#spread 2009

Los Angeles was not the top of the list of places Jenna had ever planned to live, but now that she was here, despite the noise, and the rude people she encountered, and the weird smells on some of the side streets, she was pretty sure she didn’t ever want to leave. Her apartment was tiny compared to anything else she’d ever lived in - it was a bedroom, a bathroom, a closet, and half a kitchen, with a balcony to make it worth the cost. Honestly, living by herself, Jenna didn’t care - all her friends were hundreds of miles away, and she was sure as shit not about to invite her coworkers to that place (not because she was embarrassed, but because most of them sucked).

But the best part, she had to admit, was the brunette across the hall.

She’d only been living there a few months, though a quick look around her apartment would argue that considering she hadn’t finished unpacking yet, so she didn’t really know any of her neighbors. She’d seen several of them, in passing, or from her balcony as they left or arrived, but she hadn’t actually met them, she didn’t know anyone’s names. The guy waved at her, if they saw each other on the balcony, apologized if he was loud and she stumbled out in the early hours, or the late hours. But she still didn’t know his name.

(It didn’t stop her, that morning, from leaving early enough to grab a gift card from the donut shop around the corner, and coming back to tie it to his doorknob, before she knocked, and bolted, to make it to work on time.)

Friday night.

Jenna had been looking forward to Friday night, she was going to get off work, come home and change, and go out for the night to drink, to dance, to have fun. But then she didn’t get out of work until well after seven, grumbling and swearing the entire way out of the office building, as she maneuvered through weekend traffic (fuck, every day was weekend traffic, as far as she could tell), and pulled into her spot under her apartment. The mood to go out was gone as soon as she realized she’d be stuck late at work, so she was grateful for delivery as she slid off her shoes and headed upstairs, already tapping at her phone to put in an order for dinner.

By the time she was out of the shower, her food was there, and she settled in on her bed to watch something dumb, and mindless.

The sound of giggles and thumps on her door woke her a few hours later, and she sat up, brow furrowed. When they sounded again, she groaned, grabbing up her things and dumping them in the trash as she moved to the door. Through the peephole, she could see the guy from across the hall, grinning and blushing, as he wobbled in front of her door. Frowning, Jenna tugged it open, pushing her red hair off her face.

“Hey...what’s going on, you okay?” she asked, confused, as he giggled, and grinned at her so wide, his whole face scrunched up.

“Hey! Pretty lady! What’re you doin’ in my apartment?” he asked, as Jenna laughed softly, confused.

“I’m...in my apartment, you live across the hall.”

“What?” he asked, smile gone, brow knitted together. “Nooo. No, this is my apartment, I just can’t find my keeeys.”

Jenna knew it the second he grinned at her, he was so drunk. She considered, for a second, digging his keys out of his pockets for him, but, not wanting to make things weird, she instead just smiled, and reached for his hand.

“Come on in, let me get you some water.”

“Pretty lady nice,” he whispered, as Jenna blushed brightly, and shut the door behind him, leading him to sit on her bed. “This isn’t my bed...where’re my frogs?” he asked, swatting the end of her bed as she moved to the fridge.

“Probably in your apartment. This is my apartment, and I don’t have frogs,” Jenna replied. He tilted his head back, blue eyes surrounded by red as he blinked at her. “Drink this.”

“Pretty lady so nice.”

“You can call me Jenna...strange man who lives across the hall.” He took a swig of the cool water, moaning as it ran down his throat, before letting her take the bottle, and set it on the nightstand. For a moment, they were quiet, before she could see him blinking slowly. With a sheepish smile, Jenna took his hand, helping him stand up again.

“‘m tired, Pr-...Jenna...Pretty Jenna.” She blushed more, shaking her head.

“That’s why I’m gonna get you to lie down, but, I wanna ask you to take off your jacket and your shoes,” she replied, moving her blanket back, as he shimmied and bounced, giggling, until his jacket came off. The shoes were harder for him, fingers fumbling, until she caught his hands, and smiled. “I got it.

“Nice Jenna.”

“You are so drunk, I cannot wait until tomorrow,” she mumbled, shaking her head as she pulled his boots off, and maneuvered him until his head was on the pillow, feet tucked under her blanket. “I have a fan, do you want the fan on?” He scrunched up his face, before nodding a little, as she smiled, turning to click the small fan on her nightstand on. The second the cool air hit his face, he hummed, and wriggled down against her bed.

“So nice.”

“Get some sleep, handsome fella. I’ll put the trash can here if you need it.”

“Nice Jenna,” he mumbled as he shut his eyes. Jenna smiled at him, biting her lip, before she sighed, and stood upright.

After tucking his boots at the end of the bed, and setting the garbage can by the bed like she promised, Jenna put a bottle of aspirin by the water, and clicked off all the lights except for the nightlight in her bathroom, in case he got up in the night and didn’t know where he was or what was going on. With a shrug, she dug her sleeping back out of the closet, quietly unfurling it and snagging a spare pillow off the shelf in her closet, before she laid on the floor, and drifted off.

                          The balcony door was open a crack, Jenna standing outside to sip her coffee. The guy from across the hall was still asleep in her bed, but the bottles had been moved, and the bathroom door was partly shut, so she knew he’d gotten up and some point and gone right back to bed. It made her smile, that he wasn’t so freaked out that he bolted. She still didn’t want to wake him up, so she lingered outside, enjoying the knowledge that she didn’t have to work, as she sipped her steaming drink. Movement inside caught her eye, watching him shift and sit up, curling forward to rub his face. With a small smile, she stepped inside, holding up her hand and giggling as he jumped. 

“It’s just me, don’t worry,” she chuckled, as he groaned, waving.

“...I am so fuckin’ sorry about last night, I hope I didn’t do anything stupid, I was so trashed.”

“Oh, yeah, no, I got that when you insisted this was your apartment, and kept calling me Pretty Lady.” His groan made her laugh again. “It was cute.” Lifting his head, he smiled a little, and rubbed his neck.

“You are pretty. You’re my neighbor, right?”

“Jenna.” He clicked his tongue, nodding, before patting his chest.

“I’m Harry, and I’m so sorry I threw myself at you last night.” Jenna laughed, putting her cup down, and pouring a second cup.

“Cream? Sugar?”

“Uh...splash of milk?” he said, twisting to face her. Jenna nodded, stirring it in, before she grabbed her cup, and moved to sit by him on the bed.

“You didn’t really throw yourself at me. I was gonna just let you into your place, but I didn’t want to cross a line by digging for your keys, so, I just brought you in here. Figured you’d feel better if you slept some.” Harry chuckled into his cup before sipping the dark liquid, groaning as it rushed across his tongue.

“Still.”

“Look, my night was going to be binge eating and marathoning something shitty on TV to make up for working two hours later than I wanted and pretty much wrecking my night...and sleeping, which I was doing but not intentionally when you showed up. You actually made my night a little more enjoyable.” Harry chuckled, taking another drink, before he sighed, and rubbed the back of his head.

“Still...I really appreciate you takin’ care of me last night, you didn’t have to. Not like we know each other.” Jenna hummed and shrugged, holding her cup between her hands, swirling the liquid along the bottom.

“No, but, we are neighbors. And I have been meaning to come introduce myself. Not like this, but,” she laughed, as Harry’s shoulders shook with his own laugh.

“Yeah, me too, same here,” he replied, shaking his head. “Still, Jenna, really.” She smiled over at him, and shrugged again. “You gave me water, meds, put me to bed? And coffee?”

“I’ve got stuff to make breakfast too, I just gotta find my skillet,” she laughed quietly, as Harry snickered, and shook his head.

“I’m not letting you cook breakfast,” Harry insisted, smiling. Jenna hesitated, swallowing the last drops in her cup, before she stood up to get a refill, hiding her blush from him. “But if you’ll let me, I’d like to treat.” The cup slipped in her fingers a bit as she put it on the small counter space, and she turned, curious.

“You wanna buy me breakfast?”

“It’s literally the least I could do. Is...can I do that?” Jenna blushed, but nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear. “You don’t have any other plans this morning?”

“Just unpacking,” she admitted, shaking her head. “I’ve still got a bunch of boxes in the closet, and in the corner, and hidden under the bed, I just...keep stopping to make room.”

                            Harry’s lips quirked up in a small smile as he nodded, and looked around. The place was similar to his own across the hall, but hers looks a bit more put together, cleaner, organized than his own. That was something he blamed on sharing his place with Nikki now and then, constantly having a roommate in and out of the small space, taking some of his stuff, bringing it back, over and over.

“It looks nice, though. My place looks like shit,” he admitted, grinning over at her at the startled laugh off her lips. “Look, lemme go clean up and change and feed my frogs-”

“Yeah, you mentioned your frogs last night...how many do you have?” she asked, curious, as Harry looked up at her.

“Three...two tree frogs and a bullfrog,” Harry replied, slowly smiling as she bit her lip. “...do you wanna see them?”

“...I...really?” Laughing quietly, Harry climbed to his feet, letting her take his empty cup as he looked around, and picked up his shoes, as Jenna picked up his jacket. “Where are your keys, by the way? You couldn’t find them last night.”

“Right here,” he told her sheepishly, pulling a small key ring from his jean pockets. Jenna’s laugh was sweet in his ear as he led her across the hall, pausing to unlock his door, before he pushed it open and led her inside. “Sorry about the state of the place.”

Jenna shuffled in behind him, glancing around quickly, and shrugged. Yeah, it looked a little messier, but not in a bad way. Just more lived in, like this was his home. Jenna smiled at him, and shook her head.

“It looks fine,” she insisted, leaning down next to the end of his bed to peer in the terrarium at the frogs. “Well, hey there.”

“My friend Nikki mocks ‘em. Does a good Kermit impression, but it’s exhausting.” Jenna chuckled, looking up.

“Is Nikki the one I keep seeing around? Tall, lanky, face I could slap?” Harry’s laugh was so full it made her blush, as he nodded his head.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s him. Honestly, he’s my best friend, but he’s a huge asshole sometimes.” Jenna snorted, shaking her head a bit as she looked back in at the frogs.

“Well, to mock your frogs, he’s gotta be. Frogs are cute. Pretty much if it’s not an arachnid and it’s not about to hurt me, it’s cute,” she admitted, shrugging, looking up at him again as she stood up.

“Don’t like spiders?” he asked, moving towards his closet to put his shoes and jacket away.

“Uh, pretty sure it’s not so much that I don’t like them, more like, I hate them with the white hot fire of a thousand suns and I’m petrified of them.” Harry’s laugh was perfect, head shaking as the sound bubbled from his chest, as he dug out a change of clothes.

“Well, don’t worry, I don’t have any spiders...and if I do, not for long,” he replied, as she glanced down at the frogs looking up at her. Smiling, Jenna pushed her hair off her face, and motioned to the door.

“I’ll...I’m gonna let you clean up and change, I’m gonna go change, too…” she told him, starting back to the door.

“Okay. I shouldn’t be long, I’ll come knock,” he promised, glancing over with a grin, as she waved, and closed the door behind her, heading back across the hall to her place.

             When she answered the door, Jenna didn’t think twice about what it meant, really. She was just going to help Harry. But he was so nice, and he had the best smile, and he just made her feel comfortable. They went out for breakfast a few blocks away, a little hole in the wall with good bacon. Jenna really didn’t feel alone in the city anymore, after they headed back to their building, the way he grinned at her, and hugged her tight before letting her go.

“Thanks again, for last night…”

“Anytime,” Jenna promised, biting her lip. “I’d rather you drunkenly mistake my apartment for yours than fall down the steps or get hurt.” Harry smiled brightly, and nodded, chuckling.

“Still. Look, uh...I don’t have any plans tonight. You wanna catch a movie or something?” Jenna parted her lips, surprised, before he quickly held up his hand. “You don’t have to, it’s not, I mean, I just, you know, I figured it’d be fun to do something without me being trashed.”

“No, it’s, Harry, it’s okay,” she laughed, shaking her head, catching his hand. “You just surprised me, no, I...I don’t know what’s playing or anything, but a movie sounds good. But I have a shit ton of movies in my closet, we can always...I mean, I have a TV.” Harry laughed quietly, rubbing his neck as he nodded.

“Let’s do that. There’s a pizza place downtown, best pie, seriously. So...I’ll bring dinner?” Jenna grinned, nodding.

“Sounds good. Seven?”

“Sounds good!” he laughed, squeezing her hand before they headed into their apartments.

             It was easy, after that. Jenna was happy to have a friend that was across the hall, not across the country, and Harry always seemed to have fun when they got together. It was usually for breakfast, or a beer over a shitty movie, at least once a week, but it was still friendship, and it still made her feel good about living in Los Angeles.

              Several months after his first time knocking on her door, as Jenna was setting up for movie night, she heard a laugh outside before a knock, and, smiling, she padded over, pulling open the door. Harry grinned at her, before he looked over his shoulder.

“Hey, I know it’s movie night, but...hey, Nik, c’mere.” Jenna looked up, smile fading a little, at the sight of the friend that Harry had talked about, that she’d seen but never met. “Hey, Nikki, this is Jenna, Jenna, Nikki.” Biting her lip, she waved at him, looking back at Harry with an uncertain look. “Nikki’s plans fell through, so I was just gonna go with him to the bar...is...is that okay?” Jenna stared at him for a minute, brow furrowed, trying to figure out what he was telling her, before she cleared her throat to hide the way that weighed in her stomach.

“Oh...oh, yeah, no, that’s fine,” she finally said, forcing a small chuckle. “Uh...yeah. We’ll just...we’ll have movie night another time, no big deal,” Jenna told him, shrugging, hoping he couldn’t hear dinner cooking behind her. “You two have fun.”

“Thanks, Jen. You’re the best,” Harry chuckled, ducking in to hug her quickly, before turning to pat Nikki on the arm, jogging down the steps. Nikki glanced at her, but she ducked her head back into her apartment and shut the door, turning to look over at the stove. Chewing at her bottom lip, Jenna let her shoulders fall, and moved to the kitchen to shut everything off.

                The laughs in the hallway were loud as she drifted in and out that night, but Jenna didn’t really register any of the noise until she heard one particularly loud cackle. Jerking upright, she held her breath, looking around, before she heard the noise outside. WIth a heavy sigh, rubbing her hands over her face, Jenna threw her blanket back, and padded towards the door, peering through the peephole to see Harry and Nikki by his door. He seemed to be patting his pockets, as though he couldn’t find his keys, and despite her urge to go back to bed, Jenna felt bad about leaving him in this state.

               Forcing a breath through her nose, Jenna clicked on her light, and unlocked the door, peering out as Harry turned, cringing at the sight of her.

“Hey! Pretty lady!” She couldn’t help chuckling, and shaking her head, hoping she didn’t look as tired as she felt.

“Harry, did you lose your keys again?” she asked gently, as Harry shrugged, sheepish.

“Maaybe.” Nikki snorted beside him, as Jenna sighed, and stepped back, waving them in.

“Come on. You guys can share the bed.” Harry scrunched up his face, and stuck out his tongue, blowing a raspberry as they shuffled in.

“I don’t wanna share with him, he smells.”

“I don’t smell,” Nikki whined, pushing Harry as Jenna shut the door, rubbing her eyes. God, she was going to regret opening the door.

“Your breath smells, an’ you sleep with your mouth open,” Harry grumbled, the two stumbling towards the bed. Jenna sighed, caught him, and shook her head, sitting Harry down, before she dug her sleeping bag out of the closet.

“Okay, both of you stink right now, so shut up,” she told them, as Harry giggled, and scrunched up his face.

“I do not.”

“You smell like beer and smoke. It’s bad on him, but fine, you smell fine,” Jenna conceded, blushing a bit as she rolled out the sleeping back, and nudged Nikki, pointing. “You get the bag.”

“Camping!” Nikki laughed, toppling awkwardly down on the bag as Jenna rolled her eyes, and tossed him a pillow. With a shake of her head, she turned to Harry, helping him out of his shoes and his jacket, before flipping on the fan, and tucking him in.

“Nice Jenna.”

“I know, I’m nice,” she told him, disappearing from his sight and returning a moment later with medicine and water, both of which she set on the nightstand. “Now go to sleep. Both of you.”

“Nice Jenna.” She smiled, glancing down at Harry, before turning and stepping over Nikki to click the light off. As soon as the room went dark, her smile was gone, and Jenna quietly moved to the chair in the corner, curling up in it, hoping she could fall back to sleep in the silence of the room.

                       Softly whimpering, Jenna shifted, twisting around, as she curled up more, feeling herself slip between sleep and waking, before snuggling back into her pillow. For a few minutes, Jenna clung to sleep, fingers clenching at her blanket.

                      Until she realized she was in her bed.

                      Eyes opening, she furrowed her brow, and rolled carefully onto her back, glancing around her apartment. She could hear snoring from the floor, but after a moment, and blinking repeatedly, Jenna caught sight of Harry slipping back in from the balcony, pausing to flick the cigarette butt off the balcony, and wiping his hand on his shirt.

“...did you put me in my bed?” she asked softly, as he looked up, surprised.

“Oh...yeah...you seemed uncomfortable, and...he’s still sleeping on your other bed,” Harry replied, apologetically, as you glanced over, seeing Nikki snoring against your spare pillow. “Sorry about last night, Jen.”

“It’s okay,” Jenna replied, waving her hand, and sighing, glancing over at her clock. “Ugh. It’s still early, come back to bed.” Harry blinked at her, startled, as Jenna flopped back on the bed.

“...I can just...I can go home…”

“Nope,” she replied quickly. “He’s your friend, you can’t leave him here...but the bed’s big enough,” she insisted, adjusting her body closer to the side. “Come back to bed, too early to be up and about.”

“...you want me to share the bed with you?” he asked, and Jenna hesitated, brow furrowed at the uncertainty in his voice.

“...I...Harry, I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t okay,” Jenna replied quietly, shrugging, without looking over at him. “But I won’t make you, or anything. I just...didn’t think it was a big deal, considering we share the bed during movie night.”

                      Harry chuckled, knowing he had to give her that one, before he moved across the floor, and climbed onto the bed behind her, nestling down on top of the blanket. Jenna scrunched up her face, and shifted, pressing her face into her pillow to muffle her sigh as she let her eyes shut. Any chance she thought she had of falling back to sleep was gone, worried she’d been seeing more in their friendship than was actually there.

                      Even after being there almost a year, now, he was the only real friend she had in the city. Her coworkers were okay, they carried conversation well enough, but she wouldn’t call them friends, not really. It wasn’t like they hung out together, or invited her to join them after work or anything, and she was relatively okay with that. But she’d been so sure that there was more to the friendship she’d made with Harry, that he liked her - hell, the first time they met, he called her pretty lady, he didn’t stop flirting with her. But aside from him saying it the night before, he hadn’t brought it up since that first night.

                      Jenna wasn’t a stranger to being mistaken. She just didn’t like the way it felt.

                      When Nikki finally woke up, Harry nearly shoved him across the hall to his place, mainly so his friend didn’t get sick all over Jenna’s apartment. He flashed a grateful smile back at Jenna before closing her door, but as soon as it clicked in place, Jenna got up, digging out her laundry basket, and dumped her sleeping bag, pillow cases, and other bedding into it. After tucking her jar of laundry change into the corner of the basket, she tucked her feet into her shoes, grabbed her bag, and left, locking up behind her as she hurried to her car, desperate to get out of her apartment.

                      After doing the laundry, Jenna was reluctant to go home, and instead, she drove out to the beach, spending the rest of her day with her toes in the sand, taking a break to grab an ice cream and a water. She didn’t go in the water, but she tried to relax as best she could otherwise, watching the clouds roll across the sun. The breeze cooled down, small spats of rain landing on her skin, but Jenna didn’t mind, staying firm in the sand as she watched other people bolt like they’d been struck. It was a couple more hours before finally giving in to the rumbling of her stomach. With a sigh, Jenna got into her car, glancing out the windshield as the rain started to come down a little stronger. She paused to order pizza, before she headed back home, barely getting her door shut and her basket put down before she heard the knock on the door.

                      The box was half empty, Jenna curled up amongst her clean bedding as she watched the movie on her TV, chewing absentmindedly. The sudden plunge into darkness made her shriek, flailing a bit as she blinked rapidly. It took her a few seconds to realize it wasn’t her, it was the power, as she carefully climbed off the bed, patting around her night table for her small flashlight.

“Jenna?” Harry called through the door, as she blushed. “I heard you shout, you okay?” Carefully making her way across her room, Jenna tugged the door open, peering out at him as he moved his flashlight off her face. “Hey! You okay?”

“Yeah, I just...I was watching TV, it...it startled me,” she admitted, shaking her head. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s okay...do you have a flashlight?”

“Yeah, it’s on my nightstand,” she replied, leaving him at the door, and moving to dig it out of the drawer. As she clicked it on, she turned around to see him, squinting at his flashlight. “You know, it’s not all that late, I’m surprised your home.”

“It’s Saturday, I thought we could do movie night tonight,” Harry admitted, shrugging, as Jenna snorted, and shook her head.

“Yeah, uh...good luck?” Chuckling a bit, Harry shook his flashlight, and pointed behind him.

“We can take a drive, see if the theaters are still on?” he offered, smiling. “I owe you movie night.” Jenna turned away from his light, shining her flashlight on the bed as she picked up the pizza, and shrugged a bit as she moved to put it on the stove.

“I mean...you don’t have to.” Harry furrowed his brow, chuckling a bit.

“Is that you saying you don’t want to go? Or…?” Jenna considered it, before looking down at herself, and sighing.

“Let me change my clothes,” she finally agreed, smiling, and moving to grab something to change into before shutting herself in the bathroom.

                      The theater was running, but after seeing the thick line down the block, Jenna and Harry shared a look before driving on, moving aimlessly until he finally headed up to the cliffs overlooking the water. The rain grew heavier as he parked the car, chuckling a bit as he shut off the car, back windows cracked just enough for air.

“What were you watching before the power went out?” he asked, curious, as she snickered, and shook her head.

“Scream. It’s my favorite scary movie,” Jenna replied with a slight shrug. “Actually, it was just at the part where the principal sees the killer in his office when the power went out, which is part of why I shrieked,” she admitted, as he tossed his head with a laugh. “Don’t laugh at me.”

“I can’t help it, that’s awesome,” Harry replied, bumping his arm with hers. Jenna blushed, snickering, as she rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry, about last night,” he told her. Jenna glanced over, curious. “You know...bailing on you, and then waking you up.”

“Oh...yeah, don’t worry about it, it’s fine,” she answered, shaking her head. “I just ate some junk and fell asleep.”

                      Jenna didn’t want to add she’d only fallen asleep about an hour before he woke her up, because she couldn’t relax - she’d gotten so used to their movie nights helping her relax, that when he cancelled the night before, she had trouble readjusting.

                      Harry peered over at her, lips ticking up a bit.

“Still. Look, I’m actually gonna make it up to you, so we’re gonna do two movie nights this week, okay? You get to pick the movies.” Jenna laughed, shaking her head.

“You seriously don’t need to do that, Harry, it’s fine. This is nice,” she insisted, leaning back in her seat and looking out through the windshield.

“I know I don’t need to,” Harry chuckled, shaking his head. “I want to. It was kind of dick last night, dropping plans at the last minute. And I would’ve invited you,” he started, as Jenna scoffed.

“Harry…”

“But we went to a strip joint - not sure if you would’ve wanted to go? - and I’ve got a feeling you don’t like Nikki.” Jenna blushed then, rubbing her neck, before she laughed softly.

“I don’t...hate him? But he makes a lot of noise when he comes and goes, and when I hear him yammering on the balcony in the morning, he sounds like a jackass.” Harry snorted so hard, Jenna had to turn and look to make sure he was okay.

“He’s just really cocky. Like, absurdly confident. Spent a long time getting any girl he wanted.” Jenna grumbled, making Harry snicker as he leaned on the console towards her. “He, uh...yeah, he learned his lesson, at least as far as that goes. It was kind of like a sweet karma,” Harry promised, smirking, “so he’s actually better now than he used to be. Still kind of a jackass, though.” That made her laugh, the sound actually making Harry blush as he looked at her, not realizing until she leaned forward that the rain was easing up.

“Hey...I think it’s stopped...you wanna get out for a few?” she asked, turning her head to look at him, fingers catching her hair to tuck it behind her ear. With a soft smile, Harry nodded, climbing out with her, and pausing to grab one of his jackets out of the backseat to rest on the hood as he pulled her in, and sat with her.

                      For a few minutes, they were quiet, the rain barely even spitting now, nothing that bothered either of them, watching the waves crash on the shore. He felt her shift a few times before glancing over, biting his lip as she rubbed her arm. The temperature had dropped with the sudden storm, but Harry, sheepishly, hadn’t noticed she’d come out without her coat. Shrugging his shoulders, he pulled off his hoodie, looping it over her shoulders as she jumped, and glanced over.

“Oh...are you sure?”

“Yeah, I got this,” he smiled, tugging at the long sleeved plaid shirt he had underneath. Blushing, Jenna quietly thanked him, sliding her arms into the sleeves as she hugged the soft fabric to her body.

                      Their knees knocked together, the two sharing small smiles, and soft chuckles. Jenna felt nervous for the first time in a long time, not used to spending this kind of time with Harry. The time they were together was usually with terrible food, ridiculous movies, or beer (or all three), not leaning into each other on the hood of the car watching the water after a storm. It felt romantic, as she chewed at her bottom lip.

“...hey, Harry?” she asked, hoping she didn’t sound as anxious as she felt, as he bumped his arm against hers, and turned his head.

“Yeah?”

“I was...I wanted to talk to you...about something.” When he nodded, something she caught in her periphery, Jenna furrowed her brow, and cleared her throat. “...look, I...I really like you, Harry, and I don’t...I don’t mean as just a friend, kinda...kinda more than that?” she said, almost like she wasn’t sure, tilting her head in his direction. “I mean...I’m not...I’m not asking, I do...like you as more than a friend. I mean, you’ve been a great friend, I just...I really...I have a crush on you,” Jenna admitted, biting her lip, “and I was...I was wondering if maybe we could go out...on a...on an actual date...if you want?”

                      Harry didn’t say anything, or move, so at first, Jenna just figured he was trying to filter through her rapid fire speech, but after a moment, she lifted her head to look at him, heart thumping violently against her ribs as he just...stared at her. She wanted to press him, ask him to just say something, but whatever was hiding behind that surprised look was most likely something she didn’t want to hear.

                      The words were on her tongue, nevermind, and I’m sorry, just forget it, but before she could take a breath to get the strength to say them, the skies opened up again, the water not even starting easily, pouring down on them hard enough make her squeal, startled, the two darting back into the car. Harry bit his tongue, twisting the key in the ignition to start the car, glancing over at her as she curled up, almost as though she were hiding in his jacket. Sighing, Harry buckled his seatbelt, flipping on the wipers as he drove them back through the city to their building.

                      Harry had barely parked before Jenna unhooked her seatbelt, and opened the door, grabbing her bag from between her feet as she got out of the car, and started inside, tucking her bag under the jacket to keep it somewhat dry as the rest of her got soaked as she jogged up the steps. It had been such an uncomfortable ride, both of them silent as Jenna tried to figure out how to unsay what she’d told Harry. She just wanted to go inside.

                      Jingling her keys, Jenna huffed, trying to quickly find the one for her door, when she fumbled them, flinching as they clattered at her feet. Before she could pick them up, she felt a hand curl around her elbow, pulling at her.

“Harry,” she started, sighing, turning towards the pressure.

                      His other hand cupped her jaw, lips smashing against hers, before she could finish her thought, his cold, wet lips sealing over hers. For a second, Jenna stood still, eyes wide, before she let them fall shut, and curled her free hand around the back of his head, kissing him back almost carefully. The feeling of him pulling away made her whimper, panting softly as his forehead bumped hers.

“...what….” she started, at a loss for words, as he sighed, thumb rubbing across her cheek.

“Of course I wanna go on a real date with you, pretty lady,” he murmured, making her laugh, surprised.

“...really?” she asked, opening her eyes to see him, as he nodded, sliding his hand up her arm to cup her jaw in both hands. Jenna blushed, face warming against the chill of the storm, as she leaned in, brushing her lips against Harry’s again.

                      The door slammed against the frame as they stumbled into his apartment, her jacket and bag and his overshirt shrugged off and dropped to the floor, before she rucked up his t-shirt, moaning at the feeling of his warm abdomen twitching beneath her cold fingers. The giggle was soft in her throat as they stumbled onto his bed, one arm curling around her waist to haul her up far enough to keep her from kicking the end of the bed, and he leaned away from her, just long enough to drag his shirt over his head, arms falling to catch himself on the bed only to see she’d tossed her shirt too.

“Pretty lady,” he mumbled, making her blush, her hands curling around his head to pull him down as she kissed him softly, bumping her nose against his.

“Handsome fella,” she replied faintly against his lips.

                      As their lips slid together, the chill from the storm quickly disappearing under the warmth of their breath, Jenna dragged her fingers down his chest and abdomen until she plucked at his belt, the studs on the leather digging into her palms as she yanked it open, before plucking the button of his jeans, her hands slipping inside the dark, damp denim to warm his hips, and along the small of his back as she pulled him closer. Harry shifted his weight to one hand, dragging his other hand across her shoulder to pull down the strap on her bra, fingers trailing down her chest to cup her breast in his palm.

“Hey, man, you weren’t answerin’ your phone, so I was think-oh, come on dude!” Jenna scrambled for the blanket, yanking it over her as Harry pulled back and twisted around sharply, to see Nikki in the doorway, shaking his head but not leaving.

“Damnit, Nikki, I didn’t give you the key so you could walk in without fucking knocking, man,” Harry snapped, moving to cover Jenna, as he climbed to his feet. She groaned, rolling up into a ball away from the door, and swearing softly at herself, as Harry moved towards Nikki.

“Dude, I tried to reach you, you weren’t answering your phone, man.”

“Clearly, I was doing something better than entertaining you. Get out, go find someone else to take you wherever,” Harry ordered him, pushing him towards the door.

“Finally gettin’ the girl, eh, Harry? Nice, nice, okay, let me know how it goes, I’m gonna go to the bar.”

“Out!” Harry laughed, shoving Nikki into the hall as he shut the door and flipped the locks. With a sigh, he turned, blushing, to see Jenna fixing her bra, pushing the blanket off her as she moved for her shirt. “...Jen.”

“I should...I should go,” she said quietly, humming as Harry caught her around the waist, bumping his nose against hers as she looked up at him.

“Please stay...We don’t have to do anything, but...just ignore Nikki. He’s better than he used to be, but he still thinks the Main Mission is to have sex with whoever we want. That’s not how I think,” Harry promised. Jenna bit her lip as she looked up at him, before leaning up, lips brushing his.

“I really like you, Harry,” she admitted, voice low, as he reached up to brush her hair off her face.

“I really like you too, pretty lady.” Her laugh was sweet as she wrapped her arms around his waist, head resting on his shoulder as he hugged her back. “Stay?”

“...okay,” she agreed, laughing as he pulled her back onto the bed, and fumbled them around until their feet were tangled together, her head nestled in against his chest. “Harry?” she whispered, fingers playing lightly with the big silver ring on his pinky, as he tilted his head a bit against hers.

“Hm?”

“...you owe me breakfast in the morning.” The warm rush of his breath as he laughed into her hair made her blush, and grin, as he kissed the top of her head.