CHAPTER 8 #2
“And I think it all comes down to the fact that he knows I’m always going to be there to clean up the mess,” Reese was still venting.
“If he drinks too much, I’ll be the one to figure out a ride home.
If he forgets his keys, I’ll be the one to bend over backwards and rearrange my schedule to let him into the house.
” Reese’s lips were stained a deep shade of pink from the wine and Jette forced herself to not focus on them.
“Then maybe you should stop.” Jette was startled to hear the words come out of her mouth.
Reese stared at her with parted lips. She scrambled to take it back.
“I just mean that maybe you should let him figure it out on his own. You’re not his mother, you’re his partner.
” Her throat felt uncomfortably thick. “He should be able to take care of himself without you having to swoop in at the last second and pick up the pieces,” she said softly.
Jette took a nervous gulp of her wine before adding, “You deserve better than that.”
It felt like the words hung between them for ages before Reese finally nodded. She leaned against the counter and fidgeted with her rings as she seemed to purposefully avoid Jette’s gaze.
Jette’s pulse quickened. “I’m sorry if I said too much. It’s none of my business,” she started to backpedal.
“No, you’re right,” Reese spoke in a normal volume this time.
“At the bar earlier,” she began, “I told him he needed to figure it out on his own.” Her green eyes were an even brighter shade of emerald now.
“That’s why he’s pissed off and texting me nonstop.
” Jette had to focus on keeping her hands still as she fought the urge to clench them into fists.
Reese sniffled once and swiped a hand over her face.
Seeing Reese so visibly upset left a pit in Jette’s stomach.
She opened her mouth to speak when Reese continued.
“And then you and Emery were there to take care of me when I was spinning out of control and I just…” her voice trailed off again.
“You’re a really good friend, Jette,” she said quietly.
The raw edge of her voice left Jette wanting to pull her to her chest. But the silence between them kept her frozen in place.
“Sorry I’m just dumping all of this on you—”
“You don’t have to apologize,” Jette reassured her. “That’s what friends are for, right?”
Reese let out a wry laugh before raising her glass towards Jette. “Friends,” she repeated quietly. Reese silenced her phone and slid it off the counter into her pocket. Jette wordlessly split the last of the wine between their glasses.
“I’m so sorry,” Reese said after awhile. Jette looked at her with a questioning stare. A nervous chuckle left Reese’s lips as she gestured towards the hallway. “I didn’t mean to distract you from the rest of the tour,” she teased softly.
Jette let out a surprised laugh before stepping away from the counter.
She steadied herself and turned around, keeping her eyes trained on Reese as she slowly walked backwards out of the kitchen.
“If you’ll follow me, we’ll continue the rest of the tour upstairs,” she joked back.
The sound of Reese’s laughter seemed to lift the weight from her shoulders.
. . . .
Jette felt vulnerable as Reese stepped into her bedroom. Clothes were strewn around and her desk was cluttered. “Sorry about the mess,” she mumbled as she nudged a pair of shoes under the bed.
“I like to see people’s messy rooms,” Reese admitted. “If your room was perfectly clean, I’d be a little weirded out…a house is meant to look lived in.”
“Well then, this room is very lived in,” Jette sighed.
Reese sat down on the bed and asked about the artwork hanging over the desk.
Jette opened her mouth to explain but it was as if her brain was on autopilot.
All she could focus on was the fact that Reese was in her bedroom.
Reese was in her clothes and sitting on her bed.
She was nestled into Jette’s tangled sheets like she’d been there before.
The casual way she seemed to effortlessly fit in with Jette's surroundings tugged at her heart. She giggled at something and Jette delighted in the sound. Jette’s chest felt warm and full as she fidgeted around the room, never missing a beat in the conversation.
Reese patted the bed next to her, motioning for Jette to sit down.
Jette glanced around the room, looking for another place to sit.
“Oh my god, c’mon,” Reese whined, “We’re officially friends now.
I had a panic attack in front of you, and I walked in on you in the shower, for fuck’s sake.
You can sit on your bed with me,” she teased.
Jette laughed and flopped on the bed. It wasn’t as though Jette was nervous to sit on her bed with a friend.
It was the fact that Jette wanted to do other things with Reese.
Things that far surpassed the boundaries of a friendship.
Things that would leave Reese trembling and panting and crying out Jette’s name like a prayer.
Things that Jette couldn’t trust herself to think about.
Especially not now, when Reese’s skin and hair smelled dangerously good.
Jette was positive the delicate scent would linger on her unmade sheets for days.
Reese’s eyes were fixated on the sleek electronic drum kit in the corner of the room. “Hold up. You have a drum set in your bedroom?” she asked. Jette nodded and leaned on an elbow to inch closer.
“Mhm. It used to be in the basement, but it gets really cold down there this time of year.” She paused, “Plus I’m practicing a lot more now to get ready for this upcoming tour.”
Reese’s eyes sparkled in the dimly lit room. “Tour?”
Jette smiled gently, not wanting to seem like she was bragging.
“I—uh—,” she stuttered, “I’m going on tour in like, less than a month.
” Reese looked excited as she shifted onto her elbow, mirroring Jette as their faces drew closer.
So close Jette could see the faded freckles that dusted over her nose.
“I just found out I officially got the gig, so I’ve been practicing pretty much non-stop,” Jette said.
“Who’s it for?” Reese asked eagerly. Her smile was so endearing, Jette found herself having to look away.
“Fincher,” Jette answered with a smile of her own. She chuckled as Reese’s jaw fell open.
“You’ve gotta be kidding.”
“No, why? You know them?” Jette asked coyly.
Reese brought a hand to her forehead in disbelief and answered, “Uh yeah, they’re fucking huge!
Jesus, when you said you were a drummer, I thought that was a casual thing.
I didn’t realize you were actually like, a fucking professional drummer,” she rattled in amazement.
She blinked and shook her head. “But you know what, this makes way more sense now after seeing you play tonight,” she confessed.
“It’s not a big deal,” Jette added, now feeling self-conscious. “I’m just filling in. I won’t know if I’m actually gonna be an official member of the band until later,” she clarified.
“I don’t know,” Reese began, “Sounds like a pretty big deal to me.” Her lips curled into a smile and an emotion flashed across her face but Reese continued before Jette could scramble to discern what it was. “How long is the tour?” she asked.
“Six weeks,” Jette replied. “It’s just a quick US tour, but if everything goes well, then I guess I’ll have some bigger decisions to figure out.”
Reese hesitated, “Bigger decisions?” Her eyes looked more serious now.
“Like moving to LA,” Jette replied honestly while fidgeting with her rings. A heavy pause filled the room. Several beats later, she looked up to see Reese staring off into space and nodding her head slowly.
“Wow, that is big,” she mustered.
“Yeah well, I’m not counting on it,” Jette said.
“These kinds of things fall through all the time,” she took a deep breath before continuing, “Plus, I like my house and my life in Philly.” She finally looked over to see Reese staring at her.
“I like my friends here,” she said with a smile and Reese’s face softened.
Jette sat up and glanced around. The tone of the room felt heavier than she had expected.
Her mind raced as she thought of something to say to break the tension.
“Don’t worry,” she said as she moved to stand.
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” she teased.
Reese seemed appeased. “Well good,” she said, following Jette to the doorway, “Because I like having you around.” Her tone sounded sincere, and Jette hid a smile to herself.
. . . .
After an in depth tour of the rest of the house, they finally abandoned their wine glasses on the table and returned to the couch.
Jette collapsed into the corner, pulling her legs under her and flipping through the channels.
Reese settled in the middle of the couch and pulled a blanket over herself.
“Okay, what’re we watching?” Reese asked. She swallowed a tiny hiccup.
“Here, you can pick something,” Jette said before handing over the remote and heading to the kitchen.
She came back with two glasses of water to find Reese had settled on a rerun of Ink Masters.
Reese looked to her sheepishly as she accepted the water, downing it in one fell swoop.
Jette finished half of hers before snuggling into the corner of the couch.
Reese had turned to face the tv and leaned her back against Jette’s shins.
“Sorry,” she muttered as she shuffled away.