Two Weeks Between Love and Hate

As they rose from bed, Jason took his time, getting a good stretch in as he stood. Standing nearby, Jillian reached down to retrieve her pajama pants from the floor. His gaze followed her movements, admiring the contours of her figure, eyes tracing along her body. The vibrant curls of her hair, and the delicate freckles dotting her features. His heart raced as he found himself captivated by her presence. A far cry from a little over a week ago where their sight of either would cause him to lash out in anger.

Once she had her pants on, Jillian glanced over at Jason, who seemed to be lost in thought, staring at her butt. Their eyes met when he noticed her looking back at him, holding a silent exchange before Jillian broke into a gentle laugh.

“What’s wrong, goof?” she teased, an infectious grin plastered on her face.

Jason snapped out of his light trance, blinking and shaking his head slightly.

“Nothing, sorry. I just got a little distracted,” he admitted, turning to his suitcase and pulling on some clean boxer briefs.

He heard Jillian giggling about his momentary distraction, while pulling on his old jacket again, which was a tad embarrassing, but it seemed to be happening to him a lot lately. He got dressed in some black slacks and a comfy loose fitting pin striped button up. Once they were both fully dressed, just as he was about to open the door, she unexpectedly jumped onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

“What the...” Jason started, not mad, just a little surprised.

“Humor me? I’ve always wanted to do something like this, but never had the chance... with a boyfriend, at least. Mika makes for a crappy horse,” she explained with a giggle.

“Well, it doesn’t bother me,” Jason replied, grabbing onto her thighs, giving them a squeeze as he carried her out into the hallway, then the living room.

Katia was already in the kitchen, whipping up breakfast, when Jason strolled in with Jillian piggybacking.

“Morning, Mom.”

“Morning, Katia,” they both chimed in cheerfully.

Katia glanced over, a smile spreading across her face at the sight.

“Morning, you two. Hungry?”

“Starving,” Jillian replied, doing her best to stay cheerful and mend the wound that tore them apart.

Katia chuckled softly.

“Well, there’s fruit and toast on the table already. Eggs will be ready soon,” she said before turning back to focus on cooking. With practiced ease, she finished scrambling a heap of eggs and poured them into a pan while Jason carried Jillian over to the table.

“Your stop, ma’am,” he announced, and was met with a dramatic sigh from Jillian.

“If I absolutely have to,” she teased, kissing him on the neck before hopping off his back onto the tiled floor.

The two sat down at the table, enjoying some fruit and toast while engaging in light conversation about dinner. Katia quickly finished cooking the eggs. Walking over with the pan, she scooped a generous portion onto Jason’s plate. Then going back to the stove, she filled Jillian’s plate from a different pan. Everything seemed fine till a minor issue arose.

“Mom…why do my eggs look different from hers?” Jason asked, visibly disappointed as he examined his plate of pale scrambled eggs.

“They’re egg whites, sweetie. I added extra seasoning, so they should taste just fine,” his mother reassured him, eliciting a chuckle from Jillian as she dug into her fluffy yellow eggs.

Captivated by his plate of disappointment, he couldn’t help but stare. The yolk, the highlight and flavor center of the egg, was missing, stolen by some cruel twist of fate.

“What is life without proper eggs?” he grumbled silently.

With a fork that felt heavier than usual, he speared a small pile of egg whites, sighing in resignation.

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic, Jason,” Katia chided her son, placing her own yolk-less plate of eggs beside his. “I could do with shedding a few pounds so we can do this together sweetie.”

He grumbled a response about her being just fine as he reluctantly took a bite.

The eggs were seasoned perfectly, and by all rights were delicious, but nothing could replace the missing yolk flavor. There was a disturbingly low amount of butter used as well, which only further depressed him.

Over breakfast, Jillian outlined the day’s plans and extended a dinner invite to Katia, who declined due to her commitment to volunteering at the local senior center. That made her wonder about Katia’s situation. Despite not being of retirement age and not appearing wealthy, she dedicated her time to volunteering rather than working.

Sensing Jillian’s curiosity, Jason subtly tapped her with his foot under the table. He gave her a hard stare to try and make her drop the topic. Jason’s perceptiveness bugged the ever living crap out of her sometimes. So she silently resolved to extract information from him later instead. Perhaps squeeze it out of him in more ways than one to satisfy her curiosity about Katia’s situation.

After breakfast, Jason and Jillian pitched in to tidy up the table and do the dishes. Despite a bit of resistance from his mother, they managed to get the job done efficiently this time. With the dishes completed, they said goodbye to Katia and made their way down the road to the Lins’s house. Upon entering, they found the house nearly empty, as if they had just missed Ginny leaving to take Lonnie to school. Despite the eerie quietness of the spacious home, Jillian didn’t seem fazed. As they entered the living room, they spotted June sitting on the couch, her back to them, engrossed in her laptop.

“Hey June, what’s…,” Jillian began, but her words trailed off.

June nearly slammed her laptop shut and turned to find both her sister and Jason standing there, their expressions a mix of surprise and confusion at her reaction. June’s face flushed crimson as she gaped at them, then quickly signed,

“What are you two doing here?” Her panic was evident even in her sign language.

“We were just planning to hang out here for a bit before dinner... Soooo, what were you up to, little sis?” Jillian asked, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.

“Nothing,” June signed back, clutching her laptop to her chest, though her defensive posture only made her look that much more guilty.Jillian strolled over and leaned over the back of the couch, still grinning mischievously at her little sister.

“Come on, spill the tea, girl. You can tell your big sister, right?”

June shook her head firmly, glancing briefly at Jason, who hovered nearby, trying to stay inconspicuous. Jillian glanced at him too.

“Hey, hun, can you go wait in my room for just a little bit? I’ll come get you soon,” she asked Jason sweetly before refocusing on June.

“Sure, but where is your room?” he asked, unsure of the layout.

“Upstairs, down the hall, first door to the right,” she clarified quickly.

Jason might have expressed some dissatisfaction about being dismissed so suddenly, but he found himself rather curious about Jillian’s room. After all, Jillian had snuck into his room countless times, yet he had never gotten to see hers.

“Alright, just let me know when it’s safe to come down, I guess,” he said with a shrug, turning to head for the stairs.

He heard footsteps approaching rapidly from behind before he even put one foot on the stairs. He turned around and found arms wrapped around his neck and pulled into a kiss by Jillian. They kissed for a few moments before parting, both smiling as they looked into each other’s eyes.

“Thanks, handsome. Wait for me,” she whispered cutely, giving him another peck before releasing him. With smiles, they went their separate ways: Jillian returned to her sister, and Jason made his way up the stairs.

Walking into the bedroom, Jason took in the rather girly atmosphere of the room. The walls were adorned with posters, photos, and various decorations, giving the room a personal touch. Two beds occupied opposite corners, making it clear that the sisters who lived here shared the space. Jason often wondered what it would be like to have a sibling. His parents had hinted that he was their miracle baby, but they never elaborated on why they hadn’t had more children. As he glanced at the bed with the simpler sheets, he noticed a collection of pictures above the headboard. Most of them featured a teenage Jillian, her familiar face smiling back at him. There were also a ton of Mika photos on the wall, including one where a rather young Jillian and Mika were making a heart shape with their hands. Mika did not look happy about it. She looked quite different without all the tattoos and piercings that she had now.

As he continued browsing the pictures on the wall, he noticed a few featuring guys next to Jill. Most of them had their faces crossed out with a red marker.

“I guess they’re all exes,” he remarked with a chuckle, recognizing many of them.

High school memories flooded back to him. Most of the boys in the pictures tormented him back then since it seemed like a requirement to date her. In the end they were all just passing flavors for her, discarded after a month or so usually. One photo caught his eye; the boy’s face was completely scribbled out. All he could make out was a tuft of brown hair. It made him wonder why she kept the photos if she disliked the people in them so much. After exploring the room further, he ended up lying down and relaxing on the bed, gazing at the ceiling, contemplating both the past and the future.

The front door swung open and closed as Ginny returned home after dropping Lonnie off at school. Entering the living room, she spotted her two daughters seated on the couch, engrossed in conversation. Grinning at the scene, she gently placed Calvin on the floor to play before joining them.

“Hey, Mom,” the girls chorused, glancing over at her.

“Hello my dears. How is everything? Jill, I didn’t expect to see you here. Figured you’d be with your new beau,” Ginny teased, earning an eye-roll from Jillian.

“Mom, nobody says that anymore. And I sent him upstairs while June and I catch up,” Ginny was surprised to see that her daughter had him wrapped around her finger already.

“Well, I hope you were at least nice about it,” Ginny remarked, a hint of suspicion in her tone.

Jillian glared at her mother at the accusation.

“Of course not, you know me. I told him to hurry upstairs before I lose my temper and beat him again,” she quipped, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Of course, I was nice about it. Thanked him with a kiss and everything.”

Her sister June suddenly interjected with a whispered voice, “You did forget to say please.”

Jillian shot her a playful glare.

“You little snitch,” she chuckled. “You are lucky mom is here now,” she continued, but not letting June off the hook so easily. “But you might want to fill Kyle in on why you had to cut your video chat short.”

“Jill!” June exclaimed, slightly louder than her normal whisper, as her sister threw her under the bus in front of their mom. Maybe her mom could talk her sister out of spending anymore time with Kyle better than she could.

Jillian leaped over the couch and dashed off. “I’m off to rescue my boyfriend from prison. Back in a while!” she shouted, cackling as she hurried up the stairs.

“Still chatting with Kyle, huh?” Ginny remarked, her attention now fully on her youngest daughter as the eldest made her exit. June sat there in silence, hugging her laptop tightly, blushing furiously and pouting slightly.

Climbing up to their shared room, Jillian quietly opened the door and peeked inside to check on Jason. As expected, he was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She pushed the door open and walked up to him, putting her hands on her hips. He tilted his head to meet her gaze, and Jillian promptly straddled his lap as he lay there.

“You weren’t snooping through my dairy or sniffing my laundry, were you?” she teased with a grin, looking down at him.

“First off, you don’t strike me as the diary-keeping type, and second, no, sniffing gross, dirty laundry is your deal,” Jason chuckled as Jillian reached down and grabbed his hands. Then, she pulled them under the tracksuit jacket on her bare waist.

“Wow, rude, calling my dirty old laundry gross. You’re supposed to like every aspect of me, even the gross ones no one actually likes. The constant buzz I get from wearing this sweat soaked jacket is very nice though,” she grinned at him, leaning down and placing her hands on his chest.

“I prefer to focus on the less gross parts, thank you very much,” he said, as their lips were now only inches apart.

“Oh, like what?” she whispered back.

“I’ll let you know when I find one,” he teased, smiling up at her.

They both shared a small laugh before their lips pressed together in a soft kiss. Their lips parted and met again and again. Their tongues eventually joined in on the passionate dance of their kiss. Taking deep breaths through their noses, they explored each other’s bodies with eager hands. The irresistible urge to be as close as possible to one another consumed them. His hands traced along her back, from her shoulders down to the plump curves of her butt, giving it a firm squeeze. Her fingers trailed up his chest and along his stubbled face, then tangled into his thick dark hair.

“I guess…It’s been…. an hour,” Jason said between their clashing lips.

Jillian giggled softly and only gave him a soft kiss.

“Mmhmm.”

The two continued their passionate make-out session for several more minutes until Jillian pulled back, gasping for breath.

“Mmm fuck…we need to slow down,” she said, pausing to softly kiss his lips one last time, then trailing her lips down his jawline. “If we don’t, I’m gonna end up riding your cock. We shouldn't while my mom and sister are here.” she moaned softly as she grazed her teeth along his neck.

“Yeah, let's slow down before things...” Before he could finish, Jillian had already freed him from his pants, and her pajama bottoms were down her thighs.

“Wait, weren’t you just saying...”

“I changed my mind,” she interrupted groaning, before guiding his tip to her entrance and impaling herself upon it. She let out a soft moan of ecstasy into his mouth as she kissed him again.

“Just a quick one, okay? Don't hold back, finish inside me quick baby,” she whispered as she began to move her hips rhythmically, spearing herself as deep as she could on his thick cock.

“Ngh, okay. Fuck, just a quick one…god, you feel so good,” he agreed with a groan, holding onto her waist as she rode him. His eyes rolled back in his head as she gyrated atop him.

The two made love yet again on Jillian’s bed, keeping their promise to make things quick. It certainly wasn’t hard finishing quickly with how tight she was. Her prison rescue had turned into more of a conjugal visit instead.

Afterward, the two snuck into the bathroom to clean up. Jillian emerged first, heading back to her room to make sure the coast was clear. She quickly slipped into a cozy gray sweater and snug stretch jeans. Jason followed suit a few minutes later, feeling a bit like they were mischievous teenagers sneaking around. They met at the top of the stairs for one last kiss before parting and staring into each other’s eyes.

“I already love this so much…I don’t want you to leave,” she whispered sadly.

“I know,” he replied solemnly, giving her one last peck on the lips.

Heading downstairs, they held hands, navigating the steps together. It wasn’t the easiest task, but they managed. Once they reached the bottom, they returned to the living room. The sound of vacuuming emanated from the nursery. June was dusting in the living room, ensuring that the paintings and photo frames on the walls were clean.

“Oh crap, I forgot it was Monday. We usually clean the house today,” Jillian said with a frown, glancing over at Jason.“I’m sorry. You can head back home if you want, or just hang out and watch some TV or something till we are done,” she apologized, but he just chuckled lightly.

“There's no way I’m going to sit around and watch TV while everyone else cleans. I don’t mind helping, babe,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze and smiling.

She gave Jason a weak smile, Jillian felt super awkward about Jason helping clean a house that wasn’t even his on his supposed vacation.

“You sure?” she had to ask, her lower lips poking out in a slight pout. But the cuteness of her pout only sealed it further for him. So he nodded, not seeming upset in the slightest.

“Yeah, I’m sure. I can get the spots up high for you.”

Just as he was suggesting it, he felt someone patting his arm. Jason turned around to see June pointing up at a large family portrait that was almost as big as her.

“She wants you to help get the top for her,” Jillian confirmed.

Jason chuckled a little and smiled. “Yeah, I got that. Sure, I don’t mind. Let me see the duster.”

With that, the group got to work making the house spotless. Ginny walked out of the nursery to find not only her daughters helping but also Jason, mostly tackling the hard-to-reach spots that the small women in the house would need a chair or step stool to reach. Ginny quickly ensured Jason was not press-ganged into helping.

“She didn’t offer you any money, did she, 'cause she is broke, you know?”

“Mooooom!” Jillian said with a whine.

The four efficiently moved from one room to another. Despite the usual time-consuming nature of their work, they managed to finish in half the time. Pausing for an early lunch, Ginny prepared chef salads for everyone, evidently influenced by a recent conversation with Katia. Jason’s salad consisted of lean cuts of meat and hard-boiled egg whites. Jason managed to eat the salad without complaint despite his frustration with his doctor for sabotaging his vacation. Jillian sneakily offered him a bite filled with cheese, ham, and actual egg yolk, which he enjoyed immensely and made him even more enamored with his new girlfriend than before.

After lunch, there were only a few more rooms to finish up, and Ginny had to go pick up Lonnie. June went up to her room and took a nap, which left the couple alone to do what they wished. The look in Jillian’s eyes said everything, and Jason was more than tempted. But he didn’t really want to spend the rest of his time here simply having sex and nothing else. As nice as that sounded.

“I say we go for a run,” Jason suggested with a smile. Jillian’s eyes went wide in terror at the idea.

“What?! Are you seriously saying you would rather exercise than have sex with your beautiful girlfriend?” she scoffed in offense. He just rolled his eyes at her attempt to guilt him out of going on the run.

“You mean the girlfriend I’ve had sex with three times in the last twenty-four hours? The oh-so-humble and modest woman I call mine?”

Though he teased her mercilessly, he quickly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an embrace.

“Making love to you is amazing, and there isn’t anything I would rather do, but I want to spend time with you doing other things, too,” Jason said sweetly while Jillian continued to pout, even though she had immediately wrapped her arms around him when he started holding her. She really didn’t want to go for a run right now.

“We don’t have to go for a run, but I do want to go out with you and do something else for a bit, okay?”

Jillian grumbled what he thought was an agreement, followed by some muffled words as she buried her face in his chest.

“Huh? What was that?”

She lifted her head to look at him as she spoke this time.

“I said fine, but what?”

Saying her piece, she shoved her face back into his chest. Jason chuckled a little and rubbed her back softly.

“Well, have I told you how much I enjoyed going out and shopping with you last week?” She shook her head in response.

“Well, I did. It’s one of my new favorite memories. Why don’t we go somewhere in town and look around some shops? I could still use a few things to keep here for when I visit.”

After Jason spoke he waited for a response as Jillian remained silent for several moments.

“Jill?…Babe?” he said, trying to get her to respond. Jillian eventually looked up at him with flushed cheeks.

“I told you to stop saying such cute things, you jerk!” she complained, her freckles tinged red with her blush. It made Jason smile wide and laugh.

“Haha, well, does that sound like a plan at least?”

She let out another huff and nodded.

“Let me change my shirt first, and we can go.”

While Jillian went to get changed, Jason left to get the car. When he got back, he waited for her to come out of the house. When she finally did, he saw her walk out in the same form-fitting long-sleeve cut-off that showed off her midsection. Once she was in the SUV, he leaned over, and the two shared a quick kiss.

“You look beautiful,” Jason complimented her. Instead of accepting it as it was, she scowled back at him.

“How many times am I going to have to tell you to stop doing that shit?!”

He certainly wasn’t taking her warnings to heart about saying cute things, as she put it.

“I can’t help it,” he teased with a laugh before driving off.

The pair headed into town and stopped first at a small, locally-owned grocery. The Italian family that owned it ran a small deli that served amazing, oily sandwiches with freshly sliced meat. Jason almost cried eating his after suffering through the breakfast and lunch. Jillian was content to simply watch the man, happy to see him happy. As much as she teased him for it, she believed he wouldn’t be in the shape he was in if he ate like this all the time. She also didn’t know the whole reason Katia and her mom were making such a fuss over his food.

After picking up some stuff for Ginny to use for dinner, they finished up at the grocer. Jason profusely thanked the owner, who manned the deli counter before they left.

“That sandwich rivaled the Cuban ones that I get out in Ybor City,” Jason said with a smile as they walked out and got in the car.

“Ybor City?” Jillian questioned.

Jason explained that it was a small town that hosted many Cubans and other immigrants. He took several moments to rave about the food before they arrived at their next destination, which was none other than their local Ross. The two walked into the store and looked around at all the discount clothing.

The entire time they were there, she kept making him try on different shirts and pants, along with every hat they passed by, much to her amusement. As much as Jason disliked being dressed up, he was just as happy to see her happy, so he let her have her fun. Not everything she picked out was bad, either. Some he threw into their cart to keep at his mom's.

They managed to spend nearly two hours just wandering around and looking at and seeing how clothes might look on him and her. Jason wanted to get her some extra clothes so she didn’t have to keep wearing the same thing before washing. She didn’t ask or tell him that. He just seemed to pick it up from seeing the same pieces of clothing from time to time. Once again, Jason’s awareness bugged the crap out of her.

After checking out, they had a large bag of clothes that Jillian carried happily, clinging to Jason as they left.

“Thank you, baby. This was wonderful. I had a great time,” she cooed happily. Jason smiled and gave her a squeeze.

“Me too baby, I really enjoyed.-” Just as they stepped outside, Jason suddenly stopped walking. Looking down, he found he had kicked a set of keys.

“Looks like someone lost their keys. I should go turn them in just in case someone comes looking for them.” He bent down and grabbed the keys. “I am gonna run inside and give these to the manager. I will be right back!”

Before Jillian could really object, he turned and ran back into the store, looking for an employee. This was easier said than done, given that they ran on a skeleton crew like most of these stores. Jillian frowned slightly but took a deep breath to try to calm herself.

“Once he is gone, you are gonna be without him for so much longer. I can’t let this short moment break me already,” Jillian internally whimpered. Though she wanted to be strong, she already felt the oncoming pain of him having to leave.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t even notice the person approaching her from behind.

“Jillian… is that really you?” A man’s voice said from behind her.

When she turned to see who had said her name, her eyes widened when she saw who it was. Before she could react, the man suddenly embraced her.

“Oh my god, it is you!” he exclaimed. “It's been so long, I can’t believe it!” the man holding her gushed happily, showing no sign of releasing her. It took her a moment before Jillian found the clarity to struggle against him.

“Brice?! What the hell are you doing?! Let me go!”