Leaps and landings

9

She was woken by the lack of blinds, the weak sun casting a ray on her, but despite being awakened the sensation of the smooth sheets against her naked body and the slight soreness in the right places was not a bad way to start the day. She could hear Jess in the kitchen, a sweet scent filling her nostrils, promising the continuation of their indulgences. This had definitely turned out better than any spa weekend. She sat up, put on the items she'd worn the night before and drew her fingers through her hair, pulling it back up into an imperfect ponytail, before pattering into the kitchen.

"Good morning," she said as she wrapped her arms around Jess's chest from behind.

"Morning," Jess said with a smirk, as he turned towards her, giving her a kiss. "Breakfast will be done in a few," he added, checking on the french toast he was making.

"Looks good," she commented, enjoying his touch around her hip just under her shirt.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"I did," she replied. She wasn't the kind of person who slept well in hotels or when she was visiting someplace new, but here, perhaps due to the accompanying stress-release, she felt well rested.

"Do you need to head back this morning or...?" he asked with some hesitation. He didn't want to sound like he wanted her to leave, yet assuming she was in no hurry didn't seem right either. It hadn't been exactly clear when she'd come that she'd be staying, so there really hadn't been a concrete plan.

"No, I don't need to. Not before the evening at least. But I don't want to be in the way, you said you had plans," Odette replied thoughtfully. She certainly didn't want to impose, but she was in no hurry to leave. But she also knew that sometimes in a new relationship overextending one's welcome did more harm than good, no matter how much she was enjoying herself.

"Have you even been to Philly before?" he asked, realizing he hadn't asked before.

"Actually no. Well, I've had a layover at PHL once, but I'm pretty sure that doesn't count," she replied, smilingly.

"If you want I could show you around town a little. You could even join me at Adrian's party," Jess suggested. "It's an afternoon thing - he's got two preschoolers, your namesake included," he added.

"I could, but I don't want you to feel like you have to do that," she replied. Meeting his friends seemed like a big deal, and while they seemed to be in a good place she didn't want to push.

"I want to," Jess assured her. "But fair warning - it's probably going to be loud, a little messy, and Adrian himself can be a little rough around the edges," he added. It was not that he was ashamed of his friend, not at all, but he was a careful not wanting to subjected her to a lot of what she was not perhaps the most comfortable with. Despite knowing that she was very much down to earth about most things, he still felt like she was a princess of sorts, in the very best sense of the word.

"I really don't mind," she replied. Not only did she not feel like deparing yet, but she felt like she needed to experience more things outside her comfort zone, having no longer her former Family name to lean on that would've explained her lack of experience with normal life.

"Okay, then, it sounds like we have a plan," Jess sighed, cocking his head a little, giving her another kiss.

They ate their toast with orange jam at the kitchen bar bench, the sun casting shadows through the entire apartment now.

"Really good breakfast. You're going to spoil me like this," Odette replied laughingly as she'd licked her fingers clean playfully.

"That's the plan," he replied with a crooked smile.