The next morning, Jenna woke up with a monster headache. She rolled out of bed and headed straight for the medicine cabinet in her bathroom. She shook out three pills from the bottle of Advil and threw them into her mouth. After turning on the water faucet, she scooped up a handful of water and poured it into her mouth, washing the pills down her throat.
After taking the Advil, Jenna headed for the shower. She let the water cascade over her body and enjoyed the streams trickling down her face. The pulsing water seemed to soothe the pounding inside of her head.
After finishing her shower and drying off, Jenna dressed in a pair of comfortable navy yoga pants and her white Yankees jersey. She headed downstairs to get breakfast started for the Colby and Emma.
Just as she was finishing the french toast, Jenna heard the scampering of little feet running down the stairs. Colby and Emma jumped up onto the stools at the breakfast bar, ready to eat.
�Good morning. Did you two have fun last night?� Jenna asked.
�Yeah, it was pretty cool. Are we still going to the arcade today?� Colby said.
Jenna wanted to go anywhere but the arcade. She knew that once she got there, her headache would go from bad to worse, with all the bells and whistles, and little kids running and screaming all over�all the wonderful attributes of the arcade! �Of course. I promised that we would go, so we will.� Jenna told them.
After breakfast, Jenna called over to let Nicholas know Emma was on her way home. �Just wanted to make sure you were awake. Emma�s on her way over, then we�re going to head to the arcade.� She told him.
�I�m up, send her over.� Nicholas told her. He paused for a minute, then said, �Do you still want me to go with you to the arcade?�
�Just try and get out of it. I�m not suffering alone!� Jenna mock threatened him. �Meet us outside in about half an hour, ok?�
�We�ll be there.� He said and then hung up.
Jenna sent Emma home to get ready, then took Colby upstairs to get him ready. After Colby changed into the clothes that Jenna had laid out for him, she asked him to take Jeter out to go potty before they left. He was doing a good job being responsible when it came to his puppy. He never whined about having to take the dog out or feed him.
After Jenna had cleaned up the kitchen from breakfast and the puppy was put in his crate, Jenna and Colby headed outside to meet Nicholas and Emma. When Jenna walked out their front door, her stomach started doing somersaults, remembering the kiss that they had shared on the dance floor the night before. �God, I hope that things aren�t going to be awkward between us now.� Jenna thought. She could still feel the way his lips felt against hers, the way his tongue had begged for entrance into her mouth, and the way her lips tingled after the kiss was broken.
She looked over and saw Nicholas and Emma waiting for them in his Xterra. He sent a nervous smile over her way as she walked towards the SUV. Jenna returned his smile, just as nervously. Colby on the other hand, ran over to the SUV and jumped in the back, talking excitedly with Emma about how much fun they were going to have. Jenna climbed in the front passenger seat, and as soon as everyone was buckled in, Nicholas put the vehicle in reverse and backed out of his driveway.
The ride to the arcade was quiet between Nicholas and Jenna, but Colby and Emma did enough talking for everyone. The two kids seemed to spend all of their time together, and never ran out of things to talk about or say to eachother. For once, Jenna was thankful for their incessant chattering, to make up for the lack of words between her and Nicholas.
After they reached the arcade, Jenna and Nicholas both bought the kids $20 access cards, so they wouldn�t have to worry about them losing their money, or coming back to beg for more money. After they got the cards, both kids took off to the game area, leaving Nicholas and Jenna to fend for themselves.
The two parents walked over to the restaurant portion of the arcade and got a couple of Pepsis to drink. They sat down at an empty table and looked out into the sea of kids. Neither one could look at the other, both of them thinking about their kiss. Nicholas was the first to break the tension that was hanging in the air between the two of them.
�So, do we need to talk about what happened last night?� He asked.
�Well, I thought we were going to blame it on the alcohol. It doesn�t seem to make it any easier though, does it?� Jenna asked.
�Um, not really. It�s not that the kiss wasn�t nice, because it was�it really was. It�s just that I like our friendship and I don�t want to lose that. Say something more happens between the two of us, and then I suddenly realize that even though I thought I was ready to move on after losing Leslie, that I really wasn�t ready, then our friendship will suffer. I just can�t do that to you, or to us. You are the first person who has made me smile and laugh, besides Emma, since I lost Leslie, and I don�t want to lose that. I don�t want to do something that will potentially hurt you in the end.� Nicholas explained.
�I agree. I don�t think I�m ready for anything after what Kyle did to me anyways. I think I am going to have some serious trust issues, and I don�t want to make you hate me for some stupid neurosis that I have because that prick couldn�t ever keep it in his pants.� Jenna said.
�So, friends then? We can move on after last night?� Nicholas asked, offering his right hand for her to shake.
�Friends.� Jenna said as she shook his hand. �So, the kiss was nice?� She teased innocently, with a huge smile spread across her face.
�Yeah, could have used a little work though.� Nicholas joked. Jenna punched him lightly on his arm, and he apologized. �Yes Jenna, it was nice, or better than nice, but I thought we were moving on.�
�We are, I was just making sure.� Jenna laughed.
�So, how are you feeling this morning, by the way.� He asked her.
�Ugh, remind me not to drink so much next time. I have had the mother of al headaches this morning, and this arcade isn�t helping much!� She groaned. �How about you?�
�I didn�t think you looked too happy to be here. Actually, I feel fine, but I had a lot less to drink than you did.� He told her.
Jenna and Nicholas sat around talking while the kids played around the arcade. When Nicholas�s cell phone rang, he got up from the table and walked outside to answer it. Jenna got bored when he didn�t come back right away, so she picked up her phone and called Vanessa.
�Hey girl, haven�t talked to you in a while, where�ve you been hiding?� Vanessa asked her.
�Oh, I�ve just been busy, you know, work and Colby�How�s everything with you?� Jenna asked.
�I�ve been good. How�s that neighbor of yours, and when are you going to set me up with him?� Vanessa asked. She had asked the same thing every time Jenna talked to her since she met him at Colby�s birthday party. Jenna had been pretty good about being able to brush her off each time, but lately she was getting persistent.
�Nessa, I don�t think he is ready for any of that stuff. He�s still trying to get over Leslie.�
�Well, it�s not like I�m looking for a relationship from him, just a night of wild sex. Everyone needs that now and then.� Vanessa told her.
�Not everyone.� Jenna laughed. �I think you�d probably give him a heart attack or scare him away or something.�
�Well, anytime he wants to take me up on the offer, I�m available for him.� She told Jenna.
�I�ll let him know, but I have to go now.� Jenna said. They said their goodbyes and Jenna hung up her phone and returned it back to her purse.
She wasn�t sure why she had never told Nicholas about Vanessa�s offers, but she hadn�t. If she was being honest with herself, she would have admitted that it was because she didn�t think she could stand seeing him with another woman, other than herself. But, she also didn�t think she could see him with herself either, so it was a hopeless case. She didn�t want to have Vanessa be the first person that Nicholas had sex with since Leslie�s death, she wanted to be the first. She wanted to be the woman who made him smile, who made him laugh, and who drove him over the edge on the brink of his orgasm.
Jenna started to blush as she thought about bringing Nicholas to an orgasm. �I have really got to stop thinking about that. It�ll never happen.� She thought to herself.
Meanwhile, outside Nicholas was on his phone talking to his friend Nathan, one of the guys they had gone out with the night before. �No, man. I told you that Jenna and I aren�t together. Her and I are just friends. She�s free to see whoever she wants.� Nicholas should have known that Nathan would try to hook up with Jenna. He wanted to punch the wall behind him, frustrated that Nathan was acting on his attraction to Jenna so fast, and that he was trying to go through Nicholas to get to her.
�Well, if you and her are just friends, you think you could set up a date between her and I? You think she�d go for me?� Nathan asked.
�Dude, I couldn�t tell you. Why can�t you just ask her yourself and leave me out of it.� Nicholas asked, trying to not let his irritation show.
�Because I don�t know her that well. Besides, I need you to put in a good word for me, buddy.� Nate said. �Well, that is, as long as you meant what you said when you told me you were just friends.�
Nicholas sighed. �I�ll see what I can do. I�ll talk to you later.� He hung up the phone and walked back inside.
Jenna looked at the scowl on Nicholas�s face as he approached the table and got worried. �Is everything ok?�
�Oh, yeah. Sorry. Nathan just frustrates me sometimes. He was calling to ask about you.� Nick told her.
�About me? And that put you in a bad mood?� She asked.
�I just hate it when he tries to use my friendship with him to get what he wants.� He said, trying to cover up the fact that he was just annoyed that Nate had wanted to go out with Jenna. �So, he wants me to talk you into going out on a date with him, and I know he won�t leave me alone until you say yes, so will you go, please?�
�Nathan was the loud one, right?� Jenna asked.
�Yes.� Nicholas said, a little reluctantly.
�Well, I�ll go, on one condition. You go out with Vanessa and we have a double date. She�s been bugging me about hooking her up with you since Cole�s birthday.� Jenna proposed.
�Ugh, she better not try to get me into bed with her.� Nicholas said, wrinkling up his nose as he made a sour look on his face.
�She will, but just be clear that you don�t want to sleep with her.� Jenna told him. After she realized how it sounded, she added, �I mean, as long as that�s what you want�As long as you don�t want to sleep with her.� Jenna stammered.
�No, I definitely don�t.� Nicholas told her, chuckling a little at how jealous Jenna had sounded. �So, I guess it�s settled. We have a double date.�
Jenna wasn�t looking forward to going out with Nathan, and she was even less enthusiastic about Nicholas going out with Vanessa, but she was happy to know that Nicholas didn�t want to sleep with Vanessa. �Let�s just hope he still feels that way at the end of their date.� Jenna thought to herself. �And let�s also hope I�m not ready to kill Vanessa at the end of the night either.�
�What are we getting ourselves into?� Jenna asked and shook her head.