Author's Note: Well, here's the second part of the rewrite :) I apologize for taking so long to post again...blame my boyfriend (beta-reader) :P
I do know that Alex is out of character here, but I will try to keep him in check as much as possible. He will not always be like that, I can assure you that much.
Enjoy! :D
Several months later...
"Hello?" Jessi answered her phone.
"Jessi? Sorry I missed your call."
"No problem! I wanted to know if you and Dana were up to goingout today."
"Well...I've finished my homework and she's almost done, so I don't see why not."
"Awesome! I'll be there soon. Bye!" she chimed.
He said goodbye and hung up, told Dana, then hopped into the shower quickly while Dana finished her schoolwork and got ready.
When Jessi arrived, however, neither of them were expecting her to show up in a car.
"Whoa!" Dana exclaimed, running around the car to get a look at it from every angle.
"Nice car." Alex smiled, admiring the black '1967 Dodge Charger'.
"Thank you, it was a gift from my father for my birthday."
"It's beautiful."
"Isn't it? Get in."
The trio decided to go to Central Park for ice cream and a lovely walk. They spent hours there, running around and laughing, having long conversations and debates. Alex and Jessi couldn't take their eyes off of each other, often getting caught up in the moment only to be interrupted by Dana.
There was a moment that Dana was very intrigued by the ducks flying around and sitting on the lakes' surface, so Jessi took her opportunity to get to know Alex more.
"So, Alex..." she said in a flirty tone. Alex gulped, getting anxiety taking over inthat very moment.
"Y-yes?"
"Are you seeing anyone?"
"No...are you?"
"Nope." she smiled.
"Why do you ask?"
"Just wanted to get to know you better." she admitted shyly.
"I see..."
Sitting so closely and their eyes locked on each other, it felt like there was an invisible force pulling them closer together.
This is it...
"Hey, Alex! Jessi! Look!" Dana screamed, breaking the moment. They pulled away from each other and recomposed themselves.
"What is it?" Alex grunted, making Jessi giggle. He couldn't help but smirk a little bit himself.
"Those ducklings are so cute!" the little girl said, pointing to a group of ducklings waddling around on the land next to the lake.
"Very cute!" Jessi exclaimed, turning back to Alex.
"Would you and Dana like to spend the weekend at my house?" she asked him.
Alex's eyes widened, "Really?"
"Of course! We can rent out movies and eat popcorn. It'll be so fun, Alex. Please?"
"Uh...I'm fine with it and I'm sure Dana would love to have a sleep-over." he said.
Jessi smiled before calling Dana over. She told Dana her offer to which the little girl jumped around and hugged her in excitement. They left the park and went back to Alex and Dana's house, Jessi leaving them there to go and pick up a few things. They weren't staying in her actual house, but the lake house she said sheoften stayed at on weekends. She came back to getthem, and they were on their way.
Alex and Dana were shocked to see how large the lake house itself was. It was bigger than their house altogether.
"Wow...this is..." Alex trailed off.
"Awesome!" Dana exclaimed.
"I'm glad you like it." Jessi smiled, looking at Alex, "Let's get inside." she told him, gesturing to the house.
"Yeah."
They got their bags and went inside, getting a tour of the house from Jessi. It looked even bigger on the inside, holding a large bathroom, a kitchen with an island in the middle, a living room and four bedrooms. The backyard even had a pool.
"This is amazing, Jess."
"Thank you. I spend my weekends here."
"Why is that? If you don't mind me asking."
"I just feel more at home here. My mother used to bring my brothers and I here on the weekends, I suppose I don't want to let that go."
"Did she..."
"Yes, four years ago. Ovarian cancer."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Me too. Let's not be sad, though. We're supposed to have a good night, remember?" she smiled and got up, "I'll order some food. Chinese sound good to you?" she asked.
"Sounds great."
Jessi ordered the food and took a shower while it arrived. They ate their dinner and got the popcorn, settling for a horror movie. Afterward, Dana went to bed while Jessi and Alex stayed up talking. She spoke about her family life, Alex learning that her family was rich, and that her father was the General at Fort Hamilton Military Base in Brooklyn. He was very hard on her for her entire life, both of her brothers in the army, and joining the army herself once she graduated and was of age. He also learnt that she spentseveral hours at the base once a month, training under her father.
Jessi learnt that Alex was in foster care until he was nine, being returned to his mother and ultimately took over taking care of Dana. Dana was his half sister, his father dying when he was young after his parents divorced. She wasn't the best mother and it saddened Jessi that they were going through such a thing. It was hard for Alex, thinking about the possibility of having to leave Dana behind to go to school. He knew she was a capable girl, but he also knew his mother and her bad habits.
"You know, Alex...I don't think any less of you now that you've told me."
"You don't?"
"No. If anything, I admire you even more now. It must have been so difficult taking care of Dana while you were a child yourself and trying to get good grades."
"It was. I managed, though."
"I know I've had a lot of time to ask this in the time that we've known each other, but I'd like to know more about what you're planning to study once you're in university." she said, playing with his dark, curly hair. Alex wasn't uncomfortable with her touching him, he welcomed it...the physical contact was odd, yet relaxing.
"You want to know more about Genetics?"
"I know you've told me that you want to go into that field, but...I want to know what interests you most about it."
"It's just...fascinating. How every little detail defines an organism in it's genetic makeup, from features to skin colour..." he said, looking at her smooth skin, "everything."
"Tell me more..." she said, cuddling up to him and relaxing. Alex stiffened for a moment before relaxing too, awkwardly putting his arm around her, but he adjusted to it.
"Genetics is a discipline of biology, the study of the science of genes in living organisms whether it be hereditary or a variation. It deals with the molecular structure and function of genes, gene behavior in context of a call or organism. Genetics can be applied to the study of all living systems, from viruses and bacteria, through plants and domestic animals, to humans—which is medical genetics. The fact that living things inherit traits from their parents has been used since prehistoric times to improve crop plants and animals through selective breeding. However, the modern science of genetics that seeks to understand the process of inheritance only began in the mid-nineteenth century. It was observed that organisms inherit traits via discrete units of inheritance, which is now known as genes. Genes correspond to regions withing the DNA strand, which is composed of a chain of four different types of nucleotides—which is what holds the genetic information that organisms inherit. The sequence of nucleotides in a gene is translated by cells to produce a chain of amino acids, creating proteins and the order of amino acids and protein correspond to the order of nucleotides in the gene—and that is the genetic code. A simple change to a gene in DNA can have a drastic effect in the cell and on the organism as a whole. Even though genetics plays a large role in the appearance and behaviour of organisms, it's the combination of genetics with what an organism experiences that determines the ultimate outcome. That is what fascinates me." Alex finished and looked over to see her staring at him in awe.
"You are so intelligent, Alex. You don't seize to amaze me every time." she almost whispered, making him feel a bit hot in his seat.
Jessi put her hand on Alex'sface gently, pulling his head down a little bit andpressed her lips against his. He was shocked at her sudden movement, but the feeling was one he would never forget. He slowly relaxed, wrapping his arms around her. They continued kissing for several moments before pulling away to catch their breath.
"You are so beautiful..." Alex whispered to her, and she pressed her lips against his once more. They laid down, kissing in each others arms.
Alex wasn't sure of what to make of the situation. All he knew was that for the first time, he felt for a girl in a way he never had before. She was so amazing to him. She wasn't a snobby little rich girl, she was kind, generous and loving. She cared for others more than he'd seen his own mother care for either him or Dana. He hadn't a clue until recentlythat she was interested in him, though. He wasn't sure how he could have missed it, or if she'd hidden it the whole time. There was no denying that there was a chemistry between them that was almost surreal. It was like something that only happened in fairy tales. But this was no fantasy story, this was reality.
He wasn't sure where this was going to take him, but he sure as hell wasn't going to prevent fate from running its course.
I think I'm falling in love with her…
I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)
Keelah Se'lai and Peace Be Upon You.
≺) [ṃȧƌạṁeḤuɲʈǝrr]
