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"Never have I ever blown our cover at a school," Rosalie says, causing Edward, Emmett, and Jasper to take a drink.
With Renesmee and a group of her friends partying in the backyard as they wait for the new year to begin, everyone else lounges around the living room and plays the adult version of the party games.
Jacob and Paul had originally thought the game to be unfair considering the fact that they're the only two who will suffer from the hangovers, though Phoebe managed to convince them otherwise by pointing out that the vampires will be throwing up alongside them by the end of the night to get the alcohol out of their systems as well.
"Never have I ever thrown a bad party," Alice says and Bella visibly winces as Jasper's arm around Phoebe's waist stiffens.
Kate and Tanya drink without a second thought, but a silent conversation seems to occur between Alice and Edward before her proud smile slowly wavers and she meekly takes a drink as well.
"What am I missing?" Phoebe questions, looking up at Jasper when the majority of the group inconspicuously glances at him. "What was so bad about a party?"
"Well-"
"Jasper and I fought a little too close to Bella at her last human birthday party," Emmett covers for his brother. "She ended up getting hurt and Edward made a huge deal out of it."
Jasper nods along, his posture relaxing when Phoebe doesn't question it further. Though she now knows about his life before joining the Cullens and loves him all the same despite it, he has hardly been keen to bring up the occasional accidents he's had since.
Oblivious to the newfound tense atmosphere surrounding the Cullens, Garrett speaks up. "Never have I ever dated a British person."
Esme, as expected, takes a drink. Garrett appears absolutely scandalized when every member of the Denali coven, Phoebe included, takes a drink as well.
"I'm willing to let it slide since this was before we met," he concedes, though the glare he gives Phoebe tells an entirely different story. "But how could you do this to me?"
"He was pretty and I was lonely," she admits with a shrug of her shoulders. "If you would have visited me in London, I doubt it would have happened. So, really, it's your own fault."
"Don't pin this betrayal on me!" Garrett sputters, his red Solo cup crinkling in his grip. His foul mood only grows as he accidentally punctures a hole in the cup and spills his drink all over his shirt. "We'll continue this conversation later."
As he disappears upstairs to change, the game resumes.
"Never have I ever broken someone's piano," Edward says, staring accusingly at Phoebe as he waits for her to drink.
"I'm hurt, Eddie. Do you really think I'd do something so mean?" She gasps, placing a hand to her chest as a faux wounded expression crosses her features. "I thought we were friends."
"Are you trying to make her cry?" Jasper plays along, chastising his brother despite knowing good and well her feelings aren't wounded in the slightest. "She would never do something like that."
"Yeah, dude," Emmett agrees, crossing his arms intimidatingly. "It's pretty douchey to accuse her of such things when she's nothing but kind to everyone."
"You were there when she did it!" Edward exclaims exasperatedly, pointing an accusatory finger to accentuate his point.
"So now you're accusing Phoebe and Emmett of lying?" Rosalie asks, glaring at the flustered vampire.
Phoebe's frown is replaced with a smug grin that only Edward notices as suddenly everyone joins the conversation, defending her from his entirely true accusations.
As the chaos grows and it becomes clear the game is not going to resume any time soon, Phoebe slips out of Jasper's arms and hurries across the room before anyone aside from her boyfriend can notice. He doesn't say a word though, instead watching as she yanks Paul out of the recliner and leads him out the door in the blink of an eye.
After the last Halloween party that had underage human guests, the infamous duo had been banned from attending any further parties until Renesmee's friends are out of high school - not that this rule stopped them in any way, shape, or form; they simply got sneakier when it came to joining the fun.
Jasper leaves the chaos of the living room as well, moving to the kitchen to watch the party occurring in their backyard. He knows his limits when it comes to humans and, while Alice claims nothing is going to go wrong tonight, he isn't about to push his luck by intermingling with them. He's perfectly content watching from a safe distance as Phoebe and Paul set new records for keg stands.
As Paul sets her back on her feet, she catches sight of Jasper through the large windows and, like always, he's taken aback by the intense wave of euphoria that washes over her. Regardless of whether her gaze has been off of him for five minutes or five hours, she is always so happy to see him.
To know that he is the one to be the cause of such joy makes Jasper want to cry. After decades of only being a source of fear and anguish to humans and vampires alike, he didn't think he would know anything beyond those emotions ever again.
Now here he is, standing in a home he shares with people he can call his family and the love of his life, who not only makes him the happiest he's ever been, but feels the exact same way about him. He has no idea how he got to be so incredibly lucky.
One of the teenagers who had been keeping an eye on the time starts shouting numbers and a chant to count down to the new year swiftly makes it way across the crowded yard. Jasper moves to the back door, careful to keep his pace normal in case anyone happens to be watching but no longer entirely worried about the humans nearby.
"TEN, NINE, EIGHT-"
"Sorry to interrupt," Jasper murmurs, reaching Phoebe and swiftly pulling her away from the boy offering her a jello shot.
"Jasper!" She shrieks as he spins her around, expecting him to drag her back inside where she is supposed to be. "I just-"
She doesn't get a chance to argue as the countdown reaches zero and he dips her gracefully. His lips just barely brush hers before he pulls back with a teasing smirk.
