Separation Anxiety(53)
I’d gone to the house I shared with Richard the next day and found the papers signed and dated on the counter, right where he said he’d leave them. I felt a rush of relief that he’d actually kept his word, particularly given the fact that he’d tried – albeit unsuccessfully – to tear Jesse from me. I drove straight to the courthouse to file the paperwork, knowing that in a few short months, it would all be over between Richard and me.
Each day only brought us closer together. We were both resisting the temptation, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.
Jesse continued the tradition of sleeping next to me in my bed. And now, he’d become comfortable enough to sleep next to me in just his boxer briefs.
He held me all night long, and every morning it became harder and harder to force myself out of his arms.
The weekend came; Jesse spent most of the day Saturday working on the end table. He stained it and was waiting on the pieces to dry to put the final product together, and I could already tell that it was going to be beautiful.
He was called away to deal with Carly on Sunday afternoon again, and I wondered when he would tell me about her. I wondered when he would tell me about the tattoo and Allison, too, but I knew that these were things that were close to his heart, and he would tell me when he felt ready to.
Patience was most definitely not one of my virtues, but I was certainly putting my patience to the test. Between waiting for Jesse to confess everything, waiting to have sex with the sex god sharing my bed, waiting for the divorce to be finalized, and dealing with high school kids during the two weeks before spring break, my patience was most definitely being tried.
So while Jesse was out on Sunday, I decided to spend some time with my best friend. We met at Starbucks for our weekly gossip fest.
“You sent me a quick text on Wednesday, but you never said why you decided to stay with Dead-sexy Drake,” Quinn said after we both settled into a table with our drinks and some snacks.
“Richard was making threats and he scared me into leaving Jesse’s place. But Jesse took care of everything.”
“What does that even mean?” she asked, pulling the top of the muffin off and handing it to me.
“Richard said if I didn’t move out of Jesse’s, he’d sue me for fault in the divorce.” I took a bite of my muffin top.
“He’s a fucktard. Arizona is a no fault state,” she said eloquently.
“How does everyone but me know this information?”
“Maybe you’re one, too.”
I giggled. “Thanks, Quinn.”
“Anytime. So how did Juicy Jesse save the day?”
“Juicy?” I took a sip of my latte.
“It was the first adjective that came to mind that started with a J.”
“Well, I left Juicy Jesse’s and pulled around the corner and stopped for a minute because I was doing that ugly cry where your eyes almost close all the way, and I couldn’t see the road. I heard someone knock on the door and I still needed a minute to compose myself, but then he opened the door and pulled me out and kissed me.”
“Two comments on this story. First, holy mother fucking hotness that he came after you.”
“Right?” I grinned.
“And second, when were you going to tell me that JESSE FUCKING DRAKE KISSED YOU?”
“Shh,” I scolded, glancing around us while she laughed.
“Was it the hottest fucking kiss of your life?”
I sighed dreamily. “Yeah. He’s kind of an expert.”
“You have to tell me how he bangs.”
“You know I will.”
“HOLY SHIT! So you’re going to bang him?”
I laughed and nodded my head. “Once everything is final with Richard, yeah. I am most definitely going to bang him.”
She shook her head. “You’re so lucky. He’s such a Mr. Yummypants.”
“Yummypants?” I asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Yep. Yummypants,” she repeated, and I had to agree.
“Wait until you hear the best part.”
She raised her eyebrows.
“He told me he’s had feelings for me since the day he first saw me.”
“So sweet I might puke.”
“Be happy for me.”
“I’m so happy for you, Veronica. I love you, and Jesse… he’s a fucking catch. You’ve been different – happier, lighter – since you left Dick, and I don’t know if it’s because you left him or if it’s because of Jesse.”
“Or a combination of both.”
“Regardless, you deserve it.”
I grinned and grabbed her hand across the table, giving it a squeeze. “Thanks, Curley Q,” I smiled, teasing her by calling her the goofy nickname her parents had called her since she was a baby.