The Life We Once Knew

Chapter 11

Jessica set up quickly, breathing hard. She turned to stare down the object that had woken her up from her slumber: the phone.

"Really", she muttered to herself, "I just fell asleep."

She walked clumsily to the phone, and answered it, half-awake. "Hello?"

"Jessica? It's Penelope. I am at my hotel."

Jessica woke up instantly. "How is everything? How was your flight?!"

"You mean flights. I had to switch planes, of course. I am so jet-lagged. I haven't been to Seattle since..."

Penelope went quiet. Jessica knew when. The last time she was in Seattle was when she left. For good.

"Have you-have you heard from mom yet?"

Penelope sighed. "No, she is more than likely in bed. I don't want to see her until after I have slept myself. At least for a couple of hours. So...how is everything there?"

Jessica sighed, and turned around to look behind her. Spencer was sound asleep on the couch.

"Good." Jessica took the phone and walked out of the living room, and into the guest bedroom, closing the door behind her. "I kissed him."

She heard an audible gasp on the other end of the phone. "Oh my, really? Do tell me everything!"

Jessica laughed. "Didn't you plan on getting some sleep?"

"Sleep is for the birds. Tell me Jessica. Don't make me hurt you."

Jessica chuckled. "You couldn't hurt a fly."

"Whatever. I so could. I am like a puma! Now hurry and tell me!"

"Like I said, we kissed. We were just talking. It happened. I don't know. We didn't do more. No making out, anything like that. We just...kissed. Once. And it was great. I know it is probably moving much too fast, but I like him. A lot. I don't know."

Penelope sighed. "Kissing isn't a bad thing, Jessica. Just be careful. You both are very...unique."

"What do you mean?"

"I just mean, you and Spencer have gone through a lot in your lives. More than most. Maybe that is why there was an instant connection for the both of you. You both come from very different, yet in many ways a similar background. They have left both of you with a lot of scars. I cannot speak for Spencer, nor can I for you. Just make sure you are ready for something like this. Take things slow. Nothing good comes from rushing."

Jessica sighed. "I know. And I am going to take things slow. I don't know what happened last night. It just felt...right. I want to get to know him better before anything else happens."

"Good girl! If I were there, I would offer you a treat and pat your head!"

Jessica laughed. "Please, don't. Ever."

Penelope snickered. “Awww. So have you heard from my love muffin?”

“Derek? Nope. Not since you left.”

“Hm, I wonder if my yummy chocolate man is on a date. With that girl.” Penelope sighed.

“I don't know. Are you okay?”

“With him dating? Oh yeah. I am used to it. Always have been. I-I am thinking of trying to find dates myself when I return. Maybe.”

Jessica nodded to herself. “Are you sure? I mean, maybe he will realize how much you care for him.”

“I am tired of living with maybe's. He knows how I feel. I think. I mean, I call him my love muffin and other sweet things all the time. However, even when I do start dating myself, that won't change. “She paused, laughing. “I just feel like I need to move on. He will date countless women. I have come to realize, he will never choose me. I tried for so long to not give up that hope, that maybe it would happen. But now I am. And I am okay, I promise.”

Jessica sighed. “Okay. I think what you are doing is going to be for the best.”

“I sure hope so. Well, Jess, I am going to go to bed now. I am beat. Have fun with Spencer. And behave. At least a little.” Penelope laughed.

“Oh, I will. I am going to take things slow with him. See what happens. Besides, I don't know if I am stable enough for anything to happen.”

“Well, when you are ready, you will know.”

Jessica shrugged to herself. “We can only hope. Well, sleep tight Penelope.”

“You too, doll.”

Jessica hung up feeling uneasy. Penelope had such a thing for Derek. She wasn't sure how long she had known him, but from what she could tell, it seemed like a long time. She hoped Penelope's transition into dating was going to be as easy as she made it sound. As for herself, she wasn't so sure. Her sister was right that she needed to take it slow, but Jessica wasn't sure she wanted to take it anywhere. What her sister had said hit her hard. Was she truly ready?

She walked back into the living room to place the phone back on the receiver, and smiled at the image of Spencer, sleeping on the couch. His eyelids were fluttering, and it looked as though he was dreaming an amazing dream, as he was smiling. She tiptoed back into the guest room and changed into pj's, before plopping down onto the bed. Curling up into a ball, Jessica closed her eyes in the hopes that sleep would come quickly. With everything on her mind now though, she would be surprised if it arrived at all.