When Evelyn agreed to spend the rest of the evening with Jasper, she hadn't known exactly what to expect or where he would take her.

She certainly didn't expect for him to take her to the ice cream parlor in downtown Port Angeles.

"I can't believe you actually took me to get ice cream," Evelyn laughed, scooping up a spoonful of her cookie dough ice cream and taking a bite. They were sitting at one of the tables in the fenced in patio of the building, careful to choose a secluded corner to avoid curious ears. String lights crisscrossed above them, creating a canopy and giving the space a warm glow. Evelyn couldn't help but stare at the way the light reflected off of Jasper's pale skin. With the yellow light and his golden hair and eyes, he was devastatingly beautiful, a physical manifestation of what she thought a fallen angel would look like. The air was chilly, but with Jasper's leather jacket over her shoulders and his golden gaze focused on her, Evelyn felt anything but cold.

Across the table, Jasper felt the smile on his face grow as the girl in front of him lit up in the warm flush of the patio. "Why? Do you not like ice cream?"

She shook her head vigorously, taking another bite and beginning to talk with her mouth still slightly full. "Oh no, I love ice cream. Especially cookie dough ice cream; it's like two desserts in one. Are you sure you don't want some?" She held out her spoon to him, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Regular food is not exactly the most appetizing thing to me. Special diet, remember?" Jasper tried to smile, but it was half-hearted; here was yet another way that he was different from her, another thing that made him less human. Who knew that such a small thing as enjoying ice cream with the girl he cared about would make him miss being human so much? "I'm sure it's delicious, though, since it's already halfway gone."

Oh. Right. "So you can't enjoy ice cream? That's totally unfair!" She hoped that her joke would make him feel better, and it seemed to work because he smiled and rolled his eyes. She felt her own smile return, too.

"It really is," he agreed, leaning back in his chair and searching her face. "You didn't answer my question, though."

Evelyn was distracted, scooping up another bite of ice cream. "Which one?"

"Why do you think it's weird that I brought you here?"

Evelyn felt her eyes widen, suddenly aware of the curious way he was looking at her. She felt strangely embarrassed because she both did and didn't want to tell him the reason she felt this way: to anyone on the outside looking in, they probably looked like they were on a date. Evelyn wanted more than anything to consider this a date with him, but she didn't know if he would feel the same way. She knew that they would have to talk about what exactly they were at some point, but she didn't expect the time to come so soon. She remained quiet, searching for the right words to say in the hopes that if she worded it correctly, he would agree with her.

Jasper could feel her embarrassment and anxiety, and he was immediately worried he had offended her. Maybe it was a late reaction to his aversion to human food? He wasn't an expert in comforting people, let alone humans, so he just did all he knew how to do: he reached out and gently took her hand, the warmth against his cool skin sending a pleasant jolt of electricity through his body.

"I apologize, I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted to know what you were thinking. Please don't be embarrassed!"

Evelyn shook her head aggressively. "No! No, you didn't upset me, it's just... well, I don't know. To me, I guess this – us being here, alone together – it all kind of feels like we're on a date." Her voice lowered in volume as she finished speaking, and she felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment. "And I don't know if you want that with me." God, I sound so desperate, Evelyn thought, chewing her lip nervously as she waited for him to respond.

Jasper didn't answer right away, honestly a little shocked by her answer. He hadn't thought of it that way before, but now that she had brought it up, he realized that she was right; technically, they were on somewhat of a date. The thought made him smile. Limited as his romantic experience was, he had never been on the modern definition of a date before. The fact that Evelyn didn't think he was happy to be with her broke his heart.

He made sure that he had her whole attention before he spoke, his words clear and careful. "I can assure you, Evelyn, there is no one else that I'd rather be on an ice cream date with," he grinned, showing off his dimples. "than you right now. I told you, I'm not going anywhere." He chuckled softly as he felt her embarrassment dissipate, replaced by shock and then a warmness that would have made him blush, if he could.

"I remember." Evelyn's voice was soft, and she stared at their entwined hands for a moment before she met his eyes again. "So what does that mean for us? I mean, can there even be an us?"

Jasper heard her unspoken question as if she had yelled it: can a vampire even be with a human? It pained him to know that she would never be completely safe around him, but at the same time he knew that at this point he couldn't bear to leave her. He was too involved; he could feel himself falling for her and he hated that he had allowed it to happen. She was innocent, and since he still struggled with his self control, there was no guarantee that he wouldn't snap one day and then she would get hurt. Or worse. But as he sat there staring into her sparkling green eyes, he hoped that maybe, just maybe, he was strong enough. He could be strong enough for her. He had to be.

"I'm going to be perfectly honest with you; I really don't know. There are so many things that could go wrong. It's not meant to happen at all." As he spoke, he felt his disappointment in himself growing, and he desperately wished he could change who he was for her.

"But you're still here," Evelyn observed, desperately trying to understand his perspective. He nodded once, his face serious.

"I'm still here." His eyes searched hers for any sign of hesitation. He found none. "Believe me, I want to experience this just as much as you do, probably more. But I don't think you understand all of the risks that are involved."

He knew that he could possibly be pushing her away, but he also knew that he could be nothing but honest with her. He refused to condemn her to a life filled with danger without warning her first.

Evelyn was tired of him dancing around what he was really worried about. "Well, I would if you'd just spit it out and tell me. I think I'm smart enough to be able to understand."

Jasper chuckled lightly, tracing circles around the back of her hand. "I don't doubt that at all, darlin'. But it's complicated. It's not exactly something I can tell you in public or in one night." He leaned forward, staring carefully into her eyes. Evelyn stopped breathing for a moment, her mind going blank as she lost herself in the sparkling gold of his eyes. "Spend the day with me tomorrow."

"I – what?" Evelyn was still thinking about the way his melodious voice sounded when he called her "darlin'."

"You said you wanted to know everything, right? Come with me and then I can show you my world." He waited as she composed herself, a sly grin playing on his lips. It didn't happen very often, but when he was able to fluster her, he couldn't help but find it amusing. It was nice, almost comforting, to know that he affected her just as much as she affected him.

Head finally clear, Evelyn raised her eyebrows at him. "Do you promise that you'll be honest? That you'll finally tell me everything?"

"I promise. No more secrets."

"I hope you know that I'm going to hold you to that."

Jasper shook his head, his dimples showing as he grinned at the girl in front of him. "I know you will. Now, I believe it's time that I take you home. Edward and Bella are waiting for us down the street."

"You didn't drive your car?" Evelyn tried not to sound disappointed, but she had been hoping that her time with him wouldn't end so quickly.

He shook his head as he stood, Evelyn following close behind. "I was in a hurry to get to you, and a car wasn't exactly the fastest mode of transportation."

Evelyn frowned in frustration as they walked down the sidewalk, again annoyed at his evasion of her questions. Jasper could feel her irritation and squeezed her hand reassuringly as they made their way to the silver Volvo idling on the curb just down the street from them. As always, he was careful to keep a safe amount of space between them so as not to overwhelm his senses.

"Tomorrow," he promised, and she knew that he meant it. She was simultaneously nervous and excited, because she knew that he would finally open himself up completely. Still, she was afraid that she wasn't going to be enough for him, and that their relationship would fizzle out before it had even began.

***

Evelyn awoke when she felt the gentle touch of chilled fingers on her cheek. She fluttered her eyes open, blinking a few times before Jasper blurred into focus.

"What's wrong?" She breathed, noticing that the car had stopped moving and that Bella and Edward had already gotten out. She was suddenly aware of the familiar blue and red flashing lights of police cars, and with a start she realized they were at the police station. "Why are we here?"

"Chief Swan, my father, and your aunt are all here. I think something's happened." Evelyn didn't miss the urgency in his voice, so she quickly unstrapped her seatbelt and jumped out of the car. She saw Edward and Bella talking to Dr. Cullen, who was holding his medical bag with a somber expression on his face. She made her way over to them with Jasper close on her heels.

"Waylon Forge was found in his boat at the docks. I just examined the body." Carlisle's voice was sorrowful and disappointed. Evelyn couldn't believe what she was hearing; Waylon Forge, dead? She had seen him at the restaurant just a few days ago.

"He died?" Bella asked, just as incredulous as Evelyn. "How?"

Carlisle shared a look with Edward, then, Jasper, before answering. "It was an animal attack." Suddenly, Evelyn realized what the looks meant: the animal attack was a coverup. She fought the urge to look back at Jasper, who was hovering just behind her, and she kept her face neutral.

"Was it the same one from down in Mason County?"

Carlisle nodded slowly. "Most likely. You should go inside. Both of you." His eyes flickered from Bella to Evelyn, lingering for just a moment before he turned back to Bella. "Waylon was a friend to your father and your aunt."

Evelyn's eyes found Marie's yellow car across the parking lot, and she already knew that her aunt would be devastated. As Bella entered the building, she turned to Jasper, who seemed like he was already waiting for her questions.

"There's more?" She asked quietly, knowing full well that the two deaths were definitely not caused by any known animal.

Jasper's eyes were clouded, his voice hushed as he spoke. "Yes. We think they're nomads passing through the area. I'll explain it better tomorrow. Your aunt needs you right now."

Evelyn nodded. "I know. Thank you for tonight, by the way. I'll see you in the morning."

Jasper hesitated for a moment before holding his breath, and pulled her slightly closer. He closed his eyes, leaning forward to press his lips softly to her hair. The kiss was fleeting, a fraction of a second, but the sensation of simply touching her set his icy body on fire. He could feel her aroma surrounding him, burning his nostrils, but he couldn't quite smell her, so he felt confident that he could maintain control. His throat burned intensely, but Jasper discovered with satisfaction that it wasn't completely unmanageable. Still, he didn't dare breathe as he spoke. "Sleep well, Evelyn. I'll come get you in the morning."

She knew that if she lingered any longer that she wouldn't want to leave his side, so she pulled away and bounded up the steps after Bella. As much as she wanted to think about what was to come the following day, she knew that Marie was hurting and that she needed her. Right now, her aunt was her priority.

As Jasper watched her go, he couldn't help but feel he was making a dangerous mistake. Selfishly, though, he didn't care. He knew that Carlisle, and especially Rosalie, would ask too many questions and question his sanity, too. He didn't care about that, either. All he could think about was her, and the warmth that flooded through him every time she was near. He had never thought he was capable of love, true love, especially not after his life with Maria. Jasper had never felt the way he did with Evelyn in his entire existence, and he wasn't about to give it up now.

He could only hope that after tomorrow, she wouldn't want to give him up, either.

**********

hey guys! lol idk abt you but the idea of Jasper at an ice cream parlor is so funny and cute to me lol I love this scene 🥺