*Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

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Where the Lines Overlap

Season 1 - Stuck on You

I want a piece of you

Our legs were touching from thighs to knees. My right hand was itching to stretch and touch his left one which was flattened on the floor behind him, less than an inch from mine.

We were sitting on the border of the pool, our calves immersed in the warm water, while Bella was accommodated between my open legs with her arms folded over my thighs. I was laughing and enjoying our time together but I was less than half aware of the conversation. More than 80% of my attention was actually directed to the sensation of Edward's body heat reaching me.

I wanted so much to touch him, really touch him, that I was aching.

Every few minutes I had to take a deep breath or sigh just to calm down my heart rate a little and be able to control the urge.

The guilt and confusion I felt at the beginning were almost gone. I was starting to allow the idea of wanting a guy, better yet, Edward, in a romantic, physical way even, to settle in my mind.

It was amazing how realizing and accepting my new feelings for him was making me completely conscious of every single sensation he provoked in me. Everything seemed heightened, stronger, clearer, and more obvious. And it all also deeply distracted me from everything around.

Unexpectedly his laugh flooded my ears... his deep strong voice getting into my system and pulling me back to the present moment.

"She's not really my type." He said, still laughing. "Too eager."

Fucking shit! They are talking about some girl? What the hell did I miss?

Suddenly I was angry and nervous. I was jealous again.

The worst part was that I couldn't interrupt and ask who they were talking about. If I did so I would have to explain why I hadn't been listening, to begin with...

"And what's your type, E?" Bella asked with a raised brow, and I thanked her in silence for her curiosity.

Maybe he would give more details than she was asking for and I would have a clue about it.

"It must be a really peculiar one, cuz you've been alone for some time… You haven't dated since Angela. It's been what? Two years?"

I looked at Edward, trying to control my anxiety at the same time I realized that Bella was right. It'd been a while since Edward even talked about a girl.

But why were they discussing girls and dating? What brought that up?

He laughed lightly, looking away from Bella and me as if he was thinking.

"Guess it is peculiar enough…" He sounded like it was a private joke or a secret of sorts, and my heart skipped a beat. "Why are you counting, by the way?" He looked at her with an inquisitive but amused look, and they both laughed.

"You didn't answer my question." She insisted and glanced at me. "Do you know?"

I stared at her skeptically.

If I knew? Of course I knew Edward's type. How would I not? I was his best friend, we used to talk about girls all the time…

But as it had just dawned on me, We hadn't talked about anyone since… Since Angela.

Anyway, I was too distressed to participate properly in that discussion. I didn't know if Bella could tell I was forcing myself to look normal. I knew I felt like crap because they were talking about something that went completely against what I (vainly, I knew well) wanted from Edward. That's why I couldn't trust my voice, so I just shrugged and looked randomly ahead, my sight unfocused.

"Gracious..." He finally answered with a heavy exhale. "Sweet, gentle… innocent." His tone sounded heavy to me as he concluded as if it was hard for him to say all that.

His words made my head spin. That didn't make any sense.

As far as I knew he liked strong, confident, and exuberant women. Like Kate, his first girl, or Angela, the only girl he had fallen in love with.

I glanced at Bella, gauging her physical response to see if I could grasp his reaction through hers without having to look at him. She was staring at him with a knowing look I didn't quite comprehend and that provoked more discomfort in me.

"So you like the vulnerable ones." She stated with a pensive expression.

"More like… vulnerable one." He mumbled that to himself but I heard it.

And so did Bella.

"Oh!" She uttered.

Something inside me revolved. I felt nauseous, my stomach churning.

I'd been nervous before because they were discussing a girl who apparently wasn't Edward's type. Right then I was all over the place.

His correction left no room for doubts. There was someone, and it wasn't someone random. He had a very specific person in his mind, I could tell.

My hands became fists without my conscious permission, and I had to take a deep breath in to maintain my facade.

I couldn't believe that. He was interested in a girl and I didn't know. Why hadn't he said anything to me? He'd always told me this kind of stuff, everything actually, so what was different? Since when had this been happening?

I couldn't understand why he would keep such a secret from me.

"That's a very specific type, E…" Bella continued suggestively.

I knew her well enough to recognize the tone of voice she was using. She was fishing for something… and I was fucking afraid of what she would get as a response.

I was completely terrified by the strong perspective of Edward being into some girl.

"I can assume you haven't taken matters into your hands… or have you?"

I would've laughed at Bella's clever throwback if the whole thing weren't disturbing me so deeply.

"I can't." He said calmly. "It's… complicated."

Our eyes met just as I involuntarily glanced at him.

My heart and stomach sank with the suspicion that popped up in my mind.

I turned my face to Bella.

"Why's that?" She inquired while staring at him with her eyebrows furrowed.

I felt him move a bit away from me and gnawed my bottom lip in a vain attempt of holding back the hurt.

"It can be… troublesome." He said in a somber voice after a sigh.

It was blatantly clear to me he was into someone. And the fuckedup part was that I had a very strong feeling about who the person was…

I looked down, barely holding on. The feeling of betrayal mixed with the fear of losing him, the jealousy, and the confusion, choked me and strangled my heart in a way I couldn't breathe.

I needed to get out of there…

"Hey, gorgeous!" An utterly familiar voice sounded too close to me, making me glance involuntarily to his side once again.

Creamy white arms were around Edward's neck while large blond curls fell over his shoulders.

He smiled and looked at Bella pointedly and she winked at him.

"Hey, big bro." Rosalie greeted me, still all over Edward.

It was her…

"I need… some water." I mumbled as I stood up slowly, trying not to call attention to myself, containing the inexplicable disappointment that overwhelmed me. "Hi, sis." I greeted her back, hiding the hurt behind a weak smile.

It was her. That's why he hadn't said anything to me, that's why it was complicated and could be troublesome.

I walked slowly to Esme's garden, one of my favorite places in the Cullen's property, thanking the universe that nobody noticed anything.

From afar I spotted the swing… I loved that swing. It brought so many memories of my childhood, my friendship with Edward, all the sunny afternoons we'd spent below that Oak tree, playing, talking, lying on the dry leaves, looking at the green ones above us…

It used to be our spot when we were children… We used to hang out there every day after school. Until we found the lake, it had been there we would spend hours doing nothing together.

I sat on the swing bench, breathing slowly, deeply, trying to catenate the million thoughts that were populating my mind.

I wanted Edward… But how?

I knew, I had accepted, I was into him, I felt something more than friendship, I was physically and emotionally attracted to him. But did I really want or even hope to have something with him?

I mean… If I had a chance. It was pretty utopic, I knew… But If I had one… Would I grab it?

I knew Edward was straight. I knew I was straight. But that had not impeded my infatuation. Maybe…

Oh, come on, Jasper! You cannot be so stupid!

I didn't know what to do…

I could feel that it wasn't a simple crush… it was something in development… something that was maturing, that had been maturing for a while, actually… until I was able to notice it and, maybe in a near future, assimilate it completely.

But what would I do about that?

It was so damn complicated… Edward was the only one I would go to, the only one I would confide a secret of that magnitude… But I couldn't tell him.

He couldn't know… he wouldn't understand… and I would lose him.

And to top the whole shit off, he was into my sister

"What was that all about?" Bella's voice came from behind me.

I turned to her, forcing a smile.

"What was what?" I asked, playing dumb.

Bella smiled and shook her head. Then she came to me slowly, looking suspiciously at me. She stopped right in front of me, raised her brows, and glanced, first to my lap, then to my face.

"Can I?"

I nodded, patting my thighs. She sat on my lap and circled my neck with her slim arms. We pecked each other's lips and smiled.

"Come on, player! Swing us!" She demanded playfully.

I laughed and started to swing, immediately distracted by Bella's exuberance.

It was so easy to feel comfortable around her… as it had been easy crushing on her.

The memories from the time I was into her came rushing back to me. And I realized that those feelings I once had for her, even though they'd been far weaker, were somewhat similar to those I felt towards Edward.

I took a moment to gauge what I felt for her then, especially in such proximity. I just wanted to compare and make sure how deeply infatuated with my male best friend I was.

I looked at her gorgeous sweet face, paying attention to the way her body fit easily into mine, noticing carefully her soft aroma.

Bella was beautiful. Her waist-long reddish brown hair was shiny and sensual with its subtle waves. Her chocolate brown eyes were mysterious and enticing. Her rosy full lips and pale skin made her look like a porcelain doll, but her gorgeous body attested she was not.

There they were in front of me, all the elements that once made me momentarily crazy about her, adorned by only a very short dress that was transparent enough for me to distinguish the small bikini she was wearing under it.

And I didn't feel even the slightest attraction.

There was the comfort and familiarity, the tremendous sense of loyalty and the sweet tenderness I'd always felt for her. There was the trust, the profound admiration, the complicity.

Besides those, even though I still thought Bella was one of the most beautiful girls I knew, that she was also attractive and interesting, I couldn't picture myself having something with her.

There was no desire. There was no urge. There was no cold feeling in the pit of my stomach or sweat in my hands, like there had been whenever Edward was around me lately.

"What are you thinking so hard, Jay?" She asked me in a whisper, her eyes fierce on mine.

I blushed, of course. But I wasn't lying to her.

"All the feelings I had for you have changed." I confessed with a smile. "I was just assimilating that."

"That's good." She smiled broadly. "You know I love you, but we'll never be carnal." She winked.

I laughed.

"Yeah. I got that the first time you dismissed me."

We laughed a little more, she kissed my cheek and I kissed hers.

"Well, don't feel bad." She spoke playfully. "If I had never met the big guy, I'd probably be with you. You're the next best thing."

"Gee, thanks. I guess." I laughed.

"Ouch!" She mumbled and started blinking her left eye repeatedly.

"What?" I asked urgently, stopping the swing by dragging my feet on the ground.

"Something got into my eye." She freed one of her hands and tried to rub her eye.

I held her hand with one of mine and with the other one brought her face closer.

"Let me see."

She had a speck in her eye. I was just flushing it out with a light blow when I heard his voice coming from someplace behind us.

"Hey, I've been looking for you guys, why are you he…?"

I was just ensuring Bella's eye was OK as he came into view, his words abruptly cut off. We both turned our faces to him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

Bella smiled naturally, her hand sliding calmly from my shoulder to her lap, as I got my hand away from her face slowly. "You're not interrupting." She said to him and then looked at me. "Thanks, dear."

She kissed my forehead and stood up. I mimicked her movement.

Edward looked strangely rigid, although his face was placid as always.

"My father wants to talk to you." He said to me in an odd flat tone. " It's something about your application for pre-med…"

I held off my sudden discomfort and spoke as normally as I could. "Okay. He's inside?"

Edward simply nodded, then soon after looking from me to Bella, he turned and left.

I turned to her, feeling a tad weird, and was surprised to notice the frown she was sporting.

"Uhm." She uttered, staring at Edward's back.

I shook my head subtly, trying to push away the confusion.

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"Thanks, Carlisle. I really appreciate what you're doing for me." I said in a grateful tone, shaking his hand.

"You don't have to thank me, son. I did nothing much." He said in a warm tone, very similar to Edward's. "I worry about you as I worry about Edward. You know you're like a son to me, Jasper. It's my duty to guide you."

I smiled, and he smiled back, the smile that Edward had inherited.

"So, don't forget to give the documents to Edward before Tuesday, okay? I'll hand them over to the university and your application will be through. But remember you'll only be able to start by the second semester of your sophomore year. "

"So I'll have to wait a year and a half to join the program…" He nodded. "Only because my grades weren't good enough…" I mumbled.

"Well, yeah." He agreed. "You knew there would be lots of applicants. Pre-med is a very competitive program, especially in an Ivy League university."

"I know. I should be grateful to have had the chance of going to Brown. I was lucky."

Carlisle held both my shoulders and looked seriously into my eyes.

"Hey, it was no luck. You got the scholarship because you deserved it. You didn't get in because of your grades, which are not that bad, I may add. But it's no shame to get into a university through the athletic path. You've been intelligent enough to use this opportunity in favor of what you really want. It doesn't matter how you got there, Jasper. The important thing is that you're in and what you'll do with such an opportunity. Don't you forget it."

I smiled. It was all I could do while I assimilated his point of view about how I got accepted into Brown.

Such a huge difference from Jasper Senior…

Carlisle wasn't my father, but he went through all the trouble of becoming my proxy just to be able to deal with the documents, registrations, and applications related to my entry into the university. And I didn't have to ask, he offered to help me at the moment he knew I was in.

My father didn't even ask about the documents I needed. Even the apartment rent procedures were dealt with by Carlisle, who was the one that went to my house and talked to my parents. Jasper Senior was paying half of the bill, and his name was in the contract, together with Carlisle's, but that was all.

Besides that, Carlisle believed in me. So much so that he'd never hesitated in helping me get my pre-med application through. As a matter of fact, he did everything in his power to get me into the program.

"Don't worry too much, Jay. You'll be able to take some of the pre-med courses during freshman year. And then, once you join the program, you'll be a little ahead of your colleagues." Carlisle assured me.

I nodded, accepting that the situation was better than it could have been, considering my not-so-good background.

"What about Edward? Is everything forwarded for his application?" I asked just to confirm. I knew he would be among the first ones (if he wasn't the very first) to get into the program.

"He'll be starting a little sooner than you, next semester."

I smiled. I was happy for him. I wanted to be there with him since the beginning but… What could I do?

"Thanks again, Carlisle. You won't regret helping me." I promised.

"I know, son. I know."

I left soon after, coming back to the pool.

Edward was nowhere to be seen. Neither was my sister.

I looked around for Bella, but she wasn't there either, and felt unquiet. So I sat beside the big guy and Jacob.

"Hey, guys. Where's Edward?"

"He went out with Bella and Rose." Jacob provided simply.

"They went to the gas station to buy some more ice." Emmett added.

I sighed. That was such a minor, normal thing. But I felt immediately uncomfortable, nevertheless.

He would always wait for me to go with him, it didn't matter where or what for, but that wasn't the only reason I felt anxious… there was also the fact that he took Rose with him.

"So, is everything cool for the journey?" The big guy asked, mentioning our move to Rhode Island and, thankfully, pulling me out of my own head.

"Yep, everything's cool." I answered with little enthusiasm. "What about you? Have you sent your documents, yet?" I asked for good measure. I needed the distraction.

"My father took care of them last month. All is done…" He affirmed with a wide grin.

"What about NYU, Jake?"

"Everything is settled." He assured with a wink.

"Bad thing we'll all be miles away from each other, huh?" Emmett commented in a downhearted tone.

"Yeah." I frowned. "But you'll go to Providence to visit us, won't you?"

"For sure." Jake confirmed.

"As soon as I can." Emm added.

"And we'll all be here for the holidays." I said smiling.

"Well, I'll miss you guys. But, unfortunately, I couldn't make it to an Ivy League or New York." Emmett teased.

"You could have if you'd wanted to." I retorted jokingly. "But Washington university is also great."

"I know, and I'll be close to home."

"And Bella will be there…" Jacob hinted.

Emmett looked down instantly, scratching his nose.

"Yeah, she told me." He replied in what seemed an indifferent tone, but I knew him better than that.

Jacob and I shared a knowing look and smirk.

"How long till you guys go?" Emm asked, clearly changing back the subject. " Ed told me he's going there on Wednesday with his father but never mentioned the move."

"We're waiting for the rental liberation. I'm not sure, but I think someday in the middle of next month."

"So, six weeks…" Jacob mused. "We must have a send-off!"

Emmett nodded enthusiastically.

I laughed. Emm and Jake were always up for parties. Actually, that was theirs and Edward's thing. They were true party boys.

"Let's do it. But wait till the last moment, okay? Like, the day before our departure." I suggested.

"Done." Jake and Emm stated in unison and I chuckled.

They held up their fists so I would bump them with mine.

We kept talking for nearly an hour and I kinda enjoyed listening to Emmett and Jacob discussing all the preparations and where and how the party would take place.

I wasn't truly into that, though. My mind was far away… wherever Edward was and why he was taking so long to come back.

At some point, the conversation died out. Jacob stretched out on one of the chaise longues, Emmet went into the pool and started swimming, and I got deeply lost in my thoughts. I never saw him coming.

I just felt the weight on my back, and then the push, and suddenly I was diving into the warm water.

I emerged laughing, ready to get back at him.

"I'll kill you, Cullen." I warned as we looked at each other in the middle of the pool.

I had to take a deep breath to contain my amazement as I took in the image before me. It wasn't common for me to notice his body, least of all feeling strangely affected by it, but I guessed I was entitled to since I was admittedly into him.

"Oh, yeah? I'd like to see you try." He defied me, moving backward a little while shaking his hair with his hands, his perfect crooked smile shining as much as the blue in his glowing eyes. "What are you waiting for? Come and get me… If you can." He challenged me and dived, swimming to the other border as fast as he could.

The smile I was sporting till then faded in my sigh.

I do want to get you… I just don't know if it's possible.

I shook my head and I swam after him.

Every Time I emerged he was under the water, swimming to the opposite border. I was an athlete, I was a basketball player and I worked out every weekday for three hours. But Edward had always been faster than me when it came to swimming. I could only beat him if we were on a court even though I was shorter than him.

So I stopped. I looked around and noticed that everybody else was at the major table on the porch, eating, drinking, and talking, totally engrossed. They were completely unaware of us. We were alone. No one around a radio of at least 20 meters.

A cold feeling spread in my stomach… just as I felt Edward's hands on my ankles.

I dived again. This time pulled into the water by him. We emerged soon after, so close to each other that I had to take a step back. Our chests were almost touching.

He seemed nonchalant as ever.

"Tired already?" He asked with a raised brow, mischief glinting in his greyish-blue eyes.

I laughed nervously.

"You know I can't beat you in the water."

"You're a far better athlete than I am, though." He stated and stepped back too, enlarging the distance between us. "You okay?" His gaze was suddenly tender, worried.

I knew he was asking about earlier, about my father-induced meltdown, but his question also brought up the discomfort I was feeling while he was away.

I wanted to ask why he hadn't waited for me, why he took Rose with him, and why he took so long to come back, but I was afraid of exposing myself. So I just sighed and nodded.

"I feel better." I lied. "I'm pretty hungry, though." I added it just to temporize.

Edward chuckled.

"Then let's go grab a bite, my friend." He offered.

We smiled at each other and he bumped my shoulder with his. We got out of the pool and joined our friends, even though deep down inside me, I would have enjoyed spending more time alone with him.

A boy could dream…