Chapter 4

His body continued to tingle as he focused on the girl. She was beautiful.

Her skin was a soft ivory, dotted with light freckles where the skin had been exposed to the sun. Her hair flowed down past her shoulders and half way down her back, shimmering a slightly reddish tinge in the soft sunlight. As he regained his senses back he walked closer to the girl and noticed her cheeks wet with tears. She heard his footsteps closer now and glanced up. Their eyes met again and Jacob caught his breath. Her eyes were a bright green, a golden rim around her pupils. Her face was round, but not chubby and her hair layered around her face perfectly. As Jacob stared, the girl gave him a sad smile and turned her attention back to the crashing waves. Jacob cleared his throat and made his way over to her.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked her, concerned at the tears still falling down her face.

The girl looked up and quickly wiped the tears away.

"Not really." she replied, chuckling darkly.

Jacob felt a twinge of sadness at her words. She was clearly hurt by something, or someone. He moved forward and sat down on the log next to her. The girl seemed shocked at first but she dropped her legs down and crossed her arms as if she was cold.

"Oh, I'm Jacob by the way." he said, offering her his hand. She took it.

"Elle." She replied, now smiling warmly. Jacob couldn't take his eyes off her face. She was breath taking. Her skin was flawless, her eyes jewel bright and her hair shining in the sunlight. Her hand felt so soft and warm in his, and the brief moment their hands touched, he felt another ripple of heat shoot through him.

"So, what did he do?" Jacob asked, giving her a knowing glance.

Elle grimaced. "How did you know it was about a guy?" she asked.

Jacob shrugged and smiled. "I've seen that look before."

Elle grimaced again and sighed. "Well...it's a long story."

"I've got time." Jacob said, smiling at her again.

She smiled back and shook her head slightly.

"Well...I was engaged to this guy for a few years. He moved to Seattle for a job and I thought I'd surprise him and when I got here, I caught him in bed with his secretary." She scoffed and shook her head again. Jacob whistled softly.

"Yeah, it's a bit like that." She laughed and sniffed, wiping her cheeks dry again.

"So how did you come to be in La Push, sitting on a dead bit of wood on the beach?" Jacob asked. Elle looked at him and laughed. Jacob felt his heart thump loudly, her laugh was such a beautiful sound. She smiled and moved her feet through the sand beneath them.

"Well, once I saw what was going on, I just got in my car and drove. I didn't really know where I was heading and now, here I am, sitting on the beach talking to a complete stranger about why it is I'm sitting here right now." She glanced at Jacob through her eye lashes and smiled again. Jacob grinned back and nodded thoughtfully.

They were both silent for a few minutes, watching the waves come in and out, moving the different coloured pebbles where the water met the sand.

After a few moments, Elle glanced back at Jacob.

"So... what brang you to this dead bit of wood?" she asked him, trying to suppress a grin.

Jacob laughed and grinned back. He couldn't really remember the reason he came here, but was glad that he did. He had felt his heart change at the moment he saw Elle, and knew that he had imprinted upon a complete stranger. He still loved Bella, but in the right way now. The way he was supposed to love her, as a sister, not a lover.

Elle was his soul mate, she was everything he had dreamed of finding, even though they had only just met, Jacob's feelings for her could never be matched. It was like a blind man seeing the world for the first time, this girl was the most pure and incredible thing Jacob had ever encountered. He just wasn't sure how the imprinting thing worked, especially on a girl who had just caught her fiancé cheating! They were supposed to be together, he knew it, he just didn't know how she could be his.

"Well..." he began, not wanting to scare her away, "I had a fight with my best friend and so I came down here to think things through."

Elle watched him carefully and nodded. "Your best friend is a girl, right?" she asked him.

Jacob looked at her, puzzled. "How did you know that?" he replied.

Elle smiled and shrugged. "I've seen that look before."

They laughed and Jacob felt another shiver of heat go through him. Elle sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. They had sat for a long time, and the midday sun was again hidden by the unyielding rain clouds. Drops started to fall and they got up from the log. Jacob had a sudden idea, and turned to Elle.

"Hey, look. If you don't have a place to stay you're more than welcome to come to my house, my Dad won't mind." He said, hoping that it wasn't too forward.

Elle looked at him warily for a second. "Jacob, you really don't have to do that."

Jacob shook his head and gave her an encouraging smile. "Please, it's not a bother or anything. Plus I'd really rather you have somewhere to stay until you're back on your feet." He gave her a warm smile again and she grinned back. He could hear her heart beating faster and her face flushed a soft pink. His heart did a back flip, hoping that maybe she felt the chemistry between them. Together they walked back to Jacob's house, talking the entire way. She told him of her family and friends, he found out that she was the same age as Bella and only 19, and he hoped that Elle didn't have the same aversion towards age difference as Bella did. She didn't seem to mind, and was surprised at how young Jacob was for his size. He could feel the chemistry between them growing stronger as they talked, and the feeling deepened as he saw her personality shine through. She was so happy, strong and always smiling, even though something horrible had happened to her. She was optimistic and kind, as well as humble and honest. She was perfect in Jacob's eyes, she was everything he had wanted from Bella, and he could now have.