"Jesse's Girl"
Chapter Three
Kim and Jesse entered the small club close to midnight. Groups of people filled the area as loud rock music clung to the air. Booths cluttered the wall spaces and the band on stage could hardly be seen with the crowds on the floor.
"Are you sure we are at the right place?" Kim spoke into Jesse's ear, standing close to him so as not to get lost.
"Yeah. He isn't coming on until one. Just figured we could relax and have a couple of drinks until then," Jesse said as he took a hold of Kim's hand and led her over to the bar. Stools aligned the black countertop and bottles were place haphazardly on top.
"Trying to get me drunk, are you?" Kim asked as she sat on one of the stools. She straightened out her black short skirt and her low cut blouse. She had randomly picked them out of her closet earlier that night, but as she recalled when Jesse first picked her up, she was "damn" and "unbelievable." She smiled at the thoughts and looked at Jesse for a reply.
"Of course not…one beer for me, and for the lady?" He looked at Kim and smiled.
"A strawberry daiquiri please," she told the bartender, which to her, didn't even look legal himself. She dug out her license and showed it to him. Seconds later, both appeared in front of them, and Kim took a quick sip before speaking to Jesse. "Nobody is even attacking you or wondering if you are you. At the market, it was the same way. How do you do it," she asked.
"Well, at the market, a few people were staring, but half of them I don't even know could run to try to catch me. Besides, here nobody is expecting me so they only pay attention to the music and themselves," he said as he took his beer and put some in his mouth.
"Lucky you." Kim looked around the club to see if she could notice anyone. "There looks like a crowd over there, and oh my gosh." She sat her drink down. "It's Vin and Brit. He was sure noticed." She got up from her seat.
"Where are you going?" Jesse asked as he took a hold of her arm.
"Over to them to say hello. Is there a problem?"
"Do you want me to be noticed?"
Kim shook her head. "I don't care, but I want to let Brit know I am here. She won't believe it."
Jesse looked at her. "I'll stay here, thanks."
"Fine with me, but if I mention you; you will have no one to stop them. Besides, they might not recognize you, remember."
"And if they do, the crowd will disperse into two places."
"Look Jesse, I am going over. If you want to stay here, fine. I'll be back over then."
Jesse reluctantly left go of her arm and watched her make her way though the crowd and into Brit's open arms for a hug. Jesse sighed.
"So you and Jesse are here too?" Brit asked as she tried to look through the crowd.
"Yeah. Jesse is back at the bar, but yeah, he heard who was playing tonight and asked me to come along."
"On a date?" Brit smiled.
"No, as friends. I have known Jesse all of my life…"
"But yet you never mentioned him except for this morning," Brit said.
"And like I said earlier, it is a long story which I rather not talk about right now. Anyways, what is going on with you and Vin?"
"Well," she smiled. "He took me out for lunch, and we had such a great time talking that we didn't want things to end, so he asked me if I wanted to go clubbing, and we ended up here." She pointed to the ground.
"Sounds good to me," Kim said as she watched Vin talking to other people while signing autographs.
"Yeah." Brit smiled as she stood aside allowing Vin enough room. "So why is Jesse over there and not here with you," she asked.
"He doesn't want to be noticed, or at least that is what he told me." Kim said as she looked at Jesse up at the bar. Her eyes opened wide as she took notice of a blond occupying her seat. 'I can't believe him,' she said quietly to herself. 'And I thought he wanted to start something or at least try.' Her heart started to hurt as water came to her eyes. "Excuse me Brit." She looked around to find a sign that said restrooms as she made her way over to the door. She opened it up quickly, almost knocking a young girl to the ground. "I'm sorry," she whispered as she made her way inside.
Brit stood confused as she looked at Vin and then looked over to where Kim had looked. She quickly noticed and went to catch up with her in the bathroom. She opened the door and made her way over to the set of sinks where Kim stood splashing her face with water. "Hey," Brit said.
Kim looked up at her. "Hi." She looked down at the sink.
"What is really going on with you and Jesse?"
"I told you, nothing."
"Then why do you look so upset at seeing him talking to another girl?"
"Because I have known Jesse long enough to see that the reaction he has on his face and in his body language, tells me he thinks she looks good, and that he wants to get to know her better."
"So…"
Kim looked at Brit. "Because…because he wants to give 'us' a try, and has since he left to go to L.A three years ago. See, I have known Jesse all of my life. Our parents were friends since before we were born, and we grew up together. We became best friends quickly and we are sort of each other's first loves even though we won't admit it to each other, and have tried to move on with other people. Three years ago, Jesse got the offer to move to L.A. I was devastated, but I didn't want to interfere in his dream of being a star, so I told him we could never be. I broke his heart as he broke mine. Today is the first time that we have seen each other, let alone spoken to one another and old feelings have begun to surface in both of us; and I hate it Brit. I hate feeling this way."
"Well, if you love one another, then why can't things work out?" Brit asked, unsure of the answer herself.
"Because there have been other people…I have read the magazines, I see the pictures. I know that he has moved on more than once, and I have too, or at least tried, you know that. It is just so hard to know stuff about him, but not firsthand, like I used to. I would know everything about him when we were growing up. We told each other secrets to this day were never told to anyone else, and now, well, three years is a long time of just gossip and headlines. I will always be his biggest fan and I will always love him deep down in my heart, I just don't think 'us' is really a possibility any longer." Kim looked into the mirror. "Moreover, I don't think it matters anymore what I think." Tears started to escape from her eyes, and all Brit could think of doing was hug her friend and be there for her.
"You said it yourself, things have changed," Brit said. "His motion, his reactions maybe?"
Kim shook her head no, as she reached for a paper towel to dry the tears that had fallen.
The two of them just stood there, before girls walked in, disturbing them. "Excuse us," Brit said as she looked at the girl and then at Kim. "We better get out there you know, or the boys might start to wonder about us," she joked as Kim stood in place.
"Just give me a minute, will you," Kim said as Brit walked to the door and closed it behind her. She was alone. She splashed some water upon her face, before shaking off the sadness and hurt she felt inside. Opening the door, she made her way out to the floor. Looking at the bar, she noticed Jesse was out of sight and she became worried and started looking around.
"There you are," came a voice from behind her.
She turned to face Jesse.
"I was wondering where you ran off to. He is about to come on." He grabbed Kim's hand and they made their way up front next to Brit and Vin.
"My life is brilliant." The music started, the crowd started screaming, as James Blunt made his appearance on stage. Kim smiled as much as she could, as Jesse yelled and stood behind her.
"My life is brilliant.
My love is pure.
I saw an angel.
Of that I'm sure.
She smiled at me on the subway.
She was with another man.
But I won't lose no sleep on that,
'Cause I've got a plan.
You're beautiful. You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true."
Jesse wrapped his arms around Kim's waist as Kim stood there, feeling his body up against hers.
"I saw your face in a crowded place,
And I don't know what to do,
'Cause I'll never be with you."
Kim started to sing and cry as she thought of Jesse and her. She took Jesse's hand in front of her, looked back, and smiled slightly up at him.
"Yeah, she caught my eye,
As we walked on by.
She could see from my face that I was,
Flying high,
And I don't think that I'll see her again,
But we shared a moment that will last till the end."
They both looked over at Vin and Brit who were swaying slightly with each other.
"You're beautiful. You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
I saw your face in a crowded place,
And I don't know what to do,
'Cause I'll never be with you."
The crowd too was now singing and swaying their arms in the air.
"You're beautiful. You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
There must be an angel with a smile on her face,
When she thought up that I should be with you."
Kim sighed as the song concluded.
"But it's time to face the truth,
I will never be with you."
It was her life; this was her song.
"Hey, where are you going?" Jesse yelled to Kim as he scurried out the club door and into the warm, humid air. The difference between inside and outside caused Jesse to take a breathe and he stepped back so he could feel some of the air conditioning on his arms and his neck.
"Home," Kim said as she raced to the curb like nothing else. It was about one thirty in the morning and the moon lit up the sky like it was the only light on Earth.
Jesse ran up to her and stepped in front of the pathway. "What's your rush? It is still early."
Kim looked to the ground as she spoke. "I'm tired Jesse. It has been a long day and early morn. All I want to do right now is take a quick shower and climb into bed."
"Well, I can take you home. All you had to do was let me know."
"No, I am fine. I'll just take a cab. Besides, you stay here and have fun with that blond bimbo." She spoke the last part under her breathe, and Jesse strained to hear the exact words.
"What did you say," Jesse asked as he looked at Kim.
"Nothing." She shook her head as she looked down the street at the passing cars looking for a cab she could flag down.
Jesse touched her hand and pulled her back while he spoke. "Why can't you talk to me? What is going on in that little head of yours?"
"I told you, I am tired." She pulled at her slender-framed hand, but Jesse kept a grip on it.
He could tell something was wrong, but couldn't quite put his finger on it, as he made Kim look into his worried eyes.
"Just go Jesse, ok. I know you want to go back to that girl at the bar, so just let me go home, and we will talk later." She smiled up at him, trying not to cry on the outside.
"What girl, oh the one I was talking to." Kim nodded her head as Jesse continued. "Hey, she was no one. She came over to talk, because she spotted us coming in, but her boyfriend is in some hometown band in Pennsylvania named Johnny Action Figure, and she knows what it is like to deal with fans. She wanted to keep it low key, which you know was fine with me. We were just talking and I was answering questions. It was nothing more than that, I promise."
"Sure Jesse. I know you, remember. I could see you were all into her, just admit it."
"I won't when it isn't true, I swear. She was just another fan, that's all."
Kim shook her hand away as she sat down on a dirty bench next to the road. Gum splattered the seat, and she almost screamed as she cringed at the sight of some on her hand. She peeled it away as she watched people move back and forth across the road. Jesse moved next to her.
"Are you jealous or something," he asked as he stood in front of her, kneeling down to her eye level, the whole time being serious.
"No, why would you say that?" She clasped her hands together and placed them on her lap, looking down at them.
"Because you cannot even look me in the eyes and answer me truthfully." He took her hands off her lap and placed them inside his.
She looked up at him, and tears started to escape onto the exterior of her face. "You want the truth?" Jesse shook his head yes and Kim continued. "Ok, yes, fine. I was talking to Brit and then looked over and saw you talking to this girl, and I don't know, but something triggered inside of me that I couldn't explain. It hurt seeing you talking to her, and fine, I got jealous and I apologize."
"Apologize for what? Feeling what you feel inside? Emotions are real and there is not a wrong way to feel, so people just do it all the time."
"But I am confused Jesse. When I was talking to Brit, all I could think about was that we have three missing years in our relationship that we can't get back and I hated that I was having to find out about your life through magazine articles, websites, and millions and trillions of searches. I hate that I never knew anything firsthand anymore."
"How do you think I felt? You at least got to know a little about my life, while I knew nothing about yours. You could have been engaged, married, even sad to say, dead, I didn't know. And yes, ok, I could have called to check up on you, but I was afraid you forgot about me or hated me after I left."
"No, never. You know that," Kim spoke.
"No I didn't. Once I left I was so worried , but I soon got caught up in my music, the show, and trying to move on with my life, that I was so busy to contact you and say 'hello…are we still friends yet."
Kim looked at him. "I am no different. I could have called; I wanted to so many times, but thinking and knowing you were happy out there, made me miserable."
Jesse smiled. "Yeah, I was happy, but a part of me was missing: you. God, I missed you so much and never could I forget about you, or try to for that matter, believe me."
Kim looked at him. "Really? You mean that?"
"I do, honestly." He moved to sit down next to her, but thought against it when he was reminded of the gum. "Come here." He pulled her from the bench. "You are my best friend. I don't care what you hear from now you, know now that you will be my best friend for life; always."
"Jesse." Kim smiled up at him.
"And I know I am not suppose to bring this up, but I really want you to give us a try. I know you said you hate that we have three missing years in our life, but that is what makes things exciting, and if we give this a shot, we could learn new things everyday. Come on, we could have mini fights over this stuff." Jesse started to laugh at the thoughts.
"I don't know Jesse. I'm just worried with what would happen to us if things didn't work out between us."
"Well, think about what could happen if we stay together for life?"
"Thinking far ahead, aren't you?" Kim smiled.
"I am just trying to think of all the possibilities that are out there. Also, I told you once before, I just want to think about the here and now." He slowly wrapped his arms around Kim's waist as he brought her closer to him. "What do you say…give us a try?"
Kim's head whirled around upstairs, but the beat in her heart told her another story. "Yes," she said quietly, almost in a whisper. "Yes, I think we should try this out; try us as more than just friends."
"Really?" Jesse said as he stared at her, seeing if he heard her correctly.
Kim leaned closer to him, as their lips became inches apart. "Jesse McCartney, I would love to be your girlfriend."
Jesse smiled at her. "Well, Kimberly Hill, I am glad, because I would love to be your boyfriend; the one and only."
"Good, because I wouldn't want it any other way." She leaned her head closer as she closed her eyes and left the moment of the night take control of her body and her emotions, and left the first kiss between boyfriend and girlfriend take place; one that she would never forget in her entire life.