Old soul

CONFESSIONS

Jasper in the sunlight was shocking. Natalia couldn't get used to it, though she'd been staring at him almost all afternoon. His skin, white despite the faint flush from yesterday's hunting trip, literally sparkled, like thousands of tiny diamonds were embedded in the surface of his skin. He lied perfectly on the grass - they had moved away from the bridge, wanting to find somewhere to sit down - his shirt clinging to his body nicely. His glistening pale eyelids were closed, though of course he didn't sleep. A perfect statue, carved in some unknown but magnificent stone, smooth like marble, glittering like crystal.

Now and then his lips would move, so fast it looked like they were trembling. But, when Natalia asked, he told her he was reminding himself of a poem; his voice was too low for her to hear.

Natalia enjoyed the sun, too, though the air wasn't quite dry enough for her taste. She would have liked to lie back, as he did, and let the sun warm her face. But she stayed seated, her knees bent up and her chin rested upon her arms, unwilling to take her eyes off Jasper. The wind was gentle; it tangled her hair and ruffled the grass that swayed around his motionless form. The meadow, so spectacular to Natalia at first, paled next to his magnificence.

Hesitantly, always afraid even now that he would dissapear like a mirage, too beutiful to be real. Hesitantly, Natalia reached out one finger and stroked the back of his shimmering hand, where it lay within her reach. She marveled again at the prefect texture, satin smooth, cool as stone. When she looked up again, his eyes were open, watching her. Butterscotch today, lighter, warmer after hunting. Jasper's quick smile turned up the corners of his lips.

"I don't scare you?" he asked playfully, but Natalia could hear the real curiosity in his soft voice.

"No more than usual."

Jasper smiled wider; his teeth flashing in the sun as he sat himself up, mirroring Natalia's stance. The girl lightly traced her fingers over his hand, following the veins she could see from underneath his skin. Natalia lifted his hand, turning it this way and that as she watched the sun glitter on his palm. She held it closer to her face, trying to see the hidden facets in his skin.

"Tell me what you're thinking," he whispered. Natalia looked to see his eyes watching her, suddenly intent. "It's still strange for me to want to know what you're thinking every hour of every day."

"You know, the rest of us...apart from your brother, feel like that all the time."

"It's a hard life." Natalia thought she imagined the hint of regret in his tone, it only took one look at his solemn expression for her to feel bad.

"But you didn't tell me."

Natalia shook her head, trying to wrap her head around her own thoughts. She watched their hands intently as Jasper linked their fingers, gently rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. Natalia shrugged, "I was wishing I could know what you were feeling..." she hesitated, looking up at him, her gaze falling to stare at the flowers beside them as she continued. "I was wishing that I could believe you were real. And I was wishing I wasn't afraid."

Jasper moved swiftly, using his free hand to lift her chin, smiling as she looked at him, "I don't want you to be afraid, darlin'." his voice was just a soft murmur. Natalia heard what he couldn't truthfully say, that she didn't need to be afraid, that there was nothing to fear.

"Well, that's not exactly the fear I meant, though that's certainly something to think about."

So quickly that she missed his movement, Jasper had let go of his grip on her hand and moved forward to he was sitting beside her, angling his body to be facing her. His hands flew up - quicker than he liked - to gently cup her face, whispering apologies as she just sat there, staring at him. Natalia might have - should have - flinched away from his unexpected closeness, but she was unable to move. His golden eyes mesmerised her, and she could do nothing but stare ahead of her as he placed a chaste kiss to her temple, pulling back and apologising again.