Touch of Hellfire

☕️102☕️

"This is unbelievable," Jess sighed once he hung up the phone. "Okay, what's wrong?" I asked him.

"Matthew, I'm going to actually kill him!" Jess ranted. "Truncheon are holding this function and they want me to come back for the weekend."

"I take it it's not the one in Brooklyn," I murmured. "No, Philadelphia," he sighed. "Great."

"Hey, if you want, I'll come with you," I offered. "Really?" he asked me. "Yeah, we can make a weekend out of it, nice hotel? Room service?"

"You're serious about this?" he asked me. "Jess Mariano, I am coming with you to make this weekend bearable for you because I love you and we're gonna make this into a good weekend," I told him.

He smiled and hugged me tightly, lifting me off my feet and spinning me around. "Thank you so much, you have no idea how grateful I am."

"That's what hotel rooms and do not disturb signs are for," I winked at him.

"You dirty, evil girl," he chuckled.

***

We both got on the plane and I was a little nervous once the plane sped up and took off.

"Didn't know you were a nervous flyer," Jess muttered. "Give me five more minutes," I said. "I get nervous when it takes off, that's all."

Once we landed, we booked a room in a hotel and I got an email from Finn.

I frowned and I opened it.

Hey Heather

We need our Columbia member to help with a massive stunt for LDB.

We'll be parachuting from a cliff into a river and we need someone to jump first.

You in?

I bit my lip and I started thinking about it. "Is that the Yale secret society you're a member of?" Jess asked me.

"They wanted to do a stunt and they're low on people..so they asked me," I said.

Jess read the email. "Jesus, that doesn't sound safe, jumping off a cliff."

"It does, I admit but this could be good for me, on set with stunts, it was the one thing I was lacking," I muttered. "But if I do this.."

"You're actually considering this?!" Jess asked me, shocked. "Yeah, I am," I told him.

I'm in.

I sent the email back. "You could get yourself killed!" Jess exclaimed.

"I'm not gonna get killed Jess, I'll be fine," I told him. "I trust these guys, they wouldn't do something that could involve death, I'd have a parachute, I'll be fine."

Jess sighed and put his head in his hands. "My God!" he groaned. "I know it's risky but I want to do this..do you trust me?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Of course I do."

I kissed him on the cheek. "I love that you're concerned for my safety, I'll be careful, I swear."

He pecked me on the lips before the two of us headed out.

***

The two of us walked in and I found once I saw a familiar figure. "Is that Luke over there?" I pointed over to him.

"Holy crap," Jess muttered and the two of us walked over to him. "Luke?"

"Jess," he greeted his nephew. "Heather, I didn't know you'd be here."

"I'm full of surprises," I smirked. Jess showed Luke around while I wandered around for a bit.

"You're her right?" a guy asked me. "Jess' girl?"

"Yeah, that's me," I confirmed his identity check. "You are way hotter in person," he blurted out but immediately turned red. "What's going on?" Jess looked at his colleague.

"Matthew was flirting with your girlfriend," the other guy threw him under the bus. "I was not!" Matthew protested. "Did you or did you not call her hot?"

"I did call her hot," Matthew admitted and Jess gave him the death stare.

"I'm Chris by the way," the other guy offered his hand. "Heather," I took it and shook it.

"Heather," Luke called me and I went over to him. "April this is Heather, she's Lorelai's daughter and Jess' girlfriend," he introduced me. "Hey, it's nice to meet you," I shook her outstretched hand. "You too, I heard that you beat a record in Columbia, youngest success in Sundance so far," she informed me.

"Well I didn't know that," I admitted.

I walked over to Chris and Matthew. "You two serious?" Chris asked me. "Yeah, we are," I told him.

"Good, he was so torn up for a long time," Matthew sighed. "What?" I asked him.

"Dude shut up," Chris nudged him. "Jess, I mean he was a mess when you guys broke up the first time, the only reason he opened the branch in Brooklyn was to be close to you, therefore, no more long distance," Matthew explained. "I mean I thought Jess was an emotionless robot but when it comes to you he's the exact opposite, you broke his heart."

"Dude, you don't say that to a guy's girlfriend," Chris scolded him. "I uh I need some air," I mumbled and I went outside.

I walked down the street a little and I found a bench, under a streetlight.

***

I was there for about a full twenty minutes humming Queen and tapping my foot. I heard running footsteps and I saw Jess, clearly out of breath.

"Wow you are hard to find," he panted. "What the hell did he say to you?!"

"I'm the worst," I muttered. "No, no you're not," Jess told me. "I mean, two years ago, I was just thinking about myself and in no way thought about how that would affect you," I sighed, not looking at him.

"Listen to me," he knelt down in front of me. "Part of it was my fault for not ever calling and just dropping by without any prior notice and the voicemail took me by surprise but I was expecting it because I was hardly around during your freshman year but none of that matters now. We're here together and both of us are in good places. Great places. I came back to you because I love you, I tried to pull a Love Actually in the airport when you were leaving for Italy but I wish I got there two minutes earlier..all I saw was your head ducking around the corner."

I smiled at him and I joined my lips to his. He propped himself onto the bench and cupped my face with his hands as the moment was getting more heated.

I slowly pulled away, my lips ghosting over his. "That's what hotels are for," I whispered. "Then what are waiting for," he mumbled and took my hand and led me towards our hotel.

A/N

Obviously the book's main theme is about the relationship between Heather and Jess aka Hess. But there's also other themes, such as family and friendship.

So I wonder, what is your favourite friendship moment?