22 Meeting an Old Friend

{P.O.V. Jennifer Ross-Ryans}

Opening my eyes, a bright light shines from the window, making me close them. Rolling over and realizing I was no longer asleep on the couch but in Kendricks and I bed. He must have carried me to our room after I fell asleep during the movie last night. Sitting up and moving my hair out of my face, Kendrick wasn't lying by me. 'What does this guy do in the morning that I keep missing him?' Asking myself.

"Kendrick?" Asking in a loud tone to see if he was anywhere in here.

"In the bathroom," He replies.

Grabbing a hair tie off my nightstand and putting it up in a ponytail. I get out of bed and go and see what he was doing. He was at the sink shaving his face wearing only boxers and black dress pants. Leaning in the doorway, watching him shave.

"Morning." Greeting him.

"Mornin." He greets back.

"Is this what you do in the mornings?"

"Sometimes, I usually do my workouts and then go to work. What do you do in the mornings?"

"I go out for a jog, and then I would have gone to work. But now I make plans to do other things." Who am I kidding? I don't do much anymore besides secretly watching his old band videos. He replies with a 'hmm' sound. "Tonight, I have plans to hang out with my friend Cassidy. She needs some girl talk."

"Where at?" He rinses his shaver off and washes his face then wipes it with a towel.

"I'm not sure yet."

"Let me know when you do."

"I will." He puts the towel on the sink, then walks past me, and goes to the closet. Following him, he was going to put a suit on.

"Are you going to work?"

"Yes, I have a couple of meetings to make up from yesterday."

"But it's a Saturday." Telling him a little amusingly

"I'm fully aware of what day it is, Jennifer," Kendricks says seriously calm while he puts his white dress shirt on.

"You're not supposed to go to work on your day off. That defeats the whole point of having a day off."

"It's a couple of meetings. I will be alright." He was tying his tie.

"I'm just saying..." Before I could finish, he cuts me off.

"Jennifer..." He says in a tone of warning, or maybe it was irritation or both? At the same time, he puts his black dress jacket on.

"Fine. Just don't work all day, alright?" He takes a seat on a chair with his socks and dress shoes. Putting them on, he ties his shoes and sits up in the chair. Sea blue eyes looking into luscious brown.

"I swear I will try to resist not to work all day."

"Good." Feeling like I won this conversation.

"Are you done nagging me now?" Acting like I was searching for the answer simultaneously, making the 'mmm' sound and tapping my chin. He gets up and walks towards me.

"Yes, I do believe so." Finally, answering his question. He snakes his arms around my waist.

"You drive me nuts sometimes." He shakes his head at me playfully and leaves a kiss on my cheek, then looks at his watch. "I got to go. Let me know about where you guys plan ongoing, so I know where to have Braxton pick you up." He lets go of me and goes to his nightstand by the bed.

"I was actually wondering if I could drive myself?" Asking him while he grabs his wallet and phone off the nightstand and put them in his pant pockets. He had a look like he was thinking about what I had just asked him. "Please..."

"Fine, only if you are careful, and you let me know when you are there and when you're leaving."

"I can do that." I'm so excited!

"Alright, I'll see you later." He says and leaves the bedroom. Once the room was cleared, I let out a big 'yes' while air pumping my arm.

Sitting on the couch in my old apartment. Cass and I watched movies all night and ate junk food. We haven't been able to have any real serious girl talk yet. I could tell Cass wanted to tell me something but wasn't ready to say it just yet. So I am just waiting for when she is ready. We're just getting ready to watch another movie. Looking at the time, it was 11:00 p.m. Taylor would have been home by now. Cass walks into the living room with a new bowl of popcorn.

"Alright, I got another bowl of popcorn," Cass says while taking a seat on the couch next to me.

"Shouldn't Taylor be home by now?" Asking her curiously. I don't know if it was something I said, but she had this sad look. "Cass, what's wrong?"

"Taylor and I broke up."

"What? Why?"

"He cheated on me..." That son of a bitch hurt her! I could kill him!

"Oh...Cass, I'm so sorry. He didn't seem like he was that type."

"I know..."

"Your acting like you aren't too broke about it. Are you alright?" Is she in denial? What's the matter with her?

"I am kind of... Nolan has been around to help me with it."

"Wait? my old boss Nolan? Kendrick friend Nolan?"

"Yes, that what I wanted to talk to you about..." Moving more comfortably on the couch," Taylor and I broke up on your wedding night. I came home a little earlier than I said I was going to, and I caught him. That night Nolan took me home from the wedding. Nolan heard me yelling at Taylor and came into the apartment and kicked Taylor ass for me. Nolan even threw Taylor out of the apartment with his skank following right behind him. Then after they both were gone, Nolan comforted me while I cried my eyes out. After I cried, Nolan took me to his place after seeing what happened here in the apartment. I couldn't stand being in here... Nolan let me sleep in his guest room and sat with me the whole night..."

"Why didn't you tell me? I would have come to you in a flash." She grabs my hands and squeezes them.

"I know you would... your life is complicated enough with being married to your asshole of an ex-boss. Not to mention your wedding night."

"I still would have been here." It went quiet for a minute. "Are you doing alright?"

"I'm doing great. Ever since your wedding Nolan and I have really hit it off." Cass blushes while even mentioning it.

"Cassidy! Your blushing!" Telling her in a loud and happy tone, she blushes even a little darker. "You like Nolan back!"

"I do like him back... I can't be with him yet because I am still a little hungover, Taylor. Nolan told me straight up that he doesn't want to be the rebound guy. He will only date me once I'm over Taylor..."

"That makes sense." Agreeing with what Nolan told her.

"He's adorable. He says that he and I are seeing each other. It's what some people do before they start dating. He has been an incredible friend." She smiles really big talking about him. Awe, that so sweet.

"You seem happy with him in your life."

"I am happy he is in my life. What do you think about Nolan and me?"

"I think it's great Nolan is an amazing guy."

"Good." She curls her leg up onto the couch. "So enough about me, tell me about you and your guy."

"Kendrick and I are great." Smiling big.

"Come on, more detail than that."

"I don know where to even begin, Cass... He's not the guy I thought he was, don't get me wrong. He's still a hardass sometimes, but there are these little moments that I can see he's not such a devil. Like I thought he was... I don't know, or maybe I sound crazy."

"You thought he was the devil? I mean, he's a big asshole but the devil?"

"That not the point, Cass. I don't know what's happening to me. I hated him, and now my hate is slowly melting away. Now I'm excited when he gets home from work. He makes me laugh, and he makes me smile like crazy. I enjoy being around him, and he makes me feel things that I have never felt with any other guy."

"Even Carson?"

"Yes, not even Carson can make me feel like the way I do with Kendrick."

"Wow, that saying something considering you almost lost your virginity to him."

"I know..."

"Sounds like you like Kendrick more than you thought you did. Maybe you might even love him."

"What? I can't fall in love with Kendrick. We haven't been together that long."

"You worked with the man for two years. You know him better than you think you do. Now that you're married, you get to know him even more. In ways, you wouldn't of if you were still working for him. Maybe deep down, you have always liked him but were too afraid to admit it. Now those feelings have been confronted, and you love every bit of feeling them."

"That's sounds crazy."

"Call it crazy all you want but Jenna. I really think you need to figure out your true feelings for him. Take the time to get to know him a little more. While doing so, try to figure out your feelings. Please don't rush into it; take your time figuring them out but don't wait too long to express them either. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yea, I really do."

"Good, Now that we got our serious girl talk over, I need a shot. What about you?"

"Yes, please." She gets off the couch and brings back two shot glasses and a bottle of tequila. She sits back down and fills both glasses. Handing me one, she holds hers up.

"To us and our crazy love lives." We clink glasses and drink our shots. "Want another one?

"Yes.." The alcohol was helping to settle the unsure feelings I was feeling for Kendrick. Cassidy and I talked and drank the rest of the night. Forgetting to text Kendrick that I wasn't coming home.