Total eclipse of a heart (Embry Call)

10. Beaches, wolves and wild instincts

Despite my father's message, I slept soundly through the night. For the first time in what seems to be forever, I fell asleep without worrying or overanalysing everything that happened the day before.

I decided to focus on the good, because I need some good in my life. What's better than Embry who I'm dying to see, or my best friends who thought crashing on top of me in this small bed would be a great idea. 

Yes, I woke up under a crushing weight of Jacob and Rachel squeezing the life out of me and they both snore. Sibling goals? More like my nightmare.

With a guttural grunt, I lift Jacob's heavy arm from its place over my torso and let it fall freely on his side. Finally able to sit up, I force Rachel's legs off mine and crawl on my butt to the bottom of the bed and toward freedom.
Turning, I find Jacob's hand move to where I slept, tracing the empty spot until he squints only to find me gone.

"Get up, big guy. Time to get ready." I toss him a shirt, feeling a little awkward with his abs out in the open and even more embarrassed when I remember those same abs touched my body not a minute ago.

"We slept that long?" Jacob groans, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, swinging his legs over the edge. He rests his elbows above his knees, running his hands through the short hairs in hopes of making something out of the messy bedhead it turned into.

"Shut up." Rachel mumbles, using a pillow to cover her head.

"Who's not a morning person now?!" I tease, grabbing a hold of her old throw-pillow and chucking it at her head.

"You're just happy to see Embry." She reveals her face, giving me an opening to hit her with another pillow, seeing Jacob roll his eyes from the corner of my eye.

"Shouldn't you be happy you'll see Paul? You guys are like each other's parasites. One cannot exist without the other and all that." I said the last bit with a little too much snark, knowing it won't sound that friendly or well-wishing.

"You'll see what it means to love someone eventually too. Val, I think you'll understand." Rachel's dejected tone makes way for a regretful pang in my heart, which makes me feel guilty. I'm not too fond of that particular feeling. Not at all.

"Yeah." I sigh, turning to pick up some clothes to wear.

"Get out and get ready." I order Jacob who clicks his tongue, stepping closer with a cocky smirk I truly do love, especially since it makes my heart jump and thought process stop. He makes me calmer just as he brings out the butterflies and maybe, just maybe, that's why I cling to him.

Embry makes me feel too much and too fast that my head spins and my entire body might as well be dangling from the edge of a cliff with the emotions that rage whenever he looks at me, let alone smiles my way or kisses me.

Oh, God, the kiss?! I was sure I'd die from his touch alone, but that kiss was like shifting gravity and I no longer belonged to Earth, but him and I didn't fight it. I would have stayed in his embrace my whole life in that moment.
So, yes. It scares me.

Jacob's easy and understanding and I get to hold onto myself when he's close. I lose myself with Embry and that's when I barely know him. When I've barely given him any pieces of myself.

What happens down the road?

Will he consume me?

Is that what love is supposed to be? Consuming each other until you're lost in one another, and all that willingly done?

It's insane.

So why do I want to join the insanity now more than ever?

"Alright. I'll see that cute butt at the beach anyway." Jacob winks and I'm the one rolling my eyes at him this time. Kicking the door shut, I start getting ready - a simple red bikini in case I decide to test the freezing water, a pair of jeans with my trusted combat boots to keep the sand out, a red shirt with a black hoodie over for warmth and a towel for that crazy idea of going into the ocean.