Chapter 21: Sunblock

"You want to do something fun?" Edward asked me.

I turned to face him. "Define 'fun'."

He laughed, and took my hand to drag me outside into his Volvo. When we were both comfortable in his comfy leather interior, I asked him, "This is fun?"

He shook his head and chuckled. "Silly Bella, we're not there yet."

I shrugged and decided to humor him. I fiddled with the Sirius satellite radio on his dashboard until I found a station playing "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles.

"I'm not gonna write you a love song, 'cause you asked for it, 'cause you need one!" I sang. Edward stared at me incredulously until the song finished. He turned the volume down.

"You like that song?" Curiosity sparkled in his eyes.

"Yes," I replied simply. "Why?"

"No reason," he said hurriedly, staring out towards the road. I dropped the subject and waited silently while Edward drove over ninety miles per hour. When he passed his own house, I got a little curious.

"Edward?" I asked.

"Hmm?" he said, probably losing his train of thought.

"We just passed your house," I pointed out.

"Yep," he replied, popping his "P".

"Where are you taking me?" I demanded. He didn't answer me. I turned towards my window and stared out as we passed mile after mile of trees whizzing past me so fast it almost seemed surreal. When the car slowed and then came to a stop, I looked forward to see a sunless, gray beach.

"Why are we at the beach?" I pointed towards the huge waves.

He shrugged. "Nice day?"

I laughed and shook my hand. "For the beach?"

He nodded.

"You guys can't be seen in the sun," I reminded him.

"Alice says it's going to be cloudy and drizzling all weekend. Which is why we're staying here this weekend," Edward explained.

"Edward, you're impossible," I muttered as I got out of the car.

"Yeah, I know." I watched him curiously as he opened his trunk and handed me a bag that said "Everything but Water" on it.

"Oh, no," I grumbled as I peeked inside. Yep, there it was. A navy blue string bikini with a white flower pattern on it. "This was Alice's doing, I suppose?"

He nodded, grinning wide.

"Cheer up, Bella, I won't laugh," he said, rubbing my back with his hand. I rolled my eyes. Gee, thanks. I helped him bring a few towels inside and gasped when I got a look at our room.

"Edward!" I shrieked.

"What?" he asked, sounding distressed.

"What is this?" I demanded.

"Our room," he replied simply as he set an armful of towels down on a countertop. When he was finished setting everything down, he put his hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him to see him smiling.

"You love to pamper me, don't you?" I asked him, hearing the annoyance in my voice. What was with this boy that gave him the need to spoil someone constantly?

He groaned. "Why can't you be like most humans and enjoy a little fun?"

"What if I don't want to be like most humans?" I asked him, touching his nose lightly with my fingertip. He smiled and kissed me.

"Sometimes I wish you would so I could read your mind!" he said, grabbing me up in a playful hug. I squirmed good-naturedly and he let me free.

"Go get dressed, the waves are huge out there!" he snatched his swim trunks from his table and ran to the bathroom. I took the bag with my beloved bikini in it and stormed off to an empty bedroom where I stripped down and tied the tiny swatches of sapphire fabric on my chest. Alice was so dead.

When it came time to step into the bikini bottom, I almost had a heart attack. Was Alice trying to kill me with such a revealing bottom? I examined myself in a mirror at the end of the hall and trudged out to face my gorgeous fiancé.

"I'll have to thank Alice later," he said.

"For…?" My voice trailed off expectantly.

He chuckled. "Bella, you're so absurd."

Okay, so that wasn't the answer I'd been hoping for. Edward reached over to grab a towel from the counter and he passed it towards me. Then he bolted out the door faster than I could blink.

I slowly followed him outside to catch a glimpse of the other Cullens chasing each other around on the beach.

"I thought you said it was just us!" I yelled as I finally caught up to Edward.

"I meant it's just us this weekend," he murmured, raising his eyebrows suggestively. I laughed and smacked him on the arm playfully before he scooped me up and threw me over his shoulder as he bolted down the beach.

"Close your eyes, Bella," he warned.

"Not a chance!" I yelled back as I squirmed and thrashed. Suddenly he heaved me into the water and laughed as I shrieked. The water was freezing. I held my breath until I resurfaced to murder my fiancé.

"Edward, you're dead!" I growled.

He laughed. "Not if you can't catch me!"

Oops, forgot that.

"Don't worry, Bella, I've got your back!" Emmett said as he crouched down in front of me. I graciously climbed on his back and closed my eyes before Emmett took off after Edward. Edward was the fastest, but Emmett was no snail, either. Emmett finally tackled Edward and pinned him down to the ground.

They snarled at each other playfully before Esme shouted, "Boys!"

Emmett deposited me on top of Edward and ran back to Rosalie, who undoubtedly still wanted to shove needles under my fingernails. I shuddered as I noticed Rosalie's piercing, hateful stare. Edward hissed quietly at her and she turned away from us.

Edward turned to me and stared at me with his golden eyes before I realized I was still on top of him. "Sorry," I mumbled, trying to roll off of him until he held me in place and kissed me.

"Don't be sorry," he murmured before kissing me again.

Slowly, and without stopping to break the kiss, he rolled on top of me without registering any weight on me at all. I pulled away slowly and moved down to his neck. I noticed he stopped breathing.

"Bella," he whispered.

I looked up at him and his lips collided against mine more forcefully now and with a passion that almost sent me flying. Somehow, and against my knowledge, I had ended up on top of him again. My hand was on his neck with my thumb just grazing under his ear and the other hand was in his hair. His hand was on my cheek, the other on my waist. I broke to breathe a little and he looked at me with his topaz eyes that were sparkling with passion and love.

"I love you," he murmured.

I absentmindedly traced circles on his chest with my finger. "I love you, too." He took my hand in his and smiled at me.

Then he helped me up and we walked down the beach together with our hands still intertwined. Suddenly a cloud shifted and the sun came out, causing all of the Cullens to twinkle and blind me. They all retrieved towels in perfect unison to wrap around themselves and they turned away from the sun.

I just laughed at their simultaneous reaction and Edward glared at Alice.

"Jeez, Edward, stop looking at me like that! So I made a mistake!" she grumbled defensively. Just then another cloud began to cover the sun and a wave of relief washed through all of us.

"Jasper!" Alice scolded.

He just shrugged. Edward turned to me.

"You forgot sunscreen, didn't you?" he asked, already knowing the answer. I smiled sheepishly and he groaned.

"Bella!" he said in a reproving tone.

"It's not sunny, anyways!" I said defensively.

"You'll get burned," he insisted.

"I will not!" I muttered, hoping I didn't seem like a petulant baby.

"I warned you," he mumbled.

A few hours later, I'll be damned, I could start to feel a little discomfort on my shoulders. By the time the sun set and Edward and I were heading back, I knew I was burned. How is it possible to get sunburned badly on a relatively sunless day. I was moving out of Edward's Volvo stiffly when he raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Is somebody sunburned, Bella?" he asked innocently when I trudged inside.

I shook my head. "Nope, I'm fine."

"You're lying, Bella!" he accused.

"I am not!" I insisted, plopping down on the couch and soon regretting it. I must have cringed, because Edward glared at me. I reached for the remote, which made the strap of my tank top irritate my shoulder, and turned the TV on ABC Family. Edward loped my way harmlessly and sat down next to me. Suddenly he poked my shoulder without looking away from the TV screen.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

He shook his head. When he poked me again, it hurt.

"Edward!" I said. "Stop it!"

"Why? Does it hurt?" he asked, sounding amused.

"Nope, not at all," I fibbed.

He poked me again, this time slower and longer. He ignored me, never taking his eyes away from the Kyle XY episode on the screen. When his finger was worming its way towards me again, I intercepted its path and kept it hostage in my palm.

"Remember those books you found in our basement?" Edward asked out of the blue. I turned and nodded, releasing his finger.

"They're Carlisle's old medical journals," he explained.

"Did you read them?" I said curiously.

He shook his head. "Carlisle told me they were there for a reason, and that we shouldn't read them."

"So that basically means you want to sneak down there and read them all, right?" I asked. I smiled up at him.

He smirked mockingly. "No, it just means he's hiding something."

"You're going to go down there, aren't you?"

"Exactly." He smiled rebelliously.

"I'm not going down there with you," I told him, enjoying his reaction at first. He glared at me and then his smile turned more towards an evil idea popping up in his head. He lashed out and poked me again and again. I whined and cried out as he irritated my sunburn.

"OKAY! I'M SUNBURNED, DAMMIT!" I exploded.

Edward burst into laughter. I smacked his shoulder.

"Sorry, Bella, you're just so impossible," he muttered.

"Gee, thanks," I grumbled, turning to watch the TV instead of Edward enjoying the "absurdity" of my behavior.

Edward shook his head. "This is all so unbelievable."

I looked at him, confused.

"This Kyle XY nonsense? You don't see the mediocrity and ignominy in this show?" he demanded.

"In English?" I asked in a monotone voice.

"This is completely impossible," he muttered.

"Okay, a vampire is criticizing TV producers' ideas for a show about an unknown kid with special powers wanting to be a normal human?" I asked, amused.

He glowered at me.

"I'm right, aren't I?" I asked, imitating his voice.

He rolled his eyes and poked me again. If he didn't have super strength, I would have broken his finger already. But I didn't--so instead I just took his hand in mine and changed the subject.

"One week until the wedding," I whispered. This made him smile and his eyes grew softer and less playful.

"Next Sunday," he murmured, leaning over to kiss me.

I held his head in place just inches from mine while I got my fill of his delicious kisses before he leaned back on his armrest once we got carried away. A week seemed like a year in the time it was passing by. Soon Edward and I could be each other's and nothing would ever keep us apart.

"You're lost in thought," he pointed out, smiling. He tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear and stroked my cheek with his cold thumb for a few seconds before falling back onto his side of the couch.

I nodded. "I can't wait."

"You don't have to, Bella," he reminded me.

I looked at him with a reproving expression. He crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows, as if testing my answer. I really didn't want to bring this up again, because this subject had already been dropped a few times before for good reason.

"I don't want to talk about this," I finally said once our staring contest was over and I had lost yet again.

He rolled his eyes. "Of course you don't," he muttered.

"Do you have something to say?" I asked, annoyed now.

"Yes, actually I do," he said smugly.

"I'm listening," I groused.

He shifted his position on the couch and spilled, "I think you just want to wait to defy whatever I say. You always seem to go against whatever I say."

"I'm not going to agree with you on everything," I said.

"You're doing it again!" he yelled, sounding more exasperated than before.

"You're right about everything, Edward," I said sarcastically.

"That's all I wanted to hear," he said arrogantly.

I threw my hands up in the air in frustration. "YOU ARE SO IRRITATING!"

He smiled proudly. "Thank you."

I groaned and fell back on my chair, determined to ignore him and his immature behavior despite his tactics to make me laugh and forgive him. This was not going to be easy.

Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed that, and sorry it's a little late. School started again today and I'm tired. Anyways, the next chapter is Edward's POV so I hope you'll enjoy that! Keep reading and review! ;)