A/N: Hello all! Wow, so this chapter was really interesting to write, I must say. This is the much awaited Alice and Jasper chapter. The first half is Alice, and it worked out quite well that the second half is Jasper.
I wanted to thank everyone for being patient with me. Last First Kiss is still in progress, and I hate making everyone wait, but I don't want to rush it. These are the last (technically two) chapters, and I want to get them right. So they're still coming!
Next chapter we are back to Bella since we haven't seen her in a few chapters. Just so everyone's aware this is the only chapter I plan on flopping POV's for. While some people can work in multiple POV's pretty well, I like to stick with just two characters if I can.
Thanks to all my readers and reviewers, you're all great so far, thanks for the encouragement. Claire, thank you for listening to my constant rambling and venting about anything and everything, you're too awesome. Check out her fic Spellbound, I beta it, it's awesome : )
Clancy119, you too, thanks so much for giving me feedback all the time : )
So, thanks for being patient everyone. I hope this is worth it!
Enjoy! (especially you XXSkittlesXX) ; )
"And we're approaching such a place...
This is where we both get scared
This is where emotions flare
This is where we both prepare."
a.p.o.v
I walked into the cafeteria, bright sunlight filtering in through the windows along the back wall. I marvelled at the less-than-usual weather, watching the rays as they danced off the white, linoleum floors, creating a glare so intense I had to look away. I took up a spot at the table we normally occupied; Rose and Emmett were already there, looking at a football magazine together.
"Hey," I greeted with a smile, sitting down on the other side of Emmett, which is where I sat most of the time.
"Hi Alice," Rosalie replied, her perfectly white teeth smiling back at me through full, red lips. "How was your weekend?" I sighed dramatically.
Jasper and I were kind of stuck now that we'd had our date. Unless we told our parents about our situation there was really no way for us to move forward in our relationship. That had dawned on us this weekend, and with this realization came the resounding notion that this confession would have to happen soon. For both our sanity.
"It was okay," I said with a shrug. "How was yours?" Rosalie smirked in Emmett's direction and looked back to me.
"It was very good, I watched The...Shining?" She said this more like a question than anything.
"Yes, The Shining," Emmett agreed, "and we watched Saw." Sometimes those movies freaked me out, all the gore of Saw, along with the amount to which you were positive those events could actually happen in real life.
"They were creepy," Rosalie said with a nod of her head. "We're watching the rest of them this weekend apparently." Her face had a hint of mortification to it, like she was torn between whether or not she wanted to watch the sequels.
"Just so you know, the other ones are just as bad," I told her with a scrunched up nose. Emmett glanced sideways at her to gage her reaction. Her brows hunched and she pouted a little bit.
"Don't worry," Emmett said assuredly, "I'll be there." I laughed and shook my head, just when I saw Edward and Bella coming into the cafeteria. Something about Edward lately had been different, and from what little I had heard from Bella I could tell that she must have gotten through to him somehow.
I wasn't going to pry though – it wasn't my place to put my nose where it didn't belong. They were having a hard enough time sorting through their problems alone as it was; they didn't need other people butting in and asking questions.
"Hey," I said to them when they got to the table.
"Hey Ali," Bella said with a faint smile. Edward gave a small nod in my direction and took a spot next to Bella, shifting a little bit uncomfortably before settling in with his arm around the back of her chair.
"So, Emmett said this weekend we're having that movie marathon," Rosalie told Bella, leaning across the table with a frightened look on her face. Both Bella and Edward grinned before looking at each other. I was smiling too, but when they got lost in each other I just...I don't know what happened.
I got really sad.
I had known Bella since freshman year, and had been there for her while she had gone through everything with Edward. If there was one thing I knew it was how much she loved him, how much she wished she could do anything to make him happy. I wasn't very close with Edward, but half the time when he looked at her I could see he felt the same. It was hard to tell with him though because his shiny armour deflected such judgments – he wasn't about to let someone in where they weren't welcome.
"I'm pumped," Bella told Rose. "A full day of watching scary movies. I don't think we've done that in years." Her eyes were wide as she looked back between Emmett and Edward. "Hey Alice, do you think you and Jazz might want to come too?"
"Really?" I asked, not wanting to impose on what seemed like something that was already organized. "I mean, I would love to. I'll have to ask him later, but I don't think he'd mind." Bella nodded and frowned. She pointed at the empty spot next to me and tilted her head. "Co-op," I reminded her.
"Right," she said, shaking her head. "I always seem to forget that he's gone for the whole day now." Her tone was a little empty, suggesting that she didn't like when Jasper was gone. I didn't like it either, but if he wanted to someday own his own painting studio – or better yet his own gallery – he needed this co-op credit. He needed the experience.
"Yeah, it kind of sucks, but he likes it," I told her with a shrug. "I'll ask him tonight if he'd want to go...what day?"
"Uh, the whole weekend probably," Edward said coyly. Wow, Edward rarely ever talked to me. "We're going to watch pretty much every scary movie we own." His ghost of a smile brought me an odd sensation. He actually directed his words to me. It was such a strange thing to get all emotional over, but I was moved by the fact that he had talked to me. He was acting much different from the Edward I knew.
Over the weekend he seemed to have changed. To some people it may not have seemed like much, but after knowing him to be a certain way for so long, seeing him this way was a total 360. I smiled back at him.
"Okay, that sounds like fun," I told him, tucking my short hair behind my ears.
"Oh and you'll probably need to bring your bathing suits too," he added. Bella bounced a little in her chair – she bounced. What in the hell happened? They were acting so...normal? Well normal for them.
"How come?" I asked.
"Esme and Carlisle decided to get a hot tub," Edward told me, his tone amused.
"That's awesome!" I breathed excitedly. "You'll have it by the weekend?"
"Mom's going today to pick one out," Emmett said absently, flipping through the pages of the magazine while Rosalie looked with him, tucked underneath the security of his arm. "I'm sure with some...persuasion...we could have it by then." He looked up and winked at me before losing himself in the pages of the Sports Illustrated once again. I knew that by 'persuasion' he really meant 'money'.
"How exciting," I said wondrously. "So you'll have a pool and a hot tub?"
"Yeah," Edward said with a shrug.
"Cool," I mumbled. I felt my stomach rumble in the slightest and I glanced over to where the food was. Although half the time this food repulsed me, I did eat it on occasion, and this morning I hadn't packed myself any sort of lunch.
"I'm going to get something to eat," Bella said to Edward. "Want anything?" He pulled some cash from his back pocket and handed her a twenty, telling her he wanted a sandwich.
"I'll come with you," I said to her, standing up when she did. She looked over and nodded, leaning down to kiss Edward. I pushed in my chair and when Bella pulled away Edward's face was a mix of emotions. His forehead was creased, but rather than seeming upset or angry he actually looked peaceful and happy. Half the time I never did see when they kissed, unless they were at a party.
"So, I take it your weekend went well?" I asked Bella, looking up to her as we made our way through the sea of people. She glanced down to me and tried to hide her smile.
"What makes you say that?" Her voice was incredibly controlled, and from the years I'd known her I could list all the traits and habits she'd picked up from Edward. She was a master at controlling her emotions when she wanted.
"Just the completely blissed out state you seem to be in," I said with a shrug. "And the fact that Edward spoke actual words to me, not just nodding his head and grunting something incoherent." I laughed at the end, only half-joking about that comment. Bella ran her hand through her hair and stopped in the lunch line.
"It's just...we're finally going somewhere Alice," she told me, looking down at me with that same completely peaceful expression. "It's really personal, and not my story to tell. I can only tell you that he's been talking a lot more lately, letting me in. You have no idea how much it's relieved me." I put a hand on her arm and patted affectionately.
"I can tell Bella, you're radiant. I can see how happy you are, that's why I assumed you had a good weekend," I told her with a tiny giggle. She nodded absently and we talked while we waited in the line about nothing of consequence. She mentioned this 'scary movie marathon' again and I got really excited. I was eager to hang out with all of them because I hadn't yet. Since the start of this year I'd only hung out with Bella and Rosalie, not with everyone together.
I was ecstatic.
The rest of the lunch hour passed by quickly; I listened to Emmett and Rosalie joking around with each other, and watched as she blushed at everything he said. Although Emmett rarely ever kept a girl around long enough to even call her a girlfriend, I already knew Rose was different. There was something about her that was mysterious, maybe it was the French accent, but you instantly wanted to know her better, to just hear her speak. Emmett seemed to be entranced with her, and if she slipped and said a word in French his eyes went wide with wonder.
The four of them were interesting to watch.
"Did you maybe want to hang out sometime this week?" Bella asked me as we headed for the doors of the cafeteria. "How about tonight?" Edward made a sort of disgruntled noise and I shifted my eyes to him. His face was expressionless already – it was that mask again. God forbid he'd show anyone any kind of emotion.
"Uh, not tonight," I told her, swallowing audibly. I braced myself for what I was about to say because it would make the events I planned to take part in tonight that much more concrete. "I think we're going to tell our parents..." Bella's lips curved up into a shocked smile and her brows lifted.
"Really?" She whispered. I pulled her aside to let other people exit the caf and nodded.
"I think so...I feel like I'm going to be sick I'm so scared." I put my hand on my forehead and paced my breathing.
"Ali, don't be scared. You have to be sure of yourself. If you're not ready, don't tell them," Bella said. "You don't want to mess it up." I looked up to her, and then looked at Edward. He had mild concern washing over his face and I smiled a little, he actually seemed to care.
"I'm ready, believe me I'm ready, just scared as shit," I told her as I bit my lip. She chuckled a little as the halls began to clear. We were going to be late. "Anyways, I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes." I held up two fingers to her and crossed them.
"Good luck," she wished, leaning in to hug me.
"Thanks," I said, nodding my head with confidence. "I'll see you tomorrow."
I left Bella and Edward near the entrance to the cafeteria and made my way to Fashion. I always found it absolutely perfect and hilarious that they had a class of nothing but fashion. Why wouldn't I take it? When I was in the class and seated the teacher started on about sewing, the different approaches, and the difference between using a sewing machine or using a thread and needle.
By the time that class ended I was in better spirits, having learned about something I thoroughly enjoyed for the past hour. I felt a bit more relaxed, trying not to psyche myself up for the evening any more than I already was. I hadn't talked to Jasper about my plan yet, but I knew that it needed to be today. I had to just get it off my chest before I exploded and blurted it out randomly; I knew either way that it was coming out soon.
After school was finished I was nervous again, and I kept telling myself that everything was okay, that it was all going to be fine once we told them. It would have helped though if I'd believed my own thoughts. I wasn't sure if I should believe myself. I didn't want to get my hopes up that our parents would take this situation lightly.
I skipped down the stairs and hurried over to my baby, sliding my hand along the canary yellow paint job before getting into the driver's seat and peeling out of the parking lot. I was home within minutes, driving up the long, twisting driveway to get to our secluded mansion. I never knew why we needed such a big house, but Graeme had insisted; finding the biggest house in Forks to be too small, he had this one built instead.
I parked the Porsche and got out, still not seeing Jasper's car, only Graeme's because he rarely ever needed to leave the house for work. Sometimes he needed to go to Port Angeles or even Seattle, but never for long. He worked for some big marketing firm, and half the time all he had to do was come up with project ideas, pitch them to his bosses and draw up proposals. Most of time he didn't need to leave the house unless he was pitching an idea.
"Hello?" I yelled into the foyer.
"Hey Ali," Graeme responded. His voice was coming from the kitchen, and after I took off my shoes and coat I headed in that direction. "How was school?" He yelled this as I entered the kitchen and I winced at his high pitch. "Sorry, I didn't know you were that close."
He grinned at me and put his pencil down, rubbing the back of his neck like the way Jasper did sometimes. They looked so much alike, and yet were completely different. Graeme's hair was darker than Jasper's, bordering on dark brown, while his eyes were a more vibrant shade of blue. They were roughly the same height, but Graeme's build was a bit more toned and defined, making him that much bigger than Jasper.
"It's okay, school was fine," I said, picking a peach out of the fruit bowl on the counter. The cafeteria food hadn't been that great and the fruit was tempting me. "You working?"
"Yeah," Graeme said with a sigh. "I got that big project, you know, the one I got Jasper to help me with?" I nodded my head; that was the day we were supposed to go on our date. Graeme needed Jasper to draw him a few things as what he wanted wasn't exactly coming out all too well on paper. Jasper had gotten his vision perfect, but by that time it was two in the morning, and there was no point in having any sort of date then.
"It's just a bit of a pain," he said with a tight smile.
"Where's mom?" I asked absent-mindedly, biting into the peach, letting the warm juices flow into my mouth and down my throat. The peach was soft and tender, perfectly ripe and just as sweet as it needed to be.
"On her way home," he replied. "What do you want for dinner? She's been bugging me about it all day." He rolled his eyes at her crazy tendencies. She didn't like doing the same thing for dinner twice in one week, and she had this anal habit of bugging us about what we wanted for dinner. She hated to just go ahead and cook what she felt like; she had to be sure it's what everyone wants before she goes ahead and makes it. I loved my mom, but sometimes she drove me just a little mad.
"I have no idea," I said with a laugh. "Just tell her to get whatever, it's not like we'll turn down food." Graeme chuckled, reminding me again of Jasper.
Why does he have co-op right now? Why won't he be home for another damn hour?
I hated that he was so far away, and I honestly missed him.
"Well she's been getting on my nerves about it since this morning," he said, trailing off when he heard the door. "Speak of the devil." He grinned when my mom called out like I had.
"In here mom!" I yelled back. I continued to eat the peach while she came in, going over to Graeme to give him a kiss before she unloaded some groceries onto the counter. "Decided what to make for dinner?" I quirked my brows at her and she smiled back, crossing her arms over her chest to give me the same look.
"Maybe," she replied stubbornly.
"Was it so hard to do on your own?" I asked, my tone mocking. She rolled her eyes.
"I suppose not," she muttered. I laughed and finished eating my peach as I talked to her and Graeme. I wasn't at all nervous while I was talking with them, but I knew when Jasper got home things would change. I knew that all this playful banter and laughing and smiling would be gone.
I went up to my room after I was done talking to them and unloaded my bag. I had some English homework that needed attending to, and with a sigh I started to read The Tempest by Shakespeare. I got more than halfway through the play when I heard a knock on my door.
Butterflies assaulted my stomach because I knew it was Jasper. I was never nervous around him, and never got butterflies or blushed at things he did or said. The fact that my stomach was in knots showed me just how truly anxious I was for this evening.
"Come in," I hollered in the biggest voice I could muster. The door cracked open and Jasper entered, leaving it open ever so slightly as he came over to the bed.
"Hey," he said with that signature smile, bending down to kiss me. I sat up to reach him easier and he slid his arm around my waist, pulling my body flush against his. My one hand was gripping onto his shoulder while the other was around his back, holding tightly onto his shirt. I parted my lips at the same time he did and found that his tongue met mine, wrestling for dominance as we became consumed with each other.
Along with the fact that we needed to get this off our shoulders to keep our sanity, we mainly needed to do this because we were becoming desperate. I wanted Jasper so bad it wasn't even funny, and we agreed to not have sex until we told our parents, until we were honest with them.
"Jasper," I gasped when his lips left mine, securing onto the edge of my jaw instead. "We...have to tell them. Tonight." He trailed a few more kisses along my jaw line before he stopped.
"Tonight?" He asked, lifting his face. His enticing gray-blue eyes were alight with lust, much like they had been for the past month. Ever since we had decided to 'date' we had been a mess. Stealing kisses and touching each other whenever we could. Sometimes being away from him was torture because I didn't get enough of him as it was. Living under the same roof and secretly dating was a task, and emotionally it had taken its toll on the both of us. It left us wholly unsatisfied as well as needy and urgent.
Whenever we could be alone it was like the world was ending and we tried to get as much of each other as we could with the time we had. We'd grope at each other and our lips would burn and ache with the amount of passion that was shown to one another through our mouths. It was starting to get a little bit ridiculous.
"Yes, tonight," I begged. "Jasper I can't stand this anymore, we need to tell them before I lose my mind." I crashed my lips to his once more, pulling myself up and settling on his lap. I found his tongue again and tilted my head, deepening an already passionate kiss as his hands began to slip underneath my shirt. I half-whimpered and half-moaned into his mouth, wanting to just rip it off my body so his lips and tongue could explore my chest like I wanted.
All this 'foreplay and no sex' was driving me mental.
"Damn, you're right," he said, breathing heavily as his forehead rested against my chin. "I think I might spontaneously combust if we don't tell them soon." I laughed a little bit and started kissing his cheeks, fluttering my lips about every surface of his face, scrunching up my nose when my they were tickled with the hair he hadn't shaved.
"You won't be the only one catching fire," I said with a tiny pout. "I seriously can't keep this up much longer, being with you like this and having to stop because we're going too far." I attached my hands to either side of his face and pulled it up, setting my sights on his eyes as he gazed back at me. "I really need you Jasper." His eyes darted to my lips and I bit on my bottom one, knowing that this is how it always started.
"Alice you know I feel the same, with how much I love you." My heart fluttered, it always did lately when he told me he loved me.
"I love you too," I whispered, rubbing my thumb over the stubble on his jaw.
"Let's do this then," he replied quietly. I bit my lip again and nodded, more sure of myself than I had ever been. I thought I would have been more nervous when he got home, but oddly I felt better. I should have known it would be like this because Jasper was always the one to calm me down when I was anxious or worried. He wouldn't let me get worked up.
I climbed down off of Jasper and he stood up, smiling at me before grabbing my hand and heading out the door.
"Should we tell them at dinner...or wait until after dinner? Should we...god I don't even know what to do," I said, rambling something fierce as we made our way down the stairs. Jasper chuckled lightly and stopped walking.
"Alice, you need to calm down," he said, his voice a whisper but incredibly demanding. I nodded my head. "It will be okay, and we should wait until after dinner. It wouldn't be favourable if someone choked on their food." He winked and I couldn't help but smile. He always calmed me down.
"Okay," I replied, letting his hand go before continuing the walk to the kitchen. When I entered I could smell dinner as it was cooking. My mom had decided on pasta, linguini to be exact, with garlic bread. My stomach rumbled again; that damn cafeteria food and the peach is all I'd had today and I was starving.
"Hey you two," my mom greeted us. "Hungry?"
"Starved actually," Jasper said, taking up a spot on one of the stools where the island was in the middle of the kitchen.
"Me too," I replied, sitting next to him.
"It will be ready soon," she told us, stirring the sauce and checking the garlic bread.
Jasper and I sat there until dinner was done, just talking quietly of our days and the weekend. He thought hanging out with everyone seemed like fun, and was looking forward to seeing Rosalie as she cowered from watching Saw. He was also shocked when I told him about Edward, how he was acting. He was good friends with Bella as well, and I knew it pained him to see her going through something like this; he was glad that Edward was finally realizing he needed to value what he had. He was beginning to see that he shouldn't take Bella for granted.
"So, how was co-op?" Graeme asked Jasper as we sat at the dinner table. I took a bite of garlic bread covered in sauce and watched Jasper as he swallowed.
"It was pretty good; I got to mix paints and actually helped one of the artists today. It was fun," he told him with my absolute favourite grin. It was the same as his fathers. "I might be going to a gallery with one of the guys in another few weeks. It's in Seattle, and hopefully if I go I'll be able to see what it's all about. You know, how it all works behind the scenes."
"Really?" My mother asked, twirling her pasta around on her fork. "That's going to be such a great opportunity Jasper." He nodded his head.
"I know," he said, his tone light and carefree as he stuck his fork in his mouth again. "I'm excited."
After we were done dinner and I had helped my mom clear away the dishes I started to feel nauseas. I knew it was coming, that we would have to tell them, and I was feeling it in the pit of my stomach. I twisted my hands in my shirt as I walked back over to Jasper who was still sitting at the dinner table. Graeme had a few calls to make, and I wasn't sure if we should wait to tell them both or tell my mom right now. But I needed to tell soon because if not I was afraid of throwing up on the dining room table.
"I can't wait any longer, I feel like I'm going to be sick," I told Jasper quietly as my mom started the dishwasher. He stared up at me and nodded as I bit my lip. He stood up beside me and gave me a fleeting look before he spoke.
"Here goes..." He said with an uneasy smile. "Uh, Karen?" She turned around to look at us, her face completely clueless.
"What's up?" She asked. I closed my eyes and swallowed forcefully, opening them to find her looking at us quizzically.
"We kind of have to tell you something," Jasper said to her. She tossed the dishtowel on the counter and crossed her arms.
"What is it?"
"I'll do it," I told Jasper, stepping in front of him so I was closest to her. She was looking down to me, only a few inches taller than me herself. "Mom, Jasper and I are kind of...dating." I swallowed again, pushing the bile down as I stood in front of her, incredibly scared for my life as she gazed back at me with absolutely no expression on her face.
"Karen..." Jasper started, but she silenced him by raising her hand and breaking her gaze from mine. I wasn't sure what in the hell was happening, but after a minute she smiled. I furrowed my brows.
"It's about time."
j.p.o.v
"What?" Alice asked, her voice bouncing off the walls of the kitchen, almost loud enough to create an echo. "What are you talking about?"
"I said it's about god damn time you two told us," Karen replied. My eyes went wide and Alice turned to look at me, wearing the same expression I was. They had known? This entire time we had been trying to keep it a secret they had known we were 'dating'?
"You knew?" I asked Karen. She threw her head back in laughter and nodded.
"Of course we knew, Jasper. We're your parents; you think we don't see these things?" She asked, standing with a hand on her hip. She cocked an eyebrow at me and I gaped at her. I thought we had done so well at trying to hide the fact that we were attracted to each other.
"For how long?" I asked. Alice backed up and sat down in the chair, looking at the floor before looking back up to me. I was just as astounded as she was.
"A little over a month," Karen replied. "Right after Alice and Scott broke up, you two got a lot closer." How in the hell...? I was so sure that every time we did anything close to being intimate that we were completely alone. "I can see it when you're around each other. It's not something you can hide."
"Are you mad?" Alice asked tentatively. Karen shook her head immediately.
"Alice, honey, I'm not mad. If that's why you were worried about telling us then you don't have anything to worry about. I was just upset that you felt that you couldn't tell me. I sort of tried to force it out of you, and you gave me Jason?" She laughed and turned around; going into the freezer to take out what looked like a frozen pie. "Anyone want desert?" I shrugged.
"Sure," I replied. She preheated the oven and looked back to us; we were both still mildly in shock at the fact that they had known. I was just so...at a loss for words. I didn't even know what to say. "I just...I don't understand." Karen sat down next to Alice and patted her leg.
"Listen, I've known you for a long time Jasper, and Alice is my daughter. I know when something is different in her life and I can tell when she's in a relationship. I knew though that this time it meant more to her. Things just radiate from her, like this inner energy that's trying to escape, and then when she looked at you I just knew. Like I said, it's not something you two could hide, it's impossible not to see that you care for each other. We aren't mad at you guys, just a little hurt that you felt the need to hide it from us."
I felt really bad; we were only trying to ease them into it because we thought they would both have conniptions.
"Mom, I'm so sorry. I know I tell you everything; we were just so worried you would be mad at us and then you'd get all upset. We didn't know what to do, but decided we needed to tell you before we both went insane with trying to hide it," Alice explained.
"Sweetie how could we get mad at you? It's not your fault that you two love each other," she told Alice with a soft smile. Alice shrugged and bit her lip. Karen wrapped one arm around Alice's shoulder and hugged her. "I'm glad you've finally told me, Alice, it means a lot." Alice finally smiled and hugged Karen back.
"I wanted to tell you so many times, really, and you would get so mad that I wasn't telling you. But I couldn't because it was Jasper," she said with a faint laugh. Karen laughed back and then pulled away from Alice.
"Graeme!" She yelled, listening for his reply.
"Yeah?" He answered back a few seconds later.
"Come here for a minute please," she told him, smiling at me before standing up and heading to the entrance of the kitchen. I went and sat beside Alice and she laced her fingers with mine. I was so relieved that we were finally able to be together like this and not be frightened that our parents would flip out.
"What is it?" My dad asked as he entered the kitchen. Karen smirked and latched her hand to his elbow, turning him in our direction.
"The children seem to be romantically involved," she told him with humour evident in her tone. "Finally, huh?" My dad laughed and came over to me, clapping one hand on my shoulder.
"Decided to tell us, have you?" He asked with a smile. You know, I'm glad they thought this was so hilarious, while for the past month Alice and I had been in tangles trying to figure out how to be together without drawing attention to ourselves.
"Yes," I grumbled, pulling Alice closer to me just because I could.
"I guess we Whitlock men have a thing for the Brandon women," he remarked with a deep chuckle. I couldn't help but smile back; it was true.
"I suppose we do," I told him. "Sorry, we were just scared that you'd be mad." My dad soothingly ran his hand along my shoulder.
"Jasper, never feel like you have to hide something from me, okay? No matter what it is, it would never hurt to tell us, just be honest." I looked up to him and saw myself in his eyes, ones that were reminiscent of my own but not too alike. I nodded.
"Okay," I said with a smile. "So we're all good?" He and Karen both nodded.
"We're good," Karen repeated. I pulled Alice up off the chair and leant in to hug my dad and Karen. Alice did the same.
"Want to watch a movie?" I asked Alice. She took my hand again and smiled, all wide and relieved as she nodded. "Let us know when dessert is ready." Karen waved us off and we left the kitchen, eager to get to the living room so we could be alone together. "What do you want to watch?" I asked Alice once we were in there. I went over to the stack of DVD's underneath the television and looked back to her – she shrugged.
"Do you think I'm going to be paying any attention to the movie anyways?" She asked, biting her lip afterwards as a surging desire to kiss her rushed through me. I hastily threw in the first movie I saw, which happened to be Ghostbusters. I didn't care and didn't want to watch it, but I knew within the first few minutes Alice would be my concern, not Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd.
"How about Ghostbusters?" I asked, turning off the lights and going over to the couch. Alice scooted over and I joined her, wrapping my arm around her shoulder to pull her close. She giggled.
"Ooh, sexy," she replied with a wink. "Ghosts really get me going." I smirked back at her and hit play, listening to the ridiculously catchy theme song while I felt her snuggling into my side even further. I wasn't sure if I could even hold off kissing her past the opening credits. She sighed and rested her arm around my waist, hoisting up her leg so it curled around my thigh. Her knee fell just below my groin and my breathing hitched, wanting the contact of her body on mine so bad it was almost unbearable.
I grabbed a hold of her thigh and brought it closer, groaning when it skimmed across the bulge in my jeans. I looked down to Alice and she closed her eyes, brushing her fingers frantically along my stomach. Before I could register my movements she was flat on the couch, me hovering over top of her as I lunged for her tiny, vulnerable throat. She instinctively brought her hands around my neck and bunched up my shirt, twisting it around her fingers as she barely made a sound.
For such a loud person, Alice sure could close those pipes when she wanted to. Whenever we did anything intimate she was quiet as a mouse, and I wasn't sure if it was because we were trying to hide it or if that's the way she actually was. I wished she were a little more vocal, and I hoped that when we had sex I'd be able to change that. I wanted to hear her calling out my name in the heat of the moment, knowing that I was the one that made her feel that way.
With Ghostbusters quickly forgotten I latched my hands onto Alice's hips, pulling her further underneath me so her face was level with mine and her hips against my stomach. She knotted her fingers in my hair for a few seconds before releasing the blond locks and lifting her face up to me. Her lips were soft and smooth, moving rapidly beneath my own as her tongue glided along mine in a fiery fury so intense I was sure fire and brimstone were falling from the sky.
"Didn't even...make it – past the theme, song," Alice gasped between sloppy, frantic kisses. I smirked against her lips and mapped out her tiny frame with my hands, running them along her arms, down her thighs, up her stomach. Her breath – warm and sweet – repetitiously crossed my face as we panted all over each other. My fingers itched, no they ached, to take her clothes off. I deduced that in a matter of mere seconds I could have her tight jeans and black v-neck shirt strewn across the furniture – now whether or not they would still be intact was an entirely different story.
"Alice..." I breathed, trying with everything I had to restrain myself.
The living room really isn't the right place, Jasper.
Pfft, like they would let us be alone now.
I groaned when Alice's tongue stroked mine roughly, sending my already outrageous level of hormones through the roof. Her hands became eager against my T-shirt, pulling and tugging in every which direction as her tongue fought mine; winning because I was powerless when it came to her. Funny how a woman no more than five feet tall, weighing in at a whopping one hundred pounds, could bring me to my knees. It was fucked up, and thoroughly ridiculous, but next to Alice I was mush.
We could have been total strangers, met at some random place, not knowing each other before that night, and I still would have been completely drawn to her. It was just as Karen had said, she had this energy that radiated from her, like you could wrap a harness around it and reel her in. But the thing with Alice is that you simply couldn't. Instead of reeling her in she consumed you, enveloping you in her sheer happiness until all you felt was it.
It was her.
And for me, she was it.
With Alice I never felt that void in my chest, the empty feeling that I sometimes had when I was with another girl. I would come home from a date or a girlfriend's house and feel instantly happy seeing Alice; I always thought it was because she was the sister I never had. I always told myself that I enjoyed her company because we were the closest companions, confiding in each other and helping one another when our lives became muddled.
I understood now that I had been more wrong than I could have ever imagined. What I felt for Alice was a hundred times more powerful than a simple relationship formed by step-siblings. It was more than enduring awkward family moments and crappy, cliché Christmases with extended family you rarely see. What I had with Alice was that, sure, but that was the base of where we began, it was our foundation. From then on we grew, like a delicate flower that springs from the ground when it's time comes.
Our time had come, and from the tended soil we had grown into something beautiful. With care we had reached the point where we had turned from a mere seed, planted years ago, to a perfectly poised flower. With the confession to our knowing parents Alice and I had finally bloomed, not in some awkward, pubescent way, but in a way that was ours. The petals of our relationship were finally opening up, revealing the bright, shining core that held all the potential for sustenance and life.
Breaking free from the ground we could be together, unashamed and unafraid of what was to come, of what the future had to offer. I would be able to hold her and kiss her whenever I wanted, not hiding along the back of the school, stealing a kiss before we had to part once again. Sitting there next to her, occasionally catching her scent, listening to her soft voice, and staring into her endless baby blues were, at times, almost too much for me to handle. I couldn't touch her like I wanted, not even a remote sign of affection, because of the fear that had been implemented in our brains.
Now that fear was gone, and as I pressed my weight down on Alice, listening to her gentle moan from beneath me, I couldn't help but lose my hand underneath her shirt at the conclusion I was coming to. With our relationship being kicked up a notch I knew what the next step for us was, where we would take this. I felt like such a horny teenager – well I was one – but I felt it even more when my head kept screaming one thing.
SEX!
Sex, Jasper, sex with Alice.
Sex.
I couldn't stop repeating the stupid god damn word in my head, but it persisted like an annoying itch that just wouldn't go away. I couldn't shut myself up, thinking about ripping her clothes off as my tongue probed her mouth, making sure not a spot was missed as my hands skimmed the outside of her bra. She whimpered quietly, so low I couldn't be sure if she'd even made a sound at all.
"Jasper..." Her hands were burning through my shirt, her warm skin penetrating the material to sear my skin, imprinting the feeling of her touch in my mind. It was a memory that would never leave me because no one but Alice had ever aroused me to such a degree or had such an effect on me.
"Jasper," she repeated, her voice firmer. I had been lost in my thoughts and her mouth, unable to focus on anything but the way we moved against each other, frantic and needy, like we were losing each other, slipping from one another's grasp. It was insane to cling like we were doing, but it had been like this forever; we needed as much of each other as we could when we were together. We both knew our 'alone time' was limited at best.
I realized then that Alice's hands were actually pressing against me, against my chest, pushing me away rather than pulling me closer.
Had I done something wrong? I mentally went over everything we had done in my head. Nothing was new, I hadn't touched her in a place I never had before.
"What's the matter?" I asked her, the crack in voice ruining my 'cool as a cucumber' facade. I was trying to act as though nothing was wrong, but the way she stopped had the wheels of my brains spinning – so fast I was sure smoke was about to erupt from each ear.
"We should – stop," she told me, her breathtakingly vibrant eyes opening up to me. From the faint light the movie provided I could see the endless depths of her eyes, the ones that captured my attention and made it impossible for me to look away. "I know we're going to take this too far," she breathed, her little chest heaving against my own.
I would have disagreed with her, argued with her even – had she been wrong. Unfortunately, Alice was rarely wrong, and this case was no exception. Not only was she right, another point that put me in a sour mood was the fact that I'd never wanted her more than I wanted her right now, at this moment.
"I don't want to stop," I tried to argue. I knew it would be pointless, arguing with her, because A: I could refuse her nothing, and B: she was right. We needed to stop before we defiled the living room couch while 'watching' Ghostbusters. Better yet, we needed to stop before our parents caught us.
"You think I want to stop either?" She asked, her tiny brows pulling together, creating a small wrinkle to form in between them. She bit her lip afterwards, making my already throbbing erection ache for her even more. I knew it was a small gesture, her lip being taken between her teeth, but somehow this innocent, habitual tendency drove me mad in the best way possible.
"This is killing me," I groaned, dropping my head to rest it on hers. "This whole thing is driving me mad." I clenched my teeth together, grinding them against each other to prevent myself from tearing at the clothes between us. It had been like this for nearly two months, groping and kissing and licking and teasing. Before now it had been exciting and adventurous, hiding something from the world, having it just to ourselves. Lately though it had been pure torture, wanting her in the most animalistic way, and not being able to take her like that.
Now it wasn't exciting – the teasing and groping – it was just painful.
"I'm going insane too," she whispered, her eyes captivating me once again. "We just have to wait it out, Jasper, we can't rush it." She placed her warm palm to my cheek and I closed my eyes, making sure my breaths were coming out evenly before I opened them again.
"I'm sorry," I told her, opening my eyes to find her staring up at me, a tiny ghost of a smile gracing her red, swollen lips. She slid her thumb over the line of my jaw, saying nothing in response as her eyes told me all – she wasn't upset, and there was no need for apology; she was just as worked up as I was.
With a small nod I sat up, careful not to crush her legs as I made my way off of her. I held out my hand for her to take and we arranged ourselves comfortably on the couch, content just for now to sit and watch the rest of Ghostbusters. With only half the movie left we reduced our hold on each other until we had minimal contact; Alice's head on my shoulder and our fingers entwined was all I could allow without feeling the need to go all caveman on her.
"Kids, dessert is ready," Karen's voice said, cutting through the sounds of the movie as her form appeared in the doorway. She smiled when she saw us on the couch, and walked away as I pushed pause. Alice smiled at me and I gazed back down at her, such longing on both our faces as I pulled her up.
It just wasn't fair; waiting months for something to happen, only to be hindered by something as ridiculous as not being able to find a place to actually commit said act.
"What were you watching?" My dad asked when we entered, stuffing his mouth with a piece of apple pie. The smell that filled the kitchen was mouth-watering, and my temporary annoyance was put on hold by the craving the pie was offering.
"Ghostbusters," Alice said, sitting down at the table while Karen cut another slice of pie and put it on her plate.
"Ice cream?" Karen asked. Alice bit her lip then nodded while Karen laughed. She already knew the answer to that question because Alice always had vanilla ice cream when she had pie.
It was like...fact.
What do you eat with a baked potato? Sour cream.
What do you put on a steak? Mushrooms and onions.
What does Alice eat with pie? Vanilla ice cream.
Simple as that.
"Jasper?" Karen asked me.
"Please," I replied with a grin, waiting patiently as she scooped the ice cream onto my plate. When we all had our dessert we talked again, and this time the conversation wasn't as pleasant as before.
Now it was awkward.
Karen was blunt a lot of the time, much like Alice could sometimes be, and she wasn't shy when asking us if we'd had sex yet. Now there was something you most definitely did not want to share with your father and step-mother; whether or not you'd banged your little step-sister yet.
"Mom!" Alice yelled, dropping her fork and putting both her hands on her cheeks. I watched her chest heaving, her face burning red as Karen smirked at her. I gently put my hand on her back and weaved my fingers along her shirt, trying to calm her down from her embarrassment.
"Honey it's just a simple question," Karen assured her, chuckling a tiny bit before taking another piece of pie in her mouth. My dad was smiling as well, raising his eyebrow to me. I rolled my eyes and gave him a tight shake of my head, telling him that we hadn't had sex yet.
Much to both of our disappointment.
"No," Alice croaked, dropping her hands from her face and blowing her bangs out of her eyes. She tentatively looked up at Karen and she laughed again, shaking her head as she continued to eat the dessert. From then on she didn't ask anymore questions, and Alice was quiet the rest of the night, even when we went to finish watching the movie.
By the time the movie had finished it was close to ten, and Alice's breathing was slow and rhythmic against my chest. I wasn't sure if she was asleep, but I could tell she was either already out, or very close to it.
"Ali?" I asked, rubbing my thumb along her arm as I sat up a little bit. She stirred beside me, stretching her long legs out in front of her before looking up to me, such gorgeous, bright eyes cutting through the darkness.
"Hmm?" She mumbled, her sleepy eyes making me grin.
"Just wanted to make sure you were still awake," I told her, kissing just above her left temple. "I think it's time for you to get to bed though, you look tired." I tucked a loose tendril of hair behind her ear, rolling the soft skin of her earlobe between my thumb and forefinger.
"I am a little tired," she admitted, covering her mouth as she yawned. "It was a really long day." I nodded; now that I had to go to Port Angeles ever day for co-op, I always had long days. It took me an extra hour to get there and home, adding another two hours to the amount of time I was technically 'at school'. I mean, the studio wasn't a hard place to work at, and it was much better than school, but I still had to work my ass off around that place. I had to earn my grade and learn what I set out to learn. Co-op wasn't as easy as it had been cracked up to be.
"I know what you mean," I replied, clicking the remote to turn off the T.V and DVD player. When the living room was dark Alice and I left, going up the stairs and parting where we had to go our separate ways for the night.
"Will I see you tomorrow morning?" She asked, her tiny hand gripping mine as we stood at the top of the stairs, not wanting our time to end because of the uncertainty of when we would get it back.
"I don't know," I told her honestly, "I leave a lot earlier than you do. You might not be awake." I cupped her cheek in my hand and slid my thumb over the apple of her cheek, caressing the baby soft skin.
"Can you wake me up, please? I want to see you before you go," she told me, fixing her eyes on mine. I really hated to wake her up so early, but if she wanted to say goodbye, I wasn't going to say no. Seeing her in the mornings helped me get through the day.
"Sure," I replied, leaning down as she stretched up on her toes. I felt her smooth lips against mine and her small arms wrapped around my neck, holding me close as our bodies yearned to be connected. I needed to let her go before I did something inappropriate at the top of the stairs.
"Goodnight," I whispered against her mouth, pecking her lips a few more times before pulling away. She gave me a small smile and told me the same before disappearing into her room for the night. I cursed many profanities under my breath before going to my own room and nearly slamming the door shut in my frustration.
I needed to...cool off...or something. This constant aching and burning just wasn't doing me any good; I needed to dunk my body in ice, or freezing water. Where was snow when I needed it? I grabbed my towel off the hook and went just outside my room to the bathroom – the one that I had all to myself. I kicked the door shut and tossed the towel to the sink, reaching into the shower stall and turning it on cold before stripping of my clothing.
When I stood beneath the spray my muscles tensed from the piercing temperature, my skin throbbing from the drastic change. Soon after my shower began I felt the burning and aching in my stomach disappear as my focus was fixed on the way the water felt on my skin, the way it pelted against me like hail would.
Before I began to shiver I stepped out, wrapping the towel around my naked hips as I stared at myself in the mirror. My hair, sandy and shaggy, was hanging into my eyes, dripping cold water onto my chest, leaving a watery trail along my stomach to be captured in the towel. I shook out my hair and water sprayed the mirror and walls, and as I ran my hands through my hair to get it out of my eyes I stopped.
I heard a small rap on the door and I turned my attention to it, furrowing my brows. This was my bathroom; I didn't share it with Alice or anyone else because they had their own. I held the towel around my waist and unlocked the door, pulling it opened to find Alice standing there in ridiculously small boy shorts and a silky, white camisole.
I instantly felt myself harden.
That stupid, god damn, cold shower was all for nothing.
"Alice...wh –" I began, silenced by her finger on my lips. She bit her bottom one and grabbed my hand, looking in the direction of our parents' room before turning off the bathroom light and pulling me into my room. She closed my door quietly, subjecting us to almost complete darkness. The only source of light was the faint moonlight filtering in through the open window.
We were standing in the pool of light and I was able to see her face, the sheer lines of it accentuated by the pale light, making her features defined and even more elegant. She bit her lip again and slid her hand overtop of mine, the one that was grasping onto the towel at my waist.
"Alice, I mean...now?" I asked, my heart hammering against my chest. I wasn't sure why I was asking as this was something that I had wanted to happen for a while now. She nodded her head, her eyes flitting to the more than obvious bulge in the white towel. Rather than sliding it off my hips she grabbed at the hem of her camisole and pulled it over her head, revealing her soft, smooth skin, right along with her perfect bare breasts – all perky and high on her chest.
I gaped at her and choked on my breath, emitting something that resembled a gargle as I stared down at her, fully aroused and ready for this, now. She gripped the sides of her boy shorts and hooked her thumbs inside, and at the same time we pulled free the restrictions, me losing the towel, she dropping the shorts.
Alice looked timidly up to me, her full, bottom lip being tugged between her teeth as she kicked aside the clothing. I stepped forward and ran my hand along her hip bone, cupping her bottom in my hand as she moaned quietly – too quietly. I did the same with my other hand and lifted her, carrying her over to the bed before I set her down gently, edging my way on without bumping into her. It was dark and quiet, and for a minute we just kissed, trying to find a balance and where we were without being awkward and clumsy.
"I thought...you were, tired?" I asked her in between kisses, smirking a little bit to get back to a semi-normal state. This was so new to both of us, and I didn't want to screw it up because we were nervous. She giggled a tiny bit, sitting up and pushing against my chest. I moved back and she crawled on top of me, straddling me on the bed as the moonlight hit her face. She slowly and gently kissed the side of my neck, nibbling just above my collarbone; she knew the spots that made me quiver.
I gripped her hips harder and rocked her into me, her wetness brushing against my lower abdomen. Alice whimpered quietly and made her way back up my throat until she reached my mouth. She breathed hard against my face, the smell of spearmint swirling around my nose.
"For some reason I'm suddenly not so tired," she whispered, capturing my lips in hers once again as we got lost in each other.
At that point we knew nothing other than the fact that we were together...finally.
A/N: I would really LOVE it if everyone would let me know what they thought of this chapter. I've never written in any POV but Bella or Edward until this very chapter, so I don't know how people will like it. Let me know what you think of Alice and Jazz!!
Ghostbusters = classic. God love that movie, the sequel isn't as good, but they're still sweet movies. Cheesy as hell, but still amazing.
The song quoted at the beginning is Navigate Me by Cute Is What We Aim For. Love them : ) Great song.
Leave me some love if you're feeling reflective! I'd love to hear it.