by Amber Garza
“I have a surprise for you.” Jasper said, pulling out a chair for me. After I slid into it, he helped push it into the table. I’d never had a guy do that before, and I had assumed only guys in movies did that nowadays. Then again, Jasper seemed like he came from a different era.
“What surprise?” I loved surprises. They were my favorite.
“You’ll see.” He couldn’t hide the happiness in his voice, and I had to admit it was contagious.
Coming around the table, he sat in the chair across from me. I stared at him curiously as he bounced up and down in his seat like a kid on Christmas morning. What was he up to?
The shuffling of Nina’s feet sounded from over my shoulder. When Jasper glanced up at her, I could tell that whatever the surprise was, Nina had a hand in it. The minute Nina put the food on the table, I knew what it was.
“Pizza?” I raised my brows.
“It’s not takeout. Nina had to make it from scratch…” his voice trailed off, tinged with embarrassment.
“No, it’s perfect,” I told him, and I meant it. Peering up, I smiled at Nina. “Thank you.”
“Thank him,” she snapped, bobbing her head toward Jasper.
Glad to see the chip on her shoulder was still intact.
“You don’t have to thank me,” Jasper said once Nina had left. “It’s the least I could do.”
Reaching into the middle of the table, I snatched up a slice of pizza. Before even putting it on my plate, I bit off the end. Melted cheese and tomato sauce coated my tongue and slid down my throat. It tasted like heaven.
“Hmmm.” Dropping the slice on my plate, I wiped my greasy fingers on my napkin. Across from me Jasper was attempting to take a bite of pizza without getting it all over his mask, but it was a losing battle. It made me sad. “You know you don’t have to wear that all the time.”
He froze. “My mask?”
I nodded.
But he shook his head. “I don’t want to scare you.”
This made me chuckle. “Isn’t being scary sort of in a kidnapper’s job description.” Sarcasm was sort of my thing, but I could tell I’d taken it too far this time.
“Layla,” his voice was laced with regret.
“It was a joke,” I said swiftly. “What I meant was that I’m not scared of you. You can take off the mask. Enjoy the pizza.”
“But…” he paused, staring at me. “You’re so beautiful, Layla.” My cheeks warmed at his words. “And I’m sure you’re used to being with guys that look a lot different than me.”
It was true. In fact, it was safe to say that Henry was the best-looking guy I’d ever seen. Most girls thought so. He’d even done some modeling. But at the core, Henry was ugly. He was arrogant and selfish. And he never cared about my feelings. Not once in our year-long relationship did he put me first. What Jasper did for me tonight was something that Henry never would’ve done. He never would’ve even thought of it. I knew that Jasper wasn’t a good guy all the time. He had his issues. My presence here was proof of that. But in all the time I’d spent with him, his kindness shone through.
“Everyone looks different from one another,” I pointed out. “We’re all our own people. It’s what makes the world go round.”
“You know that’s not what I’m saying,” he said with a sigh. “I saw your reaction when you first saw my face.”
Shame burned through me. “I was surprised, that’s all.”
“Yeah, you were surprised because you’re used to being around guys who are good looking, and that’s not me.”
“Beauty is subjective.”
“That might be true if you liked blonds and I had brown hair, but this isn’t a matter of opinion. My face is deformed. That’s a fact.”
He was right, but I was starting to learn that things weren’t so black and white. I took another bite of pizza, deciding to try another tactic. “The truth is, that I don’t like the mask. It makes me nervous.”
“It does?”
“Yep.” I wiped marinara sauce from the corner of my mouth. “So, if you’re wearing it for my benefit, you might as well take it off.” Without looking back up at him, I finished off my piece of pizza. Then I reached for another one. “Yum. This is so good.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jasper reaching for his mask. I took a few more bites of pizza, feeling my belly expand in my pants. Thank god they were leggings. When I finally dared to glance up, Jasper’s mask was off and he was bent over his plate taking a large bite of pizza. My stomach twisted as I watched him. The only other time I’d seen him without his mask I hadn’t gotten a very good look. Now that I was getting a perfect view of it, I could see why he was so adamant about covering up. But I knew I’d done the right thing. There was no reason he needed to keep the mask on in his own home. Besides, what he looked like wasn’t his fault. And he’d already paid a steep price for the face he was born with.
I tried to imagine what he’d be like if he looked different. Would he still be a gentleman? Would he be quiet and introspective, a boy who liked to read and play card games? Or would he be arrogant, rude, and selfish like Henry?
“You sure this is okay?” Reaching out, his fingers lighted on his mask as if he was readying himself to put it back on.
I swallowed hard and forced my head to bob up and down. “Yes.” I straightened my spine. “It’s fine.”
He released the mask, bringing his arm back to his plate. We ate for a few more minutes in silence. Once I was finished with my second piece of pizza, I rubbed my swollen belly.
“I always eat too much when I have pizza,” I said.
“Do you have pizza often?”
“No.” I shook my head. “Not very often.”
“Really? I figured you’d have guys taking you out for pizza all the time.”
I chuckled. “No. Guys don’t take me out for pizza very often.”
“Oh.” His face fell. “I guess I just thought that’s what people did on dates.”
His statement reminded me of the fact that he’d never been on a date. He’d never been anywhere but here. My heart pinched. I’d only been here less than two months, and I was going insane. I couldn’t imagine a lifetime. Not to mention the fact that I, at least, had Jasper. He’d been here with only Nina.
“Well, I suppose I haven’t been on many dates,” I responded.
“Now I know you’re lying. A girl like you probably gets asked out every day.” He shoved his empty plate out of his way and grinned.
I smiled back. “I had a serious boyfriend for the last year, so that’s why I didn’t really go on dates.”
“He didn’t take you on dates?” Jasper leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.
“No. We just sorta hung out, I guess.”
“Like this?”
I shook my head. “Not like this.” Henry wasn’t this thoughtful.
“Are you two still together?”
“No.”
“What happened?” His forehead crinkled in concern. As difficult as it was to look at his face, it was nice to see his expressions, to know what he was thinking.
“He cheated on me with my friend.”
Jasper frowned. “What an idiot. If I had a girl like you, I’d never let you go.”
His words were meant to be sweet, but they turned my stomach. They weren’t a compliment. They were true.
He had me here.
And he wasn’t letting me go.
7
THE GARDEN
THE MORNING AFTER Jasper surprised me with pizza, he took me out to the garden for the first time. It was much larger than any garden I’d ever seen, with rows upon rows of fruits and vegetables. I’d never actually been in a garden, but I’d seen pictures of them and this one was definitely magazine worthy.
“I’m impressed,” I told him honestly.
“Thanks,” he answered with a smile. Today he wasn’t wearing his mask, and I was starting to get used to how he looked. It wasn’t nearly as jarring as when I f
irst got a glimpse. “I’ve spent a lot of time on it.”
“Clearly.”
It was a beautiful sunny day, blue cloudless skies overhead. The garden was enclosed by a fence, but there was a gate only a few feet away that opened to the forest. Large trees hovered over the yard from outside the fence. As I stared at the gate, I knew that was the way I would ultimately escape. I just had to wait for the right opportunity.
Jasper nudged me in the side. When I glanced over, he thrust a basket into my hand. “Wanna pick some veggies?”
“Sure,” I answered. Anything to keep me out here in the sunshine. Before today I’d thought the study was the most magical place on the property. Now I wasn’t so sure. The piano still held my heart, but out here I had the opportunity to breathe the fresh air and feel the sunshine on my face. Tilting my head upward, I closed my eyes for a moment and savored it. When I opened them again, Jasper was staring at me with a look of curiosity. “What?” My face heated up.
“You look radiant.”
Radiant? What an odd choice of words. I would’ve laughed if I didn’t find it so sweet. Jasper used language I’d never heard from another guy. It must have been from all those books he read. “Thank you,” I finally said.
“Whatever we pick, we can throw into a salad for lunch,” Jasper explained, his head bobbing toward the rows of produce.
“Sounds good.” Clutching my empty basket, I headed toward the vegetables. As I stared down at them, I had no idea how to decipher which ones to pick. What did a ripe vegetable look like? I was too embarrassed to admit I didn’t know. Not only had I never been in a garden, but I’d never even helped Mom pick produce at the grocery store.
“Do you need some help?” Jasper asked, as if reading my mind. He did that a lot.
Face flushing, I nodded.
“Okay. We’ll start with the cucumbers.” He knelt down. I followed suit, dirt caking the knee of my pants. At home, I never would’ve done this. I would’ve worried about getting my clothes dirty. Plus, there would have been a million other things to do. Therefore, why would I have been gardening? Even though I was a prisoner here, there was something oddly freeing about not caring what I looked like or what others thought of me. And in some ways I found this simple way of life satisfying. At home it was hard to be in the moment because there were so many things vying for my attention. But here it was easy to fully focus on one thing at a time. “This one right here is perfectly ripe.” He placed one in my palm. “You can feel that it’s just the right amount of firmness. Not soft at all.” I squeezed it, and nodded. “And it’s dark green with no yellowing. Also, it’s smooth, see? No indentations or anything.” He smiled. “Go ahead and throw it in your basket.” I did as I was told, and he moved on to the next vegetable.
His knowledge of every different kind of fruit and vegetable was astounding. Then again, I supposed if you spent all your time alone with no electronics you could learn and retain a lot. However, it felt like more than that. When he spoke, I could sense pride in his voice. This garden was something he was proud of, and this was the first time he’d been able to share that with anyone. It made me feel special.
“Now that you know what to look for, you can keep picking,” he said.
“By myself?”
“I trust you.” That was a loaded statement.
“My basket is almost full,” I said, glancing down at it.
“Okay. You keep picking. I’ll go grab you another one.” Grinning, he spun around and headed toward the house. Once he was inside, my pulse kickstarted. Was he really leaving me alone out here? There was no sign of him in the window. My gaze shot to the gate.
This was my chance.
It would only take a few seconds to get out of the yard. I could easily do it before he was back if I hurried. Setting down the basket, I stepped forward. Walking swiftly, I hurried toward the fence.
“I can’t believe you left her out there alone,” Nina’s voice floated out the back door, stopping me in my tracks.
“I trust her,” Jasper said firmly.
Guilt slammed into me. I froze.
“You’re naïve. She’s playing you.”
“No, she’s not,” he said. “She enjoys our time together. I can tell.”
“Jasper, stop kidding yourself. She’s not your friend. She’s your prisoner,” Nina said. “And you need to get back out there before she takes off and becomes neither.”
I turned away from the door. If I was going to leave, I needed to do it now.
“That’s fine,” Jasper said, stunning me.
“What do you mean by that?” Nina snarled, angrily. “You’re letting her manipulate you. I knew this would happen the minute you started spending so much time with her. You need to get her back to her room and stop letting her have the run of the place.”
My chest tightened as if someone was sitting on my chest. There was no way I was letting him lock me up in that room indefinitely again.
“No,” Jasper snapped. “I won’t lock her up anymore. It kills me every time I have to do it.”
My heart arrested in my chest. Was he saying what I think he was?
“So, you’re just going to let her leave then?”
“I hope it won’t come to that. I’d like to think that she would choose to stay if she could.”
“You really are a fool,” Nina growled.
I frowned. Was it that crazy to think that someone would want to stay here with Jasper? And this was the woman who had raised him? No wonder he was so messed up.
“She’s the only friend I’ve ever had, Nina,” he said. “But it doesn’t mean I love you any less.” Footsteps stomped on the ground. My window of time was closing. Why hadn’t I left? “You worry too much. Everything will work out.” As footsteps neared the door, I sprang into action. It was too late to escape, so instead I scooped up the basket and dropped back down onto my knees in the garden. I fell so hard that it jarred me, causing me to bite my tongue. A metal taste filled my mouth.
“Another basket coming your way,” Jasper’s voice boomed behind me.
I peered up with a smile. “Perfect. This one is all full.” Handing it to him, I took the other one. As I continued to pick more vegetables, I mulled over his words. If he was having remorse over keeping me locked up, perhaps he’d allow me to leave and I wouldn’t have to escape. Maybe my plan was working after all.
“You’re doing a great job,” he said, smiling down at me. “I’m starting to wonder if there’s anything you’re not good at.”
Man, Layla, you can’t do anything right. Henry’s words swirled in my mind.
I’d always been known as sort of a klutz, and I had a knack for messing things up. At least that’s what everyone teased me about, especially Henry. He made me feel like I was the lucky one to be with him and he was doing some huge favor by being with me.
“Oh, trust me. There’s plenty I’m not good at,” I told him.
“I haven’t seen one thing yet.”
My heart swelled at his words. With a smile on my face, I went back to picking vegetables. If my friends could’ve seen me now, they would’ve been shocked. But it wasn’t so bad. In fact, it was kind of fun.
“You can stop anytime you’d like,” he said.
I sat up, my basket halfway full at this point. The hot sun beat down on me, and I wiped at my forehead with the back of my hand. “I guess a break wouldn’t be bad.”
“Actually, I think we have enough for today.”
“I’d like to stay outside a little longer,” I said.
“Of course.”
I stood, my knees cracking. When I made it over to Jasper, I set down the basket. He lowered himself and sat beside it.
“It’s so peaceful out here.” He angled his face toward the sky. “Sometimes I spend the entire day out here.”
He was right. It was peaceful out here. So much quieter than back home where there were always cars driving down the road or neighbors talking outside. Even when I spent afterno
ons in my backyard near the pool, it was never serene. My brothers and I often had company, or my parents invited guests over. I’d always hated being alone. I’d hated quiet.
For days now it had simply been Jasper and me. And yet, we found plenty to talk about, plenty to keep us occupied. When Henry and I were dating, we were rarely alone. And if we were, we didn’t spend time talking. It was all about physical intimacy in those moments. Dates were usually double or group dates. In fact, I don’t think you could consider them dates. Mostly, they were parties or outings with friends. The few times we tried to go out just the two of us, I found myself bored within the first ten minutes. And Henry seemed to feel the same way.
Why didn’t Jasper bore me?
She’s the only friend I’ve ever had.
I glanced over at Jasper who was contentedly staring up at the sky. As much as I was still desperate to get home to my family, I was surprised to realize that a part of me was enjoying my time here.
A part of me wanted to stay.
***
Jasper didn’t know I had overheard his conversation with Nina, and he didn’t mention anything about what he’d said. That evening went like all the others, ending with Jasper taking me back to my room.
“Good night, Layla,” he said like always. “Sweet dreams.” That last part was new, and it made me smile.
“My dad used to say that to me when I was a little girl,” I told him.
“Really?”
“Yeah. Is that where you heard it? From your--” I stopped abruptly, realizing what I was about to say. Sometimes I forgot about the fact that Jasper hadn’t been raised by his parents. I still didn’t know why. “I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s okay.” He waved away my concern. “I suppose I probably read it in a book.”
“So, not from Nina, then?”