-1"Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow-
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream."
Excerpt from "A Dream Within a Dream" by Edgar Allen Poe
The phone rang loudly from the kitchen, and Billy wheeled himself over to it. "No-no, he's not here. Sure, I'll let him know."
He hung it up and wheeled back into the living room. It had been three days since the battle with the newborn vampires, and my body had almost completely healed. Though I was still on ordered bed rest, I had taken up a residence on the sofa. She had called everyday, and everyday I had forced my dad to cover for me.
"You need to talk to her," he said coolly, "At least tell her you don't want to talk so she will quit trying."
"Yeah, yeah," I rolled my eyes and turned the volume up on the television.
"Wakey, Jakey, hands off snaky!" announced a voice from the door. Paul, Embry, and Quil all piled into the already cramped living room.
"How ya feeling, Jake?" Quil asked around a chicken leg shoved in his mouth.
"Still nursing your wounds?" Paul laughed as he grabbed the bucket of chicken out of Embry's hands.
"Feeling good enough to whip your ass!" I laughed jumping up from the sofa. They were all close on my heels as I headed out toward the forest, leaping into my phase. A ripping pain coursed through my body, but I was ready to get out and stretch my legs, so I ignored it. The wind rushed past me as I weaved my way through the trees.
"All right, that's as much of a head start as he gets," laughed Embry. Even though my muscles were on fire, I couldn't help but realize I finally felt free. The last few days had been complete torture; I'd been locked up in the house, my body had been half broken, and my mind had been flooded by continuous thoughts of Bella.
"Oh, God," I could hear Paul rolling his eyes. "Do we have to listen to this whining all day long?"
"Dude, I think that battle is pretty much lost. I mean, we all like Bella, but she's just not good for you." Quil was being uncharacteristically insightful.
"Okay, okay," I chided. "Who's up for a race to the clearing?"
We spent the afternoon as boys at play, and it was great. Having shredded my clothes when I phased before, I had to sneak back into the house in all my bare glory. Shutting the door behind me, I turned to walk down the hall and ran into a wall. No, not a wall, it was Leah.
"Wow!" she gasped as she attempted to duck out of my way into the bathroom.
"Shit, sorry, Leah," I crossed the hallway in two steps and shut my bedroom door quickly. Phasing had been much more tricky with a girl wolf in the pack, especially when she was in your house.
"I just came by to see if you guys needed anything from the market, I'm sorry," she was standing outside my door, "I didn't realize you were indisposed."
"Yeah just another pair of sweats lost to a phase on the fly," I laughed as I shimmied into a pair of cargo shorts.
"Did you want to go with me?" I opened the door as she finished the question, all but bumping into her again.
"Uh-okay," I responded, unsure why she was suddenly being, well, friendly. "Just let me get some shoes and a shirt." She turned and walked back down the hallway, leaving me to try to find shoes in my broom closet of a room. Finally, I found a pair of sneakers, slipped them on and grabbed a white t-shirt.
"I also have to run by the post office, if that's okay," Leah announced as I stepped into the kitchen.
"Yeah, that's cool. It'll be nice to get out of the house anyway." I decided to pop a few more pain pills before we headed out to the Rabbit.
"I'll drive," she stated, grabbing the keys from my hand. I didn't protest, I didn't really care to. She slid behind the wheel, pulling the seat slightly forward. I collapsed into the passenger's seat, noticing how different the small car seemed from this side.
"So, are you all healed up?"
"Yeah, I think so," I replied with a sigh. I guess she took the hint that I wasn't up for much conversation because the rest of the drive into Forks was silent.
The market was busy, it being Saturday, and we spent way too much time crowded in small aisles. I opted to carry the bags back to the car just so we could get out of there faster.
"Okay, now just the post office, and we'll be done," Leah smiled as she pulled the car toward the small brick building. Luckily, there were only a few cars in the parking lot. Unluckily, one of them happened to be an old orange truck.
"Damn," I growled, "This would happen." Leah spotted the truck right after I did.
"You want to just skip it?"
"Nah," I sighed, "Mine as well get this over with." I didn't get out of the car, and I prayed that Bella wouldn't come out and see me. Of course, that is exactly what happened. Her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and she wore jeans and a hoodie. Typical Bella, and totally beautiful. Her chocolate eyes found mine, and she ran over to the door. I thought about sliding behind the wheel and driving away, but Leah would be pissed if I left her.
"Hey! Hello?" Bella pulled the door open. "Why are you ignoring me?"
"I don't have much to say to you, Bella," I replied, getting out of the car.
"Look, I know that day was crazy, but I've wanted to talk to you."
"And tell me what? You're sorry you didn't tell me you were marrying that leech? Your sorry I'm not the one? You miss not having me at your beck and call?"
Her eyes misted over as I once again said my piece a little too harshly. I wasn't going to apologize this time, though. I was done being walked over by her. She reached out to touch my arm, but I grasped her hand in mine.
"Bella, I get it," I tried to keep it together. "It is him. It will always be him."
She didn't say anything, only nodded sadly, her eyes once again not meeting mine.
"I just need time, Bella," I admitted, almost pleadingly. "I can't be around you while I'm trying to get over you. I hope you'll understand and be a friend when I need one."
"Of course," she nodded eagerly. "You are such a wonderful friend to me, Jake. I know that I have hurt you, and for that, I am truly sorry. But please, promise me, you will call whenever you're ready."
"I will," I replied, clenching my jaw as I saw a single tear slip out from her miserable eyes. She reached up and kissed my cheek softly before turning and getting into her truck. I couldn't bear to watch her drive away, though I strained until I could no longer hear the rumble of the engine.
"Hey, you okay?" Leah asked as she walked toward me.
"Yeah," I croaked as I got back into the car. I was silent, my eyes drifting to the forest beside the road. Those months I had Bella all to myself seemed a lifetime ago, and our kiss seemed like it had happened to someone else. As we crossed back into the Res, I shut my eyes and laid my head against the seat. It was as if Bella Swan, his best friend, had been just a dream.