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Jason
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As the night continues, I am drawn to Sara’s every move. She seems to do everything shy of telling me to ‘Fuck off’ when I go near her. What I can’t figure out is why, unless she’s still pissed about me not asking for her phone number. Since I am the one that fucked up already, I’m trying to be patient and make up for it. I do have a date with her next weekend, so if tonight keeps going downhill, at least I know I’ll have another chance. Hopefully by then she will have forgiven me.
After tossing my beer, I step towards Sara to try talking to her one more time. She has her back to me and I pause when I notice Joe glance at me nervously before quickly focusing back on her. I step up next to Bree instead, without saying anything and toss my arm around her like she was my intended target. She’s standing just a couple steps away from Sara and I’m hoping to hear some of the conversation next to me. “How’s my future sister-in-law?” I ask and Bree blushes in response.
My ears perk up when I hear my name behind me. “So, is something going on with you and Christian’s brother, Jason?” I listen intently as Joe asks her. I hold my breath waiting for her answer.
“No!” she shrieks. I release my breath forcefully, grinding my jaw with aggravation. She doesn’t have to say it with so much vehemence. What the hell? “There’s nothing going on with Jason and me,” she begins to clarify. “We’re just...”
She doesn’t finish her statement and I want to turn around and interrupt their conversation to set her straight, but I have no right. “Listen, you don’t need to justify anything to me. I would just really like to ask you out, but I don’t want to step on any toes, and I heard you might be going out with Jason. Christian is my best friend,” Joe adds as further explanation for his rambling.
I’m about to turn around again when Bree grabs my arm and smirks at me shaking her head. She whispers, “Let her handle it.” I relent with a huff and cross my arms in annoyance, waiting for her response. Bree chuckles quietly at my reaction, but I ignore it, straining to hear behind me.
“Um, well, I um have met him before and well, I um do have an um date with him next weekend,” she stutters. A slow grin covers my face. Relaxing slightly, I attempt to hold back my chuckle at how fucking adorable she sounds. “But, um, I don’t know if well, um...” she stammers trailing off.
“Well, think about it. If it’s nothing with him, give me a call,” he urges. “I’d really like to take you to dinner or something sometime,” Joe declares, stopping her so she doesn’t have to continue. I can’t help but think he really is a good guy, just not the right guy for Sara. At least that is the story I tell myself and hope it’s true.
“Sorry, Joe,” I mumble smiling. “I’m going to do what I can so she doesn’t take you up on that offer.” Bree laughs louder shaking her head at me before releasing my arm. “What?” I ask her, grinning. She really is going to be a great sister-in-law.
She rolls her eyes at me and prompts, “Be good and just go talk to her.” I nod and immediately turn around without another word. I take a step towards Sara feeling much more confident. Joe smiles stiffly at me before walking away after quickly mumbling something to Sara, while my focus remains on her.
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Sara
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I’m about to hyperventilate. The guy I should be going out on a date with just asked me out and I couldn’t even explain to him what was going on between Jason and me. Joe’s such a good guy that he steps away anyway. Jason stands in front of me looking at me with that sexy smile. I pray he didn’t hear any of my conversation with Joe. I not only sounded like an idiot, but I don’t want Jason to jump to any conclusions. There’s also the fact that I don’t want to feel any more foolish around Jason than I already do.
“So,” Jason begins his smile fading as his eyebrows scrunch together in concern. He reaches for my arm asking, “Are you okay?” I swallow hard trying to catch my breath and nod at him hesitantly. He obviously doesn’t believe me when he starts guiding me towards the couch saying, “Maybe you should sit down.” I let Jason guide me to the couch and allow my knees to buckle, flopping down on the cool leather. He sits so close to me our knees are touching. I push myself away just slightly to reduce our contact, hoping it will help ease my nerves. My breathing seems to only become worse with his touch.
I stare at the black TV screen in front of me and concentrate on breathing in and out. Why can’t I wear my normal mask around him? Every time he’s there, I look like a fumbling idiot. I have never been like this in front of any guy! I can’t even imagine what he must think of me. Around anyone else I’m normal or I can fake it, but around him I’m anything but. As I catch my breath from my mini panic attack I blurt out, “Why do you keep helping me?”
I refuse to look at him while I anxiously wait for him to answer. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?” he prods sounding completely exasperated, causing me to look up to see his face. “First of all, any decent person would help you if they could.” He shakes his head in disbelief before continuing, “Second, I like you, Sara. I want to get to know you. I haven’t been able to take my eyes off you, so if something is wrong with you, I’m bound to notice. And, when I do, it sure as hell is going to be me helping you.”
My heart flips erratically in my chest with his words before jumping up into my throat. His blue eyes seem so sincere as he’s talking, but it goes against everything I’ve ever really believed. I take a deep breath and swallow the lump in my throat before I answer with a shaky, “Thank you. I guess I’m just a little tired,” I add as the only excuse I can come up with hastily.
“Do you want me to get you some water or something?” he offers obviously not buying my excuse, but thankfully not calling me on it either.
I shake my head and mumble, “No thanks.” I give him a small smile of appreciation as I try to put my confident mask back in place. “I’m already feeling a little better.”
“Good,” he states. He smiles relaxing into the couch next to me. “So, what do you like to do for fun Sara?” he asks looking at me intently.
I shrug my shoulders in response. “I don’t know. I guess I like to go skiing this time of year.”
He smiles suggesting, “We should go together sometime. I usually snowboard, but I like to go skiing too.”
I grin at his offer. “You don’t have to sit here and keep me company,” I let him know without responding to his suggestion.
“I want to,” he declares before cocking his head to the side and narrowing his eyes to study me closely. The butterflies take flight in my stomach again and I give him a shy smile.
Christian drops down on the couch next to Jason. “Is my brother bothering you?” he asks grinning at me.
I laugh as Jason’s eyes narrow. “No, he’s not as bad as you said he was,” I joke.
Jason’s eyes assess me before focusing back on Christian with a slight smirk accompanying his glare. “Thanks a lot, bro.”
“Anytime, Jason.” Christian’s smile grows. “Don’t let his charm fool you,” he laughs. “Seriously though, we were just going to throw a movie in.”
“No horror movies Christian,” Bree demands as she tries to sit down next to him. He wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her onto his lap instead.
“But those are my favorite kind with you,” he teases her. She rolls her eyes at him and focuses on me, dismissing him with a shake of her head.
“Anyway, I’m so glad you’re here Sara. Are you having fun?” Bree inquires sweetly.
“I am, thank you for having me,” I state, smiling genuinely back at her.
Bree is the kind of girl you can’t help but truly like. She is one of the nicest people I have ever met. For a long time, I wasn’t sure how I felt about her because Liz was jealous of her relationship with Blake, and I am more loyal to my best friend than anyone in my life. But once you get to know Bree, anyone can see how kind she really is, let alone how deeply in love she is with her fiancée Christian.
A loud scream sounds through the speakers and both Bree and I jump. Jason and Christian burst out laughing. I look around frantically before realizing it came from the TV. I sigh, relaxing into the couch, and giggling myself. “Christian!” Bree shrieks twisting to smack him on the chest and attempting to wiggle out of his arms. “Really?”
“You can bury your head in my chest the whole time if you want,” he proposes. “I don’t mind at all,” he claims, smiling. Receiving another smack in the chest for his playful teasing, he laughs even harder. “Dean put it in, Bree. We can go upstairs if you want,” he suggests wiggling his eyebrows. She sighs in defeat burying herself in his chest like he recommended and clings to him like it’s a matter of life and death. He chuckles lightly before placing a kiss on her forehead and leaning back into the couch with her in his arms appearing completely content.
“Do you like horror flicks?” Jason asks studying me.
My attention quickly snaps back over to him on my other side. I shrug my shoulders and mumble, “They’re okay, I guess.”
I watch as Liz sits on the other side of the couch with Blake and Dean sits with another beer in hand next to Amy who quickly scoots a little closer to him. My eyes land on Joe when he sits down on the other side of Christian and I realize he’s staring at me. I look away feeling slightly uncomfortable with the attention.
After a few minutes, my anxiety grows. Looking around at the couples and with both Joe and Jason focusing on me, I need to find a way to escape. I glance at the phone in my hand and realize I have three missed calls from my dad. “I’m sorry guys, but I have to return a phone call and then I think I need to get some sleep. I’ve been so busy lately and I’m really tired,” I give my lame excuse as I stand.
Everyone nods their understanding and I practically sigh in relief. Instead, I smile and turn towards the stairs. I feel someone behind me, but I don’t turn until I reach the main floor. Jason is standing there with a small smile curving his lips. “I want to make sure you and Amy are all set in your room,” he explains, and my mouth snaps shut without responding to him at all.
I stop suddenly remembering my bag is still in the car. “Shit!” I groan.
Jason runs into my back and grabs me by the hips to steady me, although I think he’s more off-balance than I am. A gasp escapes my lips and he asks, “Are you alright?”
I sigh. “Yeah, I just remembered we never brought our bags in, so they’re still in Blake’s jeep. We weren’t sure where we were staying,” I elaborate.
“I can go grab them for you,” he offers. Before I have a chance to argue he’s gone. He goes downstairs and comes back up with Blake. The two of them step out the front door and return almost immediately with all three of our bags. “Thanks Blake,” Jason proclaims as he comes down the hall towards me with my bag.
“Thank you,” I mumble, smiling politely. We walk down the hallway, and he opens the door to his sister’s room, waiting until I step inside to follow me with my bag. He sets it on the floor before looking up at me. I turn away from him to take in the room. Her room is a pale pink with a four-poster canopy bed covered in a pale pink and white quilt with a mountain of pillows. All the furniture has a whitewash to it making it look worn, but beautiful. On one wall she has a huge six-foot pin board covered with pictures and a bookshelf lined with books as well as a few stuffed animals.
“I don’t know how well this room really fits Theresa anymore, but my mom had to go pink since she’s the only girl in the family,” Jason justifies.
I turn towards him with a smile nodding my head. “I understand that. My mom used to do that with me. When she left, I used to dress up Liz whenever I had the chance just like my mom always did with me.” I won’t mention we just did that together the other night.
“I’m sorry,” Jason states looking genuine.
I shake my head and mumble, “It’s fine. It was a long time ago.” I turn away from him and walk over to look out the window. “She’s re-married now. I guess she’s very happy with her new family.”
“Do you still see her?” he asks hesitantly.
I shake my head refusing to look at him when I answer, “Not really. My mom would do anything to avoid coming to our house to see my father, even if it was just to pick us up. When my brother started driving though, we were able to visit her more often. But by then,” I shrug my shoulders as if to say it didn’t matter, but we both know I mean by then it was too late. “I guess I feel like an outsider when I’m at her house. I go when I have to,” I add with a heavy sigh.
Jason places his hands on my shoulder and rubs gently as I let out a gasp. “I’m sorry,” he whispers again in my left ear spreading goose bumps from my neck and down my arms. His touch feels comforting, making me want to fall back against him and soak it all in.
I give myself a mental shake and twist away from him and the window. When his hands drop away from me, I instantly feel cold. I change the subject, surprised at myself for how open I’m being with him. “So, I heard some rumors that you’re a better dart player than you let on tonight.”
Jason laughs lightly and I turn to face him again with a small smile. “I don’t know about that, but I will say I’m not going to pressure you into anything. I really want to kiss you, but I’ll kiss you again when you want me to, not because you lost some bet.” I smile to myself at his partial admission.
“So does that mean we don’t have a date next weekend?” I prod raising my eyebrows in question.
He steps towards me with a smirk. “No way. You’re not getting out of that one. I’m willing to put a little pressure on you for a date. I need a fighting chance so I can earn another kiss. He takes one more step towards me and I back up bumping into the wall. He’s so close I can feel his breath on my lips. I’m breathing heavy as my eyes drift from his blue eyes to his mouth, back to his eyes. I want to lean forward and take that kiss for myself. He tucks a stray chunk of my blonde hair behind my ear before stepping back stiffly himself.
“Do you need anything else?” he asks after clearing his throat.
“I...I’m...I’m okay,” I stutter. I gulp down my nerves. “Th...Thank you, Jason.”
“Wait, I need your phone.” I pull my phone out and hand it to him without question. He types something in real quick and hands it back as his own phone beeps with a text. “There, now I have your number and you have mine,” he declares, smiling in satisfaction. “There’s no way in hell I was going to forget that again!” he emphasizes, smirking. He leans close to me again and my heart stops as he places a sweet kiss on the corner of my mouth, taking my breath away. “Goodnight, Sara,” he whispers along my cheek.
I unsuccessfully attempt to hold back a whimper as he pulls away from me. I try to keep my voice steady as I reply, “Goodnight, Jason.” He gives me one last look filled with hope before he steps back and out of the room, leaving me completely breathless.
