A/N: Okay, yes, I know... this has been very Josée-centric lately - and this will continue for a bit - but I promise you, Jacques will have his chance to shine! Here is the chapter that everyone has been anticipating for! Hope you guys like it.

Chapter 34- Matters of the Heart

"Rise and shine, honey."

Josée's eyes fluttered open. "Wha...? Ow!" Before she could fully open her eyes, she was smacked in the face with a pillow and the blankets were yanked off of her. Josée sat upright and rubbed her eyes tiredly. She realized that Jen was standing in front of her, with hands on her hips. Josée squinted at her. "What was that for?"

"Well," Jen started off, "You show up at my room looking flushed and jittery, demand Tom go over to your room, and ask to sleep in the other bed," she finished easily. Josée bit her lower lip; everything was a little hazy last night, she was drinking a lot, and having fun with the contestants - which she never thought she'd experience - and then...

Josée's eyes grew wide.

Shit.

She and Jacques...

They almost kissed.

Josée's redness returned to her complexion. "It's... nothing," she replied, avoiding Jen's eyes. They almost kissed, and she had abruptly stopped it because she was, well, drunk - but there was that lingering feeling she couldn't quite grasp, why she wish that she hadn't stopped the kiss, and hell, she might've even enjoyed it had given the chance.

Jen sat down on the bed beside her and tapped it. "Alright, dish. Something happened."

Josée sighed; it was really none of Jen's business. But who else was she was going to tell? "It's not a big deal, because... because Jacques doesn't really like women in that manner, but... Jacques and I... we-" Jen's eyes grew wider by the second, indicating that she already knew where this was going. "We almost kissed."

"Almost?" Jen squawked. "What do you mean, almost?"

Josée glared at Jen. "That's exactly what it means. We didn't kiss, but we almost kissed." And would she have minded it?

"What stopped the kiss from happening?" Jen pressed.

"I-I don't know, I..." Josée bit her lower lip. "I had said I needed to get going, and went to your room. But here's the thing, Jacques has made it... almost aggressively clear that he only likes men, so..." she trailed off for a moment, not noticing the knowing look in Jen's eyes. "It was probably the alcohol talking. I'm overthinking, honestly. He's probably not even thinking about what happened, so..."

"YOU AND JOSÉE ALMOST KISSED?!"

"TOM SHUT THE HELL UP!"

After Jacques had explained to Tom the events of last night, Tom had been shocked and blurted that out in surprise. Jacques, in retaliation, put his hand over Tom's mouth to prevent him from shouting anymore, instead it being reduced to loud muffling. Jacques was red with embarrassment and worry; and eventually he let go of Tom. The Fashion Blogger let out a shriek of disgust and ran to the bathroom to return with a towel, wiping his mouth excessively.

"Don't be so dramatic," Jacques advised, rolling his eyes.

"Oh I'm dramatic?" Tom quipped, chuckling. "You're the one that went into a whole litany about how you've been having feelings for your ice dancing partner and that you've come to terms with being bisexual, oh by the way, Jen and I knew long before you knew."

"That's not being dramatic... wait, you knew?!"

"We've talked about it a few times," Tom admitted, almost sheepishly. "Back in France you had too many questions, and... I feel like you felt 'less gay' or something because you had feelings for Josée, oh, that was obvious too, I just didn't think you would almost kiss here."

Jacques sighed. "I haven't even told Josée about me being bisexual now, technically..."

"Technically?"

"...I still have doubts," admitted Jacques.

Tom thought about it for a moment. "That'll happen," he said, surprising Jacques. "I won't lie, it's going to suck. Because, you'll have shitty people telling you that it isn't a thing, and you'll probably have doubts whether you are because of crap people will put in your head because they have a certain vision of you. For the longest time you thought you were gay, so people will not be used to the fact that you identify as bi now."

Jacques made a face. "That sounds like it really sucks."

"...Yeah," said Tom.

"Is that why you're not attracted to me?" Jacques asked honestly. "Because you knew then that I was bisexual?"

There was a noticeable pause, then Tom chuckled again. "No, you moron. It's because I don't date blondes." Jacques smirked a little. "I'm not biphobic, but I sure am blondphobic." Now that made Jacques laugh in relief. "But in all seriousness, you should let her know. Because it's really obvious."

"I've been meaning to," Jacques admitted. "But... it's only been three months since the competition, and... and-"

"Three months is long enough," Tom interrupted.

Jacques let out a distressed sigh. "Before we leave the reunion, I'll tell her."

"I don't know," Josée stated, looking at the entrance leading to the dining room of the hotel. The others - minus Jen, who was right next to her - were inside the dining room in having breakfast together and it was split into two separate tables. Jen had gotten a text from Tom that everyone decided to eat together and that there were two spots saved from Josée and Jen. "It just feels so awkward."

Jen waved it off. "You'll be fine. To be honest, I think you two should've gone for it."

"What?" Josée exclaimed. "But it doesn't matter how I feel-"

Jen winked at her. "So before it was that you two were just drunk. But now, you feel something for him?"

Josée blinked slowly and tried to hide the creeping blush on her complexion - she had been doing that a lot lately. "No," she said, as confidently as she could muster - which wasn't very confident at all. "We were just drunk, of course. That's just how these things happen when you're overwhelmed with emotions and you mix that with alcohol, it creates a frightening combination that could only lead to trouble."

Jen snickered. "Right."

Josée lifted an eyebrow. "It's true."

"Then why are you having trouble coming into contact with him?" Jen asked.

"Because, I..." Josée trailed off, not really having a valid reason. "Because it's just awkward, okay? Especially since if I felt something, hypothetically, which I don't - because Jacques is gay and I've always been a friend to him first and he wouldn't feel that way. That's how I know it's the alcohol talking."

"Since you're under the impression that Jacques is gay?"

Josée frowned. "Why does everyone always question that? I mean, would you like it if someone told you to date a man?"

"Ah... you've got a point there," Jen said, chuckling. Then she grabbed Josée's arm and dragged her to get some breakfast. "Now that we figured that out, let's go inside!"

"Jen!" Josée shrieked, but Jen didn't let go and and dragged her to the buffet to grab some food, and then when they were finished she dragged her to the table where Tom and Jacques, along with the others from yesterday's party was. Josée stared at the other contestants, who stared right back, but Josée reluctantly sat down next to her partner and bit her lower lip. "'Allo, Jacques."

Jacques cleared his throat awkwardly. "Allo, Josée."

Silence.

"...Jesus I feel like I'm interrupting something."

"MacArthur-"

"What? I'm sensing some tension-"

"Shut up pig," Jacques seethed at the cadet.

"Anyway," Jen cut in, "What were you guys talking about?"

Tom snorted. "MacArthur was telling us a story about how her brother accidentally shot himself in the foot with a shotgun."

Josée stared in horror.

"Oh it wasn't that big a deal, he was fine after!" MacArthur said, then chuckled. "I remember my mom and dad screaming at him... that was fun."

"My mom and I would argue all the time," Jen remarked, chiming in with laughter. "She once got pissed at me because of clothes I wore and she yelled at me for hours. We were always in a shouting match." Josée smirked. Jacques would always say that it wasn't normal for her mother to do such things, but others were proving him wrong. Good.

"I totally understand," Josée contributed, then she laughed a little. "Whenever I skated badly, my mother would lock me in a cramped closet for hours."

As Josée continued to laugh, the table went dead silent. Her laughter died down once she realized she was met with mixed stares; some of confusion, shock, worry, and in MacArthur's case - anger. Josée waited for someone to say something, because she grew uncomfortable under everyone's looks. Her smile disappeared. "What?"

"Wait what the fuck?" MacArthur finally said, frowning deeply. Jacques pinched the bridge of his nose, almost like he knew a day like this would come. Nonetheless, MacArthur continued, staring at Josée in disgust over what she just heard. "She locked you in a closet?"

Josée furrowed her brows in confusion. "I was a bratty kid, okay?"

"That doesn't make it okay!?" Sanders shot back, unusually pissed. "When did this start?!"

Josée was at a loss. "Um... um..." She huffed and crossed her arms. "What are you talking about? It's completely fine. It's just standard punishment for a child, really. It sounds like all of your parents spoil you, that's all." She looked to Jacques, almost desperately. "Right Jacques?"

"Non, I'm siding with the pigs on this one."

Josée glared at her partner. "Jacques..." she hissed warningly. Then, she turned back to the others. "I don't see why it's a big deal. I've gotten used to it, I was four-"

"You were four?" Kitty's voice shrilled, then she shook her head. "No, no, no! That's really bad!"

"How long did it go on for?!" MacArthur snapped. Josée, for the first time, felt legitimately frightened under MacArthur's glare. "How long did you let her do that shit to you?!" Josée glanced over to see that the other table reserved for other contestants were staring, and another table - belonging to Don and Blaineley - had looked over too.

"I... I..." Josée couldn't get her words out. "A while, I..." She felt herself losing air.

"MacArthur, enough," Tom ordered the cadet. "Can't you see you're scaring her?"

"I'm not scared!" Josée exclaimed, though her voice was at a higher pitch than usual. She stood up abruptly. "My mother did nothing wrong! She loved me! And..." It had been months, really - she never thought she would find her eyes watering again in regards to her mother. "...She wanted me to be the best I could be! And that involved punishment of some sort, which none of you understand! You have to eat the pain, and smile!" Josée, to prove a point, smiled widely while a few tears were sliding down her cheeks.

"...That's fucked up," Crimson deadpanned.

Josée blinked back the tears that were trying to escape. "Shut up." She ignored Jen trying to coax her back and stormed out of the dining area. Jacques got up quickly to follow her - ignoring the other contestants looking after her in worry. Josée despised it; she never should've showed up - these strangers were learning too much about her life and it was driving her mad. She thought she was safe talking about the closet after they mentioned their own mothers issues'. Why wasn't anyone focusing on them?

Jacques had finally caught up with her. "Josée, wait!"

"Shut the hell up!" Josée ordered, rounding on him.

"They have a point, you know!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Another voice cut in. Josée and Jacques ceased their bickering to see that Don had joined them. "I overheard everything."

Josée rolled her eyes. "Congratu-fucking-lations-" She proceeded to run up the stairs, before Don had cut in front of her and blocked the exit. "Hey-"

"I found out how old you two actually are," Don interrupted. "I thought you were older, but holy shit, you're both just kids."

"Kids?" Jacques remarked incredulously, while Josée scoffed and crossed her arms. "We're not kids. We're going to be twenty one and twenty three. Adults."

"Part-time adults," Don corrected.

"The things we've accomplished and done over the years..." Josée began stealthily, leveling a glare with the former host. "I don't think that makes us kids."

"True, I wasn't forced to grow up too fast like you have," Don allowed. Josée was about to reply, until she was cut off when she was greeted with a familiar sight that made her gasp aloud. Even Jacques looked startled at it.

In Don's hand, he held a rabbit's foot dangling from a string.

Bun-bun.

"I was trying to find a time to give this to you," Don told her gently. "It was supposed to be after New York, but you two had left and I thought I wouldn't see you anymore. Then when I heard you'd both be at the reunion, I decided to hold onto it." Josée stared at him in disbelief. Don took a breath. "No one here is out to get you. The competition's over."

Beat.

"BUN-BUN!" Josée yelled excitedly. Just like that, her tears were gone. She snatched bun-bun out of Don's hands and rubbed it all over herself. Then, to Jacques' alarm, Josée rubbed bun-bun all over him. Jacques smiled faintly at her excitement, which she appreciated - she knew that Jacques wasn't all too fond of bun-bun, so he was at least trying to show that he was happy with her, and that made Josée even more excited. "Jacques, look! It's bun-bun!"

Jacques sighed. "Oh that's wonderful. When's the wedding - oh!" Josée had taken the liberty of jumping into Jacques' arms and wrapping her arms around his neck. Jacques was caught off guard momentarily but managed to catch her and held her as she stared adoringly into his eyes, smiling widely. Jacques couldn't help but smile back at her - he couldn't be mad over that stupide rabbit's foot for long, as long as she was happy.

"Don't be silly, Jacjac," Josée remarked giddily. She kissed bun-bun and suddenly kissed his forehead twice. Once she did that, however, her smile disappeared and her face has reddened considerably. This, in turn, made Jacques' smile vanish. Josée bit her lower lip and avoided her partner's eyes. "You can... you can put me down now."

"Oui!" Jacques said desperately, doing so. "There."

Josée still wouldn't look at him. "We should get back inside."

"Oui."

"Because of..." Josée trailed off, averting her eyes to the side. "...oui."

"Let's just-"

"Yes."

Jacques wondered if he was going to melt then and there. "Of course, chouchou." Stop talking, idiot!

"...Right."

Originally the entire cast was going to binge the unedited episodes in two days, but that later turned into three days when they found there was much more footage to go through, and decided to watch the last four episodes on a third day. Josée herself was somewhat relieved, because of the return of her beloved comfort item. Right now they were on the second day, and Josée found herself rubbing her rabbit's foot like she used to whenever she was scared or uncomfortable.

And maybe, just maybe, Josée leaned into Jacques a little more than usual - she had been doing that a lot, as of lately.

At the end of the day - it was late at night - when they finished those episodes. Josée and Jacques headed back to their hotel room as the others did. Just when they were set to go to sleep, a few knocks on their door interrupted them. Josée and Jacques exchanged a look, before the latter had decided to answer it. Josée looked on curiously.

Opening the door, Jacques revealed it to be MacArthur and Sanders. "Hm?"

Sanders nudged MacArthur gently with her elbow. "Hey Blondie. Is Princess here?"

Jacques furrowed his brows. "Blondie? Princess?"

"My nicknames for you now," MacArthur informed, smirking. "It's better than Egotistical Prick and the Cold Bitch, isn't it?"

"...I suppose it is," Jacques allowed. "What is it you want?" At this point, Josée rose from her bed to see the commotion, and had a neutral expression when she came face-to-face with both cadets.

"We didn't... uh, get off to a good start," MacArthur admitted sheepishly. Josée and Jacques blinked at her. Sanders motioned gently to her partner to continue, which she did, letting out a sigh. "I'm not good at this talking shit out thing, so give me a second, alright? I..." She struggled to find her words for a moment, then: "I'm sorry," she spat at last, almost reluctantly - but there was a level of truth within those words. "...I shouldn't have egged you on and... yeah. Sorry." She looked over to the side, embarrassed.

Jacques looked over to his partner, to see what she would have to say about it. Josée looked clueless and shrugged, so Jacques answered: "It's fine, and..." He cleared his throat; did he really want to say this? To those cadets? Whatever. What was done is done. "I'm sorry too." He nudged Josée a little. "Hm?"

Josée blinked rapidly and stared at the cadets, contemplating on what to say. "...I can't lie. I'm still... a little bitter over some things, but... yeah. It's fine."

"That's okay," Sanders said understandingly.

"Uh, Princess? Do you uh..." MacArthur trailed off awkwardly. "Mind if we talk alone?"

Beat.

Jacques checked in with Josée to see if she was okay with that, and shockingly, she merely nodded. "I'll be fine, Jacques," she reassured.

"Are you sure, chouchou?" Jacques remarked, without thinking. Out of the corner of his eye, Sanders was staring at him - with that same knowing look that Tom had.

"I'm sure," Josée settled, staring at MacArthur. That being said, Jacques proceeded to exit with Sanders, not without reassuring Josée that he would be right outside with Sanders waiting patiently. Once the door shut, this left MacArthur and Josée alone. Immediately, Josée had her guard up. "If you're here to beat me up just know I can fight."

"...I'm not here to beat you up, freezer breath," MacArthur spat instinctively, making Josée roll her eyes. "But I get what you mean. I'd be cautious too if my arch enemy was in my room, too."

It grew silently awkward between the two rivals.

"I saw how your mom was in the episodes," MacArthur finally said. Josée let out an annoyed sigh; she should've known that this is what this was about. "And then you mentioned that closet shit, it was so fucked up."

Josée glared at MacArthur. "Careful, pig. You're treading on dangerous territory-"

"Would you shut it? I'm trying to... relate to you."

"For some sort of strategy to make fun of me?" Josée accused.

"No," MacArthur snapped. "You know, it's funny..." she even chuckled a bit for good measure. "Three months ago, my mind would've went there too. But now... I've sort of mellowed out, y'know? Being with Sanders helped... but I get you. Sort of. My dad's like that. Always pushing me to be the best and all that shit. Sent me without dinner once. Not the same thing, but I've been locked in my room before."

Josée remained skeptical. "...Why are you telling me this?"

MacArthur hesitated. "Because I get you. Having a parent that pushed you a lot. Since that episode aired though, when I mentioned my dad, he's calmed down... apologized to me and all that - then he started to change, maybe your mom will, too. She sounds like she was competitive."

"Mhm, she was..." Josée remarked, tightening her fists up to hold herself together.

"But she could change."

Josée shook her head sadly. "She hasn't..."

"Then why did you say she was?" MacArthur questioned.

"She's dead."

Beat.

"Oh..." MacArthur's eyebrows shot up; Josée knew that MacArthur hadn't a clue of what to say to that. "Sorry."

Josée shrugged. "She's been sick, so it was something that was likely to happen."

"How long?"

"About three months ago," Josée answered, uncertain as to why. "I found out over the phone."

"Three months ago?" MacArthur questioned. Then, Josée could see the pieces of a puzzle forming into the cadet's brain, as her eyes grew exceptionally wide in realization. She had connected the dots, and Josée couldn't stand it - she wished she hadn't said anything at all. "That was during New York."

Josée chuckled bitterly. "Funny, isn't it?"

It was not funny. It would never be funny.

"New York... Phone call... when I..." MacArthur stopped, horror cast on her face. "When I was bragging... oh fuck."

"Yep."

"I'm so sorry, holy fuck."

"Stop saying that," Josée ordered, rolling her eyes. "You couldn't have known."

"Yeah, but..." MacArthur trailed off, speechless. "Fuck. When Sanders said in the Bahamas that back in that cell, you looked like you wanted to tell her something, to relate..."

"You made your point," Josée stated coldly.

"Can we just... start fresh or something? Maybe we can not hate each other, for a change?"

Part of Josée couldn't trust MacArthur; she wasn't going to lie - but it appeared genuine. And, it was more than likely than not, that MacArthur couldn't trust her either - which was completely understandable. Still, it was unlikely that they were all going to see each other again, anyway, and they might as well try to get along for the remainder of the time they were together. And, well, MacArthur did try to relate to her a little, which she appreciated - it made her feel a little normal.

Besides, they weren't that different, Josée supposed. "Okay," she said. "Truce?" She held her hand out for MacArthur to take.

Which the cadet did. "Truce." And they shook on it.

"It's obvious, you know," Sanders remarked to Jacques against the wall, while MacArthur and Josée were talking in the other room. Jacques had looked over to Sanders, who shot him a knowing look that was similar to Tom's. "You like her, don't you? Love her, even."

Jacques opened his mouth to protest, but nothing would come out that would dispute the point. "...It's that easy to tell?" he asked instead, confirming her suspicions.

"Very," was Sander's simple answer. "Have you told her?"

"I don't see how that's your business," Jacques replied curtly.

"So I take that as a no," Sanders replied.

It was silent between them for about a minute.

"Don't say anything, please?" Jacques asked - no, almost begged of her.

"It's not my place to say anything," Sanders remarked. "But you should tell her how you feel."

"...Merci."

This exchange from last night between him and Sanders had replayed in Jacques' head, over and over like the beat of a drum. The next morning when he woke up and he spotted Josée already up and dressed, Jacques felt a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, akin to butterflies. She smiled at him faintly and greeted him, and then made her way to the bathroom to touch up some of her makeup - not that she needed it, of course - and watched her go.

"But you should tell her how you feel."

Jacques had a feeling, and his stomach began to churn nervously.

Something big, something incredible, something that was a massively big deal.

Jacques' grew wide in realization.

This was it.

This was known as the day he would tell her how he felt. And, potentially, this could be the start of something wonderful, though it could be potentially the start of something awful instead. Either way, he was going to tell her - and this could very well change their dynamic; for better, or for worse.

"Jacques, aren't we going down for coffee or not?" Josée called from the bathroom.

Jacques nodded quickly. "Oui!" He exclaimed, his voice a little more high-pitched than usual. "Oui! I'll get ready."

Josée and Jacques frowned with their newly brewed cups of coffee; they had expected to see Tom and Jen down here as well - like they usually were first thing in the mornings - but found that neither of them were there. Perhaps they were sleeping in for the morning for once.

"Hey! Over here!" Josée and Jacques turned around to see Devin and Carrie at a table meant for eight, though they were the only ones there. Carrie was waving and had called them over a few seconds ago which made the ice dancers exchange an odd look. She was smiling, and Devin even grinned a bit. "C'mon, sit with us!"

The ice dancers shrugged and did so.

"Did you hear Ryan and Stephanie last night?" Carrie asked, rolling her eyes then took a sip of coffee. Josée and Jacques only shook their heads. "You're so lucky. The walls are so thin. Ever since they went to couple's therapy they had been a lot more intimate. Oh, don't worry - they don't care who knows. Ryan and Stephanie are open about it."

Josée and Jacques stared.

"About the sex or the therapy?" Devin asked his girlfriend.

"Both," Carrie clarified. Josée and Jacques' eyebrows shot up. "Anyway, new topic - we just realized that the episodes tonight show us all doing the tango, and that made us think... wait..." Carrie paused thoughtfully and then went on, "You live in Quebec, don't you?" Josée and Jacques nodded slowly, still confused as to why they were being spoken to. "...Right! So we figured that if you're both ever in Toronto again, you'll have to give us dance lessons, because you kicked butt at the tango."

The ice dancers slowly blinked at them.

"I'm sorry, but... not that I hate it," Josée started off skeptically, "But I don't understand. Why are you being so friendly with us?"

"Well, are we in a competition?" Carrie asked rhetorically.

"No..."

"You're not going to hurt me or my boyfriend right?" Carrie asked, again, in a rhetorical manner.

"Right..."

Carrie's smile reached her eyes and Josée felt a pang of pain in her chest; she smiled just like her. "Then we're fine!" And she sipped her coffee casually. "I should've apologized earlier, you know... all those things I said... they're not really true. I don't think you guys are that mean, after all..." her eyes shifted to Josée, "You did help me back in Morocco. I didn't forget, and... and you did help us get together in a way."

Devin looked at Jacques. "So did you."

"Oh," was all Jacques said.

"You're just overly competitive," Carrie stated, then smiled. "But that's over now. Right?"

"Oui... Oui, it's over," said Josée, unsurely.

She suspected that this was more likely due to pity rather than actual civility. Josée knew she made the mistake of casually mentioning that her mother would lock her in a closet - she had thought she was safe saying that, that others finally experienced what she experienced and she thought she could relate to them; but instead, she was foolish and blurted out such a thing. Josée reached into her pocket and hid a smile when she pulled out bun-bun, and rubbed her thumb along it; god, she missed that feeling for months.

"Everyone forgives you, you know," Devin remarked, almost like he was trying to sound reassuring. Then, however, he faltered a bit. "I mean... others are still going to have trouble trusting you and all that, but for the most part, no one cares anymore. We've talked about it, and-"

"You've talked about us behind our backs?" Jacques cut in, frowning.

Devin chuckled nervously. "Yeah, last night... ish. Everyone agreed that you guys were fine, just... yeah." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Just don't be like how you were in the competition and you'll be fine."

Josèe blinked, then rolled her eyes in utter annoyance. "Whatever."

"Hey!" Suddenly Kitty appeared, along with Noah, Emma, and Owen. "I'm so glad we decided to go shopping early for those new video games instead of later in the evening, we wouldn't have made it to watch the last few episodes if we did!" She briefly took note of the ice dancers appearance. "Oh hi Jacques, hi Josée." Then she went back to talking to Carrie and Devin primarily: "It wasn't that crazy, but the line was starting to get longer and longer..." She smirked at Noah and Owen. "Told you it was a good idea."

"We still waited for freaking ever," Emma said, grumbling.

Kitty scowled. "Nobody asked you to come, Emma. You're just all lovey-dovey with your boyfriend."

"First of all," Noah's sarcastic drawl joined the conversation, "We're not lovey-dovey. Second of all, I asked her to go."

"Oh right, because you two don't spend every waking moment together ever since the race ended," Kitty giggled, but of course she was only teasing. Then, her eyes went to Josée, gleaming with curiosity. "Speaking of romance, Josée can we talk?" Josée frowned; too many people wanted to talk to her as of lately. Nonetheless, she rose from her seat. She locked eyes with Jacques briefly, who looked entirely confused by this - she could only shrug in response as she followed Kitty away from the others.

"So..." Josée began awkwardly, "Is this the part where I apologize to you or...?"

"No need," Kitty said, waving it off. "But I have been thinking about our interactions during the race."

"Look, I know I shouldn't have punched your helmet light," Josée said quickly, "But you and your sister insulted what Jacques and I did for a living!"

Kitty sighed guiltily. "I know, I'm sorry, that was awful... but that's not exactly what I meant by interactions." Josée blinked confusedly, so Kitty went on: "A while ago, you asked questions about me not being attracted to anyone romantically or sexually, and then when we were playing Never Have I Ever. You mentioned that you didn't get crushes easily and that it took you so long to fall in love with that one person." Kitty then backtracked and sighed. "Wait... actually... never mind, it's none of my business-"

"No, no, no it's fine!" Josée exclaimed quickly. "I actually had questions about that. The thing is, though, I could imagine myself being... intimate with someone. It doesn't gross me out or anything, and I know I would enjoy it. I can look at people and be like, 'I would have sex with that person' but because I'm... I never... did that... It's just personal to me, and I want my first time to be with someone I'm absolutely in love with." She frowned, sighing deeply. "But the problem is, it took me years to fall in love with that person - I had to have this connection with him, it wasn't just me having a crush... I hardly get crushes. So I thought it could be somewhat related to what you deal with, but you haven't fallen in love. I have. Is there like... a spectrum of this thing you talk about?"

Kitty smiled gleefully. "As a matter of fact, there is! And Josée... I think you're on the aromantic spectrum, too."

Josée's eyes grew wide with hope. "Wait... what?" Could this... could this explain why she is the way that she is? That whole internal struggle of why it took her over two years to fall in love with her boyfriend while others could fall in love so easily and quickly? She remembered when her friends would talk about boys they had crushes on, and she couldn't recall every relating to any part of the conversation; all she could think about was talking to them, getting to know them, and how it didn't come so easy.

"Well the way you're describing it sounds like you are," Kitty remarked. "I'd have to talk to more friends of mine about it, though. I know a few friends on the spectrum that describe it like that - having to form a connection, but I don't really remember the term. I know there is a term, but! To be honest, I've known I was asexual since high school, but I only recently discovered the term aromantic about six months ago - so I'd have to get back to you on that. Okay?"

"Oui! That'd be great!" Josée exclaimed, beaming brightly. Then she faltered. "Um, how are we going to...?"

"Give me your cell number." Josée hesitated for a second, before taking Kitty's phone and putting her number in it. Kitty beamed back at her. "Thanks! Bye." And she practically skipped away. Before Josée could go back to the table, she was joined by another party.

"What was that about?" Jacques asked, appearing from behind her.

Josée turned around and shrugged. "Oh, nothing important. Just apologizing. How is everyone over there?"

Jacques shrugged in response. "Friendly. It's weird."

"Tell me about it," Josée snorted.

"Yo!" Josèe and Jacques were finally greeted by Tom and Jen, who were many minutes late. Jen cleared her throat and giggled. "Sorry about that. Tom overslept so we couldn't meet you for coffee like usual..."

"Correction, Jen overslept-"

"Tom-"

"Anyway," Tom cut in, flashing a grin at Josèe and Jacques. "We need to go clothes shopping, like, now. Care to join us?"

"...Sure," Josèe and Jacques chorused.

"Okay, but you have to tell us about this favorite ex-boyfriend," Josèe said amusedly, bringing in her bags of clothes to Tom and Jen's room, along with Jacques. Tom and Jen joined them as they filed in after shopping and grabbing lunch. "I'm still very curious on how one has a favorite ex-boyfriend."

Jen shut the door behind them and set her clothes down by the edge of her bed. She sat on her bed, accompanied by Tom, Jacques, and Josèe and sat in a square. "Todd. He wasn't all that, by the way-"

"Todd was dreamy. I really don't care what you have to say," Tom quipped playfully, "Besides, you would go on and on about Tiffany, so you really have no room to talk."

Jen gasped. "Tiffany was sweet. Also, I was her very first girlfriend, that means something to me."

"You helped her realize she was a lesbian?" Jacques asked.

"Bisexual."

"Ah..."

"No because let's talk about that," Tom said, laughing out loud. Then he proceeded to explain: "Okay, so, Tiffany was a really good friend of ours in high school... but she had way too many questions about Jen being a lesbian-"

Jen playfully smacked Tom. "Oh stop it! I think it's cute."

"-and she kept saying that she found girls attractive to look at, like, really attractive..." Tom continued as if his best friend hadn't interrupted, "...and boom! She figured it out."

Josèe lifted an eyebrow. "I've found women attractive to look at before, that doesn't make me bisexual." Jacques blinked at his partner surprisingly.

Tom and Jen's eyebrows shot up, and then Jen spoke: "Yeah, that's true. You can find women attractive and pretty. But that depends... have you had a crush on a girl?"

"Well, there was this one girl..." Josèe began, "I don't know if I was romantically interested in her - that's always hard to tell for me - but I wouldn't have minded it? I..." Her face grew red. "After the olympics, we had gotten close. Not like that, nothing happened but... I wouldn't have minded. Even though I've never done anything with anyone... I've always known that I wouldn't mind being with a guy... or maybe a girl."

"Josèe... I have news for you," said Jen. "If you wouldn't mind being intimate with men and women then you're bi. If you know, you know."

"What?" Josèe remarked confusedly. "But I haven't done anything with a woman."

"You don't have to have been with a woman to know you're bi," Tom told her, then briefly cast a glance to Jacques - who grew red.

"...Okay but it was this one girl," Josèe pointed out. "I don't get crushes easily. I've only had one crush, and that was on a guy after two years. And... I can't tell if I had a crush on this girl or not. But there are times when I felt things toward this girl that I've felt with my boyfriend. I always thought in the back of my mind that... if I wanted to be intimate with someone, it could be with her - because I found her attractive in that manner, but romance itself... like all the gushy stuff in movies I don't feel so easily and it's hard to tell," Josèe explained, then added in a sigh: "But I don't know how she felt, anyway."

The silence was loud.

"But that doesn't mean I'm bisexual though!" Josèe said quickly, her face flushed.

"Stage one; denial."

"Shut up, Twig!"

"But you wanted to be with her and you wouldn't have minded it, that's bisexual," Jen pointed out. "If you're comparing it to how you felt with your last relationship with a guy, then you're probably bisexual."

"Okay but I thought everyone thought about sleeping with the same sex?" Josèe pointed out. "All girls thinking about having sex with other girls."

Beat.

"...No honey," Jen remarked, shaking her head with a smile.

"Well I need to figure this out," Josèe remarked, then looked Jen dead in the eye. "Kiss me." Jacques nearly spit out the drink he had while Tom covered his mouth to hold back his snickering, which he failed to do miserably. Josèe blinked confusedly, then looked back at Jen who merely stared at her. "Well?! What are you waiting for?!"

Jen laughed good-naturedly. "First of all, I have a girlfriend that I love very much. Second of all, I think you're adorable, but I see you as a kid sister so no thank you. Third of all, you don't have to kiss a woman to know if you're bisexual or not. If you've had feelings toward a woman like you just described, it sounds pretty bisexual to me."

Josèe's mouth formed an 'o' and blinked. "So what does this mean?"

"...Congratulations," Tom said warmly. "Be who you are!"

Jacques blinked.

He could hardly believe it was this easy the entire time.

"Did you ever tell this girl how you felt?" Tom asked. "You should, you know. She sounds like she made an impact in your life."

"She's dead," Josèe said bluntly. Then her eyes went wide when she realized she said that aloud; this was the second time she was blunt about a loved one's death - that had occurred during the run of the competition, and, for a moment, it really dawned on her on how unlucky she was. Josèe rubbed her fingers against bun-bun.

"I'm so sorry, Josèe," Tom said earnestly. Josèe knew that he was earnest with the way he didn't call her by his usual nickname for her. "I'm sure she at least knew that you cared for her very, very much." In a display of affection, Tom briefly held her hand and squeezed it, before letting go again. Josèe smiled weakly at his compassion.

Jen nodded solemnly. "Do you want to tell us about her?"

Josèe thought about it for a moment, looking at Jacques, who shrugged, before returning to looking at the Fashion Bloggers. "She was a skater, like us. Except she was a solo figure skater. She was..." she smiled a little bit. "She was incredibly smart. Really witty, too. Always looked out for me, and... and I... looking back on it, not-so-secretly looked out for her too. I, as Jacques put it, had a 'soft spot' for her."

"Massive understatement."

"Shut up, Jacques!" Josèe ordered, but she was grinning. Tom and Jen exchanged an amused look, but Josèe went on: "She was a really, really close friend - maybe she was more than that to me, I don't know... but... she worked hard at her craft. I really admire that in a person. It's probably why I adored her so much, among other things. She was extremely pretty, too - god, she was so pretty."

Beat.

"Oh, she's definitely bisexual," Tom remarked. "But don't worry. We won't tell anyone. We're not going to 'out' you or anything, because that's all kinds of fucked up."

"Merci," Josèe thanked.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

The Fashion Bloggers and Ice Dancers jumped up, startled.

"Hey! We're about to start watching the other episodes!" MacArthur barked from the other side of the door.

"MacArthur, do you have to shout?" Sanders hissed.

Nonetheless, Tom, Jen, Josèe, and Jacques exited the hotel room and joined MacArthur and Sanders.

"What did I tell you about screeching like a banshee?" Tom stated, grinning cheekily.

"What did I tell you about insulting people that could throw you across the room?" MacArthur retorted teasingly.

As they went ahead, Jacques and Josèe remained behind them, with the latter being noticeably quiet.

"Josèe, are you alright?" Jacques asked.

"I'm learning a lot about myself, I realize..." Josèe remarked, surprised. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's a lot to take in, it's almost overwhelming. When I was talking to Kitty, she mentioned me possibly being on the aromantic spectrum, just like her. Apparently I was right, back in New Zealand. There is a spectrum of these things... it could explain a lot, and... maybe now I can get some answers."

Jacques smiled faintly. "That sounds great, chouchou. You sound a lot happier."

"Stop," the female ice dancer stated sharply, making Jacques frown. "I know you don't believe in this stuff. You don't have to act like you do. I know you don't think bisexuality is a thing or that an aromantic spectrum is a thing, but I do. And if you say things like I'm just in the closet, or I'm not really bisexual and that I have to pick a side, I don't care."

Jacques barely hid a gulp. "...No, Josèe. I... I do think it's real now."

Josèe lifted a brow. "Oh really? What changed your mind?"

Jacques felt himself heat up; now would be the perfect time to tell her, he thought - but instead, he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "It's just... I don't know. It could make sense, I guess... you don't have to pick a side... or... anything. Tom and Jen were right."

"Really?" Josèe asked, smiling up at him. Jacques could just melt then and there, but instead, he nodded. Her smile grew larger. "You're an amazing friend, you know that?"

Jacques heart stopped.

Friend.

...He was going to have to tell her, eventually.

Jacques felt very, very cold.

Everyone was there. They were watching the remaining episodes of the Ridonculous Race, and many things became clear to him - it was so painfully obvious that he was into Josèe, and the looks he got from the other contestants told him that they noticed it, too. No wonder Sanders and Tom could tell; and he wouldn't be surprised if everyone else did. In fact, the only person who probably didn't know about his affections for Josèe was, in fact, Josèe herself.

He got the butterflies watching how Josèe hugged him in Argentina; he remembered the feeling all too well. He had been called her hero. She was practically attached to him on the way to the hotel, and they had gone asleep together in the same bed, despite the fact that Josèe had her own. But then he remembered the dread that washed over him when he realized he had caught feelings, and how he was determined to push her away the very next episode.

The very next episode...

"Alright, the Bahamas episode is next!" Don announced.

Jacques' eyes grew wide.

Fuck.

He glanced over to Josèe, who looked painfully oblivious.

Fuck, fuck, fuck...

"Um, Josèe?" Jacques spoke up fearfully, "Maybe we should go upstairs and skip it-"

Josèe furrowed her brows at him, then rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, Jacques. I know we fought, but... we're good. We decided that a long time ago."

There was no use.

She was going to... she was going to hear what he had said about her.

And worse, she was going to hear what she said about herself, with the way she screamed in the cavern.

The episode began to play. Jacques knew this was going to stir up very painful memories, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Once Josèe set her mind to something, there was no stopping her, and she was set to watch this episode in its entirety. He watched, and kept looking back and forth between the screen and Josèe, and she had a neutral expression on her face that became more and more upset as time went on, as she watched herself being berated by Jacques in the episode. Briefly, she was confused when she saw herself belittling herself using her mother's words, likely because she hadn't remembered it.

Jacques knew it was coming.

Three months ago, he hadn't a clue of how much regret he would hold over this.

But now, he fully understood it.

"I've been taking this kind of crud from her for fourteen years! It's about time she had a taste!"

The silence was eerie and it was eating at Jacques with every passing second. Somebody finally whispered, "Oh my god." This did not ease the tension whatsoever - in fact, it only made it a million times worse. Jacques looked everywhere, and looked at everyone but her. He couldn't even imagine how hurt Josèe probably looked. The others stared, wide-eyed, with a few having hands over their mouths presumably in shock, while others - Tom and Jen, in this case - glared at Jacques. For a moment, Jacques wondered as to why they looked so appalled, when they had probably seen this air, until he realized that they were looking at how hurt Josèe probably looked.

Jacques glanced over to his partner, and his thoughts were unfortunately correct.

Josèe sat there, and her breathing started to pick up, her eyes were filled with tears, and her body was shaking slightly.

"Josèe..." Jacques said at last, but Josèe shook her head roughly and stood up, his fists clenched up and shaking. She started to stomp away, but Jacques wouldn't have it - he got up to follow her, and tried to put his hand on her shoulder. "Josèe, you know I didn't-"

"SHUT UP!" Josèe shouted brokenly, rounding on him to reveal tears streaming down her face. She had smacked his hand away. "Everyone saw it! You don't really care! You never did! That's how you see this partnership, don't you? With you... dealing with me!"

Jacques' eyes grew wide. "Non! Non! Never!" he protested, his heart sank to his stomach. "Josèe, I'm sorry, you know I was just frustrated! We talked about it-"

"That was before you mentioned that you thought I deserved it!" Josèe spat angrily, then she proceeded to walk away even more. "I should've known!" The other contestants watched as if their favorite soap opera was on. "Just when I thought I could trust my best friend!"

"You can!" Jacques exclaimed, almost on the edge of tears himself. He tried to reach out to her again as she walked away, "Josèe, please!"

"Don't touch me!" Josèe snapped, then ran, presumably to her hotel room, but Jacques wouldn't have it. Just when Josèe was trying to shut the elevator desperately, Jacques had made it in the knick of time. "I told you to stay away from me!"

"Non, chouchou! You don't understand!" Jacques pleaded desperately.

"I think I understand perfectly well, thank you," Josèe retorted miserably.

The elevator stopped on their floor and Josèe was eager to get out, but Jacques followed her.

"No you don't!" Jacques shouted, chasing after her - all the way into their hotel room. "I had to do this! I couldn't let you know the truth!"

"What truth?!" Josèe screamed at him frustratedly, "What truth could possibly warrant you to say that about me! In front of the entire viewing world!"

It was then and there, in that moment, Tom's voice rang in Jacques' head: "Three months is long enough."

And then, Sanders voice followed shortly: "But you should tell her how you feel."

This was it.

"I don't know what it is about you, you've always left me... a certain way, I don't know! And it scared me!" Jacques exclaimed, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't know exactly what it is, or maybe I did and I secretly knew all along, but..." He hesitantly met his partner's eyes and his stomach grew more antsy. "...now I know what it is."

Josèe's eyes grew noticeably softer, however there was a hint of skepticism and a bit of fright. "What's going on?" she asked in a quiet voice.

This was it.

The blood rushed through Jacques' ears, and a wave of memories from when they were small children... up to now... flooded through his brain. All of that, each and every moment that he treasured and held dear to his heart could be ripped away from him in a second. This could ruin everything between them. His feelings regarding Josèe, it didn't make sense, but then again nothing ever made sense when it came to Josèe - she would laugh angelically and flash him a smile and it sent Jacques' stomach in a frenzy.

"Jacques?" Josèe coaxed gently, though incredulously. She looked at him in concern. "You can tell me what's going on, I won't be mad. You know you're dear to me, right?"

Jacques felt his heart flutter and let out a breath, and he couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Josèe, you have no idea what you're doing to me when you say that."

Josèe stared, with even more confusion - however her worry was evident on her features (which were beautiful, really) as she waited patiently. "What are you trying to say?"

This was it.

Jacques had thought about this moment when it was to come. Three months ago, when he was hugging a grieving Josèe, he knew that there would come a time where he had to tell Josèe how he felt about her, and that time was now. Despite rehearsing this moment many times in his head, he didn't think he would do this now, and now that it was happening he was absolutely terrified.

"What I'm trying to say," Jacques started determinedly, and took a breath. "...is that you're not the only one who's discovered something about yourself."

Josèe blinked confusedly. "What is it..."

"It all started at the Bahamas - wait no, before that," Jacques corrected last second. He knew he was rambling, but he was horrified to get to the point. "But that's when I fully realized it, when I fully acknowledged it - that my feelings were true, and I wanted to push them away... and I took it out on you."

Josèe let out a shuddering breath and shook her head. "I don't understand..."

"I don't understand either, that's the thing," Jacques admitted. "I wish I did, but it's... it's difficult, okay? Because I..."

His heart was beating rapidly against his chest.

Here goes nothing.

Without thinking, Jacques said it: "I love you, Josèe."

Beat.

Beat.

Beat.

Josèe was stunned momentarily, then managed to utter his name: "Jacques..."

"No, wait. Please don't, Josèe. You don't understand... I don't love you in the way that we've been partners for fourteen years, or the way that we're friends. I love you as in, I'm in love with you. I love your laugh, your smile, and the way you make me feel... I haven't felt this way about anyone else in my life." Jacques' chest grew tight watching Josèe process this sudden news; she was like an ice queen, he hadn't a clue what she was thinking. "I love you, Josèe... and you deserve to have someone that can cherish you. And two days ago, when we almost kissed, I felt something special with you, it was so different, and I didn't want to stop it." He looked at her desperately. "Did you want to stop it?"

Josèe stared up at her partner, contemplating for a moment, and then shook her head. "...I didn't."

Jacques gently put his hand on Josèe's shoulder, looking deep into her eyes. Time was at a standstill. They could feel a barrier between them, yes, but Jacques knew it was up to one of them to break it. He had opened up this conversation, so he might as well do it. He took another breath, and stated: "Can I be honest with you Josèe?" Josèe nodded slowly, her eyes drifting down to his chest. "I kind of want to kiss you right now." Josèe stared up at him immediately with wide eyes, and then her eyes shifted to his lips. Jacques stared down at hers. "We're both sober right now, aren't we?"

"Mhm," Josèe hummed, then found herself putting her hands into Jacques'. "I'm sober. You are too?"

"Oui," Jacques answered, and then simultaneously their eyes met. "Josèe, I'm going to kiss you now. Is that okay with you?" Josèe held back a gasp; likely because she didn't expect him to be so upfront about it. She stared at him, his eyes entirely serious - this was really happening. Slowly, but surely, she nodded. "Okay." Josèe was a little startled when Jacques let his hand brush against her cheek, observing her features closely. She was a little tense, he could tell - but slowly started to relax against the brushing motion and her eyes closed.

She was beautiful; she was so beautiful that he didn't stand a chance.

"Josèe," Jacques said quietly again, full of admiration: "I really, really want to kiss you."

Josèe's eyes opened, and then felt a little blush rise across her cheeks. "Then do it, I'm waiting."

That was all he needed to hear.

Jacques gently tilted Josèe's head upward toward his - and brought her lips to his own - in a kiss.