Chapter12: New Digs
Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight.
That night—you guessed it—was an absolute nightmare. Why in the holy hell didn't he tell Mark that he needed to move in that very day? The stupid bed was so cramped, and the mattress squeaked every time he or Bella moved. He had the keys; he could've brought sleeping bags with him—so what if there was no bed in the place. Why didn't he think of that earlier? Well, it was too late now. He'd wake up everyone in the house if he and Bella left—not to mention he'd have to dig through a ton of worthless junk looking for the damn things.
The thought of that empty home kept beckoning to him, offering privacy for him and Bella once again.
His arms were wrapped around her waist, his chin in the crook of her neck. She backed into him, snuggling a little closer. With that freakin' window wide open, it was the only way to keep her warm. But that tiny shift in her position was turning him on. Between her body so close to him, and the idea of that queen sized bed floating around in his brain, he was starting to get desperate for some attention.
Was it just because he knew they were in an impossible situation? Was that it? Or was it the thrill of risking the chance of getting caught? Having the sensitive ears and snout next door made it challenging too.
Jacob tried to think of something else—anything else—yeah, their wedding day. God, no, that just made it worse. How about the image of Bella making breakfast . . . in her little tank top and tap pants—that wouldn't do the trick either. Ah, the hell with it; he was dying.
His breathing was becoming ragged as he rubbed his nose on the smooth skin of Bella's neck. Well aware that Paul was finely tuned to his every utterance, he kissed her ear, and whispered, "Bells, I know you're awake. I need some . . . attention . . . badly. What about you? Do you need my services too?" His hands began stroking her shoulders and sliding down her arms.
"Mmnn," she moaned.
"Is that a yes? Please say that's a yes. I'm dying here."
The bed creaked noisily as Bella turned over, arching into him. Why did he have to be so irresistible? With their noses practically touching, she brushed her lips over his.
His heart's rhythm began accelerating. "I'm pretty sure that's a yes."
In her most seductive voice, she answered, "Definitely, Mr. Black."
They tried their darnedest to keep as quiet as possible, but with them vying to maneuver in the tiny space, and the sounds the mattress was making, it was a mission impossible. At one point, Bella nearly careened onto the floor when Jacob rolled her on top of him. He barely caught her in time, before she hit the wood planking. He eased her down beside the bed.
"Cheese and crackers!" she swore.
Jacob almost broke up laughing; the situation was so ridiculous "That's cheese and rice, Bells."
"I don't care what it is; help me off the floor. It's like ice down here."
Genius finally struck. "Wait a minute, I'm joining you, Bells. Here, catch . . ." Jacob threw the blankets on the floor.
Sufficient to say, their little problem was solved, the blankets got back on the bed, and they were finally able to doze off. But not before Paul banged on the adjoining wall and commented, "Cheese and crackers, guys! You two should start a circus act, The Bungling Blacks. I'd buy a ticket."
Jacob heard Paul grumble, "Ow! What was that for?"
Slapping his shoulder for the second time, Rachel replied, "C'mon, Paul, leave them alone. Don't you remember what it was like for us when we first started out together?"
"Ooh, baby, do I ever. Sorry, guys." Then in a lower voice, he said, "C'mere, Chelle, I think I'm in need of some . . . ahem . . . attention. Do you need some of my services too?"
Some soft chuckling followed—then, silence.
The household was a whirlwind of activity the next morning. Jacob and Bella were in a hurry to get out the door. Their list of things to do was about a mile long. They went on campus first to pick up their textbooks, then on to the bank to open a joint checking account. It's a good thing they were in a hurry, because the clerk was flashing all these cute little customized check styles in front of them. Jacob finally said, "It's not like we're gonna frame them. We won't be keeping them for ourselves anyway. Just give us the cheapest you've got."
Bella agreed. She couldn't care less either. As long as the people got their money, what did they care what the stupid check looked like.
They had a hard time concentrating on their classes, especially the one they enrolled in together. Jacob kept winking at Bella; she kept teasing him by raising her skirt up to her thigh. They would look at each other, their eyes dancing with desire.
After classes Jacob drove them to Sheets and Ladders, to pick up new linens for the bed, a couple of down pillows, a ladder, paint, rollers etc., some wooden blinds, dishes and silverware, and cleaning supplies.
It was on to the next stop—the grocery store. When they finished there, Bella felt like the old adage, "Shop till you drop", because, believe me, she was ready to collapse. And good grief, she still had to get stuff from the old house, make up the bed and get the food started.
Instead of going to Billy's to start loading up the truck, Jacob drove to their new abode. He pulled into the driveway, and turned to Bella smiling.
"Well, honey, here we are home sweet home."
Bella shook her head. "What are we doing here, Jake? We've got to get all our things loaded in the truck."
"Correction—I've got to get the truck loaded. You're about ready to fall over. I'll help you make the bed, and you can take a nap while the guys and I get our stuff moving. Don't argue with me, Bells. You're exhausted. You can help us after you've rested awhile."
"Can't you take a nap with me?" she whined.
Jacob sighed loudly. "Jeez, don't tempt me. I've got a lot of work to do first."
"Oh, all right, I guess I could use a couple of winks." She twisted to the side to open the door to the car, when Jacob stopped her.
"Ah, ah, ah—no no, Mrs Black. I've got this."
Opening his door, he raced to the other side, and helped Bella out. Then lifting her in his arms, he carried her to the entrance of their new home, and carried her over the threshold, and straight to the bedroom. The new bed was positioned under the window in the back wall, the plastic still encasing the mattress. He placed her on the bed and kissed her gently. "I'll go get the groceries and the rest of the things out of the car."
He quickly put away the perishables in the refrigerator, and went back to the bedroom, with his penknife in hand. Bella stood up as he sliced though the plastic, pulling it away from the mattress.
"Don't throw that away; I can use that on the floor so we'll have a place to eat."
"Hey, good idea." Jacob glanced around the room, and suddenly wrapped his arms about her waist, hugging her tightly to his chest. He swung her in a circle and gave her a peck on the cheek. "It's hard to believe. It's all ours! Woo hoo!"
He put her down and mumbled, "Okay, so I'm a little excited. Back to business. Where do you want the rest of the stuff?"
"I guess put it in the other bedroom to keep it out of the way for now."
Jacob got all their purchases out of the Rabbit and stowed them in the room. Then he left to pick up the guys to help with the loading.
Bella removed the bedding from it's packaging piece by piece as she made up the bed. It was a labor of love as she realized this was the bed she and Jake would be snuggled in for at least the next four years, bar any catastrophe. The bed itself was queen size like they had requested, with an oak headboard sporting a couple of carved oak leaves and an acorn at the center top.
The light blue-green sheets went on ceremoniously. She smiled as she tucked them in at the foot of the bed. That was followed by a dark brown vellux blanket. The last bit of dressing was the bedspread. It was a beautiful shade of turquoise with chocolate brown leaves across it in a band, and taupe and chocolate trim. She left out one blanket on purpose, and placed it over the spread. She knew she was being silly but she didn't want to get under the sheets until Jacob was there with her to christen it so to speak. It just seemed sacrilegious somehow.
Sleep overtook her almost instantly, and she was surprised at how much time had passed when she heard the clamor outside. Two trucks and the Rabbit pulled up to the front of the house and Quil, Embry, Paul and Jacob were playing catch with the boxes, assembly line fashion. The containers bounced from one to the other until they landed inside the house. Luckily the wolfpack all had excellent reflexes or the contents of the boxes would look like the remnants of a trash compactor. In no time at all, everything was inside the spare bedroom. Jacob went in to check on Bella and noticed her lying on top of the bedspread wrapped in the blanket.
Jacob sat down beside her on the bed, and ruffled her hair. "I'm sorry we woke you up. But, why aren't you under the covers?"
"I didn't want to use them until you were there with me."
His smile said he understood and was pleased with her answer. "Jeez, Bells, that's really sweet. I hate to change the subject, but are you ready to get up now, so you can tell the guys which boxes need to go where?"
"Why? Where are you going to be?"
"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. Paul and I are gonna install the wooden blinds in here. It shouldn't take too long. Then we need to head back and get a few pieces of furniture—your desk and computer, my tools and workbench. We'll be leaving the truck here when we come back."
Bella scooted to the edge of the bed as Jacob took her hand, and helped her stand. Paul came in a few seconds later holding the blinds and a screwdriver. "Damn, you guys are so lucky. This place is great. Now all you need is a fire pit and a gas barbeque."
"Please . . . Not today!" Bella groaned.
"Hey, I even noticed the extra room. Are you planning on putting a bed in there for guests?"
Jacob rolled his eyes. "Don't get any ideas; we've got plans for that room."
Paul glanced at Bella, grinning wickedly. "What the hell! You got a bun in the oven already? Wooh, fast worker, Jake."
Cuffing Paul in the back of the head, Jacob countered, "No, stupid. That's gonna be our office for studying. Now let's get this blind up."
Paul was rubbing the recipient of Jacob's displeasure when Embry stuck his head in the doorway. "C'mon Bella, where do you want this stuff?"
She followed him out to the other room and pointed to the boxes she would need in the kitchen. He and Quil made short work of it. Soon they were handing her some pots and pans that Charlie wouldn't be using anymore, along with some of his unneeded utensils, and a few glasses. It was a start. She could buy a few more things on Saturday when she and Jacob would have more time.
All the kitchen supplies were put away. The groceries were stowed in the cabinets. Paul and Jacob finished installing the blinds. Wow, these boys were all worth their weight in gold.
"Okay Bells," Jacob yelled from the front door. We're heading back to Billy's. See you in a few."
Bella breathed a sigh of relief. She started dinner, her first meal prepared in her new home. And a new chapter in their lives had just unfolded.