Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, never have and I never will. I also do not own the song that this chapter is based on. Standing in Front of You belongs to Kelly Clarkson and the people who wrote it and her record label.
AN: I have never been to any of the places mentioned in this chapter. I would love to thank the geniuses who thought up Google so that people like me can gather information whenever they need it. I use it almost daily and I don't know what I would do without it.
The week after the auction passed slowly and Bella found it hard to find time for herself. Dinner at Jacobs on Sunday had been nice and the conversation between them was as easy as it always had been but something had changed, that was undeniable. She was having a hard time putting her feelings for Jacob into coherent words. She blushed like a teenager every time she had thought about him in an inappropriate way which was surprisingly often, more often than she would have liked. She still hadn't figured out why these feelings had come to the surface now, after all the years that they had known each other. Yes, she thought that he was attractive; any woman with eyes and half a brain could see that.
Her friendship with Jacob had changed drastically since Saturday. He found subtle ways to touch her, his hugs lasted a little longer. She found it easy to flirt with him and little by little she was starting to see him in a different light. By Friday she was mentally counting down to their date. He wouldn't tell her what they were doing only that she should dress casual. Friday nights were usually her and Jacob's night to have dinner with their dad's at Charlie's and she was looking forward to seeing him after only talking to him on the phone since Monday.
Jacob's bike was absent when she pulled up to her dad's but she didn't think anything of it. He probably got held up at the garage, she thought to herself as she walked up the walkway leading to the house. Charlie and Billy were already engrossed in a Super Sonics game so she left them alone while she started dinner. Jacob still hadn't shown up by the time dinner was ready an hour later. Billy called out to her as she was setting the table to get her attention.
"Don't set a place for Jake. He said he had something that he had to do tonight," he cautioned.
Well that explained why he hadn't shown up yet, it wasn't like him not to at least text her if he wasn't going to show up. She let it roll off her back as she called the other two men in her life to dinner. They talked idly through dinner, Charlie peppering her with questions about her week and laughed at the story Billy told her about catching Paul trying to sneak out of Rachel's house one morning that week.
"You never did tell me how the auction went last weekend," Charlie broached.
"I didn't?" she asked perplexed. Surely Billy would have mentioned something about it since she knew for a fact that Jacob had told him everything.
"Nope. I read in the paper that a couple of guys got in a bidding war over somebody. They didn't give a name though," he said with a shrug.
The front door opened and Bella leaned back in her seat to see Jacob stomping snow off of his boots by the front door. She heaved a sigh of relief as he toed off his boots and hung his jacket on to the coatrack by the door.
"It wasn't too traumatizing. Edward was there and thought that he could buy his way back into my life," she said, looking down at her hands.
"I set him straight didn't I?" Jacob said pulling up a seat across from her.
"Yes, you did. You and all your friends," she said with a small smile.
"Huh?" Charlie asked confused.
"I couldn't let Edward get away with what he was doing. My whole table pooled our money together and we outbid him."
"So you have to go out with all of them?" Charlie asked, setting his fork on his plate.
"No, Dad, just Jake," she said with a nervous laugh.
"She's gotta make dinner for everybody else," Jacob informed him.
"Did you know about this?" Charlie asked Billy.
"Jake told me Sunday when he came over," he said with a nod.
"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Charlie asked, focusing his confusion on Bella.
"Because I wanted to tell you in person. This is the first chance I've had all week."
"I guess that I can understand that."
The conversation was dropped and Bella felt Jacob nudge her leg with his foot making her look up. She met his eyes with question and he smiled reassuringly.
"Have you eaten yet, son?"
"I had a meeting earlier and I ate then," he assured Billy.
Bella raised an eyebrow in question and he shook his head, letting her know not to worry about it. Dinner was over a few minutes later and Charlie and Billy retreated to the living room and the game was turned back on. Jacob cleared off the table while Bella filled the sink with soap and water in silence. After she had put the food away he washed dishes and she dried and put away. They continued to work in silence until Bella couldn't take the silence anymore.
"I didn't know that you had a meeting today," she said to break the ice.
"I'm trying to get a loan so that I can expand the garage. I met with Leah after work and since it was getting late she was nice enough to feed me," he said with a shrug.
"Did you get everything done?"
"I still have some paperwork to sign once Leah draws it up but other than that I should know in a couple of weeks."
"Why didn't you tell me that you were thinking of expanding the garage?"
"It was just an idea I had. I was going to tell you once the loan went through."
"And if it hadn't?"
"Then I would have thought of another way to get the money and I would have told you then," he promised.
"Okay," she said, letting the subject go.
"Once we're done, do you want to maybe go for a walk?"
"A walk?"
"I know how much you like to walk through the forest when it's snowing," he said, nudging her side with his elbow.
"I didn't bring proper shoes," she said, shaking her head regretfully.
"I know that you have a couple pair of shoes up in your old room. Are you telling me that none of them are boots?"
"I'm not sure," she said, her brow furrowed in thought.
"I'll finish up here, go look," he said taking the towel from her.
Sure enough her snow boots that she'd had since high school were in her closet along with a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt that she could change into. She came down just as Jacob was finishing in the kitchen She let him help her into her jacket and she pulled on her gloves, not realizing that their dad's were watching.
"Where are you two headed off to?" Charlie asked.
"We're just going for a walk," Jacob said as he pulled his boots on.
"You two have fun," Billy said with a smile.
"We won't be gone long," Bella promised.
A light snow was falling as Jacob lead the way around the side of the house to the woods that they had played in ever since they were kids. The ground was dusted with snow and odds were that it wouldn't last long. Bella loved when it snowed; it brought her back to her childhood and having snowball fights with Jacob and their friends in the backyard and Sarah Black's famous hot chocolate. To this day she wouldn't drink hot chocolate if it didn't have Hershey's Syrup and jumbo marshmallows. And God forbid she saw someone make theirs with water because everyone knew that it was better with milk.
They followed the path through the woods that Charlie and Billy had spent an entire week clearing for them and now Jacob kept the path clear so that Bella could come out here whenever she wanted. These woods had been a safe haven for Bella and Jacob, a place that they could go when they wanted to be alone. He took hold of her hand, holding it loosely and she looked up at him, smiling shyly. She didn't know why he had suggested they come here, but she wasn't going to let the moment go to waste.
"Can I ask you something?" he asked, breaking the silence.
"Since when do you ask if you can ask me something?" she asked, giving him a weird look out of the corner of her eye.
"It's kind of important so I thought that it called for it," he explained.
"Go ahead," she motioning with her hand for him to continue.
"Have your feelings for me changed?"
"I'm still trying to figure them out," she said with a quiet sigh.
"So they have?"
She nodded, not able to meet his eyes. He stopped then pulled at her hand when she tried to keep going.
"Hey," he said gently.
"What?" she asked scared.
"It's okay that they've changed. I'd feel offended if they hadn't."
"Have yours?"
"I haven't made it obvious enough? he asked with a light laugh.
She shook her head, a teasing smile playing across her lips. She would have to be blind to notice the change in him. He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Okay then, maybe I need to make myself more clear," he said pulling her to him.
He leaned in, his lips on hers before she could react. Her startled gasp was cut short by his lips. His gloved hands cupped her face, the fabric scratching her chin but she was willing to overlook it. She ran her hands up the front of his jacket to wind her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to him. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip, pleading for entrance and she conceded. The after taste of the cinnamon gum that he chewed after every meal filled her mouth and she smiled against his lips. His hands moved to her neck before deepening the kiss.
She felt like she was in an alternate universe. How had things changed so quickly? Did she want them to change? She pushed the thoughts aside and gave in to the kiss, right now she didn't want to think she just wanted to feel. And the feel of Jacob's lips on hers felt like the sweetest dream that she didn't want to wake up from. He pulled away, looking down at her, with a small smile.
"Why'd you stop?" she asked, her eyes fluttering open.
"Was that clear enough for you?" his voice low and deep.
"It was blatantly obvious," she confirmed.
"Good," he said before leaning down again.
This time he only brushed his lips to hers before pulling away. They made their way back, his arm draped over her shoulders and she was tucked under his arm, her head resting on his shoulder. They came out of the woods that way when Charlie caught sight of them from the kitchen window. He walked into the living room where Billy was still watching Sports Center.
"I think we need to have a talk with our kids," Charlie said with to get his attention.
"About what, Chief?" Billy asked, not taking his off of the TV.
"Something happened in the woods. I'm not saying that Jacob isn't good for her but I think that we have a right to know if things have changed that dramatically."
"You're right, you do," Bella said from the door.
"So there is something that you need to tell us?"
"There's nothing to tell other than we're still figuring it out," Jacob informed him.
"But there is a 'Jake and Bella' now?" Billy questioned, putting air quotes around their names.
"There is," she confirmed with a nod.
That was all they were going to tell their dad's for now. They had no clue where things were going or if they would go any farther than their one date and the moment that they had shared in the woods. If it didn't go farther than that they would figure things out from there.
XXXX
Bella pulled her hair out of the elastic that she had used to put it up with less than thirty seconds earlier with a sigh. She brushed her hair out, mentally shaking her head in aggravation. She knew that today was going to change everything for her and Jacob. She could feel it in her gut, but what she didn't know was if the change would be for better or for worse. She had gone most of her four years of college without contacting him, and it had been torture so she knew that being without him wasn't an option. Back then they had both been strapped for cash and hadn't been able to find the time to come and see the other. They'd made the most of her summer and Christmas breaks since she chose to see her mom for Thanksgiving and she would work through spring break since Easter had never been a big deal to either of her parents. Their friendship had resumed once she came home even though she was with Edward at the time.
She decided to just wear her hair down, slipping on a headband to keep it out of her face. She nodded with confidence when she got her hair just right. She went through her closet next because figuring out what to wear would take considerably longer than fixing her hair. She pulled out a heavy grey sweater studying it for a few seconds longer than she should have. It was pulled on before she could find some flaw in it that wasn't really there. She slipped on a pair of blue skinny jeans and a pair of black boots and closed her closet door quickly before she could change her mind.
Her front door opened and Jacob announced himself before walking down the hall. He took her in as she stood in the middle of her room, looking at the floor, nervously shifting from foot to foot.
"If what I'm wearing isn't okay I'm gonna need another twenty minutes," she said with a sigh, finally meeting his gaze.
"What you're wearing is great. You ready?" he asked with a smile.
She nodded, grabbing her cell phone, wallet and keys from off her nightstand before following him out the door. His truck sat next to her car in the parking lot of her apartment complex and he opened her door for her, something that she still wasn't used to since he had only started doing it in the last week. She turned to face him after he had started the truck and pulled out of his parking place.
"Are you going to tell me what we're doing?"
"I thought we'd go to Seattle since we haven't been in a while. Check out Pike Place Market, ride the Great Wheel, go to the Seattle art museum and then have dinner at Skypoint."
"Are you serious? Jake that's perfect," she said with a breathless laugh.
It was no wonder that he had told her to be ready by seven, he had the whole day planned. Her sweet, caring best friend had gone out of his way to plan a special day for just the two of them. They didn't do all that much without their friends or dad's anymore since their jobs required so much of their time. She couldn't wait to see what the day had in store.
The three hour ride was filled with conversation and laughter and a good dose of teasing when Jacob decided to sing along with the radio at the top of his lungs like an idiot. There wasn't a trace of tension, there had never been between the two of them because they knew each other so well. They arrived in Seattle sooner than Bella would have liked and they decided to get breakfast at the market. Since it was too early for the hot dogs from Taxi Dogs that Jacob wanted they settled on Three Girls Bakery and he got his bear claw fix. They spent most of the morning strolling through the stalls and specialty shops.
By the time they made it to Pier 57 the weather was a little warmer and the wind from that morning had died down so it was great weather for riding the ferris wheel when they decided to make their way to it. Bella got caught up with a small group of children who were throwing popcorn over the railing to feed the seagull's and pelicans on the rocks below the pier, buying them numerous boxes before Jacob was finally able to pull her away.
"Do you remember when we used to do that?" she asked, still watching them.
"Yeah, I also remember you almost falling over the railing a few times because you liked to lean over a little farther than my mom liked," he reminded her with a light chuckle.
"Oh shut up," she said smacking him playfully in the stomach.
He pulled her to him, her back against his chest, resting his chin on her shoulder, his arms wrapped around her waist. She turned her head to kiss his cheek, brushing her nose against his. He held her tighter, letting her watch the kids for a little while longer. He wished that the actual shops on the pier were open but it wasn't like they hadn't seen them before. He was finally able to pull her along after a couple of minutes of watching the kids play.
The wind had picked up again and he hoped that they would be able to ride the wheel since Bella had never ridden it before. He knew that this time would be less stressful and he more than likely would not throw up unlike his first time riding the wheel with Quil, Embry and Jared. The four of them had gone to Seattle for Quil's twenty-first birthday and spent a good part of the day at Fisherman's Warf getting drunk off of cheap beer when Quil had come up with the bright idea to ride the wheel. Everything had been fine until they actually got on the ride. The ride had started out normal until Quil, who'd always had a few screws loose decided that it would be funny to act stupid and shake the cart as best he could the whole time. By the time the ride had ended Jacob was so green under the gills that he hadn't been able to find a trash can in time so he had thrown up over the side of the pier while Embry laughed so hard that he lost his balance and fell on his ass while Jared shook his head in dismay, calling them all lightweights. The only thing that made the situation better was that Quil had joined Jacob in throwing up into the water below them.
By the time they reached the ferris wheel at the end of the pier Bella needed to sit down after walking for the past couple of hours. Jacob went to by their tickets while Bella sat on a bench close to the line of the ride. Jacob came back with a cup of coffee for her and she smiled gratefully, wrapping her hands around the warm cup. She leaned against him, letting him support most of her weight as they waited in line. Bella took the short wait to take in the wheel and the surrounding area. How far would they be able to see? Jacob didn't remember much other than puking his guts out from the night that happened less than a year ago.
When it came time to board the ride they were able to find a set of twins who couldn't have been older than sixteen who kept sneaking glances at Bella when they thought Jacob wasn't looking. Once they were in the cart Bella leaned against the glass wall her phone already out and she was taking pictures. She looked at Jacob over her shoulder giving him a easy smile.
"Thank you so much for this by the way," she said happily.
"You've already thanked me," he said with a laugh of dismissal.
"I might end up thanking you again later," she said, squeezing his leg gently.
Bella must have taken at least thirty pictures during the ten minute ride. Trying to talk up the boys across from them but neither of them weren't up for talking once they realized that Jacob and Bella were on a date. She smiled politely at them once they were off the ride before Jacob pulled her towards the pier entrance. The walk to the museum was short, and once inside Bella was thankful for the chance to finally be able to get warm. She wasn't freezing, but her fingers and cheeks were chapped from wind exposer.
Jacob led the way to the second level where he knew Bella would want to start. They had been here several times over the years for school related field trips and also his mom had been an art lover so she would take them here when they had the extra money. The gift shop was always the first place Bella wanted to go because she loved the variety of books that the museum carried. Jacob was left to his own devices since there was no pulling Bella away until she had looked through the entire section of books. He amused himself for the first ten minutes before growing bored. He found the aisle designated for toys and found what he wanted before making his way to wear she was.
Bella brushed Jacob off when he tried to get her attention but he would not be denied. She sighed in frustration before looking up at him from her place on the floor. He stood above her with a plastic light up gun aimed at her head.
"Are you done?" he asked seriously.
"Not yet," she said before going back to reading the sleeve of the book she was holding.
Before she knew what was happening a loud zapping sound filled the air and her head swiveled back to Jacob who still had the gun trained on her. It lit up once more and the sound coming from it was loud enough to draw attention of a woman at the end of the aisle.
"Jacob," Bella warned.
"Are you done now?"
"Five more minutes," she said before going back to what she was reading.
"Yeah, no," he said before pulling the trigger again.
"God in me," she said in frustration before standing up.
"Done?" he asked with a smile.
"Yes, since we're attracting a crowd and I don't want to get thrown out," she said with a sigh.
A sales associate met them at the end of the aisle closest to the registers.
"Sir, unless you're going to pay for that I'm going to need it back," The man said politely.
"It'll be the best ten bucks I ever spent," Jacob said with a nod.
"Very good," The associate said with a nod.
"Come on," Bella said sullenly.
After paying for the things they had found Jacob led the way to the elevators, pushing the button for the fourth floor.
"What's on the fourth floor?" Bella asked.
"You'll find out."
Once they were off the elevator he took her hand and after leading her down a hall they stepped into the European Art exhibit. She had always loved European art and they had some of the best and their take on Chinese art was so beautiful that she stared at it in awe of how spectacular it was. The tapestries were all elaborately done and she had to fight the urge to reach out and touch them. Jacob stood back letting her enjoy the moment for a few minutes before pulling her along to the escalators.
They rode down to the third floor and Bella was taken aback by the beauty of the art on display. Beautiful paintings of nature done by Japanese artist were spread throughout the small room and she walked through the room, stopping at pieces that caught her eye. Once she was finished Jacob told her that he had something to do but that he would meet her back on the fourth floor.
"Why are we going back to the fourth floor?" she asked confused.
"Just go up there," he said before pressing a kiss to her lips before walking away.
She took the escalator back up and sat on a bench not far from the European Art exhibit. Five minutes later Jacob came around the corner that led to the elevators with two tickets in his hands.
"What did you do?" she questioned.
"Come on," he said taking her by the hand and pulling her along with a gentle tug.
They stepped up to the doors of the special galleries where someone was only allowed entrance if they had tickets. Through the doors she could see Native American and Alaskan artifacts. She let go of Jacob's hand to link arms with him. He smiled down at her as he pushed open the door for her and she turned them in a circle so that she could take it all in. She tried to pull away from him so that she wasn't dragging him along with her but he tightened his grip on her arm to stop her.
They walked from exhibit to exhibit, taking their time to let it all sink in. Bella's favorite parts were the Native American pottery while Jacob enjoyed learning more about the warriors from the stories that he had heard as a kid from not only his dad but both of his grandfathers. Jacob ended up buying a catalogue about the exhibit to take home to his dad because he knew that his dad would enjoy it.
It was almost dusk when they finally left the museum for their reservations at Skycity Restaurant. Neither of them had eaten there but had taken a tour of the Space Needle as kids. They knew the restaurant was fancy but was also known for it's casual atmosphere so what they were wearing should be okay. Jacob rarely wore button down shirts unless he had to and he had actually taken the time to tuck in the white shirt he wore so that he wouldn't appear as sloppy even though Bella loved it when he wore his shirts untucked.
Jacob had called Sunday night, praying that they had an opening for at least one weekend in the next calender year; he would take any opening they had. He had been very surprised when he was informed that they had an opening for the next Saturday at six and he had jumped on it before some one else could snatch it up. He knew that this dinner was going to set him back at least two hundred dollars but he didn't care because Bella was worth it. He would do anything to make her happy.
They had to wait ten minutes for a table to open up but they didn't mind. They stood on the observation deck until the pager from the restaurant beeped to let them know that a table was ready. Jacob pulled out her chair for her and let her choose the wine that they would have, holding back a sigh of relief when she ordered it by the glass and not by the bottle. They looked over the menu in silence and he noticed her watching him once he sat his menu down.
"This place is really expensive Jake, are you sure we should be here?" she asked uncertain.
"Don't worry about that. I've got it taken of," he reassured her.
She smiled warmly at him, letting the subject go. She knew that he didn't have enough money to cover dinner without having to scrimp and save and possibly borrow money from his dad when his bills were due for the month until he got back on his feet. By the end of the night he would have spent close to a thousand dollars on her, that was including the six hundred from the weekend before and she couldn't let that go unnoticed. He didn't have that kind of money to throw around. He knew that expensive, grand gestures didn't matter to her, why was he doing this?
"I can see the wheels turning in your head," he said to get her attention.
"Sorry," she said with a sigh.
"I don't want you to worry about my money or lack thereof," he said gently.
"How can I not? You wouldn't be putting out all of this money if it weren't for me," she said, feeling guilty.
"I don't mind. I have a little money saved up so don't worry, I will not be broke. Just badly bent," he said with a shrug.
"Oh you're something, alright," she said with a teasing smile.
"Amazing? Is that the word you're looking for?" he asked with a grin.
Her smile widened and she hid it behind her hand, shaking her head, trying to hold back the urge to laugh. He took hold of her hand across the table and placed them on the table between them. He stared at her like she was the only other person in the room. No one other than Edward had looked at her like that. It made her feel completely different from the way it had felt with Edward. It felt genuine, like he wasn't asking for more other than her company. She found herself wondering for the hundreth time since everything had happened why she hadn't noticed him sooner or why these feelings were being pushed to the surface now.
All of her life Jacob had only been her friend, her kid brother and than in the blink of an eye because he had saved her when she needed him most it was like a veil had been lifted and she could see him for the person he really was and he was seeing her the same way for the first time.
"Can you promise me something?" she asked to get his attention after they had placed their food order.
"Sure," he said with a nod.
"You don't even know what it is," she said a dramatic roll of her eyes.
"Do you want to kill someone? Because if you than my answer is no, unless it's Edward. I'll gladly kill him if you want me to."
"Would you stop?" she said, throwing her head back in laughter.
"Sorry, continue," he said motioning for her go on.
"Will you stand by me when I'm a neurotic mess or stubborn? Will you promise to never say 'I told you so' when I do something stupid that you've warned me not to do?"
"I do that already, Bells," he said, giving her a concerned look.
"It's different now. Will you?"
"Yes, I promise," he said sincerely.
"Thank you," she said quietly, nodding her gratitude.
"I'm not exactly a dream to be around all the time either, ya know?" he reminded her.
"Yes, I know. If you can put up with my mood swings and rants than I will gladly except that sometimes your friends come first and I will never take your hot headed tantrums to heart," she promised.
"You know me so well," he said with a smile.
She did know him, better than most of his friends save for Embry and Quil who had been friends with him for almost as long as Bella had. Most of her friends from Forks were his friends and all of his friends on the reservation were her friends, she couldn't say that about any of her former boyfriends. No one from La Push had liked Edward, least of all Jacob. That should have told her how wrong the relationship was from the beginning. Billy hadn't even liked him and Billy liked everyone.
Their dinner finally came and they were content with the silence that fell over them. Jacob offered her bites of his tenderloin but he turned his nose up to her risotto because he was a 'meat eater, not a meat greeter', like she was. That earned him an eye roll but she smiled in spite of herself. She wasn't completely a vegan like she had been as a teenager, once she'd come to Forks to live with her dad at seventeen she had learned to appreciate a good burger, only when Charlie or Paul made them, of course. She didn't mind cooking it as long as she didn't have to eat it.
An hour later they were walking back to Jacob's truck, their bellies full and hearts light. The drive home was filled with conversation about their day while Bella went through the pictures she had taken throughout the day, posting at least a dozen of them on Facebook and Instagram. By the time she got home Jessica, Angela and Alice had texted her at least a dozen times. She ended up turning off her phone because she was tired of it buzzing every couple of minutes when they pulled up to her apartment building.
"Do you want to come inside?" she asked, turning to face him.
"I've got to work in the morning," he said regretfully with a shake of her head.
"Then I guess I'll see you at Sam and Leah's tomorrow night."
She unbuckled her seat belt than slid across the seat so that there were only a couple of inches between them. He unbuckled his seat belt before pulling her flush to him.
"You were too far away," he explained, his voice a low rumble.
Her eyes closed in anticipation of his lips on hers, her sigh was cut off by his lips. Her face was cradled in his hands, his thumbs brushing over her chin and her arms were around his neck. It was hot in the truck with the heater running but their shared body heat fogged the windows over. If Bella could climb into his lap without causing herself or him injury she would. His tongue caressed hers tenderly and she shuddered not able to hold it in. His hands moved down her arms to her hands, grasping them tightly.
She pulled back, her chest heaving, her forehead pressed to his.
"I should probably go inside. Jessica will be here in the next ten minutes if I don't call her back soon," she explained.
"I'll walk you up," he offered, opening his door.
She gathered her things and he helped her down from his side. He kissed her one last time once she had unlocked her door. She leaned against the door once she had closed it behind her. She turned her phone back on intent on calling Jessica and Angela in a three way call but her phone buzzed to let her know that she had a Facebook alert. She checked it to see a picture that Jacob had taken of them while they were on the ferris wheel. Overtop the picture was the caption 'best day ever'. She grinned as she typed a comment. You're such a sap. In the picture her head was on his shoulder with his head resting against hers and the Seatlle skyline expanded for what seemed like forever in the background. At least half a dozen people had liked the picture but she had been the first to comment on it.
She sent a quick text to Jessica and Angela letting them know that she would call them in the morning and to be ready by four the next afternoon to go to Sam and Leah's. Her phone chimed thirty seconds later because Jacob had commented on her comment to his picture. But that's why you keep me around. Right? She laughed with a shake of her head as she typed out a quick reply. Yep. Ya figured me out. lol
She got in the shower, never hearing her phone ping a few minutes later. She was getting dressed when it pinged again ten minutes later.
No comment from the peanut gallery? Leah questioned.
Bella went back through her messages to see that her phone had blown up while she was in the shower. The picture now had ten comments and more than two dozen likes.
Nope, Jake said it better than I could. 'Night.
She put her phone on silent before putting it on the charger and getting into bed. Sleep was not going to come easily since the day ran through her head on repeat. She smiled dreamily as she turned over on her back; she could think of worse ways to lose sleep. After another half an hour she finally felt like she was relaxed enough that she could fall asleep. She smiled one last time before finally letting sleep pull her under. She didn't know what tomorrow would bring but she could face it as long as Jacob was by her side.
AN2: Anybody still reading this? This bad boy took me an entire day to write but it was so worth it. Hope you all enjoy reading it as much I enjoyed writing it. Only one more chapter to go!