Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Suggested Listening: "Cover Your Tracks" by A Boy and His Kite
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"Remind me again why you thought it would be a good idea to sign her up for this?"
Pressing her lips together tightly, Bella shifted uncomfortably against the rough, wooden wall of the La Push Rec Center. Trying to keep the dismayed frown off her face, she glanced beside her to see Quil chuckling. Letting his head loll to one side, he regarded her in amusement before shifting his gaze back in front of them.
Doing the same, Bella spotted Maddie in the small group of three and four-year-old kids all standing in the center of the room. Some were fidgeting. Some - like Maddie - were waiting raptly on the rolled-out mats for their turn, wide eyes focused on the instructor showing another child how to do a somersault.
Quil sighed, but Bella didn't look away.
"Because it's tumbling, Bella. It's somersaults and really crooked cartwheels and it's fun," he insisted. "And she's old enough to take it now, so when I heard Brady's mom talking about it down at the store the other day, I thought it would be good for her to hang out with some other kids her own age that don't include Levi." Quil paused, his lips twitching as he fought a grin. "That and, you know, in case she ever decides she wants to be a ninja someday..."
Bella turned her head brusquely, lifting a skeptical eyebrow. "That's what you're going with?"
Quil grinned. "That's what I'm going with." Eyes widening, he glanced at her quickly, forehead wrinkling in sincerity as he jabbed a finger in her direction. "And, in case you forgot, Swan, I asked you and you said yes...and you signed the registration paper, and you wrote the check. And I have yet to hear a thank you for sweet-talking the lady into letting Maddie in the April class so we didn't have to wait until June. "
Bella rolled her eyes, smiling anyway. "Thank you," she murmured, a genuine reply despite her teasing tone. Relaxing against the wall, Bella sighed. "And I know...she does need to spend more time with other kids. It just doesn't seem like she's old enough for this stuff yet. I guess I kinda just needed you to remind me why…"
"Hey," Quil reached out, one large hand affectionately squeezing her knee. "That's what I'm here for."
Glancing at his hand, which almost fully engulfed the width of her leg, Bella smiled, her own instinctively reaching out to cover it. Giving his fingers a squeeze of their own, pulling her arm back a moment before he did.
"So we still on for tonight?"
Bella made a noise of assent in her throat, watching as Maddie stepped up to the tumbling instructor. "It's movie night, isn't it?"
"It is Friday, so that would be a yes," Quil agreed, peering at her out of the corner of his eye.
Bella leaned forward, elbows pressing into her thighs as she rested her chin on her clasped hands.
Ever since that night just before Christmas, she and Quil had spent more time together than they had before. Her first request for a night out had been a simple meal at the diner. Quil rolled his eyes like it was the easiest idea she could have possibly came up with. Still, after Maddie went to Jacob and Anna's for the evening, and Bella got to enjoy an uninterrupted dinner complete with a milkshake and adult conversation, she got the feeling Quil understood a little better by the time they left.
She enjoyed herself more than she thought she would, and Quil was as easy to spend time around as he always had been. Things were just...lighter around him. Easier. Bella had never been good at making friends and Quil was good company, easing a general loneliness that plagued her at times and helping Bella appreciate it in a way she hadn't prepared herself for.
So naturally, Bella wasn't surprised when she found herself minding even less when he hung around the house, even though she really hadn't minded before.
They tried dinner a couple more times, but eventually stuck to La Push because money was still a little tight for Bella - and even though she enjoyed the nights out, a larger part of her just enjoyed being at home with her daughter. She found comfort in small things, like the sound of a little voice attempting the alphabet in the living room. The smell of dinner in the oven, and cartoons on the living room television.
And she grew to enjoy new things, too.
Friday night movie nights had become a real thing - something Bella could count on. Quil showed up like clockwork every Friday at six. Either he was accompanied by two movies - usually one animated, while the other was a more grown-up film - or there were two waiting on top of the television. Bella made dinner and once the three of them ate, they parked in front of the television for the first movie.
At first, Maddie would make herself comfortable in her mother's lap, sitting still for all of fifteen minutes before climbing down to the floor, only returning to steal handfuls of popcorn from Bella's bowl. Another twenty minutes would go by before she crept closer to Quil, who was sprawled out in the armchair. Before she stood without a word, neither one of them noticing Bella's muted smile when the little girl crawled into Quil's lap for the remainder of the movie. When she'd snuggle back against his chest and he'd wrap his arms around her, rocking them both in the chair without even realizing he was doing it.
The second movie was theirs, reserved for after Maddie went to bed. After a while, Bella started to tease Quil about the superhero trend she was noticing in his titles, even if she didn't mind watching them. Still, she got it right back for her penchant for romantic comedies.
"Seriously, Bella," he'd mutter. "This is not real life."
And she definitely knew better than anyone that life didn't come with the guarantee of a happily-ever-after, but she also didn't care.
Instead, when it was her turn to pick the movie the following week, she showed up with "Love Actually" and thought Quil might actually lose his eyes in the back of his head when she caught how hard he rolled them.
Still, he always watched them without a word.
Blinking, Bella's vision cleared, noticing Maddie was down on the tumbling mat, getting ready to practice her somersaults.
"So is it Captain America tonight or Iron Man?"
Quil snorted. "I could just bring The Avengers and we could get the best of all those worlds." He paused. "Although, I did see the latest season of Doctor Who at the library when I was there."
Smiling at nothing in particular, Bella watched Maddie try - and fail - at her first somersault, quickly focusing back on her conversation with Quil. "God, I miss having cable," she murmured. "I can rent that another time, though. I actually wouldn't mind seeing The Avengers."
There was silence next to her. "Really?"
Bella shrugged, finally glancing at Quil to see him eyeing her hopefully. "Yeah, I'm sure I'll like it...and if it's something you want to see, I'm alright with it."
Quil released a pleasured groan, relaxing back against the wall. "You are seriously the best."
A smile pulled at the corner of Bella's mouth. "I try," she murmured, unconvincingly, despite how Quil chuckled beside her. "Although anything's better than watching The Little Mermaid for the three-hundredth time."
"Well, when you put it like that…" Quil muttered agreeably.
Bella pulled in a deep breath, chin pressing harder against her clasped hands. "So you still coming over at six then?"
"More than likely," Quil replied, suddenly leaning forward so he was next to Bella. He ran a distracted hand through his hair. "Jake has us training this afternoon and I gotta stop by my mom's before that. Something about a leaky sink in the bathroom...I have no idea."
Although she heard Quil's words, Bella attention was again on Maddie's valiant attempts at somersaults. Her face screwed up as she watched her daughter's rear end go up and down, feet barely leaving the ground each time she did. As her little body refused to pull off just one somersault for the instructor, making one last go for it before losing her balance, her small body tipping over in a heap.
Bella winced. "She's not very good at this."
Quil snickered next to her. "Definitely your daughter when it comes to sports, huh?"
With a groan, Bella lightly punched Quil in the bicep. "Shut up." As the instructor uprighted her daughter for another try, Bella finally relaxed, leaning her head back against the wall. "She definitely didn't get Embry's grace, that's for sure…"
Eyes flicking to the left, Bella let the subtle ache come and go. She watched Quil, remembering what he was saying even though his eyes were determinedly set on the little girl on the mat.
"You don't have to be here for this, you know," she insisted. "It's just practice. And from the sound of it, there's a million other things you could be doing right now."
"A million and one, actually," Quil murmured without looking at her. "But I'd rather be here."
He still didn't look at her, even when she felt the smile spread slowly across her lips, brought on somehow by the way he said it. Softly. Like he wasn't just saying it because he was supposed to.
Like he really meant it.
And maybe Bella was imagining it, but she swore she could hear the palpable truth in the way he spoke the words. Even so, she figured there was proof in his presence - in the fact he was still there, even after all those months.
Even though - for some inexplicable reason - it suddenly felt like it meant more to Bella than it had before.
"You think they'd care if I took a few pictures?" Quil asked, even though Bella barely heard him. Even though she barely noticed as he leaned on one hip, pulling his cell phone out from his pocket. "Emily told me to take pictures, and the others'll probably want to see, too…"
Even when she felt a subtle warmth crawl through her veins.
One she couldn't explain but one that stuck around long after Bella finally was able to look away.
Thanks again to all who've stuck with this story! You all rock my world. :)
Thoughts?