A/N: This story is going to be alternating first-person POV.

Leslie Burke: I don't remember exactly when I started to see Jess as more than a friend.

You see, Jess was the only person I hung out with, ever since I moved here in fifth grade. We got along well almost immediately, I guess, because we were both outcasts. We created our own world of Terabithia. It was a place that we could just go to escape everything and all of our troubles. Gosh, it was so nice to have a friend to talk to.

We were best friends for several years, but then one day, I woke up and realized that I wanted more. Strange.

Jesse Aarons: It was the summer between eighth and ninth grade that I first got a real crush on Leslie.

I had just turned 14 and was going through that part of life known as "puberty." Man, it was weird. Over the span of a few weeks, I grew almost a foot and had to start shaving. And more importantly, I started to notice girls. Heh. Of course, Leslie was the only girl my age that I spent time with.

We did a lot of things together, like going to the movie theater, bookstores, and the mall. We'd bring all of our loot back to Terabithia afterwards and just talk... just lie there all day and do nothing. So she was the first object of my affections.

It was more than just her looks, though. It was her personality and everything that made her a great friend to begin with. I mean, this happened kind of fast, but I had always been really crazy about Leslie. Then of course, high school started...

Leslie: I think high school was much easier for Jess than our old school. He was a very fast runner – one of the fastest in the school even as a freshman – and he was sort of a track star. Most guys respected him for that, so he wasn't bullied or pushed around nearly as much as before.

Besides, somewhere along the line (I guess when I wasn't looking) he got really tall... and dare I say it, handsome? Yeah, he was.

His face had lost that baby fat, and there was always some small stubble there if he didn't shave. And his chest... wow. He had started going to the weight room that summer with the men's team, and it showed. Whenever we went swimming, I had to force myself to look away from him.

Sounds kind of pathetic, doesn't it?

Jesse: That fall, we did our homework in Terabithia every day after school, until it got dark. We had a few classes together, so it was nice to have someone to help with everything. In fact, I had never been good at school stuff before Leslie got here, but she really taught me a lot and also helped me study for tests. More often than not, we'd ace them.

Of course, studying with Leslie was also really distracting. She'd be going over some Spanish or biology concept and I'd just zone out, listening to her voice; it was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard. I couldn't keep my concentration at all.

Making things worse, she always wore short shorts. Her t-shirts and armwarmers covered her upper body pretty well, but her long, smooth legs were on display for me every afternoon. And she stretched them out quite often.

Well, if she ever noticed me staring, she didn't let on. I was thankful for that at least.

Leslie: On the surface, we were still the same friends we had always been, but on the inside, I was about ready to explode. Whenever I was around him – on the bus, at lunch, recess, the treehouse – I had to keep my emotions in check.

And that's not like me. I'm pretty outgoing and not one to keep my feelings inside, especially with Jess. But this was different.

When we were doing homework together, especially if he was going over math or something, I'd occasionally stop paying attention and just stare at him. He would catch me staring, too, and would ask what was wrong. And of course, I just smiled and said, "Nothing, of course I get this. Piece of cake."

Yeah, right.

In November, winter track started and the weather got colder, so we saw a little less of each other. Both teams trained separately. We'd usually only meet on weekends, so instead of pining for him when he was around, I was pining for him when he wasn't around and then A LOT when he was. It was unbelievable.

Finally, I decided to just bite the bullet and ask my mom for advice.

Jesse: It was tough, having a crush on my best friend.

Leslie was lucky because she had some cool, open-minded parents, but I didn't. I really couldn't go to my dad for advice because I thought he'd freak out. I didn't have any older brothers, either, and I sure as hell wasn't going to tell my sisters anything. The only things I knew about girls or uh, sex, was from what I heard in the locker room. And that was just a lot of crude guy talk, not really useful at all. So I was stuck.

I mean, I wanted to go out with Leslie, I wanted to be more than just friends, but I was afraid of doing something stupid. The school year dragged on and I thought that, any day, someone else would ask her out and I'd lose her forever.

Yet STILL, I didn't make a move. Because I'm a coward.

Leslie: After I told my mom that I liked Jess, she kind of smiled a little. "I knew this would happen eventually," she said.

Great. "So, what do I do now?"

"Well, you have to show that you're interested in him," she explained. "Be yourself, but smile more and start flirting a little. Jess is shy, so you'll probably have to be very persistent."

So that was that. I wasn't sure how to flirt with guys, so I went online and Googled it. Basically, the advice I found was to just, say, turn to him, lean forwards, touch his arm, etc. I wasn't sure if that would work, and besides, we kind of did those things already. The only other thing I could think of was to, well... dress more inappropriately.

I was in high school, so I saw girls showing cleavage and wearing short skirts often; but as far as I was concerned, they were losers. I didn't want to be like them. Heck, my mom told me to be myself, and I would never have thought of dressing like that... Right?

Right.

Jesse: The spring came soon enough. Leslie, of course, made the honor roll the first semester. So did I, although since I daydreamed about her during class more often than not, I'm not sure how.

Anyways, a funny thing happened. Leslie started acting a little... different. I mean, she had always been very talkative and chipper, but now she started to get REALLY friendly.

And if we were alone, forget it. After school, she would first go home to change and then meet me later with a different shirt that most likely showed her midriff – and was really low-cut, too. "Well, it's getting hotter," she explained.

Uh... damn right it was getting hotter! I had to do well to fight off a blush. And then sometimes, she would ask me a question while we were doing homework and kind of lean forward a little, giving me a good view down her top.

That was tough, let me tell you. That was pressure. Every time she tried to hug me, I had to keep my erection from poking her in the stomach.

So eventually I decided that, by the end of the school year, I would confess everything to her. For better or worse.

Leslie: I wasn't used to getting checked out by guys. There was a rumor going around school that Jess and I were already together, so maybe they thought I was taken. And the other girls in the gym locker room kept asking me if I liked Jess. I told them we were friends, which was true, but I didn't bother mentioning that I was in the process of seducing him.

Anyways, my plan "worked," sort of. I could tell Jess was attracted to me, always trying to steal glances when he thought I wasn't looking.

But he would also get uncomfortable. Like, if I went to hug him, he would hold back for some reason.

I just chalked it up to him being a guy – when do they ever make sense, really? – and decided to go one step further. It was time for some direct action.

Jesse: The end of the school year drew closer, and so did my self-imposed deadline. I was wondering if I had the guts to do it, though. We'd be hanging out, and I'd go to say something, and... nothing. The words just wouldn't come out.

Then one day, Leslie mentioned that Scott Hoager was dating somebody. Who knows why she brought that up...

Leslie: "Hey, Scott Hoager's going out with Kristina Beckett," I said.

"So?"

Inwardly, I rolled my eyes in exasperation. "I don't know what he sees in her. I mean, she is pretty, but she's also kind of dumb."

"Yeah," he replied. "In that sense, they're a perfect match for each other."

"But still, I wonder how long you can tolerate one person for their looks alone." I paused. "... Do you think she's pretty, Jess?"

Jesse: Oh, no.

What was this, a trick question? I didn't even know much about Kristina, except that she was one of those ditzy drama queens at school.

"Um... I don't know. Kind of, maybe..."

Leslie laughed. "Come on, Jess, you can tell me. I don't mind."

I racked my brain, trying to come up with an answer. "She's ok, I guess. Too much make-up for my liking, but a lot of guys think she's hot."

"Mm." She looked up and gave me that trademark grin of hers. "So who do YOU think is hot?"

Leslie: Jess kind of blinked for a second, and then shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, Leslie. I'm not really judgmental, so I think a lot of girls are."

"Well, who's the hottest?"

I don't even know why I asked that; I guess I was just hoping beyond hope that he'd say it was me.

Well, the seconds ticked by. I thought that he was really struggling with himself, trying to think of a way to break it to me gently that I wasn't the best-looking girl he'd seen.

I was almost ready to cry, actually, when he blurted out, "You."

Jesse: Leslie's eyes got as wide as saucers. "Me?"

"Yeah. You're the prettiest girl in my opinion."

She just stared at me for a few seconds and said, "You... you're not joking, are you?"

I just lost it. "Of course I'm not joking!" I yelled. "I'm in love with you, ok? I'm –"

I realized what I had said, and froze.

Love? Where the hell had THAT come from? My ears were burning with embarrassment, probably bright red to boot, and I just wanted the earth to swallow me up right then and there.

Leslie: All I could do was mutter back, "You love me." A million thoughts were going through my head, as I felt the world turn on its axis.

Meanwhile, Jess was looking as nervous as ever, so I just did the first thing that came to mind...

Jesse: "I've been waiting to hear that for a long time now," Leslie whispered. And she leaned over and kissed me.

I didn't know what was happening; I didn't know what the hell I was doing. But I can still remember the way her lips felt.

They were soft. They were like warm butter.

Leslie: In retrospect, it was pretty foolish of me to kiss him right then. I mean, we had never even talked about this, never had a chance to express our true feelings for each other.

But I didn't care. It felt really good.

I eventually sat back to look at him, and then he tackled me.

We lay there and kissed and kissed, and I could feel his hands on my skin and in my hair, and I was just so damn happy.

Jesse: We must have stayed outside until midnight, talking... and making out.

I was surprised that Leslie wanted to go out with me, too. Had wanted to for months, she claimed. I wasn't sure whether or not to believe that, but it was still a nice thing to say.

Predictably enough, the last part of the school year flew by. At the state championships, I set the 100M freshman boys record. Leslie set the girls record.

It was quite fitting, at least to hear our parents tell it. They were all very happy that Leslie and I were together; yes, my parents were glad when I told them. Surprise, surprise.

And of course, the summer was a lot of fun. We were still only 15, too young to get real jobs, so we pretty much spent the entire time with each other. It seems like we spent three months doing nothing but making out, actually. In my room, in her room, at Terabithia, at the movies, at the skating rink... everywhere. I thought May Belle would be disappointed when we wanted to be alone all the time, but she just laughed it off. Kept teasing us, though. Typical.

So anyways, that's it. Leslie and I are married now – we got married right after graduation – and I just can't get enough of her.

She's still the prettiest girl I've ever seen... always will be, I guess.

*fin*