Chapter 5

Rated M

Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

Charlie was bright-eyed and bushy tailed when I walked in the next morning. I wasn't expecting him to be sitting at my kitchen table sipping coffee and reading the newspaper. In fact, I didn't even know we got the paper. Where did that come from?

"Good morning, Jake? Good run?" he asked.

I nearly swallowed my tongue. Bella walked out of the bathroom, smiling at me. She was wearing the clothes she slept in and I covertly checked her out.

"I told him how you like to run in the mornings sometimes," Bella looked at me meaningfully.

I took the cue and looked at Charlie, "It was good, Charlie. You should go with me sometime. Get your heart pumping."

"Sounds like a good way to get hurt. Thanks anyway," Charlie responded going back to his newspaper.

When I glanced over at Bella, I saw she was trying to text on her phone without anyone noticing. Her fingers flew over the phone as she texted back and forth. My curiosity won out so I edged closer to her to look at her phone. Alice, of course! I rolled my eyes as I walked away. I sat down at the table with Charlie and poured a bowl of cereal. The look on his face made me stop eating for a moment and stare back at him.

"Would a trough be a better dish for you?" he said straight-faced.

Bella started laughing and I smiled, eating the rest of the cereal. I imagined a trough of Lucky Charms and realized that might be too much cereal for even me. Although, for a week it might be right.

"Are you giving my son a hard time in here?" my dad said as he rolled into the room. I was surprised to see that he was all freshened up and looking ready to go fishing.

"Where are you headed off to?" I asked him.

"Where else? It's Saturday! Hitting the fishing holes here with Charlie, why else would he be up getting over a fresh hangover for the weekend?" he joked with his friend.

"Hangover? Who's hungover? I had one beer last night," Charlie answered defensively.

"Try one gallon of beer!" Billy retorted, pouring coffee in his travel mug.

"Dad!" Bella balked. "I can't believe you guys. You aren't teenagers anymore, you know."

"Teenagers? You better not be drinking any beer! Either one of you," her dad responded giving us both an evil stare. I started shaking my head side to side. Wasn't gonna happen. Beer was disgusting-especially when you had heightened senses and could smell the stuff even stronger.

"You going to be ready soon, Chief?" Billy interrupted the other man's speech.

"Soon? I'm waiting on you to get all primped up!"

"Then let's go. I'm ready and the fish are getting away," Billy said, rolling his way to the door. After Charlie walked out, he turned and winked at me. "Have a good day, Bella and Jake!"

"Um, that was weird," Bella muttered. She sat at the table watching me eat my second bowl of cereal. Finally, she gave up on trying to hide her phone and set it on the table texting still.

"What does she want?" I asked.

"To take me out for lunch," she said.

I laughed and ended up choking on a bite of cereal. I walked over to the sink as I coughed bits of cereal out and blew my nose into a paper towel. Cereal vs. Nose-it wasn't fun.

"What's so funny about that?" she asked me, looking kind of grossed out at the little incident at the sink.

"Why would a vampire take you to lunch?" I wondered, turning around to look at her. I gave up on the cereal, so I grabbed the bowl and poured the wet mix down the disposal.

"It's weird, isn't it?" she commented. I could hear her tapping out a response and I silently hoped she would tell her no.

"Now, she wants to take me shopping instead. She said she could pick me up at the treaty line around 10."

"Okay. I'm going to sleep anyway. I'm beat after patrol."

"Well, what about our date tonight?" she asked softly.

I walked over closer to her and lightly grabbed her ponytail, tugging it as I ran my hand down her hair.

"Oh, I'll be ready for that," I whispered to the top of her head before planting a kiss there and walking away. I could hear her heart beat thud a little as I stepped away from her. It made me smile.

A long, hot shower later, I stood in front of the mirror twenty minutes later. I know, 20 minutes isn't that long, but usually it only takes me 3 or 4 minutes to clean off. I inspected my face in the mirror and saw that I missed a couple of spots shaving my face. So I ran the razor over my face, getting the last few rebel hairs. I nicked my chin and groaned as I washed the blood from my face. I wrapped the towel tighter around my waist and walked out of the steaming room.

Without thinking about it, I made my way to the laundry room behind the house. I grabbed fresh boxers and cut off sweatpants before going back in the house. A gasp from the kitchen caught my attention and I turned to see Bella. Her red face turned to the cabinet, lightly banging it against the wood.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"Yep," she squealed. I walked over to her, but glanced down to make sure I hadn't accidentally exposed myself to her. The towel was covering everything important and she'd seen me without a shirt plenty of times.

"What is it, Bells?" I asked her.

I heard something vibrating behind her so I walked closer. She was obviously hiding something as she spun and faced me, her hands remaining behind her back.

"Jake! You're bleeding. It's running down your face!" she looked shocked. I wasn't concerned.

"I cut myself shaving. But I'm fine. It's probably healed already. What's behind your back, Bells?" I crept closer to her.

"Nothing!" she insisted. I reached behind her and felt something in her hands. It felt like a cell phone but why would she hide her phone from me like that? I heard her ringtone sound from the table and looked back at her confused.

"Are you looking at my phone?" I asked her, pretty dang surprised.

"No! I was not looking at your phone. It kept vibrating over and over while you were in the shower. So I picked it up to see if it was important."

I smiled widely at her. She was so busted.

"Uh huh. Is that so? So was it important?" I asked.

"I don't know. You have a passcode and I couldn't see anything. Then you came out of the bathroom." She had turned an even deeper shade of red. I was sure if she didn't calm down soon, she'd pass out from lack of oxygen to the rest of her body.

"Hand it over," I told her. I swiped the screen and read the group message from the pack. There was going to be a bonfire later and we were invited. Heck no. I had a date with Bella Swan.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yep," I replied, giving her a taste of her own medicine.

"Anyhow, don't you have some shopping to get ready for while I take a nap? You have to take a wolf with you, so you'd better figure out fast if you want Embry or Jared."

She looked at me and without hesitation replied, "Embry. By the way, wipe that disgusting blob of blood off your face."

I rubbed a paper towel over my face and texted the group to let them know Bella and I had other plans, but I would let Sam know those later on. Then I told Embry to come over to spend the day with Bella and Alice at the mall.

When Embry came in, I gave him a lecture on not letting Bella leave his sight no matter what. Bella huffed and said she was shopping with a vampire, so she didn't need 2 babysitters. I scoffed and said Alice did NOT count as she was the enemy.

"I mean it, Embry! I will kick your butt if anything happens to her!" I called out as they climbed into Bella's truck. When she turned away, Embry held his arm out the window, sending me the one finger salute. Jerk.

I went to bed and slept for hours. As much as I wanted to worry about Bella, I knew Embry would keep her safe. He was my best friend and knew how much I loved that girl. I couldn't wait to have an official date with her. It was hard to believe.

Bella picked me up promptly at 6 o'clock in the Red Monster as I decided to name it. She was dressed comfortably, but looked beautiful. Her blue jeans were snug fitting and instead of her usual hoodie, she had on a sweater thingy. It was a pretty green color and the shirt under it was the same color as her sweater. She also wore a necklace with little beads and a matching bracelet.

"You look pretty," I complimented her honestly. "Where are we going? I've got to let Sam know."

"I was thinking we could either go to Port Angeles for a movie or walk on the beach on First Beach."

"Well, Port A is far, but there's a thing on the beach tonight, so I don't really want to go there." I imagined how our first date would be awkward with the rest of the pack there.

"Oh," she said.

"Oh? What do you mean by 'oh'?" I asked.

"You don't want to go where people will see us together?" she breathed out.

"No, honey. No, that's not it at all. I don't want the guys to be interfering. Which they would to no end." I reached out and wrapped my fingers around her knee. She flinched involuntarily and her heart sped up for a few seconds.

"What do you think then?" she asked, glancing over at me.

"There's this place. You might like it. Just a little restaurant on the res. They serve all kinds of different food. The Aterea's run the grocery store right next to it."

"Okay. If you want to," she agreed. Internally, I groaned. She was too compliant. I would have to get her to come up with her own date once we caught this red headed vamp and killed her.

"Cool. Let's do it," I grinned at her.

She drove us to the restaurant and we walked in together. It was open seating, so I chose a small booth in the back where we'd have a little bit of privacy. Bella looked at the menu carefully, but I knew exactly what I wanted. Mrs. Aterea might be Quileute but she made an awesome Mexican lasagna. I got it whenever I ate here.

"Hi Jake!" she greeted me from the kitchen doors. I waved back and asked Bella if she knew what she wanted to eat.

"Oh, I'm not sure. I'm thinking I should either get tomato soup and grilled cheese or the veggie burger."

I visibly gagged. Veggie burger? Why would you cook veggies and put them on a bun instead of a delicious hamburger?

"What?" she laughed. "Are their veggie burgers gross or something?"

"I have no idea. I wouldn't eat it unless it was the last thing on Earth!"

"Not everybody can eat like you and still look like you, you know." She looked over my body and blushed.

"Oh, and what pray tell is that supposed to mean?" I stared at her. I knew it was making her uncomfortable, but she was pretty much admitting I had a good body. I knew I did, but I wanted to hear it from her.

"Give me a break, Jake. You know exactly what I mean. All ripped up and fit. Gosh! I have to watch what I eat so I stay thin but I also don't want to coat my arteries with cholesterol." She stared at me pointedly. I hung my head a little. While I may be able to eat whatever I wanted, regular humans could not. I thought of Harry.

"You know, Harry lived his life to the fullest. He was a very happy person. He might have lived longer if he ate better, but that wouldn't have made him happy. You can eat whatever you want to eat. As long as it isn't bugs or something really gross, I won't say a word. But I will say that you are beautiful and if you ate some junk food every now and then, it would be okay."

Bella looked down and I could tell I embarrassed her with my compliment. I reached my hand out and grasped her elbow. I squeezed a little to tell her it was okay and she looked back up at me. Her eyes danced back and forth between mine and I felt entranced by her. A throat clearing next to us caught my attention.

It was Quil. He wasn't looking directly at me when he asked what we would like. Bella smiled at him warmly but he barely listened to her.

"I guess he's still mad at you, huh?" she asked.

"You could say that," I answered. We all wonder if and when Quil would change. He had the bloodlines. For my friend's sake, I hoped he didn't. I didn't want him shackled to this life.

We waited until our food was served, but instead of Quil bringing it out it was Mrs. Aterea.

"Jake, I always know if you're here, I better start making a huge pan of Mexican lasagna! I hope you like it." She smiled at Bella and told her to enjoy the grilled cheese and soup, but to try a little of my dinner. Bella nodded and said she would.

After Joy walked away, I held up a small forkful for Bella to try. "Come on, you said you'd give this whole teenager thing a try. Eating crappy food is a complete teenager move." She rolled her eyes, but reached out for the fork. I pulled my hand back.

"Open up," I teased. She rolled her eyes again but opened her mouth. I put the food in her mouth and pulled the fork back when she closed her lips. She chewed and swallowed.

"That's good. But I wouldn't put so much cumin in it, and I'd add some fresh green peppers, it'd really kick it up," Bella continued on about how she would improve the dish. I really liked it but if she could make it better, I'd be willing to try it.

"Let me know when you make it and I'll be over! This stuff is so good." I continued to shovel the food in and watched as Bella took dainty spoonfuls of soup and nibbled the sandwich.

"What do you think about renting a movie and watching it at my house? Billy's gone at the beach for the bonfire for Harry. We'd have the place to ourselves for a while."

"Harry's bonfire? Why aren't you there?" she looked at me like I was crazy.

"He didn't want a big thing. The pack is there but they were leaving after lighting the fire for the older folk. Then they were going down the beach to have their own bonfire. It really isn't a big deal. My dad knows where I am."

"But Harry was an elder, right? Shouldn't there be some big ceremony or something?"

"Maybe, but he didn't want it. He always said he wanted people to have a fish fry and a can of Vitamin R when he died." I shrugged. Seemed like a good idea to me.

"Huh," was all Bella came up with.

She finally finished her food as I sat there talking comfortably with her. I noticed little mannerisms I hadn't noticed before. How she covered her mouth when she talked with a little food in it or how she wiped off her spoon after she set it down.

I paid the check and we left in her truck. I drove it to a gas station that had an automated movie rental box and we got out together. We looked through the choices and found an older action movie. Bella used her card to rent it and we went back to my house.

It didn't seem that different to be watching a movie with Bella on my couch, but tonight there seemed to be a little bit of tension I hadn't noticed before. Was this Bella changing? I decided that first official date or not, I would act as I always did. So I put the DVD in the player and plopped down on the couch, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. At first she was tense but as the movie played on, she relaxed into my side. It was as comfortable as it always was. I decided to test the dating waters and slid my arm from around her shoulder to her waist. This caused her to lean closer to me.

Nice.

I squeezed her waist lightly, but kept it there. She put her hand on my leg. My heart skipped a half beat, I was so excited. I put my left hand over hers. Bella leaned just a little more into me and it caused her sweater to rise up a bit. I took the opportunity to ghost my fingertips across the exposed skin. Bella shivered a little.

"I need to use the restroom," she announced, jumping up off the couch. I chuckled quietly, knowing I had rocked the little boat. I hadn't tipped it, she wasn't leaving, but I had rocked the boat.

Bella came back and I could see that she had splashed water on her face because the hairs around her face were damp. I didn't say anything, but I was happy to see that she had some kind of reaction to my touch.

"After the movie, I should probably head home. Do you know who's patrolling tonight?" she asked. Damn, I didn't want her to leave at all. Ever.

"Um, I think Sam and Paul are out tonight. I patrolled last night, so I'm off tonight."

"Okay," she said, sounding a little disappointed. Disappointed? Did she want me to be outside her window?

For the rest of the movie, I remained silent. I couldn't have remembered what happened at the end of that movie if my life depended on it. My mind was all over the place. Should I take Bella home? Should I stay outside her house? With her in the house? Would Charlie be home after Harry's bonfire or would he be crashing somewhere?

Then my mind went to first date worries. Should I kiss her good night? Did she want me to? I didn't know. It was frustrating. I needed Bella to make some decisions. Then I had Alice Cullen to worry about. If she was there at Bella's house, it would ruin everything.

"Jake, what did I tell you about thinking so loud?" she said. I leaned toward her, her eyes pulling me in a like a homing beacon. My eyes looked down at her lips. She pressed them together but didn't turn away.

I took a deep breath. "I'm going to kiss you, okay?" I said to her before I leaned in and placed a kiss on her soft lips. This kiss was just as sweet as the one a few nights ago. I continued kissing her, lightly smacking my lips on hers before ever so gently nibbling her lower lip. She opened her mouth and I took the invitation, deepening the kiss.

My head and my body were going at two different speeds. I wanted to slow things down, so I moved my lips from hers and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you. That was amazing," I breathed into her ear.

Her phone chirped and she picked it up to read a text message.

"It's Charlie. He wants to know what time I'll be getting home. I guess they are having a great time celebrating Harry's life."

"Are you sure you need to go?" I whispered. "We can watch another movie."

Please say yes, please say yes, I thought.

"Sure, sure," she answered. I gave her a huge smile and pecked her lips before getting up. I listed off a few movies we had, but I didn't really care what movie we watched. I had no plans on watching anything but her.

She told me whatever I wanted was fine. So I put in one of my sisters' old movies, some romance they used to gush over called A Walk to Remember or something like that. The movie started and she smiled remembering having seen it.

"Oh, Jake, this is a sad one. You're going to regret it. Better get a box of tissues," she said.

I shrugged. If she was sad, she could cry on me. I smiled, this sounded like a great idea already.

The movie played on and as the girl talked about dying, I realized I was an idiot. This wasn't the kind of movie you made out while watching. I did end up getting those tissues and not just for Bella, for me too.

After it was finally over, we sat in silence. I pondered what life would be like with Bella. Could I go on without her, like the kid in the movie? I didn't know, but I knew I didn't even want to think about it. I grabbed her sniffling form and pulled it onto my lap. She wrapped her arms around my neck and buried it there. I didn't move and for a while, neither did she. It took me a couple of times, but I finally figured out she was kissing my neck. I leaned my head back against the couch, enjoying the feeling of her lips on my skin.

She kissed from one side to the other and then up to my cheek. She kissed me once, twice and then I quickly turned my head and planted one of her. I resumed the passionate kiss that we started earlier. My tongue lightly touched hers every now and then. It was really good, not like a sloppy wet one.

Bella put one firm kiss on my lips and sat back. She glanced away, with a smirk on her face but looked back at me.

"So, good first date?" she asked.

"Great first date," I answered.