Disclaimer: SM owns characters, I own plot. ©IsaKassees 2010
It was official. Becoming the next James Bond was now added to my list of possible career options, taking over the racecar driver spot. I had survived!
Bike tires, pumped. Chain, greased. All black outfit, on. Bed stuffed with pillows, done. Emmett, paid off. Gotta remember to skip the third step from the bottom or it'll creak.
I slipped out the back door in the kitchen silently, creeping around the house to get my bike. I walked it down my driveway as quietly as possible, waiting at the edge to make sure no lights came on inside my house. When I was satisfied my parents hadn't woken, I hopped on and rode over to Bella's, parking it in the trees behind her house. My palms started sweating as soon as I saw the cruiser in the driveway and I walked a large circle around the house to check for lights or any sign of an awake and armed Chief.
The only light on was a small lamp from inside Bella's room on the second story, next to the tree of doom. I'd really thought there were more branches lower to the ground. Her window was open, the curtains blowing in the wind. My heartbeat raced at the thought of getting to see her again, pushing aside the pain that I knew was coming when she left tomorrow. I swallowed my nerves and jumped up, grabbing a hold of a branch with both my hands. Ignoring the scrape of the bark against my palms, I swung myself up as noiselessly as possible.
Not completely noiselessly though, because Bella appeared in the window. She shook her head in shock, even though a smile was spreading across her face.
"I can't believe you really came!" she whispered.
"Shh!" I hissed back. "I don't want to get shot."
She smirked, zipping her lips and then crossing her arms. Oh my God, she was in a tank top and apparently no bra. Oh shit, I almost fell. Shaking my head to clear it, I resumed my climbing, scaling the branches easier the higher up I went.
"Do I have to quote the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet to get in?" I joked quietly, motioning for her to step back so I could come in.
She frowned playfully, pretending to think it over for a minute before she stepped back with a smile to let me in. Doing my best not to look down and freak out, I kept one hand on the branch above me and reached my other out to use her windowsill and hoist myself inside.
"Too young to die, too young to die," I chanted under my breath. Bella clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from giggling, her other reached toward me to offer assistance. I landed inside hard, but silently. Confused, I looked down only to dart my eyes back up to Bella, who was grinning.
"I thought you might need a cushion," she whispered, glancing down at the pillows she'd laid on the floor beneath her window.
"I think I might owe you my life," I grinned, pulling her into my arms for a hug.
"How're you going to repay me?" she asked playfully.
I grinned, squeezing her tighter to me. "Hugs…" I pulled back, taking her face into my hands and kissing her gently. "Kisses…" Reaching down, I lifted her into my arms bridal-style. "Undying devotion…"
She laughed silently, shaking her head at me. "So what did you have planned for tonight?"
"I don't care," I answered honestly. "I can hold you until you fall asleep or we can talk until the sun comes up. Do wishes only work at sunset?"
"I'm not sure," she frowned. "Ninny never said."
I set her down and she pulled me to her bed, sitting down and crisscrossing her legs. I followed her lead, finding it fairly easy to not focus on how short her shorts were by keeping an ear out for the Chief's snores coming from down the hall. We talked for hours, her filling me in on her camping and fishing trip, me about absolutely nothing at all. I wouldn't have cared if she wanted to read me a textbook; I just wanted to hear her voice. I would miss it so much. When she started to yawn, I realized how late it had gotten.
"I should go so you can sleep," I offered half-heartedly.
"No," she shook her head stubbornly. "I can sleep on the plane tomorrow. Stay, please. Unless you're tired…"
"Bella, if you think there is even the slightest chance I could fall asleep here knowing the amount of firearms your father has access to, you're not as smart as I thought," I smirked, catching her hand when she tried to smack me.
"Oh, Dickward came out to play!" she sneered, tugging us both to lay down. I settled myself against the headboard, not wanting to get too comfortable. I really was too young to die. She looked up at me, her eyes soft. "Kiss me goodnight?"
I gulped when I looked down, because at this angle I could see straight down her shirt. And she was most definitely not wearing a bra. My mouth suddenly felt dry and I couldn't swallow.
"I think you're really overestimating the limits of my self-control, Bella."
"What do you me-…Oh. I'm, uh, I'm not really ready for that with you, Edward," she said shyly.
Mindful of her fragile self-esteem, I smiled gently at her and chose my words carefully. "I love you. I want you. But not right now. I just mean that if we start kissing, in a bed no less, my brain might lose control over the rest of my body and I don't ever want to lose control with you and make you uncomfortable.
"And as much as it pains me to agree with my dad on anything, I know we're too young. I also couldn't stand the thought of doing something like that with you and then having to say goodbye after. If that means I have to wait until we go to college together, then fine. I'll survive."
"You think about going to college with me?" she asked softly, smiling brightly.
"You don't?" I asked, surprised and a little hurt.
"No, of course I do! I just…I know you want Stanford, and…I guess I can't imagine leaving Renee," she admitted sadly.
I sighed, because I did really want Stanford, but I wanted Bella too. Renee Swan nee Higginbotham was really not one of my favorite people. Because I happened to know for a fact Bella wanted Stanford, too. And she was going to end up holding Bella back in life the same way she felt Bella held her back, because she was too selfish and Bella was too selfless.
"You have to sometime," I said softly, trying not to start a fight. "I don't want our last night to be sad. Not when I risked life and limb for it."
She smiled, our worries forgotten for now. "Just one kiss?"
"I can do that. I did promise payment, after all."
I kissed her softly and slowly, never letting it deepen too much, but poured every ounce of love I felt for her into it. She pulled back eventually, laying her head down and falling asleep almost instantly. I knew I couldn't stay much longer, but I couldn't bring myself to leave yet. After awhile, she rolled over onto me, splayed out across my chest.
"Edward."
"Yeah?" I'd thought she was asleep.
"Fish ate my worm. I need my book."
What?
Craning my neck around to get a look at her, her eyes were shut and her breathing was still even. Was she sleep-talking?
"Bella? Are you awake?"
"My Edward. Stupid cactus."
I struggled to stay still as laughter threatened to burst out. What the hell was she dreaming about? I couldn't believe I didn't know this about her, but it wasn't like I'd ever gotten to watch her sleep before. I wondered if she knew. She would for sure be embarrassed if I razzed her for it. Which I planned to.
I could feel my eyelids growing heavy and knew I needed to go before I accidentally fell asleep. Slipping out from underneath her carefully, she still stirred once I was no longer holding her. Looking around, I noticed Ed at the foot of the bed and grabbed it, placing it inside her searching fingers. She pulled it to her instantly, breathing deeply and calming. I swallowed the lump in my throat and leaned down, kissing her gently on the forehead once more.
"I love you, girl."
.
The only thing that got me through the rest of the summer was driver's ed. I loved to drive. My parents took turns teaching me until my mom said she couldn't take my lead foot anymore. My dad said I was better than Emmett, but seeing as Emmett had already lost his license because of too many speeding tickets, I wasn't sure how to take that. Whatever. I was an excellent driver. A natural, even.
The other interesting development was my need to shave. I'd been getting stray patches of scruff for awhile now, but by the time tenth grade was in session, I had to get up a full fifteen minutes earlier to shave off a full face of it. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I missed those fifteen minutes of sleep. They were important.
The year started off much the same way last year ended, with Jasper and Alice always connected at either the hand or mouth, and me trailing behind. Over the summer, Jessica and Lauren had paired themselves up with Mike and Tyler, keeping stalkers and jocks alike off my back. That was a relief. However, in the midst of all this coupling around me, it made me miss Bella even more.
After some shameless begging to my mom and solemn promising to my dad, I was allowed to get an afterschool job. The deal was, if I kept my grades up while working and paid them fifty dollars a month, I could use my cell phone whenever I wanted, except after ten on school nights. And my cell phone had free long distance.
"Hello?"
"Bella?"
"Edward?"
"Hi!"
Why could I not say more than one word at a time?
"Hi! How are you calling me?"
"The phone is an amazing invention, Bella."
Silence.
"Kitten?"
"Yes, Dickward?"
"My parents gave me permission. I can call you whenever I want now."
"Oh my God! Are you serious? That is so awesome! Why did they change their mind?"
"I got a job afterschool. I'm bagging groceries at Ron's. It's the only place that'll hire anybody under eighteen, but it's not too bad. Three days a week for a couple of hours and it pays enough for my phone bill."
Silence. I checked my phone. I still had four bars.
"Bella?"
"Did you get a job just so you could talk to me?"
"Of course. I would do anything for you, Bella."
More silence. Then sniffles.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah…I just…nobody's ever…thank you, Edward."
"Thank me? You think I didn't do this for me too? I needed your voice, Bella."
"Still…I don't want to argue. I miss you, boy."
"Every day, girl."
We talked almost daily. Ironically, on the days I worked at the job I got to pay the phone bill, I didn't have time to talk to her. As soon as I got off of work, my dad would pick me up, let me drive home, and then it was a rush to eat dinner so I could get my homework done before bed. But even on those days, there would always be some small note from her, either on email or IM, telling me she was thinking of me, or missing me, or that she loved me. At least once a month I sat down and actually wrote her a letter, and she did the same. There was just something about holding that piece of paper in my hand and seeing her handwriting. I'd never told her, but I kept all her letters in a box under my bed, even the ones from when we were little, tucked away with that little blue rubber band.
Just being able to hear her voice was enough to soothe the ache in my chest, enough to make my steps lighter and my mood happier. I would be at the lunchroom table and find myself laughing, remembering some small thing she'd said the night before, and Jasper would just nod his head in understanding. He'd told me he didn't know how I did it, being away from her for so long at a time. To him, Alice was his Bella, and he couldn't imagine going without seeing her for a day. Alice just wanted to get to meet the girl that made me so happy.
That was how I found myself nervous and pacing, waiting for Bella to arrive the day after my sixteenth birthday. I wasn't nervous because she was coming, I was nervous because Alice had decided to throw a dual sixteenth birthday party for myself and Bella. She thought it was a tragedy that we'd never gotten to spend our birthdays with each other and she was dead set on at least creating the illusion of it, even though Bella wouldn't turn sixteen until September. She'd begged to throw a full-fledged party that evening, but I'd been adamant that that was our time and wouldn't budge. Besides, I had plans.
So she'd settled on a 'Sweet Sixteen Breakfast Birthday Feast' instead, getting my mom on board to help her decorate the backyard and cook up a giant meal for the four of us. The 'cake' was a giant pancake with sixteen little candles on top, and was placed next to a small stack of presents for Bella and myself.
One important detail about this party? Bella had no idea. It was to be a complete surprise. So not only would Bella be meeting Alice for the first time, which she was already a little nervous about, she would also be walking into an ambush any minute completely unaware.
It was quite possible I would die a virgin and never see seventeen.
"Jasper, please. Talk some sense into your woman," I begged. "She's talking crazy."
"Hey! His 'woman' is standing right here and can hear you, you know! What is the point of planning a surprise party, but then telling the person before they walk in?" Alice snapped, tapping her orange shoe on the ground. Always the artist, she was currently in an Andy Warhol phase. Today, she was dressed in more colors than a painter's palette.
"Because I don't think you're looking at this from all sides, Alice," I sighed. "How would you feel if you were already nervous about meeting someone for the first time and then, on top of that, you were pushed into the spotlight when you don't like attention? Bella. Is. Shy, Alice. I explained the definition of this word to you. Remember?"
"I know! That's why we're having a simple breakfast instead of the party. All I'm saying is, is that we should still yell surprise when she gets here! That way she knows it's all for her…and you," she waved me off as an afterthought, making me roll my eyes. "You were all for this idea, Edward. Don't get all nervous at the last minute and then freak out on me."
"Yes, Alice. I think the four of us having breakfast together is a good idea. I like that I'll get to see her open up her birthday presents in person for once. But not. once. did I ever say that I wanted to pop out from under a table and scream surprise in my girlfriend's face!"
"You are being such a little bitch about this, Edward," she sighed, shaking her head.
From behind me, I heard Jasper speak, but I was too busy having a stare-down of epic proportions with Alice.
"We could just leave and come back. They do this all the time. They could be at it for awhile."
"No, this is fun. I wish I had some popcorn," Bella's soft voice answered.
I whirled around, shocked to find her sitting next to Jasper watching the 'Alice and Edward Show.' She started laughing at the look on my face and I snapped out of my stupor, running over to her and picking her up out of her chair to swing her around.
Overcome with emotion, I set her back on her feet and cradled her face gently. "You're really here," I mused aloud.
Her eyes drifted shut as I pressed a kiss to her forehead, then both her eyelids, followed by the tip of her nose and both her cheeks, until finally I found her lips. I had to stifle a moan as her hands crept up my back, the heat of her palms burning me through my shirt as she pressed me to her. I couldn't get close enough to her, letting one on my hands slide down to the small of her back to bind her to me. There was a year's worth of longing and absence to make up for in this kiss, and I just couldn't stop.
Somewhere in the background, I slowly became aware of voices speaking, but my focus was solely on the girl in my arms.
"…over five minutes..."
"…think she'll pass out?"
"…never seen…like this…"
As if she had just now realized we were in front of an audience, I felt Bella's cheeks warm under my hand and I smiled against her lips. Pulling back only an inch, I whispered.
"I love you."
Her eyes flew open looking straight into mine, an embarrassed smile still on her lips. "I love you, too."
"I think they finally stopped," I heard Alice hiss from behind me. "Can I meet her now? Please? Please?"
"Calm, Alice. You're vibrating again," I heard Jasper soothe.
Smiling widely at Bella, I raised my eyebrows expectantly. "Are you ready?"
"As I'll ever be," she said, swallowing visibly. I turned around to face Alice and Jasper, pulling Bella in front of me and wrapping my arms around her waist.
I mouthed 'be good' to Alice and locked eyes with Jasper briefly, who got the hint and placed his hands on Alice's shoulders to calm her. She was still vibrating a little bit.
"Bella, this is my friend and Jasper's girlfriend, Alice. Alice, this is my Bella."
I'd barely said Bella's name before Alice had escaped Jasper's grasp and leapt over to Bella, pulling her out of my arms and into a hug. She was already going a mile a minute before she'd even released her.
"Oh my God, I've been waiting to meet you for two solid fucking years. I feel like I already know you because I've heard so much about you from Edward and Jazzy, but you're even prettier in person than you are in your pictures. I hope you're not pissed about the party, you can blame me if you want, I just wanted for you guys to have a special day together and this is just kind of what I do, and I hope you're not pissed because I was bitching out Edward, because we seriously bitch at each other all the time and we don't mean it at all, and I really, really want you and I to be friends."
"Friends on one condition," Bella replied, not missing a beat.
"Anything," Alice agreed hastily.
"No surprise parties? Like, ever," Bella said firmly.
"Seriously?" Alice squealed. "You really don't like them?"
"Really. Seriously. And you have got to stop bouncing. I love all your colors and everything, but when you vibrate like that it makes me feel dizzy." I could hear the smile in her voice and I chuckled under my breath, remembering my same reaction to Alice when I first met her.
Alice smiled sheepishly, slowing her bouncing. "Okay, so I wanted to talk to you about this idea I had…" She walked off with Bella, arm-in-arm, explaining her ideas for a graphic novel based on some charcoal sketches she'd been playing with lately, involving vampires, werewolves and humans. She wanted Bella's help on a storyline and they began brainstorming ideas, Jasper and I forgotten.
It was nice, though. I could tell Jasper was happy that Alice had a girl to talk with for once, and I was just content enough to be in Bella's presence for now. I knew I'd get her to myself later and their story actually sounded really interesting, even if the idea of sparkling vampires was more than a little ridiculous. The same way Bella loved to hear me play piano for her, I loved to hear her mind open up to me.
We ate our weight in bacon and scrambled eggs, and I had to admit it felt really good to get to watch Bella blow out her birthday candles in person. She was bashful but gracious when opening her presents, making me love her that much more when I saw how she appreciated such small things. Like Alice's gift of monogrammed stationery and Jasper's gift of old-fashioned quill pens and ink.
As the morning passed, I started to feel that familiar desperation creep back in, my need to get Bella to myself. Jasper caught my pleading expression and started the process of dragging Alice away, albeit with protesting on her part. With email addresses and hugs exchanged, they left, finally leaving Bella and me to each other at last.
"Wow," was all Bella could say after they left.
I laughed, nodding in agreement. "That's Alice."
"You guys are funny together. I mean, she obviously drives you crazy, but I can tell you love her."
I frowned, sputtering and stammering all over myself. "What? Bella! No! I don-"
"Oh my God, Edward. I didn't mean like that. I just meant you bitch at her like she's your kid sister. It's cute, because I'm pretty sure she could kick your ass," she grinned mischievously.
I shrugged, relieved, but also knowing that it was true. "She scares the hell out of Emmett."
At the mention of Emmett, she looked around curiously. "Where is everybody?"
"Emmett's game. They'll be home soon."
"Do you ever miss it? Baseball?" she asked, reaching over and slipping her hand into mine.
"Miss seeing me in tight pants, kitten?" I teased, making her jaw drop. And then, like always, she turned the tables on me in an instant.
"Maybe."
I laughed, shaking my head. "Why don't you go inside and wait for me in my room? I'll get this all cleaned up and then we can get out of here."
She rolled her eyes and stood up, walking over to start gathering the dishes. "Yeah, right. We get one day and you want me to lay on your bed alone while you clean?"
I was aware that her mouth was still moving, but I didn't hear anything after the words 'me lay on bed.' She snapped her fingers in front of my face, shaking her head. Her eyes glanced down and noticed the growing tent in the front of my pants, making her eyes dart away and her cheeks blush bright red. Before I could get embarrassed, she looked back at me and smiled smugly.
"Are you thinking about me laying on your bed?"
I didn't miss a beat.
"Maybe."
.
By the time the patio was cleaned up, my family was home and I was more than a little impatient waiting for all of them to get their hellos and how-have-you-beens out of the way. I knew they loved her too, I couldn't blame them, but I was ready to have her all to myself without any more interruptions. With a heavy sigh, firm instructions to leave my cell phone in the glove compartment, to keep the music down and double-check my mirrors, my dad handed over the keys to his Volvo grudgingly.
Inwardly, I was both ecstatic to be able to drive my girlfriend somewhere and absolutely terrified to have the responsibility. The thought of anything ever happening to Bella was enough to send me into a state of near panic, but the thought of me being the cause of it…
His warnings were unnecessary.
"Where are we going? And why didn't you tell me you got your license yesterday?" she exclaimed, grinning as I opened the car door for her.
"Because I didn't talk to you yesterday," I reminded her as I climbed in. "And I wanted to surprise you."
"Does that mean I don't get to know where we're going?" she asked playfully, her eyes narrowing.
"It means exactly that," I confirmed, motioning for her to buckle up before I even started the car. She rolled her eyes, but complied, snapping it with a flourish. "Don't be a smartass. And don't distract me. Make sure your door's locked."
She hid her smile badly, locking her door and sitting primly with her hands on her knees completely still.
"Smartass," I muttered, turning the key and placing the car in reverse.
.
A little over half an hour later, we pulled into the parking lot at La Push Beach. It wasn't much as far as dates went, but my parents wouldn't let me drive to Port Angeles without them and I wasn't about to take Bella on a first date chaperoned.
"So we don't have to go anywhere near the deathly ocean, but I thou-"
I was cut off by her lips on mine, her mouth opening almost instantly to deepen the kiss. Taken by surprise but recovering quickly, I wrapped my arms around her, really liking her way of thinking. But she kept squirming, so I pulled back for a moment.
"What's wrong?" I panted.
"This stick thing," she gasped out, holding her side where the gear shift was apparently digging in. Without even thinking, I pulled her toward me again, lifting her over the center console.
"Ow!" she cried out when her head hit the ceiling.
"Oh shit! Sorry," I grimaced, rubbing the back of it as she straddled my lap.
Wait.
Straddled. My. Lap.
Ohmygod.
Before my brain could even fully process that thought, she was kissing me again, her hands woven into my hair. I tried to put my arms around her again, but kept hitting the steering wheel. Blindly, I reached down to the lever on the side of my seat and reclined it back, never breaking our kiss. My glasses were foggy and crooked on my face but I didn't care. At this angle her weight shifted, pressing directly onto the biggest hard-on of my life. My hands were glued rigidly to her sides, only a small shred of my self-control in place.
Slowly, I felt one of Bella's hands come out of my hair and reach down to touch one of mine. Shakily, she slid it around to her stomach and then started inching it up. Oh my God, she just put my hand on her boob. The emotions for the day seemed to be ecstasy and terror, because she was so soft and I had absolutely no clue what to do. Since it was soft, I assumed a soft touch was necessary, even though what I really wanted to do was grab onto it for dear life and never let go.
I cupped her gently, rubbing my thumb along the side. She made the most gratifying moan I'd ever heard, albeit the first moan I'd ever heard, but that didn't matter because I was the one that made her do it and all I wanted was to make her do it again. Experimentally, I moved my thumb again and was rewarded.
Needing to breathe before I passed out, I pulled away from her mouth but couldn't stop kissing her. I sucked in breaths between kisses down her jaw, exploring the previously uncharted territory of her neck. Oh my God, she tasted good everywhere. The coordination required to keep my hold on her breast gentle while I kissed and sucked on her neck was almost enough to distract me from the zipper of my jeans digging into my dick. Almost.
"Oh God. Wait a second," I gasped, reaching down with my free hand to adjust myself. My other hand might need to be pried away from her chest with a crowbar. It only took a second to maneuver it out of harm's way and I was attached to her neck again before she could even ask.
The harder I kissed and sucked, the louder her moans got, and she started rocking above me erratically. Regrettably, I dropped my hand from her boob and gripped her hips tightly, unsure whether I wanted to encourage this to continue or stop it. She took this as an invitation to start kissing on my neck and oh my God, now I was the one moaning. Without meaning to, I thrust up and rubbed against her.
"Oh fuck," she whispered, and I did it again to see if I could elicit the same reaction. Her forehead dropped to my shoulder when I repeated the action, and I felt the familiar tightening begin in the pit of my stomach.
If I didn't stop this immediately, I was totally going to come in my pants.
"Bella…shit…we have to stop," I grunted, every pleasure receptor in my brain cursing me out. She trembled and shuddered against me, pressing down on accident and making me grit my teeth.
I gripped her tighter to keep her still and she whimpered, making me wonder if I had hurt her. When I looked down, I realized that with my hands splayed across her hips, my thumbs were directly on the seam of her jeans at her center. Oh my God, I was touching Bella there.
"I'm sorry," I blurted out, ripping my hands away and gripping the sides of my seat, praying I hadn't hurt or scared her. She just shook her head on top of my shoulder, her breath fast and heavy on my neck. Nervous, I tilted my head down to whisper in her ear. "Are you okay?"
Slowly, she raised her head up to look me in the eye, smiling shyly. "Yeah…that was just…wow."
Releasing my death grip on the seat, I lifted my hands to push her hair back and hold her face. "Really?"
She bit her lip, blushing. "Did…did it not feel good for you?"
I snorted, shaking my head. "Uh…yeah, just a bit."
She smiled, her eyes dropping to my neck right before she gasped.
"Holy crap, I gave you a hickey."
My hand flew to my neck, as if I could actually feel it. And then my eyes drifted down her neck. I grimaced, trying not to show how much I liked my mark on her.
"Uh…you kind of have one too."
Her hands flew to her neck the same way I had, her face and chest flushing bright red.
"Are you serious?" she squeaked. "Is it bad?"
Moving her hand away to look again on the deeply purple mark, I sucked my lips into my mouth to hide my smile. "Kinda."
To my surprise, she laughed. "So's yours."
I grinned, not even caring in the slightest. "Your hair'll probably cover it."
Giggling, she reached over and popped the collar up on my polo. "There. You can start a new trend."
"As much as I'd love to keep you on my lap forever, we have one more place to go before we catch a sunset."
She smiled, giving me a sweet, quick kiss. "What are you going to wish for?"
I narrowed my eyes at her, shaking my head. "What are you going to wish for?"
She shrugged. "The same as every year," she answered, her tone light, but her eyes serious.
"What do you wish for, Bella?" I asked softly.
She shook her head, blinking away her emotion. "Can't tell. It won't come true."
"Someday you'll tell me," I stated, not questioned.
She nodded, her eyes dark and older than her age. I pulled her into me for one more kiss, trying to memorize the feel of her hair in my fingers, the taste of her tongue, the smell of her skin. When she broke away, she rested her forehead on mine.
"You have to move," I whispered. "I can't drive with you on my lap."
"Don't wanna," she sighed.
"Please?" I begged softly. "I'm trying to give you a real date. Let me?"
She sat up, her eyes surprised. "Is this our first date?"
"About time, don't you think?" I winked, sliding her off my lap over to her seat. I started the car and turned on the defroster, because the windows had gotten a little fogged up. I fixed my seat and then turned to look at her. She was chewing on her fingernail, a huge grin on her face. "What are you smiling about?"
She just shook her head, smiling wider as she buckled up. I sighed, doing the same and reversing out of the parking space.
Manual and translator. What I would give.
.
We pulled into the Forks diner parking lot half an hour later, right as Bella's stomach started growling.
"Good timing," I joked, smiling at her embarrassed blush.
"Shut up," she muttered, unbuckling and reaching for her door handle.
"Wait!"
I got out and ran around the car, opening her door.
"Always a gentleman," she smiled, shaking her head. "How do I keep other girls from stealing you away?"
Rolling my eyes, I threw my arm over her shoulder as we walked to the door. "As far as I'm concerned, you're the only girl on the planet."
We slipped into a booth and had an early dinner of burgers, fries and milkshakes. I knew it was a totally typical teenage thing to do, but the way I saw it, Bella didn't get the chance to be a teenager the majority of the year with her mom. Plus, we were teenagers, and my job at the grocery store didn't exactly afford me the ability to take her to a four-star restaurant. Either way, we had a great time, never running out of things to talk about, holding hands across the table, and giving ourselves stomach aches from eating too much pie.
She thankfully didn't protest when I paid the bill, hopefully realizing how important it was to me to be able to take her out like this. I held her hand as we walked back to the car, glancing up at the slowly lowering sun in the sky.
"We'll make it in time," she said surely, voicing my thought. I smiled and nodded, helping her into the car before climbing in myself to hurry back to the house. She grabbed her bag from inside quickly before the two of us took off for the tree, trying to make it to the shelter of its branches before the rain began to fall. The water was so heavy in the air I could smell it.
We'd barely sat down and caught our breath before the lightning started to streak across the sky in the distance. Bella reached into her backpack right away, rummaging around for something.
"Aha!" she smiled, lifting out a small box. We hadn't exchanged presents with each other earlier at the party, only received from Alice and Jasper. Hers was currently burning a hole in my pocket. I took it curiously, asking her with my eyes if I could open it. She nodded, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth and worrying her hands.
I lifted the lid easily and pulled out a wide piece of leather with an etching of a tree on it. I held it up confusedly and she blushed.
"I don't know if you remember, but a long time ago, I gave you a rubber band? Anyway, we were working with leather in art class and I started thinking maybe I could give you something a little sturdier to wear, to have something from me with you always. It's, um…it's like a cuff? If it's too girly to wear a bracelet, I understand, you don't have to wear it, it won't hurt my feeli-"
I broke off her rambling with a kiss, chuckling breathlessly against her mouth. We thought so similarly sometimes it was scary. I pulled away, smiling at her and shaking my head. Holding out my arm in offering, she beamed and snapped the cuff around my wrist, and I was happy to find that it fit perfectly.
I pulled her into my lap to hug her, nuzzling my face into her neck. "Thank you."
She leaned back a bit, still smiling. "You really like it?"
"Yes," I laughed. "And for the record, I still have that rubber band. It's at home in a safe place. I would still wear it, but it snapped about three years ago."
"You kept it?" she laughed. I shrugged shamelessly, leaning my back against the tree.
"I have something for you, too," I admitted quietly. She followed the movement of my hand with her eyes as I reached into my pocket for the small cloth sack inside.
"The date was more than enough, Edward," she said seriously, but allowed me to open her hand, facing her palm up.
"How many times do I have to tell you?" I smiled, opening the sack and pouring its contents into her waiting hand. "I give you things because it makes me happy. I'm a lot more selfish than you think, Bella."
She shook her head in disagreement, but looked down to see her present. A broad smile spread across her face as she stroked the small charm gently. Silently, she lifted her hair, allowing me to clasp the chain around her neck, the tree resting right on top of her heart.
"So you always have it with you," I whispered, catching the lone tear that fell down her cheek. Leaning in to kiss her, she met me halfway, returning my kiss with a feeling of almost desperation. Her arms wrapped around my neck, tightening until they could grow no tighter. I felt wetness on my cheeks that I knew didn't come from me and I wrenched back, alarmed.
"What's wrong? Talk to me," I begged.
"Will you come see me again this summer? After I get back from camping? I need more time with you. I can't…I can't…" she couldn't talk through her tears and I couldn't swallow the lump in my throat from the sight of her pain. I whispered yeses between kisses peppered all over her face until she calmed down. Glancing over at the horizon, I smiled a pained, bittersweet smile at the sight of the sun melting into the trees.
"Make a wish," I whispered.
She inhaled a shaky breath, exhaling, "Done."
Please let us find a way to be together.
I just couldn't say goodbye anymore.
When you held onto me
Like I was your little life raft
Please know
That you were mine as well
A/N: Umm...I still maintain that this story is not angsty. If you throw things at me...I will...think you're rude. Or sic aleighy on you. And she's tough stuff. I got to meet her last Sunday and she took my kids to the Arboretum and survived without the aid of leashes, whips or sedatives(for herself or the kids). That is an impressive feat. I usually use at least one of the three. Anyway, thanks to her and Fantasy Mother for their direction in this production.
The Lightning Strike lyrics owned and copyrighted by Snow Patrol. I always forgot to put that at the end.
isa