Alex slammed the door behind them, her chest rising and falling as she shot an accusing glare at Jasper. "You're annoying, you know that? Who do you think you are?"
Jasper leaned casually against the bookshelf, running a finger along the edge of one of the books, his eyes flickering with amusement. "Who? Who is but the form following the function of what, and what I am is a man with a notebook."
Alex froze for a split second, confused. "What are you even—"
"Oh, don't pretend you don't recognize V for Vendetta," Jasper interrupted with a smug grin. "I would've thought someone as well-read as you would catch that reference."
Alex rolled her eyes, but before she could fire back, Jasper's smirk deepened as he casually plucked a book from her shelf. "The First Kind of Love by Celeste Briars? Really, Alexandra?" He waggled his eyebrows. "You kinky girl."
Alex felt her blood boil. She moved toward him quickly, grabbing the book from his hand. "Give it back," she snapped, face flushed. "It's not what you think."
Jasper held the book just out of her reach, clearly enjoying the way she was reacting. "Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea, Beautiful Overachiever," he teased, his voice dripping with mischief. "This is a romance novel, right? You know, the kind with those slow burn moments where the tension just builds and builds until—" He paused, leaning closer. "Until it all explodes."
Alex grit her teeth. "Stop. Touching my books, Jasper."
He chuckled, finally handing it back to her but not backing off. "Sure, sure. But you have to admit, the idea of you being some kind of secretly wild romance reader is kind of hot."
Alex glared at him, clutching the book to her chest. "You have no idea what you're talking about."
Jasper just smirked, glancing around her room as though he were a curious explorer in uncharted territory. "You know, for someone who's so obsessed with perfection, your bookshelf is pretty eclectic." He gestured to her collection of books, from classic literature to contemporary fiction. "You've got the serious stuff, sure, but then you've got this," he picked up a thriller novel that she hadn't quite gotten around to reading yet. "I'd say you're a bit of a contradiction, but... I think you already knew that, didn't you?"
Alex could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, a mix of embarrassment and frustration. "I'm not a contradiction," she retorted. "You have no idea who I am."
Jasper didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took a step closer, his eyes locking onto hers, his voice softer now. "It means you don't always have to be perfect, you know? It's okay to be a little... messy sometimes."
Alex swallowed, the words catching her off guard. She stepped back, immediately putting space between them, trying to ignore the flutter in her chest. "I don't need to be perfect. I just need to not be a joke."
Jasper's expression softened slightly. "You're no joke, Alexandra." His tone was unexpectedly sincere. "But you can't expect everyone to see you the way you want them to. Sometimes, it's okay to let people see you as... a little less perfect."
Alex didn't say anything at first, caught off guard by the way his words made her feel. She wasn't used to being spoken to like this, with such an... understanding undertone, but also a challenge.
Jasper took a small step back, his usual cocky grin returning. "Anyway, let's focus on why we're here."
Alex blinked, unsure of what he meant until he raised his notebook, still holding it casually. "We've got Pride and Prejudice to dissect, don't we? Analyzing and presenting the novel as part of our project?"
Alex nodded, suddenly realizing they had far more pressing things to deal with than her personal feelings about him. "Right." She shifted uncomfortably, trying to push aside the lingering tension in the room. "We'll need to break down the characters, their motivations, the way society pressures them—"
Jasper leaned against the desk, his grin never fading. "Yeah, yeah. I know. Darcy's all broody and misunderstood, Elizabeth's got her pride, blah, blah, blah. But you know what I find most interesting about the book?"
Alex raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "Enlighten me."
Jasper shrugged nonchalantly. "The way both of them, in the end, have to let go of their preconceived notions of each other. They both have to change in order to get what they want. It's not just a romance. It's a story about self-realization." He paused, his gaze locking with hers again. "Kind of like... you know, people who have to stop seeing each other as one thing and realize there's more to them."
Alex could feel her pulse quicken again, but she refused to let him get under her skin this time. "That's... surprisingly deep for you, Jasper."
He raised his hands in mock surrender. "What can I say? I'm full of surprises."
"Don't make me regret working with you on this," Alex muttered, trying to focus back on their task. "We'll start by analyzing their societal constraints. Then we can move on to their personal growth."
Jasper smirked again. "Sounds like a plan. But I'm warning you—don't be surprised if I end up doing all the work. I'm not just good at books. I'm great at them."
Alex rolled her eyes. "I'm not worried about that. I'm sure your laziness will catch up to you at some point."
Jasper chuckled as he flipped open his notebook. "We'll see, Beautiful Overachiever. We'll see."
Alex and Jasper had been working for the past two hours in her room, the tension between them slightly more comfortable than before, though still undeniably charged. Alex was furiously scribbling notes on her textbook, trying to block out the constant teasing and half-serious remarks Jasper made about the characters in Pride and Prejudice.
Jasper, on the other hand, lounged on her bed, his feet propped up, flipping through a different book while occasionally chiming in with observations about the novel, some insightful, some just plain annoying.
"So, let me get this straight," Jasper said, raising an eyebrow at Alex, "the reason Elizabeth Bennet hates Darcy is because he's rich and arrogant?"
Alex sighed, not even looking up from her notes. "It's more complicated than that, Jasper. She despises him because of his initial behavior towards her family and his apparent sense of superiority. She misjudges him based on that, and it takes time for her to realize she's wrong."
Jasper made a face. "Hmm, sounds like a classic case of miscommunication." He grinned. "You know, Elizabeth and Darcy might've just needed better communication skills. Maybe they should've tried texting or something."
Alex shot him a glare. "Please, stop ruining the serious literary analysis here."
Jasper chuckled but didn't push it further. Instead, he turned his attention back to the book in his lap, seemingly content to continue working. Alex tried to ignore the odd flutter in her chest whenever his gaze flickered toward her, but it was hard. His presence was distracting, as always.
The quiet was suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door. Alex glanced up, irritated at the timing, but before she could answer, her mom's voice rang out from the hallway.
"Alex, honey, I've got dinner ready! Do you want Jasper to stay for dinner?" Claire asked, her voice laced with that unmistakable warmth, though Alex could hear a teasing tone hidden beneath.
Alex's face immediately turned crimson. "Mom!" she hissed, feeling the heat rush to her cheeks.
Jasper, clearly enjoying the moment, leaned back further, his arms folded behind his head. "I mean, if your mom insists..." he teased, a mischievous glint in his blue eyes.
"Mom, seriously, I—" Alex began, her voice laced with embarrassment.
But Claire was already pushing the door open, her curious gaze landing on Jasper, who was stretched out on Alex's bed as if he owned the place. "Well, we're having lasagna tonight. It's your favorite, Alex," Claire continued, ignoring the look Alex shot her, clearly enjoying this far too much. "So, Jasper, would you like to stay?"
Alex's face burned hotter. "Mom, you're embarrassing me!" she groaned, slumping into her chair in frustration.
Jasper grinned, clearly taking amusement in her discomfort. "Lasagna sounds great, actually. Thanks for the invite, Mrs. Dunphy," he said, his tone smooth and easy, as if he weren't causing Alex to die of secondhand embarrassment.
Claire beamed at him. "Oh, no problem at all. It's the least I can do. Alex never invites anyone over to work on projects, so it's nice to have some company around here for a change."
"Mom! Please!" Alex practically shouted, her face flushed a deep red as she buried her face in her hands.
Jasper's grin only widened. "I can stay," he said, clearly amused at the situation. He looked at Alex with a gleam of mischief in his eyes. "Though, I'm really curious to know why you're so embarrassed. You've had guys over before, haven't you?"
"I haven't!" Alex shot back defensively, shaking her head. "And this is not that kind of situation!"
Claire chuckled from the door. "I don't know, honey. He seems to have made quite an impression on you." She shot Jasper a playful wink. "But if you're going to be here, I expect you both to wash your hands before dinner. We don't want any germs contaminating my lasagna."
Jasper raised his hands in mock surrender. "Of course, Mrs. Dunphy. Hygiene is key."
Alex stared at her mom, utterly mortified. "Why do you have to be like this?" she muttered, her eyes pleading with Claire to leave.
But Claire didn't seem to care, shooting one last teasing glance at Alex before she left. "Alright, I'll set the table. You two behave."
The door clicked shut, leaving Alex alone with Jasper, who was clearly trying hard to suppress his laughter.
"I think I'm going to die of embarrassment," Alex muttered, sinking into her chair.
Jasper, ever the troublemaker, grinned. "Come on, Beautiful Overachiever, you've survived much worse. And besides, you should be grateful your mom likes me." He leaned forward and lowered his voice, putting on a mock serious tone. "You wouldn't want your family thinking I'm some kind of threat, right?"
Alex rolled her eyes, still feeling like she was going to crawl under the table and hide. "You're not a threat, Jasper. You're just annoying."
Jasper smiled, almost sweetly. "Sure, sure. But I'm not that bad, right?" He stood up, grabbing his things. "Come on. Let's go eat."
"Just... don't talk to my mom too much," Alex muttered, feeling the embarrassment settle into a comfortable sense of dread. She followed him reluctantly out of the room, wishing the floor would swallow her whole.
Jasper flashed her a grin over his shoulder. "You know, Alex, I have to admit—this is probably the most fun I've had working on a project."
Alex scowled at him. "Don't get used to it," she muttered, though deep down, she couldn't help but feel that maybe, just maybe, she'd be okay with this strange, annoying, and undeniably charming guy sticking around a little longer.