I have a warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach all throughout the ride. Jackson keeps quiet but he has a smile tugging at his lips. The sky is beginning to darken and I can see the end of a sunset between the trees we're passing by. A faded pink tints the sky in the horizon, stretching into a darker blue over the treetops. 

The car slows down in a parking lot and the house besides it is vaguely familiar. 

"You're taking me to meet the parents?" I tease.

Jackson snorts. "You wish."

He walks to the front door, unlocks it, and steps inside. I follow him in and my mind flashes back to the last time I stood in front of his door. I shiver at the thought.

You shouldn't be here. 

My mind keeps telling me it's a bad idea to be around him. And I know my mind is right. But the butterflies in my stomach are telling me to get closer.

Jackson takes a left down the hall and I follow him until we're in the kitchen. It's big and modern looking with black marble countertops and shelves in white wood. The floor-to-cieling windows give us a view of a serene looking landscape. I never noticed how far out of the town his house was. There are a few other houses placed between the trees, but it is mostly just scattered forrest. 

"You want something to drink?" he asks. Jackson opens the fridge and gets a carton of orange juice.

"No I'm good, thanks."  

"You want anything to eat?" He takes a swig directly from the carton, making me grimace in disgust.

"You should really use a glass. That's disgusting."

"I'm the only one drinking from it."

I raise my eyebrows. "Your parents don't drink orange juice?"

"I live alone."

My brain halts for a few seconds. He lives alone? At the age of 18? 

"Wow. That must be..." I don't know how to finish the sentence and Jackson notices my surprise. 

"Awesome? I know, I've heard it before. I mean, no curfew. No rules. No parents. I'm living the teenage dream." His voice is neutral, as if he's stating facts. But I don't know if he's trying to convince me or himself.

"I was gonna say lonely..." My voice is quiet. 

Jackson doesn't respond for a while. He's studying me again, like if he stares long enough he'll be able to see right through me. I swallow my nerves that are creeping up. Jackson clears his throat and place the juice carton back in the fridge.

"You hungry?" he asks.

My eyes follow his every move as he walks towards me. His strides are getting closer and I back up until my back hits the counter. Jackson leaves about a foot of space between us, but thats way too close for me to function properly.

"Ye-Yeah. Sure." 

Jackson smirks and takes a small step closer until our chests are touching. He places his hands on the counter, caging me in. I'm taking deep breaths, trying really hard not to think about his body against mine. 

"Do I make you flustered?" His eyes are roaming my face and neck and he licks his lips, making me lick my own.

"N-No. Of c-course not." I try keep my voice calm, as if not affected by him. 

My calm dissolves when Jackson leans in closer. His mouth is mere centimeters from my own. I spot a smirk tugging at his lips. When I think he's about to lean the last centimeter he dodges my lips so his mouth is next to my ear. 

"I'll make dinner. You make the dessert." His whispering tickles my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

And then it's gone. It's like taking off a warm blanket in a room that is freezing-cold. When my senses get back to normal my brain starts actually thinking again. Dessert. I'm pretty sure he said something about dessert. I spot Jackson looking at me, the cocky smirk as evident as ever.

I clear my throat, look away, and walk past him while bumping his shoulder hard. I head to the cupboards, ignoring his teasing laugh.

Jackson starts to take out pans and cutting boards while I retrieve tins and bowls. I have to look through every single cupboard to find what I need because I refuse to ask Jackson for help. 

Jackson is making some kind of stir-wok. At least I think it's some kind of stir-wok. I refuse to ask about that as well.

After scanning the last cupboards I can actually reach I mentally groan when I realize what I need must be in some of the top cupboards. I reach up and open the door, spotting the sugar on the top shelf. I roll my eyes, holding in a groan. I refuse to show weakness.

I stand on my toes, my left hand supporting me on the counter and my right hand reaching for the ingredient. My fingers don't even grace the bottom of the jar. I stand down on my feet again and huff.

"You need some help with that." His tone is teasing and I know he's smirking even though I'm not facing him.

"Nope." I try to jump to reach for it but that only results in Jackson actually laughing, so I stop that and just stretch my back even more.

My body stiffens when I feel his body pressing against mine. The heat is back and this time I blush as well. His hand reaches up, picking up the baking soda with ease. He holds it in front of my face.

"There you go." His voice is husky.

I take the jar but he doesn't walk away. I can feel his chest pressing into my back. I'm pretty sure his crotch is what's pressing against my ass, since I'm on my toes, and the thought makes me smirk.

I slowly stand down on my feet again, basically rubbing my body against his. I hear him take in a sharp breath and this time it's his body that stiffens. I slide out from in-between him and the counter, turn to him and give him an innocent smile.

I stand on my toes again, leaning into his side so my lips are gracing his ear. "Thanks," I whisper.

I walk to the bowl again and only when I start stirring do I realize what just happened. My cheeks heat at the thought. What was I doing? 

Jackson clears his throat and walks back to the fizzing pan while I continue with the dough.

I'm placing my tray in the oven when Jackson says dinner is ready. He has set the table that is placed in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. The sky has totally darkened but is covered with clouds, small raindrops falling like feathers from a bird.

I sit down and look at the meal in front of me. It actually looks pretty good. A bowl of mashed potatoes, some stir-wok vegetables and chicken breasts.

Jackson sits down opposite me and smiles. "Dig in," he says.

And I do. I'm pretty sure I look like a pig when I eat, but frankly I don't care. The chicken is juicy and the vegetables are spiced perfectly. The mashed potatoes are absolutely delicious as well.

"I don't even think I have room for dessert," I say.

Jackson smiles and it sends another butterfly to my stomach. It's one of his rare smiles. The one that's actually real.

"I'm glad you liked it," he says, pride in his tone.

I smile back. "You're a surprisingly good cook. I loved it, it was delicious."

Jackson rubs his neck, awkward about my compliment. "Thanks. Your cookies looked good," he says. I got Jackson to take them out of the oven because I was too busy stuffing my face. 

A sigh of content leaves my throat and I turn to the windows. The clouds have cleared out, rain no longer falling, and we can see the stars now. I'm tempted to say they look prettier from this window than from my own. 

I don't know how long I've been looking at the stars but it's long enough for Jackson to interrupt.

"Come on," he says. Then he gets up from his chair, taking both our plates and placing them in the dishwasher. I get up and pick up the empty serving-bowls and place them on the counter.

Jackson gets a big plate and starts transferring cookies from the tray to the plate. When he's done he nods in the direction of the door and I follow him.

He leads me up a set of stairs and he opens a door. I walk in just when he turns on the light. It's a bedroom. The walls are a dark blue color. The bed is placed along the wall to my right, a set of grey sheets and blankets laying crumpled on top. Opposite of the bed is a desk and thats all, besides the windows on the wall opposite the door. The room is even less personal than mine. No pictures, no scattered notebooks, no dirty laundry on the floor.

"Is this your bedroom?" 

Jackson nods. He hands me the plate of cookies and then turns to the windows. My jaw drops in shock when he opens the window and climbs out. 

"Jackson! Are you crazy? What are you doing?" I put the cookies down on the desk and head to the window. He's balancing on the slightly angled surface. 

"Get the blankets from my bed," he orders.

"What? No! Get back in here." My eyes are wide and my heart is starting to beat faster. What if he falls and dies? What do I do then? That's two deaths that can be connected to me. Oh god.

"Relax. I do this all the time." 

"Oh, you do this all the time? Why didn't you tell me so? Huh? Because that would've made it all so much better!"

"Adeline, calm down. It's only five meters down. And it's grass. It's not even asphalt you'll fall on."

I glare at Jackson, who only rolls his eyes. Then he gives me a pout. "Pretty please?"

I stare at the roof. It seems easy enough to balance on, the roof-tiles flat with a rugged surface. "Okay fine. But if I die, you're responsible." 

I get the blankets and hand them to him before handing him the tray of cookies as well. Then I swing one leg over the window frame. Jackson takes my hand and helps me over the rest of the way. He doesn't let go of me even when I find my balance and I'm thankful for that.

We both sit down but I can't really relax or even think of anything other than falling down. I think Jackson is talking but it might just be my imagination.

"Adeline?"

"Huh?" So he did talk.

"I asked you something."

"Oh. Sorry. What?" My voice is almost shaky. What the hell is wrong with you Adeline? You won't fall down. Right?

Jackson sighs and stands up. He places his blanket over his shoulders and sits down again, leaning his back against the a closed window. He spreads his legs and nods for me to sit down. I raise one eyebrow.

"Come on. I'll hold you so you don't fall."

I scoot over to him, my shoulders falling when I feel his arms wrap around my waist. I lean against his chest, letting his warmth fall around me like a perfect blanket.

His head is resting on my shoulder and his breath tickles my neck when he talks.

"You see those stars?" He points to the sky and traces out seven lightbulbs. "That's called Columba, the Dove. Some say it's named after Noah's Dove, in reference to the dove that signaled to Noah that the Great Flood was receding."

He points to another constellation and traces it out for me. "That's Lyra, the Harp. It represents the lyre of Olympus, a Greek poet and musician. He died at the hands of the Bacchantes." 

His voice is so smooth and calm and I think I want him to talk forever.

Then he points in another direction. "And that's Sagitta, the Arrow. It represents the arrow Heracles used to kill the eagle that gnawed on Prometheus' liver. Heracles was a hero in Greek mythology. I think he's better known as Hercules though, the adaption of him."

"Hmm... How do you know all this?" 

My eyes wander around the stars, drinking in their beauty. There must be at least a million of them, I think. It's like an endless dark wall filled with holes where the light shines through. Like the sky is broken, with an uncountable amount of cracks where everything good just pours into the darkness.

"My mom. She... She loved this stuff," his voice is almost strained, like it hurts him to say.

I turn around so I'm facing him. Jackson doesn't seem to mind that I'm basically straddling him. He tightens his hold on my waist and the butterflies flutter again. I look into his eyes and I see so much. Hurt, anger, despair. 

"What happened to her?" My voice is hesitant. 

"She..." He closes his mouth.

Jackson grinds his teeth, his jaw clenching. I slowly place a hand on his neck, stroking his jaw with my thumb.

"You don't have to tell me anything," I say. 

He shakes his head. "No. I want to."

I nod slightly, encouraging him to go on.

He takes a deep breath. His eyes are closed and he leans into the palm of my hand.

"Do you want to know when I became Lucifer?" He opens his eyes and hesitation passes them.

I nod.

"She got pancreatic cancer when I was fifteen and when I was sixteen she... She died... My dad, he was never in the picture. I don't even know where he is now or if he's even alive.

"I became Lucifer the night she died. I was introduced to hell the night she died. I remember seeing her just lying there, so still. And then I just took off. I ran until my lungs collapsed and suddenly I was on the outskirts of the town. It's awful to say, but she looked dead even before she was. She just looked so tired. All the time. Of everything..." 

Jackson looks up when he's finished talking and a single tear-drop falls down his cheek. I'm about to wipe it away but he's quick to do so himself. He doesn't want me to see him cry and it makes me want to cry so much more. How much has he kept inside? How many times has he been expected to be strong? To be the Lucifer they want?

"It's okay to cry," I say. "I won't tell anyone."

He snorts at my awful attempt at a joke to lift the mood. "But really though. It's good to cry sometimes."

I look into his eyes. I've never seen them so up-close. And they're even more beautiful, if thats even possible. Different shades of green almost shimmer around his pupil and a row of dark lashes frame his eyes. Curls of brown hair fall on is forehead and his cheeks are slightly pink due to the cold. His lips look soft and inviting and if I just leaned in an inch more, they would touch mine.

Jackson casts his eyes down to my lips when I look at his. I can feel my heart beating in my throat and I take deep breaths, reminding myself I need oxygen to live.

My lips part the slightest bit and so does his. Then he leans in and my eyes fall shut. His lips cover mine softly, igniting fireworks all around. I feel tingling down to my toes and out to my fingertips, like something ignites inside me. The kiss is slow at first, both of us hesitant.

Then he takes over and I'm completely lost in him as his lips drown with my own. He places a hand on my cheek and guide me even closer. My hands tangle in his hair at the back of his head and I hear him groan in pleasure. My heart flies out of my chest and is dancing among the stars and my mind is only filled with lust and magic.

I don't want to separate but when the lack of oxygen gets too big I part my lips from his. We're both breathing heavily and my forehead is resting against his. My eyes open the slightest bit and I see his lips stretching into a smile so breathtaking I can't help but smile too. He leans in one more time, giving me a quick peck on the lips, stealing my heart once again.  Then he kisses my cheeks and then my forehead, leaving a trace of tingles. All while I'm smiling like crazy.

---

A/N:

Wow! Almost 3000 words. That's my longest chapter so far.

I hope you liked the chapter!

PS:

I have a question;

Would you like me to write this chapter in Jacksons POV as well?

Leave a comment if you want that :)

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xoxo