A/N: Big thank you hugs and kisses to my beta, theladyingrey42, for keeping me (and my verb tense) in line.

Thanks to YogaGal and PerfectlyPersuasive for the opportunity to work with all these amazing authors. I'm still having little *squee* moments that I was even invited to be in this group. Hope y'all enjoy!

As always, Twilight belongs to S Meyer, I just like to play.


After taking a cab back to his house from the disaster of a work party, Edward found himself lying flat on his back on his couch with his arm over his eyes, trying unsuccessfully to block out the world. He wondered again what had made him think more drinking was a good idea tonight. Helpfully, his mind replayed the events of the weekend, starting with the disaster that was New Year's eve. Groaning, he rolled onto his side as the images played out.

Edward had been so excited and happy as he and Garrett had entered the party at the club where Garrett worked, having some strange hope that that night would change everything in their relationship. But he had continued watching Garrett while the other man scanned the room, his hand falling from his boyfriend's grasp as soon as they crossed the threshold. Edward had followed, but Garrett had abandoned him quickly at the bar, talking and laughing with people he never introduced to Edward.

Edward's gut flipped as he recalled the most uncomfortable scene of the night: flashing images of Garrett smiling and dancing with Kate while Edward continued to watch, forgotten from the sidelines, horrified at what he was witnessing.

It was one thing to know things were going downhill, but to be ignored, or replaced, so quickly and publicly was more than Edward could handle. He had stormed out of there but had been followed by Garrett into the chill night air. The man's stumbling explanation about Kate and how he had had 'fun' with Edward but didn't see it working out long term was just salt in an already open and bleeding wound.

Edward growled into his arm, wanting to stop the images, stop the pain. Why was he always the bit of fun? Why was he always left behind? Edward put his heart into any relationship that was going somewhere, but he always seemed to be grabbing onto the wrong one.

Edward groaned and sat up, raking his hands through his hair in frustration and groaning again when his fingers stuck in whatever product Alice had insisted on putting there. Thoughts of Alice brought back memories of Jasper, and he forcefully shoved those aside for now. He stood, stripping as he walked to the bedroom and entered his bathroom. Turning on the shower as hot as he could stand it, he waited for the heat and steam to build before stepping in.

As the hot water washed away the gunk in his hair and the heat soothed his tired and aching muscles, he recalled the events of the evening. After he had remembered to find Alice and relay Jasper's message, her eyes had widened, and she'd excused herself quickly, cell phone already at her ear as she walked away. Edward had reluctantly turned back to the party but the effort he had been putting forward was gone.

He had stayed for another hour to be polite, tried unsuccessfully to avoid Mike and his 'brah's, engaged in a sexual innuendo-filled conversation with Ben and Angela, and endured having his hair fixed by Alice at least three more times, hence the shower. At his moment of escape, Alice had cornered him one last time.

"Edward? You're leaving already?" Alice had asked, her mouth in a small pout.

"Yeah, you know, long weekend," he had explained, rubbing the back of his neck and remembering his lack of sleep and too much alcohol.

Her face had fallen as she'd patted his arm. "You never did answer my question, Edward."

"Yeah? Which one was that?"

"Are you a fan of Jasper?" she had repeated, her eyes widening expectantly.

Edward had started, having forgotten her somewhat innocent question from before, although now he knew why Jasper had been invited in the first place. His cheeks had flushed as he remembered the awkward conversation about meatballs and his embarrassing display of incoordination and choking. Standing there, desperately wanting to leave the party, Edward had blown off Alice's question once again, hoping to revisit it tomorrow with the light of a new day.

But now, standing in his shower at home, Edward remembered the good things of his small interaction with the blond man, the feel of Jasper's hand in his and the other man's parting touch. The same thrill of electricity sparked through him as it did then, and the tingle in his fingers returned.

Edward sighed and rubbed his fingers together before turning to rinse his hair in the spray. The pounding of the water on his shoulders made him sigh in relief, and he relaxed even more. He poured soap into his hands, working it into a foamy lather before spreading it over his body. The tingle in his fingers seemed to spread along his skin and, combined with the heat of the water, soon had his thoughts turning toward Jasper's smile and his startling blue eyes and Edward's shower turning toward discernibly less productive pursuits.

He groaned as his palm pressed against his now hard length, the slick lather making his fingers slide easily. As he often did recently, he began picturing his favorite wank film and steadily notthinking about Garrett. He gripped himself firmly, leaned against the wall and shuddered at the difference in temperature between the water and the cool tiles. The nameless boy in his mind began to morph as he gripped his straining cock, dark hair lightening and curling, torso broadening and legs lengthening until the face and body bore a remarkable resemblance to Jasper.

Fuck. Jasper.

With that thought, his fantasies spiraled out of control; meatballs and winks and hand squeezes turned into dirty talk and tongues and firm hands holding him tight. With his eyes screwed shut, Edward panted into the warm air, his breaths becoming shorter as the tightness in his belly increased.

Edward imagined Jasper standing behind him in the shower, Jasper's hand tugging on his cock, Jasper's voice saying his name over and over in his ear. At the thought of Jasper's breathless pleas, Edward came over his hand and abdomen, grunts and curses escaping his lips as his knees threatened to buckle. Opening his eyes, he shook his head slightly to clear it and then cleaned the remnant of his fantasy off of his skin. Hurriedly, he rinsed the rest of his body, toweled dry and exited the steamy bathroom for the safety of his bed.

What had come over him? He was just starting to get his head around what had happened with Garrett and he already had another man in his head?

Jesus fuck, Edward. Slow down.

He flopped in the middle of his bed and stared at the ceiling as the events of the weekend and tonight continued to swirl in his head. For all that he had been broken up when Garrett had ended things, he was beginning to realize that perhaps Alice was actually right. Not that he would ever tell her that, but he honestly hadn't been happy for a while. The moments of enjoyment with Garrett all involved Edward's imminent release or those few post-coital minutes when they bathed in their mutual bliss. Beyond that, Garrett was a bit of a prick.

The question was, at this point, did Edward need to take a step back from romance and just take care of himself? Or should he take the vodka's advice and pursue this possible opportunity?

Deciding that nothing could be decided tonight, Edward pulled the duvet over his head, snuggled into the feather-down comforter and drifted into a dreamless sleep.

~~00~~

The blaring of his alarm clock was the next thing that Edward remembered. Sitting up cautiously, he rubbed his eyes and blinked blearily around his room, surprised and happy to find no remnants of his previous pounding headache.

With a clear head also came a realization and grim determination. Edward decided to not chase Jasper so soon after the train wreck of his relationship with Garrett had ended. The dust hadn't even cleared and he knew he was vulnerable right now. Jumping into the first thing that presented itself, no matter how tempting and unbelievably gorgeous, would result in one or the other of them getting hurt, ending in inevitable disaster as well. And if Edward knew one thing, it was that he didn't want Jasper to be just his rebound, a relationship doomed to fail.

He sighed and finally pulled the covers off and left the warmth of the bed. As he continued his morning routine, flashes of Jasper kept popping into his head. He saw glimpses of the warmth in Jasper's eyes, the concern when he was choking, the regret as Jasper turned to leave. Each time, the image would catch him off-guard, and he would pause in whatever he was doing, closing his eyes and enjoying the moment.

This just wouldn't do. Edward couldn't just stop every time a stray thought entered his head, especially with the apparent frequency of his Jasper-related ones.

Finally, he was grabbing his last cup of coffee and running out the door before remembering that his car was still at work. He walked to the bus stop, happy that they ran fairly frequently at this time of day as the cold, winter wind seemed to be piercing straight through his wool coat, chilling him instantly. When the bus finally arrived, it was a bit crowded, and he had to stand in the aisle, gripping a metal pole to steady himself. For once, instead of making him vow to never take the bus again, he was actually thankful for the press of bodies around him that were both distracting and warm.

By the time he walked into the office, he was a few minutes late. Although, he noted, he seemed to be one of the few that had arrived so far. Perhaps a Christmas party on a Monday night, a work night, was not the most brilliant plan.

Edward settled into his work easily, catching up on emails and memos that had piled up over the holiday break. It was amazing how much he accomplished without the constant interruptions of coworkers at his door and clients on the phone. Maybe everyone was still trying to recover from the weekend.

He pulled up a new account he had acquired just before Christmas, going over the client's specifications one last time before sketching some ideas in his notebook. The creative meeting wasn't until the next day, but he always liked to walk in with at least a few ideas ruminating in his brain. Unfortunately, every time he let his mind wander to get the creative juices flowing, he would find he was doodling nothing close to what the client had wanted.

But Edward recognized the hint in the grey lines just the same.

His pictures were all different pieces of the same subject: a slight wave of hair, a strong jaw, a curl of fingers.

He shook his head, trying to focus again on his work. He shouldn't sit here pining over something that was five awkward minutes of possible interest.

Five electric minutes, his subconscious reminded him.

He sighed and returned to his attempts at sketching, but after a couple hours of getting nowhere, he ventured out of his office to walk the halls and the maze of cubicles, hoping to clear his head. As his stomach growled, he also resolved to see if there were any leftovers from last night in the break room. Walking through the still unusually empty office, Edward noticed more than one person with a bleary gaze and squinted eyes, and he chuckled under his breath at the obvious discomfort of about half the staff.

He paused when he heard Alice's guffawing laughter spilling from her office door, glancing in and finding her with her head thrown back and the phone pressed to her ear.

As she wiped the tears from her eyes, Alice noticed Edward in the doorway and waved him in enthusiastically. He entered and tried to seem interested in the contents of her bookshelves while she continued talking on the phone, but he couldn't help overhearing part of the conversation.

"Yes, I'm sorry you had to leave early, too," she said sadly, twirling the cord around her finger.

This grabbed Edward's attention as he wondered if she was speaking to the man who had been occupying all of his thoughts. He spun around, noticing her small smirk at his obvious interest. He sighed loudly and turned away from her again, but he knew that she'd already figured him out. Even after trying to evade her last night, he could never slip anything past Alice.

"Mmhmm," she hummed into the phone. "Yes, I think that would work, but I'll have to check his schedule."

Edward started again, but resisted turning this time. Check whose schedule?

"Oh! Even better!" Alice exclaimed as he watched her standing suddenly in his peripheral vision. "Edward?"

It took him a few seconds to realize that she was addressing him, and he spun slowly on his heels, unwilling to even acknowledge the small hint of something like hope in his chest.

"Yes?" he croaked out before clearing his throat.

"He'd like to talk to you," she replied, holding out the phone to him with a wry grin on her face.

Edward stood there, staring at her hand for long seconds before swallowing hard and reaching for the receiver.

"Hello?" he answered, equal parts fear and anticipation mixing in his head as he absently ran his rough fingers through his hair. Alice winked at him slyly, ducked under the cord and waltzed out of her office, leaving him alone.

"Hello, yourself," came the smooth reply, and Edward's mouth dried completely, his words choking in his throat. "Uh, this is Jasper," the voice continued. "You know, the guy with the balls?"

Edward's laughter was edging on maniacal after Jasper referenced their appetizer sparring, and he barely controlled it to answer. "Yes, I remember," he finally managed over stifled chuckles before recalling that he had never introduced himself either. "I'm Edward."

"So Alice tells me," Jasper said, a low chuckle reverberating in Edward's ear, making his cock stir slightly.

Unfortunately, suddenly faced with the man of his fantasy and his every waking thought, Edward was at a loss for words. The five minutes of awkward had returned. Luckily, Jasper seemed to pick up on Edward's unease and continued talking as if nothing was wrong.

"I know I ran out of the party pretty quickly last night. But, and I swear this isn't some kind of line, I thought we had some sort of connection." Trailing off, Edward heard Jasper clear his throat and then the silence was back.

Swallowing again, Edward jumped in, trying to save Jasper and hoping he didn't land on his face once again. "Yeah, perhaps we did. A connection over meat balls." He smiled at the recollection of the innuendo and almost silly conversation. And then blushed as he remembered what Jasper's touch had done to him over the last hours.

"Yeah," came Jasper's breathy reply.

Maybe they were both thinking the same thing.

"Would you like to get coffee or something?" Edward asked, his own voice surprising him. Since when did he pursue a guy? Edward usually found guys at bars and hoped for the best. Maybe this was his head reminding him of how well that had worked for him.

Luckily, Jasper's answer came immediately. "Actually, that would be great. I was going to suggest something to try to make up for my rudeness. When is best for you?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty free today actually," Edward responded and then cringed, hoping he didn't sound too desperate. "Um, but when works for you?" he asked, placing the ball back in Jasper's court.

"Today would work actually, and I typically need a break from the office around three or so. Do you know Lucille's downtown? We could meet there."

Lucille's Coffee and Pasty Shop was located only a block from Edward's office, and he couldn't believe his luck that Jasper also knew the quirky but homey cafe.

"Sure, I know Lucille's. She makes the best macchiato in town," Edward offered, his mouth instantly watering, recalling the smooth, hot liquid on his taste buds.

"Then, three o'clock?" came the hopeful question.

"Yeah, I'll see you then," he agreed, anxiousness and excitement tangling in his belly.

And although he was becoming more nervous, Edward didn't mistake the sigh of relief from the other man. Jasper ended the conversation with a short, drawled, "See you." The click that followed shortly after was somehow both welcome and not, an ache settling into Edward's chest where he had sworn he wouldn't let another in so soon.

At that moment, Alice danced back into the room, a small smile on her lips.

"Well?" she asked, stopping in front of him and raising her eyebrows as she bounced on the balls of her feet.

"Well what?" Edward replied calmly. He was desperately trying not to reveal any of his excitement and enjoying torturing the little matchmaker for a few seconds.

"What did you and Jasper talk about?" she continued, not settling down in the slightest. "I knew when he called that it was about you, and I really want this to work out because he's really great and you're really great, and I think you could be happy, you know, like the good kind of happy, the kind-"

"Whoa, Alice," Edward interrupted grabbing her shoulders as if to physically restrain her and stop the words flowing out of her mouth without end. "We didn't really talk about anything."

"Oh," she responded, shoulders visibly slumping and her lips pouting slightly.

"Yeah," he sighed and then released her, watching her slump further and feeling a little bad for deceiving her. So, when he neared the door and felt it was safe to enlighten her and avoid any immediate retribution, he turned. "Except for the coffees we're having together in a few hours," he said over his shoulder and then ducked out the door quickly as Alice's high-heeled shoe came flying at him.

He was still chuckling to himself when he returned to his office, a plate of small appetizers in his hand. Waiting on his desk was a proof that he had been working on that had finally arrived for his approval. Having something to work on made the time fly by, but his mind kept wandering to coffee and the macchiato he would be enjoying soon. And, of course, Jasper.

What would they talk about? Did they have anything in common besides a love of kitschy appetizers?

Nervously, he glanced at the clock for the first time in a while after studiously trying to ignore it. Realizing it was almost 2:40, he gathered his working sketches and filed them quickly before leaving the office. As he exited the building, the chill air and biting wind still seemed to pierce easily through his wool coat and thick scarf, and he walked quickly to try to stay warm and reach the toasty cafe sooner.

Walking in the door, he heard the familiar chimes and smiled to himself before noticing that the clock on the wall indicated that he was still fifteen minutes early. He decided to grab a table and wait for Jasper before ordering his coffee, but as he glanced around the cafe, he finally noticed the man himself seated on a small couch in the back, waving cheerfully in Edward's direction.

Edward carefully picked his way through the maze of tables and chairs and soon found himself before Jasper, who was standing with his hand extended.

"Let's make this official then," Jasper said as Edward approached and placed his hand in the other man's. "I'm Jasper Whitlock."

"Edward Cullen," he replied, a slightly strangled sound coming from his throat at hearing Jasper's silken voice again in person. He reluctantly released the other man's hand and flexed his fingers,feeling that same strange tingle in his skin as last night. "Um, I'll just go get my coffee."

But as Edward turned to return to the counter, Jasper grabbed his arm lightly. "Already done, my man," he explained as he gestured to the small table next to the couch, two steaming, slightly frothy cups sitting there with a plate of Lucille's homemade chocolate chip cookies. "I took the liberty after you mentioned the macchiato and ordered them for us both. I hope you don't mind."

Edward stood there shocked, trying to recall the last time anyone had done something so simple but so thoughtful without wanting something in return. At Jasper's hopeful look, Edward's wide eyes and open mouth morphed into an large grin.

"Thanks, Jasper. That means a lot to me."

Jasper smiled and then stepped back to gesture at the couch. "Shall we?"

Edward couldn't wipe the grin off his face as he removed his coat and joined Jasper on the small couch. After a few awkward starts, Jasper asked what Edward did, and Edward eagerly explained his job as a graphic designer and one of the recent projects that he'd enjoyed working on for the local park service. From there, Jasper launched enthusiastically into his tale about being an architect, the love he had for creation and seeing the ideas in his head become physical, usable constructions.

Edward was a little enthralled by Jasper's take on creativity and the awe that he felt at watching his mind's works come to life. Edward had felt a certain pride in his work as well, especially if it was a public project, and he could never quite explain to people the thrill of seeing his sketches come to life. Jasper nodded, sipping his coffee as Edward explained this, his eyes and words conveying nothing but understanding.

Edward could get used to this.

As he warmed and relaxed, Edward rolled up his shirt sleeves absently, only pausing for a moment at the short gasp from beside him. Internally Edward groaned, having received more than his fair share of questions about his tattoos, the assumptions and the prejudices. Garrett never understood why Edward wanted to have ink on his skin, or why he wanted to get more. That was the reason for the placement of his newest addition, but the meaning was only for Edward, as it always was.

By the time he looked up at Jasper, he was filled with dread, wondering if he would receive the same scowl and narrowed eyes he got from his ex, but all he saw was a gorgeous smirk and smiling eyes.

"Didn't think you would have ink," Jasper said, a note of incredulity in his voice.

"Yeah?" Edward asked noncommittally, not really wanting to but still wondering if Jasper had actually been thinking about his skin or the possibility of tattoos.

"I don't think I could ever get one," Jasper replied, looking down at Edward's forearm again, and Edward restrained the slight wince at his words, hoping they didn't lead to derisive comments. "I just don't think I could sit still that long. I'm more for small doses of pain, you know?"

Edward quickly turned toward Jasper with that remark, staring into his still-smirking face. Small doses of pain? What the hell does that-?

Ohhhhh.

This time it was Edward's turn to gasp as Jasper flashed the bit of steel through his tongue, clicking it against his front teeth before returning it to his mouth. Edward had completely forgotten that not-so-small detail about the other man, and he could not resist looking down the other man's body, wondering what else was worth that small amount of pain.

Jasper cleared his throat, and Edward's eyes shot back to his face as he felt heat color his cheeks. Jasper leaned forward, lightly tracing a single finger along the lion's mane on Edward's forearm. Edward somehow repressed the shiver running up his spine, although he couldn't control the goosebumps that broke out across his skin.

"Let me take you out," Jasper said. He wasn't really asking, but the question was there - not the usual demand that Edward was used to.

Jasper's finger continued to lightly touch Edward's skin as he was once again shocked into silence, frozen by this man's touch and his words.

Jasper's voice was nervous when he spoke again. "I'm sorry, Edward. I'm being too forward. It's too soon." He withdrew his hand suddenly, looking away, but Edward grabbed for his arm, holding him steadily.

"No, it's not that...," Edward started, unsure of how much to admit without sounding pathetic or desperate. "It's just that I haven't been asked out in a long time."

Jasper turned back to Edward then, regarding him curiously. "But Alice said-." Then he stopped abruptly, shaking his head, a blond curl falling into his eye. "Never mind. Will you go to dinner with me? Tonight?"

Edward paused for a few heartbeats, falling into honest blue eyes.

All of his firm determination from the morning began to disappear, replaced by a glimmer of actual happiness at causing Jasper's mouth to smirk once again. His answer, when he decided, seemed impetuous, possibly even foolish, but nothing had seemed so right.

Edward's voice was full of confidence when he finally voiced his desire. "Yes."


Ooh... a date! Things are heating up!

To read more from bmango, check out our profile for a link to her fics. She has a bunch of fabulous slash ones, including the excellent (and completed!) fic, Ready For You.

Thank you all for reading and joining us on this special adventure. Please return next week when Lyrical Kris takes the helm!