a/n: i had another idea. there might be typos, but just know that i love you.
w: slowburn, stubbornness, monsters

Jacob hasn't seen them in a while. He hadn't seen anyone with the last name of Cullen since high school. If it weren't for the lingering question of 'what if' he would've completely forgotten about them by now. It's been ten years, so he's not expecting to see Bella in the grocery store of all places. There's a child sitting next to the groceries in her cart, her large brown eyes taking in the goods lining the shelf. He tries not to stare, tries to focus on the bags of potatoes in front of him, but he can't help but notice that she's alone. As far as Jacob could tell from his place in front of the vegetables, there wasn't another Cullen stalking close behind her or on any of the other aisles adjacent to the one she was on. 

There's also no ring on her finger.

 He catches sight of her left hand when she reaches for a bag of rice. It doesn't mean anything, maybe she just took off when she was running errands. He's about to move on when he sees a man in a plaid shirt with a mustache sidle up to her and begin to tease the young girl, causing her to giggle. Charlie, he realizes, as he lifts back up to talk to Bella. 

"Excuse me." Jacob looks over to see an older woman glaring at him before she drops her eyes to the potatoes.

He stumbles out of the way, abandoning his cart and his mission, and heads for the sliding doors. The sight of her standing there brings back memories that he'd buried a long time ago. They came back in flashes as he drove home. The feelings almost felt like they belonged to someone else that he didn't recognize. The longing, the loss...he could barely attach them to her now. 

The only thing that breaks him out of the barrage of memories is Leah standing in front of the stove, looking at him as if she were an idiot.

"Where are the potatoes?" 

"Uh..." He swallows, blinking a few times, "at the store." 

Leah's eyes narrow like she's about to tell him off, but Mike swoops into the front door at just the right time. He's all dressed in his uniform, windbreaker crinkling as he heads over to Jacob. 

"We're gonna be late for work if you don't hurry up." He informs Jacob who rushes upstairs, happy for the excuse to get away from Leah's glare. He slides into his work uniform in record time and almost tumbles downstairs. He waves in Leah's general direction, calling out his goodbyes without expecting a response.

Mike's waiting for him out in the truck and he climbs inside without hesitation.

"What's going on with you anyway?" Mike asks as soon as they're safely inside of the back room.

"I saw an old friend of ours at the grocery store," Jacob mumbles, unsure of whether he should even bring it up. 

"Old friend?" Mike mumbles, clearly wracking his brain for someone he hasn't seen in a while. 

"Bella." 

Jacob can see the exact moment in his eyes when realization dawns on him. Bella who'd found the 'love of her life' in high school, married her high school sweetheart as soon as she graduated, had a baby, and moved away. That Bella. 

He can also feel the conflicting emotions. Mike had a brief thing for her, but never as public as Jacob. It had never gotten as far. Clearly, he'd dodged a bullet. There was nothing more heart-wrenching than being the rebound of someone who was definitely going back to their ex.  

"Oh, how are they doing?" Mike mumbles, eyes going to peer at the monitors despite the lack of activity.

"I don't know, I didn't go up and talk to her. I just saw her and Charlie." Jacob responds, happy that it was staying casual. They were just going to treat it like it was nothing. Ten years was enough to not feel anything of substance. So, why make a big deal out of it?

Mikes nods as if he understands the sentiment before dropping his eyes to the sandwich he was just munching on and taking a bite.

"She didn't have the ring on her finger."  He can't help but point it out. It was like leaving out the most important part of the plot in a story. No one thought they'd ever see Bella without Edward clinging to her, and rightfully so, she was in love with him and he had some sort of attachment to her. Whatever it was, it was potent enough for him to promise to make her a vampire and for her to practically promise a baby to him. Only one of those promises was kept, though. She still had those same brown eyes and she'd nearly died giving birth to that kid.

Mike chokes.

He chokes and Jacob has to slap him on the back for him to recover. 

"You're planning on...?" Mike asks, turning to look as him as if he's clearly lost him mind.

"On what?" Jacob stares at him like he's the one who's lost his mind. 

He hadn't made any plans to do anything. He just thought it was weird seeing her back in Forks. Honestly, he was glad he'd seen her and she hadn't seen him. It was a good enough warning as any to let Leah take his dad to Charlie's from now on. He didn't need the awkward energy that came with being the less significant ex who pops back up.

"You're not planning on trying to get with her, are you?" Mike finally coughs out and Jacob can't help the look that he shoots him. Honestly, he's an idiot on the best of days, but Jacob clearly hasn't seen how ridiculous he could get.

"Why the fuck would I want to do that?" Jacob asks, glaring at the man who is now gulping down water.

"I-I don't know. You've been single for a long time." Mike stutters as if that's an explanation. 

Yeah, he's been single for years. What did that have to do with going back to her?

"I just thought that...maybe you were waiting..." Mike mutters, curling up as if he's expecting to get socked for the comment.

"Waiting?" he ignores the way Mike nods in affirmation, "Mike, I'm twenty-six. What the hell would I be waiting for?" 

He's not so deluded that he thinks she's going to suddenly come back and fall in love with him this time. He doesn't even want that. He was sixteen when he was blindly chasing her. He barely knew what love even was. Honestly, if he were that in love with her, he'd know. He'd know and the rest of the pack would know as well. 

Mike looks a little sheepish as he shrugs.

Jacob's about to speak again when something on one of the monitors catches his attention. He leans forward, thinking his eyes must be playing tricks on him, only to be met with a set of strange looking eyes staring directly into the security camera. 

This time, he's the one who chokes. 

He pushes away the water bottle Mike's trying to hand him, eyes never leaving the monitor. He watches in disbelief as Edward Cullen is led through the museum by Angela. 

"What the fuck?"