#jessie chambers; 001

[thedevilsbckbone]

Continued from here

A couple of weeks didn't really sound all that bad, Max thought at first but then the other teacher continued and she couldn't help but wrinkle her nose up a bit. A month or two? That was a bit longer than she expected but then as she tried to break it down, it really wasn't all that bad. Especially if it meant getting to be around Jessie more often during that time. Besides, it wasn't as if Maxine would be taking the lead on things and mostly just helping out. Not to mention she owed it to the other teacher. At the very least it was a musical that sounded like it would be fun, once Jessie revealed what they would be putting on.

"Legally Blonde? Well, at least it's not The Sound of Music." she cracked a teasing smile at the other woman. "I'll have to listen to the soundtrack on my way home tonight - you know, get myself familiar with it." The mention of being blonde did make her genuinely snort out a laugh though as she tried to imagine either one of them as a platinum blonde. "Oh god, better be kidding. Blonde is not my color." She said, playfully pushing her curls over her shoulder before going in for another bite.

As the topic turned to the dinner though, Maxine couldn't deny that she wasn't more interested in that portion of the deal. She was trying her best to be casual about it, but the idea of getting to go out on an actual dinner with the other woman was very enticing. "I like all food really - but if you're asking, I am partial to Mediterranean." She suggested in response to Jessie's question. However, she couldn't hide the surprise as her brows rose when the other teacher asked if she was free that weekend. "Oh yeah, I can do this weekend. I'm pretty open Saturday night if that works?" She felt her stomach do a flip at the thought and had to try and ignore it - after all and for all she knew Jessie might not actually like Max like that. She supposed she'd find out soon enough though. "Yeah, if you want to, just let me know what time, I'll be there." Maybe it was just to discuss the musical but even if that were the case, she was excited to get to spend more time with the woman sitting across from her outside of work. | @heroexxs

[thedevilsbckbone]

Maxine gave Jessie a pleased smile when she agreed to go for what she'd suggested. It was always fun discovering the people you strike an interest in liking the same things as she did. It made Max all the more excited to learn more about the other woman. She found herself letting out a small chuckle, though still a bit hesitant, when Jessie tried to assure her that it would end up being fun. She hoped that maybe the other teacher was just exaggerating a bit and even if it was as bad, at least she'd still be getting to spend time with her as Jessie had put it.

There was something in the way that Jessie seemed captivated by her words that made Maxine feel giddy, her cheeks warming up at the attention. So many people these days seemed so checked out of conversations but with Jessie, Maxine felt like the other woman was truly invested in her every word. Her smile grew at the brunette's comment about not finding her boring and when it was Jessie's turn to speak, Maxine paid the woman equal interest. "Hey I totally get that too!" She chimed in. "Believe me, I have those days where I can't even be bothered to walk five feet to my mail box." An amused laugh left her as she painted the picture.

"But that sounds nice. Honestly I haven't gone into the city much since I've moved here. You'll have to tell me all the good spots I should check out." She would love to explore it more but just hadn't really made the time out for it. Their conversation was momentarily interrupted by their waiter and Max shot Jessie a smile when the other woman ordered a bottle for them to share. "Yeah I go to some parks that have some good hiking trails just about a twenty minute drive from here. It's nothing too difficult, if you ever want to join me sometime, let me know. It's a great place to clear your mind."

She gave a nod to Jessie's next question. "Yeah, I live just ten minutes away over on Grand. I will usually just walk down a couple blocks and then back again. Though, I usually head in the opposite direction of the school." Max added, chuckling in amusement, her eyes drifting back down to the menu as she thought about how Jessie had mentioned living on her own. "Honestly I feel you though. I have a house but it's more like a little bungalow. Two bedrooms but kind of on the smaller side but it's also just me so I really love it." Scanning the menu for a moment, she wondered what to get. "Man, this all sounds great. What are you thinking of getting?" She asked, glancing back at Jessie curiously. | @heroexxs

"I could go for a nice white." Jessie said with a chuckle as she caught Macine's eyes once again. Already she could feel this pull between the two of them and could only wonder if the other brunette could feel it as well. A laugh slipped her lips at the mention of tec week, and she knew she didn't want to scare the other into not helping her out, but there was a part of her that was excited to spend all this time with her. "Hey, on the bright side, you get to see how fun I can be after school hours and on about two hours of sleep." Jessie teased with another smile. "I swear I basically live at the school during that whole week, but I promise you it's not too scary."

Jessie set her menu down and gave Maxine her full attention as she listed everything that she liked to do after school hours. "I don't find it boring at all." Jessie said with a smile. She found it extremely relaxing, and something she wished she could incorporate into her own after-school life. "Well, usually after school I'm already exhausted so you have me there by going for a walk in the neighborhood." She teased as she leaned back in her chair. "Usually after school the minute I head home I sit on the couch and watch some tv, but on the weekends I try and head into the city every once in a while. I still have some college friends who live there, but it's starting to be a bit much going back and forth." There were some weekends she would love to just curl up and sleep the whole weekend away and she knew when the musical started that's exactly what she'd be doing.

A waiter came over to ask if they wanted anything to drink, and Jessie ordered a bottle of white wine for the both of them to share. "Do you hike around here? Honestly, I should probably go outside more, but I feel like I run around that school enough to make it count for something." She teased again. It was easy to talk to her, unlike some of their other co-workers, then again she was hoping that after this it might blur the lines a bit.

"I know you said that you walk around your neighborhood, are you close to the school?" Really she wanted to ask if she stayed there alone or if there was anyone else in the picture. It was easier said than done but she knew she could hopefully poke just a bit to see if she even had a slight chance. "I'm actually in the apartment complex a couple blocks away. I don't need too much space since it's just me." Jessie said with a little shrug.

[thedevilsbckbone]

As Jessie spoke about her choice of musical and why, Maxine began to form an idea. "Oh yeah, I'm sure more kids are willing to want to go out for something more modern that they know about." She agreed before adding, "But hey, I'll tell all my classes that anyone who signs up for the musical will be given extra credit for the semester so maybe that'll help incentives a few more to sign up." She wanted to help Jessie however she could, knowing how much this meant to the other woman. If it would make her happy, then Maxine was more than willing. She wanted to impress Jessie.

Once they were settled in, Maxine began to scan the menu trying to figure out what sounded best. She glanced up towards Jessie as the other woman spoke, feeling her smiling growing, an amused chuckle leaving her lips. "Oh you say that now but just you wait - you'll probably be sick of me by the end of it." She teased, trying to hide the fluster she felt by Jessie's comment. It almost sounded flirtatious which caused Maxine to grow more hopeful that this thing between them wasn't just two friendly coworkers grabbing a bite to eat.

"I'm up for something to drink," Maxine said with a nod, glancing back down at the menu to look at their wine collection. "I'm a white wine junkie myself but if you prefer red I can usually get through a glass or two." Her smile was wide as she met Jessie's gaze. She was so stunning, Maxine thought, as she watched the way the other teacher's face lit up as she smiled. It made Max's heart skip a beat as warm tingles attacked her stomach. Until Jessie was mentioning needing it to get through tec week ,causing the brunette' to wrinkle 's expression to drop slightly as she groan, though it was all still very playful. "Ugh, don't tell me or I might back out after all." She teased.

She continued to switch her attention between figuring out what she wanted to eat and listening to Jessie as she spoke. She gave a nod of understanding, regarding how finding time for themselves could be hard as a teacher. "Yeah, I don't tend to do a bunch during the week because of how late work can take but I do like to still go for walks in the afternoon, just around the neighborhood to try and decompress - on the weekends I like to hike actually. Nothing crazy or hard, but I like to move around in nature when I can. I'm a big fan of brunch too but mostly because I like coming up to nap after and then spend the rest of my night curled up on the couch watching tv. I guess I'm a little bit boring most of the time." She shrugged, giggling. "What about you?" She turned the question on Jessie, curious to know more about her colleague. | @heroexxs

Jessie could feel her cheeks go a bright red at Max's compliment as she tried to just wave it off a bit. She knew she was just being nice, but it was easier said than done to not read into it. Those butterflies continued to fill her stomach, even more so now that they were not in a school setting. There was something that excited her about seeing Max outside of the walls of their familiar building and she hoped that she felt the same way. The smile on Jessie's face widened when Max said she listened to some of the album as she gave her a small nudge. "See? It's catchy. I'm hoping because of that more kids sign up. I have a good handful, but I could use a couple more." She said as they headed to their table. "Right? It looks amazing, great pick by the way."

Once the two of them got to their table, Jessie slipped her jacket off and took her seat before sighing happily. "You know this is a pretty great trade-off. You're helping me with the play and we get to go out to dinner, am I supposed to be losing in one of these?" She said with a chuckle. She couldn't help but flirt a bit especially since she couldn't pinpoint what Max thought this was as well. Was this just the two of them discussing the musical? Or maybe was it Jessie trying to get to know the other teacher more? Whatever it was, she wasn't too sure the next time she'd get a moment like this with her so she knew she had to savor it while it lasted.

"Want to get something to drink?" She asked as her eyes flickered down to the menu. "Are you more of a white or red kind of person? Trust me, that's the only thing that gets me through tec week." She teased again. "You'll see. It's not as bad as it seems but with how long we spend at the school we might as well just sleep there." Jessie said with a laugh. Her eyes went from the menu for a moment before looking up to look across the table at her. She could already feel her heart beating a bit faster and quickly looked down in hopes she wouldn't catch her staring.

"Do you get to come out often? I know it's hard during the week, honestly, it's basically impossible but the weekends aren't too bad. Usually, I try my best to reset as much as I can." As she leaned her chin against her hand, she gave the brunette another smile. "What do you like to do when you're not at school? Besides signing up for amazing musicals."

[thedevilsbckbone]

Maxine was embarrassed by how many times she had changed her outfit as she got ready to meet up with Jessie for dinner. She found herself overthinking each look she tried on. By the fifth she began to grow stressed, knowing she was running short on time and had decided the black trousers and the satin wrap blouse she wore would have to do. It wasn't too casual but didn't make her feel overdressed either - plus the top gave her a nice bit of cleavage which she thought made her look hot. She wasn't sure if Jessie liked her like that but Max couldn't help but want to impress the other woman.

After doing her makeup and pulling her hair up, Maxine had made it to the restaurant nearly right on the dot. Sure she may have been speeding a bit but at least she'd made it. After parking, she began to walk up to the doors and smiled when she noticed the other teacher waiting for her. She was struck by how pretty she look and felt her giddiness rise inside of her making her stomach flip but she did her best to keep her expressions and voice casual as she greeted the other woman.

"Hey!" She said back once she reached her. Of course, the feat turned out to be a bit harder than she realized when Jessie was complimenting how she looked and the brunette couldn't help but blush, feeling her heart race a little at how the other seemed to react upon seeing her. "Thank you," Max said, biting her lip softly to keep from grinning like a complete idiot. "You look gorgeous as ever. of course but I expected no less." She said back with a small chuckle and she'd meant it too. She always thought Jessie looked great, even during some of the toughest parts of the semester. Meanwhile Maxine would sometimes show up to the school looking like she threw herself together in the dark.

Se followed the other to the door and thanked her again as she held it open for her. Max tried not to get her hopes up too much in case it wasn't a date, but boy was it kind of feeling like out. "I did listen to some of it, it wasn't too bad actually. Very poppy but I gotta admit the songs are kinda catchy. I actually caught myself humming the tune to Bend and Snap while I was getting ready earlier." She said with a chuckle as they then reached the host table. It didn't take more than about a minute for them to be led to a table and Max glanced around the place and at passing table's plates, smiling over at Jessie once they sat. "Okay, this place looks great. I'm pretty excited to try the food." | @heroexxs

Jessie went through her entire closet trying to figure out what to wear to meet Max for dinner. She didn't want to be too dressed up just in case the brunette didn't think this was a date but wanted to be dressed up enough that it could possibly be one. She didn't know if the other teacher even looked at her like that but here they were, going out for dinner outside of school. It was to discuss the play afterall, but there was a part of Jessie that was getting excited about seeing her again. She wanted to keep it as professional as she could in the slight chance that Max didn't feel the same way but still had butterflies building in her stomach. She settled on a knit dress, one that she had worn far too many times to school in hopes that it would look a bit different outside of school grounds. Like she suggested, she found a Mediterranean restaurant close to them and let her know what time she was heading over. After smoothing her dress out once more, she took a deep breath and headed out.

She got there a bit early at the restaurant and as she made sure they had a table ready for the both of them, she patiently waited and tried to keep the butterflies in her stomach down to a minimum. She didn't want to seem too eager, she already had her agree to help her out the last thing she wanted to do was scare her off as well. When she finally saw Max, the smile on her face widened as she smoothed out her dress once more. She looked amazing and felt her stomach do even more flips than before. "Hey!" Jessie said with another smile. "You look... wow. Great, like really great." Already she could feel her cheeks go red and knew she was in for a long night ahead of them.

"I triple-checked and they have a table for us, honestly I've never been here before so we'll have to trust Google." She said with a chuckle as she held the door open for her. "Did you take a listen to the musical on your way home? It's a little long and very poppy. I think that's why the kids are so excited for it."