Leah remained quiet on the short drive to her house. Once they carried the remaining dishes into the house, Leah gathered plates and silverware immediately.
"Come on, Swan. We're gonna eat this shit you made. It smells absolutely amazing. I was having a hard time not attacking it in the truck."
Bella laughed as she lined the dishes on the kitchen counter and began removing pan covers. "I guess you're a fan of Mexican cuisine?"
"Cuisine. Fancy," Leah teased as she handed Bella the dishes and walked to the refrigerator to grab sodas. "I love it, actually. Sort of tied with Chinese food for me, though. There's a great Chinese place a few towns away from here. I'll have to take you some time."
Bella grinned as she began making their plates. "That would be fun. I haven't had decent Chinese food since moving back to Washington."
Leah set the sodas on the table and turned toward Bella as Bella held a plate out for her. Leah scooped a bite of rice into her mouth before even sitting down and moaned.
"Damn, Swan. Is this shit really homemade?"
Bella laughed as she sat with her plate and began cutting up her enchiladas. "Yeah. I like to cook. I had to learn to enjoy cooking when I wanted to live on anything but Mac N Cheese. My mom isn't a cook. She's lucky to boil water and not forget about it."
Leah laughed, closed her eyes, and moaned as she took another bite. Despite being an innocent, instinctual reaction, the sound sent a rush of heat through Bella's limbs that curled tight as it settled in her belly, regenerating the same butterfly-type sensation Jacob had drawn from her earlier. Bella's cheeks flushed as she focused on her plate, trying not to watch Leah eating like an infatuated idiot.
"God, I didn't realize I was starving. I haven't eaten much today."
Leah suddenly stood and moved to the refrigerator. Bella watched as Leah bent over to dig through a lower shelf, unable to keep her eyes from landing on Leah's backside and long, muscular legs before she returned with a container of sour cream.
When she glanced up at Bella to offer some, she snickered. "What are you blushing about over there? Something on your mind?"
Bella chuckled in embarrassment and shook her head. She took a bite to avoid answering the question. Checking out another woman's ass was not her usual pastime. Where Leah was concerned, Bella could never seem to help herself. Leah's hips and thighs were full but firm, her ass high and perfectly rounded. Bella kind of wanted to bite it.
Jesus, Bella. Where did that come from? She rolled her eyes and assumed she heard something similar from Quil's loud mouth.
"I dunno…" Leah teased. "Is it maybe about… Jacob Black ?"
Bella glanced back up at her in surprise as she reached for her drink. Leah's ass had made her brain stall faster than Internet Explorer. Bella asked, "What about Jacob?"
Before taking another large bite, Leah asked, "What's the story there, Bella? Something is different." She grinned around her mouthful of food as Bella blushed further.
She looks like the cat that caught the canary. After a long sip of her drink, Bella said, "Yeah, things are… different. Somewhat. Nothing has really changed, though."
Confused, Leah said, "That doesn't make any goddamn sense, Bells."
Bella laughed and nodded. "Yeah. Tell me about it. It doesn't entirely make sense to me, either."
Leah's large, dark eyes widened with interest. "Tell, Swan. What happened? Maybe I can help you figure lover-boy out."
Bella scoffed as Leah chuckled. She quietly told Leah about kissing Jacob in the garage and everything from the last two days. By the time she was finished, Leah was shaking her head over the situation in solidarity.
She said, "Someone needs to tell Black his signals are mixed as fuck."
"Right?" Bella laughed. "I don't know, Leah. I'm honestly not sure what's happening, but… He just means so much to me, you know? It makes me nervous because he's my best friend, but it's like… the second he kisses me, all coherent thought flies right out the window."
Suspiciously, Leah pressed, "But you're not in love with him?"
Bella shook her head no. "That's part of why it's so confusing."
Leah didn't look convinced as she laughed and said, "Maybe you just need to get laid, Swan. How long has it been?"
Bella nearly choked as heat flooded her face. She took another drink of her soda.
Leah cackled and said, "Come on, bitch. Don't tell me you're still a virgin."
Bella frowned as she put down her fork and sat back in her chair, unsure if Leah was actually making fun of her. "Uh, yeah. I am, actually."
Leah paused in surprise, her drink halfway to her mouth. "Wow. I mean… no judgment there or anything. I wouldn't have guessed, though."
Bella snorted. "Why?"
Leah scowled as if the answer was obvious. "Well, for one, you were in a relationship with what's his nuts for almost a year, right? Also, you're hot, Swan. Ever look in a mirror?"
Bella picked up her fork again, unsure what to say to that. "I think I'm exceptionally ordinary. You and the guys, though…" Bella tried not to grin as she finished, "You're all attractive. I feel very plain in comparison." Edward's cruel words had only reaffirmed that view when he left... but Leah didn't want to know those things.
Before scooping the last bite on her plate into her mouth, Leah tsked and shook her head. "Trust me, Swan. You're anything but ordinary."
Bella looked back down at her plate and resumed eating in silence.
The rest of the evening flew by as they cleaned up and settled on the couch to watch a movie. They spent most of it talking bout random likes, dislikes, and all the trivial things that never seemed to come up when they were with the boys.
Bella tried to keep her eyes on the screen instead of Leah, fascinated with every emotion that crossed the other woman's face.
Eventually, Bella yawned, checked the time, and gasped. "Holy shit. I'm definitely missing curfew. I should probably head home."
Leah frowned, disappointed. "Bummer. I guess you gotta worry about getting shit done before school on Monday, huh? I bet you'll be glad to graduate and get the hell out of there."
"Ugh." Bella stood, chuckling. "Don't remind me. So not ready to put up with Newton's crap."
Leah laughed. "Still making a nuisance of himself, is he?"
Bella grumbled, "Well, he's not shooting spit wads at me anymore if that's what you mean. He's gone back to hitting on me like he used to."
Leah stood to follow Bella to the front door. She said, "What are your plans after school on Tuesday?"
Bella hesitated as she reached for the door, trying to remember everything she needed to do. "Just the usual, I guess. Homework and… nothing. Why?"
"I'm gonna pick you up at school as long as things with my dad remain stable." Her tone softened as she self-consciously continued, "Mom wants to spend every waking moment there, and that's her prerogative, but hospitals give me the creeps. Sitting there… just waiting for him to wake up … makes my skin crawl."
She looked away guiltily and asked, "Is that terrible?"
Bella sighed and wrapped her arms around Leah sympathetically. Leah automatically returned the embrace and sniffled. Bella soothed, "No, sweetie. Everyone has their limitations. It's okay to acknowledge yours and do what's best for your mental health."
Leah chuckled as she pulled away and wiped the tears from her lashes. "Sounds like you've heard that a time or two."
"More than I can count," Bella admitted. Sage words of advice from Bella's free-loving hippie mother.
"I'm glad you moved back here, Bells," Leah said, sounding far more affectionate than Bella could recall, even in childhood. And, for the first time in a long time, Bella was glad, too.
Charlie was pulling out of the driveway as Bella turned onto their street. Each stopped as they met halfway, rolling down their driver's windows.
"Sorry I'm late," Bella barked apologetically, hoping he wasn't mad. "I hope you weren't heading out to look for me."
"Actually… I figured you'd stay there or Jake's and just forgot to call. I know those two won't let anything happen to you." He forced a tight smile at her surprised expression. "I got called out to help with a domestic disturbance. I gotta head out, kid."
"Oh," Bella said. Now I wish I'd just stayed in La Push.
Bella looked toward their dark, empty house that loomed at the end of the street. Jacob had been right when he said she hated being there alone. Edward taught her how easy it was to break in. Ironically, his absence made the house feel almost sinister at night. Every little creak and groan felt ominous despite their settling and plumbing origins. It was almost as if the walls could talk, conversing with other parts of the house through whimpers and whispers, making sleep difficult without a noisy distraction. Charlie's snoring or blaring television became oddly comforting over time.
Bella glanced at her rearview mirror, contemplating driving back to Leah's. She suddenly recalled having forgotten to check on Jake.
Charlie cleared his throat and said, "It's too late to drive back now Bells. But you can call me if there's a problem. I should be home in a few hours."
"Um, okay." She wondered if Leah would drive to Forks and stay with her instead. Bella pushed the thought away, reminding herself that Leah had enough on her plate. She didn't need to drive to Forks in the middle of the night. "I'll probably stay up for a while. Do some laundry or something."
"I'll see you soon," Charlie said and drove away. Bella rolled up her window and headed for the house.
Charlie had cleaned up his supper mess, and for that, she was grateful. With Jacob sick, Bella contemplated making something to take him on Sunday afternoon to help him feel better. She searched for Grandma Helen's brittle and well-used recipe book for the chicken stew Charlie once raved about.
Chicken soups are supposed to help when you're sick, right? And it would tickle Charlie, too.
Bella gathered her dirty laundry for the washing machine and went upstairs to wash her face. After removing her makeup and sloppily piling her hair atop her head, she unbuttoned her top while walking to her room.
This time, she didn't see the figure sitting at the head of her bed when she walked in or the window open wide with curtains fluttering in the breeze.