"Swan!" My head snapped up from my laptop as I heard Macy slam the front door. Shit. How could I have let myself forget that my best friend would have a thousand questions about what she saw in the coffee shop the second she got home from work?
"In here, Macy!" I shouted from my bedroom as I shut my laptop and set it on my dresser just in time for her to fly in and jump onto my bed next to me.
"Spill," was all she said as she folded her arms and set her not-so-patient eyes on me.
"Funny story, actually," I started. "I was just catching up with an old friend."
"An old, hot friend!" Macy squealed. I rolled my eyes and laughed as she grabbed at my shoulder to give me a little shake, "There's no way you're not at least a little bit into him!"
"I don't think I could be into him even if I wanted to be Mace," I shrugged, "he's my ex-boyfriend's brother." I finished with a slight wince as her eyes popped with the new information.
"This is so juicy!" she giggled, "Are you going to see him again?"
"There's a possibility…" I braced myself for her reaction that I knew was to come from my next admission, "I gave him my phone number."/span/p
"Shut up!" I almost had to cover my ears as Macy rattled off all of her theories and predictions for what was to come. I just smiled at her and let her have her fun as I began to wonder when or if I would actually hear from Jasper again. Would we just ignore each other and awkwardly avoid contact during class? Would we become friends?
I didn't have to wonder for long when my phone gave off a short buzz. I yanked my phone off of its charger next to my bed and saw that an unknown number had sent me a message. Macy shook her head at me and slid off of my bed. "Keep me updated, Bella," she smirked, "I've been waiting for you to have a love interest for ages."
I rolled my eyes as she walked out of my room. She's going to have to get used to disappointment if she thought this was going in that direction. However, when I opened my texts to find that Jasper had messaged asking to meet up after classes tomorrow, my cheeks turned pink and I had a dumb smile on my face that would have absolutely suggested otherwise.
My leg was shaking uncontrollably through the entirety of my last class the next day. I couldn't pay attention to a single word the professor said. Instead, I imagined all of the ways I would probably make myself look like an idiot when Jasper met me outside of the building at 5:00 p.m. Why was I concerning myself so much over this? It's not like this was supposed to be a date. I knew I was being ridiculous and was trying to talk myself out of being nervous when I noticed everyone around me gathering their books and chatting with their friends as they left the classroom. I slowly stood up and followed the rest of my classmates out of the building and looked around for a pale face and curly, blonde hair.
"Bella," I jumped as Jasper made an appearance directly behind me. "Sorry to startle you again," he smirked.
"No worries, it happens a lot." I laughed as we began to walk toward the parking lot. "Where are we going?"
"I figured you would probably be hungry," he began. "I bought some food for my house, so I thought we could go there… If you're comfortable, that is." Jasper seemed hesitant toward the end of his explanation, and I wondered if it was because he was nervous too. I brushed off the rogue thought and nodded my head.
"Yeah, Jasper, that sounds great." I smiled as we approached a sleek, black jeep. It reminded me of Emmett's car and how it felt to ride in it on our way to the first and only baseball game I ever witnessed of the Cullens. By the time I climbed in and put my seatbelt on, we were already heading toward the road leading away from campus.
The night was full of unnecessary apologies from both Jasper and I as we talked about the last three years and what we had been through. What I noticed most, though, was that he actually listened when I was telling him about my situation even though he could already feel my emotions about the events himself. Looking back on being with Edward was a rarity because it still stung, but I didn't have to think too hard to remember being frustrated that he thought he knew everything about me and what I needed without me having to say a single word.
I didn't know what to think about myself getting nervous and blushing around Jasper or the fact that the sound of his voice made my heart race a little bit faster. All I knew was that I had enjoyed being with him, and I wanted to do it again. I laid in bed when I got home, wide awake, trying to figure out how to do just that when I remembered that we would be in class together the next morning. I decided that that was when I would ask him to hang out again. I shook my head, but nothing could clear the thought that wouldn't leave my mind. I liked Jasper, and not in a brother way or a friend way like I should. I wanted more, and I'd be damned if I didn't try to make it happen.