One In The Same - Jess Mariano

Never Was a Story of More Woe

- Third Person POV

Jess Mariano had always prided himself on his ability to keep his emotions hidden. After years of honing this skill, he had become a master at masking his feelings. Living under the same roof with Y/N had been challenging enough, but now, with the realization that he actually liked her, he found himself in a predicament he couldn't easily escape.

Every day since his epiphany at the lake, Jess had been coming up with creative excuses to avoid spending too much time with Y/N. He'd linger in town a little longer after school, inventing errands to run, even resorting to attempting conversations with other classmates that he previously paid no mind to.

His heart had grown heavier with each attempt at detachment, but he refused to let anyone see through his facade. Around a week before today, Jess started hanging with a girl named Shane, a pretty blonde from school who introduced herself to him and who lay her flirting on pretty thick with him.

Happy for any form of distraction, Jess shifted his attention to Shane, but so far he hasn't been able to rid his mind of the girl he lives with. The forced proximity in the apartment above Luke's Diner gives him a daily reminder of the tugging feeling in his heart.

Fate had a way of pushing two people together, no matter how hard they tried to resist. This current afternoon, as the class was given a new assignment, Mr. Wilkins announced the dreaded partners for the project. Jess's heart sank when he heard his name being called alongside Y/N's. It was as if the universe was conspiring against him. The pair exchanged reluctant glances, both aware of the awkwardness of their situation.

- Y/N's POV

I don't know how to feel at this moment in time. Jess has been avoiding me for what feels like a lifetime, and now we've been thrown together. The juxtaposition of him spending every waking hour on my trail to all of a sudden not getting much more than a nod of acknowledgment every other day, well, it felt like I was losing my mind. What could I have missed or done to cause this continental drift between us? I shuffle my seat to sit across from him at the desk, placing my notes adjacent to his.

"Are you gonna keep pretending like I don't exist?" Jess just taps his pen on his notebook rhythmically. He eventually looks up, but instead of meeting my probably desperate eyes, his gaze leads over my shoulder to the whiteboard.

The substitute teacher scrawls the assignment on the board: 'Modernisation of Shakespeare' - below that are the list of groups each with different plays assigned to them. Jess seems to tense up at the sight of ours.

'Romeo and Juliet'.

"Soo... you wanna play the boy or the girl," I try and lighten the mood, which seems to work for a split second, a small exhale of amusement leaves Jess' lips. 'God, why have I missed that so much?'

- Third Person POV

As the days turned into weeks, they found themselves forced to work together on the project, even if it meant spending long hours in each other's company. At first, it was strained and tense, each one tip-toeing around the elephant in the room.

Jess admired Y/N's intellect and passion for their project, realizing that her dedication was infectious. He found himself drawn to her energy, unable to escape the pull she had on him.

Their typical dynamic soon returned, complete with passionate debates, and their differences became a source of fascination rather than irritation. Jess's brooding demeanor softened, revealing a side of him that he had locked away for so long. Y/N found herself entranced by the layers he hid beneath his tough exterior.

Late one evening, as they were putting the final touches on their project, Jess couldn't help but steal glances at Y/N, her face illuminated by the soft glow of their laptops. The distance between them had melted away, and a sense of comfort settled between them.
Y/N's eyes met Jess's, and in that moment, they both knew that their feelings were mutual, yet unspoken. Jess finally let his guard down, allowing himself to be vulnerable with her. "I didn't plan for any of this to happen," he admitted quietly. "But now that it has, I can't-"

The sudden blaring of Fleetwood Mac from his phone cut him off promptly, and the pair seem to be brought out of their own little world they were sharing. Jess accepts the call and pushes himself up from the floor, pacing around the apartment.

"Hey Jess, I'm back from my aunt's house! Gosh, it feels like forever since I've seen you. I've missed you baby,"

Jess looks over his shoulder at Y/N, who is busying herself with rereading the project notes, hesitating before saying, "Yeah. I've missed you too Shane,"

He misses when Y/N looks up subtly, some indiscernible look in her eyes, something that toes the line of jealousy.