Why be first when you can be best? {JayM1125xDearestmine}

dearestmine · Mar 16, 2023

Name: Aliana Marie James aka Ali, Ally-cat, AM, Trouble

Age: Almost 20

Height/build: 5'3", athletic

Ethnicity: Latinx

Education: 3rd year undergrad, majoring in Business Management and Accounting on a partial sports scholarship for Volleyball

Relationship status: Recently single

Faceclaim

Family (Adopted):

Parents: Stephanie James 48F (school teacher) and Morgan James 50M (police sergeant)

Sibling: Morgan C. James Jr., 31, biological son of Stephanie and Morgan. NHL player; Right Wing on the New York Rangers.

Aliana was adopted when she was in kindergarten. She attended private Elementary school and then transferred to public school halfway through 7th grade, where she met her best friend Jason. The James family were straight-laced but loving. They encouraged their children to work hard and have realistic goals, respect others as well as themselves. In spite of these things, both Morgan Jr and Aliana were somewhat adrenaline junkies but did a decent job of keeping that from their parents. Though, Aliana's idea of adrenaline as a kid was sneaking in a swear word or watching a movie she wasn't allowed to. In her college years, it was hanging with metal bands groupies and drinking off campus. Nothing too wild, but it would certainly make her father's hair stand on end.

3 Weeks Previous

Walk of shame wasn't in Aliana's vocabulary. She'd had an awesome night and her messy hair and makeup-free face were a badge of pride. Celebrating their last free night before finals took over their lives had gone phenomenally! Ali and her team's co-captains had spent the evening party-hopping around the frat houses and apartments surrounding campus. Keg stands, body shots, dancing, beer pong, card games, and plenty of party food had colored their evening. They'd taken plenty of photos and snapchats to document the night, which was great because some of the details had been fuzzy in the morning. Aliana was less enthused about the videos of her puking and motherfucking her boyfriend, but all was well that ended well. She remembered vaguely being annoyed with a snap she'd seen on one of Jared's roadie's story and was sure that her friends and teammates has just fueled that annoyance into rage. They had been taking a selfie in the green room of the venue and in the background she had seen Jared sitting on the sofa with some girl cozied up to him while they shared a joint. Her frustration had come out in the form of rebellious drinking and dancing. While the headache was less than glamourous, that was the price of fun sometimes.

As Aliana made her way back to her dorm building, she caught her reflection and smirked to herself. Other than a bit of bedhead, she didn't look too worse for wear. She'd had the forethought to pack flip flops, leggings, and a thin flannel in her more-decorative-than-functional mini backpack, her mini-dress and heels from the night before taking up every bit of space and more. She'd not thought about an undershirt, so in spite of the warm May weather, she had the shirt buttoned up to cover her bare torso beneath. Stopping in front of the large window she'd caught her reflection in, she snapped a quick photo with SnapChat and sent it to her teammates and her best friend Jason with the caption Fuckin' Glamourous.

She swiped her ID to grant her access into the dorm room and said hello to the student intern at the front desk as she passed through the lobby. She took the stairs up to her room rather than wait 10 years for the elevator and was paying more attention to scrolling Instagram than she was to anything else as she navigated via muscle-memory to her room. She barely realized her door was unlocked until she opened her it and saw her boyfriend standing in the middle of her room.

Jared was pretty big in the local music scene. His band was working on their first studio album to submit, their last step to getting signed with Fueled by Ramen. The record itself was slow-going, in no small part due to Jared's temper and distraction with women. Especially Aliana.

"Aliana-Marie Can't-Answer-Her-Phone James," Jared drawled in a sarcastically joyous tone as he turned away from her windowed wall. He'd been looking over the photos she had hanging along the walls. A couple were of the two of them, a few were of her and her family, many of them were of her and her teammates, but most of them were of her and her friends back home, namely her "Bestie Jason" who he thought looked like the Wish.com version of himself, though anyone else with eyes would say the opposite.

"Jared Mikhail Creeper-Status Masters," Aliana said right back to him with raised brows. It wasn't usually her way, to be snotty right back, but she had a headache, some leftover anger from the night before, and hadn't had breakfast yet. She didn't understand how he'd gotten into her dorm, nor why he was greeting her with such an attitude. "What are you doing here so early," she asked, toning down to a genuinely curious intonation instead of accusatory. It wasn't like he wasn't invited over, but she wasn't expecting him until the afternoon.

"You didn't come home last night?" he said, incredulous.

"I didn't leave campus," she told him in what she hoped was a flat tone but had quavered a bit. "I was home." This didn't seem to be going in a good direction, but she wasn't sure where. She had told him she was going out last night. Sure, she'd returned after the sun came up, but so what? She wasn't the one that had cheated on him before; the cheater status was his alone. And she thought they'd moved past it until that stupid snapchat she caught sight of last night.

"Don't get smart with me, Aliana-Marie," he said sharply, bristling.

"I wasn't trying to," she replied, getting annoyed. "You're being cryptic and my head hurts. What's up?"

Jared closed the distance between them and put his hands on her upper arms and rubbed them as if to warn them as he said, "I was worried as all hell about you last night. I didn't hear from you at all, and then find out you never made it home." While it almost sounded like a sincerely hurt tone, his expression didn't match his words and that made Aliana even more nervous as he kept talking. "Anything could have happened to you and you're treating me like I'm a jerk for worrying? Jesus, I was paranoid you'd ended up in a ditch somewhere or hooked up with some rando." Aliana stiffened at the accusation and Jared's brows shot up. He had expected her to immediately get defensive and simper-y, not quiet and stiff. "You didn't, did you?" he asked sharply.

"How could you even ask me that," she replied, trying to step back from him, but he held her firmly in place.

"How could I ask? You were dancing on fucking tables like some knock-off Cayote Ugly," Jared told her, his tone darkening in a way that made Aliana get nervous goosebumps.

"Excuse me?" She was confused as to how he could possibly know that.

Jared saw the unsure look in her eyes and latched onto it like a rabid dog on a steak.

"You ghosted me and then didn't come home. And you didn't answer my question about whether or not you slept someone else."

Aliana was shocked by his words, to say the least. Last time she had called him out on cheating, he had been sweet, apologetic, a little guilt-trippy, but mostly abashed. This was different. Did he think she didn't know?

"Do you really think that you should be asking me that right now when I know for a FACT that you had some groupie all over you last night at the show?" she exclaimed, incredulous.

"Oh, you know it for a fact? Let me tell you a FACT, Aliana-Marie. You were gyrating up on a fucking counter like some Burlesque wannabe," he retorted, and Aliana looked genuinely surprised. Had she been that drunk that she didn't remember? Jared didn't doubt it after seeing the snaps of her puking outside after her little performance and found himself a little nervous as he realized that there was the possibility that she really had cheated and didn't remember.

Aliana really didn't remember anything after her first song of the night, and she blinked at him. "I what now?" she asked, thrown completely off. Why hadn't anyone shown her those clips?

Jared sensed he was gaining the upper hand. "I said, your turbo-drunk ass was singing and swaying like fucking cat in heat in front of an entire bar full of people," he told her, speaking each word slowly as though she were thick.

Aliana bristled at that. "I don't know what the fuck you're talking about, but I have proof that you did. I got screen shots," she told him. She started to navigate her phone to pull up the photo, and he slapped her phone out of her hand. "HEY!" she shouted in anger and dismay at him as her phone cracked on the floor, and her anger snapped right with it. "It doesn't matter what /I/ did last night, because YOU'RE the one that cheated. Anything my turbo-drunk ass did was because YOU fucked me up!" she yelled at him, poking his chest every time she said you. "I know what you did, YOU know what you did, and I'm fucking DONE with you!"

Jared stopped in his tracks for about a heartbeat before he lost it, his tone deadly calm like the eye of the storm. "You? You're done? With me?" he let out a hysterical laugh and a dark look crossed his face that made Aliana cold with fear. She took a step back from him when he stepped toward her. "You spend an ENTIRE night ignoring me to hang out with your hoe friends, got wasted, and then accuse me of CHEATING after a night of me worrying SICK about you? And YOU are done with ME?" He laughed again but there wasn't any humor in it. He shook his head and the rest of his words lost that careful meter, coming out in a rush. "You think you're done with me, cunt? What do you think you're gonna do without me? You've got three shows booked, all your friends are MY friends, and you're too scared to stand on a stage with a mic in your hand without drinking. You wanna become some washed up alcoholic nobody because you need a cocktail to get on the mic?"

"No, but—" Aliana started, angry tears slipping past her lashes as she stepped back, her back meeting the door.

"No? No what?" Jared interrupted her, invading her space further.

"No, I'm not gonna be some alcoholic nobody." She flinched when his hand hit the door right next to her head and he towered over her. "I can do it without you," she told him through gritted teeth, trying so hard not to cry. Every big emotion she ever had seemed to be hardwired to her tear ducts. Happy? Cry. Sad? Cry. Scared? Cry. Tears for years, there was no getting around it.

"NO?! No?! REALLLY? Well I don't see how you're going to do that, Aliana, because without a shot you can't even LOOK at a stage, let alone sing on one!" Jared's voice was loud, unhinged. "Are you gonna skip your shows and make me look bad? Tarnish what /little/ name you've got, thanks to me?"

"I'll figure it out, but you need to leave," she said in a trembling voice. Something about his presence, his posture, made her want to call for help but she didn't want to back down from him. Her mind flashed to Jason and she wished he was here in that moment, and immediately banished the thought. She could fight her own battles. "It doesn't matter how I do it, I will. And I'm not going to do it with you."

"You're not going to do it with ANYONE," Jared yelled and reached next to her to grab her guitar, and Aliana realized it a second too late.

"NO!" she screamed at what she thought was the top of her lungs, but it was more like a squeak as she grabbed at Jared, who threw her to the ground the second she made contact with his wrist. She hit her desk with her shoulder and her hip caught most of her fall on the floor. She scrambled back to her feet and lunged at him. She was an athlete, but didn't matter how strong she was. She wasn't stronger than him.

"You think that you're some hot shit? I am the only reason you ever got the balls to sing in front of anyone except the mirror." His mind went back to the Snaps, her friends yelling Yasss Queen as she hit some fantastic note despite clearly being wasted. "You can be queen of the fucking trash-heap," he told her as she and clawed at him to get her guitar.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion and a blink all at once.

"Nononono—NO!!"Aliana started out just nervous, then terrified, and then a scream that sounded like she was being murdered escaped her, because in her mind he might as well have been.

Jared swung her guitar into the metal post of her bed like a major-league baseball player hitting a free heater. Without thinking, she reached for it, and the wood exploded against her bedpost, and her hand went right into the debris, strings snapping and stinging her skin and wood flying everywhere. Her $3,000 Gibson Acoustic was splinters in the blink of an eye and cut into her arm as she tried in vain to save it and the most heart-breaking, painful sound ripped from her lungs.

"That's what you get you fucking cunt," Jared growled at her, finding satisfaction in knocking her down a few notches. He liked her because she was gentle, pliant, and well behaved. The person he saw in those snapchats, the fiery girl that talked back to him, did not coincide with the girl he'd fallen in love with. This was more like it.

As Aliana heard him call her a cunt, she felt like something in her snap. Without any warning she got up and shoved Jared as hard she could in the chest, knocking him right into her open closet door. He fell into the mess of shoes and sports gear from the force that had caught him off guard. Aliana was on him right away, straddling his hips and slapping and punching at him.

All Jared thought was 'Equal rights, equal fights, bitch'

Aliana didn't stand a chance.

Present

She did miss the shows. And finals. And she would miss the Fall semester as well.

Aliana had been home for a few weeks, and her bruises had mostly healed. Her parents had pulled her from campus immediately and enrolled her in the local college a town over from their hometown. She would have preferred to keep them out of it, but it just wasn't possible with police involved. She had called Jason before she called her parents, and she was sure that only the fact that Jared was already in the back of a cop car and would be well in jail before Jason could get there was the only thing that kept him away. Other than the distance, anyway. Thankfully her professors had let her complete her finals online after she'd gotten home. She was annoyed with being at her house for the summer when she'd originally planned to spend it on a summer volleyball team touring. At least she could still stay in the dorms instead of at home once school started. The silver lining was that she got be spend her summer with Jason, much to her father's chagrin.

She'd missed her best friend the last two years. She'd hardly gotten to see him since she spent the previous summer breaks in Italy and Spain through school travel programs. She'd come home for Thanksgiving, but spring break had been spent at sports clinics, and winter break she took extra courses. Sure, facetime and snapchat kept them in daily, if not hourly contact, but it wasn't the same as hanging out in person. He was nostalgia and comfort and just everything good in the world, as far as she was concerned. Every great memory she had had Jason attached to it either by his direct presence, or in how she shared all her wins with him with pictures and photos or dramatic reenactments.

The only good thing about being apart for 2 years was that she'd been able to branch out without feeling too embarrassed. Dating hadn't been high on her priority list in high school. Aside from her parents generally not finding anyone to be good enough for her, she could never feel totally comfortable dating. Not when the precious little free time she had she wanted to spend with her best friend. And after the incident sophomore year of high school, no guys really measured up. There just wasn't room in her life for a deeper relationship than she had with Jason. Not that she'd been able to really find one anyway. She had been with 3 guys, and 2 of them were short flings in foreign countries. The third had been Jared, and that hadn't gone swimmingly, but at least she felt a bit more experienced and at the very least she knew what she -didn't- want in a partner. She was definitely off dating for a while, she'd decided on the 5 hour car ride home with her parents just over 2 weeks before. She only needed her partner in crime, and transient flings were a thing of the past. Why did she need romance when she had her best friend, anyway?

Her parents had finally decided to give her some space. The grade school her mother taught at was still in session, and they didn't have enough substitute teachers to go around so she had to get back to work. Crime didn't take a break for family drama, either, so her father was back at work as well. Aliana, feeling free but bored, sent over texts to Jason.

Ally-Cat: I didn't realize how busy I kept at school until I got stuck sitting in my room for weeks.
Ally-Cat: Rescue meeee
Ally-Cat:

@JayM1125

JayM1125 · Mar 23, 2023

Name: Jason Allen Weston; a.k.a Jay, JW, Jay-Bird

Age: 20

Height/build: 6'2," muscular

Ethnicity: White with Irish and German Heritage

Education: 3rd year undergrad, majoring in audio engineering on a music scholarship.

Relationship status: Single

Faceclaim:

Family:

Parents: Fiona Weston 40F (Bartender/Cook) and Victor 'Vic' Weston 52M (Restaurant/Bar Owner, President of the Night Wolves Motorcycle Club, a.k.a 'Night Wolves')
Sibling: None

Jason is the only child of Victor and Fiona Weston. Victor has been the president of the Night Wolves since he and Fiona had conceived Jason when she was barely 20. He'd inherited the title from his father as well as the clubhouse which was also known as 'The Wolf Den.' While it was open to the public, very few outside of those in the club would dare to venture into the dive bar because of the often uncomfortable stares from club members who believed 'outsiders' shouldn't be allowed in, no matter how frequently Victor would chastise those who shot dirty looks, threatening to revoke memberships. On the surface, it was a legit business ran by Victor and several club members. Victor wanted it to be on the up-and-up but he had no control of 'other' club activity that was ran within the business.

Growing up, Vic and Fiona did the best they could to provide for Jason, even if it meant resorting to less-than-legal means. It meant that Jason was well taken care of and loved by both of his parents, even through there were a couple of brushes with CPS because of his dad's affiliation with the Night Wolves. Regardless, Jason had a healthy upbringing and home life. Despite having some casual friends, he was known for being a bit shy and reserved growing up until he met Aliana in 7th grade. The two of them quickly became best friends and almost inseparable, even though her dad wasn't necessarily too keen on his parents. He'd even developed feelings, which he'd kept to himself, for Aliana...despite them sharing a kiss on that one fateful night, never speaking of it again. He always saw her as unattainable because he'd never be good enough in her father's eyes.

When Jason was about to turn 18, Victor offered him a spot in the club as a prospect, but Jason wanted no part of it. He never did. He knew the reputation his father's club had despite his dad's best efforts not to partake in anything illegal. Even when Vic gifted Jason a Harley of his own, Jason still politely declined...and still got to keep the bike for transportation when appropriate. Jason had other plans in mind unbeknownst to his dad at the time.

From the time he was 15, Jason began posting guitar covers on YouTube and would adapt the name 'Jase Insane' as his channel name. His mom knew about his passion for music and encouraged him to pursue it from a young age and so far, his YouTube career has became pretty fruitful, having amassed 250-thousand subscribers from his covers, reactions, reviews, and original music. His dad would eventually find out and would offer Jason a chance to perform with the house band at the club for karaoke nights, having been impressed with Jason's abilities. Even though it was somewhat being indirectly involved with the club, it was a paying gig.

3 Weeks Previous

Last night had been a typical Friday night for Jason. Going out for a night on the town, well...as best as he could anyways. For the twenty-year old, life had been pretty good. He found a significant following on YouTube for his music-related content as well as often be asked to sit in as not only a session musician for a local recording studio, but the club his father owned, 'The Wolf Den.' Yep, Jason's dad was none other than the president of the local biker-gang/trouble magnets the Night Wolves Motorcycle Club, more commonly known as simply the Night Wolves. And despite his father's best attempts, Jason wanted absolutely nothing to do with the group...even though he'd often take paying gigs at the club.

He woke up a bit groggy, feeling slightly hungover from the previous nights events. Sitting up, his bare feet would feel the cold, hardwood floor of his apartment? This was his apartment, right? Looking at the nightstand, he saw the picture of him and Aliana at their senior prom, thinking to himself, 'Thank God...' after feeling a slight panic wash over him. Moments later, he felt movement in his bed of a naked young woman perching her head on his bare shoulder, "Mmmm...good morning, handsome." Then planting a kiss on the same shoulder, "You were in-fucking-credible last night. Pretty sure I was seeing constellations..." She'd giggle.

Finding his underwear, Jason would slide them on and give this mysterious young woman a polite smile, "Umm...thank you?"

The woman would laugh softly again, sitting more upright, to stretch, "You probably don't remember much about last night, do you? Parts are still a bit fuzzy for me as well. I remember buying you a drink at The Wolf Den last night because you seemed like you could use a friend...or a distraction."

Truth be told, Jason had just got out of an unfulfilling relationship a couple weeks prior. It seemed to be an ongoing theme for the male for the last couple of years. If it wasn't being in unfulfilling relationships trying to force something then it was a string of one night stands brought on by dating apps. The only woman he wanted was one he knew he couldn't have. Not only was she going to college somewhere else, but her father wasn't necessarily his biggest fan...all because his dad was none other than Victor Weston, known to those close to him as 'Vic.' Jason would reply, "I feel like I vaguely remember receiving a drink from a beautiful woman. Damn...I just wish I could remember your name..."

She'd once again giggle, as she'd look for her clothes, "It's Kayla. Typically, I don't even worry about exchanging names the next morning because nine times out of ten, the sex isn't memorable. But if you were able to make me remember, even after a few drinks, then I'd say you were doing something right..."

Hearing his phone vibrate, he'd receive the Snap from Aliana, chucking at the caption. Jason would catch up with her later. "Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Wanna go grab some breakfast or something?"

Kayla would then get a somewhat serious look on her face, "I'm gonna stop you right there, Jackson..."

He'd then correct her, "It's Jason..."

Kayla would then smile as she would dress into her clothes from the previous night, "Jason...I'm sure you're a sweet guy and everything...but I'm not the dating type. Nothing personal...it's just not my thing, you know? Now, that's not to say we can't do this again sometime...you were so much fun." She'd walk over to him, giving him a chaste kiss his lips, "Let's not over-complicate things, m'kay? I've gotta go..." She'd motion for him to hand her his phone to put her number in, "...but if you ever wanna just hook up for a good time, I'd be more than down. I'll see myself out." And with that, Kayla was out of Jason's life for the time being.

After the blonde had left, Jason would find some simple clothes to wear around the apartment. He planned on dedicating his day on editing one of the videos he'd recorded the other day. It was a video re-imagining if the song 'My Curse' by Killswitch Engage if it were written in 2023. That was one of the many types of videos he'd film for the 250-thousand subscribers of his YouTube channel. Another thing he'd planned on doing was recording a video for a collaboration he'd been asked to be a part of with another larger YouTuber that could bring more eyes to his channel.

An hour into his editing session, Jason heard his phone buzz and saw Aliana's picture flash. He'd answer in a pleasant tone, but what she had to say was anything but pleasant. Jason leapt from his chair and almost frantically started looking for clothes as he was prepared to make the drive to her campus to find that son-of-a-bitch Jared for what he'd just done to her. Had Ali not talked Jason down, he probably would've been in the back of a police cruiser neighboring Jared, except Jared would've sported a black eye and a bloodied nose. To know what his Ally-cat had just went through not only made him sick to his stomach, but his heart break. He knew she deserved a guy who could treat her like the queen she is. He knew she deserved him...only Jason thought she'd never see him in that way.

Present

A few weeks had passed since the incident. Jason had been over to Aliana's house almost every day that he was able to make sure she was okay, hoping to make up for the time they'd lost not being able to see each other over the last couple of years. Even though there seemingly wasn't any romantic feelings between the two, Jason was still protective of Aliana when it came to guys even checking her out. It was no secret that she had her fair share of admirers in high school. For the longest time though, many though that Jason and Aliana had been dating on the down-low, which had been far from the truth...even though Jason wished it were true. From the moment he first laid eyes on Aliana, he'd been smitten with her, but knew it'd be best to keep it hidden.

Jason had been working on editing another video he'd recorded a couple days prior. He always found editing to be so tedious and mind numbing. It was his least favorite thing to do as a content creator. Sure, he got to do a lot of cool things when it came to his YouTube channel, working on music he enjoyed...but editing was just a bit too time consuming for his liking. Thankfully, it hadn't cut too much into his college classes as they were learn at his own pace, a decision he made about going to school as his channel began to really take off just after graduating high school. In the midst of this editing session, Jason heard his phone buzz, signifying a message from Aliana. Smiling, Jason would send her a message back, being as playful as ever with her.

Jay-Bird: Shall I come on my iron horse to rescue thee from thy tower, my fair maiden?
Jay-Bird: Seriously though, I desperately need a break from editing. I'm almost second-guessing this video because stuff just doesn't sound right with my guitar. Maybe I'm nit-picking though.

To say that Jason was a bit of a perfectionist was an understatement. He demanded everything he did with his videos to be of the highest of quality, from the way things sounded to the way it was filmed. His perfectionism had even caused him to leave any band he'd been a part of in high school. If nothing sounded to his standard, he knew he couldn't go on and would quit the band. Of course, Jason wasn't exactly self-confident back then. Even through the years, Jason worked on his confidence...but his perfectionism just wouldn't go away no matter how hard I try.

Jay-Bird: Wanna go grab a bite and see what kind of trouble we can get into in typical Alley-Cat and Jay-Bird fashion?

dearestmine · Mar 23, 2023

Ally-Cat: Yes please!
Ally-Cat: But later you have to show me what you're working on so I can tell you how ridiculous you're being
Ally-Cat: Also we can't go to the East Side of town
Ally-Cat: The Sergeant is not on desk duty today and I'm NOT trying to bump into him

Sergeant James had been hovering in his own fashion, constantly only a room over, or finding an excuse to walk through the room she was in, especially when Jason was over. Stephanie, on the other hand, was less subtle, just always around until Aliana had to resort to catching an attitude to get her mother to leave her alone. Aliana genuinely didn't understand why her parents were being so extra about it all, not realizing that seeing her bruised up brought back memories for them of her life before she'd been adopted, and her parents felt guilty, as if they'd failed her twice.

In the forefront of Aliana's mind was her mother's constant badgering. She messaged and snapchatted Jason frequently, detailing her mother's near-constant presence. She didn't tell Jason about the lecture that her mother had given her about not blurring the lines of her friendship, though. Aliana had brushed her mother off, sure that Jason didn't feel that way about her, and extra sure she wasn't about to try to change that.

One Week Previous

"It's not good to have one person just be your everything," Stephanie had insisted as the two women got breakfast together one morning the week prior.

"What does that even mean, Mama," Aliana asked, rolling her eyes. She remembered having this same conversation the summer before she started high school, when her mother had decided that she and Jason were spending too much time together and Aliana needed to hang out with her other friends.

"It means that you rely on Jason too much, and you're going to make it complicated for him to ever hold onto a girlfriend," Stephanie told her. "It's good to have a close friend, but you need a girlfriend to confide in, you know?"

"Or a gay best friend," Aliana replied pointedly. Her mother's best friend since childhood was Liam, who was as straight as a circle.

"Exactly," Stephanie replied, unbothered.

"If Jay or I date someone that has a problem with our friendship, then they're just not for us," Aliana said with a shrug. "And any dude that tries to date me and doesn't trust me can kick rocks, up hill, barefoot."

"Aliana-Marie," Stephanie admonished, wanting her daughter to take her seriously.

"I'm not kidding. Jason and I are ride-or-die; end of discussion. It's not like I don't have any other friends, Ma, Jay is just my BEST friend. Get over it."

"Aliana," Stephanie's tone got sharp as she found her daughter's phrasing disrespectful.

"Sorry, Ma." Aliana was quickly cowed by her mother's sharp tone and said gently, "I'm in a weird place right now and Jason makes me feel safe. Can I just... not think about anything else for now?" Aliana knew that it would make her mother feel bad, but she was also being honest. Her words had the desired effect because Stephanie let the conversation drop.

Present

Aliana changed into skinny jeans and a black camisole, and accessorized with a red flannel around her waist. She finished the outfit with a pair of black boots and braided her hair loosely over one shoulder to keep it out of her way. As much as she wanted to keep it simple with some mascara and chapstick, she pulled out her full makeup kit to hide the last of the fading bruises along her jaw and neck. It was easy enough to blend them out now that they were nearly gone. Looking more like herself, she felt ready to face the day. She was too excited to get out of the house, and even more-so to just feel normal. It had been literal years since she and Jason had just had a Do Nothing day.

As she waited for him, she reread his texts and again bristled at the word maiden. Sure, she thought, compared to him she was practically a nun, but that didn't make her maiden! She shook her head as she resisted the urge to comment on it, her mother's words in the back of her mind about not blurring lines helping her check herself. Instead, she considered his music. His perfectionism, other than her own shyness, was a huge reason she had never done anything with music publicly. He was amazing and still found ways to be critical of himself, and that simply astounded her, as well as sent her own confidence into the negatives. She didn't feel she was half as good as him, so there was no way she was going to put herself out there. Well, that was true until she met Jared. He, frankly, wasn't as good as Jay was, yet he was still out there working at his craft and working towards a record deal. While she didn't have such aspirations, it gave her the confidence to at least go out and do Karaoke with friends, and eventually to even book a couple of little acoustic gigs at a coffee shop. She never got the chance to do the latter, though. Without her guitar, there was no way she was going to perform; not to mention the venue being 5 hours away from home. Her guitar playing was better than her singing, and she wouldn't settle for a $200 acoustic from guitar center. It just wasn't in the cards, and she was just as disappointed as she was relieved. There had been some truth to what Jared had said about her not being able to work up the courage to sing in front of anyone but her mirror without a drink. He'd been slightly wrong, though. She'd never been afraid to sing in front of Jason. He'd taught her how to play guitar, and had given her the courage to let her voice out from the beginning.

It's probably for the best, she thought quietly as she headed out of her parents' house to wait for Jason. I probably would have embarrassed myself anyway.

JayM1125 · Mar 27, 2023

Jay-Bird: Trust me, you're not the only one. If we crossed his path, pretty sure we'd both get a lecture.
Jay-Bird: Ugh, why did I have to win the genetic lottery and be born to a father who's the leader of a motorcycle club with a bad rep?

Jason lightly groaned to himself after sending the message. From the time he'd started dating in high school, he'd known the protective father archetype very well from meeting some of the parents. However, Sargent James seemed to take it to a new extreme. Without explicitly saying it, he knew that her dad didn't trust him being around Aliana. And, of course, it was based on who his father was among the myriad of accusations of wrong-doing by members of the Night Wolves, with his own dad being guilty by association. And association that Jason wanted no part of and still technically doesn't. Anytime he'd play onstage at The Wolf Den, it was a professional gig...nothing more. Not guilt by association, despite what Aliana's parents probably thought, more so here dad. Even when his dad would occasionally ask him to join the club, and each time Jason decline. He knew his dad wasn't involved with some of the more illegal activities of some of the other members, but that never stopped rumors from spreading over the years.

He'd find some jeans to wear along with a Megadeth t-shirt before he'd head out of his apartment. Surprisingly, his career as a content creator had afforded him the luxury of renting his own apartment. Sure, it wasn't anything fancy....but it was his home. It allowed him his own space to create, a place to eat, and a place to lay his head at night. The weather was just right for a ride, so Jason grabbed his helmet as well as his passenger helmet, placing it in the saddle bag of his bike, a 2020 Harley Davidson Breakout, the same bike gifted to him on his 18th birthday. Turning the key, Jason started up his bike, revving it up before making his way to Aliana's house.

Since Aliana had left town for college, Jason mostly kept to himself aside from a small handful of friends. One of which was one of his other best friends named David Collins. He was the son of Richard and Samantha Collins, co-owners of the local record store In The Groove Records. David worked there part time while attending college and Jason had always been a frequent customer over the years, sometimes coming in with Aliana. It was about a week ago that Jason and David spoke about the one thing Jason hardly shut up about, Aliana.

One Week Previous

"Dude, just tell her how you feel about her already!" David lamented, like he'd done many times before over their many years of friendship, "I know the two of you go further back than we do, but still....the heart wants what it wants, man."

"Dave, it's not that simple and you know that." Jason bluntly replied, searching through the stacks of records to see if there was anything new he didn't have for his own personal collection.

"Oh you know that's the biggest load of bullshit!" David replied

"David-Allen!!" Samantha scolded her son as she was sorting albums that had just came in.

"Sorry, mom...you know that's the biggest load of bullcrap!" David corrected himself, continuing, "This is the same girl who ended up making out with you when playing 'seven minutes in heaven' back in sophomore year of high school. You told me yourself that you wanted to tell her how you felt then. Seriously dude, what's the hold up?"

Sighing, Jason would explain, "It's because she probably doesn't see me as anything more than her best friend. I've always been there for her through everything, good times and bad. She's been there for me as well for every horrible break-up. Knowing my luck with the fairer sex, it'd probably just all blow up in my face. Not only that, but her parents aren't exactly my biggest fans..."

Samantha would chuckle, "Jason, honey...you need to not be so afraid of that. My parents thought Richie was the type of guy who had no ambition for his life and that he'd drag me down into the gutter. They wanted me to marry someone wealthy who could take care of me. I didn't want that, I wanted a man who knew how to make me smile, someone who could make me laugh, someone who builds me up, and someone who I could be myself around. Richie was that man and still is to this day. Little did my parents know that Richie had big ideas for his life. He wanted to find an untapped market and that's how we ended up opening this place. Yeah, you might butt heads with a girls' parents from time to time, but as long as you stand your ground and show them you're not going anywhere and you'll treat their daughter with the respect she deserves, they'll eventually soften their stance. Aliana's a sweetheart, and I know she'd be lucky to have a guy like you."

David chimed in, "Dude, even my mom agrees. What have you got to lose?"

The relationship Jason had with David's parents was probably better than what he had with his own. Sure, he loved his mom and dad, but he felt this odd strain on their relationship. Maybe it was because he wanted nothing to do with the Night Wolves, of which both of his parents were members. Jason wanted to be his own man and stand on his own, not carry on some sort of legacy his father seemed to want for him. Jason eventually sighed, "I'll think about it. She just got out of a really bad relationship. She needs time to heal from that, not rush into something else...that's even if she's remotely interested in me."

Present

The roar of his bike blended in with the sounds of other traffic as he'd make the journey to Aliana's house to pick her up. During the ride, both Dave's and Samantha's words continued to echo through his head, to the point of near frustration. Jason wanted nothing more than to tell Ali exactly how he felt. Telling her that he had a crush on her from the moment he'd first seen her, how he loved the way she'd smile, the sound of her laugh...and of course that heavenly, angelic voice. Every time he heard Aliana sing it gave him chills. Even when he was the world's biggest perfectionist with his own guitar playing, she seemed to take to it like a duck to water. She had the talent to not only be on the radio, but have an actual record deal. Everything he'd remember hearing about that Jared asshole, even listening to the music he made with his band...if Fueled By Ramen could be interested in whatever the hell it was they were playing....then surely there would be someone out there to hear the talent that Aliana had. Because she clearly had more talent in her pinky nail than Jared and his band had in their entire bodies.

Pulling up to Aliana's house, Jason would turn off his bike and put the kickstand down. As he'd approach her door, Jason started an inner dialogue with himself, 'They're right, you know...how long are you gonna keep this from her? She's your best friend, she has a right to know how you feel. You can't hide this forever. What if she meets some other guy, falls in love, and marries him? Then that'd be too late. You've gotta tell her....and soon. Man up, Jase!' Knocking on her front door, Jason waited for his best friend to answer, ready to have one of their famous 'Do Nothing' days. So many great memories were always made from those days and Jason was hopeful to make more, or to even reminisce on moments from the past.

dearestmine · Mar 29, 2023

Alley-cat: Hey, dysfunctional childhoods build character
Alley-cat: ... Or something

Ali never understood how her Father continued to judge Jason by his Father's reputation. Criminality wasn't genetic, and Jay never got into any trouble. It made no more sense to her than it would to judge her based on her biological family. She knew her father was a bit jaded from being a cop for so long but it really bothered her that he had such a hard time accepting Jason for who he was and continually demonstrated himself to be. While she never allowed herself to feel romantically towards him (Mostly because of her mother) she genuinely felt he was the Best of them, even if it was hard for her parents to see that.

Aliana waited impatiently for Jay to arrive, and her heart swelled when she heard his bike before she saw him. She watched him walk up to her front door like she had a thousand times before, and it brought her no less joy that it had the first time he had come over during Middle SchooI. It always bothered her that he had to knock, when any of her brother's friends and her old teammates would have jus barged in without any preamble. Her home was his home as far as she was concerned. She remembered how every times she'd shouted for him to come in instead of greeting him at the door and her parents frowning at the "Unladylike" move. She teased him that, "the only people who knock are Solicitors and cops," but yet he still knocked.

"Meow Meow," she said the words rather than imitate the animal sound. "Over here bird brain, " she called to him with a laugh from her spot on the cushioned bench to the far left. "When I'm at the dorms in the fall, if you come knocking, I'm not answering," she teased, then got up from her seat to hug him hard, as though she had not just seen him the day before. It was a new day, after all, and she finally wasn't under parental supervision.

When she had first gotten home, she had ran to him like she'd been shot from a cannon and let him hold her like no one was looking. She had needed his comfort and didn't think twice about clinging to him like he was her lifeline. She was too upset with herself and what had happened to think anything of how hard she clung to him, and even less what her parents thought. But after the initial emotional reunion, she kept it polite in her parent's presence. She didn't have to now, so she wrapped her arms around his neck and held fast to him and pressed her cheek to his, her body following suit and closing any distance between them, humming happily at the wonderfully familiar feeling and the relief of not having to watch her out for her uptight parents.

JayM1125 · Mar 30, 2023

Hearing the sound of Aliana's voice admittedly made him briefly jump, not expecting her to already be outside. As his eyes were turning to see her in her favorite spot on the front porch, it wouldn't be but a second later that she was pressed up against him in a tight hug. This is exactly what Jason needed right now, and he knew that Aliana did as well. The last hug he'd gotten from her when she got back home told him that more than anything else. She'd been through a helluva ordeal that that Jared jackass and the green-eyed monster that lived inside of him. His heart broke for her, knowing she deserved a guy who could treat her like the precious gift she was to their lives. Someone like him, Jason thought to himself once again.

"Well you have one Fiona Weston to blame for attempting to make me into the upstanding, polite gentleman I am to knock before entering." Jason would joke, laughing softly to himself, "But, I'll keep that in mind...all though I'd hate to barge in if you were getting dressed or something..." Sure, Jason had seen Aliana wearing as little as a bikini in the past (which was that alone was more than enough to raise his pulse), but that didn't excuse him for being anything less than a gentleman to Aliana...even more so because her parents were as overprotective as they were, her dad especially. Which brought him back to their tight embrace, his arms wrapped around her waist, holding her just as tightly as she squeezed him.

"So, you've been home...what? Two weeks now? Have you even been able to get any Astro Burger yet?" He'd ask playfully. It was always one of their favorite places to eat back in the day. Anytime she'd come home from college, Jason made it an effort for the two of them to always pick some up to give her a taste of home. As their hug ended, Jason smiled, "C'mon...I've got your helmet in my saddle bag." He'd lead the way back to his bike, pulling out her helmet because he knew that if her parents knew she was riding around on a motorcycle, much less his, they'd at least want her safe...and Jason shared that sentiment, wanting to protect his best friend. It took all the restraint in the world that one morning to not make the trip up to her former college to give Jared a taste of his own medicine.

He'd let her settle in behind him as he'd start up his bike, taking off towards Astro Burger. It was a bit of a ride to get there, but at least it was on the end of town where he knew her father wouldn't be. For as long as he'd known her parents, even always being nothing but polite and cordial to them, they'd always been extra protective of her around him. Jason wouldn't even dream of hurting his best friend, the one girl he cherished with all of his being. He just wished they could see that instead of seeing him as the son of Victor Weston, President of the Night Wolves Motorcycle Club. They'd eventually arrive at the drive-in where Jason would say, "By the way, your money is no good here...my treat."

dearestmine · Apr 16, 2023

"I'd hate to barge in if you were getting dressed or something..."

'Yeah, God forbid,' Ali thought, rolling her eyes. She almost made a joke about him missing out, but her Mother's voice rang in her mind like an annoying and unwelcome Jiminy Cricket. Had he been anyone else, she would have teased that her tits were God's Gift to men, so it was too bad he didn't look forward to the view; but he wasn't anyone, so she didn't.

She forgot herself quickly as he squeezed her back, easily basking in the warmth, nostalgia, and comfort he provided simply by existing. When he asked about burgers, she perked up.

"Three weeks," she corrected him. "Ma's idea of indulging is cauliflower crust pizza, and Papa's cholesterol means no red meat in the house. I'm literally wasting away," she explained dramatically as she followed him eagerly to his bike a settled in behind him. She had lost a couple pounds since coming home, but nothing wildly noticeable just by looking at her. She was a little worried that she would be feeling it when she got back to working out when the new semester started, but she wasn't overly concerned. She was giving herself a pass, considering how her previous semester had ended, and this school wasn't nearly as competitive as the one she'd left.

Aliana held tight to Jason when he started up the bike. Despite having ridden with him since they were teens, she was always nervous on motorcycles. Her father had instilled a well-grounded fear of the two-wheeled vehicles and had made her promise never to buy one. He had tried to forbid her from riding with Jay when they were teens, but had given up the effort after some convincing that was a combination of his wife's logic of if we forbid it, it makes it more enticing and Jason's clean driving record about a year into his driving. The Sergeant had to settle for his daughter's word that she'd always wear a helmet. He made sure to show both Jason and Aliana plenty of results of motorbike accidents lest either of them be tempted to get reckless on the bike. Aliana trusted Jason implicitly, but she was always a little nervous at the start of every ride, though that nervousness always turned into excitement within moments.

Her arms were tight around him for the first couple of blocks, but once the initial fear wore off, her hands shifted until she was just holding onto his hips lightly, only tightening her grip on the turns. She looked around at the scenery as he drove, feeling like it had been forever since she'd been home when it was warm enough to ride. She had missed the familiar sights and sounds, but most of all she had missed Jay, and all the fun and comfort she found with him. The smell of fried foods made Ali bounce excitedly behind Jay on the bike, and she hopped off the bike when he'd hardly come to a full stop and was rolling her eyes when he told her she couldn't pay. It seemed silly to her-- He earned his own money and provided for himself. Why would he want to spend more than he needed to? She knew better than to argue, though.

"Fine," she said as she pulled off her helmet, resisting the urge to roll her eyes but not hiding her sigh, "but I've got us next time." She shifted her feet with impatient energy as she waited for him to get off the bike, smiling brightly. She took his hand once she could and tugged him towards the diner. "I haven't had a good burger and a shake in foreverrr,"she drawled in playful hyperbole, "I could eat one of everything!" It was too easy to be comfortable with him, it didn't occur to her that the easy closeness they had as kids would be considered inappropriate as adults.

"Tell me about this song that's got you all jammed up."

JayM1125 · Apr 17, 2023

As they rode on his motorcycle, Jason would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the feeling of her arms wrapped around him tightly. For a brief second, he fantasized that it meant a lot more to her than her trying to remain safe on his motorcycle. He figured she didn't think of him in that way, even if they made out at a party when they were younger. However, it was never spoken of again...which seemed to reinstate the fact that she only saw him as a friend, not boyfriend material, Jason assumed. Despite his feelings for her, he knew that he couldn't keep them to himself forever, it wasn't fair to either of them. It was the matter of when Jason was going to tell her. That part, he was still figuring out.

Once they arrived at the diner, Jason smiled to himself seeing the excitement on Ali's face as she'd smell the aroma of fried food. Surprisingly, she didn't put up much of a fight this time when he said he'd pay. Back in their youth, the two best friends would often playfully bicker over who picked up the check whenever they went somewhere to eat. Often times, they'd settle it on a friendly game of some sort, be it pool, air hockey, or whatever arcade game was nearby. Admitedly, Jason might've thrown a game or two just to give Ali the satisfaction of winning and paying for their meal. Anything to see that smile on her face. The same smile that could light up even the darkest of rooms.

Getting in line to order their food at the window, Jason would start, "Well...I've made the decision to finally put out an EP of my own original music. I'm sure you've seen that I've done a couple of original songs here and there on the channel over the years. I figured since it's been a while since I've done original music that it was time to put something out. However, I've been dealing with some writer's block. Even if I end up recording something I think will sound good, I end up listening to it again later and completely scrapping it. I wanted to release a song off of this project as a way to hype it up, but it's been a bit difficult. Thankfully, I have other goofy shit I can do on the channel for my viewers. I also have a couple of items coming in for reviews, so I have those videos to fall back on as well." Jason explained as he'd slightly vent the frustration of his writer's block.

Eventually, they'd get up to the window and order their food, Jason ordered himself a double cosmos burger with fries and a drink. Once Ali would put in her order, Jason would pay for their food. While waiting, Jason would lament, "It's annoying as hell being a perfectionist, no joke. The community I've built on YouTube has even expressed how much they enjoyed my previous original music, but even I still find faults and flaws with each of those songs. Well, if worse comes to worse, guess I could also fall back on re-creating an iconic song as if it were written in 2023 for views, like "Welcome To The Jungle" or something. Still...an idea to put in the back of my mind. Maybe we can head back to my place in a bit and I can let you listen to what I've got so far and you can talk some sense into my stubborn-ass brain." Jason chuckled, knowing Ali would always be blunt honest with him if she thought something sounded good or if it honestly sucked.

dearestmine · Sep 6, 2023

Without a second thought, Aliana ordered a burger with "all the toppings". The ratio of meat to veggies/condiments was comical, really. A hotdog along with a milkshake was all she ordered, fully intending to steal one or two of Jay's fries rather than ordering a whole side of them for herself. While she wanted to eat one of everything, she knew she could only get through most of her burger and a bite of a hotdog before she'd get too full and give the rest to Jay. It wasn't until Jay had paid for the meal that Aliana consciously realized how much of a mooch Jared could be. It wasn't that she minded paying for things, but Jared never even tried to offer. It was like he expected her to pay all the time just because it was mostly her parents money. It felt nice to be catered to in this way, as small as it was, but she was going to be sure to take the bill next time. Jay isn't Jared. And she couldn't let Jay think she'd gone too soft. After all, she did feel strongly about him spending his hard-earned money on her, that hadn't changed. She didn't wonder why she didn't have the same attitude toward Jared.

Jay so casually mentioning that he finally wanted to make an EP of his originals had Aliana's ears turning red. She had to try hard to listen to everything he said and not just get stuck on being excited for him to be writing, because his complaint was writers block, after all. When he invited her to his place to listen to what he'd written so far, her heart raced with anticipation. She LOVED the creative process--well, his process, anyway. He put his all into it, and it made her feel special that he valued her opinion on things so deeply. She took a breath to calm herself before she spoke.

"Okay, first off, of fucking course I'll come listen. Until you have like, an agent and a label, I'm the one who gets exclusive First Listening rights to your shit," she said a playfully serious face and tone. Keeping with it, continued to count on her fingers. "Second," she said, "I'd hardly call your covers or reviews a fall back. It's legit content and you're good at it; it's why you're gonna be the next Shawn Mendez, but a little older and more well-rounded. You've got personality, looks, AND talent. Don't downplay it." She gave him a wink and went over to the condiment station to snag a cup of ketchup and a handful of napkins for when their order was ready. "Third," she listed with some finality in her tone, "Don't sweat on loving your own music too much; there are plenty of artists who don't feel satisfied with their finish products and then those songs end up being their biggest hits. Like, I'm pretty sure I saw an interview of John Mayer explaining that he writes songs he doesn't like all the time. Though, maybe that has more to do with the style or genre rather than feeling like the song is complete, but whatever. Perfectionism is fine as long as you use it as a tool to grow instead of a weapon of self-destruction."

His determination to excel was one of her favorite qualities about him. From the moment she'd been adopted, the James family always encouraged progress, not perfection. In some ways it was nice to celebrate all the small wins, but she couldn't help the self-doubt that had her wondering if she could or should be doing better, and if their praise was genuine. With Jason, his praise never felt put-on, and he always encouraged her in a way that left room for her to continue to grow. It was all subjective, she was sure -- at least, that's what her therapist has said -- but she couldn't help but feel like his compliments meant a little bit more because of his perfectionist tendencies. It was the fear of getting constructive criticism, among other things, that had her not wanting to know how he'd felt about the kiss they'd shared as teens.

When their food was ready, she snagged the tray and lead them to a corner table. She immediately snagged one of his fries stating, "Testing for poison," as she took a bite. She hummed gleefully, despite the fact that the fried potato was practically molten, and tried to make a serious face through her smile. "Definitely poison," she declared, "you shouldn't eat those." She giggled and sipped her milkshake. The fry had been way too hot to eat, but she managed not to let the discomfort show, the cold beverage soothing her burnt tongue effectively.

JayM1125 · Nov 9, 2023

"Actually, I've heard labels are overrated anymore," Jason began, "Many musicians, even the big name ones here any more, either have their own label, distribute the music themselves, or a combination of both. For example, Metallica own their own label Blackened Records, which is how they've been releasing all those remasters and even their new music. The more independent artists tend to go all digital with limited runs of vinyl or stuff like that. Knowing me, I'd probably just stick to keeping things digital, staying independent. The rest is just too much of a headache...and I'd like to personally have control of all my master recordings and not have to re-record everything like Taylor Swift is evidentially doing."

Jason listened to her next point and chimed in, "Maybe if Shawn Mendez played progressive type stuff like Dream Theater with harsh and clean vocals. I don't really like to put a genre on what I've been doing. You know me, I can't stick to one type of music. Not just when I'm listening to it. I just love music...of all kinds. From country to black metal. And I'd like to do music that literally mixes different styles and genres into different songs."

Once they'd gotten their food, Jason would attempt to reply to her third point before she stole a fry to 'test it for poison.' Jason replied jokingly, "Well, I lived a good 20 years," taking a fry of his to eat as he'd then remember what he was about to say, "But going back to the topic, you've got a point. I mean, going back to Metallica, I know they don't really care for "Escape" from 'Ride The Lightning.' In all fairness though, it wasn't one of their strongest and Hatebreed did a better cover of it anyways. My two cents. Anyways, guess I just need to not be so hard on myself....that, and actually get out of this creative block I'm in."

There were honestly moments where Jason just wanted to tell her exactly how he felt. Aliana had always been so supportive of him from the time he'd first began to play music. She was always the first person he'd ever let hear anything he'd wrote. It didn't matter if he was playing with a band for the short stints he'd be in them or just writing for himself, she always got to hear him play first. Her opinion held the most weight of anyone, even his parents. As it was, his relationship with his parents was challenging.

While he loved them, he hated that they were a part of that damned Night Wolves biker gang. If they'd just been a simple motorcycle club that kept their noses clean, it wouldn't be a problem...but many in the gang had their noses in various illegal activities. His father, being the leader, could put an end to the shady dealings...but chose not to. Guilt by association, even though The Wolf Den was completely legit...and under his mom's name. The relationship with his mom was just slightly better, it seemed like she intentionally kept his dad out of the unlawfulness of the gang on the threat she'd leave and take the business with her.

If Jason had it his way, he and Aliana would just ride off into the sunset, leaving this town behind them. Of course...after he'd finally confess how he felt about her. The little make out session they had back in high school was honestly the best kiss he'd ever had. He still remembered it vividly. The way her lips melted onto his like ice cream on a hot summer's day, the way her tongue would dance with his. He wasn't just playing along with the kiss for the sake of the game, no. Jason was really into it. And for the longest time, it scared him. He didn't want to ruin the years upon years of friendship he had with her. If he lost Aliana, Jason didn't know what he'd do. But now, he made up his mind....on the night of her 20th birthday, Jason was finally going to reveal his secret to her.

"But anyways, getting away from all the lamenting of having writer's block...have any idea how you want to celebrate your big 2-0? You know we've gotta do something." Jason stated, not wanting to take any form of 'no' for an answer. He continued, "I've literally missed two of your birthdays already. I'm having Ally-Cat Birthday withdraws. We can do anything you want."

dearestmine · Nov 11, 2023

Aliana would have been content to continue to talk about his music, but he went and brought up her birthday. She had hated celebrating her 18th without him. She was sure to find a quiet place to take a call just before midnight so Jay could be the first one to wish her Happy Birthday officially at the strike of 12, as always, and her teammates had made it a fun night, of course, but it just didn't have the same flair. Her 19th should have been her first red flag when Jared had gotten jealous despite the fact they hadn't even been dating yet. Being able to celebrate with Jason made her happy, but being back home kind of dimmed the excitement, since her parents would surely be judgmental of her staying out late, or waking up the next day clearly hung over.

"Twenty feels like a waste of a year," she lamented around a bite of food. She sipped her milkshake and explained, "Not that no longer being a teenager isn't a milestone worth some excitement, but it's not like there's anything big about 20. Can't get into a bar." She gave her best friend a petulant expression. "I'm worried my parents are going to give me a hard time about not wanting to celebrate exclusively with them." They shared in Jay's disappointment in missing her last two birthdays. She perked up a bit as she continued, "But they can hardly get upset with me for wanting to spend it with you. I've spent -all- my birthdays with you since we were 13." She remembered her brother pulling all-nighters every year to make sure nothing happened during her annual sleepover, but he always ended up falling asleep-- or so she assumed. Aliana would climb out her bedroom window to sit on the front porch so Jason could sing her happy birthday right at midnight on her actual birthday, whether or not she had people over. Sometimes over the phone, but usually in person. She'd even make a wish on a lighter or match flame for good measure when they didn't have a candle handy. It didn't quite have the same affect over facetime a state away so, she was really looking forward to the familiarity of their birthday ritual.

"I'm not particular about anything we do, as long as I get my song," she assured him with an affectionate smile. "I'm sure Ma is going to make The Cake and do the usual fancy-pants dinner, but afterwards..." She shrugged, unsure what would follow. This would be her first 'adult' birthday home. Her 17th had been a big production because she wasn't going to have her 18th at home, but every birthday before that had been dinner with her family, followed by a gathering of her friends. She didn't really have a template now. "We could do the townie-thing and go smoke pot a the top of the hiking trail and watch the stars," she suggested jokingly. "Or maybe we head to the city and go busking on a street corner?" She tried to get more ludicrous with each suggestion. "Do body shots at a strip club? Oh, nevermind. They probably card at those places, huh?"

JayM1125 · Nov 16, 2023

"Right?!?" Jason said in agreement with Aliana, continuing, "And every single one of those birthdays I'd get your dad's famous 'stare of death...' oh wait, that's every time he sees me." Jason would chuckle as he'd take a bite of food. Once he'd chewed and swallowed it, "It's almost like he's worried I'll end up corrupting you into some sort of rebel biker chick who breaks all the laws, even the weird, obscure ones that every state has. I mean...you'd think if I was gonna corrupt you, I'd done it long before now." Another soft laugh would escape from him as they'd continue their conversation.

"Don't worry, you'll get your song. When have I ever denied you of it?" He expressed sincerely. It was one of those traditions that the best friends had with each other that remained when it came to her birthday. It often had him wonder if there was a reason she wanted to hear him sing to her every year. Maybe Jason read too much into it in thinking that Aliana had feelings for him. Even though he held a flame for her for as long as he could remember, Jason knew that she could honestly do much better than him...someone her parents would actually approve of. He'd jokingly reply, "All of those sound like fun, especially the third one...but you're right, we'd probably get carded." As it was, Jason would only drink on occasion and stayed away from drugs. As easy it was to get access to it through the gang at the Den, it was something that never appealed to Jason. Eventually, he'd state, "Don't worry, if need be, I can figure something out that we'd enjoy. Even if it's something as simple as a mini-golf or an evening drive blasting music as loud as we want. But it's ultimately your call."

Jason knew he wanted to make this birthday special. Aliana deserved it after the whole Jared debacle. She deserved so much than the hand she'd often been dealt. Despite her being adopted into a respected family, they were far from perfect. Especially her Aunt Sue. Oh that incident was forever burnt into Jason' memory. Aliana coming to school with a fat lip, all because her aunt just had to say something deplorable. She was one family member that Jason never hoped to meet and he didn't blame Aliana for not wanting anything to do with her....especially on that one fateful weekend...when Jason and Aliana kissed.

Sophomore Year, Homecoming Weekend

In high school, Jason wasn't quite a loner, nor did he really fit in with any social circle. He was the type of guy who was friends with anyone, and stood up for anyone who couldn't stand up for themselves. The one thing Jason could never stand was a bully, and he'd stood up to his fair share of them in his own, and others,' defense. Even some upperclassmen knew not to mess with him. Not only because of his demeanor, but because of who his father was. Rumors had went around about Jason from the moment he entered into high school. The most popular being that being the son of the leader of the Night Wolves, he was the heir to the throne of the biker gang and an active member who could make anyone's life miserable....which was the furthest from the truth.

Despite Vic's best attempts, even gifting Jason his own Harley on his 16th birthday, Jason wanted nothing to do with the gang. He'd tell his dad on an almost daily basis that while he loved his bike and appreciated the gesture, he wanted to do something more with his life. This is where Jason and Victor would very often butt heads, claiming that making videos of him playing his guitar online wasn't a future whereas a membership with the Night Wolves could set him up for life if he played his cards right. Much to his father's chagrin, Jason was more of a TCG card player compared to Vic's game of choice, blackjack. The reality was that Jason would never allow, nor be able to live with, himself to join what he viewed as a criminal organization. Hell, Aliana's dad saw the Night Wolves as just that and Jason wasn't exactly his favorite person, but tried to get along with him for Ali's sake.

There were rumblings of a party happening this weekend and Jason, courtesy of Aliana, was invited. This was a shock for him that she was not only allowed to stay home alone for the weekend, but she was allowed to go to a party. Well, as Jason would learn, his best friend was using a cover...of which he didn't blame her. Both Jason's and Aliana's fathers could be overbearing in their own ways. Something they'd often bonded and lamented over. He'd pull up on his bike to the address Aliana had given him and waited for his best friend to show up.

dearestmine · Nov 16, 2023

Sophomore Year, Homecoming Weekend

It wasn't often that Aliana found herself entirely unsupervised. Sergeant and Mrs. James were away at her Aunt Sue's home upstate. Last year, Aliana had missed the homecoming game because of the trip, but after the fiasco that that trip had been, and a lot of begging, Aliana had been allowed to skip it this year.

The year before, a drunken Aunt Sue had asked Aliana if she ever thought about her "Real Parents". Aliana, confused, had defended that Morgan and Stephanie WERE her real parents. Sue had insisted that no, they weren't, and proceed to ask if Aliana ever wanted to be with "her" people, meaning Latinos. Aliana lost it at that point, the mix of embarrassment over the questions, and the heartache that her Aunt didn't see her as a "real" member of the family, bringing her to tears. She called her Aunt Sue, quite loudly, a Racist Bitch. Sergeant James, a little drunk himself and having missed the first part of the conversation and only catching his little girl swearing at his big sister, stared in shock when Sue smacked Aliana on the mouth for her sharp words. Morgan Jr then jumped in. He grabbed their Mom, who was about to Lunge for her sister in law, told Aliana-Marie to go to her room, and diffused the situation.

The whole night had been one of the worst of her life up with the James Family, and no amount of I'm sorry presents from her Aunt or her Dad would make her want to go back there, especially after having to deal with Jay's reaction to her coming to school on Monday with a fat lip and explaining it all over again. The only good thing that came out of the situation was that he rather had given her her brother's car. He was going to trade it in for a new car, but her father had given him the money he would have gotten on a trade-in in cash so Ali could have the car. The cute little VW Jetta that was 10 years old but well-maintained, deep army green with tan cloth interior. It had a sunroof, power windows, and an awesome sound system. She couldn't have asked for anything better! It also initiated her getting her license a lot sooner than Sergeant had planned, since he didn't want the car to just sit on the curb. She only had her permit but she was never alone in the car anyway.

Aliana's cover for the night was her Varsity Track and Field Captain, Tori. Tori's Mom was on the PTA and was assistant coach to the Pole Vaulters. She had seemed trustworthy enough to the Sergeant. Unbeknownst to him, though, Tori's Mom was the type of parent that wanted to be her daughter's best friend more than an authority figure, and she had a Fuck the Police attitude. So was more than happy to be Aliana's cover for the night so she could have some real fun. She had allowed the girls to go out on the condition that they didn't drink and drive, and they promised to either call her for a ride if they did drink, or walk over to Aliana-Marie's house. Ariana's house was only 2 miles from the party by car, but 1 mile as the crow files--- or as Aliana would later that night, if you vaulted over fences like the Devil himself was chasing you.

She'd gotten ready at Tori's house after the game, dressing in the senior's clothes. Tori had insisted, after finding out that Aliana was going to the party with Jay, that she dress the part. So, Aliana borrowed a pair of short-shorts that she wore over a pair of black stockings, and a Ramones tee shirt that had been cut into a crop-top. She put her Varsity Letterman Jacket over the ensemble to keep warm and keep the outfit hidden-- She hated baring her mid-drift because she didn't find her 4-pack especially feminine, and her father had always shamed her anytime her shirt rode up to bare it. Her black converse and her underwear were the only other items that were her own that night, as Tori had done her makeup (simple eyeshadow and some eyeliner and mascara that looked dramatic on Aliana since she never wore makeup), put a cute little choker on her neck, and given her a pair of silver cross studs to put in her ears.

Tori dropped Ali off at Cait's, where Jay waited with his bike, and drove to her boyfriend's house to enjoy the evening. She was very glad for her letterman jacket as they made their way of the stairs. She didn't feel very confident in the outfit. She did manage to look a lot more at ease than she felt, though, as she gave a good-natured smile to the girl that greeted them at the door.

"Oh hey you brought Jason! Awesome! C'mon in!"

When they escaped the doorway, a lot of heads turned, mostly shocked expressions from the other Jock-Types. Aliana, the Cop's daughter and well-known goody-goody, was at a PARTY?

Aliana stayed glued to Jay the whole night, using him as her anchor. She would keep her pinky linked in the chain on his hip, or his jacket pinched between her fingers, or her hand on his elbow, if she wasn't just leaning on him entirely, anytime he didn't have his arm around her or holding her hand. By the time she finished her first drink, she felt a little less nervous.

They played beer pong, with Jay as her Designated Drinker, since she couldn't handle that much alcohol, and she watched him play Foosball and Kings Cup. Eventually the night wound down to the point where they were all in the host, Cait, bedroom, sitting in a circle for some Truth or Dare, Never Have I Ever, and Spin the Bottle.

The game of Never Have I Ever went pretty well in Aliana's favor, since she really hadn't done much. Though, someone did get her with a cheap shot of "never have I ever kissed a cop" so she put a finger down for that one. But she'd never smoked pot, or drank till she puked, been to Disney, borrowed her parents' car without permission, hooked up behind the bleachers, or had a pet.

Truth or Dare had Ali nervous to play. She didn't want to get asked something that she couldn't answer or do. She didn't want to embarrass herself, or Jay. By that point in the night her teammates and the others truly saw his appeal, and the girls shamelessly flirting was equal parts funny and irritating. She didn't dwell on the why of it, though.

"It's my party so I guess I'll kick off the game," Cait said with a devilish look in her eye. "Rules are, you have to answer your question or do your date, or take a shot. If you want to switch from truth to dare or dare to truth, the next one is totally gonna be worse. So choose carefully." Everyone laughed and then Cait figured she'd start soft and go for her teammate. "Aliana, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," Ali said quickly, holding her letterman closed with her hands to keep from fidgeting.

"Has your Dad ever done something illegal?"

Aliana blinked in surprise, finding the question odd. "Not really," she asked, sounding unsure. "Like, letting some folks off speeding tickets is probably illegal maybe, but that's all I would know of..." She shrugged. Her father was stickler for the rules, as far as she knew.

"Laaaame!" Cait turned to Kyle, not giving Aliana her turn to ask someone else. "Kyle, how old were you when you lost your V-card?"

Kyle laughed and said, "Fourteen," but didn't elaborate. "What a thirsty question. Maybe you need a drink," he teased and then looked at Jason. Rather than asking him for his choice, he jumped right to dare. "Hey Jay, I dare you to let Cait take a body shot off you."

Ali watched, both horrified and turned on at the execution of the dare, blushing crimson.

"You're blushing like a little maid over there," Laura, a junior on the cheer squad, teased when she and the rest of the group could tear their eyes away from Jay and Cait once their dare was done.

"Of course she is! I don't think she's ever even been kissed. Cut her a break," Cait said, wiping the corner of her mouth and winking at Jay.

"Hey! I've kissed before," Ali said indignantly. Sure, it was only a handful of little sneaked kisses at camp, but it happened! She'd told Jay about it when she came back from the 3 week sleep-away camp for adopted kids her parents had sent her to the previous summer. They'd had a music section of the camp and she'd jumped on the chance join. She was too shy to play or sing, but she'd learned how to use a soundboard, and made friends with the boys who were into the sound engineering side of the music, like her. One boy, in particular, had caught her singing along while she was running sound one day, and they had gotten to talking and then singing... and she'd let him kiss her. But, there wasn't a "spark" so she hadn't let it continue more than lips pressed together, though he had kissed her neck. It had been a new feeling, but again, nothing mind-blowing.

"Yeah yeah," Cait brushed her off and snatched the now empty bottle from Kyle and handing it to Aliana. "Prove it then," she said.

Aliana felt her heart drop down somewhere around her belly button as she looked at the bottle. She didn't need to be told what to do. Oh God, what if she spun someone like Kyle or Shawn? She didn't want them pawing at her in the dark! Fuck Fuck Fuck she thought, biting her lip as she reached for the bottle. She spun it hard and closed her eyes. She didn't open them until every kid in the group gasped or shouted in disbelief. It had spun to Jason.

She opened her eyes when she felt hands grasping her arms to haul her to her feet and shove her towards the closet. One of the football players had her by the arms, while Cait was pushing Jason to the closet with her. It all happened so fast! One moment she was sitting, and the next moment she was in the closet with Jay being shoved at her and the door shut behind him, her hands coming up to catch his chest so he wouldn't lose his footing in the dark.

Two hard bangs on the door and the loud shout of "Seven minutes!" followed relative silence. Aliana did manage to hear Cait saying, "She's such a prude, there's no way she'll do anything." And Kyle chiming in, "It's gonna be more like Seven Minutes in Dullsville," and the answering giggles from the others in the room. It was enough to make her blood boil. She was sure that Jason was saying something like we don't have to do anything because he was her best friend and what else would he say, but all she could hear was her blood rushing in her ears at that point. She wasn't some innocent goody-two-shoes! She was wearing clothes her father would shoot her on sight to be in, drank alcohol, and was out without his permission! All on her own!

"Assholes," she said in frustration and decided that, "you know what? Fuck them, I'm not a baby." Aliana grabbed Jason's face and pulled him down as she rose up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his.

And holy shit it wasn't anything like that stupid kiss at camp. There was more than just a spark. It was like someone had lit a torch in her lower stomach and the rest of her nerve endings had turned to sparklers. She didn't want to seem like she was intimated, though, and in a bit of daring that was fueled more by the sudden arousal she found herself in than spite for her classmates, she parted her lips to take his bottom lip between hers and gently nipped at it with her teeth, her tongue tracing over it gently, a complete contrast to her breathing that was less than calm. That move had been fatal, though, because he took over the kiss and she was lost.

JayM1125 · Nov 21, 2023

The party seemed like the standard high school party. Games, hookups, and drinking....lots of drinking. Jason was never sure how any of the alcohol was obtained, but then again he'd never question it either. At this point in his life, as long as he was away from his parents, Jason was living it up. His home life wasn't exactly something he'd ever talked about, but he was certain that Ali at least had some indication that things at home were far from ideal. When Vic wasn't pleading with him to join the Wolves, he was on his case about something else and would often incur his father's wrath...mostly when he'd been drinking. If it weren't for Aliana, Jason would've probably ran away the same night he was given that motorcycle. Instead, she made him want to be better. She inspired him to rise above his circumstances, which is one reason he kept on his hustle with YouTube, hopeful that one of these days he'd pull in views similar to Jared Dines.

Jason always made sure when he'd attend the occasional party that he'd keep his drinking in check. He swore to himself he'd never end up a drunk like his father. By the time they'd end up in the host's bedroom, Jason was still sober enough to know exactly what was going on. While remaining close to Ali, Jason would watch the other teens partake in the games. Of course, Ali dominated in 'Never Have I Ever,' which is something that not only made him proud, but thankful she was a good girl. The good girl that helped motivate him as well as keep him grounded. The same good girl he had the most massive crush on...but knew he wasn't good enough for her....nor did he want to ruin such an incredible friendship.

Shaken from his thoughts, he was dared to let Cait do a body shot off of him. Never being one to back down from a challenge, Jason said, "Alright, I'm down." While Jason had a reputation that made some fear and others respect him, he still made sure he was at least cordial towards everyone. He was confident enough when it came to the fairer sex that he had no trouble finding girls to keep him company in more ways than one. It seemed they were drawn to the bad-boy image without the persona...because Jason was far from the bad-boy type.

Many who actually knew the real Jason knew he was kind as he was giving. He was the type of guy who'd give his last dollar to make sure someone didn't go hungry, even if it meant he did. He never stood for letting anyone get bullied or pushed around, always standing up for those who couldn't themselves. Despite the cover looking a bit worn and rugged, the contents of the book were much more noble. He'd often say that Ali was the one who kept him grounded.

Before laying down, Jason would lift up his shirt, taking it off to expose his bare chest. It also showed the results of one of his other pastimes, working out. Jason was by no means ripped and chiseled, but he had some definition to his muscles. Eventually he'd feel some liquid pour on him, followed by the sensation of a tongue being drug along his body. He wouldn't lie, but the latter sensation definitely worked him up a little bit. However, his mind wasn't on Cait performing the body shot. Strangely enough, his mind fantasized about Aliana licking up the liquid from his chest and abs.

It was becoming something of a common occurance as of late. Jason would begin to have sexual fantasies about Aliana, his best friend. The same girl he knew was too good for him was suddenly the star of every single one of his triple X rated fantasies. It wasn't like he could ever tell her about any of these, because not only would it reveal how he felt about her, but she might've slapped the taste out of his mouth. He also knew that her father would never approve of his little girl dating the son of a notorious biker gang. Everything was working against Jason.

After the moment had passed, Jason got back up and put his shirt on to find that all the party-goers were ganging up on Aliana as a part of the game. While, sure, he knew it was all in good fun, there was a part of him that wanted to tell everyone to lighten up and not be so hard on his best friend. However, before he could even finish that thought, he noticed that they'd convinced her to play spin the bottle as said bottle had just started to slow down...landing on him.

Eyes growing a little wide, Jason was nervous as to what this would entail. Before he could, yet again, finish one of his own thoughts, he was being ushered into a closet with his best friend. Hearing voices talk to them, Jason would begin to whisper, "Ali, we don't have to do anything..." However, he knew when she got mad...Aliana. Got. Mad. The next thing he knew, in one swift motion, he felt his had being pulled down towards her's and....and.....where was he again?

Jason's world seemingly melted away as he felt the soft tenderness of Aliana's lips on his. Then she'd show him in that same kiss she could bring some spiciness into the sweetness. Everything about this was just....perfect. His tongue would then slide into her mouth to dance and twist with hers. It was as if their bodies melted out of exsitence and the two of them became one united with each other. His heart was racing, pounding hard than he'd ever felt before in his life...breathing heavier than ever. It was almost as if their lips were made for kissing each other.

As their kiss would continue and things got hotter and heavier, it was as if Jason's hands had a mind of their own. He'd feel of every single inch of her body that he could as he'd pull her in as close as their bodies would allow. All he wanted was to be as close to Aliana as he could be...and even then it wasn't close enough. Their kiss took on an entirely different life. He'd begin to feel something stirr within him he'd never fully understood. It was almost a different form of arousal. Something so visceral, so primal that he couldn't fully comprehend. In that moment, he didn't just want Aliana...no, he needed Aliana like he needed air to breathe. The whole conecpet of time, much less seven minutes, became so trivial and pointless.

That was...until he could swear he saw a flash.

dearestmine · Nov 21, 2023

When Jay took over the kiss she wasn't sure which way was up anymore. Everything was just so, so intense. He tasted like alcohol and home and something she couldn't name, and didn't care to as his fingers dug into her hair. She let go of his cheeks and her hands found the bare skin of his chest. He was on fire, and so was she, and she just wanted more of him. Her fingers grazed over his chest, down his stomach, up over his sides, and she gasped into the kiss as he melted into her. She thanked God that her jacket was unzipped because the feeling of his bare stomach against her exposed mid drift was divine. His tongue tangling with hers when he deepened the kiss had her dizzy with desire. His hands were everywhere and her mind was fuzzy as a helpless moan tore up her throat and she felt just how into the kiss he was.

Had she really done that to him? Was that her making that sound? She just wanted more of that friction, more of his mouth, more... God Yes was the only coherent thought that went through her mind when his hand dipped into the back of her shorts and his other spanned the bare skin of her upper back. His leg between hers sent a jolt through her that was entirely new. She would have cursed but she couldn't form words as she shivered against him and rolled her hips against his. A wild buildup of sensation pooled low in her stomach and she ached in a way she had only felt ghosts of before. If this was heaven, she was going straight to hell... And then everything did go to hell.

"No shit! *Click*"

Aliana snapped into reality as if she was dunked in icewater. Cait's voice, Cait's camera, everyone's eyes on them, giggles and cheers. The flash of light brought her back to reality faster than Jay could catch up, and thank GOD because she couldn't face him.

She was out of the house and down the street faster than she could think, the laughter of her classmates more potent than gasoline. She ran through yards and gardens and hopped fences, vaulting over the taller ones. Not even the 6ft tall privacy fence at the Darin's stopped her-- she spotted the dog house before the dog even woke up to bark at her, stepping up it and vaulting over the top. She got grass stains down her arm when she landed in a roll on the other side, but stood right up and kept running home. She was climbing through her bedroom window 8 minutes after she flew out of Cait's closet, covering the 3/4 mile only two minutes slower than her usual 1-mile sprint, and it felt like a blink.

"Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my GOD!" she screamed as she fell in a clumsy mess of limbs onto her desk, nearly knocking over her desktop computer. She fell to the floor and screamed the way only anguished teenaged girls can as the tears poured from eyes. Embarrassment was the biggest emotion, followed closely by fear, and resentment. And then there was the dizziness of the alcohol that was quickly catching up to her.

"What the fuck did I just do!?" she whined as she punched the floor in hammer-fists. She stood and locked her bedroom window, knowing the rest of the house was locked up tight. God forbid Jay followed her. She didn't even want to think of that. There was no way she could face him or anyone else after that...

In her drunk frustration she trashed her bedroom, and the cried herself to sleep. She didn't answer the door when Jay did eventually bring her car back, and didn't even get out of her bed to shower until the next afternoon, feeling hungover and miserable all day Sunday. After wallowing in her misery and embarrassment for 18 hours, she had to get her shit together because her parents would be home soon. She put her room back together, put her car back where it was supposed to be, showered, and gave Tori back her clothes-- sans grass stains.

When she made it back to school on Monday she did everything in her power to smile back at anyone who gave her that I know what you did this weekend and refused to talk it out with Jason.

"It never happened," she insisted. "We were drunk, drunk things happen. It's not up for discussion. Can we please just go back to normal?" was all she had to say on the topic.

JayM1125 · Nov 22, 2023

The laughter and cheers would fill the room while it seemed like, in the blink of an eye, Aliana had run off. With a snarl on his face, Jason snatched the Polaroid photo out of someone's hand. "Real fucking mature..." Was all Jason would mutter as he'd attempt to catch up to his best friend. What would he even say to her if he did catch up to her? Could he even face her? So many thoughts and emotions ran through his mind while his legs carried him to chase after her.

By the time he'd reach his motorcycle, Jason was winded, needing a moment to catch his breath before jumping on and quickly tearing away from the house like a bat outta hell. The only thing on his mind at the moment was the need to talk about what had just happened. He'd be lying to himself if some small part of him didn't enjoy the kiss or want it to happen. Hell, all he ever wanted was to call Aliana his girlfriend. She was the missing piece in his life. Never did he feel something so incredible than when he kissed her.

Once at her house, Jason pounded on her front door, "ALI?!? Can we please talk about this?!? Please come outside!! I just wanna talk..." He'd try to get an answer for the better part of an hour, nearly making himself hoarse from trying to get her attention. He'd assumed the worst. She either hated the kiss and never wanted to speak to him ever again or she liked the kiss but didn't want anything to change between them. Either way, Jason was scared to death of losing his best friend.

In the hours that followed, Jason would bring her car back to her house, again just trying anything he could to get her to talk to him. That Saturday and Sunday were the two worst days of his life. Since bringing her car back, Jason would seclude himself within his room, wallowing in his worry of losing the one person he cared most about in this world; Aliana. He laid in bed, unable to find motivation or focus on anything, silently crying to himself in fear and sorrow. His mom would eventually force him to eat. After.a bit, he found himself opening up to his mom about some of what happened as well as his fears of losing his best friend.

Monday, he'd thankfully got to see her again. The first thing he wanted to do was attempt to talk to her about what happened. Aliana vehemently refused to acknowledge what happened, insisting it was the alcohol to blame. Alcohol or not, that kiss was forever burnt into Jason's brain. He'd attempt to bring it up other times during the day with the same result. Eventually, he'd relent, "Yeah...we can go back to normal. It never happened." As much as it hurt his own heart to say that, Jason knew he couldn't risk his friendship with Aliana. She meant more to him than even his own family.

Present Day

The memory was still fresh in his mind as if it'd happened yesterday. Jason would attempt to chase the high he'd felt from that intense kiss he'd shared with Aliana with other women he'd been with to no avail. No matter what he did, no matter who he slept with, he just couldn't move on...even as much as he wanted to. It just wasn't fair to deny his heart of what it wanted; her. She'd made it perfectly clear that she wanted to leave it in the past. Jason knew that he couldn't hide how he felt anymore, she had to know. Even if he was facing imminent rejection, Jason needed her to know. And recalling that memory made him more sure that he was going to tell her on the night of her birthday, that is...if he could even wait that long.

"Seriously though, your wish, my command on your birthday. Even if it's just your 20th, I'll always find a way to celebrate you on your birthday. You know how much you mean to me. I mean, I'm closer to you than I am with my own family." Jason would express, popping a fry into his mouth. For the longest time, hiding his feelings for her had became his own burden to bear. As painful of a burden as it was, he'd always made sure to do what he could to make any of her birthdays special. Even if it meant a FaceTime call to sing her song, or sending her a gift at her previous college. There were honestly so many times that Jason just wanted to make the journey on his Harley, lay his heart on the line and finally tell her how he felt, but would stop himself every time because, on the surface, she was happy. The last thing he wanted to do was take her happiness away. Even now, she deserved nothing but the best.

Why be first when you can be best? {JayM1125xDearestmine}

dearestmine

Passion, heat, sweat, madness

JayM1125

C E R O - M I E D O

dearestmine

Passion, heat, sweat, madness

JayM1125

C E R O - M I E D O

dearestmine

Passion, heat, sweat, madness

JayM1125

C E R O - M I E D O

dearestmine

Passion, heat, sweat, madness

JayM1125

C E R O - M I E D O

dearestmine

Passion, heat, sweat, madness

JayM1125

C E R O - M I E D O

dearestmine

Passion, heat, sweat, madness

JayM1125

C E R O - M I E D O

dearestmine

Passion, heat, sweat, madness

JayM1125

C E R O - M I E D O

dearestmine

Passion, heat, sweat, madness

JayM1125

C E R O - M I E D O