He walked up a few flights of stairs and down a short corridor, checking the numbers on the doors. He stopped at D12, checked he had the right number, and raised his hand to knock. His heart hammered his chest. This was a big deal, being right outside her home.
He looked down at himself and wondered if he should’ve gone for something more fitting for a date like a shirt and a coat. But then he remembered that he did a lot of walking and needed to be comfortable. They never talked about making their dinner a formal affair but he knew he’d beat himself up if she opened the door wearing a red dress.
“Argh, relax,” he told himself.
He knocked three times and waited. The corridor was empty and quiet. He wouldn’t have been surprised if Jess was the only person in the building. He neatened himself as best as he could and wiped his face.
The lock crunched and the door swung open.
He was used to seeing Jess at school and he saw her around town occasionally. But that was always her public facade. She had to look pretty and presentable and modest all at once. When the curtains closed, he never saw who she was.
Now he was looking at her away from everything and everyone. She wore a grey college hoodie and matching sweatpants. He liked the fluffy morning slippers on her feet. Her hair was tied back in clips and a messy bun. He wanted to melt at her feet. She gave him a smile that made trudging through the rain worth it.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” he said, smiling wider.
Her smile faded when she noticed his clothes were wet. “Did you walk in–”
He waved it off. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just really happy to see you.”
She tilted her head. “Come in.”
He grabbed his luggage and stepped past her. Her usual sweet scent was lighter but he caught it and relished it. She peeked outside her door before shutting it and locking it. He dropped his bags and took a good look around.
Jess lived in a small studio apartment. Tan walls, wood floors and a giant window next to a balcony area too thin to stand on. A double bed sat in the corner of the room and a cluttered desk opposite that. She didn’t have a TV but she did have a two-seater couch, a rug and a coffee table. Her kitchenette was in an alcove next to the front door. Picture frames filled empty spaces on the walls and tiny pot plants dotted all the packed shelves.
Jess stepped next to him. She fiddled with the sleeve of her hoodie and glanced at him.
“This is me,” she said.
“I can tell. The warm colors, the little plants, the overloaded shelves, the stray sock under the bed, it’s so you.”
She spotted the sock and laughed. She bumped her shoulder against his. “You weren’t supposed to see that.”
He was falling for her all over again. He stared at her until she caught his gaze. She took a step closer to him and their mouths were only a breath apart. All over again. He kissed her. It was soft and brief. Their lips smacked when they pulled away. She looked up at him with big eyes and he kissed her again. Their kiss started soft and brief and became long and deep. He moaned against her mouth. If she felt his skin was cold, she didn’t seem to care. She kept him warm.
She brought her hand up to caress his cheek. They smiled at each other and took a moment to breathe.
“I’m really happy you’re here,” she said. “I’ve been thinking about what you said on Friday and I’d also like to get to know you better. I’m hoping we’ll have the time to talk and…just be together.”
“I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time,” he said. He glanced at the window. The sky was dark and the rain refused to let up. “Looks like perfect weather for cuddles.”
Her thumb brushed against his cheek. The gesture and the intense look in her eye sent a chill up his spine. He laid his hand over her wrist to savor her touch.
“When are you leaving?” she asked. The sadness in her voice made it seem like she expected him to stay for half an hour.
He smirked and pecked her lips. “Well that’s up to you. I could leave later tonight or I could leave tomorrow night.”
A slow smile crept up her lips. She looked at his duffel bag. “Is that–”
He nodded.
“Are you sure it’s okay with–”
He nodded again.
She couldn’t contain her excitement. She grinned and gripped him in a firm hug. He felt like a winner.
“So can I stay the night?” he asked, feigning shyness.
She smacked him and hugged him again. “Of course.”
The night was only getting better. He took her hands and walked her over to the kitchen counter.
“I thought buying a ready-made dinner would’ve been boring so I thought I’d cook something for you,” he said.
Her mouth hung open.
He let her hands go to unpack the groceries. Jess slinked behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She peeked over his shoulder as he listed everything he picked up. Oil, cod, spices, potatoes, eggs, the finest ingredients he could get.
“Fish and chips?” she asked, close to his ear. She rubbed her fingertips against his stomach.
“Yeah. I know it’s not a fancy romantic dinner but it’s a British dish and I wanted to make it for you,” he said. His voice became softer. “If you don’t want that, I can get something else.”
West glanced over his shoulder. She pressed her face against his back.
“Jess?”
“It’s perfect, love,” she said.
He heard a crack in her voice and turned around. She looked up at him with sparkling eyes and shook her head.
“I never expected this,” she said. “You, a dinner date, everything that’s happened, it feels like a dream and I don’t want to wake up.”
She teared up again but the look in her eyes was piercing. It drew him in. It convinced him that she felt as strongly about him. Perhaps even more. What they had, it was real. He took her face between his hands. She closed her eyes and held his wrists, to savor his touch.
“We’re not dreaming,” he told her. He kissed her forehead.
“West.”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
Jess never let herself become vulnerable in front of anyone. He wasn’t anyone anymore. He wanted to earn that and keep earning that.
He smiled at her and nodded.
“Let me get started here,” he said, glancing at the groceries.
She let him go and looked over the ingredients he brought. “How did you afford this?”
“I didn’t.” He poked around the cupboards, looking for a proper pan. “Got everything for free.”
“Uh, do tell. I’d like to get free groceries too.”
He chuckled. “Matilda from the store on Fair Way; she must’ve been in a good mood.”
“Or she likes you as much as I do.”
“She does a lot of business with my father so I guess she thinks of me as her nephew.”
“I see.”
She stepped behind him and cuddled against his back again. Oh, he loved that. She clung onto him as he got everything set up. Before he rolled his sleeves up, he walked over to his bag with Jess in tow and pulled out a Bluetooth speaker. She laughed when he bent over. He raised it over his shoulder for her to see.
“Yes?” she asked.
“I like to cook with some music on but I want you to play your favorite songs,” he said.
She let him go and took the speaker gingerly. “We’re not allowed to play loud music in the building. People love to complain.”
“Then play it softly. I just want to hear the kind of songs you listen to.”