Chapter Twenty-Four

Dani really hated making decisions about food. Once we had remembered how to breathe as individuals again, I had decided to press my luck and tell her that we were going to sushi. And she was delighted. As the plans were solidified - Seth and Jess would meet us in a place in Cupertino - I began to feel concerned that Jess wouldn't be able to control herself. It had been a close one with the video call, dinner could be flirting with disaster.

Dani had decided that the shortalls were too much for dinner and had gone with a maroon top and mid-thigh denim cutoffs with a patterned pullover and heavy bangles. She was back to her usual boho, and just as beautiful as the first night I had seen her. I felt sad that she was sticking with her traditional, adult fashion but it was wholly unsurprising given her embarrassed reaction at being seen by Seth.

"I figured you'd be sick of sushi," I teased her as we drove. Having her in my car was comforting as always, having her close where I could touch her if I wanted to.

"I mean... " she said, sounding unsettled, "We don't have to if you don't want to, you're probably sick of it."

"I'm not," I smiled. "I was only teasing. We can eat there again tomorrow if you really want. I enjoy the food, but I enjoy the company even more."

"Thanks Vanessa," she blushed, looking Little to me even in her stylish outfit. "You make me feel good."

"My goal," I said gently, "is to make you feel like a princess."

She liked that.

Seth and Jess had somehow beat us there - they must have left as soon as I messaged to have gotten there so quickly. Seth was in his usual blackest-of-black-black jeans and a button up shirt, his hair slicked back and generally looking very together. Jess was a stark contrast, a riot of color on her knee-length swing dress, sleeveless and covered in flowers and butterflies. Her long blonde hair fell loose around her shoulders and her only tell was the tiny pacifier-shaped charm around her neck... and the Daddy's Girl bracelet on her left wrist.

"Seth," I greeted him, giving him a small hug as he stood. "Hello Jessica."

"Hi hi, Nessa," she bubbled, causing my heart to sink just a bit. This is a terrible idea, I thought, it's all going to blow up in my face.

"You two remember Dani," I gestured to my date, who shook Seth's hand delicately. Jess' greeting was much less subtle, she glomped Dani, hugging her tightly.

"Dani Dani," she grinned. "You changed out of your shortalls, you were so cute!"

"Jessica," Seth took her shoulders gently and guided her to her seat. "What mistake did you make?"

Her eyes widened and Dani shifted uncomfortably. My heart didn't feel like it was beating at all, like it was stopped dead in my chest.

"I'm not supposed to hug people without asking," she answered quietly. "I'm sorry, Dani."

"It's okay," Dani waved her hand in a dismissive gesture, before sitting down. Of course she'd ignore it, she let Julian walk all over her boundaries, why wouldn't she let Jess? "I forgive you. Do you like sushi?"

"I do!" Jess beamed, snapping out of her somber moment instantly, "But not the ones that Nessa and Da... Seth like." She saw Dani as another Little already, she was struggling to keep to their vanilla rules. "I like the battered and deep fried ones, they only like the boring rice and fish."

"Me too!" Dani gushed, pulling the menu open and pointing to the most bizarre roll I'd ever seen - it was a variation on the relatively common caterpillar roll... but they'd actually added a head to it. It looked like it would be a cacophony of flavors. "I want this one."

"Ooo," Jess breathed as Seth and I sat down. He shot me a knowing smirk, which I returned. "Oh, if I get this one," she pointed to a picture of a roll that was actually shaped like a flower, this place apparently went even more non-traditional than most, "will you trade me some of your caterpillar?"

"I love sharing sushi," Dani laughed, the awkwardness between the two of them evaporating. "You pick three and I pick three?"

"Okay!" Jess giggled, grabbing a menu herself and staring at the pictures.

Seth's smile was wide and beaming and I finally started to relax, letting the smirk linger on my lips. Maybe this dinner was going to be okay after all.

* * *

The two Littles trading sushi rolls had been adorable, while Seth and I were a stark contrast with our more traditional meal. Watching Dani instruct Jess on the proper way to use chopsticks was worth the price of admission... I had tried to explain it several times, Seth had tried to explain it several times, but Dani - somehow - managed to correct her in a fun and cute way that Jess actually accepted.

I had to shoot Seth a look to get him to close his gaping mouth.

"You know," Dani said, "I wasn't sure about you at first, Jess. You're really intense, but I like you. I feel like we should have been friends for a long time already."

"Me too!" Jess laughed, "Everybody was so afraid that I'd say something stupid and- "

"Vanessa Evans," the voice came from behind me, off to my left. I could tell by the look on Seth's face that I had gone pale. I heard the footsteps approaching.

"Hi Lauren!" Jess beamed. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before turning, and there she was. It had been less than three months since she tore my heart out and left it bleeding on the ground, and there she was. She wore a pair of faded and ripped blue jeans with a t-shirt from some cartoon I didn't recognize... and a look of anger and disgust on her face.

Why now?

"Hi Lauren," I echoed. "I hope you're doing well."

"Do you really?" she asked sharply - she had cut her hair since we split, the pixie cut suited her. She'd added an eyebrow piercing as well, and her makeup was much heavier than she used to wear it, a dark burgundy to her lips and heavy eye-shadow. "Is this your new girlfriend?"

"Look," Seth began, attempting to be the diplomat, "I know you're really upset, but this isn't really an appropriate- "

"Appropriate!?" Lauren snapped. Dani shifted uncomfortably beside me. "You want to talk to me about appropriate?" She leaned in close, staring at Dani, "I know she's a really fucking good lay now, but it's a goddamn trap. She's just trying to pull you into her sick game. Next thing you know, you'll be tied to the bed and she tries to put a fucking dia- "

"Excuse me," Jess snapped, standing up. It was a voice I hadn't heard in a long time. Her tone dropped half an octave and there was a viciousness to it that sweet Jess didn't seem capable of. "You need to leave right the fuck now, Lauren. You have absolutely no right to- "

"I have every right to warn her next victim," Lauren snapped.

"Listen here bitch," Jess stepped around Seth, who was staring wide-eyed. She stood uncomfortably close to Lauren, fury in her eyes and on her lips. "You had a safeword. You used it. She stopped and you left. That's that. You were a kinky bitch before you slipped into her bed, Lauren. Just because you don't like the game doesn't give you the right to come in here and try to embarrass her. You need to get the fuck away from this table and away from my friend before I tear your eyebrow ring out and feed it to you. Got it?"

Lauren shrank visibly as we all sat in stunned silence.

"You can't talk to me like- " she attempted, but was cut off again.

"I'm being nice to you right now and giving you a chance to walk the fuck away before shit gets ugly," Jessica snarled. "Now. Fucking. Go."

Lauren slipped away without another word, without even looking at me. I was all twisted up in knots from the altercation - I had made myself vulnerable to that woman in a very real way, and all it got me was hatred. I felt wilted, worn, and shell-shocked. All of that faded away quickly as Jess collapsed into Seth's lap and began crying.

"What's wrong, cupcake?" he asked softly. "Why are you crying?"

"Because I was mean," she sobbed. "I didn't like it but I didn't want her to hurt Nessa and Dani... "

"That was... really intense," Dani said quietly. "You're such a sweetheart, Jess... I didn't think you had that in you."

"Neither did I," I agreed. "Thank you for standing up for me. You're a really good friend."

"Excuse me," a small man in a pressed white shirt and black slacks was standing at our table unexpectedly. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Your scene is disturbing other patrons."

"I'm very sorry," I said, embarrassed. "Let's pay and be on our way. Sorry that got uncomfortable," I said to my friends. "I'll take care of this. I'm really sorry."

Jess was still sobbing as Seth led her out - it was so strange how she had gone from bubbly adorable Jess to the fierce fighter we had witnessed... back to a Little girl, crying to her Daddy. Dani looked shaken. I paid quickly, leaving a good tip, before I wrapped my arm gently around her shoulder and walked us to the door. She seemed distant, disturbed. Seth and Jess were waiting outside.

"I'm really sorry that happened, Vanessa," he said softly, his arm still around Jess'. "It was a really good dinner until that happened."

"I- I really," Jess hiccuped, her arms both wrapped around Seth's waist as she leaned into him. "I really liked meeting you for real, Dani. I hope we can still be friends."

"Of course we can be friends," Dani assured her, "We had a lot of fun, we're not going to not be friends just because a crazy ex-girlfriend showed up and was a bitch."

"Good," Jess nodded sagely. She turned and opened Seth's car door and grabbed her ridiculous stuffed unicorn, hugging it tightly. "Sorry, I just needed her. Hugging this toy makes me feel better."

"No judgement," Dani shrugged. "I have a squirrel purse."

"Really?" Jess giggled, some of her sadness chased away, "Can I see?"

"He's... in my car, I'm using my backup right now. I'll show you next time we get together?"

Jess looked mollified and hopeful that Dani was considering a next time already. I was relieved. Lauren had pretty much laid it all out there, knocked the cards right out of my hands and onto the table.

"It really was nice to meet you, Dani - more than just in passing. Vanessa is a very special person to me," he smiled warmly, squeezing Jess as he spoke. "She'll take good care of you if you let her - she's a really caring person."

"I've noticed that," she smiled at me, warming my heart and chasing away some of that fear. "The three of you are not quite what you appear, are you?" She shrugged, "I guess maybe I'm not either."

"You looked cute in your shortalls," Jess said softly, still hugging her favorite stuffed unicorn. "I hope you like being cute as much as I do."

"Your shortalls were cute too," Dani blushed, taking a subtle step toward the car. She was uncomfortable, I didn't blame her.

Seth helped Jess into the car, we sat down in mine as well, and drive for home with a heavy, jumbled heart.