~!~

Twelve years later

"Bella, pleeeeeaseeeee?" Jake cajoled over the phone. "Pleeeeease, come with me. I promise I'll never ask you for anything ever again."

I was late for work, and it was my morning to bring the donuts. Letting out a huff, I bustled around the apartment, looking for my car keys.

"You don't need a chaperone to go on a date," I responded in exasperation. "Are you afraid he'll roofie you or something? If that's the case, get out now."

My OCD kicked in, and I walked to the bathroom to ensure I had unplugged my hair straightener before jogging back to the living room to continue the search for my keys.

"I just want you to meet him," he said quickly. "I want you to tell me what kind of vibe you get."

I stopped short, and my defenses went up.

"You know I don't do that," I snapped. "How should I know if this Emmett person is a good guy or a bad guy? Don't put that on me."

When I'd confided in Jake that day in my teenage bedroom, I had been on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Some days I didn't even want to leave the house; too afraid of what I'd see. I'd sworn him to secrecy and spent the next few years trying to block it all out.

It wasn't easy and took a lot of trial and error, but by the time I went to college, I could successfully keep it at bay. And while Jake often told me I'd changed when I shut down what he liked to call my 'gift', I knew I'd never go back. As far as I was concerned, it was a curse, and I didn't want anything to do with it. It scared me, and if I had become closed off, well, in my estimation, that was a small price to pay.

But I would argue I wasn't closed off. I was even engaged once - that should count for something. Tyler and I dated for two years, and when he proposed, I thought it was what I wanted. Sometimes he would complain that I kept him at a distance, but I didn't see it that way. I ended things quickly when I caught him in bed with our wedding planner, and while Jake was entirely on my side during the entire fiasco, I couldn't help but feel he agreed with Tyler to some extent, which made me uncomfortable.

Was I detached? Did I drive men away because I wouldn't let them in?

I brushed the idea aside as having no merit. No, the problem wasn't me. I was fine; better than fine. The problem lay with my cheating fiancé. It had nothing to do with me shutting down my so-called "gift," and Jake knew better than to ask me to open that channel again.

"What happens if I tell you he's sunshine and rainbows, and then you end up being cut up into little pieces and buried in his backyard, huh?" I said in annoyance as the great key crusade continued.

"I won't be responsible for that."

"Not everything is a true crime documentary, Bella. You need to get out more."

I cringed, knowing he was probably right.

"I just need your support," he continued. "It's the first time I'm going to meet his family, and I want someone with me. I told you, it's just a fall festival at his farm. It'll be casual; lots of people around. It's hayrides and pumpkin picking - stuff like that. Come on, Bells, what would Jesus in the window do?"

I smiled wryly at our old joke as my hand wrapped around something cool buried in the couch cushions. Pulling the keys from the crevice, I raised them in my fist in silent victory before moving toward the door.

"Since when are you into anything even remotely affiliated with the outdoors or nature?" I questioned. "And why do you need me?"

Jake was quiet on the other end of the line, and I spun quickly once outside my apartment to turn the deadbolt.

"Jake?" I asked as I hurriedly made my way down the stairs of the building.

"He's important, Bella, okay? He's important to me, and I want the other important person in my life to meet him. Is that too much to ask?"

I hovered on the last step and gave in with a sigh.

"Let me know where and when, and I'll be there."