Me: [pacing] But Bella kissing Jacob back in Eclipse fascinates me because, paradoxically enough, it shows me just how Bella/Jacob would never work out in the long run. For one thing, she doesn’t respond to Jacob’s kiss until she senses his unbridled joy at his (mistaken) belief that she is kissing him back. And to me, that illustrates the difference between her love for Jacob versus her love for Edward. Bella still loves Edward, even when she 100% believes he no longer loves her or wants to be with her. Her love for him is not solely based on what Edward wants or desires (although those do greatly matter to her, of course). With Jacob, though, his needs and desires do matter, because to Bella Jacob is family first and a lover second. This means Bella subconsciously treats him as she does her parents: Taking care of him emotionally and putting his needs before her own. It’s Cinderbella all over again. But unlike them, Jacob is more capable and even has cool shifter powers that can defend her from any threats. Unlike Bella’s friends, Jacob notices things about her and cares about her. That is a massive upgrade from Bella’s current situation. Jacob also has the advantage over Edward in terms of being near contemporaries with Bella, of roughly the same social status. But it’s not enough. A human life with Jacob is still a human life: Cooking, cleaning, and eventually childrearing. That will worsen Bella’s parentification and I think deep down she knows it. I don’t know, does that make sense?
Therapist: Why can’t you just be normal?
