Jack's face was serious as I sat in the chair across from him at his desk. We were in his study, which was, honestly, a dream come true.

There were Victorian-style floor to ceiling, arched windows (the kind that came with grills) each beside the other lining the wall behind the desk. The walls on either side of the dark mahogany desk had large bookshelves of the same shade of wood. The bookshelves had step ladders built-in. The last wall had the door, and was bare of anything else. The lighting was dim and the carpeted floor was dark, as well, which made everything look classier and miserable at the same time.

Overall, it was amazing.

"So," I began, nervously smoothing down my dress as I crossed my legs, "What did you want to talk about?"

"Uh," he began, clearing his throat nervously. I was beginning to feel anxious. What if he actually did want to marry her? He deserved so much better.

"I know this is awkward because I'm not your father but, for all intents and purposes, I believe you're family. This is about something I don't believe your mother has discussed with you yet."

"Alright." I said calmly, concealing my anxiety, indicating for him to continue.

"Have you considered what you want to do in the future?" He began, adding, "Profession wise, I mean."

"What?" I questioned, shocked at the topic that had arisen. That was far from what I'd imagined this conversation was about.

"What do you want to do with your life, Taylor?" He asked, his gaze slightly confused at my surprise.

"Oh, um, I've always wanted to go into marketing?" I posed it like a question, unsure as to what was happening. Did this mean he wasn't about to marry the bitch?

"That's great." He complimented, leaning back in his chair as he smiled widely.

"The purpose of this conversation is probably going to make you feel awkward, but I'd like to tell you anyway." Jack said, adding, "I want to make you a job offer."

"What?" I spluttered, far beyond confused at this point.

"Look, Taylor. I've grown to care for you as family, as I've mentioned before." He laced his fingers together, looking every bit the businessman he was, "So, if you're still interested in marketing after college, then Melton Industries will always have a place for you, despite where your mother and I might stand in the future. I give you my word, and I never go back on my word."

"What's the catch?" I inquired suspiciously, wondering why he'd do something like that.

"There's no catch, dear." Jack chuckled, "I know I probably scared you with how serious I sounded, but this is only an offer. You're not obligated to take it, either, but it will always be there for you."

I was still reluctant to believe that he was being serious. Who did stuff like that, apart from characters on TV?

"Alright." I agreed, still slightly bemused. "I'll get back to you in four years."

"There's one more thing." He said suddenly, and I knew, I just knew, that this was going to be catch, "You and your mother don't have a very close relationship, do you?"

"No, we don't." I wasn't sure where this was leading but, for once, I just wanted to be truthful when it came to her, even if it was to her boyfriend, "And, honestly, you shouldn't get too close to her, either. I know you might not realize it right now, but that woman will destroy you."

It felt weird offering someone so much older and wiser advice, but he needed to run as fast as he could.

"Taylor," he laughed, "I'm not stupid. Not to boast, but I'm not the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company for no reason. I think I'm shrewd enough to know when my feelings aren't reciprocated."

"Then why are you still with her?" My brows furrowed. If I had the choice, then I'd be far, far away from her.

"I've been holding onto the hope that, maybe, she'd begin to love me someday. But," he sighed, "That doesn't seem possible. I think I'll wait for you to graduate and leave first, before ending anything with her." He had a knowing glint in his eye, and I knew that he knew that she held something over me.

Jack was much more intelligent than I'd given him credit for.

"Thank you." I said genuinely, offering him a smile that he returned almost wearily.

*

When I got home later, Julio was asleep in my bed, as instructed. It was the last hour or so of my birthday and I wasn't willing to spend it with anyone but my boyfriend. We hadn't gotten any alone time all day.

I tiptoed in, careful not to wake him. He was the sort of person who seemed so peaceful when asleep that you never had the heart to wake them up.

Unfortunately, being me, I managed to trip over the leg of a chair and send it crashing down.

"Wha-" He sat up immediately. He was a ridiculously light sleeper, and a noise softer than the one I'd made would've woken him in a heartbeat.

"Hi." He greeted, surprised, half-asleep and absolutely adorable.

"Hi." I whispered, walking over to the bed to kiss him softly.

"How was your conversation?" He asked blearily, rubbing at his eyes. He sat up straighter, pushing his hair out of his eyes.

"It was interesting, to say the least." I said, grabbing my pajamas from off the chair and ducking behind my wardrobe door to change.

"What do you mean?" Julio yawned, muffling his words.

I slipped under the covers, immediately feeling better, before answering. I told him everything that happened, and he was less shocked than I was. Nothing fazed that boy, did it?

"It's a lot better than a wedding."

I agreed wholeheartedly with that statement. Anything was better than a wedding. That would have been a nightmare.

"Very, very true." I agreed, yawning, as I cuddled into his side. According to Ally, being this comfortable around him so soon was weird, but Romi had told her to shut up and added that she and Brad had been the same.

Julio wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into him, so that we were basically spooning.

"Go to sleep." He urged, "It's been a long day."

"Okay," I agreed, almost like a child. "Good night."

"Good night, princess." He chuckled, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "Happy birthday, again."

Before I could respond, I passed out.

*

I woke up to the sun streaming in through the windows, stopped by nothing because I'd forgotten to close the curtains.

Julio was still fast asleep beside me. We'd separated at some point and, while we were still sleeping closely, we weren't cuddling like we'd been when we'd fallen asleep. I'd also managed to steal the entire blanket, while Julio was sleeping without anything to cover him.

I felt bad for a second, then remembered that this was California. He didn't need a blanket, even at night, especially where we were.

I groaned softly as I stretched, knowing I'd have to wake up now. Unfortunately, I had school. I rolled over onto my side, checking my phone on the bedside table to see how much time I had to get ready.

"Shit!" I cursed, loudly, waking Julio up. "Fuck!"

"What's wrong?" He demanded, alert. Judging by his tone, he probably assumed that someone was dying.

"It's 11:00! We missed three hours of school. We can't show up this late! What are we going to do?"

"Princess, calm the fuck down." Julio laughed, sounding amused despite the harshness of his words, "Yes, we had school today. But everyone's probably at home. There quarters of our senior class was at your party, and that lasted well past midnight, so everyone's probably at home right now."

"Are you sure?" I asked, slightly concerned for my attendance. I knew he was right, though. By the time I'd finished talking to Jack and had come home, it was around midnight and I'd left early, despite it being my party. It wasn't really my scene, and no one seemed to care, apart from my friends, that the birthday girl was gone.

"I promise." He assured, crossing his heart dramatically. I chuckled, flopping back down and settling into bed.

"Fine." I agreed, not bothering to sound even the slightest bit reluctant. What was the point, anyway?

"Good." He smirked lazily, tugging me gently towards him so I fell back onto bed, on top of him.

Our lips were a hair's breadth apart, and our breaths were intermingled. We were lying chest to chest, and he was gazing into my eyes with an intensity that I almost couldn't fathom.

This boy loved me, he really, truly loved me.

My heart swelled with so much emotion, and my breathing hitched noticably, making Julio smile at me smugly but, at the same time, fondly.

"I love you." He said, voicing the thoughts that I could see materialize in his eyes.

I could feel the faint pressure of his words against my lips as his breath left his. It was gentle, almost like a butterfly kiss.

"I love you, too." I replied, not even sparing a thought about morning breath.

And, so, I kissed you.