That night, Jacob was on duty, with Paul and Seth patrolling their own area several dozen miles away.

Jacob was racing. He was running as fast as he could, relishing the wind whistling in his ears and the feeling of pure freedom he experienced whenever he was in his wolf form. He loved being in that form, and ever since Bella had left him to walk back into the arms of...

He let out an angry growl and quickened his already lightning pace.

Ever since Bella was less often with him, he spent most of his time in his wild form, only bothering to shift back when he visited his father. Or when he wanted to go and talk to Bella, like he had done earlier that day. Thinking of that conversation brought up another, much less painful memory in his mind.

Paul's reaction was immediate:

"Damn Jacob, who the heck is that ?"

"Shut up," Jacob immediately replied. To his surprise, Paul did. But it took Jacob only a few seconds to figure out why.

"You idiot, stop digging in my head!"

"Too late," Paul replied triumphantly. "Man, this is so unfair. How is it that you always come across the tastiest bits? Lucky bastard. You have no idea how I wish I'd been the one whose engine she fixed…"

"Honestly Paul, it's getting old," sighed Seth. "Could you maybe refrain from acting like a jackass just once in a while?"

Paul snorted.

"Oh cut the crap, Seth. You saw it too, didn't you? That girl is so yummy I can barely stand it. I mean, look at the size of her..."

"I said shut up, Paul!" roared Jacob in a furious bark. He wasn't in the mood to put up with that moron's crappy sense of humour. "I swear, if you say one more word I will make sure that you and your private parts are in no condition to find any girl attractive, ever. Do I make myself clear?"

Paul let out a little sneer but didn't reply. Stubborn and insufferable most of the time, he at least knew when it was time to back off. Good for him, because at his current level of frustration, Jacob wasn't entirely sure that his threats were empty.

The three wolves remained silent for a few minutes.

It was Seth, finally, who spoke again.

"I must admit though, I've rarely seen a girl with that kind of skills. And it was rather nice of her to stop and help a complete stranger."

Jacob didn't say anything but deep down, he agreed with Seth. Yes, she had been really nice - or maybe just reckless - to stop on a deserted road to help a young man. And since said young man's massive biceps housed enough strength to shatter human bones like toothpicks... Yeah. Utterly cocky and reckless.

"Um... Jacob?" It was Seth again. "Sorry to intrude, but I'm not sure of what I just saw. Did you really leave... like that? Without even a 'thank you' ?"

Again, Jacob didn't respond. The little pang of shame that had been dozing in his belly all day suddenly awoke, stronger than ever.

Oh, yes, that's exactly what he did. After the girl had fixed his car battery, he had just stared at her for a few instants. Then, wordlessly, he'd got back in his car, switched the ignition on, and had driven off. Even then, he had known that his reaction was inappropriate. There wasn't even an excuse for it; he had simply been caught off guard at a moment that he was feeling vulnerable, and, taken aback, he had simply decided to flee. Shame crushed him once again. What a coward.

Paul and Seth seemed to be thinking exactly the same thing.

"Dude, with all due respect, you really owe that girl an apology," Seth said.

"And I really owe you a good kick in the ass," Paul added in a disgusted tone.

Jacob sighed. There was nothing to respond to that, they were absolutely right. He thought again of the large, deep-blue eyes and the delicate eyebrows frowned in wonder when he had left without a word.

"Yeah, I owe her one," he finally said, resigned. Then, unable to help himself, he added with a faint inward smile:

"After all, it took her about two seconds to figure out that my car's mechanic is exceptional. Any girl would deserve a bouquet just for that alone."

(***)

A few hours later, a dull dawn slowly casting the first glimmers of a greyish light marked the end of the patrol for the three wolves.

When he reached the bush behind which he had hidden a pair of jeans, Jacob reluctantly shifted. He had come to hate leaving his wolf form. Taking back his human form meant taking on the whole package that came with it, all those feelings, those damn emotions that faded somewhat in his wild form only to come back tenfold as soon as he stood on two legs again. If he could, he wouldn't have bothered to change into a human at all. But some responsibilities in Jacob's life were impossible to ignore. Starting with his father.

When he stepped through the threshold of their little house, everything was silent. Billy was probably still asleep, which wasn't surprising considering the very late - or rather very early - hour that Jacob was coming home.

He went straight up to his room and, without even bothering to undress, fell on his bed.

He lay on his back with his arms folded behind his neck and yawned heavily. He was exhausted. Impossible to remember the last time he'd had a real good night of sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he kept seeing the same person over and over again. And when he did manage to fall asleep... Hell, he'd rather stay awake a thousand times and suffer the constant lack of sleep than watch helplessly the scenes playing out in his dreams. Bella, lying on a bed, her limbs intimately intertwined with those of the vampire. Eyes closed, lips parted, and a name on her lips, a name that she would sight then moan hoarsely, pleading… Not Jacob's name. Never his name. And when he'd wake up, his heart hammering in his chest, he'd be in such fury that he'd have no other choice but to shift and let the wolf race in the night, running for hours until exhaustion would finally overcome the burning rage. So he slept only for short periods of time, when his body simply wouldn't function for another minute without resting for a bit.

Jacob took a deep breath and stared at the ceiling of his room, forcing his thoughts onto something else. He let his mind drift, until he started to recall the events that had occurred a few hours earlier and came to think once again about that girl who had identified his car's problem with rare skill.

In spite of himself, a small smile curved his lips as he remembered the girl's appreciative reaction when she'd leaned over the hood. What girl was actually able to assess the power of an engine at first glance? Come to think of it, the girl had not only praised the performance of the equipment, she had immediately noticed that the engine installed by Jacob was not the original one. He shook his head in bewilderment. Unbelievable.

(***)

When he opened his eyes again, only two hours had passed. He got up with a slight grunt, and quickly put on a white T-shirt and the old pair of black sneakers that was gathering dust under his bed. The day before, his father had asked him to go shopping at the downtown supermarket. And he was definitively in no mood to meet the incredulous stares and the bewildered comments that his bare feet and wide bare chest would inevitably cause.

He made his way down the flight of stairs, waved goodbye to his father who was drinking a cup of coffee in the kitchen and went straight to the garage to get his car. It was now missing a whole window, and the hood latch had to be replaced as well. Good, Jacob thought bitterly as he sat behind the wheel. Things being what they were, he welcomed with open arms anything that would keep him busy and distracted, preventing him from pacing like a caged wolf.

(***)

A real deluge was pouring down on the city. Large drops of icy water flooded the streets, instantly soaking up all those among the people of Forks who had been dumb enough to go out without an umbrella. Naturally, Jacob was one of them.

He cursed through his teeth and closed the trunk of his car - now overflowing with all kinds of groceries- then hurried to the driver's side door. But then, he hesitated. He'd just spotted Billy's favourite store a few yards away, a chocolate shop selling hazelnut pralines that the respectable patriarch absolutely adored. Jacob was well aware that he had hardly been a ray of sunshine lately, and his father had been incredibly patient through all of it. A small gift would be more than deserved. Jacob locked his car and swiftly walked the short distance to the shop.

When he arrived in front of the glass door, he tried to push it open, and failed. The door was locked.

Jacob closed his eyes, silently imploring Kaheleha, Taha Aki, and every other spirit chiefs that had ever walked Earth to give him the strength not to smash that door into tiny pieces. It was one o'clock on a freaking Saturday. What dumb-ass shopkeeper would choose this particular moment to leave?

He opened his eyes, and spotted a small white sign hastily taped on the door. Only two short sentences were written on it:

Temporarily closed. Back in 5 minutes.

Jacob threw both arms in the air in disbelief.

"And writing that you'll be back in five minutes won't do any good if you don't say what time you left, asshole!" he shouted against the closed door.

All right, then. Sighting heavily, he leaned against the wall, crossing his arms on his broad chest, and waited. At this point, five more minutes under a torrential rain would not change much.

Twenty minutes later, he was still waiting.

"A wet T-shirt contest in Forks, outdoors and in the middle of the day? Ouch. I hate to break it to you, but I don't think this is actually going to happen."

Jacob recognized the voice immediately. He turned his head towards it, without moving the rest of his body.

It was her. She was dressed differently, wearing a navy-blue raincoat that brought out the colour of her eyes, and she was holding a huge red umbrella that sheltered her from the worst of the rain. But the teasing, dimpled smile was exactly the same than the day before.

This time Jacob didn't hesitate to answer, feeling amused by the witty greeting. Arms still crossed, he retorted:

"Not true at all. The contest already happened, and needless to say, I won. Now I am just basking in my glory and enjoying myself. Feels pretty nice."

The girl pursed her lips, amusement glinting in her dark eyes.

"Look at that," she said, "I am impressed. And here I was, assuming that you'd forgotten your sense of humour at home, right next to your umbrella."

Jacob bit back a smile.

"Impossible," he replied. He touched his temple with the index finger. "It's an option that's part of the engine, always has been. First-rate sense of humour, the likes of which is rarely seen."

"I see. Perhaps you should consider doing a little maintenance once in a while, it would be good for the engine. And if you come across a loose screw that you can't tighten, feel free to ask, big guy. I'd be happy to do it for you."

Jacob stared at her, dumbfounded. Had this girl he had met only once before just... mocked him?

A grin slowly began to spread on his face. Boy, the nerve of that girl.

"My name is Jacob. And thank you for the offer, I might take you up on it someday."

Her smile grew, while the rain kept falling in a steady downpour.

"Jacob? That's a nice name. Although I do think that 'big guy' suits you well, too."

"I must agree with you on that. By all means, call me by whatever name you want, Dimples."

She let out a soft chuckle and took a few steps in his direction, raising her arms slightly until her umbrella sheltered them both. She tilted her head back until she met his gaze.

"Now," she smiled, "More comfortable, isn't it ?"

Jacob looked down at her. Up close and under the shelter of the umbrella, the rain no longer affected his sense of smell. She smelled fresh and sweet, like the scent of a berry that Jacob occasionally picked up while running through the forest in his wild form.

She handed him the umbrella.

"Will you hold this for me a moment?"

Without thinking, Jacob grabbed the wooden handle she was handing him. Immediately, she held out her right hand.

"I'm Alendra."

Jacob felt another real, genuine smile stretch his lips. Damn, within ten minutes of conversation that girl had managed to make him smile more often than in the past ten weeks of his life. He took the hand stretched out in front of him in his much larger one. The girl's palm was soft and cool against his burning skin.

"Nice to meet you," he said with complete sincerity.

She gave him a bright smile, then looked to the left and frowned slightly.

"Ah, looks like my ride just arrived. Time for me to go."

Jacob followed her gaze. A bus was approaching at such a ridiculously slow pace that he couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"I don't know where you live, but I think it's safe to say that you'd probably get there sooner if you walk home."

She laughed too.

"I live on Pacific Lane only three blocks away, so you're probably right. Though I don't know about you, but I'd feel like walking today, not swimming." She winked at him.

The rest happened quickly. Before Jacob had a chance to say anything back, she let out a cheerful "Nice to meet you, Jacob! Until next time!" before running towards the bus. She rushed between the open doors of the vehicle, her hair soaked by the rain.

At the sight of her dripping hair, Jacob raised his gaze above his head and realized two things.

The first thing he realized was that he hadn't offered the girl a single word of apology.

The second one was that he was still holding her red umbrella in his hands. She had left it to him. On purpose.