Chapter 23

Richie and Jasmine didn’t surface until past noon the next day; Jasmine groaned as she rolled onto her side, her head pounding and the light burning her retina.

“Why didn’t you stop me from drinking so much? I think I’m dying,” she complained, resting her arm over her eyes to relieve the pain emanating from them.

Richie’s chuckle rumbled in his throat and he rolled towards her to take her in his arms. He stroked her hair slowly and kissed her lightly.

“You’ll be fine after a shower and a big greasy lunch. Go get washed up and we’ll order in from Benny’s. I could just eat a double cheeseburger, fries, onion rings and a chocolate shake. The perfect hangover cure I promise you.”

Richie hadn’t lied. Jasmine closed her eyes with the pleasure of the first bite into the double bacon cheeseburger, the grease and special sauce oozing out of the sides and dribbling down her hand. She licked the sauce off her hand and cleaned herself up with a napkin, feeling instantly better and more human than she had previously.

Richie watched her with delight, he thanked his lucky stars that he had found a woman who wasn’t scared of food and enjoyed it as much as he did. There was no fun in having a hangover if you couldn’t pig out on junk food the morning after. He munched his own food leaving not even a crumb, and downed his drink so quickly that he winced in pain from the brain freeze that comes from drinking cold things too quickly.

The Bongiovi’s enjoyed a less relaxing morning, thanks to Stephanie arriving back from her grandparent’s at just gone 10am. Over breakfast the conversation between the adults moved to Richie and Jasmine.

“So, Jasmine is done with you guys now isn’t she?” Dot asked tentatively,

“Pretty much. I can’t tell you how good she is Dot. She’s probably the best person we’ve had working with us in forever. She’s good enough to join us full time really but I don’t know how to mention it to her, and I have a feeling Rich might have something to say about it too.”

“Rich? I’d have thought he would jump for joy to have her close for longer.”

Jon rolled his eyes at his usually perceptive wife. “Think about it honey, if they are still working together, the contract she has with Island will still stand and that means no fraternizing with any of us.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, can’t you just give her a new contract?” Dot suggested, slightly surprised that Jon hadn’t thought of that.

“It’s not up to me, she’s an employee of Island, but Obie and I were talking about the possibility of asking her to join us full time. I’ll talk to him again and see if we can come up with an attractive package. Something is going to have to happen. I don’t think Rich and Jas can keep the charade going for much longer. Did you notice how they both disappeared last night?” Jon grinned,

“It didn’t go unnoticed, no. The rest of you are really enjoying this aren’t you?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Jon said innocently, giving Dot the puppy dog eyes.

“Pull the other one Jon, you guys are reveling in winding up Richie and Jasmine whenever you can. You need to talk to Richie and tell him that we all know and that it’s ok to be with Jasmine. It’s cruel to keep him in the dark, you know what he’s like. He’s probably feeling so guilty about keeping it from you.”

“I know you’re right, I was thinking about mentioning it tomorrow at the party. His tongue is looser when he has a drink and there will be more opportunity to talk privately.”

“Make sure you do, or I will.”

Jon kissed Dorothea square on the lips and pulled her to him. “I like it when you talk tough.”

“You would.” She slapped him playfully and kissed him back, only to be interrupted by the ringing of the phone.

Jasmine lay dozing on the sofa resting her head on Richie’s lap. Her body was so relaxed that she wondered if she would be able to get up ever again. Richie was absent mindedly stroking his long fingers through the silky threads of her golden hair lost in thought. They had sat in silence for most of the afternoon, alternating between sleeping and stroking each other. Jasmine’s mind had wandered through the events of the past few years right up to where she was currently sitting. She couldn’t believe how she had ended up in that position but decided that rather than have regrets about things that had happened, she should embrace them because if they hadn’t have happened then she wouldn’t have met Richie and be as content as she was right now.

Unbeknownst to Jasmine, Richie was also thinking along the same lines. He had certainly lived an interesting life, and had thought of himself as the life and soul of the band, always ready for the next party or adventure. However, right now he couldn’t be more satisfied or happy. It seemed to him that as long as he had Jasmine, he wouldn’t care if he never went to another party again.

It was the rumbling coming from Jasmine’s stomach that compelled her to move from the comfort of Richie’s embrace sometime past 6pm. She prepared a more healthy meal than their last and had presented it in front of him before he could complain about her doing anything and send her to go rest again.

“Thanks darlin’,” Richie mumbled, having just woke up. He took the plate and cleared it within a few minutes, rubbing his satisfied stomach. 

“This time tomorrow we’ll be all dressed up and ready to party.” Jasmine noted.

Richie smiled widely and his eyes sparkled at the mention of the coming festivities. “It went so quickly didn’t it? It only seems like yesterday we started recording but somehow it feels like you have always been around, in the nicest possible way I mean!”

“I know what you mean, in some ways it feels like we’ve known each other for ages, years even, but in other ways it feels like we have only just begun to get to know each other, like the whole colorblindness thing.”

“Ha, yeah! I guess I took it for granted that you would know that. I’m so used to everyone knowing everything about me that I forget that there are some people who don’t.”

“I can understand that. So, is there anything that I really need to know but don’t already?”

Richie pondered her question, his brow furrowed in response to his hard thinking. “I don’t think so. I’m really very easy.”

Jasmine couldn’t help herself and giggled at the innuendo but didn’t respond any further because she could see Richie was still thinking.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“I think so. You already know what makes me tick, what my favorite things are and the important things about my past. I guess you’d have to talk to everyone else because they know my irritating habits. Anyhow, if you knew everything now, it would get rather boring quite quickly. Half the fun of a relationship is learning about each other.”

“You’re right. I know the important stuff, and I’m sure you’d have told me if you’re allergic to anything, so let’s have lots of fun finding the other stuff out.”

Richie’s mind went into overdrive and he shifted so he was leaning on his arms above Jasmine. “I have a few things I want to find out right now,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows and laying a trail of kisses down her neck towards the creamy skin peaking out from under her top.

Jasmine chuckled as she hooked her legs around his hips and locked her arms around his neck, 

“I think I’m going to enjoy this quest for knowledge!”