Chapter Twenty
Five days soon turned to two and eventually to one. The following day, Edward, Alec, and their friends were leaving for the twelve-hour drive home. Zafrina, Jane, and Heidi had left on Monday, leaving Bella and Angela alone at their place. Edward and Alec had slept over every night, while Eric, Mike, and James stayed at the other rental. No one wanted to leave, but Mike had work and Edward had to have the van he rented back in time to avoid adding extra days to his costs—something he couldn't really afford.
It was relatively quieter on the beach since it was the middle of the week, but they still managed to have a full house for a party the night before. It was less crazy than the others they'd had, but still loud and fun. Edward and Alec remained sober, not wanting a reason for Bella's parents to never allow her to have friends over again. A fight had broken out between a few men the night they returned from Santa Cruz, breaking a lamp and end table. Thankfully, Bella's aunt had a spare of both, so her parents wouldn't know about the incident. Since then, a couple of them always remained sober.
It was Edward and Bella's turn to cook breakfast, everyone just stirring. Edward handled the pancakes while Bella worked on the bacon and eggs. They often stopped to kiss each other as one of them passed by and just soaked up every second they had together.
They calculated that it was a four-hour drive from Portland to Forks, where Bella lived. They already agreed to meet halfway between their hometowns in the middle of July and again before leaving for California in August.
Edward smacked his lips against Bella's, who had stolen a pancake from the stack. "You taste sweet."
"Gag me," Alec groaned from the kitchen island as he and Angela set up drinks. "You two are seriously sick."
"Ignore him," Edward whispered, humming when Bella kissed him again. "I do."
"I heard that, asshole," Alec stated as he walked over to the happy couple. Taking the spatula from Edward, he pushed his cousin aside to get to the pan. "You're going to burn them again because you can't keep your hands off her."
Ignoring Alec, Edward turned his full attention on Bella. "Where were we?" he asked, as her arms wrapped around his neck. His hands settled on her hips, his fingers finding skin beneath the t-shirt she wore.
"Are they at it again?" James groaned as he walked into the kitchen and straight to the coffee. "You guys need to stop. You're giving me a toothache."
"They're all jealous," Edward said, smiling down at Bella. "Come on, let's eat and then we can kick all these ungrateful assholes and Angela out of here." A few protests came from the others, and Alec slapped Edward's arm with the spatula.
"We're just fucking with you guys," Mike said, settling with his own cup of coffee. "'Sides, we all said we'd take off so you'd have each other all to yourselves for the rest of our stay."
"I feel like an asshole," Bella stated as everyone started to settle down to eat. "This trip wasn't supposed to be about—" she stopped midsentence and shrugged. "You know, it was about me and Angela."
Angela tugged on Bella's arm, pulling away her from a reluctant Edward and hugging her tight. "She's right, she was supposed to be all mine. We were even talking about experimenting on the ride down here."
Bella sighed, gently tugging the hem of the dress Angela wore, her fingers lingering on the smooth skin of Angela's thigh. "I know."
Alec froze beside the stove and swallowed hard. "Experimenting?" he repeated. All the guys remained silent, watching the girls who were staring at each other as if they were the only two people in the kitchen.
The spell broke when they busted up laughing. "You guys are too easy," Angela said, shaking her head. She pecked Bella's lips and smacked her ass before pushing her back in Edward's arms.
"Diabolical," Edward said in Bella's ear. "That was mean, evil woman." He nipped at her skin, their friends threatening to give them an ice water bath again. Alec pointed at Angela, telling her to run. She did, straight into the bedroom.
They didn't join them for breakfast.
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After spending the day together, Edward and Bella decided to see how long they could last under the starry sky on the beach. The wind had picked up and dropped about ten degrees, but they were warm under a few layers of clothes and blankets. His eyes closed as she shifted beside him, pulling the blanket over her shoulder more. He could feel her gaze on him, and tried not to smile but failed.
"Watching me sleep is creepy," he teased, catching her hand before she could smack his chest. "Look at you, I had no idea you'd be so violent." He brought her fingers to his mouth, sucking on the tips of two of them. Her next breath was more of a sigh, her leg brushing between his.
"Shut up, like you haven't done that when you wake up before me," she said, shifting again until she partially draped her body along his side. He opened his eyes to find her watching him. "Thanks for giving me a chance after all the shit that went down."
His fingers played with a curl, watching it spring back. "The same goes for you. We wouldn't be here if you decided to end it after the way I acted."
She shrugged. "We're young, but we have time to figure things out. We'll be getting to know each other over the next several weeks."
"True, I know things about you that I'm sure no one else does, but not everything."
She shook her head. "But there are little things, quirks and things like that I'm sure you'll pick up on when we talk over Skype."
"Like you're favorite color?"
She smiled a little, her fingers skimming the skin exposed as she unzipped his hoodie a bit. "I bet you can figure it out already."
He hummed and tried to concentrate as the tip of one of her fingers teased his nipple under his shirt. Memories of the last two weeks sprang up in his mind, each one adding to his arousal. "It's a either blue or red." Most of her bikinis and t-shirts were those colors. "Maybe both."
"Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner!" She giggled as he wrapped his arms around her head and shoulders too tight against his chest, so she bit him.
"Fuck," he groaned and rolled her beneath him. The blanket slipped down his back, but not even the cold, beach wind chilled him with her so close. "I knew you were a biter." He playfully growled and nipped at her ear, groaning as her hips undulated under his. Her warm hands slipped under his shirt and up his back to pull him closer. He bent to kiss her, sucking a little on her bottom lip. After he slid on a condom, it wasn't long before they shifted their clothes enough for him to slip inside her, the perfect start to the rest of their night.
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Edward wanted to knock his phone of the nightstand and ignore it, especially when Bella moaned and buried her face further against his neck. She made an excellent blanket. Slowly, he reached for his phone, turning off the alarm. Once done, he skimmed a few of his fingers down Bella's naked back. He'd come to love waking up to her every morning. It was going to a hard habit to break over the next few nights. He probably wouldn't sleep for a while, but maybe she'd feel the same.
She moaned again, rolling her hips slightly as she started to stir. His hands slid down to her ass, loving the feel of her soft skin. "No," she hissed, nuzzling his shoulder. "I don't want you to go." She grumbled something he couldn't catch and locked her legs around his. "I'm kidnapping you." It wasn't long after that little declaration that she was lightly snoring again.
He chuckled and kissed the side of her head, trying not to laugh louder. It was clear that she was still under the influence of sleep.
"I have to go, B," he whispered, sliding his fingers through her hair a few minutes later.
"No, I'm holding you for ransom," she replied and wiggled on his body. Yeah, that wasn't a good idea. They had to get on the road before six if they wanted to avoid traffic, and if she continued to move that way, he'd have to have her again.
"Oh yeah, how much am I worth?"
She sounded serious as she replied, "A lot, maybe everything." She wouldn't look at him, and he had a feeling it was because she was trying not to cry. There had been a few instances of that over the last day, but she'd smile or laugh her way out of it with him.
"Come on, you can join me in the shower," he said, sitting up and taking her with him. Her arms and legs wrapped around him tightly as he rose, her ankles locking just under his ass. He set her on the counter, turned on the water, and felt her eyes on his naked body. There was no reason to shy away after days of waking up and showering together for almost a full week. It wasn't enough, and there was no denying that he'd be using the image of her wet and naked while he showered when he got home.
A little over five weeks seemed like forever.
Her arms opened up as he stepped toward her, draping loosely over his shoulders, her eyes on his lips before meeting his gaze. Her smile wasn't like the ones before it, and her bottom lip trembled a little.
"We'll meet like we said, in a couple of weeks," he said, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "It's not that long." He was lying, because he could already feel her absence. "We'll be okay."
She nodded and sniffled a little, once again trying to keep her emotions contained. They pulled away to brush their teeth, as steam started to fill the room. He carried her into the glass shower enclosure and relished their last time together for a while longer.
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"Got everything?" Bella asked Edward, watching the guys pile up their things in the back of the van. She'd already said goodbye to the others and Alec, who promised he'd watch over Edward until he left for Cambridge in two weeks.
Edward turned to look at her, supervising the packing or else it would never get done right. Riker sat beside her feet, his big brown eyes staring at his girl with the same longing he already felt bone deep. Yeah, wish I could take her, too, buddy.
He knelt and gave Riker a little attention, avoiding the evitable. Alec gave him a look as he passed on the way to the driver's seat. He was first on driving duty. "I'll see you around, PB."
Bella cocked her head, her brow furrowing a little. "PB?"
Edward rose, threw his arm over Alec's shoulder, and pulled him into a headlock. "You don't want to know," he said, driving his knuckles into his cousin's head.
Bella's arms crossed over her chest, and since she was dressed in a low cut t-shirt, it made him groan. She ignored that and tapped her foot. "What does it mean?"
Alec grinned from his positon under Edward's armpit. "The first time he saw you in a bikini," Alec started, but with every word, Alec struggled to breathe as Edward threatened to kick his ass if he told her. "He described your ass as a peachy booty!"
"You fucker!" Edward wanted vengeance. "You're going to pay for that." He ground his cousin's face into his armpit, cackling as Alec sputtered, his arms flailing. "I'm sorry, Bella. But um, I'm a guy?" From the look on her face, she wasn't buying his apology. Bella only rolled her eyes and watched as they continued to wrestle.
"Save me, BB!"
"Two inches from the top of his hip, he has a very sensitive tickle spot," Bella answered, batting her lashes as Edward snapped his eyes toward her. Before he could say anything, Alec took advantage of the new information and Edward dropped him like a stone, running away. Riker barked happily at the two loons, as she watched them chase each other down the street.
"You're good for him," Mike said, leaning against the van. "I really hope we get to see you here next year."
Bella extended an invitation for the following year to drop by; she planned to spend at least two weeks every summer break from school there. She understood where Mike was coming from; it would be awkward as hell for them to show up if she and Edward were no longer together.
She closed her eyes and thought about what December would look like.
"What are you smiling about?" Edward asked as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. The guys started to pile into the van, fighting about who would sit where.
"I was doing a little game I do every once in a while." He hummed and asked what game. "Well, I think about who will be in my life at a given time, and in this case, as I celebrate Christmas."
She felt his smile as he nuzzled the freckles he said he loved. "Oh yeah, and?"
"You were there."
"I think I like this game."
She hummed, her eyes fluttering closed. "Hmm, Valentine's Day looks promising."
"How about spring vacation?" he asked, turning her to face him. His head dipped down to kiss her, and she could tell that he wanted to touch her more, by the way his hands fidgeted at the small of her back. She had to remember they had an audience.
"I'll check to see if the house is going to be rented out," she murmured, tugging on his hair, desperate for another kiss. She felt the tingle in her stomach and need between her thighs, but it was her racing heart that made her sigh.
"I see all that and more," he said as he pulled away from their kiss, pressing his forehead against hers. Twice, his mouth opened, but no words came out; instead, he kissed her. Something in the kiss promised things he wasn't quite ready to say. That was okay. They had time to share all those words and more in the coming weeks.
"Bye," she said a few minutes later, holding onto him by his belt loop of his cargo shorts. "Let me know when you get home." He nodded, and after one last hug, jumped into the front passenger seat.
"Keep the doors locked at all times," he said, practically hanging out the window. "If that asshole shows up again, call the police. Don't even open the door for him."
"We'll be okay. Alice and Jasper will be here tomorrow," she said, smiling. Bella and Angela weren't leaving for another week, spending the holiday weekend with her aunt and uncle. She waved as Alec pulled out of the driveway, her eyes remaining on Edward as he tried to keep her in view, while they drove down the street.
"You okay," Angela asked, one of her arms wrapping Bella into a hug.
"I should be asking you the same thing," she said, shrugging. The sting in her eyes was getting harder to ignore. She'd see Edward soon, she reminded herself. Angela and Alec pretty much decided to stay friends, and though Angela made the suggestion, Bella could tell she would miss Alec.
"I had to let him go," Angela whispered, guiding Bella into the house. "He should have the time of his life in college and not worry about his girlfriend a few hours away. He said the same thing to me, anyway."
"That's because he was your first," Bella murmured. "He wants you to have fun, too."
"Yeah, and I have no regrets. Besides, you never know, maybe we'll see each other again next year and decide we're better off together." She shrugged, looking away. "Anyway, I'm going to go take a shower."
Bella sat on the couch and wondered if it was too soon to text Edward. Seconds later, she felt her phone vibrate in her in pocket and smiled.
I miss you.
She looked through her picture gallery and found the perfect one to send him.
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"I'm not whipped," Edward argued as he sent Bella a text within five minutes of leaving her. "I'm not following her around like a puppy, or anything." He looked up from his phone and at Alec, needing a confirmation.
"Nah, but if I hear you've changed all your classes to the same one she has, we'll be having a talk."
"I hated Biology, so there's no way I could, even if I wanted to." A smile twitched into place when Bella returned his message. He laughed aloud to a gif of Hans Solo saying, "I know."
"You have it bad," James said from the back. "Not that I'm jealous or anything."
"Sure you aren't," Mike said, reminding him that he hadn't gotten anywhere with Jane, other than third base.
"Fuck it, I'm jealous," James said, knocking Mike off his seat. "And if I remember correctly, you didn't even round second with anyone this week."
Eric and Ben laughed, shaking their heads as Edward's phone buzzed again. She had sent the same three little words with a picture of herself. He'd been so close to telling her that he was falling in love with her. He would tell her, the next time saw her. It didn't seem like the right time. I love you shouldn't be said for the first time in the same sentence as goodbye, but when he could say hello again.