Apologies for the delay; I've been without the Internet the last few days!
Chapter 3
It was a long flight to Lima. In fact, since they didn't get to Seattle until around noon and the flight left mid-afternoon, it was in fact late evening by the time they landed. It took nearly an hour to get through security, get their bags, and find a taxi. It all seemed to Bella to be very normal. Like how the rest of the world travelled. She understood the need for the later flight; it had been blazing sun all day in Lima. Alice had, however, promised a few days of cloud, after which they would head into the mountains. It was winter here, though they were only just south of the equator. There was more likely to be cloud, fog and even rain at higher elevations.
Bella had asked about Machu Picchu, but Alice had dashed her hopes by telling her it was going to be at least partly sunny there for the next seven days.
'You'll get to go one day. I promise! Just think of all the time we can spend travelling after you're changed.'
'Yeah,' Bella agreed, not quite understanding why that didn't sound as exciting as it should. She had been dead set against Edward's idea of 'human experiences', except for this trip, but suddenly the idea that she would not get to see the fabled Incan site until she was a vampire seemed like a disappointment. She tried her best to shake it off.
Bella went to bed immediately after they arrived at the upscale resort hotel. She was too tired to be aware of her surroundings as Edward checked them in and then guided her through the resort to their room. She barely managed to get her shoes off before she collapsed into bed, completely oblivious to his 'what about getting changed?'
Bella woke to birds, sun, a gentle breeze and Edward staring at her. 'Have you been doing that all night?'
He smiled, sweeping aside a lock of hair that had fallen in her eyes. 'As always. It's a lovely morning.'
'Alice said it would be cloudy!' she exclaimed.
'It will be,' he assured her. 'It'll cloud over about mid-morning and then rain most of the afternoon. Not too much though. I think we can still go out and sightsee. It's quite warm.'
Bella sighed. No matter where they went there was going to be rain, apparently.
'Then I should probably get up and have breakfast.'
He looked at her softly, and she lay back down against the mound of pillows the hotel bed had come with. Last night she hadn't even noticed. 'Or I could stay here a bit longer.'
Instead of answering he leaned over to kiss her. At first it was just a gentle good morning, as he usually did, but Bella wouldn't be dissuaded. She kissed back with more intent, surprised when Edward returned it.
The sharp knocking on the door followed by Alice's musical 'You's better not be doing what I see you doing!' interrupted the mood.
Edward laughed, shaking his head. 'Guess I'll have to get used to this. The others have suffered interruptions for years.'
'That's what siblings are for, right?' Bella asked. 'Come in Alice.' She pulled the sheet up over her tiny tank top, which someone must have put her in last night. It wasn't what she'd worn on the plane.
Alice bounced in wearing the brightest floral sundress ever seen, flip flops and sunglasses it's only accessories. 'Good morning! Right, we have seventy-two minutes until it's completely cloudy so that gives you time to shower and have breakfast. Edward can order room service. Then we'll have just over two hours before the rain starts. Enough time to see a bit of the city and then stop for lunch.'
'You have it all planned out, don't you?'
'Always!' She sing-songed the word. 'Get going!'
Bella sighed as soon as the door swung shut. 'Are we going to have some time alone on this trip?'
Edward's face practically lit up. 'Oh yes. As soon as we leave Lima we're heading up to Cusco in the mountains, and she and Jasper are going off for a bit. They'll meet us in Rio. It will be just you and I across Bolivia. Well, you and I and a bus load of tourists.'
'That sounds like heaven,' Bella told him, sincerely meaning it. She groaned as she clawed her way out of bed. Clearly she'd been so tired she hadn't even moved as she slept. She felt stiff and a little sore after the long flight. 'Shower.'
'By all means.'
The shower was an architect's dream of bright tiles and granite corners. Bella tried not to think about how much the room cost per night. She'd promised herself not to ask such questions on this trip. Edward had made a good point: if she couldn't accept the luxury the Cullens tended to travel in, eternity was going to be very long indeed when money always got in the way.
The hot water on her sore muscles felt even better than the place looked. Bella stood under the waterfall until her skin was pink and her fingers wrinkled, trying out each of the bath products provided. Once out in the steamy room she towelled dry and changed into the outfit that had – magically – appeared on the dressing table. Then she took the time to blow her hair dry. It was a silly luxury as it was likely to get wet later in the day again anyways, but it felt nice to pamper herself, however briefly. Maybe they could find a spa somewhere before Rio for a relaxing afternoon. The thought of watching Edward get a mud bath was amusing enough to make her laugh aloud.
'Everything alright?'
Bella giggled at his voice through the door. Speak of the devil…
'I'm fine. Just…thought of something funny,' she said as she opened the door.
'Care to share?' He arched an eyebrow, casually leaning against the decorative pillar outside the door.
'Nope.'
'Well then. Breakfast?' He held out a menu.
Bella snagged it, trying and failing to dance gracefully around his reach. Thankfully, Edward caught her before she stumbled to her bare knees.
'Careful now, I'll have no injuries on this trip.'
Bella shrugged. 'Well, I'll try my best. But you'll have to be there to catch me.'
'Always,' he whispered into her ear, hands tight about her waist. He kissed her hair.
'Do you want me to eat breakfast or not?' she countered, twisting out of his hold. He let her go easily.
'Is this what I'm going to have to put up with for eternity? You've suddenly become a teasing minx!'
Bella stared at him, menu hanging forgotten from her slack fingers. 'Did you just call me a…a minx?'
Edward frowned. 'It's not an insult Bella, I…'
But she was already laughing with a giddy air. 'Seriously. You can be so…so...old sometimes!'
He frowned harder. 'Okay, now that's an insult.'
'Has anyone…' she managed between gasps, 'used 'minx' since the 1920s? Except you?'
'Okay. I'll make a mental note not to use any word invented before 1950 from now on, shall I?' He stepped up to her, taking the menu from her hand and setting it down on the table. 'Not if it's going to result in you laughing at me.'
'It was funny; admit it,' she said, calming down with a smile.
'It is good to see you laugh,' he reasoned, and kissed her again.
'Keep using words like that and I promise to keep laughing. Now, I'm hungry and Alice will get mad if she comes back and finds we aren't ready.'
Sighing, Edward let her go, handing the menu back. 'I hate when you're right.'
Grinning, Bella stuck her tongue out at him. 'Better get used to it!'
She moved away from him and over to the room phone, but still managed to hear his muttered 'that's what I was afraid of.'
xxx
An hour later, ready and fed, they met Alice and Jasper in the breathtakingly beautiful lobby. Now fully awake, Bella could truly appreciate how expensive a resort they were staying in.
Edward was eyeing her knowingly.
'I'm not saying it,' she countered.
'But you're thinking it.'
'But I'm not staying it. So that's a step, right? By the time we get to the island, I promise to stop making wide-eyed looks at really expensive things.'
'Right,' he said, which clearly meant the opposite.
'Come on!' Alice whined, every bit the five-year old she hadn't been in a century. 'Cloudy now! Raining soon!'
Edward and Bella shared a look of complete understanding. Jasper just sighed.
Alice clearly had a game plan. A game plan that included three museums, an art gallery, five historical building facades and the harbour. She only stopped for lunch when Edward reminded her that yes, Bella was still human. She needed food.
'Not for much longer,' Alice said, grinning like she hadn't just announced her soon-to-be sister would soon be a blood-craving vampire.
'Don't bother.' Said human stopped her fiancé before he could retaliate. 'Not worth it. Besides, she's right.'
'That doesn't mean she has to be so…gleeful about your death.'
Bella arched an eyebrow because were they really having this conversation again?
'I'll stop.'
'Thank you.'
Afterwards there was more architecture, more beauty, more everything that Alice wanted to see. Apparently she had never been to Peru. And she promised more the next day. 'But then we're off to Cusco and you'll absolutely love it Bella! It's up in the mountains on the way to Bolivia. It'll be amazing.'
'I'm sure it will.' Hopefully it will also be a whole hell of a lot smaller to walk around. And have a few less cultural aspects for Alice to drag them to. Even Edward was looking tired; or as tired as a vampire could look. Though Bella hadn't been looking forward to the rain, being wet actually felt nice when it was hot and humid outside. Still, she wanted the air conditioning in the suite and a shower. And dinner. Walking was really hard work when she was used to driving almost everywhere. Or being driven.
Her legs made it well known the next day too. 'Do we have to go sightseeing again?' was the first thing Bella asked Edward the next morning. It was cloudy and slightly wet again.
'No. We don't have to do anything you don't want to do, you should know that. Alice doesn't always need to get her way.'
The phone rang. Edward answered it with an exasperated 'Alice….'.
There was a brief pause. 'Yes, I'll tell her. Have a good day.' He turned to Bella, still lying tangled in the bed sheets, hair in disarray and entirely too much for him to handle. Soon, very soon, he had to remind himself. 'How does a day at the spa sound?' he asked her.
'The closest to heaven I'm likely to ever get,' she replied.
Edward decided to ignore that reference.
