𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭.

RIVALS - 2.05

At least they were in the same boat when it came to not knowing how to be around each other. That made Chris feel slightly more at ease. Surely they could get through the rest of the wedding being civil with each other now that they’d expressed their shared uncertainty. Jill hadn’t seemed offended. He wasn’t either. And truthfully? It felt like a weight off his shoulders being able to speak to her face to face without the atmosphere between them being.. awkward. Maybe they’d finally bypassed the jaded exes stage, huh?

Did that mean they’d be able to finally move on and go back to being friends? The thought brought a smile to his face, one that only grew when Jill further teased him— thus proving that it was all too easy to fall back onto old patterns.

“I asked Claire if I could wear my work gear, but she said it was inappropriate and would alarm the guests.” His nose scrunched with playful distaste, gaze shifting down to gauge the tuxedo he donned. Formal attire felt so foreign on him. Chris practically lived in his work wear. Not having the weight of heavy tactical equipment and weapons weighing him down was admittedly nice, but.. Chris wasn’t sure if this was his style.

Though his mind drew a blank the minute Jill’s hand moved up to find his tie, the tug she gave to it taking Chris by surprise. Well, he hadn’t expected that. Not that he was complaining about the more.. intimate proximity. “I’m a quick learner. Didn’t know the tie inspector was gonna be here tonight. Hope I passed the exam.” It admittedly wasn’t his best work, but Chris had never been great with his hands when it came to simple things like tying knots. He simply didn’t have the patience.

She certainly wasn't complaining about the view, though.

The weight of their sudden closeness dawned on her just a moment too late. She hadn't been thinking when she tugged him towards her, muscle memory making it all too easy to fall back into their old banter. Would it ever become second nature, not to want him close, to crave his company, his touch?

"Hmm..." Jill played along with his joke without missing a beat, pretending to carefully inspect his tie. "It's not bad." The urge to redo the knot tugged at her fingertips, imperceptible if not for the way they ghosted over the fabric for a moment. It wasn't her place anymore. "I think it's a passing grade. Though that'll probably be for your sister to decide," she added in a playful tone.

Her hands returned to her sides, slowly smoothing down her dress to keep busy. She didn't trust herself not to reach for him again if left unattended. Easy as all of this was, Jill knew she shouldn't jump to conclusions. It didn't mean he wanted to get back together, or even that he still felt the same way. Maybe the fact of the matter was that, no matter what happened, they'd always be tethered to each other to some extent - as partners, and not a couple.

She wished it was easier for the notion to sink in, that her breath didn't catch in her throat at Chris's whispered question, gaze expectant as her eyes met his once more.

"Not much of a dancer." The reply came after a too-long pause, the dizzying closeness making it harder to find her voice. It wasn't a lie, by any means, but... she would've danced with him, if he asked.

Travelling was a real bitch. One would think that jet lag would’ve exhausted him for the night after the long-haul flight from Edonia.. yet here he was staring at the guest room’s bedside alarm clock, the numbers displayed in neon bold reading 3:05 AM. Since arriving at Sherry’s apartment for their arranged meet up, — which she’d been so kind to accommodate him — and climbing into bed, Jake hadn’t been able to stop tossing and turning.

Was it the excitement and nerves of seeing her again, or his insomnia coming back with a vengeance? Jake didn’t know. What he did know though, was that lying here and staring at the ceiling fan wasn’t going to do him any good. A cold glass of water to ease his dry throat just might. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed and making his way out into the hallway, Jake momentarily paused outside of Sherry’s bedroom door.

Was she asleep? For a fleeting second, Jake considered knocking. His hand even bawled into a fist near the wood with anticipation.. but he ultimately decided against it given the unholy hour. He didn’t need the wrath of her tongue right now for waking her up.

Feet lightly padding along the laminate floorboards, the slight nip in the air sent goosebumps splaying across his bare chest. But if he thought he was cold before, it was nothing compared to the chill that coursed through his body upon taking the corner, only to walk right into Sherry, the impact causing an icy cold glass of water in her grasp to splash up over the rim— right onto him. “Shit—!” He hissed, however, despite the shock, his hand immediately came out to catch her so that she wouldn’t slip in the mess they’d made.

Now that he was actually here... The insomnia struck for a different reason. All of the things she'd wanted to say to him upon reuniting failed her almost instantly. It was one thing to hype herself up when she was alone, and another entirely to get the words out when they were face to face.

Time seemed to drag on excruciatingly slow as Sherry lied awake, tossing and turning, with no reprieve from her jumbled thoughts. The frustration had her finally pushing herself off the bed and straight into the hallway - and if she stopped momentarily just outside of the guest room, she'd pretend it was a coincidence. As much as she wanted to talk to Jake, it would be best to let him sleep after his flight. More time to shake herself off and hopefully be back to her usual self come morning.

Sherry toyed with the idea of grabbing her laptop, maybe getting some work done to distract herself... but decided against it at the last second. Didn't want to risk making any mistakes, what with how distracted she was. Sinking into the couch in hopes of falling asleep while watching TV it was, then.

With a glass of water in hand to go against her impossibly dry throat, she turned the corner on her way to the living room -- only to stop in her tracks, the impact of crashing against something nearly sending her tumbling back.

The familiar voice had her breath catching in her throat, eyes widening as Sherry realized what had just happened. "Sorry!" she immediately blurted out, gaze lingering darting from his chest to his face, relieved he didn't seem to actually be upset.

i don't know what it is, but i want you.

tell me i look beautiful underneath the stars.

kiss me in the dark.

you're dying to have me.

you tell me. i'm open.

baby, let's get fucking crazy.

i like your playlist. turn it up a little louder.

summer isn't over yet.

there's no darkness when you can still feel the light.

tell me what you might do tonight.

it's my favorite part.

something about you gives me a vibe that i'm not getting from any of these guys.

my body's got other plans.

i wanna step into your world.

i like the way you do your hair.

i need to be with you.

everyone disappears right as i'm with you.

have you ever seen a pretty girl get ugly like this?

everybody's telling me to sit there and look pretty.

i'm feeling like i wanna cause some trouble in the city tonight.

boy, you better know your place.

i'm way too pretty to get ugly.

i'd rather take your card and go straight to the bank.

i can see you're terrified.

it's getting to me.

let's get this nasty shit off my chest.

there's been rumors i'm a good girl.

let's put that shit to rest.

there's room for everyone, but is there really?

talking to you gives me butterflies.

i wanna text you all the time.

it's innocent until we kiss.

baby, i'm crushed.

it will never be us.

don't act like you and me are not the same.

yes, hello? what's wrong?

wanna go on a date sometime?

tell me, how sexy am i?

how good is this life?

every night's an event.

kiss me. kiss me french.

show me something i won't forget.

i'll be your girl for two months.

let's make a mess.

everywhere we go, it's a main event.

i want it so much.

i'm still the same.

that's the thing with ambition. everything's a competition.

i wanna be loved.

i still crave your love.

i still want the recognition.

the more i experience, the more mysterious it gets.

it feels so good to know i don't know what i'm doing.

i'm about to jump.

i just wanna keep you on the phone.

feels like you're touching me with your voice.

anything to get you undressed.

talk to me. tell me what you wanna do to me.

dance for me.

you can show me everything.

i don't wanna hang up.

i wanna feel your body when you call me.