A/N: Here it is, their last dinner together. Sigh.

This is all dedicated to my BFF, theladyingrey42. If you like angst, Edward and crazy amazing writing, then you should check out her stories. I highly recommend anything that mentions ink. Big thanks to ahizelm for beta-ing and Miss_Becky_Louise for keeping the bloke in Edward.

The Setting: Siren's Restaurant and Backpackers, Hobart, Tasmania

The Music: No Way Back, Foo Fighters

Terms: Entree = appetizer; main = entree

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EPOV

Jasper and I arrive back at the Hobart hostel and have time to secure a 4-person share room before changing quickly and walking downtown for dinner. I'm excited about this evening, eager to spend these last moments with him.

When Jasper was ready to return to Hobart, I had hoped that we could still spend time together, but I didn't want to push. When he suggested dinner together, I was ecstatic and tried desperately to rein in my enthusiasm for it. I didn't succeed, but I did try.

Our walk is short and soon we're entering the vibrantly colorful restaurant with a distinct Asian feel. We are seated quickly and our waitress brings us water as we peruse the menus. Jasper orders a bottle of red wine and he winks at me as the waitress bustles away to retrieve it.

"We need to celebrate," he says by way of explanation. "It's my last night in Australia and we deserve a little something special."

"I'm not disagreeing with you, honestly," I respond, holding my hands up. "I just wonder if a whole bottle of wine between the two of us is a good idea. I'm a bit of a light weight, you know."

"Really?" His eyebrows raise and then his sexy smirk graces his lips. "Well, then we'll get two bottles."

I'm about to protest, but then I think, why not. Why not enjoy this lovely evening with this beautiful boy who I will never see again? If I make a fool of myself, then at least we'll have had some fun.

The first bottle of wine arrives and we order an entree sampler plate and our mains. As soon as our orders are placed, Jasper raises his glass to me.

"To finding friends in distant lands," he offers.

"To friends," I toast in return. We touch our glasses together and I sip the sweet nectar, allowing the wine to coat my mouth before swallowing the liquid. "Wow, Jasper, what is this?"

He chuckles before taking a second sip himself. "A Malbec, I believe. It's delicious, isn't it?"

I nod and take another lingering taste before setting my glass down and leaning over the low table. I gaze into his eyes and his face suddenly becomes very serious. "So, how have you liked Tasmania?" I ask gravely.

He stares at me for a moment and then breaks into a loud laugh and I chuckle along with him. "Man, I thought you were going to tell me your grandma died or something horrible. That's an easy question."

"Which you still haven't answered," I retort, hoping I can get his honest opinions on his experiences here and if they include me.

"Hobart is nice enough, but I really liked Bicheno. Freycinet was beautiful and the hiking there was amazing. And weren't the penguins spectacular? And the prison colony?" His words come faster and faster as he continues talking about the things he loved about his trip here, and I can't help but notice they were all activities with me.

I can't resist knowing if I had any impact and, still opting for subtlety, try a different question. "What about the Bay of Fires? Not noteworthy?"

"Ahh, it was okay. I think the colors were cool, but really it was just a beach," he answers nonchalantly.

My heart rejoices at his words as my head tells me I'm a foolish prick. He didn't say he liked being with me, but the one time he wasn't he didn't have as much fun. My heart tells my head to just shut the fuck up. And my head decides to get to the bottom of this once and for all.

"Personally, I had a wonderful time in Bicheno and Port Arthur with you. It was all great," my words trail off and I look down at the table, wondering if I've said too much. I glance back up at Jasper and he seems frozen, his wine glass lifted halfway between the table and his mouth. When he notices me looking at him, he continues, taking a small gulp before setting the glass down.

"Me too," he chokes out, coughing lightly into his napkin. He recovers quickly and continues, "I'm really glad you were my car buddy these last few days. Hanging out together was a lot of fun."

I take another swallow of wine, trying to steel my nerves for this last question. The important question. The only one that really matters.

"Jasper, can we exchange contact information before you go? 'Cause I'd really like to keep in touch with you after we're home." I pause, watching his eyes widen and I hastily add, "And, um, I need to send you pictures."

He blinks slowly and opens his mouth to respond, but the waitress glides up to our table with our entree platter at that moment and two plates. After she leaves, I look expectantly at Jasper, dying in slow agony over his answer to my request.

He grabs a couple mushroom caps and a cheese souffle, before turning his attention back to me.

"Yeah, Edward. That's a good idea." He smiles at me and my whole world is lighter. I'm amazed I will be able to keep him in my life somehow, even just as a friend.

We finish our entrees and our mains arrive on time along with another bottle of wine. As we banter over our meal, I become more and more intrigued by the sparkle in his eye, by his long throat exposed as he laughs, by his happy smile, by his witty humor. Every part of him attracts me and it almost feels like electricity, like great magnets pulling us together.

We talk about music and the pros and cons of classical music and country, although I still don't understand the appeal of the latter. We talk about our families and he tells me more about Rosalie while I explain the unexplainable that is my sister, Alice.

Splitting a dessert, we each get a cup of coffee to balance the chocolate decadence before us and by the end we're practically leaning across the table into each other, so close I can almost taste him. Shaken by that thought, I lean back in my chair to sip the remainder of my coffee at a safe distance. By the time we stand, I can tell I've had a little too much to drink. Luckily, the hostel is only a couple blocks away and I think I can probably crawl back if I need to.

We pay the bill and I meet Jasper outside after using the loo. About four steps into the walk, I stumble over a crack and, luckily, he catches my arm, steadying me before continuing.

"You alright there, lightweight?"

"Hey!" I exclaim indignantly, wobbling on my feet. "You can't make fun of me after I warned you. You may just have to carry me back."

"Really? How about this?" he asks before weaving his arm under mine and throwing my arm over his shoulders.

I think my heart stopped beating for a couple seconds before changing into a gallop rhythm, producing this pounding in my ears.

"Um, yeah," I breathe. "That should work."

The entire time we walk, my body is pressed against his and I can almost taste his sweet breath on my lips. The proximity and his warmth are wearing down my resistance and the alcohol really isn't helping matters either. I shiver slightly as he squeezes my side tightly when we walk over a curb, his hand briefly holding mine to steady me. One more touch and I know I wouldn't be able to stop myself. I look over and he's staring straight ahead, his eyes tight.

"Sorry," I slur. "I don't mean to be an ass."

"You're not," he chuckles. "It's not that far anyway."

I stumble again and decide I need to concentrate on where each foot is being placed. Eventually, we make it back to the hostel and Jasper suggests playing video games until I'm a little more sober. I decide staying up and drinking some water can only be a good thing so I agree.

I grab a couple large glasses of water from the kitchen while he sets up the game. I return and hand one to him, which he takes gratefully before downing half the glass.

"I figured you must have had at least a bottle of that wine, too. Water couldn't hurt."

"Nah, thanks Edward."

We sit on the couch playing StreetFighter, much the same as when I first saw him but couldn't unbury myself from my book. I find myself often distracted by his long fingers curving around the game controller and pull my gaze away just in time to see my character being pummeled. Eventually, my buzz begins to fade and, as I visit the loo for the twentieth time, I know I'm sober enough that I'll probably even avoid a hangover in the morning.

I return to find Jasper putting away the controllers and turning off the telly.

"I don't know about you, but I'm suddenly very tired, fairly sober and I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. Do you mind if we head to bed?"

Jesus. My knees almost give out when unbidden images race through my head at the mention of us together in bed.

I clear my throat and fervently hope I'm not blushing as I respond, "Not at all. If I'm not tired, I can just read my book, but I have a feeling I'm going to pass out as well." I smile at him and he beams back at me.

We leave the common area and head back upstairs to our room to find we don't have any sharemates; the other two beds are unclaimed. I look at my watch and notice it's almost eleven, which means we won't be getting any one else in the room as the front desk closes at ten.

"Looks like we have the room to ourselves," I observe. Jasper glances at his watch and nods before smiling at me.

"I love meeting new people at these hostels, but sometimes it's nice to just have a quiet room. Know what I mean?" He looks at me expectantly and I smile in return, understanding perfectly what he means.

"Yeah, I do. Hostels throughout Europe are much the same and I typically have to get a single once a week or so just for a little peace." I can't imagine that Jasper feels as strongly about his alone time as I do, but it's nice to know that he sometimes needs some solitude, too.

He smiles at me again and we continue making our beds before we each take our turns in the toilets, getting showered and ready for bed. I return only wearing my towel as I forgot my pajama pants and try to stand unobtrusively in the corner to change while Jasper's in the room. I hear him cough softly, but soon I'm dressed and I climb into the bottom bed. I turn on my small wall light and watch in fascination as Jasper removes his shirt, catching that small glimpse of ink on his skin again before he climbs into his bottom bunk. He covers himself quickly with the duvet and turns away from me.

"'Night, Edward. See you in the morning," he mumbles, his voice muffled by the pillow.

I feel a small twinge, this expectation of something grander that won't happen. I take a small breath and answer him, "Goodnight, Jasper. Let me know if the light is bothering you."

He waves his hand at me and I turn back to my book. After a few pages, the words begin to blur and I give up on reading. With a click, I plunge the room into darkness, the only light coming from the pale moonlight filtering through the tall windows. I sigh and roll over, hoping my dreams feature the southerner sleeping not far from me.

Only one more night together.

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A/N: I know, I know, I'm a filthy cockblocker. Trust, bbs. You'll want a little JPOV here.