Chapter 179 - Be Mine

Jade heart skipped a thousand beats the moment she heard Jake's question. She was frozen in space and she couldn't even turn to look at him. Her body was stiffened as she just remained on that spot trying to wrap her head around the situation on ground.

Wh---at did he just say? Did he just ask if he could be her boyfriend? Wait! was he asking her to be his girlfriend? Was he asking her out right now?

Maybe she had heard him wrongly, it has to be. She must be imagining things. Maybe she has started hallucinating. She hasn't been thinking about having a relationship with him so badly that she has started conjuring things into her mind right?

Jade's eyes widened even more, a bit more effort to widen it and she was sure her eye lids might come ripping off.

Jade's was completely unresponsive. Her brain has suddenly forsaken her, leaving her completely blank, and surprised, confused, shocked....whatever vocabulary you can find in the dictionary.

Jade slowly turned to him, bewilderment clearly written all over her face.

"Wh--at.." She opened her mouth to say something but she clamped it shut when she couldn't find the right word to say, or rather there was no word forming in her head.

She wanted to ask him to repeat what he had just said, but her brain has gone on vacation.

She wasn't thinking straight, as a matter of fact she wasn't thinking at all.

Jake wasn't left out on being nervous. He was equally surprised by his question. He hadn't planned to ask her that question, but he just blurted it out at the spur of the moment. This was not what he had in mind, but seeing Jade looking so beautiful and captivating as she was right now his heart couldn't take it any more and he had just let it out of his mouth without thinking about it. But seeing Jade reacting this way was really scaring the shit out of him, his heart was beating widely against his chest.

Jake panicked when he saw the look on her face. 'He didn't scare her did he?'

He slipped off the bonnet and jumped to his feet, anxiously running his hand through his hair. Jade's eyes slowly following him.

Jake stopped to look at her seriously, after his inner struggle, he decided it was probably time to tell her how he felt about her. Maybe he shouldn't wait anymore. Actually, he had planned to tell her exactly how he felt about her, and that he wanted her to be his girlfriend, after tomorrow's party. But he didn't have to wait anymore.

He slowly swallowed, taking a few steps towards Jade and stopping two feet away from where she was sitting. His hazel eyes holding her sea blues eyes. Jade's heart lost it's rhythm as Jake stared at her so intently, it was beating haphazardly.

He took a deep breath to calm himself, but like hell he wasn't calm not even in the least.

"Jade .... I want you to be my girlfriend" He said slowly yet nervously.

Jade felt like her heart had stopped for a second, as she blinked at Jake in surprise.

"Wh..at...did you say?" Jade couldn't believe what was happening right now. Jake had said it again.

Was this really happening right now? Jake was truly asking her out and she wasn't dreaming? Her heart began to race heavily again, a wave of excitement, surprise and shock surged through her body, as she kept staring at him completely stupefied.

She had silently been hoping for Jake to get attracted to her or maybe like her, but she wasn't really expecting him to suddenly ask her to be his girlfriend. Did he by chance like her too? Her eyes suddenly sparkled at that thought. She couldn't help but ask him, "Why?" Her eyes were filled so much expectations and anxiety at the same time.

Jake could tell she was having another wave of shock so he took a step closer, this time only a foot away, his eyes were calm as they looked at her. His look was serious like what he was about to say was as serious as life and death.

"Because I love you" He confessed in a gentle and firm tone.

Jade's heart almost exploded as soon as she heard that. A roller coaster of emotions swept through her. She wasn't understanding this. Well it was simple and clear, but there was nothing simple about what he had just said. He-- he just said he loves her.

He... loves her? Wait not like but love?Jade's brain was in a mush.

Her heart was bubbling with excitement, racing and doing flipbacks like an Olympic gold gymnasts. The gray matters of her brain had suddenly turned white and she kept gaping and staring at him with wide eyes.

Jake slowly reached for her small hands and covered them in his big ones, his gaze not leaving her for one minute, silently assuring her that he meant what he had just said.

"I know this so out of the blue and it's probably going to come as a surprise to you, just as much as it was to me. I love you and I want you to be my girlfriend" He paused and continued...

"Believe me I never really planned to fall in love with you or anybody else. But I guess when you meet the prettiest, coolest, funniest and most innocent girl, you can't help but fall in love with her, even a playboy like me is no exception." He chuckled lightly. "I swear this wasn't how I planned to confess my feelings to you. I had this perfect idea of taking you for a walk along the park tomorrow after the party, give you flowers, and then tell you how I feel about you while sitting under some beautiful trees, completely surrounded by nature, but seeing you tonight looking this amazing, I can't help but tell you exactly how I feel. Who cares about the sequence of things. What I care about is you, I want you Jade Peterson. I want you in my life.

This past month with you has been the best period of my life. You've thought me how to live and love, and I want to love no one else but you. So yes I'm saying that I love you and I want you to be mine" He paused again.

"I don't know exactly what you feel about me, but I'm ready to wait, till you figure things out and maybe fall for me too. But please don't make me wait too long" He added. It didn't really matter if Jade didn't feel anything for him now, he was sure he could make her love him, just as much as he does. All she just has to do now was agree to be his girlfriend, they could start from there.

"So what do you say?" Jake asked anxiously.

"I ---I" Jade stuttered. Her thoughts were incoherent. This was surprising and unexpected. She had no clue he was in love with her.

She lowered her eyes to his hands holding hers so firmly, before glancing back at his face.

"Jade please say something" Jake was about to die of anxiety.

"I - don't know what to say" She replied calmly. She really didn't know what to say to him. She was too astonished by all this.

"Then say you'll be my girlfriend." He prodded. Jade couldn't help but stare at him.

God! This was too good to be true. Jake was actually in love with her, and it wasn't just her who had feelings for him.

With a smile spreading across her face she nodded her head and said, "Yes"

"Yes?" Jake asked back just so he could be sure she was saying yes to his proposal, even though he was certain that was what the 'yes' meant.

"Yes" Jade said shyly, giving a single nod. He let go of her hand which he has been holding all this while. A happy smile slowly crept on Jake's face, he placed one hand on his waist while the other combed through his hair as he let go of the breath he has been holding. His head snapped towards her again.

"So yes, you're going to be my girlfriend right?" He still couldn't believe it. His actions made Jade giggle lightly, his expression was so innocent and sweet.

"Yes I'll be your girlfriend" She said firmly making Jake's smile widen and so did hers.

"And you're not saying yes because you're pressured by all this?" He asked uncertainly.

"No" She shook her head shyly.

"So I can tell someone you're my girlfriend now?"

Jade replied by bobbing her head shyly. This also meant she could tell someone he was her boyfriend too. She squealed in her heart.

She gasped when Jake suddenly swept her off the car, placed her down and pulled her in for a hug. He wrapped his hands tightly around her, his head buried by the crook of her neck as he said, "Thank you Jade"

......