Chapter 29.
Nessie – questions
Occasionally, even the Olympic Peninsula had days like this; when you looked out to the ocean and saw only a sunny, blue haze. It was mid-July and I was spending a Saturday with Jake on the cliffs at La Push. They were deserted; everyone else had headed straight for the beaches, to make the most of the blazing sunshine.
This was great for me, we were well out of view and I could practice my most audacious diving without an audience. Best of all, I could scale straight up the rock face without having to bother going round by the cliff path, which I could never do if anyone was watching.
Of course, I knew that my parents didn't like me to cliff dive. To be quite frank, they were a bit funny about it. Unfortunately for me, my father's turn-of-the-last-century morality would rear its ugly head from time to time. Years ago, when I first went diving, he said it was a bad idea and when I asked why, he told me it was unladylike! And then my mom added that it was dangerous! I couldn't take this random piece of parenting seriously, so I decided to ignore them and carried on diving anyway. I never had any trouble persuading Jacob to go with me.
I was standing on the cliff in my swimsuit, my skirt and shoes had been dumped on the grass by Jake's feet. I had been diving all afternoon, but Jake had given up a while earlier, preferring to lean back against the trunk of a pine and relax. He was only half watching me. I tried to get his attention.
"Watch this!"
I took a running leap over the edge, into the vast expanse of blue. I managed to get some real height this time and made several extra somersaults before neatly hitting the water. Resurfacing, I looked up and frowned, he hadn't watched! I swam quickly to the base of the cliff and started to climb back up the rock face.
It didn't take long, and when I popped my face over the top ledge, a pine cone bounced lightly off my head.
"Gotcha!" Jake seemed pleased with his shot.
I threw him a disdainful look and pulled myself onto the grass. Then, facing the sea, I prepared to dive again.
"Honey, why don't you come and sit down for a while?" Jake asked in a lazy voice.
I deliberated for a moment and then turned my back on the ocean. Finding a spot of grass by another tree, I sat down and leaned against the trunk. Jake instantly moved over to me and lay down on the dry grass, with the back of his head resting on my lap. He smiled up at me and then closed his eyes. We stayed like that for a long time, relaxing in the heat of the sun, with the pleasant aroma of pine in the air. The only sounds were of the waves, lapping against the cliffs, far below us.
I let my fingers drift across his face, sending him pictures of my favourite times with him. He seemed so still, I wondered if he had fallen asleep, until he said.
"That was good, show me that one again."
I smirked. "Sorry, I don't do requests."
He chuckled as I lifted my hands away and started combing his hair with my fingers. I suddenly had a thought.
"Jake, can I ask you something?"
His eyes were still closed as he answered. "Sure."
"You know imprinting?"
His eyes opened and he grinned. "Yeah..?"
I was thoughtful as I spoke. "Do you remember what you said to me when I was little, about how imprinting was when you wanted to look after one person more than anyone else, and you loved them the best?"
"Sure I do." He was watching my face with a wary expression, as if he thought I was trying to catch him out. "That was true."
I caught his eye and asked the question that had been circling my mind for some time.
"Well, when I grew up, why didn't you tell me that it meant something more to you… and that your feelings would never change?"
He sat up abruptly, wearing a serious expression. "What was I supposed to say, 'Oh, by the way Nessie, I've imprinted on you so you have to be with me, it doesn't matter whether or not you feel the same way?'" He shook his head. "I didn't want you to feel under any obligation to me; you were supposed to have the choice."
I mulled over this idea for a moment, while Jacob moved to sit by me. There was one thing that I still didn't understand.
"If the girls have a choice, how come all the wolves have ended up with their imprintees?" I mean on average, La Push had more happy couples than anywhere else in the country!
He smiled and put his arm around my shoulders. "Each of us hoped that the girl we imprinted on would discover the connection herself. So far, it seems to have worked out that way for everyone."
I considered his words and nodded. "That's lucky."
"You have no idea!" He shook his head, smiling.
I slipped my arms around his waist and snuggled against him. Another thought came into my head. It was something that had been worrying me since we had got together.
"Jake. Do you think I should go away to college?"
I was surprised by the strength of his reply. "There is no way I'm touching that question!"
I lifted my head and gazed at him with wide eyes. "Why not?"
He smiled at me in disbelief. "Because I couldn't be impartial, and I want to be. I don't want you to miss out because of me."
I rested my head back on his chest and thought about what he meant; he wanted me to go to college, but he didn't want me to leave. That was nice; he felt the same way I did. I smiled and squeezed him tighter.
"I'm not sure I would be missing out, after all, I already have a degree." Well several actually, but who was counting?
"It's not the same as really attending college. I mean, look at how much you've changed from just one year at school. Don't you think you might enjoy it?"
I pictured myself at college, surrounded by other students, going to classes and making friends. I had to admit, it did seem appealing, but still…
"Ok, I might like it, but I don't think I could be that far away from you."
The bond between us was gaining strength all the time. By now, the thought of being the whole way across the country felt physically painful to me. He sighed and put both his arms around me.
"I know it would be tough." He said stoically. "But we'd still be together, just not all the time."
My lower lip started to tremble. "I don't want to leave."
He gently stroked my damp hair. "It wouldn't be forever, I would visit all the time. But you shouldn't waste your chances. Do you know what some of the kids in this town would give, to have your opportunities?"
Great, a guilt trip! It worked though; I had learned enough, in my one year at school, to know that he was right. I frowned and then I was struck by a sudden thought.
"Maybe I could transfer to the University of Washington?" I glanced up and caught the hopeful look on Jake's face, before he had time to hide it. He kept his voice casual as he answered.
"It's not a bad idea, but I think you should give yourself some time to think about it. You know your family will be disappointed, they've been looking forward to having you with them."
I wasn't fooled by his attempted lack of concern. The more I thought about this idea, the more it attractive it seemed. I decided not to say anything more for the moment; I would look into it when I got home.
"Ok, I'll give it some more thought."
Smiling, I lay back on the grass and pulled him down with me.
The afternoon wore on, slowly the shadows began to lengthen and a slight chill came into the air. I sat up and went to put on my skirt and shoes.
"We'd better be going; it must be nearly dinner time."
It only took the thought of food to make Jake stretch and spring to his feet. I smothered a grin and got ready to leave. When I turned back to him, I found Jacob watched me with such warmth in his eyes that I had to smile. He caught the look and instantly wanted to know the reason.
"What's so funny?" He said, looking suspicious.
I took a step in his direction and shook my head. "Nothing, I was just feeling happy." I halted in front of him and gazed up at his face. "I'm so glad that you love me."
Before I knew it, Jake had wrapped his strong arms around my waist and was squeezing me tightly. Giving a wide grin, he lifted me off my feet and planted an enthusiastic kiss on my lips.
"I'm glad too!"
He gently set me back on the ground and took hold of my hand. "Are you ready to go?"
"Sure." I nodded, and thought of one more thing to ask him. "Jake, are you happy?"
He threw me an incredulous look, but on seeing my serious expression, his eyes softened and he smiled. "Yes, I'm very, very happy."
I sighed with relief as he leaned down to kiss me, and held his hand securely as he led me back down the cliff path.
******* The end *******
The sequel to this story is now being posted. It picks up the story six months down the line…
It is called 'The Tracker' and can be found on my profile page.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
(Sorry they're longer than usual, there's just a lot to say!)
Well that's the end of this story, but if anyone wants to know what Jake was thinking in Chapters 24 and 25 ('graduation' and 'the party'), then check out his two part companion story, which is called:
'Nessie and Jake, Imprinted'
And if you want to find out exactly what Emmett said to Edward on the phone check out:
'Emmett's bad day'
(Both can be found on my profile page)
I'd just like to take this chance to thank everyone who had read this story and also to anyone who has taken the trouble to review it. It really has meant a huge amount to me that all the comments have been so nice :)
And a special thank you to the regular reviewers, who have given positive feedback time, and time, again. It's been great getting to know you better!
The final thank you has to go to Stephenie Meyer, for letting people like me shamelessly borrow her characters (except Marie, who no one liked anyway! ha ha).
Take care, Mad :)
