Summary: It acts a link between Edward and Bella. The apple tree is where it all started. ExB All human.
A/N: This story is not going to be in Forks, it'll be in Seattle. It's just that their houses are situated closer together and it wouldn't really fit for Forks because it's such a small town that houses would be further apart. So Seattle it is!
This is in third person.
Also, I don't go into fully describing the characters, because you generally know how they look like...
Disclaimer: I do not own 'Twilight'.
The Apple Tree
Edward watched the beautiful girl walk out her front door and pass him. She smiled and waved and turned away before he could return the gesture.
Bella was always nice to Edward. She was nice to everyone. It was in her nature. As she exited her front door and she had seen him, him, in the corner of her eye, she had very nearly bolted. He was beautiful and smart. With his dishevelled auburn hair, tall and lean build, and his perfect four point ohs, and assumedly high IQ. And he was kind and caring. Always smiling at her, and looking concerned when she fell or somehow injured herself.
He was...Edward.
She smiled and waved at him to be polite but couldn't wait to go for fear of embarrassing herself.
It always happened. She would stumble all the time. Her clumsiness always got the best of her. Edward was often there to catch her or steady her. His contact would send thrills through her body and she was sure that it was both of them who could feel the electricity emanating from their touch, but she couldn't be sure. Her face would heat up, resembling a tomato. She blushed a lot.
Edward smiled to himself as she walked quickly out her front gate to her beast of a truck, stumbling slightly. He knew firsthand how clumsy she was. But he found this trait incredibly endearing, and would always try to take any opportunities to catch her or steady her whenever the time came around. Whenever this would happen, he would feel the electricity, as well as the heat of her blush. A delightful red would stain her cheeks, and he would have extreme difficulty from reaching out and touching it, maybe brushing her long mahogany hair over her shoulder as well.
They didn't talk a lot. Sometimes in the mornings when they'd bump into each other such as that morning, or at school, or also in the backyard. Their backyards were parted by a flimsy, waist high fence which had a gap in it to accommodate for the apple tree that was situated in the exact centre. At times, when it was nice weather out, they would venture outside and happen to see each other. The apple tree provided fruit which they would both share and eat as they talked casually. Other than these occurrences, which were rare, interaction was limited.
Sighing, Edward locked his front door, and headed to his Volvo, situated next to a now vacated parking spot. He could still hear the rumbling of the truck's engine down the street.
Approaching his cousin's house, he saw a black and white blur that was Alice next to her hulk of a brother. No one could understand how they shared the same gene pool with their differences in sizes. Personalities, however, were very similar. Both were very enthusiastic and easy to love. He smiled to himself and stopped the car by their feet on the sidewalk.
"Hi, Edward!" she said happily. He smiled at her. Her happiness was contagious.
"Hey, Edward!" Emmett greeted, grinning.
With them both in the car, Edward navigated the Seattle streets, speeding off to the Hales. Jasper and Rosalie Hale were Alice and Emmett's significant others, respectively. They were cousins to one another, though they still shared the same surname, and their family was very, very close to the Cullens. Edward, too, shared the same surname as Alice and Emmett.
"Edward," Jasper smiled, nodding in greeting to him. Jasper was an odd fellow, but was very well liked by just about all. He was charismatic and due to this had a strange but subtle ability to sense and influence the emotions of those around him. Just as Alice had the uncanny ability to know the future. Their families had come to accept these anomalies and they were not questioned, nor told to anyone outside of the Cullens or Hales.
"Edward," Rosalie said, and nodded. Though she reciprocated the gestures and words of Jasper, she had a very different feeling behind it. She was rather cold towards Edward, and resented the fact that he was not captured by her beauty and did not fawn over her. He knew she was just vain.
Jasper entered the car graciously and was encased in a hug from Alice, followed by Rosalie who slid in, flicking her long blonde hair over her shoulder before kissing Emmett quite passionately. Edward grimaced and concentrated on driving.
As they arrived at school, he managed to obtain a park a few cars down from Bella's rusted piece of junk that she calls a truck. He didn't understand how she could love that truck. He had spoken to her about it before, and she spoke about it so highly. Shaking his head, he stepped out of the car, family in tow.
He considered them all family. He had known his cousins his whole life, of course, and had also known the Hales not much less than that. They stuck together. Aware of petty high school dramas that went about in the walls of the school, they knew to keep out of it.
Looking around, Edward saw it was only misting, and put his hands in his jean pockets to retain as much body heat as possible. He walked in through the main doors to the school and headed to his first class of the day, readying himself for the monotony that was sure to come.
--
Bella walked the halls of the school, ignoring the prattling Jessica who led her to the cafeteria. Queuing to purchase her food, she felt the presence of someone behind her.
"Hello, Bella." Edward's mellifluous voice was quiet.
Edward's greeting disrupted Jessica's pointless chatter, effectively saving Bella. She smiled gratefully at him and greeted him back quietly. Meanwhile Jessica gaped at Edward, stuttering out her own 'hello', to which he responded out of politeness.
Sitting down at her table, Bella was soon accosted by her friend Mike. Bella was annoyed at him for not being able to take hint from her many crafty rejections. Of course she does it oh so subtly, but most of her other suitors would know what she's doing and leave her alone. Her rejections do not deter him.
After another subtle rejection and a grimace when Mike wasn't looking, Bella moved her eyes from her tray around the cafeteria. Naturally, her eyes were drawn straight to the place where he was sitting. Edward always sat with his family, and never really talked with their classmates. Bella had occasionally spoken with Alice and Edward, whom she shared a class with each of them separately, but not the others.
Bella admired the families' close relationships with one another. She had never had that kind of closeness before. Bella's mother had been her best friend in Phoenix, before she had married Phil, and Bella felt it time to spend with Charlie in Seattle. Even with her mother, she had never been on the same brainwave. Kids at school were nice to her, yet she couldn't really relate to them, and her father was a solitary individual who preferred the quiet. But she didn't mind all this. She was content.
Edward could feel her eyes on him again. This happened most days, but he would never look back and make eye contact, for fear of making her look away. He liked the thought of her thinking about him. Just as he thought about her. So he wasn't going to ruin it.
He also knew that she would bring an apple each day, picked straight from their apple tree that morning. And bring a book from her collection of classics to read, in case she was bored with conversation at her table, or if she was early to school. He would know this because he would himself pick his own apple, and see her doing the same while carrying a book under her arm. He smiled at this. He liked knowing things about her, if only tidbits.
Bella and Edward were disrupted from their thoughts by the warning bell, urging the students to head to their next class.
Bella filed into the biology classroom, heading to the lab table she shared with the object of her thoughts and desires.
"Hi again," Bella smiled at him, and saw her favourite crooked grin light his face.
"Hello." She sat down and couldn't help but stare into his piercing, intense emerald eyes. They were a shade of green that she had never seen as an eye colour before. So rare, and so beautiful.
Edward was being pulled into her deep chocolate brown orbs, which seemed to tell him everything. He was usually good at reading people. She was the only exception. The only thing was that he could read her from her eyes. He saw happiness as well as a few other emotions he did not have time to decipher, for they were both rudely disrupted.
"Newton," Edward growled under his breath, irritated.
"Um, hello, Mike." Bella was, too, annoyed that he had sauntered over to speak with her, especially when he had been talking to her not five minutes ago.
"So, you're coming to the movies on Saturday, right?" Mike verified for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.
Edward couldn't control the surge of jealousy that flowed through him at this information. Bella is dating that man-child? That irritating, overeager, persistent man-child? he thought angrily. His jaw clenched, and his hands tightened into fists.
"Yes, Mike. I told you I was in," Bella sighed. "So we're all meeting there, right?" Bella didn't know why, but she wanted Edward to know that it was a group activity, not a date. She saw his fists relax a bit from the corner of her eye.
"Yeah, we are, but if you want, I can come and pick you up?" Mike asked, seeming rather eager at the idea.
"No, I'll take my truck," Bella said immediately and quickly, very fast to reject the idea. She swore she heard a chuckle coming from Edward, probably at the speed of her response, but it was too quiet to tell.
At that moment Mr Banner the biology teacher entered the room. "Sit down everyone. Let's get started. I've got an assessment to give to everyone. You are to complete it with your lab partners."
Bella and Edward saw Mike's face fall at the last sentence, but were both very happy themselves at this revelation. More time to spend with each other.
"It is to be handed in on Friday, so that gives you a good four days to complete it." There were collective moans at this. "Now, now, this is just a minor assessment, so it does not contribute greatly to your overall mark," Mr Banner explained, talking further about the subject matter, and handing out sheets.
After going through the necessary material for the day, Mr Banner felt it time to sit down and enjoy his coffee. "Class, you may now quietly, and I mean quietly, talk amongst yourselves," he said and turned his attention to the contents of his mug.
Bella turned to Edward, but was cut off when he spoke. "Would you like to come over to work on the assessment after school? You know, the sooner it's done, the less you have to stress about it and all..." he trailed off awkwardly.
"That'd be great, Edward." Edward's smile mirrored Bella's at her response.
After they had made the necessary arrangements, the bell rang for the next class and Bella reluctantly made her way to gym. She was not looking forward to it, but was glad that most people had learnt to not pass her the ball, and to stay out of her way for whatever sport they were doing.
Class passed quickly, with Bella rubbing a new sore spot on her forearm which was sure to house a new bruise after gym's events.
Walking to her beloved truck, she passed by the Cullens and Hales by Edward's silver Volvo. Alice and Edward smiled and waved at her, and she saw Emmett look at their actions then turn to her, grinning. Bella had always found him intimidating due to his size, but his smile revealed his hidden dimples and slightly childish demeanour which made her like him instantly.
--
Bella gently knocked on the large white wooden door of the Cullen home and waited patiently for an answer. Soon enough, footsteps were heard and a beautiful woman with caramel coloured hair that fell over her shoulders and a warm smile opened the door.
"Ah, hello Bella! Please, come in. Edward will be right down," Esme said, motioning her inside.
"Thank you, Mrs Cullen," Bella replied politely.
"Bella, what have I told you? Please, call me Esme."
"Of course, Esme, thank you," Bella said, sitting down on one of the white couches in the living room and placing her bag containing her biology material on her lap. She looked around and saw a large widescreen television placed in front of the couches on the off-white coloured walls, and on the other side of the room was a raised platform which held a beautiful piano on it.
Bella smiled. She recalled one conversation about interests, where Edward and her had discussed books and music, and he had mentioned he played the piano. She would love to hear him play.
"Hey Bella," she heard coming from the stairs. "Come on up." Bella turned her head to see Edward standing at the foot of the stairs, smiling crookedly at her.
She loved that smile of his. It would light up his face, and his eyes would often dance with emotion. She remembered the first time she met him, she had been so dazzled by his smile that he had to tap her to get her attention. It embarrassed her and she had blushed a million shades of red.
"Bella?" Edward asked, moving closer. He saw her shake her head slightly before her cheeks turned a faint pink. He laughed lightly, unknowing why she was blushing, and led her up the stairs now that he had her attention.
Edward was getting nervous as they got closer to his bedroom. He was just straightening it up as Bella had arrived, so was unable to answer the door. Bella had never been upstairs in his house before, let alone his room, so he was a bit timorous as to how she would react. Though he had no reason to feel that way. He scolded himself for being so silly.
Edward accounted a few times where Bella had come to his house. It was usually when she had hurt herself mildly in front of Edward, and he had insisted that she see his father, Carlisle, who was a doctor.
They reached the end of the corridor of the second floor, and Edward let her move inside first. He stood behind her while she walked in slowly, looking around the room, a little bit to satisfy her curiosity, but not a lot that would qualify as rude and nosy.
"Wow, you really do have a lot of CDs. I thought you were exaggerating or something!" Bella laughed, and then moved to look at his collection.
Edward laughed and shook his head.
After spending a couple of hours on the biology project, they had managed to get research and outline the plan of it. He had to admit that when Bella was determined, she could get a lot done.
Not long after they had decided they were done for the night, there was a knock on the door and Esme stuck her head inside. "Edward, dinner is almost ready. Bella, would you like to stay for dinner?" Esme asked kindly, and both of them could see the hope in her eyes.
"I don't want to impose," Bella spoke quietly, shyly, looking down and playing with the edge of the sleeves of her sweater.
"Oh no, you won't be, dear. We'd love to have you." After a nod and a small smile from Bella, Esme left Edward and Bella in peace again.
"Maybe we should head down now," Edward said, standing up. He wanted to offer his hand to Bella to help her up, but he was afraid he won't be able to let her go again.
Dinner was a pleasant affair. Edward sat next to Bella, opposite Carlisle and Esme. Occasionally their elbows would graze one another and the electricity flowed freely between them.
The Cullen family really got to know Bella a lot during that dinner, and vice versa. Esme told a few funny stories with Edward in them as a child, causing Edward to groan and turn a very faint pink colour in embarrassment. He didn't want these stories to be told in front of Bella. Not in front of someone whom he felt very strongly for.
Bella listened eagerly to the tales of Edward's childhood, happy to learn more about this wonderful boy who she has known for the past two years. Alice and Emmett, as well as the Hales, would often star in the stories, but they were mainly based around Edward, which she was glad. She knew him better than the others, so she wanted to hear more about background stories that caused him to grow into the man he was.
Not that she had any objection with befriending the other Cullens or Hales. In fact, she would be glad to befriend them. Alice, Bella noticed, was a very polite, happy person who was easy to get along with, from what she could tell from her few interactions with her. She hadn't really interacted with the others, so she couldn't be sure about them, but she didn't doubt their affability.
Angela was the only person in her group at school she really liked. She was a shy, quiet spoken, kind, smart girl who Bella could easily get along with. Bella loved the fact that Angela did not feel it necessary to fill every silence with meaningless drabble.
Edward watched Bella as she hunched over in laughter at Emmett and Alice's antics. He loved to watch and listen to her laugh. The table had been cleared, dishes washed, and now it was just Edward and Bella sitting on one of the white sofas in the living room.
"They'd all love to meet you, you know. They all know you as Bella Swan, Edward's neighbour. I'd like them to know you as Bella, Edward's friend."
Bella's heart swelled at his words. She was so glad that he considered her a friend, not just neighbour, or classmate, or what not. And she was doubly glad that he wanted to introduce her to the people closest to him.
"Well I'd love to meet them," she said.
"You might want to be a bit wary of Alice, though," Edward joked to her, laughing a little bit. "Once she gets a hold on you, she will drag you around the mall for hours. And once this happens, there is no escape."
Bella laughed, and she didn't doubt this at all. From the stories she had just been told, which included 'shopping horror stories' as Edward had put it, she was aware of the powers of the little pixie.
"Well, I'd better get back home to Charlie," Bella said, sighing in disappointment. Edward mirrored her expression. "It's already getting late and it's a school night."
"Goodnight, Bella," Esme said, entering the room and giving Bella a tight hug. Bella was surprised at the motion, but returned it happily.
"It was nice to have you over, Bella." Carlisle had approached and was now standing in the doorway.
"Thank you for having me," Bella said politely before Carlisle and Esme left, giving the two of them privacy.
"Even though this whole thing was initially to do biology, I had a great time," Bella said shyly, looking down, covered by the wall of her hair.
Edward beamed. He didn't want her to hide her face, though. He reached out and with his hand pulled her chin up. At the contact she blushed further, but didn't look down again. "I had a great time too. I'll walk you to your place," Edward offered.
"I live right next door, silly! It's not necessary."
"Fine. I'll watch to make sure you get there alright."
Bella gave him an incredulous look.
"Just in case the bogeyman jumps out and snatches you in the short distance you are walking from my gate to your gate," Edward said in mock seriousness.
"Oh well, in that case," Bella continued the charade, rolling her eyes and chuckling, then smiled softly. "Thanks again. Goodnight Edward. See you tomorrow." She turned away before he could reply, but she thought she heard, 'I most certainly will', unless it was the wind.
***
The next day, which was Tuesday, passed without incident. Bella was asked at lunch to help Angela with her Macbeth essay – just answering a few simple questions, and Edward was disappointed he couldn't introduce her to his family.
"Tomorrow come and sit with me and my family?" Edward had asked in biology.
Bella beamed and nodded. She loved that he had not just said those things the previous night out of politeness, or out of a spur of the moment, but genuinely wanted her to come.
That afternoon Bella called Charlie to tell him that she may come home late again due to the project.
"Project? Really?" Charlie asked sceptically on the phone.
"Yes, it's for biology. If you need anything, I'll be just next door, okay?"
"At the Cullens? They're great people. You're working on it with their son, right?"
"Yes, why?"
"Oh, nothing. Have fun, Bells. Just...be careful, alright?" Charlie had stuttered over his last words, but Bella didn't have any idea as to why.
Bella exited the house and closing the door behind her, she saw Edward's cousin, Alice leaving his house and heading for a canary yellow Porsche parked by the kerb.
"Oh, hey Bella!" Alice said, smiling widely.
"Hello, Alice," Bella murmured shyly.
"Promise you'll sit with us tomorrow at lunch?" Alice said hopefully.
"Sure, Alice. I'd love to."
"Cool! Thanks, Bella! I can tell we're going to be the best of friends. Have fun with biology." Alice winked before hopping in her car and speeding down the road.
Bella watched the car zoom down the road in awe. "Better not let Officer Swan catch her going at that speed," she murmured to herself. "She's lucky he's still at work."
She turned and walked to the door to Edward's house until she realised it was already open, and Adonis himself was standing there, smiling at her. She blushed, looking down, embarrassed to realise he had been watching her the entire time since Alice had left his house.
Edward reached out and brushed her hair over her shoulder, revealing her pink face. Before he could stop himself, he gently stroked her cheek with the back of his finger. He could feel the warmth radiating from her face due to her blush. Immediately he dropped his hand, turning a very faint pink himself, and led the way inside to his room without further ado.
Edward insisted that she stay again for dinner that night, and she acquiesced and this time talked more about herself, about why she moved to her father, about her family, and a lot of other things in which she lost count. He felt a lot closer to her now, knowing about her, just as she had to him the previous night. They both knew they had felt something – something strong – for one another, but they could feel it getting stronger, and it scared them a little. Was it possible for these feelings to develop in such a short time? Edward and Bella were unsure. But they were happy in each other's company, and were beginning to feel like they'd been close to one another for longer than they had.
***
Wednesday morning Bella woke up having had a rather good dream, starring Edward. She smiled at the thought of him and then laughed at the fact that he had been the first thing on her mind. She was very happy about it.
Today Bella would be sitting with the Cullens and the Hales at lunch. This was nothing major, of course, but she couldn't help but feel very excited about it. She was very glad that this friendship of thiers would be more regular, as in she would speak to him more often than just in passing or in class. Or for the project.
"Morning, Edward," Bella said as she went to fetch her daily apple from their apple tree. A few apples were nestled in the grass at the foot of the trunk, the bruises in their skin leaking their fragrance into the air.
"Good morning, Bella," Edward replied. He was already standing at the tree inspecting apples of different sizes. There were very few available, but nevertheless, Bella joined him on the opposite side of the fence and began doing the same.
They worked in comfortable silence, continuing their search. There was an overhanging branch that stretched out directly over the fence, and Bella used this to her advantage and stepped onto it gingerly, still leaning toward her side of the fence. There was the perfect apple just out of reach.
Edward's head snapped up. "Bella? What are you doing up there? You're going to fall if you don't—"
But Bella's hand had already slipped from her hold on the tree and she was falling onto the ground. She let out a small gasp of surprise and Edward leapt toward her to try to pull her back, but his current position on the other side of the fence to the direction in which she was falling did no good. He was only able to grab a hold of her left wrist as she fell, tilting her slightly before she slipped out of his grasp. Bella landed on the ground with a soft thud and an 'oof'.
"Ow," Bella moaned in pain, lying on the soft grass, though not soft enough to cushion her fall entirely.
Edward jumped over the fence in one lithe movement, momentarily distracting Bella from the pain of her fall. She watched almost as if in slow motion, the muscles beneath his gray knit sweater, which emphasised his muscular figure, flex as he jumped over the flimsy fence. Her breathing quickened.
He crouched over her with concern painted on his features, inspecting her for injuries. She smiled at his attentiveness while sitting herself up.
"It's just my wrist. Hurts a bit, that's all."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have grabbed you like that, then you wouldn't—"
"No, my other wrist is the one that's injured. If you hadn't grabbed me, I most likely would've injured myself worse. You know how clumsy I am," Bella said, lightening the mood.
Edward chuckled, but was still feeling guilty for not being able to catch her. "I think Carlisle is still home. He should check out your wrist before he leaves." His tone had a note of finality to it, not allowing Bella, the stubborn girl that she is, to argue.
"Fine," she said, resigned.
"Good. Let me just call Alice to tell her to take the others to school today. I'll drive you, ok?" He asked kindly.
Bella smiled. "Ok."
Carlisle had Bella's wrist wrapped, confirming a small sprain, and that it would be better in a few weeks. She was rather annoyed that she had to injure her writing hand, but figured that she would find a way through it, so didn't thing about it further.
Bella and Edward sat in comfortable silence on the way to the school, content in each other's presence.
With the arrival at school came an attack from the small pixie, who hugged Bella and frantically asked if she was alright. Bella laughed and assured her that she was fine, that the sprain was nothing. Alice's response was a quiet, 'I knew something like this was going to happen.' Bella was touched at their concern for her, and it really made her happy. Living with Charlie was very different. They were really ones who weren't for sharing their emotions, so the Cullens reactions were refreshing.
Bella reluctantly parted from the two as the first bell rang, calling the students to the confines of the school buildings. Not a minute after she had left them, she was approached by Jessica, began to talk to her as she walked to class.
"Hey, Bella. So what were you doing with the Cullens?" Jessica also seemed very aware of how they tended to shy away from others besides their family, and her arrival and interaction with them was likely to be considered an anomaly. Bella heard the resentment in her voice, and assumed she was thinking about her failed flirting attempts at Edward. She laughed quietly to herself.
"What? They're my friends." Bella smiled at the thought.
"Oh," Jessica said, looking jealous. "Well, see you at Spanish I guess. You have to tell me what they're like behind that cold exterior."
"They're not cold," Bella snapped, on the defensive. She didn't know how they could be considered cold, especially after that morning.
"Ok," Jessica dismissed and walked away without another word. Bella huffed and wandered in the opposite direction, heading for her English classroom.
The day sped by. The end of Spanish came and Jessica walked with Bella to the cafeteria as usual. Bella was suddenly feeling uncertain. Did the Cullens and Hales still want her to sit with them?
The answer came to her as Alice walked to her gracefully, smiling sweetly at her. She turned her smile to Jessica. "I hope you don't mind us stealing Bella for today."
"Oh, uh, sure," Jessica stuttered, surprised.
Alice led the way to the table, her smile widening as she looked at Bella. "Edward would've come to get you, but he didn't want to deal with Jessica right now." She laughed and Bella understood. He wanted to avoid anymore confrontations like those of the past.
As she sat down in a spare seat next to Alice, across from Edward, she looked around the table and greeted its other occupants. Jasper replied with a warm smile and nod of the head, Emmett a large grin and loud 'hi', but she was most surprised with Rosalie's unrelenting glare. She had to admit though, even with such a hostile expression, it did not mar her beauty.
Edward felt a warmer feeling inside of him now that she was sitting here with them. All day he was looking forward to speaking with her and seeing her again. She was becoming like a drug; he couldn't get enough of her. When she had walked in with Jessica, he was in conflict with himself on what to do. Luckily, before he could make a decision, Alice launched herself out of her seat to fetch Bella herself. He was grateful to that.
Now sitting across from her was not enough. He frowned slightly in thought. He wanted to be the one next to her, arm casually hanging around her waist, occasionally placing kisses on the top of her head. He wanted to be hers, and her to be his.
Bella was wondering what Edward was frowning at. He was looking in her direction with his eyes slightly glazed over, as if deep in thought, and she didn't want to make it awkward by asking in front of everyone.
She was really happy with the biology project which, seemingly, brought them together. Not that they were together, despite what Bella wanted. She didn't want Friday to come along because that was the day the project was due. She would miss working on it with him, spending time with him so much after school.
"Bella, what are you doing this weekend?" Alice asked, excited about some plan that had apparently – and very swiftly – formed in her mind.
She saw Edward perk up before she answered. "Saturday I'm going to the cinema with Mike and the group; you know, Jessica, Tyler, Angela, Ben...at least think those people are coming..." she trailed off in thought, trying to remember discussing the plans with Angela or any of the others.
"Oh. Well, if you're not doing anything Sunday, Rose and I would love to take you shopping! Please?" Alice begged.
Bella heard Rosalie snort quietly when she was mentioned in the plan and looked for the polite way to refuse. She was obviously disliked by Rosalie and was certainly not willing to spend time with a hostile person.
"Well, I don't know. I'll have to ask Charlie. How about I'll get back to you?" she hedged, biting her lip, dreading the time where she would have to lie to Alice about not being able to go. Charlie wouldn't mind that she would be going – he would in fact encourage her making new friends – and she did not require permission from him. And Bella was never a very good liar.
"Alright! Please try. It'll be great!" Alice said. Bella nodded and took a bite out the apple Edward gave to her. He had fetched it after the falling incident.
"Bella, you might want to try to get out of it. You may not even come out alive after what Alice does with you. I mean, I didn't," Emmett said.
"You didn't come out alive?" Bella asked amused, raising her eyebrow, and turned to see Edward chuckling and Alice slapping her brother.
"You willing carried the bags! It's not my fault! Besides, Bella won't be carrying the bags," Alice defended herself.
"Exactly, that's my point! I came because Rose was there," he winked at said person, "and what I mean is that it'll be worse for Bella since she'll being facing worse than carrying around bags and following."
Edward, Jasper and Emmett laughed, while Rose looked at the wall on the opposite site of the cafeteria, looking indifferent. A smiled tugged on Bella's lips as Alice growled menacingly and hit Emmett with all her might.
"Ow!" He cringed and inched away from Alice who was looking rather proud of herself.
"Bella, please don't listen to him. Will you come? I'd really like to get to know you better," Alice said sincerely.
Those words sold Bella to whatever Alice had planned. She was so glad to be not only accepted, but Alice had wanted to and was sure they were going to be good friends. Bella smiled to herself, and then turned to look at Edward who was watching her intently. She blushed under his gaze, causing his smile to widen.
"Will you be coming?" she asked quietly to Edward, the others now immersed in their own conversation; Alice and Rose were discussing fashion while Jasper and Emmett were talking about some video game they had been playing.
Edward chuckled and nodded, looking into her deep, unusually emotive eyes. "She usually takes Jasper, Emmett and I along to her carry the bags."
Bella looked shocked. "The three of you to carry the bags? How much does she buy?!"
Now Edward outright laughed. She always had a way of making him smile and laugh that no one else was able to achieve.
"A lot. Let's just keep it at that," he said, chuckling still.
Bella just shook her head, amazed, until Edward stood up, holding out his hand for her to take. Only then when she looked around did she see that most of the people in the cafeteria had headed out to their next class. She didn't even hear the bell go.
She blushed and took his hand, surprised and amazed at the warm, electric feeling that emanated out of his touch and spread through her body. Edward looked down at their touching hands a little surprised too, and helped her stand, stopping her from stumbling slightly. They both wondered if the other had felt what they had...
Bella didn't let go of his hand as they walked to biology. She liked the feeling from his touch that she received – besides the electricity, but also the comfort and security it seemed to promise her. She was also happy that Edward didn't let go either.
Edward smiled, happy that Bella didn't let go of his hand. The feeling of her small warm hand in his large one was like nothing he had experienced before. He was elated.
Entering the biology classroom, Edward noticed Mike and Jessica's eyes zero in on their clasped hands and both simultaneously scowl. Jessica's scowl seemed to be more of irritation, while Mike's was that of jealousy, directed at Edward.
He helped Bella into her seat, to which she scowled muttering, "I'm not that delicate."
"Aren't you?" Edward muttered his reply under his breath.
"Can I ask you something?" Edward asked, wanting to know more about the wonderful angel sitting alongside him.
"You just did," she responded cheekily. "Sure," she added, serious now.
Edward rolled his eyes. "Okay. What's your favourite colour?" They were talking in whispers now that the teacher had arrived. Mr Banner was shuffling papers on his desk, completely ignoring the class.
"That's what you wanted to ask?" she asked incredulously. She didn't want to bore the Adonis that was now staring at her so intently.
"Just answer it, please."
"It changes from day to day," Bella sighed, shrugging.
Edward's eyebrows furrowed together, not expecting the answer. She never ceased to intrigue him. "What colour is it today?"
Bella sighed again, looking out the window for a moment and looking down at herself. He didn't know what she was looking at. She was wearing a pair of light blue jeans and a midnight blue V neck sweater. He couldn't help but trace the contours of her collarbones with his eyes. He snapped his eyes away before he could get caught, ashamed at his behaviour.
Bella's cheeks were red by now, and Edward guessed he didn't look away fast enough. She answered his previous question then, breaking the awkward tension that was beginning to build.
"Blue. I tend to dress according to my mood."
"Are you feeling depressed or unhappy about something?" Edward asked, equally curious and concerned. That's what blue usually represented, right?
"No, it can also mean..." Bella thought for a minute, "peace and calmness. And tranquillity." She smiled.
"That colour blue looks lovely with your skin," Edward said honestly. Bella looked down flushing, enhancing the effect.
Edward was about to ask her another question when Mr Banner called the attention of the class, thus beginning his long awaited lecture.
Edward walked Bella to her next class, gym. He wondered how she coped with her incapability to walk over a flat surface without tripping. As if to prove his point, she tripped over her own feet. His hands shot out and caught her, setting her upright again.
"How do you manage to deal in gym?" Edward asked curiously, sighing.
Bella blushed and managed a feeble scowl. "Everyone has learnt to avoid passing me the ball, or prevent me from doing anything particularly hazardous."
Edward chuckled, and by then they had reached the gym doors. He hesitated, wanting to touch her, but knowing that would be unacceptable at this stage. He settled for a warm smile and reaching out to squeeze her hand before walking away to his next class.
Bella went through gym in a haze, every thought leading to Edward. Mike, probably aware of her current state of unawareness, ignored her throughout the class. She was glad Mike didn't bother her again, and have to make her reject him again.
After gym class, she exited the doors, wondering if she was meant to meet Edward at his car, or if he even remembered that he was the one who took her to school. But she stopped fretting when she spotted his tousled bronze hair and tall, lean figure leaning against the wall outside the gym, waiting for her.
She walked up to him shyly and smiled. He felt his lips move on their own accord in response.
"Do you want to get started straight away on the project?" Edward asked, wanting to spend time with Bella without having the excuse of the project.
"Sure, if you want."
The afternoon passed with the completion of the assessment, their attentiveness turning on one another, and continuing the stream of questions that had ceased in biology that day.
Soon it was getting late and Edward wondered where his parents were. Carlisle would either have arrived home, or would be on shift at the hospital. But Esme was mostly always at home, working on some blueprints of a new project, doing what she loves. Except she wasn't even home when they had come in.
Edward furrowed his brows and walked into the kitchen with Bella following behind. "I wonder where they..." he began, but trailed off when he saw a note on the fridge door.
Bella waited for Edward to finish reading it before asking, "Does it say where they are?"
He sighed. "Apparently they forgot to say earlier...Carlisle and Esme had taken the day off to celebrate their anniversary. They won't be here tonight."
"Oh." Bella thought for a second. That means Edward would be alone tonight. And she knew she would be alone tonight. Charlie had told her that there was an important game on he wanted to watch, and went to one of his friends' house to watch it with him, leaving the house to Bella.
"Charlie's out, too. I'll cook us something. We'll go to my place," Bella suggested, leading the way to her house before Edward could respond.
But Edward was not going to protest. He had never been inside Bella's house before and he was curious.
"Are you sure? We could always order out. Or I could make something. " He laughed. "I can boil an egg."
"And that's the extent of your skills? I am surprised you haven't made an appearance on Iron Chef!" she joked along with him. "But it's fine. I like to cook. But we should make a stop to the grocery store first. I haven't had time to go along lately..."
Edward and Bella drove to the grocery store continuing their questions, discussion and friendly banter. Their feelings were growing stronger all the time, almost palpably so.
Bella became transfixed with her job when walking the isles of the store. She would pick up two products and examine them closely before picking out the preferable one. Edward smiled as he watched her in her element. She looked so natural and relaxed, totally at ease.
"So, what are we having tonight?" Edward asked her curiously.
"Lasagne," she said. Then a sudden frown appeared on her face and she turned to him. "You do like lasagne, don't you?"
Edward smiled crooked at her. "It's one of my favourites."
Bella blushed and looked down at their trolley. "We're done. Shall we?" she said.
"We shall."
Edward insisted on paying, arguing that since Bella would be doing most of the work, he should provide the food. Bella rolled her eyes and didn't say anything else, knowing she wouldn't win.
Bella set up all the ingredients at the kitchen in her house, Edward helping with most of the preparation and cooking.
"Hey! I thought you said you couldn't cook! And that I would be doing the cooking, so you just had to pay for the food," Bella said, rolling her eyes as she said the last part.
Edward laughed. "I never said I couldn't cook. And–" he now had a bright sparkle in his eye "–if I hadn't said that, you wouldn't have agreed."
"I never actually agreed."
"I still ended up paying," he replied smugly. "Pot-ay-to, pot-ah-to." Edward shrugged and laughed at Bella's shocked expression.
"Ugh! Fine! You continue this, and I'm going to start preparing the dessert," Bella said, heading out of the kitchen to the back door.
Edward was curious now. "What's for dessert?" he called to her as she stepped outside.
"It's for me to know and you to find out!" She laughed as she heard his annoyed grunt, and dashed toward the apple tree to avoid the rain as much as was possible. She ended up slipping in the mud and landed, sprawled out in a puddle.
"Great," she muttered bitterly, looking down at her now mud covered self. She continued toward the apple tree and picked a few large apples, bringing them inside, careful to now walk carefully.
"Oh, there you are. I was wondering where..." Edward turned around and his eyes widened as he took in her appearance. He felt he should probably be helping her, and asking her what happened, but the moisture had caused her clothes to cling to her perfect curves. He found it hard to draw his eyes away again.
Bella blushed, again noticing his distraction, dumping the apples and walking out of the kitchen to change into something more comfortable, and preferably slightly less wet.
She had seen him stare at her with a look in his eyes that made her desire him so much more. It was like in the biology classroom when he had been staring at her top. She appreciated that he tried not to be rude by blatantly gaping or anything. His eyes would only linger, taking in her appearance, before politely shooting back toward her eyes.
Edward stirred the meat mixture in the pan, adding a few herbs, before Bella walked in and began washing the mud covered apples. He looked at her, taking in her sweatpants and hoody, and smiled. She was not one of those girls to dress up in fancy, uncomfortable looking clothing to try to look good in front of others. She did what she was comfortable with. Edward loved that. Edward loved her.
With this realisation, he smiled. The strong feelings he had for her, were indeed, love. It wasn't just about a crush anymore. Or infatuation. It was so much more than that.
Edward gazed at her as she worked on seasoning the now soft, sliced up apples, feeling the love he felt for her settle into every portion of his body and mind.
How could such a short time allow him to feel things this strongly? Edward didn't know the answer to that question, but he knew that love worked in strange ways, and could work at any speed.
"What?" Bella asked him, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She was wondering why he had been staring at her for so long. She could tell he was staring at her. It was as if his particular eyes resting on her had a peculiar feeling, much different to anyone else's. It was more like the feeling of the electricity when they touched, only much less intense.
Edward smiled a crooked smile, her crooked smiled, to her and shook his head, turning away. He noticed the reaction he received whenever he smiled at her like that. She would always blush and look away self-consciously. It made him feel happy and special that he could have such an effect on her, to make her blush with such ease.
Dinner was later served up, Bella having revealed the dessert.
"Apple pie?" Edward asked with a spark in his eye. "That's one of my favourites!" For some reason, he felt that eating the apple dessert which consisted of the apples from their tree was so much more meaningful.
Bella watched his face light up when she told him what she had prepared for dessert. Her heart swelled at his glowing face, and she knew that describing what she felt as only 'strong feelings' fell short of what she really knew now. Bella loved him.
Bella was completely and utterly in love with her neighbour, biology partner... friend, Edward.
She turned her face towards her meal, radiating happiness, but only showing for it with a small smile on her lips.
The evening passed with more talk and conversation. They both enjoyed the apple pie, and afterwards they cleaned up and sat down on the couch in the living room.
"Oh gosh!" Bella exclaimed standing up from her previously slouched position on the seat. "I'm so rude. You've been here for a few hours now and I haven't even offered you the customary tour of the house," Bella said smiling.
Edward laughed. "Oh, well, if you insist." He bowed his head slightly and gestured with his hand to proceed. Bella giggled at his actions.
"Well, this is the living room." Bella headed back down the hallway. "The kitchen," Bella said, gesturing around the room and pausing to let Edward look around.
Edward rolled his eyes. "No, really? Now that I hadn't guessed," he said sarcastically.
"Hmm. Really, Edward, you should be more observant," Bella said, mock stern.
"Ah, Bella," he said smiling, teasing her. "Sarchasm: the giant gulf, or chasm, if you will, between what is said and the person who doesn't get it." Edward laughed at her shocked expression, shaking his head.
"I get it!" she defended herself, laughing.
The rest of the tour went on, Edward occasionally putting in dramatic 'oohs' and 'ahhs', loving to hear her tinkling laugh. Eventually they reached Bella's room, and she led them inside.
"This is my room."
Edward walked in, examining every inch of it. Not out of scrutiny, but of curiosity.
It was disorganised – but not unclean. There were books piled on the floor beside her bed, and CDs scattered by her small CD player.
Edward looked through her books while Bella stood by her door, shifting from foot to foot nervously.
"Relax, Bella. This is your room," Edward said, laughing.
Bella let out a breath of air she didn't realise she was holding and collapsed on the bed, feeling rather tired.
Edward noticed and sat down next to her. "You're tired. You should sleep. I'll let myself out."
"No!" she cried out, prying her eyes open and grabbing a handful of his shirt. "Don't leave me."
Edward sighed, happy she didn't want him to go, and lay down next to her, shifting his weight onto his elbow so he could watch her. Satisfied that he was not leaving, Bella relaxed slightly, causing her eyes to shut without her permission, but she couldn't bring herself to open them again.
Edward watched Bella's breathing even out, her body relaxing further as she succumbed to sleep that had desperately been clawing at her for a while. He was content observing her, never getting bored. He noticed a few times that she would mumble incoherently, and he would smile, finding this trait very amusing and endearing.
"Cold," Bella murmured, her eyebrows furrowing. "It's cold."She started shivering slightly.
Edward frowned, looking down at her. Only then did he remember that she had fallen asleep on top of the covers of her bed, with her legs still dangling off the side.
He stood up and pulled as much of the bed sheets down as he could without having to move her. Then he walked to the other side of Bella, gingerly he lifted her up, trying not to awaken her, and moved back to where he had pulled down the cover.
Edward smiled when he finally had her tucked in and watched her for a few more minutes before turning to leave.
"Edward."
He froze and turned around. Had she woken up again? She had said it so clearly, he was sure that she had.
Bella sighed and rolled over, murmuring another, "Edward."
Edward smiled, heart swelling with love for the beautiful sleeping girl and walked back to her side. She's dreaming of me, was all he was thinking at that moment. He lightly brushed his hand through her hair, receiving a small sigh from her. Her features relaxed in unconsciousness, lips parted slightly, she took his breath away by her beauty.
Smiling, Edward brushed his lips against her forehead and took in her lovely scent, smelling like freesias and lavender. It was his new favourite fragrance.
Standing to leave, he took one last look at his love and made his way back to his house. He, too, flopped down onto his bed and slept with dreams of his Bella.
***
Thursday arrived with a loud blaring in Bella's ear. She groaned and slammed her hand onto the clock, effectively shutting off the alarm.
Stretching, she smiled remembering her dream featuring Edward. Then she looked around and frowned. She didn't remember how she got there. All she remembered was falling asleep soon after collapsing on her bed, aware that Edward was next to her. Then there was his wonderful scent. She could still smell his almost-honey-lilac-and-sun flavoured scent. It was so sweet and pleasant.
She noticed that Charlie had already left for work and proceeded to get ready. After she was ready and having collected her daily apple, Bella was on her way to the door when there was a knock coming from the other side of it.
She opened it and beamed when she saw Edward standing there with his crooked smile.
"Good morning," Edward said.
"Morning." Bella looked down shyly, remembering that the last time she saw him was when he was lying on her bed the previous night.
Edward reached out and pulled her chin up, making her look at him. He got lost in her deep eyes, noting that it was the colour of melting chocolate, and without thinking, he swiftly traced the back of his hand along her cheekbone.
Realising what he had done, he turned a faint pink, though this could not compare to the shade of red that was currently sporting Bella's face.
"I just wanted to ask if you would like a ride to school today?" Edward spoke up first, breaking the slightly awkward silence.
"Sure, that'd be great. Thanks."
Edward led her to the car, opening the passenger side door for her and helping her in. Bella quietly thanked him, not used to this sort of treatment, but liking it.
During the drive, Bella and Edward filled the silence with questions, discussions of various topics and occasional playful banter. Again, they were happy in each other's company. Though happy would be considered an understatement to their true feelings.
Upon the arrival at school, Edward noticed Mike frowning in his general direction as Alice danced over and greeted Bella.
"Bella, would you sit with us again today, please?" Alice voiced what Edward was also thinking.
Bella hesitated. It wasn't that she didn't want to. But she didn't want the others feel like she just ditched them or anything. But they could do without her again; she was really much of a participant in their discussions anyway.
Bella smiled. "Sure, Alice."
They all parted ways to reach their classes, awaiting for lunch to see one another again.
When lunch came around, there was more talk amongst the whole group again, later on splitting into the couples having small talk with one another.
In biology Bella asked Edward more questions before Mr Banner began his lecture.
"How long have you lived in Seattle?"
"About one year longer than yourself. Why?" Edward asked curiously.
"Well, I've only been here two years, so I didn't know if you'd been here the whole time, or moved from another place, or..." she trailed off, and Edward spoke up.
"My cousins, the Hales, and I all moved from Alaska. We are all very tight-knit families and all decided to move together."
"Oh," Bella said.
Mr Banner spoke up then, not letting another word be exchanged.
The rest of biology also passed in a blurry haze, and Bella was going to miss hanging out with Edward after school since there was no more work to do on their project. She almost wished that they had slowed down on it, or had a slightly harder topic so they could spend more time working on it together.
Edward was dreading leaving her for the day. As he walked her from the gym, where she had just exited, towards his car, he asked, "Would you like to come over again this afternoon?"
"But we've finished the project," Bella shrugged, acting as nonchalant as possible, but anticipating his next words.
"So? There are others things we can do." Edward's crooked smile appeared on his face, and Bella smiled back.
Arriving back at Edward's house, they stepped inside and were greeted by Esme.
"Hello, Edward, Bella, dear. Going off to work on that project?" she asked kindly.
"No, mum, actually we finished that yesterday," Edward explained.
Esme merely raised her eyebrows but lowered her eyes again to her book, before smiling and walking out of the room saying something about going to Carlisle's study.
Bella's eyes landed on the beautiful piano again. She wanted to ask Edward to play for her, but something was stopping her. She didn't know what.
Following Bella's eyes, and as if sensing this internal struggle, he asked quietly, "Can I play for you?"
She beamed. "I would love to hear you play."
Edward smiled and led her over to sit on the bench next to him. He placed his fingers upon the ivory keys and allowed the melody to overtake him. His fingers moved swiftly over the keys, not making any mistakes, allowing the lullaby to play out on its own.
Bella listened to the composition, amazed at its complexity and beauty. Her eyes watered with tears as she listened.
The song he was playing drifted to an end, the final chords shifting into a melancholy key. The last night hovered poignantly in the silence.
"Did you like it?" Edward asked, worried about her silence, and turned to look at her to see her wiping her eyes which tears had leaked from.
"That was beautiful, Edward. I loved it," Bella said sincerely. "Did you write it yourself?" she inquired, curious.
Edward nodded. "You inspired it," he whispered and reached out to wipe a tear that she missed.
They looked into each other's eyes for an immeasurable amount of time, almost as if they could communicate what they were feeling through their eyes alone, before Bella broke the silence, whispering, "Thank you."
Edward smiled a final time before closing the lid of the piano and holding a hand out for Bella's. She took his and he led her upstairs to his room again.
***
Friday arrived with rain pelting to the ground and a chill in the air. Bella shivered as she looked out her back door at the apple tree, waiting for the perfect opportunity to rush out to retrieve an apple. Her arms clutched at her sides, attempting to keep as much warmth in as she could, and watched hopelessly as the tree was assaulted by the cold water falling upon it.
At a noise to her left, she turned her head to see Edward step out of his back door and frown at the rain. He stopped and watched their tree as well, unaware of Bella's presence.
"I've noticed that staring at the tree for a quarter of an hour tends to do nothing for you," Bella called out to him. "Unless I'm missing something crucial."
He looked toward her, surprised that she had been there the whole time, and then smirked. "I'm almost certain that the tree is unable to fling an apple at each of us."
"If only." And Bella rushed into the rain, pulling her black raincoat tight over her head, and picked the closest apple. She didn't want to search for a good one and have to crane her face up to the sky. Despite the protection the leaves offered, some raindrops slipped through the leaves.
Edward appeared, almost at her side but on the opposite side of the fence, and snatched an apple for himself. "May I offer you a ride to school again?" he asked politely, hopefully.
"Yes, thank you."
They met at the front by Edward's Volvo after grabbing their bags in their respective houses. He quickly opened the door for her and helped her in again, trying to let the least amount of rain in as possible.
After reaching the driver's side, he turned the heat up and began the way to school. "Want to come over again after school? The whole gang is – I think Emmett wants to play some strange chess game he and Jasper made up, and apparently my house is best suited for it." Edward laughed, shaking his head.
"Sure. I'd have to complete my homework first, though. I like to get it out of the way."
"Of course," Edward said, turning his head to look at her. "I'll do mine as well."
Edward pulled in to park next to a red BMW M3. Emmett was standing with Rosalie in front of it, next to Alice and Jasper, talking amongst themselves.
"Hey, Bella!" Emmett called. Rosalie glared at her.
"Hi, Bella!" Alice said enthusiastically, hugging Bella around the waist. Jasper smiled as he watched the interaction, and smiled and nodded at Bella, muttering a 'hello'.
"I'll walk you to class," Edward said as the bell rang.
"You don't have to. Don't you have class on the other side of—" Edward cut off Bella's protests.
"I want to. And it doesn't matter; I'll get there in time."
Edward grabbed Bella's hand and they both made their way towards her English classroom. He squeezed her hand again before he parted and she wandered inside in a daze.
The rest of the day passed quickly. Bella sat again with the Cullens and Hales at lunch, and was approached by Mike. She noticed Edward's glare aimed at him.
"Uh, Bella," Mike started, shooting glances to the other occupants of the table. He looked nervous, as if they would just leap towards him and bite him. "The movie tomorrow, it's been changed to a later session."
"What do you mean? Did the others say they can't make it for the earlier one?" Bella asked. She wanted to be home in time to cook Charlie dinner. She had been absent for the whole week and was beginning to feel guilty for leaving Charlie with very little good quality food. He'd been ordering out most of the time.
"Uh...yeah. That's it. We'll go to the session at seven, ok? Cool." He left without waiting for a response.
Bella frowned and sighed, putting her head in her hands. She was beginning to regret agreeing to go on the outing. She hadn't even spoken to Angela about what they were seeing or anything.
"Are you sure you want to go, Bella. Surely you can call him up tomorrow and pass yourself off as sick?" Edward grinned, a mischievous glint in his eye.
She chuckled. "As appealing as that sounds, I really don't want to let them down. I've already agreed, and I don't want to break my word."
"How noble," Rosalie sneered quietly, almost as if to herself.
Edward hissed something quietly to her, receiving a quick glare from her, which dissipated until she was looking back at the cafeteria wall with a mask of indifference.
He turned back to Bella and smiled apologetically.
That afternoon, Alice had spoken more to Bella, and despite their obvious differences in demeanours, they got on very well. Bella knew for certain that they'd be very close friends.
Emmett and Jasper played with chessboards and chess pieces pulled out from Carlisle's study – and Bella finally understood why the wanted to play it at Edward's house. Alice and Rose discussed fashion and Edward and Bella worked on their homework. Esme brought out some snacks soon after they started, and for that Bella was grateful.
Soon it was getting dark and Bella heard the wheels of Charlie's car pull into their driveway. Edward and her had finished their homework a little while beforehand and were spending time looking through the books available in the house.
"Darn, I should get back to cook for Charlie. He hasn't been eating well with me out of the house for most of this week." Bella smiled.
"If you want, you can invite Charlie over here for dinner. We'd be happy to have him," Edward suggested.
"No, it's okay. I'm sure Charlie just wants a quiet night. And besides, you guys already have a lot to feed here," Bella said, referring to his cousins and the Hales that had not left the house yet.
"True. Well, I'll see you...Sunday?" Edward verified.
"Yes. See you then, Edward." Before she lost the courage she had gathered, she stood on her tip toes and gave him a peck on the cheek, turning around and heading towards the front door after saying her goodbyes as she blushed. In the corner of her eyes she could see a pink colour on Edward's cheeks.
***
Saturday morning was a day to sleep in a little bit more than usual. Bella sighed as she thought of the day ahead. She wasn't going to see Edward until the next day, and this fact disappointed her.
Noting that Charlie had already left, Bella had a quick breakfast, changed into her jeans and sweater and headed out to the supermarket to purchase food for her to make Charlie for dinner. Charlie usually went out on weekends with a friend of his to the closest place for fishing; it was his favourite pastime. Bella was used to the solitude, though. With Charlie, it was practically like living by yourself.
After she returned home, she wandered around the house, thinking of what to do, before cleaning the bathrooms. Then her room. And the kitchen. Soon she was running out of things to do. She wanted to have more things to do to keep her mind of her green eyed, bronze haired neighbour, but it was next to impossible.
Bella sat down with her tattered copy of Wuthering Heights, something she decided to read again for the fun of it, and soon got absorbed.
--
Edward meandered around his house, trying to pass the time as quick as possible. He would sit and read his book for a while, but would get distracted and move onto another activity. He almost wished he hadn't completed his homework the previous evening, but retracted that thought.
Eventually Edward ended up by his piano. He smiled at it, and gently placed his fingers on the ivory. His fingers danced along the keys, a different melody to that of Bella's lullaby. Esme heard from the other room and walked over to Edward, listening, and placing her hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you," she murmured in appreciation.
--
Bella was broken from her engagement from her book when she heard a rumbling coming from her stomach. She hadn't realised before, but she was ravenous. And Charlie was expected to arrive soon, so she got started on dinner.
Charlie walked through the door not long later and collapsed into his chair at the kitchen table.
"Long day?" Bella asked, noticing his tired expression.
"Yeah. Not a lot of fish out there."
Bella nodded and served up. They ate in comfortable silence until Charlie spoke.
"So you said you were going somewhere tonight?" Charlie looked slightly suspicious as if she had some secret boyfriend she had not told him about.
"Yeah. The group is going – Jess, Angela, Mike, Ben... and others. We're seeing a movie."
"Well, I won't wait up, okay? I'm pretty tired. I'll just see you tomorrow." Charlie knew his daughter was the responsible one, and didn't worry about her misbehaving. "Try not to get in too late."
"Sure, dad. Just get some rest." Bella smiled and began cleaning up as Charlie exited the room.
Grabbing her shoulderbag containing her wallet, she left the house and headed down the dark streets to the cinema, expecting to see at least a few people from her group to be standing there. All she saw was a very happy Mike. He stood alone on the footpath outside the entrance, watching as Bella pulled into a parking spot.
As she got out of her truck and approached Mike, she asked, "Where is everyone else?"
Mike hesitated. "They couldn't come."
But Bella could see right through the lie. "This was never a group thing was it?" She could feel her anger building with every passing moment, but contained it, not wanting to be rude when a sudden outburst would escape from her.
Mike didn't answer, and Bella wanted to hit herself for her naivety.
"Just come see a movie? Please? Since you're already here?" Mike didn't even try to explain himself, but resorted to pleading. But Bella politely nodded, vowing to get herself out of this as soon as possible.
Halfway through the horrid romantic comedy that Mike picked, Bella was already staring blankly at the screen ahead, not taking in what the poorly acted characters were saying. Suddenly Mike stretched and yawned. Maybe Mike is as bored with this movie as I am, Bella thought. But she knew this wasn't true when he placed one of his arms around her shoulders.
Bella turned away so Mike couldn't see her face, and grimaced. She was beyond uncomfortable right now and tried to best way of escape.
"I just need to visit the restroom. I'll be back," Bella whispered to Mike and shot up, heading outside.
She walked into the restroom mirror and sighed. "What am I going to do?"
--
Edward sighed, pacing in his room, and ran this hand through his hair. "What am I going to do?"
Nothing had succeeded in taking his mind off Bella and he had resorted to pacing to let loose some of the energy that had build up.
Edward grabbed a book from a shelf in his room and walked downstairs, heading for the backdoor, and beyond that, their apple tree. He thought that maybe this small connection to her would soothe the ache he had in missing her.
He sat on the overhanging branch that Bella had previously fell from and looked around him. He noticed her house had no lights on. He knew the she was out, with Newton, he thought, growling and feeling the jealousy coursing through his veins. Though he expected her father to be in, at this time. He was probably sleeping, or in the other room.
Edward's eyes moved over to his house. He could see the living room lights coming through the kitchen, knowing Carlisle and Esme were probably together, just enjoying one another's presence. He admired their relationship. They had been together for so long, yet their love only proceeded to grow stronger each day. He hoped for that kind of relationship, hopefully with Bella. He would never want anybody else.
To his left, Bella's backyard was pretty bare. Just grass and a few shrubs and flower pots scattered around. It certainly contrasted to Esme's well maintained garden. She had spent a lot of time working on perfecting every plant, the many flowers she had, and the tall, tree-like shrubs present. It looked beautiful.
Sighing, Edward opened his book and tried to get reading.
--
After a good five minutes, Bella returned to her seat, walking very slowly the whole way up the aisle between the seats and to where she was sitting with Mike. Thankfully, he had dropped his arm to his lap, and seemed very absorbed in the atrocious movie that he didn't notice Bella's return until she sat next to him.
The rest of the movie passed and Bella was grateful that she got to leave. It was already past ten o'clock and Bella was feeling annoyed and tired. But Mike had another idea than going home.
"How about we get something to eat?" he asked hopefully.
"I don't think so, Mike. I think I'm catching something. I feel a little sick," Bella said. She was certainly not a good liar. He face heated up and she avoided eye contact. But Mike took these to be symptoms.
"Wow, you're face is red. I think you may have a fever. Ok, I guess I'll see you at school on Monday. Or later. Get better." Mike waved and left. Bella stood there, biting her lip, feeling bad that she lied.
After about one minute, her annoyance made its reappearance and she mumbled angrily to herself on the drive back home.
"Why, Bella? You could've just talked to the others about it, and they would've confirmed they weren't coming, but no! How could I've been so stupid," she chastised herself. There were many signs – such as Mike's stuttering when mentioning the others. "And Mike! The nerve of him."
She pulled into her driveway and shut off the engine, then rested her head on the steering wheel. A minute passed and she knew what could calm her down. She wanted to have happier thoughts, and she knew a great source.
--
Edward had long gone to bed. He thought that perhaps sleep would consume him and the next day would come quicker. Well, he certainly thought wrong. He'd spent the last two hours tossing and turning, though he did admit that he did head to bed awfully earlier than usual.
He sat up on his bed and ran his hand through his messy hair. He was wearing a pair of flannel pyjama pants and a white t-shirt, and he looked outside, examining the night's calmness. Judging by that, he decided he would be warm enough to go for a walk in the garden. Maybe go to their tree.
Edward walked downstairs silently, in the darkness, walking to the backdoor for the second time that night. Carlisle and Esme had already headed off to their room, and he avoided the creaky stairs to prevent from disturbing them.
Finally making it to the door, he quietly opened it and stepped outside, stretching his arms over his head and breathing in deeply the fresh air.
Bella was sitting on the overhanging branch as she saw Edward exit his home. She reached up and snatched an apple from above her. Examining it, she noticed it was of the perfect shape for an apple, and a perfect red. In her peripheral vision, she saw Edward approaching and she hardly contained her smile.
Bella took a bite of the apple she was holding and looked up to meet his eyes just as he reached the branch. She continued munching on her bite, and held out the apple to Edward. Never losing eye contact, he leaned down and took a small bite and chewed, causing a trickle of apple juice to flow down his chin.
Slowly Bella reached out with her other hand and wiped his chin with her thumb, her eyes following the movement of her hand. Both of their breathing hitched at the contact, and the feelings of warmth, comfort and electricity flowed through.
She sought out his eyes with her own again as she brought her hand to her mouth, licking off the flavour of the apple. His breathing hitched again, watching her lips, and her sensual movements. He wanted her so badly.
Bella and Edward watched each other for a moment before he leaned in to her, gauging her reaction. She smiled and swiftly leaned up and met his lips with her own.
He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her body closer to his. He didn't feel that even that was close enough.
Bella slowly weaved her left hand into Edward's hair, marvelling at its softness, while the other hand, still holding the apple, was slung over his shoulder. She was entranced at the way his lips moved against her own, and she wondered at the perfect feeling.
His tongue touched her lips, and she tilted her head and parted her lips, deepening the kiss. They could taste the apple from one another's mouths, as well as each of their own equally sweet, delicious flavour. They stayed like that for a while, only breaking apart when their lungs were fighting for oxygen.
Edward moved his face so that his lips were still lingering along her skin. He kissed her forehead before taking a small step backwards and flinging himself over the branch, so he was straddling it, facing Bella.
They stared at one another, gazing into each other's eyes, ecstatic at the direction their relationship had headed.
Edward looked at the apple still sitting in her hands, which were limp in her lap, and smiled his crooked smile.
"So...you going to eat that?"
A/N: A one shot. I gave third person a go for something different. Hope you liked it. This was my absolute favourite story to write out of all of them. I'm actually going to miss it.
Also, notice the parts from the Twilight saga? There's also a teeny bit from Midnight Sun. I wanted to get them as in character as I possibly could.
Review please.