AN: The Princess Bride guess was a good guess but not the one I had in mind. I was referencing a classic film from 1947 called The Ghost & Mrs. Muir with Rex Harrison & Gene Tierney. in terms of Jessica wondering if she had died and he was here to take her back. Pretty obscure I know. So half a point to guest reviewer for making a guess on the Princess Bride. So finally out of the more serious chapters, back to a little more fun. There is a reference to another show in here. If anyone can catch it I'll still give out a story prompt reward. This will be the last chapter and I have an epilogue planned. Thanks as always to the wonderful reviewers who take time to give their feedback.
As expected, Seth's day had been busy with an array of visits related to the prior night's activities, including a young man who came in complaining of a shattered penis, after a quick exam Seth had concurred and had the man's girlfriend transport him to the hospital where Seth had been told he was in the middle of a 10 hour reconstructive surgery.
Seth had slept well, even though he couldn't remember specific details he could remember that his dreams had contained flashes of both Ruth & Jessica. In his heart he had known Ruth would approve, but he felt it was a good sign that even after his conversation he felt at peace with whatever was to come.
Locking the office door after finishing with his last patient of the day the doctor walked towards his car. He weighed the options of going back home or going over to Jessica's, feeling like it might be presumptuous for him to go to her house uninvited with the uncertainty after the night before. His mind whirled through the choices like moves in a chess match and he finally decided on a trip to the diner. He had barely gone 2 blocks when he saw the familiar figure of Jessica with her bicycle driving through the streets of the small town. As he habitually did whenever this occurred, he pulled over to the curb before calling out. "Can I offer you a ride?" He asked, relieved that her face brightened, she seemed happy to see him after the night before and immediately started heading towards his car. He felt a flutter in his stomach that had nothing to do with hunger, knowing he would find out soon enough if she had followed his clues or not.
"Thank you Seth, you came along at just the right time." Jessica said breathlessly as he started to put her bike in his trunk. She would never know he mused how much he had wanted to trade in his car for a sportier model but any vehicle he looked at he always had to consider if there was room for her bike and he just hadn't been able to find a sports car with that kind of trunk space.
"What brings you out on this cold day?" Seth asked jovially as he closed the trunk of the car.
"Oh just a little of this and that." Jessica hedged thinking one day she might have to tell him that she had been sitting in the library for over an hour watching until I saw him leave the office before mounting her bike to get close enough for him to intercept her and offer a ride as he usually did. "Busy day at the office?" She asked cheerfully.
"Ayuh, much like I expected. Lot of people had a little too much fun yesterday." He paused considering and settled on a safe question. "Did you get much writing done today?"
"Some, yes." She responded as a comfortable silence descended on them as they settled into the front of his car, the warm air blowing out causing her to loosen her winter overcoat and take off her thick gloves.
"She's not acting any different, I guess I have my answer," Seth thought as the silence stretched as he inched his way through town towards her house.
"Seth, I need to ask you something." Jessica finally said, having planned to wait until they were at her house but not being able to wait longer.
At the uncharacteristic edge in her voice Seth felt his heartbeat quicken, this is it he thought, preparing to be let down gently. "Sure Jess, whatever you need." He tried to sound amiable even as the queasiness in his stomach intensified as they stopped for one of the few traffic lights in town. One thing he generally appreciated about Jessica was her directness but right now, as he felt her response coming, he wasn't so sure he was ready.
"Thirteen roses?" Jessica said without any further preamble. "And pink?", both of which could have different meanings as I'm assuming you well know. "You had to plan this at least a few days ahead to get them before the florist sold out. I need to know Seth, what did you mean by giving me those?"
Seth thought a moment considering his options before he pulled into a random parking space in the business section of town. Glad that she had caught onto his clues yet having not well planned out how he would respond if she did.
"What do you want it to mean?" He asked, knowing he sounded like he was playing games but he had barely been able to say the words of loving her to himself and wasn't sure he could say them to her yet without knowing where she stood. Jessica looked at him closely as their eyes met. The guarded expression was in place but this time she could see the veiled emotion behind them. She saw the hope, yet vulnerability of a man expecting to be rejected. She felt a lump in her throat as she tried to find the right words.
"Seth, I don't think…" she paused as she saw his expression fall, realizing how her words had sounded. "I don't know what to think," she tried to finish, realizing that didn't sound any better. "I mean it feels sudden, but…" she realized by his expression she was quickly losing him with her rare lack of articulation. Actions speak louder than words she thought as she leaned towards him, her face stopping just inches from his, now taking the risk and letting herself be vulnerable, hoping she wasn't the one wrong about what she had just seen in his eyes. The initial surprise passed quickly as Seth closed the distance, letting his lips meet hers. This time there was nothing platonic as their lips explored, tentatively at first then growing bolder, Jessica's hands came to rest on his shoulders in the suddenly cramped confines of the front seat.
They both jumped apart at the sudden loud rapping on the window, having forgotten where they were. Outside the driver's side window Sheriff Metzger was grinning widely as he motioned to Seth to roll the window down. Jessica tried not to look flustered as Seth tried to wipe the smile off his face, as well as her lipstick as he began rolling down the window, silently cursing Mort for interrupting them.
"I guess congratulations are in order," Mort said, still seeming much too happy. "And I really have to hand it to you for choosing the most obvious way to announce your relationship to the town." He all but chuckled as he nodded to the other side of the car. As the couple turned in unison to peer out of the passenger window, they realized Seth had parked practically in front of Loretta's beauty salon. Sure enough they had an audience as the pink draped ladies in various stages of hair styling were all gaping at them with mixed responses of excitement and shock.
"So much for keeping it private." Seth muttered, realizing that word would be all over town before he even got Jessica home.
"You did pretty good hiding it up until now, though we honestly have all suspected for years now." Mort said cheerfully. "So how long has this been going on?" He gestured between the two.
"About 5 minutes now," Jessica answered candidly after a quick glance at the clock in the dash. Refusing to act guilty about anything. "Thank you for calling our location to our attention Sheriff, I think we should continue this conversation in private don't you Seth?" She suggested, feeling a little embarrassed with the audience at the salon window, Loretta was already on the phone gesturing wildly as Seth started the engine.
"Conversation? Is that what they're calling it these days?" Mort laughed one more time as he slapped the top of the car and started walking away. "I'll see you folks later, drive safely" he admonished as he started towards the station, wondering if he could get to Adele before someone at Loretta's did.
"Well so much for discreet, I'm sorry about that Jess, I just knew I couldn't drive and talk with you at the same time." Seth said as they entered her kitchen. The roses still in their place on the table, their fragrance in the air.
"Don't worry about those gossips" she waved dismissively. "I'll ask you again Seth Hazlitt, it's time to end the guessing games." Jessica said, now feeling more settled in her own home and after the kiss they had just shared. "What did yesterday mean, what do these mean?" She gestured at the roses.
"They mean I care about you, that it's grown beyond friendship for me," Seth said, his voice now serious. Feeling as if he was stepping out on a ledge, yet emboldened by her reaction to him in the car. "You're my best friend but it's gone beyond that. I think about you even when we're not together, wishing we had more time to spend together, to be closer…." He stopped, waiting for her to take the conversation from there as he bared his soul to her.
"I admit it's hard Seth, I've always thought I couldn't love again after Frank died, then the one time I let my guard down to actually try, I wasn't really ready and I ended up hurt." She thought thinking briefly of Preston Giles before banishing him back into the recesses of her memory. "This scares me a little Seth, because I can see it. I can see us together, happy, sharing so much more in the years we have left, but the thought of opening my heart again…" She paused taking inventory as he patiently waited. "This is all so new to me I don't really know how to proceed."
She hadn't said yes, but she hadn't said no. Seth tried to stay hopeful. "I know it's hard for me to, it took a long time before I could even admit this to myself. I've had longer to think about it." He said taking her hand in his.
"I do care very deeply about you Seth, nothing will change that." She said watching him nod even though his smile was starting to look a little forced as she realized once again that despite what she wanted to say the words kept coming out wrong. "Very deeply, I don't know why it's so hard to say the word love, I've known I loved you before, but I always thought of it in terms of friendship love," she laughed nervously.
"But now?" He prompted feeling his heart pounding wildly, "now that we both know we have these feelings, what next?"
"Shall we continue where we left off before we were so rudely interrupted," Jessica surprised him with an inviting smile as she pulled his hand towards the sofa.
"This is definitely more comfortable than the car," he murmured as they closed the gap so their foreheads now rested against each other as they continued holding hands.
"I don't know about our future yet Seth, or how far this may go. But I am sure that if I am able to go there again, it won't be anyone else but you. I don't want us to try to hide our feelings. She whispered as she gently caressed the side of his face, enjoying the light scruff under her fingertips.
"Is it too soon, or too old fashioned for me to ask you permission to court you?" Seth murmured back as he returned the gesture, savoring the feel of her soft cheek against the rougher palm of his hand, feeling the welcome pressure as she leaned into his touch.
She smiled at his question, appreciating the reference to the classic term. "Yes Seth, we can start dating and…." She suddenly stopped and he could see a flash of understanding in her beautiful blue eyes.
"What is it?" Seth said, wondering what had just changed.
"I just realized something," Jessica said, a new clarity rising as she returned his curious expression. "I was so busy trying to decide if the roses meant friendship or romance. I thought you were just playing games with me, but they meant both didn't they?"
Seth didn't respond but his slow smile of appreciation that she had finally realized the true meaning of his gift was the last thing she saw as her eyes fluttered shut and their lips met.
