A.N: This is unbetaed, quickly-written blabber. Because it was Christmas and I wanted fluff.
The Cullens never returned. No vamps, no werewolves. Just a great need for magic.
"Checkmate"
"What? No!"
"Uh huh."
"How did that happen?"
"I moved my rook over there after you had taken my queen."
"Oh. Dammit." Jacob pushed the chessboard as far away from him as the small table would allow. "I don't like this game."
Bella grinned at him from the other side. "That's just because you're really bad at it."
"Gee, thanks Bells."
"No problem.¨
Jacob looked over at her, and watched as her grin turned even wider. He put his lip out pretending to sulk, while really he couldn't be more thrilled. He had never seen her smile this much before.
They were sitting in the living room at her house, after decorating the whole room with the dusty Christmas decorations Charlie had taken down from the attic. It was the day before Christmas Eve, and according to Bella there was no better way to spend their time than playing a nice game of chess.
"One more time?" she suggested, shuffling the box of pieces under his nose with a mischievous grin.
"You're enjoying this way too much," Jacob muttered.
Bella shuffled he box again hopefully.
Jacob sent her a look and sighed heavily. Then he took the box from her hand and started lining up the pieces on the board one more time.
Bella smiled again, so wide the skin under her eyes wrinkled.
Jacob sneaked another glance at her and tried his best to hide his own.
He was really looking forward to this Christmas. Normally, Christmas wasn't a big deal at the Black's house. Normally, Rachel would be home – not Rebecca, not anymore, - Charlie would come over at Christmas Eve, and they would eat dinner in the living room and exchange gifts. Charlie normally presented Bille with a case of beer, and Billy normally presented Charlie with the same. Then they would drink their beer while Jacob are candy and watched TV with his sister, until Charlie fell asleep on the couch and the rest of them went to bed.
This Christmas would be different though. Bella would be there this time.
It wasn't like Jacob had never celebrated Christmas with Bella before. He had. She had been there last year too. The whole time she had been sitting farthest away on the couch staring blankly at the table in front of her. During the evening she has uttered only two words, "fine" and "thanks". Which she had said all three times in total. Charlie had been wringing his hands on the other side of the sofa and sent Billy dark looks, which Billy had returned knowingly. Jacob had altered between being alarmed by Bella's glossy eyes, angry at the Cullen-guy who supposedly was to blame for this, and slightly hopeful because she was really pretty and cool (or at least she had been the last time they spoke) and he really wanted to get to know her better.
Jacob was really looking forward to this Christmas.
He secretly glanced over at her now, sitting by the other side of the table, chewing on her lip as she probably figured out some smart way to bury his remaining warriors. Her cheeks were fuller and rosier now, her hair was shinier, the dark circles under her eyes were gone. And, most importantly, her eyes were alive. She was better, he knew it. She was getting better every day. She was happier.
Jacob had been patient. He hadn't pushed her. But now …
Bella looked up, sending Jacob a quick smile that made her eyes wrinkle up again, before moving her bishop across the board.
He loved her.
"Checkmate," she grinned.
"What?" Jacob looked down at the board, surveying the situaion. "That can't be, we just started!"
Her smile widened. "I know."
"Dammit."
Billy Black thought of himself as an experienced man. He had felt his fair share of joy and grief and raised three kids in the process. These days, he used to think there wasn't much that could still surprise him. When Christmas Eve arrived however, he found himself wrong.
Billy woke up early as usual. He pushed himself up in his bed and reached for the clothes laying on the chair next to him. After getting dressed, he lifted his legs over in the wheelchair and then eased the rest of him in after, as effortlessly as a man who has done this every day for the last nine years. Then he wheeled his way out of his bedroom, only to stop short when he reached the living room and discovered his sixteen year old son down on all four with a mop in his hand. Billy held his face neutral as he surveyed the scene, taking in the bucket of soapy water, the unmistakeable scent, and the red face of his son who was struggling to get the mop to sweep properly under the sofa. Billy held his face neutral, and wondered whether or not his son had gone crazy.
"Jacob?" he said quietly.
Jacob startled, knocking his head in the sofa with a loud crash and splashing a large amount of soapy water on the floor.
"Oh, hi dad," he said, slightly short of breath, before moving his attention back to the dust bunnies under the couch.
"Are you cleaning?" Billy asked. Not that he really needed to ask, as the answer was painly obvious.
"Yeah," Jacob guffawed from under the couch.
"You do know it is 7 am and that it is Christmas Eve?"
"Uh. Yeah. I know. I just couldn't sleep."
Billy opened his mouth, but then closed it just as quickly.
"Oh, of course-" Jacob suddenly exclaimed then, popping his head back up from the couch. Billy felt his shoulders relax, expecting the logical answer that would explain this mystified behavior.
"-I forgot," Jacob said, grinning. "Merry Christmas, dad."
After second thought, Billy was most certain his son had gone crazy.
By the time Billy had eaten breakfast, gulped down his medicines and two cups of coffee and allowed himself to take a chocolate from the jar on the mantle piece (Christmas!), Jacob was sitting red faced ad sweaty by the kitchen table wiping his forehead on his sleeve.
The clock only showed 08.30 and Jacob had already washed the floor, cleaned the bathroom, vacuumed the couch, folded laundry and swiped the porch. Billy had even seen him dust the windowsills.
"Not that I'm complaining," Billy said, chewing his chocolate and sending an inconspicuous glance in the direction of this new maid. "But why the sudden urge to clean?"
Jacob shrugged and looked up at the ceiling.
"Nah. As I said, I couldn't sleep. And I just thought it would be nice. It's Christmas."
"Really."
"Actually dad, yes. It is."
"And that is the only reason you've decided to start cleaning."
Skepticism was Billy Black's middle name at this point. If his sloth of a son was not able to sleep at 7 am in the morning, and decided that cleaning would be a nice alternative, something was seriously out of balance.
"Uh huh," Jacob said. He was still studying the ceiling. Maybe he was looking for cobweb. "I just wanted to... you know, make it nice," he continued. "People do that when it's Christmas."
"We cleaned the house five days ago."
"I know." Jacob shrugged, leaning back on his chair. Actually, he probably was looking for cobweb.
But Billy Black was not stupid. He thought he had a pretty good idea what this was all about.
"So this has nothing to do with us getting company tonight?" he asked lightly. "It's not about you wanting to make a good impression or anything?"
There was a squeak from the chair as Jacob balanced on the edge. "What?" he said, his voice a little squeaky too. "Of course not. It's only Charlie." There was a beat, before he added "And Bella."
"And Bella," Billy repeated, rolling out yesterday's newspaper. He knew for a fact that his 16 year old son was more likely to forget his own name than to forget the expected presence of Bella Swan. This worried him, but he said nothing.
Jacob stood up from his chair. "I'm just gonna go and … err … work on the Rabbit."
"Really," Billy said, his eyes not leaving the newspaper.
"Yeah," Jacob said, carefully backing his way out of the kitchen. "It's been making some funny noises lately."
"Really."
"Uh huh."
"Hm."
Jacob closed the door behind him when he left and Billy turned a page. He had his suspicions that the Rabbit was in perfectly good shape.
The rest of the morning passed without any sign of Jacob. Rachel got up around noon, joining her father in the kitchen with her own cup of coffee and the chocolate from the mantle piece for breakfast. They wished each other a happy Christmas and she wondered, puzzled, if Billy had been cleaning, as the kitchen smelled strongly of bleach.
"No, that's your brother," Billy replied neutrally. He had decided to be as neutral as possible today.
Rachel lifted her eyebrows for a moment before looking around again.
"He's really got it bad," she muttered to herself.
Billy smiled down in his coffee.
It was Jacob who picked up when Bella called later that afternoon.
"Hey Bells, Merry Christmas!" he grinned into the receiver.
"Hi Jacob," he heard her croak on the other end. "Merry Christmas."
Jacob frowned. "Woah, you sound like a chain-smoker. You okay?"
"Hm? Well, yeah, that's sort of why I'm calling," Bella said. "You see, I'm not feeling very well. I've had a sore throat for a few days, and of course I had to get a cold now. I woke up with a fever this morning."
Jacob's frown deepened. "You think it's serious?"
"What? No, just sore throat and a fever. But the thing is, I don't think I'll be able to come over tonight."
Jacob's heart sank. "Oh. Are you sure? I mean, it's Christmas and everything. You can't just stay home alone."
"Charlie insisted to stay here with me. So I guess we'll just stay here tonight. I'm sorry."
"Oh," Jacob said again, the disappointment evident in his voice. His heart was still sinking. "But how about I come over to you guys then?" He smiled, as the idea formed in his head. "I could keep you company, if you want. I really want to see you." He paused, before adding, "I have a present for you."
Bella huffed on the other end and when she spoke next she sounded grumpy. "I told you not to do that, you know I don't like presents. And Charlie already suggested you would say that and he says you're not to come over or I would make you ill too. And I'm not very good company right now, my head is all foggy. And besides you should spend Christmas Eve with your family, not me."
This rebuttal-speech attacked from so many different angles that it left Jacob speechless for a few seconds. He wanted to contradict her, tell her he didn't mind getting ill, it would be worth it, and that she had to come here, it was Christmas, it would be different, he had it all planned out, because Christmas was supposed to be magical, and he had prepared everything, and he would make her realize, finally realize, how things were supposed to be like, for her, for him, for them, and that he didn't want to spend Christmas with anyone else than her.
"But Bells, I could just-" Jacob tried.
"No, Jacob."
"But-"
"No!" she barked, cutting him off. "Didn't you hear me? I don't want you to come over. I'm not well, okay?"
There was a pause as he absorbed what she was saying, and her edginess finally got to him.
"Fine," he snapped, irritated with her because she was ruining everything, and-
"Fine," she echoed, her voice just as snappy as his.
"Have a good day, then," he barked.
"Sure," she snorted, unconvinced.
"Nice," he snapped back, but she had already hung up.
After yelling into the kitchen that they would have no visitors after all, Jacob thrashed his way back outside and managed, barely, not to slam the door. Of course this would happen. What was he thinking? That this Christmas would be different? That it would change something? That he could make her realize? This was nothing. This was just like every other time. There was nothing magical about Christmas at all. He'd just been stupid, as always. This Christmas would just be like every other Christmas. Normal. Nothing special. Actually, this Christmas would really suck.
"Don't want me to come over," Jacob muttered under his breath, repeating Bella's words as he stumped into the garage and started walking around in circle. As if he wanted to go there now, now she could just sit there with her fever and be miserable and alone.
But as it was, it turned out to be Jacob who was miserable and alone. He told himself over and over that she was the idiot, he had only been nice, he couldn't help it that she didn't like presents, that was her problem, not his. But then he couldn't help these sneaky thoughts from seeping into his mind, telling him that she was right. She was just doing what he had refused to realize all along. Maybe he had been pushy, and this was just her way of saying no. She just wasn't there. She didn't see him that way, and deep down he realized she probably never would. She knew how he felt, he knew that she knew, and she probably knew that he wanted to push it even further just by his mention of ´present´. This was just her way of saying No, Jacob, I don't like you that way. He knew that. He should have known all along.
She was probably home under a blanket watching movies. This was stupid. She was ill, she was entitled to be a little grumpy and he didn't want to argue with her. He had just decided to call her up again – what if it was serious? What if she got really sick, what if this was the last time they spoke and they argued about nothing? What if she died? - when Billy called out to make him get back inside and help out with dinner.
But, with his sister and dad buzzing around the house never giving a moment of privacy and the radio bellowing loudly from the counter, there really was no ideal moment to call her back.
Jacob had been right. It turned out to be a Christmas Eve like every other. Nothing special. Just normal.
Rachel put on makeup. Billy was humming. Jacob stirred the sauce.
They ate in the kitchen, all the while smiling, everyone being exceptionally kind and peaceful. There was dessert, and Rachel and Jacob did the dishes. Still smiling. They settled in the living room, turning on the TV and tuning down the radio.
And everyone made sure not to say a word about the clean house.
Jacob had decided he would call Bella next morning before anyone else got up. Maybe she was better then, fever-free and smiling. They would sort it out and go back to normal. It was just that Jacob didn't want normal. Bella was better now. This would have been the perfect moment to show her they were more, how easy it would be.
Jacob had really counted on some Christmas magic and happy-holiday-spirit to help him out.
But it was not like he needed it. He could just kiss her. Someday. Maybe. At the right moment. Tell her how he felt.
And she would punch him in the face and never speak with him again, or maybe yell at him how she thought they were 'just friends'.
Actually, he needed that magic. Badly. Maybe next Christmas. A year wasn't so long, right?
Jacob went to bed that night, feeling pretty miserable. Rachel went to bed, amused by her pretending-not-to-be-moping teenage brother, and Billy went to bed doing his very best to keep a neutral mind.
Jacob woke up feeling pretty miserable too. However, it took him a few moments before he realized why he was so miserable – it was 06.30 in the morning and he had slept for only four hours. He grumbled and heaved around in his bed.
Then he heard it. A very familiar rumbling from outside. He jolted up in a sitting position, before scrambling out of bed and tip toeing down the hall. He reached the front door and slipped outside just as the truck appeared in their driveway. Confused, and still not completely awake, he watched as Bella parked and got out. She hadn't seen him yet.
"Bella," he called, then lowered his voice not to wake up the two sleeping inside. "What are you doing here?"
She startled and twirled around at the sound of his voice. He smiled at her as he walked towards her. She didn't smile back.
"Oh," he heard her say. "You're up already."
She looked at him nervously, as if wishing he would still be asleep.
"Yeah," Jacob said. "I heard the truck."
"Oh. "Her voice was still hoarse, but less than yesterday on the phone. She looked tired.
He had reached her now, and she had to tilt her head back to be able to look into his face. She was chewing on her lip. Still no smile.
"So," he started, as someone had to say something, or-
"It's cold out here," she said. "Let's go inside the garage."
As there normally would be no heat on in the garage, her suggestion did not make much sense. As a matter of fact, there was heat on in the garage now, but Bella wouldn't know that. In fact, Jacob would very much like not having to tell her about why there was heat on in the garage now, since his plan of making the garage inhabitable and family-free on a cold Christmas night had pretty much turned to dust. However, his protests got lost on their way to his mouth, because Bella's hand had wrapped around his as she started dragging him along, and the word did not seem as hopeless as it had only seconds earlier. He tightened his fingers around hers and she sent him a tiny smile. Definitely not as hopeless.
When they opened the garage door, Bella raised her eyebrows.
"Oh, it is warm in here." Her eyes fell upon the space heater by the couch. "You don't normally have that in here, do you?"
"No," Jacob said, looking up, down, everywhere but her direction. "Not normally."
But then this wasn't supposed to be normal.
"Are you feeling any better?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.
"Yeah," she nodded, sending him a tight smile. "Much better."
Jacob nodded. "Good."
There was a few heartbeats.
"So, did you have a nice Christmas Eve, then?" he asked, trying to keep up the smiling and talking and then maybe, maybe it would all ease it's way into how it was before.
"What...?" Bella said. Her eyes had just landed on the little bundle of Christmas wrappings and huge amount of tape stuffed away behind the tool box. Jacob just managed not to smack his hand on his forehead. Her present. Of course she had to see it. That would just make everything so much smoother. Bella tore her eyes away from the traitorous present, her eyes wide and expression unreadable. "Yeah, it was... It was..."
And then she collapsed on the couch and burst into tears.
For a long, bewildered second Jacob wasn't able to do anything but stare at her. Finally he managed to sit down beside her, putting one arm hesitatingly around her shoulders. "Bells..."
"It was horrible," she wailed. She heaved around and started to sob into his neck. "I'm horrible. I'm so mean to you all the time, and yesterday was awful but I just hate presents."
Jacob felt a little numb, patting her shoulder and trying to keep up with her reasoning.
"Are you crying because you got presents?" he asked, feeling like someone had removed his brain and was waiving it out if his reach.
Bella sobbed against his neck. "No, but you said I would."
"Are you crying because I said I'd made you a present?" he asked quietly, wishing desperately he had just given her a card or something. He stroke his hand down her back trying to calm her sobbing, his heart reeling in his chest. This Christmas was all a big train wreck.
"No. I was just so angry," she mumbled, her words squashed together against his t-shirt.
"I'm sorry," Jacob started, trying to helplessly rescue just a little crumble of normality. "I didn't mean to..."
He immediately stopped this apology though, as Bella almost fell to pieces at his words, bawling even louder against his neck. "Not you," she argued between sobs. "Angry with myself."
Jacob took a deep breath, and started stroking her back again in calming movements. "Bells. Honey. Just tell me what's wrong."
Bella took a deep breath too, for which Jacob was grateful, and then she straightened up some while wiping her nose on her sleeve. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I just... oh, I don't know."
She was still leaning into his side, and he still had his arm around her. Had it not been that she was weeping her eyes out, this would have been great progress.
"Just tell me," he said simply. "Is it because of the present?"
She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "No. It's not that. It's just..."
She opened her eyes, sent him a terrified look, and then words started to fall out of her mouth as if she couldn't help it. "It's just that I know why you're giving me a present, and I don't know if I can do that, or let you do that, the whole more than friendship-thing, because that's what this is, but I don't know if I can ever be there. But you are, and I want to make you happy, and I can't, and I try to stay away, but I can't, I can't stay away from you, I want to be with you all the time. But- but since him I just- I just don't know how."
Jacob was very aware of who him was. If Cullen ever showed his ugly nose around here, Jacob would make sure to make it even uglier.
Bella took a deep breath, and looked down in her lap. A light pink started to spread in her cheeks. She spoke the next words very fast. "It's not that I don't want to, I have those feelings too just don't know what to do, and I don't know what you will think, because I don't know, and I don't want to give you the wrong impression, only that it's not, it's the right impression, I just don't know what to do with that either."
Jacob was left a little bewildered. He was not hundred percent sure he had understood what she meant. He looked at her, and she looked steadily down in her lap. He smiled. He had been able to catch something about 'feelings', good feelings, and her pink blush was also a very good sign. There had been a lot of Í don't know´s too, but he could deal with those some other time. But at least one thing was absolutely sure.
"Bells?" he said, reaching up and pushing her hair out of her face even though he didn't really know if he was allowed to. "You think too much."
Her lips twisted up at that. "Not really. It's just you who don't think at all."
He smiled to himself, and without thinking he pulled her into a hug. She turned stiff at first, like she always did when uncertain, but then she relaxed and rested her head on his shoulder.
"That," Jacob said against her neck, "wasn't a very nice thing to say."
He felt her snigger against his t-shirt, and then she pulled back to look at him. "Sorry. You're very thoughtful. You even got me a present."
Jacob hurried to wave it off before she would start to cry again. "Oh, forget it," he said quickly. "It's no big deal."
"Yes," Bella protested. She pushed herself away from his shoulder and sat up, wiping her face on her sleeve. "I want to see it."
"Bells," Jacob warned, "really, you don't have to-"
"Hey, I want to," she said firmly.
He looked at her to see if she was serious. She smiled.
Jacob shrugged. "Uhm. Okay."
He reached back and snapped up the poorly hidden present. Without a word he held it out towards her. She accepted with quivering hands. He had a bad feeling about this, and was just on the brink of taking it back and ask her to forget about this whole thing, but she had already started to tear at the wrapping.
Jacob swallowed.
After some struggling – he had used a lot of teip – she got it open. She picked up the necklace inside it.
Bella stared.
Jacob waited.
She didn't say anything.
"Look," he finally said. "Just-"
"You made this?" she whispered then, cutting him off.
He stared at her. He had no idea what she was about to do. Cry, run for her life, hit something, hug him. No clue. He nodded.
"But it's..." she stuttered, eyes still glued to the necklace. The charm was made of wood neatly tied together in a tight pattern - it had taken forever - and judging by her expression it looked like Bella couldn't quite believe how Jacob's fairly large hands could ever have made such a tiny thing.
"Thank you," she breathed.
And then Bella reached up and kissed him.
Jacob found himself in a horrible situation. He couldn't move. He couldn't even close his eyes. He stared at her, frozen, as he watched what he knew was not happening. Bella was kissing him. She was kissing him. Him. Here in the garage, on this old couch, at 06.52 in he morning.
And he couldn't even move.
After a few achingly long seconds, Bella opened her eyes. They stared at each other, her lips still attached to his. Then Bella abruptly pulled back, smacking her hand over her mouth. They were still staring at each other. He still couldn't quite comprehend what had happened. Bella had just kissed him. For real. Not a dream this time.
"Shoot," he heard her mutter under her hand. "Now you're going to get a cold too."
Jacob would have barked out a laugh at that. He would, had he still been able to move. However, he was not, and so all he did was to continue acting his part as goldfish.
Bella pulled back slightly, appraising his expression. Then, a deep red started to spread in her face, from her cheeks and out, not stopping until she had reached tomato.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled, looking down. "I shouldn't have-"
Bella did not finish her sentence. She couldn't. Jacob had just realized he was able to move after all, and his lips had cut her off before she was able to say anything else. His lips were grasping for hers, almost desperately, as if trying to make up for the time deprived from movement, and Bella suddenly found herself being pressed up against the side of the couch.
Jacob felt Bella stiffen for a second, as always when she was unsure. But then she responded. Automatically or not he did not know, but then he could be sure it was not, because her arms wrapped around him and her legs did too.
Next thing he knew, they were making out like he had never ever done before, every inch of her body lined up against his, wrapping around him and making the couch whine and his head to spin and it all felt so much better than anything he could have ever imagined because it was Bella Swan. Not until they had tumbled around on the couch so that she was sprawled out on top of him, bumping noses and foreheads a few times, and she had arched her back and he had wrapped both his arms around her waist, pulling her even closer, and her lips had turned all red and her mouth was heaving for air, did they break apart.
They stared at each other for a few moments. None of them were smiling, not even Jacob, just staring, heaving for breaths, and still being closer than any of them had ever been before.
It was Bella who spoke first.
"Now you're definitely getting a cold," she said seriously.
This time, Jacob was able to smile. She was resting on his chest and he grinned up at her, lifting his hand up and tucking the hair away from her face again. He still wasn't sure if he was allowed to do that, but he was willing to take the risk. He could feel her heart reeling in her chest, reeling against his.
Bella looked down, taking in their entangled legs and Jacob's arms still wrapped tightly around her waist. Then she looked back up at Jacob's face that was radiating happiness.
Her expression faltered.
"Oh, Jake," she whispered unhappily. Before she could wiggle away though, Jacob put his hand over her mouth and shook his head.
"Relax," he smiled - nothing could keep him from smiling at this point. "It doesn't have to mean anything more."
Bella looked at him with a turbulent expression.
"But it does," she whispered. "I just don't know- I don't know if ... if I can do that. This whole ... thing. I don't know if I'm there, or if I will at all, just... You'll just get disappointed. I just- it's not that I don't want to, I just don't know. Anything."
Jep, Jacob thought to himself. Definitely thinking too much.
"Okay," he said simply.
Bella looked at him as if she had heard him wrong. Her expression became even more confused, her forehead wrinkling up.
"'Okay?'" she repeated, bewildered.
He nodded, smiling kindly up at her. "It doesn't need to be more. If there is, that's great, but if not that's okay too. I'm in no hurry."
She looked at him with huge, sad eyes, as if saying that he was wrong.
"You'll get tired of waiting," she finally said, so low it was difficult to hear it. She looked down, avoiding his eyes.
"Bells," he said, his voice serious. "I'm not going anywhere."
She stared at him for several long moments. Then she hid her face in his neck. He could feel her tiny smile against his skin, and just then he realized how much she had needed to hear those words.
None of them spoke for a long time.
"Maybe you should," she finally mumbled. She reappeared from his neck, and he saw that while his words might have made her happy, she was still serious. "Maybe you should leave. Move on."
He shook his head firmly. "Nah. I'm gonna stay right here. I like this couch. "
She kicked his shin for that one, and he grinned up at her. Then, not thinking, he reached up and kissed her again. Quickly, barely touching her lips with his. Then he pulled back and measured her expression. She looked only baffled. He waited for her to say something. She didn't.
"Was that okay?" he finally asked her.
She bit her lip, and hesitated. Her eyes searched his. Then she nodded slowly, unsure.
"If not, then I just wont do it again. No big deal," he reassured.
He still couldn't keep the smile off his face. She'd get around. And no matter what happened, this had been great progress. Bella stared at him, as if not quite believing what he was saying. Again, without thinking, he reached up once more. Slower this time, giving her time to move back. His eyes searched hers, and she stayed quite still. His lips touched hers again, longer this time, lingering there for what felt like minutes, before he pulled away. He rested his head back down, and looked up at her. Her eyes were closed.
"That okay?" he asked again. His voice came out in a whisper.
She nodded again, this time more convincing. "Yeah," she whispered back. "I liked that."
If a heart would ever be able to explode, it would have been Jacob's, and it would have been now.
He reached up again, no longer as hesitant, and kissed her once more. For once, he was no longer smiling. Her lips moved against his this time, just a little, not long, but enough that they were both running a higher pulse by the time he pulled back.
"That okay?" he whispered, sure his voice must have gone missing for good.
Bella opened her eyes, and looked at him. Then, for the first time since she had opened her present, she smiled.
"You don't have to ask every time, you know."
It was the best Christmas Jacob could remember.
This was good. This was more than enough.