Ohio is for Lovers

Lena took their empty mugs to the sink and began rinsing them out under the steaming water. She looked out at the light flakes that drifted off the trees when the wind blew by.

"Let's go to the city." Jake spoke up.

Lena shut the water off and looked over at him with one hand resting on her hip and the other pushing against the ledge of the sink. "The city is like an hour away and it's already almost noon."

Jake shrugged like it was no big deal. "We can spend the night there. Rent out a hotel room or something; do take out for dinner; and just... catch up. It's been a while since we actually spent time together one on one, you know?"

Lena began to think about it. Take out in a hotel room in the city sounded ideal. She didn't really like being stuck in a small town again. Her life was too big to be crammed in this town. She was dying to go back to LA ever since she got home, but Jake and Andy were the ones keeping her from going back. She began to think that maybe if she fixed her relationship with Jake, she could go back to LA and be where she truly wanted to be.

She let a small smile slip. "Alright. Let me get my stuff and we'll go." Lena hurried upstairs to her room where she grabbed her bag and began shoving everything she would need into it. Her phone sat on the bed, and began to light up, buzzing. It was Derek.

She looked but hesitated. She hadn't spoken to Derek in over a week. She pursed her lips, took in a deep breath, and then picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Lena. It's Derek." He said. "I'm sorry I've been avoiding you..." He sounded apologetic.

"No, it's okay." Lena said, straightening up and folding her free arm across her chest. "What's up?"

"Well," Derek began. "I just... I don't know. What are you doing tonight? I was kind of hoping to make up for my shitty attitude the other day."

She couldn't help but begin to pace as he spoke to her. "Oh... I... I'm sorry, Derek. I already made plans with someone else tonight..."

"Oh..." The tone of his voice shifted dramatically. "No, that's cool. I understand."

Lena bit her lip. "I'm so sorry, Derek. I feel really bad now."

"No, no, don't. It's fine, really. I should have gotten to you sooner." He cleared his throat. "I better go. I'll, uh, talk to you later, Lena."

She rubbed her temple at his words. "Bye, Derek."

Derek was beginning to notice that ever since Lena's friends from Los Angeles were beginning to take over her life. She seemed to be so much more focused on them than him now and it was really starting to take a toll on him. He backed up against the wall and let his head fall back. He looked down at the flowers in his hand and sighed audibly, throwing them on the counter and walking away. Was it even worth trying anymore?

Lena had to shake her conversation with Derek out of her mind so she could focus completely on Jake and spending her time with him. "Hotel room, take out, the city, it's all good." She reminded herself.

The drive into the city seemed brief, but that was probably because Jake drove faster than a race car driver. Parking was what took up most of their time. Parking in the city wasn't even a thought, really, because parking in the city just didn't happen.

"Why don't we just go and park at the hotel that we're going to stay at tonight?" Lena suggested. "Wouldn't that just be ten times easier than circling the block again or parking in a garage?" She did feel like she was complaining a bit but what surprised her was how Jake reacted.

"You're completely right. That makes so much more sense." He laughed, agreeing with her idea.

"Do you think we can park without getting a room first?" Jake asked as they both got out of the car.

Lena shrugged. "I guess?"

"Whatever." Jake said, reaching for Lena's hand.

She wasn't objecting to his gesture, but she found it strange that after all the shit she had said and done to Jake, he could just take her hand in his like nothing had ever happened. It was as though none of it had happened at all. In Jake's mind, Andy didn't exist anymore. And that's how Lena wished it could be in her mind.

They walked a little ways, looking at all the different sights and people around them. Being in the city felt dangerous, and adventurous.

"Look!" Lena pointed to the giant pond in the middle of the park that had frozen over. There were tons of people skating or just walking on the ice. She looked to Jake with a wide smile on her face and he looked at her with the same expression.

"Let's go!" He exclaimed, running towards the pond with Lena right beside him.

They reached the edge and Jake stepped down first so he could help Lena step onto the ice as well. He held onto her tightly as they tried walking across the slippery surface.

"You good?" Lena laughed as Jake clung to her side so he wouldn't fall on his face.

Once he found his footing, he began to let go of Lena's arm. "I'm good." He assured. After taking a few steps, however, his right foot couldn't seem to grip the ground and he slipped and fell onto his ass.

Lena stood by watching, doubled over in laughter. "Jake!" She said in between giggles and deep inhales from laughing so hard.

"Um, help?" He asked, still on the ground.

"Oh, my god that was so funny!" Lena kept laughing as she extended her hand to help him up.
Instead, he pulled her down with him. She fell on top of him, still laughing, and letting her head fall onto his chest. Her hands found the ice on either side of Jake so she wouldn't completely collapse on him. "What the hell?" She asked, still smiling as she began to try and stand up.

He laughed as well as she helped him up for real this time. "I had to." He shrugged.

As they shared a laugh, and Jake watched Lena grow happier and happier as the day went on, he couldn't help but fall even more in love with her. He didn't think it was possible to love someone as much as he loved Lena, but there wasn't a single thing about her that he hated. The more he looked at her, the further he fell. The more time they spent together, the harder he fell. There was no denying that she was the only one in his life that had ever made him feel this way. It was so easy to come back to her. He slipped an arm around her waist, and she tugged on his hand, tightening his grip on her. She was his, and it seemed she was letting everyone know that as well.

Notes

ugh did this suck? idk. I had the idea of them spending time in the city because I went to the city like a month ago and had an amazing time and saw a bunch of couples on the frozen pond we visited and I got the idea of Lena and Jake and whatever and having take out in a hotel room in the city with my (nonexistent at the moment) boyfriend or lover or whatever is something I would love to do you know like instead of going out to a restaurant and getting all fancy, just do take out from some local burger joint or something and get in comfy clothes and just like cuddle up on the bed with our food and watch whatever on TV idk man these are the kinds of things I think about like all the time because I hate my life and I just want to live in the city eating take out food with my boyfriend every night because who wouldn't want to do that I mean really.

also, I made the sountrack to this story on 8tracks. I'll link it. The order of the songs goes along with the chapters so first song is chapter one and so on.

-Soundtrack

Shout outs:

-x-Katywa-BVB-x