Regularities ✔

Prologue

PROLOGUE: HOME

I love you as certain dark things are loved, secretly, between the shadow and the soul.
-Pablo Neruda

Once again, the summer ends with me leaving my previous home and the school year starts by me moving into a new one.

Watching my boyfriend carry boxes past me to the hall as I sit on the kitchen counter, I simply swing my feet around instead of help.

His parents want to make sure all the fence is good, that the locks work and I'm pretty sure that his dad thinks someone will try to kidnap Jasper in his sleep.

I'd say they're overprotective, but my own parents are coming in a few days to do the exact same thing.

So while Jasper was busy showing his parents around the property- -a two acre little bit of land where he already had someone plant strawberries on and install an underground pool, both a bit unnecessary in my eyes but for such a rich person he thought it was nothing- - I was carrying all the boxes into the bedroom.

And I put all of Jasper's instruments in a room he decided was good enough to be his designated music-making room.

Now, even a day later, I feel no urge to help Jasper carry anything.

Our house is a single story place with a surprisingly large loft that pretty much doubles as the attic, which is our room. 

It has a porch that wraps around the entire attic, sliding doors on either side of the loft, a hatch door that goes into the main hallway and a staircase that goes to the living room.

I like it.

The house itself is half way between our college and the Astoria Castle, which is a little further away from my home town but it's actually closer to where Circe and Noelle live so I'm grateful for that.

And I really like the sound of that -our house.

Our home.

"You wanna help, my star?" Jasper huffs out, wiping the back of his hand over his forehead as mint green eyes look me over. "These are pretty heavy."

Shrugging, I shake my head and feel my shoulders jump in a tic. "I did yesterday's work, plus I'm pretty okay just using you as eye candy-" I squeak. "-after I had to go up all those stairs. Something you don't have to do."

Pouting at me, Jasper walks over only to place a hand on either side of my hips and rest his face into the crook of my neck.

"Jitterbug," I squirm, skin burning where he's touching me. "Just take a break."

"You're being mean." Jasper whines, fingers digging more into me as he pulls away to meet my eye. "Moving is stressful all on it's own, you should be extra nice."

"Yeah?" I reply, smirking as I move my hands to his belt buckle. "I can be extra nice if that's what you actually want."

Letting out a heavy breath, the musician leans into me but shakes his head all the same. "If we don't unpack today we'll have to sleep on the couch again."

I groan, leaning back onto the counter with one hand, keeping the other on the hem of his jeans. "I didn't even sleep last night-" I growl. "Unlike you, I can't sleep anywhere whenever I want."

Jasper just pouts more. "But you stayed with me all night."

"Yeah 'cause our couch is comfortable and huge, and you had a death grip on me all night. Otherwise I definitely would have left you and got something productive done."

Humming out a sarcastic 'mhm' he pecks me on the lips, hand moving from my hip to my back to pull me closer to him. "I don't want to carry more boxes today. It's boring!"

"Hmm then- -bit hot innit- -don't carry more boxes, just kiss me for now and we'll finish later." Moving one hand to grip onto his jaw, I pull him down to me and press my mouth tightly against his.

"You're such a bad influence." Jasper murmurs against me, arm tightening at the base of my spine and pulling our bodies flush together. "I love you."

Laughing, I shake my head at him and lock my legs over his hips. "I love you too."

At perfectly the wrong time- -given that I was just getting lost in the feeling of Jasper's body against mine- -three loud knocks ring out before our front door is promptly unlocked and sounds like it was kicked open.

Pulling away, me and my boyfriend call out our chaotic best friend's names in sync and annoyingly, we're both right.

"What the hell-"

My grumble gets cut off by a very ecstatic Jasper cheering out a "Viv!" and shooting off in her direction, it's reasonable, since he hasn't seen her in a week but no less annoying.

"Wow, left hanging huh?" Fly strolls over to me with a large grin. "Sucks dick bro, well, no, the opposite of that actually."

"I hate you." I tell him, crossing my arms over my chest but my bicep jerks and I end up elbowing Fly as he walks in front of me in a tic.

Sending me a small half-assed glare for it, Flynn leans against the counter next to me. "Your Tourette's has it out for me, and honestly? That's kinda rude."

Raising an eyebrow, I shrug at him. "How do you know that was all due to my Tourette's and not just me."

Blue eyes narrowing at me, the football player is very clearly about to continue the conversation out of spite when Vivianna pats the top of my head from the other side of the counter.

"Hey Awesome Roommate!" She exclaims. "Fancy seeing you here."

"I live-" I squeak. "-here."

"Yeah, and that's super fucking exciting! I feel like you guys are married and I'm your weird sister that stole the key!" The weirdo squeals out excitedly.

Would Jasper ever want to get married?  That still seems years away.

But strangely much more attainable than it would be just living in the dorm.

"I already have four weird- -weird, weird, weird- -sisters, adding on one more won't change much." I mutter out, rubbing the back of my neck as I struggle not to flush from my thoughts. "But we're going to be real family eventually... right?"

Vivianna squeals, hugging Fly's arm tightly and without warning because she knows not to grab onto me, causing his entire side to bang against the counter loudly, which in turn makes me grin.

Glancing at Jasper, I see a huge smile and bright pink cheeks.

Just to make him more red I shrug and try to sound very casual as I say, "One of these days, I'm going to marry you, Jasper Red."

And just like that the pink turns into a deep red and the musician holds a hand over his mouth as he can only nod. "Yes please."

Our best friends laugh at his flustered state and helps us unpack just enough to have a successful movie night -me and Vivianna choosing good horror movie, Flynn picking a rom-com and Jasper picking a Disney movie.

This time nobody complains about sleeping on the couch.

As someone who went from a guy with only one friend but more people willing to hurt me than I could count on one hand to having countless people in my corner and a loving boyfriend, I think I'm particularly qualified to say that however unfair, life isn't nearly as bad as people say.

It's a lot like falling in love.

People say that if you fall in love when you're young that it will just hurt, that you'll fall out of it and everything will feel wrong.

But that's not true.

Jasper Red knows every inch of my body, he's seen every scar and it doesn't make me feel any more bare or vulnerable.

Instead it makes me feel the most valued I've ever been.