A/N" Twilight is the property of Stephanie Meyer. Anya Simms is all my own.


Chapter 16: The Car Ride

APOV

Sun Jan 16/05 afternoon

Right, I'm alone in my car again with the vampire who can snap my neck before I could say boo. But I didn't give a shit. We just skedaddled out of there, no destination in mind.

Now I've had some intense "let's meet the family" lunches before but this one was by far the strangest, most amusing and at times downright annoying one I had to date. And while I had briefly contemplated to stay and continue on with more rounds of questions and more uncertainty of what I could or should say, I just snapped and thought screw it.

Plus, I ran out of sake.

Let's blow this popsicle stand indeed. To say I was relieved that Jasper was agreeable is a bit of an understatement given I really had no idea how I would have been able to get home, walk I suppose.

Jasper's hands were steady on the wheel, his gaze focused on the road ahead, but I could tell he was curious. He wasn't pushing, though, which I appreciated. After the barrage of questions back at the house, the last thing I wanted was another interrogation. Although maybe he was messing with my emotions, and I was being driven to my death.

But what the hell, just lean into it. I was staring out the window as the trees blurred past, my mind drifting. I truly had nothing to lose here, so why not start in with the burning question, "So," I finally asked, breaking the silence, "does Edward ever, I don't know, turn it off?"

Jasper glanced at me, one corner of his mouth twitching up in what might have been the start of a smile. "You mean the brooding? The intensity?"

"Yeah, that," I said with a sigh, rolling my eyes at the memory of Edward's scowl. "It's like he's permanently stuck in this 'I'm so tortured' mode. I mean, I get it, you've got a lot going on, but come on. It's exhausting."

Jasper chuckled softly, a sound that was more felt than heard. "He's always been that way, even before... well, before you showed up. It's just who he is."

"That doesn't make it any less annoying," I muttered, massaging my thumbs against my temples, eyes closed as I tried to centre myself. "The guy needs to lighten up. It's like he's carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and refuses to let anyone else help."

I paused, dropping my hands back into my lap, feeling a familiar frustration bubble up. "Sacrament! the tweens lap it up! Seriously, everywhere you look, young girls have their noses buried in those books, wishing they were the object of the mind reader's obsession."

I shuddered, the thought of it making my skin crawl. It wasn't just the idea of Edward's brooding intensity that bothered me—it was how it seemed to be idolized, romanticized by so many.

Jasper's eyes flicked over to me; curiosity piqued. "What do you mean?" he asked, his tone careful, as if he was trying to understand without prying. Or maybe he was messing with my emotions. It didn't feel like it but if he was that good, would I be able to tell the difference? I did remember the calm he dosed me with last night, so maybe he was being nice to the human?

I let out a sigh, knowing I'd probably said too much but also too irritated to care. Yeah, he can't be messing with me if I feel irritated. "It's just... it's weird. In my world, girls are obsessed with this idea of a guy like Edward—broody, overprotective, intense to the point of being controlling. They see it as romantic, like he's so in love he can't help himself, but..."

I shook my head, trying to find the right words. "But it's not healthy. It's suffocating. And the fact that so many girls are drawn to that... it's nauseating."

Jasper was silent for a moment, processing what I'd said. I could feel the subtle shift in his emotions, a mix of understanding and something else—maybe concern. Is this him emoting? Interesting sensation to feel another's emotions. "You think it's harmful," he said, more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah," I admitted, my voice softening. "It's like they're being fed this idea that love means losing yourself in someone else. That being obsessed with someone is the same as loving them. And that's not... that's not how it should be."

Jasper's eyes widened slightly, and he glanced over at me, genuinely surprised. "Edward falls in love?!" His tone was laced with disbelief, like he couldn't quite wrap his head around the idea.

"Merde," I muttered under my breath, realizing I'd let that slip.

Jasper raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement creeping into his expression. "So, Edward, of all people, ends up falling in love? Are we sure we're talking about the same guy here?"

I sighed, feeling the weight of my slip-up. "Yeah, well... it's complicated. And it's not exactly the kind of love story you'd expect."

He didn't press me for more details, but I could feel his curiosity, as if he were trying to figure out who Edward falls in love with. Or if the tortured brood is even capable of love. I kept my eyes on the road ahead, trying to decide how much to say without giving too much away.

Jasper glanced over at me again, still looking slightly incredulous. "I mean, Edward's always been... reserved, to put it mildly. The idea of him falling in love with anyone... it's hard to imagine."

"Tell me about it," I muttered, half to myself. "But it happens... or at least it should be happening. Instead, well..." I trailed off, the words hanging in the air between us. I let out another frustrated sigh, feeling the weight of it all pressing down on me. "Instead, the mind reader is obsessed with me."

I noticed Jasper's grip on the steering wheel tighten ever so slightly, but his eyes stayed focused on the road. "Obsessed?" How long does it take for a vampire to know how much pressure to apply to a steering wheel before it's crushed?

"Yeah." I exasperated. I was tired of dancing around the truth, tired of the whole damn situation. "Tell me something, Jasper... you were asked to keep him away from me, weren't you? The whole Heathcliff comparison is true, isn't it?"

Jasper didn't respond right away, and I could practically feel him weighing his words. Finally, he said, "Edward can be... intense. But I wouldn't say obsessed."

I rolled my eyes and turned to face him more fully. "Wow. You really are a special kind of stupid, aren't you? I mean, that's what I said to your entire family back there, right?"

He blinked, clearly taken aback by my bluntness. But there was no denying it—Edward's behaviour was beyond intense. It was suffocating. And now, here we were, driving away from a house full of vampires, with the one person who was supposed to be keeping the broodiest of them all at bay.

I leaned back in my seat, letting out another sigh. "Look, Jasper, I don't know how much clearer I can make this. Edward's fixation on me? It's not healthy. And it's certainly not what's supposed to happen."

Jasper was quiet, processing what I'd just said. The silence stretched between us, before he finally spoke, "Alright," he said, his voice measured. "So, what's supposed to happen, then?"

I stared out the window, watching the trees blur by. What was supposed to happen? That was the million-dollar question, wasn't it?

"I don't know," I admitted, my voice softer now. "But it sure as hell isn't this." After a pause I couldn't stop the confession from leaving my lips, "Although, I admit, I have enjoyed messing with him."

Jasper's lips twitched in the faintest hint of a smile. "Messing with him, huh?"

Oh, in for a penny in for a pound as they say. What the hell, just lean into it.

"Absolutely," I replied, a mischievous glint in my eyes as I thought back on all the ridiculous stunts I'd pulled over the last couple of weeks. "Tell me, which part annoyed him the most? The singing or the wink?"

Jasper seemed to relax a little. I could tell he appreciated that he could talk somewhat openly with me—this human who knew his secret but wasn't making a big deal out of it. With a hint of a grin, he drawled, "Oh, darlin', it was the wink!"

I laughed. "Figures. He's so serious all the time, I knew that would needle him." Damn that drawl!

Clearly enjoying the banter, Jasper nodded, "Oh, I'd say needling him is an understatement. My brother isn't used to being off his game, and you, well you've got him benched."

"Well, good," I said, a playful edge to my voice. "If he's going to be all intense and broody around me, I might as well have some fun with it."

"I confess I have enjoyed the fall out of your fun." Jasper chuckled.

The playful mood lingered for a moment, but then I sobered, a more serious thought creeping into my mind. I hesitated, then decided to just say it. "You know, your creator gave you the short shrift."

Jasper glanced at me, curiosity in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

I sighed, choosing my words carefully. "My book club debated it at length. You should have been the lead, not the backup."

He didn't respond right away, just kept his eyes on the road, processing what I'd said. I could see the flicker of surprise, maybe even a bit of uncertainty, in his expression.

"Me, the lead?" he finally said, his tone thoughtful. "Never thought of it that way."

I nodded, meeting his gaze when he glanced over. "You bring something to the table that goes beyond just... being there. You've got depth, history, a complexity that deserves more than just standing in background."

Jasper looked back at the road, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I've always been more comfortable in the background. But... thanks. It's good to know not everyone sees me as just a backup."

"Dude, stop selling yourself short," I said, shaking my head as my voice shifted from playful to frustrated. "You got what? All of two, maybe three pages of backstory? Meanwhile, we had to slog through chapters—chapters—of your broody brother's endless obsession."

I rolled my eyes and made a show of flipping an imaginary book, pantomiming skimming through pages as fast as I could. "Honestly, I ended up just skimming through those parts after a while. It was like, 'Oh, Edward's brooding again? Surprise, surprise.'" I threw my hands up in mock exasperation.

Jasper chuckled softly, but I could tell my words hit home. "Guess I never thought of it that way." He paused as trying to choose his words carefully before finally setting with, "My role in the family is to keep to myself and not draw attention."

"Yeah, well, it's a damn shame," I said, the frustration still bubbling up. "You had so much potential, so much more to offer than just being 'the backup.' But no, we got stuck with endless monologues about how tortured and conflicted Edward is. It's like the universe just missed the point."

Jasper's smile grew a bit, and he glanced at me again, his eyes lighter than before. "And what point did the universe miss?"

I grinned, and pointed at both of us, deadpanning. "Well, duh—that blondes have more fun."

Jasper laughed, a genuine, warm sound that filled the car. "Guess the universe really did drop the ball on that one."

"Big time," I replied, enjoying the rare lightness in his voice. "It's about damn time someone set the record straight."

Jasper's eyes brightened as he glanced at me again. "Glad it's you, then."