And so we're running just as fast as we can
Holdin' onto one another's hand
Tryin' to get away into the night
And then you put your arms around me
And we tumble to the ground and then you say

I think we're alone now
There doesn't seem to be anyone around
I think we're alone now
The beating of our hearts is the only sound

I Think We're Alone Now - Tommy James & The Shondells

Another promise broken. First, she promised to leave him and the pack in peace if he came home alive. That one was broken twice. Second, she promised that if she saw him again, she would maintain complete control over herself. That promise barely lasted ten seconds. And lastly, she promised that she would not let herself fall any deeper in love with him. She should have known better than to make such a deal when it could only shatter into a thousand pieces.

The war raging inside her mind showed no sign of abating. One side was elated. It was raising her up again, her heart finally sated by relief and the moment's bliss of being with him again. The other side tethered her to the earth, the shame of her indiscretion and anger towards her circumstances weighing her down like ballast. There was only one promise left that she had not yet broken, the one that haunted her the most: her promise to marry Edward.

As was her custom, she avoided the issue by throwing herself back into school and work. Despite the shorter term, school was churning along at a snail's pace, which felt like a deliberate move by the cosmos to punish her. The ring moved back and forth between her finger and her neck, the former when working to help fend off some of her customers at the shop, and the latter when trying to fend off everyone else. But with the date now set, there was no way she could continue to put everyone off. Things like the church, the flowers, and the cake were very easy to hand off to her future mother-in-law, but there was one torturous process that would unfortunately require her physical presence and input.

"Turn around. Alright, now the other way. Hmmm..."

They were 45 minutes into it, and Bella was already itching to escape through the bathroom window. Esme, Alice, and Rosalie had all but kidnapped her so they could spend the afternoon watching her walk back and forth in dozens of tulle and satin confections while conveniently ignoring her protests. Alice and Esme were a deadly combination in this regard, and she could see the day going off the rails far sooner than expected. Rose, on the other hand, was as cool and composed as ever, studying the candidates as they appeared, but offering little else.

"Could we try something shorter?" Bella asked, holding the hem of her skirt up past her ankles. She hadn't been getting anywhere on the hemline issue thus far. Esme shook her head.

"Shorter would be too casual for an evening wedding."

"But we also need to keep her upright," Alice countered.

"I don't know...The reception is formal, which means floor length."

"She's too small," Rose interjected. "All these big skirts would overwhelm her frame. Besides, shorter dresses are very 'in' right now."

"Is that right?"

"It's in all the magazines," Alice agreed.

"Hmmm...Alright then, let's give it a try.

Bella gave a quick sigh of relief, earning a coy smile from Rose. She was proving to be more of an ally in this than expected, though she suspected that it came from a lesson learned the hard way. In fact, the more time she spent around her sister-to-be, the more she came to like her. The result of her benevolent intervention was a tea-length number of blindingly white taffeta, the only thing in the room that could be whiter than her skin. The bodice was neatly fitted with half-length sleeves and a thin, very starched bow that adorned the belt around her waist. The crinolines made the skirt swing around as she moved, and would be one less thing to trip over. After much insistence from her comrades to reassure Esme that the dress was very chic, she was won over, and loathe as she was to admit it, Bella was as well.

"Here, we have to see what it looks like all together!" Alice chirped, dancing over from the rack and placing a wide veil on her head.

Bella stared into the full-length mirror, but she did not recognize the girl looking back. She looked more like a ghost than a person, shrouded in white with her face obscured, like something the Bronte sisters would have cooked up. It made her look more grown-up than she had ever been, which was an odd thing to think about herself, a 21 year old woman. She might have looked the part, but she somehow felt more like a child wearing a costume. This would have been a minority opinion however, as the jury had clearly already settled on the verdict.

"You look beautiful, Bella!" Esme gushed, plucking something from a tiny bottle in her purse and popping it into her mouth. "Like a bride!"

I suppose I do.

The phone rang for her nightly call with Edward. They were short and sweet, and on his honor, punctual.

"How was dress shopping with the ladies?"

"Good. They helped me pick something out. Your mother said it just needs to be taken in a little, so she set up a fitting next week."

"I hope they went easy on you," he chuckled sympathetically. "I know how my mom gets about these kinds of things. Did Alice help keep her in line?"

"Actually, Rose was my knight in shining armor this time."

"Really?" he said, his voice tinted with skepticism.

"Really. Mrs. Cullen had her heart set on a big poofy skirt with a train, but Rose managed to talk her out of it. Now I won't break my neck halfway down the aisle."

"Wow, I'm so glad you two are getting along. I think she always wanted a sister, but she got stuck with me instead." His tone and his choice of words struck her as odd; Not serious, but also serious.

"Edward, nobody feels 'stuck' with you, Rose included."

"Of course, of course," he replied quickly. "Oops, I'm sorry Isabella. I need to go a little early. I have an 8am meeting tomorrow and I need to finish preparing."

"Oh...Sure, that's fine. I'll talk to you tomorrow, then?" He sucked air through his teeth.

"I'm afraid I can't talk tomorrow night either. Here, we'll just add the extra time to my tab for Friday, how does that sound?"

"Okay."

"Perfect. I'll talk to you then. Goodnight, Bella."

"Goodnight."

Deja vu. As she settled into her room for the night, she found her thoughts loitering around the same memories from last summer. Edward was gone almost all the time again. When she heard from him, it was truncated and uneventful, as if sticking to the set schedule would make up for everything else. And then, it was all about his plans, plans for the wedding, for the apartment, for the move, everything. Nothing about Edward was here or now. Always a few paces ahead, and she grew tired from trying to keep up.

Making matters worse was how she felt, or rather didn't feel. That spark, the wink that came with the smile, was missing. The reason was not lost on her, and it was becoming even more troublesome every day. Perhaps this was the price of self-sabotage, all for one more taste of the only thing that made her feel alive.

These thoughts annoyed her. Tossing off the blankets, she consulted her bookshelf for something to settle her mind enough to sleep. She pulled out a well-worn volume to examine it's cover.

Tap tap tap.

The interruption made her jump, sending her book clattering to the floor. Tiptoeing to the window, she drew back the curtain to discover a pair of eyes looking back at her from the branches. She clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a squeal of fright. On the other side of the glass was Jake, wearing a hopeful smile. Still jittery from the shock, she fumbled with the lock, finally flicking it open and raising the window to meet him.

"Hey," he said in a low whisper.

"Hey."

"Can I come in?"

She hesitated, looking back at her bedroom door before nodding silently and moving aside. His dexterity was not as she remembered it. Though the thick muscles of his arms were more than ready to support his weight, he still struggled. He had nearly pulled himself up onto the sill when his hand faltered, and he slipped. She leapt forth and grabbed his hand, pulling him up with all her might, until he found his feet again in her room.

But she didn't let go. She gazed down as his massive hand, transfixed and dismayed by the three fingers she found there.

"Yeah," he said.

She turned it over, tracing circles in his palm with her thumb. His little finger and ring finger were gone, the first completely and the second only a nub between his palm and where his first knuckle should have been.

"It's alright," he murmured. He took her hand with his other, forcing her to stare no longer. "You're up late." She shrugged.

"Couldn't sleep."

"Me neither."

"Do you...want to sit?" she offered, guiding him over to the rug beside her bed. "I'll put on a record if you want. Your pick."

"Something new." He lowered himself down slowly, wincing and carefully favoring one side. "I haven't heard anything new in a long time."

While she fingered through her collection in search of a good candidate, she observed him from the corner of her vision. Barely concealing his weariness, he rested against the bed, his eyes wandering around her room in search of nothing in particular.

"Your old man home?"

"No, he's on a night shift. He'll be back in the morning." She made her selection and trotted over to the floor beside him, deciding to keep the volume low, just in case.

Despite the underlying tension, Jacob's presence had already put her at ease. His smile was no longer as effortless as she remembered, and it made her heart ache. If only she could fix it. If only things could be sweet and simple again.

"I'm graduating soon." He whistled.

"Damn, isn't that really early?"

"I took extra classes while yo-during the year." She swallowed. "I'm taking the summer semester now. I'll be done in two weeks."

"Wow, you're still the same giant nerd I remember," he said with a teasing smile.

That was better. A real smile. It was contagious. She stuck out her tongue.

"And you're still the same ass I remember." He chuckled, amused and unbothered by her jabs as always. "What's it like being back?"

"Loud," he replied. "Being inside all day is killing me. Even just walking down to the corner store for smokes is like a Hawaiian vacation. I know they mean well and all, but the noise and their constant hovering makes me want to put my head through a wall."

"Can you go to the shop?"

"I have a couple times. I'm not totally healed up just yet, so there isn't much I can do. Even if I could, things aren't the same there anymore. Leah and Sethy are handling things just fine on their own, and without Jared…" He squeezed his eyes shut, carefully controlling his breathing. "Well, everybody's figured out how to get along without me."

"I haven't."

"I'm sorry, Bells," he murmured, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "I never should have left."

She had no interest in being proven right, nor in punishing him when they had both been punished so thoroughly as it was. The sadness in his eyes, even when he laughed, was unbearable. Her visions of the future had already become obscured, as if caught in a sudden rolling fog, and as that former certainty waned, the deeper desires of her heart were starting to become clear.

"Where do you think we'd be now if you hadn't?"

"Right now?" he asked, one side of his mouth curled upwards with mischief. "Probably skinny dipping off Second Beach and getting eaten by sharks."

Immediately, her cheeks became hot. Memories of his wolfish smirk, his teasing, his shameless flirting, were all coming back to her now, along with the stuttering heartbeat that they would elicit. She had been too sheltered before to appreciate how good it felt.

"Then why aren't we?"

"Getting eaten by sharks?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.

"No."

He blinked.

Why did I say that? You're not supposed to just blurt out whatever pops into your head. What was I thinking?

Her train of thought was broken by an ear-to-ear grin, the kind reserved exclusively for bad ideas that one should never give to the Quileute boys, and carefully rose to his feet.

"Meet me outside in two minutes."

This was crazy. She was crazy. It was late, almost pitch black outside. Who knew when Charlie would be home? The whole idea was stupid, dangerous, irresponsible, and more than a little dirty, and it sounded so, so good. She flung off her pajamas, hopping into the first pair of shorts she could find and yanking a shirt over her head. The shoes were barely on her feet when she climbed aboard Jake's bike. From that moment on, she decided to spare herself the rigamarole of trying to talk herself out of this, of trying to justify any of this to anyone. Tonight, she chose to be happy.

She stumbled over sand and stones with Jake's hand clasped tightly around hers, their eyes unaccustomed to the darkness, laughing together as they followed the sound of waves. They abandoned their clothes on the driftwood while the half moon watched, slowly revealing them under its gaze. He took off for the water first, the smooth muscles of his back shifting and flexing as he ran. Jacob was unfathomably, unquestionably, beautiful. To think, she might have never had another opportunity to admire him in his entirety if not for the privacy the night offered her. He could not tease her for staring or stealing glances, but would finally have to submit to being the coveted instead of the coveter.

"Bells! Come on!"

The last of it hit the ground. A hot summer breeze rolling off the ocean caressed every inch of her skin, the most free, the most herself she could possibly be. Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice. He could see her, and she could see him, but to her surprise, she was unafraid. She crashed into the surf, squealing and giggling as she was assaulted by the icy salt water. He teased her for being a wimp. She splashed him in the face. He splashed back. It was easy. It was Jacob.

"Jake, there aren't actually sharks in La Push, right?"

"What, are you scared, Florida?"

"I'm just asking!"

"No," he laughed. "We haven't seen sharks out here in-Ah!"

He slipped completely into the water with feigned shock, as if he were being dragged under. She rolled her eyes.

"Okay, ha-ha. Very funny. Now-"

A pair of hands seized her by the ankles, making her shriek as she was plunged below. Even after being released, she flailed about, blindly searching for the way up, until her fingertips brushed across something warm and smooth. Before she could think, his arms wrapped around her waist and hoisted her back to the surface.

"Dammit, Jacob!"

She was close enough to see the bemused smirk on his face, a deep laugh rumbling in his throat. In fact, she was very close. It was a moment before she realized that the reason she wasn't quaking from the cold was because she was completely enveloped by his unnatural warmth. The beating of her heart was so fast that she wondered if I might give out. Chest to chest. Skin to skin. Every point of contact was burning, fueling the fire she could feel growing from deep within. Draping her arms around his shoulders, she pulled him closer and closer until she could feel his heartbeat against her own. She could almost taste his ragged breaths on her tongue. He licked his lips.

"Bella."

The husky whisper of her name was what did her in. She dove in, hungrily crushing her mouth onto his. Just short of a year of waiting, hoping, praying, all coming out in one explosive burst. There was something painfully delicious in the way his breath hitched, the way his fingers tangled in her wet hair, that sent any lingering doubts or self control she might have had out the window.

"God, I missed you so much," rasped in her ear, his lips quickly descending her throat.

Free hands roamed with no boundaries, scorching everything they touched. She could scarcely come up for air, but maybe she didn't want to. What better way to go was there than to drown in Jacob Black? Her frozen legs wrapped around his waist, making him groan. This was it. This was what she wanted. Jacob. Her Jacob. The only man her heart could ever beat for. The only one who could ever have every piece of her. He was hers, and then, with gasps and clenched fingers, she was his.

It was so much more than she could have imagined, and so different, and yet it was still perfect. Breathless from the exertion, he rested his forehead to hers, never once looking away. Coasting down from this high was making it hard to think about anything but the constant desire to touch him. She lazily played with his hair, floating, enjoying the calm and the quiet that never once felt uncomfortable when they were together. How happy was it possible for one person to be, even one who had to be dredged up from the depths of hopelessness? Their hearts were still pounding like drums when she nudged him into another kiss. It was slow and soft, the exact opposite of the attention she so greedily demanded just moments ago, and it was perfect too. Because of course it was.

"Hey Jake?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

He took her face into his hands to kiss her yet again.

"I love you too," he murmured. "More than anything."

That was all she needed to hear. The rough waters churning in her heart relaxed into soft swaying ripples.

"Stay with me."

He stroked her cheek with his thumb, his adoring gaze making her sigh contentedly.

"Always, Bells."

A/N: Hi everyone! I'm off the good stuff and back in business. We're very close to the end now, though that doesn't mean getting there will be easy.

As always, thanks for reading! Please leave a review if you like the story. It helps me a lot.

UPDATE: There is now an official playlist for My Guy on Spotify! It includes every song featured in the story, plus some honorable mentions that never made the final cut. It's in chronological order with the chapters. I'd love for you to check it out!

Just search "My Guy - Void Senpai"