A/N: Hello everyone! You're getting this a bit early because I'm going out of town for a few days without internet. Thank you all for reading and reviewing! You all rock my socks off! Enjoy my lovelies.

Oh, and I forgot to put a disclaimer for chapters one and two. But for the record, I own nothing from those chapters. As if you thought I did.

Disclaimer: Twilight and characters belong to Stephanie Meyer, only the plot is mine.

Chapter 3

EPov

I'm not sure if there is a Hippocratic oath for music teachers, but if there where, lusting after one of your students would certainly be something that was frowned upon. It certainly wouldn't fall under the "I will preserve the purity of my life and my arts" article. Because there was nothing pure in the way I looked and thought about Jasper.

I need to be professional; this is my reputation as a teacher on the line. Sure it's not illegal to desire Jasper and personally I wouldn't care if I found out about other teachers who had relationships with adult students, but something still told me to be careful.

With this in mind, I spent the entire week squashing every thought of Jasper besides the professional ones.

As I would teach one of my students I would recall something that I could teach Jasper, and that was fine. It was when my mind would drift from the music I would teach him to the way his eyes had looked at me, that I had a problem. Sometimes, when I was alone, I had to shut down my mind to get him out of my head. I would blast Mozart, Liszt, Handel, or any other composer, lay with my eyes closed and focus only on the music. The way the instruments worked together, how the music would swell, crashing over the senses. It worked for a while. I would drown myself in music and nothing else in the world mattered. But then a betrayal thought would slip through, Jasper is a cello, deep, steady, strong and beautiful, and I would be right back where I started.

I wasn't sure how someone you had only known for an hour could so effectively invade your life, but Jasper was quickly becoming the only thing I thought about. The only thing I wanted to think about.

I touched him for Christ's sake! And while it had felt wonderful, I was very aware that I was overstepping a huge boundary. He was my student and my student he would remain. I resolved this over and over. Every time his laugh or his voice lilted in my mind, I would remind myself that he was a student. When I remembered the colour of his hair or how the sun would reflect off the twisted strands, I would remind myself that he was a student.

This was harder to do when I remembered the last moments of our lesson. After I had shown him how to play the scale, I looked into his eyes and had been captured by what I saw there. His eyes were dark with what I thought was need. My breathing caught and I was held by his eyes, wishing that he would kiss me, knowing I could never kiss him first.

When he turned away, it felt like my heart had been removed. To me, his reaction was a rejection, never mind that I didn't even know he was gay, and I guarded myself from him. The hurt and confusion in his eyes made me feel terrible, though, and I wanted to kiss that hurt away.

I was never able to eliminate the feeling of wanting to help him, to comfort him, and to make him feel better that I had in those moments. Everything else I could rationalise away, but this haunted me.

By midweek I had driven myself crazy and needed to get out of the house. I had to keep myself busy so I wouldn't think of Jasper. With this in mind, I set out to distract myself. I grabbed my bag, stuffed it with my laptop, a book, some bills that I still needed to pay, and a magazine I had been meaning to read for a month now. With so much busy work ready to go, I thought about what I could do to keep my mind busy. I decided to grab a cup of coffee while I planned my day.

I drove to my favourite coffee shop intending to read and not focus on Jasper. After I finished my coffee I planned I going to the record store to look at the new collection of music. Then maybe I'd see a movie. An action movie. I ordered my latte and snagged a comfortable chair and settled down to read Faulkner. And not focus on Jasper.

After ten minutes, I thought of him. I scowled at the fleeting thought, and focused more on my book. This didn't work, he always wormed his way somehow, and I was sure a permanent scowl was now etched on my face. I was beginning to give myself a headache and develop tunnel vision. I was relieved when my phone rang.

"Hey Alice."

"Hey Bro. So… you know that window you were going to fix?"

"The one Alec was going to fix?"

"Uh, yeah, that one. See, Alec's not so handy and he um, broke it." How could he break a window? I had only met Alec a few times, but I was under the impression that he could fix a window that wouldn't open. It wasn't that hard. I could do it, and that's saying a lot.

"So you want me to come fix it?" There was a muffle in the background and I thought I heard Alice shush someone.

"Yes, right now." Alice sounded odd. I figured that Alec was over and was upset that she had called me. Insecure about your masculinity? The gay man has to come fix what the straight man broke.

"What exactly is wrong with the window now, Alice?" I asked.

There was a pause before Alice answered, "It won't close now."

I didn't want to go over there, but the coffee shop wasn't helping my mind stay focussed enough. Maybe what I needed was a bit of mindless banter with my sister.

"Okay Alice, I'll head over right now. I'm at the coffee shop so I'll be there in five minutes."

"Great, I'll see you then! Oh and Edward? Will you grab me a mocha? Iced? That would be great!" I laughed at her.

"But I'm already coming to fix your window! If anything you owe me a coffee."

"With skim milk." She said before hanging up on me. I sighed, gathered my things and ordered Alice's coffee.

The drive was quick, and a few minutes later I was pulling into Alice's apartment complex. I buzzed her to let me in and walked up to her floor.

When I got in, she and Alec were sitting around the TV. Alice was enraptured with a show and didn't even acknowledge that I had arrived, while Alec looked like he wanted to gouge his eyes out. He rose to meet me. We shook hands, still slightly uncomfortable around each other, and took Alice's coffee out of my hand. He lowered it in front of her at eye level and waved it back and forth.

"You're going to have to look away from that damned show if you want your coffee," he said in a singsong voice. Without looking away, Alice's hand darted out and grabbed the coffee from his hand. Alec's baffled face made me laugh so hard I had to put my coffee on the table to avoid spilling.

"How did she do that?" He whispered.

I shook my head, "What is she watching?" I asked, still laughing.

"Say Yes to the Dress," He muttered. That caused me to laugh more.

"And you dared to interfere with her wedding fever? You're lucky she didn't slap you before grabbing the coffee. She takes this very seriously. Has since she was 16." Alec looked horrified. He opened and closed his mouth several times before he seemed to give up. He turned to look back to Alice.

"But we've been dating a month." I tried to have compassion for the guy, honestly, but it was too hilarious for me not to laugh even more.

"Don't worry. It's not just because she's dating you. I told you, she's been doing this since 16. Maybe earlier. Plus she just really likes this show." I didn't mention that I also liked this show. I may never get married, and I hate shopping with a passion that could destroy a small building, but it's a guilty pleasure. Plus, though he's not my type, I desperately want to be friends with Randy. I can't explain it.

"So where's the window?" I asked Alec. I wanted to get this over with so that I could… well, I didn't know what I was going to do next. But it wouldn't involve thinking about a certain blonde-haired professor. Stop thinking of him, I scolded myself.

"I fixed it," he said, "It was nothing."

"You fixed it?" I asked.

"Yep, just now before you came," he said. Alec quickly looked away and walked over to sit besides Alice.

"So, then I can leave. You don't need me." I was a little pissed that I came here for no reason. I grabbed my bag and began thinking of other things I could waste time doing. Maybe the record store would distract me better than sitting and reading.

"NO!" Alice cried out.

Her scream caused me to drop the strap of my bag and gape open mouthed at her. What the hell was that for?

"You have to stay here Edward. We haven't seen each other in a week. We need to talk." She patted the couch cushion next to her, beckoning me to sit next to her. Her face was lit up and I could do nothing else but sit.

"So Al, what do you want to talk about?" I asked.

"Oh, I don't know. What do you think?" I honestly had no idea. Alice's odd behaviour today was confusing me. I was strongly considering taking her to the hospital.

Assuming she wanted to talk about herself, I asked, "Well, how are you and Alec doing?"

Alice looked at me like I was a complete idiot, "We're fine. Great. It's going great."

"Well, great. I'm glad."

"And what about you Edward? How are you?" She asked, sweetly.

"I'm good. You know, works going well." I forced myself not to think of Jasper.

"Really? Well that's wonderful. I know this wasn't what you wanted to be doing at this point, but I'm sure you're here for a reason. By the way, how was Jasper? He was so nice, I had to help him out." Of course Alice would bring up the one person I was trying not to think of. She had connected us after all.

"Jasper was good. I think it's going to work out with his lessons." I said quietly. Alice looked at me, trying to understand what I really meant buy that. Alice could always read me; she knows exactly what I need. I think now she recognised that I needed her not to push it.

"Well, I really liked him. He would be a good friend, Edward."

Friend? I did not want Jasper as a friend.

"I really don't think so Alice. That's kinda… blurring the lines don't you think? I mean, he's my student."

"Well yeah, but you didn't sign a contract Edward. If you like him, talk to him. Maybe he'll like you too."

I thought about this. Was I wrong? Could I be… a friend… with Jasper? But that was different, certainly. Friendship didn't involve wanting to throw him down on the piano bench and rip his clothes off. Friendship didn't cause someone to unnecessarily touch someone. I didn't need to touch Jasper during that lesson, but I wanted to. So I did, and Jasper got uncomfortable.

No, it would be okay to be Jasper's friend. But I didn't want to be his friend.

Talking with Alice had done little for my resolution. If anything, it made me think even more about Jasper. If I could only get myself under control then maybe I could be his friend. That would be okay. I could be his friend until the lessons where over, then see what happens.

Everything in me was banking on this idea. I was completely ignoring the fact that I didn't know if Jasper was gay or not, and if I would even be able to control myself. But I was going to try. I was going to be Jasper's friend.

And nothing more.

I wavered back and forth on this point, but on Monday I was completely committed to my 'friendship plan.' And when he showed up for his second lesson, I was very excited to try out my new plan.

Of course, when I opened the door to him, my cock twitched again. But Little Edward would not control me. I was stronger than him.

"Welcome back Jasper," I said. I held the door open for him and he walked past me, his hand brushing mine as he passed. You can do this Edward. Be professional. Be friendly. You want to be his friend! Friend with Benefits. Damn it.

"Hi," he said, smiling at me.

I cleared my throat, "So, did you have a good week?"

Jasper's face reddened a bit, "Yeah, um, it was good. My classes are going well. I even managed to get into the music department's practice rooms to use their pianos a couple times." He ran his hand through his hair. I didn't understand why he was so nervous.

"Well, that's good." I said.

There was an awkward pause before Jasper spoke again, "And you? How was your week?"

"Good. I spent time with my sister. I was supposed to fix her window after her boyfriend botched it, but I guess he had a bit of a complex about the gay guy fixing his mistake. He fixed it right before I got there. So we just… talked." I wasn't sure why I told him all that. Looking at him made my brain turn off and my mouth run uncontrollably.

Jasper laughed though, and it made me want to tell him even more.

"Yeah, I bet my sis's husband would have a problem if I fixed something 'manly' for him. He has no problem that I'm gay, but he jokes a lot and considers himself mister 'fix-it'. He's more like Tim 'The Tool-Man' Taylor though. Everything he touches is destroyed before he somehow managed to fix it up again."

I heard what he was saying, but I could only focus on one thing. He has no problem that I'm gay… That I'm gay… Jasper it gay… like me… we are both gay. I don't remember ever feeling so happy. It was like my dreams had come true. I was feeling like a little girl, but I didn't even care. That was the effect Jasper had on me. Shit, what was he saying now?

"…Alice?" Jasper asked. I tried to quickly think about what he was talking about, something neutral to say like "yes" or "fine." I didn't want to reveal that I had been completely gone for the last few moments, but of course I couldn't think of anything.

"Um, sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked how Alice was." He repeated.

"Oh, um she's good. She told me that she likes you." Fuck, there was that verbal vomit thing again.

"I like her too. She's sweet. I always wanted a younger sister. Not one that would torture me."

I scoffed, "Oh Alice tortures me. She's just cute about it so you give in."

At this point I realised that we had been talking for fifteen minutes, and hadn't gotten to my music room at all. I started walking away.

"We should probably get started. How did your practices go?" He followed me and sat on the bench.

"They went well. I didn't get a lot of practice. I really only have the practice rooms at school to use, and they are usually full. But I got in a few time." He was running his hands over the keys.

"Okay, well how many times were you able to practice?"

"Um, about four times, for a few minutes. Then a student needed it," He said.

I didn't want to be harsh on him, but if he wanted to improve, he was going to have to work harder than that, " You're going to have to practice more if you want to get better, Jasper. I usually recommend that my students practice half an hour a day, six days a week. At a minimum. With what you want to accomplish, I would say you should practice for an hour."

"I know, but that's the only piano I have access to. So that's about the minimum that I'm going to have." He seemed a little put out at this. I didn't want to discourage him, or convince him that he wouldn't be good enough in four months.

I tried to think of an alternative. Maybe someone who was selling a piano, or somewhere he could go to use one. Nothing was coming to mind. Then suddenly it hit me. I knew exactly what the solution was, and I found myself perfectly willing. The only question was if Jasper would go for it.

"Well," I began quietly, terrified about what the response would be, "you could come here. Only I play on my piano after lessons, but there would certainly be time for you to practice."

Jasper looked shocked by my offer, but there was something else there: happiness.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to interfere. I'm already cutting into your free time. Plus, my hours are sometimes a bit crazy, depending on my meetings with students or other work. And I'd have to come over on the weekend. I couldn't Edward. It's too much. Maybe I should just do something on my guitar."

No, I want you here, I thought. "It's not a problem Jasper. I want to help you. Your hours don't bother me. I'll work until you get here, you can practice as long as you want. Practically, this works well. You'll probably advance farther if I'm right here to answer questions. We can progress based on your practices rather than on weekly meetings. You'll get farther."

Jasper bit his bottom lip, "Are you sure Edward? I don't want to seem unwelcomed."

"Yes, Jasper," I insisted, "Come practice here, we can set up a schedule if you want. That way you don't feel like you are intruding. But honestly Jasper, I wouldn't offer if I didn't mean it."

"What about weekends? You said that you recommend practising six days a week."

This was a big deal for me. My weekends were sacred, and I didn't give them up for any of my students. But Jasper wasn't just any student.

"That's fine. You can come over in the morning or evening, that way I can still get things done during the day. Saturday or Sunday would work fine, depending on your schedule. Whatever you need Jasper. This is the best and most pragmatic situation. You need a piano and you need to advance quickly." I prayed to every person, god, and religion I could think of. Just please say yes. Please say yes.

Jasper studied me. I don't know what he was looking for, but whatever he found, he smiled at me, "Okay Edward. Thanks. I'll find a way to make this up to you someday."

He was staying. I would get to see him every day. Everything in my life was perfect.

I'll see you all next week! ~ AJ Kelly