After twisting and turning, he finally threw the sheets off and leaned against the wall of the small, crowded room. It was still raining and still pitch black. He was not able to sleep, but not due to any particularly bad reason. In fact, the reason behind that mental tossing and turning was the exact opposite of bad.
An image, a repeating moment. Leslie in the rain, just hours earlier after they parted. Dripping wet, hair and clothing plastered. Smile and eyes shining bright as day, much like what a lighthouse would be to a ship at sea.
It stood out the moment it occurred, but now it crystallized into a transcendent experience. The happiness felt then was amplified in review. Happiness coursed through his veins and before he knew it he was smiling in the dark of night. It couldn't get better than that, he just knew.
The pelting rain broke him out of this trance momentarily. His back starting to ache from his upright position, he finally slinked down, hoping to get some semblance of sleep.
Of course, the thought of Leslie remained. He'd almost known her for a year, well the school year. The latter was a better metric of time for any school aged child given that its start was met with glumness, while the end marked the beginning of sweet, summer freedom.
Jesse could hardly remember what life was like before she came into his with invigorating joy, caring, and hope. She'd been the catalyst for everything that mattered. For all his growth, for the new lease on life.
Appropriately, Leslie was the last thing he envisioned as his eyes finally acquiesced to the weariness in his bones.
Jesse floated to the phone when May Belle told him he had a caller. That night's rest was pleasant enough, happy enough, but obviously disturbed by the earlier turning and tossing. Regardless, in that state, asking if Leslie could join in on the museum trip was second nature.
He rushed to the Burke's and Bill called Leslie down to see if she'd be interested. The question was irrelevant in her father's mind, the answer being obvious, but Jesse remained at the bottom of the stairs waiting for Leslie. An interesting look of excitement, fidgeting, and anxiousness lay on Jesse's face in Bill's mind.
Elsewhere, Leslie woke to knocking on the door and something about Jess being downstairs. It took a second for the latter to process as she sent the sheets flying and gracefully slid into her slippers. Glancing at the clock, she noted it was a bit on the early side.
"Les!" Jess said in something that was not quite a shout, but carried the enthusiasm regardless. She bounded the stairs still in her pajama pants and slightly oversized t-shirt that made him conscious he was in similar sleepwear having not taken the time to change when he raced out his house.
While Leslie was still descending the stairs, she took opportunity of her temporarily increased elevation to ruffle his hair, "Bed hair, not that I'm any better," giving her locks a shake. "So what's up."
"Uh," temporarily disarmed by her physical gesture and what he found to be a graceful shake of hair. "Oh, museum, National Gallery in D.C. Want to come with me and Ms. Edmunds? Like right now."
"Yes! Of course, it's been ages since I've been."
"Awesome! Be outside in 15? I need to get ready," gesturing at his PJs.
"Doesn't it take boys like 5 minutes to dress," Leslie smirked. "You know, unless it's a special occasion."
"Well, I guess it is." Jesse said casually that clearly signaled he did not take what Leslie said in jest. He was about to sprint off, but the girl grabbed his arm and dropped her comedic air.
"You sure you want me to come? I've been there after all."
Jesse was puzzled by the question, and still so after giving it a few more seconds of thought. "Yess, how else would it be a special occasion? Cya," sprinting off.
"Something's different," Leslie again smirked to herself — far from complaining — as she got dressed for the day's outing. "Special occasion," she mumbled.
Jesse was stuck choosing between regular school day clothing and church attire, with "special occasion" ringing in his mind. He wasn't going the route that required him to wear a tie, but wore the blazer as a jacket. The extra pockets were useful anyways for a small pad and pencil.
Amusingly, Leslie was already waiting outside on the porch by the time Jesse got out. "More than five minutes," she said coming up to him to straighten and smooth his jacket. The move disarmed Jesse for the second time that morning who was already expecting regular Leslie, not a prim and proper dress-wearing version. It was not as fancy as her church clothing, but still a sight to see her wearing something other than a blinding mismatch of color and fabric.
"You, you, look gr—" Jesse was about to begin on her summery yellow dress, but a honk interrupted his sentence. Leslie sighed at the timing, but got the sentiment and pulled him along by the arm, smiling all the way to the car, unbeknownst to him.
Jesse was about to let Leslie ride shotgun, but she opened the back door and dragged him inside.
The conversation on the ride to Washington was lively enough, though Leslie found Jesse doing less talking than she expected given Ms. Edmund's company. He occasionally added his commentary, but was definitely much livelier when the best friends were just alone.
For Jesse's part, he was just happy. Wildly so, content with just taking it all in. It was just her, his best friend in whole world.
The mood did not change at the museum, both kids in equal measure excitedly taking each other's hands when they saw something brilliant. After the tenth or so back and forth in this nature, Leslie offhandedly remarked, "That's better."
"Hmm, Les?"
"Oh," she laughed. She didn't quite mean to say that out loud, weariness from an early morning and busy day degrading her prohibition. "You just seem alive now. Late night?"
"Something like that?" thinking back on the moment. He smiled before asking a Leslie that was already further down the hall, "How'd you know?"
By the afternoon, the three were in the Smithsonian. Leslie and Jess preferred the art, but the scale of the fossils and exhibits of the natural history museum did not disappoint.
They were on the road long before dust, the drive home much quieter as Ms. Edmunds eyed the rear-view memory to see that Jesse had taken up the left-most seat, while Leslie was strapped in the middle. The two almost perfectly leaning against each other. "Those two," she happily mused to herself.
Halfway home, Leslie adjusted herself so that she was resting in crook of his neck. Not a moment later, Jesse stirred, noting the enhanced smell that helped him fall asleep earlier. He took a whiff of it and the scent of fruit rocked him back to a slumber.
It was the breathing on her neck that began to wake Leslie. It was ticklish and by the fourth spaced out breath she nearly giggled herself awake. Turning to its source, she found Jesse's chin connecting with her shoulder. "Well this is new," she mused.
She was in her living room, and from the birds chirping she guessed it was about morning, though the sky had only began streaming in. It was a minor source of light, but enough to make out Jesse's face. Slowly removing her opposite arm from underneath the blanket, it hovered over his cheek, before Leslie's usual sense of boldness kicked in. Slowly, she began to stroke the soft skin, taking special care to find his dimples. First with the back of her hand, than with the softer pads of fingers.
For him, it was the warmth now emanating from his cheeks that caused him to stir. Jesse's eyelids opened slowly enough that Leslie was not entirely aware. When his blearly vision cleared, he could make out her smiling face, but closed eyes.
He spoke the first words that came to him in a whisper, "Hey Les." She — having a moment's warning from the movement of his cheek — chose to hold her expression and eyes shut.
"Don't think you're really asleep," he continued. Her eyes did not open, but her smile grew and finally she said, "Morning."
With whispers of sleep still addling his brain with boldness, Jesse's hands moved to join hers on his face. To this contact, she opened her eyes. Jess began to stroke the back of her hand, first with his thumb.
Soothing for the both of them, this continued for several minutes while the duo just stared into each other's eyes. The both of them, however, mostly unaware of it in the moment.
Leslie was the first to exit this soothing trance. From calm, Jesse slowly saw excitement creep into her face as she mouthed "ready" and practically pulled him out of bed. Dragging him into the kitchen, they saw that it was barely 7.
"I don't even remember getting out of the car," Jesse said quietly to Leslie whose hand he just stopped holding on account of her rifling through the fridge.
"I do remember that I'm starving," she said handing him a carton of eggs, while grabbing other spices from the cupboards. He eyed an appropriate sized pan in the meantime and prepped the stove to make an omelette. Twenty minutes later they were eating on the counter side-by-side, sharing each other's cooking.
"I should probably get back soon," Jesse aloud, but mostly to himself. "Parents probably wondering."
"Mine definitely called them, also come on, it's still early. I really want to go see Terabithia right now."
"Oh?" as Jesse grabbed both of their plates to rinse it in the sink.
"Come on, we've never been there this early, and look, it's no longer raining."
A few minutes later, Jesse was in a borrowed coat and Leslie in a matching one, trudging through the somewhat muddy ground. Given the time of day — though it could barely be considered that — and thick clouds it was still dark. However, the streams of light that broke through were beautiful.
Leslie was going to comment on the effect when she glanced the most adorable thing. She was pretty sure Jesse was trying to grab her swaying hand as they walked. Silently giggling, the girl suddenly stopped so her hand was directly in the path of his.
She was correct in her assumption that Jesse was too wrapped up about whether he could hold her hand that he didn't notice. For the past few minutes, he wanted to, but didn't know if Les would be weirded out by it. A second earlier he was fully committed to just reaching out and seeing what would happen — after all, they did it briefly earlier in the kitchen — but that was quickly shot down. It was so enticing after this morning, soft beyond belief, so possibly warm in the cold.
As such, it was a shock when he realized he was actually holding it. At first by accident he thought, but she quickly tightened her grip. Jesse did an about take as Les glanced at him with a mix of boldness but a touch of blush in her cheeks. "This okay," he asked shyly, bringing up the hands.
"More than," as they continued, more slowly than before. Before they even got near the rope bridge, they first heard the rushing creek.
Leslie went first, while Jesse peered at the water's edge, about to comment how he looked forward to learning how to swim this summer when he heard the snap.
She screamed, and everything was in slow motion as he did as well. Having spotted the rock below from the earlier glance, Jesse saw she was seconds away from impact and he jumped to intervene.