~First-Person Narration: Jasmine~~

    I bit my lip as I hurried along. I was dressed simply enough, not wanting to be over or under dressed. I didn’t know what to expect, really. I wore a light blue dress, emerald ripples cascading over it from the top left shoulder, the smooth fabric clinging to my body a little tighter than I thought it would. Thankfully, the cowl neckline gave it a little more class. The hem was respectable, just above the knee, and while the fabric was clingy, it stretched as much as I needed, with minimal hitching. The inch-thick straps were ideal for summer. I glanced at herself in the mirror, and quickly snatched a pair of silver heels from the closet.

    Okay, so maybe I’d overdone it. But I didn’t have time to worry about that now. Akane would be getting up at any moment. And if he saw me trying to leave . . . Well, it was over. My teeth were brushed, hair combed and skin washed with an extra layer of deodorant. I smoothed herself out, nodding at my reflection.

Jasmine: “You’ve got this girl . . .”

    I took a deep breath, walking out of my room slowly, closing the door as quietly as I possibly could, glancing down the curved hallway. In order to get outside, I’d have to pass Akane’s usual room . . . And unfortunately, he hadn’t been off duty last night . . . If he had, at least he’d be on the other side of the house . . .

    I paused, contemplating if I’d be better off going out that way or if I should try my luck pulling a SpiderMan scaling down the side of the house. Well wasn’t this going to be be fun . . . But every second counted, and there was no time to waste debating.

    That fact became startlingly clear when I heard a door shut.

Jasmine: ‘Frag it!’

    Instead of thinking and slipping back into my room under the covers, waiting for a better time to get past, ran down the hallway. Thankfully, the heels were still in my hands, but I managed to make a horrendous ruckus anyway. I hated my brain some days.

Akane: “Miss Brookes?”

    I heard him call, and I ran faster down the hall, turning a carpeted corner, barely managing to stay upright. I couldn’t let up now. If I stopped he’d be watching me like a hawk for the rest of the day, especially in this getup. If I didn’t make a clean getaway, I was screwed! Majorly and utterly FRAGGED!

    The window . . . I came to a screeching halt. The same window I’d gone out when I’d completely lost it, staggered onto the roof and called out for Optimus . . . Well, better this than nothing. I could hear Akane’s hurried footsteps behind me, calling out my name.

Akane: “Miss Brookes?!”

    He hadn’t caught me by now. He had to have checked the bedroom. All the better for me. Breathing heavier than I wanted to, I clambered out the window, feet on the sill as I tossed up my shoes, hoping I didn’t overshoot and lose them. Even if I did, better barefoot than no feet during a date, right . . . ?

    It was a date, wasn’t it . . . ? I groaned, not having the time to dwell on whether it was a date or not. I pulled myself up with the gutter, thankful it didn’t break on me this time, and slid onto the roof. Unfortunately, I’d also left the window open . . .

    Talk about a dead giveaway . . . Oh well. I grabbed the shoes, both of which I thankfully still had. I winced at the feel of the shingles on my bare feet, but I couldn’t wait on it. I didn’t have time to spare. Akane would likely catch me if I didn’t get out of here pronto.

    And of course, as I started running, I remembered I was running away from my garage. Hate. My. Brain. So much.

Akane: “MISS BROOKES?”

    He had obviously found the window. His voice was outside now. Frag, frag, frag, frag, frag, fraggity fragging frag! I was so done for. I bit my lip harder. This situation was impossible, and yet . . .

    Something said it still was. My heart, spark, whatever, screamed at me to jump off the edge of the roof as I ran closer and closer to it, the shingles biting the soft soles of my feet. My head, part of it screamed to go for it, and the other, louder part, screamed at me to listen to logic and stay on. To accept the consequences for my slip up and poor preparations.

    I was so close . . . And I could hear Akane’s footsteps coming up behind me.

Akane: “MISS BROOKES STOP!”

    I felt awful. I knew what this probably looked like to him, from his point of view. But I couldn’t stop. A tear slipped down my face. I couldn’t look at Akane. I might stop if I did. He was always so worried and I knew if this worked he would be terrified for who knew how long? And once he found out I was okay . . . If I was going to be okay . . . He’d give me the lecture of a lifetime . . .

    But it would be worth it. It had to be. I took a deep breath, nearing the edge of available rooftop.

Jasmine: ‘Please work . . .’

    I silenced my protesting mind by closing my eyes as I leapt off the roof. I could hear Akane yell for me as I plummeted towards the ground.

~~~

    Orion yawned, sliding out of bed, showering and dressing into a deep blue button-down shirt with dark jeans and black dress shoes. He took care of his hygiene carefully before deeming himself ready to leave. He smiled at Harley, giving the poor dog some affection before he left, exiting the building and going to his car, driving off into town.

    His GPS was mounted, reading him directions through the town to get to the place that he could only remember the name. His smile was soft but everlasting as he made his way down the city roads.

Orion: “Jasmine . . . Please tell me you ditched that guard of yours today . . .”

    He mumbled to himself, hoping dearly that he wouldn’t have to deal with any more interruptions today. That would be an endless issue if she hadn’t.

~~~

    I shrieked, but for no reason, apparently . . .

    I landed softly, without so much as a ‘thud’. On the cafe’s rooftop. Had I just . . . teleported . . . ? Well that seemed odd, wouldn’t I have carried  my momentum . . . ? And if I’d carried my momentum, that would’ve hurt . . . Quite a bit . . .

    But not so much as a scratch . . . Well then . . . I sighed, looking around. The streets were nearly empty this time of day. A few clatters echoing through the stairwell told me that Jimmy was already here. I opened the door and made my way downstairs quietly, peering through the glass panel in the second door to the lower part of the cafe.

Jasmine: “Jimmy . . . ?”

    I called quietly, opening it cautiously. The last thing I needed right now was some armed psycho who’d broken into the place. If I survived that, Akane would chew me out even more.

    Fortunately, it was a friendly face that greeted me, however quizzical the expression he gave me.

Jimmy: “Jas? What are you doing here? How’d you get upstairs?”

    I gave a breath of relief, smiling at him, at the comfort he brought me, despite all the crazy going on in my mind.

Jasmine: “Didn’t you know? I’m secretly SpiderMan.”

    He raised a brow in disbelief.

Jimmy: “Well, one, wouldn’t that make you SpiderWoman? Two, what’s with the dress and bare feet? You’ve got shoes, put ‘em on, crazy lady.”

    I laughed, walking over behind the counter and embracing him tightly. I planted a kiss on his cheek, shoes still in my hand.

Jasmine: “You know what today is, you wonderful man?”

    He laughed in return. Apparently the energy was contagious.

Jimmy: “What’s today, you insane woman?”

    I couldn’t help grinning as I pulled away from him, pulling on the heels, even though I knew they’d be a pain soon enough.

Jasmine: “Today, that mystery man with the letters is showing up. Here.”

    He smiled at me as I slid back out from behind the counter, shaking his head.

Jimmy: “How on Earth did you swing that, Jas?”

Jasmine: “I don’t even know! This is where he wanted to meet. Maybe he’s a regular of yours .  . . Or he’s psychic . .  I don’t know, but . . . This could be everything, Jimmy . . .”

    I wasn’t even contemplating anything other than pure bliss at this point. It was just . . .  It couldn’t be anything but happy. My heart had already come to that conclusion. There was no room for anything else. I didn’t matter if  had to wait all day, he would come . . . I continued to talk to Jimmy as he got ready for opening. I just couldn’t get the smile off my face, even if I had tried to.

~~~

    Orion smiled as he turned down the street, getting closer to the cafe every second. Quaint Cafe. He wondered if Jasmine was already waiting for him. As he thought about her, a song came onto his radio. He immediately caught the tune and turned up the volume. He chuckled as he listened to the words. How fitting . . .

    It fit what he felt so wonderfully. Even more so after seeing her at the ranch last night. Maybe it was a perfect fit . . . From what he knew so far . . . He hoped he would learn plenty more in the time to come . . . And that she open up to him even more . . .

    And maybe start singing in front of him, even if she wasn’t a pro, he was already envisioning her. The spirit she would carry on a good day. And as he envisioned her spirit, his smile grew, about how she’d left an underlying challenge to him about that kiss . . .

    Well, since he was being given a third chance at this . . . He was going to make it right . . . Whatever happened today, he wanted to make all of it perfect for her. He intended to. Whether that meant careful, on the spot planning or complete spontaneity, he would make sure it happened.

    It took him a while to actually get there. The cafe was on the other side of town, and he’d missed a few turns here and there, he stopped at a nearby flower shop, and got stuck on a few back routes thanks to a ‘recalculating’ from a miscommunication with that incredibly irritating woman’s voice in the GPS. By the time he reached it, it was almost eight a.m.

    He hoped she wasn’t waiting for him . . . Well, he did, because he wanted to be able to surprise her, but he didn’t want her waiting long . . . He hoped for the best . . . Parking his car close, he got out, locked it, and, flower in hand, made his way to the cafe.

    The bell rang as he walked inside. The place was nearly empty. Only three people, two  men and a woman sat inside, not including the man behind the counter. The young man turned at the sound of the door opening, took one look at Orion and smiled, a small laugh escaping him.

Jimmy: “Meeting someone special, Sir?”

    Orion smiled in return, nodding.

Orion: “A Miss Jasmine Brookes. Do you know her?”

    Jimmy’s laugh grew, nodding.

Jimmy: “Oh, you’ve got her in a tizzy, Sir.”

    The young man looked him over a few times, shaking his head with a grin.

Jimmy: “Orion Pax . . . Oh, Jas is in for a real surprise, isn’t she . . . ?”

    Orion smiled, nodding. Apparently he’d found a fan here. And his fan had no idea what kind of surprise Jasmine was in for.

Orion: “I’d say so . . . May I ask your name?”

Jimmy: “My name is James. Jimmy if you ask Jas. She’s a sweetheart.”

    He pointed to the door that cut into the protruding section of wall. Orion glanced over at where he gestured before he was handed a key.

Jimmy: “That’ll lead to the rooftop. Jas has been up there for quite some time. She’s in a great mood, actually. At least when I checked on her a few minutes ago she was. Better get going, Mr. Pax. I’d say she won’t wait forever, but, well . . . She just might . . . That doesn’t mean you should though.”

Orion: “I don’t intend to make her wait any longer than necessary, James.”

    Orion took the key in his hand carefully, unlocking the door and climbing the stairs quickly. This was it. The moment that could change absolutely everything.

~~~

    My heart jumped into my throat when I heard the footsteps on the stairs. My mind was made up. I was going to ambush this guy. In a good way. All of it. I wanted to make this memorable. I wanted it to be special and crazy and random. Maybe it was a bit of a risk, but it was worth it.

    He’d gone through the trouble of writing all those letters. The least I could do was think of something to add to our first meeting. I stood, going to the edge of the roof so I was out of the view of the door. I closed my eyes, the smile on my face so broad it would’ve hurt had I not been too giddy to pay attention to pain.

    The door opened and closed. I opened my eyes slightly, but I didn’t look at his face. Not yet. I kept my eyes on his chest as I ran forward, jumping to his taller height, wrapping my arms around his neck, yelling mid-air.

Jasmine: “Honey! I’m ho-ome!”

    I couldn’t help snickering, wishing desperately someone had captured the moment on film.

~~~

    Orion’s face contorted into one of confusion and disbelief as Jasmine greeted him. Was this truly happening? He glanced around, and saw no sign of Akane. He smiled, relaxing, wrapping his arms around her, the crinkle of plastic audible as he did so.

Orion: “I wasn’t expecting such a warm welcome, Jasmine. Were you holding back on me at the ranch?”

    She tensed slightly, pulling back, looking him over. She was in complete shock for a moment. But her expression quickly changed back to one of joy.

Jasmine: “What are you doing here? I’m waiting for someone important!”

    His smile only grew.

Orion: “I see that . . . So maybe you can tell me what I’m doing here, Jasmine.”

    She raised an eyebrow, examining him, but her smile stayed as she pulled away from him. She was so intent on his face, she didn’t notice the purple rose in his hand.

Jasmine: “Well . . . Besides your habit of being a pain, right?”

    He nodded, trying to make the flowers as subtle as he could at the moment. He tried to make his face unreadable, but couldn’t stop smiling. Not that he was trying very hard. Jasmine groaned in frustration, but it turned into a laugh. She bit on a nail.

Jasmine: “I hate riddles . . . Um . . . Well . . . From what I can tell, you don’t live in the area, so you must REALLY want to bug me . . . And you offered to help me sneak away. . .  and . . . I . . .”

    The pieces started falling into place, and she blinked, taking him in. All of him. The rose, his ever-present smile . . . His behavior at the ranch . . .

Jasmine: “You sent the letters . . .”

    She whispered, gazing at him in complete awe. When her smile returned, it was even brighter than before. His hand lifted, extending the rose.

Orion: “And I have yet to be slapped . . . Thank you for that . . .”

    He chuckled and she grinned, pushing him slightly.

Jasmine: “Why didn’t you say something? You had all day yesterday, you, you, prude!”

    He smiled, pulling her close into his arms.

Orion: “Did you read the letters?”

    She nodded, and he kissed her nose . .

Orion: “Then tell me why I didn’t tell you . . . Think about the first one . . .”

    Jasmine sighed, but her smile stayed easily. She thought about the letters, the first one in particular. It took a few moments, but it clicked, and she laughed softly.

Jasmine: “You didn’t want your identity to influence my decision to come . . .”

    He nodded, slipping the rose into her hands when she didn’t take it, too wrapped in thought to react.

Jasmine: “You’re insane . . .”

    She murmured quietly, staring at him. He nodded, eyes mirroring the smile on his lips.

Orion: “What do you say, Jasmine? Are you going to tell me to hit the road or stay?”

    The question was a risk, but a very dull one at that. Her eyes lit up even brighter, empty hand taking his.

Jasmine: “Stay . . .”