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Jessie didn't mind slow days. She actually enjoyed them more than she let on to the others. The clock could tick and tock as slow as it pleased. It only meant playtime with her kid would feel longer, and she was always up for that. If Andy were still a kid, then she would be anticipating the moment he was done with his homework so the toys could enjoy their time with him before his mother told him to settle down for the night. Nowadays, it was different. With Andy well into his teen years and no longer wanting to play with his toys, the slow days weren't as uncommon as they used to be.
Instead of waiting for Andy to come home and play, the cowgirl waited to see if he was going to stay long. At this point in his life, Andy was more concerned with hanging out with his friends or seeing if he could chat up a girl that he liked. As sweet as that was, it only made Jessie's day drag out longer than she wanted. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and looked around the room from her spot on Andy's desk. She sat down on the edge, feet swinging lazily, watching Woody and Slinky on their latest game of checkers with Bullseye lying near them. On the other side of the room, Hamm and Mr. Potato Head were playing cards while Mrs. Potato Head was reading a book to the Aliens. The remaining Green Army Men were out patrolling the house, ready to warn the toys to freeze if need be.
Jessie was starting to feel herself doze off when a scream from the other side of the room caught her attention. She turned her head and saw it was nothing to worry about. Buzz and Rex were trying to beat a particularly hard boss in a game Andy had borrowed from a friend. The game's music changed to indicate Rex had lost. She guessed it must've been the fourth or fifth attempt, judging by the dinosaur's frustrated scream. She held in a laugh, watching Buzz console their friend after the latest defeat.
Watching him comfort Rex and brainstorm new strategies was something she could watch him do without getting tired of it. There was something sweet about seeing him go out of his way to help a friend. The other day, Buzz helped Woody with an upcoming staff meeting, then immediately went over to help the Potato Heads find the Aliens after a long game of Hide and Seek. He helped her on more than one occasion when she was trying to find the perfect time to leave the room and explore the house when the family was gone.
Whenever she was able to get some time alone with him, Buzz looked like he had been dying to say something that she already knew. It was obvious since the first day he tried to talk to her. He was crushing on her. She had to admit she felt the same for him. Jessie always did her best to be patient, though patience had never once stopped her from making her feelings known in her own way. She teased him when he got shy. She would plant herself next to him even when there wasn't a reason to. She purposely made eye contact from the other side of the room to see how long it would take for him to shyly look away. If he couldn't tell by now, that was on him, not her.
Still, she didn't want to press him on the subject, however, she knew their days were numbered. Andy didn't play with them, and yet he kept them with little to no shame. Woody may have thought they were fine, but Jessie knew better than to think that they were safe in the room forever.
She shook her head again slowly. - I've been sittin' on this long enough. If Buzz doesn't get a grip, then I'll have to give him a push. - she thought.
She sighed and leaned back, letting her hands rest on either side of her. A year ago, she would have sworn up and down that nothing was brewing between them. That it was all in her head and she should forget about them being more than friends. Then Buzz's face would soften in a way that felt special for her. He fumbled his words and got shy. His whole demeanor changed when she was around. She grew to enjoy the way he made her feel. She couldn't deny it. It affected her, and she liked it.
There was only so much time she was willing to spend playing this little cat and mouse game with Buzz. The cowgirl gave the space ranger more than enough time. Years went by, and their relationship was the only thing in Andy's room that was stuck in limbo. It was getting ridiculous.
Jessie huffed and looked towards the TV. It looked like Rex had some renewed confidence after talking with Buzz and didn't look like he was going to move from his spot until Andy got home. Buzz, on the other hand, had wandered off to check on some items for Woody. The cowboy had asked him to make sure that Andy's books and movies were accounted for. They may need it for entertainment after finding out that the family may be out and about for the weekend. He was too focused on his work to notice Jessie approaching him from behind.
“Howdy, Buzz!” she said cheerfully.
Buzz felt himself catch his breath at the sound of her voice. “O-oh, hi, Jessie. Is there anything you need?”
“I wanted to ask you something…” Jessie suddenly felt herself get a tiny bit nervous. This was actually a little harder than she thought it would be.
Buzz set down the stack of DVDs he had been organizing, giving her his full attention. “Um, of course. What is it?”
She barely registered that her hands went straight for her braid, stroking the end of it, hoping that it would provide a small bit of comfort.
“Well… umm, i-it's kind of a big question that I've wanted to ask you for a while.” she bit her lip and let her eyes dart to the floor in an attempt to lock onto something that wasn't the space toy standing in front of her.
“Jessie.” he said her name carefully, like he was afraid of spooking her. “You can ask me anything.”
She looked up at him and saw his features soften into concern. He was watching her, wondering if she were about to jump to the ceiling. He tried his best to assess the situation, readying himself to leap into action if need be. His hand came up to reach hers, then stopped short, hovering before dropping to his side.
“You look nervous. Are you okay?” he asked, concern creasing his brow.
“I ain't nervous. Why on earth would you think that I'm nervous?”
She caught herself stalling and huffed in frustration. - Come on, Jessie. You can do it! Get it over with already. - she thought to herself. Her hands were almost threatening to undo her braid.
Buzz gave a small nod towards her hands still stroking her hair. The dead giveaway.
She side eyed her braid and finally let it go. She chose to cross her arms instead. She fought the urge to have her foot tap on the floor.
“Jessie.” Buzz said her name again, this time a little softer. He took a step closer. “What's wrong? ”
If she ever had to question if toys had hearts, then she got her answer. She could almost feel it in her chest, threatening to burst out. It was now or never. She took a breath in before speaking.
“Buzz, I wanted to know if you… when it comes to me, if you ever saw us as more tha-”
Sarge suddenly cut Jessie off as he and the Green Army Men ran into the room. “Andy's unlocking the front door!”
“Back to your places! Everybody, Andy's coming!” Woody called out to the others. He knew it wouldn't be much longer before their kid ran up the stairs.
Jessie and Buzz both stayed still. For a few seconds, neither of them moved, both still caught in their moment. They looked at each other with a hint of worry before instinct had a chance to take over the way it always did.
Buzz saw Jessie open her mouth to talk. He stopped her. “Ask me later.” he said before running to the other side of the room.
Jessie nodded and went back to her spot on Andy's desk, though her legs felt heavier than they had any right to. The question was still bouncing around in her head like a little ball. She was so close until Buzz stopped her.
- Later. - she thought, dropping near the window and turning her head towards the door right as it swung open. - Later… sure. -
She replayed their interaction in her mind. She didn't know if what happened made things better or worse for their friendship, relationship, or whatever they were. Perhaps it was better if she stayed perched on her spot on top of the desk.
She tried to keep her mind focused on Andy as he talked to Buster, telling the dog that he would take him for a walk in a few minutes. He threw his bookbag on the bed and went to his desk. He turned on his laptop and picked up his phone that was lying nearby.
Across the room, Buzz lay on the floor with his eyes fixed on the ceiling, and for the first time in a while, he couldn't make heads or tails of what just happened. He was thinking about Jessie with her hand on her braid. The way she looked at the floor instead of at him, like the floor was easier to face. Her question was now lost to the air.
It suddenly clicked what the question might be. He almost unfroze himself. He kept it together, his eyes on the ceiling.
- It couldn't be that. There's no way. - he thought, but it made sense to him. She acted the same way he did every time he wanted to confess. He brushed it off. It's a possibility. It's a theory that he wasn't completely sure of.
The two toys tried to concentrate on Andy's voice. They heard him tell some story about his day that neither of them was really listening to.
“I'll ask my mom if it's ok. Uh-huh… alright, man. Talk to ya later.” Andy said before hanging up the phone.
Jessie let herself wonder how many more “laters” they had left before it was too late.