Ch. 20: Love Remains the Same
A/N: Hello loves!! We apologize for the delay in this chapter but we have been crazy busy. Does anybody else feel like the last month of school is when the teachers decide to throw all this work at you? Anywho, thanks so much for the story/author alerts, favorite stories/authors, and reviews. It's so nice waking up to an inbox full of emails from FF This chapter is dedicated to Stephanie aka Daddy's Little Cannibal.
EPOV
Once Charlie had kicked me out of Bella's and my room, I sulked back down the hall to Charlie and Renée's room. I refused to see their room as mine, even though I could almost guarantee I wouldn't be back in my room for the duration of the cruise. I opened the door and saw that Charlie so graciously laid out a blanket and a few pillows on the floor. I mentally calculated my chances of getting away with sleeping on the bed. An image of Charlie spooning me from behind flashed in my mind and I shuddered as I gladly accepted the makeshift bed on the floor. It definitely wasn't going to be the most comfortable "bed" I had slept in, but it would have to do.
After standing in the middle of the room looking at my bed, I came back to reality and quickly found my pajamas and my toiletries and went into the bathroom to change and brush my teeth. It was a miracle I didn't pass out from exhaustion while I was brushing my teeth. If I was this tired and I hadn't really done anything, I could only imagine what Bella was going through. It pained me to leave her when Charlie kicked me out but I wasn't about to defy his wishes, so I left without a fuss. I was still trying to find a comfortable position when I heard the door softly open and closed. I stopped moving around, hoping Charlie would think I was asleep already. I guess it must have worked because he stepped around me and stopped by the bed. "Thanks, Kid," I heard him whisper before he climbed onto the bed. I smiled to myself, knowing that, despite what Charlie said earlier or what he will say in the future, he knew what Bella and I meant to each other. After that, I fell into a restless sleep without my angel in my arms.
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Knock, Knock, Knock.
My eyes shot open as a quick, rapid knocking sounded at the door. At first, I was confused as to who it could be. Then I heard Renée. "Edward! Edward!" she screamed. My heart sunk as I realized there would only be one reason why Renée would be at the door so early in the morning. I hastily threw the covers off of me as I stood to my feet. Apparently, my ankles were still tangled up in the blankets because as I tried to take a step, my foot caught, sending me flying forward.
"Come on, Kid! Get your ass up!" Charlie screamed as he stuck out his hand to help me back up. Kicking the blankets off of my ankles, I took his hand and pulled myself up, ignoring the rug burn on the palms of my hands. We raced to the door and wrenched it open.
Renée stood at the door in her pajamas. "Bella," was all she said. My heart stopped before it began again, going twice as fast as it previously was. I wasted no time in tearing down the hall back towards our room.
As I raced down the hall, a couple, who were obviously drunk, was blocking my path. Could my life get any worse? They seemed amused by something. I didn't care until I heard them say something about a "screaming freak" down the hall. "Hey, man," they guy began, "you don't want to go down there. There's some freak screaming her head off. She probably needs to be admitted, if you know what I mean." He and the woman began laughing hysterically at his "funny" comment.
My blood boiled as red clouded my vision. "That 'freak' you speak of is my girlfriend and, if you don't mind, she needs me," I said, so calmly, it was eerie.
"What happened to her? Did she fall off the bed drunk?" he mocked, sending the annoying couple into convulsions of laughter. No, she didn't fall of the bed, but please let me show you this neat wave, over the side of the ship!
"That is none of your god damned business but, if you must know, she was nearly raped earlier today," I spat. That seemed to sober them up. "Move," I said. Thankfully, they moved aside and let me through. I continued down the hall. As I got closer to our room, I could hear Bella's frantic cries. Once again, my heart shattered into a million pieces. I pushed myself harder than I ever have before. There was only one thought on my mind as I burst through the open door.
Bella.
She was curled up into herself, as she had done earlier that day. I cautiously moved closer to the bed, not wanting to startle her like I had done earlier. I crawled up onto the bed beside Bella and wrapped my arms securely around her from behind. She turned over and threw her arms around me. Seeing Bella so frightened was the absolute worst thing I ever had to endure. "I'm here, Love, I'm here," I soothed as I gently rubbed her back.
"Don't leave," she cried into my chest, clinging to my shirt.
"I won't. Forget what Charlie said, I'm staying right here with you, I promise." I kissed her forehead as I felt wetness run down my cheeks. I quickly wiped the tears that were streaming down my face, knowing I had to be strong for Bella. I started running my fingers through her hair, remembering that it always seemed to calm her down. Bella's cries quieted and her breathing wasn't as frantic but I could tell that she was still apprehensive about falling back asleep. I couldn't blame her.
"Charlie, don't you see? She needs him. Quit being so stubborn and just let him stay. They've been in the same room for almost a week and nothing has happened yet. Give them some credit and let them be," I heard Renée whisper.
I looked to Charlie and gave him a look that said there was no way in hell I was going to leave Bella's side again. Any punishment I would receive from Charlie was worth it if Bella was calm. He sighed and ran the palms of his hands over his eyes. "Fine, but one wrong move and he's out." He shot me a look and I knew he was dead serious. I nodded my head and mouthed, "Thank you."
"Sleep, Love. I'm not leaving. I love you," I said. Charlie and Renée quietly slipped out the door, leaving Bella and I alone, as we had been during the entire cruise.
"I love you," she whispered so quietly that, if I hadn't had my full attention on her, I could have missed it. Soon after, she fell asleep.
There was no way that I could fall back asleep. I was so awake from the adrenaline rush I experienced as I raced to Bella. As I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling with Bella in my arms, I thought about how far Bella and I had come since we first ran into each other, literally, at the airport in Seattle. We had gone from her hating me, to loving each other, to needing each other. After the cruise was over, I was confident that Bella and I would remain together. Our circumstances were, more than likely, going to change, but our love would remain the same.
Bella stirred in her sleep and started mumbling, her breathing quickening. "Sh, Bella. I'm here, Love," I whispered to her as I kissed her forehead. She calmed down and snuggled closer into me.
Once I was satisfied that she was fine, I went back to my thoughts. Unfortunately, they drifted to Will. I clenched my jaw and clutched my fingers into fists. If I ever so much as crossed paths with him again, I was going to kill him. I'm sure Emmett and Jasper would back me up on that, not to mention Charlie. What he did to Bella was the lowest thing anybody could do to another person. Because of him, Bella was traumatized and didn't have that same spark in her eyes as she usually did. I was determined to bring that light back to her.
Dawn broke across the ocean. Sunrays from the sun peeked through the opening in the curtains. I looked at the clock and it said it was almost seven. I felt Bella's lips against my neck. "Hey," she greeted groggily.
"Hey, yourself," I said as I smiled down at her. "How are you feeling, Love?" I asked as I brushed my fingers through her hair, untangling the knots that had formed during the night.
"No worse than yesterday," she said, shrugging. "How about you?"
"I'm fine," I lied.
"If you're so fine, then why do you have dark circles under your eyes?" she asked as she traced under my eyes. "Did you sleep last night?"
Honesty, Edward, I said to myself. "No," I said truthfully. "I couldn't."
"Why not?" she asked, clearly not happy about it at that moment.
"I was worried about you, last night." I ran the back of my hand down her cheek. "You were restless and I just wanted to make sure you were alright." I kissed the tip of her nose.
"You're too good to be true. How bad was it?" she asked as she buried her head back into my chest.
"You kept saying 'No,' and his name. It hurts to see you so afraid, so I calmed you down before it escalated." I pulled her chin up so I could look into her eyes. "You, Bella, are too good to be true. You are and amazing person with the kindest heart. I would do anything to take the pain away," I whispered.
"Don't cry," she choked out as she brought her hand up to wipe the silent tears from my eyes. I brought my own hand around to wipe the tears from her eyes.
"Beautiful," I said quietly. I cupped her cheek in my hand and she leaned into it as she choked out a laugh.
"I think you need your eyes checked, Romeo," she said, lightening the mood considerably. I sat up, pulling her with me.
"You can't deny the truth, Love." I was rewarded with her blush. "And that," I ghosted my hand over her flushed cheeks, "makes you even more beautiful." Bella placed a chaste kiss against my lips.
"Thank you." Bella's stomach chose that moment to make itself known by growling.
"Hungry?" I asked with a cocky smirk.
Bella pushed me back down onto my back and climbed out of bed, going into the closet to retrieve her clothes for the day.
BPOV
I badly needed a shower after yesterday's events. Yesterday, I was completely drained and I knew I didn't have the necessary energy to bathe myself. The hot water felt good as it cascaded down my back. I let the water wash away the last of Will and felt lighter as I stepped out of the shower. I had pulled out my pair of patchwork shorts from American Eagle and two tank tops, one red, one black, to layer. After blow drying my hair, I pulled it up into a messy ponytail.
"Edward," I called. No answer. Thinking he had gone to talk to Carlisle or Charlie, I brushed it off and went back into the closet to put my dirty clothes away. I grabbed my pair of Coach tennis shoes and a pair of socks and walked back out to the bedroom. I gasped at the sight before me.
Edward was sprawled out on the bed with his head on my pillow. I smiled. After putting my shoes on, I didn't know what to do, but I didn't want to wake Edward up after he stayed up all night to look after me. Inspiration hit as I tried to find something to do. I found my phone and hit the correct speed dial.
"Bella! To what do I owe the pleasure of your call at," she paused, I'm assuming to read a clock, "seven thirty this lovely morning?"
"Hello to you, too, Ali. I was wondering if you could come get me. Edward didn't sleep at all last night and he is currently passed out on the bed. I don't have the heart to wake him up and I'm sure he'd have a heart attack if I went out by myself."
"No problemo. I'll be there in two seconds." With that, she hung up the phone.
Sure enough, two seconds later, there was a knock on the door. I raced over to it, not wanting Alice to wake Edward up. "What? Were you standing outside my door or something? It didn't take you very long to get over here."
"Something like that," Alice said as she jumped from foot to foot. "Come on, I'm hungry and Jasper and I were just on our way to the dining room." Alice grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door. I barely had time to grab my purse and slip the "Do not disturb" sign on the outside of the door.
Jasper was standing across the hall with one of his feet propped up against the wall and his hands crossed in front of his chest: the picture of ease. "Hey, Bella," Jasper greeted.
I walked up to him and engulfed him, as much as I could, in a hug. "Thank you for yesterday, Jasper." Even though he slightly resembled Will, I didn't shy away from Jasper. I knew that he was not going to hurt me, and I wasn't having a panic attack where Edward was the only one who could touch me.
He chuckled, "Anytime, Bella. You're like a member of the family now, and we look out for each other." His words struck a cord with me and I started to cry, again.
"No crying, Bella. We're supposed to be having fun and fun doesn't involve tears unless they're from laughing," Alice chastised.
"Sorry," I said as I wiped the last of my tears from my eyes. "Alright, I'm good."
The three of us went to the dining room and talked about what our plans were once we arrived in Nassau at one thirty.
"The Pirates and Dungeons Tour starts at three, so once we dock, we're going to get off," Alice informed. Just then, I caught sight of a tall, blonde, figure out or the corner of my eye and instantly cringed away from it. "Are you alright, Bella?" she asked.
I composed my expression before I answered, "Yeah, I'm fine."
Alice looked up and saw why I had flinched. She sighed, "Bella, you're safe. We won't let anything happen to you."
"I know. It's just still really fresh in my memory." She smiled and we continued on with our breakfast.
I wanted to go back to the room to kill a little bit of time before we docked in Nassau, so Alice and Jasper escorted me back. After Alice's warning to not be late for the tour, I quietly crept back into the room, so as not to wake Edward. He was still sound asleep but now he was clutching my pillow to his chest as he lay on his. I smiled and walked over to him. I gently placed a kiss to his forehead, flopped down onto the couch, and turned on the TV with the volume low.
"Bella?" I heard Edward call, his voice thick with sleep, after I had been sitting for about an hour.
"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"
"No, my internal clock decided I shouldn't sleep anymore."
"Do you feel better?"
Edward sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed. He put his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Yeah. How long was I out?"
"About two hours. You still have a little bit of time before we dock if you want to go back to sleep."
"I can't. The bed feels so empty without you in it with me."
"I'll lay with you if you want."
"Do you mind?"
I walked over to the bed and lay down. "Of course not. You stayed up all night for me, the least I can do is return the favor for a few hours."
"I knew I loved you for some reason," he joked.
"Ha ha ha, just get back in the bed, Romeo."
We crawled under the covers and faced each other. I brought my hand around to the back of his head and braided my fingers in his hair, rubbing his scalp. His eyes slid closed as he moaned, "That feels so good."
I chuckled, "Believe me, I know." Within minutes, Edward was softly snoring. "I love you," I whispered as I kissed his forehead again.
A/N: Well we hope you enjoyed this chapter!! We realize it's short but if we didn't stop here, it'd be a really long chapter. Just bear with us, there is a method to our madness. We would like to thank hgbkwrm for the line about the wave over the side of the ship, an awesome line created by an awesome person!! Ok, this is totally random, but we get a lot of reviews complimenting on the relationship between Edward and Bella so we were wondering how much relationship experience you guys think we have.