Contest entry for the P.S. I Love You Contest
Title: Butterfly
Pairing: Bella and Edward
Rating: M
Word count: 11,749
Summary: Fate brought them together on the wings of her butterflies. Music propelled them forward. They created their own family from those who were worthy.
Disclaimer: Twilight and its inclusive material are copyright to Stephanie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.
Butterfly
I kissed the dainty butterflies that had been tattooed onto the love of my life's shoulder before I laid on my back, just reveling in the quiet of the morning. It was going to be a busy one; we had a shit-ton of work today to get ready for tonight, and I, for one, was looking forward to that more than anything else.
For more than one reason.
Who am I? You may ask. My name is Edward Masen, and I'm one half of the lead vocals plus guitar player of our band Eclipse the Sun. My girl being the other half of those vocals.
We met in our first year of college, completely by accident, when I plowed her over running late to class. I'd accidentally picked up her phone as well as my own then spent the afternoon, once classes were done, tracking her down. The rest, as they say, is history.
She came to one of our practices before we started playing in bars and clubs, when we were trying to find our sound, and joined in. She completed it and gave it something we had been lacking. Not only that, her friends completed mine, and we became a family, something not much of us had.
We promised ourselves we would finish college before doing anything with our band; we wanted a backup, just in case. It wasn't long after we started playing live shows that we hit it big, but as we promised ourselves, we wrote it into our contract that we had to finish our education even while we were touring, though that part's for later. Let me tell you more about how it all started, then we can get to what was happening tonight.
~*~ɛiɜ~*~
I had known my next door neighbor Tanya for all of my life. We'd grown up together and were the best of friends during primary and middle school, even with all of our differences. Hers being that she was a prima ballerina and me being a skater boy.
I had the biggest crush on her the summer before we started junior year of high school, and I thought she felt the same. That was until we started school, and she found a new group of friends.
Kate and Irina didn't like the way I looked or the way I dressed, and after a few weeks, neither did Tanya. All those things that had once made us so close now only seemed to annoy her. She dated around, all the jock types, while I held out hope she'd see me once again and take a chance on me.
Eventually, I gave up and moved on with my life, had a girlfriend or two, but never really got over the fact that, because her friends didn't like the way I looked, she threw away something that could have been great.
At our high school graduation, I blew her a raspberry then took a step away from that chapter in my life. I moved away two days after graduation to move on with my life and never looked back.
That was until we made it huge. Suddenly, my phone number seemed to be the only thing she could remember, and let me tell you, my little Butterfly was not happy about that.
~*~ ɛiɜ~*~
Within the first six months of starting my degree in musical education, I had found some great friends in Emmett, Jasper, and Victoria, who was totally one of the guys. I still dressed as the skater boy I was in high school because that's who I was. It was what I was comfortable in. I'd dress up for a date if I needed to, but even then, I was wearing my chucks.
We were all studying one evening at the apartment my sperm donor had secured me when Emmett spied my guitar.
"You play?"
I looked up to see him pointing it out. "Yeah. I can play just about any of them. Why, you play something?"
He nodded excitedly. "Bass guitar. I've been trying to find someone to play with, but all the bands around here seem to be pretty established."
"Tell me about it," Victoria groaned. "I play the keyboards, and nobody seems to want them in a band anymore, or they already have someone who prerecords the music for them. I just want to jam to relieve some stress."
Jasper, who hadn't really said anything, picked up a couple pencils and started tapping away on our glasses of water that were sitting on the table. He smirked at us when we all looked in his direction. "Guess you all know now. What do we do about it?"
It didn't take us long. By that weekend, we'd secured a locked unit to store our instruments and had an agreement with the manager that we could practice there as we had organized to use the one at the far end of the lot. We were allowed in there on Friday and Saturday nights as long as we didn't have any parties and there weren't too many hanging around then he'd let us jam.
It wasn't but a few months later that I bumped into my Butterfly.
~*~ ɛiɜ~*~
I was running to one of my theory classes when I sprinted around the corner of the building and bumped into this small slip of a girl. We both went sprawling to the ground, and everything we were carrying landed all over the grass.
There was a small raspy voice from underneath me. "Oh, my God! Are you okay? I'm so sorry."
I rolled off her before answering. "I'm sorry; that was totally my fau …" I trailed off as I looked over at her. She was tiny with a heart-shaped face, deep brown eyes, and long brown hair that had a couple streaks of blue throughout. But it was her outfit that caught my attention. She was wearing pants that were only three-quarters the length of her legs–stunning as they may have been–skater shoes, striped socks, a couple layered singlets, and a tie around her neck. She was stunning.
She sat up and looked over at me when I stopped speaking, and when she realized I was checking her out, she blushed something fierce.
"What?" she snapped. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked as she started gathering her things.
I shook my head as I sat up as well to start collecting my things. "I'm sorry for staring and for bowling you over. It's just … I think you're gorgeous." I slapped my hand over my mouth. I totally hadn't meant to say that, out loud anyway.
She snorted. "Thank you, I think? Anyway, nice bumping into you." She got up and turned to walk away, and that's when I saw the butterfly tattooed on her shoulder.
"Wait!" I called. "What's your name, Butterfly?"
She smirked at me over her shoulder before turning and walking backward. "Bella, my name is Bella. See ya round."
I didn't even get a chance to give her my name, and now I was running even later for my class than before. I gathered the rest of my things, took a look around to make sure I hadn't missed anything, and that's when I saw a phone that wasn't mine laying on the ground where Bella had been. I reached down for it only to turn it over when I felt the raised bumps on the cover. The case was black but all over the back was a silver raised pattern in the shape of a butterfly. It was absolutely stunning.
I looked up, hoping to see where she had gone but couldn't see her anywhere. I looked back at the phone and saw the time.
"Shit!" I cursed under my breath and hurried off to my class. I'd just have to find her later.
~*~ɛiɜ~*~
After my last class for the day, I spent the afternoon hunting around campus for any sign of the elusive Bella. I checked the usual haunts like the library and the cafeteria but couldn't find her anywhere. I even went back and checked around the buildings where we had collided but couldn't see her among the students milling about.
It was getting dark when I decided to wander to the local Starbucks to grab a cup of coffee before I continued my search. It was when I walked through the door that I saw her, sitting in the corner, studying to her heart's content. The only thing that had changed about her since this morning was the fact she had put on a jacket-type thing to ward off the cool air.
I watched her as I walked to the counter. She was oblivious to the world around her, and she was just as, if not more, beautiful than I remembered.
"Can I take your order, sir?" The rather large, scary barista interrupted my ogling, but that was just as well because she looked up when he'd asked the question.
"Yeah, hey. Can I just get a large black coffee with two sugars and whatever she's been ordering?" I pointed to Bella, who now had a small smile on her face while watching me.
The face on the barista changed when he saw who I was pointing to. "She's not getting anything from you. Who knows what you would do to it," he whispered in a growl.
I snorted. "If you did your job and put a lid on it, I couldn't do anything. I wouldn't do anything to her anyway, so make the damn coffee."
He placed both orders, the whole time wearing a scowl. I paid and moved along down the counter. Bella was still watching me, but now she was throwing worried glances between me and the barista. Once my order was called, I picked up both coffees and made my way over to her table.
"Hello, Butterfly."
She smiled, an absolutely stunning one before her eyes flicked back to the barista. "Are you stalking me now?" she whispered.
I laughed but looked back at the guy as well, who seemed to be frightening all the customers with the look on his face.
"No. Although, I have been looking for you."
She leaned her elbows on the table and placed her chin in her hands. "Oh, and why is that?"
I sat down across from her at the table, placing my bag on the floor. "Well, first, I wanted to introduce myself. You ran off so fast, I didn't get a chance too."
She covered her mouth but let out an adorable giggle. "I was running late for class, and you made me later!"
"So was I!" I chuckled. I held out my hand. "My name's Edward Masen."
She peered at me through her lashes before putting her hand in mine and giving it a firm shake. "Isabella Swan. But I prefer Bella."
I held her hand and lifted it up to place a kiss on it. "Ah, so my butterfly is beautiful, I see."
At my corny compliment, she laughed a full, beautiful laugh then slowly pulled her hand back. "You are a smooth talker. And thank you for the coffee. You said first?"
I looked at her, confused. I'd lost track of the conversation. Before she could explain what she meant, a rather large, dark shadow fell over our table. We both looked up to see the barista almost huffing down at us in anger.
"Is this guy bothering you, Isabella?"
I knew straight away this guy was the one bothering her because he called her Isabella. He was no friend of hers.
"No, Jacob," she sighed. "Please just leave me alone."
"I'm only looking out for you, as a boyfriend would!"
She snorted and started packing her stuff. "First, I don't need you to look out for me, and second, you aren't my boyfriend. I don't want you to be, so leave me alone!"
I stood when she did and held out my hand, which she grabbed. "Shall we go somewhere else? I know a great little place that's quiet and not this far from campus."
"Please, Edward. Then you can explain to me why else you were looking for me."
I guided her around a very upset Jacob and out of Starbucks, turning back toward campus. "Is he bothering you, Butterfly?"
She shook her head. "No. Well, not usually. I only see him when I go in there to get coffee and study, but he always acts like that when I'm approached by someone. I always tell him to go away, but he doesn't seem to get the hint."
"Well, with this new place, you won't have to go back there." I smirked. "Maybe though, you might need a boyfriend just to keep away the undesirables."
"Maybe!" Bella laughed. "Are you up for the job?"
I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. "Always, Butterfly. I will always be up for the job." We walked on quietly for a little bit until I brought her to a stop outside what looked to be a rundown diner. It had been decorated that way on purpose because it was for people to learn not to judge a book by its cover. My friends and I loved this place. "Here we are," I murmured as I went to open the door for her.
"Isn't this place closed?" I shook my head, grabbed Bella's hand and towed her through the door. "Whoa."
While the outside was rundown, the inside was decorated like a little Italian café. The floor had been replaced with terracotta tiles; the walls had been stripped back to the brick and had been decorated with pictures of the Italian countryside and elegant plastic vines. The tables and chairs were all wooden and covered with both table runners and cushions to sit on. In one of the corners, there were some couches and lounge chairs set up. They also had cushions and even blankets, in case you were to get cold.
But the best part, apart from the great food and coffee, was that they even had a section set aside for people from campus to set up and study or business people to sit and work. It kept them away from the diners and from those who just wanted a quiet place to sit and read or catch up over a coffee with friends. It was brilliant, and I loved coming here with my friends.
"I know it looks bad from the outside, but it's a classic so don't judge a book by its cover," I murmured as I guided her over to a table in the studying section. I had some work to do, and I knew she still had some too. "Do you want another coffee?"
"Yes, please. White and two?"
"Of course; I'll be right back."
I placed our orders then took the little number on the stick back to our table so they could find us when our orders were ready.
"I also have a question to answer, don't I?"
Bella smiled. "You do."
I reached down to my backpack and pulled her phone out of the side pocket. "This is the other reason I was looking for you. Well that, and I wanted to see you again."
"My phone! I wondered what had happened to it. I thought I left it in the dorms." She snatched it up and looked it over, checking to see if she'd missed any calls or texts. "You didn't try to unlock it?"
I shook my head. "It's not my phone or my place to do so. Although, it might have been easier if I tried to. But considering there's a password, I decided not to. I did, however, spend all afternoon looking for you."
"Thank you, Edward. I've never had anybody do this for me before."
I smiled, reached over the table, and grabbed her hand. "You're welcome, Butterfly. I think this is the start of something beautiful."
She smiled back, blushed, and nodded her head. "Me too."
~*~ɛiɜ~*~
Bella and I were right, it was the start of something beautiful. That first night we spent hours together until the café closed. I walked her back to her dorm, kissing her gently at the door before asking her to go on a date with me the following night.
After picking her up at her dorm the next night, we went back to the same café, had dinner, and then sat on the couches talking about anything and everything. I learned she had a deadbeat mother but her father supported her in everything but was unable to be there emotionally, which I found surprising because she was in touch with her emotions. I told her about my sperm donor of a father, how he met and dated my mother but then ran off when she was pregnant. He supported both her and me financially and tried to have a relationship with me when I was older, but when I wouldn't do as I was told, he stopped trying. Although, I told her about the apartment he bought and the trust fund he had set up, which was purely for my education, not a penny more.
We talked about our friends and how we'd all met. What our favorites were and what our hopes and dreams were for the future. We also covered our past lovers, although, surprisingly, there weren't many between us. Bella told me more about Jacob and how she came across him, and I told her about what happened with Tanya in high school.
That first night brought us closer together, closer than I had been with anyone else.
Over the following months, we went on many dates, got closer, and fooled around. We never went all the way because we wanted to build a solid foundation before we introduced anything into our relationship that could cloud it, but by God, I wanted her.
About three months into our relationship, we were once again at the café studying because her dorm mate was having a party. We could have gone to my place, but we tended to forget to study when we were there alone. Bella had confided in me that she had brought her friends here a time or two while she knew I had done the same.
Anyway, we were there studying for our upcoming exams when her group of friends walked in the door. What was funny was that mine walked in right behind them. We hadn't officially met each other's friends yet, but we all knew about each other. It looked like that was going to change.
"Eddie!" Emmett yelled as he spotted me across the café.
Bella and I watched in stunned silence as her stunning blonde friend reached over and slapped Emmett on the back of the head. "Quiet, you oaf. We're in a restaurant, and there are other people around," she hissed.
"Oh boy," Bella sighed, putting her head in her hands. "Looks like we're doing the meet and greet with friends."
I looked over at her with a frown. "Do you not want to?"
Her head popped up at the tone of my voice. "That's not it, Edward. I'm sorry you took it that way. I just hoped to spare you from the crazy a bit longer," she said as she waved her hand around at her friends. "They're totally off their rockers, and I didn't want to scare you away."
"Oh." I laughed. "I know the feeling. As you can tell by Emmett, my friends aren't exactly normal either."
Bella and I looked over all of them as they made their way to us, her friends and mine, and noticed they were already getting along. It was going to make things that much better if we could all be friends.
"No time like the present." Bella stood up behind me as the others brought a couple tables over so we could make one big one for us all to study on. "Edward, these are my friends. Rose, the blonde, is here for business administration and law—clever girl is going for a double major. Alice, the short one with black and pink spiky hair, is here for fashion and design, and James is here for business management. Guys, this is my boyfriend Edward; he's studying music education."
We all said our hellos before I took my turn. "Bella, these are my friends. Emmett, the big one, is studying engineering. Jasper, the tall lanky blond, is studying history, and Victoria is here learning to be a social worker. Everyone, this is Bella, my girlfriend; she's aiming for a degree to teach children with special needs."
Once we were all introduced, we sat and fell into easy conversation while we all studied. Bella and I relaxed and joined in when the occasion called for it, but otherwise, we were just happy to see all our friends getting along.
"Hey, Bella?"
"Yes, Emmett?"
"Did Edward tell you that we've created a band? A way to let off some steam?"
She side-eyed me while I blushed a little and looked away. "No. No, he hadn't. Is that what you've been doing on the weekends?"
"Hell, yeah!" Victoria squealed quietly. "We're really good, too. But we just seem to be missing something. Maybe you guys could come listen and see if you can pick it out?"
Bella and her friends looked at each other excitedly then nodded really fast like bobble-headed dolls. "When do you practice?"
I looked at her, hoping I could put both pieces of my life together, finally. "We practice Friday and Saturday nights at the secure storage facility not far from here. Do you really want to come?" She could see I was nervous from the shake of my hand in hers.
"Do you want me to?" she countered.
"More than anything. I hated keeping it from you, but I didn't know how to share, or ask."
She giggled. "After everything we've talked about, this scared you?" I nodded seriously to her somewhat teasing question, which she noticed and became just as serious. "I want to share everything with you, Edward. Everything."
I leaned in and kissed her lips lightly because everyone was watching. "Then I'll pick you up at six tomorrow. We can grab a burger on the way out."
She smiled against my lips as she kissed me again. "Deal."
The cheering around us was ridiculous, but we laughed with them anyway.
By the end of the evening, my friends were asking her friends out for dates. Even Victoria took the lead and asked James because it seemed he was too shy to do the asking.
It really was the start of something beautiful, and the beginning of our tight-knit family.
~*~ɛiɜ~*~
Bella and I had finished our dinner by the time we pulled up to the gate at the storage lockers, and we found that all our friends were there and readying the instruments when we pulled up to our unit.
"Hey, guys," I call as I get out of the car and walk around to Bella's side. I got a bunch of hellos while I helped Bella out. "So, are we ready to start?"
"Yeah, Eddie." I sighed as Emmett yelled out his preferred nickname, even though I hated it. "What song should we start with?"
I picked up my guitar while Emmett grabbed his bass. "Let's start with our usual playlist and go from there."
We played a bunch of music from rock to ballads, even some country, but we could tell that something was still missing. We could get the music right, even some of the melodies worked well with my voice, but the others couldn't sing as well, and it wasn't quite working.
"Well, what do you think?" I asked, panting a little when I was finished.
We watched as Bella and her friends all thought about it, but it was Alice who spoke first. "Let me say this first. You guys sound great. The music, the lyrics, and the melodies were great, but I agree, there's something missing."
James and Rose nodded their agreement, but I was watching Bella, and she wasn't saying anything.
"Bella?"
"Huh?" She shook her head and chuckled. "Sorry, that was way too sexy," she blurted out before blushing, making us laugh at her. "Sorry. I loved it."
"But was there something missing?"
"I think I know what it was," James interrupted before Bella could answer me. And before I could ask what he meant, he leaned behind the girls and shoved Bella from her seat, causing her to stumble into me.
"What is it?" Jasper asked excitedly from behind his drum kit.
"Bella," James, Rose, and Alice all said at once. At our confused faces and Bella's embarrassed one, Rose explained. "I think the sound you're missing is something unique, and it won't be made up from your instruments. I think what you want is someone to make harmonies with, someone who will either back up your sound or take it in a whole new direction. What we think you need is Bella."
Victoria came to stand next to me. "Do you sing, Bella?"
Bella shrugged. "Don't we all? I mean, that's what the shower is for."
Everyone cracked up at that. I loved that she was funny, but she was so deflecting.
"Bella, really, do you sing?"
"I've had some lessons, but the teacher didn't think I'd get anywhere because of my voice."
I snort. "Nice teacher. They're supposed to be encouraging. All right, what song shall we try?"
"Ooh, do you know Somebody to You by The Vamps?" Alice squealed. "That would be a good one for them."
I grabbed Bella a mike before picking up my guitar, smiling. "Yeah, we know that one."
We all start the opening lines at the same time before the guitar riff came in.
Yeah you!
Yeah you!
Then it was on me.
I used to wanna be
Living like there's only me
But now I spend my time
Thinking 'bout ways to get you off my mind
I got through the first verse and started the second while looking at Bella because this song really was perfect for us. Then the band joined me on the chorus after I'd finished the third verse.
We gave one more "Yeah you" before Bella started her part. When she started, her voice was stunning. Well, I thought so, and from a look around at Jasper, Emmett, and Victoria, I knew they thought so too.
I used to ride around
Didn't want to settle down
But now I wake each day
Looking for a way that I can see your face
We break in with another "yeah you" before she continued. Her voice was full of passion and just beautiful. I could hear that she was tempering it for this song, but she could make it louder and bolder. I could hear her singing anything from something soft and ethereal to loud and big band.
I've got your photograph
But baby I need more than that
I need to know your lips
Cause nothing ever mattered to me more than this
We all smile as we sing "Yeah you" because we have never sounded this good.
Look at me now, I'm falling
I can't even talk, still stuttering
This ground of mine keeps shaking
Oh, oh, oh now!
While we sing through the final chorus, we spar against each other using our harmonies to lift it from the simple lyrics of the song to intricate soundscapes. When we reach the final chorus, Bella was looking me in the eyes, harmonizing with me with ease, and I could tell she really felt it. I had a feeling her music teacher didn't understand how Bella's voice worked. She had to feel what she was singing for her to make it work. Her voice worked with her passion, otherwise she was just reciting the words with perfect pitch.
We finished out the song loud and proud with the last "Yeah you" as nearly a yell of triumph because it seemed we'd finally found our sound.
"Oh, my God!" Rose and Alice squeal. "You guys sounded fantastic!"
James snickered at them. "Would this be an appropriate time to tell you that Bella writes her own music?"
"James!" Bella yelled. "I can't believe you told them that!" She buried her head in her hands, but I could see her blush. I walked over to her and hugged her to me.
"Don't be shy, baby. I write some too."
"Really?" She was all shy as she looked up at me.
I nod. "Yup. Maybe we can collaborate on something sometime?"
"I'd really love that."
"Your teacher was an idiot, Bella," Jasper commented as he ran out from behind his drums to pick her up and twirl her around, causing everyone to laugh. "Seriously, you should be famous already."
"We've been telling her that for years!" Rose and Alice shout, throwing their hands in the air before Rose continues, "She never would believe us though."
Victoria pulled her out of Jasper's arms. "Will you join us, Bella?"
"I … um … I don't know. Really?"
In a show of solidarity, as a band, we all get down on our knees and assume a begging position. "Please, Bella?" we pleaded. "We need you!"
"Yes, okay, yes. Get up! You all look ridiculous." She laughed as she tried to pull us all up from the ground. "Looks like we have some work to do."
I pulled her to me and planted a kiss on her as I stood. "Thank you. Really."
Bella smiled. "You're welcome. I'm looking forward to singing again, and not in the shower."
"Well, you can still do that." I laughed, wiggling my eyebrows, which caused her to laugh and swat me. "But for now, let's start with our original playlist, and you just add in where you think it needs." I turned to look at her friends. "In fact, all of you point out where Bella needs to be added or where things need to be changed, okay?"
"Okay!"
~*~ɛiɜ~*~
During the remainder of the year, our little group of eight got closer and closer. We had nights that we had set aside for studying, Thursday nights were for single dates, and then we had Sundays, which were usually reserved for doing fun things as a group.
We've also spent just about every weekend practicing in our storage unit, both songs that were already out and songs we had written ourselves. Having Bella with us had given us a unique sound, and we were able to cover many genres of music.
It was a Thursday night when things took a turn for the worse. Bella and I both had an affinity for trying new foods; we were always pushing our limits to see what we enjoyed. We were finishing up at a new restaurant when Bella stiffened.
"What is it, baby?"
"Jacob's here," she whispered, pointing behind me.
I turned toward the door, rolling my eyes when he was indeed there. His behavior around the campus had been escalating. He'd been showing up at her classes and once at her dorm, scaring her. She'd been staying with me more and more because the apartment complex I lived in had a 24-hour security guard at the door. We had spoken to the campus police, and they had posted a guard at her dorm door, so as far as we knew, he hadn't been able to get inside the building again.
This was, however, not the first time he had shown up while we were on a date.
"Has he been bothering you at school?"
"He still follows me and has tried to talk to me, but I ignore him and walk toward a professor or a security officer, and he goes away. Edward, this is getting scary."
"I know, Bella. Did you want to head to the police station to see if they can do anything?"
She shook her head. "Not tonight, and we know they can't do anything anyway. Can we just go and get to the coffee shop or home to your apartment?"
"Of course, we can. We'll do both, stop by the coffee shop and get some takeaway coffee then go home, okay?"
Bella nodded but stayed seated with me until I'd paid the check. Once I stood, I helped her out of her seat then stayed between her and the side Jacob was standing on. If he attempted to switch sides, she'd walk around me to the other side, talking like she would do that normally.
"Isabella, I …" Jacob started, but we ignored him and walked straight out the door to get to my car. Unfortunately for us, Jacob followed us outside. "Please, Isabella, I just want to talk to you. Why won't you let me talk to you?"
He forced his way between us, almost knocking me over but grabbing Bella by both arms and violently shaking her. I could see her head snapping backward and forward, and I knew if someone didn't stop him, he was going to seriously hurt her; I was taking her to the hospital regardless.
"Why won't you talk to me? Why are you always with this idiot? Don't you know we're meant to be together? It was written in the stars!" He kept blubbering on and on and on.
He didn't notice when I stood or when another couple walked out of the restaurant door. The man noticed me trying to find a good position to tackle Jacob in order to help Bella, and instead of just walking away, he handed over his jacket and phone to his partner, telling her to call 911. He then positioned himself opposite me and waited until I made the first move. When I did, we both ran up to them, prying his fingers off of Bella's arms, who immediately fell to the ground. I was going to help her, but I noticed the lady who had called 911 was doing just that, so I concentrated on Jacob. The guy and I both forced Jacob onto the ground on his knees while he held his arms behind his back. I nodded in thanks before I walked around and punched Jacob square in the nose just as I heard the sirens.
"You will leave Bella alone! She has told you repeatedly that she doesn't want to be with you. She's ignored you, walked around you, and even crossed the road to get away from you! What more does she have to do?"
"She's mine! She was always supposed to be mine!"
"In what universe, crazy man?" the guy holding Jacob's arms muttered, causing me to snort.
"The one where her dad approves and even gave me permission."
That pulled me up short. I don't think we'd ever spoken in depth about Jacob; she had just told me she didn't want to be with him and about his behavior.
"What are you talking about, Jacob? I don't remember you," Bella raged. "Who are you?"
I grabbed Bella around the waist, not letting her get too close to him. He was struggling to get out of this guy's hold. I could also tell she was telling the truth because of the look in her eyes. We had gotten great at reading each other, and I could always tell when she was stretching the truth, or attempting to lie; she was a terrible liar.
"Your dad and my dad are friends down in La Push. We moved there from another reservation after you went to college. He thought it would be a great idea if we got together. I've been following you ever since because I just know you love me!"
"Delusional nobody," the woman muttered from behind us.
"Well, I have no idea who you are. I want you to stay away from me!" Bella yelled before bursting into loud heart wrenching sobs. This had been stressing her out so much, and it had finally gotten to be too much, and that was how the police found us moments later. Jacob being restrained by Benjamin, the kind gentleman who had helped a person in need, and Bella being comforted by myself and Benjamin's wife, Tia.
The police car came screaming into the parking lot in front of us with an ambulance directly behind it. One female and one male officer climbed out of the patrol car while a couple young ladies climbed out of the ambulance and waited for further instructions from the officers. Both of the officers came over to where Bella was still crying between us, noting that Jacob was being held under citizen's arrest by Benjamin. The male officer was about my height with blond hair while the female was a shorter redhead, both were athletic in build and ready for action, as if they had to spring into a chase at any moment.
The male officer stood back while the female bobbed down in front of us. "Hi, my name's Officer Maggie O'Donnell, and that is my partner Officer Liam O'Sullivan. Can I ask who you are and what happened? Before you start, though, it might be easier if I record this. Is that okay?"
Tia, Bella, and I all gave our verbal confirmation that the interview could be recorded. After that, I looked down at Bella while she continued to shake and cry. I was holding her in my arms while Tia was rubbing her back; it was she who spoke up first. "My name's Tia El Deeb and that," she pointed at her husband, "is my husband Benjamin. We had been having dinner in the restaurant behind us; when we came out, we saw that oaf," this time she pointed at Jacob, "holding poor Bella by her shoulders and shaking her for all he was worth. I can't imagine the pain she's in right now. Her young man, Edward, was about to try to free her so my Benjamin stepped in to help while I called you and the ambulance."
"Thank you, Tia. Edward, can you tell me what happened, or what has been happening?"
I could tell by the look in her eye that she knew there was more to this than some random attack. I nodded to her question but pulled Bella in closer to me before I started. "Back near the beginning of the school year, Bella and I literally crashed into each other. After she had run off …" I teased, getting a sniffly giggle from my shaky girl. "I realized she had left her phone behind …"
"Let me guess, you tracked her down?" Maggie interrupted with a smile.
I nodded. "Yes, ma'am. After classes, I spent the entire afternoon trying to find her. I walked all over campus, and when that didn't work, I went to get some coffee from the local Starbucks before I continued with my search. That's where I found my Bella."
"She's not yours!" Jacob roared.
"Put him in cuffs and in the car please, Liam. I need to finish interviewing these two."
"Sure, Maggie." Liam walked over to where Benjamin and Jacob were on the ground while he pulled out his cuffs. Liam placed the cuffs on Jacob before he hauled him up from the ground, causing him to grunt in pain. We could see that the whole time, Jacob was struggling with Liam. He was trying to get the handcuffs off all while trying to get away. I could feel when Bella started shaking more violently until Jacob was forced, with a bang to his head, into the police car. "Sorry about that. I should have told you to watch your head." Liam smiled, benignly.
Bella and I relaxed when, instead of Liam making his way back to where we were, he leaned against the back door of the car, keeping Jacob out of our line of vision.
"Now, why don't we get up off the ground, and you can continue your story." Maggie indicated a bench not far away. I nodded, so Tia and I helped Bella stand on shaky legs and helped her sit on the bench. "What happened after you found your Bella?"
I went over the last year of our relationship with Bella chiming in where she could, where she had a different perspective than I did. "But in the last few months, he's been escalating. Jacob follows Bella everywhere; we had to change her routine, but he still manages to find her. He got into her dorm once; we went to the campus police, and they posted a security guard there to stop him. He found us on a couple dates, but we were able to ignore him and walk away. We had contacted the police and made a report, but they told us they couldn't do anything until he was a threat! Is this enough of one?" By the time I was finished, I was up and pacing.
I mean really, why did it have to be when he became a threat; when it came down to him hurting her? If she had been alone, I shudder to think what could have happened.
"It makes me so mad that she had to endure this." I waved my hands all around, indicating where we were. "Before something is done, he's been stalking her for months! He thinks they're are in love, that because her dad made a joke–well I presume it was one—that they should be together. Why did it have to come to this?"
Bella burst into a fresh round of sobs when I had finished my rant and was pulled into a hug by Tia. I rushed back over to her side and pulled her onto my lap. "I'm sorry, Bella. It's all right. I'm here," I cooed to her softly. Rocking her back and forth while I kissed her head and rubbed her back with both my hands. "I'm sorry to you, too, Officer O'Donnell."
"I understand completely, Edward. You're not the first, nor will you be the last, to have this reaction. Why don't you take Bella over to the ambulance and have her checked out by the EMTs, and I'll follow up on that report, okay?"
I nodded, standing up with Bella in my arms, and walked over to the ambulance where the girls had pulled out the gurney. Benjamin and Tia had followed us over, knowing we were all going to have to give statements.
"Edward, right?" the EMT with the long brown hair asked.
I nodded. "This is Bella. She's the one who has been injured. He had a hold of her arms near her shoulders, and he was shaking her. I watched as her head was snapped back and forth."
"Okay," she soothed. "My name's Angela, and my partner is Makenna. Let's give Bella a once-over, get a collar on her, and then see what the officers want to do."
I nodded and moved down to the end of the gurney, keeping my hand on Bella at all times so she knew I was there. Her eyes followed my every move, and she whimpered when I moved too far in a direction that hurt.
"It's all right, Bella. Angela and I are just going to pop this on you, okay?" She went to nod her head but cried out in pain. "No, no. Shh, shh. Don't move your head, just give me a verbal answer, and if you can't do that, then blink once for yes and twice for no."
Tia had moved over to comfort me while Benjamin kept watch on the officers and us.
"She'll be fine, Edward," Tia murmured. "Everything will be okay."
I nodded but didn't verbally reply, except to gasp in shock when they rolled Bella's sleeve up to take her blood pressure, only to find a hand shaped bruise on her bicep.
"Officers," Makenna called. "I think you should come and make note of this. But we'll make sure the doctors at the hospital get photographs for you."
Officer Maggie climbed out of the patrol car and came to the ambulance. "Thank you, ladies. I'll mark this on the report; I'd appreciate those photos. Edward, Bella, I found your previous reports. Did you file more than one?"
"Yes. We had to. We thought if we had them on record eventually something would be done before we got to this state."
Maggie nodded. "Good. I wish there was something I could say that would make this situation better, but there isn't. Know that I will be starting the paperwork for a temporary restraining order for Bella and you, and he will be arrested. Liam is currently reading him his rights." I looked over to see he was leaning in the door talking to Jacob. "I'll have this report typed up, if all of you could just come to the precinct in the morning and sign it that would be great."
I nodded while Tia and Benjamin gave her a verbal reply.
"Edward?" Angela called. "We're loading her up into the ambulance now. Do you want to come with us?"
"Yes, please."
Tia grabbed my arm. "We'll meet you there, Edward. We want to make sure she's okay; plus, you shouldn't be alone right now."
"Thank you." I nodded. "I appreciate it."
I climbed up into the ambulance, sitting next to her to hold her hand and brush back her hair. "It's okay, my girl," I soothed, wiping away her tears. "You're going to be fine. Jacob's being arrested, and he's never going to bother you again. I love you, Bella. I know this isn't the best time to tell you. I should have told you before, but I'll never let anything like this happen again."
Bella was blinking really fast, but I didn't understand what that meant. "Don't panic, baby. We're almost there; you can tell me what you need to tell me when we get you into the hospital, okay?"
Her tears came faster, and she started to grunt a little. There was something she was trying to tell me but I wasn't following.
"Ah, Edward, if I may?" Makenna interrupted us while I was trying to calm her, and she was still blinking. I nodded, letting her know I was listening. "I believe what Bella is trying to tell you is that she loves you too." In response to Makenna's words, Bella whined then blinked extraordinarily fast.
"Okay, Bella, I get it; please calm down. You love me, I love you, please, baby, calm." I leaned down to give her a long kiss to her forehead, which helped her to relax, and when I pulled back, she had calmed enough that she started to breathe normally. I looked over to Makenna. "Thank you," I breathed. "But how did you know?"
"Because, regardless of the timing, that was a beautiful declaration, and I knew that had I been in her position, it's what I would have said."
I nodded again but sat in silence holding Bella's hand and running my fingers through her hair. It didn't take long to reach the hospital. Once there, Angela and Makenna carefully lowered the gurney to the ground so as not to startle Bella. They rattled off her stats to the doctor and nurses who came to meet them at the emergency door.
I was so grateful that, even while things were going on around her, they were quiet and respectful, even though she wasn't asleep, they could see she wasn't far away from panicking again.
After getting all the details from the EMTs, the doctor turned to me. "I'm Doctor Eric Yorkie, you're Bella's boyfriend, Edward, is that right?"
"Yes, sir."
"They've given me the basics, but can you give me more detail as to what happened tonight?"
I held Bella's hand as I ran through everything that had happened tonight.
"Good, okay. I want that brace to stay on until we get her neck X-rayed; I also want a CT scan to make sure there's nothing going on inside her skull that we need to worry about. Bella, can you tell me, with your fingers, between one and ten, how bad your pain is?"
I kissed her hand with a quiet sob after she held up eight fingers. "I'm sorry, baby."
Bella glared at me. "No yr flt," she mumbled. Then he look softened as the doctor pushed some pain killers into an IV the nurse had set up. "Lub you."
"I love you, too, sweet girl."
We waited in silence while her paperwork was processed, but it was interrupted a short while later when Benjamin and Tia found us in the emergency room.
"How are you, Bella?" Benjamin asked as they stepped through the door. We laughed at her when she motioned her hand like she was on a wave.
"They've given her some pain meds; it seems she's a lightweight." I chuckled.
Tia sat down next to me. "Is there anyone you want to call? We can wait with Bella while you do that. If you want?"
I looked at Bella to confirm that it would be okay. She held her thumb up letting me know she was comfortable with them. I stood up, leaned over to give her a kiss on the head, nose, and then mouth. "I'll be back in a little bit."
"We promise to be right here, Edward," Benjamin promised. "Maybe grab yourself a coffee while you're out there; it's shaping up to be a busy night."
I nodded, then slipped out the door, looking at Bella over my shoulder as I did so. She gave me one more thumbs up before turning her attention to Tia.
After calling Rose and Emmett, I wandered down to the cafeteria to get some of the sludge they called coffee and made my way back to the emergency department. When I made it there, Bella was the only one not there.
"They've taken her down for her X-ray and CT," Emmett told me when he saw my confused expression.
"Thank you for coming so quickly."
Rose leaned down to hug me. "Not a problem, Edward; you're family."
I nodded before leaning back and closing my eyes. The adrenaline had finally started to wane, and I was feeling tired.
"Before you crash, Edward." I looked up to Benjamin. "Emmett and Rose were telling me you have a band?" I nodded again, wondering where he was going with this. "Are you playing gigs yet?"
"No. We have some set for the summer because we had been focusing on finishing our first year of college."
"Smart. It's always good to have a backup. Look, now that you have these guys here, we're gonna get going, but we want to keep in touch. We want to know how Bella fares. Let's swap numbers; we also want to come to your first gig."
"That'll be cool." Emmett almost squealed. "It'll be nice to have someone we know, besides our friends, there."
I agreed, so Benjamin and I swapped phones and put in our numbers. "I'll send you a text with the details and what Bella's prognosis is once we get out. Thank you, again, for stepping in."
Tia placed her hand on my arm. "It wasn't a problem." She leaned over to kiss my cheek. "We'll talk soon, okay?"
"Yes, ma'am."
We didn't know it then, but that incident with Jacob created a friendship that would spark something huge for us. Not that we'd ever thank him for it.
~*~ɛiɜ~*~
When the tests came back, it showed that while Bella didn't have a concussion from the shaking, she did suffer from whiplash, a bruised voice box, and deep bruising on her arms. The poor thing wouldn't be able to talk or sing for a few weeks or even raise her arms above her shoulders. And on top of all of that, she had to wear a collar to support her neck until it was fully healed.
She was miserable. When she was discharged from the hospital the next day, whiteboard in hand, that I'd picked up from a store nearby, we went down to the police station to sign the statements Officer O'Donnell had typed up for us. We–well I–spoke to her at length about the restraining order that had been granted, but she confided in us that due to it being Jacob's first arrest she didn't expect more than a slap on the wrist for him. In fact, his father had already bailed him out of jail.
What I found odd was that we hadn't heard one peep from Charlie. Not that Bella and he spoke a lot anyway.
After going to the police station, we stopped at a pharmacy on the way home. Doctor Yorkie had explained that due to the strain put on Bella's neck and the fact that her brain was a little scrambled, she would probably suffer from headaches or even migraines for the next few weeks. Because of that, he had prescribed her some pain killers for her neck and stronger ones if she suffered any migraines, but if she didn't, some Advil would do the trick.
Rose and Emmett had already gone grocery shopping for me and had bought all manner of soft foods that Bella would be able to eat, like soups and broths, and taken them back to my apartment. At this point, neither Bella nor I wanted to let the other out of sight, so she was going to stay with me until she was better. And if I had my way, she would never leave, but that was something we still had to talk about. Well, when her voice box was a little better.
The thing that upset Bella the most was that she wouldn't be able to sing with us when we were doing our rehearsals. With only a couple of months until the end of school year, she wanted to practice as much as possible. I reassured her we would still practice, just that she wasn't allowed to sing. Of course, that brought on a round of pouting, and if it wasn't for the fact that it would have hurt her to do so, I might have caved. But I couldn't stand to see her in pain, and once I explained that to her, she settled down and apologized by kissing me softly.
Once we were home, I helped Bella into bed and waited with her until she was sleeping peacefully before I arose and went to text everyone to let them know what the doctor had said and that we were home with Bella in bed, sleeping peacefully.
Well, I thought she was until she let out a scream that sounded like she was being murdered. It scared me half to death, let me tell you.
When I sprinted into our bedroom, Bella sat up with silent tears streaming down her face, wide awake, and holding her throat with her hand. I could see that the scream had hurt her something fierce. I scrambled onto the bed and wrapped her up in my arms, only to feel her shaking just like I was.
"Oh, baby." I sighed, holding her as tight as I dared. "It's okay. I'll get you some painkillers, then I might call Tia. Maybe we should both see someone because this has been quite traumatic."
I could feel her nod against my chest.
"Good, baby. Good. I was going to wait to bring it up because I wasn't sure how receptive you'd be to it. I'm so glad you are though; we don't want to let it fester."
Bella nodded again but whimpered when I pulled one arm away to get the painkillers and the water I had left by the bed. I immediately wrapped her back up in both arms at that sound; it was going to kill me every time I heard it.
"I'm just reaching over to get your drink and pills. I promise, I'm not going anywhere."
~*~ɛiɜ~*~
Once we were back at school, things were tense. Bella wasn't comfortable around a lot of people, so we went to the Dean to talk about our situation and what had happened. He made allowances so that she could sit away from others unless she had some friends in the class, and he also allowed me to leave my lessons early enough that I'd be able to get to her class and walk Bella to her next one before I'd run out of time to get to mine. It wasn't perfect, but our friends helped out when they could, making sure they were with her until I could get to her.
Once my mother had heard what happened, she took some time out of her busy life—because as much as she said she loved me, she had always come first—she made some food and brought it up for us to freeze. What we found out, though, was that she hadn't brought it to us out of care for her only son's girlfriend; it was a ploy to see if Bella was worth anything and if her gold digging ways could get her some of it. Once she found out Bella had no money, her visit came to an abrupt halt. We haven't heard from her since.
We didn't hear from Charlie until a few days after when we went to Bella's dorm before our first therapy session to get her mail and some more clothes for her.
Bella whined when we walked through her dorm room door. I looked around to see that it was an absolute pig sty, on both sides of the room. "You don't clean Chelsea's stuff when you stay here, do you?"
I could tell by the shade of Bella's blush that she did exactly that. "No, Bella. She's come to rely on it now." Bella looked down at the floor. I could tell that I'd made her uncomfortable. "It's all right, baby. Come on, grab lots of your clothes and other things while I sort through the pile of mail here on the table."
So while Bella gathered her things, I sorted the mail. It was sad to see there wasn't very much for my girl, but then all of our friends were around us every day; there was no need for mail.
"Baby, there's one here from your father."
I watched as Bella froze but then kept on packing. "You don't want to read it?" She looked up at me and shook her head. "Not now or not at all?"
Bella looked around her dorm room until she found a piece of paper and a pencil that, it seemed, Chelsea had left laying around. She came over and leaned against the desk, writing a note out to me instead of pulling out her whiteboard.
I'm going to wait until our therapy session. I have no doubt I'll need it.
"Are you sure? Wouldn't you like time to process it first?"
I was glad to see Bella was taking my question seriously before brushing it off. After a few minutes, she leaned back over the paper. Maybe you're right. Will you read it with me?
"Of course. Hang on a minute." I made my way over to Bella's bed and just swiped everything off it except for her bag, which I put on the floor. I put her pillow up against the headboard then sat and patted between my legs. "Come here, gorgeous. This way we can read at the same time."
Bella gave me a stunning smile before grabbing the letter and crawling onto the bed and sitting in front of me. I wrapped my arms around her, kissing her cheek and hugging her tight to me. "Do you want me to read it out loud?"
Bella nodded, ripping open the envelope and handing the letter to me. I unfolded it only to have a check, made out to her for a few hundred dollars, land in Bella's lap.
"Wonder what that's for?" I murmured, only to have Bella tap the letter I was holding. "All right, okay. I'll read."
Bells,
I was sorry to hear that you'd been attacked. What you need is to learn some self-defense. I have included some money to help you pay for it.
Stay away from Jacob. I apologize if I had any part in it.
Dad.
I felt more than heard the snort and head shake that Bella let loose. I couldn't believe how cold this letter was. I had known that Charlie wasn't in touch with his emotions, he couldn't show them, but this was worse than I thought.
"That's it? Nothing more? No how are you, love you, nothing?" I was stunned.
This time Bella reached down and pulled her whiteboard from her backpack.
This is what it was like growing up, only face to face. It was always awkward. He tried, but he just couldn't connect.
I kissed the side of her head, then tilted her head up so I could kiss her lips. "Well, it's his loss. I'm ever so grateful that you're in tune with your emotions. Our love shines so much brighter because of it."
Bella smiled and blushed before planting another sweet kiss on my lips. Thank you. Love you, too.
"Let's grab some more of your clothes and get the hell out of here. We have a therapy appointment to get to, after all."
Bella blew me a raspberry but got up anyway. And once we'd collected what she wanted, we zipped up the bag and walked out hand in hand.
~*~ɛiɜ~*~
Two weeks after her run-in with Jacob, Bella was able to begin to talk again. At first, it was only a whisper, but as the weeks passed by, her voice got stronger. She still wasn't able to sing, but it wouldn't be long before she was belting out the music once again. The only drawbacks she was having were the occasional headache and that she still had to wear a collar to support her neck. While it wasn't broken or fractured, Jacob had done significant muscle damage, and it needed to be supported until it was healed.
The week after she began talking, we had to go to court to replace the temporary restraining order. The only ones in court, besides our friends that were there to support Bella, were the judge, the prosecutor who was working the case, and the two officers who had been there the night of the assault. It only took talking to the officers and seeing the photos and X-rays for the judge to grant a three-year restraining order. Both Maggie and Liam left straight away with the paperwork to give to Jacob. We were hoping it would keep him away for good.
We were coming up on the end of the year and also our exams. Because of Bella's headaches and sensitivity to noise or light, a special testing area had been discussed. She was going to be taking her exams at the same time as everyone else but she'd be in another room with a TA or a substitute professor.
She hadn't gone back to the dorm, and I had no inclination to let her go. In fact, more and more of her things had migrated into my apartment, and I was loving it. We hadn't had the talk about money, but it seemed we had fallen into a pretty good routine sharing everything. Bella was very easygoing; in fact, she just chipped in without a word. I still hadn't spoken to her about moving in because I wanted her to be fully healed from her ordeal and able to argue with me if necessary.
We still didn't like being apart, but things were getting better with that too. Our therapist, Heidi, was really good with helping us think through all our thoughts and feelings. And thanks to her, our relationship was stronger than ever because we were communicating about everything.
Well, everything but my desire for her to live with me. Permanently.
We'd been home from our classes for a little while, just being quiet and studying for our upcoming exams, when Bella turned and just looked at me.
"What? Are you trying to tell me something telepathically?"
Bella laughed. "No, baby. I was wondering when you were going to ask me to move in with you?"
"Uh … now?" I was so surprised by her question that instead of telling her I wanted her to move in, it came out like a question.
Again, Bella laughed before scrambling over the couch to get to me. She straddled my lap before planting kisses all over my face. "My answer will always be yes."
I grabbed the back of her head and pulled her mouth to mine carefully. I was ever so wary of her neck injury.
"Really? You won't go back to the dorms next year?"
"No, Edward. I love you; I want to be with you."
"I love you, too." Then I smirked. "Time to celebrate." I picked Bella up by grabbing her butt, making her giggle and wrap her legs around my waist. I then make my way to what was now our bedroom. We fell into bed in a fit of laughter before turning into kisses and groping.
I slipped her shirt off over her head before removing her bra and kissing every inch of skin I revealed. Before I could take a nipple into my mouth, she unbuttoned my shirt and pushed it over my shoulders.
"Off," she groaned. "Get it off."
Once it was gone, hands roamed free, and I took her left nipple between my fingers and sucked the right into my mouth. Bella moaned again as her hands made their way into my hair to pull on it while she pushed on my head to get me closer. Once I'd had my fill of her breasts, I kissed the valley in between making my way to her navel where I kissed all around it before laving it with my tongue, making my girl moan in want.
"Please, please, please …"
"Please what, baby?" I asked as I undid the button on her jeans and slipped them down her legs. "What do you want, sweet girl?"
"Your mouth, please …"
"Anything, Bella," I breathed before I grabbed her underwear with my teeth and pulled them off. I looked back up to see her looking right at me. Lust was undisguised in her gaze but swamped with nothing but love. "I can't wait to taste you."
"Oh God …"
I smiled before slowly pushing her legs apart. "I love you, beautiful girl. Let me take care of you."
"Yes, please," she moaned, arching toward me. "Yes, please! Now!"
I groaned as I licked her from bottom to top and sucked on her clit when I reached it. "You taste so good."
Bella moaned my name as she wound her fingers into my hair.
I wanted her to feel all my love for her, but I wanted to bring her to a shuddering climax. "You are going to come so hard for me, love."
I used my fingers to find the one spot inside that would help build her up fast, then I slowly brought her down. Over and over again, I built her up only to bring her back from the edge until she couldn't stand it anymore.
"Please, please, please, please … now."
I brought her back up once more and held her on that edge. I could see this climax was going to be explosive, that she was going to be feeling the effects even when I was moving inside of her.
"Come for me, baby. Come now." I sucked hard on her clit while pushing on the spongy spot inside her and reaching up to pinch a nipple. All of it combined caused her to climax so hard I thought she was going to pass out.
I didn't touch her as I crawled up the bed because I knew in this state any stimulation would set off another orgasm, even if I just ran my fingers down her arm. I watched as she relaxed from her arched position and struggled to get her breath back. I was hard, I wanted her, but I'd wait until she had calmed down first.
She slowly opened her eyes, struggling to get them to focus before she turned toward me. "Hmm, thank you," she breathed.
"Anytime, gorgeous."
"I know. Now come here; love me."
I rolled on top of her, noting the tremors that still wracked her body. "I will always love you. Always."
"I know. It's the same for me," she replied as she wrapped her arms and legs all around me, urging me to slide into her.
Which I did, willingly.
I loved her with everything I had. Moving inside her with both slow and hard strokes, shallow and deep thrusts, fanning the flames and building us up to a full body experience.
Bella moaned. "I'm so close."
"I can feel you, baby. I'm right there with you." I laced my fingers with hers on either side of her head, pushing up on my knees to give me more access to thrust faster and harder.
"Now, Edwaaaaaard. With me nooooooooooow."
"God, yes!" I thrust hard two more time before we both came together in an explosion of curses and moans of each other's names. I collapsed on top of her, then looped my arms around her and rolled so that she was on top of me.
"Not, God. Just me," Bella panted, making me snort.
"Always you," I panted. Then waited until I had regained my breath before I spoke again. "I can't wait for you to move in."
"Me too. But considering how much we've got coming up in the next few weeks, I'd say wait until the dorms shut for summer break." She saw my pout forming and giggled. "Don't worry; I'll stay here though. I don't want to go back."
"Good," I growled before I leaned up and kissed her on the mouth. "That, right there, is something else worth celebrating."
Bella's giggle turned into a moan as I continued to run my hands all over her. Essentially starting round two.
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