CHAPTER 10 #2
Rational thought had abandoned Jette the moment their lips met.
Even after Reese had jumped away from her in a panic, her eyes wide with a combination of shock and guilt.
Jette thought Reese was going to run out the door without another word, but was shocked when she didn’t.
She raked her eyes over Jette’s features and leaned closer, tempted by the unresolved tension that had grown between them for months.
Jette very nearly told her to leave. Nearly told her to go home to her boyfriend and forget it happened.
That it was a mistake and that they could still stay friends.
To be honest, Jette didn’t know if that last part was still true.
She had never felt such a desperate need to touch someone as she did in the darkened hallway.
The exhilaration made her feel dizzy while the knowledge that that might’ve been the first and only time she ever kissed Reese hit her squarely in the chest. That, combined with the fact that she had no idea how this left the status of their friendship and, well, Jette could barely handle the uneasy feeling.
She swallowed with difficulty as she jumped off the couch, unable to bear the silence and stillness any longer.
She turned on the wireless speaker and mindlessly tidied the spotless kitchen.
She’d already made a point to give the entire house a deep clean in preparation to leave it empty for the next few months, but a little extra scrubbing couldn’t hurt.
The chapstick in her pocket dug into her leg as she leaned over the pristine countertops.
It didn’t hurt enough to leave a mark, just enough to bring the memory of Reese’s lips to the forefront of her mind.
Jette fished it out of her pocket, set it on the counter, and took a step back to stare at it with crossed arms. At nearly ten o’clock at night, it was out of the question to return it to Reese.
The tiny forgotten tube must’ve cost a dollar at most. It wasn’t serious enough to warrant another visit, though Jette almost wished it were.
It seemed like a waste to throw it away, but what other option did she have?
Save it and hold on to it in hopes that she would return it one day?
The entire dilemma felt foolish. Unable to waste another second thinking about the damned thing, Jette swiped her hand over the counter and dumped it into the drawer next to the sink. Out of sight, out of mind.
As her mind continued to race, there was only one person Jette wanted to talk to. She retreated to the living room and grabbed her phone. Thankfully, he picked up after the very first ring.
“Jette?” Emery asked hesitantly. She almost never called without giving him a heads up first.
“Hey,” she answered hoarsely. “Can you talk?” She picked at the edges of her nail as she settled into the couch with the phone tucked against her cheek.
“Of course,” he replied. “Is everything okay?” Jette’s mouth hung open as she tried to think of a way to answer honestly.
Now that she was on the phone with Emery, she couldn’t imagine having to actually say the words out loud.
Emery’s voice sounded more concerned as the silence on her end of the call grew. “J, are you there?”
“Yes,” she mustered. “I’m still here, I just—” her voice cut out again. “We kissed.”
Emery paused on the other end of the line before pressing, “I’m gonna need a little bit more context here, babe.”
“Reese,” Jette blurted. “We kissed. Tonight.”
A gasp came through loud and clear and Jette rolled her eyes before Emery had a chance to respond. “Oh my god,” he began, “What happened? Tell me everything.”
“We were at the shop and I don’t know. We were having dinner and talking and all of a sudden we just…” Jette swallowed hard.
“Kissed,” Emery supplied without missing a beat. “I got that part,” he quipped. “Who kissed who?”
“Why does that matter?” Jette asked in exasperation.
“Because you are terrible at giving details!” Emery emphasized. “So did you kiss her or did she kiss you?”
Jette’s voice was uncharacteristically soft when she finally answered, “She kissed me.”
This time it was Emery’s turn to be left speechless. Enough silence-filled seconds had passed to make Jette concerned. She opened her mouth to speak when he finally broke the silence. “Holy shit,” he sighed. “So what does this mean? Are you guys like—”
“No,” Jette interrupted before he could unleash the mountain of questions she already knew he was sitting on. “I don’t think it means anything,” she said. “We kissed, her phone rang, and then she went home.”
“God, you are impossible to get information out of,” Emery grumbled. “Did you guys talk about it at all?”
Jette pinched the bridge of her nose, wishing she could quiet the noise rattling around her mind.
It felt better to unload some of her nervous energy into a call with Emery, but she still felt like a rubber band that had been pulled too tightly.
She knew she could count on Emery even though it’d been years since she’d broken down late at night to call him like this.
She recounted the night to Emery, who thankfully calmed down enough to listen in near silence.
Her throat felt tight as she glazed over the way Reese had kissed her before running out the door.
The memory made Jette’s stomach twist uncomfortably.
“So,” Emery paused, “Is it stupid to ask how you’re feeling?”
Jette choked out a humorless laugh. “No,” she answered.
“When it first happened,” she clarified, “I felt amazing. It was like everything finally clicked into place, you know?” But the more she tried to explain, the harder it became to admit how much the kiss had meant.
“But now I just…” her voice trailed off.
“She has a boyfriend.” Once she said it out loud, the word seemed to punch her in the chest. She ran an aggravated hand through her hair, tugging at the knots embedded in her long waves.
“Jesus christ, what the fuck was I thinking?” Jette’s voice raised in exasperation.
“I wasn’t. That’s the truth. I wasn’t thinking.
And honestly? In the moment, I didn’t even care that she has a boyfriend because I,” her voice cut out.
“I’m a bad person,” she spit out harshly.
“Easy, J,” Emery’s voice cut through the phone. “You’re not a bad person.”
“Yes I am. I’m a bad person and a bad friend,” she argued back.
Loud static came through the call and Jette flinched as she ripped the phone away from her ear. “See, this is what I was worried about,” Emery said. “I was afraid you were gonna get like this. I’m not leaving you alone tonight.”
“I’m fine.”
“Oh please. Shut up and open the door,” Emery huffed.
“What are you talking about?” Jette startled on the couch when two loud knocks came from the front door. The faint thuds echoed on the other end of the call.
“Let me in, bitch.”
. . . .
Emery bounded up the stairs ahead of her as Jette turned off the lights on the first floor.
She double checked the front door lock and gave a final sweeping glance over the living room.
In the dark, all of the features blended together.
She took a deep breath and tapped the suitcase with her fingertips before climbing the stairs to her bedroom.
Emery was already sprawled across the mattress and scrolling on his phone.
Jette rolled her eyes and distractedly changed into pajamas.
“You know you don’t have to stay over,” she repeated for what felt like the millionth time.
Emery didn’t even bother to roll his eyes in response. “Do you, or do you not feel better after we talked?” he asked pointedly.
“I do feel better, yes,” she admitted quietly. Though she wasn’t sure if feeling numb was truly feeling better. It seemed like all of the nervous energy from the day had now decisively settled on her shoulders. She couldn’t shake the lingering exhaustion.
Emery propped himself up on an elbow as he patted the mattress next to him. “And do you, or do you not feel better when I’m here?” His electric blue eyes twinkled smugly as Jette tugged a T-shirt overhead before collapsing into bed next to him.
“You know I do,” she mumbled sleepily. Emery seemed to radiate heat while pressed against her side. He let out a satisfied giggle and rested his head on her shoulder.
They lay in the dark for long enough for Jette’s eyelids to droop heavily.
The quiet rhythm of the ceiling fan overhead and the cadence of Emery’s breathing threatened to lull her to sleep.
Emery’s gravelly voice quietly asked, “Are you nervous for the tour?” Jette shook her head in silence.
She’d spent countless hours rehearsing until every song felt as simple as breathing.
She’d even taken to memorizing and reciting the upcoming tour schedule every night before bed—though she rarely made it past Des Moines before finally succumbing to sleep.
The sheets rustled noisily as Emery shifted against her.
“I’ve been creeping on all of your new bandmates,” he admitted.
“They’re very cute.” Jette hummed in quiet agreement while her eyes drifted closed.
“I’m just saying,” Emery added. “You’re hot.
They’re hot. You’ll be on a crowded tour bus together 24/7,” his voice drifted off playfully.
Jette let out a breathy laugh and cut him off, “Not a chance. Those are my new coworkers you’re talking about.
” That was an almost guaranteed way to get kicked off of any future tour dates.
Between her own reputation, and Jade’s—who had graciously recommended her—Jette wasn’t about to risk it all for some short-term fling on tour.
Especially not when the idea of kissing someone else seemed to make her chest ache.
Jette shook her head as Emery giggled in the dark.
The once calming rhythm of the ceiling fan now seemed to keep her awake.
Emery had already drifted to sleep while Jette lay in the dark, taking in every tiny detail of the dark room once her eyes had adjusted.
The house was overwhelmingly quiet and still.
The calm before the storm, she guessed. She still had loads of things on her to-do list to finish before tomorrow’s flight.
But now, there was nothing more for her to do except close her eyes and try to fight off any lingering memories before falling asleep.
The morning flight out of Philadelphia couldn’t come soon enough.