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I stood in the kitchen, taking the apple pie that I would be bringing to Jacob's out of the oven. I put it on the counter to cool off and went upstairs to quickly change. The clothes I had been wearing were clean when I started with the pie but my clumsiness had taken its toll on them and now they were white from the floor and sticky from the butter. I could take a shower, but then I would make us late and I hated that. Besides, it was just Jacob and our dads anyway. They wouldn't mind if I smelled of apples or had a bit of sugar in my hair.
I heard Charlie come home and called out a quick greeting, telling him I'd be ready to go in a minute.
We had been having dinner with the Blacks more often lately; sometimes Billy and Jake would come here but most of the time we ate at the Black's. Billy and Jake usually took turns cooking and I was glad to find there was something I could do that my best friend wasn't good at. Hanging around with him as he fixed up his car or our motorcycles was a real blow to the ego.
So when it was Jake's turn to cook, it was usually me making dinner in Billy's kitchen with Jacob's 'help' or 'moral support'. I smiled at that. Jacob really wasn't much help in the kitchen. Sure, if I gave him a very specific task to do, he could do it. But it was usually easier just to do it myself. Even so, I enjoyed it when he kept me company while I made dinner just as much as I enjoyed keeping him company when he worked on his car.
I looked forward to the barbecue tonight, I wouldn't be cooking but I knew that it would be just as much fun now that the roles were reversed. I smiled. This time I could be the 'moral support'. It didn't matter really, hanging out with Jake was always nice.
It was really no wonder that I loved spending time with Jake. He was always so warm, in the figurative sense, though it is just as true literally. He was always so happy that it made me happy.
I loved how he would always know when I was hesitant of his, Embry's or Quil's more outrageously sounding ideas and how he could tell with just a glance if I really didn't want to go along with it or if I was just a bit apprehensive but secretly thought it would be fun.
I loved how he could always make me smile.
I loved him.
My heart missed a beat, and I froze; I stopped brushing my hair, I stopped breathing. I automatically put down my hairbrush without looking away from my own wide eyes in the mirror.
I loved Jacob Black.
The world stopped moving and started again as I tried to adjust myself to this new information. Air returned to my lungs as I started breathing again.
It is strange that it took me so long to realise this simple fact when it was so blindingly obvious.
I was in love with Jake.
I felt like I should be terrified, like I should be annoyed or even angry.
But I wasn't. Instead I saw a soft, beautiful smile form on the face in the mirror and my heart filled with a strange kind of warmth.
A hopeful feeling.
A gentle feeling.
An overwhelmingly happy feeling.
I laughed out loud as these emotions overcame me, the love for Jacob rushing over me in gentle waves.
I flew down the stairs, ready to go to the Black's right now, and I came upon my dad in the kitchen. Charlie looked up at me with a guilty look on his face. He had found the apple pie and had apparently been too impatient to wait. He quickly brushed his hands together, getting rid of the crumbs and looked at me cautiously.
I looked at the pie and noticed a small piece had been cut out.
My grin did not dim.
I giggled, bursting with happiness, and gave Charlie a quick but tight hug, just because he's my pie-stealing father.
"I'm ready to go." I beamed at him.
I could tell that Charlie was slightly confused by my stange behaviour but he just shrugged his shoulders, apparently too glad to have gotten away with it to worry about what kind of drugs I was on. "Ok, then."
I grabbed the pie and my coat before following my dad to the car, my heart filled with joy, hope and love.
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