3. Jasmine
Chapter three
Jasmine
“I hate this show,” Riley whines., sprawled on the opposite couch. “You’ve been watching for one hour; when will it end?”
“Can you stop whining and leave me alone?” I roll my eyes at him. “If you don’t like it, no one is forcing you to watch.”
“I want to watch my basketball game,” he replies. “Not this cheesy, fake show.”
“You have a television in your room,” I laugh.
“And so do you!”
“This screen is bigger.”
“Which is exactly why I want to watch my game on it,” he fires. “It’s more animated.”
I fold my arms across my chest and glare at him. “Stop whining like a little girl about it. Go to your room and watch TV or leave me alone. ”
“This is my house,” he says. “Don’t boss me around in my house.”
I am about to respond to his pettiness when my phone rings beside me. I glance at the screen to see an unsaved number and hesitate momentarily before taking the call.
“Hello.”
“Jasmine.”
My blood runs cold, and I freeze. He only said my name, but I’ll recognize that voice anywhere in the world. It’s Alec. I haven’t heard from him since the night we had sex, and I didn’t expect him to call. I didn’t even know he had my number; we’d never spoken to each other on the phone.
“It’s Alec.”
“I know who it is. Hold on.” I leave the couch, and Riley sighs with relief as I leave the living room. I’m hardly upstairs when he changes my show and puts his basketball game on, but I don’t care. My focus is on the man on the other end of the line. My body thrums with excitement, and I shut the door as I walk into my room.
“Alec, hi.”
“Hi.” His voice is sexier on the phone, and I shut my eyes to take it in.
“I didn’t know you had my number.”
“I’ve had it for three years,” he says.
“What?” I shriek. “So, why’re you calling me today?”
He pauses for a fleeting moment. “I don’t know. I guess I just wanted to hear your voice.”
My heart skips in my chest. “My voice?”
“Hmm.” He hums. “Is Riley home?”
“Yes.” I roll into the bed giddily. “Why?”
“I want to see you.”
I sit up. With how fast my heart is beating, I’m scared I may have a heart attack.
“I’m coming over,” Alec says.
“No!” I cry.
“What?”
“That’s not a good idea,” I tell him. “Riley is home; he’ll suspect something is going on.”
“Do you mind?”
“I do.”
There’s a long pause before he sighs and says, “Will you be able to meet me somewhere?”
Is Alec Lionheart asking me out on a date? “Where?”
“I’ll text you an address. Do you want me to send a car to pick you up?”
“No. I’ll meet you there. ”
“See you soon,” Alec chuckles and hangs up the call.
Despite how wildly my heart beats, I maintain composure as I scroll through my contact list and dial Ana, my best friend. My body is bursting with the need to tell someone, and she’s the only person I can tell.
“Jas.” She picks up on the first ring. “Hi, girl.”
“Guess what?” My phone pings, and it’s Alec texting me an address. I squeal.
“Whoa,” Ana said as she laughs. “What is going on? Someone is excited.”
“I just got asked on a date.”
“What?” Ana gasps. “I thought you said you’re staying single throughout the year because you’re emotionally unavailable and cannot commit to—”
“Girl—that doesn’t apply to Alec.”
“What?” Ana yells so loud I hold the phone away for a few seconds.
“Damn, Ana.”
“Did you say Alec?” She asks.
“Yes. Alec. Alec Lionheart.”
Ana knows how hard I’ve been crushing on Alec, and she’s told me so many times to move on because Alec and I could never be a thing. “How did this happen? It’s a miracle! How?”
This is where I tell her Alec and I had sex, but I hesitate briefly before confessing. “It’s kind of a long story, Ana—”
“What?” She yells again. “I thought you hadn’t seen Alec since the Christmas party?”
“Yes, but he came to visit Riley two days ago…”
“And then what?” Ana asks. “You’re hiding something.”
“Nothing.”
“Jasmine Lilah Ambrose! You are hiding—”
“We had sex!”
“Goodness gracious!” Ana wails. “You slut! How did this happen?”
I burst into giddy laughter and drift towards my wardrobe to pick out an outfit. The address Alec texted is a lake, so I need something sultry yet comfortable. “It’s a long story, Ana. I’ll come over tomorrow and tell you all about it.”
“I don’t know who you are anymore,” she laughs. “You had sex with Alec two days ago? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I just told you!”
“Two days after!”
I laugh again, choosing a black bodycon mini dress and a wool jacket because it’s cold. I’ll pair this with black ankle boots. “You didn’t miss anything, trust me.”
“You’ll come over tomorrow? ”
“Yes.”
“Fine. So, when is this date?”
“I’m supposed to meet him in an hour, so I’ve got to go.”
“Fine. Promise you’ll tell me all about it when you return.”
“I promise. I love you.”
“Love you too. Have fun.”
When Ana gets off the phone, I quickly shower and put my dress on. Fortunately, it looks exactly as I envisioned. I do slight makeup and fix my hair before leaving my room, ordering an Uber as I go down the stairs.
Riley is still watching his basketball game and doesn’t spare me a glance. “I’m not changing the channel. Watch your show in your room.”
“Who cares?” My ride will be here in five minutes, so I text Alec that I’ll be there in twenty and sit on the couch to wait. Riley finally looks at me, and he does a double take. “Whoa, where are you going?”
My heart skips with fear and guilt. “Out.”
“With whom?”
“None of your business.”
He rolls his eyes. “You had better be home by curfew.”
Laughter bubbles out of me, and I eye my brother with playful annoyance. “I don’t have a curfew.”
“In my house, you do.”
“Shut up.” I hit his leg with my bag. “I can’t wait to find my own apartment. You’re so annoying.”
He laughs. “Be home by ten, I’m serious. New York isn’t safe for young women.”
“I’ll be home by ten because I want to, not because you said so. I can take care of myself.”
My phone beeps, signaling the arrival of my Uber ride. I kiss Riley on the cheek as I leave. “Don’t miss me too much.”
He wipes off my kiss with the ghost of a smile. “Get away from me. Text me if you need anything or feel unsafe.”
“I will. See you later.” I leave the house, still feeling guilty but overly excited at the prospect of an amazing date with Alec.