I

Morning light came in through the blinds, and James sat at the small kitchen table reading a novel. Thin reading glasses perched on the end of his nose as if he was elderly, and a cup of hot tea steamed by his left hand. Jessie was making morning sounds in the bedroom and bathroom, slamming cabinets and crashing hangers in the closet without knowing she was doing it. James ignored the sounds; he was used to them.

"Ja-ames," Jessie sang from the doorway to the kitchen.

"Yeah," James replied, not looking up from his Eco.

"Have you seen… my… clothes?" Jessie sauntered into the kitchen in mismatched underwear—plain white panties and a bright red bra. She walked slowly, exaggeratedly, and did a little pirouette in the middle of the kitchen.

James's right hand left the book and patted the table for his bookmark. When finally the hand came in contact with the object—a pressed red rose encased in plastic—he placed it meticulously between the pages and closed the book with his left hand. "Wha—" His question ended abruptly as he took in the image of Jessie dancing in her underwear. He wasn't sure what kind of thoughts were running through his head at the moment, so he blurted the first thing that came to mind: "What are you doing?"

"I can't find my uniform," Jessie pouted, putting her hands on her hips. Her hair was already sprayed into place and her makeup was done.

It wasn't as if Jessie never walked around in her underwear. For some reason she did that quite often, actually. Whatever the case, James mentally calculated something and sighed, sounding exhausted.

Jessie sort of skated towards James in bare feet, coming to rest delicately on his lap. He moved his left arm in a delayed, sort of surprised gesture to make room. Jessie's hand ran up and down the striped material of his pajama pants as she spoke. "So. James. What have you done with my clothes?" She giggled, slowly removing his glasses.

"You are in a totally bizarre mood," James replied coolly although he knew his face was burning.

Jessie tried the glasses on for a moment, then slid them off her nose and placed them on the table beside his book. Her other hand came to rest on his bare chest. "I know," she whispered, looking directly into his eyes, tracing a tiny circle on his chest with one finger.

"There's a new box of tampons in the bathroom."

"JAMES!" Jessie scolded in a screech, leaning back, the "mood" immediately ruined.

James shrugged, which was not very easy to do with Jessie occupying most of his lap and pressurizing his chest. "Well, you'll need them soon."

"Do you always keep up with my cycle?" Jessie scowled. She was changing from silly-seductress-Jessie back into normal, yelling Jessie. Her hand stopped making circles, and now her fingernails were pressing into his flesh.

James attempted to shrug again. This one was more pronounced. "At least I know when to take you seriously."

Jessie looked shocked at the answer. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you get really strange when you're PMS-ing! I mean, case in point!" James gestured to Jessie with his right hand before putting it back where it had been—on her back. –Whoa, waitaminute. When had that happened?

Jessie's hands left his chest and his leg and went into his hair. She ran her fingers through the silky blue mass, forgetting her anger a moment longer. "I act weird because you always act the same. You ought to do something a little strange every now and then," she said in a soft, sweet voice, staring into his green eyes. She paused a moment, adding in an incongruous blunt tone, "Well, I mean, you do, but I don't mean weird strange. I mean… different." Jessie touched noses with him.

"Have you checked the dresser?"

"What?" Jessie's eyebrows furrowed.

"For your clothes."

Jessie frowned again, and her eyes began to flash with anger. "For heaven's sake, James. Can't you play along just once?" She removed her hands and crossed her arms across her chest, causing her breasts to push in further, swelling beneath red lace. "Just… surprise me now and then!"

James reached out and circled his arms around her waist. He pulled her down and kissed her firmly on the mouth, deepening the kiss a few moments before pulling away.

Jessie stared back at him in complete shock, one arm pinned to her side by his, the other bent as her hand came to rest on her mouth.

James raised an eyebrow. "Surprise."

There was a flapping noise and a "Jess? Jimmie?" from the bedroom. Meowth had evidently just come back in through the cat door.

Jessie suddenly attempted to jump up off of James's lap but stumbled and jostled the table. As she escaped from his arms, her face flaming, she bumped the table again. This time it rocked violently backwards, sloshing James's tea all over him and the table.

James swore as scalding tea splashed up onto his chest and Jessie flitted out of the room. The mug finally tipped over when the table had almost come to rest and poured the rest of his tea across the table and all over the floor.