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Chapter 2: First Impressions with Jasper Whitlock
Two months had passed since I'd seen or heard from Edward. Two months that I actually internally pined for someone I really didn't know, and that made me feel fucking pathetic. I knew what it was supposed to be inside my mind, just a one-night stand, but my heart refused to let go of the fact that it was more than that.
It was now the end of October, and the autumn leaves were scattered among yards and streets, painting a picturesque scenic view, but the cold of winter was settling in early. It was kind of like the unwanted emptiness that creeps in after your happiness has been taken away. It seemed fall was just as empty as I was.
Life remained the same for the most part; dull and dreary. I hated my job just as much, maybe more, than I had those two months ago, but I was different - that one night changed me. I had experienced a connection unlike anything I'd ever experienced before, so I knew the possibility of sharing that with someone did exist, but my opportunity seemed to be long over, and I had no one to blame but myself.
I thought about him often. I wondering where he was, what he was doing, if he was okay and mostly just wondering if he was happy. I kept my distance from the magazines or searching him out on the internet, because I'm sure I could find something on him. I wanted him to be happy, but I wasn't sure I wouldn't feel some kind of jealousy or hurt if I knew he was with someone. I just clung to the idea of him taking that sabbatical he needed, and he was somewhere where he felt at peace.
One evening, while shopping, I let the curiosity in me win over, and I peeked at one of the many magazines that no doubt preyed on his life. Filming for Lost and Found Again, his film debut, was going to be ending soon, and he was supposed to be taking a couple months down time after. I only knew this because the cover stated so. I couldn't bring myself to open the magazine for fear of being sucked in, and I was not going to become one of those women that became addicted to knowing every move he made, and I certainly didn't want a reason to miss his touch more than I already did.
I sat at my desk, trying to manage all the endless piles of shit Mr. Volturi had assigned me to while Jess enjoyed lunch. It was originally supposed to be a fairly simple day because our company party was tonight, but today was no exception… at least for me. The company party was rescheduled, so here I sat sifting through the copious amounts of papers I'd researched for one of our cases, because no party meant work, work, work.
I was so engrossed in my own thoughts that I hadn't realized Satan, as I liked to refer to my boss, was standing before me with incessant drivel coming from his mouth. "Isabella, I don't pay you to sit there in LaLa land. I pay you to do the work that I require you to do. When I am speaking to you, I expect that you listen to me."
My eyes snapped up to his face, and I hadn't really realized until that moment that he did in fact have a melon head like Jess suggested. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."
He huffed. "You're right about that. I want that file within the hour."
He turned away from me, heading back toward his office. I immediately stood up, paper weight in hand, ready to just knock his ass out to put him out of my own fucking misery. Jess caught sight of me and shook her head vehemently. "Bella, he's just being himself. You know this. Don't let him get to you."
I sighed heavily. "You know, it's no wonder that man is single. Who could possibly live with him? You can't live with him, you can't work with him and you can't shoot him. It's illegal." Jess chuckled under her breath. "It's like his sole purpose in being born was to be a thorn in my ass. I must have really done something shitty in one of my past lives because I really believe this is hell."
Jess shook her head, laughing. "It seems to me like you need a night out. You don't do anything, but go home to your apartment anymore, Bella. I'm going to Jamison's tonight to see Breaking Twilight. They're a fairly new band but well known, sort of punk, and really good. Come with me."
"Oh, Jess, I don't know," I said hesitantly. "I don't even really care for that kind of music. I mean, it's not that I don't appreciate that particular artistic style, but I'm not really into the whole punk genre, and that's where you just classified them."
"You don't have to enjoy their music, I'm just asking as a means for you to get out of that stuffy apartment and actually have some fun. It would do you a world of good," she said.
"I hear more chatting than I do working!" Mr. Volturi yelled from his office.
I leaned over my desk and whispered, "I guess I better get back to work because the dark overlord of hell has spoken."
She suppressed her laughter and whispered back, "So you'll come, right?"
Her eyes pleaded with me, and truthfully, I hadn't been out in a long time. I'd only be going home to an empty apartment, sitting there in front of my television. It's not like I had anything better to fucking do with my time, so I nodded my acceptance and continued back to my research in preparation for the Mallory trial that was set for the following week.
Seven o'clock rolled around, and I'd already showered and dressed for the evening. I decided on a semi-grunge look. I wore a slim, low-slung short blue jean mini skirt that had a frayed hem, a very form-fitting black rocker shirt, and a black pair of dressy strap sandals.
I'd just put the finishing touches to my make-up when Jess and Rosalie knocked at the door. I filed out of the bathroom quickly to let them in.
Rose came in first, wearing a red dress mini that was practically painted on. She headed straight for my kitchen, opening up a cupboard. "What, no bon bons?" she asked.
"Good to see you too, Rose," I laughed.
Jess closed the door, chuckling. "Bella, you look great. I love the outfit, and it's about time I see you with your hair down. If I had long, naturally curly hair like yours, I'd leave it down more often."
She had obviously decided on a more chic look because she was wearing a lavender haltered mini. "Yeah, the waves can be a bitch to manage sometimes, but I was going for the grunge look, so it worked. I love the dress, by the way."
She did a little twirl before she spoke. "I've got to look good if I plan to snag my future ex-boyfriend tonight. You ready to go?"
"What about me?" We both glanced at Rose, who was now pouting. She'd managed to find my bon bons, though.
"You know you're hot, bitch, so quit the pouting," I teased.
She flipped me off then blew me a kiss.
I shook my head and laughed at her, then glanced back at Jess. "Yeah, I'm ready."
When we arrived at Jamison's, the band was set to play in forty minutes. I'd been to Jamison's a few times, and they were probably the best place to see some very talented up and coming bands before they hit the mainstream. I loved that about the place. They gave newcomers a chance to show their talent.
Jess, Rose and I shimmied our way through the crowd of people who had collected near the stage to find a seat at the bar. Luckily, there were three left and they were situated pretty damn close to the stage.
"Oh God," Jess squealed. "There's Jasper Whitlock. He's Breaking Twilight's lead singer."
"He's completely gorgeous is what he is," Rose added.
"That he is," Jess agreed.
I took a nice long look, watching the way he was setting up band equipment. He was definitely easy on the eyes.
Rose leaned in near my ear because we couldn't hear each other over the noise of the crowd. "What are you drinking? First round is on me."
I reciprocated her action and said, "Get me an Ice Bomb. I'm going to go to the ladies room. I'll be right back."
She nodded just as I got up from my seat. I asked Jess if she wanted to tag along, but she shook her head, already in a conversation with the male bartender.
I made my way to the ladies room, standing in the line for about fifteen minutes before it was my turn, and I just happened to be the last one in line. I finished up and washed my hands before heading to the door to go back to my seat at the bar, but when I turned the handle, the door was stuck.
"What the fuck!" I growled.
I was yanking on the door, twisting and turning the handle, but nothing was working. I noticed it stuck for the other girls, but I just assumed it would actually open for me like it had them. I was wrong.
I began to beat on the door and yell for someone, anyone to get me the fuck out of the bathroom. Of course, while being stuck in the bathroom, no one else needed in there. It was just my luck.
It was about ten minutes later when I saw the door handle jiggle from someone grasping it on the other side, then heard a male voice yell, "Hold on, it's stuck, but I'll help you out!"
"Thank you!" I yelled back. "I've been in this fucking bathroom waiting for at least ten minutes."
I could hear him laughing through the door.
Oh, yeah, this shit was really funny. He certainly wouldn't like it if he was the one stuck in here.
There was some shuffling against the door, and I assumed he was bracing his body against it. "Alright, I want you to pull from your end while I push. If we work together, then we should be able to open the door."
"Okay," I told him.
I grabbed the handle tightly and began pulling hard against the door. It started to loosen because the door was slowly opening with the force of his pushing against it and my pulling it. "It's working. A little more and I think we'll have it."
"Step off to the side," he hollered. "I think we have it loosened enough so that if I give it one good shove, it'll open."
I moved slightly off to the side and said, "Okay, I've moved."
Within seconds of my moving, I heard his body slam against the door, opening it with quite a force, but I didn't really have time to acknowledge the fact that the door was open before something cold and wet covered the upper part of my body.
I looked down toward my chest, seeing beads of liquid dripping from my shirt. My mouth dropped open. Not only had I had a shitty day at work, which was a usual, but I'd been locked in a damn bathroom for ten minutes, and the one person who decides to try to help me finishes off my fucking night by spilling his drink all over my chest.
"What the fu-" I started to say as I looked up. I immediately paused when my eyes fell on the person who had not only rescued me from an eternity in the shitter, but had also inducted me into the alcoholic version of a wet t-shirt contest. It was none other than Jasper Whitlock.
His eyes shifted from his near empty drink to my chest, then right up to my face, appearing completely mortified. "Shit, I… I'm so sorry."
My first thought was that most people put their drinks down when they run full speed at a closed door – I'm just saying - but it was obvious he felt like total shit, and thankfully, I wasn't wearing white, so I decided to say something to help lighten the situation. He did help me when he didn't have to.
I pushed through the embarrassment and smiled, teasingly saying, "Well, if you wanted to get me wet, you didn't have to spill your drink on me to do it."
He was wide-eyed momentarily, and then he literally burst into laughter, causing his words to come out in gasps. "I can't believe... I did that... but you're... you're very funny."
I chuckled as I watched him retreat into calm. "Well, it's not every day a girl can say that she got wet by Jasper Whitlock and not mean it the way it sounds. This would be, of course, after he rescued her from the evil bathroom that threatened to keep her locked away from the rest of the world."
"You have an interesting way with words, and your perception on situations is comical. You should do stand-up. I'm sure you'd make quite a killing," he teased.
"Says the man who likes to initiate women's chests with his drink," I teased back. "I'll leave the stage performing to you because it wasn't in the cards for me. I'm more of an observer now."
"That's too bad," he said, those words leaving an ache in my chest, reminding me of him. "And I realized how rude I am, well, besides throwing my drink on you. I never did tell you my name."
"I guess you initiating my chest with alcohol would require name exchanges."
He grinned. "I'm Jasper."
"And I'm Bella," I answered back, sticking my hand out to shake his. He shook my hand, laughing.
After he pulled his hand away, he glanced down at his watch. "Shit, I really have to go, but maybe I could buy you a drink afterward to apologize. I don't normally do that, but it's the least I can do. You'll be fine, right?" He pointed to my shirt as he asked.
I looked down to wear he'd pointed. "Oh, yeah, this is nothing. It's a little damp, and I smell like I bathed in a vat of alcohol, but it'll be fine. However, if anyone tries to drink me, I'm suing you."
He snickered. "I suppose I should have my lawyer on standby then, just in case." He glanced out the door toward the stage. "I really need to get my ass out there. I'll see you around, okay? Enjoy the show."
I propped the door open with the garbage pail, then headed over to the sink to try to blot out some of the alcohol so my shirt didn't appear too wet. The entire time l was doing so, I was laughing to myself. It was pretty much a wasted effort, but I managed to soak up some of the liquid on the paper towels.
As I was leaving, two women passed me into the bathroom, so I addressed them about the door. "Hey, I had a run-in with the door about fifteen minutes ago. I was stuck in here, so I'm not sure that you'd want to close it. I just thought I'd let you know."
"Oh, thanks," they both said in unison.
I made my way back to the bar, ready to bitch at Rose and Jess for not even bothering to look for me, when I noticed Rose was engaged in a nice game of tonsil hockey with bartender Emmett, who just happened to conveniently be here, and Jess was speaking to a gentleman seated in the seat that had been mine.
"Hey," Jess smiled. "You were gone for awhile so Eric was keeping your seat warm. Bella, this is Eric." I glanced briefly at him, smiling, then turned back to Jess. "We've been having an interesting conversation. By the way, what took you so long, and what happened to your shirt? It's really wet. Shit, Bella, you smell like you just doused yourself in liquor."
"Nothing at all, Jess," I replied sarcastically. "You should see what they have going on in those bathrooms. In one corner, they have 'meet a friend'. It's quite educational once you get past the broken door, and if you move to the other side, you can enter the wet t-shirt contest hosted by Jasper Whitlock. Only, they don't use water, they use alcohol. It's like protein for the skin. Who would have ever thought? You know me, I couldn't just stop at one, so I went for the whole shebang."
Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head, Eric became speechless, but Rose, on the other hand, was still eating Emmett's throat. "What? Are you serious? Since when do they do shit like that here?"
"Jess, I was being sarcastic," I told her. "The bathroom door was jammed, so I couldn't get out. I started yelling for someone to help, and someone definitely showed up. It happened to be Jasper Whitlock." I pointed toward the stage. "He opened the door, but managed to spill his drink on me in the process."
Her jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "Bella, did you just say that Jasper Whitlock helped you out of the ladies room and spilled his drink on you?"
I put my right finger against my temple, pretending to be in deep thought, then rolled my eyes at her. "Yeah, that's what I said."
"Do you realize you're wearing Jasper Whitlock's alcohol? How cool is that?" she squealed.
"Jess, I'm pretty sure it was Jamison's alcohol; Jasper was just drinking it. Besides, he seems pretty down to earth to me, so I don't think there's anything to get overly excited about," I answered back.
She almost appeared as if she'd combust with excitement… and possibly shock. "Wait, you talked to him?"
"Hold that thought," I told her. I leaned forward, tapping Rose on the shoulder, and said, "Come up for air before you choke on his esophagus." She, of course, did not.
I turned back toward Jess in time to see Eric getting up, already moving on to someone else because he was no longer the bane of Jess's attention. So I once again sat in the seat that had been mine, the one he had temporarily confiscated, and said, "Yes, I talked to him because he helped me. And since he spilt his drink on me, he offered to buy me a drink after the show to apologize."
"You accepted, right?" she asked.
"Well, I didn't exactly answer him. He didn't give me much of an opportunity," I explained. "He glanced at his watch and said he had to go. He told me he'd see me around and to enjoy the show."
"You're taking him up on that drink, even if I have to force you," she threatened.
I shrugged. "I don't know, Jess. I'm not sure if I'm ready to-"
Rose took a breather long enough to say, "You're definitely ready." before she was back to sucking Emmett's face off. Poor guy never had a chance, not that he really seemed as if he were complaining about that fact.
"She's right," Jess whispered, taking my hand. "It was just one night and-"
My chest constricted, so I looked over her shoulder for some kind of a distraction, because we'd been down this road before, and I wasn't in the mood for this conversation again. Luckily, the band was on stage and Jasper began giving an introduction in the mic.
"Look." I pointed behind her. "The band is starting. We'll talk about this later."
I did not, however, have the intention of discussing the conversation later.
They started off with something I obviously hadn't heard yet, but ended up really liking. It wasn't until halfway through the song that he spotted me. His eyes locked with mine, and he gave me a big smile as he continued to sing.
I smiled back, and it did not go unnoticed by Jess or the little dark haired girl beside Jasper, playing guitar. She did not appear to be happy with the exchange between us.
"Bella, he's eye fucking you right now."
"He was not," I scoffed.
Her eyebrows lifted and her face became very serious. "He was too."
"He wasn't," I added quickly, then changed the subject. "Who's the dark haired girl?"
"Oh, that's Alice Brandon. She's backup vocals and plays bass."
I took a drink of my Ice bomb. "I don't think she likes me."
"It's no secret she has a crush on Jasper," she laughed. "You can tell by the way she looks at him, or the way she constantly praises him. Plus, it was pretty obvious the eye sexing you two had going on."
I chose to ignore her by facing Rose, asking if she and Emmett were actually going to watch the band they paid to see, but she waved me off. I focused my attention on the concert, but I noticed that Jasper's eyes were indeed on me the majority of the time. It was almost as if we were the only two people in the room and he was singing directly to me.
After each song finished, I watched Jasper throw back a drink or two, and then commence with another song. It hadn't slipped my notice that he was becoming a bit looser as the evening progressed. Nor did it escape my notice that I wasn't getting the sweet smiles anymore. The glances I was now receiving weren't light and carefree, they were much darker, hungrier, and they were actually weighing on me.
There was something in the way he looked at me that made me uncomfortable, yet jumpstarted my heart at the same time. I wasn't sure if having a drink with him was a good idea because of it.
He took a brief break, heading in the back with the band, so I sat there, consuming drinks, trying to calm my nerves. If I were to leave and not accept the drink he offered, I'd be rude because of it. Though he'd spilled his drink on me, it was not done intentionally, and he was merely trying to be polite offering. But I felt like I was betraying…
What was my fucking problem, anyway? It's not like I had a boyfriend or significant other to go home to. It was one fucking drink, not a marriage proposal.
When they came from break, he searched me out again. I saw Alice watching him, her little body visibly tense. She didn't look at me, though. She took her place, getting ready to begin playing again.
By the time the concert was over, Jess had convinced me to at least have one drink with him. She told me there were no strings attached to that one drink, so I agreed to stay, knowing she was right.
Rose and Emmett left, obviously to get their fuck on, leaving me and Jess talking. I was by no means drunk, but I was feeling pretty good.
"Did you enjoy the concert?"
I turned my head to the left to look at him, and Jess nearly dropped her drink the moment she heard his voice. "Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed it."
He smiled, nodding his head as he glanced at my shirt. I, however, mistook it for him looking at my boobs until he spoke. "How's the shirt?"
I chuckled, pulling at the hem, and said, "It's all healed. No more war wounds."
A wide smile instantly crept upon his face. He really was good looking, and I almost forgot why I considered having a drink with him wasn't such a good idea. "Good, glad to hear it. So, are you still interested in that drink?"
I nodded. "Yeah, I could use another."
Jess practically flew up off her barstool, obviously not wanting to be a third wheel. "Here, Jasper, take this seat. I was going to go mingle, anyway. It was an awesome show, and it was so good to meet you, even though we technically didn't meet. I'm Jess, by the way. You two kids enjoy each other."
I watched her practically run away. He stared after her, then faced me, staring at me curiously. I shrugged my shoulders and said, "That's due to an adverse effect of Trimspa. You get used to it."
He laughed. "So, Darlin', what are you having to drink? Remember, I'm buying."
I admit, he was definitely gorgeous, but when he said 'darlin' like that, I about came in my seat. "Surprise me."
He wiggled his eyebrows. "Okay, you asked for it."
I never did find out what he bought me to drink, but it was damn good. We talked for awhile about his music career and what being a legal secretary entailed, but it was when we broached the subject of his music career taking off more and whether he'd be interested in starring in a film one day that I felt a little gutted. I felt completely stupid for feeling that way, but it brought back memories of him.
"My career is what it is. I'm happy where I'm at. If it becomes more, that's great, but if it doesn't, I'm not going to fall apart over it. Making music was never about gaining status."
I couldn't get over how genuine he was. "I bet you get to meet all types of interesting people in your line of work."
"That's very true," he grinned. "Some are more interesting than I care to discuss. I know some celebrities, and I'm asked often who I know, all because I was photographed with one who happens to be a good friend. I choose not to answer, you know? What's personal is personal. I'm not going to bring down unwanted attention on them, or use the fact that I know them to benefit my career. I want to earn my way," he said.
"God, you're such a nice guy," I blurted out. No one said alcohol enhanced my intelligence.
He laughed. "Thanks."
The subject was effectively changed, thankfully, because I had no intention of asking him who he knew. He was right about keeping what was personal as personal. And it wasn't as if I expected him to know Edward, but I'm sure he'd heard of him. And if he did know Edward, what then? It would have been too awkward a conversation to discuss with Jasper, anyway.
Besides, what Edward and I had was a one-night stand. When I left that room, what we shared was left behind with it. As much as he plagued my waking thoughts and my dreams, I had to forget him. I had to let go of that one night.
In that moment, I decided to focus all of my attention on the man that was before me and enjoy the conversation we shared. When I pushed the thoughts of Edward aside, I realized that I had a general attraction to Jasper. He was polite in the southern boy kind of way, but underneath I could tell he was a bit of a handful.
We managed to talk all the way through last call. Throughout our conversation, a few people came over to interrupt us for pictures and autographs on napkins or pieces of paper they acquired from the bartender, but it was nothing too daunting. He wasn't affected by the attention like Edward was.
"Well, Jasper, I really had a great time," I told him as I stood from the barstool, reaching for my purse. "They're closing here in about ten minutes, and I should probably try to find Jess. She's my ride home."
"I need to round up the band, anyway. Who knows what they're off doing," he said, laughing. "Bella, I had a really great time. We started off kind of awkward, but this ended up being a really great time for me. I don't think I've ever come across anyone quite like you." He hesitated momentarily. "Would you mind if… I mean, would it be alright if I called you sometime?"
I could have told him no, which is exactly what a part of me was doing, all because if this feeling I had toward Edward that wouldn't go away. Instead, because I did enjoy talking with him, I reached into my purse, pulling out a piece of paper and pen, then jotting down my number. "I'd like that, Jasper. I work during the day, but I'm home pretty much every evening, so you can call anytime."
He took the paper from my hand, gazing over it, then stuffed it in his pocket. "I'll definitely give you a call."
"Sounds good."
He gave me a wave then veered off toward the back entrance of the stage to find his band mates. I proceeded through the crowd of people that were still near the bar to find Jess. I finally found her talking with some guy.
"You ready to go?" I asked.
She nodded, then handed what I assumed was her number to the guy before we started for the exit. "How'd everything go?"
I shrugged, smiling. "It was nice. He's a nice guy."
"Nice is good." We pushed through the doors, walking side by side in the parking lot toward her car.
"Nice is great," I replied back.
This had been one hell of a day and ended with handing my phone number over to Jasper Whitlock. I wasn't sure if it was going to be a good judgment call on my part, but I rather enjoyed his company, and personally, I was tired of being alone, and I was really tired of hanging onto a memory that was really nothing more than a memory. It had been two months, it was one night, he was gone, and I was going to move on.
