It took me a moment to register where I was but a weight across my chest confirmed that it hadn't all been a crazy dream and I was indeed in Bella's bed. I hadn't intended to be, I had meant it when I told her I needed to take things slowly, but it was impossible to stay away.
After dinner the previous night I had summoned all my strength to send her home alone in spite of her best efforts yet rather than taking my own advice and heading to my place I drove around aimlessly for a long time, repeatedly passing by her block. By 2am I could take it no longer, slamming my breaks on, not caring about the time or giving any thought to disturbing Bella's sleep.
I'd be lying if I said she was a beautiful sleeper. Although her features were utterly perfect to me, her mouth hung upon and there felt to be a damp patch where she had drooled onto my chest. And she snored. Even so, I watched her for a while, enjoying the sated feeling of a man who had just had incredible sex, for a second time, with the woman he'd spent years dreaming of being with.
I eased myself out from underneath Bella's sleeping form, careful not to disturb her - only fair after my late night wake up call - and pulled my clothes on. I'd spotted a cafe just along the street during my drive and ran down there to grab coffees and pastries for us both. Letting myself back in, my arms full of breakfast goods, I found Bella standing in the living area of her apartment, chewing a nail.
"I thought you'd left," she sighed with what seemed to be relief, "is that for me?"
I nodded and handed her a steaming coffee, dropping the bag of pastries onto the sideboard.
"I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye, not now I know about your stalkerish tendencies. I will have to go after breakfast though," I regretfully informed her, sliding my arms around her waist and kissing her neck tenderly.
She pouted childishly, "why? I want you to stay."
"You know there's nothing I'd love more than to spend the day right here, ravishing you but I've promised to meet my brother and sister for lunch."
"Ravishing?" she snorted, "I don't think anybody's ever ravished me before."
"Are you trying to antagonise me Bella? Because I think we both know you've been ravished."
She shrugged, reaching past me to grab a bear claw, taking a huge bite out of it and stepping away. We sat on the couch, joined by Bella's strangely disarming cat - I swear the fluffy little bastard was sizing me up.
"You could come along you know."
"After the Emmett thing? I expect he thinks I'm a psychopath. Besides I'm meeting Jasper."
She explained that the two of them hadn't really spoken since coffee shop-geddon and that she felt 'like a complete douche' for blaming him, especially now things were okay with the two of us.
"Bring him along," I spoke before thinking, remembering too late that I didn't like the guy, not least because Bella had told me the night before that they had dated.
"Really?" she bounced in her seat, "you'd do that for me?"
I realised then that I'd do anything for her. After only two encounters - three if you counted the one she spent under a table - I was falling for her all over again, recalling the feelings I'd had as a teenager, my desperate need to be near her, to make her smile, to, weirdly, smell her hair. If I didn't know better I'd say it was love.
****************
Arriving at the bar earlier than arranged, freshly showered and dressed, I pre-warned Alice and Emmett to play nice. Alice had a tendency to overdo things and I worried she'd have Bella and I married off with three kids before lunch was over and I really didn't want Bella running away in fear of three layered cakes and white puffy dresses.
"Don't worry Edward," she was strangely serious, "I'm as against you rushing things as you are this time." I hadn't told her that I was very much rushing things.
Bella and Jasper arrived together, her looking apprehensive, him like an ass in his fancy 'I'm a big deal' clothes. I strode over to her, kissing the top of her head and weaving an arm around her waist, "they're nice you know."
She whispered back "I know," but looked no less concerned.
Emmett was already leaning across the bar, calling Jasper 'dude' and involving him in some elaborate handshake. So much for brotherly solidarity. I introduced Bella to Alice, who was surprisingly cold.
"Hi, nice to see you again," she pecked Bella on both cheeks without so much as a smile.
"Have we met before?" Bella asked innocently. I didn't really understand why Alice was behaving so strangely, after all she was the one who had encouraged me to go after Bella.
"Of course you wouldn't remember…"
"Let's take a seat," Emmett launched himself over the bar, ignoring the simpler route through the gate, "Rose is cooking up something good out back."
Right on cue Rosalie sashayed in on high heels, carrying a huge dish of lasagna, "thanks for the help Em," she banged the dish down on the table pointedly.
"Shit, sorry. I'll get some forks and whatnot," he dashed off after his wife. There was a moment of total silence, unusual for any situation involving my motormouth sister. She was sat opposite Bella, fiddling with a napkin while fucking Jasper stared at her in a way that suggested he might eat her.
"Did we know each other well in school then?" Bella ventured timidly but obviously doubtful.
"Not at all," Alice replied to the table, clearly with something on her mind.
"So, Alice, what do you do?" I was suddenly glad that Jasper was here.
She lit up, telling him about her job as a Visual Merchandiser, dressing windows for the big department stores in the city. It took the pressure off of Bella until Emmett and Rose returned, laying out cutlery and napkins, Rose serving up huge portions of lasagna.
The group relaxed during dinner although Alice remained curt with my girlfriend - fuck, where had that come from? Girlfriend? - Emmett and Rose focusing on asking Bella about herself while Alice and Jasper were deep in conversation. If that motherfucker was hitting on her…
Rose followed up her main course with a tiramisu that none of us apart from Em could finish and we sat around drinking a new beer he was trialling.
"Alice, is there something up?" Rose, never backwards in coming forwards, demanded, catching Alice shooting Bella another look, "spill."
A/N: Just a short one this time, giving Alice some time to think about what she wants to say! I'd love to hear from you all, it really helps to know what you think - good or bad. As I said last chapter I haven't really planned this baby out so I'd love to know where you think these kids should go...think of it as a semi-Choose Your Own Adventure with sex. Hey! I should patent that idea. EQx