Sequins and Shots - Book Three of the Café Latte Trilogy

Part Three: Chapter 1

And so Part Three begins!! This takes place during Fire and Freedom, and I love writing different perspectives on the Ross/Jasper relationship because honestly, Ross is so funny from an outside perspective. Bless Ross 'I don't do relationships but I'll do anything for Jasper' Stone.

Love, Cam

♡

Part Three

Chapter 1

Edward

Well, it was official. Tom had a new friend, and Ross had lost his bloody mind.

"Oh, my God," Harper said, and stifled a laugh, nudging me and nodding towards the door. I turned to see Ross walking through, followed by a familiar-looking blond guy. I grinned, unable to help myself; someone had spent the night at Ross' flat. Incredible.

"Ha, that's gold," I replied, grinning. "After all the shit he gives us about being a lone wolf and never letting anyone get close to him, he walks in here for a morning-after coffee?"

"I've never been so happy," Raven replied, sounding awed by the revelation. "I'm never letting him live this down."

"Told you," Tom said smugly, leaning over the back of my chair to swipe a sugar packet for his coffee. He'd informed us cheerfully that his new best friend 'Jazz' had in fact slept over at Ross' flat, but none of us had believed him. He hopped off his chair and greeted his new friend with a kiss on the cheek. Jasper smiled, looking perky and energised, while Ross looked grumpy and petulant as usual.

"My usual, and a latte," Ross ordered once Jasper had disappeared to change into what Tom dubbed his 'heterosexual disguise'. "Before you say anything," he said, as he took his seat. "Don't."

Jenny came over to tell him off, and we cheerfully mocked him. Harper high-fived me when I made a particularly beautiful quip, and Ross glared at us throughout it. He didn't bite back, though; he knew he deserved this level of mockery for being such a filthy hypocrite.

When Jasper came back out of the bathroom, he was dressed in loose jeans and a flannel shirt. "Jesus Christ, that is a heterosexual disguise," I muttered to Harper, who smirked.

"Hey," Jasper greeted us, looking happy and wonderfully uncomplicated. It was a breath of fresh air to meet someone who didn't lack self-confidence. "I'm Jasper, nice to meet you all properly. Tom's told me a lot about you."

When I smiled at him, he did a comically large double-take. "Oh wow, you do look very different without the makeup."

"I should hope so," I grinned. I did look different without makeup - I had stuck to the buzzcut over the years, because my hair had a tendency to stick up in all directions the second it got any length to it, and it was easier for my wigs that way. I was quite muscular, and despite my pleading to the heavens, I hadn't had a random growth spurt in my mid-20s, so I was stuck being short and stocky. Not that I disliked it; it just meant I had to wear very high heels to avoid being overdone by other queens.

"This is Ross' sister Raven," I introduced her, and she waved. "And this is Harper, the best person in the world."

"I'm not letting you have my breakfast," Harper responded.

"Then he's just average," I corrected myself, very upset that I wasn't going to get his bacon.

"Twinkie!" Lucie called, after Harper had started quizzing Jasper about school and apprenticeships, clearly trying to get more information about the Mysterious Individual that had managed to get Ross to let him stay over. "I've packed you a lunch."