Playing with feelings

15

Jasmine's head lay curled into the side of James' arm. The two of them were currently under a blanket in the living room of her home, the TV creating the only noise between them. The pictures on the screen rolled over to the morning news, and it was the colorful NBC logo that made Jasmine prop her head up for the first time since she'd fallen asleep. Her eyes went wide and she started to scatter under the blanket.

She patted James' shoulder to get him out of his half-asleep state. "You gotta go," she patted him a couple more times, "They're gonna be here in a minute."

James made groggy sounds as he woke himself and lifted his arm to wrap around Jasmine. He pulled her closer and shook his head, "Why can't we just stay here?" he said in a tired, drawn-out voice.

"I can, you can't," she said as she stood from the couch, "Now c'mon," she took hold of his hand and pulled him up from the couch. The two of them swayed together for just a few moments before Jasmine broke it off. She moved around the room to get all of his things and then handed them to him.

"I'll call you tonight," she handed him his keys and jacket, "But honestly, I don't have anything after they leave, so it might be earlier," she smirked before giggling.

James moved through Jasmine's living room towards the front door. "Well, since I'm being kicked out," he said dramatically, before leaning his head down to match her height, "See you later, babe." He gave her a goodbye kiss before heading to the gray car that was in the driveway.

Just as he was reversing out of the parking space, another SUV had pulled up near Jasmine's curb. The SUV paused to wait for the car to move and then drove up into the space that James had just left vacant.

Inside the second car were Daveed, Emmy, Amber, and Camryn. Jasmine would be watching the girls for the morning in a joint playdate. The girls peeked their heads out the window with excited gazes as Jasmine stepped out onto the front porch in her pajamas, a robe overtop that she was pulling tighter to block out the cold.

"Auntie Jazzy," they said in near unison as Emmy opened the car door that was closest to the house. Camryn and Amber had both dubbed Jasmine as Auntie Jazzy, another connection that Daveed and Emmy could only see as some sort of magic.

They'd been trying to coordinate a time to go on a run together for a bit now, but the girls and their jobs tended to be a barrier to mornings. With that said, and to their luck, neither of their daughters had spent a ton of time with Jasmine lately, and Jasmine happened to be free this Saturday morning. Camryn and Amber wouldn't think of it as any more than a playdate, so it worked out perfectly.

Everyone in the SUV jumped out and headed up towards the front door. Camryn and Amber ran and jumped on their Auntie, each girl taking a leg. Daveed and Emmy walked up behind them, following them as Jasmine trudged into the house.

Camryn and Amber let Jas free once they made it into the house. She bent down to get level with their height and made a cupping motion with her hands as if to tell them a secret. "I got mini chocolate muffins in the kitchen," she told them both.

The girls giggled loudly, proud to have a secret their parents didn't know. They skipped away into the kitchen giddily, not having an ounce of inconspicuousness.

With the girls gone on the search for muffins, the three adults were left alone in the living room. Emmy had told Jasmine about her and Daveed not too long after their dinner with Rafa, although Jasmine claimed to somehow have already known.

They took the chance to greet each other with hugs before standing back in a circle. "So Jasmine," Daveed smirked once he had finished with proper hellos, "Was that who I think it was leaving before we got here?" He looked towards Emmy as they had both recognized him as he pulled out of the driveway.