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last online Apr 18, 2024 19:30:14 GMT -7
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Nov 13, 2017 6:31:28 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2017 6:31:28 GMT -7
Jess was excited. It was the first thing she and Fin planned to do together after deciding that they were dating and she really just couldn’t wait to spend more time with him. Now that the weather was good, they decided it would be fun to go on a hike together. Jess was a pretty physical person and took care to make sure she was in shape, but she wasn’t sure how good she would be at hiking. She didn’t do it a lot, after all. Still, the idea of talking for hours and seeing a good view at the top definitely sounded worth it to her.
She stood at the head of the trail, waiting for him to show up. Jess knew she was early, she couldn’t help it. She was an early riser, and she didn’t want to be late for the date, which meant she was early. This wouldn’t be surprising to anyone that really knew her, but she wasn’t sure how well Fin knew her, which was fine. That was the whole point of dating, to spend time together and get to know one another better. She bit her lip as she looked around, waiting for him to show.
@finley
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last online Apr 18, 2024 19:30:14 GMT -7
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Nov 13, 2017 7:46:37 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2017 7:46:37 GMT -7
Of course Fin knew that Jess liked being early to things. He had seen her do it countless times at school. Especially if it was in the morning. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he did know it was one of those things about her. He guessed that she would feel bad if he showed up before her and she 'kept him waiting' or something, so he let her get there first, and arrived just two minutes before the agreed time.
He has a back pack of snacks, water and emergency supplies. He hiked often, usually by himself. Now that he was hiking with Jess, his girlfriend, he packed even more things just to be safe. " you must be waiting for some really lucky guy," he said, stepping up to kiss her on the cheek.
@jessavette
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last online Apr 18, 2024 19:30:14 GMT -7
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Nov 13, 2017 8:09:15 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2017 8:09:15 GMT -7
Fin showed up early as well, which made Jess smile. She laughed at his comment and then closed her eyes momentarily when he kissed her cheek. "I guess you could say that," she answered once he pulled away, her eyes mischievous. "Or you could say that I'm the lucky one. Either way." Really though, she still felt kind of surprised that he wanted to be with her. He was so calm and in control of his life, he had a real job. She was just an intern still, feeling like a mix of a student and adult. She wasn't going to complain though. Being with Fin made her happier than anything else in her life.
"Are you ready to go?" She asked, noticing his backpack. "You look prepared." Jess did think to bring a water bottle, which she was holding in her hand, but she didn't know why he would want a backpack unless he had something else planned for the hike ... like a picnic or something. She shook her head, trying not to overthink things. She smiled up at him, waiting for his response.
@finley
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last online Apr 18, 2024 19:30:14 GMT -7
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Nov 13, 2017 8:16:55 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2017 8:16:55 GMT -7
She said that they could say she was the lucky one but he shook his head, smiling. Then she asked if he was ready to go, mentioning his preparedness. He laughed, "always prepared. Yeah, let's get moving," he turned and took her hand to start moving. "Have you been on this trail before? It's one of the easier hikes, just a little long to get to the top since the ascension isn't as steep," he explained. It was a good hike for if you wanted to talk while walking. You weren't out of breath from working so hard and it was long so you could have many good conversations with even moments of silence in between. He had only taken one person on this hike but they didn't do the whole thing because she could get pretty and patient and bored with this sort of thing. He had a feeling just would be more willing to complete the hike.
@jessavette
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last online Apr 18, 2024 19:30:14 GMT -7
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Nov 13, 2017 8:23:54 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2017 8:23:54 GMT -7
He laughed at her teasing, which made Jess smile. She loved how well he responded to her teasing. All too often she felt like she annoyed people because she wasn't entirely serious all the time, but Fin seemed to appreciate her for who she was, which was nice. As he took her hand and started walking, Jess moved as well, excited they would be spending all afternoon together. She shook her head at his question, "I like hiking, but I don't do it a lot. I never heard about this trail until you mentioned it the other day." A part of her felt relieved when he mentioned that it wasn't a hard hike. That was good. Hopefully it meant she wouldn't get too out of breath and embarrass herself in front of him, not that she thought he would care if she got out of breath ... but she would. "Do you hike a lot?" Jess asked curiously.
@finley
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last online Apr 18, 2024 19:30:14 GMT -7
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Nov 14, 2017 11:59:50 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2017 11:59:50 GMT -7
She said she liked hiking but didn't do it a lot, and hadn't heard about the trail. She asked if he hiked a lot and he chuckled. "Probably more than I do anything else. Maybe I should get a dog to keep me company," he chuckled, then his eyes widened a little, "well, me and you company," he corrected. It was kind of strange to think that he had someone he could consider to be regularly around him. Aside from Elaine, really, but she couldn't and wouldn't do stuff like this with him. The relationships were very different, of course. Since Desirae had to go into hiding with Elaine things had been rather hard for him. But now he had Jess, who he'd always wanted to be around, so that was very nice. It just took getting used to.
@jessavette
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last online Apr 18, 2024 19:30:14 GMT -7
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Nov 14, 2017 18:09:48 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2017 18:09:48 GMT -7
She couldn't help but smile when he started to explain that he hiked more than anything else. That was interesting, and definitely something she didn't know about him. Jess was fully enjoying every opportunity she got to talk to him and learn more about him. He mentioned getting a dog for company, laughed and then paused, correcting himself. Jess blushed at his correction. She hadn't even thought about the dog keeping her company as well ... not that she had a lot of time to think about it before he added her into the picture. "I like dogs, so I'd definitely be good with that if you got one," she said, smiling at the thought. Dogs were cool. "Do you normally go on hikes on your own?" Jess assumed the answer to that was yes since he thought a dog would keep him company, but she couldn't help but ask all the same. "And how have you been the last few days?" She wished she could see him every day, but they were both busy with work so it wasn't a possibility.
@finley
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last online Apr 18, 2024 19:30:14 GMT -7
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Nov 15, 2017 5:59:05 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Nov 15, 2017 5:59:05 GMT -7
She said they liked dogs and he led the way, gently reaching back to take her hand. "If I didn't work so much it wouldn't be a bad idea. I just hate the thought of leaving it home alone," he frowned. "Maybe I could give you a key and you could visit the pup," he joked, but then realized how serious that made their relationship sound. "Erh- when the time comes. If," he corrected, stupidly. She asked if he normally hiked on his own and he nodded, "I like to get as much fresh air as possible. I was up here a lot when I was a kid," he explained loosely. He wandered off often when he was a kid, so this was one of the places he went. "Parents weren't fond of hiking," his parents weren't fond of him, either.
She asked how he had been and he smiled at her, nodding, "well. Missing you," he lifted her hand to his lips to kiss the back of it, "and yourself?"
@jessavette
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last online Apr 18, 2024 19:30:14 GMT -7
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Nov 28, 2017 20:50:46 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2017 20:50:46 GMT -7
Jess noticed him reaching for her hand and stepped closer, making it possible. She liked the idea of him giving her a key to his apartment so she could visit his hypothetical puppy, but he seemed to get nervous at the mention of it. "I can understand not wanting to leave it alone," she paused a moment before continuing, "And even if we weren't dating and you wanted me to visit a puppy at your apartment while you were working, I wouldn't have a problem with that." Her point was that he didn't need to feel uncomfortable about it, but she wasn't entirely sure if that came through. She smiled when he explained that he hiked a lot as a child, but her smile fell slightly when he added that his parents didn't like it. Did that mean ... "You came on your own?" she asked, trying not to sound judgmental, but extremely curious.
He kissed her hand, saying that he missed her and Jess blushed. "The same, of course." She sighed before admitting, "I wish I could see you more, actually." She hoped that wouldn't make him feel uncomfortable, since they only recently decided to date, but it was how she felt and she felt like he should know that.
@finley
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last online Apr 18, 2024 19:30:14 GMT -7
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Dec 9, 2017 10:11:29 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2017 10:11:29 GMT -7
She said she would visit the puppy even if they weren't dating and he chuckled. "Well, let's hope the dating thing works out anyway," he said softly. Then she asked about him hiking on his own and his brow furrowed. "Yeah... I didn't mind." He really didn't, either. Not once he was used to it and everything. It was a happy time for him, being on his own in the trees and moving his feet. It was better than being at home.
Jess said she missed him too, and he grinned, almost kissing her hand again but just holding it instead. She said she wished she could see him more and he nodded stopping to step closer to her, "we can do our best," he promise, moving to wrap his free hand around her waist, "there's always night," he suggested, since neither of them usually worked nights. He could be called out at night with Elaine OR work, and she could be called to a story but... still. "Kiss me?"
@jessavette
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last online Apr 18, 2024 19:30:14 GMT -7
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Dec 9, 2017 11:43:55 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2017 11:43:55 GMT -7
Jess grinned when Fin chuckled. She loved making him smile and laugh. "I've been hoping that all along," she admitted casually, trying to act confident. She knew he liked her. He wouldn't be spending this time with her if he didn't, so why hide her real feelings? She wouldn't. She nodded when he said that he didn't mind hiking alone as a child. Even if he didn't mind it, the idea made her a little sad. Why would he rather be on his own than with his family? She didn't say anything else about it though, letting the topic drop.
He stopped walking when she said she wished they could spend more time together and Jess smiled as he moved closer. She loved spending time with him and was so glad that this wasn't a one-sided relationship. She nodded at his suggestion of night. "Even if one of us has to leave for work in the middle, it's better than nothing, right?" Jess shrugged a little. Then he asked her to kiss him and Jess smiled, looking up a little since he was a few inches taller than her. She didn't say anything, just leaned forward and kissed him hard, wrapping her arms around him as she did so. She couldn't help it; she missed him the last few days. More than she expected.
@finley
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last online Apr 18, 2024 19:30:14 GMT -7
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Dec 14, 2017 20:53:23 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2017 20:53:23 GMT -7
She said she had been hoping that all along, that their dating would work out. She was always so confident about this kind of stuff. She was just so... faithful. She had hope, something he had rarely dared to have. Then, when he stopped walking she stopped too, smiling at him. That smile was like a bright light in his eyes, but not in the same painful way. Just... bright, and hard to look away from. She nodded, saying that even if one of them had to leave for work in the middle of that night, it was better than nothing. She kissed him when he asked, and he bent down to meet her lips. The kiss was harder than he expected and he wrapped his around around her shoulders to pull her closely.
When he broke the kiss, he kept one arm around around her and started walking again, "speaking of... how long do I have you for today?"
@jessavette
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last online Apr 18, 2024 19:30:14 GMT -7
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Dec 14, 2017 22:59:29 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2017 22:59:29 GMT -7
The more time Jess spent around Fin, the more she realized how safe she felt in his arms. Granted, it was a relatively new sensation, since he hadn't held her like this before they kissed the other night, but she relished in it all the same. What was even better was the fact that after their kiss, he didn't release her entirely. He started walking with one arm around her shoulders and Jess followed instantly, not because he pulled her but because she wanted to. At his question she grinned up at him, "I don't work today." Which was one of the reasons she was so excited about it, though Jess supposed she should hold her excitement back until she knew whether or not Fin worked. "So you have me for as long as you want. Are you busy today?" With something other than spending time with Jess, of course. She continued walking, smiling at her surroundings. She liked the serenity of being away from large groups of people. Being with Fin just made that better in practically every way.
@finley
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last online Apr 18, 2024 19:30:14 GMT -7
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Dec 19, 2017 11:35:10 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2017 11:35:10 GMT -7
She said she didn't work today, grinning, and he grinned too. She asked if he was busy and he shook his head, "no. Well, not really. I'm kind of on call, though... I'm kind of always on call," he explained. She didn't have to know that this meant with Elaine, not necessarily with work. He squeezed her shoulder, "but we'll take all of the time we can get," he encouraged.
The continued climbing, occasionally he would have to take her hand instead of her shoulders or help hoist her up in tough spots, but there weren't many. Jess was athletic and capable, and probably didn't need his help at all, but he liked helping. He liked being relied on, by her especially. "So," he started, "what kind of things do you plan to write about at the Daily?"
@jessavette
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last online Apr 18, 2024 19:30:14 GMT -7
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Dec 19, 2017 13:03:12 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2017 13:03:12 GMT -7
Fin said he was on call and Jess nodded. It made sense. His job was important and required when things happened so he might not always work conventional hours. As long as they got to see one another consistently, she didn’t care about that. She smiled when he said they’d take all the time they could. ”Any ideas on something we can do after the hike, if you don’t have to leave that is?”
Hiking with Fin was surreal. Even when they didn’t talk, just being around him was calming, as was the hike itself. Jess loved nature. When the trail got a little more complicated, he’d help her up, which Jess loved. Eventually Fin asked what she wanted to write about and Jess shrugged. ”I’m not really sure,” she told him. ”I love writing in general but I don’t have a specific thing I want to write about. I’m trying to figure that out before I get promoted from an intern, which should happen this fall.” Jess turned to look at Fin, wondering if she was boring him. As she did so, her foot caught on a root that was sticking up out of the ground. A sharp pain went up her leg and the next thing she knew, Jess found herself on her hands and knees, her right ankle throbbing. Naturally. Of course she’d be clumsy in front of Fin.
@finley
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