What Connects Us: Jessica and Jeremy

Fragment Seven

Hey all, 

I'm finally on a break! A long one too, yay! :) I promise to get back to reading your stories ASAP! 

Happy holidays! (Sorry for the short post, I'm pretty sleepy...)

***

Her arm was numb. She could not roll over to the right side of the bed, the side she'd always almost faced when she'd sleep with him beside her. It was almost two in the morning and all Jessica could do was stare at the red LED clock flashing back at her. 

           She calculated in her head whether her husband was awake or not, and in her head he was. She plopped up on her numb arm and yelped before ricocheting back down. She texted him with her right hand only,

*You up?*

            She placed her phone back on the bed table and stared at the phone, shifting her attention away from the alarm clock. Her eyelids grew heavier as she waited for her husband's reply, but soon shot open at the vibration of the phone.

*Yes, why are you?*

            Her hopeful smile curved down to a disappointed frown, Was he not excited to text me?...

*Jem you shouldn't ask me that. Are you busy? I really want to talk to you. Miss you. x*

        Jessica smiled at the fond memory of accidentally calling him Jem a few weeks after they'd worked together on a project in Finance class. His full name reminded her of Jem Finch, a character in To Kill a Mockingbird whom she grew to love in middle school. However, he liked that tongue-slip and allowed her to call him Jem instead of his "mouthful" of a name. 

 *I'm busy at the moment.*

        "Is your secretary doing the work for you?" she yelled at the phone, rolling her eyes at his formal and prim messages. She chuckled and bit her lip at her next move, "that should teach him," she muttered to herself.

*You can't be that busy, can you? ;)*

            Biting her nails, she sat up and shook her numb arm while glancing at the phone. 

*?* 

            She groaned and texted back at the stern man, What is wrong with him?...

*I don't remember you ever being innocent and naive, love. You know, if France is doing this to you I'm on the next plane coming to get you. I mean it. x

I miss you like hell already.*

      She smiled to herself, it felt like she was talking to him again and she could just see a smile playing on his lips. 

*Say hello to the family for me please, I have to go.*

          Smile my ass, she thought. She got up from the bed and walked straight to the kitchen counter. She boiled up some water and took out some tea bags from the cabinet on top. She grumpily got out her butter biscuits from the shelf and nibbled on the edge, crumbs spattering the marble counter between her elbows.

           All she could do was hope for a better tomorrow.