Chapter 7 ~ Confessions

Chapter 8 ~ Roses, Rings, and Other Nice Things

"Two?" the maître d' asked when they entered.

Jessie and James both nodded and the maître d' grabbed two menus. Hooked elbows slid down to clasped hands as the pair was led to an empty table near the back of the restaurant. Memories of Café Brak sifted into their heads, but that seemed like a year ago. James pulled the chair out for Jessie and she sat down, mumbling a thanks and thinking about what a gentleman he was. She folded her hands in her lap and looked at James, who had seated himself across from her. James cleared his throat as if to say something, but didn't continue.

"So," Jessie said.

"So," James responded.

Silence engulfed them once more. Everything was so awkward and uncomfortable now that their love had been confessed. They simply sat staring at one another for who knows how long. Just sitting, staring, sitting, staring, sit-

"Hi! My name is Colleen and I'll be your server today."

Jessie and James both jumped at least two feet in the air.

Colleen continued, "And this is Tim." She gestured towards the tall man next to her. "He's in training, so he'll be helping me. Have you decided?"

Jessie and James looked up. Tim and Colleen stood next to them, a look of *inquiry* on their faces.

"N-no," Jessie stammered, fumbling open the menu, "We need a few more minutes." She flipped through the menu looking for something to eat. She didn't notice it was upside down.

Tim and Colleen walked away and Jessie closed her menu.

"Look, James," she said, "We can't go on like this. Just because you know I love you and I know you love me shouldn't change anything. We have to start talking about something or the author will have no story to write. Besides, that "Picture Perfect" song says the best of lovers – the best of friends. We can still be friends even though we're in love." Jessie smiled and James imitated the action. Then, he nodded. Jessie fished the rose she had bought in Vermilion City out of her inviso-bag and held it out to James. "Let's be the same as we always have, James."

His eyes lit with passion. "Thank you Jess. For the rose and the friendship insight." He grinned again and took the rose. Then, leaning over the table, they hugged each other.

Jessie and James settled back in their seats and picked up their menus, finally attempting to decide what to order.

"How is this restaurant famous if all they served is a variety of cooked Magikarp?!" Jessie exclaimed. (Author's note: Yes, I'm aware you can't eat Magikarp. I saw "Pokémon Shipwreck." I was asleep when I wrote this chapter and my brother Stephen already yelled at me. Gomen. Deal with it. Pretend Magikarp is edible. I'm babbling now, so back to the story.)

"They have Fried Coolimari," James noted, "And Cruelimari. They also have Steamed Shellder… that's it."

Jessie sighed, "Well, let's get some cooked karp then…" She skimmed the descriptions of the different variations.

Finally, they decided to get the steamed shellder appetizer. Jessie ordered karp sushi for her meal, and James got karp flambé.

Once Tim (who had come by himself this time) left, Jessie turned to James and said, "You know, that Tim guy is kinda hot. Not as hot as you, of course, but still…"

James's eyes got wide and he looked like he was trying hard not to laugh. "He's right behind you," he whispered.

Jessie's eyes grew wide also. She turned her head and, sure enough, he was cleaning off the table behind them. Her ears turned scarlet red and she said to James in a loud voice, "Not THAT Tim, Tim……… GOLD! From Pokémon Tech, remember him?"

"No," James said.

Jessie gave him a harsh look. "Yes, you do, James," she replied through gritting teeth.

James looked confused.

Jessie kicked him.

"Ow! Why'd you kick me, Jessie?"

Jessie held her head in her hands. "Forget it! Forget it!" she cried.

Tim gave her a funny look and walked away. (Author's note: I use these Author's Notes too much. But, just FYI, that Tim scene was based on a true story… ^_^;;)

To get her mind of the subject of Tim, James asked her, "Hey Jess, did you hear about the low fat Pokémon?"

Jessie put her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand. "No," she said, "What?"

"It was Caterpie!" James exclaimed.

Jessie blinked.

"Oh I… I mean Butterfree." James blushed.

After staring at her for a minute, Jessie squealed, "Oh! I get it! Low fat… butter free!" She began laughing.

Happy that his joke had had such an impact, he added, "Here's another one: What does a Pokémon with allergies say?"

"I don't know."

"Pik-ACHOO!"

Jessie burst into another fit of laughter. "That's ingenious, James!"

James looked at her and smiled as his heart melted. She was just so… lovable… adorable… beautiful… there was no word to describe it. Her eyes were squinted closed and her hand covered her mouth as she shook with laughter. Her hair fell sloppily over her shoulders, arms, and back, and in wisps across her face. The Old Navy shirt she was wearing was wrinkled and creased. But all of this put together made her the most gorgeous person in the universe. God, he loved her so much. James slid his hand into his pocket and fingered the contents of it. Suddenly, he had an idea. "I have to go to the bathroom," he announced.

If Jessie had been watching him instead of rolling in laughter, she would have noticed that he didn't go to the bathroom.

When James finally returned ten minutes later, Jessie had recovered from her fit of hysterics and was reading a book she had pulled out of her bag: Together Forever by Brittany "Ann's-husband-soon-to-be-father-of-Mamo-Chan" Sneddon. "That was an awfully long trip to the bathroom," she observed.

"Yeah… well…" James got a big sweatdrop. "What – What are you reading?" he asked to change the subject.

"Together Forever," Jessie simply replied.

James was perplexed as he sat down. "Didn't you read that last month?"

Jessie put the book away. "No, that was a different Together Forever."

"But wasn't it by the same author?"

"Yes."

"But why…" James shook his head. "Forget it."

"What? It's the Together Forever series," Jessie defended, "What do you read then?"

"I read the Peter the Wonder Bunny series, thank you very much."

Jessie stared at him. "What?!"

"You know," James began to sing, "Peter the wonder bunny aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis magical friends!"

"Each to his own," Jessie murmured, adding, "mental abilities," under her breath. But that's why she loved James. He was so childlike, so naïve, so innocent… so lovable!" Jessie sighed a happy little sigh.

They both drifted into their own little dream worlds.

Finally their food came. Colleen brought it. Jessie was convinced Tim was avoiding her, but did not comment on this. She did, however, comment, "This is nice!" in response to the food being under silver covers.

James did not lift his cover. He was waiting for Jessie to lift hers. She did, expecting to see her tasty karp sushi. But that's not what was on her plate.

Resting on the china was a rose, a ring with rubies and emeralds in the shape of a rose, and a placard that read "Will you marry me?" in James's best (read: sloppy) handwriting.

Jessie's hands flew up and covered her mouth. "Oh my God!" she gasped. She felt her eyes well up and her vision got blurry. It was the moment she had been waiting for for her entire life. Well, her entire life since she had met James. Her heart was beating faster and faster. The water filling up in her eyes overflowed and the tears of joy fell onto her lap. She looked up at James and nodded.

Leaning over the table, James lifted Jessie's hands off of her lips and kissed her. He picked up the ring from the platter and slid it onto her finger. He lifted his eyes to meet Jessie's. Her eyes were so deep, blue, and beautiful. He reached up and wiped the tears from them. Then, running his hand through her silken hair, he whispered simply, "I love you."

Jessie, still in silent shock, just smiled and nodded.

James settled back down in his seat. He took the cover off of his plate and licked his lips. "Yum!" he exclaimed. Lifting the karp sushi roll from the side of his plate, he put it onto Jessie's, next to the rose and the placard that were still there. "Eat, Jess," he said.

Jessie picked up her chopsticks and was about to eat her first piece of sushi when she came to a sudden realization and exclaimed, "We never got our appetizer!"

"Hey, you're right!" James noticed, a piece of fish still hanging out of his mouth.

"I don't really want it anymore anyway," Jessie said, glancing down at her ring. Then she popped a piece of sushi into her mouth. "Once we have our meal, it's kind of pointless to get an appetizer," she explained between bites.

"I guess so…" said James thoughtfully. "Hey Jess, did you hear the one about the Drowzee?" James asked, returning to his jokes.

Dinner was success for Jessie and James, having accomplished everything from a polite conversation to getting engaged. Upon leaving Restaurant Hungry, they decided the best thing to do was to return to the hotel, since that was the point of the last five chapters. Jeez, what a waste. Anyway… Jessie and James FINALLY arrived at the Cinnabar Island Red Roof Inn. The roof was actually cinnabar colored, since that is the name of the town, but cinnabar is a shade of red so… I'm getting off topic again.

"Do you have a key?" Jessie asked James when they reached their room, whose number they had miraculously remembered.

"No, I thought you did," replied James.

"Well, I don't." Jessie turned and knocked on the door.

Scampering sounds were heard inside the room. Whispers. The scraping of a chair against the door as (assumedly) Meowth went to see who was there. More whispers. Jessie gave James a questioning look. He just shrugged. Eventually, the door opened and a vaporeon scuttled out. Meowth stood at the door, holding it open. He was smiling.

"Welcome back Jess, Jimmy!" he chorused.

"I'm not even going to ask," Jessie told James. They walked into the room.

Meowth closed the door behind them. "So how many courses was that meal?"

"Huh?" James started confusedly at Meowth.

"You left…" he thought for a moment and counted on his claws, "two days ago, not countin' today, for dinner in Celadon City. So it musta been a huge meal." He noticed Jessie's hair that still hung down to her knees from when she got it wet after the St. Stephen incident. "And why's your hair down, Jess?"

Not wanting to retell 97 pages, Jessie just stated, "It's a long, long story, involving boats, forests, weasels, bridges…" She paused to brush a strand of hair out of her face. Her rose ring glinted.

"And a ring?" Meowth *inquired,* interested.

Jessie glanced at her hand. "Oh yeah." Her ears turned the same color as the ring.

"Finally!" Meowth exclaimed, "I was wonderin' when youse two would finally admit it. It was so obvious!" James blushed now too. "Ya know, we only got ten vacation days left, so when a ya getting' hitched?"

"We only have ten days?!" Jessie's eyes bugged out of her head. "How are we supposed to plan a wedding in ten days?! No, less. We actually have to HAVE the wedding! Aargh!" She held her head in her hands.

James, who had been quite silent, was now, once again, confused. "Why can't we get married after vacation?"

"Da boss won't approve of youse two bein' togeda any more den he did Butch and Cassidy."

"Butch and Cassidy are a couple?" questioned Jessie, shocked.

Meowth rolled his eyes. "Doncha ever go on da internet? Dere's tons a sites dedicated to Neoshipping! Course, not as many as dere are for Rocketshipping."

"What-shipping?" Jessie asked.

"Neoshippers are people who believe Butch and Cassidy are togeda. And Rocketshippers are the you-and-James-as-a-couple cult."

"We have a cult?" Jessie was sparkly-eyed.

"Well, not really a cult, but lotsa followers, believas. Like the author of dis story which, by da way, is now 100 written pages long."

"Wow! 100 pages about us!" James was now in heaven as well.

Meowth interrupted their starry-eyed fantasies. "Getting back to da story, you only have eight days to plan dis wedding."

"Oy no!" shrieked Jessie. "First thing tomorrow, back to Celadon, shopping capital of Kanto, to try on wedding dresses!"

"Ohhhhhh noooooo…" groaned James and Meowth.