Author's Note: I haven't read any responses to Part 1 upon writing this because it's not published yet. Hopefully you like the story enough to be here, though.
Warning: From here on out, I've added the noncon tag to this story despite it not being present in Part 01, and although it's not a major theme, it will still occasionally be present. I apologize if you are uncomfortable with such things. If you are newly filtered in here through that tag, Part 01 is still available on my profile. Thank you.
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"Kid, the hell's wrong with you?" Jacob growled, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"I keep telling you, it's nothing!" Lana insisted, her eyebrows furrowed together as her gaze was fixed outside the car window.
A small scoff came from the driver's seat. "Then could you please relax just for one goddamned car ride?" He scowled. His hands gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. "You're makin' my ass nervous. Quit bouncin' your leg, too."
"I
am
relaxed." Lana huffed, making the mental effort to still her leg.
"Right, right. And I'm Prince Charming, here to rescue you from your psychotic ex-boyfriend who may or may not still be lurking at your place."
Lana nodded her head and raised her eyebrows with a small hum, still not turning to look at him. "Half of that is true."
"The Prince Charming part, right?" Jacob asked, throwing her a smirk and a cocked eyebrow. Lana huffed and turned her gaze towards him from the passenger window, leaning over and delivering another smack to Jacob's leg, causing him to chuckle. "Hey, I'm drivin'. Careful, princess."
Lana crossed her arms and looked away again. She couldn't help the heat continuously rising to her cheeks at her own embarrassment. Even sitting in this car was proving to be a little much for her. Their proximity was all she could think about.
Lana was even embarrassed at the reason why she was embarrassed; it felt childish, but she was having a difficult time staying mature whenever her mind would remind her of the sexual nature of what she and Jacob had done the night prior. As much as she realized she should be thankful for his help, for letting her sleep over and even driving her around, she couldn't help but feel as though she wanted to scream into a pillow all morning whenever he was near.
She couldn't help but think about what they did together. To him, it might not seem that big of a deal; they didn't have
penetrative
sex after all. But to her it was the most lewd thing she'd ever done. How could he be so nonchalant as if nothing happened? Is that what happens when you get more experienced? The act of nonchalance made her more embarrassed than if he'd just confronted it head-on.
The entire situation made Lana a bit self conscious.
Lana swallowed the saliva accumulating in her mouth. Her phone buzzed in her jacket pocket. Snaking into it and taking out the phone, she glanced at the message from Emily.
Hello Ms. Morning-After. How was it?
Lana's face scrunched up into a scowl as she replied:
I told you already, we didn't have sex. Bigger fish to fry right now, Em.
And is this bigger fish another hot bouncer? Got another pic to send me?
No more bouncers for me, one is plenty. I broke up with Evan, but I forgot that my wallet and keys were in his car. He went to my apartment when I wasn't there and I crashed at Jacob's instead.
I'm assuming Jacob's the hot bouncer. So what are you doing now?
Lana was about to respond with she heard a deep, "Princess," from the driver's seat. Jacob's voice cut through Lana's focus, causing her to jump slightly. "We're here. Let's go."
Lana realized Jacob's red Dodge had stopped moving and she looked up to see her familiar apartment building. It wasn't nearly as tall as Jacob's, with a max of only 3 floors and no elevator. As she gripped the car door and exited, her head was on a swivel, examining the parking lot. "I don't see Evan's car," she admitted, "so maybe he's not here."
Jacob only gave a small grunt in response. He followed Lana to the front as she punched in a small passcode to unlock the entrance to the building. From there, they climbed a short flight of stairs to the second floor.
Jacob noticed that the apartment building was extremely noisy; shrieks of laughter echoed from various rooms and nondescript thumps everywhere. As his worn-out boots thudded against each stair, he grumbled, "Loud as hell."
"The building mostly rents to college students," Lana explained, turning her head over her shoulder as she spoke. They walked up to room 203. Steeling her nerves, she took a deep breath and raised her arm. She tried the door handle -- unlocked. For a moment, she wished it wasn't. She grimaced slightly, glancing over to Jacob, who stood beside her. "I'm... kind of nervous."
"That he's in there?"
"Yeah."
Jacob shrugged and nodded. "He might be."
"Well you're such a boost of confidence, aren't you?"
Jacob put his hands on his hips and hung his head, tilting it upwards and throwing her a small, wry smile. He came up behind her and placed a large hand on her waist. His fingers splayed out as he cupped her side, and Lana could feel his chest hovering against her back without touching. She instinctually wanted to lean back into him, into the familiar feeling of him wrapped around her from behind. Instantly, her mind flashed to their moment last night on the couch. Her entire body starting to grow hot. She snapped out of her memory when Jacob's warm breath came down to her ear.
"I'm here." His low voice sent reverberations throughout her whole form. "There's nothin' to worry about. Do you want me to come in with you, or wait outside?"
Jacob's hand on her waist started lightly stroking as she thought of an answer. Lana bit her bottom lip and her hand gripped the door handle even tighter. "Outside," she told him finally. "If you come in with me, he'll be more aggressive if he's there. I'll shout if I need you."
"All right." His deep voice confirmed behind her. She felt him nuzzle slightly into her neck. "Don't hesitate to shout, then."
"Okay."
And like that, Jacob pulled away. The warmth of his hand on her hip was gone, and his face was no longer near her neck. She craned her head around her shoulder to look at him, and he was up against the opposite end of the hall's wall with his arms crossed. He raised his eyebrows and gave her a small, weak shrug.
Lana turned her attention back to the door and slowly pushed it open. As she peered inside, her heart dropped into her stomach. In the entranceway, all of the coats and jackets that had been in a small closet were torn out and lying on the floor. Her shoes were thrown around, and anything that had been on any shelves were knocked onto the ground.
As she stepped further into the apartment, she noticed Jacob come closer and hold the front door open so it wouldn't slam shut behind her. He didn't enter yet, just stayed posted by the door like a guard dog.
Lana peered into the kitchen next, where she felt her body tense. Glasses had been thrown onto the ground and shattered, her refrigerator was left wide open and anything inside had been thrown out. Turning her head into the living room, she saw that her T.V had a large crack in the screen and all the cushions of her couch had been uprooted and thrown. All the books and DVDs on a nearby shelf had been knocked over as well.
"Evan?" Her voice called out. No response.
Taking a deep breath and holding it in her chest, Lana clenched her fists and moved deeper, towards her bedroom. She cracked open the door and prepared herself to see it in complete disarray, but instead she found it to be completely untouched. Not a single thing was out of place; her covers on the bed were still rumpled from the last time she hadn't made it, her various brushes and lotions still remained in front of her dresser, the mirror was intact.
