Fleeting Flames - Jenna Ortega x Fem Reader

Part 24

That night, despite Jenna being just inches away from you in bed, it felt like an ocean lay between you two. The silence was thick, a wall of unspoken words and guilt that neither of you could break. You could feel the weight of your own thoughts, the constant loop of your mother's condition, your frustration with yourself, and the bitterness of the argument still swirling in your chest. Jenna, too, was quiet, and the tension hung in the air like a heavy fog, suffocating what was once so easy between you two.

You tossed and turned, sleep refusing to take you in. Your mind raced, pulling you in a hundred different directions, but none of them gave you peace.

When morning came, the light slipping through the blinds seemed too bright, too sharp. You lay there for a moment, unsure how to even start this new day. Jenna was still asleep, her face soft and peaceful, but you knew the distance hadn't vanished overnight. You couldn't ignore the space that had widened between you both.

Tentatively, you shifted toward her, your body inching closer as you hesitated for a moment. You lightly draped your arm around her waist, pressing your cheek against her back, trying to find some sort of solace in the familiar warmth of her body.

"I'm sorry," you whispered into the silence, your voice quiet, almost fragile. "I didn't mean for you to think that I don't care. I just... I'm scared, Jen. About my mom. It's not about you, okay? None of it is your fault." You felt a lump rise in your throat as the words came out, and your chest tightened with the weight of everything you had been holding in.

Jenna shifted slightly in your arms, her back still to you, but you could feel her stiffen at your words. You sighed, the frustration still lingering in your voice as you spoke again. "You're the one thing in my life I don't regret. You're the one I'm fully committed to. And I love you. I never, ever regret meeting you, okay? You're everything to me."

There was a pause, the air hanging heavy between you, and then you felt her sigh. Slowly, Jenna turned in your arms, her eyes still clouded with a mixture of guilt and confusion. Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. Finally, after a few seconds, she spoke, her voice small, almost apologetic. "I still feel like it's my fault," she admitted softly. "I got you that job, and you had to move away from your family. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I never wanted you to feel like you're abandoning them."

Your heart ached as you heard her words, and you knew she was carrying just as much weight as you were, if not more. You cupped her face gently, wiping away a stray tear from her cheek, the touch tender.

"You didn't do anything wrong," you reassured her, your voice steady, though the doubt still lingered in your chest. "I made the choice, too. We both did. But I have to figure out what's best for everyone. For me. For us."

The atmosphere between you both started to soften, the heaviness giving way to something more familiar, even if only for a moment. The teasing began to return, a little lighter this time, as you both tried to find your rhythm again. "So, I bet you thought you were in for an easy friends-with-benefits thing when you saw me in LA," you teased, a smirk tugging at your lips.

Jenna raised an eyebrow, her mouth curling into a small, amused smile. "I wasn't expecting easy, but you sure made it interesting," she teased back, though the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

You leaned in then, unable to resist any longer, and kissed her tenderly on the lips. It wasn't hurried or urgent. It was a soft, slow kiss, a promise of something more. When you pulled back, you rested your forehead against hers, your hand still cradling her cheek.

"I love you more than anything," you whispered, your words sincere, your heart open. "You mean everything to me."

And for a moment, just a moment, it felt like everything might be okay.