The Bittersweet © 2017 by Starling Knight. All rights reserved.
Chapter 7 SEAL
After breakfast we sat down on the couch to watch a movie. I sat pressed against his side, and he had his arm around me, the way I had always dreamed a boyfriend would if I could have one. We had agreed to a relationship, sort of. I had no idea how it was going to work, but the fact we were going to try made me happy.
"I'm surprised you're a good cook." I joked.
"Well I'm not just pretty," he said, sweeping his hair back with his hand.
"I stand corrected."
"I had lots of free time before and so I just busied myself." He admitted.
"Was that piano in Carlisle's house yours?"
"Yes, well, it was my mother's and she taught me. My dad always told me he was happy that I played and that I loved playing it. He didn't care if I was a boy or girl or decided to change sex or my sexuality, he just wanted me to be more like my mom. He always thought my mother was perfect and now I understand why," He said, then turned to look at me then traced my jaw with his knuckle.
"You're absolutely perfect. You bring Aphrodite to shame, you're the vision that God modeled Eve after, you're the light that would make a blind man cry,"
"...what?"
"Is it okay if I kiss you?" He said, his eyes staring intensely into mine.
"...please do," He casted his eyes downwards. I was nervous, I would have to lean in as well. My lips parted and he lowered his face, closer. I moved mine by a centimeter.
The 'slowly leaning forward' was painstakingly slow, so when our lips touched we clung desperately to each other. It's been such a roller coaster, and yet I never felt so grounded.
This time it was different. It wasn't stolen. A seal. We were allowing ourselves to indulge in something forbidden, something we were afraid that we would become addicted to. He wrapped an arm around me, his hand pressed on my back, and laid me on the couch, his body hovering over mine at arm's length. Even though I was under him, his body language let me know I was the ruler.
"...deliver us from evil, amen..." I heard him whisper. We kissed until we were breathless and were pulling at each others clothes and it was difficult to restrain ourselves.
"Maybe we should stop..." I said.
"Mmmm..."
"Edward...I'm eighteen..."
"Then it's legal..." I chuckled and spanked his ass. He reluctantly sat back and pulled me up.
"Does the age difference doesn't matter to you?" He asked.
"Ten years? Nah. The fact that you look good for your age helps." He pushed my face away.
"But you're right. We shouldn't go that far. At least, not yet." We were silent for a moment.
"So what's happened since you decided to kidnap me, Volturi's men-wise?" I asked.
"They're sniffing around, my men are standing guard at your parent's place, laying low so they don't attract attention to themselves."
"Mmm. Are you planning on...hiting them at the source?"
"...you would do that?" He asked with a mischevious smile.
"If I could."
"Well, I can't. You can't. I will kill them one by one if I had to, to give you your life back." My heartbeat uncomfortably.
"It's the only way, right?"
"Right. Do you...want ice cream? It's home-made."
"Do you churn your own butter too?" He grin and pushed himself off the couch. Moments later he was back with two bowls and three scoops of vanilla in each. I smiled, remembering that it was his favorite.
"What's it like to be a normal teenager?" He asked suddenly.
"Um...I don't think I can give you a reliable answer."
"What do you mean?"
"I never had friends. I don't know why and I don't know if it's me but I just never fit in and not everyone accepts the reality that everyone is different, that everyone is the way they are for a reason, that the world needs them that way. I believe that's the reason why everyone is the way they are. I am too different."
"I think you're perfect." He said to me. My cheeks tingled.
"Perfect for you. I wouldn't judge anyone because I don't know everything, and that includes you. And I don't mean I'm the only one out there for you, I don't think of myself so highly, I'm just saying I'm not."
"You definitely are. Perfectly imperfect. I'm the lumpy one out of the two of us." He said. I smiled.
"Lumps are great. Who doesn't like lumpy mashed potatoes?"
"I've been thinking," I started, as he put in another movie. "Your sisters go to school, so...I should be able to too. They wouldn't be if it wasn't safe."
"It's different."
"Not really. I do need to finish high school. It's my last year, it's nearly over-if I don't finish, I'll get left back and will have to start the year over."
"I know education is important. I'll think about it alright?"
"...m'kay."
Later, Jacob joined us after for a movie binge. Apparently Jacob was the only one he allowed to be so close to him.
"So how did you get into all this?" I asked him while Edward was away.
"I needed cash fast and Edward let me in. It wasn't easy. It took over a year to move up the ranks, earn his absolute trust and become his body guard."
"As simple as that, you needed cash?"
"As simple as that." I decided not to ask what it was for.
"And how did you and Edward became friends?"
"I was just myself and opened to him about lots of stuff. After a while he joined in. He even helped me come up with something to grab the fro-yo girl's attention."
"Hmm, sounds like him,"
"Yeah," He agreed. "And you're doing okay with everything that's being going on in your life lately?"
That took me aback a little. People just didn't get personal so fast, even though I kinda did just now.
"He's good to me if that's what you mean."
"I just asked because I know he has a temper."
"Yeah, I know."
At some point I zonked out and was slightly awake late in the night when Edward was apparently carrying me to bed. I just closed my eyes again and felt the softness of the pillow and bed under me. Tired, I layed there trying to get back to sleep, but when I couldn't, I looked for Edward in the room since I hadn't heard him leave. I blinked twice and indeed Edward was in a chair in the corner just staring.
"What?" I mumbled.
"Nothing. I'm just thinking."
"Pretty boys weren't made to think. Your head's gonna implode." I said and snorted. I slid out of bed and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth.
"It's one thing to hear yourself brush your teeth. It's another thing entirely to hear someone else do it."
"Well...I know I don't know your family very well but I'm sure they wouldn't have minded if you lived in their basement."
"I don't want to hear Emmett brush his teeth. It's different with you." I stepped out and put my hands on my hips.
"Oh really?"
"It's part of a 'woman's touch' in the home."
"Damn, you really are twenty eight..." I sat on the ottoman in front of the bed.
"I was thinking about what you said." He continued.
"I've said lots of things." I said with a smile, pretending that I had forgotten though I didn't know what he was referring to either.
"About finishing high school." My smile faded.
"And?"
"I-looking at you sleep I saw how young you were and where you really belonged so...I started searching for a school." He sighed. "Maybe when winter break is over." My smile came back at full force.
"But you'll have to agree to a few things," He said holding up a finger.
"Okay...?"
"You have to wear a blond wig, go by a different name, and Jacob will take you to and from school, right at the door. You are to go straight to class, and straight to the car afterwards." I nodded slowly. Those are reasonable...?
"You can't tell anyone about what's really going on and you can't go over to someone's house." Obviously, I'm technically kidnapped.
"And it's a uniform school. It's a catholic school." I scrunched my face in disgust.
"What?" I complained.
"Nuns are the teachers, it's in a convent and...the whole bit." He added.
"No no no no NO! The uniforms are okay but not the convent, are you kidding me?!" I screamed, pushing myself off my seat.
"You wanna go to school, it's to be on my own terms." He said leaning back, his fingertips touching each other.
"But not a convent! Are you out of your fucking mind?!"
"James will go after you in a public school, I know how easy it is to kidnap someone in those circumstances!"
"Then make it a private school but not a convent!" We stood face to face, my head was slightly tilted up, both of us trying to keep our voices down.
"If I find one." He walked past me and out the door of the tower.
"A convent, are you fucking kidding me." I grumbled. "How the hell is this mouth going to go to a fucking catholic school?!" I yelled after him. I soon heard the sound of the door closing and the turn of the key in the lock.
I don't know where he went, but I settled in the couch with a big bowl of cereal. I flipped through the channels to check out the news and see if there was anything else about me, but there was nothing. I watched a few good shows I found on a channels I had never used 'til morning. There weren't any news updates then either. It's only been five days but I'm afraid mom and dad think I'm dead and will stop looking for me.
At around breakfast time, Edward came back in the same clothes as yesterday.
"You stayed up all night?" He said closing the door behind him.
"You stayed up all night,"
"You can't do that on a school night."
"Tsk."
"Alright, let's get down to it." He said sat next to me.
"What?" He laid out some printed papers on the coffee table.
"Here's five schools that meets my criteria that you can pick from. And no convents."
Half of the schools were in old stone buildings, the rest in modern wood and metal architecture. The rest of the pages were of the grounds, shrubbery a consistent aspect, and uniforms. I looked up at him and then back down. At least I have my choice of a uniform-Sailor, no way. Sweater dress, nope, uh-no plaid skirts...
I was torn between a short frilly skirt and blazer, and a set of a skirt with over-the-knee stockings, sweater and white blouse.
"One of these two." I said. He picked up the papers containing the photos.
"This one, the cover is great." Blazer it is.
"I'll set it up and the uniform should be here soon after." I laid my hand on his, something that I never did to anyone to be honest.
"Thank you Edward,"
"Your welcome. I'm glad we could come to a compromise."
"Look at us, sounding like an actual couple."
"There's just one more thing," He said watching my face.
"You can't try to contact your family or run away...or fall in love with a boy." There's the captor I know.
"I know I'm not supposed to talk to my parents, as much as it kills me. I'm not selfish enough to put my family in the line of fire. As for boys? I don't make it a habit to talk to the opposite sex unnecessarily." He smiled and kissed me quickly.
"Good." He got up to go to the kitchen. The kisses still felt like the first, tingly and new, and I think it always will. Can't fall in love with a boy...But I should probably just stick to one.
"So what's for lunch chef Masen?" I called.
"I'm afraid I have to step out for the day. Work related."
"Oh. Okay..." I was going to jokingly ask is he was going to make deals or whack someone but decided not to. He reappeared with a cup of coffee in his hand.
"But I'll be back tonight, just don't wait to eat dinner with me." He kissed my forehead and left again.
So what do I do now?
I busied myself by tidying up the place, that didn't take long anyway. Edward probably told all his men they weren't allowed to come up so it was 100% quiet and lonely.
If I had a laptop I could be entertained forever but noooo.
If Edward learned to be a great cook, then maybe I could become a good baker at the very least.
Does he have to lock the door? With this much minutemen, I'm obviously not going anywhere.
There aren't any windows, I realized.
After a very long time, I went to cook lunch. It's boring as hell, but at least I'll be back in school soon and have homework taking up my time. Great, I actually want homework. I must be going crazy.
