Piercing Chill

The next two days Jason decided not to show up to school. I was forced to conduct the whole chemistry experiment by myself. I didn’t even have a way to contact him with the results. I sighed checking myself in the mirror for the second time. I was wearing a bright blue flare dress with black tights underneath. I finished my look with a leather jacket and a pair of black flats. I was getting ready to go to Craig’s party. Well actually it was a ‘get together thing’. I chucked the piece of paper that contained the experiment results into my purse. Since Jason was Craig’s cousin, he must have lived at his house.

It was Friday night and mum had just left for work till late. She didn’t know I was going out, therefore I had to make sure I was back before five am the next day. My mum worked as a nurse at the local hospital. She had full time night shifts, therefore it was a rare occasion to see her at home at night during the week. Only Sundays and Mondays would I get to spend time with her.

I heard Tina honk outside the house. I quickly applied some lip gloss onto my lips before rushing downstairs. I opened the door and sure enough Tina’s yellow Volkswagen Beetle was parked in the driveway. I quickly locked the door before making my way to her car.

“Hey girl,” Tina greeted as soon as I opened the passenger door. “You’re looking gorgeous.”

“Thanks. You don’t look too bad yourself.” I complimented her taking in her maroon checked dress and black boots. She had on lipstick matching the maroon on her dress. Her hair was up in a high messy bun.

“Thanks dear. Here we go.” She squealed before pulling out of the driveway.

This was our first ever invited party we were going to. The other parties we used to crash and hoped that no one recognised us. I wondered how many people were going to be there. Craig said it was a small get together with people he befriended at school.

When we arrived I was amazed at the sight of the house. It was magnificent and looked luxurious. It wasn’t too big and it wasn’t too small. It was built from stone brick. Tall, rectangle shaped windows added to the overall look of the house. They were arranged in a fairly symmetrical pattern. Light sipped through the window making it look brilliant due to the added darkness of the night.

Tina parked her car in the driveway since there weren’t many cars there. I got out of the car, curious to see what the inside of the house looked like. Tina seemed to think the same because she exited the beetle with a big grin on her dark lips. We made our way towards the wooden entrance door. A few voices sounded from the house. I wondered if Jason was among those voices. Not that I cared much. I had to give him the results from the experiment because it was due next Wednesday. I was planning on finishing it off during the weekend since I didn’t have any work.

Tina rang the door bell. We could hear the shuffling of feet coming from the other side of the door. We were greeted by a grinning Craig. His eyes, ochre and bright like the morning sun.

“Mary-Kate, Tina! I’m so happy you guys made it.” He announced giving us both a hug before gesturing towards the inside of the house. “Welcome to my humble home.”

I giggled at this. The only thing missing were cameras from MTV: My Crib. My mouth involuntary opened at the exquisite interior work in this house. It was bright, crystal chandeliers hanging on the roof. A stair case framed by a golden rail cascaded upwards towards God knows where.

“Come on. I’ll introduce you to everyone.” He motioned us towards a very spacious living room.

A girl and two guys were perched on the sofas and a girl and a boy were on the carpet playing a board game. Unfamiliar music played from the speakers settled in the corners of the room

“Guys.” Craig called, grabbing the attention of the strangers. “This is Mary-Kate and Tina.”

Tina and I shyly waved at the people.

“And this is Anna-Marie, Brian, Jackson, Kevin and Carla.”

Respectively, a cheeky blonde haired girl, with violet looking eyes waved at us. I was intrigued by the colour of her eyes but they were probably contacts. Brian who had long blonde hair, the same colour as Craig and yellow-ish eyes that were as tempting and beautiful as Craig’s just nodded his head towards us. Were they related somehow? I mentally shrugged my shoulders and turned towards a lime green haired guy, who had a handsome face. If he didn’t have a lot of piercings on his face I would have been attracted to him. Kevin had dark hair that fell just below his shoulders and dark brown eyes.

Finally, Carla, a well sculptured blonde. Her twine-thin figure surprisingly held elegance. She had a fair complexion, I guessed it felt as soft as a baby’s bottom. It was a pleasure to gaze at her flowing sun-like golden hair. Her enticing, grass-green eyes glared at me over her pouting lips. She looked like a model. A ping of jealousy nudged me.

“Nice to meet you all.” I heard Tina say next to me, making me turn my attention away from Carla.

I nodded in agreement smiling a bit. Jason wasn’t here.

“Would you like something to drink?” Craig asked us.

“Sure.” Tina and I announced in unison.

“Awesome. I made some punch, hopefully you like it. I’ll be back.” Craig announced before retreating to the kitchen, I assumed.

“So, what are you guys playing?” Tina asked charging forward Anna-Marie and Brian who were perched on the ground. Confidence radiated from every inch of Tina’s body. I followed suit.

“Oh, we were just playing snakes and ladders. We are going to start playing truth or dare soon though. We were just waiting for you guys to get here.” Anna-Marie sang, her voice velvety and soft.

“Excellent,” Tina exclaimed settling next to Anna-Marie on the ground. I am socially-awkward and found it hard to start conversations with people.

Soon after, Craig brought Tina and I drinks. I eyed him curiously. What about the rest? As if he read my mind he said, “They already ate and had drinks before. I was thinking of ordering pizza for the two of you later on, is that alright?”

“Of course,” Tina pipped in. I smiled in agreement.

After a lot of laughing and crazy jokes, I was settled on the leather sofa with Craig by my side. It had been about an hour and there was no sign of Jason anywhere. I decided to ask Craig.

“Where’s Jason?” I felt Craig stiffen next to me.

“At his apartment. Why?” Craig asked trying to mask anger that flashed on his face.

“Oh, I have to give him the results from our Chem experiment. I hoped to see him here since you guys are cousins.”

Craig took in a deep breath next to me before eyeing me. He didn’t try to mask his anger this time. “Right. Can’t you just give him the results at school on Monday?”

I hesitated for a moment as his eyes scrutinised me before speaking my mind. “I thought that would be mean of me because the report is due this coming Wednesday. I was thinking he could use this weekend to finish it off.”

“Why are you so nice to him?” Craig’s question caught me off guard.

I didn’t know the answer to that question either. Maybe it was because Jason always managed to leave my innards lurching. Maybe doing this for him would make him put me in his good books. I shook at my thoughts. Shouldn’t he be the one begging for my forgiveness and my favour, not the other way around. I turned to Craig’s scrutinising gaze before formulating an answer that very well explained the way I worked.

“I don’t know. That’s my nature I guess.” I replied shrugging my shoulders. Before, the question become too hard to handle I changed the subject, “So how come he doesn’t live with you here?”

Craig sighed again before replying, “As you have noticed, Jason and I don’t like each other very much. We always fight, so my father rented him an apartment downtown. He also has issues with my dad, so it was better for him to not be here.”

It must have been a lonely life Jason was having. Compassion filled me, it made me wish I had his contact details or something to ask how he was doing.

“Don’t feel sorry for him Mary-Kate.” Craig’s words shocked me a bit. Didn’t he care about his cousin? Even a slightest bit?

I nodded slightly before taking a sip of Craig’s punch. It was surprisingly really good. It was fruity, sour and sweet at the same time and it delighted my palate. This was my third cup of it. I glanced in the corner and saw Kevin texting furiously on his phone. A thought then came to my head.

“Hey Craig. What’s Jason’s number?” I asked directly knowing that he would have it even if he despised his cousin.

“Jason’s number?” Craig retorted.

I nodded with a big smile on my face.

“Why do you need it?” Craig spat, anger feeling his face again. He must have hated Jason with passion because every time I mentioned anything to do with Jason his expression changed immediately. “You don’t even have mine and you’re already asking for another guy’s number.”

“Well, since he is not here, I thought I could call him or text him with the results. You can give me your number as well and I’ll save it in my phone as ‘Craig the cutie’” I teased waiting for his reply. He ran his hand through his blonde hair contemplating. I could see that he didn’t want to give Jason’s number to me. “Pretty please, I will repay you. I promise!” I pleaded.

“Fine. But you owe me big time and please don’t call me cute. It makes me feel so weak.” Craig muttered searching his pockets for his phone.

I nodded and grinned, feeling accomplished. I grabbed my own phone from my leather jacket pocket. I punched in the numbers as Craig called them out. I quickly excused myself from the living room and towards the kitchen. I quickly clicked the call button. I put the phone to my ear, hands shaking uncontrollably. What if he hung up on me? What if he was busy? First ring, my heart skipped a bit. Second ring, butterflies formed in my stomach, a new feeling that I hadn’t experienced yet.

“Hello,” Jason’s husky voice sounded on the other side. Was he sleeping? What was he doing? Was I disturbing him? A lot of questions rang in my head. “Hello? Please speak, I don’t have any time for this.” His voice sounded again annoyance emitting from his words.

“Jason?” I stammered, “Its Mary-Kate from school. The one in your Chem class, the one you are doing an experiment with, the one you sit next to in Chem, the one who has agreed to tutor you for Chem.”

I heard Jason chuckle on the other side before replying. “I know who you are, you don’t have to tell me everything.”

I chuckled nervously before continuing, “Since you didn’t bother to show up to school for the past few days, I have been forced to complete the experiment by myself. Good news is, I successfully obtained the results we need to complete the report. Bad news is, I don’t know how to send them to you because the report is due this coming Wednesday. I thought you could use this weekend to complete the report.”

“Wow, I don’t know what to say Mary-Kate.” His voice sounded surprised. He paused, one, two, three seconds before replying. “Where are you right now?”

Hesitantly, I informed him, “At Craig’s”

“What?!” Jason’s voice boomed in anger, “I thought I told you to stay away from him.”

“He told me the exact same thing about you.” I replied shrugging my shoulders.

Jason scoffed before replying, “I don’t care what he said, I’m coming to pick you up from there right now!”

“Wait, Jason.” He cut the call before I could stop him.

Frustrated, I rushed into the living room and straight to Tina. I grabbed her by her arm and pulled her towards the kitchen after apologizing to the rest of her Twister buddies.

“What’s going on?” Tina questioned looking at me worriedly.

“Jason is coming here.” Words tumbled out of my mouth, my whole body fidgeting.

“So?” She raised her eyebrows, “He lives here so why wouldn’t he come to his own home?”

“He’s coming here for me and apparently he rents an apartment downtown.” Tina covered a gasp with her hand. “I called him about the results. I mentioned that we are at Craig’s place and he said he was coming to pick me up immediately and he hung up before I could stop him.”

“Why did you tell him you were here?” Tina shook me.

“I don’t know. I thought it wouldn’t bother him.” I replied truthfully, “Besides, you know I’m not good at lying.” Tina didn’t reply for a few seconds. She was probably trying to come up with an excuse to present to Jason.

“What am I going to do Tina? I don’t know what to do. I can’t tell Craig or else he’ll become angry and I don’t want them to fight or argue.” I spoke after five seconds of silence.

“Did you try calling him again?” Tina questioned. “We could tell him to go to your house instead.”

I shook my head no and started fumbling with my phone. I clicked the call button, it rang but no one answered. I tried again, biting my nails nervously. A door bell chimed throughout the house. Tina and I froze in place before rushing towards the main door. Craig was already at the door. He opened the door.

“Did someone order pizza?” A voice sounded at the door.

I felt Tina sigh next to me, “I did!” She shouted walking towards the door. She paid the pizza man and dragged Craig with her. I followed them into the living room.

“Hey Mary-Kate.” Craig smiled patting a spot next to him. I hesitated but settled myself next to him. “What did Jason say?”

I took in a deep breath before replying honestly, “He’s coming over?”

“What?!” Craig’s outburst caused everyone turned their attention towards us. “That son of a –.”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence because the doorbell chimed. We all knew who was at the door. I lifted myself from the sofa and rushed towards the door. I opened it and there was Jason, breathing heavily. He was in a navy blue tank top and black jeans. His hair was all over the place. If we weren’t in this situation I would have loved to sooth it down into its usual way. What was he doing? His expression transformed to an angry one when he noticed Craig coming behind me.

“What do you want Jason?” Craig roared behind me.

“I’m here for Mary-Kate.” Jason replied grabbing my arm, “And if you don’t mind, I am going to take her with me.”

Wait, what? We hadn’t agreed on that.

“I don’t think so cousin.” Craig spat the last word, before grabbing my other arm and pulling me towards him.

“Please let me go, both of you.” I shouted over their booming voices. They both turned towards me before releasing my arms. I shook my arms in attempt to release the pain that had started on my joints. “Now Craig, I will just give Jason the results to the experiment and I’ll come back right after I’m finished.”

“I don’t trust him Mary-Kate.” Craig pleaded.

“I’ll be fine. Ok?” I told Craig before marching out of the door, I closed it behind me and faced Jason. “You know. You really didn’t have to come all the way here. I could’ve sent you the questions over email or something.”

“I don’t trust him Mary-Kate” Jason spat. I stifled a scoff at how both Craig and Jason accused each other. I sighed before reaching for my purse, I didn’t have it on me.

“I’m just going to grab my purse, I’ll be back.” I said to Jason before making my way towards the entrance.

I opened the door and was greeted by an angry Craig. I rolled my eyes before making my way towards the living room. I grabbed my purse from the sofa before gazing at Tina.

“Are you going with him?” She mouthed.

I shook my head no.

“Why not?” She mouthed again, finishing it off with a wink.

I gasped silently before removing myself from the living room. Craig pulled my arm before I could leave the room. “Please, don’t go with him Mary-Kate.” He pleaded, his eyes near tears.

“I’ll be fine Craig. I’m a big girl, ok? I can look after myself.” I laughed before squeezing his hand.

I opened the door and closed it behind me. Before, I could take the piece of paper from my purse, I felt Jason grabbing my arm.

“What are you doing?” I questioned him.

“You’re hungry. I’ll go and buy you some food and then you can give me the results.” He said before opening the passenger door of his black BMW M3.

I gasped at the sight of his car. How did a high school student own a car like this? It was a car of wealth and prestige.

Before, I could protest, Jason pushed me into the car. Leather smell mingled with mint and lavender also lingered in the air. Jason casually made his way to the driver’s side and soon after he sat next to me. Why wasn’t I protesting to his actions? Did some part of me feel fond of Jason?

Jason started the engine. I looked up at the front door of Craig’s house. He stood there, anger flush on his handsome face. What have I done? He wasn’t going to ever want me as his friend again. Jason backed out of the driveway before driving off into the night. I wondered where he was going to take me for dinner. How did he know I was hungry? We hadn’t had dinner yet when Jason came. The pizza was our dinner, but I didn’t get to take a bite of it.

I quickly texted Tina about the change in plans. She replied immediately.

Enjoy yourself honey. Make sure you call me with the deets.

Also if you need anything call me and the safety words are

“Hot vampire” xx - T

Confused by her safety words I texted her back.

Hot vampire? – MK.

Yes! He’s pale, irresistibly hot and sometimes he looks

at you as if he wants to eat you. Haha. I’m kidding you.

“Hot vampire” is just random and he wont suspect a

thing from it. xx – T.

Ps Craig is very angry. I think someone needs a nap.

I chuckled at her message.

“What’s funny?” Jason asked next to me.

“Just a text I received from Tina.” I informed him before locking my phone, “Where are you taking me?”

“I hope you like Chinese.” Jason replied glancing at me with a smirk on his lips.

For some reason, my heart started hammering against my rib cage. Not because I was scared but it was another feeling that I couldn’t really comprehend. I nodded before returning his smile. Looking at him now, relaxed and not trying to threaten me, he looked like your typical boy next door. He was focused on the road but I could see that deep in his eyes he was thinking of something else.

When we arrived at the Chinese restaurant downtown, Jason rushed to my door and opened it before I even lifted my hand to touch the door handle.

“Thanks.” I said getting out of the car. “You’re buying right?” I questioned Jason as we made our way towards the restaurant.

He chuckled before replying, “Of course. I never go back on my words.”

His words sent chills down my back. Did that mean everything he had said wasn’t just him scaring me? I followed closely behind Jason. He was focused forward and not faltering in his steps. His hair glistened under the lights that flooded the entrance of the restaurant. I resisted the urge to run my fingers through his hair. He opened the door for me and motioned for me to go in breaking me from my line of thought.

A strong aroma of delicious food wafted through my nose making my mouth water. This reminded me of how hungry I was. The uniquely textured walls of the restaurant produced a smooth yet flowing look. It was almost as if I was in a renowned restaurant in China. Viny plants clasped to the walls giving it a natural appearance. The marble tiled floor beneath me gave the restaurant a clean yet warm appearance. A female host in a traditional red cheongsam greeted us with a small bow of the head. I bowed my head slowly too.

“A table for two?” She implied with her hands directed towards us after saying her welcome line. I nodded. “This way.” She motioned for us to follow her.

The restaurant’s lights were a bit dimmed, giving off a romantic feel. I shook my head at the thought. This wasn’t supposed to be a romantic dinner and I was confused as to why I thought of romance in this situation.

“Here you go.” The hostess motioned at a table of two.

“Thank you.” I told her while taking a seat opposite to Jason.

“You’re welcome. Here are the menus.” She handed us each a menu. “I’ll be back in five minutes to take your orders.”

I nodded at her before grazing the menu. I was busy biting and licking my lips at the variety of Chinese cuisines on the pictures that I didn’t notice Jason eyeing my lips with a smirk on his lips. I quickly lowered my menu and cleared my throat, suddenly feeling shy.

“Have you found what delights your palate?” Jason teased watching me closely. Wait, that was my line? I smiled a bit at this.

“Yes, you?” I questioned.

“I’m not hungry.” He replied casually.

“Oh, ok.” I replied, suddenly feeling uneasy. “Are you sure?”

He hummed in reply. I nodded my head before looking down at the table not knowing what to talk about. I breathed in five deep breaths before Jason decided to break the silence, “What were you doing Craig?”

“He was having a small get together.” I shrugged, not trying to make a big deal out of it.

“Do you like him?” Jason’s question caught me off guard. He was leaning on the table eyeing me curiously.

I scoffed before replying, “And so what if I do?”

He leaned back onto his chair, his face suddenly forlorn. I didn’t get to ask him what was wrong because the hostess came and requested for our order. Jason told her the same thing that he wasn’t hungry. I ordered a bowl of black sesame rice noodles with pork and pickled mushroom.

After the hostess left Jason spoke, “I like girls who eat.” He purred leaning on the table again.

Was this his way of telling me I was fat? I watched him, anger slowly building in my veins. However, I realised I was overreacting when I saw a tinge of admiration in Jason’s eyes. I cleared my throat again before darting my eyes from him. Ignoring the talk, I decided to venture on another path, “So, are you and Craig really cousins?”

He sighed before nodding, “We used to be very close, until last year when my father passed.”

“I’m sorry Jason, about your father.”

“Thanks.” He murmured looking away from me. This was my first time to ever witness Jason looking vulnerable. I very much wanted to give him a hug and tell him he could tell me anything.

“Do you mind telling me what happened to him?” I questioned searching for his eyes.

Ten long seconds passed before Jason started, “I went hunting with him in the mountains in Romania, when four men cornered us. You see my father was the head of our community and he always had enemies but they hadn’t want to hurt him or anything. So when I saw these man, I just assumed they wanted to discuss something with my father but three of the man grabbed my father and held him down. I tried to hit the other man, but he threw a small dagger to my right arm. I attempted again to stop the man but I felt a sharp pain go through my back. One of the man had stabbed me. He stabbed me again three times before throwing to the ground. I had no strength to help my father.

I remember him calling my name and attempting to rip off the silver chains that bound him to the ground. I saw the other man, he must’ve been the leader because he commanded the other three men, withdraw a silver knife before lunging it into my father’s chest without warning. I saw my father’s eyes lose their shine before he fell onto the ground. The men didn’t stop there, they disassembled my father’s body, before burning it in front of me. They spat at the fire before leaving my father to burn.

To this day, I don’t know why they let me live. I was found five days later. My father had already perished into nothing but ash. I don’t even know how I survived. I was in a bad state. I didn’t even remember being found by the community members. I didn’t cope very well after recovering. The scene of my father’s death still terrorised my thoughts for months. I turned to drugs and did a lot of things I’m not very proud of.” He finished before glancing at me.

His eyes were red, he looked down before I could see his tears. I quickly wiped tears that I hadn’t realised had fallen onto my cheeks. That’s when I realised there was more to Jason than his threats. I knew deep inside he was scared and probably feared for his life.

He chuckled, drawing back my attention, “I’m sorry to spill my guts on you. It’s the first time I’ve told anyone about this. It feels good to tell someone.” He sighed before smiling shyly, tears all gone. I smiled at him, not sure how to reply. “Here comes your food.”

I whirled to my right and sure the hostess held a white bowl in her hand. She smiled at me before placing the bowl in front of me.

“Thank you,” I said before digging in. I glanced at Jason before taking the first bite. He was watching me curiously again with a small smirk on his lips. “Do you want some?” I asked pushing chopstick full of rice noodles towards him.

He raised his eyebrows at my gesture before shaking his head. “Your loss,” I shrugged my shoulders taking in the delicious meal into my mouth.

I was in a food heaven. The dish was delicious. For a moment I even forgot Jason was sitting in front of me. I divulged the whole meal leaving the bowl shiny as if there was nothing in there before. I sighed and leaned back onto my chair when I was finished.

“Well done. I enjoyed watching you devour your meal as it was nothing. Very sexy!” Jason praised before winking. “Can you fit dessert?”

I would have gasped at his innuendo but I just shook my head too full to talk.

“Alrighty then,” Jason chuckled. “Stay here, I’ll go and pay for the bill.”

I nodded again with a smile on my face. I watched him making his way towards, in his casual clothing. He was starting to intrigue me. I drew out the piece of paper with the results. Stupidity hit me. I forgot to make a copy of the results. I glanced around for napkins or something big enough to write the results onto.

“Are you ready to go?” Jason asked, drawing me away from my thoughts.

“Yes,” I replied picking myself from the chair.

We exited the restaurant and headed towards Jason’s car. He opened the passenger door for me once again. I thanked him before taking my own seat. Within a few seconds he was opening his own door.

“You know what I just realised?” I spoke when he was seated in the car.

“What?” Jason asked prompting me to put on my seatbelt.

“I forgot to make a copy of the results.” I replied waving the piece of paper in front of him. “Do you have a paper in this car? I can copy them down for you while you drive.”

He smiled before reaching for something in the back of his car. His chest right next to me. I took in a deep breath of his unique smell. I closed my eyes involuntarily. I opened my eyes in realisation of what I was doing. I cleared my throat once again and turned away from him.

“Are you coming with a cold or something? Because that has been going on for a while.” Jason teased returning back to his seat with a piece of paper and pen in his left hand. He gestured for me to give him the paper containing the results.

He started copying the notes furiously. He was left handed. Something I hadn’t noticed before. He was leaning his head towards me slightly. His hair covering his eyes. I wanted to reach out and push it out of the way. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. His dark red lips were slightly parted. They looked so soft and kissable. I wondered why his lips were a deep red when the rest of him was pale. Unlike Craig I had mistaken as a bad boy, Jason was mysterious and had the full package of bad boy vibe radiating from him. What girl didn’t want a bad boy liking him? He could cause any girl to rip their clothes off and lunge at him with just his gaze. He was definitely beautiful and I could see why Brittany wanted him. I shook my head at my wayward thoughts.

I took out my lip gloss from my face and slapped it onto my lips. It made my lips look purple.

“Done,” Jason spoke, bringing me back to reality.

“Already?” I gaped at him. “Show me!”

Jason handed me both papers and sure enough, he had copied every single detail in his elegant handwriting. Had I been in dreamland for a long time?

“Satisfied?” He questioned before lifting his gaze to my lips. He hesitantly reached his hand towards my face. I shivered when his hand touched my face. What was he doing? I felt him graze his thumb over my lips. He removed his hand and pinched the lip gloss between his thumb and index finger. “You don’t need it,” He returned to his seat before starting the engine. “This way?”

Still dazed, I nodded and we were off. My heart was hammering in my chest trying to escape and probably leap towards Jason.

After a few minutes of slowing down my breathing, I decided to make some conversation. “Since you asked me if I liked Craig, I’ll ask you, do you like Brittany?” I sputtered before I could filter my words.

“And so what if I do?” Jason copied me. I scoffed at this. A ping of jealousy hitting me. If he couldn’t answer a simple question that meant he liked her. However, did that mean I liked Craig? Well, I didn’t hate him that’s for sure.

“I don’t like her.” Jason’s statement caught me off guard. “She threw herself at me on the first day. I needed friends, so I went along with her plans. I apologize for what she did to you at school. You didn’t deserve that. Also, I don’t even know how she knew I followed you to your staff room.”

“Mhmm.” I hummed in reply. I deserved it. I split lemonade all over her and embarrassed her in front of people.

“Left or right here?” Jason questioned when we reached the T junction that lead into my street.

“Left,” I informed him. “Three houses to the left.”

Jason didn’t reply but just drove towards my house. He pulled into the driveway and killed the engine.

“Thank you for the ride and the dinner.” I said to him opening the passenger door.

“No problem. I’ll walk you to your door.” Jason replied opening his own door.

Next second he was helping me open my own. How did he do that? I didn’t question him but thanked him instead. We walked side by side towards the main door. I pulled the door keys from my purse when Jason’s compliment startled me.

“You’re a good person Mary-Kate. After what I did and said to you, you still found a way to give the results to me. I appreciate it.” He admitted before giving me a quick hug. It was short-lived but managed to leave my legs shaking under me. “I’ll see you on Monday.” He stated before turning away from me.

Still in my love trance, I followed his every move waving my hand slightly. He paused before opening the door and signalling me to go inside. I smiled before unlocking the door. I glanced at him again as he backed out of the drive way. I waved again before he turned and drove off in the opposite direction.

I sighed and closed the door behind me. I clutched my chest. My heart was beating recklessly. It wasn’t the same feeling as it was the first few days I encountered him. What was this new feeling I was having?