Prologue: 18 - The Truth

I stood there staring into his dark brown eyes, his warm hand firmly gripped in mine. Heavy silence hung between us as the conversation I had just had on the phone began to solidify between us. Alice stood next to me, the shock long gone from her face, now replaced with new understanding. Even without her ability to see into the future, she knew what I was doing long before he did.

Looking into my best friend’s eyes, I knew I had done the right thing, even if he was still confused. Both he and Alice had witnessed the phone call and I knew they could hear both ends of the conversation with their supernatural hearing. Yet that didn’t stop the confusion and bewilderment from forming in his eyes. He stood staring at me as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

Not even the firm grip I had on his hand nor the unwavering stare I gave him seemed to be enough to convince him that what I had said had been the truth. Only Alice believed me. Only she understood what it all meant.

But I was the one to break the silence.

“Alice?”

“Yes?” came her soft inquiry.

“Could you give us a moment?”

My eyes never left his, but I could feel her hesitation. I knew she was looking from me to him and back again. Finally her voice rang out in its clear bell-like way.

“Fine. Just call my cell when you’re ready for me.”

And with that we were alone again.

It was a few moments that I continued to look steadily into his eyes. Then, I slowly released his hand from the confines of mine.

“Jacob…” I started, but was quickly cut off by his husky voice.

“Did you mean that?” He asked, a hint of fear laced through his voice.

When I didn’t reply, he continued. “Bells, please. Tell me the truth. Are you really going to do that?”

His voice broke towards the end, as if he still couldn’t believe what he’d heard.

I knew it was time for me to face the music. This was it. After all that had happened and after the phone conversation I just had, I knew there was no going back.

Jacob deserved nothing but the truth from me, it was the least I could do for him now. I knew he deserved so much more than that, so much more than I could ever give him.

I looked up into his expectant face. He seemed to literally be holding his breath, waiting for my answer.

“Yes.”