I woke up the next morning feeling the way I did every morning. Empty, exhausted from just thinking about getting out of bed, and I wanted nothing more than to just roll over and get a full night's sleep. But that obviously wasn't going to happen and so I got up and got ready.
Downstairs, after making breakfast, my dad brought up Jacob again.
"So, you're going to call Jacob tonight?" He seemed uncomfortable talking to me about it, like he was scared he would say the wrong thing and make me crazy.
I nodded, I didn't feel like talking whenever it wasn't necessary. He didn't say anything more about it and he eventually left to go to the station. The day went by without incident, and even if it had I probably wouldn't have noticed. But the day did go by quicker than usual, maybe because there was something I had to do later tonight that was different from my usual routine.
I got home, dreading company, but I knew I needed to do this, for Charlie at the very least. I sighed, grabbed the phone off the wall and dialled the number written on the paper beside it. It rang twice before I heard the phone connect and then-
"Black residence, this is Jacob," I heard a cheerful voice say and it surprised me when I smiled a little. I guess I couldn't help it, Jake was such a nice kid.
"Hey Jacob, it's Bella," I paused, before adding, "Bella Swan." I waited for a response, worried about him being confused with who I was and why I was calling.
"Bella! Wow, it's so great to hear from you! It's been a while, what's up?" He asked me, sounding genuinely happy that I was calling him. That surprised me but I took some comfort in him not being put-off with me.
We talked for a few minutes and then I was in my truck about to head over to his house. Most of me felt the same as I had for weeks, tired, depressed, hollow. But a small part of me, a part that I didn't know had even survived, was almost… excited to see Jacob. There was something about him that I just couldn't help but feel better when I was near him.
When I got to Jacob's house I pulled around to the garage so that we could hang out in there, he had told me he was finishing up on one of his cars and I didn't want to stop him from working on it. As soon as my door was open I felt myself being pulled from my seat and I felt warm, strong arms around me. After an almost-bone-crushing hug Jake put me on my feet and I got a good look at him for the first time in months.
"Christ, Jacob! You're huge! What the hell?" I blurted, because, well, he was huge. Like, beyond huge, he was at least 6'3" and he had gotten very much in shape. It was crazy, even if it had been a few months since I had last seen him, it was unbelievable.
"Well, that's what happens when you don't see someone for a few months," he told me, smirking a little with pride.
I closed the door of my truck and we walked over to the garage. I sat down on a stool in the corner of the garage and he walked over to the fridge.
"Want anything to drink? Water, soda, juice?" He asked, turning to see me shrug my shoulders.
"Sure, soda sounds good," I said. He grabbed two Coke's and leaned on the side of the car after giving me my drink. I took a sip, realizing that I would feel awkward with anyone else because we weren't talking, but I wasn't. I was very comfortable with Jacob, probably because he wasn't watching me like he was waiting for me to have a mental breakdown.
"So," I started, not knowing if I wanted to have this conversation but also knowing that it needed to be done. "You're probably wondering why I've been AWOL for a while, or waiting for me to freak out or something. Charlie probably told Billy what happened," I regretted bringing it up now.
He didn't say anything for a few very long moments, instead he picked invisible fuzz off of his jeans. Finally, looking back up at me, he shrugged and said, "I know what happened, and I also know that you don't want to talk about it right now. I don't want to push it, so if you ever want to talk, let me know. But until then, I won't say anything," he said very seriously.
I was so relieved, I smiled and nodded at him. My face felt weird, this was the first genuine smile I had had in weeks, it felt stiff and awkward. But it was nice to smile and not worry about being put into a situation that I didn't want to be a part of.
Jacob would be my harbour in the storm, and I would forever be grateful to him.
So, I know I said I would be uploading every week but I won't be able to upload for the next few weeks probably (I'm having surgery) - but I'm posting the next few chapters tonight to make up for it. As soon as I'm able to I will start working on this again and I will upload more.
Again, comments and follows are greatly appreciated, so if you could leave some for me that would be awesome! Thank you guys for reading!
