No Fair Comparison
About This Story: Takes place after "Chipwrecked". Jeanette and Simon get a chance to talk about events that happened while they were stranded. Simon even dares to ask her about his alter-ego, Simone. Jeanette tries to compare and contrast Simon and Simone, wondering which one she prefers. Even though "Chipwrecked" was a live-action movie from 2011, I'll blend it a bit with the 2015 Nickelodeon cartoon series into a hybridized "Chipwrecked 2.0". Age-wise I will say they are 10. I don't own any part of the Chipmunk franchise, just borrowing them from Nickelodeon, Janice Karman, & Ross Bagdasarian, their family, & their company.
About This Chapter: Rated G. Family-friendly.
Pairings: Simon/Jeanette
Taking A Breather
The party in the hotel lobby after the International Music Awards was well underway. Simon had been enjoying himself a little more than he thought he would. But he felt like he needed a break.
He watched his little brother Theodore scouting out the buffet table with Eleanor. He also saw his other brother Alvin showing off some moves on the dance floor while he and Brittany enjoyed hanging out with the DJ. Dave was not too far, trying to keep an eye on Alvin and make sure he didn't get into too much trouble. Uncle Ian, as they were calling him again, was walking around with his date for the evening, who was none other than their new friend Zoe. She sure cleaned up nicely, in her black halter-top and floor-length evening gown, with her hair somewhat straightened and pulled into a Demi-French twist. Apparently she was still trying to get used to being around other people again. Even though there was talk of a movie in the making about her life, the fame and fortune just hadn't hit home with her yet. She and Uncle Ian were hitting it off, enjoying mingling and rubbing elbows with many of the other guests.
Simon was glad that both Uncle Ian and Zoe were on good terms with his family once again. Even Jeanette had forgiven Zoe and had helped her get ready for that night, or so he heard. Wait a minute! Where was Jeanette in all of this? Maybe she went back to the hotel room. She was even more introverted than Simon, and he knew she could only take so much before being worn out by crowds, parties, and public attention in general.
All Simon knew at the moment was that he needed some fresh air. He quickly grabbed two glasses of punch from near the buffet table before he headed out to the patio balcony overlooking the pool. He wanted two glasses of punch in case he got extra thirsty outside and didn't want to go back inside for a refill.
Once outside, he realized what a beautiful night it was. He almost headed towards the right side of the balcony, since there seemed like a nice view from over there. But he stopped when he saw a familiar figure on the left side.
It was Jeanette! He recognized her silhouette immediately. She was standing on a wooden bench so she could look over the balcony railing. She was reclining against her elbows on the railing, casually looking up at the sky. The cock-eyed bun in her hair was starting to frizz a little after the performance earlier that night, since her hair was a little more wavy than that of her sisters. Her lips were moving a little, maybe she was talking - or singing - to herself. Her calf-length, flowing light purple dress sparkled in the moonlight as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other in her black ballet flat shoes. Her fluffy tail seemed to twitch from side to side in a casual and contented way that Simon still found alluring. Wait, was he checking her out?
Instead of answering that question even in his mind, Simon decided to walk over to see her.
"Oh, hi, Jeanette!" He smiled at her while thinking to himself, "Oh, good, Simon, keep it casual..."
She turned around and gave him a shy smile, "Hi, Simon. Isn't it nice out here?"
"It is! Just the perfect break from the party that I need." He set the punch glasses on the bench seat so they wouldn't spill as he hopped up to join her.
"Oh, how sweet of you!" Jeanette bent down to pick up the glasses of punch. "Is one of these for me?"
Once Simon was at her side at the balcony railing, he stammered, "Why, uh...yes. Yes it is." The thought entered his mind, "I'll get thirsty in half the time, but I would rather be generous than well-hydrated, especially with someone like Jeanette."
"Thank you, Simon. That's very thoughtful of you." She smiled at him as they both took a small sip. "How are you enjoying the party?"
"Oh, you're welcome, by the way..." He began. "And it is a nice party, but I just needed a break from it. I'm not the big party animal that Alvin is." He laughed.
"Yeah, me neither." She shrugged. "I know what you mean about needing a break. I can only stand so much socializing before I need my alone time." She then corrected herself, thinking what she just said might make Simon think she didn't want him around. "Oh, but it's OK if you stay, Simon, I like some alone time in the company of one or two others. Usually one or both of my sisters joins me. But it could be nice hanging out with you, too."
"That's cool." He smiled nervously. "I myself prefer an intimate group of friends to a huge party. So, what brought you over to this side of the balcony? It looks like there is a more open view on the right side of the patio balcony."
She shrugged, "For one thing, there were a few people over there smoking, and I just can't breathe in that nasty polluted air."
"Good call, Jeanette." Simon interjected. "Secondhand smoke is not good for our singing voices, or our overall health, for that matter."
"Yeah." She nodded. "Plus, this bench was already over here by the railing, so I didn't have to move any patio furniture to get this good of a view. I don't even know if I could move it by myself, anyways. Things just worked out better over here."
They simultaneously sighed contentedly. There were a few seconds of silence as they just admired the view around them. Jeanette glanced downward and started rubbing the outside of her arms with her hands.
Simon read her cue, and started removing his blue blazer jacket. He was still in his long-sleeved white button-up shirt, black neck tie, black pants, blue socks, and Oxford shoes. It felt kinda nice to be out of that extra layer. He placed it around Jeanette's shoulders, noticing how soft her skin felt next to the tiny rough sequins on the shoulder straps of her dress.
"Thank you, Simon." She placed her right hand on top of his left hand as he adjusted the collar of his jacket on her left shoulder.
He leaned in with his head resting on her right shoulder, while his right hand patted the outside of her right arm, as if giving her a small hug from behind. She leaned her head to the right to rest against his.
A/N: This was originally going to be one story with only one chapter. But once I finished it, I re-thought that, and decided to break it into 3 chapters. I would like to give a shout-out or dedication: the smokers on the patio area were inspired by some real-life events in my family. Any time we would go somewhere, and there was a nice view outside, it seems there would always be someone smoking in that area, which would throw my little sister Molly into an asthma attack. So this chapter is dedicated to Molly, and others like her who are allergic to smoke.