JACOB POV
It seems as though it was just yesterday I would chase Ness on the beach and her soft, strawberry blond curls would whip gently against the wind. I remember her smile - so innocent and carefree that it made me want to protect her forever. But that's all I was ever going to be - her protector.
It wasn't until she started growing up that I realized my feelings for her did not change. No matter how beautiful she had grown up to be, I did not develop romantic feelings like I thought I was going to. I loved her like a father loves his daughter, like brother cares for his sister and I was ashamed to admit my heart still lied with someone else.
After Bella and Edward settled down, he took a job as a business man and was always away. I spent more time at Bella's because of Ness and so inevitably I saw Bella everyday. I still could never get used to how being a vampire magnified her beauty. I thought her humanity would be stripped away but surprisingly she was still my Bells. Just more graceful.
I pulled up at the Cullen's driveway, parking my rabbit on the dirt pathway. As I got out of the car, the putrid smell I had gotten so used to filled my nostrils. I jogged up to the house, ringing the doorbell. Bella opened it, smiling gently as she put her finger to her lips.
"Renesmee is sleeping." She whispered.
I nodded, winking at Bella as I kicked off my shoes, slipping into the living room where Ness lay sprawled across the couch, her breathing barely audible in the silence of the house. I looked at her, smiling to myself for a few moments longer before I looked up to find Bella eyeing me. I rubbed my forehead, really having nothing to say but not breaking my eye contact. She looked strange this evening, as if she was studying me extra curiously.
"What's up?" I spat out, quiet enough to not wake Ness. She averted her eyes and turned to walk to the kitchen.
"I have to talk to you." She said. I wrinkled my eyebrows, slowly getting up to follow Bella into the kitchen. She faced the window, her palms gripping the edge of the kitchen counter. I leaned against the table top, letting her gather her thoughts. I wondered what she had to say. Her rigid posture suggested something too serious for a regular Thursday. She pulled her long brown hair to the side, playing with the ends before facing me. She looked me directly in the eye.
"Jacob, I'm in love with you." she blurted. My heart stopped. The words I had longed to hear again dripped from her lips. However, I had hoped they would never arise again. As much as my feelings for Ness did not evolve, I could not say the same for her. I could tell she had completely fallen for me.
But here I was, stuck between the woman I had never stopped loving and the girl I never wanted to hurt. I didn't think about what I was about to do. In the rush of the moment, I stupidly approached Bella and before I knew it, my lips crushed against her chalky, marble. I knew in this moment, if she could cry, she would. Her whole world was about to fall apart. And I inexplicably made this happen when I decided to kiss her. The dormant feelings that I had buried within me began to surface as I held Bella closer to me, weaving my fingers into her soft hair. I pulled back, breathing heavily as I tried to search her eyes. Nothing but love and destruction.
"I never stopped." I whispered against her lips, my painful expression torturing her. At that moment her faced dropped as she stared past me. Already knowing what she had seen, I closed my eyes and turned around, opening them again only to find the girl who's heart I vowed never to break. I could see now that I broke that vow. With tears spilling from her eyes, Ness sobbed in front of me then quickly turned around to burst out the door.