James sat in Billie's driveway, his clothes drenched; his hair dripping water down his ears. Billie sat beside him, her fingers tracing over the palm-shaped bruise on her wrist. She, too, was soaked with water; her shirt bundled in the palm of her hand, her hair in its natural wavy state. The rain was pounding against the roof of the Jeep; slapping noisily against the windshield. Ominously, it roared, sending flashes of lightning and growls of thunder in its wake.
James was feeling so differently about her.
Before this night, he'd always seen her as this unstoppable force; the brave, confident woman who was always certain of every action she took and every word she said. But now, James saw that once upon a time, Billie was a little girl. And somewhere inside her would always be that little girl; the little girl that needed love, and attention, and to be held when she cried.
And James knew that Billie wasn't very fond of that little girl.
But he certainly was.
"Blue?" He turned to her, his frown deep. "I'm sorry about what happened."
She sighed, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Don't be. Tandy and I . . . we've got a hold on what happens whenever Mom pays a visit."
"Still-,"
"James," Billie said, her eyes meeting his. "Please. Don't pity me, okay?"
He shook his head. "I'm not."
Billie scoffed. "Then, what exactly would you call it?"
James blinked. "Caring."
Maybe it was the rain surrounding them, or the fact that she was freezing cold. Maybe it was that look in James's eyes, or the tone of his voice when he muttered that word to her. But at the sound of it, Billie was instantly pulled into a whirlwind of emotions. She was enamored and delighted and nervous and unsure and certain and out of breath and everything she'd never been for him before.
In just that word, Billie fell for James.
And it was crazy how, in less than a second, she lost all control.
Slowly, Billie's lips pulled upward, her teeth slowly revealing themselves. Turning in her seat, she faced him straight on.
James chuckled at her expression. "Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked.
"Like what?" She teased. James chuckled again.
"Don't do this to me again, Blue. You know what I mean."
"You're imagining things," she giggled.
"You're staring right at me!" He grinned. "Come on, tell me. What's going on in that stubborn-ass head of yours?"
For a moment, something in her wanted to fight what she was feeling.
But for the first time since she'd known him, she ignored it.
"I like you, James."
He laughed, rolling his eyes. "Put it in the paper, Billie."
She felt a chill race down her spine when he said her name; her actual first name. "I mean it," she insisted. At James's reaction, she could tell he wasn't sold. "You don't believe me."
"You're damn right," he nodded, that grin never leaving. "I know how much you like fucking with me."
This was true; Billie and James had a history of leading each other on and getting into each other's heads. But it never went anywhere.
Nevertheless, this was the first time Billie had ever told him that she had feelings for him. She wasn't sure why this news wasn't registering differently than anything she might have said in the past.
"James, I'm serious!" She laughed, shoving his shoulder.
He raised his eyebrows sarcastically. "Sure."
Billie narrowed her eyes, tucking her lips into her mouth. Then she turned away to unbuckle her seatbelt; only briefly, as she had decided upon what she'd do.
As James watched her actions, he presumed she was leaving and unlocked the doors. "So, I'll see you tomorrow?"
First she turned at the sound of his voice; smiled at him.
Then, she moved quickly, taking James by complete surprise as she climbed over the gearshifts and onto his lap. In a matter of moments, she was straddling him there in that driver's seat; both her hands placed on his jaw.
She didn't hesitate to kiss him; her lips moving slowly against his, her wet hair curtaining around his face. As her eyes closed, she basked in the sensation, all the while entangling their tongues, reconnecting lips with him time and time again.
James was wrapped up in her; his entire point of focus becoming Billie and only Billie. Not only was he completely unexpecting this kiss, he was entirely taken off guard by the way she kissed him. Nothing about it was simple. It was hot; almost entirely sexual. She bit his lip and tasted his tongue and moved against his groin in ways that threw his mind into an aroused bliss.
His hands met the bare skin of her back, drawing her body nearer.
But before anything else could happen, she pulled away.
"I. Like. You," she repeated. "Get it?"
James's chest was heaving, his eyes locked on hers in surprise. "Got it," he nodded, suddenly paralyzed.
With that, Billie removed herself from his lap, feeling satisfied in a number of ways. She collected her soaked shirt from her seat, grabbed her board, and exited the Jeep. The rain attacked her immediately, so she shut the door and bolted, without even waving goodbye.
And as James sat there watching her run until she disappeared into her house, his mind was overrun with questions; he wasn't sure if what just happened was real.
"Shit," he mumbled, trying to collect himself. Blinking a few times, he finally got his bearings, putting the Jeep in reverse and leaving the driveway.
