Title: Torn
Rating: T
Penname: Katbug86
Characters: Bella & Quil Jr.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
Chapter 21: Crossing the Line
I was right when I thought that Jessica would question me about yesterday afternoon. As soon as my lunch tray was set on the table she pounced, seeming unable to control her curiosity any longer. Not that I could entirely blame her—seeing me with another guy after months of shutting everyone else out when Edward left—the sight would have been intriguing to even me.
"So?" she asked, looking at me expectantly.
"So… what?" Maybe feigning ignorance would get me from having to endure this conversation.
Jessica huffed and rolled her eyes. "Don't pretend that you don't know Bella. What was up with you and that guy in the parking lot yesterday?"
Should have known she'd see right through me; always easy to read I was once told. "Umm… nothing. He's just a friend of mine," I responded, trying to make my voice sound as casual as possible. Friends, wasn't exactly the right answer, but Quil and I never established whether or not we were more; even if he kissed me every now and then like a boyfriend would.
"He didn't look like just a friend to me," she said suggestively, staring at me intently in order to gauge my reaction to her statement. Her inquisitive nature was starting to wear on my nerves, but I knew that if I didn't indulge her with a bit of information then she wouldn't let up.
I noticed then that the rest of our group had taken their seats and were not so subtly listening in on our conversation. Mike looked especially interested about whether or not I may have a new boyfriend.
"Look, his name is Quil. He lives down in La Push and we are just friends. Nothing more," I maintained eye contact with her while keeping my voice firm. She looked like she was going to question me further, but thankfully Angela distracted her by asking about prom. I gave her a grateful look and finally began to eat my lunch.
Prom—it seemed to be the topic of discussion for every other high school student but myself. It's not like I would want to go anyway, having two left feet and all, and especially not after having Edward trick me into going last year. High school traditions such as dances just seemed completely trivial as it was.
I mean, I knew of a world that shouldn't exist—a world of vampires and werewolves. So while every other teenager is worried about who they are taking to this year's prom or what color dress to buy, I was worried about a psychopathic vampire trying to find a way to get to me so she could possibly torture me to death. Sounds so much more fun, right?
Much to my relief, for the second day in a row I found Quil leaning against the passenger side of my beloved truck when I exited the school building at the end of the day. He had my favorite smile upon his lips and I once again threw my arms around his neck, letting him catch me by the waist. I could get used to this.
"Another long day?" he inquired. I merely groaned and nodded into his chest in response while breathing him in. He had a similar woodsy scent to Jake's but I could also detect something that smelled like fresh rain. It was distinctly Quil.
His chest vibrated against my cheek as he laughed and then placed a soft kiss on the top of my head causing me to relax against him as the stress of the day subsided. "Come on, let get you home."
This time I drove, resting our intertwined fingers on the seat between us. He asked me about school and I told him about the mountain of homework I had yet to start but was due on Friday. I left out the reason I didn't start it yesterday. Something told me Quil wouldn't appreciate Jake's presence in my bedroom—no matter how innocent it may have been.
"Are you staying for dinner?" I asked him when we arrived at my house. I knew he'd stay, I'd never seen any one of the pack members turn down food, but my asking was more of a formality.
He smiled happily, "I'd like that."
We climbed out of the cab of my truck. Quil snatched my backpack before I could and followed me inside. I prepared dinner with his help and then started on my school work as it cooked while Quil sat across the table, watching me intently.
Charlie arrived home just as the timer went off alerting me that dinner was ready. We ate, chatting idly about our day. Quil and Charlie seemed to have bonded during the pizza and sports-watching; their conversations were much more animated and tension free than previous ones. Then again, it could also have to do with the fact my dad was now aware—in our case—of what we were not doing.
"I'm gonna be pretty busy the rest of the week so I probably won't get to see you much. Sam needs me to help patrol in La Push," Quil told me as we were finishing up the dishes.
"I know our date is postponed because of Victoria and everything, but can we do something next week when I get back from Seattle?" I asked hopefully. It would suck not getting to see Quil for nearly a week, but I understood he had his pack duties. All of which were to help protect me.
His brows furrowed in confusion. "Seattle?"
I had completely forgotten to tell him of my spring break plans. "Charlie and I are going to visit UW. You know… tour the campus and stuff. We're leaving Saturday morning and will be back on Monday."
"Oh, I think you mentioned something about that. We'll definitely get together when you get back." He turned to wrap his arms around me. "Maybe I'll even get a chance to come over and say goodbye before you leave."
I heard a howl in the distance. "Jake's here, I have to get going," he informed me, placing a kiss on my forehead before leaving.
It wasn't quite time to go to bed yet, so I told Charlie I was going to take a shower and then finish my homework. He merely grunted in response.
When I left the bathroom after my shower I could no longer hear the TV on downstairs and assumed Charlie must have gone to bed. I wondered briefly whether or not Jake would be waiting in my room again. I had brought my clothes into the bathroom with me this time just in case—no need to give him a peep show two nights in a row.
I opened the bedroom door, scanning the room with my eyes for any signs of Jake, but found it empty. Thinking that I might as well really do some homework, I dragged my backpack over to the bed, sitting myself in the middle, and pulling out my reading assignment.
I'm not sure how long I sat there, but eventually I heard a tapping on the window. My breath hitched in my throat and my heart rate spiked instantly until I saw Jake's face peering back at me. I relaxed immediately and motioned for him to come in. He opened the window effortlessly, hoping inside and landing on the floor with a soft thud.
He smiled before padding over to take a seat beside me on the bed. I scooted over to allow him more room just as I had last night.
"Miss me?" he asked cheekily. I rolled my eyes and started to put my books away, not even bothering to respond. When I finished I turned to look at him, eyeing him curiously.
"Don't you even own a shirt?" Every time I'd seen him since his 'transformation' he was merely in a pair of cut off shorts. It was his turn to roll his eyes.
"Yes, but it's just one more piece of clothing I have to carry with me." He elaborated when I raised a questioning eyebrow, "You know… when I phase?"
Realization dawned on me then. I knew he ran to my house each night, but sometimes it was easy to forget that my two closest friends morphed into giant dogs at will. I chuckled inwardly at the thought, now how many people can say that?
I maneuvered myself until I was leaning against the headboard next to Jake, leaning my head on his shoulder. "Thanks for staying with me last night," I said, making sure he knew just how grateful I really was.
"A pretty girl asks me to sleep in her bed… who am I to say no?" he joked. I slapped him playfully on the arm, blushing despite myself. "Seriously though, I'll stay anytime you need me to." I could tell by the tone of his voice that he meant it.
"Will you stay again tonight then?" I asked timidly. Even though he had just told me he would, part of me was still afraid he'd say no and I'd be forced to endure the fretful sleep from before.
"Of course I will honey." I smiled as he shifted us so we were laying side by side, his arm resting under my neck as it had last night and the other wrapped securely around my middle. I felt his nose nuzzle into my hair as I drifted into unconsciousness and I even thought I heard a muffled 'I love you'.
Wednesday and Thursday passed without incident and by Friday the school was buzzing with the excitement for the one week break. All my homework was turned in and much to our delight, most of the teachers allowed free time; most likely knowing we wouldn't pay attention to anything anyway.
Charlie had come home, dead on his feet, and apologized saying he had a new case he had to work on this weekend and as a result we would have to postpone our trip to Seattle. In reality I was relieved, Jake had been trying to get me to cancel the trip until after they found Victoria. He was afraid of me being on my own where the pack couldn't protect me and quite frankly, so was I.
Quil was still busy and I had yet to see him either before or after school. I had taken to leaving my bedroom window open once again; something I had not done since Edward left. And each night Jake would come to stay with me, effectively chasing all my nightmares away.
We'd talk about school, the pack, our families, and anything else that came to mind. I remembered that I hadn't talked to Renee in over a week and made a mental note to send her an email soon. She knew about me wanting to go to college in Washington and although she was disappointed, she accepted my decision.
Talking with Jake was comfortable and something I had missed terribly during our separation and I found myself looking forward to seeing him during his late night visits. While Quil was easy to talk to and open up with, he'd never replace the relationship I had with Jake; the natural ease of it.
Tonight was no different than any other night this week; Jake appeared at my window shortly after Charlie had gone to bed, hardly making a sound as he entered. I had already placed myself on one side of the bed; leaving ample room for him lay next to me.
I glanced up from the book I was reading and my eyes raked over his half naked form as he stood there. My reactions to his body had been confusing lately; I'd never had never felt anything when seeing his bare chest before. Jake was my best friend, nothing more. But looking at him now stirred a flutter to my stomach.
His shorts hung low, showing the beginnings of the prominent 'V' forming at his hips. I then looked at the muscles that spread across his upper body, tensing and straining against his skin. He was beautiful, not just 'sort of' as I had told him before; a time that seemed so long ago.
I continued my scan until I caught sight of his face. He was smirking and I realized that I had been caught staring. My cheeks flushed red and I ducked my head while Jake just laughed, remembering to stay quiet so he didn't wake up Charlie.
When he claimed his space next to me I became all too aware of our bodies proximities. I could feel the heat rolling off him in waves and I suddenly felt hot, despite my shorts and tanks top and I had taken to wearing in his presence.
Part of me was aware he could hear my heart rate increase as I tried to reign in the new emotions he was inspiring in me. We were lying next to one another and he turned to look into my face, brushing and errant strand of hair behind my ear.
I could see the love he had for me in his eyes, the truth behind the words he had spoken before when he told me he'd be there always… waiting. He looked at me questioningly and I'm not sure what the expression on my face was—if it showed the inner battle I was having with myself or not.
Tentatively he leaned towards me, his gaze flickering between my eyes and lips—back and forth, silently asking me if it was ok. I knew what he was about to do and I didn't want to stop it. As much as I knew this could potentially ruin our friendship and as much as I knew I had told Jake we could never be more, I wanted to know what it would be like to feel his lips on mine just once.
I was not disappointed. When he pressed his mouth to mine it felt like a fire had ignited throughout my body. My heart was beating erratically, as if it wanted to beat its way right out of my chest. I had never thought that kissing Jake could feel like this and it was hard to remember why I had never done it before.
His tongue swept across my bottom lip and I eagerly opened my mouth to allow him access while threading my fingers in his hair. His taste was in my mouth and I was vaguely aware of him pulling my body closer, grasping at the exposed skin on the small of my back.
His touch left heated trails along my skin and when he tilted his head to deepen the kiss once more I couldn't help the whimper that escaped me. A moment more and I reluctantly pulled away to catch my breath.
Out in the distance a howl sounded causing us both to freeze. Jacob was out the window before I could even register the movement while I sat there alone, the realization of what I just done crashing down on me.
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