Your Presence Always Lingers (OPEN)

[WHITNEY!]

It was as if he was younger than he actually was, and his inner child was continuously pushing him to stamp around on the sand’s top in attempt to get his way. It was as though he needed to hear those words come from her mouth. Inside it felt as though his life depended on her returning the love he had for her. Jacob wanted Bella to be with him, and he still ached now- even if the sting of tears and been erased and they were no longer yelling at each other. Now they were Jacob and Bella- the best friends they were obviously meant to be, but with in Jacob’s heart and stomach stirred the irresistible urge they were meant to be more. Somehow he realized in the midst of the end of his sentence that perhaps that moment had not been the right time to admit anything to her.

His stomach muscles tightened beneath his warm, bronzed skin once the words winglessly took flight into the air from his mouth. There were no real boundaries when true love was involved; but that’s almost what bothered him. It had been troubling him almost as much as being plagued with the thought of Bella leaving to find Edward again. He felt the slow sting of acid simmering through his sides. His heart thumped wildly above his rib cage and he was at a loss for words again. She always seemed to snatch everything from him- his heart, his words, and his happiness.

Their skin was still touching- they were still connected. Only wishing to remain so forever, Jacob could not push himself to pull away from her. His arms still felt empty as his mind wandered to the end of their time together. It would not be long before she would want to go, and that feeling simmered in his stomach too. He did not want her to go; it all just felt right. Standing on the beach embracing with his Bella only completed him fully; it answered all of his dreams and wishes… even if it might not last.

Her words felt like rejection, even if she had not meant them in that way. But it was not fair to him, and he could not stand it. Jacob Black could not stand feeling as though his skin was being pulled by one-thousand tiny hooks in two million directions everyday. He hated that she could not make up her mind. He loathed everything about the situation they were in. Staring into her brilliant eyes, he became lost in her again as he had so many times before. Rejection rested heavily on his shoulders, but he could not help but feel content with her.

Just say it, Bella. All you have to say is ‘I love you too’ and we can put everything to rest. You can tell him that you are not sure anymore. You can tell him that you need time to spend alone and we can talk. You can come and stay with me for a few days, or at least spend some more time with me. Just let me show you what it would be like with me. I promise you, Every word running through his head was true and passionate. I swear on my life that I can show you what true happiness is. I can give you everything you want and more… just please, don’t leave me here like this again. If only the time were right for him to breathe those words.

Of course she did not know what to say because, in reality, Jacob did not either. His heart continuously thumped with out ease in his chest, and the hypothetical butterflies continued to jam his stomach with their wings brushing against his insides. Again his lips ached to connect with hers; the temptation was almost too much, but he just continued to gaze into her eyes.

“They’re… fine,” Answering quickly about his friends, he had to wonder if she had changed the subject of conversation only because she was uncomfortable or if she honestly had nothing else to say. Was she just ignoring the real subject at hand? Assuming so, Jake saw it fit to ask about her friends. His signature playful grin pushed the corners of his lips up toward his ears. Laughter joined his words as he opened his mouth to speak; the memories of the little movie adventure with Bella’s friend Mike continuously made him laugh. “How’s Mike… and everyone?”

He tried to pull her closer as subtly as possible. For as long as they were going to be together, he wanted to be as close as possible.

[bella]

His touch was warm and comforting…a feeling Bella missed. With Jake, things always seemed right. There was never a moment of question. It always just was. Even after she had softly pulled away from the embrace, she still remained quite close to him. His fingertips were electrifying against her skin, making her heart race wildly. It was so loud, she was sure Jacob could hear it. And if he couldn’t…then he could surely feel the temperature of her skin steadily increasing as she grew warm and comfortable near him. His frame blocked most of the sea breeze, but what lacked tousled her hair lightly. Her thoughts lingered back on what their future would be like if she remained with him. She saw herself next to him at a tribal campfire, seeing the love, family, and warmth that came with being part of the tribe.

It was definitely a nice future that Bella could see herself living. It was a future involving Charlie, her mom, and Phil. Friends and family that she wouldn’t have to leave behind for scorching cold Alaska. Even if she wouldn’t feel much of the cold, the idea of living in the middle of no where, surrounded by near constant snow wasn’t very comforting. Of course, she would be with Edward. Which would make it tolerable. But, was their love really strong enough to withstand pushing her friends and family away forever. And she knew…once she agreed…she could never go back. She would be a vampire for eternity. Eternity…wow…that’s such a small word to mean so long… she thought to herself, her body still close to Jake's. Did she really want to be frozen in time like Edward and the rest of the Cullens? She would have family forever…but…constantly losing people she loved in the outside world didn’t seem to be much of a life...

She inhaled quickly as she forced herself out of thinking about it. Spending too much time in those thoughts could easily cause her to go insane…well, more insane than she already was. Her eyes met Jake’s as she realized that they had just been standing there in silence. But, even through the silence…it wasn’t awkward. It felt right…

He answered quickly about Quil and Embry and she knew that was because they were not what he truly wanted to talk about. He wanted to talk about them: Jake and Bells. He wanted her to tell him she loved him and that she was leaving Edward. But, things weren’t that simple. She loved Edward…with all of her being. But, she loved Jacob too…though she had yet to openly admit it. Why did this decision have to be so hard?

Her brown eyes caught the signature Jake smile as he asked about Mike and her other friends. She knew he was thinking about the night at the movies when Mike couldn’t quite handle the gore. “Watch your thoughts, Jake.” She said playfully, a soft laugh escaping her lips as she felt his warmth radiate closer to her. “They’re good. Jessica’s valedictorian, Mike and her are still together, and everyone else is just ready for graduation.” Jake didn’t yet know about her plans after graduation, and for the sake of not wanting another argument, she remained quiet about it. Of course…from the way her thoughts were going, she wasn’t so sure she would be sticking to those plans. She needed time away…but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be alone…or with Jacob or Edward. But, even if she wanted time alone, she knew Edward would never agree to it. He was protecting her every chance he had…and when he wasn’t…Jacob was. It was flattering...but every now and then, she just needed some space.

Inhaling deeply, she let her eyes rest with his for a moment before gazing back out at the sea. The warmth of the sun was refreshing, and she couldn't think of a better day to spend it, than at the beach. “Hey! Come on!” she said, as if an idea had suddenly struck her. And with that, she didn’t even give him a chance to respond before she raced towards the water…wanting more than anything just to be free of the worries in her life. It wasn’t a typical Bella thing to do, but lately that wasn't unusual. Riding motorcycles, cliff-diving…compared to those, she was being tame. Of course, she would keep her clothes on, especially since she didn’t have a bathing suit…and even more especially in front of Jake. She was already self conscious about her body enough as it was…to be in anything that exposed her skin next to Jake was just out of the question.

Her feet hit the water and it splashed up, but she kept running…sensing Jake right behind her. Laughter filled the air as she turned to Jake, a bright smile on her face.

[WHITNEY!]

He had to laugh at her and the hint of a conversation they were trying to have. Everything felt easier, even though it was all easy with Bella anyway. The two of them were direct compliments of each other and Jacob recognized that; did Bella? Did Bella even understand how perfect they were for each other? Edward Cullen had most likely made sure her mind was occupied one-hundred percent of the time. Jacob could kill him if he really wanted to, but that was not who he was and it would never be. He was just, and always would be, Jacob Black- the kindest, most loving young man on the face of this earth. He had a fine life and was satisfied- even happy.

But this- being so close to Bella could have only made it PERFECT. This was not a foreign thought- to any who was close to him.

Jacob returned to the precious moment between the two. Catching her gaze yet again, his heart skipped a beat. Bella would always and forever steal his heart and his breath, and perhaps his life one day. The touch of her skin soothed any ache he had. His smile and face glowed contently. “C’mon,” He continued to chuckle. “You know that was funny! Okay,” Attempting to cease his laughter he began to recant so she would not be upset with him. “It was a little funny, Bells.” Oh, the joys of being a teenager and being to laugh almost anything off… until she mentioned graduation. What exactly was she going to do and who was she going with? Would she be sneaking off to be turned into one of them? Jacob hoped she would come to her senses and stay with him.

And before he could worry anymore on the subject, or even speak on it, he heard her voice in that playful Bella tone he missed; then she gone from his arms and heading toward the water. His smirk grew and he felt right- playful and even flirty. Taking off after her, he did not press himself to run as fast as he could for the sake of the moment. How he would not have minded to be better prepared for a swim in the ocean, he shrugged the thought off and, in the spur of the moment, pulled his shirt off over his head and let it go behind him. As he trampled into the water after her, Jacob was taken by surprise by Bella’s splash.

The cool water basically turned warm as it graced his skin, and he chuckled in another playful dance of the tongue. “C’mon Bella, you can do better than that.” He tried to catch her as another wave came rolling toward them. The water soaked into his jeans, but it still made no difference to him. Again his heart danced wildly in his chest, out of happiness and pure joy. Jacob Black was so excited he could scream. His thoughts were loud; there were no doubts the rest of the pack could have heard them with ease.

Cupping his hands and bending down to the water, Jacob splashed some water in her direction. “I didn’t get you wet did I, princess?” Laughter and jocularity missed in with this voice. Still amidst all of the fun, he hoped she would pick him. “What are you gonna do about it?” He called in reference to getting her even the slightest bit wet with the salt water.

[bella]

The splash of the salt water was almost a little cold as a wave came crashing in, but for the moment, Bella didn’t mind. She was content to just be having fun. It had been a while since she’d last genuinely smiled and it felt good to just laugh and play. She missed those days…the days of being able to wake up and feel happy because all that the day would consist of was being with friends and running around carelessly. That world no longer existed. Hormones hit and into adulthood we go…finding the one that will ultimately complete you. Who will cherish every moment in life with you and who will love you even into your old age. It was a burden on a teenage mind, but Bella let those thoughts fall from her mind as Jake splashed her even more with the water. Her hands went up in an attempted block from the water, but it still splashed her entire body as a playful laugh escaped her lips. “Jake!” She shrieked, the cold water slowly wetting her hair.

He taunted her playfully, and she responded with a just as teasing glare. When he asked what she was going to do about it, the only thing she could think to do was splash him even more. There really wasn’t much else you could do in the water besides splash and try and put people under water. Obviously there was no way she could take Jake down, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t of course try. She figured she’d try both and see how it went. Running towards him, she kicked up water that splashed him and then as she reached him, she wrapped her arms around him and tried her hardest to pull him down. It was a failed attempt just as she thought it would be, and she laughed. “Why do you have to be a werewolf again? Why can’t you just be weak old Jake?” He was never weak, but compared to what he was now, it would seem so. In the moment, her eyes couldn’t help but wander over his chest…noticing just how much had matured since he’d become a wolf. It really was a drastic change, but Bella had to admit…she liked it.

Eventually giving up on trying to dunk him, she released her arms from around him and opted to an even bigger splash, before a wave crashed into her that she wasn’t expecting. She gave an uneasy yelp as she thought she was going to fall, but instead it sent her right back into his arms. “On second thought…I’m glad your strong.” She said with a soft laugh, finally regaining her balance and looking towards the beach. Thoughts of missed school completely fled her mind and surprisingly, as did thoughts of Edward. She knew he was hunting, that much was for sure. But, in truth, she was glad he was. It gave her time to spend with Jake like they used to. Those were the honest days she missed.