A/N: Sorry, guys, haven't been updating recently…but hey, new chapter's up, isn't it? There's still a history and a physics paper waiting for me on the desk, but I managed to sneak in a bit of Fanfiction time.

So here it is…Enjoy!

Chapter 4

I was slapped out of my reverie and into reality when I heard the bolt in the front door heave and slide open with a creaking sound, and then a key turning loudly in the lock. I turned to face Leah, and her eyes were wide with something I couldn't quite comprehend. Fear? Panic? Desperation? Stress? A combination, perhaps? Whatever it was, it made her rush up the stairs of the basement leading up to the main house and slam the door shut behind her. I ran up to the door after her, then stopped, perching just behind the door, and positioning my eyes at the keyhole in an attempt to get the best view of what was going on.

Seconds later, a man stepped into view. I believe I had never "gasped" until this moment. Both Leah and his heads turned toward the door for a moment, but Leah quickly muttered something under her breath and the pair turned to face each other. I strained my ears to hear what they were saying.

But I found I couldn't concentrate with this man just separated from me by a stupid basement door. Jacob.

His arms were tanned and strong as I'd remembered, his dark hair tufty and always slightly messy, which I'd always found seductive. His eyes…oh, I couldn't quite clearly see his eyes, but partially though I found that if I stooped slightly lower I would be able to see most of his left eye. Those dark, near-black eyes had captivated me for so long, so many times and could yet capture my attention again, hold me there in a swirling vortex of blissfulness that was only centered around both of us.

I couldn't hold myself back anymore. I jumped up and rushed at the doorknob. With a bit of effort I managed to pull it open and snap the knob behind me. Leah and Jacob looked up at the same time. Jacob's gaze at me was a mixture of affection and a slightly puzzled expression. but Leah was seething like…well, perhaps like she just knew she was the most beautiful woman around and had lost a beauty pageant to some pageant newbie whose hair wasn't even maintained and whose lips were thin, pale and chapped.

"Renesmee. Go. Back. To. Your. Room," Leah spoke through her teeth, breaking through the hard layers of fake smiling in front of Jacob.

"No." I stood, my knees wobbly to the ground, defying my newest landlady.

"Fine, then you may forget about moving into the house," Leah shrugged, seemingly careless. From what I could gather about myself, had Leah actually wanted me here anyway? Instructions from Jacob was one thing, but what had happened to their relationship now? Far more than I'd dreamed of ever happening, Jacob was there. Right next to me, and I could feel the heat radiating off his muscular body. Before he left, the warmth would have seemed comforting, my second home. But now the heat felt like a warning, a warning to keep off because he was some new girl's property. Some fortunate girl out there who was beautiful with glossy red lips, perfectly shining wavelets and a flawless French manicure.

"Leah-" Jacob shook his head. I couldn't hear him finish the rest of his sentence because my mind was too busy trying to digest that wonderful voice and store it in perfect condition, forever.

"Special treatment, Renesmee," Leah drawled, her full cherry-red lips stretching into a spiteful smile, then a smirk.

"Wha-what?" My head instinctively snapped up and my eyes immediately met Leah's.

"I said, special treatment," Leah repeated, rolling her eyes at me and sounding annoyed. "Jacob would never allow his precious darling Nessie to go homeless and poor on the dirty streets. So, I suppose you're going to stay here, whether I like it or not, and apparently the essence of his love for you is still there…somewhere."

"Shut up, Leah," Jacob said, punching her gently on the side of her ribs. "You know…it's not like that. She and I are just friends."

Jacob couldn't have meant that…no, no, no…I have to believe…believe that he loves me, because I gave everything to him. He must love me, because I love him more than he will ever know, more than he can ever give me…no, he mustn't. They say that if you truly love someone, you would let them go. He mustn't fall in love with me, because he is worthy of a girl better than me; he can't fall in love with me, he won't, because I'm just an insignificant ex-girlfriend who was nothing to him at all, except for a girl whom he could sling over his arm and show off to a few dirt-bike friends.

Before the pair left for who-knows-where, Leah used to tell me, "You're nothing to Jacob at all, nothing. He told me last night that you were just a pawn to his king in this game that we humans call life. And I, of course, am his queen and he never thought of you as anything but a step on the ladder to social status climbing. Did you honestly believe that what he showed you was true affection? I must say, Renesmee, I've never expected anyone so gullible, never. Don't blame him for breaking your heart, because it's still your fault for believing everything."

"You should go back to your room, Renesmee," Jacob spoke to me gently, nudging my shoulder. "Leah and I have some strictly private and confidential matters to discuss."

I was numb as I made my way down the steps and entering the basement, where I collapsed on top of my new bed. I had no idea how I made it that far, because as soon as I hit the bed the tears began to flow. Very faintly, in the background I could hear Leah speaking in a high-pitched voice, something like 'she's so obedient when you say it' and 'she never listens to me, her new landlady' and 'she must still have feelings for you'.

And Jacob's reply, I strained my ears and tried to control the tears long enough for me to hear:

"You honestly don't have to say anything, Leah, she doesn't have feelings for me, and neither do I for her." There was an uncomfortable silence, a short pause from Jacob perhaps, and then, "Leah. As long as they are still alive, I shall not rest-"

As long as they are still alive? Who are 'they'?

The question still in my mind, I decided I needed a bit of cheering up, so I made my way over to the side of the dresser drawer and switched on the radio. I immediately regretted this decision when I heard the DJ speak the words, but could not bring myself to turn it off.

"Let's hear some tunes now, fantastic romantic classics that always make me cry…This is your local DJ Sara Burch, on the Banz Romance Session on DJ Hotline Live."

Right Here Waiting – Richard Marx

Goodbye to Love – Carpenters

He Stopped Loving Her Today – George Jones

My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion

If Loving You Is Wrong I Don't Want to Be Right – Mandrell Barbara

The tears came, spilling over everything. The pillows, sheets…and everything else seemed to blur in my vision. I imagined Jacob's lips on mine, but I couldn't, no, I couldn't. How long had it been since our last kiss? Very long…years, even. And how long had it been since the last kiss between Leah and himself? Just then, even if Leah had never appeared, there was no guarantee that we would have been together, anyway.

Did I resent my parents for giving birth to an ugly child? Not quite. My mother Bella had been an exquisite beauty, half-Spanish with beautiful emerald-green eyes and wavy bronze-brown hair that I'd always envied, because mine was always locked in dead tangles. My father Edward was, according to him, a heartthrob in his earlier years. And he was, really, with curly, tufty caramel hair and dark eyes which was one part olive and two parts sapphire. Perhaps something had gone wrong in the genes…okay, face it, I just wasn't born to be beautiful material. If you ever start thinking that every single random girl walking past you is much more beautiful than you, then it's either you underestimate yourself, or you're not as pretty-girl style as you think.

I parted the curtains in my room and looked out the window, not to stare at the sweet garden Leah maintained, but to let my eyes wander aimlessly around the terrain beyond.

I got up and shuffled my way out of the basement, wanting to go out of the house to take a breath of fresh air, and saw…

So, dear readers, make a guess, what did Renesmee see?

Like I always say…

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