When the Night Falls

JASMINE

A knock at the door made me jump up in bed.

“Jasmine?” Iris said from the other side before she barged in.

She seemed confused and shocked that I was still in bed.

“Why aren’t you up?” she hissed.

“What time even is it right now?”

I checked the time on my phone. It was already 6 AM.

“Sh it,” I said, launching out of bed. “I must have missed

my alarm.”

Frantically, I started getting dressed. I threw on a pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt.

“You have a packed schedule today,” Iris said as I brushed my teeth and brushed my hair. “You’re going to meet Sherry.”

“Who’s Sherry?”

“Your b*dyguard.”

“My b*dyguard?”

“Yes,” Iris looked me up and down judgmentally, evidently displeased with my casual choice of clothing. “She’s there to make sure you and Thea are safe at all times.”

“Alright,” I said, putting my shoes on, “I’m ready.”

“You know, Jasmine,” Iris said. “We usually expect the staff to wear formal wear during the work day.”

I blinked. Formal wear? How was I supposed to play with Thea in a pencil skirt and heels? “I just thought this was more appropriate for childcare,” I explained. “Easy to move in and play

“Hm,” she groaned and walked out, expecting me to follow her.

In the kitchen, Thea was already up. She was sitting in the breakfast nook, chatting away with a

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brunette curly-haired woman. She had a strong but gentle expression.

“Jasmine!” Thea squealed when she spotted me coming in.

“Hi, sweet girl.” I waved at her.

“Jasmine,” Iris’ cold voice cut through the joy. “This is Sherry.

Sherry stood up and shook. my hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said. “Thea was just telling me all about you and last night.”

“Ah, yes.” I replied. “We got caught by Mr. Jefferson.”

I winked at Thea.

“Right, well,” Iris interrupted, “I shall leave you to it.”

She stomped out of the room, her high heels clicking on the marble floors.

“Can I tell you a secret.” Thea whispered when Iris was no longer in earshot.

“What is it?” I sat down next to Thea and Sherry.

“I don’t like Iris,” Thea said, starting to giggle.

“No one likes Iris,” laughed Sherry.

It already felt like we were a team. Us against Iris and her unpleasant attitude and judgemental glares.

“I am so glad that you’re here with us,” Sherry said. “We’ve had a lot of different nannies come through. But you feel different. For a start, Thea likes you. She has not liked any of the others.”

“Not a single one,” Thea said, shaking her head.

There was a warmth and genuineness in Sherry’s eyes.

“Should I make us some breakfast?” I suggested.

“Yes,” Sherry said. “I heard you were a chef.”

“What do you want?” I looked at both of them.

“Pancakes!” screamed Thea.

“Blueberry?” I asked.

“And chocolate chip,” added Thea.

“And chocolate chip?”

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“Yes,” Then laughed.

Rummaging through the kitchen I gathered the ingredients. Then and Sherry watched as 1 mized everything together and began frying each pancake.

“Do you want to see me fl*p 17”

Then cheered as the pancake flew through the air and landed on the plate in my left hand

“Now you eat that quickly,” Sherry said, “Your father will be very upset if you’re late to school on your first day back.”

My heart dropped into my stomach. I had totally forgotten about Theodore and my S** dream from the night before. Even just the mention of his name ignited a fire inside me.

“Where is Mr. Jefferson my way?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

“At work.” Thea answered. “He’s always at work.”

I spotted a hint of sadness behind her eyes,

“He’ll be back tonight, though,” Sherry jumped in, trying to bring up Thea’s spirits.

Of course, I knew he would be back tonight, but hearing those words said out loud sent a shiver down my spine.

When I returned home from groceryfe

driveway.

Theodore was home.

I dreaded having to see him again.

with Sherry, Mr. Jellerson’s car was in the

Could I hide my true feelings for him? Would he look into my eyes and immediately know the thoughts I had been having about him? That I had pictured him n*ked?

I took a deep breath before going into the living room, where I could hear two voices, Thea’s and Theodore’s. I was surprised to find them sitting together. Then was showing him a drawing she had made. I walted, hidden, wanting to watch his response before they noticed I was there.

“Excellent,” he said, examining her art. “I love this one. Should we start a gallery? You can draw as many as you’d like.”

The door creaked open, revealing my hiding place.

“Jasmine,” Theodore stood up.

“Welcome home.” Then said, smiling car to car.

Chapter 6 of 30 Chapter 6

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“Grocery shopping?” Theodore pointed at the bags still in my hands.

“Yes,” I said. “I should put these away.”

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Much to my surprise, Theodore followed me in the kitchen. He made himself a cup of tea as I

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put away the groceries.

“A bit of caffeine?” I asked.

“Yes,” he replied. “Didn’t sleep very well last night, um- strange dreams.”

Our eyes met for a second. Could it be possible that we had the same dream? Was he also lying late at night thinking about me?

“So,” I changed the subject, “I overheard you and Thea talking back there.”

He pretended to ignore me.

“It sounded familiar,” I pried. “A lot like my suggestions the other night, about how to get closer to Thea.”

Before I knew it, Theodore was next to me, our bodies pressed against one another. He pulled me closer to him. His eyes lingered on my l*ps, like he was wondering what it would feel like to k*ss me. I wanted him to k*ss me so badly, just like in the dream.

It felt so odd being around Theodore. There was a magnetic force pulling us together. It was borderline impossible to pull away.

“You were in my dream last night,” he admitted.

I was mesmerized by his l*ps, now inches away from mine. They were so close I could almost feel them.