~First-Person Narration: Jasmine~

    I could have talked to Orion forever. He was very sweet and gentlemanly, but we still talked about things like sports, our favorite movies, our visions for the future . . . We just  . . . clicked on a whole new level. I didn’t feel defensive with him the way I had with so many men. He could quote any of my interviews or movie lines . . . It made me laugh to hear him mimic my voice.

    It made me smile to see the way his eyes lit up when he did so. His eyes were such a bright shade of blue . . . Like he was erethral . . . He was fantastic. Jimmy brought us lunch and gelato, while we were discussing our picks for next years Super Bowl . . . It was another hour after before we left the cafe, walking down the street, still immersed so deeply in conversation that we hardly paid any attention to the people around us.

    The place wasn’t exactly deserted, either, but it was empty enough for the time of day. It was comfortable, really. Plenty of people had decided to stay indoors today, which was all the better for us. The ninety-degree heat would’ve been horrid for the average human, but well, I wasn’t exactly ‘average’ . . .

Jasmine: “Favorite color?”

Orion: “Either blue or red. I’m slightly preferential to blue with my own things. It’s very calm. What about you?”

    I couldn’t help the smile I had. Everything was flowing so well.

Jasmine: “Either green or purple, especially together. It just makes a very feminine, yet grounded composition.”

    His smile grew as he thought of another question.

Orion: “Opinion of the weather?”

    I laughed softly at him.

Jasmine: “Right now? Not too horrible, but not exactly my favorite. Once in a while I enjoy a nice thunderstorm to shake things up . . .”

    He grinned at me, kissing my cheek.

Orion: “Good . . . I like that . . .”

    His response just made me laugh more. We didn’t even notice the fact that it was starting to cool down, and a few clouds were crossing over the sun, but plenty of the rays were still coming through.

Jasmine: “That’s another thing!”

    I told him, coming to a stop. He paused, turning to face me.

Jasmine: “Why have you kissed me yet? You tried twice at the ranch. Is there something in my teeth or what?”

    He laughed, walking over and taking her my hands in his. I couldn’t help smiling.

Orion: “Because if we get not only a second, but a third shot at a first kiss, then I want it to be special.”

    Reluctantly, I sighed, but the smile was broad as I continued walking down the street with him. I swore I could hear one of those street performers, but I didn’t bother to look towards the faint sound of music.

Jasmine: “Fine, fine . . . Um . . . Favorite song?”

    He laughed, and it was then that I noticed he didn’t seem too affected by the humidity, either. A slight sheen of sweat was on his forehead, but it was nothing, really. He pulled out his phone, sliding his finger across the smooth screen and playing with it a moment.

Jasmine: “Now what are you doing, you-.”

Orion: “Sh-sh!”

    He put a finger to my lips to shush me, and I crossed my arms, raising an eyebrow, but he ignored me. I sighed, rolling my eyes at him. He was focused on the screen intently. I sighed,frustrated, but still somewhat amused. His eyes moved rapidly across the screen, scrolling up and down from what I could tell. He took another few minutes before he turned back to me.

Orion: “Found it!”

    He declared, eyes bright as ever.

Jasmine: “Okay . . . So . . . ?”

    He laughed softly, pulling me close so that his nose pressed against mine, and for a moment, I thought he would kiss me . . . Until he pulled away, rushing down towards the young man with a guitar.

    Crossing my arms tighter across my chest, I walked down towards them. He was murmuring something and making gestures.

Jasmine: “Orion slagging Pax, what on Earth are you doing?”

    When he turned around he was grinning. What did he have up his sleeve this time? I had an idea . . .

Orion: “I heard my NEW ‘favorite song’ on the radio on my way over . . .”

    The teenage boy began strumming with ease. I groaned internally, frowning.

Jasmine: “Orion . . .”

    I would never admit that I secretly enjoyed this. That I enjoyed where this was going with all it’s insanity and spontaneity. He put a finger to my lips again, silencing me. I smiled again, shaking my head as that strangely wonderful man began to sing. On the street.

Orion: “She's got big green eyes and tangled hair,

Voguing in her underwear,

And nothing is better,

Than doing nothing together,

Now she got a toothbrush as a microphone,

Belting out the Rolling Stones,

And I'm the last one to stop her,

Can't believe that I got her,”

I couldn’t help smiling at him. He seemed to make it a habit with me. He was absolutely insane and crazy and . . . Just so unusual . . . What an oddball . . .

“We get so close,

Kissing like eskimos,

It's a little bit much, I know,

I do,”

I laughed softly, and his smile grew. His eyes were wonderful. His voice, while he wasn’t a professional, sounded quite nice . . .

“Isn't she cra-crazy beautiful?

Isn't she strange, strange and wonderful?

I think I love her more than I even understand,”

He. Did not. Just . . .

“She got a classic style that's all her own,

A smile you can hear through the telephone,

And she says she's a rebel,

But she's way too sentimental,

And she's precious even when she's mad,

Gets angry and I start to laugh,

And I know that it's nothing,

She's just pushing my buttons,”

Hm . . . Okay . . . Maybe I couldn’t argue that part . . . I loved to see if I could mess wth him . . . Especially on the ranch . . .

“We get so close,

Kissing like eskimos,

It's a little bit much, I know,

I do,”

Well . . . I guess that explained, the nose-closeness thing . . . an Eskimo kiss . . .

“Isn't she cra-crazy beautiful?

Isn't she strange, strange and wonderful?

I think I love her more than I even understand,

Isn't she cra-crazy beautiful?

Isn't she strange, strange and wonderful?

I think I love her more than I even understand,”

I couldn’t believe him . . . That he was really doing this . . . He was so . . . odd and infuriating and loveable and wonderful . . .

“She's a little bit wild, a little bit mad, a little bit uh-oh beautiful,

Wild, a little bit bad, a little bit uh-oh,

And I never can know her too well,

Oh still I never want anyone else,”

It was . . . amazing . . . I pressed my lips together tightly, eyes starting to water.  How could he really be saying all this already . . . ? And yet . . . It felt . . . right . . . I wondered if he felt the same . . . He had to . . . He was serenading me in the middle of the street. People were staring.

“Isn't she cra-crazy beautiful?

Isn't she strange, strange and wonderful?

I think I love her more than I even understand,

Isn't she cra-crazy beautiful?

Isn't she strange, strange and wonderful?

I think I love her more than I even understand,”

The music softened just slightly as he walked over to me, taking my hands in his again, holding them up near his chest.

“She's a little bit wild, a little bit mad, a little bit uh-oh beautiful,

Wild, a little bit bad, a little bit uh-oh,

And I think I love her more than I even understand.”

The music slowed to a stop, and he smiled, pulling me closer to him, just . . . staring into my eyes. I couldn’t manage to break eye contact with him, but he seemed almost frozen. I pushed my hands to his chest and he let go as I slid my arms up around his neck. His smile grew, and I pulled up as he leaned down just slightly, letting out lips meet in the center.

I swore I still heard the faint strumming of a guitar, but for once, during a kiss . . . I let go . . . His arms wrapped down around my waist, holding me against him. I smiled, matching his grin, letting the touch of our lips linger a few more moments before pulling away. That was when I heard the call of, “You go, man! That’s having guts!” and “You go, girl! You found a good one!” Followed by some cheering and applause.

The people in this town . . . What were you gonna do . . . ? They’d applaud anything, some days . . . It brought a small blush to my cheeks.

Jasmine: “Perfect like that . . . ?”

    I whispered to him, and he smiled even broader, if that was possible, nodding.

Orion: “Perfect like that, Jasmine . . .”

    I laughed softly, resting my forehead against his collarbone. My face hurt, honestly, from how much I’d been smiling today. I just couldn’t stop. Everything was just so sweet . . . Like a perfectly ripe strawberry in the middle of summer . . .

    I murmured quietly to myself, the words barely audible, even to me. Certainly he wouldn’t hear them, but they just had an urge to be said.

Jasmine: “I love you . . .”

    It was barely classifiable as a whisper, but I felt better letting them out. I wasn’t quite ready to say them to him, but it was nice to say them at all . . .