Is this destiny?

Dinner was delicious, and so was the red wine that followed.

They are sitting on a sofa, and the more Ellie looks at Jasper, the more enchanted she is. Besides being outrageously handsome with soul-piercing icy-blue eyes, full lips, and attention grabbing dimple on his chin… he is charming, and funny, and smart. Very smart. Ellie enjoys talking to him. He can keep her on her toes, but at the same time does not cross the line to make her uncomfortable in any way. Oh, and he smells nice… and the thought of his kiss makes her heart skip a beat… and when their lips connect, everything fades away, including her reasoning capabilities… a deadly combination.

"I should go…", Ellie abruptly stood up after placing her almost finished wine glass on the table.

"Ellie…", he held her hand. "Did I say or do something wrong?"

Ellie looked at his obviously troubled expression and could not make herself lie.

"No. Everything you did and said was perfect. This whole afternoon and evening was… perfect."

"Then… why are you running away?"

Ellie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Because you can hurt me."

"What if I don't have an intention to hurt you?"

His voice came from right in front of her and she opened her eyes. Jasper got up from the sofa and was standing close, too close… and it made her heart race. Ellie didn't dare look at him because she fears that if she looks into his icy-blue eyes she will not be able to resist. The temptation of being with him is too much, but at the same time fear of being hurt is ripping her into two.

So what if he has no intention to hurt her? How long can he keep his attention on her? She already heard: he is a player… and she knows that it is not just a rumor. The first night they met he was shamelessly toying with her, teasing her endlessly. And she saw him flirting with those girls over and over again. He said he will not do it, and he seemed sincere, but can he really change for her? She does not see herself as someone so special to make him change his ways.

"That does not mean that you will not hurt me."

Jasper touched her chin to make her face his way. "You will never find out if you run away."

"I…" She paused when their eyes locked on each other. "I don't know if I can take that risk."

Jasper can see that she is putting up that shield against him again, and he felt the desperation wash over him. Why is it so difficult for her to trust him? What exactly did she go through to have such a fear from getting hurt that she is resisting to even start a relationship?

He can see that she likes him. And he knows that she is not interested in short term flings like a one night stand, but he told her the truth, that he sees her differently. Why can't she believe him?

The only thing he can do is to be honest with a hope that it will reach her.

"Ellie… I can't promise you forever because I don't know what tomorrow brings. But I can tell you that I like you. Right now, I like you. And I have no intention of hurting you. I want to cherish you, because I think that you are special. No, wait, I don't think… I KNOW that you are special. I will wait for you to be ready for the next step, whatever that next step might be. But I need you to stop running away. I know that you don't know me, and I don't know you well either… But I want to discover you because everything I found out about you so far, fascinates me."

"I don't know if I can do that."

He cupped her cheeks in his palms. "You said that trust needs to be earned. And I want to ask you: Ellie, please, give me a chance to earn your trust."

Ellie sighed. Why is he making all this more difficult than it already is?

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" Jasper didn't understand her question.

"THIS! Why are you so sweet and caring? Why do you spend so much effort on me? There are plenty of other girls who would not make it this hard on you."

Ellie also wanted to say that if he calls Sharon or Millie or both of them, they will come to him without any hesitation and give him whatever he wants… but she decided to keep that part for herself. And she knows it's not just Sharon and Millie. She is confident that there are dozens of other girls, probably more, who would spend the night with him, and he does not need to do anything to make that happen other than to show his charming smile.

Jasper caressed her cheek gently while his eyes didn't leave hers. "Yes. There are plenty of other girls. But for some inexplicable reason, my attention gravitates toward you, and I'm not interested in any other girl, no matter how easy she makes it for me."

Ellie is quite sure that this time she kissed him first. And they ended up back on the sofa, entangled in a long kissing session.

His thumb started gliding over her jaw few seconds before he deepened the kiss and the world was reduced to the flavor of the wine mixed in with Jasper's, and the faint scent of his aftershave, and that rhythmical movement of his thumb which set the pace for the kiss… the kiss which seemed to last forever, yet it was not enough.

…

Ellie is in the bed, in her Bel-Air villa, thinking about the time she spent with Jasper.

It was extremely difficult to break Jasper's kissing enchantment and to call a cab to go home.

Jasper offered her to stay the night, of course he did… and no matter how many times he repeated that he will not do anything more than kissing unless she asks for it, Ellie didn't stay because she was not sure that she would not ask for it… for all of it. 

For many years Ellie's defenses are successful, not allowing anyone to come close enough and hurt her, and then Jasper showed up… he paraded in her heart, going through all the gates like he knows the secret passcodes, and made himself at home.

Ellie was slightly flustered when she caught herself thinking about the feeling of his thumb on her jaw, because now she knows how that rhythmic movement is a prelude to the most amazing kiss in the world.

She sadly remembered how he told her that he needs to go back to Chicago tomorrow, and that if they don't get a chance to meet sooner they will meet when she comes, in two weeks… and in the meantime they will stay in touch. He acted like a real boyfriend, the one who cares. And she is missing him already.

Ellie's phone on the bedside table vibrated and flashed with a notification, and she checked it… a message from Jasper... an emoji blowing a kiss followed with a text: 'Good night, Ellie'

She looked at that emoji and didn't know that Jasper can be this… cheesy. What are they? Teenagers? But at the same time, she found that emoji amusing. It made her smile.

In a way, everything he does is just… right. That is probably the reason why she is trying so desperately to resist him. Because it's perfect. And she fears that it's too perfect to be true.

She sent him a text back: 'Good night, Jasper'

Before she managed to keep the phone back on the bedside table she got a response: 'No kiss?', followed by a sad emoji and another one shedding a tear.

Ellie smiled and contemplated for few seconds if she should indulge that big goofball or not. And she did… she sent him an emoji blowing a kiss and turned off her phone.

She yawned and her eyes landed on the shoulder bag she wore today… specifically, on a keychain dangling on the side. It's a jigsaw puzzle piece with one word engraved: 'perfect'. It made her feel that Jasper is there with her.

"Good night, Jasper…", Ellie whispered while cradling the phone in her palms.

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