Love is a Dangerous Game

Dates and Discoveries

Jess groggily sat up in her bed, her hair all messed up and her Starbomb pajama shirt still on. She wiped her eyes and tossed her legs over the right side of the bed. 

Today was the first date. With Ross. The one person who she was utter trash for at one point. The more Jess thought about it, the more nervous she got. What were they going to do? What would they even talk about? This was all confusing and messed up in her head.

She walked into the bathroom section of her suite in the hotel and started brushing her teeth. As her electric toothbrush whurred and vibrated, the more thoughts that spun in her head. This all seemed too good to be true. Jess soon finished brushing her teeth and started brushing her hair. With each stroke of the brush, the calmer she got. Her hair was now straight, smooth, and silky.

She changed into some more, outside attire from pajama clothes, and put on a Herb Lore t-shirt and a pair of blue shorts on. Jess grabbed her phone and her purse before heading out the door, grabbing the room key on her way out. Ross was waiting at the door, smiling.

"Someone was prepared." she joked. He nodded jokingly, wrapping his arm around hers and guided her to the elevator, down through the lobby, and to the small carnival across the street. The entire time he was awfully quiet. 

"Ross.. are you feeling alright?" Jess asked, sitting across from him on the ferris wheel. Ross nodded.

"I just don't have much to say, really." he admitted. "I really only did this because Danny and Arin kept daring me to. Now that it's happening, I don't really feel the same as I did before.." Jess frowned slightly, but held back a smile.

"So, we can just stay friends, right?" she asked, hoping he would say yes.

"Yeah, I think of you more as a little sister than anything." Ross said, reaching over and ruffling her hair. "The dating scene isn't really my thing, to be completely honest."

Jess was happy to see something in common with Ross.

------

Later, Jess walked through the glass doors after a day of lunch, carnival rides, and tourist attractions. Dan looked a bit jealous of how happy Jess seemed. Ross had an expression of satisfaction on his face. "Well, even though it didn't work out, it worked out." he said, smiling.

"Yeah, I think I need to wait for the right person, y'know?" Jess nudged Ross' arm playfully. "I don't think being asked in the middle of a panel is very... right."

"I'm the king of being wrong, remember?" he joked back.

Jess went back up the elevator by herself, not noticing anyone else that she knew. She was kind of glad that the grumps, Jack, Mark, and her own friends respected her privacy. Jess checked her purse for her room key, and opened the door. Her phone vibrated like crazy!

D: hey im gonna meet you at the front to see how bad it sucked

R: actually it didn't work out, sorry. :P your plan failed.

A: Wait, REALLY?! Why?

R: We just kind of lost it. We think of each other as siblings and not as a couple.

D: Oooooooh. That makes sense.

J: Can you guys please stop texting for two seconds? I need to sleep. :C

R: Fiiiine D:<

D: Fine~

A: No promises~

Soon, Arin bombarded Jess with texts, so she turned her phone off. Jess plopped on her bed, but felt a weird crumpled thing on her bed.

'Hey, you forgot to close your door all the way, and I decided to put this here before I closed it for you. I kinda like you. I hope you kinda like me too.

- M'

Jess giggled before shaking her head with a smile.

"Lovesick puppy is what you are, Dating isn't my thing." she said to herself like she was talking to Mark right then and there.