"Jayme, are you ready?" She questioned, glancing over at the door to her room.
"Yeah," She responded, wandering out of the bedroom, the door clicking softly shut behind her, "I don't think I feel comfortable, it's definitely been a while since I've worn heels, or a dress," She stated, straightening the outfit out and looking up at her roommate.
"What are you talking about? You look fantastic, you should wear dresses more often, you have a great figure,"
"Thanks, try living in the past for seven years, and the future, it keeps you fit,"
"I'll remember that," Jess added, smiling brightly at the brunette, "If Becker could see you now..."
"Don't go there, Jess,"
"Too soon?"
"It's only been two days since we talked, and we talked twice so it was double the stress, and I haven't really talked to him since, so yeah, a little too soon,"
"Yeah, but it was good to talk, right? And you've talked a little since then, at least you two are friendly now, rather than everyone becoming awkward when they stand near you guys,"
"Yeah, I guess. Anyway, you're friends with Sam, you shouldn't be talking like that about him,"
"I'm also friends with you, and I was only telling the truth, Becker would love that dress on you. Actually I think he would prefer it better on his bedroom flo-"
"Ok, that's enough, Jess. You haven't even had a drink down you yet," Jayme interjected, stopping Jess mid-speech, and smiling at her. She had to admit, the field co-ordinator did make her laugh, and everything had been easier since she had talked with Becker, things were clearer. She'd realised certain things that would help her, that would stop the confusion in her mind. It was one step at a time, but Jess had made the whole situation simpler, she really was there for her.
"The taxi's coming about, now, actually," Jess stated, glancing down at the phone in her hand. "Let's go," She added; her voice now giddy with excitement. She pushed Jayme out of the front door, locking it behind her and looked proudly at her work. Black dress, simple, but lovely against Jayme's brown hair and blue eyes, the fabric wrapped around her, and it had thin straps at the top. Black high heels, a lace fabric to make the outfit a little bit different, not too plain. Jayme had cut her hair yesterday, changing it back into a fringe and choppy layers, the same hairstyle she wore when Jess had first met her; it really suited her. Overall, Jess was glad Jayme had agreed to come out with her, she enjoyed her company anyway, and it was fun to experiment with the dresses she had bought her when shopping with Emily just over two weeks ago. And it would be Jayme's first time seeing Abby since she had left three years back, although Abby didn't trust her back then, she was hoping things would be fine between them now, she saw no reason against it; there was just a little doubt in her mind. The only other problem would be Sam, the two weren't the best of friends, Sam was uncertain of her due to her past with Becker, and Jayme didn't like Sam's distrusting attitude towards her. Jess knew Sam was a cool person, she was friends with the soldier after all, she was hoping a change of atmosphere might give them a chance to see each other in a different light, well, hopefully. There was no problem with Emily or Kate though, thankfully. Emily and Jayme liked each other, everyone liked Emily anyway; she was an incredibly easy going person. Jayme hadn't really spoken to Kate much, but Jess knew they'd get along, Kate was a really sweet person; there'd be no reason for any dislike.
The taxi pulled up outside the club that they were meeting at. Both Jess and Jayme slid out of the car, lingering by the curb as Jess paid the driver. They walked on through into the building, soon spotting Emily and Abby in one of the booths.
"Abby, how are you?" Jess questioned, hugging the blonde as they approached the table.
"Great, it's so good to get out. And Connor's looking after the baby tonight, bless him," Abby responded, smiling at both the field co-ordinator and Jayme.
"Cute, how is little Sarah Temple?" Jess asked, sitting down beside her and Jayme.
"Adorable, I love her; she's getting bigger everyday though. I feel like she'll be off to college in just a few months if I have to keep buying new clothes to fit her," Abby stated, smiling. "So, Jayme, how does it feel to be back? In the present, I mean,"
"It's good now, I guess. Things weren't brilliant before, but they're getting there," Jayme replied, answering the question truthfully.
"Yeah, Nick told us that he's happy you're back. He was really worried about you when you left, but it's all good now, yeah?"
"Yeah, it is,"
"Hey," A voice greeted as they approached the booth. It was Kate, smiling at the four girls as she and Sam joined them, sitting down beside Emily.
"Emily, you're not drinking?" Sam questioned, glancing over at the bottle of water in front of her as everyone else's drinks were set on the table by a waitress.
"I can't," Emily responded; her gaze flickering to the floor for a moment and back up, watching as all heads turned her way.
"I didn't notice that before," Abby added, now aware of the water her close friend was drinking.
"Why can't you drink?" Kate asked, looking curiously at the brunette woman beside her.
Emily took a deep breath, watching the five girls as they waited for an answer to the question, "I didn't know how to tell you guys, and I haven't told Matt yet so please don't bring it up to anyone. I can't drink because I'm-I'm pregnant," She stated, breaking into a smile, "Me and Matt have been trying for a while now, and it worked, I'm having a baby,"
"Emily, that's amazing," Jess responded, squeezing her hand gently across the table.
"See? Now we have another reason to celebrate, eh?" Abby announced, smiling at the brunette, and raising her glass of wine, "Congratulations Emily," She added, leading others to raise their glass up in the air in agreement. They all clinked, and took a sip of whatever each was drinking before setting the glasses back down onto the table.
Jayme made her way to the bar, later into the night, and ordered the various drinks for the girls as they danced away, everyone gradually becoming more drunk as the night went on. Sam wandered over to join her, leaning against the bar as Jayme turned her head towards her.
"Everything ok?" Jayme questioned, raising an eyebrow at the soldier. They had barely spoken one word to each other all night, everyone had felt the tension between them, until the alcohol started to take effect; it made everyone a lot more carefree, less observant. Jayme was glad for that.
"You and Becker; what's the story there?"
"There isn't one,"
"Don't lie to me, Connor told me everything, and personally I'm sick of you two hiding it all, I deserve to know,"
"Sam, listen closely, Becker and me? Doesn't exist, there's nothing there anymore, you're with him, he cares about you, just leave at that, ok?"
"I will find out if there's anything going on," She warned, before wandering back over to the group, a smile now on her face as she approached them, as if nothing had just happened, as if the conversation didn't exist.
"I give up," Jayme murmured to herself, picking up the drinks that the bartender had laid in front of her. She took them over to their table, glancing over at the girls as they danced and talked amongst each other. Jess made her way over to her, a look of concern on her face.
"Are you alright?"
"I think I'm going to leave," Jayme stated, sending a weak smile towards the field co-ordinator.
"Because of Sam?"
"Something like that, look, we just aren't friends; we can't go on a night out with each other and act like there isn't a problem between us. And I don't want to make people feel uncomfortable, I'm just not in the mood anymore,"
"What did she say to you?"
"Nothing, nothing that mattered. It's just been a long day, I'm tired. I'll see you later, all right?"
"If you're sure?"
"I am, you stay, have fun, I'm completely fine," Jayme stated, giving Jess a quick hug before heading towards the exit of the building and outside. The cold air hit her quickly; at least it wasn't raining though. She wandered out towards the curb, soon finding a spare taxi parked outside; waiting for someone who needed a ride home. She told him the address, remembering it as best as she could, it had been just over two weeks since she'd moved in with Jess, and things were still a little hazy. The alcohol didn't help.
"Here you are, that'll be £8.50," The driver stated, holding out his hand. She fished through the purse, finding her last ten pounds and passing it to him.
"Keep the change," She added, it would make a decent tip for him. She stood out into the frosty air, watching as the taxi drove away. She eyed the neighbourhood she was stood in, it didn't look completely familiar. She did get the address right, right? She wandered over and read the street name on the buildings, until it dawned on her. That wasn't the right name; at least she didn't think so. She had thought it was right when she'd told the driver, now she wasn't so sure. "Damn," She muttered to herself, wrapping her arms around her as she tried to warm up. This wasn't good, she had no idea where she was, and she certainly wasn't in the right state to figure it out completely. She began walking down the pavement, glancing around for any recognition as she went.
She didn't know how long she had walked, or how far she had went, but Jayme had not passed Jess' apartment building once. She was becoming desperate, she really didn't want to spend the night with nowhere to go, although she had spent many nights living outside, living in the wild, seven years of it.
"Jayme?" A voice questioned, their footsteps coming to a halt as the person recognised the face in front of them. "What are you doing out here?" Becker asked, "You must be freezing," He added, looking her up and down and passing a jacket towards her. She slipped it on, the warmth of his skin still lingering beneath the fabric.
"What are you doing out here?" She questioned, steadying herself against a lamppost as she spoke.
"Just a night run, couldn't sleep," He stated.
"Do that often?"
"More often than you'd think. So back to my question, you're out here because?"
"I was out with Jess, and Abby, and everyone, decided to leave, got the address wrong,"
"Come on," He responded, placing a hand on her arm as he guided her down the road.
"Where are you going?" She asked, glancing over at him as they wandered through the dim light.
"My apartment, I can't exactly leave you out here. I'll sleep on the couch," He stated, smiling at her gently in the moonlight. He walked her back to the apartment building not far from where they were. He hadn't ran far, he must have only started when he'd run into her.
Becker unlocked the apartment door with a swift turn of the key and ventured inside. He held it open as Jayme wandered in, wobbling slightly from the alcohol affect. She placed her heels on the floor, the soft click of the door closing sounded behind her. She straightened herself back up, her head taking a slight spin. Hands grasped her arms as the soldier steadied her, careful not to let her fall. It all felt so familiar. Those three years ago when he had held onto her with a strong grip, making sure she didn't collapse from dehydration. Now it was the opposite, she'd had way too much to drink. She hadn't realised how much she had actually drunk before, it mustn't have completely sunk in until now; she was going to kill Jess in the morning. His arms remained in contact, his hold not loosening. Warm brown eyes gazed into hers, causing her to forget everything. She didn't want to remember, she just wanted to be here, in his arms, they way she'd dreamt so many times before. Becker kept watching her, his mind being hypnotised by the soft blue eyes that looked up at him. The feeling of loving her and being loved by her welled up in him, and he could taste the adrenaline in the back of his throat, and maybe it wasn't over, maybe he could stay like this, maybe he could stay holding her. There wasn't a day that had gone by where he hadn't thought about her, thought about what could have happened if she had stayed.
"Can I..." He stopped; his jaw flexing. "Can I kiss you?" He whispered into the silence.
She didn't answer; he didn't wait for her to. His hands caught her gently behind the neck as he pressed his mouth to hers. At first it was almost as if he hadn't wanted to kiss her. His mouth was hard on hers, unyielding; then he put both arms around her and pulled her against him. His lips softened. She could feel the rapid beat of his heart, its effect still soothing her like it had done three years ago. She wound her hands into his hair, the silky strands curling themselves around her fingers. Her heart was hammering, sending a rushing sound into her ears, like beating wings. Everything left him, all of his worries, all of his doubts, all of his regret, it all melted down to one single thing; he was here, with Jayme. The future that they had once encountered three years ago defined their entire relationship; it was the moment he learned to trust her, to care for her, to begin everything he now felt for her. It all became clear now; all the feelings came rushing to him, hitting him harder than it had when he had first laid eyes on her after her return. She knew his weaknesses, the way he acted in situations; they had once trusted each other with their lives; why did that have to change? Why couldn't he forget all that for one night? Why couldn't he lose himself in her for one more moment? He didn't think it was just simple care he felt for the girl, not anymore. Although none of it happened at first, it didn't happen while she was here, it happened after she had left, during those three years she was gone. That's when he realised; when he arranged the feelings he felt for her in his head, although it still managed to drive him crazy. Yet every thought he felt for her strengthened the fall, strengthened what he now felt for her. He couldn't be positive, but it all felt like love. Everything he felt for her, it was definitely the strongest, most real feeling he had ever felt for a woman, a feeling he was sure he could never feel again towards anyone. It was her, it was all her, she caught his eye the moment he had first met her, and she continued to do so now, she was all he could ever think about, every day, every night. The feel of her overwhelmed him, ceasing any clear thinking he could once have. All he wanted, right at this moment, was her, just her, the feel of her lips, the feel of her skin, the way she warmed him whenever they were near. It was a feeling he would happily experience all night. He pulled her gently on into his bedroom, his hands falling down onto her lower back, guiding her through the door, and kicking it shut gently behind them. And he would.