7. Jasmine #2
“The usual?” she asks, her eyes sparkling. Not literally, but to me they are. My eyes, however, are giving her daggers.
Jake is oblivious, as most men are, and agrees to his usual, whatever that is.
“Great, that’ll be four dollars,” the barista says, turning the screen so he can pay. She turns around when Jake interrupts her movements.
“I’m not done ordering.”
“Oh?”
Poor girl is frazzled.
Jake turns to me, saying, “I’ll also have whatever my date wants.”
And you know what else Jake does? He winks. Now I know what it means when people say they get instantly wet, because that’s officially on my turn-on list. Specifically Jake winking, no one else.
Oh, and while demanding something? Yeah, I’m a fan.
The bond doesn’t care if I don’t want this connection with Jake.
It’s not wrong, but that doesn’t mean our relationship could be easy.
There are plenty of lies standing in our way, and I’m sure more than one roadblock we’d have to face.
I’ve never had this overwhelming sense to be near someone, and am finding it hard to remind myself that yes, he’s hot but also, I’m trying not to die.
The not dying part is super important, otherwise without a future, the bond doesn’t matter.
I bite my lip, unable to help myself, then face the barista to find her jaw open.
She looks me over in a way that isn’t because my outfit is cute, but more so How can this man be with you?
Joke’s on her, because I know I look good and I’m not going to let her ruin this day. Not when Jake stands next to me.
“A twelve-ounce black coffee would be great, with walking room.”
She rings it up. Jake pays. We move to the end of the counter while we wait for our coffees.
“Date, huh?” I ask when we get far enough away from any listening ears.
“Something wrong with a research date?” Jake leans back against the wall.
“No.”
They call out Jake’s name, so I grab our coffees and come back to him.
When I hand him his cup, he grabs it, but holds my hand, not letting me go. I meet his gaze to find him already looking at me.
“I’m serious. Are you okay with this being a date? Because if you’re not, I’d like to be let down easy. Actually, if it’s not, maybe just pour this coffee over me? It’d hurt less than your rejection.”
I roll my eyes. “I’ll spare your, um—” I swallow hard while observing his body. “No rejection from me. I can’t remember the last time I was on a date.”
He pushes off the wall, and we walk together out of the coffee shop, still holding hands.
“I don’t remember the last time I was on a date, either.”
“Oh, come on. You?”
He scoffs. “What about me? Is that so hard to believe?”
“You’re hot, Jake. Somehow I don’t believe that.”
“Hot, huh? What else do you think about me?”
“You’re not as smooth as you think.”
“Ouch. Harsh, Jaz.” He bumps his shoulder into mine. “I’m serious. I’m surprised you don’t have men lining down the block to take you out.”
“Are you calling me attractive?”
“There are so many adjectives I’d use to describe you. ‘Attractive’ barely scrapes the surface.”
“What—” Before I’m able to ask him to be more specific, we reach the library stairs, and a small child barges between us. Their mom apologizes quickly, and I give her a sympathetic smile before I turn to Jake. “Shall we?” I ask instead, letting the current topic fade into the background.
“Yeah, let’s find some information.”
Jake and I enter the library, smiling at the librarians before we find a table at the back.
“Do you want to help me find some books?” he asks, plopping his backpack on the middle of the wooden table.
“I can help you, but I also remembered I have a book or two I need to find while we’re here, if that’s okay.”
“Yeah, let me walk the stacks with you.”
I don’t have it in me to tell him no, but I won’t be able to grab the books I need with him near me unless the title isn’t obvious. I need to find a way to contact Marisole. A location or contact spell doesn’t scream demon, so I guide us toward those shelves.
We’re silent as I browse, looking through the spines to find a book of spells.
When we reach the end of a stack and are about to turn down the next aisle, I sense a dangerous presence.
I’ve had a sliver of my attention on my magic while we’ve been occupied, not wanting to turn my back on possible danger.
It’s for reasons like this I can’t be distracted, not when my life and others in this town are at stake.
Iron.
Acid.
Death.
The ground crawls with black shadows, not obvious to anyone who isn’t a demon or doesn’t have the ability to sense what might be concealed. And these demonic shadows? Even Jake doesn’t smell them.
I have a minute to decide my next move.
They’re here for me, but thanks to my glamour, they won’t sense me. Not unless my father sent a sibling, which is never his move. That’d be too easy, too calculated. He’s reckless and doesn’t care that these demons would kill me on sight.
Jake rests a hand on my arm, then asks, “Is everything—”
I shush him, then slide my arm upward until I’m able to grab his hand. My feet move me down the aisle of books, and I tug on our connected hands.
“Jasmine, wait.” Jake tugs his arm back, trying to get me to stop.
I don’t.
I choose to expose a small piece of myself, leaning on our bond as the reason, hoping he won’t be angry about the amount of lies I have subjected him to over the past twenty-four hours.
My hand grips the door handle of a small utility closer, and I open it, dragging us both into the nearly pitch-black room. There’s a small amount of light seeping through the cracks of the closed door, but not enough to read any emotions displayed on his face.
When Jake’s hand finds mine, I realize I’m shaking. His touch grounds me, and immediately a wave of concern flows from our tethered bond. He squeezes my hand once, and I do my best to meet his gaze.
I note his furrowed brows and the slight tilt of his head. I note the way his free hand reaches for my waist, his fingers tentative to touch me so they’re barely skating over the fabric.
But I feel him.
And it’s not only the small touches but the way he gives me space and asks my opinion. This sounds ridiculous to think about because I’ve known him for less than twenty-four hours, but I’m going to pretend it’s been a lifetime of him stealing touches and glances.
That’s what this feels like. That’s what we feel like. A lifetime of stolen moments, waiting for the stars to align and give us the opportunity to explore what could be.
There’s at least one demon outside trying to locate me, and I’m tired of letting fear get in the way of what I want. And frankly, what I deserve.
Jake opens and shuts his mouth, and I worry the next time he opens it, it’ll alert those outside to our presence.
I’m not ready to fight demons in front of him, especially when there’s more than one. My magic is barely refilled from two days ago, and even sensing their presence is taking a lot from me.
The problem is, since it’s dark in this closet, I don’t know if Jake will see me if I shake my head or make a noise to tell him to be quiet.
So, I do the one thing I can confidently count on to shut us both up for an extended period.
I kiss him.