The Twilight Twenty-Five
thetwilight25 dot com
Prompt: 14 (Photo of MOTEL Sign)
Main Character/Pairing: Bella, Edward
Rating: T
Word Count: 1199
- Bella's Point of View -
"Are you ever going to tell me where we're going?" I pouted.
Edward laughed cheerfully. I'd never seen him this relaxed before. He looked so carefree and young as he casually gripped the steering wheel. The windows were rolled down, and his hair went wild with the wind blowing.
"Eventually. I don't want to tell you the location, but just know that we will be staying there—somewhere—overnight."
My mind picked out the word with surprise. Overnight? My imagination raced as I pictured some of the… overnight activities he had planned for us.
Don't be silly, I chided myself. Of course he planned for that kind of activities. For all I knew, the most interesting thing that could happen tonight would be getting up at two in the morning to pee.
I had agreed to marry him for heaven's sake. And Edward was traditional in every sense that I knew him.
My fiancé seemed to know where my thoughts were for he gave an exasperated look. "Don't test my self-control here, love. It's hard enough to control myself now when your hair keeps flying around your face and makes you look so beautiful—"
What? All this time we'd been having matching admiration for each other's hair… Kill me now!
I automatically grabbed my hair and tried to gather into a ponytail. The heat rose to my cheeks, but I downplayed my self-consciousness as best as I could. "Well, you opened the windows in the first place."
"I was enjoying it," he admitted, glancing over at me. His gaze roamed across my hair which I tugged at, blushing like crazy. "Especially when it kept brushing against my arm. I almost lost control of the car at one point."
"You seem to be losing a lot of control here," I mused, secretly thrilling over the fact that I had almost made him lose concentration while driving.
Edward Cullen, the supreme driver ever—fast, and annoying, but careful. I marveled over the possibility that I might actually possess the ability to distract him.
Edward misinterpreted my observation. "Bella, I promise I'll keep you safe."
I rolled my eyes. "I know."
He seemed pleased by my unwavering confidence and trust.
"So what exactly are we doing then?"
He sighed, "You're relentless, aren't you?"
I snickered. "Is that a rhetorical question?"
"I suppose not," he conceded with a fond smile. "We're going to a motel for the weekend."
My eyes widened in surprise. It definitely sounded appealing. A cabin, just for the two us, the entire weekend, no interruptions, no hovering father, no vampires with super-hearing…
Yes, I nodded approvingly. Definitely tempting.
He flashed his crooked smile at me. "You're cooking up something, aren't you?"
I lifted my hands up innocently. "I swear, no! I promise I'll be on my best behavior. It's not like you'll let me be otherwise."
He laughed, taking the exit. I watched curiously as we approached a residential area, filled with a few stores and several apartment complexes.
"This is it," he announced. I sat in the car while he took our bags and went to check in.
Now that Edward and I were in our pre-wedding stage, both of our families were becoming a little overwhelming. Charlie was moody and broody throughout the day since he still wasn't so keen on the idea of us getting married. Renee, obviously, wasn't here, but she called so often every day, either to my or Edward's house, to gush over wedding details with somebody.
Alice was persistent too. Being the sole planner of the wedding, she had been going nuts trying to get everything organized and ready. Most of the time, she complained about how slowly the planning seemed to be going since she had to rely on humans for the many different services, like catering and floral arrangements. If she had all the materials at her disposal, I'm sure everything would have been set up overnight, and Edward and I would have already been married.
Esme also put as much help as she could, but Alice completely in charge.
As usual.
Edward and I had barely spent time together in the past few weeks, getting dragged from one side of the house to another to try—and retry—dress and suit fittings. I didn't know why she even bothered with Edward; it wasn't like his size was ever going to change.
The only time I could count on Edward being there was at night when he slipped through my window and held me as I slept. Since I would be changed, sleep wouldn't be an element in my future life, so I was eager to savor the experiences while it lasted. I knew Edward was going to miss watching me sleep too. My sleep talking was a never-ending source of entertainment to him.
That I couldn't care less about.
"All ready."
Edward had returned, opening the passenger door for me and excitedly leading me inside. I simply smiled and went along with his enthusiasm. It was contagious.
"Just one bed for the two of us?" I teased once we were inside.
"Yes," Edward said with a smile that almost looked shy. "I plan to share."
I laughed, and he pulled me along for a quick tour. The kitchen, I noticed, had been well stocked up for me, and I wondered if he had come here—or sent someone else—to personally to set things up.
Much to my relief, it was a simple cabin, and as far as I could see, no additional or unnecessary features had been added just for my entertainment, like a zoo in the backyard or an indoor movie theater.
I reached up on my toes to wrap my arms around his neck. "Thank you." I kissed his nose then his lips quickly. "I love it."
A look of deep relief crossed his face. "Really?" He seemed to be assessing my reaction carefully. "You're not going to say that I went overboard?"
He knew me too well, I grinned. "Well, it is still a little unnecessary, but you didn't go completely ballistic with the planning. Everything is simple and sweet and comfortable."
He crushed me to his chest with a wide grin. "You have no idea how much this means to me. This means I can spoil you more often."
"As long as it's within reason," I reminded him. "And not too often."
"What's your definition of 'too often'?"
"Every week."
He smiled. "Every two weeks then. That's a compromise right there."
I groaned. "You're unbelievable. Every two weeks is too often."
He shook his head adamantly. "You said every week. No backing out."
Suddenly, he scooped me in his arms and carried me to the bed.
I picked at his shirt, embarrassed. "What are you doing?"
"Practice, of course."
"For?"
"The big day… night, I should say."
"Like you need to practice," I scoffed and he grinned. "And I thought we were going to be on our best behavior."
He placed me in the center of the mattress, hovering over me carefully.
"You promised that, but I didn't."
"No fair—" I protested.
His mouth silencing mine was the last thing I knew.