With Fear or Without

64- An Unexpected Friend

"Sorry, did I wake you up?"

Cleo blinked the sleep out of her eyes and lifted her head to see Jasper of all people. Through her grogginess she processed his question. Surprisingly for him, the words carried no snark, which Cleo thought was odd considering he found her sleeping on the job.

"Uh, no," she said, pushing herself into an upright sitting position and grasping the dignity she felt was fading. "I probably shouldn't be sleeping here anyways."

He didn't respond, just stood there and looked at her with an expression that confused Cleo. Concern? What would he have to be concerned about? She didn't think she had ever seen him show that emotion before.

Cleo checked her watch and relaxed when she saw that she had only slept a few minutes. She rubbed her eyes, surprised to see Jasper still standing there when she opened them again.

He cleared his throat and slipped his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, the sleeves pushed up to his elbow. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Cleo responded slowly, a confused smile forming on her face. "Just didn't get enough sleep, apparently."

Jasper's eyes flicked down to Cleo's knees, where her hands lay across them. The scattered bruises around her wrists were still visible, losing their blue and purple color and turning an unsettling shade of yellow instead.

When he looked back at her eyes, he raised his eyebrows in question. Bits of blonde hair brushed his forehead and his jaw slid back and forth as his tongue prodded aimlessly inside his mouth.

Cleo crossed her arms to hide the bruises. "It was just... an accident." She cringed and tried for a grin when she added, "Seriously, it's nothing."

He didn't look convinced by her incredibly smooth lie. Turning to make sure no one else was in the room, he lowered himself so his knees were on the floor and sat back on his heels.

Cleo shifted. He was different than she had ever seen him. Any time he had ever talked to her before, she felt an irresistible annoyance and the urge to push the limits of how hard she could roll her eyes. But now... this concern was odd.

"Cleo, is everything okay... you know," he paused and took a breath, "at home?"

Okay, there was definitely no way Cleo could have been expecting that. She had no answer to the question, so she continued to stare at him.

"Look, the past week you've acted really... I don't know, weird. You're distracted, you seem to care less about things," he said. "And the bruises. Cuts and stuff... it's worrying."

There was something in his eyes that said more than his words. Something in the way he recalled Cleo's behavior. Something about it that made him think he knew exactly what he was talking about.

She couldn't answer. She had no way to answer, how could she? As time has told, she's not the most clever liar in the best of circumstances. But this was different. She felt oddly looked after. All this time, the whole crazy week she had been through, someone outside noticed. Not only did someone notice her behavior, but he was checking in with her. Like he knew what it felt like. At least, he believed he did.

"Look, you don't have to talk to me, if you're not okay with-"

"Thank you."

He stopped short, his mouth still open despite the interruption. "For what?" he asked.

Cleo shrugged. She wasn't sure, to be honest. "For your concern."

At his lost expression, Cleo sat forward and pushed back her hair.

"It's not what you think, really. I'm fine." She sighed. That was a lie, too. "Okay, it's been a hard week. But still- not what you think."

"Okay..." He dragged out the word, understanding absolutely nothing from Cleo's vague answer. Placing both hands on the ground, he pushed himself to standing. "Still, if you ever wanna talk to someone," he shrugged. "I know we aren't the best of friends, but if you wanted to, I'd listen."

Cleo followed his lead and stood up, responding quietly, "Thanks."

He gave her one last smile and sauntered out of the room, but not before giving her his trademark fake salute. This time, Cleo almost chuckled to herself.