When You're Near Me

Jessie placed a comforting hand over the brunette's as they waited to see if Mitch was okay. The blonde saw Andrew hurry over and check on his friend. After a few minutes, Andrew helped Mitch up and the young man dusted himself off. "Thank God." The blonde could feel the tension leave the younger, but elected to leave her hand over Ashley's.

"This is the only part I hate about the game. Getting hurt." Ashley was content to have her hand held in place.

"But you'd love to get back in there, right?" Jessie ducked her head down before turning to the brunette, searching her eyes for confirmation.

"Yeah. I would."

Jessie squeezed the brunette's hand. "Then I'll help you, and you can talk to your old teammates about it next Monday."

"You know, if I do... and I'm not saying I will yet." Ashley hedged her decision, basing it on her next statement. "Then you'll have to come to all my games. Just in case... I need you."

There was a twinkle in her eyes when the blonde smiled. "It's a deal. That is, if you come to all of my games."

Shyly, Ashley nodded. Instead of shaking hands, they intertwined their fingers together. "I wish I would have been there last Thursday."

"Me, too. But I understand." Jessie squeezed the brunette's hand again.

"After Breanne left, I..." Ashley didn't know if she should reveal this next part, but summoned her courage. "...I stopped by Belle's, hoping you'd be there."

Surprised, Jessie gave the younger woman her full attention. "You did?" Ashley nodded. "It was Krista's birthday. We had a little get together at her parent's house."

"Oh?"

"I meant to ask you to go with me when we talked earlier in the week."

"You did?" The bright smile on Ashley's face made the sunlight pale in comparison.

"Uh huh. So I was going to ask you at the game, but..."

"Breanne showed up unexpectedly." Ashley finished the sentence with a sigh.

"Yeah, and I didn't know how long that would take, so...."

For the first time, Ashley thought about how much and how often she had been there for her friend whenever Breanne ran into even the slightly bit of trouble with Morgan. The brunette realized some of the things she had missed out on because of her steadfast loyalty to her friends. Although she wouldn't change that about herself, Ashley decided that she needed and deserved much more from her friend then she was getting in return. "Next time ask. Okay?"

Jessie's grin matched that of her friend. "Deal."

With that settled, both women relaxed as they watched the Hot Shots go on to win the game one to nothing. Now it was time to celebrate.

***********************

Jessie stood by Ashley's Chevy truck. "So where should we go eat?" The blonde looked at her friend when Andrew didn't answer. "Ashley?"

The very astute young fifteen-year-old standing next to his sister had been carefully watching both women since Jessie showed up at his sister's apartment right before noon. And every chance he had, Andrew allowed a brief moment of distraction from his game to scrutinize Ashley's interaction with the blonde. Something was up between them and he had yet to figure it out, but he knew that would only take a matter of time. "Take her to Chili's. She loves baby back ribs." He moved around to the passenger's door as he yelled back over his shoulder. "You'll score lots of points with her for that."

Jessie shot a questioning look at the embarrassed brunette.

"He's right." Ashley shrugged before climbing in her truck and throwing a dangerous glare at her brother who was smiling sweetly on the other side of the truck.

"Chili's it is." Jessie hurried around the front of the vehicle and as he did earlier Andrew opened the door and waved the blonde in first. He refused to sit in the middle of the two women, forcing Jessie to sit next to the brunette. However, the blonde didn't consider that a bad thing at all. Quite the contrary, she rather enjoyed it, considering it a good bit of fortune for her.

Ashley revved up the engine, glared once more at her brother before slipping it into gear and off they went on their way to dinner.

"Hold on!" Andrew yelled and pretended to be jerked back by the truck's forward movement. "She's hell on wheels."

Even though the blonde didn't openly agree with Andrew, Jessie did take note of how fast the brunette liked to drive.

************************

After dinner, the trio walked back to the truck. "See? What'd I say? You can get her to do anything you want now." Andrew said to Jessie, but looked at his sister who in turn mockingly glared at him.

Ashley was in a great mood except for being more than slightly embarrassed by her brother while they were eating dinner. As it happened, the brunette was trying hard to get Jessie to taste the baby back ribs with the delicious barbeque sauce. "Here. Try it. Come on." Practically begging, the brunette held up a small bit of the ribs.

Instead of taking the offered piece, Jessie reached over and wiped a bit of barbeque sauce from the side of Ashley's mouth. Then to everyone's surprise, especially her own, she licked the sauce from her own finger.

That moment froze in time as the three of them tried to process what had just happened. Ashley's whole body was on fire, and not from the hot barbeque sauce. Jessie was shocked at her behavior, but it seemed like such a natural thing to do. And Andrew's eyes bounced back and forth between the two women until he finally spoke. "Sheesh. You two should get a room."

After they hoped into the truck, Ashley asked. "Well, what next, guys?"

"Why don't we go see a movie?" Andrew suggested innocently.

"That sounds good." Jessie agreed, looking at the brunette sitting next to her.

But Ashley was suspicious of her brother's seemingly innocent suggestion. "What kind of movie?"

Andrew shrugged as if he didn't care and then just as quickly suggested the latest scary movie playing at the local theater. "How bout it, Jessie?"

"Okay by me." But when Ashley remained silent, Jessie nudged her friend. "Not going for it, huh?"

"I don't know." Ashley refused to meet the blonde's gaze.

"So what do you think? Should we go?" Jessie said softly, allowing the brunette to know it was her decision.

"I guess that would be okay." Ashley didn't want her friend thinking little of her for not wanting to watch the movie.

When his sister agreed, Andrew let out a loud laugh. "Tonight, she'll be making a running start at her bed before she jumps on it."

Confused, Jessie wondered what that statement was all about. "Huh?"

"Oh, he's just being a little sh..." Ashley curtailed her language.

"She watched that movie the Gremlins when she was younger. Now she thinks they're under her bed and she has to jump on it." The young man wasn't about to stop teasing his sister. Andrew shot Ashley an impish grin while pretending to scare her. "Woooo...."

Ashley practically jumped over Jessie and swatted at her brother.

"Okay, guys." Jessie grabbed Ashley's swinging arms, pulling them down next to her. When the blonde captured the brunette's full attention, Jessie leaned in slightly and said sincerely. "We don't have to go if you don't want to."

Settling back in her seat, Ashley looked down but still felt Jessie's hands on her wrists. "I know."

Jessie let her hands slip from the brunette's wrist to take hold of Ashley's hands then whispered. "I'll sit next to you."

Summoning a great deal of courage from those words, Ashley cocked her head toward her devious little brother and boldly made her decision. "A scary movie it is."

The movie proved interesting. Andrew ensured that Ashley sat between him and Jessie. Even before the movie started, he leaned over his sister and gave Jessie some sage advice. "Don't talk during the movie. She gets real pissed when people do that."

Ashley's green eyes widened at her brother's advice. She gently, but determinedly, shoved him back over. It was then his sister's glare turned too sweet for him and Ashley leaned in, whispering. "One more word and I'll tell all your friends at school that you, a fifteen-year-old, didn't have anything else to do on a Saturday night, except hang with his older sister."

Knowing Ashley would do just that, Andrew sat back in his seat, sucked in a long sip of his soda before grabbing a hand full of popcorn.

Seeing that her brother would heed her warning, Ashley chanced a quick look at Jessie who was smiling at her with an impish grin of her own. "What?"

Jessie loved the interaction between brother and sister. Blue eyes shot to the empty screen before returning to Ashley. "I promise not one word." The blonde leaned over and cautiously asked. "Sometimes during a movie though, I'll reach over and touch or nudge whoever I'm with. Is that okay?"

"So you're telling me you've got roaming hands?"

"Not anymore than yours." The blonde countered, remembering the last massage Ashley gave her.

Both women engaged in the light sexual banter easily.

In a bold advance, Ashley took matters into her own hands. She reached over and took Jessie's left hand in her, dropping both their hands in her lap. "There. Now we won't have to worry about where it will roam while we're watching the movie."

The blonde wasn't about to complain, but somewhere in the back of her mind a protest sounded.This isn't how 'just' friends would act. However, the nearness of the younger woman beside her, holding her hand, catapulted that thought to the far corners of her mind. Jessie sighed in contentment.

Andrew, for his part, remained silent when he saw his sister holding Jessie's hand. He was a smart young man, knowing just how far he could tease his sister. And in this case, silence was golden.

At one particular scary point in the movie, when the FBI agent laid on the small cot in a dungeon like room, the agent was trying to get into the mind of the killer when suddenly a hand shot up through the cot's bedding and clamped around the agent's neck.

That scene scared the brunette so much that she pulled her eyes from the screen and buried her head in Jessie's shoulder. They were still holding hands at that point, so the blonde leaned over and whispered. "It's okay. I'll let you know when you can look again." Jessie's right hand ran comfortingly along the Ashley's upper arm to her left shoulder.

Again, Andrew took note and tucked that bit of information away for another day.

***********************

When they arrived home, Andrew bid his good-byes to Jessie before bolting up to his sister's apartment. Ashley had asked him to check on Makayla since they had spent a good deal of the day away from the house.

In a somewhat awkward moment as Jessie stood leaning on her car door with Ashley just a mere foot away from her, the blonde shrugged. "Well, I guess I should go now."

"Yeah." The disappointment in her voice was noticeable. "Thanks for putting up with my brother tonight." The brunette reached up, touching Jessie's arm.

"No problem. I had a great time. Really." The delicate touch the brunette stroked over her forearm was causing shivers to run up her body. "Do you think it's cold?"

"Huh?" Ashley was experiencing a few shivers herself. "I mean no." She immediately withdrew her fingers.

"Ashley? I..." The blonde started, but lost track of her thought when the brunette's green eyes looked into her own. The whole world disappeared when their eyes met.

"What is it, Jess?" They stared at each other for a long moment until a shooting star drew their attention away, breaking the spell. At the same time, an unchecked wish formed in both their minds.

Not knowing what to say exactly, the blonde smiled. "Well..." That unformed thought faded away, but each woman realized what it meant.

"Yeah, I suppose." Ashley knew it was time for her friend to leave though it was the last thing she wanted at that moment.

Jessie stood up straight and was ready to turn when she felt Ashley hug her. The blonde easily wrapped her arms around the younger woman.

Ashley's eyes fell shut as she breathed in the heavenly scent of the woman in her arms. Neither woman realized what the other had wished upon when seeing that shooting star. But they both wondered if their wish would come true.

It took the strength of a thousand horses to pull back from each other. Their fingers lingered on the other's arms, trying to hold on to that tingling feeling both women craved.

"Okay then." Jessie summoned her resolve. "I'm going."

When the blonde turned to get in her car, Ashley hurriedly said. "Wait!"

"What?" Jessie wasn't sure what happened and was briefly concerned at the strain in the brunette's voice.

Upon seeing the concern in Jessie's eyes, Ashley let out a breath. "Sorry. I was just going to say... actually ask. Andrew and I are going to the Putt-Putt tomorrow. If you'd like..." The brunette was afraid of being rejected so she let that question die on her lips.

Jessie lifted the down turned head of her friend. "I'd love to."

That generated a happy smile on the brunette's face. "Great. How about you come by here and we'll take my truck?"

"I'll be here." Jessie promised. She gave Ashley another quick hug and when the brunette stepped around the blonde to open her door, Jessie smiled. "Thanks."

An evil grinned propped on Ashley's face. "I hope you'll still be thanking me if you get a late night call."

Not quite sure what to make of that statement, the blonde hesitantly asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"If I have nightmares, I'm going to call you." Ashley let out a small, but somewhat serious, laugh.

Grinning, Jessie assured the brunette. "Ashley, you can call me anytime." Then the brunette wished the blonde a goodnight. "Pleasant dreams."

Ashley watched Jessie leave before she crossed her arms and walked slowly up the stairs and into her apartment. She was in deep thought when she heard 'kissy' sounds coming from her brother.

"Did you kiss her goodnight?" He grinned at his sister, then winked.

Ashley rolled her eyes in total embarrassment as she covered her flushed face.

Andrew realized his question produced the effect he wanted as Ashley blushed like no one's business. He fell back on the sofa laughing until his side hurt.

"Bubba!" The brunette recovered long enough to arrow a sharp glare his way. "Hush."

Andrew tried desperately to stifle his laugh because he knew when Ashley addressed him with that particular nickname she meant business. It was hard, but he must have done a well enough job cause his sister only shook her head once before retiring to her room for the night.

************************

Ashley placed a glass of milk in front of her brother as he was eating a late morning bowl of cereal. Both siblings loved to sleep well past the early morning sun, not in any hurry to greet the day.

"So?" Andrew waited until Ashley was far enough away before continuing. "Where's your girlfriend?"

Glaring green eyes met seemingly innocent green eyes before Ashley returned to her task at the kitchen counter.

When his sister dodged the question about her girlfriend, Andrew ran his fingers through his short dark hair before propping his chin on the heel of his hand. "You said she was going with us today, right?"

She refused to turn around; fearing the look on her face would betray her upon being asked about her girlfriend. "I told you that already. You got a problem with that?"

"Not me. I like her."

Ashley twisted around suddenly. "You do?"

Realizing how much what he thought meant to his sister, Andrew said seriously. "Yes, I do. Very much."

Relief was evident on Ashley's face as she strode across the room, mussed her brother's hair then hugged him. And for a good final measure, she kissed him on the cheek. "You're the best, bubba."

Always happy to make his sister smile, Andrew scooted back from the table and uncharacteristically offered. "I'll do the dishes since I know you hate to."

She watched him pick up the two bowls, a couple of spoons and one glass from the table. "Whatever will I do with you?" As he drew the soapy water in the sink, Ashley passed behind him and swatted him with a wet dishtowel.

"Hey!" He complained, but then an idea popped in his head. "I'd be careful if I were you."

Ashley was walking out of the kitchen when she paused briefly upon hearing that warning from her brother.

"I've got lots of ammunition I could give your new girlfriend. If you know what I mean." Andrew didn't have to turn around to see the look on his sister's face.

***********************

At the ninth hole, the sexual tension between the two women grew in intensity. When Ashley missed an easy putt, Andrew walked up to her, whispering. "I know you missed that on purpose. Are you trying to get her to give you a lesson on how to putt?" He chuckled before continuing. "Like you did her on the... let's see what was it? The second, third, fifth and last hole."

Ashley was near giving her teasing brother hell until Jessie walked back over after retrieving her wayward ball. "Don't know how that one got away from me?"

"You'll do better next time." Ashley assured the blonde.

"I can hit a softball, putting it anywhere I want mostly." Jessie studied the little blue ball in her hand. "Must be the size."

"Size does count." Andrew waggled his eyebrows. When both women shot him a chastising look, he recanted somewhat. "Guess not in every case." The slightly embarrassed young man headed over to the tenth tee.

Ashley walked with Jessie the short distance, joining her brother who had just swung at his ball. They watched it travel up and over the small incline through the tiger's mouth and come out mere inches from the hole. "Must be my lucky day. What's the score?" He pretended to calculate their strokes. "Yep. I'm winning.

"Don't pay attention to him, Jess." Ashley nodded for the blonde to go ahead of her.

Jessie placed the ball on the artificial green. She studied the line and carefully drew back her club. With one clean sweep, the ball traveled nearly the same path as Andrew's ball, but when it finally stopped, it was five feet from the hole with an odd angle for her next shot. "I'm beginning to think this isn't my game."

Ashley lightly touched her friend's arm. "Oh, who could concentrate when he's..." The younger woman glared at her brother. "... bragging every two seconds."

"Then go ahead, Ashley. Show me what you got." Andrew taunted his older sister.

The competition was on and Ashley desperately wanted to show up her brother especially in front of her friend. So she concentrated on the ball then surveyed the line she wanted it to traverse. Ashley was just about ready to swing back the club when Andrew snickered. She backed away from the ball now that her concentration was broken. The brunette tried to regain her composure when Jessie slipped up beside her and whispered. "You make this a hole in one and I'll buy you a nice, large hot fudge sundae."

Ashley's head shot up. "How'd you know that's my favorite?"

Jessie grinned, nodding toward the smiling Andrew.

"Figures." Now that the stakes were even higher, Ashley vowed. "Okay, stand back. You'll be owing me."

Jessie leaned in again, barely brushing the tip of Ashley's ear and said. "I'd pay any price."

Ashley gulped. Her whole being felt that mini earthquake jolt her body when she felt the warm breath of air on her ear. Without looking up at the blonde, Ashley gently nudged Jessie back. She couldn't risk looking into those magnetic blues with everything that was riding on this next shot. She realigned her shot pattern. As she looked at the tiger's open mouth that her ball would have to travel through, the picture of another tiger's head came into view in her mind. She focused on that picture and drew strength from it. Sucking in a deep calming breath then letting it out slowly, Ashley brought back her club and with just enough force sent the small green ball on its path.