headache / jasper hale

10 | so are wizards real too

Thea

The library became my safe zone. It was small and smelled of old books and mold. The librarian was an old man that slept with his head on his desk. Not many people came here, because of the size, so it became my hideaway. My personal sanctuary.

I would come here any chance I had but normally during lunch and Biology for obvious reasons. But today, I skipped every class period that had a Cullen in it. So, I basically skipped every single period.

Why did I do this?

Because I was scared to face them - not because of what they are but because of what they told me.

My stomach turned at the thought of the letters that were safely stored away in my backpack. I couldn't risk Sam or Tiffany seeing them - they held information too important for either to read.

My head was stuffed into a book when I heard the chair in front of me shift along the floor. I look up to see Jasper gracefully sit before me. He meets my eyes and sends me a small smile.

"Can I help you?" I say, setting the book I was reading back down onto the table before me. I tried my hardest to look bored, but I knew Jasper could hear my pounding heart. I knew he could feel the bubbling excitement in the pit of my stomach.

"Did you read my letter?" He asks bluntly, getting straight to the point.

"I did," I say, biting my lips as my eyes flicked to his forearms, which are covered by his thermal shirt.

"You're curious," Jasper says, standing from his seat before cautiously moving to the one directly next to me. I nod my head, signally my approval, and he sits.

"Did it hurt?" I ask him - even though I already knew the answer. I just wanted to hear it from him.

Jasper nods, his eyebrows scrunching down as he thinks back to the beginning of his immortality. I could tell it was painful to think of, and I understood how painful memories can be for someone.

So before my better judgement stopped me, I reached over and took his cold, pale hand. A chill sparked between us, traveling up my arm. An audible gasp leaves Jasper's lips as he watches my fingers intertwine with his.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Jasper." I whisper to him, the sudden bubbling of courage in my stomach catching me off guard.

"I would do it again if I had to," he says quietly, his thumb rubbing against the back of my hand. His eyes are trained on our hands while mine are on his forearms.

"Can I see?" I ask, not wanting to pry nor make him feel uncomfortable.

He nods, rolling up his sleeve with his free hand. At first, I saw nothing but porcelain skin. But with closer inspection, I began to see faint scars littering his forearm. Leaning forward, I see the detail in the scars - in the bite marks.

"Jasper," I gasp, my free hand flying to his arm, my fingers running along the crest-like scars riddled along his pale skin.

"It's okay," Jasper says, his free hand falling on top of mine. I look up into his honey eyes and notice the close proximity between our faces. I can't stop my eyes from flickering down to his lips, and I don't regret doing so.

"I'm glad you're better," I clear my throat, leaning back in my squeaky chair. I glance around the library, noticing that we are all alone.

"Are you better?" Jasper asks, leaning forward in his seat, his hand finding my knee. He does the same I did to him - giving my knee a reassuring squeeze.

"What are you talking about?" I ask him, his hold on my knee startling me.

"I can feel everything you do - you know that," Jasper says quietly, not wanting to push me. "I feel the guilt and the sorrow that you feel. Someone so pure and good like you shouldn't have to endure that pain."

I suck in a shaky breath, looking away from him. He could see - or rather feel - right through my facade. "You can't help how you feel." I unevenly say.

"Why do you feel guilty?" He asks gently, his voice sincere and with genuine concern.

"Could we not talk about this - please?" I beg Jasper, not ready to open up my life to the vampire. I would never be ready to share this part of my life, regardless of the person.

"Of course," Jasper says, quickly dropping the subject. He reaches for his bag and places it on the table with a thud. "I got you something."

"Why?" I ask him, furrowing my brows as Jasper rummages through his back. He shrugs, then pulls out a box and pushes it over to me.

I look at the box, peeling back the wrapping cautiously. After I peel off the paper, the face of Harry Potter is starting back at me. I can't help but smile as I run my fingers along the complete, hardback set.

"How'd you know?" I ask him, the happy tone in my voice returning.

"Dawson," he says simply. "We have all the movies too so if you want to come over eventually, we could watch them in the movie room."

I bite my lip, nodding. Jasper stands, slinging his bag over his seat. He steps closer to me, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead before whispering.

"If you ever need someone, you call me and I'll be there before you hang up." He grips my shoulder, not hard but enough to let me know of his presence. "Always."

I whisper a 'thank you' as he pulls away, walking towards the library entrance. That's something I did like about Jasper - he knew when someone needed their space and he respected that.

"Hey, Jasper!" I call, a smile on my face as a witty comment burns my throat. When he turns, I hold up the first book of the Harry Potter series and whisper, knowing that he'll hear me.

"So, are wizards real too?"

•••

sorry for the short chapter - i have some shit brewing for this book in my mind that i'm working on. so beware of what's ahead ;)

-M