His Butterfly

iii. wuthering heights

Despite saying she will never be his mate, Jasper Hale is completely focused on Mariposa. Every little thing she did, every smile, every laugh, every word spoken, every small breath, he is hooked on. She has captured his attention in ways he didn't know were possible. It's something he's unable to explain, something just got him addicted to her.

Maybe it was her bright smile that would appear whenever Alice would make her laugh. Maybe it was the way her brown eyes glimmer from the sun, hidden away in the dull skies. Maybe it was the way her brunette wavy hair bounced with every step she took. Maybe it was the way when she would look at him during lunchtime and give him a soft smile, one that made his dead heart beat. Or maybe it's just her.

Jasper shifts in his seat, his fist moving to rest under his chin and his head turns over to the entrance of the cafeteria where his adoptive pixie-like sister and her friend walk in, unknowingly capturing his attention. Mariposa's face holds a smile, her nose scrunches suddenly at something Alice said as she shakes her head rapidly. His enhanced eyesight falls on her cheeks, that are now burning with a soft pink color before they fall on a pale manicured hand which is attaching itself on a tan wrist, the two skin colors colliding like fire and water.

"No, no, no. Alice, please. He'll think I'm just some other girl that's begging for his attention. He won't like me. And don't you think he'll find it weird that I dreamt about him before? Save me from that embarrassment." Mariposa's soft voice causes Jasper to tune back into the real world, and he has to shake off the feeling of fearfulness that rolls through him.

"You're being a big baby. He'll like you. Trust me on this." And with a final pull, Alice manages to Mariposa to stand by her side, a forced smile on her face, as they both stand in front of the pixie's girl family.

"Guys, this is my friend, Mariposa.'' Alice excitingly says, standing on the tips of her feet practically bouncing like a child in a candy store.

"You have friends, Alice?" A big-muscled boy with dark curly hair asks, teasingly.

"Yes, I do." The Cullen girl says, confidently. "Seriously, what goes on in that head of yours? I'm genuinely curious. I've been hanging out with Mariposa since her first day here."

As the siblings begin to bicker, Mariposa stands awkwardly off to the side, rolling back and forth on her toes and heels. Her head is cast down, her brunette hair creating a curtain around her face, hiding her from prying eyes. Her hands play with a loose thread of the baggy t-shirt she wears.

"Children, don't you think?" Jasper's southern drawl hangs thick in the air. Mariposa quickly turns to him, not noticing that he had gotten up from his seat to stand next to her. Her tan hand moves her hair away from her eyes, tucking it behind her ear.

"I guess." Her soft voice sent a warm feeling into his body, something he hadn't felt in centuries.

Mariposa has never felt like this before. She, never in her life, has ever felt shy around a guy—it was always the complete opposite. So, why did he make her feel that way? Him just standing right next to her, their arms merely brushing against each other, sends a feeling down her spine. Mariposa can feel his amber eyes burning into her as if he's waiting for her to make eye contact with him, and did she regret doing that.