Page 135 of Under the Waves
Fresh forest air filtered through my lungs, and for the first time in a while, I finally felt at peace. Nature had always had that effect on me, ever since I was a little kid. I’d always found a level of comfort within its presence.
I’d taken Jasper down the Hawthorne Hills Forest trail by Glacial Point—a secluded part of the protected woodland where glaciers used to roam the landscape, leaving behind hidden waterfalls and pockets of natural treasures.
Jasper’s fingers innocently grazed mine, thumb drawing small patterns against my skin. Ever since last night, he had constantly been reaching for me like he needed physical proof that I was real—that what we did last night was real and not something conjured by his imagination.
Through Jasper, I was learning tolove myself again.
Learning to heal a part of me I thought would always be broken.
“You look…” he rasped, speechless. “Beautiful.”
I bit my bottom lip, grinning up at him. “Sorry? Could you say that again, please?”
“Horrible,” he chuckled, nudging my side with his elbow. “Absolutely horrible, Wellsy.”
I shook my head lazily, letting the warmth of the sun bask against my skin. “You used to be a tolerable asshole, but now you’re just an asshole.”
“Ouch, Wellsy. Break my beating heart if you must.”
I giggled, nudging him back. “Ever the sweet talker, Jasper Ridge.”
He tilted his head to the side, a smile toying at the corners of his lips. “I’ve always been sweet. You’ve just been too busy calling me an asshole to notice.”
His words stuck with me–perhaps I had been blinded by our past all along. Maybe if I had just taken asecondto look at him, I might’ve very well found some sort of tolerable human being underneath.
I shook my head, willing the thoughts away. “Stop that.”
The edges of his mouth rose higher as he said, “stop what, Wellsy?”
“Just–stop talking.”Stop making it real.
Because making it real meant the possibility of being hurt, and I didn’t think I could survive being hurt by Jasper Ridge more than I could swallow the thought that he would never truly be mine.
I think I made a mistake by saying that because now Jasper was just solely looking at me with those shining golden eyes without uttering a single word, toeing dangerously close to a line we both knew we could not cross.
Looking away, I gazed out into the distance in an attempt to hide my warming cheeks from the idiot beside me who delighted in nothing more than making me look like a complete fool for him.
“You okay there, Wellsy?” He mused, trying to quell the smirk I knew was desperately fighting his lips.
God forbid I pushed him off this bridge in a minute.
“You,” I turned around, jabbing my finger against his chest, “arebeyondaggravating, Jasper Ridge.”
“I know, it’s my favorite pastime.”
“You could always try something a little easier on the mind,” I smiled sweetly, “you know, likesilence.”
Something shifted then, flashing across his eyes for all of a few seconds. Placing his palm over mine, flattened against his chest, he inched closer towards me as he rasped, “I don’t think either of us could handle the silence, Wellsy.”
My eyes widened as a low gasp left my lips. The smirk on his lips was revealing enough so I shoved him again and turned away before I could embarrass myself any further.
“You arebannedfrom speaking, Ridge.”
He stretched his arms, no doubt letting the sun bask against his tanned skin, highlighting all his muscles in a way I was sure drove all the girls crazy. Leaning backwards onto his elbows, he mused, “we both know I was never good at following the rules.”
Damn him.How was it that he managed to counteract every single thing I said without even so much astrying?
“Ridge,” I warned, glaring at him.