PART 9 KEEPING YOUR HEART
Katie had emptied Jessie's stash of coffee, being the coffee addict that she is. Drinking coffee had always been a part in her writing. For one, it helps her stay awake when good ideas begin to flood her head. Well, she managed to catch all of Jessie's calls. And to her surprise and disbelief, Jessie managed to have food delivered to the beach house every four hours. Katie wasn't really hungry, and she asked Jessie to stop ordering food for her. But Jessie was stubborn and kept ordering food anyway. By noon the following day, Katie had stocked food that would be enough to feed a hundred people.
At first, Katie couldn't sleep. Not so unusual for her. She has an indefinite sleep time. But after drafting a few ideas and scrapping most of it, Katie dozed off in the couch. When it got dark outside, Katie was sleeping so soundly, she didn't hear the front door open.
Jessie tiptoed into the house. She was planning to surprise Katie knowing how jumpy she is. She could just imagine the scared look on her friend's face when she sneaks up behind her while Katie was writing. That would be priceless, Jessie grinned at the thought. Then, she stopped on her tracks. She was expecting to find Katie writing her heart out at the veranda, but there she was, sleeping silently on the couch.
HER couch... LUCKY couch...
And she looked so damn beautiful, and stop on the side. Then, she sat on her knees, leaning her head closer to get a good look of the beautifully sleeping brunette. She could do nothing but sigh in amazement. Even in her sleep, Katie could do things to her that she couldn't control, like the frantic beating of her heart.
She was enjoying watching Katie so much, that she even forgot how hungry she was. And as she wasted her time smiling down at Katie's sleeping figure, her stomach made an involuntary growl, and Katie suddenly opened her eyes. Surprised that she got caught staring, Jessie backed off and hit the coffee table behind her. Pain shot through her entire body as she felt the corner of the glass table prick her back. She held her back immediately, and Katie jumped out of the couch to help her.
"Oh my God!" Jess, are you okay?!" Katie held Jessie's shoulders. Jessie had her eyes closed, her face showing that she was feeling extreme pain. She was rubbing a certain part in her back with her left hand. Katie helped her to stand up and let her sit on the couch where Katie was sleeping just a few seconds ago. "What happened?" Katie was worried to death. It doesn't look like Jessie was okay.
"You opened your eyes." Jessie said, realizing she mush have sounded really stupid, but that's what happened.
"I did what?" Katie said, confused. Jessie smiled in pain upon seeing Katie's face get all distorted while trying to understand what she had just said.
"You opened your eyes. I got surprisingly embarrassed so I backed off and after years of living here, I didn't even remember that the coffee table was placed just behind my back, so..." Jessie trailed off. She could still feel the pain in her back.
"You're embarrassed?" Katie confirmed with Jessie. Jessie nodded. "You're embarrassed because I caught you watching me?" Katie said in amusement and chuckled upon seeing Jessie's flustered face.
"You knew I was watching you?" Jessie asked in disbelief.
"Well, I thought I heard a stomach growling and I was pretty sure it wasn't mine, and I opened my eyes and I practically saw you staring at me and then you had that, uh... Accident." Katie said playfully, making Jessie blush even more.
"Stomach growling... Right... I'm hungry. Are you hungry? I almost forgot, I promise to cook dinner. I'm not the type who breaks promises, so I should get started before it's time for breakfast." Jessie babbled. She got up, then felt the pain on he back shot through her entire body again. She sat down and waited for the pain to subside. As she did so, she kept rubbing the part that hit the corner of the coffee table.
"You're not okay. Let me see." Without waiting for Jessie's reply, Katie pushed Jessie's hand away from her aching back and lifted Jessie's blouse. Katie's jaw dropped, not because of the bluish spot that was forming in Jessie's injured back, but because of the fact that she realized that she aggressively invaded Jessie's privacy and was now touching her bare skin. It's not like she didn't like it. She loved the feel of Jessie's on her hand, and Jessie didn't seem to mind. But fantasizing about Jessie's skin wasn't really her plan, and she knew she needs to control herself or her urges would be taking a mind of its own. Katie withdrew her hand from Jessie's skin that made Jessie turn her head.
"Uh, I'll get some ice." Katie said, clearing the invisible lump in her throat. She got up immediately and left the living room. Jessie watched her, puzzled.
Katie wasn't really sure which one of them needs the ice more; Jessie's bruising back, or the growing feeling of desire inside of her.
"This is crazy." Katie said to herself while shaking her head as she opened the ice box. After getting the ice, she reluctantly returned to the living room. Jessie was still sitting on the couch. Katie handed her the ice.
"Here you go." Katie would have volunteered to ice Jessie's back for her, but that wouldn't do her any good. She had a really hard time trying to calm her insides and she wasn't about to do anything that would bring her too physically close to Jessie.
"Thanks." Jessie smiled.
"You know, maybe I should cook." Katie suggested.
"What? No, you're my guest. I should cook." Jessie argued.
"You're not in a very good shape right now, and I wouldn't risk my health for that." Katie mocked Jessie, recalling the day at Karen's house when Jessie tried making pancakes and when she gladly took a taste of it, it felt like she bit through a Frisbee.
As if knowing what just crossed Katie's mind, Jessie answered defensively.
"Hey, I can cook now, you know. Besides, it's only a bruise, which by the way was your fault in the first place. It didn't impair any of my senses and I'm still normal."
"Jess, just sit down, okay? You've spent 24 hours working your butt off. I'm not going to let you do anything when you're so tired and all. I'll cook." Katie said in a very authoritative tone, Jessie found no chance to argue.
"Stay here, and don't peek." Katie smiled at Jessie before returning to the kitchen.
Jessie had no clue about what Katie was planning for dinner, but she didn't really care. Jessie iced her back, and felt the stinging feeling subside. It wasn't really bad, just bruising, that's all. She had seen worse in her medical career. To keep her occupied, Jessie grabbed the remote of her flat screen tv and turned it on.
When Katie showed up after a few minutes, she just found herself being dragged by the taller girl to the dining room and found the table already set, and the delicious smell of something that she doesn't recognize met her senses. Katie pulled a chair for Jessie, and Jessie gladly sat on it. Then Katie occupied the seat opposite her. Before Katie could explain what she cooked for both of them (something that she learned while vacationing in Scotland), Jessie got up from her seat and ran to go somewhere in the house, to Katie's confusion.
What the hell was that about? Katie thought at she stared at Jessie's empty seat. Her head almost snapped she she made a sudden turn upon hearing the footsteps heading to the dining room again. Jessie was back. And she had a candle holder in her right hand and a box of matches in her left. Katie didn't know what to say.
"I needed to get these." Jessie answered before Katie could even ask. Then she put the candle holder on the table, a little on the side so she could still see Katie, lit it with a match, then dimmed the lights. Jessie sat down again.
"Trying to cut down the electric bill?" Katie joked.
"No." Jessie laughed. Nice Katie, typical Singer charm. "I just thought it's more..." Jessie thought of the right word.
"Cozy?" Katie supplied. But it wasn't exactly the word Jessie was searching for. After scanning her mental dictionary, Jessie spoke again.
"Romantic." Jessie smiled sheepishly. Katie was sipping from her glass of wine at that time and she choked. She felt the wine run up to her nose and she had to run to the sink to get it off her. Jessie just chuckled. Katie would be fine, of course. She didn't realize the would get that amount of reacting from her just by saying the word romantic, but Katie looked definitely hilarious. Zoe was really right. If Katie's not very keen to talk about the intensity of her feeling for her, she will make her FEEL it. She thought it would be easy to tell Katie that she loves her, but she realized you can't just say that after a decade of not talking to each other, not to mention the history that hey had. Besides, Jessie has turned into a sappy hopeless romantic, and saying those three important words would have to be in the right timing. Jessie wanted to wait for that one magical moment. She wanted it to be right.
Why would Jessie want this dinner be romantic? Katie thought while splashing her face with water. She had gotten over the choking, but hasn't returned to the dining room yet. After spacing out, Katie went back to join Jessie. When she sat on her chair, Jessie spoke, breaking Katie's reverie.
"You have a knack for choking, Singer." Jessie said smiling, but without looking at Katie. Katie felt her face burning.
Great, Jessie's making me blush and making me look so obvious. What are you doing to me?
"So, what did you say this food was called again?" Jessie looked up at Katie, changing the conversation, and admiring the cute discomfited look on her face. I'm enjoying this far too much.
So far, Jessie didn't make any unexpected comments throughout dinner, much to Katie's relief. Katie lightened up again, and they had animated conversation almost about everything. From Jessie's Harvard years to her graduate studies in Johns Hopkins, the friends she had, Jessie annoyance in Zoe's philandering ways (which affected Katie a bit, having her own decade of philandering), Tad and Grace's outrageous courtship, Katie's adjustment period in London, her loft, the crazy accent of her English friends, her adorable nephew Michael and niece Mary (both her brother Bailey's kids). There was one thing they didn't talk about: the people they dated. And neither of them wanted to ask the other.
Jessie loved their dinner. She wouldn't have gone anorexic if she had known Katie before she went through that. Who would pass up food if someone cooks as good as Katie? Despite of how tired she is, Jessie didn't want to end their conversation. She's finally feeling their connection again. And she was afraid that going to sleep would disrupt that connection. That's something she wouldn't want to risk. But Katie knew better. She knew how much Jessie needed the rest.
"You should sleep. I'll take care of this." Katie referred to the dishes.
"But I don't want to sleep, yet."
"You should. You've been working too hard. Rest." Katie gave her the smile that she uses to charm a girl's pants off her. Not that it was her intention with Jessie, 'coz Jessie was not like the girls she had one-time fun with. But it was also the smile that could make anyone jump off the airplane without a parachute if Katie asks them to.
"Okay." Jessie got up from the chair. "Goodnight, Katie."
They smiled at each other, and Katie watched as Jessie got up from her seat. To her surprise, Jessie went around the table and found Jessie standing right beside her. Jessie leaned down to give Katie a goodnight kiss on the cheek, but clueless Katie turned her head in curiosity so abruptly, and Jessie's lips hit Katie's lips instead, to both their embarrassment.
If you have known both of them a really long time, you would think that Katie would be the first to move on from that awkward situation. But it seems like the table had been turned these days. Jessie was acting all suave and charming and Katie became the insecure and uncomfortable one. Despite of the blushing and short silence, Jessie managed to say something more than one word before heading off to bed.
"That wasn't my intended target, but..." Jessie could feel the tension, but she kept smiling at her. "Goodnight, Katie."
Finally, Jessie left the dining room. Katie followed her with her gaze, and when Jessie was out of her sight, she let out a deep breath. Staying with Jessie would be tougher than she thought.