BPOV


It was a fairly warm night in Forks  and  I had my window open to enjoy the fresh air. I was surprised to hear music coming from the forest. I leaned out my window, and thought I heard a guitar, but couldn’t see anyone. I fought the urge to roll my eyes as a familiar husky voice floated up to me:

Love struck Romeo, singin’ the streets a serenade.
Laying everybody low with a love song that he made.
Finds a streetlight, steps out of the shade,
says something like, "You and me, babe, how about it?”

He stepped out of the forest and into the light of my window. “Jacob,” I groaned, “you can not keep doing things like this. Edward is back now, and I’m never going to leave him. Can’t you just let it go?” Jacob ignored me and continued singing.

Juliet says, “Hey, it's Romeo! You nearly gave me a heart attack!”
He's underneath the window, she's singing,
“Hey love, my boyfriend's back.
You shouldn't come around here, singing up at people like that.”

He looked up at me. “Anyway, what you gonna do about it?”

I sighed as he swung his guitar onto his back, quickly climbing the tree outside my window and hopping in. “Nothing much I can do.” I shrugged. “Charlie’s working late tonight, Edward is out hunting.”

“Well then,”—he grinned—“you’ll just have to sit here and fall for my glorious voice and amazing guitar skills.”

“Seriously Jacob, I love Edward and no pretty little song is going to change that.”

Instantly he became serious. “How can you love him Bella? He suddenly appeared in your life like some magical fairy or something, and then left you just as easily and just as abruptly. He shouldn’t be here, he shouldn’t even be alive.” He sighed in frustration. “Do you remember when we were kids? When our dads would throw us together while they went fishing?”

“I remember some first class mud pies,” I offered, trying unsuccessfully to lighten the mood.

Jacob didn’t smile, didn’t even meet my eyes, “I loved you then Bella, and I’ve always loved you. When you were eleven and you stopped coming I-” he cut himself off, taking a shaky breath. “When you came back again—after so long—and I first saw your face, you were so beautiful. When you talked to me on the beach, and  I thought you liked me…”

I felt a sharp pang of regret, if I’d had any idea he’d like me so much then, I never would have done that. I should have just asked someone else, anyone else.

“I was just so happy. After all that time…so happy.” He sat at the edge of my bed, fiddling with the banged-up old guitar on his lap. Sighing, I sat beside him.

Juliet! The dice was loaded from the start,
And I’ll bet, that you exploded in my heart.
And I forget, I forget… the movie song.
When you gonna realize, it was just that the time was wrong?
Juliet…

He continued to strum quietly as he turned to me. “Look,” he said, “I know before, when the bloodsucker left you, that you couldn’t have handled a relationship. The fact is, I couldn’t have either. With turning into a giant dog, mood swings, and practically joining a cult, it felt like everything was happening to me at once. You were broken, and in a way, so was I. Remember what I said? ‘Neither one of us can hold our shape together right,’ It was true.”

“You always helped me hold my shape together,” I whispered. He held my eyes for a moment, not saying anything, then went back to his guitar.

Come up on different streets, both were streets of shame.
Both dirty, both mean. Yes, and the dream was just the same.
Then I dream your dream for you and now your dream is real.
How can you look at me as if I were just another one of your deals?

You can fall for chains of silver, you can fall for chains of gold.
You can fall for pretty strangers and the promises they hold.
You promised me everything, you promised me thick and thin, yeah.
Now you just say, “Oh, Romeo, yeah,
you know, I used to have a scene with him…”

I couldn’t look at him, I knew what he was saying was true. After all, when he first told me about Sam and his gang, he had been terribly upset. I had promised him everything would be okay, and things did turn out fairly well—with Sam.

As for everything? It was far from okay.

Juliet, when we made love, you used to cry.

My jaw dropped and I instantly forgot all sympathy. “WE NEVER-” I started to shout, but he ignored me and kept singing.

I said, “I love you like the stars above, I love you ‘till I die!”
And there's a place for us.
Y’know the movie song?
When you gonna realize, it was just that the time was wrong?
Juliet…

I can't do the talk like the talk on the TV,
And I can't do a love song like the way it's meant to be.
I can't do everything, but I'd do anything for you.
I can't do anything except be in love with you.

“I know Edward is smart and rich and apparently gorgeous, even though he’s completely  fake-looking, like those plastic Hollywood models…” he trailed off for a moment and gathered his thoughts. “I know he’s “perfect” and I’m just, well, just Jacob, but I love you more than a chunk of granite ever could! All I want is things to be like they were before, when you used to spend all of your time with me, and I was the only thing that could make you happy. I know that’s awful, and selfish, but I love you. I liked making you happy. Those times with you were the best of my life.”

And all I do is miss you and the way we used to be.
All I do is keep the beat, and the bad company.
And all I do is kiss you, through the bars of a rhyme.
Juliet, I'd do the stars with you
Any time!

Juliet, when we made love, you used to cry
I said, "I love you like the stars above, I'll love you 'till I die!"
There's a place for us!
You know the movie song!
When you gonna realize, it was just that the time was wrong,
Juliet?

We sat there quietly for a moment, “It should be me, you know,” he whispered, “I’ve always been here for you. I’m better for you, more natural. There are so many things he can never give you. He can never touch you, never give you babies and a family. You’ll never get to see your kids grow up and go out into the world. You’ll never grow old together. I’d grow old with you Bells, like we should, like everyone should.”

“Jacob,” I said gently, “I know what I’m missing. I’ve always known, but that doesn’t change anything. I can’t stop how I feel about him, nothing can stop that.”

With a sigh he put the guitar down next to him. He looked over to me with his sad, dark eyes. “Bella,” he whispered, “I know I messed this up the first time, and I want to make it right.”

I stared at him, silent. I knew what he would ask me, I did not know how I would respond.

“Can I kiss you, just one more time, the right way?”

After a moment, I nodded. For all the pain I had ever caused him, for all the things I could never give him, this, at least, I could allow. I closed my eyes, he slowly wrapped one of his hands around mine, and cupped my chin with the other. The kiss was slow, gentle, and sweet. He was so warm, and so soft, his lips molding perfectly against mine as he kissed me. He pulled away hesitantly, leaving me feeling tender and needed. Gathering up his guitar, he hopped out the window, whispering a shy “Bye Bella” as he went. I watched him walk slowly toward the forest, singing softy:

A love-struck Romeo, singin’ the streets of serenade.
Laying everybody low with a love song that he made.
He finds a convenient streetlight, and steps out of the shade,
says something like, “You and me, babe—how ‘bout it?”

“Bye Jacob.”