✦ * ˚ &&. can you control it ?

VENUS FULLY REMOVES the sheer lingerie dress that adorned her body and hugged her curves as jeremiah undresses himself as well. she grins into their shared kiss, feeling closer to him now that their clothes are off. a moan transfers from her lips to his once his hands become acquainted with her breast, his finger sweeping over the skin of her areolas and . "i like you. does that count?" her joke comes out as a rhetorical question, her breathing wavering from the sensation she's receiving from his hands. she knows all of the ways she could answer his question, but she'd be lying if she said that jeremiah didn't succeed in getting her wet already. she reaches for one of his hands, guiding his finger down so he could feel how wet she was already. once the substance lands on his finger, she brings it back up to her lips to taste herself while gazing into his eyes. "it looks like i'm as ready for you as you are for me." she references the condom covering his length. "you're so sexy. how do you want me, baby? i promise i can take all of you." before he could answer, venus reconnects their lips for another sloppy and passionate kiss, her tongue exploring his mouth while her legs surround him.

VENUS COULD FEEL his hardened length through his shorts, giving her motivation to continue the slight grinding as the two refuse to let the other have any air aside from the quick breaks in kisses. "i'm not going to be rough with you, baby. i just didn't want to go too fast. but you are very sexy and i want to find a way to calm your nerves." she insists seductively. overall, venus doesn't want to be rough with jeremiah, but she especially doesn't want to while he's a little anxious around her. her lips find his neck, landing feathery kisses in a trail toward his ear. her hands lower down to where his length is, gently feeling it through the fabric of his shorts. "if you remove your shorts, i'll remove my dress. would you like for me to do both?" she offers a deal, her eyes reflecting the same amount of lust that she's witnessing from his. venus slowly lets her dress straps fall down her shoulders, gradually exposing her breasts before she closes the distance between them again. she couldn't get enough of jeremiah's kisses, their lips synchronizing with each meeting.

BEFORE VENUS COULD question the exchange jeremiah could've possibly had with the trivedi twins, her position is shifting to being on top of him as opposed to her more reserved arrangement next to him and her lips are dancing against his yet again. his nature is different from the jeremiah she was used to, but it could have a lot to do with how she saw him as innocent. "i take it you're no longer nervous? or should i be careful?" she double checks, shamelessly straddling him. venus knows her teasing can be excessive at times. she reconnects their lips for another makeout session, slowly grinding her hips against his, preparing him for what they were bound to do without the fabric barricading the way. "is that too much?" she questions while trying to capture her breath.

venus earns a belly laugh from jeremiah when she says he sounds like a talk show host. he has noticed that she likes to tease him whenever he leaves himself open without realizing. he grins, staring to stand up to give her the room to herself, but not before taking a few seconds to return her tongue kiss. he nearly doesn’t want to break apart from her, but he has to. “yes… you will…” he cheeses, leaving the room and going downstairs. while he’s gone, jeremiah chat with ryder, katerina, charlie and ryan. the only couples on the trip. since he hasn’t had a chance to really relax since spotting venus, he takes this window of free time to really try the desserts that venus made, but his sense of calm doesn’t last long when he realizes that he has no form of contraception for later. he doesn’t panic though just yet. he keep the conversation and fun going. after awhile, jeremiah assumes venus might be done with her night routine. he slides down in a seat next to and asks him if he can help him out. he isn’t really expecting such a disgusted look from him in particular, but he understands. the grilling that follows is almost comical, but it makes him more nervous he had forgotten that ryan and venus are like siblings and not just her best friend’s husband. luckily kat and charlie come to his rescue and charlie throws him a life jacket in the form of a condom. he thanks her and makes his way back up venus. he enters the room, sitting on the bed. “love, are you about finished?” softly calls out dimming the lights with the remote. “take your time, if not.”

TIME HAS PASSED and the kids are no longer the ones on her screen. instead, it's her ex-husband chris. venus is moisturizing herself and ensuring that her hair is in an updo like jeremiah requested. luckily, wearing lingerie doesn't come across a certain way to chris, given that that's what she wears to bed half the time. her british beau's voice sounds off in the next room, causing her to announce her much-needed departure to chris. her nails click against the hang up button that nestled behind the glass screen after she ignores chris' questioning. "hey, babe. i'm done. how was it downstairs?" venus asks, walking into the bedroom with her light blue sheer mini slip dress, leaving nothing above her waist to his imagination. "i'm missing my babies but i have to snap out of mommy mode sometimes. i have to enjoy my breaks." she sits next to jeremiah, grabbing one of his hands as she faces him. "don't think that i'm not enjoying my time with you, though. i always am."

jeremiah softens at the mere thought of venus thinking he could ever tire of her. he gives her another kiss of reassurance. "i'm not tired of you, sweetheart. i simply cannot get enough of you. i will happily show you that tonight." he tucks his index finger and thumb under her chin, prolonging the kiss, twirling a strand of her curly hair. "i like it when you wear your hair down so that i can play in it. however little tip—wear it up later." jeremiah hints at what it is that he's into sexually, while keeping his smile kind. " speak to the children, have yourself a bath... then, after... well, i'm full of surprises, my darling."

"YOU SOUND LIKE a game show host, babes." venus pokes fun at the way he speaks about the time they're going to share. she hopes the short time apart will get her in the mood again. now that the two have discussed it, it almost feels like the vibe to start it was ruined. "i'm going to take like 30 minutes. you go ahead and mingle with everyone. i'll be up here waiting for you." her lips meet jeremiah's, but she doesn't leave a chaste kiss. venus possesses the same passion as their kiss in the pool to bring the previous mood back. her tongue slips between his lips, and she allows herself to let out a light moan to provide him with a preview of what's to come. she breaks the kiss, instantly wiping some of the transferred lipstick off jeremiah's lips. "see you in a bit." she smiles at him before disappearing into the bathroom. without a doubt, she was going to put on some lingerie for his viewing pleasures.

jeremiah nods along as venus explains that knowing his full reasonings for moving a a bit too slow, sooner would have been better in this situation. "i think in the grand scheme of things it's only a factor because i don't want to potentially overstep in any way. it's a bit like how we're integrating our friend groups it's slightly unnerving, that's why i pulled you away, i just wanted to talk to you about everything. he leans over and kisses her softly. "i know a relationship is on the horizon. sex is a good step in the right direction, don' t you think? when i ask you, i want to make it special and i will. you'll know when , i promise." he kisses her again, this time with a purpose. it matches the one she gave him earlier, not a hint of hesitation, nor innocence on jer's end. "how are you feeling?"

ORIGINALLY, VENUS WASN'T sure of what to think about her relationship with jeremiah. the two humored each other like friends, but the act of giving each other affection was natural to the point where they could pass as a romantically-involved couple in the eyes of a stranger. she gently rests one of her hands on jeremiah's jawline as he kisses her with an amount of passion that would fool even people that they personally know. "it was a massive concern but i think my brain is relaxing for now. since we didn't talk about it, i was convincing myself that maybe you didn't like me as much as i liked you and that you were ashamed of me. i don't know. i think i was very concerned with the idea of you getting tired of me already. it might sound silly but that's what was going through my head." she expresses. venus doesn't want to tell him she has bpd quite yet; she does, however, find comfort in knowing that the chances of scaring him away would be slim because of his occupation and what he might have been exposed to prior. "i'm feeling great. i'm happy to be on this trip with you. we're here as friends but i'm ready to be official and to do the sex things whenever you get comfortable since we had that talk."

jeremiah can see that there's a slight error in his choice of wording given venus' questions. he shakes his head and begins. "oh no, heavens. no...my mistake. i don't mean that as to say your being a mother is a dealbreaker, or that it impacts our compatibility. not in the slightest." he smiles kindly , placing his hand on her knee as to comfort her. "i'm only saying, that i'm aware of it and i think that is apart of my timing with things, is all. it being an adjustment just means it will be new for me because i've never been romantically involved with someone whose schedule involved parenting and we'd be able to work around that. it's only one of my reasons for that. the other is, personal preference and nerves. as i was saying before i would normally go for it, but given how i approached my past relationships, seeking physical connection first. it's not a huge step—necessarily. i want things with you to be different in the best way." he agrees with venus, and he hopes he being clear enough to reassure her that her circumstances only concern him in the sense that he hopes that he fits in well with that part of her world. "i didn't intend to be unclear."

VENUS' HAND GOES to rest on top of jeremiah's, both being stacked onto her knee. she listens to him intently, but she doesn't think what he's saying changes or eases her mind. he provides clarity on the dealbreaker portion but rephrases everything else, almost as if he is trying to polish it all. "we both agree that it's a factor in our relationship, so i assumed it's a dealbreaker. maybe, i misspoke on that part, but t's a pretty big deal and affects how you move with us. that's why you said it would've been different if i didn't have kids and an ex-husband. you weren't unclear. i understood you. like i said, i automatically approach every potentially romantic or platonic relationship with others with caution because i'm a mother. i was only questioning the reassurance you gave me a while back because i was left with the impression that it wouldn't be a big deal." she rephrases why her questions were asked as a method of drilling them into his head. "i only wish i knew that you were taking a slow approach because of your many reasonings before. so you were taking it slow because of our past relationships, personal preference, compatibility, and nerves? that's a lot, but i was sitting here thinking you didn't fuck with me as much. it's been little things like pulling me away from your friends, the sex not being a thing, and us not being official that had me questioning things to myself. my brain isn't the nicest to me sometimes."

it's important to jeremiah that he expresses his affection toward the woman beside him openly. he doesn't do well with holding things in. however, venus' role as a mother— with young children—at that , makes his decision to date her a far more delicate one. he has to think more logically and ahead of time as if things were currently heading in a more serious direction already. casually dating someone like venus can only go but so far, that he knows for sure. "you have young children, and i am absolutely okay with that, however; it is something i've never had to consider. it'll be quite the adjustment, if we to become an item. i just wanted to take things slowly, simply to be sure we were compatible." jeremiah knows that on some level, eventually, he'll meet and get to know her daughters and with that comes a responsibility to be a positive influence in their lives because young children are impressionable and jeremiah can't date venus and not acknowledge the most important human beings in her life. "i adore you. you are witty and beautiful. you have the kindest soul. i can imagine your daughters are an reflection of who you are, and i want to approach us in a way where no one is uncomfortable. if we were just casually seeing each other and there weren't children or active ex-husbands to factor in... we would have been having it off... months ago." he grins. "

VENUS LISTENS TO jeremiah speak about what was taking him so long to open up to the idea of the two of them getting further into the other possibilities of intimacy. with the way she hears it, the children and chris caused him to tiptoe around the ideas, which somewhat adds up to her and how she perceived his behavior. "i understand but i would've felt better about us if you expressed this a while ago. you've mentioned you were good with kids because you've worked with them and i told you about my ex-husband a while ago. i guess what i don't understand is what sex has to do with that and how it takes you more than five dates and all of this time together to figure out if we're compatible or not." venus wouldn't consider herself upset at the direction of the conversation, but she doesn't feel the best about it. having children and being married at such a young age was always something she had to accept would be a red or beige flag to certain people she encounters. it was also something that she had to keep in mind for herself. venus always had to approach relationships wondering if the man or woman she's seeing would fit in with her family. "another thing i wonder about is what was the point of telling me about you being good with kids and all of the extra stuff if it was such a big adjustment and essentially a factor and deal breaker on our compatibility. i go into dating assuming that it's an adjustment for everyone without kids or experience with marriage but i took that information as you reassuring me that it wasn't." she expresses, her eyes staring into him. "and maybe there's a disconnect where i think sex is being positioned as some huge step while i'm thinking being someone's girlfriend as the huge step. i'm not used to a timeline and a lack of communication like this."

admittedly so, jeremiah has been taking things a lot slower than he normally would when pursuing a woman he's into. there's so much to consider in this situation. he's never been set up with a mutual friends closest friend. the he feels very lucky that things have gotten as far as they have—being that jer's in uncharted territory. he chuckles, knowing that venus is trying to help him by teasing him as per usual. "well, yes. i do like to take things slow, but not this slow, i'm no prude and i mean this with the upmost respect... i cannot stop wondering what you're like in bed, you, venus; are a real looker..." he shrugs, unapologetically. "my curiosity is getting the best of me. i would like for us to... explore one another. i do, very much. i might have given you too much room to question my true intentions. i apologize. i don't want you to think i'm not taking things we have going seriously. i am. i'm rather surprised you haven't gone and told me to piss off yet."

VENUS FINDS JEREMIAH to be innocent despite what he may want her to believe. the seed of curiosity had begun to sprout a while ago, but she almost assumed that there was a misalignment in morals between the two of them. "is there a reason that you took it this slow that i should know about? i wasn't going to tell you to piss off but this was going to be a conversation. i think i was questioning everything because we've been on our dates, spent time together, and expressed that we like each other, and there was still nothing." she elaborates. venus has had her fair share of times where she attempted to have sex with someone she was no longer connected to in other departments. she didn't want the absence of sex to bleed over when it comes to jeremiah. she doesn't go deeper into the topic of questioning his intentions. the two still aren't dating yet, which only adds to it all. "i've been ready so i've been going off of your timing. i'm ready whenever you're comfortable. i'm also curious. and i like you."

“i sleep in my boxer shorts and nothing else — is that alright with you, love?” jeremiah asks as they enter charlie’s room, hands practically superglued together. he can’t help but question venus’ choice of words, hopefully he’s right about the signals that he’s been getting since their steamy moment in the pool. taking initiative— he picks up her bags for her. although he’s slightly riddled with (excited) jitters, jeremiah is looking forward to their first real sleepover. this is his chance to see if all the tension between them translates into something more physical. the thing is, jeremiah doesn’t want to appear too eager to jump into bed with her. once they reach his room, he sets her bags down at the foot of the bed. “you were very moisturized when you arrived… i’d be delighted to reapply it after you have your bath…” he positions himself next to her, preparing to ask her the question that’s been begging to get out. “actually, i wanted to talk about that before we get too settled in… i have a question to ask, we’ve been spending a lot of time together, and i’ve been more cautious about the subject of sex, mucking about and such, but… how do you usually go about it? i want to be on the same wavelength as you. i wouldn’t want you to be confused.”

THE QUESTION THAT jeremiah poses isn't one that venus finds invasive. she's glad that he is thoughtful enough to double check with her. "i'm comfortable with you so i don't care what you wear to bed." she answers truthfully. she unleashes her bun from her scrunchie, allowing her blonde curls to flow down her shoulders again while the two get cozy in their makeshift seats on the bed. it's still shocking to her that the two will be sharing a room but mostly, the surprise comes from the thought of the two sleeping in the same bed together. he hasn't been lacking in the physical touch department, but she senses a push and pull tactic sometimes, whether intentional or not. his actions often kick her overthinking and rejection sensitivity into overdrive. "how do i go about sex?" she amusingly asks. more shock. she doesn't expect jeremiah to bring up the elephant in the room. "i'm kidding. i know what you mean i think. well, sex is important to me because physical connection is important to me. if i don't feel an emotional connection or any attraction, it's hard for me to jump into that kind of thing and if i do feel both of those, it's hard for me to take it slow. i'm naturally impulsive but i can take my time. i think a lot of time... like too much time... leaves things open for questions and overthinking. kinda like us." venus admits. "i'm under the impression that you take your time. and you take a lot of it."

“is that so? you like me?” he imitates her, tossing his usual accent surprisingly, he does it well, so every now and then, he uses it as a silly party trick. jeremiah can see himself dating venus. sometimes their time spent alone together gives him insight on how a relationship with her would be like. he isn’t new to sharing prolonged make out sessions with her, but this one feels more… sensual, as if she’s trying to tell him something through the dance their tongues are doing. she’s leading and he isn’t complaining. they’ve been on plenty of dates and jeremiah has been thinking about taking those next steps and finally seeing what their sexual chemistry is like. maybe tonight, is the night? he doesn’t necessarily think it’ll be too fast in terms of how they’ve taken to pacing their new romance— but —personally, jeremiah is the type to take his time to get get to know someone he’s really interested in. “stay in my room with me?” though he’s not ready for there to be any distance between them or the kissing to stop, he watches as venus gets out of the pool, attentively. his eyes scanning her backside. he gets out of the pool next. “it’ll be a first for us, sharing a bed.” he walks behind her, after grabbing folded towel to that was neatly laid out for the house guests. “you can make your calls. i’ll give you the room. i’m going to go have a wash and then leave you to it, if you want to be roommates instead of neighbors?”

THE TOWEL DOES an efficient job of drying her off after she dismisses herself from the pool. venus could feel jeremiah's eyes burning into her back in the process of her exit. pumping the brakes on the makeout session was a great call in her eyes. although he has expressed hints of lust through his compliments and gazes, she doesn't want to jump the gun on building things up to sex. "i'll sleep with you. no hogging the covers." she enforces, providing a double entendre at the beginning of her accepting his invitation. once jeremiah is out of the pool, she joins their hands so she could take him to charlie's room where she could get her things to put them into their shared room instead. "i'm going to freshen up while i'm on the call. being in the pool makes me feel icky after a while and i was already covered in oil from my massage." she explains while the two go to their shared room. venus lays down a clean towel and sits on it at the end of the bed. "you won't have any problems with sharing the bed? that's a little shocking to me but maybe, i've been reading things wrong. you did say you were nervous."

jeremiah knocks his head back in a very distinctive manner, laughing in a jeremiah-way. the corners of his mouth stretch wide—taking over the entirety of his face and his eyes squint a bit. "your confused nature is just so cute. yes, we can do both. make a day out of it; i'm sure we won't be missed too much." he boops her nose, placing a kiss on the tip of it after, then twice on her lips. venus makes jer's eyes brighten with happiness, he hasn't felt such an level of intensity of this emotion in a long time. "you just make me feel... a lot of things, good things; sometimes good feelings make me nervous." he grins, squeezing her hips playfully, chuckling. "you do have the most riveting eyes, but they don't make me nervous... you do. i haven't felt like this about a woman in quite some time. i've gotten used to just being, y'know. going to work, hanging with my mates ever so often. romance had been really low on the means to survival list. until you, of course. i fancy you, a great deal."

VENUS UNINTENTIONALLY ALMOST shows even more confusion but she nods once a date is confirmed for the next day. she finds it comical how quickly the two arranged a plan to sneak off but she isn't surprised. the smile on her face expands, something that has become quite common every time she's around jeremiah. "i definitely didn't anticipate dating anyone or planned on doing it until charlie told me she had someone for me. i really fancy you too. or i really like you too, if you want to hear it in the american way." she laughs in unison with him before she closes the gap between them by meshing their lips together. she doesn't stop at pecks; instead, she prolongs the kiss, gradually allowing it to heat up before her tongue enters his mouth. makeout sessions with jeremiah were her favorite. however, she breaks the kiss before she could even think about getting too carried away. "before i get too comfortable, i should probably go and pick a room. i told my kids i would facetime them later." venus states, wiping jeremiah's lips for him. she swims over to the edge of the pool, where she launches her body out of the water. "i have my luggage in charlie's room, but she told me i can pick anywhere. so this is where i ask you to show me where your room is so we can be neighbors."

jeremiah can definitely say that this newfound connection he has with venus is refreshing. sure, he's dated attractive women before, but there was always something that was missing in his relationships. he could never quite put words to the feeling he got whenever it came time to talk about marriage and children. he just hasn't found his person yet. that's the only explanation that makes any sense. "you shouldn't make a fuss. i'm very comfortable with you, i promise." he returns her soft pecks, snaking his arms around her waist. "we certainly can have a date here, ziplining or a boat ride. we can do something with just us two tomorrow, in the am, before the others wake up. as you said earlier, this gives us some insight on what our first trip together will look like." he caresses her face, looking into the depths of her hypnotizing gaze. his heart does something it hasn't done in such a long time— it flutters in his chest. he kisses her again, with purpose. "dinner by the water? then a full body massage, you get to relax after being so busy lately, yeah?" jeremiah is charming in his own way. he cares enough to make sure that venus is actually enjoying her time away from her hectic schedule. meshing their lips together, he kicks his feet backward so that he and venus can sway with the water. "if you ever need a reason to get me out of my head, just take me to any body of water. i swear i was a fish in my past life." he genuinely looks content now, his head clearing slowly. "i have a confession to make... i've just been a bag of nerves since you arrived..."

THE KISSES THAT the two are sharing are reminiscent of those that venus would share with a significant other. she doesn't feel a way about her and jeremiah only being friends for now, but the intimacy she shares with him and the feelings she has for him are increasing day-by-day. "so we're doing breakfast and dinner? are we doing either or? you're confusing me but i love the excitement. i'd love to do both ziplining and dinner on a boat ride. it's a nice balance. i love adrenaline type activities and you love being by the water. it's a win-win for both of us." she suggests. she smiles into their next kiss. venus had knowledge of liking him before, but she believes this trip will cement her comfort with him. she already feel like the liking of jeremiah isn't the same surface level feeling that she's had before. "you were nervous? why? do i make you nervous?" venus wiggles her eyebrows as a way to get him to laugh. "we've been going on dates and hanging out for months, silly. is it my eyes? i always hear that. i still don't understand it." she speaks, slowly swimming in sync with him as he cradles her body.

with pure amusement in his voice, he beckons for venus to get in with him. '"the pudding won't magically disappear, darling..." jeremIah is desperately trying to keep a tight lid on his nerves, but he senses that he may be failing at doing so. "much to my knowledge everyone knew who would be in attendance, except for me of course. i think they were more stunned by the affection between us." he grants venus a cheeky grin, pulling her close to him, using the pool noodle once her body is submerged in the water. though their close proximity makes jeremiah feel uneasy, he doesn't necessarily believe that he should try and shy away from the excitement that is bubbling up in the pits of his stomach. "you haven't made anything weird, we've been kissing for quite sometime now. i'm not one to decline a kiss just for the comfort of others. it's okay for you to do that whenever you please." he offers her words of comfort. "as for getting you alone? i just wanted some quality time with you. it's more romantic this way." he slides the long, foam-like float from underneath her arms, replacing it with his arms, holding her up. "you look really gorgeous today... i apologize if i've already said that, but it's worth repeating."

JEREMIAH'S ANSWERS SOOTHE venus' mind for the time being. she figures it's only a matter of time before she's questioning something else. she cracks a toothy smile once he compliments her again. he always made sure he gave her at least five every time he saw her. "thank you, jer. you're so sweet. i really wanted to check to see that you were comfortable. i was really happy to be here and to see you so i didn't think twice about anything." she rests her arms on his shoulders, eliminating the minimal space between them by placing small kisses on his lips. venus hopes this is only the beginning of the two of them sneaking off on their own accord without the rest of the group. "do you think we could do a date out here? maybe some ziplining together. we have privileges since charlie sees us as her children." she snorts. "we could do dinner after. i'll take a massage too since you're good with your hands. "i'm not aching but i can pretend to be if that means you'll be touching me."

he’s still thinking hard as the two of them travel toward the back of the four-story, beach home. jeremiah realizes he has yet to provide any solid answers to venus’ question. “my type? hm, i’d say i do fancy women with tattoos , i’ve dated a few. i tend to date the witty, sharp-tongued type. with full figures.” he winks a little, walking backwards, towards the pool. he takes a seat next to her, the strong scent of chlorine hitting his nostrils.“i like women who challenge me and can speak for themselves. i’m not attracted to women who pretend to be air-headed to impress a man. it does her a disservice, especially, if she so happens to be very intelligent.” he turns to look at her, nodding. he prefers to be alone with her. he hasn’t seen her in a few days. “now there’s no one looking at us like we’ve managed to grow three heads, i mean, really? for christ sakes… ” jeremiah smiles, standing up. the pool is deep on all sides, so, he steps back a few feet before diving into the water. seconds pass and he comes up for air, grinning up at venus. “well? come on, then… get more than just just your piggies wet.” he chuckles.

VENUS NUDGES HIM once jeremiah begins to describe how she appears to him. the idea that women with tattoos are his type never crossed her mind. she has a bit of a stereotypical view of brits, some of them being true for some of her british friends. his example of women he don't like causes her to slightly chuckle, only because it sounds as if he had a particular person in mind who was guilty of the jeremiah-offensive crime. "i don't blame your friends for getting like that. i imagine it was really unexpected, especially because no one knew i was coming in the first place. i hope i didn't make things weird for them." she admits. charlie doesn't usually mix her different friend groups unless it's a big event. one-time celebrations differed from a vacation; at weddings and parties, it was easier for the different friend groups to stay in their own lanes with minimal interactions. venus' eyes follow jeremiah while he ventures off into the pool. "you're wasting my pudding but i forgive you." she jokingly scolds before setting the plate on a table nearby. before she gets into the pool, she pins her blonde curls up into a bun to keep them from becoming her own personal obstacle and throws in a few pool noodles. her body submerges into the water, its texture and temperature cooling her down from the heat of the coconut coast. "any particular reason you wanted to get me alone?" she questions, based on an inkling that he was giving her mixed signals. venus uses one of the pool noodles to rest her arms on once she's in front of jeremiah. "i hope i didn't make things weird for you either. i don't think i asked you your thoughts on pda, and you were in front of your friends so i didn't think anything of it."

“so, the tattoos represent difficult moments in your life?” he could understand that if his assumption is proven true. you might see me without. venus’ comment ricochets throughout both ears, making him think hard. is she just joking? or was that a hint toward what’s to come later? are they ready for that step? is he ready? pulling himself out of his mental gallery of endless questions, he parts his lips to taste the creamy dessert. “oh my, that’s delicious!” he exclaims after finishing off that first spoonful. he lightly drags the tip of his tongue across his lips to get the remaining bits of whipped pudding and cookies. “i vote we go with sharing the pudding. i’ve missed out on such a delicacy…” he smirks,stealing the spoon and another spoonful of pudding along with it. “let’s go to the other end of the house? there’s another pool, with a hot tub and it is more private.” he wants to test their physical connection, but at a normal pace. no pressure, the build up is what counts.

VENUS SMILES AS jeremiah reviews her banana pudding, instantaneously coming around to it once he got past the concept of it. she nods at his suggestion to go to the other end of the airbnb, something she spent a lot of time exploring earlier while everyone was gone. "some of the tattoos don't represent anything. some of them are random as hell. some do represent difficult moments, some represent moments of healing and getting better." she goes into small detail. "you didn't answer me about what your type is." she joshes before leaning in to kiss some leftover banana pudding that jeremiah had on his lip from tasting things on his own accord the second time around. she grabs the plate and holds onto one of his hands as they venture to the other side of the house. the chatter from their friends begins to dwindle as the pair puts more distance between themselves and everyone else. she takes a seat on the edge of the pool, just enough to get her feet wet. "it's so much quieter over here. we're really getting a nice little preview of how it would be for us on our first trip together, huh?"

clearly jeremiah’s mind has left him stranded because he hadn’t realized that he grabbed two plates instead of one— that is until venus teasingly reminds him that they’re supposed to be sharing. “don’t be silly, i’d try anything once.” he reassures her that he doesn’t mind sharing the pudding. he trusts her tastebuds more than his own, if he were being transparent. he knows hid way around the kitchen, but venus is much more skilled in his opinion. “i sincerely doubt that anything prepared by you could be unappetizing.” still partially distracted, he chuckles. “good then, i look forward to seeing you in them…” a bold thing to say, but he means it. jeremiah shakes his head as to say no seeing the tattoos aren’t a new thing for him. and that he’s seen plenty, but he quickly answers her with actual words, not wanting to confuse her by just a shake of his head. “i’ve seen a lot of tattoos, but none like yours. do you get them frequently?” he wonders as his eyes shamelessly trace every stroke of ink that lies beneath the surface of her skin.

WITH JEREMIAH BEING clearly distracted, venus takes it upon herself to handle the fixings of their dessert. she takes the ice cream scooper that was being used for the banana pudding and digs in for three scoops, a healthy distribution for the both of them. "you might see me without." she hints, half kidding and half serious. the two of them have had several makeout sessions but they haven't gotten anything past that. she calls it the slowest she's ever taken things with someone. although sex wasn't a priority to her, she would be lying if she said curiosity didn't get to the best of her sometimes when it comes to jeremiah. "i used to get them pretty frequently then i started going to therapy." she chuckles. the spoon she's holding dips into the banana pudding from her plate and she holds it up to jeremiah's lips. "how's that, jer? we can go back out to the pool unless you want a different dessert."