Young Writers Society

I’d fallen asleep after that walk in the woods. Having too much time to reflect upon past events can really tire a person. When I awoke, it was nearly seven. Rising from the chair, I knew that I would have to rush to get ready for dinner with Jacob. It was a very good thing indeed that Jacob wasn’t much for appearances. I supposed he felt inner beauty triumphed over all. Lucky him.
Jacob arrived on time, as always. As Charlie and I usually leave the front door unlocked, Jacob entered the foyer without knocking.
“Your chariot is ready, m’lady,” he announced. I strolled to meet him, grabbing my jacket along the way.
Jacob jumped down the front steps. I uneasily followed, careful not to stumble and rip my jeans. The “new” Chevette he bought from a customer was freshly painted dark blue. It suited Jacob well. Jacob opened the passenger side door for me, and I obligingly entered the vehicle.
“You look amazing, Bella,” he remarked. This old thing? I thought. I was wearing jeans and an older long-sleeved purple Henley. Of course, it was one of my favorite shirts, so it must have rubbed off on me somehow.
“Thank you,” I replied. I tried to concentrate on what I would order for dinner, but I couldn’t stop trying to search Jacob’s face. He was virtually unreadable tonight. Jacob didn’t appear to be overly thrilled to be taking me out, nor upset in any way. Possibly he was worried about our project.
“Jake? If you need the blueprints for the shop finished earlier, I can get them done,” I told him. No answer.
“Jacob? Did you hear me?” He didn’t respond.
“Are you okay?” I was beginning to feel concerned. Why wasn’t Jacob acting normally?
Jacob suddenly pulled off of the road, into a clearing. He sighed.
“Bella, the reason I asked you out tonight wasn’t just for dinner,” he expressed.
“Yes?”
“The thing is, I’ve been having these visions. Strange visions,” Jacob revealed. “I’ve never experienced the like ever before.”
“I don’t understand, Jacob. What are you trying to tell me?” At this point, I was becoming extremely irritated with him.
“Bella, please believe me. I hope you do.” He looked away for a brief moment, and then took my hand. “Bella, this is extremely hard to say.”
“Just tell me, Jake. I want to know,” I stated.
“I’ve been having visions,” he repeated. “Visions about you-…and me. Bella, I believe these visions are from Edward. He wants us to be together.” For a moment, I couldn’t respond. Maybe I heard wrong.
“That’s impossible, Jacob. Edward’s…he’s…he-”
“I know he’s dead, Bella. But I also know that he’s been sending these visions to me,” Jacob maintained.
“Just stop. You’re imagining them. It’s not possible.” How could Edward be sending Jacob visions when he was no longer alive?
“Bella, I swear-”
“No! It’s not possible,” I repeated.
“Bella, I know it seems crazy, but it’s real. Edward wants this.” Jacob shook my hand to emphasize his point. “It’s okay. He wants us to be together.”
I’d had enough. I yanked my hand away from Jacob’s grasp. “Take me home. Now.”
“What about dinner?” Jacob was upset, but he deserved to be.
“Dinner is cancelled.” I snapped.
After fumbling with his seatbelt, Jacob fiercely turned the ignition. His Chevette roared to life. Dramatically, Jacob spun the car around, tires squealing. It was a silent drive back to the Swan home. I knew Charlie would wonder why Jacob was driving so erratically. ‘Maniacally,’ he’d say. ‘Young people must learn to abide by common driving knowledge.’
As Jacob had been driving 20 miles over the speed limit, we reached home in record time. Upon arrival, Jacob did not turn off the Chevette. I didn’t expect him to. While I unbuckled my seatbelt and prepared to get out of the car, I took one last glance at Jacob. He was livid. As I left Jacob’s vehicle, he rocketed out of the driveway.
When I came inside, Charlie was talking on the telephone.
“Just a minute, Billy,” he told his longtime friend. “Why are you home so early, Bella? I thought that you and Jake had gone to Port Angeles?”
“Change of plans,” I replied. I must not have appeared too convincing, but Charlie didn’t say anything more. Of course, he would tell Billy, Billy would ask Jacob, and Jacob would be even more upset with me. Then again, I was awful angry with him myself. What right did he have to bring something so painful back into my conscious on what could have been a menial, possibly even entertaining dinner?
I decided to heat up a bowl of oatmeal. Not typical evening fare, no, but I needed something warm and comforting. I was careful to add just the right amount of milk and brown sugar. While my oatmeal was heating up in the microwave, I spotted something from Peninsula College lying on the counter. I grabbed the sheet of paper to take a closer look. It was an ad for an art contest. Well, maybe in previous years, I may have accepted the challenge, but not now. An art contest would bring back too many hurtful memories from the past. Why would Charlie pick this up? Surely he wasn’t thinking of entering.
The timer on the microwave beeped. I took my oatmeal out and sat down to eat. I finished the cereal and left the kitchen quickly, not wanting to answer any more of Charlie’s questions. After reaching my bedroom, I decided to that I would turn in for the night. Sleep would be good, I could reflect on Jacob’s news. Why would he lie about a thing like that? Jake had known my strife in the incident, as I still referred to Edward’s untimely death. I couldn’t bear speaking of it; I could hardly handle just thinking about it.
I used some bathroom time before Charlie would need to take a shower. Then, I snuggled into my bedcovers, to enter a deep slumber.
* *
It was unusually bright for this time of year. The sun was shining high in the sky-its yellow gleam reflecting off of the pond. I did not recognize this area. I wanted to discover more of this beautiful place. Neighboring the pond was a whispering willow. It seemed to speak to me.
“Bella.” How wonderful, I thought.
“Bella,” another voice called. Hmm, maybe someone is looking for me? I turned around, but no one was there.
“Bella,” I heard again. What could this mystery be? I started walking deeper into the meadow. Spotting some trees, I decided to sit down and rest.
“Bella.” This time the voice was closer. I turned around to see a beautiful man standing there. He was pale as snow, and his hair was like fire. I knew where I had found myself-Edward’s meadow.
“Edward?” I gasped. His lovely face lit up with a smile at hearing my voice.
“Bella, follow me,” he requested. I obliged. We walked a small path past the meadow, into the woods. He stopped.
“Edward? I thought you were-”
“Of course I am. But, there were too many things left unsettled,” he stated.
“What do you mean, Edward?” I was puzzled.
“You’ve been in pain far too long, Bella. It hurts me to see you suffering as you are.”
“I needed you, Edward. I still do. Why-”
“There’s no time for regrets, Bella. What’s done is done. I came here to let you know that it’s okay to move on,” he told me.
“Move on?” I questioned.
“Bella, you mustn’t concern yourself with events not under your control. Jacob, he is there for you now. He cares for you more than you’ll ever know. Give him a chance to love you. Give me a chance.” He was speaking as I’d never heard him speak before. It was unsettling, erratic even.
“I don’t understand, Edward,” I remarked.
“Silly Bella, it’s really all that simple. Accept Jacob as you once accepted me. Let him take care of you. Once and for all, let yourself live.” Edward had a slightly unnerving smile on his face. He gazed at me for a moment, then turned around and began to walk in the opposite direction.
“Edward? Don’t leave. Please!” I tried to follow, but his vampire speed made the attempt useless.
“Edward!” I cried, tears streaming down my face. “Edward! Don’t leave me again!” I fell to my knees, letting the sorrowful sobs take over.
“Bella!”
“Edward?” I hoped.
“Bella! Wake up! You’re having a nightmare,” I heard from somewhere far away. Suddenly, I was being violently shaken. I groggily opened my eyes to see Charlie hovering over me.
“Edward. Where’s Edward?” I demanded.
“Bella, Edward’s dead. You know that. You must have been dreaming,” Charlie answered.
“He’s gone?” I started to sob even harder. Charlie must have held me for hours, supporting me until I fell back into a dreamless sleep.
* *
In the past, I’d always been a bit guarded. I supposed that was why I was so worried about explaining my dream to anyone. It was an eerie coincidence that Jacob had had a similar dream (or claimed to). I knew I’d have to apologize for my reaction, so I decided to invite Jacob over for dinner after work. I would make his favorites, pot roast with wild mushrooms and new potatoes. It was a Black family recipe, but Charlie had acquired it from Billy a few years ago.
I took a shower and got dressed for work. The day seemed to fly by. On my lunch break, I bought the roast, potatoes and mushrooms. I also picked out a delicious looking cheesecake, since Charlie had a fondness for the dessert. He could have our leftovers after returning from Seattle that night.
Four o’clock came by quickly. I packed my things and drove home. I put the food in the oven, setting the timer for 2 ½ hours. Then, I sat down with my laptop and worked until it was time to take the roast out of the oven. Jacob would be very happy to learn that I’d made some progress on our project.
Jacob arrived at seven o’clock. He didn’t have to announce himself, as I had been waiting near the door for the last half an hour.
“Hi, Bella,” he said, fidgeting with his sweater.
“Come in.” I requested. He followed me into the dining room. After seeing his delight with the course selection, I knew that it would be much easier to discuss the pressing matter with him. We sat down, but neither of us started to eat. There were too many important things on my mind; most likely Jacob had matters to discuss as well.
“Jacob?” I asked.
“Yes, Bella?” he replied, with his mouth full.
“I need to apologize for last night. I was so upset, but I shouldn’t have reacted so rudely,” I told him. He smiled, having cooled off from our argument.
“I’ve been thinking about you all night, Bella,” Jacob said.
“Me too. I’ve got to tell you something.”
“Go ahead. I’ve always got an ear to listen,” he confided.
“Well, I know we didn’t have the best goodbye last night. After you told me about your vision, I was very confused. But then, last night, I had one of my own,” I divulged.
“What exactly do you mean, Bella?” Jacob wondered.
“It was in the meadow-Edward’s meadow. He seemed so real. He told me to forget about him,” I answered.
“That sounds nearly like mine,” he replied. “Edward told me that it was okay for us to take a chance. He wouldn’t be angry with either of us.”
“Of course,” I nodded. I began to eat as well.
“Bella, you’ve been my best friend since I was sixteen years old. I’ve seen you through so many trials. Won’t you give me the chance to truly support you?” Jacob implored.
“By that, you mean..?” I wondered. Jacob got out of his chair and came over to me.
“Stand up, Bella.” I obliged. He took my hand in his, as he had done in the car last night. “Bella. Isabella Marie Swan, would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?”
I exhaled. I couldn’t seem to answer right away. I knew that Edward had proclaimed that this would be right, but I was still a bit doubtful.
“Please, Bella?” Jacob repeated. “I promise never to hurt you. We can have many great things together.” He looked deep into my eyes. “Please?” he added.
My thoughts were muddled. Here was this boy I’d know nearly my whole life, who’d been there for me through thick and thin. Yet, my heart still held the love of another. What would I do?
“I’ve got to think, Jacob. Not that I wouldn’t want to be,” I confessed, “I just need a little time to sort out my feelings.”
“Take as long as you like, Bella. I’ll always be there for you, no matter what. I only would like to be more for you,” he told me. We both sat back down and continued eating. After Jacob had finished his dinner, I brought out the cheesecake. Luckily, I had put aside a piece for Charlie, as Jacob ate nearly the whole pie.
“Delicious, Bella. I haven’t had a good meal like that in months. It stinks being a bachelor sometimes,” he remarked.
“It was all my pleasure,” I smiled. At that moment, Charlie arrived.
“Hello, Jacob. Bella,” he said, giving me a curious look. I knew that I’d have more than a few questions to answer later, but I was prepared. Charlie went upstairs to take a shower, so Jacob and I were alone again. I brought my laptop over to the table, to show Jacob my work. He was pleased.
“This is great, Bella. I’m sure Embry will love it as well.” Embry was Jacob’s business partner. His family had invested a lot of money in the shop. If it weren’t for Embry, Jacob probably would still be working for Sue Clearwater. He was ashamed to say that he did housekeeping work for the Clearwaters, but he was very competent, and had decent pay.
Jacob had to meet a customer early the next morning, so he left after he had finished eating. Not before departing, though, he was sure to give me a hug. He had a strong embrace that lasted for well over a minute.
“Good night, Bella,” he said, right before leaning in.