Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me.
The Fork's sun had surprisingly blessed the small town with a warmth that could only be surpassed by the funny, little feeling I felt building within the walls of my heart as I took a step forward to the object of my imprint, a young woman with bronze curls hovering over her shoulders in a high ponytail, deep milk chocolate eyes, and a enchanting smile that was the very reason I was currently stupefied into silence—Renesmee Carlie Cullen. She stood barefoot on the shore of La Push Beach in a short, peach sundress while showing off her milky legs. Nessie kept stealing glances over her shoulders in my direction, sweetly smiling.
If only she knew what she does to me, I thought, twitching my lips in an idiotic grin. She stopped mid-step to turn and look at me.
"Jacob, do you think I'm attractive?" She asked me, nervously biting her lip.
I said the first thing that came to mind: "No."
"Oh," Nessie blinked sadly, doing her best to just shrug off her disappointment in my stupid reply, which boggled my brain. Why would she ask such a question?
"I think—I know you're beautiful, Nessie," I continued, and her smile returned. Her cheeks turned a deep, beautiful crimson. "Why do you ask?"
"I was just wondering," Nessie replied, turning away from me to hide her face, and she started to walk again, bowing her head.
Gravity pulled me forward with her in unsteady steps, and I willingly obeyed its command. I couldn't stay too far away from Nessie, otherwise I would feel the uneasiness in my stomach, which was really too much to bear. I had never regretted destiny's decision, making me imprint on this extraordinary girl. She was the sun that lit up my whole universe in one single instant. She was kind, brave, funny, and inexplicably understanding in all ways, yet she could be the most stubborn person I've ever met when it came down to it. Nessie was the closest thing I had to perfection.
Sighing, Nessie sat down in the sand, playing it. By the way she was staring out at the calm water, I could tell something was bothering her; therefore, I was bothered.
"Nessie?" She turned her head to look at me with sad eyes. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"
"I'm not sure." Nessie answered in a small voice. "I've just been thinking a lot about this one guy. I'm in love, but sort of afraid to tell him. What if he doesn't feel the same way about me?"
My heart sank, not only for the obvious reason, but because I felt truly sorry for the guy that would let such a wonderful girl slip through his fingers. Who could be that dumb?
Of course I would support Nessie through such a confusing time in her life—Yikes! First love—but what advice could I possibly offer her? I was exactly such a professional, and there I was again, watching the girl of my dreams fall in love with some undeserving punk. But this time, I would not fight. I couldn't. I couldn't make things more confusing for Nessie, and I couldn't treat her like some trophy to be fought over.
"Then, he's an idiot, who will probably regret it for the rest of his life. Any guy that would let you get away is nothing short of a loser." I told her, warmly grinning.
"You think so? Do you really mean that?" She inquired, giggling.
Okay, so maybe I'm just a little bias.
"Yes," I retorted.
She sharply exhaled, standing up. Nessie gasped, our closeness taking her surprise. Her hands made their way to my copper cheeks. I thought she was intending on revealing who the guy was, but she didn't. Instead, Nessie brought her full, moist lips to mine in a quick, chaste kiss. She moved backward in one step, waiting for me to figure out what had just happened. And, it thankfully didn't take me too long to put the pieces together.
"When? How long?" I asked, shocked.
"I don't know. Awhile, I guess. I've been wanting to tell you for a long time—a year to be more exact." Nessie said, nervously trying to keep on a smile.
"You mean that you've been in love with me for a whole friggin' year, and I was completely oblivious to it?!" I exclaimed, smacking my forehead in hysterics. "One year. One. Whole. Year. Well, don't I feel like an idiot. I'm so stupid, Nessie. Had I known, I definitely wouldn't have wasted such a long time to be with you. You know. Despite your father."
"Jacob, you're babbling." Nessie laughed, already knowing what I was attempting to get out.
"Sorry," I apologized, grinning wholeheartedly. "It's just—I love you, too, so very much, but wow. For a minute, I thought you love some stranger—"
"I've introduced you to all my dates," she interrupted with a roll of her eyes. "That should have been your first clue, Sherlock."
"And you thought. . . You thought that I wouldn't feel the same way about you. Now, that is the strangest thing I've ever heard." I chuckled, earning a light punch on the shoulder. "You're ridiculous, Nessie."
"Well, you'll imprint one day, Jacob, even if you do feel the same way for me. You see, that's why I waited so long to tell you. But, I had to follow my heart on this. If you are going to meet 'the one' some day, I want you to make what I have with you right now worth the while," Nessie confessed, taking my hands in hers. "And yeah—I might get hurt in the process—like poor Leah—because I know she's out there for you, Jacob. But I don't care. I just refuse to spend all of eternity caring around this secret any longer than I have to. This may last as long as five minutes, but I just need you to know that I do, in fact, love you."
Talk about a declaration of love.
I chortled, placing a kiss on her forehead, wanting to take Nessie's body into my arms, and tell her that she's the only one that my whole being could ever want.
"Nessie, you silly thing, I already imprinted a long time ago—on you." I chuckled into her ear, taking in the strawberry scent from her hair.
Nessie put her hand on my chest, pushing my back gently. Her brown orbs stared into mine in dismay. So, I acted on impulse, grabbing her forearms, and kissed her. This one was longer; deeper. Her lips responded in perfect sync with mine. Our kiss was intensely innocent, because I just didn't want to rush things with her. After all, she was only nine; though, physically eighteen, but mentally forty, yet I could feel that she was not ready for anything too physical, which was completely fine with me.
She smiled, resting her head on my chest. "So, you're all mine—forever?"
I nodded. "Yep!"
"Woo-hoo!" She squealed musically, her sweet voice ringing in my ears like a chorus of violins.
We kissed again.
Yep, I definitely would have done this much sooner.