Chapter 17:
Rain began to fall softly outside as I entered the cottage. I closed the door behind me and stood in the living room for a few moments, pondering the conversation I'd just had with my parents. Though my father had agreed to let me spend time with Jacob, I knew deep down he would never fully approve of the relationship that Jacob and I shared. I was his daughter…and Jacob was the one he knew would one day take his only child away from him. I couldn't imagine what it might be like.
Making my way down the hallway to my room, I dropped down onto my bed and gazed at the rain splattering softly against my window. I imagined for a moment that I was completely alone…that no one existed but Jacob and me…and that we could be together without consequence. I closed my eyes and let the sound of the raindrops drift me to sleep.
**********
When I awoke, the thin line between dusk and darkness was now invisible, and I was consumed in the blackness. I no longer heard the rain, and the entire cottage was silent. I guessed my parents were still up at the house. 'They're really teaching me a lesson.' I rolled my eyes and sighed. Letting me spend time by myself was surely going to make me think less of Jacob and more about my behavior…or so it should have…but I was far too stubborn to give up that easily. I couldn't ever seem to do what I was told, and that got me in trouble often.
Suddenly, a pair of amber eyes appeared in the doorway of my bedroom, and my heart nearly stopped beating. My breath caught in my throat as I tried to gasp. I grabbed for the closest thing I could use to throw at my attacker, which happened to be a cell phone charger, and readied my arm to launch it.
It was then I noticed the blonde hair in the faint moonlight that crept through the curtains. I exhaled with incredible force and closed my eyes tightly.
"Rose, I swear…if you ever do that to me again…"
"Ness, relax." She smiled teasingly, and her perfect, white teeth glinted in the darkness. "I just came to check on you. Your mom said you were sleeping."
"I was." I admitted, and slowly sat up. I placed the cell phone charger back onto my nightstand, and folded my hands into my lap.
"What were you going to do with that thing?" Rosalie giggled. "Beat me to death? What was it? A cell phone charger?"
I nodded in defeat. "It seemed like a logical idea at the time."
"I'm sure it did." She laughed again softly. "Can I join you?"
"Go ahead." I shrugged. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep any longer, anyway."
She sat down on the bed next to me. "Learned your lesson yet?" She placed a hand on my back and drew soft circles with her fingertips. I always felt comforted when she did that.
I closed my eyes for a moment and sighed. "You know, Rose, I don't know if I'll ever learn my lesson…"
"Sure you will." She moved her hands to my hair and began to braid it softly. "You're still young. I think your parents just want to instill a little more responsibility in you before you take off on your own."
"Responsibility." I scoffed. "I'm pretty sure I've got that down."
"Ness, I'm not saying you're irresponsible." Rose sighed. "If you were, I think your parents would have a little more of a hold on you. You're just…" She paused.
I raised an eyebrow. "What…?"
"A bit naïve…" she winced as the words left her mouth.
I know she'd meant it in the nicest way possible…but the words still stung.
"If that's the way everyone sees me…" my voice trailed.
"Please don't be angry." She sighed. "It's not a negative quality, really…but it just makes us worry about you, more. You lack some of the experience that the rest of us have built over the years…but that will change."
"I want to build my experience by learning things on my own." I puffed. "How do any of you expect me to live my life if you're always standing over my shoulder?"
"You're right, Ness." She nodded. "There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to experience things on your own…but until the day comes that you're immortal, I think you should just wait it out. It won't be long now."
"I know that I sound impatient." I began. "But my entire life so far has moved faster than any normal human life…and now everything that I want to move along has suddenly worked its way into slow motion…everything.
"Are you talking about things with you and Jacob?" Rose shot me a worried glance.
"I don't know." I sighed and dropped back onto my pillow. "Life in general, I guess. Immortality…my relationship with Jacob…I honestly don't know anymore."
"You're allowed to spend time with him again, aren't you?" She mused.
I nodded. "It just seems like…things change with us everyday." I sighed. "I don't really know how to describe it, and that's why it's been difficult for me to explain it to Mom and Dad."
"Changed how?" she wanted to know.
I shrugged my shoulders. "Like the imprint has finally kicked in…and it means more to both of us now."
"You're not…" she began, but I broke her off mid-sentence.
"Absolutely not." I shot back quickly. "It's not like that with Jake and me…"
"Regardless of how it's changing…" she rolled her eyes. "Promise me that you'll be smart about your decisions with him…whether it's like that or not…"
Even though Rosalie had developed the ability to tolerate Jacob for my sake, she still seemed to always express caution when it came to our relationship. "Rose…it's nothing to worry about." I assured her.
"Promise." She insisted and grabbed my hands. "I can't exactly influence you, because Emmett and I have had our fair share of irresponsible decisions…but we are married, and much older…technically."
I smiled. "Don't worry about me, please." My eyes pleaded with hers. "Jacob and I have something rare, and I'm not sure any of you can ever truly understand it…but we need you to be okay with it…or at least try."
"For your sake." She replied, and gave my hands a squeeze.
Maybe now she would try to understand what I was going through…or maybe I was just being naïve…
