This was a momentous day. Bella Swan crossed the stage and received her diploma. She was officially done with high school. She spotted her father and her friends clapping with pride and happiness for her. When the ceremony ended, she searched through the crowd for them. She saw her father talking with other parents, but she felt an arm curve around her waist. She was spun around, to face a tall, russet skin man; the man she loved. Jacob leaned down and kissed her cheek, whispering "Congratulations." "Thank You, Jake." They were hand-in-hand when Charlie found them in the crowd. This surprised Bella when Charlie did not make a face when he saw this. Momentarily, she thought back to her last boyfriend and the way Charlie would react when he saw them in the same manner.
Bella looked back on her past months while riding to dinner with Charlie and Jacob. How much has changed in the past nine months. In the past nine months, Bella experienced an emotional roller coaster. From being heartbroken, to a zombie, to reliving and lively, to being alone again; from the time Jacob was secretive and living again. When figuring out Jacob secret of being a werewolf and being saved from Laurent by him and his pack, Bella and Jacob's relationship has changed immensely. After Harry's death, Bella spent every day with Jacob. The pack was still on the hunt for Victoria and Bella feared for all of them. But seeing how strong the pack was, Victoria was not heard from for weeks, leading into months. In that time, Jacob and Bella became very close. After riding their motorcycles all afternoon, they walked on the shore of First Beach together. Jacob had his arm around Bella's shoulder. She did not shrug him off as she usually did. They sat on their fallen tree bench and she leaded her head on his shoulder; feeling the warmth of his body. As they spoke about her graduation and his pack, she turned her face up to his and played with his hair. Jacob took her hand, playfully saying it was cold, looking down at her, seeing her smile at him. They stared into each other's eyes, slowly moving their faces closer to each other. When they were within an inch of each other, Bella closed her eyes and felt Jacob press his lips to hers. This kiss was different from her previous kisses. In her previous ones, her lips molded to her partner's and she could feel his icy breathe in her mouth. This time, their lips danced against each other and his breathe was warm. She felt his hand move from her hair to her back, pulling her closer to him. Though she enjoyed this kiss, it did not compare to her last partner's kiss. His kiss would make her head spin and almost faint. With Jacob, she was alert, with a dizzying sensation in her head. As they pulled apart, they stared at each other; a smile playing at the corner of both of their mouths. "I have wanted to do that from the first day you moved here." Jacob confessed. "Better late than never." Bella amended.
Afterwards, Bella and Jacob walked back to his house, talking about what just happened. Bella clarified it was what she wanted. Bella stated that she cared about Jacob in a strong way. She confessed that she had had these feelings for sometime, but she had to work some things out within herself to clarify them. She knew that she would not feel for Jacob as strongly as she felt for him, but she did care enough for Jacob to try. He drove her home that night and said he would be patrolling outside her home in case Victoria came. That night, Bella barely slept. She was feeling emotions she hadn't felt in months. She smiled in the dark and looked out the window. She saw the russet wolf and he looked back at her. She smiled at him and he did the same. From that day, Bella and Jacob became much closer, though they never declared their relationship; it was obvious to the people around them.
After her celebratory dinner, Charlie went home, while Bella and Jacob went to La Push. They walked along their beach; hand-in-hand, until Bella began to feel cold and he draped his arm over her shoulders, holding her closer to him. They stood on the shore, looking at the moon, Jacob standing behind her with his arms wrapped around her body. "What are you thinking about?" he asked her. "One guess." "Ohhh, same old, same old" he chuckled. She turned around, facing him, leaning her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Jacob leaded his cheek against the top of her head. Sighing contently, Jacob broke the silence. "Bella, I want to ask you something?" Looking up at him, she responded "What is it?" "I was wondering how you feel about me, honestly? You know how I feel about you, but I was thinking do you really feel that strongly about me?" "Jake, it took me a while to realize how I felt about you. Yes, I have had my doubts myself, but now I know, sincerely, from all that I am, I love you. And I am so sure of that and you should be too." Jacob smiled at her, pressing his lips to hers. "I want to give you something, but I want you to have an open mind." "What is it?" "Give me your hand and closed your eyes." Bella looked at Jacob suspiciously, but complied. She closed her eyes and gave him her right hand. She heard Jacob laugh and he took her left hand, slipping a ring onto her third finger. Her eyes flew open and looked at the ring, then to Jacob. "Jakeā¦.? What is this?" "It's not what you think, entirely. It's more of a promise than an engagement ring." Jacob explained. "A promise?" "Yes. Bella, I love you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. Even though, we are too young to be considering something like this, but this is how I feel. This ring is a promise that when we are ready and if we still love each other, we get married. Bella, I don't care about the imprinting. You are who I want to be with. Bella, when we are ready, it is you I want to be with forever." She looked at him, with a tear, streaming down her face. "Thank you. Not just for this, but for understanding and knowing. Thank you for understanding my feelings and knowing how I would feel. Jake, I love you and when we are ready, I will be with you forever." On that, they kissed, long and passionately. Happy with their lives and that they have each other.
