AN: Thank you so much for all of my wonderful reviews - they really do keep me going! Can't believe you all lost faith in Jacob's love! Silly... :) Enjoy!
Chapter Four
"I think we dream so we don't have to be apart so long. If we're in each other's dreams, we can be together all the time." – Calvin & Hobbes
Jacob's Point of View
I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket for what felt like the hundredth time this evening as I drove away from Bella, wishing I didn't have to say goodbye to her so soon. I already couldn't wait to see her again tomorrow, and knew that I was straying into dangerous emotional territory. I shouldn't have told her all that – shouldn't have told her just how much her leaving had hurt me. But then again, now she knew and we were back to us - back to Jacob and Bella.
But of course I had lied to her – how was I suppose to stop loving Bella? From the second she walked into the garage this afternoon, she was all I could think about. Her hair, her eyes, her beautiful smile. I was falling all over again and nothing was there to stop me.
My phone buzzed again as I walked up the path to my house and finally I gave in, pulling it out of my pocket to see Laura flash across the screen.
"Shit," I mumbled then swiped my finger across the screen. "Hello?"
"Jacob, where have you been?" she snapped, sounding upset – not a good sign.
"Sorry, went out for dinner. Left my phone at home," I lied, closing the door quietly behind me and making my way up the stairs to my bedroom.
"Well, I really needed you tonight, Jacob. Can I come over?"
My heart sank. "Listen, I'm completely beat. Long day…"
"Jacob!" she interrupted me, and I heard her sob down the line. "Jacob, why are you being so mean? You haven't even asked me what's wrong! And I need you right now."
God, what was my problem? "You're right, honey, I'm sorry. Of course you can come over. What's wrong? Are you okay?"
"No I am not okay," she replied crossly then sobbed again. "My grandfather died this evening." She seemed to collapse into a torrent of tears then and her words were no longer discernable.
"Oh shit, Laura, I am so sorry. Do you want me to come get you?"
"No," she mumbled, sniffing. "I'm already on my way. I'll be there in five."
She hung up and I stared guiltily at the phone. What was wrong with me? The last thing I wanted was Laura here tonight, sleeping in my bed. My mind flitted to Bella and I mentally scolded myself. I was not going there. Laura needed me and I was a good guy. I was going to be a good guy if it killed me. And knowing Laura, it just might…
The first time I met Laura was six months ago when she'd brought her pink Mini into the shop. She was small and cute, with blonde hair and big blue eyes and laughed infectiously when I teased her about her car. The adoration in her eyes was difficult to resist, especially from someone who seemed so out of my league. She slipped me her phone number before she walked out of the shop, her hips swaying, and she glanced back over her shoulder with a knowing smile. We got on ok, and what we lacked in conversation, we made up for in the bedroom. We'd been semi-dating for the past few months. Last week she'd sent me a relationship request on Facebook, something that I was still dithering over.
Chris, my housemate, had always made fun of me for not dating. He'd tried to set me up on dates with girls, and I did go out with a few. But after a few months, I always lost interest. Just as I was now doing with Laura.
Maybe there was something wrong with me, I wondered for the millionth time. Maybe by not allowing myself to imprint I'd somehow broken.
I sighed when I heard the car pull up outside, and quickly pulled on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. I knew she'd get suspicious if she saw me all dressed up and I wasn't ready to explain about Bella yet.
Even though my feelings for Laura were less than optimal at the moment, my heart did go out for her when I met her at the front door. Her usually perfect hair was tied into a sloppy ponytail on top of her head and she had tear tracks running down her cheeks.
"Oh sweetie," I whispered, pulling her into my arms and kissing the top of her head. "I'm here, it's ok."
She hiccupped and wiped her nose with her sleeve. "I'm s-sorry," she stammered, trying to get control of herself. "It was j-just so un-unexpected."
I nodded sympathetically and smoothed a hand over her hair before taking her hand and leading her upstairs to the bedroom. She sat on the bed looking dejected, so I sat next to her and wrapped my arm around her again.
"You just go ahead and cry. I've got you." Why did I have to be such a damned nice guy?
"You'll come to the funeral with me, won't you?" She asked, blinking back more tears and gazing at me hopefully.
"Yea, sure," I agreed, even though it was the last thing I wanted to do. "Not a problem. Is it this week?"
"Next weekend," she sniffed. "In Portland, Oregon. We can drive together." She seemed to perk up a little, but I felt my stomach sink. That was a two and half hour drive at least.
"Uh, wow. Portland. That's quite far."
She glared at me and snapped. "All my family's from Portland. You know that."
I nodded lamely and patted her awkwardly on the head again.
"I'm going to bed," she sighed, pulling her sweater over her head. I watched her undress, trying to push the thoughts of Bella to the back of my mind. Those were thoughts I could try and figure out another time, when I didn't have a naked, sexy (albeit kind of annoying) blonde in my bedroom.
ooo
Bella's Point of View
Buzzzzz.
I groaned and rolled over, burying back under the warm blankets and trying to ignore the vibrations coming from my phone on the nightstand. Unwillingly I cracked open one eye and saw that the sky outside my window was still pitch black. The phone continued to buzz.
"What the hell," I mumbled, freeing one arm from the tangle of blankets and clumsily feeling around on the nightstand for the phone. My fingers brushed the stem of the wine glass, which tipped off and cracked on the wooden floor below. "Oh you've got to be kidding me." I sat up a little straighter in bed, opening my other eye to survey the damage. Luckily the glass had been empty and miraculously it hadn't shattered, merely cracked into two large pieces. I returned to the immediate problem: the incessantly buzzing phone.
"Hello?" I grumbled, my voice hoarse with sleep.
"Bella! It's so good to hear your voice." The familiar accent made me groan inwardly and I flopped back down on the pillows.
"Henry," I said, checking my watch. "It's 5:30 in the morning."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes, really. We're eight hours behind you.
He laughed. "Oh woops! I thought you were eight hours ahead." He laughed again, and when I didn't reply, continued, "Well it's so good to hear you Bella. Did you get my telephone calls? I miss you!"
"Henry, it's 5:30 in the morning."
There was a long pause down the end of the phone line. "Okay well fine. I guess I'll talk to you later then." He sounded offended but I wasn't in the mood.
"I'll talk to you later, Henry. Bye." A click sounded from the end of the line and I knew he was gone. Tossing the phone back onto the nightstand, I rolled back over and tried to return to sleep – I'd been dreaming about something good. Someone's warm, strong hands…
Sleep seemed to be out of my reach, however, so eventually I swung my legs out of bed and carefully picked up the two fragments of glass and plodded into the kitchen, throwing the glass into the bin.
After dinner last night and my intense conversation with Jacob, I'd had no energy to unpack and start putting things away, and now seemed as good a time as ever.
My stereo dock was already out and plugged in so I hurried back into the bedroom and grabbed my phone, flicking through my playlists until I found one that suited my mood then plugged it into my stereo and cranked the volume up. That done, I switched the kettle on and sat down cross legged on the floor next to an overflowing box, pulling out the contents and methodically putting everything into its new place.
By the time the sun rose, my shelves were filled with books and knick knacks, the sofa had two plump cushions and a throw draped over it, and the dining table was decorated with a runner and fruit bowl. Not bad for a morning's work. Seeing the pile of shoes by the front door, I mentally added shoe rack and coat rack to my shopping list.
I was thoroughly sick of unpacking and tidying up by this point and the thought of tackling my bedroom just yet gave me a stomach-ache. Instead, I threw on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and stuffed my feet into my old, worn trainers.
Grabbing my keys, phone and purse, I closed and locked the door behind me, ready to go in search of a coffee.
The streets were quiet as it was so early on a Sunday morning, and the morning air was chilly, although the sky was a brilliant cloudless blue. I jogged a little to get my blood flowing and to warm up until I reached a row of cafés along a tree-lined street. I stepped into the first one, liking the look of its cosy atmosphere and ordered a large non-fat latte and then after a moment's hesitation, a second large coffee. It was still fairly early, but I wanted to see Jacob, and his place was only a few more blocks away.
Walking along the leafy streets, I decided that I liked Seattle. Maybe I could even like it as much as London one day. I wondered if I could live here long-term and my thoughts turned to the new job I would be starting on Monday. My stomach squirmed nervously. The job I'd been offered seemed a long way removed from the shelf-stacking I had done for the past few years at the university library in London.
As I turned the next corner, I was met with the familiar street of terraced houses, and walked along until I found Jacob's. Before opening the gate, I checked the time. 8:00 – that wasn't too early, was it?
I skipped up the steps and pressed the doorbell. Footsteps sounded down the hallway inside and I could make out a large shape approaching the door. My stomach squirmed again, but this time with excitement.
To my surprise, Jacob didn't open the door. Instead, a tall blonde man stood there, toothbrush hanging from his mouth, one eyebrow raised. He had dark grey eyes and his jaw was covered with a few days of stubble. He was shirtless, and I noticed his well-muscled chest also had a sparse covering of hair, which trailed down his stomach to the waistband of his low-slung grey pyjama pants.
My mouth literally fell open. He grinned.
"Can I help you?" he said through the toothpaste.
"J-Jacob," I managed to stammer in reply.
"He's upstairs. Come on in." He held the door a little wider and let me squeeze past him into the hallway. "Who are you by the way?"
I introduced myself and he chuckled lightly to himself. "No way. The Bella Swan, huh?"
I felt irritation fizz under my skin, despite the somewhat stunning effect this boy had. "And you must be Chris."
"I see my reputation precedes me," he said and gave me a wink. Then he turned around and began to walk back down the hallway, leaving me alone at the bottom of the stairs. "Second door to your left." He called over his shoulder and disappeared back into the kitchen. I climbed the stairs.
Jacob's door was closed, so I balanced the two coffees in the one hand and knocked quickly, still a little overwhelmed by the brief meeting with Jacob's housemate.
The door flew open and Jacob's jaw dropped when he saw me standing there. I had a brief glimpse of Jacob in his underwear and a blonde head poking out from under his blankets before the door closed in my face with a snap.
It seemed the surprises were never-ending this morning. I shook my head at my stupidity and hurried back down the stairs, clutching the warm coffees to my chest and trying to ignore the tears burning unreasonably in my eyes. I hurried outside and then paused once I'd closed their front gate behind me. I didn't know where to go now, or what to do with the second coffee going cold in my hand.
Stupid, I cursed myself. How could I have been so stupid? Of course he had a girlfriend, why did this surprise me?
I began to wander slowly back up the street when I heard a shout from behind me. "Bella, wait! Hey, Bella!"
I turned to see Jacob jogging up the sidewalk towards me and I couldn't help but smile weakly as I noticed him still tugging on a shirt.
"Why did you leave?" he asked, when he'd caught up to me, a frown creasing his forehead.
I blushed. "I didn't want to intrude," I mumbled then held out the coffee. "I just wanted to bring you this and apologise for last night."
"Apologise?" he asked. "What on earth for?"
I shook the proffered coffee at him, but he still didn't take it gazing at me intently.
I rolled my eyes. "I wanted to apologise for the argument…for hurting you."
"Oh Bella," he sighed then took the coffee with a word of thanks. "The last thing you should be doing is apologising. I thought last night was wonderful – getting to see you again; talk to you again."
I blushed but continued to scowl, still feeling like rubbish despite his kind words. I'm sorry I interrupted your morning."
It was Jacob's turn to blush now. '"Well I'm sorry you had to see that…"
"Who is she?" I asked, trying to sound offhand.
"Her name's Laura. Um, her grandfather died last night so she came around for a bit of sympathy."
I raised my eyebrows at him and he grinned sheepishly, taking a long draw on his coffee cup.
"Wow, Jake, if that's what you call sympathy…" I laughed, unable to help myself. "Is she your girlfriend?"
"No!" he answered a little too quickly. "No. Well, I mean, we've been dating for a few months now. We're getting close to splitting up though."
"Right…"
"What was I supposed to do?" he asked me a little desperately as we crossed the road, heading towards the park by the water. "She came over crying and told me her grandfather died! I mean, shit… You can't exactly tell a distraught crying girl that you think it might be a good idea to start seeing other people. Do the whole 'It's not you it's me' thing."
"Yeah but sleeping with her Jake?"
He had the grace to look ashamed. "Okay, it looks bad." We'd reached the water's edge and Jacob leaned against the railings, taking another sip of coffee. "She wants me to drive to Portland with her to the funeral next weekend."
"You're whipped dude."
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