Notes

Canada Day 2008

Charlie and I are making the long drive home from our hockey game that was a qualifying match into the big leagues. “Dude I can’t wait to tell our families they are going to freak out” Charlie turns to me and the grin hasn’t left his face since we got that winning goal. “Should we act really sullen and get sympathy before we hit them with the news?” an idea forming in my head. It’s great that we get to share the news on a day like today to add to our families excitement but we’re also the jokers of the family so we like to maximise the opportunities we get to play tricks on them. Charlie just gives me a devilish look and we know that this is happening.

The Virtue cottage

“I’m starving’, Jo complains, ‘the boys better get their asses here right now”. Jordan gets agitated in the heat and while we both have summer wear on, a grey cut tank and navy blue summer shorts for me and Jordan wearing a more revealing bikini top and shorts. “We could just start now” I smile at her and get uh extending my arms to her to pull her from the grass and we head arms linked inside to the table. Looking cautiously around we take plates and load it with food but not enough to make it look like anything is missing and dash up the stairs laughing as we run. We make camp in the joint living room between our rooms where all the children typically hang out. A text from Scott comes through

Scott: don’t eat all the food before we get there

Tessa: maybe too late

“Is that the boys?” Jordan asks while stuffing another sausage roll in her mouth. “Yeah just Scott”. A smirk from Jordan is sent my way and I roll my eyes at her “don’t give me that face Jo”. She calmly looks away and then after a moment her poised look turns into a mischievous smile “I’m saying you should make a move tonight little one”. My mouth makes an aghast squeak at her suggestion, “JO!’, I slap her arm, ‘that’s a bad idea on so many levels”. “Why T, he likes you and you like him. We’re all waiting for you guys to fuck”. Okay now she’s done it. “JORDAN” I shout after her as she laughs and runs from me knowing I’m going to go after her. She has been pushing a relationship between me and Scott basically since I was born. “Jo I’m gonna kill you” and I turn the corner to the stairs, run down them, and chase after my dipshit of a sister who’s just in front of me and reaching the doorway into the open kitchen space she halts and I almost slam into her. “Jordan you’re so dead to me” and then there’s laughing from the kitchen and she glances back to me and continues into the kitchen where no other but my brothers and Scott are. Fuck.

“Why are you killing Jordan?” Scott smiles and (not so) discreetly rakes his eyes over my body while stepping forward to hug me. “Hey” he breathes down my neck which sends a shiver through my whole body. “Mum Charlie’s here!” Jordan shouts through to the garden area and our parents come running in. They start gushing over the boys “how was it? Tell us all about the game”, “did you win?”. Neither my brother nor Scott smile and it panics everyone in the room as our mothers immediately start the whole ‘maybe next year’ speech and then they just look at each other and laugh and hug their mums. Those little... they played us.

“BARBECUE TIME” Joe shouts and everyone laughs and congratulates them for getting into the big leagues which we know the team have been aiming for. I take another glare at Jordan and she laughs at my look and continues outside. I don’t see Scott for a majority of the next couple hours as I’m kept in conversation by Jordan and a couple of Scott’s brothers but the dads have stolen the boys for tonight to discuss all things hockey with them. Many drinks were cracked open in celebration and the cooler was essentially empty and everyone was buzzed. As the night was cooling we needed warmer attire so Jordan and I excused ourselves to get on something warmer

Scott’s PoV

Everyone was thrilled for me and Charlie and the team for getting a league promotion and the celebration this evening was centred around not only Canada but our success. We got wrapped up in different conversations so we didn’t get to see much of our own siblings but I had Tess in my peripheral vision in her outfit that was making envision things I really shouldn’t. When we were finally released, we headed straight to our brothers and sisters but to my disappointment Tessa was no longer there and neither was Jordan. “Hey where have the girls gone?” I ask my older brothers who tell me they’ve gone inside. I figure they’ve gone to change so I can wait for Tessa outside her door but my movements slow when I hear her caught in conversation with Jordan. “Still not forgiving you for earlier by the way”. “Baby girl you know I’m only partially joking” her sister replies with a hint of playfulness in her tone. “I mean you’re right I do like him but I’d never go there” Tess admits defeated.

But who the hell is this guy I don’t know about who is trying to steal my Tess away from me. I’ve been working up my nerve to finally ask her out and now some other guy is trying to do that.

Jordan sighs “Tess I know you’re scared of messing it up but trust me when I say that you and Scott belong together and he thinks the world of you”. Oh shit, The guy is me. I’m the one Tessa likes. The asshole trying to steal her heart is me. “I hope you’re right Jo because I think I’d have eternal depression if he dated someone else”. The two of them set off into giggles and I’m literally glued to the spot because I can’t believe that all my fears in messing up are shared by Tessa.

Once I’m sure they’ve gone their separate ways I follow Tessa and knock on her door and enter. She’s rummaging through her cupboard and locks eyes with me. She leaves her mission to find clothes and runs round her bed post to catch me in a hug. The proximity is something I’ve been missing all evening. We let go and then she unexpectedly punches my arm. “Hey what was that for?” I pout and rub my arm. “You made me think you lost’, and then she grabs hold of my hand, ‘I’m proud of you though, I’m sure you were great out there”. “Thanks T, you’ll have to come to the next one”. Smiling she retreats back to her cupboard and I sit on the edge of her bed. “Enough about me, what was up with your vengeance on Jordan earlier?’, I ask, ‘I thought I was going to have to call the police” I joke but she she tenses up and becomes more immersed in her task on finding clothes with no intention to answer me. I think my courage comes from the revelation I found earlier and I’m determined to leave this room with our feeling out in the open.

I swiftly move from the bed to Tessa and take her forearms to stop her from what she’s doing and listen to her laboured breathing. I lightly trail my hands all the way down her arms and ready them on her hips. “Tess please tell me” I plead. “I, um, it was nothing just Jordan trying to aggravate me and it worked” she laughs nervously but I’m not buying it. “Tutu” I breathe down her neck and she leans into me resting her head on my shoulder exposing her neck to me. Goddamn I really want to kiss her right now... but I need to know she wants this first. “Scott’, she breathes out, ‘what are we doing?”. “We’re just standing here Tess as friends”. An excruciating pause follows until she speaks again.

“But what if I want more” and there it is. I place a kiss to her neck and don’t remover my head from the spot and she hums. “What do you want T?” I chose to tease her and wait for her to admit the truth because even though I’m already sure on what I want us to be, I want to hear her say it before I make my move. She doesn’t answer me, she simply twists her body to cup my face in her dainty hands and looks at me. Like really looks at me and then leans in to kiss me. Not with any amount of fire or passion but gently and delicately. “Tess’, I whisper on her lips, ‘please tell me this means what I think it means”. I don’t dare open my eyes as our foreheads rest against one another because I’m afraid that when I open my eyes the girl in front of me will disappear. She giggles softly and then kisses me again “I think I might be a little head over heels for you Moir” and it’s not quite why I wanted to hear but I know what she means so its enough for me. Now I know She’s not leaving I open my eyes and we’re wearing two identical smiles. “I love you” we both burst out simultaneously and laugh, “always in sync Virtue”. “I love Scott” she repeats again and I dive in and kiss her again and pull her as close to me as I can get with a tight hold. I kiss her harder, with more fire than she kissed me with and she kisses me back with equal passion. “Tessa”. Breaking our mouths apart I kiss the side of her mouth and trail my lips down her skin. “I love you”. Kiss to her jaw. “God I love you so much”. Kisses all the way down her neck and back up again until I’m looking back at her piercing green eyes and her mouth is parted breathing heavily. “Be mine?”. I watch for her reaction and ant sign of doubt but she only gives me the most shit eating grin and flings herself at me “I’d love nothing more” she muffles into my neck.

My heart swells at the fact that she’s now my girl. I suppose in a way we’ve always belonged to each other because we acted like it but now having a label on it means that everyone can know it. All the girls in the stands at the rink can know now that I’m claimed by Tessa Virtue.

I let my instinct take over and I push her dark locks out of my way to let my lips roam her neck and leave her with small bite marks trying to attack as much of her skins as possible. Licking to behind her ear I get a small gasp from Tess and start to suck, her breathless whines encouraging me. Both us are too caught up in each other to move or break apart so we stay wrapped in our bubble with her arms around me and hands in my hair and my hands splayed on her hips and my lips attacking her neck.

“Tess, I’m coming in, I want to borrow your jumper” Jordan exclaims while pushing open the door and Tessa groans at the intrusion which vibrates through my whole body. Breaking apart Tessa goes to open her mouth and Jordan screams out “Scott and Tessa finally got their shit together” for the whole house to hear. Tessa gives me a side glance and we both know we’re never living this down.