Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.
A/N: Pictures that accompany this chapter can be found in my blog: http: / blueeyedlamb . /2010/07/at-summers-end-ch-2-pictures . html
Thank you Lala for beta'ing.
At Summer's End
Chapter 2
"Turn in here Rose," Alice's voice rang from the backseat.
We had driven past the city limits of Portland and finally arrived at Lake Oswego.
I rolled down my window and poked my head out of the car. My eyes swept the surrounding lake, noticing the huge houses that ringed the edge of it.
The sun was shining. Only puffy, white clouds hovered in the sky. Just three hours south of Seattle and the weather was a good twenty degrees warmer.
It was the beginning of July and we'd arrived the day before the 4th of July. I was a bit worried that we should have arrived earlier in order to finalize plans for the day, but Alice kept insisting that she just knew we would have plans by the end of our first night.
We drove over the private bridge to get to the house…yes, it had a bridge. The car finally came to a halt in front of the Brandon house…if you could call it that. It was tucked into the side of the hill and surrounded by trees - definitely no shack.
We piled out of the car and began to unload our belongings. Alice's luggage took up most of the space as usual.
I followed her through the front door with a duffle thrown over one shoulder, a tote bag hanging off the other and a roller following on my heels. I stopped in the entry as a bunch of memories of past summers spent here came back to me. The last time I'd stepped foot in the house was when I was fifteen and that was quite a summer for me.
We'd already pulled straws to determine who was sleeping where. There were two master bedrooms along with three normal sized guest rooms. Luckily I managed to grab one of the masters, excited to have my own bathroom.
I was in the process of putting away my clothes when Alice's head popped into the room. Her eyes settled on my tote bag, a grimace appearing on her face.
"Couldn't you have left the books at home Bella?"
"What's the big deal about bringing some reading material along?" I huffed.
"I thought you wanted to break away from your usual routine but yet you brought the library with you."
I shrugged and went back to unpacking.
-oo-
A bit later we were walking along Lakeview Boulevard in search of something for dinner. Alice was talking incessantly about driving into Portland to shop and when we should go. She had seen the swimsuits I brought and had a conniption. Rose would speak up occasionally but was mostly eyeing the guys that would cross our paths.
Now I love these girls. Rose would soon be my sister in every sense and Alice was pretty much an adoptive daughter already.
Rosalie may have been drop dead gorgeous with her blonde hair, tall physique and blue-green eyes, but she was one tough girl. She was very loyal and wouldn't hesitate to strike down anyone or anything that threatened somebody she loved.
Alice was beautiful in her own way. She was no taller then 5'1" without heels, but her personality made up for the height deficiency. Also, she was the fashionista of the group and always trying to force me into outfits that I wouldn't have picked for myself.
The sun was beginning to set and I thrilled at the idea that the temperature still seemed to be warm without the need for a coat.
We picked out a small restaurant that seemed to be popular with the locals and got in line to be seated at the outdoor tables.
"Brandon, is that you?" called a male voice from behind us.
All three of us turned to find a group of guys lingering near the sidewalk. My eyes swept over them, noticing that they were Native American. Suddenly something clicked and I knew exactly who I was staring at.
"Jake?" I gasped.
The man in question zeroed in on me with his eyebrows scrunched together. I watched as recognition took over his face and an easy smile settled on his lips.
"I don't believe my eyes. Bella!" He swooped in and threw his arms around me. "What are you doing here?"
"Spending the summer at the lake house before heading off to school."
I pulled away and took a good look at the guy I thought I'd never see again. He'd grown almost a foot since the last time I saw him. His skin was very tan, speaking volumes at the amount of time that he spent outdoors. His dark, shiny hair was pulled back in a short ponytail and his caramel colored eyes danced with mischief and laughter.
I'd met Jacob Black the summer I was fifteen, the last time I had been to the lake. We quickly hit it off and he changed me a lot that summer. I guess you can say we casually dated during the two months I was there but we never put an official title on it.
After a summer of hand holding, stolen kisses, long talks on anything and everything, we had to say goodbye. He lived in the area but unfortunately I lived over three hours away. There were no tears, only smiles and an agreement that we were better off as friends. I left telling him that we should keep in touch knowing full well that neither of us would uphold it.
So seeing him three years later was a welcome surprise.
"Did you guys just get into town?" he answered, stepping back to stand with his friends.
"Yeah. Figured we'd come in to at least celebrate the 4th."
"Bella." I turned to look at Rose, her eyes widening slightly as if to say Who are these guys?
"Oh! Sorry…Jake, you obviously know Alice but this is my soon-to-be sister, Rosalie."
They shook hands before Jake introduced us to Sam, Jared and Embry.
"We actually have to get going but you guys should come to the bonfire we are having tomorrow night. Pretty much everybody that is under thirty will be down on the beach," Jake said.
I looked over at the girls and noticed Alice practically jumping out of her skin with excitement.
"I think we can be there. What time?"
"We'll be there all day but the crowd probably won't start picking up until around eight."
We said our goodbyes and continued on to dinner. Rosalie and Alice pretty much played firing squad with the constant questions about my history with Jake. Alice knew that we had been friends, but nothing more. They kept saying that I should try and reconnect with him the next night, but I couldn't bring myself to agree. I didn't see him in that way anymore.
-oo-
The music was loud and the crowd had expanded rather quickly. We'd arrived to the bonfire over an hour ago and it was in full swing. I sniffed the cup of alcohol that was handed to me by Rose, noting that I felt slightly wobbly. It probably didn't help that I was already on my third drink.
"You need to sip, not chug," Rose said, flipping her blonde curls over one of her shoulders.
I sighed. "I'm trying to not feel so uncomfortable."
"What do you have to feel uncomfortable about? You're wearing my lucky skinny jeans; for once your clothes don't look like something you put on in the dark. You have a great rack, plump lips, beautiful eyes and a nice ass. So shut up, smile and get your flirt on."
My mouth opened a bit at Rose's version of a pep talk. She wasn't one to beat around the bush with subtleties.
I was just about to answer when I heard my name being called.
"Bella!"
I swung around quickly, almost losing my balance on the sand.
Jake was walking towards me holding hands with a girl. As they moved closer I noticed just how beautiful she was. Her long, brown hair was highlighted with blonde and up in a ponytail, the end of the strands curling. She had bright blue eyes and her skin was slightly darker then mine.
"Hey Bella. Glad to see you guys could make it," Jake said with a bright smile.
I nodded with a smile, feeling awkward.
He looked between the two of us and seemed to remember that we didn't know one another.
"Sorry! Bella, this is my girlfriend Angela. Angie, this is my old friend Bella."
"It's nice to meet you Bella," she said grasping my hand. "Jake was just telling me about running into you. I'm glad you could make it, sometimes hanging with all guys can get lonely."
"I can only imagine. How long have you been together?" I asked genuinely.
"It'll be six months next week. I moved up here from Colorado and I met him my first day. It was hard enough starting a new school halfway through my last year of high school, but meeting Jake helped."
We talked for awhile, eventually Jake walked off to greet some people behind us. I discovered that I really liked Angela. She was nice despite her appearance; girls like her were usually intimidating and bitchy to someone like me. Apparently he told her that we had some history together and much to my shock, she didn't seem to care.
Eventually Rose and Alice came and introduced themselves. The girls were talking about some new Italian boots that Alice was salivating over getting when I decided to go get yet another cup of tequila.
Because I was concentrating on cutting a lime, I didn't hear someone come up behind me.
"Need help?" I felt warm breath run along the back of my neck, causing me to shiver.
I turned and almost lost my balance at the sight of him. The stranger was tall, lean, had slightly longer hair then probably necessary that curled along the edges and around his forehead. His skin was slightly tanned and blemish free. My eyes traveled to his face which was clean shaven, showing off his angular jaw and cheekbones. His nose was slightly crooked, but not detracting from the overall affect and his eyes were the color of moss green.
I inhaled deeply, trying to get myself in order. "No, the knife is just dull."
I turned back around, not wanting this beautiful man to see my stupid blush. Picking up the knife, I resumed my work on the lime. I felt him come to stand next to me, picking up a cup and pouring himself a healthy share of the tequila.
But he didn't leave. Instead he turned towards me and popped his hip against the table, waiting for me to acknowledge him.
I tried really hard to keep my eyes focused on the task. He was so close though and it wasn't working. Combine that with the alcohol currently coursing through my system, everything felt heightened.
What does he want? Doesn't he know what personal space means?
I finally gave up and looked at him. He wore an amused smirk on his face and his eyes were trained on my hands.
Finally I got the lime cut, picking up half of it and handing it to him. His fingers gingerly took it from my hand as he continued to stand there.
"Can I help you with something?" I asked.
His smile got wider. "Nope."
I stared at him for a long moment, not amused by his behavior. "Well if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my friends."
I picked up my drink and began to turn away from him when I felt his hand grasp my bicep.
"Don't go yet."
I pulled my hand away from his grasp, forcing my eyes to make contact with his. "I don't appreciate being teased."
"I wasn't….just trying to have fun," he said softly. "I mostly came over to ask your name."
I hesitated on telling him my real name. What were the chances of running into him again?
And then I decided to ignore my inner chatter. "Bella. My name is Bella."
He held out his hand for a shake. "My name's Edward. It's a pleasure to meet you Bella…it suits you."
I took his hand and gave it a firm shake.
"Are you from around here Bella?" he asked while taking a sip out of his cup.
"Nope. On vacation."
"Me too…just got in today actually. I love it here."
I nodded before taking a sip of my own.
"Do you not talk much or something?" he inquired.
I arched my eyebrow at him, feeling like he was starting to come off as an asshole.
"No…I just don't know what to talk about."
"Well…what do you like to do for fun?"
I was about to answer when a loud whistle rung through the air. We both turned towards the noise, noticing a big guy sitting in a group around the bonfire.
"Hey Eddie. Get your ass over here! I got a lovely young lady over here that is anxious to meet you." He followed up with a bark of laughter, pointing to a busty redhead barely clad in a mini skirt and top.
My eyes snapped back to Edward, noticing his smirk once again. His eyes were trained in the direction of his friends, seemingly forgetting that he was talking to me.
I rolled my eyes and turned from him. As I walked away I looked over my shoulder and noticed that he was watching me walk away with a confused expression on his face.
"See you later Eddie," I said mockingly.
I tried to keep my anger at bay, not understanding where the hint of jealousy was coming from. The last thing I needed in my life was to be another notch on his belt…and I knew that was what he was after.
Stupid manwhore.
A/N: Just wanted to make a note that yes Jake will be in this story a bit…but he will not be a jerk or a threat. With that, I hope you enjoyed and perhaps see some of you at Comic-Con?
