Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 16

Following the sudden confrontation with Edward, as well as finding out he had practically been living in her empty bedroom, Bella had been more on edge than ever. She had acted natural when Charlie had come home later and stayed for dinner with him, even laughing and smiling as Charlie bonded with Shadow. But the moment they drove away back to La Push, she had fallen silent and was distractedly petting Shadow on his small head. She hadn't even wished Jacob 'goodnight' like usual when she went to bed, Shadow on her heels. Jacob cursed Edward to hell and back for shaking Bella.

Not only was Jacob aware of Bella's change in mood, Billy had taken notice of it as well. When Bella had left for work the following day with Shadow, he asked his son what was wrong with her. Upon Jacob telling him about their encounter with Cullen and learning that he had been camping out in her room waiting for her return, Billy hissed in anger and cursed under his breath. However, he did laugh heartily about the fact that the vampire had been chased in circles and outside by Shadow. He found it funny that a vampire was afraid of a small puppy. Jacob had suggested that Charlie possibly be moved to live on the Reservation with them, but Billy declined the idea. He believed there was no reason to involve Charlie and let him know what was going on, something Jacob disagreed with wholeheartedly. Charlie's daughter was in the middle of it and in danger with the leech stalking her; the man needed to know about it. Knowing his son wouldn't give up on that idea, Billy promised to revisit the discussion later.

"Seeing how Bella seems to be rather…melancholy, why don't you do something to cheer her up," Billy suggested.

Jacob frowned and asked, "How?"

"You're her best friend, son. I'm sure that whatever you do, she'll love it and she'll feel better and won't be thinking about Carlisle's boy anymore. Why don't you take her on a date?"

"I doubt Bella would see it as a date. She doesn't see me like that at all."

"You never know unless you try. Do you want some advice?"

Jacob thought for a moment before nodding. Just as he did, he knew just the person to talk to. Standing, Jacob told his father that he would see him later before leaving the house and heading towards the Phillips's house. He needed to talk to Randall or Ms. Opal, knowing they would help him out.

Ms. Opal looked up when she heard a knock on her door. Standing up from the couch where she was reading, she made her way to the door and opened it, smiling as she immediately recognized Jacob Black's aura. Greeting him she said, "Hello Jacob. What brings you here?"

"Hi, Ms. Opal. I was wondering if I could speak with you or Randall."

"Sure, dear. What about?"

"Bella."

Ms. Opal's eyes widened before she nodded and invited the young man inside. Closing the door behind him she went back to sit on the couch, seeing as Jacob had taken a seat there as well. Sitting down herself she asked, "So what about Bella would you like to talk about?"

Jacob hesitated for a moment, wondering how he could explain the situation without revealing any of the supernatural stuff. Finding a way to say it he said, "Bella and I had a run in with her ex and it has left her a bit shaken. I'm afraid she's going to draw into herself, and I want to do something to make her feel better."

"I see. Well, what is it that you would like to do for Bella?"

"I want to do something for her that will make her feel better, make her feel special. And she really is special, to me at least. Dad suggested I take her on a date, and well…I think I would like to do that. I know Bella doesn't see me like that, but I would like to regardless."

Ms. Opal smiled and nodded before saying, "I think Bella will think of it as a date by the end of it. And as for what you can do, Bella seems like a rather simple girl, so I doubt it will take much to impress and make her happy. If I were you, I'd just go with whatever your gut is telling you. And you know Bella better than you think you do; just do what seems right to you and Bella."

Jacob thought for a moment that that sounded rather cryptic of Ms. Opal, but also knew she had a point. He did know Bella better than he thought he did, he was just thinking too hard. Something simple in the way of the date he was going to take her on would definitely make her happy. But he also didn't want to make it too simple. And he already had a bit of an idea of what he wanted to do, it was just a matter of doing it without overthinking. With a concrete idea in his head, he stood and thanked Ms. Opal before leaving with the promise to visit her again soon, only with Bella.

The blind woman giggled as the boy left, shaking her head as she did. That Jacob Black really was something. He was a good young man and obviously head over heels for Bella, and she just knew Bella was a lucky girl to have him by her side. Now if only the girl could not be so dense with her feelings for Jacob, they could finally move past the obvious block in their relationship. Ms. Opal smiled softly as she picked up the book she was reading, running her fingers across the Braille letters as she picked up where she left off, all the while silently wishing Jacob luck.

Bella yawned as she sat behind the counter of the pet store. Lambo was currently stocking in the back and their last customer had left about thirty minutes ago. Lambo had trained her to use the cash register and ring customers up, something she had been hesitant to do at first being blind. But luckily for her and not to Lambo's surprise she picked it up rather quickly. She also stocked shelves with the help of Shadow and petted and cuddled the animals in the shop. All in all, she really liked her job, though she would get bored when it got slow like this. But at least she got paid every week.

Feeling tiny paws on her leg, Bella smiled and peered down at Shadow's little aura. Hearing him panting, she bent down and rubbed his head asking, "You want my attention, don't you?"

Shadow yipped in response, his little tail wagging excitedly at his mistress's smile. Bella laughed softly and picked the black Labrador puppy up, cuddling him to her and kissing his head. In turn, Shadow licked the brunette on her cheek and chin, happy that he was able to make her smile. The brunette cuddled Shadow a bit longer until she heard Lambo making his way from the back, hearing him curse softly from stubbing his toe cutting the corner too short. Smirking she called out, "You're going to have to stop doing that."

"I will when I widen the doorway," Lambo replied, walking up to the counter where she was seated.

"That's never going to happen, and you know it."

"I know, but it's a thought."

Bella rolled her eyes with a smile on her face, rubbing Shadow as she did. She listened to the clock tick on the wall, slowly counting down the time until she got off. She was positive she would be off in another hour, and then she and Shadow could go home. However, she also knew the walk back would occupy her mind about the events of what happened at Charlie's house. She still couldn't believe Edward had been there. Not only that, but that he had been staying in her room. She knew it was her fault for inviting him to begin with in the beginning of their relationship, but now their relationship was over. She also made it clear that he was no longer welcome near her or on her property, something she hoped he would take seriously. But with the way he was acting now, as well as his parting comment, she doubted that he would.

Thinking about the vampire caused her smile to fall from her face and she unconsciously held Shadow closer to her. The pup whined softly and nuzzled his mistress in comfort as he picked up on her change in emotion. She hadn't been quite the same since meeting with that foul-smelling creature. It seemed to have some sort of negative effect on his mistress, but she stood strong with the help of her unclaimed mate. Hopefully her mate would claim her soon and she would claim him as well.

As if he appeared out of thin air from Shadow's thoughts, Jacob entered the pet shop, greeting Lambo as he did. Jacob greeted Lambo before turning to Bella, laughing when the black pup jumped out of Bella's arms and ran to him, running around his feet happily and barking with joy at the sight of him. Bending down he picked Shadow up and allowed him to give him puppy kisses before facing Bella saying, "Hey Bells."

"Hi Jake," Bella replied with a smile. "What brings you here?"

"Well, I was hoping you'd like to leave early and go on a little outing with me. With the permission of Lambo, of course."

"What kind of outing?"

"You'll see when we get there." Jacob turned to face the pet shop owner. "Hey, is it alright if I take Bella? I know she still has another hour, but I'll make it up to you for taking her early."

Lambo shook his head and waved his hand. "Don't worry about it, Jacob. Bella is a fine worker and I don't mind letting her go an hour later. Go on, Bella. I'll clock you out for you."

Bella blinked for a moment before saying, "If you're sure…"

"I insist; go ahead."

Bella nodded and thanked Lambo, grabbing her white stick and extending it before moving from behind the counter. She followed Jacob out of the store and outside, Jacob carrying Shadow in front of her. Hearing a car door open she asked, "You drove?"

Grinning at her Jacob answered, "Yep, I sure did. Besides, it's more efficient than walking to where we're going." He gently took her hand and led her to the passenger side that he had opened, Shadow having jumped in the seat when he did. "After you, miss."

Bella giggled and climbed into the car, Shadow jumping in the driver's seat momentarily until his mistress was settled; then he got into her lap. Jacob closed the door behind her before moving to the driver's side, getting in and closing the door. Cranking the car, he put it in 'Drive' and drove away to their destination. The two of them spoke as Jacob drove, Bella feeling the rumbling of the car around her as they went. He told her that he visited Ms. Opal—keeping sure to not tell her why he was there—and that he promised her that he would bring her next time. Bella smiled and agreed to accompany him the next time he went to visit Ms. Opal. She also wanted to get to know Randall as well considering that was the first time she had met him.

Before long the car stopped and Jacob got out of the car. As he did Bella caught the scent of the ocean before the door was closed. The passenger door opened and Jacob was taking her hand and gently pulling her out of the car. Holding Shadow close she took a deep breath and indeed smelled the ocean again, hearing the waves crashing against the shore not too far away. Looking up at Jacob's aura she asked, "Are we at the beach?"

"Yeah, we are. We're here at First Beach," Jacob replied with a grin, closing the passenger door of this car behind the brunette. Still holding her hand, he began to lead her onto the beach, Bella feeling the change of the ground under her feet. She stumbled slightly in the sand but was easily held upright by her best friend. Shadow squirmed a bit in her hold, wanting to be put down. They stopped momentarily so she could put the Labrador pup on the ground, and Shadow took off in front of them, yipping and barking happily as he did. Soon Jacob stopped as they reached their destination on the beach, Bella stopping next to him. Grinning he said, "We're here."

Bella frowned. "Where?"

"A picnic for two; just me and you."

"Right here?"

"Yes, right here."

Jacob sat down on the blanket he had laid out with the food he had prepared, pulling the brunette down slowly as he did. When Bella was settled she reached her hand out to touch the objects that were in front of her, smiling as she felt the soft blanket, a paper plate, and a picnic wicker basket. Looking up at Jacob she asked, "You did all this?"

The Shifter smiled and nodded replying, "Yeah, I did. I know it's not much and probably not even original, but it was what I thought you might like and I wanted to do this for you. I know you haven't been feeling to great since running into that bastard Cullen, so I wanted to help raise your spirits somehow. So I thought of this picnic, and I hope you like it."

Bella smiled sweetly at Jacob before softly saying, "Thank you, Jake. This is really sweet of you. It's almost like…well, it's almost like a date."

"Would…would it be bad if I thought of it as such?"

There was a moment of silence, Bella clearly thinking about his question and how to answer. They hadn't even started the picnic, but she could already tell it was probably set up like they were on a date of sorts. And truthfully, she liked to think of it as such. She didn't understand why, but she was completely on board with the idea that this was a date Jacob had set up for them. And he basically told her that he thought of this moment as a date between them. But did she really want to consider this time together a date with Jacob? Even though she felt she had to think about it, she also knew that she already had her answer.

Smiling Bella answered, "Only if it is okay that I think this is a date as well."

Jacob stared at Bella for a moment in shock of her response before grinning brightly. Reaching across the picnic setup, he took hold of her hand and gave it a gently squeeze, rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand. Bella smiled and gave his hand a squeeze in return before asking him what it was that he had prepared for them. As Jacob pulled the food out of the wicker basket and they began eating, Shadow watched them from where he was perched on the side of the blanket. He barked happily when Jacob opened a can of dog food he had packed and set it in front of him to enjoy. As he dug in, he watched his mistress and her mate intently, hoping this was the first of many times his mistress' mate showed his obvious love for her.

The two teenagers sat, ate, and talked together, enjoying each other's time and company with one another. It was their first date together, even though it had to be determined to each other that it was alright to think of it as such. Jacob felt happy seeing Bella's face light up as she talked with him and laughed, his heart fluttering as he gazed at the object of his affections. He figured at some point he should let his feelings be known, even if Bella already had an idea about them. Bella found herself completely immersed in Jacob as they had their picnic date, realizing for the moment that she probably really did like Jacob as more than her best friend. Because if she didn't, she wouldn't think of this moment together as a date. And yet she was right now. She was on an impromptu date with Jacob; impromptu for her because of its suddenness, while Jacob himself prepared for it. It was a moment she knew that she was going to remember it forever, even if she couldn't see it physically. It was a special moment for her, and it was because of the boy—no, man—in front of her. Jacob had thought enough of her and cared for her enough to take her on a date, a date that he made himself, and she realized that Edward had never done something like this when she had been dating him. It made her realize that maybe Jacob…maybe Jacob was more special to her than she realized.

Author's Note: Sorry, this chapter is up so late. I've been working and my hours flip sometimes, and I've been really tired. I also apologize that this chapter probably isn't what it could be, but I thought a chapter of Jacob wanting to take Bella on a date would be cute, as well as Bella realizing Jacob is probably more to her than she thought. Anyway, I hope you all find this chapter a bit interesting and stay tuned for more later. Love, SehunsBae37.