Disclaimer: Do I look like I have the time or patience to write FOUR books? No. And what does that tell you?
Summary: Jessica is throwing an end of the year party, and nearly everyone is invited. Bella's content with it like that, but she has one last thing to do before everyone leaves: tell her best friend Edward that she likes him. All Human.
BPOV
"Alice," I murmured. "Can we talk?"
Alice was sitting on a couch in Jessica's game room. When I spoke she looked up, distracted from the videogame that Mike and Jacob were playing. They were too busy beating each other up virtually to notice her lack of attention. My three guy friends—Edward, Jasper, and Emmett—were on the floor wrestling. And Rosalie, Angela, and Jessica were in the front room playing karaoke. No one would notice us.
I nodded to the front door, and walked to it. Alice followed, sidestepping the three boys. I sat on the porch until I noticed the window open almost directly above our heads. Since that just wouldn't do, I dragged Alice over to the blossoming orange tree in Jessica's front yard.
Alice sat in front of me. "What's up?"
I sighed. "I wanna tell Edward how I fell about him."
Her brow furrowed. "But doesn't he already know?"
Lemme explain. When Edward and I got in a fight last week, he said some pretty insulting stuff to me. When I got pissed and ignored him, he was confused; he didn't know why I was upset. Then Alice and Angela got mad at him for not apologizing, and when he didn't get why he needed to, they told him he was wrong, and that I like him. After he said sorry the next day, we made up, and got along like the best friends we are.
"You should know that, considering you told him." I growled. "I wanna tell him myself."
"You sure?"
I nodded.
"Well Bella, you're going to have to do it right here, right now. You can't put it off. "
"Yeah, I know." I mumbled. "But first, I gotta go freshen up."
It was Alice's turn to sigh. "You look fine, Bells."
I grinned. "Whatever."
The two of us went in, talking and laughing, She went to go watch Mike and Jacob play their game, while I went off to the bathroom. I sprayed a bit of my new perfume—Midnight Pomegranate by Bath and Body Works, by the way—brushed my hair, and straightened my shirt. I was ready and confident—somewhat.
I walked out into the living room to find that Edward and Emmett—having abandoned their wrestling match—were singing and dancing along to "My Heart Will Go On" from The Titanic. I giggled; you could always count on those two for a laugh, whether they were cracking jokes or making themselves look like idiots.
That was one reason among many that I liked Edward. Others being that he was tall, handsome, sweet… etc.
When the song was over, Edward and Emmett bowed a few times while I clapped and grinned. Edward glanced at me, so I gestured with me finger to signal he should follow me. "I need to talk to you," I mouthed.
He nodded, passed the microphone to Jessica, and walked over to where I stood. "Did you enjoy my performance?" he asked, speaking with that perfect articulation that made me want to melt. "I saw you laughing."
I grinned harder. "You and Emmett are so stupid!"
"HEY!! I resent that!!" came Emmett's protest from behind.
Edward laughed. "Glad you liked it."
By that time, the two of us were at the door. I pointed to it, then walked back out to the tree and sat.
He sat in front of me, in the exact same spot Alice did. The contrast between the two of them was almost comical. Where she was small and petite, he was tall and muscular. Where she had short, raven feather black hair, his was long—for a guy—and a bronze caramel color. Her eyes were a dark brown, and his were a gorgeous emerald green.
She was beautiful in her own way, but he was Adonis, my own David…basically, handsomeness incarnate.
And when he spoke in his musical voice, his words scared the crap out of me. "What did you want to talk about?"
I gulped. While I was in the bathroom, I'd also been preparing myself; gathering all of my courage and talking myself into it. But now all that flew right out the window—along with my wits.
What if he doesn't like me back?!?! Aw, shit…
"Bella?" Edward's questioning voice brought me back to Earth. "Bella, are you all right?"
"Uh, yeah." I blurted. "Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing to worry about." Brilliant defense, moron! Now he'll think you're an idiot!! I scolded myself.
"You don't look fine… do you want to go inside?" Even with concern in his voice, he still didn't falter from his perfect articulation.
"No, no it's okay…" I muttered. Will someone just shoot me? Please?
"Okay… so what's wrong?" He pressed.
I sighed. "…Look, you can't interrupt me. Like, at all." He theatrically mimed zipping his mouth and throwing away the key.
When I didn't answer, he 'unzipped' his mouth and asked "Bella?"
I took a good, deep, fortifying breath, and looked into his dazzling green eyes. "Listen, I know you already know, but I still felt like I needed to tell you myself."
He looked so confused; it was almost funny…almost.
Aw, crap... I can't tell him! Part of me screamed. The other part slapped the first part across the face and said sternly, C'mon, Bella, don't wimp out now.
"I…I..." I sighed in defeat. Alice was right, I couldn't stall this. "I have a crush on you. Like, a big one And I know Alice and Angela told you already but—"
I was cut off by his finger being placed over my lips. As he gazed into my eyes, it felt like he was searching my soul…and liked what he saw.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" he murmured
"B-because…" I stammered, "I… I was worried…I thought it might become too awkward between us… and y-you wouldn't want to be my friend anymore." My eyes misted.
His confused and soul-searching expression turned to one of sadness and… slight frustration? What the…?
"How on Earth could you possibly think that?" He began to stroke my cheek with his thumb. "I'd never leave you, ever. You're one of my closest friends, and…"He grinned. "I like you too. A lot. I have since Day one."
The tears that had been clouding my eyes earlier fell free while he spoke. I felt his hand move to cup my cheek as he tilted my face toward his and leaned forward.
Oh. My. God. I felt like I was going to explode. Edward—the Edward, gorgeousness incarnate, Edward—was going to kiss me.
His lips brushed mine, soft and sweet. My hand slowly tangled in his beautiful bronze hair; he used the hand not cupping my face to pull me closer at the small of my back.
Something small brushed my hair ever so lightly. A moth? No, we didn't get many moths in the part of the country. Besides, while it was dreary and gloomy, it was still daylight.
Thunder crashing above our heads caused us both to jump apart. "That doesn't sound good," I whispered. He chuckled, then stood. "We should go in."
As he pulled me to my feet, I stumbled—of course. I saw the grassy ground rush up to meet me. I closed my eyes and prepared for the pain.
But it didn't come.
It took me a second to realize that there were two arms around my waist, preventing the fall. Edward laughed, and helped me to my feet once more. But we didn't walk just yet.
He looked into my eyes with that soul-searching intensity, and suddenly pulled me to him. His arms were chains, and I was—happily—the prisoner.
He tipped up my face to look at his, and our lips met.
We were like that for an immeasurable moment. But this time, it wasn't thunder that ended it.
Alice burst through the door like a little tornado—emphasis on little. Edward and I jumped apart like before, but this time we smirked at her, and walked over, hand in hand.
Alice, the poor thing, blushed and stuttered "Uh, sorry. So sorry. Didn't realize that… umm…. Sorry!"
I giggled and said, "Alice, calm down. As you saw, it went…" Fantastically, heart-stoppingly awesome. "…well."
She didn't even seem to notice my words, or our hands. Instead, she was staring at my hair. "Bella?"
"Hmm?"
She pointed. "What's that in your hair?"
"I got it," Edward said, and pulled it out gently. Once he looked at it, he held it up for us.
An orange blossom.
A/N See, an old friend of mine from elementary once told me that if an orange blossom lands on you, you will be blessed with good fortune. Anyway, TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!!YAYYAYYAYYAYYAYYYAY!!! Kay, I'm done.