CHAPTER 8
JETTE
Reese was curled up in the corner of the couch as Jette came down the stairs, her dark hair still damp from the shower.
Her green eyes lit up as they met Jette’s and Jette unsuccessfully tried to squash the pang of excitement that fluttered deep in her stomach.
Jette gave a small smile, moved to the kitchen and softly called out, “Can I get you anything?”
“No, I’m good. Thanks, J” Reese answered. Her eyes continued to glaze over the phone screen in her hands.
Jette’s ears perked up when she heard the affectionate nickname.
No one besides Emery had ever called her 'J.' The back of her neck felt warm as she smiled to herself. She glanced around the small kitchen, her eyes landing on a bottle of red wine that lay on the counter. As she reached for the bottle, she hesitated. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered back to life at the idea of spending a night home alone on the couch with Reese. She swallowed with difficulty and pursed her lips, throwing caution to the wind while throwing the cabinet open. “I’m grabbing a glass of wine,” she announced casually, “Do you want one?” Jette hadn’t realized she was holding her breath in response until Reese answered yes.
She gently padded back to the couch, risking a quick glance at Reese who was already staring at her.
The feeling in her stomach coiled lower when those green eyes looked at her under hooded eyes.
It was so easy to get carried away in Reese’s gaze.
She had a way of looking at someone like they were the only person in the world.
The nervous thrum of her pulse quickened and this time Jette couldn’t blame it on the wine in her glass.
She hadn’t had a single drop, yet she already felt buzzed.
Reese looked up at her gratefully as she accepted the glass from Jette’s hand.
The slight contact where their fingers touched left Jette’s hand tingling.
“Thanks,” she said with a weak smile.
“No problem,” Jette replied. “Cheers.” Reese’s voice softly echoed hers as they toasted and took a couple nervous sips.
It was easy to tune out the rest of the world when she saw how perfectly Reese fit into the cozy room, looking like she had always belonged there among the cushions.
Jette let the rest of the night fade into the background.
She couldn’t be bothered to spend another second of the night thinking about the show, or the way Reese’s face had paled with anxiety in the bar.
Jette glanced thoughtfully at the empty space next to Reese on the couch and instead purposefully took a seat in the chair.
She was content to forget everything other than Reese at the moment, but she didn’t trust herself with that level of proximity.
Not when Reese’s face was the most adorable shade of pink and her limbs were splayed across Jette’s couch with a level of comfort that made her chest warm.
She punched the stubborn button on the tv remote as she settled into the tufted chair.
“I’m sorry if that was weird,” Reese blurted out, her face studying Jette’s confused expression. “When I brought you tea while you were in the shower,” she spoke quickly. “I don’t know why I did that.” Her cheeks were tinged pink with embarrassment.
Jette chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. I thought it was sweet,” she acknowledged. “And it wasn’t weird. We’re friends, right?” The word ‘friends’ didn’t stick in her throat the way she expected it to. Instead, it rolled off her tongue naturally.
“Right.” Reese seemed marginally less nervous.
“I love a good shower beverage, so I thought I’d bring you one,” she explained.
“I didn’t realize it was a glass shower,” her eyes darted to Jette’s with uncertainty.
Her lips looked like they were fighting off a smirk and Jette’s eyes widened the tiniest bit.
The thought had already crossed her mind.
Logically, Jette knew that if she could see the vague shape of Reese through the hazy glass, then Reese could see her too.
Through the fog, Reese had blended into the background of the dimly lit bathroom, but standing in the shower, Jette had stood under the only light.
Reese had certainly been able to see more of her.
Hell, under the glowing light of the shower, Jette guessed Reese could’ve seen her in her entirety, down to the outline of each tattoo that spilled across her body.
But before Jette could think too much about what Reese had been able to make out, Reese’s face faltered.
Her muted expression gave way to an impish gleam in her eyes, confirming Jette’s suspicions.
“Well,” Jette paused, “I guess that was my fault for not giving you a proper tour of the place,” she teased as she stood up and gestured for Reese to follow.
Reese gave a cheesy smile and followed her to the front door, still sipping on her wine.
Jette cleared her throat for dramatic effect and Reese laughed.
She would’ve done anything to hear that laugh again.
“So here we have the living room,” she announced with a sweeping gesture.
“No roommates?” Reese asked curiously.
“Nope,” Jette answered. They were completely and wonderfully alone, a fact that Jette was steadily finding impossible to ignore.
Reese nodded thoughtfully as she leaned in to inspect the books laid out on the entryway table. “So this is all your design?” she asked, her eyes darting back and forth as she skimmed the titles.
Jette smiled proudly. “All me,” she answered. “Honestly, a lot of it’s from college.”
“It’s gorgeous,” she said appreciatively. Jette’s chest felt full as the words hung in the air between them. “Were you an art major?” Reese guessed, slowly walking around.
“Mhm,” Jette hummed as she took a sip. “Is it that obvious?”
Reese shook her head until she locked eyes with Jette.
She gave a small grin before biting the corner of her lip and Jette’s eyes narrowed jokingly.
“Actually, yeah,” Reese conceded, “It’s pretty obvious.
” She continued, “It’s just that most people’s houses don’t look like they’re out of a magazine. ”
“Thanks,” Jette answered with a gentle smile.
“If you’ll follow me, our next stop is the kitchen,” she led the way down the hall.
“Do you want a refill?” she asked earnestly, dropping the tour guide facade.
Reese nodded and left her glass on the counter as she strolled to take in the rest of the room.
Out of the corner of her eye, Jette saw her hover by the pinboard.
She tried not to stare, but Reese looked exceptionally cute.
Her hair was wavy from the snow and it was messily piled into a bun, leaving small tendrils hanging around her face.
Jette took a deep breath as she watched Reese examine the photos closely.
It was surreal to see Reese in her home, in her clothes.
The loud vibration of Reese’s phone on the counter broke her trance.
Reese made no effort to pick it up even after it buzzed two more times.
“Do you need to get that?” Jette asked quietly as she reached for the bottle.
“No,” Reese answered plainly. Her attention was still focused on the corkboard.
Jette wasn’t in any position to pry, but part of her wanted to dive deeper as the phone vibrated two more times. “Don’t you at least want to see who it is?” she asked.
After an audible sigh, Reese turned around. She reached for her glass before answering, “It’s Kiran.” Her voice sounded uncharacteristically flat and dull. “I don’t even need to look to know that it’s Kiran,” she said.
Jette nodded thoughtfully between sips. The silence in the air felt heavy. “Is everything okay?” She asked, but she couldn’t be sure which answer she wanted to hear. “Is this about,” she paused and carefully picked her words before continuing, “The panic attack you had earlier?”
“How’d you know…” Reese’s voice faded as she tilted her head curiously.
Jette waved it off. “I know a panic attack when I see one,” she answered gently. The empty look in Reese’s eyes earlier still left her rattled. It’d been years since Jette had experienced that feeling firsthand. “Did you want to talk about it?”
“Not really.” Reese replied like she couldn’t get the words out quickly enough.
Jette only had time to nod before Reese spoke again.
“It’s just,” she began. “I got a little overwhelmed. Kiran told me he would be the designated driver since I was the one who wanted to go out tonight. And then he ended up getting too drunk because he expected me to—I don’t know—read his mind, I guess? ”
“Well that sounds a little irresponsible,” Jette muttered before she could stop herself.
Reese’s eyes lit up with relief. “I—Yes! Thank you!” She let out a breath before continuing, “And he was the one to tell me that I was irresponsible for drinking when he explicitly told me he would stay sober tonight.”
Jette pursed her lips. Reese had opened the floodgates and now there was no going back.
She rattled on and Jette fought to control her expression as the concern in her chest clawed its way up her throat.
The passionate flush on Reese’s cheeks only made it harder to keep her feelings guarded.
Jette didn’t know Kiran that well, but there had always been an unsettling feeling in her gut when it came to him.
Not to mention the fact that he was dating one of the most perfect women in the world and didn’t really seem to care all that much about how he treated her.