CHERRY. [JESS MARIANO]

The Diner Diaries

Jess and I were supposed to be heading for an open house that he had downtown at Truncheon Press. That was about fifteen minutes ago.

"Jess!" I pounded on the door to the bathroom. "Your hair is fine! Can we go now!"

I hated being late and Jess knew it. He just liked to aggravate me like that sometimes. "We're not gonna be late!" He assured me from inside the closed bathroom.

"Tell that to Matthew and Chris who have been calling your phone!" I had only met the pair twice when I had followed Jess to work. They were eccentric to say the least. And polar opposites.

Soon enough, Jess opened the door to reveal himself moussed up and ready to go. "Took you long enough," I muttered before turning around and grabbing our stuff.

"The hair is a vital part of me," Jess retorted as he shrugged on a coat.

I walk up to him and fix his collar, Jess never knowing how to do it right by himself. "Don't flatter yourself, you're not Uncle Jesse." 

"But you love me anyways," he smiled at me as he kissed me softly.

I pull away from him and open the door for us to go out. "Sadly, I do." I joke as I head out the door.

Making it three feet out the door, Jess' voice stops me. "Keys," he reminded me. I sigh as I turn around to face him. Jess stood in the doorway as he held up a pair of keys for me, dangling it in a taunting manner.

I glare at his smug smirk and snatch the keys from his hand. "Lets go, William." 

"Right behind you, Rosie." He remarked as he slung his arm around my shoulder. The two of us made our way out of the apartment.

~~~

"This is him toned down?" I questioned Matthew who stood beside me as we both watched Chris recite his heart out of the poetry.

"I even tried to give him NyQuil," Matthew commented in a soft voice as to not alert the group of people watching Chris in confusion and slight horror.

Matthew was a tall man, and I mean tall, with an afro that went along with his dark skin. He and I got along quite well as we both valued being on time, which would explain his ten minute speech to Jess about how his partner could not always be late.

In defence, Jess had said he was not always late. Matthew had given me a look as if to say 'can you believe this guy?' Before proceeding to list off at least twenty occasions where Jess had been late.

Chris, who usually took Jess' side on things tried to make a joke about how Matthew was late once. Did not go well, let's just put it that way.

"Hey," Jess came up to my side with a smile. "Our guest of honour is here," he said jokingly with a tilt of a head toward the door.

I follow his direction to see Luke come through the door with a girl no more than twelve beside him. Luke looked around the place as if he had just stepped into a lions den. Which he probably felt he did with all the 'rowdy' young adults scattered throughout the place.

"Who's the kid?" I asked Jess as we both made our way over to the two.

"No idea," Jess answered. "But I bet you ten dollars it's his long lost kid."

I let out a loud laugh at his words. Luke? And a long lost daughter? "You're on," I told Jess with confidence laced in my voice.