Chapter Thirteen
Aurora
The warmth of Jasper's hand around mine made the apartment feel quieter than it had only minutes earlier. The conversation had moved away from Rachel, loss, and everything he had carried for twelve years, but the trust behind what he’d told me remained between us.
I didn't feel the need to fill the room with reassuring words.
He had trusted me with the truth, and the way his fingers stayed linked with mine told me he understood I hadn't been frightened away.
We talked for a while about lighter things, letting the evening find its balance again without pretending the earlier conversation hadn't mattered.
Jasper told me about Cody arriving with enough groceries to supply half the South Loop and Ingrid leaving meals labelled with reheating instructions because she apparently trusted no one to use common sense.
I told him about Elyssa's ongoing attempts to turn my recovery into a fully managed operation complete with schedules, reminders, and follow-up inspections. By the time we were both laughing, the heaviness had eased into something gentler.
At some point, I realised I had shifted closer to him.
The movement hadn't been deliberate, but I didn't move away once I noticed it.
Jasper's injured shoulder meant his left side remained protected, and I was careful not to crowd him in a way that might cause pain.
Even so, the awareness between us changed as our conversation slowed.
His thumb moved gently across the back of my hand, and the simple touch drew my attention more completely than anything either of us had been saying.
"You're thinking very loudly," he murmured.
I locked my eyes onto his.
"That sounds like something Elyssa would say."
"Then I take it back."
"No, you don't."
"No, I don't," he admitted with a grin.
The small exchange made me smile, but the humour faded as his gaze settled on mine.
Nothing about the moment felt rushed, yet my pulse began to quicken because I understood where it was leading.
I’d wondered more than once what kissing Jasper would feel like.
The thought had crossed my mind in the coffee shop, the bookstore, at the hospital, and more times since than I cared to admit.
Now he was close enough that wondering seemed unnecessary.
Jasper lifted his free hand and brushed his fingers lightly along my jaw.
"Tell me if this isn't what you want."
The quiet restraint in his voice affected me more than any boldness could have.
"It is."
The answer barely left my lips before he leaned closer.
His kiss was gentle at first, warm and careful, as though he was giving me every opportunity to change my mind.
I didn't. Instead, I moved closer, mindful of his shoulder but unable to resist closing the distance between us. The kiss deepened slowly, and everything that had been building between us since we’d met seemed to gather in that single point of contact.
His hand settled at my waist, his fingers flexing with enough restraint to remind me he was still injured, and I found myself wishing he wasn't because I wanted far more of him than caution allowed.
When his mouth moved against mine with more confidence, heat curled through me and settled low in my stomach.
I rested one hand against his chest while the kiss deepened, aware of the steady beat of his heart beneath my palm.
The careful distance we'd maintained for weeks disappeared completely, replaced by something neither of us seemed interested in resisting any longer.
Without thinking, I leaned closer.
A faint wince crossed Jasper's face.
I pulled back immediately.
"Sorry. Did I hurt your shoulder?"
He shook his head.
"No. You're fine."
"That didn't sound convincing."
A smile touched his mouth.
"I'll survive."
I studied him for another second before relaxing.
The second kiss held less hesitation. It was still careful because his injuries gave us no choice, but it carried none of the uncertainty that had shaped the first. My fingers curled into his shirt, and for a few minutes the rest of the world narrowed to the warmth of his mouth, the controlled strength of his body beside mine, and the growing certainty that everything between us had changed.
If the evening had ended there, I would have remembered it forever.
A knock sounded at the door. Jasper stopped kissing me but didn't immediately move away.
The second knock followed.
I closed my eyes and lowered my forehead to his uninjured shoulder.
"Please tell me that's not Cody."
Jasper's laugh was quiet and slightly breathless.
"I'd love to."
"Can we pretend we didn't hear it?"
"He has my medication schedule and absolutely no respect for privacy."
The third knock was followed by Cody's voice from the hallway.
"Cartwright, if you're dead in there, I'm telling Ingrid you ignored the discharge instructions."
I lifted my head and stared at Jasper. Before standing carefully and smoothing a hand over my hair. Jasper looked far too amused for a man whose friend had just ruined a very promising moment.
When I opened the door, Cody stood in the hallway wearing the expression of someone who knew exactly what he had interrupted and felt no remorse whatsoever. His gaze moved from my face to Jasper seated on the couch, then back to me with infuriating calm.
"Evening, Aurora."
"Cody."
"Good dinner?"
"Yes."
"Excellent."
His mouth twitched.
"Jasper looks to be alive, which saves me paperwork."
Jasper shifted carefully on the couch.
"You're early."
"No, I'm not. It seems you lost track of time."
Heat rose into my cheeks, and Cody's expression made it obvious he noticed. I stepped aside to let him in because leaving him in the hallway would only make the moment more awkward.
Jasper took his time standing, partly because of his shoulder and partly because I suspected he enjoyed making Cody wait. He collected his jacket while Cody watched him with the attentiveness of someone prepared to intervene if necessary.
"Did you take the evening dose?"
"Yes."
"Did you eat with it?"
“Aurora cooked."
"That wasn't the question."
Jasper huffed with exasperation.
"Yes."
Cody nodded.
"Good."
Jasper glanced at me and smiled.
"I'll call you tomorrow."
"You'd better."
His smile softened in a way that made Cody suddenly become fascinated by the wall beside my door.
"Thank you for tonight."
"I'm glad you came," I told him honestly.
"So am I."
He leaned down and kissed my cheek, a careful gesture made necessary by the presence of his friend and the limits of his injured shoulder.
It should have felt tame after what had happened on the couch.
Somehow it didn't. Cody gave us one more pointed look before guiding Jasper into the hallway, and I closed the door after them with a smile I couldn't have hidden if I tried.
The following morning began with Elyssa standing in my kitchen holding a coffee mug and staring at me as though I’d returned from a secret mission.
She’d had come over shortly after breakfast with Oliver in tow, claiming she needed to check I’d survived the night alone.
I had known her too long to believe that was the entire reason.
She took one look at my face and set her mug down with exaggerated care.
"Well?"
I opened the fridge.
"Good morning to you too."
"Don't you dare pretend nothing happened."
"I wasn't pretending."
"You’re glowing."
"I am not."
"You absolutely are."
I pulled out the milk and placed it on the counter.
"We had a nice dinner."
Elyssa folded her arms.
"Nice?”
"Yes."
"That's the word you're going with?"
"It was a very nice dinner."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Did he kiss you?"
I tried to maintain a neutral expression and failed almost immediately.
"I knew it."
"Elyssa."
"You’re terrible at hiding things from me."
"I'm not trying to hide anything."
"Good, because you can't."
The conversation continued while I made coffee and she interrogated me with the determination of a prosecutor who had no intention of losing a case.
I gave her enough details to satisfy her curiosity without describing the parts of the evening that belonged only to Jasper and me.
She accepted the boundary more easily than I expected, perhaps because she could see how much the evening had mattered.
Later that morning, after Elyssa took Oliver for a walk, I called Jasper.
He answered on the third ring, and the sound of his voice immediately brought back the memory of the previous evening.
For a few minutes we discussed his shoulder, Cody's supervision, and whether Ingrid had already delivered another round of meals.
Eventually I told him the news I had been waiting to share.
"I've been cleared to return to school on Monday."
The line went quiet in a way that suggested he was choosing his response carefully.
"You're happy about that? You don’t think it’s too soon?"
"Very and no, I don’t."
"Then I'm glad."
I leaned back against the couch.
"My doctor agreed as long as I stay off my feet as much as possible. The principal has approved the plan, and my classroom is being arranged so I can teach mostly from my desk."
"Mostly?"
I smiled.
"You don't sound convinced."
“I’m not. You don’t strike me as someone who is content with sitting still."
"I'll be careful. Elyssa is driving me there and home every day, the office staff know I'm not allowed to be running around the building, and my principal has threatened to send me home if I overdo it."
"Good."
"You're starting to sound like Elyssa again."
His laugh warmed me more than it should have.