Jasper gave a small smile back when she agreed. There was hope that he'd eventually be able to convince her to see the family. He was so sure that everyone would be much happier that way. He used to worry about drawing the attention of the Volturi. Hell, he should be worrying about how Edward would react when he inevitably showed up, but he didn't care. Not really. The human had captured so many of his family's hearts that bringing her back into their world, now that he knew it hadn't been her choice to leave, felt like the right answer. Even if Rose wouldn't admit it, Jasper had felt the times where she had shown fondness for the girl. Rose had never hated Isabella Swan, no, all Rose had wanted was to keep her out of harm's way. That harm had included Edward. Jasper wasn't sure how she'd feel to know she had been right to do so.
Bella looked up at the clock in the room then, "I need to go soon. I-I really didn't expect to see you," she looked quickly back to him, her heart rate picking up. "I have work in 45 minutes and need to catch the bus." She let out a breath filled with nervous energy before standing and shouldering her bag, her resolve solidifying.
Jasper stood with her, curious as to how she would want to end this encounter. It brought them closer than Jasper really felt comfortable with but his burn was under control. Without Edward, Jasper really didn't think he was a threat to this girl, not like he had been.
When Isabella spoke next, she sounded much more like the girl Jasper had heard in the lecture, "What days are you usually on campus?" She inquired, peered up at him. She only came to his chin but she was nowhere near as tiny as his Alice had been.
Jasper wouldn't let himself dwell on that thought too much. "I have classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and every other Friday." He hesitated for a second before adding, "I come as much as I can but those are all weather dependent." He was sure the smile he had tried to give came off more as a grimace. He had enrolled in classes this semester without the all-seeing eyes of his former partner, meaning he wouldn't always know when the sun would shine and when it would not. 2-3 times a week seemed like good odds but he decided it would be safer to forge some medical documents so he would have more leeway with classes. He was currently diagnosed with episodic migraines, feigning intense sunlight as one of his triggers. Thankfully he'd only had to use that excuse once so far this semester. He wasn't a fan of the pity he incurred from his female professors.
Bella took it with stride though, "Oh! I hadn't even thought about that." She trailed off but her curiosity lingered, "I'd really like to hear about how you ended up here, how you've been doing since-." She let that thought fall away but quickly finished with, "Would Wednesday work for you? I have work that afternoon too but... oh I don't know how the weather is looking." She gnawed on her bottom lip, thinking thoughtfully for a moment. Jasper found it a little endearing how she interrupted each thought with a new one. He wondered if this is what it would sound like if he was able to read minds.
Jasper had an idea, and leaned closer to her reaching for the phone he saw peeking out of the mesh pocket of her bag. He hadn't yet had to hold his breath but he would admit that she smelled just as delectable as he remembered. He couldn't allow himself to focus on that. He opened her phone, searching for the contacts list and added, "How about I give you my number. You can call me, or text me if that is something you do. It doesn't have to be while you're on campus. I lead a pretty busy existence outside of school hours." He didn't know how to be around her without a direct task to focus on but he smiled, hoping she would catch onto his joking tone. "Esme keeps me busy helping her restore houses but I should be able to find time."
There was a small wave of shock that washed through Bella when he handed her phone back to her and then a tidal wave of gratitude. Jasper had a feeling she was trying to show him that emotion in particular, but he was not sure why. More softly she added, "Thanks Jasper. That works, um, I'll text you when I can I guess." Bella let out another sigh and glanced back up at the clock, "You really don't have to do this though, you don't have to keep in contact with me. I'll be fine."
Jasper felt the worry creep in when she finished and tried to decide on what he wanted to say quickly. He did not want her to leave feeling small when he had seen how much she had grown in their absence, but he was also selfish enough to vie for the chance to make this up to her. He lifted his chin and gave a small smile, reaching to hold the door open for her. "I have no doubt you'll be fine." He stressed the word, he didn't like it. Like much of the English language today it no longer held much meaning. "We didn't know each other that well but I can feel how much you've changed. I'd like the chance to make things up to you," he could see her ready to protest, "and I'm curious as to who you've become." He looked her in the eyes as she moved to leave. "So, humor me a little bit."
Jasper needed a new change of clothes.
He couldn't believe he had told Isabella that he would keep their talk a secret. The Cullens that were in town already knew she was too, but he hadn't told her that. Something had made him want to give her a sense of control over the situation, but he also hadn't wanted to tell her that he had purposefully been avoiding her. Knowing that everyone was already aware of her presence would probably stress her out and might make her resist seeing the family if it didn't seem like her own idea.
He knew he'd eventually have to tell her, especially if they continued to see each other as his intention had been. Something would slip up eventually, probably Emmett, and he didn't want to deal with that fall out. He resolved himself to dealing with that later as he didn't know all of the factors just yet.
Now, he needed a strategy for preventing the rest of the family from finding out he had spoken to her today. He knew he smelled like Isabella Swan. If they hadn't been so close, in an enclosed room together, if he hadn't held her hand, he wouldn't have worried but he had and the scent that lingered on him would remove any chance of keeping this a secret.
Jasper mulled over his options, taking a human pace towards Rosalie's borrowed BMW.
He could walk in and tell his family what happened, let Isabella think that the family didn't know until she was ready to see them. Then he'd have to deal with Emmett trying to jump at every opportunity to see her for possibly months on end. He would also lose any trust Isabella may have in him. This wasn't an option. He'd already decided that he was going to help her continue to progress.
He could ditch his clothes and run buck naked into the house.
Except he couldn't, because if Rosalie and Emmett happened to be home, they'd give him shit and know something was up.
He could purchase new clothes.
He knew this would also be suspicious. Whether straight from a factory or hung on clothing racks in a store for months, new clothes smelled like the people and machines they had been around and, without Alice, Rosalie and Emmett knew the likelihood of him going shopping was slim to none.
If he couldn't get rid of the scent entirely without drawing attention, perhaps he could cover it up.
He had touched her, so he would need to physically mask her scent with something stronger. Maybe a gory hunt would do the trick? The blood should be strong enough to cover her scent and he would still be wearing the clothes he left in that morning. It wasn't even unusual for him to go on a quick hunt during the week. Finding an animal big enough to make the hunt gory though, that he might have to work for.
Knowing his mission, he climbed into Rosalie's tiny convertible and headed towards the Cullen's current residence. He'd have to ditch the car quick but that was better than having to ride it back bloody. He'd probably lose both of his arms to Rosalie if he so much as scuffed up her gear shift.
Finding a bear hadn't been as difficult as he'd expected. He severely missed the mountain lions of the West. The blood of a predator was significantly better than that of an herbivore and much more likely to make a mess. The Northeastern subspecies had become extinct before Rosalie was born though, so he knew he was out of luck.
Jasper smirked while he ran, feeling air brush through shredded parts of his button up. He may have done too good of a job making a mess of his clothes.
He could sense the house was full of its current inhabitants before he even got close enough to smell them. Worry, fury, and amusement were abundant as he neared.
Instead of passing through like he had planned to, he slowed and calmly made his way into the living room where Rose was seething and Emmett was staring at his wife with just barely hidden amusement. He sensed Esme and Carlisle's worry from another floor of the house.
Once Emmett saw Jasper however, he couldn't contain himself. Laughing, Emmett asked, "Have some fun, Jaz?"
Jasper smirked but didn't answer. Instead he searched for answers, "What's going on?" His gaze lingered on Emmett. The vampire always seemed to be in a good mood and the family was better off because of it. He was sure Emmett knew when to be serious but it didn't seem like today was that day so he shifted his gaze to Rosalie.
Now standing, the blonde he had the… fortune of calling his twin crossed her arms.
Under her gaze and fury, Jasper began to think they knew he'd talked to Isabella. When she spoke however, it was clear that her anger wasn't targeted at him. "Edward called."
Jasper was shocked. Edward hadn't been in touch with them since he left. Of course now, knowing what he did, Jasper preferred it that way but the rest of the family didn't know what he did and Jasper couldn't tell them. He kept his face cool and reserved, only arching a brow, hoping Rosalie would elaborate.
"He didn't call to say he was coming home in case you were wondering." She pursed her lips. Her words seethed with anger, "He didn't even ask how anyone was doing. He didn't care enough to talk to Carlisle or Esme." Emmett grabbed her waist from his spot on the couch but she didn't relax back into him. She stayed frozen on the spot. "No. He was looking for Alice because she hasn't called him since June. Apparently he has been in frequent contact with her. When I told him we hadn't heard from her either he told me to get in touch with her and send her his way. That grifter."
Emmett tried to intervene, using a soothing voice, "Rosie," but she didn't let him get too far.
Rosalie snapped her head towards him, "No Emmett! He's demanding things from us without giving anything in return. He has no right, not after messing things up for us and then leaving. They both said they wouldn't be gone forever but they aren't acting like they are going to come back anytime soon either. You've seen how everyone's been acting." Rosalie's head turned back towards Jasper. "You've certainly felt how this is affecting everyone. When was the last time you heard from her?"
Rosalie didn't know the half of it. If she was mad at Edward for this, she'd be livid at the way he'd left Isabella Swan. The bitterness from the topic change made the blood in his stomach roll. "You know I haven't heard from her since June. I asked her to update someone else." She'd called him every month like clockwork since January, only giving him 3 months to heal. By June, he'd grown enough of his balls back to tell her he wasn't playing messenger anymore. He also knew that she hadn't bothered to update anyone after that.
Rosalie finally relaxed back into Emmett. "Jasper I-" She cut herself off and shook her head. "She never once mentioned being in contact with Edward?" When Jasper shook his head in reply she continued. "Well I'm not going to call her and I'm not going to ask you to call so I guess we'll see if she reaches out."
Jasper nodded in agreement before finally making his way up the stairs. Just past Carlisle's office, where he knew Carlisle and Esme both were, he felt his phone buzz once in his pocket.
He waited to read it until he reached his own room. There wasn't much privacy in the existence of a vampire but at least the closed door signaled to the rest of them that he wasn't up for talking at the moment.
Flicking open the phone, he saw he had a text message from an unknown number. A strange thrill shot through him. He opened it, knowing it had to be Isabella.
Thank you.
He stared in confusion at his phone. It had to be Isabella. There was no one else it could be and it would be too much of a coincidence for it to be a wrong number. Why was she thanking him? He had felt her gratitude earlier but what brought this on now?
She had dragged him to the room to talk. She had been the one to engage him. All he had done was accepted that the conversation was then inevitable.
Curious, he responded.
Bella didn't know what compelled her to push send while waiting for her bus after work, or to leave her message at just that.
Thank you.
Part of her wanted to check and see if the number was even real or if the message would come back "did not send." The other part of her knew she sent it because she really was that grateful.
After Edward had left she had done a lot of dumb things and made a lot of, what she knew now, were stupid decisions in order to just hear his voice, like a junkie. The nightmares had been realistic enough that she almost believed that they were real. The one thing that kept her from believing was that pit in her chest that told her he was gone. That she hadn't been good enough. So when Jasper gave her his number, she finally had something physical to prove to herself that that afternoon had happened. Maybe she was thanking him for that. For the proof that she wasn't crazy.
But boy did she feel crazy. She still couldn't believe she had grabbed Jasper, of all vampires, by the arm and tried to drag him anywhere. He was the most stoic of the Cullen bunch but she knew he'd lead a troubled past and had difficulty being around humans. She didn't think he would have hurt her but he could have so easily resisted. He could have told her to get lost. He could have just left. But he didn't. He hadn't left like Edward. He may have said some things that made her panic for a moment thinking he was going to leave but he hadn't. In fact, he told her he'd like to see her again. This day had been so weird.
While she had her phone out, she also made a point to check in with Jake. While she hadn't been privy to pack business with being a pale-face, that hadn't stopped Jake from being her best friend. He'd been her whole support system back in Washington and she missed him.
Hey dork, just checking in. Have Paul and Leah ripped each other's faces off yet?
While she wasn't privy to official business, Bella had been around enough and Jake had gone on enough rants to know tons of personal business about the pack. They were like a dysfunctional family in a really weird way.
Last she'd heard, Paul had come close to biting Leah's nose off. He wasn't adjusting well to having a female in the pack. It had been a rough couple of months when Bella had been around to witness it. Leah had changed in a panic while her father had a heart attack. Her brother Seth freaked out and changed right along with her. Bella could understand where Paul was coming from even though his hot-headedness made him act out in ways she didn't agree with. Leah wasn't easy to get along with, Bella had been on the brunt of a few verbal attacks herself.
She was about to send a follow up text asking if Charlie had been hanging around a lot but was interrupted by an incoming text.
You're welcome?
She let a sigh fall from her lips. The number was real and Jasper could see her texts. She was filled with equal amounts of anticipation and dread. She didn't want to tell Jasper why she had thanked him even though that question mark denoted that he was curious. She gnawed on her lip in contemplation. No, she thought, she would just let him think about it. Though, she was sure he'd ask next time they talked.
On that note, Bella switched back to texting Jake. She'd figure out a time and a place to talk to Jasper tomorrow. Today had been exhausting and Bella knew that most anything happening from here on out would need her attention and energy. So, she told herself, she just needed the night to recharge.