Chapter 2

As I scraped myself and the cut up vegetables off the floor I noticed that I had placed the knife on the cutting board as well and cut my left arm in the fall. Not deep, just a scratch above the wrist, but it did bleed.

"Damn it," I cursed my clumsiness as I grabbed a couple of paper sheets to use for stopping the bleeding while stumbling over to the door, holding my breath the best I could - to not get nauseous from the blood stench.

I opened up the door and could not quite trust my own vision when I saw him. Was he really here? How could he know I lived here?

He stood there in the rain; the man with the car. I almost tripped again where I stood in the doorway, trying to put pressure on my cut.

So many questions came rushing to my head because a face like his wasn't one you forgot in the first place, nor the second. It was him and I was sure of it. But how? How could he be here?

He had his feet planted firmly on the second porch step with once again such a bothered, unhappy look on his face. Those perfectly shaped brows were furrowed above a pair of alluring, golden eyes that were fixated at my cut. My head spun from holding my breath but now my heart was racing radically as well. The paper had turned warm and wet and soon the iron scent cut through the fresh rain.

My nose scrunched up, fainting was now inevitable.

Here I thought I'd actually make it through the entire day but that bloody blood was the last drop apparently. I think - rather; I am quite sure that I heard him mutter something along the lines of: "Are you kidding me?" before I steeped like a chopped off tree.

What sort of a thing was that to say?

I had no time to ask him in the slightest or even say hello because in the next second everything went black - the overpowering iron scent had won this battle.

"Damn it."

"Bella? Bella, are you alright?"

When I woke up I wasn't met by the gorgeous eyes that had been the last thing I saw before it all went black. No, I was met by Charlie's familiar, worried eyes.

I was laying comfortably in my bed and he stood in the doorframe of my room. The fact that it was dark outside got me freaked out so I shot out of bed but quickly sat back down on its edge again since my head was spinning intensely. My head did not hurt though - not in the slightest, even though I was very sure I had fainted on our porch.

He could impossibly have been able to help me break the fall from where he was standing. Right?

It seemed these questions would just keep piling up without any answers. How 'hair pulling-ly frustrating'.

"I-I'm fine dad, I had a long day at work. I was supposed to only take a nap but I must have turned off the alarm in my sleep and overslept." I lied smoothly and he seem to have bought it.

"What happened to your arm?"

I looked down on my arm and was expecting to se a small cut right above my wrist but I didn't see any cut because it was covered up with a band aid. As I tried to hide my surprisement I just kept on lying to my father.

"I cut myself while cutting up the vegetables," that's when I remembered the dinner I had been planning to make before I got interrupted, "have you eaten?"

"I ordered a pizza," Charlie explained and then he began to head out of my room. He rarely stuck around for a chit chat and I let out a breath of relief. I had managed to keep Charlie completely in the dark of my events today. Which was certainly for the better because without Charlies question I'd sooner be able to suppress the memories of the handsome man's face that constantly flashed in my mind. I felt a tinge of sadness, but why?

Just when one of those memories popped back up in my head again, surely just to tease me, Charlie popped his head back inside as well.

"What about the Volvo, Bella? I was hoping I wouldn't have to ask but you gave me nothing."

My eyes couldn't focus and even if I sat put my head began to spin again.

"How did you know about that?" I couldn't even try to hide my surprisement.

"If you wanted to keep it a secret I'd suggest not to park it in the driveway," he answered, his voice confused. Hadn't the owner come to pick that up? Now I got mad, really mad beacause I had counted on the fact that he had just taken the car back himself after I had fainted like any normal person would. The keys were left on the counter, he couldn't have missed them since he surely found some stupid band-aids. But then again normality didn't seem to be his trait, far from it.

"It's a rental, I figured I would need one since my old car broke down, don't you?" I even tried to be a bit witty with this lie and like some miracle it worked again but I definitely could not keep this up. I was the worst at lying and this dumb luck would sooner or later ware off.

"Alright Bells, just don't sign too long of a deal. If it takes Jake longer than a week to get the car fixed this time we just buy you a new one."

"I can buy a car for myself, dad."

"But I think it's nice when a parent gets to help out his kid, don't you?"

He got me and I didn't dare to keep this conversation up incase I'd give myself away somehow.

"Ok, ok. Don't twist my already hurt arm. Hey, did you say; Jake?"

"Yes, Jacob and Billy came back to La Push about two days ago."

"As in moved back or just on a visit?"

Charlie suddenly bit lis lip and then looked at me with what I could only define as worry, "I've said too much, I had to promise Jake twice not to say anything, Bella. Twice."

"So he is moving back?" Now I shot to my feet with no intention to sit back down and a huge smile grew on my face. Charlie looked at me secretively and then nodded as a smile grew on his face as well.

"But remember to act surprised, I don't want him to get mad at me."

I began to giggle as he almost seemed a bit threatened by Jacob Black - the thin, longhaired boy with copper skin that I ended up having my best summer with as I first came to Forks.

"I can imagine how chief Swan wouldn't want to be on his list."

"You should see him Bella, he is nothing like the boy that you last saw your first summer here in Forks. He is way taller than me now and seem to have been working out a whole lot, I even informed Billy about steroids but he assured me that Jake had only been doing hard work in Peru." I tried not to act too eager, but I couldn't hold my wide smile back as he described him but my imagination failed me as I tried getting the image of Jacob all grown up in my head.

"When do I get to meet him?"

"He and Billy is coming over tomorrow."

"Then it's great that I still have the steaks from today," I tried being positive about my failed dinner today and then headed downstairs for a pizza slice.

I began to feel slightly nervous about meeting Jake already, not because of the actual meeting but because I was afraid he had changed too much. Then again, him trying to keep this a secret and begging Charlie not to spoil that he was here to make it a surprise showed he was still the goofy and kind guy I remembered from when I was seventeen.

We had an amazing summer together and we became close friends who almost hung out every single day until he was leaving with his tribe. I remember Jacob being so upset that day. Having to leave your home because of faith must be a hard thing, especially when he didn't even seem to believe all that much in his tribes superstitions. I had to admit I wasn't in the best of moods when he left either. All he said was the he must follow his tribe and that they couldn't stay in their reservation for a few years because of some curse or something. Maybe I was the curse? I find a guy who show somewhat interest in me and he gets sent off to Peru out of all places. He had sent me letters and I corresponded to them at first but after a while they became fewer and fewer to the point where a birthday card each year was all we managed to send one another.

I had felt like an awful friend, but frankly, there isn't much to write about as my days went on here in Forks, especially with him gone.

I wrote to him when I had graduated from college and when I got the job as a librarian and he wrote me when he had his car shop opened.

And with all the strange things that had been going on today I really was in the need of some good news and a good friend. Charlie had just now hit two birds with one stone.

The next day I had to take the nerve-wracking burden coloured in silver all the way to work and while at work I did the exact opposite of my plan. Because of his visit I somehow couldn't just leave his car in the street and then go rent a new one. No matter how much it'd serve him right I couldn't bare the thought of him coming over once again and I'll have to explain to him that I have just left his car in the street, keys and all. That bothered look of his came to mind again and I felt a tinge of uncomfort. For some reason it was so clear that I was the one to blame for it, but why? These thoughts didn't keep me just as occupied today since I had something much more exciting to wrap my head around. Jacob was visiting today and I counted the hours until I could head home, unfortunately in the Volvo, and then begin to prepare the dinner for tonight.

The time sure did fly by fast as I thought of my best friend, the dinner was almost done now. I saw him first and the first thing I noticed was his short hair, the second was how his eyes were desperately searching, then finally finding and locking in with my own. As his eyes finally met mine I instantly noticed that glimpse of desperation get replaced with sheer joy. They squinted and small lines built up around them handsomely. His eyes were still the same but everything else on him seemed to have gotten some sizes bigger. He could barely fit inside our kitchen but he rumbled through anyway, right towards me where I stood by the stove. As he reached up to me his huge arms grabbed tightly around my body and soon I was no longer grounded. He lifted me up as he looked deep into my eyes and I certainly couldn't look away either. I noticed this incredible body heat almost radiate from him.

"Jake," was all I happily was able to squeal.

"Bella," he answered me in a just as happy voice as he put me back down, still hugging me.

"I've missed you, Jacob, so much. Sorry for not writing as much lately it just felt.."

"-I know how it felt and you don't have to apologise. When I had sent you the fourth letter explaining about the new car I was getting it felt a bit too repetitive. It is much better like this, right?" He gestured between the small space between us and I nodded.

"And also; jokes doesn't read that well in letters," I reminded him as he cringed and we shared a laugh.

"Oh God, I really am sorry about that but I am glad we sorted that out in our first letter. I tried to be dramatic for comical effect. I didn't think that you actually thought that I was going to die as I first came down there."

"You repeatedly wrote that, and I quote; I am actually going to die here, Bella. And after you had mentioned the iguanas, what was I to expect?"

"Who would win a fight between Jacob and an iguana?" Billy came laughing into the kitchen with a bit of help from my father.

"If you'd asked me before you left I wouldn't be so sure but now I'd have to bet on Jake," I answered him with a soft giggle.

Billy and Charlie decided to have their steaks in the livingroom while they watched the game. Me and Jake had ours in the kitchen to catch up.

Not halfway through dinner I realised that the food that I had cooked wasn't nearly enough as Jake inhaled his steak impressively fast and the vegetables along with it.

I was surprised how quickly it felt as if everything went back to normal but at the same time something was so very different about him but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"When were you planning on giving some explanation for the changed hairstyle, Jake?" I couldn't hold back a smile as I tried to keep a straight face.

"Well.. It was how the other guys wore it over there. I guess I wanted to fit in," he smiled and shrugged and his words were harmless but his eyes, they seemed to show some sort of guilt.

"Fell for the group pressure, did we?" I tried to keep the mood light but now his eyes showed pure pain but he still kept up the otherwise happy facade.

"With the heat and all, it just felt better with a shaved head." Now he didn't even look at me, he looked slightly behind me and I began to wonder if something was wrong but decided to not think about it for the rest of the night and just enjoy the fact that he was here.

"I had a really great time with you tonight, Bella. I also found out what was wrong with the truck so you'll have it back in no time."

"Oh, thank you. I had a really great time tonight as well. I'm so glad you're finally back, I know I've already told you a thousand times but I really have missed you, Jacob. It hasn't been the same since you left." I noticed a sheer hue of crimson against his copper cheeks as I expressed my feelings.

"I-I've missed you too." He nervously stuttered and picked me up in another hug and left a soft kiss on my cheek before he turned to help Billy as they headed outside. Just before he was about to go out from the house he made a sudden halt and his grip on the wheel chair tightened.

"Is something the matter, Jacob?" I asked as I began to walk up towards them. Jacob turned his head towards me and his look alone made me freeze and I noticed his upper arms twitching slightly.

"No. Goodnight." His deep voice was sharp but I could see a hint of fear in his eyes as he turned and marched out of the house.