to close out 2020 finally, FINALLY beau asks yasha out!!!! Im so happy they can move past past relationships and start new with each other and its just great :) I was unable to see the full episode, but i think we got some fjorster stonks as well, correct if im wrong there tho
Big cad stonks! He was not having that forest and jester burned it down!! Honorable mention to caleb, local pyromaniac, who stares into the burning forest, hearing the trees scream. Big Lucien stonks as well, with him just showing up and ruining the m9s long rest. No essek stonks but we are manifesting for 2021.
And that raps up critical role for 2020, what a wild year, a good 4-5 months of it spent off-air due to quarantine. During that time i joined the ETFC and completed my collaborative PMV, both of witch i wont forget. Thank you to critical role and its community for helping me get though one of the hardest years of my life. To an adventure!essek in 2021 IM MANIFESTING IT-
rating: G (for now)
word count: 5171
chapter: 1/2
AO3
modern au fluff including but not limited to: college!jester, fjord as the hot neighbor, caduceus and beau as the best roommates and jester fulling expecting to fall in love with the guy next door but not realizing it would feel quite like this
Fjord pushed the sandpaper along the curve of the boat, careful not to put too much pressure on the wood. A Bastille song played from his Bluetooth speaker, but he kept it low enough not to wake anyone in the neighborhood up.
He stepped away to grab the beer he’d left on the counter and the back of his neck tingled with the feeling of someone watching him and turned in time to see a small shadow duck around the door which led from the garage to the backyard.
“Someone there?”
There was a quiet shuffle and then a head popped into the open doorway. Blue hair, big eyes, sweats and a glass or something in her hands. “Oh, hi! Sorry! I didn’t want to scare you, and then you looked over, and I felt weird lurking around your yard-”
“Take a breath,” he told her with a smile, recognizing her from across the chain link fence separating his yard from hers. “You live next door, right?”
Her grin was bright as she all but skipped into the garage. “I do! I’ve seen you around.”
“I’ve seen you too. Did you need something?”
“Sugar,” she said absently, pushing what he could now see was a measuring cup into his hands as she walked towards the half finished project in the middle of his garage. “Did you build this?”
“I’m trying to,” he admitted, trying to see the boat from her eyes. It was a half finished hull and hardly the greatest thing ever built, but the shape wasn’t bad.
“It’s amazing,” she crooned, running her hands over the smoothed out wood. “You must be very smart to be able to build your own ship.”
“Boat,” he corrected more out of habit than anything else. “And not really, I just spent a lot of time around them. How much sugar did you need?”
“Can you just fill it up?” she asked, looking at him in the dim lightning. “I’m making cookies.”
Fjord glanced at the clock hanging from a stud on the other side of the garage. “At two in the morning?”
“I’m a college student.” she shrugged and turned back towards him, “What’s your excuse?”
“Nightmares.”
He blinked, not entirely certain why he’d just admitted that, and hoped to the gods the flush he could feel along his cheeks wasn’t bright enough for her to notice. “I’m going to get you some sugar.”
“Do you like sugar cookies,” she asked as she followed him into the house. He flicked on lights as he went into the kitchen.
“Yeah,” he answered and pulled out a bag of sugar and filled up her cup.
“I’ll bring you some when they’re done, to thank you for the 2am sugar.”
“You don’t have to.”
“It’s polite,” she argued. “And we probably owe an apology for something or other.”
He looked over his shoulder at her as the granules filled the measuring cup. “Why do you say that?”
She grinned and sat on his table, legs swinging beneath her. “Because we’re a bunch of college students on half an acre who occasionally have parties and probably always have our music too loud.”
Fjord leaned back against his counter and laughed. “Y’all aren’t too bad, I’ve had worse neighbors.”
Her eyes went wide, and he wondered if she was wearing makeup or if her lashes were just that long naturally. “That’s terrible.”
“You guys clean up after yourselves and the cops haven’t been called. Least not that I can remember. I can’t say the same for every group of delinquents who has rented that house in the past couple of years.”
She shook head, blue hair falling around her eyes until she tucked it back behind her ears. “We’d never risk that, Beau has an internship and if she ever got in trouble she’d lose it.”
He thought about the handful of people he’d seen come and go from the house but couldn’t decide which might be the person she was talking about. “And Beau is?”
“The angry one.”
Fjord laughed at the descriptor, but he knew who she was talking about. She went running at least once a day, and he’d seen her more than once out in the backyard working out. “And the big guy with the pink hair?”
“Caduceus, he’s very wise and going to school for grief counseling.”
“And you?”
“I dabble in majors,” she said, clearly evading the question and making no qualms about it.
Fjord shook his head, amused despite himself. “I mean, what’s your name?”
“Oh!” She jumped off the table and ran a hand down her sweats as if it was a dress, then held out of her hand. “My name is Jester Lavorre, it’s nice to meet you.”
“Fjord,” he introduced as he shook her hand. “Nice to meet you as well.”
They stood there for a moment, just holding hands in the white light surrounded by beat up furniture and the quiet of the night. He thought it should be awkward, and if he was honest he felt a bit out of place, but her eyes were so clear, and her face had a kind of serenity he wanted to borrow for himself.
“I really want to know how you got that scar,” she said while she still held his hand, her head nodding towards the white slash above his eye. There was a softness to her voice that didn’t necessarily equate to quiet. Like she knew she pushing on a bruise but didn’t want it to hurt. “But I just came for the sugar.”
“Uh, right.” He blew out a breath and took a step back, his fingers lingering against her palm for half a second before letting go.
Jester reached out and took the cup from his hands, her skin brushing against his in a way he thought might have been intentional. There was amusement at the corner her lips and for a brief, stupid moment, he wanted to taste it. “Thank you for the sugar, Fjord. I’ll bring the cookies by tomorrow. And if we ever get too rowdy, just let us know.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
She headed towards the garage door, stopping and turning with her hand on the doorway. “Does the ship have a name?”
“Not yet, no.”
For the first time she looked a little nervous, but he couldn’t say why. “Well. Thanks again, good night Fjord.”
“Night, Jester.”
And for reason completely unrelated to the nightmares which had kept him up, Fjord found himself unable to settle down enough for sleep for another hour.
Jester was curled up in an armchair when Beau found her in the library the next afternoon.
“What are you doing?” Beau asked, though it sounded a little like a command.
Jester resisted the urge to slam the sketchbook shut and instead angled it so Beau could see it.
“Is that our neighbor?”
It pleased her that Beau could easily recognize the person in the drawing, it meant she’d done at least a reasonable job. Absently she played with the stubble at his cheek. “It is.”
“When did you get close enough to him to be able to get so much detail? Or are you drawing our neighbor as that guy from your books?”
“Oskar,” Jester filled in, because for some reason it felt important to clarify. “And I met him. Our neighbor I mean. Sadly I have not met Oskar in real life.”
Beau smirked as she settled into the chair next to Jester, her phone was already in her hand but she began typing something almost immediately. Jester didn’t bother to ask what she was doing because half the time Beau couldn’t say.
Jester was ninety percent certain Beau was a spy sent to infiltrate the college, but Jester was okay being used as a cover because Beau was a pretty good friend. Instead of asking what Beau was doing, Jester looked back down at her sketch. She really, really wanted to know where he’d gotten that scar.
Had it been at sea, fending off pirates? Maybe he’d come across a damsel in an alley, cornered by thugs and he’d defended her honor?
The sigh she let out was a little wistful but it couldn’t be helped.
“His name is Fjord Tusktooth and he’s owned the house for three years,” Beau announced victoriously and then sat up straighter. “When did you get a chance to meet him this morning? We were almost late to our first classes.”
“I asked him for sugar early this morning before dawn,” Jester answered, bracing herself for Beau’s scolding.
“Jesus, Jessie. You can’t go knocking on a stranger’s doors at fuck o’clock in the morning. That’s how people get murdered.”
“But look!” Jester spread her arms out in front of her. “Not murdered!”
“It only takes once,” Beau warned as Caduceus came up to them, sitting down on the floor and immediately pulling out his carafe of tea. From a few feet away Jester could smell it, grass and something that reminded her of daisies. For all she knew it, it was probably actually daisies.
“Who is getting murdered?”
“No one,” Jester answered at the same time Beau pointed to her. “I went to visit our neighbor and Beau is worried.”
“Beau always worries,” Caduceus commented without judgement. “But there’s no reason to worry about our neighbor, he’s nice.”
Jester perked up at the possibility for information. “You’ve met him?”
“No,” Caduceus answered, the single word meandering a bit before for finishing. “But he’s got a nice vibe to him.”
Beau scoffed. Loudly.
“You think so?” Jester asked.
“Yeah, I think so. A bit sad, maybe, but I seriously doubt he’s ever murdered anyone.”
“And you can tell that just by looking at him across the fence?” Beau challenged.
“Yes.”
He said it so confidently that even Beau seemed to hesitate at arguing and Beau never hesitated to argue.
Jester considered her options. She wanted to see Fjord again, but Beau was very protective and it would be easier all around if Beau just met him. A little company now meant the possibility for more alone time later. “I’m going to bring him some of the cookies I made later, if you guys want to meet him.”
“Do we get some of the cookies?” Beau asked.
“Look in your bag,” Jester suggested, shutting her book.
Beau’s eyes lit up and dug through her backpack to find a brown paper bag with a quickly sketched comic of Beau beating up a tree who was using a bat to fight her.
“A tree using a bat?” Beau asked, gleeful. “That’s so morbid, I love it.”
Jester grinned, happy to have made her friend smile. “Did you find yours Caduceus?”
“I did. Thank you, Jester.”
“Are we done bullshitting?” Beau asked around a mouthful of cookies. “Cause I’m ready to go home.”
“We can go,” Jester answered as Caduceus stood up, unfolding his long legs and walking behind them like a tall, friendly flower.
At home they all went to their respective rooms to drop off their stuff and then migrated to the backyard. Caduceus headed towards his little garden which he’d roped and fenced off to keep out wild animals; Beau stripped off her shirt to reveal the sports bra underneath and began doing jumping jacks, warming up before she started whatever work out she had planned for the day.
Jester brought out her blanket and set it safely between Beau and Caduceus with her school books. She didn’t particularly enjoy college, but she enjoyed the environment so she put up with homework to get the rest of it.
Parties, and people, and independence.
It was nearly everything she had ever dreamed of.
With that thought in mind, she glanced at the house next door but there wasn’t a truck parked in the driveway so she knew Fjord wasn’t home.
Jester was halfway through her chapters on anatomy- maybe she’d be a doctor, who knew? -when she heard the rumble of a truck down the road and trying to be sly about it she kept her head down and glanced next door out of the corner of her eye.
The chain link fence gave her a clear view so she saw the beat up old truck Fjord drove, saw him step out of it and when he looked over and saw her, he waved.
He waved.
Stupid, Jester scolded herself. It wasn’t a declaration of love, there was no reason to get butterflies or for her heart to start skipping wildly and yet…
Jester smiled and waved back, hoping it looked friendly and not like she’d been sketching his face on and off all day.
“Want to head over now?” Caduceus asked, wrist deep in dirt. “I could bring him some carrots.”
“Oh,” Jester fumbled over her words. “No, that’s okay. He just got home, he probably doesn’t want company right away.”
“No, let’s go over now,” Beau encouraged. “I’m super buff and sweaty. I’ll be intimidating as fuck.”
Jester was hesitant but Beau was already walking towards the fence and Caduceus was wiping dirt from his palms. Resigned, Jester got up and went inside to get the bag of cookies and watched with fond exasperation as Beau hurdled over the fence and Caduceus just, walked over it.
Much shorter, it took Jester a second longer to get over but she was agile enough she didn’t get caught on anything and landed on her feet.
If Fjord saw, she hadn’t made a fool of herself.
Brushing a hand down the skirt of her sundress she followed her friends across the yard and watched as Beau banged on the back door. She hurried, so she was there when Fjord opened his door.
He looked briefly startled by the crowd, but shifted his expression quickly to a slow, easy smile. “Howdy, neighbors.”
Beau pushed her way past him and Caduceus held out two carrots Jester hadn’t seen in his hand. They were still covered in dirt.
“For you.”
“Ah,” Fjord looked at Jester who couldn’t do anything but shrug. “Thanks.”
“I’m Caduceus Clay, Jester’s friend. And the very rude person inside is Beauregard.”
“Fjord,” he said as he shook the taller man’s hand. “Would you like to come in?”
“I would love that, thank you.”
Jester watched Fjord’s face for any lingering irritation or mockery but he only looked faintly amused and that was okay; she was often amused by her friends as well.
When he turned his light green eyes on her they were laughing. “Hey, Jester.”
“Hi, Fjord.”
“Want to come in?”
“Thanks,” she smiled and walked past him, maybe a little closer than she needed to, but who could say? She held out the bag, standing a few inches away from him now. He wore jeans and a loose t-shit, bare feet.
He looked at home and comfortable; like he’d be happy to stretch out on the couch for the rest of the night and watch movies.
Naturally she thought she’d probably fit pretty well, stretched out on him, watching movies, but she blinked that thought away. “Here, the cookies I promised.”
“You didn’t have to, but I appreciate the gesture.”
She liked the way he talked. Beau tended to be clipped and blunt, and Caduceus could get lost in a sentence if given the chance, but Fjord strolled through his words like he wasn’t in any kind of hurry.
He looked down at bag, his face breaking into a grin.
“Did you draw this?” he showed the image on the bag, a tan man in a little boat riding a big wave.
“I did.”
“This is pretty good.”
“Thank you.”
They stood there in the kitchen, a funny kind of tension between them, and Jester thought he’d been about to say something when they heard from a few feet away, “Holy shit, you have a boat!”
Both she and Fjord looked over to see Beau’s head disappear through the doorway which Jester knew led into the garage.
“Beau, you really shouldn’t open doors in other people’s houses,” Jester scolded and saw, out of the corner of her eye, Caduceus slowly shut a drawer he’d likely been looking through it.
Beau was nosey, Caduceus was curious.
They were both dangerous if left alone for more than a few minutes. Not that she hadn’t drawn a dick on a wall when left without supervision, but she didn’t do it when people were in the room. She did have some common sense after all.
“It was unlocked,” Beau defended herself and then walked straight through the door.
Fjord watched as his neighbors just walked through his house as if they’d been over a thousand times, and at his elbow Jester sighed dramatically. “I’m sorry about them.”
“I don’t mind,” he assured her, touching her shoulder. “I’m just not used to it, I guess.”
“I’ll get them out of your way,” Jester promised but he stopped her, tightening the fingers which lay on her bare shoulders.
It gave him ideas.
“Honestly, Jester. I don’t mind. I should probably get to know my neighbors anyhow.”
She bit her lip and watched him as if trying to figure out his sincerity. Eventually she nodded and took the hand on her shoulder and held it in her own. “Let’s make sure they’re not trying to find your porn stash or anything.”
He felt the tell-tale heat of a blush on his cheeks but laughed anyway because she was so effortlessly funny. “Why would I keep my porn in the garage?”
“That’s a good question,” she threw a wicked grin over her shoulder. “Where do you keep your porn?”
“Don’t keep it under your bed,” Beau recommended, apparently having overheard their conversation. “And be careful what you download from the internet. You don’t want a virus.”
“Thanks for the advice, Beau.”
“No problem.” She stood next to the unfinished boat, her clenched fists on her hips. “Why the fuck do you have a boat in your garage? Aren’t they supposed to be on the water?”
“He’s building it by himself,” Jester answered as if disappointed Beau had asked. “Isn’t that impressive?”
“Are you a sailor?”
“Used to be,” Fjord admitted slowly. He could feel Jester’s eyes on him but he distracted himself with the pink-haired man who was staring at the ground in the corner.
“It’s probably a bug,” Jester whispered. “Caduceus doesn’t like it when things get stuck in the house. He’ll just wait it out and when he can pick it up he’ll take it outside.”
“How did you find this group?”
“We found each other,” Jester answered sincerely. “Okay guys, you’re being too weird for Fjord. Let’s go back to the house.”
“That’s fair,” Caduceus said, his hand cupping something in his palm. “It was nice to meet you Mr. Fjord.”
“You don’t seem to suck,” Beau agreed and walked past him, patting him on the shoulder with enough force to knock Fjord a little off balance.
Jester held back as her friends went out the garage’s back door, rocking back and forth on her heels, grinning up at him. “They like you.”
Fjord ran a hand down the back of his head neck, “Ah. Thanks.”
“Well. Enjoy the cookies,” she grabbed his hand and produced a pen from somewhere and started scrawling on his arm. “And if you’re up in the middle of the night, and want company, I’m usually up. Have a great day, Fjord.”
He stared at her as she all but floated out into the sunlight and he looked down to see that in the few seconds she’d had her hands on him she’d managed to doodle a little shark and her number.
His skin still tingled where her fingertips had held onto him, and with a curse under his breath he reached for the sandpaper.
Jester was painting when she got the text.
Her phone buzzed on the table next to her and she looked over, heart beating a little wild in her chest because she could only imagine one person texting to her at one am.
YOU UP?
Jester grinned at the question, and laughed at the immediate follow up text.
UNKNOWN: I DIDN’T MEAN IT LIKE THAT. SORRY. I WAS JUST UP AND YOU SAID TO TEXT IF I EVER WANTED COMPANY.
UNKNOWN: THIS IS FJORD BY THE WAY.
With a grin, Jester put down her paintbrush and picked up the phone, typing out a reply.
I’M UP! I’LL HEAD OVER IN A MINUTE, HAVE YOU EATEN RECENTLY?
FJORD: NO. BUT DON’T FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO FEED ME EVERY TIME YOU COME OVER.
CADUCEUS COOKED A LOT OF FOOD, I’LL BRING OVER THE LEFTOVERS.
Jester grabbed some of her books so she would have something to do while she was over there, and resisted the urge to check the mirror on her way out for all of five seconds.
“Fuck it,” she murmured to herself, checking her hair in the mirror. It wasn’t bad, and she’d managed not to get any paint on herself so that was a plus, but she did grab her pale pink lipstick and put on a light coat.
She was her mother’s daughter after all.
Grabbing the vegetable stew in the Tupperware container she walked across the yard to the fence and climbed over. She walked to the open door leading to the garage but waited a second before making herself known.
He was measuring something on his counter, making a notation on the wood before putting the tiny nub of a pencil behind his ear.
Jester could imagine the whole thing painted in oil, thick textures and warm colors, his stooped shoulders and worn in jeans. She’d call it Waiting, but she couldn’t say exactly what it was he was waiting for.
She figured the door had been left open for her so she could walk right in, but something about him made her wait for the invitation. “I grew up alone,” she said from the doorway.
He looked up at her voice, his brows lowering. “Huh?”
“My mom was actress, is an actress, a fairly well known one and she was always very busy so I grew up with a nanny and a big house to myself. I’m used to the quiet and while I love Beau and Cad, sometimes I really need the quiet and that’s why I stay up night.”
Fjord shifted a little, leaning his hip against the counter and crossing his arms. “Why’d you tell me that?” the question was curious, maybe a little confused.
“Because when I came over the last time for sugar, you told me why you were up at night. It seemed only fair you to know why I was up.”
“Well, if you’re lookin’ for quiet-“
Jester shook her head, hugging her books close to her. “It’s different with you.”
He shifted his weight on his feet. “Want something to drink?”
Taking that as her invitation, Jester walked in. “Sure. I don’t really drink alcohol, but if you’ve got water or Kool-Aid, I’ll take that.”
“Kool-aid?” His grin was quick and bright, and it almost made her miss a step.
“I like sugar,” she shrugged and settled on the stool at the counter near where he was standing. “And alcohol gives me a headache.”
“Just give me a minute, I’ll rustle something up. Should I get bowls?”
“Huh?” she looked down when he pointed and she saw the plastic containers she’d forgotten she was carrying. “Oh. Right. Just spoons, I think? No sense in dirtying more dishes than necessary.”
“College students,” he laughed and went inside and came back with two bottles of water and a couple of spoons.
“What were you doing when I came in?” she asked, feeling bad he didn’t have a place to sit. “Anything I can help with?”
“I’m just doing some measurements,” he said as he took a bite of the soup. “Damn. This is good.”
“Caduceus is a really good cook, and I’m really good at baking.”
“What’s Beau good at?”
“Hitting things.” She uncapped her water. “Were you in the Navy? Is that how you were a sailor?”
“No,” he leaned an elbow on the counter as he ate out of the container and it was kind of romantic in a way, eating out of the same bowl in the low light in the middle of the night. “Sailor is a bit of a misnomer. I was a fisherman.”
Jester had seen the reality shows on TV, and while she was certain everything was overdramatized it was pretty obvious the job wasn’t an easy one. “Oh man, that’s hard work.”
“Back breaking,” he agreed. “And dangerous as fuck.”
“I’ve never done anything dangerous,” and even she could hear a decade’s worth of regret in her own voice.
“You’ve still got time.”
Jester could think of a handful of dangerous things she could right then; she could wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him, she could strip down naked, or she could tell him she’d dreamt about him the night before.
She didn’t do any of those things because she wasn’t brave enough tonight. Maybe tomorrow.
“If you want to work on your boat you can, I brought some of my homework so you don’t have to entertain me.”
“You really don’t mind? I did ask you over.”
She thought about how to phrase it, tilting her head as she did. “Company doesn’t always mean conversation. Sometimes it’s just having someone in the same room with you, close enough to touch if you need it. I don’t mind being around, if you don’t mind my being around.”
He was still leaning against the counter, his weight resting on his elbow and close enough his arm was only an inch or so away from hers. When his eyes met hers there was the distinct feeling of being knocked off her feet, the air being sucked from her lungs, despite the fact she was still sitting on the stool.
“I really, really don’t mind it Jester.”
“Cool.”
His smile was soft, “Cool.”
Another second passed where they just looked at each other and Jester wondered what the chances were of him kissing her, but instead he tapped her wrist with a couple of his fingers in a friendly gesture before walking towards the boat.
“Do you mind music?”
She felt a little unsteady, and barely resisted the urge to put her hand to her heart or her stomach. “No, go for it.”
He turned up the volume a little and Jester spread out her books and worked through the math she was forced to do in order to graduate.
She doodled in the margins more than she actually worked on the problems; flowers and birds and dicks because she liked people’s reactions when they saw them. Sweet, innocent, naive Jester drew dicks? That would teach them to underestimate people.
“I know I said we don’t have to talk, but I think it’s important for you to know that I really, really hate math.”
Fjord laughed from somewhere on the other side of the boat and he sauntered over to her. He actually sauntered, like some old school cowboy walking into a saloon. She half expected him to tip his invisible cowboy hat and say ‘Howdy ma’am.’
And didn’t that stir up all kinds of fun fantasies.
Instead he just stood next to her, maybe a little closer than was strictly necessary, and looked over her shoulder at the math she was struggling to get through.
“Yeah, that could be Greek to me for all I understand it.”
“Me too,” she sighed, shutting the book with a resounding thud. “I think I’m just going to drop out.”
His eyes briefly widened. “Of math? Aren’t there tutors or something?”
“Yes, but I meant college in general.”
It was the first time she’d said it out loud, and she held her breath waiting for his reaction.
People at school would be horrified, she had an opportunity to go to college and she was turning it down?! Walking away from an opportunity some people would kill for?
She hadn’t even told Beau or Caduceus because despite how understanding they would be, she knew it would make things different if they kept going and she stopped.
“Well, if you’re looking for someone to talk you into staying I’m the wrong guy,” he said casually but she thought she could see how carefully he was choosing his words. “I barely graduated high school and my feet barely touched solid ground for ten years after that.”
“Do you regret not going?”
“No,” he answered, and Jester believed him. “I mean, there are things about college I think I would have liked but ultimately I think it would have made me miserable.”
Jester looked down at the math book. “College makes me miserable.”
“What would you do instead?”
Jester thought about it, looking to her right where the upside down boat still needed to be finished. “I could go sailing around the world.”
Fjord laughed, a big sound that filled the room. “It’ll be a few more months before it’s done, depending on how quick I get my act together.”
She sighed dramatically and poked at the book which mocked her from it’s place on the counter. “Well, I’ll guess I’ll stay in school until it’s done.”
“You can always drop out later,” he agreed. “What would your mama say about you leaving?”
“I don’t know,” Jester winced. “She was really excited about me going to school since she never got the chance.”
“But she loves you, right? I imagine she’d be happy as long as you were happy.”
“Maybe,” she shrugged. “What about your family? Were they okay with you running away to sea?”
“I don’t have a family,” he said in such a matter of fact tone that Jester nearly tripped over it. “I’m an orphan.”
Jester made a quick calculation; either he was so blunt about it because he was comfortable with it, or because it was a touchy subject and he was acting like it wasn’t. “So everything you are, you did yourself. That’s pretty impressive.”
He looked a little stunned and she thought she might have seen some kind of strong emotion in his eyes but the lighting wasn’t good enough for her to put a name to it. She wasn’t sure what to say next, and he seemed equally at a loss for words.
Her phone vibrated on the counter, giving them both an excuse to walk away from the conversation.
Fjord headed back to the boat, and Jester read the text sent from Beau.
BEAU: ARE YOU HITTING ON NEIGHBOR GUY
THINKING ABOUT IT. I’M ALSO DOING HOMEWORK.
BEAU: HAVING SEX DOESN’T COUNT TOWARDS ANATOMY
Jester looked at Fjord who was squatting near the bottom-or was it the top?- of the boat and the man was so sexy it made her toes curl.
