20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Sean

I walk to Jessica's door, refusing to rethink what I'm about to do. I'm following my heart, and it's asking for more time with Jessica, so who am I to refuse? After our date three days ago, I haven't been able to stop thinking about her. It's like I saw a whole new side to her and I want to experience each individual facet with her every day. This is probably the wrong thing to do, especially since I'm the one who set up the whole Get Jessica A Man plan. I didn't think I would want to be that man.

Now, Rick has asked her out, which signifies a successful mission, and yet, I'm getting in the way. I step onto Jessica's porch, giving myself one final moment to walk away and pretend like I never thought about this. I remain frozen for a moment, then damning all the consequences, I knock.

"Jess?"

"Coming," comes the instant response.

I take a step back as the door swings open, revealing Jessica in jeans and a black shirt. "Hey," she smiles at me. "What's up?"

"Come with me," I say, my heart beating wildly in my chest.

Jessica cocks her head, staring at me for a few seconds before smiling. "Do I need to change?"

I let out a shaky breath. "No. You look fine."

"Okay, then. I'll grab my phone."

I wait by the door, and Jessica disappears into the house for a moment before reappearing and sticking her phone in her back pocket.

"Let's go." She shuts the door, slips the key into her jeans and falls in step beside me.

"Where are we going?" She finally asks. Jessica loves control and is never spontaneous. I know it took a lot of trust for her to say yes without having an actual idea where we're headed.

"On a date."

"What?" She stops in the middle of the street, her eyes wide.

I reach for her and drag her along. "It's one final practice date before your real one with Rick."

"But I'm not dressed to go on a date," she whines. "And why are we walking?"

"It's perfect walking weather," I tell her. It's almost evening, and the cool breeze is gentle on my skin. "Plus, we're only taking a walk to the park. Nothing serious. Just to strengthen your conversational skills."

"Oh okay. That's a great idea." She slips her arm through mine and leans against me. "If I'm going on such an evening walk with Rick, there's no way we wouldn't hold hands, right?" She looks up at me with a smile that rivals the sun.

"Look at you learning so quickly. I'm impressed, Jess." I say, using all of my acting skills to maintain a nonchalant attitude, even though I'm feeling strung taut, my body processing each emotion as it runs through me. Jessica's hands are soft in mine, and as she threads her fingers with mine, I want to take this moment and capture it so it'll never fade.

"It's been so long since I took a simple walk like this," Jessica says, looking around her. She's oblivious to everything I'm going through. "Thank you for bringing me out. The fresh air is perfect. I needed this break."

"You're welcome."

"So, what do couples talk about during romantic walks like this?" She asks, making me chuckle at how adorable she is.

"What's on your mind? Anything in particular?" I ask.

"Well, as Sean, I have lots of things to talk about with you. But as Rick, I'm blank. Help me out here."

Her words cause flutters in my stomach even though they shouldn't. She might like Rick, but she likes me more, even though it's a platonic type of affection. Against my better judgment, I blurt out "As Sean?"

"Ah-ha." She jumps in front of me, batting her lashes prettily. "So, tell me – Sean O'Connell, how come you don't have a girlfriend?"

"Oh please," I roll my eyes, grabbing her arm and pulling her along. "Ask me something else."

"No. Please answer me. Come on. You can ask me anything."

"Anything? Really?" I narrow my eyes at her, and she laughs.

"Yes, really. Come on."

"Okay, okay." Jessica is looking at me expectantly, and I smile. "There's no specific reason why, to be honest. It's just because I haven't found The One."

"Really?" She frowns. "You know, I've followed your career all through—"

I mock a gasp, my eyes widening. "So, you stalk me on the internet, then?"

She bursts into laughter while playfully swatting my arm. "Noooo. I just follow you."

"This is great news. And then, you act like you can't stand me. You're such a liar."

"Shut up!" She nudges me. "Stop interrupting me, Sean. My goodness."

I raise my arms in surrender. "Okay, okay. Fine. Go on."

"I've seen you date all types of women–" Jessica eyes me, and I almost look away in embarrassment. "From singers to actresses to your normal everyday girl, just a whole variety of women."

"Yeah?"

"So, what do you mean you haven't found The One?"

That's a great question, and the answer is at the tip of my tongue, but I dare not say the truth, so I embellish it. "Well, these women might be beautiful and successful, but after a while, you realize that they don't really have what you truly desire in a partner, you know? I can't explain it."

"I get it."

We're at the park now, and we walk across the grass to the benches on the other side of the playground. Children and dogs are running across the field, and a deep feeling of need envelopes me. Jessica asks another question.

"So what do you truly desire, Sean?"

"I don't know." We find a bench and sit. "When I see it, I'll know."

She nods and looks around her, a smile on her face. At that moment, a little girl kicks a ball, and it rolls across the expanse of the field and stops in front of Jessica. Laughing, she picks it up and waits for the girl to reach her.

"Here you go." She hands it over to the smiling girl.

"Thank you," the girl responds, clutching the ball in her little hands. "Are you a prince and princess?" She asks, glancing at Jessica, then at me. Jessica blushes and shakes her head. "No, I'm not. But that's very sweet, thank you."

The girl looks like she doesn't believe it, but she says nothing else and runs off. Jessica turns to me with wide eyes. "Can you believe that?"

"No." I shake my head. "She definitely just included you so that you won't feel bad. But she knows I'm a prince; that's a given."

"There we go again. Not a prince, more like a troll." Jessica scowls.

"What did I tell you about compliments?" I ruffle Jessica's hair, and she snarls at me, slapping my hand away and fixing the strands.

"You said make it genuine. Genuine! Now, you want me to lie and compliment you? Whatever," she mumbles.

I direct Jessica's gaze to a point across the field. "Look over there."

She twists in her seat. "What are we looking at?" She asks. "The tandem bikes?"

"Yes." I pull her up. "Let's go for it."

"What?" She lets me drag her over to the bike station. "Can I refuse?"

"I don't know." My shoulders lift in a careless shrug. "Rick would be extremely disappointed."

Jessica gasps and shakes her head. "Fine," she huffs. "But this looks scary, though."

"Not really." I grab one of the bikes and walk away from the station until we're in a safe spot. "It's just the same mechanism as a normal bike. You can ride a normal bike, right?"

"Yes."

"Good. It's the same technique, really."

"So, who stays in front?" She asks.

"You can. So you have more control."

"Okay." She climbs the bike, her legs set on either side. When I'm sure she has complete control of it, I let go and climb behind her.

"You ready?" I ask.

"Yes. You ready?"

"Yup. Let's go!"

Jessica starts peddling, and I join the pace. She's laughing as we rise across the field, past laughing children and excited dogs.

"You see, it's quite easy," I note, and Jessica nods.

"And it's so fun! I can do this all day."

We continue to ride for a little bit longer until our legs are tired. After returning the bike to the station, we fall onto the grass, trying to catch our breaths.

"Oh heavens, that was exhausting," I say between gasps.

Jessica rolls onto her side and then smirks at me. "You can't really be that out of shape. And one would think you're the fit one!"

"I am the fit one!" I counter. "Everyone knows that you don't work out or exercise."

"Whatever!" She rolls onto her back again, staring at the sky. I am in awe of her, and the more time I spend with her, the deeper I dig myself. I like that she's not afraid to roll in the dirt and play like a kid, and in turn, make me comfortable enough to be myself.

"Look, there's ice cream!" Jessica is on her feet again, walking quickly across the grass. "Come on, Sean."

Groaning, I follow her to the ice cream stand. She pushes a large cone into my hand, and surprisingly, it's my favorite flavor. I take one lick and narrow my eyes at her.

"How do you know my favorite flavor?"

"Duh," is the only reply she gives to me. After collecting her cone, she directs me back to the bench, where we quietly finish our ice cream. "Why did you stay away for so long, Sean?"

I pause, wondering how she manages to ask deep questions that require genuine introspection. "I don't know. I guess I lost track of time."

"Hmm." She shakes her head. "Five years is a long time." She doesn't sound judgmental, but I feel adequately reprimanded anyway.

"I know. It won't happen again." There's still a twinge of guilt within me, but I shake it off. "Now that I'm home, it's clear what I've been missing all this time. You know, when you're away, the focus becomes success. You want to be successful so badly you ignore everything else until you feel you've attained the goals you want."

"I understand." Jessica nods. "The one time I traveled to the city, I was amazed. I love it there, but I don't understand how people can live there for such a long period. It's so stimulating. I found it completely overwhelming."

"Yeah." I laugh heartily. "I'd like to take you with me, though. To show you my life."

"We'll see about that."

I'm about to respond when the little girl with the ball returns. This time, with a friend. "Would you like to play with us?" She asks, holding out the ball.

Jessica and I glance at each other before shrugging and nodding. "Yes, sure. We would love to. Let's go."

When we leave the park, the sun is already setting, and there's a golden glow in the town. Where do children get so much energy from? After only one hour of kicking the ball around, Jessica and I were exhausted and could barely stand straight, yet the kids kept nagging for a few more and more until we finally had to call it quits. Even now, as we walk back home, the kids are still playing.

"That was exhausting. I think I'm ready to head to bed and sleep until tomorrow," Jessica says with a tired groan. She tiredly staggers, and I grab her hand, twining her fingers with mine. When she regains her composure, I know I should let her go, but a part of me stubbornly refuses, so I hold on to her hand. She doesn't pull away either, and we continue to walk down the street slowly.

"Those kids are fireballs," I comment, ignoring the irregular beat of my heart.

"I'm certain they're on a sugar high or something," Jessica answers. "There's no way they run that fast and don't get tired. Yep. They must have some type of secret."

I laugh, shaking my head fondly as I remember the kids again. It must be beautiful to have kids. Little bundles of excess energy that spread joy wherever they go.

Where did that thought come from? I've never thought about having kids before.

"Have you ever thought about having kids?" Jessica asks, looking up at me.

I gape at her, now convinced she has some magical powers or something. "Not until today."

"Me too." She murmurs. "If all kids are like those, I don't think I would mind. They were so cute."

We talk about kids a little more until we get to Jessica's house. I walk her to her stairs, finally letting go of her hand.

"Thank you for another informative lesson," she says, stepping up the porch. "I'm sure I'll crush it with Rick; he won't know what hit him."

At Jessica's words, something hits me, and unlike Rick, I know what it is. However, I force a smile. "I'm glad I can help. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure."

I'm about to turn away when something piques my curiosity. I decide to ask the question anyway and chalk it to the list of bad decisions I've made today.

"Jessica?"

"Yes?" She turns to me, her hands hovering over the lock on the door.

"Are you interested in anyone else, aside from Rick?"

Her mouth falls open, and she looks away from me for a moment. "Uhh – no one, actually. Just Rick." Then she smiles warmly. My heart swells with an unexplainable sadness, but I return the smile regardless.

"I'm asking so we know if there's someone else to work on."

"Nah, Rick is fine."

"Sounds good." I wave at her and turn away. "See you later."