Chapter 9: Touch Base

"Wake up!" I shout into the room before opening the curtains, allowing the sunlight to seep through. "You can sleep in!"

Jay groans in irritation and reluctantly opens his eyes. "Seriously, Aqueela? The one time I sleep in and you decide to wake me up," he grumbles in a tired voice before rolling onto his stomach and placing his pillow over his head. "Tempted to just suffocate myself right now," his muffled voice adds.

"I'll do it for you!" I volunteer out of the goodness of my heart. When he doesn't move, I take a spare pillow off the floor and throw it toward his head. "Come on, get up, we have a lot of things to discuss."

"Like what?" Jay sighs in disapproval. "I thought we're all good now."

I jump on his back when he refuses to move. "I'm comfortable talking like this. I wanted to ask about your time away, about the silver chain you gave me. I want to know everything that I missed. Start talking."

It still hurts knowing that I missed out on five years of Jay's life by choice – foolish, Aqueela, foolish! When will I learn?

"It doesn't matter. What's important is..." he rolls over onto his back, knocking me beside him, his gaze meeting mine, "is that I'm here now, with you, the only person I have ever been in love with."

I shake my head, not budging. "Nah-uh! Those sweet words will not work on me. I'm made out of stone, carved out of diamond, more cool things, etcetera."

An impish grin floats over Jay's lips, making it evident that I'm right and he's just trying to butter me up so that I can leave him to sleep. "Ask away," he says and before I can react, he's flipped himself over, pinning me under him. "I'm listening," he smiles down at me, failing to hide the conniving smirk following soon after.

I do what I always do best in these types of situations and hit him on the head. When I see his stunned expression, I giggle aloud. "Sorry, was a fly," I lie and slide out from underneath him.

"Sure there was..." Jay scoffs at me, wholeheartedly believing me as he pulls himself up into an upright position.

I wink at him and blow him a kiss. I sit down beside him, leaning my back against the headboard and glance his way. "Who gave you the cross?" I repeat my question from earlier.

"Let me start from the beginning if you're really forcing me into this. For the first two years, I was pretty much depressed. Even when I left the US for three years, I was pining for you for most of the time," he begins his story ever so reluctantly, almost as if it's a burden reliving everything that he's been through.

I stare up at him, sadness clouding my eyes. "Sorry," I say softly, not really knowing what I'm apologizing for. I lean my head on his shoulder and gesture for him to proceed.

"I met Kyle, Trish, and Ava through the volunteer program. Trish was the doctor and Calvin is the lead of it. We initially traveled all over Africa together, building schools, repairing houses, helping villages with water systems, that kind of thing. When you're working in an intense environment like that, you come to depend on the people around you. It's how we all became such good friends," he continues. "As for Leban, he only joined later."

"Tell me how you stupidly saved his pathetic life," I press, curious. I still don't know that story.

"He owed money to some loan sharks. Kyle and I heard the racket and we ended up in a fist-fight with these guys. Leban was on the floor, hurt. Everything escalated very quickly. The one guy took out a gun and was about to shoot Leb but I jumped in the way without really thinking and took the bullet for him," Jay finally tells me.

To think that my Jay almost lost his life saving an imbecile! It's just like when he went back for Grey after Xavier smashed him off the road.

"And you've regretted it ever since," I conclude for him all too knowingly.

He grins and shakes his head at me, finding my statement comical. "Nah. I'm glad we helped him out. I got out unscathed and so did Kyle. Just a shoulder wound," he says, moving his shirt slightly and exposing the small scar.

"So that's where that scar came from?" I ask, having obviously seen it before. "You never had it before I left."

"Always ogling me, aren't ya?" He teases, ruffling my hair upon hearing my indirect confession.

"Mhm," I nod into his chest. "I love it," I admit, showing no shame whatsoever.

"Anyway, creeper..." he drawls, "Leban's been following me around ever since," he explains, putting his arm around my waist.

I let out a sigh of content and relax into him. "And Decoda and the racing?" I ask, seeking out every single detail that I wasn't there for.

"Kyle knew Decoda and Decoda knew Jed. I was basically forced back into it," he replies.

I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. "Doubt that. No one needs to force you to race." That just doesn't sound like the Jay I know.

"I felt like racing was just one of the many reasons why I lost you. I didn't want anything to do with it. I was miles away from you but still imprisoned by you," he says, removing his hand from my waist to stretch his arms above his head.

Hearing him confess to how he really felt when we were apart, twists my heart inside-out.

"But you started to enjoy it again, right? Otherwise, why become a professional racer?" I question as if to make double sure with him.

"The love for it had never left. I even tried to teach Kyle and he was nearly as bad as you were," he jokes, playfully nudging me with his elbow. "Didn't nearly kill me."

I laugh. "I totally killed it out there."

"Totally almost killed us," he corrects me with a grin.

"Boss Man said he visited you?" I prod, veering off the racing subject.

Jay nods. "He did and he brought Slobber too. It was awesome. My talks on the phone with Grey and the guys also kept me going when I got lonely."

"But you didn't want to speak to my grandparents?" I ask with a half-smile. My grandparents love Jay so much. They'll literally follow him into his grave and refuse to let his soul rest.

Jay throws his head back and laughs loudly, a wide smile flickering over his lips. "They're crazy. I love them but they're so insane." He chuckles again. "I didn't want to speak to them because all they did was remind me of you."

"You know they ended up stranded in Antarctica for a week because of you?" I inform him, pinning the blame on him. I'll never forget the day Gramps called me up and told me that they were stuck at the bottom of the earth with no way out – I, of course, thought that they had finally died and that he meant they were in hell.

He narrows his gaze at me. "Hey, hey, hey, that's a dangerous game you're playing, I refuse to be held accountable for their crazy decisions in life. Their only good one was each other. Without both of them, you wouldn't be here and my life would be very empty."

I press my lips together and nod, taking his words very seriously. "Very true. You'd have nothing to live for." I nudge him playfully.

"I'd find someone else," he jokes, keeping a serious face. "I was just humoring you."

I hit him on his chest, not impressed. "If I die before you, doubtful, you're not allowed to replace me. You need to live a miserable life without me."

In all honesty, if, God forbid, that I do die someday, doubtful, I would want Jay to be happy, and whatever that means, I'll accept it.

"You'll definitely die before me. You are super unhealthy," he teases, holding back a smile. He's messing with me and he's going to pay if it continues.

"Says the one who almost got blown up by a terrorist group," I stupidly remind him and mentally punch myself in the face – shut it, Aqueela! We've never really discussed that day before, mostly because I don't want Jay reliving through the trauma.

His smile instantly washes off of his face. "You saw that?"

I hesitantly nod. "It was all over the news, Jay. I was so worried. I sent you a message but you never replied."

He frowns in confusion, thinking back. "No, you didn't." It takes a second to click. "You sent it from Mase's phone?"

"Yeah," I confirm quietly. "What happened that day, Jay?"

He nearly died, that much I know. It's not like I can't live without Jay, I absolutely can. That was proven. We're together because of a mutual choice. We can live without each other but neither of us wants to.

He looks down, refusing to meet my gaze. "We were helping some refugees and accidentally gave their location away. We were attacked. They came in with guns and started shooting. There were suicide bombers too. I got separated from my team and made a run for the opposite end of the building. There was a little girl running too. I grabbed her hand and pulled her into an empty room. We hid underneath a table for hours because all the exits were blocked. The entire time we heard gunfire and shouting," he begins to tell me the details of what really happened that day, the details that nobody else seems to know.

I shake my head, unable to comprehend what he went through – what he felt, what he saw. "I hate the fact that evil people exist." I always see the good in people but I firmly believe that some people just have no good in them whatsoever. Anybody who would hurt innocent people, innocent children, are inherently evil.

"I had to make a tough choice and leave her alone. I headed back to the right-wing where the gunshots were still being fired. I needed to try and get help. There was a lot of blood and bodies. It was a gruesome sight, Aqueela," he continues, lifting his gaze to mine. "There was a man busy dying. There was nothing I could do but be with him in his final moments. He wouldn't let go and I couldn't understand why. He was suffering. Then I heard the cry of a baby. Only when I picked her up, did he let go."

Tears cloud my eyes and I don't realize it until I feel him reaching out and gently wiping away a fallen tear with his thumb. "Jay...I don't have any words. You should never had to have gone through that."

He shakes his head to himself. "I felt really guilty when I took his phone off of him but I needed to do something. When I went back, the little girl was still there. She was relieved to see me with her baby sister in my arms. I didn't have the heart to tell her that her father was dead. While I was on the phone with Calvin, the table was kicked away and we came face-to-face with them," he says, his expression conveying fear, something I've never really seen him express before.

"You were scared?" I ask knowingly. Honestly, who wouldn't be?

"It was a weird feeling. I was terrified but not for me. I was terrified for the girls. I was helpless. There was nothing I could do to protect them and that's what terrified me," he carefully explains.

"Welcome to parenthood," I attempt a joke. I don't like seeing him so upset and vulnerable – it's just not the Jay I know and love.

"But fortunately, we were saved before anything could happen to those girls," he assures me. "They were reunited with their mother afterward. But I..." he pauses for a second before sucking in a deep breath, seeking courage, "I lost a friend that day. Trish didn't make it."

I watch him swallow down his emotions, burying them so that he doesn't have to relive the pain. "Oh JJ," I say quietly, drawing him into a tight hug. I will never understand why these kinds of things happen to such incredible people. Trish never deserved to go out that way and Jay never deserved to lose a companion in such a brutal way.

"I saw her body being dragged out and the image floated in my head for months. It was horrible," he admits. "Seeing the aftermath was gory, something straight out of a horror movie."

"What happened was a tragedy," I reply, dwelling on his words. I can't seem to fathom all the bad that happens in this world, it's why I choose to focus on the good instead – it makes more sense that way.

He nods in agreement. "It was."

"The chain?" I remind him, trying to bring him back to the present before he gets too lost in that awful day.

"The mother and her two daughters came to see me not long after the bombings. Their mom wanted to thank me in person for protecting her daughters. She saw that I was struggling and so she gave me the cross. It was her husband's, the man who refused to die until he made sure his baby was okay. I didn't want to accept it but she made me, told me that it's a reminder that there is hope in every situation, even in my darkest days. She said that I gave her hope by giving her daughters back to her despite the loss of her husband. The least she could do was return that sense of hope to me," he explains as best he can.

"That's the most beautiful story ever!" I gush, unable to contain my excitement at hearing the lady's wise words. There is always hope. That's the way I've always chosen to see life too. If that lady were here now, I'd hug her to death. She brought Jay back from the dark and permeated his life with light and hope, so much so that he now naturally radiates both from the inside out.

"I had just got you back and I had to leave you again. You were and are everything to me. It was honestly the darkest my days could get, hence why I gave the chain to you," he finally tells me the motive behind the act of giving me the chain. "I wanted to believe that there would be hope for us."

I smile up at him in awe, speechless. "You're amazing," is all that I manage to get out. If my mom were here, she'd love Jay. It sucks that she won't be here to see me marry this incredible person who seems to have the biggest heart of gold. I don't like thinking about it but it's, unfortunately, my reality. She won't be there for the best day of my life. As for Lars, he better not be there!

"You are," he insists, cupping my cheek with one hand before kissing me gently.

I close my eyes and lean into the soft kiss before pulling back from him. "How did you deal with Trish's death? Have you even dealt with it?" I can't help but ask the difficult questions. I need to know if I should be expecting another meltdown from him anytime soon.

"I've dealt with it," he promises me. "I battled initially. I kind of fell into a state of temporary depression because I couldn't understand why it had to happen to her, why I survived, why I couldn't save her. The truth is, Aqueela, I can't always be the hero and I had to learn to accept that. I made some stupid decisions, like my ten-year contract, because I couldn't think properly. Ava helped me through a lot of the grief because she understood what I was going through, having been there when it all happened as well."

Somehow, I see through his words, detecting more, detecting what's not being said. "Did you..." I falter, unable to get the words out, "did you and her ever–"

"We kissed," he tells me the truth immediately, realizing what I'm trying so hard to get at.

I freaken knew it! I knew something happened between them!

"I gathered you two were close," I reply, unsure how I'm supposed to respond to something like this. I mean, I left him. He had every right to go and kiss other girls. Still, the very thought, the very fact, that Jay had, has, a strong connection with a girl other than me is super unsettling. It makes me uneasy. I hate to admit it but a little part of me is angry.

"To be frank, I'm surprised she's even talking to me again," he informs me before elaborating further. "Kissing her made me realize that I wanted to only be kissing you. That kiss between us was the reason why I came back. I just knew in my spirit that I had to find you. Without Ava, I'd probably still be somewhere in Africa."

Ava, you wonderful being you! Be blessed!

"So, I have nothing to worry about or be jealous over?" I ask him, upfront as usual – it's really the only way to get legit answers.

He shakes his head in disbelief. "Of course not. I never want you to have to worry or feel jealous. She's just a good friend that I grew close to during a difficult time," he reassures me, completely convinced in what he's saying. "Are you upset?" He asks in concern, sensing my change in mood.

I bite my bottom lip and reluctantly answer. "A little bit?" I say in uncertainty, using the small space between my index finger and my thumb to convey that it's no big deal. "But it's more of a righteous anger than anything."

He chuckles, amused by my last sentence. "Righteous anger? That's a new one. So long as you don't go screeching monkey on me like–"

"I cannot believe you kissed another girl!" I screech at him, abruptly cutting him off, not listening to a word he's uttering.

He starts laughing and that's when I process what he was just in the midst of saying. I, of course, join in and start laughing at myself too when realizing how stupid I'm being.

"A part of me has always just known that I'm going to end up marrying you, Aqueela. I've never not seen myself marrying you. Even from the start, before we started dating, I just kind of knew that it would be you," he says after our laughter subsides.

I shake my head, stifling another laugh. "You really just can't quit me, can you, Taylor?" I tease.

"Nope," he says, popping the 'p'. "You're the air I breathe."

*~*~*~**~*~*~*

"When are you guys going to declaw Oog?" Benley asks us before showing us the mark on his leg. "I've had it. I was scratched again upon entering Greg's home. It's got to stop. The attacks have to end. That creature doesn't have to guard this house. He doesn't even live here for flip sake!"

I shrug carelessly. "Please don't make your problems mine, BoyBand. I don't appreciate how selfish you can be."

Next time, he won't be invited to our sleepover.

"While you're at it, clip his vocal cords too; he doesn't stop barking at 'intruders'," Ben continues his pathetic rant, ignoring me completely. "I'm surprised that your neighbors have not yet complained about that weirdo."

Oh, they have alright...we just keep telling them that he's escaped from an asylum. To be fair, none of us really know where Oog comes from or what asteroid or meteorite he fell from.

From behind him, AJ rolls her eyes and mocks him behind his back, pulling funny faces. She causes me to giggle which only infuriates BoyBand further when he realizes I literally could not care less about what he's going on and on and on and on about.

"He's a bit sensitive today," AJ informs me, excusing him and his behavioural issues.

"Take him to play therapy," I suggest, earning me a death glare from Ben himself. "Might help if he's socialized with others of his kind. Or you could get him into behaviour training?"

"I was attacked by a peasant as a greeting. I have every right to be cheesed off," he, predictably, responds with irritation. "Oog's the one who needs puppy training! I might have rabies now!"

"Well, you're certainly acting like some wild, brainless animal with rabies," I reply in all my glorious wit. I glance at AJ again. "If all else fails, use harsher methods. I think he'd appreciate acid being thrown in his face."

"No, I won't, you simpleton!" Ben interjects rudely.

I shake my head at him in disappointment. "I'm giving golden advice here." I grab Boss Man's newspaper off of an empty shelf, roll it up, and whack B-Dawg on the head. "Bad dog! Bad dog! Bad Ben! Slobber needs to teach you some manners!"

Benley snatches the newspaper from my hands and tosses it behind him, huffing in irritation. "I'm getting really sick of your devil-may-care-but-I-don't attitude."

That's the sweetest thing he's ever complimented me with. This is why I tolerate him and his irritating personality.

"Why he upset?" Oog asks me as he approaches us, having noticed our argument.

"He doesn't understand the beauty in you, Oog," I tell him, not having the heart to hurt his feelings. I turn my gaze back to Ben. "You hear me, BoyBand?! There's beauty in this little freak!"

"Whatever," he replies, annoyed, barging past us to go and greet Boss Man and Jay.

"What's his problem?" Max asks us, indifferent to the matter.

"He's being a little slimeball, Maxipad," I answer before hugging Max tightly, feeling the need to remind him that I'm always here for him.

Max shakes his head in disapproval. "I'll have to have a word with that grotesque slimeball. Nobody speaks to my other half like that. Disgusting! I'm actually appalled that he even dare!"

"Oh, he dare! Go put him in his place!" I agree, riling him up further before hastily pushing him in the direction Ley Ley went so that I can embrace Bell.

"How's my gorgeous friend coping?" I ask, refusing to let go of my best friend. I love her very much.

"Fabulous, as always!" Troy replies before Bell can even get a word out. "Sorry that I'm fashionably late," I don't remember inviting him, "I was getting my eyebrows dyed." What even is that? "My eyebrow game is strong. Also, I blame most of my lateness on my lizard face of a wife. Jezel wasted a lot of time getting her disgusting chin-stache plucked."

"Boy, reconsider!" Jezel hisses, unoffended, and then sends me an apologetic glance before rolling her eyes at her husband. She grabs him by the ear and yanks him past us so that I can have a private moment with Bell.

The poor girl is trapped in a relationship with a toxic jagweed.

"But for why?!" I hear Troy ask her in a whine, feeling unwelcomed and dejected, as he should. "What's good, Jezel?! I was slaying back there!"

What a gem he is...what a gem.

"It's been hard," Bell admits into my shoulder, speaking up once her brother is out of earshot. "But I'm getting by. Max is so good to me."

I smile softly at her. "Yeah, yeah he is." Max is truly the best.

"Let's get you a piece of cake or something, girl," AJ suggests, wrapping an arm around Bell's shoulders.

Bell glances at AJ in confusion, skeptical. She's obviously only noticed the presence of the raven-haired beauty now.

AJ sends Bell a sheepish yet innocent grin in response. "Sorry. I overheard the conversation because I was standing here deliberately listening to every word being exchanged," she explains apologetically, leading a now smiling Bell away to the snack table, aware that junk food can cure any kind of sadness.

AJ is such a cool person. Benley outdid himself when he picked her.

"Feels kind of empty around here, doesn't it?" Sarah asks me, greeting me with a sweet smile and a hug. "Nancy, not here. Ryan, not here. Grey, not here. Emma and Xave, not here. Laiken and Mason, not here. Keagen, not here. Zac, not here. Mia, not here."

Her words hit me hard. The realization makes my heart sink.

Ryan's busy packing, getting ready to leave. Nancy's moved on without us. Laiken and Mason are busy living out their dreams in New York. Keagen's busy with his own life. Xavier and Emma are settling down. Zac's high and uncontrollable. I haven't heard from Mia for a while. And who knows where the hell Grey is!

It sucks. Why do we have to grow up? Why do we have to grow apart? I know I'm being immature and unrealistic but I wish there was a way for all of us to live in close range to each other. I wish we all lived together in a massive mansion. When one person is missing, I feel it. We feel it.

Calvin, Ava, Jed, Decoda, Kyle, Leban and Melinda have decided to spend the evening hanging out at the bar. They want to catch up. I know that they're nearby but I still miss them. I don't know Calvin, Ava, and Jed well enough to miss them but I'd like to get to know them better. If they're Jay's friends, they're mine too.

I even miss Ramos and his inappropriate loitering. He decided to have an early night sleeping...under the Bensten's doorstep...his new apparent home...or whatever. He's an idiot and I have zero respect for him but I do care about his wellbeing and I do want him around despite our mutual dislike for each other.

Riosh and the triplet were born into this squad and when they're being babysat by the grandparents, like tonight, I miss them. I miss their cute, little laughs whenever they do something wrong.

Man, I get way too attached to people way too quickly and way too easily. It can't be healthy. Still, no complaints here! I wouldn't change a thing about me!

"But," I finally reply to her, choosing to be optimistic, "Sarah, here."

Sarah grins and kisses my cheek. "You're a special human." She smiles again and steps aside, allowing Landon to enter after her.

"Lan the man!" I hold my hand up for a high-five, surprised when he actually returns it.

He grins down at me, his green eyes ablaze in happiness. "'Sup, little one," he greets before ruffling my hair with his knuckles, offering me a side hug, one that he initiated! Unfortunately, his side hugs are even capable of killing a person. He's got a death lock when he squeezes me into him.

I frown up at him and furrow my brows in question, plastering myself away from him. "You seem...happy? Are you drunk or something?" The only logical explanation for this is that this is a friendly version of Landon, like a flesh-eating zombie version of Landon... 'cause you know...that's less scary than the original Lan.

"Just got back from Lil and Howie," he responds, still grinning. "They always know how to cheer me up. It feels so good to be part of the family."

I narrow my eyes at him. "I'm gonna hit you."

He takes one look at me before snorting, not taking me seriously. He's unmoved by my fierce ferocity. "Bring it, midget."

"Can you go a minute without angering someone?" Sarah asks Landon in exasperation.

He shakes his head, shameless. "No, babe, you know I can't."

"Thirty seconds?" She bargains with him.

"Ten," he agrees, unwilling to compromise – respect!

She sighs quietly, her resolve dying. "Fine."

"I'll try," he drops the words on her before barging his way over to JJ and Boss Man, shoving an already irritated Benley out of his way.

BoyBand glares daggers after Landon, doing his very best to swallow down all his insults. He's aware that he'll get a beating if he dares to curse at Mr. Ruthless. There will be a massacre of blood in this house if he opens his mouth.

Sarah notices Ben's disdain for Lan in the moment. She visibly cringes before glancing over at me. "He couldn't even last ten seconds," she says in defeat, clearly tired.

I'd applaud him if he lasted five seconds.

I send her a pitied smile and pat her shoulder. "There, there." The poor girl has it rough with that one. That boy is a wild child. I commend her for trying to tame him. However, that doesn't mean I think it's possible.

"Yo, Furbs!" Dean steps into the house with an outstretched fist, having obviously caught a lift with Lan and Sarah -- unsurprising.

I bump my fist against his. "Yo, Deanie!"

"Hope you don't mind me bringing a guest," he says as his 'guest' steps beside him, making her presence known. "Well, I don't really care, I'm bringing one anyway."

My eyes widen significantly. "What the heck, Wyatt?" Over my dead body am I letting that gold digger into this house. Seeing her fills me with pure angst...that's right...angst!

"Would you believe me if I said that I actually like Dean?" T-Bex asks me, trying to make peace.

Oh no! She best not be talking to me with that tone!

"No, you pathological liar, because he's not likable! Plus, I wouldn't believe you if you said 'hello', that's how much I distrust you," I answer bluntly. "Now let's get you the hell out of my house!"

She hurt two of my friends. I can't just let that go.

"I'm gonna let you two sort yourselves out," Dean says before disappearing inside, leaving me to clean up his mess. He grins wryly over his shoulder at us. "It seems you have a lot of catching up to do."

I place myself directly over the door's threshold, stubbornly refusing her entrance. "Beat it, Bex. I'm not budging," I tell her firmly, meaning it. I glower at her. She's probably just here for Benley in any case – for Pete's sake, he's not even that great! "You're not coming in."

She frowns and begins pushing against me, trying to gain access. "Whatever, then I'll force my way in!" She argues, attempting to shove me aside but I'm way too strong for her. "You're being childish!" She complains, trying to duck under my arm in order to gain entry. I merely lower my arms until I'm just about crouching on the ground with her. She changes tactics and tries to climb over my arm. I merely raise my arm higher – it's too easy. She loses it and begins slapping me. "Just let me in, Aqueela!"

There's no way I'm letting this invasive rodent into my house! She belongs in a scrapyard where she can no longer eat all my joy and peace of mind!

"Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" I yell at the top of my lungs, seeking help against this tyranny of evil. "You're like a Mormon," I complain, taking her hits while she struggles against me, refusing to relent, "I can't keep you out."

"You're ridiculous!" She hisses at me, her arms growing limp with fatigue.

"And that's clearly a wig!" I retaliate, angrily pointing to the top of her sculp. Yeah...I'm petty but it doesn't matter because I also have no shame.

She gasps in shock. "Why do you always have to be so extra, Aqueela?!"

I laugh, amused by her weak terminology used to describe me. "I'd rather be extra than basic!" I think? Millennials are puzzling.

I'm about to knock her out for good when I feel myself being lifted, my bare feet no longer touching the ground. I find myself floating up to the ceiling in pure wonder. "Did she kill me? That quick? Am I going up now?" I ask as I gaze up, bewildered. "It's a good day to die!" I decide then and there.

"You can step inside but at your own risk. I can't keep her away from you forever," I hear Jay's tired voice and glance down to see that he's holding me upright against him with one arm.

I sigh and smack the top of his head. "You've just killed us all."

Bex sends me a condescending smirk before moving past us and into the house. Jay has to physically hold me back to keep me from gutting her open like a fish – an exaggeration on my part but I really dislike her.

Jay lowers me back to the ground when Bex has managed to put some distance between us. "Kind of more concerned about Bex's life...if I'm being honest here, 'Queela," he replies with a cheeky grin.

"You should be more concerned about your own life," I threaten him. "That's if you value it!"

"I guess I'm in luck seeing as the one threatening to take my life values my life the most," he says wittily, annoying me further. He's not wrong but he's still annoying!

I brush his words off and focus my glare on Bex while she talks animatedly with Sarah, fooling Sarah into believing that she's a pleasant human being, heck, fooling Sarah into believing that she's a human being when it's clear that she comes from the undead of the underground.

Unable to control myself, no restraint whatsoever, I pick up the nearest thing to me – a small, naked statue of a woman. Needless to say, Boss Man has atrocious taste in ornaments. I aim (it's easy considering her gigantic head) and throw my arm back, getting ready to take out my target with an unstoppable and unforgivable force.

A hand curls around my wrist and stops me. "What do you think you're doing?" Boss Man lectures me, a stern expression morphing over his usual stern expression...really, it's not that much of a difference.

"Committing a felony in public without a care in the world," I answer him in ease.

"If you want to kill her, fine, but you're not killing her with this!" He removes the statue from my hand, bossing me about like the bossy boss man that he is. "She's not worth it. This statue is actually valuable. Kill her with something less expensive. Cheap girl deserves cheap death."

I curtsey. "A thousand apologies, my good Sir."

Jay raises an eyebrow at Boss Man, taken aback by his words. "What is wrong with you?"

Boss Man shrugs. "This statue is a treasured air loom in my family that my great, great, great and respectable grandfather stole from his master when working as a slave in the early 1900s."

"How charming...and gross," I reply in sarcasm, rolling my eyes before adding a dramatic huff. "What a revolting yet quaint little story that I was just forced to hear and endure through." I just want to play baseball with Bex's head. I truly believe that I'm not asking for much. Her head being smashed in is semi-warranted.

"Slavery was demolished by the 1900s, sometime before it," Jay corrects Boss Man with a knowing look.

"Maybe Boss Man is just from a repulsive and sick family line where his ancestors genetics became so distorted and mutated from inbreeding that the only thing they could value and appreciate in life was fake, naked marble women, simply because they could not get their own real-life women, all in a futile effort to fill the void in their pathetic and empty lives," I tell Jay, attempting to keep him in the loop – he can be slow at times. "Did you even consider that, Jay?"

Jay blinks and slowly shakes his head. "That I did not."

"There's something wrong with you," Boss Man replies, staring straight at me in disbelief as if trying to process and make sense of how I came into being in the first place.

"Says the grown man who is practically married to a statue of a naked girl," I quip, quick to defend myself.

I had to listen to that extremely painful story. I deserve to break that stupid statue over Bex's head!

"You're like a cartoon person or something strange out of a storybook," Boss Man compliments me. "I struggle to fathom whether you're really real or just a figment of all of our imaginations."

"First of all, I'm a real-life grown-up adult, and second, nope," I disagree with him, "that's your clay wife over here," I nod to the nude statue that he's currently holding. "You got our roles confused. I bet she's in all your dreams. Your imagination must run wild." I smile up at him in innocence. "And if I'm being quite honest here, Greg, she's way out of your league."

Boss Man crosses his enormous arms over his broad chest. "You're a terrible human being."

"Thanking you," I reply, grateful for his kindness – I don't deserve it. "I can't help but wonder if Decoda knows that you're cheating on her with a blob of naked stone." I ponder over it before wiggling my eyebrows at Greg teasingly.

"What is naked stone, exactly, Aqueela?" Boss Man asks me, undeterred by my statement.

I shrug. "Only you'd know, Greg." I stand on my toes and pat his cheek, enjoying the mindless banter. "Maybe naked stone is your aphrodisiac."

Jay tugs on my arm. "Klutz, a word please?" He yanks me aside before I can resist.

"Ooh, I love this game!" I tap my chin in thought. "Um...uh...blue," I end up saying as I stare into his eyes, holding his gaze. "The word is blue."

"Wrap up your conversation with my boss and friend because it's going downhill fast," he suggests or demands...the details on that one are pretty vague. "I really don't feel like being homeless again. You're pushing too hard."

I tend to do that...

"But who could kick this adorable face out?" I ask and point to my smile, innocently batting my lashes. "You failed numerous times. I'm a sweetie pie. This cheerful disposition of mine got under your skin."

"Greg isn't as weak as me," he reminds me of the facts. "At least not when it comes to you and your 'sunny' disposition."

"Cheerful," I correct him with a happy-go-lucky smile.

"Cheerful," he repeats after me in an attempt to please me.

Hearing it aloud sounds like trash. "Sunny," I correct him yet again, unsatisfied with my anonymous disposition.

"Sunny," he listens to me and corrects himself.

"No, actually 'cheerful'," I instruct. "'Cheerful' sounds better. Let's go back to that. Let's go with that."

He pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Make up your mind."

I pout up at him, teasing him with a kissy face and puppy eyes. "Don't be mad. Don't be mad at me. Give me kiss. Give me a kiss."

He sighs but leans down and kisses me quickly anyway, trying to appease me and probably shut me up.

"Give me another kiss," I demand, simply messing around with him. I enjoy pressing his buttons. It's my purpose in life.

His lips meet mine for a second time and the kiss is even shorter than the first.

I pucker my lips playfully and lean into his torso. "Give me another kiss."

He shakes his head in exasperation but plants a soft kiss on my lips anyway, and this time, as expected, I feel the smile slowly forming on his lips.

I pull away with another innocent smile, aware that he can't stay angry at me. "Give me another kiss." I can't help but giggle at how funny this is turning out to be. I really didn't think he'd go along with it.

Nonetheless, he kisses me for longer this time 'round.

I move back first and laugh into his neck. "Give me lots of kisses."

A chuckle resonates from his chest as he grants me my wish and gives me one last, romantic kiss before embracing me tightly. "You're tempting me, well on your way to getting exactly what you want."

I bet he can't even remember what he was so annoyed about or the fact that he was even annoyed.

"Mission accomplished," I murmur under my breath.

Jay furrows his eyebrows. "What?"

"Dission laccomplished."

He catches on and narrows his gaze before a lopsided smile curves at the corner of his lips. "Nice cover-up. Of course, you played me."

I grin in pride and nod. "I played you like a fiddle and I don't even know what a fiddle is," I joke. "Now give me a kiss."

"Sweet girl, you don't deserve more of these kisses," he argues in jest. "You've had enough."

So, he is capable of joking?!

I lean up and kiss him again anyway, and for someone who doesn't want to give out more kisses, he doesn't seem to at all mind receiving a few.

Grinch 101: It is better to receive than to give.

*~**~*

Hey guys :)

I hope you're all doing well!

Without any further delay:

1. What are you expecting to see from Aqueela and Jay's relationship during the course of this book?

2. What are you taking away from their relationship right now, as in currently?

3. Thoughts on Ava and Jay's relationship after hearing that they share a special bond?

4. Who will die first? Jay/Aqueela? Why?

5. Can Landon last five seconds without upsetting someone?

6. You can Read 'JT's Reign' to get the full experience of Jay in Africa. Who has read it already?

7. Have you checked out 'Landslide' on Radish? It's Landon's story. If so, drop your thoughts.

8. Thoughts on Bex? What should Dean's punishment be for inviting her?

9. Should Aqueela have thrown the statue? What would the outcome have been?

10. Do the chapters feel empty when some characters are missing, just like Sarah stated?

Thanks, guys! Hope you enjoyed it!

~CJ