I've seen the waters that
make your eyes shine
Now I'm shining too
because I've fallen
quite hard over you
Jasper was looking forward to this day. The night they'd built sand castles on the beach, he had been rewarded with a spa day for his precious Annabelle. She needed it. After the incident with Jacob, he'd put a harsh dent in her door that he was too afraid to try to pop out himself for fear of damaging her further. He felt terrible about doing that to his car, but at the time it had either been the car or Jacob's face. While it might have seemed like an easy choice, obviously he loved the car more than he wanted to preserve Jacob's face, but since the bastard had been clutching Bella he had to sacrifice Annabelle's door. In denting it, he'd also messed up the locking mechanism and scratched the handle, so it was going to need replacing. Annabelle, as much as he loved her, was getting to be a bit of an old lady in car years so fixing her was a very delicate process. Jasper wouldn't trust just anyone to work on her.
Fortunately, there was a very reliable place in Port Angeles that specialized in working on classic cars. So, he arranged for Annabelle to have her day of luxury, and asked Bella to come along with him. This wasn't his only objective of the day, however. He was planning on giving Bella her reward, had she won the sand castle contest. The place he was leaving Annabelle was a short distance away from where the library was that he'd wanted to take her to. He'd made no mention of this detour, even though he'd asked her about going with him a few days prior. This was a way for him to surprise her, which he was looking forward to being able to do. He knew she didn't like surprises that put her in the center of attention around other people, but this was just the two of them. It was a date of sorts, though not the kind a typical couple would probably enjoy. They were anything but typical, which was why he was hoping she'd really enjoy it.
The drive to Port Angeles wasn't terribly long. Jasper didn't drive as fast as his siblings, but he did drive faster than the average human being. They made good time, though he hadn't rushed at all. Jasper was just enjoying spending time with Bella, and that was the main objective of his day. They weren't going to have many days like this, due to the situation with the newborns escalating as it had. He was going to have to spend a lot more time with the family, which meant less time alone with Bella. Times like this were cherished more than ever. But he made no mention of that situation as they talked along the way. He did not want any negativity to rain upon their day. He just wanted Bella to enjoy herself, for them to enjoy each other. So far, it was working.
After they arrived at the car repair shop, he met with the man whom he trusted to take good care of his prized beauty. He was still reluctant to leave her, but with the knowledge of what was to come with Bella gave him the strength to turn away. He'd asked them to give her the works. Not only to fix the door, but to shine her interior, rotate her tires and replace them if necessary, wax her, replace the windshield wipers, everything. Annabelle was going to be spoiled.
Jasper gave Annabelle a gentle pat on the hood, then turned to Bella and took her hand."We've got a few hours to spare. Come on."
He smiled at her and started to walk her out of the garage. It was a cloudy day, so it was safe for him to be walking outside. He seemed to have no destination in mind, though of course he knew exactly where they were going. He wasn't sure of her knowledge of Port Angeles, but he hoped she wouldn't figure it out until they were walking up to the library steps.
Bella was looking forward to the day as well. Thinking about it also brought back memories of when they'd agreed that this would be a good prize for him winning the sandcastle competition. That had been a good day and Bella was quite sure that this would be as well. Any day with Jasper was always a good day. She was glad he knew where to go and what arrangements to make as far as the spa day for Annabelle was concerned; Bella didn't really know anything about cars. Her own was about as far from Jasper's as could be with the exception of similarities being that they were both older and each of them loved their vehicles dearly. Speaking of which, she made a note to herself that she would need to convince Jasper to let them take out her truck every once in awhile. She felt bad for neglecting it as much as she had been recently.
Still, she had grown quite fond of Annabelle too and thus, she was excited to treat her just as much as Jasper was. Bella fully intended to pay for it too. It was Jasper's prize and she was the one who suggested it. Besides, it was her fault that the poor car had a dent in it to begin with and so for that, she was definitely going to take responsibility. Bella knew he'd fight her on it, but that only meant she would have to be discreet in volunteering the funds. She had a lot of them saved up considering she never really bought much and while she had been working during the time when she felt hollow and empty, there was nothing to have wasted it on. If anything, she'd want to spend it on Jasper, on something that made him happy. She knew Annabelle did. Though – she did worry when Jasper ordered the works for the vehicle. She hoped she would have enough money for at least most of it that she brought with her on her debit card. If not, she would figure it out when the time came.
In the meantime, she was enjoying herself simply walking around the town hand in hand with Jasper. It felt like there was nothing to hide, like he wasn't worried about needing to conceal any affection. Knowing that he was comfortable enough to hold her hand put Bella at ease herself. She was always aware of people staring at the two of them though. And truthfully? Who wouldn't? It looked like Jasper definitely had downgraded when comparing how beautiful he was to… Bella. She just simply tried to ignore the prying eyes though.
It didn't seem like they were going anywhere special, but once they'd started up the steps to the library, Bella recognized the building. "The library?" she asked, looking over at him with hopeful eyes.
She'd been wanting to go for such a long time, but had never gotten around to it. It was rumored to be exquisite inside and just from the look of it, she could already tell it was. Her excitement was evident, regardless of how silly it might have made her seem. But she loved books and she was in need of some new ones.
"Really?" she asked, looking back up at the building then back to Jasper.
It didn't seem like a place most guys would enjoy taking a girl on a 'date' of sorts, but this was where he'd led her. She couldn't keep a smile off of her face.
That smile was what he wanted to see, what he'd been waiting to see all day. Jasper loved to make Bella happy, and though it did not take an extravagant surprise to do so, he was happy he was able to do something for her that he knew she would appreciate. He could feel the happiness she was giving off, and it made him even happier to be there with her. It had been difficult not to tell her what he was planning, but the wait was worth it. She was giving him his favorite smile.
"Really," he replied, a sideways smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
The truth was, this was just as much of a treat for him as it was for her. Jasper loved books. Reading was one of his favorite hobbies - save for any activity involving Bella. He'd read countless books over his long life-span, especially during the time period when he was not yet controlled enough to attend school with the rest of the family, or go out in public at all. He'd spend hours in Carlisle's library reading book after book. Fortunately for him, authors were always putting out new books and history always continued to unfold and be documented. He never ran out of reading material. That would be a sad day, should that happen. There was more to it than that, though. When Jasper would read stories, he could momentarily escape this world, and embark on whatever journey the characters he was reading about were going through. He could be someone else, besides the monster he believed himself to be, even if just temporarily. However, right now there was no one else in the world, literary or actual, that he wanted to be besides himself. Because Bella wasn't smiling at anyone else right now. That smile was just for him; Jasper.
"I've heard they have a book or two," he teased, knowing full well there were thousands of books to choose from inside.
They could easily have spent days there, he was sure. He'd certainly bring her back, any time she wanted. This was hopefully just the first of many visits. Jasper had the visual in his head of the two of them lying down together, just reading books. It didn't matter if they weren't speaking to each other; they were together, feeding off each other's emotions and presence. It was enough. The image made him very happy to think about.
He kept hold of her hand, lifting it to his lips to kiss the back of it. "The official ruling results came back," he said, referring back to when he'd said there had been no true ruling on which was the better castle. "Mine had a certain aesthetic appeal, but they said yours was much more inviting on the inside. So they're calling it a draw."
He smiled at her, then lowered their hands back down. He started to walk her in, holding the door open for her as they moved inside. Wall to wall rows of books were everywhere. It was a little overwhelming, but a sure sign that they'd be occupied for hours.
"Where do we begin?" He asked, giving her hand the most gentle of squeezes.
Bella had a little bit of an idea that Jasper also liked reading. She sometimes woke up in the mornings when he used to stay in bed with her while she slept and have a book in his hand. This would be such an opportunity for her to add a couple of things to her library on rotation so that he would have something to read of interest when he stayed with her. Of course, that hadn't been very often as of late, but she really hoped that things would change to benefit the both of them in that situation soon enough. It didn't seem like a great possibility until everything with the newborns had been taken care of, however. But Bella wasn't going to think about that. Not today. Not when Jasper had gone through the trouble of planning this day for the two of them.
She smiled when he'd spoken of the sandcastle ruling, laughing softly. He had definitely beat her and if her outsides looked bad, she was very sure the inside of her 'castle' was much worse off. But he was incredibly sweet to not only remember, but to award her a consolation prize regardless. The sentiment wasn't lost on her and like so many other times, this was one that made her feel incredibly lucky to have someone like Jasper. Inside the library, Bella felt very much like a child in a candy store. There were so manybooks! She wouldn't have been surprised if the library was one of the biggest buildings in the city. Inside it was easy to see why. There were three expansive floors and the layout was actually quite modern for a modest-sized city in Washington. There were plenty of tables and a lounge area on each floor. It wasn't very crowded on a day like today. It wasn't sunny, but it wasn't rainy either. Most people who were used to the Olympic Peninsula weather were taking advantage of the lack of precipitation and were outside around the town.
But Bella was happy exactly where she was. She wouldn't have picked a better place to be together, nor with any person better than the blond gentleman she was with. It was so difficult to know where to start when he'd asked. She truly didwant to look at everything all at once. But there was one thing that had been on Bella's mind for a very long time now since she and Jasper started getting close. While she didn't have much of an interest in the Civil War before, now it seemed like all she wanted to do was further educate herself on it. Specifically, the South in the Civil War. And so, she squeezed his hand back and gave him something of a sneaky grin.
"I know exactly the place."
After taking a look at the directory, she led them up to the second floor where historical texts were kept. She didn't want to read fiction about the time period like Gone with the Wind. Rather, she wanted to know what really happened, the real stories.
"Here," she said once he could see where she'd taken them to start. Bella couldn't seem to keep a grin off of her face as she ran her forefinger along the titles aimlessly until one struck her. Pulling it out, she showed it to him. "I feel like educating myself today sans Scarlet O'Hara."
Jasper was just happy to be there with her. It didn't particularly matter to him where they started or where they ended up. He was with his Bella; everything else was irrelevant right now. He'd go to whichever section she wanted and was sure he'd be able to find something he'd at least be mildly entertained with. He really wasn't worried about that; he and Bella seemed to have similar interests and tastes. It was evident in the books he did sometimes read while he stayed with her. Mostly he just looked after her, but on occasion he'd crack open one of her books to read until she awakened. Part of him wished that this was a book store, so he could purchase all the books she wanted and she wouldn't have to give them back. However, since they would have to bring the books back, that meant more and more trips to the library. He liked that thought a lot, and he knew that since the books were free, she wouldn't hesitate to pick whatever she wanted and she wouldn't worry about costs or anything of the sort.
He didn't really have a clue where she intended to take him, but that was part of the fun. He caught her expression, which caused him to raise an eyebrow. Now he was very curious. Jasper wasn't entirely familiar with the layout of this library. He'd only been to this place a few times throughout their stay in the area. He was following her blindly to wherever it was she decided to go. He hadn't seen which area she'd looked at on the directory, as he was too busy gazing at her to notice.
It shouldn't have come as much of a surprise when she took him up to the history section, then to the specific area of books that dealt with the Civil War. Bella asked him frequently about his life during that time period, but Jasper still found it surprising that she really wanted to know so much about him. He'd never really thought of his life as special; he had fond memories, and some strenuous, but he thought there were far more interesting things to talk about than himself. It was nice sometimes, though, being able to recall memories he thought were lost forever by talking about events in his life that he did remember.
He looked at the book she selected and smirked a little. "So we're on an educational date, are we?"
He chuckled quietly, then started looking at some of the other books on the shelves. "I should make corrections in the margins of some of these." He pulled one he thought might be interesting off one of the shelves and then sat in one of the large, plush beanbag chairs.
"Join me?"
It was such a wonderful afternoon. Bella wished it could have lasted forever the way she curled up against him in the beanbag chair. She tucked herself beside him, taking the liberty of pulling his arm around her shoulder so she could settle comfortably into the nook of his arm and his side. Neither of them spoke much. Occasionally, she would show him something she'd read or ask him a question about whether or not the facts were right. After he explained either way, she would acknowledge him with a thoughtful sound and get back to whatever it was she was catching up with.
There were some parts she would have to skip over. Whether it was because they were boring in terms of being about people she'd never heard of, or if they were detailed accounts of some of the battles that took place. But when she was about halfway through the book, one turn of the page caused her to sit up immediately with an exclamation.
"Jasper!" she cried. Bella sat up a little too quickly though and managed to knock her head against his chin. It was painful and she winced before apologizing quickly to him. But she was far too excited to be concerned with a bump on the head.
"It's you!" she exclaimed, pointing at the page she'd turned to.
People were staring at them now, including one of the librarians who looked quite offended that she be so loud in such a quiet atmosphere. It probably didn't help that the bitter spinster wasn't too fond of the two of them cuddling together on the same beanbag chair. Bella cast her a sheepish look before turning back to Jasper, looking up at him with obvious excitement. There, in the black and white print was a passage about Jasper Monroe Whitlock, the youngest Major in the Confederate army. It was such a strange thing – not one that Bella hadn't thought about before. It would make sense for him to be in history books. He was a prominent figure in the Civil War for such an accomplishment and thus, it wasn't at all far-fetched that his name been written in texts about them.
It did not take him very long to become engrossed in what he was reading. Jasper was very comfortable in their positioning. With her tucked into his side and his arm around her, it was very reminiscent to how they'd lay together in her bed at night. Words could not express how much he'd missed that. Jasper hoped that his family would back off a little and respect their relationship for what it was. He hoped now that it was out in the open, that he'd be able to lay in bed with her again as she slept. He'd feel a little awkward doing so with one of his family members outside the house, and he'd never ask Esme to sit outside when it was her turn to come by, but he did hope that they'd get a little more slack now.
Jasper wasn't thinking about that issue at the moment, however. He was reading a series of essays, written by an actual Private from Virginia. He'd written about everything from their uniforms to the food they had to eat, to the romantic ideals many of the young boys who entered the Confederate army had before being subjected to the harsh truths. It was the most honest collection of works Jasper had ever read about that time in his life. Probably because it was written by someone who'd been there. Though he was very deeply involved in his reading, he was occasionally stroking her shoulder and placing gentle kisses to the top of her head.
He hadn't had time to flinch before she had her tiny outburst, which resulted in her head colliding with his chin. It didn't hurt Jasper, of course, but he knew it had to have hurt her head. His eyes widened and he immediately apologized too. He started to question what was wrong, but the emotions he was feeling from her did not exude any sort of problem - save for the pain in her head. She was excited about something. That something, was revealed to him a few seconds later when she apparently found a passage written about him in the book she was reading.
If Jasper could've blushed, he would have. It was a little embarrassing. Not her outburst, or the fact that several pairs of eyes were on them. It was just.. a little weird to know someone had written about him. That wasn't the first time he'd heard that. Esme had a book she'd gotten back when he'd first joined the family about Texas during the Civil War in hopes to get to know her new son better. There was a small portion of text dedicated to him in it, too. Jasper, like Bella, did not really know how to handle being the center of attention, so when the focus was placed on him he had a hard time responding to it.
"Mhm, that's me. I'm sure they could've found someone more interesting to write about, honestly," he said quietly, bashfully looking down a little bit.
Bella would have thought it was endearing that he blushed if he was capable of such a thing. In fact, she would have loved to have witnessed such a thing. It was always easy to see whenever she would grow embarrassed or received a compliment that would color her cheeks. It would have been nice to be able to see the same for Jasper. She imagined that the pink on his face would stand our brilliantly against his pale skin and light hair. For a moment, the thought distracted her from even the excitement of the book and she reached up to brush her fingers against his cheek.
Lifting his chin with her thumb, she smiled at him. "I would read entire libraries about this particular person," she said.
And she meant that. Bella so badly wished that she could go back in time just for one day to see what it would be like to know Jasper when he was alive back then. What would it have been like for the two of them to cuddle up to one another then? It wouldn't feel like fire and ice, but that was the only significant different she figured. Of course they would have looked differently on account of the times, but she knew she would have loved him just as much. It would have been an impossibility to let him go off to war.
She would have waited though. Every single day, she would have waited for him. That's what she would have done now as well – she would wait for him. Only now, there was no need. He wasn't going anywhere and nor was she. They were staying together. Nothing would change that. As far as Bella was concerned, their future was nothing but bright despite that there were hardships happening around them. She and Jasper couldn't be touched by that – she was sure of it.
Looking back down to the book, she leaned back against him as she started to read quietly aloud. There sadly wasn't very much information, but the book did mention how his charisma earned him a cherished spot and that his abilities to lead and strategize might have had a significant effect on the outcome of some of the battles had he not had an untimely death. When she read the sentence about how the cause of his death was not known, nor was his body found, her voice was much quieter. They both knew the reason why it hadn't been and what happened next in the story. Certainly that wasn't something that would be found in any book, historically accurate or not.
She linked her fingers with his on the hand he had around her shoulder, turning her head to kiss his wrist before speaking. "You had to have made everyone so proud," she said. She knew that he was like her in not wanting be the center of attention, but he had to know that.
"I wonder what would happen if I Google'd you," she said, a smile pulling up her lips. "Think I'd find anything incriminating?"
Jasper could've sworn he felt his cheeks growing hot. He knew it was impossible, but even his ears felt like they were burning. It was strange for him to hear about his accomplishments. Of course the knowledge was limited, as he wasn't a key figure in the war. He was just a young soldier who'd managed to accomplish a lot in his short stint in the army. He didn't think any of it was worth noting. Of course it all sounded pretty great when it was written in a way to highlight his accomplishments. It made him sound like he was some sort of hero, when Jasper never thought that about himself. He'd gotten into the army based on a lie. No one knew that but himself and his mother at the time, but he'd been dishonest. What was noble about that?
When she got to the end, he knew why she'd sort of trailed off in her reading. Jasper often wondered about how that situation was handled. He'd assumed he was reported MIA, and from what he'd read in Esme's book it had been rumored that he was captured and killed by Union soldiers after separating from his group to scout ahead. He would not ever let himself think about what that news must have done to his mother. He'd never gone back to check records to see what happened to Mrs. Whitlock. That was information that he did not think he would be able to take. He remembered that his mother had a sister with a family, and he just let his hopes rest in the thought that she'd gone to live with them.
Jasper was drawn out of his thoughts when she kissed his wrist. "I hope I managed to, but I was just doing what I had to do. Everyone was just doing what they needed to do in order to get by." He did laugh a little when she pondered over Googling him. "I've never thought to do that. But it wouldn't surprise me if Emmett's put something inappropriate about me on the internet." He kissed her forehead, then her cheek. "If you ever decide to do that and come across anything, just forget you saw it after you tell me so I can get him back." He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, then held her a little closer.
"I don't know if you realize how much it means to me that you're so interested in my life, Bella," he said softly, all joking aside. "I never really talked about it in such depth with anyone before. Esme tried to get me to talk about it a few times, but not like you. It's really been nice. I didn't realize I had so many memories, and I didn't know that talking about them would help me remember memories I thought were lost."
He nuzzled against her hair and breathed in slowly, then sighed very softly. "Thank you."
She laughed when he made a mention of Emmett. She wouldn't have put such a thing past his brother to do such a thing. Now, though, she was definitely interested in what she would find on the internet about him. She had Google'd herself one time, but there had been no results save for one article that was a short biography on Charlie being the chief of police in Forks and claiming that he had one daughter. Isabella, of course. Not just Bella. After that, she never looked again. There wouldn't be anything special to find, nothing of relevance. That was fine with her completely. She would much rather be reading about other people's lives. People like Jasper.
When he grew serious and told her what it meant for her to take an interest in his life, Bella shifted slightly so she could watch his face. She didn't quite know why it had such an effect on him, but if it was a positive one, than Bella wouldn't question it. She didn't just take an interest in his life to please him. She did because she wanted to. Every single time she learned something new about him, it was a treat. She wanted to know everything about it, all of his favorites, all of his pet peeves, all of his habits. She'd picked up on quite a few of them by now, but studying Jasper would never get old.
"Jas, you don't have to thank me for that," she said, grinning at him and leaning in to touch her nose to his. "If anything, I should be thanking you for putting up with me asking so many questions. I know I tend to… bombard you with them sometimes," she said with a sheepish laugh.
"But I love hearing about your past. It's a part of you," she said, recalling the words that he'd spoken to her when she mentioned that she hated her scar. He said it was a part of her and therefore, he couldn't hate it. It was something that she remembered every time she looked at it.
Tilting her face slightly, she touched her lips to his for a kiss. It was really only meant to be a short, chaste one, but Bella couldn't help but to let her mouth linger against Jasper's for a little longer. When there was a loud clearing of a throat near them, she broke away and opened her eyes to find the bitter librarian giving them a stern look. The brunette couldn't help but to laugh. She felt like she was in middle school getting scolded for stealing kisses on the playground. Of course, she never stole kisses when she was in middle school on any sort of playground, but she imagined it was very similar. Giving the woman an apologetic wave, she still couldn't contain a smile when she turned back to Jasper.
"We were caught," she said, a hint of a devious twinge in her tone. Kissing his nose, she moved to get to her feet, holding out her hand to 'help' him up. "C'mon," she said. "Let's pick out some books to take with us so we can go back to the car shop. I'm anxious to see Annabelle's makeover," she said.
For a moment, it was very easy to forget they were in a public place. Jasper did not often engage in public displays of affection; he and Bella both had similar thought processes in regards to there being a time and place for that, and that it was something that seemed more special when shared just by the two of them. However, being curled up with her in the beanbag chair, lost in their world of books, it was difficult not to give her kisses and caresses, or to hold her against him in a tender embrace. Apparently the librarian agreed with their mentality about public displays of affection, as she was not amused at their constant touching. Jasper, though he respected her wishes, couldn't help but turn and shoot her a look that both awed and intimidated the hell out of the older woman. She went back to her organizing and Jasper turned back to look at Bella, met with her laughter. He chuckled a bit too, then nodded.
"Apparently I have a problem keeping my hands to myself." As if to reiterate that, he took her hand, but of course he stood up on his own. "Take as many as you'd like." He kept the initial book he'd chosen and pulled two others off a shelf after doing a very quick scan of the titles.
Once they'd gotten their books, he tucked all of them under one of his arms and tucked her under the other. He was very content with his decision to surprise her that day. It made him very happy to know he could make Bella so happy. It was also nice that they both enjoyed doing the same things. No one had to compromise their own interests for the sake of the other's happiness. Even if they were just sitting quietly together, Jasper could feel the calm and content vibes from her and himself. Everything was so effortless, and yet at the same time, he wanted to put every effort he had into loving her and making her happy.
Jasper walked her back towards the car shop, but stopped along the way to make sure she'd gotten something to eat. They'd been out for a good portion of the day, and he didn't want her to go hungry. Once she was finished, he paid and they continued on to pick up Annabelle. He did not realize Bella had intentions to pay for the work being done on his car. Had he known, he would have politely declined the offer, and even if she pressed on he would not have asked them to do so much work on the car in the first place. Regardless, he didn't know that and still did not as they entered the shop. Jasper was told upon entering that they were just finishing up cleaning Annabelle, and that she'd come through her repairs just fine. That was a relief to hear. Even though Jasper took very good care of his car, he did sometimes fear that she was getting to be too old to be fixed. This visit, especially. It would've depressed him immensely if he'd been the one to do in his beloved Annabelle for his reckless behavior.
"Bill the usual account, please," he said quietly, before taking a seat to wait for them to bring the car around.
It was effortless. Easy, comfortable. Loving Jasper had come to feel more natural than breathing to Bella. Of course, it didn't help that eh breathing was frequently altered in his presence. If he wasn't simply taking her breath away by being himself, then it changed whenever they kissed, or if she exhaled a contented sigh. All were common occurrences when the two of them were together, but none were something that Bella could or wouldever complain about.
Though she easily could have picked out three full shelves of books, she stopped herself at four, grinning at him when she sheepishly handed over the books that were all about the Civil War. At least that was one good thing about the event in history – there was plenty of research and reading material about it. She was hoping that in one of the others that she selected, she would come across his name again. That had been an unexpected surprise just as the trip to the library had been to begin with. For someone who hated surprises for the most part, Bella never seemed to have any complaints when they were at Jasper's hand.
The way back to the car place and the time during which he'd gotten her something to eat, Bella had been thinking of how she could be sneaky enough to give the mechanics her card to help pay for Annabelle's special treatment. It wasn't until they'd arrived back that she came up with something that seemed at least a little bit believable. After Jasper had told the man to bill his usual account, Bella 'remembered something' that she wanted to ask.
"Oh!" she said, standing up. "I forgot. I want to ask them something about my truck," she said. "I'll be right back," she said, hurrying after the mechanic to where the little office was. She managed to get to him before he ran any of the total through thankfully, but she still had to be cautious.
"Can you put half on this?" she whispered, reaching into the back pocket of her jeans for the card, glancing back to make sure Jasper wasn't lurking behind her.
She didn't look at the total when the mechanic asked her to sign. Instead, she quickly wrote her name and thanked him. "Don't tell him though," she added quietly before she followed him out before he went to pull the car around.
The mechanic just gave an amused sound, impressed that a girl would go out of her way to help pay for something that was usually male-oriented.
Joining Jasper again, she shrugged. "I think I might bring my truck by in a couple weeks," she said. "It's due for a look over and they do a pretty good job here," she said, following through with her excuse.
When the mechanic brought Annabelle around, Bella realized she was just as excited to see her as Jasper was. "Well?" she asked after he'd gotten the keys and they were sitting into the car. "Do you think she liked her spa day?"
Jasper did not think anything of it when she hurried off to supposedly ask a question about her truck. It seemed logical, as it was an old truck and this place specialized in tending to older models of vehicles. He smiled as he watched her go with a fond look in his eyes. He truly, truly adored Bella. She'd given him so much to smile about, so much to care about. His life had meaning, and it was to love her and be hers for eternity. Even if she was to one day decide she did not want him any longer, his love would not diminish. He would love from afar, protect her secretly if she needed it, and pine for her in private. Bella had his heart, however fragile it was and for whatever it was worth. And he knew, even without a doubt, she would take care of it and never exploit it.
He was still smiling contently when she came back, and reached out to gently take her hand once she was within reach. It was so nice, being able to be with her in such a normal way, even when they had danger looming over them. Being able to go on a date, to smile at each other and laugh together despite what was to come was so very refreshing. It gave him the boost he needed in order to be able to go back to Forks and dive back into his dismal planning for the war that was to come. He wasn't thinking about that right now, though. He was just thinking about his Bella.
After an initial scan of the car, he walked around it and very carefully examined the door that had been dented. Everything looked to be in perfect order. He thanked the mechanic and took the keys, then joined her in the car. It felt good to be in the driver's seat again. Things felt off when he wasn't able to be with his car. Annabelle started right back up, and Jasper rested his hands on the steering wheel for a moment, breathing in deep and exhaling in a sigh. He grinned over at her. "Well, as you know I can feel the emotions of others. And I must say that Annabelle is feeling quite refreshed." He chuckled lightly, then pulled out of the garage and onto the street.
Important Author's Note: This was sort of a happier look into Bella and Jasper's relationship and how naturally they click together. We hope you enjoyed it! We've received a lot of comments asking questions about upcoming future events (Bella being changed, and whether or not the intimacy in Bella and Jasper's relationship will flourish into something more sensual), and we want to assure you not to worry! When we wrote this story, many of those same questions popped into our heads and we have addressed them in the writing as you will see in future chapters to come. We wanted this story to be realistic in the emotional development between the two of them and not rush anything. Remember, both Bella and Jasper lost two very important people in their lives (not just one each; Edward was Jasper's brother and Alice was Bella's best friend, too). It's going to take a considerable amount of time for them to move on, and set backs are natural. Trust us - it's definitely worth the wait. To quote one of our favorite stories, The Last Unicorn, "The happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story." Keep reading; we promise your questions will be answered as well as some surprises you won't be expecting! We have devoted a very long time to writing their story, and haven't left any stone unturned. Thank you again for your continued support and comments! We love reading them and answering them all. Cheers!
Lyrics: Landon Pigg - Coffee Shop