Friday

Alice had spent most of the day out with Maria shopping, gossiping, and catching up on some much-missed girl time. Her childhood friend had visited her at her home in Seattle; of course, it had been where she'd met her fiance. However, the nostalgic feeling of hitting all the small ma and pop boutiques that lined her hometown's main streets was something she had missed.

It was kind of funny; for all of her teenage years, she had dreamed of leaving the small town desperate to see the sights of the world. She had spent the past five years sure that had been the right decision; At the time, there hadn't been anything... anyone worth staying for.

But now, the past few days had been some of the best she'd had in quite some time. She had been feeling so stifled creatively in the city lately but had completed more sketches in the two days than she had in a year. She had genuinely enjoyed the open spaces the small town had to offer and time spent with friends to whom she'd gone years without speaking. Jasper finally seeming to reciprocate her feelings was just very, very tasty icing on the cake.

The duo were hanging out in Maria's apartment above the bar she owned on main street. Alice was helping her friend pick out an outfit to wear to the wedding the next day. Inevitably the topic of her game with Jasper had become a topic of conversation.

"I just can't believe he doesn't remember me; I've dropped so many subtle hints it's insane." Alice sat on the bed, staring out of Maria's bedroom window. "He was always dense, but this is ridiculous."

"I can believe it." Maira paused, biting her lip. "I probably shouldn't say anything, but... fuck it, ya know." She shrugged, taking a seat next to Alice on the bed.

"You weren't here to see the fallout, Ali. When we came back from the crick, he was in shock just ... sitting frozen on the ground next to his truck with his head in his hands." Maria shuddered at the memory. "You ever seen someone way too calm... too still. He had no emotion; it was scary, Ali. You ever seen that man cry?"

Alice shook her head, feeling sick to her stomach. "I have because later that night after your brother went home to figure out what the hell happened since we couldn't get a word out of Jasper, I watched him sob."

Alice stared at Maria in shock, unable to believe her ears as her friend continued recounting the tale. "He started pushing people away, spent all his time drowning his pain in whiskey at my bar requesting shot after shot every night until someone had to drive him home because he was too drunk to function. I ended up banning him for quite a while, told him to get help. His eyes would turn overcast whenever you got brought up as though thinking about you was too much to handle. He would talk about how it was his fault, and he was so stupid. How he didn't want to do it, but it was the right thing to do by you." Maria was staring morosely down at her hands in her lap; it was clear the recollections weighed heavily on her.

"He told me once he would erase you from his memory if it was the last thing he ever did just to stop the pain. Everyone knew you two had a thing, but we had no idea it went that deep. Lilia and Rose ended up making him go to school to get away. Jas was better when he came back with Pete; he was almost like the guy he was before you ran away."

Maria finally turned to face her. "Wasn't until I came out to visit you and got your side of the story that I put the pieces together. Part of me is a little worried about what will happen when he finally remembers; I don't want to see him that depressed ever again. But I also think you two deserve to be happy together after everything. You were two foolish kids; I genuinely hope you can find your way to each other after all this time."

"He's such an idiot. I would have stayed!" She was confused, furious, devastated by the information Maria had just given her.

"I know, babe. In a twisted way, I think he was trying to be selfless. In his mind, he thought that keeping you here with your dad was the worst thing he could do to you if you had an opening to flee."

Alice had left her friend's apartment with a lot to think about and plans to go out for drinks later that night so she could get to know Riley a bit better. Maria dropped her back at the ranch, where she hurried upstairs to throw on one of the new outfits she had bought and freshen her makeup. Alice had taken extra care to make sure every aspect of her appearance was perfect. There was someone she wanted to impress. Charlotte kept joking about her attention to detail, so Alice had kicked her out of the room they were sharing.

As she left the house to find Jasper, who would be joining her for the night as she still didn't have a working vehicle. Rosalie, a mechanic by trade, had told her it was hopeless to get the car she had got so long up and running. She found him sitting on the tailgate of his pickup, strumming on a guitar.

"Hey, you." She greeted, leaning against the tailgate. "When did you start playing guitar?"

"Few years ago, went through a rough patch awhile back. Pete suggested it, thought it might help me channel my feelings in a better direction."

Her heart sunk at that, as she made a mental note to thank Peter for helping Jasper in so many ways. She shuddered, thinking about what would have become of the man she cared so very much about without someone to lean on. "Sounds like he's been a good person for you to be around." He offered a grunt in response. "You play beautifully." She commented when he offered nothing else.

"Ma'am?" She looked over at him. "When I was younger, I liked competing in everything. Seems to me you knew me back then. When I ran into you a few days ago, that's what this started as; a game. But I want you to know I'm not playing for fun anymore. I really do like you."

"I feel the same; don't suppose I'm allowed to change the rules... or just tell you who I am?" Her question was hopeful.

"Oh no, It is becoming very clear to me I messed something up. I need to piece this one together on my own." He smiled down at her. "And believe you me, I will."

"I'm counting on it."

"Ready to go, little miss?" He asked as he hopped off the tailgate, closed it, and opened the passenger side door with a little bow that made Alice giggle. He placed his guitar, now in its case, in the backseat before driving off.

The ride to the bar was uneventful; they sat listening to the radio's top 40 country station in otherwise silence. Jasper occasionally proposing a random name, never correctly.

They had a good time having drinks with Riley and Maria; it was almost like old times. Alice thoroughly enjoyed the evening, wondering why she had ever wanted to leave home. She didn't realize just how much she missed the instant fun she always seemed to have with Jasper and Maria. Maybe, just maybe, if the dense cowboy could piece together her puzzle, staying in Dublin, Texas, wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Eventually, Maria and Riley needed to leave, leaving Jasper and Alice alone at a tall table in the corner. It was a teasing, and flirty conversation as Jasper continued to make random name guesses.

"Amanda?"

"Nope."

"Ariel?"

"Still no," She giggled; this was getting ridiculous, and the more time she spent around him, the more she wanted to cave. Maybe losing to him just this once wouldn't be so bad. He very clearly was willing to give her the chance she had wished for all those years ago anyhow. Wouldn't giving up the game this time be a win? Still, she was afraid, especially after her conversation that afternoon with Maria. What if he was still upset? What if he wanted nothing to do with her.

"Excuse me, darlin'." She was snapped out of the bubble she'd absorbed herself in of just she and Jasper shutting out the rest of the world. Looking up, a man she vaguely remembered from school stood tableside. "It's good to see you round here again, Al. Would you be interested in getting dinner sometime?"

"Oh, it's great to see you too, but I've actually kind of been talking to someone." The man, his name escaped her, tipped his cowboy hat to her, turned, and left.

"So, you're seeing someone?" Jasper asked after the suiter had left, seeming a bit discouraged. She found it hilarious; he was so adorably oblivious.

"Of course, see I've been talkin' to this real annoyin' cowboy I used to be friends with. I would really like to go out with him, but he doesn't seem to remember my name."

"You like me?" He seemed so relieved by her words, his tough cowboy persona temporarily crumbling down in front of her eyes, causing her heart to soar. It was so infuriatingly hard to establish a connection with his type; the idea of him letting that guard down for her again after all this time made her feel oh so very special.

"Quite a bit, actually." She confessed breathlessly, showing her own vulnerability.

"Then let me take you out."

"What's my name?"

"Well, Al," He smirked. "Now I've got two letters. Alicia? Alison? Alex? Am I getting close?"

"Not even a little bit." She was enjoying the game, laughing at Jasper's sometimes outlandish name choices. She genuinely missed having this much fun with the man, even as just friends. When the door to the bar opened, her mood dropped drastically. Her father had entered the bar, someone she was hoping to get through the week without running into.

Jasper's ex Maria? Fine, she was one of Alice's best friends even to this day. Her own ex James? She could handle that easily. But her father? The thing that had driven her away from the small town in the first place, not a chance.

"Time to go,"

"Everything, okay?" He had picked up on her obvious distress. "I'm not bothering you, am I? I can back off."

"No, no, you're fine. I'm having a lot of fun. Just, someone walked in I do not want to deal with. Could we maybe check out another bar?"

"Of course, let's go. You shouldn't have to be uncomfortable." He stood and offered a hand, always the gentleman. They walked down the street to one of the towns numerous bars; small towns like this didn't provide much to do outside getting drunk, whether that be at a bar, bonfire, field, the locations endless, and the alcohol plentiful.

She marveled at how Jasper was still rescuing her from Edgar Brandon even five years later, even when he didn't remember her.

She thought back on all the nights he had shown up at odd hours of the night to take her for a sleepover with Charlotte after receiving an SOS text when he should have been sleeping. Lilia Whitlock never questioned it when Alice was downstairs at breakfast in the morning.

"You still look a bit shaken," Hed commented as they walked inside a crowded dive bar. "What can I do to help?"

"Talk to me." She responded, leaning against one of the back walls tucked away in a corner, trying to control her breathing.

"About what?" He leaned next to her.

"Anything, if you could do anything in the world right now, what would it be?"

"I'd kiss you." His response was instantaneous, as though he didn't have to think about it, as though it was the simplest question he had ever answered.

"You can do anything in the entire world, and you wanna kiss me?"

"Is that so crazy?"

"No," She stood contemplatively for a moment, gathering up her nerves. "I'd let you." She turned her head to face his, her breath catching in her throat as she took in his shocked expression. He scooted in closer to where she stood.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," She swallowed, closing the distance between them. When their lips met, she felt electrified. She had wanted this so badly so long ago, and here it was actually happening. Jasper was so gentle, caring, and sweet, the complete opposite of what she'd expected from the brash cowboy. His lips were so soft; his rough hands felt exhilarating as they explored the curves of her body, landing delicately on her hips, holding her in place. She was grateful; she may have floated away without him holding her there; she felt so light.

She pulled away breathlessly, knowing that if they continued, this night might end in his bed. She wasn't opposed to that idea, but things were moving so fast, and he still hadn't figured out who she was. Letting that happen before they had hashed out that night wouldn't be fair to him, especially after talking to Maria earlier in the day. As she rested her forehead against his shoulder, she allowed herself to think back on the night she had left for the first time in years.

He told her he would name the horse Cherry and let her ride anytime she wanted. They had sat in silence after that when she made her move.

"Can I talk about something heavy, Jas?"

"Go for it, Al." He replied, handing her another Bud Light.

She popped the tab on the can, taking a long drink before responding. "I'm thinkin of leavin town."

"Oh," He paused his own beer can halfway to his mouth. "When."

"Tonight, maybe... depends."

"On?"

"If there's anything worth staying for..." She paused, knowing this was the moment of no return. This either went really well, and she lived in bliss or really badly, and she left immediately. She had driven herself to the meeting spot that night for just that reason; her bags were packed in the trunk and ready to go. It all weighed on this question. "I like you a lot Jas. If there's any chance of something happening between us, I'll stay. But if not..." She trailed off, noting his panicked expression.

He didn't respond at first, taking small sips of his beer as he stared out at the tree line. The air around the pair felt thick and tense while Alice waited for a response; her heart shattered when it finally came. "I can't, Alice. You should leave."

And so she did; she hopped off the hood of his truck, casting him one last glance. She didn't think her heart could break anymore until he refused to look her in the eye. She left immediacy afterward, not even telling her brother goodbye.

"Hey," His voice in the present brought her back once again. "You're clutchin' my shirt pretty hard there. Everythin' okay?"

"Not really." She pulled away with a blush, "I was just thinking about the last time I talked to you."

"Whatever I did, I'm terribly sorry for causing you any amount of pain."

"You don't even remember what you did." She smiled; that was just so very Jasper. Apologizing when he didn't know what he was sorry about. "But it's okay; it's all in the past. Let's go get another drink." She grabbed his hand, pulling him over to the bar.

She had placed her order and jumped onto a barstool when he spoke from where he stood leaning against the counter. "I get that it's all in the past, but you really seemed hurt. I like yaa lot, and it tears me up thinkin' that I did anything to cause ya' distress. Can ya at least tell me what I did?"

"You always were such a sap when no one was looking." She couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips. "You didn't do anything wrong Jas, I liked you, and you didn't like me back." She turned to face him with a smile. "But you like me now, so until you remember me and change your mind, it's all okay."

"I can't imagine you're anyone I could stop carin' about."

"I really hope that's true, Jas."