DISCLAIMER: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and its characters.
CHAPTER 7:
EPOV
I stopped breathing. Just one word fell from her mouth.
"Maf…iiaa?"
I've stood at gun points, dodged bullets, and survived death like conditions. But not once in those situations have I felt a terror like this. I felt like I was floating in empty space without a tether to hold me on. Is this how it feels like to have a broken heart? I felt like mine would.
Her normally clear face was now clouded with several emotions. It was as if her mind was waging a war inside. Why? I didn't know. She seemed to be in a state of shock and I was scared all of a sudden.
Would this be it? If Bella decided never to see me again, would I have the strength to walk away? Most importantly, would I? I would no longer be a part of her life. She might move on from me, not that there is something solid between us. After all, we only kissed a handful of times. And I doubt it meant something for her. I mean, I knew it was some of the most precious moments of my life, but I wasn't sure what Bella felt about those kisses. Did she think I just kissed her for fun? For time pass? Did she have a grasp on how deep rooted her position is in my heart?
I had no fucking clue. And as I thought about how she would find someone else, white hot fury bubbled up in me. I would rip that motherfucker into pieces. No one touches her but me. No one gets to kiss her like that but me. She is mine!
Whoa! For the first time in my life, I knew what it felt like to be possessive of someone. And by the looks of it, it's gonna blow up in my face.
Anxiously, I looked at my father for advice. I didn't know what to do.
He was calm despite the circumstances, and he just shook his head and mouthed "Give her some time."
I nodded and once more, faced Bella. Even like this, she was beautiful. There was no hint of make up on her. Girls like Bella were rare. I knew it the first time I saw her, and even in my inebriated state I saw a beauty in her that was rare. And, as she tried to digest the information my father gave her, I was scared that this was it.
She blinked and fixed her gaze on me. In that second I decided, I was doomed. Because in her beautiful chocolate orbs, I was able to detect a single emotion: panic. I could see that she felt as if she wanted to be anywhere but here.
"Bella….. I know it's a lot to take in. But I swear baby, that I will never hurt you. Please know that. Just say something Bella….. I know what you are thinking. I am a monster Bella. But one thing I am incapable of, is hurting you….."
Her expression changed so quickly that I would have missed it had I not been staring at her. Her face was clouded with fury that could rival mine, and that is saying something. I wondered what made her so angry. Was she angry at me for putting her in this position? Was it because she hated who I was? The monster I am?
"Monster?" she snarled.
I flinched back at the venom in her voice. She was poised to strike and her body went into defensive mode. Maybe she was angry that I was a huge monster and wanted to attack me? A wave of crushing grief enveloped me. I could no longer look at her face. Instead I looked down and said,
"Yes Bella. I know you are disgusted with me, as you should be and all I …."
I couldn't finish my sentence because suddenly, my lips were too busy. Why, you ask? Because Bella's lips were on mine.
Yup. You heard it right. Bella was kissing me. I was ready for a million different outcomes. My mind was plagued with a variety of worst case scenarios that I came up with myself. I imagined her getting angry, maybe scared, or even disgusted. But never ever in a million years did I imagine this sort of response. And as a result I was unprepared.
But as her lips began retreating from mine, I jolted back and took control. With both my hands I lifted her off from her seat to my lap and began kissing her.
I don't know what evoked this sort of response from her but hell if I waste this. I made use of the opportunity that presented itself to me. My hands tightened around her and I crushed her to my chest. My lips were on fire, literally. We both fought for dominance and in the end I won. Using my tongue, I traced her bottom lips and begged for entry. She quickly opened her mouth and our tongues started dancing together.
In the distance, I heard the door slamming close. I guess Carlisle was giving us privacy. Without wasting another second, I lifted her up and carried her to the couch nearby and lowered the both of us. She was now lying underneath me with my right leg between both of hers. My hands of their own accord lifted up her shirt and were tracing her bra. I slowly edged my hand upwards and traced her curve. She shivered slightly and looked up at me.
"Edward Cullen, you are not a monster. And if I ever hear you saying that again, I will kick your cute butt." She growled.
I was shocked. That was what made her angry? She was angry not because I was a soulless monster who claimed lives but because I referred to myself as a monster.
She will never cease to amaze me.
"But… I thought….. Aren't you scared Bella?"
"Honestly?" I nodded. "No, Edward I am not. I know you won't hurt me. I trust you."
In those three simple words, she had me forever. She trusted me. This angel trusted me, and I vowed in that moment that I would never let her down. If she'd let me, I would take care of her in every way possible. I would spend the rest of my life proving my undying devotion towards this angel. For the first time in my life, I felt at peace.
Bella and I were currently sitting in the sofa discussing about my life. We never left Carlisle's study. There were a lot of things to know about each other and if we were to be in a serious relationship, we had to ensure that there were no secrets between us. By now, I already knew several aspects of my angel's life, like she was an only child and that my angel had a very advanced brain than the rest of her peers. I wasn't surprised that she graduated early from high school. Despite being so beautiful in and out, my Bella had a sharp brain.
I could see the glint in her eyes when I talked about the many software programs that Jasper, as the head of security, ran here. I smiled internally. I kept that piece of information stored in my mind.
She, in turn, asked me about how the entire thing works and about my position. She sat there listening patiently about everything that I had to say and never flinched at the gory details that I provided her with. I added a new quality to the list of qualities that she possessed. She was a strong woman.
In short, I was a very happy man. I had my woman in my arms and she knew each and every inch of me but still cared enough to be with me. The conversation took on a lighter note and I enquired her of her favorite color, food, movies, anything that I could come up with.
"Edward?" she asked gently. We were lying down on the couch with her on top of me. I was cradling her against my chest.
"Yes, angel?" I lightly stroked her beautiful cheeks that flooded with color as I did so.
"Umm…. What are we Edward? I mean, I know that I really care for you and you said that you do too and, well… I just wanted to clear this up and I don't exactly want you to label this or anything but…" she kept on rambling. Frankly, it was too cute but I decided to clear it up.
I smiled gently and kissed her ruby red lips ardently. A few moments later when we came up for air, I decided to get this show on road. After placing her on couch in a sitting position, I kneeled down beside her and took her hand.
"Isabella Marie Swan?"
"Yyy….eess?" I could see her lips trembling and eyes watering with what I hoped were happiness.
"From the very first moment I saw you I knew you were no ordinary woman. You have captured my attention like no other. And the first time I looked into your glowing chocolate orbs, I knew right there and then that you were the one for me. I was scared of telling you exactly what I feel for you in fear of scaring you away. But now that I'm sure about your affection towards me, I have to tell you Bella that I am unconditionally and irrevocably in love with you. Will you do me the extreme honor of being your boyfriend, your soul mate, your other half so that I may cherish you for years to come?" I finished my speech.
Believe me when I tell you that I wanted to give her a different kind of proposal. But I think she already had enough for today. Before Bella, I was someone who shied away from the concept of marriage. But now, all I could think about was her walking down the aisle towards me to be mine forever.
And oh! Did I love her. It was now that I could actually give a name to this nagging feeling in me. The confusion that I was feeling, the longing I felt when Bella was away from me, the hope that crept in me whenever she smiled….. It was love. I can't believe that me, Edward Cullen had fallen in love. It was an amazing feeling. And I hoped as hell that she returned it.
She was openly crying now. But I wasn't alarmed. Because on her face was a smile that could rival the sun. She was beaming at me with uncontained emotions and this gave me hope.
"Oh Edward!" she flung herself at me. I caught her easily and held her tightly in my grasp. I am never letting you go my dear angel, I thought.
"I …. I love you too. I don't know how or when but I am in love with you Edward Anthony Masen Cullen." She said.
I don't know how long we stared at each other, both smiling like utter fools in love, but our moment was interrupted with a knock on the door.
We both turned our heads to see Esme standing at the door with a brilliant smile on her face. She took in our positions and her smile widened even further, which I thought wasn't possible.
"It's been hours, so I thought you might be hungry. Lunch time is almost over and we were waiting for you." My mother said.
"Oh I'm so sorry Esme, I hope we didn't keep you guys waiting." My angel said worriedly.
"Oh hush, darling. It was nothing. Now I need to feed you two. I am pretty sure you didn't eat much in the morning. So come now."
"I am so feeling the love, Ma." I muttered childishly.
"Oh baby, I love you too. Now hurry up before Emmet eats all the food." We laughed at that. She quickly went downstairs.
I stood up and held my hand for Bella to take. She put her hand in mine and we trudged downstairs.
"Oh I should warn you, Emmet could be a bitch. He has never seen me showing so much emotion in the past….. well, forever, so he might tease you a lot about that. Just don't mind that goofball."
"I can take him." She said defiantly and jutted her chin.
"I am so proud of you baby." I purred and kissed her on the throat.
A loud wolf whistle shook us out of our personal bubble. Ah, Emmet. I sighed internally.
"Whooo! Looks like Eddie's getting some." He boomed. By now we reached the foot of the stairs and it looked as if Emmet was waiting for us.
"So Bella bee, how do you feel to be the one who cracked the mighty Edward?" he asked pretending to hold a mic towards her.
I pinched the bridge of my nose in irritation. But Bella being the beautiful angel that she was, squeezed my hand and let it go. She then tapped her finger on her chin pretending to be thinking and said
"Like Steve Jobs, but only without the apple."
The poor guy looked confused as hell. I could see my family members suppressing their laughs as was I. When it came to muscles, Emmet is the man. But general knowledge? Not so much.
"Huh! I thought it was that Newton guy who liked apple?" he scratched his head.
At this our whole family lost it and started laughing. And when I say everyone, I meant Bella too. She was a part of my family too.
"Em, she was talking about the man who made the i-phone." Jasper wheezed.
"You know what that reminds me of?" Emmet asked.
"What?" we chorused.
"Mom's apple pie that she made for lunch! Come on guys! I am starving."
With that we all went to the dining room where everything was setup. The table was lined with a variety of food, courtesy of Esme. She loved cooking and it was absolutely heavenly. I took a seat next to the Carlisle and Esme, who sat at the head of the table. Bella sat on my right side. Emmet sat opposite to me and Rosalie was sitting beside him. Alice sat with Bella on her right and Jasper took a seat next to her.
I looked around me and saw a future that was worth living. All the people whom I loved and who loved me were here and I basked in the happiness that I felt in this single moment. I kissed Bella's cheeks slightly and dug in.
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So there you have it. Chapter 7. I apologize if there are any grammatical mistakes. Please review and let me know what you think. ;)
Love,
Blooms at night x
