Page 3 of Burning Both Ends
Soon enough it was just Sarah and Jess remaining.
“I should probably head to bed too,” Sarah said, starting to stand.
“In a minute,” Jess said. “Let’s just hang a little longer.”
“Ok. In a minute.” In truth, it was warm and cosy in Jess’s room, and Sarah always enjoyed spending time with Jess, and her supervision would be the same tomorrow whether she had eight hours' sleep or six, so it was never going to take much persuading.
“Your glass is empty.”
Sarah smiled. “I had my one drink.”
Jess shuffled across the bed and stood, holding her hand out for Sarah’s glass. “One more.”
“That would be two drinks.”
Jess grinned, her eyes bright. “One more won’t hurt.”
Handing her glass over, Sarah’s smile turned rueful. “What this says about my willpower…”
“You could keep going all night then turn up still drunk? It might help you to think more creatively?” Jess joked.
“Yeah… that’s not going to work.” She paused as Jess handed her glass back. “Thanks.” Sarah took a sip. “Oh, that’s good… how do you make them so good?”
“Lots of practice,” Jess laughed. “Too much practice.”
That laugh… Sarah had a sudden wave ofoh my God she is so unbelievably hotrush through her head, felt her pulse quicken just a little.
Jess sat back down on the bed, and when she did Sarah’s pulse went somewhere alarming, because she settled back down closer than before, her shoulder touching Sarah’s, their legs millimetres apart. There was plenty of space on either side of them…that has to be deliberate, surely? What is she doing?
But Jess simply took a long drink from her glass.
“It’s been a long term,” she said.
“Yeah. Eight weeks that feels like eight months.”
“I’m knackered.”
“Oh, I can head to bed.”
Jess laughed. “No, I mean I’m knackered like I need to spend the first fortnight of the holidays sleeping. Now… no, I’m not knackered like that.”
“You don’t look knackered. You look amazing. You always look amazing.”
Sarah winced inside… she hadn’t meant to say that. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jess turn her head to look at her, up close. Sarah forced herself to stare straight ahead at the wardrobe across the room and thought,don’t look at her, don’t look at her, don’t look at her.
“Sarah.”
Sarah felt her hands shaking a little. “Don’t.”
“I didn’t say anything.” Jess was still looking at her, and Sarah could feel herself starting to blush.
“I know. Don’t though.”
Jess hesitated for a long moment. “Ok,” she said, turning her head to look across the room again.
Jess didn’t move. Sarah didn’t move. The water pipes clanked as someone turned on a tap upstairs. Sarah was aware of every millimetre of space between her leg and Jess’s. She was aware of how Jess had shifted slightly so that their shoulders were pressed together a little more. And she was aware, with crystal clarity, that this was the moment, that whatever she did or didn’tdo in the next thirty seconds was going to matter for a very long time.
Sarah leaned forward and put her glass down on the carpet.
