𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓, jasper hale

𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄

iii. COOL TOUCH

☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟTHE NEXT DAY AT SCHOOL PASSED OPHELIA BY QUICKLY, and she couldn't help but be thankful. Her early classes were fairly stress-free, and perhaps that was somewhat down to the fact that today they had been Cullen-free.

Lunch, of course, would not be.

Ophelia could sense how desperate Bella was to see Edward again, but given that he was supposed to be in her Chemistry class and yet he had not shown up, she awaited her friend's inevitable disappointment.

As soon as Ophelia entered the cafeteria with Bella at her side, she saw the girl's shoulders slump as she noticed the Cullens' table occupied only by Edward's siblings.

As if sensing their eyes on him, Jasper glanced up and forced a smile in Ophelia's direction, clearly just because he was caught staring.

"He definitely has a crush on you," Bella laughed, nudging her friend's side. Ophelia was grateful for Bella's friendship, feeling lucky to have someone finally more on her wavelength. Not only this, but after seeing how nervous Bella had been, she was happy to have comforted her a little and been a genuine friend in the chaos of her move to Forks.

"He does not!" she snorted, nudging Bella right back.

Bella bit her lip, scanning her eyes over the family, who were engrossed in a conversation between themselves.

"How come you get Jasper to stare longingly at you all day, while Edward avoids me like the plague? I literally caught him trying to switch biology class after our class yesterday..." Bella scoffed as they sat down at their table, as none of the others had arrived yet.

"I'm sure it's not because of you, Bells," Ophelia laughed, sipping at her juice as she felt Jasper's burning stare still on her, "Surely not!"

"You didn't see the way he looked at me, Phee!"

Ophelia shook her head mockingly, rising to her feet as she needed the toilet, "You're ridiculous, Bells."

Turning on her heel, she gestured in the direction of the toilets with a nod, "I'll be back now — the others are on their way over."

Ophelia took her time in the toilet, carefully analysing her makeup as though Jasper couldn't possibly have been staring at her for any other reason than that she looked odd or her makeup was smudged, perhaps.

But it wasn't — so instead she stood idly contemplating whether the hope simmering in her stomach that he maybe was interested in her, was false, or whether there was in fact some small chance.

Overwhelmed by her intrusive thoughts, she shook her head with a sigh, swivelling to leave the bathroom, but as she exited she clumsily collided immediately with a figure stood just outside the girls lavatory. "Fuck! I'm so sorry, I uh—."

"It's fine, darlin'. My fault, really."

Ophelia's cheeks turned an intense shade of crimson as she peered up at the honey-eyed boy into whom she'd crashed so suddenly. "Jasper—."

"Sorry about that, I was just passing back from the men's room," a smile tugged at his lips as he spoke, crouching down to pick up Ophelia's phone that had clattered to the floor, "This might need fixin'."

Ophelia took the phone from him, startled backwards by the coolness of his fingers, "Shit," before covering it up by feigning surprise at the small crack that descended her screen from top to bottom.

Why on earth were his hands so impossibly cold?

"Thanks, Jas. Well I—uh— I better get back to my table, Bells will probably wonder where I am," she asserted, anxiety suddenly raging until she felt calmness wash over her, almost like a blanket being thrown over her small frame.