I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR IT'S CHARACTERS
Here's another story by me, but this one isn't going to be as long as Colorblind. Speaking of which, I do plan on completeing that story, but when I was in the middle of writing it, my family hit a rough patch, and it took me a while to get back on the writing train. So this story is a short one, about five chapters max, but they're long so it will be good. I will update this one quicker because the chapters are already almost all done. So enjoy this one for what it is, and I will finish Colorblind when this one is completed. This story will mostly, and probably, be in entirely Edward's POV.
See you on the flip side :)
EPOV
Ever since I could remember, she was always there. Right from the first day when my mother, Esme, forced me to walk through those dreaded doors of preschool, to the moment when I asked my first crush out on my first official date in junior high, my first kiss, my first everything. Bella Swan was there every step of the way, and she never let go. But I did, I foolishly let her go, and did nothing but continuously push her away.
***
Grade 10 / March 2002
"Bella," I whined as she giggled and pulled my sketch book off my lap and started sprinting toward the other side of the meadow.
"C'mon Edward, you've been drawing in that damn book all day," she taunted me, "Let's have some fun for once."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not just drawing here Bells; I'm actually working on my composition for my art class."
Bella and I were both sophomores in high school and she obviously didn't take her work load as seriously as I did. "Edward, no ones going to have that done other than you and you know it."
"That's not the point Bella. It's not what other people do what matters, it's what I do that does," I laughed as I pounced at her, knocking her to the ground with a solid 'humph' escaping from her chest. She rolled herself over under my grasp and hid the book from me under her left side. I went with my other tactic: I attacked her ribs.
"Edward...no...Wait...stop!" She laughed as I worked on tickling her up and down her sides until I was able to free my sketch book from the imprisonment of her firm grasp. Once I had my sketch book back, I got up and took it back to where I was originally seated in the middle of the meadow.
"You're so, studious Edward," she huffed as she heaved herself up off the ground and skipped over to my side. Bella was usually a very clumsy person, but in our meadow she always seemed so sure of herself. It was almost graceful in a way.
"Well, when I'm a doctor living in the biggest house in Seattle, you'll be sorry you didn't finish your homework." She only laughed at me, "See, right there just proves that you're more of a nerd than you let on."
I glared at her, and returned my attention to the book in my lap. "I asked if you wanted to come with me out of common courtesy Bella, you knew what I was going to be doing out here. If you didn't want to be bored out of your mind, you could have gone shopping with Alice and Rose."
Bella huffed, and threw herself down on the blanket beside me. "I never said I was bored out of my mind, I just wanted to get you to play around like we used to before you convinced yourself that you need a 4.0 GPA to be like Carlisle. If you remember, we used to have actual, full, blown out fun," she emphasized with her hands.
I did recall all of the times that Bella and I would just run away out here for a day. We would skip class in junior high and come out here to talk about everything we wanted to. Whether it was music, my infatuation with Tanya, her mother leaving and marrying a new man, Alice and Jasper finally getting together after a lifetime of friendship; anything and everything we did or talked about was sacred in our meadow.
When I looked back down at Bella, it had appeared that she had fallen asleep. Her eyes were closed, and she wore a content but yet subtle look on her face. Her mouth was closed and formed the perfect line, and her hair cascaded over her shoulders that created a perfect moulding for her face.
I caught myself staring at my best friend longer then I should have been. I was dating Tanya, but I never told her about our meadow. We rarely talked about Bella, Tanya and I. Tanya thought that Bella and I were friends like I was with my Emmett's girlfriend – and Jasper's sister – Rosalie. But Bella and I were closer then that and I subconsciously knew that Tanya was aware of it.
An hour later, after I finished my composition, I lied down beside Bella and listened to her breath. It was calming and relaxing, and I too eventually fell asleep.
The sound of ringing in my ears awoke me from my slumber. It wasn't until I felt something being chucked at my chest did my eyes bust open. Bella was standing up in front of me flicking little pebbles down at my chest.
"That damn phone has been going off steady for an hour now. I suggest that you answer it," she said coldly as she turned away from me and started putting her things back into her book bag.
Shit, I knew our big rule in the meadow: do not keep cell phones on in the meadow, only in the case of an emergency. I broke that rule, and now Tanya was calling me on my cell. Well, this better be an emergency.
"Hello?" I answered groggily, as I watched Bella roll up the blanket we were just peacefully sleeping on. "Edward, I was wondering where you are. I just called your house, and Alice said that she didn't know where you were. Did you forget what today was?" Tanya asked me. I sighed; this wasn't an emergency that Bella and I had established that would be considered one when we made up the rules of the meadow as kids.
"I'm sorry Tanya, I've just been a little pre-occupied today," I apologized. I looked back at Bella who was grimacing as she started on her own homework. "Oh, well Edward today is the first night of our six month anniversary week celebrations, remember? You promised me that you would take me to the fireworks by the bay to kick off the week."
I hadn't forgotten I just lost track of time. I loved my girlfriend - I did - I just didn't see why we had to celebrate it for a whole week
"Of course Tanya, I remembered. I'll be by to pick you up at, let's say eight o'clock tonight?" Like the original plan was, I thought bitterly to myself.
"Alright Edward, I'll see you then, bye." I could hear the smile in her voice as she hung up the phone. When I looked up in front of me, Bella was sitting cross legged on a tree stump, looking focused on her homework, but I knew well enough that she wasn't doing it.
"Umm...look Bells, I gotta get going," Bella just nodded once, but didn't look up to meet my eyes. "Tanya and I are celebrating our six month anniversary, and tonight is the first night, so..." I trailed off, hoping that she would say something, but I wasn't a hundred percent sure what I wanted to hear.
"Why was your phone on Edward?" That wasn't it.
"What do you mean Bella?" I thought it would be best to play dumb even though I knew exactly what she was getting at. "You know exactly what I mean Edward, we are in the meadow," she stressed the importance of it as she hissed at me, but I knew what it meat.
It was in this meadow that Bella ran to when her mom ran out on them, where I came when I found out that Esme was first diagnosed with cancer, where I came when I found out that Esme had fought it off and would live healthily, where Bella and I shared our first kiss at the age of thirteen, where we had our first real fight – about Tanya.
This meadow held everything for us, and cell phones as communication to the cruel outside world were strictly prohibited.
"I'm sorry Bella, I really am, but what do you expect me to do? She is my girlfriend, and this week is important to her, to our relationship, it's kind of monumental."
Bella shook her head, "I get that Edward, I really do. But the meadow is important to our friendship," she sighed before continuing, "Look, just go on your date, I gotta go back to your place anyway and get ready for mine," she said as she huffed and stood up, slinging her book bag over her shoulder.
I froze. "You're...wait, what?" I asked in disbelief. We had been here practically the entire day, and she didn't feel the need to tell me at all? Saying that I was a little bit miffed was an understatement.
"Yeah, Alice is helping get ready for my date with Alec," she explained nonchalantly as she moved around me and made her way to the trail that led back to the main road, but I grabbed her wrist before she could get away from me.
"Alec, as in grade one Alec?" I asked with distaste. In grade one Alec and I were practically mortal enemies. He did whatever he could to get me into trouble, and by the end of grade three he had his family had packed up to move. But somehow he had managed to appear as the golden boy to everyone else, especially Bella.
Recently Alec had moved back, and it was clear to everyone else besides her that he had a thing for her.
Bella rolled her eyes, "Not that it's any of your business, but yeah." She ripped her hand from mine and stormed past me at an increasingly fast pace.
"But Bella, you know how I feel about him, he's done nothing but get me in shit since we were kids. Even when he didn't live here he managed to cause problems."
Bella merely scoffed and didn't slow her steps. "Really Edward, you have to let that whole elementary school grudge go."
"We've been here practically all day Bella, why didn't you say anything?" I asked after I couldn't take any more of her sticking up for him. Bella just shrugged, "I don't know, it never came up, and I knew that you would act this way." Well, shit, I despised the guy.
I watched her stalk away from me, feeling utterly betrayed. I didn't know why, I mean its not like Bella and I did everything together – wait, we did.
We walked in silence back to my car, both of us not saying anything at all, both of us lost in our thoughts. She finally broke the silence, "Seriously though, what do you think about him? I...I mean w-why don't you like him?" she stuttered while trying to get her words across.
I shrugged my shoulders, "Because he's always been an ass." I figured that was as good enough a reason as any. But Bella didn't seem to agree because she snorted and stopped walking. "Emmett likes him. So why don't you?" She asked, halting her movements.
"Because he and Emmett are on the same football team, they like the same things and want the same things," I started walking again, leaving Bella standing alone behind me.
"They both want the pretty cheerleader on their arm, and don't have a brain in their heads to think for themselves."
"Hey," Bella called out from behind me, "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, clearly appealed with what I had just said. "Are you trying to say that I'm not a Lauren, or a Jessica? And why are you getting all hypocritical, Tanya is on the same squad. And you just basically put both Rosalie and your brother down."
She was right about Tanya, but I knew that Tanya had a decent head on her shoulders. But Bella misunderstood me that was not what I was getting at, at all. "I may not be a blond bimbo, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't like me for me."
"No, Bella that's not what I meant at all. Look, I just don't want you to get hurt by expecting something more from him when he is the last person to give you what you want." I tried to explain, but it didn't seem like Bella was getting past what I had said earlier.
"Edward, just because I refuse to let Alice play 'dress-up' with me everyday, doesn't mean that I can't win that damn pageant at school."
"Bella, believe me when I say that I know you can. You have that pageant down if you entered, you could kick Stanley's ass any day. But, I'm just saying that Alec isn't going to be what you think he is once you get to know him. I'm just looking out for you here Bells."
She sighed and continued walking ahead of me at an extremely sluggish pace.
"Yeah I know you mean well Edward, so thank you for looking out for me. But I think I know Alec a little more than you do, because you never gave him the chance. So please let me decide for myself, okay?"
Bella looked so hopeful that I couldn't help but agree with her. I wanted her to know that I trusted her and her belief system.
"Good, now...race you!" she screamed and laughed as she took off running the rest of the way to the car. Bella wasn't one for sports or running, but when she was here with me, she once told me that she felt she could do anything. And that made me feel good, knowing that I made my best friend feel invincible against all odds – even if that included Alec Witter.
***
Grade ten changed everything between Bella and me. After her date with Alec, they went out again, and again. Till one night, when we were just hanging out in my room like old times, she stated that she wanted to go steady with Alec, and that he asked her to wear his class ring.
Now of course I thought that was really cheesy, especially since I hadn't given anything to Tanya, but Bella proved to be a typical girl in that moment and got all gushy over it. My best friend had her first boyfriend, and she was beyond happy about it.
Bella and I saw less and less of each other. She began sitting with Emmett and Rose at their table with Alec, and I sat with Alice and Jasper, and Tanya and her friends at hers. At junior prom, Bella went with Alec and I went with Tanya.
I didn't admit it at the time, but Bella was absolutely gorgeous in a dress that she picked out by herself. Alice insisted on taking Bella, and to all of our surprise, Bella didn't protest. She went willingly and picked a dress out on her own that managed to get Alice's seal of approval.
She smiled as she came down from Alice's room and marched right up to me and twirled. She asked me what I thought, and when I didn't say anything but a mumbled 'Wow' she blushed that beautiful cream red. My blush.
When Alec came to pick her up, he too was left speechless. I remember feeling jealous as he pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed it lightly. When she blushed – my Bella blush – I internally growled. Tanya looked up at me and took my hand in hers trying to get my attention. But I couldn't take my eyes off of the angel that just left with another suitor.
Tanya and I won for Junior King and Queen that night, and Bella left early with Alec. My heart clenched as I watched them walk out of the gym after Tanya and I walked up on stage.
At the end of the night, I took a detour by Bella's house when I went to drop off Tanya. I remember hearing Tanya protest on how her house was on the other side of town, but I just had to make sure that Bella was home safe.
As I drove by, I saw Bella and Alec sitting on her porch in the swing talking. She looked happy with a small smile on her lips. Satisfied that Charlie was home with them, I proceeded to drive Tanya home.
When I got home, I went right up to my room and closed the door. My feelings were all over the place, and I didn't know what was wrong with me. I saw my best friend like I never had before the last few months and suddenly everything changed.
***
Grade 11 / September 2002
I was sitting at my desk, talking to Bella about our new chemistry class. It appeared that Mr. Banner taught both biology and chemistry, but didn't know too much about either. Just as I was getting to the topic of our art class that Mr. Hodgson was teaching this year, I turned to Bella and saw that she wasn't even paying attention to me; instead she was staring down at her phone, while blushing and silently laughing to herself.
"Bella," I asked, trying to get attention, "What's so funny?" Bella looked up at me startled, as if she had been caught, and only blushed harder.
"Alec, he just...his text...let's just say he enjoys texting," she blushed again nervously as she averted her eyes from me and returned her focus back to her phone – to Alec.
I was getting a little tired of Alec. Bella and I didn't talk anymore, and I know it might not have been right, but I blamed him for it. Ever since he came into the picture, he had been spending more and more time with Bella. During the summer, I only saw Bella a total of seven times. The rest of it was spent with him, and the other half was spent with her mother in Florida. I missed my best friend.
"So, what it's been six months for you two now?"
Bella nodded and grinned, "Yep," she answered me, successfully popping the 'P' to some extent. "Actually, he's taking me out for my birthday this year, and it's also connected with our anniversary." She seemed pleased with this, but something told me she forgot one thing.
"What about our tradition?" Bella and I had an annual tradition for her birthday. Ever since we were six, every year on Bella's birthday, the two of us would go into town and pick out an outrageous gift that she wouldn't normally ask for that I would buy, and then we would go and actually use it.
One year she asked for a moose hat with actual antlers attached to the sides, and then we ran all around town, and took pictures of all the people that we seen while wearing it with the camera that her father had given her. The scrap book that we put together afterwards still sat in her room on her night stand.
Bella shrugged, "We can do it before I go out to dinner, or what about the next day? I know it's not my official birthday, but that won't matter too much," she offered, but it wasn't the same.
"Bella, this is something that we do every year, can't you just go out for dinner the next night?"
"No, Edward look, this is six months here. It's an important milestone, and the reservations have already been made." Reservations? Where in the hell would they need reservations to go eat?
"Reservations for where, are you going to Seattle or something?" Bella glared at me. "No, Edward we're not going to Seattle. Actually, we're going to that new restaurant that they just opened in Port Angeles on Marina Drive."
"So, that's seriously what you're doing for your birthday?" I asked skeptically. Bella nodded once, "Alice thought it was a good idea," of course Alice would, she's a girl too and falls for all that mushy stuff, "Edward, I better go. I have to finish that chemistry assignment still, so I'll see you tomorrow at school."
Bella got up and hopped off my bed, before she left she bounced happily over to where I was sitting and patted my head playfully.
When Bella's birthday rolled around, she didn't come over to have Alice help her get ready like she usually did. Over the summer, Bella picked up on Alice's habits and no longer needed her assistance on preparing for her dates.
So it was just Tanya and I sitting in my room that Saturday night. She was sitting on the floor by the bookshelf reading her assigned novel for English while I was sitting at my computer, just staring at the screen in front of me - I was too busy thinking about what Bella was doing on her birthday.
"Ahem," Tanya cleared her throat from the corner, breaking my Bella trance. I looked up from the screen and seen Tanya anxiously playing with the pages of her book. "Edward is there something wrong?" she finally asked when I continued staring at her blankly.
Was something wrong? Well, I was sitting in my room with my kind and caring girlfriend who I had been with for almost a year, and all I could do was think about my best friend who was on her own anniversary/birthday date with her own boyfriend. Yes, I'd say something was mentally, and definitely, wrong with me.
"No, why would you ask?" Tanya started at me blankly.
"Oh, I don't know Edward, you've just been sitting there staring at your computer screen on a Saturday night when your girlfriend is sitting on your floor, bored as a two by four. Oh, and the picture on your desktop just happens to be of Bella Swan. So you tell me, is there something on your mind?" Tanya was very perceptive, why hadn't I noticed this before?
"I just...that...well today is Bella's birthday and we usually do something together every year, but this year she's out with...Alec."
Tanya stared at me like I was crazy, like she didn't understand why I was making a big deal about everything. "So what, her boyfriend took her out for her birthday. That's not that big a deal Edward, it's not like...like..." Tanya trailed off and stared at me, her mouth hanging open as she looked at me in shock. "Oh my god, I can't believe you've finally noticed," she whispered as she brought her hand up to cover her open and shocked mouth.
She got up and scurried to the bed, scrambling to collect her things. "Tanya, what's wrong? Where are you going?" I asked her as I shot up from my chair. She ran to my shelf and gathered together all the things that were hers.
"I knew this would happen I knew that it was going to happen eventually, when I first met you and Bella freshman year. This was inevitable, and I only prolonged it. I...I'm sorry Edward but, you're in love with her."
Tanya was on the brink of tears as she looked up at me. "Wait, Tanya just hold on here, what are you talking about? Bella is my best friend, you're my girlfriend. I love you, not her." I tried to calm down and understand what she was saying, but Tanya just placed her hands in mine and sat down on the edge of the bed in front of me.
"Edward look, you may not realize it now, but I see what's happening here. You're falling in love with her," her voice broke as she leaned forward and pulled back her long hair from her face.
"No Tanya, Bella and I are friends, that's it –"
"Edward will you stop lying to yourself!" She yelled as she stood up again. "How have you been looking at her lately? Has it been different? Like every time you see Alec take her in his arms, does it just make you want to rip his arms off and take her away with you? Do you loath him every time you know what he gets to take her out on dates? Like right now?" she asked. I tried not to listen, but everything that she was saying was true, I had been noticing Bella differently, and it was more then just friendship.
"Jealously is a bitch isn't it Edward?" she asked with a weak and humourless chuckle.
"You know, I always wanted what you and Bella had. She was your best friend; you two always had private conversations with your eyes, like you just knew what the other was thinking at one moment, it was almost as if you two were in on a secret that no one else knew about. You smile at her when she is chewing on her lip, or simply sitting in class. You never look at me like that, and it kills me. I love you Edward, but it's clear that you don't love me the same way. You know, I always knew that you never did, I just always...forced myself to hope that you eventually would."
Silent tears rolled down Tanya's cheek as she poured a years worth of bottled up emotion to me.
We stood there, in the center of my room, looking at each other and not saying anything. Tanya smiled half heartedly, "Goodbye Edward, I'll drop your stuff off tomorrow with Rosalie at work," she kissed my cheek one last time before she turned and picked up her bag and headed for the door.
"Tanya, I..." I didn't know how to respond to her. I felt like such an idiot, so I said the only thing I could think to say, "I'm sorry."
Tanya nodded once, "I'm sorry too, Edward. Just...don't be sorry to her, give you guys a chance – you deserve it." And that was the last thing Tanya and I said to each other as a couple.
She closed the door behind her and left me alone - utterly alone. I lost Tanya, Bella was with Alec, and I was completely confused on how I felt about everything.
I grabbed my jacket and ran out to the garage and hopped onto my jet black BMW K 1200 motor bike. I had no idea where I was riding to, but I knew I wasn't stopping till I was there.
Thirty minutes later I was outside of a newer building that I had never seen before in Port Angles. I was at Bella's birthday dinner. I wasn't sure why I was brought here; it was almost as if my bike knew exactly where to take me.
I walked into the restaurant, looking for Bella. I checked my watch and it was quarter to seven, so they had to be here since they had reservations for six thirty.
Sure enough, when I looked around the corner of the separation wall in the restaurant, Bella and Alec were sitting at a candle lit table looking over menus. And she looked beautiful. Bella's Dress was black that sat just above her knee, she wore boots that matched perfectly, and her hair cascaded down her back in loose curls. She looked beautiful, and then there was Alec.
When I saw him with her my heart raced, and I found my legs marching forward toward their table, ignoring the hostess that was trying to get my attention.
When I got closer to their table, she spotted me, and immediately looked worried. She could instantly tell by the look on my face that something was wrong.
"Edward," she said once I was standing at their table. Alec threw me an annoyed and very pissed off glare, but Bella and I both ignored him. What we had was stronger then a six month relationship, Bella and I were completely focused on just the two of us.
"Edward, what's wrong? What happened? Is everything okay?" she asked, panicked as she took in my form. I rapidly shook my head, not able to say a word, because truthfully, I didn't know what was wrong. Oh yeah, she was with him and not with me.
"Bella, I-I need to talk to you," I stuttered as I looked down at her, hoping that she would see the urgency in my eyes. She did, but was interrupted.
"Edward, can this wait? Bella and I were just about to order," Alec broke our connection, and we both turned our attention to the boy sitting across from the prettiest angel in the room.
"Look, I'm sorry Alec, but I really need to talk to Bella," I tried to reason with him, but he only seemed to make this harder on all of us.
"This is our anniversary dinner Cullen, so if you have something to say to Bella, I suggest you say it now, before our waiter comes."
Alec was really getting on my last nerve. I turned to Bella, hoping that she would get up and come with me out to the bike, but she just remained sitting across from the jerk of the century.
"Bella," I gestured for her to get up, leaving the option up to her. Bella's eyes shifted from me and then to Alec. She was clearly torn, but she needed to make this decision. I saw what she was going to do, so I turned sharply and headed back for my bike. I didn't look back; I just drove back to the place that felt most like home to me at that moment.
The meadow was colder and darker then I remembered. There was a distant sound of laughing in my memory. The sun was beating down, it was warm, and the flowers were blooming all around us. The meadow was perfect, and I closed my eyes and basked in the memory.
The words that Tanya said earlier haunted my mind. Was she right? Did I love Bella? She was my best friend in the entire world, and I knew that sounded really fucking corny but it was true. She knew me inside and out, and everything big that happened in my life was with her.
She was my first call, even today when Tanya broke up with me, I went straight to her. When I wasn't around her it almost felt as though it was hard to breath or even function properly.
Lately everything's been changing. Bella has been more outgoing, social and more reserved. I missed my best friend, but was it for the same reason as before? I liked to think so, but deep down I knew it wasn't the same. Everything was different, we were different.
Just then, in the middle of my thoughts, I heard rustling in the bushes. Toward the other end of the meadow, the leaves were moving, and a figure was merging from the edge of the meadow. I looked up, slightly panicked that what I was seeing could possibly be a bear or something, but when I looked up again, Bella was standing on the meadows edge.
We stared at each other, silently reading the others unspoken thoughts. I took in Bella's appearance, and she was wearing the same outfit she had on at the restaurant, only now her boots were full of hardened mud from making the trek through the forest to get here.
"Bella, w-what about your dinner?" I asked as she started to make her way over to me. "I mean, you're here I thought that you..." I trailed off when I seen a store bag clutched in her hand. By now Bella was standing in front of me, looking me straight in the eyes.
"Edward it's my seventeenth birthday, I have a tradition to keep with my best friend," she smiled up at me while she held the bag in front of me to grab. I grinned at her, there's my girl.
"But," she cut me off as she ripped the bag away from my hands, "There's something seriously bothering you that you clearly wanted to talk about, so spill." Bella challenged me as she pulled the bag and hid it from my view behind her.
I sighed in defeat and gave in. "Tanya and I broke up tonight."
"What? Why, Edward?" Bella sounded pained as she asked her question. I really didn't know how to answer that. 'Because I love you and not her', that just didn't sound right. I still didn't know if it was right.
"I don't know she just broke up with me. She kept talking about how I don't love her certain way, and them I don't know, we just kind of ended things after that."
I stayed calm, and drifted off into thought again. Bella's hand found mine in that time, and brought me back to reality. Her hand was soft and gentle in mine as she made circles with her thumb on my palm. Her hand felt really fragile, and somehow it fit perfectly. I loved the feeling of it being there, almost as if it felt...I don't know, prefect?
She comforted me, till something suddenly dawned on me. "How did you get here Bella?"
She smiled timidly up at me as she spoke, "I explained to Alec that you would of only came to the restaurant if something was seriously bothering you and that it had to be important. And of course he got all upset talking about how much planning he put into this night. So we talked about it, and he eventually came around and I told him that I was going to find my own ride home. So I left, hopped into a taxi, stopped at a store that I seen on the side of the road bought my gift, and got the taxi to drop me off on the side of the road at the beginning of the trail. Got out, paid him and walked way here."
"Bella, I was supposed to buy your gift," I wined as she showed me the bag again. "I figured that it didn't matter who bought it, in the end we both use it and I already know what it is anyway. But if you really want to, you can reimburse me later," she rolled her eyes as she walked over the blanket that I was sitting on earlier and took a seat.
"Good, I'd rather pay for it; it is your birthday after all." I grinned down at her as she pulled the different items out of the bag.
In her hands, Bella held a single package of two Twinkies, a package of Jerky, two cans of Sprite, and a simple, yet small, golden telescope.
I stared at Bella, wondering what she was thinking when she picked up this years birthday gift. A lot of this stuff was random but none of it was outrageous.
"So, what's with the random selection?" I asked after she looked at me expectantly. "Well," she began as she patted the ground for me to take seat next to her, "I didn't get to eat my dinner, hence the Jerky and Sprite, and the Twinkies sub in for my cake. The telescope is my gift. I know it's not very outrageous, but...it's not everyday that a girl gets to look up at the stars above Forks," she said as she motioned above our heads with her hands.
Through the clearing, there was a perfect circle above our heads that gave us a perfect viewing of the stars above us. In Forks, there was usually overcast, so star gazing was usually out of the question. But not tonight, tonight was an exception.
"And I liked it, it was gold." Bella laughed as she got up and ran with it to the center of the clearing to look up. Bella looked beautiful under the stars in her dress, almost mythical. It wasn't often when Bella Swan wore a nice dress, but when she did, you definitely noticed.
I looked down, and saw the Jerky and Twinkies, and I suddenly felt bad for ruining her night. If anyone deserved to have a nice dinner and cake on their birthday, it was Bella.
So I looked around me and picked up a twig on the ground closest to me. I cleaned it off as best as I could with the sleeve of my shirt, and stuck it in the middle of the Twinkie. I glanced up to make sure that Bella's attention was still on the stars. When it was, I pulled my lighter out of my pocket and lit the twig.
Slowly, I walked up behind Bella and whispered, "Happy Birthday to you," in a sing song voice. Bella abruptly looked back at me when she heard me approaching, and smiled as she took me in.
"Edward, what..." she smiled at me as she walked to meet me half way. "You deserve a wish Bella, so take it, and be sure to make it a good one."
Bella smiled and thought for about two seconds before she blew out the single light. She looked just like a little girl in that moment, and when she was done, the biggest smile spread out across her face. "Thank you," she whispered, before she pulled the twig out of the Twinkie and shoved the whole thing in her mouth like a smug child.
I laughed at her carefree nature and joked, "Always so childish no matter how old you are. So, what did you wish for?" I asked as she tried to swallow the rest of the Twinkie down. She shook her head, "Can't tell, or it won't come true," she said with a semi-full mouth.
For the rest of the night, we sat silently on the blanket, talking and taking turns to look up at the stars through Bella's golden telescope. Bella was lying on my arm and her head was resting in the crook of my neck. I could tell that she was cold, so I wrapped my arm and the rest of the blanket securely around her shoulders.
"Edward, are you sure you're alright?" she muttered after we hadn't said anything for awhile. I smiled and nodded once, "I am now."
"I meant about the whole Tanya thing. I know you really cared about her," she said absentmindedly, as if more to herself then to me.
I just shrugged my shoulders as best as I could with Bella lying there. It was true I did care for Tanya, but not enough apparently.
"I did, but she clearly wasn't the one." I could tell by Bella's ragged breathing that she was starting to fall asleep at my side. I kissed the top of her head, and leaned back, enjoying the feeling of her in my arms.
***
That was the night I had realized that I was if fact, in love with my best friend Bella Swan. Her seventeenth birthday was monumental to me in so many different ways. I had pushed her away the year that I was with Tanya, pushed her right toward Alec. In a way Tanya blinded me from what was in front of me all along, but in the end, Tanya was the one that helped me see what I was ignoring for years. I loved Bella Swan.
"Edward," there was a loud pounding noise coming from the other side of my door just then. "Alice, I'm almost done, give me ten more minutes!" I shouted back at my aggravated little sister Alice.
Jasper and Alice were getting married, and our whole family was once again reunited in our little home town or Forks. I was glad that people only get married once, because Alice was one serious bridezilla not to be reckoned with. Her wrath in bridezilla mode was more than excruciating.
Alice busted through my door then. "Edward, it's my engagement party. I need you to be down there now. As Jasper's best man, and most importantly as my brother, you really need to be down there," she scolded me as she rushed over to help me with me tie.
"Don't panic Edward," Alice reminded me. She knew everything about...well it and she knew that I would over analyze it on no end.
"But what if..."I trailed off, not wanting to ask the question that she already knew the answer to.
"Edward, I love you, but you're going to have to lighten up. She's my maid of honour, so please just tell her. After all this time, now's the time to tell her."
"Alice, I've tried telling her, but she doesn't-"
"No, Edward you haven't tried telling her. You've danced around the truth your entire lives, and lost her. Now that she's back you have to tell her the truth." Alice said, affectively cutting me off.
"But Alice..." Alice surprised me by slapping me across the face. You wouldn't think that Alice's slaps would hurt, but right now she was currently in bridezilla mode, so trust me when I say that it did.
"No 'buts' Edward, we're all home now. We're all older, and it's now or never." Alice threw me one last meaningful and menacing look before she closed the door behind her and left me in my teenage room alone.
Bella had flown in from New York to be here for Alice's wedding, Alice had insisted on it since Bella 'was going to be her maid of honour no matter what'. Bella had become a writer for a magazine in the city, and was currently living in New York, where as I was an executive for an advertising company and living in Chicago. Needless to say that the two of us lost our way after high school. But not anymore.
Alice was right, it was now or never. Tonight I would be seeing Bella Swan again for the first time in years, and this time, I wasn't letting her get away without a fight.
My chapters for this story will be a mix from past to present, and as the story progresses, it will reveal what happened to them, and how they got to where they are.
Please leave a review, I would really like to see what you all think about this story, and if you want, you can check out my other story too. Reviews feed the brain, and my brain could use a few more calories ;)
Until Next Time,
~JustAGirl93