A Jacob Black Love Story

Promises

Jacob drives me to his house, and it's a silent car ride.
"Come on," he mutters, and we both get out.
"So, is anybody home?" I ask.
He shakes his head, leading me to his bedroom. "Everybody's hunting for this vampire named Victoria. Since Edward killed James, her boyfriend, she wants to kill Bella. They let me stay because I sensed that you were in danger."
I frown. "Bella's going to die?"
  He grins and we both take a seat on his bed. "Not if the wolves have anything to do with it."
I smile. "You must really care about her, Jake."
  He kisses my forehead. "Not as much as I care about you, though."
When he says that, I realize just how much I need him to stay. I need him to say it'll be okay. I need to hear him say that he loves me. I need him to stay by my side to keep me safe. I need him to make me laugh. I need him to make me smile. I. Need. Him. And it scares me.
I cringe and squeak. I take a breath, gather my nerve, and avoid his gaze when I say, "Don't say stuff like that, Jake! It'll only make me hurt more when you leave me."
He hears me and his eyes widen.
"I'm not going anywhere," he whispers. I run to the bathroom, and lock the door. I stay in there for a long time.
I hear his footsteps coming closer to the bathroom door.
"Tessie," he says. "I'm not sorry about what I said. I care about you more than I care about Bella. You're the girl I imprinted on. Not Bella. And I promise you that I'll never hurt you the way Edward hurt Bella when he left her."
He waits for me to say something, but I stay silent.
"Tessa," he says, sounding worried. "Tessa, let me know you're okay in there. I'm worried. Just say something, anything, so I-"
"I'm okay in here," I say.
"Will you come out?"
"Will you stop making promises that you may not be able to keep?"
  "Yeah," he says. "I'm sorry."
"You're driving me insane," I say, coming out. "And I got scared of what I was feeling towards you."
  He sighs. "There's nothing to be scared of, Tessa. I love you."
  "Just don't promise me anything," I whisper.
"I'm not going to promise you that I won't promise you anything."
  Around seven, Jacob goes to the kitchen to cook the chicken. I'm in the living room, playing on my phone.
  Jacob comes in, sitting on the other end of the couch, typing something on his phone. My phone beeps with a text message. I roll my eyes, reading the message.
〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰
From: Jacob
I love you, and I'm sorry that I hurt you.
Happy early birthday.
Love,
Puppy
〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰
From: Tessa
Jake, my birthday isn't until two days, but thanks anyway. I'm sorry, too. I know it frustrates you when I run away from you-that's why you sent me that note before, isn't it? I'll try harder to work on my emotions, so they don't mess me up so badly. And I'll stay away from all sharp items from now on. I should've been doing that alone, so you don't have to worry about me cutting myself so much. The thing is, I like it when you're there to help me. It makes me feel like somebody cares. All though that sounds kind of selfish, it's true.
Love,
Kitten

I read it over and hit send. Jacob's phone beeps. He reads my message and starts typing.
〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰
From: Jacob
  I want to explain something.
  After Edward left Bella. . . Well. . . I didn't know what imprinting really meant at the time. And I thought I was in love with Bella. But then I realized that I was going to stay stuck in the friend zone with her. So I needed some space away from her for a while. I'm better now because then you came along. See. . . You're the only person I have in my life that I really care about. I'm selfish about that. I don't want anybody to touch you. I want to keep you safe. That's why I was so mad when you told me that you cut yourself. Now that I found you, I don't want to lose you. I wish you could always be safe. I worry a lot. You see, we're both selfish about each other and that's okay. As much as we have been in the past couple weeks, we still don't know each other very well, do we? I want to change that about us? Do you? I want to know you better. Know what makes you happy and what terrifies you. And I want you to know that about me, too.
I love you.
I will try to never hurt you again.
  I know I'll mess up. But I'll keep trying as long as you let me.
Love,
   Puppy

I read the message and swallow hard. Turning towards him, I say, "I want that too." I scoot over onto his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. His arms circle my waist, and he closes his eyes.