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Chapter Twenty-Four
As Bella sat by the fire watching her mother and grandmother opening their presents from her, she was glad that she'd decided to come home for Christmas. The year before, she'd been way too caught up in being a brand new college student and had stayed on campus for the holidays. It was lonely, but she hadn't minded. She'd been able to get a ton of work done. This year, however, had been different. She'd fled home to escape her problems with Edward, and she was glad she had.
"They're beautiful, honey, thank you!" her mom exclaimed, holding up the silver earrings Bella had picked out. Her grandmother was equally as gracious about the scarf Bella had chosen for her. The gifts had cost her more than she could really afford to spend, but it was worth it to give the people she loved a small token of her appreciation for them.
"Here, open your present. It's from both of us," her mother said, tossing her a small, neatly wrapped box.
"Mom, my present was my plane ticket home. You weren't supposed to get me anything else!" Bella chided.
"Just open it," Renee insisted.
Bella sighed and tore the brightly colored paper off. She furrowed her brow when she slid the lid off the little box. Nestled inside was a set of keys she instantly recognized. She held them up, letting them dangle from her finger as she looked from her mom to her grandma.
"Grandma's keys?" she asked.
Her grandmother laughed. "Not just the keys, Bell. The whole car."
"You're giving me your car?" Bella blinked.
Her grandmother shrugged. "I don't drive it anymore—it just sits there, so you might as well take it so you don't have to walk everywhere. Then maybe you can drive home to see us more often."
Bella was stunned, but the two women just laughed at the look on her face.
"It's not like it's even that nice of a car, Bella," Renee said, laughing. "I'll be pleased if it makes it back to San Diego, honestly."
Bella laughed and rolled her eyes, but deep down, she knew how much something like this was costing her grandmother. It was a symbol of the freedom she was giving up in her old age, and Bella loved her for it. "Thank you," she whispered as she hugged them both tightly. "But what about my plane ticket?"
"I never got you a return ticket, honey. We've been planning on giving you the car for a while now."
Bella smiled and shook her head. She was completely stunned by the gesture. Although she didn't need to have a car to get around campus, it would definitely be nice to have one available to her. And she knew that, despite the hiccup she'd had with it the other day, and despite her mother's comment, the car was a good car. It had been well cared for its whole life and would serve her well.
They spent the rest of Christmas morning listening to holiday music on her grandmother's old record player as Bella and Renee moved around the kitchen making breakfast. At just after noon, there was a knock on the front door.
"I'll get it," Bella's mom said and disappeared down the hall. A moment later, she called, "Bella, there's someone here to see you."
Bella peeked around the corner, listening to see if she could tell who it was, but the muffled voices she'd heard only moments ago were silent now. She padded down the hall toward the front door, her socks noiseless on the carpet. She reached the entryway by the front door and rounded the corner into the living room, and there sitting on the couch with her mother was James.
Bella was suddenly very aware of the oversized sweats she wore and the way her messy hair hung down her back. Embarrassed, she folded her arms across her chest. "James, what are you doing here?" she asked, smiling in spite of herself.
"Hi, Bella. Merry Christmas. I'm sorry to stop by unannounced. I just wanted to bring you something."
She realized he was holding a rather large box in his lap. As she watched, he held it out to her. She felt a blush spread across her cheeks as she realized she hadn't thought to get him anything. "You didn't have to do that," she mumbled, taking a step toward him.
He shrugged. "It's nothing, really."
She slid the ribbon off of the box, and as she unfolded the paper, she smiled. "My mother must have told you what her gift was."
James grinned and nodded. In her hand, Bella held an emergency car kit. It had everything she could ever think of needing while driving—from road flares to jumper cables. "That's really sweet of you, James. You shouldn't have."
Again, James shrugged and grinned sheepishly. "I didn't want you to get stuck on the side of the road again, especially not when you go back to California."
Bella nodded and set the box under the tree. "I'm not sure I know how to use all this stuff, but I'm sure it'll come in handy. Would you like to stay for breakfast?" she asked as she glanced at her mother who was furiously pantomiming eating behind James' back.
"I'd hate to impose," James said as he stood.
"It's no imposition at all, James," Renee inserted as she too rose from the couch. "Bella and I almost have everything ready, don't we?"
Bella nodded and patted her disheveled hair as she wondered what she must look like. If he noticed, James was too polite to say anything. He followed the two women back to the kitchen, and a short time later, the four of them were seated around the old wooden table eating French toast and scrambled eggs with bacon.
"This is delicious," James said after he took a swallow of milk.
"Bella is quite the cook," her grandmother said, then added, "when she wants to be."
Bella rolled her eyes but remained silent, her mouth full of eggs.
After they'd all had their fill, Bella's grandmother announced she was going to take a nap, and Renee began to clear their dirty plates away, leaving James and Bella alone at the table.
"Thanks again for breakfast," he said, smiling at her.
Bella nodded as she drank the last of her juice. "Thanks again for the car kit. It's really thoughtful of you."
It was James' turn to nod. Then after a moment, he said, "Look, I know you'll be heading back to school soon, but I was wondering if you'd like to go out again before you leave town."
Bella thought for a moment. "Sure, I'd like that a lot," she said. "Hopefully I'll look a little more presentable the next time you see me."
James laughed. "You look great, Bella. You always do."
Bella laughed uncomfortably at the compliment. "Um, so when were you thinking we should go?"
"How about tomorrow night?"
James arranged to pick Bella up the next night at seven o'clock, and a few minutes later, Bella walked him to the door. She thanked him again for the gift, and he thanked her and her mom for breakfast. Then Bella shut the door with a smile. She had to admit she really liked James. He was straightforward and unassuming, and she felt like she knew exactly where she stood with him. She hummed as she ran up the stairs and got into the shower.
The rest of Christmas day was split between lounging around and eating the variety of treats her mother and grandma had spent the past few days making. Bella used the downtime to get ahead on some reading for a course she'd have once the new semester began. As she read, she realized how much she'd missed losing herself in her schoolwork. She'd spent far too much time the past few months letting other things distract her, and she had to admit she was excited for the chance to get back to school and renew her academic efforts.
The next evening, James picked her up exactly on time. He was dressed in jeans and cowboy boots, and once again, his hair was pulled back into a ponytail. He grinned when she came down the stairs, and after bidding Renee farewell, the pair walked out to his truck. This time, however, instead of taking her to any of the local restaurants, he pulled his truck out onto the highway that led out of town.
"Where are we going?" Bella asked. She had to admit she was a little excited about the prospect of spending an evening out with James. He was so kind and honest. Bella found it refreshing.
It was dark in the cab, but Bella could sense his grin. "Well, you don't have very much longer in town, so I wanted tonight to be a special night for you."
Bella raised one eyebrow but said nothing. After driving for about twenty minutes, he took an upcoming exit, and soon they were driving through the streets of nearby Mesilla. It was a tiny town—smaller than Las Cruces— and Bella was confused as to what they were doing there, until James pulled up in front of a small restaurant.
"Here we are," he said, jumping out and rushing over to help Bella out before she could beat him to it. He needn't have worried. Bella was sitting immobile, staring at the restaurant. It was a Mexican restaurant she'd only ever driven by, but she was inadvertently and painfully reminded of the restaurant Edward had taken her to on their first date. It was eerily similar, down to the tiny twinkling lights on the porch and patio.
"Bella, are you all right?" James asked, a panicked look on his face as he opened her door.
His words brought her back to the present. "I'm sorry. I'm fine. This place looks really nice." She forced herself to smile.
James grinned. "I was hoping you wouldn't have been here before. It's one of my favorite places." He offered his hand and helped her down out of his truck, and they walked inside together.
"Can we get a table on the back patio?" James asked.
Bella quickly interrupted. "Actually, James, I'm feeling a little chilly. Do you think we could sit inside?" She didn't think she could bear sitting under those strangely familiar twinkling lights with him. Although he looked slightly disappointed, he agreed, and the waitress showed them to a table inside the restaurant.
"Are you still cold? Would you like my jacket?" he asked as they sat down.
Bella shook her head. "No, I'm okay."
The waitress came, and they ordered. James recommended the enchiladas, and Bella followed his suggestion. She wasn't disappointed. They were delicious.
"So, tell me about school," he said in between forkfuls of his own dinner. "I know you're super smart, and majoring in something ridiculously advanced, but that's about all I know."
Bella laughed and rolled her eyes. "I'm not that smart."
"Whatever," James said. "But seriously. Tell me why you love it so much. Why is it your passion?"
Bella was a little taken aback. No one had ever asked her that. She thought for a moment. Then, slowly she began to explain to him exactly what she loved. She told him about how somehow her world just made sense when she surrounded herself with numbers and figures. She told him about how satisfying it was to be able to plug numbers into a formula and have them work perfectly every time. She described how she loved to look into a microscope and find a whole new world just waiting to be discovered and explored.
"It probably sounds really stupid to you," she said, suddenly feeling embarrassed about how much she'd rambled.
He shook his head. "Not at all. I feel that way about cars."
"Really?" she asked.
"Yeah. I mean, when I get under the hood of a car, things just make sense. A car behaves a certain way because of the different parts that make up its systems. If one of those parts breaks, it's like a puzzle trying to figure out which one and where it is."
Bella nodded. "I can see that."
He grinned at her. "I guess we're both just really passionate about the things we love."
Bella laughed and agreed. "You're really easy to talk to, you know that?"
He laughed and shrugged. "I just try to say what I feel."
Bella nodded. "I know. I like that about you."
He grinned sheepishly and Bella laughed. "So, where to now?" she asked as she wiped her mouth with her napkin and set it on her empty plate.
"Did you want to see another movie? I sort of got the feeling that you don't do that very often."
Bella laughed but shook her head. "I don't think so. I liked the movie the other night, but I'm okay for a while. You're right. I'm not a big movie person."
"Okay, how about we just drive around for a bit then. Or do you need to get home?"
"No, a drive sounds nice."
James paid, and they climbed back into his truck. When he noticed Bella shivering, he draped his jacket over her shoulders before starting the engine. Bella smiled appreciatively and pulled it around her shoulders a little tighter. It smelled the same as it had the other night, only this time it didn't smell quite as pleasant to her, maybe because she'd been reminded of what Edward smelled like since then.
They were quiet as James drove. He didn't head back to town right away, instead opting to drive around Mesilla.
"Look," he said, pointing through the windshield as he slowed his truck to a stop. They were on a side street, and Bella followed his finger. About a block in the distance she could see the giant screens of a drive-in movie theater. The images flickered on the giant screen. "All the perks of a movie without the commitment of staying for the whole thing," James said, grinning.
Bella chuckled. "But there's no sound."
"Let me see if I can fix that," he said, furrowing his brow and he spun the dial on his truck's radio. After a moment, the cab of the truck was filled with the sounds of dialogue. Bella laughed delightedly as the sound matched up with the picture in front of her.
James grinned, pleased by her apparent approval. "Are you still cold?" he asked, shifting a little closer to her.
She shook her head but made no move to scoot farther away from him. Instead, she leaned closer, and within a few moments, she was resting her head comfortably on his shoulder. The action felt somehow right, in spite of everything.
Later, when James shook Bella gently to wake her after she'd drifted off to sleep, she smiled and rubbed her eyes sleepily.
"Come on. Let's get you home," he whispered.
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was so tired. Was the movie good?" she asked through a yawn.
James smiled. "I don't know. I didn't pay much attention. I was too busy watching you."
His voice sounded somehow different, and Bella blushed. Suddenly, he seemed very close. She knew what he wanted from the look in his eyes, and she realized she didn't want to fight it anymore. What did it matter? Edward wasn't hers, and she'd never be his again. Besides, she was leaving the next day and wouldn't see James again for a long time. Just this once she wanted to do something to make herself feel good without worrying about anything else.
She closed her eyes and waited for James' lips to meet hers. They did, and even though they were soft and warm and his kiss was pleasurable, there was nothing of the spark and the excitement she'd felt when kissing Edward. She leaned a little closer, placing her hand on the back of his neck, hoping to feel more. After a moment, James pulled away, grinning at her in the dim light of his truck. Bella smiled back and touched his cheek gently, truly saddened that she didn't feel anything. Things would be so much easier if she had.
Bella spent the next morning packing and spending a few last moments with her mom and grandmother. The overall mood in the house was rather somber, and Bella hated that she was the cause of it. But it was a ten-hour drive, and she was anxious to get on her way. James had promised to come by and give her new car one last check-over before she left. He arrived just as she was packing the last of her things away. Edward's stowaway t-shirt had been shoved into the bottom of her suitcase, and her bed sheets had been stripped and thrown into the washing machine.
James was waiting in the living room when Bella trudged downstairs, dragging her large suitcase behind her.
"Thanks for coming by," she said by way of greeting.
"No problem. Listen, Bella, can I speak to you for a second?" he asked, and Bella noticed his face looked flushed and his eyes were brighter than usual.
"Sure," she said, setting her suitcase down by the front door.
"It came today," James said, pulling an envelope out of his back pocket. "I didn't think it would come so soon, but it did."
Bella waited for him to explain.
"I've been accepted to the Elite Wheels and Custom Motorcycles Institute!" he cried, waving the envelope in front of her.
Bella smiled warmly as she finally understood. "That's great! I knew you would be! Wow—motorcycles, huh? Isn't that a lot different than cars?"
He nodded excitedly. "Yeah, but it's been my dream to learn more about them. I don't get very many opportunities to work on them in the garage here, but I'll be working on and learning all about nothing but motorcycles now!"
"That's awesome, James! I'm really proud of you!" Bella was genuinely happy for him. He deserved a way out of town.
"Bella, do you realize what this means?" he asked. "The school is in La Mesa."
The name sounded familiar, but Bella couldn't place its location. She smiled at him vaguely as she nodded.
"La Mesa, California. It's only about thirty minutes outside of San Diego!"
A/N: Thanks to my wonderful betas mcc101180 & Twimarti. They've both spent some time talking me off a ledge at various points. :)
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. 3