Chapter 5

inspired by the verse 'dancing round the kitchen in the refrigerator light' in all too well 10 minute version by tswift!
hope you enjoy :)

In the silence of the night, she suddenly heard someone whisper her name to her right.

"Bella!"

Bella whipped around, glass clutched to her chest, heart beating fast. She breathed a sigh of relief as her eyes adjusted to the dim shadows after staring into the glaring light of the refrigerator.

"What the actual…heck are you doing, Jacob?"

"Couldn't sleep. And you were making so much noise down here I had to make sure it wasn't a robber," he said, winking at her. He caught sight of the blue carton on the kitchen counter and wrinkled his nose. "Don't tell me you were about to drink milk at this time of night, Bells."

Bella straightened up, slightly offended. Milk was one of her favourite drinks. "And what if I was?"

"Embry says people who like milk were made in a lab," he teased, sitting down on one of the stools beside her. He squinted closer. "And it's skim?! Ew. I thought you had more taste than that."

"Yeah well, it was in your house. 'sides, it strengthens your bones. Calcium and all that. And I'm pretty sure it's good for your eyesight. You should've tried it out at six years old," Bella challenged, trying to remember more facts she had learned about nutrition in 6th grade.

Jacob ignored her last jab. "I don't need to grow taller," he said, patting his chest. "You, however…"

He might be right about that, but "Hey, I'm not that short."

Jacob grinned slightly, getting up from his seat. Then before she could resist, he took her hand and spun her around in a half-circle.

"What do you think you're doing?" she hissed, gently wrenching free. She motioned to the grandfather clock in the corner of the room, as if it was spying on them like a silent owl. "It's literally midnight," she told him, lowering her voice to a hushed whisper.

"Dance with me," he said, a cheeky little smile plastered across his face.

As she took a step back, Bella couldn't help but notice how the single stream of bright light cast shadows that shrouded his bone structure, highlighting the regal bridge of his nose. She tried to ignore his lingering gaze and, for once, a hint of sincerity in his eyes.

She considered his offer for another moment. Then, "Fine."

The waltz, the two-step, a mangled version of the polka. They danced around the kitchen in front of the open refrigerator, spotlighted by its cool light. He held her a comfortable distance away as the two of them twirled about, their clothes acting as fuzzy shields against the chilly air. Bella hadn't been in such close proximity with another person since the times her and Edward used to lay in the meadow gazing at nothing but each other, both entranced in their lavender haze. All of a sudden she realized that she had almost forgotten what being that near to another person felt like.

As expected, Bella had two left feet, but Jacob proved to be surprisingly graceful, leading her in strong, fluid motions, laughing quietly and occasionally tripping over a stool. Bella even pulled out some ballet moves she had picked up from the couple of years she attended Mimi's dance studio in Phoenix.

"My mom made me go to classes for ages," she explained, seeing Jacob's mouth gape open as she attempted a pirouette. Those months of training could only stay with her so long though, and any elegance bade her farewell as she knocked into the corner of the table. Hearing the muffled laughter coming from the direction of Jacob, Bella could feel her cheeks rapidly heat up. "Hey, I used to be pretty good, alright?"

"Whatever you say," Jacob grinned, offering his hand toward her crumpled form.

Bella looked at his outstretched palm warily. It was already enough physical contact for one day, she decided, standing up and dusting herself off.

Jacob didn't seem to be offended by her minor rejection at all. "I should probably get back to bed," he admitted solemnly. "I'll leave you to drink your…poison."

Bella looked at him. Then she poured herself more milk until the cup was filled to the brim with froth and chugged it in defiance. Jacob stuck his tongue out, gagging.

"It's good. You should try it," she insisted.

"Over my dead body."

Bella laughed and watched him walk back to the stairs. Suddenly, reality hit her like a train. She sobered up as she realized how much she despised being alone. She couldn't go back to that suffocating, oppressive darkness. She didn't know if she could stand one more night envisioning Edward's marble face smeared with blood. Her blood.

Before Bella could thoroughly think through her idea and restrain herself from making such a rash decision, she called out to him.

"Jacob, wait."

He turned around, a question in his eyes.

Somehow, Bella found the confidence to continue with her request. "I would never usually ask this of you but…I've been having really bad nightmares recently and I was wondering…well… I always feel safer when someone's with me in the room, so...can you stay with me?" she blurted out. "Just for a little while, at least," she added, in case he was terribly caught off guard. But she had some feeling he wouldn't be.

Like she had expected, he understood immediately. "Sure."

Bella stared at her empty glass as he went back upstairs to grab a blanket and pillow. She knew she sounded unbelievably selfish, even to herself. Why oh why did she have to ask that of him? He didn't deserve to be dragged down with her personal messes.

He didn't seem to mind though. He seemed even eager to oblige. Should she question that? Bella didn't know.

He reappeared downstairs, blanket in one hand, fluffy pillow in another. Snuggled under the nook of his armpit was a stuffed giraffe.

"It's Seth's," he said sheepishly as an answer to her hidden smile. "He said I'd get in trouble if I didn't take good care of it."

"Sure."

"Laugh and I swear I'll never forgive you," he vowed, pretending to glare at her.

"Hey, I would never," Bella said.

He draped the blanket over the carpet and flopped down like a rag doll, covering his head with his pillow. Bella couldn't help but hope he didn't suffocate as she drained her glass in the sink and went back to the couch.

"Night, Jake."

"G'night, Bells."

With Bella's return to bed, new thoughts sprung into her mind as well.

Was it weird that she had asked him to stay with her? Surely not— he was her best friend after all. But wasn't it the slightest bit questionable: the two of them alone in a room together during practically the middle of the night? But no. It wasn't like that. Not at all.

Bella tried to distract herself from the rabbit trail her mind had taken, searching for other things to focus on. She zeroed in on the sound of Jacob's snores seconds later, trying to tell whether they were authentic or not. Listening intently, she became immersed by the slow pattern with which his chest rose and fell. She tried to match it, and after several rounds she grew drowsier and drowsier, her heavy lids finally drooping shut.

And for once, next to the steady rhythm of Jacob's breathing, she slept peacefully.

arent they just so cuteee
lemme know what you think of the story so far! thank you!