A/N: Happy New Year, everyone! Thank you all so much for your wonderful thoughts! So, the holidays are over (at least, they are for me). The good news is we should now be able to resume daily updates until this little (or maybe not so little?) story is complete.

Most characters belong to S. Meyer. The rest of the story is mine.

After Christmas: The First Post-Christmas – Chapter 4

Late August

I knew my mental fortitude was headed on a downward spiral when I started wringing my hands and heard my mom's admonishment in my head.

Bella, if you keep doing that you'll have the hands of a senior citizen by the time you're thirty.

A few seconds later, I caught myself biting the skin around my thumbnail.

Bella, honey, that's an awful habit. Not only is it off-putting to those around you, but it gives you unattractive nailbeds, and you have no idea the kind of infections that can seep in through raw nailbeds.

Wincing, I exhaled a long breath and slid my fidgety hands under my shorts, sandwiching my fingers between the back of my thighs and the plastic airport chair. Until I realized I simply looked like a reprimanded child. I sucked my teeth and stood, and for about the umpteenth time in the past hour, I went to check the Arrivals and Departures board.

"Damn it," I grumbled under my breath at the unaltered, big, red letters next to Edward's flight information:

DELAYED

With a deep sigh, I returned to my seat in the baggage claim area, where I'd been hanging out for over three hours. An eight-p.m. Thursday night scheduled arrival had turned into a nine-p.m. arrival, then into a two-hour delay. Now, we were on hour three of the Great Kathmandu-via-Dubai Airplane Waiting Game – otherwise known as Isabella Swan's Dwindling Opportunity to Chicken the Eff Out.

After all, it wasn't as if Edward knew I was at the airport. What's more, he'd be beyond exhausted whenever he finally landed. A trip already scheduled to last about twenty-five hours, including a four-hour layover in Dubai, was now closing in on thirty hours of travel time. And here I was, surprising him.

If I'd checked the Arrivals and Departures Board umpteen times, I'd questioned the intelligence of appearing at the airport unannounced just as many. Maybe this delay was the Universe's way of telling me to turn tail and go home, to wait until tomorrow evening after work to meet with him, as we'd agreed – the way friends would meet.

Once again, I stood and took two steps forward, pausing as I debated my direction. A left would lead me to the information boards, whereas a right would lead me through the automatic double-doors and to the sweltering streets…

"Stop it, Bella," I muttered to myself. "You're not a coward. Just stop it, and go check the board."

"Excuse me…Bella?"

My breath hitched as I turned around slowly. Simultaneously, I marveled at the fact that those were the exact same words he first spoke to me the day we met. As I craned my neck upward, my eyes widened, and the words which came out of my mouth were spoken before I could take them back.

"How are you here when…?"

In the amount of time it took for those words to leave my mouth, I caught sight of the blond hair on the man before me. His blue eyes weren't the dark emerald ones I often saw in my dreams. What's more, his suggestive grin, while not actually salacious, was the grin of a man well aware of his good looks. Edward's grin, on the other hand, was unassuming, oblivious to its charm. And although I'd only spent a few hours with Edward, I was sure the man before me was just slightly taller than him.

"How tall are you, Edward?"

"Six-two…"

"That's a whole foot taller than me…

"Look at how easy it makes it for me to keep my arm around you…"

"You're not Edward," I said.

Yes, Edward's brother bore a striking resemblance to him, even more so in person than in the images I'd seen on social media, but the differences between them were more than the similarities. He frowned, yet in the next moment, his grin widened. When he chuckled, he displayed only one, lonesome dimple.

"No, I'm definitely not Edward. I'm-"

"M-Dub."

He threw back his head and laughed in a manner reminiscent yet not the same at all as his brother's manner.

"M-Dub," he repeated once his humor dispersed. "Yeah, Edward told me about that."

"He told me he told you, Jasper. He also told me you approved of the acronym – which is kind of telling in and of itself, don't you think?" I quirked an eyebrow.

Jasper quirked his own eyebrow. "It seems there's plenty of communication between you two, huh?"

"Of course we communicate. We're friends. But, how did you know who I was?"

"I recognized you from Edward's posts, Bella, even though you haven't accepted my 'friend' requests." He grinned wryly now, making it clear he was teasing.

I chuckled. "Don't take it personally, Jasper. I just don't 'friend' people I've never really met."

"So, it has nothing to do with the 'Man Whore' status?"

I smiled but otherwise made no reply.

He snorted. "My brother didn't tell me you were meeting him at the airport."

"That's because he didn't know." I felt heat overspread my face and neck in spite of the airport's blasting A/C. "I just wanted to say hi."

"You wanted to say hi," he grinned again. "JFK's a pretty out-of-the-way airport to get to just to say hi."

"I had a couple of free hours," I shrugged.

"Ah. Okay," he said easily enough, yet his tone clearly indicated he didn't buy it. "And I guess those couple of free hours turned into a few free hours once Ed's flight was delayed."

He dug his hands into the pockets of his designer jeans and bounced on the heels of his boat shoes before resting his weight on one, long leg. Then, he flashed me another toothy grin, winking in a way Edward winked, but again, with much more self-awareness. I'd initially jumped at the sound of Jasper's familiar, velvety voice, momentarily confusing it with Edward's. But now I noted how different their voices were as well. Edward's voice was deep, genuine, and unpretentious – even when he teased me. Jasper had the voice of a practiced charmer.

Yes, I could see how on paper, Jasper Cullen might be seen by the world at large as the slightly more handsome and popular of the two brothers. After all, everything about him was designed to impress.

"Actually, I got the impression no one was coming to meet him at the airport," I said, ignoring his insinuation. "Had I known you were coming, I wouldn't have inserted myself. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you, Jasper," I smiled, "especially after such a long time away."

"He's my brother, and I've missed him," Jasper shrugged, suddenly looking and sounding much more sincere. "Ed didn't know I was picking him up, Bella. He said there was no point in my coming all the way over here when he could just catch an Uber home." He chuckled heartily. "But you don't know him half as well as I thought you might if you think for a moment he'd rather find me here waiting for him than find you. Isn't that right, bro?" he called out, looking over my shoulder.

"Bella?"

When I turned around, I knew without a doubt who I'd find, even though his face and figure blurred by as he dropped his bag and closed the gap between us.

"Bella!" he said right before he lifted my feet off the floor.

"Edward!"

He held me up with one arm around my waist and the other under my behind, crushing me to his chest as I wound my legs around his thighs and my arms around his shoulders. Then, he buried his warm face into the crook of my neck, brushing his soft lips against my earlobe.

"Bella. God, Bella," he breathed, his mouth trailing kisses along my neck and my collarbone, his lips pushing my shirt aside so he could kiss my shoulder. "Bella."

All the while, I held on to him tightly, reveling in the warmth of his body and his touch and his scent. All of it was wonderfully and bewilderingly familiar, yet also so new. Even that one day we'd spent together we'd never been this close. Winter coats and layers of clothing had made it impossible to feel him the way I felt him now. I kissed the spot under his ear and felt it prickle against my lips. I lifted my hands and gripped his hair, pulling his mouth off my shoulder and guiding it to mine. He kissed me long and hard, and when we pulled away, we both grinned, speaking over one another in our excitement.

"I can't believe you're actually here!"

"I can't believe you're actually here!"

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to say hi!" I chuckled. "Hi."

He chuckled shakily. Actually, his entire body shook. "Hi."

His eyes were bloodshot, rimmed in black and green circles which almost matched his irises. I brushed a finger under one and then the other as I'd ached to do for months whenever he looked tired whether on a phone or laptop screen.

"You look tired," I murmured.

"I am," he said, his voice quivery. "But Jersey Girl…you're a sight for sore eyes."

"You had a long trip."

"And every second of it already worth it."

"Edward." Speechless and overwhelmed, I dropped my head to his shoulder and sighed at the kisses he continued to drop to my head. I'm not even sure how long we would've remained that way in the middle of that baggage claim area had someone beside us not cleared his throat.

When I picked up my head, I saw Edward shoot his brother a sheepish grin. "Jasper, bro, I'm sorry. I forgot you were there."

"No problem at all, Ed," Jasper chuckled. "I would've forgotten I was here too if someone greeted me that way."

With one last brush of his lips against my forehead, Edward set me down, weaving his fingers through mine as he pulled his brother in for a one-armed hug.

"How are you, Jasper?"

"I'm good, Ed. I'm good. How are you doing?"

"I'm…really good," he chuckled, glancing at me. "I wasn't expecting you here either." His gaze flickered between us.

"Oh, I had nothing at all to do with Bella's presence here. I guess we both simply had the same idea."

"Yeah," I said, still having trouble putting words together.

Once again, Edward focused his attention on me. "I feel like crap now, though. You have work tomorrow, don't you?"

"Yeah," I shrugged carelessly, "but I'll be fine. It'll be fine. It's okay."

I bit my lip, aware I'd gone from speechless to blabbering. We held one another's gazes and chuckled, and I looked away, trying to hide the heat I felt in my face. Once more, Jasper cleared his throat, lifting a palm.

"Uhm, I work tomorrow too, just in case anyone was wondering." He grinned.

I laughed. "I'll just get going and leave you two to get home and catch up."

Edward shook his head vehemently, refusing to let go of my hand when I tried to pull it away.

"No, Bella. I mean, I'll take you home – in a cab. I'll drop you off."

"You're exhausted, Edward. It's fine. I can catch a cab on my own. Native New Yorker here, remember?" I lied playfully.

Edward's grip refused to loosen. "No, Bella."

"He's right, Bella. What kind of gentlemen would we be if we allowed you to take a cab home by yourself at this time of night? Come on." Jasper jerked his head toward the exit. "I've got my convertible parked in the garage."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, but I'm fine taking a cab."

"Nope. Can't allow it. If we learned nothing else of value from our dad, we at least learned to escort a lady home. Right, Ed?"

It was hard, but I managed to resist the urge to tell Jasper Cullen to fuck off.

"Again, thanks, but-"

"Please, Bella. I know you're capable, but please allow me to make sure you get home okay."

It was only the tone of anxiousness in Edward's plea which swayed me. Drawing in a deep breath, I smiled at him.

"All right, Edward, fine. But not because I can't find my way home on my own at this time of night."

"I know that very well," Edward said, sounding relieved nonetheless. He tightened his grip, and we took a step toward the exit doors.

"Edward?" Jasper called out, halting us. "I may be wrong, but I think you might need that bag you left behind over there?"

"Oh yeah," Edward snickered. "I'll be right back."

As Edward sprinted to the duffle bag he dropped when he saw me, Jasper gave me a look I pretended to miss.

OOOOOOOOOO

It turned out, Jasper's car was what my brother, Emmett, would've termed a "P-Mobile" before warning me never to climb in. It was gorgeous, all right: bright red with shiny black leather seats and a glowing, blue dashboard. As soon as Jasper turned on the touch ignition, Marvin Gaye came on the radio. It was all I could do not to break out into fits of laughter as Edward took my hand and opened the back door. He knew what I was thinking too, grinning wryly as he helped me in.

"Hey, Jasper, do me a favor? Leave the top up."

"Seriously?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah. I haven't slept in almost twenty-four hours, and the last thing I need is the smell of car exhausts for the next twenty miles."

Jasper sucked his teeth but relented, and I shot Edward a grateful smile. Then, I gave Jasper the general directions, and we made our way through the dark city streets. For the first fifteen minutes or so, the three of us carried on a conversation about random, mundane topics. Edward told us all about his delay in Dubai and his flight. Then, we fell silent for a couple of minutes.

"How's the internship going?" Edward asked quietly.

"It's good," I smiled. "I'm really enjoying it and learning a lot."

"Good," he murmured. "By the time you're done with your masters', you'll be running the place, and a year or two down the line, you'll venture out on your own and do amazing things."

A flash of heat coursed through me. For a handful of seconds, I was again struck speechless.

"You remember?"

"Of course I do. I remember everything about that night." He slid his fingers between mine, but when he rested our hands in the small space between us, I closed the gap and placed our joined hands on my leg, right under the hem of my shorts. I watched his Adam's apple bob as he looked down at his thumb stroking my bare skin, which pebbled at his touch. After half a minute, he squeezed my hand, and his thumb stilled.

"You started classes on Monday, right?"

I nodded, still slightly drunk from his touch. "And I've already got a project due on Wednesday."

"Jersey Girl, I'm sorry; I wish I could've timed this visit better. I feel like I'm just dropping in to disrupt-"

"Stop," I said, giving his hand a squeeze now. "I've got most of it done already, just a couple of odds and ends I need to complete."

"Which you could've used this weekend to work on."

"I can easily finish it up Tuesday night, while you're back up in the air." Just the thought of his quick departure made my chest ache.

"My brainy girl," he murmured, smiling softly. The city lights streamed in through the tinted back windows, highlighting Edward's handsome face. I could see his gaze fall to my mouth, where it lingered for a long moment. But he just drew in a breath and released it through narrowed lips. Then, his eyes wandered further downward, and he smiled again. He reached out and gently fingered the necklace around my neck, making me shiver.

"I'm glad you liked it," he whispered.

"So, what do you guys have planned for the weekend?" Jasper asked. When I looked forward, I caught him watching us through the rearview.

"Are we still on for tomorrow?" Edward whispered again.

"Of course."

"We're meeting tomorrow after Bella's internship and…hanging out," he replied.

Jasper grinned through the rearview. "Sounds great. And how 'bout Saturday, Ed? Did you speak to Mom about Saturday?"

Here, Edward released a long, obviously frustrated breath, turning his head toward the window. "Yeah. She's texted me a few times."

"What about Saturday?" I asked him.

"Nothing important," he said, keeping his gaze on the view blurring by us.

"She'd really like you to be there, Edward," Jasper said. "As soon as she found out you were coming home for a visit, she moved the day up. You know that's not an easy thing to do."

"Jasper, I already told her I'm not going."

"Ed, come on."

"Edward, what is it?"

Edward glared at the back of his brother's head. "Jasper, I'm here for four days. Four," he stressed. "I have no plans nor desire to waste any of those few, precious hours on one of their stupid events." When he looked at me, his eyes were unfamiliarly clouded by anger. "My parents are having a party, Bella. It's really not important," he said.

"Except it's a bit important," Jasper grinned, pinching two fingers close to his eyes but thankfully keeping those eyes on the windshield. "Bella, our parents hold a charity ball every year," he explained further. "It's a huge event, and it raises a significant amount for a different charity every year."

"Yeah," Edward scowled. "Except it's as much a huge ad campaign for Dad's practice as it is a charity event."

"So what?" Jasper snorted. "It still raises money and awareness, doesn't it?"

"Money, maybe," Edward snorted in return, nostrils slightly flared. "Awareness? Unless it's for Dad's plastic surgery prowess, not so much. Either way, I don't need to be there." His tone held more than a hint of finality. When he looked at me again, the smile on his face no longer seemed to reach his eyes. "Jersey Girl, I was hoping you were free on Saturday?"

"I am, but if you-"

"You don't need to be there, Ed, no," Jasper said, his tone more solemn than it'd been all night, "but Mom would really like you to attend. So would Dad. They've missed you, man." He exhaled, and for the space of five minutes, as we crossed the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan, an uncomfortable silence filled the expensive car.

"Of course, Bella is invited as well."

"Jasper, stop."

"No, I'm serious. Mom told me to tell you that you could invite anyone you want."

Edward shook his head. "No."

"Ed-"

"Edward, I'm fine with going to your parents' party if you want to go," I said.

Edward looked at me.

"That is if you'd want to take me," I added quickly. "I don't mean to insert myself-"

"Bella, we don't have to-"

"See?" Jasper said. "Bella would love to go, Edward, and Mom would love for you to go, and I'd like to see you there. Yeah, Ed, you're only here for four days. Think about that."

Jasper looked at the windshield once again, and I wasn't sure if it was to avoid side-swiping the car next to us or to avoid the flash of guilt his words caused in Edward's expression.

"Hey." I smiled at him. "Hey," I repeated.

"Are you sure you wouldn't mind going with me?" he mouthed. "I don't want to assume you've cleared your schedule for me, but at the same time, I don't want to-"

"Edward, if you want to go, and if you want to take me, it just so happens I'm available," I grinned.

Edward drew in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "What's this year's theme, Jasper?" he asked, never taking his eyes off me.

Jasper chuckled heartily. "This year's theme is…the day after Christmas."

A/N: Thoughts?

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