Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
Please enjoy the Wessa that is to come in this chapter…
Gabriel stepped on the breaks and glided the car into an open parking space, in front of Tessa's house. She looked up at the Edwardian house with its white windows, brick exterior walls, greenish-blue door, old chimney and television disk on the left side of the roof above the porch It was a hundred year old house, but it was her hundred year old house. Although theoretically, it was Sophie's home.
It was her idea to rent the archaic house. After all, it was her grandmother's home- years before. Jessamine disapproved of it, saying that they could not possibly fix up the hoary place. She deemed them not committed enough to make the home in the least bit homey. Nevertheless, four months, into their junior year, and the Edwardian house was covered in colorful paintings and posters, ten cat analog clocks, painted walls, and elaborate furniture.
Now, Tessa smiled at the memories of the beginning of junior year, nearly forgetting that Gabriel was sitting in the seat next to her. She blushed and hoped that he had not seen her smiling like a Cheshire cat.
"Well, here we are, at your house." He tapped the steering wheel with his fingers while gripping it. Tessa could see the blood drain from his knuckles.
Awkward silence filled the car and the only sound was Tessa unbuckling her seat belt. She sat up and pretended to adjust her shirt, not really knowing what else to do. There was no reason to for the tension in the air. After all, they did have a date, minutes before, where they both rambled on and on, nonstop, not really sticking to one particular subject. They even talked around their food. However, in that car it seemed as though they ran out of being able to have a comfortable silence.
It was almost as if they were teenagers and Gabriel was dropping her off back home, after their first date. It was one of those situations where Tessa's dad would be watching from the living room window and they were trying to say goodbye without showing too much emotion. Either way, the moment was awkward.
"So," Tessa began, pausing before she blew out her cheeks and starting again, "tomorrow's Saturday." Mentally, Tessa banged her forehead against the dashboard.
"Do you think Will is jealous out of his mind?" Gabriel asked; either not hearing her obvious statement or he ignoring. Tessa decided to go for the latter.
"I don't know, but maybe we should keep going out. You know, just to make sure." Why are you being so forceful? She thought to herself. Forceful woman never got what they wanted- unless they were pretty enough to where men wanted to be submissive.
"How about we go to Hyde Park?" Gabriel asked; suddenly realizing that he had, basically, asked her out. He blushed and explained himself. "I mean unless you have work or something." Tessa shook her head as an answer. "Amy loved to go there."
"It is beautiful," she mentioned, desperately trying to find something to add to what he said.
"Great, I will pick you up, then. What's good for you?" Gabriel questioned; staring at Tessa with those amazing green eyes.
"Well, what time does Amy usual go?"
He looked up at the ceiling, as if to find an answer there. After a few seconds, he looked back down at Tessa. "I'll pick you up around noon. Maybe we could grab lunch after, or before."
Tessa did not know if he were asking a question, or simply stating something. Therefore, she said, "I will make sure to bring extra money."
"Don't worry about, I'll pay." He smiled at her, showing those perfect teeth of his.
In response, she nodded and opened the door. However, before she stepped out she turned and brushed her lips against his cheek. She blushed and hurriedly got out of the car.
When she reached the door, she dug into her purse. Hurriedly she moved things around and tried to find her keys. The blush on her face had started to disperse and the heat she felt began to slowly cool. Admittedly, she felt like a high school girl who had just kissed her prom date. It was funny how a senior girl in college could feel this way.
Finally, she fished out her keys and held them up for Gabriel to see. He smiled and nodded his sandy brown head. Embarrassed, she stuck the keys into the lock and turned it.
Once the door opened, she turned and waved to Gabriel. He started the car and once Tessa went into the house, he sped away down the street and around the corner.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid-"Tessa kept telling herself as she walking into the house trying to find a lamp, that was until she saw someone leant up against the banister of the staircase.
She looked up and saw Will, nearly scaring her, almost making her scream. His arms were crossed and so were his legs. His body language looked lethargic, yet his face was a display of amusement. He smirked at her.
Tessa sat her bag down on the yellow loveseat -, which Cecily had brought from a garage sale. She was about to say something when Will beat her to it. "You were supposed to be home two hours ago, young lady." Tessa would have found Will's witty remark funny, if only there were an explanation as to why he was standing in her living room at 11:00 p.m.
She crossed her arms, just as Will put his hands in his pockets. "Why are you here? And last time I checked, you were not my dad. Hence, why you have no right to call me out on what time I get home."
Then thought that perhaps he was there to confess his true feelings to Tessa, came into her head. He could have been then to tell her that she was acting very stupid. That she had nothing to worry about, she was his and he would never fall for another girl. He would also say that he broke up with Amy, so now they were both single.
However, Gabriel popped into her head. She did not sort out her feelings for him, because indeed she did have some feeling for him. Despite, whether it was small or bigger than she was aware of. Could she really be with Will and fantasize about Gabriel- not that she did so. Moreover, could she be with Gabriel, yet, still dream about Will?
Will pushed himself off the banister and took a few steps closer to where she stood at the loveseat. "Cecily called me over here." He pointed towards the steps.
"Why did she call you over here?"
"She got lonely and wanted to talk to me." He scratched his head. "I don't know why she called me over here. When I got here she just started ranting on about how men never find the right woman for them." His smirked widened on his face. "Also, no, I am definitely not your dad. I am your fit ex-boyfriend." Tessa had been in London long enough to recognize their" language". Therefore, when she heard the word "fit", she blushed. In America, he would have said the word "hot" or "sexy".
Tessa reddened even more and began to walk towards the kitchen. She opened the fridge and searched for her pack of Muller yogurt, which she asked Cecily not to touch. A second later, she found it. After snapping one off the pack and closing the fridge, she grabbed a spoon and went to go sit on the counter. She scooped a large spoonful of yogurt into her mouth, not knowing why she was hungry. After all, she did just have dinner.
Will had followed her into the kitchen and posted himself up against the counter.
"You should be thanking me, you know." Tessa swallowed her mouthful and looked at Will expectantly, waiting for him to explain why she should be thankful. "Cecily tried to eat a cup of yogurt, but I persuaded her to eat a box of cookies instead. I remember how you were so passionately in love with your Muller's." Will said, trying to mimic her American accent-, which recently had been slighted because she was acquiring a British drawl.
Reminiscing thoughts flowed through Tessa's mind. She nearly smiled at the memories of when Will used to tease Tessa about her love affair with the yogurt. She used to get irritated; however, Will would always place tender kisses upon her lips, making her forget about his mockery.
Tessa ignored his mockery, smiling at how she used to kiss him and stated, "Thank you, kind sir, for saving my dear Muller Crunch Corner yogurt. I do not know what I would do if you had not convinced Cecily." She made sure to pack much sarcasm into her sentence.
"Slap and tickle," Will exclaimed, nearly causing Tessa to drop her yogurt.
"What-"She broke off and began to realize what Will meant. He smirked as her face conveyed what he was implying.
Back when they used to be together, Will would always yell that phrase. He always did it when she being sarcastic. The phrase meant to make out with someone or heavy "petting". Therefore, Will would kiss Tessa and say that slap and tickle would be her "punishment"- although not really- for being sarcastic. Sometimes he would forget to say it, others he would remember. Apparently, at that time, he remembered.
"Will, we are not kissing." Tessa warned, not fully sure if she was right about what she said.
"Don't worry; I know you are going out with that Lightworm. Therefore, I will be an honorable man, however tempting your lips are."
At his words, Will walked over to Tessa. With his thumb, he wiped off a bit of yogurt that had settled on her lip. The yogurt on his thumb, he licked it, and went back to his position against the counter, acting as if what he did was a normal thing.
Silence ensued in the kitchen as Tessa continued to scoop her snack up and tried to not to hyperventilate. Finally, she scraped the last tad of yogurt into her mouth and threw the spoon in the sink, before she threw the cup into the trash.
She sat back on the counter and swung her legs, her heels clicking the counter under her.
"I have a paper due, tomorrow night. Therefore, I wish not to be fagged by you, Will." Tessa stated, meaning to hop off the counter. However, she stayed glued on it.
"Do you need my help on anything?" He asked, pushing himself off the counter and walking over to her. He positioned on the counter next to her thigh, dangerously close.
"When I need my ex-boyfriend's help on a paper, I'll make sure to call him. But until then, the exit is right behind you."
"So, you want me to leave? You want no company at all. There's Cecily, but does she really count?" Will inquired, stepping closer to Tessa. His hand then moved to cover her knee.
If she had a bubble that expanded to one foot, then Will definitely would have popped it.
"Yes, I am sure. If I wanted company, other than Cecily, then I would have asked my boyfriend." Tessa said, Will moving to stand in between her legs.
"I saw you two, outside. You were both sitting in the car. Why were you two just sitting there, not saying anything?"
"It's none of your business what we do."
"I thought you were supposed to be in his bed. You know, doing certain things."
Tessa's face grew hot and her cheeks reddened. How could Tessa have gotten in this predicament? How did she get into a conversation about having sex with her boyfriend, with her ex? She officially considered her life as a complicated ball of yarn strings.
"Again, Will, it is none of your business."
Tessa gasped, as Will's right hand moved up her thigh, creating intricate designs. Her left hand grasped his hand and pushed it off her thigh.
He was closer now, close enough now to where she could wrap her arms around his neck. Close enough to where she could feel his minty breath on her lips, her face. Up close, she could see through his shirt. She could see his lean, muscle-toned body and the smooth curve of his neck. It was all too much for her.
"I want you bad, right now. I need you bad, right now. I want you to be mine again." Will whispered, his face bending down to where they were eyelevel. All playfulness left his face; he was all seriousness.
His blue eyes were so enticing and magnificent that she was slowly slipping and getting completely lost in them.
"Will I-"Tessa started but was cut off by Will.
"I don't care about honorable." He uttered, puzzling Tessa.
"What are you-"However, she was interrupted by Will again. Nonetheless, this time, he interrupted her with a knee-buckling kiss.
The kiss was so powerful and satisfying, that she braced her hands on the counter behind her. She moaned as Will kissed her harder, his lips desperately seeking her response. At first, she refused and the only thing moving were Will's lips. However, Tessa disregarded the logical part of her brain, circled her arms around his neck, and began to react.
When Tessa responded to his kiss, Will smiled and pulled her closer to his body. She whimpered, slightly, when he did this. She whimpered even louder when Will pried her lips open with his tongue. Then they were not so much as kissing but instead consuming each other.
It was a kiss that made up for the kisses they did not have when they were broken up. The kiss was deep and warming. It brought back memories of kissing in Will's bed, in his car, on his car, and in the rain. Gabriel's face then flashed across her eyelids. They were not together; however, Will thought they were. What kind of a person would Will think she was? He would think that she was the type of girl that cheated on her boyfriend. In addition, he had his own relationship.
Therefore, Tessa pulled away, her hand on his chest.
"No, Will. I have a boyfriend and you have a girlfriend." She was breathing hard, from the kiss. And the more she kept Will at arm length, the more she ached for him.
"Does it matter?" He whispered, breathlessly, before he cupped her face in warm hands and kissed her again.
Tessa nearly spun and drowned in the kiss; nonetheless, she broke away from him and, this time, jump off the counter, pushing him back. She touched her lips and looked at Will, whose lips were red and swollen from kissing.
"I want my relationship, and just because you don't care about Amy, do not mean that you can just come and snog me." Without another look at her ex-boyfriend, Tessa turned and walked to the stairs.
"Sophie, I am so confused. " Tessa whined, laying herself down on her best friend's spring green bed.
"Why exactly are you confused?" She asked, sticking a pair of earrings into her ears, as she stood in front of the mirror that was connected to her dresser.
"Have you not heard I a word I have said?" Tessa asked, incredulously. After positioning herself more comfortably on the bed, she placed a firm look on her face.
"Sorry," Sophie answered, no sincerity in her voice. "I am trying to get ready for work; I am not a multi-tasker."
Tessa rolled her eyes and began to explain everything to her best friend. After, describing how she kissed Gabriel the previous night and then Will a few hours later, she began about why she was confused.
"I both have feelings for them. I mean, I love Will. However, I like Gabriel. Nonetheless, I feel like a true relationship could blossom out of our fake one. I just want to give it a chance, you know, before I dive into another relationship with Will. Then again, I greatly want Will. That kiss last night made me realize that. Memories brought me back to when we went out." Tessa placed her head in her hands.
"Remember in freshman year, you said that it would be cool if you had two guys. Well, now you have what you wanted. Therefore, figure out who you think is best and deal with it." Sophie said, deciding on whether to have her hair up or down.
"Sophie, your relationship advice is terrible."
Sophie pulled her hair into a bun and turned to Tessa. "I am sorry; I just do not know what to tell you. I have never had this problem."
"I remember in high school when I barely had boys that liked me. Now I have two guys who like me."
"Compared to actual problems, yours are far from dire."
"I never said that my problems were major problems, Sophia." Tessa said, standing up. "I also feel bad."
"Why do you feel bad?"
"I kissed Will while I am in a relationship with Gabriel. Am I considered a slut?" Tessa inquired, hoping Sophie would not answer.
"No, Tessa, you two are not even dating for real. It is just an act." Sophie pulled on her jacket. "But if you and Gabriel do get together, then don't slip up and kiss Will, or vice versa. Many bad things can happen if one or the other finds out you have kissing them, or something else."
"Thanks captain obvious." There was that sarcasm, which Tessa was known for.
Her best friend rolled her eyes and then kissed her on the cheek. "I will see you in a few hours."
At eleven o' clock, Tessa dug herself out of her hole of textbooks, notebooks, papers, and pencils. She placed her laptop on a clear space of her bed and began to put all her stuff away. Once she closed her textbooks and notebooks, put her papers in a folder and shut down her laptop, she went to the bathroom.
Deciding on warm water, she stepped in the shower and scrubbed herself. She scrubbed until she was sure the stench and grime was washed off her. Now, she was sure there was no actual grime on her skin, but she cleansed as if there were.
Finally, after a ten minute cleanse, she stepped out and started her normal routine. Grabbing her blue towel, Tessa dried herself off and pulled on a pair of under, before clasping on a bra. Moisturizing herself was the next thing she did, making sure to rub in the lotion well. Once she made sure there were no dry patches on her skin, she tied her robe around her body and went to go wash her face with cream that Jessamine influenced all the girls to use.
Upon washing her face- and brushing her teeth seeing as she forgot to do so when she woke-, she walked out the bathroom, disregarding Cecily's glare as she did so. The girl was probably waiting the whole time while Tessa refreshed herself.
Inside her room, Tessa went to open the window to check and see if the weather was clear or not. Luckily, there was not a cloud in the sky over London. The temperature seemed moderate too. Therefore, she went to her drawer and pulled out a pair of skinny jeans, which were capris. She pulled them over her legs and went to her closet to pull out a floral printed peasant shirt. Cecily and Jessamine detested the shirt; however, Tessa loved it and therefore, decided to keep it. Once she threw it over her head, she picked a pair of flats that matched her shirt.
After assessing her outfit, with content, she went to work on the bush, otherwise known as her hair. Ten minutes passed and Tessa tiredly decided to put her hair up in a simple bun, copying Sophie's hairstyle, although she left a few tendrils out, bordering her face.
Once done relishing in the victory of her hair, Tessa grabbed on her tote traveling bags from her coat rack and began to load within it necessities. The bag, therefore, consisted of gum-, which she forgot she had-, mints- you never tending to know what could happen to your gum-, the book she was currently reading, her phone, car key, house key, lip-gloss, Chap Stick, hand sanitizer, lotion and wallet.
Deciding that she needed nothing more, Tessa slipped on her navy blue suede jacket. It seemed like many things to do, however, it did not take over an hour. Tessa was never one to take a lot of time to get ready. Whenever Tessa went on dates with Will, he was the one who took the most time. He was always deciding on what shirt to wear. It was always "blue, red, blue, red". When he did this it always made Tessa laugh.
Five minutes later Tessa sat in the passenger seat of Gabriel's car. The windows were rolled down and her head was poking out. She breathed in the sweet, cool air of London and could not feel any happier. Tessa watched as normal people did ordinary things on a typical Saturday morning.
There was a couple walking hand and hand, a child riding on her scooter, a group of younger boys was playing soccer- or rather football-, and an old woman planted flowers in her front yard. She also witnessed as more children skipped rope, girls drew hopscotch marks, and toddlers skip. The whole thing was a beautiful scene calmed her.
The vibration of a notification alerted Tessa. She unlocked her phone and looked at a text message from Jessamine.
Jessie: Come right home after your date at the park. See ya later!
Tessa replied with:
Me: Gabriel is taking me out to lunch.
A second later Jessamine replied, Tessa was always wondered how Jessamine was able to text so fast.
Jessie: Cancel then; you can bring him if you want though.
"Jessamine wants me to come straight home."
"Is she your mum or something?" Gabriel inquired, laughing at his own joke. Tessa laughed too.
"No, she has big news apparently. However, we can still go to dinner. Perhaps we will have time for lunch still. I mean I am sure what she has to say is not going to take long." Tessa stated, smiling at Gabriel who smiled back at her.
"As long as I get to spend the rest of the day with you, then I am fine,"
Tessa blushed and looked out the window, hoping her cheeks would go back to normal.
They had reached the Diana Memorial Fountain, when Tessa spotted none other than Amy, which was expected. However, she was not anticipating Will to be there. She was especially surprised to see his arms wrapped around her, in a loving way, while they sat on the edge of the fountain.
Her straight blonde hair was splayed out on Will's shoulder and her small head was placed in the crook between his shoulder and chin. That is exactly where Tessa used to put her head.
Rage pooled within Tessa and jealousy wracked her body. Both feelings left a hollow sensation, making her feel utterly lonely and betrayed. Nonetheless, why should she feel betrayed? After one kiss, did she think that he would suddenly break up with Amy?
Perhaps, she was clinging onto the thin string of hope that Will would break up with Amy and come to Tessa. Then again, he had all morning to do so. Moreover, Tessa wanted a healthy relationship to spring out of the fake one she had with Gabriel. Hence, why should she feel so jealous of Will having his arms wrapped lovingly around Amy?
Tessa looked at Gabriel who barely seemed affected by the display of affection shown by the obvious couple.
"Come on," He said, beckoning her towards the fountain.
Gabriel sat down next to an old couple who were standing in and gazing down at the rushing water of the fountain. He patted his lap and Tessa, realizing the gesture, sat on it. A slight breeze blew by and Tessa felt a small chill. That was soon solved when Gabriel wrapped his arms around her waist. She smiled at him.
"Do you think they notice us?" Tessa whispered to him.
"I think so," they both chuckled and sneaked a peek at the other couple that sat next to them. Upon doing that, Tessa saw that indeed, Will was watching them.
"Kiss me," Tessa told Gabriel, wrapping her arms around his neck and positioning herself so that she could brush her lips across his correctly.
He grinned up at her and brought his lips to hers. The kiss felt comfortable and was nearly as satisfying as Will's. Tessa convinced herself that their kisses would be better than Will's. She persuaded herself that the kisses were different from Will's because they were kissing for show.
"Wow," Gabriel whispered against her lips, after he pulled away from the kiss.
"I know, I think that caught their attention." Tessa muttered, looking up to see that Amy and Will began to walk over to them.
"Hey, Gab, hey, you." Amy greeted, not sounded enthusiastic as she greeted Tessa.
Gabriel stood up, followed by Tessa. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into him. She could not help but feel desire boil up within her as he did this. There was no reason as to why she found that gesture… arousing.
"Hey, Amy," he looked Will. "Will," he greeted no genuineness or warmth in his voice.
Will nodded his head and refused to look at either Gabriel or Tessa. Amy grabbed Will's chin and brought her lips up to his. When their lips brushed, Will gripped Amy at her hips and drew her closer to him. His hand then slid up her crop top, meaning that his hands glided across her back. It was quite a disgusting sight, which made Tessa want to barf all over Amy's pretty crop top and tight jeans.
Gabriel pretended to not seem revolted or jealousy, and looked the other way. Meanwhile, Tessa could not take her eyes off the couple as they passionately made out.
Amy pulled away and smiled at both Gabriel and Tessa. "Sorry, Will gets carried away all the time." Her hand slid down and out of Tessa's view. It probably landed on Will's backside. That was even more sickening than their heavy snogging.
"Perfectly fine, Gabriel gets carried away too." Tessa patted his chest. "Remember this morning, in the shower." She laughed and looked at Will. "It was supposed to be a simple shower, however, Gabriel-"
Gabriel silenced her with a short kiss. He broke away beaming at her. "They don't want to hear our adventures, Tess."
This ticked Will off, for he was the only one who called her that. Tessa knew that was a weak spot. Gabriel never called her Tessa before, nonetheless, she told Gabriel to call her that because Will was oddly sensitive about that.
"I'm going to start walking." Will announced, walking off down the path, his face a ball of uncontrolled rage.
"Gab, I have something to tell you." Amy exclaimed, grabbing Gabriel's arm and pulling him after her.
Tessa caught up with Will and matched his stride.
"He called you my nickname." Will angrily mentioned, refusing to look at Tessa.
"Is it really your nickname? It's actually my nickname because the real name is mine." Tessa answered back, looking at Will.
"Whatever, he still called you something that was special between us."
Tessa looked up at him and for a second, she softened. Did Will really think that? Did she dig too deep? However, there was no emotion on his face. That was one of Will's talents. His voice could portray an emotion; nevertheless, his face displayed nothing.
"Do you like him? And I mean like him, in that way" Will questioned, still not looking at her.
If Will did not look so solemn, she would have teased about using the word like as if they were still in middle school. However, all she said was;" Yes."
"I figured that much. I knew you were trying to make me jealous. Well, you have succeeded, Tessa. I want you back; I need you back. I tried to convey that in the kiss last night. Nevertheless, when you disregarded my message, I realized that perhaps you actually liked Gabriel. You started to have feelings for him."
"Will-"
"I won't stop trying to get you back. You will be mine and I will make sure of it." Before Tessa could say anything else, Will turned around wrapped his arm around Amy.
"We have a lunch date to get to." He smiled down at her and then brushed his lips against hers.
They then retreated to Memorial Fountain. They passed the landmark and disappeared into Hyde Park.
As soon as Tessa opened her door, she collapsed onto her bed. She nearly fell asleep, that was, until, she felt the cushion beside her sink low. Meaning that somebody sat down.
"Tessa, can we talk?" Gabriel asked, scratching his arm. That probably did not even itch.
"I have a bad feeling that you're going to fake break up our fake relationship." Tessa joked, although she secretly hoped that he would not. After all, she turned Will down because she had some type of feelings for Gabriel.
He gave a nervous chuckle- very unusual for him seeing as he was a very confident, arrogant too, person-. "Actually, the opposite." Gabriel paused and then looked at Tessa. "I just want to make sure that our affiliation is only platonic."
"Um, yeah, strictly business. All we are doing is making Will and Amy jealous." Tessa said, grieve flowing into her. Along with it came the feeling of complete and utter stupidity. Why should she feel so guilty about kissing Will, when Gabriel obviously only wanted a amicable relationship?
"Good," Gabriel mentioned, smiling as he did so. "I think it is working. Amy is still reluctant. She will not give in, however, sooner rather than later, she will. I'm sure that Will is going to give in too."
He already did. Tessa thought, nevertheless, she bit down on her lip. If Gabriel only wanted a friendly connection with her, then she should have confessed that she had Will and did not need to make him jealous. However, she would not be able to see Gabriel anymore. They only had one class together and he lived in the neighborhood on the other side of campus. This faux relationship was the only thing that kept her and Gabriel together. She could not risk ceasing to see him. Tessa knew it was a selfish thing she was doing. It was very unlike her and she despised herself from it. Nonetheless, she did not do anything to change it.
"I'm sure Will is going to give in. We almost kissed, he was here last night."
A look passed over Gabriel's face. Tessa thought that it registered jealousy, however, his expression contorted to another feeling and the so-called jealousy disappeared from his face. Maybe she just imagined it.
Gabriel sat up and moved more onto the bed. He was closer to Tessa and she could smell the cinnamon smell radiating off him.
"That's good, he will relent soon. When that happens, we will not have to go on pretend dates and walks in the park. Instead, he will be going on real dates. Meanwhile, I will be going on real dates with Amy." There was an edge to Gabriel's voice, a sort of coldness.
"Yup, our plan will have been successful."
"Maybe we could celebrate, then." Gabriel suggested, the edge to his voice dissolving.
"I have never had a celebration about the fact that I made someone jealous."
"There is a first for everything, right?" Gabriel moved closer and put his hand on her cheek.
"I guess," Tessa answered, bending forward, allowing Gabriel to touch her lips with his.
And just as they were about to kiss, her bedroom door opened. They sprang apart, Gabriel jumping off the bed and Tessa sitting straight up. When she saw that it was Cecily, she collapsed onto her pillows.
"Cecily, you scared me." Tessa breathed, not knowing why he best friend startled her.
"Who did you think I was?" Cecily asked, blushing and looking back and forth between Gabriel and Tessa.
"Nobody, but do you have to tell me something. Or do you just like to barge into people's rooms?"
"I actually do like to barge into people's rooms, thank you very much." Cecily joked, raising a laugh out Gabriel and Tessa. Cecily reddened even farther when she realized Gabriel laughed at her joke. Tessa noticed this, but gave it no such thought.
"Why did you really burst into my room?"
"Oh right," Cecily said, breaking her eyes away from Gabriel who was looking at Tessa. "Jessamine just got home and she has an announcement."
"I was just about to text her and ask where she was. Me and Gabriel were going to lunch, however, she told us to come home." Tessa smiled at Gabriel who grinned back. "You cannot imagine how irritated we were to find her not here."
"In saying that, we will be right down." Gabriel said.
Cecily nodded and walked out, Gabriel beckoned Tessa out the door. She grinned at him and followed Cecily.
While she walked down the creaky steps, Tessa thought about what just almost transpired between her and her fake boyfriend. They had almost kissed. He touched her face and there was deep desire in his eyes. Nonetheless, had he not, just mere seconds before, confessed that he only wanted a "no strings" relationship? That they were basically just using each other to make their ex's envious.
Therefore, Gabriel almost kissing Tessa confused her to no end. It tangled her brain and made everything complex.
"So you are moving out, when?" Sophie asked, sipping a bit of tea form her blue cup-, which Cecily asked her not to use, under any circumstances.
Tessa stared at her older cousin, Nate, and Jessamine. They were on the loveseat in the living room. Holding hands, they looked at Jessamine's group of friends and Nate's younger cousin.
In their junior year of college, Nate decided to come and visit London, from New York where he had been living and working as an accountant. Apparently, he had gotten a job offer from some man named Axel Mortmain, the man who owned Mortmain and Co. A company that bought boats- or something like that, Tessa never really paid attention to what Nate was describing. He was a wealthy executive and when Nate was offered the job, he jumped at it.
Therefore, during the span of two weeks, Tessa was forced to show Nate around the city. She was not forced to, of course, but she could not just leave him to wander around the city. However, Jessamine began to take a liking to Nate. In less than a week and a half, Jessamine took over the job of showing Nate around. By the end of two weeks, Tessa's cousin found a comfortable two bedroom flat, which happened to be close to her house- of course. Moreover, not only did Nate find a flat, but he also found a girlfriend- Jessamine.
A month later, Nate left their aunt and moved to London and into his flat. Since then, Jessamine and Nate had a vanilla relationship. They also showed a lot of public affection in the house. Sometimes Tessa would come downstairs, in the middle of the night, and find his cousin lip-locked with Jessamine, in a highly inappropriate position. Tessa was happy that they both found one another, however, she did not know how long she could take finding condoms under the couch- highly irritating and outright disgusting- and walking in on them heavily snogging in the kitchen whenever she wanted yogurt.
"By next Saturday, I plan to have all my stuff packed and on Sunday I want to spend the whole day moving into Nate's flat." Jessamine announced, turning at beam at Nate, who returned her enthusiasm.
"I hope you don't expect us to help you." Cecily mentioned, looking down at her manicured nails.
Jessamine stuck her tongue out at Cecily and informed the group why she would need help. "Well, I actually do need your help. Considering the fact that I have to work and deal with school, I cannot possibly pack all my stuff up."
"Mortmain is ringing me through the gutter, therefore, I cannot help much either." Nate stated, gaining a head nod from Jessamine.
"You don't expect us to have school and work to deal with." Cecily exclaimed. "I have an article to do and another paper. Plus I have to make-"
"I do not mean to be as hostile as Cecily is, however, I agree with her." Tessa muttered, all eyes turning towards her.
"Alright fine, I will pack myself." A smile then broke out onto Jessamine's face. From her pocket, she produced a few pieces of paper. She distributed them to everyone. "So, onto a brighter note. Nate and I are hosting a dinner party, for our closest friends. The address is on the paper and it will be at six. It will be on Sunday, do not be late."
"Jessie, we know where Nate's flat is. We all have been there." Sophie commented, looking down at the paper. "Why couldn't you have just told us during the week? I mean we still live together"
"So many questions, not enough answers." Jessamine said.
"Isn't it too early to move in with each other?" Tessa questioned, letting her curiosity get the best of her.
"We love each other, Tessie. In plus, you guys are graduating soon. You should begin to buckle down." Nate answered.
To Tessa he sounded completely obnoxious. Despite the fact that she rarely went to parties or clubs, Tessa knew that college was meant to finish off you educational career and the time to go to house parties. A few years after college was the time to quit your intern position and find a real job containing your major- or further your schooling. It was a time to experiment with other men, or women, try to find your soul mate. The after-college years are a time to go to clubs and have fun. It was not a time to buckle down and move in with you yearlong boyfriend. However, everybody was different. Some people fall in love with their high school crushes and move in with them after college. They stay together and live happy lives. Perhaps, Jessamine and Nate were that couple- even though they met in college instead of high school.
"Fair enough, but make sure that you are not moving too fast." Tessa mentioned.
"Tessa, you are like an incessant mum." Jessamine whined, earning laughs out of everybody.
Nate looked at his phone and stood up. "Mortmain wants me in the office."
"Well then, looks like we are done here. I am going to finish painting the walls of our flat." Jessamine announced, standing up and following out after Nate.
A/N
Ok, so not my best chapter, but I don't have time to read through it and fix all the crummy mistakes I made. But anyway, I had to put some Wessa into the mix before the Gessa (Thanks to RowanWhitethorn22 Gabriel and Tessa have a name for the few people who ship them) fluff is unleashed. Which won't because long because this is a 73% full Wessa story.
Thanks for the reviews I got, if I did not respond to them then I will most definitely. I love you guys!
Until Next Update, be in peace…
-CartoonsandTacos
