Whirlwind

(13) meet the parents

JASPER

***

We were moving way too fucking fast, but I couldn't control whatever this was even if I'd actually wanted to.

I knew where she was coming from when she protested. I did meet her yesterday. Literally yesterday. But I've never felt like this ever. Not even with my girlfriend at school, so that had to count for something. I hadn't felt anywhere close to happy since high school, so I sure as hell wasn't scaring it away.

So why not meet the parents after day one? I mean a huge part of it was keeping her safe, but I can already tell she is something special. And I want to hang on to her with both hands and never let her go.

The safety thing was real. I had a horrible feeling some of the guys would go round to her apartment and mess with her, particularly as I knew Steph hadn't exactly rushed to her aid yet. When she laughed at Libby by the fire I wanted to scream at her, but I controlled it and just walked away. I was probably overreacting, and being overprotective, but I'd hate for the first time I didn't act on my instincts be when someone I care for gets hurt.

***

We don't say anything in the car. We drive to her place first, and I think she's about to ask me up but then she remembers something.

"Jasper I only have a single..." She whispers it even though it's just us in the truck. "I've only got a single bed."

I can't help but smile as I kiss her.

"It's fine. We'll go to mine." That had been the plan anyway. I wasn't going to be subjected to her squealing roommates again. And I definitely wasn't going to share an uncomfortable single bed when I had a perfectly good double one. And I'm sure she'd appreciate that too.

She balks at my answer, and she'd obviously not thought of it. "You can't be serious?" She squeaks, pushing away from me and leaning against the passenger door. She looks frightened but I have no idea why. "Didn't you say you lived with your parents?"

I look at her flatly. "I'm deadly serious. What's wrong with going to mine?" I ask, starting to laugh. "And yeah, I do. But they'll be asleep."

It's actually kind of fun seeing her squirm like this.

"God's sake, I'm not meeting the bloody parents when I'm wearing a bikini, a hoodie and..." she searches for the word "sex hair."

My eyebrows raise. "Sex hair?" I laugh, a big belly laugh, and I can see her trying not to laugh with me. I haven't laughed like this in ages and I've forgotten how good it feels.

"Stop laughing at me." She puts her hands over her face and I can see her laughing behind them. Her shoulders are shaking same as mine, and my belly is hurting from using muscles I hadn't used for a long time.

"Stop laughing at yourself first," I say through my chuckles.

She tries, bless her, she really tries. But by the time both of us have our laughter under control, it's been about fifteen minutes. Every time I looked at her hair I'd get the giggles again, even though it didn't look like sex hair at all. It was sexy hair. There's a difference. Her plaits could only be seen as beautiful.

"Go and get your stuff," I say through the last of my laughing. "You won't need a towel... just stuff for tomorrow," I explain. She opens the door but I pull her in for a quick kiss before she jumps down from the truck.

I watch her go up and I take a moment to fucking breathe.

This girl was fucking unbelievable. But in a good way. She was completely throwing me off... and I was letting her. She's one of those good girls. She no doubt does her homework weeks early, maybe goes to church on Sundays... but yet she can make me come in my boxers just by doing something as basic as tugging my hair. Fucking hell, I was in trouble.