Page 1 of You’re Mine

1

Haley

Seven Years Ago.

I’m lying in bed, waiting for the house to go totally quiet. The hands on the clock drag across its face making one second feel like an entire hour. How is it possible for time to move so slowly? It’s like the world somehow submerged itself in the stickiest molasses. I just want to get out of this house because Jace is probably already down the street waiting for me. We’re supposed to meet soon, and the excitement has me giddy. Come to think of it, I’m practically delirious and absolutely punch drunk on love. Jace couldn’t be any more perfect, not even if he tried.

The waiting is really the worst part. All through dinner, I was ticking with excitement, but the meal felt especially slow tonight. No one is allowed leave the table until my dad does, and Herb seemed to really like those dining room chairs today. We weren’t even eating anything he was in love with. Yet he chewed everything so slow and thorough and –

Ugh! I know I just saw Jace at school mere hours ago, but that’s not enough, and it’s never enough. He’s ignited something inside of me, and all it does is grow stronger with each day. My senses are being overpowered. I wish my dad would be a little more open-minded and let me date him out in the open because it really doesn’t have to be this hard.

Quietly, I slide out of bed, going to my door and pressing an ear to the wooden slab. There are no footsteps, and no rustling around. All is silent. The only real “noise” is just the forbidding emptiness that underscores every day in the Jones Estate. However, the quiet means it’s a good time to leave.

Grabbing the few things I need, I depart my bedroom and go downstairs, heading to the kitchen. The door in there is the easiest to sneak out of. It doesn’t creak and there are good places to hide if needed. But as I’m opening the door, something shifts in the room. Everything stills except for my heart. That’s pounding away. A chill crawls up my body as I wait for the inevitable. The next few seconds have my lungs in a vise, but … nothing. The house is old and maybe it was just settling. Yes, that must be it. I exhale and tell myself to relax. Everything is fine, and everything will be fine. Leaving the mansion, I make it off the grounds without a hitch.

Jace waits for me in our usual spot. It’s just far enough down the street that no one can see him from our house. Just seeing his truck has me sporting my dorky smile.

I open the door, climb into the passenger side seat and there’s a beautiful man waiting inside, all for me. Whenever I’m with him, happiness and security suffuse my form. The safest place in the world is right here, in his arms. Nowhere, nothing, and no one can beat this feeling.

“You really shouldn’t look at me like that,” he growls.

I tilt my head, not sure what Jace is talking about. I’m pretty sure I look at him like this every day.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

Instead of answering, Jace places a small kiss on the top of my nose and then starts his truck. We don’t talk much on the drive. That is, until I realize I don’t know where we’re going anymore. It looks like we’re getting into the part of Lenville where there are barely any houses. I sit up in my seat and try to figure out where the truck is headed.

“Hey Jace, where are we going? Isn’t Rachel’s house the other way?”

My nose wrinkles. I thought we were going to Rachel Gold’s for her graduation party although we don’t get our diplomas until next week. Rachel’s jumped the gun a bit, but that’s okay.

My boyfriend nods but doesn’t do anything to turn around and go back the other way. I furrow my brow, waiting to hear our destination.

“I was thinking,” he starts slowly, “that we could have some time to ourselves. We don’t get a lot of it,” he adds. I smile because that’s an amazing idea. I didn’t want to go to Rachel’s party anyways.

“Ok,” I say softly. He’s right. We really only ever get stolen moments with one another. My dad disapproves of our relationship and does his best to keep us apart. It’s hard to get away. I’d rather go wherever Jace is taking us.

We don’t drive for much longer, ending up away from the main road in a shady, secluded spot. The field is open, so the moon is giving us all the light we need. Jace sets a blanket down before we climb into the bed of his truck. I get into his lap and he wraps his arms around me, enveloping me in his warmth. The moon lights up his face, giving him an ethereal glow.

---