lovestruck romeo

Jacob Hunter Twenty Insider Columbia Dropout Football Captain Brother of Logan and Camille And I can't do a love song like the     way it's meant to be, I can't do everything but       I'll do anything for you.

[shinebrightlikea-sapphire]

Sapphire's heart was hammering in her chest as he looked back at her with the sweetest smile. She had been so scared of her feelings for Jake. Even now, her stomach was full of butterflies and somewhere in the back of her mind, warning bells were going off. But for once, she didn't listen. For once, she let herself be happy. "Yeah, I don't know either," she laughed. Sapphire kissed him one more time from the outside before she pulled back long enough to actually get into the hot tub. There were a lot of inflatable birds in here which only made her giggle more.

"I love what you've done with the place," she grinned, quickly closing the gap between them again. Suddenly the appeal of staying in this hot tub all night was obvious. She leaned in again to kiss him but she couldn't stop smiling. Sapphire had wanted a perfect moment with him so badly. They had tried at the Fairchild Ball when everything went wrong. She hadn't been happy then, but Jake had been the one bright spot in her life. She thought after they graduated, when they were both in college, they would come back together. Sure, they were always the best of friends. She always called him at 3AM. Then everything had gone wrong again. Either way, she had never been able to cross the line fully until now. She kissed his perfect face again, falling into the crook of his neck with her arms around him. With a perfectly content sigh, she said, "I'm so happy, Jake."

[j-akehunter]

As she moved to join him in the hot tub, Jake grinned up at her and wasted no time pulling her to his chest for another kiss. God, she was perfect. He wanted to tell her that– wanted to tell her how much he loved her too, to list all the ways she made his days brighter–but with the amount of ducks he had drank, he wasn't confident in his ability to fully express himself, so he settled for just holding her. "Thanks. If I knew you were coming, I would've got them all little hats."

Jake wasn't sure how much he could fully trust the situation, but he was happy to just live in the moment and be happy. His luck had been pretty dire lately and everything seemed prone to fall apart on him, but if Sapphire woke up tomorrow with no memory of this moment–or worse, regretted it–that would be okay. He would wait several lifetimes for her to choose him; seeing the smile on her face now, he was sure that she eventually would. And if he could make her this happy, then he would have earned the right to be called hers. She kissed him again and Jake melted against her, shifting slightly so that she could snuggle up against him. He hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad." There was only a slight pause before he added, "I'm so happy too." And for the first time in almost a year, he meant it.

[gigi-sparks]

Georgina almost jumped when Jake sobbed, her heart feeling like it had come to a complete standstill. There was so much raw emotion - pain - on his face now that she had to actively squash her old instinct to run. Instead, she quickly closed the gap between them, wrapping her arms tightly around Jake in this damned hot tub. She pulled him close, one of her hands holding his head gently as he cried. Fuck, she wanted to cry too. It was just too fucking sad seeing him like this, her heart broke for him. She was trying to untangle his words - what did he mean she wasn't his mom? Everyone knew Angie Hunter and Robert Hunter were sickeningly in love. Gigi's own dad had learned that the hard way the last time he'd ever tried to hit on Mrs Hunter. "It's okay, Jakey. It's okay... I've got you," she hushed. Would she just have to stay with him like this for the rest of the night? She would, if it helped. Eventually, she pulled back just enough to look at him again. "Baby, what do you mean? How could she not be your mom?"

[j-akehunter]

As soon as the tears started there was no stopping them. Jake's body shook as the emotion he had been holding back for so long finally broke free, and if Georgina hadn't rushed to pull him into her, he might have collapsed under the water. He clung on to her like the lifeline she was, and struggled to explain–to say anything–but all that came out of him was more sobs. More than anything, Jake wished he could go back to the day he had found those photographs and just closed the drawer and walked away. He wished he had never found out. He wasn't sure how long they had stood there like this, but after some time, he tried again to respond to her, but all he could do was repeat himself. "She's not my mom."

[micro-usb-deactivated20230625]

[shinebrightlikea-sapphire]

Sapphire couldn't help grinning back or laughing along with him. Jake was her favourite person in the whole world. And he was so drunk right now. She was hardly better but maybe none of that mattered right now. 'Fire' sounded like it was going to stick and she couldn't help giggling about it. When he pressed his forehead against hers though, she held her breath. Jake had always been there for her, no matter what. Jake was her person, the one you could call no matter how late and who would always have your back. No matter what. Jake had been the one for her since they were little kids, she just hadn't wanted to face it. She didn't want her damage to damage him. But she also wanted to hear him now with his wet hands on her face and her heart hammering. The best and worst part was that Sapphire believed every word that he said. She finally let out the breath she was holding then, feeling like she was spinning around. She was nervous and overwhelmed, and so happy. She leaned forward, her lips hitting his as she finally kissed him. Sapphire couldn't help smiling - grinning - pulling back just enough to breathe a happy sigh. And she kissed him again for good measure.

Without meaning to, she had pulled back, her forehead still resting against his and whispered- "If- If I told you that I love you, would you promise to forget and let me do it again when it's perfect?"

[j-akehunter]

The second Sapphire's lips touched his, fireworks exploded behind Jake's eyes and the whole party seemed to fade away. Nothing else existed, nothing else mattered. Everything with Sam and his arm was irrelevant, and his family drama didn't feel so huge or terrifying anymore. Sapphire Vandervort was kissing him, so what could possibly be wrong with the world? She pulled back, but his lips chased after hers again until he felt her grin. His eyes opened and his heart hammered in his chest at the sight of her; she looked so happy. Was that the alcohol or... was that him? He had a grin to match hers, but there were tears forming in his eyes as she rested her forehead against his. The most important thing–the thing that mattered more than anything in the whole world–was that Sapphire was happy. Knowing that he was the source of her joy would have brought him to his knees if he hadn't been weightless in the water.

Her words hit him so abruptly that the breath was knocked right out of his lungs. She loved him? Had she really just said that? Unprompted, no hesitation, no fear? There was no amount of alcohol on this earth that could make him forget this moment, but he would do anything for her–even lie. "Cross my heart." Jake's grin fell into a sweet smile as he brushed a strand of her hair aside. "But I'm not sure how you could get more perfect than this."

[gigi-sparks]

Gigi rolled her eyes at his drunk ass attitude, but it didn't deter her one bit. She shook her head at him, his hands still in hers as he deflected. This was text book as far as spiraling went. Georgina had been down this road herself too many times to speak. He might not have been selling his prized pony for another baggie of thin white lines but this wasn't great either. When Jake's voice broke, it was the last straw. She couldn't stand to see him hurt. "Jake, look at me-," she instructed, hands on either side of his face- "You're so clearly not fine." She slowly let her hands fall but stayed just as close to him. "Whatever's going on with you... just tell me. It's just you and me here, okay? I can take it. There is no big, life changing, secret you can't tell me. There's no mistake you could have made that I haven't made a thousand times worse. Quit torturing yourself. What's going on with you?"

[j-akehunter]

Jake's eyes locked on hers when she told him to look at her and he could feel the tears burning his eyes as she spoke. Ever since she had found him in that bar last summer, Georgina had been one of the only people to see how much he had been struggling–well, maybe others had seen too, but she was the only one calling him out on it. "I–... Gigi, I'm fi–..." He couldn't say it again, couldn't make himself lie. Jake wasn't fine, and he hadn't been fine for a long time. Most importantly, he was emotionally exhausted. "Gigi, please..." The way she was looking at him made him want to tell her everything, but if he did that–if he wasn't the only one that knew–that would make it real. "I'm not–... She's not my mom." His voice broke on the last word, a sob erupting from his throat.

[gigi-sparks]

"You can call the fun police and have me arrested then," she teased. It didn't slow Jake down though, he was already holding the bottle like a life raft. Georgina looked him over, clearly concerned and a little horrified at the Twizzler sitch. Ew. When Gigi had met Jake moping at the bar last summer, she'd been relentless. She was the former queen of disaster, a master of self-sabotage and destruction, and so well versed in unrequited love... Jake hadn't stood a chance against her. Their summer fling was long over but their friendship had stayed strong. "Baby, let's not-," she said, moving to his side and taking his hands in hers. "What's going on with you? I thought we weren't drinking for another two weeks."

[j-akehunter]

"Pretty sure they're already here..." He joked, but it came out as a bit of a grumble. Jake stared down at the partially melting twizzlers with his brow furrowed for far too long–they felt like a metaphor for... something. "What?" His eyes lifted and refocused on her face when she took his hands. "Nothing. Nothing's–... I stopped taking them. Is that a crime?" A lie–it was probably why he had gotten drunk so quickly. His voice broke and he could feel the sting behind his eyes as he said, "I'm fine."

[shinebrightlikea-sapphire]

'Sapphire, look at me'. She felt like she finally was after all this time, their entire lives, and she was terrified. He touched her face so gently, she had to be careful not to break. Sapphire met his eye and wished that they weren't talking about this now. She wished she was sober, she wished they weren't at this party. She wished she'd stayed and told him how much he meant to her. Sapphire wished that she'd been brave enough to confess the feelings she'd locked away in her wretched heart for years, along with words she'd only drunkenly confessed to someone else about him. Always about him. She knew the answer, of course. It was what she'd always been afraid of... being her father's daughter. Sapphire reached out and gently brushed his face too. "I don't want to mess this up. I always- I always mess everything up, Jake." She was poison, remember? "What if I lose you?"

[j-akehunter]

Jake couldn't believe this was happening, that she was looking at him and not turning away. She was answering him. She wasn't running. Maybe it was the alcohol–god knows he would rather be sober for this–but he would take any scrap of truth he could cling to, even if it was tequila-fuelled. His other hand reached for her–equally as wet–landing on the other side of her face. "Fire." Jake grinned at his new name for her, feeling a little lightheaded and struggling to keep his head upright. "I'm–... I'm so drunk right now." He laughed, trying to shake it off. "But I need–I need you to hear me... There is nothing you could do that would make you lose me. Nothing. I'm going nowhere." His head was too heavy and he found himself leaning forward to press his forehead against hers. "You could mess up the whole universe and still not come close to messing us up." He paused to take a steadying breath, "But I'm begging you to try."

[tabby-dryden]

"I thought you would know I usually am." Tabby grinned at Jake. She was glad to see Jake being more of himself. The sad boy thing had been boring. "Uh, huh, depends on if he's feeling like having fun." She held the back of his head before pouring a good amount of the bottle into his mouth. She patted the side of his face. "Good boy." She winked at Jake before taking a swig from the bottle.

[j-akehunter]

Jake kept up with the speed of her pour with ease, drinking it all without spilling a single drop. It certainly was a more interesting way to consume alcohol, but he wasn't ready to let go of the swans just yet. "Pretty sure fun is all he's up for tonight." It had been a while since they had hooked up, but he was pretty confident that she was probably talking about him. At being called a good boy, Jake grinned and turned to face her, his cheeks flushing pink. Maybe after everything, things really could go back to how they were. Maybe it was actually easier to pretend than he had thought. "Were you planning on getting in here?"

[shinebrightlikea-sapphire]

Sapphire felt her breath hitch when he looked at her like that. She could hardly stand it, but for once she didn't look away. She watched as Jake rested his chin on his folded arms, a little smile tugging on her lips as she moved slightly closer to him. Of all the things Sapphire could have guessed he'd say, that wasn't one of them. She was completely knocked off balance, blinking back at him as she felt the sudden, overwhelming, urge to run. 'Am I not fun?' Her horrible, selfish, heart gave a squeeze as she shook her head. "You're perfect, Jake. I-...," she started, looking almost anywhere but at him before she finally decided to be honest. "I want to kiss you... I just want to kiss you too much. Way too much so I- I don't."

[j-akehunter]

Jake was staring, really doing his best to keep his neurons firing so that he could process what it was she was saying. Sapphire wanted to kiss him. She wanted to kiss him so much that she doesn't. She thinks he's perfect. Fucking hell, he was too drunk. His head lifted again and he pressed himself as close to the edge of the hot tub as physically possible. "Sapphire, look at me." He placed a wet hand on the side of her neck so that he could gently brush his thumb along her jaw, but didn't push her. Jake waited until she looked at him. "What are you afraid of?"

[shinebrightlikea-sapphire]

"Thank you, Jake," she grinned back. He could have called her anything... she would have loved it. She watched him break into the pack of Twizzlers and couldn't help giggling. They would need some real food soon, she thought. Maybe she could take care of him for once (even in her tequila fueled state). "Feel free to swoon. Not too hard though or I might need to dive in after you," she joked, biting into her own Twizzler. "They don't?" She definitely couldn't hold back her giggles now. "I can't believe we skimped on the feathers, that's totally fucked. I guess they're still cool, huh?"

[j-akehunter]

Jake's eyes lifted to hers, sobriety hitting him hard for just a fraction of a second. "When am I not swooning?" Gosh, she was so beautiful. He should tell her that more–every day, every hour. He should tell her he lo–No! No, that's the last thing he should do. She didn't want to hear that and Jake couldn't handle the consequences of it. Maybe there was a safer topic. Maybe he could–... What were they talking about? Feathers? His head dropped on to his arms that were folded on the edge of the hot tub and he looked up at her. Words were passing his lips before his brain could even process them. "Why don't you kiss me? Why don't–... You kiss your friends for fun... am I not fun?"

[shinebrightlikea-sapphire]

"Fire?" she laughed before doing a little spin for him. That was a new one. "I'll take it." Jake being the one who was more drunk than her was also a new one. She should know forsure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She would have, before she left. Shit, she'd been such a bad friend... Her eyes shifted from the flock of inflatable birds back to him. "I've got your back, babe-," she started, leaning down to pick up the fresh pack of Twizzlers before reappearing with them. "You having fun with your fine feathered friends?"

[j-akehunter]

When he called her name his breath might have caught because he hadn't meant to call her Fire, but if he was being honest, he kind of loved it. Jake watched her spin in a drunken haze and, for just one tiny, fleeting moment he thought that maybe everything would be okay. If Sapphire was happy, maybe nothing else mattered. "I think it suits you." His soft smile returned to a grin as she presented the Twizzlers. "My hero." Immediately breaking into the pack, he popped one into his mouth. "Babe..." He looked at the birds then back to her, "They don't have feathers."

[juliettevanderbilt]

"So you are having some fun tonight. I love to see it." Juliette was sure there had been more, but she was happy for Jake. She knew he needed it. "She is, I knew that before tonight. Thank you, so generous." She grabbed a few Twizzlers.

[j-akehunter]

"In a hot tub, got drinks on birds, yet to throw up... Seems like fun might be being had." Maybe if he looked like he was full of joy, he would start to feel it. Maybe he could stop obsessing over those photos he found. "One of the many things I'm known for. Are you having the best night? Is Jesse still alive?"

[tabby-dryden]

Tabby smiled at Jake, he certainly looked like he was having a good time. She didn't get the swans, but he looked great tonight. "I can see that. I am happy." She laughed at his question. "Unfortunately, no. But I do not think he could handle me. Plus, I had someone else in mind." She leaned over the side of the tub, holding the bottle above his head. "Open up."

[j-akehunter]

Jake's lips tugged into a half smile as a small laugh escaped him. "Yeah, you're probably right." He loved Jesse, and he would never tell someone that they couldn't hook up with someone else, but his type had never been the Tabby Dryden's of the world. "That so?" His head dropped back obediently, resting on the edge of the hot tub as he opened his mouth.

[camille-hunter]

Camille sighed as she looked at him. "Not the kind of water I meant." She was sure that he wasn't going to come out easily. He was having a good time, and it had been a minute since he had fun. "Come on, just for a minute. Grab a drink, walk around with your favorite person at this party."

[j-akehunter]

"Sparkling water's not real water." He shook his head as if this was the only other water she could be talking about. Jake pretended to think about it for a moment, even rising a little out of the water, but cackled suddenly and submerged himself in the water.

[shinebrightlikea-sapphire]

"Hey Sailor," Sapphire smiled as she appeared at the side of Jake's hot tub. "I heard you could use a Twizzler refill over here." @j-akehunter

[j-akehunter]

"Fire!" Jake grinned at the appearance of Sapphire–beautiful, wonderful, Sapphire–and pulled himself over the the edge she was leaning on. A comedic number of birds bobbled out of his way, some containing drinks that were now part of the hot tub water, but these were necessary sacrifices. "I dropped mine." He pouted, pointing to the bottom of the hot tub.

[itsroniravenwood]

roni: jaaaaaaaake roni: jakeyyyyy!! roni: i'm at aunt jamie's event vanderbilt gallery. i'm looking to dip tho, i can grab a lift from one of the others heading out that way

[j-akehunter]

Jake (voice note): WOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOO!! I'll save you a flamingo!

[j-akehunter]

Text ➜ Roni

Jake: Roniiiiiii Jake: Roniroooooo!!'' Jake: Whyre you not at the hot tbu partyy? 👀👀

@itsroniravenwood