Aurora - A New Dawn

CHAPTER 10 | RECONCILE

Bella squirmed in the passenger seat, unable to sit still. Paul's punitive words were swimming around her mind on a repetitive loop, eating away at her conscience like battery acid. She couldn't shake off the intense feeling of guilt that consumed her.

The jumbled pieces of her past finally fit together. Bella saw how selfish she'd been, chasing after Edward, caught up in his spinning web of saccharine lies, drawn in by the perfumed, shimmering perfection of immortality. She ignored every crimson red flag—every atrocity the Cullen family committed—all for a dangerous fantasy.

Paul's words served as a catalyst, gifting Bella what she really needed most: a rude, eye-opening wake up call. The minor discomfort was worth it. No more waiting around. She was determined to search up nearby therapists tomorrow morning; the last domino to fall in line, beginning her personal growth journey. After her research, Bella planned to talk to the pack as a whole and put the past behind her.

"Penny for your thoughts, honey?" She startled at Jake's smooth baritone voice, accompanied by his fiery hand squeezing her thigh above her knee.

"Just... just thinking." She mumbled, wringing her hands together.

"Yeah, I gathered that. What about?" He studied her expression for a split second and then focused back to the empty road ahead.

"What Paul said." Bella grimaced, tightening her hands into fists in her lap. "He's right."

"Bells, I already told you. Don't listen to what he says. He's an ass and doesn't understand half of the stuff that comes out of that cocky mouth of his." Jake's knuckles turned pale with how hard he was clutching the steering wheel. "He needs a little humbling."

"Asshole or not—he's still right, Jacob. At least a little."

"About what, exactly? The garbage he said about you?"

"Yes," she chewed on her bottom lip, "I did leave, and I did break your heart. It makes complete sense. I'd hate me, too." A lump formed in her throat.

"Nobody hates you. They're protective, is all." Jake relaxed his grip on the wheel. "Sure, at the time, the world felt like it was ending, but again—we were kids, Bells. What happened between us then is none of his, or anyone else's concern. You're here now." Jake squeezed her left hand. "I love you. I always will."

"I love you, too." Bella whispered.

"I don't think I'll ever get enough of hearing you say that."

"Say what?" She was distracted again.

Her gaze lazily trailed up until it met his reflection in the rear-view mirror. Bella's heart skipped a beat. His pearlescent smile bloomed across the lower half of his face, contrasting against his dark, copper-colored skin. Umber eyes full of hope, sparkling in the midday sun.

"That you love me."

Heat filled Bella's face, a soft blush gracing the apples of her cheeks. The way he looked at her, like she could do no wrong in his eyes. That's how he always saw her; even when she was blind to his adoration, he never faltered, never gave up on Bella.

To save time, Jake chose to park in front of the building, not knowing they had extra minutes to spare. The clock the movie projectors ran off of was slow compared to the time on their phones.

"Do you think we're gonna make it?" Bella asked.

Jake opened her door for her, waited for her to hop out, and quickly steadied her uneven stance with a gentle hand at her waist.

"Maybe. We still have popcorn and slushees to get." He shrugged.

"But I'm not hungr—"

"Bella. Don't." Jake replied. "A handful of popcorn isn't gonna kill you."