Chapter: Rain, Trucks, and Too-Cute Problems
Morning sunlight—soft, gray, and filtered by clouds—slipped through his window.
He blinked awake slowly, hair sticking up in fluffy curls, eyes half-lidded with that permanent sleepy look he had now. He shuffled to the window, lifting the curtain with a lazy hand.
Outside, Bella was standing awkwardly in the driveway, arms crossed, trying to look normal but failing spectacularly. Jacob Black, taller and younger-looking than he'd be later, grinned at her with bright energy. Billy and Charlie were messing around near the truck—laughing, poking fun, typical dad energy.
Then Charlie gestured proudly.
"It's yours," he told Bella.
Jacob chimed in, "We worked on the engine together! Runs great—should hold up even in the rain."
Bella looked stunned. Awkward. Soft. Trying not to visibly explode with happiness.
He watched from the window, too tired to go outside, fingers tapping the sill.
His new instincts whispered he should be out there, tracking, sensing, maybe greeting—
But he wasn't ready.
Not yet.
Instead, he sat back at his desk and booted up his ancient laptop again.
Back to Harry Potter.
Typing felt natural. Comforting. The words flowed easily, memories from another life forming paragraphs with little effort. He finished a few more scenes, then leaned back with a yawn.
His big watery eyes landed on the mirror.
And he instantly regretted looking.
Black fluffy curls.
Soft pale skin.
Delicate features.
Eyes too big, too round, too… cute.
He squinted at his reflection like it had personally betrayed him.
"…Couldn't I at least look cool?" he muttered.
His reflection looked like a sleepy baby deer that played video games at 3 a.m.
He sighed. Then sighed again. Then gave up.
Cute or not, he had stuff to do.
He dug through his drawers, laying out clothes for school tomorrow—hoodie, jeans, something simple. Forks wasn't exactly a fashion show. He packed his school bag too: notebooks, pencils, laptop charger, a small snack.
Everything in order.
That night, he crawled into bed early, mostly because his body was naturally inclined to sleep at random intervals like a cat.
Monday – First Day of School
He woke up to the smell of coffee and toast downstairs. Bella was already dressed, her hair tied back, moving around like she wanted to evaporate from embarrassment at simply existing.
He sat at the table, munching toast quietly. Charlie gave him a nod. Bella tried to smile at him. He stayed half-asleep through most of it.
He brushed his teeth, grabbed his bag, slipped on his hoodie—
And then trudged outside toward Bella's new red truck.
He climbed into the passenger seat, buckled in, and promptly leaned his head against the cold window.
The hum of the rain made his eyelids droop instantly.
By the time Bella walked out the door and headed to the truck, he was already—
asleep.
Not just tired—completely conked out, breathing softly, curls pressed against the glass.
Bella opened the door, stared at him, and whispered, "Seriously?"
He didn't answer.
He was dreaming about roots and forests and clones waiting silently beneath the earth.
Bella started the truck.
He didn't even stir.