"I'm glad you're coming. My house is the best place to be if you want to relax. I love coming here on breaks. I can't wait for you to meet my parents. They're going to love you." Alice talked non-stop for two hours as we made our way to her parent's home in upstate Illinois. She was nothing if not enthusiastic.
Shifting in my seat, I tried to appear more excited; I owed it to Alice for having invited me to her home for the holidays. If it wasn't for Alice, I'd be holed up on campus singing Christmas carols to myself seeing as how my parents decided to go on a Jamaican cruise instead spending time with me this year.
"Thanks for inviting me, Alice. Christmas would have sucked if it wasn't for you." She waved my comment away saying that it was completely unnecessary to thank her.
"You had to come. I would have made you come even if your parents wanted you home this year. You need some fun and my house is the place to get it. Trust me, Bella Swan, I know what's best." She ended with a wink and a nod as if she were all knowing and I laughed, really grateful that Alice had attached herself to me last semester. She was turning out to be a great friend.
"Would you mind helping me with this dip, Bella?" Alice's mom asked, enlisting my help in the kitchen.
"Sure, Esme." Alice's parents were great. I could definitely see where she got her kindness from. They welcomed me like I was their own kid and I appreciated feeling so at home so quickly. There's nothing worse than that awkwardness you feel when you're in a stranger's home.
We spent the afternoon eating yummy snacks and getting to know one another. Alice told them what she knew of me, adding a few funny stories that made me blush. I told them about my parents and where I grew up. Her parents told me some stories about Alice and her brother, Edward, who I had yet to meet. He was supposed to be arriving tonight. If he was anything like Alice and her parents, this week was going to be just what the doctor ordered.
Alice and I got settled in to her old bedroom and spent the rest of the day touring the house and neighborhood where she grew up. Our walk through her old stomping grounds was doing wonders for my state of mind and when we neared the house again, I felt lighter than I had in months. This trip really was just what I needed. I was beginning to think that maybe Alice did have some physic abilities.
"Oh, good, Edward's here." I looked toward the house to see that a new car was parked in the driveway behind Alice's. "C'mon. I want you to meet my brother."
She sped up and I followed quickly behind, both of us crashing through the front door in excitement. I was smiling widely when we burst into the front hallway, the Cullen family enthusiasm having rubbed off on me in the last few hours. I couldn't wait to meet another member of the family. We rounded the corner and I stopped dead in my tracks.
Alice bounded ahead shouting, "Edward", jumping up into the arms of the most attractive man I had ever seen. This was so not what I was anticipating.
Alice's brother needed to be shorter, more round, kind of like a jolly, silly elf. Maybe I would launch myself at him too, and he would hug me and say, "Woah, who's this? A new member of the Cullen family?" Then we would all laugh and punch each other in the arm. We'd play games and laugh all week long...totally not attracted to each other. I was hating the feeling rushing through me right now.
You know that feeling you feel when you meet someone who is extremely and jaw-droppingly attractive? You instantly feel unworthy of them. They're too good looking and perfect for you. They would never want to be with you or even hold a conversation with you. You can't look away because they're so beautiful but you want to because you're embarrassed and suddenly feeling very shy. You hate how attracted to them you are. You wish you weren't but you are and now you have to speak to them and pretend like they're just a normal, plain person when clearly they are not. You begin to resent them. Who do they think they are? They're no better than you. How dare they bring all that attractiveness in here where two minutes ago we were all happy and plain and having fun. Now you get to feel completely self-conscious for the next week. Great.
"Bella, this is my brother, Edward." Alice turned toward me, totally beaming, one arm slung around his waist, one outstretched toward me, as if inviting me to join in a group hug. I return to my thought of her brother being an elf and me launching myself at him, all of us laughing and know that is never going to happen. Why couldn't he be ugly?
"Hi." I say shyly, trying to manage a smile and not seem awkward. I make no move toward them.
"Hi. It's nice to meet you." His voice enters my body and drills straight through to my heart. My spirits fall instantly, knowing how he is affecting me and understanding fully that he will never be affected that way by me. One-sided crush...check.
Alice looks a little confused by my sudden stand-offishness but is distracted when Edward pulls her to him and kisses the top of her head. "It's good to see you, Sis. I've missed you." After a tight hug, he releases her and grabs his bags. "I'm gonna put my stuff away." He says, casting a look at his parents before turning to go up the stairs. I stare at him until he disappears.