House of Jara CHAPTER 32
"Jerome, can I come in?" Mara's voice came from the half open door.
"I'll leave you two to it," Amber walked out of the room to leave her two best friends to sort out their differences.
"I'm sorry Jerome, I didn't mean to forget. I would have remembered by the time we went to speak to Nina," Mara apologised for her brief lapse in memory.
"I'm sorry I snapped, I know everyone has a lot going on and no one can remember everything but I just expected you to remember about Poppy," Jerome explained thoroughly.
"I know, I should have but I can't stand you being mad at me," Mara said as she sat next to her boyfriend and took his hand in hers. "You forgive me?"
"Yeah, I forgive you," Jerome smiled as he leaned in for a kiss. The moment was ruined by Amber, yelling:
"Yay now we don't have to cancel our date."
"No, Amber you don't," Jerome called as Mara burst into laughter and Amber and Alfie poked their heads into the room.
"Sorry, but everyone has finished so we're going up to talk to Nina," Alfie explained, Jerome frowned as Mara pulled him up off the bed.
"Come on Jerome," she said giving him a knowing look. "How about after this we have a date of our own?" this changed Jerome's attitude about going to talk to Nina because he wanted to get through that to have his date with Mara.
"Go away, I don't want to talk to anyone," Nina stated when Fabian and Patricia entered the room.
"Well we need to talk, all of us," Patricia told her friend.
"All of you?" Nina looked up from her homework and groaned when she saw the whole of Sibuna stood in her bedroom.
"Look I do care you know so we need to find this mask so no one dies," Jerome explained to the stubborn American.
"I know, you're right but Jerome I don't trust you," Nina described turning on her chair.
"Nina, whether you like it or not we need to stick together so get off your high horse and get over yourself!" Mara blurted in an angry outburst about Nina's distrust in her boyfriend. Everyone looked at the tiny girl, shocked as she huffed in annoyance.
"Whoa Mara, I didn't know you had it in you to yell at anyone," Patricia observed, slightly amused.
"Yes well, when someone questions the integrity of my boyfriend I just get a little irritated," Mara mused.
"A little?" Fabian asked, still shocked at her outburst; not to mention he didn't know what to think because his girlfriend was the one on the receiving end of the yelling.
"Fine, if I have to work with him to keep my friends safe then I'll do it," Nina revealed with a sigh of frustration.
"Don't be too happy about it, will you," Amber mumbled.
"Are we going down to the tunnels tonight?" Alfie asked, preferring to get to the task at hand than throw around insults.
"Let's just have a meeting at midnight and go down in the morning," Fabian suggested and the gang agreed. Jara and Amfie left for their respective date activities; they would be pretty short dates considering the time was already half eight.
Jerome and Mara went down to the kitchen after leaving Sibuna to get cupcakes, cookies and chocolate plus some fruit: blueberries, strawberries and grapes to eat in Jerome's room for their little unofficial date.
"Everything seems to be working out at the moment," Mara smiled as she took a bite out of a strawberry. They were sat against his pillows, his arm around her shoulders whilst she leaned against his chest.
"How about we focus on us rather than Sibuna and Rufus?" Jerome suggested, playing with a lock of her hair. Mara looked up at him and nodded; he leaned down and kissed her sweetly. "I love you."
"I love you too, wanna watch a movie?" Mara replied, she stood up to find a DVD. The film chosen was Grease because Mara loved to sing and it's a romantic musical so it felt appropriate.
"Grease, really?" Jerome questioned. "Why is that even in here?"
"I brought some of my favourite movies down here because we rarely watch anything in my room so I didn't see the point of having to go up there every time we want to watch something," Mara explained.
"I do have movies down here you know," Jerome pouted.
"No, Alfie has movies and they're all alien and zombie combat movies," Mara corrected Jerome with a raised eyebrow.
"What's wrong with that?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?" Mara questioned sarcastically.
"Right, I see your point. I know you don't like watching those movies but be honest, how much are we gonna watch anyway?" Jerome replied with a suggestive wink and grin.
"Jerome!" Mara gasped and hit him playfully, trying to hide her smile, she pressed play on his laptop then turned to look at him; they gazed into each other's eyes and Jerome leaned in to kiss her but she turned her head so his lips landed on her cheek.
"Ooh you are a tease," he told her, making her burst into a fit of giggles so Jerome took advantage of this and started tickling her which just made her laugh even more.
"No, Jerome, stop! Come on I want to watch the movie!" she cried through her laughs.
"You mean you want to sing along to the move," Jerome corrected her, turning the correcting tables on her.
"Am I that bad of a singer that you have to distract me from the movie?" Mara pouted sadly.
"Actually you're a fantastic singer, it's just been a long time since we've been able to mess around," Jerome stopped tickling her and looked into her eyes with all the love that he felt for her.
"You're so sweet, why won't you let anyone else see this side of you?" Mara asked.
"Come on Mara, you know why, I have trust issues so it's easier to have everyone think I'm heartless," Jerome said monotonously, looking out across the room instead of at Mara.
"I'm sorry Jerome, let's just watch the movie," Mara put a hand on his face to get him to look at her instead of the wall; she kissed him once then settled in his arms to watch Grease. Mara sang the female songs whilst Jerome sang (badly) the male songs and they sang the duets together, this was an example of the influence she had had on him that he now knew the songs by heart.
"Will you be quiet! It's nearly ten o'clock so I suggest you get ready for lights out," Victor's voice boomed through Jerome's door. Mara jumped up startled but Jerome just casually got up to bid his girlfriend goodnight.
"Remember the meeting at midnight," Mara whispered as they stood at Jerome's door.
"I won't forget," Jerome replied leaning down to peck her on the cheek. She said goodnight before heading for the stairs, passing Victor who was glaring daggers into her so she put her head down and sped up.
"Night Mara," Alfie said as the pair passed on the stairs, which they seemed to do a lot when coming from their respective partner's rooms.
"Bed, Now!" Victor shouted, startling the two into running the rest of the way. Mara was passing Nina and Amber's room on the way to hers when all of a sudden an arm reached out and pulled her in.
"I thought the meeting wasn't until later?" Mara questioned the blonde girl who was hanging off her arm.
"It's not but I wanted to ask you about your date with Jerome," Amber exclaimed happily.
"We watched a movie that's all," Mara described, she loved Amber but she wasn't into the girly talk like she was.
"Well me and Alfie had a picnic," Amber giggled, motioning to the blanket on the floor.
"That's so sweet," Mara offered the opinion she knew Amber would want.
"I know who knew Alfie could be so sweet? I used to think he was just an idiot but he is so… lovely," Amber described her boyfriend lovingly.
"He is lovely, just like Jerome. I always thought he was really mean and cold but he has such a kind and loving side," Mara mused, going into a day dream about the boy in question.
"Mara, snap out of it!" Amber called, snapping her fingers in front of her best friends face.
"Can you guys be quiet, I'm trying to get some sleep before the meeting," Nina groaned.
"Sorry Nina," Mara apologised. "Maybe we should get some sleep as well Ambs," she added to Amber.
"Fine but I'm too awake to sleep," Amber whined, puckering her bottom lip in a big, sad pout.
"Just try, I'll see you two in a couple of hours," Mara replied as she silently left the room.
"Can I ask you a question Nina?" Amber asked the Sibuna leader.
"Sure, shoot."
"Why are you being so mean to Mara?" Amber questioned.
"I'm not, I'm just tired," Nina defended herself.
"You are being mean to her; ever since we got close again you've been acting weird. Are you jealous because she's my best friend?" Amber accused her American friend.
"I thought I was your best friend?" Nina sounded hurt.
"You are, but Mara has been my best friend since we were eleven years old," Amber explained.
"We haven't hung out in ages though."
"Look Nina, I'm sorry that you're jealous but Mara is one of my closest friends and nothing will ever change that," Amber finalised by lying down in her bed.
A/N: I am soooo sorry that I haven't been updating, hoping to change that so I can finsh this story