RP for jaggedjared
Rebooting the "Elena and Jared talk after they get back from their separate tours in December" idea. It's not all that different, but needed a reset.
She'd never admit it, but she heard him come in. Jared was one of those gifted with a key (along with her parents, Marshall, and her therapist) but he rarely used it. He liked pounding on the door, rousing her from whatever she was working on. He liked the look she always gave him. Over the years of their friendship, it had become a game and it was not lost on her that in using the key, he'd changed the rules. He was reminding her that things had changed.
A smile flitted across her face as she listened to her bedroom door close and she adjusted herself in bed as he slid between the sheets. He was still dressed, she realized, which touched her. He wasn't assuming anything. But his hand slid possessively up her torso and he pressed her back against his body.
"Hey," she murmured. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"
"How could I sleep, Little Elf, knowing you were here?" He kissed her ear and spooned her closer and Elena felt stress she hadn't even realized she was carrying slip from her body. She knew they needed to talk, knew that weeks of flirting across cyberspace was nothing compared to a face-to-face meeting where they could actually discuss her fears and his issues, but right now she wanted him to touch her. Right now, she wanted to recapture that feeling she'd had when he'd first kissed her that night in Vegas, when he'd kissed her on her porch after Alaska. She wanted him. And as his hand moved back down her abdomen, inside her pj's, inside her underwear, she knew he had the same need and she didn't need to think until she'd collapsed on top of him, still trembling. But once she rolled away and her head started to clear, Elena tumbled back to Earth and landed in a heap.
"We need to talk," Jared said. "Shit, E. We need to talk."
She gulped and sat up, tucking the sheets around her. Jared did the same, scooting back against her headboard. He reached over and linked her fingers, which at least made her breathe easier. Because even though she didn't know what to say, she did know that he was right. They needed to talk. At least he wanted them touching while they did.He was quiet for a long time and she watched the emotions pass over his body. She knew him well enough to keep her mouth shut until he spoke.
"I've had a lot of time to think while you've been screwing Marshall and then running around Europe," he said. Elena winced. Okay, so despite his rather enthusiastic greeting and despite his repeated assurance that he understood why she'd done it, he also wasn't happy with the situation. Well, she deserved that bit of reality. Scared, she tucked tighter into the blanket and stared at the floor. Jared climbed off the bed, pulled on his boxers, and walked over, crouching in front of her. He extracted her hands from the blanket and linked their fingers. "Look at me, E." It took a moment, but she did. "Look. I'm sick of this. Whatever it is. I'm sick of us pretending that it hasn't been there for a long time. And at first I was willing to sit back and chill because you're my fucking best friend and it isn't like I'm not used to the friends with benefits thing with Travis or anything. But you aren't Travis." He sighed. "I am so sick of pretending with you. I'm sick of you pretending with me. I'm sick of dreaming about you and waking up without you. I'm sick of us seeing each other and falling asleep together but not admitting that there was more to our spooning than something romantic. I'm sick of not admitting my feelings for you. And if that means we fuck everything up then we fuck everything up. But I'm not Marshall, Elena. I'm not going to try to fucking save you from yourself and I'm not going to blame you when my plans to save you go awry. And maybe you're right and maybe we're co-dependent and will self destruct but tell me how you showing up and us just fucking won't self destruct either?" He kissed her fingers. "I love you, E. I love you but you run. You come up against something that might hurt you and you run. You run to the band because they want to protect you and you run to music because it saves you. You run. You run and work and charm but you run. For five fucking minutes, would you stop running and just listen to the voices of other angels?"
She'd never admit it, but she heard him come in. Jared was one of those gifted with a key (along with her parents, Marshall, and her therapist) but he rarely used it. He liked pounding on the door, rousing her from whatever she was working on. He liked the look she always gave him. Over the years of their friendship, it had become a game and it was not lost on her that in using the key, he'd changed the rules. He was reminding her that things had changed.
A smile flitted across her face as she listened to her bedroom door close and she adjusted herself in bed as he slid between the sheets. He was still dressed, she realized, which touched her. He wasn't assuming anything. But his hand slid possessively up her torso and he pressed her back against his body.
"Hey," she murmured. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"
"How could I sleep, Little Elf, knowing you were here?" He kissed her ear and spooned her closer and Elena felt stress she hadn't even realized she was carrying slip from her body. She knew they needed to talk, knew that weeks of flirting across cyberspace was nothing compared to a face-to-face meeting where they could actually discuss her fears and his issues, but right now she wanted him to touch her. Right now, she wanted to recapture that feeling she'd had when he'd first kissed her that night in Vegas, when he'd kissed her on her porch after Alaska. She wanted him. And as his hand moved back down her abdomen, inside her pj's, inside her underwear, she knew he had the same need and she didn't need to think until she'd collapsed on top of him, still trembling. But once she rolled away and her head started to clear, Elena tumbled back to Earth and landed in a heap.
"We need to talk," Jared said. "Shit, E. We need to talk."
She gulped and sat up, tucking the sheets around her. Jared did the same, scooting back against her headboard. He reached over and linked her fingers, which at least made her breathe easier. Because even though she didn't know what to say, she did know that he was right. They needed to talk. At least he wanted them touching while they did.He was quiet for a long time and she watched the emotions pass over his body. She knew him well enough to keep her mouth shut until he spoke.
"I've had a lot of time to think while you've been screwing Marshall and then running around Europe," he said. Elena winced. Okay, so despite his rather enthusiastic greeting and despite his repeated assurance that he understood why she'd done it, he also wasn't happy with the situation. Well, she deserved that bit of reality. Scared, she tucked tighter into the blanket and stared at the floor. Jared climbed off the bed, pulled on his boxers, and walked over, crouching in front of her. He extracted her hands from the blanket and linked their fingers. "Look at me, E." It took a moment, but she did. "Look. I'm sick of this. Whatever it is. I'm sick of us pretending that it hasn't been there for a long time. And at first I was willing to sit back and chill because you're my fucking best friend and it isn't like I'm not used to the friends with benefits thing with Travis or anything. But you aren't Travis." He sighed. "I am so sick of pretending with you. I'm sick of you pretending with me. I'm sick of dreaming about you and waking up without you. I'm sick of us seeing each other and falling asleep together but not admitting that there was more to our spooning than something romantic. I'm sick of not admitting my feelings for you. And if that means we fuck everything up then we fuck everything up. But I'm not Marshall, Elena. I'm not going to try to fucking save you from yourself and I'm not going to blame you when my plans to save you go awry. And maybe you're right and maybe we're co-dependent and will self destruct but tell me how you showing up and us just fucking won't self destruct either?" He kissed her fingers. "I love you, E. I love you but you run. You come up against something that might hurt you and you run. You run to the band because they want to protect you and you run to music because it saves you. You run. You run and work and charm but you run. For five fucking minutes, would you stop running and just listen to the voices of other angels?"