Anomalies ✔

Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE: TENSE

Desire grows by what it feeds on. 
-L.M. Montgomery

When we get home Jasper watches me use the EpiPen and even calls over his friend- -and Vivianna's almost boyfriend- -who's a medical student to come and 'take a look at me'.

Though, through his freaking out over me eating that deadly and dangerous pomegranate I doubt that the musician notices his friend, whose name is Ahmik, pretty much glances at me and goes, "He's alive."

Tired college students at their best.

I don't like people, that's a given.
In fact, I find most of them utterly exhausting to be around.

So for the most part, I'm completely silent during this whole thing.

Jasper keeps looking at me like he's waiting for something bad to happen.

And I understand what that means, I'm not oblivious, he thinks I'm mad at him.

Sighing, I realize it's because I've been so quiet but I don't think he realizes that's just how I am around strangers and didn't act like that around his parents because I created a crime scene in our living room.

"Jasper?" I quietly call him, watching as he turns towards me with a frown. "C'mon."

Leading him- -who is now in a bagging shirt and grey sweats instead of deliciously shirtless- -into the kitchen, silently getting him away from the disturbingly chaotic couple.

I jump on top of the corner of the counter, swinging one leg on the opposite side of me and in my mind this is normal.

Normal chairs don't do it for me, hence my bean bag. I would rather sit on anything but a chair or stool, and don't even like being on a couch unless I'm eating or have the opportunity to watch a horror movie with someone.

Cuddling is...it's rare, and it's rare for me to find someone I can tolerate to touch.

Jasper is one of these people.

But I'm not telling him the difference.

Noticing the distance he has between us makes me frown more, clutching at my elbows as my ticing only gets worse.

Fuck Tourette's.

"Jitterbug," I call him teasingly, hoping it will ease the mood. "What's got you so nervous?"

He visibly relaxes- -for just a second- -before tensing again.

Just from the looks of him and the way I know he gets trapped in his head, it's clear that Jasper is overthinking something.

And I desperately want to do something to help the musician but I don't know what his comfort language is like so I've already done the best thing I could -I asked questions.

Maybe I'm reading this wrong and he's the one mad at me for doing something that stupid and scaring him, I really didn't think it through and didn't mean to scare him, but I don't honestly think that's it.

Call it intuition but Jasper's honestly upset.

At what, I don't know, but I'm willing to bet it has something to do with me and my stupid decisions.

Just when things started to take a shift between us and I thought that maybe, he was getting more relaxed around me I went and literally upset him in one of the worst ways possible.

Jasper shuffles anxiously, shrinking in on himself while shooting me occasional glances from teary mint colored eyes. It makes my heart clench, makes me feel quite stupid too.