Guilty

Jasmine met Ciara half-way.

"It is not the nicest thing to scare people, unnecessarily." She told her, obviously referring to Kimberly.

Jasmine narrowed her eyes at her. "Scare? Who said I was scaring her? How would you even know that I'm scaring her, when you're so far away?"

Ciara frowned, then, unsure how to answer. It was obvious Jasmine was too inquisitive for her liking. "Well, there's much breeze to blow what you say around."

Jasmine gave her a stare before shaking her head. "You amuse me in all the wrong ways." Ciara bit her lip. She might have to stick to Kimberly for the time being.

When Jasmine walked into the room, they were still sitting and talking, with Hazel as the head it seemed. Ray was mostly leaned back, listening to what they said and laughing out loud when the others did like a puppet. It amused her.

Only that she did not feel interested in any way. Just when she turned, Jayden called her back.

Oh, no.

"We were just talking about you."

She turned with stiff lips. How come she had missed her name being called? Was he trying to keep her in this conversation?

"Is that so?" She stepped forward with baby steps.

"Why would I lie?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea. Why don't you spin me a couple of your gists?"

That made Dylan eye her. "You're interested. I must warn you then, it is not for young bloods." Jasmine rolled her eyes. She knew he was saying that, she was little.

"Shut up." From the corner of her eyes, she could see Amelia step out of somewhere.

But, Jayden went ahead to update her. It seemed like she had no need of asking, since he seemed ready to throw up everything.

"Yeah, just a few years after Dylan," he was saying, Dylan felt like pinching him. "We heard that your Mother had you. Or Kimberly. And another baby," she blinked at his definition, as if it was a surprise that she had given birth to twins, "unfortunately, I had to cancel a contract signing, we had been very close to ignore something that big. So - I think some days after you guys were born - we had come to visit, only to realize that the person we had wanted to sign a contract with, had already given the contract to Ray, as a... Delivery gift? I don't know what to call that one..."

His story went on to where he had never before been happier to give that gift, he felt it was because he had refused that the legal papers had the opportunity to come in contact with the Reigns.

When he was done, Jasmine seriously wanted to ask him what...

"What's with your story, Father? Your point?" Dylan asked, drily. He had beat her to the question, not that she was going to ask it anyway. But, she was curious.

"That everything happens for a reason...?" He squinted at Dylan now. "Don't embarrass your Father like this, Son." That got everyone else laughing. Jasmine looked round her. Left, right, laughter. What was funny? She thought.

Well, it was obvious she did not have the same sense of humour as everyone else. Hers seemed like ground level.

"But, didn't you mention you saw us when we were four?" Jasmine asked Jayden. Something to stop the crazy sounds round her.

"Oh, no no, I didn't see you. I only came across Ray and Kimberly once, in a... I think fund-raising event?"

Ray nodded and added, "In a gallery."

"That's the one!"

Jasmine pursed her lips at the kind of vigour this man had. Gosh, her ear drums, she rubbed them slightly, only that in the process of rolling her eyes, it met Dylan's. He gave her a look with half-closed eyes. Was she rolling her eyes at his Dad?

As if knowing what he was thinking, she raised her brows. What if she was?

With a smirk, he backed off. "You're too daring for your own good, Sweeting."

She shrugged, hearing him perfectly since the noise had stopped somewhat. "You have no idea what is and isn't good for me."

"For you, no. For amateurs with masks, of course." He said, matter-of-factly.

"Have you ever heard of something called, 'your own space'?"

"You don't have enough of it?"

"Not when people flock around you with cameras and microphones and notepads, what else?"

With his eyes still fixed on his phone screen, he tipped up a brow at her. "You seem to have the best description."

"Tell me you haven't either." She challenged, eying him from the corner of her eyes.

Though his head was bowed, she saw his lips broaden into a smirk. "Guilty as charged."