We arrived at the house just as the sun set. Before my feet had the chance to touch the ground, Emmett enveloped me in his signature bone crushing hug.
"Bella, I've missed you." He put me down after getting a warning growl from Edward. "Did you do anything funny while you were with Edward?" He asked, eagerly awaiting my answer.
"Well, I tripped on a root and almost fell." I offered.
"And I missed it!" He whined.
"Emmett, I can't help but come to a conclusion that you only like me for my clumsiness." I said with a pout.
"Move over, you big lug. You're hogging her." Rose said. I didn't even see her. "Bella, Alice would like to speak with you. Let's go inside."
Once on the inside, Alice crashed into me. Yes, literally crashed into me.
"Oh my goodness, Bella, I'm so sorry. I have no idea how you went through it all." She kept rambling.
"Alice, what are you talking about?"
"She saw your decision to tell Edward and saw what happened in Phoenix. And then she told us. I hope you don't mind." Rose answered warily.
"Not at all. I was going to tell you guys later, but this takes care of that. I'm actually glad I don't have to go through it all again."
"Bella, I just wanted to let you know that if you ever needed to talk about it, I'm here to listen. I went through a similar situation. I'll tell you about it later but if you need anything, I'm here for you." Rose said.
"Thank you, Rose. You too, Alice." And I hugged them both. They embraced me and we stood like that for a few minutes.
"Alright, ladies. Let's break up the love fest." Emmett's voice boomed from the entrance.
I turned to see him and Edward come into the house. Edward walked up to me and took my hand. I don't think I will ever get used to the jolt of electricity that shot through my body every time we touch.
"Esme wants to meet you, if that's alright with you." He said.
"Of course! Lead the way."
We ended up heading towards the kitchen. Before I knew it, I was enveloped in a hug. I was shocked for a moment but then hugged back with as much fierceness.
"Bella! It's great to finally meet you. My children have been talking nonstop about you. I'm Esme."
Esme was a beautiful woman with caramel shade of hair. She had such motherly presence about her. Her smile made me feel safe and welcome.
"Mrs. Cullen, it's a pleasure to meet you. You have a beautiful house." I said.
"Thank you, my dear. And, please, call me Esme. I've made you something to eat. I figured you'd be hungry since Edward kept you out for so long." She said, looking pointedly at Edward. I snickered. Esme looked back at me and winked.
"Thank you so much for doing that." I didn't realize how hungry I was.
"Alright, I'll let you eat in peace. I hope I'll be seeing more of you from now on." And with that, she hugged me again.
I walked over to the stove to find two grilled cheese sandwiches and a bowl of homemade tomato soup. I grabbed both plates and a spoon and went over to the table. Edward pulled out a chair for me and sat down next to me. I began eating and halfway through noticed him looking at me.
"Is there something wrong?" I asked.
"No. Why do you ask?"
"You're watching me eat."
"Oh, I'll stop if it's bothering you."
"No, it's fine. I just didn't realize it was so fascinating."
"Believe me, Bella, everything about you is fascinating."
I had no comment for that so I went back to eating. Once I was done, I rinsed the dishes and turned back to Edward.
"So, what's the plan for the rest of the evening?"
"I'm pretty sure Alice and Rose want to do something with you." He informed me.
"Edward, no! You said no makeovers!" I whined.
"As far as I know there are no makeovers in the plans." He chuckled.
"If there are, I'm coming after you." I said, moving closer to him. Maybe too close, because I heard his breath hitch.
"Should I be afraid?" He asked, gracing me with his crooked grin.
"Very much so." I replied.
"Bella! Get your pretty little behind over here. We have things to do!" I heard Alice yell. I turned towards her voice.
"I'm coming!" I yelled back "I just don't know where you're at!"
"I'll show you." Edward whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. He then placed his hand on the smalls of my back and guided me towards where Alice was. I had to make sure my breathing was nice and even. What in the world was going on with me? Probably the stress of the day was making me crazy.
"Rose, Bella. My bedroom. Now!" I heard Alice yell from upstairs.
"Better not make her wait. Let's go, Bella." Rose said pulling me along.
"Alice, dear, you promised to show me the rest of the house." I tried to stall.
"Of course, Bella. Silly of me to forget about that." Alice replied, giving me a look. She knew what I was doing. Yea, well, take that.
"So, let's start from the back since we're going to come back to my room anyways."
"Your room? I thought your husband was also living there." Rose piped in. I snickered.
"Rose, don't start something you can't finish. Trust me, just drop it." Alice said smugly. And then she turned to me. "Alright, Bella, this is Carlisle's study slash library." She said, opening the very last door.
The room was very Carlisle. Walls were covered in bookshelves, which were filled to full capacity. The décor was done a classical style and I assumed some of the pieces were originals. There were desks filled with different instruments and measuring cups. There was a large window, which didn't surprise me at all.
The next room was Esme's and Carlisle's bedroom. It was gorgeous. Their bed had a headboard that had beautiful carvings on it. The whole room gave off an atmosphere of peace and love. Esme's done a wonderful job with it.
Across the hall was Rose's and Emmett's room. Alice didn't even have to tell me because I could tell from the decorations. Their room was done in red and beige color scheme. It was very Rose. I guess Emmett didn't really care about the décor.
Alice's bedroom was amazing. The walls were done in white and brown colors. There was a neat chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The bedding was done in brown and gold. It looked very modern.
"Alice, I love your bedroom. Well, yours and Jasper's." I gushed.
"Thank you, my dear. I had to make sure Jazzy would be comfortable in here. Now wait until you see the bathroom." She said, dragging me along. I looked back at Rose for help but she only smiled at me.
She was not kidding. The bathroom screamed Alice. It was done in Moroccan style, with purple walls and hot pink cabinets. The total package looked incredible. I had to give Alice credit-she had an eye for putting together unique color combinations. I complimented on her taste. She beamed at me. If that's all it took to make her happy, I will do it more often from now on. Happy Alice was too adorable.
We went back to the bedroom to find a very bored Rose.
"Finally! I thought you would take forever in the bathroom. So, Alice, what's on the agenda?" She asked.
"I was thinking manis and padis. Maybe a makeover for a certain human?" Alice turned to look at me with an evil smile on her face.
"Oh no you don't! There will be no makeovers tonight or anything else for that matter!" I had to stand my ground.
"But Bella! I have everything ready!" Alice whined.
"Alice, it's late. I have school tomorrow. I really need my sleep after today." I didn't like playing the guilt card but it was necessary at the moment. Alice looked so crushed that I actually felt bad. Dang it, I couldn't say no to her.
"How about this-I'll come over to your house some other day and you can do a makeover then."
"Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Alice was now jumping up and down.
"Calm down, Alice. Let's show Bella her room so she can get to sleep." Rose spoke up.
I was led to the third floor, into the guestroom. Turned out I was sharing the floor with Edward. His room was just down the hall. And there was only one bathroom, which meant we'd have to share. Personally, I had no problem with that. I just wasn't sure what he thought of it.
I said good night to Alice and Rose and went to settle in. I felt so exhausted that before I knew it, I was asleep. I was having the nightmare again. Only this time, it was more vivid. I was back in Phoenix and I was standing at the top of the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs Renee was lying in the pool of blood. Close to her was Phil. I felt James dragging me to my room again. I was screaming and trying to fight him off when I felt someone shake me. I was still screaming when I opened my eyes and saw Edward. He was the one trying to wake me up. I launched myself at him, clinging tightly to him. I felt sobs shake my body.
"Shhh…It's okay. It's over now. You're safe." Edward kept whispering me, keeping a tight grip on me. He then proceeded to rub my back soothingly. I was able to calm down after a few minutes.
"I'm so sorry for waking you up." I whispered my voice hoarse from screaming.
"It's alright. Were you having a nightmare?"
"Yes. I've had it ever since the attack. It's the repeat of what happened in Phoenix on Christmas. I guess the memories were still fresh in my mind and the nightmare was more vivid."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that again." He looked sad.
"No, I wanted to. It felt great to tell it to someone." I slowly moved away from him. "Thank you for checking up on me." I gave him a small smile.
"You're welcome. I guess I should let you go back to sleep." He slowly got up from the bed and walked over to the door.
"Wait. Could you please stay with me until I fall asleep?" I didn't want to be alone.
He turned around and got back on the bed. He stretched out on the other side of me. Without asking for permission, I laid my head on his shoulder. I felt him stiffen for a moment and then he wrapped his arm around me. I closed my eyes and the last thing I remembered was Edward humming a lullaby.
I woke up to an empty bed. I guess Edward must have gone back to his room after I feel asleep. I quickly got dressed and went to the bathroom to wash up. Once I was done, I went back to the room, made up the bed, and collected all of my things. I heard commotion downstairs and decided it was time to join them. I slowly descended down stairs so that I wouldn't hurt myself. When I walked into the kitchen, I found everyone with the exception of Carlisle present. I said good morning to everyone.
"Did you sleep well, Bella?" Esme asked with motherly concern.
"I did, thank you. I'm sorry if I woke anyone up with my screaming." I said. I heard them chuckle. I don't get it, what was so funny about that? Sensing my confusion, Jasper spoke up.
"We don't sleep, Bella. So don't worry about that."
"Oh. But you have beds."
"We don't use them for sleeping." Emmett said.
I stared at him for a second and then the implication of what he said hit me. My cheeks turned red.
"Emmett! Be nice to Bella. Here, honey, I made you some breakfast." Esme said, handing me a place with eggs, bacon, and toast.
"Esme, you shouldn't have."
"I don't mind. It gives me an excuse to use the kitchen."
"That's right; you guys don't eat human food. Thank you so much for this. And last night's food was delicious."
"I'm glad you liked it. Have a wonderful day at school, Bella. And as for the rest of you-behave. Especially you, Emmett." And with that, she left.
I quickly finished breakfast and all of us exited the house. I headed towards the truck only to find Rose waiting for me.
"Hey, could I ride with you?"
"Absolutely." I said, excited to have someone with me.
"Could I drive?" She asked. I nodded yes. I got into the passenger side and she pulled out of the driveway.
"Bella, I wanted to tell you a little bit about myself. I'm not sure how much Edward told you about me."
"You were added to the family after Esme and Carlisle hoped you would become a companion for Edward." I was still a bit unsettled about that revelation.
"I hope you don't think anything of it. Carlisle had the best of intentions at heart. I mean, Edward and I couldn't stand each other from the beginning."
"Rose, I'm not upset with you over that. I mean, Edward and I are just friends, nothing more." Why did that hurt so much to say, though?
"Oh, okay. Anyways, I was born in high society. My parents were rich and I got everything I ever wanted. I grew up into a very beautiful woman and was constantly praised for my beauty. I'll be honest, it all went to my head. I was very proud of my good looks. Yes, I was arrogant. I had many suitors. I was most intrigued by one man-Royce King. He was also an heir to his parents' fortune. I accepted his proposal and we were to be married in a few months. When we were together, he was a perfect gentleman. He never hit me or raised his voice. I thought I had it all. One night, I was visiting a dear friend of mine. I didn't realize how late it was and hurried home. On my way, I passed a tavern and saw Royce and his friends come out. He called out to me and I turned around and went to him. I could smell the alcohol on his breath. He grabbed me and dragged me into one of the alleys. He trapped me against a wall and started ripping at my clothes. I was crying and begging him to stop. I heard his friends laughing. Royce hit me and told me to be quiet. He threw me on the ground and then raped me. After he was done, he kept hitting me. I was in and out of conciseness for the most part but I do remember him telling his friends to have their turn with me. They did. All of them kept beating me and then they left me there, bleeding to death. That's when Carlisle found me. He knew I was dying and he took pity on me." She turned to look at me. I was crying.
"Rose, I'm so sorry. That bastard got away with it, didn't he?" I asked angrily.
"He did with the authorities but not with me. I took my time with him before I killed him." She looked at me again, weighing my reaction.
"Good. At least you had the satisfaction of knowing he will never hurt you ever again."
"Believe me, Bella, the guy who did this to you will never touch you. Our family will make sure of that." Rose reached out to pat me on the shoulder.
"Thanks."
I noticed we were now in the parking lot. I wiped my tears away and got out of the truck. I found the rest of the Cullens waiting for us in the parking lot. I hugged Rose and together we made our way towards them.
My day went by exceptionally well. It was as if a huge weight was lifted off my chest. I liked this new feeling. I was grateful to Edward and the rest of the Cullens for sticking with me. I was all smiles when I came back home.
"Well, you look like you're in a good mood." Charlie commented.
"I am. Just give me a minute to change and I'll get dinner started."
"Take your time, Bells. There's a game on."
After about an hour, I called Charlie to come eat. We chatted about different things and he mentioned Jacob calling. Once I was done eating and cleaning the table, I dialed Jake's number.
"Hello?"
"Hey Billy! This is Bella. Is Jake home?"
"Oh, hello Bella. Yea, he's around. Just give me a minute." I thanked him and waited patiently.
"Bells!" An extremely cheerful Jacob picked up the phone.
"Hey Jake. What's up?"
"Not much. I just miss you. So does Leah and Seth. We haven't seen you in a while." He said, sounding hurt.
"Jake, I saw you guys two weeks ago."
"Yea, but two weeks is such a long time!" He whined.
"Okay, Jacob. You tell Leah and Seth that I'll come over on Saturday. Is that okay, you big baby?"
"Yes! I'll let them know. Can't wait to see you. Bye, Bells." And he hung up. Drama queen.
Friday morning I got a big surprise in the form of Edward Cullen standing at the front door
"Good morning, Bella." He was way too cheerful this early in the morning.
"Good morning, Edward. Am I missing something?"
"Well, after Rose drove your truck, she came to a conclusion that it wasn't safe to drive around. She wants to fix it for you. She picked it after your father left for work. She wants to work on it over the weekend. "
"Would've been nice if someone informed me." I said feeling left out.
"That's what I'm doing right now. And I figured you'd need a ride to school." He said with a smile. I couldn't stay mad him even if I tried.
"Okay. I just don't want to inconvenience anyone."
"Trust me, you're not. "
We walked over to his car and he opened the door for me. When I got in, I recognized the song.
"Claire de Lune." I whispered.
"You know Debussy?" Edward said in surprise.
"I only know my favorites."
"It's one of my favorites also." The crooked grin made its first appearance of the day.
The drive to school was spent in a comfortable silence. I was glad to know that we didn't need to be talking all the time in order to feel comfortable around each other. Maybe this friendship thing would work out.
The second surprise of the day happened during lunch. I took my usual seat with the Cullens. Edward was missing. Apparently, he was running late or something. Alice didn't go into any details. Although, she did have a mischievous smile on her face, she must be up to something. Come to think of it, all of them were looking quite pleased with themselves. What was up with them? Shaking off the feeling of paranoia, I thanked Rose for my truck. She just shrugged and said that it would give her a chance to play with another toy. I smiled at her and turned to Jasper.
I was in yet another deep debate with Jasper when I heard a chair scrape against the floor. I looked over to see Edward sitting down with a tray of food. I knew he wouldn't be eating so why did he have food? Before I could ask, he slid the tray over to me. I gave him a confused look.
"Food for the human." He said with another crooked grin.
"You know, I resent that. Plus, I am more than capable of getting my own food." I tried to sound offended. It was a bit difficult since he was dazzling me yet again.
"I know that but I thought it would be a nice gesture." He was pouting at me. That just made me giggle.
"Thank you, Edward. That was very sweet of you." His smile lit up the room. Emmett got his attention and he turned away from me.
I looked down at the tray and saw that he picked out my favorite food. He must have been paying attention to what I selected each day. I was surprised because I don't remember him doing that before. I was pretty sure that he was ignoring me in the beginning.
I took a bite out of pizza and noticed Edward looking at me.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" I asked, reaching for a napkin.
"No. I'm just wondering how you can eat that." He scrunched up his nose.
"Are you kidding me? Pizza is the best thing in this cafeteria. Here, try it!" I said, bringing my slice closer to his mouth. He arched his eyebrow at me.
"Don't tell me the invincible Edward is afraid of a small bite of pizza!" I teased. I heard a collective "Oooh" from the rest of the Cullens. Edward smirked at me and took a bite. He made sure I saw how disgusted he was. I giggled like a little schoolgirl at him.
"See, now that wasn't that hard!" And I took a bite out of the same slice, not even thinking about it. I saw Edward staring at me. I just shrugged and went back to eating.
I returned to my previous thought. It seemed our relationship has changed drastically. He was actually being nice to me. I mean, he made sure I had a ride to school today, got me lunch, and even took on my challenge. If you would've told me a few weeks ago that I would be friends with Edward Cullen, I would laugh at your face. I never thought that he would turn out to be a sweet person.
My thoughts were interrupted by a light tapping on my shoulder. I looked at a hand that could only belong to one person.
"Did you need something, Edward?"
"No, but Alice has been trying to get your attention for a few moments now." He chuckled.
"Oh, I'm so sorry Alice!" I quickly turned to her
"No biggie. I just wanted to talk about prom." And she launched into her little lecture. I could still feel Edward's hand on my shoulder.
Alice kept going on and on about different things and I kept nodding in agreement. I honestly didn't care that much about prom but Alice did get me to agree to go. I was pretty sure they would be doing couples thing, which left me all by myself. Well, not all by myself, there was always Edward. Just saying his name in my head brought a warm feeling. I knew I was attracted to him, there was no doubt. I mean, look at him-he's perfect. I still didn't' understand why he wanted to be my friend.
"Bella, I can't wait for you to see your dress!" Alice exclaimed, bringing me back to reality.
"I'm sure it's beautiful. You have impeccable taste, Alice." I said.
"Thanks!" She turned to Edward. "So, Edward, you never told us about your trip to Denali."
"There's not much to tell, Alice."
"Oh yes there is. Especially when the sisters are involved." Alice kept pushing on.
Sisters? I was all ears now.
"Drop it, Alice." Edward growled.
"Oh, come on. I'm sure Tanya was her usual self." Emmett piped in.
"Tanya?" I asked, feeling a sting of jealousy.
"Yes! Oh, Bella, it's the funniest thing ever. So, as you know, Edward went to Alaska. We have friends in Denali-a family of sisters. There's Irina, Kate, and Tanya. Irina lives with her mate Laurent and Kate with Garrett. So that leaves Tanya as a single one. Just like our Eddie here." Alice turned to Edward and winked. He just scowled at her. "Anyways, during our first visit, Tanya decided that her and Edward should be together. She tried every trick in the book. I mean, that girl was persistent. Poor Eddie had to hide in the forest for two days! Of course, he wasn't that lucky. Tanya found him on the second day. I don't know how he escaped her but when he got to the house, he demanded that we leave." She was laughing hard by this point. Everyone else joined in, even Edward. Me, I just wanted to strangle this Tanya. How dare she go after my Edward!
Wait, back up, did I just say my Edward? When did this happen? I mean, we're just friends, right? It's not like I thought about him all the time or wanted to stay in his arms throughout the night. Aah, crap. Who am I kidding? I'm totally wrapped up in him. It all started out innocent enough-me wondering where he was during those weeks of absence, hearing about him from Alice. It all peaked my interest and made me determined to find out more about him. And here I am in love with Edward! Stupid, stupid Bella.
"Bella, are you okay?" I heard Edward ask me. He tightened his grip on my shoulder.
I quickly glanced up to see Jasper looking at me. Oh no, he probably figured it out. I mean, he could feel all of my emotions. I needed to get out.
"Bella?" Edward sounded a bit worried.
"Yea, I'm okay. I, uh, I just need to go somewhere." I quickly stood up and ran to the bathroom. I think I heard someone call out my name but I didn't slow down.
Once I reached the bathroom, I closed the door and leaned against it. This was so stupid of me. Here I was, finally living my life and I go and fall in love with Edward.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid." I kept saying and banging my head against the door. Tears kept flowing down my face and I made no effort to wipe them down.
"Bella?"
"Just leave me alone, Jasper."
"You want to tell what happened?" He was very persistent.
"No." I was very stubborn.
"I know exactly how you feel." I swear I could hear him smile.
"Ha ha, very funny, Jasper. You're just a regular comedian, aren't you?"
"Come on, Bella. Just tell me what's going on." He kept pressing on.
"What's going on is that a very stupid girl fell in love with a guy who only wants to be friends. That's what happened!" I nearly shouted.
"Can you please come out?" Jasper pleaded. "And there's no point of shouting. I can hear you just fine."
Oh crap, that he heard me too! Great, as if it could get any worse.
I quickly wiped my face, opened the door and slowly stepped out of the bathroom.
"There you are." A very cheerful Jasper stood right outside the door.
"So does that mean Edward knows now too?"
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"Super hearing."
"Oh. No, he left the table when you did. He actually wanted to go after you but I told him not to. So he got mad and ran out of the cafeteria. Alice went after him."
"Why would he go after me?"
"He thinks he did something to upset you."
"Of course he did. He always assumes the worst, doesn't he?"
"That's Edward for you." Jasper chuckled. "But seriously, Bella, don't worry about anything."
"Yea, easy for you to say." I said bitterly.
"Trust me, I have a feeling everything will work out."
"I thought only Alice could see the future." I joked.
"I don't need to see the future to know certain things."
"I will hold that against you." I poked him in the chest.
"Alright, can we go back to the cafeteria now?" I nodded and we started walking.
The moment we stepped in, I heard whispering. I looked around to see everyone talking in hushed tones. I guess they enjoyed my performance. I silently took my seat and kept staring at the table.
"So according to the latest gossip, you and Edward had a huge fight and just broke up. I didn't know you two were dating. As your unofficial big brother, I am hurt that you didn't tell me." I looked up to see Emmett looking at me with big sad eyes.
"We're not. We're just friends. Let me guess, Lauren just came up with that?"
"Who else? So you're telling me there's nothing going on between you two?"
"No, Emmett. Like I said, we're just friends." The word friends now made me sick. I wanted to be so much more.
"But he did take you to the meadow." Rose piped in. My face must have given away my confusion because she continued. "He never takes any one there. The place is off limits for us."
"I'm sure it was nothing." I said, refusing to hope for anything.
"Okay. You want to tell me what happened at the table?" Rose asked.
"Why even bother. I'm sure you've heard it all." I could feel the tears threatening to spill again.
"Oh, sweetie. It will be alright. Everything will work out." She said soothingly. Rose then got up and sat next to me, enveloping me in a hug. I whispered a thank you to her.
"Hey, that's my job." Emmett shouted. I laughed at him. Only Emmett would get upset over something like that.
The bell rang, signifying the end of lunch. I gathered my things and said my goodbyes. I decided to go to nurse's office so I could go home. Charlie picked me up and I told him I was having a bad day. I didn't feel like listening to Lauren or her minions today. At least tomorrow I'll be going to La Push. Maybe I'll be able to forget about this mess.