This was written for the Jori Prompts challenge over on tumblr, and has no connection to the other set of prompts I've been working on.

"Tori... We need to talk." Jade wrung her hands in front of her, and Tori noticed how nervous Jade seemed, which was rare.

"Um... Sure. What about?" Tori adjusted the strap of her bag, resting it more comfortably on her shoulder.

"Not here..." Jade sighed. "Come to my house tonight." And with that Jade darted down the hall and out of sight.

"What was that about?" asked Andre, falling in step with Tori.

"I'm not sure," Tori responded truthfully, her eyes still focused on the spot where Jade had disappeared. "But she wants me to go to her house tonight."

"What for?"

Tori finally turned to her friend.

"She needs to talk to me. Do you think I should go?"

"Well... It is Jade. You can never really be sure what she's up to. But from what I saw, she looked pretty sincere."

"Yeah... Could you give me a ride later?" Tori asked, and Andre chuckled.

"Sure thing, Tori."

The rest of Tori's day was an anxious blur. What could Jade possibly want from her? She would have asked if she could, but Jade had managed to avoid her all day, skipping the only class the two girls had together (Sikowitz's), and hiding out in the janitor's closet during lunch.

That evening, when Andre left Tori at Jade's, her stomach was in knots, twisting and flipping in anxiety. But she shook it out, knocking on the door firmly.
Jade appeared moments later, her hair pulled back into a ponytail, and school clothes replaced with sweatpants. Tori also noticed that Jade's face was free of make up -save for a nude gloss on her lips- and Tori couldn't help but realize how very pretty Jade actually was.

"Hi, Tori," Jade said nervously, which only surprised Tori even more. Jade was never nervous - she only made others nervous.

"Come in," she said, opening the door completely, and stepping aside to let Tori pass.

Tori walked in slowly, cautiously, half expecting something to jump out at her. But nothing did, and Jade closed the door again, turning and giving Tori a half smile.

"You don't have to be scared of me," Jade said softly, playing with the hem of her top.

"I'm not," said Tori too confidentially, and when Jade gave her a look she added, "Well, can you blame me?"

Jade hung her head.

"I guess not."

Tori looked Jade over again, realizing how very not threatening Jade looked with no make up on and her hair pulled back. She looked almost vulnerable.

"I brought you a coffee," Tori said, handing Jade a paper cup. "Black with two sugars, right?"

"Yeah... Thank you."

"Why did you want me to come here? What was so important you couldn't talk to me about it at school?" Tori asked, cutting right to the chase.
Jade was quiet, biting the inside of her lip thoughtfully. She had thought long and hard about what she was going to say, but when the opportunity finally arose, she found herself unable to make a sound.

Tori tried to be patient, silently urging Jade to continue, but she was dying to hear what Jade had to say.
Jade was trying her hardest to get the words she had so carefully chosen to be spoken aloud, but they were stuck in her throat. She sighed, gripping Tori's shoulders and pulled her close. She placed her lips on Tori's in the softest of kisses.

"I like you, Tori."

Tori sucked in a shallow breath and ran a hand through her hair. What just happened? Surely she had imagined it. But no, she could still feel the warmth of Jade's lips on her own, and taste her lip gloss.

"Tori, I'm sorry," Jade sputtered frantically, anxiety making her blood run cold.

"Jade... It's okay." Tori smiled and took Jade's hand, squeezing it reassuringly, but Jade pulled away, leaving Tori confused.

"I like you, Tori," she said again, "and it scares the shit out of me."

"Don't be scared," Tori said, so unused to seeing Jade this way. She took a deep breath, mustering the courage to say what needed to be said.

"I like you, too, Jade." At that Jade finally looked up, surprise etched on her face. Tori inched closer to her until finally she dipped her head down, kissing Jade one more time.

This feels rushed, but it's actually taken me a while to work on. Also, I find romantic Jori a little difficult to write, because I'm so used to writing them in the transitional phase between friends and... Tori being Jade's friend. So. Anyway, thanks for reading!

x Carrie