Realizations
She shouldn't have risked it. This could have been a trick. No, it wasn't going to be a trick. Her friend wouldn't do that. At least, she hoped not. A slender woman, who had straight, long hair walked towards her. She was beautiful, she held a natural kind of beauty. Half of her face was covered with her silky, black hair.
"Hi Adalie." The slender woman greeted her. Adalie got up to shake her hand, but Emily captured her in a hug. Adalie made no move to reciprocate the warm greeting. She stood awkwardly until Emily let go of her.
"Hey." Adalie breathed out. They sat down simultaneously, and waited for the other to begin the conversation. Emily smiled politely, and Adalie returned the gesture. Before they could finally begin their conversation, the waitress of the diner came to take their order.
"Hi, may I take your order?" The waitress asked in a bored voice. Adalie ordered their usual.
"Two coffees please." She ordered. Emily put her hand up to get the waitress attention.
"Actually, make that one coffee and one doughnut and a glass of water. Thank you." Emily interrupted. The waitress gave a nod and left. Adalie raised an eyebrow but asked no questions. Emily just shrugged her shoulders. After another moment of silence, Adalie broke it.
"Okay, so why are we here?" She asked shortly. Emily breathed in, and was about to start when Adalie interrupted.
"If you're here to ask me to go back for Jacob, the answer is no. I, just, I'm not who he loves, and I want him to be happy. I can't be the reason he feels trapped anymore." She said tiredly. Emily frowned in sympathy, but nodded in understanding.
"I would never make you do anything. I know how you feel, and I completely understand why you're running away." The older woman said. The young girl looked at her in surprise.
"You do?" She asked hopefully. She shouldn't have been surprised that Emily would understand, Emily was just that kind of person. Adalie smiled, and then looked down on the table, embarrassed by her attitude.
"Sorry to snap. I guess I just assumed." She apologized. The native woman just nodded her head in acceptance. Adalie fidgeted with her hands, and started swinging her feet.
"So, uh, how is he doing?" Adalie asked, trying to act nonchalant. Emily hid a smile behind her hands.
"He's healthy. He's obviously upset, but he's trying to deal with it. He actually had a talk with Sam this yesterday morning." Emily informed the girl. Adalie nodded her head sadly. Truth be told, she was partially hoping Jacob would be more than upset, but she was still glad he was healthy. She wished Jacob the best, and prayed that she would feel better eventually. She pictured Jacob and, what she imagined Bella would look like, being an honest and happy couple. She smiled, seeing Jacob's smile was enough for her. She felt a sharp pang in her heart, and tears spiked her eyes. She just wished he would smile because of her.
The waitress came, and served them their order. Emily took the doughnut, and started eating it in silence. Adalie didn't touch her coffee. She looked up at Emily, and gave her a real smile. It was useless to think about things that would only make her feel worse.
"So, how are you? How are things with Sam?" She asked. Emily's face brightened, and put her unfinished doughnut down, before taking a sip of water.
"Actually, that's partly why I wanted to meet you in Point Roberts. I know it was a big risk for you to be so close, but you know Sam. Going somewhere further would make him sick with worry, especially now. So, thank you for coming." She thanked Adalie. The girl nodded for Emily to continue.
"I'm, well I guess I should say, Sam and I are pregnant!" Emily blurt out, and Adalie clapped her hands together and squealed.
"You're what? I am so happy for you! Congratulations! How did Sam take it? Does he know? Do you know if it's a boy or a girl? Do you have a name yet? This is great!" Adalie rambled, and Emily reached for her hand to calm her.
"I know, I'm so excited too." She smiled. Adalie calmed down, and squeezed Emily's hand in excitement.
"So, does Sam know?" Adalie asked. Emily nodded her head, with a big smile on her face. She took her hand back.
"I think he's more excited than me! He's much more protective now. It's a miracle I actually got to meet you without him knowing." Emily laughed. Adalie looked at her in alarm.
"Sam doesn't know you're here?" She panicked. Emily looked at her softly.
"I'll be fine. Don't worry, I brought Collin. I told him to stay put, and that I would only be a few 's in the arcade across the street." She explained. Adalie nodded her head in relief. Collin was a patient guy, surprisingly enough, for a wolf. He was the kind of guy who wouldn't ask questions, and he minded his own business.
For another fifteen minutes, they talked about the pregnancy. Emily asked for Adalie's opinion on baby names. Adalie asked about the symptoms she's had, and how well she was dealing with it. After a while, they settled down, and silence was upon the table. Emily sighed regretfully.
"Actually, I lied." She started. Adalie raised an eyebrow in question.
"I do understand why you ran away, but I don't agree with it. I respect it and I'll even support it, but I want you to know that it's not making it easier on either side." Emily confessed. Adalie's faced turned blank, and she got up. She was about to beat it out of the diner, when Emily reached for her hand. Adalie pulled her hand away like it's been burnt by Emily's touch.
"I trusted you, and I don't want to hear this." Adalie spat out. Emily flinched, but grabbed her hand again. Adalie tried to pull away, but the delicate woman was apparently very strong.
"I want to tell you about Sam, Leah and I." Emily whispered, pain evident in her voice, Adalie stopped fighting and glared at Emily.
"You're not perfect Em. There are some things you just can't fix, or make better." She said coldly. Emily glared at her fiercely and let go of the girl. She got up and faced the shorter girl. She was very mad.
"Look, I never said I was perfect. I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing this for my family. Don't you dare belittle me, and think you know me, but know this. I will not be pushed around, especially not by some naive teenage girl, who believes that running away from problems will solve them." Emily hissed. Adalie's jaw clenched, and glared at her rebelliously.
"If you don't want to be pushed around by me, then get out of my life." Adalie said bitterly. Emily sneered at her.
"Now look here, no matter how immature you are, you are and you will always be a part of my family. I'm not trying to be perfect, and I'm not even trying to fix you're messed up relationship with Jacob. I just want you to understand what you're doing. It won't change the outcome." Emily stated firmly. She changed her demeanor.
"Please. Just give me a few minutes, then you can leave this diner and never see me again." Emily compromised. Adalie thought it over, and figured that a few minutes wouldn't hurt. She nodded stiffly, and sat back down. Emily followed her example and sat down.
"Did Jacob ever tell you about how Sam and I came to be?" Emily started. Adalie shook her head in negative.
"Sam and Leah were together before he became a wolf." She began, and Adalie's eyes widened.
"They were so in love. It was so innocent and honest. When Sam went missing for two weeks, Leah was beside herself with worry. She pleaded for my help. She gathered all her friends and relatives to help her look for Sam. You should have seen her, she was so lost and hopeful at the same time. I remember thinking that Leah's love for Sam was astounding, nobody should ever rip them apart." Emily's voice shook. Her eyes filled with tears of regret.
"When he was found, Leah was just filled with so much joy. It was like all her prayers have been answered, and I think finding Sam was all her prayers. After a few days, the euphoria of reuniting with her lost love ebbed away, and she noticed that Sam was different. No, he wasn't different, he was just more distant, and that made Leah worry again." Emily sniffed, and wiped her eyes. Adalie listened intently.
"Then I came into the picture. I didn't want to, but it's something I could never take back. He saw me, imprinted on me, and trouble began. We became friends first, and I noticed how hard he was fighting it. Sometimes he would try to be mean to me, but he could never do it. He tried to stay, physically away, but he couldn't. I didn't really notice those things until after. We became best friends in a matter of days. Leah was starting to get jealous, but she trusted both of us. After all, I was her best friend and cousin, and Sam was the love of her life." Emily paused to collect herself.
Adalie knew where this would lead, and now she understood why Leah was the way she was. She felt so bad for Leah, nobody deserved the pain she went through. Now, Adalie believed Emily when she said she understood because Em was in the exact same position she was in years ago.
"When I found out that I was in love with him, and that he was in love with me, I ran away for a few days. It was too late though, there was already too much damage done. A rumour spread through out La Push about me and Sam. Of course, Leah found out and barged into my house. We screamed and we fought. I told her nothing happened, but I lied. Something happened, I fell in love with her boyfriend. She didn't believe me, and stormed out. The next day, I went over to La Push to try and patch things up with her, but I ran into Sam instead. We fought, and he phased." Emily broke down into a new bout of tears. Adalie patted her hand comfortingly. Emily gave her teary smile of appreciation.
"He accidentally scarred me. I died for a moment, did you know that? I came back for Sam, and only him. The moment before I died, he was the only face I saw. Refusing to love him was my one regret. I fought to be alive, and his love was the only thing that got me through all the pain. I realized that, as much as I hated hurting Leah, I loved Sam more." Emily finished.
Adalie nodded her head in understanding. She knew what Emily was trying to tell her. No matter what path she took, Jacob will be her destination. It made her feel slightly more hopeful. She loved Jacob, and she wanted a future with him, but she wasn't going to do it by taking away his happiness. The difference between them, was that Sam was happier with Emily. Sam, in the end, chose to love Emily more than Leah.
"You know what's worse? Even though I know it was cruel, what we did to Leah, I still don't regret a thing. I would do it all over again, if I have to. It's disgusting how much I would do for Sam. Sometimes, it scares me." Emily confessed.
Adalie knew what Emily was saying. It was how she was able to leave Jacob. She loved him so much, she was willing to leave.
"That's why I left." Adalie whispered softly. Realization dawned on Emily's face and they welcomed another silence. Emily sipped her water to calm down, and Adalie gulped down her coffee. Suddenly, Emily got up, and Adalie whipped her head at the sudden movement.
"I should go, Collin has been waiting too long." She explained, leaving cash at the table. Adalie nodded her head.
"Yeah." She agreed. Before Emily turned around, Adalie stopped her.
"Emily? Thank you for sharing that with me. It was really personal, and I appreciate it. I'm sorry about before." Adalie apologized. Emily gave her a smile.
"You're welcome. You're doing what's right for you Adalie, and that's what's important. I hope I'll see you again." Emily leaned in for a hug, and Adalie accepted it.
"Congratulations again. You'll make a wonderful mom." Adalie said sincerely. Emily beamed and squeezed her hand in thanks. Emily turned around, and began to leave.
"See you!" Emily gave one last glance at Adalie before leaving. The girl smiled at her departing friend and whispered.
"Yeah, I'll see you."