Raymond and Jessi came out of the movie. Jessi said, "The hero of the movie killed his girlfriend when she found out who he was. I didn't like him."
"You aren't really supposed to like him," Raymond explained. "Sometimes a movie can be about people who do desperate things. He was, after all, a professional killer. He could kill without remorse."
"If he killed without remorse, then he wasn't human anymore," Jessi said with certainty. "Remorse is what lets you remain human after you've killed people."
Raymond looked at Jessi in surprise, "You know, I really haven't had a chance to get to know you. We've never talked about much. I wish there were some place quiet that we could go and just sit and talk."
Jessi suggested, "We could go to my apartment."
"Your apartment?" Raymond asked. "I thought you lived with the Tragers."
"I have an apartment where I used to live with my mother," Jessi said, "but something … happened to her. I still keep the apartment. No one lives there now."
"Really," Raymond said with growing enthusiasm, "Let's go there."
When they arrived at Jessi's apartment, she let him in saying, "There really isn't much to eat or drink here. There are some soft drinks in the refrigerator."
"That would be fine," Raymond said, looking around. "This couch looks comfortable, why don't we sit here."
"I'll get the drinks," Jessi went into the kitchen and returned in a moment carrying two sodas. She set the drinks on the coffee table and sat down next to Raymond who put his arm around her.
She smiled and leaned against him, "What do you want to talk about?"
"How about this?" He leaned over and kissed her.
After a moment she pulled away puzzled, "I thought you wanted to talk."
"I did, but kissing you is more fun," he smiled. He kissed her again, reaching out and stroking her cheek with his free hand.
She reached up and rested her hand on his cheek in response. As he kissed her, he slid his hand down her cheek and neck, across her shoulder and down to her chest. She squirmed slightly, reached down and guided his hand back to her cheek. He intensified his kissing and slid his hand back down until it was on her chest again.
She reached down and pulled his hand away, breaking the kiss. She frowned, "I don't want to be that intimate. We came here to talk."
"You didn't bring me here to talk," Raymond disagreed, "you wanted to make out, stop being so coy." He kissed her again, pressing his hand onto her chest.
Jessi pulled away once more, "No, I didn't. You said you wanted to talk in some place quiet. This is quiet."
"Don't be such a tease," he said. "I know you want to, you know you want to. You've been coming on to me since the beginning. Don't pull back now." He shifted his weight onto her, putting his hand back on her chest and forcing his mouth over hers.
The coffee table shattered breaking his fall the glasses spraying soda as they flew. He was stunned for a moment and then got up, rage filling his face. Jessi stood up as well.
"You bitch, you can't do that to me," he swung his fist at her. She blocked it easily with her left hand and grabbed him by the throat with her right, raising him off the ground. He hung there choking. The look of anger on her face was replaced by horror. She released him and he collapsed into the wreckage of the table, coughing and rubbing his throat.
"I'm sorry," Jessi reached to help him up.
He scrambled backward, crab style, and got to his feet on his own. He said his voice hoarse, "I don't know what kind of game you are playing but you're sick."
"I didn't mean to hurt you," Jessi pleaded.
"The hell you didn't," Raymond said. "You could have killed me. You stay the hell away from me." He coughed a couple of times and then went out the door slamming it behind him.
Jessi sat back down, tears running down her face.