Teaser for Ch. 28: Caught in the Rain

Here's a peek at what's coming up in ch. 28. It's written, but there might be a delay in posting for me to get my act together. Just in case there's a week lapse, here's a slightly larger teaser than normal:

He heard a feminine giggle behind him. “He’s like a big cat,” Bella mused softly, and Jasper felt more than heard Edward’s answering chuckle.

“Sometimes,” Edward agreed in a whisper. “Hey, Jas.”

“Hi,” he answered softly, wincing at the hoarseness of his voice and the scratchy feeling even that one sound produced. He swallowed roughly.

“Are you okay?” Edward asked.

Jasper wasn’t sure how to respond to that on many levels, so he shrugged best he could, making no effort to move out of his protective curl or Edward’s embrace. He felt drained, emotionally and physically, and he still hadn’t really figured anything out. His back was also throbbing, a result of his impromptu walk, Jasper assumed, but he embraced the pain momentarily, letting it become the focus of his thoughts.

“Do you want us to leave you alone?” Bella asked from behind him, her small hand warm on his back where his sweatshirt had ridden up.

“No,” he answered softly. “Please.” He had screwed up by walking away earlier and pulling away from Edward instead of trying to talk to him about things. Surely if anyone could understand the thoughts he was currently wrestling with it would be Edward, who would have had to have come to terms with his own sexuality somehow. But he’d been alone enough in his life with big problems to deal with. In the overall scheme, it seemed somewhat trivial, though Jasper knew that it wasn’t. For the moment, he just wanted to be reminded that Edward loved him and would support him and the rest would sort itself out.

Jasper felt Edward’s breath ghost across his ear as he leaned in close and spoke softly. “Relax, baby,” he said tenderly. “We’re not going anywhere. I think I kind of dropped a bomb into your life earlier, and I’m not going to leave you to deal with it alone. When you’re ready, I’m here.” He kissed the top of Jasper’s head. “I love you.”

Though he didn’t uncurl, he did relax slightly. “Love you, too,” he said softly. Edward resumed playing with his hair and Jasper fell quiet once more, soaking up the feelings of love and affection Bella and Edward were physically giving him, letting them quiet his mind for the time being. He drifted and dozed, Bella and Edward’s voices washing over him. He never quite fell back into true sleep, the pain in his back keeping him from true rest, but he felt himself slowly relax by degrees as he focused on listening to the sounds of their voices and not his own thoughts.