Disclaimer: I own nothing Twilight-related, Stephenie Meyer gets all the credit. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: This one shot takes place during New Moon when Bella begins spending all of her free time with Jacob.

BPOV:

"What's the function of the mitochondria?"

"Uh, well..."

Today was a slightly dreaded homework day for me and Jacob. It was only slightly dreaded because, while homework was not particularly fun for either of us, any time with Jake served as a welcome distraction from the painful thoughts of him that lingered in my mind for the past few months. I never knew when those thoughts would suddenly take hold and incapacitate me beyond the point of moving or breathing. Jake was the antidote. He was the band-aid that covered my wounds, my safe harbor.

As wonderful of a friend Jake may have been to me, his teachers at the small school he attended on the reservation found him less than impressive. He was barely passing several classes. I felt guilty about this fact since it previously was my idea to work together on our motorcycles every day after school and on the weekends. Rather than risk any separation from Jake, I came up with the idea of being somewhat of a tutor to him. Not only would I have the chance to help Jake bring his grades up to par, but I could also try to pay him back for all of the free labor he had been putting in for me. Not to mention, it was a day without injury for me, and I could use a few of those before Charlie got suspicious. Jacob was all for the proposal and so here we sat on the floor of Billy's living room.

We were sitting with our backs against the old couch that was concealed by a tattered green slipcover and used the wooden coffee table as desk space. The room was small like the rest of the house, but there was something comforting about it. My own home was somewhere I could hardly stand to be alone in anymore. The silence provided too much of an opportunity for painful thoughts creep up. Billy wasn't home yet; he had been over at Sue Clearwater's for the day, so it was rather quiet with just the two of us. However, Jake's beaming presence kept my unwelcome thoughts at bay.

"The mitochondria make energy for the cell," I explained. I felt kind of silly acting as a tutor when I was no more than an average student myself. Although, my grades had been close to perfect this semester. I focused on anything to keep the hurt away.

Jacob had a look of frustration on his face. "When is your biology test?" I asked.

"Tomorrow, I think," he said sheepishly.

"Jeez, Jake." I picked up the homework sheet to continue quizzing him. When I looked up at him, I could practically see the light bulb going off in his head. I hoped that he maybe suddenly remembered the functions of the parts of a cell. His eyes were excited and he grinned at me.

"Maybe I could use a little motivation, let's make this more fun," he said.

"Okay. What did you have in mind?" I asked warily.

"How about every time I get a question correct, I get to… to kiss you," he suggested.

Kissing? The idea sent a panic through me. I had done all that was within my power to abolish any kind of romantic behavior that came within my path; no romantic comedies, no love songs. I couldn't even stand to look at the couples holding hands at school. It all hit me like a punch in the gut, a reminder of what I had lost. Kissing Jacob would not only jeopardize our friendship that I relied upon so heavily, but it would have serious consequences once I began to compare it to the only other person who had ever kissed me. The pain would be unbearable.

I must have gave a face because I could see his confidence waning and he appeared to be hurt by my reaction. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt Jacob, he didn't deserve that. He deserved much more for taking on an emotional wreck like me as a best friend. I tried to rearrange my expression into something happier and decided it was best to play dumb.

"Okay, Jake. There are six more questions here and each one you get right, I will let you kiss my hand," I said and drew the paper up to my face to cover the look I was sure he was giving me. I heard him sigh and give a defeated laugh.

"Alright, shoot," he said.

"Shapes and supports a plant cell."

"Ha! The cell wall!" he exclaimed.

Well this was a change. I'd never thought I would hear Jacob excited about plant cells. I held out my hand to him, still afraid to look at his smug face.

I felt the warm and tough skin of the palm of his hand grasp mine. This feeling was familiar since we held hands on a regular basis now when we were together. I had tried to resist it at first, afraid of leading Jake on, but it seemed harmless enough. I liked the security that came from his hand around mine even if it meant something different to Jacob.

I then felt his lips touch the back of my hand and place a slow and gentle kiss there. I was glad I had the paper up to my nose for protection because I did not want Jake to see me with my wide-eyed expression. He removed his lips but continued holding my hand as he lowered it onto his knee.

"Er, good job. Next one," I said, hoping he didn't think I was commenting on his kiss. "Where proteins are made?"

"Ribosomes."

"Yeah, that's right," I admitted.

He lifted my hand to kiss it again, but he surprised me this time by turning my hand palm-side up and holding my hand between both of his. He lifted my arm and I felt him kiss me gently on the wrist.

Crap. I was going to pay for this one. It was impossible not to immediately recall the feeling of his icy, cool breath on that very spot as he smelled my blood which tempted him so very much. I felt the crushing pain beginning to seep out from where my lost heart should have been. Tears began to fill my eyes. I tried my best to pull myself together, grateful that Jake couldn't see my face. He lowered my arm and kept his hands wrapped tightly around my own. As odd and contradictory as it was, I felt better with his support.

I moved on to the next question. At least there were only a few left, then things would be easy again. "Jelly-like substance within the cell?" I asked with a notable difference in the clarity of my voice. I was sure Jake would pick up on it.

"Hm. Cytoplasm," he answered. Damn, he was right again.

"That's correct," I said, still with the audible lump in my throat.

I waited for him to kiss me again, but he reached up and pulled the paper away from my face. He gave me a reassuring smile that reached his dark brown eyes and then raised my arm and turned it so it was wrist-up again. Not again, I thought. However, he surprised me once more and scooted himself closer to me, setting his lips in the crook of my arm. When he ended the kiss, he looked up at me with a sultry look and I felt my face get hot. I wished I had left my jacket on which would have covered my bare arms. In an effort to maintain control, I tugged my arm away and focused on the page in preparation for the next question.

Jacob did not seem to notice, or at least didn't seem to mind, my abrupt withdrawal. He simply moved even closer to me so that we now sat side-by-side, with our legs and shoulders touching. I swallowed loudly, cleared my throat, and continued. "Contains water and dissolved minerals."

"Vacuole," he said with a notable huskiness in his voice.

Seriously? What are the odds that he would get another on correct? I suspected he was cheating since he was now sitting very close to me and the answers, but when I looked up to reprimand him, he wasn't looking at the paper, he had his eyes locked on me.

I took in a sharp breath and the heat returned to my cheeks, with a fresh wave of embarrassment. I didn't have to tell him he got it right, my blush gave it away. Jakes face softened as he smiled at me. He leaned down to kiss my shoulder, his eyes never leaving mine. Somehow, my face got hotter and I looked away to the paper. Pull yourself together; only two more, I thought.

I realized I was acting ridiculous. Any other girl would love the affection from such a wonderful boy. I just wasn't ready to face this yet. I was not ready to make long-term decisions when it came to Jacob. How could I dare to think about that when I had to keep such tight control over my thoughts? I knew it was not fair to Jake, but I needed my best friend now. He was too important to mess things up with. And I would mess things up. If I ever attempted to let my guard down, be more than just friends with him, he would see just how broken beyond repair I really was.

"Where chromosomes are found." Jake paused to think about this one and I thought I finally stumped him.

"The nucleus," he stated correctly. He was so close I could feel his breath brush my hair lightly as he spoke.

"Yep," I said, now defeated. He had run out of arm and I worried about where he would kiss next. I thought about how far I would let this go before I called it quits to our little study game.

He leaned in closer to my face but I refused to turn my head to meet his eyes. I knew what I would find there and I was not about to subject myself to that. I had not been this close to someone in months, my heartbeat quickened. It was an odd feeling. Well, feeling anything was change for me recently. It almost felt nice except that I knew what would be to come later tonight when I was alone.

He reached across me to place his hand on the side of my face and turned me slightly toward him. His large hand touched lightly over my cheekbone to the corner of my jaw and the crook behind my ear. He brushed his nose over my cheek and kissed me right at the corner of my mouth, just barely missing my lips.

I sat as still as possible and, while he eventually broke the kiss, he didn't pull away an inch. There was one question left on the page. My mangled voice barely managed to get it out. "Digestion center", I said weakly.

"Golgi body," he stated confidently and I could feel his hand begin to gently push against my face to turn me further toward him. I stopped breathing. Until I found the ability to think again…

"Incorrect," I whispered. "Lysosome." I smiled subtly at my little victory. Jake released me and backed away a bit to look at me with a comical look of annoyance. But then he allowed me his usual smile and took my hand.

Phew, I'd made it. That was the end of the list. I sighed with relief and relaxed against the couch. "Pretty good, Jake. I think you're just about ready for your test tomorrow," I told him.

"Yeah, but let's go over them again," Jake suggested with a grin, "just to be sure".

I couldn't help but laugh.