Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. The original characters, content and ideas of this story are mine.
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And, now chapter 8…
Beta'd by the talented princess07890
Chapter 8
Good Morning Sunshine
BPOV
I felt cozy and warm, and the smell of something delicious assaulted my nose. I could feel a light breeze and something soft, like a feather, brushing gently against my face. I smiled to myself, because I couldn't remember the last time that I felt so relaxed and at peace; then I heard his voice. At first I thought it was a wonderful dream. Yes, I was dreaming that Edward was calling my name. What a beautiful sound it was.
"Bella, wake up, please, there is someone coming in your front door!"
I jolted up, hearing the panic in Edward's voice and realized I was dreaming about Edward, but he was also really here, calling my name.
"Huh, what? Edward, where's your shirt?" I asked him as I tried to get my bearings while sitting up on both elbows. My eyes were fixated on Edward's perfect, smooth, and muscular chest that was only inches away from my face because he was leaning over me.
"I slept without it, but there is someone coming…" He trailed off.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" That would be my best friend, Alice.
"Well, good morning to you too, sunshine. It looks like somebody feels much better!" Yeah, and that would be my other best friend, Tanya.
My two best friends stood there by my bedroom door both with their arms crossed over their chests. It was at that moment that I realized Edward was still leaning over me, shirtless. My head was pounding; contrary to how things appeared to my friends, I did not feel better, at all. I plopped back down on my pillow, throwing my arm over my eyes, not wanting to deal with having to explain Edward's presence in my bedroom. Did I mention he was shirtless?
"Hey, good morning, how do you feel? Are you okay?" I heard Edward whisper close to my ear and I quickly shook my head.
"I didn't think so; I'm going to make you some hot tea and a light breakfast, okay?"
I nodded in response, not able to speak just yet.
"Excuse me ladies." I heard Edward say as he exited my bedroom and then I heard the door close.
I slowly removed my arm from over my eyes, praying that I had only imagined that my two best friends were standing in my bedroom waiting on an explanation. But when I opened my eyes and saw the two of them still standing in the same spots, complete with one eyebrow quirked, I knew I had no such luck.
"Okay, what do you want to know?" I said, staring back and forth between the two of them.
"What magazine did he fall out of?" Tanya asked, while coming to sit on my bed
"Seriously, Bella, how could you keep him a secret?" Alice asked while joining Tanya at the end of the bed.
"First of all, he did not fall out of any magazine; it was more like a limo. Second of all, I have not been keeping him a secret; he stopped by to check on me yesterday and he only stayed over because it was late and I didn't want him driving home late. That's it, end of story."
"Wait, that's the limo driver whose car you got into the night we went to the club?!" Alice questioned, her voice raising an octave.
"Yes, and please keep your voice down, Alice." I scolded her.
"Oh, Bella, now I know why you let him carry you upstairs."
"It's not like that, Alice."
"Then, what is it like? I mean, Bella, honestly, we walked in to find a half dressed Adonis leaning over you in your bed, asking you how do you feel, and offering to make you tea and breakfast. What else are we supposed to think?" Tanya asked, shrugging her shoulders.
I guess they had a point, but right now I did not have the energy to explain any of it. All I wanted to do was go back to sleep.
"Guys, I promise you I will tell you everything, but not today. I need to rest so that I can get rid of this cold."
"Okay, honey, we will let you rest; are you sure you don't need us to stay with you?" Alice now had a concerned look on her face.
"No, I'll be fine guys, really." I said, offering them both a small smile to try and convince them that I would be okay and they did not need to stick around.
"If you say so, Bella; but promise me you'll call us if that changes."
"Guys, I promise, now get out and let me rest!"
Thankfully, they did just that. After they were gone, I slowly got up to make my way to the bathroom to freshen up a bit; however, I didn't make it very far. As I tried to make my way out of my bedroom, Edward came down the hall carrying a plate of eggs with toast and a cup of hot tea.
"Bella, you are supposed to be resting; why are you out of bed?"
"I just wanted to freshen up, wash my face, and brush my teeth."
"You can do that after you get some food in your system, alright?" He asked, while nudging me back into my bedroom.
I didn't have the strength to argue back, so I simply complied. I made my way back to my bed and crawled back under the covers. Edward sat on the bed right next to me. I reached for the plate, but Edward had another idea in mind. He lifted up a fork full of eggs to my mouth and was actually waiting for me to open it.
"What are you doing?" I questioned, while I chuckled at the thought of him feeding me.
"I am taking care of a sick friend, now, open up." He stated, as if this was an everyday normal thing for an adult man to feed an adult woman who was perfectly capable of feeding herself. Not to mention, we only just met less than a week ago.
"Uh, Edward, I really appreciate you fixing me breakfast and I think it's the really sweet that you want to take care of my, but it's reall…"
I sat there wide eyed, because in the middle of me talking, Edward somehow managed to get that fork full of eggs into my mouth, effectively shutting me up. What was more surprising was that the eggs were delicious! I don't know what he put in them, but they were probably the tastiest eggs I've ever had. I slowly chewed, savoring the flavor, and when he held up another forkful, I eagerly ate them.
"These eggs are delicious; what did you put in them?"
"Oh a little of this and a little of that." He answered, smiling.
After finishing my breakfast and tea, I took a couple more Tylenols and headed for the shower. Edward was a complete gentleman, allowing me my privacy by leaving my apartment for an hour and running home to shower and change clothes himself. We had agreed that he would come back over and we would hang out with each other for the day and maybe even attempt to watch another movie. I realized that, for the first time in a while, I had slept all through the night. Having Edward there, though not in the same room, somehow made me feel safer. The last time I remember having that feeling was when I still lived at home with my parents; my dad was always my security growing up and I always knew, no matter what, he would protect me. Edward came back a little over an hour later, and I was nice and cozy in a fresh pair of pajamas with my hair pulled up into a messy ponytail.
"So, a Marketing Director, huh?" Edward asked, as we sat playing our third game of Uno.
"Yep, I was the Director over Marketing and Advertising, that is until the whore started working on 'special projects' for the boss well into the wee hours of the night."
Edward chuckled while shaking his head, before dropping a 'Draw Four' card on the table.
"Hey, that's the second 'Draw Four' you've put down!" I yelled.
"Yeah, that's allowed." He said, smirking.
"I think you're cheating."
"How? Bella, it's Uno, not poker; why would I want to cheat? There's no wager on the table."
"Well, maybe there should be." I regretted my statement the moment it left my mouth. I looked at Edward, who was now leaning back in his chair with one eyebrow raised and that gorgeous crooked grin perfectly in place.
"Be careful what you ask for, Miss Swan."
"Pft, what is that suppose to mean? I'm not afraid of you, Mr. Cullen." Geez, Bella, where's the filter? Shut up already!
Edward jerked his head back as if he had been slapped before tilting it to the side as if he were studying me. My heart started beating faster and the lump in my throat became hard to swallow. His green eyes were piercing through me and I wondered if he could hear how hard and fast my heart was beating.
"Okay, Bella, wager it is; what would the beautiful Bella like if she wins?" He asked, with a cocky grin in place.
"Well, Edward, when you lose, I get to pick the movie and the take out for tonight."
"Fair enough, and if you lose…" He inquired.
"I guess fair is fair; so, what would the charming Edward want if he wins?" I said, grinning like a fool, because, at that moment, I realized I was flirting with him and I think he realized it, too.
His next statement made my heart speed up even more and my breath hitched.
"The charming Edward would like a kiss." He stated, as he sat very still, waiting for my reaction.
I bit my bottom lip while looking down at my hands that were in my lap. My brain desperately searched for a response, but, the longer I sat there, nothing came to mind. The truth of the matter was, I wanted Edward to kiss me and that's what confused me to no end. When did I go from enjoying his company to wanting to kiss him? As I continued to stare down at my lap, I saw Edward stand up and walk over to me. As I looked up at him, he reached his hand out for me to take. I slowly placed my hand into his, and he gently pulled me to my feet and wrapped his hands around my waist, holding me close to him. My heart felt as if it would jump out of my chest and I feared he would now feel it. His scent was heavenly and the longer I looked up into his eyes, the more I lost my resolve to just be Edward's "casual" friend.
"Tell me what you're thinking, Bella; are you afraid of me?" He bent down and whispered in my ear.
I didn't trust voice enough to give a verbal response, so I just shook my head. Nervous, because, I wanted to kiss Edward just as much as he wanted to kiss me, yeah, but I was definitely not afraid.
"Good." And with that he tilted my chin up with his finger and gently pressed his lips to mine. As I closed my eyes, I saw fireworks and shooting stars; just like in the movies!
At my age, that reaction may sound a little too dramatic, but the truth was, I'd dated my share of guys, even had what would be considered "serious relationships", but none of them, no not one ever made me feel like this from a simple kiss. I slowly wrapped my arms around Edward's waist as he continued to press his lips firmly against mine. When he swiped his soft tongue across my bottom lip, my mouth took on a mind of its own and my lips instantly parted, allowing him access. At first he was gentle, but then the longer we kissed the more passion I felt. I kept waiting for someone to say "cut, that's a wrap folks", because this moment felt like a scene out of a movie.
He slowly pulled back until his mouth was no longer touching mine and I immediately felt the loss, letting out a small whimper. This seemed to amuse Edward. He chuckled as he lay his forehead against mine, staring into my eyes.
"Hey you." He whispered, smiling down at me.
"Hey." I whispered back.
"I kind of cheated, but, I did win two out of the three games we played, if that's any consolation."
"Technically, the third game is still going."
"I did say two out of three; I gave you that third game a long time ago."
"Sooo, what now?"
"So, pick a movie."
"But, I'm not the winner…"
"You are in my book." Edward replied, cutting me off.
After a few more kisses, we snuggled up on the couch to watch the movie of my choosing. I smiled to myself as I thought about how much I really liked having Edward here with me. As he wrapped both of his arms around me, I leaned back against his chest and relaxed for the first time in days.
A/N: Finally, they kiss! Yay! Hope you guys enjoyed chapter 8 and please leave me your thoughts in a review. I will try to get chapter 9 finish and posted as soon as possible. Thanks again for all your support.
