✓ | 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍, j. hale [1]

XI. Darlin'

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."