“A misunderstanding,” Jeremy said, watching her touch him, fingers coming out to trace one of the lines along the inside of her arm. “Sounds like we’re in the same boat.” Since that was the story he was playing with as well. Though he guessed hers was messier than his. It had to be.
Kasper smiled weakly, trying to keep up with her more carefree side. It was hard when a shift of emotions practically rendered her to be just a simple observer in her own life. She moved her line of sight to those fingers coming along her arm. The weak smile faded and her stomach turned to butterflies. She really did not want to touch this whole subject, but what was already done couldn’t be undone and now she had to deal with it.
“Done a lotta bad things in my life,” she said, her voice coming just a little quieter than its normal volume, “Just never hurt no one so bad before then.” She managed to tear her eyes off the spot where he had touched and looked back up at him. “So you’re not here to con me, then?” she said in an attempt to swing back into the lighthearted end of the conversation. It was a weak attempt and at that moment she wanted more than anything just to finally have that sit down with someone and just talk. That just wasn’t going to happen yet. She wasn’t ready for it.
“And this time you did?” His thumb drew across another line then let go of her arm. “Afraid I wouldn’t even know where to start,” Jeremy said. “So no.” Even if he did know what to do, he knew she wasn’t a good target, though he did have a good feeling that she wasn’t someone to upset. Someone who spray painted walls for fun, who looked like she did, they could be loose cannons. Staying on her good side seemed imperative.
Her face contorted a bit. “Like I said, it was a misunderstanding,” she reiterated, maneuvering that arm he had been touching so her fingertips met up with his hand again. She didn’t want him to take a step back from all that. “Don’t think I’ll be getting in to them anymore,” she assured, running her fingertips over his knuckles. “Girl scout’s honor, I swear.”
Kasper was hardly just trying to convince him of anything. In truth, she was trying harder to come to terms with the fact that the whole shake of instability was slowly coming to a close. Even with a new clarity coming, she still recognized what she liked and what she really liked in that moment was what was exactly in front of her at that very moment. Her lively smile began to return, a small glimmer of her better side peeking through the rough.
That she reached for his hand again surprised him, watching her fingers for a moment before his eyes ticked back up to hers. “No? That’s good. Trying to be better behaved?” he asked.
Kasper shrugged slightly. “Better for everyone if I do,” she replied, taking her time studying his features, “anyway there’s always lots of other ways to still have fun.” That grin came back. She wanted more than anything to have her fun right then and there but something told her that there would definitely be more to it all. He wasn’t at all like that guy in the pool on her first day.
“Less of this,” Jeremy said, nodding towards her bandaged hand. He was curious how that happened, what was going on here that would lead it it. “There are, though I am wondering just what it is you mean.” He had a guess, that much was starting to show in her smile, but he was still stepping carefully.
Looking down at her messed up hand briefly as he pointed it out, she returned to looking up at him. There definitely would be less of that. “I don’t know,” she began, “maybe I’d see more of you around where I am. Wouldn’t be so bad to start.” Her teeth showed a little again through her smile.
“I don’t think I’d mind that,” Jeremy said, curious what it was about him that appealed to her beyond his normal charisma. “Not a bad start at all.”
Kasper let out a small sigh. Her impulses seemed rather at bay since taking that happy pill. It still didn’t stop her from trailing those fingertips of hers up the arm of his suit. “Who knows,” she said, “Maybe someday I’ll tell you about that misunderstanding.” There were a lot of other words she thought could have followed maybe someday... but at least she was being honest with something beyond those impulses of hers.