Charade

four.

The rain poured outside, slamming against the apartment windows, the dreary weather forecast only adding to Rebecca's saddened state. It wasn't even cold out, but she sat in front of the fire, staring at the red wine swirling in her glass. The warmth of the flames wrapped around her, comforting her in her glum state.

She hated this day. She had never been able to handle it. This day was always spent the same way: with her curled up, crying her eyes out. She wasn't capable of doing anything else.

As soon as he opened the door, Jesse knew something was wrong. Rebecca wasn't one to sit in silence and stare off into space. But there she was, sitting on the couch, staring at the fireplace. After he'd closed the door and set his keys down on the kitchen counter, he approached her slowly. It wasn't until he got closer that he realized she was crying. His heart broke as soon as he heard her sniffles, his first instinct to hold her and never let her go.

It was strange, really. He had never been the kind of guy who mended broken hearts, but when it came to Rebecca, it felt natural. She needed him, so he would do whatever it took to help her heal.

Hurrying over, he knelt down in front of her and took her hands in his, gazing up into her eyes, his eyebrows pulled into a concerned furrow. "Bex...Becca baby, what's wrong?"

Her water filled eyes rose to meet his and the sadness in them immediately caused his heart to feel heavy as she sniffled. "Today was his birthday. My grandpa's."

Jesse blinked back tears, wondering when he had developed the patience for them because he generally didn't like to feel weak and vulnerable. But seeing Rebecca cry made him emotional. "I'm so sorry, baby. Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head, tears still streaming down her face. "Not right now. I just want to sit."

He nodded and took the wine glass from her hand and set it down on the side table. And when he looked at her again, he couldn't help but think she always looked beautiful; her eyes shining with tears and her cheeks streaked. Reaching up, he used his thumb to swipe a tear from her cheek and before he could stop himself, he cupped her face in his hand, leaned up, and kissed her.

Realizing that this probably wasn't what she needed right now, he started to pull away and then realized she was actually kissing him back. For the first time, they were both kissing each other, not because they had to make it look like they were a couple, but because they wanted to.

She had never been that girl: the kind that made out with boys for hours. She was innocent. She couldn't even remember the last time she had been so thoroughly kissed. In fact, she could go as far as to say she never had been. She never in a million years would have imagined that she, painfully shy Rebecca Eaton, could have a chance with the misunderstood bad boy. But here she was, making out with Jesse Dunlap as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

And it did feel completely natural. Their lips moved together with practiced ease, as if they had been doing it for years.

They were lying on the couch, their legs entangled with each other. His arms were around her waist, pulling her close, and her hands were pressed against his chest.

Jesse certainly knew what he was doing. And he seemed to sense that this was exactly what she needed: the slow, sensual, sweet kisses of comfort, not the lustful, passion filled kisses she was sure he was capable of giving. Being near him calmed her, made her forget why she had ever been sad in the first place.

He pulled away and rested his forehead against hers and she found herself missing the feel of his lips. "Are you okay?"

Nodding, she didn't look him in the eyes, but played with the fraying neck of his t-shirt. "Thanks for this. I really needed it."