The plot thickens!!... Okay it mildly progresses. Connected to part 1 if that wasn't obvious.

***********************************

"I have to admit it," Mason said. "I didn't actually think this was a look you could pull off."

Carter didn't say anything as she regarded her reflection. She wouldn't have admitted out loud but she also was a bit surprised by her own appearance. Though she still had elements of her style: hair in a ponytail, comfortable sweatshirt, fitted jeans, and tennis shoes, it wasn't her at the same time.

Though in a ponytail, her hair had a slight curl to it that made the ponytail stylish instead of messy. The sweatshirt wasn't three sizes bigger than she wore, but the perfect size, fitted without looking like it was tight. It also came from a ski resort Jackson's family frequented. The jeans were her own. The shoes were tennis shoes but ones that the only word that came to mind when looking at them was cute.

To top off her look, she'd applied the barest hint eyeliner to enhance her eyes but not make her striking. The last piece was a pair of glasses that completed the cute, but little shy persona. The added bonus being there were inlaid with a camera.

When Carter faced the dorm room, that they had transformed into their own headquarters with a long desk filled with computers screens, both Mason and Donovan inspected her closely. Mason with the critical eye of someone still surprised, Donovan with the eye of someone in charge of the project.

"Anything I need to change?" she asked, hands on hips.

"Yeah, don't do that," Mason said, pointing to her posture. "It makes you look intimidating."

Carter dropped her hands and nervously knotted them together while wearing a bashful smile.

Mason jerked back in his chair and Donovan fought a grin.

"That was freaky," Mason said. "You turned into someone... not you."

"It's called acting Mason and a key part to undercover."

It was a key part and one she'd spent hours with Donovan going over the past three nights, nailing down mannerisms, the amount of eye contact, the length of eye contact, the style of laugh, the intonation of speech, calculated motions.

It was one part Carter knew she couldn't do with Mason around, knowing she'd feel self conscious. But Donovan could see all her failures and know how to correct them with a professional and supportive way. The benefit of being married and partners.

"Are you sure your plan is going to work?" Mason said. "It sounds farfetched to me."

Carter thought of a time long ago in high school, a time before everything changed in her life. At the memory, she almost smiled.

"Yes, it will work." She checked the time. "I should get going."

"We'll be watching you," Donovan said.

On the computer screens were dozens of camera feeds all displaying different parts of the college campus. One individual screen showed what Carter saw.

"And we'll be ready to step in if you somehow terrify Jackson instead of winning him over."

"Only you're scared of me, Mason."

"I would call it a sense of self preservation. A natural feeling that we'll hope that outfit distracts Jackson from developing with you."

Shaking her head at him, she gathered up a collection of notebooks, papers, and books. As she opened the door, she glanced back at Donovan and he gave her single nod of encouragement. This was their first serious undercover assignment, it needed to go well.

Outside, a chill early autumn breeze rustled the leaves just beginning to show hints of turning. Though the sun gave off warm rays, sweaters, hoodies, and jackets adorned the students.

As Carter made her way to Jackson's current lecture, she shifted her walk. This was one factor she hadn't realized would take as much work as it had to adjust.

Donovan said it was feature that would give her away since, as he described it, she walked with a purposeful gait that made others back off or watch. It had taken them a full night of working to help her find a stride that fit her undercover character.

The steps were closer together and Carter curled her shoulders slightly, while keeping her back straight. The dichotomy of the opposing actions gave off an air of someone told to be confident but didn't fully believe it.

Carter stopped at the corner of the building where Jackson was in and waited. She checked the time, knowing his class should let out in the next few minutes.

"Can you see the door to the classroom?" Carter said quietly.

"Yup and we can see you standing there like a weird nerdy stalker," Mason said.

Carter found the camera tucked away in a corner and glared at it.

"That's not the expression you plan to greet Jackson with, is it?" Mason let out a despaired groan. "We're doomed."

"Donovan," Carter said. "Strangle Mason for me, would you?"

"I would say I'm scared but I know Donovan to have the self-control that you lack."

Carter sent the camera another withering glare and hated how she could clearly imagine Mason's victorious smirk.

Before Carter could say anything, Donovan spoke. "The doors opened. Get ready."

"Just tell me when he's approaching," Carter said.

After monitoring Jackson's movements the past few days, Carter knew he'd stay to the inside of the exiting group, choosing to walk along the wall rather then try and cut to the outside or face the mass on the inside. Where Carter stood at the corner, by the time Jackson reached her the vast majority of the students would have dispersed. But Jackson, having already latched into the the inside, would remain there. This is why Carter had chosen this spot.

"Get ready," Donovan said. "Five, four, three, two, one."

Carter stepped around the corner and collided with Jackson. Their heads knocked and all the items in Carter's hands fell to the floor. Carter wobbled and clutched her head as Jackson staggered back, wincing.

When Carter steadied herself, she lifted her gaze to Jackson, giving him a wide-eyed, innocent look.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry," she said. "Are you okay?" She covered her face. "I'm an idiot. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Jackson said, his tone reassuring. "It was my bad."

Carter lowered her hands and smiled shyly then bit her lip as if self-conscious about her smile. She watched as Jackson softened under the action.

"Let me help you," he said.

As he went to bend down and pick up a notebook, Carter mirrored his action, making sure they hit heads once again.This time Carter fell down, clutching her head and Jackson grimaced. When they locked gazes, Carter pressed her mouth together like she was trying to fight a laugh. Jackson touched his head as his lips twitched.

"Is it wrong for me to say it's nice to know I'm not the only one who trips over my own feet," she said, taking on the light inflection she'd honed with Donovan.

"This is a first for me," Jackson said.

"Oh," Carter said. "You know, same. Definitely. First occurrence for me too."

At her clearly false denials, Jackson smiled. "I won't tell anyone about this."

"Thanks," she said shyly.

"How about for the sake of both our heads, you start picking things up on that end and I'll start on this one."

"That sounds like a smart plan. It's good a collision with my head didn't damage your intelligence."

Though he didn't say anything, Carter caught a please flush on Jackson's cheeks as he knelt down to pick up her things. Carter gathered up papers, intentionally leaving the books for Jackson to discover. When he did, he paused, holding up one of the novels.

"You've read this?" he asked.

She hadn't but Donovan had and gave her a thorough break down of it, along with details that would make her sound insightful.

"You have?" she asked. She perked up. "Did you notice the parallelisms between Johnathan's father's past and the decision Johnathan has to make with Naomi?"

"You noticed that? I only realized it after my second third read."

"I think that's why a third read is necessary," Carter said. "You miss a lot the first two times. I'm curious what a fourth read will show."

"We should read it together!"

After the words slipped out, Jackson looked like he wanted to take them back, avoiding Carter's gaze and suddenly fidgeting with the book in his hand.

"I would like that," she said. "I... I haven't found anyone else who knows the book. So... yeah... that would be nice."

Jackson raised his head, shocked but smiled at Carter nervous but encouraging look.

"I'm Jackson."

"My name's Kat. Well, Katherine but you know everyone calls me Kat. Most people, that is. You can, umm you can call me Kat."

He smiled. "Okay, Kat. Here, we can get each other's numbers." He took out his phone and handed it to her and Carter passed hers over as well. "Uh... do you have a boyfriend?"

He asked the question without looking at her and only glanced at her when Carter didn't instantly reply.

Carter let out a light self deprecating laugh. "You think I'd have a boyfriend?"

When Jackson handed back her phone, he held her gaze with a steadiness he hadn't shown before. "Yeah, I do."

Carter didn't blush at anyone except Donovan but she managed to bashfully met Jackson's gaze then dropped her eyes, as if not truly believing him.

"Oh... Well, I don't."

Jackson nodded and returned to helping pick up her things. Carter caught from her periphery Jackson hesitating on a notebook.

"You take stats with Kendrick?"

"Oh yeah... We're actually in the same class."

"We are?"

Carter turned her face away. "Yeah. But it's fine that you didn't notice me."

It would also make sense since she'd only started attending the class four days before and missed the first three weeks of it. But the tactic would put Jackson on the defense.

"I'm sorry," he said. "That class is really hard for me, I usually don't notice anyone since I'm trying to make sense of it all."

Carter shook her head as if it weren't a big deal.

"I... If you wanted... I could help you." She ducked her head and shuffled papers together. "That's one class I'm actually good at. Though it won't help if I don't pass Crammer's poly-sci course."

"I could help you there."

Carter looked at him with surprise and a hint of hope. "You could?"

"Yeah." He checked the time and made a face. "I have to get to my next lecture. But we could meet up later."

"Okay. That would be great. Thanks."

They stood, Carter's things split between them two. After a second of staring at each other, Jackson shook himself and handed over her items.

"Oh thanks," she said. "Don't want you walking off with that. I'd have to chase you down." She widened her eyes. "I mean, find you. Come get it back. My stuff. I would have to get my stuff back." She laughed at herself and dropped her head. "I'm not making sense."

"I understood."

Carter lifted her eyes to him and gave him a half smile.

"Okay," she said. "Text me when you want to met up."

"I will."

"Promise?"

Carter knew the question would reaffirm Jackson's decision to meet up as well as play up her slightly eagerness and display a sense of insecurity. The eagerness she knew Jackson with his personality would feel pleased by and the insecurity he'd want to remedy, having his own history with the emotion.

"Promise," he said.

Carter smiled widely with relief and noticed how Jackson took a second to respond, simply taking in her expression as well as her features.

"I look forward to running into you later," she teased.

With the parting joke, that Carter knew would make Jackson laugh as well as make her remain in his mind, she walked away.

"How?" Mason said in her ear. "How was any of that even possible and believable? I mean this is Owens! Violent, will-stab-you-in-the-eye-for-looking-at-me-wrong Owens! How did you not only manage to pull off cute shy girl but somehow manage to win him over in the process. The man will do nothing but think about you for the rest of the day!"

Carter couldn't help but grin at Mason's complete disbelief.

"I'm honestly surprised I didn't hear this in a running stream of commentary as I worked," Carter said.

Mason cleared his throat but said nothing.

"I told him," Donovan said. "If he talked while you were interacting with Jackson I would gag him."

Carter laughed. That made sense.

"How did you know it would work?" Mason asked. "How did you know that running into him would mean a cute interaction instead of a pissed off altercation."

That was easy, Carter controlled all the elements, including how much their heads knocked. Enough to be realistic but not enough to cause actual pain. It would be a mere annoyance than a true cause for grievance. All the items in her arms were related to Jackson, each notebook had the name of the classes she shared with him on it. The books she held were ones she'd noted he'd read multiple times but weren't commonly known novels. Even the papers showed detailed notes on stats, the subject she knew he struggled at.

On top of that, her entire personality, mannerisms were to make him feel at ease with her. Shy enough he felt comfortable talking to her since she wouldn't be overly confident. Funny enough that he relaxed without realizing it. Pretty enough that he wanted to keep a connection but not attractive enough that he felt intimidated by her looks.

But there was one definite factor that she'd known would make the interaction successful.

"How?" Mason repeated.

"Because Mason," Carter said. "I already did this once before with a boy."

"I knew it! I knew our first collision meeting was too contrived."

Carter rolled her eyes. "Funny. I would never put that much effort into meeting you. No, this was way before either of you were in my life. I managed to get the school recluse to talk to me."

"What happened with him?" Donovan asked.

She could hear the curiosity and the hint of something more. She almost laughed, it had been years and years ago. She'd never met that boy again.

"Nothing," she said. "I switched schools and that was the end of it. My life went down hill because I met Mason."

"Ha ha. Come back to the dorm," he said. "It's Donovan's turn."

**********************************************************************

Heyo Mayo!

(Have I called you that before? I mayo-have 🙈😂)

Alright people! Listen up! You have one job to do! That's right, put them thoughts here and no one gets hurt! 🗯💭💬🥸

I think we need to decide something. I mean we don't actually have to decide anything but since I have the phone, the keyboard, the login, and the username I have the power...

Okay I have enough capability to type something out but that means that I can do whatever the flip I want! Watch this: burgers hit burgers and it all goes ham.

See! Nonsense! I have that capability and so with this great capability comes get responsibility to do the unnecessary.

(How many of you are mentally lost?
I mean not because of me, just in general, or generally because of me.)

Was I on a path that had a destination?
Yup! Don't worry if you got lost I'll swing back around and pick you up. Or you can hitchhike with the next passing reader who is just as equally lost and it will be the blind leading the bookworm.

Back on track! We must decide, (ha! See we did have a destination) which is the pairing we like the most:

Carter and Mason

Carter and Donovan

Carter, Mason, Donovan

Will this cause anarchy and mental combustion? Most likely but that's the price we all must pay.

Vote, comment, follow but only if you still have a functioning brain.

(I feel like with these author's notes I'm slowly training you so that one day I'll just be able to put a string of random words together and you'll go: yeah, makes perfect sense)

Wonderful comments from Drawing The Line

💁‍♀️ it's what I do

Aww I try ☺️

You're welcome! 😁

Carter as an innocent cat