Never Say Goodbye

Here is my second chapter of Aiden's and Jakobi's story. Thanks for all the wonderful comments I got on the first chapter! Hopefully you enjoy this one, as it focuses on Jakobi and Aiden's sexual tension and relationship returning to what it once was. Thanks.

*

Jakobi was a mess as he sprinted to the locker room, ignoring the screams of his coach in the distance. That was behind him. All he could think about was that girl in the tight blue dress waiting for him.

He reached the locker room, heading in and sliding off his uniform, still clean from not having played. His head was muddled with thoughts of Aiden, and how breathtaking she was. If she was still the quick-witted, sharped-tongued, smart ass that had driven him crazy in the best of ways freshman year, she was the whole package. His thoughts drifted to how close they'd been back then, how often he went to her when he could go to no one else. How would of guessed a few years later he would be fighting back lustful thoughts in a locker room with her waiting outside?

He forced himself to focus on changing into a black short sleeved shirt and long tan shorts. He was tying his sneakers when he heard her soft voice calling him outside. "Jakobi... you coming?"

Maybe a bit later. Maybe on your face. JAKOBI STOP IT.

He scolded himself as he finished tying his shoe laces.

Who's to say she wants any part of you anyway?

He shoved all this things in his shoulder bag and jogged out of the locker room, leaving all his thoughts behind.

She was sitting on the steps outside the gym, humming to herself as she waited. Jakobi stopped for a minute, to stare at the way her dress hugged the subtle curve of her hips. It was a delicious sight. Everything about his old friend oozed catlike sexuality. Again, he had to shake the thoughts of her body wrapped around him from his head.

Calm the fuck down, Jakob.

"Hey stranger." He said, offering his hand to help her up. She eyed it before accepting and letting him pull her to her feet. "Hey there." She said softly. She brushed the dirt from her jacket and stared at him. God, it had been a long time. Before he could say anything more, she stood on her tiptoes to put her arms around his neck and hug him tightly. He dropped his bag to hug her back. "I've missed you soo much Jakobi." She murmured, kissing his cheek lightly as she pulled away. He grinned, nodding. "We have a lot to catch up on, Connors," he said quietly. "Lets walk and talk."

* * * * *

Aiden could feel heat pulsing from Jakob's hand to her own. He looked absolutely gorgeous, his gold hair mussed around his blue-grey eyes.

"So how've you been, Jakob?" she saw him smile at the use of his old nickname, which obviously hadn't been used in a while. "yknow..." his voice trailed off. "Busy."

"Busy," she repeated, "You must be awfully busy all the time to never drop in and say hi." He looked down, staring at the pavement beneath his feet.

"Listen... Aiden... a lot happened after you le-"

"Shut up, Jakobi."

"Excuse m-"

"Just shut up. I know how you are Jakob." Her voice was soft and happy for such harsh words, and he looked over to see her smiling.

Jakob sputtered. "Its been four years, Aiden. You DON'T know me."

Aiden laughed.

"Jakob, I can read you like a book." She said, stepping around a group of freshman girls goggling at Jakobi.

Jakobi laughed. "Oh, really?"

Aiden put her hand on his chest to stop him from walking and stepped in front of him, staring him down with her stunning eyes.

"You've got a girlfriend." She decided aloud.

"And you know that how?"

"You've got her name written on your bag." She said. Her eyes trailed to the inked in heart on his shoulder bag.

Kat. Pssh. She's probably got more diseases than the CFDC.

"And you don't like her."

Jakobi's eyes flashed with surprise. "What?"

"Your girlfriend. You don't like her."

"What makes you say that?"

Aiden smiled, her face lighting up. "You're here... with me."

Jakobi chose to ignore her bold little comments and continue walking. She waited a minute, shaking her head.

Man, he's still stubborn as they come.

She knew it was the truth. She knew that the only reason Jakobi would miss out on state championships is if he thought he was going to get some sweet ass. Laughing to herself, she followed him. Jakobi could deny it all he wanted, but he wanted her. She could see it in his face.

"Your not too hard to read yourself, Aiden," Jakobi sputtered, frustration thick in his voice, walking so quickly it took Aiden two steps to cover just one of his. "I'm not?" she asked, taking his hand in her own in hopes of slowing him down.

"You play the innocent card well, but not well enough. You work the room like a tease. You make sure your dress is just short enough for guys to wonder what its like beneath it and just long enough to pretend you don't realize they're dong it. You leave, grow out your hair and buy a gym membership and come back svelte and sexy knowing you're going to fuck stuff up." He blurted, his face alive with frustration. Aiden stared up at him with those wide, enticing eyes, innocent as they come. "You say that like it's a bad thing." She said, her voice just a low purr.

It took everything in Aiden to keep herself from laughing at the expression on his face. Honestly, Aiden knew what she was. A tease, a flirt, a turn on. She embraced it. Someone had to make girlfriends jealous, right? Well, Aiden was that girl and she was okay with it. It wasn't like she was sleeping around, she didn't dress in skimpy mesh and short skirts. She just liked the eyes on her. No harm in that. If she had it, why hide it?

* * * * *

Jakobi had to try very hard to keep himself under control as she purred those words to him. All he had achieved in trying to one-up Aidens very correct assumptions about him was get himself even more hot and bothered. Aiden oozed confidence, and that to him was even sexier than the cascades of long dark curls over her shoulders.

He coughed and followed her as she walked away from him, feeling somewhat like a puppy. Where was the insecure Aiden he'd known so many years ago? Somehow, while he'd been out throwing around footballs and fucking every cheerleader that offered herself to him, Aiden had been slowly building up her self confidence, learning the little things that made guys tick and lust.

She knew how to do it.

And she did it well.

Jakobi managed to catch up to her, again sliding his hand into hers. "So what have you been up to lately, besides your girlfriend?" she asked, her eyes making there way to his. "I thought you could read me like a book?" Jakobi said quietly. "Why read the book when I can watch the movie?" She asked with a smile. "The book is always better." Jakobi murmured his voice low, and deep.

"You were never much of a reader, as I recall, Jakobi." She said, slowing her pace now that the subject was changed. Her shoulders relaxed a bit. Jakobi grinned. "That's because you always did my homework," he said, watching her smile. "You would beg me until I agreed to!" She defended. Jakobi's laugh was loud and bright "That's not true. Sometimes it took practically no begging."

But I wouldn't mind begging for anything now... or you begging me, if we play that card...

Aidens smile faded and the silence surrounded them again. The dark Parking lot was empty as they reached her truck, the streetlamps casting yellow shadows over her face. Cheering in the distance meant that the game had already started. "Bailing on your team last-minute for a girl... your brave." She said quietly. Jakobi looked down at her. "The team can handle without me. They're big boys."

Aiden shrugged, then looked up to search for her truck. "So I guess tonight didn't really work out like I had planned." She mumbled. Jakobi raised his eyebrow. "Well you aren't gonna leave me yet, are you?" he asked in surprise.

Aiden shrugged. "Your skipping championships to hang out with me. I thought we'd go across the way to frosty's or something... Like we used to."

Jakobi smiled. Frosty's was the Ice cream place across the road from the high school parking lot they stood in now. If he stood on his tiptoes to see over the cars, he could see the bright glow of the ice cream parlor's neon sign. "Do you know how long its been since I've been there?" He asked, his head flooding with memories of sitting with Aiden for hours at the counter going over Spanish verbs and conjugations, just to end up getting really off track and having conversations about what they wanted to do with themselves after High school and the lives they wanted to lead.

"Frosty's sounds amazing."

* * * * *

Aiden handed Jakobi his ice cream, a double scoop of rocky road, before taking her own soft serve. Vanilla. Her favorite. She followed his massive frame to a booth in the corner, sliding in across from him. The parlor was empty from all the sports action across the street, the only people in the place besides they themselves was the guy

working the counter, who disappeared into the back as soon as Jakobi and Aiden were seated.

"Its been so long..." Aiden murmured. Just being here, with Jakobi, in a place that they used to call their own, it was enough to send her four years back to sitting here with him learning all his secrets. This same booth. This same ice cream. There was no need for either of them to speak. Memories were filling both of their minds as they sat in comfortable silence.

"We had so many good times here." Jakobi said quietly, breaking the silence and looking over at her. Aiden nodded. "Remember when Carter Davis asked you out and you begged me to pretend to be your boyfriend so you wouldn't have to reject him?" Jakobi asked, humor in his blue-gray eyes. Aiden began laughing so hard she shook. "Oh my god, yes! And Carter got mad at you and you guys got into a fight on the quad! I remember that!" She giggled. She had done her best in that time to not pretend that holding Jakobi's hand wasn't the very thing she'd wished for since meeting him, and on that thought, she reached under the table to link fingers with the man he had become. "You really saved my life back then. Carter Davis was gross." She giggled. "He ended up moving to Tennessee last year!" Jakobi shared, "I guess his old man got sick and he had to go back and take care of the ranch... he was dating this freshman... I think her name was serena or something, and two months after he left she was pregnant, so he flew her from California to Tennessee to take care of her, even if the baby wasn't his."

Aiden's jaw dropped. "Wow I would have never guessed Carter would man up like that." She said, impressed. Jakobi nodded. "Do you remember Becca? The girl with the really long red hair in our Gym class? She's got two kids. Her boyfriend has two others with other girls..."

* * * * *

They sat in the parlor for almost three hours. Long enough for the game across the street to end and mobs of people to swamp to frosty's, and long enough for the mob of people to dissolve again. When Aiden finally looked at her watch and said it was getting late, Jakobi's heart sank. He'd been enjoying himself with a woman for the first time since... well... enjoying himself with the girl the woman had once been.

They'd gone through so much together that Jakobi hadn't realized when they were young. Jakobi's first failed drug test when he tried out for spring baseball (When Aiden explained pot stayed in your system for thirty days.), losing his virginity in the sound booth in the back of the highland theatre (Aiden was the first person he called afterwards.), to when he defiantly told his dad he didn't want to play baseball for the rest of his life (He'd walked all the way to her house just to sit on her front porch. It was the first and only time he'd cried in front of a girl.)

By the end of the night, Jakobi didn't want to see her go. Aiden was tall and sexy and yes, svelte, but more than that she was still the girl he'd loved four years ago, and it was hard to hide his disappointment as she led him out of the parlor.

They walked slowly back to the schools' parking lot, trying to make the most of their time. Her amazing eyes looked bright though she said she was tired, and she pulled her hair back into a loose pony tail with the rubber band on her wrist as they walked. The layers in the front hung around her face, those sideswept bangs dropping in front of her eyes. Jakobi kept conversation flowing as they reached her truck all too soon.

She stood in front of the door and turned to him, smiling up at him through her long eyelashes. "I had the best time tonight, Jakob." She admitted, her smile small but perfect.

"When do I get to see you again?"

* * * * *

Aiden sucked in a deep breath as she felt her smile disappear.

Well this has been great and all...

"You mean you want to hang out again?" she asked, her voice dripping with disbelief. "Why wouldn't I?" he asked, shocked such a smart girl could ask such a silly question, especially after how great of a night it had been. "I don't know... I mean Jakobi... the last time I left; it took us four years to meet up again. I don't want that to happen again. And I know how

busy

you can get..."

The sarcasm in her slightly-annoyed tone made Jakobi flinch.

He took her hand in his and leaned closer to, making her take a step back against the cold metal of the truck. "That was my mistake, Aiden. I shouldn't of let that happen. I was a stupid kid."

Aiden scowled. "You still are a stupid kid."

Jakobi smiled. "I never could get anything past you." Her light laugh and the blushing across her cheeks were all the invitation Jakobi needed. He kissed her cheek softly, and pulled away to see her skin turning multiple shades of red.

"Um... uh... Shit...." she giggled softly. Jakobi had to hide his smile at how flustered she was. She opened the door to her truck and peered inside before finding her bookbag and pulling a strip of paper and a pen from it. She scribbled down her phone number and address before turning around to hand it to Jakobi. His grey eyes skimmed it, his face lighting up with a smile so perfect it made Aidens heart skip a beat.

"Call me?"

* * * * *

Jakobi nodded slowly and watched her smile one last time before stepping into her truck. "Bye, Jakob. I'll see you soon." She said finally, starting up the truck and backing out.

He watched her leave, his smile never fading even though the brake lights of her truck eventually did. He stared down at the slip of paper in his hands, and slid it into his pocket for safekeeping. "We wouldn't want to loose that, now would we?" he mumbled to himself.

"Well, Jakobi, looks like you had a great night."

He turned to see Kat standing behind him, her blonde hair in a tight ponytail, her cheerleading bag over her shoulder.

Oh. Shit.