Disclaimer: SM owns characters, I own plot. ©IsaKassees 2010 No copyright infringement intended toward Snow Patrol.
That summer was a whole new world to me. Much to my disdain, Charlie had still wanted to take Bella on their annual camping trip, so I had to let her go only a day after getting her back. I knew Bella would miss me and I understood her reasoning for wanting to go with him; he had missed out on so much time with her, he was so excited that she came to live there, blah, blah…Still didn't mean I was happy about it. I didn't feel like it was completely real yet. What if she came back and said she missed her mom too much? What if Renee and Phil broke up and Renee showed up in Forks? What if…what if…what if…It only took one bitch-out with Alice to snap out of it.
"Really, Edward?" she snapped, bringing me out of my daydream. I'd forgotten they were even here.
"Really, what? I'm sorry, what'd you say?" I asked simply, confused.
"You go a whole year at a time without seeing her for an entire fucking decade and now you can't even live without her for two weeks?"
"What the fuck are you talking about, Alice?" I snapped, irritated with her tone. She made it sound like that had been easy.
"What I mean is, is she's going to be back in a week and a half, which means she's only been gone for three days, and you're acting like she died! Snap out of it! God! It's like you're moping just to mope," she huffed, fixing her ridiculous beret on top of her head. French Impressionist this year. Little freak.
"I was just thinking," I argued weakly.
She rolled her eyes as Jasper made himself scarce. He never got in the middle of one our rows.
"You plus thinking always equals brooding, which never leads to good things. It leads to you being a sulking bastard, and if you don't shape up, I'm gonna tell on you when Bella gets back. She wouldn't want you being like this.
"Are you gonna come with us to Port Angeles or not?"
"Huh?" I asked, not following.
"That's what I was trying to ask you when you were off in la-la land. Whatever's got your panties in a bunch, just relax and talk to her when she gets back. So are you coming?"
"What are we gonna do?" I asked, smiling as she ran to my closet to throw some shoes at me.
"Pizza. Movie. Art supplies. Bookstore if you want, so you can get something for Bella."
I grimaced as one of the boots nailed me in the shoulder. "Yeah, okay."
"And no brooding!" she shouted behind her as she ran downstairs to find Jasper.
"Who, me?" I called out innocently as she pounded through the house like an elephant.
But I kept my word and did my best not to brood, or sulk, or pine, or mope, as Alice clarified on the drive up to Port Angeles. Missing her was fine, but being a bastard wasn't. She always had such a way with words. And I did my best to not let my thoughts run away from me.
When Bella got back, I took her out for our second date at a restaurant in Port Angeles and confided in her my deepest, darkest fear, because it just wouldn't stop gnawing at me. And I did it not entirely eloquently.
As soon as we were seated, I blurted out. "I'm scared you'll leave if Renee shows up needing help."
She jumped slightly at my sudden outburst, looking around self-consciously to see if we'd, I'd, attracted attention. Clearing her throat, her answer made my heart plummet.
"What kind of help?"
Not what I wanted to hear, Bella.
"Does it matter?"
That was probably a little harsh. She narrowed her eyes slightly and took a deep breath.
"Well, yeah. If she showed up drunk or something, I'd probably have to call the cops. If she showed up crying over her inevitable breakup with Phil, I'd probably have to sneak out the backdoor to run to your house. If she showed up dying of cancer, I'd probably have to do the right thing and call an ambulance or something."
That was definitely a little harsh. And awesome.
"Really?" I gaped incredulously.
Her shoulders fell as her fingers ripped her straw wrapper to shreds.
"Look, I know that sounds mean, and I'm not a mean person, but…all I've ever done for her is give, and all she's ever done is take. She took me from Forks, the only place that's ever been home, she cost me ten years with my dad by lying, she kept me from you when you were my only friend, she stole my childhood, leaving me to take care of…everything, and I just don't have anything left of me to give her. Right now it's too raw to say, but I don't know if she and I will ever be able to fix this. Because even if she apologized for every single thing she's ever done, she can't ever change it and give me those years back. And I don't trust her as far as I can throw her, so even if she wasn't just apologizing to get something out of me, I'd never believe it anyway.
"While me and my dad were gone, we talked a lot about it. He tried, Edward. He tried so hard to be a part of my life. And it killed me to think he didn't want me back then. Renee knew that. I don't think I can forgive that and I'll never forget it.
"Do you really think I'd just up and leave?" she finished quietly, her voice full of hurt and her eyes downcast. "Or is this just you thinking too much?"
Standing up from my seat across from her, I slid beside her in the booth. I picked up her hand and placed my other on her cheek to turn her face toward me.
"Definitely the second one. I'm sorry, Bella," I whispered, leaning in to kiss her softly. As always when we were kissing, we totally forgot our surroundings and the kiss deepened naturally, until we were interrupted by the waitress arriving to take our drink order, and I laughed at Bella's blush for being caught making out in a restaurant. "Don't let me ruin our date, okay? I love you, I trust you, and I'm so, so proud of you."
Resting her chin on my shoulder, she looked up at me with wicked eyes. "Fine, you're forgiven. But you're buying me dessert. Maybe two. Something with lots of chocolate and maybe some ice cream…"
Best. Girlfriend. Ever.
The rest of the summer after that talk was a lot smoother. When I wasn't worrying about everything, things just sort of clicked into place all on their own. She spent the days with Alice, Jasper, and me, sometimes one on one, sometimes just the girls, sometimes all of us together. The one day that was guaranteed to be only Bella and me was Charlie's first day off. He took Saturdays for himself, to go fish with his friends at a nearby lake, and then watch college ball at a friend's house, not returning until late at night. His second day off, Sunday, was just for him and Bella, but I didn't care. Saturdays were all mine.
And we spent them naked.
My mom thought it was so incredibly sweet that I woke up so early to see her on a weekend. Somehow, I seriously doubted she would find it sweet if she knew I was working my way through the Things I Want To Do To Bella's Body list, one Saturday at a time. My dad seemed to have a slightly better idea of what was going on, because mysterious boxes of Trojans kept magically appearing in my nightstand.
Six a.m.
"Hey. He just left."
"Give me five minutes."
Still aware enough to park around the corner in case Charlie ever forgot something or came home early, I opened the door with the spare key she'd made that was hidden under a loose board on the porch and let myself in, taking the stairs up to her room two at a time. She was adorable, still lying in bed and trying to wake up. She gave me a lazy smile and opened her arms, and I kicked off my shoes to crawl into bed beside her. Pulling her close, I kissed her immediately and smiled against her lips as I tasted the mint of her toothpaste. She was always so weird about morning breath.
"Mm," she hummed. "I missed you."
"Just since yesterday?" I teased, kissing her fake pout away. "I did, too."
"One more kiss," she smiled. I grinned, rolling over her to kiss her. As the kiss grew more heated, more urgent, the playful mood evaporated and left us desperate for each other. With practiced precision, she undid the fly of my jeans and pushed them down as I reached behind my neck to pull off my t-shirt. Saturdays were the one day of the week I bothered with contacts, because it only took us one day of my own half-blind fumbling to figure out that I needed to be able to see if I wanted to work my way through The List properly. When I was left in nothing but my boxers, I moved to even out our situation.
"This has to go," I mumbled into the skin of her stomach as I pushed her tank top up. When my hands reached her breasts, I kept them there, leaving her to take it off the rest of the way. As I kissed all over her soft flesh, I rolled and tweaked the peaks of her breasts in the way I'd learned she liked.
Item number two on The List, after the clitoris. That had been a fun day.
One of these days, I was determined to try and make her orgasm just by fondling her, but as of right now, I could never stay patient long enough. Watching her arch into my hands, her breathing quick, her skin hot to my touch but covered in goose bumps, it all made me so incredibly hard for her I thought I'd tear straight through my boxers. As it was, I was grinding with little control against her soaked panties, already closer to coming than was acceptable.
"Edward," she gasped out, pushing desperately at the elastic of my boxers. I took the hint and slid my hands down her body to remove the last of both of our clothing. I was inside her a second later, my eyes rolling back into my head as her warmth and tightness engulfed me, setting my body on fire. Staying in this position wasn't an option; I was two thrusts away from losing it, I could tell. Leaning back on my haunches, I lifted her up and twisted us so I was sitting on the edge of the bed, with her in my lap and me miraculously still inside her.
With her knees astride my body, she began to move up and down, gasping into my mouth with every stroke down. It created a whole new level of depth that left me gasping back into her mouth, my hands tight on her hips as I helped guide her above me. Her arms were around my neck, her hands twisting in my hair, the pleasurable pain giving me enough distraction to last just a little while longer.
I could feel her starting to tighten around me, the telltale signs of her orgasm coming. The flush across her chest, the scrunch of her eyes shut tight, her lips slightly parted, the tilt of her head back, all of it meant she was close. I leaned in and kissed her neck and chest with rough, openmouthed, biting kisses, intermittent with sweeps of my tongue to soothe the sting. Keeping one hand firm on her back as she continued to slide up and down, I slid my other down to her center and found her clit immediately. I rubbed in small circles gently, even as both of our thrusts came harder and faster. The pulsing pleasure where we were joined began to pound, until I was unable to think of nothing but lasting just one second longer, needing to feel her stiffen in my arms.
And then she did, an unintelligible cry escaping her lips as she froze, letting me manipulate her body up and down twice more before I too came, capturing her lips with mine. She swallowed my groan as I collapsed back on the bed, holding my arms around her tightly to keep her close.
"That," I panted, "is new favorite position number two."
"Really?" she asked, still slightly out of breath herself. "It knocks out from behind?"
"I'm afraid so," I smiled lazily. "I like to see your face when you come."
I could feel her blush on my chest as I said the words, making me grin wider. Pulling her up, I buried my face in her hair and whispered in her ear.
"But nothing's better than me over you, making you scream."
She moaned in response, turning her head to kiss me aggressively as my dick slowly came back to life. All hail teenage hormones.
Every day that summer was better than the last, and I honestly couldn't remember a time in my life when I'd been happier. Every so often, I'd still leave her a letter, just to tell her how much she meant to me. She reciprocated in kind when I'd least expect it, just so she could tell me how happy she was with me in her life. The whole summer just flew by, until we were well into August and about to start our senior year. She and I took the day for ourselves, disappearing to the tree no one else knew about, the place that would always be just for us.
"Are you nervous about starting school tomorrow?" I whispered, my eyes closed as I lay on the ground and she sat above me, tracing small circles on my wrist and hand. If she didn't quit soon, I was going to fall asleep.
"Yeah," she answered, always honest. "I'm nervous about walking into a school that's smaller than just my junior class in Phoenix, when they've all known each other since birth. I'm glad we've got Alice and Jasper, but I just know people are going to stare. I hate that."
I snorted. "Yeah, they're going to stare, alright. The whole school's thought I was gay ever since I ran away from Lauren trying to stick her tongue down my throat. And tomorrow I'm going to pull into the parking lot with you by my side and stick my tongue down your throat."
"Edward!" she laughed, smacking me in the chest. "You better not. I'm not trying to give people reasons to stare."
Behind closed lids, I rolled my eyes. "Bella. You're the first new kid since Alice came in ninth grade. Before that, it was Jasper in seventh. And nobody since. They're going to stare...
"Besides," I shrugged. "I need to stake my claim early. Ward off any potential admirers."
Now it was her turn to snort. "Yes, Edward, I can only imagine. I'll walk into school tomorrow and boys will be at every turn offering to carry my books and 'help me study.'"
Frowning, I opened my eyes and propped up on my elbows. "That's exactly what I think will happen. You're the most beautiful girl in the world-"
"You're the only one who thinks so, Edward," she interrupted, shaking her head.
Growling playfully, I tackled her to the ground, hovering above her. "Don't." Kiss. "Interrupt." Kiss. "Me." Kiss.
Smirking, she zipped her lips and batted her lashes at me innocently. Rolling my eyes at her, I continued.
"You are the most beautiful girl in the world. Just because the boys at your old schools were too intimidated by that fact and your genius doesn't mean the guys here will be. The dating pool here is incredibly shallow. They're going to be all over you."
"I thought we were supposed to be helping me lose my nerves," she pointed out.
"Well, what about my nerves? Now, all I can picture is every boy in school sniffing after the fresh meat," I frowned thoughtfully.
"Too bad for them I'm already taken, then," she smiled, arching her eyebrow.
"That you are," I grinned, leaning down to kiss her again. "But at least you're at an advantage. You've been hearing about all of them for ten years."
"I'll know who to stay away from?" she interrupted again, finishing my thought. I nodded and she smiled indulgently. "Lauren and Jessica, gossiping queens and semi-stalkers."
"Exactly. Even if you're being generous with the 'semi' intro. Never listen to a word they say. They'll alternate between cutting you down to your face or behind your back. And if you see them within a five-foot radius of me, save me. Please."
"Right," she nodded. "Mike, Tyler, and Eric, 'kings' of school. Super popular and obviously who I should be spending all my time with."
"Ri-Hey!" I laughed, squeezing her sides in punishment. "Minor correction. Mike, Tyler, and Eric, 'kings' of school. Super popular and obviously who you should stay far, far away from unless you want me to get suspended for fighting."
"You better not!" she gasped. Shaking her head at me in admonishment, she smiled. "You know I'm yours, Edward. I have been for ten years."
"Well, I know that and you know that, but they don't," I pouted. But in a manly way.
"I don't care about them," she said softly. "And you shouldn't either. The game plan is: no talking to catty girls or flirty boys. I'm going to be valedictorian. I think I can keep up with that."
"I have no doubt that you can keep up with that. But don't think that just because you're my girl I'm going to let you steal my valedictorian spot. Salutatorian is an honorable second place and you'll still get into any school you want with that," I joked.
"Oh, Dickward, how I have missed you!" she mocked. "It's always nice when you come out to play."
"Not bein' a dick, kitten, just tellin' ya how it is," I smirked, barely jumping away in time before her hands started swinging. I backed up against our tree and she advanced, stopping as her eyes focused on something to the left of me. Following her line of vision, I smiled as I saw the carved heart, our initials still inside.
Smiling softly at her, I pulled her into my lap and she snuggled into my chest. Speaking lowly into her hair, I held her close to me. "We're going to be fine. We survived ten years apart. I'm positive we can survive senior year at Forks High. I'm just glad you're finally back to stay, even if we are just going to leave again in a year. At least this time I get to take you with me."
"Get to? You're stuck with me until I say otherwise," she murmured, the smile audible in her voice.
"Well then, I'm just going to have to banish the word otherwise from your vocabulary...And I know that's cheesy, even for me," I grinned, pecking the top of her hair. She lifted her head, noticing the neon clouds spreading across the sky, blocking the slowly disappearing sun from view.
"I've already got you, friends, and everything else we need. What can I wish for?" she mused aloud, more to herself than me.
"I'm wishing for you to go with me to prom," I said nonchalantly.
"Hmph. Well, now you're really not getting it, because you told me," she sniffed. I rolled my eyes, tucking her in closer to me.
"We'll see."
I was serious.
Please help me convince Bella to let me take her to prom. I just want one dance.
She should have known she couldn't mess with the power of the wish.
We both laugh out loud
And surrender to it
The sheer force of sky
And the cold magnet Earth
A/N: My apologies if there are any errors in the chapter. Aleighy beta'ed, but FFn's fuckery is alive and well today and it's fucking with my program.
So...next chapter is the last chapter. : ( But! I will do a short epi to follow. : ) And now would be the time to let me know if there's a specific chapter or scene you might like to see in a different POV. Please don't ask me to rewrite the whole thing in BPOV. I would do a poll, but I'm not smart enough to know how that works, so just let me know in a review or PM.
isa