Surrender my Heart (The Subzero Series) (3 page)

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S
omeone is banging incessantly at my
door. When I say banging, I mean like literally beating the door down. I glance
through the peephole and see a short girl with long curly blonde hair and she
looks positively furious. I consider ignoring her. I mean she hasn’t seen me.
For all she knows I’m not here.

“I know you’re in there you big stupid
dummy. Open up the door Jack,” Jocalyn yells.

Reluctantly, I open up the door and she
flies in like a little blonde fireball. I close the door and barely turn around
before she lets me have it.

“What is your problem you gigantic ass?”
Jocalyn yells as she throws both of her hands up in the air. “What’s your deal
Jack? You act like Mr. Charming rock guy, get girls to fall for you and then
you hit a bump in the road and then it’s all “that’s it...it was nice to know
you?”

I open my mouth to speak but she puts
her finger in my face to shut me up.

“I’m not finished. You really hurt her.
You let some guy come in here, spout off his mouth and you just accept it as
the truth? You don’t ask her about it? You don’t fight for her? Did you even
like her at all or was it just an excuse to ditch her? You’re an ass
you...you...you big stupid dummy!”

“You already said that one.”

Jocalyn gives me a dirty look as she
flops down on my couch. I sit down next to her and sigh.

“Of course I like her. If you honestly think
this has been easy for me than you’re wrong.”

“So why haven’t you talked to her?”

I shrug. “Embarrassment mostly. How do
you question someone’s moral character and come back from that when you realize
you were wrong? Sorry doesn’t seem to be enough.”

“Maybe not but it’s a start. You’re
punishing her for something she didn’t do. You didn’t just hurt her then Jack.
You’re continuing to hurt her every day that passes without a phone call or an
apology.”

“This whole thing is killing me,” I say.
“I can’t stand the thought that I probably ruined what we had. I want her back
so badly. It’s like I’ve been missing a part of myself for these last three
weeks.”

“Oh...My...GOD!” Jocalyn squeals as she
jumps up to her feet and points at me. “You love her! You so love her!”

“You’re right I do.” I admit.

“So why are you sitting here? You have
to go to her Jack!”

“No, I’m going to wait until she gets
back to talk to her.”

“No don’t wait! Do you have any idea how
terribly romantic it would be if you went to her?”

“She’s visiting her family. I don’t want
to impose.”

“Stop making excuses! Be a man and go
get her.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Jocalyn crosses her arms over her chest,
narrows her eyes and shakes her head.

“Not good enough.”

“Jocalyn –“

“Jackson.”

“Look, I’m gonna get some sleep and in
the morning I’ll call Tyler and see what he thinks about me going there.”

“I’m not leaving here until you book a
ticket.”

I throw my hands up in the air as I hop
up to my feet. “Are you serious?”

“Yes! You owe her a grand romantic gesture.
You need to show her you’ll do whatever it takes to get her back.”

“I will do whatever it takes.”

She points to my laptop, which is
sitting on top of the coffee table.

“Then book the damn ticket Jack. YOU go
to HER.”

I sigh and grab my laptop. I sit back
down on the couch and power it up. I can’t believe I’m going to do this. Just
show up like that. I pull up a couple websites for different airlines so that I
can see who has the best prices and availability.

“You know this is like a seven hour
flight, right?”

Jocalyn sticks her hands on her hips and
glares at me. “I’m sorry, are you complaining about this Jack?”

“Nope, just stating a fact.”

Maybe I was complaining just a little
bit but I wasn’t going to admit that to her. To be quite honest, Jocalyn may be
small but she is kind of scary. She’s like a cross between a Shih Tzu and a
Doberman. You want to pat her on the head because she looks all cute and she’s
kind of yappy, but at the same time you have to worry she might bite your face
off.

“Alright...flight is booked. I leave in
two days.”

Jocalyn clasps her hands together over
her heart. “New Year’s Eve! That is so romantic!”

She sighs with a dreamy look in her eyes
and I make a face at her.

“Has anyone ever told you that you can
be terribly annoying?” I ask jokingly.

“Pretty much on a daily basis,” She
shrugs. “But I just don’t care.”

...

I got up early the next morning to start
packing and to figure out where I am going to stay once I get to New York. The
problem with trying to book a hotel room the day before New Year’s Eve is that
there aren’t any available hotel rooms to book! I’ve called ten different
places and every one of them said they were completely booked. Putting my
laptop on the couch next to me, I sit back, prop one foot up on the coffee
table and punch Tyler’s number into my phone.

“Ah Mister Riley, what can I do for
you?” Tyler answers his phone without bothering to say hello.

“I need your help with something.”

“Aces...I’m in.”

“You don’t even know what I need.”

“True, but I do like a little bit of
adventure and I always say a life without adventure is like –“

“I’m coming to New York.” I say cutting
him off.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Seriously Tyler? Yes, I’m coming to New
York.”

“Dude that’s awesome!”

“Do me a favor and don’t mention
anything to Chloe.”

“Uh huh okay. When do you land?”

“Tomorrow evening at eight o’clock. It’s
not the best but it was the only flight I could get at the last minute.”

“Oh that’s perfect.”

“Only problem is I can’t find a hotel
with any vacant rooms and I need a ride from the airport.”

“No, we’ll take care of it.”

“Thanks Tyler. Look, I got to go but
I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Alright mate.”

After talking with Tyler, I feel a
little more confident about seeing Chloe but I am utterly terrified as well. A
million thoughts keep running through my head. What if she’s moved on? What if
she wants nothing to do with me? What if she won’t give me a chance to explain
myself and my actions? I honestly can’t say I blame her if she refuses to
listen to me. I mean, I did the same thing to her. That’s the difference
between me and her though. If the situation was reversed there is no way she
would have dumped me and walked away without getting an explanation from me
first.

This has to go well though. This is the
only chance I will get to redeem myself. If I blow this, things between us will
be over for sure. Then I’ll have to get back here and move out straight away.
There’s no way I could continue living across the hall from her if we don’t get
back together. I can’t watch her go out on dates with other guys.

A few hours later, I get a text from
Tyler.

Tyler – Plan in motion! Talked to
Chloe’s parents. You can stay here but you and I have to room together.

Me – Better than sleeping on the street.
Thanks!

Tyler – Sure thing, also her dad is
picking you up at the airport.

Me – That won’t be awkward.

Tyler – True but it beats walking! Also,
there’s a few things you should know.

Me – Okay...

Tyler – Chloe hasn’t been acting
very...Chloe.

Me – What’s that supposed to mean?

Tyler – Nothing like that. She went to
go skydiving the other day and came back with a tattoo.

Me – That’s kind of hot.

Tyler – Yeah well I’m pretty sure it’s
all a part of some “get over Jack” thing.

Me – Guess it’s a good thing I’m coming
there then.

Get over Jack thing? Now I really hope
this works. The last thing I want her to do is get over me. Why did I have to
be so stubborn these past few weeks? It’s okay. It’s all going to be okay. I’ll
get to New York and we’ll talk. I’ll grovel at her feet if I have to. We’ll get
back together and everything will work out...right? God, I hope so.

T
hat was the longest flight of my entire
life. Not because it was seven and a half hours but because I knew I was going
to see her soon. I thought about that the whole flight. Well, that and the fact
that her dad is picking me up from the airport. Of all of the people that could
have possibly picked me up, I had to get her dad. If Chloe has been as upset as
I’ve been told, then he has to know what happened between us. That won’t make
for an awkward car ride at all!

I walk out of the gate and start looking
through the sea of faces to see if I can spot any fatherly types that look
angry. Maybe someone that looks like he might be hiding a weapon somewhere but
everyone I see looks pretty happy. I spot a guy craning his neck, clearly
searching for someone and I walk up to him.

“Mr. Carver?” I ask.

“Yes, you must be Jack Riley.”

“Yes sir.”

He stares me up and down and says “Thank
God you are not a crayon.”

I chuckle imagining his reaction to
seeing Tyler for the first time.

My heart starts beating wildly with
anticipation at the thought of seeing Chloe.

“So, you’re Chloe’s boyfriend?” Mr.
Carver asks once we are settled in his car and on our way towards his house.

“Well I was but...”

“It didn’t work out?”

“Something like that.”

“That’s what she said as well but that
can’t possibly be true. I mean you don’t drop in at the last minute from
another country to see someone that things simply didn’t work out with.”

“I made a mistake and I’m attempting to
fix it.”

“It takes a big person to admit their
mistakes.”

“I just pray she listens to what I have
to say, although I don’t really deserve it.”

“She will. She hasn’t said much about you
but what she did say was good.”

I don’t know what else to say so I just
nod my head and pray this car ride ends soon. Unfortunately, we end up getting stuck
in a massive traffic jam. We end up sitting at a standstill for so long we are
forced to strike up some small talk. Thankfully we steer clear of talking any
more about relationships. We stick to manlier topics such as sports and music
and the weather in New York compared to London.

By the time we pull up to the house,
guests are already starting to arrive for the Carver’s annual New Year’s Eve
bash. Mrs. Carver shows me to the guest room that I will be sharing with Tyler.
It has its own bathroom, so I decide to jump in the shower really quickly. It’s
been a few weeks since the last time Chloe and I actually saw each other and I
was already nervous enough about seeing her tonight. If she made the decision
to run away from me, I didn’t want it to be because I reek of an unflattering
combination of B.O. and stale airplane air. Finally, after what seems like an
eternity, I am showered, dressed and ready to win back the woman I love.

I walk down to the first floor and
glance around a bit but I don’t see her. Mrs. Carver catches my attention and
points towards the stairs that lead to the basement. My heart is pounding so
hard in my chest that I’m surprised it doesn’t break right through. I feel so
unbelievably nervous as I make my way down the stairs but then suddenly there
she is, across the room talking to Tyler, Abby and two people I don’t know.

“Chloe.” I say as I walk up behind her.

She glances down at the red cup in her
hand. I’m assuming she’s trying to figure out how drunk she is. She slowly
turns to me and it takes everything I have to not immediately pull her into my
arms.

“Uh...what are you doing here?” She asks.

This is it. This is my time to fix this
mess I had created, to win her back. God I hope I don’t mess this up any more
than it already is. I take a deep breath.

“Chloe, I am an idiot. A complete ass. I
should have never listened to that guy. I should have had more faith in you. I
had no right to say the things I said to you. I should have listened to you and
let you tell your side of the story and I didn’t see that then but I know it
now.”

All conversations around us stop as
everyone turns to stare at us. It makes me feel uncomfortable but I try my best
to block them out and focus only on her. Chloe blushes bright red. My God she
looks lovely. Okay, Jack, focus. You need to finish saying what you came to say
and maybe after that you will be able to gawk at her all you want. I bite my
bottom lip and run my hands through my hair.

“I know I am probably too late and I
completely understand if you never want to talk to me again. If you don’t then
I promise I will leave you alone. I just...I had to come here and tell you I that
I was wrong and that I miss you and that I love you and that I am so, so
unbelievably sorry.”

I wait and...nothing. She says absolutely
nothing to me. She just stands there staring as though she is looking straight
through me. I can feel every single pair of eyes in the room staring at me. I
feel pathetic and I’m sure I look pitiful. She’s not going to talk to me. I
don’t know why I thought she would. I need to just leave; grab my stuff and go
back to the airport.

“I probably shouldn’t have come,” I say.
“I’m really sorry for interrupting your party. I guess I’ll go.”

I feel so deflated but I can’t say I
blame her. If I was her, I probably wouldn’t want to take me back either. I
give her one last look before turning around and walking towards the stairs as
quickly as I possibly can. Tears begin to well up in my eyes and I am silently
begging myself not to cry little a girl in front of all of these people.

Behind me I hear Abby hiss Chloe’s name.
At least I know she is on my side.

Just as I reach the stairs she calls out
to me. “Jack...wait.”

I turn back towards her and our eyes
lock. Her lower lip trembles and my knees go weak.

“Stay.” She says.

Thank God.

I need to touch her, to feel her so that
I know this is really happening. I practically run across the room wanting to
get to her as quickly as possible and, once I do, I take her face in my hands
and press my lips to hers.

I could have kissed her all night long.
Lord knows I wanted to. The only thing that stopped me was the fact that we
were in her parent’s basement surrounded by a bunch of people I didn’t know.

Everyone around us starts chatting
amongst themselves again as Chloe pulls me into a corner. My arms immediately
snake around her waist and I hold her close to me. It feels so good to hold her
and touch her again. There is no way I am letting go of her anytime soon.

“I’m so sorry baby.” I say.

“I’m sorry too, “She says. “I should
have told you about Connor. I just...I didn’t want you to think I had all of this
baggage and I certainly didn’t think he’d come looking for me.”

“I know and you have nothing to be sorry
for. You didn’t do anything wrong. I was the one who acted like a jerk. Do you
think you could forgive me?”

She glances up at me, giving me this
look like I am crazy for asking.

“Of course I do! I just want to put all
of this behind us. This whole thing...it’s just been a nightmare.”

“I know. It has for me too but I promise
to do whatever it takes to make it up to you.”

Chloe leans in and rests her forehead
against my chest. She sighs and I tighten my grasp on her.

“You’re here now. That’s all that
matters. What made you come?”

A smile forms on my lips as I think back
to the last couple of days.

“Aside from the fact that I couldn’t
wait for you to get home...it was Jocalyn.”

She leans her head back and looks at me
a bit confused. I tell her all about Jocalyn banging on my door and yelling at
me in her squeally, high pitched voice. She smiles and I’m sure she can picture
Jocalyn getting all worked up like that.

“I called Tyler yesterday and told him
about my plans.”

She looks over at him and he immediately
looks away.

“So that was you I overheard him talking
to.”

“Yeah I asked him not to tell you.”

She leans back and looks up at me.
“Wait, when did you get in? I actually tried to call you earlier.”

“I was probably on the plane. I just got
in about three hours ago. Your dad picked me up from the airport. Being in a
car with him wasn’t nearly as scary as I thought it would be. He did say he was
glad to see I wasn’t a crayon.”

She laughs and my heart instantly warms.
I look down at her and she gazes up at me with her gorgeous brown eyes.

“So what’s all this about you loving
me?”

My mouth turns up into a huge smile and
I caress the side of her face with my fingertips.

“I do, I love you. I think that’s why I
acted like such an idiot. I know that’s not an excuse but it’s the only thing
that makes sense to me. I am head over heels crazy in love with you.”

Then she says the five words that make
me feel complete again.

“I love you too Jack.”

“So...will you be my girlfriend again
then?”

She just admitted to being in love with
me but I don’t want to jump to any conclusions and there is a part of me that
feels nervous about asking her to be my girl. Like maybe she might feel like my
love isn’t good enough or something.

“Of course I will.”

Relief courses through my body and I
pull her as close to me as I can. I’m so incredibly happy to be here with her,
just chatting and kissing. Sharing our stories about what the last few weeks
have been like for us. Eventually, we realize there are four people waiting,
somewhat patiently, for us to join them.

I pull her in for one more kiss, parting
her soft lips with my tongue. I could kiss this girl forever and I plan on it.
She is my future. She makes me complete and I am never, ever letting go of her
again.