A/N: I know guys I'm so sorryyyyy! T_T I've been really busy and went camping this weekend and have been hanging out with friends almost everyday because I'm leaving for college next Tuesday. =O I'm sorry if there are typos I don't have time to read through it because I have to go to work but you understand right? I wanted to get this chapter out asap because I've been a horrible author and haven't updated, so please forgive me! Pretty please with Jakey on top! XD
Please review/alert/favorite/whatever you feel like doing and thank you so much guys!
Chapter 16
Something was clicking loudly and flashing. Even through the safety of my closed eyelids it blinded me. I felt Jacob shift beneath me and groan.
"Quil, what the hell are you doing?" he growled. The flashing paused and I risked cracking my eyes open to see Quil and Embry standing in front of us, Quil holding a camera and Embry smirking as he leaned against the wall. Quil grinned widely and held up the camera in his hands.
"Why, taking advantage of this beautiful moment between my best friend and his imprint to practice my photography, course!" he answered.
"You mean your pornography," Embry said, rolling his eyes. I blushed and pushed myself off of Jacob, looking around for a clock to see how much time had passed. Quil sauntered over, camera in hand, and threw his arm around me while pretending to wipe away a tear.
"They grow up so fast," he sniffled, looking between me and Jake. "My babies!" he cried, throwing his other arm around Jake and giving us choking squeezes. I suffocated for a few minutes until Embry finally pulled him off of us. Jake mumbled curses at him and rubbed his neck, patting me on the back while I slowly regained oxygen. Quil looked at Embry and then threw his arms around him, too, and pretended to weep miserably.
"Ah, Quil, lay off!" Embry grunted, shoving the still weeping Quil against the wall. Quil stuck his tongue out at him and came to plop down on the couch between Jake and I.
"Lookey here what I've got," he grinned. He flicked the camera on and flipped through various pictures of us he had taken while we were asleep. I had to admit, Quil was actually a pretty decent photographer. I told him so and he beamed proudly.
"Don't encourage him," Embry sighed. Jake snorted and got up to retrieve a shirt, Embry was right behind him mumbling something about getting away from the crazed one. Quil waited until they were gone, then leaned over and held his camera out.
"So which one is your favorite?" he whispered, smiling. I flipped through the pictures until I came to the one I like the most. Quil had taken a close-up of our faces, the incandescent light from a lamp giving us a warm glow as we slept. Jake had both arms around me and a slight smile on his face while I was snuggling against his chest. I handed the camera back to Quil and he looked at the picture, then nodded and shut the camera off.
"Christmas present," he smiled.
Jake and Embry reentered, Jake now fully clad in a black shirt and tennis shoes. He held his hand out to me and grinned when I took it.
"We're going to have dinner at Sam and Emily's, if that's okay with you. Everyone else should be there too," he said. I paused and thought for a moment, worry creeping into my expression.
"What?" Jake inquired, dropping to his knees in front of me. I bit my lip and let him feel how nervous I was. He nodded, a determined look in his eyes.
"Don't worry, I won't let anyone be mean to you," he reassured. I nodded and felt better as he wrapped his huge hand around mine. We walked out of the house, Quil and Embry shoving each other behind us, and set off for Sam and Emily's.
Loud chatter could be heard from inside the house as we walked up the driveway; however, Sam's truck was not there. I was a little relieved as we walked inside the house, but that relief was soon overtaken by panic as we walked up the front steps. The chatter stopped when we entered, and I felt myself go white as a sheet when I saw Leah sitting in the armchair. She stared blankly at me for a moment before looking away. Jake squeezed my hand and I looked up to see him smiling down at me.
"Dude, what's for dinner?" Quil asked as his stomach growled hungrily. Everyone laughed and the tension was soon gone, being replaced by laughter and loud talking once more. I relaxed a little and followed Jake as he sat down on the couch beside Jared. Seth walked over to me and grinned widely, almost knocking me over as he clapped me on the shoulder.
"Good to see that you're back and I don't feel like doing you anymore," he smiled. I blushed and Jake shot him a look, earning a laugh from everyone around us. Everyone chatted like usual, talking about patrols and food and everything else boys talk about. Leah was silent, but at least she wasn't shooting me death glares. I glanced at her every now and then, but she kept her eyes trained on whoever was talking at the moment.
"Ina!" a sweet voice called from behind me. I had barely turned around before getting attacked by a feminine body, which I soon realized was Emily. I squeezed her back and she motioned for me to follow her into the kitchen. Jake frowned and gave me puppy eyes as I got up, but Emily smacked him on the back of the head and he grinned.
"So how have you been?" she asked, leaning against the counter. I shrugged.
"You mean besides getting attacked by a pack of hormonal wolf men? Peachy!" I answered. She chuckled and shook her head, her eyes glazing over as she recalled a memory.
"Sam nearly went insane because of that. He'd ask me to marry him every single day until I finally gave in," she giggled. My eye twitched at that thought and I changed the subject.
"Do you need any help making dinner?" I asked. She got an evil glint in her eye and smirked.
"Help is always needed, honey."
Soon I was elbow deep in meatloaf and smelled like a bunch of onions while Emily skillfully chopped vegetables and simultaneously kneaded dough for bread. We heard heavy footsteps among all the laughter coming from the living room and looked up to see Sam and Paul standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Sam immediately walked over to Emily and gave her a kiss while Paul just stood there, eyes widened. He stared at me for a moment before turning and walking out of the house.
"He'll be okay," Sam sighed, wrapping his arm around Emily's waist. I watched Paul out the window as he flung his toolbox and shirt in the back of Sam's truck, then walked off into the woods. I frowned and continued mashing meat and vegetables together in the huge bowl, trying not to think too much about Paul. I knew that I didn't love him like he loved me, but it still bothered me that I was hurting him. He was my best friend since forever after all.
Another knock was heard as Leah entered, her face carefully controlled as she ignored the affectionate couple and looked at me.
"Want to go outside for a bit when you're done?" she asked. I nodded and she returned to the livingroom, her face still as blank as a stone. I finished up the meatloaf and stuck it in the oven, then washed up and went out to meet Leah. Everyone's eyes followed us warily as we walked out, the laughter seeming a little strained. Leah took off for a tire swing out by the edge of the yard, forcing me to run to keep up with her. She suddenly whipped around, making me almost run smack into her, and pointed at the damp ground beside the tree.
"Sit and shutup," she ordered. I nodded and sat down beneath the tree while she stood with her back to me. She finally turned around and sighed.
"I'm sorry," she grumbled. I was a bit shocked. Apparently Leah apologizing is as rare as a full double rainbow. She scowled at my surprised expression and began pacing.
"I know I overreacted a little. I just didn't want Jake to have to go through what I went through. No, I wasn't imprinted on Sam, but I still had feelings for him. I guess I loved him and all that mush. A small part of me applauded you for trying to fight the imprint, but I see now that it's near to impossible."
She turned around to face me, a tight smile on her face.
"I wanted to say thank you, in a way."
I turned my head to the side, confused. She laughed and plopped down beside me, leaning back against her hands. She gazed at the house with a conflicted look, then sighed finally and looked at me. She looked tired but peaceful, and had a glint of determination in her calm brown eyes.
"I realize now that imprinting isn't something that can be ignored. It can't be fought, because no matter how hard you try it will always be there, nagging at the back of your mind and getting bigger and bigger until you finally embrace it wholeheartedly. This whole time I've blamed Sam for not trying, for not fighting for me. But really, it's not his fault. Or Emily's," she said, mumbling at the end. She looked a little regretful and I threw my arms around her and gave her a squeeze. She tensed at first but chuckled and patted my back.
We reentered the house and were greeted by several curious glances. I smiled at everyone, then frowned when I realized Collin had taken my seat. Jake grinned and patted his leg invitingly, making me blush. He glanced at Leah and nodded, and suddenly I was flying through the air. I landed on Jake's knee with a painful thump and hissed, rubbing my backside.
"Oh I'm sorry, let me help you," Jake smirked, putting his hand over my butt. I yelped and leaped into the air, then gave his hand a hard smack before scrambling into the kitchen. My eyes widened and I immediately marched back into the living room, face tinted a deep crimson. They looked at me curiously and I shook my head.
"I wouldn't go in there if I were you," I said hoarsely. Quil got an evil glint in his eye and grabbed his camera, but Embry pulled him down by the hem of his shirt and rolled his eyes. Everyone shuddered and decided to go play football until dinner was ready.
"Gah, I'm STUFFED!" I wheezed, flopping my head back against the seat behind me. Jake chuckled and patted my protruding stomach affectionately.
"You're looking nice and plump," he smiled.
He did not just call me fat.
I yanked open the door and waddled out only to have him meet me at the front of his car, his arms held out to me as he begged for forgiveness.
"I meant it in a good way! Like yummy and juicy and mm," he sighed, wrapping his arms around me and rubbing his nose against my neck. I mentally chastised my heart for beating rapidly and tried to shove Jake away, but he wouldn't budge. He whined in my ear, his hot breath tickling my skin as he pulled me closer. I held my breath as he ran his hand up my back, but couldn't hold it much longer when his fingers graced over a certain spot between my shoulder blades. I burst out laughing and nearly hit the ground in my spaz attack, but luckily he caught me. He looked slightly confused and I took the opportunity to push him away with as much force as I could and yelled, "PMS POWER!" before dashing to my front door.
"Mom! Jake called me fat!" I whined, pointing accusingly at Jake. My mom gave him a stern look and he flinched as she stood up and walked over to him, circling around him like a hungry shark.
"My dear son-in-law—" I glared at her, "—you never call a woman fat. Especially not when she is as utterly beautiful as my daughter, because she got everything she has from me, and especially not when said daughter is menstruating," she said seriously.
He nodded, back straight and looking straight forward.
"Ma'm, yes, ma'm!" he answered, saluting. She gave a slight nod and returned to her spot on the couch, watching Jake with formidable eyes as we walked back to my room.
He frowned at me and I giggled and backed up as he came forward, his fingers wiggling menacingly. I shrieked and flailed uselessly as he tackled me to the bed. His fingers tickled ceaselessly, making me laugh so hard I thought my chest was going to implode from lack of oxygen.
"Rape!" I screamed, but of course Mom didn't come to save me. "J-Jake s-s-stop!" I gasped, attempting to grab his hands. He narrowed his eyes at me and gradually stopped wiggling his cursed fingers. I lay panting beneath him, face red and slightly damp from laughing so much. He grinned down at me, his perfect white teeth shining in the darkness.
"That's what you get for lying," he teased. I threw my hands up in exasperation.
"I wasn't lying!" I countered.
He scowled and crossed his arms, glaring at me. I smiled innocently then shrieked as he brought on another relentless attack of the wiggly fingers. I tried to get away but he drug me back and sat on my butt so I couldn't get away. Did I mention the guy was heavy?
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaghhhhh!" I groaned helplessly.
"So who is the most beautiful, luscious, gorgeous, amazing girl in the world?" he asked.
"Beyonce?" I squeaked out in reply, immediately regretting it as he wiggled forward to sit on my stomach and nearly cut off my oxygen.
"Nope, wrong. Her name starts with an I and ends with a NA."
"Ivana Trump? GYAGHHH!"
He moved up to my ribcage to where I couldn't move at all. Might I add that although he has a lovely bubble butt, it does not quite do itself justice by crushing small girls.
"Nah, wrong again! Her last name is Call. You have one more chance before I teabag your head," he chuckled ominously. I gulped.
"My mom? GYAHH NOOOO! Me! Me! It's me, Ina Call!" I shrieked, covering my head with a pillow. He laughed triumphantly and slid off of my back to lay on his side, watching me amusedly as I gasped for air. I glared daggers at him as I panted, then poked him hard in the chest.
"Ow! Don't molest my breast!" he giggled. I rolled my eyes at him and then got an idea. A very evil idea.
Quite possibly the most evil idea of evilkind.
I glanced at the door, then gave my very best smirk as I shoved him onto his back and sat on him, straddling his hips. He cocked an eyebrow at me in question. I smiled innocently and toyed with the edge of his shirt, letting my fingertips skim over his heated skin as I pulled it up a little. I took a note from Paul and leaned down to kiss his forehead, then his cheeks, nose and chin, anywhere but his lips. I felt his heart hammering against my hand. His eyes were dark and half closed, his lips slightly parted in anticipation.
"Ina?" he breathed. His eyes opened slightly as he looked up at me, then lifted his head. Argh, not the sexy(er) face! I thought miserably as his eyelashes fluttered closed. He looked utterly beautiful, his skin milky caramel and slightly damp in the moonlight. I nearly gave in, but my aching lungs reminded me of the pain I had gone through.
I leaned in closer until our lips were barely touching, and felt his breath quickening. Then I suddenly jerked my head away and blew a huge raspberry on his stomach.
"What the? Ina you little!"
I squealed and jumped off the bed, then raced into the living room and out the door, Jake hot on my heels. I made it halfway out of the yard before he grabbed me up and swung me around, then planted a huge kiss on my lips.
"You're evil," he grunted, frowning at me. I giggled and kissed his nose.
"But you love me anyway," I said.
His eyes grew soft, the corners of his mouth turning up into a silly grin as he said, "That I do."
I woke up the next morning to an unfortunate surprise. Well, two of them actually.
It being the horrendous time of the month, I woke up to a huge spot on my sheets because of the crap pads Mom bought.
Jake was pointing at it curiously.
"What's this?" he asked. I sighed.
"Um, I got stabbed by a ninja in my sleep," I mumbled, sidestepping my way to the door. I had never been more embarrassed in my life.
Jake gave me a small smile and got up, throwing the various pillows and plushies off my bed before stripping in bare. He rolled up the sheets and asked, "Where do these go?" I pointed to the laundry basket in the corner of my room and felt tears pricking my eyes as he shuffled over to put the soiled sheets in the laundry basket. I sniffled and he was at my side in an instant.
"Why are you crying?" he asked, leaning down so he was eye level with me. I hid my burning face in my hands.
"I'm so embarrassed!" I wailed. He chuckled and wrapped me in a hug, then planted a kiss on the top of my head.
"Don't be, it's natural. You can't help it," he soothed. I shook my head.
"I slept on my back when I knew I wasn't supposed to and these stupid piece of crap pads don't help anything and now I have to wash my sheets and I can already tell it's going to be a bad day and—"
He cut me off with a kiss and looked at me lovingly.
"Go take a hot shower and I'll have breakfast ready for you when you get out. We can go buy some better ones after school, kay? You don't have to be embarrassed. I love you," he said softly, the expression in his eyes making me want to melt into a puddle of goo. I nodded and he smiled, kissing my forehead again before going to pick up his shirt off of the floor. I quickly grabbed a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt out of my closet and ran to the bathroom.
The hot water made me feel much better. I just stood there in a daze with it hitting my back before I heard a knock at the door.
"I don't mean to bother you, but if you want enough time to eat before we have to leave then you should probably dry off," Jake's voice floated through the door. I sighed and shut the water off, then dried off and put my clothes on. I braided my hair over my shoulder before walking out of the bathroom, immediately being hit by a heavenly scent that can only be described as…heavenly. I dashed into the kitchen to behold the most adorable thing ever.
Jake sat at the bar in the kitchen with a stack of steaming pancakes before him, wearing my Mom's pink and yellow polka dotted apron. A single candle lit the room, bathing his face in a warm glow. He smiled and beckoned me to come sit beside him. I sat down and took an eager sniff.
"Is that? No, it can't be!" I said in disbelief. He nodded, grinning as he forked a few pancakes and stuck them on the plate in front of me.
"I know they're not as good as chocolate chip waffles, but you don't have a waffle maker so hopefully they'll do."
I nodded. "Chocolate chip pancakes are second best to chocolate chip waffles," I agreed.
He poured half the bottle of syrup on top of them and used the rest on his before we dug in.
After breakfast we raced out to his car and then to school. He refused to let me carry my backpack as we got out.
"You should be taking it easy," he reasoned.
"Jake, I'm on my period not dying," I laughed. He shrugged and smiled, taking my hand in his. He leaned down and kissed my cheek and I suddenly felt extremely blessed.
"I love you," I blurted out.
He blinked a few times in surprise.
"What?" he asked.
"I love you," I mumbled shyly, looking up at him. He stood there with his mouth open for a few moments, blinking every now and then. I watched a slow smile grace his beautiful face and he laughed, then pulled me into a giant hug.
"I love you, too," he breathed into my ear. My heart hummed happily inside my chest and I felt warm all over. I beamed at him as he took my hand and smiled at me, his eyes shining with happiness.
Maybe today wasn't going to be so bad after all.
Something strange happened after school.
We were walking back to Jake's car when we noticed a bunch of the guys crowded around Paul's truck. We went over to join them, and they silently nodded to us before looking back at the scene before them, huge smiles on their faces.
Paul was staring down at a large yellow Labrador with his arms crossed, a lost look on his face. The dog wagged its tail happily and looked back at him with huge brown eyes, then barked and turned around. Shock blew me away and I stood there dumbfounded for a moment before Quil waved his hands in front of my eyes.
"Did he?" I whispered, pointing to the dog. Quil laughed and shook his head.
"No, silly. We don't imprint on animals," he chuckled. Relief washed over me and I looked back at the dog as Paul spoke up.
"What do you want, pup?" he asked, bending down on one knee to pat its head. The dog licked his hand and barked again.
"I think she likes you," Embry chuckled. Paul glared at him as he stood up. He shooed the dog but she just sat there, cocking her head to the side curiously.
"Where's your owner?" he asked. The dog cocked her head to the other side and panted. Paul rolled his eyes and unlocked his door, throwing his bag into the passenger seat before closing it. Jared gasped and ran over, knocking on his window.
"You can't just leave her here!" he wailed. Paul raised his eyebrows at him and started his truck. Quil went over to join Jared in guilt-tripping Paul, but he was having none of it. He shifted gears and started pulling forward, waving to Jared and Quil as he went. The dog barked and turned around a few times before giving a miraculous leap into the back of the truck. Paul didn't notice until he got halfway to the road, at which he stomped on his brakes and got out of his truck to yell at the dog. The guys nearly died laughing and had to lean on each other for support, but they ended up falling down anyway. I watched as Paul threw his hands in the air and got back in the truck, taking off with the dog still in tow. She barked at us, her ears flopping in the wind as Paul drove down the road.
Soon Paul and the dog became inseparable. He grumbled about her to the guys, but Jake told me that he had named her Duchess and that he basically took her everywhere he went. It made me smile when I walked outside to get the mail one day and saw him wrestling with her in the yard. I got up enough courage to walk down to his house and talk to him.
"Looks like you've made a new friend," I said. Paul looked up and flashed me a smile, the first smile I had seen from him in weeks.
"Yeah, she's great! Watch this," he said. "Come on, Duchess!"
He leaned over and patted his back. Duchess jumped up on his back and crouched down as he zoomed around the yard singing a Beach Boys song. She barked along with him and jumped down when he moved to stand up, then trotted over to me and looked up expectantly.
"I'm sorry, I don't have a treat for you girl," I apologized, rubbing her blonde head. She huffed and walked back over to Paul, nudging his hand until he started petting her. He boomed a laugh and rubbed her ears affectionately.
"How have you been, Paul?" I asked quietly. He smiled, looking up at me a littly shyly.
"Good, Ina. Really. I've been running a lot and it helps take my mind off of things, and Duchy here is such a goofy dog that I can't help but smile around her," he answered, beaming down at the doggy beside him. She barked and rolled over onto her back.
"You mutt," he grumbled, smiling as he rubbed her belly with his foot. "Hey you want to go get some coffee or something? Catch up on things?" he asked. My eyes widened in shock but I quickly agreed. He ran into his house to grab a leash before we set off for Nilly's.
Nilly wouldn't let Paul bring his newfound friend into the diner no matter how much he begged and cursed. He eventually settled for tying her to the newspaper box, grumbling as we walked inside. He ordered a coffee for him and a hot chocolate for me, then looked out the window to check on Duchess.
"She'll be alright, Paul," I laughed, and he grinned sheepishly.
"I know," he chuckled, "but she's like my kid or something." He turned back to me, smiling a little. "I've missed you, Ina."
"I've missed you too, Paul. You haven't really been yourself lately," I said carefully. He nodded, his face turning serious.
"Yeah. I know I've been a jerk, but I didn't mean anything by it. I still count you as my best friend," he smiled. Nilly came back and set two cups in front of us. I took a sip and hissed, coughing as I shoved the cup in Paul's direction. He looked at me curiously before taking a sip out of his cup. He chuckled and switched with me before taking another sip.
"Ah, you don't know what you're missing," he sighed. I shook my head and gulped my hot chocolate to get the disgusting coffee taste out of my mouth, making him laugh at me when I burned my throat. We chatted about school and random news bits for a while.
"I can't believe they're letting that guy off with only three years in prison. If I was the judge I'd totally castrate that bastard and…and…"
Paul's gaze was directed out the window. He smashed his cup down angrily and stood up, then stomped out of the diner. I quickly followed him to see a girl bending down beside Duchess and untying her.
"What the hell are you doing with my dog?" he barked. The girl ignored him and cooed at the dog in front of her. She was pretty unusual looking, wearing a bright red toboggan and a purple coat with ripped up jeans. I could see rainbow striped tights through the rips, and blonde hair peeking out from under her cap. I held Paul's arm when he started shaking and whispered at him to calm down.
"Um, excuse me. My friend here is just kind of wondering why you're taking his dog," I said.
She looked up at me and frowned.
"This is my dog. She ran away a few days ago and I haven't been able to find her. But Mommy found you now, didn't she Spud?" the girl giggled, hugging the dog's neck.
"SPUD?" Paul hissed in disbelief. "What the hell kind of name is that?" he growled. The girl huffed and stood up, crossing her arms as she glared at him.
"Her name is Spud. Got it memorized? And she's my dog so lay off," she growled right back. Paul groaned and looked up at the sky before looking back at her, his mouth opened to lash out a string of curses. But he never got there.
He stood looking at the girl in wonder, his mouth agape and eyes wide. His expression softened and he got a silly grin on his face, then sighed.
"Hi, I'm Paul," he sighed. The girl cocked an eyebrow at him.
"I'm May."
"And I'm Ina, but could you wait here for just a second please? We'll be right back," I interrupted, dragging Paul away with some effort to the corner of the diner. He was still staring at May with that sappy look, so I snapped my fingers in front of his eyes. When that didn't work, I smacked him and shook his shoulders.
"Get a hold of yourself, man!" I shouted. He looked at me dumbly.
"What?"
"Paul, did you just imprint?" I asked seriously. He looked back at May, grinning with half closed eyes.
"Uh-huh."