Estella Miller had known Jasper Badun ever since he and his brother, Horace, found her sleeping on the fountain in Regent's Park. They were orphans who lost one family and gained another by allowing her to join their gang. They accepted her right away in spite of her two-toned hair and weird fashion choices. They discovered later she had a talent for designing clothes, which helped lend a hand in creating disguises for their petty crimes and stealing operations. Jasper thought she was brilliant and had a keen eye for fashion, as well as beauty. If it hadn't been for him, Estella would probably have been thrown in jail a long time ago.

On her 21st, birthday, Jasper and Horace gave Estella a chocolate cake they swapped from a bakery and an employment letter for her favorite department store. They didn't mention it was a job hiring someone to be a cleaning lady, but Estella endured working eight to ten hours a day, scrubbing floors and cleaning toilets, dreaming of the day when she would become a famous fashion designer and show off her clothes to the world.

While she was her lunch break, Estella flipped through her sketchbook to design another dress and found a post-it note she wrote a few days ago to remind herself that it was Jasper's birthday tomorrow. Weeks ago, she and Horace tried to figure out what to do for Jasper on his special day. Horace suggested they steal another cake, but Jasper wasn't much of a cake person. Estella thought about maybe buying a proper birthday present instead of stealing or pickpocket something, but Jasper said he didn't want or need anything. Whatever gift Estella made for Jasper, he usually liked, especially the pair of mittens and homemade socks she made for him last year.

The next morning, Estella got up early and woke up Horace, who presented his brother with a single cupcake. Estella and Horace sang Happy Birthday to You to Jasper, who blew out the candle and thanked them both for their little surprise. Estella left the room for a minute and came back with her hands behind her back, presenting Jasper with a card she picked out herself. The card had a picture of a cute little brown bunny on the cover, wearing a party hat and sitting in a patch of flowers. Inside, it read a simple message: Happy birthday, Jasper. Love Estella.

After she made breakfast for the three of them, Estella left to go to work, knowing it wouldn't be different from any other day and that her surly boss was sure to reject hearing what she had to say. Sure enough, her boss refused to hear her ideas and not even give her the time of day. Not only that, but someone nearly flooded the bathroom and she had to spend hours cleaning up the mess left behind. To make matters worse, her boss stepped on her hand again while she was scrubbing the floor. Twice, in fact. Poor Estella looked like she was about ready to blow her top and go on a killing spree, but that wouldn't do anybody any good. She decided to just swallow her pride and stay silent, wanting to just finish the job so she could go home.

On her way home from the department store, Estella stopped by a mini market to pick up a packet of cheap cigarettes, since alcohol was so much more expensive. It was probably a good thing that it was, anyway, since drinking made her say and do stupid things. It was Jasper's birthday, and that last thing Estella wanted to do was say something rude to him or do something she would regret later. The cigarettes would do for now.

It was dark by the time Estella got back to the decrepit building she lived in with Jasper and Horace. She made sure to put out her cigarette before entering and went up in the lift. She still hadn't figured out what to give Jasper for his birthday. A card simply wasn't enough. Just then, Estella came up with a brilliant idea and knew right away what sort of present to give to Jasper, something much more nicer than cake or a pair of socks.

Estella stepped out of the lift and walked into the room to find Jasper sitting on the couch, playing his guitar. She saw there was a game on the telly, but Horace wasn't around to watch it. Neither were Wink or Buddy.

"Where's Horace?" Estella asked.

"He took Wink and Buddy out for walk", Jasper answered, plucking a string on his guitar. "They'll be back a while."

Estella retreated to the bathroom to take a nice, long shower and brush her teeth. She liked a good smoke every now and then, but Jasper often complained about the horrible stench the smoke left behind and told her she shouldn't be smoking at all. 'It's hazardous to your health, you know', he would say. Estella didn't care, but was courteous enough to take care of her mouth and freshen her breath up for Jasper, being that it was his birthday.

By the time she emerged from the bathroom, Estella found Jasper had moved from the couch to his bed, humming a tune while he strummed a few notes on his guitar, which was his most prized possession. She went over to her closet and picked out one of her simpler dresses to put on for the birthday boy. She didn't feel like being to flashy or extravagant, and sometimes simpler was better, which was the exact opposite of her style.

Estella stood by, watching Jasper play his guitar. She never admitted it, but he was a rather handsome man, with his lightly tanned skin, dark beautiful eyes, and curly black hair hidden underneath his fedora. Not to mention his light stubble and smartly-dressed attire. His physical appearance was a great contrast against her pale skin, dyed red hair and sparkling green eyes. Estella was much took shy and meek to say how much she thought of Jasper, a bold contrast to the tough and aggressive girl she used to be. Ever since the death of her mother, Estella had dropped her angry persona and tried to act like a normal person in order to fit in.

Estella remembered how cute Jasper was when he was a boy. He was the first one to figure out she was an orphan just like him and Horace. He sympathized with Estella, and when she removed her hat and revealed her true hair color to him and Horace, Jasper said he liked it. Even when she dyed her hair to hide her identity from the police, Jasper thought Estella was the most beautiful girl in the world. Odd, but still beautiful.

Estella went over and sat down on the bed with Jasper, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Jasper stopped playing his guitar for a minute to look at Estella, noticing she had made herself up. Her natural black and white hair was currently hiding underneath long, blood red tresses that went a little bit past her shoulders. Her face had little to no makeup, though the dark eyeliner really helped bring out the color of her eyes. Her luscious lips were soft and curved, a shy smile just waiting to show itself to him.

"You look nice", said Jasper.

"Thank you", said Estella. "What were you playing?"

"Just a song I heard on the radio the other day", said Jasper. "I can't remember the name of it."

Estella licked her lips, feeling nervous about what she was about to ask Jasper. "So, how was your day?"

"It was all right", said Jasper. "It's just the same as another other day. Nothing special."

"That's a shame, because I was going to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Have you ever been kissed by a girl, Jasper?" Estella asked him.

"No, not really", Jasper answered.

"What do you mean?"

"I used to kiss my mum on the cheek when I was young, but that was a long time ago."

Jasper hardly ever talked about his mother and father. He told Estella they got sick and died a few days later. He and Horace were then sent to live in an orphanage after they died. Jasper and Horace hated that place and decided to run away two weeks later. They were street urchins who spent their days digging through alleyways and turning to pickpocketing just to survive. It wasn't the comfiest lifestyle, but they managed to get by.

"So, you've never kissed a girl on the lips before?" Estella asked him.

"No, never", said Jasper, wondering where this was going. "What are you getting at, Estella?"

"I'd like to give you a kiss, Jasper."

Jasper's eye widened to the size of saucer plates and nearly popped out of his skull. "Y-You...You mean it?"

Estella nodded slowly. "I do", she whispered, softly.

Jasper felt his heart skip a beat and his lips dry up instantly. Was Estella really serious about giving him a kiss on his birthday? He knew he secretly liked her, but he never imagined it would ever happen in real life.

Slowly, Estella leaned in closer to Jasper so their eyes were staring directly into each other's, dazzling green meeting gorgeous dark brown. Neither one of them ever had much experience in romance, but from what they had seen from watching telly and observing couples kissing in the park or walking down the street, it looked easy enough. Truth be told, if was much more complicated than it seemed, but someone had to take the first step to make it work. It might as well be her.

Jasper tilted his head over a bit to get a better angle so their lips could touch. Estella mirrored his exact same movement, closing her eyes just as her lips came into contact with his own. Jasper closed his eyes, too, before giving her a soft peck on the mouth, which then turned into a gentle kiss as he cupped his hands to her cheeks, deepening the kiss, which quickly became wet as she slipped him a little of her tongue.

Feeling brave, Jasper pushed his tongue past the entrance of Estella's mouth, finding the taste of cigarettes masked by the spearmint toothpaste that lingered inside her mouth while he breathed in the smell of her cheap perfume and pomegranate-scented shampoo. She smelled just as good as the way she dressed. Breathtaking, exotic, very different from anything else in the world.

By the time their lips parted, Estella and Jasper heard barking from Buddy and Wink, as well as the voice of Horace whistling as he came up the lift with the dogs. Estella stood before Horace saw her and Jasper together, and went over to her sewing machine in the corner of their hideout, taking a piece of pink silk material and cutting it in half to attach it to one of her dresses.

Jasper stood up and continued playing his guitar, greeting Horace, who went over to watch the Tottenham game on telly. He plucked a few strings on his guitar, casting his dark, smoldering eyes at the girl who gave him his first ever kiss. Estella showed him a hint of returned affection by displaying a shy, but beautiful smile on her face for him before lowering her eyes to focus on her work, stitching the pink material to a black and white dress.