Eleven.
Filler!
BPOV
The sun shone brightly through the window, stirring me awake. I smiled and stretched happily, feeling the strangest sense of peace.
And then I realized the sun was coming from the wrong direction.
I shot up in the unfamiliar bed and tried to make sense of where I was. Cream colored walls with gold accents surrounded me, and an ornate metal desk was across the room. The bed I was in was carved similarly, and a butter soft golden blanket was draped over me. Where am I?
Before I could have a complete panic attack, I looked at the ground and saw a familiar, thrilling shade of bronze. Edward.He was sleeping peacefully on a mattress, hair messy as I'd ever seen it, mouth slightly open and smiling. His hand was extended towards the bed, and I remembered falling asleep holding it. The events of last night came flooding back in a horrifying and perfect flood.
I slumped against the pillows. What had I done? My parents were well connected, they probably had the entire town out searching for me. What if someone thought to send them here? That would certainly make Duke Cullen happy, I thought sarcastically.
What would Edward and I do? I couldn't logically stay here forever. I had all my things at my house, a whole life that I had just ran out on last night. But honestly, there was nowhere I would rather be than the exact place I was now.
I rolled over on my stomach and ran a hand through Edward's hair. He stirred minutely.
I giggled. "Edward, wake up."
His eyes shot open, leaving me momentarily disoriented in their golden depths. "Bella?" He struggled for comprehension. "What are you- Oh."
Panic and dread shot through me. He didn't want me here? Did he regret coming to get me last night?
My fears were chased away when a wide, lazy grin spread over his face. "Oh," he repeated. "Wait here, I'll get breakfast." He hopped up and kissed me on the forehead before jogging out of the room.
"Hurry back!" I called.
Despite the odds against us, I could get used to this. Waking up every morning beside Edward and the promise of spending all day with him and his amazing family sounded pretty idyllic to me.
I got out of bed and went over to the mirror, careful to not put too much weight on my foot, which was already feeling better.
Wow, I look horrible. My hair was tangled, my face scratched, and my arms bruised. I quickly set to work untangling my hair. There wasn't much I could do about the scratches, though I bet Alice would have some fancy French powder that could help.
The quiet sound of an opening door. Oh, God what if it was his mother? Or worse, his father? I silently crept closer to Edward's closet, prepared to hide if necessary, to save both of us from a giant mess of trouble.
"Bella?" Edward called.
I sighed in relief. "I'm in here." I plopped down on the bed.
Edward strode into the room with a large, heaping tray of breakfast foods. My stomach grumbled right on cue, and he laughed quietly.
"I didn't know what you liked, so I brought far more than I probably should have," he confessed.
He looked so sweet. "Thank you."
He came and sat next to me on his bed. I picked a delicious looking scone from the spread.
"So, what are we doing today?" I asked.
He held up a finger while he finished chewing and swallowing. "Horseback riding," he announced.
I gulped. "Edward, I haven't ridden a horse in forever."
"You'll be perfect," he promised.
Well how could I say no to that?
We ate in silence for a few minutes, constantly stealing glances at each other, until a knock at the door jolted us from our quiet, domestic peace.
"Edward? Bella?" Alice's voice rang through his suite as her footsteps drew closer. "Edward, you better not have taken her home!"
She burst in, dressed in a rose pink dress and dragging a blue one behind her. "Good morning, Bella!"
"What, no hello for your brother?" Edward joked.
She smirked at him. "Oh, your scratches! Don't worry, I have a powder that will take care of that easily," she assured me.
I stifled a laugh. Funny how well I knew this girl I met just yesterday.
Alice handed me the blue dress and sent me off to the closet to change. It had elbow length sleeves and a narrower skirt than most dresses.
While changing, I heard the other three Cullens join Alice and Edward.
"Good, now I can tell everyone the plan," Emmett said as soon as I walked out. "Okay. Mother and Father are leaving at eleven, in ten minutes, to go to a luncheon. After they're gone, we'll go to the stables and Edward will sneak Bella in the back way so no servants will see her."
I hadn't realized how late Edward and I slept. In our defense, we had been up until two in the morning dealing with some pretty dramatic events.
We chatted for a few minutes about the trail we'd be taking, until three minutes til eleven, when Jasper stole out of the room to be the lookout.
"You know how to ride, you know, normal style, right?" Alice inquired.
Confused, I shook my head. "Like sidesaddle? I do, but I can also ride the other way."
She beamed. "Good. When the adults aren't around we kind of do away with the formalities. It's more comfortable and we can go faster if we ride normally."
"Agreed." I nodded.
Jasper returned seconds later, nodding excitedly. Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett followed him out the main doors and Edward helped me out the door to his room.
EPOV
I didn't realize that life could just be perfect like this. I woke up to Bella's voice and I realized that today would be the first time we would spend time together in the daytime.
God, she looked gorgeous today. She had on this simple blue dress and her hair was free to fall down her back with just a few pieces held out of her face. She looked truly happy as we ran laughing to the stables. A light in her eyes had come back and her cheeks were flushed lightly.
I reached behind me to intertwine my fingers with hers, and then I gently pulled her into the stable.
"This is my horse," I said, pointing to the chestnut horse I called my own. "His name is Masen." I loved Masen. Just jumping on his back and riding far, far away from my house was all it took to soothe me some days.
Next to Masen was the little grey horse, Elizabeth, that I had chosen for Bella. She had a sweet, calm, trustworthy temperament. Bella would be completely safe riding her. I wasn't taking any chances with my girl.
The others had already mounted their horses and were waiting outside. Emmett on a large, strong dark brown horse, Rosalie on a white mare that her dress contrasted dramatically with, Jasper on a lean, fast tan stallion, and Alice on the pretty black pony she picked out the day she married Jasper.
"You alright?" I asked, just making sure that she was comfortable.
She nodded. "Let's go!"
The six of us set off in companionable silence towards the trail we had taken many times before. It was a beaten path along the river, filled with trees and always full of sunlight.
After about an hour of riding quietly together, Jasper, Emmett and I decided to race.
We lined up at the same set of trees we always used, the girls taking a break in the shaded grass.
"On your marks," Rosalie called.
"Get set!" Alice yelled.
"GO!" They shouted together.
I shot forward. I kept my eyes on the river bank that we were calling the finish line, and I urged Masen on faster. We seemed in perfect sync. I barely had to move and Masen would follow, as if reading my thoughts.
The wind ran through my hair and I smiled despite the competition raging between my brothers and I. The cool wind reminded me of Bella's soft fingers winding through my hair this morning. I wanted her to do it again.
I closed my eyes briefly, remembering the curve of her smiling lips. I saw her in my head, leaning closer and closer, until our lips were about to touch, and then-
Emmett's victory cry shook the image from my head.
"Dammit," I cursed quietly.
Jasper trotted over scowling. "Let's walk them back," he suggested, gesturing to the horses. "They need a rest, and we can give the girls more time to talk about us."
I rolled my eyes as I dismounted. I never really cared much what Rosalie and Alice had to say about me. But now, I was suddenly burning with curiosity. Was Bella talking to them about me? What was she saying? I mimicked Jasper's scowl as I realized I would probably never find out.
"Don't worry, I'm sure it's good things," Jasper said as he fell into step beside me. He was so damn perceptive sometimes.
Emmett came up on the other side of Jazz. "Seriously, brother, have you seen the way she looks at you? You have nothing to worry about."
I sighed. I could actually use some older brother advice at the moment. "How can I be so sure? I mean, what if-"
"No." They interrupted me in unison.
"Edward," Emmett sighed exasperatedly, "she just ditched her family to be with you. If that's not love, I don't know what is." He clapped me on my back then swung up on his horse's back and rode back to his waiting wife.
Love? Bella and I certainly liked each other alot, but was it love? I pondered my brothers words as I walked back to where they waited. I love Bella, I tried. It didn't sound awkward or forced. It sounded completely right.
And now I just had to tell her.
BPOV
We sent the boys thundering off down the riverbank and then Rosalie turned to me. We had been getting along a lot better today. I thought that we were definitely on the path to being friends.
"So, Bella, do you love Edward?"
My mouth fell open in shock at the abrupt question. Did I love Edward? I remembered the way I felt when he looked at me, or when our hands touched. I thought about the way his lips had felt against my skin. I found myself imagining how they would feel against my lips. Okay, Bella, get back to the important topic here. There was no way I could not love Edward. He seemed perfectly formed for me in every way. We fit each other in ways I had never dreamed of. Yes, I thought, I am in love with Edward Cullen.
"Yes," I said firmly. Rosalie looked slightly taken aback.
Alice was the opposite. "I knew it!" she squealed.
"Do you think, that Edward, um, loves me?" I stuttered.
They looked at each other knowingly. "Bella, that's something you have to find out for yourself," Rosalie said.
"The champion has returned!" Emmett declared, riding back to our shady spot.
Rosalie swept over to him and planted a congratulatory kiss on his grinning lips. Again, I thought of how it would feel to kiss Edward like that.
When Edward and Jasper returned, we subtly split into pairs and took some time to be alone with our boys. Edward and I walked down the riverbank, leading our horses, our hands dangling and clasped between us.
We were walking silently, but a tension hung inexplicably between us. I felt a strange, itching desire to just say it.
"Edward, I love you," I blurted. Itching gone.
What was wrong with me? I couldn't have said it in a more awkward or unromantic way. Oh my God he was going to think that I was coming on way to strong.
He turned to look at me with a smile that made me weak in the knees. "I love you too, Bella."
Edward loves me! I felt an embarrassingly goofy grin spread across my face but I couldn't hold it in. He loved me! I threw my arms around his neck and his wound around my waist, leaving not an inch of space between us.
He pulled back slightly and took a deep breath, as if preparing himself for something.
He leaned his head down slowly until our foreheads were touching. Then I knew. With a ragged, anticipating breath, I tilted my head up minutely to capture his lips with mine.
The spark I had felt when we first touched was nothing compared to this. It felt like heat was shooting out from our barely touching lips through every nerve in my body. Edward moved a hand to my neck and gently deepened the kiss. The heat shot through my veins, and I tightened my arms to pull him closer.
After a few more seconds, I pulled away and looked into his burning topaz eyes.
"Wow," I breathed.
He smiled wryly. "Wow indeed." And then he brought his lips back to mine.
Awe. Not too much plot here, but lots of action is soon to come next chapter. The next is also a filler.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU AGAIN! I got a crazy amount of reviews and faves which just made my day.
Next chapter will probably be up by Monday, because I have off school. Good ol' Kashmir Pulaski, which I'm pretty sure I spelled wrong.