Rating: PG13… maybe if I'm more comfortable writing 'some scenes', I might raise it. HAHA.
Disclaimer: Again, I claim none of these characters… just the storyline.
Summary: Seven years ago, Jessie called and ended up in a mess… Seven years later, they meet again, this time in a different mess.
A/N: YAY! Now that my exams are over, I could write again! Not that I didn't during my exams…
Good news for me is, in exactly a month from now, I get to fly… Bad news for you guys is, unless I have a com, I won't be writing when I'm over seas. Oh well…
Did I mention that
this was a short fic… just a lil sidetrack atm, it's probz only
gonna be 2-3 parts.
Part 1: Seven…
"Ooomph…" She grunted as she fell flat on the floor, she practically rolled back onto the bed… mattress was more like it; the bed lacked a bed frame. She peered sleepily up at her digital clock, in red prominent numbers; 3:37 peered back at her. "Shit…" she murmured under her breath.
It was exactly this time 7 years ago when she and Katie broke up on Christmas day. She had purposely woken up at 3:30am to call Katie at her college dorm, thinking to say Merry Christmas… Christmas Eve over there. Instead of meeting her girlfriend's voice on the other end, another… random girl's voice came through her receiver. The first thing she thought was, 'it must be her flat mate.' However, it immediately hit her that, her girlfriend told her she lived alone, which made her frown.
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"Uh, hi… Where's, I mean can I… please talk to Katie?" Her voice trembled.
"Phone…" She heard the girl say groggily.
She faintly heard Katie grumble something, and told the mysterious girl to hang up.
"Sorry, she's sleeping… Call ba…"
Jessie immediately cut the girl off, tears trickling down her paled face, "It's ok… Um, tell her Jessie called."
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As unbelievable as it was, even as she looked back on it now, by the age of 15 she was already madly in love. However, as young as she has fallen in love, at the age of 17 she also experienced her heart being shattered.
She sat up a little on her bed, with her pillow cushioning her back, her memories took her back to that day.
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After hanging up that night, she laid back into her bed, and pulled her blanket over herself. She felt like she needed to suffocate herself at that moment, but knew better. To muffle her crying, she buried her face further into her pillow, slowly wetting the material as her tears continuously came. A few minutes later though, the phone rang; wiping her tear stained face with the back of her hand, she immediately picked up the phone, not wanting to wake everyone else.
"…Hello…" Jessie spoke into the phone, trying to control her voice.
"Jessie?"
"Katie?"
"Yeah… hey… um Merry Christmas…"
"Merry… Christmas to you… for tomorrow. Jessie stuttered out, feeling her nose burn and tears coming back.
There was an awkward silence, a naked pause; something that never happened between the two.
"Ummm…. So, you called."
"…Yeah… I was thinking of surprising you…" But in her head she continued, 'but you surprised me more.'
"Oh."
"Anyways… I leave you to go back to bed… with her…" She said spitefully, yet in her normally quiet voice.
"Wait!" Katie panicked.
"…"
"…"
"If you don't have much else to say… I'm gonna go."
The brunette sat there mentally smacking herself, thinking of what the possibilities of 'I'm gonna go,' could mean.
"Bye Katie." She gave her the chance to explain, to tell her that it was just a friend sleeping over, but no response… nothing. She hung up and never did she call her again, and when the older called, she told her family to make up an excuse.
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Jessie slid back underneath her plain white sheets, it was cold. The greatest irony of her life is that she hated Katie so much, she hated how they ended, and she hated how Katie never bothered to explain. Yet after all these years, she chose to move out here in London; the place where Katie once said she wanted to live when she's older. Turning to her side, the blonde closed her eyes, but even with her lids shut, it didn't stop the tear from falling.
The next morning, Jessie woke up feeling only one thing, exhaustion. She may have fallen asleep, but it was a restless one, her mind didn't seem have rested. She looked at herself in her full length mirror, the reflection that looked back at her was beautiful, but yet those baby blue eyes were dull. She knew herself, she could tell she looked more like a train wreck than some people who had a hang over.
"Hey Grace…"
"Morning Jess." Grace answered the phone a little too bright for Jessie's current mood.
"I'm not coming in today, not in the mood," she replied tiredly, rubbing her face as she sat back on the corner of her bed.
"Oh. I thought you were going to finalize everything for that model."
"I was, but I'm feeling really tired. So can you postpone that for me…"
"Yeah sure, did you want me to come over later? Cook you something."
"No it's okay 'mother'." She smiled at Grace's sudden change to motherly character.
"Don't 'mother' me." Grace said in a mock defensive tone, "I'm coming over anyways to check up on you after work. No buts. You better open the door for me."
"Fine…"
As Grace had promised, she came over later that evening and bought quite an amount of groceries to stock up Jessie's empty refrigerator. Her first lines when stepping in the house always the similar.
"Gosh Jess, you really need to brighten this place up. It's no wonder you're so dead all the time." Grace to a brief look at the place, she had realized long ago that this apartment had basically no colour.
The place was white, the carpet a light crème colour; the minimal amount of furniture was white leather, the dinner table made of glass with metallic legs. Even her kitchen furnishings were also of the silver metallic colour.
"You say that all the time."
Jess looked at her own home, she liked it, it looked clean, neat, unlike her attic room back in Evanston, or that pinkish room.
"I sometimes wonder whether I've stepped into a mental asylum or something. Everything's just so… white."
"Nice to know you think it's white," Jessie smirked, "Because everything is white."
"You know what I mean you really need to brighten the place up a little. Look around you sis, the only colour I see is in your refrigerator," Grace pointed, "Me, and you in your baby blue t-shirt, grey pants don't count as colorful."
"I also sometimes wonder why I open the door for you," Jessie walked back into her study with her warm cup of coffee.
"Cause I'm your loving sister who can cook…"
"I can cook!" Jess called from the study.
"Sure. Mac and cheese, two minute noodle, boil coffee… have I missed anything?"
"Yes, I did learn how to cook pasta and spaghetti."
"That as well, but have I told you it was hideous?" Grace laughed, putting the packet of pasta into the pot.
Jessie smacked her in the arm. "Ow, geez, not only is this place ghastly white, you even walk like a ghost."
"Its carpet most of the way Grace, there's not much sound that could be made."
As much as Jessie hated to admit, but Grace did cook really well; mushroom cream pasta, with a bit of herbs.
"So have who's your latest fling…" Grace questioned curiously.
"Don't have one." She replied nonchalantly, "and what do you mean by 'fling'?"
"Are kidding? Jess, the longest you ever stayed in these relationships for is a month, how are the rest not a fling?"
"They're not flings… they're just…"
"Flings."
"I was gonna say short term relationships."
"Which are flings."
Sighing again, Grace did have a point. "I just haven't found the right person. It's not like I don't give these relationships time… I guess you just know sometimes."
"You haven't found the right person? I think you have… back when you were 15. Why don't you give that person another chance, give yourself another chance."
"Geez, my house being empty and talking about Katie are always the two things you talk about when you come over…" Jess looked away and frowned, it had been 7 years, and maybe everything has changed. But then again, she haven't had contact with Katie for 7 years now, where is she supposed to find her?
As if reading her mind, "I know where you can find Katie."
The blonde looked up at Grace curiously, wondering how on earth she knew where to find Katie.
"I… well when you were avoiding all her phone calls after you guys ended it, I still kept in contact with her." Grace said guiltily, "the crazy thing is that, she lives here in London as well, I told her to meet you, but she went on about something like let fate bring you guys together again."
"Well then, why don't we just let fate do its work, we meet, then we meet. If we never meet again, I guess it means we're not meant to be." Jessie finished her plate and walked over to the sink.
"No way, are you joking? You're both just gonna sit back and wait 'til you both meet?" Grace followed the younger girl.
Jess looked around her, everyone in their little world. She took a sip of coffee as she brought her watch in sight. Nearly spitting out her sip of coffee, she quickly got up, grabbed all her blue prints and ran out of the café. She was in a big mess, running down the road to her car, blue prints and posters under one arm, at the same time her head down searching for her keys in her purse. Simultaneously finding her keys in her pinstripe trouser, the blonde crashed into someone.
It was a bad day she thought, everything falling everywhere, she quickly said her apologies as she tried to pick up some of her rolling posters. She heard the person say it was ok, and that they'll help her. Jessie finally reached her final blue print, as she grabbed it, the other person grabbed the other end as well.
"Thanks," Jessie said as she stood up with the blue print in hand.
"Wel…" The other woman began, but cut herself off, "… Jess...?"
"Ka… Katie…" Jessie's mouth hung slightly in shock, her hand stopped all it's movement.
"Hi." Katie smiled at Jessie's cute expression, not believing that she was seeing this blonde girl again.
"Hi…" Jessie's lips naturally curving into a smile. Her phone rang which helped bring her out of her current stupor, "Sorry…"
"Hello?"
"Jess, where are you?"
"I'm coming, calm down. Just uh… got a little held up."
"You have like 12 minutes to get your ass back here." Grace warned.
"See yah…" Jessie hung up without waiting for a goodbye.
"So I guess you're in a rush…" Katie stated, handing over the things she helped pick up.
"Yeah. Thanks, anyways… I really should be off before Grace decides to kill me…" Jessie smiled, taking the rest of her papers in her arm. "Bye…"
"Bye…"
Jess headed towards her car, Katie stood immobile watching her walk away. She shook her head, and hurried over to the blonde, hoping she hasn't driven away. Just reaching the car, Katie found the younger girl closing her passenger side door, obviously putting down her stuff first.
"Jess!" the brunette called.
Jessie turned around and saw Katie walking towards her, "Yeah?"
Katie walked up closer so she didn't have to shout, "Can I uh… Did you wanna… you know get some coffee with me one day… or lunch… or maybe dinner… whenever you're free? You don't have to or anything, I just needed to ask…"she rambled, looking anywhere but the person she was talking to, "its okay if you don't want to… I mean you're probably really busy and all…"
Jessie looked at her amusedly, enjoying the moment; she missed listening to Katie talk… ramble.
"Sure."
"Sorry?" Katie did a double-take.
"I said sure," Jessie searched for her business card, "call me… We can arrange something."
"Okay." The brunette looked at the card in her hand, dumbfounded, still trying to register how it got there.
"I really have to go… see you." Jess waved before she got into the driver's seat.
Walking out of the meeting, "Thought you weren't gonna make it."
"Sorry."
"Where were you?"
"Coffee, and then met an old friend."
Grace raised an eyebrow at her, but let it slide. "We're meeting up for New Years."
"Who's we?"
"We as in family…" Grace explained, following Jessie into her office, "we can go to Australia to celebrate."
The blonde shook her head, "Nah…"
"We can celebrate here…"
"Where?"
"Your place…" Grace smirked.
"No way."
"We can all go back to Evanston then."
Jessie paused what she was doing, pondering the idea Grace just suggested. "Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yeah, okay. What's with everyone today, am I not speaking English?"
"No, you just surprise me… Wait, who else has been doing that?"
"… No one…" Jessie answered guiltily.
"Girl, do you have another one of those flings?" Grace questioned.
"I'm not having another short term relationship…" Jessie answered, "you make it sound like I'm having illicit relationships…"
"Maybe you are," Grace raised her arms up in defeat, making her way out of the room.
"Door, Grace." She called to the fleeing girl. At the same moment the door closed, her intercom rang, she sat down on her seat, before clicking on her intercom, "Yeah."
"Jessie, there's a Katie Singer looking for you," her secretary informed.
"Put her on."
"Hello?"
"Hey."
"Are you busy?"
"Nope, just got out of a meeting, great timing."
"Oh, good. Um, so are you free… tonight?"
"Should be…"
The brunette sat their fidgeting, whenever did she fidget is a big question, she never does it. She took a few deep breaths and tried to keep her cool, it's not like she hasn't had dinner with other people here before… It's just that she never had dinner here with this particular person before. She breathed out, today has been… weird. Never had she expected to Jessie again, and even more so just about to have dinner with her. Katie sat there trying to meditate, eyes closed, when she heard her voice.
"Hey, did you wait long?" Jessie took a seat.
She was obviously wearing a casual, yet formal wavy white top that went down to her upper thighs, followed with the same pair of trousers she was wearing this morning. Katie couldn't tell whether it was a strapless top or not because Jessie was wearing a short, half bodied black jacket. 'Why didn't I notice what she was wearing this morning? Oh duh… it was 4˚C, she was wearing a long coat…"
"No…" Katie nearly squeaked, she swallowed the imaginary lump by taking a sip of water. "Did you wanna order now?"
"Yeah, sure… You?"
"I've already ordered, I told them to wait till you ordered your meal as well."
"Oh… okay."
Jessie sat back and took the menu into her hands, Katie sat back and unconsciously began to stare at every single movement, and every single gesture the blonde was making. Everything seemed like it was on slow motion, absolutely incredible, she didn't want this to end.
"Hello? Earth to Katie…" Jessie spoke.
"Huh…" Katie blushed, not realizing that Jessie had finished ordering already and was talking to her. "Sorry."
"What were you thinking about… You seem to be deep in concentration." Jessie smiled, taking a sip from the glass of water.
Once again, Katie peered from Jessie's smile, to the glass touching her lips. She even noticed a bit of the blonde's lip gloss still on the cup. She shook her head.
"Oh, nothing… Hmmm… will you excuse me, I need to go to the restroom."
"Okay…"
Katie got up and quickly found her way to the restroom. Once she got in, she took a deep breath, thanking herself for choosing a nice restaurant with a clean toilet. She looked herself in the mirror, and saw that her face was blushing crimson, another thing she hasn't done in… as long as she could remember. She heard a cubicle latch click, but she didn't bother to look to see where it was from. She splashed a bit of water on her face, just as she was looking up again; she felt an arm around her waist, Katie was about to jump out of her skin if it were Jessie behind her, but when she stared into the mirror, she noticed it was one of her many exes.
"Hi Katie…" Brianna breathed into her left ear.
Katie peeled off the other girls arm from her waist, and replied, "Hi…"
"I've missed you…" she continued to breathe out, "how have you been?"
She sighed, and grabbed some paper towel to dry off her face, leaving the other girl's first comment at that, "I've been great, thank you." She continued to uncaringly reapply her make up, as the girl from behind watched on.
"Are you having dinner with someone?"
"Yeah, and you?" Katie tried to keep calm, this was not the time for random exes.
"I was, but I kinda don't want to go back to dinner now…" the girl smirked into the mirror.
The brunette wanted to hit herself right about now, she had absolutely no idea why on earth she even dated this slut. 'Oh that's right, she came onto me…' Sighing, Katie turned around after she had finished freshening up, she put on one of her most deadly charming smile, "sorry Bri, but I really have to go back to my friend… maybe I'll call you some other time?"
"Alright then…"
"Bye." She walked as briskly out of the place as she possibly can without looking like she was trying to escape. "God…" she breathed out.
"Hey, you took a while…" Jessie looked up from some paper in her hand.
"Yeah, met someone… random," Katie sat back down, smoothing her skirt.
"…Okay…" the blonde said with a slight chuckle, putting away her stuff back into a proper folder this time.
"I see you got a folder…" Katie pointed.
"I always have them in folders…" the other girl looked at her accusingly, "just not this morning."
"You were never really the neat type," the brunette shrugged taking another sip of water.
"Hey, I'll let you know I've become a lot neater. I even do my bed every morning."
Katie mocked a shock expression, "Oh my god, Jessica Sammler making her bed in the morning. That's some headline stuff!"
Both the young women broke out into mutual laughter, liking the way they're progressing. They talked about everything and anything, enjoying every minute of their dinner. When they finally got comfortable they even talked about their exes… many and many of their exes. Katie had learnt that Jessie was and architecture major, she learnt about how much stress and lack of sleep she went through during her 5 years in college. Jessie learnt that Katie in the end dropped her law major, did a 360 and took up designing.