Hi!
I'm Martyna or gilmoregirl-pl, and this is my second story that is being published here on . I actually wrote it a while ago, during my winter holidays in Austria. I rarely write stories in third person or use the present tense, but I wanted to try something different ;)
I hope you'll enjoy it!
"Revelation"
Carpe diem.
This is the philosophy of Edward Cullen's life. Grab a moment and squeeze it like an orange, obtaining as much out of it as possible.
And Edward does squeeze. A lot. Especially girls' breasts.
Just put yourself in the position of a 25-year-old guy. Freedom, independence. Fulfilling sexual needs with no strings attached. There is nothing better than this, right? Who cares about settling down, getting married or having children? It would make Edward's carpe diem much more difficult and it certainly would be no fun.
This is what brings Edward to a popular Seattle club on a Saturday night – having fun. He plans on drinking a few drinks, dancing and most probably finding a pretty girl to sleep with that night. Nothing extraordinaire of him.
He sits at the bar and looks around carefully, hoping that some chick will catch his eyes. There are a few of them that return his smiles and he is almost sure he will get laid tonight.
Just as a barman puts the second beer in front of him, Edward's cell phone starts ringing. He winces, predicting who it might be - his mother or father, or even Alice. Can't they just leave him alone and let him live his life as he pleases? Apparently not.
The number on the screen is unknown to him. He stares at it for two seconds and then tentatively presses "answer".
"Hello?"
"Hi, is this Mr. Edward Cullen?"
"Speaking."
Something is not right. He can feel it. A shiver runs down his spine at the woman's next words.
"My name is Tanya Denali and I'm a nurse at the Seattle General Hospital. I'm really sorry to inform you that your friend, Isabella Swan, was in a car accident tonight."
Fear. Pure fear. Fear that he will never hear her voice again, see her again, touch her again.
He can't breathe. His head is spinning, trying to comprehend what is happening.
"Mister Cullen?"
He opens his mouth to say something, anything, but a sudden thought stops him. For a second he hopes that by not saying a word he will be able to stop time or turn it back. He stupidly wishes he could be as blissfully unaware of the tragic event as he was a few minutes ago.
"Mister Cullen? Are you still there?" the nurse repeats softly. He knows he has to answer, but currently he is too overwhelmed and scared by 'what if's to create a sensible sentence.
Finally, he closes his eyes and clears his throat. He knows there is no point in postponing the question – the most important question of his life.
"Is she…" he tries, his voice breaking a little. He takes a deep breath and starts again. "Is she a-alive?"
Two seconds have never seemed so long for him. He holds his breath the entire time.
"Fortunately, yes."
In that moment tears start running down his cheeks – tears of relief.
Many years afterwards Edward will be convinced that he must have broken many road laws that night, so many that had he been caught, he would have lost his driving license.
But he does not think about any laws as he speeds towards the hospital. He is intently focused on his main goal – getting to Bella as fast as possible. He still cannot get rid of the fear, since the nurse couldn't tell him anything apart from the fact that his best friend is alive. It's so much, and so little at the same time. Alive can mean so many things.
Broken.
Paralysed.
Comatose.
But his Bella was always so strong. Everything must be okay, right? They say hope dies last, and Edward's hope surely does.
He runs to the front desk, showing people that stay on his route to the sides.
"How may I help you?" inquiries an older lady at the desk, taking in his flustered form and wild hair. She met so many people like him during her 35-year-long carrier – people that were about the receive the worst or the best news of their lives. She truly hopes that this time it is going to be the latter.
"My friend, Isabella Swan, was brought here tonight," he manages to say between short gasps for air.
"Are you a family member?"
He shakes his head feverishly. "No, I'm her best friend. One of your nurses called me half an hour ago."
He starts getting irritated. Why is this taking so long? He wants to be already by Bella's side, for God's sake!
The lady must sense his growing irritation, because she swiftly proceeds to search for Isabella Swan's name in the book in front of her. Painfully long fifteen seconds later she says, "Second floor, room number 14."
She raises her head to smile reassuringly to the young man, but he is no longer there – he springs down the hall towards elevators.
He does not even bother to ask anybody for permission to enter Bella's room. He barges through the door and his eyes find the slender form lying on the bed. Bella stops her conversation with a doctor and slowly turns her head to the right.
"Edward," she whispers.
He is by her side in mere seconds. He stops there, eager to pull her into his arms, but also afraid of hurting her. Torn, he stays like that for a few seconds, their gazes locked.
The doctor clears his throat quietly, interrupting their private moment.
"I take it that you are Edward Cullen?" he asks, but all he receives from Edward is a half-hearted nod. Sensing tension in the air, the man shifts his gaze quickly to the young woman.
"I will leave the two of you alone for now, Isabella. Feel free to ask the nurses for anything."
Bella is the first to break the eye contact between her best friend and her. She smiles gratefully to the doctor, "Thank you very much for everything."
"You're welcome," the man replies and quickly leaves the room.
Edward and Bella's gazes lock again. He slowly raises his hand and places it softly on Bella's left cheek.
"I was so… so scared," his voice breaks slightly on the last word. The intensity of his stare makes the young woman shiver.
"I'm fine, Edward," she says softly. "It's just a broken leg."
As Edward shifts his gaze to the right and can see the bulge under the sheets, his frustration starts resurfacing again. How can she think it's just a broken leg? He is against any part of her beautiful form being broken. He inhales deeply and closes his eyes for a moment, trying to compose himself, unwilling to snap at her.
He takes both of her hands into his and sit by her side on the bed.
"What happened?" he asks, not entirely sure whether or not he wants to know the details.
Bella sighs. "I was driving from Alice and Jasper's to my apartment. It was raining a few hours before and the road must have been more slippery than I thought. My car skidded and hit a nearby tree."
He tries so hard not to imagine the scene, but his attempts are fruitless. The dark night, her broken body in the wreck of her Audi, her cries of pain… A lump forms in his throat and he shakes his head to rid himself of these images.
"I need to stay here for the night. They want me to be under observation for 12 hours."
He nods his head.
They stay silent for the next minute and then Bella's soft voice breaks the silence.
"I'm sorry that I ruined your night out."
He raises his head, this time unable to stop his anger. "Bella, are you crazy? Do you think I care more about some stupid blond girls and drinks than you?" he screams incredulously.
Bella shrinks back a bit from him, wincing slightly, and he instantly regrets that he rose his voice.
"I know you care about me," she does not look at him as she says it, "but I don't like to be a burden. I didn't want to call Alice, because Jasper had planned something romantic for them both, and my parents would have flown all the way here, which is unnecessary, so I thought about you…"
"Bella," he interrupts her rant softly, "please, look at me." Their eyes meet and he squeezes her right hand. "You will never be a burden for me. You are my best friend and I would do absolutely anything for you."
Her eyes water slightly and this time she is the one who has to compose herself.
"So, how long this cast has to stay?"
"For the next three weeks," Bella winces slightly. "It's not like I've never had anything broken before with my clumsiness and all, but doing all the everyday stuff with a broken leg is never easy. I will have to take a leave from work."
Edward's mind quickly analyses the whole situation and then her looks at her, his gaze firm.
"You're moving in with me."
"What?" she inquires, flabbergasted.
"You are moving in with me," he repeats calmly.
"But…"
"There is no but, Bella. You will be unable to move freely for the next couple of weeks. How do you image throwing out garbage or vacuuming all on your own?"
"Well, you could help me with this from time to time. I do not necessarily need to…"
"Yes, you do," he interrupts, his voice leaving no place for argument. "I know you like being independent, but I want to help you. I don't want you to overwork or harm yourself again. Please, don't force me to beg you."
She can sense his determination and the plea in his voice makes her agree.
"Okay," she replies softly. "But it's just for these three weeks."
Suddenly an unexpected thought crosses Edward mind – that he wishes she stayed with him forever. He shakes his head slightly, trying to get rid of these unfamiliar feelings that start overtaking him.
Their conversation is interrupted by knocking on the door, and Edwards leaves the room to let the nurse do her work.
"Yes."
"No."
"Please, be reasonable."
"I am reasonable."
"But you will be exhausted in the morning…"
"Bella, I'm staying here with you tonight and that's it," Edward sighs heavily. Bella can sometimes be so stubborn. Can't she understand that he simply wants to stay by her side and make sure that everything is okay? That he wants to keep her company?
Bella wishes that he changed his mind and went home to relax, but the day's events exhausted her and she does not really have the strength to argue anymore.
"Fine, if you really wants to sleep on the uncomfortable couch, I cannot stop you. You will be the one with your neck hurting in the morning."
Edward simply grins at her, thankful she relented. He releases her hand and leans forward, kissing her forehead. His lips linger on her skin a few heartbeats longer than it would be socially acceptable - somehow he finds it hard to pull away. Finally he does and stands up, heading towards the nearby couch and laying down there.
He knows Bella is right. Though there is some pillow, it is small and won't be able to support his head properly. Moreover, the couch is too short for him and he has to fold his legs to fit in there.
But he does not care. He just wants to be there with her.
Bella switches the lights off and the room becomes dark. They lay in silence for a few seconds, and then Edward can hear Bella's quiet voice.
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight," he replies and smiles into the dark space.
"So," starts Bella as Edward takes place by her side in the morning, "how is your neck?"
Edward moves his right hand to the nape of his neck, squeezing the sore muscles and moaning quietly.
"I told you so," Bella laughs and Edward can help but laugh with her. She is so adorable when she does that.
"Better tell me how are you feeling?" he inquires, hoping that she is not in much pain.
"Good," she replies and a sighs with relief. "My leg hurts a bit, but I'm sure that the pain will fade away after I take some medicine."
"Should I call a nurse over?"
"No, no, it's fine. I'm sure one of them will be here soon."
"Okay," he nods. "I will go now to your place and brings some of the stuff. Are you okay with that?"
"Actually, I think Alice should do that. I don't trust you with my bras and panties."
Edward giggles. "Well, you know, it's not as if I've never seen female underwear before."
Instantly he regrets saying the words as Bella winces slightly. She never comments on his life style, but he knows that she does not approve of it. Every time he see the disappointment in his eyes he wants to change it, settle down, but then some colleague invites him to a party and he ends up in bed with some girl.
They stay silent for a few seconds after Edward's words and this definitely is not a comfortable silence. Edward shifts in his chair and runs his hand through his hand, trying to formulate some neutral sentence.
Finally, he clears his throat at raises his gaze, indicating towards Bella's cell phone.
"Do you want to call Alice now? I could meet her at your place and take the clothes she would choose to my place. I will also bring you something to change into."
"Sure," Bella shrugs, a hint of sadness in her voice. He wants to kick himself really hard for his previous comment, seeing how it killed her mood.
"I will go and eat some breakfast, and then drive to your apartment. I should be here by 11. Are you okay with that?" he inquires.
The only answer he receives is a nod as Bella searches for Alice's number in her cell phone. He sighs internally and, casting one last glance at his best friends, leaves the room.
When he enters her room again, Bella is gripping a small sheet of paper.
"I got my hospital discharge already. Alice wanted to stay and drive with us to your place, but has some family dinner that she has to attend at one."
"Was she very mad at you for not calling her earlier?"
"Yeah," Bella sighs, "but I managed to explain it to her somehow. Did you have any problems with packing my clothes?"
"No, but Alice didn't really want to talk with me," he smiles, remembering how she murmured obscenities under her breath in his direction. "She packed some of your toiletries, books and laptop as well."
"Great," Bella smiles brightly and Edward's heart skips a bit at that. "Do you have some clothes for me? The ones I was brought here in are completely destroyed."
"Yeah," he confirms and hands her the plastic bag he brought with him. "Um," he starts, feeling slightly uncomfortable, "maybe I should leave the room for a few minutes…"
"No, please, stay," she pleads quietly and he knows he is not able to deny her anything. "I may need some help, and it probably will take just a minute or two. There is no need for you to wait outside, it will be fine if you just turn around."
He nods and turns around, gripping the side of Bella's bed as she starts moving around. He can hear he throwing away the sheets and then some rustling of the bag and the sweats that he brought her.
His grip strengthens as unexpected images of Bella taking her clothes off fill his head. He knows he should feel bad for thinking of his best friend this way, but, somehow, he doesn't.
The tense silence is interrupted by Bella's quiet voice.
"Edward?"
"Yeah?" he croaks, clearing his throat and trying to get rid of the images.
"I… Um.. I have some problems with putting the trousers of my sweats on. The cast makes it rather hard to reach my feet and pull them up…" He can hear her inhale deeply. "Could you please help me with that?"
It's his turn to take a deep breath as he turns around slowly. He has seen Bella in a swimming suit a few time before, but not in the last few years. He is fully aware that her body is probably much sexier now than it was then.
He does not dare ponder on the fact why he suddenly cares about the sexiness of Bella's body.
Their eyes meet first, and the he slowly lets his gaze move lower. She already has her shirt on, but her long, slender legs, one currently in cast, are exposed to him. When he rises his eyes again, Bella is not looking at him, her cheeks bright red.
Without another word he crouches on the floor by her legs, gripping the soft material and pulling it up slowly. His eyes are firmly closed. He does not want to allow himself to take pleasure out of this simple act; it just feels wrong. However, he cannot stop his hands from grazing slightly her leg as they move up, and he can hear Bella's sharp intake of breath. When he reaches her hips and finally forces his eyes open, Bella is looking at him, biting her bottom lip, and he feels a sudden urge to release the plum flesh from under her teeth.
"Don't do that," he pleads.
"What?" she asks, confused, her voice hoarse.
"Stop biting your lip, you are hurting yourself." He raises his palm and gingerly touches her bottom lip. Her mouth open slowly and he can feel her breath against his fingers. It feels like the temperature in the room rose by at least ten degrees. The tension in the air is palpable and so thick it could be cut by a knife.
Their moment is interrupted by knocking on the door. Edward moves his hand away and rises quickly as a nurse comes inside the room. He does not dare look at Bella. He needs to gather his thoughts, so he walks towards the window and lets the woman talk with Bella freely.
Bella. His best friend. Nothing more than this.
Right?
They do not really talk as he drives them both to his apartment. Bella looks out of the window, while he focuses on the road in front of him. He seeks for some neutral topic in his mind, but can find none. When they finally arrive, he helps Bella to get out of the car and watches helplessly as she struggles with the crutches.
"Maybe…" he started, but she quickly cut his sentence with a quick "I'm fine."
He simply shakes his head and follows her into the building.
Once inside, he runs her hand through his hand and wonders what do next.
"Um, are you hungry? Or maybe you want to lie down in the guest room?"
"I would eat something first. What did you have in mind?"
"Well, we can order a pizza or I could prepare something for us both…"
Bella snorts. "You? Edward, you can't cook. I'm afraid you would burn even water."
"Very funny," he replies bitterly, slightly wounded. Some people had a gift of singing, some of painting. He apparently does not have the gift of cooking. Well, blame his genes.
"Still, I think I could prepare us some sandwiches without cutting myself. What do you think about that?"
"Well," she starts hesitantly, as if already knowing Edward's response, "maybe I could cook something or us both…"
"Nonsense," he states firmly, amazed that she even thought about that. "You were in a car accident and you have cast on. You need to rest."
She tries to argue a bit longer, but finally relents and sits down on the couch, reading a takeout menu.
They spend the rest of the day on the couch, watching some soap operas and TV shows, either one of them too lazy to do anything else. They do not start the topic of their earlier intense moment in the hospital and Edward is kind of happy about that. He has to come to terms with his feelings towards Bella first and he won't be able to do it until he is alone.
They eat some supper and then settle back down on the couch to watch "Notting Hill". They sit side by side, but Edward feels the growing urge to wrap Bella up in his arms. He extends them in a silent question, and Bella eyes him for a few seconds before sighing and carefully resting against his chest. Edward's right forearm circles her waist lightly and he pulls her more into himself, seeking for any contact with her body he can get.
He does not pay attention to the movie, focusing on the woman in his arms and noticing of how many things he was so far unaware.
Bella's long eyelashes. Brown eyes, so deep that he can get lost in them. Silky, long hair, begging him to run his fingers through them. Plump lips, the lower one slightly fuller than the upper.
It's getting oh so hard for him with every passing minute to keep telling himself that she is just his friend, that he should stop this train of not entirely appropriate thoughts about someone he is not romantically involved with from swirling in his mind.
But he is powerless to do so. Affections are like lightning – you cannot tell where they will strike till they have fallen, and their power is huge.
When he lays down in his bed that night, deep in thought, he realizes he won't ever be able to look at Isabella Swan the same way again.
A piercing scream.
Bella.
Without thinking he throws the comforter to the side and rushes out of his bed to her room. He trips several times as he runs, still partly asleep, but he manages to get there in mere seconds.
Bella is trashing on her bed, repeating "no, no" and sobbing quietly. He is by her side in no time, crawling under the sheets and putting his hand on her shoulder gently.
"Bella," he says a few times, shaking her slightly, but there is no reaction; her wails only grow in strength. His arms wrap around her waist and he crushes her to himself, repeating helpless "Bella, sweetie, wake up, please, wake up".
When she finally does wake up, her gaze is slightly glassy and confused, as if she were trying to understand where she was and what was happening. Her gazes stays fixed on him as he wipes off the tears running freely down her cheeks. She is trembling and gripping his nightshirt tightly.
"It's okay, everything is okay, you are safe," he repeats is mantra, his palm cupping her left check of its own accord. Seeing her so scared and hurting is do painful for him, he can hardly breathe.
"I…" Bella starts, small sob escaping her parted lips. "I had a nightmare… I-I thought I was in the car again, losing control over it…" she hiccups slightly. "I was so scared that I would never see my family again… That I will never see you again," she emphasizes, utter fear still evident in her eyes. His arms tighten around her and he squeezes his eyes tightly, trying to stop his own tears. If only she knew how scared he was that night.
They stay like that for the next few minutes, Bella's head resting against Edwards chest, their bodies intertwined and her broken leg between them. Her sobbing subsides slowly, and when it comes to a stop, she gingerly rises her forehead and their gazes meet.
The look in her eyes is like nothing he has ever seen before – a mix of pain, determination and deep affection.
And then, without any warning, she leans forward in one swift motion, pressing her full lips to his.
Heaven.
It is the only way in which he can describe how her lips feel against his.
The activities they quickly engage into are far from being classified as 'friendly'. Their mouths and bodies mold into each other as his fingertips ghost over her skin, caressing the most intimate parts of her body. He can feel their hearts beating rapidly next to each other. Soon the burning in their lungs becomes unbearable, so he breaks the kiss, leaving a trail of pecks along her beautiful, pale neck. His mouth lingers for a while behind her ears, sucking on the sensitive spot there, which causes Bella to moan loudly and grip his shirt even tighter. Then their needy lips meet again, and the kiss is even more passionate than their first one. It seems as though they couldn't get enough of each other.
The realization dawns on Edward slowly, but forcefully.
To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven, and he did when their lips met.
He loves her, he always did, and she loves him too. For so many hears, they were too immature to realize this. Instead, they suppressed their real feelings by throwing themselves into studying, working, everyday's life. They were incredibly close as best friends, in an almost exaggerated way, but he never stopped to ponder on his feeling.
He wonders when she realized she loved him. Was it yesterday? A month or a year ago? He shudders at the thought of her longing for him for so long, too scared to reveal her true feelings. He can only image how painful one-sided love can be.
He wishes the revelation came earlier. They could have had so many years of being a couple already, full of caresses, whispered promises and common plans for the future.
The fire of their passion slowly loses its strength and their passionate kisses change into light pecks. Edward guides his lips all over her face, leaving his marks of love on her cheeks, nose, and, finally, her forehead, letting his lips linger there for a few seconds.
They have a long conversation in front of themselves, but for now none of them wants to break the blissful moment, so they opt for clinging to each other as if there was no tomorrow. Bella is much calmer now than she was when he entered her room half an hour before. He turns onto his back and pulls her to himself, letting her rest her head against his chest. The sound of his heartbeat soothes her even more, and soon enough, her breaths even out and she falls asleep. Edward presses his lips to the top of her head, inhaling the strawberry scent of her lovely brown hair. He sighs contently and soon joins her in the land of dreams, feeling completely at peace for the first time in his life.
Two lives, two hearts joined together in friendship united forever in love.
Fin.
A/N: So, what do you guys think?
Please, check out my other story as well: Hit By Love
Thanks for reading!
M.