“No, I didn’t,” Jasper says.
“You didn’t? I’m sure you did,” Juliet says.
“He wouldn’t have,” I say, ignoring the weird feeling in my stomach. “Jasper isn’t the compliment type.”
Jasper meets my eyes, his green eyes dark, and the feeling in my stomach intensifies.
“I’m sure he did,” Juliet says. “Maybe my brain has mixed things up. It’s proof I’m getting old like you, Senior.”
Senior laughs heartily at that, and the topic shifts to ageing.
When we’re all finished with dinner, Jasper and I offer to clear the table. Juliet and Senior thank us, and move to the couches to play a game of scrabble.
Once Jasper and I have taken everything to the kitchen, I rinse the dishes and he loads the dishwasher.
“I hope I didn’t sound like a dick about the university thing,” Jasper says. “But students at Easton Grammar get good scores. So if you’re worried about your results, don’t. Don’t let it be the only thing stopping you from thinking about uni.”
“You really think I’ll get an okay score?”
He nods without missing a beat. “So, are you going to apply?”
I huff a laugh at his impatience. “I’ll think about it.”
The room is quiet, except for the water rushing from the kitchen tap and echo of Senior and Juliet’s laughter from the reading room.
“You’re a liar, by the way,” Jasper says. “I compliment you all the time.”
“You do not.”
“Yeah. I did the last time we ho — hung out.” He lowers his voice. “When I mentioned yourskills—”
I lean over and kiss him, careful not to touch him with my wet hands. He kisses me back, mouth warm and soft, then pulls back.“We can’t do this. They’re right here,” he murmurs.
“They’re in the other room.”
“Still too close,” he says, but he’s staring at my lips.
“Okay,” I say, and pass him a plate
He takes it, confused for a second, before resuming loading the dishwasher. We finish the dishes and dry our hands with the kitchen towel.
“Alright, fine,” Jasper says suddenly, and pushes me against the kitchen island, crashing his mouth against mine. Our lips slide against each other and warmth spreads throughout my body.
“Couldn’t help yourself?” I ask when we take a breath.
“You’re irresistible,” he says against my lips. “Happy now? That’s another compliment for you, by the way.”
“You’re so kind,” I say, kissing him. “So generous.”
“Shut up,” he says, and pushes against me so we can kiss harder. I spread my hands out on the island behind me to support myself.
Several things thud against the kitchen floor and Jasper and I jump apart, and at first I think it’s footsteps until I turn around.
“What did you do?” Jasper whispers.
I stare at the fruit bowl I’ve knocked over. A couple of apples and oranges are rolling on the kitchen island, but most fell onto the ground. Shit, that was loud.
“Everything okay?” Senior calls from the sunroom.
