A/N: Here's the next chapter…because it's done and I didn't want to wait to give you guys this little ray of sunshine before the inevitable shitstorm that is on the way. ; )
Massive thanks to Dil9, my beautiful beta, who gets these things looking all pretty before sending them back to me in enough time that I can update on time – no matter what's going on. Love you chicka!
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Read and review? I love hearing what ya'll have to say. : )
Edward POV
After only being in the meadow for a few short hours, Bella took me back to the parking lot where we got in her car and drove to the Cullen house.
We had just gotten in the door and I heard a loud, high-pitched scream, "God dammit Emmett! If you don't turn that Call Me Maybe shit off right now, I swear to God that I will kill your fucking IPod! You've had it on repeat for so long I doubt that your IPod even remembers how to play anything else! No! Don't you fucking dare turn it up! Emmett, I swear…I will have Jasper rip your dick off and hide it – you will NEVER get any ever again!"
My mouth hung open as I turned to stare at Bella. I had heard them swear before, but I had never heard them actually fight like siblings…it was definitely an experience that I could see myself participating in…in the future.
"She's right, Emmett," Jasper's unmistakable drawl sounded from the den downstairs, "I feel like I'm sprouting a vagina as we speak. Turn that shit off or I'll do one better than what Alice suggested – I'll take your dick and make you listen to every song Conway Twitty ever made…on repeat…for a fucking year! You know I'm capable, Emmett. Call Me Maybe goes right this second or I will uphold my previous threats plus I will add unmanageable lust for the duration as well. Imagine it, Em – you will be horny enough to stick your dick in a blender for some relief and won't be able to rid yourself of the riotous lust roiling through your body no matter what you do."
I stood chuckling as I heard the song stop dead in the middle and absolute silence reigned for uncountable seconds.
Bella giggled beside me, "I'm sad to say that this could quite possibly be my fault. I made a remix of it for Emmett. What I didn't count on was that he'd like it so much that he'd put it on repeat for the next few months. I can actually say that I'm so sick of it, I'm completely prepared to have someone hold him down while I wipe that song from every electronic device in the house…including in my studio. The next time I make a song for him, I'm going to have to sit and imagine listening to the song on a never-ending cycle for months at a time to see if I would be able to handle it."
"He can't be that bad, can he?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.
"When Emmett gets on a roll about something – it's like telling a child with ADHD who's just had an eight ball of cocaine and a gallon of Red Bull to sit still and be quiet. He can be damn near unstoppable. When Britney Spears first came out, we were all into her music…until Em decided to get on a particularly nasty Britney kick. We heard Sometimes nonstop for six months before Rosalie made the damn cd disappear. Em was heartbroken…us…not so much. I think we may have started the very first ever Britney Spears hate-club. Everything Spears related was banned from the house…Alice still goes into fits of rage when anyone mentions her."
From upstairs, I heard crashing and Alice growl before hearing glass shatter. I turned around just in time to see glass rain down onto the front yard followed swiftly by a large armoire which exploded upon impact, scattering designer clothing all over the front yard.
Bella looked at me with a smirk on her face, "See?"
I looked in amazement as some clothes fell delicately like giant snowflakes.
"Remind me to never mention that name within earshot of her," I chuckled seriously, "As much fun as I've had so far, I'd really like to go sit down with you and maybe…finish what we started in the meadow?"
Bella smiled at me, grabbed my hand and led me up the stairs to her room.
Just after we got inside her room, a thought struck me, "What are they doing here? I know that we skipped, but school is still in session…did they skip too?"
Bella laughed lightly, "Well, Edward…today is supposed to get sunny, so Carlisle called the school and had my siblings excused. Impromptu hiking trip was in order. The cover story is that we go hiking and camping when it's sunny in Forks. Truthfully, we can't be outside in the sun."
She looked at me seriously out of the corner of her eye – gauging my reaction.
"Well, no shit." I stated, "I don't want my girlfriend or her family bursting into flames."
I stood shocked as she doubled over laughing. I didn't find this topic funny in the least.
"Edward," her laughter dying down to light giggles, "we don't burst into flames. We sparkle."
"Sparkle?"
"Like a fucking diamond…or a disco ball."
I sat down heavily on the bed trying my hardest to picture Emmett or Jasper sparkling outside in the sun. The closest thing I could get my mind to picture was either of them covered in glitter.
Bella must have noticed the dumbfounded look on my face because she walked quickly to the window of her room and flung the curtains back, letting the sun have an unobstructed path to her marble skin.
"Look Edward," she said gently.
I raised my eyes to her and watched the sunlight pour into the room before refracting, fragmenting and bouncing off of her skin – casting sparkles all over the room.
I sucked an audible breath in through my teeth.
Bella was even more gorgeous in the sunlight than when she wasn't.
After several long moments with no response from me than the one breath I took and then absolute stunned silence Bella stepped from the window, her head bowed – as if she were ashamed of something.
Seeing her look so sad was my undoing. I lifted her chin to tilt her face up to mine, "What's wrong baby?"
The look on her face was heartbreaking, "I understand if you think I'm freaky…we could move to somewhere there's no sun…or we could just never go out into the sunlight if you'd prefer."
Her voice was trembling and I was immediately annoyed at myself for not having a better reaction.
Before I could say a word, a streak that slightly resembled Alice flew by the door. Only after she was out of my sight, I caught her words on the air.
Fix this, moron. She thinks you think she's ugly. Fix it now!
Jesus. Women were so insecure.
"Sweetheart," I said, my voice husky, "I don't think I've ever seen anything more beautiful that seeing you in the sun. I apologize for my crass silence…I was stunned. You, Isabella Cullen, are stunning…in the sun…and out."
She beamed a million watt smile at me and kissed my lips quickly.
I was being pulled down onto her bed with her…our lips connected in such a way that I never wanted us to be separated from each other. After deeply kissing for a few moments, I began to let my guard down the rest of the way.
Her hands began to explore the skin under my t-shirt and I found myself moaning at the sensations her hands were leaving in their wake.
"Oh," I moaned loudly when she lightly ran her nails down my chest, "God, Amber that feels so good…"
All movement stopped immediately, the look on Bella's face was completely unreadable. I took a few seconds to get my hormones under check and I thought back to what had stopped the touching.
"Edward," she said in a very small voice, "my name is Bella."
My shocked silence answered her as I realized that I had committed the biggest sin in a relationship…I had called Bella another girl's name…