Bella greeted her father when she got downstairs, surprised to find him hugging her friend as they spoke softly about Harry's condition. She moved dishes to the table for him to serve himself supper and searched for something to transfer the others into for travel.
"Bells," Charlie said as he let go of Leah to sit at the table. "It smells great. Did you make my favorite meal?"
"Yeah, I did. I'm sorry you'll have to eat alone. I'm taking food to Leah's and Jake's."
With nothing else to use, she grabbed the large cooler he used for camping and carefully stacked dishes inside.
"Yeah, I wondered why you made so much." Charlie laughed as he removed the foil from the pan of enchiladas on the table and gestured toward the counter simultaneously.
Incredulously, Leah asked, "You made us dinner?"
Bella smiled. "Well, yeah. You guys need to eat, too. You have a lot going on. I still made way too much, though. I figured I'd take some to Billy and Jake too."
Leah seemed genuinely touched and smiled at Bella gratefully. "Mind hanging out with me for a while, then? Seth is spending the night with our cousin Brady. It'll just be me at home tonight."
"Yeah," Bella said, "I'd love to." She took the smallest cobbler and placed it on the table for Charlie. His eyes widened, and he grinned around a mouth full of rice. "Save me some," she joked.
He swallowed the bite he was chewing and laughed. "No promises."
Shit. I almost forgot… Bella pulled the bowl of homemade guacamole from the fridge and grabbed a spoon. She laughed as he immediately scooped a large glob onto his enchiladas.
"Even better! Thanks, kiddo!"
Leah grabbed one side of the cooler as Bella put her keys in her pocket, and then they carried it to the truck together. There was just enough room to set it in the seat between them. Leah texted Sue to tell her she was riding home with Bella, and they headed for La Push.
They stopped at Billy's first thing. Bella separated their dishes from the Clearwater's, and Leah helped her carry them inside. Jacob greeted Bella happily, though his excitement seemed to ease as Leah walked in behind her.
Shoving a pan into his arms, Bella said, "Hey, Jake."
Jacob dutifully waited for the dishes to be set down before yanking her into a bone-crushing hug. He did the same thing with Leah, albeit less enthusiastically.
"Hey," Billy greeted as he wheeled himself into the kitchen. "What's all this?" He turned as he spotted Leah and asked, "How's your dad? Any news?"
As Leah sat to talk to Billy, Jacob tugged on Bella's light blue shirt sleeve. He whispered, "Come here for a second."
Bella followed him to his bedroom and sat on the edge of his bed. "I can't stay long, Jake. I have to take Leah and more food to her house."
He looked disappointed. "So, I guess you're not coming here to hang out afterward?"
"Leah actually rode out here with me from Forks. She asked me to hang out with her since she'll be alone tonight. I'm not sure how late I'll be there."
"Ah," he said. His arms and shoulders tensed as he nodded, staring at the floor. "I see."
Bella's brow furrowed in confusion as he refused to meet her gaze, and she looked over his tense form. She was unsure why he was upset. Unless, of course, he felt like she was ditching him. It would make sense with Embry's absence and Quil's increasingly aggressive behavior. Still, she hadn't considered it when she agreed to hang out with Leah. Leah's sadness about Harry had immediately taken precedence.
Bella asked, "You're not mad at me, are you? I mean… I said I'd come by if I could, but we didn't have definite plans."
His eyes softened as he looked up from his absent focus on the floor. "No, Honey. I'm not mad. I was just hoping for your company. That's all."
Jacob carefully sat beside her and grabbed her hand. Bella threaded her fingers through Jacob's and squeezed them back with all the reassurance she could.
"I bet you could come to Leah's for a while. She's so sad, Jake." Bella shook her head sympathetically.
"Well, she didn't ask me," Jacob said as he tenderly swept his thumb along Bella's jaw. "She asked you. And you're amazingly supportive and comforting."
"You make me sound like a good bra." She laughed as his ears reddened.
Jacob tried not to laugh as he dropped her hand and draped his arm around her shoulders instead. Bella leaned into his side and sighed, content with knowing he wasn't mad at her.
She glanced down at the blanket they sat on, trying not to think of the night before or his goodbye kiss at the door. It was impossible with his feverish heat seeping into her side and shoulders, pulling the memory of his warm hands on her skin to the forefront of her mind.
Despite their conversation, they had an undeniable chemistry. Something had begun for them, and the sentiment wrapped around Bella like a warm blanket before fluttering like butterflies in her chest. Jacob was safe. He was everything Edward was not and so many other things. Come what may, he'd never abandon her on purpose. Of that, she was absolutely certain.
She tilted her head back to look at him, and he grinned. For a few seconds, all was silent as his obsidian eyes traced the lines of her face so close that she thought he would kiss her again. His smile widened as she instinctively licked her lips.
As he leaned closer, Leah barrelled around the corner, barging into the room. She halted so suddenly that she nearly stumbled and caught herself with one hand on the door frame.
"Uh," she began and froze. A mischievous smile slowly lit up her face as she looked Bella in the eyes and chuckled.
The sight of her smiling lit Bella up inside. It was a beautiful sight, especially after witnessing Leah's heartbreaking grief earlier. Her bright white, straight teeth shone between full, pouty lips, now stretched into a wide grin. Her high cheekbones seemed more prominent, and her thickly lashed dark eyes were similar to Jacobs as they squinted, shining with amusement.
Bella sighed as her heart skipped a beat, feeling her pulse race as redness flooded her neck and face.
Why is it hot in here? Oh. Wait… Jacob. Bella pulled away from him, and he side-eyed her curiously as she fanned her face with her hands.
Leah quietly teased, "Am I interrupting something?"
Playfully, Jacob began, "As a matter of fact…"
Leah giggled before he could finish and shook her head. "It's fine, guys. Hey, Bella?"
When Leah addressed her, it was almost startling. Bella shook her head as she gathered her thoughts. "Huh?"
Articulate, Bella. Idiot.
Leah teased, "I just wanted to see if you were ready to go. I'll be out in the truck, okay?"
"I'll be there in a sec," Bella said as she stood.
She glanced at Jacob and watched him attempt to school his features as he stood beside her. Leah spun on her heel and darted down the hall. Once she was out of sight, Jacob pulled Bella against him for another hug. He released a shuddering sigh as Bella realized he was trembling. It immediately filled her with alarm. She pulled back to lift her wrist to his forehead and gasped.
"Jake… You're burning up. You're so feverish you're shaking. You need to take some Tylenol or something!"
"Yeah… I guess I'm not…" He grimaced, momentarily confused, then finished, "Not feeling the best. Maybe you should go. I might actually get sick this time."
Bella pouted as she soothed, "Oh, Jake, I'm sorry. I'll check on you before bed, okay?"
He frowned, the trembling in his hands increasing. He scowled down at them in aggravation and shoved them in his pockets as he shivered. "Actually… I think I'll just go to bed."
"Okay…" Bella said timidly, curious about his reaction. She suspected his fevers had fluctuated this way for days, but he'd remained silent. "If you need me, just call the Clearwater's house, okay?"
"Yeah. Okay." He remained still, his eyes shut as he took a deep breath.
Bella hurriedly lifted herself onto her toes to peck his cheek. As if sensing her intention, he swiftly turned to meet her lips, puckering his own as he delivered a quick, loud, smacking kiss. Despite his tension and obvious discomfort, he chuckled at her surprised expression.
She threatened, "Jacob Black, if you just gave me your sickly-ickly germs, I'm going to come over here, take over your bed, and force your feverish ass to keep me warm."
"Threaten me with a good time," he teased and chuckled as she huffed. "Besides," he added, "If I'm contagious, you already got it after last night."
Bella scoffed and whispered, "Excuse me. What did I get now? Blue-beaned. That's what."
Jacob sat back on his bed as he laughed. Although amused, he shut his eyes again and rubbed his forehead.
She asked, "Headache coming on?"
He sighed. "Yeah, I think so. Hopefully, I'll just sleep through it."
Keeping her tone gentle, she said, "Maybe you should take some Tylenol like I fucking told you to." He feigned an angry growl at her but chuckled anyway.
"I'll check on you, okay?"
"Sure, sure," he muttered as he lay back and covered his eyes with his forearm. "See ya, Bells."
Bella shook her head as she walked to the door and turned back to look at him again. Her stomach rolled with dread as she watched him for a few seconds, hoping he was alright. She couldn't help the feeling that a change was coming. Bella hoped whatever it was wouldn't drive them all apart.
All comments, questions, and concerns are welcome. ;)