Here's a fun fact- the original title for this chapter when I was just writing it and needed something to call in order to save it was "Grumble, Grumble." I think this title is much better, but that's just my opinion.

Waking up Next to You

Jessica woke up when the sun hit her eyes. She was disoriented and confused. Then she heard the sound of someone else breathing. For a moment she panicked and knew it was him. But then her senses came to and the nightmare that she had had that night wore off.

Jessica sat up to see she was still encased within Ryan Wolfe's arms, and he was still completely naked. Last night hadn't been a dream; she had really had sex with Ryan. She laid her head on his chest once more and listened to his heart beat. It was a soothing sound, one she could listen to for hours.

Jessica sat up and carefully crawled off the couch. She grabbed her panties and put them on and then ventured upstairs in search of a bathroom. While she was washing her hands she remembered her dream. It was dark, she couldn't move, and there was a terrible pain between her legs and in her back and lots of blood everywhere. She could hear James's voice, saying he was coming back for her. She cried out for help, but no one was there. Then she heard Ryan's voice and felt his strong hands on her back. "It's ok Jessie, I'm here and I always will be." That was enough to subside her fear of James's return.

When she finished washing her hands, Jessica took a good hard look in the mirror. Her make up was a mess and her hair was the literal embodiment of "after sex hair." She stared a little longer at her reflection. "Oh jeez Ryan, what have you done to me?" She jokingly asked her reflection. She splashed her face with cold water and cleaned up her make up with tissues. She then searched through Ryan's stuff and found a new toothbrush and a comb. She fixed her hair and brushed her teeth.

Then Jessica really looked at herself. She looked happy, elated, glowing. This was not how she looked when she was with James. This Jessica was a much better person, now that he was gone.

Jessica knew she shouldn't tell anyone about her sexual encounter with Ryan, but she briefly wondered if she should tell her father that she managed to have sex without having a panic attack mid coitus for the first time ever.

"Shit! Horatio!" Jessica suddenly exclaimed. She ran into Ryan's bedroom and looked at the alarm clock. 6:45, they had to be at work in fifteen minutes.

Jessica ran down the stairs and nearly toppled over Ryan's coffee table attempting to wake him.

"Ryan, Ryan!" she said as she shook him.

"Whoa where's the fire!" Ryan exclaimed as he woke up.

"Get up and get dressed, we have to be at work in fifteen minutes!"

"Oh shit!" Ryan leaped from the couch and jetted upstairs. Jessica had to admit watching him run naked was erotically funny.

Jessica grabbed her clothes off the ground and started pulling them back on. Within seconds it seemed Ryan was running back down the stairs, just as Jessica searched through her purse for something. When she found what she was looking for Ryan gave her quite the look.

"I'm sorry, but did you just pull a pair of panties out of your purse?"

"Yes, got a problem with it?" Jessica answered as she pulled on the fresh pair and threw the others in a plastic baggie and back in her purse.

"Nope, but I think I've seen everything now."

"Glad to help. You never know what will happen." She said and gave him a quick kiss on the lips and finished putting her shoes back on. "Let's go! I need you to stop at a clothing store on the way there though."
"Why?"

"Because I can't go in today wearing the same shirt that I wore yesterday!"

"What, you don't have a spare shirt in your purse?"

"No, it's in my car and I don't have time to search through that, trust me it'll be easier."

"Ok, whatever. Girls…." With this Jessica smacked his arm and he playfully teased her.

"Oh, do it again!"

"Maybe later when we're not late!"

"Ok, ok."