Annabelle

The concert finished about twenty minutes ago, and Marlene brought us back into the room we met Jet in earlier. My parents sit on one of the couches and keep shooting worried glances in my direction.

My nerves have been shot since the moment I realized that Jet Valentine is Tyler. I guess there's still a slim chance that he's not, but I'm not counting on it. My parents have asked me several times now over the past few hours if I'm ok, and I just keep nodding, trying to put on a smile for them.

At the moment I'm trying to make myself feel better by devouring as many jellybeans as possible. I've made good headway, but my stomach is slowly starting to rebel. The last thing I need tonight is throw up on Tyler.

Or Jet.

What on earth am I supposed to call him now?

Why did he lie about his name to begin with?

I can hear hasty footsteps and someone shouting outside the door. A moment later it swings open after a brief knock. Jet steps into the room, his eyes finding mine in an instant. My hand with the jellybeans stops halfway to my mouth, as I take in his sight. He looks like he just stepped out of the shower, his dark hair still glistening with water. He's wearing black jeans, black boots, and a white v-neck shirt. I swallow loudly.

I'm trying to form a coherent thought, but it seems like my brain has malfunctioned. I'm absolutely sure that this is how hypnotised people feel like, or people who are under some sort of spell. If I could actually believe either one is possible, which at this point I definitely do.

Our connection suddenly breaks, when a jellybean falls out of my hand and onto the floor. I stare at the little piece of candy on the floor, wanting to shrink to the same size out of embarrassment.

"So," I can hear Marlene speaking up. "Jet and I were thinking that it might be fun for Joanne to indulge at the merchandise stand, on the house of course. Once we have everything we need, we can head over to the band to sign everything and then back to Jet. How does that sound?"

Joanne is jumping, clinging to both our mom's and dad's arm. "Please, please, can we go?"

"Of course, sweetie." My mom and dad say at the same time, laughing.

"Thank you so much." Joanne's excitement is barely containable. My parents push her gently toward the door, probably afraid she might jump Jet again otherwise.

My mom turns around. "Are you coming Annabelle?"

I look at my mom for a second and then over to Jet. He's looking at me intently, and I can only describe his look as pleading.

"No mom, you guys go ahead. I'll just wait here for you. Have fun." I'm not sure what to make of all the different emotions coursing through my body at the moment, but I know I need some answers from Tyler. Or Jet. This is getting confusing.

"Are you sure? I can stay here with you if you want me to." Her eyes flicker over to Jet for a moment, and I'm not sure if she suspects anything.

"No, you go ahead. I'm fine, don't worry." I put on a smile, trying to look convincing.

She studies me for a moment before nodding. She follows my dad and bouncing sister out the door. Marlene follows after her, closing the door behind them.

That leaves Jet and me alone.

I feel nervous and want to wipe my hands off on my jeans. I stop myself from doing it, when I realize that I'm still clenching a hand full of jellybeans. I'm almost certain that my hand looks like a colorful candy crime scene by now. I slowly open my hand, and my fear is confirmed. Most of the color from the jellybeans is now transferred to my skin. I close my eyes and groan in annoyance.

Tyler is suddenly standing in front of me, pulling my hand slowly to him.

"Open it up." It sounds like he's smiling, but I'm too embarrassed to look up at him. He must have grabbed a napkin from somewhere, and is now slowly wiping the gooey candy mess out of my hand. "Does stuff like this happen to you often?"

"You want to know if I tend to make a fool out of myself a lot? Then the answer is sadly yes, usually unwillingly." I try and peek up at him from under my eyelashes, hoping he's focusing on my hand but no such luck. His gaze immediately lands on mine, and I take in a deep breath. He's much closer than I anticipated, and the nearness makes my heart speed up as if I was running a marathon.

Every sensation I felt when I was talking to him on the phone, has multiplied by at least a hundred. I'm such a nervous wreck right now, I'm surprised I'm still able to stand on my own two feet. "Maybe it's better if we sit down."

He doesn't let go of my hand. Instead he holds on to it and leads me over to one of the couches. We sit down, leaving only a small gap between us.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" I ask him, a bit confused since he's usually so talkative.

"I thought you might have some questions, so I wanted to give you a chance first." He says in his low, husky voice. It sounds so much like him, and not at all at the same time.

"Why did you lie to me?" I finally blurt out.

"About what?" He has a small smirk on his face, and I'm not surprised.

"Well, what about your name for starters? Then about your job, and who knows what else. How am I supposed to know what was real and what wasn't? Was this all just a game to you?" I yank my hand back from him, suddenly overwhelmed with all of the emotions flooding my system.

"What? No, Anna." A deep frown forms on his forehead, and it almost looks like there's hurt in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, ok? There was just something about you right from the very beginning, and I didn't want you to know right away who I was. Then we started talking more and more. It was so much fun that I was afraid it would have ruined things. And technically I wasn't lying. My middle name is Tyler. I actually went by it when I was younger, at least my grandparents always used to call me that before they passed away. I used to spend a lot of time with them, and they always thought that Jet sounded like such a stage name, not a real name for a little boy. That was before this business world made me Jet Valentine, so I guess they had a point after all."

He takes a deep breath before continuing. "When I talk to you and you call me Tyler, I feel normal for once, and I've enjoyed it so much. During that time I'm not stressing out about anything, and it's all just so peaceful. I can't tell you how good this has been for me."

Great. What am I supposed to say to that now?

Both of his hands stretch out, silently asking for mine. I can't deny him his request, since I'm already craving the contact too. So I place them in his and look at our joined hands, somehow fascinated by the picture it provides me.

"I know this probably sounds stupid, but these last two weeks have been the best weeks ever. I can't remember the last time I've enjoyed myself so much. You are such a sweet, caring, and fun person, and I've enjoyed every minute we've had to talk. It was the highlight of every day, and I can't tell you how much I've been looking forward to finally seeing you."

He let's go of one of my hands, so he can lift up my chin. I look at him then, and I can see the sincerity in his eyes. "I really mean it, Anna. I know I haven't been completely upfront about everything, but I just didn't want to risk it. I didn't want to lose you, especially not before we even had a chance. Can you forgive me?"

I give him a small nod. "Just be completely honest from now on, ok?"

"Absolutely." He looks me deep in the eyes. "I want to see you, Anna. I want to spend as much time with you as possible and learn everything about you. I know it won't always be easy, and sometimes probably even a little bit crazy, but I want you to give me a chance, to give us a chance."

My heart has taken over at this point, beating erratically in my chest. My breathing picks up again as a lump forms in my throat, making it hard to swallow. "I'd like that too." I mumble.

He pulls me closer, crushing me to his chest. His arms encircle me, and I inhale deeply. It feels like I'm taking my first real deep breath since finding out that Tyler is Jet. "What am I supposed to call you now? Tyler or Jet?" I mumble into his warm chest, feeling very comfortable in his embrace.

"If you don't mind, I'd love it if you would continue calling me Tyler. It's special to me and it makes me happy."

I pull back slightly so I can look at him. "Absolutely. I don't mind at all."

The smile that appears on his face is breathtaking. I don't remember if I've ever seen anything this beautiful. Tyler lifts his hand to my cheek and caresses it lightly.

"I'm so happy you're here." He whispers, his gaze shifting between my eyes and my mouth. The adoration in his eyes is clearly visible, as he slowly lowers his face to mine.

Tyler's soft lips meet mine, and the light fluttering in my belly turns into a full blown party with millions of butterflies. My heart is beating so fast, that I think it might break through my ribcage at any moment.

I'm sure he's holding back for my sake, but my body is screaming for more at the moment. I pull him as close to me as possible, wrapping my hands around his neck and into his hair. His lips open up in surprise, and I don't hesitate for a second to deepen the kiss. When we finally pull apart a few minutes later, we're both out of breath.

The crazy thoughts of having developed feelings for this stranger are definitely confirmed in this moment. It probably sounds completely crazy and maybe even a little bit insane, yet at the same time utterly right.

I know deep down inside that Tyler is special.

I also know that this is only the beginning.

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