Chapter 20

I waited for one more ring, and then hung up the phone for the third time.

“He’s trying not to answer. He’s afraid if he hears Renesmee’s voice, it’ll just make it harder to stay away”, Daddy explained to us, reading Jacob’s thoughts.

“I’m sorry Renesmee”, Mama said.

“I’m fine. Jake’s got the right idea, anyway”, I said, mostly to myself.

I was so tired of being upset.

“So, did the Volturi leave us any work to do?”, I asked.

“Thankfully, no. Demitri and Felix are handling that. Our only job is to stay her and guard Volterra, and lead any suspicious parties off their trail”, Daddy said.

“Nessie!”, Aunt Alice and Rosalie simultaneously called from down the hall.

Daddy rolled his eyes, smiling.

Mama seemed to be in on it too, sharing the same knowing smile.

“You’d better go, or they’re going to come to you”, Mama teased.

I got up and went to go find my aunts.

Aunt Rose grabbed one hand and Aunt Alice the other.

“Shopping!”, she said excitedly in her wind chime voice.

“In Italy!”, Aunt Rose added.

I smiled back at them, forcing myself to mirror their obvious enthusiasm.

I loved shopping with my aunts, most of the time. I would try not to ruin it for them, and possibly, have fun.

            “Ooh, look at this, Renesmee! And it’s on sale!”

I laughed. Two hundred and four dollars was hardly a sale. But it wasn’t like my aunt was actually concerned with the price.

Aunt Alice danced around the store, the salesman trying to keep up.

“What about this one, miss?’, he stammered, holding up a gold sequined ensemble.

She immediately dropped the dress she was holding to the floor, and admired the new find, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

It was really pretty funny, watching my Aunt Alice shop. She was like a fashion tornado, traveling from outfit to outfit.

Aunt Rose came out of the dressing room in a turquoise sweater and designer jeans.

“Nessie, go try something on!”, she called.

Jake’s favorite color on me was lavender. I searched quickly around a rack in the Designer store we shopped in, until I found something practical, yet still classy.

 

It made me even more eager to see him.

We sprang from store to store, in search of the perfect, “Alice approved” clothing.

I was glad I had spent my day in a more productive manner, but it didn’t change things. I had to face the obvious. Jacob would always be instilled in my heart. It didn’t matter how much I tried to avoid my feelings.

Back in Volterra, the hollow halls echoed with emptiness. Only my grandparents were home, the rest were hunting, as usual.

A shrill, electronic bell-like sound rang from my pocket. I shakily reached for my phone, afraid to look at the Caller ID.

“Hello?”

“Hi”, Jake answered, loud chewing mashing up his words.

“Called me during your lunch break?”, I laughed, my heart fluttering spasmodically.

He laughed too, uniquely and utterly Jacob.

“I love you, honey”, he said softly.

“I love you too. So much.”

I had the sudden urge to place my hand on his neck, to show him how I felt at this very moment, hearing the voice I’d been obsessing over since he had left.

He took a breath.

“I’m so sorry. I should never have- I mean- it wasn’t anywhere near easy to-”

I interrupted him with a sigh.

“Jake, it’s okay. I don’t really care. Just the fact that you called…”

We spent the next two minutes in silence.

“I really wish you were-“, I started, but something caught my attention. A loud echo, a beating heart that definitely wasn’t my own.

I quickly turned around, and gasped.

There at my doorway stood Jacob, his phone held up to his ear.

 

I could hardly enable the fact that he stood only a few feet away from me, towering under the door.

There was an unexplainable, strange passion in those first moments. As if the sun had been lowered into Volterra, and back into me. A ball of light so fierce, so extraordinary I couldn’t handle it.

My emotions exploded together in those moments, laughter and sadness, shock, longing, and most importantly, pure, true love.

I charged toward Jacob so intensely that when I finally landed in his arms, it felt as if I had crashed into a brick wall. But it definitely didn’t hurt.  Instead it felt refreshing. Replenishing. I was alive again.

He intertwined his hands into my hair as I ran mine to his face.

The exact moment our lips touched, Jake’s knees gave out and we landed on the floor, him on his back, me on his chest.

I drew my hands up his light t-shirt, my fingers caressing his muscular chest softly.

“You have no idea how much I have missed you”, I mumbled, my lips now in his hair.

“Mmmhm”, he murmured back, holding me tighter against him.

I suddenly pulled myself back, gasping for air, a little dizzy. Jake was panting too.

“I don’t hear anyone.”, I whispered.

“Your grandparents left when I came. I asked them if I could have some alone time with you”, he said.

I stood up, and went to sit on my bed. Jacob sat beside me, his arm around my back.

“Could you do me a favor?”, he asked.

I looked up at him.

“Would you mind…taking off the red robe? I don’t like you associating with them.”

I eagerly obeyed his command, sharing the same point as he did.

Underneath I wore something a little brighter than the day before, the dress with the amber crystals my aunt had given me back at home.

He sighed.

“Much better.”

I wrapped my arms around him tight, one hand on his face.

Don’t ever leave me again, I pleaded, showing him how I had been functioning without him.

He suddenly smiled.

“You’re the best thing to ever happen to me”, he said.

I sighed with happiness.

“Nessie, there is something still wrong.”

“What?”

His head was down, as if it pained him to bring it up.

“Well, in two years-”

“-I will be fully matured”, I interrupted.

He nodded slowly.

“You won’t be able to-”

My door suddenly swung open, Mama staring coldly at Jake.

“What are you doing?!”, she asked him.

I glanced at him. His face held a slightly guilty expression.

“It’s alright. We got here just in time”, Daddy said from behind her.

“What’s wrong?”, I asked curiously.

“Nothing”, Jake answered quickly, hopping up from the bed. He pushed past my parents, standing in the doorway.

“I’ll be in my room if you need me, Nessie”, he muttered, disappearing out the door.

“What’s going on?”.

Mama forced a smile.

“Everything’s fine, for now”, she said, coming over to kiss me on the head. Then her and Daddy flew out, to discuss the almost-problem.

I was left alone in my room, confused.