EPOV
I woke and gazed down at her. I pressed her a little closer to me and kissed the top of her head. I couldn't help it. She had asked me into her apartment, late at night, which I knew had to mean I was gonna sleep there. Which I had. I was baffled she had asked me that, and I didn't know why. Wasn't it something a couple did? We were different, we didn't fit the stereotypes, so I never knew with me and Bella. Everything was something new, something I hadn't tried before. In general feelings hadn't really been my thing. But with Bella and the affection I had for her, I didn't really care. I felt like we were going on an adventure together, which fit me perfectly, because I would follow her anywhere.
It had been a nightmare-free night. It was a morning I didn't wake up dripping in sweat, with all the demons roaming inside my head. It had been a free night and I really didn't recall the last time that had happened.
Her presence calmed me, there was no doubt that it was sleeping here with her that had calmed me. I hadn't had a lucky night, I had had a night with Bella, that was simply the reason.
"Are you awake?" she peaked at me.
I murmered a 'mmm' in a her hair. Her fingers started tapping on my chest, like she was playing a beautiful melody on the piano, and well she did make my heart do something else.
"Do you wanna make breakfast?"
"Can't we stay here a little bit longer?" I sighed along with a growl coming from her stomach. "Apparently not," I pouted.
"I know, let's blame my stomach. Why does it need food?" she shook her head and laughed.
"Fine, but I'm voting for going back to bed afterwards."
She got up from bed and stretched her delicate, perfect body as a few sunrays beamed through the window and danced on her skin, making her glow. She was wearing a pair of tiny shorts and an oversized t-shirt. Her brown hair framed her face perfectly with her natural waves and I wondered how any person could be so beautiful. I had never seen anyone resemble her, nowhere near her beauty.
She looked at me and I returned her look with a questioning gaze.
"You voted. There is absolutely nothing I can do," she giggled.
As she sprinted to the kitchen, I got up from bed and moved towards the bathroom. I splashed my face with water to freshen up. I guess it was also a way of trying to wake my self up from the dream, I was so sure I was in right now, because I honestly couldn't believe all of this was real. It seemed so unreal – that I had slept in beautiful Bella's bed, that she was out there making breakfast for us and that we were us.
I was thrown out of my thoughts when I heard 'Walking On Sunshine' blasting through the entire apartment. I must have been in the bathroom, wrapped up in my thoughts, for longer than I thought, because when I stepped out and closed the door behind me, a smell of bacon and pancakes lingered in the entire apartment. I followed the scent that made my stomach growl, just like Bella's had done and found her, still in nothing but her tiny shorts and a big t-shirt, dancing around in the kitchen.
She was singing along to the cheery song. I watched her from a distance for a moment and couldn't help but chuckle. She hadn't noticed me, so I snuck up behind her and grabbed her around her waist, tickling her. She exclaimed a loud scream and turned around to look at me with a shocked look. She grabbed the remote for the cd-player and turned the volume down, so it was only background music.
"Fuck, you scared me," she mumbled as she placed a hand over her heart. I replaced her hand with mine and felt her heart galloping.
"Well. Yes, I did apparently," I smirked and grabbed her chin, pressing my lips to hers. She pushed against my chest and turned back to the stove.
"Yeah, none of that when you scare me."
"You have a malicious mind," I laughed while I wrapped my arms around her small torso as she flipped the pancakes.
"But I don't see how that is fair, superstar," I teased her.
"Wow Edward, you even managed to not get breakfast. She took the plate of food and patted my back, before she walked to the table. "Good job."
I sat down next to her and pulled her chair closer to me, so I could have my arm wrapped around her. I kissed her temple and she leaned her head on my shoulder.
"Fine. You can have breakfast, just because you make it hard to deny you anything."
We ate the eggs and bacon, finishing with the delicious pancakes. As she started taking the things to the sink, my phone buzzed in my pocket.
Ask her, please.
Alice had been bugging me for some days now about meeting Bella. When she wanted something, she would be annoying until the moment she got it. But I didn't know if Bella meeting Alice was too soon. Yet I wanted them to meet. I shared everything with Alice, so she knew how I felt about Bella; Alice knew she was absolutely special to me. I could always try and ask Bella, the worst she could say was no, and I would be completely fine with that answer.
Bella reemerged at the table as I was still staring down at my phone.
"Do you have to go or..?" her voice faded.
"No, I actually have something to ask you," I answered apprehensively. "My sister, Alice.. She would really like to meet you. She told me to ask you. I just didn't know if it was too soon or.. not that I don't want you to meet her, I really do, but if you–"
"I would love you meet your sister, Edward."
"Are you sure? I mean, you don't have to."
"I want to," she smiled at me reassuring. I stood up and brushed some strands of hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead.
"When?"
"If Alice can decide, as soon as possible," I chuckled.
"Today? At lunch?"
"If you want to, it sounds good to me. I'll text her."
To be honest I was all smiles inside and I probably looked like a smiling fool on the outside. But Bella hadn't had any doubt about meeting Alice and she didn't even need time to "prepare." She was just ready and she wanted to. It amazed me. She amazed me. I was sure she was never gonna stop doing that, ever.
I kissed her softly, loving the sweet taste the syrup from the pancakes had given her.
I drew back and looked into her eyes. "You're amazing."
Her eyes wandered to the floor and I stroked my thumb over her blushed cheeks.
"How long till we have to leave?"
I glanced at the clock. "Two hours."
"Then let me get ready and we can go back to bed," she winked. "Uhm, unless you wanna go home and change.."
More time in bed with Bella or fresh clothes? The decision wasn't exactly hard.
"Nah, Alice has seen me at my most disgusting. She can live through this, though she won't like it," I laughed.
I told Bella to go get ready as I cleaned everything up in the kitchen. I felt very at home in her apartment; it had this calming aura. It was probably just a Bella aura. She made me feel so very calm. I wasn't constantly restless when with her and my mind wasn't going crazy. Hell, she had even spared me a night filled with an all too real nightmare.
After I finished I walked to the bedroom just as she sat down on the bed. I sat down next to her and wrapped my arms around her. We laid down on the bed. We stayed like that, wrapped around each other and silent, until we realized we would have to look at the clock. Two hours had never flown by that fast.
We walked back to Blues where I had parked my car last night. We drove towards the restaurant Alice had chosen. I had never heard of it. I had been sure she would take us to our dad's favourite, but she had surprised me. Well, probably because she knew that I had already taken Bella there.
"Are you nervous?"
"It's my sister, aren't I suppose to ask that question?"
"I guess, but you just look nervous."
"I might be a little, to be honest with you. Alice is like my rock in life, so I really hope you'll get along," I stammered nervously. This was one of the moments I had been the most nervous in my life, I think. I was sure Alice was gonna love Bella. She liked everyone, and she had told me that anyone who could make me go around the smile all day was someone Alice would cherish. But I just hoped, so much, that Bella would like Alice – truly like her.
"Are you nervous?"
"No, I'm not really," she smiled.
"Round two of amazing me today," I murmed so low she couldn't hear.
I was nervous, she wasn't – it should be the other way around. It was a good thing though. It made me happy that one, Bella wanted to meet Alice and two, it didn't scare her or make her nervous in any way. It assured me that this was gonna be great and that I wouldn't have any reasons to worry about Bella at all.
We reached our destination and saw Alice waiting outside the restaurant. As we reached Alice I gave her a big hug and Bella took a little step forward, just about to reach out her hand, but had no chance of shaking her hand, since Alice drew her in to a surprising embrace. That was my sister in a nutshell.
"Hello Bella, I've heard so much about you," she smiled from ear to ear.
"It's nice to meet you, Alice," Bella returned the smile. I put my arm around her and let my hand rest on her waist, kissing her temple.
"Aw, you guys are so cute."
I didn't even have to look at Bella to know that she would be blushing, but I did anyway, because she look so damn pretty with her flushed cheeks. And I had been right.
"Let's get some food. I've already made a reservation."
"And you picked a restaurant named 'Knife,' couldn't they be a little more inventive?"
"Hey, their name might suck, but their food is to die for, so shush." I heard Bella giggle.
We got to our table, ordered our food and it didn't take long for it to arrive. They had good service, despite their stupid name. We started eating and Alice had been right. This beef was to die for, absolutely. My new second favourite restaurant. My dad's favourite would always be mine too. So many memories attached to it. And their beef was just a tad bit better.
"Do you mind questions, Bella?" she started.
"Alice, don't bug her."
"It's fine, Edward, I don't mind," Bella smiled. She was so calm and smiling.
And so Alice started her long list of questions, and I got answers of things I didn't even know.
"Do you have any siblings?"
"No, I'm an only child."
"Favourite food?"
"I think I like food too much to pick one favourite," she chuckled.
"Do you have any education?"
Bella flinched a little by that question, and I was just about to tell Alice to back off, when Bella went back to smiling.
"No, I stopped after High School. Then I didn't really know what I wanted to do so I started working, and then I needed a change of scenery, so I moved here to work instead.
And the questions went on and on. It was like Alice had made a list and memorized it.
"Alice, I think that's enough for now."
"Hey, I just wanna know something about the woman, who can make you go around smiling constantly."
See, that made me blush for once.
"And I'm sure me and Bella are gonna make great friends."
"I agree," Bella added.
This is what I would call a successful dinner, for sure.
We spent some more time talking before Alice annouced that she had a study-date with some of her friends which she couldn't miss.
We arrived back to the apartment and Bella unlocked the door. She threw herself down on the couch and I went to hover over her, kissing her, and kissing her again and again. I laid down next to her, as much as the small couch allowed me to.
"I'm sorry if my sister asked too many questions, but she's like that."
"I don't mind, I really like her. She's very bubbly and happy, I like that."
This was just what I had hoped for and more. Bella liked her, she really liked her. Two important persons in my life liked each other. That made a happy Edward.
Yes, Bella was absolutely important to me, more than she knew. Because it might seem crazy to her, that she was already this important me, but there was nothing I could do about it and there was nothing I wanted to do about. She was amazing, nothing less.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out and looked at it.
"I'll have to answer it or that sister of mine will just drive us crazy."
I walked out into the kitchen and allowed myself to fix some food for us while I talked to Alice.
"Edward, she's perfect."
"I'm glad you like her."
"She's so perfect for you, oh my god, now I really understand that smile of yours."
"Yeah, there is no reason to deny she is the reason for that. And Alice.. I didn't have a nightmare tonight. For the first time in a long time, I didn't have a nightmare. I blame that on Bella. I thank Bella for that."
"Wow, she really has the right affect on you."
"She does, god, she does."
"Ih, I'm so happy for you!" Alice squealed.
"You'll give me a hearing damage at some point, sister."
"I'll let you get back to her. I'm just so happy for you, Edward."
She hung up. I finished the sandwiches I had been making and opened the fridge, grabbing the juice as Bella enter the kitchen.
"I allowed myself to make us some sandwiches."
"We just ate, Edward."
"When it comes to food, I'm insatiable," I laughed.
"I can't really deny that I'm the same," she laughed along with me. "I just came out here to make popcorn, hoping I could lure you into watching another chick flick movie with me."
I chuckled. "Only because it's you, Bella, only because it's you."
She got up on her toes and kissed me, before she made a little victory dance and saying "yes!" which caused me to giggle.
We brought the bowl of popcorn, the glasses of juice and the sandwiches into the livingroom and sunk back into the couch. Bella had already put on the dvd.
"You were just sure you could make me watch a movie or?"
"I was hoping you couldn't say no to me."
"You're right, I probably can't."
She kissed my cheek and turned back to the screen, pressing play, excited like a little 10 year old girl. "I love this movie. It might be sad, but it's so beautiful."
Then 'A Walk To Remember' started.
"You just dig sad chick flicks or?"
"No, I just dig beautiful love stories," she responded.
A/N: That was chapter 12 tralalalala. I hope you likeeeeeed it and I hope I'll seeeeee you back next weeeeek (yes, I'm very much in a singing mood right now) Oh and those reviews; ah, they are always lovely, so please leave one and tell me what you think about this chapter and what will happen later on. I love to hear your thought.
And again thank you to the always amazing Drazenka for being my beta, aw yeah.
Thank you so much for reading.
x Susanne
