Chapter 3
“I thought you said 12...” Jenn said as Sara stumbled into their apartment.
Sara quickly looked up and smiled at Jenn, “Well…I lost track of time. Forgive me?”
Jenn rolled her eyes at her intoxicated friend, “This is the fourth time this week Sara, I’ve been worried.”
Sara dropped her purse down onto the table and pulled her jacket off, “Well I’m sorry, MOM.” She let out a giggle.
“That’s the thing, I’m not your mom. You need to be more considerate, more responsible.” Jenn stood up from the couch.
“And you need to loosen up, have some fun.” Sara made her way over to Jenn and grabbed her hands and started dancing with her.
Jenn shook her hands away and let out an exasperated sigh, “I’m not about to start going out and getting drunk like you have been, sorry, that’s not my idea of fun.”
Sara plopped down onto the couch and clumsily kicked her shoes off, “Kevin was sad you weren’t there tonight…”
“I never told him I’d be there.”
“Next time you’re coming, even if I have to drag you. He’s not some weirdo Jenn, he’s a really nice guy.”
“Well, right now I don’t need to be in a relationship, why must you always bring this up.”
“I never said you had to be his girlfriend, just go out with us.” Sara said with a slur.
“I’ll think about it, but right now…you need a bed.” Jenn helped her unsteady friend up.
“Bed…that would be good.” Sara said suddenly sounding very tired.
“Good.” Jenn said, happy that Sara wasn’t going to press the subject of her and Kevin. Helping her friend to her room and into bed, Jenn couldn’t help but to worry about Sara. This had been going on since she started hanging around with Brian and his friends. A few times a week Sara would stumble in, completely drunk. Sure, she had been invited, pretty much everyday Kevin called her and asked for her to join them during the night. She just wasn’t feeling it, the whole party scene.
Jenn tucked her friend into bed and turned off her light. Turning to her right, she grabbed the nearby trash can and set it next to Sara’s bed. With a sad sigh, and a snore coming from her friend, Jenn made her way out of the room and into her own. Knowing that sometime in the next few hours she would be running to her friends room to calm her from another nightly nightmare.
***
“I’m not going!” Jenn forcefully said as she began to make her dinner.
“Jenn, I want you to go. Kevin wants you there, come on.” Sara begged her friend as she finished getting herself ready for a night out.
“Fuck Kevin, I don’t care! How many times do we have to do this, I’m not going.” Jenn exhaled loudly.
Sara stood there and stared at Jenn for a few minutes, “You can’t stay in this apartment forever.”
“I don’t plan to, I get out plenty.”
Sara rolled her eyes, “Shopping does NOT count as going out. You need to socialize and hang with us.”
“Don’t you get it that I’m not into that.”
“You used to be…”
“Well, I changed. I’m allowed to fuckin change.”
Sara let out a frustrated sigh, “Jenn…”
Throwing down her fork Jenn let it out, “SARA!! I’ve said no, just drop it Damnit! I already have to deal with you waking up, SCREAMING every damn night! Don’t you realize that this shit started when you started going out with Brian!”
Sara was staring at Jenn in shock. “I…I…it has nothing to do with that.” She quickly turned around, not wanting Jenn to see the doubt in her eyes.
“Do you really think I can’t tell that you’re lying. I’ve known you too damn long Sara, I almost lost you once…I…I don’t wanna lose you.” Jenn felt her bottom lip start to quiver.
Sara was speechless for a bit, not really knowing what to say. She couldn’t decide if she should argue with her over it, or admit it was the truth. Finally with a sigh, she gave in. “Jenn, I…I’m sorry. I promise not to push you anymore, and I’ll be sure to take it easy when I go out. I really am sorry.” Suddenly she felt Jenn’s arms wrap around her in a hug and she quickly returned it.
“That’s all I ask.” That night, Sara went out like normal, and Jenn sat at home.
***
A knock on the door about an hour later nearly caused Jenn to drop the remote on the ground. Licking her lips she quickly stood up and wrapped her robe tightly around her. She peeked through the peep hole and let out a sigh when she saw none other than Kevin standing on the other side. Jenn slowly opened the door leaving the chain attached, “Hey, umm what are you doing here?”
Kevin cleared his throat and shifted from foot to foot, “Sara said you would be here, I really didn’t like being the third wheel and I hoped you would like the company.”
Jenn bit her lip, not sure what to say to the man, “Kevin, I really don’t wanna go anywhere tonight.”
“That’s ok, I brought a movie.” Kevin smiled as he held up a DVD case.
Jenn really didn’t want to have him come in, but part of her did want to spend the evening with him. After a few seconds of hesitation Jenn let out a sigh and closed the door. Kevin looked around not sure what was going on, but when he heard the sound of the chain being removed from her door he let a smile come across his face.
“Just let me change real quick, couch is right there, make yourself comfortable.” Jenn said as she held her robe up close to her chin and pointed Kevin to the couch and headed off to her room to change.
Kevin happily took a seat on the couch looking around. It was the first time he had been over to their apartment, Sara had given him the directions telling him that Jenn would be happy to see him. Some how he had doubted that, but decided to do it anyway. Now that she had actually let him in he couldn’t help but to be happy that he had come out this way.
Jenn came out a few minutes later wearing a simple pair of jeans and a turtle neck that said NYU on it “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting anyone and this was all I had to throw on.” Jenn said sheepishly as she finished putting her hair up in a pony tail.
“I think you look just right for watching a movie on a couch.” Kevin said with a smile. “So, did you actually go to NYU or are you just an NY fan?”
Jenn sat down on the opposite end of the couch pulling her legs under her, “Um, I went there.” She really hated talking about her past.
Kevin simply nodded, “Oh, I see. What was your major?” He was really wanting to get to know this girl, he just needed to figure out how to get in.
Jenn swallowed slightly, “Photography, but…it doesn’t matter cause I didn’t get to graduate and I don’t do it anymore.”
“Well that’s too bad, I saw some pictures around, are those yours? They look great.”
Jenn began to nod then stopped, “So, what movie did you bring?”
Kevin bit his lip a little to stop himself from asking her again, but he could tell by the way she was now shifting around that he should drop it for now, “I brought Moulin Rouge, I hope that’s ok. It was the first one I saw at the store that I thought we would both like.”
Jenn let out a little smile, “I love that movie, and I already have it. You didn’t need to go and buy a movie just to get in here.”
Kevin shrugged, “I wanted to buy it anyway, so you wanna watch it then?”
Two hours later and they were both now in the middle of the couch leaning on each other and crying. Throughout the movie Jenn seemed to relax, maybe it was because of how comfortable she was beginning to feel around Kevin, or maybe it was the bottle of wine that they had both split. Either way, it seemed to do them a world of good.
“I may love that movie, but I cry EVERY time.” Jenn said as she got up and turned the DVD player and TV off and grabbed a couple more tissues.
Kevin let out a light chuckle, “Hell, even I cry, and I’m a guy. But I am the emotional type, if you couldn’t tell.”
Jenn let out a laugh herself as she looked at Kevin’s red rimmed eyes, “I don’t think we should watch a sad movie together again, next time it should be a funny one.”
Kevin felt his heart speed up, “So you want there to be a next time?” He had been hoping this would open that gate she had up against him.
Jenn slowly licked her lips, “Umm, I don’t see why not. I…I actually had a good time tonight. Just as long as you don’t mind hanging out over here and watching movies. I’m cool with that.”
Kevin smiled and nodded now standing up to be next to her, “Whatever you want to do is fine with me. I really like spending time with you, I hope you know that.”
Smiling and looking up at him she also nodded, “I think I do.”
“Do you think it would be alright if I kissed you?” Kevin asked wrapping his arms slowly around her.
Jenn bit her lip, suddenly starting to think this had all been a mistake. Then when she looked into his eyes she just knew she couldn’t deny him. She couldn’t find her voice and just simply nodded and closed her eyes.
Slowly Kevin leaned down and softly touched his lips to hers. The kiss was electrifying, both of their bodies tingled as the kiss progressed from something soft and delicate, to a kiss of passion, a kiss of need.
Jenn sighed against his lips as he began to pull away, if it hadn’t been for Kevin’s arms around her she would have fallen straight to the floor. She couldn’t believe how much she had enjoyed that kiss, it had been so long…so long…
Then suddenly the memories came flooding back to her and she lightly pushed Kevin away. “I…I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have…”
Kevin frowned, “Why would you say that, it was…it was…”
“Great…” They both said together, Jenn reaching up to touch her lips as if she was once again feeling his lips upon hers. They stood there in silence for almost a whole minute, Kevin not wanting to do anything to push her away, and Jenn not knowing what to say.
Finally Jenn cleared her throat and started picking up the living room. “Sara should be home any minute and I’m a bit tired so I think it would be best if you would go.”
Kevin let out a sigh, trying not to frown. He started helping her pick up a little also, “Are we ok?”
Jenn paused in her movements and then slowly nodded, “Yeah, I think so. I just, it’s been a while and I apologize for saying that we shouldn’t have. Just understand that if we do this, its going to be slow going, so if you don’t think you can handle that I’ll understand and you can just go.”
Kevin once again stepped closer to her, but this time only grasping her hand, “I can do that, I just would like to get to know you and if we have to do that in this apartment every time, I have no problem with that.”
Jenn blushed as Kevin pulled her hand to his lips and gave it a tender kiss, “Thank you Kevin.”
It wasn’t long before Jenn was watching Kevin leave. She couldn’t help but feel good about all of this. Kevin seemed to be a wonderful man, but the question was, could he handle her past. Jenn let out a sigh when she saw Brian’s driver opening a door and watched as Sara nearly fell out of the car after a sloppy kiss from Brian.
Heading back inside Jenn waited for her friend to get there so she could help her to bed. Jenn was expecting Sara to do nothing but run her mouth about what her and Kevin did tonight, but her friend hardly said a word. Sara had ran straight to the bathroom, getting rid of the liquor she had consumed that evening. It only took a few minutes to get her off to bed, then Jenn headed to her own room.
Tonight though, she did something she hadn’t done in a few weeks, she pulled out her diary and turned on the light on her nightstand. Grabbing a pen she quickly set off to write down the words that were circling in her head….
Never thought someone could make me feel the way that you make me feel, its almost unreal. Tonight with you I felt a woman again, feelings in me came alive that I thought were gone until now. I beg you be patient my heart still needs some time. But I swear to you, my heart wants to be found. I’ve been touched by you in a way I never could imagine. Is it true am I once again in heaven. In your eyes I see all the love your heart has shown me. Tell me is it really true? Ive been touched by you.
Its been forever since I felt like this, you make me feel beautiful, and loved above all. There’s so much here inside me that I want to share. If only my heart would let go of all the doubts in my soul. I beg you be patient, my heart still needs some time, but I swear to you my heart wants to be found.
Jenn finally closed the book and turned off her light, she never thought she’d ever want to start anything with another man again. She quickly realized to her self that Kevin wasn’t an ordinary guy, he was special and she could now see that. She laid her head down on the pillow and closed her eyes with a smile, the first time in a long time she fell asleep with a smile on her face.
**Words from the diary entry were taken from the song “I’ve been touched by you” from Pollyanna Dorough**
Author's Chapter Notes:
So here's Chapter 3...I have most of chapter 4 done...so hopefully the writting but hits me and I get that out soon. Please review and let me know whatcha think! Thanks
Jenn
Jenn
