OOO Chapter 14

Exploring

For the first time ever in my life I was waking up to Alice in my arms and we were both completely naked. Sure, we had slept in the same bed before but we'd always made sure that we got dressed. We both feared our parents catching us naked in bed. This was nice. This was something that I could get used to.

I laid there watching her sleep for a half hour before she finally woke up. I hated to get out of the bed but I was hungry and I knew that she had to be as well. We had talked as I held her all night about all the places that she wanted to show me while I was here, including a little café that she'd fallen in love with where she ate breakfast most mornings on her way to school.

We dragged ourselves out of bed and got our clothes on. None of her roommates were up yet as we walked through the apartment and out in the bright sunlight streets of Paris. I took her hand as we walked down the street and Alice gabbered away about anything and everything and was the Alice that I knew and loved. The quiet, withdrawn Alice that her family and I had been seeing for the last couple of months was gone. Maybe it was just a case of homesickness and nothing else.

We had a wonderful day walking around and shopping and sightseeing. That night we stayed in and her and her roommates made dinner. Since it was Sunday, there were no classes and the restaurant was closed. Tomorrow I would be on my own for the majority of the day. I didn't care as long as Alice and I crawled into the same bed at the end of the day. I wasn't blind to the fact that it was going to make going home excruciating. I was choosing temporary ignorance and bliss.

Her roommates were actually really great. I liked them all, especially Alec. He was funny as hell. It appeared that Jane and Demitri were dating from the way that they were hanging all over each other all night. I pulled out my laptop and showed them pictures of Tanya and the house in Los Angeles and everyone at the beach. Alice got a kick out of the costumes that Jessica and I wore to the Halloween Party. I wasn't completely stupid. I told Alice ahead of time that I was going to invite her and Leah along with me.

Over the next few days I roamed around Paris during the day while Alice was in classes and sometimes at night while she was at work at the restaurant. One night I went to a local bar with a couple of her friends that she'd introduced me too. I was having one of the best Thanksgiving breaks that I could remember.

One the night before I was supposed to fly home Alice was supposed to work but traded with Jane to be able to spend the night with me. I was glad that the guy was so agreeable. They had all told me what a strict asshole he could be.

Alice cooked my favorite dinner and we shared a bottle of wine. By the end of the night we were laying on the couch and unable to keep our hands off each other.

"When are your roommates due home tonight?"

"They're not. They are staying with some friends to give us some privacy since this will be the….I mean, we don't know when…."

"Shh…it's ok. We'll find a way Alice. We will make this work. I love you too much not to try harder."

"I love you too Jasper. So much."

I rolled over onto my back taking her with me. As she straddled me, I pulled her down for a kiss. Neither of us were willing to break the kiss until we were absolutely desperate for air. I took the opportunity to pull her shirt off and throw it across the room, careful to avoid getting it too close to the fireplace that we had going. Her bra ended up in the same vicinity before she climbed off me, pulled me up off the couch, and led me back to her bedroom. The rest of our clothes managed to disappear along the way.

The next morning I wanted to refuse to get up out of bed but I knew that I couldn't miss my flight today. My classes were going to be starting again on Monday and I needed a chance to recover from the jet lag before that. I didn't need to be falling asleep in any of them. Alice had to go to class today herself and was unable to miss the session. They were having a practical exam. We did go to the café for breakfast although neither of us was really hungry. We both just kept pushing our food around the plates until we ran out of time.

I wanted to follow her to her school and wait there until it was time to board my plane but putting off the inevitable by even an hour was not going to help either of us deal with our pending separation.

We were standing on the curb, hugging and crying and promising to try harder to talk and see each other when Alec and Jane walked up. They stayed a respectful distance and never said a word other than that they thought she'd be upset after we separated at the café and wanted to make sure that she made it to school safely. I was grateful to them for thinking about her and caring so much. I watched as the three of them walked away from me. Alec and Jane had wrapped their arms around her waist, almost as if they were holding her up. She turned when she was at the end of the block and blew me a kiss.

I stayed right where I was until they were long gone before I grabbed my bags and hailed a cab. I didn't talk to anyone on the flight home. I tried to occupy myself with a book, then a movie, and even tried to take a nap but nothing was distracting me from thinking about Alice. I wanted her to be happy but I also wanted her to be with me. I was determined that we could survive this separation, I just didn't know how.

A/N:

Hey there! More Jasper! You'll hear from him and Alice again in the future. For all my readers in the South East US, please be safe while Isaac hits the shorelines. I have an aunt in Gulfport.

I hope to have another chapter later this week depending on my week.