For a moment, Jasper looked shocked, but he quickly straightened his features and rose from his seat. He pulled out the chair next to his. "Would you like to join me, Bella?"
I hesitated, but then I felt the pounding in my chest start to relax.
"If I do, will you keep the mind control to yourself?" I asked him before I lost my nerve.
He looked at me thoughtfully for a moment, and then his eyes softened and I felt his influence slip away. "Of course," he said politely, still holding the chair.
I nodded and took the seat that he then scooted up to the table. He returned to his own chair, but kept a careful distance. After a moment of awkward silence, he gestured to the stage. "Talented, isn't she? She was barely able to play her first song because her hands were shaking so much, but look at her now. I stopped helping her twenty minutes ago. Now that she knows she has it in her and she isn't afraid anymore. It's amazing to watch."
"Are all of you back?" I asked bluntly.
"No," he said with his eyes still on the stage. "Just me."
"What are you doing here?"
"Working on my people skills," he said with a hint of a smile.
I shook my head. "No, not in this coffee house. What are you doing in Washington?" I asked.
"There are some loose ends that need to be tied up," he said. "Your cocoa is cooling."
He was right. The once steamy beverage was reduced to little wisps. "I don't mind," I said as I brought the cup to my lips and blew across the surface softly before taking a sip. "I don't really like it hot anyway, but you can't order warm chocolate."
He looked at me and chuckled softly. "I don't suppose that you can."
"Where's Alice?" I asked. "I didn't get to see her before...before she left," I finished uncertainly.
His face grew serious then, and he looked back toward the stage. "She is with the rest of the family. After the move, a few of us decided to take some time away."
By his tone, I knew that I had tread beyond his comfort zone. So I turned my attention to my muffin. I broke off a piece and ate it, savoring the warm gooey blueberries. I suddenly felt hungry. Really hungry. I ripped off another piece and savored it far more briefly.
"What brings you to a coffee house over an hour from your home?" Jasper asked.
"Chance?" I replied. "I just got in my truck and drove. I wanted to be somewhere...else. I didn't want to be alone exactly, but I didn't want to be around anyone I knew. I stopped at the first place that looked...right. I don't know how to explain it."
"I think I understand," he said. "Would you like me to leave?"
I almost blurted out a polite "Of course not!" but I held my tongue. I needed to really consider this. On one hand, being with Jasper was a link to Edward that I craved. On the other, if he hadn't attacked me then Edward would still be in Forks with me. Wouldn't he?
"If I asked you to leave...would you leave? Like, completely leave me alone now and in the future?" I asked.
"I won't follow you around and sneak in your window without permission, if that's what you're asking," he said as he turned to face me. "I have some business here, so I can't leave Washington permanently yet. But while I'm here, I would avoid contact with you to the best of my ability, starting by walking out of this coffee shop."
Looking into his amber eyes, I felt his sincerity and I realized that I really didn't want him to leave. At least not yet. Talking with him now was like sipping cool water after seven weeks and two days of wandering through the dry desert heat. I may have a terribly painful sunburn, but at least for now I didn't feel dehydrated. He didn't pity me for Edward's leaving, nor did he expect me to act as if it didn't happen. It was refreshing.
"I don't want you to leave," I said finally, locking into his gaze.
"I'm glad to hear that," he said. "If you change your mind, just say the word."
The music stopped and we both turned toward the stage. We clapped as the blond took a modest bow and thanked the audience. As the applause started to wane, my stomach let out an embarrassingly loud growl. I could feel my cheeks grow warm with embarrassment.
"There's an Italian restaurant nearby," he said.
"No, I don't want to eat in an actual restaurant alone; a coffee shop is bad enough," I said. Besides, I didn't really want to go to an Italian restaurant like the one Edward had taken me to in Port Angeles.
"You're not alone here. You're sitting with me," he replied. "What about take-out? I bought some Chinese food a few nights ago and the patrons seemed pleased."
"But you don't eat."
"I don't drink coffee either," he said holding up his cup. "It's like paying for a foul-smelling movie ticket to me. It gives me a reason to be there."
I was starving and I hadn't had Chinese take-out since I moved to Forks. If I didn't cook dinner, then it was usually pizza or burgers. If Jasper really wanted to bite me and drain me of my blood, he wouldn't need General Tso's Chicken to do it. He could force me to do whatever he wanted. I nodded my agreement.
Walking out the door of the coffee shop was like walking to another world of cold darkness. My breath solidified on front of me and then dissipated into the still air. Jasper walked briskly ahead of me to the driver's side of my truck. I was about to protest any idea he had of driving, but he simply held the door open for me. Aside from him giving me directions, we were almost silent as I drove to the quaint restaurant with a glowing neon "OPEN" sign in the window.
"Be right back," he said as he opened the door.
"No way. You're not paying for my dinner," I said as I reached for the seat belt buckle.
He swallowed hard and looked away. "I just...I need a moment. Please?"
"Okay."
He was back in no time with a large brown paper bag. The delicious smell permeated the air and made my mouth water. He opened his door and put the bag on his seat long enough to slough off his coat. He was wearing a long sleeved black shirt and a honey colored scarf. He held the coat out to me.
"I need to crack my window, and I don't want you to be cold," he explained.
I accepted and then tore into my food. At first, I only grew more hungry with each bite, but somewhere between the egg rolls and the Moo Goo Gai Pan I started to feel satiated.
"I have a confession," Jasper said, breaking the silent. For a moment, I had forgotten that he was in the truck or that I was in a parking lot over an hour from home. "I did my best to respect your space and only come to Forks when you would be in school or in the middle of the night. But, I was hoping that I would get a chance to talk to you before I left."
"Why?"
"I want to apologize. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for almost hurting you physically...and for everything else that has happened since. There are many things that I have done and regret, but attacking you..."
I stared at him and let my chopsticks fall back into the warm red and white paper container on my lap. "You don't have to apologize," I said. "You couldn't control yourself."
"But I need to," he said. "I need to learn how to control myself so that I'm never a danger to you or any other human again."
I could feel the intensity of his eyes as he watched me for a reaction. "I forgive you," I said. And I meant it, because I could tell he had meant his words.
"Thank you," he said softly, and then he turned to stare out into the darkness.
"Friends?" I asked as I extended my hand to him.
"Friends," he agreed, taking my hand gently into his and shaking it. His skin was cool and hard like Edwards, but I could feel callouses on his fingers. His life before becoming a vampire must not have been pampered. He had the hands of a man that worked for a living.
Having a full stomach, as satisfying as it was, made my eyelids grow heavy and my breathing slow. As much as I usually tried to avoid sleep, I wished I could have slipped peacefully into slumber.
"May I drive you home?" Jasper asked. He didn't have to be empathic to see that I was exhausted. "You can sleep on the way."
"I...I don't really want to sleep...I've been having nightmares," I said, and I could have instantly slapped myself. Why did I tell him about the nightmares?
"I could help you with that," he said. "I can't change the content of your dreams, but I can alter the way you react to them...if you want that. I won't force you, but I would really feel more comfortable if you would at least let me drive."
I really didn't want to drive. I wanted a soft pillow and at least fourteen hours of dreamless and restful sleep. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that," I said as I scooted over to the passenger side. Jasper rolled up the window and then went around the truck to the driver's side.
He looked at me for a brief moment and then took off his scarf. He tossed it over to me as he cracked the window and turned up the heat. I remember putting on the scarf and buckling my seat belt as he pulled out of the parking lot. The next thing I knew, we were back in Forks.