I agreed, so I nodded. I was tired. More so than I thought. Who knew a day where I pushed boundaries could make me so worn out.
“I won’t stay long, since I have to get Grams some dinner. But as I said, I picked you up another stuffie.”
He handed it to me, and it took a moment to get my arms to work with me. The material was just as soft as the one before he had gotten me. The bottom was weighted, too. The only difference was that this one was black instead of white.
I motioned ‘thank you’, before pulling it up against my cheek and letting the softness sooth something in me that I didn’t know was there.
I blamed it on the tiredness and the events of the day.
“Of course.”
I rubbed the soft fur against my cheek a few times before I forced myself to pull it away.
What was it with this man that made me feel...so…childish?
“You are too precious for words.” I wasn’t sure I was meant to hear those words. Jasper cleared his throat. “I’ll see you later, alright? I’m going to try to get a hold of my girlfriend.”
Before I thought about moving, my hand grabbed a hold of Jasper’s. His skin was warm, but it had to be freezing outside.
I opened and closed my mouth, not sure if I could get the words to work with me, or if I even should.
“She….she….” I huffed, letting go of his arm.
“She talked to you on the porch over summer,” he prompted. When I nodded, he went on. “Not surprised she told you something. Something she didn’t want me to know, I’m assuming.”
I nodded, then signed ‘sorry.’
“Then don’t tell me. She’ll let me know when she’s ready. Or she already has and I’m just too dumb to get the hint.” He gave me a sad smile. “But thank you, anyway. Keeping something like that is tough, and then wanting to tell me…”
I wasn’t expecting that.
Jasper’s fingers folded a piece of hair back behind my ear, leaving a warm trail behind the touch.
“I figured she’d be breaking up with me. And it’s probably for the best. She’s not exactly what I’m looking for to settle down with anyways. But she was nice, I mean. Not all relationships last, but if I can get it to end on a good note, then I can’t ask for more.”
I kind of wanted to know what he was looking for to settle down with. But I mentally swiped that thought away. I knew I wasn’t what he wanted, as he’s made that clear more than once.
“Thank you for being such a great friend, though. It means a lot.”
I wasn’t so sure friends gave each other cute stuffed animals or tried to move pieces of hair off their faces. But sure. Whatever. I could go with that label.
I’d take Jasper as a friend, since I knew – maybe- that he wouldn’t ever be more than that.
“Did you name the white bear yet?”
I shook my head, wide eyed. I could name it?
“Most…. uh…people name their stuffies. You don’t have to, of course. But if you name them, text me?”
I nodded, still wide eyed.
I never thought to do that. But now that the idea was there, I would have found names.
“Alright. I need to go,” but he didn’t seem like he wanted to. I tilted my head to the side,trying to read him like everyone seemed to be able to do with me. “Yeah. I gotta get home. I’ll see you later.”
I watched as he stood, and even then, he still lingered for a moment. I waited until he bid Dawn bye before I made my way towards the kitchen.
Thankfully, Dawn was cooking tonight, since I had no energy to do so.
