GENERAL DISCLAIMER: This story contains sexual situations between adult males involving various aspects of the kink and fetish communities. If you find material of this nature offensive then you should not read any further. All characters in this story are over the age of 21. If you are under 18 years old in the US or under 16 in the UK you are not legally allowed to read this story. This is purely a work of fiction, any resemblance to persons living or dead, or to any events that may have occurred, are purely coincidental. The author claims all copyrights in this story and no duplication or publication of this story is allowed (except by the websites to which it has been posted) without the consent of the author.
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Love's Wisdom by morrorpicm Copyright ©2020
Chapter One
Jesse Hendricks was glad it was Saturday - One of those days when he gets to take it easy and work with the "médiathèque" (multimedia library) at the university. He had done a course on managing and organising médiathèques whilst doing his Masters in French language, teaching and translation in Lyon, France. Having just returned to the States, he had been excited that his doctoral dissertation was done – most of it whilst still in France and now was just literally waiting for graduation when he will formally become a doctor of the French language – la langue de Moliere.
He had been offered a teaching assistant job at the university when he returned and he liked it, however, he loved the change of pace that came with his Saturdays that were spent at the mediatheque training the staff and reorganising the whole space to more modern and effective standards. The feedback was already good and even the parts of the mediatheque that had warranted worry from the management and the university were beginning to blossom. One such area was the cafe. It was build into the mediatheque to give a coffee/bookshop vibe but the disorganisation had seen the decline in clientele and even book sales had been affected, computers had been unused and the membership had declined – not to mention the dismal state of the membership database. Basically, when Jesse got the job at the mediatheque, his services couldn't have been in more want. Money was however a different issue for him. He did not earn a lot from his job at the mediatheque – it was more a labour of love, and he didn't make enough as a teaching assistant either.
His prospects with his graduation looming were not very good. He hadn't heard back from the faculty as to whether or not they would be retaining him after his graduation and he hadn't yet send out any other job applications. It was difficult! If he didn't find a job teaching at a university, he would have to find something else and there really isn't that much else for a French PhD holder in the states or anywhere for that matter. He loves the language and maybe he could find some translation jobs but unless it was at UN level, those gigs would also become had to come by. Who spends all their time at varsity doing French anyway? In the beginning he had registered for a business major but even then he had thought that it was what his mother wanted – his brother is a doctor, a resident in a big hospital in the south and he (Jesse) has nothing to show for his life. At 28, he spends his Saturdays at a mediatheque and on this particular Saturday he was cleaning the shelves and restacking books whilst keeping an eye out for the IT guy who would be coming in later to upgrade the computers and the system so that it's faster and more appealing to customers they desperately needed.
A lot had been on his mind lately and maybe it was on account of his approaching graduation but he felt very uncertain of his future and felt that he didn't have any control whatsoever on his life which frustrated him even further. How does someone nearing 30 with a doctor's degree feel this way about his life? He had been lost in thought and consumed by the rhythm of the work he was doing and so he didn't realise that a couple had entered the shop.
He was alone today because the manager of the mediatheque had an engagement this weekend and he would normally be the one to first see the people as they come in and greet them. The mediatheque is divided into four separated but flowing spaces - the bookshop, the coffee shop, the internet cafe and a small library/reading area towards the back. The bookshop and the coffee shop were situated in the front of the store and both were accessed through two commercial French doors with the coffee shop flowing out on to the patio outside where people could sit and have their coffee. The coffee shop had been run by just one person for the past few months owing to the lack of customers and he did everything from making the coffee, waiting on tables and being in charge of the cash registry. Jesse had been caught in this reverie when he heard a voice speak from behind him:
"Excuse me sir..."
He looked behind him to stare into a face that he knew but didn't recognise. The man was with a beautiful brunette and had his arm draped around her waist. Upon looking back into Jesse's face, a flash of recognition swept across the man's face as the man seemed to recognise him and a smile of disbelief and excitement lit up his face.
"No!" he exclaimed with a look of recognition displayed on his face.
Jesse looked back into his face and this time he did recognise the man.
"No!" Jesse responded with excitement.
The man moved towards Jesse and clasped him in a tight embrace while also lifting Jesse's slight frame of the ground and swinging him around. When he put Jesse back to the ground, the man looked into Jesse's face and smiled at him while shaking his head disbelievingly.
"Oh my god! Jesse what... what are you doing here? It's so good to see you! How long has it been, four years? Weren't you in France or something? Man! I can't believe this! I have missed you so much! Why did we never keep in touch? Oh my god!" the man said all this in one breath at seeing his friend after a long time.
Whilst he was still looking at Jesse expectantly and also trying to make sense of it all, the woman with him looked at him bemusedly and tugged at the sleeve of his jacket and said;
"Honey, calm down" the brunette then stretched her hand toward Jesse for a hand shake. "Hello, my name is Elizabeth – Beth. Forgive my fiancé; he is so excited to see you. I believe you are the famous Jesse who used to be his roommate in college?" her voice was sweet and endearing.
Matt's fiancé? Matt has a fiancé? Jesse thought to himself as he stretched his hand out to meet the brunette's who he now knew to be Elizabeth – Beth! She was lovely he could see how Matt could fall for someone like her; he is one of the sweetest guys he's ever known. Jesse took her hand in his and shook it while pulling her close for a kiss on the cheek. After the hand shake and the kiss he could see her blush. His action had not been expected but the "bisous" is one of those things that he'd gotten so used to whilst in France that it had become part of him now. Anyway, she is Matt's fiancée and as such a friend - so the kiss was still befitting.
He looked in Matt's direction and smiled, seeing his friend after such a long time was more than exciting and Beth's interruption hadn't dampened the excitement one bit, however, Matt had calmed done some and was now grinning at him.
"Why don't we sit down and have a cup of coffee whilst we attempt to catch up." Jesse suggested and after looking at each other and nodding at one another, the couple agreed.
Matthias Kennedy Wagner or Matt met Jesse the second semester of their first year in college. Matt had been a member of a fraternity which had a history in their family and to which his family donated a lot of money. As a rite of passage, all Wagner men have to join the fraternity and their presence in the fraternity is most noticeable. He had been given the special treatment and his father had told him stories about the men of the Wagner family and their position in the fraternity. Matt who takes after his mother, never cared for any of it. All he wanted was to go to school and get his law degree which he was very passionate about, again taking after his mother in that they both wanted to see justice done. The pageantry had annoyed him from the start and later he had been involved in clashes with the fraternity on its policies and process of admission. After he was assured that the fraternity would never change its policies on his whim or to suit his ego, he decided to leave the fraternity after just one semester much to his father's horror, and applied for placement in campus because it was a policy that all first years should live on campus.
Jesse Darwin Hendricks had spent his first semester living with some football jock who was pleasant enough but who always had a girl in the room thereby making life for Jesse uncomfortable because he would sometimes spent the night reading at the library because he couldn't go home and at that point Jesse hadn't had any friends to crash with. When the semester drew to a close, his roommate was terribly injured in a football match and was given a long recovery time which meant that for the remainder of the semester Jesse lived alone and only hoped that his next roommate would be different from his first.
Jesse liked Matt from the start. At first it was a bit of a crush but later it became genuine friendship between two people who were very different and yet at the same time very compatible. Jesse is gay and black, Matt is straight and white. Jesse liked that Matt wanted to become a lawyer to fight for the rights of the oppressed and Matt admired Jesse for his love of culture and languages.
The first day of the second semester, Jesse was waiting eagerly and nervously to see his new roommate and when Matt walked in, Jesse could feel that they would become good friends. It was kismet! The first night being roommates, they ate dinner together at the dining hall, walked about campus and spent the whole night talking and getting to know one another. The next day they were friends and so it was that way until their graduation when Matt got a job at a huge law firm in Boston and Jesse left the States and went to France.
**
Four years later and they meet again and each is at a different point in their respective lives yet they can still feel the excitement of being around one another and of being friends. Soon Matt's life would change into suburbs, Minivans and children and Jesse's would change also but into what? Jesse shook the worry away and forced himself to enjoy the reunion with his friend.
"So, how long have been back from France? What part were you in again?"
"Lyon. It's been three months and I'm getting my PhD in a few weeks time. I don't know about work though."
"Why doesn't the university just hire you? You're great! Anyway, are you dating anyone or maybe you left some woman's heart broken in Paris?"
"Lyon. No, I'm not dating anyone currently. I'm Just by myself."
Woman!? Yes Jesse never did come out to Matt, he didn't think that he would turn against him but to Jesse their friendship was so important that he couldn't risk anything ruining it. Or maybe he was just a coward. Anyway, he could tell him now couldn't he? Instead of using gender neutral pronouns when talking about his love life, he could tell Matt that he currently didn't have a boyfriend. Or maybe not, if Matt still lives in Boston and is just visiting why would he tell him? Yes! Coward! He is a coward! Jesse swallowed hard at the realisation. Silence fell over the table and Elizabeth who had been quiet while they talked looked at her fiancé and said;
"I need to get going. Are you gonna stay?"
Matt looked directly into Jesse's eyes and looked back at Beth before deciding that he would stay and that she should come back to get him later. She kissed him and waved goodbye at Jesse and quickly left.
On that first day when they met as roommates, Jesse had been struck by Matt's Germanic beauty. Tall and blonde with deep blue eyes and the kind of handsome that one never grows tired of. A face that seemed to have a permanent smile/smirk etched onto it and lips that formed into a smile every time he spoke. Yes, at that time Jesse was still quite infatuated with his friend but even after the infatuation ended, Jesse as a gay man could never deny or fail to recognise how handsome his friend is. He often wondered what Matt thought of his slight frame and average height, his honey coloured skin and brown eyes. Fair enough, Jesse had been complimented on his looks but for him it was nothing important. He looked at himself in the mirror and saw a normal looking guy. According to Jesse, his brother was the better looking one. He always liked to think that his intellect would be what gets him noticed but as far as Matt was concerned, he always wondered whether he(Matt) thought of him as handsome but that didn't matter because two "straight" friends don't talk about such things.
That many years later and Jesse is impressed at how good Matt looked. He always had the discipline and the drive. Jesse on the other hand was the kind who did things if and when it felt right.
"Aren't you gonna study?"
Matt would ask but Jesse would respond that he didn't feel like it. Jesse is the kind of person that has their moments. One moment he could be inspired to do something and he will do it to his fullest abilities, the next moment he could just feel uninspired and just laze about and sleep all day. Thankfully, growing older had seen the episodes of these extremities of his persona far and wide in between and he was getting to a point where he knew he has to do certain things even if those aren't quite pleasurable or to his liking – he was growing up.
How has his body held up? Quite well given the circumstances, his philosophy is portion control and eating everything he wanted whenever he wanted. He had learned this trick whilst in France. Did you know that French women are the skinniest in all of Europe? They eat what they want, when they want it but the trick is portion control. Of course he does visit a gym although he goes there so infrequently that it might as well not count. Jesse had never thought that muscles looked good on a man. He always believed that the more natural a man looked, the more natural a human being he is. He was never turned on by the wrestlers on WWE but to each his own.
"So, any plans for your graduation party?"
"Not quite. Tell me about you though" he was deflecting; "apart from a lovely fiancée what have you been up to? What are you doing here – what were you looking for in the store?"
"I think it's fate we came to the book store today. We were looking for a book to buy my aunt Madge. It's her birthday this weekend and you remember how much of a partier she is. Anyway, she has a lot of money so she doesn't really need anything but I always get her books because I know that's the one thing she loves. She has a book club and all"
"Oh! What does she like to read?" Jesse asked not unaware that his friend had also deflected and instead talked about his aunt Madge's birthday.
"Anything really. Anything current that will make her the envy of the book club is always preferable. I don't get women sometimes; they hate each other in their book club and live only to outdo one another yet somehow they insisting on staying `friends'. I don't get it at all. Beth says that friendship dynamics between women are too complex to comprehend for simple minds like men's" he laughed and watched as Jesse did the same.
"I think I might just have the book for her. It sorta has the makings of `Fifty Shades of Grey' but classier – and this one won't be out for some time here in the States. That should give her an edge." Jesse said.
"Hey do you wanna come with us to the party tomorrow? Maybe give her the book yourself? She used to like you so much and almost always asks me about you, anyway, Jasper will also be there – he is getting married in two weeks' time."
Just then Beth walked into the coffee shop and smiled as she sat down next to Matt and said;
"Babe we really ought to get going. I think I have the perfect gift for your aunt. Anyway, why don't you have dinner with us Jesse? That way you guys get to catch up and I get to know you better."
Jesse seemed to mull the idea in his mind before replying; "Why don't you guys come over to my apartment for dinner tonight? I'd like to cook for you."
Without even wasting a minute, Beth agreed and that was it, he would be cooking dinner for Matt and his fiancée that night.
Chapter Two
For Jesse, cooking was the best therapy. It was one of the bonuses of having lived in France because over there people know good food. The French know how to take a step back and just enjoy good food, good wine and the company of friends. He still couldn't believe he was cooking for Matt and his fiancée and that they would be coming to his apartment – well his mother's apartment.
When Jesse got back, he had opted to stay in the city at his mother's apartment as opposed to moving in with her at the farm. Living here was better, he had his bicycle and everything was just around the corner so getting around was not a problem at all. His mother had bought the apartment a long time ago when she used to teach at the university before she retired to the farmhouse that she bought. His mother was a doctor – a psychiatrist. She had taught at the university and now mostly spent her time and money entertaining friends and travelling the world – she even made it to Lyon two years ago and they spent some time together.
The apartment is great but the style is definitely not his. The apartment has three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, a large open floor kitchen-dinning and living room as well as a den/library/home office. At this point in his life, his finances didn't qualify him for anything – much less an apartment this size. He was grateful to his mother and she seemed more than willing to oblige so everyone got something out of it. Although the décor was not to his taste, the apartment looked good and had everything he could ever need.
So, what's on the menu? Jesse thought that he would pull out all the stops today. He was going for a three course meal because he wanted to impress his friend and his fiancée. He was going to serve a light and simple POTAGE PARMENTIER (leek and potato soup) for starters, fillet steak served with young carrots and peas for the main and crème caramel for dessert. He had timed everything just right and had finished all the prep and was only left with the steak to do to order and the vegetables to glaze and finish before serving with the steak.
**
They rang the buzzer at exactly seven o'clock and Jesse was more than glad to buzz them in and wait for them to appear in the elevator down the hall from his door where he stood in eager anticipation. When the elevator door finally opened, he waved them in the direction of his door and when they arrived at the door he stood aside to let them in.
"Madame, monsieur entrez et bienvenue chez moi – ben chez ma mère." he said this with a smile and followed them inside.
"Merci!" replied Beth. "We brought some wine and chocolate."
She said as she looked towards Matt to hand Jesse the paper bag he carried. Matt passed Jesse the paper bag and he pulled out a bottle of vintage red wine – a syrah and a box of Belgian chocolate.
"Thank you so much for these – the chocolate especially"
"See? I told you he loves chocolate." said Matt.
As everyone took their seats Jesse looked at them and said, "I had already selected the wines for tonight so I don't know if you will insist on the vintage you brought?"
"No! Not at all, we'll have the wine you selected." said Beth.
With the soup, Jesse served a nice dry white wine a Rhone viognier (coindreu) and everyone at the table seemed impressed with the wine.
"This wine is great! What's it called? We are already looking for some choices for the wedding." Jesse was jerked back into reality by Beth's voice. He hadn't realized that the he had zoned out – not that there was that much on his mind, he had just zoned out momentarily.
"It's from a nice little winery just on the outskirts of Lyon. I know the guy that makes it. He just sent me a case as a matter of fact – I'll give you guys a bottle to take home."
"The soup is great too! Since when are you such a great cook? Matt asked.
"Since always. I just never cooked in college but I have always cooked. Being in France has definitely improved my cooking; the people there eat so well."
Oh shit!
He was thinking of Matthieu now. Matthieu was the guy he had been dating whilst in France. He was the most passionate man Jesse had ever met and their relationship had been the best part of France for Jesse. When he got there, he hadn't hidden the fact that he is gay – not that he was now. He was simply just not advertising it.
Coward!
Anyway, Jesse had met Matthieu online and they had chatted a few times before deciding to meet for coffee. They had met only a month after Jesse had arrived in France and had been together up until the last day when he got on the plane for the States. There hadn't been a discussion about what would happen between them but they had decided the last few months of Jesse's stay in France that they would enjoy their time together and not worry about it. When the two of them had started dating, they hadn't expected that it would last – it just never occurred to any of them. Now in retrospect, Jesse can admit that it was the greatest affair he has ever had to date and that his heart had definitely broken when he had looked into Matthieu's grey eyes that last time and gave him a peck on the lips before he turned around and walked away regretting it as it happened.
He couldn't have stayed. He just had to come back home but for what, he didn't know, he just felt that it was time he came home. Matthieu called him last week to ask if Jesse had received the box of wine he had sent him. The phone call had ended in tears and declarations of love and Jesse's heart had broken all over again.
"Jesse. Are you alright? We lost you for a moment there." It was Matt.
He had a concerned look on his face and Jesse smiled to himself thinking that it was adorable.
"I'm fine." Jesse said knowing that no one believed him.
But really, he was fine. Apart from the heartbreak and the uncertainty of his future and his financial issues, he was fine.
"So, how much wine do you think we could get if we wanted some for the wedding?" Beth asked.
"I don't know. How much would you need? Give me a number and I could ask Matt for you."
"Me?" asked a bewildered Matt.
"No, sorry. Matthieu – my friend who makes the wine. His name is Matthieu. I used to call him `Matt'. He didn't understand it but he liked it."
Jesse thought back to the first time he had started calling Matthieu Matt'. It was after a particularly hot session of lovemaking that they had laid in bed with Jesse's head on Matthieu's chest and his heart beating steadily under Jesse's ear that he (Jesse) had felt a warm glow and a satisfaction that he hadn't known before. Jesse had propped himself up on his elbow, looked deep into his companion's grey eyes and said, "So, Matt want something to eat?" Matthieu hadn't understood and he had had to repeat in French but from that day, Matthieu had become Matt' and liked when his American boyfriend called him that.
"Oh." said a disappointed Matt. "He has the same name as me?"
Jesse released a small laugh as he pondered the irony of it all. That was some funny coincidence, wasn't it?
The rest of the dinner seemed to go down well and Jesse seemed to have surprised everyone with his culinary skills. The dessert had impressed Beth so much that she had asked if Jesse would help her with setting the menu for hers and Matt's wedding. Jesse was flattered and agreed without even thinking about it. At the end of the night, Matt, with a bottle of Matthieu's wine in hand gave Jesse a hug and promised to see him the next day for their trip into the wine country for Aunt Madge's birthday party. Beth gave Jesse a hug, kissed him and insisted they swap numbers before joining Matt by the elevator. After the elevator doors closed, Jesse walked back inside his apartment, looked around at the evidence of the dinner party that just ended and decided that he was too tired to do anything that night but instead would wake up early to clear up. The one thing he would do though was to call Matthieu.
« Allô? »
« Allô Matthieu, ça va? »
« Jesse? C'est toi? »
« Ouais c'est moi. Je te dérange? »
« Non, pas du tout ! Ça va, toi ? »
«Ben ouais ! C'est que, tu me manques... »
Again, the conversation ended in tears as the two lovers struggled with their predicament.
The trip into wine country was uneventful. Jesse sat in the back and enjoyed watching the couple in front interacted with each other. The scenery was beautiful as you would expect a drive through wine country to be. There seemed to be no question at all as to the love that Matt and Beth had for one another and somehow without even realizing it, Jesse's heart felt heavy as he reminisced of the similar drives they would take with Matthieu.
Upon arrival at the estate home owned by Matt's Aunt Madge, they drove up to a more than impressive Italianate style mansion that Jesse had known and visited more than often whilst back in college. Jasper – Matt's cousin, was at the same college as Matt and Jesse and the bond that Matt and Jasper share is that of best friends and brothers more than cousins. Because Aunt Madge – Jaspers mother lived closest to the university than Matt's parents who are still in the south, Matt, Jasper and Jesse would come out here for weekends and holidays as often as they could.
When the group arrived at the estate, the festivities were already in full swing and everyone seemed to be having a great time. They approached Aunt Madge who was engrossed in a conversation with one of her guests. She turned around to notice her nephew who she quickly embraced and kissed on the cheek.
Jesse thought there was a bit of tension between Beth and Aunt Madge but maybe he was mistaken. He thought he recognised something in the way Aunt Madge hugged Beth and how quick she was to release her and almost immediately ignore her presence. Jesse thought he saw Matt cringe at the exchange too but, again, he could have been mistaken.
"Jesse! How are you dear? I'm so glad my oaf of a nephew brought you along. How long have you been back? I'm so pleased to see you."
"Hello Mrs. Wagner, I've been back for some time. I've brought you a present." Jesse said as he handed Aunt Madge the book in a gift bag.
"Nonsense, you know you should call me Aunt Madge or have the French messed with your head young man?"
"No, of course not Aunt Madge, I'm sorry." Jesse replied as he gave Aunt Madge a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Aunt Madge pulled the book out of the gift bag and examined its cover. She looked at Jesse and gave him another hug. After Aunt Madge had given Jesse the hug, Beth made to hand Aunt Madge hers and Matt's gift but Aunt Madge instead showed Beth to the table where other guests were placing their gifts. At this, Beth walked dejectedly to the table and this time Jesse could confirm that there did, in fact, exist some kind of tension between Beth and Aunt Madge.
"Do you always have to treat her this way?" Matt asked Aunt Madge with a tone of annoyance in his voice which he didn't even attempt to hide.
"Nonsense! I haven't done anything wrong!" Aunt Madge said with finality and that was that.
She turned to Jesse and said, "Jesse, I have an insufferable woman here who is in my book club. Since, you are a qualified authority on French culture; I need you to put her in her place for me."
She turned towards Matt and said, "Don't just stand there Matthias, get something to eat – a drink and mingle!"
Jesse enjoyed the attention that he was lavished with by Aunt Madge and after having settled a French culture-related dispute between Aunt Madge and the insufferable woman, he was led to the bar by Aunt Madge who insisted she wanted something to drink.
"I'm so happy you and Matt found your back into each other's lives. I tell you; sometimes I worry about that boy. You won't disappear on him again, will you Jesse?"
To say that Jesse was surprised would be the understatement of the year. He had no idea what Aunt Madge was talking about and also no idea what she was trying to get at. He glanced around and located Matt who seemed engrossed in a conversation (likely concerning Aunt Madge) with Beth. He (Matt) made eye contact briefly with Jesse and Jesse turned back to Aunt Madge in an attempt to have her clarify what she meant. Before he could form the words with his mouth, Jesse was startled by a pair of strong hands that grabbed him from behind and lifted him into the air before putting him back again. He turned to look into a handsome and smiling face.
"Jasper!" Jesse exclaimed in excitement and for the first time, looking into Jasper's brown eyes, he understood that maybe this was why he had felt such a need to come back home. He had missed the sense of familiarity and security that comes with being home and with friends and family.
"Jesse! What's up bro? Man, it's great to have you back. You should meet Diana."
Before he could say anything, Jesse was being pulled away from Aunt Madge and out of the great hall to the outside patio area where he was to be introduced to Jaspers wife-to-be.
Jesse and Jasper met each other the second week after Matt had moved into Jesse's dorm room. At first Jesse was not that much taken with Jasper because he seemed to spend every waking moment in their dorm. The other reason why Jesse hadn't taken to Jasper was that he was jealous of Jasper's and Matt's relationship. He understood that they were cousins but at this point, Jesse was still quite infatuated with Matt and even though he knew it was irrational, he felt he didn't want to compete for Matt's attention with anyone – good thing Matt wasn't dating at the time. Jasper had remained at the fraternity house when Matt had moved out. Maybe he hadn't felt as strongly about things as Matt had and then again, maybe he wasn't going to let any of it ruin the privileges of being a Wagner in that house.
After realising that Jasper wasn't going anywhere and after a great deal of effort on Matt's part, Jesse relented and he quickly found that Jasper was a great guy and at this point, he was over his crush on Matt so the threat of competition had seemed obsolete. Jasper and Jesse quickly turned into great friends and sometimes Jasper would go over to Jesse's even when Matt was not there and they would hang around together.
Jesse thought Jasper was handsome – not in a confrontational sort of way but in an understated way. Because of his mother who had dark Italian features, Jasper had not taken after his father and most of the Wagner clan with their blonde hair and blue eyes. He had very light brown hair (bordering on blonde) and dark brown (almost black) intense eyes. He did, however, have his father's height and was a couple of inches taller than Matt. If being true to himself, Jesse knew that if given a choice, he would choose Jasper over Matt – simply because Jasper was a relatable kind of handsome as opposed to Matt's utterly handsome features. Matt is the kind of handsome that makes everyone else feel self conscious around him – that is until you get to know him and then you find out that he doesn't like the idea of himself as some beautiful hunky Adonis.
Whereas Matt was sensible and logical, Jasper was passionate and ruled by the heart. Jesse thought the best example of this distinction between the two cousins was the women they have chosen. Matt was engaged to Beth who is very beautiful and almost a perfect female version of Matt – except the hair and eye colour. Jasper had instead chosen a beautiful exotic woman whose heritage Jesse couldn't tell. The way he looked at her and the way he talked to her was very passionate. If there was one thing that Jasper could never be accused of not having, it was passion.
"Jesse, meet the love of my life. Diana, this is one of my greatest friends Jesse."
Jesse stretched out his had to meet hers and after that, they talked like they had known each other for a long time. Jasper had left them to go and get Diana something to drink and when he got back, he pulled Jesse aside and asked him if he could talk to him.
"So, I did good huh!?" Jasper asked eagerly.
He looked at the grin and glint in Jesse's eyes and knew the answer to his question.
He continued, "So, now that you're here you'll be coming to the wedding right?"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world."
"Good! We're getting married at my father's house in the south. It's very beautiful down there, have you ever been?" Jesse shook his head `No' and Jasper just continued, "So, Beth huh? I have to tell you Jesse I don't care for her all that much but Matt seems to be happy so we'll all have to just be happy for him."
Once again Jesse was flabbergasted by everyone's attitude towards Beth. He liked her and from what he had seen she made Matt happy. Before he could ask Jasper what he meant, Jasper clasped him on the shoulder and said, "Well, don't be a stranger okay? Gotta go! I can't keep my lady waiting."
With that, Jasper left him standing there and moved away.