A Step Back (Jennifer. A + David. S)

Chapter 19: Just So He Can Hear It

DAVID'S POV
The sweet smell of success lingers in my bedroom. It's been quite a year, and a great one indeed. The year is over, no more work for the next few months. No more waking up at seven! The rain pours down heavily outside my window, and I lay spread-eagle across my bed over my covers in only my boxers. I take in the smells- rain, linen, and smoke from the bakery just starting up across the street.
"I'm so tired of being lonely, I still have some love to give won't you..."
What are the words? I sing the song in my head again, but I can't finish the line. I get up out of bed and take my guitar out of the closet; and I haven't played it in years. I sit down and play the song: D, C, G, D, C, G, C, Em, G. Okay, then I get to the part I was singing, but I can't remember the words! I try to remember them, and I squeeze my eyes shut to help, but nothing comes...
BANG!
My door busts open, and Jennifer comes running in, wearing a bathrobe and carrying a large bag full of clothes. By the looks, she's almost crying. I set the guitar down next to me and stand up. I rush to her side, worried and scared out of my mind.
"My...boyfriend kicked me out of his house and I couldn't get into mine! I don't have a key because I thought I'd borrow his but then he broke up with me!" She panted and cried out at the same time.
She was soaking wet, and I was only in my boxers. I gathered her up into my arms and carried her into my bedroom, holding her tightly against my chest. I set her down on the bed, pulling out dry clothes for the both of us. I tossed her a shirt and a pair of my underwear. She put them on like shorts, and removed her shirt, and replaced it with mine. I only caught a glimpse of her in her underwear. After we'd both gotten dressed and she had caught her breath, I took a seat next to her. She's crying, so I delicately place my hand on her thigh. I glance at her eyes, but hers remain on her hands in her lap. We've switched roles, she's the nervous and closed one while I'm the consoling confused one.
"How are you?" I ask cautiously, hoping to cause her as little annoyance as possible.
She turned to me, pushing me down onto my bed and laid down next to me. She brought her head to the crook of my neck, and wrapped her arms around my middle. She gave my collarbone a little kiss, before settling her head back into my shoulder. We laid there together, and I was too afraid to ask anything of her. But something burned in my mind. She mentioned a boyfriend. I'm not against her dating anyone, because last time I checked, she's not with me. It just hurts to know she loves another man. And she never told me, which is kind of rude. You know, a little heads up would have been nice. Oh, by the way, I'm sleeping with this douche! Well, she'd never say that, but something similar.
I glance down at her, laying so peacefully in my arms. She looked up and met my eyes.
"You are probably really confused right now. Let me explain." She whispered.
I opened my mouth to speak, but she silenced me with her finger.
"Yes, I'm dating someone. His name is Chris, and we've been together for only a month. I slept over at his house last night, and gave him my key. We were planning to go make a copy later on, so I could have one. When we woke up this morning, I was telling him about last night and how we were up on the roof. He started questioning my relationship with you, because I always mention you to him. I then revealed that you have feelings for me to him, and Chris just flipped. He doesn't like the idea of my closest friend being in love with me, so he threw me out, and I had no key to get inside my own house but I have one for your house, so I came here." She explained.
I nodded, understanding what happened. Honestly I get what Chris means, and why he got mad. A little extreme, but fair enough.
"I have follow up question for you then. Why do you have my key?" I chuckled out.
She laughed, and blushed.
"I took your emergency key you keep under your mat. Oops!" She giggled, so sweetly, covered her face.
I laughed with her, and held her closer.

"Were you in love with him?" I pondered.
Her smile changed to a frown.
"No, it had only been a month. We'd been on three dates, so we barely knew each other really." She replied, sadly.
I ran my hand up and down her back, and squeezed her.
"Am I really your closest friend?" I asked, my final question.
She smiled wide, and this time hugged me.
"Of course! I love Court and Lisa, but you and I connect more emotionally than them." She poked me on my chest when she said 'you'.
I grinned happily. Our faces were close, so I looked deeply into her eyes. She smiled softly and delicately, like a tiny butterfly.
"You know, my mother said you can see deep into a man's soul through his eyes." She whispered, against my lips.
I closed my eyes, and then opened them again.
"Huh, well my eyes are just black holes so I don't know how much you can really see." I chuckled.
She giggled and brushed my hair away from my eyes.
"Well I see love, passion...pain, wisdom, depression...and insecurity." She weakly admitted, her voice cracking every time she paused.
I looked down, not meeting her eyes. She placed her hand on my chest, just above my heart.
"...and a whole shit ton of bravery."
A smile returned to my face.
LATER
The clouds never parted to reveal the sun, they hung low in the sky dark as can be. All day Jennifer and I were together, doing everything. We watched many movies, read books, cooked food, and even danced along to rock n' roll. As the evening approached, we were in bed together, both reading books.
Jennifer was devoured into the novel about a teacher who changed his students' lives, one of my favourites. She had been reading through it all day, while my focus fluctuated through the hours. As the warm glow from the lamps owned the room, and the delicate smell of rain hung in the air, I finished my book. I set it down on top of the blankets, on my lap. We were both sitting up under the blankets, against the headboard of my bed. I peeked out the window, and down onto the street below where people walked by holding umbrellas for protection from the rain. I glanced over at Jennifer, who hadn't noticed I'd finished. I craned my neck to the left and read her page over her shoulder. For almost half an hour, I continued to read over her. I was a bit faster, but I'd wait until she had finished and turned the page. In those moments I watched her smile, cry, and laugh along with the book. She was so calm, and peaceful. Not a care in the world, but for those in the books. I wish sometimes I could just stop caring. I finally rested my chin on her shoulder. She turned her head to meet my eyes, and smiled happily. We went back to reading her book. I'd read the beginning before, so I hadn't missed much. When we finished the book, she shut it closed and clasped it to her chest, while tearing up.
"Wow, that book was just.... Wow." She cried, as I reached my arm around her.
I kissed her cheek gently, and brushed her falling hair away from her face.
"You can keep it if you'd like." I offer, and she turns to me and smiles brightly.
She comes close to me, grabbing my face and kissing my cheek. We both laugh and we sit back, looking deeply into one another's eyes. It's moments like these that make me question our relationship as friends. Suddenly, she leaps up and bounces up and down.
"Let's go on a walk!" She shouted.
I laughed, before realizing she was serious.
"You mean in the pouring rain? Yeah you'll be soaked after five seconds!" I debate.
She comes over to my side of the room and tugs my arm back and forth, trying to pull me up.
"Please please please please please David! If you weren't so goddamn heavy I'd be dragging your ass down the street!" She warns.
I roll my eyes, and yawn, trying to annoy her. She gives me a death glare, and I quickly stand up.
"I'm only joking! Are you seriously going to walk in public in only a t-shirt and my boxers? Good luck not getting arrested." I laugh, making her cross her arms across her chest. She pulls out a pair of sweatpants from her bag and puts them on, while I'm looking. She tries to make me as awkward as possible, and I try and hold down her stare. She then stands up, reached into my dresser, pulls out a pair of jeans, and forces them into my arms. I slide them on, and grab two heavy coats. I place the thicker one over her shoulders, and hold it so she can put her arms through. I then walk around so I'm in front of her, and do up the buttons on it. She grins up at me, and hands me my coat from the bed, so I put it on as we leave the apartment. We walk downstairs and outside into the rain. She puts her hood up, but my jacket has no hood. At least I have short hair! She struts down the street, and I follow behind her.
"David walk next to me! I don't like you goggling at my butt!" She jokes, and takes my hand
We walk down the street in silence, until the rain comes down even heavier, and the wind blows. I bring her closer so she's under my arm, and she hides her head in my chest.
"Great idea! Now we're both soaked and cold!" I mess with her, seeing how she reacts.
She pushed me aside, almost making me slip and fall. I laugh, and pick her up into my arms and swing her around, as she giggles uncontrollably. We are in a large open field now, where no one is around, only a single lonely tree. I smile and give her a quick peck on the lips as she's holding onto me for life. We soon stop spinning around, laughing and soaking wet. The clouds never move, the rain never halts, and the wind just keeps blowing. Her lips were cold and wet, as both of our bodies were.
"Did you know, our bodies are always 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, even when it's this cold or as hot as the desert!" I shout over the wind. She ruffles my hair and smiles.
"You've always been my little nerd haven't you?" She giggled and slid down my body, until she's in my arms again, clenching into my middle. I wrap my wet jacket around her, so it's on me and her her head is nuzzled in my chest, the least wet part of my body. We hold each other, in spite of the weather surrounding us. Our hair is blowing in the wind, and we can barely see fifteen feet in front of us. It's the worst it's ever been in LA, at least I think. Every inch of us is soaked, all the way to my underwear. I bend down next to her ear.
"Are you warm enough?" I ask, as she looks up at me.
Her nose is pink, along with her ears and cheeks. She shivers and clenches her teeth tightly. The way she looks at me tells me she needs me. I furrow my eyebrows, realizing we have to get home. I pick her up, and hold her against my body. I zip the jacket around us, and place her head between my neck and the collar of my coat, trying to keep her as warm as I can. I squint, and carry on. The field is muddy and slippery, but it gets easier when I make it back to the street. I feel her shiver a few times, motivating me to get her home as fast I possibly can.
"It's okay, we'll be home soon sweetie." I console into her ear.
When I approach the door, I pull out my keys from my pockets and force the door open. I race inside and up the stairs, and into my bedroom. I strip her of everything but her shirt and my underwear. I'm holding her in my arms, and I glance into her eyes for permission. She nods, so I strip her until she's only in her bra and underwear, not my boxers. I take a breath, before realizing how inappropriate it would be to stare.
"Would you like to shower or get dressed?"
She reaches out to me, running her hands up and down my body.
"Shower." I carry her into the bathroom, and set her down onto the counter.
I take two fluffy dry towels from the cupboard and place them next to her, and reach out for the shower knob. I turn it on, and twist the dial to hot water. I say goodbye, and leave the bathroom. With nothing to do, I pull my guitar from the couch and sit on the bed. I begin to play Stairway to Heaven, by Led Zeppelin. After half an hour, Jennifer walks out of the bathroom and into my room, with only a towel around her body. I immediately stand up to get her clothes. I hand her a maroon Henley, and sweatpants. She disappears again, back to the bathroom.
Later on, we are cuddled up on the couch, watching a movie together. I'm not even sure what's going on because all I can think about is her. Is this normal? Is it normal to be this close to someone, someone I call a friend? I mean I've never really had any friends before, but I don't think this is how they behave. Maybe I'm just over reacting.
I cuddle my head up close to Jennifer, and she pulls me into her arms. She wraps them around me, bringing me in close.
"Mmmmm, you smell nice." She whispers, just so I can hear it.
I swallow, and shuffle a bit.
"Um thanks I guess."
JENNIFER'S POV
I lay him down in my arms, examining him. I've always said I don't feel anything for him, but maybe I was just saying that because of Chris. I could never say I liked him if I already had a boyfriend, but now I realize I never actually liked Chris. I only was with him to reassure myself that I wasn't interested in David. His eyes are closed, so peacefully. His hands folded across his stomach, his dark hair falling over his eyes. His chest rises and falls slowly, as he breathes in deeply. The shirt he's wearing clings to his upper body, showing the muscle and shape of him. I run my had through his hair, pushing it aside from his eyes. My eyes just wander up and down his body, my face smiling widely.
"Goodnight my darling." I whisper, just so he can hear it.