Chapter 37
Jasper Pov
It was very late by the time Jasper and and Emile made it to his tent, and noticed right away that Monty wasn't there. Sometimes he fell asleep in the tent he worked in, so Jasper didn't really think much about it. When this happened, he would usually go in and wake him up so that he could come lay down where it was more comfortable, knowing that if he didn't then Monty would complain about how sore his back and neck were the very next day. But, selfishly, he didn't want to. He wanted the tent to himself – well, himself and Emile.
Jasper walked over to where his blanket had been before and laid it back down along with his pillow, then turned back to face Emile where she still stood by the entrance of the tent.
She looked at him with a shy smile and he could see the heat rising in her cheeks, making him want to scoop her up in a tight hug.
"You said that you shared this tent with Monty?" she asked, looking over at the empty bed.
They had talked for so long in the Dropship before she had been cleared by Clarke to leave, that he thought he must have told her every single detail of what happened at camp as well as outside of camp before she had joined them.
Truth be told, he probably made himself out to be a bit more of a hero than was actually true - but he didn't really lie to her about anything.
"Yeah, he's probably in the tent a few down from this one, working on what ever project Bellamy gave him and Raven. He might not be back until morning," Jasper looked at the empty spot on the ground with a frown. "If you want, you can take his spot for tonight – Or, you could sleep with me – uh, well, you know what I mean – it might be a bit warmer. It gets cold down here at night."
He wanted to kick himself.
Emile's smile grew wider and wider as he spoke.
"I'll sleep with you – well, you know what I mean," she giggled, walking over to his bed and plopping down on her back with her hands above her head, smiling up at him.
That was it.
He was in love.
Jasper smiled back, kicking his shoes off as she did the same, letting them fall to the floor.
Usually, he would go without his shirt and pants and just sleep in his underwear, but that was when it was only him and Monty, and neither one of them really cared about how they looked when it was just the two of them. But, with Emile sleeping beside him, and Monty nowhere in sight, he had a feeling that she would be a little alarmed if he all of a sudden starting undressing in front of her.
He climbed into bed beside her after turning off the nightlight that Monty had made for their tent. The belt holding up his jeans was digging into his skin uncomfortably and he decided that he would just slip it out of the loops discretely once Emile had fallen asleep.
It was so quiet outside. Most of the kids in camp went to bed as soon as it got dark out, having to get up early to help run the camp, but some times a few would hang around the fire watching as it burned down to nothing but glowing embers. Mostly, this consisted of Bellamy, Raven, Finn, James and himself.
But, not tonight.
There was not a single noise outside but for the distant sounds of animals in the woods and the chirp of crickets, mixed with the sound of Emile's soft breathing beside him.
A feeling of peace washed over him, then – something that he hadn't felt since coming down here, always having to be on alert, knowing how many things – and people- wanted them dead.
But, knowing that he made someone who had been through so much, feel safe and secure made him feel braver than he had before. It made him feel important and needed and he knew that he would protect this girl with all he had in him.
Emile turned on her side, slowly inching a leg over his as he had done in the Dropship and placing a hand on his chest, absentmindedly playing with the fabric of his shirt.
She sighed and nuzzled her head in the crook of his neck when she knew that he wouldn't push her away, and he could feel her hot breath tickling the sensitive skin there.
He felt goosebumps pricking his arms and legs and didn't think that he was going to be able to fall asleep again if she kept distracting him like this.
He could sense her eyes looking up at him as she kept playing with his shirt.
"Jasper?" she whispered.
"Hmm?" he tried to look down at her, but it was much too dark in the tent now to make out her features.
"I can't fall asleep. I've sleep for hours already."
He smiled to himself, and rolled onto his side, just barley able to make out her silhouette.
As soon as he turned, he felt her put a soft, warm hand on his cheek and he closed his eyes at the warmth this sent through him. Her thumb brushed over his cheek, grazing his lips and he sucked in a breath of air, completely frozen in place.
"Jasper?" his name was whispered even quieter that time and he wished that he could see her expression. "Can I kiss you?"
His mouth nearly fell open at that. He suddenly couldn't move, speak, or breath.
Not waiting for him to answer, she slowly leaned in and pressed her lips gently to his.
He was so shocked that he didn't react for a moment. They had barely known each other – while she had been conscious at least – for more than forty-eight hours.
Sure, they had grown up with each other on the Ark, but they never once spoke, only giving one another passing glaces in the halls. And, yet, in the short amount of time they had spent with each other, he felt closer to her then he had to anyone other than Monty.
After a beat, he started kissing her back and instantly felt her body relax, which had stiffened as soon as she had kissed him and guessed that she had thought she would get rejected.
Emile was propped up on top of him with the leg that was slung over both of his now on one side of his legs and her other on the other side, forcing him back onto his back, both of her hands tunneling in his messy hair as she rested her elbows on either side of his head.
He only gave himself a moment to wonder what had come over her, before pushing the thought out of his mind.
He reached up with both hands, cradling her head and positioning it in a way so that he could deepen the kiss.
She moaned into his mouth, and the kiss became more passionate, both of them trying to get closer to the other.
He pressed a palm to the small of her back and her arms collapsed out from under her, no longer holding her weight.
Jasper broke the kiss, breathing heavily, his eyes now adjusting to the dark and he could make out the shocked expression on Emile's face at what she just did.
"I-I'm sorry," she gasped out.
"No, don't be," he gave her a sly smile. "I'm not."
She made a noise somewhere between a gasp and a laugh, letting her head fall on his shoulder.
"But, down here, in a camp full of criminals, it's really not a good idea to be throwing yourself at strangers like that."
That made her laugh, and she hit him lightly on the shoulder, before wrapping her arms tightly around him, not making a move to leave her position on top of him.
Jasper wrapped his arms around her as well, kissing her on the cheek. He could feel her heart pounding in her chest, matching the furious tempo of his own.
"Just because you took some extra food doesn't make you a criminal, so you don't count," she mumbled into the crook her his neck.
The reason why he had been sent to the Skybox was another thing that he had told her when they had been alone in the Dropship.
"Oh, good, then you can throw yourself at me anytime to want," he said sweetly, rolling them to the side to a more comfortable position.
Emile giggled, a sound that he loved and tried to get out of her as often as he could.
"Don't get cocky, or I'll have to throw myself at Monty instead. He also only took a bit of food, so he doesn't count as a criminal to me either," she said with fake indifference.
"Then, I shall have to duel him," he announced in a terrible medieval accent.
At this point, it really wasn't worth trying to pretend that he was cooler than he actually was.
She shook her head, and he could feel her smile against his neck as she placed a small kiss on the exposed skin.