Let the Rain Come Down

Okay, so being in the UK I haven't worked for Goodwill, and I don't know anyone who has that could advise me beyond what I have read and researched on the internet. Therefore, please understand the questions used in Jasper's interview are completely fictional in every way.

This is a split POV chapter which to me was more effective than cutting it in half and posting two separate short chapters.

Disclaimer: All characters owned and created by Stephenie Meyer.

This chapter is unbeta'ed – any errors are mine and I apologise in advance.

~o.O.o~

Chapter 9

Edward's POV

I stepped out into the dark December evening, tugging my beanie down snug over my ears. It took me a moment to focus on the blurred landscape around me, the world reduced to whirling white, the sound-deadening carpet crunching beneath my boots. One last adjustment to my collar and scarf and I headed for home, my gloved hands unencumbered and tucked into my pockets. For once we had enough food at home and so my small wage for the night would be reallocated.

With my warm breath pluming before me, the cold flakes landing on my nose and lips disappeared in moments. The usual hustle of people had lessened, the parking lot empty. The only evidence that remained was already vanishing beneath the relentless onslaught, the darkened tyre tracks covered with a modesty blanket of white.

If this kept up all night it would mean a much slower walk to Happy Tails in the morning and necessitate a much earlier start for both me and Jasper, in order for him to catch his bus to Goodwill. My busy mind reminded me that my feet were warm, the path I trod cushioned and supported. I hadn't realised how bad my old boots were until I replaced them. That was the difference in getting to choose your clothing rather than scavenging it. I wasn't ungrateful – after all, I wouldn't have managed without them all this time – but I felt blessed at that moment to be warm and dry all over. I hurried fast as I dared, the snow not yet compacted underfoot, but still able to cause injury to the careless. The walk seemed much longer, my vision restricted to only a few steps ahead. Looking up, the snow circled and danced in the glow of the streetlights and I looked back down, the hypnotic sensation making me dizzy. It seemed a long time before our street appeared, the usual landmarks stolen by the blizzard, leaving me disoriented in the dark despite my feet knowing the way.

I huddled on the step, shaking the snow from my coat and hat, stamping the wet from my boots before heading inside. Jasper looked up from where he sat on the bed, a blanket around his shoulders, doing his best to absorb and retain the warmth from the nearby heater. To me, his smile gave the best warmth of all.

"I guess we knew that was coming. How bad is it out there?"

Removing our lighter jackets from the chair, I hung my wet coat over the back and positioned it close to the heat in the hopes it would be dry to wear in the morning. My boots were absolutely fine, but I wiped the wet from them anyway to prevent the insides becoming damp. I ran my hand through my hair.

"It's coming down heavy now. It wasn't snowing when I got there yet it's already thick. The flakes are massive. Glad to be out of it." With a grin, I climbed onto the bed, wriggling closer to Jasper when he held out the blanket to wrap around my shoulder, sharing the heat.

Bliss.

"We might have to leave earlier tomorrow. Don't want to be late." I rummaged in my pocket for that night's earnings. "Here, put this in your pocket for the bus. We didn't need any food tonight so it can be put to better use." For once he did what I suggested, tucking the note into the jeans he would be wearing.

"I should be nervous, shouldn't I? Maybe it's because I don't expect anything. I mean, even if I were to get it I'd have to factor in the daily bus fare before I even start because it's too far to walk, especially in this weather…"

"And with your chest, love."

"Yeah, and with my stupid chest." He nudged me with a smile. "But if I get lucky then at least we'd have some regular money. I'd probably have to work the streets for a bit until we were financially secure enough to be able to cover the basics without worry, but hopefully it wouldn't be for long."

I froze. "But we'd make it work somehow. Besides, you wouldn't want any customers or staff at the new place finding out about your other work would you? It might not go down well." I bit my lip.

His face fell and right then I hated myself for hurting him, for inadvertently making his life sound so dirty when he had done nothing to deserve it. His voice was flat.

"You're right. It could backfire. Look - perhaps I shouldn't go tomorrow. I can earn much more out there on a good day and come the summer time I work longer hours, more business later in the evenings when it's warm…"

I felt my eyes widen. We hadn't had a summer together yet and I had no idea how many more hours he would usually put in to make money, how many more customers he serviced on a daily basis to keep one step ahead. Did he really want to keep doing that?

No. Just… no.

"Jas - no." I shuffled around under the blanket to look at him dead on, seeing his confusion and hurt. I shook my head and swallowed, the sound loud in the silence. "No. I love you. I want what's best for you. Not just for us, but for you." I squeezed my eyes tight shut for a second to focus. When I opened them I had his full attention. "Yes, you can earn good money out there. But on a bad day you can earn nothing, or do your job and not be paid. Or be hurt." My voice cracked then, my greatest fear of losing Jasper ever present. "This," I prodded at the Goodwill pages on his lap, "this is a real opportunity. One that you found for yourself, got excited about, and got yourself an interview for. Please don't throw it away because our situation will change. I know change is scary and uncertain, but we've managed up to now. Plus you're forgetting something." I smiled and his eyes brightened a fraction. "They might offer more hours in the future, or the pay might increase. You might find a second job somewhere else to bolster the hours. It's all good, love. You can do this. We can do this. Please, please don't talk about going back to the street because," my voice was no more than a hoarse whisper, "because I can't bear it."

Our arms found each other in a tight hug. My face was buried in his neck, his breath fanning across the exposed skin of my shoulder.

"Okay, love. Okay."

We held each other for a long time, the unspoken deal breaker hovering over our heads no matter how much we ignored it:

The street would always be waiting if all else failed.

~o.O.o~

I woke in the night, the air in the room desperately cold. Our bottles were giving off only the barest memory of warmth from their fleecy confines and so I climbed out of bed in socked feet, teeth chattering, and filled the kettle. I always slept through the night therefore it had to be worry that was keeping me up. Worry about the outcome of the interview later today. I had total faith in Jas – he could do anything he set his mind to - and so this should be a cinch. The problem was if he needed to do something like use a computer, or look at the internet. We had no idea how all that worked. Maybe they would have lots of other applicants to see and that could mean a delay, enough time for Jasper to lose belief in himself.

I switched off the steaming kettle and refilled the bottles. Shaking my head, I realised that these thoughts were helping no one. I just needed a good night's sleep. Creeping back to bed, I tucked my bottle into the back of my underwear to keep out the draught from the window, and wiggled Jasper's back into place between his cold feet. He hummed in his sleep, the warmth seeping into his skin, and I snuggled back into place behind him, holding him close.

I slept until the first feeble fingers of morning light slid into the room.

~o.O.o~

The room seemed too bright and for a moment I feared I was late. When I checked the time and looked out of the window I saw the world sleeping under a thick veil of white, everything bright and clean in the early hour.

I pressed a kiss to Jasper's jaw, in the spot where it met his neck, and a quiet moan vibrated through his throat. I stroked his hair and he rolled over, still not quite awake, his arms finding me.

Okay, so a couple more minutes wouldn't hurt.

My lips brushed his, once, twice, until he responded, kissing me good morning and making my body tingle from head to toe. When his eyes fluttered open they gazed straight into mine, slow blinking a message of love. I smiled, unable to hold it in.

"Hey."

I nuzzled his nose and stole another kiss.

"Hey yourself."

Another kiss that stole my breath and set my heart hammering. I forced myself to focus.

"Are you ready for today? New clothes, new boots, big smile. Who could say no to you?"

He blushed, and my heart could barely take it.

"Kinda wish you were coming too. I'm gonna want to talk to you about it the minute it's over, good or bad. If it weren't for my chest I'd come and meet you at work."

"I know. I wish I could too. But you'll be home by the time my shift ends. If this weather continues it'll be tough going for the little ones today, and they'll be tired and wet through pretty quick." My thumb traced his lower lip, momentarily distracted. "I had a thought. I want you to write down the number of the cell and keep it on you. If you feel at all unwell while you're out, or at any time, I want you to call me. Promise? Don't struggle on your own."

I kissed him again and, when I pulled back, he nodded.

"I will. I'll make sure I take some quarters in case." He didn't look like he was humouring me, and I relaxed, reassured. "I guess we better get up. I've got a potential employer to impress."

His optimism was infectious and I grinned.

"Let's get you ready. I'll make a start on breakfast. You need your strength today."

He swung his legs out of bed and wrapped a large towel around himself before scuttling out to the bathroom. I could see his breath when he opened the door; that room was going to be an icebox. I set to boiling the kettle for us to wash, stepping from foot to foot on the cold floor while I waited. Once the water was hot in the sink, I reboiled it for coffee, sliding bread into the toaster slots. Jasper reappeared in time to hear the toaster pop, his grin widening. I spread two slices with honey, stirred his coffee and handed both to him. My reward was a kiss on the cheek and I laughed, watching him sneak back to bed to eat. Who could blame him – the sheets were still warm.

Once breakfast was all done we washed ourselves and dressed in our new clothes. I made sure Jasper was in plenty of thin layers to hold the warmth, and I grabbed one of my new long sleeved shirts to wear beneath my sweater. It was still early when I opened the front door and peered outside. Traffic was moving on the main streets, but the untouched sidewalks looked treacherous. Back inside, I reached for some loose change from our hiding place.

"I'm going to take the bus this morning too. Until the worst of the snow is cleared from the sidewalks, they're going to be deep. I don't fancy having to spend any longer than necessary in soaking wet jeans."

Jasper was reading the pages from his pocket again, his lips moving in silent practice. I prayed it would work out today, that they would see the generous, kind and hard-working man that I saw every single day. Taking a breath, I kept my nerves for him under wraps.

"Let's go."

~o.O.o~

We waited for the bus in silence, Jasper lost in his thoughts. I held his hand and let his busy brain prepare for the challenge to come. Looking up, I leaned in.

"Jas? Bus is coming." Before it could cross the intersection, I leaned in and brushed a kiss to his lips. "For luck." I smiled and he squeezed my fingers.

The journey passed in silence, me reassuring him by holding his hand in mine until we reached my stop. It took all my self-control to not kiss him again before I stood to disembark, but with a squeeze of the hand and a lingering look I sent him the message that I had faith in him. He gave me a nervous smile and a nod, and with that I left my boy to travel onward. The moment my feet hit the wet sidewalk I turned to watch the bus pull away, a smile on my face just for him.

My chest felt tight, my worry a tight band around my lungs, and I sucked in air to steady myself before heading off to Happy Tails. Thanks to the slushy melted snow and traffic, my legs were wet and cold before I even started out with the dogs.

I tried to concentrate, and to the outside world I most likely acted exactly like I always did, but I struggled to keep my mind on anything but the dogs and their needs. My interpersonal skills were minimal, my mind unable to pay attention to extraneous information that day. Alice cocked her head when she spoke to me for what turned out to be the third time before I answered.

"Edward, are you okay? Is there a problem?"

She sounded concerned and I felt bad. My fingers were fastening leashes and harnesses with practiced ease, full concentration not required whilst still inside. I took a breath and sat back on my heels for a moment.

"Sorry, Alice. I don't mean to be distracted, it's just that Jasper has a job interview and…"

I saw her face change from worried to excited in a moment.

"He does? No wonder you're all over the place! Is he nervous?"

I rubbed the back of my hand across my nose.

"Very, and so am I. It's a big deal to us. It's… a really big deal."

I didn't elaborate and to give her credit she didn't push. All I saw was a moment of hesitation before she swooped down to hug me where I crouched on the floor. The gesture was not unwelcome. I rubbed her arm and she leant back in her crouch.

"Tell him I'm proud of him. It doesn't matter that we haven't met, I just want you both to know I support you. Both of you."

Her eyes shone. I swallowed and nodded.

"Thanks, Alice. I will. Now I guess we better be going. It's not going to be pretty when we get back – have towels on hand. I dread to think what Buster and Fritzy are going to be like out there."

She raised a sardonic eyebrow.

"Oh you've yet to experience that joy. Buster will go mad because he just really loves the snow, but Fritzy, he… uhm…"

I met her gaze and read her mind.

"He's going to want carrying, isn't he?"

With her lips pressed together in controlled mirth, she could only nod, doing her best to look serious.

I turned to the dachshund who sat by my knee, attentive and ready to go.

"Fritz, it's not a walk if you're being carried. Think on, buddy."

We headed to the door, all clicking claws and waving tails, and prepared to brave the great white world.

~o.O.o~

Alice was waiting when we returned, wet and shivering, her hands ready with warm towels. She took one look at me, holding a dry and rather smug Fritzy, and burst into gales of laughter.

"How long did he give it?" She began rubbing Buster down while he nosed around for treats.

I set the little dog down, stretching out my aching arm whilst he wandered off to his water bowl.

"Half a block."

I glared at his retreating tail which just made Alice laugh harder. Her shoulders were still shaking while she worked on the other wriggling bodies, exclaiming when wet paws clambered up her shins.

I walked over to Jupiter who was ready and eager to be off, whining and barking.

"Don't get any ideas, Jupe." I fastened his leash. "You're more likely to be carrying me."

Opening the door, I heard Alice behind me.

"Now that would be a sight to see!"

The sidewalks were slippery and uneven, but Jupe took it in his stride. After a cursory sniff at the white stuff, he set off at his usual pace with me slithering around beside him, trying not to stumble and fall. While my body struggled for the second time that morning to stay upright, my mind went back to Jasper and how he was doing.

The day was going to drag until I got back home.

~o.O.o~

Jasper's POV

I folded the sheets of paper and stowed them back into my pocket. I pulled on my new winter coat and beanie, tapped my pocket for my bus fare, and together Edward and I stepped out into the blinding white morning. The last time we had both caught the bus together was a bad memory, but this time we sat side by side in the bitter air and waited in silence, his gloved hand in mine.

I was scared. I was so scared that they would see straight through me, see what I really was. Life as a hustler had eroded my self-respect, made me numb and impervious to change. It was Edward that saw beyond it all, beyond the day to day degradation that I had long since endured and learned to accept. My biggest fear, beyond every hustler's huge fear of contracting HIV, was that I would get too old and no one would want my services any longer. Always younger boys coming on the scene. My fear had grabbed hold of me at the thought of that, of being rejected in the only job I had ever known, and it made me feel so lost.

Now I had to focus on the future, on making something more for myself, for Edward. He deserved to have a boyfriend with a respectable job to match his own. He worked so damn hard, never flagging, never complaining, and I wanted to be worthy of him. He astounded me every day with his love, his energy and his generosity of spirit.

I looked over at him and saw he was watching me, his face concerned.

"Jas? Bus is coming." Before it could cross the intersection, he leaned in and brushed a kiss to my lips. "For luck." He smiled and I squeezed his fingers before standing and holding out an arm to the driver.

The journey passed in a blur of thoughts, and before I knew it we were at Edward's stop. He squeezed my hand goodbye before I watched him leave. My heart lurched when I saw him standing and smiling on the sidewalk, disappearing into the distance. For someone who'd lived alone for some time, the feeling of isolation that washed over me in that moment was crippling.

You can do this.

I breathed deep as my healing chest would comfortably allow and focused on the task ahead.

Too soon, my stop approached and I stepped out into the churned up mess of snow and ice. It was a short walk to the Goodwill store and I took cautious steps, my eyes on my feet to not take a fall. I didn't need any more injuries to deal with.

Standing in front of the store, I let out one slow breath and pushed open the door, feeling the warm air envelop me. The place was busy despite the weather, and I made my way through the busy racks to the checkout desk. The girl there showed me where to go and wait, and so I found myself sitting on an old wooden schoolroom chair, waiting for the boss to call me in.

He arrived a few minutes later, apologising for being late. He held out his hand and I shook it. He was taller than I remembered, and built like a line-backer. Short brown hair accented his tan. He was smiling.

"Emmett McCarty, I'm the manager here. Come on in, Jasper. You can hang your coat behind the door. Would you like a drink?"

He cleared a space on his cluttered desk, piling up folders and papers to the side. I nodded, feeling my tongue stick to the roof of my dry mouth.

"Yes, please, I would."

"Coffee?" His eyebrows curved upward at the question.

That brought a welcome smile despite the nerves.

"Please – black, no sugar."

"No worries – back in two shakes."

He picked up his mug from the desk and disappeared into a tiny space off to the side of the office. I heard a kettle boil and the clinking of a spoon before he reappeared holding two steaming mugs, setting one down in front of me. I smiled my thanks and picked up the mug. It had a black logo on it for Hale Autos. No doubt bought from the donated stock.

"So… you're interested in working for us, Jasper. Tell me a little more about yourself after our chat yesterday."

I took a sip of my coffee.

"Okay, so I lived on the streets for several months after school ended. I got good grades though – I wasn't a slacker. Things just went wrong after that and I struggled to find my feet, but I found a place to stay and since then I've had little jobs here and there, nothing official or permanent. Just casual work like fetching and carrying, helping out, you know?" The lie hurt, no matter how I tried to gloss over my real 'career'. "I don't want to carry on like that. I want to achieve something with my life now. I want something respectable."

Emmett nodded, his dark eyes warm and genuine. I felt I could trust him; I'd had more than a little experience with making fast judgements about complete strangers and I was usually right.

"So what can you bring to a role at Goodwill? What are your talents?"

I took another swallow of coffee to gather myself.

"I'm reliable, I'm a hard worker, and I do what I'm told to do. I can think on my feet if there's a problem and I'm good with people. But more than that, I want to be here. I want to work, sir."

Emmett quirked an eyebrow.

"So if we needed you to cover an extra shift at short notice because someone went sick, you'd be able to do that? No regular commitments elsewhere?"

I tilted my head, not understanding what he was getting at.

"Sorry, I know it's personal, but in order to support our employees we do need to know if they need regular times free to attend any groups, or make regular check-in appointments for example, or just need regular health checks with a physician due to health conditions. I'm not prying."

Oh. Does he think I've got an addiction?

I knew I looked pale, but the thought that I might look like a junkie made my heart sink. This wasn't going how I had hoped.

"I could take extra shifts, yes, sir. In the spirit of honesty, I have had pleurisy recently. I'm recovering well, but I have been told not to do anything too strenuous for a while so as to not aggravate my chest. If that's a problem then I understand. Other than that, I've always been pretty healthy. Hungry a lot of the time, but healthy."

Emmett stretched his arms out on the desk, elbows bent, hands loosely clasping his coffee mug.

"I'm glad to hear that. Believe me, we're used to hearing stories like yours, Jasper, and we pride ourselves on helping those who've had a rough start and who want to better themselves. So tell me – what would you like to get out of working for us?"

I licked my lip, feeling tongue-tied. My accent thickened a touch when nerves kicked in, my words slower.

"Well, I'd like to feel part of something, to belong. I would get to do a job where I help people like myself, folks who don't have a lot, and I would like that very much. After reading the literature you gave me, I realised that I'd also like to learn some more, especially things like computers. I don't have any knowledge of those at all and it puts me at a disadvantage. I want to be someone and to make my partner proud. He works hard for very little and I need to do my share now that I'm recovering. Plus, a regular salary would help us save up towards finding a nicer place to live. That's the truth of it. We live small lives with small dreams, but they're ours."

I felt hot and embarrassed, having said more than I intended. The truth had escaped when I allowed myself to think of Edward and what I wanted for the both of us. However, Emmett was nodding, seemingly happy with what I had said, and so I hoped I hadn't blown my chances by unintentionally revealing my sexual orientation. From what had happened to Edward at that soup kitchen, I knew it was a huge risk.

"Okay, Jasper, so I have some forms for you to complete and a basic numeracy test to see how you do. Nothing too demanding, so don't worry."

He flipped open a folder and pulled out a few sheets of paper before opening a desk drawer and pulling out a clipboard, placing them before me along with a black pen.

"I'm going to go and see how the staff are doing. I'll leave you in peace to fill these out for me. If you have any questions, skip on and we'll go over them when I come back. Okay?"

I nodded, my lips pressed together in a bloodless line.

I could do this.

"Great. I'll leave you to it." With a cheerful grin that lit up his face, he took his coffee and left the room, the door closing quietly.

I let out a long, slow breath and took the first of the forms, clipping it to the board. It wanted basic details like date of birth and address, plus contact details. Fishing the cell number out of my pocket, I sent a silent thank you to Edward for his foresight. It also wanted education information which I could complete honestly, which was more than could be said for my previous employment. I wrote in 'casual work' and left it there. The form said they were an Equal Opportunities Employer. I didn't know how being a hustler fitted into that philosophy and I was too ashamed to ask for fear of their rejection and judgement. I couldn't imagine it would sit well with most people. On the other hand, it meant I was starting out with a lie, a lie that could come back to haunt me at any moment.

The second form was asking similar questions to what Emmett had already asked me, and I thought carefully before I wrote my answers because these ones would be kept on file for others to potentially see.

Then I saw the questions about my history:

'Have you ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanour or agreed to a court settlement for a lesser crime after being charged with a felony? If yes, please explain and provide dates.'

'Are you undergoing treatment for any type of substance abuse? If so, please give details of the treatment programme.'

'Do you have any medical conditions that may impact your ability to carry out your duties with or without reasonable accommodation? If yes, please explain.'

I was grateful that I had nothing to declare, feeling relieved that I could check the 'No' boxes. During my time as a hustler I had never been arrested.

The math questions were reasonably easy. Having supported myself for so long, I could do basic calculations in my head without issue. The rest came back to me when I scribbled my workings on the back of the page, simple multiplication and percentage mostly. Emmett hadn't returned by the time I was finished and so I read through all my work again, adding a sentence here and there to the interview sheet, hoping against hope that I was what they were looking for. I didn't mention Edward or my relationship at all, but indicated that I needed a reliable job that could allow me to progress further and make something of myself, to improve my own way of life.

I drained the last of my coffee and set the mug down, taking the opportunity to have a glance around the small office. I saw a framed picture of Emmett with a blonde woman in overalls, both of them raising a thumbs up to the camera. They looked happy, and I smiled at the image. This Emmett McCarty seemed like a genuine guy and I looked forward to possibly working for him.

Just then, the door opened and Emmett poked his head in.

"How are you doing? All done?" Seeing my neat stack of papers, he grinned. "Good good! Now if you'd like to come with me, I'll give you a tour of what we do here."

I bobbed my head in agreement, and followed him back out into the store. He motioned to the rear doors.

"Bulky deliveries come through here, all your basic furniture items. Then, everything comes out to the back room here." He pushed open the double doors to the rear of the store and I saw a large room full of stock and a small group of people going through bags of donations. "Here it's sorted, quality checked and priced. Anything broken or unusable is sent to recycling wherever possible. We hate waste. As you can imagine, this is an important step and these guys are doing an excellent job." He pointed to a large tray of coffees and pastries off to the side. "Bribery helps, I find."

He winked at me, laughter coming from the workers.

Leading me out, he then showed me around the main store, pointing out how the coloured tag system worked, how stock was rotated, and how they kept the store tidy at all times, making sure that goods weren't lying on the floor, blocking walkways and getting trodden on. He explained to me that this was a superstore whereas they had smaller stores in other towns. This one was a flagship store in Chicago and employed a lot of staff.

He pointed to the checkout desk and the girl expertly ringing up the items coming through.

"One thing we don't allow is for employees to ring up their own purchases. Those must always be rung up by a colleague and the discount applied. What the others tend to do is take any items they want off sale and place them in the break room. Then at the end of your shift, any items you have can be rung through by the next member of staff before you leave."

I nodded, liking the sound of that.

"To be honest, I was expecting you to say that the manager has to do all staff purchases."

He grinned. "Each till operator has their own code so we know who rings each item through. That way we can track all the staff discount codes input."

"Okay. I get that. I can't deny that the thought of getting a discount is quite exciting. I got my new coat and boots here just yesterday and they've already made a huge difference in this weather."

He looked down at my feet.

"Nice boots! We get some real nice items through here and it pays to keep your eyes peeled if there's anything you need. Now, let's go back to my office and check over those forms."

I stiffened, nervous again, but bobbed my head and followed him back in.

He read through my responses, checking every box was answered. It wasn't until he reached my employment details that he paused.

"Is there no other information we can fill in here? No one who could give a recommendation on your behalf?" He was smiling until he saw my face fall. "I understand if there's not, it's just that you haven't been in jail or in any trouble, and so I would usually see something here."

I felt myself on a great precipice, unsure whether to step back down or fling myself off the ledge.

Truth or lie?

My fingers made a fist under the table, gripping so tight they ached.

"I… I… supported myself as best I could when I lived alone. I made what little money I could honestly, but the truth is, I can't provide you with references because I didn't ask anyone's names. The… transactions… were anonymous."

I felt myself collapse inward, my cheeks burning in my pale face. It was one thing to admit it to the doctor so she could help me, but to have to sit and tell a potential employer in so many words was the most humiliating and shaming experience of my life. In that moment I wanted nothing more than to feel Edward's comforting arms around me. I lifted my head to face Emmett, trying to be strong.

"If this means you can't employ me then I thank you for your time." I made to leave, but Emmett spoke, his tone kind.

"I can't imagine how you stayed so strong. This doesn't affect your application, Jasper. Your record is clean and so there is no paper trail to show how you supported yourself. Therefore in my mind no-one needs to know. It's just between you and me."

I looked up in surprise, seeing no judgment on his face. I frowned, trying to understand.

"Are you saying that you will consider me for the job?" I needed to be sure in my own mind.

He slid the forms into his folder and closed it, his hand splayed atop it.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. I have a few more applicants to see, but I have your number and once I've made a decision I'll ring you."

He stood up and offered his hand. In a daze, I shook it.

"Thank you, sir. You have no idea what that means."

Walking round his desk to the door, he turned to me.

"I'll speak to you soon, Jasper. Take it easy out there."

I nodded, fastening my coat. When I left the store it didn't seem so cold, or maybe I was just excited to see Edward to tell him all about it.

~o.O.o~

A/N: The sharp-eyed among you may have noticed one tiny thing that contradicts a mention made in the first chapter. At that time this was a one shot and so the mention was irrelevant. It was only later that I realised a substitution was needed for the continuation of the story. If you have no idea what I'm referring to then there's no need to be concerned!