I sat at the dining room table staring at the yellow cabinets with the peeling paint. I could feel Jacob next to me, his heat turning the kitchen into a sauna. I fidgeted impatiently while Jake fiddled with my computer.

"Are you sure you can make it work, Jake?"

"Sure, sure," he mumbled, concentrating deeply.

"Because I'm starting to think I repel technology like my mother."

I peeled my eyes away from the cabinets to look at Jake pointedly. His brow was furrowed and he looked hilarious crammed into the tiny dining room chair. His was hunched over the table, his back curling, as he worked on my laptop as if it were Frankenstein. I smiled to myself, knowing that Jake wouldn't find my Things-That-Are-Alive-That-Should-Be-Dead joke funny at all.

"Jacob."

I went unnoticed. Again.

"Jacob." Louder this time.

"I hear you, Bells. Be patient."

"When have I ever been mistaken for a patient person?"

"Bella. I can fix everything but a broken heart and the crack of dawn. Your computer definitely falls into that category."

I snorted.

"That was poetic, Jake. Really great."

The boy (it seemed so odd to call him that) looked up from his work, but only to glare at me. I rolled my eyes and smiled as I pretended to seal my lips and throw away the key.

"Thank you," he mumbled.

I nodded, looking around the room for something to distract myself. Dirty dishes, some unopened mail, and Elizabeth Masen's ring.

Oh. That would work.

I twisted the ring on my finger and watched it sparkle, even though the light in the kitchen was everything short of spectacular. I blushed, as I did every time I remembered my pending engagement to Edward. I let a small smile sneak onto my lips, and I looked up at Jake only to find my computer fixed and an unhappy werewolf watching me. I grimaced.

"So, that's still on, is it?"

I couldn't help but cringe at the disapproval in his voice.

"Yes, Jake. It's still on."

"But Bells, the treaty—"

"I know all about the treaty, Jacob."

My tone was final. But of course that wouldn't stop Jake. When had it ever worked before?

"But Bella, you're so young—"

"What happened to respective ages?"

"And I know what you're planning! It's foolish and dangerous."

I hated it when he talked over me like that. Like what he was saying was so much more important than what I was saying that he couldn't wait for me to finish my sentence. I took in a deep breath.

"Jacob. Nothing you can say will change my mind, or Edward's, on anyone else's. We are aware of the consequences. Just accept it. Please."

He was taking deep breaths too, now. His eyes were squeezed shut, trying to calm himself down so we wouldn't have this argument for the billionth time. I got up from the table as silently as I could to grab a muffin from the counter. Alice had taken up baking as her new hobby. She could cure world hunger with all the food she sent to Charlie and me. I threw Jake the muffin, and he caught it—even though it was a good three feet off target.

"Trying to persuade me with baked goods?"

"I'm practicing for when I'm married."

I covered my mouth with my hand and closed my eyes. I hadn't meant to take it that far. I peeked at Jacob to see him eating the muffin in one big bite. He was silent, but he was definitely glaring at me. I sat down next to him and put my ring-less hand gently on top of his. The heat of his hand seared my palm, and it still shocked me how warm he really was. He swallowed the muffin noisily as I traced circles on the back of his hand. When I looked up at him his face was eerily serious. I didn't like it when he looked at me that way. It reminded me of the night he had climbed up the tree outside of my window and tapped on the glass, begging to be let in. He was so hurt, and he had hurt me. This face meant that something serious would follow. I scratched at my neck nervously with my free hand, waiting for him to speak.

"That's the other thing I can't fix, Bella."

I stared at him blankly, puzzled. He reached for my wrist, putting his hand around my bracelet. His oversized fingers pinched the heart charm Edward had placed there, opposite of Jacob's wolf charm. The charm looked so fragile in his huge hands, and for a brief moment I was afraid he was going to break it. My heart.

"When this," he tapped the charm for emphasis, "stops beating…" His eyes bore into mine, and I had to fight not to break contact.

"I can't fix that, Bella."

He dropped the bracelet and my wrist, but still let my hand rest on his. The silence that followed was deafening, and neither of us dared to break it. Jacob wrinkled his nose suddenly, and I knew what that meant.

"You have a visitor."

He stood up from the chair, dropping my hand in turn. His head hit the light fixture as he tried to leave in a hurry, not wanting to see my fiancé. That word still stung me. It just wasn't real.

Jake nodded as he ducked out the door to leave. He didn't use the Rabbit much anymore, he was too tall now, and he preferred to run.

From everything.