I didn't want to sleep. Well, I did, just to dream of Edward. But as much as I had tried, since I was little, I had never been able to dream the same thing twice. Maybe the same setting, but always different people and stories. So I gave up on dreaming of this Edward again, and settled for just thinking about him, trying to memorize his face, and repeat his fluid voice. Soon enough, the sun was fully shining through the windows and I could hear movement from upstairs, signaling the parents awakening. So I turned and pretended to be asleep, and within a few minutes I was shaken gently by Charlie.

"Wake up, Bells," whispered Charlie. I did my best to act as though I had been asleep. I rubbed my eyes and mumbled a good morning. Charlie had gone over to Quil and Embry to wake them up too. I looked into the kitchen and saw Billy wheeling around making breakfast. The smell of bacon wafted into the living room, and Quil and Embry bolted upright and ran into the kitchen.

Charlie chuckled. "I'm going to go help Billy with breakfast. Looks like we'll need more food as fast as we can with these boys on our hands. Think you could go wake Jake?"

"Sure." I bit my lip as soon as his back was turned heading toward the kitchen. Warily, I opened Jacob's door a crack to find him on back on his bed, staring at the ceiling, still in his pajamas. When the door opened, he looked to see who it was, saw it was me, and instantly smiled. I slowly entered, closing the door softly behind me.

Jacob sniffed the air and grinned. "Dad's making breakfast. Usually, when it's just him and me, I have to make myself food."

I couldn't help but grin back. "Good morning."

"And good morning to you." He said, then he sat up, grabbed around my waist, and pulled me towards him. He sat me on his lap, and kissed me softly. "Good morning," he whispered.

I did feel a thrill run through me. And his arms were so warm around me, and strong, as if he would keep me there forever if he could. I dared to kiss him back. But when, I pulled away, I remembered my dream last night and began to worry. Obviously Jake could tell, because his fingers traced the furrow between my eyebrows.

"What's wrong?" he asked. I hesitated, but he asked another question. "Are you worried about last night? Look, its not like we have to sleep together all the time now. Or that even of we do we have to have sex or anything. I mean I'm content with you just sleeping next to me. But if you don't want to, that's cool—why are you smiling?"

I couldn't help it. I laughed a little. "Don't worry. I liked sleeping next to you. But, er, Charlie, Billy—might not work out. Um, but the sex thing—,"

"Forget I even said anything. I was just nervous you would say…" he trailed off.

"Say what?"

He hesitated, and kept looking at the ground. "I thought you would say that you didn't like me, or it was just a one-time thing, or you were drunk—,"

"Was I—did you sneak alcohol into my fruit punch last night at dinner? Goddam you, Jacob Black." But I couldn't keep a straight face, and had to start laughing.

"Hey, what's all the laughing—" Embry walked in, saw me in Jake's lap, and simply stopped talking. And just kept staring. His mouth was moving, but no words were coming out. Then, he began pointing from Jacob to me.

I smiled, and put a finger to my lips. "Shh."

The light bulb must have gone on or something, because he understood. "Phew. Not a game? And for real?"

"No and yes." Jacob said with a smile.

"Then, I'll just leave you two…" And he exited, shutting the door behind him. No doubt running to tell Quil.

"Um, Jake?"

"Yeah, Bella?"

"Are we 'for real'?"

"What do you mean?" He was now staring at me, with the same furrowed brow I had before.

"Well. We kind of just got to know each other, and yeah, I really like you, but—but does it have to be for real, right now?" I didn't want to hurt him. "We can be for real with Quil and Embry. But, can we not be with our parents, just yet?"

His face smoothened out and he was thinking. "Yeah…that's fine."

"Look, I like you, Jake. But Charlie is not ready for me to have a boyfriend. Even if it is you. He's rather me stay single till I'm thirty-five. So let's just ease him into the idea."

"How?"

"Well, you come over more often, just as a friend, and soon enough my dad will ask why I'm hanging around with you so much. So then, I allude to the fact that I like you, he'll approve of the idea, then the next day I'll tell him you and I are dating. He'll freak out a bit, but I'll remind him it's you, and he likes you, and all should be good."

"That's an awfully complicated process."

I scoffed. "For Charlie, it'll take…a week. Maybe two."

"Okay." He smiled and kissed me. "I kind of like the whole secretive thing. It's exciting."

I chuckled. "Good. Now, time for breakfast. I'll leave, and you come out after like a minute."

He nodded, understanding the plan. I left his room. "Hey Billy. Is Jake always that difficult to wake up in the morning?" I called as I walked in the kitchen, full of the mouth-watering smells of bacon, sausage, and omelets.

Billy chuckled as he added pepper to the omelet in the pan. "Unfortunately. You should see him on school days. He's lucky he has a snow day today. Ah, here he comes now."

Jake had rubbed his eyes raw, to make it look like he just woke up, and he had ruffled up his hair to stick out at weird angles. He put on a much better act than I had earlier with Charlie.

"Alright, guys. Here you go. Bella, take extra, incase you want seconds. These boys will be on their fourths just as you finish your first."

After breakfast, I took a shower (Jacob had given me more of his clothes to wear, till I could go home and get my own). I like to think in my showers.

So, I was in a sticky situation. I had Jake, who was now technically my boyfriend. Kind of against my will. I mean, yes, I liked Jake, a lot. But I didn't know sleeping in his bed would mean or imply anything. But I just couldn't shake the dream about that Edward. I felt like I knew him, even though I had never met him in real life before, and my dream was brief. I longed for this Edward, just as much as I longed for Jacob…maybe more. But the fact was, Edward wasn't real. So I was in love—no, infatuated—with this imaginary person that I had miraculously made up.

I had no choice but to be with Jake. I did like him. Quite a bit. But I couldn't help but think about Edward too. So I would be with Jake. And Edward would just have to stay a memory. And a faded, not-thought-of-too-much memory at that. Jacob was a real person. A sweet, loving, funny person. I would not throw him away for some made-up dream man.

So that was that—settled.

As I walked downstairs after my shower, I found only Billy watching TV, and I could hear voices from outside. As I was on the last step I asked, "Where are the guys?"

"Outside shoveling." He sounded distracted.

"Oh. Well, do they want help?" I asked, gesturing outside.

"No, they're good. Bella, could you come here please?"

Uh oh. He sounded like Charlie, when he wanted to talk to me about a serious matter. Granted, Charlie was slightly awkward with anything serious with me.

I went into the living room, where Billy was watching TV. He muted the TV and wheeled around to face me.

"Bella." He paused, obviously thinking of how to start. "Jake told me. Now before you start groaning, I won't tell Charlie, won't say a word about anything, till you tell him. But look, I'm—I'm going to tell you something. And it's going to sound silly, but hear me out. Jake has grown up with sisters, so he's learned to be real compassionate with girls. Now, he is a man, in he'll hide his emotions, especially from women, but he takes a lot of things to heart."

"I don't want to hurt Jacob, Billy. I like your son, a lot."

He nodded curtly. "Good." And the end was kind of awkward, like Charlie. And Billy turned back towards the TV, and turned the volume back on. It was interesting, to hear about Jacob, from his dad's point of view. I figured, Billy still saw Jacob as his little boy; Jacob was a lot stronger than Billy gave him credit for. I didn't think Jacob was a sissy or anything; I thought it was sweet how his dad cared for him, how Jacob grew up. It was cute.

Just then, Quil came in, covered in snow, shouting, "We're free!"

"Come on, before the warden catches us!" Embry called as he came in.

Charlie came in behind them and brushed all the snow off him. "We shoveled our way out, Bells. We can go home now. The roads look okay."

Then Jacob came in, and just smiled at me. I smiled back, but I had smiled too soon. Because next thing I knew, I had been hit in the face with a snowball from Jake.

"Hey! No snowballs in the house!" Billy called. But Quil and Embry had already started one by the front door. "Boys, take it outside!" And Embry chased Quil through the kitchen, out the back door to the back yard to have their snowball fight; Jacob followed after them.

I watched them roll around and launch snowballs at each other from the back door, keeping the door firmly shut, but the cold was still emitting from the glass. I didn't really care. I liked watching Jake with his friends. It was funny. It was Quil and Embry against Jacob, but Jacob was winning somehow.

"Bella, come on, we're going to head home." Charlie called. I hadn't brought anything with me, from the day before because I had only planned a day visit. I told Jake I would wash and give him his clothes back, but he told me to keep them. So I pulled my jacket on and told Charlie I'd meet him at the car, I was just saying bye to the guys.

I opened the door, and the snow battle ceased. "I gotta go, guys!"

"Bye, Bella!" Quil and Embry called, then continued their snow fight. But Jacob got up, and jogged over to me.

He pulled me into a rough kiss that was so warm I forgot it was winter. I didn't want to leave his embrace, but then a snowball hit the back of his head. He grinned, gave me another quick kiss, then said "Bye Bells!" And in one swift move, he rolled to the ground, picked up and rolled a snowball, and aimed it directly at Embry and hit. He laughed as he re-joined the battle. I just smiled as I walked to the car.

When Charlie and I got home, he went straight to the TV and turned on some basketball game. I went upstairs to my room. It looked the same as I had left it. But it weird, what I had thought that way I left it, and what I thought now upon my return.

Edward still nagged in my head, but I ignored him to the best of my abilities. But soon, I felt like my head would explode.

Shaking my head, as if to clear Edward, I turned on my stereo and filled my room with music. I still had homework I was planning on finishing last minute, and I did need to do laundry. So I occupied myself, while listening to my music, trying my best to ignore the Edward thoughts, and think about Jacob.