The Art of Finding Jasmine Rose Peters

09

'The world is begging to know you -- the real you.' ~JRP

Trigger Warning. Read at your own risk!

Awkward and uncomfortable were some of the few words Hayden felt on the car ride to Calvin's house. She had entered Calvin's car along with Wren who sat beside her in the backseat and Mason who occupied the passenger's seat.

Hayden had to agree the car did not make her uncomfortable. It was plush and made of the finest leather. The exterior of the car and the interior looked expensive. Rather, what made her uncomfortable was the silence and Wren's dry jokes to lighten up the mood.

Realizing Hayden wasn't in the mood, she ended up flirting with Mason.

Hayden liked his flirty, sweet side. The side that wasn't afraid to show his emotions and be silly with his girl. The one that would do anything to protect her and keep her safe.

Going with Wren made her feel safer than she had thought initially. The girl was like her in so many ways. For one, she was also smart, she respected her personal space and she didn't talk so much — even though she talked more than Hayden would ever.

Hayden watched as the view changed from the suburbs to the real rich side of the town. The one she always saw when she looked from her cramped balcony. She found herself not too surprised at the sheer massiveness of Calvin's house but curious as to what they did with so many rooms, a large fountain and the lined-up cars.

Hayden wanted to voice out her thoughts to Calvin, hear his answers and remove the curiosity bubbling inside her, but she couldn't.

They got out of the car and waited for Wren and Mason, who appeared only some seconds later.

Wren and Mason walked confidently and with ease into the front door. Calvin looked at Hayden, who did not understand what to do. "Come on," he said encouragingly. She sighed. There was no going back, she had already entered the house.

A uniformed butler greeted Calvin and gave her a smile as she entered. He was burly and had the longest beard Hayden had ever seen.

"Calvin, is that you?" a gorgeous middle-aged lady said, smiling brightly. Hayden could see the similarity between them. Same eyes and the same lopsided smile. The others had disappeared, and so had the butler.

"Yes," he said flatly, glancing at her before gesturing for Hayden to follow him. "Let's go." Hayden watched as her beautiful smile fell upon his response. She quickly covered it up and smiled at Hayden. This one not reaching her eyes.

"Good after-afternoon, Ma'am," Hayden stuttered before following Calvin into a massive home cinema. The cinema had soft plush chairs all over with no windows and a blank wall. There was a projector above, and the room was dark.

The couple laid cuddled up with a soft-looking blanket covering them. Hayden averted her gaze from them. Wren was sitting on Mason's lap, shuffling for movies with a small remote in her hand. Hayden looked around the room with wide eyes until she sat down on a comfortable-looking couch.

Calvin left the room as soon as he showed her, coming back after some minutes with snacks in his hands.

"I brought snacks," Calvin said. Wren was the first to respond, jumping up from Mason's laps and collecting them from his hand. "Go get more from the kitchen," he said. Wren decidedly ignored him at first, going back to her seat, before finally stepping away from her blanket-covered partner and getting more.

Judging from the way they were comfortable and knew the house very well, Hayden concluded they had known each other for a long time and were even closer than she had thought originally.