Do You Know Me?
by angellwings
"It's just the strangest thing. I've seen your face somewhere. An early evening dream, a past life love affair. Do you know me at all?" –John Mayer, "Do You Know Me?"
Jason was desperately trying not to stare. Someone was going to notice. This girl wasn't even performing. She was just standing in the wings. He felt someone smack his arm and he turned his head sharply. Nate glared at him and motioned for him to pay attention to the act that was currently on stage. Jason shifted uncomfortably and really tried to watch the group that was performing. He should have been interested. They were jumping on trampolines after all, and Jason really liked trampolines.
But the girl in the leopard print top still had his attention. She looked so familiar. Did he know her? He felt like he did. He'd definitely seen her before. He hadn't even realized most of the show had passed until his Uncle Brown was back on stage.
"It's officially the end of Final Jam."
Brown sent himself, Shane, and Nate to the back of the auditorium to decide who should win Final Jam. Once they were there a sudden loud sound blared out of the speakers and Jason looked to Nate or Shane to see if they knew what was going on. They looked just as confused as him. And then suddenly…music started.
Jason's eyes were drawn to the corner of the stage. There she was. The girl in the leopard print top. She was playing the keyboards. Her curly hair bounced as she bopped along with the music and he smiled at the sight of her. She was smiling brightly and had her eyes closed as her curls whipped around her face. She was very beautiful, and very talented. Why did he feel like he knew her? He didn't know her name, but he could tell she was a very stubborn, colorful, and passionate person. How did he know all of that from just a few stares?
A girl started to sing, but Jason wasn't really listening until Shane spoke up.
"That's the song!"
Nate looked over at him. "So that must be the girl?"
"Ya think?" Jason asked his youngest brother sarcastically. He quickly returned his attention to the girl at the keyboards. He was sure Shane's girlfriend was very good, but he was more interested in her accompanist.
At some point Shane had joined the girl that was singing, and then the song ended. And the girl in the leopard print top went backstage. Jason sighed. Shane rejoined them with a large goofy smile a few seconds later and then they all finally discussed who would win. They'd all agreed that Margaret Dupree had been the best. They'd announced it and then it was time for the last song.
Jason spent most of it glaring jealously at Nate. Jason had ended up on the other end of the stage from the girl he'd been watching all night long. But Nate…Nate had ended up standing beside of her. Jason had even seen them singing to each other at one point. Jason decided he didn't like jealousy. It wasn't a pleasant emotion, and why was he jealous anyway? He'd never met this girl.
The song ended and Jason followed her off stage. Which ever side she took was the side he took. He purposefully bumped her lightly. She stumbled forward and he reached out and steadied her shoulders.
"Sorry!" Jason exclaimed as he steadied her from behind. She turned on him with a fierce glare.
"Watch where you're going! Geez, I mean I know you're famous and everything but you can't just mow people over like that!"
"It was an accident, I swear!" He lied.
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, just don't do it again, okay?"
"I—I won't," He said with a goofy smile. She was everything he'd suspected she'd be. "I'm Jason."
She smirked and gave him a bored look. She chuckled and shook her head. "I know. Everyone knows."
He winced. "Right, sorry. Sometimes I forget."
She smiled at him and nodded. "That's okay. It was kind of cute, actually." She reached out and shook his hand. "I'm Caitlyn."
Everything about her seemed familiar, and now that he knew her name that seemed familiar too. He gulped and took a deep breath. "I—um, do you know me at all?"
"Dude," she said with an amused smile. "We just went over this. You're Jason Gray. Of course, I know who you are."
"No, no. I mean…do you know me at all? Not who I am or what I do, but…me. Do I seem familiar to you?" Jason asked again.
Her brow furrowed and she bit her bottom lip. "Oh God, did we meet when you were actually a camper? Because when you were here I was a total Tess clone. I apologize for anything I may have done or said to you."
He chuckled and shook his head. "No, I don't think we met back then. I just mean…I feel like I know you, somehow. And I wanted to know if it was the same for you, but I guess not."
"Oh, um, okay," She said awkwardly. "I, um, I don't think so. I mean, all I know of you is what all the girls here seem to repeat over and over again. I'm…gonna go. Don't wanna be late for the after party. Especially since I helped prepare most of the food. Bye, Rock star!"
He watched her go for a few minutes before he jogged and caught up with her. "I'm sorry. Did I…make things weird? Nate says I do that some times. I don't mean to…I just say what I think or feel. Not everyone does that, I guess."
She smiled softly at that. "No, not everyone does that. Especially with people they've just met."
"Right," Jason said with a nod. "I'll have to remember that."
She laughed and shook her head. "You're weird, but kind of adorable."
He blushed and ducked his head. "Um, thanks."
"No problem," She told him with a bright smile.
"So, um, are you going to be at this party with anyone in particular?" He asked hesitantly.
"What do you mean?" She asked him.
"Well, um, at my last Final Jam after party I 'went' with Janet Matthews. You know?"
She grinned at him. "Are you asking me if I have a date?"
"Yes, that's…that's what I'm asking. Do you have a date?" He asked with a nervous gulp.
"No," She told him pleasantly. "No date. Most boys find me intimidating."
"I don't find you intimidating," He told her. "I mean, I'm nervous, but not cause you're intimidating. I'm nervous simply because I—nevermind. Um, so if you don't have a date…would you like one?"
She smiled and then laughed. "You want me to be your date?"
"Actually, I want to be your date, but we can go with yours if you want," Jason said quickly as he bit his bottom lip.
She blushed and nodded. "Okay. Okay, you can be my date."
"Awesome! Thank you!" He said excitedly. He gave her an impulsive crushing hug. Her face flushed a deeper red as he released her.
"You're welcome," She said quietly.
They walked into the Mess Hall and Jason immediately dragged her over to his brothers. "Guys, this is Caitlyn—"
Shane laughed. "Yeah, man, I know. I've been teaching her dance class all summer."
"Oh, right," Jason said in a disappointed tone.
"You may have been teaching it, Shane, but that doesn't mean you taught it well," Caitlyn said with a smirk. Shane glared at her as she patted Jason's arm and smiled reassuringly at him. "But I haven't technically met Nate yet."
He immediately brightened. "Right! Nate, this is Caitlyn! Caitlyn that's my brother Nate!"
Caitlyn chuckled at his enthusiasm and then shook Nate's hand. "Hi."
Nate nodded. "You sang next to me on stage tonight, right?"
She nodded. "That was me."
He gave her half of a grin. "You're good."
"Thanks," She said. "You too." Caitlyn turned to Shane. "Where's Mitchie?"
"Helping her mom in the kitchen with something. She said she'd be right back out."
"Hey, Shane?" Jason suddenly asked in a thoughtful tone.
"Yeah, bro?"
"Did you ever make me a birdhouse?"
"What? Why would I make you birdhouse?" Shane asked in confusion.
"Because I asked you to?" Jason reminded him.
"Oh, no. Sorry, man. Didn't have time."
Jason sighed. "Fine, I guess I'll make one myself."
Jason looked over at Caitlyn to find her spacing out with wide eyes. Finally she turned to face him, and spoke up hesitantly, "You asked Shane to make you a birdhouse?"
"Yeah, I like birds. I thought it might be cool to have a birdhouse, you know? Maybe they'd come visit more often if they had a place to stay," He told her with a smile. "Why?"
She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the door. "I want to show you something."
"Um, okay," He said with a furrowed brow as he followed behind her. "What is it?"
"You'll see," She said.
He kept quiet until they were quite a distance away from the Mess Hall. He squinted at the cabin that Caitlyn seemed to be dragging him toward. He could barely make out the sign over the door. "Why are we going to the arts and crafts cabin? Are we gonna make a birdhouse? Right now? Cause we don't have to do that. I mean I can make one when I get home."
She shook her head and laughed nervously. "You know, how you said you thought you knew me? That something about me was familiar?"
He blushed. "Yeah."
"You know how I was kind of weirded out by that?"
"Yeah," He said expectantly.
"Well, now it might be your turn to be weirded out."
She opened the door to the cabin and then turned on the light. There were several sets of large shelves in the back where people would put their current projects either to dry or for safe keeping. Caitlyn let go of his hand, and he huffed a little at the loss of contact. The corners of her mouth turned upward slightly as the huff hit her ears, and she turned to give him a curious look. "You really like holding my hand that much?"
He blushed yet again, and then nodded. "You have calluses like mine. I haven't met many girls with calluses on their hands."
Her brow furrowed. "You like my calluses?"
He smiled softly. "You got them playing guitar, right?"
She nodded.
"Then, yes, I like them a lot."
She stood there smiling brightly at him for several moments before she shook herself and then turned to the shelf behind her. She pulled down first one birdhouse, then another, and another. They were all finished. Two of them were painted and one looked rather plain. The two that were painted were painted in bright neon colors. She cleared her throat before she spoke.
"Now, I'm not normally an arts and crafts kind of girl, but for some reason over the last couple of weeks…since the Beach Jam, I guess. I've been in the mood to make birdhouses. I really have no idea why. I just…wanted to. I don't know what I was planning on doing with them, but I built three. I wanted to paint all three of them, but I ran out of time on the last one. Would you like one of these? I really don't need one let alone three."
He blinked at her. "You made these? Why?"
She shrugged and bit her bottom lip. "I don't know why. Something in me just wanted to. You know? My brain kept telling me they would eventually come in handy so I just went with it. Only after I made one, I couldn't seem to stop making them. It's not even that I thought it was fun…I just felt like I had to for some reason. Like someone out there would need them. Weird, right?"
Jason shook his head. "I don't think so. I think it's really cool actually. It's like you knew I wanted one."
"But how did I know that?" Caitlyn asked. "It's strange."
"Maybe I am familiar, and you just don't consciously know it," Jason suggested with a grin. "Kind of like that song from Sleeping Beauty…what was it?"
Caitlyn chuckled and smiled warmly at him. "Once Upon a Dream?"
"That's the one! It's like that! Only better because this is real life."
She sighed. "I don't normally believe in that stuff…"
"You don't?"
She shook her head. "No, but…when you talk about it I actually kind of buy it."
He smiled at her and then looked down at his hands nervously. "Do you buy it enough to go on an actual date with me?"
She smiled softly at him. "Only if you help me paint this last birdhouse."
He nodded eagerly and grinned victoriously. "Deal!"
She pulled out the paint brushes and the paints and divided them up between them. When she handed him his brush her hand lightly touched his. His hand lingered on hers for a moment longer than it really should have. He smiled brightly at her before he pulled it away.
"Thanks," He said as he gave her a side long glance. "Caity."
She smiled slowly at the nickname and nodded. "You're welcome, Jase."
