I am so sorry about the agonisingly long wait, I've got a lot of stuff going on and I've had no inspiration but today at work it kinda just came to me so thank you for being patient again, I am really sorry but here it is.
Chapter .14.
When we arrived home Alice was back to her normal cheerful self. She skipped from the garage into the house dragging me along with her. Jasper flitted down the stairs faster than my eyes could catch and Alice was in his arms even faster than that. I felt like an intruder as I watched them gaze at each other so lovingly. After a moment of me averting my eyes and blushing Jasper said my name.
"Bella," I looked over at him to see a small smile tugging at his lips. "Carlisle called right before you got home, he said to tell you he's sorry bit he can't get out of work for another hour or so." It didn't surprise me that his day has ran over, it was after all his first real day back at work but I couldn't help the slight disappointment that he wasn't here to welcome me home. Not that he has to be, he is only a good friend remember, shut up Logic.
Alice grinned at me like she knew what I was thinking. She put her arms around my waist and hugged me tight.
"Don't worry Bella, he'll be home soon enough, at least we have time to get out homework done without any interruption." I smiled, I could probably use the homework help.
"Yeah I know, come on, I'll go get a snack while you can set everything up." I handed her my school bag and made my way into the kitchen. As I made myself a sandwich I realised how at home I felt here now, when I was with Edward I always felt inferior being here but now it was like my home too. That's because, technically, it is your home now, I said shut up Logic.
I finished making my sandwich and put it on a nice white square plate. I grabbed a big bar of chocolate and a bottle of cold water from the fridge then made my way back into the living room.
I knew I shouldn't have been but I was shocked by the difference in the living room when I went back in. There were massive bean bags of all different colours everywhere. Alice had put all the books we could possibly need scattered around the bean bags. There were loads of different note pads and kinds of pens and pencils near the note pads. Basically you couldn't see the floor.
"Alice, what have you done?" She grinned and bounced a little on her feet.
"Do you like it?" She asked as she gestured around the room.
"Surprisingly, yes." Her grin widened if that were even possible.
"I knew you would." She said, tapping her temple. I shook my head at her with a smile on my face and sat myself down on a large teal green bean bag and started munching on my sandwich.
"Okay, what do you want to start with?" Alice asked as she launched herself onto a bright yellow bean bag.
"Well, I'm not doing very well in History, I have a few days to get an essay on the Civil Wars effect on the South in and I haven't even started it yet. If I don't get it in by Friday I'll have failed but I'm just not good with the Civil War." Barely a second after I finished speaking Jasper was sat beside me and smiling brightly. "Erm, Hey Jasper."
"Hello Bella, you're having trouble with an essay on the South during the Civil War?" I nodded.
"Yeah, you know a lot about it?"
"Well I should, I was there." I couldn't help the gasp that left my mouth at this information, I mean I knew there was a chance that more of them than just Carlisle had been around at that time but I never thought one of them would have been a part of it. Jasper must have seen so much.
"Could you help me please?" He grinned.
"Of course, it is my area of expertise and it is why I am here." Alice clapped and started jumping up and down.
"I'm so happy you two are getting along well." She clapped a little more and then grabbed her first bit of homework, starting it as if nothing had just happened. I looked at Jasper with wide eyes and he smiled and shook his head.
"After a few decades you'll get used to her."
"Who said I'm going to be around for a few decades?" Alice looked up at me and rolled her eyes.
"Bella you'll be turned within the next few years, of course you'll be around in a few decades." She said it so matter-of-factly that I almost forgot I had given up on hoping to become a vampire one day.
I didn't necessarily want to forget about it, but I had to get my homework started so I ignored her comment for the time being and set to work.
Within an hour of talking to Jasper I had the outline and the first three paragraphs of my essay done as well as a ton of great research done (thankfully he was like a walking encyclopaedia on the Civil War and everything to do with it). I had also finished my Maths and started my Biology.
We were interrupted in our study session when at half-past five my stomach growled just as Carlisle walked through the front door. I looked up to find his eyes locked on me and a huge smile on his face. I smiled and blushed slightly. He walked straight to me, plonked himself down on the bean bag next to me, picked me up and planted me in his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and I leaned back against him, feeling safe in his arms. He kissed the top of my head and I sighed happily, snuggling closer to him and closing my eyes.
"How was your day?" He asked after a moment of comfortable silence.
"Fine, Mike and I called things off and I got a little overwhelmed with looks of pity but other than that, fine. How was work?" He started stroking my hair as I spoke.
"Work was normal, there was a small car accident on the outskirts of town, that's why I was late home. How are you feeling about you and Mike?" I started playing with the collar of his button up, I couldn't stop myself from brushing my fingers lightly over the hard, cold skin of his collar bone. I felt him shiver at my touch and a flicker of delight erupted in my stomach.
"I don't really feel anything about it. I always knew me and Mike would never be serious. I guess I was just trying to be normal for a while, as horrible as the sounds." Carlisle moved so he could see my face and I couldn't stop myself from looking up into his gorgeous golden eyes.
"It's not horrible, it's normal, believe it or not a lot of people have dated just to feel normal or to fit in and a lot of people have done worse, trust me when I say Bella that you could never be horrible." I smiled up at him, knowing everything he said he meant.
"Thank you Carlisle." He kissed my forehead but a big part of me wished he had kissed my lips instead. There was nothing I could do about it thought as less than a second later my stomach growled again. Carlisle chuckled as did Alice and Jasper and I remembered that they were in the room, how did I forget that?
"Time to get you something proper to eat I think." Carlisle lifted me effortlessly and carried me bridal style into the kitchen. He set me on the breakfast bar and started moving around the kitchen at vampire speed. Soon he had all the ingredients ready for spaghetti meatballs and the smell of cooking started to fill the room.
I watched Carlisle cook and realised I loved watching him do domestic things, it looked so natural on him and knowing he was doing it for me, knowing he was looking after me made me care for him even more.
He finished and set out my food for me with a cup of orange juice. I took my fist bite and moaned, his cooking was amazing, it was like heaven on my tongue.
Carlisle grinned. "You like it?" I grinned and nodded, piling more spaghetti into my mouth.
He watched me devour his meal in record time. Once I'd finished eating and gulped down the rest of my drink, Carlisle went to pick up my dishes but I pushed his hands away and picked them up myself. Walking over to the sink I stuck my tongue out at the raised eyebrow look Carlisle gave me.
"I'm feeling fine Carlisle I can do some chores, it would definitely make things here more normal." He smiled and nodded.
"Alright, but one sign of a headache and you're to go and relax." I smiled, knowing he was just looking out for me.
"Fine." I washed my dishes and before I could finish Carlisle already had them dried and put away. After tea Carlisle helped me finish my homework and I found I got more things done faster with Carlisle helping me. I barely even noticed Alice and Jasper in the room while Carlisle was talking, it was like he was the centre of the universe whenever he was near and I found I liked the distraction he gave me from all the bad things that had happened.
We finished pretty quickly and cleared everything away, then he pulled me onto the couch, sat me on his lap and got Alice to pick a film. She chose some chick flick, Letters to Juliet. It wasn't bad but I couldn't concentrate on the film that much with Carlisle stroking my hair and breathing in my scent like it was the most amazing perfume he had ever smelt.
The film ended and Alice clapped.
"That was amazing, it was so romantic and beautiful." She sighed wistfully and Jasper laughed, pulling her into him.
"Sure I guess." Alice looked at me like I had two heads.
"You didn't like it?" Her voice went higher pitched and her eyes went really wide.
"I don't know, I guess it was a bit too girly and romantic for me." She shook her head like I hadn't just said that.
"You don't like chick flicks?" Carlisle asked, pushing my hair to the side so he could look at my face.
"It's not really chick flicks its more films that are all about romance, that genre has never really held my interest."
"I never knew that about you." He practically whispered in my ear but of course Alice and Jasper still heard.
"None of us did. How could we not know something like that?" Alice asked.
"Edward was very controlling, he never cared if I didn't like something, if he liked it he would ignore my interest and do it anyway. So every time we'd watch a film it was just what he fancied at the time and I went along with it because I thought I loved him." Alice's forehead scrunched up and she got this angry look in her eyes but before she could say anything Carlisle spoke.
"What do you mean, you thought you were in love with him?" I looked back at Carlisle. He smiled encouraging me to talk with a little confusion lingering in his eyes.
"I've seen love, all I have to do is look at Alice and Jasper to see what true love really is. It's full of compromise, working together to make each other happy, it doesn't judge and is unconditional. With Edward it was nothing like that, I was constantly feeling like I wasn't good enough and he never did anything to make me feel better about that, if he had loved me and wanted to be with me he would have changed me when I asked, but instead he leaves me lost in the woods close to hypothermia and practically a zombie.
"But being better and being away from him, I know that I was never in love with him, I was infatuated with the idea of love, of eternity with romance and I was immature. Now I'm not so stupid." I looked around at them all. Carlisle smiled and continued brushing his fingers through my hair, Jasper was smiling and nodding at me, like I'd finally gotten it right, Alice, on the other hand, actually spoke.
"Well, finally, it's about time you realised th-" Her sentence cut off as her eyes glazed over and her expression went blank. I knew that look. Alice was having a vision.
We waited in silence what felt like forever. As fast as she blanked out she gasped and was with us again, but now she looked terrified.
"Alice? What did you see?"
Thanks for reading. Leave your thoughts.
KV =D