Things between Seth and I have been weird since New Years. Every time we brush hands or walk too close to each other, I overthink it. We haven't hugged or held hands since that night, and we haven't hung out outside of school either. We still walk to school in the morning, but we either walk in an awkward, tense silence, or make forced small talk.
I hate that we're like this, and I just want my best friend back.
Our friends can tell something is different between us, but they don't mention it. Seth is his usually, cheery self, and there's only a hint of something behind his attitude that's off. I, on the other hand, haven't really talked much to anyone. I feel myself getting drawn into a dark place, but I don't know how to fix it.
The Saturday after Jacob's birthday, I mope around the house. Since Seth and I are confusing right now, and without him I don't really have much to do. Jacob asks me numerous times why I'm not hanging out with Seth, and finally I just switch the TV on and blast the volume until Billy yells at me to turn it down.
In the middle of a rerun of Drake and Josh, I hear the faint, familiar rumbling of our old truck. I turn to see Jacob is already poking his head out the window, and hurrying outside to greet Bella. Billy doesn't make a move to get up, so I decide I don't have to either. Besides, it's not like Bella's the most polite person anyways.
Not even a minute after Jacob ran outside, he came back in, twisting his hair and winding a rubber band around the bundle.
"Hey, Dad," Jacob calls, ducking as he comes through the front door. "Look who stopped by."
Billy sets the book he was reading in his lap, and wheels himself forward when Bella enters.
I'm shocked when I see Bella, because she looks so.. Awful. Her eyes are hollow, she looks like she could use a good meal or two, her hair hangs in limp, slightly greasy strands around her face, and the circles under her eyes are prominent.
"Well, what do you know! It's good to see you, Bella."
Billy shakes her hand, his swallowing hers in his wide grasp.
"What brings you out here? Everything okay with Charlie?"
"Yes, absolutely. I just wanted to see Jacob- I haven't seen him in forever."
Jacob's eyes brighten at her words, and he smiles so big it looks like his cheeks ache. I, on the other hand, am less than impressed by her words. I tried being her friend when she moved to Forks, she blew me off for Count Dracula, and now she shows up, no warning after months of silence, and doesn't even acknowledge me? Bitch.
"Can you stay for dinner?" Billy asks, all too eager.
If she says yes, I'll accidentally poison her meal. It's so obvious she only came here because Cullen broke her heart, and now she needs a new friend.
"No, I've got to feed Charlie, you know."
Good choice.
"I'll call him now," Billy suggests. "He's always welcome."
I'm not opposed to Charlie coming here, but Bella? No thanks.
Bella laughs, but it's hollow and obvious that she's uncomfortable. "It's not like you'll never see me again. I promise I'll be back again soon- so much you'll get sick of me."
That doesn't seem like a reach, considering I'm already sick of her.
Billy chuckles. "Okay, maybe next time."
"So, Bella, what do you want to do?" Jacob asks, eager to gain back her attention.
"Whatever. What were you doing before I interrupted?" Bella shrugs.
Jacob hesitates. "I was just heading out to work on my car, but we can do something else…"
"No, that's perfect!" Bella interrupts. "I'd love to see your car."
"Okay," He says, obviously not convinced. "It's out back, in the garage."
Bella looks pleased, and waves at Billy. "See you later."
The two of them disappear, and Billy comes back in the living room with a smile on his face.
"Just because the Cullens ditched her doesn't mean anything," I mutter, hating that Jacob and Billy are falling for whatever Bella is trying to pull.
"And just because you and Seth are having issues doesn't mean you have to be such a mope," Billy raises his bushy brows. "Go fix it instead of dwelling over it."
I stare blankly at Billy for a moment. How did he know?
"Don't look so surprised," Billy turns back to his book. "I may be an old man, but I'm no fool."
I shake my head, but find myself standing up and taking my jacket out of the closet. I pull on my boots, and take one last glance at Billy. He still has his attention trained on his book, but a small smirk is on his face. With a sigh, I leave the house.
The slight drizzle turns into more of a steady stream, and I pull my hood up over my hair the best I can and shove my hands in my pockets. Since I didn't straighten it this morning, my hair is slowly becoming a curly, frizzy mess.
Halfway to Seth's house, I notice a figure jogging towards my direction. The closer they get, the more familiar they look. It takes me a couple seconds, but I recognize the person as Seth.
Seth stops short when he sees me, and walks the rest of the distance towards me. I stay standing where I had stopped, and teeter back and forth on my heels as I watch him. He nervously runs a hand through his wet hair, and then like me, shoves his hands in his pockets.
"Hi," Seth blurts nervously, his eyes looking everywhere but me. "I was on my way to your house."
"I was on my way to yours." I nod my head, gnawing on my bottom lip.
Seth makes a noise of agreement in the back of his throat, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck, a nervous habit of his. I exhale deeply, my breath turning to steam in the cold air.
"I don't want things to be awkward between us anymore," Seth says in a rush. "But I also don't want to be friends anymore."
My heart leaps into my throat, and I dig my nails into my palms. "So what, we're just supposed to be strangers then?"
Seth shakes his head quickly, droplets of water flinging off his hair. "No, that's not what I mean."
"Then what do you mean, Seth?" I question, swallowing hard. "Because I don't want to lose you."
"I want to be your boyfriend," Seth finally looks at me, his dark eyes pleading. "You're my best friend, and I think I might be in love with you."
"You're in love with me?" I say after a moment of stunned silence. My head is reeling from Seth's confession, and I honestly don't know what to think.
"Yeah, I think I am," Seth nods his head firmly.
I don't know what to say. Seth, my best friend since I can remember, is in love with me. He knows me better than anyone else, just like I know him better than anyone else. We've celebrated practically every birthday together, every holiday, every milestone in our life we've spent together. He's always been there for me.
I think I might love him too.
"I'm telling you this because you're my best friend, and I can't keep things from you," Seth fumbles over his words, and his tone turns pleading. "Say something."
I stay silent, trying to find the words to say, but I remain speechless.
Seth opens his mouth to say something, but I cut him off by wrapping my arms around his neck and forcing his mouth towards mine. I shut my eyes, and we're kissing. My fingers wrap themselves into Seth's hair, squeezing the moisture out of the strands. Seth is shocked at first, but then gently moves his arms to hug around me, slowly moving his lips against mine.
Kissing Seth is so much more different than kissing anyone I've kissed before. Unlike the others, who were rough and harsh and full of lust, he's gentle, soft, and kind. This is a Seth kiss.
Around us, the rain comes down more harshly, the big fat droplets soaking into our bones, pattering into our thoughts. This close to Seth, I notice how he smells of mint and citrus, a surprisingly pleasant mixture. His lips are soft and thin, and the slight heat radiating off his body warms my cold skin. Like before, I find myself lightly scraping my nails against his neck, while he gently moves his fingers across my back. His nose brushes against my cheek, and I almost laugh at the feeling.
Our lips part and I lean my head on Seth's chest. He wraps his arms around me, and I feel his breath exhale shakily on my head.
"If things don't work out.." I trail off quietly, not wanting to think of that outcome.
"No matter what, we'll be friends." Seth promises, and there isn't any trace of doubt in his voice.
"But what if we have bad breakup?" I ask, and feel the vulnerability in my tone.
Seth laughs, and the sound rumbles in my ears since I'm still pressed against his chest. "You worry too much, Rey. In my opinion, I doubt we will."
"If we do-" I start, but Seth interrupts me.
"Then we'll work through it. But for once, Rey, let's live in the moment." Seth hugs me tighter.
I open my mouth to protest, but Seth bends down slightly and gives me quick kiss.
"No worrying." Seth reminds me, and presses a soft kiss to my nose.
I smile so wide my cheeks ache, and lean my head against his chest. "We're going to catch our deaths out here, Clearwater."
Seth looks around as though he just remembered the rain, and laughs. "Yours or mine?"
I pull out of his hug, and tentatively take his hand. "Jake is hanging with Bella, we can go screw with him?"
"Sounds good!" Seth tightens his hand around mine. Together, we walk to my house. We don't speak, but my mind races with all the possible what ifs that come with Seth and mines new relationship.
As we reach the house, I see Embry and Quil heading into the garage, and smirk to myself. With those two here, I know it's going to be interesting.
Seth and I enter as Jacob is introducing his friends, while Bella looks as though she's half there and half not, like she's fading in and out.
"I'm Quil Ateara," Quil announces grandly, and I notice he's flexing his biceps.
"Nice to meet you, Quil." Bella replies awkwardly, nodding her head slightly.
"Hey, Bella. I'm Embry, Embry Call- you probably already figured that out, though." Embry smiles shyly and waves one hand, which he then shoves in the pocket of his jeans.
Bella nods again. "Nice to meet you, too."
Quil then takes notice of Seth and I, and grins widely. "Look what the cat dragged in."
"Nice to see you too, Quil," I shake my head.
"Why are you guys so wet?" Embry questions, raising a brow.
"Stood out in the rain for awhile like a cliche movie scene," I quip. "Forgot it was raining. But, thanks for the reminder, I'm going to go get changed."
Seth plops down on the garage ground, and his jeans make an odd squelching noise. I shake my head, and motion towards the house. Seth stands, and we start walking.
"Jake, Seth is going to borrow a pair of your clothes," I call over my shoulder as we head to the house.
"No he isn't!" Jake shouts back, but I ignore him.
Inside the house, I give Seth a pair of Jacob's sweatpants and shirt, and then change into dry clothes of my own. We go back outside and find that the boys are immersed in conversation about the bikes Jacob and Bella seem to be working on, while Bella watches from her seat in the rabbit.
Seth slides into the boys' conversation, and I sit in the passenger seat of the Rabbit next to Bella.
"So, you're going to be sticking around for awhile?" I ask Bella quietly, trying to not alert Jacob of our conversation.
Bella looks at me, and it's hard not to flinch at the hollow look in her eyes. "Yeah, I plan on it."
I nod. "Good, because it won't do Jacob any good for you to dip out on Jacob right when he's getting used to being your friend."
Bella doesn't say anything, only nods. We stay quiet after that, listening to the boy's conversation. The entire time, I can tell that Bella doesn't understand much of the terms. It looks as though she's thinking deeply, and not about pleasant things. I can't help but feel bad for her, and nudge her with my knee.
"They're talking about stripping down both the bikes, getting new parts, and rebuilding it up with a few upgrades." I supply when she looks at me.
"Thanks," Bella murmurs sincerely, and I'm reminded of the Bella before Cullen.
I help her out with some of the lingo the boys spit out, and we share a look of amusement at their excitement. Jacob catches my eye while we talk, and he flashes me a grateful smile.
After while, Bella mentions she has to go feed Charlie, and that if she didn't leave soon, he'd come down to La Push himself. With a sigh, she slides out of the seat of the Rabbit.
Jacob looks up, and apology is written all over his face. "We're boring you, aren't we?"
"Naw, Rayna was filling me in," Bella says with a small smile. "I just have to cook dinner for Charlie."
"Oh… Well, I'll finish taking these apart tonight and figure out what more we'll need to get started rebuilding them. When do you want to work on them again?"
"Could I come back tomorrow?" Bella asks, a hint of eagerness in her tone.
Quil nudges Embry's arm, and they look up at me. We all exchange grins at her comment.
Jacob smiles, his face glowing with delight. "That would be great!"
"If you make a list, we could go shop for parts." Bella suggests.
Jacob's face falls a little. "I'm still not sure I should let you pay for everything."
Bella shakes her head, her eyes flashing with determination. "No way. I'm bankrolling this party. You just have to supply the labor and expertise."
I bite my lip to keep from laughing, and Embry rolls his eyes at Quil.
"That doesn't seem right," Jacob shakes his head.
"Jake, if I took those to a mechanic, how much would he charge me?" Bella points out.
Jacob smiles. "Okay, you're getting a deal."
"Not to mention the riding lessons," Bella adds.
My eyes widen and I bite my lip even harder to keep from laughing, even dig my nails into my palms, while Quil grins widely and whispers something to Embry and Seth I don't catch. Jacob's hand flashes out to smack Quil across the back of his head. "That's it, get out," Jacob mutters.
"No, really, I have to go," Bella protests, heading for the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jacob."
As soon as Bella is out of sight, Quil and Embry turn to Jacob and let out a chorus of "Wooooo!"
Jacob scuffles with them, and "ouch", and "hey!" coming from the three.
"If either of you set so much as one toe on my land tomorrow, I swear I'll-"
"What'll you do, Jake? Take on two against one?" Quil laughs, ducking a punch from Jacob.
I slide out of my seat in the Rabbit, and motion for Seth to follow me out of the garage. The boys continue their banter, their voices lost within the trees as we walk towards the house.
"You guys still coming over for spaghetti tomorrow night?" I ask as we walk through the slight drizzle.
"Of course, we never miss spaghetti night at the Chief's house," Seth grins. "I should probably get home though, it's getting late."
"Okay," I say, and hug him. Seth hugs me back tight, and presses a kiss to my cheek.
"Bye Rey." Seth smiles, and starts jogging to his house.
I wave at his retreating figure, and head in the house. In the bathroom, I see that Seth forgot his clothes hanging up, so I grab them and toss them in the dryer for him. I'll give them to him tomorrow.
first thing I wanna say; some of you guys are way too good at guessing plot points! also, I've literally never been so addicted to writing a story before, I have the next three chapters written and the fourth one underway. that being said, we're three chapters away from a major plot point, which I'm sure you can all guess what it is ;)
this chapter would have been longer, I was planning on including the spaghetti dinner but decided to save that for next chapter, it felt better to do that. if anything, i'll update tomorrow for you guys in exchange for letting me post a shorter than usual chapter. hopefully all you Rayna/seth shippers enjoyed this :) I tried to stay as in character as possible, I hope I did them justice.
FlowerChild23- I wouldn't second guess your first assumption! also, ahhhhhhhh. thank you, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Guest- I try to do my best at that while also showing a different side of New Moon! and thank you so much, it makes me happy when people say they love my story. I'm thinking I may try a Jacob bella route, but I'm not sure. it all depends on how much she changes, really. thank you so much for your kind review!
inyushademons14- thank youuuu! just wait until the valentines day chapter.. I almost exploded with feels writing it. I hope you liked this chapter!
RumtreiberinQueen- AHH THANK YOU. YES. SO MUCH YES. your review made me sososo happy, ahh I love it when people say they love my fanfic, gah! believe me, it gets more mind-fucky (is that a word? it is now) the deeper we go. prepare for tears! I hope you liked this one!
serenaonthestar- thank you! you'll find that out soon, I don't want to outright say the answer.. soon. I think. if you like jake, then you;ll ba happy to know that I'm thinking of doing a solo Jacob fic. it wont be for awhile though, since I want to focus more on this fic. I hope you like dthis chapter!