All day I couldn't concentrate, every lesson seemed like eternity and the day, everlasting. I spent every hour in a daze, as I kept trying to think of what this whole surprise might be…
At first I thought it might be you know a gift, like jewellery or something… But it's not like Jesse could actually go to the shops…
Maybe he was going to declare his love? But I laughed at that thought… yeah right! But still, a girl can dream can't she?
School had finally ended and this meant that I was this much closer to finding out my surprise.
I had practically skipped up the driveway. It was so childish… me being so excited about all of this… but it was coming from Jesse! Whatever it was, I didn't care… It was the thought that counts.
I cheerfully bounced into my room, half expecting something to be there for me… But Jesse was reading his book, sitting on the window seat as usual.
"Hey Jesse"
I said in a high pitched voice, dumping my bag on the floor.
He put his book down and smiled up at me.
"Hello Susannah. So what has put you in such a happy mood this afternoon?" He asked teasingly.
I skipped over to where he was, and he shuffled over to make room for me on the seat.
"Oh, I dunno…" I said childishly.
"Maybe it is because you are so happy to see me" He suggested.
I faked a few coughs. "How did you guess?" I said sarcastically, laughing.
He leant over and started tickling me.
"Ah, Jesse, no!" I laughed,
"It's too early for the surprise"
He said, as I laughed harder, squirming to try and get his arms away.
Finally he had given up tickling me, realising I was defenceless, and in need of air!
I sat up and playfully punched him on the arm.
"What do you mean, it's too early? You know that I'm an impatient girl!"
"Patience is a virtue, Querida" He laughed.
I rolled my eyes. "Ok, 'Mr virtue man', what am I supposed to do to pass the time?"
"Your homework" He grinned, trying not to laugh.
"Real funny, Jesse, well done" I said sarcastically getting up.
As I sat on my bed, flipping through pages of a magazine, I was growing more and more impatient by the minute. I had passed the last hour by eating, bugging Jesse with a countless amounts of 'is it time yet?' eating and bugging Jesse some more…
And when I mean bugging Jesse, I mean…
"Jesse, is it time yet?"
"No, not yet Susannah"
"How about now?"
"But you just asked me…"
"So?"
"So, why would I give you a different answer?"
"Well, what about now?"
"No!"
Ok, I think that you get the point… I was annoying the shit out of him.
It was now 4.45pm. I looked over at Jesse who was intent with reading that stupid, huge book.
"What's the time?"
I asked, hoping to get him away from that book and give me my surprise… He looked over at my clock, which would have been easier if I'd just looked myself.
"4.45" He replied.
I noticed that he smirked as he looked back down at the pages in his book. Man. I hate this!
"Far out Jesse!" I blurted. "I might as well have stayed at school or something…" I frowned.
"Somebody once told me not to frown too much… you'll get wrinkles!" He teased.
He thinks he is so smart doesn't he… Just because he has me waiting in suspense… Well I'll wipe that smile off his face… I grabbed my pillow and hurled it in his direction, unfortunately missing him completely. I'm such a dork!
He looked at the pillow, which was lying about two metres to the right of him, and then he looked over at me.
"Susannah, that is rather childish don't you think? Throwing a pillow at someone…"
I shrugged, as I got up to put the magazine back in my drawer. Just as I had closed my drawer back up… WHAM! The pillow had been thrown rather forcefully at me.
I looked over at Jesse, who was now standing up looking rather pleased with his actions.
"Childish hey? Who's being childish now!"
I picked it up and charged at him, slogging it at his chest.
"Susannah!" He laughed, protesting and holding his arms up in defence.
"Stop! Ok. You can have the surprise!"
Ooh. This made me stop.
"Yeah? Or are you bluffing?"
I said holding up the pillow, getting ready for another swing.
"No, I'm serious Susannah"
Jesse said, looking out the window, with his arms out, ready to block my attack.
"You may now have your surprise"
He lifted the window up.
"What are you doing?"
I asked, dropping the pillow and looking out to see what he was looking at.
"You ask so many questions young lady. Just wait and see…"
He then lifted a leg over the windowsill and stepped out onto the small balcony.
You couldn't really call it a balcony though; it was more like a ledge with a railing… seeing as though there was really only enough room for one person at a time. I've never been out there though, never seen the point. You could see everything just fine from inside the room.
He turned back to look at my puzzled face, and smiled. Then he shocked me when he lifted his body up, onto the roof. I gasped. Whoa, look at his arm muscles tighten!
After I'd finished watching in awe, I looked at him rather dumbstruck. Did he want me to follow him up there? Why do guys keepexpecting me to climb things?
I lifted myself out onto the small 'balcony', looked down over the railing and then up at Jesse. He looked down at me from the roof's ledge.
"Um, isn't this just a little dangerous?" I asked.
"It's ok, Susannah, it's rather safe up here… And I wont let anything happen to you"
He smiled down at me, with his hair flopping down over his forehead.
Oh he looked so gorgeous.
Then I realised that maybe today wasn't the best day to have worn a V neck top.
I looked at the row of bricks on the wall in front of me and noticed one was sticking out, just enough for my foot to stand on.
Jesse crouched down and outstretched his arms for me.
I stepped up onto the brick with one foot and put my hands on the roof. It wasn't that high and I probably could have pushed my weight up, but Jesse put his hands under my armpits and carefully lifted me up.
He was much gentler to me, compared to when Brett had pulled me up that rock.
"Are you alright?" He asked, helping me to my feet.
I nodded and smiled as he took my hand and led me up to the top of the slightly elevated rooftop. We reached the top and there was a red and white checked picnic rug, waiting for us.
"Awe this is so, cute"
I said as we sat down. I wanted to say romantic, but I don't know… I don't think it's what Jesse had in mind.
This was so sweet, but why was he bringing me up onto the roof? I thought, looking down at the red and white checks. He had full on set up this rug and all. This was a little weird… cute, but weird.
He gave a quiet laugh "Querida, I didn't bring you up here so that you can admire the rug"
I looked up at him; and he turned his gaze, looking forward.
"So why did you…"
I looked out where he was looking and I was shocked.
The sun was sinking down onto the horizon. It was such a beautiful sight… The sunset was giving off a variety of shades of yellows, oranges, pinks, purples and blues… it was truely amazing.
I looked out in awe, onto the horizon where the lights hit the ocean. And then my eyes scanned across at the tops of the town's buildings, and behind them, stood the mountains with their silhouetted shadows.
"I never knew something so, natural and simple could be so wondrous"
"You have never watched a sunset before?" Jesse asked, rather surprised.
"Hah, not in New York!"
"And to think, this happens every evening…"
Jesse said, with his arm dangling off his bent up leg.
"You know, before you moved in here, I used to sit up here for hours each night, just thinking about things" He said turning to look at me.
"Really?" I looked out at the town, and then back to him.
"And what kind of things were you thinking about?"
Ok, I think that was a little personal. He was silent for a moment as he turned to look out at the ocean.
"Oh, well you know…I didn't have anyone to talk to…" He said slowly.
He must have felt that I was still looking at him for a more elaborate answer, because he turned to me and smiled.
"I guess I was wondering what would happen next, you know, who would enter my life… well, not my life, but…"
"I know what you mean" I giggled.
He gently ran his fingers through his hair, looking a little uneasy as he pushed back the strands, which the gentle breeze had blown forward.
"I haven't been up here for a while now… I'd almost forgotten" He said.
"How come you have never mentioned this before?" I said looking once more out at the sky which had slowly grown darker.
"I guess, since…" He paused. "…Um, things have changed"
Was he meaning to say that since I had come along, I was more important than this? Nah, he probably means something else…didn't he?
"Well, I would've loved to have seen more of these" I said, looking over at him.
He looked into my eyes. "But you can Susannah, this (he said outstretching his arm) happens every night"
"With you?" I immediately asked, not thinking twice about it.
Oops, I don't know if I should have been so direct. I forgot for a moment that he's not a 'new aged' guy and that he probably wouldn't be so impressed with some of these things I say...
He laughed and casually ran a finger over the scar above his eyebrow, looking a little embarrassed actually. There was a bit of an uncomfortable silence.
"I don't think you would be able to climb up here without me" He smirked, breaking the silence.
"Hey, I can so! You little…"
I looked at him, thinking what physical abuse would suit that remark. The best I could think of was knocking his dangling arm off his leg. I'm hopeless sometimes; I'll admit it.
He smiled at me weirdly, shaking his head. "Is that the best you can do?"
I moaned. "Yeah, well…" I said a little embarrassed.
"We're on a rooftop, I'm not about to get too physical".
Oh boy, 'too physical'. Gee, I'm sounding like I desperately want to hit on him… Which in the back of my mind, doesn't sound too bad… I am really ruining all of this.
Then, he suddenly leant forward and pulled one of my 'slide in' shoes off my foot.
"Hey…"
But before I had time to react, he had ever so casually chucked it over his shoulder and it rolled down the other side of the roof.
"I would have done something like that" He chuckled.
I was in utter shock. "But… my shoe!"
I got up on my knees and turned to see where it had landed.
"Jesse, it's stuck in the gutter!"
He started laughing out real loud.
"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you… you're getting it!" I lightly punched him on the leg.
He slowly stood up, still letting out an occasional laugh.
"Be careful," I said, watching him slowly make his way down to the gutter.
When he finally made his way back up to where I was, I grabbed my shoe from his hand and whacked him with it, against his leg. Not hard or anything, just playfully.
"You should have seen your face, when it was rolling down there"
He laughed again, leaning back with his arm supporting his weight.
"Hmm"
I muttered, putting the shoe back on my foot and leaning back onto my elbows like Jesse was. What is this? He's acting ratherweird tonight… Oh well, at least we're equal with our weird actions now… or maybe I'm still leading.
The sky had now grown rather dark, revealing the bright, almost rounded moon. Even though there were a few clouds about, the sky was lit up with millions of shinning stars.
"Do you see that group of stars right there"
He pointed up into the sky towards a group of stars. "Sometimes I used to see the formation of a dove. Can you see it?"
I tilted my head a little.
"Um, I reckon it looks like a palm tree"
"A palm tree?" He choked on his laughter.
"Yeah, without much of a trunk…" I tried to make it sound believable.
"I'm sorry…" He laughed. "… A palm tree with wings?"
"They're not wings, those things are palm leaves…" I whinged, waving my arm at the sky.
We sat there looking silently up at the night sky, with the soft breeze running through our hair. I leant over against his chest. Not knowing if this was 'acceptable' to him or not. But he didn't seem to mind.
As we layed there, I realised that I had never felt so safe and comfortable with anyone as much as I did right now with Jesse.
"Thank you for bringing me up here, Jesse… This is such a beautiful surprise. The sunset, the moon, the stars, even the rug" I giggled.
Then I felt his head look down at me.
"Yes, but not nearly as beautiful as you are"
Whoa, this shocked me. I got up from his chest, avoiding his gaze. Jesse had just called me beautiful. What brought that on…? He never expresses his feelings… especially about me!
He soon regretted what he had said.
"I apologise Susannah, I… spoke before I could consider…" He stuttered embarrassedly.
"That was a lovely compliment…Really, thanks" I interrupted awkwardly.
"I wasn't sure if I'd stepped over the line…" Jesse said shyly.
I turned to smile at him. "No, Jesse, you didn't step over the line"
I kind of felt like laughing. That was so sweet… He feels that calling me beautiful is pushing it.
Then I shivered, but I wasn't cold.
"Are you cold Susannah? How rude of me, would you like me to get your jacket?"
"Oh, no I'm fine Jesse"
I said, moving my hand onto his arm as he moved to get up. He sat back down, looking tense.
"Is everything alright?" I asked.
"Yeah, It's just… Never mind…"
"Come on, you can't just start something, and then 'never mind' me!"
He looked uncomfortable as he shifted his weight.
Oops, I shouldn't have been so forceful.
"I'm sorry…"
"No, it's ok. You have the right to know…" He said looking into my eyes.
Right to know… What? I thought.
Was this going to be good or bad news?