"𝙼𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚘𝚠𝚗."
The carnival was crowded. It was one of the biggest events that happened in Forks. In the middle of July the carnival went all day and almost all night. Every night there were fireworks when the sun went down and that brought almost everyone from town there. There was always at least one deputy there and one ambulance there, in case a fight broke out or there was an accident with the fireworks. It made people feel safe.
Smoking wasn't allowed in the carnival grounds but with a bracelet you could leave and come back. After the sun began to set, that's when the Cullens arrived while Paul and Willow were smoking outside. The moment that Willow saw Jasper her smile spread almost from ear to ear.
"You want one?" Willow held her pack up for Jasper who swerved away from his family to join her.
"I don't smoke." Jasper smirked as he ran a hand through his blonde hair.
"I do." Rosalie pushed her twin to the side, her blood colored nails pulling a cigarette out of Willow's pack. It was amazing to Willow that the Cullen's still looked amazing in casual clothes.
"How you doing, Red?" Emmett wrapped an arm around Rosalie's shoulder, his dimples showing in his bright smile.
"It's good to see you again Emmett." Willow laughed at his excitement.
"Willow!" With a hard thud Alice crashed into her hard enough to make Willow stumble slightly backwards.
"I'm gonna head back and find Marshall." Paul tossed his bud on the ground and turned his attention to the redhead beside him "I'll meet up with you later Lola." Willow watched him walk back towards the carnival opening.
"We'll meet up with you later, Jazz." Rosalie took her unlit cigarette behind her ear. Willow wanted to question where Edward was. She was fine not having to see his disappointed look he had on his face every time he was around her."
When the Cullen's left and it was just Jasper and Willow left, the two of them leaned against the fence. Jasper leaned on his side to face Willow, his leather jacket crinkling slightly, his blonde hair falling loosely in his face, and his gold eyes glowing the dusk that was falling in the sky.
"Your family is sweet." Willow blew some smoke into the air, tapping some ashes off the end.
"I'll remember you said that."Jasper smiled, his hand moving to brush some of her hair behind her ear.
"Have you ever been to a carnival?" Willow asked, preparing to bring her cigarette back to her lips. Jasper's quick hand snatched it from her causing an annoyed sound to escape from her mouth. "I thought you didn't smoke." Willow complained.
"Only when the occasion calls for it." Jasper quietly laughed and loosely let the bud hang from his lips taking a small puff.
"You didn't answer my other question." Willow watched him drop the bud on the ground, stomping the rest of the embers out.
"It's been a long time since I've been to a carnival." Jasper blew the rest of the smoke out his head tilted back with the smoke blowing in the sky.
"Let's go have some fun." Willow let her a smile grow in excitement bouncing on her toes with her hands gripping Jasper's pulling him to follow behind her.
Willow and Jasper stopped at almost every booth in the carnival. They shared a funnel cake that turned out to be Jasper's first. Willow watched Jasper knock over the glass bottles, hard enough to crack a few, to win Willow a teddy bear. They rode the carousel twice, traveled into the fun house, and watched their friends drive bumper cars into each other.
They stopped once to talk to Maggie and Jane who were waiting at the bottom of a roller coaster, waiting for the boys and Maya to get done. Both of them were tired but willed with sugar from cotton candy. Later on they ran into Edward who was sulking while Emmett attempted to win at a water gun game. Paul texted Willow every fifteen minutes to make sure that she was okay. Willow found him completely over bearing but still smiled every time she saw his name pop up.
The Ferris Wheel is the last ride Willow and Jasper climbed on. Willow held her teddy bear in her lap to keep the bar from setting on her skin. Jasper had given her his leather jacket before they climbed on, Jasper had his arm laid out across the back, a few of his fingers twirling in her hair. They went around in a circle twice before the cart stopped at the very top of the Ferris Wheel. Willow could have sworn she was close enough to touch the sky, no matter how preposterous it may sound.
"How did you get the worker to stop at the top?" Willow questioned when the cart stopped swinging.
"I'm very good at persuasion." Jasper whispered in her ear, her skin prickling with goosebumps. "I figured we could watch some of the fireworks up here." He pulled back with a smile, his finger pointing to the sky.
"It's beautiful up here." Willow glanced between him and the night sky, her eyes stuck on the stars above."How much time did you buy us up here?" She turned her excited eyes back toward him.
"At least 20 minutes." Jasper moved his arm of the cart to her shoulders, pulling her into his side.
With a satisfied sigh Willow laid her head against his shoulder. She could honestly say that she felt happier than she felt in a long time. The feeling was worse than butterflies and giddiness that blinded her to Noah. It was like a flame set in the pit of her stomach that filled her veins but it never dimmed. With every smile, every laugh, and every thought the fire inside her spread.
This is what the poets would call love.
"I wish we could stay up here forever." Willow sighed, nuzzling her nose into his neck, his grip tightening on her slightly. "With you."
"Forever is a long time." His voice was low and calming as his fingers rubbing patterns softly on her shoulder.
"Too long for you?" Willow pulled her head back to look directly into his gold eyes.
"I don't think forever is even long enough for me. No amount of time with you will ever be enough for me." Jasper twisted to fully face her, both of his hands gripping her cheeks, his thumbs brushing the top of her cheek bones.
"Jazz.." Willow's hands gripped his wrists ignoring the cold radiating off his skin.
"I l-" As Jasper started to talk a firework exploded in the sky startling Willow.
"Jesus! I didn't realize how high up we are." Willow jerked back from Jasper, turning her attention to the sky. Another firework exploded painting the sky red and gold, followed in succession with multicolored sparks lighting the sky.
"Best seats in town." Jasper relaxed back into the chart, his fingers returning to the ends of her hair.
"You must be freezing." Willow shivered slightly with the night wind blowing, her eyes looking down at the teddy bear in her hands.
"I'm quite alright." Jasper reassured her, slowly retracting his fingers from her hair.
"Why are you always so cold?" Willow lifted her eyes back up to his face. Her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. The question had been on her mind for months but she was never brave enough to ask.
"My heart doesn't beat." Jasper said with a straight face but Willow giggled.
"Come on, what's the real reason?" Willow softly patted his chest, noting for the thousand time how hard his chest was.
"Low iron." Jasper shrugged but no humor crossed his expression.
"I still can't figure you out." Willow scooted away slightly to give her room to face him. Her expression faltered, her tone turning serious. "Everytime I feel like I know you I get hit with the feeling that there is more to you."
"What do you mean?" He raised his brow but the rest of his expression was emotionless.
"There's secrets in your eyes." Willow spoke in a hushed tone, her freckled covered hand landing on his cold cheek. "I've let you have all my secrets." Jasper's eyes closed, his brow scrunching together and the sigh fell from his lips was almost lost to the fireworks.
"My secrets are not my own." Jasper muttered as he relaxed his face into her hand.
"Are you afraid that I will run? When I find out your secrets?" Willow scooted closer with her hand never leaving his face.
"Yes." Jasper's hand grabbed her wrist, his grip tight but not painful. His golden eyes popped and for once Willow could see fear in his expression. He truly feared that whatever secret there was, whoever's secret it was, Willow would run. Despite knowing that the secret might be bad, life altering and maybe even dangerous, it didn't scare her.
Not really. But how bad could it truly be?
"I love you Jasper. I know it might be too soon and maybe I'm too young to know what love is. But I know that what I feel with you is different. I've read about love. I've seen it with my friends. I'm not sure that any secret could change tha-." Her words were cut off by Jasper's lips on hers.
His hand on the base of her neck, tangled fingers in her, pulling her closer to him. The kiss was passionate and deeper than any kiss they had shared yet. His lips were cold but unlike the rest of him they were soft. Willow loved kissing Jasper, she would kiss him every second she was with him.
"I love you Willow." Jasper muttered against her lips, his forehead pressed against hers.
"You do?" Willow felt the fire in her belly flood her entire being, a happy giggle pouring out of her lips. "Do you really mean that?"
"With every fiber of my being." He pulled his eyes searching her face for something, his expression made him look like he was in deep thought. "Willow, I'm a -" Whatever he was about to say was lost when the ride began to move again.
"Woah, it looks like our 20 minutes are up." Willow pulled out of his grip, straightening herself back up before they reached the bottom. " What were you going to say?" She turned his head to glance at him.
"Oh I was just going to say that I'm a lunkhead." Jasper shrugged, relaxing back in the seat.
"A what?" Willow brushed some of her hair out of her face confusion flooding his face.
"It's an old word. It means I'm foolish." Jasper explained his hand holding his head up his elbow propped on the side of the cart.
"How do you know that?" Willow asked.
"I study a lot of history. To the point that it's almost like I was there."Jasper explained with his usual smirk on his face.
After about five minutes the two of them were climbing out of the cart hand in hand. The fireworks were still echoing in the air and filling the night sky. Willow stopped for a second to stare into the sky watching the fireworks explode. Jasper stood behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist pulling her into his chest.
"Yo Jasper!" Emmett's booming voice broke them from the moment they were sharing. Emmett jogged towards them through the crowd towards them. "Alice is about to do the strength test! You have to come see this!" Emmett bounced with excitement tugging on Jasper's arm almost like a kid.
"I'll be right there." Jasper laughed and let Emmett pull him away from Willow. Jasper turned back to look at Willow halting in him and Emmett in their spots. "Do you want to come?"
"I'll be right there. I'm going to take this teddy to the car and take a smoke break." Willow waved him on with a laugh at the two of them. "I'll catch up with you." Jasper gave her a wave before he let Emmett drag him away.
Willow took another look at the sky before she began to weave through the crowd to make her way toward the entryway. For such a small town the crowd seemed bigger than possible. She ignored the text tone going off on her phone, instead pulling out her pack of cigarettes. Right before she could reach the exit gate she spotted Edward.
"Willow." Edward stepped in front of her, blocking the exit way.
"Edward?" Willow's tone was filled with annoyance. "What do you want?"
"I just- I wanted- I need to tell you something." Edward seemed to stumble over his word slightly while he wrung his hands.
"Please if you're going to tell me personally, that you don't like me. Can you spare me?" Willow spat with her teddy bear was smashed in her crossed arms.
"You are impossible." Edward huffed.
"So are you." Willow rolled her eyes and tried to step past him but Edward gracefully stepped in front of her. The two of them stared at each other and Willow could see the anger seething off of Edward.
"Just don't go out there to smoke." Edward puffed his own arms crossing over his chest.
"Are you seriously here to lecture me about how smoking is bad for me?" Willow grumbled anger seething in her words.
"You are insufferable for a measly human." Edwards hands moved to his hair as if he was going to pull it out.
"You're human too. Idiot." Willow rolled her eyes slightly confused at his statement, not understanding what the human part had to do with anything.
"Just forget it. It's probably nothing anyways." Edward threw his hands in exasperation with the conversation.
"Good talk Eddie." Willow called as she watched him walk back towards the carnival.
Willow decided to push the conversation out of her head. Edward had problems with her that maybe Willow would never understand. Maybe he was just a prick. But he was Jasper's brother so Willow decided that the next time she saw him she would swallow her pride and deal with him like an adult. She was so caught up in her thought that she didn't even realise that she had walked straight to Matthews car.
She tossed her teddy bear into the back seat before looking back toward the sky to see the fireworks in full swing. Willow pulled a cigarette out of the pack before she could pull her lighter out, she heard him. The same voice that haunted her nightmares and worse memories.
"Hello there princess."