I clicked the off button and looked at Alice. She had a pained look on her face. I covered my face with my hands and mumbled, "that bad?"
"Uhm-- it wasn't so bad... he'll call!"
I removed my hands and she gave me a reassuring smile. She swung her long jet black hair in front of her and held up a silky strand.
"How do you think I'll look with short hair?"
I couldn't think about that right now. Just then Alice's dog came in, LMNO hopped on my bed. I groaned and picked up my feather pillow and tried to scoot him off. He was a little thing, remarkably like Alice, but fat, heavy and greedy. I told Alice she spoilt him.
Alice scooped him off the bed and put his little fat face close to hers and muttering nonsense to him.
"Isn't she a bad bad girl.. ooh, little sweetums! Aren't you a cutie! Aren't ya? You love mommy... you love mommy! DOn't bother with her! I'm so proud of you! You jumped so high!"
I laughed. "You really shouldn't brainwash your dog, Alice." I brushed off some fur from my green comforter. "He's going to be staying with me for the week!" I stuck my tongue out to the side like I was dying. Alice put down LMNO, who licked her ankles and then nestled down at her feet.
Alice turned to me with her hands on her hips. She sighed. "I can get someone else if you want..."
I looked up hopefully. She looked hurt. I ground my teeth and smiled. "I'm kiddin', I'm kidding... I'd love to look after LMNO and clean his poop and watch as he destructs my apartment..."
"Come on.. be serious!" She frowned.
I sighed. "I'll look after 'little sweetums' Alice, all for you."
She grinned widely and did a little pirouet over to me where she hugged me. She smelt strongly of doggy powder.
She danced over to my full length mirror. "Great! So you didn't answer my question, Bella."
I stared at my phone and tapped the receiver impatiently. Willing it to ring. Willing it to be Saul...
"What question?" I muttered, not really paying attention to her.
"My hair. DO you think it will look good short?"
"What do you think?" I threw back at her.
I thought the idea of throwing back Alice's questions was clever and indeed it was because she never noticed. It's always like she's been waiting for me to ask her her opinion.
"I think it will suit me perfectly! My hair is so long, it makes my face look smaller and I look shorter---"
I smiled and said my 'mm-hmms' at appropiate intervals.
Alice plopped down next to me on my bed and brushed a strand that was dangling in front of my face behind my ear.
"Talk to me... are you worried about Saul?"
Of course I was thinking about Saul. I really liked the guy. I met him through my friend, Jacob, girlfriend, Renesmee. We met up at Jake's club, Indigo, last Friday night and had brunch together on Saturday. It was perfect. We exchanged numbers and he said he'd call me but it's been three days.. Oh, only three days Bella!
"'Cos he'll call!" Alice continued and muttered a threat under her breath about what would happen to him if he didn't.
"Oh I know, Al. And it's not that!" I lied, smiling back at her.
"I'll miss you so much! You're going to Turkey..."
"Aww, well you know it's for my Archeology. And I feel so bad leaving you to pick out your own clothes! Well, I guess that's a lost cause right there..."
She looked critically at my stretched up promotional T- Shirt that said Geriatric Dentistry Volunteer and my once-upon-a-time black jeans.
"Oh, come off it," I giggled, scooting under my blanket. "But is that really why you're going to TUrkey or are you trying to trail Professor Jasper Hale?"
She hit me over the head with her thin hand. I just laughed some more. "No, I happen to really like artifacts-- and biofacts and what-not."
She jumped off my bed and grabbed up her red coat. "And if I stay here any longer to watch you challenge that telephone to a combat with your eyes, I'll never finish packing. Don't forget to come by me tomorrow to pick up LMNO's food and vitamins and his shampoo and little closet... okay? I'll leave a message on your answering machine... I'm pretty sure you'll be watching that closely. Come here LMNO, come here sweetums! Ooh, mommy loves ya!" She nestled her nose to his and then spun him around to me and I dived under my sheet away from him.
"Say good-bye to Aunty Bella now. Later Bells!"
I peeked out. "Good-bye Alice... now I really can't wait until you get back."
Alice chuckled and closed the door behind her. It wasn't very long until I heard her canary yellow Porsche zoom down the road.