Unreal

I let the phone ring for a few seconds, taking a couple of deep breaths and trying to pull my thoughts together. Charlie took the signs of distress apparent on my face as a cue to get the hell out of there. He all but sprinted into the other room.

I picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Bella, you're home!" Jacob's husky voice came through the line. It was higher pitched than usual with anxiety. "What happened? Are you okay? Why are you home so early?"

"It's a long story, Jacob-" I started to say.

"Is he there?" He interrupted, "Your blood-… Edward? Is he with you?"

"No, Edward is hunting tonight. I'm here with Charlie," I explained.

"Bella?" he whispered, his voice almost inaudible. "Are you…..still human?" I could barely make out what he said.

"What?....Oh, yes, it's still…..me" I replied. It took a second to hear and comprehend what he had said, but I got it.

"Bella, I'm so sorry about your reception," he blurted out. Apparently me saying I was still human had opened the floodgates. "I wasn't trying to cause a scene. Really. I just-"

"That's okay, Jake. Honestly, I haven't thought that much about it. I've, uh, had a lot on my mind." He had no idea.

"Come see me," said Jake suddenly. "Please. I really want to see you."

"Not tonight, Jake, I just got back, and I promised Charlie I would make him a nice dinner and---"

"Please, Bella," his voice sounded tortured.

"Well, okay. I guess. But can you pick me up? I don't really like driving my new car."

He paused a second. "Sure thing. Be there soon." Despite his earlier seriousness, I could almost hear him grinning on the other end of the line.

Jacob arrived about twenty minutes later. Obviously, he could have run a lot faster, but he stayed true to his promise and pulled up in his Volkswagen Rabbit. As soon as I stepped outside, I could see his face light up through the windshield. It was still lightly drizzling, but he jumped out of his car in a flash and ran towards me anyway, giving me an enormous hug and crushing me close to his chest.

"Jake! Can't- breathe- "

"Bella, you're just going to have to deal with it for a second. I never thought I was going to see you like this again," he said it matter-of-factly, but he had a look of amazement on his face. He looked tired, but was grinning from ear to ear, an interesting contrast. He didn't let me go. I took in just a whiff of his woodsy smell.

After a minute, I was really starting to feel a little bit light-headed, so I elbowed him and he finally released me. I took a step back and surveyed him for a second. For once, it didn't seem like he had grown in height (not that it mattered- he was already a monster), but even in this last week it looked like he had put on a few pounds, filled out a little more. His muscles were further accentuated by his tight black T-shirt and worn jeans. His face looked mature, and his demeanor seemed very calm, by his standards. He had gotten his self-inflicted haircut fixed, so that it didn't look completely uneven anymore, but it was still very short, reminding me of when he first joined the pack. The raindrops accumulating on his face and hair triggered a different memory, making me think about that morning of my cliff dive, when he had saved my life.

"It's good to see you, Jake." I smiled.

"God. You too Bells." He grinned again. "Wet hair, pink cheeks, functioning circulatory system. You look so beautiful. Just how I always wanted to remember you."

"Jake, it's only been a week, for crying out loud," I couldn't help grinning wider. "Stop being so dramatic."

"Yes, that's a good point, Miss Swa- I mean, Bella." He realized his flub, became flustered. He quickly went back to his question. "It has only been a week. Why are you back so soon? What happened?"

"Jake, I'm not sure I want to discuss it with you," I said slowly. "I mean, no offense or anything, but it's kind of none of your business. Are we going or not?" I gestured to his vehicle and called out behind me. "I'll be back later, Charlie!" I didn't bother to wait for the confirmation; I knew I would get it. Jacob opened the door for me, then got in and started the ignition. We took off toward La Push. As he drove along, he seemed to be having an inner battle with himself- he kept taking a breath as though to say something, then reconsidering and keeping his mouth shut. I realized that the breathy noises he was making were as upsetting as anything that he could say. I sighed in defeat. "What is it?"

He looked at me intensely with his black eyes. He spoke seriously. "Bella, does your coming back early have anything to do with what we spoke about at your reception?"

Almost as upsetting. "Huh? What are you talking about, Jake? I kind of blacked our conversation out…." I shuddered, remembering nothing except how forcefully Jacob pulled at my arm, how viciously he looked at Edward, his pack mates having to use all of their strength to pull him back. Not a moment I enjoyed reliving.

"Bella, don't you remember? When I told you that you couldn't have a real honeymoon with your bloodsucker" I let that one go, he was speaking so frantically- "- and you got upset and you said that you could do whatever you wanted; don't you remember that conversation?"

"I don't understand what you're talking about, Jake," I pleaded.

"Well, you know what I meant by 'real honeymoon', right? Was it everything you dreamed of? Complete with a soundtrack with that John Mayer song?" he inquired sarcastically.

I think I finally comprehended what he was saying. I felt like I had been punched in the gut. "It was unreal." I whispered.

"Unreal? Bella that doesn't make any sense, otherwise you would still be there—"

"No, Jake, I meant to say, that the honeymoon was. Not. Real," I choked out as a single tear slipped down my cheek. That was enough to burst the dam. A torrent of tears followed.