End of Chapter 8
This day could not get any better, first she said that she had missed me..and now she was admitting that she would be coming back often? I raised my hand and pretended to scratch my face so that I could hide the smile that was beginning to hurt my cheeks.
"Ok, maybe next time." My father said as he turned and wheeled himself into the kitchen.
"So...Bella," I said, my voice cracking slightly when I said her name. "What do you want to do?"
"Whatever." She said as she shrugged. "What were you doing before I interrupted?"
I was about to go sit on the couch and watch television as I ate ice cream..I thought, but realized how dumb that sounded and quickly thought of a new response.
"I was just heading out to work on my car," I blurted out. "But..we can do something else.."
"No!" Bella almost yelled as she interrupted. "That's perfect, I would love to see your car."
"Um, ok." I said as I looked at her, wondering if she was really ok. "It's out back, in the garage."
Bella grinned, the smile almost looking fake, but I was not going to be picky. I shook my head as I grabbed a jacket and led the way out to the garage..so happy that she was here and would be coming back more often..but wondering why she was truly here.
Chapter 9
I held the door for her, grinning slightly when she blushed and bit her lip before going out the door. We didn't say anything as we walked along the tree line that bordered our property, Bella kept her eyes down on the ground the entire time, while I kept my eyes on her.
We walked into the garage, Bella's eyes looking around at the rough shed system that we called a garage. Her eyes stopped on the 1986 Rabbit that I had been working on for over a year.
"What king of Volkswagen is that?" She asked, looking proud that she knew what kind of car it is.
"It's an old Rabbit," I said as I walked over and ran one hand over the door frame. "1986, it's a classic."
"How's it going?"
"Almost finished," I said as I smiled at her. "My dad made good on his promise."
"Ah."
Bella's face dropped for a second in a reaction that I didn't understand. I thought about what I said, but I couldn't come up with what would have upset her. She looked down at her feet as her hands wrapped around her chest, I was going to ask her if she was alright when she took a deep breath and looked up.
"Jacob, what do you know about motorcycles?" She asked in a small voice that almost didn't sound like her.
"Some. My friend Embry has a dirt bike and we've worked on it a bit. Why?" I asked, confused by the way this conversation was going.
"Well.." She said as she chewed on her lower lip. "I recently acquired a couple of bikes, and they're not in the greatest condition. I was wondering if you could get them running?"
"Cool." I said, noticing that she had said 'a couple of bikes.' "I'll give it a try."
"The thing is." Bella said, interrupting my excitement as she held up one hand. "Charlie doesn't approve of motorcycles. Honestly, he'd probably bust a vein in hid forehead if he knew about this. So......you can't tell Billy."
"Sure," I said as I grinned. "I understand."
The idea of working on bikes with or for Bella made my heart pound a bit faster then it had been. The fact that we had to keep them a secret made it that much better...and that much more challenging.
"I'll pay you." Bella said as she smiled.
"No. I want to help." I said quickly, the idea of her paying me bothered me more then it should have. I didn't want her to pay me if she was going to come back and help, that would be more then enough payment. "You can't pay me Bella."
"Well, how about a trade then?" Bella said, a twinkle in her eye of pure mischief. "I only need one bike..well and lessons too. So, how about this? I'll give you the other bike, and then you can teach me?"
"Swee-eet!" I yelled. I wasn't sure if I was more excited by the fact that I was going to be the owner of a bike, or that I was going to get to spend time Bella and teach her to ride.
"Wait a sec." Bella said as she laughed at my response. "Are you legal yet? When's your birthday?"
"You missed it." I said as put on my best hurt/insulted face. "I'm sixteen."
"Not that your age ever stopped you from driving before." She grumbled under her breath. "Sorry about your birthday." She said sadly.
"Don't worry about it. I missed yours too. What are you...forty?" I asked as I winked.
"Close." She said as she sniffed and laughed.
"We'll have a joint party to make up for it."
"Sounds like a date." She said as she smacked me in the arm playfully.
She just said date!! I did my best to keep my emotions in check, but I knew that I was grinning from ear to ear and my eyes were probably as wide as saucers.
"Maybe when the bikes are finished, our present to ourselves." Bella added quickly.
"Deal." I said before she could change anything else. "When will you bring them down?"
"Well..." Bella said as she fiddled with her hands. "They're in my truck now."
"Great!" I said, laughing at her embarrassment.
"Wait." She said, grabbing my arm as I went to go look at the bikes. "Will Billy see them if we bring them around?"
I had to think about that for a second, how were we going to do this so that he wouldn't see us moving Bella's truck...which would be quite the challenge since it was so loud. I decided we would just have to do our best...and take our chances.
"We'll be sneaky." I said as I winked at her.
Bella and I walked nonchalantly back to her truck, climbing in as if we were just going to go for a drive. We both saw my father looking out the door and waved at him as he watched us, we moved the truck along the property until we got to a large group of shrubs that would hide the truck and the cargo that was hidden in the truck bed.
Bella opened the back gate to help me, as I reached over the side and lifted the first of the two bikes..surprised by how light it seemed. The second one was a bit heavier, but that too lifted out without any problems. Bella and I pushed them into the garage where I got the chance to look at them for the first time.
"These aren't half bad." I said as I looked over the larger of the two bikes. "This one here will actually be worth something when I'm done. It's a old Harley Sprint."
"Then that one's yours." Bella said as she went over and looked down at the smaller and less intimidating of the two bikes.
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely." She said as she smiled at me.
"Bella, these are going to take some cash to fixed." I said as I noticed the condition of the Harley. "We'll have to save up for a while."
"We nothing." Bella said as she glared at me. "If you are doing this for me, then I will pay for the parts."
"I don't know." I said, as I added up what I thought this would all cost."
"I've got some money saved. College fund..you know." She said as she shrugged.
I knew I should argue, I should tell her that that money should be used for her college and nothing else...but having her in the garage with me, knowing that she was going to be coming back to see me often made me forget everything except for her, me and the two bikes in my garage.
This day could not get any better, first she said that she had missed me..and now she was admitting that she would be coming back often? I raised my hand and pretended to scratch my face so that I could hide the smile that was beginning to hurt my cheeks.
"Ok, maybe next time." My father said as he turned and wheeled himself into the kitchen.
"So...Bella," I said, my voice cracking slightly when I said her name. "What do you want to do?"
"Whatever." She said as she shrugged. "What were you doing before I interrupted?"
I was about to go sit on the couch and watch television as I ate ice cream..I thought, but realized how dumb that sounded and quickly thought of a new response.
"I was just heading out to work on my car," I blurted out. "But..we can do something else.."
"No!" Bella almost yelled as she interrupted. "That's perfect, I would love to see your car."
"Um, ok." I said as I looked at her, wondering if she was really ok. "It's out back, in the garage."
Bella grinned, the smile almost looking fake, but I was not going to be picky. I shook my head as I grabbed a jacket and led the way out to the garage..so happy that she was here and would be coming back more often..but wondering why she was truly here.
Chapter 9
I held the door for her, grinning slightly when she blushed and bit her lip before going out the door. We didn't say anything as we walked along the tree line that bordered our property, Bella kept her eyes down on the ground the entire time, while I kept my eyes on her.
We walked into the garage, Bella's eyes looking around at the rough shed system that we called a garage. Her eyes stopped on the 1986 Rabbit that I had been working on for over a year.
"What king of Volkswagen is that?" She asked, looking proud that she knew what kind of car it is.
"It's an old Rabbit," I said as I walked over and ran one hand over the door frame. "1986, it's a classic."
"How's it going?"
"Almost finished," I said as I smiled at her. "My dad made good on his promise."
"Ah."
Bella's face dropped for a second in a reaction that I didn't understand. I thought about what I said, but I couldn't come up with what would have upset her. She looked down at her feet as her hands wrapped around her chest, I was going to ask her if she was alright when she took a deep breath and looked up.
"Jacob, what do you know about motorcycles?" She asked in a small voice that almost didn't sound like her.
"Some. My friend Embry has a dirt bike and we've worked on it a bit. Why?" I asked, confused by the way this conversation was going.
"Well.." She said as she chewed on her lower lip. "I recently acquired a couple of bikes, and they're not in the greatest condition. I was wondering if you could get them running?"
"Cool." I said, noticing that she had said 'a couple of bikes.' "I'll give it a try."
"The thing is." Bella said, interrupting my excitement as she held up one hand. "Charlie doesn't approve of motorcycles. Honestly, he'd probably bust a vein in hid forehead if he knew about this. So......you can't tell Billy."
"Sure," I said as I grinned. "I understand."
The idea of working on bikes with or for Bella made my heart pound a bit faster then it had been. The fact that we had to keep them a secret made it that much better...and that much more challenging.
"I'll pay you." Bella said as she smiled.
"No. I want to help." I said quickly, the idea of her paying me bothered me more then it should have. I didn't want her to pay me if she was going to come back and help, that would be more then enough payment. "You can't pay me Bella."
"Well, how about a trade then?" Bella said, a twinkle in her eye of pure mischief. "I only need one bike..well and lessons too. So, how about this? I'll give you the other bike, and then you can teach me?"
"Swee-eet!" I yelled. I wasn't sure if I was more excited by the fact that I was going to be the owner of a bike, or that I was going to get to spend time Bella and teach her to ride.
"Wait a sec." Bella said as she laughed at my response. "Are you legal yet? When's your birthday?"
"You missed it." I said as put on my best hurt/insulted face. "I'm sixteen."
"Not that your age ever stopped you from driving before." She grumbled under her breath. "Sorry about your birthday." She said sadly.
"Don't worry about it. I missed yours too. What are you...forty?" I asked as I winked.
"Close." She said as she sniffed and laughed.
"We'll have a joint party to make up for it."
"Sounds like a date." She said as she smacked me in the arm playfully.
She just said date!! I did my best to keep my emotions in check, but I knew that I was grinning from ear to ear and my eyes were probably as wide as saucers.
"Maybe when the bikes are finished, our present to ourselves." Bella added quickly.
"Deal." I said before she could change anything else. "When will you bring them down?"
"Well..." Bella said as she fiddled with her hands. "They're in my truck now."
"Great!" I said, laughing at her embarrassment.
"Wait." She said, grabbing my arm as I went to go look at the bikes. "Will Billy see them if we bring them around?"
I had to think about that for a second, how were we going to do this so that he wouldn't see us moving Bella's truck...which would be quite the challenge since it was so loud. I decided we would just have to do our best...and take our chances.
"We'll be sneaky." I said as I winked at her.
Bella and I walked nonchalantly back to her truck, climbing in as if we were just going to go for a drive. We both saw my father looking out the door and waved at him as he watched us, we moved the truck along the property until we got to a large group of shrubs that would hide the truck and the cargo that was hidden in the truck bed.
Bella opened the back gate to help me, as I reached over the side and lifted the first of the two bikes..surprised by how light it seemed. The second one was a bit heavier, but that too lifted out without any problems. Bella and I pushed them into the garage where I got the chance to look at them for the first time.
"These aren't half bad." I said as I looked over the larger of the two bikes. "This one here will actually be worth something when I'm done. It's a old Harley Sprint."
"Then that one's yours." Bella said as she went over and looked down at the smaller and less intimidating of the two bikes.
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely." She said as she smiled at me.
"Bella, these are going to take some cash to fixed." I said as I noticed the condition of the Harley. "We'll have to save up for a while."
"We nothing." Bella said as she glared at me. "If you are doing this for me, then I will pay for the parts."
"I don't know." I said, as I added up what I thought this would all cost."
"I've got some money saved. College fund..you know." She said as she shrugged.
I knew I should argue, I should tell her that that money should be used for her college and nothing else...but having her in the garage with me, knowing that she was going to be coming back to see me often made me forget everything except for her, me and the two bikes in my garage.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
'Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!'
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood a while in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One two! One two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
'And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
'Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!'
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood a while in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One two! One two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
'And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.