Cold Water | Jacob Black

ten | a double date?

The cold air nipped at Freya as she glanced nervously to where the two boys stood outside the movies. Tension seemed to ripple from Jacob as he studied Mike, clearly not impressed. Neither boys hurried to make conversation. As if sensing her stare, Jacob turned with a grin that fell as Freya raised her eyebrows with a gesture towards Mike. He rolled his eyes but opened his mouth to talk to the other boy.

Bella was on the phone to Eric, Freya assumed as they waited for another friend to bail on them. Freya dialled Alison, a little annoyed that her friend hadn't shown up.

She picked up. "Shouldn't you be at the theatre?"

"Where are you?" Freya asked her.

"As much as I wanted to meet Jacob, I thought the two of you could do with some alone time together," Freya knew she was grinning. "Do call me later though. I want to know everything."

"Alison!" Freya hissed down the phone.

"Bye," the girl laughed. "Have fun."

The phone went silent after that as Freya sighed, putting her phone back into the pocket of her jeans. Bella didn't seem to be thrilled about being out now. The two of them walked back to the boys, where the tension seemed to have only increased.

"Jessica bailed, and Angela got the stomach flu," Bella informed them, seeming to notice the tension she was inflating. "So Eric's taking care of her."

"Alison can't come either," Freya added. "It's just us four."

"Great," Jacob eyed Freya with a small smile. "Double date it is."

An awkward laugh left Bella. "I don't think so."

Bella gave Freya a suggestive look with a smug smile. First Alison bailed as her way of making it a date and now Bella was getting the wrong idea. She needed to keep her friend and cousin away from each other.

"Great." The smile on Mike's face seemed forced.

☾

The two girls sat between the two boys with Jacob on Freya's right and Mike on Bella's left. Freya kept glancing at Jacob's hand on the armrest, as well as the drink he kept slurping from that she was afraid he'd spill.

Freya flinched at the gory scenes to which Jacob found amusing. Both Jacob and Bella seemed unphased by the scenes on screen.

Jacob lent close to whispering in her ear. "$10 that Mike is sick."

She turned to Mike who did look very pale and wide-eyed. Freya faced Jacob again, scrunching up her nose as she shook her head. "I know I'd lose."

Jacob let out a quiet laugh, his attention going back to the film.

"Okay, I think I'm going to throw up," Mike admitted not even five minutes later and fled from the screening room without a glance back at the trio. Freya sighed, refusing to look at Jacob as she hid her smile.

The three of them followed behind, knowing it was the right thing to do as they waited for Mike. Bella decided she'd take one for the team, hovering outside the bathroom as she waited to hand Mike her bottle of water.

"What a marshmallow," Jacob commented with an amused grin. He turned to Bella. "You should hold out for someone with a stronger stomach. Someone who laughs at the gore that makes weaker men vomit."

"Yeah, I'll keep my eye out for that," Bella rolled her eyes. "You two wait by the stairs. We won't be long."

"You sure?" Freya glanced nervously to the bathroom.

"Positive," she didn't seem happy about it.

Still, the two walked towards the stairs knowing that Mike wouldn't want them hovering.

"I feel bad, he probably has that flu going around," Freya said, her voice hitching slightly as Jacob took her hand. It was a lot warmer than she remembered as her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. The warmth radiating him comforted her.

"That didn't go how I thought it would," he admitted. "Though, I didn't have high hopes after seeing who Bella invited. Can't think who's worse out of Mike and Edward."

"Don't be mean," Freya frowned but her mind was stuck on his hand. He was still holding hers.

"Sorry," he smiled a little shyly looking at their hands entwined together. Then he looked up, meeting her eyes as he squeezed her hand as if to ease his nerves. "You like me, right?"

"Um," she glanced at the floor as heat filled her cheeks. She was worried that her hand was starting to sweat in Jacob's warm one. "Maybe."

"Maybe, huh?" She looked up to find him grinning. His confidence returned once more.

Freya studied him, wondering what having a normal life would be like but she was a mermaid. If he knew then would he be having this conversation with her or would he see her as a freak? Then there was the full moon. She could hurt him. The realisation felt heavy, causing her heart to sink.

"Jake," she hesitated, pulling her hand from his as she sat on one of the steps. "I can't."

He paused, still as he watched her. One moment her eyes were glowing with what he hoped was happiness, and now she seemed withdrawn. Instead, he sat down next to her with a small sad smile.

"I won't hurt you," he promised.

"It's not that," she clenched her fists, willing herself not to cry. "I do like you, Jacob, but I can't be with you."

Before he could reply, Bella and Mike appeared a bit startled to walk in on their conversation. Bella gazed between them both, eyes shining with an apology that Freya looked away. "Well," Mike sniffed, followed by a sigh. Freya stood up. "I need to go home."

Jacob's body language changed, stiffening up as he turned to face Mike with an agitated glare. Even Mike noticed the sudden change.

"I'm...I was feeling sick before the movie, okay?" Jacob scoffed, not believing it that only instigated Mike. "What is your problem?"

"Right now, you're my problem," Freya's eyes widened in shock. "Feeling sick? Maybe you should go to a hospital?" He stood, teeth clenching as he spoke. "You want me to put you in a hospital?"

"Jake," Freya grabbed his hand again, pulling him back from Mike. Her other hand went to his chest to stop him. Mike's face went wide with shock, hands up in surrender. "Jake. The movies over. What are you doing?"

Freya gasped as she felt the scorching heat of Jacob's body. Moments ago he hadn't been this hot, and now he was burning a fever. Her eyes softened. "You're...really hot." He didn't look at her. "Like, you feel like you have a fever. Are you okay?"

"I don't know what's happening," he realised, pulling away from Freya. She took a step towards him but he shook his head. Freya couldn't help but notice how he struggled to breathe. "I gotta go."

"Jake," Freya chased after him, her hand grasping his hot one. He pulled away from her touch. "Please. My mom can take you home. Bella can."

"I gotta go," he repeated, not looking at her.

The three of them watched as Jacob left the theatre. Freya had a sickening feeling in her stomach that something was terribly wrong.

☾

Things are going to start getting interesting!  More mermaid stuff soon as well!

I found an Emmett story in my drafts the other day with Madeline Petsch. It's about a character called Aurora who can see ghosts and one of the ghosts is her brother. Would anyone be interested if I shared it?