Chapter 11: Him

Alice called Bella next day. She was very excited about all the things that were going on on her mind, but she still tried to calm down as she talked to Bella. She didn't want her to get suspicious.

"Hi, Bells" she greeted as Bella answer the phone.

"Hi Alice. How are you?"

"Fine, thank you" Alice was hardly containing her hysterical laughter. "I need to talk to you"

"Ok, it's something wrong?" Bella asked

"No, not at all. I have an invitation for you" Alice giggled.

"Ok" Bella sounded really calm.

"My parents have a house by the beach and we are planning on going there this weekend. Would you like to come with us?" Alice was bouncing in her sit waiting for Bella to reply. But instead there was only silence on the other side of the line.

"Bella? Are you still there?" She asked.

More silence and then a tiny whisper: "Yes..."

"Are you ok? Did you fainted or somehing?" Alice was beginning to worry.

"No, I'm ok. It's just that you took me off guard" Bella replied

"So then, are you coming?" Alice couldn't wait any longer.

"I don't think that's a good idea..." Bella finally managed to say.

"What? Why?!" Alice was out of herserlf.

"Because your family will be there" Bella stated. "And I don't know most of them. It's a lot of people. And... What if they don't like me, Alice? What if I feel out of place like I usually do around others? I don't want to ruin your family weekend turning it into an awkward moment".

"I can't believe you just said that" Alice sounded pissed off from the other side. "You never make things easy for me"

Bella heard Alice breathing slowly, as if trying to calm herself down, and then there was her high-pitched voice again.

"Let me rephrase it" She began. "I'm not inviting you. I'm just warning you that I will be picking you up on Friday, so you can get your clothes ready"

"Please Alice..." Bella voice sounded on the edge of panic.

"And if you don't have your bag ready, you will be sorry. For I will drag you with me to the beach even if you have to be naked all weekend!"

Bella didn't reply. It was nothing else to say. She knew Alice too well by now.

"I think you understood it" Alice took Bella silence as a confimation.

"You really hate me, don't you?" Bella said softly.

"No, I really love you. That's why I'm doing this. You will understand in time". And with that Alice hung up, closing her mobile and fully smiling to Jasper.

Bella opened her door on Friday morning and Alice was there, looking all beautiful and shiny as she smiled at her.

"I can't believe you are doing this to me" Bella hissed and got her bag before closing her apartment door.

"I'm just doing you a favor. Trust me" Alice giggled and helped her into the car.

Jasper was on the driving seat. "Hi Bella. Nice to see you again. Ready for the sun and water?".

"You are into this too, along with her. I know. So I choose not to answer that question" Bella crossed her arms over her chest and stared out the window. Jasper and Alice looked at each other and laughed.

The trip to the beach house was pleasant, even for Bella. As soon as Alice began to loudly sing along with the stereo, Bella had to drop her defenses and smiled. By the time they reached the house, she was hysterically laughing and thinking that Jasper was the funniest guy she had met. No wonder him and Alice were together, they belonged to each other.

They got out of the car and a couple came to welcomed them. Alice ran to hug the woman with the curly caramel hair. Beside her there was a handsome blonde man with a huge smile and tender eyes.

"Mom, Dad, this is Bella" Alice performed the introductions. "Bella, these are my parents Esme and Carlisle"

Bella shook their hands. "Nice to met you both" she said.

"Nice to meet you too. Alice has been talking a lot about you" they replied. Bella smiled shyly and looked over her shoulder to Alice. The tiny monstruos was laughing.

Esme and Carlisle seemed to be really nice. They smiled at Bella, and looked very comfortable with her being around. And Bella had the same feeling around them. It was oddly familiar, just as it had happened with Alice, Rosalie and Jasper.

They got to their bedrooms to drop the bags and get changed. "We are heading to the beach, so you should get your bikini on" Alice said.

Bella opened her suitcase and got the bikini Alice had bought for her during the shopping excursion. "I hate you so much" she said as she remembered how little skin this fabric could cover.

"Use the blue cotton dress too" Alice demanded. Bella gave her a twisted glaze. "I know you love me" Alice winked and ran downstais.

Bella obeyed and got on the bikini and the blue dress. She went down to find Alice and Jasper talking to Carlisle and Esme.

"Go ahead Bella!" She said. "We have a couple of things to talk to mom and dad. Rose and Emmet will be here soon. And my brother Edward is down by the sea".

Bella didn't feel too comfortable going to the beach by her own, but she didn't want to intrude the family conversation. So she started to walk down the stairs leading to the beach.

As her feets reached the warm sand, Bella looked over to the sea. The view was amazing. She had hardly been at the beach in her life, but as she let the sun get to her and the breeze blew her hair she couldn't remember why she hadn't come more often.

She took a couple of steps ahead and stopped abruptly as she realized she was not alone. There was someone else on the beach. And as she laid her eyes on the figure, she felt her heart rising and her throat closing. He was standing by the sea, with his back turn at her, looking at the horizon.

Bella started to choke, and felt that her fragile legs could not hold her for long.

And then the most incredible thing happened. He turned around, and set her never ending green eyes on hers, as he said. "Bella..."

And then everything collapsed, the floor disappeared, and Bella felt she was falling into darkness.