Endlessly

Chapter 4

I smiled as I re-entered the living room after changing out of my work clothes when I saw Jake leaned back on the couch his feet propped on the coffee table the remote in his hand.

"Come here." He called before he wrapped his hand around my wrist and pulled me down to the couch beside him.

"You know, I follow orders fairly well." I grunted as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and settled me against his side.

"Oh I know." He replied with a grin, his eyes never leaving the tv.

I pulled my legs onto the couch beneath me and leaned forward to retrieve my wine glass from the coffee table. Dinner had be perfect, Jake's cooking ability had definitely surpassed burnt eggs and toast.

After what I had guessed to be the third circle through the channels Jake announced with a groan, "There is nothing on tv, why is it when I have time to watch it there is nothing on?"

"Sorry," I said as I remembered something, "Oh! I can't believe I forgot." I stood from the couch, a mumbled protest from Jake, "Stay here. I have something for you."

I hurried to my bedroom closet pulling out the box of items I had gathered from Charlies basement. I pulled the PlayStation from the bottom of the box along with it's cables and the few games that I had rounded up and made my way back to the living room.

As I rounded the corner Jake's eyes landed on me and my treasure from our childhood and he grinned widely, "No way!"

"Yeah! I found it a couple of weeks ago in Charlies garage."

"Oh man, we used to have so much fun with this thing. Does it still work?" He asked as I handed it to him.

"I have no idea, I haven't tried."

"Well lets see." He took the black box from me and knelt in front of the tv, "Do you remember how dad wouldn't let me bring it to the house, that I was only allowed to play it at your house?"

"Yes," I laughed, "Because if it was at your house you would never have been off it."

"You know," He looked over his shoulder at me, "He was probably right about that."

"Don't I know it." I shook my head, I had spent hours upon hours sitting on the couch while he, Embry and sometimes Quil would play.

"Yeah, we totally left you out that entire summer didn't we?" He asked looking over his shoulder again.

"I survived."

"Yeah that was the summer your mom started hounding you about having girl friends."

I rolled my eyes. Renee had driven me crazy with her desire to see me with more girls as friends. I liked my friends just fine. "Don't remind me."

"Here goes nothing." He flipped the switch and he chuckled as the screen went black before the PlayStation logo flashed on the screen. "I promise, I won't play it all night."

I chuckled, "Have fun, I really need to work on my files for tomorrow."

"You didn't get them all done?" He asked turning to me, his brow knitted tightly.

"No, nearly but I just couldn't get it all done."

"Well damn." He leaned back in his chair, "Can you work on them in here?" I nodded, "Okay."

I stood with a smile and carried my laptop back into the living room and sat beside him on the couch. I pulled out the first file I needed to double check and settled it in my lap before going over the balances.

He looked over his shoulder at her bowed head as she erased something and smiled. He hadn't lied the night before when he had said that he had already planned to come see her, that he had missed her. But he didn't realize until he got here just how much.

She had always been the opposite to him, yet his perfect match. She was pale where he was dark. She was shy where he was loud. She was cool where he was hot. And he needed nothing more to feel her consoling calm wash over him as Jessica had stormed out of his life.

He had known for a while that it wouldn't last between them. But there was something to be said about being the one to choose to end it, and being the one who gets ended.

He sighed as he turned his attention back to the game. He had known that he couldn't stay away from Bella forever, no matter how many times Jessica demanded that he never speak to her again. It just wasn't something that he had been willing to do, something he'd never do again.

He looked back over his shoulder as he saw her legs stretch out in front of her, her flannel covered legs rubbing against his denim covered ones softly. He leaned back on the couch and pulled her legs into his lap. He chuckled as she wiggled her sock covered toes.

"Better?" He asked as she stilled not turning attention from the tv.

"Much." He nodded.

He blinked a while later as she started moving her leg back and forth across his thigh. He looked down at her foot then at her, "Sorry my legs itching." He chuckled and lifted her foot.

"Where?" He scratched the skin right above her ankle.

"Higher." He moved a few inches up her leg and she nodded.

"Okay, thank you." She smiled up at him as he replaced her foot on his leg with a nod.

Jake yawned a little later, suddenly wondering how he and his friends could have spent the entire summer playing these games.

He looked over his shoulder as he heard Bella's paper rustle and a soft tap to find her sound asleep her head resting against the couch, her paperwork sliding toward the floor. He moved quickly but gently to capture the paperwork, lifting her pen from the floor in the process and moved them to the coffee table.

He stood from the couch and bent to lift her in his arms. He smiled down at her as she snuggled into his chest.

"Good dream." She whispered as she tucked her chin into the nap of his neck.

"It's not a dream Bells." He whispered as he carried her through the living room and down the hallway to her bedroom. He pushed open her door with his foot and knelt on the bed. He lowered her to the center of the bed as she tightened her hold on him, keeping him from standing.

"Stay." She whispered her eyes never opening.

Anything else had never crossed his mind. "I am." She released him then and he stood from the bed. He pulled his shirt up over his head and tossed it to the floor beside him. He unbuckled his jeans and debated on whether or not to go and find the flannel lounge pants he had slipped on before coming to her bed last night. He shrugged his shoulders and pushed his jeans down his legs before pulling back the covers and climbing into bed beside her.

He smiled down at her as she snuggled into his chest, folding her cold hands against his chest. "Cold." She whispered, struggling not to wake up.

"Lift your legs." He sat up as she lifted her legs and pulled the cover over her body.

He smiled down at her as she snuggled again into his chest, one of her cold hands wrapping around to his back. Confused by the overwhelming sense of contentment that flooded him as she whispered his name before sleep consumed her again, he stared out the window into the starless night.