After taking a shower and dressing in a shirt of Jackson's and my panties, we both lay back down on his bed. I'm in no mood to go back down to the party, and I can tell he isn't either.

Jackson lays his head on my lap while I play with his hair, the two of us in a comfortable silence.

"Brittni?" He turns his head slightly so he can see me better.

"Hmm?" I hum, concentrated on his hair and how soft it is.

"Can I tell you something?" There's a slightly worried look in his face that puts me on edge.

"Of course," I furrow my eyebrows.

"I-" he chokes up. I start to get really anxious. "I love you."

My whole body goes into shock. The hand that was previously combing through his hair has frozen along with my breathing. The words circle around my head repeatedly making me sick.

"I love you."

"What?" I stupidly ask. By the look on his face, I can tell he wasn't expecting this type of answer.

"I said-"

"But how?" I breathe, my heart beating out of my chest. Jackson looks slightly angry as he sits up, looking straight into my eyes.

"What do you mean how?" He asks, a shakiness to his voice that is either caused by anger or sadness.

I don't know how to respond. My mind isn't functioning correctly. The words have me around the neck, cutting of my air way and I don't know if I can stop it. No one has ever said those three words to me.

Sure, Nikki has said them before, but it didn't mean what this does. Jackson Long the guy that is un-conquerable by all the girls, loves me.

"We've only sort of been together for a little over a week and you...love me?" It's a struggle to even get out the words.

I haven't been with him long enough to even think of the possibilities of loving him. I like him...a lot, but I don't think I love him. Do I?

"That doesn't mean I can't love you." His eyes show some much passion I end up having to look away. "It's okay if you don't feel the same way, I don't expect you to say it."

I snap my eyes back to his and notice the sadness in his eyes and smile. He's trying to act like me not saying the words doesn't hurt him.

"I just haven't thought about it," I fidget with my fingers.

"It's okay, baby," he smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes.

He leans in and places a soft kiss on my lips.

Something inside of me lights up and sends a huge wave of excitement through my body. My mind clears up and I feel like I can breath again. I think back to all the awesome moments Jackson and I've had and I nearly lose my breath again. Is this what love feels like?

"Jackson," I pull away, causing him to frown. "I love you too."

"Don't say it if you don't mean-"

"No," I bite my lip to hide the smile. "I do. I didn't know what I felt for you until now, but I love you. Everything about you."

"Really?" He asks, his eyes lighting up like a little boy on Christmas.

"Yes," I smile, it only becoming bigger when he grips my hips and lifts me off the bed, swinging me around while I laugh.

"I was worried there for a second," he says when he sets me down, cupping my cheeks and leans in closer.

"I love you so much," I grin, making his smile stretch wider than the Joker and press his lips to mine.

•••

I don't remember falling asleep, but when I open my eyes the light burns them. I groan quietly and then finally hear the voices that must've woken me up.

"Whose under the covers?" Nikki giggles, or who I think is Nikki. Jackson is blocking my view so I can't tell.

"No one," Jackson tells her. "What did I tell you about drinking?"

"Nothing," I hear my best friend cheekily respond and before I know it, cold air hits my half naked body and Nikki screams.

"What the hell?" Nikki screeches while I stare at her in complete shock. I don't know what's happening. She starts to back away as I finally sit up and she takes in my apparel.

"Nikki-" I try to say, but she cuts me off.

"Don't!" She holds her hand up, looking angry he confused.

My heart aches for her. I feel all the guilt I've tried to get rid of resurface and it's ten times more powerful. I physically can't breathe.

"Oh my god," She finally gasps, placing a hand over her mouth in astonishment. "Oh. My. God."

"Let us explain," Jackson stands up and tries to grab her hand, but Nikki easily slips away from him.

"Don't touch me," She snaps. "This is sick."

I want to yell out to her as she runs away, but I can't move. This has to be a dream. It fucking has to be.

"I thought I told you to make sure she didn't come in here!" Jackson yells at Colten after Nikki's door slams shut. He paces across the floor, tugging at his hair.

"Why wasn't your door locked?" Colten shouts back, not liking that the blame was put on him.

"Don't even fûcking go there-"

"Stop," I shake my head, my words coming out small and defeated. "She was going to find out at some point."

"How can you even say that?" Jackson snaps at me making a sigh leave my mouth.

"Because she knows now and there's nothing we can do," I say quietly and lay back down.

Tears I didn't want to let loose fall down my cheeks and I mentally feel defeated. My worst nightmare is coming true and theirs nothing I can do about it.

"Brittni-"

"Let's go get these people out of the house," Colten instructs and I hear Jackson sigh before following his friend after putting on some clothes.

He closes the door behind him, and I hate that he did because now I'm really left alone with my guilt.

My only friend has just probably decided never to talk to me again and I can do nothing, but sit here and cry.

I know that she was to find out sooner or later, but I didn't want it to be like this. With me in bed with her brother? I was going for a face to face approach.

I don't hear when Jackson comes back into the room, but when he does, he switches off the light and climbs into bed.

"Brittni?" He whispers, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me to his chest.

"Yeah," I croak. My voice is horribly hoarse from the minutes of crying I got in while he was gone.

"Everything is going to be okay," he soothes, but I shake my head, tears falling from my eyes while a sob escapes my lips. "Baby..."

He turns me over so I'm now crying into his chest, his hand running up and down my back. I can feel his throat work on top of my head as he lays his chin there and that only makes me cry harder.

"I don't like it when you cry," he chokes out, his voice cracking. "It makes me sad."

"She's never going to forgive me," I sob, hiccuping in the process.

"Yes she will," he assures me, doubt in his own words. "She loves you, she can't say mad at you."

"No..." I sob, Jackson pulling me more into his chest.

"Get some sleep, baby girl," his voice cracks at the end and I fall asleep with tears running down my cheeks.

When I wake up the next morning, my neck in extremely stiff and when I open my eyes, I know why.

I fell asleep on Jackson.

I lift my body off of him and roll my neck to get the kinks out. Jackson stirs in his sleep and his eye lids flutter open.

"Hey," he rasps in his sexy morning voice.

"Hi," I sigh, closing my eyes as the result of my excessive crying last night appears. A raging head ache.

"How are you feeling?" He asks, sitting up and analyzing my body.

"I have a head ache," I admit and lean my head against the wall against his bed.

"There's some in the bathroom if you want to take a shower too," he offers and I nod. Before I get off the bed, though he gently grabs my wrist. "You still love me, right?"

My heart swells. "Yes, I still love you."

"Okay," he smiles and pecks my nose. "You can pick out another shirt of mine if you want. I'm going to go downstairs and wake Colten so we can start cleaning."

I nod. "I'll be down soon."

"Take you're time, baby. I love you."

"I love you too," I try to smile, but with the events of last night it really is hard to.

I pick out a pair of sweatpants of Jackson's and a sweatshirt before heading into the bathroom to shower. I don't take long after washing my hair and body before I wrap a towel around my body and hair.

Luckily, my tears of last night have stopped for now and I head downstairs to see the boys have already finished cleaning and are sitting in the kitchen.

"Hey, baby," Jackson pecks my forehead and I stand next to him.

"Is she up yet?" I question, my voice shaking.

"Not yet," he shakes his head, looking nervous as well.

"Shits about to go down," Colten sighs when he hears a door open up stairs. My body begins to shake with nerves and I really just want to run away, but I know that's not an option.

We sit in silence as we listen to the shower turn on and then turn off, Nikki's feet padding against the floor upstairs before she steps on to the stair case.

Relax. Just relax.

I try to follow my own advice, but when I see her walk through the entry way I almost lose my shït.

"Good morning," Jackson greets, but Nikki ignores him. I'm not surprised and Jackson doesn't look like he is either.

We all watch in anxiousness as she walks towards the fridge and takes out the bagels, popping one into the toaster.

"Can we talk?" I ask, shakily. I need to put my nervousness aside.

"Nope," She says dryly, taking her time in spreading cream cheese on her bagel.

"I think we should," Jackson inputs.

"Well," She laughs humorlessly. "Obviously it's not a good idea then if you thought it was a thrill idea to hook up with my best friend."

"That's not even what happened," I defend quietly. I don't know what or how it happened really, it just did.

"Really?" She questions sarcastically. "Because to me, it looks like you cheated on your boyfriend to get with my brother."

I furrows my eyebrows in confusion, until I realize why she thinks that. I never told her what happened between Nathan and I. That's a huge piece of information that we could've used.

"They're not-" Jackson growls, but I cut him off.

"No," I shake my head at my boyfriend. "You're right, I did, but that doesn't mean anything. Nathan just wasn't the right guy."

I don't need to make excuses for myself. What I have done is completely irreversible and telling her the long story will only cause more problems.

"And Jackson is?" She screeches. "He sleeps with a new girl every week! How do you know this isn't what you guys are?"

"I don't," I stare at her certainty in my eyes. "But we love each other and that's what-"

"You're joking right?" She laughs sarcastically making Colten cringe in the corner. Even I am slightly nervous as to what she may do. "You love each other? My brother actually loves somebody?"

"Yes," Jackson looks at her hesitantly. "We do. I do."

She bites her lip with a nod, then suddenly she picks up a glass cup and chucks if against the wall only a few feet from me. A scream escapes my lips as the glass shatters into a billion pieces.

"Nikki!" Jackson shouts, looking at the broken glass. Colten has stood up, and is waiting for the right time to jump in if things get out of hand.

"You're out of your minds!" She shouts and right now I think she's the crazy one. "How could you do this to me?"

"We didn't do it on purpose," Jackson glares at her making me second guess what he's capable of.

"Oh so I'm supposed to believe 'it just happened'?" She waves her hands in the air. "I'm not stupid, Jackson, I know you had every say in this."

"Can you stop being a bitch for five seconds and listen?" Jackson yells, the veins in his neck popping out. I almost fall over at the venom in his voice. I know he's mad, but he needs to calm down before he says something he'll regret.

"Okay," Colten eyes Jackson. "Enough."

"I'm not done," he growls.

"No?" He raises an eyebrow. "But I am. Obviously, you need to give it time."

Colten and Jackson practically have a staring contest before the oldest Long sibling sighs and moves away.

"Whatever," he grumbles lowly and heads towards they stairs. I take one last look at Nikki maybe hoping she'll say something, anything, but all I get is a cold stare.

I follow Jackson.

________________

So I got to update today because I'll be leaving up north for Memorial Day and I won't have time then! Yayy!!

What do you think? Glad Jackson said he loves Brittni? Are you surprised Nikki found them? Did Jackson cross the line when he called Nikki a bitch?

Don't be a silent reader!!

Enjoy. Love you all <3

Like and comment :)