The Cure
Part 2 - Nate's Mistake
"Nate!" Jenny turned at the familiar voice and then jumped away from Tyler when she matched face to voice.
"Jenny, what the hell are you doing?" He looked angry, that made her angry.
"Why do you care? What are you doing here anyway?" She crossed her arms defiantly.
"Who is this guy, Jen?" Tyler asked, annoyed this stranger was messing up his night and possibly his chance to get laid.
"Doesn't matter. You won't be sticking around to get to know him." Jenny turned away and started to nudge Tyler in the other direction.
"Jenny I'm not leaving you alone with this guy." Nate took a step closer and Jenny glared.
"What makes you think you have a say?"
"Jenny-" he came closer again and Tyler stepped in front of Jenny to block Nate's path.
"She said leave, dude. So just go." Tyler had pulled out of his haze a little.
"Get out of my way." Nate said calmly.
"And if I don't?" Tyler stood straighter trying to tower over Nate. They were all but the same height so it didn't have the effect he wanted.
"Nate, just leave us alone." Nate ignored her.
"If you don't leave on your own, I will make you." He was still calm but Jenny could see he was serious.
"Like you could." Tyler gave Nate a little shove in the chest.
"Just stop!" Jenny stepped around Tyler quickly so she was between them with a hand on each of their chests, pushing them away from each other. She could see a fight coming and she knew it probably wouldn't end well for Tyler. He was fairly innocent in this scenario and didn't deserve a beating on top of not getting laid.
"I can handle this." Tyler pulled her out of the way.
"Hey." Jenny protested catching her balance before she tripped over the long ago fallen beer bottles.
"Don't ever touch her again, asshole." Nate leaned off and punched Tyler square in the jaw, laying him out on the ground. He grabbed Jenny by the arm and lead her away from Tyler in the opposite direction of her apartment. "Let's go."
"Where? Actually it doesn't matter." she pulled her arm out of Nate's grip and stopped walking, "I'm not going anywhere with you."
"You can either come with me or go home to your parents. You choose." Jenny looked at him and then away angrily.
"And what about Tyler?" she flung her arm toward the guy lying on the sidewalk with a hand to his face, groaning in pain. "We can't just leave him there!"
"We can and we will. He's not bleeding or unconscious and he didn't hit his head. He's just drunk. He'll be fine." He took hold of her again, this time by the wrist and pulled her in the general direction of the subway.
- - -
They endured the journey to Nate's apartment in silence. They even managed until Jenny had gulped down two glasses of water and was halfway through a cup of coffee. But then Jenny couldn't keep it in any longer. "Seriously, Nate? I know you're all good samaritan or whatever, but I was fine. Having fun even."
"That was not fun, Jenny. Did you even know that guy?" Nate was standing on the other side of the counter, shaking two aspirin out of a bottle for her. She was nearly sober now, Tyler had drank much more than she had.
"I was planning on knowing him tonight." Jenny said dryly. "Thanks for ruining that."
"It's a good thing I did. Why would you ever want to lose your..." Nate paused and Jenny jumped in.
"My virginity?" Jenny said looking Nate dead in the eye. "How do you know for sure that's even still in tact? You haven't spoken to me in months. You said it yourself, I'm not who you thought I was."
"Jenny." Nate sighed, resigned. He'd said that when he was angry and disappointed; two emotions that effectively blinded him and pointed him in the wrong direction. Unfortunately he'd only 'seen the light' so to speak, realized how much he didn't mean it, when they were too far apart for him to even think he had a chance of fixing it. He decided he wasn't going to screw it up this time. He looked up at her, eyes open and full of candor, "I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" Jenny's mug clinked against the counter top as she laid it down. Her face shone with incredulity. "After all this time you're sorry?" She turned away and paused. Just as Nate tried to explain himself she turned on him again, angry. "I know what I did was bad but Vanessa lied to my face for days and I'm the only one who gets punished? How is it fair that Vanessa got..." Jenny's voice died off and she turned away again, hoping Nate didn't see the tears building in her eyes. She blinked rapidly trying to clear them. "You know what. It doesn't matter now. It's done. It's over."
"It's not over, Jenny." Jenny stopped walking away, pausing in the arch between the kitchen and living room. She turned and her breath hitched as she found Nate standing close. "I made a mistake. A mistake I regret. Do you know how jealous I was tonight? When I saw you with that guy?"
"Nate. Don't-" her voice was barely more than a whisper.
"It should have been you, Jenny." He looked her in the eyes, complete sincerity shining through. "I should have chosen you."
Jenny sighed heavily. "Goodnight, Nate." She walked out of the kitchen into the living room and began to unroll the sleeping bag Nate had brought out for her on the couch. She dropped the pillow on one end of the couch as Nate walked past her toward his bedroom. She avoided his gaze and waited for his door to close before undoing her bra underneath her shirt, slipping the straps over her arms and pulling it off. She removed her pants and wrapped them around her bra laying the ball of clothing next to the couch before burrowing into the sleeping bag.
She tossed and turned for what seemed like hours, trying to get comfortable all the while thinking to herself this had to be the most uncomfortable couch she'd ever laid on. Jenny tried counting sheep, playing Tetris on her phone and imagining dress designs in her head to distract herself but she kept jumping back to the same train of thought. Nate. What he'd said to her kept repeating over in her mind. And then she would analyze it every which way until her head hurt.
Jenny kicked the sleeping bag open and off; she was too warm. She got more and more restless until she got up and started pacing back and forth across the living room. Stopping at the window, she looked out over the street and chewed a thumbnail nervously. Her eyes wandered from the window to Nate's closed door. She could walk right in, no one was here to stop her. Jenny looked back to the window, running a hand through her long, messy blonde hair. She couldn't just walk right in there, what if he didn't want her too? But he'd said...
Taking a deep breath, Jenny marched quietly but purposefully to the bedroom door. She turned the knob and opened it slowly. It seemed Nate had been having the same sleeping problem; he sat up as she moved toward the bed. Her slim figure was outlined in the moonlight coming through the window and Nate's breath hitched at the lack of clothing. He started to say her name but she interrupted him.
"If you say a word, I'll turn around and leave again." She crawled from the foot of the bed up to him and pushed him backward so he was lying down. She pulled the blankets back and nestled herself into his side, laying her head on his chest and wrapping one arm tightly around his middle. The arm underneath her wrapped around her waist pulling her tight to him and Nate's other hand skimmed up the arm over his stomach to cup around her elbow. His nose nuzzled her hair, taking in the scent of lavender and vanilla.
Jenny's eyes had adjusted to the dim light so when she looked up, she could see Nate gazing back at her. His hand left her elbow to caress her face, his thumb traced her lips and she let out a sigh, moving her face closer to his. It was his turn to interrupt. Jenny began to whisper his name but was cut off by his soft lips pressing sweetly to hers. The kiss was short, chaste but bursting with warmth and strength. When it ended Nate wrapped his arms tighter around Jenny's small frame, turning slightly on his side to lessen what little space was between them. Her arm went around his back and her leg curved itself around his. She buried her face in his neck and inhaled softly.
She fell asleep enclosed in his arms and his scent, feeling safe and content. Nate spent hours watching her sleep, memorizing her peaceful face, the slight up-curve of her lips and how her eyelashes rested on her cheeks. He fell asleep with Jenny in his arms and the distinct feeling she would not be there when he woke up.
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A/N: So that's part 2... Not at all an ending so I guess it's going to be longer :)
Review please!
