Three Couples, Six People, Many Songs(#8)
Song #8 - Save Tonight, Eagle Eye Cherry
A gentle smile lay upon James's lips as he settled down on Jessie's bed. Her dorm room was not all that large, but it was cozy.
"Do you still like sparkling cider?" Jessie asked, crouching beside her mini-fridge.
His green eyes sparkled, and he rolled onto his stomach, propping himself on his elbows and smiling at her. "Definitely."
She smiled back, standing up with a bottle of sparkling cider in one hand, and two glasses in the other. "Good, because it's all I have. I probably should go grocery shopping tomorrow..." She sat down on the bed next to him. "Hold these." She gave him both the glasses, then carefully opened the bottle.
James sat up, watching her, his smile still lingering on his face. As she poured the bubbly apple juice into the glasses, he couldn't help but think back to his thirteenth birthday. It had been a beautiful Saturday morning. One that he would have slept through had Jessie not ordered him to show up at her house. They had watched one of those typical teeny bopper movies together, eating popcorn and drinking sparkling cider. Every now and then Jessie would pretend to cover James's eyes, claiming that he was still to young to watch certain things.
"What's so amusing?" Jessie asked as she took her glass from James and set the bottle down.
"I was just thinking back to the old days." He lifted his glass, and with a slight toss of his head, flicked some of his hair out of his eyes. "To a happier and much more secure future."
Jessie lifted her glass. "And to us."
They clinked their glasses together, then sipped the sparkling liquid while watching each other. At the same time, they giggled and then blushed, remembering their awkward moments together in the past.
"So what movie did you get?" James asked.
Jessie grinned, gave James her glass, and hopped off the bed to grab the film. "Guess." She commanded him, holding the movie behind her back when she returned.
"Um..." James thought it over. What movie would Jessie get for a sort of "at home date"? "Ten Things I Hate About You?"
"Yes!" She put the movie in the VCR and pressed play, then turned off the lights. After grabbing a nice warm blanket, she sat down next to James and draped the blanket over them.
Together they watched the very same movie that they had watched a little over six years ago on James's birthday. By the end of the movie, they somehow traveled from sitting on the end of the bed, to curled up at the top, James's head resting at the curve of Jessie's neck. His arms were wrapped around her waist, and hers around him.
Jessie turned the VCR off when the credits started rolling, and in the place of the credits, some reruns to a sitcom could be seen. However, they played little attention to the show, for they wanted to savor their time together. Early tomorrow morning James would retrieve Martin from Jessie's friend Cassidy's apartment, and then go 'home'. Cassidy and Jessie used to hate each other, but after having to be roommates at university the year before, they managed to become friends. Now, Cassidy enjoyed babysitting Martin when Jessie and James wanted some time alone, for it gave her an excuse to spend a night watching Disney movies and procrastinating. Not that she didn't do it on her own, but Martin appreciated the movies much more than Butch did.
"James?"
"Hm?" He lifted his green eyes to look at her own blue ones, losing himself in the sharp loving glow.
"What was Martin's mother like?" She had been meaning to ask this question a long time ago, but never had the heart to bring it up. James avoided the subject of his time on his own like a flu shot.
James sighed and rolled out of Jessie's arms. Lying on his back, he rested his head on his hands and stared up at the ceiling. "She was beautiful. She had curly brown hair that reached her ears, which is why Martin's hair is somewhat wavy instead of straight like mine, and green eyes. But her green eyes were a deep grass green..." He paused, thinking back to her. He had no pictures of her, but her image remained burned into his memory. "Her name was Alicia, and she was an orphan. She had run away from her foster home when I met her." He smiled slightly. "Heh, quite a little rebel she was..." He turned his head to look at Jessie, who had propped herself on her side to watch him as he talked. "She was the one that got me into drug dealing. I mean, I was already heading that way, what with stealing for other people so long as I got a cut of the money from re-selling what I stole. But she sped up the transition from thief to drug dealer." He stopped, looking away from Jessie and back at the ceiling.
"Do you want to stop?" She asked softly.
"No, I'm going to have to tell you someday anyway. Besides, I'm almost done." He took a deep breath. "So Alicia and I started working together, and we kinda became a couple in a way. There really wasn't any true love between us, but we were all we had... And one thing lead to another, she got pregnant, and she ended up dying. She chose Martin's name. I wanted to call him Adam, but I guess Martin suits him, right?" He looked back at Jessie.
She smiled slightly. "Right."
They were quiet, watching each other, daring the other to say something or do something. Neither one quite knew what to do now. Life had become an obstacle course that they blundered their way through blindfolded, especially James. At least Jessie had more of a guaranteed future, being in college and all. James on the other hand was still trying to get himself back on his feet. He had made it out of the drug circle just barely, and had secured a job at McDonalds. Martin complicated things, but he managed to find people who did not mind watching the little boy for long. If things went as planned, James would be on his way to acquiring his high school diploma in a year, and he and Jessie would be sharing a small apartment.
Yet this was not life that they were unsure what to do with. This was a tiny little moment together. James lying on his back, clad in a navy blue t-shirt and cheap jeans, Jessie propped on her side, wearing a black tank top and khaki pants, her hair loose and forming a curtain of red that draped over her back.
Much to Jessie's surprise, it was James that changed the scene. He rolled onto his side and moved closer to Jessie, so their faces were merely centimeters apart. Leaning in a little, he touched his nose to hers, making her smile. Boldly, he encircled her waist with his right arm, holding her tightly to him.
"I think my little James is growing up," Jessie said, her eyes sparkling. "You never make the first move."
"There's a first time for everything." James hesitated for a moment, but then softly pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was soft and gentle, purely innocent for no tongue was involved. As James pulled away from the kiss, he looked into her eyes, seeking for approval.
She smiled, lifting one hand and running her fingers through his hair. She kissed him briefly, then started a trail of feather soft kisses down his jaw line, and then down his throat. Returning to kiss him on the lips, she lightly trailed her tongue along his lower lip. Tired of lying on her side though, she gently pushed James onto his back and then straddled his hips.
-------------------