Her chest rose and fell with each breath she took. Her face as peaceful as ever. I stroked her hair with my hand. Even in sleep her beauty was evident. She fell asleep in my room, so I stayed with her.
It was already 6 and the guys weren�t home yet. I was getting slightly worried.
Ring!
I jumped slightly, but caught myself, reaching for her phone before it could wake her up.
�Hello?�
Is that you Jessie?
It was Heather.
�No. It�s JC. She�s sleeping right now.�
Oh. Well, anyway, we�re out right now, and we won�t be back till late. Just wanted to let you know.
�Oh. Thanks.�
No prob. See ya.
�Bye.�
Click.
I set the phone down gently.
Her head was still resting on my chest, her hand also.
I smiled.
Then she stirred.
�Mmm�JC?�
�I�m right here,� I whispered.
�Mmm,� she grumbled, obviously still half asleep.
�Go back to sleep Jessie.�
�Ok.�
I closed my eyes and drifted away.
<<>>::::<<>>
�No, no, no wait. You have to have the flash on,� I heard somebody hiss.
�Ok, ok, ok. Got it.�
I could tell the second voice was Justin�s, but the first voice was female-Heather.
Even without opening my eyes, I could see a flash.
�Got it.�
�Don�t they look so cute together?� Heather whispered.
�What?�
�Yeah.�
I opened my eyes, but they were gone.
I wiped the sleep from my eyes as I stretched both of my arms, trying not to wake Jessie up.
Then the grandfather clock rang. Dong�dong�dong�dong�dong.. dong�dong�dong
�It�s 8 already?�
I tried to move Jessie gently to the other side of the bed, but she tightened her grip on me.
�No,� she grumbled.
I laughed silently to myself. She didn�t want to let go.
I bent my head down and whispered, �Jessie?�
�Mmm,� she answered.
�It�s 8 o� clock,� I whispered.
�So what,� she grumbled.
I smiled. �I�m gonna go downstairs to eat ok?�
�No,� she whined. �Don�t leave me.�
I sat still, shocked at what she said. �Don�t leave me? Why?�
�Why?� I asked uncertainly.
�Cuz he�ll get me,� she mumbled.
�WHAT? Who will get her?� I thought furiously to myself. The thought of someone hurting her again was unthinkable.
�Who?� I asked, finally aware that she was talking in her sleep.
�Keith,� she grumbled.
The thought of Keith just made my head spin.
�Keith is gonna hurt you?� I asked, trying to contain my anger.
�He was mad. He said he was gonna get revenge.�
My head whirled with frustration. He was gonna hurt her again�
�I won�t let him hurt you.�
�He�s gonna hurt you,� she mumbled, still asleep.
�Why?�
The thought of someone trying to attack me scared me.
�He was jealous of how happy we were,� she answered.
�How would he know?� I asked, feeling confused.
�Dunno��
I forced myself to stay calm. This was a dangerous situation. I kept one arm securely around her waist and picked up my cell with the other.
I waited while the phone rang.
On the second ring, someone picked up.
Hello?
�Hey Justin it�s me.�
Oh hey. How�s Jessie?
�She�s in danger.�
What? How?
�Not really her, but me.�
How?!
�Keith wants to get revenge.�
Silence from the other end.
How did you get all this information?
�Did you know Jessie talks in her sleep?�
Justin laughed quietly, but turned serious again.
C�the tour starts in a day. What if he gets you before then?
That was a thought that frightened me. Leave it to Justin to get straight towards the point.
�I dunno,� I replied weakly. Then, �But I know I�m not leaving Jessie alone.�
We�ll get extra security.
I just sighed. This was gonna be harder than I thought.
C, you know this is serious. We have to do something.�I know.�
I�ll tell the rest of the guys ok?
�Ok Justin.�
Now just don�t go nowhere got it?
�Who�s the father now?� I joked.
This is no joking matter C. Now you stay right where you are ok?
�Where are you anyway?�
The garage.
I smiled. �Ok. I�ll stay here. Just�bring me some food ok?�
Why?
�Jessie won�t let go of me.�
Justin laughed from his end.
Aiight. We�ll see ya in a little bit.
�Ok. Remember the food.�
Yeah. See ya.
Click
I put my cell down on the nightstand.
�This is gonna be a long tour�
I looked down at Jessie, still sleeping soundly, unaware of the information she had just revealed.
Mindlessly, I stroked her hair.
She stirred. �JC?�
�I�m right here.�
�Good,� she mumbled.
�You can wake up now.�
�I know, but I can�t.�
I laughed.
�Stop that. I can�t sleep when you do that.�
I laughed unintentionally.
�Alright. I get your drift.� Then she scooted up and put her head on my shoulder.
I shook my head and sat up.
�JC,� she whined. �Stop that.�
So I pulled her up with me.
�Come on Jessie. It�s at least 8:30.�
�It is?�
�Yeah.�
�Ok fine then.� She sat up straighter and stretched her arms. Then she yawned.
She leaned against me and smiled at me.
I bent down and kissed her lips softly. She returned the kiss. I put my other arm around her waist as she put her arms around the back of my head and neck. No matter how many times I kiss her, the feeling of it always takes me by surprise. Then she parted my lips with her tongue, slipping it inside my mouth. My nerves exploded. Our tongues slid and intertwined with each other�s, doing a passion dance. Slowly, she lay back on the bed, bringing me on top of her. Surprisingly, she took my weight. I parted my lips from hers and softly kissed her neck. I could feel her grip tighten around my neck. She moaned softly, sending chills up my spine. I could feel myself stiffen. My lips found hers as her soft skin caressed mine. I thought I was in heaven. After we parted, we were breathless and breath taken.
�Wow,� we chorused.
�You�re a real sweet guy you know that?� she whispered.
I buried my face in the crook of her neck. �It all depends.�
Then I remembered. I lifted my head and put my forehead on hers.
�Jessie, do you trust me?� I asked softly.
�Of course I do,� she answered.
I could feel her hot breath on me.
�You know you can tell me anything right?�
I looked into her oak colored eyes. I could sense a trace of nervousness.
�Yeah. Of course.�
�Then why didn�t you tell me about him?�
�What do you mean JC?� she asked uncertainly.
�Keith.�
�I told you about him.�
�No. That�s not what I meant.�
�Then what are you talking about?�
I could see the uneasiness clouding her eyes.
�His revenge,� I said softly.
�How�d you know?� she asked, her eyes looking away from me.
�Did you know you talk in your sleep?�
She closed her eyes, knotting her eyebrows as I rolled off of her, lying right next to her.
�Please��
�What?�
She looked at me with glassy eyes. �Please don�t leave me�� she whispered, a tear slipping from her eye.
I wiped the tear away softly and took her in my arms. �What makes you think I�m gonna leave you?�
She held me tight. �If you would�ve seen his eyes JC�he looked almost murderous��
I tensed. The thought was frightening.
�I promise I won�t leave you. Ever,� I vowed.
I could feel her tears soak through my shirt. I didn�t care. It scared me to see her eyes, iced over with fear.
�Thank you,� she whispered, voice shaking.
I held her trembling body in my arms, trying to comfort her as well as myself.
Slowly, I sat Jessie and myself up, still holding her in my arms.
I heard the creak of the door as someone opened it.
Looking over, I saw Justin, holding a bag. I could only guess he saw the fear in my eyes, because his eyes suddenly changed to concern.
I continued to rub my hand on her back, knowing it would do very little.
Justin sat at the foot of my bed, still looking at us worriedly.
Unable to look at his face, I buried my face in her hair, hoping that this was all just a bad dream.