by Kizzie Hayes
She squeezed his hand back.
“Well,” Jasmine said, starting over again. “I grew up in Atlanta and… it was hard. I just... didn’t have that many people there for me, you know?”
She looked over at Travis. He knew that she wasn’t expecting to find much understanding but he really did know. He had been there when he was a kid. He didn’t grow up with his parents really around. He had to learn everything on his own.
“So I just had to do everything. I had to… get the things I needed. So I found the best way to do that was through attracting attention to myself,” Jasmine said, slowly. She took a deep breath again and Travis just waited. He wondered if she had said this to anyone else before.
“Good or bad,” Jasmine continued. “Just attention. I didn’t have anything. So I also became accustomed to taking the things I needed. That was all I had going for me, you know?”
Travis nodded again. He didn’t say anything. He was just there to listen.
“So I think that’s why…” Jasmine paused for a moment. “Nothing is given to you, you know. Even if it’s the most basic thing and you need it. So that’s kind of like… why I am the way that I am. Even if I know it’s not the best thing to do sometimes. I just do it. And… it’s not easy. It’s hard to find someone who wants to be close to me.”
Travis held his breath. He couldn’t believe she was so honest with him but he felt honored. She was looked away, towards the water. Travis gently grabbed her chin and turned her face so she would be looking at him again.
“Well, maybe it’s hard. But you’ve found someone. I want to be close to you.”
Jasmine stared at him. Travis looked back. He held her gaze for as long as it took. Then finally, Jasmine smiled. It was so beautiful on her, that smile. Her lips were thick and wonderful, her teeth straight and the smile seemed to reach all the way to the corner of her eyes, brightening up her face and filling it with life.
“I want to be close to you, too,” Jasmine said.
“Come on,” Travis stood up and offered his hands. “Let’s return that bracelet.”
Jasmine nodded as she slipped it off her wrist. Travis held her hand proudly as they walked back to the store. He distracted the man by asking some more question as Jasmine slipped the bracelet back where she found it.
Mission accomplished.
After that, they got some ice cream and laughed together. Standing there, in the slight wind coming off of the water, with ice cream on the corner of her lips, Travis decided to just go for it. He leaned in and gave her a sweet kiss.
It was like their first kiss. It was unlike anything they had ever shared before. Sweet, light, unhurried. Travis thought it might be his favorite kiss yet.
When he looked up, Cyrus was staring at them.
“Hey Travis,” he said. “Didn’t expect to see you here. Wow, you sure are taking your bet seriously. We said you only had to ask her out. You didn’t have to take her on a date. The bathroom thing, well, I thought that was just bonus.”
Travis stared at his friend. He wasn’t quite sure what to say.
Then Jasmine smashed her ice cream right in Travis’s face.
*****
Jasmine didn’t want to see him again.
The next day, she laid in bed, humiliated. The words kept running through her head. The one ugly word. A bet.
She should have known it was too good to be true.
Jasmine just felt awful. After pouring her heart to him, it turned out that everything he told her was a lie. That whole thing, from the moment he’d gotten on stage and asked her out, was something orchestrated by his cronies.
They were even laughing about how she had screwed him in the bathroom.
Jasmine didn’t think she could feel embarrassed like this. Normally, something like this wouldn’t even phase her.
But she had really liked him.
Wow. It was hard to admit to herself but it was true. She had really liked that loser.
And that was why she never let anyone get close to her.
Her phone was full of messages.
Jasmine, I’m sorry. It wasn’t like that. Please call me.
Jasmine, I’d really like to talk to you. Give me a chance to explain. Please.
Jasmine, I really want to get to know you. I have feelings for you. Please believe me. Call me back. Please. -T
Nope. She wasn’t going to fall for it again.
The next day at work Jasmine made sure no one was going to mess with her. She wore her hair long and wavy and green, like a mermaid. Her eye makeup matched, unapologetically green. Her outfit was army camo with dusty army boots. She marched through the halls like a sergeant.
She wasn’t going to let them see that they had broken her.
And they hadn’t. So she fell for one practical joke. That wasn’t going to happen again. She was going to have her guard up. Even higher than before. No one was getting over that wall. And they weren’t going to get to see the good side of her ever again.
“Move!” Jasmine screamed at someone who got in her way.
“Why don’t you get your head out of your ass and work?” Jasmine told her co-worker, who was taking too long with their assignment. She could feel everyone looking at her. She knew it was probably because Travis had told them everything. She could imagine him giggling with his friends in that obnoxious male way, “And then she told me that she didn’t have any family that was there for her? Isn’t that hilarious?”
And they would just laugh and laugh. Jasmine tore her report up at her desk.
It wasn’t good enough anyway.
When she looked up, Travis was standing there.
“Jasmine,” he said, in an urgent voice. “Can we talk?”
“No,” She said, simply. “I never want to talk to you again.”
“Please,” he said. “Let me explain myself. It’s not what it looks like. I really need a chance.”
Jasmine threw her stapler at him. He seemed to get the hint. He left.
Jasmine didn’t feel any better.
*****
After work, Jasmine went home, put on her sweats and opened a bottle of wine. There was no other choice but to drown her sorrows. She watched Netflix for a while and then grabbed her computer. As she was opening her email, something caught her eye. It said OPEN ME.
Jasmine opened the email.
Inside was a video. When she hit play, Jasmine saw Travis smiling into the camera.
“Hi,” he said. “You know, I could infect your computer with a virus and make you watch this. But I thought an email was easier so this was my first resort. Look, Jasmine, I never meant to hurt you. Things just got a little out of control. Everything I told you was true. I really liked everything that we shared. I won’t share what you told me with another soul, not unless I have your permission. Now… I have something else for you. I hope you can forgive me… for the bet but also for this… because this might be bad.”
He gave the camera a goofy smile. Jasmine found herself smiling back, unbidden. Then she watched as he grabbed a guitar.
He began to strum the guitar. He began to sing.
It was a song he had obviously written because it was about her. Jasmine sat back and listened. His voice wasn’t bad at all. It was rich and deeper than she expected, smooth and quietly sure of itself. The tempo of the song was slow, with a folk pop beat. He sang about this unusual girl he knew, different from the norm, who kept catching his eye. He wanted to catch hers back. He really cared about this girl.
She makes my heart skip a beat. That’s a feeling I cannot beat.
Jasmine smiled at the cheesy lyrics. They might not have been Shakespeare but it was more effort than a guy had ever put into her before. No one had ever tried to impress her like that. No one had ever tried to apologize.
Then all of a sudden the video cut out.
The song wasn’t over yet. Jasmine bit her lip, wishing she could hear the rest. Then she heard something outside her door, rustling on the porch.
Jasmine paused for a moment. It was still there. She grabbed a bat and headed for the front door. Jasmine ripped the door open, bat in hand, ready to pounce.
But it was just Travis.
*****
He was carrying his guitar and he didn’t skip a beat. He continued the song right where it cut off in the video.
And if you give me a second chance, I promise, I won’t waste it. I won’t waste it.
He strummed his guitar and stared at her with serious eyes. The way he looked at her, she knew that he meant it.
Travis finished the song with one last strum. Then he looked at her. There was that patient smile. She smiled back.
“How did you know I was watching that video?” she asked.
“Well, I didn’t input a virus,” Travis said. “But I’m an IT guy. I can do a lot of things with my email.”
“That was the first time I saw a black guy playing the guitar,” Jasmine said.
“I’m full of surprises,” Travis said, with a smile.
“Tell me about that bet,” Jasmine said, sternly.
“It was really stupid,” Travis said. “I don’t even really remember. They said I needed to ask you out because I couldn’t fix the donuts. But actually, they didn’t know it was something I really wanted to do. It wasn’t punishment at all.”
“The donuts?” Jasmine asked, staring at him flatly.
Travis shuddered. “You don’t want to know.”
Jasmine laughed. He was right. She didn’t care at all.
“But even before that, I noticed you,” Travis said. “Every time you came to our floor and looked at me. I would just wonder about you, you know? You were a mystery before. But I thought you were way out of my league.”
Jasmine tried to stifle a laugh. He was right. She was out of his league. But that didn’t mean that they couldn’t have something wonderful together. That was something she was just discovering.
“So in a way, the bet was a good thing,” Travis said, thoughtfully. “The bet gave me an excuse to talk to you. It gave me a chance to be brave in a way I’ve never been brave before. So I’m glad about that. I never had the courage before. And… I really think we could have something great, Jasmine? What do you think?”
Jasmine looked at him for a long time. She nodded slowly. The thought of being just a bet was painful to her. But at the same time, he was right.
They could have something great.
“Look, Jasmine,” Travis said. “I’ve never felt this way before. I could just talk to you for hours. Hell, I could just look at you for hours. You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known. You inspired me to write again. I haven’t written a song since college. That’s huge. I just want to walk around and hold your hand. I… want to learn from you. I… want to make love to you. I—”
Jasmine grabbed his face and looked deep into his eyes.
“Shut up,” she growled.
She kissed him, sealing her mouth over his just to shut him up for a moment. Of course, she wanted all of that too.
But for now, she wanted him to know that she was still a little bit bad.
THE END
Another bonus story is on the next page.
Bonus Story 8 of 44
Kiss of Tomorrow
Description
Avery Sherman’s life is a mixed bag of love and tragedy—which comes with the territory. Six months pregnant, and engaged to a serving Marine corporal, she endures long spells alone in her apartment, with occasional visits from her hard-working fiancée.
But when he returns home unexpectedly, having survived another dangerous fire fight, she is profoundly grateful to have him in her life, and puts aside the fears that one day he might never return to her embrace.
For such a thing to happen would be devastating and unthinkable.
She could never be so unlucky.
Could she?
*****
Avery almost cried with relief when the door opened.
“Hey, baby,” Marine Corporal Ross Nichols called. “I’m home!” Avery dropped the paint brush into the sink, careless of any splashes, and rushed as best she could toward her returning fiancée. Running was no longer easy for her. Six and a half months of pregnancy made hurrying impractical.
“Hey, hello!” he cried as she slammed into him. Her arms pulling him into a hug that would have been crushing—if he wasn’t two hundred pounds of solid muscle.
“Thank God you’re safe,” she murmured into his chest.
“Oh, you heard, huh?”
“It was all over the news. I thought I’d lost you.”
“I’m too stubborn to go down.”
“And the others?”
“Babe…”
“I want to know,” she said. “I need to know. They were my friends too.”
“Okay, but it’s not good news.”
“I still want to know. What happened? Who made it out?”
Ross sighed. “Casper didn’t make it. Manny went down trying to save Elliott. But there was too much smoke and flame for him to find his way back. I never saw either of them come out the other side.”
Avery nodded stiffly. “And Jeff?” His was the only other name she knew, the last name from the five survivors of Ross’s original squad.
“Jeff died on the flight back, baby.”
If possible, she hugged him even harder. The entire squad was gone—at least, the squad of seven months ago. Now only Ross was left of the original twelve she’d partied with. That left him as the last possible father for her baby.
“Come in, come in.” She released him and let him walk into the kitchen. “How long are you here for?”
“They gave us three days, baby.” He sighed deeply. “Three days to put it all behind us.” He pushed a hand through his short-cropped hair and looked around. Nothing much had changed in the kitchen of the living room. So why did Avery have paint all over her hands?
She caught his wary glance. “Don’t worry, I didn’t get any on your uniform.” Still, she cast her eye over his smart jacket.
“What have you been painting?”
“The nursery, of course.”
“In your condition?”
“I’m pregnant, Ross, not disabled.”
“Still…”
“It needed painting, okay? Don’t fuss.”
He extended his hand. “Come on, sit down for a minute.”
“Why?”
“To rest.”
“What’s rest?” She smiled wearily.
“I’ll show you. Come on.”
She nodded, then shuffled past him to the sofa, pressing her hands into her lower back. She was tired, but as she was alone in the apartment, she had to press on and get as much done as possible before the baby arrived. Still, a few minutes rest would be welcome. If Ross was home, then he would be able to help move the furniture around. She hadn’t been looking forward to that part at all.
As she moved past him, Ross got his first glimpse of her from the side.
“Wow, you’ve really grown around the middle,” he said. The careless words would have earned most men a black eye or a busted jaw, but Avery smiled and stroked the bulging shirt with a gentle hand.
“None of my old pants will fit me. Not with this bun growing bigger every day.”
“It won’t be forever, sweetheart.”
“I know. I’ll be glad to get this part over and done with.”
“So we can make another one?” He raised an eyebrow as she glared at him. “I was teasing you.”
“Well, tease away. This is the last time I do this. No more babies for me—ever.”
“Really? None?”
She grinned. “My turn to tease you, Corporal.”
“Well, you have three days to tease me, civilian. You got me all to yourself.”
She smiled up at him. “That’s wonderful. But remember, I’m civilian-and-a-half to you now.”
“Only half?” He leaned against her bump. “Feels more like three-quarters to me.�
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“Careful. Erica isn’t ready for any rough stuff yet.”
“Erica? You named her without me?”
“Erica if it’s a girl,”
“And if it’s a boy?”
“Eric if it’s a boy—after your father.”
“Good choice, babe.”
“I know, right.”
“So what have you been doing this week?”
She raised a paint-stained hand. “Guess.”
“Wallpapering?”
“Funny guy.”
“So you’ve been busy.”
She shrugged “Someone had to do it.”
“Well you don’t have to do it all by yourself anymore. The cavalry has arrived.”
“I thought you were in the Marines, Corporal.”
“It’s a figure of speech, babe.”
“Hoo-yah, right?”
“Something like that. So what do you need me to do?”
“Keep me company. It can get lonely around here sometimes.”
“I’m all yours.”
“Maybe you could rub my feet?”
“Deal. Come on over.” He put his big hands on her shoulders to help her walk, and she frowned at him.
“I can still walk, you know.”
“Sorry, babe. I’m trying to take care of you.”
“I know, and it’s nice that you care, but you’re over-reacting. I have no problems moving around. It’s standing that tires me out.”
He waited until she settled onto the sofa before sliding in under her legs, lifting them gingerly as he moved into place. He pulled her slippers off one by one and began by rubbing his thumbs along her soles, pressing firmly as he slid them from heels up to her toes.
Avery let her head drop back as deep, warming waves of heat spread through her feet. The deep ache that had plagued her for weeks began to fade immediately. Ross repeated the rub over and over, each time using firm pressure, but slow hands.
“Mmm… that’s nice, baby.”
“Your skin’s so soft,” he remarked.
“One of the benefits of being pregnant,” she murmured as his big hands sent warm waves of pleasure through her feet. “Wrap your hands right around as you move them up.”
