It felt like only hours had passed by, but I knew when I had came to that it had been more like months. He left me, he told me he didn't love me and left me alone in the woods...left me to unravel. He had to know that would happen which is what I focused on, trying to convince myself he wasn't worth my depression or a second thought. I'd avoided everyone and distanced myself from my friends at school and Jacob, nobody understood what I was going through. But Charlie had threatened to send me to Florida and part of me was relieved but I was more upset, Forks was my home now and I was forced to come out of my funk. I thought about calling up Angela or Jessica but knew it would be too much work and I wasn't ready for all the questions, I had needed an easier first step and I had known there was only one person who could help me.

I'd just shown up on Jacob's door step, or garage to be more exact and he was shocked to see me but as always he greeted me with warmth. He didn't ask but one question, 'Are you going to be okay?' and I nodded and that was the end of it. No 21 questions which I expected from him seeing as I'd not been around but he surprisingly just left it at that. I'm sure he knew I was broken and didn't want to pick up the pieces, which who could blame him.

Which is where I sat today, in the garage on an overturned crate watching him work on the Rabbit. It was just like every other day, my new norm and I actually didn't mind it or find it as boring as I thought I would. He made light conversation while he worked and he took breaks often enough that we could get into a good conversation and joke lightly. I wasn't myself just yet but with his company I was getting there. I wanted to laugh at his long legs sticking out from under the rabbit which he was working on, changing the oil. Every few minutes or so his feet would shake from side to side like he was trying to shimmy something into place with force.

It had been 5 months since he left and he was a more distant memory than he had been when it was fresh. I didn't find myself wishing he was around as much or thinking about what he was doing right now. I gave up on the emails to Alice also and just lived in the moment as much as I could, knowing that this was my life and I needed to make the best of it.

"Bella?" His voice brought me back to the present and I looked down to see him peeking at me from under the car with his hand out. "Wrench?"

I nodded and grabbed it from the yellow toolbox and handed to him quickly, blushing that I hadn't been paying attention. "Sorry." I mumbled.

"Give me one...more...minute." He was tightening something, speaking in between the twists of the wrench. After he was finished he pulled himself out from underneath the car and stood up, replacing all his tools in the toolbox and filling the car up with fresh oil. "What do you say to a walk after I get cleaned up?"

A walk sounded nice, a change from the constant inside of his garage which mind you I wasn't complaining. "I'd like that."

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It was chilly and overcast as usual but the wind wasn't blowing as fiercly as it normally did which I appreciated because I was freezing. I clenched my coat around me tighter and crossed my arms across my chest watching Jacob fumble with a stick in his hands nervously. Why he was nervous I couldn't imagine, perhaps it was just awkward now that the conversation wasn't flowing like it usually did.

He glanced up at me under his long black hair and smiled that smile that just warmed my heart, it was a smile I never saw him give anyone else but me. I returned his smile and he pulled me over to the cavern that we had set up with an old bench seat and blankets. It was safe from the rain and we used to play out here a lot when we were younger it looked the same as I remember except far more weathered. The blankets were different and the seat had seen better days but he spread a blanket over the seat for us and I sat down anyway. He then threw a fleece blanket over both of us and sat down next to me as I shivered, the whitecaps in the water beginning to get bigger with the new winds.

"Bella, can I ask you something?" He rubbed his neck nervously and I knew that whatever he was about to ask me meant a lot to him so I needed to consider the answer carefully.

"Sure."

He hesitated a few minutes before rubbing his hands over his face, "I've really...missed you over these past years." I knew he had, he eagerly told me this when I moved back in with Charlie. I instantly felt guilt wash over me as I knew I hadn't paid much attention to him after that. "These past few months have been...really great. I was..." He began to scratch his arm and then his bicep, he had a nervous twitch that I could pick up from across the room. "wondering if you wanted to...uh, maybe go to dinner one night with me in Port Angeles?"

My heart swelled with the way he put so much emotion into the simple question, he was afraid of the rejection he was used to me flinging at him and I smiled instead, really confusing him further. "I'd like that Jake." Truth was we both liked to eat, we both enjoyed each others company so why not? But how did he want this to go? "As friends?"

He scratched his eyebrow and I threw my gaze to the sand, he hadn't meant as friends. "We can go as friends, yeah." I knew he hadn't meant that but I just wasn't ready for this.

"Jake...I'm just..."

He cut me off, "No. It's okay." He nodded and I sighed to myself. "How about tomorrow night? Breadstix?"

"Sounds great!" I tried to sound more chipper, knowing Jacob had feelings for me was a little awkward. I didn't not have feelings for him, they just weren't profound and I was still coming down from the whole depression.

"Cool. I'll pick you up at your house tomorrow night at 6?" I shuddered, it would be nice to get out of town with Jacob after school tomorrow. I had several finals and papers due, I was ready for summer to happen so I could be lazy and re-group.

I shot him a smile and nodded.

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Jacob had arrived at 5:58 and sat in the driveway checking his breath several times waiting for exactly 6:00 to knock on my door which made me giggle. I'd thrown together a semi date-like outfit of black leggings and my chucks and a flowy tunic in grey. I paired it with silver bangles and braided my hair to flow over my right shoulder and brushed my teeth. At 6:00 on the dot the doorbell rang and I opened it to a sheepish looking Jacob who was dressed in khakis and his own chucks. I'd see his choice of tops later, he was wearing a leather jacket and his hair was in a low ponytail. He flashed me a sideways smile and I closed the door behind me after grabbing my peacoat and purse.

"You look really beautiful Bella." His tone was formal and I giggled in response, but was surprised when he opened the car door for me and helped me into the car.

"Thanks Jake."

He nodded and swiftly ran around the front of the car and slid in next to me, buckling his seat belt. "Ready?" I nodded and he nodded at me in agreeance and we headed towards Port Angeles.

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We had been seated instantly once inside the restaurant at a small intimate table in the corner, I knew as we were seated by the young woman that he had made a reservation. He handed me a menu and I took it mumbling a thank you to him, I was starving. I'd ordered a chicken parmesan plate and Jacob ordered a plate of chicken alfredo, both of us drinking coke.

"I like your shirt."

He glanced down and ran his hand down his chest and I found myself wondering what his chest felt like. I involuntarily blushed and he smiled at me, "Thank you?"

I shook my head, not meaning to say that so bluntly. "I...mean I think you look nice."

He smirked at me, tipping a breadstick tip into his mouth while nodding his head at me playfully. "So it seems."

I smirked in response, happy that our playful banter was back. "How's your alfredo?"

He spun a forkful and motioned his finger for me to come closer, "Try some."

I leaned forward, my knee bumping his but neither of us moved. I bit the forkful and chewed slowly, he was licking his lips and raising his eyebrows which made me want to laugh. My mouth was full and I didn't want to choke so I quickly swallowed and washed it down with coke and let out a laugh. "What are you doing?"

He shook his head and motioned for me to lean forward again, I did so but was confused. He raised his hand and gently ran his thumb around my mouth, wiping away what I assumed was alfredo sauce. He laughed and wiped his thumb off on his napkin and resumed eating. I didn't know what was happening to me but I was staring at Jacob in a whole different light than I had earlier. Was it because he was being so sweet? Because we were no longer buddies in the garage? Or was it because when he touched me my heart beat rapidly beneath my shirt?

"You ok?" He asked and I simply nodded stabbing a forkful of my chicken parmasean and carefully lifted it for Jacob to taste. He ate it and wiped his mouth with his napkin, "That's pretty good. Want to swap what's left?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan." I felt like I was being too rehearsed, like I was telling myself this was just Jacob my mud pie buddy. I'd known him my entire life and yet I was looking at him like he was someone new that I was interested in getting to know.

He swiftly swapped our plates around and I chuckled as he licked my fork clean before digging in to my plate. "What? Did you want this back?" He held it out as though it was a present and I let out a hearty laugh.

"No. No, you keep it." I began to feel myself let loose and let the awkwardness slip away. We finished out our dinner with friendly chatter about the upcoming week and how my finals went. I wished jacob went to school with me, I'd love to have him next to me throughout my drab days. Boy wouldn't Mike Newton love that?