A/N: Thank you so much for all your GREAT reviews! I am loving them! If I get some spare time from writing, I might answer a few ;)
One more note. Some of the bad language in this story might get a little more… frequent, and well, rude. If you don't like stories with that kinda thing, then you might not want to read this. Don't blame me. Blame Rosalie and Bella's anger in this chapter :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Sadly.
The next month past in a surreal blur. April flew by, and now we were only half a day away from summer. I had a good feeling about this – spending a whole summer with my friends. And, of course, Edward… my best friend. My other half. He held one side of my heart, and I don't know what'd I do if he crushed it. Well… crushed it again.
No, I told myself. Don't think about that. Edward is a different boy from what he was. He wouldn't hurt me again.
That's what I told myself.
School was winding down, and Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie were preparing to move to college. None of them were going very far; only to the community college. They claimed they didn't need a big fancy college to get a good education – but I believed they just didn't want to leave their family and friends. They're graduation was a huge event.
Right now, we were sitting in the cafeteria, the whole room alive with noise and excitement. The last few days of school were always hectic, though laid back in a way. You didn't do anything, but everyone (including teachers) were frantic to be released from the cage we all called Forks High School.
"I've got truckloads of things planned!" Alice squealed happily, discarding her lunch and clapping her hands. "We can go to the zoo, go on drives, go to parties, clubs, sleepovers, field trips to Seattle and Tacoma, and—"
"Alice," Edward laughed, shaking his head with a beautiful smile on his face. His chair sat close to mine, until our shoulders were almost touching. It took all my willpower not to climb onto his lap. "Take a breath. I think you're going blue."
"Shut up," Alice swatted him while we all laughed, receiving curious looks from the rest of the student body. I sighed. It was summer tomorrow and they were still too busy trying to catch up with the latest "Cullen Table" gossip.
"This summer is going to be epic," I grinned, leaned back in my chair, and then folded my arms. I was perfectly content.
"It's going to more than epic," Emmett grinned at me widely. "It's going to change lives."
Rosalie and Jasper laughed and shook their heads.
"Anyone would think you guys were talking about an actual life changing event," Rosalie smiled at her boyfriend. The smile instantly made me feel self conscious about myself.
"Rose," Emmett pulled Rosalie's chair closer to his and pressed his lips to her cheek. "This is a life changing event. Embrace it."
"I'll embrace you," Rosalie chuckled and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. The rest of us looked away, disgusted but also to give them privacy. Not that there was much privacy in a crowded lunch room.
"Have they… always been like that?" I whispered to Edward.
He smiled, knocking me breathless. Though a month past since he told me I was his best friend, everything he did still made me need to catch my breath.
"Yes, they have been. It's rather sickening, isn't it?"
"It's sweet," I turned to my head slightly to watch them.
Edward shrugged. "If you like that kind of thing."
The words spilled out of my mouth before I could stop it. "Do you like that kinda thing?"
His cheeks flushed a little red and he looked down at our feet. "I… I don't know."
I wondered if he had ever kissed a girl before. I had never kissed a boy, but I wasn't a super-sexy, god-like guy like my best friend sitting next to me. Omigod. Did I really just think that?
When I looked back up, Rosalie and Emmett were back in their chairs, Emmett grinning goofily and Rosalie staring at Edward and I with hatred. Though a little time had passed, she still glared at me. I got out of my truck, she glared. I got a sandwich at lunch, she glared. I went to the goddamn bathroom and she glared. I was a universal annoyance.
But she had also taken to glaring at Edward. It wasn't as severe and cutting as the ones I received, but vicious all the same. She talked to him, unlike me. To be honest, I was getting fed up – I had been told I had quite a temper, but I never really expressed it. This time, I wanted to yell and scream and slap that evil sneer off her pretty little face.
See how violent I was getting?
When it came to Edward, I would do anything.
The bell rang and we all got up and grabbed our backpacks off the back of our chairs. The others went to their own classes while Edward and I walked towards the science building.
"Are you alright?" Edward asked, picking up my right hand and gently rubbing circles with his thumb. The gesture sent shivers up my spine. He had really taken to touching me like this these days. "You seem distressed."
"I-I'm fine," I stumbled, walking into our Biology classroom. We walked to our table and sat down. He picked up my hand and continued to rub circles. Seriously, was he trying to kill me?
"You're flushing red," His voice started to become frantic.
You idiot, I'm blushing! "I feel fine, really. Just a little… dehydrated."
"You need to drink more water," He let go of my hand, and I let out a deep breath. Really, how could this boy not have guessed I was in love with him yet?
The teacher walked in then, and the lesson commenced. I knew we wouldn't get much done, so Edward and I settled for passing notes. Heck, it's the last day of school!
He wrote, Your hair looks redder today. Have you colored it?
I glared at him. He asked me this all the time, just to rile me up. It really, really annoyed me.
I angrily scribbled back, No, wouldn't you think I would have told you the first time you asked?
He smiled as he read the note then slid it back. I just like to see you get annoyed. It's very cute.
Did he really just call me cute? My heart hammered in my chest and my face flushed a hundred shades of red. Some part inside me told me he was flirting, but I wasn't sure. Edward always seemed like he was saying something else.
When I peeked at him through my curtain of hair, he was smiling at me, waiting for a note. I put my pen to paper, trying not to make my writing scribbly.
Is that a good quality or a bad quality to have in a friend?
Edward: Either.
Me: And for your information, I have never, ever colored my hair. And I probably never will.
Edward: I know. And you shouldn't. Your hair looks gorgeous the way it is.
I almost dropped my pen this time. Was he really flirting with me? Edward Cullen, my now-best-friend-who-only-a-few-months-ago-hated-my-guts?
I couldn't seem to control my hand writing, so I just smiled and pushed the note away. He grinned and curled a lock of my hair around his fingers, pulling it close to his face and touching it to his skin.
Wow. My heart almost went into overdrive. My hair was so long I could turn my head to look at him without pulling my lock of hair from his fingers. As soon as I looked over, he raised his eye brows at me and lifted my hair to his nose.
The room spun around me, and I had to hold onto the corners of the table. No one seemed to notice, including Edward.
He inhaled. "Mmm… strawberries. You haven't changed shampoos."
I shook my head.
"I love it," He dropped my hair, and now the whole classroom seemed to be watching. Even Mr. Banner had stopped whatever he was doing to stare. These people at this school still amaze me. Maybe it was something to do with the small town they lived in.
"Thanks," I muttered, avoiding the eyes of my fellow classmates and best friend. Best friend. Best friend. No matter how many times I said it, I never got over how good it made me feel.
After school, the car park was alive. Everyone cheered and whooped and crowded around their cars. The six of us walked towards our cars, the crowds naturally parting for us just like usual. Edward stood close to me and pushed anyone away who got too close. This is what I imagined a celebrity's life would be like.
"Movie night at my house tonight?" Alice shrilled, as Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie filed into Emmett's Jeep. Edward and I got into the Volvo quick enough to hear everyone agree.
Emmett's Jeep followed us through the winding driveway and then into the car park. We were all super excited – the summer was finally here. No more waiting. No more exams or assignments for three months. Hell, even I wanted to jump and sing.
"Woo!" Emmett cheered as we all got out of our cars. His cheers echoed through the garage causing Esme and Carlisle to come down. They both grinned when they saw the six of us with huge smiles.
"Glad for the summer?" Esme laughed, leading us inside.
"Hell yes!" Emmett yelled, clapping his hands together. "Nothing but fun with this lot!"
We all laughed and walked into the kitchen. We all dumped our back packs, glad to be rid of anything to do with school. I never wanted to look at another text book again.
"What have you got planned?" Carlisle asked us politely, sitting at the table next to Esme. We all crowded around the table and dug in to the biscuits.
Edward looked at his father. "I wouldn't ask that, Dad—"
"Well!" Alice stepped forward, her eyes twinkling in the light. Carlisle and Esme instantly chuckled – they had been expecting this by far.
We all stood in the kitchen while Alice rattled off a bunch of ideas. We all knew half of them wouldn't happen, but no one had the heart to tell little Alice.
"Sounds like you're going to be very busy," Esme chuckled and stood up. "Carlisle and I are planning to spend a few days in Portland."
Alice squealed.
"Glad to see you're going to miss us," Esme smiled at her daughter, and turned to me. "Bella. We've called your father, and he's agreed to let Alice and Edward stay with you."
My mouth fell open. Edward was going to be staying… at my house? Like… with my father, and possibly in my room? Using my shabby kitchen and bathroom? Was I even worthy of that?
Emmett burst out laughing. "Looks like Bella has gone into shock."
Edward slapped him, which seemed to wake me up. I shook my head and looked at Esme. "Sure, that sounds… great. When are you leaving?"
"In the morning," Carlisle answered and wrapped an arm around his wife. "So we're going to go up and get packed. Help yourself to anything in the house for dinner."
They both went upstairs, leaving the rest of us alone.
I looked around at my friends; Rosalie was scowling at Edward and I, obviously not happy about them staying over. Jasper and Emmett grinned at me with raised eye brows. Alice looked like she was about to explode with excitement. Edward was looking down at me, watching the emotions on my face.
"Are you ok with Alice and I staying, Bella?" He asked me, his eyes soft and concerned. I pulled my eyes to him, but just before I was about to answer…
"I'm sure Bella is just fine with that," Jasper chuckled.
I looked down and flushed red. I thought I heard a growl from across the room, and snapped my head up. Rosalie had her teeth crunched, fists balled. Seriously, did this girl have an anger problem?
The fury inside me was begging to escape. I looked at Rosalie and spat, "What?"
Everyone looked at me with shock; I had never sounded so mean in my life. Even to me, I sounded… well, Rosalie-ish. I didn't even know that was possible, and I don't think any of my friends did either.
"What did you just say to me?" Rosalie spat back, taking a step closer.
The tension in the room went from excited and happy to tense and frightening; Emmett was ready to step in, and Edward looked like he was about to push me behind him. Could Rosalie really be that furious?
The anger inside me wasn't done. "I said… why the hell are you looking at me like that?"
"Oh, would you look at that… the precious little darling has a backbone," She sneered with a cruel smile. "Better late than never, I say."
"What the fuck is your problem?" I had never spoken that word before; at least, not out loud. The fact that it came out of my mouth now must mean I was so angry I couldn't control my mouth.
Everyone around me seemed to freeze in shock; no more goody-goody Bella.
"My problem, is that—"
"Hey!" Emmett put a hand on Rosalie's arm, his grin no longer. "Cool it, guys. Just calm down."
"Did you hear what she said to me?" Rosalie snarled at him, pointing her perfectly manicured finger at me.
"Yes, but you started it," Edward stepped in front of me, almost shielding me from view. "It's your fault she got angry in the first place."
"My fault? My fault?" It looked like Rosalie's anger was finally being let out of its cage. No more glaring. "It wasn't my fault she came to this fucking town in the first place!"
"Rose," Alice cautioned her from behind me. "Calm down."
"How could you tell me to calm down?" Rosalie said to her. "Once again, I am the one getting all the crap, and she is treated like a saint. How fucking predictable."
"Rosalie, stop," Edward glared at her.
"And you're taking her side," Rosalie held out her arms to prove her point. "That's typical too. Just a few months ago, you hated her. What the hell happened to my best friend?"
Holy crap, I just realized something. Rosalie Hale was jealous.
I had never really thought of that before – I knew she hated me, but I never quite knew why. Was it really because she was jealous of Edward and I's relationship? Did she miss being his best friend, just like I did just a few weeks ago? The realization had me frozen in place. I didn't know what to say.
"Rosalie," Edward stared at her, his tone hard. "Stop this right now. You're upsetting her."
I hadn't even realized I had tears in my eyes.
"Oh, am I upsetting her? What about me? Doesn't anyone care about me? How I feel?" Rosalie retorted, and for a second, I saw the spark of pain in her eyes. It made me feel horrible; how much was Rosalie feeling that none of us saw?
"We do care," Emmett moved closer to wrap his arms around her. "Of course we do. You know you're my number one priority."
Rosalie gritted her teeth. "Yeah, I might be yours. But what about Alice, or Edward? The Cullen siblings are gone. Caught in the trap I call Isabella Swan."
I looked down, the tears beginning to spill over. Was what Rosalie had been saying true? Was I really stealing her friends away, like some greedy fiend? Was it even my right to turn up in Forks and expect everyone to welcome me with open arms?
No, no it wasn't.
"I'm sorry, Rosalie," I whimpered, stepping closer to her. "I didn't mean to do anything you're accusing me off. I didn't steal anyone."
She looked up, her eyes still cruel. "You wouldn't know. You're too busy playing sweet and kind."
I sighed. Was she correct again?
"Bella, don't," Edward stepped forward and latched onto my hand. His face looked worried and anxious. "Don't let her confuse you. You're fine just the way you are. You not playing anything."
"He does this, you know," Rosalie chuckled darkly. "Tells you you're fine just the way you are, leaving no room to improve."
"She doesn't know what she's saying," Edward jerked me toward him. "Don't listen to her. She's just upset."
"Upset my ass. Everything I say is the truth, and Bella knows it."
I felt like I was getting tugged back and forth; or that I was watching a game of tennis. Back and forth. Back and forth.
Jasper, Emmett and Alice seemed to have faded into the background, and I was stuck in between Rosalie and Edward while they continued to argue. Once I managed to clear my head, I looked up at Rosalie.
"Rose, I'm sorry. Whatever I did to anger you, I didn't mean to do it. I'm not asking you to like me, but don't let our differences ruin our summer. Please?" I held out my hand in front of her, praying she'd take it.
After minutes of hesitation, she shook my hand. "Fine. But this doesn't mean I like you."
I nodded and stepped back. Jasper, Emmett and Alice stood side by side, staring at me with shock and admiration. Edward and Rosalie stood on either side of me, both trying to calm themselves down. If Esme and Carlisle came downstairs right now, they would run into an odd sight.
"Ok," I clapped my hands together and tried to smile. "Should we start our epic summer with some dinner?"
They all broke out of their reveries and nodded.
The tension in the room seemed to die down after a while; within ten minutes, we were all laughing and cooking together like the last scuffle never happened. We made tacos, (in which I did most of the cooking) which proved to be no easy task. Emmett started throwing around lettuce and sprinkling cheese in everyone's hair. I could imagine this kind of gossip being spread around Forks High.
Esme and Carlisle came downstairs while we ate, completely unaware of our latest conflict. They smiled at us and Carlisle picked a piece of cheese out of my hair.
"Should I even ask?" He laughed, shaking his head.
"Probably not," Edward smiled at his Father and continued eating. "Getting ready to head out in the morning?"
"Yes," Esme answered him. "Make sure you lock up the house when you go to Charlie's. And don't be too much trouble, alright? Even when he asks you not to go into Bella's room."
We all choked on our tacos.
Carlisle grinned playfully at his wife. "Dear Esme, that was inappropriate."
"Needed to be done," Esme nudged his shoulder with a huge smile. "You would've said the same thing."
"True," Carlisle shook his head and looked up at Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper. They were still coughing from choking on their tacos. "How was your last day of high school?"
"Great," Jasper was the first to answer while Emmett and Rosalie desperately chugged down their water. "Sad, though. We're still going to go and pick up Alice, Edward and Bella some days."
"Of course," Esme smiled and looked around at all of us. She laughed when she saw the loose bits of lettuce all over our plates. "Well, did you make some for us?"
"You—" Edward stopped mid sentence to pull a piece of lettuce out from the collar of my shirt. My heart went into overtime. "Do you really want to know where all this food has been?"
"On second thoughts…" Carlisle frowned and then laughed. "Maybe we'll order some take out."
We finished dinner and later headed into the living room. As it turns out, Alice had somehow gotten us all something to change into. Rosalie came preprepared, but I knew she wouldn't lend me something. Just because we had agreed not to fight this summer, doesn't mean she hated me any less.
"What should we watch?" Alice wandered over to the Cullen's huge DVD collection and picked out a few titles. "We've got… Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Pirates of the Caribbean, or The Sixth Sense."
"Hold on," Emmett held up his hand and looked at Alice skeptically. "Out of that huge ass DVD collection, they're the best there is?"
"It's either them or Esme and Carlisle's weird documentaries."
"Ok, let's go for Texas Chainsaw Massacre?" Emmett said immediately, and we all agreed. After putting in the DVD, Jasper pulled Alice onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. Emmett put his arm around Rosalie and leaned back into the couch. Which left Edward and I to awkwardly sit side by side against the couch.
As the movie started, I was itching to close the distance between us and sit shoulder-to-shoulder. Or, better yet, I wanted him to hug me or put me in his lap like Jasper and Emmett just did. But I knew it wouldn't.
By the time the movie got half way through, I was cuddled up to Edward's side, staring at the screen wide eyed. It was one of those movies where you don't want to watch, but you can't look away. So, as gruesome and disgusting as the movie was, I couldn't bear to tear my eyes away. Which meant I needed someone to hold. And lucky for me, that person happened to be Edward.
When I screamed, everyone laughed. Edward put his arm around me and leaned his head close to mine, watching the screen wide-eyed just like I was. I saw Emmett wiggling his eye brows out of the corner of my eye, and Alice giving me the thumbs up. I stared at them both, and they looked away.
Edward jumped, causing me to be pushed into his side. My face was pressed into his shoulder, which I didn't mind in the least – he smelled delicious.
"Edward, you look like you're about to piss you pants." Jasper chuckled, the end credits starting to roll. "Bella doesn't look much different."
Edward and I looked up at each other, not realizing how close we were. We both moved away until we were sitting a few inches from each other. Emmett laughed and Alice sighed.
"That wasn't scary," Alice scoffed, looking down at us. "You two looked just about ready to jump into each other's laps."
I looked up at her, flushing bright red. She giggled at me and shrugged, as if she were so damn innocent butter could melt in her mouth. I knew better. She had planned this.
"Another movie?" Jasper asked, beginning to stand up.
"I'm tired," I rubbed my eyes as a yawn escaped my mouth.
"Aw, Bells, it's only ten." Emmett groaned, hanging onto my shoulders and shaking them. I was definitely awake now. "Stay awake. We haven't even gotten into any mischief yet."
"Just because you've graduated, Em, doesn't mean you need to get up to any mischief." I smiled at him and rubbed my eyes again. "Is it just me, or do you look worse when I'm tired?"
"Hey…" Emmett grinned down at me, earning a glare from Rosalie. I tried to ignore it. "That's not cool."
"Live with it."
We all laughed, incredibly drowsy. Though Emmett or Alice would never admit it, they were starting to nod off during the movie. They just wanted to party.
"Well, what else do you want us to do?" Edward asked, rubbing the back of his head where his hair was sticking up.
"I wanna watch Madagascar," Alice jumped up and grabbed the DVD. She put it into the player and settled back into her place on Jasper's lap. We all groaned, having seen this movie a hundred and ten times.
"That Zebra would be a great best friend." Emmett commented, pointing at Arty the Zebra as he danced around on the screen.
"I'd prefer the Giraffe," I mumbled against Edward's shoulder. He let me lean against him now, and we were both too tired to care.
"What, with all that medical crap he goes through?" Edward smiled as he looked at the screen. "I love the Hippo. She's super sassy."
"Oh, you like sass?" I grinned, still watching the screen.
"Depends who it's coming from," He yawned. "Like today," He leaned down to whisper in my ear, "You stood up to Rosalie. That's what I call sass."
I laughed softly and let the blush spread across my cheeks. "I shouldn't have said anything I did. It wasn't nice."
"She wasn't fair to you either," He said.
"No, but I shouldn't have riled her up."
I looked up, and noticed Alice and Jasper had fallen asleep against each other. They looked incredibly sweet, Alice's head resting on Jasper's shoulder and Jasper's head resting on Alice's. It was what I wished Edward and I could be – Dependant on each other.
"We should go to bed." Edward murmured. "It's getting close to midnight, and most of us are asleep."
"I'm asleep," My eyes had slipped closed against his shoulder.
He chuckled and stood up. He took my hand and pulled me close to him, pulling up both upstairs and into his room. I knew Charlie would have a fit if he knew Edward was inviting me into his room with him. Heck, I think Carlisle and Esme would have a fit. Or not.
"Edward…" I tried to blink without letting my eyes slip closed. "I don't think we should be.. sleeping in the same bed."
"What's the harm? We're friends." I don't think Edward was thinking straight. He sat on his bed and patted his lap.
I stared at him, now feeling a little more awake. Did he just invite me to sit on his lap? "Um…"
He pulled me down onto his lap, burying his nose into my hair. Feeling his arms around me made my stomach swim with warmth, and I hoped he didn't notice the blush on my cheeks.
"You're very important to me, Bella." He whispered against my hair, where he buried his nose and inhaled. "You don't know how important you are."
"You're tired," I whispered, my voice shaking. "Let's go to sleep."
I forced myself to climb off his lap and crawl to the left side of his bed. He followed behind me, lying on his side. I could smell his scent on his pillow, and it was heaven – I couldn't ask for a better aroma. Men would pay hundreds to smell like this, naturally. Edward was just perfect enough to be born with it.
I was secretly cursing myself for letting myself get off his lap. But the thing was, if that were to happen, I didn't want it to happen while he was deliriously tired. I wanted it to happen while he was perfectly conscious and alert. When I was fully awake.
But now that I was lying here, basking in his warmth and scent, I couldn't even ask for sleep. I stared up at his ceiling, listening to his steady breathing as he slept. The sound would have put me to sleep, if I hadn't of remembered the wooden box that sat on his dresser.
I quietly got off the bed and wandered across the room to his wardrobe. I saw the box, sitting innocently on its own. This was the thing Edward had taken away from me last time I tried to look. Would he still be mad if I took a look now?
Trying to be as quiet as I could, I pulled it closer to me and carefully opened the lid. I held in a gasp at what I saw.
x-x-x-x
Early that morning, Carlisle and Esme left to go to Portland. I heard them open Edward's door and check in on us, but I couldn't hear anything they said. I wondered what we must have looked like to them; during the night, Edward had obviously shifted to wrap his arms around me. Our legs were entwined, just like a couple's would be. I could barely get in a wink of sleep.
Alice danced into Edward's room hours after they left and tapped Edward's head until he woke up. When he looked down at our position, we both smiled a little and moved away. Alice giggled.
"The parents are gone!" She squealed, way too loud for so early in the morning. "Which means…"
"Slumber party at Bella's place?" I muttered groggily, sitting up and rubbing my eyes.
"Yep!" Alice jumped onto Edward's bed and held onto her brother's shoulder. "C'mon, big brother! It's time to pack some stuff for Bella's!"
"Stop talking about me like I'm not here," I climbed off the bed and padded to the door. I heard Alice and Edward talking as I walked down the stairs and saw Emmett and Rosalie, half asleep on the couch.
"Heyyyyyy Emmmmmmy," I whispered, flicking Emmett roughly on the nose. He shook his head and grinned at me, lightly shoving me away from him.
"Someone's in a good mood," Emmett laughed. Rosalie got up and walked to the kitchen. "Could it be because… someone starting with E who is not me is staying at your house?"
It was. "No."
"Liar." I was.
I grabbed onto his hands and tried pulling him up. He was so heavy he didn't even budge when I used all my strength. That caused him to laugh and jump up himself.
"Sooo," Emmett swung an arm around my shoulders and led us to the kitchen. "Do you still feel the same way for our very own Eddie?"
I sighed. "Yes."
"Naw, Bell, he'll come round. I think he already has, so—"
"As you keep saying…" I rolled my eyes and sat on the stool beside Rosalie. She didn't intimidate me as much as before, after our little argument.
"I only speak the truth and nothing but the truth." Emmett joked and threw a box of Cheerios at me. I tore it open and dug in without any milk.
"Bull shit." I chuckled.
"Isabella, since when do you swear so much?" Emmett's voice took on a fatherly tone. He put his hands on his hips; his mouth full of what I think was a granola bar.
"Since I've been hanging out with you." I retorted with a sly smile.
Emmett bowed, his hands clasped together. "I have taught you well, young grasshopper."
"Oh no, is Emmett taking on the master role?" Jasper rolled into the kitchen, his slight Southern accent seeping into his words. I had to admit, it was charming.
"He sure is." I pushed the box of cereal away, and Jasper took it. "Your tone suggests he shouldn't be."
"He shouldn't." Emmett spoke about himself. "It won't end well."
"Thank God he admits." Jasper grinned and crunched on his Cheerios. "If you're going to learn anything, learn it from the real master."
Jasper put down the cereal box and took on some sort of Karate pose with his hands up in front of him. I jumped off my stool and turned to face him, my hands up in front of my face to mirror him.
"You're on, master." I teased, crouching and moving closer to him.
"That's a challenge." Jasper grinned and jumped at me, purposely missing me by a few inches. I ran behind him and jumped onto his back.
"The student beats the master," I teased.
Emmett was in hysterics behind the kitchen counter. Rosalie watched us with a slight smile, which she hid behind her hand.
"Hey, why is my best friend riding my man?" Alice giggled and danced down the stairs, tickling my sides. I fell off Jasper laughing, and she took my place on my back.
I took my seat back on my stool when I felt a set of long fingers rake themselves through my hair from behind. I knew just by the feeling who it was.
"What's this about you riding Jasper?" Edward asked me, pulling my hair over my shoulder and taking the seat beside me.
"Just about the student defeating the master." I shrugged. I looked down at his small bag. "Have you got everything?"
"I think so," He looked up and raised an eye brow. "Is there anything extra you think I'll need?"
Why is he being so suggestive today? It made me heart race and my palms sweat. Was this normal behavior?
"N-no." I mumbled.
"Will your Dad mind if we all rock up at your house some time during these next few days?" Emmett asked, folding his arms.
I shrugged. "He shouldn't. I'll just need to tell him before hand."
I just reminded myself of something – something that happened last night, while Edward was blissfully asleep. That box. That darn wooden box. I desperately needed to ask Edward about that. I'll do it tonight, while we're alone.
"It's getting close to lunch time, you know." Jasper yawned and stood up. "I'd better be getting home. Are you ok to give me a ride, Emmett?"
"Sure. I've got to take Rose home anyway."
Rosalie stood up and walked over to Emmett.
"Alright, well we may as well head to Bella's." I loved it how Alice acted like she lived everywhere she went. It was comforting, in a not-very-rude way.
"Sure." I shrugged.
We all stood up and walked to the door. Edward carefully locked up the house behind him and then led the way to his Volvo. The three of us said goodbye to the others, telling them we'd see them tomorrow.
When we got to my house, Charlie was home. He pulled himself off the couch to welcome our guests and help set up their sleeping arrangements. According to Charlie, Alice and Edward would be sleeping downstairs on the two couches.
"Wait, Dad, maybe Alice could sleep in my room. Then the main room won't seem so crowded." I told my Dad, my arms crossed and looking around our living room. It was a little small.
Charlie raised an eye brow. "And leave Edward down here on his own?"
"I'm fine with wherever I sleep, Mr. Swan," Edward said politely. He was every father's dream date for their daughter. Well, not for me. Charlie didn't seem as thrilled that Edward was staying here as he was about Alice.
"Well, if you want to…" Charlie shrugged and motioned towards the couch. "Welcome home, Edward."
"Thank you, Mr. Swan."
"Call me Charlie."
"Ok, Charlie."
Edward and I exchanged as smile when Charlie went upstairs to grab blankets and pillows. We both knew Edward wouldn't always end up downstairs on the couch, that's for sure. It was never the case. I know I slept better when I had him beside me.
"Alright." Charlie dumped the sheets and turned to Alice and Edward. "I have a few rules for you two, just while you're staying here."
They both waited patiently.
"First of all, Edward, surely you understand if I said I would be uncomfortable if you spent a great deal of time in Bella's room at night." Charlie said gruffly, trying to hide his discomfort at just talking about it. Edward nodded and shot me a smile. "Secondly, I may not be around a lot of the time, so I don't want any shenanigans. That means no parties, friends over I don't know—"
"Ch—I mean, Dad, there won't be any of that." I shook my head. "Esme and Carlisle have taught Edward and Alice manners. They know about all that."
"I know, I know," He held up his hands in defense. "Just making sure. I bet you kids are old enough to know about all that anyway."
"Definitely, Charlie," Alice chimed with a sweet smile. "We won't cause any trouble, I promise."
Charlie was sold. He told us he had to go to work until late tonight, so don't wait up for dinner. When he left I set up a bed for Alice on my floor, after I offered to let her take my bed. She declined.
"I'm fine on the floor," She sat on her makeshift bed. "I have a feeling you won't be sleeping in your bed too often while Edward's here?"
"Well…" I looked into space. "I've got some things I need to discuss with him."
"What things? Like the hidden love affair you have going on?"
I glared at her. "No. Just… something, ok? Keep your little pixie nose out of it."
"Ok, fine," She sighed.
"If I'm not in my bed by midnight, feel free to take it. It's a lot more comfortable than the floor." I winked at her and threw a cushion at her. She threw it back, and it turned into a bit of a game. We spent the next twenty minutes running around my room, throwing pillows. We stopped once I fell into the wall and injured my shoulder.
"What's going on in here?" Edward came in and saw me on the floor. He rushed over and kneeled beside me, holding me carefully. "What happened? Are you ok?"
I think he mistook my laughing for crying, because he looked extremely worried.
"I… I'm fine, just… ran into the… wall!" I tried to control my laughter, and Alice wasn't helping. She stood behind Edward, making funny faces and imitating me.
"Oh, Bella," Edward surprised me when he picked me up off the ground and cradled me to his chest. "You need to be more careful. You know how dangerous being around Alice can be."
The mocking in his voice just made me laugh harder, and him smile wider. He had told me before he loved hearing my laugh, and I guessed that's why he was smiling now.
"Best… friends… don't… carry each… each other…" I choked out in between my fits of laughter. Alice was behind him scraping her hand against her throat, meaning: No! Don't say that!
"Don't you like me holding you like this?" He asked, smiling at me with a smile that made my heart melt into butter.
"I—I do, actually, like, a lot, but… ?" Did I really just say that? My, he's makes me say the stupidest things.
"I thought it was great how you stood up to Rosalie yesterday." He walked to my bed and sat down, still holding me in his lap. "Not many people have the guts to do that."
I shrugged. "Well… I didn't mean to. It just sort of… happened, really."
"Well, it should happen again, because it's always fun seeing Rosalie get a taste of her own medicine." Edward chuckled and looked over at Alice. She said she was going downstairs to get a snack, leaving us alone. Once she was gone, he looked down at me, his face serious. "I know there's something you want to talk to me about. So, spit it out."
Damn, he saw right through me. Again.
I crawled off his lap and sat beside him on my bed. He turned towards me until we were both facing each other, cross legged, knee-to-knee.
"Last night…" I began, thinking about lying or backing out. Lying would just get me in trouble, and backing out would send him the wrong message. Looks like I was going to be telling the truth. "While you were asleep, I got up and looked in the wooden box on your dresser."
Now, I understood why his face flushed red and he avoided my eyes.
In his wooden box, was a collection of memories. And not just any old memories – memories of our friendship. I saw a Christmas card I made for him when we were five, I found a shell we had found at the beach at La Push, all the post cards I sent to him when my Mom had taken me to Texas for two weeks, not to mention the bracelet I made for him at summer camp. There were countless other things which I didn't find significant; bottle caps, straws, pencils and pens of all shapes and sizes. There were even bits of multi colored paper – and though it didn't mean anything to me, it obviously meant a lot to him. The objects in his box touched my heart, but I was also curious.
"You kept all that?" I asked, leaning down so I could look into his eyes.
"Of course I did," He breathed, still looking down. "Why wouldn't I? You were my best friend. I didn't have any other friends that were girls for a long time. Not until Rosalie in middle school."
I reached over and took his hands. When I squeezed, he didn't squeeze back. "I thought you hated me for staying away."
"I did. But that didn't mean you became anything less to me. In the first few weeks after you left, I went through that box every night, sometimes by myself, sometimes with Alice. We'd talk about our favorite times with you and why they were fun at the time. You may have not done anything like that, but we did. We even imagined what you'd be doing, sometimes. It may sound creepy, but we didn't care. We missed you too much." His voice had turned soft and dream-like. This obviously wasn't easy for him to admit.
"I think… I think I forgot about you because moving away from Forks had been the most painful thing I've ever had to do. I tend to block unpleasant things from my memory. You know that better than anyone." I playfully squeezed his hands and this time, he squeezed back.
"That box is still special to me, you know. Sometimes I go through it and see your name scribbled in purple across a white piece of paper. You had horrible hand writing as an infant." Edward looked up timidly and smiled.
"Hey," I nudged his knee. "I was five. Cut me some slack."
He caught me off guard when he leaned forward and pressed his forehead to mine. We were awfully close now, and I would have done anything to close the distance.
"That box is only some of the memories I've remembered." He whispered, his breath blowing across my face. "There are hundreds more, stored up in my mind. I'll never forget."
I sighed and closed my eyes. "I wish I could say the same. I'm not going to lie."
"You smell the same as you did as a child," He observed, his eyes now closed as well. "You look the same, too. Same hair. Same eyes. Same nose, and same nature."
"Are you surprised I'm the same person?" I bit on my lip, fighting not to open my eyes. If I did, I would no doubt stare at his lips and make the situation awkward.
He chuckled and removed his head from mine. He smiled with me as he spoke, "Tease me all you want. But that's usually Emmett's job. He'll be pissed if he knew you stole it."
Hoped you liked it (: It may have been a little uneventful, but I think the next few upcoming chapters will be a little more exciting.
Please review!