Chapter Song: The Only One by The Black Keys
Bella and Jacob were just about to wrap up tutoring when he asked her, "Do you have plans this Saturday?"
She stayed quietly thoughtful for a moment. "I don't think so, but I'll have to let you know for sure."
He nodded with a small smile.
"Why?" she inquired, because she was truthfully curious now.
He scratched the back of his neck, peeking at her through his eyelashes before finally answering, "My band has a gig that night at a little coffee shop and I was wondering if you wanted to go."
She smiled. "That be great. Thanks for thinking of us."
"Us?" His happy expression sagged a bit.
"Yeah, me, Edward, Alice, Emmet, Rose, Ben, and Angie. Us. I'm sure they'd love to come. There is room for all of us, right?"
He looked at a lost for a second but quickly recovering with a shake of his head and easy smile. "Oh, yeah. Sure. I'm just loopy from lack of sleep. For sure, bring them along. The more the merrier."
"Great! Thanks. I'll let you know if we can go as soon as I can."
"No rush," he said with no real inflection of any kind in his voice as he gathered his books before Bella walked him out.
Edward was just rushing out the showers to avoid Leah, almost to the room Bella tutored at, when he halted. He almost couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Jacob and Bella walking out together, smiling brightly at each other. I'm not jealous. I'm NOT jealous.
He was jealous.
Dammit, he just was. Something about Jacob just set him off. He made himself calm down before he walked forward.
Bella was waving goodbye, Jacob doing the same with a stupid big grin on his face until his eyes caught Edward. Mr. Jolly grew pouty the minute Edward stepped into his focus.
It took all the years of his mother driving manners into his skull for him to wave with a forced smile that pinched his cheeks.
He kissed Bella before tucking her under his arm, secretly relieved when he saw Angela was still in the room. They waved goodbye to her as she walked out in the other direction with Ben, before he guided her outside. He knew he had to talk to Bella about his feelings he just didn't know how to bring it up.
He didn't have to worry about broaching the subject because Bella was quick to break the silence once they were in the parking lot.
"I have something for all of us to do this weekend."
He smiled, glad for the distraction because he knew what he wanted to tell her wouldn't be easy. "Where to?"
She paused, waiting for him to open his car door for her before answering. "To listen to a band...Jacob's band."
Edward paused mid door close, wrenching it open as she was buckling herself up. "Jacob's band?"
She nodded, watching him carefully. "Yes. Is that a problem?"
"No. Not a bit." The words choked him before he closed the door with strained calmness.
He didn't say anything as he slipped behind the steering wheel, turned on the car, and drove off.
Bella had to speak to get his attention. "What's wrong?"
He shrugged. "I'm just processing."
"What exactly?" She was nervous now. He couldn't blame her. He was sure he looked three kinds of crazy right then with his puffing chest and clinched fingers against the wheel.
He made himself relax again as he took her hand. "We should go somewhere to talk?"
"You're worrying me, Edward."
He nodded. "I know and I'm sorry. We just need to talk."
She nodded, squeezing his hand as he drove on, and on, and on.
After twenty minutes of driving pointlessly around, he took her back to the park. This time the air was thick and vibrating around them. He hated that. Hated that he was the cause of it. Not just him though, fucking Jacob Black too. Even though Bella was obviously oblivious to what was wrong, she was part of it too. This was just not where he wanted to be. He'd have much rather been playfully teasing her or making love to her, but he had to get this out in the open.
He waited until they were sitting in the same exact swings months ago before sighing. "Bella, I'm going to try and explain this to you without upsetting you. I'll try to be understanding and reasonable, but somethings I say will undoubtably confuse and/or upset you."
Her eyes were so anxious as she took in his troubled face. "O-okay."
And, God, to here her stutter just killed him. He hated seeing her upset, but somethings were just necessary and this was one of them.
"I know you think Jacob's a good guy—and he might be—but his attention toward you isn't innocent. I'm not saying we can't go see him play or that you can't tutor him anymore, I'm just asking you to be careful around him."
Her head cranked back with disbelief. "What are you talking about?"
He sighed, hanging his head as he watched his feet sliding in the sand. He looked up at her, imploring her with his eyes to understand. "I know you don't see it because the bastard's sneaky, but he's seriously into you."
"You're so ridiculously wrong."
"Sadly, I'm not."
She opened her mouth, then clapped it shut as she frowned off at the pound in the distance.
"Bella, I promise I'm not just being a paranoid shit. Ask anyone, they'll tell you the same."
"Fine," she looked at him, not so much angry but more bewildered. She was so blind to her own appeal. "I'll ask Angela."
He nodded. "Good."
"Is that it?" She tilted her head at him. "Because it seems like there's more bothering you."
He nodded. "There is."
"You can tell me," she touched his hand clutching the chain tentatively as if he would ever not want her to.
Her small touch relaxed him like no sedative could.
He looked into her sweet, open eyes. Such readable little things. "I think it would be in your own best interest to...not be alone with him. Ever."
She nodded, still running light lines along his arm as she took a moment to think. "Why? Because you don't trust me."
"NO! That's not it at all."
"What is it then?"
"I don't trust him. Plus, you don't want to put yourself in a position where you would have to ask me to believe you. I know I wouldn't want to have to do that."
"I really think you overestimate Jacob's affection for me—And I never planned on being alone with him."
He nodded. "I just wanted to let you know how I feel. And I think you underestimate how lovable you are."
She smiled besides herself before bumping his shoulder with hers. "Whatever you say."
He smiled, growing quickly serious again. "Talk to Angie still though..." he hesitated on the last thing he wanted to say. "And maybe Jacob too."
"Why?"
He shrugged. "Because people like Leah and Jacob need to be told straight up how things are."
Bella's face hardened at the mention of her new enemy's name. "They're not the same."
"They're exactly the same—if Jacob isn't worse."
"Worse?"
"Yes, worse. He's a snake in the grass, Bella. At least Leah has the decency to be open about it."
He regretted his choice of words the minute Bella's face puckered up, eyes anywhere but his face and hand dropping away from him.
"What I mean is he seems innocent and even disinterested, but I'll bet my left testicle that he isn't. He's bidding his time, getting to know you and the kinks in our relationship."
She didn't respond as she closed her eyes as if she were meditating.
"Listen, baby." He reached to touch her, but she stood up before he could make contact. He stood with her, trailing behind her as she walked to the back end of the park with no toys and only open land for camping. "I don't want to let them force a wedge between us." He finished when she finally looked at him.
"Me neither," she said, holding her hands up in a helpless way. "We've been through enough. Plus, I can see where you're coming from. I never meant to make you uncomfortable."
"I know you didn't. You like to see the best in people when they really don't deserve it, and that's one of the many things I love about you. I'm just suggesting for you to keep your guard up around him like I do for Leah."
The last thing had curiosity sparking in her eyes. "You safeguard yourself around her."
"Damn straight."
She laughed a little. "How?"
"I always make sure I'm surrounded by other players when practice is over and do the holy trinity to get out of the shower as fast a possible."
"The holy trinity?"
"Yeah. Head, arm pits and...you know." He pointed downward in case she didn't get the picture.
She smiled broadly, bursting out in laughter and bending because it was too much. Surprised she found anything funny because she was so annoyed about the whole ordeal. "Oh, you poor thing. I'm sorry," she said when she finally had control over herself again, wiping wetness from her cheeks. "I had no idea."
He was slightly embarrassed now. "I didn't want to upset you."
She shook her head. "I wasn't exactly open about tutoring Jacob."
He took one step, then walked all the way to her when she didn't step back. He held her as if she had been gone for far too long. "You didn't have to be. I don't know about the other kids you tutor and I don't need to. We don't always have to know what's happening with the other when we're away. As long as we're honest with each other when problems arise, we'll be fine."
"You're difficult to stay upset with."
"Good! I'm glad."
He sat on the grass, bringing her willing body down with him as their lips found each other.
"I love you," he murmured after he tugged her bottom lip between his.
She sighed, melting inch by inch, much more aroused than she should be in a place for families to gather and children to play. "I love you too."
They barely managed to pull themselves away from each other to leave and find a more private place, which ended up being Edward's house. They weren't able to get too far, because Carlisle and Esme showed up earlier than they were supposed to.
It was almost funny to see how fast they could dress and tidy up the room as Edward put a movie playing at the middle as if they'd been watching that all along and not doing other things he was sure would be just grand to have to explain to them.