Chapter's song: Ed Sheeran Stay with me (ashdjashdkhkhsg!)

We finished setting up everything for camp, and when I say we, I mean Bryan. He didn't let me do much since I got hurt. The doctor asked me to meet me back in a week to get the stiches out. That only meant one thing: I was going camping with my stupid right hand bandaged.

Bryan's plans included fishing and sleeping in tents. I was quite disappointed that I wasn't going to do much. However, I couldn't complain, Bryan was being extra careful, totally spoiling me.

I was doing all the planning from my office, but he was doing all the work. I ended up calling suppliers in full-time, when I rather be cooking with the rest of the class.

When Thursday rolled in, I was completely fed up. Especially since Bryan was busy all the time and we hadn't spent more than five minutes alone. I was bored and overthinking everything. Not the best combination. By the end of the day, I concluded that we weren't a couple. There was nothing more than a few kisses here and there. It was so confusing. I hated it. A part of me wanted to give this a name, but at the same time, I didn't want that name to be nothing.

Sighing, I turned off the computer, before grabbing my backpack with my left hand. The injured hand still hurt from time to time, but thanks to the painkillers the doctors had prescribed, I was feeling better. I just had to wait until they took the stiches out. It made me nervous, though. Thinking of someone pulling string off my skin give me the chills.

"Are you all set to go?" Matt, the guy that Bryan had brought in to substitute me, asked as I closed the door to my office. He had dark hair with a few strays of gray. He worked at Bryan's restaurant and was happy to take a break from the stress of his everyday life to help in the school. We hadn't talked much, but he was nice.

My other classmates had instantly squared up to him. I didn't know it if was the short hairstyle or the age, he was around his fifties. He always offered me a smile, but he was serious in class.

Nodding, I smiled at him. "Yes. I need to set up everything for tomorrow." My grin faltered as I thought about being there and not being able to do anything.

He raised up his palm as I started to walk. "Chef Bryan wants to have a word with you."

My heart started to race. "Okay," I said softly.

He bobbed his head as he unbuttoned his chef coat. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jess!" He passed next to me and patted me on the shoulder before he went away.

Taking a deep breath, I walked towards Bryan's office. The door was open, but I still knocked on it. "Do you want to talk to me?"

He was sitting behind his desk, typing something on the keyboard. His eyes looked up and a small smile tugged his lips. He gestured me to take a seat. "Yes. I'm just finishing this. Give me two minutes."

I let the backpack on the floor as he turned to his computer. I tried not to look at him. Much. He still had his chef coat on, but this time it had the logo of his restaurant on the side. It was a given that I could stare at him for hours, but I loved seeing him with the chef coat on. He looked utterly handsome.

As he finished typing, his turquoise eyes cut to me. I couldn't be sure if I was drooling or not, but I blushed furiously as I looked down.

"How are you feeling?" He asked in a deep voice.

I glanced at him. "It doesn't hurt that much," I said raising my bandaged hand.

He nodded before unbuttoning his coat. I almost ask him not to. Almost. He hung it over the backrest of his chair before grabbing his leather jacket. "Can I take you home?"

My heart skipped a beat at the intensity of his stare. "Yes. Thank you."

He grinned before walking around his desk to grab my backpack before I could get it myself. "You're welcome."

We stepped through school in silence. It wasn't awkward, but it wasn't comfortable, either. It felt a little like both. When we reached his Jeep, he opened the door for me. I knew we were on time for dinner too. Biting my lip, I followed him with my eyes as he stepped around the car to reach to his side.

As he started the car, he glanced at me. "I'm sorry that you couldn't cook this week..."

I shrugged. "It's okay." I sounded nonchalant, when back inside the building, I was about to bump my head against the keyboard if I had to keep working with the computer.

"Have you got everything ready for tomorrow?"

"No."

He grinned. "You'll have to be careful, Jess."

Sighing, I gazed at the window. "Yeah, I know." My tone was defeated. Getting hurt before camp sucked big time.

We didn't talk until he parked in front of my house. I scrunched up my nose. "Do you want to come in?" I asked shyly, glancing at him for a brief second. He'd been watching me fixedly since he turned off the car.

"I'd like that, but I think you should sleep early since tomorrow is going to be rough."

A pang of disappointment washed over me. "Okay." I did need to pack my suitcase and with one hand, it was going to take forever. "Thank you for the ride," I murmured before opening the door.

"Jess?" Cold air seeped through as I turned to him. "Would you like to do something next week?" His stare was burning as I mulled the words over.

Is he asking me out?

"As in..." I trailed wanting to know what he meant. I mean, as pathetic as I'd been over the last few days, I needed reassurance.

He pressed his lips, as if suppressing a smile. "As in you and me."

I so wanted to do some sort of happy dance. "Oh." Did I just said oh! Say something else! Say something else! I cleared my throat. "I mean, yes. That would be nice."

OH. MY. GOD. Just shut up, Jessie.

He smiled, that boyish smile that always made my heart melt, before he opened his door and walked to my side. My heart was racing as he waited for me to step down. He grabbed my elbow to help me out and even if I didn't need the help, I loved his proximity. Just as I left his car, he took a step closer and without breaking eye contact, he leaned to me, reaching out to get my backpack that was still inside the car. My breath caught in my chest as we were inches apart. His eyes roamed all over my face as he held my bag in his left hand. I swallowed hard as he cupped my chin with his right hand.

He didn't lean to kiss me, it felt like he was letting me take the first step. My heart was thumping erratically inside my ribcage as I slowly closed the gap between us and brushed my lips over his. I closed my eyes as I kissed him softly. A second later, his left arm passed across my waist and pulled me closer to him as he deepened the kiss.

It felt like an eternity had passed from the last time we kissed to this moment. Butterflies fluttered like crazy inside my stomach. I was about to have a heart attack as we kissed for the longest of times. Like if we were making up for all those days we hadn't kissed. A deep groan sounded from the back of his throat as his hand gripped me tighter by the waist. The sound ignited a fire within me. I was gripping the collar of his shirt when he pulled away.

His pupils were completely dilated and his breathing was ragged. Just like mine. His eyes roamed all over my face and a small smile flashed through his face. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jessie."

My heart was still beating a mile a minute. I so wanted to kiss him again. Feeling bold, my left hand left his shirt and I did something that I'd wanted to for the longest of times. I passed it through his hair, reveling in the softness of his wavy hair. He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the way I touched his hair. When he opened them, they were darker and filled with sheer lust. I almost had a heart attack at the scorching way he was looking at me. He kissed me again and I felt like I was flying towards the stars until he dragged me closer but my injured hand was left in the middle. Pain burst instantly and I broke the kiss, closing my eyes.

"Shit. I'm so sorry. Did I hurt you?" his voice was concerned as I pursed my lips. It did hurt. I shook my head once as I waited for the pain to subside. I breathed out slowly before opening my eyes. He looked guilty and quite concerned at the same time. "Should I take you to the hospital?" he asked before grabbing my hand and examining the bandages.

"No. I'm fine."

"Maybe you should stay here." He cupped my cheek and brushed his thumb over my bottom lip. My stomach clenched.

"No! I really want to go!" I said at once.

"But—" I placed my fingers on his lips.

"I really want to go."

He stared at me for a moment, before rolling his eyes. "You'll have to promise me that you're going to take it easy." He glanced at my right hand. "It's clearly not healed yet."

My lips tugged up in a wide smile. "I promise." His eyes casted down to my lips. His brows furrowed as he took a step closer. My whole body feeling much colder without him close.

"I'll pick you up at seven." He grabbed my left hand and closed the door behind me before escorting me to my front door. Without saying anything else, he pecked me softly on the lips and walked away to his car.

My front door opened and I followed him with my eyes as he got inside his car and waved at me. When I turned to the right, I saw that Juno was holding the door with a huge smirk on her face.

Freaking awesome. I could just picture what she was about to say...

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