Three Years Later...
Jasmine rushed into the restaurant where she was meeting her father for lunch. Thanks to L.A. traffic she was now twenty minutes late. She hated being late. But she’d only recently moved from Australia and was still learning her way around the city. Although she was happy for the new opportunities living here opened up for her acting and modeling career, she knew that moving was never easy, especially a move to a different country. She was looking forward to getting used to her new surroundings sooner rather than later.
It took her a few minutes to find a parking spot on this busy Saturday afternoon. Getting out of her car, she was surrounded by the hum of casual conversations and care-free laughter and for a moment she was homesick. She missed her mom and brother as well as the friends she’d left behind. She knew it would take her a while to get used to not seeing them often. Still, she was glad for this time with her dad. Since he’d moved to L.A. some years ago, she hadn’t spent a lot of time with him and their relationship had suffered. She hoped that this would be a time for them to connect again.
She was so lost in her thoughts that it took her a moment to realize that someone was calling her name.
________________________________________________________________
“Jasmine?”
She turned around and familiar brown eyes met his. He’d seen her get out of her car moments ago as he was walking out of the restaurant and at first he hadn’t been sure that it was really her. But as she moved closer to the entrance, he knew without a doubt.
Her eyes opened wide in surprise and she inhaled sharply. “Oh, my gosh, David!” she exclaimed, hugging him. “What are you doing in L.A.?”
“I moved here last year. What about you?”
“I actually just moved here a couple of weeks ago. I’ll be attending UCLA to finish my film degree and pursuing some more career opportunities. Right now I’m staying with my dad until I can find a place. In fact, I’m meeting him here for lunch.”
David found himself staring. She still had the same warm smile and eyes that he remembered.
“I was just having lunch with my manager. What do you think of L.A. so far?” he asked.
She hesitated. “It’s different,” she laughed ruefully. “I think it’s going to take me a while to adjust.”
He nodded in agreement. “I know the feeling, coming from Utah. It gets better though.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” She paused. “What have you been up to?”
“Right now I’m working on a new album. That’s what this lunch meeting was about.”
“That’s great,” she said. “I’ve got a couple of projects coming up that I’m really excited about.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” said David. He smiled warmly. “It’s so good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too.” Their eyes locked for a moment before Jasmine looked away.
“Maybe we could meet for coffee sometime. I’d love to catch up” said David. He found himself staring again. She was even more beautiful than the last time he saw her.
“I’d like that,” she said. She quickly wrote down her number on a small sheet of paper she retrieved from her purse and handed it to him.
“Great. I’ll call you soon.”
“I’ll look forward to it,” she Jasmine, smiling.
As she walked away, David felt a rush of excitement at the thought of seeing her again.
________________________________________________________________
One week later, David and Jasmine sat across from each other at Starbucks. Jasmine had been thrilled when David called a few days earlier to see if she was available to meet that evening. Seeing him at the restaurant last Saturday had been so unexpected and refreshing. She’d thought of him often over the last few years, wondering how he was and what he was doing. One thing she’d tried not to think about was how foolish she’d acted the last time she’d seen him before he left on his mission. They had barely known each other and yet she’d felt as if she were losing her best friend.
Now, as she did her best to mask her giddy excitement at seeing him again, she had to admit to herself that things hadn’t changed. Pull yourself together, she scolded herself. You’re acting like a silly school girl. Even after three years, she still found herself attracted to him – same beautiful hazel eyes and gorgeous smile, same great sense of humor and caring heart. It was as if they’d picked up right where they left off.
“Wow! You were really chased by dogs?” she asked incredulously.
David laughed. “Yeah, it was crazy!”
“I’ll bet!” she said laughing.
“I’ll admit it wasn’t quite so funny at the time. I mean, the last thing you expect when you knock on someone’s door is to be chased by their pets. I don’t think I’ve ever moved so fast!”
By this time, Jasmine was laughing so hard that there were tears in her eyes. “Oh, my gosh! You should write a book.”
“I’m sorry, but that is the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time,” she continued, wiping her face.
David grinned. “No need to apologize. My family had the same reaction when they heard that story.” He paused and looked at her intently. “Besides, I like hearing your laugh. I’ve missed it.”
Jasmine smiled. “I’ve missed you too.”
For a moment their eyes held before Jasmine forced herself to look away.
“So, uh, sounds like you learned a lot on your mission in South America,” she said. “What’s the biggest thing you took away from your time there?”
“It’s funny you asked. I was actually thinking about that earlier. It was really such an amazing experience getting to know people who were so different from me, who had a different way of life and, in most cases, different faiths. It really opened my eyes to understand God more deeply. I realized that there’s so much more that I want to learn.”
He continued. “And, I want to thank you. I think what you shared with me about your faith really meant a lot. I’ve often revisited those conversations over the past few years. It meant a lot.”
Jasmine was moved and surprised at his words. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. It just made me realize how grateful I am for the time we spent together.”
“Me, too.” She instinctively reached across the table and covered his hand with hers. Immediately, she felt the warmth from his hand and knew she must be blushing.
“I’m sorry,” she said, pulling her hand away. “I don’t know what got into me.”
“Don’t be sorry,” he said.
Jasmine’s heart fluttered and for a moment she could have sworn that the rest of the world disappeared. Slowly, she was aware of someone clearing their throat.
“Sorry, guys, its 11:00. We’re closed,” said the barista, peering at them from behind the counter.
“Oh, sorry,” said David. He laughed nervously. “I guess we lost track of time.”
“That’s okay.” She smiled knowingly before walking away.
“I guess we should be going,” said Jasmine. “Can you believe we’ve been here for four hours?”
“No, I can’t. Time really flew.”
Neither of them spoke as they left the coffee shop. Jasmine tried to make sense of the jumbled thoughts and emotions inside of her. Was he feeling the same?
“Well, it was really great to catch up. Thanks for meeting me,” said David, as they arrived at her car.
“Of course,” said Jasmine. “I enjoyed it too.” For what seemed like forever, they stood looking at each other, neither of them knowing what to say.
“Well…goodnight,” Jasmine began. She reached to open her door.
“Jasmine, wait,” he said, shifting slightly. “Are you free next Saturday night? I’ve got some tickets to a Jason Mraz concert and was wondering if you’d like to come. Maybe we could grab dinner before.”
She couldn’t hold back the wide grin that lit up her face. “Is this a date?”
He grinned. “Absolutely.”
“Then I’d love to,” she said.
“Great. I’ll call you later this week to work out the details,” he said. She heard the relief in his voice.
“It should be fun. Thanks,” she said, smiling. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Jasmine.”
____________________________________________________________
Standing outside Jasmine’s door, David couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this nervous. Relax, he told himself, but to no avail. He shifted from one foot to the other nervously. During the week, he’d found himself counting down the days until he could see her again and now that it was here he just wanted everything to be perfect for their first date.
However, as Jasmine opened the door, his nervousness disappeared. She looked wonderful and her warm smile set him at ease.
“You look great,” he said, taking in her sparkling eyes and effortless beauty.
“Thank you.” She smiled. “So do you.”
“Thanks. Ready?”
“I sure am.”
__________________________________________________________________
“Dinner was delicious. Thai food never gets old,” said Jasmine as they drove to the concert.
“I know,” said David. “I’m pretty much obsessed with it.”
Jasmine laughed. “I remember! I lost count of how many times you mentioned Pad Thai when we were filming. It was obvious that you were smitten,” she joked.
“I could probably eat Thai food for three meals a day and as a snack,” he said, laughing.
“That’s too funny! Are there any other obsessions I should know about?”
He pretended to ponder her question. “Well, maybe one.”
“What?”
“I think I might have a thing for beautiful Australian brunettes with brown eyes.”
She looked at him in surprise. “You’re such a flirt!” she said, playfully punching him in the arm.
He laughed. “I can’t seem to help myself around you.”
“Oh, so it’s my fault?” she asked, feigning indignation.
“Definitely. I’d have to be blind not to notice.”
She gave him a curious look. “Not to notice what?”
“You. How gorgeous you are,” he said, glancing at her. “Inside and out.”
His serious tone made her catch her breath.
“I’ve never seen this side of you, Mr. Archuleta. I must say, I like it.” She had meant for it to sound light-hearted, instead it escaped as little more than a whisper. So much for lightening the moment, she thought.
“That’s a relief. Glad I’m not turning you off with my smooth moves,” said David, giving her an exaggerated wink.
She smiled at him appreciatively, knowing that he sensed her discomfort.
“Not at all,” she said finally.
______________________________________________________________
Both were in high spirits as they arrived at the concert. As they got out of the car, they heard the chatter of other concert-goers and the excitement in the air was palpable.
“I’m so excited!” said Jasmine, as they walked into the venue. “I’ve never seen Jason live before.”
“He’s amazing. You’re in for a treat,” said David. As they made their way through the crowd, he grabbed her hand.
“Kind of a rowdy bunch tonight,” he said, as the throng pushed its way into the auditorium.
“Wow,” said Jasmine, looking around. “This is actually smaller than I thought.”
“Yeah, but don’t let the size fool you. The acoustics are amazing.”
“How did you get tickets? I’m sure they went pretty fast.”
“My manager. She knows how big a fan I am and was able to snag tickets. She’s great with things like that.”
They found their seats and had a few minutes before the show.
“So, how is it going here in L.A. so far? Do you miss home?” asked David.
Jasmine sighed. “It’s okay. I’m still learning my way around and traffic is horrible but I really like being close to my father. After my parent’s divorce, I didn’t see him so much since he was always traveling and it was tough. I’m glad to have this time with him. I do miss Australia though.”
“How old were you when they split up?” he asked. He could see the sadness in her eyes as she spoke of her parent’s divorce.
Jasmine hesitated. “I was eight years old and a complete “Daddy’s girl.” I used to beg him to take me to work with him ‘cause I wanted to be an attorney just like him. For a long time after they divorced, I blamed myself, thinking that if I hadn’t bugged him so much he wouldn’t have left.”
She smiled sadly. “That’s an eight year old for you.”
David’s heart sank as he imagined what a difficult time it was for her.
“I was much older when my parents divorced, and it was still really hard. I can’t imagine being as young as you were.”
She looked down. “It was hard but I think it made me who I am, for better or worse,” she said ruefully.
David’s heart constricted at her words. He looked at her for a moment and then reached out to hold her hand. Jasmine’s eyes met his and neither of them said anything more as they waited for the concert to begin.
_____________________________________________________________
“Thanks for a great night, David,” said Jasmine as he walked her to her door. “It was awesome.”
“You’re welcome,” said David. “Jason is such a great artist. I never tire of seeing him live.”
“Well, I had a great time,” she said. The butterflies in her stomach kicked into overdrive.
“So did I,” said David, slowly closing the distance between them. She wondered absently if guys got butterflies or if it was just a girl thing.
The next thing she knew, David’s lips met hers in a kiss that felt new yet somehow comfortable and familiar. She responded and felt the tentativeness of their kiss change to excitement and curiosity. When he finally pulled away, she had to stop herself from pulling him to her again.
“Do you know how long I’ve wanted to do that?” he asked, still holding her close.
“Probably about as long as I have,” she said, smiling up at him. “Nandito Ako?”
“Yes, although I didn’t want to admit it since I knew I’d be gone for two years. I didn’t want to hurt you, to start something I couldn’t finish.”
“I think I knew that,” she said. “It was still hard though. I missed you but I didn’t know if you felt the same way.”
“Me, too. I thought about you a lot over the last few years and when we ran into each other at the restaurant a couple of weeks ago, I took it as a sign.” He grinned. “The whole time we were talking at Starbucks I was praying that you wouldn’t tell me you had a boyfriend.”
She hesitated. “I’ve dated, but no one seriously. To be honest, I think I compared them to you. I think I knew it was you I wanted to be with all along. No one else could measure up. Crazy, right?” She looked at him shyly.
He stroked her cheek. “No. I think sometimes our hearts just know, as cheesy as that sounds. I was drawn to you from the first moment I saw you.”
She laid her head on his shoulder. Neither of them spoke for a long moment.
“So, are you saying you think I’m boyfriend material?” he asked, in a playful tone of voice.
She raised her head to look at him. “I think you’re perfect boyfriend material.”
“After only one date?” he teased.
“Yes.”
“Good. Then there’s only one question remaining: Will you be my girlfriend?”
Jasmine giggled. “Are you asking me to go steady?”
“Yes,” he said, laughing.
“You’re such a gentleman. How can I not say yes?” she asked. She smiled as he kissed her once more.
No comments:
Post a Comment