What Happens Under The Sun

''And where have you been young lady?'' Jessica asked when I tried to sneak back into the apartment.

''I went to the mall, I needed to kind of clear my head.'' I said, hoping it would stick.

''For two and a half hours?'' she asked and I nodded. ''And you didn't buy anything?'' I nodded again.

''Liar.'' She accused.

''I'm not!'' it was too late though, she saw right through my mall lie. Time to come up with another one.

I didn’t want to lie to Jessica, but I had two very good reasons. One, she would totally analyze what my going to Tom's meant and two, her boyfriend was best friends with one of the two people who could absolutely not find out where I'd been, those two people being Derek and my dad.

Derek and I weren’t an official couple, but I got the feeling that he'd freak out if he knew I was sleeping with Tom.

''Where were you?'' she asked, ignoring my defense

''I was at the park ok.'' I lied.

''It's freezing cold and trying to snow.'' She said disbelievingly.

''Exactly! I didn't want you to freak out because you knew I spent the past two hours outside in the freezing cold and thought I was going to get pneumonia!'' I said. After a minute, her look softened and she hugged me.

''Sorry.'' She said.

''I guess it's just more interesting when you're sneaking off to sleep with Tom.'' She laughed. ''But I guess that's over now what with Derek and all.''

''I guess, Derek would freak if he found out I slept with someone else.'' I said. ''I mean, he's not my boyfriend, but I can see him being the jealous type.''

''Yea, so are you sleeping with Derek yet?'' Jessica asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

''Are you sleeping with Jordan? Of course not! We're just dating a little.'' I said and she rolled her eyes.

''I was just asking. You and Tom skipped the whole dating thing and went right to the sex part and I wondered if it was the same thing with Derek.'' She said and I laughed.

''I didn't really have a choice with Tom, it was fuck him or have a boring vacation of lounging on the beach all the time.'' I said and she laughed this time.

''Yea cause lounging for two weeks is so terrible.'' She said sarcastically. We were on the couch and she turned around and put her head in my lap, looking up at me.

''Who do you think is going to be better? Tom or Derek?'' she asked thoughtfully.

''Tom.'' We answered in unison and I blushed slightly as we laughed.

''I'm sure Derek's good and all, but he just doesn't have that same je ne sais quoi that Tom does.'' Jessica said.

''How do you know? You've never met Tom.'' I laughed.

''Oh but I've done my homework. Apparently he's quite the ladies man, sex is like second nature to him.'' she told me.

''I can confirm that.'' I said with a grin.

''Enough about my sex life, what about you and Jordan?'' I asked, changing the topic.

''He's just so amazing in every way. When we kiss, it's like fireworks go off and when I talk he actually listens. He's the kind of guy you can go to first thing in the morning after a night of hard partying, makeup smudged down your face, hair a mess, with hangover breath and he would still tell you you were beautiful and mean it.'' she said happily.

''Sounds like you've got yourself a right storybook romance Jess.'' I said, idly twirling her hair between my fingers.

''I'm like freaking Cinderella.'' She sighed.

''What does that make me? The ugly step sister?'' I laughed.

''No you're more like the fairy godmother who brought us together.'' She smiled up at me.

''You'd better hold onto him or I'll bibidi-bobidi-boo your ass back to England.'' I said and she laughed.

''The next girl will have to pry him from my cold dead fingers.'' She said and I laughed this time.

*~Tom's Point of View~*

'So how long exactly have you been screwing around with Kate Reed? Just out of curiosity.'' Bill asked and I jumped. I didn't know he was there.

''How did you get in?'' I asked.

''The key you gave me for emergencies. How long Tom?'' he asked again.

''It's complicated.'' I said.

''That doesn't answer my question.'' He sounded like my mom.

''Do you remember that day when I left an hour late for the studio? When you said I smelled like sex?''

''That long! How come you didn't tell me? How come you're not dead!'' Bill asked.

''I'm sorry, the next time I have sex, I'll be sure to let you know.'' I said sarcastically.

''So are you dating or something.'' He asked.

''We're not allowed to date.'' I reminded him.

''So you're just sleeping with her for the sake of it? you're going to be in so much trouble, someone's going to find out and you're going to be in so much trouble.'' He said ominously.

''Well so far that hasn't happened yet has it?''

''When it does you're screwed.'' He said.

''Looking forward to it.''