"Jake, shut your mouth!" I thought to myself. I couldn't help it. Bella made me nervous. No, not nervous exactly—it's not that I was uncomfortable. On the contrary; I was never more content then I was with her. But I did want to be appealing, wanted her to think I was worth her time. And that tended to make me run my mouth.
Suddenly, I noticed that Bella was coming towards me from across the garage. I looked up at her from where I sat on the floor, anxious.
"Jacob…" she said quietly, and reached out for me. I took her hand, and stood up, towering over her tiny 5'4" frame.
She continued to look at me, though this time up rather than down. I became more concerned.
"Bella, what's wrong? Did I do something? What's going on?" I demanded. She smiled slightly, then giggled, confusing me further.
But then, something wonderful happened. Bella reached up for me, placing her warm, soft hands on my neck and pulling my face closer to her own.
Could this really be happening? Could the girl of my dreams—the love of my life—really be this close, displaying affection for ME, instead of the other way around?
"Bella…?" I asked warily…but then she stretched toward me, and her beautiful lips were on mine. I grinned like a fool, but I couldn't help it. I pulled her body close to mine. But I wanted to make sure this was what she wanted.
"What has gotten into you? Not that I'm complaining…" I inquired. And then she spoke words I had been waiting to hear her utter for almost as long as I had known her.
"Jacob, you have been right. You've always been right. We should be together…I love you, and not like a brother. You are my sun. My own personal sun. If I ever lost you, if I didn't have you in my life, every single day, I would freeze up and die."
I couldn't help but laugh at her interesting use of metaphor, but then I continued to laugh. It had sunk in. Bella wanted me. She did not pity me, she did not just want to keep from hurting me—she really, truly wanted me in the same way that I had always wanted her. This knowledge caused my heart to nearly burst.
"Silly Bella," I replied. "I'm the one who would be lost without you." And I took her in my arms again, and squeezed her tight, breathing in the smell of her soap and shampoo, delicately floral, and feeling the softness of her hair and skin against my face. I felt a small shudder go through her body, and she had begun to cry.
A jolt went through me for a split second, but I looked into her angelic face, and she was smiling. She, too, was happy.
We sat on the ground, and I cradled her in my arms, never wanting to let go. I let her cry, simply enjoying being so close. So in love. So happy. As I watched her nuzzle close into my body, and look lovingly into my face, my heart began to swell again. This was true love.
She reached up and touched my face lightly, and pressed her lips to mine again. "Jacob, my Jacob." She whispered; and I knew that my life had just become complete.