Snippet #2399321

Something ached inside of her, a feeling she had no choice but to welcome only because any rebuttal was foolish. A burning for home was evident. The only home she ever knew, Belleville. Even at dinner she found herself marinading in her emotion but was mindful enough of it to mask it and laugh and carry on with Liam.

From the other end of the table, rapt eyes looked out onto Jaylene. Liam would occasionally take a pensive rock on his chair, clasp his hands behind his head and beam at her in the wake of some diverting conversation or comment. Despite being in tune with her antics and tête-à-tête, he knew she was concocting ways to avoid going to the festival. And he wasn't having it. Maybe he wouldn't tell her that now, but it was going to be conveyed irrefutably. Nonpareil teeth peeked from behind his slightly chapped lips, paired perfectly with his dark eyes and hair. He pushed the soles of his size eleven Ralph Lauren Salisbury's against the foot of the table. He caught the predatory glimmer in his date's olive eyes when their waitress feigned actual interest in whether or not their food was satisfactory. But Jaylene didn't speak when the server focused her attention strictly on Liam and asked if there was anything else she could get him. Instead Jaylene's face relaxed, she smirked to herself and finished her water.

Jaylene watched Liam wave off the young woman with a polite, drop-dead smile. It appeared though then, the waitress floated away as if being carried on air. Jaylene's flushed cheeks tautened. Nostalgia battered the pit of the Sullivan girl's stomach. Up until she realized she was only bitter because Liam had been putting past romance interests in mind with his quirks, she could feel jealousy rising in her throat. She wasn't truly jealous of anyone who coveted Liam. Why was her wistfulness becoming so blatantly ugly and envious? Did she really miss... It wasn't meant for Liam. And it was maybe that alone that made her feel so guilty, causing her to project bizarre anger onto him. Jaylene sighed, her sternum relaxing as she smoothed a hand across the top of her head and lightly prodded at her bun. She'd never really been the jealous type.

"Do I sense some competitiveness?" Liam gave some thought as he signed the check.
"Not really," Jaylene said colorlessly, "I wish."
"You wish? That you were jealous?" His brow furrowed.
"I wish I was more jealous, it would make me feel more human."
"Don't think too hard about it."

Jaylene slumped in her seat, tilting her head and crossing her arms. The inquisition that lingered as a consequence of his final thought on the matter made her squirm. Don't think too hard about it? What the hell does that mean? But much like the confused possessiveness, she dismissed her incertitude about Liam's request. Playing with the concept of her innermost thoughts would make her crazy. At the end of the day, she was the one he was wearing on his arm proudly. But was that even what she really wanted anymore?

Don't think too hard about it.

It was pretty sound advice that she'd heed to accordingly. After they got back to the apartment, Liam hazily unlocked to door and opened it for Jaylene. There was a buzz flickering just on the surface of his glistening eyes. Microscopic red streaks reached for his pupil, threatening either sleep or complete obliteration. He peered at Jaylene playfully, waiting for her to make the first move. As she stepped past the dark-eyed gentleman, she took notice of his glazed look. Part of her wanted to laugh because he wasn't nearly close to being completely canned the way she and her friends used to get - but part of her wanted to coax him into bed as well. Liam wasn't heavy on drinking, wasn't heavy on anything at all really. Seeing him slightly half-cut unnerved her and excited her, made her hungry for the life she'd left behind. His treads were inelegant as he turned to shut and lock the door then go straight for Jaylene who he bundled in his arms and leaned into. She fought the urge to poke fun at him, call him a light weight or crack jokes. Instead she leaned back into the gravity, inhaling the scent of his virile cologne. In her heels she met his height perfectly so that she could rest her face right into the crook of his neck. For a long time they stood, slightly swaying in the splintering street light that cascaded through the apartment windows. Coolheaded Liam remained, quiet as his muscles hardened and pacified. The girl whom he held so fast to closed her eyes, raking her fingers from the back of his scalp to the base of his neck. The truck flashed into her mind for a moment, precipitating Jaylene's termination of the short time spent before the windows, "Let's go to bed."

He happily followed her to the bedroom like a puppy, grinning and bumping into things on the way. After he nearly knocked over the entire end table by the doorway, Jaylene pushed him towards the bed to sit him down. With one lifted, dainty index finger, she commanded, "Stay there." She padded to the sliding patio door, pulling the curtains shut and then removing her shoes. Liam watched with vacuous eyes, rocking quietly back and forth. When she returned to him, she was half dressed and at work on getting the damned Ralph Lauren boots off of his feet. But when her fingers braved the top button of his jeans, she stopped. A slow glance upward caught her in the midst of a dead stare with Liam.

From where he sat on the bed, Liam was completely at ease. He could have very well just slept sitting up with his clothes on. Nonetheless then came Jaylene's provocative ways and her patience, making him want her with a fierce desire he wasn't sure he could subdue. Her jade eyes locked on his own as he rested his weight on his elbows and watched her. Seeing her in that way, with perseverance and kindness conducting her so naturally - it made him crave her more than ever. It was a far cry from the angry, acidic young woman he'd come to hours earlier. Her eyes bore into him. The change in the temperature and air was evident - even felt ten shades different. It was her wavering and anxiety. Liam relaxed, closing his eyes for a just a second prior to touching her cheek. Then everything went black.

"Really?" Jaylene asked, pressing her hand to Liam's shoulder after he hit the bed. Her brow creased, a small scowl on her lips. "Come on Liam," she whined, tugging at the lower section of his jeans until they came loose from his waist, "Fuck." Ultimately she tossed the discarded clothes into the hamper, lifted Liam's legs onto the bed so that he could sleep almost like a normal person and turned out the lights. For a while she lingered by the bed, at Liam's side to make sure he wouldn't budge. But sleep weighed in on her, calling her to the couch rather than the mattress that Liam had unintentionally monopolized in his slumber. With an extended yawn, Jaylene dropped onto the sofa and turned on her side so that her face could bury into the furniture while she slept. Her last couple minutes of consciousness necessitated deep thought and the repetition of Summer's voice, her laugh.

The girl was in such a peaceful sleep that when unforeseen clamor shook her from senselessness she almost fell from the couch. Soon the droning of the pandemonium became familiar, music. Sleepy eyes glared at the stereo below the TV, then at the kitchen where pans were clanging around. She sat up to rub her eyes, stretch and get a good look at Liam who was up entirely too early for someone who passed out drunk. Her once presentable hair style now sagged to the side, strands of her tresses a disarray. Sweet batter infiltrated her senses.

When he caught her narrowed eyes peeking out from behind the safety of the sofa, Liam grinned, "Good morning."
"Hi," she whispered, not entirely awake.
"Get up and have some breakfast." He instructed.
"What for?" She began her descent to settle into the cushions again.
"We're going out." He stated as if there wasn't a chance she could question it.
"Come on Liam…"
"We're going to the festival - I took off work so we could go together."
"Wha - no."
"Demi doesn't want to go alone, either." He concluded.
"Ugh."

He really hit her with a guilt trip! The music coming from the speakers made her feel slightly better but, she wasn't exactly thrilled about anything at that point in time. Shaking her head, she got up and tried her best to prepare herself for what was in store.