Needing some air after struggling to breathe around Jacob, Bella grabbed Quil's snack cakes from the car and walked to the Ateara house while Leah readied herself for work.
Deciding not to deal with another heavy conversation, she shoved the box into their mailbox. She did not doubt that Quil would know who left them. As Bella turned to walk back to Leah's, she found Quil standing right behind her, nearly smacking her nose into his chest. She stepped back, startled, wondering where in Hell he'd come from.
Quil grinned down at her affectionately. "Hey, Bells."
"Um. H-hi," she stammered. "Quil, I'm really…"
He cut her off as he leaned down and very gently wrapped her in his arms, hugging her. "Don't apologize, Bella. There's not a fucking thing you said yesterday that wasn't true. Okay?"
Thus began the ugly crying as she pressed her face against his warm chest and clung tight to his waist. She refused to think about how much height he'd gained in the last few weeks and focused on the relief that her cousin didn't seem to hate her, too. She was relieved to feel somewhat validated after feeling gaslighted at Jacob's.
Quil chuckled softly, careful not to squeeze her too hard. He pulled back slowly and wiped her tears away with his thumbs. Bella laughed as she wiped a light red streak from her lipstick from his chest.
"Shit, Bella. You're leaking all over me," Quil teased, grinning as he wiped his thumbs on his shorts. She couldn't help but laugh. It brought her another wave of relief as some of the tension finally left her body.
Quil reached for the mailbox beside her and removed the box of cakes. His eyes sparkled with happiness as he tore open one end and pulled out one of the packages. Bella observed him quietly, absorbing the sight of a carefree Quil, unlike she'd seen in months.
"Um. So, how are things with you and Embry? I would have asked yesterday, but…"
Quil chuckled and handed her the first cake, as he always did. She nearly teared up again and shook her head no. He shrugged and shoved the entire thing in his mouth. Around his mouthful, he said, "Really good."
Some things never change. "You and Embry or the cakes?"
"Both," he mumbled before swallowing. "Thank you, by the way."
Confused, she asked, "For what? The cakes, or for being a complete psycho yesterday?"
He chuckled. "No. For convincing Em to stick around and talk to me. He needed the push, especially with all the bullshit he was dealing with at the time."
She teased, "So, are you back to normal, then? The inseparable Quembry ?"
Quil rolled his eyes. "Something like that." His cheeks pinked as he grinned, looking bashful for the first time, maybe ever.
Oh. "So better than normal?" At his nod, she said, "Really? Quil, that's great!"
She never suspected their relationship would have changed that much so quickly. Then again, she'd thought Quil was straight and was wrong then, too. "I'm really happy for you," Bella said sincerely.
He released an exaggerated sigh before meeting her gaze. "I never meant to shut you out, you know? I just got so caught up having him back. It was really thoughtless of me."
Bella was the one to drop her gaze this time as she absently kicked the dirt under her feet with the toe of her Converse. "S'kay"
"No, it isn't," he said, gently resting one feverish hand on her shoulder.
"I just figured Sam told you to stay away from me, too. I had a feeling it would happen eventually," She said, instinctively leaning into him. Quil carefully slid his arm around her shoulders to hug her close. The heat of his arm made her shiver as it seeped into her aching skin.
"He tried," Quil admitted guiltily, nodding. "I told him to kiss my ass. The fucked up part is that I know why he's so wary of you, but I'm not allowed to say it."
"That's really fucking unfair," she grumbled. "It would be nice to know what the fuck Sam's problem is. I still don't know why he seems obsessed with fucking with my life. I'm half-tempted to file a restraining order."
She almost complained as he finally pulled away and took a few steps back. "Believe it or not, Bella… he's trying to protect you too."
Hearing that come from Quil, words too similar to Embry's defense of Sam, sparked her temper. She yelled, "From what? What the fuck is so dangerous about you guys or me that I'm not allowed to be your friend anymore? Huh?"
Quil's face hardened somewhat as he cringed at her volume.
"Sorry," she muttered, remembering her cousin's mutant hearing capabilities.
"Don't be," he said, looking away to scope their surroundings.
Weird. Embry had done the same thing frequently the last few times she talked to him. Was running around with Sam making them all paranoid? She didn't understand it.
"I do need to ask you something," he admitted. Quil gently grabbed Bella's hand and lifted it to examine the scar on her wrist. Bella swallowed nervously. He asked, "You said this came from someone named James, right?"
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Yes."
Quil hesitated before asking, "You're sure it didn't come from Edward?"
Bella yanked her hand from Quil's and crossed her arms over her chest, immediately defensive despite how little Edward deserved it. "Of course not! Where the hell did that question come from?"
Quil's voice was nearly a whisper as he asked, "Do you swear to me, Bells? This is important."
Bella scoffed, taking another step back from Quil. Nodding to herself, she said, "Charlie's right. Sam literally hates me because of my association with the Cullens, doesn't he?"
Quil smirked but remained silent. That was enough of an answer.
"They left," she snapped. "They've been gone nine months, which Charlie pointed out to me just yesterday."
Quil raised one eyebrow at her in question as he chuckled. "Yeah. Charlie's not Sam's biggest fan lately, is he?"
"Understatement," Bella grumbled. "I haven't heard from any of the Cullens since they left. Sam, of all people, should know that. He's the one that found me in the fucking woods."
"I know," Quil said. "Sorry it made you mad, but I had to ask."
Bella asked, "Why? I had already told you everything I could about James."
Quil locked his gaze on hers as she looked up at him. He leaned on the mailbox with one thick forearm and said, "Because when Sam found you, you already had that scar. It wasn't there when you moved back, Bells. Sam found you covered in bruises, and you had stitches in your arm."
Bella snorted. "Yeah. I'm damaged goods, Quil. We all know that."
The accusation in his tone sparked her temper again as he asked, "Why did you have stitches, Bells? Why did the Cullens leave?"
The last thing Bella wanted to try to explain was how Edward had tossed her across the room to keep Jasper from eating her. She knew some of the legends. She wasn't ignorant, and Billy had made his awareness of what the Cullens were clear to her back then.
She said, "Why does it matter? They're gone! If I wanted to talk about this shit, I would have done it over the last nine fucking months, Quil. I don't!"
Quil said, "Bells, I can't set shit right with you and Sam if you don't tell me the truth."
She barked out a loud, exasperated laugh. "What I went through is none of Sam's business. Just because he saved me once doesn't mean it's his job to do it again. He doesn't need to protect others from me, either. My one danger was James, and he's gone. End of story."
Quil pressed, "Were the Cullens involved in that situation?"
She gaped at him, unsure how to answer. They had been involved, of course, but weren't at fault. They'd saved her, even after she'd recklessly snuck away to meet the monster alone.
Quil stepped closer as he asked, "Are they the ones who saved you from him? Is that what really happened in Phoenix when you got hurt? You came home with a broken leg, too. Were they part of that?"
Bella blanched at the question, instinctively hugging herself tighter to keep her hands from trembling as the memories of James's attack swarmed her. She groaned at the memories of her thigh bone snapping under his foot, the razer-like sharpness of his teeth in her wrist. Quil surged forward to catch her as she swayed dizzily, feeling the color drain from her face.
Before she could speak, he said, "That's all the answer I needed, Bells."
Again, she struggled to take a deep breath. Suddenly, Quil plopped down on the ground, pulling her with him. Bella landed in his lap with an 'oomph,' jarring her back. She hissed in pain, and Quil began gently rubbing her back with his hands.
"I'm sorry, Bells," He said, carefully pulling her closer.
Bella gave up any pretense of bravery, slumping against his chest as she tried to breathe.
"I'm sorry," he muttered again before kissing her forehead. "I promise I won't ask you about it ever again. Okay?"
Her voice shook as she grumbled, "I'll hold you to that!"
Quil's silent laughter rattled her somewhat, only strengthening as she huffed in aggravation. They remained in that position, silent while Quil's warmth and gentle hands slowly soothed her.
A horn honking pulled their attention, and each looked up as Leah's car stopped beside them. She rolled down the window and said, "I'm real glad you two made up, but we gotta go, Bella."
Bella stood carefully, still shaking somewhat. Quil walked her to the passenger door and frowned as he opened it for her, staring into the back seat.
He teased, "Bells? You moving into Leah's or something?"
"I went to Jake's to get my shit today. We got into it, of course," Bella explained as she slid into the passenger seat.
"Fuck," Quil grumbled as he leaned in to hug her goodbye. "I wish you'd have led with that information. I would have saved my questions for a different day."
"It's fine," she said as he pulled away. "At least it's out of the fucking way."
Quil crouched in the open door as she pulled on her seatbelt. He leaned to wave at Leah, and she laughed. Turning back to Bella, he said, "I'm gonna talk to Sam."
"Fuck Sam," Leah and Bella said simultaneously. Bella couldn't help but laugh as Leah reached for her hand and squeezed it.
Snickering, Quil said, "Well, I'm going to talk to him anyway. I'm sorry about you and Jake, Bells, but I promise to reach out more. We're family. Sam can't change that."
Bella nodded, appreciating the sentiment of it anyway.
Quil stood and looked for his box of snack cakes that had spilled onto the ground when he pulled her into his lap. As Bella pulled the door shut, he tossed a package through the open window.
It landed in Leah's lap, and she laughed. "Thanks, Quil!"
"Any time!" He waved goodbye to them before gathering the rest as they drove away.