Bella walked as quickly as she could, unable to escape the feeling she was under observation. About a block from her house, she began to regret the decision to walk alone. The sound of boots on the pavement behind her made her look back. A lone figure kept his head down, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans as he followed. He lifted his head as he neared a street lamp, and familiar eyes met hers.
"Embry!" His name left her mouth in a relieved gush as he began jogging toward her. Once he reached her, Embry scooped her into his arms and hugged her tight as he resumed walking.
She tried not to laugh as she asked, "What are you doing?"
"I swung by the party," he said, staring forward. "I saw you leave and wanted to ensure you got home safely."
"Um…thanks? I can walk, you know?" Despite the light objection to being carried, Bella wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Embry laughed as she buried her face against his neck.
"You can stumble," he teased. "You nearly fell about a block back. What were you looking for?"
"There was something in the woods by Tyler's," she said with a slight giggle. "I don't know what it was, and I was worried it followed me."
Embry sighed. "That was just me… trying to decide whether or not I wanted to go in."
Bella tilted her head back and glared up at him suspiciously. "I didn't see you. I saw… something. Some kind of animal. But it was too dark to make out."
Embry laughed. "You're drunk, Bells. You saw me. I saw you, too."
Oh. So that meant… "You saw Paul kiss me, then?" Embry nodded but said nothing.
It surprised her as he stopped and began to put her down at the foot of her front porch. Bella wanted to ask Embry if Paul had been there on Sam's orders. If he'd seen Paul, surely Paul had noticed Embry, too. Is that where Paul disappeared after kissing her? Had he darted off into the woods after Embry?
Tentatively, Bella asked, "Why didn't you go inside to see Quil?"
"I don't know," Embry said as he turned to sit on the edge of the porch. "Looked like he was having a good time. I didn't want to ruin it."
"Yeah, that's why I came home," Bella said as she tried to stifle a yawn. She hoped Quil and Leah wouldn't be angry at her for leaving. "I'm tired, and Paul…" Embry chuckled as she shook her head. "I didn't expect any of that. I'm kind of confused by all of it."
"Yeah," Embry nodded again. "I'll bet so." His brow furrowed as he carefully observed her for a moment. "You know, if you wanted to piss Jacob off to get back at him, making out with Paul will probably do the trick."
Bella's cheeks burned with embarrassment and a little added guilt. "Yeah, well, Jake doesn't want me, Embry. He's made that pretty clear." Before he could respond, she added, "I know you said he's trying to protect me. I get that. I wasn't trying to get back at him, though. It just kind of…happened."
Embry smirked. "So you're not interested in hooking up with Paul now?"
Bella chuckled while shaking her head no. "He's a good kisser. I'll give him that. But I don't want Paul."
Embry reached for her hand and squeezed it. "What do you want, Bella?"
"You know, I'm not sure. I'm still trying to figure that out," Bella admitted. "I miss Jake, though. I had my hopes up, I guess. He's easy to love, you know?"
"Yeah," Embry said with a breath of a laugh. "He is. Not so much this week, especially since he's still mad at me."
Bella wondered if Leah had seen her text yet. "What do you want, Em?"
"I don't think I can have what I want," Embry whispered as he narrowed his eyes and turned toward the road. "They're coming."
"Huh?" Bella leaned to see further, and sure enough, Leah and Quil were walking toward the house. Embry stood, and Bella tightened her grip on his hand.
"Em, stay," she said, tugging his hand to pull him closer. "Stay and talk to Quil. Please?"
Embry hesitated as he looked toward them again, but eventually, he nodded and sighed. "Yeah, okay."
It surprised her as he let go of her hand to put his fingers to his mouth to let out a sharp, loud whistle. Bella watched Quil freeze mid-step and nearly trip as his head shot up to look toward them.
"I swear, he's more Swan than Ateara," she muttered, biting back laughter. Embry glanced toward her, grinning.
"Let's just hope he's willing to talk to me," he whispered.
Leah's face hardened as they came closer, and she lifted her hand to point at Bella. "Bitch. Don't do that again. Lahote left right after you, and I worried he'd follow your ass home or something." Then, without skipping a beat, Leah grabbed the front of Embry's shirt and yanked him to her. He chuckled as he swept his arms around Leah and hugged her hard.
She pulled away slowly and reached up to affectionately stroke his buzzed head. "I'm mad at you."
Sounding remorseful, he muttered, "I know. How's your dad?" Embry glanced at Quil, who looked almost shell-shocked as he trembled silently, waiting.
"No change," Leah said flatly. "I don't want to talk about that, though. Take care of yourself, okay? Come see me sometime, and we'll chat." She lowered her voice and added, "I don't hate you, okay? You're still a traitor."
Embry directly met her gaze and said, "I am sorry for what it's worth."
Leah grabbed Bella's hand and said, "Come on. You look bushed, and these two need to talk."
Bella leaned in to hug Embry quickly and forced a smile for Quil. "Come and get me later if you need to. There are still sandwiches in the fridge if you two want something to eat. Embry, if you need to stay…"
"I'll be okay tonight, Bella," Embry said, his eyes locked on Quil.
Leah tugged Bella's hand and led her up the stairs to the front door. She reached for the spare key and found it on the first try. Once inside, Bella quietly shut the front door behind them, leaving Embry and Quil to their privacy.
Bella barely remembered going to bed after she and Leah went upstairs. She woke briefly near dawn, surprised that she lay snuggled up with Leah, the other girl's warm arms cradling her close. The pounding in her head left Bella no chance to enjoy the peaceful moment. She closed her eyes against the light and buried her face into Leah's shoulder, swiftly falling asleep.
When she woke again, it was almost noon, and she was alone. A text from Leah explained she'd taken Quil home and had to get ready for work. Bella called to check on Quil, hoping the discussion between him and Embry went well. However, Quil wasn't home, and Joy promised to have him call later.
Charlie gave Bella a ton of razzing over her hangover, getting far too much amusement from her discomfort. After two showers, some cereal, and lots of water, Bella finally felt almost normal. She was back in bed by nightfall, and Quil never called.
Sorry, this one is short, loves. Please Review. xo.