Dan

I must have laid there for several minutes after Jasper left, staring up at the ceiling. Why did he suddenly touch me like that? Was he teasing me on purpose? No, he wouldn’t do something that bold. I rolled over onto my side and nuzzled my face into the soft pillow, breathing in Jasper’s familiar scent.

The moment replayed in my mind over and over again, my thoughts jumbled with a mixture of giddiness and confusion. I was sure I was just reading into things, that he was just trying to do me a favor by fixing my clothes, but I couldn’t help but wonder if there was something more.

That was probably just wishful thinking though. He didn’t even like me; he tolerated me at best. But that didn’t stop me from getting my hopes up whenever there was even a slightly positive interaction between us.

I sprung up off the bed, pacing around the room. It wasn’t until recently that I found out I’d liked Jasper. There was always a fleeting feeling ever since we were young, and when I look back, I think I should have realized much sooner than I did. But alas, I was young and naive. Ever since I had my little revelation though, it seemed as though my feelings for him had just grown and grown.

I picked up a random object from his desk, fidgeting with it anxiously. Out of all people I could have possibly fallen for, why him? I probably wouldn’t have a problem shooting my shot with anyone else my age, especially if it were a girl, but Jasper was like forbidden fruit. He looked like he was sculpted by the gods, he got good grades, he played sports- he could probably bag anyone if he felt like it.

But here was the problem: he didn’t let people get close to him, no matter what. And he didn’t have a problem humbling the pushy ones either. Many had been left heartbroken and humiliated after trying their luck with him. It was a miracle I’d even gotten this far.

My phone buzzed in my pocket; a Snapchat notification from Zack. I laid back down and opened the message, grateful for the distraction from my thoughts. It was a picture of the view outside his window, with the caption “There goes our plans 😑” in the middle of the screen.

It was snowing. My thoughts wandered back to Jasper. Wasn’t he out there right now? I stood up and made my way to the window, opening the curtains. He was probably fine, it wasn’t falling too hard, but still. I hoped he would get back soon.

I sat back down on the bed, typing in a swift reply. Zack and I had planned to sneak out and go to 7/11 later that night, but the snow would make it far too much of a hassle. It didn’t bother me as much as I made it seem like in my reply though. I never really enjoyed fooling around when it was dark out. I only tolerated it because Zack was always there with me. He was my best friend of 7 years, so naturally he knew about my… fears.

Plus, I was already a bit tired today. Staying up until 3am last night to play videogames with the guys was probably one of my less genius ideas. I had a few other messages I had yet to respond to, so I flopped onto my back, reading through and replying to them with half-assed enthusiasm. I was starting to feel that familiar throbbing in the crown of my head, and I cursed myself for staying up so late last night.

Letting out a frustrated groan, I shut off my phone and rolled over onto my stomach, letting the cool pillow soothe my head. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, thankful for the comfort of Jasper’s woodsy scent. I tried to stop myself from dozing off, but resistance was futile. The last things I remembered were the faint sounds of laughter from downstairs, and the tension I’d been holding onto drifting away.

…

Suddenly, sooner than I’d hoped, I felt myself getting shaken awake. I groaned, instinctually swatting the hand away before opening my eyes. I blinked, my vision still foggy with sleep. An angel? Did I die in my sleep? I sat up, rubbing my eyes. 

Oh. It was just Jasper. He was leaning over me with his usual cold expression, hands on his hips like a teacher about to scold a student for sleeping in class. I could see the hint of amusement in his eyes though, and it was hotter than I’d like to admit.

“It’s time to wake up, sleeping beauty. You realize this isn’t your room, right?”

He mocked, his deep voice sending shivers down my spine. I looked around, and I could feel my cheeks heating up as I remembered where I was.

“Shut your face. I was tired.”

I muttered, my voice still raspy from sleep. I slowly sat up, stretching slightly. I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly, searching for something, anything else to look at besides his smug face. He just stood there and watched silently. Until I heard him stifle a laugh. I quickly flicked my head back up to face him, cheeks still burning with embarrassment.

“What?”

I hissed, looking up at him with an irritated glare.

“Nothing, it’s just- your hair looks like a rat’s nest.”

He said, his shoulders trembling with silenced laughter. I blushed furiously, immediately tangling my fingers in the messy strands.

“Screw you…”

I grumbled, practically running to the mirror. God, he was right. It did look like a rat’s nest. I didn’t think I could get any more humiliated than I was just then.

“By the way, dinner’s ready. So you might wanna get that sorted out.”

He said, locking eyes with me in the mirror, arms folded across his chest. He was gesturing to my hair, and it made me want to punch him in the face. Like yeah, no shit sherlock.

I simply huffed in response, more focused on fixing my hair than coming up with a proper retort to Jasper’s nagging. My fingers struggled to get themselves free when I tried to run them through it, and I grumbled frustratedly.

I really didn’t know what I was doing. I usually just let my hair do its own thing, but I felt extremely self-concious about it now that Jasper had pointed it out. I frowned, wincing slightly as I pulled my hand out of the tangled mop. I wished I didn’t care what he thought of me as much as I did.

He stepped closer and looked over my shoulder into the mirror, watching me with the curiosity of a big cat. I could feel his gaze and the warmth radiating off of him as he hovered over me, and it was making it hard to focus on the task at hand.

He tsked and I felt his hand grip my shoulder, flipping me around to face him.

“Hold still.”

I flinched slightly as he reached out to touch my hair, startled by the sudden development. My heart skipped a beat as we locked eyes, hands dropping down to my sides and fidgeting with the hem of my shirt.

“I can do it myself…”

Furrowing my brows at him, I grumbled, but in reality I was just hoping he wouldn’t notice how much I was enjoying his attention. He ignored me, gaze focused on my hair as he attempted to flatten it, but his lips curled into the slightest grin and I thought I might spill my heart out to him right then and there if I wasn’t careful.

I struggled to ignore the goosebumps creeping up my skin every time his fingers brushed against my scalp. My pride wanted to swat him away and tell him I didn’t need his help, but I found myself craving this closeness more than I’d expected.

After about 15 seconds though, much to my dismay, he stepped back, rubbing his chin like an artist admiring a finished piece.

I ignored how my heart fluttered and turned back to the mirror, curious to see the results. Almost immediately, I noticed the color in my cheeks. I thought I’d done a pretty good job of keeping my cool, but I guess it was inevitable with him staring me down. I hoped he hadn’t noticed, but he probably wouldn’t think anything of it anyway. I don't think he’d ever see me like I saw him.

The hair on the other hand- that actually looked good. It was still messy, but instead of looking like a hedgehog that was used as a bowling ball, it looked planned. How Jasper managed it? I have no idea, but it wasn’t that surprising. He’d always looked pretty well groomed himself.

“I’m offended by how much better it looks.”

I said sarcastically, turning around and pouting slightly. He smirked and shook his head, walking toward the door. I really needed to stop acting so pathetic in front of him, but I just couldn’t resist his reactions. He knew I was faking it, and he always acted mildly disgusted, but he could never hide the mirth in his eyes. At least not from me.

“Glad to hear it. Can we go now?”

He asked, returning to his default expression. He opened the door and gestured for me to follow him. He didn’t wait for me, but he didn’t have to. I was already following close behind.