Reunion Ch 02 4

A consistent knocking on the door awoke Trudy the next morning. She sighed as she dragged herself out of bed, scratching her head.

"Who's there?" She called out.

"It's me, Jay." Said the person on the other side of the door. Trudy groaned. She wished she had had some more time to think up what she would say to him before she had to face him. She opened the door and jumped back a bit for instead of seeing Jay's face, she saw a large bag from McDonalds held high. Jay peaked out from behind the bag. "Peace offering?" He offered with a nervous laugh. Trudy sighed and stood back, allowing him to come in. Jay gave a relieved sigh as he stepped in.

"Shoes." She reminded him. Jay nodded. "Here let me take that." She said. She took the bag from him and set it on the kitchen table and watched as he stepped out of his shoes. Jay looked up at her. Trudy's cheeks reddened and she looked away. Jay sighed and went to sit at the table. Trudy followed.

"I wasn't sure what you might've liked." He said. He reached in the bag and began pulling out several wrapped packaged sandwiches and laid them out on the table. Trudy stared at him, shocked.

"Jay, don't tell me you got everything they had." She said.

"Just about." He said.

"It must've cost a lot of money." Trudy said. He then pulled a large carton of orange juice.

"I uh stopped at the super market on my way back...Figured you'd want something besides water to drink."

"Jay, you didn't have to-"

"It's okay." He said. "Really."

"I can't accept all this." She said. "I mean-"

"It's no big deal." Jay said, bringing on that smile of his that used to always make Trudy melt. "You can throw out the ones you don't want."

"Jay, I can't just let you waste your money like that." She stood up and went to her room. She came back carrying her wallet. "Let me pay you back."

"No." Jay insisted. "It wasn't a waste, really. I don't want your money." He took the wallet from her and placed it on the table.

"Then what do you want?" Trudy asked.

"A chance to apologize?" Jay asked. Trudy sighed and sat back down.

"I should be the one apologizing. I acted like a total freak last night."

"No, no, you had every right to be upset. I shouldn't have just forced myself on you like that."

"You didn't force me." Trudy said. "I mean...It's not like I totally objected. I guess I just...wanted to be sure we were acting on whatever it was we were acting on last night for the right reasons."

"Right." Jay nodded. Trudy sighed and looked at the sandwiches on the table. She reached for one of them and opened the top of it and was about to take a bite before she stopped. "Something wrong?" Jay asked.

"I shouldn't eat this." She said. She sighed. "I look at this, and all I see is the little fat girl from high school."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jay asked. "First of all, one little breakfast burger isn't going to hurt you, second of all, you were not fat."

"Jay I'm glad to see you still have that extremely nice and kind nature, but come on, I was fat."

"You were not." Jay said.

"Please! It took my mom and me a whole day to get my prom dress because the dresses that did fit me I didn't like and the ones I liked didn't fit me." Jay looked at her and shrugged.

"That dress you did wear seemed to fit you perfectly and it looked nice."

"Yeah, as if you remember what I wore." Trudy said with a laugh.

"What is it with you and this whole self deprecating attitude?" Jay asked. "Trudy, you are beautiful and you were beautiful back in high school. Now, eat the damn burger." He said. Trudy looked at the burger as if it was some poisonous viper. "Oh for goodness sakes." Jay said, rolling his eyes. He grabbed one of the remaining burgers and tore it open. He took a big bite out of it and began to chew. "Mmmmmmm! It's soooooooooooo good." Jay said, speaking with his mouth full. Trudy laughed. "You don't know what you're missing, Trudy."

"Ugh, mind swallowing? I can see chewed up meat in your mouth, its gross!" Trudy giggled. Jay swallowed the food that was in his mouth. "Thank you." Trudy said.

"Come on, you know you want to eat the burger."

"Oh so now you're resorting peer pressure, huh?" Trudy asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yeah, sure, why not." Jay shrugged with a laugh.

"Fine, if it'll get you off my back, I'll eat the damn burger." She said. She took a bite. "There happy?" She asked. She began to chew and suddenly gave a soft gasp, her eyes drifting shut. "Oh my god, I forgot how good these were." She said, looking as if she was experiencing total bliss. Jay laughed.

"That a girl." He said. Trudy and Jay sat there enjoying two more burgers each before putting the rest back in the bag. "You can keep the rest. Put them in the fridge for later or something." He said. Trudy sighed.

"You're terrible." Trudy said. "You're like the little snake in the Garden of Eden, you know that? If I go back home this summer and need to get a bigger pants size, I'm going to kill you." She said. Jay rolled his eyes.

"Again, I doubt a few burgers will turn you into the Goodyear blimp." He said.

"Just saying, if you see me floating around in the air with a propeller sticking out of my ass, you'll know why." She said. Jay laughed. Trudy went and put the carton of juice and the burgers in the refrigerator. She sat back down with him.

"So, since we're okay, I was wondering if you were doing anything today. My roommate and his girlfriend are going swimming down at the river, they asked me to come along but frankly the idea of being a third wheel isn't too appealing."

"So you want me to come along and be the fourth wheel?"

"Exactly." Jay said.

"Is this just some ploy to see me in a bathing suit?" She asked with a smirk. Jay laughed.

"Oh, but of course." He joked, although the idea of seeing her in a bathing suit did sound nice. "So, would you like to come with us?" He asked.

"I would, but I don't have a suit." Trudy said. "I mean, I have some bathing suits, but they're pre-total body makeover, so they don't exactly fit right."

"Well, isn't today your lucky day." Jay said.

"How so?" Trudy asked.

"Beth-my roommate's girlfriend, just sprang this whole river idea on us, we didn't bring appropriate attire so Dylan and I are going to go get some cheap trunks, you could come with us and get yourself something." He said.

"Well, you've thought of everything, haven't you?" Trudy smirked.

"Pretty much." Jay said. "So...?" He said.

"Sure." She said. "What kind of female would I be to turn down the opportunity to do some shopping?" She grinned. Jay laughed.

"Awesome. So, do you want us to stop by and get you in about an hour?" He asked.

"Yeah." Trudy said. The two of them got up and Trudy saw Jay to the door. He put his shoes back on and stood there for a second, looking at Trudy. "So, I'll see you in an hour." Trudy said, her tone a few degrees close to nervous.

"Right." Jay nodded. He opened the door. "See ya." He said before walking out. Trudy let out a sigh. She was glad that things were all right between her and Jay, but she wasn't quite sure what those things were. Were she and Jay just going to pretend nothing happened? Trudy sighed and decided to not try and dwell too much on it and just hope things became clear. She went to her room to get dressed and brush her hair.

An hour later, there was a knock on her door. Trudy walked to the door as she pulled her purse on her shoulder and was in the middle of putting her dark brown hair in a ponytail. She opened the door, expecting to see Jay but was surprised to see a girl standing there. She recognized her from her literature class the past semester and gave a friendly smile.

"Hi, you must be Beth." Trudy said, figuring it was Dylan's girlfriend. The girl nodded.

"Yeah. After Jay told Dylan that you were going to go shopping with them, I figured I'd come along, you know, so you're not drowning in a sea of testosterone." Beth said with a smile. Trudy laughed.

"Cool, well I need to just put my shoes and socks on. You can come in if you want." She said, stepping aside to let her in. Beth walked in, shutting the door behind her as Trudy grabbed her sneakers and went to sit on the couch. Beth stood by and watched her pull on her socks and sneakers.

"So, Jay told us that you guys went to high school together." Beth said, trying to make conversation. Trudy tied her shoes and pulled a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, we did." Trudy said. She stood up and smoothed down her white t-shirt and blue jean pants. Outside the apartment, down at the sidewalk, Dylan and Jay sat in Dylan's car waiting for the two females. Dylan sat behind the wheel with Jay sitting in the back.

"So, you're saying she's changed over the year?" Dylan asked his roommate, referring to Trudy. He had seen Jay's yearbook and Jay had pointed out his friends whenever he came across their pictures. When Dylan came across Trudy's picture, Jay said she was a nice girl who had had a crush on him. Dylan didn't exactly think she was incredibly good looking-not that he thought she was ugly, she just seemed plain. At first Dylan had a hard time believing she was in the same grade as Jay seeing as she had a chubby face which made her look a lot younger then what she was.

"Yes." Jay said. "Dude, when I first saw her last night, I almost didn't recognize her." Jay said. The two were silent for a while. Soon they saw the girls coming down the stairs. Dylan gave a low whistle.

"Man...If I didn't have a girlfriend..." Dylan muttered. Jay glared at him.

"Well you have a girlfriend, so don't even-" Jay began, but stopped when Trudy and Beth reached the car. Trudy smiled as she slid in the back beside Jay. Beth got in the passenger side.

"Hey." Trudy said to Jay. Jay echoed the greeting.

"Trudy, I'd like you to meet my roommate, Dylan." Jay said. Dylan turned around in his seat to face her and extended his hand.

"It's very nice to meet you, Trudy." He said. Trudy smiled and shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you too." She said. Dylan turned back around.

"All right, everyone ready?" He asked, although he didn't expect to get an answer. "Let's go." He said as he pulled out of the parking space and drove off. They ended up at a long strip of stores and everyone got out. They walked into a store and separated-Beth and Trudy going to look at bathing suits and Jay and Dylan going to look at trunks. Trudy found a plain black one piece bathing suit and picked it up.

"Uh uh." Beth said. "That suit is all wrong."

"It is?" Trudy asked. Beth nodded.

"You want Jay to drool over you, don't you?" Beth asked. Trudy's cheeks turned crimson.

"Jay and I are just friends." Trudy said.

"Who did some serious 'good to see you again' making out last night." Beth added on for her. Trudy shot her a look. "He told Dylan what happened; I overheard some bits and pieces." Beth said. She looked around. "What size are you?" She asked.

"Twelve." Trudy said. She sighed and put the bathing suit she had picked out back on the rack.

"How's this?" Beth asked, holding something up. Trudy looked up and her eyes bulged. In Beth's hand was a hanger then held a black two piece bathing suit. The top looked like it could double as a blind fold. It had strings to tie in the back and neck and two triangles of fabric to cover the chest. The bottom looked like a pair of regular black biker shorts.

"I can't wear that." Trudy uttered once she was able to speak again. "I mean it doesn't exactly leave much to the imagination."

"Exactly." Beth smiled. Trudy made an uncomfortable expression.

"I don't know.." She said.

"Just try it on. If you hate it, then we'll find something else." Beth insisted. Trudy decided that seemed fair and took the suit to try it on. Trudy stared at herself in the mirror. The top of the suit covered most of her breasts, showing off her cleavage and the inner sides of each breast. The shorts came up to her hips. She came out so Beth could see. She smiled her approval. "Don't tell me you don't like it." She said. Trudy sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"It's nice...I just...I've never worn something like this."

"You've got the body for it-the hips and, not to sound like I'm coming onto you-the chest. I say you flaunt the body you've worked hard for." Beth said. Trudy couldn't help laugh a bit. She went back and changed back into her clothes. The two of them went to the cash register and Trudy paid for the suit. They then met up with the guys and drove back to the apartment complex. Trudy went up to her apartment to change and told them she'd meet them at the river. Jay, Dylan and Beth all got to the river before her and waited. Beth laid out her towel and took off her oversized t-shirt which she wore over her pink one-piece bathing suit. Dylan gave his girlfriend a wolf whistle. Beth laughed and gave him a playful shove. Dylan grabbed her and picked her up, running out to the river. Jay rolled his eyes at the couple and looked off to the distance, waiting for Trudy to show up. After a while, he saw her walking down the hill. She still wore the white t-shirt from before, but now wore cut-off shorts instead of jeans. Her hair was pulled back in a braid and she was no longer wearing her glasses. Jay smiled softly as she got closer. Trudy returned the smile and set her things down.

"How's the water?" Trudy asked Beth and Dylan, who were splashing each other.

"It's good." Beth said before giving a squeal as Dylan grabbed her around the waist and dunked her in the water. Trudy laughed.

"You coming in?" Jay asked. Trudy nodded.

"I'll be there in a sec."

"All right." Jay said. He got in the water and waded in it. He heard the sound of someone getting in behind him and turned around. His eyes fell on Trudy and what she was wearing...or lack thereof...His throat and mouth felt as dry as cotton and he felt himself stiffen...below the waist. Trudy walked over towards him and leaned back, getting her hair wet.

"Wow, Beth was right, the water does feel nice." She said softly. She leaned forward and swam out a bit, brushing past Jay. Jay watched her.

"Yeah...N-n-nice..." Jay stammered. As the afternoon progressed, Beth and Dylan separated to a different end of the river as they began to grope and kiss each other and Jay and Trudy ended up together.

"Are you okay?" Trudy asked.

"Yeah, why?" Jay asked.

"Well you seem to be having a bit of a staring problem...And it seems to be centered below my neck." Trudy teased. Jay gulped. He didn't mean to be

that

obvious.

"I'm sorry." Jay said. "I-"

"You know, you're really disproving that whole 'gentleman' persona that you portrayed back in high school. I mean first you maul me last night and now you're staring at my chest." Trudy sighed. "You're such a typical male." She smirked, telling him she was messing with him.

"Hey, I didn't maul you!" Jay said.

"Uh huh, sure." Trudy said. "You're just a little horn dog, aren't ya?" She laughed, splashing him. Jay laughed.

"Oh, that's it, you're asking for it." He threatened playfully. He went over to her and gripped her wrists and the two began to playfully wrestle, trying to dunk one another into the water. Jay let go of her wrists and began tickling her sides. Trudy shrieked as she tried to squirm away from him.

"Okay! Okay! You're not a horn dog!" She said between laughs. Jay laughed and stopped tickling her, but didn't remove his hands from her sides. Trudy looked up at him as she recovered from the tickle attack. "That wasn't fair." Trudy said.

"Oh well." Jay said, shrugging. Trudy frowned and hit his shoulder. She let her hand linger on his dark skin, indulging in the feel of it under her hand. Trudy looked at her hand and saw the contrast in their colors. Trudy came from a bi-racial background-her mother being African American and father Caucasian-but had taken more after her father when it came to skin color so although there wasn't a total contrast, Trudy couldn't help watch the two colors together. She tore her eyes away from her hand only to see Jay staring down at her, his eyes gleaming with such lust and passion that it made Trudy tremble.

Ever so slowly, Jay leaned down and captured her lips with his. Trudy sighed softly as she felt his hands cup her face gently. Their tongues were tangled together as the kiss got deeper and deeper. Trudy wrapped her arms around his waist, her hands pressed against the small of his back. Jay took one of his hands away from her face and put it against her back, right above the back of the top of her swimsuit. He crushed her body against his as they kissed. Trudy felt his wet skin against her own. Trudy tried to make her head clear as she reminded herself that this is exactly what happened the night before. She pulled her head slightly.

"What's going on?" She whispered against his lips.

"I don't know." Jay replied honestly. Trudy turned her head to look over where Beth and Dylan were. They were too busy with each other to notice anything going on around them. Trudy sighed.

"I think I'm going to head back to my place." Trudy said as she disentangled herself from his body. The air hit her wet skin full force as she trudged out of the river. She turned her head back to look at him. "You coming?" She asked. Jay numbly nodded as he followed her. The two gathered their things and left. They walked back to Trudy's apartment in awkward silence. Trudy opened the door and they walked in to the apartment. Trudy walked to her room with Jay right behind her. She stood against the wall as Jay walked in. "We should probably talk about this.." Trudy said. Jay nodded, agreeing with her. He sat down on her bed.

"You want to sit?" He asked.

"I think having a little distance would be a better idea." Trudy said, looking down. She took a deep breath. "Why?" She finally asked.

"Why what?" Jay replied. Trudy looked up at him.

"Why me? Why now?" She asked. "I mean, is this some sort of cosmic joke or something?"

"I don't understand." Jay said. Trudy gave a soft bitter laugh.

"We haven't seen each other or spoken to each other in about a year. And then, you show up and all we seem to do is kiss? I mean, what is this?"

"I...I don't know." Jay said.

"Well, how about a simple question-why did you kiss me last night?"

"I was up half the night trying to figure that out." Jay said. "I don't know. Maybe I was curious."

"Curious?" Trudy shot back. "Curious? That's the biggest bull shit of an answer if I've ever heard of one."

"Well, what do you want me to say? I mean, it seems like no matter what I say you're going to be pissed."

"Well don't I have a right to be?" Trudy asked. "I poured my heart out in that notebook last year and you didn't feel the same. Now you can't seem to keep your hands to yourself. Forgive me for being a little bit suspicious of your motives."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, let's see. Last year I was the same person I am now except with an extra forty pounds. You do the math."

"You think I'm that shallow?" Jay asked.

"No, I don't. That's why I felt that way about you. You were the only guy I knew of who was completely genuine. But now I'm not so sure."

"Fine. Do you want an honest answer?" Jay asked.

"That would be nice."

"Fine. Last year, I thought you were a pretty great person. The weight wasn't the issue. Do you know what the issue was?"

"What?"

"The fact that you couldn't give me the notebook yourself. The fact that afterwards the closest you came to talking to me about it was that message in my yearbook. 'Thanks for being so cool about everything after the notebook thing'."

"First of all, I was too scared of rejection to give it to you myself. In retrospect I guess I was right, huh? Second of all if you wanted to talk about it, why didn't you?"