"Untitled" Chapter 2

Chapter 2
         The bus pulled up at his stop and he made a run for it past the three girls who had chosen seats up front and were still giving him the stink eye. Giving a wave to Carl he stepped off the bus and walked the block to Jasmine's and his apartment building. Her blue Toyota Camry was parked in the driveway, but it was completely dry under her car, showing that she was home and she had never left. He thought about suggesting they go out for dinner since he knew she'd be going stir crazy being home all day. Turning his key in the lock he shoved open the door across the thick beige carpet that covered every room except for the kitchen and bathroom. Jasmine had a thing for soft textures and had fluffy rugs lying on top of the carpet, which he had a tendency to trip over. The apartment was a three bedroom, one and a half bath, with a full kitchen, living room, and a small balcony. One of the three bedrooms had been dubbed a study for her, and that was the one room he was pretty much forbidden to ever enter. She had a lock installed on the door once he had moved in and she was the only one who held the key, hidden somewhere safe.
         "All my research is just spread out everywhere and you can't walk in there without risking spoilers! I don't want you seeing my work until it's done."
         Nate was only too happy to oblige. He was very aware he was simply being "allowed" to live there because he and Jasmine had been together so long - five years that December - and Zack had moved away to Boston for college, leaving him essentially homeless. The rest of the apartment was much like the entrance, carpets over carpets everywhere. There was a king four poster bed in the bedroom with Egyptian cotton sheets and goose down pillows. A big plushy gray couch sat in the living room with his beanbag chair right next to the media center and shiny glass coffee table holding the television remote, an old mug Jasmine had used for tea earlier that day, along with several of Jasmine's published travel magazines marked up with numerous sticky notes. Jasmine had accomplished a lot for only being a few years older than him and in her late twenties. She had all the luck with her cushy apartment, in the nice residential area of Albany, and a secure, steady job.
         After taking his shoes off at the front door he made his way down the hallway to where her office door was slightly ajar. Looking through the crack he saw her sitting on her computer chair with one foot on the seat and the other dangling to the floor. Her long, black hair was pulled up in a messy bun that was slowly unraveling despite the pen she had stuck in it. He could tell from the way she put her hair up that she hadn't had the chance to shower yet that day, and she was still wearing the same black shorts and navy tank top he'd left her in that morning. Her computer glasses were slowly sliding down her face to the tip of her nose, but she was too deep in the writing zone to notice. Her eyes were glued to her Mac's screen and she had one hand on the mouse while the other held up a red colored pencil she was unknowingly gnawing with her teeth. There was a spiral on the desk in front of the keyboard which had red marks all over it. Knocking his knuckles on the door he called out that he was there, causing Jasmine to sit bolt-upright in her seat, drop her red pencil, and her hand to fly to her chest before turning to face him.
         "Oh my god babe, you scared the crap out of me. What time is it?"
         "Five twenty pm."
         "Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit. My deadline is in forty minutes. God, I hate when that happens."
         "I take it you got distracted."
         "Yea, John sent me an email with a link to a piece the new guy that he just hired wrote and wanted my edits. I completely lost track of time because this guy apparently writes with the skills of a fifth grader. Just my luck on the one day this week I actually have to get my own done on time. Oy vey."
         "How close are you to finishing your article?"
         "I still have to look back at my notes and cite a few sources, as well as cross check my references. Which means you have to get the hell out of here. Close the door behind you."
         The last thing he saw as he closed the door was Jasmine darting out of her computer chair and flying across the room. Within two seconds of him closing the door he heard the lock click from the other side. Continuing down the hall to the bedroom he started to unbutton his overalls and slide them down his body, leaving them in a pile on the floor. Taking out a fresh shirt and some boxers he headed to the adjoining bathroom to clean off the grime from the day. He had to tell her about his mother's missed call and hope she agreed to join him at the dinner party, he didn't think he could get through the night without her.
         Nate's phone buzzed in his pocket, making his skin vibrate. Holding his breath he took it out, letting go a sigh of relief at Zack's name on the screen. He wasn't really in a chatting mood but knew that if he didn't pick up Zack would just call back. Pressing the green "accept" button he brought his phone up to his ear.
         "Hey man! How's it going?"
         "It's going...had better days, that's for sure."
         "What's up?"
         "Mother called."
         "Ugh, not her again. I was enjoying the peace and quiet, ya know?"
         Nate surprised both of them and let out a slight chuckle.
         "Trust me, I know."
         "What did Jas say about it?"
         "I haven't told her yet. She's locked in her study."
         "Still? Damn, that girl works too hard."
         "Yea, I guess."
         "Hey, I gotta run. Could you tell Jas to check her phone when she gets the chance? I sent her a text earlier and haven't gotten a reply."
         "Oh yea, no problem. Is it urgent?"
         "Oh no, just something funny I thought she'd like."
         Ending the call Nate continued mentally preparing himself to shed the day. Walking into the bathroom he turned on the light, got the shower started, and leaned his open palms on the sink as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. Thinking back on it, he found it hard to believe how he had gotten to where he was.
         Jasmine was the first and only person to give him a chance. They met back before he had escaped his parent's house. She had just moved to the neighborhood a few months before and started at the same high school he was at. Walking into Algebra that one cold October morning and seeing her sitting front and center stopped his heart. She was the most beautiful person he had ever seen, sitting there with her black ringlets falling over a brown jacket with a furry hood and curving around her face, and her gray/green eyes looking intently at her phone. Because he couldn't take his eyes off of her he rammed his knee into the side of the teacher's desk, causing giggles from those entering the room behind him and those sitting who had noticed, because he couldn't take his eyes off of her, and that happened to be her first impression of him. She had looked up at him with a slight furrow in her brow and he smiled back awkwardly when he realized he was caught blatantly staring and bent down to rub his knee where he just knew a bruise was forming. Jasmine had gotten up from her seat and walked over to him with a worried look on her face. Still rubbing his knee, she leaned close to him and asked if he was okay. Nodding to himself as much as to her he watched her smile at him before returning to her seat. Limping slightly to the closest desk, he slid in next to her and placed his backpack on the floor beside him. She gave him a sidelong glance, so he decided to make the first move.
         "Hey, I'm Nate. You must be new."
         "I'm Jasmine. Just moved here from California."
         That was all it took, he was hooked. From that day forward she was all he could think about, dream about, and talk about. It got to the point where Zack would just start rolling his eyes and remind him, he was "going off again". Nate introduced Zack and Jasmine, but it seemed they both hated each other at first sight. Why anyone would hate her was beyond him, but he chalked it up to Zack being jealous that someone as sweet and beautiful as her would even glance his way. Nate had often questioned why Zack wouldn't even consider giving Jasmine a chance.
         "I just don't think she's as nice as everyone thinks. I'd be careful around her if I were you."
          Moving forward without his only friend's blessing wasn't his first choice but Nate didn't let that stop him from pursuing her. It took about a year of convincing, with him bringing her a single rose every day and leaving little love notes in her locker, things he had seen done in the romantic comedies his mother watched, but she finally agreed to go to the prom with him as his date. He had surprised both her and his parents by taking the plunge and asking an actual girl out, and she had surprised his parents even more by saying yes. In many ways that was a turning point in his life.
         He remembered the day he asked his parents for two hundred dollars. His father, sitting cross legged in his favorite high-backed chaise lounge chair with his face hidden behind an open newspaper, had vaguely asked why Nate needed so much money. His mother sipped tea from her china cup, reading a romance novel on the matching chair next to his father, appearing unaware Nate had even spoken. She did a spit take with her tea once he had stated he was taking a girl to prom. His parents exchanged shocked looks but gave him the money to go out and buy himself a brand-new suit. Shirt, tie, shoes, jacket, the works. He thought that was a show of good faith on his parent's part and accepted their invitation to join them for dinner that night.
He couldn't have been more wrong.