Chapter 11

Poppy Part 1

I awake with a weight on my chest. Raising my shoulders a little I realise it's Jasper's head. What is it with that man? His arm is across my stomach, his fingers interlaced with mine. His breathing is slow and deep. For some insane reason I am reluctant to wake him, however if I don't, I will be late for work. Equally insanely I have the urge to run my fingers through his hair. Instead, I say. "Hey, Jasper."

He is instantly awake and looks somewhat sheepishly at me.

"I'm waiting for your excuse. I'll give you a couple of minutes to make it a good one."

He raises his other hand, which is clasped around a crystalline structure. He looks at it disappointed and sighs. "You called out having a bad dream. I came to sit here to comfort you and fell asleep."

No doubt my nose is wrinkling. I know he's lying, and he knows that I know that he's lying. The red aura around him fades without my touch. Does he see it too. Would others, is that the real reason he didn't want to hold my hand outside. I get out of bed naked and head for my bathroom. It's too hot even for a sheet, so the only part of me he hasn't seen already are my buttocks. He can advert his eyes or stare, at this point I don't care, I feel so exhausted.

Exhausted. I was exhausted too that first morning, when it was me sat next to him, holding his hand. There is something definitely weird about Jasper. Could he be some kind of alien that feeds on life force, that can repair his injuries with someone else's energy? But if so, why so picky about food, why drink all that coffee. I laugh at my crazy thoughts. Tiredness, and the stress of talking to the police seems to be making me fanciful.

Part 2

I miss Flower, I think this as I unpack a shipment of cute bookmarks. If she were here, I'd show her, and we'd choose our favourites. Mine is the black cat, wrapping itself around a stack of paperbacks. I hope she is alright, the police seemed completely baffled after Yasu backed me up. Before that, they had me down as their prime suspect. No doubt I was giving of shifty vibes because I was both concerned that Jasper had something to do with her disappearance or, even if he didn't, there were reasons he wouldn't want to talk to the police. Just remembering makes me feel stressed. In the end they had bagged her phone, taped up her apartment and taken me back to their station to make a statement.

I dutifully begin counting the packets of bookmarks and ticking them of against the invoice. Books are easier because they can be scanned straight into our computer system. This is better though as it requires more attention and should stop me dwelling on a beloved phone left all alone in an empty apartment.

A customer comes into the shop, and I pause in case they need some help. Itsuki is already welcoming them in English, offering help if needed and giving a light bow. I stand up and bow too as they head towards the manga section. Which reminds me I need to tidy that corner, at some point. Also, I have a recommendation to check out from my old school friend Lily, we both moved away from our hometown after uni. However, we keep in touch, messaging each other with the current manga we're reading or the anime we're watching. It's fun to discuss our favourites together, and interesting how we can sometimes have a different take on both characters and situations.

Part 3

Two men walk into the shop dressed in expensive suits and authority. They speak to Itsuki and he points them in my direction. A chill runs through me. I want to run away and hide; however, they look athletic and I only have a seven metre head start.

"Please come with us."

"I'm sorry I am very busy at the moment." Basically, no way. My chances of overpowering them are zilch, however if I make enough of a fuss, surely, I'll be rescued. I try to emphasise my point by cutting open another parcel.

One of the pair produces a police badge. There is no escape, Japanese police are highly skilled in physical confrontation. They could easily take on the whole shop, staff and customers. Probably the whole shopping centre. "Show us your residence card, please."

I produce it immediately, as it's illegal for a foreigner not to have it on one's person. Having shown it, I apologise with the lowest bow I can manage and walk out of the bookshop with them. To my surprise I am taken to a bar and offered a drink. I accept it, as politely and deferentially as possible.

They apologise to me, give me a letter and having finished their own drinks leave. I stare after them, my untouched drink in my hands. It is tempting to neck it. Flower under witness protection. How, why, what did she see? I rack my brain for anything she may have said that concerned her. There is nothing, so it must have been something that happened between leaving work and her going to bed. They promised that they would pass her a message, it was difficult to know what to write being put on the spot like that. I hope she will still manage to take from it that I care about her and miss her as much as she claims to care about and miss me.

Part 4

I wanted to ask why the door had been chained but didn't dare. Perhaps they wanted the apartment sealed in a less obvious way than tape. It seems my well-dressed friends forgot to communicate this to the local police force. But how did they manage to do the chain, I'm thinking magnets somehow, rather than telekinesis.

I wonder if it was meant to double as a trap, to compile more evidence against whoever, until Yasu and I barged in. At least Flower isn't under arrest, kidnapped or dead. I re-read the letter, fold it up, place it in my pocket and return to work.

Back in the bookshop, I find one of the notes that Flower left in her in-tray and check the handwriting. It seems identical to the letter; in that slightly non identical way she has of forming her characters. I replace it in my pocket, it sounds like her, the writing looks like hers. I need to trust in one of the best police forces in the world. Although a second opinion would be reassuring, so I place the note in my pocket too.

Jasper would be a good person to show as he writes in romaji, therefore not being familiar with hiragana and kanji, it might be easier for him to compare the two lots of handwriting. But what if I have Jasper all wrong. What if he is working for the police undercover. I mean in terms of being the type of man up for seducing women for reasons unknown, he's not that great a guy. However, setting that aside I feel that deep down he is rather sweet. I mean he has two winks for starters, the filthy one he reserves for me at the moment, and the cute cheeky one he gave the little girl, with the purple hair like mine, in the seven eleven when she waved goodbye to him. Perhaps Yuki would be a better bet.

Part 5

Having sorted out the manga section in a customer lull. I move on to science fiction. Placing books in alphabetical order is not the most mentally stimulating of occupations, although some of our customers obviously struggle with it.

For a better distraction, I decide to indulge myself by listing the pros for Jasper being an alien. First up his otherworldly beauty, particularly those gorgeous red eyes of his that are framed by lashes most women would pay half their salary for. Those eyes that suspiciously only look red indoors, in the sunlight they darken to a brown so deep that they are almost black.

Two, he lied about amnesia unless the whole thing about me knowing when he is lying is yet another lie. I smile to myself, where Jasper is concerned that would not surprise me. However, he really is clueless when it comes to living a normal life on this planet.

Three, he's mentioned some odd cooking ingredients that I've looked up and cannot find like black fragipirum which he claimed is a Canadian fruit, rather than being related to the almondy frangipane I know. Which leads on to…

Four, having decided being Canadian is a good cover he talks a lot of random nonsense about the place, that google does not concur with. And yet he doesn't seem to be lying so perhaps he is saying things about the planet he really comes from when he mentions Canada. Yes, Canadians love their coffee, however that is not where red coffee originates, neither do they accept polygamy and their royal family is not distinct from the United Kingdom's. Although their land is volcanic, and therefore they do have veins of valuable ore and excellent metalsmiths.

Five, it is not my imagination, every time I touch him, he glows red.

Chapter 12

Part 1

So, what are the cons hmm, first up, he looks human, so unless he is the type of alien who can change their appearance it is unlikely. I wonder if I'd like Jasper so much if I'd seen him first in a multi-tentacled form, and he'd insisted that he was completely pro at using said tentacles for pleasure….

Moving on, his Japanese is perfect. Yuki even referred to him as my soon to be ex-Japanese-boyfriend, when I checked in on Prince before travelling to work this morning. She joked that she planned to steal him away from me and that if she were his girlfriend, he wouldn't dream of leaving her bed, let alone going back to Canada.

Of course, I can think of other reasons for the odd things about Jasper, maybe he grew up in a luddite commune and has only just decided to check out the rest of the world.

And maybe I really have turned psychic, I haven't touched anyone but Jasper since he turned up. To test out this theory, I decide to 'accidently' let my fingertips brush against my fellow commuters as they are hurrying off or squeezing onto the train home. There are only two stops left now and of course no-one has glowed. However, it makes no sense that only Jasper does. I want some kind of logical explanation, that doesn't involve anything too farfetched or me being crazy.

The train pulls up at the penultimate station and I'm surprised by the warmth of fingers that mine have come into contact with. The woman turns back, eyes wide with surprise as a golden aura encompasses her. I glance down at where we touched, my hand is glowing golden too. I quickly raise my eyes again, only to see her swept away in the crowd.

Part 2

I check up the gold aura it means spiritual wisdom, creativity, leadership, compassion and enlightenment. For a moment, the woman on the train had shared that with me, no wonder I felt such warmth. I feel blessed to have met her however briefly. Moreover, it means that Jasper is not the only one who glows. I return to my apartment feeling more buoyant.

Jasper has already prepared our dinner. I could so easily get too used to this. I remind myself that he will be gone soon. It seems a shame he is so excited about everything new to him; we could have had so much fun together if he was staying longer. I ask him if he has any plans for the weekend, he does have some things to do however he can be free Saturday afternoon, so I sneak off to make a phone call, while he dishes up.

I pick up another slice of the most tender beef I've ever had, coated in an indulgently creamy and spicy sauce. "When you leave, I'm going to cry." I pop it in my mouth and close my eyes to saviour it better, letting out a sigh.

Jasper's eyes bore into mine as I open them. The intensity stabs at my abdomen. "Cut it out. So, what have you been doing today apart from cooking?"

He chuckles and moderates his gaze. "Watching some cookery programs on your tv. It's been really interesting. And I found a show for us to watch this evening."

The show is Sutekina sen-taxi. Where the driver takes his passengers to a place and time they made a mistake, giving them a chance to make it right. It's definitely a feel-good show and I imagine chosen to cheer me up as I'd been so unlike myself yesterday. I shouldn't read any deeper meaning into it. Or that Jasper at some point put his arm around me and we are now about as cozy as a couple could be without me sitting on his lap. I should call it a night; however, I haven't the willpower to move away from him and the credits roll into yet another episode…

Part 3

I'm lying in a tangle of limbs with Jasper, we must have fallen asleep watching tv. I momentarily manage to open my eyes a slit, light is streaming through my curtains, so it must be morning, but I feel shattered. I try again, but my eyelids are too heavy. I've never taken sleeping pills, although this is how I'd imagine I'd feel like if I had. It scares me. "Jasper, help." My voice comes out more as a thought than words, yet Jasper is instantly awake.

He pulls his arms away from my back. "I shall make us some coffee."

Jasper pulls me into a sitting position, waking me. I feel so sleepy like I've been drugged. I seem to be on my sofa, did I fall asleep watching tv? He places a coffee mug in my hands then wraps his hands around mine, Between Jasper's hands and mine is a tea towel, that is super weird. But then isn't that true for a lot of things he does. He helps me raise the mug to my lips and I begin to drink it in small sips. Feeling a little more awake as my brain pre-empts the caffeine hit, I say, "Wow, Jasper this tastes divine." Surely, he didn't spend all the money I gave him for this week's food on more beans. "Is this red coffee?"

"No, and I owe your blue beans an apology. The fault in flavour was with the brewer, they require a slightly different technique to allow their flavour to properly develop."

Fortunately, the coffee does the trick and I'm fully awake come the afternoon and the calligraphy class that I've booked for us. I take Jasper to the train station, feeling excited because I'm sure he'll enjoy it.

"Is this a date?" he queries with wink.

"No, it's a gift."

He's looking confused, so I smile. "Think of it as a pre-birthday present. As I doubt, you'll still be around by then. When is your birthday?"

"September the eleventh, I should still be here."

Part 4

Emi-san bows to welcome us into her house. We bow back in gratitude; slip on the slippers she has left for us and follow her.

Once we are seated, she explains that each brush stroke is unique and irreplaceable. That each moment should be cherished. Then she gives us a history of the different writing styles in Japan, all the while painting beautiful characters onto the paper in front of her as illustrations.

Jasper has a lot of questions, and I can tell that his genuine interest has made her his favourite student, perhaps ever. She hands us some paper and shows us how to weight it down with a bunchin. I'm a little nervous, when I first started learning Japanese writing I was very careful forming my characters in boxes and making sure I had the stroke order right. Nowadays my writing has become sloppier, which is a shame. There is such skill and grace in the way Emi-san forms her words. She says we should try and paint with fluidity whilst keeping to the stroke order.

Once we have practiced for a while, Emi-san says we can choose a favourite kanji to paint, and she will turn it into a hanging scroll for us to take home. Jasper says he will paint one for me and chooses beautiful. Smooth huh. I can't be that cheesy and now I've had that thought, I can twist every word into being trite. "What should I paint for you Jasper?"

"Semi, because it will always remind me of my time with you."

Cicada. I can do that. I hope. Will he keep it though? I glance at Jasper.

He dips his brush in the ink and lowers it to make his first stroke, tongue poking out the side of his mouth. This is the real Jasper I realise; he is totally caught up in the moment. I'm enchanted, he's giving me a part of his soul and I will do the same in return; what he does with it is up to him.

Part 5

My alarm rings, I hit snooze, my groggy brain wonders how many times I've hit that button and panic wakes me up. It's Monday, a work day, I cannot afford to be late. I hurry into the bathroom, Jasper got there first and greets me wearing only his tattoo, not that I can see it because he is facing towards me. My hands cover my eyes quickly, but not fast enough, an image of him standing there is burned onto my retina and now I don't know what to do. Should I try and back out of my bathroom blind? "Erm, sorry"

"You can open your eyes, you know. Otherwise, the effort I made to wake up before you and enter the shower first will have been futile."

He is rubbing my soap around in his hands, a cute cheeky expression on his face.

"What are you doing?"

"I was trying to seduce you, however if that wasn't apparent, I must be losing my touch. Anyway, it seems such a waste of water to shower alone." He holds up his hands now covered in suds, and peers at my questioningly. "Too much?"

I half want to say, yes that is my expensive, all natural ingredients grapefruit soap that I received as a gift, and you must have used up at least a quarter of it already. However, that is not what he means does he. He means can I run my hands over your body with the pretence that I am being environmentally friendly. My stomach aches at the thought, I want to let him, and in return run my soapy hands over that perfect body of his. But that would be a bad idea and besides... "It would make me late for work. Being sacked is not on my bucket list. I think I'll give the shower a miss this morning." Hopefully my deodorant isn't lying when it says it offers 48hrs protection.

Having given Jasper a frosty look, that unfortunately only amuses him, I leave to check on Prince before work.