Here's chapter 5 I'm so sorry it took so long!
But I was working with Project Team Beta to be able to get my story on Twilighted….
So I had posted this chapter earlier saying that I couldn't wait anymore to have PTB send me back the chapter and like two seconds later they sent it! So weird! (Murphy's Law) So for those who already read it, it's basically the same just written better!
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and favorite this story. It's really encouraging! You guys rock!
Oh and for those who have asked Edward is ghost not a vampire. Also I don't want Edward to have a POV in this story. If the story goes well I might consider writing entirely from EPOV. Maybe.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of the great Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 5
"Hello, I'm Bella Swan," I told him.
"Yeah I know. Alice has been talking about you, and she told me I really needed to introduce myself to you," he said and then laughed. I was going to kill Alice for that. I mean, the boy was cute I guess, but I was sure I could get my own men. I didn't have the best track record but that was because I haven't found the right guy, right? Either way, Alice pimping me out was completely unnecessary.
"Oh. Well, yeah that's Alice for you," I said tartly.
He laughed. "She doesn't mean any harm and she speaks very fondly of you. She just thought you and I should meet. There's nothing wrong in that, right?"
"Of course there's nothing wrong, Jacob. I'm sorry. It's just she wants me to meet a man quickly so we can start making tons of babies and go shopping together and take them to soccer practice or whatever," I said.
"Well, I'd say that's pretty normal. Alice said you two hadn't seen each other much when you both went off to college and now you're in her life again, and she just got this great news. I'm sure Jasper's gonna propose and I guess she just wants her friend to be happy," he said. That was kind of insightful really.
"Okay, that sounds about right. I know she means well, but I'm not like her. I don't know if I'll ever find my own Jasper, and even if I do who knows if I'll ever want kids?" Why am I saying these things to a complete stranger?
"That's a lot of ifs there. I think lots of people ask themselves those questions but you can't know until you try, right?" he said. Okay I'm in a really deep existential conversation with someone I just met.
I laughed. "Wow, we got really sidetracked there, Jacob. We barely just met and we're having a very weird conversation."
He laughed at that. "Yeah I don't know how that happened either."
I knew then I was going to get along with Jacob.
The next morning, after a really sound but few hours of sleep, I was awoken by my cell phone. It was Alice.
"Hello, Ally, I haven't seen you in ages. I'm glad you called," I said with a ton of sarcasm in my voice.
"Oh, don't be like that. I really need to tell you the news," she said. How can someone be so perky at this ungodly hour?
"Eh, I know you're pregnant. I was there, remember?"
"No silly, the other news. Jasper proposed!" she almost yelled.
"Oh! Ally that's great! And kind of obvious considering he knocked you up and stuff."
She laughed at that and then said she was sorry for calling so early - she just wanted me to be the first to know officially about the engagement - and then told me to go back to sleep. I was really happy for Alice and she obviously was very happy too. That got me thinking about my conversation with Jacob.
I honestly had never had time or any desire to put myself out there. Maybe that was my problem and the reason why I hadn't found my own Jasper yet. I did want to be as happy as Alice, but I wasn't sure how to go about finding someone. It could be this Jacob guy, but I guess I was just completely lost.
Finally, realizing I wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep, I got up and dressed for another day. I made my way downstairs and everything was completely quiet. Completely lonely. This really was a house made for a family.
"Alice, how do you know Jacob?" I asked her that day in the teachers' lounge.
"You mean Jacob Black?" she said with a knowing look.
"Yeah," I said in a defeated tone.
"I knew it! You like him already. This is gonna be so great!" She squealed.
"Hey there, slow down. I'm just wondering."
"I know, I know. But still, it's something big if you're asking about him right?"
"It's not a big thing. I just figured it was time to maybe, possibly…start dating?" I said, as more of a question than anything else.
"Okay, he's really good friends with Jasper. He's from La Push and works in a…car shop, I guess. I don't know, he fixes cars. Whatever. Anyway, he's really nice, and when you told me you were moving here I guess I started talking to him about you. You guys are so similar. He doesn't date much; spends most of his time in that shop. He's a really hard worker and I really think you two could hit it of."
"He sounds nice," I said, not knowing what else to say. He did sound like a pleasant enough person, but again I found myself not knowing what the next step was, so I asked Alice. "Has he said anything about me? I mean, probably not because it was only last night that we met."
"Do you want to date him?" she asked.
"I don't know, Ally, we just met; I'm clueless here."
"I know! That's why I'm here. I have an idea. How about we have a sort of gathering at your house? Like a house warming party since, by the way, you haven't had one, and it could be just the four of us for dinner or something."
"Isn't it weird if it's just the four of us?" I asked.
"Nah. I mean, he's interested in you, Bella. I think he'll be glad and you'll have the opportunity to get to know each better with just Jasper and me as buffers if need arises."
"Why would you guys be needed?" I asked, completely clueless.
"No reason, really. Just in case, we'll keep the conversation going and interesting," she said.
"Okay then. Should I call him?"
"Yep, I'll give you his number. The party should probably be on Friday night."
"Okay."
Friday came by really quickly, and that morning my beautiful piano was delivered. I didn't have time to enjoy it much since I had to run to school and because the delivery men took forever to take it inside I was so late. After Alice gave me his phone number, I had called Jacob to invite him over. It was a very pleasant conversation and I was starting to get excited about tonight. Jacob and I could become really good friends, but in reality I was hoping that he was the guy I was looking for. I wasn't much of a cat person, so being the crazy cat-lady was out. Crazy dog-lady? That has more potential for happening but let's leave that as a last resort.
After school, I was parking my car in front of the house when I heard something. More specifically, I distinctly heard the sounds of a piano playing. How is that possible? My closest neighbor is just too far away. Is Edward…playing?
Edward had been fairly quiet lately. In fact, I hadn't heard, or seen any signs from him ever since Alice's pregnancy test, and that night I had been too tired to wonder what he was up to.
I walked slowly towards the front door and the most glorious melody I'd ever heard got even louder and more majestic with each step I took. It was clear my decision to place the piano near the front window was a success. When I reached the door, however, I remembered what the beautiful music had driven from my mind. Edward –the ghost Edward–is playing my piano. So there I was, completely frozen, in front of my door wondering what to do.
The music kept on playing and finally I decided it was time to go inside. It was my house after all. When my hand started towards the doorknob, I noticed it was shaking slightly. Even though I had gotten somewhat used to several of Edward's "episodes", this was different. It made him more real. I understood, or at least hoped, that a presence that could play so beautifully couldn't be evil, and he had been so nice lately. However, I was afraid of seeing him, and yet I was also partly excited by that prospect ever since that morning when I had seen an intense, deep green and heard an incredible velvety voice, but I had been too distracted by Alice's news to give it much thought. Now that I had the time, though, an interesting thought popped into my mind. Maybe he's welcoming me home. I laughed internally at that but it was certainly very nice to have someone to come home to.
I turned the knob and opened the door just a little and the melody changed and drifted towards an end. When the final note quieted I was running towards the piano, suddenly emboldened by my excitement. There was no one around.
"E-Edward?" I squeaked to the room. I was excited but still terrified.
"Hey…uhm…I guess you like the piano? That was beautiful by the way." I walked towards the big instrument, sat down on the bench and looked around the room for any signs of him.
"You know…ah…you can show yourself if you want. I mean, I'm scared, but maybe if I had a more concrete idea of you in my head it would be easier, don't you think?" I asked hopefully. Nothing. I sighed.
"Well, okay. That was beautiful, the music I mean. I've never heard that one before."
Then I realized something like this couldn't happen tonight so I decided I should tell him. "If you're listening Edward, I'm having a dinner party this evening and well, if you could just act like you did when Alice came over the second time, please? Not everyone is as cool as I am towards ghosts in the house." I laughed at that; I hoped he noticed I was joking.
"But the music was absolutely amazing. You're welcome to play piano any time when it's just me here. Maybe one day you could talk me in person…?" I sort of asked again in hope. Nothing. Well, worth a shot.
"Bella, this is delicious. Thank you so much for inviting me over," Jacob said over a plate of steak and mash potatoes. It was pretty simple but everyone thought it was great. Everyone except Alice whom, apparently, had started having weird pregnant-woman cravings. She was scrounging my refrigerator while Jasper, Jacob and I sat enjoying our dinner.
"There's nothing in this fridge!" she wailed.
"Alice, darlin', come sit down. This is really tasty," Jasper said.
"No Jasper it's okay. Ally, do you want the dessert now?" I asked.
"Where is it?" she asked, wide-eyed and excited.
"On the counter, Alice," I said.
"Hmm, I hope you guys aren't in the mood for cheesecake 'cuz this is mine!"
"Sugar, you're gonna eat the whole thing?" Jasper asked.
"It's cool, Jazz. Let the woman eat whatever she wants; she's having your baby," Jacob said. I laughed.
"That's right, Jasper. You better get use to this kind of thing. You have a couple of months worth of it left. Besides, I want my niece or nephew to be born all chubby and cute," I said, amused. I was having so much fun tonight and I had gotten to talk to Jacob more; he was very funny and pleasant to be around.
We finished eating and I cleared the plates and offered everyone some coffee.
"Oh Bella, I'm so tired. I think Jasper and I should head home now," Alice said. Yeah, Ally, keep thinking I don't know what you're up to.
Jasper turned to say goodbye with a knowing look on his face. "Thank you, Bell. Sorry my fiancée ate all your cake and didn't share," he said, amused, and then he looked at her and smiled, a heart-stopping grin that brought all my thoughts about the future and finding someone to share my life with front and center. Then they left and I was alone with Jacob. Oh and Edward, I guess.
"Would you like some coffee, Jake? I can call you Jake, right?" I asked him. Even though he was still somewhat of a stranger to me, I was completely comfortable in his presence. I remembered Alice told me when she met Jasper, she couldn't be still and was nervous whenever he was around. Hmm. I've never been nervous around any man. Maybe Edward but who wouldn't be scared of ghost?
"That'd be great, Bella."
I gave him his coffee and then asked him to tell me more about himself. He proceeded into an extensive description of his life. He had grown up on the reservation near Forks.
"My mom died when I was really young so I don't really remember her. But my dad past away a couple of years ago and that was pretty rough," he told me.
"Jacob, I'm so sorry."
"Alice said that your parents died very recently too."
"Yeah but it's really different for me, Jake. I wasn't close to them, so this is gonna sound kind of harsh since you're still mourning your dad's death, but their death really didn't change my life. I was pretty much alone most of my childhood. No relationship. No nothing with them."
"That must have been so hard. My dad was always my support system and, like, my best friend. Even though it was the two of us, I was never alone, you know?"
"He sounds like a remarkable man," I said.
"Definitely. So… Bella why hasn't any man swept you off your feet?" he asked and leaned closer to me.
"Hmm…I don't know. I guess I never thought about it."
"Surely a woman as beautiful as you has been asked on dates many times," he told me. I looked down and blushed at his compliment while he kept leaning closer to me. Suddenly, I felt something change in the atmosphere but it wasn't something between Jacob and me, it was room. The temperature had cooled all of a sudden.
"Jake, is it me or did the temperature drop?" I asked him.
He laughed and backed away a little, "Well, I was thinking it was actually getting hotter but I guess you didn't feel that."
What was he talking about? It was definitely colder than it was a minute ago. "I don't understand, Jacob."
He lean impossibly closer to me and took my hand. I was shocked. "Bella, I was just telling you that I think you are a beautiful woman. No one's capture my attention in a long while. I know we barely just met but I do want to get to know you better. If you'd be okay with that," he said.
Our faces were just inches apart and my head was reeling with everything he had told me. His thumb was tracing circles along my knuckles and though the gesture felt nice, there was something so wrong with the room that I was getting that gooseflesh was appearing all over my skin. Are my goosebumps due to Jacob touching me? No, there's something wrong going on. I felt like we were being watched and something bad was just about to happen. Calm down, it may all be due to Jacob's proximity since I've never had a man touch me like this before.
Jacob's face was getting closer and I understood his intention perfectly but I didn't know if I was ready for a kiss from him, and I had no time to figure it out. Also, I really had to check all the windows because I was sure a draft was coming in. Before I could say anything to stop him, his lips were very softly, very sweetly touched mine.
There was a splitting sound and both jerked back.
"Oh Bella, I'm sorry I think I just dropped your cup. I didn't even feel it," he said apologetically.
I stood up quickly. "No! Not my cup!" I practically wailed. I was staring at the broken pile on the floor like someone had just been killed and then I noticed Jacob looking at me strangely. "Sorry Jake, it's just that I'm really fond of my cups."
"Shit Bella, I'm so sorry! I swear I'll replace it. Here, let me get it."
"No, it's okay. Let me get the broom from the closet." After I reached the closet in which I keep all my cleaning supplies, I hear another crash and Jacob swearing.
"What happened?" I asked, knowing already but still hopeful that I wouldn't have to mourn the loss of another cup.
"Shit, I'm sorry I was talking this one to the sink so I wouldn't break it and it just fell right out of my hand, I don't know how. It's like someone pushed it," he stopped and took a look at his hand. "Great, not only have I broken another one of your cups, but I cut myself too."
"Jake, let me see. Look, don't worry about my cups. It's just, well, I collect cups and each and everyone it's kind of unique so you can't replace them."
"Man! Now I feel worse."
I laughed; he looked so distraught. "It's okay."
"No it's not, Bella. I swear I'm going to buy you tons of new and one-of-a-kind cups. Everything. Lots of tea sets if that's what you want."
"You don't have to do that. They're just cups."
"Still, I want to make it up to you. This wasn't how I thought I would ask you on a date, but let me take you out and make it up to you."
"Okay, Jake. Look let me get the first aid kit; it's in my upstairs bathroom. I'll be right back so don't move. Please," I said, almost joking but not quite as was still worried he'd break more of my stuff. He laughed and leaned against the counter.
I went upstairs, thinking that Jacob just might be clumsier than me. I laughed. I reached the bathroom in search for the first aid and had just found it when there where a lot more crashes downstairs and Jacob yelled. Oh my god. what is going on down there?
I rushed down the stairs, thinking that a burglar might just have broken into the house. "What's going on?" I yelled, as I reached the kitchen. The scene that I walked into must have been taken out of one my nightmares. The cupboard above the counter was slightly tilted, my cups were shattered all over the floor and there was blood.
"Jacob! Are you okay? What happened?" I asked, frantic once the initially shock of the scene had ebbed.
"Bella, I'm sorry. I honestly don't know happened this time. I wasn't touching anything! I swear!"
"Look, you have a really deep gash on your arm. I'm going to need to drive you to the hospital," I said, starting to feel a little queasy. "Okay, let's cover it with something quickly and let me sit down for a second."
"Are you okay, Bella?" he asked me, after covering his arm with the towel I gave him.
"Yes, Jake. Blood makes me a little dizzy, but okay let's go," I said, standing up in a rush because Jacob's cut was really deep.
I drove as fast as I could, focusing on the road instead of the towel covering Jacob's arm, which was now completely drenched in blood. Yuck.
We went inside and, since there weren't a lot of people, Jacob got treated really quickly. While the young doctor was sewing Jacob's arm or whatever, I was beside him helping fill out the paperwork.
"I honestly don't understand what happened still. I didn't touch the cupboard at all. It was so weird, Bella."
"Don't worry about it, Jake. It just really scared me when there was a lot of blood on the floor."
He laughed. "I can imagine, but still. Were all your cups in there?"
"Pretty much," I said.
"Yeesh. Great way to impress you, right?" He said, trying to lighten the mood.
I laughed. "Well, now I'm definitely not going to forget you, so…" I said, teasing him.
He laughed, heartily now. "As long as I'm on your mind. But look, seriously, I'm going to make it up to you, starting by repairing that cupboard. It must have been loose already for it to tilt like that. What baffles me is that I swear saw the cupboard tilt after several of the cups had fallen. I'm glad you weren't in the room."
There was a thought tugging at my mind but I couldn't quite grasp it. "Jake, that's crazy. I'm even surprised the cups fell; the door to the cupboard looked pretty sturdy to me, even if it tilted so much."
"Which it didn't. That's exactly what I'm saying. Are you sure there isn't a ghost or something in your house?" he said and then laughed really loudly this time.
Shit! Edward. He had done it. I was completely sure of it. That was the change in the atmosphere. We were back to the beginning when he tried to scare me out of the house. And then all I could think about was he had hurt Jacob. He had never hurt me; scared me shitless, yes, but now we were on such good terms, especially after the piano serenade. I didn't think it was possible for him to hurt anyone. I thought he was just mad about the way he had died and maybe he was lonely. What if I was wrong? And then I was really angry and scared of him again. I have to move out of that house before I get hurt.
Hastily, I got up from my chair next to Jacob. "Listen Jake, I have to go. I'm not feeling so well. I don't really like hospitals. Is there a way you could get a ride home?" I asked him. I wanted to go to the house, pack up and leave immediately before it was too late.
"Yeah, Bella, of course. I've already put you through so much this evening," he said.
"Don't worry. I'm sorry my cups went crazy on you," I said and laughed a little hysterically. Jacob looked at me, noticing, but then I turned and left.
I drove slowly this time because my fear was really getting to me. Tears started falling from my eyes as I reached my house and I started shaking when I got to the door. Okay I'll get something quick packed up and leave. I can do this. I burst through the door, leaving it opened and ran up the stairs as fast as I could without tripping.
I got to my room, and searched for something to pack up my stuff. I found a big book bag and decided it would have to do. I wanted out of there now. I opened some drawers and took whatever I could. My hands were trembling so badly I dropped a lot of things, several times. I realized it would be impossible to drive in this condition. I sat on the bed and wiped the tears from my eyes, trying to calm down.
I looked at the floor for some time. "Would you have hurt me?" I realized I was heartbroken by that thought and that I had said it out loud. Then, I was in a rush again so I scrambled to my feet, finished packing my bag and looked at the flower that sat in a glass of water by the bed. My tears started falling again. "I'm leaving. Bye."
I recognized that I didn't want to leave but I had to. I ran down the steps for what felt like the millionth time tonight, but froze when I got to the first floor and looked up towards the closed front door.
"Don't go."
Thank you for reading! I hoped you liked it! Please review! Also school is just so crazy and that's another of the reasons I didn't update sooner….vacations start July 15, almost a month away I hope I can update again before! Just have patience with me and never go into Engineering, it's a very bad idea...