Clink!
I look around my bedroom, searching for the source of the noise, and find nothing. I go back to reading my book and quickly get lost in the plot once more.
Clink!
Again my head snaps up to survey my room for the cause of the noise. A few moments of silence pass, and then in my periphery, I see something small and gray collide with my window. Clink!
My eyebrows furrow in confusion and I continue to watch my window intently. A minute passes and another rock hits my window, except this one is larger and makes a louder noise. Thunk!
I quickly stand from my bed and move to my window. I push the old thing open using all my strength but it squeaks so loudly that I worry I might have woken up my dad. After waiting a few minutes to make sure that Charlie is still asleep, in which I hear nothing, I stick my head out of the window and look down. My eyes are met with the familiar figure of my best friend, Edward Cullen, standing under the big oak tree next to my house. He and I have known each other since we were four. His parents used to send him to my house so my grandma could babysit us.
"Edward!" I hiss quietly.
"Bella!" he hisses back mockingly, chuckling at me.
"It's 11 at night on a Tuesday," I roll my eyes at his immaturity. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see you," he replies, and the grin he gives me melts my heart.
"You couldn't have just waited for school tomorrow?" I respond, resting my forearms on the window sill.
"I didn't want to wait," he pouts and I shake my head at him. He's always been impatient, even more so when we were growing up together. It's one of the things that I love about him, even if it does annoy the hell out of me. And when I say love, I don't mean just the best friend kind of love but the I-want-to-kiss-you-and-maybe-spend-the-rest-of-my-life-with-you kind of love. Not that he knows that of course. At least, I hope not.
"So now that you've seen me, are you going to go home now?" I ask, raising my eyebrows at him.
"No," Edward smirks. "Come down here."
"You're kidding," I say flatly.
"Bella, come on," Edward pleads, his green eyes glittering in the moonlight.
"Edward," I bite my lip.
"Bella," Edward says firmly. "Get your beautiful butt down here now."
I try to ignore the way my heart speeds up at his words and shake my head. "First of all, how would I even get down from here? You know that my front door gets stuck and makes that loud scratching noise every time it opens and closes. Charlie is going to wake up for sure."
"Climb down the tree," he responds, the duh unsaid but implied.
I level him with a glare. "I can barely walk without falling on my face, and you want me to climb down a tree? You're going to get me killed. And then Charlie will kill you."
"Please," Edward scoffs. "Charlie loves me. He'd simply be disappointed in me for a while if I killed you. Besides, you won't die. I'll catch you if you fall, which you won't since you and I used to climb this tree all the time when we were kids."
I ignore that and continue with my list, "Second of all, what would we even do if I somehow got down there without killing myself?"
"There's going to be a meteor shower tonight," he replies, his eyes bright. "We can go to our meadow and watch the stars. After that, we'll go to the diner to cook an after-midnight snack. Mr. Bartleby gave me the key and the okay to use the kitchen for a little while tonight, as long as we don't mess the place up. And there's so much more. Come on, let's have an adventure!"
His excitement is infectious and I find myself warming up to the idea of staying out all night with him, but I still have my reservations.
"Third of all, what about school tomorrow?" I raise my eyebrows at him.
"You know that both of my parents are in Chicago for a medical conference." Edward reasons with me. "I'll just call them, tell them I'm feeling sick and they'll be none the wiser. As for you, I'll have you home before Charlie is up. When he checks on you in the morning, fake cramps or something. He'll be out of your room in no time. Then we can spend the whole day here, watching movies and eating junk food."
"And fourth of all, what if we get caught?" I ask quietly.
"Bella," Edward says, and everything about him is so sincere that my heart hurts. "Haven't I always taken care of you?"
I nod wordlessly in response then sigh. "Fine, fine," I smile. "Let me put clothes on first."
I move away from my window and then quickly strip out of my pajamas. I pull on a bra and one of Edward's sweatshirts, a gray one that has his last name on the back and "Forks High Basketball Team" on the front. I stole it from him during sophomore year. It's huge on me so I only wear thick black leggings underneath with dark brown combat boots.
Stopping in front of the mirror for a moment, I take my long, chestnut-colored hair out of its bun and shake it out. I debate putting a little makeup on, but I know that Edward will know as soon as he looks at me so I opt not to.
I return to the window then look down at Edward. He has his hands in the pockets of his black jeans and he looks like he's mentally arguing with himself. He's clenching his strong jaw like no other, so he must be worried about something.
In addition to the black jeans, he's wearing a white V-neck under a purple hoodie with sneakers and his messy, bronze hair is obscured by a black beanie.
I whistle short and sweet to catch his attention. His eyes snap up to meet my own, and I smile. "Get ready to catch me, All Star."
I take a deep breath and then climb onto the thick branch just below my window. I fight the urge to close my eyes and keep slowly crawling across the branch. I hear Edward softly encouraging me as I reach the end of the branch and lean against the trunk of the tree. I look down and see that there's another branch just a foot down from the one I'm standing on. I move to that branch and then to the one below that one.
When I look down I realize that there are no more branches to step down on and I'm about seven feet off the ground. I whimper in fear and cling to the tree trunk.
"Bella, sweetheart," Edward says and my eyes fly open to look at him. "You're doing great. Here, I'll stand right below you and I'll catch you, okay?"
I shake my head. I don't want to accidentally hurt him.
"Stay where you are, Edward Cullen," I demand and he nods in acquiescence.
Steeling myself, I take a deep breath and then move so that I'm hanging from the tree branch by my hands. Taking another deep breath, I let go and bend my knees to brace myself for when I hit the ground. I squeeze my eyes tight, and to my surprise, I land on my feet without falling.
I open my eyes and clap in surprise, grinning at Edward. I find him smiling down at me. Damn him and his genes. He's a full head taller than me.
"That was kind of badass, Bella," he tells me and I bow jokingly.
"Thanks," I beam.
He's eyeing my sweatshirt and I blush.
"I forgot you had that," he says and I shrug.
"It's warm," I say by way of explanation, though the original reason I'd kept it was because it reminded me of him.
"It looks much better on you than it did on me," he smiles and takes my hand in his. "Come on. The meteor shower starts soon."
I nod and let him pull me to his car. He opens the passenger door for me and I thank him as I get in. He closes my door and then starts to walk around the front of the car. I lean over the console to open his door for him too. It was a system we had established when he first got his precious Volvo.
Edward gets into the car then pulls his seatbelt on while I turn his key in the ignition. The car purrs to life and he waits for me to put my seatbelt on before quietly driving down the street. I turn the CD player on and the sound of a piano fills the car.
"Hmm. Love by Yiruma," I smile. "Is this the CD I made you?"
I can't be sure because it's dark, but I think Edward blushes a little bit. "Yes, it is," he answers, and his voice sounds so normal that I highly doubt that I saw him blushing.
I restart the song and turn the volume up, letting the notes fill my ears. I close my eyes and allow myself to be filled with the emotions of the song. My lips curve into a small, content smile that never waivers as the song goes on.
I'm so into it that I almost don't feel Edward's hand slip around my own and his fingers intertwine with mine during the height of the song. I squeeze his hand in mine and I'm suddenly overwhelmed with the love I feel for him.
I desperately fight it, but I feel my lips trying to form the words I want to say, need to say to him. It's already spring of our senior year and soon, we're going to find out where we're going to go to college. Both Edward and I are smart, but we have different dream schools. Although they're both on the East Coast, they're a couple of hours away from each other.
If we both get into our dream schools, we won't be spending as much time with each other. We'll spend even less time with each other if only one of us goes to our dream school and the other stays and goes to UDub. Of course, Edward and I had also applied to each other's dream school, but what are the chances of both of us getting into one of those schools?
"What are you worrying about now, Bella Bear?" Edward asks, genuinely concerned.
I shake my head and try to smile, though I fall short, "Nothing, Eddie Teddy."
"Why are you lying to me?" he asks, shifting to face me. I realize that he already parked the car in front of the quasi-trail that leads to our meadow.
"Because it's something that you don't have to worry about," I answer gently.
"What you worry about, I worry about," he replies firmly.
"Can we not worry about anything tonight? I just want to focus on being with you. We haven't had much time together, just the two of us," I say and he chuckles.
"That's because Alice has been hogging you," he pouts and I laugh.
I tap his lips with one of my fingers and then tease, "That's definitely not an attractive look for you, Mr. Cullen."
"Hey," he says, sounding offended. "I look attractive no matter what I do."
"Your humility knows no bounds," I say dryly.
"And neither does your sarcasm," he quips. "Now get your ass out of my car so we can get moving."
"Fine, fine," I respond and untangle our fingers so I can climb out of the Volvo.
"You know, you've mentioned my ass twice in the span of twenty minutes," I point out as he grabs a blanket from trunk of his car. "I'm beginning to think you have an obsession."
"Well, there could be worse things to be obsessed about," he jokes and I roll my eyes.
"No, seriously," he insists, carrying the blanket in one arm. "It's a very nice ass." He smirks and before I can register the movement of his hand, he's smacked my butt so hard that it's gone numb.
"Ouch! You douchebag!" I whine and rub my sore butt cheek.
He bursts into laughter, and we fall into step with each other as we walk the familiar path to our meadow. The trail had long been run over with trees, shrubs, and grass, but Edward and I had been traveling to the meadow since my grandma would kick us out of the house for a couple of hours so she could watch her soap operas in peace, when we were about 8.
I nearly trip on a tree root but Edward's hand appears on my elbow to steady me. I smile up at him in thanks and our hands intertwine once more. He tugs gently, getting me to start moving again. All of my attention is on not tripping, so the fifteen minute walk to the meadow is quiet.
When we reach the meadow, I am once again struck by the beauty of this place. The flowers are just starting to pop up and bloom in clusters and the grass is starting to become denser. The way the moonlight hits the small clearing makes the entire space look ethereal, otherworldly.
I wrap my arms around myself to get a little warmer while Edward sets up the blankets. He lays two thick blankets on the grass and then lies down. He smiles my way and then pats the space next to him. I lie down next to him, cuddling into his side and he places the last blanket around us.
He wraps an arm around my shoulders to help me warm up faster and after a few minutes, I stop shivering. We're both staring at the night sky. It's beautiful. A lot of the stars are out tonight, and we're far enough away from a real city that light pollution isn't an issue.
I see the first meteor and excitedly point at it, grinning up at Edward. He chuckles and nods. After the first one falls, it seems like the meteors will never stop coming. There are at least two falling at every moment.
Edward and I cling to each other, which isn't unusual. He and I had always been comfortable with touching each other, even when we were little kids who thought the other sex had cooties. We were each other's exception.
Lying down here in our meadow, in his arms during a meteor shower, I don't ever want this moment to end. This moment, this night is so utterly perfect that my heart hasn't calmed down since he convinced me to sneak out of my house. And it hasn't even really begun yet.
When the meteor shower finally starts to wind down, Edward's stomach grumbles loudly. I burst into laughter.
"Sounds like it's time to go to the diner," I say as I sit up.
"Can you blame me? I had a microwavable dinner at 7, which was…" he pauses to check the time on his phone. "5 hours ago." He stands up from the blankets and helps me up.
I help him fold the blankets and we make our way back to his car. The silence between us is comfortable, and we're content to keep it that way, even as we drive to the diner. Edward unlocks the door to the diner and then locks it again once we're inside.
Edward has been working at the diner since 9th grade. He's Mr. Bartleby's favorite employee, which is why I'm not so surprised that he entrusted Edward with the key for the night. However, I'm also fairly certain that Edward had to do a fair amount of bribing to land that key.
"So how many hours are you working this week in exchange for that key?" I ask as he leads me behind the counter and to the kitchen.
"Eight more in addition to my regular hours," he answers, shooting me a crooked grin.
"All for a night out with little ol' me?" I raise my eyebrows at him and start poking around the refrigerators for ingredients.
"I'd do anything to spend time with you," Edward responds and he's too serious for a question like that, so I look at him. His eyes meet mine and there's no teasing glint in his eyes. I know that he means what he says and I'm filled with warmth once again.
"I'd do the same," I smile and he nods, swallowing hard.
"Is something the matter?" I ask, noticing that he's been acting a little off this evening.
"Nothing's wrong," he answers with a small shake of his head. "And life will be a lot better once you make me your famous chocolate chip pancakes."
"You're asking a whole lot from me," I tease as I get out all the ingredients that I need. "What are you going to do for me in return?"
"I'll be your best friend for the rest of your life," he replies and I roll my eyes.
"That's already a given," I tell him as I add the ingredients for my pancakes to a mixing bowl. "Even if you don't want to be, you're always going to be my BFFL."
"I'm actually not so opposed to that idea," he nods in satisfaction and steals a couple of chocolate chips from the bag next to me. I shoot him a glare and then move the bag farther away from him. He moves to grab another handful from the bag and I flick a little bit of flour in his face.
He freezes in shock then narrows his eyes at me.
"Don't you give me that look," I admonish him. "You were asking for it!"
He pinches a little bit of the flour in between his fingers and then flicks it in my face. I scrunch my face up to avoid getting the powder in my eyes. I wipe the flour from my face then grab a handful. Edward starts to back away from me but I smirk at him deviously.
He tries to run away from me but I run in the opposite direction and cut him off. I swipe the beanie from his hair and pour the flour onto his head, using my fingers to comb it into hair all the way down to his scalp. He's frozen in shock, but then his arms suddenly shoot out to grab me around my waist and hold me to him while he tickles my sides.
"That's what you get," he growls. "You know I hate it when people mess with my hair."
I squeal loudly as his fingers dig into my sides, making me shake and try to escape him. After a few moments, he bursts into laughter with me and his fingers still on my sides. I twist in his arms to face him and stick my tongue out at him, still laughing.
His hands move from my sides to my hips and he grins down at me. I smirk and dust some of the flour from the hair hanging in his forehead. Edward smirks back and then shakes his hair, the flour flying from his hair and settling around the both of us. In retaliation, I bury my flour-coated face in his neck, getting the white powder on his neck and on his hoodie.
Edward simply responds by pinching my hip then wrapping his arms around me. Subconsciously, we start swaying, and it feels like we're dancing.
"This place is a mess," I whisper softly into the silence.
"We have time to clean it up," he grins and I extricate myself from his embrace before I blurt out how I feel about him.
He groans in protest and I chuckle. "Do you want chocolate chip pancakes or not?" I ask and he stops complaining.
"Get to cleaning while I cook," I order him and he nods.
I hum quietly to myself as I move around the kitchen, finishing mixing the pancake batter and then moving to the stove.
"Do you want a strawberry milkshake?" Edward asks once he's done sweeping and wiping down the counters.
"Yes, please," I answer as I begin cooking the pancakes.
The secret to pancakes with lots of chocolate chips in them are to add the chocolate chips to the batter just after you pour the batter into the pan on the stove. Grandma Swan taught me that, may her soul rest in peace.
I continue to hum and Edward joins in as I hear him moving around the kitchen and then start the blender.
"How many pancakes do you want?" I ask as I flip the second pancake onto his plate.
"Three, please," he answers over the noise of the blender.
We go back to humming as I pour another pancake into the pan and then add the chocolate chips. I'm struck by how oddly domestic this feels, despite being in a restaurant kitchen. I can just imagine Edward and me like this one day in the future, married in our dream house with a big, fluffy dog and the sounds of little feet pitter-pattering across the wooden floorboards… I shake my head to break myself out of my daydream and flip the pancake over.
"What were you thinking about just then?" Edward asks and sets a glass down next to me.
"Nothing," I answer and take a sip of my strawberry milkshake. I hum in contentment. "Yummy," I grin and he chuckles. I place the third pancake on Edward's plate and hand it to him.
He takes a bite without sitting down then moans. "You're a goddess," he compliments me and I roll my eyes. Men and their food. Edward kisses my cheek and then moves past me to grab the syrup from the refrigerator.
It takes me a moment to get my blush under control, but I'm successful by the time Edward comes back and leans against the counter to my left.
I finish cooking myself one pancake and then turn the stove off.
"You're only eating one?" he asks me and I nod.
"That's such bullshit," Edward accuses me. "You're going to finish one and you're still going to be hungry so you'll steal some of my food. That's what you always do."
I smirk and nod, "That's the plan."
"No," Edward narrows his eyes at me playfully and holds his plate away from me. "This is all mine."
"Fine," I retort then grab the bag of Oreos that I found earlier and hold it up for Edward to see. "Then I won't share any of these."
I can practically see his mouth begin to water. "Isabella Marie Swan," Edward warns but I simply raise my eyebrows in response.
"Edward Anthony Cullen," I mimic him, and we engage in an intense staring contest. Finally, Edward sighs and then caves.
"Fine, you can have half of one of my pancakes," he relents and I nod, satisfied with that. He cuts his last pancake in half and then moves to place it on my plate when I stop him.
"What, you don't want it anymore?" he asks in shock.
"No, I just want you to keep it on your plate," I reply simply.
"Why?" he asks, his eyebrows furrowed.
"Because it tastes better when it's not on my plate," I try to explain to him and he lets out a short bark of laughter.
"You're so strange," he shakes his head then nods, keeping my half of the pancake on his plate.
"Thanks, Eddie Teddy!" I grin and dig into the pancake on my plate.
"You're welcome, Bella Bear," Edward rolls his eyes and returns to eating the rest of his pancakes.
I take a large sip of my milkshake once I finish the pancake on my plate and then move to Edward's side so I can eat from his plate.
"I don't know why, but your pancakes taste better than usual, Bells," Edward compliments and I grin, remembering something Grandma Swan used to say as we start chowing down on the Oreos.
"Don't you remember what Grandma Swan would say when she woke us up in the middle of the night for a snack during our sleepovers? Back when we were about 8 or so?" I ask him and he laughs, nodding.
We recite together, "Everything tastes better after midnight."
We laugh harder and smile, remembering the woman who dominates our childhood memories.
"I miss her," I say quietly, suddenly filled with sadness. Grandma Swan had died peacefully in her sleep when Edward and I were 13. It's almost been 5 years, but the pain hasn't totally faded away yet.
"We'll go visit her grave after this," Edward says softly, wrapping his arms around me and holding me to him. I nod, breathing in the comfort of his scent and his touch. I hug him tightly, and he responds by tightening his hold on me.
After a few minutes, we pull away from each other and then start to clean up the kitchen in silence, lost in our own thoughts. When we're done cleaning, Edward wraps his arm around me and holds me the entire way to his car. He also never lets go of my hand on our drive to the cemetery.
He knows that Grandma Swan was more of a mother to me than the woman who had given birth to me, the same woman who had left Charlie and me when I was a baby without even looking back. God knows Charlie tried to be a good parent to me, and he is. But he's always had trouble expressing his emotions and dealing with the emotions of others. Whereas Charlie was and is my rock and protector, Grandma Swan was my source of affection and comfort.
Grandma Swan was always there to patch up my injuries, which were numerous. She was there when I came home crying because I told Mike Newton that I liked him and he called me "icky," when we were 8. She was the one who assured me that I was wanted and loved, despite the fact that my actual mother didn't want me enough to stay. She was the one who gave me the sex talk and took me to the grocery store to buy pads when I first got my period. She was my mom, for all intents and purposes, and I miss her terribly.
Edward pulls into the parking lot of the cemetery and we get out of his car. He smiles gently at me and I return it.
"Come on," he says softly and takes my hand in his again, leading us to her grave.
I'm suddenly confused. I know that Edward and I have never been uncomfortable with touching each other like this. In fact, we may have been a little too comfortable, evident in the string of girls who'd complain to me about how he and I shouldn't hold hands and hug as much as we do if we're not together.
It seems like there's more hand-holding this evening, though. It almost seems like he can't stand to not be touching me, not that I'm complaining. It's just kind of messing with my head.
Before I'm prepared for it, we're standing in front of Grandma Swan's grave and tears rapidly fill my eyes. Edward crushes me to his chest and whispers soothing words to me as I cry. It takes me a few minutes to get myself under control, and when I pull away from Edward to look up at him, I see that he's crying too.
It's my turn to hug him to me and offer him comfort. He buries his face in the juncture between my neck and my shoulder. His tears are hot and wet against my skin, and I desperately wish I could take away his pain. He loved Grandma Swan just as much as I did.
I hold him for a little while longer until I can feel that he's no longer crying. When he pulls away from my shoulder, he straightens a little to rest his forehead against mine.
We're quiet and we both close our eyes to take comfort in each other. Our breath mingles together, and my heart swells with emotion again.
When I open my eyes, I see that his are already open and studying my face. I smile sadly and then reach up to wipe the wetness from under his eyes. He returns the favor.
"Come on," I say quietly. "Let's say hi, or she'll be pissed."
Edward chuckles softly and we move to sit on either side of her headstone, leaning into the cold slab of rock.
"Hi, Grandma Swan," I whisper quietly into the night.
"Hi," Edward adds, just as softly.
"We just finished eating an after-midnight snack and we thought of you. We even had a couple of Oreos, your favorite," I continue.
"Bella used your recipe for chocolate chip pancakes and they were amazing," he says. "They're almost as good as yours."
"If you're wondering why we're here so late, you should know that Edward kidnapped me in the middle of the night," I say jokingly.
"Hey, I did not kidnap you!" Edward snorts. "Grandma Swan, I merely convinced her to go on a late-night adventure with me. She agreed, so I didn't kidnap her. If anything, this is her fault for enabling my delinquency."
"Why, you little..." I hiss at Edward and then smack his shoulder.
"Ow! You're so abusive!" Edward hisses back at me and rubs his shoulder.
We burst into laughter that pierces through the night.
"As you can see, Grandma Swan, not much has changed," I chuckle.
"I'm not so sure that's a good thing," Edward mutters, shooting me a pout over her headstone.
"We just wanted to say that we miss you," I continue, ignoring Edward.
"We think of you all the time," Edward adds softly.
"Edward," I ask gently. "Do you mind giving me some alone time with her?"
"Not at all," he answers then gets up and wanders far enough away that I know he won't be able to hear me.
"I love him, Grandma Swan," I whisper softly. "I think I'm going to tell him soon, but I'm terrified. I don't want anything to change between us, but it's getting harder and harder to not tell him. I wish you were here to tell me what to do. You were always the smartest person I knew. I really do miss you. I promise to visit again soon. I think Edward wants a couple of minutes alone with you too, so I'll send him right over. Bye, Grandma. I love you."
I stand up and then press my fingers to my lips before pressing them to her name on her headstone. I walk over to Edward and then let him know that he can talk to her on his own if he wants. Edward nods and kisses my forehead before walking back to her grave.
I respect his privacy like he did with me and don't even look in his direction as he speaks with her. I'm distracted by how big the moon is, and I stare at its beauty.
Arms suddenly snake around my waist and I nearly jump out of my own skin. Edward's chuckle fills me ears and I slap his chest.
"You scared the hell out of me," I accuse and he shrugs unapologetically.
"It's your own fault for getting so distracted," he snorts. "Bella, Bella, what am I supposed to do with you when you're always off in that pretty little head of yours?"
"You're certainly not supposed to scare me, that's for sure," I admonish him and he laughs.
"Come on, let's go," he smiles and leads me back to his car.
"Where are we going now?" I ask curiously as we pull our seatbelts on, feeling much lighter after having visited my grandma.
"Drive-in movie theater," Edward answers.
I look at the clock and see that it's two in the morning.
"There are drive-ins that are open this late?" I raise my eyebrows at him and he nods.
"There's one that's open for us," he grins and turns onto the main road.
"It sounds like you've been planning this for a while," I point out.
"Just a couple of days," he shrugs.
"You're so strange," I tease him.
With Edward's crazy driving, we're at the nearest drive-in within twenty minutes. We're the only ones as we drive into the parking lot, and as soon as Edward parks, the lights turn off and the movie starts.
"Ferris Bueller's Day Off?" I ask, a wide smile on my face as the beginning credits play.
"I know that it's your favorite," Edward returns my smile and I crawl over the console to place a lingering kiss on his cheek.
"You're the best," I say as I sit down properly in my seat to watch the movie.
Edward and I mouth our favorite lines throughout the entire movie, laughing. Edward rolls his eyes when I tell him that he reminds me of Cameron.
"Please," he scoffs. "I'm totally Ferris. Everyone loves me. And what I've done with you tonight is pretty much what Ferris does to Sloane and Cameron."
"So that makes me Sloane?" I ask, my eyebrows raised.
Edward's eyes meet mine and his gaze is so intense that I get lost in it. He shakes his head, breaking the spell and I blush, wondering what just happened. Edward smirks then sticks his tongue out at me.
"No, you're Jeanie, which means you end up making out with some druggie like Charlie Sheen at some point in your life," he snickers and I roll my eyes.
I smack his shoulder and we finish watching the movie. We stay until the very end, when Ferris comes out and tells everyone to go home. The movie ends and the lights in the parking lot come back on.
"So where to next?" I ask, genuinely curious.
"It's a surprise," Edward answers as we pull out of the parking lot.
I have a feeling that I know where we're going when I recognize the road that we're on. My suspicions are confirmed when Edward pulls into the familiar parking lot that faces La Push beach. I laugh excitedly and am out of the car before Edward has put it in park.
I run through the sand down to the water while taking off my shoes and socks and rolling up my leggings. I squeal as my feet touch the waves and run back out of the water. I play tag with the ocean for a couple of more minutes while waiting for Edward to join me.
I'm not too surprised when Edward wraps his arm around my waist and tucks me under his arm like he's carrying a football. He runs into the water and I squeal loudly, laughing as he swings me around and pretends like he's going to throw me into the water.
Edward runs back out of the water to the dry sand and sets me down. He shrugs of his hoodie and then reaches for the hem of his shirt to take it off.
My eyes widen at the beauty that is Edward's body. He has the most perfect definition of muscle that I have ever seen in real life. His torso rivals Taylor Lautner's, which is to be expected from an athlete like Edward. He literally thrives on all sports. My dad jokes that Edward absorbed all of my hand-eye coordination while we were growing up, which is why I can barely walk without tripping and why Edward is so incredible at every sport he tries his hand at.
Edward clears his throat, and I look up to meet his cocked eyebrow. I blush furiously and splutter.
"Are you going to join me?" Edward questions and then unbuckles his belt.
"W-what?" I stutter, clearly in shock.
"I'm going to get into the water," he smirks. "Are you going to join me?"
I think for a moment, but the challenge in Edward's eyes makes my decision for me. I shake my head at the ridiculousness of the situation and then strip out of my sweatshirt as Edward removes his jeans. I take off my leggings and then throw it on top of the pile of our clothes.
I'm self-conscious and try to hide my body behind my arms and my hands. Edward takes my chin in between two of his fingers and tilts my head up so I can look at him.
"You're beautiful, Isabella Marie Swan," he says softly to me and I blush. Looking in his eyes and seeing the sincerity and the seriousness there, I have no other choice but to believe him.
I nod, unable to speak, and he smiles. He takes my hand in his and then starts to run, yanking me behind him. We yell and laugh at the temperature of the water as we go in deep enough to submerge our heads. We break the surface spluttering and then quickly head back to the beach.
We grab our clothes and shoes and run to the parking lot. Edward tells me to stay on the sand while he grabs us some towels. I shiver and jump up and down, trying to get the feeling back in my legs.
"I c-can't believe we d-d-did that-t," I stutter as my teeth chatter.
Edward only grins at me, though it's clear that he's shivering too. He tosses a towel at me and then wraps one around himself. He walks over to me and helps get me dry, rubbing my arms with his hands to warm me up faster. Once he's deemed me dry enough, he sends me to his car to warm up with the heater.
I gladly get into his car and put my hands in front of the air vents, trying to regain the feeling in my hands. Edward joins me a couple of minutes later, shivering.
"Come h-here," he breathes and gestures for me to climb over the console.
I nod and try to maneuver myself in a way that wouldn't hurt either of us. I end up sitting sideways in his lap, my legs stretched out and resting on the console while my butt rests on his left leg. I wrap my arms around Edward and he does the same to me. We stay in this position until our shivers die down and then continue to cling to each other.
I'm acutely aware that we're still both just in our underwear and it takes all my self-restraint to keep from checking if Edward is a boxers or briefs kind of guy. When I make a move to get out of Edward's lap, his arms tighten around me.
"No," he groans. "You're so warm. You're like a blanket."
I roll my eyes. "Edward, it's almost 5," I say and then he practically throws me into the passenger seat.
"Ouch! Edward," I complain as I climb across the console.
"Sorry, there's just one last thing I want to do before I have to get you home," he says and starts pulling on his clothes. I follow suit and am still pulling on my sweatshirt when Edward peals out of the parking lot.
I roll my eyes at his maniacal driving and hurriedly put my seatbelt on. It doesn't take us too long to get to our final destination, and I'm sure I seem less than impressed.
"Newton's Outfitters?" I ask incredulously.
"Oh, ye of little faith," Edward shakes his head teasingly. "Come on."
"Okay," I say dubiously but climb out of the car.
Edward leads the way to the back of the outdoors store and gestures to a sketchy-looking ladder that scales the entire two-story building. I look at Edward, my eyebrows raised, and he sighs.
"Bella, I'll always take care of you," he tells me, and I nod.
I immediately step on the first rung, testing it out first, then start climbing. Edward follows behind me. I'm a little too happy when I finally reach the top and step onto the roof of the building. I help Edward up and off the ladder and he immediately covers my eyes with both of his hands.
"What are you doing?" I ask with a chuckle.
"I'm waiting for the right moment to show you what I want to show you," he says lowly into my ear, making me shiver.
He's standing so close behind me that my heart starts to hammer away in my chest. Suddenly, Edward lifts his hands from my eyes and I blink to clear my vision. My eyes immediately focus on the sun, which has just begun to crest over the ocean in the distance. It casts soft light across the forest that surrounds Forks and my breath catches in my throat.
"It's beautiful," I breathe, my heart beating faster than it ever has as I turn to face Edward. He's not paying attention the beautiful view of Forks that we have from this rooftop. He's staring at me, his eyes glued to my face.
"You're beautiful," he smiles and I'm a goner.
The words I've desperately tried to hide from him for the past four years bubble to the surface. I can taste them on my tongue, feel them forming on my lips. I love you, my heart screams, turning the three words into a chant that matches the rhythm of my rapidly-beating heart. I love you, I love you, I love you-
"I love you."
My heart stutters, and it takes me a few moments to register that I'm not the one who uttered that sentence.
"I love you too," I respond easily, knowing that Edward only meant it as a platonic love, as he always had.
"No, Bella," Edward shakes his head, his eyes pleading with me to understand. "I love you."
I literally jump a little at his words and splutter, trying to work through my confusion and shock.
"I had to tell you," my best friend barrels on. "I only figured it out a couple of weeks ago. It was the weirdest thing. I was hanging out with Emmett and Jasper and we were talking about you, Alice, and Rose. And I said something about how adorable it is that you insist on dancing even though you suck at it and that I've been getting extra food since we were little kids because I know you'll steal off my plate. While I was talking, something kind of just clicked inside my head and in my chest, like some important, long lost piece of me finally slid back into place, kind of like the last piece of a puzzle, and I just thought 'I love her.' And I've never been surer of anything in my life."
He rests his forehead against mine and I blink rapidly, tears falling from my eyes.
"Tonight was all about showing you how much I love you before I told you," he explains. "And if you don't love me back like that then I'll be content to simply be your best friend for the rest of your life. I'll take care of you in any capacity that I can."
He gently but firmly presses his lips against my forehead. When he pulls away, I take his face in my hands and meet his eyes.
"How could you be so stupid as to not notice how I've felt about you since 9th grade?" I ask him, still breathless and teary from his words. "I love you too, Edward. I just had no idea how to tell you. And I was terrified that you wouldn't feel the same way."
Edward crashes his lips against mine and I eagerly kiss him back. This moment is so surreal, but it's absolutely perfect. After a few minutes, our kiss slows to gentle, sweet brushes of my lips against his and his against mine. When we finally pull away from each other, we're both grinning from ear to ear.
"I love you," I breathe into the space between us.
"I love you too," he replies, just as softly.
He leans down to press a sweet kiss to my lips. He suddenly looks down at his watch and then frowns.
"Looks like our time is up, CinderBella," he sighs. "I've got to get you home now, or Charlie will find out that you snuck out last night."
"We have all the time in the world," I correct him with a small smile.
"But you should probably get me home now, or Charlie will ground me for the rest of senior year," I say and then tug him towards the ladder.
He insists on climbing down first and helps me down when I'm about a foot off the ground. We drive back to my street in silence, holding hands and sharing tender looks the whole way there. When we reach the end of my street, I tell Edward to park.
"Why?" he asks curiously.
"You're staying at my house today, right?" I answer. "Might as well just hide out under my bed until Charlie leaves for work. It won't be long."
Edward smiles and agrees. We climb out of his car and run to my house, holding hands and giggling the entire way. He has to climb the tree first to help me up. We have a close scare when my foot slips on the branch just outside of my window and I almost fall to the ground.
Luckily, Edward catches me and then helps me safely into my room. I hear the sounds of Charlie getting ready for work and quietly slip into bed. Edward kisses me a few more times before I admonish him, telling him to hide under the bed.
I'm barely able to slip my blanket over my shoulders and close my eyes before Charlie opens my door.
"Hey, Bells," he says gruffly. "Time to wake up. I'm heading to the station now."
"Dad," I groaned, curling in on myself. "I don't feel well."
"What's wrong?" he questions. "Do you need to go to the doctor?"
"No, it's just really bad cramps," I whimper. I'm very proud of my performance. I'm usually not able to lie this convincingly.
"Oh," Charlie says awkwardly. "Then I guess it's okay for you to stay home, if it's that bad."
"Thanks, Dad," I say and clutch my stomach, faking another bad cramp.
"I'll see you when I get home, Bells," he says then turns around to walk back into the hallway, pausing for a moment.
"Oh, and Bella?" he asks and I pop my head out from under the covers. His back is turned so I can't see his face.
"Yeah?" I answer curiously, still pretending to feel sick.
"Before you sneak out of your room in the middle of the night and sneak back in in the morning, oil your damn window so you don't wake me up with that godawful screeching noise," he says and I can just imagine his mustache twitching from amusement. I groan when I realize that I'm busted.
He turns to face me, his face teasing. "I was wondering when you were going to start acting like a normal teenager. Now I get to ground you like a normal father," he says, sounding a little too excited about the prospect. I sigh and nod, accepting my punishment.
"Do I have to go to school?" I ask meekly and he snickers.
"I guess not," he shakes his head. "Just make sure you make up your work. But this is the first and last time I'm going to let you skip school just because you stayed out all night, understand?"
I nod in response. "Yes, Chief."
Charlie turns to leave my room then pauses again. I freeze.
"Edward," he says without turning around. "You and I are going to have a long talk when I get back from work, y'hear?"
"Yes, sir," Edward's muffled voice is heard from under my bed, and I hear him move to get out from his hiding spot.
"Damn kids," I hear Charlie mutter under his breath as he walks down the hall, down the stairs, and out of the house.
Edward and I are quiet for a few moments after Charlie's abrupt departure. Then we burst out laughing.
"I have no idea how he knew," I blurt in between fits of laughter.
Edward shrugs, chuckling. "I'm kind of scared of what he's going to say to me when he gets home."
I roll my eyes. "You said it yourself last night, he loves you. He's probably going to scold you for corrupting me and then he'll let you go."
"Hey, I haven't corrupted you!" Edward scoffs, offended.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night," I counter and scooch over in my bed to make room for Edward.
He slips under my blanket and wraps his arms around my waist, curling his body around mine so that he's spooning me.
"Are you tired?" he asks me after a few moments.
"Yes," I answer with a yawn. "Hold me while I sleep?"
"I was going to do that whether you asked or not," Edward admits and I giggle.
"I love you," he breathes into my hair, tickling my neck.
"I love you too," I reply. "Thanks for an awesome adventure."
"You're very welcome," he replies sleepily. "But there are many more to come."
"Yes," I agree, weaving my fingers through his. "Many, many more." And I'm going to experience them all by his side, I'm certain.
Just a plot bunny that was getting in the way of my writing process.
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