The rain in Forks is different today—colder, heavier, soaking you through your jacket as you wait outside the school, your backpack clinging to your shoulders, hair plastered to your face.

You hug yourself tighter, teeth chattering, silently cursing your forgotten umbrella and the bus that hasn’t come.

“Hey!”

You flinch, turning to see Jacob jogging up the sidewalk, rain dripping down his dark hair, his grin bright even under the gray sky.

“Jake, what are you doing here?” you call over the downpour, shivering as water slides down your neck.

He slows, standing in front of you, eyes scanning your soaked clothes with a frown. “Billy sent me to town, but then I saw you out here looking like a drowned cat.”

You roll your eyes, hugging yourself tighter. “Funny.”

Lightning flashes far off, thunder rolling after, the rain somehow colder as the wind picks up. You shudder, rubbing your arms, trying to keep your teeth from chattering.

Jacob’s frown deepens. “You’re freezing.”

“I’m fine,” you lie, your lips numb.

Before you can protest, he steps closer, and suddenly his arms are around you, pulling you into him.

It’s like stepping into summer.

You gasp softly, the shock of his warmth stealing your breath as your frozen fingers clutch at the front of his soaked t-shirt. His body radiates heat like a furnace, chasing the chill from your skin, your bones, thawing you from the inside out.

Jacob laughs quietly, a low rumble you feel against your cheek as you press your face against his chest, your hair sticking to your skin.

“You’re so cold,” he mutters, wrapping his arms tighter around you, one hand splaying against your back, the other cradling the back of your head, shielding you from the rain.

You don’t care that you’re soaked, don’t care that your heart is hammering so loudly you’re sure he can hear it. All you can think about is how warm he is, how the cold is melting away, how safe you feel in his arms.

“You’re so warm,” you whisper, your voice muffled against him.

He huffs a soft laugh, resting his chin on your head. “Perks of being me.”

You pull back just enough to look up at him, rain dripping from your lashes, and for a moment, neither of you says anything. His dark eyes soften, scanning your face as if he’s memorizing you, his thumb brushing a raindrop from your cheek.

The world is quiet in that space between heartbeats, rain still falling around you, but you don’t feel the cold anymore.

“Come on,” he says finally, his voice gentle, his hand finding yours as he tugs you toward his truck. “Let’s get you warm before you turn into an ice cube.”