About Last Summer... Pt. 02

Ava tries to find a suitable position on the couch when she hears a knock at the door. She locks eyes with Joe for a moment and then he heads for the door. Ava can hear muffled words that become clear as Joe and Jess round the corner headed to the living room.

"...a friend from up North that moved to Manhattan a couple months ago." Joe motions to Ava who is now standing next to the couch to welcome Jess.

Ava had seen pictures of Jess. This was the first time meeting her in person. Jess was shorter than Ava at about 5'3. She had a petite frame. Ava could tell yoga worked well for her. She had seen posts on her social media about practicing yoga. She might even be a runner.

Jess may have been petite, but she was not to be messed with. It was clear she spends a lot of time on her figure. Her breasts were small but very perky. She was not wearing a bra and didn't need to either. Her butt was also on the small side. Tight and muscular as you'd expect.

Ava didn't stare too long before closing the gap to complete the introduction. She put out her hand and Jess accepted. Jess had a strong handshake, yet you could see on her face that she was confused about the situation.

"Nice to meet you, Ava. How long have you and Joe been friends?" Jess was careful to keep her expression neutral. Inside her mind, Jess went through every horrible scenario possible. 'Is this woman about to tell me she's pregnant with Joe's kid? Maybe she wants him to be in a project of hers. That had happened a couple times.'

Jess stayed silent and continued to think to herself when Joe broke the awkward silence. "Jess, listen. I have something I want to talk to you about."

Jess turns to Joe, giving her all his attention. Her dark brown eyes became intense when she focused all her attention on you. It felt like her eyes stared directly into your soul. Her long, straight hair enhanced the darkness of her eyes almost matching the dark brown. It was summer so her hair had lightened from her many days out in the sun.

Joe suggested everyone take a seat on the couch. Ava and Jess followed. Jess made sure to sit near Joe and put some distance between him and Ava.

Ava took the hint. The massive couch was in an L shape. She chose to sit on the right side of the couch next to Molly who was still glued to the television. Joe and Jess sat closely together to Ava's right.

Joe took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and looked at Jess. "Do you remember last year when we had our big blowup and you decided we should go on a break?"

Jess's eyes widened as Joe spoke. She didn't break eye contact. In fact, she barely blinked. "Yes..." Jess isn't sure where this is going, and she doesn't have a good feeling.

---

Joe looked down at his hands. He was trying to find the words. He can't just show Jess the email. That would be awful and mean! He had to say something. Even Molly was looking at him, waiting for a response.

"Jess, you and I never talked about that week. I went up North with my friends and you went to Florida the next day with yours." Before he can continue, Ava speaks up.

"Do you want me to give you two some privacy?" Ava motions to stand and Joe puts his hand up to stop her.

"No, Ava. You were there for some of this, so I'd like you to stay."

Jess's pained expression combined with Ava's intuition screamed "RUN!" but she settled back into her seat hoping this was over quickly.

The attention was back on Joe. "Jess, we broke up right before I left for the trip."

Jess stands and peers down at Joe. Joe is 6 feet so Jess standing while he's sitting didn't quite have the impact she wanted. Enough to show how pissed off she was.

Molly has since returned to her television show. She's seen this enough to know the best is yet to come. Ava watches Jess intensely, holding her breath waiting for Jess to speak.

"WE DID WHAT BEFORE YOU LEFT FOR THE TRIP?" Jess's hands were balled into fists at her sides. Ava could see her struggling to keep her composure.

Joe leaned back from the volume of the question and answered calmly. "We got into a pretty big fight, and you said we should take a break."

"A BREAK ISN'T A BREAKUP, JOE!" Jess was visibly shaking now. Fists still firmly at her sides.

Joe lowered his voice as Ava leaned in to hear his response. Ava thought, 'This should be good.'

"What is a break then if it isn't a breakup?" Joe's question was genuine. Ava was on the edge of her seat waiting to hear how Jess was going to respond.

"If I wanted to break up, I would have said I think we should break up. Not, I think we need a break."

"You didn't say either of those things." Joe instantly regretted speaking.

Jess was still leaning over him with her tense eye contact. Through gritted teeth and raised shoulders she asked, "What DID I say, Joe?" She cocked her head to the side as she said his name.

"I won't recap the entire fight, but one of the last things you said was you wanted a break from being my girlfriend."

Ava couldn't believe what she was hearing. Jess did break up with Joe. The realization on Jess's face told Ava that Joe was telling the truth.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it!"

Joe is standing now as Jess continues to speak. "A break is just a break. Time apart to think about the relationship alone. And you don't date other people. Or sleep around."

Ava was getting more and more uncomfortable as this conversation went on. She wanted to get to the point so it could be over.

Joe makes his way to the kitchen leaving Jess and Ava in the living room. The apartment was open concept. Jess and Ava followed Joe with their eyes as he made his way to the fridge.

Joe opened the fridge and called behind him, "Anyone thirsty?"

Jess turns to Ava with a confused look on her face. Ava shrugs then responds to Joe. "I'll take a water. Sparkling if you have it."

'How the fuck is he this calm?' Ava couldn't wait for this conversation to be over.

Jess remains quiet until Joe makes his way back to the living room and hands Ava her drink. He sits back down on the couch. He gestures for Jess to do the same.

"How is Ava part of this? You said she was there for some of this." Jess winces as she speaks. Curious enough to ask, worried, she already knew the answer.

Without looking at Jess, Joe answers. "She lived in New Hampshire."

---

Ava is painfully aware Jess has set her sights on her and there's no use trying to hide.

"What were you doing at the resort if you lived in New Hampshire?"

Ava looked directly at Jess. She wasn't going to let Jess intimidate her. Well, not fully. Ava wasn't the guilty party here.

"I used to live in New Hampshire. The resort was a couple hours from where I lived. I visited the White Mountains with my family and stayed at the same resort as Joe and his friends. We met during our stay. I didn't know Joe or anyone he was with prior to that day."

Jess wanted to be relieved, but she wasn't. 'Did Ava's answer make things better or worse?' It definitely didn't make anything better. She had to have known him from YouTube. If she was a fan, she'd have known he had a steady girlfriend. It just wasn't like Joe to act like this with someone he just met.

As Jess sat on the couch, mind racing at what all this meant, she took a moment and looked over at Ava. She wasn't expecting anyone besides Joe to be at the apartment this morning. 'A heads up would have been nice.' The shock of a stranger, an attractive woman at that, in her boyfriend's apartment didn't make sense.

As Ava sat on the couch telling Jess about the family trip that caused her and Joe to stay in the same resort, Jess unapologetically took inventory of Ava.

Ava was confident and well put together. She was 5'8, with light brown eyes, and a brunette. She had a good hair stylist that knew how to bring out the natural high lights and low lights in Ava's hair. Ava's natural curls were something Jess would die for. Jess's hair was pin straight and refused to hold a curl. Both women had long, brown hair. That's where the similarities ended.

Joe didn't have many past relationships. He had been with Jess for five years and she was his type. Short, usually 5'5 or shorter. Long hair, preferably brunette. Athletic and petite. Ava had the hair, and nothing else. She was shapely. Curves in all the places Jess wished she had them. Jess told herself that was the price she paid for how active she was. Truth be told, the women in Jess's family were not curvy.

Jess understood Ava's appeal. Breasts on display. Not enough for a potential nip slip. Enough that you couldn't help but look. 'There's no way she is wearing a bra. How can they be that large and perky? Boob tape, maybe?' Jess shook her head. No use in wondering. There was never going to be a time that it was appropriate for Jess to ask.

She moved down to Ava's long legs that crossed daintily at the ankles. Her dress hugged her body nicely. Like it was made just for her. The dress stopped around mid-thigh. Tasteful but also draws the eye upward.

Now that she was done gathering obvious intel, Jess concluded that something was off. Ava isn't Joe's type, yet he spent time with her during the guys trip. Enough time that she needed to be in Joe's apartment explaining her side of the story.

"Someone better get to the fucking point. Now!" Jess was losing patience.

Joe took Jess's hands and brought her attention towards him. Trying to take the heat off of Ava and calm Jess down. Calming Jess down seemed impossible but maybe he could spare Ava.

"Jess, I went on the trip to New Hampshire thinking I was single. I was heartbroken and I tried to hold it together, so the guys have a good time. I didn't even think to ask what the break really meant. We had been fighting on and off for months."

"Okay and?! If you think someone is breaking up with you, you should say something!"

Joe thought for a moment before speaking again. "You're right. I should have." He sounded defeated. He didn't want to fight. If anything, it sounded like Joe wanted to get it all out in the open to finally clear the air.

"I'll tell you everything, if you want." Joe looked up at Jess hoping he could see anything but anger in her eyes.

Jess's jaw was clenched tight. With her teeth still firmly together, Jess spoke. "Spill. I'll tell you when to stop."

---

Joe had been seeing flashbacks from the week in New Hampshire since he got the email this morning. Just bits and pieces as he battled the shitty reality that reminded him of the consequences of his own actions.

Ava did her best, but she looked extremely uncomfortable with the result of the conversation. 'Shit is really going to hit the fan, now.'

Joe planned on discussing this with Ava first and then talking to Jess. With that plan in the weeds, Joe weighed his options. He could start talking or he could ask for some time alone with Ava and then tell Jess what happened.

Joe turned to Jess and opened his mouth. The fire in her eyes confirmed he would need to start talking. Jess would not entertain Ava and Joe alone together before she got answers.

"I met up with the guys outside after you left." Joe gestures to Jess with his hand and continues to speak. "I tried to hide my emotions from the guys and just be pumped for the trip."

Joe looked down at his hands. Ava could see the pain on his face as he remembered the events. Jess tried to stay neutral. No expression on her face. Only when Joe wasn't looking would she allow some emotion to come across her face.

Ava watched Joe and Jess closely. Jess was incredibly angry. Ava could also see the hurt in her eyes. Especially when Joe wasn't looking. Ava got the feeling Jess was forgetting she was there or just didn't care.

Joe continued, "Danny was the first to ask me if I was okay." Danny is one of Joe's closest friends. He could read Joe better than anyone. Tony, Joe's best friend, was driving the car and looked at Joe through the rear-view mirror. "Man, what happened?"

Tony introduced Danny to Joe. Tony is the best man in Danny's wedding. The trip was what Danny wanted instead of a traditional bachelor party. Danny quit drinking two years before the trip and asked to do a mellow trip instead. The guys decided on New Hampshire since the resort was remote but reachable by car.

"I told Tony and Danny that we were going through a rough patch. I told them we had gotten into a fight that morning and decided to break up for a while."

Jess's anger caused her to shake as Joe spoke. He continued to mention the breakup that wasn't a breakup according to Jess. Ava kept her eye on Jess as Joe continued talking.

"I asked them to not mention it to the other guys. I told them it happened right before they picked me up. And I'd use the six-hour drive to get over it so no one knows." There were two additional cars following Tony's car in the lead. 11 guys in total.

Danny looked back at Joe from the front, "Dude, don't worry about it! You can be sad or pissed off. Breakups suck! I'm texting all the guys right now to not mention Jess or ask about the breakup." Joe tried to stop Danny but it was no use. He was going to tell the guys no matter what. Danny isn't wrong. Joe would be miserable if every guy asked about Jess and he had to tell them they broke up. At least this way, Joe only has to explain it once.

"Thanks for having my back, Danny. You too, Tony. Always knowing when to step in to help a guy out." Joe was starting to feel a little more like himself.

Danny smiled and asked, "Is this for real, man? Seriously. Five years is a long time for it to just end like that."

Joe was honest and told the guys about the fighting, ignoring each other for days at a time, and acting like things were fine around friends and family.

"Dude, don't sweat. We're gonna have a kick ass time and who knows? Maybe you'll meet someone. A nice rebound, perhaps?"

Ava raised her eyebrows. 'Joe isn't holding back. He's going to tell Jess every fucking detail.'

Before Jess can say anything, Ava says, "I hate to stop you, Joe." Ava rose to her feet and then continued. "If we're going into this much detail, can we move into the kitchen? I'm hungry."

Joe and Jess nod in agreement. They make their way to the kitchen. Joe continues with the story.

"We make it to the resort a few hours later and I'm feeling better talking with the guys. After I checked into my room, I made my way to the bar I passed on the way in."

Ava stops eating the watermelon slices she found in Joe's fridge. She knows what comes next in the story. Joe is looking directly at Ava. Almost teasing her to tell her side of the story. She shoves more watermelon in her mouth and motions for him to continue.

Jess observes the interaction and feels a cold chill down her spine while her face flushes with heat. 'What the fuck was that? Communicating with looks?'

Joe senses Jess is irritated and keeps talking. "The bar was massive. I headed down while the rest of the guys got a tour of the resort. I had wanted a drink since that morning."

Joe pauses the story and leans against the fridge, crossing his arms so you can see more definition in his biceps. Ava takes it all in. Joe cocks an eyebrow before saying, "Do you want to take over, Ava?"

Jess's turns quickly catching Ava off guard. She tried to avoid Jess's gaze at first. When she looked up, Jess was attempting to burn a hole through Ava with the fire in her eyes. 'If looks could kill...'

Ava stands up straight and looks towards Joe and Jess. Careful to not make eye contact with either, although she wanted to throttle Joe for passing the conversation over to her like that. Piss Jess off and make her Ava's problem.

"I had been sitting at the bar for 15 or 20 minutes when Joe sat down. He was a few seats away, and no one seated between us." Ava shifts her weight from one foot to the other. Choosing her words carefully so as not to anger Jess any more than she already was.

"The bartender asked me if I wanted another. I said no but then Joe spoke up. He said he'd buy my next round so he didn't have to drink alone." Ava decided to leave out the detail that there were in fact plenty of people at the bar.

Jess decided to take a trip to the fridge as Ava continued her part of the story. Too early and risky for alcohol. She needed something to get her through this.

"I agreed to one more drink. I got up and sat next to Joe. Thanked him for my drink and we talked."

Jess pulled her head out of the fridge and turned to Ava. "You talked? What the hell kind of answer is that? What did you talk about?"

Ava shrugged and said, "We talked about life. The people in our lives. Why we were up North. Past relationships."

Jess perked up as she placed containers of fruit on the counter. Jess didn't know how long this would take and being hungry wasn't helping. "Did he say anything about me?" Jess looked at Joe and then at Ava, hoping her vigilance meant they both told her the truth. No matter how painful it might be.

Ava swallowed the watermelon she was eating and cleared her throat. "Yes. He did mention you, Jess."

"And? What did he say?"

Ava quickly looked at Joe. He bit the inside of his lip with nerves.

"Uh. Well. He said you had broken up after five years of dating. That it fucking sucked and he wished it hadn't happened so close to the trip."

Ava expected to see steam coming from Jess's ears. Instead, she saw tears forming in Jess's eyes. She was looking at Joe and he was looking back at her.

"Did you fuck her?" Jess keeps eye contact with Joe as she points at Ava.

Joe turns to look at Ava and then back to Jess. The tears are ready to fall any second. Joe hates that it will be his words that make them fall.

"Not that night."

Ava slowly closes her eyes and gently shakes her head. 'Good job, Joe.'

Jess can't hold back the tears now. They start to fall on her cheeks. Her voice trembles, "When...?"

Joe swallows hard and looks at Ava. Jess uses her hand to turn his face back to face her. "Tell me, when? You said not that night. So, which night was it?"

"The next night. The second night we were there."

Jess sighs and closes her eyes. She knew she might regret the following question, but she needed to know the answer. "Did anything happen between you two on the first night?"

Ava and Joe look at each other, holding the look for a few seconds. They both returned their eyes to Jess as Ava spoke. "Yes."

---

There was an uncomfortably long silence before Jess asked for the story to continue. Reluctantly, Ava obliged. "Well, the bartender said last call. It was pretty late by then. Joe offered to walk me to my room. I told him he could walk me to my floor."

Jess crosses her arms and leans back on the counter. "I thought you said something happened that night."

"Yeah, yes. I'm getting to it. Joe brought me to my floor. He told me where his room was, and we exchanged phone numbers. He hugged me and when he pulled back, we were face to face with his arms around my waist. Then he kissed me."

Joe moves away from the fridge and sits in a chair at the island. He knows what's coming next and sitting down for him is necessary.

Jess's jaw dropped and stayed open. She closed her mouth as Joe sat down opposite her. "You kissed her? After a couple hours of talking?"

Joe shrugged. "She had gone through a breakup a couple weeks before, so she understood how shitty I felt."

Jess wanted to punch Joe in the face. Ava too. 'They talk for a couple of hours, and they kiss? Meanwhile, I've known Joe for over half my life, and it took him until we were 21 to finally ask me out.'

"So, that's it?"

Ava and Joe steal an uneasy glance. Ava continues, "Not quite."

Joe had his arms around Ava's waist as he pulled her in for a kiss. Ava wrapped her arms around Joe and met his lips with hers. Her body pressed firmly against his, Ava let out a small moan as Joe moved his hands down to her ass and put his tongue in her mouth.