Staten Island - Hilton Garden Inn
Characters
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| Jenna Donovan | Chance Harper |
The Annual Mid-Summer Ball was spectacular. The dancing, the socializing, the beautiful necklace that she got to wear on loan. Even with having to explain the necklace to her parents, Jenna has had a perfect night.
There was a bit of awkwardness when she spotted Quin, but she handled it as gracefully as she could while she was angry at him still.
All in all, Jenna is considering tonight a success.
The Ball can't go on forever, though. At least not for her. It's well past midnight when they finally make their way to the hotel, and Jenna's in that state between pure exhaustion and running on adrenaline.
"Thank you for tonight," she says as she glances around the room. "I've never felt so relaxed or had so much fun at one of these events."
"Then my mission here was a success," Chance quips as he sets her bag down on one of the bag supports inside the hotel room. He really wanted Jenna to forget the rough spots of the week and just have a night of fun. He's glad that he apparently succeeded.
"You're welcome."
Launching herself at him, Jenna gives him a tight, friendly squeeze. "A total success. I have never felt more beautiful, or sexy in my entire life." Smiling, she leans in and shyly kisses his cheek.
There are butterflies in her stomach, because she knows that this time will be different than falling asleep on him at his place. It'll still be friendly, but she knows what she wants. She's known what she wanted since waking up that day.
"Oh! The flowers! Look how pretty they are in the vase."
"Then you need to get dressed up and taken out more often," Chance chuckles, returning her hug with equal enthusiasm. It is good to see Jenna her bubbly, perky self and he hated how subdued she was around Quin. The sorcerer hopes that they can work that out one way or another between them, because he doesn't want Jenna to feel uncomfortable coming over and doesn't want Quin feeling uncomfortable in his own apartment. He won't press her though or get in the middle of it; they can always have their honeymoon free zone nights when Quin works.
"Not as pretty as you," Chance says. He does walk over and admire the flowers. "They do look pretty in this vase. Maybe we should head out tomorrow after brunch and see if we can't find you a vase to display them in at home."
"Is that an offer, cowboy?" Jenna draws back and smiles shyly at him. Tucking one of the framing strands of hair behind her ear, she looks down at the floor. It's hard to tell if he's flirting or being honest, but she adores it when he tells her she's pretty.
"Could we? I mean, you wouldn't mind doing that with me?"
Chance slips out of his jacket and hangs it in the closet. He begins unbuttoning the vest of tuxedo. "What? Get you dressed up and take you out or go shopping for a vase?" The sorcerer isn't sure which one Jenna is asking about.
"I'm good for doing both," Chance continues. Removing the vest, he adds it to the hanger. "I'm sure there have to be some art shoppes and things open on Sunday, if only to ply the tourist trade."
"Take me shopping," Jenna replies, watching him as he makes himself more comfortable. "There are a few in SoHo, and in the East Village I think. There may be one or two on the Upper East Side."
Beat.
Shyly, she moves toward him. "Thank you for letting me borrow the necklace. It meant a lot to me."
The noose, or rather the tie, comes next and Chance breathes a little easier with the contraption gone. He has no idea who dreamed up the idea of ties, but he must have been a masochist. "I'd say we could make a day of it, but it's a Sunday and a lot of places will close early. But we can wing it."
The tie is draped over the same hanger and Chance is beginning to work on the buttons on his sleeves when Jenna moves toward him.
"You're welcome. It looked really good on you." Chance gives her a smile. "It deserved to be worn and I couldn't think of a better neck to wear it."
He is absolutely the sweetest man alive. Of that she's certain. Jenna smiles at him shyly again, and turns her back toward him. "You'll have to get the clasp. I don't want to accidentally drop it."
Beat.
"And thank you for thinking of it. Loaning it to me, I mean. I don't know how you chose something that would match my dress so perfectly." The necklace got as many compliments as the dress did, and that made the gift of him loaning it to her all the better.
Chance reaches up and undoes the clasp with slow, careful fingers. He doesn't want to damage it or drop it either. He closes his eyes and takes a breath, stopping himself from doing anything really stupid and reminding himself that he and Jenna are just friends and he's not going to sabotage that.
"Luck I guess," Chance smiles, once the wave of stupidity has passed. She can't see it, but she'll hear the smile in his voice. He knows his Abuelita would say it was fate and meant to be, and he's certain he'll hear all about that at dinner tomorrow. He managed to avoid his father, except from a distance, but he knows that the man probably told his in-laws what Chance did with the necklace.
Lifting it carefully over her head, Chance holds it carefully in one hand, and grabs the box from inside of the top of her bag where he placed it on their way up. He places it back in the box and gives her a smile over his shoulder. "In case I didn't say it, you were beautiful tonight, Jenna."
Jenna would likely agree with his Abuelita. It is fate that it matched perfectly. She holds her breath, her stomach flip-flopping as she waits to see if he'll make a move. When he doesn't, she exhales it and slaps a smile on her face to hide her disappointment.
"You did say it."
Beat.
"Your reaction when you picked me up definitely said it for you too."
Nipping her teeth onto her lower lip, she quietly asks, "Will you help me with the zipper too, please?"
"You struck me speechless, what I can say?" Chance chuckles and playfully tickles her side. "You should know that's a true feat. Very few have managed it." He really was amazed at the transformation. "I knew you were pretty, I just didn't realize how unbelievable gorgeous you are until tonight. You had plenty of heads turning." He knows, he was the one smugly smiling back as if to say 'Yeah, she's with me. Suck it up.'
Hell, she defnitely outshone Kay, though Chance won't mention that the girl was there or that he saw her.
"Quin's loss," Chance does murmur softly under his breath, though he doesn't think his roommate realizes what he has lost.
"Yes, ma'am," Chance replies, stepping up to unzip the zipper as requested.
"I love that I was able to do that," she replies honestly. Her voice is still a little quiet, but it's in no way subdued. "I'm glad I was able to manage it. I liked the way you looked at me when I opened the door."
Jenna knows she outdid herself tonight. She very nearly even outshone her bestie, and that's a feat that's nearly impossible for her to manage.
"It would have been his loss anyway," she says quietly.
Feeling his fingers on the zipper, she holds her breath. He's not even actually touching her, and she feels that fluttery flip-flop again.
Once the zipper is all the way down, she slides the dress down over her body and steps out of it, not caring that Chance is right there watching her.
"You were trying to make me speechless?" Chance asks. His voice is natural, neutral, but if Jenna picks anything up from his emotions it will be surprise and curiosity.
Beat.
"You looked great." He's said it before and he'll say it again. Not because he's trying to convince her or trying to woo her or anything of the sort. Because it's the truth. "You look great."
Beat.
"You clean up real good, Donovan," Chance jokes in a purposefully exaggerated drawl as he tugs the zipper down. He's expecting Jenna to step away and head into the bathroom then, he's not expecting to watch the material fall and pool at her feet.
He should avert his eyes and look away. He should turn his back while handing her a robe, or the bed spread or whatever the nearest bit of covering is.
Chance doesn't do any of that. Not right away. He stares for a moment, because that damn well wasn't accidental and he knows that Jenna knows what's she's doing. He looks, he admires and then he swallows, rolling his gaze up toward the ceiling.
"Jenna … " He's not even sure what to say or how to say it that won't come out totally wrong. "… we can't."
The surprise and curiosity are noted. They cause Jenna to grin a little, and then nod. "I was. I went out to find the perfect dress to do it too." The dress she wore was not the first she bought for the event. She did have another when she figured she'd be going solo.
"Darn right I do," she replies with a shy smile as she starts to remove the pins from her hair. Shaking it out, she brushes her fingers through it and then turns around to face him fully.
He's staring at the ceiling, and she wants to fuss at him. She wants him to at least look.
"We can't what? Change into something more comfortable and order room service?"
"Jenna, you know that's not - " Chance makes the mistake of lowering his gaze, assuming she still has her back to him or at least she's trying to cover up. He couldn't be more wrong.
He does look, because just as when she dropped the dress, he well knows that's what she's want and he's only human and isn't going to resist taking a peek. Or raking his eyes over her before he swallows a groan and closes, his eyes drawing a deep breath. The sorcerer definitely likes what he sees but it doesn't mean he's going to do anything about it.
"Yeah. We should order room service. Or something."
Beat.
"I like you Jenna. You get that, right? I do like you… but I can't do this on the rebound or when I'm the guy you're settling for."
He looks. More than that, he enjoys what he's looking at. Jenna's heart quite literally leaps in her chest and she wants to throw her arms around him.
She's about to grab the overnight bag and dig out her pajamas when he says the last bit. Instead, she freezes. Staring at him, she starts out to give him a hug, then steps backward a little.
"You're not."
Beat.
"I'm not settling, I…"
Biting her lip, she shakes her head and sighs. "No, you're right. I know how it looks. Can you hand me the robe from the closet? I'll go get changed, and then we can talk if you want, or just order room service and play video games or watch a movie."
Chance opens his mouth to say something, then closes it. Keeping his attention diverted from Jenna as much as possible, he retrieves the robe and starts to hand it to her. He changes his mind, however and circles behind her, holding it up for her to slide her arms into it. Once she's wearing it, Chance takes her by the shoulders and turns her around to face him.
Hooking a hand under her chin, the sorcerer lifts her face and forces her to look into his eyes. "You're beautiful, Jenna. You're hot and you're sexy, and I think Quin is an idiot for … whatever was going on in his head and moving on so quickly and not giving you the space that you need. Don't think that I'm not attracted to you and don't want to step in now that there's no competition."
Beat.
"Just before I go there, I need to know that you're sure and it's not because Quin took the decision out of your hands, okay?"
There's a look of confusion when he doesn't hand her the robe, and walks behind her with it. Jenna starts to ask him about it when he holds it out for her to slide into. Wrapping it about herself, she ties it at the waist, and then finds herself spun to face him.
She hears him, and she accepts his words with a blush. Then she's throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly.
"It's not. I promise it's not. I…"
Beat.
"I'd made my mind up after our movie night. Everything was just so perfect and natural, and hanging out with you and just goofing off was honestly one of the best nights I ever had." At least with a guy. "And waking up with you? It just felt right, Chance. And I know how it looks, and I know you're going to doubt me right now. I get that. I'm fine with that. We can just stay friends if that's what you want right now. I know you're not looking for anything serious anyhow, and that's okay too. I'm babbling, I tend to do that when I'm nervous, and I really don't want to screw anything up with you, and I definitely don't want to lose whatever it is we've got going here by doing anything too fast… I think I'm just going to be quiet now."
Automatically wrapping his arms around her, Chance accepts the hug and returns it. He lets her babble, not saying a word to interject or interrupt her until she's done, then he presses a soft, sweet little kiss to her forehead.
"Yes, I want to stay friends. I want to be your friend and get to know you. I enjoy being with you Jenna. It is relaxed and comfortable and natural, so let's just see where that takes us, okay?"
He wants to believe her, that all of this has nothing to do with Quin's rejection, but it's too close to the blowup and fall apart, and Jenna hasn't even talked to Quin yet so that they can figure things out.
"Why don't you get changed and I'll order room service while you're doing that?" Beat. "Anything special you want?"
Jenna really does appreciate that he's letting her babble. It's better for her to get it all out at once, rather than have her stream of words interrupted.
"Good, because I'd really hate to lose your friendship." Really, if she can't have anything else, she's fine with staying friends. She does enjoy hanging out with him, and getting to know him. Hell, just talking to him is nice.
"A strawberry milkshake, and something sweet. Whatever else you want for movie food. I don't think they'll have peanut M&Ms though, but there might be some in the mini-bar…"
Grabbing the overnight bag, she steps away and then exhales a sigh. "I'm sorry, Chance. I wasn't trying to push anything. I just wanted you to actually see me." Slipping into the bathroom, she closes the door and leans against it until her heartbeat is under control.
Her first thought is to text Siobhan, but she knows that her bestie is going to be preoccupied tonight. Instead, she fires off a text to Preston, wishing him luck at Trivial Pursuit, and asking to talk with him tomorrow night.
"Strawberry milkshake and something decadent for dessert. Got it," Chance gives her order back, to be certain that he's got it right.
"Good lord, Jenna, I've been actually seeing you since I first met you," Chance shakes his head, calling out after her. It did not require stripping to her underthings, because he's going to be hard pressed to keep his distance and not think about that for quite some time.
While she's in the bathroom, Chance orders the food. He debates wings, but they're messy and he doesn't want to have to deal with messy. Instead there's fruit and cheese, eggrolls and spring rolls, shrimp cocktail and fried ravioli and mozerella sticks. Because really, how often does one get to indulge in deep friend goodness while watching movies?
That taken care of, he kicks off his shoes and resumes getting out of his clothes. It's not until he's down to his boxers that he realizes that he's going to be sleeping in those because he borrowed clothes for tomorrow. Nothing for tonight. He frets for all of thirty seconds before shrugging it off, grabbing the other complimentary robe from the closet and slipping it on.
Taking her time going through her nightly routine, she washes off all the makeup. It's going to be the first time Chance will have seen her without any on, and she's tempted to just put base things back in place. Instead, she just sets her makeup bag on the counter and brushes her teeth.
Pulling her hair back, she puts it only halfway through an elastic, allowing it to become a messy bun. She'll deal with it in the morning after a shower.
It's when she goes into her bag looking for pajamas that she realizes she forgot to pack any for herself or Chance. Laughing at the absurdity of it, she peeks her head out of the bathroom.
"Mind if I borrow your shirt?"
"My shirt?" Chance echoes blankly. He's curious what she could want his shirt for, although he removes it from the hanger and carries it to the bathroom door. "Is this some mystical female ritual that I don't know about?"
"Yep. It's called someone forgot to pack her pajamas, and is drowning in the robe," Jenna replies, snatching the shirt from his hands once he's at the door.
"I packed two different outfits for tomorrow, and totally forgot something to sleep in. Which wouldn't be a problem, but…" They're going the 'friends' route at the moment, and she doesn't want to tempt and taunt him with the sexy underthings all night.
Buttoning up his shirt, she opens the door slowly and whispers, "Tada."
There are certain things that cannot be unseen. Bad things and good things. Chance has already seen her in the sexy, barely covering anything at all underwear and it's not an image he's going to be able to banish from his brain. He feels horrible for thinking it, but it might actually fuel a good fantasy or two.
The thought skitters across his mind and he's glad that Jenna isn't a mind reader.
The shirt doesn't really help. Because he knows what's underneath. Or there's nothing underneath and he really doesn't want to think about that. Also it's his shirt. A plethora of thoughts are associated with that too.
Something tells Chance that it's going to be a cold shower night.
"Looks good on you," Chance says honestly. Because it does. "I ordered room service. Want to help me pick a movie?"
That was the point. For him to think about her in a way that's other than how innocent she is.
Jenna sets her hand to the back of her neck and laughs. "I'm sorry. I can wear the robe if you'd prefer, I just didn't want to die from how warm it was." Especially since she was tripping over it on the way to the bathroom.
Hopping up onto the bed, she smiles at him. "It fits perfectly too." Just long enough that it stops a bit above her knees, but not so long that she's swimming in it.
"Sure! What's on the pay-per-view right now? Anything good? Have they got one of those Snow White movies on there, or the Avengers?"
Chance grins as she climbs up onto the bed. "You were kind of swimming in it. They seemed to have a problem with their 'one size fits all' sizing."
"They have 'Mirror Mirror'."
"I think it's 'one size fits most'. They don't expect that short little people like me are going to be wandering in here and using the robes." Jenna moves toward the head of the bed and props up a few pillows. Leaning back on them, she crosses one leg over the other and smiles.
"Is that the one with more action in it, or was that 'Snow White and the Hunstman'?"
"You're not little, you're prettily petite," Chance grins. He watches her arrange a few pillows, then after a few moments joins her on the bed. He is wearing the hotel robe and the other option is his boxers, and he's not going there. The robe isn't super warm, and even if it were, the sorcerer would live.
"You're thinking of the Huntsman." Chance finds the movie, but doesn't make final purchase yet, and leans back against the headboard. "Your friend Pres is … an interesting character. I don't mean that in a bad way."
"I like that. Prettily petite." Jenna giggles, and then throws a pillow at him, and then grins. "We don't have to watch 'Mirror Mirror' if you don't want to. I'm up for anything they've got."
Beat.
"Pres? Yeah, he is. I absolutely love him. He likes you too."
Chance grabs the pillow and tucks it behind his head. "Is that why he was checking me out?" The sorcerer isn't the least bit rattled by that.
"He really does have cajones. He's … happy and proud of what he is. That's a good thing. Too many people aren't. It's nice to meet someone who owns up to it and doesn't care what other people think."
"Ah, no. He was checking you out because I spent an entire hour and a half yesterday telling him all about you." Blushing, Jenna covers her face with her hands and laughs. "Though he does have a thing for athletes, so it could have been a little bit of that too."
Beat.
"He is. Proud of who he is. Believe it or not, I dated him back in freshman year of high school for a few weeks, before he got to the point where he was comfortable enough with who he was to realize what he wanted in life."
"I warranted an entire hour and a half? That's all. C'mon, I pretty sure if you tried hard enough you could have filled up the other twenty and half hours just fine too." Chance teases, reaching over to tickle fingers lightly at her side. He's flattered and little bit embarrassed that she spent so much time talking about him to her friend.
Beat.
"That was supportive of you."
"About ninety percent of lunch, yeah." Jenna giggles as she's tickled and playfully swats at his hand. "I probably could've filled up the rest of the day with talking about you."
Beat.
"I did sort've gush about you while you were gone to talk to Quintin too."
Blushing, she clears her throat. "Yeah, well, I don't know how supportive it was of me. I mean, I totally didn't know that he was gay before that. Though I don't think he did either."
Chance rubs the back of his neck and turns a little bit pink with her open admission. "Why?" There had to be plenty of more interesting things to talk about other than him. "I was joking earlier, you know? I'm not that interesting."
Focusing on the television, he scrolls through the movie selection, though he really isn't looking at them. "You were there while he figured out, though. And you were there once he figured it out, so that's still supportive."
"Because I like you, cowboy. Because, I was telling them about the flowers, and once I got on a role, I just couldn't stop." Preston wasn't much help either, but she doesn't mention that.
"I find you very interesting."
Jenna tries to pay attention to the movies that are going by on the screen, but she's really more focused on the conversation. "He was a friend. I wasn't going to stop being his friend just because of his sexual orientation."
Beat.
"Just like I'm not going to stop being Quintin's friend. I just need time to get over the fact that he assumed that, after I told him I was going to be at the apartment when he returned, I was there because I was having sex with you the night before. I mean, I'm guessing that was the assumption because he'd had sex with that other werewolf, but that really pissed me off."
"You were a supportive friend, though. It's one thing to say 'I'll still be your friend' and another to actually do it. From how close you two are, it's easy to see you actually did it. Stood by him. Still do." Chance admires her for that. He's seen too many people go their own way and turn their backs on so-called friends for lesser offenses.
When she brings up Quintin, Chance turns the television off. He shifts so that he can look at her better. He was in the shower with Siobhan so he doesn't know what happened before Jenna burst in and all hell broke loose. He hasn't asked for specifics because he doesn't want to force her to talk about it if she doesn't want to do so. "Did he say that? That he thought you spent the night with me?"
"Not in so many words, but he assumed I was there making breakfast for you. It was more his emotions that said it." Jenna frowns a little. "My plan was to make him pasta, have Shiv there and have a silly welcome home party for him… and then to talk to him. But that so didn't work out. He made me feel.. small. For him to think that I'd just jump into something like that? It hurt. I don't begrudge him that girl, because if that's what he wants, and he's happy? Then he's happy."
Biting her lip, she looks down at her lap. "But he hurt me with his words, and with the fact that it was so obvious he really wasn't all that into me if he'd invite another girl to Vegas and jump into things with her like that. If he'd just been honest and told me how he felt… I wouldn't have spent the entire week he was gone worrying and trying to figure out a way to tell him that I really liked you."
Beat.
"And I know I didn't handle things all that well, but with the surprise of him coming back with his friend, and then finding you and Shiv in the shower, and everyone's emotions, I really just needed to get out of there and breathe."
Chance wraps an arm around her and gives her shoulder a squeeze. "I know it doesn't help, but I don't really think that Quin knew what he wanted." He hopes that his roommate has figured it out now, and wishes him luck and success. He just hates that it had to come at a different time and in a different way.
"I can't speak for him. I don't know what he was thinking," Chance says and presses a kiss to her temple. "I do know that I don't like that you were hurt, and I don't like seeing you unhappy. You should be happy and cheerful, Magpie."
Resting his cheek against her head, Chance sighs. "I understand needing to escape. I mean logically. I obviously don't really understand what it's like to feel so many emotions, but I can sympathize."
Jenna rests her head against his shoulder, and sighs. "Logically, I understand that. To be fair, I'm pretty sure Quin wanted a serious commitment right off the bat, and I know I couldn't give that to him." Not that she doesn't want a relationship, just not the type of commitment that she thinks Quin wanted.
"I know you can't. And I know I've got to talk to him sooner rather than later, but I'm not going to do it until after my audition." Jenna really wants to focus her attention on the audition, and being moody or upset the day of? Won't go over well.
Tossing a bright smile in his direction, she wraps her arm over his chest and exhales a sigh. "I'm not usually upset or unhappy. But we all have our triggers, right? Getting knocked off a boat? That was a trigger. Having assumptions like that made? It's a trigger. Not that I wouldn't have spent the night with you, but come on! Me making breakfast? Who's he kidding," she makes fun of herself and follows it with a light giggle.
And just like that, all the anger and hurt are sort of washed away. Off her chest and gone.
"I think that perceptions are clouded by behaviors," Chance says quietly. It would make sense that if Quin had developed that sort of relationship with Kay that he might think that Jenna would do that, although Chance would never for one minute have imagined Jenna going that route.
"No. I don't think I would have set you loose in the kitchen. On the other hand, I don't think I should let me or Siobhan loose in the kitchen again either unless we're actually cooking."
Chance gives her a tight one-armed hug. "You're still welcome to come over, you know? Even if you'd rather do it on weekends when Quin has to work."
"I guess they are," Jenna replies. Except for her, because she can get that raw emotion off of people. She's noticed that it's getting stronger and she doesn't have to be touching them to get it either. Not as much as she would've before.
"I didn't do too badly with the pretzels. Nothing went flying around the room that wasn't done on purpose." Biting her lip, she giggles again, and then sighs. "I don't need to hide from Quin, just so you know. I'll give him a call on Wednesday after my class and see if he wants to go for coffee. I'd rather just talk to him instead of hiding from him."
Beat.
"I am happy for him. I just wish he'd have called from Vegas and told me."
"It would have made things easier, huh?"
Beat.
"I think Tuesday was just a wash of misunderstandings and emotions," Chance sighs. "I'm glad you and Shiv worked things out."
"It would've, but I don't think life is meant to be easy."
Jenna leans her head up and presses a friendly kiss to his cheek. "We would've when we both calmed down anyway, but I'm glad too." Her head drops back to his shoulder, and she's about to continue when there's a knock at the door.
"Room service?"
"Unless you're expecting company?" Chance teases. He gives Jenna a squeeze and disentangles himself from her.
It's a quick process to allow the room service tray inside, sign the receipt, tip the man - noting the smiling and knowing look he gives when he spies Chance in a bathrobe and Jenna in Chance's shirt - and see him out of the room.
Chance begins revealing the trays of food. "I got a little bit of this and a little bit of that. You should be able to find something you like."
There's a sigh of disappointment as he moves, and a playful pout on her face at the interruption. "Yep. Bubba. My big as hell truck driving boyfriend." Biting her lip, she tries not to giggle until the room service is in the room, and the person delivering it is down the hall.
Hopping off the bed, Jenna wanders to Chance and grabs her milkshake.
Brushing her fingers over his shoulder, she quietly says, "I have found something I like, but I'm patient." Pressing a kiss to his cheek, she heads back to the bed and motions for him to bring the cart over to them.
Chance closes his eyes and draws a breath at her touch. He gives it a three count before he opens them again and puts a good deal of concentration into dealing with the food. She has absolutely no idea how little things like that affect him and test his resolve. Despite her words, Chance isn't one hundred percent convinced that it's not part of the hurt talking, and he's not going to take that risk and ruin their growing friendship in the process.
Wheeling the cart over to the bed, the sorcerer tosses her a playful grin. "Bubba was really disappointing. He looked a little scrawny to me. I could have taken him with one hand tied behind my back."
Beat.
"Though I'm pretty certain that my hotel cred was just improved." Chance waggles his brows. "The guy gave me a thumbs up when he left."
Jenna knows, at least to an extent. She can feel a little emotional change in him when he's got to take those pauses, but she doesn't know how much it affects him.
"Damn, he must've lost weight." Biting her lip, she grins at him. "Now, now. I don't want you getting into a fight. We've not got any steak, and you've said your healing spell isn't great. What if you got a black eye? Everyone would think my tiny little fists did it!"
The last gets a laugh from her, and she takes a sip of her milkshake. "Perception really is everything."
"They do say that it's always the tiny, quiet ones," Chance winks. "You could probably do some serious damage with those little things if driven to it." Though after seeing her upset, it seems more like it's her tongue that he should be worried about.
"Yes, and you are now perceived to be the hot babe that I scored with," Chance laughs as he carefully places one of the platters on the bed. "Or maybe I'm the hot guy that you scored with."
Beat.
"I survived Harper not kicking my ass for being here. Am I going to have worry about word getting back to your father and having him hunt me down?"
Shaking a fist at him playfully, she throws a punch to his shoulder. Jenna really can't do that much damage physically. She knows that.
"Well that makes it twice," Jenna points out with a giggle. "At least this time, I can totes understand why he'd think that." Between the robe, and his shirt, and the late night room service order there really wouldn't be much else to think.
Biting her lip, she grins at him. "Daddy would not hunt you down. One, I'm legal, and there's not much he can do about it. Two, I think he'd be happy to see me hanging out with a guy friend who's not Harper or gay."
"Owww!" Chance feigns pain, falling to the side and rubbing his arm. "That's going to leave a mark."
"Because we're both half-naked and lounging around together?" Chance offers. He gives her a little nudge with his elbow. "That is a good look for you. I think my shirt looks better on you than it does on me."
Chance helps himself to a bit of fried cheese and glances at her. "Are all your male friends gay?" He's not going to assume that they are just because she's in theatre.
His fake cry sends her into another small fit of giggles. "Maybe it would if I were actually trying to hurt you." Jenna grins at him.
Then blushes deeply.
"Yeah, maybe," she says quietly. The blush turns a shade deeper when he compliments how good she looks in his shirt. "Then maybe I should keep it," she teases, once she's gotten to the point where she can say anything.
Reaching for a mozzarella stick, she dips it in the marinara sauce and takes a bite. Chewing it slowly, she nods. "Well most of. I have one or two that aren't, and then there's you and Quin. But, yeah. The majority of guys I hang out with would rather go shopping with me, than date me. I think daddy worries about that a bit. Not that he'll ever say it."
"No getting embarrassed when I say something completely honest," Chance gives her another nudge. "We are half-naked and lounging around together." He chooses not to remind her that she's wearing a bra and pair of panties that barely hide anything at all, because he really doesn't want to think about that again. Otherwise, he'll be leaving her alone while he has a cold shower.
"Collecting a token?" Chance teases.
He enjoys another bite of the cheese and lifts a brow. "Why would that bother him? Less chances of his daughter being defiled. He works in theater. He has to know that gay isn't contagious, so … " Chance trails off with a shrug.
"It's honest, it's just when you put it like that, I can see how he saw it." Jenna bites her lip and then leans up to press a kiss to his cheek.
"I might be," she teases. "Unless it's a rental. Then I suppose I'll have to give it back come morning."
Finishing off the mozarella stick, she laughs. "Because I don't think he wants me to play 'hag' all my life. He has no problems with my friends, really. I think he just wants me to date more and stop shying away from it."
"You're kissing me because some room service guy thinks we're together?" Chance questions. He's doing his best to keep it light, though he really is grateful that there are two beds in the room. If she keeps it up, he's not going to trust himself to share a bed with her. Not this time.
"It's not a rental," Chance says. At least he can buy a new one his own and won't have to explain it to his father. He winks at her, "If you really like it, you can keep it."
"Can I ask why? You don't date more, I mean?" It has to be a personal choice, because there's no way that there aren't guys who are interested in her.
"I'm kissing you because you put up with me," she replies, smiling at him. "And for the fact that you ordered all this food that I never let myself eat."
Looking down at the shirt, Jenna bites her lip. She'll decide whether to keep it or not come tomorrow. If she does wind up keeping it, she may just make a cute outfit out of it. Not tomorrow, but the next time she hangs out with him.
Sipping from the milkshake, she makes a face. "Honestly? When I was starting to get to that dating age, the empathy kicked in. Do you know what it's like to go out on a date with someone, and know that they don't really care about you? That they're just stupidly hormonal and want to get lucky?"
Beat.
"I mean, I do go out some. But usually only with guys that tend not to have that scuzzy emotion to them. And, well, I just got used to not dating. Not having that worry all the time in my life. Plus, when Shiv was dating Jesse-the-Jerk, and he tried to get me to have sex with him at a party, I pretty much just stopped bothering."
"Every now and then you have to indulge." Chance grabs the soda from the cart and pops the can open. He pours it over ice. "If you're feeling that self-conscious about it, you can always go for a run with me. Burn some calories."
Chance takes a moment and very pointedly looks her over. "I don't think you really need to worry about it." No, he shouldn't have done it. Yes, it's partly just to see her blush and return the 'favor' of how she affects him.
The sorcerer rubs the back of his neck and laughs in a self-deprecating fashion. "Yeah, we teenage boys really do only have one thing on our minds. We do outgrow it, but it can't have been much fun to experience."
Beat.
"Shiv dated a guy who …" Chance blinks at her and gapes for a moment. There really are no words to describe the sort of low life who would do that. "I hope she dumped his ass on the spot."
Chance sighs and shakes his head, "I never got guys who would do that." No, he's not Mr. Commitment, but he's honest and doesn't try to be something that he isn't. He would never hit on his girlfriend's best friend, that's for sure. "There was this guy, my freshman year, before I moved out of the dorms and moved in with Quin, he was a real piece of work. Smooth though. Had girls in and out his dorm room left and right and supposedly was stringing along some really hot senior at Dalton. Everyone called him J-Crew, because he dressed right out of a J-Crew catalog, I don't even know his real name. We rushed the same frat, but he didn't make the cut."
Every now and then she does. Then she feels guilty about it for several weeks and hits the gym every morning before class. Jenna's going to have to get back into dance after the summer as well, so that she can hit that 'triple-threat' that most people on Broadway need.
Chance's comment causes her to blush again, and she dips her head down. "Thank you."
Beat.
"I never told her. I didn't think he was cheating on her, just a drunk jerk. He… dumped her, actually." Frowning, Jenna reaches for a spring roll and dunks it into the plum sauce with it.
"That… sounds like Jesse."
Beat.
"We went to Dalton. Did you ever get her name?"
"Good riddance to bad rubbish, then?" Chance offers up taking a sip of his drink. "Sounds like she was better off without a guy like that." He shrugs and grins, "She's with Harper now, so I guess she really is better off without him." He thinks the pair are a good match, if only because anyone with two eyes can see that no one else compares for either one of them.
"Nope. I didn't exactly hang out with him. Some of the guys in the dorm talked about her when she would come by, but I never saw her." Chance gives another shrug. He didn't pay that much attention because J-Crew was a douche who would probably get his eventually. "Mostly, that she was hot. Had a great rack and a great ass and was …"
Beat.
The pieces come together and Chance frowns. "She was Upper East Side. Daddy was a doctor and she was a dancer."
Beat.
"You know for a city of millions of people, it sure seems pretty damn small."
"Sometimes it does, yeah."
Beat.
"I really want to kill him now. I'm going to have to keep that from Harper or he will try to beat the crap out of Jesse." Jenna bites onto her lower lip, and then exhales a sigh.
"Not that Shiv would mind them saying that, because she is hot, and she does have a great rack and a great ass. It's why I envy her so much sometimes."
Reaching out, she touches Chance's arm, and smiles at him. "I'm kind've really glad you aren't a typical frat guy. You've got class, and you're honest. Two things that are hard to find in people these days."
The witch might not mind the compliments, but Chance thinks she would mind knowing that a whole lot of people knew her douche bag boyfriend was playing her.
"Don't sell yourself short," Chance takes a square of fried ravioli and dunks it in marinara. "Your rack and ass are nothing to complain about." He should know; he got a very good look at them tonight in her thread bare undergarments.
Clearing his throat, Chance bites the ravioli, chews and washes it down with Coke. "I didn't like the guy because he was a first class dick. Now, I want to go back and kick his ass on general principle."
He glances down at the hand on his arm and rests his hand on top of it. "I'm … nothing special, you know? Just being the person my father and my grandparents raised me to be. But, thank you."
Blushing deeply, Jenna glances down at herself. In comparison to Siobhan, she knows that she's not as 'great' in the looks department as her friend. When she looks up, she quickly kisses Chance's cheek and smiles.
"Thanks for saying so."
Beat.
"You are to me," she whispers, leaning up to press another kiss to his cheek.
Chance sighs and gazes at her a moment. All the little things, the touches, the kisses …
Hooking a hand under her chin, he lifts her face and kisses her. It's not deeply passionate, there's no heat or demand in it, but it's not chaste either. It's sweet with a hint of promise.
"Pick a movie, Magpie. We've got a long night and a lot of food ahead of us."
