Photo 1I shook my head against his neck while holding him tighter. "I won't if you don't," I murmured softly, forcing a smile on my face as I pull away from his neck to look him in the eye. A small smile formed on Jacob's lips, but I could tell, his smile was forced too – like mine. I could still see the worry and fear in his eyes.
I bit my lip, looking down between us for a moment. I thought about things for a moment and then came up with a question. "What about the imprint?" I whispered, looking him in the eye as he held my gaze. His eyes were their usual beautiful chocolate, but for some reason, I felt like they had changed in some way, like his eyes were actually holding mine. There was a huge intensity between us suddenly. I hadn't ever felt anything like it before.
"What about it?" he whispered, breaking the hold he had upon me to look out towards the balcony of his apartment. It was still raining heavily. The thunder was crashing every few minutes and the lightning along with it on the horizon. It didn't look like the storm was going to let up any time soon.
"You had to know the imprint would have made me chose you fully."
His gaze shot back to me the very second I had finished speaking. He shook his head. "It doesn't work that way Bella," he said in a low tone and then looked down away from me again.
"How does it work then?"
"You're the one who chooses. I don't get a choice. I'm bound to you forever Bella, whether I like it or not."
My jaw half dropped with hearing that. I thought the imprint just meant that we were meant to be together, that we were the perfect match. I didn't know that Jacob was going to be bound to me for the rest of his life, whether I chose him or not. I didn't know he didn't have a choice about who he wanted to be with. That wasn't fair in my eye. "That's what has got you so afraid, isn't it?" I asked almost silently with a cracked tone. My hand ran softly down his jaw, making his gaze on the floor come back to me.
He nodded without speaking. My arms wrapped around him again. I rested my head on his shoulder, holding him tightly to me. "I love you Jacob and you don't have to worry about that happening," I whispered softly into his ear. "I'm yours."
His head tilted to the side, touching the side of my temple as his arms came around me again. He didn't say anymore, and because of that, I got the feeling he still didn't believe me. I guess it was going to take time to show him I had in fact chosen him. Jacob meant more to me now than Edward ever had. I couldn't be without Jacob now. He was everything I had ever wanted or needed. He was there when I needed someone the most. I would never forget that time in my life when Jacob was the only one who made me feel better and filled the hole in my chest. I loved him for it. I truly did.
At some time through the night, I must have fallen asleep in Jacob's arms. I woke up in bed with blankets wrapped around me tightly, – in the same clothes as I been in the night before – to the sound of a zipper of a backpack being pulled open or closed. I looked over my shoulder and turned onto my side to see Jacob packing in the dull light of day. I ran the back of my hands over my eyes, getting them adjusted to the morning light I hadn't seen in a couple of days. "What are you doing Jacob?" I whispered, pulling the blankets off of me, only to be still caught up in them around my ankles and to fall into Jacob's arms. I looked up to him in embarrassment, turning a light red in the cheeks. To my surprise, he smiled my sweet smile. The sweet smile of that shy boy I used to know before he turned into a werewolf. I had my old Jacob back!
He took me into his arms, lifting me up so my legs dangled over the side of his arms as he set me back on the bed where I had been lying and pulled the blankets from being tied around my ankles and over me. I smiled down at him and sat up. "Thank you," I whispered softly. He smiled again and leaned over top of me and kissed me softly.
"No problem," he whispered against my lips and then walked back over to the backpack he had been packing. I lay on my side, watching him for a moment in silence while listening to the rain still falling outside.
"What are you doing Jacob?" I questioned again. He looked up to me after zipping the bag back up and placing it at the door of our room. He walked back over to the side of the bed and sat beside me.
"I thought about it and you were right. We should go back today, but then I thought about it some more and thought tonight is even better. So I packed up everything so we had the day without anything to worry about," he smiled.
I was glad that he had considered what I had said, but I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed we were going back home so soon. I really did want to stay here with him longer. I was enjoying my time with Jacob alone, without the pack, my father or his father interrupting us. I knew it wouldn't be the same once we got home. We would go back to our old lives, but with one difference. He and I were together. And I wouldn't change that for anything in the world.
"Good idea," I smiled. He brought me into his arms, holding me against his warm body. I sighed contently in his arms and inhaled his musky scent deeply into my lounges. "But once we're home, can you promise me something, Jacob?" I whispered into his black tee shirt.
"Anything," he answered back, kissing my hair.
"Can we, please not just go back to how things had been when we were home? You out with the pack all the time and I busy with school?"
He chuckled sightly. "Bella, you'll be lucky to be alone for an hour once we're back home together. You don't have to worry about that happening."
I nodded and smiled. "Good."
It seemed to be the day went on quicker than usual – much to my disappointment. We stayed in the apartment with the weather being so bad and I refusing to go shopping when Jacob asked if I wanted to go. Instead we watched TV together on the couch and just spent time together. Some people probably would have thought we had a boring time together, but I wouldn't have said that. I was doing what I wanted to with Jacob. I loved spending time with him, even if it was with just doing almost nothing. Just being together was enough for me.
When night fall came, I really didn't want to go. So much had happened here in just a couple of days. So much had changed between us here too, and all of it made the difference between us now. I wouldn't ever forget the things which had taken place here. Never.
As we walked outside of Jacob's apartment, he took my hand in his and squeezed it tightly for a second before looking down to me, smiling again. In his other hand was my backpack – which he wouldn't let me carry, because he thought it was too heavy! Yeah right! I shook my head and rolled my eyes at him. He was too caring. With his backpack hanging from over his shoulders along with a jacket, we made our way downstairs and dropped the keys of where we had been staying at the front desk and then made our way to the exit.
While walking to the exit, I looked up to see my truck parked outside of the building. I looked up to Jacob and rolled my eyes again at him. "You didn't have to do that Jacob," I said.
He grinned back at me. "I didn't want you getting wet in this weather."
"You look after me too well."
"I love to."
"You're impossible," I said while staring up at him as he held the door of my truck open for me to get in. Inside the truck was so much warmer than outside. With the rain, the weather had also turned cold.
"So are you," he smirked and closed the door. I couldn't help but laugh at that one. It was true. I knew it all too well. I guess Jacob and I were a lot alike in that way. And I wasn't too sure if that was a good thing or not.
Once back in Forks, it was still raining, but there wasn't any thunder or lightning nor was the rain as heavy as it had been in Seattle. Outside and still in my truck with Jacob, we could both see the light of Charlie's house shining brightly through the rain.
I looked to Jacob as he leaned over to the back of my truck and grabbed his jacket and handed it to me with a smile. "Here, put it on so you don't get wet."
I smiled and took it from his hand and pulled it on. I already had a jacket on with a hood, but the rain would go right through it, unlike his leather one. "Thanks," I murmured and pulled on the hood. I knew there wasn't any point in arguing with him. I wouldn't win. His jacket was a few sizes too big for me, but it was warm, just like him and smelt just like him too. I smiled while inhaling his scent.
The very second my hand touched the door handle to jump out, Jacob's hand grabbed my wrist, stopping me. I looked back to him swiftly with shock of the way he had grabbed me with such urgency. When I looked back over my shoulder to him, I saw a cocky smirk lighting his face. "You forgot something," he said huskily.
I grinned as he leaned closer to me. The heat of his breath touched my face and sent a chill down my spine, just as his smooth and warm lips touched mine. Without thinking my arms wrapped around his neck, bringing him closer to me. His lips moved so slowly and yet so quickly against mine. His kiss was tender, sweet and yet passionate, but it wasn't as heated as he had kissed before. This was just a kiss, until I nipped his lower lip. Softly he pushed me back away from him. "Watch it Bell," he smirked crookedly, looking at me with his head tilted to the side.
I couldn't help but giggled from where I sat. "Sorry."
He grinned again and leaned back over to my side, placing a soft kiss on my forehead. "Don't be," he whispered, quickly getting out and into the rain. He pushed the car seat back to gain access to our bags. I grabbed mine before Jacob could even try and stop me. I heard a huff from him and giggled again. It wasn't like my bag was heavy at all. It only had my phone in it, a couple of empty containers which had held some food, a blanket and my mobile phone.
I got out into the rain and put my backpack over my shoulders. I looked up to Jacob through the heavy rain as his arm wrapped around my waist while walking towards the house. He was already soaking wet with his black tee shirt clinging to his muscular tone body as his cropped hair dripped rain down the sides of his face. I could see each and every one of his torso's muscles. I felt myself turn red in the cheeks with just looking at him.
His gaze caught mine and another smirk appeared on his lips, like he knew what I had been thinking. Then I remembered he could sense my emotions. I looked away from him with that thought coming to mind and stared down at my feet as we walked closer to the house.
Only with hearing the door of the house opening did I look up, and when I did, a chill went through me. There was Carlisle and Edward walking out of my house with Charlie right behind them. I hadn't even seen Carlisle or Edward's car parked near the house. I guessed they must have come here on foot.
I could sense Jacob had stopped behind me the very second he saw them his gaze went to holding on me instead of them. I stopped too, but to look back at Jacob. I didn't care about Edward. I didn't care he was here, at my house. All I cared about was Jacob. When I looked back, his gaze had changed with fear coming to it now. I smiled and took a step towards him, finding his warm and soft hand and took it in mine while leaning into his side.
"Kiss me," I whispered only loud enough for him to hear. His gaze then changed again to surprise. I could feel the silent question in his hold upon me. I nodded as he leaned down and brushed his lips over mine. My arm wrapped around his neck as he took me into his arms to kiss me better. I couldn't help but giggle against his lips, and as I did, I felt that same smile I had seen from this morning form on his mouth as he kissed me again. If this didn't prove to him – kissing him in the rain, in front of Edward, Carlisle and my father – I had fully chosen him, I didn't know what would.
We both completely ignored everyone around us as we kissed. At one point, I had fully forgotten we were in the rain and that there were three people witnessing the kiss until I heard my father clear his throat rather loudly. I heard Jacob chuckled almost silently as he pulled away and set me down on my feet.
When I looked up to him, he was smirking again. I knew he must have been teasing Edward by whatever he was thinking by the look on his face and also by the look on Edward's face. There were no words for what I saw, other than the look of utter disgust showing on Edward's features. I elbowed Jacob softly in the stomach to get him to stop. I could only hope he didn't think about anything we had done together in Seattle.
Charlie walked out from the cover of the house to come and give me a hug. "I'm so glad you're home Bella. I was getting so worried," he said huskily.
"Don't worry Dad. I've been around Jacob the whole time. He's looked after me," I smiled as Charlie took a step back to look at me and then to Jacob after I had finished speaking.
"Well it's good to have you back home again Jacob."
"Thanks Charlie. It is good to be home again."
I looked to Carlisle and Edward walking towards us through the rain with hooded jackets on also. Carlisle smiled towards both Jacob and I as Edward stood a few feet away, eyeing Jacob like they were having a silent conversation together.
"Can I speak to you for a couple of minutes Jacob?" Carlisle questioned softly and kindly.
Jacob nodded once before answering. "Sure."
"Do you want me to come?" I questioned, looking up to Jacob's hardened face and glare upon Edward. "No it's fine. I don't have a problem with Carlisle," he said evenly, taking his hard gaze from Edward and then a softer one to Carlisle before turning to me and smiling down upon me.
"You better go inside before you catch a cold," Charlie said evenly to me, half forcing me towards to the house. I nodded and then looked back to Jacob walking off with Carlisle in the direction of the forest. He half turned and winked at me while walking away. "Don't wait up Bella," Jacob said with a smile. I smiled back to him and nodded.
Once inside, the house was so warm. I took off Jacob's jacket and hung it from the back of one of the kitchen chairs to dry. Edward stayed outside on the veranda out of the rain while waiting for Carlisle to come back. I was glad he didn't go along with Jacob and Carlisle, otherwise I would have been a little worried about how Jacob would have taken things.
Charlie sat down at the kitchen table, placing a cup of coffee in front of me to get warm again. I wasn't really one for coffee, but I slowly drank it just because my father made it up and I was a little cold from being outside in the night. I knew once Jacob came back I wouldn't have to worry about being cold anymore. He would warm me up.
"Looks like things between you and Jacob has changed then," Charlie said, starting off the conversation. I turned slightly red in the cheeks with hearing that question. If he only knew just how much things had changed between us, I thought. I shook my head mentally. I didn't want him to ever know about that! I would die of embarrassment if Charlie ever found out.
"Ah yeah," I said lowly and shyly. Within that moment, Jacob walked inside and made out he was cold. "Gees its cold out there!" he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around himself. He was even more so wet than he had been before, and I hadn't thought that was possible. I couldn't help myself from staring at the droplets of water running down the sides of his toned arms before they fell to the floor.
Charlie got up quickly and grabbed Jacob a couple of towels to dry off with, and then turned on the heater for him to sit in front of to dry his clothes off. Little did my father know that the cold and rain wouldn't worry Jacob that much, if at all.
"That is really not necessary Charlie," Jacob said kindly with a smile, sitting on front of heater. It really wasn't necessary. Because in no time, Jacob's clothes wound be fully dry with his body temperature alone. But I knew Charlie would get suspicious if that happened too quickly.
While Jacob was drying off in the lounge room, I started to cook dinner for the three of us. Half way through it, Jacob came out to help me cook the fish Charlie had caught while I took care of the vegetables. Surprisingly, Jacob's clothes had dried even quicker than I would have thought was even possible thanks to the help of the heater. He had been even wetter than clothes straight from the washer.
Charlie sat back in one of the chairs around the kitchen table, watching us as we got to work quickly. It was around nine o'clock when we got home and an hour had passed since then. I could see Charlie was getting tired, but I also knew he wouldn't go to bed without dinner or getting whatever he wanted from us, out of us first.
"So why did you go to Seattle Jacob?" Charlie asked. I knew these questions would be hard for him. I looked to him from the corner of my eye as he descaled one of the pieces of fish. He didn't look up, nor seemed bothered by being asked the question.
"I just needed some time away," he answered evenly. I knew the real reason to why he had left. It was all because of me and Edward. I couldn't blame him really.
"So why didn't you tell anyone where you were going?" Charlie pressed on.
Jacob chuckled and turned around. "Actually, I did. I told my sister Rebecca."
"Where did you stay while you were in Seattle? And why did you tell her?" I was really getting annoyed with my father asking Jacob so many questions. Flinging one after another at him. Who cares about the reasons why he left, where he stayed and who he told? He was home now and he didn't need to answer anyone's questions as far as I was concerned.
"I told Rebecca because she owned the apartment I stayed in."
I looked up to Jacob with wide eyes and in complete shock. No wonder he was so thorough with making sure things were clean and perfect before we left! I wondered where he had gotten the money to afford an apartment building at his age. I knew Jacob had fixed up a few cars for the pack, but I didn't think that would be enough money to stay in an apartment for long as he had.
"Mmhmm," Charlie said in a disbelieving tone of voice, while picking up a newspaper and starting to read it. "So why didn't Rebecca say anything to anyone to where you were going?"
That's it, I snapped. "Dad, Jacob doesn't need to answer all these questions. He's home now, that's all that matters now."
"I don't mind answering them Bella," Jacob said softly while eyeing me and then mouthed a 'thank you.' I knew he was getting uncomfortable with answering all those questions. I could feel he was, and when I say feel, I mean feel. It wasn't anything to do with sensing how he was feeling by body language or how his voice sounded, because he was hiding that all too well. What he was feeling, was what I was feeling as well.
Thankfully, Charlie stayed quiet after that and the only sound in the kitchen was the knife Jacob held, going along the scales of the fish and my chopping the vegetables, until I cut myself that is.
"Ow!" I grimaced, shaking my hand as I turned on the tap quickly and ran the water over the blood before I could smell it.
Jacob looked to me in alarm and grabbed my hand and wrapped paper towel around the cut. "Are you okay?" he whispered in my ear and kissed my neck softly. I nodded while grimacing.
"What happened?" Charlie finally asked from where he sat.
"I cut my finger," I murmured and grimaced again. Jacob took me into his arms while looking over my cut on my index finger. His musky woods scent kept me calm and masked the scent of my own blood from causing me to become dizzy or faint.
"It's deep, but it doesn't need stitches," he said after a moment and kissed my forehead.
"Thanks Jacob," I murmured as he sat me down in one of the wooden chairs near the kitchen table. I smiled up at him as he kissed my forehead again and smiled back at me. "Just keep the pressure on it, so it'll stop bleeding. I'll finish cooking."
"Jacob, you don't have to do that," I protested.
"I want to," he smiled sweetly, went over to the kitchen counter, rinsed off the fish in the sink under running water, patted it dry with more paper towel and then put it on the hot plate. I had to say I was impressed. Jacob really did know how to cook.
In no time at all, he had everything cooked perfectly. The fish was cooked just how I liked it and the vegetables were nice and steamed. It was only through dinner did my father ask how my finger was doing. Fathers, I thought and shook my head. He was acting like I had a tiny paper cut.
After dinner, when my finger had finally stopped bleeding, Jacob found the band aids for me and wrapped one around my finger where the cut was. I was lucky I didn't need stitches. It was going to take a fair while for it to heal though.
It was around midnight when Charlie got up to go to bed. Jacob looked to me with a smirk before looking to Charlie. I could tell just by the way he had smirked at me he was planning on something.
"Is it okay if I crash here tonight, Charlie?" he asked.
I nudged him in the side before my father had a chance to turn around. It was clear he was taking advantage to Charlie being so tired. I knew he wouldn't be thinking clearly with being so tired, but I wasn't going to protest. It would be nice if I had Jacob by my side for one more night. I knew I was going to miss his warmth around me on cold wet night like tonight and then waking up to it in the morning. I loved falling asleep in his arms and to his musky scent.
"Mmm, sure Jacob," he answered, soundly like he was already half asleep while standing. "Just keep the door open in Bella's room, alright?"
"Sure, sure," he smiled down on me and wrapped his arms around me tightly while bringing me into his side. I smiled and leaned into Jacob's chest, listening to his heart beating while watching the end of the late night movie we had been watching since we had finished dinner.
"Night you two," Charlie said sheepishly.
"Night," Jake and I said at the same time and burst out laughing – yeah we were over tired and acting like two kids on a sugar high. That was just how Jacob made me feel all the time, day and night, through and through. He made me feel alive.
When the movie finally finished at two o'clock in the morning, I was more than ready for bed. I could hardly keep my eyes open and Jacob could tell.
"Come on," he whispered, standing up and helped me up from the floor too by giving me his hand, before helping me up the stairs and into my room. I sighed with glancing at my pyjamas I was now wearing after having a shower while Jacob cooked. I wished I had something a little nicer for Jacob than pastel blue top and bottoms. I just simply didn't buy any of that sexy clothing.
He helped me into bed and pulled up the blankets. The bed was freezing cold, but I really didn't care. I was just that tired. My eyes drifted to a close soon after my head hit the pillow and I was almost asleep when I felt the familiar warmth come around me. I smiled with feeling it and moved onto my side to lean into Jacob's body. My hand rested on his bare chest as I inhaled his scent.
Not long after I had moved, I felt his arms wrap around me and his lips on my head. "I love you Bella, and thanks for choosing me to love," he whispered softly encase I was already asleep.
"Night Jake, I love you too," I whispered back, half asleep. It felt so nice to be back in my own bed and warm against Jacob's body. I couldn't think of a better way to fall asleep than to fall asleep in his arms, listening to the rain falling outside and to the soft sound of his breathing and heart beating. I hoped things would always stay this way. Just he and I together.
