Torn: Chapter 6

When Jacob ignores Bella in New Moon she develops a friendship with Quil. They become close and then he too makes the change into a werewolf. What will happen in this Quil/Bella/Jacob triangle?

Title: Torn

Rating: T

Penname: Katbug86

Characters: Bella & Quil Jr.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.


An: Another chapter that has had A LOT added to it. Buff82 did her beta magic, she makes everything better.

Chapter 6: First Kiss

It was Friday and another one of those rare, sunny days in Forks. We seemed to be having a lot of them lately, not that I was complaining since the warmer weather meant more time able to be spent outside. Quil was stretched out underneath me on his stomach, his brow furrowed in concentration as he worked on his homework assignment. I was lying on my back, my head resting on him, reading my well-worn copy of Wuthering Heights.

I closed my eyes, setting the book down on my stomach, and let the warmth of the sun fan my face. It was a pleasant feeling; the bright rays heating my skin and making me feel content, happy even. I was also reminded of Jacob—my own personal sun.

The sounds of Quil huffing in exasperation every few minutes made me smile. Despite tutoring him for the last two weeks, he was still having a bit of trouble. When he huffed and groaned a little at the text book in front of him for the countless time, I attempted to stifle my amusement, but failed miserably.

“What’s so funny?” he growled.

I smirked, “You.” He rolled his eyes and went back to his book.

In the two weeks since that day on the beach with Quil, we had fallen into a routine of sorts; homework after school, and then beach trips or movie nights on the weekends. He had quickly become closer to me than anyone—with the possible exception of Jake—had before. Not even Edward had been able to get me to open up as much as Quil had.

Quil understood me, and I understood him; conversation not always necessary. The second time I invited him over for dinner, he offered his help, and I was amazed at not only how well he could cook but also how in tune we were to each other. He would finish setting the table as I pulled dinner from the oven. He just knew when I was having a rather bad day, and he would sit with me, rubbing soothing circles on my back while I read; just like I knew to order pizza when he was having a rather rough day.

It had come to the point where we hadn’t spent a day apart other than for school or sleep in the last fourteen days.

A loud thud broke me from my thoughts. “I don’t get what’s so important about math anyways!” Quil slammed his Geometry book shut with a frustrated sigh.

That time I succeeded in holding back my laughter, only allowing myself to smile brightly in encouragement, “Would you like some help? Math isn’t exactly my greatest subject, but I can try my best.”

He let out another groan, reluctantly agreeing, and I shifted off his back so he was able to sit up. Grabbing his book and opening it back up, he then began reading off the various geometry problems that had been eluding him.

From where I was still lying on my back, I watched Quil as he scrunched his face in concentration, a little crease forming between his brows. I wanted nothing more than to rub my thumb across it and smooth it out. The hand holding his pencil, lifted up towards his mouth, and he began to bounce the eraser off his lower lip. The movement had me surprisingly mesmerized.

He read off another equation, breaking me from my daze, and I quickly thought for a moment before responding with what I hoped was the correct answer. My eyes followed his hand as he led it down to the paper in his lap, taking notice that the black t-shit he wore had begun to look snug.
His muscles were well defined and showing under the thin fabric. Trailing my gaze back up, I was met with amused eyes and a smug smirk. The blush spread across my face, and I looked away quickly, realizing I had been caught staring at him.

“Like something you see?” he mused. My cheeks darkened a deeper a shade of pink.

When Jake and I began hanging out I told him that I wasn’t capable of anything more than friendship. I explained to him that I was broken, that I would never be whole again. Romantic feelings were something I didn’t think I would ever experience again once Edward left, and much to Jake’s dismay, it seemed that I had been correct.

But that was before, and within two weeks, Quil had managed to heal me more than Jake could in the two months he had tried. It was less than a week after our day at the cliffs that I was finally able to say Edward’s name without cringing away or feeling like I was going to have my chest ripped open. Quil and I were at the kitchen table after school, talking as usual, when I randomly mentioned Edward during conversation. I didn’t even realize I had done it except for the shocked look on Quil’s face.

It was then that I finally realized the former hole in my chest no longer ached uncontrollably; the pain was barely a dull throb. At first I wasn’t sure if I should be happy for that fact or upset, but in the end, I broke out in a huge grin and leapt into Quil’s arms with a hug. His shocked face turned into a smile, and he hugged me back.

It was because of that, that when I also noticed my feelings changing for Quil, it didn’t surprise or scare me as much as I thought it might. Like Jake, he had held my hand on occasion, offering comfort like only either of them could give. But it was over the last few days when I had begun to take notice in the subtle differences between Quil and me, the enjoyment at the times he’d put an arm around my shoulder while sitting down, or grab my hand while walking. I’d even started initiating the contact more often.

That was how I came to be there, sitting with Quil in my back yard, and blushing profusely at being caught ogling his chest. I heard the thump of his book shutting once again, and the rustling as he set it down in the grass beside him.

Finally I turned my head back to face his, only to find him leaning down and watching me. He still held his smirk, his eyes shining in amusement. I was not about to let him think he’d won, so I looked him straight in the eyes with a smirk of my own. “Maybe,” I chirped.

He seemed taken aback for a moment over my determined look and the confidence of my answer. His expression changed suddenly, a look of his own determination clouding over his features. He leaned further towards me, his eyes questioning, and I realized then what is was he wanted.

My first response was to panic, part of my brain screaming for me to stand up and run while another part was telling me I wanted it too. I froze, unable to move, so I remained where I was, watching as his face descended to my own. His eyes studied mine briefly as if asking permission.

Whatever emotion I was showing, I wasn’t sure, but it seemed to hold the answer Quil was looking for. My eyes drifted shut in anticipation, and then I felt his mouth upon mine. His lips were warm and soft, completely unlike Edward’s. The kiss was sweet as he moved his lips against my own in synchronization, as if it were something we’d always done together.

One of his hands came to cup my cheek in his palm, and I leaned into it. After a moment more he pulled back, placing one last chaste kiss on my mouth before sitting up completely. I was pretty sure my face held a grin while looking up at him.

Until that point in time, I hadn’t been completely sure of how I felt about Quil. I knew he was my friend, perhaps even my best friend since Jake was gone, but I had never allowed myself to think of him as anything more. However, when his lips touched mine, I felt something—something I hadn’t come close to feeling since Edward.

I knew it wasn’t the same as before, when I had been completely in love Edward, but I definitely felt something more than friendship. Jake had tried every day to help me heal and open my heart for someone else. Perhaps, despite his lack of accomplishing that goal, he’d repaired me just enough for the next person to heal me completely.

Those thoughts were confusing me, making my head swim. I even felt guilty, because I knew Jake held feelings for me. One’s I thought I wouldn’t be able to return, and, yet, there I was, having feelings for someone else—someone who wasn’t him.

Quil’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “That was…” he started.

“…nice,” I finished for him.

His smile widened. “Definitely nice.”

Crunching of gravel let me know that Charlie was home from work, his cruiser pulling into the driveway. “We should get back inside for dinner,” I stated, glad the possibility of awkwardness had been averted. Quil stood, grabbing both his book and mine, and then held his hand out to help me up. He kept his hold on my hand as we walked back towards the house.

He released his hold on my hand when we reached the back door, holding it open for me. Charlie was standing in the kitchen as I walked in, Quil at my heels.

“Hey kids. Hope you don’t mind Bells, but I ordered pizza.”

“Thanks dad.” He nodded, grabbing a beer from the fridge, and heading for the living room. Once he was gone I turned to Quil.

“You staying for dinner and a movie?” I knew he’d say yes, but I thought it polite to ask anyway. His bobbing head confirmed what I already knew; there was no way Quil was going to miss out on pizza.

Once dinner arrived, Charlie, Quil, and I settled in front of the TV with our drinks and food. There were no games on, so we decided to watch whatever show was playing that night on the local movie channel. Quil and I sat side by side on the couch, our shoulders touching. Charlie was settled into his recliner.

Half way through Quil put his arm across the back of the couch behind me. I saw that Charlie noticed as well, and he shot me what looked like a confused glance. I chose to ignore his looks, keeping my eyes on the screen, but noted that his eyes also held some amusement.

It was nearly ten o’clock by the time the movie was over, and I offered to walk Quil out the door. Charlie began lugging himself up the stairs, sending a “goodnight” over his shoulder as he went. Stepping out onto the porch, I pulled the front door closed behind me. Quil had driven his mom’s car over and was waiting by the stairs.

“Beach tomorrow?” he asked. I smiled and nodded, because that was typically what we did every Saturday. “Just come over when you’re ready.”

“I’ll pack us a lunch,” I offered.

His gaze flickered between my eyes and mouth, “Perfect.” I wasn’t sure if he was still talking about lunch or something else.

Cautiously, he reached a hand out to cup my cheek as he had done earlier, and my eyes flitted closed just in time to see him lean down. Tentatively, he brushed his mouth across mine, so light I wasn’t sure I’d felt it at all. He pulled back, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear.

“See you tomorrow Bella.”

I nodded, my fingers instinctively going to my lips, where I could still feel the tingling sensation left behind from his kiss. He turned, jogging over to his car, and I watched him as he backed out of the drive and pulled onto the road.