Chapter 8 – Visitors
That evening after Embry had left and Emily, Sam and I were sitting in my bedroom, talking; the doorbell rang. "I'll see who it is" Sam got up kissing Emily's cheek which made her smile. We both sat quietly waiting for Sam to return and when he did, he came back with visitors.
"Look who is here to visit you" Sam said with a smile and then appeared Renesmee in the doorway holding Jacob's hand. She looked unsure, maybe she was visiting this place for the first time. She was hiding slightly behind Jacob's huge arm that she was holding. Jacob on the other hand looked at ease, like he knows this place like the back of his hand.
"Go on Nessie" he encouraged her, "Come in Nessie" Emily got up and extended her hand towards her with a welcoming smile and I smiled at her too. She looked up at Jacob like she was a kid and he gave her a nod, she reluctantly let go of his hand and joined us in the room, leaving Sam and Jacob right outside the room.
"Hello Emily" she greeted Emily with a smiled as they both hugged, "It's so good to see you again Nessie" Emily told her and then they dropped their hands to their side. "Hey Grace" Renesmee waved at me and I grinned at her, "Hey, come sit by me" I told her and then she finally grinned and sat by me on the bed.
"I will pick you up later Nessie" Jacob told her and she looked at him with a frown forming on her beautiful face, how could Jacob say no to that face? "Jacob, stay" Emily told him with a frown too and Jacob sighed, "Alright" he said and smiled at Emily.
"Let's sit downstairs" Sam offered and both Emily and Jacob agreed. Jacob gave Renesmee a huge smile as they both separated for a little while. I could have never imagined Renesmee being so unsure about being in Sam and Emily's place. Was it because she has never visited this place?
"Have you been here before?" I asked curiously, and she shook her head. "Well, now you are going to hang out here more" I grinned at her and she smiled back. "What happened Renesmee?" I asked her, my grin washed away and brows creased together.
"The school was so boring today, without you" she told me, "Well, I should have told you I was not coming today" I smiled apologetically, "I think you can make up for that" she smirked and I knew she had some sort of idea going in her mind.
"How is that?" I asked slowly, "First promise me you will say yes to this" she squealed and I laughed at her, how bad could it be? "Alright" I told her. "We are going to the Girl's choice dance in 2 weeks!" she squealed again and bounced up and down the bed. I swear I have never seen anyone more excited about a dance than Renesmee, I laughed and said "Okay, I can go to a dance"
"We'll go shopping together" She exclaimed and now that got me excited, but not as close to how excited Renesmee was. "Over the weekend!" I exclaimed too and she squealed again. "You are the best, I have never been to a dance with a girlfriend" she told me, "Who do you go to the dances with?" I raised my eyebrows.
"My Jacob" she mumbled and blushed – her cheeks actually turned a little red. "You already have a date!" I whined and she giggled before saying "It is a girl's choice, you have to ask a boy out" "Yeah but who?" Can I take Embry? "You cannot go with Ryan since he already has a date" she started to think, "I would not ask Ryan anyways, it will be too awkward" I threw my hands in the air and shook my head. "Maybe you can take Embry" a smile started to form on her lips and just her reaction was enough to make my cheeks burn up.
"Oh my god!" she whisper-shouted, she made me blush deeper, I guess I was tomato red by now, "What?" I hid my face by my hands. "I knew it!" she whisper-shouted again, "What?" I repeated, "You like Embry, don't you?" she whispered and I told her "Shush, they might hear."
"They won't, now spill" she told me, "Okay, yeah I like him" I whispered, feeling like an idiot. This was the first time I have ever confessed about liking him, out loud. "What is the problem?" she made me chuckle, "He has a girlfriend" I whispered in a matter-of-fact voice. She opened her mouth to say something but then frowned and looked at her hand and the silence dragged on before she started smiling again and said "But that does not mean he cannot take a friend to a dance, right?" and as much as I liked the idea, I could not do it.
"I might choke, if I try to ask him" I told her, "Oh C'mon!" she rolled her eyes dramatically, "I am serious" I said, "Oh! You like him that much?" she giggled again and I started to turn tomato red again. "I have another idea" she clapped her hands together, I was open to ideas if it meant I could take Embry to the dance.
"What if Jake and I just slip it into the conversation casually?" she raised her eyebrows rapidly, she looked cute, no wonder Jacob cannot say no to her. "No, it will look too made up" I shook my head, "You gotta believe in us" she assured me and I decided to do just as she asked. "Alright, let's try it" I sighed. "Good, so you will have a date in a week or so" she gave me a crooked smile and I knew she was going to do it, she was not joking about it!
"But before all of this, you should focus on another thing" she turned serious now, "What is that?" I asked her, "Get better, as soon as possible" she said and I gave her a weak smile, "I already feel much better" I told her, "But you take a day off tomorrow as well, there is nothing important going on in the classes, and I will bring you the notes" she said. "Thanks Renesmee" I squeezed her hand gently, it felt hard but not rock hard and cool not cold. "Don't mention it, that's what friends are for" she put her other hand over mine and smiled.
We continued to talk for a while after that before Jacob and Emily come to my room again. "It's time to go" Jacob said as he waited in the doorway, Renesmee frowned but got up at once. "Get well soon Grace" she hugged me "Thanks" I replied and then she skipped to Jacob and held his hand again.
"Can we come to see her tomorrow?" she looked at Jacob and then Emily, who seemed more than happy to have Renesmee over, "You can come here as much as you want" she smiled.
"Thanks Emily" she said and then looked at Jacob, "Sure" he nodded and gave her a smile too and she squeezed his hand and grinned. "Feel better soon Grace" Jacob said, "Thanks Jacob" I replied with a smile. Renesmee waved and I waved back before the three of them disappeared in the hallway.
I fell back in my bed and looked up at the ceiling. Today has been crazy, I fell for Embry all over again, and it was perfect with him, I could not wait for him to come over tomorrow as well, I feel happy with him – connected, does he feel the same way with me? Probably not, I might just be a friend to him. But to me, being with him is like living a fairytale, he had always been my hero, ever since I first saw him.
Of course, he has changed so much, physically at least but to me he is still my hero; it never mattered to me before what he thought about me then why is it bothering me so much lately? Maybe I don't want this to remain a one-sided thing anymore, maybe I want more; but I cannot have more than this, he is happy even if it is with someone else and to be fair, that someone is a pretty good person but oh! What would I give to be that someone?
I turned to my left and held my pillow close to myself and closed my eyes. What if that someone was me? I started to imagine, I saw Embry's perfect face very clearly and immediately I had an urge to touch his face, I wanted to know what would his skin would feel under my fingertips, I wanted to touch his hair and know if it would feel the same way when his hair was longer, when I used to pull it as a child and he would let me?
I started to feel all warm and fuzzy all over again and this time there were butterflies in my stomach. I tried to take myself back to that day when I first met Embry, it was my happy place and I often visited it.
'It was when I was 8, and Embry would have been 14, it was raining heavily like any other day at La push, but the thing is, it was not just another day. I remember playing I had slipped out of the house when there were some cousins over and I was being bullied by one of my older cousin. I was in this navy-blue frock which was going to be ruined in a few minutes.
So, being a child who could not stand up to bullies, I was crying while walked in the rain planning not to go back at my place again when I dodged a car by a few inches and landed in a puddle which made me cry even more. I could not stand up since I had scratched my knees pretty bad and my legs were shaking, hell, I was shivering with cold.
Here enters my hero. I remember he was wearing a black hoodie raincoat but his long tresses were completely soaked. He was running to somewhere when he had stopped to help me. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked me, "No" I wiped my eyes and looked up to him and there he was gorgeous as ever. "Come let me help you" he bent down to my eye level and offered me his hand which I took in a heartbeat, for me he was a hero who had come to save me.
But I could not stand since my knees were hurting. I almost fell back in the puddle but before my bums could hit the cold hard street below, Embry had scoped me up in his arms. "You knees hurt, don't they?" he frowned and for the first time I thought someone understood, which made me cry louder and I nodded. "Don't worry I will get it all fixed up" he told me with a smile and then continued, "Hey, what's your name?" he asked me, "Grace Young" I told him, "I am Embry Call, do you know we are neighbours?" he asked me with a smile, I shook my head and he said "Don't worry, I will get you to your house okay?" "No!" I exclaimed, he looked confused but started walking in the direction of our home, "Why?" he asked me, "Because I have this cousin who pulls at my hair" I cried pathetically, "Well, I would not let him, okay?" he soothed me.
Either Embry was just this good with kids or he was especially sent to protect me. "Okay" I had told him.
When we reached home, he did teach my fat cousin a lesson for his life and got my knees all bandaged and clean. My father had thanked him and my mom had hugged him for bringing me home, they had asked him to stay but he could not and that is how our mothers also became good friends while Embry and I became best friends.'
I don't know why he was happy to hang out with a kid but he was comfortable playing with me, in fact his friends Jacob and Quil also joined us often. I was a doll for the two of them and for Embry I was damsel in distress. Jacob and Quil taught me many things among cartwheels, summersaults and push ups while Embry was always there to protect me, but I was not as close to Jacob and Quil as I was to Embry.
When I left, it affected Embry the most and I missed him the most too.
My train of thoughts was interrupted when Emily entered the room. "What were you and Renesmee so excited about?" she asked me, and that made me sit up straight, "Em, there is a girl's choice dance in 2 weeks, can I go?" I asked her with pleading eyes, "Of course, will you go shopping too?" she grinned, "Yeah! Renesmee and I were making plans for that" I exclaimed, "Oh good! I will get so many pictures for your mom and dad" she got all excited too and we talked about it even with Sam and it was him who asked me who would my date be.
"Uh—I have not thought about that" I lied, and it sent Emily and Sam in a fit of laughter, "She is so excited about the dance, but have not even thought of a date" Sam chuckled, "I will find a date" I defended, "Sure kid, you will, any boy would be silly to reject you" he ruffled my hair and I grinned at him.
I hope he is just as happy to see Embry taking me out to the dance as he is now.
A/N: Hey Readers,
Thank you for your reviews to all those who have posted a review for my story, please continue sharing your thoughts on the story, it means the world to me. To all the silent readers, please guys let me know your opinion on the story, do you like it? Any constructive criticism in appreciated, I promise it would not take more than a minute. I will be waiting guys. -Fingers Crossed-
-JT
