Twelve
B eing back in Peach Blossom after a weekend in Miami was like night and day, but the weirdest part wasn’t that she missed Miami. It was that she didn’t . Jessica had gone with Grace to see Grace’s parents for the holiday weekend, and things had gone just as well as they always did when she went home with Grace. They ate a ton of food, Cuban this time, did some early Christmas shopping and generally people-watched. Rather, Grace people-watched, and Jessica added much needed commentary to round it all out. What had been different were the texts and phone calls Jessica exchanged with Vini.
It wasn’t that they were chatting nonstop. That would have been rude, after all. But when Jessica was strolling down the beach admiring the way the sky was unblemished by a single cloud, the picture she snapped wasn’t just for herself. When she settled into the guest room in the evening, it wasn’t her mom she had called to talk about her day. The fact that it hadn’t seemed out of pocket to her was what left her mildly concerned that something had changed that she was unaware of.
Her phone rang, jarring Jessica out of her musings. When she saw who it was, she groaned and counted to five before connecting the call.
“It’s about time you answered the damn phone. I thought you were going to send me to voice mail.”
She smiled down at the phone. “That would probably have been what you deserved. As it is, I can’t believe I’m finally hearing from the famous Jason,” she teased. “How the hell are you?”
It had been a few weeks since she last talked to him, what with his busy work schedule and the time difference of him being out on the West Coast. When he had announced he was going to medical school, Jessica thought he was kidding. As a kid, he had taken after their mom with the acting gene and had starred in a couple popular sitcoms. His calling it quits at twenty to instead become a doctor was a pivot that had happened faster than Jessica had been prepared for. Now though, it was like he had been born to be a doctor, and the days of acting for anyone other than his patients were probably far behind him.
“Living the dream, sis. How’s Mayberry and cow-tipping?”
“You are so fucking old,” she replied with a laugh. “Please tell me you’ve watched a show younger than Mom in the last month or so.”
“No can do. My love for the classics will remain undeterred.”
Jessica shook her head. “It pains me to realize we’re related.” She walked over to the recliner that sat in front of the window and dropped down, getting comfortable. She had spent most of the day sitting and watching people from her vantage on the second floor. It was quickly becoming one of her favorite pastimes outside of finding her place between Vini’s legs and in her arms.
“But seriously,” Jason continued, “how are things going there? Has the heat died down enough for you to come out of self-imposed isolation? Are you still trending on social media?”
She snorted. “Not even close. Honestly, I haven’t even been online at all lately.” That was odd too. While Jessica didn’t live and breathe social media, she still tended to check up on it. She hadn’t banned herself from going onto any of her usual platforms, though she had banned herself from posting anything that might give up her location.
“Wow. Mayberry must be amazing if you haven’t been paying attention to the Gram or Book of Faces.”
“Oh my God, it’s Peach Blossom, you ass,” Jessica finally corrected. “And I’ve been busy with other things. I’ve actually made some friends here. I’m going to a drive-in movie tonight with one of them.”
Jason was silent for a moment. Both of them had grown up moving around so much, and even now Jessica continued the tradition. While Jason was more stationary because of his school and career, like her he was not a fan of small towns. When he had heard that she was planning on staying in Peach Blossom for six weeks while the drama surrounding her latest relationship escapades died down, Jason had proclaimed that she would no doubt be bored out of her skull and on a plane to Italy within twenty-four hours. It was amazing how wrong he was.
It was also amazing how much she liked it here. Jessica wasn’t just realizing it now. It had been a slow trickle of realization that, even without Vini and her gloriously heated kisses, Peach Blossom was actually a really nice town. Sure, there wasn’t a ton of things to do. But everyone had been welcoming and made Jessica feel like she was one of them and not some weird transplant who had shown up to buy their land and kick them off it.
“You’re going to a drive-in? I didn’t even know those existed anymore.”
“I’m sure some hipster out there has announced he reinvented them or something and is charging admission. You could probably find one there if you really tried.”
“Probably,” Jason conceded. “So who is this mysterious friend who is taking you under their wing? I notice you haven’t named them, but I know Mom and Dad have been talking about some mechanic you’ve been hanging around.”
Jessica’s heart jumped, and she scowled down at the phone. “They are the biggest gossips, I swear.”
“Spill it. Is it serious?”
She swallowed hard at the thought of being serious about anyone. She was seriously having a good time. Wasn’t that enough? “Her name is Vini, and she’s just a friend. She rescued me from the side of the highway when the shitty rental car I got crapped out on me.”
Jason made a noise that had her rolling her eyes. Anytime Jessica mentioned another woman, Jason immediately went to trying to figure out a way to get her to settle down with them. It probably had a lot to do with him being in a relationship with his high-school sweetheart. The two of them had been a thing since before Jessica even realized she liked women. It would be so cute if it wasn’t so damn nauseating.
“And besides, I don’t do long-distance relationships. You know that.”
“Sadly, I do. Despite your commitment issues, the fact that you are getting out there and making friends is a good thing. Maybe small-town life will rub off on you and you’ll want to stay forever.”
Jessica almost gagged at the thought of being in one place forever. She was a rolling stone. A whisper on the breeze. She could not be held down.
Not that she even wanted to.
“But don’t do it until after we all meet up in Italy,” he continued. “I’m bringing Alicia, and I plan to propose to her while we are all there. I want to make it special.”
“It’s about time,” she exclaimed. “The poor girl has been hanging on by a thread for damn near a decade.”
“Seriously? I would have married her years ago, but she refused. What is it with all the women in my life being so stubborn?”
Jessica chuckled. “You’re just lucky, I guess.” She glanced at the clock. “Listen, I have to go get ready for tonight. Just because I’m out in the sticks doesn’t mean I plan to dress like it.”
Jason’s laughter rang out over the line. “I find it very interesting that you are insisting this isn’t a date, and yet you’re getting ready hours before you leave. But hey, what do I know. Let me know how it goes.”
He hung up before Jessica could counter his comment, leaving her staring in silence at the phone. He didn’t know what he was talking about. Jessica always got ready ahead of time. She liked to put extra thought into her outfits no matter who was going to see. So what if she normally didn’t get ready this early? There was nothing else to do.
She tossed the phone onto the bed and stood up. Jason was just being a little shit. There was nothing wrong with pampering yourself, and that was just what Jessica planned to do.
“I can’t believe these exist.”
Vini laughed as she pulled the truck into the lot. Jessica’s mouth hung open as she looked at the number of cars already parked in a row. The sun was just starting to set, and yet there were at least twenty cars, some packed with families as they waited for the show to begin. Seeing it all was like traveling back in time, and Jessica couldn’t help but be charmed by it all.
“How often do you come to these?”
Vini shrugged. “Whenever I can. They do this every weekend during the summer and once a month when the weather gets cooler. I missed it last month, though.”
Jessica followed Vini’s lead, hopping out of the truck once they had parked and then heading to where there were a couple tents with delicious smells wafting out of them. She had expected to see the usual fare of popcorn and oversize boxes of candy, but Jessica was surprised that there was so much more offered.
“Get whatever you want,” Vini said, waving her hand at the menu in front of them. “Seriously. My treat since this is your first time and everything.”
“Really?” Jessica wanted to be sure before she went hog wild. “I might legitimately get one of everything, and I’m not trying to blow your budget.”
Vini’s hand landed softly on Jessica’s back before she guided her forward. “For the privilege of popping your drive-in cherry, I will gladly pay as much as is needed.”
Jessica laughed and gave Vini a soft sock on the arm before letting go of her worries. When it was their turn to order, Jessica ordered a bucket of homemade kettle corn popcorn, a pulled pork baked potato and cotton candy.
“You want anything to wash all that down with?” Vini’s amusement was clear, but Jessica only nodded enthusiastically and happily ordered a sweet tea lemonade. Vini’s smile widened with each item that filled her hands, and when they settled back in the truck, the previous space that had been between them had shrunk until Jessica could feel Vini’s warmth on the other side of their food trays.
The setting sun bathed the car in deep oranges and gorgeous reds painting intricate patterns across Vini’s skin. It made Jessica want to reach out and touch to see if the colors felt different beneath the whirls of her fingertips. They weren’t alone here, though. They were parked in the middle with cars surrounding them on all sides. There was a good bit of space between each vehicle, enough to be able to open doors without fear of dinging someone’s car, but it still meant that if they decided to take advantage of being so close, they would be spotted easily. Peach Blossom seemed open, but Jessica knew that not everywhere was like that, and she wasn’t trying to get caught out among an angry group in a town she didn’t live in.
Still, as the sky darkened and the movie screen lit up, she shifted over until they were nearly thigh to thigh. Vini didn’t make any acknowledgment of the dwindling space, her eyes glued straight ahead as previews danced across the screen. When everything but the popcorn had been eaten, and the trays discarded on the dashboard, Jessica found herself pressed tight with Vini heating a line down her side. They shared the single tub of popcorn, and though Jessica’s attention was mostly on the screen, it shifted each time she felt their fingers brush with only the slippery butter between them.
This feels like a date. The thought was unexpected, but really it shouldn’t have been. By anyone else’s standards, this would have been a date. They were at a movie, Vini had bought dinner, and though they hadn’t held hands or kissed, there was definitely a feeling of something in the air. If Jessica were looking for that kind of thing, this would have been perfect. But she wasn’t. This was just Vini being nice and showing her around. She probably had heard that Ava and Grace were planning to spend the night together and decided to be nice and invite Jessica out so she wouldn’t be lonely. It was a sweet gesture and one that even Jessica could appreciate.
“So what did you think?” Vini asked. They were close, closer than Jessica remembered. Vini’s face was cloaked in darkness with only the light from the end credits illuminating her. Her eyes were wide and her lips so easily within reach. All Jessica had to do was lean forward a few inches and they would be kissing. Her lips tingled at just the thought of it, and she knew they needed to go somewhere fast before she kissed Vini in clear view of anyone. She didn’t doubt that there were probably people from Peach Blossom here, so that would be the opposite of keeping things under wraps.
Jessica licked her lips and tried to ignore the heat that flared in her when she saw Vini’s gaze follow that motion. “It was great. I wish I had known about these sooner.” Her enthusiasm wasn’t fake. The whole concept was amazing, especially with the food that they had gotten. There was no way she would be able to go to a regular movie theater with its lackluster dining fare ever again. “My parents would have loved it too. They always complain that going to the movies these days is so annoying because of people texting or talking. Relaxing in the car is the way to go.”
Vini’s smile was dazzling even in the dark. “Yeah? You should bring them out here sometime. You could even get in touch with the city and see if they would put on one of your mom’s old movies.”
Jessica cackled. “She would absolutely die if I did that. Other than during premieres, Mom rarely watches anything she’s been in. She says it weirds her out.”
“I can see how it would,” Vini replied. They sat quietly for a moment, gazes still caught and the air between them growing heavier with tension. It wasn’t too late, but Jessica wasn’t hungry. They had gotten another bucket of popcorn after the first one ran out, so she was really and truly stuffed. Going to get coffee was probably out as well. It was the weekend, but she doubted there would be too many places still open at this time of night. It was a drawback of small towns.
“I should get you home,” Vini said, breaking the quiet they had fallen into. She looked away before scooting over to her side of the car. Jessica frowned as disappointment swept through her. She knew Vini was probably right, but she wasn’t ready to end the night just yet. Not without at least acknowledging the tension that had steadily grown each time their fingers tangled or their eyes met.
“Or, if you don’t think anyone will miss you, we could go back to mine?”
Vini paused, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth, and Jessica gave her time. She didn’t want to be pushy. If Vini wanted to go home, that was totally fine. They would probably see one another sometime later that week as it was. But time was steadily ticking away, heralding Jessica’s departure from the town, and as much as she looked forward to making her way back to a larger city, she couldn’t deny that something inside of her was saddened by it. Peach Blossom truly had been wonderful so far, and as much shit as Jessica talked when it came to small towns, she couldn’t have chosen a better one.
“If you need to get home, that’s oka—”
“Yeah,” Vini cut her off. She started the car, and Jessica tried to keep the smile from falling from her face. “I mean, yeah, let’s go back to yours.”
Vini was smiling again, but this time there was something heavy there that called to Jessica. It was the same look that Vini had been giving her lately when they were alone, away from prying eyes. It was a look that had Jessica wanting to find a dark room to pull her into so they could fall together with no cares. It made her stomach clench and her pussy tighten. It was want, pure and simple.
Jessica smirked before reaching for her seat belt. “Well, I’m ready when you are.”