CHAPTER 9 #3
“You’re doing great. I’m almost done with the outline,” Jette continued as she rotated her wrists around in small circles. She closely studied the tattoo before her eyes darted to Reese’s face. The smile on her lips finally reached her eyes and her expression softened.
“It’s not as bad as I thought it would be,” Reese admitted.
“Really?” Jette challenged. “Well, I have more drawings and a ton of other ideas if you’re ever interested in getting more.” She gestured toward the artwork around the room with a gloved hand.
Reese teased, “I guess that means you’ll have to come home after the tour.” Her voice was bright, but an uneasy feeling settled in her chest. Jette shook her head mischievously and reached for her tools again.
“I guess so,” she conceded and fidgeted with the tray. After a short pause, she inhaled sharply and asked, “Do you want to have dinner with me?” The sudden change in her demeanor seemed to electrify the nerves already buzzing in Reese’s chest.
“Tonight?” Reese asked.
“Yes.” Jette looked her in the eyes and Reese’s throat felt dry.
“Sure,” she mused, careful to hide her own excitement. “Delivery?” She pulled out her phone and began to browse through a few options. “Or did you want to go out?” She chewed on her bottom lip.
“Delivery’s fine,” Jette replied. She continued brushing a strand of hair out of her face with the back of her wrist. The strand fell into her face and she let out a huff, watching it flutter in the breeze.
Without a thought, Reese leaned forward and tucked the hair behind Jette’s ear.
She paused for a fraction of a second and avoided Jette’s piercing eyes, instead focusing on the soft blush across Jette’s cheek.
Reflexively, she swiped her tongue across her bottom lip and immediately moved away to distract herself.
“What are you in the mood for?” she hurried, keeping her eyes glued to the screen in hand. “Sandwiches? Pasta? Sushi?”
“God, I’d kill for sushi right now,” Jette groaned.
Reese grinned to herself, nodding distractedly as she impulsively added items to the cart at random.
Her stomach growled at the idea of dinner and the sound would have definitely been audible had it not been for the music still playing overhead.
“Are you ready to go again?” Jette finally asked after Reese finished ordering.
She flicked the machine in her hands back to life.
“Bring it on,” Reese quipped as she wriggled back into position, enjoying the warmth radiating from Jette pressed against her once again.
. . . .
Reese was standing just inches from the mirror, closely inspecting every perfect inch of ink.
The inside of her arm was swollen and pink around the edges of the fresh tattoo.
Jette was admiring her in the mirror and didn’t try to hide the smile on her face when Reese’s eyes met hers in the reflection.
“It’s fucking perfect,” Reese let out a satisfied sigh.
“I still can’t believe I did it,” she said, lifting her arm to shamelessly flex the tender muscle.
Jette bit the corner of her mouth and looked like she was fighting the urge to roll her eyes.
Reese reached for her phone, desperate to document the moment while Jette waited patiently to wrap the agitated skin.
Reese finally stepped away from the floor length mirror and leaned against the edge of the padded table.
Jette’s gloved hands were cool to the touch as she gently slathered the heated skin.
She was standing close, her thighs just barely touching Reese’s legs as she bandaged her arm.
Reese’s head spun from the smell of Jette’s perfume that seemed to linger in the tiny room.
The smell was luxurious. Dark and rich with bright acidic notes that cut through sporadically.
It had a compelling element that made her want to lean in and smell it over and over again.
The gentle sting on her inner arm was almost forgotten as Reese focused on how closely they stood. After using the last of the tape, Jette used her chin to gesture towards the massive delivery bag on the counter.
“How much food did you order?” She asked enthusiastically as she stepped back, leaving Reese feeling light-headed. Her voice had now permanently settled back into her normal register.
Reese shrugged. “I don’t know, I always over-order when I’m hungry!
” Jette laughed as she tore open the containers.
Reese ran her hand over the wrapped tattoo absent-mindedly and winced.
The skin was more tender than she expected, but she still needed to touch it, to experience the discomfort again.
The feeling made it real. She ran a single finger over the clear wrap and marveled at how beautiful the wings spread across her skin.
. . . .
On any other Sunday, Reese would’ve been in bed by now.
But tonight she was wide awake and dreading the end of the night.
She wasn’t ready. Tonight, leaving the shop meant saying goodbye to Jette for months—possibly longer.
Glancing at the abandoned takeout containers on the coffee table, Reese was the first to break the easy silence between them.
“What cities are you going to?” she began. “On tour, I mean.” Her knee bumped Jette’s as she shifted in her seat.
Jette took a sip as she considered. “All over, really.” She started to rattle them off, “Atlanta, Phoenix, Seattle…” she paused before adding, “The usual big cities…New York, LA—”
Reese interrupted, “Philly?” But Jette shook her head regretfully.
“Not on this run,” she admitted. Reese watched her squirm uncomfortably before swiftly changing the subject. “What about you?” Jette asked, “Any derby games coming up?”
“Just a couple local games. But we have a tournament coming up next month,” Reese answered.
“Oooh, a tournament,” Jette sounded genuinely intrigued.
It was one of the things that Reese loved about her.
Even though Jette didn’t understand the sport, she would eagerly listen to Reese prattle on after an exhausting late-night practice or a hard-fought game.
Reese didn’t have to feel self-conscious, like she was bothering Jette with all the little details that swarmed her brain.
“Where at?” Jette pressed, lazily running her fingers through long dark waves.
“Vegas,” Reese replied.
“Oh boy. I can only imagine the trouble you and Lida are going to get into in Vegas,” Jette teased.
Her jaw dropped in feigned offense. “Excuse you. We would do no such thing.” Jette’s eyebrow hitched as Reese paused to reconsider her words. “Well, actually. Lida might. But I’m not the one you need to worry about.”
Jette’s eyes sparkled as she let out a tiny hum in response.
She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees.
Her hair fell past her shoulders in wild and unruly waves, brushing against the bare skin of her shoulders.
Her sweater had slid down, exposing more delicate floral tattoos that sprawled across her collarbones.
Neither of them moved. It was as though they were both trying to delay the imminent end of the night.
Reese had no concept of how long they sat like this, watching each other in charged silence.
She only knew that she was fighting every instinct to move closer.
“I should probably start cleaning up,” Jette finally announced. The gravelly words were quiet as Reese intently watched the way her full lips formed each syllable.
“I’ll help,” Reese offered, her own voice sounding raspy as Jette moved to stand.
Her eyes latched on to the small strip of skin at her hips that was exposed as Jette stretched her arms overhead.
Swallowing with difficulty, Reese raked her eyes over the rest of Jette’s body as she turned to pile the empty containers into the trash.
The few feet between them felt vast as Jette began to move towards the back hallway.
Before Reese had a chance to think, she was already on her feet.
A familiar warmth blossomed up her neck and she felt a nervous thrum in her chest as she blindly followed into the dark hallway.
Reese’s body felt like it was vibrating from all the butterflies in her stomach.
She wasn’t thinking clearly as she stretched a hand out to grab Jette’s wrist. Or maybe this was the first time she’d been thinking clearly since the night they met.
The only thing Reese knew for sure was that she couldn’t bear to leave without knowing if this feeling building in her chest was imagined or not.
Her skin seemed to prickle with heat as she pulled Jette around to face her.
Those familiar dark eyes were blazing with surprise and the same intensity Reese felt in every cell in her body.
Their faces were dangerously close and the smell of Jette’s perfume filled her nose again, pulling her even closer.
For a moment, Jette paused and Reese followed suit, welcoming the way the undeniable tension electrified every inch of space between them.
This feeling couldn’t have been imagined.
The way Jette was looking at her confirmed it.