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The Seduction of Edward
Chapter 8
B.p.o.v.
Walking home it hit me that Edward and I were in Chicago, the place he was changed, the place his parents died. Wouldn't being here bother him at all? I just had to ask.
"Edward, how long has it been since you've been in Chicago?"
He turned his head to look at me. We were walking back to the hotel, still not touching. I felt like I felt when we first started talking last year in school. Neither of us were very sure about where we stood with one another. This was getting ridiculous. I was getting no where.
"When I was changed, Carlisle and I had to leave. There were to many people for me to handle. We went to Denali until I could better control myself. Then, after a while I began to feel...restricted. I hated being told what to do, I still do. So I left, I left Carlisle, and Denali and started to- well you know about that part." He admitted looking away guiltily.
"About a year after I rejoined Carlisle I came back for a while, just to take care of a few things. I haven't been back until now"
"What did you have to take care of?" I was flinging questions at him now. Not only because I wanted answers but because this was the most he spoke to me since before what happened between us in my bedroom.
"I wanted to visit my mothers grave, I also needed to make sure everything involving the house were in order."
"What house?"
"When they died they left me the house we lived in."
"What happened to it?"
"Nothing happened to it."
That one threw me for a loop. If he had a house in Chicago, and we were in Chicago, Why were we not staying there?
"What?" He asked looking at me. I had turned my face away from him, thinking.
"Huh? oh, nothing. Just thinking." I said, causing Edward to groan.
"It's aggravating not knowing what your thinking."
"You could always ask me you know."
"Come on Bella, it's not the same. When you tell me what your thinking, you edit."
"Fine I will tell you exactly what I was thinking. I was wondering why, if were in Chicago, and you have a house in Chicago. Why were not staying at your house instead of the hotel."
He looked at me, an unreadable expression on his angelic face.
"Would you want to stay there?" he asked hesitantly. Would it hurt him to go there and see everything he had leftbehind? Everything he lost?
"Only if you wanted to. I was just wondering."
His features softened slightly. "O.K. lets just go get our stuff from the hotel."
"Are you sure. We don't have to if you don't want to. I know it must be weird staying in the house where you family used to live. I don't want you to be uncomfortable."
Edward turned to look at me and smiled. Bringing his hand up to stroke my hair, The first contact since the dinner. "Its fine. Besides, it's definitely going to be better than the honeymoon suit."
If only he knew how right he was.
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B.p.o.v.
Our thing were still where we left them, in the entry way. We just grabbed them quickly and left. I never even got to see what was behind the bedroom door. We took a cab to the house, Edward said it was too far to walk with all of our luggage.
We weren't even a block from the hotel when Edward suddenly leaned over and placed his head in the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply. I sat absolutely still not breathing.
When he sat back up he looked at me puzzled.
"What's wrong?' I asked nervously.
"You smell...different. "
"Different how?"
"I don't know I just noticed it now. It's subtle. I probably would have know sooner but we were outside."
"What does it smell like?"
"It still smells like you only... more, it's the same smell only intensified."
I brought my wrist to my nose and inhaled. I smelled nothing.
"I don't smell anything."
I turned to Edward to find him laughing softly.
"What?"
He whispered, leaning closer to me, so that the cabby, thankfully an older man, wouldn't overhear.
"You can't smell it Bella. Its not your skin. It's deeper. It's blood."
Blood? O.K. now I was confused. Had I cut myself? I definitely would have felt it...right? I gave myself a quick once over.
Edward sighed softly from beside me.
"No, It's not like that. It's deeper. I don't know. I can't explain it. Its you but more potent."
"Is it O.K.? For you I mean. Can you handle it?" I knew how hard it was for him to be near me or with me as it was. I didn't want this to be any harder on him that it had to be. He just looked at me and smiled my favorite crooked smile, then sighed.
"Bella." he breathed leaning towards me again. Time slowed almost to a stop as he inched agonizingly closer. He touched his nose against my neck lightly, inhaling deeply.
"I think your underestimating my self control." he breathed, his breath fanning out across my neck, making the hairs on my arms stand up.
He pulled back and looked past me abruptly.
"Well, here we are." the cabby said. I turned and looked out my window. I wasn't sure what I was expecting. But then again, I didn't know much about Edwards past. Only the basics: His parents names, and the city he grew up. I couldn't blame Edward for not telling me. He didn't remember much of his past life after the change. Then again, it also didn't help that he wasn't really all that coherent before the change, due to how sick he was.
I opened the door of the cab and stepped out as Edward payed the cabby. The house was gorgeous. Nothing massive like the house they lived in now, but rather a quaint, white Victorian,( I should have a pic on my profile within the next few days if it's not there already) on a nearly deserted road. I hadn't even realized that we left town. One minute we were there and next we were in the middle of nowhere, it was a bit like the twilight zone.
"Well? What do you think" Edward asked from beside me.
"It's beautiful. How come you never told me about it before?" I asked, turning to look at him.
He just shrugged. "It never came up." he stated simply. I wanted to say something, but thought better of it. He would tell me when he was ready.
He hooked his arm around my waist and guided me up the walkway. I was thankful that the earlier hesitancy was gone. When he slid the key in and opened the door, it was like walking into the past. Everything looked antique, as if it was there when Edward and his family had lived there. Everything was just updated, but not modern. It looked like Edward had put time into keeping it the same, A replica of his childhood home. You opened the door into a foyer area. Holding a small coat rack and a side table, both seemed really old.
Edward followed behind me and set our things down next to the door. He paused, looking over at me.
"Come on I'll give you a tour." he said taking my hand in his.
We walked out of the foyer and turned right, into a small living room. There was a large brown leather couch surrounding a wooden coffee table. I couldn't tell if the couch was original though. I turned my head to ask but was caught off guard by what caught my eye. The room, I realized, was larger than it seemed. When you looked to the right you saw a small step, jutting from the hardwood floors. There was a large stained glass window showing the picture of the angel Gabriel on it. I didn't look at it much. For I was too distracted by what stood in front of it before I really got a chance to look. There, standing proudly in front of it, was a large grand piano. The keys shining softly in the glow of the lights overhead.
I smiled to myself, of course Edward would have a piano in his home, no matter where he lived. This was the one he probably learned to play on.
"This is the living room." he said beside me still.
Then he propelled us through a set of double doors into what seemed like a kitchen. It was probably the most modern part of the house, it had a steel sink and a old fashioned 'ice box' refrigerator. Did they have those in 1918? I would have to look it up when I got home. I doubt he would have a computer in the house.
"The kitchen, we should probably go out and buy you some food tomorrow. I'll probably rent a car while were out too."
"O.K." I said still slightly dazed by everything. Then we were off again out of the kitchen and into a dinning room with a large oak table in the center of the room. Even though the table was large there were only four chairs. One, I'm guessing, was for guests. And then, standing off to the side of the room in the corner against the wall was a china cabinet. All the plates inside were shining proudly at us. Edward definitely spent more time on this place then he let on.
"Dinning room." he said simply. By now I just had to ask.
"Edward, how did you keep the house so clean?"
"I've had caretakers, and a cleaning crew come here once a month and take care of it for me."
"Oh" I said lamely, why was he acting so strange. Was it the smell he was talking about in the cab ride. Was I making him thirsty-er? His eyes were light, so it probably wasn't that
Then, before I knew it we were heading up a flight of stairs. Once on the landing we turned left into a small bedroom. a bed, dresser, and side table made up the only furniture in the room. But as plain as it was I knew it was Edward's.
"And this is my room."
The way he said it made me remember why we were really here. I had a plan, one that would require us being in that room. I turned from facing him to looking at the room with a new eyes. I would give myself to him in this room, this bed. And hopefully when he finds out what I'd done, which I was sure he would eventually, he would be able to forgive me. At least I hope.
When I was don't we went to the bathroom. The entire time we were upstairs I wondered wether or not he would show me his parents room. When we stopped in front of the only door we hadn't been in I was sure he would. It had to mean something to him. I mean we were in the house he grew up, the last place he lived before he 'died' and the last place his family was together. But so far it seemed as if it meant nothing to him at all. When the door opened he just stated simply that it was his parents room.
The room was simple. It held just a bed, dresser, and night stand. It was set up almost identically to Edwards. The only difference was there was a small sitting area infront of a large window. I was looking around the room taking it all in when something caught my eye on the dresser. There shining like a becon, was a small silver frame sitting on an angle in the corner of the dresser. I walked closer and picked it up.
It was a family portrait. Edwards mom, Elizabeth, sat proudly in a chair, her auburn hair cascading lightly down her shoulders. Her saphire eyes sending out a warm maternal look out of the painting. Standing tall and proud to her left was Edwards father. His black hair, like Edwards, was disheveled across his brow. His eyes held such a vibrancey tha it made my heart lurch. You could tell he loved his family.. You could see the love and happyness swiming in his dark green eyes. And there on the right stood Edward, human and happy, smiling at the camera. He was younger in this picture, no older than thirteen, you could tell by the freckles adorning his face. He seemed so young and exuberant. His hair was nearly the same then, if not a little redder now, and still hung in an unruly mop across his head. He was grinning broadly as if was christmas and he had gotten his favorite toy. The only thing that had changed dramatically from then and now were his eyes. They were not the ebony black that I loved so much, but a stunning, radiant green. I had seen them like this only once before. In my bedroom the night before this. In that moment in his parents room I realized that there was nothing more that I wanted then to be in a portrait like the one my hands held now.
"Are you ready?" Edward called quietly from the doorway. I placed the picture down lightly where I had found it and left the room, more determined than ever.
"Come on." Edward said closing the door.
I yawned, realizing that I hadn't actually slept for longer than I was used to.
"I think I'm just gonna go to bed." I said while yawning again.
"Ok, you can sleep in my room."
We went downstairs grabbed the bags and returned to his room. I changed in the bathroom, not really caring what I was wearing. I returned to the room, Edward waiting for me patiently, and fell asleep on the bed, curled up in his arms, hoping they would keep the nightmare at bay.
A/N Hey guys! Sorry it took forever for the new chapter but hopefully you will forgive me since I am posting TWO instead of one. While I was waiting to get to a computer, I wrote another one. See the wait was worth it. Not to mention that the next chapter may be the one you've all been waiting for! Also, this chapter wasn't the most 'seductive' but don't worry it's not just a pointless filler chapter like the next one. This chapter ask's a ton of questions that will be answered in the next few chapters. Also sadly I think I only have Maybe two more chapter till the story is done :( I just hope that It all ends well for Bella and Edward. Read em' and find out! Review!
