Mood: swipe left and tap the media box above to listen to Ice Cream by Mika.

Lydia

A week later, Jake helped me study for a math exam at my place. Mom came home from work early and dumped her keys on the table. She opened the fridge and took out two apples.

"Hey, Mom!" I chirped.

"Lydia. Jake, how is your mother?" Mom looked over to Jake.

"She's busy, as usual. She says hi." Jake took a bite of an apple. He continued chomping on it, while Mom and I had a chat.

"Jake's here to help me pass my math test. I seriously don't want to fail," I said to Mom, as she nodded to Jake. Math was never my strongest subject and I needed all the help I could get.

"Missy, I'll get started. I'll see you up in your room," Jake headed upstairs to my room.

Mom looked at me and sighed. Then she raised an eyebrow.

"Have you two...?"

"Mom, no! We're just friends. Besides, he's a nice Christian boy. He goes to church and all..."

"The color of his eyes. They remind me of Elizabeth Taylor's eyes," she continued.

"Who?" I was curious.

"Oh, she was a Hollywood actress, long before your time. They said she had violet eyes, because they were a unique shade deep blue that gave the illusion of being violet."

"Yep, that sounds like Jake's eyes to a tee," I replied.

"You know, I always thought you would be better off with Jake. Devon only thinks for himself," my mom commented.

"Not happening," I rolled my eyes.

"Devon's the tough guy now, but wait for another couple years," Mom said.

"Jake's boyish charm and his dimpled smile. He's bound to break a few hearts one day. You'll see."

Mom's words were prophetic. Years later, it was Jake breaking hearts. He wasn't a bad person. He said to me later in life that he needed to go through the wilderness to find his oasis.

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Over time, Jake and I grew closer as friends, while Devon spent weekends at parties. My folks were strict, so I stayed home. Jake would keep me company some weekends.

He and Carrie went on one date early on, but that didn't work out-they were destined for friendship and nothing more. Carrie said there was no spark, hinting that Jake's conversation gravitated to one topic: his friendship with me.

She had no hard feelings because her latest and greatest crush was a blond Viking named Johan Lunde.

On the weekend my cat, Pumpkin, died, Jake came over. I was a grieving banshee who was distraught in mourning, so Mom called Jake over-he was the one friend who lived within walking distance who could console me. He came right away and stayed the night. Mom was going out that evening, and Dad was visiting his brother.

I was also upset because Devon had asked for a break earlier that day. So, yeah. Bad day. Devon broke up with me and my cat died.

When Jake came over, he looked flustered, like he ran a mile. He wore a Hawaiian shirt that was unbuttoned and a pair of khaki shorts. It was a warm night. I wore a simple, white tank top singlet and a pair of shorts.

"Don't worry, Missy. Pumpkin is in animal heaven with Terminator," Jake whispered in my ear as I hugged him and cried. Mom waved at him, told him to make himself at home, and then she left.

Terminator was Jake's hamster. Ironically, Pumpkin killed and ate Terminator when Jake brought him over and he got loose. Pumpkin saw his opportunity and went for gold.

That was a complete disaster! Jake was visibly upset, but he handled it well, saying that it was all part of life and death in the animal kingdom.

When we walked into my room, I sat on my bed and turned on my laptop to log in to Netflix when Jake spotted some pictures that I Googled of guys with hot bodies.

His face switched from surprise to humor before bursting into laughter. His laugh was like a slow burn that quickly escalated, spreading all over, as if someone tickled him hard.

"Oh, Missy!" Jake's eyes streamed with tears of laughter. "I had no idea that caramel, toffee, or milk chocolate were your flavors!"

"Shit!" I was red with embarrassment. "Shut up, Jake! Just shut up!"

"Wanna have a bit of that caramel flavor?" he touched himself and played with his tanned six-pack abs suggestively while eyeing me with a seductive smile.

"Jake! No! Bad boy!" I squealed. Thankfully, no one was home but us two. Alone.

"That's right. You like them bad boys, don't you, Missy?" Jake's pearly whites flashed. They were a great contrast to his deeply tanned skin.

Then, something just snapped. I walked over to him and stood close. I placed my fingers on his abs and traced the contours of his hard muscles.

I breathed in and out.

"Jakey, can you take your shirt off?" I fluttered my lashes and gave a coy smile.

"Lydia," Jake blushed as I toyed with his open shirt, removing it and feeling the contours of his shoulder blades. He only called me Lydia when he was serious.

I took one step closer and looked up to his violet-blue eyes. He looked as if he was in a dream. His breathing hitched and his head bowed down lower to mine. I felt him breathing. His lips and mine were so close-they were about to touch.

Then it happened. Jake and I were kissing, mouth to mouth. Gently first. Oh, his lips were so soft but firm! Boy, did he taste good! My tongue met his, and before you knew it, our innocent kisses transformed into French kissing! His body pressed against mine, and he held a firm grip on me. His free hand traced the outline of my breast before I broke off the kiss.

"Jake, we can't do this! You're my friend!"

"Shit, Missy. You just friend-zoned me!"

We were frazzled, and I felt as if a zillion watts of electricity ran up and down my body. This was definitely an interesting weekend!

We ended up watching an action film on my bed. I snuggled up to Jake, and he breathed in my hair. The snuggling in bed became a regular thing for a while. We claimed that it was okay for friends to hug and be close by each other's side, but who was I kidding?

To be honest, we were drawn to each other more than either of us were willing to admit. In my case, I was shy after my confidence took a beating from bullying before Jake came along.

The following Friday afternoon, we went to Cook's Ice Queen, famous for the best ice cream in the country. As I stood behind the counter to pick a flavor, Jake whispered in my ear, "What flavor would you like? Caramel, milk chocolate, or toffee?"

I turned back around and looked at his face. He grinned from ear to ear, licking his ever-white teeth with his pink tongue.

"Jakey, cut it out!" I hissed at him.

"Jakey knows what flavor you like!" With that, he gave me a wicked wink.

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A/N: Ever feel like a sweet and cold ice cream on a scorching hot summer day?

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