Jesse was in the middle of straightening her hair when she heard her bedroom door open. She had been vaguely aware of the doorbell ringing a couple of minutes ago but thought nothing of it until now. She quickly spun around to see who it was; finding herself secretly hoping it would be Effy though she would never admit to that. She felt a little bit disappointed when she found Leah standing in the doorway rather than the brunette. Luckily it was shock that showed on her face, not disappointment.
"Gabe! What are you doing here?" She asked, sounding pleasantly surprised.
"I was ready early so I thought I'd call round." She shrugged and made her way to sit down on Jesse's bed.
"Alright." Jesse shrugged, eyeing the girl suspiciously. "Although next time you could try knocking."
"Why?" Leah smirked. "Because you might be in here getting freaky with someone? Perhaps a certain leggy brunette?"
The dark haired girl studied JJ's face for a response to her provocation. The red head blushed slightly and rolled her eyes.
"Oh please! Not you too." JJ groaned and resumed straightening her hair.
"I notice you didn't deny it." Leah pointed out with an amused grin.
"That's because I've tried denying it but it doesn't seem to have any effect." She sighed. Were her feelings for Effy really that transparent? And if so did that mean that Effy could see them too? Shit that would be disastrous.
"That's because it's pretty clear you're into her." Leah mused, getting up to examine something on Jesse's desk that caught her attention. "And that she's into you."
"What?" Jesse scoffed. "Now I know you're crazy!"
"I most certainly am not!" The other girl responded haughtily. "And what is this?"
Jesse turned to find Leah holding up the half empty bottle of absinthe from the previous night. She couldn't help but smile when thoughts of her night with Effy rushed into her mind. She narrowed her eyes at Leah.
"Can't you read?"
"Yes, what I meant was what is this doing here?" She clarified. A realisation dawned on her and she raised her perfectly manicured eyebrow. "Is this what you two got up to last night after you ran off into the night together?"
"Maybe." Jesse replied coolly trying to get Leah to take the hint that she doesn't want to talk about it.
"Did you sleep together?" Leah asked with an approving smile, crossing the room to stand in front of the red head.
"In the sense that we were unconscious together yes. In any other sense no." Jesse answered quite plainly, trying to ignore the little pang of disappointment that hit her.
"But you want to." Leah grinned triumphantly. "I knew it! I can see it in your eyes Jay. I knew there was something going on with you two when I met you today!"
"Leah!" Jesse groaned, hoping that the use of the girl's proper name would give her an idea of how much she wanted her to stop talking about this. "Drop it."
"Ok. Ok. Dropping it." She held her hands up in surrender and dropped back down on the bed.
"Thank you." Jesse sighed in relief as she put the finishing touches to her makeup.
"So that Katie girl, she seems pretty cool." Leah tried to sound casual. JJ laughed.
"Sorry Gabe. She's straight." She gave her an apologetic look. "At least that's what she told me after our kiss last night." She giggled.
"Wait, what? Take it back a little there." Leah jumped up on the bed, eyes wide with shock. "You kissed her?"
"If you can even call it that." Jesse shrugged. "It was more like a stupid drunken experiment."
"Experiment, eh?" You could practically see the cogs turning in the dark haired girl's head. "So she could still be swayed, she just wasn't impressed by your kissing skills."
"You know..." JJ looked at her with a bemused expression. "I think I liked you better when you were annoying me about Effy."
-
Effy was pacing around her room waiting for Pandora to arrive. She was wearing tight black jeans and a white vest top with an arty picture of a half naked fairy surrounded by flowers printed on it in black. A half smoked cigarette left a tail of smoke in her wake as she walked back and forth. She tried to play it down. They were going out tonight. JJ lives just around the corner. So it just made fiscal sense to share a taxi to the club with her. And Pandora. After the day of teasing and intrusive questions they had endured about their little private party last night she had thought it prudent to invite Pandora to avoid suspicion. Her text alert sounded and she crossed the room to read it.
'Sorry Eff won't make it out tonight. Mum don't want me staying out two nights in a row so I'm sitting in and we're making fairy cakes! Really sorry. You'll have a super duper good time with JJ and the girls anyway. X'
The brunette groaned and stamped her foot in frustration. There goes avoiding suspicion. There goes her whole fucking plan. She sent some form of reply to the crazy blonde and tried to formulate another plan. She decided she would just head round to JJ's suggesting they share a taxi and hope it seemed casual. Why did she so desperately want to be around Jesse so much anyway? Usually she didn't want to be around anyone at all. Interacting with people on a one-to-one basis had never been something she particularly enjoyed but with JJ it was different, it was easy; like she couldn't help but make conversation with her. It was strange. Almost as strange as the tingling sensation that rippled through her body at the slightest contact with the red head. She shook her head, grabbed her leather jacket and headed out the door. All that pacing would achieve would be a worn out patch on the floor.
She walked up the familiar driveway, tossing her cigarette butt aside before she stepped up to the door and rang the bell. A blonde girl, of average height with Jude's bone structure answered the door. Effy was startled by the blonde because she had expected Jesse or Jude to answer the door.
"You must be Effy." The girl said with a knowing smile. This must be the girl her baby sister was so clearly falling for. And considering the fact that JJ hadn't mentioned that she would be calling round Rhiannon figured Effy might have a little thing for her too.
"Rhiannon, right?" She smiled back.
"Yeah I'm Jesse's big sister. Come on in. I've heard a lot about you." The blonde watched the girl as she stepped inside the house. "Jesse!" She yelled up the stairs.
"What?" JJ's voice screeched from the top of the stairs.
"Someone here to see you." Rhiannon called back looking rather amused.
"Who the hell could that be?" Jesse wondered out loud. After her previous disappointment she knew not to expect Effy. She just hoped to hell that it wasn't Amy.
"I don't know. Hey why didn't you tell me Rhiannon was here?" Leah demanded, getting up and following Jesse from the room.
"Because you didn't ask." Jesse shrugged and looked confused. She stopped dead halfway down the stairs when she saw Effy standing in her hall. Her heart stopped dead too.
"What the fuck?" Leah yelped when she walked right into the red head. She looked down and saw the leggy brunette they had been discussing earlier and grinned. "Interesting."
"Hi." She couldn't keep the smile from her face as she continued down the steps and it didn't go un-noticed by her all too inquisitive sister.
"Hey." The brunette smiled back. Suddenly she didn't feel so confused or angry anymore.
"I thought we could share a taxi to the club. I was supposed to go with Pandora but she has a prior engagement." Effy explained thinking everyone was probably wondering what she was doing there. Jesse raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "Making fairy cakes with her mum."
"Wow." Rhiannon chuckled.
"Sounds...wonderful." Leah added sarcastically.
"I hope you don't mind." Effy shrugged. She couldn't see Jesse having a problem with it. Although she didn't know that Leah was going to be there. Why was Leah there? She didn't want to think about it. She didn't know what kind of friends the two girls were. For all she knew they could be fuck buddies and she had just interrupted a quickie. The thought made her feel sick. She really hoped it wasn't true.
"No, of course not." The red head smiled uncontrollably. She wished she could stop because she'd never hear the end of it from her sister later.
"Hello Leah, by the way, I didn't know you were here." Rhiannon greeted the green eyed girl in an effort to take some of the focus off Effy.
"I know. Your rude ass sister failed to mention that you were home." Leah nodded toward JJ.
"Bad Jess. Very bad Jess." Rhiannon chastised her. She rolled her eyes and ignored both of them.
"So now you've met my sister." Jesse smiled at Effy while Rhiannon and Leah were talking on the sidelines. She was feeling uncomfortable from the amount of embarrassing things Rhiannon might have done before she called her down the stairs.
"Now I have." The brunette nodded.
"She didn't...I mean...She wasn't...She didn't say or do anything embarrassing before I came down the stairs did she?" She asked hoping desperately that the answer was no. Effy laughed and shook her head.
"Were you expecting her to?" She asked curiously.
"She is Jude's daughter." Jesse shrugged, smiling as a wave of relief washed over her.
"You should totally come out with us tonight!" They heard Leah insist to their laugh. Rhiannon considered it. With one last look at her sister and Effy she agreed. It was pretty obvious Jesse was going to need some assistance realising her feelings and acting on them.
"Hey Dad!" She poked her head into the living room.
"Yes, love?" Jude asked appearing in the doorway to see what was going on. "Oh hello Leah...Effy." He greeted the girls. Leah noted how he was not at all surprised by Effy's presence in the house.
"Don't suppose you feel like looking after my son tonight?" She smiled sweetly at her father. "Leah and Jesse have invited me to join them."
"No problem." He happily agreed. He thought it was important for Rhiannon to get out when she could. Most of her time is spent either working or looking after her little boy and it's not like he was doing anything else.
"Thanks Dad!" She leaned up on her tip toes and kissed her father's cheek.
"Yay! Leah's coming!" Leah cheered.
"Let me go change." She grinned, giving Leah a look that told her to follow her.
"Your sister doesn't swing both ways does she?" Effy smirked as the two girls disappeared up the stairs together. Jesse laughed.
"No. But I wouldn't put it passed Leah to try to change that. She's been hitting on my sister for as long as we've been friends." She chuckled.
-
"You're going out with JJ again tonight?" Kieran asked Naomi as searched the living room for her missing shoe.
"Yeah that's right." She answered only half listening to the Irish man's ramblings.
"I'm not sure how I feel about you corrupting the new girl." He teased. Naomi rolled her eyes.
"It was her idea actually. She's corrupting me!" She argued.
"I find that hard to believe. I think Katie over there corrupted you a long time ago." He joked. Katie half giggled, still unsure of how to react to a non-school bound Kieran. "Emily is the only innocent one left among you."
"Thanks Kieran." The red head smiled sweetly and held up a shoe. "Is this is?"
"Yes." Naomi cried out with joy and pulled the shoe onto her bare foot before giving Emily a chaste kiss on the lips. "Thank you."
"Now can we go?" Katie asked impatiently. She was anxious to get to the club and get a few drinks in her. Then maybe she could settle the butterflies that flapped around in her stomach at the thought of getting to know Leah a little better.
"Yes." Naomi replied like a petulant child and Katie smiled in satisfaction.
There was already a small line forming outside the building when they arrived just after 10 o'clock, or fashionably late as Katie would call it. They began to worry about whether they would get into the club tonight without JJ at their side. It was the same bouncer as the night before, AJ and she seemed to recognise them as she beckoned them to the front of the line.
"Back so soon?" She flashed them a cheerful grin.
"We just can't get enough of the place." Naomi replied.
"They're waiting for you in the cocktail bar." The tall woman informed them. They nodded then looked at each other in confusion. AJ laughed. "It's that way."
She pointed them in the right direction and returned her attention to the gathering crowd outside.
"I didn't know there was a cocktail bar here." Katie commented as they walked down the hall.
"Me either." Naomi shrugged and her forehead wrinkled in confusion.
"I definitely have no recollection of being in here last night." Emily was almost certain when they walked into the cocktail lounge. The walls were lined with booths with deep purple leather seats. In the middle of the room there was a small square bar that was set up specifically for making cocktails. It was nice and a lot quieter than the nightclub.
"Hey!" Jesse spotted them walking in and rushed over to greet them with hugs and kisses on the cheek. She led them to the booth where Leah, Effy and Rhiannon were sitting sipping their drinks from cocktail glasses. Katie wondered who the new girl was. She was pretty, blonde, average height, perfect smile. Katie wondered if she was Leah's girlfriend. She also wondered why she felt a bit upset at the thought of Leah having a girlfriend.
"Emily, Katie, Naomi...this is my sister Rhiannon." Jesse smiled broadly as she introduced her sister. "Ria this is Emily, Naomi and Katie."
"It's nice to finally put names to faces." Rhiannon smiled at the girls.
"Drinks!" JJ shouted when she noticed their empty hands. "I'll go get you guys some drinks, the first round is on me. Does anyone else want one?"
She looked around to gauge the amount of alcohol left in all their glasses. "I'll get you some anyway." She smiled and skipped off to the bar.
"What's with her?" Katie asked, watching the red head's actions with amusement. "She couldn't possibly be drunk already? Did you slip her something?" She asked Effy.
"Why would you assume I would do something like that?" The brunette was affronted. Katie raised her eyebrow. "No I didn't!"
"She's just a bit hyper." Rhiannon shrugged. "That's probably my fault. I don't get to go out with her much these days so when we do she gets a bit...excited."
"I'm going to go help her with the drinks. She seems intent on getting us all completely wasted tonight." Effy chuckled and headed towards the bar.
"Of course you're going to help her." Leah muttered under her breath, an amused glint flashing in her eye.
"So do any of you know what the story with those two is?" Rhiannon asked, completely bypassing the pleasantries. That was just her way.
"You're guess is as good as ours." Emily shrugged. She and Naomi and even Katie had been debating that very topic on the way to the club.
"It's pretty fucking obvious they fancy each other though." Naomi directed everyone's attention to where the two girls were standing at the bar. They were chatting about something while they waited for the drinks; they were looking deeply into each other's eyes, making physical contact with each other at every available opportunity.
"Yeah to everyone but them maybe." Leah rolled her eyes.
"So what are we going to do about it?" Rhiannon asked the group.
"Do about it?" Katie looked confused.
"Yes, dear Katiekins," Leah nodded. Katie couldn't help but feel pleased at Leah using the familiar term. "Our little JJ over there appears to be completely oblivious to the fact that Effy is flirtatiously throwing herself at her. We need to do something to help her see that."
"Ok." She agreed more because it would give her a chance to talk to Leah than because she wanted to JJ and Effy to get together. Although she couldn't understand why that was and she would never actually admit it.
"Good to have you on board." The dark haired girl gave her a bright smile that actually made her heart stop a little. Rhiannon shook her head and rolled her eyes. Leah really was shameless.
"Here they come." Naomi warned them as the girls in question returned to the table.
"What did we miss?" JJ asked as they set the glasses down on the table; 7 glasses of reddish purple liquid.
"What's this then?" Katie asked when she was handed a glass.
"That my dear is a Kitty Killer." Leah informed her with a grin and a devilish look in her hazel eyes.
"What's in it?" Emily asked, venturing a sip.
"Fuck if I know but it tastes good!" Jesse smiled and took her seat beside Effy. The other girls noted how close they were sitting. They sipped over their drinks and engaged in friendly chat. Rhiannon was taking an interest in getting to know her sister's new friends. Katie was doing everything she could to gather as much information about Leah as possible.
"I'm going for a smoke." Naomi announced after draining the last of the liquid in her glass. Jesse was right those cocktails were nice.
"Me too." Emily stood up beside her girlfriend.
"Sounds like a plan. You coming?" Effy nodded and nudged Jesse with her shoulder. The red head shrugged and nodded. Leah and Rhiannon shared a look.
"Well I'm going to use the bathroom while they're all gone." Rhiannon said, knowing very well that Leah would not be abject to spending some time alone with the brunette twin.
"I'll stay here and keep Katie company then." Leah grinned. "We'll get the drinks in."
When she stood up Katie was able to fully take in her form for the first time that night. She was wearing an off-white lace tea dress that was practically see through. Katie could see the muscle lines in the girls flat stomach and it made her heart beat faster when her eyes travelled upwards, lingering on the girl's cleavage. The colour looked amazing against her olive skin tone. What the fuck? Katie assured herself that she was just appreciating the other girl's beauty. Girl's do that.
"Katie." Leah was singing her name trying to get her attention.
"Huh...what?" Katie looked up quickly, feeling her face flush.
"See something you like." The dark haired beauty teased with an amused grin. She hadn't missed the way Katie had been looking at her.
"Oh...Your dress..." She stammered. "It's really pretty. It suits you." She finished more confidently.
"Thank you." Leah smiled and quickly paid the bar tender. "You look pretty damn good yourself."
"Thanks." Katie felt very pleased with herself and smoothed down her grey silk skirt. All the effort she had put into choosing her outfit had paid off. Summoning a bit more of her confidence back she added. "I'm just not used to lesbians having such good fashion sense."
Leah laughed as they carried the drinks back to the table.
"I mean Naomi looks fine now, but you should have seen some of the outfits she wore back when she and Emily first started going out. It was like she was terrified of solid colour."
"That bad?" Leah laughed. "You do have a point though. I like a girl to look like a girl. I mean otherwise I could just go out with a boy. No thanks!" She sipped her drink.
"I like them with long, wavy hair falling round their face, in skirts and high heels with an excellent set of tits." She watched Katie carefully while she spoke. Her hazel eyes locked on the older twin hinting to her that she was the object being described. The brunette held her breath when she considered this. She found herself staring at Leah's lips as they curled around the straw. Her large, full lips. She gulped down a large mouthful of her drink in response to the burning feeling it elicited inside her. What the fuck was in this drink anyway? Obviously something to make her feel and act this way. She wasn't Emily. She was straight.
"I like them with a cock." She felt the need to clarify that point.
"Yeah?" Leah raised an eyebrow and grinned. "You know that can be arranged."
Katie almost choked on her drink. She began stammering a response but was saved when Sara appeared at their table.
"It's nice to see you making new friends Leah. I hope you're being nice to her. It's Katie, right?"
"Right." Katie smiled back, rather pleased that Sara had remembered her name.
"You might want to watch this one, Lee...she's a heartbreaker." The blonde winked jokingly. "Where's Rhian? AJ said she was here."
"Here she is." Rhiannon appeared behind her.
"Hey stranger. Long time no see." Sara smiled as she embraced her old friend.
"I know. This whole having a baby thing really eats into your social life." She joked. "You working again tonight?"
"This wedding isn't going to pay for itself you know." She shook her head. "And that fiancée of mine has expensive taste."
"I didn't know you got engaged!" Leah yelped. "Congratulations!"
"Thank you." Sara grinned.
"That's fucking scary Sar! You're going to be married!" Leah shuddered.
"Thanks Lee." She said flatly. Rhiannon chuckled and shook her head.
"Where's Jess?" Sara asked, noting the absence of the tiny red head.
"In the smoking area with Effy." Her sister informed her.
"Ohhh..." Sara smiled. "So did anything happen with those two last night?"
"How do you know about last night?" Rhiannon demanded. Had she been the last person in the entire world to be filled in?
"Because Jesse asked me for the bottle of absinthe." She shrugged.
"Absinthe!" Rhiannon shrieked all over the bar. What else didn't she know about?
"I knew there was something I forgot to tell you about." Leah kicked herself for forgetting. "But no nothing happened."
"Of course it didn't!" Sara rolled her eyes. "It's Jesse."
"Nothing is ever simple with that girl." Rhiannon chuckled.
-
After a quick, half smoked cigarette Naomi and Emily had excused themselves to go to the bathroom; although Effy and JJ doubted their intentions were really that pure. Effy sparked up another cigarette, keeping her eyes trained on Jesse the whole time. She shiver involuntarily under her gaze. Those blue-grey eyes had special powers; they saw souls.
"So..." She began; a puff of smoke escaping into the air as she spoke. A wicked grin crept over her face. "Do I get to leave with you again tonight?"
"Maybe." JJ grinned, stealing the cigarette from Effy's hand and enjoying the spark she felt when her fingers brushed over Effy's. "If you play your cards right."
"I see you don't waste much time moving on." A venomous voice broke into their conversation before Effy had a chance to respond. She had never seen this girl before in her life but from the way Jesse's body tensed up and her face contorted in annoyance she had a fair idea who it was. She instinctively stood up tall and moved closer to the red head.
"You should run now while you still can. This one's more effort than she's worth." Amy remarked snidely.
"I'm quite happy where I am thanks." Effy replied coolly, reaching down and linking her fingers through JJ's. The smaller girl looked up at her and smiled gratefully.
"Your funeral." The blonde scoffed.
"Actually I think it's your loss." The brunette smirked. Jesse couldn't help but giggle slightly. Amy faltered and searched for something to say in response.
"Was that everything Amy?" JJ pre-empted her come back. "Because we were actually enjoying our night out here so if you could politely fuck off then we could get back to doing that."
"What did you say to me?" The blonde demanded. Her whole body tensed and her hands balled up into fists at her side.
"Fuck off!" Jesse repeated slowly. She was no longer under Amy's spell and she wouldn't let her belittle her anymore. The next thing she knew something very hard connected with her face and she stumbled backwards.
-
It all happened in a blur. Effy caught her before she hit the ground and she could hear her sister's voice from the other end of the smoking area.
"Oh fuck no!" Rhiannon crossed the room in a matter of seconds and grabbed Amy by the shoulder. "You just made a big mistake." She gritted her teeth.
"AJ smoking area. Now!" Sara spoke frantically into her radio and within a minute the bouncer had arrived. Rhiannon still had Amy pinned against the wall while Leah stood beside her trying to soothe her.
"I got it Blondie." AJ informed her and she reluctantly let go.
"Get her the fuck out of here." Sara glared at Amy. "And you're barred." She took great pleasure in telling the sadistic little bitch.
"Are you alright?" Effy asked, her voice filled with concern as she brought her hand up to cup Jesse's face. The injured girl couldn't help but smile when she looked up into Effy's eyes and saw how worried she was.
"I'm fine." The red head assured her. Rhiannon appeared at her side and sat down on the floor beside them.
"You have terrible, terrible taste in women." She chuckled and so did JJ. "Present company excluded, of course." She winked towards Effy upon noticing the pair was still holding hands.
"You ok Jess?" Sara asked. Jesse nodded, Sara was still fuming over what happened. "I can get a tape of that if you want to press charges."
"Thanks, but I think I'd rather just forget it ever happened." She said decidedly and struggled to her feet. Even when she was standing again, Effy didn't let go of her hand. There was something about the way it fit in hers that made her want to hold on, even for just a little bit longer.
"Well..." Jesse tilted the injured side of her face towards them. "How bad is it?"
"Let me see." Rhiannon took a hold of her sister's chin and moved her head around examining the newly forming bruise from all angles. "It's not that bad."
"Truth." JJ raised her eyebrow in suspicion.
"You might have a slight...massive bruise in the morning." She conceded. Jesse chuckled wryly.
"You're still gorgeous." Leah assured her.
"Yeah." Sara agreed. "It gives you character."
A wave of laughter passed around the group easing the tension. Naomi and Emily had returned to their table and found it empty so they made their way back to the smoking area. They approached their friends, wondering why everyone seemed to be staring at their friends. When they saw JJ they realised why. Emily gasped audibly.
"What did we miss?" Naomi gawped incredulously.