A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews! I have never felt so motivated to write as I do right now. I really appreciate your insight and your expressions of what you would like to see in the story. Special thank you to those that review every chapter – I wuv you! ^_^

This chapter is all Jasper and Bella, but the next one will tell you about Edward, so stay tuned!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters in this story. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer.

CHAPTER 8

Closer

ooOoo

Jasper's PoV

When I proposed that we skip school today, I was afraid she'd say no. She barely knew me, and I almost killed her…

Much to my surprise, she didn't object.

'Sounds like a plan' she said casually and started walking towards my car; I quickly followed her. I felt happier feelings emanating from her now. Could it be because of me?

We got in the car and I looked her way. She had a small smile on her lips. So different from just a few minutes ago.

'How would you like to spend the day?' I asked carefully, still leaving her the option to say she wants to go home.

I hope she won't.

She turned her huge brown eyes to me.

'Um… why don't we go to your place?' she asked, and then a small blush appeared on her cheeks. I don't know why, but I wished to know the reason why she blushed. Her slightly pale skin looked very appealing when it turned a little red, but I wasn't pulled in by my thirst.

'Alright,' I said, perfectly content with the idea of spending the day with this human girl I barely knew. I was determined to do my best to fight away her pain today. Being an empath had its' good sides.

I drove at a normal speed, enjoying the moment. In a strange way, I enjoyed Bella's company. She was very compassionate and caring, which was a feature I haven't seen in many humans – or vampires. I could feel her concern for me, even despite her own pain, and that impressed me.

'You… worry about me?' I asked without thinking, with my eyes stuck to the road.

She didn't seem surprised – she'd known about my gift… or my curse.

'Of course,' she said. 'It must be hard for you, with Alice missing…' I knew she was looking my way, but I didn't turn my eyes to meet hers.

'I worry about her, of course.' I sighed, I felt like being honest with Bella. I knew she wouldn't judge me. 'Although, me and Alice aren't that close anymore. It was her own choice to leave, all I can do is respect it.' Curious of her reaction, I turned to face her.

'Jasper, it's okay to not always feel the same way anymore. You shouldn't blame yourself.' She said quietly. I nearly gasped. Did she have a gift like Edward? Could she read minds? How did this conversation get so serious? And how come it feels so right to tell her all these things? I'll never get my answers, I thought.

'You're very observant' I stated, looking at the road once more.

'I think that most people would say quite the opposite – I'm such a klutz.' She chuckled softly; something she obviously hasn't done in a long time. I sensed a spike of surprise coming from her.

'You should smile more often,' she noted a moment later, while tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. I was smiling? I didn't notice. I turned my head to face Bella again, she was smiling at me. It was then that I really felt my smile, and my feelings mixing with her own. We were both as content as can be, given the events of the past few weeks.

'It's good to skip school sometimes…' she sighed, relaxing in the car seat.

I said no more, and we drove in silence, silence which I both enjoyed and despised.

As soon as we pulled in, Bella jumped out of the car and walked towards the house, then waited there for me. She didn't have to wait long – I ran at vampire speed. She seemed so energetic, I haven't seen her like this before. I wondered if it is just a show, but her feelings seemed genuine.

I opened the door for her and let her through, then followed her inside. The house seemed so empty just this morning, but now with her here, it didn't seem to matter all that much. She seemed to light up the room with her caring personality.

She looked around, noticing that my family has gone to look for Alice, and sighed with sadness, not moving an inch for a few minutes. Finally, she sat down on our white sofa. I wasn't sure what to do. I felt pulled in by the idea of spending the day just talking to her, but I didn't know if she would like that.

Finally, after a short moment of hesitation, I sat down in the arm chair on the opposite side of the sofa. With Bella right in front of me, I noted all the small details – the surprising depth of her brown eyes, the way her hair reflected the sunlight, the way she absent mindedly bit on her lower lip. She was wearing a white blouse and dark blue jeans, which although simple, complimented her slim figure. All of that took me less than a second to notice – I'm sure she didn't realize.

I had so many questions, most of them I should never ask. I didn't know where to begin.

She did it for me.

ooOoo

Bella's PoV

My chance to get to know Jasper came sooner than I expected, and I intended to make the most of it. I had a feeling that he would never judge me, and the certainity gave me the courage I needed to begin.

'You know,' I broke the silence, looking him straight in the eye. He sat in the arm chair, leaning forward, towards me. Occasionally, a rare ray of sun would slip through the window and cause his skin to shine beautifully. 'I barely know you…'

'No surprise' he replied in a bitter voice. 'I almost killed you…' his eyes went dark and he hung his head low to avoid my stare.

'Jasper, I forgave you the moment it happened.'

'I don't deserve your forgiveness. You could have lost your life.'

'It's normal to lose control' I assured 'It happens. It's human.'

'I'm not human, Bella.'

'No, you're not.' I agreed. 'But there is a lot of… humanity in you.' I knew it might be risky to say, but surprisingly, I truly wasn't afraid of this particular vampire.

He raised his head and looked at me with his golden eyes. I felt shock hitting me like a tidal wave; he forgot to control his ability. The intensity of his gaze was stronger than anything I've ever experienced before; as if he was trying to see right into my soul to find the confirmation to my words.

'I really don't blame you.' I added with a serious expression on my face. It was true, I never blamed Jasper.

Within a second, he was right in front of me, kneeling by the couch. He caught me off guard. Vampires… I wasn't that good at reading people, but when I looked into his eyes, I couldn't help but notice the mix of emotions. It all took a few seconds before he spoke, and I noted the strange mix of sadness and happiness, relief and disbelief in his eyes and then, his voice.

I realized I've never told Jasper that I don't blame him.

Is that why he had this pained expression on his face?

I've never been this close to him… I thought without fear.

It was then that I realized that his eyes were a beautiful shade of golden that matched the loose waves of his hair nicely, and the pale tone of his skin brought them out even more, exposing the two golden gems to the world. And his lips… I wanted to see them smile.

He finally spoke, still focused on me, kneeling beside the couch.

'You really don't hate me for it?' his deep, masculine, yet enchanting voice sounded desperate, as if his life depended on my answer.

'Of course not!' I shouted. How could he even think such a thing?

'Bella…' I liked the sound of my name when he said it. 'Thank you.'

'I should be the one thanking you, Jasper. You fight away my pain.'

He finally smiled, unknowingly making my wish come true, it was an honest, brilliant smile. His face lit up; I've never seen Jasper like this, looking truly happy instead of indifferent, he was no longer on the outside, he was right in front of me, not hiding anything.

His gratitude surrounded me like the air I breathe with. It was such a blissful feeling. He was happy, I saw it and felt it.

And so was I.

At that moment, I was happy. Without Edward.