White Gold *Completed*

Duo

ADAM

My friend Jasper was somewhat of an enigma. I’d met her at this quirky bookstore downtown two months into my stay in Ireland. Usually she was vacationing in Australia around this time of the year, but had instead chosen the humble city I now called home.   We had clicked instantly and it was evident she was a fan, which made me weary of continuing any further conversation, but I couldn’t help it; I was desperate for a new friend. Turned out, she was super chill and tons of fun to be around. Jasper obviously still had a bit of a hard time not bringing up Nix, and I never gave her the OK to do so, because I didn’t want to talk about it. Selfish, I know, but it was the truth.

Jasper was crazy and spontaneous, and I soon discovered she was the type to take random trips to get a cheeseburger at two AM and midnight swims in the ocean, even when it was bone-chillingly cold, which was pretty much always.

And then one night she called me up, one AM, and invited me to get ice cream, saying that the little 24/7 convenience store down the road had great ‘only slightly freezer burned’ treats. This had sounded somewhat like a date, which made me hesitant. Plus, let’s face it; I’m not in my twenties anymore and hell, I was tired.

But...I did it anyway. I got dressed, set off into the warm night air and made the walk under the stars to the small flat she had rented for the summer to pick her up. No, not pick her up. Meet up with her. This wasn’t a date. She was like 18, first of all.

Jasper’s jet black hair met my eyes when she opened her door, and her blue eyes lit up.

“Adam!” And she pulled me into a hug, that dark hair spilling over her shoulders and her scent of coconut and vanilla washing over me.

“Let’s get this party started!” She cheered, ecstatic.

“Party, huh?” I asked.

She nodded, grabbed my hand and whisked me down the street, into the darkness.

We got our ice cream, and even though I kept religiously telling myself it was NOT a date, I found myself buying hers as well. It was reflex, being nice.

She luckily either didn’t think twice about it or didn’t make a big deal out of it once I insisted.

I then figured the night was over, but it wasn’t.

Back on the streets Jasper towed me the opposite direction from where we lived and in response to my confused expression, she stated simply; “bar.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I said, grabbing her hand and pulling her to a stop. “Nuh uh. You’re only 18!”

“Almost nineteen,” She said, lifting her chin defiantly. “Besides, I have this.” She rummaged in her purse and procured an ID card which stated her age as 22.

“Jas, no way. I’m not going to let you get drunk.”

“Adam, c’mon! I’ve always wanted to go to a club, and I’ve got you now, I’ll have someone to go with! I don’t even want to drink!”

“No way, kid. Not on my watch. Clubs aren’t that great anyways, and even if you walk into them saying you won’t drink you still end up getting drunk off your ass. Trust me.”

Her blue eyes grew steely. “Who are you, my dad? Seriously, dude, let’s have some fun!”

I blanched at her comment and tried not to gag. “N-no, of course not. I just want to look out for you, okay? Don’t fuck up your life early on.”

“So, you want me to be safe, but you know in your heart that I’m going to be going into one of these places at some point before I leave anyway, so why not come with me? Keep me safe, if that’s what you want?” She batted her lashes and I swallowed. She was pretty...ADAM, NO.

I noticed then that my feet were moving and I was still allowing her to drag me down the street, where the action was happening.

“Show me all the ropes, Adam.” Jasper said.

“Jas, honestly…”

But we still landed outside of a club called Venom, and Jasper’s confidence and flawless fake ID got her in the door and I found myself tagging along. It was true; she turned heads everywhere she went and I couldn’t lie to myself that I felt a tug of loneliness...I missed having someone who always caught attention wherever they went.

“What should I drink?” Jasper asked excitedly, leaning her elbows on the bar and shifting so that her hip jutted out. I turned my eyes away and cleared my throat.

“Um, depends on what sort of flavors you like.”

“You like tequila,” She stated, almost sounding thoughtful. I had never told her this fact, but every Glambert knew it.

“Don’t start with that,” I said. “Let’s start with something easy. Smirnoff Ice is a good starter. You might like the fruity one.”

“Why?” She piped up, giving me a sharp look. “Because I’m a girl?”

I sighed. “No, but you like strawberry flavored anything. Like, literally anything. This I know.”

She blushed, and I ordered our drinks when the bartender came over. Her first sip of the beer was amusing. “It’s not bad, actually.” She said with surprise. I smiled.

We wandered through the crowd while she watched with shining eyes at the dancers on the floor. She finished her beer with concerning speed and soon we were on the dance floor. I couldn’t fight it; I fucking loved dancing.

Soon, we were jumping and grinding to a heavy bass, lost in the beat and Jasper evidently being somewhat of a lightweight (which was to be expected drinking for the first time.)

Before I knew it, we’d had five drinks apiece, and Jasper was giggling, hands all over me, locked in my hair and sneaking into my shirt.

“Uh,” I said awkwardly, snagging her wrists gently and pulling her away. “Now is a good time to stop.”

“Aw, really? Come on-”

“No no no.” I said firmly. “We’re going.”

 “Keys?” I asked Jasper when we reached her front door. She cocked her head.

“Oh, right. Hehehe.”

She hunted through her bag and found the keys, then let herself in.

“Take some aspirin and sleep in.” I told her, hovering on the front step. “Don’t make stupid calls or anything. Literally just go sleep, okay?”

Jasper fluttered her eyelashes and leaned against the door. “Alone?”

“Yes, Jas. Alone. Goodnight.” I turned to go but she stopped me by grabbing the front of my jacket and jerking me back to her.

Her arms locked around my neck and her lips met mine in a messy frenzy.

I put my hands on her waist and pushed her away with little force. I had been expecting it. “Okay, that’s seriously enough. Before you regret anything. Goodnight, Jasper.”

She looked disappointed, and I paused, having a momentary battle with myself before taking her hand in my own and kissing her knuckles.

Jasper blushed and giggled, ducking her head. “‘Night, Adam.”

I rolled my eyes and made my way home as the sun was starting to rise.

 Not gonna lie, though; it had been a pretty fun night.

(Double update! Thanks to Glambert1234 for letting me use Jasper! Check out her story Glambert Army!
~CG)