Waking up in such close proximity to Bella puts a smile on my face. We are even closer together than we were when we fell asleep. One of her legs is wrapped around mine and her hand has snuck underneath my shirt to rest on the smooth skin just above the waistband of my shorts. The feel of her bare leg brushing against mine and her hand against the sensitive skin at my waist is causing the stirring I felt last night to return full force. I can feel her steady breath hitting my neck so it is easy for me to tell she is waking up when her breathing changes. I feel her tense for a few seconds and then relax, probably taking some time to remember where she is.
"Good morning," I say softly to her, alerting her to the fact I am awake.
She presses a small kiss against my neck where her head is resting and then lifts herself up to look me in the eye. As she adjusts her body to look at me her hand slides further up my stomach, taking my shirt with it. Her hand is now resting lightly a few inches above my belly button.
"Good morning," she replies.
She is smiling at me as her thumb rubs gentle circles on my exposed skin. My brain is fogged over with lust and I let out a shuddering breath as I look down at where her thigh is now pressing into my center as a result of her shifting around. She follows my gaze and when she realizes where her thigh is her face turns red as she jumps off of me but she ends up getting tangled in the sheets and starts to fall off the bed. Luckily my reflexes are not impacted by sleep or lust and I am able to catch her and steady her before she falls off. She untangles herself from the sheets before getting up, more calmly this time. As she stands beside my bed she gives me a sheepish look.
"I think we may need to hold off on the sleepovers until our relationship is a bit more...advanced."
I don't argue because as much as I enjoyed having Bella sleep in my arms being this close to her, in sleepwear that is much more revealing than our everyday clothing, makes it a bit hard to keep my thoughts appropriate. We manage to get ready for school and head out without any further incidents. As I'm driving Bella grabs the hand I have resting on my lap and starts playing with my fingers, I've noticed she likes doing that. Before my mind can wander too far down the path of what else Bella could enjoy about my fingers she starts speaking.
"So about our date tonight...I remembered this morning that I told your mom I would come over today and cook that paella I was talking about."
"Oh! I had totally forgotten about that. We can reschedule for tomorrow...would you be okay with something during the day? I'm thinking picnic on the beach."
"Ooh sounds romantic," she says in a teasing voice.
"Well, I am trying to woo you," I tease back.
"And you're doing a mighty fine job. Especially in that shirt."
She eyes my upper body as we pull into the parking lot and I know that she is only joking but her words make me blush. Although the way her gaze is lingering on my chest there may be a bit of truth to her words. I am wearing a Ramones t-shirt that fit snugly before my wolfish growth spurt and is now fairly tight, accentuating my breasts. I snap my fingers in front of her face and she looks up as I gesture at my face.
"My eyes are up here, babe."
Bella blushes adorably as she unbuckles her seatbelt and steps out of the car. By the time I get out she has already walked around to the my side of the car and composed herself. As we walk towards class Angela and Ben approach us. Ben has the look on his face that he gets when he is really excited about a new video game or comic book. The second they reach us he starts talking as we all walk through the parking lot.
"Hey guys! Angela, Eric, and I are going to see that new zombie movie tomorrow. It's supposed to be awesome. Interested?"
"Please," Angela interjects, "don't leave me alone with those two."
"Alright I'll go just for you Angela," Bella says. All three of them turn to look at me.
"Count me in. Not for you Angela, for the zombies." I stick my tongue out at her playfully and she laughs.
It feels nice to just joke around with friends and act like a regular teenager after the week I've had. It's hard to believe it hasn't even been a full week since everything happened. Bella slips her hand into mine as we part from Angela and Ben to head towards English class, lacing our fingers together. Out of the corner of my eye I see Jasper and Alice exiting a yellow Porche and notice that Edward is not with them. I decide to ask Jasper about it in Spanish class.
My morning classes are pretty uneventful and I confirm in Calculus that Edward is not at school today. When I get to Spanish class Jasper is already there, chatting with Ben about the zombie movie we are watching this Saturday. I hear Ben invite Jasper and Alice to join us but Jasper politely declines. I assume sitting for a couple hours in a crowded theater with a bunch of hormonal teenagers is more of a risk than Jasper is willing to take. I wait until midway through class to ask him about Edward, casually bringing up that I noticed he wasn't in math class. Jasper informs me and Ben that Edward is "feeling ill" and will likely be missing more than a few days of school since he needs time to recover. I figure this means that Edward is taking some time to cool off, whether by choice or by Carlisle's command I am not sure but I am glad he is not around to cause any drama.
After school Bella and I stop by a grocery store to pick up ingredients for her paella before heading over to my house. I insist on paying since she is the one cooking for us and we now have to make monstrous amounts of everything to feed the pack as well. Half the pack, including Seth, is lounging around the living room when we arrive so Bella and I head to my room after putting away the groceries. We chat and finish up our homework before going back to the kitchen to start on dinner.
I have seen Bella in the kitchen on numerous occasions but it is always fascinating to see her completely in her element. It is probably the only place on earth where she is more graceful than clumsy. She takes the lead and I assist where I can, chopping onions and crushing garlic, but mostly I end up just watching her. I hear Embry make a joke about not being able to tell if I'm drooling because of the food or Bella but I don't bother tearing my eyes away from her to respond.
When it is finished Bella and I call everyone to come get food before sitting with my mom, Seth, Quil, and Embry at the table to eat. Jake, Jared, Sam, and Emily sit in the living room and we set aside a plate for Paul who is currently on patrol. We all talk and joke around during dinner and I am glad to see my mom smiling a few times at our antics. At some point Bella places her hand on my knee underneath the table and I can't help grinning like a fool at the touch. Before long it is time for Bella to go home and she says goodbye to everyone before we both walk out to my car.
I drive Bella home in silence and when we get there I pull into her driveway and turn the car off but neither of us moves. When Bella finally unbuckles her seatbelt she does not get out of the car, instead she takes advantage of the bench seat and slides closer to me. She lifts herself slightly from the seat in order to give me a peck on the cheek.
"This was a good first date," she smiles.
"That's not what this was supposed to be. My idea of our first date didn't involve my mom and most of the pack joining us for dinner," I say, confused at her words.
"Maybe not, but it was a perfect night and I think a perfect first date. Plus it takes a lot of pressure off of our second date tomorrow."
"You're an odd one, Bella Swan."
"You shouldn't complain, if it wasn't a date you wouldn't be getting a goodnight kiss."
"Well I -"
I don't get a chance to finish my sentence because she grabs my face and pulls me towards her for a chaste kiss. By the time my brain starts working I only have a few seconds to kiss her back before she pulls away.
"Goodnight," she whispers while getting out of the car.
I watch her walk inside her house, waving at me before shutting the door. The kiss was incredibly short in comparison to our first one but it still stuns me for a few minutes. After sitting in her driveway for a bit I start my car back up and head home thinking about our night. I guess it really was a perfect date.
This was a little shorter than usual but hope you still enjoyed it. The next one should be longer.
Again thanks so much to everyone that is reviewing and letting me know what they think. You all are the reason I am motivated to update so fast!