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I had left the door unlocked so Xavier and Jessa could come right in when they got here. After all the baking and cleaning up, I should’ve known I’d be exhausted. What I hadn’t expected was to wake up to my friends staring at me, staring at us.
Jessa and Xavier exchange glances with each other and I understand their gawking. We’d heeded my father’s request—-sort of. We weren’t completely horizontal. JJ is leaned against the chaise of our grey sectional and my head rests on his chest as it rises and falls. His arms are wrapped around me. I have no idea how we got this way, but I don’t want to move. This was the best sleep I’ve had in weeks.
I lift my head up slightly and realize I’ve drooled on JJ’s shirt. Oh my goodness.
“Dang,” Xavier says. “You know you’re in love when you let somebody drool on you.”
Jessa snickers, then they both leave for the kitchen. I should get up and be a good host, but now I feel awful that I’ve messed up JJ’s shirt.
Oh well. I lay my head back down. Jessa and Xave don’t need me to be a host. They’ve been over here too many times for that. I decide that I’m not moving from this spot and press my ear back against JJ’s chest, listening to the rhythm of his heart. My eyes close and I let my other senses take over. The warmth of JJ against me, the clean fragrance of his shirt and skin, the rhythmic sound of his heart ... CLINK! CLANK!
The stupid sound of Jessa or Xavier dropping a knife. Dang it! This startles JJ awake. He begins rubbing my back but then stops abruptly as if he realizes what he’s doing. I keep pretending like I’m sleep because I just need one more minute to lay here.
“Um, Clove?” His voice is deep from his sleep and it rumbles like thunder underneath me.
“Hmmm?”
“Xave and Jess are here.”
“I know.”
“You don't care?”
“Nope. They know what to do.”
For a short moment, we stay like we are and his hands smooth over my back once again. I can hear his heart beating faster. He starts to shift causing me to sit up. I wipe the side of my mouth as he sees the drool spot.
“Sorry,” I purse my lips together. That is super embarrassing.
JJ lifts one eyebrow along with his smile going up on one side only. It is a very cute face that he’s making in amusement. “Never thought I’d make a girl drool over me.”
I slap his arm. “I’ll get you another shirt.” I get up and dig through my backpack.
“You keep shirts for me in your backpack?” he asks.
Ignoring him, I search for the bag from the aquarium gift shop. I throw a grey t-shirt at him. He catches it, opens it up, and then shakes his head.
“Really? ‘This is my Otter shirt.’ Is this for you or me?”
“It’s for you! They were all out of the ‘Otter Space’ ones in your size so I got that one. It’s funnier.”
He goes in the bathroom and changes.
Xavier and Jessa have already cut gigantic slices of the Pineapple Upside Down cake.
“Soooo... did you wanna save some cake for anybody else?” I tease them.
“Gurl! You put yo’ foot in this cake!” Jessa tells me.
“Yep, two feet,” Xavier says with his mouth full. I chuckle. In the south, that’s a real big compliment. I find a saucer for JJ and prepare to cut him a slice of cake that’s the same size as what Xavier and Jessa cut but then JJ walks into the kitchen wearing the shirt I gave him. It’s way too small. Jessa and Xavier start laughing immediately.
“My arms can’t breathe,” JJ says.
Well, he used to wear a medium. I cover my mouth so that I don’t laugh too. He hands me something. “Ironically, I got you a t-shirt also, but I think we may have to trade.”
I unfold the shirt and then I turn it around to show Jessa and Xave. They continue laughing.
“Yo, that is hilarious and so true,” Xavier says.
The shirt is white with a purple octopus that says: I can slap 8 people at one time.
Jessa goes on about how cute it is that we bought each other shirts. She also brings up something that I didn’t want her to say. “So are y'all together now or what?”
I wait for JJ to say something. Are we? Does us cuddling and holding hands automatically put us into a relationship?
JJ scratches his head. “Nah,” he says. “Clove likes guys who talk like dis and do dey mouf like dis right he’ah.”
He mocks Trevor by curling up his lip. Next, he takes a small piece of foil from the Rhubarb pie and puts it over his tooth. JJ’s imitation of Trevor is spot on with the dialect. I’d never heard him talk like that before. Maybe I do like guys who talk like Trevor because his imitation is making me blush.
“She like dem southern boi’s that be like ‘C’meer gul, lemme holla atchu!”
Jessa almost chokes on her cake. “Oh my gawd J, that’s hilarious! I had no idea you could talk like that!” Her eyes tear up from laughing so hard.
“Yeen know?” JJ continues.
Now Xavier joins in. “Sheen een know, dawg.”
“Mane, sheen know! I’m bout tuh cut dis cake right hurr fah sho.”
The way JJ does his mouth, making a sneer with every word is way too cute. Ok, so he’s right. I like it. Now Xavier and JJ go back and forth talking like Trevor. Jessa and I can’t stop laughing.
“Kinda hard not to pick up the dialect when you've lived here for so long.” JJ says. He bites into his cake slice. “Clove, you did so good on this! I told you it would be fine.”
“Neither one of y'all have answered Jessa’s question,” Xavier reminds us.
Dang. I was hoping they'd drop this subject but I don’t blame them for asking. They did walk in on us cuddled up on the couch. If JJ and I are evolving into a relationship, will it change the dynamic of our clique? How will it work long distance? I don't even want to think about all these things right now.
Jessa holds the tip of her fork in her mouth. “Maybe y'all should kiss or something. Perhaps then the answer will be plain as day. What do you think Clove?” She grins at me mischievously.
Oh my gosh. What is she doing? I knew I shouldn’t have told her what I was feeling. JJ looks at Jessa and then back to me. I could seriously sock her in the face for saying that. My cheeks feel so hot and all I can do is try to keep busy, but there’s nothing to do. JJ washed all the dishes for me. He does kinda deserve a kiss for that.
I glance at JJ but he keeps his head down, picking at the piece of his cake. We need to change the subject to something—-anything.
“What about you and Xave?” I ask Jessa. “Y'all are going to prom together. What’s that mean?”
Both of the boys shift their eyes and stuff cake in their mouths almost on cue. Something’s going on.
“What’s up? Why y'all get quiet? Jessa can ask about me and JJ but I can’t ask about her and Xave?
“Drop it, Clove,” JJ whispers.
But I don’t want to drop it. Now it’s her turn to be put on the spot.
“Jessa,” I call. “What is going on?”
Jessa covers her face with both hands. This has to have something to do with the rumors going around school. Would I be wrong to ask? I decide to just go for it.
“Jessa, are you gay?” I ask. She sniffs and begins sobbing into Xavier’s arm where he comforts her. I hadn’t meant to make her cry. I was only trying to take the heat off me but now I realize that was being selfish. I’m not sure what else to do or say, but if I’ve learned anything from JJ these past few weeks, it’s that actions speak much louder than words.
I walk around the kitchen island and put my arms around her as she sobs. JJ stands above Jessa and puts his arms around both me and Xavier. The three of us embrace Jessa.