Jessica's POV
I woke up Sunday morning, feeling absolute bliss like I've never felt before. I woke up with Brian's strong arms wrapped around me. He made me feel so protected and loved. Each time I rolled away, even slightly, he would pull me back, closer towards him. He wasn't even awake yet. Even in his sleep, he was trying to minimize the distance between us. But I didn't mind, because there was no place I'd rather be than right there, in his arms.
My back was to him, but I was trying to turn around so I could face him. But that was proving to be quite difficult with his tight grip around me. Eventually, I was able to wiggle my way around, so I could look at him. He still wasn't awake yet, so I took a minute to just stare at him, admiring my handsome boyfriend.
Boyfriend. That word was still so weird to say. We spent so long trying to hide our feelings from one another. But now I could proudly proclaim that he was mine. My constant moving must've distributed him because he was starting to wake up.
"Jess, is that really you?" Brian mumbled. He had barely opened his eyes yet.
"Yes, Brian. Did you expect somebody else to be naked in your bed right now?" I joked with him.
"No. But you have no idea how many times I've imagined this moment. I just can't believe it's actually happening right now. It feels like a dream," he told me.
"Brian, I'm here. I'm all yours," I told him. I kissed him gently on the cheek, causing a huge smile from him.
"Can I ask you something?" he asked, with some hesitation.
"Of course, Brian. Anything," I told him.
"At what point did you decide that we were going to.... Transition to more than friends?" he asked me.
"When I read your letter," I told him.
After my conversation with Brian the previous morning, I felt uncertain about whether or not I should listen to my heart, and go for it with Brian. But after he left, I went out into my living room and found his letter laying on my kitchen table. He never told me that he wrote it, so he must've left it without even realizing it. The letter made me recognize how much Brian truly loved me, and that I would've been crazy not to go for it with him.
"Oh... I forgot I left that here. When did you read it?" he asked me.
"Right after you left yesterday," I told him.
"So... before our date?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Wait. You're telling me that I went through the entire date, feeling so nervous and unsure of myself, but you knew the whole time?" he asked me.
"You didn't know it yet, but you had me before the date even started."
"Then you were just teasing me the whole night?"
"Brian, I've been teasing you for almost five years. I figured one more night wasn't that much of a difference," I told him, somewhat jokingly.
Now I was starting to feel slightly guilty about it. But I still wanted to just be with Brian, and hang out like we used to. That part never changed.
"That's not nice, Jess," he told me.
"Well, maybe you didn't COMPLETELY have me before the date. I knew that I loved you. But it had been so long since we just hung out, I wanted to make sure that we could still have that friendship, even if we were a couple," I explained to him.
I felt that if this relationship was ever going to work, that we needed to maintain that friendship we used to have. The one that we lost when we were apart. I needed to be sure we could get it back, before jumping into a relationship with Brian. But once I saw that we were able to laugh and joke with each other like we used to, I knew that I was all in.
"That's still kind of mean," Brian said, pouting.
"I'm sorry babe..."
"Wait... did you just call me BABE?" he asked me.
"I'm sorry, is it too soon for that? Did you not like it?" I asked him, nervously. Now I was the one unsure of myself.
"Jessica, sweetheart, don't be sorry. I loved it," he said. Then he gave me a gentle kiss on the forehead.
"Oh, good. I like having cute nicknames for you," I said.
"You can call me anything you want," he told me.
"So what are you going to call me?" I asked.
"Well, I've already called you sweetheart. Let's see what else... My girl, my darling, my love. Kitten, maybe? I'm not sure yet. I'll try a few out and see how I like it."
"There's a lot of possession in there," I commented
"Oh, Jess. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so possessive. It's just, I love you so much, and I've wanted you to be mine for so long..." he tried to explain, but he was nervously rambling. So, I had to cut him off, just to calm him down.
"Brian, it's okay. You don't have to apologize. I was only joking. I actually think it's adorable. I've waited a long time for someone to be so proud to call me theirs," I told him. I gave him another kiss, just to reassure him.
-----
"Is it too cold for you, sweetheart?" he asked me, trying to make sure I was comfortable.
Brian always preferred to keep his house cold, especially his bedroom. He liked the temperature low when he slept. But I was the same way. He always joked that his heating bill went up whenever he was dating someone because the girl never liked it as cold as him.
"No, it's fine. I hate being hot at night too. That's why I like to sleep with as little clothing as possible. I hope that isn't a problem for you," I said, knowing it would drive him crazy.
"Fuck, Jess. You're killing me."
"But if I ever get too cold, I'll just cuddle you for warmth," I told him.
"Perfect," he said, pulling me in even tighter.
-----
When I finally got out of bed, I saw that my clothing from the night before was scattered all along Brian's bedroom floor. I looked around, struggling to put my outfit back together.
"I can't find my shirt," I told Brian, as I kept looking around the room.
"That's okay. You can wear one of mine," he said.
Brian went into his dresser, looking for a shirt that I could throw on. He pulled out his navy-blue Richmond Avenue firehouse shirt. Brian wore this shirt during his time with the FDNY and has been proudly wearing it ever since. I actually used to tease him about how often he wore this shirt. Chances are, if you're watching an episode of the show, he's probably wearing it in one of the challenges.
"You really want me to wear this?" I asked him. I wasn't sure if he was just making a joke, based on me teasing him about the shirt.
"Sure, why not?" he asked me.
"Because that's your favorite shirt..."
"But you're my favorite person," he stated proudly.
It may have seemed like a simple gesture, but Brian giving me that shirt to wear meant a lot to me. It made me feel like Brian truly trusted me because deep down, I knew the shirt meant a lot to him. It was one of his prized possessions because it was a symbol of how proud he was to serve as a fireman.
The shirt was very baggy on me, due to the size difference between Brian and I. It fit me like a dress more than a shirt, but I didn't care. I was proud to wear it.
"I kind of love seeing you in my clothes. It really makes me feel like your mine," he told me.
"Well, I am your girlfriend."
"Can you say that again?" he asked me.
"Brian, I'm yours," I repeated.
"Fuck, I still can't believe it. I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing you say that."
-----
I would've been happy to make breakfast for Brian and me, except he didn't have any ingredients in the house. This was pretty common for Brian, due to his hectic work schedule. Instead, he suggested ordering breakfast from our local Mike's diner. He wanted to stay in all day with me, and I happily agreed.
When the doorbell rang, I went to answer it, assuming it was our food, even though it came quicker than I thought. But when I opened the door, it wasn't our food. It was Sal. His jaw dropped, and eyes widened when he saw me standing in Brian's house, wearing his favorite shirt. I think it was kind of obvious what happened between Brian and I. Sal was dumbfounded, and had no idea what to say. The relationship was so new, Brian and I didn't get a chance to talk about how we wanted to tell other people about us. But it was too late now, since Sal could clearly tell what happened last night.
"You... you two? I thought you two were just hanging out last night?" he asked, in complete disbelief.
"We did a lot more than that..." Brian commented.
"So you two finally fucked?" Sal bluntly asked.
"Sal, please don't speak to my girlfriend like that," Brian said, with emphasis on the word girlfriend.
"Girlfriend? Wow, I didn't realize you two actually made it official," Sal said, still somewhat in shock.
Brian called me his girlfriend with this proud smile on his face. I couldn't help but smile hearing him call me that. It just felt right. We had said it in private. But there was something about him so proudly proclaiming it in front of someone else, that made me feel so loved. I had been in so many relationships where the other person was ashamed to be with me, ashamed to go out in public, or of showing any kind of affection. But Brian was the complete opposite.
"ARE THOSE HICKEYS ON YOUR NECK?" Sal asked me, which kind of ruined the cute moment.
I was slightly mortified, so I instinctually tried to cover my neck. It's not that I regretted what Brian and I did last night, but I would've preferred to keep some details between the two of us. Brian, on the other hand, was not ashamed. Not even in the slightest. He was practically beaming with pride.
"They're not just on her neck..." he bragged, with this smirk on his face.
I pulled my shirt out a bit and looked down to realize that I had a trail of hickeys leading down my chest.
"Brian... what are you twelve years old?" I joked with him. But he still didn't seem embarrassed in the slightest.
"Sorry, I just couldn't help it," Brian said, with that smirk on his face. But his apology wasn't sincere at all.
"What about the scratches you left on my back?" Brian asked. He lifted the back of his shirt to show the scratches caused by my nails digging into him.
"Jesus, what did you two do last night?" Sal asked.
"A lot," Brian said, still smirking at his handiwork.
"You love that you did this to me, don't you? It's like you've claimed me or something?" I asked him.
"Well... you ARE mine now," he said proudly.
"Allllrighty... I think that's my cue to go. I've had just about enough of you two to make me want to throw up," Sal joked.
"But what about planning for the show?" Brian asked.
"That's okay, it can wait. But speaking of the show, you know we're going to have to use her now," Sal said, pointing to me.
"Nope. Absolutely not. That's not happening," Brian stated firmly.
Brian pulled me into a tight embrace, with his chin resting on the top of my head. He had pulled me away from Sal as if that would prevent me from participating in the show. We hadn't even been together 24 hours, but he was already being very protective of me.
"But you didn't have a problem when we used Bessy on the show," Sal pointed out.
Brian couldn't argue with Sal there. Now he knew what Joe felt when we used his wife.
"You even used his child," I commented.
Sal burst out laughing, realizing that it wouldn't take much convincing for me to be on the show.
"See? She's already in. I'm sure Joe will love this," Sal told us.
"Jess, promise me you'll never let them use you on the show?" Brian asked me, with his adorable, pleading puppy dog eyes.
I couldn't make that promise to Brian, because I knew I wouldn't be able to keep it. It wasn't just because I knew the guys, but I was actually a fan of the show. They always had so much fun together, and I always secretly wanted to be a part of it.
"I can't promise you that Brian," I told him, honestly.
"Well at least I have a girlfriend for you guys to use against me," Brian bragged. It was a slight dig at Sal, pointing out that he didn't have a girlfriend to be used against him on the show.
"Aw, Brian. That's not nice," I told him. I felt bad for Sal, not having someone in his life.
"Wow, you're really want to go there, Brian? Just for that, we're going to plan something with her to really torture you," Sal promised.
"Nothing can be as torturous as not being with her," he said.
"Ughh... I already can't with you two. I already felt like the third wheel before, but it's even worse now," Sal said, mostly as a joke.
"Well, you'll have to get used to it, because I'm not going anywhere," I told him.
-----
After Sal left, I told Brian how much it meant to me that he was so proud to call me his girlfriend in front of his friend.
"I loved hearing you call me your girlfriend in front of Sal. I love that you're so proud," I said.
"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
"It's just, I've never had that. The people I've been with tend to want to keep the relationship a secret, because they're afraid of what people will think," I tried to explain to him.
"Well, I promise to never make you feel that way. I'll always be proud to call you mine. I'll shout it from the rooftops. I'll tell the whole world," he promised.
"I love you, Brian."
"I love you too, Jessica."
-----
Before I left Brian's house that day, I decided to leave him a letter of my own. I was so touched by how he openly expressed his feelings for me in his letter, that I wanted to do the same. I knew that I would proudly keep his letter to me, and I wanted him to have something of mine to keep. If he ever felt lonely or upset, I hoped that this letter would cheer him up, especially when we are apart during their hectic tour schedule.
8/14/16
Dear Brian,
I can't tell you how much your letter meant to me. I wanted you to know that I'm sorry too. I'm sorry for taking so long to recognize that we were always meant to be together in the first place. But in the end, I couldn't help but fall in love with my best friend.
Last night was incredible. It was the best night of my life, but it's only going to get better from here. I can't wait to spend many more days and nights with you. I can't wait to watch your face light up at some superhero movie, as you attempt to explain this whole universe to me that I don't understand. Or watching your pride as you tell a story from your days as a fireman. It doesn't matter what we do. As long as we're together, I'll be happy.
I'm sorry it took me so long to realize how much I love you. But I promise I'll make it up to you by being the best girlfriend I can be. I'm all yours now. I love you, Brian.
Love,
Jessica
A/N: I hope you guys are liking where this is going... I really appreciate the nice comments, and any feedback you guys have. Also, if anyone wants to ever talk writing, or wants feedback on their story, just let me know! I'm always willing to help out if anyone needs it!