Educated Hearts
Chapter
Nine
Chapter Nine
(The following morning.)
Mimi stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror as she brushed and flossed
her teeth. Nick sure had given her a lot to think about. She had gone over it
with Rory after he left, and she completely agreed with everything that Nick had
to say. And, she had laid in bed all night thinking about Jason. She knew that
just a few months ago she would have called someone crazy if they had said she
could fall for Jason Masters. But, fallen she had.
She took a sip of water to clear the taste of her toothpaste and flipped the
light off in the bathroom. Mimi was all dressed, showered and ready for a
carefree Friday morning with no classes to worry about today. She padded back
into her room just as there was a soft knocking at the door.
Mimi brushed a hand through her hair and walked towards the door. She opened it
and was somewhat surprised to see Jason standing on the other side.
"Jase... Good morning... Uhm, come on in."
Jason looked nervous and generally uneasy. Something that she rarely saw on his
face. He nodded in appreciation and came in, shutting the door behind him.
"Mimi... You and I need to have a talk."
Mimi's eyes widened and she took a few steps backwards, almost afraid that she
was going to fall down. She tried to play it off innocently, wondering exactly
what it was they needed to talk about. "We... We do?"
Jason looked at her with complete seriousness. "Yes, we do. We need to talk
about me and you."
Mimi's heart skipped a beat, which was nothing new when Jason was in the room,
but this time it was skipping for another reason. This was either going to be
the, "Let's just be friends." talk or the one she prayed that it was.
The "I love you too" talk.
"Uhm... Okay... What about me and you? Or... you and me? It doesn't matter
what order you say it in, really. Does it? It's not like we're arguing over top
billing." Mimi laughed nervously, she knew she had quite a talent for
making every situation just a little bit awkward. This was obviously no
exception.
Jason couldn't help it, he broke his serious gaze to smile at her for just a
moment. Her tendency to stammer, stutter and generally ramble on was just one of
the things that made Jason love her. "No, it doesn't matter. We need to
talk about *us*."
"Ohhhhh... Us."
"Yeah, see... Yesterday, Rory came over and she convinced me that I need to
tell you how I feel. I need to tell you what's in my heart, no matter what the
consequences."
Mimi most definitely wanted to hear whatever he told her, but another light bulb
had gone off in her head. "Rory? Rory came to talk to you yesterday...
After you and I got back from class?"
Jason nodded, looking at her in confusion. "Yes... That girl is so damn
annoying some times. She wouldn't leave until I spilled my guts to her. She
almost followed me into the bathroom."
"Well, that explains why she came back from the library empty handed
yesterday. It also explains why I had a little visitor of my own
yesterday."
"Ahh. Let me guess. Nick?"
Mimi nodded and went to her bed, sitting herself on the edge of it. "That's
it. They planned this to get us to... Didn't they?"
Jason sat down next to her and sighed. "Seems like it."
"I think I understand perfectly. You know, it's funny that just by chance
we ended up across the hall from each other with those two nuts for
roommates."
"Maybe it's not a coincidence. Maybe it's fate."
Mimi's head snapped to look at him with surprise. "Fate? You're telling me
that you, Jason Masters, believe in FATE? I don't think so..."
Jason laid his hand top of hers and shrugged. "I'm beginning to."
"Really?"
"I think so. None of this is an accident... Running into you that day in
the bookstore, having dorms right across from each other..."
Mimi stared at him doubtfully. "I... I don't know about that. It could be
just a coincidence."
Jason smiled at her and shook his head. "Mimi... I had my choice of four
different schools. Northwestern, Florida where Josh is, Michigan State and this
one. I chose Salem."
"Why? I mean, Salem was my only choice... If you had a chance to get out,
why didn't you?"
"I don't really know, to tell you the truth. I just knew that I wanted to
be here. My parents thought I was being stupid... which, of course, is nothing
new. But, now think I understand..."
Her eyes widened in confusion. "You do? Please tell me, because I'm not
sure I do..."
Jason squeezed her hand tightly, his green eyes staring directly into hers.
"It's because of you, Mimi."
"What? Are you trying to tell me that you stayed in Salem because of me?
Jason, we barely got along when we were in high school... What would make you
believe that fate kept you in Salem for *me*?"
Jason had stayed awake all night long thinking about Mimi. He had always been a
cynic, never believing in silly things like fate and destiny, but now he was
starting to understand why so many people did. "I... I think I stayed in
Salem for a lot of reasons. And I'm glad I did, because of *you*. The day I ran
into you at the bookstore..."
Mimi grinned slightly. It had only been a few months since that day, but it felt
as years had passed by since then. "You mean, *I* ran into *you* and got
knocked on my rear..."
"Right, that day... Ever since that day, I haven't been able to get you out
of my head. And, as each day since then has passed... It's like... It's so hard
to explain." Jason paused and brushed his fingers through his hair, mostly
out of nervousness. "I... I never gave you a fair chance when we were in
high school. I should have seen you for what you are, Mimi. But, now thanks to
fate or my own stupidity if you ask my parents, I'm here with you. And, I have a
second chance to tell you all the things I should have said, the things I should
have seen in you years ago."
Mimi's mouth was open with a tinge of disbelief. She had never expected to see
such honesty and sincerity shining in his eyes. He was opening his heart, for
the first time to anyone, and somehow Mimi had found herself the lucky recipient
of the feelings that were locked inside. "Jason... I don't know what to
say..."
Jason smiled sweetly and gently brushed the tips of his finger over her cheek.
He thought she was always beautiful, but even more so when she was confused.
"Mimi Lockhart... You are just... beautiful."
Mimi's cheeks flushed red and she tried to look away from him, but Jason kept
his hand on her face and made sure her eyes stayed locked with his. "Don't
look away. It's true. The funny thing is... You don't even know how beautiful
you are, inside and out. And, that just makes you even more attractive. You are
everything I should have always wanted, but I was too oblivious to realize it
then. But, I don't want to be oblivious Jason anymore... I want to be the Jason
who is falling in love with the girl who is absolutely perfect for him. Because,
that's what you are."
"Falling in love?"
"Yes, that is what I said."
"With me?"
"Yes, Mimi."
Mimi nodded in understanding and smiled. "Oh good. Because I'm kinda
falling in love with you too."
There was a sticky silence between them and nobody was more shocked that she
said that than Mimi herself. Sure, she had always had a habit of blurting out
the wrong thing at the wrong time, but this was completely surprising. Mimi was
still blurting out things, but now she was actually saying the right thing at
the right time.
Jason blinked his eyes in rapid succession. He hadn't really expected that
response, but he certainly couldn't complain about it. "You are? You really
are?"
"Yes... I am. And, I have been for a while. Maybe not since the day in the
bookstore, but as time has passed... it's just become more evident to me every
day. I was just scared of so many things. I was scared that you wouldn't feel
the same way."
"And I was scared that if I felt this way towards you, and I told you, that
it would ruin our friendship."
Mimi sighed and looked away from him. "It still could, you know. I mean,
just because we feel this way now doesn't mean we always will. We could be a
couple, and then break up and end up hating each other. And we would lose the
friendship we've worked so hard to have."
Jason nodded in understanding, her words echoed something he had been feeling
since the moment he realized he was in love with her. "Mimi... The last
thing I want to do is break your heart. But... I have a tendency to screw things
up and I can't guarantee that I won't screw this up."
"I can't guarantee it either. I don't want to hurt you, and I don't want to
break your heart. And, I most definitely don't want my heart broken either. I...
I don't know what to do..."
Jason felt his heart drop to his stomach. He had never felt this way about
anyone in his life, and instead of embracing their chance to be together, they
were practically turning each other away. "So... What you're saying is we
shouldn't pursue this any further. We should save ourselves the hurt and the
pain... That when I kissed you on Halloween, it was a mistake."
Mimi's own stomach churned and she shut her eyes tightly, trying to hold back
the tears. Maybe she had been right before, maybe he did regret kissing her that
night. Maybe they really were better off without any romantic entanglements. She
turned her gaze back to him and opened her eyes. The tears that were coming to
the surface making her green eyes shine in the morning light. "A mistake?
Is that what you're saying? Is that what you think?"
"No, that's not what I'm saying. It's what I thought you were thinking. No
matter what happens now or in the future, I will never regret kissing you at
that party. I wanted to do it, and I'm glad I did it. No regrets, Mimi. What
about you? Do you really want to just forget whatever feelings you have for me?
Should we ignore it for the sake of friendship?"
Mimi sighed deeply and chewed on her lower lip. Was it better for them to have
broken hearts now or to have them in the future? Was it worth taking chances for
a future that was uncertain? She kept her eyes locked on him, but she started
hearing Nick's voice in her head.
(((But, falling in love with your best friend... that's not ruining a
friendship. That's the start of something amazing.)))
(((Stop listening to what your head is telling you, and listen to what your
heart is saying.")))
((("You just have to ask yourself if love is worth taking a chance
for.")))
He was right, love was worth taking risks and chances. Anything that sweet was
worth the end result, even if it was bad. Both her and Jason had been
over-analyzing and over-talking this whole situation, instead of listening to
what was bringing them together in the first place: their hearts.
Her thoughts were broken up when Jason looked at her anxiously and spoke up.
"Mimi... What do we do?"
"We listen to our hearts, Jason. Don't listen to your brain. Love isn't
about logic, or knowledge. It's about hearts and souls. We should listen to
that. We take chances, and risks, and we do it because love is always worth it.
Right?"
"Right..."
Mimi smiled and felt one tear journey down her cheek. "Then do what your
heart tells you to do."
Jason smiled back at her and brushed her tear away with the pad of his thumb. He
moved his hand back to rest in her hair and leaned forward, gently pressing his
lips against her. This second kiss was even more powerful than the first, and
Mimi felt herself melting inside. The first kiss had been tentative and full of
fire, but this one brought with it all the confidence of two people who were in
love.
Mimi allowed Jason access to her mouth, letting him explore it like he was
Christopher Columbus discovering the New World. His kiss was sweet, tender and
set her skin on fire. She ran her hands up his arms slowly, enjoying the feel of
his warmth and firmness through the fabric of his shirt, leaving them to rest
behind his neck.
She pulled herself closer to him, pressing her chest up against him, their lips
still locked passionately. Mimi had been kissed by others before, but nothing in
the past or future would ever compare to a kiss from Jason. He was both gentle
and passionate at the same time, full of both love and desire in the gentle way
he explored her with his lips and tongue.
Jason wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her up until she was sitting in
his lap. He broke the kiss off and smiled briefly before planting a tender, but
teasing, kiss on her neck, causing Mimi to moan softly. Their bodies were
pressed up against each other closely, and Jason quickly returned his lips to
hers, gently nipping at her lower lip in between kisses.
They both felt like the entire world around them no longer existed. All of the
walls could have fallen down around them, and they would have never noticed.
They were so caught up in the moment, that they did not hear the turning of the
door knob or the sound of the door creaking open. Jason and Mimi did not break
away from each other until they heard Rory screaming with victory as she stood
in the doorway.
"YESSSSSSSS!! I KNEW IT!! YES YES YES!"
They quickly released each other's lips and looked at Rory who was doing her
version of a victory dance, slightly modified from the one she had done in
Jason's room the day before. Mimi was too breathless from kissing Jason to say
anything at all, but Jason looked at Rory in confusion.
"Rory... Are you okay?"
Rory clapped her hands together and grinned with a turn of her lips that was
almost maniacal. "YES! HA HA HA! I AM SO OKAY!! You two were makin' out and
I caught you!!"
Mimi giggled childishly and nodded, she knew her cheeks were probably a bright
shade of red but she didn't really care. She had Jason, and that was all that
mattered. "Yes, you caught us. Are you happy now?"
"You bet your ass, I am. Hey, Jase... Is Nick around?"
Jason raised his eyebrows in confusion. "Uhm, yeah, he's in our room.
Why?"
Rory crossed her arms over her chest and nodded proudly. "Sucker owes me
forty bucks now."
"Forty bucks? You wagered on me and Mimi?"
"Uh-huh. I bet him that it would be 24 hours or less before you two were
playing tonsil hockey, and I was right. He gave you three days. I WIN! I
WIN!"
Rory continued her victory dance, doing all of her favorite moves in succession.
Her patented booty shake, the Cabbage Patch, her Travolta disco moves and of
course, raising the roof. By the time she had finished, Jason and Mimi were both
laughing hysterically at her.
She stopped her dance and leaned against the door, winking at them both.
"Well... Now that I've celebrated, I better go collect. Congratulations
both of you. It's about damn time."
Rory smiled happily and quickly turned, jogging down the hallway. They could
hear her shouting as she went closer to Jason and Nick's room. "NICHOLAS!
GET YOUR A.T.M CARD OUT BUDDY!"
Jason turned his gaze back to Mimi and smiled. "She is crazy, you
know."
"I know... I'm looking in to upping her dosage, I swear. But, uhm... enough
about her..."
Jason nodded in understanding and kissed the tip of her nose. "You know, I
think I love you...."
Mimi smiled back at him and laid her head on his shoulder. "Mmmm... I think
I love you too, Jase... I really do."
Jason wrapped his arms around her and held on tightly. Resting in his arms, she
knew that they were doing the right thing, no matter what happened. Love was
worth risking everything and now that she had it, she wasn't sure how she ever
believed it would be easy to turn it away.