"That wasn't even the worst part though! After he stands me up, because he 'forgot' he had the audacity to ask me out again! For tomorrow! And of course I tell him no, not ever and the dumb jackass doesn't get it. He asks me why. Why wont I go out with him." I was in a rage, pacing back and forth in my best friends room as he lay on his bed listening to me rant. But suddenly, without my permission tears began to stream down my cheeks and he leapt off the bed and had me in his arms in an instant. "What is about me Edward that is so completely forgettable and…and undesirable?" I asked into his chest.
"Shh Bells, no James is a jerk, I knew that, I told you that. You, my very unforgettable friend, are desired by many. I could give you a list if it would please you my dear." I let out a watery chuckle and shook my head against his damp shirt. Pulling away I looked up at him and shook my head while wiping my eyes.
"I wish I had listened to you, when you told me I shouldn't go out with him I mean." I sighed and walked to his dresser and pulled out a T-shit and an old pair of boxers like I had so many nights before. "Your pick tonight." I called as I walked into his bathroom, seeing him shake his head at my unpredictable moods, I quickly popped my head around the door and added, "Edward tonight is a Ben and Jerry's and popcorn night." He chuckled and then left the room preparing to prepare for our movie.
I quickly changed and washed my face before running down the Cullen's staircase and into the front room where Edward was ready, waiting, and looking pensive. I plopped on the couch and stared at him a moment before clearing my throat. "What's up hum duck?" I asked poking his shoulder.
"Well…I was thinking." He started somewhat hesitantly.
"Well don't think so hard, you'll burst something."
"Ha ha, very funny." He sated sarcastically. "You know how I warned you James was bad news?" I rolled my eyes at the 'I told you so' but nodded. "And remember when you told me Tanya was a ditz who just wanted in my pants…and you were right?" I smirked this time at his grimace but nodded just the same. "Well I was thinking, since we are both a better judge of each others choice in the opposite sex perhaps we should make a pact."
"A pact?" I clarified skeptically.
"Yeah, in order to date someone we have to get the others approval. To ward of potential…disasters." I mulled over what he was saying and to be honest it sounded like an excellent idea.
"Okay, so what? Do we like shake on it?" Edward grinned and stuck out his hand.
XxX
"Mark?" I asked as I slid my tray onto the lunch table and took my seat across from Edward. "He asked me to Sadie Hawkins."
He looked disgruntled and took longer than necessary chewing his pizza before replying. "Isn't it girl ask guy?" I rolled my eyes.
"It's yes or no Edward."
"No." I grinned widely and leaned over to kiss his cheek, Edward in turn looked completely incredulous. "Why so happy?"
"Oh well, I didn't want to go but I couldn't think of a good reason why not. You, my very good friend, are my reason." I smirked at him, reaching over to steal the apple off of his tray and spoke before taking a huge bite to hide my chortling. "Say no."
Edward looked confused, briefly, and then Jessica Stanly came up behind hi and tapped him on the shoulder. "Edward! So you that um, dance? Like as in Sadie Hawkins. It's coming up in a few days and I was thinking, you should go with me!" Jessica was all right except, you know, for the fact that she was ditzy, kind of rude, and strangely chipper all of the time.
"I'm afraid I can't accept your invitation Jessica." I snorted around the apple in my mouth and earned a dirty look from Jessica, invitation my ass. More like statement or demand.
"Is there any reason?" She demanded, stomping her foot, getting another chuckle out from me.
"Well Jessica you see…the thing is…" I could see he was struggling and waited with baited breath for his excuse. "I'm taking Bella, sorry." She huffed and left a relieved looking Edward and a gaping me sitting at the table.
"What the hell Cullen?" I reached over and smacked his arm.
"Ow, what the hell? I didn't know what to say okay? Jesus." He sat looking surly, rubbing his arm.
"Well what if I wanted to go with someone else?" Edward got this funny look on his face then and spluttered for a minuet.
"Who?"
"Who?" I echoed not understanding.
"Who do you want to go with Isabella? You do remember our pact, do you not?" He was scowling pinching the bridge of his nose.
Not it was my turn to splutter a bit. "Well…I mean, nothing is for sure…it's just I heard that…. I heard Jacob Black was going to ask me." I rushed out my sentence and saw Edward looking livid so looked down at my clasped hands.
"Hell no!"
"Why not, what is wrong with Jake?"
"Jacob Black is nowhere near good enough for you!"
"Well then who is good enough? Huh Edward?" I wouldn't realize until after Edward stormed out of the cafeteria just moments later that our voices had escalated to furious yelling and I was left with the entire cafeteria staring at me until Alice took his place and Rosalie the one next to her.
"So Bella, about the dance, I got you a dress on Sunday and we need to make sure your date has a matching tie, we wouldn't want you to clash." Alice was aghast at the very idea and Rose nodded solemnly. I rolled my eyes and pointed in the direction Edward had departed in.
"Thanks to your dear brother, no one."
"Edward, what does it have to do with Edward?"
"I told you about the pact we made last month. And apparently no one is good enough for me, or they're stupid, or they are jerks. Well at least five guys at this school fit into one of those categories." Rose snorted, she had told me her opinion and when I looked to Alice and star her knowing look I knew she agreed. According to them Edward wouldn't approve of anyone. Why? Well they had an answer for that too. Apparently he is in love with me. However since I knew this wasn't true I didn't feel it was necessary to divulge the fact that love would not go unrequited.
XxX
Edward avoided me like the plague for the next three days. And here I was the night of the dance helping Alice and Rose get ready. Since I was and amateur with make-up and the only think I could do with a curling iron was burn hair and occasionally some skin my job was to keep the three of us hydrated and be a part of the conversation. The conversation that kept straying to whether or not I would go to the dance. I was adamant about not going but they kept trying to convince me until I put a final veto on the topic with a sharp no.
"You and Edward are such downers." Alice complained as she pulled flat irons through her hair. I tried to stay merely politely interested when I replied.
"Oh her decided not to go." Alice rolled her eyes at me as if I was missing something fundamental but it was Rose who replied.
"Bella, A. He is in love with you and has no desire to go with anyone else and refuses to go alone, and B. You didn't give him the okay to go with someone else." My mouth formed a small O but I was fighting the urge to break out in song, if the right girl had asked I would have given him the okay but it would have killed me to see some other girl in his arm.
Alice studied me for a moment and then broke out in laughter. "Oh my fucking god! I can't believe I didn't see it before. You love him too. God Bella, you have to tell him!" She was practically bouncing in her seat but I just sat there horrified shaking my head. "Yes, yes Bella you do." When I merely continued shaking my head she sighed. "You'll admit is one day, lets just hope it doesn't take another sixteen years."
"I can't believe you didn't see it before Alice, I would have said something but I thought it was painfully obvious." Rose said as she applied her mascara looking smug.
Eventually Jasper and Emmett came to pick up the girls and I was left with a nice peaceful house, Charlie being down in La Push for a fishing weekend with some buddies. After checking my e-mails I decided to order pizza rather than cook for one. The guy said it would probably be just a ten-minuet wait so when the doorbell rang five minuets later I nearly fell off the couch where I sat reading my book.
I plopped my feat onto the floor and trudged to the door, my right thumb holding my page in Wuthering Heights. I opened the door to the last thing I expected, Edward standing in my porch, raindrops in his hair sparkling and pizza in hand, last time I checked he hadn't gotten a job at Pizza Hut.
"Reading that book again Bells? I still don't get the appeal of it." He said cocking his head to the side to read the title of the book in my hand.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked him, totally pissed, I took a step towards him and punched his arm. "It's been three fucking days Eddie boy. What the hell is wrong with you? And what's with the Pizza?"
"Jesus Bella you sure are stronger than you look."
"Edward…" I began in a warning tone, getting Edward on the defense immediately.
"Alright, alright! I've been thinking about what you asked me, about who's good enough for you, and I think I have an answer."
I covered my confusion over the unexpected turn in the conversation with impatience, "Well, who then?"
He stared me straight in the eye, them filling with determination. "Me." And then he pulled me to his chest and kissed me square on the lips. The sad thing is my first though was 'huh, Alice and Rose were right after all.' And then all bets were off and I was consumed in our passionate embrace. Edward pulled back much too soon, "I love you Bells."
"And I you." And we were kissing once again.
XxX
Edward and I never had to worry about our pact again, we stayed together for the rest of our lives, and we insured that would happen, May 22nd, six years after that night. Edward and I were at the Cullen's because Edward UW Medicine had a break and I had just sent the edited copy of my book to my publisher last week so we figured it was the perfect opportunity. The boys had just finished the dinner dishes and Edward pulled me up from my place on the couch and asked to go for a walk.
We were soon in a little meadow we had found in the center of the wood in our senior year of college when we came back to Forks for winter break. It was twilight and I was worried about getting back so I started to turn back. "Wait, wait just a moment love."
"But Edward it'll be dark soon and you know as well as I do I can hardly make it through the woods at high noon!" I complained but he just pulled me back to him and dropped down onto his knee, earning a gasp from my lips.
"Isabella Marie Swan, I love you, I will always love you. So there is nothing in this world that would make me a happier man than to call you my wife." He smiled, as did I, only tears were running down my cheeks. He pulled a ring from his pocket and held it out to me, I could see at a glance it was beautiful but disregarded it as I threw myself around him, sobbing. I put my lips next to his ear and whispered.
"Nothing would make me happier."
We made it legal the next June and I reveled in my pleasure every time I was called Mrs. Cullen. I thank the lord every day Edward and I made our pact. Perhaps we would have ended up the same way if we hadn't thought. Although I'm sure that sped up the process. Actually I'm sure we would have ended up together, after all there is no stopping fate.