Band-Aids

“Daaam—ngg, gurl! You look good!” Nora cheered after Jenny walked down the stairs.

“Good catch,” the blonde said with a straight face, but it quickly turned into a smile, “and thank you.” Jenny spun in a circle so Nora could get a full look at Jenny. In process, Chad walked out of the bathroom and ran into her. Quickly grabbing her wrists, Chad steadied her and they both ended up laughing.

“She’s right. You look great, Jenny.”

“Of course I’m right! I always am,” Nora ridiculed, walking over to her boyfriend and looping an arm around his waist. Jenny smiled at the two before looking at another pair in the house; the hooligans. They were playing nicely by their toy box. It always amazed Jenny at how much endless fun there was from that and how they never got bored with it.

She walked over to them and knelt down. “Okay, you two. I’m going out for a little bit. You kids better be good to Nora and Chad.” Jenny ran her hand over Carrigan’s curly hair and cupped Daniel’s chin before kissing each of their foreheads.

Carrigan was too involved with her Barbies to advert her attention to Jenny but Daniel’s big, blue eyes gleamed up at her as he smiled. “Buh-bye!”

“So, you dressed up,” Nora commented in a gossipy tone as Jenny walked to the door. “It’s a bit cold for a tank top, isn’t it?” Nora joked. Jenny looked down at outfit for her date. She wore dark skinny jeans that fit her curves very tightly, showing off her thighs and backside. On top she wore a strapless, corset top that flared out at the waist. Small flowers created a soft pattern on the white material. Her blonde hair, which was usually unmanageable, was let down in loose curls that fell at her shoulders. The whole ensemble flowed together nicely.

Jenny never got to dress up; there were always kids that spilled their cereal, art projects gone wrong or messy flower arrangements at the shop. When Jenny put on the jeans, she was surprised they actually still fit in the first place.

She felt good, and who knew when Jenny would be able to get out of the house to do something for herself again? She might as well go all out.

“Do I look appropriate?” Jenny asked nervously.

Nora laughed heartedly and slapped Jenny on the ass. “Of course! You look absolutely gorgeous, Hun!” Jenny smiled gratefully at her friend and bent down to put on her black, heeled boots. They were buried deep in Jenny’s closet, but she managed to find them better yet, walk in them. “What’s this? I’ve never seen it before.”

Nora grabbed at the delicate, gold locket that rested on Jenny’s chest. The vintage design made her whole outfit stand out. It was simple, yet the heart shape gave Jenny a dignified look.

Jenny glanced down at the tiny necklace and fingered it slowly. “It was my mom’s…”

“Oh, well, it’s nice,” Nora smiled. “So when is Alex getting here?”

“He said he’d be here around two for a late lunch,” Jenny stated, checking the clock on the wall. “So…five minutes?”

“This is what you need, Jenny. This boy will be good for you.”

She shrugged, not really sure what would be good for her. “He’s not really my type…”

“And what is your type? You haven’t had a first date in eight years and you haven’t dated anyone in almost three years. And before that, what were you, fifteen? Yeah, like two fifteen year olds would have a solid relationship to actually do anything. Trust me. This will be fun. And you will have. And you will like it.”

“Wow, thanks Nora,” Jenny laughed as she slipped on her pea coat and mittens. Nora didn’t care that she was foreword; she wanted Jenny to have fun for once. Not the fun where she laughs during Disney movies or a joke that Carrigan made up which wasn’t actually funny, fun for her where she can make a joke and talk about what she wanted to talk about. To be with someone who asked how her day was and complimented her. That’s what Nora wanted to see for Jenny.

“So, what does he look like?” Nora inquired, excitedly.

Jenny shrugged and blushed. “Um, brown hair, brown eyes, average height—”

“Blah, blah, blah, blah, come on. Any details? Is he—Ooh, I like me a man that’s on time!” Before Jenny could talk, the door bell rang.

Jenny shushed Nora immediately; afraid her obnoxious friend would be heard by Alex who had just rung the doorbell outside. “Okay, I’m going to go. Don’t forget to put those two down for a nap.” Nora and Chad nodded. “And I mean Carrigan and Daniel, not you two. We don’t need a third one on our hands to take care of.”

The couple laughed again. Jenny referred to them all as one big family because that’s what they were. The three treated each other like one and took care of each other like one. Jenny loved that about them; she could always count on Chad and Nora to help her and love her since they were the only ones that had been there for her for a long time.

Alex stood outside on the doorstep, nervously. As soon as today came, he started to question everything. Jenny did know that this was a legitimate date right? Alex didn’t really flirt with Jenny that often and he hoped he dropped enough hints. He hoped Jenny didn’t think this was just two friends going out for lunch. Alex hit himself; if only he hadn’t made dinner plans with his parents, he could have taken her out to dinner. He hoped Jenny was into him just as much he was into her. But then again, maybe he built Jenny up in his head; all the mystery that the girl seemed to carry. Alex thought he didn’t have the vagueness about him.

Quickly smoothing herself out, a little nervous and fidgety, Jenny opened the door. Alex stood, smiling crookedly in dark jeans and a nice flannel, covered with an unzipped jacket. A beanie covered his styled hair and a smile, his jitters.

“Hi,” Alex said breathlessly.

“Hi.” Jenny smiled shyly at him and stepped out of the house to follow Alex. Before stepping off the porch steps, she reached back to shut the door, catching Nora’s peering eyes. Nora had a giant smile on her face, giving Jenny her very, very esteemed approval of the handsome boy with obnoxious thumbs ups.

Rolling her eyes, she shut the door the entire way and swiftly joined Alex before they sauntered down the sidewalk. A light, puffy snow fell on the two as they walked to Alex’s truck. Alex walked nervously beside Jenny, hands shoved in his front pockets. Jenny’s hands immediately tucked themselves in her coat pocket to keep warm.

“You look nice, Jens.”

“Thanks, you do too.” He smiled and impulsively, took a step towards Jenny so he could walk closer to her on the short trip to the truck.

The entire ride to the restaurant was small talk between the two, how their days were, how Carrigan and Daniel were and what Alex had been up to lately. The thirty minute drive was so short, Jenny hadn’t thought it had been ten minutes, but they already arrived at the destination.

They were laughing as they excited the car, something they did very often and Jenny looked at the restaurant. “Paulie’s?”

Alex held the door open for Jenny and stepped in behind her, quickly warming up in the warmer air. “Yeah, it’s a little spot that I know of. Kind of cheesy, but I’ll admit I like it.”

Jenny chuckled at Alex’s confession and looked around. The entry of the tiny place had wood floors as well as paneled with oak with a couple of 50’s gumball machines by the door. Once you stepped past the front counter, the atmosphere completely changed to a calm sit-down. Graceful decorations were on the wall, all soft colors and pictures. The flooring was crappy linoleum, but the tables in the center and booths ringing the walls were furnished with white table clothes and chic utensils.

It was a combination of tacky grill and bar and a snooty brunch location. Jenny took once glance and decided she immediately liked it.

Alex thought she would. Somehow, the mixture of elegant and insipid fit the two Jenny’s he saw in her; responsible but also reckless.

They were seated in a booth by a window that overlooked the street outside where the snow had almost stopped. Alex helped Jenny take off her coat, even though she didn’t need any assistance.

“Whoa, Jens.” He looked over her, eyes following the curves that were extenuated by her outfit. He had never seen her in anything but her work clothes that consisted of bland jeans and a T-shirt. Alex noticed the look of worry on her face because of his tone of shock. “No, don’t worry. You look beautiful.” His voice wavered with a little anxiety. It was simply a good pair of jeans and a shirt. A strapless shirt. The slightest centimeter of hip that stuck out where her shirt ended. Bare back. Tight pants. Soft, golden skin..

Alex shook his thoughts dead. He tried to focus on anything but how much he wanted to kiss Jenny. Instead he smiled into her striking eyes. How she talked in the car, the little jokes and witty remarks were all balanced. He barely knew anything about her but felt like he did enough to fall for her.

“So,” Alex said as he sat down across from his date. “is it lame to get grilled cheese? Because the grilled cheese here is fucking amazing.”

“Well, if it is fucking amazing, I think, not lame.”

“Good. Thank you for understanding.”

Jenny laughed, and looked over her menu. “What’s good here?”

“Well…the grilled cheese if fucking amazing.”

“Then I think I’ll take your word and have the fucking amazing grilled fucking cheese.” Alex chuckled at her and moved his hands through his hair for the seventieth time. “Can you order for me? I’m going to go to the restroom really quick.”

Alex nodded, “Sure thing.” As she stood up, Alex watched as Jenny walked away. He found himself studying the way her body moved in general, memorizing each move. Was it creepy? No, he told himself. Not if she made him jumpy, caused his palms to sweat and body to itch.

==========

“Wait, you’re saying you’ve never ridden in a taxi?!”

“No, I’ve never hailed one.”

“Same thing. First you hail it, and then you ride it!” Alex argued.

Jenny threw her curls back and laughed. Alex was being so persistent and she found it cute how much he cared about the little things. He paid attention the most insignificant details, but she thought that was what made him so different.

“Bada-bing, that’s what he said!”

The two walked down the street, deciding to take a walk after their lunch. The sidewalk they were on was fairly unoccupied, but there was a few people that needed to share the skinny sidewalk with them, frequently pushing Alex and Jenny into each other.

Their hands were loosely attached as they strolled, fingers tangling and entwining as they joked and moved about. Jenny felt a little light headed because of the Alex’s lingering laughs in the air and the warm touch of his skin. It was weird how much the touch of skin can make someone squirm. It was simply a five fingered hand, connected to an arm; everyone had them. But when Alex grasped her hand with his, her heart fluttered. She could actually feel it speed up and beat against her skin.

“You know what I heard?” Alex brought up a new subject as he dug around in his pocket.

“Oh gosh, what did you hear?”

Alex acted offended and nudged her. “Fine, maybe I won’t tell you.”

“No, tell me. Now you got me wondering! Please? Please?” She continued to ask the more Alex held his grudge and shook his head.

“Oo, Jenny. Beg more. Beg, baby,” he said dirtily, causing Jenny to laugh but also blush at the underlying thought. He squeezed her hand tenderly to show he was kidding before he spoke. “But seriously,” Alex redirected the conversation and pulled something out of his pocket.

“Gum?”

“Not just any gum. Stride gum. And do you know what Stride does?”

“…Helps your breath?”

“No, silly! You can, theoretically, stick this whole thing in your mouth, wrapper in all.”

“You…eat the wrapper…?”

“You eat the wrapper and it just dissolves with the gum!” Again, Jenny couldn’t help but laugh at how Alex reacted to the tiniest things. After handing her a piece, they each looked at each other nervously with a little apprehension in their eyes.

Alex and Jenny counted together, “One, two, three!”

They slowed their walking as they chewed the gum, focusing on what was in their mouths. Once it reached their mouths, their faces were grossed out but it soon turned into a look of surprise after they realized the gum wasn’t completely disgusting. Their hands that had disconnected for a bit, re-entwined as they chewed.

Alex was the first one to notice the stiffness that evolved over the next ten minutes and Jenny soon followed in realization.

“Not fun, not fun, not fun,” Alex whined, dragging Jenny over to a garbage can so he could spit out the gum. Jenny did too and then hugged her arms over her body, trying to warm herself up as she waited for Alex to stop wiping off his tongue. The snow had started to fall again, cooling off the Baltimore air. “You cold?”

The blonde shrugged. “A little.”

“Well, let’s head back to the truck,” Alex suggested and she agreed.

Jenny felt her stomach lurch in surprise when she felt Alex’s arm wrap around her waist so she was brought close into him. She felt a blush rise to her cheek at the tight grip he had as he held her hip. Alex’s chest was radiating heat even through his jacket and it was very comforting to her.

Jenny hadn’t had that feeling for while. It was strong, safe grip just for her. One that told her that he would be there, and wouldn’t just leave. It was one she could trust not to fuck up or desert her. Yes, Jenny had friends, but to have someone go beyond the friendship and signal that they really did care about her and that made her melt all the more into Alex.

“I better bring you home,” Alex said as he backed out of the parking outside of Paulie’s. “I need to be home to have dinner with my parents.”

“Busy guy,” Jenny commented. She didn’t mind at all that their date was coming to end because Alex had family things to do. She wouldn’t stop him from that. Alex was a busy guy though, and he made it clear that he wasn’t home a lot during lunch. He told her all about the adventures he went on during his past tour with his band. It sounded so exciting and adventurous but it also scared Jenny.

Alex was getting deep. He might not have been very deep yet, but he was getting there. He had made a strong connection to Carrigan and Daniel, let Jenny rely on him for favors and took her out on a date, providing security. Jenny was so used to helping others. She didn’t have time to help herself is she got hurt by Alex.

Jenny didn’t want to have to think about the topic so soon after meeting Alex, but she couldn’t help be hesitant; that’s just what Jenny did. She worried about Carrigan and Daniel and what would happen in the future. The whole situation was pulling Jenny from what she wanted to what should do back to what she wanted.

At the sound of Alex’s voice, however, he pulled Jenny out of her own world and into his, instantly.

“That gum made my mouth dry.” Alex pretended to choke and stuck his tongue dramatically. He drove Jenny through her neighborhood, dreading having to drop her off. He had such a great time with her and didn’t want to leave. He knew he would probably see her again soon, but he could never know. There was still that unanswered question that lingered and who knew what would change in Jenny’s hectic life in the next week. “Here we are…” Alex tried to cover up his sadness while he put the truck in park.

Jenny nodded silently and gazed out at the falling snow. She admired how graceful it all seemed; it just calmed things down without even trying. She hadn’t even noticed that Alex had gotten out of the cab and had walked around to her side.

The door opened and she was met with Alex’s handsome face and his hand, offering to help her down. Jenny delicately took and wrapped her fingers around his hand, feeling that familiar warmth she had grown to crave over the past few hours.

Alex kept his eyes locked on her aqua and brown eyes as she lowered from the cab of the truck and after closing the car door, the started to saunter back up the sidewalk to the house. After they reached the house, Alex turned to look into Jenny’s eyes and was immediately drowned in the color pools. A couple inches apart from Alex, Jenny watched the flakes of snow settle in his hair, the tip of his nose and in his eyes lashes.

“What?” Alex asked curiously after seeing a smile spread on Jenny’s pink lips.

“Nothing, it’s just the snow.” He tilted his head, signaling for her to explain. “It’s um…it’s, it’s kinda romantic,” Jenny whispered out, embarrassed at how cheesy the comment she just made sounded.

Instead of chuckling like Jenny thought he would, the warm knuckles of his hand brushed against Jenny’s cheek after he raised his arm to brush a curl away from Jenny’s mismatched eye. “It is.” His voice sounded deep in his throat when he spoke and it threw Jenny a little off guard.

Slowly, Alex’s head neared Jenny’s, focused on her lips. Jenny would have noticed that if she was looking at his eyes, but she too was focused on the pair of lips in front of her.

He brushed his lips slowly across hers, causing a couple of little stubbles on his chin to rub her cheek and their moist lips to stick momentarily. Eager, Alex placed a hand firmly on the side of Jenny’s hips; finally being able to touch them after thinking about them for hours. He then gave a quick kiss, testing Jenny’s lips for their shape and texture. It wasn’t much different than Alex imagined; and he had thought about it enough. They were just like he thought they would be.

Moist and plump, with a little mint flavor on the pink skin. It made Alex go crazy, the combination of taste, touch and desire, and he wanted to take her in his arms and never let go. Enjoying Jenny’s feeling, Alex kissed her again, slowly.

Jenny gripped Alex’s forearms, anxious. After she finally reacted, both of them exchanged short cut off kisses that lingered for a few seconds each time.

Jenny pulled away and looked into Alex’s eyes, overtaken by the romance. The kiss was so un-rhythmic, but perfect in the way they moved together. Even though it wasn’t the most amazing kiss, it felt like it at the time to both Alex and Jenny.

Jenny felt light headed and unbalanced as she thought back to those brief fifteen seconds. Luckily Alex was holding onto her so she felt safe that she wouldn’t fall.

Alex wanted more. He felt like he had waited too long to be with Jenny like this and something so wonderful was ending too soon. Before he captured her lips again, Jenny pulled her face away gently. “You better go,” she whispered.

He slowly tore his eyes from Jenny’s lips and looked in her eyes. “Mmhmm,” he mumbled. Alex took one hand off Jenny’s hip and ruffled his bangs, thinking about the dinner he was supposed to have with his parents in an hour. “I’ll call you?”

Jenny smiled at him and how he acted so unsure and timid. “Definitely. I’ll be waiting for your call.”

Chuckling lightly, Alex ran his hands down her arms, delaying leaving. “Bye, Jens.” Alex leaned down and gave a sweet peck on her lips before unwillingly walking back to his truck.

Jenny watched Alex walk away musing over him and secretly checking him out. Smiling to herself, Jenny didn’t know why, but she suddenly felt blissful. She was on top of the world and nothing was able discourage her. It was one of the most cliché feelings she could have had, but didn’t care one bit.

Four days ago, Alex and Jenny were strictly acquaintances, but one date really changed the relationship. And Jenny loved it.