For the Love of All That is Adventurous
By ahhleesaaa
All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
The characters and events in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. No part of this fiction may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the author's prior approval.
Author's Note:
Hi all! This is my first time publishing anything to so I welcome any and all constructive criticisms and helpful advice. This story is a little something I wrote years ago for a creative writing class and I figured I'd give it a little touch of Twilight. Please leave a review! I'd really appreciate it.
Isabella Swan was waiting at the airport check-in line, periodically checking her watch. The woman in front of her had a multitude of baggage, compared to Isabella's small carry-on, which consisted of three loud children under the age of ten, a large purse overflowing, and an overstuffed suitcase that seemed as if it would go over the airline's weight limit.
Occasionally, one of the children would step outside of the strap that held the passengers inside of the line and the mother would scream bloody murder to the poor, wandering child to get back in line and stand next to her.
"Bella!" She turned to the sound of her name, looking through the crowd of people to the sliding doors of the entrance to the airport. Outside, there were cabs waiting to receive their passengers, men in the airport's uniform directing the traffic of cars, and people saying their goodbyes in the departing section of the large airport.
"There you are. I called your name; did you hear me?" Bella looked beside her, finding her best friend, Edward Cullen, who lifted the strap of the line and stood beside her.
"I heard you, E," she said exasperatedly, turning to face him. "All the way from the door. You were supposed to be here at nine fifteen. Where have you been?" She wasn't really mad at him, but she didn't want to let him off the hook so easily.
They've known each other since junior year in high school and have been best friends since, making sure they would stick together and go to the same college, live in the same city, for the past seven years. Bella, now twenty-five, told Edward everything, including the things he didn't want to hear, and Edward trusted her as well. The one thing Bella didn't tell Edward was the small crush she was developing on him. She couldn't decide if her feelings were true, or whether or not what she was feeling was a result of knowing everything about him.
"Lighten up, B. I got caught up at work. They wouldn't let me go." He shuffled through his small bag, looking for his passport and his wallet.
"You mean Tanya wouldn't let you go." Bella turned back to the woman in front of her with the children and studied the face of the youngest child, oblivious to the ruckus of the people around it.
Bella felt his eyes boring into her, watching as her hands fidgeted through her shoulder length brown hair, a move she knew he recognized as a nervous habit.
He tugged at the bottom of the sleeve of her leather jacket until she brought her gaze to his green eyes, away from the struggling mother. "You have nothing to be jealous of."
"Who says I'm jealous?" she said. "She's just itching to get her claws into you. I don't like her."
"Come on, B. Don't start that shit again. You know I want nothing to do with Tanya. I'm here with you, aren't I?"
"You make it sound like you're obligated to be here. This was your idea, you know."
"I know," he said, losing his annoyed tone, "and I want to be here with you. No one else. Okay?" He grabbed her hand and held it in his, pulling her closer. "No more sad face. Smile for me."
Edward tugged her cheeks up into a false smile with the hand not holding hers, waiting for a response. Eventually, Bella unintentionally smiled, "Fine, fine. Look we're next."
The line shuffled forward, the woman and her intense baggage already being catered to by a man at the counter.
"Next!"
Bella and Edward walked up the nearest available space on the counter and approached a middle aged woman with a fake smile plastered on her face.
"Hello, my name is Nancy, how may I help you today?" Her bright red lipstick accentuated the yellowing in her teeth and made it seem as if she was leering at Bella.
"Yeah, hi," Edward spoke to her, bracing himself with his elbows on the counter, giving her a charming smile. "What's the next flight available?"
"The next flight? You mean one leaving now?"
"Yes. Wherever it's going. Put us on that." He grabbed Bella's passport out of her hand and placed it on top of his on the counter.
"Well, there's available seats on a flight to San Diego, California that leaves in an hour. Would you like me to book it?"
"We'll take it!" Edward exclaimed, smiling widely.
"Alright, sir, if you'd just give me you and your wife's identification cards, I'll take care of this right away."
"Oh, I'm not his wife," Bella said, her heart thumping wildly in her chest.
"What are you talking about, sweetheart?" Edward playfully said, wrapping his arm around Bella and bringing her closer to his body. "She's just not used to it; we're on our honeymoon."
Bella blushed but kept her mouth shut, secretly enjoying the weight of his arm on her shoulder.
"Oh my! How sweet!" Nancy clapped her hands excitedly. "How about I bump you guys to first class? There are empty seats available that for an extra $100 could be yours. Wouldn't that be nice?"
"That would be lovely." Edward handed his credit card over to Nancy and she took it quickly, tapping away on her computer.
"Here's your card back and your boarding passes. Have a lovely honeymoon." Nancy smiled, handing over the passes and waved. "Next!"
As they were walking away, Edward grabbed Bella's arm, dragging her quickly to the terminals, looking to see where they would board.
"Honeymoon?" Bella said, incredulously, tugging her arm from his hold while still keeping up with his long strides, darting in and out of the on coming traffic of people.
"Yep. Where were you at the wedding?"
"Did you get me drunk again? Because I don't recall ever marrying you."
"Oh, just go with it, B. Look, she gave us first class. We keep this charade up and who knows what other free stuff we get."
"Fine," she caved, secretly ecstatic. "So, San Diego? What are we going to do there?"
"I guess we'll find out when we get there. That's the whole point, isn't it? Being spontaneous. Going on an adventure?" He smiled down at her, reaching for her hand again.
"I suppose so." Together, hand in hand, they reached their terminal and boarded the plane, barely making it in time for take off.
The flight lasted an hour and a half and during that time, Edward acted just as a newlywed husband should, occasionally wrapping his arm around Bella's shoulder and giving her a sweet little kiss on her temple, earning them free champagne from the flight attendants and extra snacks. Bella would just smile at his antics and secretly enjoy his attentions, internally squealing like a teenaged girl.
Their first view of San Diego was through the small window of the plane. They could see the sun shine on the tops of the buildings and the sky blue from the early day. When the plane landed, Edward stood to take both of their bags and lead Bella off the plane.
"Change from Seattle, isn't it?" Edward said, taking in Bella's excited face.
"Definitely." She smiled widely and her body shook with excitement, practically jumping in place. "We have to go to the zoo!"
"Alright, alright, but we need to get a car first."
"Lead the way, captain."
After renting a car, Edward and Bella headed to the San Diego Zoo.
When they arrived, they shed their light jackets and rushed over to the line, Bella tugging on Edward's hand in her excitement to see the different exhibits.
They spent a couple of hours at the famous zoo, seeing the monkeys, hippos, and tigers in the Lost Forest; the pandas in the Panda Canyon; the Polar bears in the Polar Rim. They ate lunch at the Treehouse Café, right across from the Panda Canyon and they left when the park closed.
"What's next, B?" Edward asked, his arm, once again, slung casually around her shoulders as they walked out to the zoo's parking lot to the car.
"I want to go to Balboa Park. To the carousel."
"To the carousel!" They laughed as they drove to the carousel, finding only a few couples littering the area.
"It's beautiful," Bella said in awe, gazing at the colorful lights and the historic figures of animals.
They walked up to the entrance of the carousel, paying the $1.75 to get on, and rushed to get good seats.
"We're not too old for this, right?" Edward asked.
"Well, I'm not too old, but I'm not too sure about you, old man." He laughed and playfully bumped her shoulder with his.
They each got on two beautiful horses. The design was filled with color and had minuscule details down to the realistic hair on the body. The aged gold poles down the middle of the horses shone as if they were new. Once the carousel started, the music rose in volume, surrounding Edward and Bella and nearly drowning out their laughs as the carousel spun faster and faster. When the ride was over, Edward and Bella were leaning on each other, their laughter overcoming them.
Making their way off the carousel, they approached an ice cream vendor and sat down with their cones.
"You know," Edward started, "Tanya is from San Diego." Bella immediately tensed, waiting for him to continue, the spoon she was holding frozen halfway to her mouth. "When I told her what we were doing, she wanted to tag along."
"I'm assuming since she's not here, you said no." She tried to control her tone and not allow her anger and jealousy to shine through, but just knowing Tanya was trying to wheedle her way into Edward's life was troubling to her current situation.
"I did. I told her this trip was for you and me. I'm really tired of her, to be honest with you. I know you are too. I don't have to ask you to know that her attention to me bothers you, but you need to understand, B, you're the one I want in my life, not her. I don't care about Tanya, I care about you."
"So no more Tanya?" Bella asked.
"No more Tanya." She smiled. After finishing their ice creams, they made their way back to the rental car and to a nearby hotel.
Checking in, they once again used their "Honeymoon" excuse and earned a couple of free movies on the room's television.
"I had so much fun today," Bella said, collapsing on the double bed. "My feet are killing me."
Edward threw himself on the bed next to her and exhaled loudly. "Tell me it wasn't worth it, though."
"Oh, it definitely was, wouldn't change it. I don't know how to thank you, Edward."
"For what?" he said, leaning on his elbow, facing her.
Bella turned her head towards Edward, a slight smile still present on her face.
"You're the one who convinced me to be spontaneous, to go on an adventure. If it weren't for you, I'd still be stuck at work, listening to Mike Newton drone on and on about nothing I want to hear."
"You don't have to thank me, B. That's what best friends are for."
"Yeah," Bella said quietly under her breath, "best friends." She turned her gaze back to the ceiling, thinking about her mundane life back at home, living day to day doing the same thing, no variations. She was twenty-five and acted like she was sixty. She only went out when Edward or one of her other friends forced her to, never on her own. Bella didn't like to go out. Sure, she enjoyed spending time with her close friends, but she never had much enthusiasm in leaving the comforts of her own home. She didn't know how to be spontaneous or adventurous. This trip was Edward's idea, coming out of the blue. He was the one who tried to get her out of her slumps, who tried to add more excitement to her boring life. If it were left up to her, Bella would be at home, reading a book, drinking a glass of wine, waiting for the next workday. But for Edward, she'd go anywhere, do anything. If only he knew.
So many times Bella wished she would get over her fears of rejection and just tell Edward the truth about her feelings for him, but every time her mouth would start to form the first words, her instincts would tell her to stop. She would change her mind and then plan to tell him at a later date. Bella valued Edward's friendship so much; she didn't want to ruin it by telling him about her unrequited feelings. She relied on Edward too much to lose him. He was her best friend and she wanted to keep him in her life for as long as she could.
As she was thinking, she felt Edward's hand make its way across her hand, his fingers threading into hers. His thumb smoothed over her knuckles in a pattern only he knew.
She faced him again, wondering where his sudden contact came from. It wasn't unusual for them to have occasional physical contact, but for some reason, this time felt different to Bella.
Edward was still leaning on his elbow gazing down at her. His light brown hair was dotted with sweat from the afternoon's activity, but to Bella, he never looked better.
"I'm in love with you, B." His quiet whisper echoed loudly throughout the small hotel room.
Bella's eyes widened, a small gasp escaping. She couldn't decide whether she was dreaming, having fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the mattress. Maybe her mind was making things up. Maybe she wasn't really here, in San Diego. She could still be in her bed at home in Washington, waiting for the sound of her alarm to wake her up to get ready for work.
She glanced at his face and noticed his brow furrowed with worry and his eyes expressed his true emotions—fear, apprehension, mixed with adoration.
"Edward…" Bella started, but was quickly quieted by Edward's hand.
"Wait, let me explain. I don't want things to change if you don't feel anything for me, but I thought you should know. I've had feelings for you since we were seniors."
"In college?"
"High school." She was shocked. She didn't think Edward felt the same way she did. This trip had reinforced her feelings, developed her love for him even more. This new information solidified the feelings in her heart.
"Why didn't you ever say anything?" she asked.
"I was scared. Terrified, actually, that my feelings would change our relationship and I don't want to lose you, B.
She didn't know what to say, what to think. So she embraced her new spontaneity and pulled his face towards hers, capturing his lips in a short kiss.
"I love you, too." He smiled widely and pulled Bella to him, wrapping her in his embrace.
His fingers combed through her hair, detangling the strands, as he softly said, "I love adventures."