It feels like I'm floating the entire drive home. How did a day doomed by darkness manage to turn into one of the best moments of my life? The simplicity of Jake asking me to be his girlfriend is the reason I can't wipe the smile from my face. Sitting in his car with fast food burgers, drenched from the rain, with a single daisy in his hand. How could I not fall in love with every little detail about the moment? "I didn't peg you down as the romantic type," I say to Jake as I twirl the daisy between my fingers. His tears his eyes off the road to look at me and a slow smile spreads across his face.

"If you tell anyone, I'm going to deny it," Jake tells me with a playful tone to his voice. He pulls into his driveway before turning off the engine. I notice his posture immediately tense up and a deep frown takes over his face. "Is everything okay?" I ask him. "No. The lights are on downstairs. The house was dark when I left," Jake mutters under his breath. "It's probably Ivory or Tobias," I tell him before unbuckling my seat belt. Jake's hand shoots out to stop me from exiting the car. His posture remains rigid and he turns to look at me with concern in his eyes. "Tobias and Ivory are both out."

I immediately pause in the passenger seat and my breathing catches in the back of my throat. "I'm going to check it out. Stay behind me, okay?" Jake tells me. I nod my head before waiting for him to exit the car. He climbs out before walking around to his trunk. He moves swiftly, silently and with purpose. I exit the car before softly shutting the door behind me. Who could have broken into the house? Jake pops open the trunk before retrieving a baseball bat from it. My eyes grow wide at the sight of it. "What are you going to do with that?" I question him. He grips onto the handle firmly before raising a brow at me.

"What do you think I'm going to do with it?" Jake asks before walking around to the doorway of the house. He gestures for me to stay behind him, so I do. My hands tremble by my side, and I wonder how he manages to remain so calm. He doesn't look scared at all. "Do you want me to call the police?" I hiss as we approach the front door. Jake turns the key in the door before pushing it open. He glances at me from over his shoulder before shaking his head in protest.

"No, I can handle it myself." Jake says before stepping inside the house. He begins searching every room with the baseball bat positioned up and ready. I follow behind him before hearing muffled voices coming from the kitchen. My heart somersaults and I gesture in the direction of the kitchen. Jake places a finger against his lips to motion for me to be quiet. I watch as he walks toward the kitchen, ready to attack. He inhales a deep breath before turning the kitchen door handle. The door slowly opens, and Jake barges in with the baseball bat above his head. A series of screams can be heard coming from the kitchen.

"Jake! What are you doing?!" A woman's shrill voice fills the air. I scurry in behind after him to find Jake frozen in place with the bat raised above his head. Two women are sitting at the dining table clutching their chests. A horrified expression crosses their faces. One of them has the exact same eyes as Jake, and the other one looks exactly like Ivory. It suddenly dawns on me that Jake and Ivory's Mom's are back from their business trip.

"Fuck. I'm sorry." Jake apologises quickly before dropping the bat to the floor. The woman with Ivory's face clutches her chest in a dramatic manner. "Good lord. You almost gave me a heart attack! What is wrong with you?" Her green eyes grow wide with disbelief. She's dressed in a form fitting blouse and skirt, and her auburn hair mixed with strands of grey is tied back in a slick bun.

"Sorry, Aunt Myra. I forgot heart attacks are common for women in your age bracket," Jake says to her with a teasing tone. She stands up before slapping his arm lightly in response. Jake envelopes her in a quick hug before turning toward his Mom. "Hey, Mom. It's good to have you back," Jake says before hugging her quickly. She brushes a quick kiss over his cheek. "You're looking well, honey." His Mom smiles while Jake mimics disgust and tries to wipe away the remnants of her kiss. The small interaction causes a stirring in the pit of my stomach, and I silently wish I could play around with my Mom like that. Our relationship is a far cry from joking around with each other.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming home? I thought we had an intruder," Jake says before picking the bat up off the floor. "We're only staying for one night before we head off to Tokyo tomorrow for business. Sorry for giving you a fright," Michelle laughs. Jake notices me standing awkwardly in the doorway. He turns to look at me and his blue eyes fill with light.

"Mom. Aunt Myra. I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Emily." Jake introduces me proudly before walking to my side. He slings an arm around my shoulder and I shoot a friendly smile at them. "Hi, it's nice to meet you." I say quietly, feeling the blush staining my cheeks. I've never had a boyfriend before so I've never had to meet his parents. I care about Jake, which means I want to make a good first impression. Unfortunately with that comes a series of nerves and anxiety.

"Girlfriend?" Aunt Myra questions with a raised brow. She looks at Jake before her glossy lips break out into a smile. "Well, I never thought I'd see the day," she laughs before taking a step toward me. "Give me a hug, honey. I'm Myra and this is Michelle." Aunt Myra says before pulling me toward her. I return her embrace and feel my heart fill with a rush of warmth. I step forward to hug Jake's Mom. Both women smell incredible and I suddenly feel incredibly underdressed in front of them. I'm wearing Jake's hoodie and my hair is a damp mess from the rain.

"Thank you both for letting me stay with you. Your generosity literally saved my life," I say with gratitude. Michelle's eyes flash with approval. "You're welcome. How are you finding living here with the kids?"

"It's... interesting," I say, thinking of the parties, and the constant arguing between Jake and Tobias. Myra turns to glare at Jake with a knowing look in her eyes. "Have you been fighting with Tobias again? Is that where you got that?" She asks, gesturing at his face. Jake groans before heading in the direction of the kitchen kettle. He flicks it on before rifling through the cupboards to retrieve several mugs.

"I'm not going to answer that. Do you want a cup of tea?" Jake asks everyone in the room. His offer to make everyone a warm beverage seems to distract the women from Jake's face. A cup of tea on a cold and wet day definitely can work miracles. I take a seat at the dining table, preparing myself to answer questions and get to know the two most important women in Jake's life.

*

I'm freshly showered and sitting on my bed with my laptop open. I'm attempting to write an essay, but the screen stares at me blankly. I can't focus on school work when it feels like I'm constantly riding the biggest rollercoaster in the theme park. I release a deep sigh before slamming it shut. I have the next six weeks of summer break to finish it before it's due.

My thoughts turn back to meeting Jake's Mom and Aunt for the first time. They're both warm, friendly and inviting. I especially took a liking to Myra, simply due to her bubbly and accepting personality. She reminds me so much of Ivory. Jake appears to be closer to his Aunt, and I did sense a little tension between him and his Mom. I don't know if I'm imagining it, especially since I don't have the best relationship with my own Mom.

There's a light knock on my bedroom door. "Come in," I call out. The door opens and Jake walks inside looking fresh out of the shower. Dark rings circle under his eyes and he looks exhausted from the events of the day. I pat the empty spot next to me and he drops down beside me with a deep sigh. His arm snakes around my waist and he gently tugs me toward him before closing his eyes.

"It was nice to meet Myra and Michelle today," I tell him before raking my fingers through his hair. He exhales a deep sigh before sinking further into the sheets. "They like you," Jake murmurs, his voice heavy with exhaustion.

"Do you think so? I wanted to make a good first impression." I tell him. He opens one eye before smiling up at me. "Aunt Myra doesn't understand how I landed you as my girlfriend. She thinks I'm punching above my weight," Jake tells me. I release a light laugh of amusement. "I like her. It's a shame they're only staying for one night." I question him.

"Yeah, but we prefer it like that. We love our Mom's, but they breathe down our neck when they're home. We're all pretty independent," Jake tells me. He releases a loud yawn before nestling in beside me. I fall silent while stroking his hair. He falls asleep in under five minutes and I smile at the sight of him. He looks so peaceful while he sleeps.

While Jake naps on my bed, I place a new sim card inside my phone. I can't believe Amil was tracking my old one. How dare he do that without my consent! I slide a new sim card into my phone before feeling a rush of relief. It feels like a fresh start which is exactly what I need after Trevor, the stalker and Amil. My phone screen lights up as it comes back to life. Within several minutes of it being up and running, I receive a new text message from an unknown number. Chills run down my bare arms.

How is this possible? Nobody should have my new number. The chills spread up my arms and send a shiver down my spine. I turn my phone around to read the message on the screen.

You can't escape me, Emily. I'm watching everything you do.

I release a gasp before dropping the phone to the bed...The stalker is back.