Remember That Night?

Bella could feel the heat radiating off of Jacob, and welcomed it as she shivered under his intense gaze. Things had changed so much in the last few months. Neither of them were quite the same as they had been. Jacob was much more open about how he felt now. He was angrier, sure, but there was a passion there that hadn't been before. Bella was different, too. She held herself up more, squared her shoulders when she would have backed down, before. She didn't wrap her arms tightly around herself anymore, as if her chest were caving in. Things were different now; they were different.

Bella finally stood up from her chair, the top of her head itching the middle of Jacob's chest. She looked up at him, meeting his eyes. She placed her small, cold hand on his bare chest, admiring the hard muscle beneath her fingers. His hand reached for hers, cradling it tighter against him. Bella could finally feel the urge rising within her. She wanted to kiss him.

Jacob slowly lowered his head, his eyes flicking back and forth between hers and her lips. He wanted to be sure that she was okay with it, and she could understand that; she had gently rejected him only hours before.

'BRRRRRIIIIIIING'

The sound of the phone ringing cut through the near silence in the kitchen. Bella startled, her hand removed from Jacob's chest. She shook her head briefly, as if clearing it of her previous thoughts.

"Sorry," She mumbled. "I'll get that. Just a moment."

Jacob seemed mildly disappointed, but said nothing. Bella felt a twinge of something in her chest, almost hating whoever had called her home, for a second.

Bella picked up the phone, silencing the next ring partway through.

"Hello?" Her voice was clear and didn't shake, despite the way her chest felt tight and her fingers tingled. (She wasn't sure if she was anxious or excited, or if perhaps they were one and the same for her now).

There was silence on the other end of the phone for several, long seconds. Bella was about to repeat herself when the person on the other end finally spoke.

"Do you remember that night?" The voice was heavenly, and Bella was sent hurtling back into the pain she thought she had left behind. "I hope you do. I want you to know that it was never a lie. Be safe. Be happy. Please."

Bella couldn't hear him anymore, as her thoughts were on the night that his words reminded her of. She was lost to her memories.

The night was a warm one. It was the middle of summer, and it was raining, as it always seemed to be. The night was humid, and Bella felt terrible, stuck in her room. Charlie had been meaning to replace the air conditioners, but hadn't gotten around to it yet, so they were left suffering the warm nights. Even though it had only been just under a year away from Arizona, her body was already unused to the heat. (A tiny part of her missed spring, and the rest of her liked the heat. It made embracing Edward nicer).

Edward had already shown up to her room, gracefully posed in the rocking chair beside her bed.

"Are you alright, love?' His voice was angelic, and she couldn't help but gawk every time he spoke. She smiled at him from her spot at her desk, and nodded.

"Yes. It's just hot in here. Can't believe I'm going to say this, but I can't wait for fall, already." She jokingly fanned herself with her hand and laughed a little to herself.

Edward gave her a sympathetic look. "Yes, I suppose it is quite warm." He looked out the window, watching the late night rain drip down her windowpane. 'Would you like to go for a drive with me? The air conditioner in my car does work. You can set it to whatever you'd like."