Chapter Nine
After what seemed a long time, Jack and Rob broke off their kiss. He had an enormous grin plastered across his face, and Jack knew from the slight ache in her cheeks that her smile must be just as broad. He rested his forehead against hers and kept his arms around her waist.
"Wow," Jack said breathlessly. "Where did that come from?"
He chuckled and then hugged her tightly: "I've wanted to do that since the day I met you."
"You're kidding! Why'd you wait so long?"
"Damn, Jack, don't you know how intimidating you are? When Jim came onto you, you were positively brutal. I was afraid you wouldn't be interested and I figured it'd be better to just keep it to myself than to risk rejection like that. And, as cliché as it sounds, I really didn't want to hurt our friendship."
"Okay, once again, Jim is an ass and a hypocrite," Jack clarified. "I was brutal with him because he fucking deserved it. He seemed to think he could trash me at will, but that I'd just fall all over him when he snapped his fingers. Not gonna happen!
"Rob, you're not Jim. You're nothing like Jim. None of my responses to Jim would ever apply to you. Got it?"
He grinned, hugged her again, and then agreed, "Aye, Captain."
"And as far as our friendship goes, it's forever. Wherever we go from here, that ain't gonna change. I won't let it," she asserted vehemently. Then, Jack snuggled against him and hugged him back, still heady with the thought that he cared for her as more than a buddy. Slowly, one other thing he had said penetrated her consciousness. She pushed away from him with a small frown and asked, "Am I really that intimidating?"
Rob burst out laughing. "Yes, but it's part of your charm."
"What about me is intimidating?" she queried in confusion.
"Well, you're smart, sweet, sexy, beautiful, you've had an extremely interesting life… Do I need to continue?"
"No, I'm not fishing for compliments. I'm just… well, I had no idea you felt this way. You're very good at hiding it," she told him.
"Jack, I've flirted with you since we first met. Hadn't you noticed?"
"Robby, you flirt with lots of girls. I always figured that was just you being you. You're charming, you know. Besides, why should you be interested in romance with a skinny, street-punk runaway like me?"
"Back to the whole smart, sweet, interesting… You really didn't know? Hell, I'm not the only one who thinks this. I could name a dozen guys who think you're hot stuff," he confided. "But I'm not gonna. Now that I've got ya, I wanna keep you to myself. Don't wanna give you too many alternatives."
Jack blushed and looked at her feet in momentary consternation. She, then, raised her eyes back to his which were twinkling like a pair of sapphires. God, he has pretty eyes, she thought. Aloud, she said, "You're just fucking with me."
He shook his head at her statement, and then bent and pressed his lips to hers again. She closed her eyes as she met his kiss, marveling in the feel of his mouth on hers. His tongue teased along her bottom lip and she instinctively opened her mouth to him. Shyly at first, then more aggressively, she ran her tongue inside his mouth, matching him in the kiss. He tasted like raspberries from the cupcakes they had shared earlier. Jack knew that from that point forward, she would always associate that flavor with him.
When their lips finally separated, he pulled her close and nuzzled against her ear. Rob, one of those rare young men who actually needed a razor, hadn't shaved recently, and his cheek rasped against hers sending thrills of unaccustomed sensation through her. His voice dropped below its normal register as he purred, "Not fucking with you Jack. You're my girl, and I don't plan to share."
As Jack cuddled against him again, the thought occurred to her that she had wanted him to do this for quite some time. She just hadn't let herself acknowledge it because she had thought he wouldn't-no, couldn't-return the sentiment. Why does this shit always sneak up on me? she wondered. She reveled in the warmth of his embrace… Involuntarily, Jack yawned widely.
"Bored already?" Rob teased with a wry grin.
Jack snickered and then displayed her chrono to him. "Not at all, but it is almost 0100. I'll happily stand right here until I collapse with exhaustion, but then, you're gonna have to figure out how to haul my ass to my room."
"Maybe I'd just haul your ass to my room… But I guess we'll never know," he said, suggestively waggling his eyebrows. "What classes do you have tomorrow?"
"Only a couple. Systems and Advanced Nav in the morning, then my flight lab right after lunch. I should be done by 1400. Why? You wanna find out if you can haul my ass to my room?"
"Cause, I'm claiming you after that," he laughed and tweaked her nose with his finger.
"Not that I'm complaining, but for what?"
"I know you, Jack," he informed her. "If I don't claim you now, I'll have to go hunt you down in some library or lab just like I did tonight. I just wanna spend some time with you; maybe we can go see a vid or something. I'll meet you here at 1500 sharp."
"That would be great," she said then pulled him into a final lingering kiss. Jack broke away from him and darted up the steps to her dorm. The exterior door whooshed open and she started to step through but turned back to smile broadly at him. "Tomorrow."
"Absolutely," he agreed returning her grin.
Then Jack moved through the doors. She floated in a warm glow to the lift, up to her floor and then down the hall. Dreamily, she pressed her palm to the lock and opened the door. She knew that she was grinning like a maniac, but she didn't care. She couldn't recall having ever felt quite this giddy.
As the door opened, her roommate, Val (whose real name was Tressa Svensen), roused from her bunk and looked at Jack. Val was another member of the 'Odd Squad' and had known Rob even longer than Jack. Rob, who was something of a history buff, had christened her 'the Valkyrie' after the mythological warrior women from old Earth history. The nickname had stuck and everyone called her 'Val' instead of by her given name.
"Evening, Val," Jack said, beaming at the girl who was blinking at the light from the hall.
Val glanced at the readout on the clock by her bed and answered, " Morning , Jack. Let me guess, he FINALLY made a move."
Jack stared at her friend in shock. "You knew?"
"Good Lord, Jack, everyone knew. He's been mooning about you for months. And you've been just as bad. If one of you hadn't done something soon, I was gonna kick you both in the ass and lock you in a room together until you figured it out!" Val grumbled.
"I can't believe you never said anything to me."
"Uh-uh… Where romance between my two best friends is concerned, I don't get involved," Val stated vehemently as she flopped over to get the light out of her eyes. "Now go to bed, it's late."
Jack stepped the rest of the way through the door and it slid shut behind her. She quietly changed into her normal sleeping attire (an oversized T-shirt). She was climbing into bed when Val flopped back over.
"So, was it awesome?" she asked and even in the dark room Jack could see the pale flash of her teeth as she grinned.
"Yeah," Jack said returning her grin. "It was perfect."
The next afternoon, Jack stood amidst a tangle of clothing, which she had discarded on the floor. She had finished her lab early, and then rushed back to the dorm to change before meeting Rob. Ten-year-old Lisa and Lara, along with Val, had joined her as she got ready, ostensibly to offer advice but in Val's case, mostly to make snarky comments.
"I can't wear ANY of this," she complained as she turned to the other three occupants of the room. "Why did I force Imam to buy me these clothes? What was I thinking?"
Val, who had curled into a large armchair on her side of their room, laughed heartily at her consternation. From their perch on Jack's bunk, the twins looked at one another in confusion, and then looked back to where Jack had now discarded another pair of unacceptable cargo pants.
"We don't understand…" Lisa began.
"Aren't you just…" Lara continued.
"Going to the vids with Rob?" Lisa finished.
"It's different this time. I wanna look nice , not like I normally do," Jack attempted to explain.
"But you said… That he said… That you were sexy," the twins asked as the actual speaker ping-ponged back and forth. The way they spoke disconcerted many people, but Jack was used to their unique method of communication. "Doesn't that mean… That he likes the way… You normally dress?"
"I guess," Jack agreed. "But I want to look special for him. Like the other girls he dates."
The twins looked at each other again for a long moment and then shrugged in concert. They turned back to Jack and chorused, "Why?"
Jack turned to Val: "You explain it to them!"
"You want me to explain romance… to a pair of ten-year-olds," Val said, snorting with amusement. "Have you lost your fucking mind? Besides, I agree with them. If Rob wanted another girl, he could have her. He wants YOU."
"But all the other girls were… feminine!" she stated, waving her hands in agitation.
"Let me tell you something, Jack. I know that in a lot of ways you're closer to Rob than I am, but I've known him for a long time. I've figured out things about him that he probably doesn't even realize himself. The reason he dated those girly-girls is that he doesn't take them seriously. With them, he's just having fun. That's also, why he never went out with any of them more than twice; he didn't want to get involved. It's different with you. He actually cares about you and he likes you just the way you are."
"You really think so?" Jack asked uncertainly.
Val stretched languidly and then stood. She towered over Jack. At 1.9 meters, she was taller than most men. She was from a heavy world and her family had genetic modifications to adapt them to the high gravity. She was solidly built with heavy bone structure and well defined muscles, but was still quite feminine. Jack had always thought she was truly striking and particularly envied her honey blond hair and graceful elegance.
"I know so, Jack," she bent down and hugged Jack fondly. She then turned to Jack's closet and began riffling through the clothes. Eventually, she selected a pale blue T-shirt with a v-neck that Jack had shoved to the back. "Wear this."
"But it's too small," Jack informed her.
"I know," Val said with a conspiratorial grin. She then matched the top to a pair of black jeans that were also at the back because they didn't have enough pockets to suit Jack. "And these."
Jack held the clothing against her front and then surveyed herself in the mirror. She quirked an eyebrow skeptically at her companions: "Ya think?"
"Definitely," Val assured her as the twins nodded their approval in concert. "Now, hurry or you'll be late, it's already 1445."
Jack dressed quickly then ran a brush through her shoulder-length hair. She looked at her reflection. The T-shirt was snug and hugged her form with the v-neck accenting her cleavage. The lack of bulky pockets also made the pants more form fitting than her usual attire. Val had chosen well. While she definitely didn't look like some of the china-doll girls that Rob had dated before, she was most assuredly feminine. She grinned broadly at Val's reflection; the girl was giving her a thumbs-up from behind her.
The twins bounced in delight on the bed then scampered over and hugged her: "You look beautiful."
Jack opened the door then took a deep breath, "Well, here I go."
Rob paced back and forth in the lobby to Jack's dorm. He checked his wrist frequently and then compared the time he found there to the time displayed on the wall clock. Both agreed that the time as 1445. Not quite 1500. Okay, Harris, just chill. Jack wouldn't stand you up. She isn't that kind of girl, he reassured himself. Then he returned to pacing.
He'd been honest the night before when he confided that he'd been attracted to her from the start; however, he'd stopped short of admitting that he'd actually paid Derek Hatazawa to trade plebes with him so he could be her orientation guide. Rob's original charge had been a skinny, pimply-faced, fifteen-year-old boy by the name of Raoul. Derek had charged Rob 100 UD for the privilege of escorting Jack; he considered it money well spent.
He had wanted to ask her out then, but he had chickened out. Instead, he had teased her and introduced her to his circle of friends, figuring that if he kept her close, he would eventually get his nerve back. The plan had backfired. Once he got to know her, he found that he valued her friendship so much that he was afraid of what would happen if he pressed his luck and she wasn't interested.
He had tried to convince himself that it was for the best; having Jack as a friend was enough. To help persuade himself, he had started dating a series of girls who were nothing like the elusive Jack. It hadn't worked; he found himself constantly comparing the other girls to Jack and finding them wanting. Finally, he couldn't take it any longer and decided he had to say something to her. That was when he had hatched the whole cupcake idea. He had still chickened out and had almost let the opportunity slip by. But the way she had looked at him and the way the light had caught her hair and turned her eyes into luminous green pools had caused something to snap and he had gone for it.
Unfortunately, that was last night. Now, in the clear light of afternoon, he was fretting that he had ruined the best friendship he had. That she had changed her mind after she left him and that now she would start avoiding him.
He checked his watch again 1458. His pacing was drawing irritated looks from the residence assistant on duty at the desk. Suddenly, he heard a soft ding as the lift doors opened and spied her inside. Rob met her as she exited and immediately swept her into an enveloping hug, which she returned avidly. "Thought maybe you'd changed your mind," he whispered.
"Not a chance," she reassured him. Then he felt a thrill of exultation as her lips brushed his cheek. He quickly twisted his head and kissed her on the mouth, deliberately ignoring the outburst it drew from the RA.
When he released her, he looked at her with open admiration. Jack always looked good in his opinion, but the plunging neckline of her current attire was enough to make his throat dry. "Wow, that's a really great top, Jack. I don't think I've seen them…er, it before," he stammered, mentally kicking himself for his slip.
She grinned at him. "You really like it? Val picked it out."
She smoothed her hands over her stomach and he had to swallow several times before he replied: "Remind me to thank Val."
He took her hand and led her toward the door. They walked down the steps and headed across the campus in companionable silence. After they had walked a ways, he asked, "So what would you like to do? You wanna see a vid then have some dinner or what?"
"You're gonna think it's fucking silly and I don't know why I'm saying this, but… Well, I wanna have a picnic," Jack said and grinned shyly at him. He laughed in delight at how great her suggestion was. Misinterpreting his laughter, she continued, "See, I told you it was stupid."
He shook his head vehemently. "It's about the least stupid idea I've heard in a while. WAY less stupid than going to a vid. With a picnic, we can actually talk. With my idea, we'd just have to sit there in a dim room and try to pay attention to a holo-chamber."
"You mean you like the idea?" she asked incredulously.
"Yup," he agreed. "Come on; let's see if we can sweet-talk the cafeteria manager into some food. Then we just need to scare up a blanket and we're set."
"You're on!" she agreed enthusiastically.
