After lunch the next day, Sam brought Bella to see the three houses she could choose from. They all looked identical to her, with the same layout and everything. One was almost directly across the street from Leah. One was at the far end on the same street. The third was on the other side of the rez, not too far from Sam's and Emily's house.
"I kind of want the one across the street from Leah," Bella said.
"I thought you might say that. You should talk to Leah about that. I'm guessing you'll want her moving in with you someday?"
"Yes, please."
Sam grinned. "Right. So do you think she'll want to live across the street from her parents?"
"You're so smart, Sam. I'll let her choose whichever house she wants."
"That's not what I said." Sam was shaking his head. "Maybe just ask her for advice about which one to pick." Sam had some concerns about how Bella was approaching things with Leah, but he didn't want to butt in too much.
During Leah's drive home from work, she tried to center herself. Why had she agreed to this date in the first place? That was easy. She was attracted to the girl, they had good chemistry, and she had enjoyed their date last night. Bella had been sweet, getting the movie from the library and finding out her favorite sandwiches.
She wondered: why was she so reluctant? Why did she have this gnawing desire to call it off?
Leah knew that Sam was part of the reason. Bella and Sam were close, but there was more to it than that. There was something about Bella that reminded her of Sam. In some ways, they almost looked alike, but it was hard to put her finger on how. She wondered if that was why she had let Bella get as far as she did.
But there was more than that. Bella was talking about getting a house for her or something. It was weird. Even though she couldn't deny the physical attraction and the chemistry, Bella was weird.
She was very weird. She ate a lot even though she was very thin. She had no sense of personal space. She had a hard-on for Shakespeare. She had disappeared without a trace leaving her family to believe she was dead. Weird.
Sam was weird, too. He had also disappeared. He also had this grown up way about him even when they were kids. It was funny, juxtaposed with his lifelong love of comic books. He was weird.
Maybe that was how they were similar. Maybe that weirdness was what drew Leah to both of them. Maybe that was why Sam and Bella were friends.
But what about those disappearances?
Leah saw two options: go on the date and learn more about this weird friend of Sam or cancel and be left curious.
She didn't want to cancel. So she didn't.
When she got home, she started picking out what she wanted to wear.
.~*~.
Bella wore cut off yoga pants and a form fitting long sleeve tee for her date. She wanted to bring some gift for Leah, some token of her affection. She couldn't think of anything.
"Emily, I'm so useless at this!" Bella said, plopping down on the couch next to her friend.
"You got a second date, so you aren't that useless."
"She's all I think about." Bella threw her head back in despair. "How do I let her know how important she is to me without freaking her out?"
"When are you going to tell her about the pack and your imprint?"
"I was thinking after she graduates. I don't want that kind of news to mess up her schoolwork."
"Bella," Emily turned to face her, "it's going to be hard to abstain from completing the imprint that long, especially if you are spending so much time with her."
"Don't worry. We can still fuck, just not clit to clit."
"I don't know what that means," Emily said, shaking her head gently.
"Like I can finger her and eat her out and stuff. That doesn't count."
"How do you know that?" Emily had never heard that rule before. That's not how she did it with Sam at all.
"Paul."
"I don't think Paul knows anything, Bella," Emily said. She wasn't trying to be offensive. She just didn't think Paul knew anything, even though he had an imprint.
"Hey! Paul knows plenty." Bella was always defensive of Paul. Emily should have expected that.
"That's not even what Paul said," Sam added, walking out of their bedroom. "He said he wasn't sure it worked that way at all. Like how would that work with gay guys?"
"I don't know! But Paul was fingering Rachel before they completed the imprint."
"How do you even know that?" Emily asked.
"I was driving! He wasn't very quiet about it. They were in the back seat."
"Fucking Paul!" Sam scoffed.
"Listen, I've got to get to my date. Don't wait up."
.~*~.
Leah was sitting on the steps when Bella drove up. Her face lit up when she saw Bella. She stood up and Bella gave her a big hug, inhaling her scent.
"Are you driving?" Bella asked.
"Yeah."
"Can I show you the houses I'm choosing from first?" Bella asked. "I'd like your opinion."
"Uh, sure."
"The first one is across the street, right there." Bella pointed to a small gray house. "The second choice is past Paul's. Can we drive by it?"
"Ok."
Bella pointed it out. Leah pulled up to it and parked on the side of the road. "The last one is on Pine Street, not too far from Sam's. Do you want to drive by that one too?"
"No, I want to look at this one."
They both got out of the car. "Sam has the keys, but one of the windows is broken."
Bella held Leah's hand as they walked around the house. It was much more charming with Leah here. Bella used a rock to break all the glass out of the broken window. "You wait outside. I'll open the front door."
As Bella walked through the dim house, she could actually envision a life here with Leah. When she opened the door to let Leah in, she was grinning at her imprint. "This is a good choice, Leah."
"I thought so. It will be more private than the one across from my parents, less traffic, and I think the lots out here are bigger. What's the plan to make it liveable?"
"The guys are going to help me. I was kind of panicking when Sam suggested it. I wasn't ready to move out of his house, but I think I am now."
"It'll take time," Leah said, looking around the rundown interior, "but if you want, I can help."
"And you can choose your room."
Leah giggled. "Bella, I can't hold out forever. At some point, I'll want to join you in your bed."
"Fuck yeah." Bella merged her lips with Leah's, savoring the moment. Although Leah had never agreed to move in, Bella knew it was going to happen. This would be their house!
Leah drove them to the marina and parked there, She grabbed her bag from the back seat and walked Bella to the woods. Leah walked right onto the patrol trail.
"This area is beautiful," Bella said, pretending not to recognize the location.
"I know. There are trails like this all over. I never see anyone else on them." Leah laid out the blanket, and put the bag on top of it.
Then she jumped down a small bank to the beach, which was scattered with driftwood.
"This was one of my favorite things to do as a kid." Leah stood on one end of the driftwood and started walking on it like a balance beam. "Come on up."
Bella jumped up behind her, walking with her arms stretched out like she needed them to balance. Leah twirled around, then stumbled. Bella grabbed her, holding her steady. She pulled Leah into an embrace like that had been her goal all along. It all felt so natural for both of them.
"Do you have a favorite?" Bella asked, looking around at all the driftwood.
"Yep, come on!"
Leah jumped down and watched Bella jump after her. Leah held Bella's hand and led her down the beach.
"I think this one is everyone's favorite." Leah stood in front of the largest log on the beach. It was more like an ancient tree with some of its root system and branches still intact. "It's so huge you can crawl into it."
Bella stuck her head in and her words echoed. "We can both fit!"
"Oh, I've never been in there," Leah admitted. "I think there's bugs."
"If I go in there first," Bella offered. "I can squish them with my fat butt. Will you follow me then?"
"You think you have a fat butt?" Leah was glancing back and forth between Bella's ass and her face.
"Yeah, I'm mostly flat except for my fat butt."
Leah was looking Bella up and down. "You are not flat at all. You're so gorgeous. I'm not even sure why you're spending time with me."
"Leah, you can't be serious. You're perfect, head to toe perfect."
"Sure, Beautiful. If you go in there, I'll follow you."
Bella climbed in the hollowed log. Leah climbed in after her.
Leah sat next to her for a minute, her face turned to Bella. Then she moved herself so she was straddling Bella's lap, looking her in the face.
Bella's heart was racing. Leah put her hand on Bella's shoulders. She leaned forward, meeting Bella's lips with her own. Leah's hands inched down until they were cupping Bella's breasts.
Leah was enjoying the softness, how Bella's nipples responded to her touch. She wanted more. She was squeezing, caressing, just enjoying having Bella's tits in her hands.
Leah started kissing down Bella's neck. Bella's hands were on Leah's back, roaming toward her sweet ass. She could smell Leah's arousal as she gripped her cheeks.
Leah froze, realizing she felt completely out of control in Bella's presence again.
Bella froze, too. "Did I go too far again?"
"No, Bella, it's not you. Let's go have our picnic."
Leah climbed out of the log, then chivalrously held Bella's hand when she jumped out. They climbed the bank to the picnic blanket.
Bella could immediately smell that someone had been there, poking around their stuff. It was Jared. He was on patrol now. Hopefully he would give them space during his next loop, or at least run in human form.
They leaned against a boulder facing the setting sun. It was the perfect spot for a picnic.
"Leah, you've got to tell me if I do something wrong. I don't know what I'm doing and I don't want to upset you again."
"Oh, you definitely know what you're doing," Leah said, not looking at Bella.
"What does that mean? I'm not trying to mess up on purpose."
"You're not messing up. It's just, whenever you touch me I lose control. Part of me just wants to give in, to just enjoy whatever distraction you are offering."
"Distraction?"
"From life and misery and hopelessness."
"Are you miserable and hopeless?" Bella asked, a little saddened.
"Yeah, kind of."
"Why?"
"I thought Sam told you about us," Leah said, looking into Bella's face.
"He did."
"Right. So I can't trust anyone and my life is off track and it sucks. The stuff I have to do to try to bring it back on track... It just sucks, still being in high school. So I just have to wait, work, and try to find some happiness and distractions wherever they are."
"What do you mean you can't trust anyone?" Bella asked. "I want you to trust me."
"That's really hard to do, Bella. Part of me wants that, like crazy wants that. But you're so beautiful and you live with Sam and it just doesn't make sense to me, you pursuing me like this. It feels off, almost like a setup or something. I just haven't been able to shake the feeling that something here is off. I'm pretty sure it's your connection to Sam, but it feels like more than that too. I don't know."
"How can I change that? You are my dream girl. You're interesting and sarcastic and talk about beautiful… I couldn't make someone more beautiful than you if I tried."
Leah gave her a small smile. "That's sweet." She sighed. "About the trust, I don't know. It's going to take time, I think. I was with Sam for three years. He ran off with my best friend at the worst time. They were the two most important people in my life. I trusted them both completely and then they did that. And you live with them."
"I'm moving out. Won't that help?"
"Bella, you don't need me. You have so many options."
"Ha! I only see one."
Leah laughed. "You're good at this." Leah started unpacking the picnic.
As they started to eat, Bella asked, "Is this your first time dating another girl?"
Leah shook her head. "No, I went on a couple of dates with a girl from Forks but her parents found out. They were religious so she wasn't allowed to hang out with me anymore."
"Oh, forbidden love. Do you think it would have worked out if it weren't for her parents?"
"No." Leah answered quickly. "We didn't have much in common. She was shy but I wanted to give it a shot. Have you dated anyone since you moved here?"
"I've hooked up with some girls at the club in Port Angeles but you're my first date."
"Did you date in Phoenix?"
"No. I had a thing for straight girls, I think. There were other out lesbians at my school but they all coupled off without me. There were a handful of bi girls too but none of them wanted anything serious, or at least not anything serious with me. I wanted to be in a relationship. It just didn't seem like it would happen."
"That's hard to imagine. I think I would have scooped you right up."
"I would have liked that." Bella said. "So what do you think of love potions like in the play?" Bella asked, seemingly out of nowhere. She wanted to use this topic to gauge Leah's response to the imprint.
Leah frowned. "I don't think they're real, obviously."
"Sure, but hypothetically, consider Lysander and Hermia, who were in love before the play began. If they fell in love because of the love potion instead of whatever way they fell in love naturally, would that be crazy?"
Leah twisted her mouth in thought. "It wouldn't help them at all, since Hermia's father didn't approve. They couldn't be together because of her father."
"Ok," Bella had to rephrase it again to open the real discussion. "If it were set in modern times, if a modern couple were destined to be together but were brought together through a love potion, what would you think of that? Would that be crazy?"
"Umm, hmmm," Leah considered that. "Not on its own, but the way they acted in the play was a little crazy and kind of aggressive. I think they'd both have to be affected by the potion or else the other person would think they were crazy, right? The person who takes the love potion is too obsessed for it to work."
"Yeah, that's probably true," Bella admitted. She knew that the imprinted wolf also acts obsessed with the imprint. She had acted crazy and aggressive too. She knew Sam had when he was chasing Emily.
"So you were thinking about the play?" Leah asked. She was touched that Bella was thinking about their date and making a real effort at discussing this with her.
"Mmmm." Bella swallowed the food in her mouth before continuing. "Love potions and love spells are fascinating to me. There's the ethics and the logistics. Ethics: what is assault and what is consent? Logistics: you need to target the right people at the right time. Midsummer's Night's Dream bungled both logistics and ethics badly."
"The ethics? Like the person who got the potion didn't agree to it? Is that what you mean about consent?"
Bella nodded. "Exactly, yes, but also it makes them feel good to indulge in it so it's kind of a gray area, right?" Bella knew that she enjoyed being with her imprint, flirting with her and pursuing her.
"Mhmm. But that's true about some drugs too. Like, isn't that kinda similar to what ecstasy does?"
"I've never done ecstasy, Leah. Have you?" Bella asked, tickled at the direction of the conversation.
Leah laughed. "No, but I think people do it at the club."
The thought horrified Bella, that she might have been hooking up with people who weren't in full control of their faculties. "Oh."
Leah continued, "With love potions, unless they consented to being involved in the scheme, consent is still an issue for them. People don't usually take ecstasy without consenting to it so that's a little different. Regardless, it's definitely harassment, how they treat their love interest, chasing them and grabbing at them."
"Mmmm," Bella nodded. "Unless the person is into it, in which case, is it humiliating?" This was a new thought for her. Could Leah feel humiliated that she was attracted to Bella, too? Bella continued, "If the affection is not real, or if it is artificially induced, that could be humiliating if the target reciprocates. Can a relationship last after the effect wears off?
"And if the couple was destined to be together," Leah added, "this rushed, humiliating, forced love could actually harm their ability to get together naturally."
"How so?" Bella asked. That thought hadn't occurred to her.
"If you were the one hit by the potion, the relationship feels unrequited and forced. If you're the target, even if you were attracted to the other person, the love wouldn't feel deserved."
Shit. Bella realized that was exactly true. "So in a way, both sides are harmed… That describes it all perfectly, except the forced part. If you had the potion, it would feel like your genuine feelings, not forced."
"Right, still the intensity of attraction wouldn't be a match. That kind of imbalance can't be healthy in a romantic partnership, right?"
"I guess not," Bella admitted.
"This is actually helpful for my essay." Leah said, grinning.
"No kidding. What's the essay on?"
"We get to choose from several prompts. One of them is about the ethics of love potion."
"Will you let me read it when it's done?" Bella asked.
"Sure, if it's good."
"I'll want to read it anyway." Bella was giddy.
"Why are you so into this Shakespeare stuff?"
"Oh, I just want to know you , your thoughts, everything."
They continued to eat as the sun stretched toward the horizon over the water.
A few minutes later, Leah asked, "So why did you move to Forks in the first place?"
"My mom and I had a disagreement. She didn't exactly kick me out, but she made it clear that it would be better if I lived with my dad."
"And then you just moved right in with Sam? What was that whole missing person thing?" Leah had been wanting to ask about that since she realized Bella was the girl from the posters.
"I didn't know you knew about that." Bella kept her eyes on the horizon. She was not prepared for this topic.
"Everyone knew about that, Isabella Swan, although you're much prettier in person. And the posters said you were 5'2". Was that from your driver's license or something?"
"I think so," Bella answered. She knew she was way taller since the transformation. She'd never pass for 5'2" now.
"My dad was using those posters as fire starters so I saw them a lot," Leah said nonchalantly. "The same thing happened to Sam before he ran off with Emily. He disappeared, too."
"I'm not going to run off with Emily," Bella said cheekily. "Despite my best efforts, she's straight, or at least loyal to Sam."
Leah coughed. "Were you really trying to get with Emily?"
"Until I met you, yeah." Bella shrugged, trying to play innocent. "I was socially isolated with just the guys and the girlfriends for a while. So I hit on Kim and Emily and Rachel."
Leah was trying to keep the story straight in her mind but some things were not adding up. "You said you got the job because you're Billy's niece and you said that you stopped hitting on Rachel when you found out she was your cousin."
Bella was nodding while trying to quickly swallow the food in her mouth to explain. "I got the job because I have a special skill set. I have that skill set because I am Billy's niece, but I didn't know that at the time."
"What's your special skill set?" Leah asked, smirking a little. She knew Bella was skilled at making her feel amazing when they touched. She wanted to see what else the girl could do.
"Scent tracking. Here, I'll put my head in the blanket." Bella bent forward and covered most of her face with the blanket, but not her mouth so she could talk. "You go hide. I'll count to 100. Then I'll follow your scent path to your location."
Leah snorted. "You want to play hide and seek?"
Bella looked at her over the blanket, grinning now. "Essentially. But I can do the whole thing blind folded. I can find you by scent."
Reluctantly, Leah agreed. She ran and hid in the driftwood.
Bella came over two minutes later. She had her shirt tied around her face, her purple bra visible to the world. She was sniffing the edge of the log, then climbing in, still blind folded. She reached further in and grabbed Leah's thigh.
Leah squealed.
Bella pulled off her blindfold. Leah looked so beautiful. After a moment, Bella said, "The shadows in here are different now with the setting sun."
Leah was looking into Bella's eyes, feeling nervous. "Yeah, let's get back to the picnic."
Bella slipped her shirt on. The pair walked hand in hand across the sand.
"I admit that is impressive," Leah said.
"Thank you."
"And Billy can do that too?" Leah was trying to picture Billy scent tracking in his wheelchair.
"I don't know. But I know it is genetic. My dad's got a good nose too."
"So did you apply for the position or what? Did they make you do a sniff test as part of the interview or something? Why do they need a scent tracker anyway? Did you and Billy do that hide and seek thing? Would the scent tracking even work with the wheelchair?"
Bella was not prepared for all those questions. "Uh, no, not exactly. The transition, moving with my dad, it was rough. I was having a hard time. I went for a walk in the woods to cool off and I ran into the guys."
"All of them?" Leah had seen the three guys lurking around the woods too. She would always turn around and go the other way. She couldn't imagine just going up to them and hanging out. They never seemed to be in a friendly mood. They never seemed welcoming of newcomers either.
"All three, yeah. We hit it off. They helped me out."
"And you made Charlie think you were dead? Why?" Leah asked.
"Because I was isolated, I didn't know about the missing person thing. Sam did but didn't want to worry me until I was ready to talk to Charlie."
Leah considered all that. It just didn't add up at all. Charlie was terrified that Bella was dead and Bella didn't even think to let him know she was ok? It didn't make sense. "Are you on drugs? Is that what Sam's gang is all about?"
"What? No!" Bella exclaimed.
"Were you when you met me yesterday? Talking about a second bedroom for me?" Leah asked pointedly.
"No! I was just excited to meet you. And I do have a second bedroom for you. You saw it."
"But why? I'm nobody. I'm a super senior, a loser."
Bella gulped. She hated that Leah thought so little of herself. "You are not nobody, not a loser, not to me. You are definitely somebody to me."
"Bella, I really like you. Like a lot, a lot. But I feel like there's something you're not telling me. What you're saying, it just doesn't add up."
"There is a lot I'm not saying, you're right. My life is kind of complicated and some of it is difficult to talk about."
"Ok. But it has to do with Sam, right?" This had been Leah's hunch all along. There were too many parallels to Sam's disappearance. She wanted to get away from him for good.
"In one way or another, yeah," Bella admitted reluctantly. "It has to do with Sam. He's my boss and I live with him so our lives are pretty intertwined."
"So I've told you that trust is important to me. On the one hand, I don't see how we can build trust if you and Sam are keeping secrets together, keeping secrets from me. On the other hand, you don't owe me any explanations, none at all. I'm nobody."
"You're not nobody, Leah!" Bella cried. "Not to me! I can tell you the secrets. I'm just nervous. I wasn't planning on telling you yet. Are you sure you're ready?"
"How would I know? I don't really want to be sucked into Sam's world, as I said. I want nothing to do with him. Maybe we should just be friends and keep it casual. Or maybe we could be friends with benefits or something. I don't know. Then I could enjoy your company, your special talents, without getting involved in Sam drama."
Bella's heart sank. "Is that what you want? Because I want more with you."
Leah was exasperated. "I don't know! Why don't you tell me your secret and we'll go from there?"
"I turn into a giant wolf and protect the tribe from vampires," Bella blurted out.
"Sure, Bella." Leah was packing up the picnic. Trust wasn't going to happen with this beautiful girl. It saddened Leah, but at least she found out before she got too attached.
"You don't believe me?"
"It's ok," Leah said, lifting her hand in surrender. "You don't owe me anything."
"Just watch." Leah finished packing everything. She turned around just in time to see Bella transform.
Leah fell backwards. This was way worse than being in a drug gang! It was weirder than anything she had imagined.
Bella phased back to human quickly. "Are you ok?"
Leah was stunned. Bella could smell her fear. It was an intense fear. It scared Bella too. Leah was the only person who could really hurt her and she feared it was about to happen.
"Sam too?" Leah whispered. Leah felt chills run down her spine.
Bella nodded.
Leah was hyperventilating.
Bella stepped toward her. "It's ok," she said soothingly, reaching out to help Leah up.
Leah was shaking her head and scooting backwards on the forest floor. "It's not." Leah stood and grabbed her bag. She walked backwards to the trail, keeping her eye on Bella.
Bella took a few steps to follow.
"Stay away from me!" Leah cried, still terrified. She ran to her car. She cursed her own curiosity. Why did she have to insist on the truth? But there was no turning back now. She never wanted to face that humongous monster again.
.~*~.
Bella sat in the clearing, wanting to cry. Then she was crying. Before the tears finished falling, Jared sat down next to her, wrapping his arms around her.
"You showed her the wolf?"
Bella nodded.
"And she left?" Jared asked.
Bella nodded again. "Is that what happened with Kim?"
"No, but it's what happened with Emily."
"I should have just accepted the friends with benefits offer," Bella pouted.
"Maybe it's still on the table."
"I don't think so," Bella said sadly. "She told me to stay away from her."
"Maybe Sam can talk to her."
"That's going to make it worse. She wants nothing to do with him."
"Ok, but how can it get worse?" Jared asked.
"I don't know!"
"Let's go talk to Sam," Jared encouraged her.
"I don't want to. I just want to sleep out here. Will you tell him I'm ok? But maybe don't tell him where I am."
"He'll see you when he patrols."
"I'll be asleep," she said.
"Ok, just remember, the imprint feels what the wolf feels."
"That can't be true."
"It is true. Howl if you need me, Bella."
Bella went and laid in Leah's favorite driftwood with the blanket that Leah didn't grab because Bella was standing on it. She wasn't alone. There were so many insects and critters living in that log.
She drifted off to sleep while watching the stars.
.~*~.
"Is someone sleeping in my favorite log?" Paul asked, waking her up several hours later.
Bella yawned. "It's everyone's favorite log."
"What happened?"
"I fucked it all up. She doesn't want to see me anymore."
"That doesn't sound right, Bella."
"Well it's true. She's afraid of me!" Bella was feeling emotional all over again.
"You showed her the wolf?"
Bella nodded. "She knew I was lying and she said she was leaving, that she couldn't trust me, so I showed her the wolf so she'd know the truth, that I was telling the truth. But it didn't help! She left me."
"There's still time. Give it time."
"I was trying to," Bella gave him a weak smile, "and then someone woke me up!"
"It was me! I woke you up." Paul grinned at her, hoping to cheer her up a little with his goofiness.
"No shit, Sherlock."
"Listen, if you ever want to go clubbing, you can borrow my car."
"Obviously. Now go away."
Paul returned to patrol.
Bella watched the stars on the horizon, head upside down, until she fell asleep again.
.~*~.
When Bella woke up, she saw the long shadows of the morning sun. She smelled the crisp ocean air. She heard the thrumming heartbeat of a wolf man.
"Good morning, Sam," she said. "I'll start my patrol. Sorry I slept in."
"Jared took it."
"But it's mine!" Bella didn't want any favors right now. She didn't think she deserved any.
"You'll relieve him when you're ready."
"Where are you?" Bella asked.
"On top of the log."
"I'm ok, Sam, you can go."
"No, you're not ok," Sam said softly.
Bella could feel a tear roll down the side of her face into her hairline. "I haven't been rejected by someone I care about since seventh grade. I am a spoiled brat. I don't know what to do."
"Ha! I was in the exact same position. Seventh grade was my last rejection before Emily too."
"Who hurt you in 7th grade?"
"A beautiful girl I had a crush on for over a year. I finally asked her out to a dance. She said I smelled like feet."
Bella laughed. "Did you?"
"No!" Sam was laughing too. "Not usually. I shouldn't have asked her right after gym class. It took two years for her to give me another chance."
"It was Leah?"
"It was."
"I don't smell like feet," Bella said.
"No, you don't. And I don't think it will take her two years to give you another chance."
"She's afraid of me, Sam! That's worse. It's so much worse than smelling like feet."
"I don't know," Sam said. "Girls seem to like that danger thing, the whole bad boy vibe."
"Leah's not like that."
"No, she's not," Sam sighed. "She only went out with me because she trusted me. I don't talk about this in front of Emily, but she knows. When I was with Leah, I was 100% sure she was the love of my life. I was planning to marry her."
"Is that supposed to help me somehow?"
"She's worth the wait."
"I knew that."
They both watched the waves in silence.
"You'll get her back. I'm sure of it," Sam said confidently.
"How can you be sure?"
"Before you came, Emily was a shell of the woman she is now. She thought of herself as mangled and ugly."
"No!" Bella said. She hated that Emily felt that way about herself.
"Yes," Sam insisted. "But you moved in, and you're beautiful Bella, you know that right?"
"I guess."
"Well, you moved in and every day you told her how beautiful she looked and how you wanted her tits in your mouth and after a while, she started to believe you. When I told her, she thought I was saying it out of guilt from the scars or because of the imprint, no matter how many times I sucked on those titties."
"Lucky dog."
"I know. But you rebuilt her, Bella. And Kim. She believed she was plain. Not ugly, just plain."
"She's stunning," Bella breathed.
"Jared tells her that all the time. But she believed you . Those girls aren't even your imprint, but you won their hearts. I know that you'll win Leah too. I know it. Because I was able to do it and I'm a piece of shit who smelled like feet."
"You're not a piece of shit, but you broke her Sam." Bella could feel hot tears brimming again. "She doesn't trust me because I live with you, but she doesn't trust anyone anyway because her best friend and boyfriend ran off together."
"I'm sorry, Bella. You shouldn't be the one dealing with the fallout from this."
Bella wiped her eyes with her palms. "She's the one who's miserable."
"You seem miserable too."
"Right now, sure, but she's been this way since you left."
"Really? She hasn't dated anyone else since then?" There was surprise in Sam's voice. He knew Leah would be cautious about dating again, but she was so beautiful.
"I only know of one person that she dated, but they weren't really compatible."
"I wish I could make this all go away," Sam said sincerely. "I don't think it would help if I talked to her."
"No, I don't think so either."
Sam sighed.
"I had her look at the houses," Bella told him. "I want the one on her street but not the one across the street."
"Ok, I'll tell Harry today. Do you want to come?"
"I don't know what's best."
"I'd recommend giving her space."
"Ok. Where does she work?" Bella asked.
"The diner in Forks. Are you planning on bugging her there?"
"No, I want to avoid it to give her space."
.~*~.
After her patrol, Bella went to see what was going on with the house. Sam had already done the legwork with Harry. The house was hers.
Sam, Emily and Bella went over to her new house. They started making a list.
"We need exterior paint," Sam started. "We'll need to scrape. Think about what color you want."
"What's her favorite color?" Bella asked.
"Yellow," Sam said.
"She likes a lot of green too," Emily added, "and some pinky orange like the sunset. So that whole side of the color wheel."
"Sunflower yellow? Or more pastel?"
"I'd say more pastel," Emily answered.
"So that will be the exterior." Bella wrote down Leah's favorite colors. She'd never forget.
"What about trim?"
"I think we should put a new roof down," Sam said. "Why don't we see what colors are available at the metal roof place and then pick a trim."
They finished making a list of everything that needed to be done. It was a long list. They planned to go to the metal roof place the next day.
After supper with Sam and Emily, Bella said she wanted to go for a walk. She walked right back to the log that smelled faintly like Leah.
She sat in it, in the exact spot where Leah had straddled her lap. She thought of where Leah sat during their hide and seek game.
Bella lay down with her head hanging out of the log, watching the sun set upside down. The sight was painted with pastel yellow clouds and a pink-orange sky. Those would be the colors of their house. She drifted off to sleep after the last of the sunlight disappeared from view.
Every day, Bella would work on that little yellow house in her free time. The guys and the imprints were there helping just about every day too.
Every meal would be shared with the pack couples, but mostly with Sam and Emily.
Every night, Bella returned to the log where she squeezed Leah's ass. It didn't smell like Leah after a week or so, but it was still Leah's log to her. That was where she felt peace. That was where she slept each night.
