i.f.l.y. - bazzi

It was only a matter of seconds before the yelling started when we got home. To put it simply, our dad was pissed. Probably even livid. I didn't completely understand what the big deal was, considering all we did was drop off a pie. With all the yelling, you'd have thought we crashed the car or set the house on fire. Luckily though, my mom stepped in and saved the day. God Bless her.

As I laid in bed, I called Layla to fill her in on what happened today. I didn't know how she was going to react so I was trying to brace myself for her reaction.

"You did what?" She shrieked.

"I know. I know."

"Well, what did he say? What's he look like now? I cannot believe this."

"He looks so... grown. Compared to the kid we last saw, it's crazy. His freckles are still there obviously but, his hair is short now." I left out the part of how fit he had gotten. Layla would have probably made a big deal out of it, and said I was checking him out. While she wasn't wrong, she also wasn't right.

"Short hair? You're joking. Okay, so what did he say?"

"Nothing really," I sighed. "Something along the lines of 'Don't worry about it' and 'See you around, H.'"

"'H'? He called you 'H'?" Her voice echoed throughout my room as she yelled. Why was she so loud? I rubbed at my temples, desperately trying to keep a headache from coming on.

"Yeah? So what?"

"Hope. He's in love with you." Is she serious? Layla has officially lost it. She and Tobias must be on the same wave link, they're both clinically insane.

"You're out of your mind Layla. Plus, even if he does, I love Jack. I'm going to marry Jack."

Layla went on for a few more minutes, spouting off over the top things about Connor, before finally deciding that I wasn't worth her time and mumbling something about getting her beauty sleep.

She was absolutely out of her mind if she thought Connor was in love with me. Is she joking? I hadn't heard from him in three years. There was no way he was in love with me. That ship had sailed a long time ago.

But as I laid in bed, I couldn't sleep. My mind was racing with everything that was going on. I thought about Connor and all of our memories, but then I felt guilty and started to think about Jack. My boyfriend, the love of my life, my person. Ultimately though, the last thing I thought about was Connor. I was glad that he was home, even if the thought scared me.

---

The next morning, Jack picked me up for a lunch date. Today was our second anniversary and he said he had something special planned out. Truthfully, it blew my mind that we had been dating for so long. Everything still felt so new. I still got butterflies when we went on dates and when he kissed me on my front steps. Dating Jack was one of the best decisions I have ever made. He makes me so happy.

I was wearing a black tank top and cream-colored paper bag shorts. It was a cute outfit, that was versatile and not over the top. I had added simple makeup and curled my hair to finish the look.

"You look so hot." Jack smiled down at me as we walked hand in hand down Main Street.

He was wearing a black and white paisley patterned polo and black shorts. The gold chain he always wore glistened in the sun. He looked good.

"Not beautiful?"

"You know you're beautiful."

"Mhm." I let the conversation end there, but it kind of bothered me. It never hurt to tell your girlfriend that she was beautiful.

Suddenly Jack stopped. We were standing along the riverfront, watching as all the people walked below us. The sun was glistening over the water making the scene all the more breathtaking.

"Now, this is beautiful." He joked.

"Shut up." I laughed.

He pulled me into his arms and then kissed my forehead before pulling away.

"Hope... I love you so much. You have been the best girlfriend and the best friend I could have ever imagined. Without you and your guidance, I have no clue what I would do. So..." Jack fished around in his pockets and pulled out a small velvet box. Oh my god. "I love you with everything I have Hope, and I want this ring to be a symbol of that love. I want this to be a promise. To show you that I'm here for the long run and that one day I want to replace this ring with an engagement ring. I love you Hope, and I don't ever want to lose you."

"Jack... Oh my God." I was at a loss for words. This boy was my whole world. I loved him so damn much, and imagining life without him seemed impossible. "I love you, Jack. Forever."

He stood up and placed the ring on my ring finger. It was a beautiful silver band with a small diamond in the middle. Then Jack picked me up in his arms and spun me around. We were both smiling and laughing. It was a picture-perfect moment.

But as he put me back down, I looked over my shoulder where the corner store was. Connor was standing on the sidewalk with a bouquet of daisies and a box of M&Ms. My favorites. We made eye contact from across the street, and a frown came over his face as he saw Jack and I. He shook his head and then dumped the flowers and candy into the nearest trashcan and left.

For some reason, my heart hurt a little watching him get back into his truck and disappear into the night. There was no way that the flowers and candy were for me, right? I didn't think so. They were probably for his sister. Yeah, that's what I was going with.
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things are starting to get interesting! but how cute was jack's speech?? what a cutie.