Jade gave a shy smile. She couldn't deny the connection she felt as he gazed down at her. She sensed an inviting pull between them. His hand softly cupped her face and pulled her chin closer. He kissed her.
Her heart and thoughts raced as the intensity between them grew, him no longer holding back. His mouth and hands wandered, causing a tingle to erupt over her skin; warmth and desire for him were felt in distant places. Jade forced back her subconscious. She was definitely sobering up, coming to terms with the reality of their situation. Her insecurities were now at the forefront of her thoughts. She took in a deep breath, trying to find a way to overcome her fears. It didn't matter how many men told her she was beautiful; she never felt it. Having sex meant that she couldn't hide behind her clothing. He would witness every imperfection. What if he took one look at her body and changed his mind?
She closed her eyes, recalling her past relationships. There weren'tJade's eyes sprung open to a loud, rapid tapping coming from behind the hotel room's closed door. "Housekeeping," a woman's voice announced.She pushed herself up from the soft, feathered pillow, trying to get her bearings together.Yesterday morning, the drive to Philadelphia, the bar, him, walking to the hotel together, what they did— the recollection flooded her mind at once. Her head was throbbing, and the fog of sleep had yet to lift. The clock on the nightstand beside her read that it was past eleven a.m."Just a minute," Jade pleaded, her voice dry and raspy. She sat up and wiped the sleep from her eyes. The room was dim, shadowed by an overcast sky. A sheet of rain drummed against the glass pane of the picture window beside her, the plump beads cascading down it like a waterfall. The other half of the bed was now cold and empty, only a slight indentation of his existence remaining on the pillow. She didn't remember him leaving. She barely ha
Jade wished she hadn't already paid for another night at the hotel but didn't bother mentioning it. She would be more comfortable hanging amongst her friend, anyway. As it grew dark out, they cracked open a second bottle, and Jade divulged what happened after she got off the phone. She spared no detail; every moment of it was too good not to share."You're shittin' me?" Marissa gasped, covering her mouth. The twang of a Georgian accent had slipped through with the wine. She hadn't lived there since she was a child, but it still emerged when she drank. You'd never know otherwise.Jade laughed, "It's not like Jonathon and I never... had sex ... obviously, but last night was just so much better. I can't even explain it. It wasn't so..""Vanilla," Marissa finished her sentence.
"Oh crap," The words barely escaped Jade's lips before she threw herself over the side of the bed and puked up warm, clear liquid onto the hardwood floor. It was all the water Marissa had insisted she drink before she went to bed last night. A sharp jolt shot through her neck from where she'd been sleeping on it wrong, and her head throbbed with pain."It's about time you woke up," Jade heard from the doorway. She looked up to see Marissa standing there in an oversized t-shirt and knee socks; her braids pulled back into a messy beehive.She didn't even seem hungover.Jade only wished she wasn't either. She felt miserable as she heard the scratching from Marissa's socks, shuffling down the hallway floorboards and then reappearing only moments later. She placed a large plastic bowl onto the bedroom floor and scooted it towards Jade with her foot. "Thanks," Jade muttered before hugging the bowl and heaving again. "What time is it?" she groaned and shifted onto
"Aren't these my pants?" Jade shouted as she walked through the living room, scanning the house for Marissa."They sure are. That's your shirt too," her voice replied from the kitchen. Jade hadn't even recognized the shirt. She wiggled her toes through the fuzzy socks Marissa had given her as she waltzed into the room."How old are these? I can't believe they still fit," Jade gleamed proudly."You left them here when I first moved in, so I don't know. Like a year, maybe?" Marissa shrugged."Oh," She replied, disappointed.Marissa slid a stack of pancakes covered in syrup and slices of banana in front of Jade before asking what her plans were for the day."I have like,thelongest list of things I need to do. I have to change the password to every account I have, find a place to live, find a new job—""A new job?" She interrupted."Well yeah, it would only make sense to find a different job. I only s
"Another crappy day,"Jade thought to herself as she stared from the living room window out onto the front lawn. Through the dawn, she witnessed brown puddles from the downpour quickly expanding, running over and down the edges of the sidewalk and spilling onto the pavement of the quiet street. The crackling thunder had startled her awake. Last night she had fallen asleep thinking of all the plans she wanted to fulfill today. She thought she might do a bit of shopping to personalize her new room, maybe even take a jog around the neighborhood and explore. She could feel herself getting antsy, the weather keeping her stuck indoors for far longer than she liked. She took a sip of warm coffee from her mug and let out a long sigh. She needed to keep herself distracted, and this weather wasn't helping."What're you doin' up this early?" Marissa yawned from the opening of the hallway. Jade turned in surprise towards the figure standing on the other side of the darkling
She could feel the anxiety swelling up inside of her. Her palms turned cold and sweaty as she held the phone and scrolled through her list of contacts. She quickly called the number listed for Grovington, the nursing facility her mother stayed in.Why hadn't she thought about that? She could never ignore her phone because of that very reason. How could she be so stupid?She was on the brink of crying as the number went straight to a voicemail, the recording stating that it was after hours. She tried again, hoping it was just a fluke. Again, there was no answer. Jade took a few deep breaths in, trying to control her breathing, trying to rationalize the situation. She listened to her voicemails, quickly skipping through them until she found one from the receptionist. Only it was too vague; it just asked her to call them back. If it were an emergency, they would have said something about it, right? She knew she was overreacting, but still— her mother.
She leaned against the reception window, causing the worker to look up at her. "Hi, I'm Jade Meadows. I'm here to sign the medication authorization form for my mother, Margaret Meadows." Her lungs burned as she was forced to take in a breath, overpowered by the stench of peach cobbler, urine, and old people. She looked back and forth between the two nurses, wondering how either one of them could stand it. They seemed unbothered, acclimated to the foul odor. The woman typed something into her computer and then searched through a tower of brown clipboards, handing her one. Jade scanned over the form to sign, noting that it looked identical to each previous one she'd agreed to."And are you going to visit your mother today?" The receptionist politely asked as Jade handed the clipboard back to her. She'd seen her dozens of times before but still couldn't remember the woman's name. She glanced down at her nametag,Rita.She hated Rita at that moment.
Much to Jade's surprise, when she pulled up to the house that evening, she was able to park right next to the little VW bug. She smiled at the considerate gesture; it had made her feel more at home. She turned off the engine and checked her eyes in the rearview mirror once more, convinced her friend wouldn't be able to tell she'd been crying. She would deny it anyway, give tiredness as an excuse. Her hand hesitated on the door lever before she finally sighed and opened it."Hey! How was work?" Marissa had been on the couch watching television when Jade walked through the front door. She was still wearing her scrubs, so Jade assumed she must've just gotten home as well. Jade slid her heels from her sore feet and wiggled her toes in relief. "Same old, same old," she mumbled without looking up at her. She could hear the desolation in own her voice and knew there was no way to hide her mood. "I stopped by and visited with my mom today."Marissa didn't give it a second