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Classes ended with that warm, fuzzy feeling that the end of the day always brought: a mix of tiredness, routine, and conditional freedom. Nate walked to his car, got in leisurely, started the engine, and allowed himself, for the first time all day, to simply be. As he drove through the damp streets of Forks, he took out his cell phone and texted Bella:
I'll pick you up in an hour. Remember: The Lodge
The message was brief. Direct. Unadorned.
When he got home, he left his keys on the hall table, went upstairs, and jumped straight into the shower. The hot water not only soothed his muscles but also helped calm his mind. He wanted to spend the rest of the day relaxing with people he genuinely liked.
He changed calmly. Nothing over-the-top: dark jeans, a simple shirt, a jacket, and barely perceptible cologne. As he was walking down the stairs to leave, his grandmother's voice stopped him.
—And where are you going all dressed up, young Winter?
Nate turned his head and found her sitting in her usual chair, her hands folded in her lap and one eyebrow raised pointedly.
"I'm going out to dinner," he replied, avoiding any further explanation.
But his grandmother didn't need any more. She looked him up and down and let out a soft, raspy laugh.
—Don't let the poor girl catch you, okay? She might fall in love.
Nate smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying anything.
—I won't be long.
And he left before she could add anything else. Not because her words bothered him, but because it wasn't worth clearing up a misunderstanding, especially if it put his grandmother in a good mood.
Arriving at the Swans' house, he knocked softly once. Charlie opened the front door with a cup of coffee in his hand and a sly smile on his face.
"Just look at that... young Winter," he said in a theatrical tone that Nate particularly found funny. "You know, Bella's still pretty young for this dating stuff... but if it had to be with someone, at least let it be you."
Nate raised an eyebrow, sensing his intention immediately. He wasn't exactly playing, but he spoke loudly so his daughter could hear him from the stairs.
"I'll tell him to hurry up so his reputation doesn't suffer too much, Chief Swan," Nate said humorously.
Bella appeared seconds later in the doorway, straightening the sleeve of her jacket. She rolled her eyes in exaggerated excitement.
—It's not a date, Dad. It's a group outing. Jacob's going too.
"Ah, much better then," Charlie took a sip of his coffee. "Swan, Black, and Winter together again. The new generation. I hope they get into less trouble than we did," he added with a nostalgic smile.
Nate laughed and raised a hand in farewell.
—I'll bring her back without incident, I promise.
They walked together to the car. When Nate opened the passenger door for her, Bella glanced at him with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.
From the doorway, Charlie shouted with laughter:
—See? He's even a gentleman.
Bella settled into her seat and looked at him as he closed the door.
—Do you always do that with all the girls?
Nate started the engine and waited for the heater to kick on before answering.
—Only the ones I think they might trip over when entering.
Bella stared at him, mouth agape, then looked away as a light blush tinged her cheeks.
—You're an idiot.
They both laughed as the car drove off through the streets of Forks, shrouded in constant mist.
The restaurant was nothing more than a small, family-run wooden establishment near the main road, with warm lighting and polished wooden tables. As they entered, Jacob was already waiting for them in a corner, impatiently swinging a leg.
"Nate!" he said when he saw him, standing up as if he were seeing a long-lost brother.
Nate greeted him with a fist bump and a friendly nod but noticed Jacob's eyes quickly shift to Bella.
Jacob smiled even wider at the sight of her, almost as if he hadn't expected it, and seemed on the verge of an explosion of joy… until he realized she was with Nate. His expression briefly changed from elation to mild confusion.
"I didn't know you were coming too, Bella," he said, scratching the back of his neck.
"Sure, Nate said it would be fun," she replied with a calm smile, sitting across from him.
Nate sat beside him, watching as Jacob tried to maintain his composure, but he couldn't stop staring at Bella as if she were something sacred. he looked like a puppy excited by the attention from its owner. Nate understood immediately. Jacob was in love.
But Bella didn't see it that way. It showed in the way she treated him: sweetly, but with the same condescension one has for a younger brother. Jacob joked, and she laughed, but not with the complicity that suggests something more.
It didn't take long for the food to be ordered. The laughter began to flow. Bella, comfortable among the two, made sarcastic comments and laughed more freely than usual. Jacob, despite his effusiveness, was a little more measured in his gestures with Bella thanks to the presence of Nate, who remained mostly an observer... with a calm smile and a sharp gaze.
He noticed things.
He noticed Bella's shoulders relax when he made a funny comment. Jacob looked at him sideways whenever she laughed too hard with him. That the boy tried to look more mature, taller, more something.
Bella got up to go to the bathroom. As soon as she was out of sight, Jacob turned to Nate without a preamble.
—Are you and Bella… dating?
Nate took a sip of water, calm.
—No. It's not that kind of relationship. I like her. She reminds me of Charlie. She's easy to talk to, plus we're both new in town, so it's natural to befriend someone you share a similar mindset with—Nate replied, trying to make his explanation sound cool and logical so his young companion wouldn't get the wrong idea.
Jacob looked relieved, though there was still a flicker of doubt in his eyes. Nate watched him closely. Jacob felt inferior. Not because Nate made him feel that way, but because he saw how comfortable Bella was with him. The laughter flowed naturally, and that hurt more than anything.
Bella returned, and the conversation resumed its cheerful pace.
When they finished eating, Nate offered to call the waitress, but Jacob was already standing.
—I'm going, I'll be right back.
In that brief moment, Nate looked sideways at Bella.
—Do all the boys in Forks have a crush on you?
Bella blinked, surprised.
-That?
—Mike. Eric. Jacob. It's like an epidemic.
She looked down, smiling wryly.
"Almost everyone... except you," she said, with the smile of someone who isn't used to making that kind of joke.
And then, in a lower voice, she added:
—And Edward…
Nate just smiled. He didn't say anything, but he remembered Edward's look on his first day of school. It wasn't disinterest he saw in his eyes. It was something much more complex: hunger, desire, guilt...
If there was one thing Edward Cullen felt for Bella Swan it was interest.