Jason’s lips pulled up at the edge and he turned to her, a soft beam of mid-afternoon light spilling over him. She didn’t want to admit that he looked handsome, his hair lighting up with a dark halo. Flecks of deep blues and brown mingled together, and he met her stare with that too-bright green gaze that always made her feel like she was falling into a fairy pool. This deep, endless feeling had been happening with more frequency lately - much to Raven’s chagrin.
“Wood.” His smile broadened at his own joke, and he rocked back on his heels, crossing his arms over his chest, waiting for the breathy, annoyed laughter and roll of Raven’s eyes.
She shook her head, but didn’t say anything, letting him wait in silence. There was a flicker of a pause, his head tilting to the side as the joke settled over them without much of a response from her. After a moment, he shrugged and turned around. “Something hard with a good grain. It works well for a bench slat - like teak.”
Raven shook her head and fell into step next to him. “Is that what you’re going? A garden bench?”
“Mm.” Jason nodded, pausing at a neatly stacked pile of wood. The lumber yard smelled earthy and rich, and Raven felt a bit like the world outside had sort of faded into the golden colors of untreated lumber. Jason looked over at her with a shrug. “I had a commission come in last week, so I thought I’m picking up materials.”
“And you thought this would be a fun date?” She glanced up at him, lifting an eyebrow. “Dragging me through the lumber yard at the local home improvement store?”
He shrugged and turned to greet her stare. “And then I thought I’d take you out for pasta and woo you with my other wood.”
She rolled her eyes and made her way down the aisle, examining the stacks of lumber with nothing that even resembled knowledge. Jason was next to her humming and hawing over a type of wood. He looked ridiculous, too involved with lumber, and completely oblivious to the world around him, and… and it warmed her heart. She felt herself falling a little harder, a little closer to him, and Raven tried to stop her blush from spreading across her face.
How could she keep herself together, when he looked so happy? When he looked like he had everything in the world right beside him. Her heart melted, and she looked away, pretending to be interested in something else as his smile split his too-full lips.
Shitty apartment au. Jayrae "its hotter than the devils butthole and you're the only person I know with a working a/c. Can I sleep here tonight?"
“The super said I could.”
“Either you’re full of shit, or the super is.” Raven leaned against her doorframe, feeling the soft ribbons of cold air from her AC brush down her bare legs. She took in sight of Jason, in his too-tight running shorts, his hip cocked to the side as he held out a pint of mint-chocolate chip ice cream as a peace offering. He knew her so damn well.
Sighing in annoyance, Raven threw the door open and let him inside, leveling her stare at him. “You know I’m still mad at you right?”
“I know.” He shifted, his eyes not quite meeting hers. “Look… it’s… it’s not what you think.” Jason shed his shirt and dropped it on the floor, joining a number of other things he had left at her apartment before. “I just… it’s complicated.”
“Everything is complicated with you.” Raven took the ice cream from his hand and brought it into the kitchen. She popped the lid open and pulled back the protective film before digging a spoon into the ice cream. “There’s never a definitive answer for me.”
“Yeah?” His words had a sharp edge to them that she couldn’t quite read, and he leveled his stare at her. “And you draw naughty pictures of me fucking your brains out? Pot. Kettle. Black.”
It was eating her out, and he had no right to bring that up. Raven shoved another spoonful of ice cream in her mouth and glared at him from beneath her lashes. “We’re not here to talk about my hobby-”
“Sexy daydreams?”
“-we’re here because you can’t stay in your apartment or you’ll melt or whatever.” She ignored his jab at her, or else she would undoubtedly find herself in hot water. The kind of hot water she couldn’t find herself out of. Raven ran her fingers through her hair and leveled a stare at him. “We’re here because at one point we were friends and I guess I still honor that.”
His eyes turned dark and he watched her for a long moment, saying nothing. “We’re… not friends?”
“No.”
“Okay…” He let out a long breath that seemed to rattle every bone in her body. “If we’re not friends, then what are we?”
That was…. Raven felt like her life was flashing before her eyes. Every intimate moment and flirtatious word. Every sketch she never meant for him to see. Every little whittled animal he left on her doorstep. Every moment with Miss Fisher. Every little bit of both of them seemed to bleed into her very being and all she could do was stare at him.
omg happy birthday!!♡ I was wondering if you could write some fluffy raex/redrae?
Ravenexpected a lot of things when she heard Jason in her apartment - thathe was doing naked yoga again, that he was rifling through all of herart, that he was gifting her with one of his whittled animals again.What she didn’texpectwas to see was him rolling around on the floor, with ablack-and-white kitten teetering around him. He lifted it up and setit on his chest, half-drunk with joy when the kitten nuzzled againsthis face and mewed.
Raven’seyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest, leaning backagainst the door. “Jason.”
Hestopped playing with the kitten and sat up, letting the small ball offluff tumble onto a pillow on his lap. It mewled again and crawledoff his lap onto the floor, teetering after Raven as she closed thedoor.
“Hey,Little Bird.” Jason offered her a smile that looked too sweet andtoo innocent to be anything other than devious. He rested his handsin his lap and offered her a little smile, pushing his hair out ofhis eyes. “I didn’t think you’d be here so soon. Didn’t youhave a meeting at the library tonight.”
“Itwas cancelled.” Raven set her bag on the table by the door, takinga moment to reach down and pull the kitten from the floor. It wiggledfor a moment before looking right into her eyes and letting go ofanother squeak. Raven looked back at Jason on the floor and lifted aneyebrow. “Is there a reason there’s a catonthe floor of my apartment, and why are you playing with it?”
“Well…I found it running from a dog outside and it seemed like somethingthat needed saving.”
“Noteverything you touch needs to be saved, Jason.” She set the kittenback on the floor, where it toddled around for a moment before tryingto climb her legs again. Raven sighed and picked it up again, lookingacross her apartment to see Jason smiling that lopsided smile at her.It was almost as if he knew more about her than she cared to admit.What an asshole.
Jasonmoved to the sofa, kicking his feet out in front of him. “You likeher, don’t you?”
“She’scute, I suppose.” Raven sat next to him, letting the kitten rest inher lap. She pet it softly for just a moment before looking over atJason, lifting a suspicious eyebrow. “You didn’t rescue her fromthe jaws of death just to impress me?”
“Ihadn’t considered it… although now it sounds like a great idea.”He grinned and leaned back against the sofa’s armrest, letting ahand drape over his knee. “I just thought she was cute… and Idon’t know, I thought you might think so too.” He gave a oneshouldered shrug and looked at Raven for a long, quiet moment. “Areyou-”
“I’mfine.” Raven’s voice was little more than a snap of teeth, but itwas enough to stop him from continuing. She would address her tenderwounds later, at a time that made more sense to her. But now… nowshe was confused and her head was filled with a hundred thoughts andemotions she didn’t have a name for. And Jason wasn’thelping.Sheset the kitten back in Jason’s lap and watched as he picked it upand rested it on his shoulder, looking like a weird kind of parrot.
“So…”His smiled widened and he caught her stare again. “What should wename her?”
“About what?” There was a bite in Raven's voice, a noise that stated that she didn't want to dwell on anything about last night. God. It felt like she had been run over by a truck before being pushed off a bridge. Her stomach was still roiling just under her lungs, tossing and turning and reminding her that she hadn't had a proper meal in more than a day. Groaning, she fell onto her sofa and pulled a throw pillow over her head, hoping it would block out the light.
“Oh, no. Noooooo. You don't get to hide under a pillow... not after last night. At the very least, we need to talk about what happened. Because you-”
“Were out of control, I'm sure,” she snarled into the soft filling of the pillow.
Jason reached out and snatched the pillow from her hands, allowing light to flood her vision again. He was staring down at her with that too-dark stare, flecked with malachite, his mouth set into a grimace that made her feel like she was about to be scolded. Raven rolled onto her side, turning away from him, but it didn't ease the tension in the room. This weird silence and tightness between them had been growing – a thick swarm of invisible emotions that they didn't want to admit to. It was better to ignore them anyway. Safer, at the very least.
“Raven.”
She'd never heard that tone in his voice before, and she pulled into herself with a sigh. It wasn't like her to feel this helpless, but she couldn't think of another way to act. Malchior had driven a spike into her life and now it seemed as though every part of her was simply oozing. It was as if she couldn't keep herself together, no matter how hard she tried, and last night was proof of that.
Raven pressed her lips together, biting back all the curses that wanted to spill from her lips, before settling on: “He's an idiot.”
“So are you.”
That was uncalled for. Her nostrils flared in annoyance, and she rolled onto her back, staring at the too-white ceiling. “I was getting him off my mind.”
“You were attempting to assassinate your liver. Different.” Jason let go of a noise that sat somewhere between and agitated sigh and a groan, and he picked up her feet before flopping down into the sofa cushions. Her feet landed in his lap with a little bounce, and Raven watched as he reached over her body to grab her coffee mug and shove it into her hands. “Let's talk.”
“I don't see why.” She pushed herself into a sitting position and stared into the dark liquid, thinking that it smelled heavenly. She wasn't sure if she could drink it just yet, but it was still nice to know it was there. “I told you everything last night. What more do you need to know? I was the other woman, the secret, the little side piece.”
Her lips twitched and she closed her eyes, hoping that she could drown out all the happy memories for just a few more minutes. The bad memories were fine, because it gave reason where there was none, but it was the happy memories that hurt the worst. The happy memories were all the things that made her remember why she fell in love with him. She was such a fool – charmed by that toothy smile and big blue eyes. He was a snake, and she walked right into his fangs. Now venom was coursing through her, and she could only succumb to it.
“But you're not that.” He groaned and ran a hand over his face, scrubbing at the stubble on his jaw. “You're just not.”
Jason's head fell onto the back of the sofa and another raw sound came tumbling out of his throat. It filled the space between the two of them, and Raven felt as if her heartstrings were vibrating, like a guitar. Her eyes fluttered and she stared his profile for a long, quiet moment. She knew he was attractive, that much was obvious, but there was something about these quiet moment between them that made him look... different. Also more attractive, as annoying as that was. The sharp line of his jaw bled into the curve of his throat, and Raven watched with rapt attention as he swallowed, the muscles working in a way that was practically obscene. She had never thought too much about sinking her teeth into flesh, but he... he was a different story. An entirely different story, and every moment with him was making everything so much worse. She must have had a wish to break her heart all over again.
She turned away, taking a long drink of the coffee resting on her lap. “So... so what am I?”
“You're Raven.”
He said it so blatantly and with such clarity, that Raven felt as if she'd been slapped across the face. She blinked and stared at his profile again, trying to understand what he meant.
“You're your own woman. He cheated on you. He's a fucking asshole. And you? You're the kind of woman who steps on hearts and gets exactly what she wants.” His lopsided smile returned, tugging at the scar near the corner of his mouth. He was a rogue out of a bad romance novel, and she knew it. “You are stronger and better than you think you are – beautiful, talented, smart – and you're amazing. So some fucker didn't know what he had? So what? You're better than that – better than every bad thing you've ever encountered, Raven. Fuck him.”
Her heart had stopped in her chest and Raven swallowed again, her stare flicking from his eyes to his lips and back again. She had a memory – a vague one – of his lips against hers. He was muttering something to her, something that ran through her veins and pooled low in her stomach. It scraped over her skin, nails that drug against her back, thighs pressed against hips, calloused hands slid up the backs of her thighs, fingers biting into her ass as...
Raven's cheeks flushed and she met his curious expression over the rim of her mug. The question was dancing on her tongue, just out of reach. “Ah, last night... did we...”
Jason's grin widened and he leaned closer to her. “Wouldn't you like to know?”
Down on her luck with relationships and life in general, Raven finds an unlikely friend in her cute, quirky neighbor. But as their relationship grows, will he become more than just a friend to her?
Even in her drunken, hazy mind, Raven thought his eyes looked like the same color of the drink she was currently downing in one singular gulp. They were a deep, sort of endless green with flecks of something brighter that reminded her of malachite. And yet, in spite of this, there was something soft about them, something that felt safe almost - like home. Really, she could look into his eyes forever as they hovered above her, and he murmured something soft and gentle into her ear.
Raven shivered, and pulled her hand out of his grasp, shaking her head of those traitorous thoughts. She knew better than to be interested in someone like him. He was a rogue through and through, and even though he was charming and funny, and Raven enjoyed talking to him, there was something about him that was suspiciously dangerous. Besides, he was annoying. Absolutely annoying. Especially when he paraded around her stark naked and showed off his-
“RAVEN!”
[more under the cut]
She jerked and shook her head again, her hands starting to tremble out fear that he had known exactly what she was thinking. Her eyes blinked, regaining focus as the sound of music reverberated down her spine, thumping along with the weighty feeling in her head. There was a flash a pain, almost like it was foreshadowing the things she would undoubtedly feel tomorrow morning after she woke up, but it didn’t matter. She wasn’t out here for her health, she was out here to drink him away. Whatever it took, even if it meant downing every bottle of booze in this place.
Raven licked her lips and felt Jason wrap his hand around her wrist, pulling her away from the bar and weaving them both through the crowd. He was half mumbling under his breath, half trying to talk to her, but she couldn’t hear him over the noise. The music continued to pulse and down her spine, gluing her to the spot as she raised her glass to her lips, taking the last dregs of liquor and ice before placing it on a random table as she walked by. Jason looked somewhere between annoyed and frustrated, and Raven couldn’t quite put her finger on which emotion was reigning at that point. Not that it mattered anyway.
He waited until she was finished before pulling her to a side exit. The door in front of them was thrown open and he pulled her from the bar into the street, the sound and lights and people giving way to the sticky heat of midsummer. Sweat broke out onto her skin, and Raven pulled at the sleeves of her dress, wondering why in the world she had chosen something like this to wear. She had a sudden desire to be completely naked and standing in an ice chest.
“Thanks, Jason.”
Raven looked up to see her friends eyeing her carefully before looking back at her neighbor. Traitors. They should have been helping her forget him, not sending her home with her nudist neighbor.
“It’s not a problem.”
“You’ll make sure she gets home safe?”
“I will personally tuck her in bed.”
Raven turned to see Kori and Karen looking at her with that pathetic ‘I’m so sorry this happened to you’ look, and she wasn’t sure what she should do. So, instead of responding or thinking about exactly what had happened to her tonight, she stumbled a few steps away from her friends and sat down on a nearby bench. A few minutes seemed to pass, and she could hear snippets of Jason’s conversation.
“...it was just a lot for her to handle…”
“What happened? Can I ask?”
“...maybe it’s better if you ask her.”
Raven’s head fell into her hands and she stared at the pavement, watching a bug skitter across the sidewalk as if it had somewhere important to be. Her heart was twisting in her chest, yanking and pulling at her emotions to the point where Raven wanted nothing more than to go back inside the bar and drown in alcohol. Not feeling anything at all was so much easier than having to face the truth. The truth was disgusting and painful, and yet here she was looking it straight in the eyes and seeing it for what felt like the first time.
“Little Bird.”
Raven lifted her head and looked up into those bright eyes, her lips tugging just a little as Jason held out his hand for her. He said nothing else, and he didn’t push any farther than he needed to. He simply stood there and held out his hand, like a gentleman. Biting back a sigh, she closed her eyes and turned away, hoping he couldn’t see her own frustration. Everything inside her was warring, not sure if she should take his hand or not. She wanted to be cautious and keep him at a distance, but he found his way so easily in her life that it was practically impossible to remove him.
“Come on…”
Raven opened her eyes again, looking up into his face.
“...let’s get you home.”
Raven could feel her hand moving long before she willed it to, and without much thought, her hand slipped easily into his own. He smiled and pulled her to her feet, letting her teeter for a moment before she fell against his chest. She could feel the soft thump of his heart, and Raven felt him wrap his arms around her, pulling her close. He tucked her easily under his chin, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist until Raven felt like the world around them had faded far away. Her fingers tightened in the stretchy fabric of his shirt, and she rested her forehead against his collarbone.
“Look, Raven… I know we’re not best friends, but… if you ever need to talk…”
Raven closed her eyes again.
“...I’m only across the courtyard.”
She nodded.
“Okay.” Jason stepped back and looked down at her, placing a kiss to the top of her head. It was a gesture of warmth and happiness, and something about it soothed her. He tugged gently on her hand. “Can you walk by yourself?”
Raven shook her head, feeling the world around her start to spin into too many lights and colors and sounds. Jason shook his head and laughed, and before Raven knew what he was doing, he had knelt down in front of her, bringing her arms tightly around his shoulders. A bolt of lucidity seemed to clear her clouded mind, and Raven’s face flushed brightly. He was out of his goddamned mind.
“You can’t be serious.”
He shrugged. “You can’t walk. You said so yourself.”
“I am not going to ride you home.”
Jason turned around slowly, the corners of his lips pulling up in a positively devious smile. That sight alone made Raven realize exactly what she had said, and suddenly her heart jumped into her throat. Face flushing bright red, she pushed at his shoulder and started to move past him, stumbling over her own feet. She just had to respond to him, didn’t she? Well, she was perfectly capable of making it the four blocks to her apartment, she just needed to-
The sidewalk seemed to suddenly loom up into her face, and before Raven really knew what was going on, her body was swept up into his arms. Jason held her tightly against his chest and looked down into her eyes, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Do you need me to carry you?”
“You’re not carrying me three blocks!” Raven felt like her heart was going to explode and something tightened around her throat. Her head grew even more hazy and she struggled against his hold, trying to keep her mind together. It was too late though, between the scent of his cologne, the warmth of his body, and the last drink she downed, she was already losing herself. Her eyes flicked up to his face and she pursed her lips. “I cannot believe you.”
Jason adjusted her in his arms and shook his head. “Why? Because I’m actually helping you out? Miss I-Can’t-Feel-My-Own-Feet-Enough-To-Walk.” He took a turn down a side street, the noise from the main road fading away. “Your friends asked me to take you home and take care of you, and that’s what I’m doing… taking care of my completely and utterly drunk friend.”
Raven glared, but Jason just shrugged.
“You’d do the same for me.”
“No I wouldn’t.” She leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes, letting herself forget why she was so drunk in the first place. It felt good to forget, and even better to be completely numb. “I’d let your ass lay in the gutter until you woke up.”
“You wound me, Little Bird.”
“You’ll be fine.”
His chuckle slipped into her veins, and Raven felt her lips curl up at the edge. Why was everything so much easier with him around? Her arms wrapped around his neck, resting against his shoulders as he turned down another side street, and Raven could feel the question press against his chest, almost as if it were trying to escape. She sighed and brushed her nose against his neck, taking in the scent of the hot summer night and his cologne again.
“I know you want to ask.”
There was a brief pause, as if he considered pressing the issue, but he didn’t. “I don’t want to pry.”
“Mm…”
He licked his lips, and the words finally spilled out. “...but what happened?”
He adjusted her in his arms and turned another corner, and Raven could see their apartment building just a little ways away. All she had to do was make it to her room and then she could lie down and forget that this day had ever happened. She might even open a bottle of wine, because fuck feelings. She closed her eyes again and let a soft, low sigh escape.
“I was the other woman.”
Jason stopped walking, and Raven thought he might drop her. Her eyes shot open and she looked up into his face again, watching the anger and shock mingle into something volatile. It was as if she had somehow set off a kind of fuse inside him, like a bomb that was ready to blow at any second. His arms tightened around her and he pulled her even closer to his chest.
“Are you telling me that you were the…”
“Side piece.” Raven wiggled free of his arms and set herself down on the pavement before kicking off her heels. “Yep. I was his little toy the whole time. He’s been engaged since before I met him, and this entire time he played me and his fiancee for a damned fool.” Raven stumbled down the sidewalk, hunting through her purse for her keys. “He took fucking advantage of me and threw me into the garbage when his wedding approached. Because it’s easier to cheat on a fiancee than it is on a wife.”
“Raven…”
“And you know what’s worse?” She stumbled through the courtyard of their building before setting herself down on the steps outside the main entrance. “You know what the absolute shitty thing is? Is that in spite of all of that, I still fucking miss him. Like… like some kind of cheap date! Like I’m clinging to this complete and utter piece of garbage and I still want it. I want it because for once in my whole fucking life he gave me someone I could relate to and love and… what the fuck is wrong with me? I should loathe him with every fiber of my body and yet… I can’t be anything other than mad at myself. I should have fucking seen it. I should have known. But I followed him like some fucking kitten needing a home.”
Jason sat down next to her, but he didn’t say anything. He sat there, in complete silence, and rested his hand on her knee. Warmth flooded her body again, and Raven turned to look into those malachite eyes, her heart fluttering against her ribs. Why did he have to be here? And why did he have to be looking at her like that? Not like she needed to be pitied, but that she needed to be protected. Raven swallowed air and she turned away, hoping to keep a hold on her thoughts. He was the only thing keeping her from drinking until she drowned in alcohol. Because even though she wanted to feel nothing at all, she still wanted to feel him.
“I just…” Raven’s head fell into her hands and she stared at her bare feet. “I just want to be numb. I don’t want to feel anything anymore.”
“Raven…”
“Don’t look at me.”
“Raven…”
She let go of an annoyed sigh and lifted her eyes to his face. He leaned close to her, resting his forehead against her own. His hand squeezed her knee and he nudged his nose softly against her own. It felt playful but intimate, as if there was something more that could easily happen if she just let it. If she could just let go…
“Let’s get you to bed.”
“I’m not a child.”
“You need to go to sleep.”
“You need to quit babying me.”
Raven tried to stand up, but her legs forgot how to hold her weight and she pitched forward, nearly smacking her face on the ground again. But Jason caught her just in time, and hefted her over his shoulder as if she were nothing more than a sack of potatoes. He snatched her keys from her hand, picking up her heels from the pavement as he made his way up the rest of the steps to the front door.
“Enough arguing. It’s time for bed, Raven.”
“You’re such an asshole.”
“I’m just taking care of you.”
She looked at the back of his head, finding it so much easier to talk when she wasn’t looking into those endless eyes. When she looked into his eyes, it felt like everything was going to escape all at once. At least when she avoided his face, she could pretend to control the situation. Sighing, she pressed her face into his back and groaned. “Will you at least stay with me?”
“Sure.” He made his way up the stairs, hand resting on the banister. “I’ll sleep on your so-”
“In my bed.”
“Oh.”
There was a slight falter in his step, and Raven suddenly cursed herself for not being able to see his face. Why was she cursed to make this so damned awkward? She should have turned it into a joke and tried to save herself before it became to awkward for either of them to handle. But she didn’t. Instead she watched the floor slip by underneath his feet, and she began to count how many times she thought the pattern was repeated. Raven got to fifteen before Jason spoke again.
“I’m in my work clothes.”
“So?”
Jason cleared his throat and another chuckle escaped. “I follow all the uniform guidelines.”
“Which include…?”
“Going traditional, as the name implies.”
Oh. Well, that question was finally answered.
“It’s not as if I haven’t seen your… machinery before, Jason.” She licked her lips, somehow managing to bite off the desire to follow up her observation with a few crude comments. “If you don’t mind, I don’t mind.”
“That I’ll be sleeping in your bed? Completely naked?”
The idea had merit, that was for sure.
“Just sleep.” Raven lifted her head and looked at the floor again, feeling his pace slow. “I just need a little bit to remind myself that I am worth so much more than what he said I was, and that he’s a fucking piece of shit.” She licked her lips and closed her eyes. “I just need you to chase away the bad thoughts… just for a little bit longer.”
There was another long pause, and she could hear her key sliding into the lock.
“Alright… but, I’m warning you, I sleep in the nude.”
Down on her luck with relationships and life in general, Raven finds an unlikely friend in her cute, quirky neighbor. But as their relationship grows, will he become more than just a friend to her?
Raven cursed under her breath and tapped her fingers on the counter. Of all the things she could be without tonight, sugar had to be one of them. What a joke. She rubbed her forehead and looked through her cabinets for the sixth time, hoping she might find at least honey or something to sweeten her bitter tea. But, like the other five times before, she found absolutely nothing anywhere in her kitchen. Groaning in defeat, she stood by the window and stared out across the courtyard to the brightly lit window on the other side of the building.
Jason.
Well, she could ask him for sugar.
Watching his window carefully, she could see his shadow against the wall, moving through the room, and something about the sight seemed to comfort her. It was as if knowing he was around seemed to make everything easier. Blushing just a little, she looked down at her tea kettle and took a deep breath, her mind just a little bit messy. What in the world was it about him that made her feel so… scattered and disoriented? Without another word, she resolved herself to see him and walked out of her apartment and down the hall to the other wing of the apartment building.
As Raven moved closer to his apartment, she could hear jovial laughter and classic rock from the other side of the door, the sound of beer bottles clanking down on the wood of a table as a few low-brow comments came spilling out. Raven raised her hand and knocked, and after a moment, the door swung open to reveal Jason, standing in nothing more than a pair of boxer shorts that were just a bit too small.
Blushing brightly, her eyes shot down the length of him in a surprisingly instinctive move, before landing on the bulge pushing against the tight, black fabric. Her heart fell into her stomach and she thought she might suddenly faint. Oh god, why in the world didn’t he just wear clothes, like normal people?
“Eyes up here, Little Bird.” He grinned and leaned against the door frame.
Her stare shot up to that infuriating grin and she blushed even darker, stumbling over her words before setting on, “Hi.”
Oh, she sounded like an idiot. Great.
“Hey.” He laughed, locks of his dark hair falling into his eyes. His greeting was broken by a roar of laughter in his apartment, but it didn’t seem to bother him. “So, what brings you here? Not that I mind or anything, it’s just that you’ve never taken it upon yourself to see my apartment before. I’m happy to give you the grand tour if you’re interested, but you might have to wait a bit, I’ve got-”
“Dude, are you folding or what?”
Jason winced and rolled his eyes. “-some really annoying idiots I occasionally call friends over.”
He shifted his weight and Raven was reminded of how tall he was, practically towering over her as his muscles rippled and curled underneath his skin. Memories of the sight of him completely naked, doing the most inappropriate yoga positions in her living room. Heart skipping a few beats, she lifted her stare back to his face and watched him lick his too-full lips.
“No.” She pushed at her hair and looked away again, trying to avoid the sight of him in those black boxer briefs. “I… um… I’m out of sugar and hoped you had some.”
Jason pressed his lips together and looked as though he were fighting back a roar of laughter. He rubbed his thumb along his jaw and nodded slowly, as if he didn’t quite believe her explanation. “So…” He hummed slowly. “That was the best explanation you could come up with? I mean, really, Raven. You didn’t even put any effort into it. I mean, there are so many better excuses for you to use to come and see me, and you thought of a ‘cup of sugar’? You could at least be a little original. Say you wanted to see my furniture. You were avoiding your lesbian neighbors with their ten cats-”
“They only have six cats, and it’s the truth, Jason!”
“Please, a cup of sugar is the most cliche reason to meet your neighbor ever.” He laughed and walked back into his apartment, motioning for her to follow. “But you know, if that’s all you came for, I’m happy to oblige. Come on in, meet the guys up close.”
Guys? Up close?
Raven walked into his apartment and found herself looking at a table surrounded by a bunch of incredibly attractive men, all in varying states of undress, as a pile of clothes grew in the middle of the table. It took her a few long seconds to put all the pieces together, but eventually she understood exactly what was going on. Oh god. They were playing strip poker… with each other?
“We didn’t want to strip… but we’re all betting far more than we had, and so we’re kind of paying the price.” A lithe body with copper-colored hair turned and looked at her, aptly reading her shocked expression. “So… you must be Raven. We’ve heard all about you.”
Jason nodded and motioned to the table. “Wally, Garth, Roy. Guys, this is Raven.”
“Yeah, we gathered that much.” Roy took a long swig of his beer and offered her a smirk that rivaled Jason’s in devilish charm. “So, you’re the cute one he writes those notes too.” He jerked his thumb to the large pad of paper by the window. “‘Little Bird’ right?”
Raven blushed, and even Jason looked a bit sheepish. His friends knew about their little secret? She wasn’t sure how she felt about them knowing. Part of her was a little offended that someone else found out, and yet there was still a part of her that was glad to know that he shared. It meant that their friendship wasn’t something hidden and secretive.
Jason rolled his eyes. “Good job with that tact, dude.”
“You’re the one leaving the evidence all over your damn apartment. Your little notes all over the damn drawing pad open for everyone to see.” Roy took another swig of beer and grinned up at Raven, his eyes bright and playful. “So, tell me, Little Bird, what in the world do you see in this guy? It’s just because he can’t keep his clothes on, right?”
Raven’s blush darkened. Well, Jason’s state of undress didn’t exactly hurt their friendship.
“Roy, jeez. You’re scaring her. Back off just a bit, man.” Garth shook his head and flung a t-shirt from the middle of the table at him. “Calm down.” He rolled his eyes and stood up, offering her a bright smile that reminded Raven of someone from the cover of a romance novel. “It’s nice to meet you, finally.”
Raven’s cheeks blushed a little more and she . “I… I know you? Somehow?”
“Eh.” He shrugged. “You’ve probably done bodyshots off my abs.”
“I…” Raven’s face flushed brightly and her eyes widened. “I think I would have remembered that.”
“You didn’t, Raven, but your friends did. I distinctly remember that. These guys work at the bar.” Jason was grabbing a container and the sugar from the cupboard, rolling his eyes as each of his friends were trying to fill the room with conversation with his “secret” friend. “I’m ashamed that sometimes I have to call them friends.”
“Awe, come on, you know you love us.” Wally grinned and shoved a handful of potato chips into his mouth. “You couldn’t imagine what your life would be without us.”
“Easier, that’s for sure.” Jason snorted.
“Lonelier too.” Roy took another long drink of beer and set it back on the table with a smack. “No one else is gonna put up with your shit.”
“Yeah? Well, I hope you’re using a goddamned coaster, Roy.”
“What the fuck, mom? I’m a grown-ass man, I’m not gonna use a coaster. What’s next, doilies?”
“It’s called respect, damnit! If you’re gonna be drinking in my house, using the furniture that I slaved over, then you’re gonna use a coaster, or I’m gonna shove one so far up your-”
“Guys! There’s a lady present!” Garth rolled his eyes and flicked a penny at the back of Jason’s head. “At least show some amount of respect.”
Jason sighed and turned around to look at Raven, offering her a sheepish, apologetic grin. “Okay, sorry. Didn’t mean to upset.” He handed her the small container filled with sugar and shook his head. “Come on, Rae. I’ll walk you back to your apartment.”
Raven’s cheeks flushed and she shook her head. “I think I’m okay, Jason. It’s literally two hundred feet down the hall.”
“Please let me come,” he half-pleaded, his smiled teasing. “I need anything to get away from these three idiots for at least two minutes.”
“Hey!”
Jason laughed and ushered Raven out the door, nudging her shoulder just a little as they both ignored the cackling from his friends inside. Shaking his head and muttering about them under his breath, Jason walked by her side as they made their way down the hall. Her heart suddenly felt sort of strange and light, and she could feel his warmth spreading over her in spite of his lack of adequate clothing. Shaking her head, she lifted her eyes to his own and sighed.
“Thanks for the sugar, I guess?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, well. Thanks for putting up with my friends. I know they’re kind of jerks.”
“They’re just being friends.” Raven laughed. “I just wished I didn’t intrude.”
“You didn’t. Don’t worry.” Jason paused outside her door and looked down at her, rocking back on his heels with a soft smile playing over his lips. He shifted a bit and there was something in the way that he suddenly carried himself that made Raven’s heart skip a few beats. Being around him was easy and fun and playful, and she hadn’t felt this genuinely happy in so long she’d nearly forgotten what it felt like. Her heart sort of fluttered and trembled in her chest like a bird and she found she liked it.
Jason leaned over her a bit, reminding her of his height yet again. “So… sugar.”
Her cheeks flushed. “I really did need it.”
“I’ll believe you this once.” He smiled and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear with a chuckle. The touch was comfortable and friendly, but there was just a bit of tenderness behind it. His smile widened again. “Come by tomorrow if you need to borrow flour. I’ll make sure I’ve got it ready for you, Little Bird.”
