Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight...but my mom thinks my stories are cool...lol
CHAPTER 3
JPOV
Bella Swan was, without a doubt, the most beautiful, intelligent, caring young woman I had ever, or will ever, have the pleasure of meeting.
I could not help the bubble of excitement that rushed through me as I arrived home from my walk with Bella. Just the memory of her beautiful, smiling face made a silly grin come to my own. There was just something about her that made me want more. Feelings that I couldn't put words to rushed through me as I sat through dinner, barely eating as I kept going back to our conversation.
My father occasionally asked me a question or two, but as soon as I responded my mind went back to Bella.
That night after dinner, as I lay in my bed, I wondered if you could fall in love with someone that you had met only a day ago. It seemed impossible, but there appeared to be no other explanation for the surge of emtions she caused within me. I wanted to be with Bella every waking moment, to make her laugh, see her smile, look into her beautiful eyes.
I was irrevocably in love with her.
The next day, I awoke with a new resolution.
I would make Isabella Swan fall in love with me.
I did not know if she felt the same way I did, though from the looks she gave me, I would suspect she felt something. But if she did not then I would do everything within my power to change her mind, though the occasional doubt seeped into my new resolution.
I dressed and made my way to breakfast with my parents. They were already seated around the mahogany table, my mother eating demurely from a bowl of porridge while my father read the papers, which were exploding with news of the Civil War.
My mother was the first to hear me enter the room. Her head flew up as a smile slowly crept up to her mouth. "Good morning, sweetie. How was your walk with that young lady yesterday. You have talked about her non stop, and I am becoming quite anxious to meet her." She said, clearly becoming very excited.
"Good morning to you too Mother. Father. Yes, my walk with Bella was very pleasant. We talked quite a bit and learned much about one another. I would also like to invite her to dinner here this evening or the next, if that is alright with you Mother." I said, feeling excited myself as I reminisced the events from yesterday.
My father had not uttered a single word through out our exchange as my mother practically burst with happiness. She began to blather about dinner and what china should she use, the food and various other things. I paid no heed to this, knowing that she was simply happy that I was interested in someone. My mother had been worried that I was too quiet, too shy and that I would not marry anytime soon. This clearly put her at ease.
My father grunted behind his newspaper as he set it down. He took a heart bite of bacon and a large swig from his coffee. Something was clearly disturbing him.
"Is something wrong Father? You seem quite upset." I said, my brow creasing.
"It is the same thing plauging many others in our new nation. It is the war, son. It seems we are losing more ground than we are gaining. Our armies are dwindling down to nothing, and those Yankees are gaining upon us." He said hurriedly.
I knew of this already, hearing it from the men at the Spring Ball.
"But things are not that bad, Father. Some say that General Lee should begin drafting men to increase his armies." I said, recalling the conversation I had overheard. My father shook his head.
"No, no my boy. It is far worse than any of us had expected. The deaths for the Coinfederate states has far exceeded that for the Union. Things are not looking very promising at the moment." He said darkly.
I wanted to help the Confederacy in this. I felt it was my duty to my family and to everyone else to enlist and try to aid in this bloody war. I would be helping so many if I only enlisted. Maybe joining would actually do some good...
"But do not enlist Jasper. You need to take over the family business when I retire...and I am afraid that the time is comming sooner than I had expected for that." He grunted, looking at me with a fierceness in his eyes that made ne nod my head.
He must have taken my nod as a sign of reassurance, for he sighed and leaned back against his chair. "I heard you wanted to invite a lady over for dinner. Your mother must be running around like a headless chicken trying to make the preparations." He said, smiling slightly at the mental image of my mother berating the cooks for not cooking the meal she had wanted and such.
"I hope she is a good girl, Jasper. A lady worth your time." With that last comment he finished his coffee and made his way to his study before heading out to work. My mother was still a giddy bubble of excitement as I finished my breakfast and made my way to my room where I had time to think about nothing but Bella.
The invitation had been sent out to Bella and they had accepted. Now the entire family stood at the enterance hallway, ready to greet our guests as soon as they knocked on our door.
I had fidgited with my mother over what suit to wear, as she kept ranting about how I should look nice for our visitors and make her look like a good mother. Throughout the whole day she had done nothing but worry over every little thing and I was no exception in the detailing of her perfect dinner.
Then, a knock.
Bella was here.
My mother actually squealed as a maid rushed to open the door. Bella, her mother and what I assumed to be her Aunt Josephine stepped into the hallway as they were about to be assaulted by my hyperactive mother.
"Oh, what a delightful trio of women you are, yes! I am unimaginably happy that you accepted our dinner invitation. Please, our meal shall be served in a few minutes, so if you would kindly follow me to the drawing room, we can chat a bit." And so she talked on and on, my father occasionally joining in their banter. Everyone seemed to get along just fine. I remained unmoving, simply observing the scene before me.
Bella stayed behind, waiting for me. She looked exquisite in a dark blue silk gown, her hair pulled up, revealing the smooth and graceful curves of her neck.
"I am truly glad to see you again Jasper, and very delighted that you invited us over for dinner." She said. I smiled at her and felt my heart skip a beat as she returned the gesture.
"I return the pleasure, Bella. I honestly can't say that I wasn't looking forward to this dinner. Even with my mother's frantic planning and worrying." I smiled as I said the last part. Bella blushed, as I knew she would, and began to walk towards the general direction of the adults' voices. I followed her, simply basking in the splendor of her prescence.
Dinner went underway without much diffculties. Other than the three occasions that Bella tripped, things went smoothly and soon everyone was enjoying the roast duck and other delicacies that the cooks made for this special occasion, as my mother put it.
As is it was, stared at Bella the entire duration of the meal, unable to peel my eyes from her angelic presensce. The sway od her hair, the upward curve of her lips when she smiled...it never crossed my mind not look at the angel laughing along with company.
"...and then Bella decided that she was not taking no for an answer! She wanted that book badly, and when she tried to storm off the room she tripped on the rug and fell flat on her face. It did not help matters that the dog's bowl was presicely where her face made contact." Her mother gushed as we ate a delicious chocolate souflee for dessert. Everyone in the room burst forth with laughter, the wine obviously working its magic. I chuckeld under my breath, scooping more of the delicious treat into my mouth. Bella was under fire with her mother recalling various stories of her childhood, though she took it in all quite good naturedly. Except now she was tinted a most curious shade of red from the embarasment.
Feeling compassionate of her situation, I was about to offer her a tour of the house when she took a bite of her treat. She savored the chocolate flavor, closing her eyes slowly as the sweet ecstasy of the melting chocolate coursed through her. She slowly slipped the spoon out of her mouth, only to lick the remaining traces off of it.
Swallowing hard, I forced myself to look away, composing myself before daring to speak a single word.
"Is something the matter Jasper? Are you feeling alright?" She asked. She must have noticed the pained expression on my face, but mistaken it for something entirely different.
"No...I-I'm alright, thank you. But I would like it if you would acompany me on a special tour of the house, to clear my mind a little from my spell, that is. I have no other intentions, and I really wanted you to see the house but I would completely understand it if you didn't.." I rambled on, accutely aware that I was talking on incesantly because of my growing nerves. Bella smiled warmly, loosening some of my anxieties.
"There, there, I will acompany you on your grand tour. If not, who will inform your parents you decided to faint on me?" She said, humor evident in her voice.
"I just pray you do not end up with broken bones in the attempt to tell the others that I have taken to fainting. There is no need for two invalids." I said as we excused ourselves from the cheery atmosphere of the dining room.
I showed Bella around the main floor, letting her look around and ask the occasional question or hearing her thoughts on certain aspects. We went upstairs to the second floor, where all the bedrooms were. I let her peek in on the master bedroom and led her through a few others that we had no use for. Finally, I stopped in front of my own.
"I cannot assert that it is tidy enough for a lady to view it, but I have it on good authority that I am not dirty enough to keep it in shambles." I proclaimed, earning a laugh from beautiful Bella.
I opened the door slowly for added effect, making her giggle as I made shushing motions. Then, we stepped inside.
I knew my room by heart; I spent most of my time in here, after all. The bed was in the middle of my spacious room, flanked by a small wooden nightstand where several books were stacked teetering over the edge. A large window was in the east wall, giving us a clear view of the enormous backyard. A desk covered with papers was pushed against a wall, and a black armchair awaited me near a corner.
I gave Bella a few minutes to observe my habitat as I though of anything that would be misplaced that would cause me any embarassment. Ever since an incident that occured a few years back, I always kept my things most private things in a trunk at the foot of my bed. But one could never be too careful.
Satisfied that there was nothing, I turned to Bella and asked, "Well, what do you think?"
Wanting nothing more than her opinion, I paitently waited for her to answer. "Well, I think it's fantastic. It so like you, Jasper. It seems comfortable and homely. And organized. Much more than what I can say for my own bedchamber..." She trailed off as I beamed at her in pride that she had indeed liked my room.
"I cannot express in words how happy I am that a lady such as yourself has deemed my room worth of her." I said, expressing my emotions that the very moment.
She looked at me long and hard, assessing me under her scrutinizing gaze, all traces of humor gone. I could not help but do the same and stare back, though I was aware it was a rude. Wihout warning, she broke out into a smile, clearly satisfied with whatever she had read in my eyes.
"I am glad that I met you, Jasper. I haven't a knack for making friends, and being here in a new city knowing no one makes you lonely. But now I have you, and things have been looking much better." She whispered, blushing furiously as she did, wringing her hands again as she did in the ball.
I knew that it was hard for her to open up so much to anyone, and I appreciated her for the trust that she put in me to confide her feelings in such a manner.
I simply nodded in acknowledgement, knowing that no words were truly needed. I led her out of my room, glancing at her now passive face. But just as she was stepping foot on the hallway her foot caught and she began to plummet downwards.
I lunged for her without a second thought, wrapping my arms securely around her waist and steadying myself to keep us both from meeting the floor.
Breathing a sigh of relief, I was about to let her go when I looked at her gorgeous face. She had a blush in her cheeks, but was eyeing me with a burning intesity. I felt the nervousness and excitement rolling like waves off her, making my own heartbeat quiken its pace. I looked at he plump lips, admiring the velvety softeness that they appeared to have, imagining how they would feel against my own...
And before I could think more of her mouth, I pulled her closer to me, inching my face nearer, breathing in her sweet scent and wanting nothing more than to press her mouth against my own, even if I had barely known this girl for a few days.
She closed her eyes, and I felt myself do the same. We were centimeters apart, about to kiss, when I heard my mother call out.
"Jasper! Bella is leaving soon. Please come down!"
I jumped a bit from the surprise, nearly tumbling us down, but managing to regain my balance just in time. Breathless and laughing a bit, I took her hand and started to lead her downstairs. She didn't make any move to pull her hand from my grasp, a weak smile in her face, eyes still a bit cloudy with bewilderment.
"Breathe Bella. You're leaving, and it has been a very lovely evening. I have never had many people come over, but you I had to invite. Maybe we could do something tomorrow?" I inquired, fully aware of the fact that I was pushing things a bit by asking for another chance to be near her. Anything to be close to her.
"I'm fine, don't worry Jasper. Just a bit out of breath. And I would most certainly love to spend some more quality time with you. Afterall, you are my friend." She said as we came into view of the others.
Her mother looked quite cheery, and even her Aunt was looking more lively. My father had retired to his study and my mother chatted amicably with Mrs. Swan.
"Oh, there you are! I did not think that I would see you two again! Come now Bella, it is time for us to go!" Her mother called out to her. She nodded to her, squeezing my hand as she let it go. I felt empty as her hand left my own.
"Don't look so sad. We'll see each other again. Promise." She said as they lead her out the door. She turned around and began to walk out after her mother, but not before stopping abruptly and planting a small kiss on my cheek. She ran out as my mother closed the door, lifting her brow.
I ignored her gesture and trudged upstairs, thinking of Bella. She had said that we were friends, but now I was positive in entirety that I wanted to be more. Where before I was reserved, I knew now full well what it was that I wanted, what I felt. I wanted more than the pleasantries of two acquintances, of two who enjoy each other's company.
I wanted her as my own, as my lover, my wife, my soulmate.
We could never simply be friends.