AN: This chapter is a little on the shorter side, but it's more of a side chapter. I wanted to develop Jacob's character a little more and try to incorporate him into the story more, since he is such a big part of her life. I also haven't had a lot of time to work on the story lately, so I figured this was a good way to get a quick update out

Chapter 10

Bella came home to a mouth-watering aroma emanating from the kitchen. That's unusual, she thought. Jacob never cooks dinner this late. She wondered whether he had planned this so they could all eat together. She smiled at the thought. She couldn't remember the last time the three of them had sat down for a proper meal together, which was actually rather sad considering they saw each other nearly every day. She was curious to find out why he had decided to make dinner so late and how he had managed to convince Nessie to wait. Does he have big news?

There was a small voice in her head that had her worrying that this might be a romantic situation, rather than a shared meal between friends. Jacob had had non-platonic feelings for her in the past and things had been awkward because of it. She thought he had moved on, accepted that all they would ever be is friends and that he was like a brother to her, but this late dinner had her worried that maybe she had been wrong this entire time. Maybe he'd been staying close in the hopes that she would change her mind. She desperately hoped she was wrong about this. She didn't think she could handle breaking his heart a second time. She didn't think their friendship could handle it. She took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen, saying a silent prayer to herself.

"Something smells amazing," she said as she entered the room.

Jacob turned and beamed at her. "That's because I'm making your favourite, twice baked bean burritos," he said enthusiastically.

"What's the occasion?"

"Can't a guy make his best friend her favourite meal without it being for a special occasion?"

"He could, but it seems unlikely to happen," she said, sarcasm leaking through.

"You're a real comedian," he deadpanned.

"I like to think so," she replied, smiling sweetly.

"Well, it's not a special occasion, but I do have some good news and I wanted to share it with my best friend over a home cooked meal. Is that so bad?"

Bella smiled. "What's the news?" she asked excitedly.

"You'll just have to wait until dinner is ready to find out."

"Fine," she replied with a sigh. "So, how'd you convince Nessie to wait this long for dinner? Speaking of Ness, where is she?"

"She didn't want to wait, so I made her a grilled cheese, per her request," he said, chuckling. "And she's at the neighbour's house. She should be back in a half hour or so. She's been spending a lot more time with the little girl next door lately. I didn't think you'd mind if she went over there for a bit."

"Oh that's no problem. I'm glad she's making friends. Sometimes I worry about how little time she spends with other kids her age."

They fell into a comfortable silence while Jacob finished making dinner. Bella set the table in the meantime and tried to sneak bites of what he was cooking. Jacob caught her every time and put a stop to it, smacking her hand away and telling her to wait. She felt like a child, but she didn't mind because it was actually rather entertaining to see him being so strict. It was very unlike him.

After what felt like an eternity, dinner was finally ready and they were seated at the table with their plates loaded up with delicious food. As amazing as the food smelled, she didn't really care about that right now. She wanted to know what the big news was.

"So…" Bella prodded.

Jacob laughed. "You're very impatient."

"You already knew that. Don't change the subject. What's the big news?"

Jacob blushed. "I didn't say big news, I said good news. It's not really big news…" he was rambling. He did this whenever he was nervous.

"You're making me nervous, Jake."

"Sorry. Okay, okay… I've been seeing someone. I didn't want to jinx it and tell you about it, but we've been together for a few months now and I figured it was time."

"Jake, that's great!" Bella exclaimed, standing to go over and hug him. "Who is she? Do I know her?" She felt Jacob tense. "Sorry, am I being too nosy?"

"No, no, it's not that. It's just… She's a he. His name is Mark. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I was never really sure before I met him, you know? "

"You don't have anything to apologize for, Jake. I'm so happy for you. When do I get to meet him?"

"He's actually been asking the same about you," Jacob said with a laugh. "We can come by the coffee shop later this week, if you want."

"Sounds great." She smiled and gave him one last hug before returning to her seat.

They talked about Mark while enjoying their dinner, Bella eager to learn more about her best friend's boyfriend. She couldn't believe he had kept it hidden all this time. Jacob had never been good at keeping secrets. She hoped this guy was one of the good ones because Jacob deserved the world as far as she was concerned. He was a great guy and Mark is lucky to have him.