Sam studied the ceiling of their room, concentrating on any foreign sounds that would indicate Jerry coming out. Except for the low buzz of the fan and the occasional engine of a passing car, all was quiet. Jessie had pulled out the chair from under the desk and sat on it, by the door, ready to sprint off and tackle Jerry.
"How long has it been?" she suddenly asked.
Sam checked his watch. "Twenty five minutes."
Jessie hummed and continued to lean on the chair's back legs. "How long do you think they need?"
"My guess? All night."
Jessie smirked, but her expression fell into a frown. Sam returned to watching the ceiling. He felt a pleasant buzz after the party. With the hangover and sickness gone, the burden felt a little lighter for the first time in what felt like years. It's only been a week. It felt like forever.
The door to the other room opened. Before Sam could make a move, Jessie jumped to her feet.
"I got this," she whispered and sneaked out.
Sam got off the bed and took her spot on the chair, listening carefully, ready to step in in case she needed help. He could barely make out her and Jerry talking, so he waited for her to come back, for the door to the other room to open and close again, or to hear footsteps heading down the stairs. Nothing, just talking.
Sam frowned. What could Jerry and Jessie be talking about at this time of night? Then the talking stopped. He stood, ready to let Jessie back in, but she didn't come back. No sound of footsteps either. Just silence.
What the? He opened the door as silently as possible and peeked out into the hall. For a second, his heart stopped, but then he felt like laughing at himself.
Jerry hadn't come out of the room. He'd sent Jimmy out to do his dirty work. Except he'd been thwarted by Jessie and they were now up against a wall, kissing, Jimmy holding her off the floor, her hands under his t-shirt.
"Jimmy, what on earth are you doing?" Jerry shrieked.
Sam jumped. So did Jimmy and Jessie as they immediately broke apart, Jimmy spitting out a lock of orange curls.
"Get your hands off her this instance!" Jerry raged on. "What have I told you about public places?"
"Oh, for god's sake, Jerry," Jimmy growled. "This was a perfectly deserted hallway until you decided to show up."
"Yes, perfectly deserted!" Jerry screeched, waving his arms towards Sam.
"Hey, keep me out of this. I don't mind that they kiss."
"Kiss? They weren't kissing! They were-"
"What?" Jessie asked innocently. "What exactly were we doing, Jerry?"
"You were feeling each other up!"
"We're not having this conversation in front of Jessie," Jimmy snapped.
For once, surprisingly, Jerry actually listened. He clamped his mouth shut and only pointed towards the door to their room.
"Or what?" Jimmy asked.
"Or I'm really blowing my top and having this conversation in front of Jessie," Jerry answered between gritted teeth.
Jessie just giggled. Jimmy looked down at her and loosened up a bit.
"Okay, fine." And he leaned down to give Jessie one more kiss.
"Jimmy, are you doing this just to patronize me?" Jerry yelled.
YOU ARE READING
Lost Stars (The Jewel Project #3)
Adventure"You youngsters are stupidly adorable with your stubborn obsession with love. Love doesn't lift you. It destroys you." For Sam Grant, his family has become his sanctuary and the team that joins him on death defying adventures. But after everythi...
