As I walked out of the school after rehearsal, I noticed there were four cars left in the lot. Mine, of course. Each of the director's. And Bella's. Concerned, I walked up to her driver's side window and knocked gently. As the window rolled down, my concern turned to sheer panic as I saw the bags under her eyes and the thin sheen of sweat on her forehead. "Bella, what's wrong?" I asked in a whisper. Her eyes closed.
"I have a migraine. I don't know if I can drive home." I stood up. She really shouldn't drive home, I thought. She could crash. And where would I be without her? I knew the answer to that. Dead, dead and miserable. After about a minute of thought, I texted a friend of mine. She groaned at my bright screen. He and his girlfriend were on their way. He would drive my car, she would drive his, and I would drive Bella.
"Bella, dear, I'm going to go sit in my car until the directors leave. What we're about to do is a tad...around the rules." She nodded slightly. Poor angel barely knew what was going on. I went to my car. Luckily they were parked closely enough I could watch her. It took about ten minutes for the directors to leave, and 5 minutes after that, my friend Quil arrived with his Claire.
"hey, man. What's up?" He looked at Bella's car. "Wait, is that a student? A minor?" the panic in his eyes was obvious. Claire was also clearly uneasy. "She turned 18 last week," I whispered. "Quil, I...I need this. I love her so much. I tried not to. I pushed it down. I created distance. But it hurt. I don't even care if she wants me. I'll be whatever she wants me to be, as long as I can be hers. Surely you understand," I pleaded, glancing at Claire. She seemed moved by my speech, as if she understood. Quil looked at her foe guidance, and after a solemn nod, agreed. "We'll get your car home."
I walked slowly to her car. My beautiful angel was resting her perfect face against the cool leather of her steering wheel. I longed to hold her, to tell her everything would be alright. For a moment I allowed myself to imagine kissing her supple lips. I shook it off quickly. "Bella do you need help out of your seat?" After no response, I grew worried, and checked to make sure she was breathing. She was. Realizing my angel was just asleep, I slowly slid an arm under her knees and around her waist and for 30 perfect seconds, I was holding her.
I shook her awake. "I'm going to drive you home." A nod, and then I pulled her seatbelt over her. Closing her door gently, I made my way to the driver's side. The seat was farther forward than I can use. Once the car was started, she seemed to awaken slightly. I drove out of the lot and to the first stop sign. "Bella, I need directions."
"please don't take me home," she begged. "My family... They don't believe in migraines. They'll make loud noises. It will hurt so fucking bad." Agony. That was the look on her face and the feeling in my chest. My darling needed me. and I couldn't provide foe her. But why not? Nobody needed to know. There was no school tomorrow. Her parents didn't care about her. The more I thought about it, the more I could justify it. "Do you want to come home with me?" I whispered. A dream come true. "Yes."
After about a half hour of driving, we arrived at my apartment. It was on the ground floor, so I only had to support her for a few minutes as she stumbled through the halls. I mumbled about needing pepto as a way of assuring passerby that I wasn't kidnapping her. Once she was in my apartment, she fell into the couch and promptly fell asleep. I went to make a snack for six pouring her a large, cold, glass of water. "Bella, honey, can you eat or drink anything?" I begged, wanting to heal her so badly.
She woke up, took the water and started to gulp. Then a few bites of food. After just a couple minutes I noticed the blush returning to her cheeks, and her eyes were more focused. And they were focused on me with an intensity I had never seen before. "Bella are you ok?" I whispered. I leaned forward slightly, accidentally within range of her sweet scent. All I wanted in that moment was to scoop her up and rush her to my bedroom. My beautiful angel, who I could hold and love for all time...but alas. She was sick. And definitely didn't feel the same about me. Unless...
As she leaned forward, I groaned. She was within reach now. There was nothing I could have done.I fell on my knees. "Bella, my angel, my darling, have me. I'm yours. I've been yours since the moment we met. Kiss me, do what you will with me, just please and my torment, please indulge me in your perfection." I laid my head in her lap, feeling ashamed of my declaration. I didn't want to frighten her. She was stuck here now. I should have done this differently - later - and definitely not at all.
That entire train of thought ended as she eased my head up, ran a thumb over my lips, and then closed her eyes. "Mr. Black, please kiss me." How could I deny perfection? As I pressed my lips to hers, my world changed. Gravity no longer existed, only Bella. My hands found their way into her rich brown hair. The gentlest of first kisses, and then a moment of air, before she rested her forehead against mine.
"please, call me Jacob."