Jacob sighed as he went straight through the line of people waiting to get their bags. The airport in Phoenix was a lot larger than the one near Forks. He had cropped his hair short for the occasion, and he made a motion to wave it off his shoulders, but then realizing that there was nothing there. Feeling quite foolish, he clasped both hands together in front of him as the line moved up slowly. Finally, after about twenty minutes, he found his small bag and slung it around his shoulder, sighing again and moving out of the building slowly, as if dreading it.
Bella's heart thumped as she saw people arriving at the lovely place they had picked out for the wedding. She glanced through the upstairs window and suddenly, one of her cousins had looked up, meeting her gaze for a second. Bella's automatic reaction was to clasp her hand over her mouth, and thankfully, it was the hand pulling the curtain back so she could see. The curtain fell forward, blocking the window from anyone that thoughtful cousin might have told. Bella turned around and stared at the face in the mirror. It was not hers, she thought to herself. It was another Bella, a different side of Bella, perhaps, but still, there was no doubt that the stranger in the mirror, was not the normal Bella. Her hair was tied up in a elegant bun, curly, and draped over her, somehow looking highly elegant and beautiful at the same time, but still classy. She smiled, showing her vibrant teeth, which were whitened professionally earlier that day. Her makeup was perfect, showing off her chocolate eyes and her cheeks. There was one problem though, and that was that she hadn't seen Edward all day. Of course, rules are rules and that particular rule could not be broken.
Edward paced in the drawing room quickly. Emmett stood facing a mirror, adjusting his tie, even though it looked perfect.
"Edward, listen, chill," he said in more of a grunt. Edward didn't made a notation that he even heard what Emmett had said.
"I cannot possibly have encountered anything this challenging," Edward breathing, stopping a moment in his tracks, turned wildly around, and then back. Emmett chuckled lightly and shook his head, smoothing his fingers along his forehead.
"Oh really?" he said sarcastically. Edward didn't laugh, or even smile. He paced, groaning and then whipped around, his perfect face mixed with sudden realization.
"Where's a clock?" Edward ordered, almost growling with anticipation. Emmett hastily checked his left arm for the sports watch hooked on it. He stared at it briefly.
"It's almost two twenty," Emmett said calmly, almost fearing Edward's reaction. "It starts at three thirty, so you have like an hour more of complete agony. Don't worry though, people will start arriving soon. I think I smell some humans nearby. Must be Bella's cousins; they said they'd be here a bit early. Too eager, I suppose." Edward growled at this, and certainly was listening to Emmett now.
"Too eager?" he repeated, slowly pacing now. Emmett nodded slowly, regretting what he had just said. Edward took a deep breath and marched up to the window and forced the curtain back, glaring out through the glass. There were three girls, medium height all in their teen years standing about twenty feet away, next to the main building. Edward growled as the girls were engaging in conversation with Bella's mother, the very same person who had seen Bella just today. Edward wished so much for him to just be able to climb through a window and see her beautiful face again right now, but he knew he couldn't ruin the wedding plans. Certainly, not for himself.
Jacob got into the car. His fists clenched the key in the ignition. Why was he doing this? The girl he loved was getting married to a leech. One of them, he thought. Why did he truck himself all the way to Arizona, to watch the one thing he feared the most, the love of his life
being bonded for life – merely a better term – existence – with one of his enemies? I did this for Bella, he thought, starting up the old car. He remembered the third kiss he experienced with Bella. How it was sweet, but short. He wished, to give up anything, to be back in that position when everything was uncertain and the future was foggier. Without thinking, he was already on the main road even though he had never set foot in this state before. Then suddenly, he heard something ring in his small bag he had from the plane. Cell phone, he instantly thought. He took one hand off the wheel and groped in his bag, and finally, snatching up the silver flip phone that was about two years old, and also, no camera or texting.
"Hello?" he asked into the phone, his voice raged as he held it to his shoulder, keeping two hands on the wheel. He was in traffic. There was a soft velvet voice at the other end.
"Jacob, I wanted to say that I am so sorry." Edward Cullen said through the other end of the phone. Jacob paused, feeling the need to roll his eyes, but this was different. The leech's voice sounded sincere, almost as if it was paining him more than Jacob. "I know this must be completely hard for you, and I just wanted to say that if things had gone the other way, I don't know how I would have been able to live. I couldn't have lived. I don't know why…why I had to be so…selfish. I truly am sorry, and if you need anything – anything at all – just let me know, because I am in complete debt to you." Jacob paused for a moment, taking in Edward's words.
"Edward," Jacob said, his voice turning from raged to furious, but he still sounded completely stony, and not so much angry. He could just see Edward's face, his smooth pale skin and his topaz eyes glowering. Jacob felt a sudden sensation to puke. "Look, just shut up about it. I don't care. Just tell Bella…" he paused, thinking about what he would want Bella to hear now, knowing that the leech would tell her anything, now that he had already promised to do anything for Jacob, "just tell Bella that Sam said hello." Jacob hissed through his small one, pondering over the buttons, and then hanging up on Edward without another word.
Edward was frozen in place, Emmett stood a couple feet away, watching him as he brought the hand holding his black sleek phone down so slowly, a snail could have gone around the world by the time the phone was at his side, and being slipped into his pocket.
"What did he say?" Emmett asked curiously, leaning on the table in the far corner of the room. Edward glanced away, not answering Emmett's question.
"Oh Bella, your cousins are arriving now and well, frankly I hear Edward is getting a little tense in there, but they'll let him out soon." Renée said to her daughter from the doorway. Bella nodded slowly, suddenly glancing down to the small room where Edward was possibly sitting in right at this moment. Emmett would surely be there too. Bella looked around. Her three cousins were standing in the same place as where she has glanced down to moments ago. She slowly took a deep breath as her mother closed the door, and retreated down the stairs. Then suddenly, the doors opened again and Bella whipped around to see Alice standing in a beautiful gown near the door, which was now closed again. Alice was beaming at Bella and there was an awkward silence and then suddenly, Bella rushed forward and hugged Alice, leaving her completely stunned and she draped her arms around Bella.