Do I know you? [Jay]

[Jen Mitchellson]

Jen laughed at his answer. "Everybody is a random person." She answered with a wide smile, "I mean, wouldn't you too be curious? What if you went through my bathroom, eh? Wouldn't you too wonder? What do they smell like? What kinky stuff do they hide? Are they careful with themselves or just naturally rogue and handsome?" She wasn't sure why she said the last part, so she added, "I mean, I have no idea how Caelum's bath habits have changed after he moved." And she winced. That'd sounded creepy. "Not that I was looking for him. I mean- it was more for you." Creepier. "And Kat. Cause- You know." She chuckled and shook her head, "Better shut up now before I stick my feet further down my throat."

He said she wasn't fat and she snorted. Curvy. It made her roll her eyes. "Same thing." She said with a thin smile. She bet Rayne would've never be called 'curvy' or 'fat'. Pff, whatever. Like she cared. "I do work out, you know? Like a lot. I jog. I like running and do marathons from time to time." Why was she saying this? Maybe she wanted to save face, not that he wasn't about to see how much she really ate. Whatever, she wouldn't want to hang around someone who judged her for it.

When she asked about Rayne, she winced as he mentioned being confused. Well, no kidding with the way she'd asked. He was right, that wasn't what she'd meant. "Okay, you got me. It isn't." Jen nibbled on her lower lip as she tried to figure out what she wanted. "I mean, did you two... were you-? Ah. Okay!" What was wrong with her? She was usually blunt and direct! "How far did you two go? Were you like a couple or something?" And then, just to save face, she smiled innocently and added, "Just curious." in a short chirp.

Well, of course they were, right? Look at him! Rayne probably jumped him the moment she saw him! Hell, that's what Jen would've done. Hell, that's what she was resisting to do now, were it not for ALL the reasons already mentioned plus twenty more. Besides, she kind of liked how this was going, having a friend. She never had one of those before, not like this.

He stopped once they were about to leave and she blinked in surprise as he pulled at her shoulder. His expression changed and she smiled nervously. The way he was staring at that door... "What?" She asked, still smiling, "Have some sex dungeon hidden somewhere?" She laughed awkwardly at her own joke. Wait- good? She raised an eyebrow and flushed at what he did next. He pulled her shirt! She jumped, quickly pulling her shirt back and staring at him with wide eyes. Well, that'd been unexpected.

She laughed though at what he said next, shaking her head in disbelief. "You perv!" She said between giggles, and then pulled on her shirt to bury her nose down. "Oof, yeah, it does." She said, letting go of her shirt, letting it fall back in place. "Though it smells like I played around with some sexy playgirl boys. I smell all manly." She laughed again and went for another sniff. It didn't smell bad though, just not what people would expect from a girl like her.

"So, are you going to punish me right now?" She asked teasingly, smiling widely, "Because I prefer later. I'm kind of starving."

[Jayson Kline]

Jay paused momentarily. ''For me?'' He wasn't sure if that was stalker behaviour or supposed to be flattering. He did choose to go for the latter though as it seemed to be the best option to him, besides, it did make him feel better. He ran his hand through his hair with a smile and winked. Or tried to. ''You could have just asked.'' Like with anything, really. Jayson was such a people pleaser he'd probably drop his pants if she wanted him to. Luckily she didn't though, and it was probably for the best he didn't mention the anything part. ''And you're not putting your foot in your mouth.'' He assured her. Though if that fit it'd be slightly hot for some reason.

''Running is good.'' A nod was sent her way and he smiled as he slightly looked down at her, standing a teeny bit closer than normal. ''I run too.'' Well obviously he did. That body of his required lots of maintenance. ''We should run together some time.'' He offered with a wink. It'd be fun and they'd spend more time together. She needed a friend, right? He'd gladly fill that position. But then, why was he enjoying being around her this much? It made him do things he normally wouldn't..

Stop stuttering, really. Maybe she felt awkward talking about Rayne, or worse, about Rayne and Jayson. Why would she find that awkward though? Did Jen- did Jen like him and did she want to know because of that? Jay did have a small idea of where she wanted to go with her questions but had decided to play dumb for a bit, he had never thought however that she might have been wanting to ask because she wanted to swoop in. That was probably just wishful thinking though. ''We were not a couple.'' He sighed, maybe going a bit overboard with it and instantly regretting letting her see that, but what was done was done. ''We were good friends, and that was it.'''Sadly, he could have added as his smile dropped from his face. Maybe a bit too obvious also. ''We did go on a date once, but that didn't end well. And as far as we went,'' He hesitated. ''we never even kissed.''

''Perv? Me?'' He kind of understood why she would say that, but he did only mean it as a joke. Luckily she giggled to let him know she saw it as one too as she smelled it too, she took in a whiff and backed up out, sying she smelled like she played around with some playgirl boys. Which kind of baffled Jay. Playgirl was a thing? Really? He never would have guessed. But.. was she into it? Jay knew he couldn't compete with those guys. Wait, why did he want to compete for Jen? ''Smells familiar, that's all.'' He shrugged.

''And probably not, not right now at least.'' He tried teasing right back as she smiled at him. ''If you're hungry though we could always go for some food first. Up to you.''

''Oh and we do have secret rooms in this house.'' He teased with a nod.

[Jen Mitchellson]

Jen felt slightly nervous when he asked. Well, not he was going to think she was a nosy creep. Not that he would be that far off from the truth. But snooping was fun! And, honestly, who didn't do it when in a stranger's home? "For everyone." She corrected with a smile. And then he did the thing. You know what thing. That thing hot guys did. The smile and the hair and the wink and- oh curse him for doing the thing! She was doing so good with her playful friendly teasing and her totally platonic feelings. She laughed awkwardly next, though she barely paid any attention to what he was saying.

He mentioned going running together and she smiled. "Sure." She said, hitting him playfully with her hip, "If you can keep up." She was sure he would, but it was still fun to tease. It was curious how at peace she felt, particularly after such a nasty experience the day before. She figured what she needed was better friends. Curse Zoe and her competitiveness, although, if Jen was to be honest, she was just as competitive.

And then- Rayne. Why had she asked. Jen turned to him as he talked, eyes wide in surprise. They hadn't been a couple! It hadn't been a break up or a total abandonment. Still, she could sense, robotic as he was, that he felt regret for not having even... not even kissed her. "I could-" She started but stopped herself mid sentence. She was going to offer a kiss. Hell, what was wrong with her? She would've at any other moment in her life, being weak as she was, playful too and not minding at all making out with strangers. But she'd left that behind. She wanted this- whatever this was between Jayson and herself, the weird friendship she felt forming, to work and not be tainted by her stupidity. "I could lean an ear." She finished with a forced smile, "If you ever need to talk." Even if it was about perfect Rayne.

His joke had taken her by surprise, yet it was welcomed. She felt him loosening up around her and this was proof enough. "You're the one trying to peek down a girl's shirt." She replied with a smirk. Yes! He was a perv! The good kind though. "And of course it smells familiar!" She added, "It's YOUR soap. Or is it the scent of a girl you're talking about?" She giggled, liking teasing him, mostly because he didn't seemed to offend easily, yet got her jokes, which was a very rare combination in her experience.

She grinned as he followed her joke, proving her previous thought. "What? You'd take me out looking like this?" She stretched her arms out, as if showing off how ugly she looked. It wasn't that she was particularly unappealing, but for Jen's standards, who was usually poised and tried her best to, well, look her best, it was a real push. Especially since she had no make up and her hair was starting to dry out, getting puffy with the lack of blow dryer. "Are you sure about that, Jayson?" Her grin widened, "I can be pretty embarrassing if I try." Not that she would try. Jen cared about appearances, a left over of her father's demands, but if it meant having fun... well, who knew if she could lighten up and just act.

She chuckled at the last part, "Come on. You'll show me later." She said, pushing him slightly to get him out of the house. "I'll see all the sex dungeons and machinery, I promise. Right now I only want to go buy something and eat."

[Jayson Kline]

Oh, so not just for him. Well, made sense with her brother living in the same house. Which brought him to for some reason think of Caelum and how he'd apparently never told Jen about him. Not more than she knew anyway. Sure, he could have been a bit more talkative in the past when she came around, but the past was the past and he couldn't change that. Even if it would mean never dumping his parents. He shrugged internally, it was probably for the best he did.

But he digressed as he shot her the wink he did and she obviously felt something by it and he was sure it was something good, though only due to the sheer amount of people telling him he looked good. Only because of that was he able to even use his looks in a conversation, if he didn't know he would have simply stayed stationary in every conversation.

At the time he was sure he could keep up, but for some reason the teenager inside wanted him to be unable to keep up. He wondered why. ''I'm not sure.'' He answered because of it, index finger on his chin as he smiled at her. This was something he wanted to explore. He knew something was there, but was that the reason he was thinking like he did? Did the free-spirit Jayson turn out to be a horny guy or something? ''I think I'll be able to keep up easily.'' But somewhere deep down he knew he didn't want to, he wanted her to give him something to look at.

His mind flipped back to reality though as she asked about Rayne and what they were, how far they had gone. When he answered her though it earned him a reaction he was pretty confused about without the use of his 'she's into me-brain' and he didn't know how to respond. ''You could..'' He raised his hand slightly and made circular motions as he smiled, jokingly motioning for her to pick up thhe pace a bit. Could what? Tell him the grass was green? Teach him how to love? Press her hot body against him? Make hot chocolate? Wait. Something was off there.. she suddenly repeated her words and said she could lend an ear if he needed to talk, to which Jay just smiled. ''Appreciate it, Jen. But I'm done boring you for the time being.''If it did that to begin with.

The soap thing though.. was it that obvious he hadn't been around a girl for the longest time? Wait, why did his mind- ''You're right. It is my soap.'' It was only logical for him to want to smell it when it was on someone else. Yet he didn't smell it, or try to. Instead he had stupidly pulled on her shirt for some reason. And while she didn't tell him not to he did feel pretty stupid at the time. ''Not the scent of any girl.'' He told her. ''Your scent.''

..now why did he say that?

''And you can say what you want.'' Jay smirked as he followed her example and stretched out his own arms. ''With this next to you, who will even notice you?'' Also, while she did tease about being emberrassing she should have known by now Jay couldn't be emberrassed. Unless by what he said himself.

When she slightly pushed him towards the door he mentally opened it as he didn't want to hit it and stepped through, almost pulling Jen with him into the first bit of actual sun they'd seen that day.

''Better buy some sex stuff then. What do you like?''

..only him.. only him..

[Jen Mitchellson]

"Oh, is that so?" Jen laughed and nibbled on her lower lip as she smiled at him. So he thought he was a good at running as she was. "That sounded like a challenge, Jayson." She added, feeling pretty confident in herself. Come on, those muscles could only make him slower, besides she was far smaller, she could outrun him if she tried... she hoped.

She laughed at his hand motion. Oh, is that how he was going to play now. She nibbled on her lower lip as she swapped at his hand, grabbing it and pulling it down. "I could do many things, Jayson." She said with a wide smile, "I could beat you in a race, for once. I could eat a horse right now. I could blame you for my headache." She laughed again and then said what she'd wanted to say. Well, not exactly what she wanted, but more like what she had to. She shook her head at his answer. "You couldn't bore me with it." She answered back. "I kind of love drama." She looked down sadly. It wasn't that she grew bored... more that she was jealous. She wished someone would care like that for her, particularly someone as sweet as he was. Or had been so far. Rayne was a stupid woman.

Aaaand, now it was awkward. Jen blinked in surprise at him. Her scent? What? She smiled still, confused of what he'd meant by that. "You're so weird." She said after a moment of silence, figuring it was best to leave it at that. Whatever was happening between them, this... thing she felt, it just wasn't helping her care at all. She wanted to be alone. It was bad timing. Plus Caelum would... she wasn't sure what he would think. And excuses. So many excuses. Still, didn't keep her from flirting. "If you want a sniff all you need to do is ask." She shrugged as if it was no big deal, though she felt her cheeks flush slightly, "But only if you buy me breakfast first."

She rolled her eyes at his display of ego, laughing slightly. "Wow." She said, "And here i was starting to think you were a shy, serious guy who didn't know how hot he was." She looked at him up and down and then shook her head. Hey! He was displaying himself like that! It was almost an invitation. "I'm starting to think the seriousness is all a facade to fool innocent little girls like myself into trusting you." She chuckled at her own joke, "Is that what you are?" She added in a low voice, "A wolf in disguise?"

Jen was now kicking herself inwardly for having swore off men the day before she met this one. Any other time she would've jumped him. ANY other day. Now though? Now that arrogance had reminded her of the jerk who'd called her and it only made her resolution stronger. Didn't mean she had to stop flirting though, especially when he joked about sex. Her speciality.

"Why would I need anything?" She asked with a smirk, "You'll be there." And that would be all she needed. Not that she would go with it now, but it was still fun to tease others. She chuckled and turned from him, already walking down the street.

"Now... about keeping up." She added with a smile and with that, she sprinted away, running from him and laughing. "Can't catch me!" She yelled, not turning back, hoping he would be fun enough to play along.

[Jayson Kline]

Challenge? How did he challenge her? He just got done showering and she wanted him to run? Although that would also mean he'd get to see her run, and that would make it worth something. Maybe he'd use the opportunity to tackle her or something if it ever happened, which he kinda doubted at the moment. She just got done showering as well, nevermind the hangover they both had still. Jay wouldn't admit it, but he felt it too. Though maybe a run would be good in the sense of running the pain away. Yeah, that could work.

''Yeah, beat me in a race.'' He chuckled when he heard that. For some reason he doubted she could, but hey, it was a good thing to remain positive! He kept thinking about her running in front of him and he took to blaming his juvenile self once more, it seemed she was doing something to him he wasn't quite used to. Maybe he liked her? No, that couldn't be it, could it? He barely knew her! And yet he had been talking about those secret rooms in a sex sense with her.. why? She was doing something to him, he was sure of it. Maybe she had the ability to control emotions.

It occured to him then he hadn't asked about her power, but why would he? If she wanted to show him she'd show him, right? Right now he was pretty sure it was a mental power like his, but as she mentioned before that her power wasn't as useful as his he dismissed the possibility of it being telekinesis or any form thereof. So what could it be?

It was then she mentioned her scent and that if he wanted to smell he had only needed to ask. Something he'd definitely remember and would have to tease her with later on. ''I'll have to remember that.'' He replied with a wink as he opened the door for them as she pushed him out. He smirked as he turned around and found her talking once more, this time about the sex part of their conversation once more.

Only.. what she said this time didn't make him feel awkward, but giddy for some reason unknown to him. He shrugged it away though, maybe she was good at teasing and nothing else. Still, no one had ever made him feel this way, so.. giddy. He smiled as she said it and nodded. ''Yeah, but I might need a few tries to get back into shape.''

And then she ran, taunting him as she went ahead, telling him to catch her. No doubt to see if he could keep up. Jay held a hand against his forehead briefly and shook his head as he shifted on his feet and took off in a sprint of his own. He gained on her quite easily, but stayed behind her and waited for her to reach a good patch of grass before trying to actually catch her.

''Heeere's Jayson!'' He said with a smirk as he finally caught up and grabbed her in mid-run, turning himself around so that he'd be on the bottom when they hit the grass. ''Caught you.''

''I'll be cashing in that smell now.''

[Jen Mitchellson]

Jen chuckled, rolling her eyes, as he said he needed to get in shape. Oh, right. As if. "Oh come on!" She said, "Now you'll play the innocent card? Look at you!" She waved a hand at him, motioning up and down, "You probably fight off girls." Thing was she truly believed that. Smooth, quiet, deep guy with a brooding disposition and all handsome and hot? He HAD to be joking. She shook her head playfully, "No no, mister. You're not fooling me. You just want an excuse to keep me around." She winked at him, "I don't blame you." She also wasn't complaining. Ugh! Yes she was! Jen, come on! She turned away from him, still walking, letting out a breath. No more men. No more men. NO, BAD JEN!  

What else could she do in such a situation? Her cheeks were already getting pink and she was already flirting with him, not that he wasn't helping and replying right back. He was flirting back, right? He HAD to know what he was doing! He wasn't dumb, that much she could tell. What a contrast to what he'd been the night before. Maybe getting drunk with someone sort of opened the 'trust door'™ or something. Ha, she ought to get him drunk- Drink with him! Drink with him more often. With people. Like, in general. Crap, this was getting difficult. Far to difficult. AND Awkward. So she did whatever she did in such situations. She ran.

For a moment there she thought she was going to be okay, but then she slowed down suddenly. Crap. Not good. Her head suddenly started spinning and her stomach gurgled in demand of food. Had she even eaten anything the night before? And she'd gulped down like half a bottle of vodka? Well, in case she'd forgotten, mother nature surely felt the need to remind her of it.

"Oh- No no!" Jen was suddenly picked up and her world turned. "Wait!" Too late. He was already falling with her. For a moment there, she'd thought he'd tackled her and she was going to hurt herself. They fell and she closed her eyes tightly, feeling her stomach turn.

THUD.

And for a moment there she heard nothing, and felt nothing but the man under her. Under? Oh crap. He spoke to her ear and she shivered in response. Well, that wasn't good. Jen turned to look down at him, pushing her legs to the side while still keeping her torso on top of him. "Ass." She said with a wide smile leaning down so her face was hovering above his. "That was a really shitty thing to do to someone who's hung over." She still laughed though, letting her head fall on his neck to keep herself from feeling even dizzier. Mmm, he smelled...manly. His next words made her rise her head back up to look at him. He wanted to smell her now? Well, she'd sort of already did him, so why not pay him back. "Weirdo." She whispered and leaned down, stretching out her neck playfully to let him smell her. This had to be the weirdest thing she'd ever done with a guy, particularly one she would still claim she had only platonic feelings for. No feelings! At all. What? They just met! Sure, she'd gone far... further with other men way faster, but she'd already set her mind to- Oh God, he felt so good under her. And how long had it been since she laughed like she had that day? She was really starting to like- Uh oh.

Jen moved, suddenly pulling herself up and wanting to stand. This wasn't right. It wasn't right at all. Caelum! No more men! Excuses. Etcetera!

[Jayson Kline]

When they hit the ground and she was lying on topp of him he felt the urge to smile grow. Sure, it was his back hitting the ground and someone landing on top of him so he could now be called a pavement sandwich, but he still liked her being on top. Of him. Lying. After falling down. Because- He didn't know, or yet.. he did, did he? He'd been thinking about it- her and him, them even, more and more. More than he'd like to admit and would to anyone, certainly to her. But he'd asked to smell her, while she was on top of him no less! He was.. this was obvious a mistake, right? Not that he'd asked, but when he asked. She'd pick up on that, and figure out he was thinking about more than just smelling her wasn't she?

He knew she would. He fucked up. Hugely. She wasn't dumb, and apparently he had been by mentioning one of the dumbest things he could think of. But.. she told him he'd just had to ask and he'd get to smell, right? Stupid or not he did have a logical explanation, right? Or did he just.. use it to get closer to her? And literally catching her and landing with his back on the grass and her on top of him.. what movie were they in?

And why the fuck did Jayson turn into a horndog from time to time? He didn't even know he could be this way. But when he noticed he didn't ask the obvious, why didn't he do this with Rayne, or even ther more logical thing, how to stop it. No, he did nothing. He blatantly enjoyed it and for some reason beyond him he didn't even want to stop.

..she had mind bending powers or something. That could explain why he was doing this just now. The change in his speech.. he hadn't even noticed it but he wouldn't do that ever, not that fast no matter how close he got to someone in just one night.

''You're not the only one hungover.'' He said with a smile as she tried to scold him for doing what he did. Something he mentally did himself too. The happiest and saddest moment was when she got up though. Both the pressure of her body pushing down on him and watching her try to stand up was a very mixed moment, one he wasn't sure how to react to so he just kept lying there for the moment.

''Sorry about that, Jen.'' He said as he put his arms on the ground above him and popped up with ease, landing next to her. ''I don't know what has come over me.''

[Jen Mitchellson]

He was standing now and she took a step back, hugging herself and awkwardly smiling at him. He apologised. Crap. So he'd noticed it too, right? Jen sighed, looking away and smiling widely, even though she had no reason to do so. "Nah, it's fine." She said, though it wasn't really fine. She wasn't sure what he was apologising for either, whether was the fact that he'd pulled her and twisted her like he had or how he'd been acting all... odd. Well, it wasn't that odd, was it? It was normal, expected even.

The elastic girl resisted the urge to let out a breath and instead shrugged, still smiling. "As long as your headache is as bad as mine, I'll forgive any jump. I think that's punishment enough. Plus you're already buying breakfast so I shouldn't complain." She sent him another big smile, though it was a fake one, and nodding at the road. "Shall we?"

She started moving away, keeping silent now, arms still crossed. She wondered why that always happened. Last night he'd been so nice and gentle and caring. Now he was acting like- she nibbled on her lower lip. Like he liked her. LIKED her liked her. Which made no sense. And while she liked being liked, she didn't like being liked liked. She shook her head then. Even her thoughts weren't making any sense. It was so confusing! Okay, explain yourself brain.

Fine, so she liked being attractive, she liked having people want her that way, she loved attention and being admired and all that crap insecure people who hate themselves do. Sure, she could admit that. But she also would've loved... not having that. Not for her appearance, not for what people could gain from her, but just... just her. Just someone liking spending time with her because she was Jen. Not because of her breasts or her eyes or hair or whatever other stupid compliment she'd gotten from men before. She didn't want to be called sexy, or pretty, or attractive even. She wanted to be smart Jen, or funny Jen or talented Jen. That girl I love talking to, Jen. And she'd thought... she'd really thought he was like that. And maybe he truly was, maybe this was just him reacting to her teasing and flirting and, while she'd been meaning it all as innocent, playful teasing, maybe he wasn't getting it that way. And OKAY! Maybe it hadn't been all innocent and she'd sort of liked him that way (Look at him!) but she didn't want to. Oh, she so made no sense, right?

Ugh. This was all her fault. This was her own doing for being such an easy idiot all the time, to the point when she didn't even know how to behave anymore. And that was exactly what was happening now. How could she be around someone without teasing or flirting or making sex jokes or being sarcastic when that was all she usually was? So difficult. Still, he'd been nice to her and she already liked him and liked being around him and joke with him. Just be nice, Jen.

"So." She started again, after being silent for a while, "Where're we going?"

[Jayson Kline]

A few seconds passed after he had apologised and his mind began to think stuff already. Perhaps she was coming to think that whatever she was doing worked, but had gone a bit too far and that was why he was acting like.. not himself. Or maybe she wasn't doing anything and he genuinly liked her, doing things he normally wouldn't, not that she'd know that what he did was an oddity for him, she could have just been picking up on the liking part.

When she said it was fine he shrugged slightly. She could say so, but he was smart enough to know that it wasn't, that she wasn't. Jay? He was okay, it didn't hurt him, or so he would like to be able to say though he'd be lying if he did. He wasn't okay. Why was she acting this way at him doing that? It worked in the movies, wasn't she supposed to like, kiss him or something? Wait. Did he want her to kiss him? That was miles removed from his usual scene. At that moment he came to confirm for himself that, yes, she was controlling him. But even if she was, why did she shy away? Feelings?

She was doing that thing awkward people did when not wanting to hurt someone, covering up that you're not okay with a fake smile. She did so by focusing and the headache she knew he had, the breakfast he was going to buy her as she threw him a big, but assumed fake smile. He still wondered what exactly he did.. she had told him that what he did was shitty, and he understood that clearly but she didn't move as she said it. ''I wouldn't know.'' He finally responded. ''I have no idea how much of a headache you have.''

A silent minute passed as Jen started moving down the road, leaving Jay to follow her, yet he was the one buying her. Was she being bold enough to want to tell him where they would be spending his money? Still, the silence was deafening, as much of a cliché that was. He wondered what she was thinking at that time. Probably something about wanting to release him from the spell or something. ..was it that that was making him want to spend money on her?

''I have no idea.'' He finally replied. ''You mentioned starving,'' Though she wasn't in Africa. ''So I'm leaving this up to you. Clothes or food. Which one should we do first?''

[Jen Mitchellson]

"Enough to murder someone if I don't get some liquid and food in me quick." She said with a smirk, trying to explain her headache. It really felt as if all the alcohol she drank the night before had somehow materialised inside her forehead. But she was trying not to pay attention to that. What she was paying attention to though was Jay's sudden change. What was going on? She really couldn't read him and that was driving her crazy. Was he mad? Happy? Confused? Inquisitive? Hot? Wait- that last one he was, but that had nothing to do with his mood. But he'd been so cold the night before, at first at least, and then he'd been sweet and kind and- he'd carried her upstairs, hadn't he? And this morning he'd been charming and fun and now he was back to serious and cold again. Make up your mind, man. She almost rolled her eyes. She'd never hung out with Jay before, barely nodding his way whenever she saw him before and from the way he'd asked who she was the night before, the sentiment had been mutual. And now, in a matter of hours, she felt close to him for some wacky reason. That wacky reason of course being alcohol. But if that'd been all there was to it, then why was she here now? Walking down the street to who knows where to eat with him? It couldn't be the free meal.

Wait. Where were they going again?

"Well, as I see it, we have two options." She said with a playful smile, finally stepping closer. "Either we go to straight to eat something, because I'm super hungry and forget the clothes because people would already see me with house clothes and messy hair, so what's the point? Or we suck the hunger up, go buy me some pretty clothes and take our sweet time eating while I look gorgeous." She gave a slight shrug, "We could make a date out of it." She added in a playful tone and then inwardly winced and bit on her lower lip nervously, staring at him. She just couldn't stop! "Or not." She said after a moment, in a more panicky voice. "I mean, whatever."

She hugged herself again, looking down the road, just to avoid any stares or whatever he would give her at that moment. Why couldn't she stop? It was like she was programmed to flirt with anything with a penis. You know what? All she needed was a friend. That's right. A male friend, someone she could be around and not think sexy things about and- come on, why did everyone at Hammel looked like a freaking Calvin Klein model? She bit on her lower lip again as she turned to model number one. Having friends was SO hard.

"Let's grab the clothes." She said finally and suddenly and then shrugged, smiling again, trying to pretend it wasn't a big deal. She just wanted to spend more time with him. Because they were friends. Sorta. Pshh, yeah! Friends. "Maybe I can get a cute dress that's totally inappropriate for the weather." She would too, just for kicks.

[Jayson Kline]

Her headache was quite bad, assuming it really was anything like she'd described it as. Perhaps Jay should make sure someone else was in between them, just to be safe. Because getting food and liquid in her didn't seem like an option yet as she mentioned the options that had been offered up and took the last one, the clothing one. It was odd, but as illogical as he found it he was also glad she picked the clothing option. He'd get to spend more time with her in a store with nothing but what he figured was catnip for women, she'd show him clothes while she was wearing them and he'd get to admire every form she possessed. Her eyes, her nose, her lips, her chest, her- wait. The hell?

No, no, Jay wouldn't give in to his thoughts and began thinking of something else the minute he realized what he was thinking about. He looked around as if confused and finally smiled at her. ''You should work on your decision making.'' He suggested. ''Did anyone ever tell you that?'' Though he wasn't entirely sure she should be working on that side of her as it did give him something off topic to think about in times of need, even if he'd never figure it out. And as he thought about it with a shrug it hit him like a brick.

Date? Clothes? Breakfast? He was taking her, wasn't he? She had slept over and now, even with the headache she described, she wanted refrain from getting a drink and food in her for a while longer just to go out shopping for clothes with him, which she'd then wear while they were eating? Even a blind man would see a clear motive here. ''Let's.'' He offered with a smile as he freaked out inside. Oh god what was she doing? Wait, wasn't this what he wanted? Fuck no it wasn't! Was it? He was confused and blamed the hangover.

[Jen Mitchellson]

Jen laughed. Oh, she needed help, alright. "You have NO idea." She said with a smirk. Hell, if he knew what was going through her head right about then. She had no idea what she wanted in... anything really. She'd made up her mind about what she wanted to study, that was all she had, any other aspect of her life was just void of everything, love life included. Every choice meant a compromise and she just hated that, hated the stability of it all, the fact that it felt she couldn't change her mind once a decision was made. Mitchellsons never quit. She could almost hear her father's voice say that every time she thought of the phrase. Oh no, Mitchellsons never quit, but they also never quite took into consideration those who would get mixed up in the confusion. Now, of course, that person was Jay with Jen's inability to decide what she wanted. Well, there was ONE thing Jen knew she wanted: she wanted to have fun.

"Come on, big boy. The faster we get to a store, the faster we can go eat." And she knew exactly what she wanted to buy. Jen walked up to him and grabbed his hand, pulling him so he would walk faster. "If you don't hurry I won't let you pay for my breakfast." She added with a smile, obviously joking. Ha, she wasn't about to spend so much in a dress to have it go wasted by NOT getting a free meal out of a guy, innocent as this outing was supposed to be.

She knew exactly where she wanted to go first. A tiny, cheap vintage store with cute clothes and moderate prices, just a few blocks away from Caelum's house. Okay, so maybe it wasn't exactly where she wanted to go per se, if it were her, she would be picking clothes at a high end store, but thanks to her dad, she barely had enough money as it was. Thankfully, she'd lied enough to her father before about the cost of expenses, so she had enough for a treat now and then, with enough saving. And here she was.

"Perfect." She said as soon as she saw the store, running down the street once more and turning to Jay with a bright smile. "Isn't this quaint?" She exclaimed, extending her arms out proudly, as if the store was hers. Well, it was in a way. It was her discovery. She bit on her lower lip, still grinning excitedly and turned to enter the shop, hoping Jay would catch up.

"So, what should I get?" She asked, even though she already knew what she wanted. It was sort of a test, she figured. Jen walked up to the sunglasses and picked a pair, putting them on and turning to Jay with mocked pouty lips. "How do I look?" She asked as she posed. Maybe the morning could still turn out to be more fun than awkward, if she ignored the mess that was her head at the moment. Oh, how she hoped it would.

[Jayson Kline]

A moment passed as they walked in semi-silence; they did say the necessary things but otherwise everything they said, or at least what Jay said, had a hint of complete awkwardness even if he didn't show it. This feeling.. he tried coping with it but the things it made him do.. he had no idea what to expect. He hadn't felt like this before, but thankfully he was a god when it came to not showing anything. Though that one was as much a blessing as it was a curse.

How had he gone from drinking with this girl to caring for her, genuinely caring as he did Rayne? It had taken him years to get that far with her though, and with Jen.. How he wished he had some cold water around so he could dowse his face with it. Did he want to get back at Caelum for all those jokes? No, he wouldn't be that cruel, he never ruined anyone and wasn't about to start with her. Not when she was showing tiny hints of.. whatever, at least they were friends! Not like he wanted more, right?

And then she took his hand and pulled him along, sadly confirming for him that he did want more, that friendship wasn't enough. But.. he'd only known her for a few hours, consciously at least, so how could he know what he wanted? Maybe he wasn't as obvious as he once thought, and the fact he thought every option through didn't help much either.'''You'll let me pay?'' He asked. ''You're a weird one, Jen.'' He told her, all confused and everything else she would induce.

''Not quaint, a store.'' He corrected her. The store wasn't called 'quaint' either, so what was quaint? Was it a store she normally wouldn't go? ''You do know what quaint means, don't you?'' A brow was raised in her direction as Jay ran his hand through his hair. ''Do I have something in my hair?'' He asked suddenly, grinning at her, exposing his teeth. ''Do I have something between my teeth? Is that the quaint thing?''

He almost made a joke.

Following her inside the store he found her with sunglasses on, and that was not what she came here for. He did assume, however, that it was just for fun. Not what he would do, but women, you know? ''Like Jen with sunglasses.'' He replied. ''I miss your eyes.''

[Jen Mitchellson]

Jen grinned at him. "Oh, you're just figuring that out?" She asked, pleased that he called her weird. Was she? Wasn't it a common thing to do? Maybe it was him who hadn't met many girls. Pff, right. As if he didn't have girls throwing themselves at him. Ah, how she wished she'd met Jay under different circumstances. It would've been great flirting with him, or at least be able to make out with him guilt free.

He made fun of her use of the word 'quaint'. "Well, I think it's pretty and weird." She said before sticking her tongue out at him. Not the smartest of replies, but she wanted to get inside as soon as possible."Not unlike your hair and teeth." He'd done it again, the running his hand through his hair and smiling. Ugh, sometimes she swore men knew exactly what they were doing. But that couldn't be it. Jayson didn't see her like that, right? She shook her head, turning her attention elsewhere. Oh yes, clothes! She almost felt hearts coming out of her as she approached the sun glasses.

She lowered them as he replied and rose an eyebrow, "You need some better tactics, Jayson. This is the moment you tell me I look pretty." The bit about missing her eyes made her smile shyly. Okay, that was a good line. It made her remove the glasses and place them back in their place. "Maybe glasses aren't your thing." She said with a smile, "It's fine, we'll find your thing. Come on, what do you like?"

Jen moved away and looked around the store, grabbing a random huge hat and put it on. She posed again, flickering her eyelashes. "How about a hat? Am I pretty now?" It at least covered her mess of a hair, right? But this wasn't even about that. This was about having fun, messing with him, teasing. She knew what he'd like, but she wasn't about to try on swim suits or anything similar for him. Not after that awkward moment they shared. "Did Rayne wear hats?" She wondered before she could stop herself. For some reason, she didn't want to do anything that Rayne would do. It was just so... ugh. She wanted to be, well, be weird, like he'd called her. Weird was good, right?