read more than anything else. Whatever It Takes is the third book in the Bold As Love series. When not working on her writing, Lindsay is finishing her last year of high school. She resides in North Carolina.