Characters belong to SM. Everything else belongs to me.
CHAPTER 5 – CHANCES
When
I awoke the next morning, Jacob was gone. Alice came and got me so I
could shower and look presentable when I went to Charlie's.
"You
didn't even tell me you were leaving last night! I was worried sick
about you!" Alice scolded me while I picked through my clothes.
"Edward
saw me leave, Alice, I figured he'd let you know." I was too lazy and
hungover to bother with my hair or makeup. I threw on a pair of sweat
pants, a t-shirt, and a hoodie, pulling my hair up in a ponytail. I
slipped on my glasses and sat on the edge of Alice's bed.
"So did
you and Jacob…" Alice winked at me with a mischievous grin. I flushed
red with embarrassment and covered my face with a pillow.
"Please don't make me share all the details right now. My head feels like it's going to explode."
"What details are we sharing?" I looked up and saw Edward standing in the doorway.
"Bell and Jac-" I cut Alice off.
"We
were just discussing how Charlie will disown me if I don't make it to
his house before we go back to school." I glared at Alice and gestured
towards the door. "Ready?" Alice rolled her eyes and headed downstairs. I
was about to follow her when Edward grabbed my hand.
"Can we talk
Bella? Please?" He looked pained. I felt a twinge of guilt in my
stomach. I probably wasn't being fair to him but I didn't know what else
to do. It was easier to avoid him than having to pretend I was
comfortable being "just friends." And it hurt a lot less than having to
see him with Tanya every day.
"I really need to get to Charlie's."
I shook my hand free and his gaze fell to the floor. "I'll talk to you
when we're back at school. I promise."
"What was that all about?"
Alice asked when I was in the Escalade. I closed my eyes, rubbed my
temples, and settled in to the cushy leather seat.
"I'm in love with your brother." Alice looked at me with wide eyes before breaking out in an ear-to-ear grin.
"I knew it!" She pulled the car over a few houses away from Charlie's. "What about Jacob?"
I
waved my hand in dismissal. "There's nothing with Jacob. We had a good
time and that's it. Neither of us has those kind of feelings towards the
other."
"That explains why you've been avoiding him and Tanya.
For the record, I would way rather see him with you than her. I've never
liked that girl, I just care too much about Edward to say it." Alice
leaned across the console and gave me a small hug. "I'm glad that's out
in the open. Now, let's go surprise Charlie. We can figure your love
life out when we get back to the dorm."
Surprise was a mild term
for Charlie's reaction when he found us on his doorstep. He gave us both
big hugs, brought us inside, and immediately got started making lunch.
Alice and I told him about our adventures at school and what we'd been
up to in Seattle. Charlie filled us in on the local Forks gossip and
chatted animatedly about an upcoming fishing tournament the police
department was hosting to raise money for charity. I wanted to stay
longer and spend time with my dad but we had to be on the road by three.
"It
was good to see you Bell! I'm happy to hear that everything is going so
well at school!" Charlie gave me another big hug before turning to
Alice. "Thank you for taking care of her, Alice. I'm glad she's made
such good friends." We finished saying our goodbyes and drove back to
the Cullen house. Edward had the car packed and was ready to go when we
got there. I slept most of the way, trying to rid myself of my ugly
hangover. I woke up when my phone buzzed in my pocket.
Sorry I
didn't get to say goodbye this morning! I'll be in Seattle on Wednesday.
We should hook up again, if you know what I mean. ;-) – J.
I
smiled and texted Jake back, asking him to call me when he was in town.
I might not have feelings for him, but I did have a sex drive and he
could satisfy it. I laughed out loud when I imagined Charlie's reaction
if he knew I was sleeping with Jacob Black.
"What's so funny?"
Alice looked over my shoulder and read the message. She shook her head
and swatted my arm. "Just let me know when he's coming over so I can go
to Emmett's." A few seconds later, we pulled up in front of the dorm. I
thanked Edward for driving, exiting the car before he had a chance to
open the door for me. Alice and I grabbed our bags and headed inside. I
crawled in bed without bothering to unpack, too exhausted to do anything
other than sleep.
Time continued
to pass quickly and before I knew it the semester was over. I'd gone
back to L.A. for Thanksgiving, much to my mother's delight, and spent
the week tangled between the sheets in the beach house with Mike Newton.
Even though Renee infuriated me, it was nice to see my uncle Peter and
his wife Charlotte and grandma Jane.
Edward and I barely exchanged
any words since the weekend of the party. He'd apologized to me for the
Tanya thing again, assuring me he wasn't trying to deliberately hurt
me. I'd accepted his apology and that was that. We said a few "hellos"
in class and when we saw one another at Emmett's, but for the most part
we didn't have any contact.
Then there was Jacob. We'd been
hooking up on a regular basis and I found myself really liking it. When
we weren't busy fooling around, we'd go to movies, out to dinner, or
just hang out in my dorm. I'd gone to Forks a few times and spent days
with him and the tribe and I really enjoyed it. Jacob was just so …
nice. We understood each other and we knew what the other one wanted.
There were no complications, no feelings, just a really good friendship
with some pleasing benefits on the side.
Now winter break had
arrived and I was preparing to spend a month in Forks. Alice and I were
riding up together today. Edward, Jasper, Rose, and Emmett would be up
on Friday.
"Did you hear the good news?" Alice was in a frenzy
trying to fit as much of her closet as possible into two suitcases.
"Tanya is going to Fairbanks for the entire break! That means you won't
have to see her until we get back here for spring semester."
"That also means your brother won't be in Forks." I pointed out. Alice smirked.
"No
way, our parents would kill him if he wasn't!" I picked up my suitcase
and trudged down to where I'd parked the Jetta. Alice met me a few
minutes later and we were off.
"Are you sure you don't mind driving? I feel bad pawning it off on you."
"Seriously
Bella? Have you ever driven in snow? I'd rather get to Forks in one
piece!" I punched Alice lightly in the shoulder and grabbed my phone.
Looking forward to tonight! I'll pick you up at 8! – J.
"You
know, this whole thing with Jacob is cute and all, but how can you
expect Edward to consider leaving Tanya if you're attached at the hip to
another guy?" My heart fluttered when Alice said his name. Girlfriend
or not, I couldn't stop myself from feeling something for her brother.
"Edward
made it pretty clear to me that he and Tanya are a permanent fixture." I
twirled a lock of hair between my fingers absentmindedly. "Besides,
Jacob is just a good friend and Edward knows that."
"Good and fuck
buddies are two very different things Bella." Alice pulled the Jetta to
a stop in front of her house. A blonde haired man was waiting on the
porch. He was built like Edward, with the same golden eyes and pale
white skin. A woman stood next to him. She was about the same height as
Rosalie with straight brown hair and golden eyes. Her skin was pale and
she had a beauty mark to the left of her lips.
"Bella, I'd like
you to meet my parents, Carlisle and Esme Cullen." I expected a formal
greeting from them but I was hugged instead.
"Alice has told us so
much about you Bella! I've been looking forward to meeting you ever
since I found out you'd be spending the holidays in Forks." Esme gave me
another hug.
"My wife and I wanted to invite you and your father
to join our family on Christmas. Alice says you don't have any other
family in the area and nobody should have to spend Christmas alone."
"That's a very thoughtful gesture Mr. Cullen. I'll ask my dad about it and let Alice know what he says."
"Please, call me Carlisle." He smiled at me before grabbing Alice's bags and bringing them in the house.
"Think you can make it home?" Alice teased. I tilted my head up and tapped my chin.
"I'm
pretty sure I can get two miles up the road without causing too much
damage." I hugged Alice, assuring her I remembered our plans to go
Christmas shopping in Port Angeles tomorrow. I drove the two miles to
Charlie's house with no troubles.
"Bell! Welcome home!" Charlie
greeted me with a hug and kiss on the cheek. He carried my suitcase up
to my room, which hadn't changed much since my days of adolescence. We
chatted in the kitchen for a while before the doorbell interrupted us.
"Jacob!
What are you doing here?" Charlie returned to the kitchen with Jacob
following close behind. His eyes lit up when he saw me. He gave me a hug
and spun me around.
"I'm here to steal Bella for the evening, Charlie."
"Well
now, I didn't know the two of you were friends! That's great! You kids
have fun and be safe." Charlie grabbed a can of beer from the
refrigerator and headed off to the living room. I pulled on my coat,
grabbed a hat and some gloves from the front closet, and followed Jacob
to his car.
"Charlie must not know I take it." Jake revved the engine a few times and started for the reservation.
"Oh my god no! I wouldn't dream of discussing my sex life with him! He'd probably be out for blood." Jacob laughed.
"Well
I'd like to thank you for taking my well being in to account." When we
arrived at Jacob's house Paul and Leah greeted us. A pretty girl I'd
never seen before accompanied them.
"Bella, this is Leah's sister,
Emily." I smiled and shook Emily's hand. "We were thinking of hitting
up the diner in Forks, then having a bonfire on the beach with some
other tribe members." I looked at Jacob with wide eyes.
"Bonfire? It's December!" I squeaked out. The four friends looked at one another before breaking out in to laughter.
"Jake can keep you warm Bella." Paul winked at me. I rolled my eyes and looked at Jacob. He shrugged his shoulders.
"What
can I say? I can't keep a secret. Besides, I'm sleeping with the
Chief's daughter. That's definitely something to brag about." I swatted
Jacob in the back of the head and followed him back out to his car. I
didn't even want to go to the diner, and definitely not to the bonfire,
but I agreed to anyway. What I really wanted to do was get in Jacob's
warm, cozy bed, the one place in Washington that could take my mind off
of Edward Cullen.
Much to my
surprise, Charlie accepted Carlisle's invitation to the Cullen
Christmas. He was eager to meet the newest family in town and, of
course, excited to see Alice.
"Bell, c'mon! We're going to be
late!" I'd spent the past hour rifling through all the clothing I
brought with me. I didn't want to overdress but I didn't want to look
like a bum either. I finally settled on a pair of flared jeans and a red
sweater. I gathered up the gifts I had for Alice and her parents and
ran downstairs.
I drove us the two miles to the Cullen house. Even
though Carlisle and Esme insisted we didn't have to bring anything,
Charlie had picked up a few bottles of wine.
"Bella! Merry
Christmas!" Esme greeted me with a warm hug. I stepped aside and
introduced her to Charlie. They shook hands and she led us in to the
living room.
"This is quite the place you've got here! What year
was this built in?" Esme steered Charlie to Carlisle, who happily
answered his barrage of questions.
"Bella!" Alice ran excitedly across the room and threw her arms around me.
"Geeze, you'd think you hadn't seen me in months or something." I laughed. Alice laughed with me.
"Well,
it has been two days. I was starting to get withdrawals." We both burst
out laughing. It was nice to have someone as close to me as Alice was.
I'd lost touch with the majority of my high school friends, but those
friendships couldn't even begin to compare to the one Alice and I had
formed in just a few short months.
"Merry Christmas Bella." Edward
appeared out of nowhere. I smiled politely at him, trying to maintain
my composure. He looked good in a pair of cuffed baggy jeans and a red
and navy plaid polo shirt. His hair was gelled up in his trademark messy
style and his eyes were brighter than ever. A smile danced on his lips
and for a moment I thought I might pass out.
"Merry Christmas to you too Edward." Across the room, Charlie narrowed his eyes and stood up.
"I
don't think we've had the opportunity to meet yet, son. I'm Charlie
Swan, Bella's father." He crossed the room and gave Edward a firm
handshake.
"I'm sorry Charlie, I didn't even think to do
introductions!" Alice went around and introduced Charlie to each of her
family members. Edward hung back from the rest of the group, his eyes on
me the entire time. I tried to distract myself by looking at the
Cullen's elaborate Christmas tree, which had a zillion neatly wrapped
presents beneath it, but it was no use. My eyes always made their way
back to him."
Let's eat!" Carlisle's voice boomed from the
kitchen. Christmas dinner went well. Charlie and Carlisle spent the
majority of the meal talking and planning a fishing trip in Alaska next
summer. Alice and I talked about the possibilities of getting an
apartment off-campus next fall, and she begged me to spend the summer
after freshman year in Forks instead of returning to L.A. I was more
than happy to oblige her given my disdain for Renee. I would miss the
beach house – and Mike Newton – but I had my Forks booty call now and I
was pretty sure I'd spend the majority of the summer at the Cullen's
house anyway. Alice and I were so absorbed in planning out every detail
of our place that we didn't even realize it was time to exchange gifts.
The
Cullens showered both Charlie and me with Christmas presents, and I
felt a little embarrassed by the fact that I'd only gotten something for
Alice and her parents. Before I knew it I was sitting alone on the
loveseat. Emmett and Rose had gone upstairs, Esme was off working on a
painting, Alice and Jasper were curled up together by the fireplace, and
Charlie was busy telling Carlisle everything a Forks newcomer could
possibly need to know. I smiled and sighed contentedly, closing my eyes.
This was easily the best Christmas I'd had in the last five or six
years.
"You look happy." Edward observed, sitting down next to me. I opened one eye and smiled at him, too relaxed to act avoidant.
"I am. Your family is wonderful. This was such a beautiful day."
"They all love you and Charlie." Edward reached his hand out and dropped something in my lap.
"What's this?" I picked up the object and turned it in my hands. Tiffany & Co. was printed in silver letters across the top of the blue box. It was secured with a neatly tied white ribbon.
"Your
Christmas present." His eyes seemed soft, filled with an emotion I'd
never seen on him before. He rubbed his palms together nervously. "Go
ahead, open it."
I tugged the bow off and opened the box. Inside
was a beautiful necklace. The chain was sterling silver, and a small sky
blue colored heart shaped gemstone hung off the end of it. Edward took
it from me, brushing the hair back from my neck and fastening the
necklace. I shivered involuntarily.
"Edward, this is beautiful! I
love it, but you really didn't have to get me anything." I was suddenly
embarrassed by the fact that I didn't have a gift for him. He smiled
sheepishly and took my hand in his, tracing the lines of my palm with
his index finger.
"I wanted to get it for you Bella." His voice
was gentle, almost a whisper. "I want you to know that my heart will
always belong to you, regardless of who I'm with."
I ran my fingers across the cool blue heart, biting my lip to prevent any tears. Shit, Bella, you've never let a guy make you cry. This one has done it how many times in how many months? I had no idea what to do, so I leaned over and kissed Edward on the cheek.
"Thank you."
"No,
thank you Bella." He held my face between his hands, pressed his
forehead against mine, and stared in to my eyes for a few minutes before
standing and leaving the room. A moment later I heard the front door
open and close and a car start and pull down the driveway.
I took a
few shaky breaths, my fingers still holding the necklace. My head was
telling me to take the necklace off and leave it in his room with a note
explaining why I couldn't accept it. My heart, on the other hand, was
singing a different tune, and in the end it won.
Merry Christmas Edward, I thought to myself. How the fuck am I ever going to escape these feelings for you?
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