Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.
A/N-thanks for the awesome reviews. Nikki :)
Part Eleven
Bella had to drive very slowly on the way home. A journey that should have taken twenty minutes at most, ended up being more like an hour. She had underestimated just how draughty driving the car would be without a door. The wind swirled around the interior, causing her to shiver uncontrollably and her hair to whip around her face. She had to slow right down to stop the worst of the chill seeping inside. Bella cursed Jacob under her breath the whole way, calling him all the names under the sun. She was just beginning to make up some very unique swear words when she finally pulled into the driveway. She parked up the car, forgetting for a moment there was no door, as she reached out to open it.
"Idiot." She muttered to herself as she climbed out and marched over toward the house.
She opened the front door and slipped inside. After taking a horrified look at her reflection in the hall mirror, Bella tried to smooth her tangled hair down. "Mom, I'm home. You'll never guess what Jake did to..." her voice faltered as she entered the kitchen and saw Jacob sitting at the table, sharing a coffee and some biscuits with her mother. "What the hell is going on here?" She choked out.
"Hey, baby girl. Your young man just stopped by to drop off the door." Renee stood up and poured Bella a fresh mug of coffee from the decanter. "What took you so long to drive back? Did you take a detour?"
"A detour?" Bella echoed her as she took the mug of coffee from Renee and stared at Jacob, who was drinking his own coffee and acting all innocent.
"Are you alright, Bella?" Renee asked in concern as she took in the windblown state of her daughter. "You look like you've been battling a stiff wind."
Jacob laughed but managed to turn it into a cough. He startled Renee who nearly dropped her own drink. "Are you okay, Jake?"
"I'm fine, biscuit just got caught in the back of my throat." He flashed Renee one of his sunny smiles which placated her immediately.
"I know what I would like to stuff down your throat." Bella hissed at him.
"What did you say, baby girl?" Renee questioned her, not understanding what Bella had said.
"I just asked laughing boy here what he is doing?" Bella snapped. "Shouldn't you be shopping for engagement rings with the ho?"
"Bella really." Renee chided her. "Jake has explained all of that nonsense. Melissa is nothing but a deluded young woman with the hots for a very virile, good looking young man. You should count yourself lucky he has eyes only for you." She patted Jacob's broad shoulder and smiled at him.
"But...he...he...you...he..." Bella spluttered, losing her train of thought. How had he got here so quickly? Granted, she had taken an age to drive back, but she hadn't seen him pass her in another car. He couldn't have phased, carrying the huge car door in his mouth? Bella felt totally confused and bewildered. She pulled out a chair and took a huge gulp of her coffee. "You know he destroyed your car."
"Oh, he explained that." Renee twittered.
"I bet he did." Bella muttered, shooting Jacob a dark look. He grinned back at her, obviously enjoying her discomfiture. Bella wanted to pound him over the head with the car door, but his thick skull would probably just bend the metal. It didn't stop her visualising the scene in her head though, and she smiled grimly at the image, causing Jacob's grin to fade as he looked at her in confusion.
"Yes, you really should be more careful when driving, baby girl. It's lucky that we have such a skilled mechanic who is willing to work for free." Renee passed Jacob more biscuits.
"Oh yes. Lucky us." Bella said through gritted teeth. She got up from her chair and began to leave the room.
"Where are you going, Bella?" Renee asked.
"To bang my head against a brick wall mother." Bella replied sardonically.
"Bella..." Renee shook her head in disbelief at her daughter's antics. She leaned down and whispered something to Jacob, who laughed in response to whatever she had said.
Bella shot him a glare before flouncing out of the room. She was going to run a long hot bath and have a soothing soak. Perhaps when she got out, Jacob and his new number one fan might have gone.
Bella felt much better when she climbed out of the bath. She had washed her hair and conditioned it. She had poured relaxing oils into the bath and she was now feeling much more mellow. She could hear a lot of clunking and loud bangs outside as well as Renee's high pitched laughter. Jacob must be fixing the car. Served him right that he had her mother following him around like a little puppy while he worked. She would soon drive him mad. That was all the revenge Bella needed. She drained the bath and cleaned up her mess, hanging up the wet towels and chucking her old clothes in the wash basket. Happy that everything was tidy, she strolled down the stairs to spy on how Jacob was getting on.
She opened the front door a little and peered outside. Her new relaxed mood disintegrated at once. Jacob had stripped to the waist, his usual move when working on any engine. His toned body was on full view, not just to her mother but all the local floozies. To Bella's chagrin he had attracted a lot of attention as he worked on the hire car.
"Damn you, Jacob Black." She cursed, her jealousy making her lose her good sense.
Bella saw a tall blonde sidling up to Jacob as he knelt next to the car fixing the door. The blonde put a hand on Jacob's broad shoulder and giggled at something he said as he twisted his head and looked up at her. Renee laughed too, along with the other girls who were gathered in the driveway. Bella's mood darkened even further.
"So you think you're funny too, huh?" She mumbled. "Well lets see how funny you are when I'm done with you." A sly smile crossed her face as she went back into the kitchen and hunted around the cupboards for a bucket.
Jacob was concentrating on fixing the door. He was nearly finished. Just one last bolt to screw into place. He had his back turned on all his admirers and didn't notice when he heard another set of light footsteps approach him from behind. It was only when he heard the gasps that he glanced behind him and realised that Bella was standing right beside him; a wicked gleam in her eyes.
"Hey, I'm nearly finished." He said, eyeing the bucket she had in her hands. "Are you planning on cleaning the car afterwards?"
"Clean the car?" Bella smiled at him broadly as she hoisted the bucket in the air. "Oh I don't think so."
"Well what's the bucket for?" He squinted up at her as the sun was in his eyes.
"For you, honey." Bella said, copying his nickname for her. She raised the bucket high and dumped the contents all over him.
The gaggle of girls backed off immediately, they held their noses and pulled faces. "Ewww..." the blonde said as she retreated.
Renee watched as Jacob's admirers disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. Soon it was only herself, Bella and Jacob left standing in the driveway. Renee was now convinced that her daughter was having a breakdown. She looked on as Jacob wiped the mud and grime off of his face with his hands. Bella had put the bucket down which was now empty of the compost that she had taken from Charlie's garden, and was smiling innocently at him; her hands on her hips.
"Baby girl, what were you thinking?" Renee demanded, still shocked at Bella's infantile behaviour.
"I was just thinking that revenge is a dish best served with a bucket full of smelly garbage." Bella hadn't felt so happy in ages. She looked at Jacob, who was fighting back his own grin. "I think we're even now. Right Black?"
"Right Swan." Jacob agreed as he reached out one long arm and pulled Bella into a tight bear hug, effectively covering her in compost too.
Renee gave a snort of disgust as both Bella and Jacob began to laugh hysterically. "You are both mad." She turned to go back in the house, shaking her head all the while.
Bella passed Jacob a beer and put her feet across his lap. They had both just had a shower and freshened up. They were sitting in the living room, lounging on the sofa. "It's been quite a day." Bella sighed as she relaxed.
"You could say that." Jacob agreed as he drank his beer. He studied Bella for a moment. She had her eyes closed and her head was resting on the arm of the sofa. She looked so damn beautiful. It choked him up inside. Despite the silly games they had played on each other, he knew that he had been lucky that she hadn't kicked his ass out of her life again for keeping Melissa a secret. "Bells?"
"Yeah." Bella didn't open her eyes, she just lay back further and wiggled her toes.
"About Melissa...I'm sorry I never mentioned her. I was wrong not to, but as far as I was concerned she was my past. I ended it months ago, before I hit the road."
Bella opened one eye. "I know that. I feel sorry for her actually."
"Then why did you let her get to you so much?" Jacob asked.
"I don't know. Old fashioned jealousy I suppose and I felt hurt that you kept it quiet." Bella closed both eyes again and settled back down. She was feeling very tired.
"So you were jealous?" Jacob smiled smugly as he drank some more beer.
"Wipe that shit eating grin off of your face, Black!" Bella warned him jokingly.
How did she always know? Jacob's expression became serious as he finished his can and began to massage her feet. He heard her sigh in bliss. "Charlie will be home tomorrow." He reminded her.
"I know, then the real work begins." Bella was enjoying his ministrations. He was good at massage. Perhaps she could get him to...no, she banished that thought from her head. If she let him touch other parts of her body, she would probably attack him. Hold back, girl! She thought to herself.
"It will be okay." Jacob assured her. "You have a lot of help."
"I know. Thanks." Bella smiled at him wearily. She kept her eyes closed as he continued to rub her feet, chasing all the tension away.
There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. "Bells?"
"Yeah." She breathed.
"Are you really not a virgin?" Jacob dared to ask.
Bella grabbed a cushion and threw it at his head as he started to laugh.
A/N-thanks for reading!
