AN: Thank you to April-Showers82, megan39, CaliNative76, and leelator for reviewing, i hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the last.
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Chapter Fifty Seven: Love to a Sickening Degree
"Ugh, it's the newlyweds." Paul sniffed then pretended to wretch, while snatching another pancake from the pile, "I'm surprised they're out of bed for once."
My lips twitched with humour, as I handed him the syrup, before serving myself from the huge breakfast buffet Emily had laid out. Our small dining table was piled high with pancakes, waffles, and bowls of fruit, sauces, pastries, and cartons of juice. I wasn't sure what the occasion was, but it smelled delicious.
"Leave them be." Emily laughed, "They're new imprints."
"Yeah, yeah, imprints, young puppy love's vomit bowl." Paul grumbled, "Jared's lucky Kim is so up for it or his shower would be having a lot of cold, handy company."
"Paul." She sighed, just as the front door opened, "Jared! And this must be Kim. I'm Emily." As the Alpha's mate, Emily seemed to take her role as pack caretaker seriously. It dawned on me that the breakfast spread was a welcome gesture for Kim, "Why don't you help yourself to some breakfast? I'm just finishing the eggs off."
Jared clapped hands with Paul in passing, while pulling a chair out for Kim. She slipped into the seat, thanking him quietly. Glancing to my left, I took in her stone washed jeans and her small hands folded in her lap. She fidgeted nervously, while Jared quickly got distracted by a sporting argument with Paul.
"That should have been a home run!" Jared exclaimed, "I would have got the home run!"
"You already did." Paul chuckled, "Isn't that right, Kim?"
"Paul!" Emily warned, vigorously scrambling eggs.
I watched as Kim picked at her already chipped nail polish in embarrassment. I felt a sympathetic blush cover my cheeks. As a flake of pink varnish flicked onto the floor, a large, warm, masculine hand covered Kim's fretful ones.
"He's just jealous." Jared lifted one of her hands and I heard him press a soft kiss on her knuckles, "I have a beautiful girl on my arm and he can't get his leg over."
"Ooh-oh, screw you!" Paul retorted, a slight anger undertone curbing his humour, "At least I can still chase anyone I want and I'm not chained down."
"That's enough." Sam's shadow suddenly fell over the breakfast table. His shadow moved away when no one attempted to ignore his command, "It's nice to finally meet you, Kim."
"Eggs are done." Emily placed the steaming bowl down, "Get eating guys."
The clamour that followed proved that werewolves certainly had bigger appetites than any human. While the breakfast spread laid by Emily was fit to serve twenty, there was barely a crumb left within a matter of minutes. Emily had been swift to help Kim to fill her plate before the boys could steal every morsel, Kim's polite hesitation detrimental to her breakfast as she wasn't used to the mealtime chaos.
Once all plates and bowls were cleared and stomachs rested comfortably full, Sam ushered Jared and Paul into helping clear up, much to their loud protests. The sight of three grown werewolves bustling about in our small kitchen was enough to stop Kim nervously picking at her nail polish and use her hands to instead pile the dishes for collecting.
"You don't need to do that, Kim." Emily assured her with a humorous lilt in her tone, "It's so rare all three of our boys help in the kitchen, we should appreciate the experience." The way Emily said 'our boys' made it clear that she saw the La Push wolf pack as her family with Kim now as an extension of it, despite meeting the girl only thirty minutes earlier. Her automatic acceptance and motherly charm spoke volumes of her role as Luna, the perfect counterpart to Sam, the Alpha, "Once you're done, why don't you boys go on patrol together while we girls have some catch up time?" She suggested lightly.
"Sure Em, but no trading state secrets." Jared joked brandishing the dish towel threateningly.
"It's not me you have to worry about." Teasing back, Emily sidled up next to Kim, "I'm sure Kim has her own secrets to trade."
"Oh no she doesn't." Jared lunged at Kim, causing her to squeal as he lifted her off her feet. Her subsequent laughter echoed around the house. Sam and Paul had to duck her flailing feet, while Emily hastily moved breakable objects.
The air was suffocating with happiness and love and freedom of unspoken future plans and my lungs tightened as they filled with the old feelings. Once I had felt that way. Once I had loved that way, freely and without repentance. But now it only ripped old scars open and disturbed the rifts in my mind. I couldn't bear it any longer. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. Memories that I tried to bury over the last few months were escaping the depths of my nightmares to incarnate themselves in daylight.
Stumbling backwards, I shove open the door to let in blessedly cool air, before fleeing out of it. The sounds of Kim's giggling and the others' teasing began to contaminate the air spilling from our house and I found my feet retreating further; along the front garden's gravelly path, through the treeline, and further and further until I reached the adjacent road. A car sped past and I leaned my hands onto my knees, panting and sweating.
With every blink, I could see flickers of memory. A beige sweater. A silver car. A strain of classical music. Tears blurred my vision and I stretched an arm out to steady myself against the nearest tree. I could feel my mind fighting to close the gates, but the reminiscent emotions continued to trickle out. Another car drove by as I clutched my chest, the hole left by his absence gapping open.
Car wheels squealed to a stop and nausea filled my throat at the idea of explaining to a stranger why I was hyperventilating at the side of the road.
"Bella!" His voice permeated the depressive mist in my brain and I looked up reluctantly, "What are you doing out here?"
"I-was-running..." I tried to lie, but Jake and I both knew it was the worst lie I had ever told.
"In the rain? In jeans?" Jake slung an arm around me, hoisting me upright, "Sure you are." Leading me over to his car, he tucked me in the passenger seat, before hurrying around to the driver's side.
"You finished it?" I remark, noticing it wasn't Billy's usual truck.
"Yeah, I was on my way to show you." Jake shrugged, but the way he petted the dashboard was telling of his pride, "Pretty neat, huh?"
"It's great, Jake."
"Now, let's go see a movie, if you so clearly want out." Jake suggested. An excuse not to return to the torturous scene at my house was very welcome, so I nodded as eagerly as I could muster, "Good, because there's a slasher movie, I've been dying to watch." I didn't believe he actually wanted to see a movie, particularly a slasher one, but other than a romantic comedy, it was only other thing to do on a rainy day in La Push. So we drove, leaving behind my despairing mind, as he filled the car with mindless conversation, only disturbed by a brief, reassuring squeeze of his hand on mine.