Awakened (23 page)

"Ma'am?" I looked up from the magazine
to find a gorgeous man standing in front of me holding a cup of
coffee. He stood about six foot tall and was wearing a blue shirt
that accented his blue eyes with skinny dark jeans. He had dark
hair that was cut down to a buzz cut. He was dark complexion and
had a little scruff on his chin.

"Did you order the caramel macchiato
with two shots of espresso?" He asked.

“
Oh yes, sorry.” I grabbed
the cup out of his hand.

"It's okay. It's been sitting up on
the counter for a couple of minutes and you're the only one in this
place with no coffee. I noticed you walk in here not too long ago.
I figured it must be yours." He smiled. He had the most amazing
smile.

"My name is Jaxston," he reached out
his hand to shake mine.

"I'm Jennifer," I returned his shake.
I suddenly felt very self-conscious being around him. He looked
good, really good, and I looked like a hot mess sitting
here.

"That’s my favorite coffee, too." He
said, widening his smile.

"It helps me clear my mind." I held up
my cup.

"I understand completely." His smile
did unnatural things to my body, making my mind go
crazy.

"Look Jennifer, I’m not one
who beats around the bush. You seem like a very nice girl and you
are very attractive."
Did he just say I
was very attractive?
Had he really taken a
good look at me? There was no way.

He tore a piece of the
magazine out and starting writing something down. He slid the paper
across the table until it set directly in front of me, it was a
phone number. “I don’t want you to think I’m a creep, but I would
really like to take you to dinner sometime. If you want to go, give
me a call." He paused while I looked down at the paper in front of
me.
This isn’t happening, is
it?

"I really look forward to hearing from
you, Jennifer." He winked, turned around and walked out the
door.

I sat still in my chair trying to
replay what just happened. This very attractive man just asked me
out on a date. The moment I thought of Stefan, all the weight on my
heart came back. It wasn't easy walking away from him, but I refuse
to be in a relationship with someone who doesn't want the same
things I do.

My heart was screaming Stefan's name,
but my mind was telling me to move on, to give Jaxston a chance.
Who knows, he could be the perfect fit. He didn't have the bad boy
charm that Stefan has, but he seemed genuine.

I finished my coffee and got back into
the Mercedes, and drove home, praying Stefan wasn't there. I pulled
into the drive way to find it empty. I made my way inside and saw a
huge bouquet of red roses with an envelope, my name written on the
outside. I poured the water down the sink and threw the roses in
the trash without reading the letter.

I walked upstairs and
grabbed my phone; missed calls and text messages from Stefan. I
didn't bother reading them before hitting delete. Maybe I was being
too harsh, but I wasn't just going to be his pet; I deserved
better
.

Chapter Fifteen

I went to class during the week and
avoided talking with, or about, Stefan. Kennedy tried to bring him
up on several occasions, but I quickly shut her down every time.
Talking about him meant I had to think about him, and that hurt too
much.

I hadn't told Kennedy about meeting
Jaxston. One minute she was anti Stefan and the next she was pro
Stefan. I would think after she saw how bad he hurt me, she would
be on my side no matter what, but lately it seemed like she was
trying to get me to give him another chance. I wasn't ready for
that.

I had made the decision to text
Jaxston and pursue that relationship; after all it was probably
healthier relationship then with Stefan. I knew I was going to hold
back with Jaxston, but it was worth a shot.

Friday night, as I got ready to go out
with Jaxston, Kennedy came into my room and looked at me getting
ready. I was wearing light jeans that had some tears in them, a red
long sleeve shirt, and my favorite Nike shoes that were all black.
I was told to dress athletic.

"Where are you going tonight?" Kennedy
asked, sitting down on my bed.

I sat down to tie my shoes.
"Out."

"With who?"

"Doesn't matter, Kennedy." I wanted so
badly to tell her, but I knew she would tell Stefan. As much as I
loved my best friend, when she wanted something to happen she did
whatever in her power to make sure it did.

"Why are you so pissed off at
me?"

"I just don’t want to talk about
Stefan. I wish you would just accept that. He hurt me and I am
still not over it, and I'm not sure when I will be ready to forgive
him. I don't want to see him or talk about him or think about him
at all. I'd appreciate it if you would respect that." I stood to my
feet, grabbed my purse and phone and walked out of my bedroom,
leaving Kennedy speechless.

I opened the door just as Jaxston
pulled up. I smiled as I walked to his black Infiniti. I got into
the car before he could get out and open my door. He was wearing
skinny jeans, but they weren't too tight, and a black V neck shirt,
he looked good.

"Hi. How are you?" Jaxston smiled as
he began to back out of the drive way. I happened to catch
Kennedy's eyes as she started at me with her mouth open from the
door.

"So happy to get out of that house." I
smiled at him. "So, what are we doing tonight?"

"How do you feel about a batting
cage?" He looked over at me and smiled.

"Uh, not real good at hitting flying
objects thrown at me." I suddenly felt nervous.

He winked at me. "I'll help
you.”

We drove across town and five minutes
later we pulled up to a building with a full parking lot. After we
got inside, we walked up to the front desk and got everything we
needed and headed back to the batting cages.

"Here, I'll go first and you can watch
me. Then we’ll get you in there." He put on his helmet and grabbed
his bat. He looked great in the batting cage, very
natural.

Soon, the baseballs were popping out
of a feeding machine and flying at him. He had a perfect stance,
with his legs shoulder width apart and his arms tight, holding onto
the bat. Each time he swung, his biceps looked like they were going
to rip through his shirt.

After his turn, he came back out of
the batting cage with a huge smile on his face. "You
ready?"

"You have done this before, haven't
you?" I asked while putting my helmet on.

"I’ve played baseball since I was
little then in high school and college," he said, handing me my
bat.

I was so nervous that I could barely
hold it. We walked into the batting cage and he stood behind me; it
was like a scene out of a classic love movie. He spread apart my
legs with his foot until they stood shoulder width apart. His hands
gripped my hips, positioning them so that when I swung the bat, my
hips would swing with my arms. He then placed his hands over mine,
showing me how to swing the bat. My body fit flush against his rock
hard body; it was hard to concentrate.

"Okay, the balls are going to start
coming out, not very fast at first. Once you get the hang of it, we
will go a little faster, how's that?" He asked smiling. He walked
out of the cage and left me alone in there.

"Okay...." My voice trailed off. I was
so nervous.

"Calm down Jennifer, just remember
what I told you."

A ball popped out and I managed to hit
it, sending it flying in the opposite direction. Jaxston cheered
from the other side of the cage. Another one popped out, but I was
distracted with my small victory, that I missed it.

"Keep your eye on the ball," Jaxston
said, smiling. I loved his smile.

Another one popped out, and I hit it
dead on. It felt so good to hit the balls; I was taking out all my
frustration with Kennedy and Stefan. Every time the bat connected
with the ball, I felt like a small weight had been taken off my
shoulder.

After it stopped spitting out balls,
Jaxston ran in and swept me up, spinning me around. "I'm so proud
of you! You did a great job." He said, putting me back down on my
feet.

“
That was so freaking
awesome!” I couldn’t hide the joy in my voice.

“
Let’s go eat.” He grabbed
my hand and grabbed the bats with his other hand. I wanted to pull
back as we walked out, but something inside me didn’t allow me to.
I missed Stefan, I missed
us
. I knew I had to forgive him. I
couldn’t hide my feelings or mask them over with another guy, that
wasn’t fair to any of us.

“
Jaxston, I need to be
honest with you.” I slid into his car and waited for him to get
into the driver’s seat. “I think I am in love with someone else.”
My voice trailed off, waiting for his reaction.

He looked confused. “What’d you
mean?”

“
I started dating someone
before I met you. We had just broken up when I went into Starbucks,
and I just don’t think I am over him or ready to move on with
someone else.” I didn’t know exactly what to say or how to say it.
Jaxston was such a nice guy, the last thing I wanted to do was to
hurt him.

“
So, you want me to take
you home?”

“
If you wouldn’t mind. I
just don’t think it’s fair to lead you on when my heart is
somewhere else. You are so nice and deserve so much better…” I was
interrupted.

“
Don’t, Jennifer. Really,
just don’t. It’s not a big deal. If you are thinking of someone
else then just be honest with yourself. I want you to be happy.
It’s only our first date, so let’s just stop where we are and maybe
we can be friends?” He looked over at me with a smile.

“
I’d love that.” I smiled
back. He would be a nice friend to have. I wasn’t too sure how well
that would go over with Stefan, but I didn’t care too
much.

We rode the whole way back
in silence. He pulled into my driveway and Stefan’s car was sitting
there.
Shit.

I opened my door and got out before
Jaxton could get out of the car. Stefan burst out of the front door
with Kennedy behind him, yelling at him to stop. I made eye contact
with him and saw the flames; I saw the darkness that had taken over
his eyes. He made a beeline straight to Jaxston.

I ran over to where Jaxton was and
stepped in front of him, he had a confused look on his face. Stefan
immediately stopped, staring at me.

“
Get out of my way,
Jennifer,” Stefan snarled through his teeth.

“
No, stop. Calm down and
listen to me, Stefan,” I tried to remain calm even though I was
nervous as shit inside.

“
Jennifer, who the hell is
this?” Jaxston was confused.

“
Stefan, seriously. Please,
listen to me.” I had my hands pressed on his rock hard chest; it
sent sparks through my body.

“
Is this the fucker you’re
sleeping with now? What you just leave me and move on to some other
guy that quick? Is that what this is?” He continued to glare at
Jaxston.

“
Stefan, no! That’s not it
at all. Please, let’s just go in and talk about this, okay?” I felt
Jaxston step back a couple of steps.

“
I’m not sleeping with her,
man. We just met. We just went out and played ball and she asked to
come back home for you, man. I can’t do this; this could ruin my
career in the Army.” I don’t know how he seemed so calm, but he did
and the moment he said that I saw the flame leave Stefan’s eye. He
immediately snapped his attention back to me. I saw the hurt and
disappointment, but I also saw the hope that everything between us
would be okay.

“
Is this true, Jennifer?”
He asked, calming down.

“
Yes, everything is true.
Please, let’s just go inside.” We stood there, in the middle of the
driveway. All I wanted was his familiar touch on my body; I wanted
to calm him down and show him I wanted him, how I needed him. He
was the oxygen I needed to breathe, the blood in order to live; he
was everything. I wasn’t sure how or when it came to this, but I
knew I was in love with him and nothing could destroy that. We were
meant for each other, we
needed
each other.

Stefan grabbed my hand and pulled me
towards the front door. “See ya later Jaxston, I’m sorry. I’ll call
you later, I promise.”

“
Please. Later.” Jaxston
climbed into his car.

As soon as we were inside,
Stefan pulled me out back and lit a cigarette.
Shit, I must have really pissed him off.

“
What the hell is going on,
Jennifer?” He asked, pacing back and forth smoking his
cigarette.

“
Stefan, I am in love with
you, okay? Why is that so hard for you to accept? Why won’t you let
me love you?”

“
You left, Jennifer. You
fucking walked out when things got rough. How do I know you won’t
do that again? Madelyn is nothing, okay? We use to have a thing
back in the day, but she has a fiancé now. I’m sorry you had to
walk into my room and see that, but I had no idea. You have to
trust me.”