Educated Hearts

Chapter Ten (Rated R)          

(Thanksgiving Day)

Mimi pulled a stack of cloth napkins out of the drawer and placed it on the kitchen counter. They were having a thanksgiving dinner for four at the Masters house this year. Jason's parents were in Florida with Josh, so Mimi, Jason and their two roommates had the run of the place. Mimi's father had to work on Thanksgiving this year, so her family had celebrated the weekend before, which worked out just fine for her. She could think of no better people to spend a holiday with than the three of them.

Jason came in through the door from the dining room and spotted the napkins she had pulled out. "Are those for me?"

"Yup. Are you almost done setting the table?"

"Uh-huh... I was just waiting on those napkins. By the way... Where did the dynamic duo run off to?"

Mimi motioned towards the back door and replied. "Rory needed something... an ingredient for something so they went together to get it."

Jason grinned and raised an eyebrow as he walked closer to her. "So, we're all alone..."

"For the time being... But, don't you get any ideas, I'm supposed to be watching all of Rory's different dishes."

"You know... I'm really much happier spending Thanksgiving with the three of you this year."

Mimi smiled happily and leaned against the counter. "Me too... So why exactly didn't you go to Florida with your family?"

Jason rolled his eyes and frowned. "Please... Like I really want to spend a four day weekend hearing about all of St. Joshua's accomplishments. I love my brother, I really do... But, when the whole family is together it becomes less about celebrating a national holiday and more about celebrating the holy and perfect Josh."

"He's not perfect, you know."

"Oh, I know. But, according to my parents -- he's better than me and that's all that matters."

She sighed deeply and looked at him with sympathy in her eyes. Mimi had been acquainted with Jason's parents throughout their childhood, and although they had always seemed like nice people, she was beginning to understand how looks could sometimes be deceiving. She was sure that they loved Jason, but he certainly didn't feel very loved, not when he had his brother's reputation to live up to.

Mimi motioned for him to come forward and she placed her hands on his arms. "Jase... He is not better than you. Don't ever think that. Please..."

Jason nodded and pulled her into his arms. "It's just... it's not easy growing up with a brother who seems to do everything better than you."

"I know, but guess what? You are special in ways that Josh could never be. You are two different people and you need to remember that. Don't worry about being like Josh. Just be who you are, because I happen to like Jason... and not Josh."

"Are... Are you sure you're not with the wrong brother?"

Mimi laughed and winked at him. "I am absolutely sure. There is no other member of the Masters family or any other family that I would rather be with."

Jason grinned slyly at her. "I don't know... You haven't met my great uncle Arthur. He's pretty vibrant for a guy who's eighty-eight."

"Jason..."

"Not to mention, he gets all the best parking spaces thanks to his handicapped license plate."

Mimi laughed again and shook her head. Sometimes he was just completely incorrigible, and there was only one good way to shut him up. Mimi tipped her head up and planted her lips on his. Jason responded passionately and gently ran his fingers down her back, caressing her through the cotton of her shirt. His hands came to rest at the base of her spine and Mimi had to stand on her tiptoes to bring herself closer to him.

Jason broke off for a moment and smiled at her. "You're just trying to keep me quiet, aren't you?"

"I am..."

Jason nodded and pulled her up off the ground until she was sitting on the counter. She stared at him in surprise and laughed out loud. "Jason... What are you doing?"

"Thought this might be more comfortable."

Mimi nodded and threw her arms over his shoulders, pulling him close for another kiss. She spread her legs far enough so that Jason could come closer to her. He moved one hand from her back to her front, running over the material of her blouse until he could gently cup her right breast in his hand. Mimi moaned softly and felt her nipples hardening as they poked at the material of her bra. The palm of his hand brushed over her nipple as his fingers traveled towards the buttons on her shirt. He only meant to do undo the first three, but the blouse was loose enough that her entire shirt opened to him.

Jason grinned as he let go of her mouth. "Well, I guess that will work too."

Mimi blushed bright red and giggled. "For you maybe..."

"No, trust me... I think you'll be happy with this result."

Jason winked at her and leaned forward planting a kiss on her exposed neck. He made a trail of kisses from her neck and down further until his lips were in between the small space between her full breasts. Mimi pulled up the back of his T-shirt so she could run her hands up his back. His skin was warm and smooth, and the muscles on his back were just as perfect as the muscles on his chest.

Jason began massaging her left breast gently, as Mimi's breathing grew more rapid. He slowly pulled away the satin material covering her right breast and drew a circle of kisses around her nipple, letting his tongue teasingly flick out every now and then. Mimi dug her fingers into his back, urging him on, and Jason complied. He took her nipple in between his lips, gently raking his teeth over it, as Mimi cried out loudly.

In the three weeks they had been together, they were still rounding the bases, getting a little further around the baseball diamond the more time they spent alone. And, Mimi knew that if they continued at this pace, they'd be sliding into home before too long. Especially, if everything Jason did made her feel as good as she felt right now.

Mimi moaned with pleasure and Jason replied by shifting his attentions, moving his mouth to her other breast and tenderly teasing the other one with his skilled fingers. Jason was certainly a very talented man, pouring not only his lust for her into his maneuvers, but the love in his heart as well.

He replaced his mouth with his other hand and continued his gentle kneading. His head moved back upwards, kissing her deeply. Mimi slipped her hands in between them and fumbled until she found the top button of his jeans. She quickly undid it and the zipper, letting the top of his jeans fall open. Jason had moved his mouth from hers and was kissing her on her neck, as she let her hand slip inside his jeans. She could feel his hardness through the material of his boxers and she tenderly brushed her hand over it, causing Jason to moan with surprise.

"Oh my God, Mimi..."

Mimi smiled slightly and continued slowly rubbing his length through the thin cotton material. Jason moaned through his kisses, as he kissed her neck and shoulders, and returned to her lips. Mimi closed her eyes, knowing that the if the heat between them continued like this, they would end up in a compromising position on his mother's kitchen counter. She suddenly heard a strange sizzling noise across the kitchen and broke away from Jason's lips, her eyes snapping open, and her hand discontinuing it's attentions down below.

"Jase... It's too hot."

Jason just nodded slightly and gently nibbled on her earlobe. "I know... Don't stop."

Mimi looked over his shoulder and saw one of Rory's pans boiling over, the water hitting the stove causing it to sizzle. "No, Jase... I mean it. The stove is too hot."

Jason looked up at her in confusion, and she pushed her hands against his shoulders to move him out of the way. Mimi hopped off the counter, ran towards the stove and quickly turned the heat down. She moved Rory's pan to a back burner and frowned as she stood there.

"Oh damnit... I hope I didn't ruin her potatoes."

Jason turned and walked up behind her, examining the damage for himself. "Nahhh, I think it's fine. There was just a little too much water, it got too hot and it ran over. No big deal."

Jason grabbed the pan and checked the heat on the burner she had removed it from. He put it back in it's original place, and wrapped his arms around her from behind. He kissed her cheek softly and murmured in her ear. "See... It's just fine now. Now... where exactly were we before we had our little potato emergency?"

Mimi turned around in his arms and laughed out loud when she faced him. "Oh Jase... that was so funny."

"What? I'm trying to have a moment with you here, Mimi... and you're laughing at me?"

"I'm sorry... It's just... When I told you it was 'too hot' and you thought it was US. You have to admit that was pretty funny."

Jason shrugged slightly and kissed her on the forehead. "Yes, it was funny... It was also a bit of a mood-killer. Wanna help me find the mood again?"

Mimi grinned and pressed herself against him, her breasts were almost completely bare thanks to Jason. "Hmmm... I'd love to, but, uhm... I don't think we have time. Rory and Nick should be back any minute."

Jason frowned with disappointment. "We could lock the doors, tell them to come back later... Right?"

"Nooooo... As good as that sounds, we can NOT do that."

Jason sighed and gave her a quick kiss on the lips, then let go of her. "Alright, alright... but we will pick this up again later."

Mimi nodded and started adjusting her disheveled bra. "You can count on it."

Jason was in the midst of zipping his fly back up, and Mimi had her shirt buttoned halfway up when the back door to the kitchen came flying open. Nick was carrying a grocery bag and Rory was just finishing up the punchline to one of her favorite dumb jokes.

"So then... the rabbi says, 'THAT'S NOT A DOG! IT'S A SPOON!"

They both paused in mid-laughter when they saw what was before them. Jason's shirt was in disarray and his pants were slightly undone. Mimi had all but the top three buttons on her blouse done up, and she quickly pulled it shut out of modesty.

Nick put the grocery bag on the counter and shook his head. "Geez... We can't leave you two alone for twenty minutes, can we?"

Mimi cleared her throat and finished buttoning up her shirt. "I don't know what you're talking about. We were just checking the potatoes... and uhmmmm..."

"And you thought it would help the cooking process to get partially undressed and fool around? I've watched the food network and I've never seen any of the people on there do that."

Rory grinned wickedly and nudged Nick in the ribs. "And you wouldn't want to either. I mean, Emeril Lagasse... those tubby Japanese guys on the Iron Chef? Yuckkkkk."

Nick laughed and watched as Rory walked around the counter to inspect the food she had left cooking. "Uhm... Mimi... Jason... Why is the stove suddenly a mess?"

Jason quickly interjected. "We sort of let the water boil over. No big deal."

Rory took a deep breath in, then calmly and slowly turned around. "You two are unbelievable."

Mimi's eyes widened and she looked somewhat frightened of her roommate. "I'm sorry... It's just... They should be fine. It was just water."

"That's not what I'm talking about, Meems. First, you two knock the lights out at the Halloween party, and now you destroy my potatoes. Please promise me that when you decide to have sex, you'll do it somewhere away from major appliances and anything flammable. I don't even want to know what could happen..."

Mimi looked down in embarrassment, and Jason just nodded in understanding. "You got it, Rory."

Rory nodded thankfully, but kept her eyes on Mimi, and Jason grabbed the napkins off the counter, hurrying back to the dining room to finish the task that Mimi had distracted him from. Mimi watched him walk through the door and then turned to look at Rory and Nick.

"Okaaaaay... You two can stop staring now. The show is over."

Rory and Nick were perfectly in sync with each other's thoughts, never taking their eyes off Mimi. They stood stock still, never saying a word and waited until Mimi finally threw her hands up in frustration.

"Okay, fine... But, you're the ones who wanted us together in the first place." Mimi pouted slightly and stormed off towards the dining room to help Jason with the dinner table.

Rory started giggling and turned to Nick. "She is way too easy to embarrass."

Nick nodded in agreement and began taking the groceries out of the bag. "It's so easy that I almost feel guilty about it."

Rory continued preparing her dinner with all the fixings. She kept Nick around as her assistant, forcing him to listen to even more of her dumb jokes. But, Nick didn't seem to mind it. Rory was entertaining even when she was telling truly awful jokes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Later... After Dinner)

Mimi sat on the loveseat in the living room next to Jason. She groaned loudly and patted her stomach as Jason pulled her into his arms comfortingly. "I am so full... It's just not right."

Nick and Rory joined them, and Rory was carrying what looked like two wine bottles in her hands as Nick held on to four wine glasses. Mimi's eyes widened with curiosity.

"Rory... What the heck do you have in your hands?"

Rory grinned and held up her bottles. "Bottle of red, bottle of white... maybe a bottle of rose tonight."

Jason's eyes narrowed and he looked at her in confusion. "What?"

Nick interjected an answer to what Rory was quoting. "It's a song... Billy Joel. Scenes from an Italian Restaurant."

Mimi and Jason glared at them completely dumbfounded and Nick just shook his head with shame. Rory sat down on the couch and Nick took the other end. She grinned at Nick proudly.

"You know, Nick, I'm glad *someone* around here appreciates the melodic song stylings of Mr. Billy Joel. You two should be ashamed of yourselves."

Mimi shrugged and changed the subject. "Uhm... Rory, you're not expecting us to drink two bottles of wine, are you?"

Rory began pouring the first bottle into the glasses that Nick had set on the table. "Oh no, this isn't wine. It's sparkling grape juice, chilled to perfection. I was just kidding about the wine. I'm no longer allowed to drink alcohol."

Nick looked at her curiously and grabbed his glass off the table. "Is there a story about a night in jail involved in your no-alcohol policy?"

"No, but it did involve peanut butter, feathers, a soccer ball and the neighbor's cat. It was not pretty. Believe me, you guys don't want to hear about it."

"Well, it makes sense. You're crazed enough without alcohol. It's probably best that we keep you away from it."

Jason grabbed two glasses off the coffee table, handing one to Mimi and keeping one for himself. "Rory... Did we mention how great dinner was?"

Rory took a sip of her juice and nodded proudly. "Only about fifty times, which is never enough. I'm glad everybody enjoyed it."

Mimi patted her stomach and smiled at her. "Yeah, Rory... I never knew you could cook so well."

"Yeah, well... My dad doesn't cook and my mother is a *terrible* cook. I love to eat, so I had to learn how to cook to support my addiction."

"Well, you are just full of surprises, aren't you?"

"Mmm-hmmm..." Rory paused for a second and then grabbed a sheet of paper she had in her back pocket. "Which reminds me... of a little game I want to play..."

Nick's eyes were full of fear as he glared at her. "If it involves spinning that other bottle of juice in a circle, I'm out of here."

"No, it is not spin-the-bottle. It's a getting-to-know-you sort of game. Basically, I read a question off of my little sheet of paper and everybody answers it."

Mimi and Jason looked at each other and then back towards Rory with Jason speaking first. "Like truth or dare, but without the dare?"

"Right exactly. And none of you are allowed to refuse to play this game. So... First question... Who was your first crush of the non-celebrity variety?"

Mimi stared at her with surprise. She hadn't even given any of them a second to protest, she just started asking away. Mimi shrugged slightly, figuring that she might as well go along with it, it wasn't like she had many deep, dark secrets to hide.

"Brady Black..."

Jason stared at her in surprise. "Brady? Your best friend's brother?"

Rory looked impressed, things were off to a good start already. "The tank top muscles guy? The one that we've run into at Dot.Com a few times? Excellent choice, Meems... Excellent, indeed."

Mimi giggled and nodded. "Well... he didn't have the muscles back then. But, he was always Belle's really cute older brother. We were just little kids at the time."

Nick was the next one to spill details about falling in love with the girl next door in the first grade, and Rory talked about the son of one of her mother's friends. Everyone looked to Jason for his answer, but he paused awkwardly, stumbling on what he was going to say.

Nick stared at him and threw his hands up. "Well... Jase... Don't hold back. We told ours -- now it's your turn."

Jason cringed slightly and averted his gaze from their prying eyes. "This is going to sound really... bad. Like I'm just saying it because of my current romantic situation, but I'm not. It's the truth. And, I swear that on everything that is important to me."

Rory leaned forward in her seat, practically spilling her juice all over as she waited anxiously. "Well... Spit it out. We're not getting any younger."

"It was... It was Mimi."

Mimi's head snapped around to look at him with shock. "What? When? How? Why? Are you serious?"

Jason grinned and kissed her on the forehead. "Please... only one question at a time. Do you remember the first day of kindergarten?"

"Well, sort of... But, not that well. It was a very long time ago."

"I remember it perfectly. You know, you always remember the first girl you ever looked at in a different way, different from how you looked at girls before. The first day of school you wore a pink flowered dress, you had these two braids with these pink ribbons tied to the ends. And, when I saw you that day, I thought you were the prettiest thing I had ever seen."

Mimi's mouth had fallen open in surprise. She started to feel guilty about naming Brady as her first childhood crush, but remembered that was all it was. Just because you thought someone was cute when you were six years old doesn't really mean much at all. So, she just smiled and replied to him.

"You know, I don't remember that. I remember you throwing your paint all over my art project the first day of school. The whole class got in trouble for that one, because if one kid misbehaved then the rest of the class had to be punished. And, I remember you putting sand in my hair every other day at recess."

"That's what little boys do to girls they have crushes on..."

Rory grinned at them both and clapped her hands together. "Oh Jase... That story is *SO* going to get you laid now."

Mimi's eyes widened and her face turned a bright red. "RORY!?! Geez..."

"I'm just saying..." Rory shrugged innocently and went back to the paper in her hand.

They continued on discussing their first kisses, first dates, and many other childhood memories for quite a while. Rory reached another truly interesting question on her little quiz and began cackling. "Okay, okay... Here's a good one... When did you lose your virginity? And, was it any good? Nick, you go first."

Nick blinked his eyes in confusion. "What? Why me?"

"Because this is *my* game, and I said so."

Nick rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand, kissing the top of it before letting it go. "Yes, my Queen... Your wish is my command, your Highness."

Rory giggled and lounged back on the couch. "Oh, if only that were true. The things I would force you to do TO... I mean, FOR me."

Mimi exchanged a glance with Jason and then turned back to Rory, shaking her head in shame. "Rory, you are just so awful..."

"Oh please, you know he wants me. Look at him. It's not like I'd be forcing him to do something he wouldn't want to do anyway."

Nick forced his embarrassment away and lightly kicked her leg with his foot. "In your dreams, Aurora."

Rory paused, for once she didn't have a sarcastic or funny response. She just frowned at him and kicked him back. "Whatever Nicholas... Now answer the damn question."

"Fine, fine, fine. Her name was Sarah, I was sixteen, in her parents basement and it was a HUGE mistake."

Jason looked at him curiously. "A mistake? Why? Was it really awful?"

"No, the sex was fine. I just wish I had waited until I fell in love. Now, what about you, Queen Aurora?"

Rory crossed her arms over her chest and stuck her tongue out at him. "Well, thanks for the complete lack of details in your answer. I was seventeen, his name was Chris, and it was... terrible. Just awful awful awful..."

Mimi raised both of her eyebrows. "How awful was it?"

"It was in the back of a Toyota Camry and the whole ordeal lasted about two minutes. I don't even know if that technically qualifies as sex. Shouldn't it take more than two minutes for it to count?"

Mimi shrugged in confusion. "You're asking the wrong person. Because, I... am still a virgin."

Jason's eyes widened and he looked at her in shock. "You are not."

"Yes, I am. Kevin and I never went that far. Almost, a few times, but something kept holding us back from going all the way. So, no, I have never had sex."

"Neither have I."

Now it was everyone else's turn to be surprised. Nick was the first to speak. "So, you're telling us that you, Jason Masters -- popular, football player, party guy is still a virgin...?"

Jason nodded in the affirmative. "It's the truth. Jan Spears may have been a lot of things, but she never did uhm... 'give it up', so to speak."

Rory grinned and pointed at them knowingly. "I knew there was a reason why we needed to hook you two up."

She didn't give them any time to be embarrassed, because she quickly moved on to the next question. "Okay... Have you ever been in love? Not just infatuation or lust... But, like crazy, need you, want you, can't live without you love. And, you two... don't count what's going on between you now, because things were already mushy enough tonight with the kindergarten pigtails story."

Rory pointed at Nick who shrugged sadly. "No, I haven't."

Mimi and Jason both shook their heads, answering with a simultaneous, "No." They had both cared for their former significant others, but never deeply enough to call it 'being in love'.

Rory sighed heavily and frowned. "Me either. Man, that is... depressing. I am officially depressed now."

Nick scooted over and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Don't be sad. You'll fall in love eventually. It doesn't help that you are completely insane, though. I guess you'll have to find a man who's catatonic, that way you'll have a captive audience."

Rory didn't take Nick's comment as an insult at all, she just shrugged slightly and rested her head on his shoulder. "As long as he's still breathing, I'm okay with that."

Nick rolled his eyes and then pointed at the page she was still holding. "Okay... okay... next question. Tell the group something about yourself that would surprise everyone. Interesting... Who's going first?"

There was a silence among them as four sets of eyes darted around the room, each of them trying to think of something surprising. Jason exhaled slowly and spoke up first. "Okay, this is pretty stupid... And it's not like some deep dark secret that would even be of interest to a tabloid. But, uhm... I can play the piano."

Rory gasped loudly and lifted her head. "Oh. My. Liberace! Why didn't you tell us before?"

"Because... I didn't want you to start calling me Liberace. Thank you for that. I took lessons for about ten years, and I hated every second of it. The end. Mimi?"

Mimi yawned loudly before she began. "Sorry... Turkey makes me sleepy. Uhmmm... Something surprising, huh? Okaaaaay... Uhm.... I have a tattoo."

Now it was Jason's turn to be shocked as he faced Mimi, his jaw dropping with surprise. "You have a what? How come I haven't seen it? When did you get it?"

Mimi giggled girlishly and shrugged. "You haven't seen all of me yet, Jason Masters. It's right above my tailbone and it's very tiny. It's just a butterfly. I got it this summer when I went to New York with Belle and Chloe on their apartment hunting trip."

"And I haven't seen it?"

"Nope, not yet." Mimi winked at him and gave him a quick kiss.

Rory looked impressed and nodded proudly. "Wow... a tattoo. Very surprising, indeed. Nicholas...?"

Nick leaned back on the couch and put his hands behind his head. "I'm really good in bed."

Rory laughed with a snort and shook her head. "Okay, funny... Now tell us your real answer."

"My real answer... my secret is... Rory wants me. She had it all wrong before. I don't want her, she wants me."

Rory smacked his arm and frowned at him. "Damnit, Nick... Give us something real."

"I can't think of anything, okay? I'm pretty... boring, really. I mean, you guys know almost everything there is to know about me."

Rory huffed loudly and crossed her arms. "Fine, fine. But, you better come up with a good answer within the next 24 hours."

Jason looked at her curiously. "Okay, what about you, Rory? What's your secret?"

"I... I didn't speak until I was four years old."

Nick laughed loudly and elbowed her in the ribs. "Aurora Bennett... You are the biggest liar I have ever met."

Rory's mouth made an 'o' of surprise. "But... I am telling the truth, Nicholas Cooper. The doctor told my parents that I was just waiting until I had something to say."

Mimi laughed and shook her head. "Now I know you're lying. Rory... You ALWAYS have something to say."

Jason looked at Rory and nodded in understanding, giving her the benefit of the doubt. "I don't know... Maybe she's just making up for lost time now."

Nick grinned and ruffled Rory's hair slightly. "That explains SO much..."

The four of them stayed up for a couple of hours as Jason and Mimi filled their friends in on all of the adventures of the Salemites for the past few years; the coronation, the Puerto Rico Trip and on and on. Rory and Nick returned the favor by talking about life growing up in San Diego and Chicago, respectively. They could have chatted for hours, but Mimi started to drift off to sleep. No doubt as a result of eating far too much turkey for one day.

Jason told Rory that she could sleep in his brother's old room, and Nick could have one of the many spare bedrooms. Mimi quickly changed into a pair of pajamas and Jason showed her to another spare room, tucking her into the large four poster bed. She snuggled up to her blankets and smiled at Jason, her eyelids drooping with sleepiness.

"Jason... Where are you going to sleep?"

Jason kneeled by her bed and kissed her on the forehead. "I was going to sleep in my room... I've got to go turn off all the lights in the house right now."

She sighed softly and whispered to him. "Come back here after you turn the lights out. I want to kiss you good night."

"Okay... I'll be right back." Jason quickly went down stairs, turning off the living room lights and making sure the front door was locked with the security system armed. He rushed back upstairs and when he made it back to Mimi, she was already sound asleep. She looked like a perfect angel, wrapped in the heavy green comforter, her lips parted slightly as she slept. Jason was about to turn around and leave her, but another thought crossed his mind.

He wanted to be near her, needed it even, so he quickly stripped out of his jeans and T-shirt. Jason walked around to the other side of the bed, wearing only his boxer shorts and slid underneath the covers. He reached his arms out and pulled Mimi close to him, inhaling the scent of her as she sighed softly in her sleep.

Jason had never really understand what it would be like to need someone in your life this badly. And, he wasn't sure how it happened to be that the person he needed would end up to be her. But, this is exactly what he wanted, Mimi Lockhart by his side. He gave her a gentle kiss on her neck and closed his eyes, assured that he would have sweet dreams tonight.

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