Disclaimer: I am not in any way, shape, or form SM. She owns Twilight and all the glorious characters that go with it. I'm simply here to have fun with them. Second, I did not create the original story. It was created by Deer-in-headlights Oo. I just took over…
Since I got four reviews and two people asked for Jasper's POV, here it is.
Hope You Enjoy The Story… If You Don't, Just Don't Review… Keep Reading Though!!
BTW: This chapter is chapter 1 in Jasper's POV. If you do not wish to read it, than it's okay. You won't be missing anything drastically important. The next chapter will resume Alice's POV after she signs the bi-rental papers.
Chapter 1: Wanted
Come live with me, and be my love, and we will all the pleasures prove.
--Christopher Marlowe (American Poet)
JPOV
Saturday. It's Saturday. It's Saturday!
I sit on my foyer couch, watching the clock tick and listening to the phone not ringing. It's Saturday. The last day for my WANTED ad. Well, there goes forty-nine bucks down the drain. I guess I could rerun the ad. I guess I could shell out another almost fifty dollars. Then again, I guess I could just see if Emmett wants to move in. No. Wait. Screw that. I'll pay the fifty dollars. Use a 'Get out of Jail Almost Free' Card.
Emmett is one of my best friends, but he's a little bit of a slob. Scratch that. He's a complete slob. He will eat leftover pizza… FROM A WEEK AGO! Disgusting. He will leave Cheese Balls under the couch cushions and shout, "Eureka! I knew I would find you sooner or later. Enter my mouth and be doomed!", when they miraculously turn up. And when you ask questions about how old the pizza is, why it's growing green stuff (okay, he's not that bad), how long the Cheese Balls have been hiding under the cushions, and how in the world they got covered with rainbow sprinkles (yes, he is that bad), he has no idea. None that he cares to share anyway.
That's why I paid forty nine dollars to run an ad in the WANTED section of the classifieds in our local paper, The Olympian. That's why I'd rather live with a total stranger. That's why I'm currently sitting her willing my phone to-
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING! RRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIINNNNNNG!!!
It's ringing! It's actually ringing. Holy crap it's my apartment phone and not my cell. That means it's gotta be someone calling about the ad.
I reach over the in-table and grab the cordless phone off its base.
"Hello?" I answer, but am greeted by dead silence on the other side. I pause, thinking this must be a telemarketer. You know how they always pause so they can switch you over to a recording? But, just to be sure, I ask again. "Hello?"
"Uh, hi. I'm calling about the apartment? The one listed in The Olympian?" An angelic voice responds. This has to be fate. If I wasn't currently talking to a more-than-possible roommate, I'd be down on my knees praising whichever powerful ruler gave me this chance.
"Yes, of course. Were you interested in coming to take a look at it?" No, idiot. She's just calling to see how your Saturday is going.
"I was hoping I could come and take a look later today actually." She responds. She didn't notice my falter. Or, she didn't mention it if she did. Either way… She wants to come by today, hey! She wants to come by today!
"Of course. That'd be great. Can I request a time, or is there a certain time you would prefer?" God, I sound so much like my old man. Good thing the calm, cool, collectedness runs in the family. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure I'd be stuttering, stumbling, and totally screwing this up right now.
"Um, I was hoping I could swing by to see it early. I have quite a few other places I want to check out." Oh, no. She's got other places to see. Other places to consider. Other places probably without a roommate she doesn't even know.
"Sure. Let's see… it's eight now, so if you stopped by in maybe an hour and a half, at nine thirty, that'd work. Okay for you?" Please, please let it work for her. I silently prayed hoping that wasn't too soon for her. I wanted, no needed to meet this girl as soon as possible. She seemed to right, so perfect, and yet, I had no idea why. A small phone conversation hardly justifies anything. Does it?
"Yeah, sure, of course. That's great and", she pauses.
"And?" I laugh. Great, now she thinks I'm laughing at her. This is not how it's supposed to go. Not at all. Get a grip Jasper. Get a big grip. "I'll see you soon then. Good bye." I hurry, trying to erase my previous screw up.
"Bye", she chokes out. See? You idiot, you hurt her feelings and she isn't even over here yet.
I hang up quickly, letting the static from the dial tone vibrate against my eardrum. That was not smooth. That didn't go at all like I imagined. That was the worst fail in history since the Titanic.
I place the phone back on its base and place my head in my hands, mentally slapping myself. I. Didn't. Get. Her. Name. What kind of idiot doesn't get their roommate's name. Me, that's what kind of idiot.
This is not going to work. She seems too perfect. Her voice is too perfect. But, that's a good thing right? If people look good, they sound good, right? Well, except for in cases such as Fran Dresher. But, who am I kidding? She wasn't even that hot.
I look at the digital clock on my stereo and see that it's only eight fifteen. How am I supposed to wait forty five minutes for this girl? How am I supposed to pass the time?
I decide my best bet to take my mind off the long wait would be to check my e-mails. Something I haven't done in such a long time and probably need to do.
I walk out of my foyer and down the hall, turning into the little office I have set up next to the spare bedroom. The guest bedroom. The one she'll be staying in. The one that I'll no longer have to deem as empty if (and I should say when) she decides to move in.
I sit in the black leather swivel chair and scoot myself over to the desktop computer sitting on my desk. I turn it on, log in, and get into my e-mail.
"Welcome! You have mail!" The deep (but loud) robotic voice tells me. I turn down my volume and scroll over to my inbox, seeing that I do indeed have mail. Two hundred and sixty three of them to be exact.
I go through the motions of deleting all spam and junk mail, leaving me with a grand total of two. Not two hundred, not even twenty. Just two. And can you guess who their from? Yes, ma'am. My mama.
The first one is simple:
Hey Hun, it's Mom. I just wanted to see how everything was going. We haven't heard much from you lately. I hope everything in Washington is working out as planned. Talk to you soon. Love ya lots, Mom. PS: Don't hesitate to call! Love you Jasper!
The second one, still kind of expected:
Hey Hun, it's Mom. Your father and I were wondering if you might like to come back down here and take a little vaycay. That is what you kids are saying now, right? Vaycay? Anyway, if you wanted to bring Emmett with you that would be okay. We just thought you guys might enjoy a little country air. Your father says hi. Anyway, let me know if you want. We'd really like to see you again sometime soon. Be good. Love ya lots, Mom. PS: Can you send me a postcard with Mt. St. Helens on it? I want to show my friends!
I type back quickly letting her know: A) I'm okay. B) Everything is working out perfectly. C) No, unfortunately I cannot come back to Texas and visit, not right now anyways. D) I will come home soon, I just have to take care of some stuff here first. E) I'll call soon. And F) I'll see when I have time to stop by and get her the postcard.
After writing that very precise, very short e-mail to my mom, I went back into the foyer, making sure everything looked organized, neat, tidy. Girls are into organization, right?
I fluff and straighten the throw pillows on my couch and chaise, spray some Febreeze Fabric Whatever (I also put some in the air for good measure), dust off crumbs from the coffee table (which, were probably mere figments of my imagination), and stand back to take it all in. Perfect. Or, at least as well as I could get it.
Then, I take in my appearance. Jeans and a t-shirt. A t-shirt that smells more like Febreeze than me. I'm changing.
I head back into my room and over to the monstrous walk-in master bedroom closet. Which, my cloths only seem to fill a third of. I grab the first shirt I see, a simple black t-shirt and toss it on. Running my fingers through my hair and rolling on Old Spice over my shirt, I leave my bedroom.
Checking in the office once again to assure the contract papers are sitting neatly on my desk, then leaving my apartment
Locking the door behind me, I head down the landing and over to the chrome elevator doors. I press the up-side down triangle for 'DOWN' and watch as the numbers above the door light up, going: 1…2…3…4…5… with an annoying little 'ding' to accompany them. An epileptic's dream!
The light and ding finally acknowledge number 12. The top floor. The last floor. My floor. The doors part and I step in, pressing the button for the lobby. I check my watch, noting the time to be exactly nine fifteen. Fifteen minutes until she arrives. Fifteen minutes left before I (hopefully) have a roommate.
The elevator doors slide shut, enclosing me in the little block. As it begins its slow descend, I can't help but wish it would move faster.
Thankfully no one got on while I was heading to the lobby. When the big metal doors opened on the main floor, I was the tiniest bit upset to find out she wasn't here already. Glancing at my watch again, I realize that it's only nine twenty. She still has ten minutes.
I glance over at the main desk and see the 'greeter', 'receptionist', or whatever she wants to be called, Jessica, sitting there taking messages.
"Hey Jessica. How are you today?" I ask, casually leaning against the counter top.
"Just fine Jasper. And you? How's the roommate search going?" Her sickly sweet voice asks, reminding me that someone out there, someone in the position to possibly be my roommate, has the voice of an angel.
"Good. I actually have someone coming by to see it today." She smiles and nods, just as the glass front doors open.
"I see." She smiles again. I turn my head, noticing a beautiful girl standing in the lobby. She's looking up at the ceiling, ogling the huge chandelier. Then she glances over to me. It's such a quick look, I can't even be sure it was one. She quickly looks back at the ground. I'm sure she's confused by the pattern of the rug. It's such a common reaction to guests here.
"I'll be back Jessica." I say. She nods.
"Mmhmm. Whatever you say."
I walk away and head over to her, taking my time to look at her beautiful, short, wavy hair that sticks out in different directions. Her down cast eyes are a beautiful doe-brown.
I step up next to her asking politely, "Are you here to look at the apartment?" Please, please dear God let it be her. Please… She jumps slightly, startled brown eyes glancing up to met mine.
"Uh, yes. How'd you know?" She stutters and I can't help the smile that plays at the corner of my lips.
"You just seemed rather lost. Most people who aren't familiar with the lavishness of these apartments are quite taken aback the first time they visit." I smile, "Then again, it's nine thirty and you're the only other person in the lobby."
"Right." She agrees quickly, seamlessly.
"So, are you ready? It's at the top, so we might want to take the elevator, unless, of course, you want to climb twelve flights of stairs?" I try to keep my tone light, but if she wants to climb the stairs, I'd be more than willing to.
"No, the elevator is fine." She agrees and I wave my arm in the direction of the elevator doors.
"After you." I say, keeping my chivalry side predominant. She walks over to the elevators and press the 'UP' button.
We stand in complete silence, waiting for the elevator to arrive. She seems very uncomfortable and that is not a step in the right direction.
"So what do you do for a living?" I ask as the doors part and we step inside.
"I work as a secretary and receptionist for The Governor Hotel." She says quietly. I hope I didn't hit a sore spot.
"That's interesting. Do you enjoy your line of work?" I ask, hoping to fix my mistake as I press the button for floor number twelve.
"It pays the bills." She says with a small laugh. A laugh as beautiful as her voice. The doors slide shut and we being our ascend to the top floor.
Any job that does that is worth keeping, huh?" I ask, smiling, trying to lighten the mood.
"That's what jobs are for, right?" I ask. She fidgets and I realize I better drop this topic. This obviously isn't a topic she feels comfortable with.
"Not always. You have to get out and have a little fun now and then." I say seriously. I hope she isn't one of those workaholics that thinks everything revolves around waking up, getting dressed, going to work, working, and coming home.
We ride the rest of the way in silence. I watch as she watches the blinking numbers over top of the elevator doors. This is not going well at all. Nope. She was so not going to want to rent half of the apartment. Nope. I might as well wave the little white flag now. Thanks for playing, but you are not the next American Idol. Yeah, the last one was random.
When the blinking lights once again acknowledge the twelfth floor, the part and open, sliding away and revealing the one door on this floor. My door.
I lead the way down the hallway this time, sliding my key into the door turning the knob, and swinging open the door.
"Ladies first?" I ask, gesturing inside my apartment with my right hand. She nods slowly, entering my apartment with caution.
When I shut the door behind us, I immediately notice the look of disdain on her face. Oh no. Did I use the wrong Febreeze?
I watch as she looks over my foyer. Taking the time to note every little thing in my apartment.
"Wow. This is impressive." She says as I walk up and stand next to her. Good. Maybe the Febreeze was a good thing.
"Glad you like it. You're actually the first one to call about it. I don't think people are so keen on rooming with people they don't know anymore." I say, trying to get a feel of how she views this situation. It can't be ideal for her.
"Well, it's closer to my work, and that's what I've been looking for." She says, glancing around the foyer again. So that's it. As long as I stay out of her way and she can get to work on time, everything should be okay. Except for one major problem. I do not think I'll be able to stay away.
"I think we need to back track a little bit, if you're okay with that." I say, but if she wants to go the whole time referring to each other with shouts of, 'Hey you!', that'll be alright with me.
"Yeah, of course." She says, but it's clear she doesn't understand where this is headed.
"Well, I just thought since we are possibly going to be living together, I don't want to jump the gun, but I think we need to have a first name bases, okay?" Jump the gun? Wow. The country slang couldn't hide until the remainder of this, could it?
"I guess it's as much my fault as it is yours", she says with a shrug. "I'm Alice. Alice Brandon."
"I'm Jasper." WHITLOCK! "It's a pleasure to meet you." I say formally, extending my hand for a brief handshake. It's only when she shakes my hand, only when I feel the fire that travels up my arm from my hand, that I realize I want this handshake to be anything but brief.
"So, can I take a tour of the rest of the apartment? Or are we going off of the living room?" She asks with a breath taking smile.
"Follow me", I say as I turn on my heels and lead her to the kitchen. I watch in silent amusement as her face brightens when she sees the stainless steel appliances, and the mahogany and black marble counter tops.
"It's breath taking." She says as she glances out the sliding glass doors that open on to the balcony. A marvelous view of Washington spread wide under it.
"I'll say you are." I say so quietly. And then pray she didn't hear me. What girl in their right mind would move in with a guy they don't know, especially one making advances on them? She shakes her head slowly before turning back to me.
"Can I see the rest of it?" She asks. I nod eagerly; wanting to show her as much as I can so I can convince her she needs this place. Convince her she needs to move in here.
I lead her down the small hallway. Immediately wishing I'd done more to prepare the living room and game room.
Here's the family room. It's mainly just a hangout place right now. That door there is a bathroom." I point out as she nods; more interested in the crappy furniture I have in the game room than where the bathroom is. "I know this isn't the prettiest room, but trust me, it serves its purposes well." And believe me, if you meet Emmett, no when you meet Emmett, you'll be glad for this room. I know I am.
"No, I think it's cute." She says. Did she just call the pig's sty cute? Wow, that's definitely a first. If she likes that, then she'll definitely like what's behind curtain number two. C'mon down!
"Well, it's never been called that before, but okay." I say honestly, laughing a little. "Now, over here is another bathroom and right next to it is the linen closet. I have a smaller one in the bathroom. Over here is the office I have mentioned. And this, well, this would be the room you're looking to rent." I walk over to the spare bedroom and open the door. "Care to take a look?"
She steps cautiously over to the door, just like she did when she first entered the apartment. As she enters the room, I flip the light switch, thankful that the light bulbs have held up this long without needing to be changed.
I lean against the door frame and watch as she takes in the whole room. The white walls and the light blue carpet doing nothing to help my cause.
"I like it." She says, turning back to face me.
"Are you sure? We could always paint it a different color if you decide you want to move in." I say, realizing that maybe a blue colored room isn't the best for a girl.
She nods slowly, "I think I could get used to it." Glancing around the room once more before nodding a second time. Yes! Yes! Yes!
"Of course you'll need to bring your own furniture. You can probably fit the majority of your clothes here", I say pushing myself off the door frame and walking into the room to reveal the beautiful walk in closet. Every girl likes walk in closets, right? This has to be the deal closer.
After watching her looking around, and seemingly memorize the closet I ask, "So? What do you think?"
"I think I like it a lot. I think it's perfect." She says, but there's an underlying tone to her voice. A tone of unease, dread maybe?
"But?" I ask, not allowing my face to show my disappointment.
"But I just don't think it's going to work. Believe me, this place is like my dream apartment, but it's just not my place. I don't think I'm the right type of person to be your roommate, and I highly doubt that I could live in a place with a chandelier in the lobby." She says. She tries to sound calm but I can see how much she wants to be here, how much she needs to be here, and I just can't let that go.
"Alice, if you are worried about fitting in, which by your previous statement, seems to be your problem, I can assure you that you'll be fine. Everyone has their insecurities, trust me, I have some of my own, but I can't force you to do anything you don't wish to do. If you don't want to live here, I can understand. It can't be easy to move in with someone you don't know. Especially when that said someone is of the opposite gender. But trust me. I will treat you like family and I'd never do anything to make you feel uncomfortable. However, if you still do not wish to move in, then I'm sure I can rerun the ad and you can check out your other apartment possibilities." It hurt me to say the last part. The words actually tasted bad leaving my mouth. I didn't want her to check other apartments. I didn't want to rerun the ad. This had to be it.
"Where are the papers? I'm sold." She says quickly, and I can't help the feel of a huge weight leaving my shoulders. I can't help the feeling that I've finally found what I've been looking for all along. This is so much better than living with Emmett.
So? How was my first JPOV? Was it good? Did it meet your standards? Please review and let me know! Thanks!
Do the chapters need to be longer? I'm averaging about 3,000+ words, but if you would like longer chapters, just let me know! Thank you so much to my readers, and my reviewers!
Aly