Please Stand By

Chapter 9

Jade and Cain lay on the couch after that morning's episode. Jade lay snuggled up on Cain's chest, her eyes slightly closed, not quite asleep but not fully conscious either. She had been trying to be careful in certain situations in order to protect the baby.

She had wanted a child since she had gone to college. She had moved from her two-bedroom apartment in California with her family to a small dorm with Alana in Florida. Jade had gotten to her dorm first, Alana walking in as Jade set up her side of the room.
"Ah look what the cat finally dragged in!" Jade had said when Alana first walked in.
"Not my fault I wanted to look at clubs... and the guys."
"Nice." Jade said with a smile. "Help me hang this poster up?" Alana came over to hold up the corner of the band poster as Jade put the tack in.
"I'm Alana."
"Jade."
"Nice to meet you. You think we should have dorm rules?" Alana asked, walking towards her bed.
"Guy friends are welcome but no banging if I'm here."
"Deal." Alana said, letting out a giggle. Alana looked like the polar opposite of Jade. Where Jade was pale with long black hair with silver eyes, Alana was tan with short blond hair, her face sprinkled with freckles. There was a certain glow that she gave off that was warm and inviting. She wore bright neon outfits whereas Jade wore band shirts and jeans with a cold vibe that didn't let others in, almost as if a wall had been put up between her and the world.

Jade had put up a barrier between herself and others around her. Ever since the first time her parents had mistreated her, she had made sure not to let people in beyond a certain point. She kept them at a distance. That barrier soon came down for Alana. She let Jade blast her music or left her alone to study or read. Needless to say, Jade also respected Alana. She kept her hands off of Alana's stuff and gave her and whoever her current lover was constant privacy. Alana never liked to study but Jade made it fun. Get a certain number of answers correct and Jade would take Alana to coffee. Get a B or above and Jade would go to the mall with Alana. They were soon inseparable.
"Hey!" Alana came into the dorm one day as Jade lay on the bed, reading her latest novel. "You busy?"
Jade put the bookmark in her book. "Not with school stuff." She put the book on her nightstand. "What's up?"
"So... I was talking with my boyfriend... and... as I've mentioned I've talked to him about you." Alana started, a bit nervous.
"I'm well aware." Jade said, not sitting up but instead putting her arms under her head. The two were nervous to be informal around each other in the beginning, but now they didn't care.
"He has a roommate... he thinks the two of you could get along. Would you-"
"You know I don't let people in." Jade said, interrupting her. She had slowly let Alana into her life telling her the reasons why she shut others out and kept herself at a distance.
"You don't have to! It doesn't have to be anything formal. Just... maybe go out for coffee. It could be nice. He said his roommate doesn't know a lot of people and is really nervous around others. He has trouble making friends."
"So you want me to go meet a guy who suffers from anxiety and go get coffee with him?"
"It's not anxiety... he's just not social." Alana said, trying to defend the young man and convince Jade.
"Have you even met him yet?" Jade asked.
"No..." Alana admitted with a look of defeat. "He's usually out of the dorm while we're there... kinda like you."
Jade rolled her eyes. "Why do I feel like you won't stop bugging me until I do it?"
Alana smiled and laughed. "Because you know me too well."
"Fine. But it probably won't go anywhere."
"That's fine. But it'd be nice for both of you."
"Does this guy have a name?"
"Cain Anderson." Alana said with a grin.