Eternal Sunshine ✓

19. Jason Andrews

Tasha sat down on the comfortable restaurant chair and couldn't help but laugh again. "I mean, I don't know about all that."

He smiled at her, happy that what he had said was making her laugh. When he'd picked her up twenty minutes ago, she'd told him she wasn't having the best of days, so he was glad he could finally see her smiling.

In his eyes, her smile was truly beautiful.

Jason couldn't take his eyes away from her. He didn't want to seem like a weirdo, but he couldn't help staring at her like he'd found gold. Perhaps he had, it certainly felt like it.

Sure, he'd only known her for three weeks now, still, he was ready to ask her to be his girlfriend. She was literally everything he was looking for: smart, funny, independent and humble. Her beauty was a great bonus too. He was so sure that he'd found the black queen he'd been looking for.

Seriously, she fit everything that he was looking for. She'd checked every box on his list, she was perfect for him, on paper at least. Yes, on paper they would be the power couple, the ones who seemed to complete the other, always picture perfect.

And that, especially, was Tasha's biggest concern when it came to considering a relationship with Jason Andrews. Sure, he was a good guy. Handsome, smart, and even funny. Someone any girl would be proud to introduce to her parents, a true upstanding guy who was serious enough yet not stuck up and boring.

Yet, Tasha knew it would always be good between them. Always okay, fine and sometimes alright. Their relationship would always lack an explosive passion, perhaps because they would be too perfect for each other.

Tasha tried to never compare her relationship with Steven to her growing relationship with Jason. It just wasn't right. She was the one who wholeheartedly rejected Steven, now that she was going out with Jason, wondering about a relationship with Steven would be wrong of her.

Jason continued staring at Tasha, then he said, "I'm serious, we should really go to the party dressed up as a Kit Kat bar. You'd be Kit and I'd be Kat. The joke would be that we complete the other."

Tasha chuckled a little and shook her head with humor still in her eyes. "You know, the idea sounds fun and cute until we're at the party peeing on ourselves because we can't take off those box costumes."

Jason tried to keep a serious face and mean mugged her, "Whatchu mean, though? I told you, on Amazon they got the easy access ones for when you have to use the bathroom. Just trust me, Natasha."

Natasha. That's what Jason called her. He was literally the only one that called her by her full name on a regular. For some reason, she'd introduced herself with her full name when they'd first met, so he'd gotten used to that being her name.

"Okay, know what? I'm down. Let's go dressed as a Kit Kat bar. Who gon' check us?" Tasha shrugged with a smile.

"Yessir! Trust me, it's gonna be the best Halloween party you've ever been to," Jason told Tasha, a satisfied smirk on his lips.

That year, Logan McGill was going to host a Halloween party at his house, a party Jason claimed was going to be memorable. Tasha didn't know who Logan was, she'd asked Steven about him and Steven had claimed he was some guy who attended Lockwood High, the only other high school in Crest Bay. Steven had also told her that Logan's and his father were in business together.

Apparently, Jason had known Logan since they were kids. They weren't the best of friends, but remained cool and were teammates on the Lockwood football team.

"Yeah, Jason, it better be a killer party."

The satisfied guy finally picked up his fork as his head nodded in affirmation, and cut into the delicious-looking slice of chocolate cake on the table in front of him. He'd been too busy waiting on Tasha to get back from the restroom so he could convince her about his proposition for the party, that he'd neglected his dessert.

Opposite him, Tasha grabbed her fork as well and picked up a fluffy bite of yellow sponge cake. Only a bite was enough to tell her she would be back to the restaurant-the place had delightful food and their desserts were just to die for.

"I love this place, Jason. Their food is so good, I got a friend who would love this place too."

Jason took a drink of his lemonade as his eyes followed Tasha's delighted smile. After swallowing his drink he asked, "Is this friend the one that was with you at the house party weeks back, Steven, right?"

A little choked up by how correct he was, Tasha just nodded.

Although Tasha had first seen Jason a couple of weeks back when he and his family had attended Tasha's church for a wedding, he claimed he'd first seen her at the party she'd went to with Kennedy weeks earlier.

Jason said that he'd observed the way Steven had been with her, the way he seemed to claim her. Hell, Jason had even asked Tasha if there was anything between the two of them on their first date, just to be sure.

He tried not to look bothered by the fact that the Steven guy seemed to hold a place in Tasha's life, that was not the first time that she had brought him up and Jason was almost certain that Steven wanted more than friendship with Tasha. He saw it that day at the party.

Jason wasn't threatened though. No, he wasn't one to fold in the face of competition. The exact opposite, Jason Andrews was known for his relentless competitive nature.

...

A/N: Wow, it's been a minute! But I'm back!! Happy New Year, everyone!

I pray that 2020 is a great and awesome year for everyone. (Update: I'm editing, and whew, I guess 2020 had other things in store for us😬)