IMPORTANT:
Last chapter, Bella talked about Alice. Now, that character has been changed to Rosalie. Please take note of this!
I'm sorry if this chapter is short. Desperate Housewives is on tonight, and it's really important that I watch it, because it's my favorite show in the whole wide wordl
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"Our American values are not luxuries but necessities—not the salt in our bread, but the bread itself. Our common vision of a free and just society is our greatest source of cohesion at home and strength abroad—greater than the bounty of our material blessings."
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"How are you doing?" Edward whispered in my ear as we slow danced in front of what felt like the entire nation. And thanks to all the cameras pointed at us, that was exactly what we were doing. It was another painful reminder that it wasn't just about us anymore.
"I'm good. You?" I murmured, playing with the silken hair on the nape of neck with my fingers. He shrugged his shoulders and gently brushed his nose up against mine.
His eyes were dark and brooding, but his body was no longer tense like it had been earlier. Today was such a big day for the both of us, and it wasn't really getting any easier. Being President of the United States wasn't supposed to make you a celebrity, but that was exactly what was happening. It was a surreal experience, being on the covers of magazines and tabloids. I could deal with the media scrutiny to a point, but not this much. I wasn't supposed to be a celebrity.
Edward always said that it came with the territory. He said that being the face of the nation meant making sacrifices. So I gave up a lot. I left my friends, family, job, and home in New York City and basically became dedicated to helping with the campaign in any way that I could. I went to all the rallies, all the speeches, and all the dinners. I stayed up late with Edward and some of his speech advisors until his speeches were absolutely perfect, and I worked harder on my appearance than I ever had before. I had gone from a size six to a size ten in that time, but I had never found the time to work on that, so I just tried to wear things that highlighted my figure.
It was weird being compared to Jackie Kennedy style wise…and it was also a huge compliment. Rosalie was over the moon about it, and kept getting me more and more designer dresses. I wished that Edward would take a greater notice- but there were so much more important things that he had to worry about.
By the time we made all our appearances that night and finally got back to the White House, it was past three in the morning and Edward and I were both exhausted. But it was hard to fall asleep in the White House…it didn't feel like home to me. Edward didn't seem to have any problems; he fell asleep within minutes while I lay awake, deep in thought.
I couldn't believe this was happening. Even after the election, things just hadn't seemed real. But now that I was here, sleeping in the White House, I had never been more afraid of the future. Edward was forty years old, and I didn't want to see him worn down by four stressful years in office. But he loved this. He loved politics, for some reason. Even when the press and his opponents tried to tear him apart, he somehow still managed to get out alive. I didn't understand how he did it. If I were Edward, I would have fallen apart after the first drop in polls. But no. He was strong, and he always had been and always would be.
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I woke up to an empty bed, which wasn't uncommon these days. I sighed heavily and rolled out of the bed. I put on the black dress Rosalie had left hanging on my closet door the night before, and then put my shoes on as well. After running a brush through my hair and making myself look a little more presentable, I was able to head downstairs and get some breakfast.
Edward was already seated at the table, skimming the newspaper, eating an omelet, and talking to a tiny brunette woman I had never seen before. I walked into the room and smiled brightly, kissing Edward on the lips as I walked past him and sat down in my chair.
"Good morning." I said cheerfully, smiling even wider when my breakfast was set right in front of me.
"Morning, love." Edward said with a warm smile, and then turned back to the brunette woman. "Oh, Bella, this is Alice Brandon. She's my, well, our new publicist." He said, and Alice smiled sweetly at me.
"It's nice to meet you." She said in a sickly sweet voice. She leaned forward slightly and gave both Edward and I an eyeful of her cleavage, and then looked down at the papers in her hand. "Well, that's all I needed." She said, straightening up. Thank you, Mr. President." She said formally, and then walked out of the room, nodding politely at me as she passed.
I watched her go, and then turned back to Edward. "She's a publicist?" I questioned, and Edward nodded his head. "She seems…young." I noted.
"I think she's around twenty nine or so, but she's supposedly quite good at what she does." Edward said, and I shrugged my shoulders. "I've got to leave in about an hour or so with Alice. You'll meet us at the luncheon around noon, alright?"
This was what it was going to be like. Endless luncheons, parties, dinners, functions, meetings, and appearances.
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My show is on. Leave me!
And please review!
Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie
