Embry POV
I bit my lip nervously while I waited for the door to open. I hadn't gotten the best night of sleep, what with my dreams and the anticipation of today. However simple the plans for today might be, I was still taking a girl out on a first date—I really didn't want to screw this up, for either myself or for Bella. I thought—and then I couldn't think at all when Bella opened her front door. I couldn't speak either, except to whisper "Wow" under my breath. How could I have gotten so lucky that such an amazing girl would be interested in gawky, brainy me, and then agree to go out with me?
Bella smiled when she saw me and I felt a broad grin appear on my face in answer. "You look great, I told her in utter sincerity.
She blushed—predictably—and her head bobbled like she wanted to duck it. But then she looked up at me and quietly said, "Thanks. Angela and Jessica helped."
"They did a nice job, but they had good material to work with." The more I practiced this light banter, the easier it seemed to get.
Bella blushed again, but said nothing. She stepped back and opened the door wider. "Do you want to come in?"
"That's up to you. We can head to Sully's now, if you want, or hang here if you're not ready to eat yet." My stomach offered its opinion on those options by growling loudly.
"Going now is fine with me—and with you, clearly," Bella laughed. I had to join in. "Just let me grab my stuff," she told me.
"Wait," I held out the bag I was carrying.
"What's this?"
"Some jam that my mom made. She thought you'd like it."
"You're bringing me homemade jam?" Bella pressed a hand to her mouth, but couldn't not laugh. "Sweet. And certainly more unique than flowers."
I hadn't meant it like that, but I decided that she didn't seem to mind. "It's a heritage thing. In the old days, a guy would bring gifts to a girl he liked—to her family, really—to show he'd be able to take care of her. Not that I'm trying to do that yet—but maybe—I don't know. Gah. Shutting up now." Why on earth did my verbal filter keep abandoning me when I was around her?
"Well, I'm sure I'll enjoy it. Maybe I'll share it with my dad, and maybe I won't," Bella accepted the jar and slipped back into the house. She came back out carrying her jacket and my mom's helmet. After locking the door and tucking keys and phone into her pockets, Bella turned back to me. "All ready to go."
Grateful that my verbal flood wasn't being held against me, I grinned and claimed her hand like I had yesterday, to which action Bella just smiled. Straddling my bike, I popped the kickstand and extended my hand to help her climb on. Her body moved immediately to press against my back and her arms locked around me. This second time together on my bike was even better than the first.
It really made me want to hate our weather. The great run of days couldn't last forever, and the rain was bound to come back. Mom didn't like me riding in heavy rain—and I was pretty sure Bella's dad would feel the same way—so I'd be stuck with begging for Mom's car or we'd be using Bella's truck a lot once it got fixed. So I was going to enjoy every last moment of every ride I could take with Bella. Sooner than I wanted, I pulled my motorcycle into the parking lot at Sully's Burgers, on the north end of 101 Highway that ran through Forks.
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Bella POV
Just like the grocery store yesterday, people definitely noticed us, so I suggested to Embry that we get our food to go. Takeout bags and drinks in hand, we jaywalked across the street and up a couple blocks to Tilicum Park for a picnic lunch.
"So what does your mom think?" I asked once we'd both made inroads into our burgers and fries.
Embry polished off his first burger before he answered, "She's happy. Mom really liked you that day we stopped by. I'm under orders to bring you back again sometime so that she can get to know you better."
"Really?"
He laughed. "Yeah, Bella." A pause. "Is it really surprising that my mom would like to be better acquainted with you? I mean, if you might…one day…maybe want to be my girlfriend…"
"Is that what you want?"
"I know this is still new, and we're still figuring it out, but yeah, I do want that."
"I think I'll want that, too," I admitted, "but…I jumped in the last time and really got burned. I don't think you'd ever act like Edward did," I rushed to add, "but it's still a little scary, even though I trust you."
Embry reached over from his spot next to me. "I get it. And I don't mean to pressure you with what I said. Just wanted it out there. I can wait however long you need. Just let me know, okay?" He then redirected the conversation by asking, "What do you want to do after lunch?"
"It's nice out today, so we could just hang out here for a while. My house is fine, but the same walls all the time…"
"Sure," Embry got a wicked look on his face. "Want to play?"
"Play?"
"We've got swings, a merry-go-round, slides…"
With my coordination issues, I'd always been more likely to take a book along on the occasions when Renee took me to a park or playground. But Embry's enthusiasm was contagious and I threw caution to the wind and agreed. If worse came to worse—which it probably wouldn't with Embry around—the hospital wasn't that far away.
Embry made me laugh with his antics on the slides, going head first on his back and stomach and then feet first the same way, finishing by running up and down the slides. We both cracked up when we overheard a mom telling her kids not to get any ideas about trying the same things.
We headed for the swings next. Embry won our swinging height contest—but he did have much longer legs than I did. I was confused when Embry got off his swing, but then figured out what he was doing when he grabbed the chains of my swing and pulled back. I hadn't been pushed on the swings since I was a kid, but realized it was kind of fun. He made me scream when he pulled me back really far, shot me forward, and then ran underneath me before I started the backward swing. Embry ran back around and repeated the stunt a few more times. I begged for mercy and he brought me to a stop.
"You want a turn?"
"Are you kidding me? I'd either trip on the sand, or get bonked by you, so no thanks. I don't have any desire to add to the hospital staff's 'You'll never believe how Bella Swan got hurt this time' list."
"Merry-go-round, then?" Embry took hold of my hand and we walked over. I climbed on and sat down in the middle while Embry grabbed the sidebar and start running. He got the merry-go-round spinning pretty fast and then jumped on, sliding near me.
"Having fun?" he called out.
"Yeah. This was a good idea."
Embry jumped off when the merry-go-round slowed down. As he started to get us going again, I requested a slower speed. "Lay down," he suggested. "You won't get as dizzy that way." He was right. The spinning wasn't nearly as bad when it was the sky circling around.
The sky had clouded up over the past hour and I felt a drop of rain land on my face. Embry ran back across the road for his motorcycle and then came to pick me up. We hadn't made it very far down the main drag of Forks before the clouds started to spit rain. I knew we'd never make it back to my house before it started to pour, but…I shifted one hand to poke into Embry's side to get his attention. Then I let go long enough to point to the left. His head bobbed in acknowledgement and he swung the bike over to park in front of the small Forks Memorial Library. Coming from a big city like I had, the tiny Forks branch of the Clallam County Library System had been a big shock and disappointment. I'd gotten a library card anyway, but hadn't used it much. Still, it was a place to keep dry now and maybe we'd find something to do for a while. Despite the speed at which Embry moved us, we both got pretty wet between the curb and the door.
The library was pretty quiet and we didn't see many people as we wandered the shelves looking for books. Once we'd each found something, Embry tugged me in the direction of the teen corner.
"We're teenagers," Embry grinned and dropped down onto a bright red beanbag. As he still had hold of my hand, I naturally fell down with him. I could have been upset about it, but he caught me, and…it was Embry.
I'd found a version of Pride and Prejudice in Mr. Darcy's point of view, but I wasn't able to focus much because Embry kept whispering jokes from his book into my ear. Sharing a beanbag meant that we were right next to each other—and I liked it. Embry's body heat was drying me out and warming me up. And his breath tickling the side of my face…I abandoned my book in favor of just closing my eyes and enjoying this.
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Embry POV
It was maybe the most incredible kind of torture to have Bella curled up next to me, her head on my shoulder and her scent filling my head. Call me a pussy if you want, but there was nowhere else I'd rather be right now, even if it might give my body ideas. Bella's even breathing, and how she'd laid her book down, made me think she'd fallen asleep. Tilting my head down to rest against the top of hers, I didn't even notice when I drifted off, too. Naptime didn't last long before my foot got nudged.
"One patron to a beanbag, please," the librarian murmured.
"Sorry," I whispered back, even though I wasn't sorry at all. "Hey, is it still raining?"
"Not right now."
"Thanks." I turned to Bella and gave her shoulder a gentle shake. "Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. Let's take advantage of the break in the rain and get back to your house."
She shifted as she woke and I found myself with a near-repeat of yesterday. With some creative book-holding, I managed to cover it up as we walked to the desk and got our books checked out and bagged up. At my bike, I used the front of my t-shirt to get the worst of the water off the seat before we climbed on.
Back at the house, Bella dug out a CD and started it playing in a portable player that she brought down from her bedroom. We settled near each other on the couch and started talking.
"I know your dad is okay with this, but what about your mom?" I asked.
I almost swear I could hear Bella gulp. "I haven't told her yet. I will; I just didn't have time this morning."
"Do you think she'll be fine with this?"
"With what? Me trying a new relationship? With it being you? With you being native?"
"All of it, I guess." I did wonder what Bella's mom would think of me. I'd never met her and didn't know much about her, either. All Jake had said when she'd been here earlier this summer was that Renee had met Charlie Swan when they were both young, they'd married quick, had Bella quick, and divorced almost as quickly. She'd taken Bella and moved away, and Bella had only visited Forks for a few weeks each summer while growing up.
"Yes, yes, and yes," Bella answered decisively. "Granted, she'll have a ton of questions, but she'll like you. What about your mom? I know you said she liked me, but what about me being white?"
"She doesn't care. All she wants is for me to be happy." Bella didn't say anything. I thought about what she'd just been saying, and winced. "Is us being different races an issue?"
"No! Not to me. Jess and Ange both agreed that it shouldn't be a problem for us if we don't want it to be. What anyone else thinks isn't important. Renee will think I'm being wonderfully modern. Charlie's been best friends with Billy and Harry since they were kids. "
"It's not an issue for me. What got you thinking about it?" I listened to Bella's explanation and considered it thoughtfully. I agreed with her—to a point—about the guys from the store, but I somehow thought they'd have acted the same way to any guy. "I'd say I'm sorry they lost out, but…I'm not. Besides, they had plenty of chances before I ever met you."
"And I shot them down every time—I never gave them any sign that I wanted them to ask me to those dance or to study or anything."
"So Jessica and Angela approve of me liking you?"
Bella laughed. "They were here practically at the crack of dawn today wanting details. I think it's safe to say that they approve."
I watched Bella's face as she obviously considered something. Finally, she asked, "And your friends?"
I sighed. That question had crossed my mind a few times since Charlie Swan's query last night about whether this was a competition. "If they—or I guess Jake mainly—ever pop up and talk to me again, then we'll see. But, here's the thing: we made have been best friends all our lives, but I don't make my choices based on what will make Jake or Quil happy. This is for me. Maybe it's selfish, but I don't really care." I exhaled, "I'm sorry, that sounds mean, doesn't it?" Then I waited for Bella's response.
She thought for a while before saying, "Maybe, at least a little bit, but that doesn't mean that it actually is mean. Now, if Jake had told you he liked me and was going to ask me, and you snuck around to meet him, that would be wrong. Or if you both said something to me and I played you off each other or snuck around with each of you…but we aren't doing that."
"Thank goodness. I know I said I was going to wait for Jake to make the first move, but I might try to call him again. Maybe I'll have better luck this time."
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Bella POV
A companionable silence settled in the room and we just sat listening to the music. Embry had to feel me jump when my phone rang with Leah's ringtone.
"Hi, Leah," I gasped while willing my heart rate to slow down.
"Hey, Bella. How's it going?"
"Good."
"Yeah, I bet."
"Huh?"
Leah laughed. "I was thinking of stopping by for a final visit, but you might have other plans for today."
"Um…"
"Bella, if you were trying to keep it under wraps, then you should have had Embry park his bike somewhere else."
"I'm not trying to hide anything." And I wasn't. Embry and I had been all over Forks for the past two days, and plenty of people had seen us. Besides that, his bike had been over here quite a bit over the summer.
"So he made a move, huh?"
"Yeah."
"You happy?"
"Yeah."
"Is that all you're going to say?" Leah huffed.
"Yeah," I grinned. I mouthed 'Leah' to Embry when he gave me a questioning look.
"You want girl time?" he whispered in my ear.
I wasn't sure. I hated to give up a final time of seeing Leah before she left for college, but I equally—if not more—didn't want to give up time with Embry.
"It's okay. I'll still be here after she leaves for school."
"But—"
"It's fine, really," Embry tilted his head to rest it against the top of mine. "You girls gossip or whatever, and I'll try to catch Jake. We can call or text tonight, okay?"
"Sure." Realizing I still had Leah on the phone, I asked her, "Still want to stop in? Embry's going to head back and try to find Jake."
"Break the news, huh?"
"Something like that."
"Okay. I can be there in a few. Making a stop first."
I dropped the phone onto the table after saying goodbye to Leah. Embry stood and helped me up and we walked to the door.
"I had a good time today."
"Me, too. Thanks."
Embry leaned down and I figured he might be planning to kiss my cheek again. This whole second-guessing thing wasn't like me. I'd always had a tendency to make up my mind quickly and then stick with my decision. The fact that I doubted when I had no reason to…well, that was probably something else I could blame on Edward. He had left me, and I'd come to terms with that. I couldn't—and wouldn't—make my decisions based on anyone else, anymore than Embry was.
Even though I'd talked earlier about taking time to figure this out and what I wanted, I didn't really need to. I liked Embry and he liked me. Neither of us was attached to anyone else, and it seemed pretty clear that we both wanted to be attached to each other. Embry had said he'd wait for a sign from me—well, I'd give him one. As his face got close to mine, I turned so that instead of my cheek, his lips landed on mine.
Despite them having the same initials, kissing Embry Call was utterly and completely as different from kissing Edward Cullen as I could possibly imagine. Where Edward's lips had been cold and hard, and had forced mine to mold around his, Embry's lips were soft and warm, shaping to mine even as mine shaped to his. He pulled back, eyes wide and breath panting, staring at me for a second before pulling me closer and up onto my tiptoes and kissing me again. Then, I stopped thinking about anything at all.
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Embry POV
In hindsight, I would marvel at the fact that I didn't have a heart attack or go floating up to the ceiling. Kissing Bella in real life and on her lips…my dreams didn't come close to capturing what it was really like. I'd meant to kiss her cheek again—I'd promised not to push her—but she'd totally turned the tables on me. But I wasn't going to complain; in fact, I kissed her again. Maybe I'd paid more attention than I realized to the locker room talk or maybe it was just a natural skill I'd never known I had, but Bella seemed to like it when my tongue traced the seam of her lips. A little sigh escaped her and it somehow fired me up even more. I only realized I'd moved us when my hands on Bella's arms landed against the wall.
The soft thud brought us both back to reality, and I let go and staggered back a step. We'd taken a big step forward today, and it had nearly run away with us both. Bella's eyes were hazed and her tongue peeked out to trace over the lips I'd just been attached to.
"Wow," I managed, for both of us.
"Yeah."
"You did that on purpose," I realized.
"I promised you a sign, didn't I?"
"Yeah, you did. Message received…girlfriend."
Whatever Bella was going to say was interrupted by a rapping on the door that made us both jump. She opened the door to a very smug Leah Clearwater.
"Thought Embry was heading home?" she smirked.
"Just leaving," I said, moving to the side so that she could come in and I could go out.
She gave me an up-and-down glance that accurately assessed my problem. "Yeah, I can see that." Leah looked between me and Bella, clearly seeing what we'd just been doing.
"Talk to you soon," I reminded Bella as I stepped out the door.
As I passed her, Leah murmured, "Nice move, Call," in a low tone.
I only offered my own small smirk, and headed for my bike.
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AN: End of #17 got tweaked to deal with a little inconsistency with Jake's confession.