Another random night, another random bar. Jake new that it was getting old, but he couldn't stop going. Forgetting her, that was all he needed to do, fighting the nearly impossible urge to phase again and just run. But he had come home, albeit unwillingly, when Bella was gone. Had she really been that selfish? Had she really just gone? Though he knew he couldn't really blame himself, he had been the first to leave. But really, go to the bloodsucker wedding? He just couldn't go.
Embry and Quil, his ever loyal friends, were by his side as he walked yet another bar for the night. Sometime around midnight it was, and he was nowhere near as wasted as he wanted to be. The bar lights in there were different, as if almost shining a glow onto whoever was under them. That's how he saw her.
The white dress caught his eye, he'd seen it before, though it hadn't been for a while. Her skin was pale white under the bar lights, but not bloodsucker white, just her pale skin. And her eyes, they were still brown. She was human. That's when she notices him, a small smile lights up her face as she watches him. But she's got a tonic in her hands, and the grip she has on it shows that she's not so carefree about seeing him.
Bella looks down, seeing Jacob there had not been a part of her plan. Yes it was just another random bar, on another random night, a coincidence of sorts, but seeing the man you loved? Not a part of your getting wasted plan. He looked good, she decided. His hair rested just below his ears, good, he was letting it grow out.
The white dress she wore fit her curves nicely, clung to her like his arms had all those years ago. She was older, something she was sure surprised him. It hadn't taken long for Bella to realize that she couldn't be with Edward. The grief she felt from Jacob leaving showed her that she should have been with him. She had gone to Edward and told him that much, and that she had to find him. He had agreed reluctantly, keeping his promise of letting her go if she desired. Yes it hurt her to leave him, but it hurt even worse to be away from Jacob.
She looked all over for him, places she thought he might phase back to a human, but she never had any luck. The pack wouldn't release any information, poor Seth having been commanded not to tell her anything. After two years of searching she had given up, figuring that it was for the best, he'd find a happy life away from her. She kept in regular contact with Charlie, letting him know that she was alright, well as alright as she could be. Bar hopping had become a past time, a place she went with the new friends she made. Going from city to city, town to town, staying there for two nights maximum. A part of Bella had been hoping that moving around so much may have lead her to Jake, but the hope was very tiny, not enough to ever really resurface.
Jake had slowly made his way back to Seattle, knowing that he had to be somewhere close to him. When the pack had figured out where he was, Quil and Embry had joined him, saying he needed to have some friends around to help him be alright. But he wasn't alright, Bella was gone. Two years, two fucking years she had been gone. But why wasn't she with the bloodsucker? Why was she still human? He had to find out, had to know what was going on. Turning to Quil and Embry he told them he was getting a drink, they stayed with their latest batch of girls to turn off, fucking imprints.
Jake walked over to the bar and looked at the bar tender.
"Gin and tonic." he asked for The bartender nodded and proceeded to make his drink.
"Hey," a small voice came from his right. Jake turned to look into Bella's beautiful brown eyes.
"Hey." he said back. She looked down, shy as ever, before peering back up at him.
"You um... You look good." she said, gesturing to his figure. Jake nodded.
"So do you." he said. Bella smirked a little.
"Human, you mean?" she dared to say what he couldn't.
"Yeah." he said. Bella nodded, but didn't elaborate any further. The subject of her leaving Edward was still a sore one, especially when her reason for leaving was a bust, and standing right in front of her. His drink order came and Bella took a sip of her own tonic. Jake looked at her, really looked at her. From afar she had looked as beautiful as ever, but up close, she looked tired, sad, worn down. He shook his head, wondering what on earth could have happened to her.
"What?" Bella asked, half smiling.
"Nothing." Jacob said, "Just thinking." he smiled back at her. "So how have you been?" he asked, taking a seat next to her. Bella's eyes fluttered and she ran a hand through her hair.
"Um... I've been alright." she said, not wanting to touch on just how bad she really had been. "What about you?" she asked.
"Me too," he said. "Alright." he downed the last of his drink in front of him and asked for another. Bella looked at him incredulously.
"I take it you've done this before." she said. Jake just nodded. Amidst the other late nighters and dancers, Bella spotted her supposed date for the night. He looked mad, but Bella just rolled her eyes and looked back to Jacob. She needed to be around him, to make sure that he was really doing alright, to make sure she hadn't destroyed him completely. She placed her drink on the counter and started to play with her straw, moving it up and down and watching the bubbles it made.
Jacob sort of studied her, trying to figure out the girl he had once known so well. She was still broken, that much he could tell. But it was a different kind of broken, a sort of helplessness that came from completely giving up. He couldn't imagine that the bloodsucker-Edward- had done that to her. Not when he had fought so hard for her. So why was she so sad?
"Bells, what happened?" he asked her. Jacob saw her freeze, knowing what he was really asking her. She bit her lip before looking up at him.
"I left." she whispered. But before Jacob could ask why a girl came up and through money on the bar, looking intently at Bella.
"We have to go, now." Something in the girl's voice had made Bella snap out of whatever trance she had been in. She nodded her head.
"I have to go." she looked at Jacob. "But it was great seeing you again." I missed you, she thought. Then she walked off with her friend, right into the arms of her date for the night.
Jacob followed her with his eyes, spying her go into the arms of another man. He caught her eyes with his, and found that longing in them that Bella seemed to manage to let slip. He froze, just as Embry and Quil walked up to him.
"What is it man?" Embry asked.
"Yeah you look like you've seen a ghost bro." Quil agreed. Jake shook his head.
"Nothing." he said. "It was nothing." But he stood there and watched her leave, so Quil and Embry were able to follow his line of sight.
"Is that Bella?" Embry asked. Quil laughed.
"I think it is. Hey Bella!" he called, causing Jake to shove him. Bella turned around for a moment, but couldn't find a source for the call, so she left.
"Jake, man, go after her!" Embry said. "She's right there, don't let her get away." Jake shook his head.
"GO!" Both Embry and Quil pushed him in the direction of the door. That's when he got it, he had to go after her, to make sure he didn't lose her again. He burst out of the doors.
"Bella!" he called just in time to see her walk away from the guy next to her. She crumples in relief at the sight of him, before running up to him and hugging him tightly to her.
"Oh Jake." she said, burying her face in his chest. He held her close, not letting her go. Kissing the top of her head, he brought her face up to meet his.
"This time I'm not letting you go." he said, making her smile bright before he kissed her.
Her arms found their way around his neck and her hands were in his hair. He had his arms around her torso as he pulled her closer, as if proving the point that he wasn't letting her go. Bella pulled away for air and rested her forehead against his, panting from the lack of breath.
"I couldn't do it Jake, I couldn't be happy without you." she said. "The sun was gone." she said. "Only clouds."
"I'll make them go away Bella, I promise." Jake said. She nodded and hugged him closer.
"I don't need the moon if I can have the sun." she said. "Don't let me go."
"Never." he promised. They stayed like that, just hugging for as long as they dared, before going back inside to tell Quil and Embry that everything was right again.