I woke up to find Embry staring at me. I jumped up and pulled the cover tight around me. I huddled against the headboard.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting you up. Jake's outside."

"Embry, no."

"Yes, you need to talk to him."

"No."

He nodded and smiled. I shook my head but smiled back. Then his smile disappeared and he glared at me. He pulled me out of bed. My bare feet grew cold when they touched the hardwood floor of his bedroom. I fought against his pull but he refused to let me go. I groaned as he pushed me out the front door and into what felt like a wall. I looked up to see Jacob, his long hair drawn back into a ponytail.

"Hey." He mumbled.

I stepped away from him and went back into the house. I shut the front door on both Jacob and Embry. I leaned against the door and listened to them.

"See, I told you this was stupid. She doesn't want to talk to me."

"It's not that she doesn't. You're not doing enough."

"So you want me to just bust in and force her to listen to me."

"Dude, she's on the other side of the door."

He knew me so well.

"Aria, you don't have to talk to me. I just need you to listen to me. I know what you've been through. I lost my mom too. What you told me yesterday, I can't identify with but I want to be there for you. But I need you to let me. I need you to give me a chance to help you get past this."

"Jacob, it's not that I don't want to get this past this. I do and I know I can't do it by myself but I just don't know if I can take it. How long will it be before you leave me? My own father is sending me away."

"I won't leave you, Aria. I promise. I won't leave you until you tell me to go. I won't touch you unless you ask me to. I will never hurt you. I will never let anyone else hurt you. Me, Embry, Quil even, we've always been here. I will always be with you."

I grabbed to doorknob and held onto it for a second. I slowly began to turn it, trying to keep myself from changing my mind. I threw the door open quickly as I thought of Jacob and the things that he was saying. I jumped into his arms and he held me tightly. He lifted me from the ground and it was then when I started to cry into his shoulder. I grabbed at his shirt and clenched the fabric in my fingers. When my feet touched the ground again, one hand found his neck and the other found his cheek. I pulled his lips down to mine. They met for only seconds at a time but each time felt like the first.

"I love you." he whispered.

"I…"

He put his finger to my lips, silencing me, "You don't have to say it if you're not ready. I understand. But I need you to know the truth about how I feel about you. And I need you to do is accept it."

"I accept it, Jacob. I accept you."

He smiled as his finger grazed my cheek, brushing my hair from my face and behind my ear. I smiled up at him.

"See Jake, I told you!" Embry yelled.

I had forgotten he was even there.

"Embry, I love you but go away."

"This is my house."

"Our house.

They both looked at me like I was crazy. Jacob was the one to speak up.

"So you're staying?" he mumbled, a slight happy tone to his voice.

"Yes, I'll be staying until I graduate in a couple of years then I can go wherever I want."

"And where do you want to go?"

"Truthfully, anywhere you are is where I want to be."

Embry, Jacob, and I went back to my house to pack my things. My dad and I said our goodbyes and then it was off to the Quileute Rez for a while. I didn't mind so much now that I had Jacob. I did mind after a while because he was always with his dad at Bella's house. If he wasn't there, it was impossible to find him. He liked to walk the beach and I didn't like to hunt for him. It was weird having him show up on my doorstep with a rose and a smile on his face. But with each rose, it only made me appreciate him more. Bella was around all the time and I didn't mind as much. I had him and she was jealous.

One day, about three months after I moved, she was hanging out at the house, Jake called me over. I walked through the front door with Embry following close behind. I went into the living room to find Jake and Bella sitting on the couch next to each other. I bounded over to Jacob and sat on his lap facing Bella. I tapped his nose with my finger and then touched my finger to my lips. He smiled and kissed me for a short while. Bella scoffed and probably rolled her eyes. It didn't help that I was wearing a short skirt and cami tank top.

"Get a room." She mumbled.

"Don't tempt me." Jacob whispered after he pulled away from the kiss.

I looked at Bella and she looked angry. Jake's hand rested on my bare thigh.

"If you don't like it, Bella, leave." I smiled.

"I was here first."

"But who wears the charm?"

I grabbed my necklace. Jacob had given it to me. It was small, wood-carved wolf nestled into a shell he had carved into a heart. He told me he had originally carved it for her but in the end decided it should be mine instead.

"Babe, you promised you would stop this jealously stuff."

"I'm not the jealous one she is."

He sighed, "Alright, let's go."

He stood up and carried me to his room. He dropped me on the bed, crossed his arms, and stared at me.

"What?"

He put his finger over his lips, hushing me. I bit my bottom lip and gave him a puppy dog face.

"Don't look at me like that."

"I'm sorry, Jake. I know I'm being difficult. I just don't like her being around. She makes me say and do crazy and mean things."

"You're not crazy. The thing is I'm the same way when you're around me and my friends. They always tell me how lucky I am to have someone as hot as you. And I get angry. I get jealous but you don't see me practically cussing them out. I mean, I could but I don't."

I stood up and moved to stand in front of him. I put my hand on his cheek and he leaned into my touch. He turned his head and kissed the palm of my hand.

"I love you, Jacob Black," I dropped my hand from his face, "and any idiot can tell she does too."

I tried to walk past him but he caught my arm and pulled me into a kiss. I pulled away from him and stood there glaring up at him.

"I love you, Aria Torres. You are my love and my life. Bella is my best friend."

"I'm going home."

"Aria, please tell me you're not breaking up with me."

"No, never, of course not. Just call me when she's gone. I don't want to be around her."

I turned around and left his room. I walked out the front door and Embry followed me shortly after. I turned to see Jacob standing in the doorway staring after me. Bella stepped up behind him and she put her hand on his shoulder.

She spoke. "Jake… I'm so sorry."

I couldn't hear her but I read her lips. When he turned around and left the doorway, she followed behind him after sticking her tongue out at me. I shook my head and turned back around. I ran, with Embry screaming after me, from Jacob's front yard and down to the beach.

I kicked off my shoes before stepping onto the sand. I walked to the water and watched the tide wash over my feet. I stood there for a second before undoing my belt, unbuttoning my skirt, and letting it fall to my feet. I took off my shirt next and left it there. I walked into the water. I put my hands flat against the surface of it and closed my eyes. I took in a deep breath and as I let it out a tear fell down my cheek.

"I know she'll take him from me eventually."

"No she won't."

I opened my eyes and turned to find Jacob standing there. His shirt was at his feet. I turned back toward the horizon.

"Go home Jacob."

"No, I came here for you. Bella is my friend. But I love you."

"But Jacob I can see it in the way you look at her. You love her too."

"No, I don't, Aria. Please believe me, I don't love her."

He had tears in his voice but I had to say what I had to say, "Jacob, don't lie to me. I know the truth. So you should know, now that I can, I'm going to go to school in the city. I'm gonna do my junior and my senior year at Forks High School. I know I'll be there with Bella but I have a plan. When I learn to like her, then we can be together Jake."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that until I can see you with her and not feel the need to stake my claim, we cannot be together."

"No, Aria, don't say that."

"It's been said. Jake, you need to go home."

"I'm not leaving you."

The tears in his voice were killing my resolve. I was hurting him. How could I be hurting him? I was hurting myself just knowing he was probably crying behind me. I heard the water move and after a while, the warmth of his body was there behind me. He put his hands on my shoulders and his lips were against my neck. A tear escaped my eye.

"I know you don't really want me to go. I'll stay. I promise you. I won't go anywhere. Just say the words, and Bella will go."

"I don't want you to have to choose between us. I just don't want her around so much. It drives me insane knowing that there was a time, before I came along, that you loved her as much as you love me now."

"I love you, Aria, with all my heart."

"Jacob, just stop it!"

"Stop what?"

"Loving me, I don't deserve it. I don't deserve you. I know you love me and I just don't understand why. Even as I try to leave you, you're standing here with me begging me not to, begging me to believe you. Damn it, Jacob, I love you, but I don't deserve you. Bella, she loves you. I do too but I can tell that even though she won't admit it, if you left her she would die."

"Then let her die. God forbid I lose you because of her."

"Yes, Jacob, God forbid. You're not losing me because of her. I just can't do this."

I turned toward him and walked past him. As the water got shallower, I began to pick up my pace. I grabbed my shirt and pulled it on. Then I grabbed my skirt from the ground. I ran back to my shoes, grabbed them from the ground and ran from the beach. I knew he was watching after me. I could practically feel his eyes on my back. About half way home I stopped to pull on my skirt then I started running again.

As I burst through the front door of my house, Embry jumped up from the couch, his eyes wide. His mom stuck her head from around the corner.

"Aria, honey what happened? Why are you all wet?"

I just shook my head and ran to my room. I slammed the door behind me and fell to my knees next to my bed. After a while, there was a soft knock on the door.

"Hey, you wanna talk about it?"

"Come in…"

Embry opened the door and just looked at me for a second. Then he walked over to the bed, after shutting the door behind him. He sat down and pulled me over to him. The tears that were soaking into my bedspread were now soaking into his shirt.

"What happened?"

"I went over to Jacob's and Bella was there. Then she and I got into a little thing."

"What kind of thing?"

"I kissed him. She told us to get a room. I told her if she didn't like it she should leave. Then Jacob carried me away and told me that I shouldn't be so jealous. Then I left and ran to the beach. He ran after me and I told him that it was best we weren't together and that he needed to leave me alone. That's not what I want Embry. It never will be. I need Jacob and now he's gone because I wanted to be stupid."

"First of all, if you want him back just call him. He's probably waiting at home right now. And second of all, you're not stupid. You've been through a lot and it's only normal for you to be scared of something serious.

"But he doesn't scare me. What I had with him didn't and still doesn't scare me. He always made me feel so safe and secure." I sat up off him, "You remember when I was little? You know after you guys found me? I was so scared of every little thing. I slept in my parents' bed every night. Then when I started sleeping in my room again, I would sleep with the door locked. Embry, Jacob was the only person that snapped me out of it. Whenever I would come to visit, Jacob would be here with you. He used to carry me around his back. We would build sandcastles on the beach together."

"I remember that. You were always so happy around him."

"One night, I heard my parents talking to Jake's dad. Mom was so happy that I was smiling again. She kept asking Billy if there was a way Jacob could visit me at home. Billy said there wasn't any way. Mom had opted for me to move down here long before now. After she died, Dad needed me around. After a while, he realized I was falling back to where I used to be but every time I would visit here, I would get back home and be happy. That's why he wanted me to move here."

"And now what? You want to go back home?"

"No, I don't. I'm just switching schools. Every morning I'm going to drive out to Forks and go to the high school there. I can't be at the Rez School with him. Seeing him every day would be too much."

"So you're going to leave me to deal with him asking me questions about you?"

"Sorry but it's something I have to do."

"Do you think you'll ever switch back?"

"I'll have to see how my year goes. I might not go if Jake and I can get things worked out."

He looked at me and smiled, "Well, since there's nothing I can do to change your mind. Call him tomorrow."

I nodded and he left the room.