-Nic-

After Mom and I left the restaurant, and I told her goodbye, I watched her drive away before I went to get my own car. As I walked, I felt like... like I was alive again. I could breathe. I could think.

The check she gave me was burning in my pocket. Once I was sitting behind the wheel, I took it and stopped to stare at it. Seeing Mom's signature filled me with shame, but at the same time, it was my ticket to salvation. Cheesy, yes, but accurate. I let out the deepest sigh, feeling like a massive weight was lifted off my shoulders.

I never should've accepted the bet...

But if I hadn't accepted it... Jax wouldn't be in my life if it wasn't for that bet. I never would've even considered him, right? If I had, I would've given up very fast. I would've chosen someone easier, and I hated that thought. I absolutely loathed that thought. I would've missed out on something real and genuine and hot...

I put the check safely in my wallet and turned on the engine.

At least I'd done a little bit of growing in the past few weeks. I wasn't entirely the same person anymore, and I just had to live with the fact that in order for me to grow, I'd had to do something very, very stupid. Learning from this mistake may have cost me a lot, but it wasn't a heavy price to pay. Considering my other options.

I drove to Jax's, and while I was parking my car next to Pop Jackson's, the front door opened. I smiled when I saw Jax leaning against the doorway. He was hot in his black jeans and a white shirt, and his hair in a messy ponytail.

"How did it go?" he asked after I got out of the car.

"I feel..." I muttered as I approached him. "Lighter."

"Good," he said, flashing a smile at me. "Did you talk about school?"

"Yeah. She said she'll support me if I want to take a break after high school," I told him, and hugged him. "But I don't want to think about that right now."

"Fair," he said, hugging me back.

I stopped to stare at him. He looked so good... I couldn't see myself not getting interested in him even if I had never accepted the bet.

I let go of him just to place my hands on his cheeks, and then kissed him slowly. When I pulled back, he raised his eyebrows at me in amusement.

"What was that for?"

"For a lot of things," I said quietly. "And especially for keeping me sane."

"It's whatever," he muttered.

"Not to me," I said with a smile.

He rolled his eyes at me, but he was smiling, too. "Get your ass inside."

I laughed lightly, pecked his forehead, and did as I was told. I kept my eyes on him as I stepped inside, and I couldn't stop smiling. And I guess it was then that it hit me... We were actually dating. This thing between us was real.

I had a hot boyfriend, and now I was free to enjoy it to the fullest.

*****

On Friday morning, after I'd walked Jax to his class, I went to find Caleb. I hated the feeling I had as I searched for him. I was happy to get rid of the bet, of course, but having to do it in secret made me feel horrible. I promised myself I'd never do anything behind anyone's back ever again. I couldn't take it. I was not going to miss the nauseated feeling, the shaky hands, the inability to breathe...

"Hey, Caleb! Do you have a minute?" I asked cheerfully when I found my brother's friend close to his classroom.

"Sure," he said, giving me a curious look, then told his friends to go ahead.

I nudged my head toward the exit nearby, and he followed me outside. I made sure no one was around when I faced the guy.

"I give up," I said shortly, giving him the check. "I'm done."

"What? But you were going to win? I've seen you two together – the guy is..." he trailed off, his frown vanishing. "Ohhhhh... Ohhhhh! Dude!"

"Keep it down," I said, glancing around.

"You fell for him?" he whispered with a wide smirk. "Hot damn, Nicholas Gabriel is actually gay!"

"For the love of god... Bi-sex-ual," I spoke slowly. "And keep it down!"

"All right, all right," he said with a chuckle, glancing down at the check. "You made your mom pay for you?"

"Does it matter?" I asked with a groan. "Look. It's done. You win. I give up, and I don't want to hear a single word about this entire thing. Ever. Got it?"

"So you're actually in love with Jax?" Caleb asked, ignoring everything I'd just said.

"Dude! Promise me no one ever hears about this stupid bet! If Jax finds out..."

"Sure, sure, I'll keep my mouth shut," he said. "But you have seen all the movies, right? You, me, Jacob, Daniel, and Jessica are all in on this..."

"I know, I know... Just... One thing at a time, okay?" I said, taking a deep breath. "I'll... I'll find a way to tell him... One day..."

"Well, I won't say anything, and I'll make sure Jacob keeps his piehole shut as well," he promised. "But dude... Jax the Snake? I didn't know your balls were that big," he added, and laughed.

"Well, if you don't mind a few concussions every now and then..." I trailed off with a smirk.

"Good luck with that," he said.

"Thanks."

When we left our separate ways, I wanted to believe he would keep his mouth shut. If Jax heard about this stupid bet...

I sighed. I had to be the one to tell him about it. But not now. I couldn't even consider it at that moment. I just wanted to be happy that it was over.

Because I was. God damn, I was happy it was over.

I was feeling so good and relieved that I didn't even go to my class. Instead, I went up on the rooftop and leaned against the railing to watch the city below me. I took so many deep breaths I started feeling dizzy, but I couldn't stop. I'd never experienced such intense relief before. It kind of scared me.

"It's over..." I whispered just to hear how it sounded like, as ridiculous as it was.

It really was over, and now...

I'd counted the days until now, and it was odd to know that exactly forty days ago, I'd not given a fuck about Jax or his feelings. And now he had made his way to the top of the list of things I cared about the most. Forty days. In a little over a month.

Fuck, I fell for him fast...

I smiled at the thought of him. My boyfriend. My wonderfully complicated, dangerous yet sweet boyfriend... A guy who was so imperfect in every single way that it made him perfect. Of course I fell for him. After just forty days, I couldn't say if I was in love with him already, but I knew I would be. I would keep falling for him until I was.

And now it was real.

I stayed on the roof until it was almost time for the classes to end. When I had only a few minutes to spare, I made my way to Jax's class, and waited for him there. When he stepped out, he gave me a surprised look, but I only took his hand in mine and led him outside.

"You skipped the class," he noted when we were alone at the back of the building.

"Yeah, I... I needed fresh air," I said, feeling bad for having to lie to him once again.

But I was done with lies. I hated lying now. I'd find a good moment to tell him about the bet, and after that, I'd never lie to him again.

"You all right?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm good," I said, giving him a smile. "I just needed some time to think."

He watched me closely, but accepted my excuse. "If you want, we can head back home?"

"Nah. I'm good now," I said reassuringly. "But once we get the hell out of here, I want to take you out to eat," I added to change the subject.

I also did feel like celebrating, but I obviously couldn't tell him that.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Let's go to a proper restaurant," I suggested, getting more and more into the idea.

"Like on an actual date?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yes! Let's go out on a date!" I said, getting excited.

He let out a short chuckle. "Okay, sure."

"Yes?"

"Yes, let's go on a date," he said, and his smile made him look so breathtakingly pretty that I had to kiss him. When I let go, he laughed lightly. "You're in a good mood."

"Yeah, I guess..." I said, unable to hide my smile. "I feel so much better after... after talking to Mom."

And paying Caleb...

"That's good," he said, touching my arm. "I hated seeing you so anxious."

"I hated being anxious..." I mumbled, but then my mood dropped. "Fuck... Dad comes back home today..."

"And there goes the mood," Jax said quietly. "I fucking hate that man."

"No, no, no... Let's not talk about him. Or even think about him," I said. "Date. Where do you want to go?"

He shrugged. "I don't really know any good restaurants."

"I do. I'll think of something," I said, and smiled, but it wasn't easy to get back into the good mood.

I guess he could see that. "Or we could just stay home. Watch movies. Order Chinese. You know. Hide from the world."

"But you deserve a proper date," I said.

"We just had a proper date, remember?" he said with a smirk. "I wore a skirt and everything."

"And you looked very pretty in it," I said, but sighed. "But I want to take you out on a proper date, in a proper restaurant, without my friends butting in. You deserve a perfect date where it's all about you."

He chuckled at my words. "We hate perfect, remember?"

"We do?"

"I don't really care about restaurants where people can't mind their own business," he said with a shrug. "Two dudes on a date is still such a fucking catastrophe..."

And Jax hated to be stared at...

"Well, we can stay at home and watch movies and order decent Chinese if it counts as a perfect date," I said.

"It does," he said, and pecked my lips. "And we can make out."

"Sold," I said with a smirk.

And just like that, I was back in a good mood. The thought of my father did linger in the back of my mind for the rest of the day, but it was easier to ignore him when I had our perfect date to look forward to. To be honest, making out on his living room couch was far more tempting than being stuck in a fancy restaurant with people staring at us.

When we got to Jax's place after the school ended, and he started searching for a good place to order food, I couldn't understand anymore how and why I'd thought sweating in a stuffy restaurant would count as a perfect date. I didn't even care about the food most of them served.

Once Jax finished ordering food, I stepped behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. He raised his eyebrows at me when I rested my chin on his shoulder.

"This was a great idea," I told him quietly. "A date at home."

"Uh-huh..." he said slowly, giving me a confused look. "I mean, we can go out on a date soon if you want. Just... Maybe not today."

I frowned at him. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged as well. "With everything that's going on right now... Let's just take it easy for now."

"Are you worried about me?" I asked with a smirk.

"Are you surprised?" he asked.

"No, no, I'm just..." I mumbled, hugging him tighter, thinking about what Caleb had said about me having the guts to date Jax. "You're actually really sweet. I wish people would understand that."

"Yeah, I'm the sweetest guy on earth," he said, chuckling. "An absolute sweetheart."

"You may not like this, but it's true," I said quietly. "And I'm so damn happy you let me into your life."

"Ugh... Come on..." he muttered, acting all annoyed.

"I mean, if it wasn't for you, I'd still think a perfect date required a fancy, expensive restaurant," I said jokingly. "I'm saving a big buck now. I don't even have to dress up."

He snorted in amusement. I smiled as I watched him. How could I not have noticed how hot he was before...?

"I'll be sappy only this once since I don't want a broken skull, but I have to say this... Every day, I'm falling for you even harder, and not only because you're hot and sweet and exciting, but because you've completely torn apart the life I had. I... I want to build a new one with you as the center of it."

He stared at me for a brief moment, blinking a few times. Then he turned to look away, letting out a quiet groan – which I hoped was a good sign.

"Fuck, you're good..." he muttered with a hint of red forming on his cheeks.

"Good enough for you?" I asked tentatively.

"More than good enough," he muttered, and peered at me almost shyly. "That was romantic... I'd offer to give you head, but since our relationship isn't quite there yet..."

I burst out in laughter and wrapped myself tighter around him. "I'll stop with the sap now. I just had to get that out of my system and make sure you know how happy you make me."

And how goddamn happy I was that I hadn't ruined this with the stupid bet...

"I uh..." Jax muttered, his cheeks turning redder. "Same... I'm glad that you didn't give up on me... I still don't know why you put up with my shit at first but... I'm happy you did. And I'm sorry I put you through it all. I regret that now."

Fuck, his words hurt...

"Don't worry, I deserved all of it. I don't like the person I was before you. I actually really hate him now..." I admitted.

"People change. People grow up," he said. "And I've met people worse than you, so..."

"Yeah," I muttered, and sighed. "Okay, should we pick a movie before we completely ruin the mood?"

At that very specific, special moment, my phone started ringing. I didn't move a muscle at first.

"I think I know who that is," I told Jax in annoyance.

"Your old man?"

"Yup. I think I summoned him by using the magic words, ruining the mood..." I said as I searched for the phone. "Ding, ding, ding..."

"You don't have to answer him," Jax said.

"You know what?" I said, feeling suddenly very courageous. "Watch this. Hello?"

"Nicholas. It's your father."

"And what do you want?" I asked.

"We need to talk about the annual–"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I asked.

"Your language!"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I repeated in amusement, disbelief, and anger. "The next thing you say better be an apology for all the shit you caused or I will hang up and fucking block you!"

"Wow..." Jax whispered while I was catching my breath.

Wow indeed. I had no idea I could snap like that. I didn't even know I'd carried all that anger in me until the word annual was brought up.

Dad stayed silent for a brief moment, and I figured he was feeling more shocked than Jax and me combined.

"I am sorry," Dad finally said, surprising me completely.

"You are?" I asked with a frown.

"Yes, I am," he said stiffly. "Now, about the annual celebration–"

I suffocated a sigh. "You are just desperate to get me to come to that stupid party..."

"I did what I thought was best for you. I'm sorry I didn't understand it was too much for you. You are a smart young man, and I assumed you were able to work under stress. It's something that you must learn to do, after all," he spoke. "I shouldn't have demanded so much from you, however."

"Whatever," I said after realizing this was the most backhanded apology I could've received, and it was the best I was ever going to get. "You can keep your stupid party, by the way. I'm not coming."

"Yes, you are. Name your price," Dad said.

"So you are desperate," I said.

"I need you to come, so name your price," he repeated in frustration.

"Fine. I'll come. But..." I said and glanced at Jax. "After that, you have no business whatsoever in my life and my affairs. Not a single word about how and where I choose to study, and more importantly, you don't get to say anything about who I choose to spend the rest of my life with. Understand?"

He didn't reply right away, and I knew my demands were driving him nuts. "Fine. We have a deal."

"Seriously? Does that stupid party really mean so much more to you?" I asked.

"Image is everything," he said sharply. "And I can see you have already chosen yours," he added in a very disappointed tone.

"Yeah, and that's all you get to say about my image," I said. "Send me the details and I'll attend that stupid party of yours."

"I'll have my assistant email you," he said, and hung up.

I moved the phone away from my ear and stopped to stare at the screen. Neither Jax nor I said anything in a good moment, while I tried to calm down.

"So he's choosing his party over having a relationship with his son," I finally said. "And here I thought he actually cared about us..."

"I'm sorry," Jax said quietly, and hugged me. "You deserve a better father."

I shook my head. "It's whatever..."

"Sure," he muttered, but he obviously didn't believe me.

I let out a deep sigh. "Let's pick a movie. We're supposed to be on a perfect date."

"Well, I think perfect got thrown out the window," Jax muttered. "But sure."

I laughed lightly at his words. "At least he won't bother me anymore after this."

"If he does, I will kick his ass," Jax promised.

I smiled and planted a kiss on his lips. "I'd still be under his tyranny if it wasn't for you, so thank you."

"Any time," he said with a warm smile.

To be honest, I much rather had Jax than my old man in my life. I knew I was going to be fine. Dad had picked his priorities a long time ago, and now I would do the same. I was free to choose my own priorities now.

And I already felt so much better because of it.