happy birthday [for Belle]

[quileutejacob]

Jacob hadn't really made plans for his birthday, not formally, but he was pretty sure that Belle knew when it was. It was one of those things you just took for granted in a relationship, the whole birthdays and anniversaries thing, and it was pretty amazing that he'd been with her for almost a year. A year was practically a lifetime in teenage

Comments

[provincialbelle]

Belle had been in a hurry to get everything together. She knew the date, knew the importance of it, and had been rushing to put together a picnic of French cuisine and finding a swimsuit that she felt would be something of a treat for him. She was aware that she wasn't plain, but she had never used her looks for anything before.

Maybe, just maybe, in the face of not having finished any inventions, she was relying on it, but she felt fine with that, creme brulee, beef bourguignon and red wine in a picnic basket. "Entrée!" she beckoned, still packing things away.

[quileutejacob]

"I...am still learning the French thing," Jacob admitted, stepping in and giving Belle an appreciative look. She had on a swimsuit and some kind of little cover thing that Jacob hoped would disappear after a little while. Belle was modest, which was a good thing, because it made her that much more beautiful when she did reveal something.

"That means enter, right? Entree?"

[provincialbelle]

"It means enter," she agreed with a fond laugh, leaning in closer to wrap her arms around his waist, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Are you ready to go? I've packed us some lunch and I have a little surprise for you."

[quileutejacob]

"Surprises are good," Jacob agreed, nodding toward the basket. "Do you want me to carry that for you like the big, strong man that I am?"

He liked to be chivalrous, even if it was going out of style.

[provincialbelle]

Belle gave him a look that very clearly said that she didn't need any help at all. "I can carry it. It's just a little spot of food," she promised, leaning in to press a soft kiss to his cheek. "But you can pick the spot where we eat it. Somewhere private is all I ask."

[quileutejacob]

"I was thinking the waterfalls, but other people might have that idea," Jacob mused. "Do you know anywhere that might be more private with a fantastic view? I require the view...that's the romantic part."

[provincialbelle]

"How do you feel about slightly up the mountain?" she said, when she put all the possibilities through her mind and tried to come up with a place that simply wouldn't be intruded on so terribly.

[quileutejacob]

"Slightly up the mountain it is," Jacob agreed. "As long as you feel like you're up to a hike, I am completely game."

He fell silent for a minute, just watching her. "I think...wait. I know. I love you, Belle."

[provincialbelle]

Belle stopped in her tracks to turn and look at him full-on when he said the words. "What?" she asked, breathless, almost afraid that she hadn't heard him properly. Her stomach felt riddled with butterflies and she knew she felt the same, but first she had to make sure she was hearing right.

[quileutejacob]

"I love you," Jacob said, crossing the little bit of distance between them to cup her face in his hands. "I've thought about saying it for a while and I haven't, but it just felt...right. That sounds dumb, huh?"

[provincialbelle]

"No, no it doesn't," she insisted, a bit desperate and stubborn as she replied, because she didn't want him to think it was dumb at all. "Because I love you, too. I have for so long, but I didn't want to say it. I was so nervous, I didn't know what it meant and I thought maybe you would be scared. But I do," she said, with pure conviction. "I do love you."

[quileutejacob]

"Oh, trust me, it's scary," Jacob said, laughing nervously. "But I think it feels right, too, and it was time for me to say it."

He brushed his thumb against her cheek, just watching her for a moment. "It took us long enough, huh?"

[provincialbelle]

"I think that anything that took this long for us to figure out means it's stronger for it," she said, convicted of that belief so thoroughly. She was blushing, now, and it was made worse by every time he touched her cheek. "I haven't even given you your birthday gift yet."

[quileutejacob]

"I'm sure it's great," Jacob said, leaning in to brush a kiss against her mouth. "But we can look at it later, right? Right now, I really want to kiss you."

[provincialbelle]

Belle set the basket down so that she could properly focus on him, easing in and pressing her palms softly to his cheeks. "Okay," she agreed, leaning in and standing on the tips of her toes to press her body flush against his.

[quileutejacob]

Jacob kissed her softly, hands sliding back into her hair, and thought about just how far they'd come from a year earlier when he'd just met her. A year ago, Jacob never would have dreamed there was a girl other than Bella.