Bella Mia

Nouvelle

One-shot

So up stays the story (I had originally debated to take it down). It's pretty well written (if I do say so myself) even if it is unashamedly pure fluff.

This story is dedicated to my friend and roommate Glory, who got me to write this story because she wanted something 'cute' now that she has a boyfriend. I obviously don't own the story or the characters from Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" series; I just tweaked it and put them into an alternative universe. So no vampires or Forks. Please read and review since that only helps me want to continue to write more and more efficiently. Characters will probably be OOC a little too. C'est la vie of fanfiction.

With a quick flick of her wrist, Bella quickly shut off the blaring noise emanating from the alarm clock. Blinking hazy eyes at the red numbers on her desk, she groaned in protest when she saw that it was six in the morning. Shifting her body she recognized the familiar weight of another pressed to her side, a lazy arm draped across her waist and effectively pinning her to the bed with little hope of being released anytime soon. She sighed in bemused annoyance at the body next to her, his head hidden under the mass of pillows. The only thing that she could distinguish him by was his russet hair peaking through… that and his very toned, very bare chest.

Blushing slightly at where her thoughts had started to travel, Bella managed to free her other arm and lifted one of the pillows to gaze at her boyfriend's face. What she saw might as well be the work of a god. She was pretty sure he could be one, especially with that bone structure. Running her finger along the planes of his face in a move she only did when they were alone, she smiled at him, never having felt so at home than when she was in his arms.

However, that didn't distract her from the knowledge that he was the one that had set the alarm clock to go off this early in the morning. Deciding on what was the best way to wake him, she failed to notice his arm snake down her back. When she felt a gentle squeeze on her backside did she jerk and made a strangled noise much like a squeak. Eyes wide at the man in front of her, they narrowed on their own accord when she saw that though his eyes were closed, a smug smile now adorned his angelic face.

Her lips gave the slightest twitch as she brought up a pillow and awkwardly hit him in the head with it… a few times. Deciding that a sixth time wouldn't hurt, she made to swing the pillow. Edward grunted before she could land the blow and rolled them so that she was pinned underneath, his arms resting on either side of her body.

She continued to blink innocently at him as her arm came up one more time to hit him upside the head with the pillow. Rolling his eyes at her antics he dipped his head for his morning kiss. Bella chuckled slightly into the kiss till she finally melted into his touch. It wouldn't do, turning into a mass puddle of goo so early in the morning, but it seemed like that's what his kisses did to her.

His lips drifted from her lips to her cheeks and finally her forehead before he got up and out of bed. Slipping on his shirt and his jeans he turned to find her cheeks flushed, and he assumed with slight satisfaction; not just from sleep.

"Go back to sleep," he whispered into her ear and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

He straightened up only to find that her fist had curled onto his shirt and forced him to stay hunched over her bed.

"Lunch?" was all she questioned at him, her eyes dimming as sleep slowly crept up on her again.

"Lunch," he agreed. Her fist uncurled and allowed him to leave her dorm and head off back to his. Before he left though, he was sure to reset her alarm clock for her nine o'clock class. He didn't want to be the one to cause her to miss her precious biology lecture; he did have some self-preservation instincts after all.

Making his way up campus to where his own dorm was located, he entered the double, already knowing that his brother Emmett would be awake as well. Giving a slight nod in acknowledgement to Emmett, Edward quickly got changed into a pair of sweats and old t-shirt, knowing that Bella wouldn't be happy with him if he ran around campus bare-chested for all of the female population to see.

Once changed and loosened up, the two headed out for their morning run, oblivious to a few female students looking out their window to catch a glimpse of the two so early in the morning.

About two hours later, Bella's alarm clock went off again. Snuggling deeper into her blankets as the alarm blared, she once again though that is was great that she managed to snag a single this year. A private person, Bella had slowly opened up when she entered college. Her roommate during freshman year was a very active girl who had joined a sorority during the first fall rush. It was Jessica that dragged her out to parties on some of the weekends when Bella was too tired to protest. And it was on one of those outings that she had met Edward.

The night they met, he had blatantly stared at her the minute he had walked through the door. She could have probably chalked it up to coincidence since the couch she was seated upon was directly in line sight of the doorway but his gaze didn't drift away from her unless it was when he had to acknowledge another. Bella had been deadly afraid she had something on her face or in her teeth. Propped on the corner on the couch, Bella idle twirled her drink, looking at anything but him and desperately trying not to let the gorgeous man get to her. Gorgeous was all she could think of when her traitorous wandering eyes got the better of her. Jessica had squealed in her ear the moment he had arrived despite the fact that she was going out with someone Bella vaguely remembered as Mike.

Jessica waved, almost franticly in his direction, signaling for him to come over to where she and Bella were. Barely managing to keep the blush down that threatened to turn her face into a tomato, Bella was introduced to him and another, who she found out, was his brother Emmett. Both were fiercely handsome but it was Edward that caught her eye; his boyish charm more enthralling than his brother's potent ruggedness.

The rest of night involved her sitting in the couch, pointedly trying to pay attention to whatever Jessica was talking about while Edward sat only a few inches away. He didn't say anything to her the whole night but she knew that if she turned to look at him, she'd find him staring at her and she would manage to say something that would embarrass her for the rest of her life.

The party ended all too soon, and by the end of the night Bella found herself tucked away within the confines of her blankets, listening to the faint snoring of her roommate and thinking of the russet hair.

They didn't have their first real conversation till a month later when he managed to corner her in the library café. She had been shocked to see him, but was a little more than pleased when he situated himself next to her as he asked her about the material she was studying, peering over her shoulder to take a look at it himself.

She would have told him off, or at least she would like to believe. Had it been anyone else that had acted overly familiar with her she would have packed her stuff and left. And even though he hadn't so much as said hello to her at the party, he seemed sincerely interested in her, even if was just her school work. So she let him buy her a coffee and gave him her number when he asked.

After that, he called her almost daily; to get a bite to eat, to watch a movie, or just to study.

It was during one of their study sessions together that Bella had struck up the nerve to ask him a question that had been plaguing her mind for the last two months. Unfortunately for her, Edward was too engrossed in the history of Ghengis Khan to have heard her. After a minute he realized she had said something and asked her to repeat her question.

She sighed. "I asked, well… why did you want to be friends with well… me?" She said, gesturing to herself.

"And by you, you mean?" He asked, dropping his pencil and propping his head in his hand to look at her. Ghengis Khan would have to wait, her conversation promising to be more interesting.

She sighed again. Maybe this wasn't a good idea but she had already dug her grave. She might as well get the most out of it.

"I just meant, well… the first time I met you, you were staring at me."

"Oh, you noticed?" This time she saw the twinkle in his eye.

"Yes I noticed," she snapped, annoyed that he was amused at her expense.

"Well," he said leaning back and took on a thoughtful look, "its cause you're beautiful, and smart, and interesting," he chuckled. "And if you don't close your mouth a fly might fly in."

Bella promptly shut her mouth but it fell open again, much like a gasping fish, before she started to laugh nervously.

"I'm... You think... That's not a very nice joke Edward," at once feeling self-conscious. That could hardly be the reason he befriended her. "That kind of stuff gives a girl false hope," she hoped that her tone sounded patronizing, but knew it barely came out as a whisper.

His serious tone had her opening her eyes. "What part of that was a joke?"

His face was indeed serious and his dark amber eyes intense when she looked at him, and she was pretty sure that she had taken on the hue of a ripe tomato that she was often prone to do around him.

At her shy look he relaxed and smiled, his grin crooked. Once more he leaned forward and propped his head in his hands as the twinkle in his eyes came back. She warily looked at him as her blush subsided.

"So… I give you hope? Hope for what Bella?"

Her blush came back full force but turned into a mutinous glare as she ducked her head and kicked him under the table. She could hear his chuckle as she buried herself in her book and let the cascade of her dark hair hide her face from view, letting his voice envelope her with a feeling of warmth.

The change in their relationship was gradual but most of all, natural. Never once did they question whether or not they would ruin their friendship by progressing to the "next" level. And now here they were, well into their eighth month of dating.

Once Bella was changed and ready she headed out to her first class of the day.

The classes went by like clockwork, nothing changing in their normal regiment, and Bella was slowly counting down the time to lunch.

By the time her third class let out it was already one o'clock in the afternoon and Bella quickly made the walk from the Biology building to the library's café where she and Edward would normally have lunch.

The sight that greeted her had her happy skip come up short as she took in the beauty sitting across from Edward.

The blonde bombshell might as well have been sitting with a Hollywood backdrop behind her. Her luscious honeysuckle hair waved freely down her back. Her lithe body sporting what Bella knew from Jessica's many magazines to be designer clothes. She could feel herself tugging on her own plain jeans and sweater, comparing herself to the stranger whose hand currently was resting on Edward's arm.

She stood there unsure of herself for a minute before Edward noticed her and waved her over. Her feet moved automatically at his beckon while her mind screamed insecurities. From Bella's view, they seemed friendly with each other, like they had known each other for sometime but from her recollection never once had he mention someone who look like she belonged on the cover of Vogue.

Bella awkwardly greeted the pair, noticing how the stranger did a once over that had Bella stumbling into her seat next to Edward. The strange quirking smile that tugged on the blonde's lips failed to put Bella at ease and instead made her feel even more unsuited to be anywhere near the two.

"You must be Bella." The faint accent of Italy floated through the air as the woman in front of her spoke. "Edward has said quite a few things about you."

Feeling more comfortable with being annoyed at her boyfriend than befriending a beautiful stranger, Bella turned an eyebrow at Edward.

"Oh he has, has he?"

"Sì, I was quite surprised since I didn't realize he was with anyone." The blonde avoided Bella's startled gaze by sipping her drink. "And how long have you been dating caro mio Edward?"

Bella's jaws clenched at the endearment she recognized as 'my dear.'

"Over eight months now."

"Dio, I had no idea it was that long." Her comment had been directed at Edward, who had failed to say anything during the whole conversation.

Bella turned her eyes once again to her boyfriend. But was started when she realized that he wasn't looking at her as he normally never failed to do, but was instead staring intently at the blonde on the other side of the table.

That was when Bella's thoughts went down a dark spiral.

From the blonde's point of view across the table she could get a perfect view of what has happening between the couple. Fascinated she could see the brunette's eyes flash with many thoughts and emotions. Some of those thoughts probably involved her and an impending death.

She giggled inside with mirth and decided that it was time to go. But not without the finishing touch.

"Well Bella, it was nice meeting you but I must go." She said standing up in a flourish of sweeping perfume and billowing hair. Bending over she placed a kiss on either side of Edward's face. "Arrivederci, tesoro mio, avete scelto bene."

Edward grinned in response, kissing her cheeks as well. "Ciao."

Bella's scowl deepened upon seeing her boyfriend smile at whatever the woman had whispered to him.

Probably sweet nothings, she thought darkly, glaring at him when he turned that smiling face to her.

"So?" Bella said raising an eyebrow at him. Her arms crossed and she shifted so that she was a far from him that her chair allowed.

Edward would never let her know, but he loved it when she tried to act flippant. It only appeared to him as a challenge. And that challenge was to make her melt until she was once again warm and flushed in his arm. Where he liked her best, he thought as an afterthought. He hauled her up and set her on his lap, his arms fastening around her waist to keep her from squirming away.

"So?" He responded in kind.

Giving him a derisive snort she gestured to where the blonde had once been. "I didn't even catch her name."

"Does it matter?"

"What do you mean does it matter?" Bella asked her voice rising slightly in an annoyed pitch. What kind of games was he playing with her?

He shrugged. "So what do you want to eat?"

Bella wasn't about to be side tracked. The woman had been rubbing her hands up and down his arm for goodness sakes.

"Edward," she said, grounding out each word, "I want to know who she was."

"What for?" He questioned as he feigned disinterest in the whole matter and turned his attention to one of his notebooks flipping though a couple pages.

So I can find her and hurt her later, Bella thought, smiling at the thought before she squished it like a little bug that had no business being there.

"Edward." She meant it to sound reprimanding but instead came out as a faint whine.

"Jealous?" He asked, knowing full well she was.

Her answer was the pinching of his cheeks.

He jerked away in protest but Bella's hand stayed fastened on.

"Okay, okay!" Edward exclaimed as he tried to pry her fingers off to no avail. "I'll tell you, just let go you she-crab."

Automatically Bella's hand released him and primly went to rest in her lap as she smiled oh so innocently at him for the second time that day.

Pouting at her as he rubbed his abused skin, he decided that a jealous Bella was a violent Bella, and that was not a good thing for his cheeks.

Reaching over in a move that he knew would make her sigh he tucked a stray lock behind her ear and set off to explain who his guest had been.

"If you really must know," he dragged out, "that was Rosalie. She went to school in Italy and only recently took a break to come back home to the States."

So that was where the faint accent came from Bella thought.

"She was…" Bella bit her lip. "She was very pretty."

"Beautiful is more like it but yeah." Edward said smiling at his petite girlfriend nested in his arms. Tightening his arms slightly he brushed a kiss over her forehead.

"It's one of the reason's Emmett started dating her."

"Emmett?"

Edward was sure if he hadn't moved his head away; the back of Bella's head would have crashed up into his face when she went to look at him.

"Yes Emmett," he said, nuzzling her hair now that the danger had passed. "I've known Rosalie for more than three years, right around the time that she and Emmett started to date."

The 'o' that Bella's mouth formed displayed that she now understood the familiarity between the two when she first saw them.

He felt his heart warm at her as her eyes clearly expressed her thoughts, leaving her to smile at him in chagrin. He decided that a little more teasing wouldn't hurt.

"Bella Mia," he whispered. His smooth voice enveloping her as his voice dropped an octave. Her name was said as a caress as he drew lazy circles on her thigh causing her to shiver slightly at his touch. "You should know that I would have no one in my arms but you."

Bella bit her lip as she noticed that by now they had more than a few audience members glancing their way, some snickering while others sniffed disdainfully at the pair.

Leaning up to press her lips to his in a chaste kiss, stopping the stream of endearments she was sure that would follow his declaration, she pinched his cheeks in an loving matter.

"Shut up and feed me."

"Yes ma'am," he chuckled as he dipped his head for one more kiss before giving into her demands.

Love & Peace