“Oh, so you’re a good girl, too, huh?” Emma joked.
“You know what I mean. Anyway, I think Jasper is a Biblical name. It was my dad’s idea.”
“That makes sense. My mom always described him as religious. What did you really mean by you’re no different?”
“Do you promise not to think less of me?”
“Of course.”
“I’m not exactly the most popular person at home. I’m not even the most popular person in my family. People at school like Paul, but most of the time, I’m just there. I’ve never really done anything risky or bad in my life. Lying to my parents and being in this room right now is probably the riskiest thing I’ve ever done.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it risky. What’s the worst that could happen if our parents found out we were lying?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Your dad could kill me because he gets the wrong impression of things.”
“He’s not that bad. I think he likes you. I’m sure he would know that nothing was going on.”
“I don’t know. Did you see how much room service was? That’s probably going to be enough to make him angry,” he joked.
“I doubt it, but we’re getting off subject. Why don’t you take more risks at home?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to. I just don’t ever see anything that’s worth the risk. There’s no one I want or anything that really appeals to me.”
“So I’m the only person who’s worthy of you taking a risk on. That’s where this is going, right? I’ll give you this. It’s a good story, and I do like the idea of being the only person that a guy has ever wanted to risk it for, but all of this sounds a little like a story to make a dumb girl fall into a boy’s arms. You’ve got to try harder than that. It’s not that easy with me,” Emma teased.
“The story really is true. I’m not very popular, and now that you point it out, I guess you are the first person I’ve been willing to lie for. I like you, Emma. I don’t know what that means or even if it can mean anything, but it’s true,” Jasper said and wrapped one arm around her.
Then he leaned in to kiss her. Just before their lips could meet, they heard a knock at the door.
“Perfect timing,” Jasper said sarcastically and got up to answer the door.
It was room service. While they enjoyed their breakfast, Jasper and Emma got to know each other even more, and when they were done eating, he asked her a question that led them to the bedroom.
“So what kind of music do you like?” Jasper asked.
“I really like Blue Sands right now, and I’m into . . .”
“Blue Sands. You can’t be serious.”
“Hey, what’s wrong with them?”
“First of all, their name. Secondly, their music is just awful.”
“It is not! If you’re going to be my friend, then you have to at least try to like them. That’s pretty much a requirement. Come in here. I’ve got one of their CDs in my room, and you’re going to listen to it until you like it.”
“I really should have just pretended I liked them, shouldn’t I?”
“Probably,” Emma said as she led him to her room.
Once they were seated on the bed, she got a CD player out and let him have an ear bud while she took the other one. It was obvious by the pained expression on his face that Jasper wasn’t enjoying himself very much.
“Oh, come on. They’re not bad. You can’t be hating this,” Emma said.
“I’m not very fond of them. The view is pretty amazing, though,” Jasper said and moved her hair out of her eyes. Then he leaned in and kissed her.
As they sat there on the bed kissing, Emma heard the door open. For some reason, her parents were home. They had done nothing wrong, but she had a boy alone in her room while no one was there, and she had lied to get a chance to be alone with him. It wasn’t like her parents were going to believe that things were completely innocent if they found Jasper in her room, and even if they did, they would still be angry to find out that she had lied to them.
“You need to hide,” Emma whispered.
“Where do I go?”
“Under the bed,” Emma said after scanning the room.
Just as Jasper got under the bed, Nathan walked into Emma’s room. He looked at her suspiciously, but Emma knew that she couldn’t give up anything. He would freak out if he knew that she was alone with a boy. He always did for some reason.
“So a few weird things have happened today,” Nathan said.
“Why are you home so early, Daddy?” Emma asked.
“Well, it turns out that Jasper felt sick, too. Then when your mom and I came back to check on you and see if you wanted to join us, there were two plates sitting at the table. I’ve never been accused of being a genius, but I can put one and one together. You weren’t really sick this morning, were you?”
“Why would you say that? I still feel terrible even now.”
“You don’t have to lie to me,” Nathan said before sitting down on the bed.
When he did, the bed gave, and he heard what sounded like someone letting out a breath as they were being crushed. Nathan bounced slightly and heard a groan.
“You can come out now,” Nathan said, and Jasper rolled out from under the bed.
“So do you two want to explain this?” Nathan asked.
“I just wanted to spend some time with him. You’re the one who said I needed to be around good guys like Jasper and Paul. I just don’t understand how . . .”
“Emma, calm down. I did think you needed to be around guys like him because I’ve always gotten the impression that he was a decent person. Look at things from my perspective, though. You lied to us, and he lied to his parents. Then I came in here to find him hiding under your bed. I trust you, but what am I supposed to think here?”
“You’re supposed to think that I made a mistake. You always freak out when I date someone, and we thought it might be fun to spend some time together this week. I just knew you would hate him after I told you we were spending time together. You’ve always hated every guy I introduced you to, and I didn’t want to have to deal with that this time. As for him hiding under my bed like we had done something wrong, I can see how that might look, but we were just nervous about you finding him here. Can you take all that at face value and believe me? It’s the truth.”
“Of course I believe you. I don’t like being lied to, though. I suppose you’re right about something else. I have always hated any boy you tried to date. I guess that needs to change, as long as you two can start telling the truth. Why don’t we forget this happened, and you two can get ready and come with us? I’ll talk to your mom and smooth things over. You need to go tell Jason and Chloe the truth, though, Jasper,” Nathan said.
“Yes, sir. Thank you,” Jasper said and walked out.
As Nathan was starting to leave, Emma couldn’t help but wonder what had changed. Her dad always hated when she was with a boy, and she figured he would be furious. What was so different about this situation?
“Wait a minute, Daddy. Why aren’t you mad?” she asked.
“Would you rather I was?”
“No, but it’s just unusual. I’m glad, but I don’t understand.”
“You’re always going to be my little girl, and it’s hard for me to let go sometimes. Here are the facts, though. I trust you, and I know I’ve taught you everything you need to know. I have confidence that you’ll make the right decisions when it matters. With someone like Jasper, I’m not very worried. I know you’re a good kid, and he is, too. I just don’t like when you’re out with boys like that Mike kid. It was never an issue of me trusting you. I knew guys like him growing up, and I don’t trust people like that. If you pick some decent guys for a change, like Jasper, I won’t have a problem with you dating . . . that’s not actually true, but I’ll be able to live with it.”
“Wow. All this time I thought you just didn’t want me to date. I was so scared to tell you that things with Jasper had turned sligh
tly romantic that I lied about the whole thing. I guess that was pretty stupid.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t know any better. Now you know I won’t disapprove of everyone, just the boys who might hurt you. Like I said, you’re still my little girl,” Nathan said and kissed the top of her head.
Against all odds, her mom and dad weren’t angry, and they went out and had the perfect day with everyone. They visited the parks for a while and then went to see a dinner show, which was kind of lame, but it was also cool to be able to sit in view of her family with a boy and not get strange looks about it.
When they got back to their rooms, Jasper stopped Emma before she went into hers and whispered something into her ear.
“Meet me outside by the pool in an hour.”
“It’s going to be closed by then.”
Jasper simply shrugged and smiled. Then they went their separate ways. Once Emma was inside, she started thinking about what she would need to do to sneak out that night. Then it dawned on her. Hadn’t her dad told her just to tell the truth? Couldn’t she tell them where she was going? It was worth a shot anyway.
“Hey, Mom, Jasper wants me to meet him downstairs in an hour. Do you mind?” she asked.
“Why does he want to meet you downstairs? It’s getting late,” Sam said.
“He just wants to meet at the pool.”
“But it’ll be closed by then.”
“I know, but it’s not like they have security down there. Come on. I’m not doing drugs or committing crimes. I’m just sneaking into a pool. I’m pretty sure you’ve done a lot worse than that. Please.”
“Go ahead, but don’t stay gone too long, and don’t get caught. Let me ask you something. What is Jasper to you? Do you like him?”
“I think so. I know we’re going to be apart soon, so I’m not going to get attached, but it’s nice to be able to spend some time with a guy who actually sees me.”
“I’m glad you’re happy. Try not to get attached, though. I would hate to see you be heartbroken when we leave.”
“No worries there. This is just simple. We’re two friends who are spending some time together. Nothing more.”
Emma thought things were simple, but they were about to get really complicated for her. That night would be the first time she truly saw Jasper. She had appreciated him for showing her a good time, but that night in the pool, Emma was going to find something so wonderful, yet heartbreaking. Whether she wanted him to or not, Jasper was going to mean a lot to her.
Chapter 3
Stars
Once Emma walked down to the pool, she saw that there was a problem. The gate was closed, and a fence surrounded it. When she looked inside, she saw Jasper waiting on her. He was already in the pool.
“What are you waiting for? Come on,” he whispered.
“In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a fence here, and it’s a little tall. There’s something you should know about me. I don’t climb.”
“Don’t be such a girl. I’ll catch you if you fall,” Jasper said as he got out of the pool and walked to the edge of the fence.
“And what if I fall on this side?”
“You’ll be fine. I read your dad’s first book, and I know all about what he and your mom used to do. I’m pretty sure you have enough of them in you to climb a fence that isn’t actually very tall.”
“Well, I’m not exactly my mom or dad. They’re on a different level. Just trust me. It’s not a good idea.”
“Come on, Emma. I know you can do this. I’ll be here if you fall. Just hurry in case someone comes. It’s not going to be very good if they do.”
“Fine,” Emma said and climbed up the fence.
When she got on the other side, she started to slip, but Jasper reached up and grabbed her. Then he pulled her down, and they walked over to the pool. Jasper jumped in, but Emma just stood there.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to get in?” Jasper asked.
“Yeah, I guess so,” she said and moved toward the steps.
She still had her shirt on. There was a bathing suit on underneath it, but for some reason, she was feeling a little shy.
“Aren’t you going to take the shirt off?” Jasper asked.
“I don’t know. I think I want to keep it on.”
“That’s fine. It’s really dark out here, though. It’s not like I can see much. Even if I could, I’ve seen you with a bathing suit on before. What’s the big deal?”
“You saw me when we were a lot younger. I don’t know. Maybe I’m being ridiculous,” she said and threw the shirt to the side.
As Emma stepped into the water, Jasper’s eyes never left her. She was beautiful to him in every way. He had always noticed the little things, like her smile and her eyes, but seeing her under the moonlight brought a whole new level of beauty to his attention.
“Wow. You’re a lot prettier than me,” Jasper joked.
“I thought you couldn’t even see,” Emma said and smiled.
“I lied. I don’t regret it, though,” he said and wrapped his arms around her.
“Not that I don’t enjoy the flattery, but why did you invite me out here? I didn’t take you as the breaking and entering type.”
“I’m not. They don’t keep it lit up around the pool, though. Can you float?”
“Yeah, I grew up near a beach. I can pretty much do anything in water.”
“All right. Lean back, and look up. What do you see?”
“Umm . . . the sky.”
“The stars. You can’t see them in the city or from the room. You don’t see them much where I live either. It’s always too lit up. They’re so far away, and they look like a spec, but really, we’re the spec. Our planet is such a small piece of the universe, and we’re such a tiny part of it. I guess it just puts things into perspective for me. We worry about so much, like school, what we’re going to do when we get older, or in your case, whether you should get into the pool without a shirt on. None of it really matters, though. Everything we are and every decision we make is pretty insignificant in the big scheme of things.”
“You find that peaceful? It just reminds me that everything we do is meaningless.”
“I guess you could look at it that way, but once you realize that nothing you do is going to matter in a thousand years, you can start doing whatever you want. It makes decisions a lot easier.”
“What kind of decisions?”
“Well, like this one. While you’ve been staring at the stars, I’ve been looking up toward our rooms. My dad has looked down here twice, and I don’t think your mom and dad have left the balcony at all. It seems pretty stupid to do this, and if I overthought it, I wouldn’t be able to.”
“To do what?” Emma asked before he raised her up and kissed her.
“I think I like stars. Be honest, though. You didn’t really invite me out here just to look up at the sky, did you? I mean, we could have found another place without lights.”
“Okay, the thought of you in a bikini didn’t hurt.”
“I knew it! You are just like all other guys.”
“Kind of, but I really do like you. I’m going to complicate things right now and tell you something.”
“What is it?”
“I think I’ve liked you since we kissed when we were little. I mean, I gave you your first kiss, and I took you on what was your first good date. That has to mean something. I know we live really far apart, and you probably think I’m crazy, but you’re pretty much the only person I’ve been dreaming of since I was little.”
“I don’t know what to say, Jasper. We were just kids, and you weren’t even my first kiss back then, not that kisses when you’re little count as anything.”
“That’s just great. Here I was thinking that I was your first kiss, but you were off kissing every guy you could in the third grade. How could you?” Jasper joked to try to lighten the mood. He could tell that he had made things awkward.
“You don’t have to do that. It’s not a j
oke. You just told me how you felt, and I didn’t really give you anything in return. It’s just complicated. I like you, but I don’t need to. We won’t be able to see each other again for a long time when this vacation is over. Do you really want to start something that has to end so quickly?”
“Would it be so bad to?”
“I don’t know. I think I liked you better when you were talking about stars, though.”
“I can do that again, but I do want an answer. Do you like me, and do you think that some day a guy like me could end up with a girl like you?”
“I do like you. It’s bad timing, but yeah. I think one day you’ll have someone really great. It probably won’t be me because we live so far apart, but if that weren’t the case, I would be lucky to have you. Any girl would. We can treat this week like it means something because it does to me. After that, we can even talk on the phone and be friends from afar, but we both know it won’t go further than that, at least for now.”
“For now?”
“Yeah. No one knows what the future could hold. Now, how about we get back to enjoying what’s happening in the present? You know, you could talk more about your stars or how beautiful I am. Flattery will get you everywhere,” she teased.
“While I do think you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen, I have to point something out. A man was waiting on you shirtless with rippling muscles, and he didn’t even get a single compliment. I’ve got to say that it doesn’t feel good when I’ve been pouring my heart out, and the woman I care so much about doesn’t even throw me one compliment,” Jasper joked.
“So wait a minute. In this scenario, you’re supposed to be the man with rippling muscles?”
“No one else is here.”
“Yeah. You’re cute, but I wouldn’t push it. I might even have more muscle than you.”
“No, don’t spare my masculinity. Just completely wreck my confidence.”
“Hey, I’ve got to tell you like it is. You’re cute, but you’re not some big muscle man. I’ve got a secret for you, though. I don’t really like the muscular look.”
“Oh, really? What do you like?”
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