Remember, Remember

Jessie blinked upon hearing Bobby speak and glanced at him. After a moment, she offered an optimistic smile and nodded. "Eventually, yeah," she said before letting herself get comfortable in the seat. "We just have to wait it out. Hopefully, though, they'll figure out the same thing we did. You can't just give up on somebody that you care so much about."

It was an accepted truth for her now. Even despite Bobby forgetting her and the argument between them, they hadn't given up on each other. They were still together and closer than ever.

Hopefully, Vanessa and Mark would realize that they needed each other in their lives just as she and Bobby had realized the same thing.

~

Mark buckled up in the car, glancing at Vanessa every now and then. He just wished he could restart the day from the beginning. Perhaps he could have avoided running into Nikki and could have just enjoyed his time with Vanessa.

Or he could have just not run away after finding out the truth about Nikki.

Eventually, he let out a sigh and frowned deeply. "I'm sorry for worrying you," he finally said before tearing his eyes away from her, "It was stupid, what I did, I know. But, I couldn't help it."

"You're right," Bobby smiled and nodded. Despite the eventful day they had gone through, he liked how Jessie still managed to make him smile. So Mark and Vanessa were going through a rough time at the moment. In the end, it would eventually be okay for them like how it happened with him and Jessie.

"If we could make it, then so can they."

They arrived at Jessie's place and he walked with her inside to pick her up. It had been a long day and being home sounded good.

-

Vanessa heard Mark's words, but she didn't accept his apology. She was too angry at him and still didn't make eye contact with him. She was only giving him a ride home, she didn't want to talk.

Once she was home, she got out of her car and started to make her way inside. Her parents were gone for the week and she was glad she'd officially be alone.

Jessie smiled slightly and nodded to his words, glad that he agreed with her. Looking around once she was inside the house, she flipped the light to the living room on so that they could see and she made her way up to her room, flipping that light on as well.

She grabbed a simple tote bag, knowing that she didn't have to pack much. Pulling out some clothes, she folded them neatly and set them in the tote bag before grabbing her camera and placing it gently inside as well.

~

Mark frowned as he watched her leave. Mentally, he debated on what to do and eventually took a deep breath before he followed after her, not caring if she got angrier with him or not.

He was determined to fix everything.

Bobby sat in the living room while Jessie went upstairs to her room to get her stuff. While waiting, his phone rang and he looked at it to see that it was his mom calling.

"Hey, Mom," he said once he answered.

"Hi, honey!" his mom said, sounding like she was enjoying herself. "Just calling to check up on you again. How are you?"

"I'm good," Bobby replied. "Just relaxing at home. It's been kind of a long day for me."

"Oh, really? Well, how's Jessie?"

At that moment, he noticed Jessie had come downstairs.

"She's fine," he said. "We hung out with our friends today and we're just hanging out right now."

"Okay, just make sure she gets home safely. I love you."

"Love you, too, Mom. Bye."

"Bye."

-

Vanessa heard footsteps behind her and realized Mark was following her. She wanted to tell him to just go away, but that wouldn't have worked. Couldn't he just leave her alone right now?

Her back was still turned on him when he closed the door. Mark moved closer to her, but she finally turned around and brought a hand up.

And she slapped him.

Jessie smiled to herself, shouldering her bag as she watched him talk on the phone silently. With knowing that his parents had called, she would sure hers would call sooner or later. Or perhaps they wouldn't, because they might be tired from whatever they had done during the day.

"Aw, you should have told your mom that I love her, too," she teased before grinning and moving over to him before tilting her head to the side slightly.

"Ready to go?"

~

Mark winced slightly when she had slapped him and stared at her for a moment. Before he was even really certain of what he was doing, he pressed his lips to hers, backing her up against the wall. All of his emotions went into the kiss, desperately trying to get her to understand how sorry he was and how much he cared about her.

Bobby smirked at her and took her hand. "I'll be sure to tell her you love her next time. That'd make her happy."

They walked out the house and after it was locked, they were back into the car. He looked at the clock in his car and saw that it was around nine. We're they really out for that long?

"Ugh, finally," Bobby said. "Now we're going home."

-

The moment Mark's lips were against hers, Vanessa was feeling all kinds of emotions. She shouldn't be kissing him. She knew he deserved that slap in the face and she knew Mark knew he deserved it, too. She was so angry with him, she wished she could've slammed the door in his face before he had the chance to come inside. He was a jerk and he was stupid. All of his actions that day were nothing but reckless and foolish.

And yet she cared for him so much. Mark was her friend, the one person she always trusted, the one guy who made her actually feel like she was worth it. The only reason she was mad at him was because it was her way of being relieved that he was alright. Mark was an idiot, yes. But he was her idiot and she didn't deny that she loved him.

Once their lips touched, she couldn't help but kiss him back while her fingers interlocked with his. She then moved her hands away from his to wrap them around his neck.

She had longed so much for those lips again.

Jessie sighed in relief as she buckled up and relaxed. "I can't believe that it's already that late," she muttered, honestly surprised by it. Had they really spent that long looking for Mark? Shaking the thought away, she grinned over at Bobby.

Despite everything that had happened throughout the day, at least they could relax now. She knew that it was greatly needed. "I think we deserve to relax for the rest of the night," she mused before adding, "And tomorrow."

~

Mark's hands instinctively trailed down to Vanessa's hips, his arms encircling her waist as he pulled her close. Knowing that she was returning the kiss made everything that much more enjoyable and he was honestly glad that she hadn't just pushed him away - especially when he would have deserved it.

His lips wouldn't cease from moving against hers, trying to convey every emotion that he had ever felt for her.

"I know," Bobby said. "Who knew looking for someone would make so much time pass?"

He was glad that they were heading home. After the whole week of them not talking to each other and the event with Mark and Vanessa, it was no surprise that they deserved time to relax.

"Yeah, I think we've had enough of the city for now."

-

Eventually, Vanessa pulled away. Their faces were still close as she took a moment to regain her breath and the realization of what they had done had hit her.

Vanessa's hand that was behind Mark's neck slowly let go and her other hand pulled away as well. Once she let go of him, she had her hands up and stood there as if she couldn't touch him anymore. She practically became stiff.

Did they really just kiss?

Jessie smiled slightly and nodded in agreement. The city was nice, sure, but after everything that had happened, she had definitely had enough of the city for a while. "Sounds like a great idea to me," she decided, letting out a sigh of content.

Now that everything was mostly calm, the only problem being Vanessa and Mark's complications, Jessie was honestly rather glad that they could just go to Bobby's and enjoy themselves.

"I don't know about you, but I'm glad we're finally back."

~

Mark took a few deep breaths, his eyes searching Vanessa's. The way that she had pulled her hands away from him so quickly and the look in her eyes caused him to release his hold on her.

Stepping back, his eyes searched hers for a few moments as he tried to recollect what had just happened. It surprised him how quickly the kiss had happened and how short-lived it had lasted.

Shaking the thought away, he opened his mouth to speak, only to close it again. Eventually, he just walked out of the room, not sure what to think or say about what had just happened between them.

Bobby pulled into the driveway of his house and smiled at Jessie. Besides the whole issue that happened in the city, he was enjoying his weekend with her. Whatever was going to happen between Mark and Vanessa would eventually get settled. In the meantime, he was just going to spend time with Jessie alone.

"I'm also glad," he agreed. "What makes it even better is that we have two more days to spend time together."

He got out the car and went around to open her door for her. Then with no hesitation, he picked her up and carried her into the house.

-

Vanessa just stared straight ahead when Mark left her house. Even when he closed the door, she stood against the wall for a few more minutes. She was still in disbelief of what had just happened.

She enjoyed the kiss, even more than the kiss he gave her a year ago. But she still had a lot to think about. He had broken up with his girlfriend that day after all and him kissing her, it was all still so complicated.

Jessie blinked in surprise before quickly wrapping her arms around his neck, not wanting to be dropped as she laughed quietly. "Look who's being spontaneous," she teased, grinning up at him. She couldn't help but to enjoy the silliness that she and Bobby shared, knowing that they each had their random moments.

And she loved every second of it.

"Two more days to spend time together, huh?" she mused, honestly looking forward to it, "Tomorrow's definitely a lazy day, then." She grinned at the thought, knowing that it was basically what she had said earlier about it being a relaxing day.

~

Mark ran a hand through his hair as he made his way to his house, sighing to himself as he unlocked the door and walked inside. Even his parents were gone and he frowned at the thought, not quite liking the fact that he'd have to deal with these new thoughts all alone, again.

After what had happened earlier, he had learned that it was best not to deal with the problems alone, after all. Sighing, the boy made his way over to the couch and sat down, looking to the television, though he didn't turn it on, not even sure what the point would be anyways.

His mind was too jumbled up for him to pay attention to television, after all.

"And I'm completely okay with that," Bobby laughed. "A lazy day sounds like something we need."

He continued to carry her, glad that she was light enough for him to still be able to turn on the lights with one hand. He took her to the living room and set her down on the couch.

Pressing his forehead against hers, he grinned and leaned in closer. "Just you and me. Doing nothing."

His lips pressed against hers and he smiled, never getting tired of giving her kisses and being around her.

-

Vanessa finally made herself move away from the wall and she quickly made her way upstairs to her room. She tried to force her thoughts elsewhere, but all she could think about was Mark.

She looked at her window that allowed her to view Mark's house and she closed the blinds, still trying to distract herself. She couldn't even go out onto the balcony of her room because it reminded her that Mark used to always come to her room through there to see her.

She gave up and just decided to call the one person she could really talk to about this. She decided to call Jessie.

Jessie grinned against Bobby's lips, easily melting in the kiss while it lasted. Though, when she heard her phone ringing, she blinking and pulled away, figuring that it was probably her parents.

Pulling out her phone, she blinked, surprised to see that it was Vanessa calling, before she quickly answered it, worried that something might be wrong. "Hello?" she asked when she answered the phone, curious as to what could have gotten her friend to call so late.

Hopefully, Mark hadn't run off again.

~

Leaning his head back against the cushion of the couch, Mark stared up at the ceiling. He had probably screwed everything up again. That was all he seemed to be doing lately. He had already ruined everything between himself and Vanessa once and here he was doing it again.

Sighing, the boy shook his head, unable to help but to let his mind flash back to the kiss, the way it felt to have Vanessa in his arms again, her lips on his and her arms around his neck while his were around her waist.

It was definitely something he already missed.

Bobby stopped kissing Jessie once he heard her phone ringing. He guessed that her parents were probably calling to see if she was okay, so he just stayed quiet and listened as she answered.

However, her expression made it seem like someone else was calling and he wondered who it was.

-

Vanessa sat down on her bed and sighed. She knew it was a little late and that Jessie probably just wanted to relax, but she had to tell someone. If Jessie helped her once, then maybe she would be able to help her again.

Or at least she would be able to listen. Vanessa was glad Jessie was there to listen.

"Jessie, we kissed."

Jessie blinked in confusion, it taking her a few moments to understand what Vanessa was talking about. "You and Mark?" she asked, wanting to verify it. Of course, she doubted it could have been anybody else that Vanessa could have kissed but still. There was no point in just jumping to conclusions, she decided.

Looking to Bobby, she wondered just how confused he was about what he was hearing of the conversation and leaned her head against his shoulder, letting herself relax.

"What all happened?"

~

Mark found himself glancing out his window, towards Vanessa's home before he let out a sigh, trying to figure out what he should do. Perhaps he could try to talk out his thoughts again, despite that it hadn't worked well earlier.

Still, at least it was better than sitting there and trying to figure out what he should do.

Pulling out his phone, he skimmed through his contacts before stopping on Bobby's name. Considering her was the only one who Mark had told about what had happened, he decided to call him.

Bobby realized that it obviously wasn't Jessie's parents if Mark was mentioned in the conversation. It was now clear that Vanessa had called her and he was even more confused as to what they could be talking about.

Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrate and took it out of his pocket. He stared at his phone for a few minutes when he saw that it was Mark's name and he left the living room so he could answer the call.

Whatever was going on between Mark and Vanessa at the moment, he was going to find out. "What's up?"

-

Vanessa took a deep breath. "I was going inside my house when he followed me. So I slapped him, but then he kissed me and I kissed back. And then I pulled away and he left. I'm just so confused right now, Jessie. I just don't know..."

She put her legs up on the bed and hugged her knees, not even caring that her boots were still on. She said she wasn't afraid earlier, but that was hard to believe at the moment. What was wrong with her?

Jessie blinked, listening to her friend silently for a moment before leaning back on the couch. "That sounds pretty confusing," she muttered, understanding why her friend was so confused at the moment. "Are you alright?"

She knew Vanessa was likely going through a rough time because of everything that had happened that day and with this happening, she was sure the girl was more confused than ever. Looking towards where Bobby had gone off to, she wondered who was on the phone with him.

"I'm sure everything will work out. You can vent all you want to me and I'll listen. Maybe it might even help you a little, like it did earlier."

~

Mark sighed quietly when he heard Bobby pick up, having begun to hope that he wouldn't answer. Now that he had, though, there was no point in just ignoring the reason that he called. He might as well get it off his chest, he decided.

"I'm a huge idiot," he said rather bluntly, groaning to himself in annoyance with his own actions. "Have I always been this stupid?"

Bobby wasn't sure what Mark was really talking about. His friend was saying things without giving him any info and he had to stop him from talking any more so he could catch up.

"Okay, just slow down for a second," he said. "What do you mean you're an idiot?"

He wondered if Mark was still referring to what happened earlier at the park. Maybe he was still feeling guilty for making Vanessa upset, but if he was calling Bobby about this, maybe there was more to know.

-

Vanessa got off her bed and stepped out onto her balcony. "I just don't know what's going to happen now. So we kissed, but will the same thing happen all over again? Will he end up being scared? Will I end up being scared? Am I still scared?"

She leaned over the railing and looked up at the sky. "It really does seem like it's all happening again."

Jessie listened to her friend silently as she tried to figure out what exactly to tell her to help calm her down. After a few moments, she admitted, "I don't know. I don't know if the same thing will happen again or if either of you will be scared again or if either of you are still scared."

Sighing, she leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. "What I do know, though, is that you both care about each other. Even with everything that's happened between you, you still share a close bond. What happened would have ruined anybody else's friendship completely, but, even though your friendship is awkward now, it's not ruined. That only means that nothing could ruin your friendship, alright?" A light smile came to her face.

"If nothing can ruin your friendship, then there's no reason to be afraid."

~

Mark sighed quietly, running his free hand over his face. "Exactly what I said," he muttered with a frown, "I'm an idiot." Taking a deep breath, he shook his head, trying to figure out the right way to go about explaining what had happened between himself and Vanessa only minutes ago, but wasn't sure how to say it.

"I kissed her, Bobby. She slapped me, so I kissed her and she kissed back. And then we just... Stopped." His frown deepened, not sure how to go about continuing the explanation.

"And I left."

Vanessa held onto the railing of the balcony, feeling the light breeze blow against her face. She closed her eyes in an attempt to calm down and listened to Jessie's words. "You're right, I'm not afraid. I just wish I knew what was going through his mind right now."

It was true that they were still good friends even after the event of them sleeping together. Despite them not hanging out alone together as much, they still were close and still cared for each other. Their friendship wasn't ruined, it was just complicated. Yet with all these complications, she wished she had answers on what was going to happen.

She buried her face in her free hand. "I think I'm in love with him."

-

Bobby listened to Mark's telling of events that had apparently happened moments ago. His two friends have kissed, but they still seemed to be unsure. It made him think back to his first kiss with Jessie and he knew he had to let Mark know that it was no mistake. He and Jessie were unsure after their kiss, but they realized that they wanted to be together after that.

That was what was happening with his friends. Mark and Vanessa really did deserve each other and that kiss they had proved that.

"You left?" he said. "You didn't say anything to her?"