Summary: AH, Edward’s POV. Edward and Emmett have a new college roommate named Jasper, and he’s not what anyone expects – nor is Jasper’s pretty, shy best friend, Bella Swan. But to get to Bella, Edward has to go through Jasper first. Edward/Bella/Jasper.

Rated: L for Lemon. Mmm, zesty.

Author’s Note/Warning: If you know me from my previous Edward/Bella canon fics, this story might come as a bit of a shock to you.

Let me start off by saying that this is first-and-foremost an Edward/Bella story. But I have a kink, dear readers. Boy/girl/boy – especially if the boys are pretty and batting their eyelashes at each other. If that squicks you out, please do yourself a favor and hit the back button. Cause I’m not pulling any punches here.

I plan to stagger chapter updates of this story with chapters of The Small Print, so my E/B-canon fans don’t lynch me. :D

Happy reading.

***

What If We Could
Written by Coquette

Chapter One

***

Bro.

Someone finally called about the extra room. His name’s Jasper, and he sounds cool. Don’t kill him if he walks through the door like he lives here. He does. He’s our new roommate.

Party tonight – 9 pm. Hydrate while you still can.

Em.

***

I smiled and set Emmett’s note aside. Well, that was certainly a relief.

Our planned third roommate for our junior year of college had bailed on us more than a week ago, and we’d had some trouble filling the spot. We needed that extra rent money if we didn’t want our landlord to kick us out.

Rather than taking up residence in the dormitories, Emmett and I rented a three-bedroom house in a neighborhood near campus. This was largely due to the fact that Emmett refused to sleep in the same room with another male, and I didn’t like it much either. Especially when they snored. The trouble was that it was a little pricey to live off campus, not to mention the fact that any prospective roommate would need a car if he wanted to get to school. Though several guys had showed an interest in the extra room, few had been willing or able to take it.

I hoped this Jasper was nice. Emmett wasn’t the greatest judge of character. Still, it wasn’t as if we had much choice. Like it or not, we had a new roommate.

***

The doorbell rang while I was getting out of the shower.

“Just a second!” I called down the hallway. I grabbed a towel and hastily wrapped it around my waist, feet slipping on the tile floor as I hurried to answer the door.

I glanced through the peep-hole, and when I saw a boy around my age holding a moving box in one arm, I opened the door. “Hey, sorry about that,” I said breathlessly. “Caught me in the shower.”

The boy looked a bit taken aback by my appearance. His bright eyes slid from my face, down the exposed length of my chest and further still to the damp, sagging towel at my waist.

Then he smiled.

“Well,” he said, placing his free hand on his hip. “Aren’t you just the cutest thing?”

I stared.

Noted: The highlighted blond hair. Tanned skin. Expensive, brand-name clothing. Immaculately toned muscles, evidence of hours in the gym. And then there was the effeminate thrust of his hip to consider.

I swallowed. Adjusted the towel around my waist.

Oh.

I recovered quickly and remembered my manners. “I’m Edward,” I said, holding my hand out. “You must be Jasper.”

He stepped forward to shake my hand – a good firm handshake that probably meant I was going to like him.

“You got it,” he said with a grin, showing off perfect white teeth. He must go through a box of Crest Whitestrips every week, I thought. “Hey, thanks for taking me in, man. I didn’t know what to do about housing this semester until I saw your ad on Craig’s List.”

I returned the smile, stuck by his easy confidence and charisma. He seemed like a nice guy. “Emmett and I should be thanking you. You’re helping us out, believe me. We appreciate the extra rent money. Come on in. I’ll show you which room is yours. Oh. Hello. I didn’t see you standing there.”

Peeking out from behind Jasper’s shoulder were the prettiest brown eyes I’d ever seen. A girl, perhaps a year or two younger than me. I hadn’t seen her at first, though I imagined she’d been standing there the entire time, hiding behind Jasper.

But once I laid eyes on her, I had a difficult time looking elsewhere.

Compared to the other girls on campus, this one was unbelievably refreshing. Skin free of makeup and fake tanner, mahogany hair hanging free and long down her back, a sweet little pout to her lips. Her blouse was simple but girlish, hinting at curves beneath the soft ruffles.

She smiled at me shyly – endearingly – and then her long eyelashes fluttered as she looked away. A blush stained her cheeks, and the effect was lovelier than any makeup could provide.

Jasper beamed as he slipped an arm around her waist, guiding her out from behind him. “Edward – this is my girl, Bella. She’s here to help me move in. You’re going to love her. Sweetest thing in the known universe.”

My smile slipped a fraction. His girl? But I’d thought...

Perhaps I’d been mistaken about Jasper.

I held my hand out to her, and blushing ever harder, she accepted it. Her hands were soft and so warm that I felt a tug in my abdomen. I wanted to keep holding that soft, warm hand, but that wouldn’t be the best way to impress her. Or Jasper, if this was indeed his girlfriend. Besides, it was easy to tell Bella was the shy type and more than a little embarrassed at my nakedness. I felt strangely inclined to make her feel at ease. She was like a tentative kitten approaching the outstretched hand of a stranger. I wanted her to trust me.

“The pleasure’s all mine, I’m sure,” I said, letting her hand slip free from mine. “Please. Come inside and make yourselves at home. I’m just going to go find some clothes so as not to embarrass myself further.”

I watched as the blush crept down Bella’s throat and spread across the delicate skin of her chest. She was still looking away.

Beautiful...

Jasper winked at me as he guided her through the doorway. “Well, don’t feel like you have to hurry and change on my account. I don’t mind at all.”

***

Bella was a different person when she was alone with Jasper. More confident. Freer with her movements. The shyness a thing of the past.

After I’d changed and helped them move Jasper’s things inside, the two of them had gone to explore the backyard. Jasper had found the sound system we’d hooked up on the porch for parties, and he twisted the radio dial until he found a station he liked. I lifted an eyebrow at his choice of music, but Bella laughed when Jasper started doing a silly dance for her. It was a beautiful laugh – transparent and bright – like a bit of sunshine peeking through a gray cloudbank. For that reason alone, I didn’t mind the music or dancing in the least.

There was a square of unkempt garden space near the back fence – something Emmett and I chose to ignore rather than cultivate. But as Bella kneeled before it, something about it excited her. She grinned up at Jasper, who stared fondly back and nodded.

I didn’t have a clue what she was saying, but I could watch her say it all day.

“Who’s that?” said a voice from behind me. “And who the hell turned on that crap music?”

I jumped, startled – but it was just Emmett. Distracted by the pretty face in the backyard, I hadn’t heard him come into the house. He had his hand extended toward me so that we exchange our typical greeting – a slap of the hands, a twist and a snap, then a hard punch to the shoulder. I found the ritual a bit ridiculous, but it amused him to no end. Made him feel all manly, I think, and feeling manly was very important to Emmett.

“That’s our new roommate, Jasper,” I said – slapping and twisting and punching until Emmett was duly satisfied.

He made a disgusted sound in his throat. “I meant the girl, you douche. I kinda figured that was Jasper.”

I suddenly felt protective of girl in the backyard. “Oh. That’s Bella. I think she’s Jasper’s girlfriend.”

I narrowed my eyes and watched Emmett’s reaction carefully.

Emmett was my best friend, and I loved him like a brother. We’d known each other since grade school. In the many years of our acquaintance, we had seen each other drunk, puking, and high – sometimes all three at once. And somehow, we still liked each other after all of that.

You couldn’t ask for a better friend than Emmett.

But while he didn’t have a mean bone in his body, it was easy to misread him that way. He was big, loud, and blunt. And that was why I didn’t like the idea of him around someone like Bella. It seemed as though anything big, loud, and blunt might bruise her.

“Girlfriend, huh?” said Emmett as he peered out of the window. “That’s okay, I guess. She’s cute, but not my type. Too kittenish. Gonna take a tigress to tame this.” He slapped his chest. “Be back in a few. I’m about to make their day brighter.”

He threw open the door and strode across the grass to introduce himself to Jasper and Bella. I couldn’t help but smirk as I watched the three of them strike up a conversation. I knew what was coming.

Emmett started out by warmly welcoming Jasper into our house. But as Jasper responded in kind – one hand held limply in the air, and the other fiddling with one of his blond curls — my eyes went to Emmett’s face.

His expression shifted from happiness, to confusion, to denial, to stunned fear.

Emmett didn’t know the meaning of dishonesty. If he was uncomfortable, it showed on his face, clear as day. And Emmett was definitely uncomfortable.

Still smirking, my eyes met with Bella’s. She was smiling, too, and she didn’t blush as much as the first time we’d locked gazes. She had obviously noticed Emmett’s reaction to Jasper and found it just as amusing as I did. I boldly held her gaze until she looked away, leaning closer to Jasper until he slipped an arm around her.

Emmett excused himself not long after that, and he walked a little funny as he made his way back to the house – sort of closed in on himself like he’d just been inappropriately fondled. By the time he stepped through the doorway and back into the living-room, abject horror shone on his face.

“Dude? Dude.” He pointed accusingly in Jasper’s direction. “Fah-lame-ing.”

I laughed and held a finger to my lips, urging him to talk quieter.

Emmett rolled his eyes and shut the back door so that no one could hear our conversation. “G-A-Y spells homosexual, my friend. And our new roommate is as queer as they come.” Emmett turned to look through the window blinds at the backyard. “Oh, I get it now. The kitten’s not his girlfriend at all. She’s his fag hag.”

I sat up straight and moved to the edge of the couch. “His what, now?”

“Fag hag. You know, a straight girl that hangs out with gay men? Look at them out there. Like two giggling girlfriends, talking about the hot guy that just introduced himself to them. Meaning me, Edward.”

Emmett turned and pressed his back flat against the wall like he was trying to protect something. “I dunno, man, I dunno,” he said, shaking his head. “I dunno if I can handle a roommate who dances around in my backyard to Lady Gaga. If he gets his disco stick anywhere near me, I’ll snap that shit off. Pow, snap!”

I was barely listening. Rather, I was thinking about what Emmett had said about straight women that hung out with gay men. Because that thought made me very happy indeed.

“I think you’re overreacting,” I said, calmer now that I’d latched onto hope. “He’s a nice guy. You should give him a chance. And I never knew you were so homophobic.”

Emmett frowned at the moral dilemma. “I’m cool. Modern thinker and all that. I don’t have a problem with gay people. I mean, c’mon – lesbians are hot.”

I smiled patiently. “You don’t like lesbians, Emmett. You like straight girls that kiss each other.”

“Hmm,” he said, thinking that over. “You might have a point there. I just ... I dunno ... I don’t want him hitting on me. Looking at me. Checking me out while I’m doing pushups in my room. I mean, I could just look up one day, and he’d be there all eyein’ my ass, trying to figure out how to get all up in that shit. Because let me tell you, dude, gay guys love my ass. My ass is awesome.”

He put his hands out, fingers clenched, like he was grabbing someone’s butt-cheeks and giving them a good squeeze.

I stared at him, perplexed. “Emmett, would you like a beer?”

Anything to soothe his inner manly man – and keep his mouth busy so he’d stop talking.

Ten minutes later, he had calmed down a bit.

He’d stood at the refrigerator and downed two beers in about thirty seconds. Then he’d burped loudly and said, “To take the edge off.”

He grabbed two more beers and tossed me one.

As we sat on the couch and drank, Emmett’s eyes went a bit fuzzy, and he got that philosophical look on his face that meant the alcohol was taking effect. I watched with growing wariness as his eyes lit up with an idea.

“You know what we have to do to him, don’t you?” he said.

I picked at the label on my bottle. “We have to do something to him? Come on, Emmett. You’re being ridiculous about this.”

“We have to lead him into the light.” He slammed down his bottle on the coffee table. “Turn him. Show him the glory of the straight life. Of boobs.”

I frowned and leaned forward to slip a coaster beneath Emmett’s beer. “I’m not sure that’s going to wor-”

“I mean, he’s probably never even been with a girl,” said Emmett. “Aside from the kitten, I mean. And from the look of her, she’s never seen the inside of a straight guy’s bedroom. Let’s find Jasper someone at the party tonight. Get him nice and toasted, then shove them in a room together. I’m telling you, man. One night.”

“I think you’re wrong about that.”

“Wanna make a bet?”

“No. I want you to shut your hole, so I can drink my beer in peace.”

We sat for several minutes in silence, sipping our drinks and letting the alcohol unwind us.

Then out of nowhere, Emmett sniggered. “Heh. You said hole.”

I sighed. Such is my life with Emmett.

“Shit, dude,” he said, shifting his position on the couch. “Clench your ass-cheeks. They’re coming inside.”

Laughter proceeded Jasper and Bella as they walked through the door. My eyes immediately went to her, enjoying the sight of her easy smile, of the warm glow that sunshine had left on her skin.

“Hey, guys?” asked Jasper. “I need to run something by you. See if it’s okay.”

Bella laughed again and buried her face in Jasper’s shoulder.

Jasper put up his hands in a display of surrender. “And if it’s not cool, just say so. But Bella and I just noticed that you have a bit of garden to spare out in the backyard, and it’s nice and hidden from prying eyes.”

Grinning, Bella punched his arm lightly. “Don’t blame this on me.”

Something stirred in my chest at the sound of her voice. It was the first time I’d heard her speak, and I wasn’t disappointed.

“The thing is,” Jasper continued, “I grow weed. I’ve got some seedlings in my car. But again, I’ll get rid of them if it’s not cool, so don’t be afraid to speak up. Having a place to live this semester is way more important than getting high on a regular basis.”

Emmett suddenly shot up from his sitting position, mouth open, eyes wide. Then he stumbled forward in Jasper’s direction, stretched out his massive arms, and embraced our new roommate warmly. “My brother,” he said, slapping him on the back. “Welcome to your new home.”

Well, then. That solved one problem.

Shaking my head in amused disbelief, I stole another glance at Bella. She had shied away when Emmett had approached, and she looked a bit out of sorts as she hovered by herself.

As my two roommates launched into a conversation about the proper cultivation of marijuana, I set my sights on getting Bella’s pretty little lips to speak again.

“So, Bella,” I said, rising to my feet. “We’re having an end-of-summer party tonight. Jasper lives here now, so he doesn’t really have a choice. But you’re welcome to come as well. Bring some friends, and we’ll provide the rest.”

There was the blush again. I wanted to reach out and cup her face in my hand, just to feel it burn against my skin. She licked her lips and started to say something, but then got flustered and dropped her gaze.

“Hey, that sounds like fun,” said Jasper. His tone was gentle, and he reached out to push her hair away from her flushed face. “What do you say, beautiful? Wouldn’t be fun without the life of the party. You’re not going to make us all sad by not coming, are you?”

Bella exhaled slowly, the tension leaving her slender shoulders. Jasper was very good with her, I realized. He seemed to know instinctively how to bring her out of her shell and make her feel at ease.

She shifted self-consciously on her feet, a seductive little dance she was likely unaware of. “Sure,” she said at last. “I’ll come. Thanks.”

I smiled, hope stirring in my chest. “I look forward to it.”

God, I hoped Jasper was gay.

***

To be continued.

Author’s Note: I might have been slightly inebriated when I wrote this. Just puttin’ that out there. I have no excuse for my actions. Yet strangely, I remain unabashed...

If you have a moment, I'd love to know what you thought.

Kisses,
Coquette