'Just to find memories, plagued by constant misery. Their eyes cast down, fixed upon the ground. Their eyes cast down. I keep my eyes fixed on the sun.' – 'Shake me down.' – Cage The Elephant.
APOV
I rifled through the various bags and was awed again by how generous Jasper was. The bags contained everything I could've thought of and some things I wouldn't have considered.
Even though Jasper had said his friend had done the shopping, that really didn't matter; I was touched that he'd even thought of doing something like this for me.
The bags were filled with clothes, hairbrushes, shampoos, conditioners, bubble baths, pyjamas, period pads, tampons, shaving razors, compact makeup kits, slippers and other various items.
Even though the majority of it was just necessities, I still couldn't believe anyone would've gone through the trouble of getting so much for me. And I was struck with this extreme feeling of inner warmth, a surge of previously supressed hope rose within me. Maybe, his getting all this stuff for me was an indicator that he was letting me stay with him. Maybe I would finally have a home, a home that I could actually call home.
Jasper came out of his room then, he was wearing a pair of faded jeans that hung low on his hips, he had a sweater in his arms and he lifted it over his head as he walked towards me, but before he pulled it on completely I managed to get a good look at his chiselled chest and treasure trail.
It had been a long time since I'd found anyone attractive, and I don't think I'd ever lusted after somebody before. But I'd have to be blind to think Jasper was anything less than hot.
He perched himself on the edge of the sofa-bed with me.
"How was your day?" He asked softly.
"Good, thank you, how about yours?" I asked, blushing slightly.
"It was good, with the exception of Maria." He muttered.
My eyebrows furrowed.
"Maria?" I asked.
His eyes snapped to mine, as if only just realising he'd said that out loud.
"Yeah, my ex-girlfriend…She's…well, she's an alcoholic…I was actually on my way back from her house when I found you…" He explained.
"Oh…" I murmured, I really didn't know what else to say…
"We broke up a while back, but I was supporting her with her struggle to stay sober…until last night." He admitted.
"I'm sorry…" I said softly, I didn't know what I could've said to make him feel better, and I didn't know what I was apologizing for, but the hurt I saw in his eyes made me want to hit this Maria. Her name sounded like a dirty word as I thought it.
"You're a good person Jasper…Some people just need more than any one person can give them." I reasoned.
He smiled softly at me. "Thanks, Alice."
I smiled wider. "No problem…"
There was a moment of silence before Jasper's eyes found mine. There was a strange flare in his irises. He looked almost, resolved…or determined…
"Alice, I won't pry and I know it's not my place to ask, but I am curious as to why and how you ended up in this situation…" He trailed off. And I could see in his face that he really wasn't going to push me on it. He would've dropped it if I wasn't comfortable.
And even though I really didn't want to talk about It, seeing that look on his face, and knowing that he would be there when I was ready, it gave me the strength I needed to tell my story, if only briefly.
I took a deep breath and hoped my voice wouldn't shake.
"Well, like I said, I'm 18…and I've been on the streets since my 17th birthday. My mother was killed when I was 15. She'd been on her way to pick me up from a friend's house when her car was hit by a lorry that had skid around a sharp bend. She'd died instantly. And ever since I lost her my step-father and step-brother had blamed me. They said that if I hadn't gone to my friend's, or if I'd just walked home, she'd still be here…" My voice cracked and a few tears escaped.
My hands trembled as I tried to brush them away.
Jasper took my hand in his.
"Alice, it's okay…you don't have to talk about it…" he soothed.
"…No…I need to…" I blubbered. Then I took another huge breath.
"They would blame me for everything bad that happened after that, I became their little house-keeper…and whenever they weren't satisfied, they'd abuse me…" I sobbed.
Jasper's arms were around me before I could register his movement. He rubbed a soothing hand over my back and shushed me until I had calmed enough to finish.
"…It was mostly just verbal and mental abuse…but I got the occasional beating…and then, on my 17th birthday…they tried to…rape me…and I ran, and I've never stopped…I kept a low profile, I hid…and I'd gotten pretty good at it…" I finished in a whisper.
"Alice…" Jasper murmured his lips in my hair. "I won't let anything like that happen to you ever again…"
"You can't promise me that…" I sobbed, unable to accept his vow, unable to let him break through my many defences. I couldn't trust him…I didn't know how.
"Yes, I can. I swear to you, as long as you want to stay with me, you'll be safe." He tried again.
I didn't want to argue with him, I just wanted to feel better.
"Thank you." I blubbered, feeling very much like a pathetic child.
"It's okay, you're okay now…everything's gonna be okay." He calmed me. And he held me a little longer until I'd run out of tears. When he pulled back he rubbed under my eyes with the pad of his thumb and gave me a weak smile.
The sound of the doorbell made us both jump.
"I'll be right back." He smiled at me before getting up and disappearing around the corner to get the door.
"Uncle Jazzy!" came a high-pitched squeal from the hallway.
"Hey, Jessie." Jasper chuckled, his voice full of affection for his niece.
"Jessie, you be good for your uncle Jasper, alright?" came a female voice, full of both adoration and authority, which I assumed belonged to Jasper's twin.
"She always is." Jasper assured.
"See mama, I told you." Jessie said, sounding rather proud of herself.
Jasper's sister chuckled. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow angel. Jazz, call me if there're any problems."
"Yes, Rose, I know. Have a good night." Jasper said.
"You too, bye." Rosalie said before I heard the door close.
"Uncle Jazzy, can we get pizza?" Jessie asked in that same high, adorable voice.
"I don't see why not." Jasper chuckled again.
"Yay!" She squealed before bouncing around the corner and stopping in her tracks when she caught sight of me.
"Uh…Jessie, this is my friend Alice…and Alice, I've told you about Jessie…" Jasper introduced us a little awkwardly.
"Hi, Alice." Jessie said. She seemed to shrink back into her shell and was clearly shy around strangers.
"Hey, Jessie." I greeted her, trying to make her feel more comfortable.
She was adorable, probably the most beautiful 4-year-old I'd ever seen.
She had dark hair, which I hadn't been expecting; she'd obviously gotten that from her father. She had Jasper's eyes though, bottomless, revealing and a gorgeous chestnut in colour. Her hair fell in perfect little ringlets around her shoulders and bounced when she walked. Her skin was fairly pale but she had adorable rosy cheeks, complimenting her beautiful dimpled smile.
"Jessie, why don't you get your pyjamas on and we'll watch a movie, okay?" Jasper asked her. And straight away she went back into the hall, I assumed to get her pyjamas that her mother had left for her and she went into Jasper's room to change, with no fuss.
"She's adorable…" I cooed.
Jasper chuckled and sat beside me.
"Yeah, she is, isn't she?...I completely forgot I was on baby-sitting duty tonight. Sorry, or I would've told you…I guess a lot has happened and it just slipped my mind." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck in all his adorable nervousness. "I know it's not exactly the best timing. But, we can finish this conversation when she's in bed." He murmured.
"That's okay, I don't mind." I assured him, he shouldn't be worrying about me when his family needed him.
Okay guys, what did you think of Jessie's debut? What did you think of Alice's past? What did you think of Jasper's reaction? What do you want to happen next?
