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It was July 4th and even though the natives didn’t celebrate the Statunitian Independence, they still enjoyed the holiday.
Leah was satisfied with the Quileute’s plans for the day. They would have a barbecue at the beach for lunch and would have fun together. She didn’t particularly like many of the old Sam’s pack members, but the presence of Quil, Embry, Seth, and Jacob was enough to keep her head away of unwelcomed memories.
Since the Cullens have left, both of the former packs were trying to bond again, but it was still hard for her. The mentality group back then was still there for Paul and Jasper, for example, and Sam still looked at her as if she was somewhat sorrowful about what happened. It was all in the past now for her, but the discomfort due to the people’s pity eyes had not passed yet.
She couldn’t blame them, though. Now that no one could no longer read each other’s minds, it wasn’t easy to decode whatever the hell was going on in ones head. However, she have never missed it, not in a single day. She was finally finding some peace of mind – literally.
So, about ten in the morning, after shower, she opened her wardrobe and searched for something she could wear for a barbecue at the beach. She had bought a nice dress three weeks later, after saving a significant amount of money to buy other clothes than jeans and t-shirts. Yet, she hated the fact that she was apprehensive about wearing it. The last time she had worn a dress was at someone’s wedding, and only because the stupid dress code.
But now… Now she is staring at this amount of fabric and considering wearing it for the first time. It’s a beautiful caramel piece, with a nice heart-shaped neck, and the sleeves are big enough to cover the tattoo she hates so much. “It can’t do no harm”, she thought to herself while grabbing the dress. And when she finally puts it on, she almost can’t believe what the mirror is showing her. She doesn’t spend much time admiring herself, tough, since she can hear Jacob’s car noise – he offered her and Seth a ride and they couldn’t deny it.
“Seth, hurry up, Jake’s here!” she shouted while knocking at her brother’s bedroom door.
“Need a minute, Lee.” His uneven tone amused her.
As she went down stairs, she heard the front door being opened.
“You cannot enter my house like it’s yours!” she reprehended Jacob, even though she never locked the door.
Before reaching the last step, she was expecting some kind of complaint from him. However, at the moment her gaze found his, Leah was surprised by the way he looked at her – like she was a goddess or something like that.
“What are you looking at, Jacob Black?”
Leah was certainly aware of how that caramel summer dress highlighted her body. She knew her breasts were exactly were they should be, her waist looked curvy than ever, and the skirt ended perfectly above her knees. She was conscious of her beauty at that moment. It was funny to see that he looked like that, as if he had been shocked, because of her, though.
“Y-you… hum,” he struggled with the words, his hand scratching the back of his neck as a sign of nervousness. “Wow.”
“I’m stupefied by your compliment skills.”
“I’m not complimenting you, Leah.”
“What are you doing, then? Or should I say trying to do?”
They were closer now, only two steps away. Her arms were crossed just below her breasts, her eyes were pierced on his, and her mouth showed a cocky smile.
“I just… Where’s Seth?”
He was great at deflecting the subject, she must admit.
“Freaking out about his appearance, I guess. He has a huge crush on Embry’s cousin, Helena, and he almost exploded when he found out she is here for the holidays.”
“Yeah, she’s nice. They would make a nice couple.”
“Wow? Nice? Are those words the only two ways you’re capable of showing your contentment?”
He rolled his brown eyes and hissed.
“Am I missing something here? You’re an English teacher now?”
Instead of replying, Leah only laughed at his face.
“Hey!” he complained, feeling a little bit offended. “I can use other words to describe something I like.”
“That’s not what it seems.”
Leah knew exactly what she was doing. She haven’t forgotten the way he caressed her long braid a couple of months ago. And she surely remembered a lot of other compromising gestures – as gazes, smiles, and seemingly accidental touches.
“Beautiful,” he tried.
“Too common.”
“Pretty.”
“Not convincing.”
He sighed, letting his arms fall harshly against his sides.
“Lovely, fascinating, stunning. Is that what you want?”
Her presumptuous smile cracked into a gentle, delicate one. Leah felt her heartbeat increase and she was pretty sure her cheeks were blushing. But she couldn’t care less. She deserved to feel admired.
“Much better now.”
Looking closely, Leah could see that Jacob was blushing, too. And he couldn’t look straight at her. Leah almost burst out laughing due to his expression, but then she remembered how hard it was to get those words out of his mouth, and she still wanted to take some more advantage of that moment.
“So, you’re talking about Seth and Helena, right?” she played dumb, feeling a giggle bubble inside her chest.
“Seth and Hele- Sure, sure. What else would I be talking about?”
“Nothing, of course.” Then, heading back, she yelled upstairs, “C’mon, Seth! It’s not a wedding!”
The sound of Jacob’s short laughter made her smile.
When their eyes met again, he said in a deep, low voice, “Did you know caramels are my favorite candy, Leah?”
“Really?! Do you want some?”
She was not stupid. If Jacob, even for a second, thought he could win the game she started, he was absolutely wrong.
“I’d love to.”
His answer made Leah cross the living room and reach a bomboniere right in the middle of the dinning table. She grabbed a couple of caramels and handed him them.
“Enjoy.”
The viewing of his astonished expression was the icing on the cake. The laughter she was holding since the beginning of the conversation made it’s way out of her mouth.
“You think you’re so smart, Clearwater… One day or another, I’m gonna catch you and make you drink your own venom.”
“I’ll love to see you try.”
They stared deeply into each other’s eyes, a blend of almond and cocoa.
“Coming!” Seth announced, going down two steps at a time.
As an affirmative response to Leah’s challenge, Jacob just popped the caramel into his mouth and savored it. Slowly.