Page 77 of Love, Magic and Misfortune
She turned and Jasper walked past her, his empty tart plate in hand. “You set all this up. I’ll help clean,” he continued. Not one to argue, Violet went to the table and took the seat facing him. She exhaled a deep sigh of contentment.
“Did you enjoy this?” she asked. “Your actual birthday isn’t until next weekend, but…” On the other side of the counter, Jasper already had the water running, dish soap and sponge in hand with his sweater sleeves rolled up. He kept his voice low.
“I did. Did you?”
“Yes. Honestly, this was just what I needed.”
“Good.” He nodded. “I’m glad. It’s been so long since I’ve been around this many people… I didn’t know what to say. Did I seem strange?” He looked down and focused on his task, scrubbing plates, rinsing them and placing them in the rack beside the sink.
“No. I think you were alright. I’m sorry we talked so much about TV and movies.”
“It’s fine. It’s a safe conversational topic for a group of people who don’t know each other particularly well. It’s understandable.”
When Freddie walked into the kitchen, he had a strange, determined look on his face that made Violet narrow her eyes.What is he doing now?
But then she cursed herself. This innate distrust of Freddie had guided her across all her interactions with him from childhood. Now, it seemed unfair, and it made her feel weirdly guilty, which she hated.
“I need to go take over a shift at the store,” he said, watching Jasper. “Thanks for inviting me… This was real nice.”
Is he talking to me?“Sure…” Violet said, confused by his misplaced eye contact. He walked forward, then around the corner of the counter to stand at Jasper’s side.
“Hey, Jasper?”
Busy, Jasper scrubbed the pot in his grip. “Yeah?”
Freddie stood still, staring at his profile. When he didn’t say anything, Jasper shut the water off and turned his face toward him, frowning in half confusion, half annoyance. “Yes? Is there something else I didn’t—”
“No, I—” Freddie took a visible breath, his broad chest rising and falling underneath his sky-blue sweater. He ran his fingers across the top of his blonde head, scratching. “It’s not that. I just… You—you’re like Mama’s chaussons aux pommes.”
Violet sat with her eyebrow raised.Why the heck is he talking about apple turnovers…She met Jasper’s nervous gaze as it flickered over to her. It was as if he needed to confirm the peculiarity of the statement. He looked at Freddie again, frowning. “What?”
Freddie gulped, his words pouring out and his fingers mussing his hair. “Like when she makes them fresh and pulls them out of the oven, and they’re still warm and flaky when I take the first bite and that gooey apple filling hits my tongue and sends this tingly feeling all throughout my whole body, because they’re my favorite, you know? You’re like that. That—That’s how I feel when I see you. Ever since we were kids…”
No one moved or said a word: the hasty confession hanging in the warm air of the kitchen. That is, until Jasper blinked and opened his mouth to speak.
“Um… I—”
Freddie leaned in, tilted his head, and kissed Jasper on the cheek with a loud smack. Jasper jumped, his eyes wide as he took a step back. It happened so quickly that Violet gasped from the shock of it.
“Sorry…” Freddie grinned, his face flushed. “But, thank you for listening. And happy early birthday. I’m glad you’re leaving your house more. I think it’s good.” He nodded once, turned and moved toward the doorway.
As he passed Violet, he lifted his chin. “I did it in front of you so you don’t think I’m trying to steal him from you or something. I just needed him toknow…”
Violet swallowed, shock still paralyzing her mind. “What? I don’t—J-Jasper doesn’t belong to me.”
Freddie raised his dark golden eyebrow. “Of course he does.” And then he was gone.
Blinking, she met Jasper’s wide-eyed stare. Neither of them said a word, and eventually, Jasper exhaled a breath, turned the water back on and continued washing dishes. His face dropped into a discouraged little scowl that made Violet’s heart sink.
“Are you alright?” she asked. “Are you in shock?”
He shook his head. “Considering my private circumstance, very little shocks me.”
She leaned forward, whispering. “Jas… was that your first kiss?”
“Does a kiss on the cheek count?”
“Well, kind of?”
