Bella's POV
I made it to Jake's house by five. It was still drizzling.
I hesitated for a moment in front of the door.
I'm doing the right thing? I asked myself. Yeah. You are.
So, I knocked. And waited, glad I'd found one of Jasper's jackets in the car; it was steadily getting cooler. I knew Jasper wouldn't mind. A minute later, the door was opened by Jake. He smiled and stood aside to let me in.
"Hey." He said, and stooped to kiss me. I let him....
And it was settled. I felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. I gently pushed on his chest, and he pulled away with a frown. I sighed softly. This wasn't going to be fun.
"Jake, can I talk to you for a few minutes?" I asked, trying to figure out what exactly I was going to say. He nodded, and we walked into the kitchen. He was making a pre-dinner snack, apparently.
I leaned against the counter, my hands in my pockets, while he stood at the stove, watching his grilled cheese cook.
"Jake...I-" I started, but he interrupted me.
"Do you think it's hot enough? It seems to be taking a long time..." Jake mused, while fiddling with the dial. I frowned. Jake never interrupted me.
"I think that-" And he did it again!
"Do you want a popsicle?" he asked, stepping over to the freezer, and holding one out to me.
I huffed. Why did he have to make it so much harder for me? "No thanks Jake. Listen-"
"Are you sure? They're really good. Grape." He said, taking a bite out of one and shutting the freezer door.
"Jacob Black, stop stalling and let me talk!" I shouted, annoyed.
Jake sighed, and tossed the half eaten popsicle into the trash can. He turned back to the stove and flipped his sandwich, which was now burnt on one side.
"I know what you're going to say." He mumbled. I was quiet, watching as he flipped the sandwich onto a plate, but just let it sit on the counter.
He didn't look devastated, or heart broken, which was relief, but also a little confusing. Maybe I was thinking rather highly of myself but...
"I'm sorry, Jake." I said sincerely. He just looked...resigned. A bit disappointed. He put his hands in his pockets.
"It's Cullen, isn't it?" he asked suddenly. I smiled a little, thinking about Edward.
"Yeah. That obvious?" I asked, glancing up at him. Jake laughed, without humor.
"Yeah. I knew it was just a matter of time." He looked down at his feet.
"Do you think we can be friends?" I asked, a little hopefully. I didn't want to completely lose Jake. Not this soon, at least. Just because we weren't dating didn't mean we couldn't see each other anymore, right? It was quiet for a minute.
"I think we can be friends." He said finally. I smiled.
"I really am sorry, Jake." I said again, standing up straighter, getting ready to go. HE just shrugged.
"One last kiss?" he asked, with his old grin. I laughed a little, and stood on my tiptoes while he stooped, and pecked him on the lips. I waved once before letting myself out.
Now...Edward.
Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into my own driveway. I lifted the hood on Jasper's jacket, and ran across the yards towards the Cullen's. Bad idea. I slipped on the wet grass and landed flat on my back, the wind knocked out of me. I gasped and closed my eyes to keep the rain out of them, and just lay there on the Cullen's lawn, trying to get my breath back.
"Bella?" my favorite voice in the world asked, sounding a little worried. I slowly opened my eyes, and Edward was peering down at me, his hair darkened from the rain.
"I'm okay." I said, sitting up. To my surprise, Edward sat down on the wet grass, right in front of me.
"I broke up with Jake." I said casually, looking down. Then, slowly, I looked up, smiling. Edward was grinning at me.
"You broke up with Black?" he asked in an even, calm tone. I nodded, my smile growing.
"You chose me?" he asked in that same voice. I giggled a little, and nodded again.
Then, Edward did the most Edward thing imaginable.
He let out a whoop, leapt to his feet, and did a victory lap around the yard. I stood up, laughing, and watched him go.
After a minute or two, he jogged back to me, and before I could say anything, set his hands on my shoulders and kissed me.
And I kissed him back. And this time, I had nothing to feel guilty for.
Third Person POV
Esme peeked out one of the kitchen windows, smiling.
"Finally." She said quietly to herself, before calling Renee.
"Look out your window, carefully. Be sneaky." She said as soon as her friend picked up.
A moment later, she heard the soft squeal.
"Finally!" Renee said.
Edward lifted Bella off her feet and spun around with her, never breaking the kiss. Then, without warning, he lost he footing on the wet grass and down they fell, Edward catching himself just in time to keep from crushing Bella.
"Ouch." Renee said, chuckling softly.
"Smooth, Edward." Esme said sarcastically, laughing.
Bella's POV
I stared up at Edward for a minute. We were both a little stunned by the sudden fall, but okay. Then, I started laughing, and Edward's grin came back. He kissed me softly once more, before carefully getting to his feet and helping me up. I could've sworn I saw the curtains twitch in one of the kitchen windows, but figured I was just imagining it.
Edward wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in the crook of my neck. "My girl." He said, his voice just slightly muffled. I laughed a little, but nodded.
"Your girl." I agreed, running my hand through his wet hair. I was suddenly aware of how both of us were soaking wet, and the rain wasn't going to stop anytime soon. I shivered a little, cold.
"We should probably go inside." Edward said, standing up straighter now. He took my hand and laced his fingers through mine, and started to lead me towards his door, but I shook my head.
"I'm staying over at Alice's tonight. Jasper's sister is coming tomorrow, and Alice needs helping getting her room ready." I explained. Edward sighed and nodded.
"Come over for a few minutes while I pack, when she get changed?" I asked a little hopefully. He nodded and let go of my hand a little reluctantly, and we both went our separate ways.
A few minutes later, after I had tossed Jasper's jacket in the dryer and changed into a dry pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt, Edward appeared in my doorway. He was wearing fairly dry clothes now, but his hair was still damp, as was mine.
"Need any help?" he asked, flopping down on the bed next to my bag. I shook my head.
"No, I think I've got it." I said, stuffing an old band tee shirt into my bag.
"Band-aids?" he asked. I nodded, rolling my eyes. "You aren't going to...oh, I don't know. Fall down the stairs or anything, are you?" he asked, rather seriously.
"I'll try my best not to." I promised.
I went back to my closet and pulled a pair of cut off sweats for PJs.
"Am I your girlfriend?" I asked, shoving the pair of pants in and then attempting to yank the zipper shut on the bag. Edward leaned forwards and pulled it smoothly shut. I smiled in thanks and slung it over my shoulder.
"Do you want to be?" Edward asked, standing up. I nodded. He smiled and took a step forwards and kissed my forehead.
"Bye, Bella. Call me tomorrow?" he asked, smiling a little. I nodded again, and hugged him. He hugged me back, and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.
Then, he left.
As soon as I heard the front door shut, I did a happy dance, right there in my room, squealing like a thirteen year old at a Hannah Montana concert.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
"Her favorite color's green, right, Jazz?" Alice asked Jasper, who was sitting in the middle of the floor of the guest bedroom. He nodded.
"Last I heard, at least." He answered, watching Alice flit back and forth across the room. I was doing pretty much the same as he was, except I was standing, and Alice kept on taking different "supplies" out of my hands.
"Alice, it's past midnight and the room looks perfect. Can I go to sleep now?" I whined, shifting my weight from one foot to the other.
Alice looked around the room, very carefully. Finally, she shrugged.
"Okay...I guess it's pretty much perfect anyways..." she said, sounding a little disappointed that there wasn't anything left to do. She sighed as Jasper stood up.
"I hope she'll like it. Do you think she'll like it, Jasper?" she asked sounding worried. Jasper got to his feet and wrapped his arms around her.
"I think so." He said quietly, looking around too. Alice rested her head against his chest.
"Why Rose?" she asked sadly. "Why did this happen to Rose?" Jasper shook his head.
"I don't know, Ali." He said, just above a whisper.
I felt like I should turn around, or cover my eyes, or...something. It was just such an intimate moment.
"Will you carry me?" Alice asked Jasper, yawning a little. Of course, now she was tired. She couldn't have gotten tired two hours ago. But, I couldn't hold it against her.
"Of course." Jasper said, and scooped her up and carried out of the room and across the hall to her room. He set her on the bed, and took off her shoes for her. He kissed her on the forehead, then he left, nodding to me on his way out, to go to his own room.
Already in my PJs, I flopped down on the air mattress that Alice's mom had set up for me and pulled the covers up over myself.
We were both tired, so Alice went through her routine quickly. I was already halfway asleep when she shut off the lamp.
My girl. I heard Edward's voice in my head. I smiled, rolled over, and fell asleep.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
"Time to get up!" Alice sang in my ear. I groaned I blindly tossed one of the stuffed animals that had fallen off her bed and onto mine in her general direction.
"Missed me!" she said, way too cheery for the time.
"Alice, no!" I whined.
"Rose will be here thirty minutes. You need to get up and dressed." Alice said, ripping my blanket away.
I sat up with a sigh, and rubbed my eyes. Alice was already dressed in knee length jean skirt, red ballet flats, and a red shirt.
"Jeez, Alice. How early were you awake?" I asked, standing up and yawning.
"6:30." Alice answered simply, sitting down at her desk and logging into her email. I shook my head in disbelief, and dragged my bag into the bathroom with me to get ready for the day.
I emerged, wearing a Guns and Roses tee shirt and a pair of faded jeans, my hair and teeth brushed, and my face washed fifteen minutes later. Alice raised and eye brow at my shirt, and I copied her. I liked my shirt.
"Fine. Whatever, I don't care." Alice said, but her tone told me otherwise. But, she was letting me off the hook, so I was happy. "Rose should be here in about ten minutes." She said.
Alice was nervous, I could tell. I didn't think it was because of Rose coming, per say, but...because she didn't know what to expect from Rose. I knew that they were friends. I couldn't imagine what it was like to have a friend go through that...or a sister for that matter. I didn't know her, but I still felt bad about it. But I didn't feel for her as much as Alice or Jasper did.
Jasper had asked me not to tell Edward or Emmett what had happened to Rose. He said that she didn't want a bunch of people to know, that if she wanted people to know about it, she would tell them herself, in her own time.
I followed Alice downstairs, my sketchbook and a pencil in hand. I hadn't drawn much recently.
I sat down on the couch, and while Alice watched the local news, I sketched.
I was almost finished when the key turned in the lock, and the front door opened. Mrs. Brandon walked in first, and I noticed that her eyes were just a teeny bit red...she held the door for Jasper, who was carrying several bags. He set them down in the entry as Alice walked over to him, and he slung his arm over her shoulder. I followed, and stood next to Alice, feeling just a bit out of place.
Rosalie Whitlock was a sixteen year old beauty. That was for sure. She stood a good four inches taller than me, probably 5'8 or 9. She was thin...but not skinny. She looked healthy, at least.
Her hair was blonde, like Jasper's, only a shade darker. With a slight red tint to it. It fell to her waist. Her eyes were a deep blue, and I guessed that they would've been bright and sparkling under normal circumstances.
But, these weren't normal circumstances.
She was dark jeans, and tennis shoes, and a grey shirt with sleeves so long that they covered her knuckles. They had holes for her thumbs.
Her hair was loose, and it hung so that it half covered her face. Her eyes were....
They could only be described as broken.
It broke my heart just to see her, and I didn't even know her yet. I could see the hard look on Jasper's face, and Alice let a sob out as she stepped forward and hugged Rose.
"Oh, Rose, Honey..." she said as Rose returned the hug. The just stood there for a long moment, then Alice took a small step away. She wiped her eyes quickly.
"Rose, this is our friend, Bella. Bella...this is my sister, Rosalie." Alice introduced us. Jasper had gone to carry Rose's bags up the stairs.
I noticed that Alice called Rose her sister. I was reminded of the way Alice had described her Jasper's relationship as "engaged since birth."
"Hi." Rose said quietly, her voice matching her looks. Beautiful, of course.
"Hi." I said, smiling at her.
Alice and I helped Rose unpack, Alice chattering away happily, and Rose and I speaking when we needed to.
A little after eleven, my phone rang. I checked the caller I.D, and I knew my face lit up as I scrambled to answer it.
"Hi." I said, holding up a finger to Rose and Alice and stepping out of the room.
"Good Morning, sunshine." Edward said, and I could tell he was smiling from his tone.
"I've been awake since 7:30. You're a little late." I said, laughing a little. Edward whistled.
"Wow. Sorry. Did you sleep okay, though?" he asked.
"Yeah."
"Is Jasper's sister there yet?"
"Yeah, she is. Me and Alice have been helping her get settled. She's pretty nice." I said.
Edward and I just chatted for a few more minutes, then, after making arrangements for him to come and pick me up after lunch, we hung up and I went back to Rose and Alice.
"We're done." Alice announced. I nodded. Alice looked like she was about to sit down and get ready to talk to Rose some more, but with one glance at Rose, I knew that wasn't what she wanted.
"Hey, Alice? How about we let Rose have some time to herself. I'm sure she's tired. Right?" I turned to Rose, who smiled at me a little gratefully. She nodded.
"Yeah. A nap would be nice." Rose said, her voice just above a whisper. Alice nodded solemnly.
"Okay. Do you want us to wake you up for lunch? I think we're just having pizza." Alice asked. Rose shook her head.
"We'll put some in the microwave for you, in case you want it later." I suggested as Rose went to her closet and got out a pair of sweat pants to change into. She just nodded, and Alice and I left quickly and quietly.
"Edward's going to come and get me at around one." I told Alice as we made our way downstairs.
"So that was Edward you were talking to?" she asked. I could tell that she was upset about Rose, but there wasn't anything I could do about that except distract her. I could faintly hear Jasper playing his guitar in his room as we passed the door.
I nodded. "Yeah." I bit my lip before saying, "I broke up with Jake last night." I said, wondering what her reaction would be.
"You did?" she asked in an excited voice. "That's awesome! Finally!" she said, and she hugged me. "And now you and Edward are together!" she didn't ask, she knew. I just smiled and nodded. A minute later, Alice tackled me with a hug.
"Finally!" she yelled, squeezing me with more force than you'd think a girl her size could.
I had to agree. Finally.
Soon enough for you?
Finally!!! Yay!! Edward and Bella at last =)
So...I have to admit. I have no clue what I'm doing next, to so forgive me if it takes awhile. Hopefully, it won't. But...I think that this won't go on too much longer. But, maybe I'll write a sequel. You never know!
The two songs I've been listening to nonstop these past couple days..."Helpless When She Smiles" by the Backstreet Boys, and "Where is the Love?" by the Black Eyed Peas. Just thought I'd let you know.
Who all has seen The Half Blood Prince??? I haven't seen it yet, but I think might be seeing it tonight. =D Was it good?
So. I saw an "I Love Vampires" tee shirt today. I considered buying it. But...considering it was black, and it's been consistently over 100 degrees every day for the past week and a half, and will probably only get hotter....I didn't =(
In case you're wondering, it's 5:00 PM and 107 degrees here. Wow.
Don't forget to review! Reviews are better than coloring books. Super duper long reviews where you actually talk to me are better than Disney Princess coloring books!!