Catch a Falling Star (closed)

[slut_in_white]

Maggie was utterly transported by his kisses. Her arms slipped around his neck again when he pulled her in for another kiss, but the strength with which he held her against him told her she didn't need to. His arms completely enveloped her, and, for a moment, she could feel nothing that wasn't him. She was floating in warmth, strength and the feeling of being desired and cared for.

She wanted more. His hand against the small of her back had pushed her shirt up slightly, and a few of his fingers were splayed against the bare skin of her lower back as a result. The touch burned hot against her and she wanted to feel more of it, everywhere. A soft, eager little moan issued from her throat, muffled slightly by her lips still captured by his.

And then, the ringing of the little bell above the door, signalling someone come to interrupt their private moment.

She squeaked, suddenly panicked that the newcomer was going to take some tabloid photo of her, and she'd wake up tomorrow to Jay's face plastered all over the newspapers and blogs, wondering who her latest "boy-toy" was. She buried her face against the side of his neck, her blush flaring up, thankful that at least her reaction could be explained away by shyness.

It was funny - a few hours ago, she would have said that her fear would have had to do with the possibility of being recognized. But that wasn't quite it anymore. It was that she was afraid of dragging Jay into her lifestyle without his permission. She hated to think that she could lose him over it, and more, she hated to think that she could make him miserable if the wrong person caught them together.

But, as luck would have it, none of those things were a risk. It was Zeke, who shot Jay a toothy grin at the sight of the girl from yesterday in his arms, and sauntered over to the bar, making a show of looking out the window to give the lovebirds a moment of privacy to part.

 

[Maka]

Although Jay knew that Maggie was sweetly shy, even he was taken aback by how startled, even panicked, she looked by Zeke's entrance. Perhaps it was a little embarassing to be interrupted in the middle of such an intimate, passionate kiss but her instant reaction - hiding her scarlet face against his neck and seeming to want to crawl under the table, seemed rather extreme.

But perhaps she was also reacting to the sheer power of their kiss. Jay himself could not think of anything but the sweetness of her lips, the eagerness with which she had leaned in to his embrace.

Zeke, showing rare tact for a man who made his living bashing rockface sixty feet under the ground, was ostenatiously staring out the window. Jay leaned in and whispered to Maggie.

"The bar's closed tomorrow. Why don't we get our hike in? Let me know your address, I'll come and pick you up."


After Maggie had left, Jay wordlessly poured Zeke his bourbon, and held up a hand in refusal when Zeke offered him a crumpled note.

"On me today, Zeke."

Zeke grinned at him. "You're in an awful good mood. This anything to do with that pretty little thing you were kissing just now?"

Jay just smiled at him.

 

[slut_in_white]

Maggie lifted her head at the sound of Jay's voice, and spotted the man at the bar, relieved to find he wasn't staring. Now that she got a good look at him, he didn't exactly seem like the type who would recognize her anyway.

She smiled and nodded, still blushing - though now from embarrassment at having been so paranoid about the old miner - and gave him her grandmother's address before heading out to let Jay get on with his work.

She had trouble sleeping that night - she'd taken her "pills" late in the day, in an effort to make sure she wouldn't have to interrupt the hike with awkward explanations about needing to take daily medications. That was an explanation that could come later. For now, she like to pretend she was a normal girl with a normal life. But it meant that the jitters she got after taking the pills were still making her hands tremor when she got into bed, and she spent a while shivering before she finally fell asleep. And yet, somehow, in the morning, she was still more energetic than she had been in a long time.

By the time Jay arrived, she was all ready to go, with a small bag of essentials packed - mostly water and sunscreen - and breakfast eaten, she was standing by the door and waiting at a time she was usually still asleep most mornings. Her grandmother was bustling about the kitchen, pretending that she wasn't glancing out the window to see who this mysterious man was every chance she got.

When Jay pulled up to the house, she was standing at the kitchen window, and spied him getting out of the car.

"Well well! Is that Ed's boy, Jay?" She turned to fix Maggie with a grin. "He's a good catch, girl. What I would do to him if I were a few decades younger..." The grin turned lewd and Maggie made a noise of displeasure.

"Grandma!" She tugged on her shirt, clearly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. Not that talking about sex bothered her, usually, but it was different when it was a discussion about sex with her 70-year-old grandmother. "I haven't 'caught' anyone. We're just going hiking." Certainly yesterday's kiss said otherwise, but what did that mean? She knew better than anyone that a single kiss like that didn't exactly mean they were dating. Right?

 

[Maka]

Jay couldn't help but smile at once at the sight of Maggie's slim form silhouetted in the doorway. There was a healthy, rosy glow to her cheeks and her eyes seemed to sparkle in pleasure once she caught of him. Already in good spirits, Jay felt his mood rise to sheer jubilation at the sight. It was true that he and Maggie had not had a chance to discuss the implications of their impulsive kiss, but all he needed was that spark of joy in Maggie's eyes as she caught sight of him.

He smiled back at her, leaning in to give her a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"Hiya."

An old woman, whom Jay vaguely recognised as one of the town's many porch-sitting elders, was grinning widely behind Maggie.

"Ma'am," he said respectfully.

"Jay Caldwell, ain't it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Have my granddaughter back safe and sound by sundown, y'hear?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Go on then. Have fun!"


The place Jay had in mind, a stretch of woodland around a pristine, sparkling lake, lay about half an hour's drive away. He started the car, noticing how suddenly he felt at once more relaxed and more alert, every detail of Maggie's physical presence next to him making him feel more alive. As before, he felt no need to talk at all, simply enjoying the presence of the extraordinary girl next to him.

 

[slut_in_white]

There was something entirely unexpected about the sweetness of his lips against her cheek. She hadn't expected the gesture at all, and the feel of his warm breath against her skin as he leaned towards her sent butterflies fluttering about her stomach with an intensity she hadn't felt since hand-holding in grade school had been the very pinnacle of romance.

So much for not having caught anyone. But really, that wasn't anything to complain about.

Looking up at him, she felt like her grin was just a little too wide. Like it made her look like a dunce. But she couldn't wipe it off her face, even as she pressed her lips together to try, so instead she settled for a blush. It seemed being around him was going to make this blush of hers a permanent feature. "Hi."

She was only half-listening when he greeted her grandmother, but the demand that she be back by sundown caught her attention and she almost laughed. It sounded absurd, like a demand from a date 60 years ago. Today, most parents would be lucky to get their daughters back without an STD in the morning.

And then Jay agreed. No surprise. No argument. Like it was expected. Maggie blinked at him, the surprise flickering across her features only to be replaced a moment later by confusion. Shit. Maybe she'd misread the kiss yesterday, and the kiss on the cheek this morning. But yesterday had been so fiery! How could he have changed his mind about wanting her already? Her heart was sinking slowly in her chest, despite her valiant attempts to fight it, because he was nice and she liked him and they were still going hiking together. The sting of rejection she felt was ridiculous.

"Bye, Grandma." Slipping into the passenger's seat of the car, she offered her grandmother another quick wave, then shut the door and buckled her seat-belt. She was determined to enjoy herself. Just because she'd misread the kiss yesterday didn't mean she didn't like him. She could still enjoy his company. Even if the memory of what his mouth felt like against hers still stung a little when she thought of it.