Awake? Or still dreaming?
When I woke I was utterly confused.
Why was I in hospital?
Tell me I hadn't I wrecked Sam's car…
My thoughts were hazy, but when I looked around a pair of bright blue eyes caught my attention. I instantly knew where I was and why I was here.
Biting her lip, Arlyn looked up at a clock that hung on the wall, counted, and turned back to me. "It's official; you've been out for 3 hours."
"No way! I fell asleep like 10 minutes ago." It killed me to think I had wasted 3 hours with Arlyn, asleep. I rolled over in the slid-y chair back to her. Her voice was light yet cynical. "I bet the station nurse you'd be out for 3." I smiled amused; she was already placing money on me.
"You win?"
"I did." She stated proudly. "She bet like 1 1/2. I knew you'd sleep longer, you seemed tired."
I looked her up and down. "I was. But how are you? "
She sighed. "I'm ok."
I rolled my hand around in a circular motion, prompting her to elaborate. "So you're perfectly fine?"
She nodded picking up the remote with her good hand. "Perfectly."
I came closer to her in my chair and leaned over the bed railing. "I really don't buy that."
She flipped through a few channels, settling on the post game show for the Seahawks. "And why not?" She asked casually, not looking at me, while she put the sound on mute.
"Your eyes are tired, your don't have any color in your face, and you keep looking down at your arm. " She cut me a glance from the side, letting her eyes drift from the TV. "And you're far too observant for someone whose only known me for a few hours."
"I'm sorry." I apologized quickly, not feeling any remorse whatsoever. Her lips curled upward, and a glint of perfectly white teeth showed through them.
"Stalker! " She declared, pointing a finger at me, and then dropping it, her shoulders heaving with laughter. Oh she had no idea, I thought to myself. I smiled cockily; I could feel my eyes burning with her in my sights. "How am I am the stalker, when you are the one who watches people sleep for hours?"
She threw the remote at me, and laughed hard, as it hit me in the head.
She had good aim.
"Nice catch." She complimented, as I picked up the remote from the floor.
"Good throw! I mean, right for the jugular there!" She sighed, and leaned further back into the pillows.
"The Seahawks won." She commented, throwing her hand toward the TV, as if to show me.
"Paul's happy then." I muttered.
She raised an eyebrow, and I corrected myself. "He's my brother." It was halfway true.
She smiled at that and nodded. "Are you close?"
"Yeah." I answered . "We fight all the time, but it's all good. You got brothers?"
She shook her head, sadly almost. "A sister, I don't know her though."
I looked down at her curiously. "You just-"
She looked me in the eye, finality showing in her expression. "I don't know her. I live in Seattle."
I understood. She didn't want to talk about this sibling. Her face twisted up, showing pain. Instantly I found myself babbling, asking what I could do, trying to help. She pushed me back though.
"I'm fine." She insisted. "Just the morphine's wearing off."
"I'll get someone to get you some more." I muttered as I ran for the door. I could hear her tell me to come back. I didn't listen though.
I walked up to the nurses' station, and found that I was ignored for few moments, the one in the all pink outfit apparently had some very juicy details about Mark and Cindy in internal medicine. I cleared my throat, and finally one turned to look at me. "Can I help you?" She asked, still flipping through someone's file. "Yeah, uh, the girl in room 286 needs some painkillers." She nodded, followed me into Arlyn's room. She was still watching the post game rundown on CBS. "I can't believe that Julius Peppers didn't get called for unnecessary roughness, on this play! " She protested as I came back in, not noticing the nurse that followed me. "I mean seriously, the man's straight up beast, but that-"
She saw the nurse, and instantly was quiet, frowning.
The nurse read papers and charts, analyzed a few various computer screens around Arlyn's bed, before picking up a syringe. "She ok right?" I asked nervously.
Arlyn shot me a disapproving look. "Of course I'm ok."
The nurse shot the syringe down into an IV, and Arlyn cringed, reaching for the railing and gripping it tightly. I offered her my hand, but chose the rail over me, squeezing as she closed her eyes.
Finally the nurse put the syringe away. "Yep, needed that didn't ya?"
She nodded, and turned the sound back up on her football show/
"I'll be back in a few hours." The nurse smiled at us and then left.
It was silent for a few moments, while Arlyn rearranged her pillows. "She always messes them up." She stated, her voice tired, as if lifting the pillows hurt.
I picked up a pillow, "Where do you want it?"
She grinned sheepishly. "This one goes here." She said pointing at a spot on the bed. When she had all the pillows arranged perfectly, I sat back down, and heard my stomach growl. Smooth I told myself, mentally banging my head against a wall. She motioned out the door, "The cafeteria's down the hall. It's not that bad, you should get something to eat."
I shook my head, "Not Hungry." I casually lied. I wouldn't leave her.
She glared up at me, her red hair in her face. "You're a really bad liar, never had much practice?"
I threw my hands up in the air. "Yeah, tell me about it."
I looked outside, and noticed it was dark. I should be going home.
"I should go." I whispered, as I pushed myself up from the chair.
She nodded. "Your family will be wondering where you are."
I smiled. "They probably will. But they'd understand."
She looked curiously up at me, her eyes glowing. "Would they?"
"Yeah, they would. They're all pretty chill."
"Well, I'll see you around then. I'm sure you stop by here enough?"
I could my face exploding into a smile. "All the time." I promised quickly, as I waved goodbye and walked out the door.
She thought I was a bad liar, yet she hadn't called me on that lie.

I flew down the road, totally exhilarated.
I had found the girl.
I didn't have to hurt anymore.
I promised myself I would be the best thing that ever happened to Arlyn- I then remembered how little I knew about her, including her last name.
The trees whipped by me, the wind rushing in through the open window and I wondered how soon it would be until she sat with me in the now empty passenger seat.

When I finally pulled up to the house, Sam was waiting inside, holding Emily on the couch. I cleared my throat, the moment felt awkward. I wondered if one day I would hold Arlyn like that, I wondered if she would ever fall in love with me, as I had with her.

Sam barely noticed me, only sticking out his hand for the keys, as he continued to kiss Emily. I dropped the keys into his awaiting hand, muttering something like "get a room." Sam growled, but continued, and I continued down the hall to my room.
Seth was on my bed, totally asleep. Out.

He looked like he'd been scouting all day. I wondered where his evil sister was, probably out still in wolf form. She was far more comfortable that way. It was her that had told me, once I imprinted, I wouldn't hurt over Bella. It was true, I wasn't hurting anymore. But I was filled with a new type of worry, the worry that Arlyn wouldn't love me. It wasn't like Quil and Claire, he had years to get to know her, to be her best friend. There was no pressure for them, it would happen naturally. But me, I don't know, I felt it was late. The pressure was on for us. I couldn't just ask the girl out and then for her to marry me. That sorta goes over wrong everywhere. But this was the age when Quil and Claire would fall in love, now is when Jared and whatever her name is, fall in love. It was now for me, and I thought I was hopelessly late.
Shaking my head, I told myself not to worry about it. That wouldn't solve anything at all. Live in the moment Jake I told myself. You found her, and you already love her enough to be whatever she needs you too, no matter what you want. My mind kept racing back and forth through endless possibilities. What if she leaves and never comes back? What If I can only call her? What if she's dating a guy? What if she dies tonight in the hospital? Seth woke and he must have seen my face, as his eyes were the size of saucers. "Jake what the hell is up with you?"
I tried smiling at him. "You really wanna know?"
Seth looked around the room, as if expecting something else to happen. "Uhh sure?"
"Tomorrow?" I pleaded. "I've gotta go bed."
He rolled his eyes at me as he ran his hand through his black hair. "Bed? I'm gonna go patrol or something!"
It was tempting, the running, letting the worrisome thoughts fly behind me. They couldn't keep up with me and my speed. At the same time though, Arlyn had been right; I was so tired.
Seth got up off the bed. "Well I'm out! You running or sleeping?"
I couldn't help it, I wanted to run, escape the thoughts that things wouldn't work out. "Running." I grumbled, as I flew past him out the door.
Once we were safely outside, away from any passing car's headlights, a let the warmth spread over my entire body and I phased, Seth was only a few paces behind me. As we ran through the blacked woods, Seth didn't speak for several minutes. I knew he was seeing Arlyn in my mind.
He stopped running, and I did too, I knew what he was gonna ask. "You imprinted?" He asked almost shocked. "That's pretty amazing Jake."
We weren't like vampires; we can't read each other complete minds, only our thoughts. So we had to go over stories to smooth them out.
"Yeah, it's great." I said absentmindedly, thinking about Arlyn, thinking about our forever.
"You sound real convinced." Seth pointed out as he started jogging up a hill.
"So she lives in Seattle, and I don't know how that's gonna work."
Seth shrugged. "Stuff like this works itself out."
"What am I gonna say? Well when you leave the hospital I'll come visit you, drive 150 miles to see the girl I'd known for 3 days."
Seth looked at me confusedly. "She's in the hospital?"
I nodded. "She got in a wreck coming down here, broke her wrist."
Seth stared at me, as if he was going to find the answer to my problem. "So why'd she come down here? Maybe she's staying?"
I shook my head. She had vigorously reminded me that she lived in Seattle.
Seth read the thought, and nodded. "Just enjoy the time you have with her Jake. That's all the advice I can give you."
I shook my head, wondering whether to be overjoyed, or to be totally discouraged.
Seth rolled his eyes at me. "Come on Jake, be happy. For once, let yourself be happy."
I shot him a disgusted look. "You sound like a-"
He cut me off. "And you're some pathetic, helpless, little, angry, brooding teenager!"
I snarled, and put him on the ground, but he continued. "Jake you were one of the most happy, outgoing and radiant people I knew. You've got to get over Bella, you can't be afraid anymore Jake."

I knew he was right. I had hit rock bottom with Bella, I couldn't go any worse. He wanted me to be happy. He wanted me to be happy I had imprinted. Happy that my soulmate had been found. But didn't he understand that she'd leave? Didn't he understand I couldn't tell her what we were yet? Didn't he understand that a relationship takes time? That she would take time?
But at the same time, maybe she would stay, maybe things would happen the way they were supposed to, if only we had time.
But time was not up to me, but up to her. It was up to Arlyn, who had no idea, no idea what she meant me. No Idea what I meant to her.
This whole thing was a circle. A vicious damn circle. A twisted screwed up way to fall in love.
Set was right though, I should be happy, spend as much time as I could with her, do what I could.
Seth nodded at me; I knew he now understood everything. With a thrust of my head toward the south, I released my hold on his neck, and we both picked up the pace and set off in a dead run for home.

I woke up very late. 2:00 to be exact. I threw myself out of bed, changed into some old jeans, that only had a few rips and tears from the garage, and some random t-shirt. I sat down at the kitchen table, and Leah was also sitting there, reading a book. I almost blinked at her, it was so weird seeing her in human form. She lived out as much as she could, she hated being human. When she finished the last of her reading, she set the book down and looked at me in an amused way as I shoved a piece of cold pizza in my mouth.
She kept on staring, as if she was Alice or something, reading the future and crap.
Finally it got to me, and with my mouth full of pizza I glared at her. "What?" I mumbled annoyed, my speech significantly hindered by the pizza.
Leah sighed, "Well is she pretty?"

Instantly I knew who she was talking about. Arlyn. The name was like a sweet taste in my mouth.
I nodded. "She is pretty, more like beautiful though. She's got this hair; it's a dark rusty red, and these blue eyes."
Leah rolled her eyes. "Love sick dog." She muttered.
I snarled, and got up from the table.
"Well where are you going?" She asked, picking up the book. I knew she knew.
I didn't answer as I strode out to my Rabbit and climbed in.