I want to dedicate this chapter to my two best friends!!
Randa- my very faithful Editor reads every chapter before I submit it, and was the one who convinced me to post this story in the first place.
OnYx CaLiCo- my co-editor who is also the first to recieve my updates. She alway patiently awaits my next chapters even when I have writer's block.
Thanx and I love you guys!!
I also want to thank all my readers for reading and reviewing, ya'll rock!!
Hope ya like chapter 3!!
I don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does.
Chapter 3
Warmth
Kaylee's POV
I wiped down the counter one last time and walked toward the diner's door, preparing to close up. I looked out the wide front window, streaked by the pouring rain outside, at the blurred headlights that sped by on the highway.
It had rained all day, but that had not stopped the heavy flow of customers that never seemed to leave and even when they did finally depart, a new swarm quickly replaced them.
I sighed in frustration as one pair of glowing headlights turned into the diner's parking lot, beaming across my face and temporarily blinding me. I quickly flipped the 'Open' sign over to 'Closed' and returned to wiping down tables.
I was exhausted and extremely ready to go home. I didn't care what this person wanted, they needed to learn that our closing time was 9:00.
A light tap on the front door made me jump slightly and I dropped the rag I was holding. I walked toward the door, preparing myself to tell this persistent customer to come back tomorrow.
My stomach dropped when I saw who my visitor was. He was grinning widely, pointing at the 'Closed' sign. It was Jacob.
This guy must have an extremely guilty conscience. I had accepted his apology, so why was he here? Not that I minded seeing him again, I found it impossible not to like him. He was always smiling and saying hilarious, silly things that I couldn't help but laugh at.
And he was extremely hot. His dark russet-colored skin was silky smooth and toned to perfection. His chocolate brown eyes were full of warmth and laughter and I caught myself staring at them when I wasn't looking at his beautiful face.
Today, his midnight black hair was wet from the downpour outside and stuck up in all different places, completing his adorable appearance.
I opened the door.
His smile widened, "Hi." he said.
"Back so soon?" I said thinking about yesterday, when he was here with his dad. "Aren't you freezing?" I asked, looking at his soaked black t-shirt as I pulled him inside.
"Not really." he said. "I would say I was in the neighborhood, but I live over an hour away from here so…" he smiled, shrugging and I couldn't control the grin that spread across my face. I wondered how he always managed to have this effect on me.
"So why are you here then," I asked. "If you weren't exactly 'in the neighborhood'?"
That genuine smile spread across his face again.
"Well, my plan was to ask if you would like to have a cup of coffee with me—you know trying to sound all sophisticated. But then it occurred to me that I absolutely hate coffee…so I guess I really have no idea what my excuse is." he concluded while I laughed at his story.
"Well, we'll just have to find an excuse, then." I said taking off my apron and grabbing my keys.
"Would a walk in the park be to cliché?" he asked giving me an intense look, his eyes almost pleading me to give my approval.
"Of course not." I said almost trance-like from gazing into those gorgeous puppy-dog eyes.
He held the door open for me as I walked out into the soft rainfall, the night engulfing both of us as we walked toward his car.
The park was beautiful at night. I had never seen it like this and I realized immediately that I was missing out; it was amazing.
The rain had subsided and the glowing moon above us illuminated the soaked grass perfectly. The almost completely full moon cast a slightly eerie glow on everything in the park. The central fountain was shimmering like crystal as the flowing water cascaded into the basin.
It's soaked white marble was transformed in the moonlight to an icy blue, coordinating with the continually flowing water spurting from the tap.
It was a cloudless night, now that the rain had cleared, and every star was visible. Jacob and I picked out every constellation we knew and some that we invented ourselves.
We walked side by side, but never touching and I appreciated how he respected me enough not to move to fast. I had only just met him, but I felt as though I were talking to an old friend. He was easy to be with and we talked for ages, walking around the track until I finally lost count of how many rounds we'd made.
We talked about a variety of things: his close-nit friends that sounded almost like family, my parents and friends, and he explained what it was like living on a reservation.
I was becoming more and more comfortable with him and, though I knew he wouldn't, I longed for him to hold me close, to feel the strange warmth that radiated off his skin. It frustrated me that I couldn't identify this unfamiliar feeling that I could not understand.
I was always very guarded when it came to men; I didn't usually date a guy unless I knew every detail about them. But here I was, with someone I knew absolutely nothing about. It was as though when I met him everything changed.
All the things I had believed, everything I had lived by, disappeared when it came to Jacob. He had this strange hold on me, something that made me want to know more.
We finally stopped walking and stood wordlessly in front of the trickling fountain. We were both silent for a moment and, as though reading my previous thoughts, Jacob reached out hesitantly and took my hand gently in his.
His hand was almost three times as big as my own and it felt as though he had just pulled it out of an oven. The sudden change in temperature sent a shiver through my body, though it was impossible to be cold with his warmth so close.
Thinking I was chilly, he pulled me closer to his side. Though I knew I should be burning up, I was comfortable with the heat and tightened my hold on his hand.
He sighed deeply and sat down on the marble edge of the fountain, pulling me gently down beside him. His chocolaty eyes stared intensely into my own as he reached up to gently brush my dark hair away from my face.
"Do you feel it?" he asked quietly, looking down at our entwined hands.
"Feel what?" I whispered.
"This…connection…between us." he said glancing up to read my reaction.
"Yes." I said looking thoughtfully at the flowing water. "It's as though we're supposed to be together and no matter how much we fight it, we'll end up together anyway." I concluded, astonished at how I managed to be so overwhelmingly honest with him.
"Then maybe we should stop fighting it." he said looking at me with warm, loving eyes that melted my thoughts away and all I could think of was how unbelievably close our faces were. He leaned in closer and I knew what was going through his mind, because I was thinking the same thing.
As much as I wanted to close the distance between our faces, I turned my head slightly to the left, staring down into the rippling water. It almost physically pained me to do this, but I knew the person I was when I wasn't with him would never kiss on the first date. It scared me a little how different I was when I was with him.
"Maybe." I said, answering his previous comment, running my free hand through the cool water next to me. It was a warm night and the heat his body gave off was making me hot.
I continued to stare at the water as he continued to look at me. I was a bit nervous under his intent gaze and after what I had just done, I grasped at anything to break the tension.
Smiling, my hand still submerged in water, I splashed Jacob with the icy water. This broke his trance; he leapt up and soaked me with a humongous splash. I screamed and jumped up, running around the circular fountain.
"Oh, you've got it now." Jacob said laughing as he ran after me.
"You have to catch me first!" I yelled giggling as I dodged his attempts to capture me. But I had no chance. He was much faster than me and caught me in seconds.
I screamed and tried to jerk away as he grabbed me around the waist. He picked me up easily and carried me swiftly towards the flowing water, as I continued to flail around, trying to escape.
When I could see the edge of the pearly marble below me, I gave my last, best attempt to break free. I stretched my dangling feet around and kicked him in the back of the leg, dead legging him. He lost his balance, causing both of us to topple over into the freezing water in a tangled mass.
I cried out from the cold and Jacob let out a booming laugh at my reaction. I was completely soaked to the bone and I thanked God I wasn't wearing a white shirt.
I tried unsuccessfully to clamber out of the chilly water, but fell backward, Jacob catching me and helped me out of the artic pool. I was shocked by the fact that, though he had just been submerged by freezing water, his scorching body heat remained the same temperature.
My teeth chattered loudly and he pulled me closer, his arm tight around my waist.
"That was…fun." I said grinning as we walked toward his car.
"Very." he said laughing softly. He helped me into the car, and after turning the heat on high, drove back toward the diner so I could pick up my car. I realized as we drove in silence that I didn't want to leave his presence, now that he was a part of my life, I didn't want him to go.
I glanced down briefly at the clock and my eyes bugged out as I gasped. It read 12:22 a.m. How had three hours gone by so fast?
I walked over to my car, Jacob's hand in mine.
"Will I see you again tomorrow?" I asked hopeful.
"If you want me around, I'll be here." he said seriously. Taking my other hand and staring deep into my eyes.
"Then I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then." I said smiling up at him.
After pulling me into a very warm hug he turned and climbed back into his little car, driving back the way he came so many hours ago.
I stood there long after he had gone, thinking about the events of tonight. I remained there motionless for a long time before I realized I was freezing. I shivered violently as I got into my car, cranking the heat up to full blast. But, I realized as I drove towards home, that I couldn't truly be warm without Jacob here holding my hand, protecting me from the cold that I would forever feel when he was gone.
I don't know how much more I'm going to write, it all depends on if my readers want me to.
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CrAzY ReD HeAd
