✓ | 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍, j. hale [1]

XI. Darlin'

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.