Let myself go/You were still there/Like coming home. coming up for air/
You make it easier to be/easier to be me
Song: Easier to Be by Lifehouse
Bella was restless; with waiting, with worrying, sick of herself really. Sick with her own company. She threw down the wet sand in her palms to the beach with a splat, concentrating on the grittiness it left between her fingers. She looked at the strange sand hill she made at her feet and picked up the same handful of sand and after creating an almost perfect ball, dropped it again to watch it break into shapeless bits of sand, she knew there was a metaphor in there somewhere but she refused to see it. Instead, she picked up two handfuls this time and threw it away as far as she could, which of course, wasn't far. She glared at the destroyed shape as if it offended her and all her ancestors then stomped toward it and picked it up again, smooshing it in her hands into a bigger ball and tossed it into sea.
She picked up another handful and repeated the movement, again and again until her arms ached.
"Okay." She jumped at the low familiar timbre of his voice. "Are you practicing for the softball team or something?"
She turned, the scowl on her features dying a quiet, peaceful death when her broody eyes stumbled upon his amused smile. "I got bored."
He chuckled. "I thought you were doing the pitching version of karate kid or something."
She stifled a smile at his silly attempt of a karate yell.
He eyed the little holes that riddle the beach around where she stood and raised a brow. "Been at it a while, huh?"
She kicked sand at his ankles, taking offense at the look on his face. "I got bored." "Hey, I just washed these."
"Then you know how to wash it again." She watched with satisfaction when a lump of wet sand got stuck to his jeans. But the glee in her heart stuttered when she saw the gleam in Jacob's dark eyes.
"You know what this means."
She blinked and eyed the pile of sand that was getting higher in his large hands. She backed away. Slowly. "Uh, peace and prosperity?"
His eyes narrowed on her retreating feet then return to her eyes, a sneaky grin on his wide lips. "War."
With a screech, Bella turned and ran as fast as her legs can carry her, hoping very hard that she won't trip. "Jacob." She dodged a sand ball and threw up her hands in front of her. "We can talk about this."
"Talk? Talk is for weaklings. Surrender puny thing."
A laugh bubbled up her throat as she jumped over another that was aimed at her feet. Amazingly, as she ran—laughing all the way—she didn't trip or stumble. It was always like this with Jacob, he was always able to take whatever she had left—shattered and broken pieces—and made it work.
A squeal—something she never heard from herself before—ripped at her throat when he got a hold of her waist and lifted her over his shoulders. The laughter sputtered and died when she realized what he intend to do, saw the white wash of the waves.
"Jacob. No." She pinched whatever she could reach but he merely laughed at her pathetic attempts. Her vision shifted and she was off his shoulder but a few inches from the ground, held in the air by his two arms like a child. "You wouldn't dare."
"Surrender or drown in the churning waters of death."
She bit her lip to stop from laughing at the mock threatening look on his face and narrowed her own eyes. "Never."
"So be it. You will die."
"If I have to die, I'll take you with me." She twisted in his arms and tangled herself with him, making him lose his balance.
"Wait, Bella-"
They fell all over themselves into the water, stared at each other in the vacuum silence, watching light bend and twist on each other's faces before they broke the surface.
"That was uncalled for." Jacob gave her a sullen look after he pushed his hair out of his face.
Bella's answer was to splash him in the face which he took with a resigned sigh.
Giggling like children, they made their way to his house, only to laugh again when they saw the look on Billy's face when he met them at the porch.
"Bella got bored." Jacob said, as if that explained all. Billy merely shook his head which made them start laughing again. After changing their clothes—she borrowed an overlarge T shirt—Bella palmed her mug of warm tea, watching Jacob dig around the cupboard for something to munch on.
"Aha!" He salvaged a bag of unopened cookies and opened it with relish. "What?" He asked when he saw she was watching him. "You're not feeling sick, are you?"
Bella smiled. "No, I feel good."
The smile—her smile—brightened up the kitchen they were standing on. "Good."
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