Colors [COMPLETE]

009

It was the strangest thing.

When I introduced Harry to Jasmine he was taking another sip of my mug of cocoa with a bored expression on his face, but by the time I finished my sentence whatever he had sipped escaped from his parted lips as his jaw went slack, his body going completely rigid in his chair.

He tried to recover of course, quickly placing the cup down and wiping his lips with the back of his hand as his gaze flickered between Jasmine and I with an almost, worried look behind them.

"Jasmine, this is..." I trailed off, glancing over at Harry who quickly snapped his intense gaze up to mine.

Okay Malu, you have to play your cards right.

I really wanted to say best friend but what if I'm just assuming too much- but calling Harry only a friend was such an understatement he was really so much more to me.

"This is Harry, a very close friend who is not too close but close enough." I introduced in one breath, proud with the outcome I had decided to go with as Harry sent me a deadpanned expression when I smiled, subtly giving him a thumbs up.

"Well, you two seem... close." Jasmine laughed, focusing more on me as a small reminiscent grin spread across her face.

"Aw come on, two years sweetness and no hug-"

Before she could even finish her sentence I attacked her into a fierce embrace, making the both of us laugh lightly before we pulled back to smile at one another.

The delight of seeing Jasmine in front of me hadn't settled in yet due to the momentary shock that seemed to seize my mind at the sight of my ex.

But now the shock had passed and I was just plain happy to see her healthy and okay.

We had both separated on mutual terms so there was really no tension or lingering feelings between us.

The sound of someone taking a loud, obnoxious bite of an apple cut through the air, making Jasmine and I pull away to turn to Harry who was leaning back in his seat, slowly eating his apple and glaring at us with a brooding expression.

He gave us one glance, as if he didn't care about our presence although he seemed to be quite irritated overall, making me frown as I stared back at him, our eyes connecting briefly before he looked away, turning his glare to Jasmine who smirked.

Rule #67, pick up the little stuff in your friend's body language to better understand how they feel.

I looked over at Harry, observing his stiff broad shoulders, crossed arms, clenched jaw, and irritated face.

"Harry and I are going to be spending Christmas together." I spoke up with a smile, placing a hand over Harry's bicep to let him into the conversation  as Jasmine pursed her lips in thought, dragging one free chair from the table behind her with her leg before she easily spun it and sat down, facing forward with her chest to the back of the chair as I took my own seat between Harry and her.

"Well doesn't that just sound fine and dandy." She smirked, resting her arms over the back of the chair before she placed her chin in the palm of her hand, smiling at me before locking eyes with Harry.

"Doesn't it? So what are you doing for-"

"It's too bad we never really got to spend the holidays with one another, but we did other fun stuff too- hey, remember when you tried to teach me how to bake for the first time." Jasmine laughed, snapping her fingers and pointing at me with a smile as my eyes widened at the unforgetful memory.

"Funny." Harry cut in, leaning forward before I could answer as he kept his dark eyes trained on Jasmine.

"Neonata and I are planning to bake and decorate gingerbread houses together." He continued in a low voice, casually bringing his arm up and resting it behind the back of my chair, his shoulders brushing against mine.