Whispered Words
A quick thank you to my beta, bexie25 for editing this! :)
Even having walked this earth for one hundred and ten years, even having seen the most exquisite sights with my own two eyes and even with having witnessed or taken part in the most awe-inspiring occurrences, nothing could trump the ultimate beauty that slept soundly in my arms.
She was perfect in every way possible; from the freckles that dotted her nose like stars in the night sky to the way her long lashes caressed her pink cheeks. Her beauty was both physical and linked to her traits, and I couldn't decide which of the two mesmerized me more.
I still couldn't believe my luck, to find such a woman!
I'd thought, rather morbidly, that I'd have to spend the entirety of forever alone, wallowing in my own self pity and composing mournful songs to perform on my piano for no one in particular, but here I was, lying on a small, cramped bed with my mate in her bedroom, in a position I'd never leave if life didn't make it so I had to.
Lying here, watching her sleep each night was an activity I enjoyed more than any other, excluding when she was awake, of course. I'd never grow tired of hearing her mutter my name with such tenderness every few hours, and feel her move unconsciously move closer towards me as if she sensed my presence, even in her deep sleep. There were times when hearing her unconscious thoughts wasn't so perfect, however, but this only occurred when she muttered her worries aloud, worries she hadn't confided me in for fear that I too would grow anxious. It seemed she knew me too well, even in the short time we'd known each other.
I still couldn't believe that it had only been a few short days since I'd captured her gaze across the far eastern end of the bustling high school cafeteria for the first time. It seemed like an eternity ago that I hadn't known what it was like to hear her alluring voice, bear witness to her beautiful face, to know her as well as I did... I smiled slightly as I thought of the bewildered expression she'd worn when her eyes had met mine, and my own shock, but then the ultimate pleasure that followed.
I'd known immediately what it was we'd been experiencing at the time, so it had been I who'd instigated our first contact. In biology, a class we fortunately shared, I asked her questions about who she was and where she came from. I remember being surprised to find that her heart was as beautiful as her body, and then berating myself for expecting anything less. Of course she was perfect, she was my mate, my perfect match, the other half of my soul. It wasn't until she'd left the room when the class had finished, and was out of my sight, that I realized how physically painful being away from her was. Not only that, but I'd finally taken into consideration that she was human, and the thought of my family's reactions to this fact had my spirits falling faster than they had arisen. The only thing that could pacify me was her re-appearance, and I'd known at the time that this wasn't going to happen anytime soon.
The pain grew more intense as further minutes passed, and I determined it was her absence that caused it, not knowing if she was safe. The feeling didn't really make sense, gathering that I'd only just met her, but I trusted it; it was the only thing that kept me sane. Along with the physical pain followed the nagging worry of whether she was felt the same discomfort as I did. I hoped she didn't. It was agony.
I'd had no idea what the fuck Alice thought of my strange and erratic behavior, although I tried to find out, as she was effectively blocking her thoughts from me by singing an infuriating nursery rhyme repeatedly in her head. I'd felt a brief spasm of panic as I realized that she would've seen what had transpired between Bella Swan and I at some point in time, and perhaps would tell Jasper, who would then tell everyone. For once, I wished she were the mind reader, and I the fortune-teller. It would've calmed my emotions in the very least if I knew what to expect and could tell her my fears. As soon as the class finished, I grabbed Alice's arm and prevented her from leaving. She didn't look at all surprised and thankfully didn't resist in the slightest, for which I was grateful.
"Do you know about her, about Bella?" I'd whispered to her, as if speaking louder would make the situation ten times worse.
A tense smile graced her white lips, but her topaz eyes betrayed her fear. In her mind, blasphemous images of Jasper interrogating…threatening…harming Bella arose, and she flinched, disturbed by them. An animalistic snarl ripped out of my throat and my hands pulverized the seat they leaned against in my fury. I took a violent lunge forward, searching through the minds of everyone to find the people who dared threaten my mate's safety.
"Edward, don't." Now she was the one gripping my arm with force, except she stared pleadingly at me. I shook it off angrily. "He just doesn't understand. Now is not the time for our family to know about her. I can see that if you wait for them to find out, that they'll take it better. They'll see how happy she makes you and they'll accept her. We can avoid the vision. It'll be hard to keep it from Jasper, but we can manage. I know how important she is to you, already."
The veracity in her tone calmed me down marginally, but the terror of being away from Bella prevented me from fully regaining my usual state of mind.
"What do I do then?" I whispered. "I have to know her, you need to understand that."
She smiled. "Trust me, I do. All you need to do is hide it from them. You can still be with her, but this is the only way it will work for now."
I pinched the bridge of my nose and paced back and forth like I was possessed, not knowing any other way to release my frustration. "Are you sure about this? Are you absolutely positive it will work, that Bella will be safe?"
She stopped my maniac pacing with the simple placing of her tiny hand on my shoulder. "I swear to you. Now go to her. I'll go distract the others and make up an excuse for why you're not there."
I'd only hugged Alice three times in the whole time I'd known her, which comprised of ninety closed-off years, and all those times, she'd instigated those hugs. Now, I gave her one willingly, almost drowning in my gratitude.
"You have no idea how much this means to me," I told her sincerely.
"Oh, I know. Now, seriously go." She inclined her head in the direction of the door, a twinkle in her golden eyes. "Bella's just about to go home and she is feeling as badly as you are. If you go to her now, you'll make it just before she gets into that decrepit truck of hers."
"Thanks so much," I called out again as I rushed out the door, anxious to be with the woman I already loved.
From there, I'd met Bella in the car-park and asked if she wanted to spend the afternoon with me. I'd been surprised to find that she was deeply troubled before I'd approached her, as proved by the crease between her brows and the way she stood, her shoulders hunched and her head down. The sight made me instantly want to comfort her, although I wasn't sure how. Her demeanor transformed immediately into one of ecstasy and relief once she'd caught sight of me walking towards her. My own pain had eased also, and I knew that parting from her again was going to be even more difficult than the last time because I'd already felt its fiery anguish earlier.
She'd agreed instantly to my plan, and we'd gone to my meadow – a special place I went when I wanted to be alone – the only place I could think of where we wouldn't be interrupted and where I knew my family wouldn't come across us by accident. It was there that I explained what she was feeling, the connection that we had and what I was. She took it with greater ease than I'd expected, telling me that she trusted her heart inexplicably, and it was her heart which told her she needed me, that she loved me. She was a little overwhelmed by it all, understandably at the time, but now, during the present, it was as if she'd always known what I was, and had always felt the strength of our undeniable connection. We hadn't even been able to part ways when the day had drawn to a close and she'd begged me to stay overnight to help her sleep, fearing that the pain we'd both experienced would return with a vengeful smirk. So I'd stayed, and every day since then, I'd done the same. Every hour that we could spend together, we used wisely, not taking anything for granted.
It was only at school where we encountered difficulties…
My memories lulled to a halt as I heard Bella's breathing indicate that she was awakening and I smiled, joyful at the thought of spending another day together, even if it meant another day trying to hide our relationship from my family. We'd been pretty good so far, interacting only when they weren't paying attention or weren't in hearing distance, however, we both couldn't help the eye contact. I couldn't help but look at her. It was impossible not to, and so we snuck kisses in empty class-rooms or at the back of the school and met up in places no one thought to go. It was only those times that made keeping the joy of my life such a secret be worth it. I couldn't wait for the day that it'd be okay for my family to know; everything would be so much easier for us.
I caressed Bella's cheek lightly, my way of bidding her a good morning. She smiled and her eyes fluttered open, warm brown focusing with adoration on me. I couldn't help the grin that followed and once again thanked the gods above that had provided me with the miracle snuggled up in my loving embrace.
"Hello," I whispered, kissing her nose and looking deeply into her eyes.
She smiled, but her voice was garbled with sleep. "Hi."
"Looking forward to school today?" I asked, rubbing her shoulder gently, She pulled her purple pillow up over her head and groaned. I frowned at the loss of contact. "Don't remind me. I hate having to pretend you don't exist."
I took the pillow easily from her hands and deposited it at the end of her bed, pushing a lock of her brown hair back from her face. "I feel the same way as you. You have no idea how hard it is to restrain myself in that ridiculous idea of a school."
She flushed a little but looked pleased. Her eyes flashed with mischief. "And what exactly are you restraining from?"
I pulled back from her and then adjusted her slightly so she was on her back, and then hovered over her, leaving soft kisses down the left side of her face. "You know exactly what."
"Remind me," she insisted, grinning.
"Well, kissing you for one," I admitted before leaving a peck upon her parted lips. "And calling you mine…whispering 'I love you' in your ear…letting my hands learn your body, that sort of thing."
She smiled softly and then curled her arms around my neck, letting her hands tangle in my bronze hair before she brought my head down to her level where she could kiss me.
I smiled against her lips, as our first kiss came to mind. It had occurred in the same meadow where I'd told her everything and had only happened due to my lack of self-control. She'd noticed me staring at her lips and had daringly asked why I kept staring at her. Like an idiot, I told her why, but it seemed, in the end, I wasn't an idiot after all, because I got what I wanted. She'd pressed her lips softly against mine, and I'd discovered the most amazing pleasure I'd ever encountered. That pleasure had multiplied when she'd moved her body impossibly close towards mine so that our chests were touching and held my face in her hands.
Of course, we'd advanced so far since then, even to the point where we'd made love, but if I got to thinking about that, then we'd never leave for school. I'd be inside her quicker than she could blink, turned on simply by the thought of our past escapades.
She was the first to pull back, obviously sensing that my mind was in a different place at the moment, and I smiled apologetically at her, leaning back in and kissing her as ardently as she deserved. I could sense that I was easily forgiven by the eagerness of her response.
"We really have to go, but I don't want to leave." Now I was groaning as we pulled back and stared at each other.
She sat up suddenly, a look of curiosity dawning on her face.
"Where does your family think you are? I can't believe I've never asked you that."
I frowned. "Oh. I told them I've been participating in daily runs to clear my head, get rid of the boredom, you know?"
She scrunched up her nose adorably. "But what if they find out?"
I kissed her forehead and tried to decrease her sudden anxiety by smiling at her. "They won't and if they do, we'll face it when it comes. No matter what happens, I will protect you. Never doubt that."
Her eyes softened.
"I don't." But her expression was still perplexed and I had no idea why. "But what are you going to tell them if they do?"
"The truth, that I love you and you're my mate," I told her sincerely, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. "Now come on, we really need to go. We've only got twenty minutes to get to school, and they really will suspect something's up if we're late."
"I wish we could go to school together," she muttered, pushing her sheets off our bodies and getting to her feet.
"I'm going to ask Alice if it's time yet. Believe me, I can't wait for the day when we don't have to hide it any more. "
She smiled but it didn't touch her eyes. "I know. I'll just miss you."
I kissed her slowly…tenderly, savoring the moment and then stroked her hair softly. "It won't be that long. I'll send you text messages and we can meet up in an empty class room."
"Okay," she agreed, nodding eagerly.
Then I gave her another quick kiss before making an exit out her window, facing the incredibly difficult task of forcing myself not to turn back as I did so.
…
"Dude, seriously, you missed out on a football match again last night because you went on that fucking run of yours," Emmett complained, images of the game they'd participated in last night flickering through his mind. "What's going on?"
We were sitting in first period English, ignoring the teacher's boring lecture as usual. As I had many times in the past few days, I'd been watching Bella through the minds of others around her and had missed whatever Emmett had been trying to tell me. I only realized he was talking to me now because he'd kicked my leg under the desk with painful force and I'd growled at him in surprise, finally noticing his irritated thoughts. He then told me of his continued attempts to get my attention.
I grimaced. "Nothing, I've got nothing to do in the house and I need at least a half an hour break from listening to everyone's thoughts. Running is the only way to clear my head."
He snorted and the teacher sent him a death glare. "Bullshit. This is the fourth day in a row you've ditched me for some stupid nature walk."
"Aw, do you miss me?" I said sarcastically, tapping my hand against the table. "Seriously, nothing is going on. I don't even know why you think there is."
His eyes narrowed suspiciously, but he let it drop, sensing I wasn't to give in any time soon. I instantly grew wary when he became to formulate theories in his head about ten minutes later. Thankfully they weren't anywhere close to the truth but they still worried me. They ranged from me going through a mid life crisis – which made no sense – to me realizing I was…oh fuck no.
"I'm not gay, you moron," I hissed under my breath.
He shrugged. "It's not like it's impossible. You've never shown any interest in girls."
I rolled my eyes. "You're not even close and for your information, I have never shown any interest in men."
"Oh, so there is something up." His eyebrows rose and he smirked.
Shit! "Uh…no."
"I'm going to find it out," he warned. "It'll give me something to do."
"Good luck," I muttered. "Because there's nothing going on."
"Sure," was all he said, grinning widely at me.
Satisfied that he'd finally dropped the subject altogether, I returned back to looking for Bella in the minds of others. I smiled as I watched her scribble notes furiously on an answers sheet. She took her education very seriously, which was rare for the average seventeen year old.
"What's so funny? Did I miss the joke? I doubt it was the bitch up the front," Emmett asked casually.
Fuck.
"Why are you being so observant today?" I muttered under my breath.
"Why are you being so secretive?" he countered rather harshly.
Sorry, he amended quickly in his head, regretting his words.
It was then that I realized that he was a little hurt. He felt like I was distancing myself from him, from our family, or that he'd done something wrong. I really had to put a stop to this soon before everyone got their feelings hurt. Where was Alice when I needed her?
"I'll tell you eventually," I promised quietly.
He nodded, and then continued flicking his pencil in the air.
Lying to my brother was harder than I'd originally thought.
How was I going to keep up lying to the others too?
…
I stared at the door anxiously, waiting for Bella's arrival. It was recess and I'd texted Bella a couple of minutes ago, and she still wasn't here. I was starting to get worried.
What if something had happened?
What if she needed my help?
What if…?
My frenzied, panicked thoughts were cut off by her arrival. I could tell by her shallow breathing that she'd either been running or walking really quickly and I smiled at the thought of her wanting to see me so badly. It didn't explain her detour though. As soon as she caught my excited gaze, she ran into my arms and hugged me tightly, rubbing her face against my shirt and smiling as I kissed the crown of her hair.
"Sorry I'm late, I was caught up with Jessica and Lauren," she explained, answering my unspoken question. "They were interrogating me."
"About what?" I asked bewilderedly. I hadn't caught a whiff of such thing in either of their thoughts. This new development must be fairly recent.
She cringed. "Just stupid stuff. You know, why I keep disappearing each day and if I really like them."
"What did you say?" If I had a human heart, it would've been beating a million miles a second.
She stepped back so she could look into my eyes, and took my hand in hers. "Just that I like to be alone at break times and they're nice people, but I don't really feel like hanging out with anyone right now."
"Wow, that's a pretty good answer," I murmured, impressed.
"Did you expect anything less?" She cocked an eyebrow in challenge.
I shook my head and smiled. "No."
Her own smile brightened at that, and suddenly, I couldn't take the distance between us any more. We'd been parted for too long, and I felt that we were wasting our time talking about trivial things of little importance. My hand rose to her face without permission, and I stroked it thrice before leaning in and letting my eager lips brush against hers. She shivered with delight and I deepened the kiss, pushing us forward so she was backed against the wall, giving me better access to her. I forgot the time and place as my hands explored her body like they never had before and my lips shaped themselves around hers.
"Edward, we're at school, anyone could see us," she whispered with a will as weak as mine.
"I don't care," I said rashly, kissing her more passionately than I had previously. Every emotion I'd been feeling for the past few hours, the loss, the worry, the loneliness, the relief and then my desire for her poured into the kiss, causing everything around us to become irrelevant.
Edward, get your ass out here right now.
Fuck, was that Jasper?
What the fuck was he doing looking for me now?
He'd never done that before, always being too preoccupied with Alice to really take any notice of my absence, so it had to be something big he needed to talk to me about.
But why the fuck now?
I didn't have much time to spend with Bella before we'd have to separate and he was lessening that time greatly.
Fuck.
Bella!
Oh shit.
He'd see her and figure out everything.
"Jasper's coming," I whispered to her urgently.
She understood immediately what such a thing entailed, and straightened her shirt frantically before dashing for the storeroom and slamming the door behind her. Jasper walked in a few seconds later, thankfully oblivious to the things that had just transpired in here, whistling without a care in the world.
I felt like strangling him, and at the very least sent him a black look. "What?"
"Watcha doing in here, Ed?" he asked, looking around in a failed attempt to be nonchalant. Like Emmett, he was obviously suspicious.
What the hell was going on?
"Er…" I scrambled for an excuse. "Nothing much…just…uh…doing homework, yeah."
"Doing homework," he said skeptically. "Oh really. We both know you can do that in two seconds but I won't pry. If you don't want to tell me then it's fine with me."
I snickered. "Jasper, you may be able to control emotions but you aren't a damn therapist. Reverse psychology won't do shit to me."
"I don't know what you're talking about." He eyed the fan above us innocently. "But I really wish you'd tell me."
"What is with you guys trying to find out my personal business?"
"Isn't that what brothers do," he said mockingly. "I'm bored. That's all."
"Well go fuck a tree or something."
Jasper snickered. "Is that what you've been doing on those walks of yours? Thanks, but no thanks."
"Fuck off." I slapped his shoulder, only half joking.
I froze as I heard Bella sneeze in the storeroom.
Oh shit.
I didn't blame her in the slightest for her human reaction but shit was really about to go down.
Jasper paled considerably and he whispered low and fast. "Please tell me that someone isn't in there."
My voice was strangled. "I have no idea."
He walked to the storeroom cautiously and opened it slowly, revealing a shaking Bella, her face white with anxiety and her hands clenched into tight fists.
"Don't you know it's rude to listen in on people's conversations," he snapped at her angrily. I could sense his fear, although I didn't know what caused it.
She got to her feet in a flash and dove past us, not even looking at me as she went, tendrils of her brown hair flying around her and sending a strong whiff of her delectable scent in our direction.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
What the hell was I going to do now?
"Did she hear anything? Read her mind," he said, low and demanding under his breath.
I was never more thankful in my life than I was now when I realized I hadn't told any of my family that I couldn't read Bella's mind. "She didn't hear anything suspicious," I said in a monotone voice. "It's fine."
He straightened up and his face returned to its normal hue. "Fuck, for a second, I thought she'd heard everything. We'd be in deep shit if that happened. Rosalie would have my head." He chuckled.
"Yeah, totally," I agreed, trying to quench the worry building up within me.
"Now are you going to explain to me why you're in here?"
"Only if you explain to me why you were looking for me in the first place," I countered, crossing my arms and grimacing.
He shot me a pointed glance. "Fine, I wanted to see where you went during those lunch periods. Emmett dared me to."
"I swear, you and Emmett are still children," I complained, averting his eyes as he spoke. Feeling my emotions wasn't the only way Jasper could read them.
"So, what are you really doing in here?" he questioned seriously, sitting unnecessarily in one of the empty chairs and twisting it around to face me. For the second time today, I felt like I was in a job interview. It was intimidating and borderline annoying.
"I wanted to be alone."
"You always want to be alone these days. The real question is, why?"
Like Emmett, he wasn't going to accept a bullshit answer; I could see that.
I sighed. "Fuck, I can't tell you yet, okay."
"And why not?"
"I'm not…ready for you guys to know yet."
"It's not… serious is it?"
I didn't say anything.
He got the message loud and clear.
"It's big, isn't it? Whatever this is," he guessed, his brow furrowing in concentration. "What I can't figure out is why you'd come here of all places. It's not like we can read your mind and figure it out that way. Why are you avoiding us all so often?"
"Who said I'm avoiding you all," I whispered, unable to contain the words. Had they really all interpreted my behavior this way? If Emmett and Jasper felt this way, two of the strongest people I knew, how did gentle Esme, how did forgiving Carlisle feel. I felt sick. I needed to sort this out today. This was going too far.
"Because that's what you're doing," he answered seriously.
"Arrange a family meeting for after school." I sighed. "I can't do this any more."
He grinned at my surrender and he punched my shoulder lightly. "Don't worry, Edward. Whatever it is, we can take it."
I grimaced. "We'll see."
The bell rang, and he walked out of the room, his thoughts burning with curiosity.
I buried my face in my hands and kicked the offending chair in front of me.
I was taking a big risk here. What if it wasn't time for them to know? What if I was putting Bella in danger by doing this? What if everything turned to shit just because I couldn't handle it any more?
It seemed like everything was going to turn to shit either way.
I whipped my phone out of my pocket and texted Bella, my thumbs moving so quickly they blurred. I made sure to turn my back in case someone walked in without my knowledge and saw my supernatural skill. In my message, I apologized to her, explained my plan and gave her the directions to my house. She replied no more than thirty seconds later, agreeing.
Then I texted Alice, and asked her if what I was planning to do wouldn't screw up everything. She assured me that today was the day. I nodded to myself automatically, ignoring the intense relief I felt in my determination, stowed away my phone and walked out of the room.
It was time.
…
For the first time in so many days, I traveled home with my family. My heart sadly identified the loss, having grown so used to Bella's presence at this time, and my usual pain was increased ten-fold. I'd usually be seeing her right now…talking to her…kissing her; sitting in a moving car with tensed up siblings was almost a laughable comparison. Even Rosalie knew that something was up now, but only because Emmett had informed her of his suspicions. In truth, she didn't really care. She was more concerned about tuning up her BMW than finding out the truth about my erratic behavior. Curiosity, didn't really plague her the way it did the others.
The ride was over before I knew it, and I was a little startled to see our house in view so quickly. All my siblings with the exception of Rosalie turned to face me expectantly once the engine was cut.
"Carlisle and Esme need to be present," I said tersely, trying to buy time. "We need to go inside."
Then I got out of the car and walked inside, texting something quickly to Bella in my pocket so they couldn't see what I was doing.
Esme and Carlisle were both waiting by my grand piano, hands linked, looking curious but still respectful of my privacy. Jasper had obviously warned them of what was to come. Their thoughts were only of my well-being. They were worried about me, about the way I'd been acting. They'd noticed I'd been a lot happier lately, but they were concerned about my ducking out all the time. For the first time since my rebellious days, I actually felt like a misbehaving teenager.
"Son, you can tell us anything, you know that," Carlise said warmly, while Esme nodded at his side. She touched my shoulder lightly and smiled at me.
"Tell us only if you're ready though. We can wait."
"No we can't!" Emmett disagreed, loping into the room with his arm around Rosalie who appeared disgruntled.
Alice and Jasper followed soon after.
Jasper looked cautious.
Alice was…pensive.
I gestured towards the dining room where we held most of our family meetings and they all followed my lead.
When we were all seated, no-one, not even Emmett, urged me to speak. They knew how difficult this was for me, and not for the first time today, I felt an intense flow of gratitude for my family. Guilt soon followed, marring my otherwise ordinary expression and causing alarm on Esme's sweet face.
"I just…" I started, hesitating. This was so much more difficult than I'd ever envisioned. "I…you may have noticed me being…occupied over the past couple of days."
Emmett rolled his eyes. "Yes, and, go on."
Alice shot him a look but otherwise kept silent.
I was too tense to even bother focusing on their thoughts.
"Well…I…I…"
They all waited patiently, although I could tell Emmett was dying of curiosity.
"I met her." The words were oddly freeing as if I'd let the damn of my emotions run free and now I was free to do what I wanted, be who I wanted, there was nothing more to hide.
My family's reactions were almost comical.
"Her?" Esme asked perplexedly, her female intuition bringing the truth to the fore-front of her mind, but her being too shocked to believe or even consider it.
This is about a female? Carlisle thought hopefully.
"Holy shit," Emmett uttered.
'Who's her?' Jasper wondered. 'Who the fuck is he talking about?'
'Hmm, this may be more interesting than Emmett made it out to be' Rosalie thought.
"I think we're all a little confused son," Carlisle said, smiling. "I think you should clarify the truth for us."
"I found my mate," I admitted softly, Bella's beautiful face materialized in my mind as I said the words.
"That was all this was?" Emmett questioned incredulously. "Why the fuck didn't you tell us? We've been waiting forever for that to happen. Wait, it's not a dude is it? You said you weren't gay."
I gripped the back of my head exasperatingly. "No! I said it was a she, you idiot."
He laughed, a little amazed. 'Wow…I seriously never thought this day would come. And it's not a dude. Amazing. I always thought he was gay. Guess you learn something new every day.'
I searched the minds of the others to see their reactions and wasn't the least bit surprised at what I found. Jasper was just about as stunned as Emmett, but he found it was logical which made my admission good enough for him, Carlisle was pleased, Rosalie was momentarily interested but then went back to thinking about her car, and Esme…she was close to tears, if such a thing were possible.
I felt a brief spasm of pleasure at their acceptance but then remembered that they didn't know the fully story yet and was instantly thrown back into a sombre mood.
"But there's something you need to know about her," I explained, holding up one hand in the air cautiously.
Carlisle's face deepened with concern. "Is she not of our diet?"
I laughed nervously. "Not exactly."
Jasper shrugged. "As if we would judge you for that, Ed. We've all drunk human blood before. I'm living proof one can change their lifestyle dramatically."
"That's not what I meant." I wrung my hands, staring at the floor instead of at their confused faces.
Now they were all baffled.
"What do you mean then?" His eyebrows rose significantly. "You said she's not on our diet, what other diet would she be on?"
"A human one."
"You just said she doesn't hunt humans."
"No, I mean she is human."
There was total silence.
One could possibly hear a pin drop, even with the quiet gasps that slipped out of everyone's mouths but mine.
Then Rosalie spoke for the first time, her face twisted with outrage and her voice loud and piercing.
"A human? What the fuck, Edward? Do you understand how much danger that could put our family in? Do you even care about this family anymore."
I flinched, and she sat back, seemingly satisfied.
The others were still too shocked too speak, sitting in their seats like statues.
"Of course I do," I snarled, more offended than I should be due to my guilt. My tone grew lighter, more pleading as I said my next words. "But she's my whole world. So, please, please, don't mess this up for me. I love her."
Jasper's head snapped up and his expression was surprisingly kind. "I was prepared to fight you, but…hearing you like this…seeing what you've been like over the past couple of days…I can't. I know it may put us in danger but I can see how much she means to you now. I can't deny you what all of us have."
I grinned at him, swaddled in gratitude, and extended my fist so he could bump it. He did so with a wry smile of his own.
"Agh, bro, as long as you're happy, I'm happy. I like the new you, just stop ditching us when it comes to sport or hunting," Emmett conceded, fist bumping me also.
"I'm just glad you've found her," was all Esme said. I got up out of my chair and hugged her affectionately. "Thank you," I replied. She simply smiled brightly in return.
Carlisle acted similarly to Esme, however he was more reserved about it, clapping me on the back and saying how he'd back me up with this.
I didn't even bother with Alice, knowing she knew, and instead turned to Rosalie, who was looking at her nails intently as if they contained all the power of the world.
"Rosalie," I murmured. "Please."
She refused to look up. "I don't trust her, Edward. All humans are shallow and selfish."
How ironic.
"I think you'd change your mind if you met her," I challenged, folding my arms against my chest.
"I really doubt that," she replied coldly, finally looking up. Her golden eyes were wary. I could see where she was coming from; she only wanted to protect our family, but it really pissed me off that she wouldn't even consider the fact that Bella was a decent person.
"Oh really. How about we test that fact. She's waiting outside."
Rosalie paled. "Why would you tell her where we lived? She could tell any one!"
"I would trust her with my life. What is so difficult to understand about that?"
She buried her face in her hands and leaned against the table. "Well you've really fucked things up now. I suppose it won't hurt if you add a little more shit to the pile."
I growled menacingly, but then realized this was her form of consent and stopped myself.
I didn't even need to ask if the others were okay with her coming in; there thoughts said as much, however Jasper was still a little wary.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and texted Bella the signal we'd come up with earlier. The room was tense as we waited for her arrival and no one said a word. I tried counting the particles of dust floating in the air in an effort to distract myself from what was to come, but it didn't hold my attention for long. I was too anxious for that.
Then she walked in, and everything, every little worry, every colossal problem faded away until it was just the most beautiful woman to grace this earth, advancing towards me with a nervous but delighted smile on her face. I took her in my arms immediately and whispered how much I missed her in her ear, not caring who heard or what their reaction would be.
It was only her.
But then Jasper spoke and the spell broke. I was accurately aware of the serious situation we'd found ourselves in. His voice was perplexed.
"Hey aren't you that girl who was hiding in the…" he trailed off, enlightenment touching his features and his eyes widening. He then grinned. "Tsk tsk, Edward! So that's what you were doing in the classroom. No wonder your hair was so ruffled."
Bella blushed a deep crimson, obviously mortified, before burying her face into my shirt. I glared at both of my brothers, the latter of which had almost fallen off his chair from the deep echoes of laugher he let loose.
"You and my brother. You? Wow." Jasper shook his head in disbelief as Emmett continued laughing his ass off.
Bella seemed to grow courage as she turned to face them, gripping my hand now instead of my shirt and said to them. "What's that supposed to mean?"
They both stopped immediately, astonished that she'd managed to say something.
"You just, you looked so freaked out when I saw you in that storeroom. I never would've guessed…" Jasper said, all humor having faded now, replaced with thoughtfulness.
"You know what, I have better things to do then watch her worm herself into this family without no effort at all," Rosalie muttered, standing up abruptly and causing Bella to flinch.
"Rose," Emmett whined, grabbing her arm. "Don't be like that. You should be happy for Edward. We all are."
"Well go throw a fucking celebration then." She rolled her eyes. "You can join me upstairs if you want to."
"Rosalie?" Bella said softly.
Now we were all bewildered, even me.
"What do you want?" Rosalie snapped. I glared at her in warning, tightening my hold on Bella.
"I care about your brother, about Edward more than you can possibly imagine. Please give me the chance to know you all, his family. I know I'm not a vampire and we all have nothing in common, but I swear on my life that I won't give away your secret to anyone, not even if they offer me the most tempting thing on earth. Please give me the chance, that's all I'm asking for."
To everyone's shock, Rosalie's expression softened dramatically.
"I'm sorry for being such a bitch, but, it's in my nature to be naturally suspicious. I can't promise that we'll be best friends but I suppose I can tolerate you. I…I wasn't aware you cared about Edward to that extent."
"Well I do." She smiled, squeezing my hand. "And I always will. I love him and that will never change."
Rosalie nodded curtly and then headed for upstairs. Emmett trailed slowly behind her but his thoughts portrayed his wish to stay. His need, however, to comfort his mate out-ruled this desire and he was soon gone.
It looked like my family was going to accept my mate after all; keeping the whole thing a secret seemed ridiculous now.
I looked deeply into Bella's sparkling, brown eyes, and realized that either way, as long as I got to keep her, nothing else mattered.
She was mine, forever if she wished.
Only time would tell.
Forever didn't feel so far off anymore.
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