I can't believe it. I new all the answers, but I can't believe it. I new why, what, when, and how, but I couldn't believe it. There were still unanswered questions. I couldn't ask her about anything because she didn't have any memory of all the times we had together. I through my book down in anger like a dagger in my heart because I had never said sorry to Jasmine. I reached into my pocket for a lighter for my cigarette.
Sawyer FlashbackI sat on a stool at a smoky bar, listening to the dead end music going on in the background and waiting to meet someone new. I was waiting for my next con that had been organised for me. I didn't no anything about this girl, not even her name or what she looked like. All I new is that she would be a good con. I order my next drink for the night and glanced across to the corner of the bar, which was opposite me. There she was, I new this was her. Though she didn't look rich, she didn't have anything sparkly on her. But you couldn't tell someone's bank balance by the way they looked, you had to read people. She had rich chocolate brown curly hair and deep brown eyes, that draw me too her. I smiled smoothly at her, and then eventually she smiled back tucking one side of her hair behind revealing one alone freckle on her cheek. I got up with my drink that by this time after me studying her had been served. I casually walked over to her still grinning. I sat on the stool next to her but she still didn't say anything.
"Heya Cupcake" I said quickly trying to find her a nickname. "You don't mind if I sit next to you, do ya?" I asked, but to be honest I was gonna sit there anyway even if she said no. She gestured that she didn't mind and I sat down. But she didn't speak. I didn't no if this was the girl, but I could never be sure. All I new that this girl was naturally beautiful, she would make a hard guy melt into nothing but butter, but luckily I am the hardest of hard guys. She was wearing a black on so fashionable skirt bearing her long legs. Her neck was empty and it looked like it died for a necklace around it. I could soon sort that out. Her eyes shone down on me like my moms did. My mom's eyes were like she was reading my mind and making me feel guilty for everything bad I had done and hers were the same, but this time there was a lot more to be guilty about. How was I possible gonna con this girl. "Not much of a speaker, huh" I asked. She smiled and showed her white teeth. I didn't believe in anything being perfect, but if there were an application form she would defiantly tick more than a few of the boxes.
"I talk. But you aren't saying anything interesting" I chuckled. I normally would have hated it if a girl made fun of me. But this was different, scarily different.
"Well I'm dreadfully sorry," I said grinning and then paused. "I'm Sawyer," I said giving her one last smile for her little joke.
"Well its very nice to met you Sawyer," she said speaking for the first time in what seemed like a very proper British accent. She didn't seem shy, but she was, she was putting on a front, she had a whole different side waiting to be explored. She didn't seem like she was going to say what her name was. This was gonna be a slow con, I could tell, a long con. In many ways it didn't seem as though I was the only one hiding something. "Not telling me your name British girl?" I asked in a nice way.
"I'm Jasmine," she said closing her mouth nearly as quick as she opened it. I started to wonder where this was going. I new, the same way every other con went. But I didn't no if I wanted to take that path with this girl.
"Nice" I nodded meaning her name. "So are you from Britain" I asked making steady conversation.
"Yeah, yeah I am" she fidgeted while saying it, like she seemed uncomfortable with the fact. This wasn't for sure, but I am good at reading people. "Have you ever been there?" She said making her first question of the evening that was all a relationship was at the beginning, digging deeper to find answers. I repeated the question over again in my head.
"Hell no" I said loosely forgetting the fact that that was where she was from. "Though I'm sure there's nothing wrong with it, its just" I said trying to redeem myself, but Jasmine butted in.
"No, there's a lot of things wrong with it" she spoke as if I was an innocent man who made a stupid mistake. That pain me like an ice-cold knife going into my brick hard heart. Because in a couple months time her opinion of me would go right down the drain. She would look at me like you look at one of those dolls which you stick needles into. I would come into their lives, lighten it up, but the mess it up and leave with their money within a blink of an eye. Jasmine had just slipped the last of her drink.
"You want another drink, sweetie" I asked her, still not having made my mind up about a permanent nickname for her.
"Yes please" She said with too much manners. I waited for her to say what "Coke" she whispered obviously slightly embarrassed about ordering a kids drink and not something a little stronger. But who knows she could be one of those girls who ain't into drink or a recovering addict, she did seem a little cagey.
"Nothing stronger?" I asked.
"Your not trying to get me drunk are you" I raised one eyebrow up to this remark. Of course I weren't trying to get her drunk. What kinda a guy did she think I was? He would have though. Jasmine seemed nice, no more than nice, highly sarcastic mind, but it was only a front. "No really coke, please" Well she does love her manners.
"Sure" I said ordering it. Then it dawned on me, she wasn't from the U S of A, so why was she here in this bar and how did Gordy find out about her? What had she done to make her famous? "So Jasmine, what brings you here. Its along way from your home, ain't it" I said.
"America is my home," She said piercing her eyes at me. More questions popped into my head, which made me want to dig into the barrel more.
"It maybe now, but I ain't always been. So why you here?" I could tell this worked her up, but I didn't see why, this was probably what she was so cagey about. I suppose everyone had their secrets as well as me. Her eyes glimpsed her eyes towards me making me feel guilty.
"Well maybe I just didn't like Tony Blair" she said, but like I was gonna believe that story. I sighed. "Well, have you never felt that, you just don't belong?" Of course I new what she meant, but instead of answering the question, I lit another cigarette.
"You just don't wanna tell me, do you?" she smiled, knowing I was right.
"Haven't you ever thought that its because I wanna live here?" She said so seriously and so rehearsed; it seemed like a cover up story.
"That ain't the whole story darling, and you no it" Her eyes meet with mine, but she just couldn't lie. Her pupils widen and she tried to speak, but she couldn't because what was to come out was a lie. So I helped her out by asking another question, "Who paid for this little trip?" I said, trying to get back to the idea of conning this girl.
"Why? Why should I tell you?" She said with tone in her anger in her voice. I looked at her, in my, why shouldn't you tell me face that seemed to weaken her. "Jack did," She revealed. But still only vaguely able to look me in the eye. I was still unsure whether to believe her. This con was meant to be a no strings attached con.
"Another character in the plot" I chuckled to myself. But maybe she was rich; maybe it was her that was using him? No, that can't be right, because she was the closest thing to perfect, and perfect meant being all good, didn't it? But why would someone so perfect consider going with someone like me? Maybe she won't wanna go with a guy like me. She would be better off with someone like a doctor. But of course she would fall for me because I wasn't like all those other guys and they liked that. "Well Jasmine and Jack does have a certain ring to it," I said deciding they were an item. She stared at me in confession and I wondered into her eyes, but she lifted one eyebrow up.
"No, no Jack and me are just good friends, very good friends" she said in a less than convincing way, but I believed her. I mean Jasmine and Jack could have existed once upon a time. So this con did have no strings attached?
"So your single?" she blushed when I asked her and nodded. "And you also got a story to tell me" I reminded her. But the look of a ray of sunshine had gone. She was like Mother Nature.
"What the hell make you think I wanna tell you? Why do you deserve to no?" She said with a sharp brim of tears edging her eyes. I wanted to finish questioning her, I wanted to put my arm around her and make all the pain stop. I couldn't find it in myself to do this though because me being Sawyer would mess it up somehow. But I didn't wanna start feeling sorry for myself. Anyway she would shrug me off like I was worthless.
"Cause you need someone to tell. You need someone to tell the whole truth because no one else knows." I said wisely. But this was what I needed to do, not her. I just wanted to no her secrets. But, in a twisted up way I understood. I didn't think Jack new the whole truth, I new she wasn't gonna randomly tell me, but one day she will. I seemed to have struck a cord because a dainty little silver teardrop rushed down her pretty face. I strangely placed my hand on top of her hand. I would never have done this normally, unless it was truly was my fault, but I ain't done anything. Even stranger is that she didn't pull away, like the girls usually do. I could feel her pulse jump right into mine. I was like her shoulder to cry on. I didn't wanna con her now, I didn't wanna break her heart in two months time. There must be some way round it.
"So then, what's your past, Sawyer" I froze when she called me Sawyer, but I suppose nobody else had ever asked me that, nobody had really cared. I should really take my own advice and tell her the whole truth, but of course I can't just do that. I had to make up a story that she would believe, I should no how, I was a con man after all, but Jasmine defiantly had training in how to break one.
"Well, I'm sure its worst than yours" I said with heart at all. Nothing at all could be worst than my past, could it? She was perfect; she couldn't have been though a bad past.
"Oh right, I get you get to ask me about my past, but I don't get to ask you" she questioned with a smile on her face, I grinned back at her. "I'm sorry," she said realising that I felt like she did about her past. I let go of her soft, gentle hand and she let out another smile that pointed out that she liked me. "What do you do?" I looked at her, but she just didn't get it, did she? I wanted to tell her, shout it in front of her face that I was a con man and I was gonna con her. Then she wouldn't let me con her, and then she wouldn't get hurt. She was still waiting for me to reply and to make the lie bigger, "I mean, what's your job?" she said thinking I didn't understand.
"A car salesman" I blurted out, but for some reason she seemed impressed.
"Typical guy" She muttered under her breathe in a pleasing way. It amazed and shocked me how she could see me as a typical guy, but she did. But I am glad I matched her set.
"I ain't no typical guy" I contradicted her. I was gonna ask her what she did but then she interrupted me.
"I got to go," She said looking at her watch. Well Jasmine didn't spend that much time here, did she? I wonder if it was because of me that was leaving so soon? But I thought she liked me, but normally girls would stay up till closing time talking to me. Then again she weren't no normal girl.
"No, stay a little longer" I asked friendly. She got over the bar stood and shook her head rejecting me. "At least let me drive you home" I said, I wanna get to no her better. I had to get to no her better and she had to let me, but she had some kinda trust issues.
"Ok" she smiled. I walked her out of the bar and into the cold dark night. She didn't seem that cold though. I directed to my car, I opened the door, and she gently got in. In silence apart from when she directed me to her apartment I drove. We reached the apartment that I expect Jack paid for. "Here I am," she said undoing her seat belt. "Bye Sawyer" she smiled, I leaned over to give her a goodbye kiss but she quickly turned away to open the door. There she was rejecting me again. Nobody rejects me.
"Golly, ain't ya even gonna invite me in?" I thought out load.
"I got visitors," she alleged with a twinkle in her eye. Like I believe that story, who she think I am? I grinned at her knowing that she didn't want anything to do with me. I didn't wanna get involved with her, well not as Sawyer. Jasmine got out of the car and began to walk up the path. I wound down the window.
"Maybe I'll pop by sometime, huh?" I shouted out to her, but she just shrugged me of. This girl confused me, one minute she was all over me and the next she shrugged me off. I didn't understand why she didn't like me so much now. It must by hard just moving to another country; she won't have any friends, apart from that Jack person, she is probably quite lonely. That's why I thought she would be glad to have me. Well I defiantly had a problem, one hell of a problem. I reached for my cell phone and I dialled the numbers for Gordy. "Gordy, I can't con this girl, I can't do it, she don't want me to" I tried to explain to him.
"Since when did you ask the girl if you could con them? You getting soft?" Gordy said. "If you can't or won't con that bitch, I will get someone much harsher to do the job" I hung up the phone, which meant I was gonna do it. Even though it wont be easy.
End Flashback
My heart was bleeding because Jasmine didn't remember me. I hung my head in shame for not being there. I hate myself for losing her, I always will. However I could let Jack have a little wordy with her to help her remember me, but there's not a chance in hell that he would agree. Not after what I did. Or maybe if I made it in her best interest for her to no who I am he might change his mind. Possibly Jasmine would ask him anyway. The thing what was playing on my mind was how was I meant to play it with her?
