-Jessie’s POV-
I watched as the ending credits to Finding Nemo rolled across the screen. Why we chose to watch it, I have no idea but I still enjoyed the time with Elena. I glanced over at her and noticed she was fast asleep leaning against my shoulder. Her face was tucked into my neck slightly and I could feel her steady breathing against me. I felt her full weight against me about halfway through the movie so she’s probably been asleep for a while now. As I considered waking her up to take her home, I leaned my head against hers, trying to take in this relaxing moment while it lasted.
I’m not sure what it was but Elena made me feel so…. normal. Probably due to the fact that she knows nothing about my career. It’s so hard for me to meet people outside of work and be able to become friends with them. Don’t get me wrong. I love my family and friends but it’s a rare thing to meet anyone new who didn’t judge me by my fame whether it was good or bad. I think that’s what I really liked about her. I was just Jess to her rather than Jessie J.
I’ll be forever grateful for what Elena did for me the night we met. I still have nightmares occasionally about what could have happened that night but that just reminds me every time of how lucky I was that she was there. Elena not knowing my name that night just encouraged me to reach out and try to get to know her and I’m so glad I did. She was so hesitant about opening herself up at first, which I completely understand now, but over the last couple weeks I’ve come to learn how strong yet selfless she is. She’s been through so many horrible things but she still manages to keep it together and power through. It’s just something I really admire in a person.
I glanced over at the clock and sighed heavily when I noticed how late it was. It was nearly midnight now. I shifted myself slightly and started to brush at Elena’s hair with my fingers slightly, trying to ease her awake.
“Elena,” I whispered. “Elena, wake up.”
She started to stir slightly and I couldn’t help but notice how adorable she looked as she squinted her eyes at the light in the room.
“Hmm, what?” she mumbled, still half asleep.
“It’s nearly midnight. Do you want to stay here again? You look worn out,” I said.
She did look worn out. To be honest, she just looked sick. Probably due to this nasty cold she seems to have caught. Hopefully she’d be better with more sleep.
“If you don’t mind?” she said, stretching slightly as she sat up.
“Of course I don’t mind.”
I stood up whilst grabbing Elena’s hand and pulling her up with me. I led her up the stairs and into the spare room which hasn’t even been used since she stayed last. She let go of my hand once we got into the room and sat at the end of the bed, still looking a bit out of it. I grabbed a baggy t-shirt and a pair of joggers for her and sat next to her on the bed as I set them in her lap.
“Elena, are you all right?” I asked, concern showing through in my tone.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I think I’m just a bit over tired,” she said flashing me a smile. It looked fake as hell but I didn’t push her.
“Okay… Well, you know if you need me I’ll be in the next room,” I told her as I pulled her into a hug. We probably hugged for a little longer than necessary but I didn’t care. I’ve missed feeling this close to someone and it just seemed perfect as I felt Elena relax into me.
“Thanks, Jess,” I heard her mumble quietly.
I pulled away from her grasp reluctantly and looked at her, confused.
“What do you have to thank me for, honey?” I asked as I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.
She looked up at me and as her eyes met mine I couldn’t help but lose my train of thought. Can I say that until now I had never noticed the color of Elena’s eyes? I knew they were blue but looking closer now they’re the most interesting shade I’ve ever seen. Not light like most people but a darker shade like cerulean.
“Just everything. I’ve felt so at home here since I met you,” she said. “I never thought I would open up or get close to anyone ever again.”
Her words melted me inside and I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face. Even though I knew the things she said were a result of the late hour along with her exhaustion, I knew she was being completely honest. We all get a bit overly truthful late at night, don’t we?
“Honestly, I think the world of you, Elena. I’ll be here for you any time, okay?” I said, making sure she understood that I meant it. She nodded and leaned forward, pulling me into a brief hug.
“I’m really happy I met you, Jess,” she whispered as we pulled apart.
This time however we ended up much closer than we were before. Her face was so close to mine I could feel her breath caress my face slightly. The static I felt in that moment was indescribable and I felt my breath catch in my throat for a second. Her eyes met mine intensely as neither of us moved apart nor any closer. We didn’t dare.
I suddenly snapped out of the hold I seemed to be under as reason took over. What was I doing, or rather, about to do? What was I thinking? I couldn’t take a chance on ruining this friendship by simply being caught in the moment. I moved away and started to stand up.
“I-I’ll see you in the morning, all right?” I said, hoping I didn’t scare Elena by what I did, well almost did.
She jumped slightly as if she was startled out of a trance and looked up at me.
“Oh, um, yeah. Goodnight, Jess,” she said, looking a bit flustered as she gathered up the clothes I brought her.
“Goodnight, Elena,” I said quietly, shutting the bedroom door behind me.
I walked quickly into my own room and shut the door before pacing around the room nervously. What the hell was that, Jess? The last thing I needed to do right now was ruin an amazing friendship, especially now. Elena’s probably in there freaking out because I basically just made a move on her. Ugh, awesome, Jess. Just what you needed to do with someone in such a fragile state already.
As I got into bed to finally try to sleep, the same thoughts just kept running through my head. I’ve been so busy with my career the last couple weeks that Elena has sort of been like my connection to the real world. Elena not knowing about my fame just makes everything feel different. Of course my family and best friends don’t think of me like that but it’s just the point. Even so, I feel like I’ve grown so close to her and the fact that she trusts me enough to just slightly open her heart to me just made me feel needed in a way.
Then again, she’s going to find out about my fame sooner or later and that scares me more than anything. My career hasn’t just put stress on me, it’s driven away people I’ve cared for in the past whether it be friends or romantic relationships. I don’t want Elena to be scared to go out in public with me for fear that her image is going to show up in the papers right along with me. I don’t want to lose this girl. She already means so much to me and just the thought of her getting hurt because of me, well that would just break my heart.
A/N Assume every chapter is in Elena's POV unless I state otherwise like I did here. Okay? Okay.
So I haven't been able to update as quickly as I like because to put it simply my horses are little shits and keep causing problems that force me to stay out at the barn all day long. Hopefully I'll have the issue fixed soon and I can start updating quicker.
And yeah I changed my mind like 4 times on what I wanted this chapter to be so there was a lot of rewriting on my part, oops. Hopefully you understand the point I'm trying to get across here and I'm sorry that it's so short.
As usual thank you guys for commenting and tweeting me. I really appreciate all of you and please continue to let me know what you think.
