Power of Persuasion

Chapter Nine:

               It wasn't until I woke up when my breaths got heavy. Jesse's hand was no longer in mine, and his body was no longer in bed. I shot up, my heart immediately starting to speed up. I could feel the blood rushing through my face. I stumbled out of his bed, still in that sleepy haze. I leaned down to look in the top drawer of the Top Coat Collection. My body froze as I noticed the gun was no longer in its place. "Jesse!" I yelled scrambling to get up the stairs. "Jesse!" I screamed again, but immediately stopped in my tracks when I saw his back towards me and his arm extended. His mother was laying on the sofa asleep and the gun was aimed right at her. "Jess..." I whispered, slowly walking up behind him. I could hear him sniffling and his breaths were short and deep. I laid my hand on his back and he flinched a little. "It's okay, Jess." his breaths hitched in his throat. "No it's not" He replied, cocking the gun..

I felt as if I could make one wrong move and all hell would brake lose. I kept rubbing his back and I felt like I could feel him ease up a little with every touch. I stood there with him for what felt like forever. His gaze fixated on his sleeping mother, never looking away once. I laid my head on his back and repeated the word "please" over and over until finally he pushed me off him, and slammed himself against the wall behind him, sliding down it.

A bullet was never shot, and his mother was still fast asleep. Jesse was cradling his head in his hands, tears streaming down his face, with the gun in his lap. I knelt down beside him and took the killing thing from his lap. He looked up at me, eyes stained red, tear streaked down his cheeks. "I'm sorry." he whispered. The redness of his eyes, made the hints of honey brown's show through. He ran his fingers through his almost black hair, and let out a groan.

"C'mon, Jesse..." I whispered, being cautious not to wake up Mama Lane. I took his hand, and pulled him up, carrying the gun in my free hand. I led him down the stairs, him sniffling was the only noise. He sat on his bed, and I put the gun back in the drawer and laid down next to him.

I didn't know if I wanted to talk to him about what just happened. I knew he had grudges towards his mom, but not enough to hold her to gun point. Maybe he just wanted to see if he could do it. Maybe he wanted me to find him so I could give him attention. Maybe he really wanted to kill his mom.

"Can we play a game?" He asked, turning his puffy face towards me. "Okay, what game?" He shifted his body towards me and said "Truths." I sat up on my elbows, ready to play. "You have to go first, Jess. You proposed the idea." He let a laugh slip out and asked "Are you a virgin?" I immediately started blushing. I'm not really sure why. Virginity is such a bullshit concept to me. It's a made up term so boys can have another thing on you. "No." I answered, truthfully. He raised an eyebrow, like he was surprised. "are you?" I asked. He shook his head no, and flashed his eyes at me. "Who was she?" I asked, sitting farther up. "Not your turn to ask!" He answered, winking.

"Have you ever had sex in the morning?" He asked, licking his bottom lip. He looked up and down my face and waited for my answer. "No." I finally answered. Even though I liked when he looked at me. He turned away and looked over at his alarm clock on his side table.

Jesse started blushing. He flashed me a smirk and leaned into me whispering into my mouth "Then it'll be a first for both of us" He began kissing down my jaw line, to my neck. He ran his hands down my sides and held my hips, rolling his into mine. I gripped onto the back of his shirt, pulling it over his head and dramtically throwing across the room. which made him giggle in the middle of our kiss.

When I first saw Jesse, and fantasized about his veiny hands, I never thought they'd be running across my skin. When I saw his crooked smile, I never thought it'd be pressed up against mine. And when I heard his laugh, I never thought I'd be able to taste it, but god damn, there is nothing better than the taste of laughter.

My thighs turned into cotton candy that dissolved with every touch, I melted under his fingertips and wouldn't of left that room if it was on fire. My new favorite sound was Jesse's heavy breaths.

We kissed until our lips burned. We kissed until there was no breath left. We smiled and kissed eachothers smile, with a smile. He made me feel like there was a universe inside my body instead of just an off beat heart.

He held me after, It was barely 10 am, but we were both exhausted. I remember feeling safe. His chest my pillow, and his arms wrapped around me felt like nothing could go wrong. He dug his head into my shoulder and sang a little tune in this quiet raspy voice.

"She knows just how to hold me, and when her edges soften, her body is my coffin."

"What're you singing?" I asked, kissing his cheek. "Love Me Dead." He answered.

"I will." I said, and kissed his cheek again."

We both fell back asleep and didn't wake up until around 1:30 to Jesse's phone ringing off the hook. "What is it?" I asked him, rubbing my eyes as I sat up next to him. "A shit load of texts." He threw his phone to me.

I scrolled through all the unopened messages, and they all read the same thing. "Party tonight at Abigails house, send to everyone you know!" Just forwarded texts of Abigails yearly Blowout Shin Dig. "Why do all these random people have your number?" I asked Jesse, handing his phone back to him. "Terry thought it would be hilarious to have Abi write my number in the boys bathroom under the title "Will Give BJ's For Money" in girls handwriting. So a bunch of dudes have my number saved into their phone thinking I'm some hot chick." He said, walking across the room in his underwear. "I get the occasional dick pic, and invite to parties. But it's not really to me."

I couldn't help but laugh. I mean, I laughed so hard I had to bury my face into the pillow. "That's some mad black mail though!" I said, finally re-gaining my composure. "Yeah, could be. But I don't know who's dick it is, because I don't have their number."

Jesse walked to his dresser and slid on some black jeans with rips in the knees, and a grey t-shirt with the Rise Against logo on it. He looked in the mirror and ruffled his hair. "Well, do you want to go?" I asked, sitting up in his bed. "Are you really asking me that? He replied between laughs. I raised an eyebrow. "No. I mean, why not? We can make fun of all the drunk idiots and make out in the dark corners." I grinned and he walked over to me pressing his lips to mine. "Better get out of bed, doll face. Lets go get some food in our tummy's." I smiled, and did what he asked. Threw my hair up into a bun, and pulled on a pair on jeans and a white top that hugged every inch of me. Good and bad.

Jesse took me to a family run breakfast place that served all the staple breakfast dishes. We both ordered 2 pieces of white toast, eggs over easy, and hash browns. While waiting for our food Jesse held one of my hands across the table and traced every vein in my hand. We sat in mostly silence with exceptions to the cheeky laugh here and there and him sighing when he lost a thumb war even though I'm almost positive he let me win. And when Our food did arrive we scarfed it down pretty quickly. And there we both were, sitting across from each other at some mom and pop breakfast joint, eating toast dipped in egg yolk and and stealing flirtatious glances at each other, us both being so cavalier about the sex we just had a few hours ago. And maybe that's how it should be. It shouldn't be such a big deal, but still a big enough deal. We crossed that hurdle, but nothing more than that one hurdle.