Girlfriend
Chapter 4
Kiss Me
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Maggie walked around the bookstore, looking bored. How could Jess spend so much time in here? She'd exhausted
the art section in about 15 minutes. She walked over to where Jess was leaning up against a shelf of books,
reading. "Hey babe. I'm gonna go sit on the bench out front and draw--you're clearly okay here on your own."
Jess shot her a rueful smile. "You're bored. I'm sorry..."
"Hey, I'm not complaining." She patted the sketch pad in her back pocket. "I'm packing, so I'm good." She raised up
on her toes to kiss his cheek. "See you afterwhile."
Maggie walked to the front of the store and pushed open the door, almost crashing into a taller girl on her way in.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you..." Maggie looked at the girl's face and recognized Rory. "Oh, hi, Rory. I'm
Maggie--I don't know if you remember me..."
Rory nodded but her smile was wan. "I do...you always drew caricatures of the teachers on the blackboards between
classes. Very entertaining. It's nice to see you again." Rory fidgeted and made an effort to look and sound
nonchalant. "How's Jess?"
Maggie heard the wistful note in Rory's voice and looked closely at her, trying to gauge what she was thinking.
"You should go ask him yourself; he's in the back of the store, reading something heavy with no pictures. I've got
a project due for drawing class on Friday so I abandoned him. I can't believe we're only three weeks into fall and
I have this much homework."
Rory nodded. "My sympathies; Chilton had me overwhelmed by the end of the first week."
Maggie noticed the slightly panicked look that had appeared on Rory's face when she realized Jess was in the store.
"He mentioned that you'd been to Washington this summer, so it sounds like you didn't have too much time off."
"Not nearly enough. August came around too fast. I had this long list of books to read and things to do that just
didn't get done."
Maggie laughed. "You sound like Jess. We took trig and history together in summerschool and he complained constantly
about how homework cut into his reading time. You really should go talk to him, Rory." Rory's expression turned slightly
puzzled and Maggie spoke softly. "I think he missed you." She looked away and pointed to the bench across the street.
"Well, I guess I'm off to sketch some wildlife. It really is nice to see you. Maybe I'll see you again sometime."
Maggie waved and headed off over the street, leaving Rory standing in the doorway, watching her and looking
confused.
--------------------------------------------
Rory let the door to the bookstore close and leaned up against the front window. Why was Jess's girlfriend telling
her to talk to Jess? He must not have told her about the kiss. Or, maybe he did tell her about the kiss, but
convinced her that it hadn't meant anything to him. No, that didn't make sense either--no girl would be that
un-jealous of someone who clearly had the hots for her boyfriend. 'I do NOT have the hots for Jess,' Rory
chastised herself. She wandered into the bookstore, still a bit wrapped up in her thoughts, and collided squarely
with the subject of her denial.
Jess's hands caught her by the waist, steadying her. "Rory," he murmurred. He felt his own breath become ragged.
He was actually touching her. "You okay?" He couldn't stop himself from staring. It had been so long since he was
this close to her. She looked up at him and nodded, her eyes locking with his. He couldn't believe the expression
in her eyes as they stared at each other, and when she dropped her eyes to his mouth, then looked back into his
eyes, he could see her remember what it felt like to kiss him. Fierce heat poured through his body. She moistened
her lips, and he couldn't resist. He wrapped his arms tighter around her waist, pulling her against him, and
pressed his lips to hers.
Rory gasped as she felt the heat of Jess's mouth. She parted her lips, giving Jess room to drag his tongue against
her teeth and she moaned at the unfamiliar intimacy. Jess pushed deeper into her mouth, tangling his tongue with
hers and her senses flooded with his unique taste. Rory felt herself go limp in his arms, giving in completely to
his searching caresses, and Jess slid his hand lower down her back, lifting her slightly off the floor and
pressing her hips tighter against his.
Jess broke the kiss and whispered against her mouth, "Rory." He pulled back and the look on her face overwhelmed
him. "Bookstore." He watched the realization that anyone could see them wash over her face and saw panic replace
passion in her eyes. "Don't run away." He reached for her, but she had already begun to back away, her
face stricken.
"Jess." She shook her head as if to clear it. "Maggie. What about Maggie?" Rory's voice broke and she covered her
mouth with her hand, then turned and ran from the bookstore. Jess, his expression dazed, slowly followed her path
out the door.
-------------------------------------------------
Maggie heard the door to the bookstore slam against its hinges and saw Rory running down the sidewalk. She set down
her pencil, preparing to get up and see what had happened, when she spotted Jess standing in front of the bookstore,
looking stunned. He mechanically walked toward her, then sat down on the bench next to her, staring straight ahead.
Maggie turned to face him, pulling her legs Indian-style underneath her.
"Whassup, Jessie? You don't look like you guys were talking about Chaucer in there."
Jess slowly turned to face Maggie. "Megs, I...I." He sighed and Maggie saw the brightness in his eyes. "I don't know
how to say this."
Maggie put the pieces together quickly. "You kissed her."
He nodded and watched her for a moment. "You don't look mad."
"I'm not mad." Maggie scooted closer to him and looked directly in his eyes. "I've always known that we weren't in
love, Jess. The sex was just a fast track to friendship, you know? Easy way to establish trust and intimacy from the
beginning. We both wanted it; it was fun. Beautiful. But I never thought it was happily ever after. I hope we'll
always be close friends, but I want you to be happy. And Rory makes you happy in a way I never could."
Jess laughed and leaned back, rubbing his forehead with the base of his palms. "You're supposed to think I'm a
complete jerk who just used you for your body."
Maggie grinned at him. "Hey, I think I benefitted quite a bit from your use of my body, thank you very much." Her
expression turned softer. "Actually, I'm jealous. Must be nice to have the person you love love you back."
Jess turned to face her and caressed her cheek. "I should kick that guy's ass."
Maggie chuckled wryly and shook her head. "Wouldn't do any good. Not worth losing sleep over."
"He's an idiot." Jess stood up and offered her his hand. "I'm still gonna kick his ass if I ever meet him. Or at
least call him a few multisyllabic insults."
Maggie wrapped her arms around him for a quick hug. "You're a good friend, Mariano."
"The best." Jess tilted her face up, forcing her to look at him. "Don't you forget it. Maggie, whatever happens
with me and Rory..."
Maggie placed two fingers on his lips to stop him. "I know. Same here. She's a really lucky girl."
"I hope she sees it that way. I mean, I know she wants me, but I don't know if she'll let herself accept that
what's between us is worth anything. Far as I know she's still hanging with the bag boy."
"Idiot. Maybe that schmancy private school'll have taught her something more than derivatives."
Jess chuckled and grabbed Maggie's backpack. "C'mon, I'll walk you home."
Jess smiled at her, throwing an arm around her shoulders as they walked, laughing, down the sidewalk toward her
house.
Chapter 4
Kiss Me
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maggie walked around the bookstore, looking bored. How could Jess spend so much time in here? She'd exhausted
the art section in about 15 minutes. She walked over to where Jess was leaning up against a shelf of books,
reading. "Hey babe. I'm gonna go sit on the bench out front and draw--you're clearly okay here on your own."
Jess shot her a rueful smile. "You're bored. I'm sorry..."
"Hey, I'm not complaining." She patted the sketch pad in her back pocket. "I'm packing, so I'm good." She raised up
on her toes to kiss his cheek. "See you afterwhile."
Maggie walked to the front of the store and pushed open the door, almost crashing into a taller girl on her way in.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you..." Maggie looked at the girl's face and recognized Rory. "Oh, hi, Rory. I'm
Maggie--I don't know if you remember me..."
Rory nodded but her smile was wan. "I do...you always drew caricatures of the teachers on the blackboards between
classes. Very entertaining. It's nice to see you again." Rory fidgeted and made an effort to look and sound
nonchalant. "How's Jess?"
Maggie heard the wistful note in Rory's voice and looked closely at her, trying to gauge what she was thinking.
"You should go ask him yourself; he's in the back of the store, reading something heavy with no pictures. I've got
a project due for drawing class on Friday so I abandoned him. I can't believe we're only three weeks into fall and
I have this much homework."
Rory nodded. "My sympathies; Chilton had me overwhelmed by the end of the first week."
Maggie noticed the slightly panicked look that had appeared on Rory's face when she realized Jess was in the store.
"He mentioned that you'd been to Washington this summer, so it sounds like you didn't have too much time off."
"Not nearly enough. August came around too fast. I had this long list of books to read and things to do that just
didn't get done."
Maggie laughed. "You sound like Jess. We took trig and history together in summerschool and he complained constantly
about how homework cut into his reading time. You really should go talk to him, Rory." Rory's expression turned slightly
puzzled and Maggie spoke softly. "I think he missed you." She looked away and pointed to the bench across the street.
"Well, I guess I'm off to sketch some wildlife. It really is nice to see you. Maybe I'll see you again sometime."
Maggie waved and headed off over the street, leaving Rory standing in the doorway, watching her and looking
confused.
--------------------------------------------
Rory let the door to the bookstore close and leaned up against the front window. Why was Jess's girlfriend telling
her to talk to Jess? He must not have told her about the kiss. Or, maybe he did tell her about the kiss, but
convinced her that it hadn't meant anything to him. No, that didn't make sense either--no girl would be that
un-jealous of someone who clearly had the hots for her boyfriend. 'I do NOT have the hots for Jess,' Rory
chastised herself. She wandered into the bookstore, still a bit wrapped up in her thoughts, and collided squarely
with the subject of her denial.
Jess's hands caught her by the waist, steadying her. "Rory," he murmurred. He felt his own breath become ragged.
He was actually touching her. "You okay?" He couldn't stop himself from staring. It had been so long since he was
this close to her. She looked up at him and nodded, her eyes locking with his. He couldn't believe the expression
in her eyes as they stared at each other, and when she dropped her eyes to his mouth, then looked back into his
eyes, he could see her remember what it felt like to kiss him. Fierce heat poured through his body. She moistened
her lips, and he couldn't resist. He wrapped his arms tighter around her waist, pulling her against him, and
pressed his lips to hers.
Rory gasped as she felt the heat of Jess's mouth. She parted her lips, giving Jess room to drag his tongue against
her teeth and she moaned at the unfamiliar intimacy. Jess pushed deeper into her mouth, tangling his tongue with
hers and her senses flooded with his unique taste. Rory felt herself go limp in his arms, giving in completely to
his searching caresses, and Jess slid his hand lower down her back, lifting her slightly off the floor and
pressing her hips tighter against his.
Jess broke the kiss and whispered against her mouth, "Rory." He pulled back and the look on her face overwhelmed
him. "Bookstore." He watched the realization that anyone could see them wash over her face and saw panic replace
passion in her eyes. "Don't run away." He reached for her, but she had already begun to back away, her
face stricken.
"Jess." She shook her head as if to clear it. "Maggie. What about Maggie?" Rory's voice broke and she covered her
mouth with her hand, then turned and ran from the bookstore. Jess, his expression dazed, slowly followed her path
out the door.
-------------------------------------------------
Maggie heard the door to the bookstore slam against its hinges and saw Rory running down the sidewalk. She set down
her pencil, preparing to get up and see what had happened, when she spotted Jess standing in front of the bookstore,
looking stunned. He mechanically walked toward her, then sat down on the bench next to her, staring straight ahead.
Maggie turned to face him, pulling her legs Indian-style underneath her.
"Whassup, Jessie? You don't look like you guys were talking about Chaucer in there."
Jess slowly turned to face Maggie. "Megs, I...I." He sighed and Maggie saw the brightness in his eyes. "I don't know
how to say this."
Maggie put the pieces together quickly. "You kissed her."
He nodded and watched her for a moment. "You don't look mad."
"I'm not mad." Maggie scooted closer to him and looked directly in his eyes. "I've always known that we weren't in
love, Jess. The sex was just a fast track to friendship, you know? Easy way to establish trust and intimacy from the
beginning. We both wanted it; it was fun. Beautiful. But I never thought it was happily ever after. I hope we'll
always be close friends, but I want you to be happy. And Rory makes you happy in a way I never could."
Jess laughed and leaned back, rubbing his forehead with the base of his palms. "You're supposed to think I'm a
complete jerk who just used you for your body."
Maggie grinned at him. "Hey, I think I benefitted quite a bit from your use of my body, thank you very much." Her
expression turned softer. "Actually, I'm jealous. Must be nice to have the person you love love you back."
Jess turned to face her and caressed her cheek. "I should kick that guy's ass."
Maggie chuckled wryly and shook her head. "Wouldn't do any good. Not worth losing sleep over."
"He's an idiot." Jess stood up and offered her his hand. "I'm still gonna kick his ass if I ever meet him. Or at
least call him a few multisyllabic insults."
Maggie wrapped her arms around him for a quick hug. "You're a good friend, Mariano."
"The best." Jess tilted her face up, forcing her to look at him. "Don't you forget it. Maggie, whatever happens
with me and Rory..."
Maggie placed two fingers on his lips to stop him. "I know. Same here. She's a really lucky girl."
"I hope she sees it that way. I mean, I know she wants me, but I don't know if she'll let herself accept that
what's between us is worth anything. Far as I know she's still hanging with the bag boy."
"Idiot. Maybe that schmancy private school'll have taught her something more than derivatives."
Jess chuckled and grabbed Maggie's backpack. "C'mon, I'll walk you home."
Jess smiled at her, throwing an arm around her shoulders as they walked, laughing, down the sidewalk toward her
house.