Highmore Manor

My eyes snapped open as a noise abruptly awoke me from my sleep. The first thing I noticed was that I had no idea where I was. I groggily looked around the room waiting for my eyes to refocus, when they did I found myself looking around a sitting room that somehow looked vaguely familiar.

It took me another few seconds to feel that I wasn't alone on the couch, considering as the arm draped across my waist didn't belong to me, and when I finally did I had to choke back the noise that rose in my throat.

All the night's events suddenly started flooding back to me along with the cocktail of emotions I was feeling about everything that had happened.

The whole night seemed like it had happened years ago, in a completely different universe perhaps as well.

I froze completely as I realized who I was lying with on the couch, not quiet sure if I'd imagined what had happened last night and he would wake up and want to know why I was lying with him, or if it had actually happened.

I managed to roll over slightly without moving him too much and found myself face to face with Jesse. He looked so peaceful in his sleep, and so good looking.

I made up my mind to get out of there before he would wake up and either freak out or regret it and both weren't exactly great. I eased myself up from under his arm and gathered my stuff from around the couch, pulling on my t-shirt and jeans as quickly as I could. I bundled everything else up into a ball at my chest and made my way over to the door, glancing back quickly before opening it and stepped away from him.

I turned around and came face to face with Mr Reed in his Pj's and a dressing gown. I stood there in shock for a few seconds and then realized what I was doing.

"Mr Reed," I managed to gasp out. "Uh, this isn't what it looks like, I mean I was just, you know –" I started babbling as quickly as I could.

"I know exactly what this is, and what it looks like, so there's no need to cover it up," he said, his tone and face completely unreadable. I began thinking of what kind of trouble I would be in, Jesse had told me his dad didn't like girls in boys rooms, and technically I wasn't even supposed to know that Mr Reed was Jesse's dad.

"I'm so sorry, Mr Reed. I was just leaving, I'm so sorry," I managed to say without sounding too stupid.

"Oh no, there's no need to apologize. And we can't have that, why don't you come with me?" he said. I couldn't tell if he was taking me away to tell me off and possibly expel me or if he was actually being nice, his face was so unreadable. I nodded solemnly and followed him down the corridor and down a private set of stairs. This part of the manor was like the Reed's own private little house.

"I really am sorry," I said as we walked. "I won't tell anyone that I know about Jesse being your son, I know he doesn't want many people to know."

"That's fine, if Jesse trusts you and likes you enough to tell you about it and bring you up here then I have no problem with it. What I want to know is why you were leaving in such a hurry," he said, leaving the question hanging in the air like it was rhetorical, like he didn't even expect me to answer it more like he was just pondering out loud.

I answered anyway. "I guess I was just worried about being found, but too late for that I guess," I said with an unsure smile. He laughed slightly and turned to look at me.

"Especially if you wake up at 11:30, our housekeeper found you guys about five hours ago, so yes just a little too late," he said with a warm smile, leading me through the house to an open plan kitchen that led onto a sitting room. I blushed slightly and looked down at my feet as he went around the kitchen, picking up some toast that had popped in the toaster.

"Take a seat, do you want some toast? Ah, and I don’t believe we've been formally introduced," he asked informally, like he was just any father and I'd known him for years.

"I'm Hayley Everett," I said, sitting down on one of the barstools. "And yes please, I would love some toast."

"Hayley," Mr Reed repeated softly as if he was remembering that name from somewhere. I nodded slightly and then watched as he popped some more toast in the toaster.

It felt so comfortable just sitting there have a casual conversation with Jesse's dad, and the principal of the school. He just randomly asked me questions and I answered them easily, surprised at how contended I was to just talk to him about it all. My past fears of him being angry had been swept away but I still felt slightly dubious.

I was talking about my latest music project when I happened to glance up at the door. My speech faltered and I stopped talking abruptly because I found myself looking at Jesse standing in the door way, leaning against the door frame in just his jeans, his hair all messy and sleepy looking, an unreadable expression on his face that resembled his fathers earlier.

The room fell to a silence that couldn't quite decide whether it was awkward or not.

"Good morning, Jesse," Mr Reed broke the silence with a smile. "Sit down, we have some things to talk about."

Jesse's eyes slid to mine and I knew we were immediately sharing the same thought.

Oh crap.

"Hayley and I were just talking about her music project," Mr Reed said leaning down on the bench across from where I was sitting. The blood was pumping through my veins and making me feel light headed and I was sure that my heart was banging loud enough in my chest for the whole school to hear it.

"Oh?" Jesse replied, coming slowly over to sit beside me at the bar. His arm brushed mine slightly as he sat down and I couldn't help but feel the shivers run down my spine.

What was Jesse's dad going to say? I was dying in the torture of his suspense as he went over and dumped his coffee mug in the sink, leaving the room hanging with the clink of it hitting the sides. Even those little noises made me think that he wasn't as happy anymore, his easy smile had kind of disappeared and the casual conversation we’d been having early now seemed almost disapproving.

"How are you feeling this morning? How's your face?" Mr Reed inquired leaning in slightly to take a better look at his son's face, concern written all over his own face.

I turned slowly to look at Jesse myself. The bruise colouring the right side of his face just under his cheekbone stood out more prominently then it had yesterday and his eye looked slightly red where it had obviously become bloodshot. It was like a constant reminder that yesterday really had happened and what Jesse had done for me. I was just sitting there hoping with all my heart that it hadn't been wasted on me and that he didn't completely regretted it.

Jesse glanced quickly in my direction and then back at him father before answering. "Yeah, it's fine, thanks," he said offering a small smile.

"That's good then," Mr Reed nodded, eyeing his son over quickly before looking back at me. It felt like he could see just how nervous I was, in my lap my hands were shaking and covered in sweat, just waiting for the moment he would tell us off.

"Well I'd better be off, got to survey the damage down by last nights escapades, I guess," he said with a quick smile at both of us before he turned and walked back the way we'd come in. I let the breath I found I'd been holding out in relief as soon as he had disappeared.

Jesse must have heard me because he turned me to apologetically. "Sorry about that," he said, meeting my glance for a second before staring down in front of me.

"Oh no, it was fine. I was just waiting for him to tell us off is all," I explained quickly. Jesse chuckled slightly, playing with the edge of my plate still with the half eaten piece of toast on it. I smiled slightly with him but I knew it probably resembled more of a grimace then anything.

After a little while Jesse glanced back up at me again. "You were trying to leave weren't you?" he asked softly.

I coughed slightly and moved a crumb of toast around on my plate, being careful not to go too close to his hand right beside me plate. "Um, yeah –" I said, trailing off slightly.

"Why?" he asked immediately. His tone didn't register as either friendly or angry, it almost sounded completely monotonous.

"Um. I just – I didn't know if you'd regret, you know, it, so I uh – didn't want to stick around to find out –" I said trailing off again.

"Well, I don’t," Jesse replied his responses were quick and precise.

"Regret it?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"Do you?"

"No."

"Ok."

The room fell to silence that wasn't exactly uncomfortable but still felt strange. Jesse continued playing with the edge of my plate and I continued pushing the crumb around it.

"Right, so what now?" I asked slowly, turning to look him in the eyes. He raised his gaze to meet mine and held it for a bit.

We watched each other in silence before he finally spoke. "I think you should leave," he said, his voice devoid of emotion, his eyes masked by that dark green tinge they always took on when he'd had enough, when his wall had gone back up. The wall I'd fought so hard

I felt like I was going to cry right there and then. Or just scream and ask him what the hell he thought he was doing, but I thought that might bring too much attention. So I did neither.

I stood up without a word, grabbed my bundle of clothes and went to walk to the door, but before I could get away Jesse grabbed my arm lightly. I turned around and found myself standing face to face with him. Well as face to face as we could be, now that he was standing.

"Hayley –" he started but seemed to lose what he was going to say. I searched his eyes and somehow seemed to understand what he was meaning.

"It's ok," I assured softly. I rose up slowly and pressed my lips gently to his cheek, then pulled out of his grip softly and made my way over to the door. When I glanced back was standing exactly where I'd left him, his eyes closed.

A sad smile crossed my face, before I turned and fled down the corridor.

♥♥♥♥♥♥

I rushed back to my room as quickly as I could, keeping my head down as I speed walked through the school. There was hardly anyone around anyway, everyone was either sleeping off a long night or a hangover, or just hiding out in his or her rooms.

I got back to my room and then realized I had no idea where my key card to open the door was. I knocked tentatively, unsure of if everyone was still in there asleep. A few seconds later Callie opened the door, completely dressed and looking slightly worried.

"Oh my god, where have you been?" she exclaimed at me in worry and annoyance.

"I, uh, stayed the night in someone elses room," I said brushed the question off, not completely telling the truth, and pushing past her to get into the room. Neither of the two other girls was there, which I was immediately glad for.

"Uh, no. That is not a sufficient answer!" she exclaimed, following me across the room. "Whose room?" she demanded, putting her hands on her hips. I shot her a look and realization immediately spread across her face.

"Oh my gosh, you stayed with Jesse didn't you?" she breathed, her eyes widening in shock.

"Um, maybe," I deflected the question again, opening my wardrobe and disappearing inside it so she wouldn't see the blush that spread across my face. I dumped the bundle of clothes on the floor and grabbed some clean clothes to change into.

"Oh, you did! I knew it. So? What's the news hmm? Where did you do it?" she asked, coming around my other side so that she could see past the wardrobe door.

"Do what?" I stared at her in shock. She gave me a 'duh' look and I realized what she was getting at. "Oh god no, Cals! I didn't have sex with him!" I gasped in shock, choking back the nervous laugh that caught in my throat. We hadn't had sex, but just the thought that maybe that could be a possibility now made me mind reel.

"Oh? You sure about that?" she said teasingly, poking my arm.

"Yes, Callie I'm sure," I laughed, composing myself enough to look at least a little bit relaxed.

"So why are you all flustered?" she asked, seeing straight through my façade, luckily she wasn't right otherwise I would have been a mess. "And why did you bring half your clothes in rolled up in a bundle?" she probed, narrowing her eyes at me. I shut the wardrobe door and rolled my eyes at her, walking over to the bathroom.

"Because there may have been some removing of layers," I said calmly, as if things like that happened every day to me. "But not all of them!" I warned, pointing my finger at her before she could say anything more.

"Oh my god!" she squealed, jumping on the spot slightly before rushing over and throwing her arms around me. I couldn't help but laugh and grin, not only at her reaction but also because I could hardly believe it was true myself.

Jesse and me together, finally I could say that without imagining the humongous rift between us, which only made me grin even harder. I could imagine me and him together without having to devise a way to get round the fact that he didn't actually talk to me all that much.

Callie leaned back and grinned at me. "You have to tell me everything!" she exclaimed.

I laughed at her expression and nodded. "Ok, but first I'm taking a shower," I said grinning back at her.

"Fine! But it had better be an extremely fast shower, like 4 seconds tops ok?" she said, sitting down on her bed. I smiled at her and then let myself into the bathroom.

I turned and looked at myself in mirror, my eyes were shining and a huge smile was plastered over my face.

Despite everything, that was the happiest I had looked in weeks. What a way to start the New Year.