The Twilight Twenty-Five
thetwilight25[dot]com

Prompt: Ambivalence
Pen Name: capitalab
Pairing/Main Character(s): Jacob, Bella, Edward
Rating: M

Photo prompts can be viewed here:
thetwilight25[dot]com/round-5/prompts

"I still don't understand why you're dragging me into this stupid scheme."

"The Rabbit won't make it," Jacob explained for what seemed like the fiftieth time. "And besides, I need to make it seem like a friend thing."

Edward scoffed. A friend thing.

Right.

Jacob and Edward were friends... if you could really call it that. They met during their first semester of college at the University of Washington after being grouped together in the dorms due to the close proximity of their home towns. Edward graduated high school in Forks, while Jacob lived a few miles away on an Indian Reservation. Other than that, the two had very little in common. The truth be told, they barely even liked each other. They didn't like the same music or share a common interest in sports. Edward spent most of his free time reading, while Jacob... well, Jacob liked to party.

As they would soon discover, Jacob Black and Edward Cullen weren't really friends after all.

It came as no surprise to anyone when Edward chose to move into his own apartment when summer ended after freshman year. The university only required first year students to live on campus, and Edward's father, a surgeon, had no trouble affording the extra expense. He briefly considered getting a place with an additional bedroom and extending an offer to Jacob, but quickly decided against it. Edward had grown tired of Jacob's shenanigans and liked the idea of having his own, quiet space.

Then again, she probably had a lot to do with it, too.

"I guess I just don't understand why you even cheated on her in the first place."

Unbeknownst to Jacob, he and Edward did have one common interest.

Jacob's girlfriend.

Or, rather, ex-girlfriend.

Edward hid his feelings well; perhaps a little too well. Bella thought her boyfriend's roommate hated her, and Jacob could never provide her with evidence of the contrary. He only spoke to Bella when absolutely necessary, and often vanished when Jacob would invite her back to the dorm. Every attempt Jacob made to forge a friendship between the two was squashed almost immediately, either by avoidance or aggravation.

Making friends had been hard for Bella, especially with the University of Washington being so far away from her home in Arizona. She met Jacob on the first day of freshman year, and he had been monopolizing most of her attention ever since. By fall break they were dating, and over the summer, when Bella went back to Phoenix, their relationship continued long distance.

"It's not like I thought she'd actually find out."

Bella remained faithful to Jacob for three long summer months. After all, she had only given her virginity to him in the weeks before school ended after he blinded her with the idea that she might be the one. Jacob had been patient but persistent, thoroughly enjoying the company of a few others before and after Bella finally gave in to his pleas. Edward had been working late at the bookstore that night, but Jacob didn't wait to tell him all about it. It made him sick, especially considering all of the times he had been an unwilling accomplice to his roommate's other exploits. Edward couldn't count the instances when he felt obligated to make up excuses for Jacob's whereabouts, sparing Bella's broken heart at the cost of his own.

Edward dated here and there, but it was never anything serious. He just needed a distraction; someone to keep his mind off her. It proved difficult, and only got worse as Jacob and Bella's intimacy became more frequent. To make matters worse, Jacob loved to kiss and tell.

And exaggerate.

He didn't lie about everything. Bella did have an exquisite body, but Edward already knew that. He could (and shamelessly had) imagined her tight and wet, and wanted more than anything to taste, touch- hell, devour her. Jacob thought Bella to be soft and gentle, and secretly knew how selfless she was when it came to sex. It didn't make a difference whether she got hers, or didn't.

Which, by the way, she still hadn't.

Ever.

But to hear him tell it, he could have Bella- along with any other female- screaming his name in seconds. He told Bella, there must be something wrong with her.

So consumed with what she thought to be true love, Bella didn't know any better.

By the time summer ended, Bella could hardly stand the thought of another day in Phoenix. Phone calls and text messages from Jacob weren't enough to keep her satiated and she foolishly missed his amateur touch. Bella even found herself longing for Washington's endless forecast of rain and the abundance of greenery. Arizona was too dry, too dull. She flew back to Washington a week early.

Unfortunately, it was the best thing she could have done.

Bella wouldn't have believed it if she didn't actually see it with her own eyes.

It was just a blow job, he told her.

"It's never happened before, and it'll never happen again."

She wanted to believe him. So badly, she hoped his words were true.

Jacob had been fighting desperately to win her back ever since. He tried chocolate, and flowers, and even sat through the movie Pride and Prejudice in hopes that it might get him laid. It didn't. The more she refused him, the more he wanted her. It became a game to Jacob, and his latest move involved concert tickets and her favorite band. Even though he didn't like the music, Edward did, and he knew it would be hard for either of his pawns to say no.

Jacob planned to invite them both to the show under the guise of friendship. Knowing Edward, he would undoubtedly do something to upset Bella. When he did, Jacob would come to her rescue. The plan had to work. Jacob was sure of it. If all went his way, he'd be fucking her in the backseat of Edward's Volvo by the end of the night. And if it didn't, he could at least grovel all the way from Portland to Seattle.

Edward had his own plans.

He knew better than to think Jacob had actually changed his ways. And even if by some miracle he had, thought Bella deserved better. It was with protecting her in mind that he agreed to chauffeur the broken couple to Portland. Edward was determined to show Bella a different side of him. She didn't need Jacob. Really, Edward didn't think she needed anyone... but wouldn't necessarily mind if she wanted him.

And Bella, poor Bella. If only she had spent less time with Jacob, maybe she wouldn't have gotten herself into this mess in the first place. For she still knew very few people in Seattle, and found it very hard to make friends. The last thing Bella wanted was to spend an evening with her cheating ex-boyfriend and his asshole of a roommate, but just as Jacob had predicted, she couldn't say no to seeing her favorite band. Still, she didn't want to come off as a doormat.

But if she were being honest with herself, she knew it was only a matter of time before her loneliness would win. She would forgive Jacob, eventually. Her resolve was already weakening.

The kiss Edward witnessed as they picked Bella up from her dorm made him see red. It was only a simple peck; something he'd suffered through a hundred times before. She pulled away before Jacob could deepen it, but Edward knew it was now or never. The motherfucker was winning.

"It's a long drive, but you can sit up front with Edward," Jake offered.

Bella happily complied, welcoming the distance it put between her and her ex. The feeling of Jacob's lips against hers left a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. His touch just didn't feel right. Images danced through her head of her boyfriend with another girl, and she became even more convinced- Jacob was lying to her. Edward became the lesser of two evils. It was easy enough to ignore him, after all.

The way his emerald green eyes pierced hers made it a little harder, though.

"So, Bella." The way he said her name caught her off guard. Hell, the fact that he was even talking to her was nothing short of miraculous. "Are you excited for the show tonight?"

"Heck yeah, I'm excited! I've been in love with the guitarist since I was sixteen, so, you know... I'm probably meeting my future husband tonight."

Edward laughed. Jacob did not. "Future husband? That's kind of a stretch, isn't it?"

She shrugged. "I'm sure it's not impossible, you know?"

"Probably not," Edward said. "You're not going to climb on stage and attack him or anything, are you?"

"Jesus, Edward. What kind of a girl do you think I am? I have way more class than that."

Jake cut in. "Yeah, man. Bella doesn't need to do crazy shit like that to catch a guy's attention."

Edward couldn't argue with that.

"You've always caught mine, babe."

"So has every other girl in the state of Washington," Edward muttered under his breath.

At first, he didn't even realize he'd said the words aloud.

Jacob was practically speechless. "Dude..."

Apologetically, Edward looked over at the girl in his passenger seat. She stared down at the floorboard, trying her hardest to hide any sign of emotion from the boys. Unfortunately, Bella just wasn't a very good actress. So badly, he wanted to touch her. Unfortunately, Jacob beat him to the punch.

"Sorry," Edward said sadly. He wasn't only apologizing for himself, but for Jacob and the ludicrous way he seemed to take her for granted.

After nicely brushing Jacob away, she looked up at Edward and smiled. "It's okay. Besides, I have a much better shot if I wait by the tour buses anyway."

And just like that, Edward and Bella's flirtatious banter continued.

Jacob continued to interject when he could, which wasn't as often as he would have liked. Edward and Bella found a common ground in talking about music, but Jacob didn't know enough about the bands they liked to keep up. They also discussed school, Arizona, and even their families. Bella found it extremely easy to open up, and the two of them almost forgot about the ex-boyfriend in the backseat- no matter how many times he tried to hold Bella's hand.

"Dammit, Ed. Pull over, man. I gotta piss," Jacob demanded two and a half hours into the trip.

"Dude, we're like thirty minutes away. Can't you wait?"

Jacob groaned. "No, I can't. Come on, I'll make it quick."

Suddenly eager to escape Jacob's presence, if only for a few seconds, Edward exited the highway and sought out the nearest convenience store. The Volvo still had plenty of gas, so he didn't bother filling up. He simply waited with Bella as Jacob rushed inside.

"I should just leave the motherfucker here," Edward said as soon as he was out of sight.

"What?" Bella asked. "Here? Why?"

He couldn't understand why she seemed so concerned. "Bella, I'm being serious for a second. Can you do me a favor?"

"What?" she asked cautiously.

"Please, just... whatever you do, don't give him another chance. He doesn't fucking deserve it."

To say she was caught off guard would have been an understatement. Bella suddenly remembered who she was talking to- the boy who, until a couple of hours ago, barely acknowledged her existence. What business of his was it? And if Edward cared so much, why hadn't he said something to her long ago? Surely, if Jacob had been cheating on her, Edward knew about it. They were roommates, after all.

"Excuse me?"

"You'll just be settling. He doesn't deserve you."

She argued weakly. "I'm not settling. I never said I was going to take him back and I really don't see how it's any of your business anyway."

"It's not." He knew she was right, but Edward was hellbent and nothing was going to stop him from making sure his point was heard loud and clear. "Promise me, Bella. I can't count the number of times he's cheated on you. He'll do it again."

As Edward confirmed her worst fears, Bella went on the defense. "Wow, Just wow. You're kind of ridiculous, you know that? Why should I even bother listening to you anyway? You've been an asshole to me from the first time we met! Fuck off," she spat.

The harshness in her voice elicited pure rage from Edward. "Fine, sweetheart. Have fun sharing your boyfriend's dick with some other chick's throat. And hey, while you're at it, you can offer up a threesome. The motherfucker loves those."

Bella didn't have a comeback for that, and Edward didn't have enough time to apologize either. Jacob returned to the car with a handful of snacks, completely oblivious to what had just transpired.

"Got you a Coke, babe."

Bella smiled at his gesture, still fighting back tears from her argument with Edward. It quickly faded as Jacob handed her a can of Diet Coke, and the tears welling came dangerously close to spilling over.

Edward could only scoff before diverting his attention to the pack of cigarettes in the center console. Bella wasn't in a position where she needed to watch her weight- not at all. If anything, the past few weeks had done a number on her already petite frame. A can of Coke certainly wouldn't kill her and if Jacob were half the man Edward was, he would have been overindulging her with expensive dinners and chocolate.

An awkward silence fell over them, but Jacob never suspected a thing. For the short remainder of their drive, Bella's eyes never left the window, Jacob became occupied with a packet of beef jerky, and Edward smoked the rest of his pack.

At the show, he found a blonde who was more than happy to share hers.

"Everything okay, babe?"

In a moment of weakness, Bella allowed herself to get cozy with Jacob. With his hands at her waist, he kissed her neck as she watched Edward mingle with his slutty new smoking buddy.

Edward's eyes never left Bella's.

Jacob's tone was harsh. "Dude, what the fuck?"

"What?"

"Did you even hear anything I just said?"

She lied to save herself and chanced another glance at Edward. He still glared. "Of course I heard you."

More awkward silence.

"So, do you want to head over to the stage or not?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure. But what about Edward?" she asked.

"What about him?"

"Shouldn't we stick together?"

"Why would we?" The obvious dawned on him. "Jesus, Bella. Is there something going on between you two?"

"What? No!" She sounded a little too defensive.

"You're fucking him, aren't you? My fucking roommate! Is that why he wanted his own apartment so badly? So you two could sneak around without me finding out? How long has this been going on?"

Jacob physically forced her to look him in the eye. Edward, still watching from a distance, fought to keep his composure. He was prepared to step in at any second, but knew coming to Bella's aid would only make the situation worse.

"Are you crazy? Listen to yourself!" she seethed, loud enough for Edward to hear. "You're asking me if I'm fucking Edward? Sounds like you're the one with a guilty conscious!"

Bella hit the nail on the head. Jacob did feel guilty for the one night stand he'd had the night before- but not guilty enough to erase the chick's number from his phone.

The music suddenly began, sparing Jacob and saving Bella from what she already knew to be true.

A few seconds later, Edward joined them by the stage. The music was almost deafening, but none of them seemed to mind. Bella focused all of her attention on the stage, keeping a healthy distance from her ex. The tension from earlier was almost gone- but definitely not forgotten.

A song ended, followed by another. Edward waited through almost an entire set list for the perfect moment- a few seconds of distraction. The encore came before he finally got his chance. With Bella's eyes glued to the stage, Jacob's attention drifted to another girl.

Edward knew it was now or never.

He grabbed Bella by the hand and began to weave his way out of the crowd; past scores of rowdy twenty-somethings and further away from Jacob. Bella didn't resist. She did her best to keep up with Edward's superhuman pace. He didn't stop until they were all the way outside the venue and down the street.

"Edward-"

He cut her off. "You deserve better."

In the entrance to a darkened alley, Edward pressed his lips firmly against hers.

"Bella," he whispered, only pulling away long enough to say her name. His hands found the small of her back and hers awkwardly rested against his chest. Edward kissed Bella again, harder, hoping she wouldn't push him away. When she didn't, his tongue brushed her soft lips, silently begging for permission to taste her.

"Jesus, Edward. Your heart is pounding."

Of course it was pounding. Edward wasn't sure if his heart could beat any faster. Never before had he been so bold with a girl. And knowing that girl was Bella- knowing she still might reject him... the thought was absolutely terrifying. To make matters worse, surely Jacob had noticed their absence by now. He was probably looking for them, and if they were found, Edward would be totally fucked. Jacob was one big motherfucker.

Bella initiated another kiss.

She couldn't get over the way Edward felt. His hands, his lips... the feeling of his body against hers as he pressed them against the brick. Never had she experienced anything so powerful. Even the lingering taste of his cigarettes became desirable. No longer did she feel angry with Jacob, herself, or anyone else for that matter. Quite the opposite, actually- Bella felt happy. Wanted.

"Want to get out of here?" she whispered against his lips.

He didn't want to ask, but couldn't shake the obligation. "What about Jake?"

"Fuck him. I'm sure he can find a ride home with his new friend."

Needless to say, the ride back to Seattle was very different than the trip to Portland.

Edward made the three hour trip in under two and a half, but it was well after midnight by the time he unlocked the deadbolt to his apartment and welcomed Bella inside. Neither of them seemed to notice the time. They hardly noticed anything; only each other. 173 miles of kisses and caressing the inside of Bella's thigh had taken a toll on Edward's sanity, and when she began to unzip his jeans midway between Longview and Olympia, it took every last ounce of self control in his body to ask her to stop. He knew, no matter how long, Bella would be worth the wait.

"You don't know how long I've waited for you."

He told her everything. By the time they made it into Seattle, Bella knew Edward had feelings for her from day one. She knew everything Jake had done, all of the lies he told. Edward hated knowing he'd allowed Bella to endure that. So many times, he reiterated the fact that she deserved so much better. She trusted him.

Like a true gentleman, Edward offered to take her home.

"We can just... go to your apartment instead."

Edward knew she wasn't that type of girl. She didn't randomly go home with guys. It made the fact that she was standing in his living room all the more unbelievable. Bella took in her surroundings- the tiny kitchen, Edward's hand-me-down couch, and the misplaced x-Box controller on the coffee table- as Edward waited to wake up from what was surely a dream.

"I like your place," she said sincerely. She'd pick an apartment over her tiny dorm room any day.

"It's usually pretty lonely," he confessed.

"Roommates kinda suck though," she smiled.

He couldn't argue there.

An awkward silence fell over them, the result of far too much anticipation. It was as if they both knew exactly what would happen next, even if they didn't necessarily know how they'd get there. Bella's phone buzzed for the thousandth time- Jacob, of course. Again, she ignored him, her attention totally focused on Edward.

Very slowly, his lips brushed hers. This kiss wasn't rushed- they had all night. Edward wasn't quick to wrap Bella in his arms, though he did it eventually. He knew as soon he allowed the frenzy in his veins to overcome him, he would lose all of the self-discipline he had left.

Boldly, Bella began to loosen his belt. Edward carried her to his bedroom and shed most of their clothes in the process. Bella was nearly naked when they fell back on Edward's already unmade bed.

His imagination hadn't done her justice. Neither had Jacob.

"Wow," he gasped, gazing at her black t-shirt bra as if it held the secret to eternal life. His lips met her collarbone as he undid the clasps behind her back. She helped him shed the silky fabric and giggled as he gawked at her small but jaunty lady bits.

Jacob never looked at her in the same way as Edward did- as if he actually loved her. She pushed the thought out of her head as quickly as it came. Love?

Edward did love her, even if he didn't quite realize it yet.

As the attention of his mouth remained on Bella's chest, his hands began to go lower.

And lower.

Outside her panties.

Then, in.

Dripping.

For him.

Edward's thoughts were no longer coherent as he dipped a finger inside the tightest girl he'd ever felt. His lips traveled back to hers as he readied himself to massage her clit.

"Edward, stop," she whispered.

Immediately, he pulled back. "What's wrong?"

"I just mean, you don't have to keep doing that."

He smiled. "Why not?"

"It doesn't work."

"Doesn't work?"

Of course, Jacob never wanted to waste his time with it. There was something wrong with Bella, remember?

"I don't get off."

It took a few seconds for her words to sink in.

"Wait," Edward clarified. "You don't get off like that, or you don't get off?"

Bella couldn't help but feel like she might be ruining the moment for him. She repeated, "I don't get off. Ever."

"Bull shit," he blurted out. He wasn't actually responding to Bella- but to Jacob and all of the times he exploited her.

He didn't bother mentioning how many times Jake lied about bringing Bella to the brink.

"Sorry," she apologized, shifting her eyes away from his.

He shifted them back. "Sweetheart, what are you sorry for? Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," she sighed.

"Bella," he warned, taking the liberty to remove her panties. She hoped he'd forgotten about it already, but the tips of his fingers brushed her stubborn nub again. "Just relax, baby. I'm going to make this good for you, I promise."

Hell-bent.

Edward didn't care if it took two minutes or two hours. Bella was going to get hers before he allowed himself to get his. An eye for an eye.

An o for an o, really.

"Ohh," she finally moaned, her entire world going black. She felt the sensation of Edward's tongue everywhere- from where it began, to the pit in her stomach, and even in her finger tips as they dug into his scalp. It had only been a few minutes since Edward first tasted his lover. And certainly, he didn't expect this to happen so soon.

He almost wondered if she was faking it.

He knew from the way she quivered, she wasn't.

Edward allowed himself to savor Bella for a few more seconds before retracing the path his tongue had made minutes earlier. His body weight rested on his elbows, and his eyes scrutinized hers.

The smirk on Edward's face could only be rivaled by the smile on Bella's.

"Wow," she breathed. Her hands drifted to the button on Edward's jeans. His shirt had disappeared somewhere out in the hallway, leaving nothing else between them. He hesitated.

"We don't have to do anything you don't want to."

Translation: don't do this just to piss Jacob off.

"I want to. Don't you?"

Of course he did.

Only for the right reasons.

He didn't respond. He didn't want to risk saying anything that might further ruin the moment. And if Bella was fucking him to get back at Jacob, he decided he'd rather remain blissfully unaware.

Edward shifted his weight, rolling far enough over to retrieve a condom from the top drawer of his nightstand. Bella almost mistook his movements for rejection. As soon as Edward tore off one of the foil packets, she realized he wasn't saying no.

...but that he also didn't trust where she'd been.

It wasn't Bella who Edward didn't trust. He knew all about the things Jacob had done. Every sleezy girl at the U of W had found their way into Jacob's arms at one time or another. And even though Bella was far too paranoid about getting pregnant to allow Jacob to go bare, she didn't have that same fear with Edward. Her birth control was enough reassurance, but how was Edward supposed to know that?

She didn't bother telling him she'd already been tested, but watched as he removed the rest of his clothes.

"Holy shit," she gasped. "You're big."

He smiled, knowing Bella had only been with one other man. If she thought he was big, what did that say about Jake? Her fingers trailed down his stomach, only lightly touching his dick. The last time Bella had sex was before summer began three months ago. As she recalled, Jake had been a tight fit.

And Edward was way bigger than that.

She watched as he rolled the repugnant rubber from tip to base.

"Ready?" he whispered against her lips. Bella moaned as he teased her entrance, effectively answering the question.

It took several gentle thrusts before he made it all the way in.

Several gentle thrusts; every single one of them rubbing Bella in all the right ways. He stilled himself for a few seconds, allowing her to stretch to his length... or so he told himself.

Truthfully, he hadn't lost the size contest, and he didn't want to lose the stamina competition either. It didn't help that Bella was way better than he could have ever imagined.

Tighter, too.

"Fuck, baby," he muttered in between very passionate kisses.

He wondered how he'd gotten so lucky.

Bella found Edward to be a far more compatible lover than Jacob. She didn't feel overpowered by brawny muscles, nor did she think Edward was trying exclusively to cater to his own needs. Bella felt his passion in every kiss, every move he made to go deeper. So intense were Edward's movements that Bella quickly felt herself coming undone. With every thrust, the muscles in her abdomen felt a little tighter.

The second orgasm proved to be much more powerful than the first.

"Edward," she almost screamed. "Oh my God, Edward!"

Even with the condom between them, Edward felt the way her muscles contracted around him. And hearing his name amid the throes of passion? It proved to be too overwhelming, and Edward fell right over the edge with her.

He wasn't sure he would ever come like that again.

Suddenly, Edward was exhausted. He kissed Bella one more time and rolled over, removing the condom from his dick. He tied it and threw it into the trash can a few feet away from the bed.

Bella sat up and began looking for her clothes. Jacob never liked for her to stay. She could only assume Edward would feel the same way.

"I can get you a t-shirt," he offered.

"That's okay," she said, grabbing the clothes in the hallway. "But, um, I'm going to need a ride home."

His fears from earlier returned- Bella was using him.

He motioned at the space between them. "Bella, what was this to you?"

She didn't quite know how to answer. She knew from the ride home how much Edward cared about her. Wasn't it pretty clear she felt the same way?

"It was... I don't know, what was it?"

"The best night of my existence, for one. Why are you in such a rush for it to end?"

Bella still didn't understand where Edward was coming from. His words, best night of my existence echoed in her head. "Really? The best night?"

"When I take you home, it'll be over, won't it?" he asked sadly, ignoring everything else.

"What makes you think that?"

"The fact that you don't want to stay."

"Don't want to?" She scoffed. "Edward, I didn't think I had a say-so in the matter."

"What? Why?"

"Jacob told me guys needed their space. Especially after sex."

"You're fucking kidding, right? Your decision to leave is based on something Jacob said?"

She shrugged. It's not like she knew any better.

"Please come back to bed, sexy naive girl," he teased. "But turn off the light first. Oh, and use any of my shit you want. I'll even let you use the good pillow under one condition."

She eyed him curiously. "What condition?"

He flashed a very cheesy grin. "Take back what you said about that stupid guitarist. I'm so much better than him anyway."

Bella fell asleep in Edward's arms minutes later, never having taken back anything.

"Bella," Edward whispered the next morning, nudging her awake.

She slowly opened her eyes and groaned.

"Wake up, sweetheart."

"What time is it?"

"A little after 9:00. I made you breakfast."

Bella perked up at the thought. She was starving. After all, the only thing she'd had last night was a Diet Coke.

And she didn't even like Diet Coke.

She sat up as Edward held the plate of toaster strudels in front of her. Maybe he had exaggerated a little when he told her he made breakfast. He did stick them in the toaster, though. And the icing? It was all him. Every last letter. Bella read the message scribbled across two poorly toasted pastries.

Be my girlfriend?

He even drew a fucking smiley face.

It mirrored the smile on his face.

"Well?" Edward said.

She laughed. "Where did you even get this much icing? You must have used the whole box!"

Edward shrugged. "Just four packets."

She looked over at his nightstand. Another plate revealed two plain strudels. She snatched them, stacking each one on top of her own.

"What are you doing?" Edward asked.

"Sharing the icing. I wouldn't want my boyfriend to feel deprived."

Bella's phone buzzed somewhere in the distance, ending their happy moment. Edward stood up and retrieved it from across the room. The display revealed several missed calls and text messages, all from one person.

Because Jacob didn't get his girlfriend back.

And he didn't find a ride home.

He wasn't invited to Bella and Edward's wedding the following summer- not that he would have gone anyway.

Jacob didn't even graduate from the University of Washington. Then again, neither did Bella. She had a daughter instead. Bella never once doubted her decision to chose Edward.

And Edward- he never stopped telling Bella she deserved better.