The Morning After [Tess, Matteo, Jesse]

Guest

The stutter in her tone amused him, and it only took a moment to understand why as her attire sank it. Flushing just a little, his hand rubbed at the back of his neck. He hadn't seen it earlier, so enthralled by seeing her again that nothing else had registered; he even forgot, for a moment, why he'd gone there in the first place. And then the pieces came together and he wondered how he hadn't seen it before.

Delia -- Dee. Her friend, Tess... How had he been so blind? So oblivious to the facts? He wanted to kick himself. He was usually more observant, more attentive than that.

Still, as he heard the whisper from Tess and a wicked, long laugh in reply, followed by something that sounded a lot like, "Why? I'm not ashamed," Jesse realised that he was no longer in familiar territory. This was uncharted waters, and he was utterly, and completely, lost. His expression, however, did not change from his smile as he nodded at her words and entered, refusing, now, to look anywhere but her face and her beautifully soft brown eyes... He pulled himself out from that thought.

"Good morning," he replied, ever courteous. "I... I wasn't expecting to see you. And Delia, good morning to you too," he added, noting what she was wearing -- or rather, what she wasn't -- and resolving not to look her way. "I'll... I'll just wait for Matteo there... Here, I mean. On his couch. Don't mind me; please carry on with... Breakfast." He moved, as he had said, to the couch, sitting with his back to the kitchen.

"We have extras, if you want," Delia said, and he glanced behind, keeping his eyes level with her head and not allowing them to travel any further.

"No, I've... I'm... No, thank you," he said, uncharacteristically stuttering and stumbling over his words. "I've already eaten. I..." He paused, then took a breath, composing himself. It had gone on long enough. He let a second pass, and then one more, before he stood. "My apologies, ladies. I was not expecting Matteo to have company -- and most definitely not you, Tess, to answer the door. Truth be told, I had expected never to see you again, and this has been an astoundingly joyful surprise. I did not mean to interrupt your breakfast or drop by unannounced; Matteo is my best friend, and I often come by his place to talk to him without making myself known." He paused again, gathering his thoughts. "Please, carry on with your breakfast. I shall find Matteo and stop being a disruption to you."

Guest

Cordelia's refusal to put clothes on were in no way surprising, but they were frustrating. She wished for once she would have some sense of sensibility in her actions, instead her friend made a game of it. Being forced to power through, she found herself trying to shield her as much as possible; for a second she even had thought of removing her robe and putting it on top of her.

One thing was clear; she would not comfortably eat; it was not his fault but the setting was off. She was relieved though when Delia offered breakfast.

"I'd rather you not wait in the couch. Have you eaten?" she tilted her head to take him in. He looked nervous. "Would you like to join us? Delia will wake up Matteo...won't you Delia".

The signal in her tone was eerily like her grand-mere. Pretend you were making a suggestion instead of an order. Delia caught on and rolled her eyes before stomping upstairs. But as he rambled, she found herself biting her bottom lip and trying not to smile. This was the boy that she had properly met. To think that this was the Valentino heir? She covered her mouth as a smile began to rise.

"I see...Matteo has been very hospitable."she smiled softly. "Bit too friendly but he means no harm. He told us about you...I must say I didn't know who you actually were...Jules" her voice trailed off.

Guest

He had intended to go off and find Matt, to grab the male by the arm and apparate off... anywhere but here, but then Tess was offering him breakfast and, before he quite knew what he was doing, he'd nodded and moved towards the kitchen table. It was only as he'd taken a step forward and heard himself say, "I wouldn't mind," that it occurred to him he'd just done the exact thing he told himself he wouldn't. Something was definitely off with him. Perhaps he'd eaten something wrong in Tibet and it was messing with his mind; he tried to recall the last meal he had. Mushrooms of sorts. Maybe they'd been some kind of drug? He made a mental note to go to a healer as soon as he'd finished up here and get it taken care off.

Holding back a laugh at the way she so easily 'ordered' Delia around, Jesse took a seat at the table, smiling, instead, at Tess. He had noted it absentmindedly the day before, and thought about it more in depth last night, but she was genuinely one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen. He glanced away and towards the kitchen counter, as if looking to see what they were eating. In truth, he was simply avoiding looking at her, in case it became obvious he was staring.

He really needed to go see a Healer, and soon.

Jesse let out a laugh. Somehow, he wasn't entirely uncomfortable with being called Jules by her. Usually, he hated that name, hated being called that by anyone other than his immediate family and, sometimes, Matteo. Even then mostly he was called Jesse. Still, the name from Tess' lips sounded... Nice, refreshing almost. Again, Jesse pushed the confusion and thoughts aside. The healers would be able to tell him what was wrong, if Matteo couldn't.

"He hasn't tried anything with you, has he?" Jesse asked, a very light crease in his eyebrows. "I know if Delia is the 'Dee' he talks about, she and him are... have..." He shook his head. "However, I would hope he hasn't been too overly forward with you?" He paused, offering her a smile, and then said, again, "Well, this is definitely a surprise."

Guest

As Jesse or well...Jules walked towards the kitchen she smiled glad that she could make herself busy. Moving to the kitchen, she found herself setting up the table with the works that Delia was previously working on: the fruit, the toast, the tea. She even found herself making scrambled eggs (one good thing she knew how to do). Was she the most graceful in the kitchen? Yes, if it didn't mean being a culinary genius. That she was still working on. Looking up at him she swore that he was avoiding her gaze. Waving it off of paranoia she continued to bustle.

"He hasn't tried anything with you, has he?" The question surprised her as she platted his breakfast, but found herself smiling at his concern. "I am fine...he has been...friendly" her cheeks flushed a bit, "but never in malice I assure you. But no worries, I am used to people being forward" she made it clear she was talking about Delia. "Though I doubt you are the kind of person who would spend time with people of that sort. He is..quite flirtatious" she laughed, "but he means no harm. And Delia is quite fine...taking on the advancements for both our behalf."

And yes, Matteo was definitely a flirt, in ways she had never ever experience before. He flirted like one needed to breathe; it was as natural for him as anything. From his light touches, to his compliments to kiss crooning, she knew that it was all an act but in no way did that limit his charm. It was good that Delia liked him as much. It made it easier to breathe sometimes.

Taking a bite of her strawberries that Delia had prepared she smiled at him before deciding what she would do. "I did forget to properly introduce myself much like you did. It's a pleasure to properly meet you Jules, I am Tess Marie Holmes" It seemed silly to use her proper given name, but she found herself unsure on what foot to stand on.

Guest

Laughing slightly at her commend, Jesse nodded. "Yes, a fault of his I have been trying to get him to break since birth. Unfortunately, he is, as you have probably already discovered, as stubborn as can be."

And then she introduced herself and he felt his heart skip a beat.

Holmes.

Holmes.

His blood ran cold momentarily, and he swore that time stopped. Everything that happened the previous day flashed through his mind like a slideshow of images and videos that would not stop. The jumping into the water. The walking -- alone -- into areas nobody else were allowed to visit but those the Valentino family deemed suitable (and there weren't many of those). The mermaids. The dinner. The kiss.

Jesse didn't swear, but in that moment a few choice words he heard from Matteo and some others put themselves forward in his mind. It was one thing to tread the line with friends. It was another to do so with Pureblood friends. It was, however, never, ever, in any circumstance, justifiable to do so with a Pureblood family of such high standard like the Holmes.

"Jules Remus Valentino," he replied, almost at once, while his mind span and his stomach lurched. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Tess -- officially." He smiled at her, a mixture of the polite one he'd been taught to give and perfected, and a genuine, real one. There was, however, a tinge of horror lining everything he said and did, although he refused to let it show. "I mostly go by Jesse, nowadays," he added, as he always did, a subtle way of telling people to call him that, too. If that didn't work he had other ways of reminding -- and perhaps, making -- them. This, however, was more habit than anything else. For whatever inexplciable reason, he didn't mind that first name of his coming from Tess.

He found himself uninterested in the food, although he still picked up the fork and brought an apple slice to his mouth. His mind was still reeling. Did he apologise? Did he ask forgiveness? (The two things, he knew, were not always the same thing.) Did he ask her to pretend it had never happened? But it had, and you enjoyed it, a stray thought told him. He almost sighed in frustration, holding it back in as he crunched the apple.

On one hand, Tess.

On the other, Tess Holmes.

He knew, eventually, he'd have to pick one or the other. He couldn't treat her as Tess, the woman he spent the day with and as Tess Marie Holmes. They were different people despite both being the witch that sat across from him. Just as, to her, he would either be Jesse or Jules Remus Valentino, they would, eventually, have to pick.

But not yet; he didn't quite want to decide just yet, and so, instead, he offered her another smile. "Well, now that we know who the other truly is -- not that deception was our intent, I would assume? -- what would you say to an official tour of Capri, as one friend to another?"

Guest

When the real introduction came she felt goosebumps rising within her; she stretched her hand out to properly introduce herself very similar to the way any lady and gentleman would meet. Was this a bit backwards? Absolutely. But she could not help but smile softly at the boy before her, that is until she realized his smile wasn't...the one he had given her before. It wasn't a genuine one. Slowly her smile shrunk a bit before a polite one took her place.

Perhaps it was silly for her to imagine that he would have treated her the same if he knew who she was. And that did dampen her mood a bit, but still, just...seeing him was enough for her. As she sat down and turned to really take him in; she knew that if she had known who he was before she did all the foolish things, she would have never done it. Being silly and irresponsible and stupid was nothing like her. But the freedom of 'vacation' was what had allowed her to do it.

A moment of silence hit both of them and she felt that it was perhaps not the most comfortable. "Well, now that we know who the other truly is -- not that deception was our intent, I would assume? -- what would you say to an official tour of Capri, as one friend to another?"

That was what got a real smile from her face. She shyly smiled before properly responding in a seemingly daring way. "If it is anything like the day before, I would like nothing more."

"Well, well well....who knew my man had the proper moves to woo a woman? Wasn't that cute Dee?" Matteo made sure to make himself known as he entered the kitchen.

This afternoon he had no shame in his game as he entered shirtless.
He took a piece of fruit and kissed Tess' cheek without warning and plopped himself down on the table much to Tess' mortification.

Smiling lazily at his best friend he couldn't help but ask. "Did you just know I had beautiful ladies in my villa? OR did you have something to talk to me about?"

Guest

Taking her hand, he raised it towards his lips, kissing not the back of it but his thumb as appropriate, although he let it linger for just a second longer than was normal. Then, letting go, he smiled again at her, this time a polite one. His mind was still reeling as he tried to process it all and figure out what he was to do. He couldn't put it off forever, that much was for certain. If he had a choice, he would forever remain Jesse and her, Tess -- but that choice had been taken away the moment they'd made proper introductions, and Jesse, for probably the first time, felt an inkling of dislike for his status. Not for what it brought, no, but for the simple fact he'd never be able to have a casual friendship with Tess like he did Matteo.

Like the day before, he thought, almost sadly. If only that were possible. It wasn't. Not that he knew who she was and she knew who he was. To willingly be alone together like that would not be appropriate. At least before they had plausible deniability. "I shall endeavour to do my best," he said, instead. He wanted it; she wanted it. It was merely a question of if it were attainable that was left.

He'd just been about to ask where she wanted to go or what she wanted to see when a voice interrupted him and he turned, a light grin already in place, to greet Matteo.

"F***ing adorable," Delia replied, and he resisted a roll of his eyes as he stood.

"Matteo, behave," he said, almost automatically. "I did no such thing," he added, almost as an afterthought. At the kiss, he felt a prickle of ... was that anger? Annoyance? Something rising, but he hid it with a smile and a playful glare. "Matteo, I don't like repeating myself, although with you I think I've said it a million times -- behave."

"Where's the fun in that?" Delia chimed in, sliding next to Matteo and kissing his cheek. Jesse chose to ignore her as Matteo's question came.

He paused, trying to word it mentally, before nodding once. "I wanted to see you. There's something I wanted to talk about but..." He resisted glancing at Tess, instead dipping his head to the side in a 'eh' gesture. "That would be a private conversation we can have later. I was just offering Tess a tour of Capri. You and Delia should come along."

Guest

If Tess was perfectly honest she wanted to scream. She was upset at the idea that something was just missing from this situation. The awkward elephant in the room was clear; opposite sexes could never be proper friends if you were pureblood. The stifling sense of propriety was upsetting her. She wanted him to just be Jesse and to treat her just like she was no one special. She liked being normal and imperfect for once. Even if he kissed her hand and her heart skipped a beat, there was an awkwardness.

Admittedly her request for it to be like before was a silly one. No they could never go back to that freedom. This time around the weight of their last names made it impossible to ignore. So as he responded to her request it stung a little at how nonchalant his response was. There was a definitely 'no' in the finality of his tone.

The awkwardness was surprisingly ignored as Matteo and Delia walked into the kitchen. Before she could murmur good morning, the Italian boy came over and kissed her cheek. Her cheeks reddened, especially when he lingered a bit too long and too close to her lip. She had automatically tensed up; physical contact was something she was still working on and he didn't help.

Delia looked so nonchalant at the entrance and she too made herself comfortable. It seemed silly but she wished that she was more like her friends in being able to express themselves clearly. She was still a work in progress but never would she be as free in her expressions as she wanted.

"Matteo, I don't like repeating myself, although with you I think I've said it a million times -- behave."

"I'm not as fun when I behave, but I'm behaving. I can't help but try to corrupt her. I mean look at her. She is lovely as Dee said."

The realization that Jesse was a bit serious in his tone...well that was definitely interesting. Looking between the two uptight people he found a wider smile rise on her face.

"Well we have to come along. We don't want you doing hanky panky. Dee told me what you can get into when left alone" he winked. Turning over to look at Delia he said "What do you say love? Want to leave the bed?"

Guest

"...She is lovely as Dee said."

"That she is," he said, the words slipping out before he quite knew what he was thinking. As soon as he heard what he'd said, he glanced to the side, feeling his cheeks heat up, and spent a couple seconds willing it down and away before he looked back at Matteo. Running a hand through his hair and letting it rest on the back of his neck, he tried to think of a way to talk himself out of the obvious statement he'd just made and failed. So, instead, he offered a sly grin and added, "I did spend half a day with her," as a way to hopefully lighten the atmosphere -- or was he the only one who found it awkward?

His words, however, had been meant entirely. Tess was not just lovely in looks, which was what he was sure Matteo was referring to. She was lovely all around, in personality and in the way she held herself. From conversation to the way she viewed the world and the way she respected merfolk, she was all round lovely. He fought against a light frown as the feeling from the previous day stirred within him, his stomach churning.

What had he eaten to elicit such things? He hadn't even gone for seafood...

Ignoring Matteo had become somewhat of a second nature, and Jesse usually didn't even bat an eyelid at what was suggested by his best friend. This time, though, he felt a surge of anxiety. What would Tess think? He hadn't done anything inappropriate, had he? Surely not. Did she feel the same or had he indeed crossed a line? "I only showed her the corals," he pointed out, glancing at Tess. "Nothing happened, although that doesn't mean it wasn't fun. It was probably the most fun I've had in a while."

There was a mocking laugh from Delia, wicked and dry. "Mmm," she said, eyeing Matteo rather suggestively; Jesse glanced away at that moment, not ever having liked watching that sort of thing happen. "I dunno. We haven't actually been to bed yet; what's there to leave?" There was a pause, and then she let out another laugh. "But there's always tomorrow... A tour sounds marvellous, and I can't bear to leave my darling Tess alone again. She was absolutely devastated yesterday."

A pang of sadness grew from somewhere deep down at those words. While his rational thought told him Delia was being sarcastic and that Tess' words and actions had proven she had, indeed, enjoyed the previous day, he couldn't help but wonder if she had secretly hated it. He didn't want to disappoint her. Pushing all that aside, he turned to Matteo.

"I was thinking Monte Solaro, for the chair-lift, and we could hike down, if you want. After, perhaps a boat tour around the island?" He paused, remembering the promise he'd made the day before, and then added, "We can get a private boat -- or use yours, if you'd prefer -- and stop at the best snorkelling spots. I told Tess I'd take her, but once I found out she was a witch, I took her to see the corals used by our wandmakers."

He realised his admission a tad too late, and then hoped that Matteo wouldn't ask questions until after; he knew it was odd for him to take anyone -- let alone someone he just met -- to that protected area. He pushed on. "We could have dinner on the boat, if we take yours; I'll cook something simple." An idea struck him, then, and he grinned slightly. "We could even spend the night there and see the stars from the middle of the ocean. That might be a better idea. What do you ladies think?" he concluded, turning to look at Delia and then Tess.

"I'm in," Delia responded, almost immediately, shrugging, before grabbing an apple from the bowl and biting into it. "Just tell me what to pack."

Jesse nodded, turning to Tess and waiting for her approval. For some reason, he felt nervous, as though her say so was the most important thing in that moment, although he didn't display anything but a genuine smile at the notion of spending another day with her.

Guest

"That she is,"

Jesse's voice...her cheeks reddened. It was said without any qualms or another thought and that just made her smile, if a bit shyer. She was a bit self-conscious thinking that after the one night he had gotten bored of her. But from his response...that was definitely not the case. Lowering her gaze a bit consciously, she allowed silence to loom over them.

It seemed Matteo managed to make a comment as an 'aww' was emitted and a slap on Jesse's shoulder meant that there was no shame in his mind. She found a surge of annoyance as Cordelia and Matteo were nothing but trouble. She looked at Jesse from afar glad that the reddening in his face lessened. But as he defended that nothing inappropriate had happened, but that he had really enjoyed himself made her smile even brighter.

"I too enjoyed it...even if it just was the corals" Tess responded. "And Cor, I have spent nearly sixteen years without you, I did survive one day without you. I..I spent an amazing day without you."

There was no shame in her tone, even daring to look directly at Jesse as she said so. She had realized that he was not the best at hiding devastation and it had bothered her when Cor had inadvertently made him feel like Tess hadn't enjoyed her time.

At the mention of more swimming though, it was clear that they would be continuing their day within the sea. That was something that was foreign to her; the water being so close and so beautiful meant that she would be able to have fun and enjoy her time. And while she said nothing as Jesse began to narrate the day for today she noticed that Matteo looked a bit taken aback.

"You took her to...huh. Yeah alright" he tried to calm down. " We'll take my Siren...my boat ya know?" he made it clear he knew something that was not something Tess knew. "And you definitely cook. I would love something grilled. Hell anything this little guy can cook is amazing."

Matteo even nudged Delia. "He's a hell of a catch for someone that's silly enough to marry him."

Tess laughed softly. "I'd love that" she admitted, "I've never slept under the stars...it'll be very beautiful to take in." her eyes were bright. She refused to mutter the term 'romantic' but the idea of doing that was just what it was.

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