Sign Of The Times || Jasper Hale

chapter 050

"Hey." Edward says and Alex feels her throat tighten.

"Esme is inside." She sighs and walks over to the bench just in front of the woods. She takes a seat and places the cup of coffee next to her, making sure that Edward knows that it isn't an invitation for him to sit down.

"I actually wanted to talk to you." He says and Alex rolls her eyes just before lighting a cigarette and looking in front of her.

"That makes only one of us." She replies softly and slightly annoyed.

Alex knew of her vulnerabilities. She knew that it took a long time to trust someone and that she got to angry to easily. But even when she apologised for the way that she had reacted, he had been the same way he was. He ignored it and got angry. Alex had been hurt to the max - still is - and everyone noticed, even if she didn't want to show it.

Edward stands completely still and Alex sighs, thinking that he has gone inside. The Cullens could be really quiet if they wanted. She grabs her phone and dials Jasper's phone. After all, they did call every morning - and every evening if they didn't have plans - and even though they switched places, this wouldn't change.

A small smile develops on her face as he asks her how her morning went. She loved talking to him, hearing his voice. Edward frowns and goes away, this was private. He walks inside and Esme's eyebrows furrow as she looks at him and past him, where Alex is happily calling.

"Are you okay?" She asks her son while she walks towards him and hugs him. It wasn't something that he'd usually do, skipping school. Though they all noticed that the Spure's liked it just a bit to much maybe.

"I knew she'd be at school," he says as he talks about Bella. "And she'd try to talk to me again. And I can't do that while I am fighting with Alex. It doesn't feel right." He mutters and let's go. Esme nods and quickly looks past him again.

"Well, what would you all do if you stayed home? She has to be Jasper after all." Esme's smile is kind and genuine, something that Edward missed when he was at school. He chuckles and nods before walking back out, only to see that Alex had just hung up and had a smile on her face as she looks at the treeline.

"You're Jasper for the day right?" Alex raises an eyebrow and looks towards the source of the question. She didn't think that Edward would have the balls to get back out.

"What is it to you?"

"Well, if you want to stay with Esme.. that's fine. But I know what Jasper would be doing right now." Edward says with a smile. "And he also wouldn't be mad at me so you have to pretend." Alex narrows her eyes but nods slowly, she could pretend something like that.

They walk on and they take the exact same route as she would with Jasper - and Edward before this whole ordeal - which makes her shake her head. Of course he'd take her here. This was their route. The route of very good friends. One where they had shared their difficulties and their same views of the world.

"So what is it that Jasper would be doing?" Alex inquires as they walk on. "Because Emmett already showed me where they fight, and this is not that route." Edward just grins and walks on, leaving a sightly irritated Alex a few steps behind. Peter and she had always honored their losses, whatever they had to do. But neither of them were cruel enough to leave the other behind with someone that had hurt them this much.

They turn to the right where they would usually go left and Alex frowns. She didn't know this route. She never thought about the fact that there were other paths. They end up at a small cottage and Alex' mouth falls slightly open. It was beautiful. Fully imbedded into the forrest, the ivy covered almost everything, except for certain places that held windows.

"What is this?" Edward opens the door and gestures for her to walk in. Something held her back, this felt personal and when she took a step inside she knew why. It was like reading someone's diary, someone's inner thoughts. The ones that you'd never speak aloud. This was Jasper's sanctuary. She recognized some of the books that lined the walls - and of course one of her paintings though she'd never admit to making it - and there was a small box on a desk with something that looked like clutter but on closer inspection were artifacts from his time in the army. Alex turns to Edward and shakes her head confused. "Why did he-.."

"He gave me permission to show you." He imediately says with raised hands and a small chuckle leaves Alex' lips. Of course he'd think that she would be angry otherwise. "This is a place that is very personal to him. He wanted to show you for a long time but he never really got around to it." Edward says with a shrug as he looks around, his hands behind his back.

"This is really private though." Alex whispers as her hand flutters over a book that was about demons. She knew how he thought about himself, but this hurt her. Knowing that he was here, alone. In his darkest thought.

"Coffee?" Alex' head whips towards Edward. "He bought it especially for you," She frowns. "You have to believe that. We don't drink that stuff." A small shudder creeps over his back and Alex smiles. This was the Edward that she had gotten to know. He starts making the coffee and sighs. "I'm sorry." Alex closes her eyes, she knew this was coming and it already slightly irritated her. She hated apologies, but she hated the reasons for apologies even more. "I really am."He shakes his head. "I know that it doesn't make up for what I have said and done but.. I wasn't thinking at all when I saved her." He looks at her and Alex narrows her eyes at him, trying to figure out if he was being serious.

"I'm sorry too." Edward frowns at this, he had hoped for her to accept his apology. Not apologise herself. "I know I get angry easily, I've been working on it a little." 

"Since when?" Alex rolls her eyes and scoffs while Edward laughs.

"I'll have you know that I've been working on it since Peter held me back from attacking you."

"Which time?" He asks and Alex sticks out her tongue.

"First time." And it was true. Ever since Edward barged into her house and Peter saved both him and Alice, Alex had been doing things to get a hold of her anger. She was meditating, making sure that if she felt anger she would run a lap or two before talking and a lot of other stuff too. "The point is, we're both sorry." She smiles and walks up to him, throwing her arms around him. It was a familiar feeling for her, the cold body. She had hugged all of the Cullens by now and there was this strange unrecognizable feeling she got, but she liked it.

"I promise to tell Bella that we can't be friends." Edward mutters into Alex' hair and he feels her pull him tighter. She felt for him the same way that she now felt for Harvey, they were a few of her closest friends. "But it's her decision in the end."