If you want to support (To continue with the chapters and improve the quality of the language)or read some advance chapters (this week I will upload several chapters to Patreon) please follow me on: patreon.com/Jayjayempi
Chapter sponsored by:
Miguel f
The way back home was longer than expected, but Nate didn't complain. He kept his hands firm on the wheel, driving with that precise, trained attention that came naturally to him, as the Forks sky began to grow darker and darker. The humid air had something reassuring, almost familiar as if it enveloped him in a bubble of anonymity, a place where no one expected anything of him.
He took a deep breath. And, for the first time in a long time, he felt at peace.
Maybe Forks was just what I needed.
The monotony of his days, the long silences, the unobtrusive faces... and now, Bella and Jacob. There was something about them that made him feel more human, more real, like any other teenager. Bella, with her charming clumsiness and that sincere gaze that couldn't lie. Jacob, with that selfless warmth that seemed extinct in the rest of the world.
They didn't treat him as a mystery, or a threat, or someone special. Just like Nate. And that, surprisingly, felt like a luxury.
When he finally arrived home, he was greeted by the faint scent of chamomile tea and liniment. His grandmother was waiting for him in the living room, a shawl draped over her shoulders and a look of sleep on her face. Nate smiled slightly when he saw her.
"Shouldn't you be asleep?" he asked, taking off his damp jacket.
"And miss the gossip?" she replied in a husky but lively voice. She examined him with that gaze of aged wisdom, a mixture of affection and sharp judgment. "Where were you?"
"With Jacob Black… and Bella Swan," he replied matter-of-factly. There was no point in lying to her. His grandmother knew how to read between the lines better than anyone.
She clicked her tongue, a mixture of disapproval and resignation.
"Tsk. I thought it was a date. But hey, at least you're making more friends," he muttered, closing his eyes for a moment. "It's about time someone got you out of your own four mental walls."
Nate just nodded. With a fleeting smile and a deeper sigh than he meant to show, he said:
"Good night."
And he went up to his room.
The next day dawned like any other in Forks: wet, grey, and predictable.
The school moved forward with the familiar languid cadence. Classes moved forward with the lethargic pace of the season, and Edward Cullen's empty chair remained.
Nate wouldn't admit it openly, but he wasn't disappointed. Deep down, even though it was more difficult, he enjoyed probing through Alice more. She was a different kind of enigma: subtle, patient, wrapped in layers of elegant smiles and meaningful silences.
During lunch, as usual, he joined Bella's group. There was something comforting about that routine: Angela with her soft voice and empathetic comments, Eric desperately trying to get Bella's attention with references no one understood, and Mike... Mike building up tension like a poorly adjusted pressure cooker.
Nate watched it all silently. He noticed how the atmosphere became charged with barely concealed territoriality whenever someone looked at Bella for more than three seconds. It was only a matter of time before one of them tried to stake their claim.
Jessica, for her part, was more insistent than usual. Her questions slipped between jokes and forced, casual smiles, seeking something beyond friendship. Nate responded with elegant evasions, ambiguous gestures, or comments vague enough to keep the door closed, but not open either.
And then, Bella—as always with her honesty bordering on clumsiness—asked in a low voice:
"Hey, Nate… didn't I leave my jacket in your car? I don't think I can find it."
Silence. It wasn't the question itself that was uncomfortable, but what it suggested.
Mike, Eric, and Jessica raised their heads as if someone had thrown a glass on the floor. Their glances were filled with unspoken questions, assumptions… and ill-disguised jealousy. Angela, ever the naive one, smiled and said:
"Did he take you anywhere, Bella?"
Nate tensed for a split second. He knew exactly what they were thinking. These kinds of situations weren't new to him… but he was surprised by the speed with which judgments were cast in a place like Forks.
Before he could respond or clear up the misunderstanding, the lunch bell rang.
They stood up, muttering. As he walked to his next class, Nate noticed Mike looking at him with growing hostility. He didn't blame him. Mike wasn't a bad guy. He was just emotionally ill-equipped, caught between ego and insecurity. Still, he hoped he wouldn't cross the line. Because if he did…
I would have to put it in its place.
The English class was, as always, silent and dull. Nate sat by the window, watching the raindrops slide down the glass in erratic lines. He felt comfortable in that corner: away from the center, away from the spotlight.
It wasn't long before Alice Cullen walked in.
She glided across the classroom with that grace of his that seemed more instinct than pose. Without asking permission, she sat next to him, as if the seat belonged to her.
"Hi," he greeted, staring straight ahead, trying hard not to let his body react to her closeness.
"Hi," she replied, tilting her head, that cryptic smile hanging on her lips. "Ready to continue our little game?"
Nate turned his face just enough to look at her, flashing a smile.
"That's practically the only reason I came."
Alice crossed her legs, resting her elbow on the table, her chin on her hand.
"What's your type of girl?"
Ah. Flirting.
He knew what she was doing. It was a form of play, but also a form of probing. A tactic to get me to let my guard down. And the worst part was, it worked… kind of.
Nate looked at her out of the corner of his eye and replied in a softer tone, almost a whisper:
"I like sweet women… and, above all, those who take me out of my comfort zone."
Alice smiled, satisfied. Her eyes narrowed with a mischievous gleam.
"You should be careful. That almost sounds like an insinuation."
Nate raised an eyebrow, amused.
"And if it were?"
Alice let out a short, elegant laugh. For a moment, the world shrank to the sound of that laugh.
"Your turn," she reminded him.
Nate pretended to think, even though he knew exactly what he wanted to find out.
"Your brothers… what is your relationship with them?"
Alice kept smiling, but something in her gaze changed. A slight hardening, barely a flicker.
"Very good," she said with measured calm. "Though Jasper is the one I have the strongest bond with. He's very protective. The others are like... a patchwork family. But there are no perfect seams, are there?"
Nate nodded, more interested in how she said it than what she said.
"Patchwork family."
A choice of words that said more than intended.