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V. Predestination
She opened the door rather aggressively, bustling forward with the intent of marching herself to school. Jared was standing expectantly, and she nearly stormed right into his chest, stepping back with confusion as she came to terms with his presence and the sense of ease it brought.
"Morning!" He chimed, smiling.
"What are you doing here?" She pushed at his chest, casting a nervous glance over her shoulder, praying her mother was still asleep. When he didn't move, she grabbed at his hand and pulled him down the stairs, still eyeing the front door.
"Hey, hey," he stopped her in the middle of the yard, hand still in hers as he turned to face her, eyebrows creased. "What's wrong?"
"Why are you here?"
"To walk you to school," he chuckled nervously, shaking his head as he ran a hand through his hair, "Nina," he squeezed her hand, shocking her with the fact that he still held it, "is everything alright?"
"Yes, yes," she pulled at his hand again, breathing out a sigh of relief when he allowed her to pull him towards the road, "I just don't…" she shook her head, "I just wanna go."
She pulled her hand from his, looking over her shoulder once more to check for clearance before beginning down the road, Jared by her side. It was then that she took his words into account, narrowing her eyes as she turned to look at him.
"How did you know?"
His face remained pleasant and he looked at her rather innocently, "Know what?"
She shook her head, pointing a finger and bobbing it in his direction, "No, no," she laughed, "don't play dumb. How'd you know I didn't have a ride to school today?"
"Nina…" he laughed lightly, "I just wanted to walk with you today- figured we could chat. Guess it's just a coincidence that Kim couldn't bring you today," he shrugged.
"And you knew about Port Angeles!" Her finger stiffened at him, an eyebrow raising, her lips twisting upwards as she felt her confidence rising, sure she had caught him.
"I didn't know about Port Angeles," he chuckled, "I've been meaning to go that way for a while now," he shrugged again, "spread my wings a bit, ya know?"
"You're a liar," she giggled, shaking her head, "I don't know how you knew, but I know you did."
"Sure, sure, Nina," he cast a smile in her direction, shaking his head lightheartedly.
The walk from Nina's house to the school wasn't a long one, and the rain had turned into a dull drizzle as they walked. Her mind was racing with possible explanations for Jared knowing the things he did, and while they both could be chalked up to coincidence, something about it didn't seem right. She glanced at him out the side of her eye, walking along with a pleasant look on his face- she struggled to find a reason why he might be doing what he was. With that and no proof of anything otherwise, she shook the thoughts from her head for another day.
"Emily's done nothing but ask about you since last week," Jared smiled in her direction, "so I guess that means you have to come back."
She felt a grin daring to cross her lips, her mind flickering back to the thought of Emily's friendliness and the happiness she felt in her home. She did want to go back.
"Oh, come on," Jared laughed, "you can't play hard-to-get with Emily too."
The scoff left her mouth before she could even stop it, and Nina was turning to him with her mouth open, the corners tilted slightly upwards, "Hard-to-get?" Her nose was crinkled.
Jared laughed, tipping his head back with enthusiasm, "You can't take out your dislike for me on Emily, too."
Nina had stopped walking, turning to face him with narrowed eyes. Jared followed suit, crossing his arms over his chest, a grin on his face.
"I don't-" she shook her head, mouth falling shut and pursing as she thought over her next words. She sighed and sucked the insides of her cheeks into her mouth, nodding slightly as she understood what he was trying to do, "I'd love to go see Emily again," she smirked, "I loved being with Emily."
Jared's eyes had narrowed at her slightly, but he grinned nonetheless, "Perfect- after school today?"
"Sounds great."
A day without Kim was a strange phenomenon, and while Nina thought she would find it lonely, Jared's presence provided a wholeness she had yet to feel. She enjoyed being around him- listening to his jokes, his company at her side between classes, even sitting with him at lunch. While watching him eat, she recalled the image of it back at Emily's house, and she wondered how and why he managed to eat so much and still appear so… in shape.
"Alright," she began, quirking an eyebrow, "riddle me this: the temperature."
They were walking along the side of the road, the drizzle nearly unnoticeable as they chattered.
"The temperature?" Jared wrinkled his face, licking at his index finger and holding it up into the breeze, "I'd say it's about fifty-five degrees fahrenheit, give or take a little. I'm not familiar with the conversion to celsius, though," he shrugged playfully, grinning at her sideways.
She bit at her lip, shaking her head, "You know what I mean."
"I have no idea what you mean," he shrugged again, a rather obnoxious smile on his face.
"Yes you do!" She cried lightheartedly, shoving at his arm, "see!" her mouth widened, "you're hot!"
Jared gasped wildly, and the misconception of her words crashed down on her, hands coming to cover her mouth.
"Nina!" He laughed, a playful glint in his eyes, "we're just friends, keep it together."
"Oh my God," she groaned, a hint of laughter escaping with her words. "I can't stand you."
"Hm," Jared pursed his lips, "now that just doesn't add up, I mean, what is it? You think I'm hot or you can't stand me?"
They had reached Emily's front steps when Nina turned to face him, eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms over her chest. She smirked.
"Both."
She turned on her heels and hopped up the front steps, knocking lightly on the frame of the screen door before peeking her head in. When Emily called out a greeting, she let herself the rest of the way in.
The warmth of the home welcomed her back once more, the aroma of an apple pie baking and incense burning. Emily smiled up at her from the living room floor. She sat cross-legged, her fingers and attention set on the makings of a basket. Nina was vaguely aware of Jared joining them in the house, though when Emily raised a beckoning hand, her thoughts were only on the beautiful woman seated on the carpet.
"Ever make one?" Emily looked up at her, gesturing towards the work in front of her.
Nina took a tentative seat on the loveseat and shook her head, "It looks beautiful," she muttered.
Emily smiled, bashful eyes falling down onto her hands, "It's really quite easy once you get the hang of it… I'd love to show you some time." She looked back up at Nina, her eyes kind, twinkling.
A warmth settled into her chest, tickling up her chest and into her throat.
"I'd like that," she mumbled, fixating her eyes on the delicate weaving of Emily's fingers.
She felt his presence growing closer long before the seat beside her ducked beneath his weight. His heat radiated out against the entirety of her side closest to him, and she spared only a glance in his direction before her attention was back on Emily. A strange peace settled over her like snowfall- the scents of the harvest wafting about, the strange warmth tucking her into the seat behind her, the steady rhythm of Emily's work. She had almost allowed herself to shut her eyes when the front door flew open, Sam's brooding presence overpowering the once tranquil place.
"Jared!" He called out, that same thick authority in his coarse voice, "We've got another one."
Jared was moving in an instant, barreling across the room with such seriousness that she found it hard to believe it was even him.
"Who?" He breathed, reaching Sam.
"Paul Lahote."
"Shit," he chuckled, "let's go."
Nina looked back at Emily questioningly, the older girl's face somber. As if on cue, Jared looked back at her, eyes suddenly squinting with- regret?
"I'll be back later, promise."
She raised an eyebrow but nodded, her thoughts running rampant. Another one… another what?
In just a second, Jared and Sam were gone, the house falling eerily quiet. Nina felt shellshocked, her curiosity at an all-time high. She noticed the way Emily was avoiding meeting her eyes, and she found it hard to relax as she settled back into the loveseat. Emily finished the row she was working on before finally looking up at Nina.
"I'm glad you decided to come back and see me," Emily smiled at her, the boys' strange behavior seemingly long-forgotten.
"Me too," Nina offered her back a grin.
"I'm sure Jared is happy about it, too."
Nina raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
With a knowing smirk, Emily shook her head lightly and brought her eyes back down to her work. Nina's cheeks betrayed her with a blush, and she was thankful that the older girl had looked away.
Time passed, and while Nina would've assumed such a thing would be awkward, she was unusually comfortable in Emily's presence, regardless of conversation. Occasionally, Emily would catch her staring and murmur something about the basket-weaving, pointing at a section and looking up to meet her eyes to check for clarity.
"I bet that pie is done," Emily looked up at her once more with glittering eyes, and Nina couldn't help but notice how smooth her tanned skin was and the way it seemed to glow within the orange light of the house. "How about we check it out and get some before the boys wolf it down," Emily stood up, carefully setting the basket on the table and wiggling her shoulders with excitement.
Nina smiled and followed along behind her, unable to hide her interest and elation at the prospect of more of Emily's food.
She leaned against the edge of the counter, resting forward on her forearms to watch as Emily pulled the pie from the oven, the thickness of the apple scent washing over them. Emily met her eyes with a gleam and a grin, and they spared no time in cutting into the pie.
"Do you always cook for Sam and Jared?" Nina asked. She popped a spoonful of pie into her mouth, immediately opening her mouth and breathing out of it as the heat of it burned her tongue.
Emily crinkled her nose in amusement before answering, grinning humbly, "Quite often, yes."
"How long have you and Sam been together?"
Though the question was birthed from innocent curiosity, Emily's face grew sullen, and Nina felt her head tilting slightly in question as Emily regained her composure, swallowing hard.
"We aren't…." her words faded away, her bottom lip getting caught between her teeth. She hadn't met Nina's eyes yet. "We aren't officially."
Nina remained silent.
After a moment, Emily finally looked up, her face sheepish, "It's complicated."
The strain of her voice made it difficult for Nina not to feel guilty for asking in the first place, but she couldn't help but remain curious after having seen them so affectionate with each other at her last visit. She simply nodded casually and took another bite of the scorching pie.
She allowed Emily to ask the majority of questions for the remainder of the afternoon, still gun-shy after bringing up what she could only assume was a sore subject, given Emily's reaction.
The older girl asked of her future plans, eyes widening to an almost exaggerated extreme when Nina mentioned traveling. She skirted around questions of her family as much as possible, instead opting to speak about her time with Kim and her family, her mind dancing to curiosity of if she and Emily would get along- they were both quite caring and welcoming when it came to their homes, she was sure they would.
The sky was beginning to turn leaden when the screen door swept open with Jared's natural enthusiasm. Nina could've sworn his face was hard when he entered, but a smile erupted with such zeal that she brushed the assumption away and returned the smile. Emily had already started dinner, but Nina wasn't sure if it was the oven or Jared's nearing presence that was warming the room.
"Nice of you to join us," Nina chuckled, eyes narrowing slightly as he reached the space beside her at the counter.
Jared mirrored her face, propping an arm up as he turned his body to face her. She couldn't help the way that her eyes quickly grazed the tight black t-shirt he wore, and something made her doubt that he missed it either, but she met his eyes with confidence anyway.
"I had business to attend to," he spoke haughtily, raising his chin as he took a greedy bite of pie. He held a slice of it in his hand like a piece of pizza.
"I'm sure," she returned, eyebrows raised.
He smirked down at her, shaking his head lightly as he chewed another bite. The chunk of pie was already nearly gone.
"Did you learn how to make a basket while I was gone? Get all crafty while you were missing me?"
"I wasn't missing you," she rolled her eyes at him, relishing as he narrowed his own at her with disbelief. Across from them, Emily giggled quietly.
"How's it going…" Emily's eyes flickered to Nina for a second, "with everything?" she gestured towards the door, raising an eyebrow at Jared. He grabbed another piece of pie from the dish and chewed a large bite before answering.
"He's, uh," he chuckled, "he's a tough one."
He met Nina's eyes as she raised an eyebrow, "What's going on with- Paul, is it?"
"He just started working with Sam and I," he shrugged, taking another bite and finishing his sentence with a mouthful, "for the council."
She pondered his response.
"What do you guys do?"
"All sorts of things," he shrugged again, wiping at his face with a napkin as Emily handed it to him, "security, fixing things, ya know. Manly stuff," he winked at Nina playfully, and she shook her head as she grinned.
Emily began dishing food out- a casserole that Nina was eager to try. She handed two tupperware containers full of it to Jared and cocked her head towards the door once more.
"Run these to the other two?"
He nodded and began towards it, stopping only to turn and point a finger at Nina, "You eat, I'll be back to walk you home when you're done."
"Okay, manly man, I'll be waiting," she shooed at him with her hand, rolling her eyes with a smirk as she did so.
With one more wink in her direction, he was out the door and hopping down the front steps. She turned with near-giddiness as she realized the plate of food Emily had placed in front of her, and with a shared smile with the older girl, they began eating.
"This is so good," she moaned. She had wordlessly eaten the majority of what was on her plate, relishing in the warmth that burrowed deeper into her chest with each bite.
Emily laughed, tipping her head back and returning her eyes to Nina with a smile, "I'm glad you like it! Want some to go?"
"If you wouldn't mind," she nodded quickly, smiling before taking another bite.
Emily brushed her off with a wave of her hand, reaching into a drawer beside her and emerging with another tupperware container, nearly filling it to the top before covering it and sliding it over to her.
Jared returned shortly after.
"Wanna head out?" He asked her, tipping his head.
"Aren't you gonna eat first?" Nina gestured to the food surrounding her.
With a smile, he shook his head, "Nah," he waved a hand, "I'll get some after."
She stared at him, and he stared back, still smiling.
"Let's go."
With one more 'thank you' and 'goodbye' to Emily- and even a tight hug from her- they were on their way.
Sunset had come and gone beneath the cloud cover, leaving blurs of indigo among the patches of navy clouds that littered the sky. Nina found her head tipped upwards, eyes fixated on it as they walked. Beside her, Jared remained quiet, undoubtedly watching her as she admired the natural mural above them. They were almost to her house when she finally turned her attention to him, smiling cheekily at his risen eyebrow.
"Have a good time with Em?" He asked.
They were nearing her front yard, stopping at the line that separated dirt from grass.
"Yeah, it was great," she grinned lightheartedly, the honesty of her words shining through.
"Em loves having you around," he offered, scratching at the back of his head, "we both do."
Their eyes found one another, contrasting in both color and expression.
Nina pursed her lips, inhaling deeply as she thought about her next words. Her heart thumped in her chest and she shut her eyes for just a second before she spoke.
"I guess I'll have to keep coming around," she muttered, sucking in her lips as she waited for his reaction.
He beamed down at her, and she swore she made out a blush, despite the dimness of the world around them.
"Sounds like a good deal to me."
Though she dreaded the thought of ending her day- a day she regarded with fondness- she found herself taking a tentative step into her yard. Without hesitation, Jared followed, only the light indentations of the soles of their shoes left in the dirt.
Nina raised an eyebrow.
He shook his head and rolled his eyes playfully, "Come on, you're still not gonna let me walk you all the way?"
She shook her head with a grin, lifting her jaw up slightly.
"I haven't forgotten, and I'm holding you to what I said last time," he pointed a finger at her, his eyes narrowing in a teasing way.
Her heart thudded again, acknowledging the inclination of his words.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she opted to change the subject, only giving him a smile in response to his remark.
"I'll be waiting," he winked.
She cast one more smile over her shoulder as she went, slipping in the front door beneath the weight of his eyes.