One Deep Breath

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Do you think I'm crazy?" Jolie asked.

Jesse laughed. She had bounced around Times Square and he had happily obliged, following her through crowds and letting her lead him around the lit up streets hand in hand.

"No, not crazy. Just cute," he teased, pulling her into him before brushing his lips past hers. "Here give me your phone."

She handed it to him and he pulled her in front of him, positioning them so that the brightly lit billboards and big-screens showed behind them.

After snapping a few photos he gave her the phone back and then reached for her hand.

"C'mon you little tourist. It's only 11:30 so I'll take you to one more place before we head home."

Jesse's eyes flashed at the end of his sentence, and something in the bottom of Jolie's stomach tightened.

"Okay," she breathed.

-----

A few minutes later they were back in his car, Terrance expertly weaving through the thick traffic.

Jolie knew they were headed uptown, back towards where Jesse lived, so she wondered where else he would be taking her. When the sparkly city streets darkened to sporadically spaced out park lights, Jolie realized they had driven straight into Central Park.

Terrance pulled over and Jesse hopped out, turning to help her down behind him.

"We're good for tonight. Thanks T," he yelled up front, dismissing their driver.

It was cold, but it wasn't as cold as their first night together; the park was still snow covered but it had melted down enough in the sun earlier in the day so that the streets and paths were clear. The white of the snow reflected the park lights, making everything glisten and appear brighter than it should for nearly midnight.

Jesse pulled her into his side and they fell into an easy step together, making their way through the most famous park in the world.

"It's not a far walk back to my building, and I figured no trip to New York would be complete with a visit here," Jesse reasoned.

"I love it," she gushed. "Thank you for bringing me here Jesse. This is so amazing."

Coming to New York City with him had been one of the most spontaneous things she had ever done, and she wasn't exactly known for her spontaneity. A creature of habit, Jolie always stuck to her routine, went with what she knew. She thought it had soothed her, but this entire weekend made her feel like maybe she had been wrong about what would be best for her. Maybe a change was exactly what she needed.

"I'm glad you came. I wasn't very happy about having to come back into the city today, but you coming with made it worth it," he admitted.

They walked in comfortable silence for a little bit, and Jesse led her through the park, making their way back to his sky-high home.

Jolie noted how long the weekend had felt, how just yesterday she had been getting ready for their first date. Aside from a few short hours this morning, which felt like it had happened days ago, they'd been together ever since. They were in a time warp and she didn't want to come out of it.

"I promise if you ever bring me back here I'll try to play it more cool next time," she chimed in, wondering if he had done this with a lot of girls, if this was an act or a show that he put on for all the women he dated. Jealousy filled her at the thought, and then embarrassment followed when she realized she had no right to feel any type of possessiveness over him.