Thread: Beautiful Disaster [[Writer & AshlinnRose]]

Warm, soft fingers slid through her own, pressing against her hand in a firm, yet comforting grip. Jai tilted her head from against the window to peer over at the person in the driver's seat, the tenseness in her body decreasing ten-fold as she immediately recognized her friend. Very few people in the world were close enough to her that could feel that relieved by, and fewer still that she wouldn't have pulled an immediate hissy-fit over the fact that someone else was behind the wheel of one of her few pride and joys. Incredibly grateful she was that her mind had began to clear, and the racing of her pulse had subsided at last. Of their own accord, her fingers closed around Ash's hand, squeezing loosely as she heaved a slow sigh and nodded her acknowledgement of what Ash had said. From the corner of her eye, she easily recognized the front entryway to the housing complex's parking lot, a welcome sight if she ever had one for sure, and she sat up just a little bit more as Ash navigated into a parking spot and cut the engine. The sound of the engine cooling was all that was heard for a brief moment as Jai glanced sideways, her eyes meeting Ash's unexpectedly. Her gaze softened, the frantic look having melted away, and she regarded her friend's words slowly. I know, Ash, she murmured. I know. I trust you. Thank you. It's when you're not around though... that empty feeling I get in your absence... Slight color rose in her cheeks when she felt her friend's smooth, soft lips upon her cheek, and immediately it was as if her world made just a hint of sense. Her lips twitched just slightly, and when Ash spoke again, she remained quiet, pensive, her eyes down-cast. Actually... She said softly, her right hand slowly finding its way to the handle of the door as ocean blue hues shyly lifted to meet lapis-lazuli. I, her lip quivered, tongue hesitating briefly. She hated being vulnerable, and even more so she hated making herself vulnerable, especially at times like this, when even a drop of a pin would surely have her in a full on panic attack. But, she wasn't stupid, and knew well enough when to swallow her pride and speak up about what it was she needed. I really just want to be held for a little while... The volume of her voice dropped, and her hand pulled the door-handle with an audible click, arm immediately extending to push it open slowly as the cool night air floated across her skin. She was a balloon, filled with copious amounts of helium, and no amount of gravity was going to keep her grounded without something of a particular weight and hold to keep her secured to the grounds of reality something like Ash. Jaime may not have ever spoken it out directly to the woman, or acted a particular way to make it obvious, but she was smitten, if only slightly. Upon first meeting the woman, Jai had reacted as any warm, kind-hearted person would, especially given that she was one of the Eagles, and the idea of not only helping her, but getting to show someone all the tricks and secrets she had learned over the years behind the bar was just too tempting to turn away from. But what she hadn't expected was the bond that had formed between them, or they way that somehow, miraculously, Ash had managed to discreetly penetrate through every barrier, front, and wall that Jaime had ever put up, and she'd gotten the rare opportunity to have a glimpse at the innocent, vulnerable, and shy young woman that Jai could often times have been at the core of her heart. And now, now in this moment, where everything that she had come to know felt like it was crumbling around her ankles and the world was going to disappear beneath her feet, there wasn't a single person she was more thankful to have that would keep her grounded than the woman that sat beside her in the driver's seat. If only she had known though, how Jai really felt deep within her heart. Things could turn ugly, of course they could it could get awkward and uncomfortable and weird, or potentially even destroy every fiber of the close bond they had created, or, if Jaime was lucky, it could have sparked something new and entirely welcome into her life. Something affectionate and appreciative and loving someone to call hers and who would equally have claim over herself, who would love and respect her and make the world have just one right, good thing in it that was enough to make everything else fade into the background. If only...