I was the one responsible for the preparation of the bar that Tuesday, so I was alone in the club at the end of that afternoon, checking bottles and materials.

To be really honest I was distracted while organizing, counting, cleaning, and drying... I was thinking about Jasper and the fact that he'd been coming up with the most absurd excuses just to convince me to remain sleeping at his house since we made up...

Not that I was complaining.

We'd been in a very romantic atmosphere, getting to know each other little by little, letting things flow, not forcing anything. At his house, we acted as if we were inside a bubble, everything was about only him and me, and it was truly amazing.

Spending as much time as we could together had been so fulfilling... Jasper could be really sweet and caring when he tried, and I could be my regular no-filter self around him without any fear. I was feeling more confident about what we had... I was also feeling a little bit safer regarding our developing relationship, even though I suspected that Jasper was still hooking up with random men every other day.

Well, what I pretended not to know could not hurt me… Or at least that was what I was telling myself constantly.

I shook my head to push away the vivid image of the last time I saw him fucking someone else… Deliberately, forcefully, I replaced the memory with one of our recent moments…

Standing before me, between my open legs, Jasper opened his striking amber eyes, bent his neck, and looked at me.

He had just cum in my mouth and I could still feel his taste all over my lips and tongue…

"You'll be the death of me, Freckles…" His voice was extremely husky because of how loud he had groaned and moaned throughout his climax. "Whatever you do to me is always so…" He heaved a sigh while shaking his head slightly. "Everything you make me feel is just always so fucking intense."

I smiled crookedly. He smiled lazily. I circled his waist and brought him closer. Jasper straddled my legs and held my face in his big hands while I questioned inwardly how I could support a truly tall and strong God-like man like him on my lap.

He was heavy, but I loved the feel of his weight on me.

I was about to get distracted by the flow of his shiny hair strands, that were framing his beautiful face, when he tilted my head up a little. Our gazes locked. His eyes were glinting so much it was entrancing…

"Stay with me." He said softly, with a sudden serious countenance. "Don't go."

Although I had my car parked in his garage and thus could go home if I wanted to, I knew he knew I was spending the night… Again. But hearing his voice and seeing his face, his eyes, perceiving the way he was staring at me, the longing and expectation in his gaze, I just knew in my guts that he wasn't talking about my returning to my apartment.

My heart swelled and my chest was immediately warm. I looked into his eyes as intensely as I could, trying to convey the emotion that was taking over me.

"I have no intention of leaving." I assured in a whisper.

In a gush he released the air I had not noticed he'd been holding, then he nodded slightly and leaned in to kiss me.

I felt the spontaneous smile gracing my lips slowly, gently. I was really in love with him… And although he had not said anything yet, I felt it in my heart… He was in love with me too.

I was so so engrossed in all the latent feelings in me that I didn't really notice when she got in.

So when I felt a presence behind me I obviously turned hastily.

Once I saw her I jumped back, startled.

The stunning woman before me was exceptionally familiar, although I was sure I had never seen her in my life. She smiled at me, undoubtedly amused by my reaction, and the familiarity got oddly enhanced.

"You're Edward, right?" She asked in a smooth voice that was also familiar.

What the hell?

I frowned involuntarily, taking in her features...

Lean and tall... A little taller than the average for a woman... Wavy light brown hair flowing over her shoulders, plump rosy lips, sculpted face, amber eyes and... The most adorable dimples!

Fuck, she's the female version of Jasper!

"It's easy to tell I'm his sister, isn't it?" She cut off my thought with the question and a broader smile.

Only then I realized I had been holding my breath... I released it in a chuckle.

"Are you two twins?" I asked in a mocking tone.

To my sheer surprise, she nodded.

I felt my eyes widening.

"I'm Rosalie." She said while extending a hand to me. I took it gently. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm..."

"Edward." She completed. "I know."

"How?" I frowned.

She sat on a stool and placed her bag on the counter, all the while looking intently at me.

"Adorably gorgeous with shiny smooth copper hair, the bluest eyes, and the sexiest smile..." She enumerated with a dreamy voice and I furrowed my eyebrows even more. "That's how my brother described you." She clarified. "At first I thought he was exaggerating but… He wasn't. It would be hard to miss you even in a crowd."

I felt one of my crooked smiles rapidly and involuntarily gracing my lips because of my unabashed satisfaction.

That's how he sees me...?

"But please don't tell him I told you all this. He'd kill me." She hastened to say.

I shook my head.

"He's not around. He had some business to deal with." I informed her.

"Oh, I know." She told me with an amused tone. "That's why I took the opportunity to come and meet the guy that's been making my grumpy brother sound so cheery lately. By the way, he doesn't know I'm here so…"

I chuckled. She seemed nice and funny.

"So you're here to see me…?" I asked but it sounded like a skeptical affirmation.

Rosalie nodded effusively.

"He didn't let me meet you the other day, but I was so curious I couldn't help myself."

"The other day?"

"Sunday morning at his house. He told me you were there but, besides the fact that you were sleeping, he didn't want to rush things." She shrugged.

Oh, so that's why I thought her voice was also familiar… She was the mysterious person in Jasper's living room that Sunday...

"I never obey him anyway." Rosalie went on. "And, since I'm almost ten minutes older than him, I'm just doing my job of protecting my baby brother."

I chuckled again, amused by her light personality.

"He told me you're an undergrad psychology student at Georgia Tech."

"Yes."

"So interesting…"

"What is?"

She took a bit more than expected to utter an answer.

"Never mind." She dismissed with a flick of her hand.

And then, suddenly, she looked very intimidating.

"Are you serious about my brother?" Her tone was earnest and her eyes were fierce over me.

I chuckled, a bit embarrassed and surprised.

"You're really doing the older-sibling thing?" My voice faltered involuntarily as I uttered the question impulsively.

Rosalie frowned.

"What older-sibling thing?"

Feeling a bit stupid, I got closer to the counter and rested my crossed arms on it.

"The protective thing, the 'what are your intentions' thing." I clarified in a light voice.

Her face softened just a little and she shrugged.

"I guess I am." She said calmly. "It's my responsibility to take care of him."

I couldn't control the laughter.

"Are you serious?" She looked at me with skeptical eyes. "You think he should be protected from me?"

"I don't know, should he?" She defied.

I scoffed, but I didn't say anything else, I just kept staring at her incredulously. I remembered her words to Jasper when she visited him…

"You'll have to change your behavior then."

"How long since you last hooked up with a random blond?"

She knew he fucked around…

"Do you know your brother?"

Silence fell around us, heavy and tense.

All her lightness disappeared in an instant and she sounded and looked truly earnest once she spoke.

"Yes, I know him better than anyone. I'm his twin and his best friend." She stated evenly. "Why do you ask?"

Her eyes told me she was analyzing me, and that made me fidgety.

"Because he's not the one who needs protection." I said cautiously.

She smiled condescendingly.

"On the contrary. He's the one that needs it the most."

That threw me off.

"I'm pretty sure you know about his promiscuous behavior." I affirmed in slight defiance.

She sighed but didn't seem affected.

"He may seem like a self-important manwhore to you," she replied calmly. "but that's a farce." She flickered her beautiful hair away from her face and again directed a condescending smile at me. "My brother is a very kind man, and under that mask of confidence and strength, there's a vulnerable heart that he tries at all cost to shield from everything and everyone. Besides, the hooking-up thing is not something he can control. Yet."

Her speech obviously silenced me because somehow I knew, deep down inside me, that all she said was true.

"So let me ask you again." She got closer and stared fiercely into my eyes. "Are you serious about my brother?"

I only nodded, not knowing how to reply to everything she had just affirmed.

"How serious?" She pushed a little bit more.

I just felt I needed to be honest with her.

"I'm with him despite the fact that he fucks a different guy every now and then." I said simply. "I'm in love with him." And the affirmation made me sigh. "That's how serious I am."

Rosalie remained serious, her eyes still scrutinizing mine… But I could see the smile threatening to grace her lips.

"It will be required a lot of resilience and persistence, you know… To be with him." She stated, and I felt as if she was defying me.

"That I know." I agreed calmly.

"It won't be an easy ride." She was definitely testing me.

"It hasn't been." I corrected her while tilting my chin up a little.

We shared a defiant look for a moment. Then she smiled.

"I can see what he sees in you now." Her voice was amused. "I like you, Edward."

Oddly, I smiled too, feeling weirdly satisfied with her approval.

"I like you too, Rosalie."

We both relaxed our postures and smiled more honestly.

"Remember to pretend you don't know me when he introduces us."

I nodded.

"Can I ask you something?" My tone was lower and careful.

She nodded effusively.

"Is he serious about me?"

She took more than a minute to answer me, and a second before she did a very discrete smile matched with her knowingly stare.

"I wouldn't have taken the trouble to come here and get to know you behind my brother's back if I didn't think so." She clarified simply. "But I think you should ask him."

"I already did."

"And what was his answer?"

"Yes."

Her smile was more pronounced then.

"Here's something you should know about my brother… He might omit one thing or another, but he never lies."

With that, she stood up from the stool and extended her hand to me.

"It was truly a pleasure to meet you, Edward." She said while we shook hands.

"Back at you." I replied.

As she left graciously, I started to wonder about everything she said… And that made me even more curious about Jasper's past.

#(Dis)Sonant*Chapter11#

"...And I have to finish the report until next Wednesday." I explained to Ryan why I was so anxious about my cognitive psychology classes as we got in the restaurant. "The professor is fucking crazy."

Ryan had picked me up for lunch that day so we could spend some time together. We were still having our own hanging-out moments although it had been a little less frequent. Jasper was okay with it and he didn't seem jealous or insecure about my friendship with Ry anymore.

"Do you prefer to sit at the back?" He asked me while looking around for a table.

I shrugged and a short girl materialized herself in front of us.

"Good afternoon! Where would you like to sit?"

I looked at Ryan and chuckled as I noticed he too was startled.

"At the back is fine. Table for two." I said as Ryan turned serious all of a sudden, looking intently to somewhere behind me.

As I started to turn to where he was staring, I felt Ryan's hand gripping my forearm and looked questioningly at him.

"Actually, I really feel like eating Japanese food today, what do you think?" He asked out of the blue with a forced smile.

I squinted involuntarily.

"I think you're acting weird." I said in a low voice. "What's the matter?"

"If you change your mind…" The waitress said hesitantly.

"Let's go." Ryan said while pulling me with him out of the restaurant.

For sure I knew something was wrong, so as I let him drag me back along the way we had just come through, I looked toward the direction he had been staring.

My feet halted my motions with a mind of their own as I saw what had disturbed my friend.

Jasper was at a table in the corner with a blond guy.

It wouldn't have bothered me so much if the guy wasn't clearly older than him… And if he wasn't hugging him in an obviously affectionate way.

"Let's just get outta here." Ryan said while nudging my arm that he was holding.

I let him drag me with him but my eyes were on Jasper. I guess that was the reason why he opened his eyes and freed himself from the blond's embrace before Ryan finally pulled me out of the restaurant.

I just kept following Ryan to his car numbly, unsure of what I should feel and think.

"You're okay?" I heard Ry's voice as we got to the vehicle.

I was only able to nod.

"Get in the car, we'll eat Japanese today." He tried to cheer me up with his toothy grin.

But I didn't really have time to react. Before I could reach the car door handle I heard him…

"Edward!" Jasper called me from somewhere behind us.

I looked at Ryan for support. His face was all tense.

I closed my eyes for a second, just to take a deep breath and pull myself together. Then I sighed and turned.

Jasper was already in front of me, his countenance taut.

"It's not what you're thinking." He affirmed hurriedly.

"I'm not thinking anything." I said in a broken voice.

Suddenly there was a pale hand on Jasper's shoulder, and the blond guy, that was incredibly taller than him, was beside him and before me.

My heart felt really small and I couldn't breathe properly.

"Is this him?" He asked in a deep and pleasant voice, looking at me with obvious curiosity.

My eyes flickered from Jasper to him and back as my anguish grew.

Oddly, Jasper smiled softly and nodded while his eyes bored into mine.

"Hello, Edward." The guy spoke in a kind voice and I looked at him. "I'm Monroe. It's nice to finally meet you."

I smiled forcefully for a second and then looked at Jasper questioningly.

"He's my brother-in-law." Jasper clarified calmy. "He's my sister's husband and he's like an older brother to me."

Relief took me unexpectedly. I rejoiced it discreetly, trying to keep my cool. And then I felt Ryan right beside me.

He and Jasper exchanged a meaningful look before they both looked at Monroe.

"This is Ryan." Jasper introduced him.

"The Ryan?" Monroe asked with a neutral face, but I heard the inflection in his tone and it made me confused.

Jasper nodded once and Ryan glanced at him before extending his hand to Monroe. They shook hands briefly.

"It's nice to meet you." Ry said.

"It's good to meet you too, I've heard a bit about you."

That made me curious, but I didn't have time to dwell on it. Jasper held my shoulder and squeezed it softly.

"You two are having lunch together?" He asked in a steady tone, but his eyes were intense in mine.

Ryan was the one to answer.

"We are." His voice sounded placid. He turned to me and I looked at him. "And we need to hurry, you have to be back at school by three."

I nodded and smiled. When I looked at Jasper, his countenance was taut again, and his gaze seemed darker.

"I see you at night?" I asked in a low voice, only for him to hear it.

He smiled slightly and nodded, but didn't say anything else.

"It was nice to meet you, Monroe." I said while directing a smile at him.

We said our goodbyes and got in Ryan's car.

As soon as he pulled away from the curb I looked at his face.

"What was that about?" I asked calmly.

"What?" He gave back in a soft tone without averting his focus from the road ahead.

"The Ryan…?" I reminded him.

He shrugged.

"I have no idea. You'll have to ask your boyfriend about it." He replied in a light tone.

I turned my face forward and crossed my arms over my chest.

"He's not my boyfriend." I stated in a slightly grumpy way.

I heard Ryan chuckle softly, and I knew he disagreed.

Well, He wasn't. Even though I wanted him to be.

#(Dis)Sonant*Chapter11#

His grunts were getting deeper and were coming out faster… I knew he was close so I started riding him a bit harder.

Jasper held my waist firmly with both hands and, still with his forehead leaned on my chest, made me slow down the motions of my hips.

I placed my thumbs under his chin and put a little more pressure on his nape with the tips of my fingers to tilt his face up to me.

His eyes were blazing… But not only with passion and want, there was something more… Something that promptly provoked a different sentiment to rise within me, something that made my heart beat faster than usual, that made my throat sore and my eyes sting.

There was tenderness in his gaze, and it was intense and captivating… I simply couldn't look away.

Jasper swallowed visibly and sighed, his arms encircling me and pulling me closer to his body…

My heart felt so warm… It seemed bigger all of a sudden, swollen with emotion.

Obeying it, I leaned down my face to get closer to his.

We kissed so softly… Our eyes open and linked, our gazes locked.

It dawned on me just then that we were both moving slower than ever before, although my heartbeats were strong and rapid as if I had been running...

I let my hands slowly run through his hair and then I held his head in place. We shared an intense stare and kissed again.

I'm so in love with you...

Gently Jasper turned us and placed me on my back on the mattress… He started to thrust into me with a steady but unrushed pace.

He was looking at me differently… As if he was seeing something… Important, meaningful. And then I felt one of his hands on my face, his thumb caressing my left cheek.

Are we making love…?

Are you making love to me?

It seemed like it… It felt like it.

Do you feel for me the same way I feel for you?

He leaned in slowly, his eyes never leaving mine, and kissed me once more.

The kiss was so charged with sentiment… I could almost taste it.

He broke the kiss softly and joined our foreheads.

"Stay with me." He murmured in such a low voice, I almost missed it.

I waited until he opened his eyes and looked at me.

"I'm with you." I reassured him, hoping he could see the feeling that moved me in my irises. "I'm not leaving."

Jasper licked his lips nervously and sighed. We stopped moving.

"Edward…" He uttered with intensity, although his voice was whispered.

We stared at each other and I felt as if energy, potent electricity was pulling us together.

My fingers were silencing him before I knew what I was doing...

I knew I was in love with him, but I had no idea how truly deep it was until those fucking words just came out of me without my conscious consent…

"I love you, Jasper." I said intensely, my heart pouring out in my words.

Jasper's eyes welled up... And then he kissed me once again.

We resumed our motions, slowly and tenderly… And there was no more doubt inside me…

We were making love, he was making love to me.

#(Dis)Sonant*Chapter11#

I was lying on his bed, watching him drying himself after our shower. We were looking at each other in silence, the emotions still very much latent and present in the atmosphere…

I still couldn't believe I had said "I love you" to him, but… Oddly, I wasn't feeling regret. And I wasn't weirded out because he hadn't said it back either. I felt somehow satisfied that he had reacted in a way that showed it meant something to him, and for the time being it was enough for me.

He smiled at me while walking to the bed. I smiled back.

His cellphone rang.

We both frowned. It was almost five in the morning and nobody ever called him so early.

As I sat up on the mattress, Jasper approached his bedside-table where his phone was.

Once his eyes fell on the screen he became livid, and I noticed his breath getting abruptly labored.

"You okay?" I asked as I stood up and went to him.

I glanced at the cellphone and read "Maxence" on it while placing my hands on his face.

Jasper looked at me and he seemed afraid.

"Jasper?"

"I need to tell you about my past." He uttered in a slightly desperate voice.

I nodded, feeling a bit scared myself.