Jersey

ten

Grayson woke up eager to hear about Ellie's night with Lily. He called her, but she didn't answer. On her end, she was at the coffee shop. After last night she realized she needed to move on. There was no point in ruining a friendship with stupid feelings you can't seem to escape.
She walked up to Jackson who had already started her order.
She stopped him, "No coffee."
"Tea?" He asked.
"Not thirsty." She answered.
He raised an eyebrow, "Muffin?"
She laughed, "When do you get off?"
"Um, five." He said, "Why?"
"We should do something." She shot, holding nothing back.
He now gave her his full attention, "Something like what?"
"I don't know. You could come over. We could watch some movies, I could order a pizza?" She suggested, a little nervously.
He cheekily smiled, leaning forward, "So, a hang out?"
She nodded, "Exactly."
"So, not a date?" He teased.
Her face flushed red, "Hang out."
He smirked, "Okay. Here's my number." He said, writing it down on a sheet of paper, "Text me your address."
She took it proudly, "Will do."
Walking to her car, she saw a missed call from Grayson and sighed. She wasn't mad at him. You can't be mad at someone for not loving you- that's something you can't control. She called back and he answered instantly.
"Hey."
She let out a heavy breath, "Hey."
"How was your night?" He asked.
"Fine." She lied.
"That's all i get?" He mocked.
"Well, that's all you gave me."
"Elaborate." He urged, "What'd you guys do?"
"Girl things." She answered, not even knowing what to say.
He huffed, "Well I'm coming over later so you'll have to tell me something."
"Actually, laters not good." She answered.
"Why?" He laughed, "You have plans?"
That fact that he laughed because she never had anything to do, made her even prouder to say she did.
"Yeah. With Jackson."
His laugh was now muted, "The barista?"
"Correct." She answered, starting up her car, "He's coming over after work."
His stomach churned, "Why?"
"To hang, obviously." She laughed, "You can survive one day without me."
"I guess." He said, a little on edge that she would be spending time with someone else. Someone who is a boy.
"Hang tomorrow though, okay?" Her voice sounded.
He nodded as if she could see him.
"Yeah. Talk to you tomorrow."
Ending the call left a bad feeling in him. Was this a date? And if so- did it have anything to do with Lily? Ellie going out of her comfort zone and being sociable was definitely fishy. Now, it was all he could think about.

Ellie went home and cleaned a bit before Jackson came over. She'd already ordered the pizza and wings and had a varied move selection. Jackson texted he was on his way and Ellie got a little nervous. She'd never made the first move, and she only hoped that she didn't screw it up.
About fifteen minutes later, a knock was heard. Ellie fixed herself up, and answered the door with a smile.
"Hey."
"Hey." He greeted back. Ellie opened the door wider for him to enter.
"Nice place." He complimented.
"Yeah. Just don't check under the couch."
He laughed, "Promise."
Another knock was heard, this time being the delivery guy.
"Oh, perfect." He said, taking the boxes from him. Ellie had already payed online, so she shut the door and led Jackson over to the couch.
"What movie should we start with?" Ellie asked.
"You watch glee?" He asked, looking up at a paused episode.
She smiled, "Yeah. It's my favorite show."
"My sister watches it all the time." He said, starting to skim through the movies.
"Your sister has very good taste." She said, "Do you like it?"
"I bare through it."
"Bare through it?" She questioned, "Glee is amazing. It has music, love, and drama all warped into one. Plus it's hilarious."
"Whatever you say." He smirked, finally picking out a movie.
"Adam Sandler movies are always great."
"Agreed." She said, plopping in 'grown ups'.
She gave him a plate to put his food on, and they both helped themselves. Sitting on the couch halfway through the movie, Ellie laughed, "Okay, i honestly don't think I can watch this without laughing."
"Well you know nearly every word." He said, "How many times have you watched this?"
"Not that many." She defended, "I just have great memory."
"Must be nice." He commented, "I can't remember shit."
"Well you remember my order so, that's cool."
"You've been ordering the same thing for three years. I think anyone would remember." He laughed.
"True." She said turning back to the tv.
He looked at her for a second, "You've never asked me to hang out before."
She slowly nodded, "That is also true."
"Why?" He now asked.
She sighed, "I don't know if you've noticed but I'm not exactly the most sociable person."
"Really?" He asked in fake shock, "Is that why I've only ever seen you with Grayson."
"You've got jokes." Ellie laughed.
"I'm just confused. That's all."
She just smiled.
"Well I'm glad you're stepping out of your shell."
"It's weird but, i mean hanging out with someone else isn't that bad." She shrugged.
"I'm flattered."
She rolled her eyes, "Back to the movie? Yeah."
Once the movie ended, all the food was gone and they were both stuffed. They entertained themselves with small talk.
"Your sister seems amazing." Ellie laughed after hearing a story on how she tricked him into thinking his thumb fell off.
"She's a pain in my ass." He groaned, "I actually believed her. That's the crazy part."
"Mind games. The best kind of games." She said, holding off her laughter.
He smiled, "Don't encourage her behavior."
She held her hands up in defense, "Hey. I'm an only child and my parents live in Georgia. I don't have all the fun family stories to tell."
"If you want her you can have her." He offered, jokingly.
"How much do you want for her?" Ellie asked.
Jackson couldn't even answer. He laughed at her seriousness. She laughed with him, "Wow. Why haven't I decided to hang out with other people before? It's so much better than falling asleep at three am on my seventieth episode of glee with a bowl of Cheetos in my hand."
"That sounds awesome. I rarely get time to just chill. I'm always working."
"When your parents buy a house then move to Georgia giving you the money they saved up for your college- you don't have to work." Ellie explained.
He turned to her, "You didn't go to college?"
"Nope." She answered, "Not because I couldn't, because I wasn't into it. Get out of school and then go to more school? Just to work the rest of your life? I wasn't into it."
"Well when you put it like that, i can understand why." He said, nodding his head, "I'm on my last year."
"Cool. Online schooling?"
He nodded, "It's better than in person. Then it really feels like school and- we both know that sucks."
She laughed, "Exactly."
For about an hour more, they continued getting to know each other better. They loved every detail.
Jackson checked the time and sighed, "I've got an early shift tomorrow."
She lightly huffed, "Okay."
She walked him to the door opening it wide, "I had fun."
"Me too. We should've done this a long time ago." He agreed, "Hopefully, we can do it again."
"Oh, absolutely. I've gotta hear more about your sisters pranks." She joked.
He laughed, "Thanks for inviting me over."
She nodded, "Don't mention it."
Before walking out, he placed a small kiss on her cheek. Her face flushed red at his sudden action.
"I was going for the lips but, I chickened out last minute."
She smiled, now leaning in to kiss his lips. They both smiled through the kiss, not even being able to keep a straight pucker.
They released and Ellie lightly bit her lip, "Goodnight, Jackson."
"Night, Ellie."
Closing the door behind her. She slid down with a big, cheeky smile. She can't even remember the last time she kissed someone and felt the way she did right now. Spending time with Jackson made her realize how stupid she'd been waiting for Grayson. A part of her wanted to thank Lily for opening her eyes. Maybe now, she can finally move on. That night, Ellie couldn't seem to wipe the smile from her face. She never wanted this feeling of happiness to fade.