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A/N: I imagined this story taking place sometime during Twilight? Let's just say Bella is human, Edward is (as always) not.
My Cactus
by: Lou
Most days in Forks were perfect. Average, I suppose, as I got used to the fact that Edward was my ever present tangible perfection, but flawless nonetheless. Today, however, was sunny and warm and Edward was hunting, leaving me alone and with too much time on my hands.
I attended to chores, naturally, and finished my schoolwork. In the middle of moving some of my books in my room, however, I got distracted. "Austen before Barrie before Bronte…" I mumbled to myself, dropping heaps of books haphazardly across my room. I place a pile of old young adult fiction books on my nightstand, accidentally pushing my knuckle into the thorns of my cactus that I kept near my window. "Ouch," I muttered, examining the cut. Lucking no spines were stuck in my skin, but I took the distraction willingly, sitting down on my bed and holding my cactus – my little piece of Phoenix – in my hands.
I stared at it for a moment, recalling how much it had grown since when I had stolen it from the ground and relocated it to an unfamiliar habitat. I remember at first thinking that I was like my cactus, unwilling to move to such a cold, wet, place. Now I smiled as I realized just how much things had changed. Eventually we both adapted, the cactus and I, and learned to live in Forks.
I looked out the window again, taking in the day that reminded me of Arizona and Renee and Phil, everything I was before coming to Forks. At that moment I decided to remember that old person (not that I truly missed her all that much) and go enjoy the weather. I set my cactus down on the open windowsill, leaving it to enjoy the weather. I turned to grab a book off my shelf, and as I was bending down, I heard a cracking noise behind me. Alarmed, I dropped the book in my hands and spun around to find my window screen open and my cactus gone from where I had placed it a moment before.
I crept toward the window and looked down to find Edward standing below, with my cactus in hand, looking amused. His bare hands, face, and neck were sending brilliant sparkles of light out from his skin. I looked on in awe, searching for words to describe this situation. I found none.
"Mind if I come up?" he questioned, cocking an eyebrow and staring at me in confusion. I shook my head, taking a step back from the window. In a moment, he was at my side, closing my screen and placing my cactus back on it. He walked toward me, enveloping me in his arms. "Hi."
"Hi," I replied, pressing my cheek to his chest. In a second I was pushing him away, remembering the cut on my finger and stepping back. He looked uneasy, so I clarified, "I cut my finger…" But he merely laughed at me, pulling me back into his arms.
"Bella, it's more than tolerable now. However, you should really warn me before deciding to rearrange your vegetation. That could have been messy."
I laughed "Messy for my cactus. And besides, you weren't supposed to be back until tonight." I said, feigning defensiveness.
"You're right," he sighed, "I just couldn't stay away…I love how you look in the sunlight." This seemed so unreasonable a statement for Edward to make that I almost laughed. Vampires were absolutely radiant in the sun, so how could he, knowing how he appeared in light, possibly love how I looked in it? I shook the thought off, knowing I would never understand Edward's ways, and pulled him to the window.
"Funny, I feel the same about you," I stated, unbuttoning the top buttons of his shirt. I watched as his skin became faceted with diamonds. He smiled at me crookedly and kissed me just below my jaw line. I squeezed his hand lightly, wondering if he could even feel the pressure, and the words tumbled out of my mouth, essentially a habit. "I love you."
"I love you, Bella."
And with that, we made our way outside, my intentions of reliving my old life as discarded as the worn copy of Wuthering Heights I left still on the floor.
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