So I had a shower and dressed quickly. I found an outfit Alice had bought me a few weeks ago. At the time I dismissed it as totally impractical but I was sure glad of it now. I wore a white cotton gypsy skirt. It sat on my hips, reached just below my knees and swung when I walked. I threw on a brown top with spaghetti straps and my new sandals with it. I considered putting on the bathing suit under my clothes but decided not to. If there was any chance of me tanning today I did not want it ruined by strap lines. So I tossed it in my bag along with the sun cream.

By the time I was dressed my thick hair was practically dry, so I left it hanging loose around my shoulders. I didn't want to deal with the heat of a hairdryer on a day like this.

I ran down the stairs, grabbed my keys and headed out to my truck. I did not stumble once and I was a little miffed that there was no one around to witness my achievement. I backed out of the driveway with my windows rolled down. There wasn't any air conditioning in my truck so I had to make do with the warm breeze blowing in.

And so I sped towards Edwards house. Well I didn't really speed because that was impossible, but I drove as fast as my truck would allow. It still took me longer than I would have liked to reach the mansion. When I pulled up outside my heartbeat quickened in anticipation. I was about to leap out of the cab when I caught a glance of myself in the mirror.

I groaned in disgust. It was only ten o clock and already I looked a mess. My face was shiny and my chest was covered in red blotches. And as for my hair. Well lets just say Monica in Friends had nothing on me when it came to frizz. I didn't ever remember having such problems in Phoenix. But it wasn't so humid there. And I didn't have a family of inhumanly perfect vampires to compare myself to. I tried to push these thoughts aside as I smoothed down my impossible hair. I carefully exited the truck and walked up to the door.

Even though they had told me countless times that I was family and I didn't have to knock I still felt awkward just walking in. Besides they always heard me coming anyway. It was unusual for Edward not to come meet me outside. But then again I never came here when it was so sunny. I knocked on the wooden door hesitantly. There was still no response so I slowly pushed it open and walked in.

That's when I started to get nervous. With the exception of Edward I had never seen the Cullens in the sun. What if I stared too much and made a fool out of myself? But there was no-one in the spacious living area. This was strange. Perhaps I arrived to early? I called out tentatively

"Edward?…Alice?… anybody?"

I was beginning to feel stupid. Either there was no one here or…they were otherwise occupied. I hoped it was the former. I was about to head up to Edwards bedroom to wait, feeling a bit dejected when I spotted another crisp sheet of paper with my name on it. Sheesh. I know letters are more romantic and Edward is an old-fashioned kind of guy bit there are times when a simple call or text would be just as efficient. Not to mention not half as confusing for me. Still, I was a tad excited to open it. It read

Bella,

Sorry to leave you guessing. Everyone else is gone hunting. I'm waiting for you in the backyard.

Love Edward.

I near ran out to the back of the house. Searching through the glass panes for Edward, expecting to see him glinting off the glass. I couldn't help but scoff at his use of the word yard. The vast expanse of land around the house varied from perfectly manicured lawns and flowerbeds to rugged wilderness. It was a lot of thing but it was not a yard. To my mind a yard was for patchy grass with various items discarded on it.

As I opened the glass door I saw Edward at the end of the garden. He could have been a marble statue on the lawn. He just looked perfect, sprawled under a tree. He was reading a leather bound book and had a cute look of concentration on his face. I was momentarily disappointed because he was in the shade. His skin only glimmered slightly and I was anticipating seeing him in as he really was in the sun.

He glanced towards me then and a brilliant smile lit up his whole face, making his prefect features even more beautiful than I imagined was possible. It made my heart soar to see him so happy and made me feel so…loved. He was usually so guarded so to see him act in the carefree as he was lately was better than any other sight.

He did not move to meet me. Instead he stretched open his arms for me as I ran the last few steps to close the gap between us. I practically fell into his waiting arms and he pulled me close to him. His cool skin was a welcome relief from the stifling heat.

"Hello love, I've missed you" he said and I felt his cold breath against my neck. Though it had been mere hours since we had last seen each other I knew exactly what he meant. Time passed painfully slowly when we were apart. I was so lost in his arms the only response I could form was

"Mmm. I know. Hi"

He chuckled lightly and kissed my flushed cheek. This did not help in my attempt to form coherent sentences. I did not have a lot of experience but to my knowledge a swift kiss like that from Edward was a thousand times hotter than a make-out session with anybody else. He had such an effect on me, I couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like when we could really be together.

"So Bella" he tried again to converse with me. "What would you like to do today?"

This was a tricky one. Obviously the usual sunny day pursuits like the beach weren't really open to us. And I certainly didn't want to make him think he was holding me back. So I simply told him

"Just lie here with you"

It was the truth anyway and it brought that brilliant smile back to his glorious face.

Sometimes it was nice just to lie with him, with no need for words. It was comfortable and I knew Edward appreciated it immensely. I was the only person he could relax with and not be bombarded with a constant stream of thoughts.

"Sounds wonderful" he replied.

I looked around then and noticed that of course he had made preparations for our day. We were lying on a soft blanket. It was large, pale blue and I was no expert but it appeared to be cashmere. That struck me as wasteful to throw it on the ground. But I was doing my best to get used to the Cullens casual attitude to money. There were some books, a small radio and a wicker basket strewn on the far side of the blanket. He passed me one book.

"Alice said to give this to you"

I examined the cover. It was a novel, one of last years bestsellers that I had read a review of. I hadn't been to a decent bookshop since but Alice must have ordered it for me.

"Not your usual style" he mused. "You usually go for the classics"

"There's nothing wrong with trying something modern every now and then" I replied.

"That is absolutely true" He had a glint in his eye as he said this and I got the distinct impression we weren't talking about novels anymore.

I couldn't think of a witty reply. I was also anxious to start my new book so sat up for a second to get more comfortable. Edward looked wounded for a second until I lay back down with my head on his stomach., my body facing the opposite direction to him. He seemed to want to stay in the shade but I wanted to make the most of the sun.

The sun was high in the sky above us. It was strange to see blue skies, compared to the grey I had grown accustomed to. We picked up our books and began to read. I was squinting from the glare until Edward passed me a large pair of black sunglasses with silver letters on the side. They were definitely designer and expensive. I looked at him accusingly. He knew I hated him spending money on me, especially for things I was highly likely to sit on and break.

"Alice again. Sorry" he said, though he did not look the slightest bit apologetic.

I settled back down and continued reading.

We lay back down and became engrossed in the book. It was a story of love against all odds and I couldn't help but think of Edward and I. But this couple were more…physical than us and I felt myself getting embarrassed as I read about it. A bit ridiculous I felt since I was about to get married but I couldn't help it. Edward interrupted my reverie then.

"Bella. You're going red!" he exclaimed.

Oh God! Could he see what I was reading?

But he was gesturing to my arms. Oh he meant from the sun. But I was furiously blushing on top of it. I snapped the book shut and prayed he wouldn't notice.

"Did you not put on the sunblock?" he asked as he pulled me back into the shade.

I had to admit I forgot and began to fish in my bag for it. I pulled out the plastic bottle. I was so flustered I dropped it.

Edwards hand shot out at lightning speed and caught it before it hit the ground. I held out my hand to him but he did not pass it back to me as I expected. He looked at the bottle then looked back at me. My face was flaming now. A mischievous smile played on his lips and he said seductively

"Allow me"

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