Flames [Completed]

(The Right To Know)

I've been sitting on Jasper's balcony for a while, now, thinking about the other night. We have school in a while and Bella is back.

"Jordan?"

I lean back and smile at him. My thoughts ease up at his apperance. But I can see there's something going on behind his eyes.

"Can I sit?" He asks, pointing to the space beside me.

"Of course, Jaz. It's your balcony," I say with a laugh, watching him sit down.

He fidgets with his fingers, looking at the ground below us. I frown, sitting up straight.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"Yeah. I...I just wanted to apologise," he says, sighing.

"What on earth for?" I ask, confusion pulling my brows together.

Jasper looks at me, and his eyes are uncertain. It's an expression I've seen many times over, and by now I can usually tell what it's going to be about.

But not this time. There isn't a single thing I can think of that he's done recently that would make him think he'd messed up. Sometimes he really confuses me.

"For the other night. When Victoria attacked you. I completely overreacted. I know you are more than capable of taking care of yourself, yet I still nearly broke the treaty because I heard you scream," he says, running a hand through his hair as he returns his gaze to the forest.

I cock my head to the side, thinking back to what I heard. It didn't bother me. Its nice to know someone cares enough to worry.

"But what you have to understand, is that I didn't do it because I think you need protecting, I did it because the idea of losing you kills me," he says, his voice becoming strained. "I know it isn't something we've really spoken about...but when I thought you were dead...Jordan, I've never felt that before. It hurt so much."

The pain in his voice startles me. I turn my body towards him, taking a moment to admire the way the rays of light dance on his skin.

"If vampires could dream, I would only have nightmares of losing you. The idea of being separated from you, unable to help, terrifies me. If I lost you for real, what would I do? I don't think I could deal with it."

Once he finishes, his shoulders sag and he puts a hand over his face. My heart aches, and I reach to grab his hands.

Drawing them close to me, I force him to meet my eyes. "Jasper, I understand. You don't need to apologise for that. We love each other. Of course we are going to worry about losing one another. But you need to know how much that means to me."

Now it's his turn to be confused. His expression makes me laugh softly, leaning forward to press a light kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"Knowing that you are confident in my ability to hold my own means so much. For a lot of my life, people either didn't care, or thought I needed babysitting. Not naming any names, but there was a certain person who told me I should be on a leash when I was fifteen," I say, a bitter taste in my mouth.

Jasper leans into me, resting his head in the crook of my neck. "You're wonderful, Jordan. I don't know what I did to deserve you."

I stroke his hair, pressing a kiss to it as I smile. "Jaz, you deserve the world."

"You are my world..."

The words are mumbled, nearly inaudible, but my ears are much more sensitive than they used to be. Hearing it warms my cold, dead heart.

I rest my cheek on the top of his hair, inhaling the sweet scent that lingers on it. "You're my world, too, Jaz."

***