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No no no no no…
You sprint down the sidewalk, gripping the straps of your backpack tightly as it bounces against your back.
How can this be happening!?
For the first time in your life, you had slept through your alarm. You had stayed up late the night before, binging a new K-Drama that was too good to turn off. “One more episode…” you’d whisper, before clicking ‘next’ on the screen. So when the beeping of your phone finally pulled you out of your slumber, an entire half an hour late, you swore to the entertainment gods for making such addictive shows.
You round another corner, the concrete blurring beneath your feet. The school was only a couple of minutes away, you were so close…
A large shape darted in front of you.
Startled, you lost your footing and went crashing to the ground. You stuck out your hands instinctively and felt a sharp pain as your skin skidded against the concrete.
You groan, turning onto your side as you slowly open your eyes. Before you could process what was happening, a large wet tongue licked your face.
“What the…”
You open your eyes to find a medium-sized dog staring at you happily, its tongue out and its tail wagging.
“Hey there, buddy, you really scared me.”
The dog licked your face again.
“Ok, ok, thanks, that’s enough.” You shoo the dog away and sit up wearily. Your hands sting, and when you look down, you find them caked with blood and dirt.
You sigh loudly, “Now what am I gonna do?” You look back at the dog, “It’s your fault, you know.”
The dog clearly didn’t understand your frustration, and it continued to wag its tail happily. For the first time, you noticed how skinny the dog was. It looked like some sort of retriever, but you couldn’t tell under its dirty coat and thin frame.
“Poor boy, are you out here alone?” You reach out a hand and scratch its head with your fingers, being careful to avoid the cuts. “Are you even a boy?” You crane your neck to look under it. “Yes, you are, and a good boy too.”
The dog whined with happiness and rolled over on his stomach.
You giggle, momentarily forgetting that you had somewhere to be.
“Looks like you made a friend.” A voice sounded from behind you.
You whirl around to find a boy around your age. He was a little taller than you, with a leather jacket and black hair that fell softly around his face. You’d know that crooked smile anywhere, the one that drove all the girls crazy. Mr popular himself, Jake.
“Oh uh, he’s not mine.” You get to your feet but keep your eyes on the dog, who’s still lying happily on his back, fearing your ability to talk properly if you were to meet the boy's eyes.
“Really? Is it a stray?” Jake walks up until he’s standing right next to you. He crouches down and starts to rub the dog’s belly. “Hey, little guy, do you have a home?”
You can’t help but smile at the scene, Jake’s Australian accent not helping to calm your nerves. The dog gets up and starts trying to lick Jake's face. He laughs as the dog assaults him with kisses.
“He really likes you.” You say, a small laugh escaping your lips.
Jake grins at you, “They call me the dog whisperer.”
Your heart skips a beat at his smile. You weren’t any better than all the other girls. “Oh, so you’re the expert.”
He shrugs, “I like to think so.” He looks up at you again, this time studying your face. You can feel your skin heating up and avoid his eyes.
“I’ve seen you before, we have History together, right?”
You nod.
“Wait, don’t tell me.” He closes his eyes and puts a finger up, “You are… Y/N!”
“Yep, that’s me.” You smile, suppressing the part of you that’s jumping for joy that he knows your name.
Jake cocks his head slightly, “Wait a minute, why are you even out here? Aren’t you the girl with perfect attendance?”
Your eyes widen, remembering why you’d been running in the first place. Before you could come up with the words to excuse yourself and get to class, Jake suddenly grabs your hand. You inhale sharply as he gently holds your palm up to his face. “You’re hurt. Did this just happen?”
For a second, you can only stare at him, you’d never been so close…
“y/n?”
“What? Oh yes, I was running to class and-” you glare at the dog who’s staring up at the two of you curiously, “-and someone darted in front of me.”
Jake glances between you and the dog and smiles, “Maybe it was fate.”
Your breath catches, “Fate?”
Jake shrugs again, his crooked, boyish smile making another appearance. “Maybe you’re meant to take him home.”
“Oh no, I couldn’t-”
He cuts you off, “I’m just kidding, you don’t have to, but you do have to get these hands cleaned.” He gently releases your hand and turns away. “I can get you cleaned up at my place. Come on.”
You stare after him, speechless.
Jake calls out behind him, “And you too, boy, come on!”
The dog gets up from beside you and trots after him happily. You couldn’t help feeling a little betrayed. You look off in the direction of the school.
Well, it’s not like I can still be on time.
You take a deep breath and hurry after Jake.
“Here we are.” Jake holds the door open for you as you walk into his house.
You look around, surprised at how cozy it feels. You expected towering ceilings and minimalist decorations, but instead found family photos lining the walls, with large, comfy furniture.
You stop in front of a family photo, with a young Jake and an older boy who you assume is his brother.
“Pretty cute, huh?” Jake leans against the wall beside you, looking at the picture.
“Oh uh- yes, very adorable.” You run a hand through your hair, avoiding his eyes that seemed to stare right through you.
This boy…
The dog pushes his way between the two of you, rubbing against your leg.
“Are you sure he can be in here? Your parents won’t kill you for bringing in a stray dog?” You say, leaning down to scratch his ears.
“It’s fine.” Jake waves dismissively. “We have another dog, but my mom takes her to work with her.”
“Should we give him a bath or something?” You ask.
Jake studies their new companion, “Probably, we can do that after I patch up your hands.” He walks over to the staircase. “The first aid stuff is up here, follow me.”
You follow him up the stairs, trying not to think about how the girls at school would murder you if they found out you had been in Jake’s house.
“What’s your dog's name?” You ask, trying to distract yourself.
Jake gets to the bathroom door and grins at you as he opens it to let you in. “Layla, she’s a border collie.”
Your heart flutters, “I love border collies, they’re so smart.”
“Right? She’s my best friend,” he runs a hand through his hair sheepishly, “my friends even say we look alike.”
You laugh softly, “You do have a puppy-like quality to you, in a good way.”
Jake cocks his head slightly.
You cover your mouth with your hand to suppress your laughter, “Oh yeah, now I really see it.”
He chuckles and starts to look through the bathroom cabinets, eventually pulling out a white plastic box with a red cross on the top. He puts it to the side and holds out his hand.
You stare at it blankly.
“Give me your hands, we have to rinse them first.” He says.
You blush slightly, but quickly stick out your hands.
He gently guides them under the sink and starts to massage the blood and dirt off your skin.
You wince slightly as his fingers brush the cuts.
“Shh, sorry,” he says softly.
“It’s ok,” you reply.
As his attention is on your hands, you take the opportunity to get a closer look at him. You admire his soft features and warm brown eyes, his expression focused but kind. A warmth radiates off of Jake like something you’d never felt before. You gaze at the locks of hair that fall softly in front of his eyes. Your arm twitches slightly as you feel the urge to brush them out of his face.
Jake senses the movement and smirks slightly, his mouth creating a cute dimple that sends your heart fluttering all over again.
“Ok, I think they’re clean enough.” Jake steps back and hands you a towel. “Ok, now sit.”
You suppress your smile at the firmness in his voice and perch at the edge of the bathtub.
He crouches down beside you and starts to wrap your hand with gauze. It was more cut up than you expected, so you were grateful to have someone there to take care of you.
“Thanks for all this,” you murmur.
Jake looks up at you, “Anytime, I’ll always help a lady in need.”
“What a gentleman.” You bite your lip to stop yourself from smiling like an idiot.
He flashes you another one of his heart-stopping grins, “That’s how my mama raised me.” He finishes wrapping your hands and cleans up the supplies. “Should we call up our new friend?”
“Yeah,” you pause for a second, “should we give him a name?”
Jake closes his eyes and scrunches his nose while he thinks. You just smile at his cuteness.
“How about Fate?” He says.
“Fate?
“Yeah, like how I said, it was fate he ran into you today.” He glanced away, a hint of red on his cheeks. “And maybe fate that I ran into you, too.”
Your eyes widen, and you’re about to say something when the dog, Fate, comes charging into the bathroom.
Jake immediately starts showering the dog with attention, “Aw, good boy, you heard your name!” He looks up at you, “I knew he’d like it.”
You smile back, “Fate it is then.”
Jake lifts him into the tub and starts the process. He does the washing while you hand him the shampoo and treats, so you don’t get your fresh bandages wet. Fate handles the bath surprisingly well, and the two of you decide he’d probably had an owner before. Maybe he just ran away?
After the bath, Fate climbs out, and you both rub him down until he’s mostly dry. Now that he’s free of dirt, his golden hair shines through, and you think that he looks like a mix between a lab and a terrier.
“Well, you’re a beauty, aren’t you?”
“Thanks, I know,” Jake says.
You give him a playful glare, “I was talking to Fate.”
“Sure, sure,” he smirks at you, his eyes lingering on your face before turning to gather the wet towels.
You can’t stop the smile that takes over your mouth as you start to help clean.
“Don’t worry, I got it. You and Fate go downstairs. I’ll be there in a sec.” Jake says, waving you out the door.
You nod and are about to head downstairs when you spy a door cracked open at the end of the hall. You know you shouldn’t, but curiosity gets the best of you as you approach the door. Before you can push it open, Fate barrels between your legs to open it himself. You’re about to call after him, but bite your tongue as you take in the room.
Behind the door is a bedroom, filled with posters and knick-knacks, complete with a desk and a full-sized bed. You step inside, a small smile forming on your face as you take in the soccer trophies on the desk and the BTS poster on the wall. The room had so much warmth and personality, perfectly representing the boy you’d been getting to know over the last couple of hours. You breathed in deeply, relishing Jake’s unique scent that seemed to be intoxicating you more and more by the minute.
“Didn’t take you for someone who walks into people’s rooms uninvited.”
You spin around at the voice, finding Jake leaning against the doorframe, a quizzical look on his face, his hair slightly messy from cleaning.
You ignore the butterflies in your stomach, “I-I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” You run a hand through your hair nervously, avoiding his gaze.
His expression melts into an easy smile, “I’m just messing with you, I was gonna ask if you wanted a tour anyway.” He walks into the room and leans down to pet Fate, who had already made himself comfortable at the foot of the bed.
Suddenly, you became hyperaware of the situation you had gotten yourself into. Here you were, skipping school, caring for a dog off the street, and standing in the bedroom of the school heartthrob. What were you thinking? What would your parents think? What would your teachers think?
“So this was really nice, but I-I should really go now,” you start to walk towards the door, but before you can reach it, a hand wraps around your wrist.
“Wait.”
You turn your head to find Jake gripping your arm, a soft pleading look in his eyes. “Please stay.” After a second, he shakes his head as if snapping out of a trance and lets go of your wrist, taking a step back. “I mean, if you want to go, I won’t stop you, I understand.” When you don’t answer, he continues. “I just really enjoyed spending time with you today and thought…” he paused, looking everywhere but your face, “...thought that we could hang out since we already skipped school and everything.”
You stare at him, too shocked to speak. The air is thick with tension as Jake holds his breath for your reply.
After a few seconds, you chuckle softly at the bashful look on his face. He meets your eyes. “I’d like that, Jake.”
After that, you guys decided to watch a movie. Jake gets the snacks ready while you gather pillows and blankets.
“I love watching movies in the middle of the day,” Jake says as he plops down on the couch next to you.
“Better than at night?” You ask.
“Yeah, I’m too tired to watch movies at night.”
“How early do you go to bed?”
He puts a finger on his lips as he thinks, and you can’t help but let your gaze linger a little too long.
Jake looks back at you, and you look away quickly. “Like 9 or 10,” he says.
“That’s really early.”
“It’s not THAT early,” He says defensively.
“I went to bed at 1 am last night,” you deadpan.
“What can I say? I love being cozy.” He pulls a blanket tightly over himself and scoots closer to you, resting his head on your shoulder.
You feel your heart rate quicken and your face heating up in response. “Am I cozy?” You say softly.
“Yes,” he mumbles.
You look at Fate, who’s fast asleep at your feet, then back at Jake, who’s curled up next to you, scrolling through movies on the TV.
You chuckle softly, “You really are like a puppy.”
Jake meets your eyes and grins, and for the first time, you notice a soft blush forming on his face.
After some debate, you two finally settle on the first Spider-Man movie and hit play. During the first hour, Jake shifts several times. Every time his hair brushed your neck, shivers ran down your back, and when he laughed, his hot breath raced over your skin, creating more intense flutters in your stomach.
Eventually, he sits back up and looks at you, a hint of nervousness in his eyes along with something else, something darker. “Do you…” He starts, a playful smile crossing his lips, “...do you want to be the puppy this time?” He opens his arms invitingly.
You feel your heart beating out of your chest, and nod slowly.
Jake smiles and lifts the blanket so you can move beside him. You lean into his back as he places the blanket over you both. Tentatively, he wraps his arms around you, placing his hands over yours.
His scent washes over you, and you find yourself fully relaxing against his chest, leaning your head back until you feel his chin resting on your head. He absently rubs circles on your hands, and after a few minutes, you gain the courage to intertwine your fingers with his. You feel him stiffen slightly, and you’re about to let go before he squeezes your hand in response.
Throughout the movie, his hands become more confident, tracing your arms before finally snaking around your waist. You can barely focus on the movie because with every touch, your body is set on fire, and it takes all of your self-control not to close the distance between you.
When the infamous upside-down kiss comes on screen, Jake lowers his mouth to your ear, his hot breath sending shivers throughout your body, and whispers, “Did I ever tell you you look really pretty today?” His arms around your waist tighten.
“No,” you manage to whisper back, your heart pounding so hard you’re sure he can hear it.
“Well, you do, like you always do,” he places a soft kiss on your neck, just below your ear.
Your eyes widen, “Always?”
Jake stops and buries his face in your neck. You can feel him smiling against your skin. “I guess my secret is out.”
You crane your neck to look at him, and he peers down at you shyly. “How long?” You ask, a smile creeping onto your lips.
He bites his lip, “Hmm, since the beginning of the year?”
You shove him playfully, “Five months??”
He tilts his head back, trying to hide his face from you out of embarrassment, but with you in his arms, he has nowhere to go. You think it’s adorable.
“You make the cutest faces when you’re trying to focus, and I was so impressed that you had perfect attendance. You never even get sick, I thought you were invincible or something.”
You giggle at his explanation, “I do get sick, but it’s usually only during school breaks.”
“So you’re not an angel or a descendant of some goddess?” Jake asks, a slight whine in his voice.
“Only to you,” you reply, booping his nose.
He ducks his head into your neck again, his face bright red. You laugh at his cuteness and turn your body so you’re sitting in his lap, your arms wrapped around his neck as you stroke his hair.
Jake pulls you close, his hands slipping under your shirt and resting on your stomach. He shifts his head and starts to place gentle kisses up your neck. He traces your jaw with his lips until he finally rests his forehead against yours.
He stares into your eyes and licks his lips slightly. “y/n, can I kiss you?”
You smile and nod.
With your confirmation, he leans in and softly places his lips against yours. His hand goes under your chin, tilting your head up for better access. The kiss is gentle and slow, filled with tender emotion.
You feel your body melt into him as you run your fingers through his hair. He sighs softly at the contact. The hand under your chin goes to the back of your head, pulling you closer, deepening the kiss. You smile against his lips, and he smiles back.
Before you can even process what’s happening, he’s flipped you onto your back. You yelp in surprise, but he quickly silences you with his lips. One of his hands grips your thigh, and the other is braced beside your head as he holds himself over you.
His lips move from your mouth back to your neck, and you groan softly at the contact. He smiles and bites softly.
You gasp, “Jake! You’re going to leave a mark.”
He sucks on the same patch of skin, “But I want everyone to know you’re mine.”
You laugh softly, your heart melting at his words.
He stops and perches above you again, looking down into your eyes. “Once they know you’re my girl, no one will bother us anymore.” He pecks your lips.
“You mean your fan club? I’m pretty sure they’ll bother us more once they know you’re taken.” You say.
“No,” he moves down to your stomach, lifting your shirt slowly as he kisses you, “if they give you any trouble, I’ll tell them off.”
You stare up at the ceiling as he gets higher and higher up your torso. Your whole body is on fire. “Jake-”
You’re cut off as the doorbell rings.
Both of you freeze and look at each other. You both sit up and straighten out your clothes. You run your fingers through Jake’s hair, doing your best to make it less messy. His eyes never leave you, affection seeping out of them. When you’re done, he kisses you once more, slowly and deeply, before standing up and heading to the door.
You stare after him, a smile plastered on your face that you’re sure can never be erased.
The door opens, and you hear Jake exclaim in surprise. Curious, you follow him to the door.
“Jay, what are you doing here?” Jake says. You reach the door to see the two boys greet each other. You recognize the boy from school and remember that he’s one of Jake's close friends.
“Well, I-” Jay freezes when he sees you come up to stand by Jake. His face breaks out in a smile, “No way, did you…?” He looks at Jake expectantly.
Jake smiles sheepishly and looks at you before wrapping an arm around your waist, pulling you against him. You flash Jay a shy smile.
“Oh my god, I can’t believe it, how’d it happen? You were terrified to talk to her.”
Jake’s about to say something when Fate comes sprinting down the hall. He jumps onto Jay, whining happily.
“Cupid! There you are!” Jay immediately drops down and starts petting the dog.
You and Jake stare at the pair in shock.
“Cupid…?” You start.
“This is your dog, Jay? I didn’t even know you had a dog!” Jake said.
“Oh yeah, he’s new. We just got him from the shelter, but the night after we brought him home, he somehow got out.” The dog licked him enthusiastically. “I’ve been looking for him for a few days now.” He looked back up at the two of you, “That’s why I came over, one of your neighbors said they saw you with a dog that wasn’t Layla.”
You and Jake look at each other, and before you know it, you’re both laughing. Jay gives both of you a questioning look.
“Let’s just say, Cupid really lives up to his name,” You say.
Jake intertwines his hand with yours.
They talk for a little longer, Jay telling you all about how Jake couldn’t stop talking about you, but never had the guts to approach you. You never leave Jake’s side, and when it’s finally time to say goodbye, you kneel in front of Cupid and scratch his ears. “Thanks,” you whisper so the boys wouldn’t hear. The dog looks back at you, and you swear that you can see a hint of mischief in his eyes.
You and Jake stand on the porch and watch Jay and Cupid walk away. From behind, he wraps his arms around your waist and places his chin on your shoulder. When they’re out of sight, he places his mouth beside your ear and whispers, “I told you it was fate.”