CHAPTER 7 #3
I don’t know. It’s your car and you were the one who promised you’d be fine to drive home. Call an uber or figure it out
She shoved the phone into her back pocket. It was time for her to take what she needed as opposed to stepping in and saving Kiran’s ass for what felt like the millionth time. Enough was enough.
. . . .
The snow was now sufficiently mixed with rain, leaving a freezing cold and wet sludge that covered the streets and sidewalks.
It seemed to muffle the sounds of the city and an eerie silence fell over the streets as they walked, only disrupted by the rhythmic sloshing of their boots.
The air felt sharp in her lungs and Reese could see her breath billowing out in front of her like clouds.
She peeked to her right at Jette and Emery walking beside her.
Jette’s head was down and her teeth were gritted against the cold.
She wore only her signature black leather jacket, which clearly wasn’t providing any real warmth against the elements.
“D’you wish you had a real coat on there, J?” Emery teased.
“Nope,” Jette retorted.
“Well, if you die of frostbite out here, at least you’ll leave a sexy corpse behind,” Emery chided.
Jette gasped in mock surprise, “Awe, you think I’m sexy?” Her voice sounded strained as the words came through gritted teeth. Reese laughed and Jette turned to flash her a frozen smile.
Emery huffed in exasperation, “That’s what you choose to focus on?
” His shuffled steps slowed as he crossed to a set of stairs illuminated by the street light overhead.
“Hug?” he asked, stretching his arms out to Jette.
She grinned and pulled him in tight. “Text me when you’re home safe, yeah?
” He looked at Reese warmly before pulling her in for a hug too.
Reese’s feet were starting to ache from the cold, but she relished the body heat as Emery drew her close to his chest.
“You’re not coming with us?” she asked.
Emery shook his head and gestured towards the building, “Nah, this is my apartment.” Keys jingled from his gloved hand as he waved goodbye. Reese noticed the impossibly fast wink he sent to Jette out of the corner of her eye as she turned away.
“Bye babe,” Jette called over her shoulder.
Her leather-covered shoulders hunched just under her ears, tensing from the cold.
The hazy combination of the falling snow and yellow street lights made her dark eyes appear nearly pitch black.
A shiver shot down Reese’s spine as Jette asked, “You feeling okay? My place is only a couple blocks farther.”
Reese nodded, too cold to speak. They silently shuffled through the snow side by side before Jette led them to her front door.
Inside, they kicked off their shoes which were now soaked from the short walk.
They shivered violently as they haphazardly discarded their jackets and struggled to warm up.
The damp skin of Reese’s cheeks burned from the sudden change in temperature.
“You want hot tea or something?” Jette shuddered. Her icy wet hair was plastered to the side of her face and her clothes were drenched from the snow still falling outside.
“That sounds perfect, thanks,” Reese answered shakily, her body still trembling.
She paused to survey the room, taking in all the tiny details of Jette’s home.
Jette gave the impression that she had great taste, but the amazing décor confirmed it.
Everywhere she looked, a massive assortment of framed prints and paintings sprawled over the walls.
She stole another glance around the room as Jette threw a kettle on the stove.
“I can grab you some sweats,” Jette offered as she noticed Reese wandering around the open-concept living room.
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Reese began.
She quickly stopped herself short when she realized how cold and drenched her own jeans were.
Jette gave her a dubious once over and crooked an eyebrow in her direction.
Reese backpedaled and let out a nervous chuckle, “Actually, that would be great, thanks.” Jette saw how tightly her arms were clasped around herself, clinging to what little warmth she had left, and reached for a blanket on the overstuffed chair in the corner.
Reese smiled appreciatively as Jette draped it over her shoulders.
“I’ll be right back,” Jette said quickly.
She bounded up the stairs and Reese snuggled into the warm dry blanket around her, inhaling the cozy smell that enveloped her.
It smelled like Jette, some kind of combination of perfume and detergent.
The house exuded warmth and comfort, down to the glowing lamps thoughtfully spaced around the room.
It even smelled warm, like the tiniest whiff of campfire smoke or ash was lingering in the large room.
Jette came barreling downstairs with an armload of clothes.
Reese shrugged the blanket off her shoulders.
“You’re warm already?” Jette asked curiously as Reese draped the heavy knit over the armchair.
Reese answered embarrassedly, “I don’t want to get your blanket all wet.”
Jette extended an arm to her with a change of clothes.
“Oh please, I don’t give a fuck about that,” Jette flashed a warm smile and awkwardly stuck her hands into her back pockets, slightly rocking on her heels.
“So,” she paused, “This is my house.” Her voice quietly shook as the cold faded away in the warm apartment.
Reese could feel Jette’s eyes on her as she studied the room.
She nodded sheepishly as she tore her eyes away from the art collection covering every wall.
Jette seemed to look down at her clothes self-consciously.
“I’m sorry,” she stammered. “Do you mind if I go take a quick shower? I feel sweaty and gross after playing the show.”
Reese shook her head, “Go for it. This is your house,” she repeatedly gently, a cheeky grin turning her lips up at the corners.
Jette rolled her eyes. “The kettle’s on the stove and I left a couple mugs out if you want to make some tea when it’s ready,” she offered politely.
“And there’s a bathroom on the other side of the kitchen if you want to get changed,” she continued as she slowly backed to the stairs again. “I’ll be quick, I promise.”
“Take your time. It’ll give me a chance to snoop through all your stuff.” The chuckle that pushed its way past Jette’s lips went straight to Reese’s chest. She was only half-kidding. She couldn’t wait to look over every detail of the meticulous house away from Jette’s intense gaze.
Jette jogged up the stairs. “Do your worst. Let me know what you find,” she quipped back. Reese smirked to herself at how Jette’s lightning-fast wit always kept her on her toes.
Reese audibly groaned as she changed into the clothes Jette had given her.
The dark gray sweatpants were a little short, but otherwise fit perfectly over her hips.
She strolled through the kitchen, noticing a corkboard across from the stove.
There must’ve been more than fifty different pictures, postcards, and business cards hastily hung about.
Reese skimmed her fingertips over the glossy paper, hovering slightly as she studied the faces on display.
Her hand froze when she noticed a picture of Jette and a gorgeous olive-skinned woman.
They both wore black dresses, though Jette had a plunging neckline that left Reese’s cheeks flushed.
The floral tattoos that Reese was used to admiring on Jette’s collar bones were entirely absent.
Her pale skin looked incomplete without the delicate vines creeping from under her tight fitting wrap dress.
She looked beyond stunning. An absolute vision in a floor-length gown that left little to the imagination.
Not that Reese was imagining what Jette looked like underneath.
She wasn’t not imagining it either, but the photo left her mind to wander as she ran her eyes over the thigh-high slit that exposed Jette’s long legs and impractically tall heels.
Reese’s mouth felt dry as she carefully scrutinized the way the women were wrapped around each other.
Jette’s dark pointed nails demurely rested on the other woman’s hip while an olive-skinned arm casually looped around Jette’s neck.
The embrace looked far from intimate or romantic, but an uneasy feeling settled in the back of her mind as Reese leaned closer, her heated breath leaving marks on the glossy surface.
The kettle began to hum and whistle, jolting her attention away.
She filled both mugs, savoring the hot steam that emanated as she clutched one to her chest. The kitchen quietly thrummed with white noise.
The faint buzzing of the refrigerator was just barely audible over the thunder of running water directly overhead.
The mug in hand was almost too warm to hold, the ceramic radiating heat as she brought it to her lips.
Reese knew it was too hot, an almost guaranteed burn waiting to happen but she took a tentative sip anyways, nearly spilling the contents of her mug as it burned her tongue.
Obscenities rolled off her damaged lips in between cooling breaths.
Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, Reese looked at the other mug and wondered if it would still be warm by the time Jette eventually came downstairs.
She hesitated with her arms outstretched.
Jette had to have been freezing after the icy walk home and she started preparing a mug for herself almost immediately.
Did she want Reese to leave the kettle on?
Or had she meant for Reese to leave a lukewarm mug of tea on the kitchen counter for her?
Struggling, Reese imagined what she would do if she were at Lida’s place instead of Jette’s.
Though for the life of her, she couldn’t imagine Lida ever drinking hot tea.
A hot toddy definitely, but never hot tea.
Come to think of it, Reese could remember several times she had brought a beer into the hotel shower for Lida during tournament weekends.
She had even stayed to sit on the hard tiled floor after a particularly grueling game and chatted through the shower curtain.
After years of friendship, it wasn’t a big deal to either of them at all. Surely she was overthinking this.
After several moments pacing back and forth, Reese left her mug on the counter and cautiously carried the other mug up the stairs. Light streamed from under a door at the end of the hallway as Reese knocked gingerly.
Jette’s voice echoed as Reese tentatively opened the door, sending a plume of thick and humid air billowing into the hallway.
Reese turned her head slightly and saw the glass door to the shower was fogged over with steam.
Her breath silently caught in the back of her throat as she caught the faint silhouette of Jette’s body through the glass.
Her arms were stretched overhead and her head was tilted back.
Her pale skin looked darker in places, undoubtedly from the tattoos that flowed down her ribs before trailing down long slender legs.
She slammed her eyes shut and then immediately drew her gaze to the floor.
A hot prickly feeling swept over her chest as she cleared her throat.
“Sorry, I um—I brought you some tea,” she answered.
Her cheeks seared with embarrassment as the room went quiet.
The sounds of water bouncing off Jette’s skin and landing on the tiled floor filled the tiny bathroom.
Reese tried not to picture it as her eyes snapped shut.
This was absolutely nothing like the times she brought Lida something in the shower.
Lida would’ve made a crass joke or started singing at the top of her lungs.
It would’ve never felt this intimate if Lida were the one on the other side of the glass wall.
Hell, she’d seen Lida stark naked countless times and it had never felt as intimate.
“You’re the best, thanks. You can leave it on the counter.
” Jette’s voice was muffled through the glass.
Reese set the mug down carefully before turning on her heel and closing the door behind her.
Her mouth felt dry as her heart thrummed in her chest. She leaned to rest against the cool hallway wall.
Jette must’ve thought she was a freak for walking in on her in the shower and Reese reeled in disbelief.
Her inner dialogue consisted of a long stream of obscenities as she immediately tried to repress the memory.
But the image of Jette through the frosted glass persisted inappropriately.
Her skin was the most delicate shade of pale pink, flushed from the hot water.
Reese looked down at her clothes and wondered if she needed a cold shower of her own.
Her eyes widened at the intrusive thought of turning around and entering the bathroom again, this time leaving her clothes amongst Jette’s on the tiled floor.
Bringing a hand to her mouth, Reese gently touched her lips and tried to stifle the smile that broke across her face. Bad idea.