“It’s okay. I get it if you feel a little odd. I hope you’re not judging me, though. Every guy I dated helped me realize what I didn’t want. That ultimately led me to you.”
“I just don’t get it. I was always thinking about you. It was hard to date anyone because of that. Do I just like you a lot more than you like me?”
“It’s actually the opposite. I dated a lot of guys because none of them were you.”
“That doesn’t make any sense at all.”
“It really does. When we had to breakup, I was depressed. The only way I could move on was to pretend that someone would be as good for me as you, so I started dating again. No one ever compared, though. I always broke things off pretty quickly and moved on to someone new because I wasn’t finding anything close to the connection that we had. That’s why I have a lot of ex-boyfriends. It’s not because I’m this ultra experienced girl. As a matter of fact, I consider you my first, and you were definitely my first great kiss. If you’re not very experienced at being in a relationship, then that’s okay because you didn’t need the experience. You already know what you’re doing. I’m happy, and you’re everything I want. Now, can you stop being such a girl and get some confidence? You’re the love of my life. You have been since I was fourteen. You’ve got nothing to feel insecure about when it comes to me.”
“Now I feel pretty dumb for even bringing it up.”
“You should. If you weren’t the one I wanted, I wouldn’t keep leading you on. I’m in this all the way.”
“Great. I don’t know why, but I needed to hear that. Let’s go back downstairs and enjoy ourselves,” Jasper said and kissed her.
When they went back downstairs, they found that Evan and Candice were enjoying themselves. They might have been enjoying themselves a little too much. They were both drinking heavily, and Evan was even playing beer pong. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but Evan had never drunk alcohol. Most thought of him as a little too innocent because of that, but Emma never thought it was very odd. She hadn’t tried alcohol until her senior year either. She remembered that first experience, though, and it didn’t work out very well for her. She was afraid their Halloween was going to turn into all work because they would have to be taking care of two very drunk high school kids. Unfortunately, her fears came true. As the night went on, Evan and Candice got drunker and drunker. It was odd to see her brother like that but a little funny, too. Evan was certainly a happy drunk.
“We should get them out of here, shouldn’t we?” Jasper asked.
“Yeah, but where do we take them? It’s not like I can take Evan home like this, and I doubt dropping Candice off at her parents’ house would help Evan’s chances with her. Her parents would probably hate him after that.”
“We have a place, or I should say you do. They could stay with us.”
“That’s a good idea, but Jasper, it’s your place, too. I know my name’s on the deed, but I hope you know it’s home by now.”
“I do. I just didn’t want to assume anything.”
“Well, start assuming more,” Emma said and smiled.
They helped their friends to the car and headed home. On the way, Evan and Candice had a drunk and slightly strange conversation.
“Evan, I need to tell you something,” Candice slurred.
“What is it?”
“When we met, I thought you were kind of weird.”
“Why?”
“You never spoke to me, and you were always staring at my chest. I thought you were totally going to be a pervert,” she said and giggled.
“What? I wasn’t staring . . . I was probably just reading something on your shirt. I can’t believe you thought I was weird,” Evan said while barely being able to keep his eyes open.
“I was right, you know. You are a little odd, but I like it. You took long enough to ask me out, though. I almost went out with . . . hey, are you listening to me?” she asked while noticing that Evan’s eyes were closed. He jerked awake and spoke.
“Yeah, yeah. We were talking about me staring at your boobs.”
“So you were staring! I knew it.”
“No. I just . . . okay, I was staring, and I liked you for about two years before I even talked to you. My first impression of you was that you were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.”
“We don’t sound like this when we talk, do we?” Emma whispered.
“God, I hope not. Let’s just blame this on the alcohol,” Jasper said.
Once they got home, Emma and Jasper helped them inside and let them crash in his bed. Jasper was a little reluctant to do so. He didn’t want anything happening in his bed, but Evan and Candice were already really drunk. Evan could barely stay awake, so he didn’t think that was something he had to worry about.
Afterward, Emma and Jasper went to her room and bought a scary movie. Before they watched it, Emma noticed that Jasper was smirking.
“What is it?” she asked.
“You said I wouldn’t end up in your bed at the end of the night, but here I am. I guess you really can’t go to bed alone after watching a scary movie,” he teased.
“Oh, come on. I didn’t expect my brother and his girlfriend to be staying here. These are extreme circumstances.”
“Sure. Keep telling yourself that’s the only reason why I’m in here.”
“Just for that, you’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”
“Did I seriously just talk myself out of going to bed with a girl?” Jasper asked in amazement.
“I think you did. Now be quiet, and let’s watch this movie. I doubt it’s even scary.”
Emma was wrong. It was very frightening. It was about a spirit that inhabited a house that a family had recently moved into. It all started with little things happening. The piano in the house would play itself. Soon it got much worse than that, though. The spirit inhabited its residents at will, and by the end of it, all of them were dead. All they were left with at the end of the movie was one message. Based on a true story. The credits showed footage of the old house that it was based on and police reports that detailed the gruesome and mysterious murders that went on there. Even Jasper was starting to feel a little unsettled. Their house made weird noises at night sometimes. Even if he knew that the supposed true story they just witnessed was completely false, he was terrified of sleeping alone. It wasn’t like he could say that in front of Emma, though.
“Well, goodnight,” he said hesitantly and sat up.
“Wait a second,” Emma said as he stood.
“What is it?”
“Maybe you could stay for a little while. I mean, we could watch television or something,” Emma said before yawning.
“You already look tired. Are you sure you want to do that?”
“You’re just going to make me say it, aren’t you? I want you to . . .”
“No. The truth is I’m scared to death. Every noise I hear makes me jump. We never should’ve watched that movie. Do you mind if I stay in here with you?” Jasper asked.
“I was hoping you would say that. Thanks for kind of letting me save face. I know you’re not really scared,” Emma said as Jasper lay back down.
“Then you don’t know me as well as you think,” he said as he wrapped his arm around her.
Suddenly, Emma and Jasper heard what sounded like footsteps in the next-door bathroom. Then they heard ominous moaning. Jasper held on to her even tighter. Was this it? Were they seriously in a haunted house? The sound of Evan throwing up made them realize exactly what was happening.
“Should we go help him?” Jasper asked.
“If we have to. Thanks for making tonight good. I never thought a night that started out with my brother and ended with a horror movie could be all right.”
“Don’t count tonight as good just yet. Evan sounds pretty sick. Who knows what we’ll have to deal with in there?” Jasper joked.
“Hey, I’m serious. Thanks,” Emma said and kissed him.
The end of the night wouldn
’t exactly be glamorous, and Candice would be sick the next morning. She and Evan were both pretty embarrassed about the whole thing, but for Jasper and Emma, it had been the best Halloween ever. It was the first one they got to spend together.
Chapter 13
Coming Home
Seven Weeks Later
It had been seven weeks, and Jasper and Emma had grown closer than ever. It was no longer a question of if Emma wanted to be with him. It was what would she do without him? They had become inseparable, and that was why it was a rough time of year for them. Jasper’s family lived back in New Jersey, and Christmas was only a few days away. He wanted to spend it with her, but his family wanted him to come home. Jasper knew that he should. He hadn’t seen them in months. Then again, it just felt wrong to leave Emma on their first Christmas as a couple. He had already booked the flight, but he could tell that she wasn’t happy about it. As he woke up that morning and walked into the living room, he saw Emma looking very indifferent.
“I won’t go, if you don’t want me to,” Jasper said, immediately knowing what was wrong.
“It’s not that. I think you should spend Christmas with your family, especially since they haven’t seen you in months. I’ll just miss you. I was going to come with you, but you know my parents. They don’t want me away for Christmas.”
“It’ll just be a week. I’ll be back in time to celebrate the New Year, and we’ll go back to normal, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
“I know that. You have to admit this is going to be a problem, though.”
“What?”
“Your family is there, and mine’s here. I don’t know if we’re going to be together for life, but if we were, this problem would keep repeating itself. They’re always going to want you home for Christmas, and my parents won’t be any different. How are we going to manage that?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far ahead.”
“Well, maybe we should. Is this going to work, if we’re always being pulled in different directions?”
“All right, I see what I have to do now. You mean everything to me, and of course I’ll choose spending the holidays with you over my mom and dad. I’ll call and . . .”
“Jasper, I don’t want that. I can’t pull you away from your family. I don’t really want you to go, but that’s the problem. I don’t want to be that girl who gets between the man I’m with and his family. I don’t know how not to be her in this situation, though.”
“How about this? We’re still really young, and yeah, what I have with you is serious, but we’re not getting married tomorrow or anything. If we ever do get married, though, we’ll do everything equally. We’ll go to my parents’ house one year and stay here the next. Does that sound better?”
“For me, but you know our parents aren’t going to be happy with that.”
“Then maybe we should start living for ourselves. We’re not kids anymore. What do you think?”
“You could be right. How about we start that tradition this year? We’ll book another seat on the flight, and I’ll go with you, if you’ll promise to stay here next year.”
“Are you sure you want to do that?”
“I’m positive. I want this to work, and if it’s going to, we have to set some ground rules. It’s not really for us. It’s more for our parents.”
“Yeah, but somehow I think I’m going to be the one who gets all the hate here. Your parents like me, but once you tell them I’m keeping you from being home for Christmas, I’ll probably be hated.”
“Your parents won’t be too happy with me next year either.”
“Yeah, but they’re really far away. I’m pretty sure you won’t have to deal with it.”
“I’ll talk to them and take all the blame, unless you don’t want me to come.”
“I always want you with me. I just need to be sure that this is what you want. I don’t want you making sacrifices for me. If you would rather be here with your family, then I understand, and it won’t change anything about how I feel. We’ll just pick back up where we left off when I get back. We need to decide soon, though, because my flight leaves tomorrow. I’m not even sure if we’ll be able to get you a ticket.”
“You work on that, and I’ll go tell my parents. I want this. My mom shouldn’t be too busy right now at work, so I’ll talk to her first.”
“All right. I love you,” Jasper said and gave her a quick kiss goodbye.
Emma drove to her mom’s work. Sam worked in a gym. Her mom had always been very active, so it was the perfect job for her. Training people was just natural for her, and Emma’s love for the beach and hiking probably came from her mom. Once she was inside, she found that Sam was between sessions, so the timing couldn’t be better.
“Hey, Mom. Can I talk to you for a minute?” Emma asked timidly.
She was just starting to realize how bad this could be. She was telling her mother that she wasn’t going to be there for Christmas for the first time. It seemed cruel, but at the same time, wasn’t it something she was going to have to do in the future? If Emma were going to be with Jasper, then there would be a lot of holidays away from Hawaii.
“Sure, but what’s wrong? You look really stressed out,” Sam said.
“It’s just that I’ve been talking to Jasper about our future, and some things are really complicated.”
“You guys didn’t breakup, did you?”
“No, it’s actually the opposite. We were talking about our future and the fact that he has to go home for Christmas. We both know we’ll have to find a way to manage the holidays if we end up together. I thought we should start doing that now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I think that one year I should go with him to New Jersey, and the next, he’ll stay here with me. That only seems fair. I . . .”
“No. I already know what you’re going to say, and I don’t want you leaving.”
“Mom, I’m not a kid anymore. I have a serious boyfriend whose family lives really far away. I have to make some sacrifices, don’t I?”
“You might have to eventually, but think about it for a second. Do you really want to miss Christmas morning with our family? It just wouldn’t be the same without you. I’ll understand if you two end up being together down the line and you go with him back to New Jersey on some holidays, but you haven’t even been dating six months. It’s too early for either of you to be making sacrifices. If you want to go, I can’t stop you, but think about this hard first. Every Christmas has been right here. Maybe you have to break with that tradition eventually, but not yet.”
“Okay, but what about Jasper? We haven’t really been apart since we got together, and I’m afraid that . . .”
“Emma, that kid has had a crush on you since he was a little boy. Nothing’s going to change in a week. I promise. Now, what do you really want to do? If it’s go with Jasper, then I’ll support you, but I don’t think that’s what you want. I think you want at least one more Christmas with your entire family.”
Just as Sam finished saying that, Emma got a text message. It was from Jasper.
“Hey, we can get another ticket, but are you sure? I really don’t want your parents to hate me, and I want you to be wherever you’re most comfortable. We don’t have to start splitting Christmases between families just yet,” he wrote.
Emma showed the text to her mom, and Sam smiled. Her daughter meant the world to her, and she knew that a boy would take her away from them sooner or later, but later seemed like a much better option to her.
“There’s your out. What do you really want to do, though?” Sam asked.
“I want to stay. I don’t want to hurt his feelings, though.”
“It won’t. He wouldn’t have sent that message if it would.”
Emma texted Jasper back to tell him not to book the flight. They had spent every moment together, but for one week, they were going to take a break. In a way, it might not be so bad. She could go back to living at her p
arents’ house for a few days. Her mom and dad always took a few days off before and after Christmas, and Evan would be glad to have her around. As much as she loved living with Jasper and wouldn’t change it for anything, there were times when Emma missed just being their little girl.
“Okay, it’s settled. Thanks for talking me out of going. I’ll have to eventually if I want to end up with him, but you’re right. We haven’t been dating long enough to make sacrifices this big,” Emma said.
Sam let out a sigh of relief and hugged her daughter. For one week, she was all theirs again. She had never thought she would miss having Emma around so much, but when she left the house, it was like a piece of their family was gone, even if she was only across the road. It would be incredible to have that piece back.
When Emma got back home, she told Jasper all about her conversation with her mom. Then she told him how she felt.
“The truth is I want to be there. I don’t know how all of this is going to work in the future, but I just can’t leave this year. Do you understand?” Emma asked.
“Absolutely. It’s just a week. I’ll be back before you know it. Now, let’s enjoy our last day together. I’m going to miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too. We should go out and enjoy a night to ourselves.”
“While that does sound good, I think I just want to spend a day with you in our house where I know I’ll have you all to myself. Does that sound all right?”
“It sounds amazing.”
They spent the rest of the day together and went to bed with each other for the last time until the end of the month. When they woke up the next morning, however, Jasper had to go. Emma drove him to the airport and walked him to his gate. They sat in silence and waited for him to be able to board the plane. After it was announced that he could get on, Emma kissed him goodbye. Jasper noticed that she looked really sad. That was the last thing he wanted to see as he was leaving.
“Hey, I waited my whole life to be with you. Nothing’s going to change the way I feel. I’ll see you in a week, and it’ll be like I was never away. All right?”
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