Leaps and landings

23

Jess may have written Odette's cover story, but the time they'd spent together was still just a bat of an eye in the grand scheme of things. Even if they'd spend every waking moment of those months studying each other in detail, they were still discovering new things. It was the little things that kept surprising him. Among them was her love for throw pillows, the specific order she liked to do her beauty routine in the morning and the way she got cranky when she missed her workout. She also had a tendency to go barefoot at home during the summer, which also meant she didn't want others to really wear shoes either, especially not upstairs. Jess really didn't object to this softer side of her - it was like discovering a 60s hippy inside the body of a French (ex-)heiress, and he certainly didn't mind how sensual she looked like that, almost as if one step closer to being naked. However, he himself kept forgetting.

"I'm back," Jess announced as he got home. It had only really taken a few weeks for him to start calling Odette's place home. It didn't quite feel like his, but he went with it for now, his own place still being on the market.

"I'm upstairs," Odette called.

Just as Jess was about to climb the stairs, the second step letting out a squeaky, up to her, to tell her his news, Odette's words made him froze at place.

"Don't forget your shoes," she called out, knowingly. Thankfully she wasn't really the nagging type, or perhaps it was the fact that they were in mid-leap, and she never really got upset at him, trying just to mention friendly reminders every now and again.

He snuck back down the two stairs he'd already managed to climb, apologetically, and toed off his casual Oxford shoes off, before continuing his path.

Odette was on her upstairs couch, curled up in a comforter, her legs propped up by a pillow, reading "Roseanna", she'd found in Jess' bookshelf while packing. From the way she looked, a little tired, her hair pulled up in a simple ponytail, her eyes slightly puffy, he could sense something was off.

He landed on the couch, snuggling next to her and kissed her in greeting. She didn't seem her usual cheery self, that was for sure. Something was either wrong or if he recalled correctly counting back a few weeks, she might be on her period. There had been a time before when he'd seen her like this, clearly feeling a little less like usual self, but he couldn't be sure. If she was, he knew that this time it meant a lot more than just feeling a little off for a few days.

"You like the book so far?" he inquired, trying to not touch the gentle subject.

"It's okay, kind of a slow build but certainly takes away any urge one might have to take a cruise somewhere," she replied with a weak chuckle, trying to put on a brave face.

He placed his hand over her shoulder pulling her close.

"The realtor called today," he began to share his news.

"Oh yeah?" she inquired, curiously.

"I have two offers but they are a little under the asking price. I could hold off a while, I'm in no real hurry to sell," Jess said, explaining his thought process.

"Two offers at least shows it interests people," Odette reckoned, closing her book.

"I guess," he shrugged.

"What do you want to do once you do sell it?" she asked, being aware that Jess didn't quite feel like himself in her place.

"I do get why you like this place. It's very you. The garden is amazing," he listed, stroking her palm. He didn't want to make demands or ultimatums - that wasn't necessary.

"Yeah, it's all me, I get it," she replied, understandingly. She'd planned the separate apartment that Rory and Logan had used for a live-in nanny, as she'd envisioned living alone with her kid here. But now there might even not be a real need for a nanny full time, if she wasn't alone. But he was right - the place was too big for just two (three) people.