Jessica woke up to someone softly smoothing her hair. She smiled and for a moment she felt like she was in a time when nothing bad had happened to her and her life had been intact. She kept her eyes closed and savored the soft touch of the hand in her hair.
"What time is it?" she asked the person she knew to be Reese as she opened her eyes to be greeted by comforting darkness.
"Around one o'clock."
"Good I haven't slept that long," she said sitting up and a cramp assaulted her back.
"It's one…A.M." he said and Jessica knew he was smiling at her.
"So that's why it's so dark," she said laughing. "I've slept for almost twelve hours straight? Wow, I must have been more tired than I thought." She paused. "What are you doing in my room in the middle of the night?" she asked curiously.
"I…I was uh hum, I wanted to see if you liked the flowers," he said into the darkness, thankful that it masked his red cheeks.
"At one o'clock in the morning?" she said smiling slyly.
"Well I got here earlier but you were sleeping and you looked so peaceful. I wanted to watch you sleep."
Jessica reached over and turned on her lamp while looking at him. "I absolutely loved them, thank you. They're beautiful."
"So are you."
Jessica smiled and was surprised she didn't feel uncomfortable about the compliment, but then it was coming from Reese, and he never made her uncomfortable. She smiled and was sure her cheeks had turned pink from the compliment that made her love him even more than she already did. She could admit it to herself but she doubted that Reese would ever know, she couldn't let him fall in love with her when she was pregnant, they could be friends, best friends, and that was all. She decided to change the topic.
"I talked to Ethan today. You were right about this being hard on him and everything. You should see Mr. Crane, he answered the door when I got there and scared me half to death."
"I bet, he can be very imposing when he wants to. Are you hungry or anything?"
"Actually yes. Let's go downstairs," she said getting out of bed and covering her long cotton nightgown with her robe. She followed him downstairs to the kitchen where she made herself a sandwich and grabbed an apple. "Do you want something?" she asked.
"No, I ate a little while ago."
"Do you want to go watch TV? I'm too awake to sleep."
"Sure, I'd love to," he said going into the living room. Jessica turned on the TV and found 'I Know What You Did Last Summer 2' on. She sat down next to Reese and began to eat and watch the movie.
Halfway through the movie Jessica had grabbed onto his arm and at all of the scary parts she covered her eyes. Reese thought it was very cute. By the end of the movie Jessica was holding onto his hand and he smiled every time she squeezed it. When it was over some other movie came on but Jessica was oblivious to it. She was just looking down at her and Reese's clasped hands. His warm comforting touch. The way he stuck by her, always. Even though she had tried to forget her feelings, make them disappear they hadn't. She stayed up nights thinking about him and how he couldn't possibly feel for her the same she felt for him but yet he seemed to. She could be herself and even though she was afraid to, sometimes she showed him her insecurities and fears and he understood. She loved him so much. But she was going to be a mother in seven months.
"Jess, what are you thinking about?" asked Reese.
"The baby," said Jessica slowly. His reactions to this subject was something she needed to see. Did the fact disgust him, make him think less of her or did it even matter? She had to know.
"About that, I was wondering what you were planning to do," he said looking at her.
"I don't know yet. I don't want an abortion, that is out of the question. I was thinking about giving it up or...or maybe keeping it." 'Okay' thought Jessica. 'This is the moment of truth.' She didn't know what she wanted him to say, she just knew it would change how she looked at him.
"I was thinking about it, a lot, and I want you to know that I'll be with you, what ever you decide, but if you keep it I want to be the surrogate father. Now I know that if you keep him or her your parents will be here for you and everything but I've always wanted children and well you get the idea," he said his cheeks turning slightly red, but he never looked away.
Jessica tried to hold back the tears in her eyes. She had expected him to tell her the part about whatever she did he would support her but she was blown away by the mere aspect that he was willing to accept the baby and for a moment she thought that she would break down and cry.
"Reese, thank you," she said and she had to pause to get her emotions under control. "I don't know what to say except that if I do keep it then it will be the luckiest baby in the world to have you in it's life."
"It's getting late, I should get over to my Aunt's, I told her I might stay a while but she might get worried."
"Will you stay? Please?" Jessica knew that the more she was around him, the more she wanted to see him everyday, feel his arms around her when she woke up, feel his heart beating as she went to sleep, she needed to be near him, to feel safe, that something in her world was constant when everything else had turned upside down.
"Okay, I'll stay."
Jessica and Reese layed in her bed and she snuggled against him.
"Reese?"
"Yeah?"
"I never told you that I'm really sorry, for pushing you away and not talking to you, I was selfish."
"I understand, apology accepted, I'm just glad that now you've let me in, I really missed you."
"I missed you too." Jessica closed her eyes but didn't fall asleep, she was to busy savoring every moment with Reese Durkee.
"What time is it?" she asked the person she knew to be Reese as she opened her eyes to be greeted by comforting darkness.
"Around one o'clock."
"Good I haven't slept that long," she said sitting up and a cramp assaulted her back.
"It's one…A.M." he said and Jessica knew he was smiling at her.
"So that's why it's so dark," she said laughing. "I've slept for almost twelve hours straight? Wow, I must have been more tired than I thought." She paused. "What are you doing in my room in the middle of the night?" she asked curiously.
"I…I was uh hum, I wanted to see if you liked the flowers," he said into the darkness, thankful that it masked his red cheeks.
"At one o'clock in the morning?" she said smiling slyly.
"Well I got here earlier but you were sleeping and you looked so peaceful. I wanted to watch you sleep."
Jessica reached over and turned on her lamp while looking at him. "I absolutely loved them, thank you. They're beautiful."
"So are you."
Jessica smiled and was surprised she didn't feel uncomfortable about the compliment, but then it was coming from Reese, and he never made her uncomfortable. She smiled and was sure her cheeks had turned pink from the compliment that made her love him even more than she already did. She could admit it to herself but she doubted that Reese would ever know, she couldn't let him fall in love with her when she was pregnant, they could be friends, best friends, and that was all. She decided to change the topic.
"I talked to Ethan today. You were right about this being hard on him and everything. You should see Mr. Crane, he answered the door when I got there and scared me half to death."
"I bet, he can be very imposing when he wants to. Are you hungry or anything?"
"Actually yes. Let's go downstairs," she said getting out of bed and covering her long cotton nightgown with her robe. She followed him downstairs to the kitchen where she made herself a sandwich and grabbed an apple. "Do you want something?" she asked.
"No, I ate a little while ago."
"Do you want to go watch TV? I'm too awake to sleep."
"Sure, I'd love to," he said going into the living room. Jessica turned on the TV and found 'I Know What You Did Last Summer 2' on. She sat down next to Reese and began to eat and watch the movie.
Halfway through the movie Jessica had grabbed onto his arm and at all of the scary parts she covered her eyes. Reese thought it was very cute. By the end of the movie Jessica was holding onto his hand and he smiled every time she squeezed it. When it was over some other movie came on but Jessica was oblivious to it. She was just looking down at her and Reese's clasped hands. His warm comforting touch. The way he stuck by her, always. Even though she had tried to forget her feelings, make them disappear they hadn't. She stayed up nights thinking about him and how he couldn't possibly feel for her the same she felt for him but yet he seemed to. She could be herself and even though she was afraid to, sometimes she showed him her insecurities and fears and he understood. She loved him so much. But she was going to be a mother in seven months.
"Jess, what are you thinking about?" asked Reese.
"The baby," said Jessica slowly. His reactions to this subject was something she needed to see. Did the fact disgust him, make him think less of her or did it even matter? She had to know.
"About that, I was wondering what you were planning to do," he said looking at her.
"I don't know yet. I don't want an abortion, that is out of the question. I was thinking about giving it up or...or maybe keeping it." 'Okay' thought Jessica. 'This is the moment of truth.' She didn't know what she wanted him to say, she just knew it would change how she looked at him.
"I was thinking about it, a lot, and I want you to know that I'll be with you, what ever you decide, but if you keep it I want to be the surrogate father. Now I know that if you keep him or her your parents will be here for you and everything but I've always wanted children and well you get the idea," he said his cheeks turning slightly red, but he never looked away.
Jessica tried to hold back the tears in her eyes. She had expected him to tell her the part about whatever she did he would support her but she was blown away by the mere aspect that he was willing to accept the baby and for a moment she thought that she would break down and cry.
"Reese, thank you," she said and she had to pause to get her emotions under control. "I don't know what to say except that if I do keep it then it will be the luckiest baby in the world to have you in it's life."
"It's getting late, I should get over to my Aunt's, I told her I might stay a while but she might get worried."
"Will you stay? Please?" Jessica knew that the more she was around him, the more she wanted to see him everyday, feel his arms around her when she woke up, feel his heart beating as she went to sleep, she needed to be near him, to feel safe, that something in her world was constant when everything else had turned upside down.
"Okay, I'll stay."
Jessica and Reese layed in her bed and she snuggled against him.
"Reese?"
"Yeah?"
"I never told you that I'm really sorry, for pushing you away and not talking to you, I was selfish."
"I understand, apology accepted, I'm just glad that now you've let me in, I really missed you."
"I missed you too." Jessica closed her eyes but didn't fall asleep, she was to busy savoring every moment with Reese Durkee.