Page 5 of Nyctophilia

“Am I interrupting something?” A deep voice, thick with humour. One I recognized.

I turned to see Jasper walking towards me, looking only slightly dishevelled. “No,” I answered him truthfully. “But what are you doing here?” Whatwashe doing out here this early? I came to this place because it was deserted and I could be alone with my thoughts, not plagued by them.

“Out for a run, same as you, I imagine.” He gestured towards my athletic clothes and smiled at me, brushing the dark locks from his eyes.

“Uh huh. Out for a run. In that?” I pointed to his black leather jacket, which seemed pretty impractical for a morning jog.

Jasper sat down next to me, casually lounging back on his forearms. “Maybe I’m in better shape than you are.”

I scoffed. But it was probably true. His arm was as thick as my waist. I decided to not make a snide comment, ignoring him and turning my face back towards the pinkish sky over the forest instead.

“It’s really something, isn’t it?” he asked me, his voice softer than I had heard it before. My heart jumped. After all his annoying appearances, the fact we were on the same page about something so pure really hit me.

It was like he had read my mind. I turned towards him to agree, finding him not staring at the beginnings of the sunrise, but at my face. It made me uncomfortable, and I felt myself flush.

Jasper shuffled closer towards me, and I could have kicked myself for being so aware of his proximity. His shoulder brushed against mine, and I could feel his breath close to my ear.

I opened my mouth to protest but he cut me off. “Shh. Don’t worry, I won’t interrupt anymore. The sun will be coming up soon, and you don’t want to miss it,” He whispered into my ear, and my stomach tightened with every low word. Jasper faced the horizon again, and together we watched the sun break over the trees. I was preoccupied as I noticed Jasper’s hand subconsciously crawl towards mine until our pinkies touched. This time I didn’t pull away. I embraced the small touch in such a beautiful situation.

It felt like we had shared more than just an everyday moment together, and we sat there quietly for a few minutes after. I didn’t know what to say to him, or even how to say it if I knew. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out.

He jumped to his feet. “I should go. You probably have to get back and get ready for work. I’ll see you around, Ava Green.” One last devastatingly beautiful grin, and he was gone.

After a moment I stood up, too. I wasn’t sure where to go from here. I wasn’t sure how I felt anymore. There was only one way to figure out what was going on. I had to talk to Jasper again.

Chapter 3

“Come on, girl! It’ll be fun, I swear!”

Mollie was trying to persuade me, once again, to go out with her and Ben to the bar in Easton. “I don’t think so Mol. I’m pretty tired.” Iwastired. I also didn’t like the bar. It was noisy. And busy. And dark. Did I mention noisy? And I didn’t enjoy being the third wheel.

“Pleeease?” Mollie wheedled. “I feel like you haven’t come out in ages. I’ll even lend you a dress.”

I felt my resolve caving. What she said was true. I hadn’t been out with her in ages. “Okay, fine. But you’re buying me a drink. And I want to be home by midnight.” My voice was stern, but I smiled at Mollie’s excitement over the other end.

“You won’t regret it! Come over now so we can get ready together.”

I hung up the phone and headed back out the door, hoping she was right and I wouldn’t end up regretting my decision. My bed was sounding awfully tempting right now.

Mollie met me at the door in full makeup, a drink in hand, before I could even get my shoes off. “We are going to have so much fun!” she said. “Babe, stay out here,” she called over her shoulder to Ben. “We have girl stuff to do.” She dragged me down the hall to her room and shoved the cocktail glass into my hands. “First things first. Drink.”

I obliged, taking a big gulp of the cocktail. I coughed and sputtered as it hit the back of my throat, warming my belly on the way down. “Shit, Mol, what is this? Are you trying to get me trashed?”

Mollie laughed from inside her closet. “You’ve been so uptight lately! It’ll be good for you to relax for one night.” She came back out holding a tight black dress. “What do you think? Drink.”

I took another swallow of the deadly concoction, the alcohol already racing through my bloodstream. “I think you’ll look great in that.”

She shook her head. “No, this is for you to wear.” I took a second glance at the dress. Mollie was a good four inches shorter than me, and this dress would emphasize every extra inch of skin. I took another sip before she even asked.

“You aren’t going to take no for an answer, are you?” This dress would be my enemy tonight. And I doubted she would let me wear my sneakers.

“Nope.” She tossed the dress at me, and walked out the door. “Get dressed. There’s a pair of wedges in the closet you can wear. We’re leaving here in ten minutes.”

Shit. I finished the last of my drink, definitely feeling buzzed. Hopefully it would give me the confidence to pull off this dress. I slid the silky material over my head, and checked myself out in Mollie’s full length mirror. It didn’t look half bad. But I needed another drink to not be concerned about its length. I strapped on the wedges and carefully made my way out to Mollie’s living room.

“Well? What’s the verdict?” I twirled in front of Mollie’s eagle eyes. She carefully looked me over, walking around me in a circle.

“Almost perfect.” She pulled my hair out of its elastic, ruffling my curls to give them more volume. From some hidden pocket on her dress she pulled out a tube of mascara, and expertly swiped it on my lashes. “There. Beautiful. Don’t you think, Ben?”

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