Nessie's Life

Chapter 27

And so Benjamin stayed with us, never slipping once, though we would have forgiven him if he had.

He had never dealt with humans extensively in person, performing all his past charity work anonymously from afar. He was instantly drawn to Shelley as an invaluable resource to discover how humans think and feel. He asked everything about her, from the clarity of her memories at different ages, to her views on social justice, to the way she planned her future given her limited lifespan. He practiced acting human with her feedback.

Shelley was completely baffled to think that her boring wisp of a life could hold any interest to this beautiful, morally superb creature who had experienced countless adventures over countless years. She couldn't believe that she really had something to offer him. But every time he began to apologize for taking up too much of her time, she looked slightly panicked and insisted that she wouldn't want to be doing anything else. I could see that she was just as drawn to him.

One Friday as we were walking to the parking lot after school, Jacob suddenly told me that he wanted to take me somewhere special. I looked anxiously at Shelley, who was walking with us and was planning to come over.

She smiled slyly at me. "Don't worry, Nessie. I actually helped him plan it." I looked at both of them in shock. "Besides, Benjamin wants to try going to the store today. I'll be busy helping him."

"Okay. If you're sure."

She nodded and backed away towards her car. "You two have fun."

Jacob seemed more happy than I had seen in awhile as we walked to his motorcycle.

"Finally. I know you've had important stuff going on Ness, but I've been dying to get you alone."

I felt a thrill in my stomach. "I'm guessing you're not telling me where we're going?"

He grinned. "Of course not." He handed me a helmet. "For appearances."

As we drove through the city streets, I leaned my cheek onto his back. I realized just how much I missed him, now that all of my many distractions were gone. We pulled up to a marina for privately owned boats. He took my hand and led me out onto a pier, pulling a set of keys I had never seen before out of his pocket.

I was surprised when we stopped at one of the more run-down looking boats. I put my hand to his cheek questioningly. He half smiled. "Your family offered to pay for the fastest, most expensive model. But I had other ideas. I found an ad for this old girl online, and decided that if I could fix cars and bikes, then this couldn't be too hard."

I could see from his face how much he had enjoyed working on it. "No wonder your runs have been taking longer lately," I laughed.

He led me on board, untied the rope holding the small boat to the pier, and started her up. He drove us out to a quiet spot on the sound. After cutting the engine, he came to lie next to me on the deck. He stretched one arm underneath me and I rested my head on his chest. I closed my eyes and felt the warmth from the sun complemented by Jacob's warmth. I heard water lapping, birds chirping, and Jacob breathing.

"What did Shelley mean when she said she helped you plan this? When were you able to talk to her without me hearing?"

"It was when you were playing the piano with Edward a few days ago and you thought she went home. I ran her out into the woods for a bit to get her suggestions."

"You mean she saw you in wolf form?"

"And rode on me. She's very chill with just about everything. Not tripping everywhere or getting motion sick all the time like Bella did."