Split Love

CHAPTER 10

MONDAY, October 15, 2018

Jasmine was sitting on her bed with her eyes glued to her wardrobe. A towel was wrapped around her body while another wrapped around her wet hair.

Four times. This was the number the two saw each other. Should she really go to dinner with a stranger?

There were mixed feelings inside her. Not having gotten any information about him on the internet made her nervous, but at the same time, she was looking forward to seeing him again.

- What's your problem, Jamie? - She whispered to herself, feeling crazy at that moment.

The clock on her bedside read a little past 5:30 pm. Jamie still had 2 hours to decide. With a sigh, she threw her body onto her bed.

Where would they go to dinner? Jamie thought of the fanciest restaurant in Willow's Creek - The Reserve, she'd gone to dinner there twice with Jordan. For Jamie, the food was a little pricey, but not unreasonable. What would Micah think of there? She remembered people talking about how rich he was, his first time in town.

For him, The Reserve should be like a simple restaurant. But that was good after all Jasmine didn't have any fancy clothes.

Feeling a little relieved, she started to get ready. Deciding to let her hair dry naturally, she just combed it and put on light makeup. "7 Summers" by Morgan Wallen could be heard softly coming from her cell phone while a timer was running to ring at 7 pm.

Jamie chose a pair of black pants with an off-white knit with wide sleeves and wore black high heel boots.

When the timer on her cell phone went off, Jamie was almost done. She grabbed the fanciest coat in her wardrobe—a mustard shade that reached down to her knees. Glancing in the mirror at her dressing table, Jamie checked that her eyeliner wasn't smudged, put on slightly red lipstick, and a silver bracelet and matching earrings.

She took a deep breath and looked at herself for a few minutes through the mirror. Anxiety0 grew more and more in her chest. She grabbed a small black leather bag with her belongings and put on her favorite perfume.

When Jamie opened her bedroom door she could feel butterflies in her stomach. Maybe it was a bad idea to go on that date?

Jamie heard her grandmother's voice downstairs, probably on the phone with a friend. Thinking of the thousand questions her grandmother would ask, she closed the door again.

- It's a bad idea, Jamie. Bad, bad idea.

Her eyes fell on the bedside clock, and seeing that there were only 5 minutes left for Micah to arrive, Jasmine realized that it was better to wait for him on the sidewalk. She remembered his car driving past her house while she and Jordan had been talking months ago. Would he remember?

Downstairs, Jamie found her grandmother on the couch still on the phone. As soon as she saw her, Debra smiled.

- One minute, Flora. - She said and took the phone away from her ear. - Leaving?

- Yes. - Jamie said wondering at the smile on his grandmother's face. - I won't take too long.

- Oh, don't worry, honey. Susan is sick so I invited the girls to have poker night here tonight. Is that ok with you?

Debra and a few other ladies in town had been playing cards weekly for years. Jamie didn't approve of the habit, as she felt that her grandmother was addicted to gambling nights - especially when they decided to bet money, the rivalry grew exponentially. But that day, Jasmine was happy that it was poker night. She knew her grandmother would be so engrossed in winning that she would forget she left.

- Of course not Grandma. Good luck!

- You too honey. Please, don't be too late so I don't worry.

- I'll be right back. I love you.

- I love you too. Be careful.

As soon as Jasmine opened the front door she could hear her grandmother on the phone again, she was excited that game night would be at her house. Debra loved bringing people together at home and making snacks.

Standing on the sidewalk, Jamie felt relieved. She chuckled to herself thinking about that strange coincidence. Going out to dinner with Micah the same day as her grandmother's game night.

Thank God, she thought.

With the arrival of October, the days grew shorter. Standing on the sidewalk at 7:30 pm, Jasmine's figure was lit by a halogen lamp atop a pole at the boundary of the land.

The sky was already dark and while Jamie was lost in thought, a car appeared around the corner. Its headlights illuminated the empty street, catching the girl's attention. Butterflies began to dance in her stomach, and for a moment Jamie felt impatient, anxious.

The sports car stopped in front of her. Jasmine didn't understand anything about cars but she was sure that one must be very expensive.

The passenger window rolled down and Micah leaned in to see her.

- I believe this's a yes? - He asked. A small smug smile on his face.

- Would you believe me if I said that I thought a thousand times about not showing up?

- Yes. - Micah reached over and opened the passenger door. Jamie took it and hesitated for a moment.

Last chance to give up, an inner voice screamed. Last chance, Jasmine.

Ignoring her reason, Jasmine Davenport got into the car. She closed the door, fastened her seat belt, and settled her small bag in her lap.

- Are you okay? - He asked after almost a minute of silence.

- I am fine. - She glanced at him quickly without moving her head. Despite the darkness of the night, Jamie was afraid her cheeks were red and he could see.

Jamie could feel Micah's intense eyes burning into the side of her face. Her heart was racing. She bit her bottom lip but remembered she was wearing lipstick and quickly let go so as not to get her teeth dirty.

- It's okay if you don't wanna go. I'm a stranger to you.

The man's words made her reflect. Jamie went back to biting his lip, but this time she wasn't aware to stop.

A man who wanted to kidnap me wouldn't say that right? She thought.

Jasmine took a deep breath and turned her face towards him.

Maybe it was madness, insanity. But Jasmine knew one thing, she wanted to be there, she wanted to know him more. Maybe she regretted it? Perhaps. But for once Jasmine Davenport decided to take a chance.

- I'm fine, Micah. - His name jumped from her lips as if she had known him for years. - I wanna go out with you.