Honestly, Truly

Chapter 5

...

When I wake, I don't bother worrying myself with Klara and how I'm going to keep up the act all day. I realize as I wash my face that I've done private "a day in my life" meet-and-greets before, and I never had any problems. Satisfied with that I wait patiently for the staff arrive and I send a quick text to Matthew and Kristen, letting them know I'm heading down to the kitchen to pick up some food "for Rose". After receiving their confirmation, I do just that.

When I finish dressing in a stylish pair of black skinny-jeans, a blue cropped tank-top, a flannel tied about my waist, and a pair of cute black and brown wedges, I head down to the dining hall. Julia and Robert said they would be leaving a breakfast buffet every morning. Making quick work of it so that I'm not stopped by anyone and questioned, I set my mind to deciding what I will take back to the room with me. Immersed in thought, I don't see the person I'm about to run into until I shuffle back from the impact.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" I say, looking up to see who I've just assaulted. "Jasper?" I question, staring at him dumbfounded. Of course I would run into him right now!

"Hi, Olivia. What had you thinking so hard?" he asks, humor in his tone.

Oh, he's going to make fun of me now, is he? When I look up into his eyes though, I realize that that was not his intention. "Umm... I'm coming to pick up breakfast for Miss Grey," I say, which is technically not a lie, considering I'm her, or rather, she's me.

His eyebrows rise meticulously. "Is that so? Well, it's early and I don't think she would mind if you sat down for a minute and had your breakfast first," he says, guessing that I haven't had my meal yet either.

"I don't know, I should probably just grab the food and get going," I reply, not really wanting to leave, but knowing it isn't a good idea to wander around for long as Olivia Malcolm, considering I've attracted some constant attention already.

"You don't have to stay for a long time, I just... well, I didn't see you at the party last night so... what I mean is... You did promise me we could hang out again," he finally decides and I'm flattered by his flustered state, feeling my heart skip a beat.

"Alright," I giggle, "just for a little while."

Jasper nods and leads me over to the buffet where I grab some oatmeal, berries, granola, and vanilla yogurt. Satisfied, I follow him once again to the table in the center of the dining hall and take the seat opposite him. For the first part of the meal, we eat in silence, attempting to get used to the other's presence. This reminds me of our dance last night and when he gets tired of our awkward state, Jasper speaks up.

"So, what's it like working for her?"

I look from my food to him. "Rose Grey?" I ask and he nods. I shrug my shoulders and decide to go with the answers given to me by the staff. "She's great, a little reserved maybe but gracious and all that. She's also very pretty and works really hard on herself and her talent." I always feel strange talking about myself like this, but it's my job so I allow the conversation to continue.

"From what I've seen of her and read from the celebrity news articles, all of what you've said seems to fit," Jasper says, taking a bite of his whole wheat bagel. For a moment, he looks away, deep in his thoughts. When he speaks again, his tone is almost whistfull. "She seems very sad, like she's struggling with herself..." he trails off when he looks at me and sees my uncomfortable expression. "Oh, I mean... I only say that because, well, take last night for instance. We were dancing and when she looked away from me, she seemed sad and thoughtful. But, when she noticed I was watching her, she just gave me this practiced smile and left."

"I see," I say. I'm shocked by how disappointed I am that I have to convince him he doesn't see right through me.

"Sorry, don't tell her I said any of that," he says, rubbing the back of his head nervously.