A/N: Ok everybody, this is it, my chance to finally write detailed dialogue is upon us. I only hope I don't disappoint!
This first one will be entirely in Jacob's POV, but I will bring in other characters as it fits in my vision. I hope that I can do my confident, independent Nessie justice….
Although, Jacob's perspective of her actions could be clouded…he is madly in love with her after all…
For those of you who read Hunting for Lyrics, I have decided to abandon that idea, because I got enough PMs telling me that people didn't know John Mayer that well, so I guess his music dates me too much….tear…..
Thank you again to the fabulous Nostalgicmiss for your preview assessment of my new chapters! You keep me from driving myself crazy worrying if you guys will like what I come up with!
Ok enough blabbering, don't be afraid to give me reviews, they keep me on track, enjoy!
Chapter Eleven: Infatuation
As I awoke, and my eyes fluttered open, I realized that I was waking up, once again, in my new bedroom in my new apartment.
I had not yet become accustomed to the chocolate colored walls of my new surroundings, or the lushness of my new king mattress, in my new imposing four-poster bed. The vivid posters on my walls remind me of the crisp Washington air and even though I am not far from home, they still bring me comfort.
As I struggled to pull myself out of bed, and into my new bathroom, the memories of the last few days assaulted me as I peered into the large mirror before me, and I wonder what today has in store. I reached for the door to the bedroom, closing it softly and pushing in the button to lock it.
I heard the hinge on the frosted glass door of my tiled walk in shower creak as I let myself in and turned the handle to start the water. I let the cool water envelope my warm overheated frame as I thought about my new surroundings.
The last week of my life had been a blur, not to mention the years of build up before this point. I am finally living with, completely alone, albeit in separate bedrooms, but never the less alone with the woman I am madly in love with.
I only hope that she will still feel for me the way she did this time last year. Our relationship had seemingly settled into an intensely close friendship since those steamy embraces we were locked in on that yacht circling Paris. That had been the best night of my life, ever, and I only hoped that I could convince her to see me like that once again.
The week since we moved into our new apartment has been chaos, and we have yet to spend a moment alone. Between Bella's frantic lectures, making sure that her baby girl is ready for college, to Alice's forced shopping trips for all the things that prepared college students need to have on their first day, we have been run ragged every day.
Who knew that Alice could get so excited about shopping for books and supplies, I thought that clothing had always been her draw to shop, but I think she just likes being able to smack that black credit card onto the counter and watch the clerk's face light up.
Not that all of our many shopping excursions this week have been for supplies; apparently the multitude of different kinds of clothing shoved into my walk in closet when we moved in were not enough to survive on.
I have spent more hours in a mall this week being forced into fitting rooms than I care to admit. If shopping for evening attire in Spain was bad, then this was pure hell.
I was pretty sure that I would spend most of my time in class covered in sawdust and stain, but apparently, I had to do it in style as well. I could understand her attack of Ness, because she was taking a completely academic route in her studies, so I could understand the 'value' of her being well dressed.
I hate knowing that in just three days, we would be spending our days apart. The buildings that housed the Visual and Fine Arts departments at the University of Victoria were literally on the other side of campus from Clearihue where the history and linguistics classes were held. Even though we are both considered freshman, our core classes are different, and will be held in our respective corners of campus.
After I had sufficiently washed myself, I was not yet done feeling the sensation of the water. I turned the water temperature as high as it would go, and braced my hands against the tiles in front of me and let the scalding water assault my back. As I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensation of the steam rolling around me, my thoughts returned to Renesmee.
The few times I had been able to hold her in a passionate embrace over the last two and a half years flooded through my brain. The feel of her lips, the way she wound her slender fingers into my hair, the way our bodies seemed to fit together like pieces of the same puzzle. I knew that our moments had been brief, and few and far between, but they fueled my growing passion for her.
A loud knock on the bathroom door brought me out of my fantasies, and I turned to stop the water. Thank god that I had thought to lock the outside door before I stepped into the shower, because I wouldn't want anyone to see me in the aroused state I find myself in whenever I think about being with Nessie. I am also thankful for the fact that Edward decided that Bella and Alice should be the ones to help us get acclimated to the city.
The two women had been staying in the third bedroom in the apartment, not that they needed to sleep, but it was also the area where our computers were set up as a study/office. I don't know what they did all night to keep themselves entertained over the past few days, but I was glad that neither of our baby sitters could read my thoughts or conflicting emotions towards Nessie.
"Jake, hurry up, we need to go to campus today to get your finalized schedules," I could hear Alice shout through the door.
"Then….we will finally leave you two alone, I know you must be getting tired of us by now." She finished, the sarcasm dripping from her voice. She knew that I had planned a fun weekend with Ness, as she had helped me; but Alice's constant teasing and demands made it hard for me to keep my resolve to go through with my confession to Ness.
I had sworn that now that we were finally alone together, with only the distraction of school, I would let her know that my feelings for her had not changed; that I loved her and wanted to begin building a life with her.
"Ok Alice, will do, I'll be out soon," I vowed, trying to will my now prominent erection to subside.
My body had become a traitor to my wills lately, and I felt like a horny teenager again. Even the most innocent touch from Ness seemed to have a toxic effect on me. I tried not to let her get to me, but I was only a man after all; a man who had never felt release at the hands of a woman.
After about ten minutes in the bathroom, and then closet, I emerged fully dressed from my room, greeted by Ness coming out of her corner bedroom, looking radiant in a form fitting gray cashmere turtle neck sweater and dark denim jeans. She also wore high-heeled black boots, which peeked out from beneath the hem of her jeans, making her long legs look even longer.
Her style had definitely become more refined since Christmas, with the help of Alice, and I was sure that she looked nothing like the other freshman girls who would be starting school with us in a few days. She had also abandoned her once straightened hair, and had gone to wearing it in soft bunches of long flowing curls.
"Jake…" she said, a smile creeping to the sides of her mouth while she looked up at me, "well don't you look nice in your new clothes."
"Uh, thanks Ness," I responded hoping that my already russet coloring would not betray the blush I could feel creeping into my cheeks.
I was for once glad that Alice had insisted that I purchase several fitted button up shirts and some more stylish jeans. I thought my outfit was simple, but from the look of appraisal she was giving me now, I could tell that Nessie enjoyed how the long green shirt clung to the muscles underneath it.
Her eyes wandered down my chest, and I could see her smile grow as she saw how the denim hugged my waist and thighs before it hung loosely down my legs to my new leather shoes.
I forced myself to stop thinking that my body might possibly have the same effect on her that she had on me, and I placed my hand on the small of her back to guide her down the hall towards the living room.
"Hey you two, are you ready to go?" Bella asked once she saw us round the corner. She appeared to be happy, but I could tell that she was weary of leaving her daughter this afternoon.
The four of us exited the apartment and made our way to the parking garage. We would take the Range Rover today, because it had dark tinted windows. I could already see that the sun would not fail to shine on this unusually warm winter day.
Alice took the driver's seat while Bella hopped into the passenger seat. I pulled open the nearest rear door and held out my hand to help Nessie in before I walked around to the other side of the car.
Once we were all buckled and the SUV started its downward trip to the streets below, Alice began to talk to us about our plans for the day.
"Ok, first stop University of Victoria Registrar's office. They are supposed to have your updated schedules so we can make sure you have all of the required textbooks." She began, her eyes not leaving the road as we made our way into downtown Victoria.
"Then we will go get any last minute supplies before we head back to the mall for lunch," she said, her enthusiasm growing as she enunciated the word mall.
Bella groaned at this comment, obviously still the same as ever, not wanting to be a pawn in Alice's shopping hysteria. Nessie sighed loudly from beside me, obviously worn out from our many trips to that horrid indoor mall in the past few days.
"Ok Aunt Alice," she began, her voice remaining completely serious in tone, "I am refusing to step foot in that place, I have more than enough clothes to get me through the entire semester, and into next year. I refuse to subject Jake or my mother to anymore of your nonsense. We have put up with your crazy demands all week, and today we do what I want to do."
I was completely shocked. I was also wondering what a pissed off Alice in traffic was capable of doing; but she simply broke down into hysterical laughter in the seat in front of me, and said, "Ok Ness, today we do what you want. So what exactly do you want?"
She had always had this entire family wrapped around her little finger, and that comment just proved it. So the three of us waited for Nessie to instruct us as to what we were doing today.
Ness sat up in her seat, turned to face me, and then she began. "I want to spend the rest of the weekend with my new roommate, and you two need to return to my father and uncle. I am sure they miss you terribly by now, and you can assure them all that we are ready for school to start on Monday."
Several hours later, the Range Rover returned to the parking garage, drove up to the 12th level, and stopped in front of the stairwell door. Nessie and I said quick goodbyes to Bella and Alice, and began to head back towards our apartment.
Nessie headed to the door and swiftly swiped the magnetic key card and the green light on the box lit up indicating that we could enter. I stepped forward and held the door open for her, closing it tightly once I was through.
I followed her silently down the first hallway, around the corner to where the second entry door to where our hallway was, and waited for her to swipe the key card a second time. When she reached the door, she stopped just before it and turned to face me.
I stopped dead in my tracks, a few paces behind her, and just watched. A devious smirk crossed her face, and she took two steps towards me.
"Jake, can you believe it?" she asked, while staring up at me intently. "Can you believe that they actually left us alone, completely alone, for once in our lives?"
Without waiting for an answer, she took the last step towards me, throwing her arms up around my neck and planted a kiss on my cheek. Then she dropped back to the floor, turned around and unlocked the entry door. I just stood there in the doorway and watched her practically skip towards our door, and she disappeared inside.
"No, Ness," I whispered to myself. "I can't believe it….if you only knew….." I stood there for a few more moments, my fingers tracing the burned ring of flesh that her kiss left behind, knowing that tonight was the perfect night to confess my feelings.
When I entered the apartment, I could hear music coming from down the hallway, and I started down the hall to see where it was coming from. As I walked down the short hallway, I passed my bedroom, nope not coming from there. I looked into the doorway at the end of the hallway, nope, not in the office. Only one door left.
Her door was cracked open slightly, and I could hear singing coming from inside, but it was muffled. I peeked around the doorframe and saw her bathroom light on, and steam was coming around the side of the door where it was left open.
"Ness…?" I called, wondering why she was taking yet another shower only six hours after her last.
"Yeah Jake," she said, "In here, come on in…."
"Um Ness, you're um a…..I can't come in there." I muttered, not knowing why she wanted me in her bathroom while she was showering. I mean the glass on the doors was frosted, but you could still see an outline of whatever was in there.
"Jake, it's not a big deal," she laughed, obviously amused by my reaction. "You can't see anything. Just come in and have a seat on the counter so we can discuss what we are going to do with ourselves this evening."
I knew that I wouldn't accidentally see anything, as long as she stayed in the shower, but I wasn't sure if I was comfortable knowing that the only thing keeping me from seeing her naked and wet was an opaque pane of glass. I hesitated for a moment, but then my curiosity of how much I could actually see got the best of me.
I did as she requested, and propped myself up on the edge of the counter, in between the two sinks, and said, "Ok, let's talk."
The steam in the bathroom had built up quite a bit, and the mirror behind me was completely covered with condensation. She had turned on the light just above the shower, so I could see a very prominent silhouette. Ever curve of her body was visible, as she vigorously scrubbed her hair. I cleared my throat and started to tell her that I had plans for our evening.
"Ness, I kind of already made plans for this evening." I began, my voice much deeper than usual as my eyes were transfixed on her sensual figure moving a loofa down an outstretched leg behind the steamy glass in front of me. "We have reservations at the restaurant in the Empress, so I kind of, well Alice, really, um…."
"Jake….are you alright?" she chuckled, oblivious to the fact that her simple actions of cleaning herself were getting such a reaction out of me.
"Oh, right, sorry, the steam must be getting to me," I sputtered out while she continued to laugh at me. "So….as I was saying, we are going to the Empress, we have reservations for seven thirty, so we have a few hours, so I thought we could explore downtown until then."
"Really?" she practically squealed, jumping up and down slightly, sending my mind spinning again.
I shook my head and forced myself to focus, although the growing bulge in my pants was making it difficult. "Um yeah….Alice and I picked out a dress for you to wear, I'll go get the box and put it on your bed while you, um, finish." I knew if I didn't get out of this bathroom, that I would either combust, or attack the innocent girl in the shower whose actions were making me crazy with lust.
I had always been attracted to her, but now that she was full grown and we were living together, alone, my mind had been frequenting the gutter. I did not know if my animalistic, lustful desires were a product of the imprint, or if they were just what normal men went through when they found a woman desirable. Whatever they were, it was starting to put me on edge.
As I exited the door to her room, I took in a deep breath, and I could hear the singing resume in the shower as Nessie turned her shower iPod. I took the few steps back down the hallway to my own bedroom, and stepped into my closet.
I pulled down the box containing her new emerald colored dress, and the box beside it containing the matching shoes. The dress that Alice and I had picked out earlier in the week while Bella distracted her in the dressing room was beautiful. It was mid thigh length, and made of flowing layers of crepe and satin silk.
The skirt was loosely pleated and full. At the waist was a satin band that tied into a bow at the back, just below where the back had a low scoop. The bodice of the dress was cut into a higher scooped neckline, and the straps narrowed towards the shoulders where there were small satin ties on each side.
Alice had also picked out a wrap in the same color of emerald green, which was satin, and matching satin peep toed pumps she had also chosen. It is truly sad how much I know about the official names for the parts of clothing; Alice has definitely filled my brain with lots of useless fashion information.
The dress was elegant, yet alluring, and I only hoped it looked as good on her as it did tucked into the tissue paper in this box.
I quickly headed back into her room, making sure to knock before I entered. She had closed the door to her bathroom, and I could hear a hair dryer going, along with her stereo, so I laid the two boxes on the end of her large canopy bed and went back to get ready.
The weather had been unusually warm, so I was glad that we would have time to wander around the causeway this evening, not that the cold bothered either of us. The various entertainers had always intrigued Nessie, and I was planning on using this opportunity to have a portrait of us drawn together.
I forced myself to take another shower, hoping that the cold water would help me gather my thoughts. I hated knowing that my thoughts had become so impure lately, because I knew that underneath my building hormones that I truly did love her. I knew that my physical desire was simply a more prominent manifestation of the deep adoration that I had developed for her.
The clock on the bathroom wall read 5:07 as I got out of the shower, so I wanted to get ready quickly so we could enjoy a few hours together before dinner. While I had been in the shower, I had decided that I would tell her how I felt on our walk home after dinner. That way if she decided that she didn't want me like that we would at least have enjoyed a pleasant evening together.
Once I was dry, I headed to the closet to put on my suit, which Alice had also picked out. It was a two button, dark grey wool suit, with a very subtle pinstripe. She had told me that pinstripes make tall people look slender, and I took her word for it.
She had also picked out a crisp white collared shirt, and a silk tie that had a pattern with hints of emerald green that would accent Nessie's dress.
I had insisted that I did not need new black dress shoes, because I had finally broken in my old ones, and I didn't feel like having my toes pinched for the rest of the evening.
After I was dressed, I knocked on Nessie's door hoping that she was ready to go.
"Come in," she commanded, and I began to open the door.
"Ness, are you um, ready to go?" I asked, hoping that she was more decent than my last visit to her room.
"Yes," she told me, as I pushed the door open, revealing her seated at the end of her bed. "I just need some help putting on my necklace and shoes. Can you get the box for me?"
She had placed the box with her shoes in the chair of her vanity table to the left side of her bed, and I quickly retrieved it, setting it next to her on the bed.
She held out her left leg, and I picked up the shoe from the box and carefully slid it onto her foot, buckling the tiny strap that went around her ankle. I repeated the action with the right, and then she hopped up from the bed, dangling her silver promise necklace out in front of my face.
She had never stopped wearing it after all these years, although she had had it replated several times since then to keep it a brilliant silver color.
I took the necklace from her and began to move it towards her neck. She lifted her chin, and I had no trouble getting the clasp to catch because her hair was pulled into a tight bun, allowing me easy access to the back of her neck.
Once I had it situated on her, and she pulled it so the pendant was straight, she grabbed my arm and said "Ok, let's go, I'm so excited I actually get to see the inside of the Empress."
Then she looked up and winked at me, "So….are we going to be staying there tonight as well?" she asked, with a glint of mischief in her eyes. Maybe tonight wasn't going to be so difficult after all. Although she could just be teasing me to get a rise out of me, literally.
"No Ness, not tonight, that would be a little presumptuous of me wouldn't it?" I said, trying to be sarcastic. "Although it could be arranged later on, if you really want to."
With that, I led her towards the door, out into the hallway and towards the elevator at the end of the hall opposite the door to the parking garage. I knew if we took the car, I would chicken out on the way home and never tell her how I really felt about her.
"Hey, aren't we going to drive? I've always wanted to toss my keys to a valet attendant." She chuckled as she started to head towards the door to the garage.
I grabbed her by the elbow and continued to usher her towards the elevator, "No, we aren't, I thought it would be a nice evening to enjoy a moonlit walk."
"Ok, if you insist, it is your night after all." She said as she reached back and intertwined her fingers with mine. This was going to be a long night; I could hardly breathe in the long elevator ride down from the twelfth floor as she leaned against my arm, her warm hand still in my own.
She had always been affectionate, but I didn't know if her holding my hand was a gesture of friendship or something more. I could only hope that it was something more, but I was not going to get my hopes up just yet.
By the time we got to the front lobby of our building, the clock by the sliding doors read 6:10 pm, and I was glad that we would have over an hour before we need to head over to the restaurant.
Our reservations were at the Empress Room, and I was looking forward to our table that was supposed to be at a window overlooking the Inner Harbour. I loved to see the harbor lit up at night, and the view of the water from the hotel was supposedly amazing.
The luck I had during the last evening I had planned for us alone had been good, and I only hoped that this evening would be memorable as well. I had taken the liberty of preordering our entrees, and I made sure to include the Island Oyster Tasting as our first course. I know that ordering a known aphrodisiac as an appetizer is a little cliché, but I would take all the advantage that I could get at this point.
"Jake, earth to Jake," Nessie was waving her hand in front of my eyes as she pulled me out the doors and onto the sidewalk. I guess I had been sidetracked as I overanalyzed all of my careful plans.
"Oh sorry," I answered, trying to pull myself back into reality so we could walk the few blocks to the Causeway.
Update: I posted a picture of what her dress looks like on my profile, check it out!