“Hi Justin,” the blonde answered, her smile seeming even more shy than normal, if that was at all possible. Were it not for the fact he had watched her act similarly with nearly every person she ever met, Justin would likely have spent the last few years under the impression Jessie was nursing one hell of a monster crush on him. With how shy she was in general, though, he had never read much into blushing greetings like the one he had just received. Lily, on the other hand, seldom greeted him with such a ferocious scowl. He really wasn’t sure what he had done to deserve her ire, but he was in a good enough mood to hold out his bowl of popcorn as a peace offering nonetheless.
“You girls want some butter and air? I just fired up an excellent movie.”
“No, we…” Lily started, but before she managed to refuse the invitation Jessie was already halfway over to the couch.
“Is that? It is! How did you know I was coming?” The blonde gushed, her face lighting up at the sight of her all time favourite movie.
“Hey, I’ll not turn down credit for happy accidents,” Justin chuckled, pulling the popcorn back onto his chest and shifting a bit to one side. “Hop a seat, blondie,” he offered, patting the now empty cushion beside him.
Still standing by the door with a grim expression Lily groaned in frustration, but if her best friend even heard the noise it wasn’t enough to change her mind. Jessie practically vaulted over the sofa’s armrest to land in the exact spot from which she had first seen the film in question several years prior. The blonde’s enthusiasm sent her bouncing into Justin and threatened to send his popcorn flying, but he somehow managed to both corral the bowl and keep it free of her hair. A true miracle, that.
“Whoa, easy there, kid,” he chuckled, turning back over towards the door. “Come on, sis, you know you like this one too…” For a second Lily looked like she was about to scream at him, but the moment fizzled out. Instead she just rolled her eyes with a huff and reluctantly plodded over towards the living area, falling into one of the vacant chairs with a visible pout. If this is what teenage daughters are like… Justin mused, shaking his head as he turned back to the tv.
Before the older brother’s eyes could settle back on the screen, though, he felt the none-too-gentle nudge of an elbow into his ribs. Glancing down at his side he saw Jessie shooting him a sad puppy dog look. “Could you start it over, please?” she asked softly.
“I don’t know,” he teased, dragging out every word. “That’s a lot of work. What’ll you give me in return?”
“Uh… I,” she glanced away, chewing on her lower lip as she tried to think up a suitable answer. Serious interest or no, it had always been great fun teasing a girl as easily flustered as Jessie and as he looked down at her, it occurred to Justin that his newfound period of free agency might just be the perfect chance to have some lighthearted fun at the shy teen’s expense.
“How about a kiss, huh?” he suggested, grinning as the blonde’s wide eyes darted back to meet his own. Her cheeks, already flushed from drinking, visibly reddened at the proposal. Much to Justin’s surprise, though, she didn’t back away.
“I, um…” her pale blue eyes didn’t waver, locked on to his own as she bit her lip hard. “Alright…” she murmured after a long moment, the word barely above a whisper.
Unexpected, Justin thought, but not unwelcome. For just a moment he gazed into Jessie’s eyes to make sure she meant it before leaning in to plant a kiss on her full red lips. A protest of “Justin!” came from his sister’s spot across the room, but their lips had already met before the word was even finished. A moment later and he heard her scoff and turn away.
Jessie stiffened as Justin’s lips made contact with her own, but a moment later she relaxed a little and fell into the kiss. To his surprise the teen wasn’t entirely passive, her lips moving with his own. There was no tongue involved and her mouth remained closed, but Justin could still taste the faint alcohol on her breath and, he thought, a hint of cherry lipstick as well.
Their kiss ended as abruptly as it had begun, Justin raising one eyebrow as he pulled away. Gazing down at her, he saw Jessie was breathing a little heavier than before and smirked. “Well now, what have you been up to lately?” he teased, voice barely more than a whisper. The teen didn’t reply, though, just blushing a little deeper and turning away.
“Alright, a deal’s a deal,” he announced in a louder voice, settling back into his spot on the couch. Picking up the remote beside him, he fiddled with its buttons until the movie was back at its beginning once more.
“Thank you,” Jessie’s quiet voice could barely be heard over the tv.
“No, no, thank you,” Justin answered, glancing down at her again. This time, though, her eyes were locked on the screen so his own only lingered briefly before returning there as well.
With that the trio settled in to watch their movie, its familiar glories playing out before their eyes yet again. Lily lay curled up in her usual awkward fashion on one of the two chairs positioned between the couch and screen. Most who witnessed the way she routinely contorted her body on such occasions were left flabbergasted as to how such a position could possibly be comfortable, but the teen always swore by the habit and those who knew her well had long since stopped questioning it. Behind her and out of view Justin had resumed his earlier position at the center of the couch, though he had straightened up enough for the popcorn bowl to perch in his lap rather than atop his chest. Beside him rested Jessie, but where the siblings were cozily nestled in she was anything but. Every minute or two the blonde would shift her position, curling up against the armrest for awhile, then tucking her legs under her body, then stretching them out towards the coffee table… Around twenty minutes into the film yet another round of repositioning saw a stray elbow catch Justin in the side and he decided he’d had enough.
“You know, Jes, it is remarkably hard to focus on the movie with you fidgeting like the dog that sat on the anthill,” he whispered, turning to glance at the teen beside him. “Just, c’mere already.” At the sound of his voice Jessie swung her head up to look at her host, but he was already reaching out to wrap an arm around her shoulders. The teen looked surprised at his move, but there was no protest forthcoming when he pulled her close. Instead she leaned in to rest her head on his shoulder, a smile decorating her pretty face as she directed her attention back towards the screen. Without thinking, Justin began to gently massage the girl’s arm, that casual intimacy prompting her to snuggle in closer and plant one hand over his heart.
Rather than tapering off as Justin had hoped, though, the teen’s fidgeting only seemed to grow more intense over the next half an hour. But where before her constant shifting had been an annoyance, now each move brought her in tighter against the well-sculpted body of Lily’s big brother, something he didn’t mind near so much. By the time her favourite film was halfway through its run the pretty blonde was practically clinging to his side, so close he could feel her every breath. Her head was nuzzled deep into the crook of his neck, her budding breasts were smooshed up against his side, and one of her long, toned legs had settled atop his own while the other lay coiled up beneath her. So close were their bodies that he could smell the faint trace of alcohol on her breath, that familiar presence blended with a subtle vanilla and a hint of, cinnamon? The scent of her perfume, he supposed, or perhaps a shampoo.