Chapter 7
The Lake house was crowded with teenagers, and they seemed to be coming and going in waves. The lawn leading down to the water was littered with towels and blankets, water bottles and pop cans, bags of chips, and kids of all shapes and sizes basking in the warmth of the summer heat as they soaked up the last of the season's sun.
But of course, this was Forks high's traditions.
The house belonged to the grandmother of Gabrielle Myers, a friend of theirs from school. Bella didn't even recognize all of the kids who were there that day, and she doubted that they all knew Gabrielle or her grandmother, but instead were tagging along with friends, or friends of friends and so on, who had invited them to come.
Bella had been forced to wear by Alice her midnight bikini and her see-through purple wrap around material that her mother had made her. Bella had to admit that she didn't look half-bad as she walked down the lawn with Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, Emma and (gulp) Edward.
"Race you to the water" Emmet- of course- shouted. Bella laughed.
"I'm already there" she teased and the six of them ran to the water.
Jasper got there first, being an athlete, and splashed Alice with icy water causing her to squeal. And Alice wasn't the type to take that without a fight. She aimed at Jasper but missed and hit Rosalie. That's how they all got into a water-fight.
"AHHH!" Bella shouted and caught Emmet full in the face.
He spluttered as the water went into his mouth and glowered playfully at her. Emmet charged at her, lifting her up effortlessly and tossing her into the water head first.
Bella rose, spluttering and laughing.
"A girl could use some help over her" she joked. The others laughed and Edward waded over, taking her hand and pulling her up. Bella felt the familiar jolt of electricity type shock run up her fingers and into her heart, making it to beat faster than ever. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at herself.
"Thanks" she muttered, blushing vigorously and hoping against hope that he didn't notice.
"Come on" Rosalie shivered. "It's getting too cold for my liking."
"Would you like me to warm you up?" Emmet joked, pulling her into a very, very, very, very long kiss; a kiss that could break all records.
"Get a room, you guys" Bella teased them, and the six of them retreated from the icy water, shivering like mad.
Bella plopped herself on her towel and used a second one to dry herself off.
A little less than an hour later, Edward asked Bella "Hey, do you want to go out on one of the Wave Runners with me?"
"What about your girlfriends?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Bella was embarrassed for sounding so petty. She tried to make it seem like she was only kidding as she added "I thought maybe Savannah's friends were all waiting for their turn down on the dock."
He just laughed. "No, Savannah was the only one. She wanted me to show her how to drive one." Bella was glad that he hadn't seemed to notice the irritation in her voice before.
"So, did you?"
He shrugged. "I tried to, but I don't think she was really paying attention. I think she just wanted someone to give her a ride."
Not someone Bella thought to herself. You. She wanted you to give her a ride. Sometimes she wondered if he was really that dense, or if he just wasn't interested in returning the girls' attention. But when she saw the clueless look on his face, she realized that it had to be the former. He was such a guy!
"So, you wanna go with me?"
"I'll go, but I get to drive" she insisted with a grin, and Edward grinned back.
He didn't argue, though. He never did; he was too easygoing to care whether he was the driver or the passenger.
On the dock, Bella got rid of the material and was self-consciously aware of numerous boys watching her though she hadn't the faintest idea why. She plucked up a life vest and buckled herself into it before straddling the Wave Runner's seat. Edward followed right behind and casually gripped her hips as she started the engine and attached the coiled key fob to her life jacket, a safety measure that would cut the engine if the driver was thrown from the vehicle.
She leaned forward and began easing the watercraft through the cove, watching cautiously for other vehicles or for people who might have wandered too far from the water's edge. But once she reached the end of the cover and passed the buoys that signalled the end of the five-mile-an-hour speed limit, she grabbed the handle that controlled the gas and she pulled it, gunning the Wave Runner in high speed. She leaned farther forward and let the wind cool her face. For the first time in weeks, since well before school had started, she was no longer aware of Edward's proximity to her. He became any other passenger on the back of the vehicle as she got lost in the punching accelerations over the short, choppy waves.
They bounced across the top of the water, sometimes jumping high, revelling in those moments when they caught a larger wave and felt the Wave Runner surge beneath them as it hopped above the water, catching air.
Bella felt so free. She could hear Edward laughing from behind her as he held on right. She spun the craft first sharply to the right and then quickly to the left. He knew she was trying to buck him free, testing him to see how long he could hold on to her before being tossed into the frigid water of the lake as she manoeuvred the miniature speedboat back and forth. But he was stronger now than ever before, and his reflexes were sharper. He seemed to know which was she was going to go even before she did. It was like he could read minds.
After a while, Bella slowed down near a floating dock in the lake and parked the Wave Runner.
"Do you want to jump on?" she asked as she pulled the key from the ignition without waiting for an answer, making it more of a statement than a question.
Edward stood up and hopped from the Wave Runner onto the dock. Bella joined him and instead of diving into the water, she sat down and dangled her feet in the water.
"Its quiet here" he commented absently. He sat down beside her.
"Mm-hmm" she sighed, kicking her feet and splashing up water before kicking some water in his direction.
He nudged her with his shoulder but didn't say anything. They stayed like that for a while, enjoying the silence of being alone and enjoying each other's presence. It was easy...and comfortable.
Bella sighed when it started to feel like too much time had passed. "We should get back. I'm sure someone else is waiting for a turn."
Edward stood up slowly, silently agreeing with her, and Bella reluctantly followed. Without asking if he wanted to trade places, Bella again got on in front.
They took their time getting back, meandering lazily along the shoreline and staying out of the way of faster vehicles. And when they did finally reach the dock, they found Emmet, Jasper, Rosalie and Alice waiting for them.
"Hey" Alice called, even more excited than before- if that was even possible.
"Hey" Bella replied, hopping of the Wave Runner at the same time as Edward. "I'm guessing we're going to the woods."
Nobody bothering answering. Like Bella and Edward, the group didn't need words anymore to communicate with each other. It was all effortless.
Bella ran ahead, listening to the wind whistling in her ear. She wasn't prepared, however, for what she saw next. She screamed a scream that could have wakened the dead, and the last thing she saw were her friends running towards her before everything went black.
He says he's so in love
He's finally got it right
