See You Soon - A Novella | ✓

Jimmy (The Next Morning)

Jimmy woke up in a bed that wasn't his, next to a beautiful woman that he hardly knew.

So this is what it is like to be a rock star, he thought to himself with a smile.

The woman lying next to him, still asleep, was named Jessica. Her long legs and long torso, looked gorgeous uncovered from the sheets as she slept, her light brown hair fanning over her pillow. Her thin, light pink lips and short eyelashes looked bigger against her defined bone structure.

Everything about this woman was so close to perfect, but he knew he would never have anything but this one night with her. He knew he gave his heart away a long time ago and would never be able to love anyone else.

He turned over to Jessica, kissing her gently on the cheek. She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Good morning," Jimmy said, smiling down at her.

"Good morning, handsome," she responded with her own smile.

"I have to be taking off, beautiful. Thanks for the great time," he said, kissing her forehead.

"You don't have to go, you know," she told him, her eyes smoldering up at him as he got up and put his jeans and t-shirt on.

"I have to go to the studio this afternoon, so I need to get home," he fibbed.

"Well, can I get your phone number? I would like really like to see you again," she said, laying on the flirting as heavy as she had last night.

"Of course," he said with a soft smile, grabbing his iPhone out of his pocket and dialing the number she recited and pushing call.

"Would you like to have dinner tonight?" she asked him when she answered the call.

He laughed at her persistence. "Sure thing," he responded and disconnected.

He put on his shoes and headed to the door that lead out of her bedroom.

"Hey, James," Jessica said.

He knew what was coming when he looked back at her; her face was scrunched up in confusion.

"Yes," he said, wishing he hadn't turned around.

"Was there something between you and Tess?" she asked.

God, the very sound of her name hit him harder than any vehicle could.

"Nah, she and I just grew up across the street from each other. We were good friends," he told her. The very idea that this woman was friends with Tess, his Tess, and he had spent the night with her, was mind boggling. The saying "it's a small world after all" had never made more sense.

Seeing Tess last night in the arms of another guy, being cradled the way he only dreamed of for twenty-four years, had nearly pushed him over the edge. He wanted so badly to take her in his arms they had ached.

"It looked like a lot of unsaid things went between the two of you when we walked into the apartment," she said.

Damn, she was intuitive. When Jimmy walked into the line of view of Tess, he wasn't sure what he saw on her face, embarrassment, shock, pain. Lord only knew what emotions showed on his face. He felt as if he were kicked in the stomach, couldn't breathe.

"Maybe, but I think it was just a shock for both of us. We haven't seen each other in years."

"She has never mentioned you before from home. I know she has parents in Pennsylvania, but she doesn't talk about it much. Like a lot of people I've met that have moved here, she seems to be running from something," Jessica said, revealing more about the time he had missed with Tess than she could ever imagine.