Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or its characters. I do own the storyline and every other character that isn't in the Twilight Saga.. (:
Chapter 20
Secret Rendezvous
Bella POV
I let a few tears slip down before pulling my tail up to my chest and wrapping my arms around it. I let my hair fall around my face, creating a curtain so no one would see me. I sniffled and sobbed lightly. I missed Edward and the more I thought about meeting him tonight, the more the guilt ate away at my conscience. He shouldn't be doing this. He can get into a lot of trouble with his family and others of his kind. I know they don't want us to be together, but I want to be with him. I glanced up at Selina and she was in a similar position as me. Her tail was pulled up to her chest and she was blankly staring up at nothing in particular.
She caught me staring and held her hand out to me. I took it without hesitating. It was around midnight and I figured she'd want to talk to me. As much as it hurts to say, Edward can wait. I told him before. My sisters come first without a second thought. Selina gently pulled me into the water and I followed her lead as she pulled me along out of our home. I softly pumped my tail, just enjoying our time together. There were a lot of us and it was hard to get one particular sister to spend time with you alone. We couldn't pick between each other; that was our weakness. And no one cared. That's why we usually bathe together and have meetings as a group. It's also why our cave is in a circular shape; it allowed us to be close to each other.
Her grip on my hand tightened as she pulled me above the water about 30 minutes later. I breathed in slowly, trying to blink away the dryness of the oxygen filled air that blew across my face.
Selina simply said, "Bella, I thought you'd want to be alone as I do."
I nodded and noticed that her face was distant and heartbroken. I kissed her cheek softly and departed, not looking back. I know she wanted me to leave… and if I turned around, I'd go back to her. She wouldn't mind, but a part of her wants to be alone. As mermaids, it is somewhat difficult to be completely alone, especially at a time like this, but that doesn't mean we want it any less.
I carefully and slowly pushed against the water, not sure how I should feel about Edward. I know I love him. I think he loves me. There is no problem with that, it's just… my kind will be extremely upset and jealous towards him because he took their sister away. His kind may not like it either. I turned on my back and hummed under my breath as I pushed against the waves, admiring the calmness of the stilled water. Why can't my emotions be like this? Completely still, peaceful, calm, and comforting.
I went deeper into the water, allowing the darkened water to engulf me with its cool yet warm arms. I stopped swimming and let the calm current carry me away. I ended up a few miles away from the meadow and decided I needed to stop putting it off and went through all of the underwater tunnels fairly quickly. I cautiously popped my head out of the water and pulled myself out before sticking my head out of the waterfall slowly. No one was there. I let out a breath and let myself slide through the waterfall. I settled in the water, with my arms on the grass, pulling my body closer to the edge. I put my head on my arms and closed my eyes, enjoying the sound of the waterfall. I felt a breeze fan across my skin, making my wet hair stick to my face. I felt someone watching me and I snapped my eyes open, not able to hide the smile that broke across my face as I saw Edward staring at me.
"Hi." was all I could get out, my loss of breath not very helpful.
He chuckled and said, "Hey."
He came closer and sat across from me, crossing his legs. He sat with his back straight, his golden eyes watching my every movement, his expression unreadable. He dropped his gaze to my lips and I separated my arms. I put my hands down on the edge and lifted myself out of the water. I went as far as my belly button and then I leaned forward and captured his lips in a slow and relieving kiss. We didn't separate for a few minutes and when I pulled away, he leaned forward, kissing me a few times more. I let the butterflies in my tummy slowly fade away as I slipped back into the water.
He surprised me but standing up quickly. I stared at him as he took his shirt off. He reached down for his pants and I shook my head, "I can dry them for you."
He smiled and put his shirt back on. He jumped into the water beside me and my breathing hitched as he grabbed my waist and pulled me down with him. I squealed and the water surrounding us erupted into hundreds of tiny bubbles. He gave me a breathtaking smile that was uneven and pointed down a dark tunnel. I raised my eyebrows. He wanted to be alone. I grabbed his hand and led him away to a different cave that I discovered. No one knew about it because it was well hidden and took hours to get to.
We snuck glances at each other every few seconds, before quickly turning our heads in the other direction. I would smile shyly and he would smile back just as timidly. A few hours later, the opening came into view. It was behind several thick bushes of seaweed. I looked at them and waved my hand, causing the water to push the various plants out of my way. I pulled Edward behind me and after about 20 minutes, I allowed the water to push the thick bushes back together, covering our tracks. I looked at him and kissed his lips lightly before turning away and swimming towards the edge.
I glanced back and squealed again when his face was an inch from mine. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me tightly against his chest. I smiled and pushed my tail against the water so we could get to the cave sooner. I stopped just at the edge of the underwater cliff. It was pitch black and didn't look like you could go anywhere other than straight. I knew better. I grabbed Edward's arm and pulled him down into the darkness.
There were numerous amounts of tunnels and caverns that we had to go through to get to our destination. About 30 minutes later, I pulled Edward into my private cave.
Edward POV
Bella pulled me into an open space that was underwater. You'd think that you'd have to swim up for hours and hours to get oxygen, but that wasn't the case. It took us 4 hours and 36 minutes to get here, but I didn't care. I was alone with Bella. The cave was about 30 miles wide and in a circular shape. The top was sealed off and left me to wonder how there was oxygen in here.
Bella answered my question with her sweet voice as we surfaced, "Science doesn't prove this. It's just another of nature's mysteries."
I smiled and took in the rest of the space. The water was only about 10 feet deep and it was elevated. As you swam towards the space of land in the middle, the ground came up until the water was about 3 feet deep. I got up and grimaced as the fabric of my clothes clung to my skin. I peeled off my shirt and threw it to the side on the land portion. Bella seemed uneasy and I wrapped my arm around her tail and pulled her to sit on my lap. She let me and instantly relaxed in my arms.
"Edward we shouldn't be together."
I felt the painful tug at my heart and said, "I know."
She murmured, "But I want to be with you." She put her forehead on mine and I nodded in agreement, loving how it felt to have her warm body against mine.
I put my lips on her shoulders and spoke against her skin, "Will you be with me?" I felt her hmm in response and then I kissed her collarbone. "Bella." She turned to look at me and I tickled her tail. I looked deep into her eyes and shifted so she was off my lap and I was hovering over her. I lowered her into the water and admired how her hair flowed around her. I gently slid my fingers through her smooth silky strands. I lifted a lock of her hair above the water and smiled widely as it stuck to my skin, but remained untangled and soft.
She slowly sat up and said, "What are you thinking?" I didn't answer and leaned in, making her beautiful brown eyes close as soon as my lips touched her soft nose. I played some more with her wet hair and watched it dry in my hands in less than a minute. It slipped through my fingers and the tips fell into the water.
"I'm thinking about how breathtakingly beautiful you are." She grinned and playfully pushed me before pulling me closer to her. She kissed me gently and pulled away quickly. She tried to separate herself from me, but I tightened my hold on her, not ready to release her warmth from me. She looked into my eyes and looked as if she was in pain. I loosened my grip, but she didn't pull away.
I stared into her eyes and she seemed a little unfocused as she tilted her head to the side. She shifted underneath me and I figured she was uncomfortable. I easily picked her up and in a second, we were across the cave, 10 feet underwater. I was standing on the ground and she wiggled her tail, so I let her tail go, keeping my arm around her shoulders. She snaked her tail around one of my legs and rested her head on my shoulder. She began humming softly and I smiled as I heard her voice echo throughout the water. She broke off suddenly and looked into my eyes.
She must have found what she was looking for because she slipped her arms under mine and pulled me up towards the surface. She jumped onto the land portion and I saw her bite her bottom lip as I stared at her tail. She moved it a little and I touched it softly. "I love your tail." I murmured and she grinned widely again, relief clear in her eyes.
She closed her eyes and I stared at her, memorizing every single one of her features. I lightly touched her cheeks and her nose. I grazed my thumb over her bottom lip, loving how smooth and soft it felt under my touch. Her lips parted slightly and she exhaled, blowing warm breath on my fingertip. I looked up and she was watching me.
"You're beautiful." I murmured, getting lost in her chocolate colored eyes. I felt everything since the first time I met her flood through me. I gave her a smile and leaned closer to her, capturing a thread of hair that had fallen across her face. I brushed it back and it was the moment that our eyes connected and I noticed how beautiful she really was with her hair splayed out across the ground that was underneath me.
I was almost surprised to hear my voice thick with emotion as I said, "I love you." Her eyes widened and she stared at me for a while, the silence deafening. I started to panic and decided I should scoot back, but I couldn't. I stayed in place, gazing down at her with such intensity that I knew she could see.
"I know we've only known each other for a short time, but I love you so much. Every little thing you do makes me fall in love with you all over again. I can't even imagine how much I'll love you in the next year or…" I cut off, not wanting to overwhelm her with my feelings. I just couldn't keep it in any longer.
She put her hand on the back of my neck and played with the hair at the nape of my neck. "I love you."
Bella POV
I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders and felt impossibly lighter. I seen his eyes brighten and he gave me that smile that made me a little faint. I felt the butterflies return in my tummy as I looked up at him. He had so much emotion in his eyes and the need to kiss him was unbearable. I gave him a small smile and I knew he understood. He leaned down; our eyes connected the entire time until he brushed his lips across mine.
And just like that, I forgot about everything. I knew I shouldn't be with him and I shouldn't love him, but I do. I love him so much and I don't care about what anyone else has to say about it. He deepened the kiss and I sighed into his mouth, feeling every tense muscle in my body relax while my heart did flips.
I heard him mumble his love for me against my lips and I cut him off, willing all the guilt I had felt earlier fade away as I stopped his chuckling with another meaningful kiss that expressed just how deep I've fallen in love with my vampire.
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