A/N: I do not own Twilight, its characters or any of the other copyrighted material mentioned.
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I guess there's no turning back now.
I picked up my cell phone and searched my phone book for Alice's number. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the call button and waited…
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"Hello," said the disembodied voice in my phone.
"Um, hi, Alice. It's Jasper."
"Hey, Jasper! How are you doing?"
"Fine. Um, would you possibly want to…uh…I don't know…"
"Are you asking me out, sweetie?"
"Yes," I said a little too eagerly.
"Sure! When would you like to go?"
"Um…hold on a second."
I covered the receiver and looked at Edward, who was practically turning beet red from laughter. I guess he heard my not-so-smooth attempt at asking Alice out on a date.
"Where are we going," I asked.
"There's this cool place to bowl called 300. Since it's a double date, it seems like a good choice for group setting."
"Okay. Oh, when are we going?"
Edward laughed and shook his head.
"Come on, fucker! Alice is waiting!"
"Alright! How about Friday night?"
"I'll ask."
I returned the phone to my ear.
"Alice? Are you still there?"
"Yep! I'm here!"
"There's this cool place to bowl that Edward suggested called 300. He and Angela will be joining us...like a double date. I hope you don't mind."
"No, that sounds like fun, but I've never been there before."
"I understand if you don't want to go."
"Jasper, of course I want to go. It's just that I've never been. It'll be cool adventure."
"Okay, I'll text you with the rest of the details."
"Wait, when are we going?"
"Friday night."
"Sounds good! Thanks for inviting me."
"Um, you're welcome. Talk to you later."
"Okay! Bye!"
I hung up the phone and dreaded looking at Edward. There he was, leaning over the counter with his head resting on his forearms. His shoulders were shaking like crazy and I wanted to kick his legs right out from under him.
"What the fuck is so funny, Edward?"
He looked up at me with tears running down his cheeks from laughing so hard. Never in my life had I wanted to punch someone so badly. My hands balled into fists and I spoke through clenched teeth.
"It's not that funny."
"Oh, yes it is! How is it that you can be such a cocky bastard any other time of the day, but get Alice on the phone and you turn into a bumbling dork who's asking a girl out for the first time? It just doesn't make sense."
"Keep laughing, Edward, and you'll see what kind of dork I can be."
He rolled his eyes and snorted.
"So I take it everything is set with Miss Alice?"
"Yes, asshole, she agreed to go out with me."
"Good. Maybe between now and then you'll be able to grow some balls and learn how to act like a man in front of her."
"I've been out with her before, you know."
"Yeah, that's right. So if you were okay then, why do you have such a big stick up your ass now?"
I sighed as my knee started to bob up and down quickly.
"I don't know, man. With other girls I've had no problem talking to them. Alice just seems to fuck with my mind and I get all jumbled up."
"I know what it is, you dumbass."
"Well, please enlighten me, Dr. Masen."
"It's obvious. You really like her."
I scoffed and shook my head.
"I'm serious. Look, with other girls you didn't give a damn. You talked to them a little, got them to give you a little head or a quick fuck and you never saw them again. I'm assuming you haven't done that with Alice, right?"
"We kissed, but that's all."
"I rest my case."
"Wait, I thought you were a doctor, not a lawyer."
"You're the one who called me Dr. Masen, fool, but admit it, I'm right."
"Well, I don't want Alice to be another quick fuck. She's too nice for all that. The other girls were just skanks looking for a good time. They served their purpose and that was that."
"I think she'd be good for you. You're not such a bitchy asshole when she's around."
"Gee, thanks, dickwad."
"Anytime! I'll call Angie again to go over the rest of our plans."
I nodded as Edward disappeared into his room to call Angela. Even though our date wasn't for a couple of days, I was scared shitless!
What if she realizes what an asshole I really am?
What if she sees me for the damaged goods I am?
What if she laughs in my face and tells me to get a life?
What if I'm incapable of having a real relationship? Can I allow someone to get close?
What if I have to beat down Edward in front of Alice and Angela?
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Friday evening arrived and I tried to keep my cool. As usual, Edward was being the prick he always is and teased me relentlessly. We all decided that the girls would meet us at Edward's apartment and we'd all head over to 300 together. When I arrived at Edward's he was still getting ready. I noticed him putting some sort of goopy looking shit in his hair and figured he was trying to tame it since it's usually all over the place. It just seemed to mess it up more.
"Why do you put that stuff in your hair only to make it look the same as it did before you used it?"
"It holds it in place."
"If Angela puts her hands in your hair will they snap off from the crunchiness?"
He turned to me and narrowed his eyes.
"No. It doesn't get crunchy, thank you very much."
"Well, excuse me. I stand corrected."
After what seemed like an eternity, Edward deemed himself presentable. We headed into the kitchen and he handed me a beer while we waited for the girls.
"Here. I think you need this."
"Thanks," I said and took a long pull of the bitter liquid.
"I promise not to make fun of you tonight, just in case you're worried. For the most part, you won't even know I'm there."
"Really," I asked quirking an eyebrow.
"Yeah. I'll have my Angie with me, so I don't need to worry about you and your nerdy behavior."
"I don't act like a nerd."
Edward rolled his eyes and continued.
"Fine, you don't act like a nerd, but you do act very nervous."
"I am!"
"But it's just Alice. You were fine on your last date, weren't you?"
"Yeah, but it wasn't really a date."
"Well, just act like you're two friends getting together to bowl and eat some food. It's that simple. Don't make it into some grand event it isn't."
"I guess you're right."
"Of course! I'm Edward fucking Masen!"
"You're also a tool."
"Be that as it may, I have the most beautiful woman in the world on my arm!"
"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask you about that. How the hell did you get someone like Angela. I mean, I don't know much about her, but she seems like a good girl – someone who should not be hanging out with you!"
"We grew up together in Chicago and our families have been friends forever. I'm a couple of years older, so I never gave her a second glance back at home. When I got a phone call from my dad telling me that she had graduated from college and was moving here to New York, he asked me to show her around and make sure she was settled. I picked her up from JFK and when she walked towards me, it was like all time stopped and I was looking at the woman of my dreams."
"Wow," I said in awe of how Edward described seeing his future girlfriend.
"It was like I was seeing her for the first time. She was still the sweet, kindhearted girl I'd always known, but something about her was different. I was so strongly drawn to her and didn't know what to think of it. I'm mean, her dad's a minister for god's sake."
I nearly spit out my beer all over Edward and the counter with that piece of information.
"Her dad is a minister? You have got to be shittin' me!"
"No, that's how our fathers became such close friends. My dad healed the sick and Angie's dad healed their souls."
For some reason I just could not grasp the fact that Edward fucking Masen was dating the daughter of a minister. It just didn't compute.
"Wait, so have you two had sex yet?"
Edward turned a deep shade of red and looked down at the counter, absently playing with the label on his beer bottle.
"No," he said quietly.
"Is she waiting until marriage or something?"
"No, but she is a virgin."
"That doesn't surprise me. Like I said, she's a good girl."
"We've talked about it a little. I mean, I want to have sex with her more I've ever wanted to fuck someone before, but that's just it. It won't be fucking with her and it scares me a little."
"Scares you?"
"Yeah, I've never been with a virgin before."
"Oh."
"We're just taking things slow and when it happens, it happens."
Even though I would never admit it to him, I kind of respected Edward for how he was handling his relationship with Angela. When I first met him, I never thought I'd be sitting in his apartment talking about love and all that shit, but if he and Angela are happy, that's all that matters.
As we were finishing up our conversation, Edward's doorbell rang. I tensed and he grabbed my arm.
"Just keep calm, man. You'll be fine."
I nodded my head and took a deep breath as he walked to the door and greeted the ladies.
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EPOV
I opened the door and took in the amazing sight of Angie's smiling face. Without thought, I pulled her towards me and kissed the top of her head. She gently wrapped her arms around my waist and squeezed. I was content to stay just like that when I heard someone clear her throat behind my girl.
"Oh, hey Alice! Come in!"
She giggled and said dryly, "Thanks, Edward."
Not letting go of the woman in my arms, I closed the door and turned to see if Jasper was hiding. He wasn't, so Alice walked right up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a hug and quick kiss on the cheek. I had to hold back my laughter at the goofy grin that spread across his face. He's got it bad, even if he refuses to admit it.
"So," I started, "are y'all, as my weird southern friend would say, ready to head out?"
Jasper cut his eyes at me and I smirked back.
"Yeah, let's go," my angel replied.
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Finally arriving at the bowling alley, we made our way to the shoe rental counter. I requested shoes for Angie and myself and watched Jasper and Alice from the corner of my eye. They seemed really comfortable around each other, but I could sense a certain level of discomfort emanating from Jasper. I wish he'd just relax for a damned minute. It's not like the girl will bite. What I did find interesting is the fact that Jasper is actually kind around Alice. When I see him at work or when we just hang out, he can be a fucking prick, but with Alice he does a complete 180.
Jasper walked up the counter and I instantly noticed the shoe girl giving him the look. You know the look I'm talking about it. It's the look that says, "My next break is in 15 minutes. How about you bend me over the table and fuck me senseless?"
"I'll need a size 13," Jasper requested.
"And I'll need a size seven," Alice added.
The shoe girl totally ignored Alice and leaned closer to Jasper.
"Size 13? I just love men with big feet."
I guess that was shoe girl's lame attempt at seduction, but all it did was make Jasper frown. I looked down at Angie and told her that we were in for a little early entertainment.
"You do, huh," Jasper asked, completely uninterested. "Well how about you scurry away and collect our shoes?"
Shoe girl licked her lips and purred, "Sure thing, baby."
Jasper scrunched up his nose as if he smelled something rotten. Before she even had a chance to move, he laid into her.
"Look, I'm not your baby, your honey, your sweetie, or your boo. Get our fucking shoes and stop wasting my time."
A glutton for punishment, the dumb shoe girl said, "Well, I wouldn't mind making you all of those things. What do I have to do?"
Just as Jasper was about to say something, which I'm sure was very scathing and inappropriate in the company of true ladies, Alice spoke up.
"You can step the fuck back, bitch, because he's mine!"
I think my jaw hit the floor as I fist pumped in my head. Jasper looked at Alice as shocked as ever while she smiled sheepishly at him.
Shoe girl rolled her eyes and finally left to gather their shoes. Holding Angie tight, I walked up to Alice and my stunned friend.
"That was the shit, Alice!"
"Yeah, that was awesome," Angie exclaimed.
"Well, she just wouldn't get a clue and I had to do something," Alice said. "Besides, I could see that she was making you uncomfortable, Jasper."
We all looked at Jasper who still seemed to be in shock. He blinked and shook his head, acting like he wanted to say something but couldn't form the words. I looked down at Angie and asked if she and Alice would get comfortable in our lane while I spoke to Jasper. She agreed, placed a deliciously sinful kiss on my lips, linked arms with Alice's and walked away.
Shoe girl returned and I took the shoes from her without acknowledging her presence.
Pushing Jasper to the side, I asked if he was okay.
"Yeah, it's just that no one's really stood up for me like that. I mean, I could have handled myself with that skank, but Alice saw I was uncomfortable and took care of the situation…she took care of me."
He was in such a state of shock that I couldn't help but laugh. I wrapped my arm around his neck and pulled him over to our lane.
"Come on, man. Let's go get our ladies.
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I hope you all enjoyed this long overdue chapter! If you want to see the bowling alley the guys visited, see the link in my profile.