The Waiting Game

Bella's POV

The next few weeks got better. Things were really starting to pick up at the Book Garden and The Pack Mechanics so Jake and I didn't get to see each other as much, but when we found enough time to hang out with one another we always had a good time. I could see that he was trying to forgive me completely, trying to let the past four years go. I understood. I was lucky he still wanted me after everything I had put him through. I played an active role in fucking up his life for not months, but years. The least I could do was give him the time he needed to get over things.

My relationship with Charlie had gotten better. Him knowing my secret was a huge load off of my shoulders. Now, instead of worrying about saying the wrong thing in front of Charlie, I felt like I could talk to him about anything. He was getting better at cooking. He moved on to more challenging dishes such as casseroles, lasagna, and ravioli. While his first casserole was far from edible, the second was delicious. He picked up lasagna and ravioli right away. We had spent many nights talking, sometimes about me, sometimes about him, and other times just about life in general. It felt nice to actually connect with my father. I didn't know anyone else in my family besides Charlie and Renee. Renee and I already had a mother daughter bond that was formed in the many years I lived with her. Now it was time to form that same kind of bond with Charlie. There were no more awkward silences between conversations; instead we filled those silences with laughter and memories. Whether it was recollections from the day we'd had or stories about the weird dysfunctional family Charlie, Renee, and I had years ago.

Things at work had gotten better as well. Laura and I were on good terms again, which I was grateful for, the twins were back to their usual playful selves, and Hope was coming out of her weird, disfigured shell. All of the new employees were really easy to talk to and came in every day with a bunch of crazy stories. I felt a pang of sadness because I never got to experience those few crazy years of college. I lived vicariously through their stories though, imagining what it would be like if I were in any of the many sticky situations they put themselves in on a day to day basis. Business was going really well in the store and Laura promoted me to co-manager, which doubled my salary. I finally felt like all of the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place.

The only missing piece was David. I hadn't seen him since he stormed out three weeks ago. I felt bad about how our last conversation had gone. I hadn't meant to hurt him, I had only told him the truth. I missed his daily visits. He had been a good friend to me and I still wanted to see him, but I didn't want there to be any awkward tension between him and I. My last experience with a friend of mine liking me had… drastic consequences. I didn't want to go through that whole fiasco again, in fact I refused to. I was going to hunt him down and we were going to talk about our situation, whether he wanted to or not.

I was so determined I may have gone down to PA Videos after work if Jacob hadn't invited me to a bonfire. I was reluctant to accept his invitation, but I couldn't be scared of the pack forever. Once I got off of work I raced home and showered. Once I was clean and my hair was dry I put on some skinny jeans, a tight fitting green long-sleeve blouse and some small diamond studs. I left my hair down and got my sandals out of the closet. I looked at my clock, I had about a few minutes before Jacob came to pick me up which left little time for make-up. I settled on some lip-gloss, mascara, and perfume. I had just applied the last swipe of gloss before I heard the doorbell ring.

"Hey Bells," Jacob said before he pulled me into a hug. I couldn't help but notice how intoxicating his cologne was before I pulled away.

"Well somebody's looking good tonight," I said. He was wearing some dark wash jeans and a button up red and black plaid shirt. The sleeves came up to his elbow, which showed off his forearms.

"You don't look too bad yourself Bells." I blushed at the compliment and grabbed my purse off of the counter.

"Ready to go?" I nodded and walked out of the house. Jacob took my hand in his after I locked up and opened the car door for me. I thanked him, blushing as always, and we got on the road. My foot was tapping to release some of the nervous energy I had, but it wasn't doing much for my anxiety. Jacob reached across the gear - shift and took my hand once more.

"Relax Bells, no one is going to mess with you. They may not like you, but I warned them about keeping any bad thoughts to themselves." I nodded and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.

"Thanks Jake, but I have a feeling that's not going to help much." I didn't want to be a pessimist, but it is very possible that most of the pack will hate me. No order could cap such an intense emotion completely. Jacob took my hand in his and kissed the back of it.

"It'll be fine. You'll enjoy yourself, I promise."

"And if you're wrong?" I raised a challenging eyebrow.

"If I'm wrong you can hit me with a baseball bat, or take a picture of me in a compromising position." I laughed, thankful for the distraction.

When we arrived the butterflies in my stomach were going crazy again. Jacob sent me a concerned look but I nodded to reassure him that I was okay. As we walked toward the fire pits Jacob intertwined his fingers with mine. He squeezed my hand reassuringly as we neared the fire pit and I let out a deep breath. Here we go.

"Hey Bella!" Quil said. He pulled me away from Jake and gave me a hug. Once I was set down I was passed to Embry, who gave me the same greeting, and then back to Jake. Seth waved at me, as did Sam and Emily. The only girls that didn't smile and wave were Leah, and Rachel. Jacob found a spot on a log and pulled me down next to him.

"You should have gotten here earlier, you just missed Jared getting his ass kicked by Kim." Quil was obviously still entertained by the events that had happened prior to our arrival.

"She didn't kick my ass!" Jared protested, but his cheeks were pink.

"I beg to differ. You had the upper hand dude, and you gave it up." Quil exclaimed. He was clearly enjoying the embarrassment on Jared's face.

"I didn't give up, I just realized I was wrong."

"What are you guys talking about?" Jacob asked. Embry took on the task of answering.

"Kim got mad at Jared because Felicia and her pack of she-bats came around and started drooling all over him. Jared insisted that she was being overprotective-"

"Which I wasn't." Kim interjected. "I'm sure if the circumstances were switched-"

"You already won Kim, let the man finish his story." Quil said. She sent him a death glare, but didn't say anything.

"Anyway, Kim got mad and started yelling, which caused Jared to yell, and then out of nowhere Kim's hand just whips across his face and Jared looks like he's about to cry." All of the guys snicker and Jared's cheeks get even redder.

"Whatever Embry, at least I didn't hook up with a psychopath. What was her name again, Cindy?" Embry shivered and a look of disgust crossed his face.

"Oh yeah, she was a creepy one. You go in thinking it's a one night stand and she chains you to the bed." Quil says, laughing. My eyes widen and my heartbeat picks up. Bad memories start bubbling to the surface. No, God no, not here. I try to focus on the conversation and laugh when everyone else laughs, but it's getting harder and harder to keep my mind on the present.

"The lights are turned out and she's at the foot of the bed dressed like Cat Woman." Colin interjects.

"And then she pulls out a whip." My body tenses and memories flood my mind. A whip with jagged glass on the tip ripping across my abdomen. Blood everywhere, tears running down my cheeks. A wicked smile, his villainous laugh. Hazel eyes. No. I have to calm down. I cannot show any sign that this story is bothering me. This is supposed to be a fun evening. I can't ruin it. I need to get past this. Just breathe deeply and remind yourself that their just memories, like Trudy said. I am here. I am with Jacob and the Pack. I am home. By the time I start to relax and come back to the present everyone has already moved on. They are all talking and joking about one thing or another. Some are eating; others are just staring into the fire. Jacob is… where is Jacob? I look around but he is nowhere to be seen. I start to get up when Paul sits down next to me.

"Hi Paul." I try to focus my attention on him so I don't come off as rude.

"Don't act like everything is all peachy Bella. You can be as polite as you want, but it's not going to change the fact that I don't like you." He snarled.

"If you don't like me, then why are you sitting next to me?" I didn't feel like dealing with Paul right now. The politeness from before had gone away and my tone had hardened.

"I just figured I'd give you a heads up before you tried to talk to me."

"I wouldn't have. You didn't like me before I left, only an idiot would think you would think highly of me after I hurt Jacob. I'm not stupid Paul." Even if he hadn't told me he wasn't a fan of mine, I would have assumed he hated my guts. Paul never acted like he wanted to be associated with me, most likely because of my relationship with Edward.

"Whatever. It's not like I'll have to put up with you for long." He says.

"What on Earth would make you say something like that?" I tried to sound like I didn't care, not wanting to give away my true curiosity.

"Jake knows women want him. He won't settle down for more than a few months. The longest he's settled while you were away was with that one girl, Sally. I really thought I was going to be rid of you when he met her. He fell for her. Hard. He had light in his eyes again and wasn't drinking every fucking day. He's been doing well for a while. So you can imagine my disappointment when I learned you were back in town. Hopefully we won't have to fix him up again once you fuck up. We made sure he knew any woman would gladly give it up to him. He may have forgiven you, but I hope he dumps your ass for some girl on the street just like you dumped his ass for that leech." His words stung, but I refused to let him see how they affected me.

"I will be by Jake's side as long as he wants me. If he chooses someone else or doesn't want me around anymore, I'll leave, but only when he tells me to do so. I know what I did was wrong, but seeing as you and I hardly had a friendly relationship before I left, I would say that what Jake and I want and what Jake and I do is between him and I. That being said I'm going to look for Jake." I got up from my seat on the log and walked away from the fire. I was walking for about a minute before I found Jake. He wasn't far from the group, but far enough to make me suspicious. Not necessarily of him, but of what he was doing. As I got closer I realized the he was not alone. The girl I saw him with on the beach the day after Sue's party was there. She was stretching out her arms, looking to get a hug. I got closer and stopped when I could hear what they were saying.

"Look Felicia, I don't care what you want. I have what I need and I can assure you that you aren't it." He took her arms and put them at her sides. I was relieved he was pushing her away, but that didn't stop her.

"But Jakey we had so much fun together." She said, twisting her hair and staring at him like she wanted to eat him alive. I felt jealousy and anger course through me. I was seriously considering punching her in the face.

"Look, just leave me alone." Jacob said, he was about to walk away and I was about to move forward when she threw herself at him and kissed him. He was startled and his eyes grew wide, but once he recovered he gently pushed her back.

I was frozen in my place. I knew he didn't want to kiss her, I saw him push her back. He had done nothing wrong. The logical part of my brain knew that I had nothing to worry about, but that didn't stop my heart from dropping into my stomach. Somewhere in the back of my mind, Paul's words were echoing.

"Jake knows women want him." He obviously knew she wanted him. I could tell that she was someone Jacob had been with in my absence.

"What the fuck Felicia!" Jake said, and then his eyes caught mine. I should have smiled, or done something to let him know I knew he had done nothing wrong, but all I could do was stand there with my mouth halfway open.

"Bella." I could see his face crumple in pain. I snapped out of my daze and started walking towards him when Felicia jumped in.

"Are you kidding me, this is the girl that you want. You do realize you could have me instead of… her." If looks could kill Felicia would be dead and Jacob would be running from the police.

"I suggest you leave." He said harshly. I recognized the tone as the one he used when speaking to me at Betsy's. He was pissed.

"But Jakey." She whined. God, she was annoying.

"NOW!" She and I both jumped at his vicious tone and she left. Trudging back up the beach with a pout on her face no doubt. When Jacob turned to me his features softened and he took my hands in his.

"Bella, I am so sorry you had to see that. I didn't want to kiss her. She kissed me. I would never do that to you. I mean after ev-" I put a hand over his mouth to stop him.

"Jake, I know you didn't do anything. I saw the whole thing as I was walking toward you." I wasn't going to tell him I was eavesdropping. Spying on him was morally wrong… and it sounds kind of creepy. "I was just… surprised. That's all." I took my hand away from his mouth so he could speak. His features had relaxed, but he still looked concerned.

"If you were just surprised why did it look like you were hurt?" Jacob's hand came up to my cheek and his thumb gently stroking my cheek bone. I mentally cursed myself for not controlling my expressions better.

"It's nothing Jacob. I knew you hadn't done anything. I just… I know women want you Jacob, and I know that you know they want you. I just, I don't know. It worries me I guess." I bit my lip and looked away.

"What are you worried about honey, you know you're all I want," Jacob said gently.

"I know you want me now Jacob, but what about later on when you see that you could do so much better. I mean did you see her. She was gorgeous! There is no way I would ever, could ever look like that, and that's what you deserve. I mean let's face it I had nothing going for me before I left and now I have all of this emotional baggage on top of it! I just…" I trailed off and ran my hands down my face in frustration.

"Honey," Jacob said softy and took my hands in his, "Do you honestly not see how beautiful you are. Don't you know how much you mean to me? Felicia looks good, I'm not going to lie and say I haven't noticed, but she doesn't hold a candle to you. She is shallow, and annoying, and incredibly fake. You're real Bells. You're not some odd concoction of saline and flesh; you're natural and beautiful, and smart and funny. You are what I want, what I'll always want. As for the women, yes I know they like me, but that doesn't mean I want them. With you around no other woman crosses my mind. You're it for me Bells, there are no if, ands, or buts about it. I don't want anyone else." I stared up at him, not sure what I should say. After a moment I wrapped my arms around him. "Thank you." I whispered. I felt him chuckle lightly. "Anytime Bells." He tightened his grip around me and I buried my face into his chest. I would have loved to stand in his arms forever, but unfortunately it was getting late and we had to say goodbye to those who were leaving.

We slowly walked back the fire hand in hand. I leaned into him when the wind picked up he looked down at me and smiled. When we got close enough to everyone the spell was broken, to my disappointment, and we sat down in our previous spot. This time, however, Jacob pulled me down onto his lap. I leaned back into him and his arms wrapped around me. We listened to everyone talking around us, laughing and sending secret smiles to each other when we thought no one was watching. Sometime around 11:30 Jake and I decided to leave. Mostly everyone had left, except for Colin, Jared, Kim, and Leah. The ride home was quiet, but I was content.

"So, that wasn't too bad," Jacob said once he had stopped the car.

"Yes, once again you were right." I rolled my eyes and he grinned.

"I like the new you, I'm right more often."

"Yeah, yeah. You're ahead now, but I'm going to make a comeback." He laughed and took my hand.

"Sure, sure." I smiled and looked over at him. I didn't want to have to part ways with Jacob, even if it was for a few hours.

"Stay with me tonight?" I bit my lip, hoping he would say yes.

"I would love to, but what about Charlie?"

"He's doing something in Seattle for a few nights," I said as I got out of the car. One of the good things about actually talking to my father was knowing when he would be out of town. I opened the door and heard Jacob walk in behind me. I set my purse on the table and took off my shoes before turning to him.

"So what do want to do Bells?" he asked. I hadn't really thought about what we would be doing.

"Ummm."

"Want to paint each other's nails and watch Gossip Girl!" Jacob interjected. It was obvious he was playing around, but that didn't mean I would object to such a wonderful plan.

"You find out what channel Gossip Girl is on, and I'll get the nail polish." I said, and Jacob's smile dropped.

"What?" He said, with no humor in his tone. I laughed and went up the stairs to get the basket of nail polish. I had a healthy collection from high school under the bathroom sink. When I came back down the stairs I found Jacob on the couch flipping through channels. His eyes widened when he saw the basket of polish.

"Bells, you do know I was kidding, right?"

"Yes, I do. But that doesn't mean I am. Now, do you want manicure or pedicure. I would suggest a pedicure because if the guys find out about this they're gonna grill your ass."

"You would actually touch my feet?" Jacob laughed.

"Believe it or not, I am not scared of you, or your feet." I started searching for a nice color and settled on a deep purple.

"Whoa, whoa purple. Come on Bells, have mercy." I was going to tell him to suck it up, but I couldn't say no to his puppy eyes.

"Fine," I sighed and took out the clear polish and a nail file. I was about to move to his feet when he stopped me.

"As much as I admire your courage, I wouldn't make anybody go anywhere near my feet. You can do my hands." I nodded and moved up. I wasn't sure how to position myself; it was a relatively small couch. After thinking on it for a moment I swung one leg over his body so I was straddling his abdomen as he lay. I took his hand and got to work. His nails were bitten down, as most guys' nails are, but they weren't all that bad. I set his hand on my thigh so I wouldn't get too much polish on his skin. I made quick work of his first hand, swiping on a single layer of polish so they would dry quickly. I was finishing up his pinky when I looked up at him. He was staring at me with such a tender expression it made my heart flutter.

"What?" I asked as I put the brush back into the bottle of polish and twisted it shut. He didn't say anything, just ran his one dry hand through my hair.

I couldn't help myself. The way he was looking at me and his fingers gently running through my hair was simply too much for me. I leaned in as did Jacob, his intoxicating warmth encouraging me to move in closer. We were coming closer and closer until there was no more than a few centimeters between our lips. Our breaths mixed and a shiver ran through my body.

"Ugh Bella I can't, I can't do this!" Jacob pulled away and I did my best to conceal the hurt expression on my face. He put his head in the crook of my neck. For a moment I didn't know what to do, but after a moment I started to run my fingers through his hair.

"I'm sorry Jake. I don't know what came over me." I should have known this would happen. He told me he didn't want to rush into things.

"No, it's not your fault." He brought his head up and looked at me. "I know you've been waiting patiently on me. It's been almost a month and we're still in this awkward stage, and I know it's my fault." He looked so frustrated with himself. It made me feel bad about pushing him in my moment of weakness.

"I'll give you all the time you need to trust me again Jake. I knew things wouldn't just go back to how they were before."

"No, see that's just it. I do trust you Bells. I've gotten the chance to see the new you and I'm more than certain you won't leave again. You've made a life here in the few months you've been here and even though you were... God I can't even fucking say it. What I'm trying to say is even after all of the shit you went you're such a fun and vibrant person. You're still my Bells but with more self-confidence and responsibility. I want the same things you want Bella. I want to kiss you and touch you. I want to be yours, hell I already am yours, none of that is the problem." I was thoroughly confused.

"Then what's wrong?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowed. He looked away which was unusual because usually I'm the one who does that.

"Jacob," I said gently, "please tell me what's wrong. Whatever it is I'm sure we can get past it." He looked at me again and I was shocked by how vulnerable he looked. My leaving hurt him more than I thought.

"I'm scared Bella." He averted his eyes once more. "I'm scared that everything will fall apart. I'm scared that I won't be able to make you happy. You have to realize this is the only time you've actually reciprocated my feelings. I know I can make you happy, in theory, but this is the first time I've actually had a chance to show you what being with me would be like. I just don't want to screw it up." He looked at me once he had cleared all signs of vulnerability from his features and I leaned down to place my forehead against his.

"You have already made me happy Jake. You remember when Edward left me, and I was depressed for months?" I asked.

"I will never forget what that asshole did." I knew part of the reason Jacob hated Edward was because of how he left me. I knew my depressed state was imprinted in Jacob's mind, but I needed a strong memory to get my message across.

"You were the only person that could make me smile. You made me forget about Edward leaving me and you made me feel like I was worth something. What's more, you made me fall in love with you. You saved me from giving my life away and becoming a vampire. You saved me from an eternity of regrets. I know you've changed over the years, but that doesn't mean you don't know how to make me feel better. You helped me through the bonfire we just went to and have lifted my spirits countless times in the past few weeks. I have no doubt in my mind that you are what I want, and I know we'll be okay. I'm not saying everything is going to be perfect all the time, there will be problems every now and then, but when they come we can work through them together." Jacob had visibly relaxed and had a faint smile on his lips. He kissed my forehead and said, "Thank you Bella." I smiled.

"Anytime." I smiled as I repeated what he'd said to me only an hour ago.

"After all, werewolves have to get scared sometimes too." He chuckled and I settled down into chest. We didn't say anything for a while and before I knew it I was lulled into a peaceful sleep.

~Redeem~

I woke up the next morning in Jacob's arms. My neck had a crook in it and I was extremely tired, but I was content. I looked at the digital clock on the cable box and decided it was time to get up. After all, we both had to go to work. I got took a quick shower and got dressed for work before going down and making some eggs, bacon and toast. I figured I'd let Jacob sleep in a little bit, knowing the smell of food would wake him up. Sure enough, five minutes after I started cooking he came lumbering into the kitchen rubbing the sleep from his eyes. I slid a cup of coffee toward him.

"Thanks. What time is it?" He asked after taking a sip of the coffee.

"It's about seven o'clock right now. I figured we could eat breakfast and then head out." I pushed the eggs around in the skillet a few more times before sliding them onto a plate, I then proceeded to make the rest of the carton for Jacob. We ate in a hurried silence, both of us worrying about being late to work. I put our dishes in the sink to be washed later, and locked up.

"Umm Bells?" Jacob said right before I got to my truck.

"Hmm?" I asked, putting my lunch on the passenger side of the truck. I closed the door and was about to walk around to the other side, but Jacob was standing behind me, looking rather nervous.

"What is it?" I asked, now concerned.

"I was wondering if you would like to go out with me tomorrow night." My heart sped up and I couldn't stop the smile from spreading onto my lips.

"Like a date?" I asked.

"Not exactly. It will look like a date, and feel like a date, but it's not a date." I raised an eyebrow.

"Look I know it's odd, but just… trust me." I waited a moment to answer, even though we both knew I would say yes.

"Okay, just tell me when and where." He smiled and seemed to relax a little bit.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow at 8:00." He started to turn but I stopped him.

"Wait, where are we going. I need to figure out what to wear."

"Wear something casual and some shoes you wouldn't mind walking around in." I asked him where we were going again, but he just smiled and kissed my forehead.

"You'll see tomorrow, until then you'll just have to wait."

I tried to figure out where we were going the entire ride to work, but casual were could mean we were going anywhere but a restaurant. Through the frustration of not knowing where Jacob was taking me, I could feel the excitement of going on my first date, or non- date, with Jacob. I felt my inner girl coming out and giggled non-stop for the last two minutes of my drive. I pulled myself together in the parking lot, but I couldn't completely wipe the smile off of my face.

"Well someone's a happy camper today," Laura said as soon as I walked into the door.

"Now I wonder what could have happened to put a smile that big on your face." I put my lunch away in the lounge and went behind the checkout counter to get the book I had been reading.

"Jake asked me out," I said, and my smile got even bigger. I had to give Laura her props. Although she was still uncomfortable with the idea of Jacob and I, she was always supportive.

"That's great honey, where is he taking you?" I could tell that this wasn't a topic she was particularly interested in.

"That's the frustrating part, I don't know. He just told me to wear something casual." We neared the fountain where we usually read and sat down.

"Well I'm sure he has something big planned," was all she said, and just like that the subject was dropped. I have to admit I was a little angry that Laura couldn't let me indulge in my girly side and give her all of the details, but then I remembered who I was and opened my book. The day went by slowly, much to slowly for my taste. I was relieved when I got off work, but the day wasn't over yet. I had a task to do and I wasn't going home until it got done. I sighed as I put the car in gear and made my way to Port Angeles.

~Redeem~

I didn't know if David was still working, but that didn't matter. I would keep coming back until I spoke to him. I parked the car in the empty lot and walked in to find him standing at the counter looking bored. He looked up when I came in, but immediately went back to looking at his fingernails when he saw it was me.

"Welcome to PA Videos, how can I help you." He wouldn't meet my eye and was instead focusing on little things, such as the carpeting or the display in the front of the store.

"David, don't do this." His eyes stayed downcast.

"Do what?"

"This, whatever this is. Don't ignore me. Don't just cut me out of your life." His eyes finally rose to meet mine.

"I'm not cutting you out, I just don't feel like talking to you anymore. It doesn't feel the same." I could tell he was angry, but that didn't mean anything to me right now,

"David, I'm sorry. I didn't know-"

"Didn't know what, that I liked you? How could you not know when I made it so obvious? Don't try to make up excuses for leading me on Bella." He held my gaze as he spoke, his blue eyes holding me in my place.

"I never wanted to lead you on David. That was never my intention, and I am so sorry I hurt you, but I've wanted to be with Jacob for… a long time now. I didn't know if he would still want me because I've been away for a while and… I don't know maybe I welcomed your attention and made it seem like I liked you, and you're right there is no excuse for that, but I still want to be your friend David. You're an amazing person and I don't want to lose you because of this." He seemed to relax a little bit, relieving some of the tension in the empty store. It was quiet for a long moment, and I could see him processing my words.

"Alright, but I have one condition." I felt my heart lift and I smiled.

"Anything."

"You have to let me call you Izzy. I want no complaints from you." My eyes widened and I saw a smile stretch across his face.

I went home that night with a smile on my face. That horrible nickname was a small price to pay for a wonderful friend.

~Redeem~

I woke up the next morning with adrenaline coursing through my body. Today's the day. I thought. My first date with Jacob. I got up and went through my morning routine. Work flew by, the hours seemed like they were condensed into minutes, most likely because it was taking a backseat to my fantasies of what my date with Jacob would be like. (I don't care what he says about this not being a date, in my eyes, it's a date) When I finished working I rushed home to shower and change clothes. I decided on some blue jeans, a T-shirt, and some black converse. I decided against wearing any make-up. Jake said causal, make-up would be doing too much.

I was finishing up the note to Charlie to explain where I was when I heard a knock on the door. I set the pen down and nervously smoothed down my shirt before opening the door. Jacob stood there in some jeans and a random T-shirt; he was dressed like we were just about to hang out like we did when we were kids. Just like that, all of my anxiety was gone. Why should I be nervous, this is Jacob we're talking about.

"Hey," I said with a ridiculous grin on my face.

"Hey," he replied. He pushed his hands into his pockets and looked down sheepishly, it seemd like he was as nervous as I was.

"You ready to go?" I nodded and grabbed my bag off of the counter. The ride over was awkward, which was something that rarely happened with Jacob and I.

"So, you gonna tell me where we're going?" my curiosity had reached it's peak over the past couple of days.

"You'll see in a few minutes." A smirk was forming on his lips. He knew I didn't like surprises. I let out a huff and he laughed at me. I looked out of the window, expecting to find darkness when I saw it. A large ferris wheel was towering above the ground, it's lights spinning and illuminating the night sky. As we got closer to the grounds I saw a rollercoaster and heard the joyful shrieks coming from the grounds.

"Since when does Forks have a fair, or fair grounds for that matter?"

"The fairgrounds were set aside about a year after you left and the year after that the fair started." I never imagined our small town would ever have anything as interesting as a fair, or a community college, or a town park, or a recreation center. It's ridiculously unfair that the small town blew up in the four years I had been gone. I didn't get to see it changing, I just came back to a completely different place. We pulled into the parking lot a few seconds later. Jacob got out and opened my door like a gentleman. We walked up to the entrance gate and Jacob paid for our tickets.

"So, where to first?" he asked me. I looked around and my eyes landed on the rollercoaster. I practically dragged him over to the line.

"Jesus Bells, why the rush?"

"I've never been on one before, I'm just excited."

"Never?" He asked incredulously.

"Nope." I guess it was kind of shocking. It was a common childhood experience, but for some reason it never happened for me. I was a bundle of nerves when we finally boarded the ride. Jacob and I sat next to each other in the back car. After getting strapped in I realized that I was actually going to ride on a rollercoaster, but instead of the excited feeling I had, I started to get nervous. The feeling only worsened when the coaster started to climb the metal hill. Just like that a million scenarios flashed through my head. The coaster flying off of the railing and me plummeting to my doom being the most frequent. I was seriously contemplating asking them to stop the ride or jumping off when I felt a warm hand encompass my own. I looked up and saw Jacob giving me an encouraging smile.

"Don't worry Bells, you'll be fine. Stop freaking out and relax. We're here to have fun." I nodded and we reached the top of the hill. My eyes widened. We were up way to high for my liking.

"Oh my goooo-" I screamed as we raced down the track. The wind was roaring in my ears and my hair was blown back. When we reached the bottom of the hill we raced around one turn and then another before climbing a small hill. Once we reached the top of that one we were speeding down the hill again and around turn after turn, at one point the car was almost on its side, bending sharply and then we came to a sudden stop. By the time we got of the ride I was smiling like an idiot.

"So, how was it?" Jacob asked, already knowing my answer.

"Can we go again?" I asked. And before I knew it we were back on the ride and I was screaming my guts out.

~Redeem~

We went on the coaster two more times before Jacob pulled us away to the bumper cars. He suggested getting a two seater but I wanted the pleasure of hitting him with my own car. It was the battle of the ages, and unfortunately I did not come out on top. After coming away from the bumper cars we went walking around the grounds and stopped at a game booth. It was one of those games where you throw a ball at stacks of bottles. Jacob won of course and I walked away with a cute stuffed animal of my choice. I chose a wolf. After walking around we decided to go on one more ride.

"So what'll it be Bells?"

"I chose last time, you choose."

"Are you sure?" I nodded and he grabbed my hand and led us toward the Ferris wheel. These cars were a bit bigger than the cars on the rollercoaster and they tried to get four people onto one car. Lucky for us we were the last ones in line so we didn't have to share. Jacob sat next to me and we placed our belongings on the other side of the car.

"Are you having a good time?" He asked me. I could see a hint of worry in his eyes.

"I'm having a great time, it's been a while since I've felt so…happy." I was struck by the truth in my words. It's been four years since I've cracked a real smile. How had I not noticed how sad I was until now? I mean yes I noticed I was a little down in the dumps while I was away from Forks, but even after I came back I was never this happy until Jacob came into my life again. And now here I am sitting next to him after having experienced the best day I've had in a long time with the biggest smile on my face. It made me realized that I haven't even scratched the surface of happiness. If one day with Jacob makes me feel like sadness is a thing of the past, I can only imagine what a lifetime with him would be like.

"Bella, I'm sorry about everything, about turning away from you when you're the only thing I really want." The car stopped at the top of the Ferris wheel and his hand came up to my cheek.

"It's okay Jacob, I knew you would need time," I said.

"Even so, I can't thank you enough for giving me the time I needed. For staying with me, for breathing life back into me, for giving me a reason to love again, for giving me your heart." His words were thoroughly melting my insides. I placed my hand over the one that was resting on my cheek.

"I love you," I said, and I meant it with every fiber of my being. Jacob's other hand came up to my other cheek and before I knew what was happening his lips were on mine. I was shocked for a moment, but my eyes fluttered shut and I leaned into him. His lips were soft and warm and were molded to mine. I could feel his passion and his joy and his love as he kissed me and I knew that he had my heart, totally and completely. There was no way I could ever leave him, no way I could walk away from this incredible feeling I had whenever I was with him. I was his. He pulled back and rested his forehead on mine. I looked at him, the lights from the Ferris wheel lighting up his own.

"I love you too."

Okay, this update came waaaaaay too late. Sorry guys, really. I got really caught up in reading the Divergent series and then with all of these stories getting deleted from fanfiction I figured I better keep this one hidden beneath all the other stories for a while. But here it is, I hope the ending makes up for it a little, though I don't think this chapter is my best work I knew I had to get something out to you. I hope you enjoyed it though!

~ladybug82896