I am so happy to see that some of you reading have read the original, and are enjoying this jsut as much. I hope I continue to please with the update. I am reading everyone'es Reviews voraciously. and I am so happy tohave gained a few readers here. I am trying to set this story a little bit apart but I am keeping the core as Dar& Kerry as I can. It's just my girls outlooks ar a bit different and I am liking how it is slightly affecting the story. anyway, keep the reviews going.. .that's probably why I sit down and re write a new chapter as often as I do. Don't forget to check Melissa good Out... I found her website.. I thought was lost to me for a long time. and I am getting reacuainted with the characters. so yeah, maybe I'll continue. who knows. someone already told me to go for it LOL. ~S.K.
Seventeen
Jade leaned her head out of the window, studying the worsening weather. The trees outside were all obscured by the fog, and the wind was making the fog move at odd angles, billowing as if it were a blob that had swallowed them whole. The wind pulled branches from the trees, slapping the leaves against the building and leaving dark green streaks against the wall's surface. A wet, cool breeze blew her hair back, and she turned her face into it for some relief. She'd opened a window on the opposite side of the apartment to get a cross breeze, but it was still very stuffy inside, and scarfing down the spicy stir-fry hadn't helped matters.
Jade glanced behind her to where Tori was laying on the floor, her hands folded over her slim waist and her eyes closed. Even in the flickering light, Jade could see the sheen of sweat on the other woman's face, and she felt a twinge of sympathy as a droplet trickled down from her own temple.
It was well past midnight, but sleeping was almost impossible- at least for Jade, who was used to the air-conditioned peace of her Sleep Number bed. She enjoyed her creature comforts and didn't mind admitting it. Roughing it outdoors in the cold or heat with bugs and God knew what else crawling around nearby was not her idea of a good time. With a sigh, she rested her chin on the windowsill and put up with the soft mist of water which drenched her skin.
Still, she was glad Tori was there. The other woman's presence distracted her and kept her mind off her own problems. She was getting to feel comfortable with her, too- a slow, insidious relaxation of her usually very stiff and very prickly outer shell that she was only half-heartedly trying to stop.
Oh, who are you kidding, Jade? You are not trying to stop it at all. She regarded the thrashing leaves outside, very aware of Tori's silent presence.
"Anything interesting out there?" Tori's voice floated softly up.
"Rain and wind, blowing the fog in weird directions," Jade replied in a mumble. "It's gotten a bit cooler." She felt a warmth at her back and instinctively moved over to make room as Tori sidled up next to her, poking her nose out into the darkness. "See?"
Tori hitched herself up and leaned out, shaking her brown head as rain dripped on it. "Mm, God, you can't even see the lights from the city." She tipped further forward and felt a sudden warm pressure against her back as Jade stuck a hand out to make sure she didn't fall over. Despite her overheated state, it still felt good, a comfortingly safe sensation that made her bold enough to lean a little further out to see what she could see. "Hey… careful," Jade warned, moving a little closer just in case. Tori now had her entire head out in the rain, and she was peering around with interest. The wind was blowing her dampened hair back, and she looked, for a moment, very much like an excitable puppy riding in a car.
"Wow… look at those palm trees, Jade!" Tori lifted one hand and pointed, then grabbed the sill again. "They're practically sideways!"
"You're practically sideways," Jade protested with a chuckle, tucking her arm around the smaller woman's waist securely and leaning out on one elbow. "I can't believe you can see that," Jade murmured in Tori's ear, making the Latina tremble slightly. Tori couldn't concentrate on that much because Jade yelled, "Watch out!" and pulled her inside as a branch slammed onto the window. Tori started laughing. It was a nervous laughter; Tori couldn't help it. "You could have gotten beaned in the face, Tor," Jade purred as she released her companion with a light snort of her own.
"What a great story that would have made," Tori giggled. "Could you imagine? I come in Monday with a bandage on my head and have to tell everyone I got smacked by a flying tree whizzing by your window?"
Jade chuckled in reaction. "That would be a little hard to explain," she admitted. "This freak storm's going to be a pain to recover from. Sinjin had to spend six hours just doing unplanned backups, not to mention transferring operations down to LA."
Tori shook herself rapidly, scattering droplets of water all over Jade and the carpet. "Oh…" she lifted a hand to her mouth in embarrassment. "Sorry, Jade."
The older woman started laughing. "You're more fun than a puppy," she shook her head and went to a closet just outside the study, coming back with a fluffy pale blue towel and handing it to her. "Here."
The towel was soft and smelled freshly laundered. Tori buried her face in it and dried herself off with quiet contentment. She then looked up at Jade from under damp eyelashes and even damper hair.
"More fun than a puppy, huh?" There was definitely some chemistry going on between them- a dynamic, shifting feeling that was half playfulness and half something more…
Jade was her boss. She knew she couldn't forget that, but she also knew the dark-haired woman was becoming a friend, and she had no intention of putting a stop to that. Jade was too interesting… too… Complex a challenge for her to pass up. She wanted to know more about her, to know why she did what she did. So many people were shallow, so easy for Tori to read that they were almost boring.
Jade…
Fascinated her. She felt a thrill of adventure just being around her. Tori liked that, just like she adored roller coasters, fast racing boats, and watching the luge in the Olympics. Skydiving… She glanced up at Jade through her hair and grinned, then barked like a dog.
Jade just put a hand over her eyes and laughed. "I think this weather is bringing out an unexpected side of you," she said, picking up the candle and motioning Tori toward the door. "C'mon… no sense in letting a perfectly good half gallon of ice cream melt."
"Ice cream?" Tori finished toweling herself off and let the terry cloth drape around her neck as she followed Jade into the dark living room. "Let me guess- another of your food groups?" She padded into the kitchen, following the candle, and stopped short of crashing into her companion. Jade had opened the still, quiet freezer and pulled something out, bringing a wave of icy cold air with it. "Oooh, can we just climb in there?"
"No." Jade closed the door and felt around in a nearby drawer, retrieving two spoons. "Here… hold this." She handed Tori the candle and gave her a nudge back toward the study. "Jamocha… it's great."
They put the container on the floor and sat down on the carpet facing each other, armed with their spoons. Jade took the first spoonful and sucked on it happily.
Tori put a bit on her spoon and tasted it, then grinned. "Oooh."
They shared it in silence for a few moments, then Tori shifted a little, resting her elbows on her knees. "So… um… the picture up there… is that a karate kind of thing you were doing?"
"Tae Kwon Do," Jade replied offhandedly. "Yeah."
"Mm… you still do it?" Brown eyes studied her curiously.
Jade took another spoonful before she answered. "Yes… among other things. I tried out a few different disciplines. I mostly keep to that, with a little judo and jujitsu mixed in." She chuckled. "They're old-fashioned- not the trendy stuff- but I like the traditions."
"Must take a lot of practice. My sister Shelby was involved in that for a few years. She did a bit of mixed martial arts…" Tori thought for a second. "She was like a brown belt, but she stopped doing it, because my mother said it wasn't ladylike."
"That's too bad…" Jade said, taking another spoonful. "Most every night I meet a trainer over at the local gym. We work for about two hours. Depends on what's been going on that day." A faint smile chased her lips. "Sometimes I'm more in the mood for the rough stuff."
"Oh… I get it… stress reliever." Tori scooped up a spoonful of creamy treat. "That sounds like a good idea."
Jade nodded. "Yeah… it is. I get my frustrations out, and it's not so tempting to go over the table at someone in one of those damn meetings." She studied Tori quietly. "It helps clear your mind too… and it comes in handy in places like San Francisco." Her eyes twinkled gravely. "You might want to think about picking up a class around Palo Alto. Closer to your house."
Tori licked her spoon. "I wanted to when I was younger- when Shelby was taking her classes. I begged but no way, no how would they let me." She considered. "I think I would have been just as good too. But I'm clumsy, and they thought that if I did it I'd get hurt more than anything else… And what would that look like in the press." She shrugged and lifted her eyes to Jade's. "It's a little late for me to be starting that kind of thing now. I walk a lot, I bike… that sort of stuff. I used to do cardio, but I got bored with it."
"Not challenging enough?" Jade inquired.
"Yeah… something like that," Tori said and shrugged again. "And the fun cardio is a bunch of old ladies."
"Fun cardio?" Jade asked.
"You know… Like Dance… Zumba… things like that."
"What does it matter if you're getting what you need?" Jade asked. "I figure dancing has to be more fun with people around than all alone in your room."
"I guess…" Tori stated, blushing slightly, still embarrassed by her preferences.
"Well… you probably haven't had a chance to look through the global discounts page yet, but we just got membership benefits at the Gym across the road from the Playroom. I was thinking about using it, to encourage the rest of the company to do so. They've got a nice indoor climbing wall, and a good selection of classes. Including some Dance fitness… Hip-hop based so not likely to have old ladies in it. They also have some self-defense classes… if you want, I could take you through some of the basics, just to see if you're interested in taking the martial arts seriously," Jade commented casually, then stopped and gazed unseeing at the candle. "After I find out the story on Tuesday, I mean."
Tori caught the change in mood and went with her instincts, putting her spoon down and reaching over to curl her fingers over Jade's hand. "Everything's going to be okay. I really believe that, Jade. And I'd love to learn from you."
Jade felt a quiet peace settle over her and she nodded. "All right. We'll start on Wednesday then, okay?" How much difference would it make if she confirmed her fears anyway? She'd lived with the possibility for years, and she made a quiet decision that whatever the results, it wouldn't change the way she lived her life.
That was what her father had chosen, and it had, in the end, killed him, but it was a kind of death she knew in her heart he wanted. A noble one, in the service of his country.
He'd just forgotten how hard it would be on everyone else.
Well, she didn't have to worry about that. No one depended on her; she wasn't responsible for anyone but herself.
"C'mon… this is melting."
Tori obliged, then helped Jade drag a couple of blankets in to lay on the floor where it was the coolest, and they settled in to try and sleep. The fat candle, set in its dish in a safe place, shed golden flickering light over them, and she lay quietly awake, thinking after Jade had dropped off to an uneasy sleep.
She watched a profile no longer strange to her outlined in firelight.
