They're here!!!!!
"We hope you enjoyed flying with us today. Welcome to Athens."
"Athens?!" I yelped, picking my head of Edward's shoulder as the plane came alive around us, passengers hurrying to be the first of the plane.
I looked up at Edward and he smiled, pulling me swiftly to my feet. He remained silent.
"Athens? As in Athens, Greece. We're in Greece?" I could barely contain my excitement. I was bouncing on the balls of my feet, anxiously waiting for the tourists in the rows ahead of us to leave the plane.
I couldn't concentrate on anything; it all seemed a blur at first. Walking quickly through the gleaming airport, passing signs first in Greek, then in English, retrieving our bags off the conveyer belt, Edward losing a battle over me pulling my own suitcase, waiting impatiently with a man in a black polo holding a small sign with Cullen printed on it.
A warm breeze played with the hem of my dress, and blew my hair into my face. I loved it, and I couldn't stop smiling; Edward's fingers closed around mine and he squeezed gently. I judged it was late afternoon, but I really had no measure of what time it was.
A bright red Mazda zipped away from us, replaced by a black expensive looking car. BMW 750i was in raised silver lettering on the back. The windows were tinted dark, and I looked at the sky. It was overcast, but still bright, the sun threatening to peak out from the clouds at any moment.
Soon we were speeding away from the airport, the car shifting effortlessly as Edward hit 90 before we had reached the main road.
Alice was even more excited than me it seemed, and I was positively jumping up and down in my seat. I got up on my knees, and turned around from the front seat to talk to her.
"Aren't you glad we kept it a surpise?!"
"Yes. I have to admit, this is so much better!" I glanced at Edward, to find him smiling as he sped into the other lane to pass three cars at once.
"I knew you'd like it," he said quietly, taking my hand again.
"So, where are we staying?" I asked, feeling like a little kid going to Disney World.
"This amazing spot, right on the beach. We have four of the most secluded villas reserved, and each are meant to sleep two, so I hope we'll have enough space!" She actually seemed anxious. Knowing Alice, these condos were bound to be twice the size of Charlie's house.
"Is it supposed to be sunny?" I asked, trying to make it seem like a throw away question. I peeked out the window again, to see clouds still concealing the sun, but patches of bright blue sky were starting to appear.
I could see mountains in the distance, but the road we were taking seemed to be through a forest, and mainly the only sight were trees whipping past us at an alarming rate.
"Oh, Bella. Don't worry about that. We have over two miles of beach without anyone else around. There will be cloudy days too, when we can go into town and see – "
She stopped talking abruptly, her eyes clouded over, fixed on some point far away.
"Alice?" I asked tentatively. Jasper put one finger to his lips and reached out for Alice's hand, waiting patiently for her to come back to reality.
She shook her head slightly, and looked straight at Jasper. "How close are we?"
"Edward?" he asked quietly, "how much further?"
Edward looked completely behind him, his eyes off the road for an extended period of time. "About 20 more minutes. Is there any way around it, Alice?" he spoke quickly, quietly, as if trying to keep my out of the conversation. I looked at him, but he snapped his eyes back to the road.
Alice smiled then, looking at me as she said, "Five minutes. Bella will have to drive."
"Wha - ?" I was thoroughly confused.
"Get over it Edward. Pull over." She spoke with authority. Edward scowled but did as she said. "Hop out, Bella. You're driving."
I felt my eyebrows pull together, but at the next instant, my door was open, and Edward was leaning over me, unbuckling my seatbelt and offering me his hand. He practically lifted me out of my seat, and pulled me up against his chest for a moment. He placed a light kiss on my lips, lingering there for a moment, his cool breath washing repeatedly across my face. He released me and I stumbled to the driver's side, trying to regain conscious thought.
I smiled slightly as I shut the door and put the car in gear.
"What are you smiling about?" Edward asked.
"Well, you normally get to drive, and when I do, it's in my truck," I explained. He still seemed confused, his perfect brows in a slight frown. I continued, "I never get to drive a car that can actually go fast."
With that, I checked behind me and pulled back onto the deserted road. The wheel responded to my slightest touch. I checked how fast I was going, and let my foot off the gas with a yelp. I had been going 75 without even realizing it.
Alice, Edward, and Alice all started laughing. I tried to change the subject as I tentatively put my foot back on the gas, settling in at 60. "So, why do I have to drive?"
"There's a check in at the gate for the hotel. When you role down your window, the sun will come in. And if Edward had been driving, well…"
"Okay. Gotcha."
"If you want to go fast, you can, Bella." Edward eyes flickered from my face to the gas pedal and back to my eyes again.
"Are you sure? I don't have amazing reflexes or anything." Alice giggled.
"Nothing will happen, Bella. Trust me." Something in his voice made me want to speed up. I accelerated to 75 again, amazed at how smoothly the car took the turns. Edward made a circular motion with his hand, urging me to go faster.
I gripped the wheel tighter and sped up to 85, 90, 95. It was the most amazing feeling, being able to drive fast. I felt like I was flying, the trees becoming blurred at the edges of my vision.
"There's going to be a car after the next turn. Don't slow down, go around it," Edward voice was soft, yet excited. He leaned forward in his seat, and seemed very alert. He kept is eyes on me the entire time however.
"How on earth could you know that?" I asked, trying to listen for the other car. I heard nothing, I could barely hear the engine.
I glanced at him, but he pointed out the windshield. Sure enough, a tiny red sports car was suddenly in front of me. I veered tentatively into the next lane, but there was a blind curve.
I slowed down slightly. "Are you sure?"
"I wouldn't let anything hurt you, Bella." I smiled, and sped up, passing the other car at nearly twice their speed.
I took the curve quickly, impressed by my driving skills, and found myself at the top of a large hill, overlooking a city.
To the right was the ocean, interspersed near the shore with towering gray rocks, the water white around them. Below us was one of the most beautiful cities I had ever seen. The hill was steep and rocky, and the town seemed to be built right into the hillside.
The walls of all the buildings and homes looked as if they were connected, with winding stone pathways in between. Most were white, but some had been painted bright colors: yellow, red, and even blue. Red-shingled and white stone roofs, some steep, some round, dominated the view from above.
I may have actually said wow out loud. I tried to avoid looking at Edward for a few moments.
The road curved away from the town, circled around it, and back into the seclusion of more trees. I sped up more, getting anxious. "Are we almost there?"
Edward chuckled, "Five more minutes."
After what seemed more like twenty minutes, we turned off the main road, down a one-lane cobblestone street. An immaculate iron gate blocked our way, with a guard sitting in the gatehouse beside it.
Edward reached over and steered us closer to it than I would have dared. He scooted over to the other side of his seat as I nervously rolled down my window. Sunlight streamed in, hitting me full in the face, and hitting Edward's left leg and part of his chest. His hands were conveniently folded behind his head.
"Name," the chubby man behind the window said.
"Edward Cullen?" I said it as more of a question, unsure of whether I should use my name or his.
He said nothing, just looked at me in blank shock. I raised an eyebrow and glanced back at Edward, who was chuckling.
"J-just around the corner, there, farthest you can go," he stuttered, hurrying to open the gate.
"Thanks," I said, giving him a polite smile.
I inched forward, afraid to scrape the car on the gatehouse or the stone posts on either side of the gate.
"What was that all about?" I laughed.
Alice laughed with me. "Those condos were really expens – " She stopped talking abruptly when Edward glared back at her.
"Nice try, but I don't care remember?" I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. I got excited again, and sped up slightly down the winding lane, passing turn off after turn off until they seemed to stop all together.
"Almost there!" Alice squealed from the backseat. The road curved sharply to the right and opened up into a wide driveway overlooking the ocean. An old wooden fence stood on the edge of the driveway, separating the space wide enough for five cars from a sheer drop off. I parked next to a red convertible, a white Mercedes with tinted windows, and two small motorcycles.
I found myself smiling at the indulgences the Cullen's enjoyed. I stepped out of the car and walked tentatively up to the fence. It was slightly windier here, and a strong gust brought the smell of sea salt to us. Edward walked up to me, wrapped his arm around my shoulders and led me down a set of curved stone steps to the right.
The stairs led to a covered stone patio with whicker seating and crème cushions surrounding a small fire pit overlooking the ocean. A small, fully stocked, bar stood near the back of the patio, complete with driftwood stools and stone countertops.
We crossed this area quickly, despite my desire to stay, just stare at the ocean. "There will be plenty of time for that, Bella." Edward's soft voice in my ear.
Another curved stone staircase led us down to the next tier of our private resort, almost. The steps were narrow, and I walked behind Edward. As the stairs began to straighten out, I looked forward, catching another glimpse of the ocean, and subsequently losing my footing.
I crashed right into Edward's back, trying to grip onto him somehow. He spun swiftly, holding me steady, but not before I had a chance to knock my elbow on the stone wall beside me. Edward took a few quick steps downward until we made it back to flat ground.
"Bella," he sighed, looking down at me. He set me back down on my feet. "Are you alright?"
I was breathing rather quickly, still in shock from tripping down the steps. Again. And Edward catching me. Again, thought I wasn't quite complaining about this part, realizing how close we were.
"Thanks. I'm fine," I mumbled. "And thanks for taking me here Edward."
"I'll take you anywhere you want to go," he whispered. I stepped away from him but kept my arm linked with his. He chuckled at this, our pretend married pose.
I took in my new surroundings. Directly in front of us was another covered patio, open at the sides, with a light, weather worn table to seat eight. Chairs with cushions in shades of white and light blue surrounded the table. Sheer curtains hung tied up at each post supporting the fabric roof. A cluster of lit candles stood in the center, creating a soft, warm light beneath the fabric ceiling.
The patio floor was light, almost white, stone, and continued seamlessly into three wide steps to the pool. The white stone enclosed it, and contrasted beautifully with dark blue tiles of the pool.
In front of the pool were groups of lawn chairs, stacks of white towels, end tables with tiled tops to match the pool. Another bar stood to the left, candles intermittently placed along the stone counter. To the right was more wicker furniture, grouped around a glass table.
Alice chimed in then. "Our villas our to the right. Let's go check them out, then we can go find the others," she said excitedly, leading the way down more stone steps to the right of the pool, pulling Jasper by the hand.
A stone path, lit by candles, led the way to the two villas. The path turned to the right, allowing both to have a perfect view of the ocean, now just yards away from us. The front of each two-story villa was made of smooth white stone, with double arched doors painted dark blue.
Edward led the way up the little walkway to the porch of the first one, complete with a hanging swing, and stepped aside for me to enter first.
I kicked off my shoes when we first entered, feeling the cool light tiles on my bare feet. To the left was a small bathroom and closet. We continued down the short hallway, opening up to a bright kitchen to the left. The wooden countertops and crème cabinets made it seem large and open.
Beyond the island jutting out from the wall was a small wooden table set for two. A wrap around crème colored couch with a light wooden frame was beyond that, a dark leather ottoman in the middle. A giant stone fireplace stood before it. Light blue accents and flickering candles were scattered throughout the room.
At the end of the room, white curtains were closed in front of what I guessed was a deck looking over the ocean. It was simple and I loved it.
My eyes flickered back a silver tray sitting on the ottoman, with two elaborate drinks complete with orange and strawberry slices waiting for us.
The moment he noticed me looking, Edward was back with one, holding it out to me.
"Can I offer you a drink, beautiful?" he asked, his voice low.
I took it from him and wrapped my arms around his neck, careful not to spill. "Thank you." I pressed my lips to his, bringing flashes of our kiss in that cramped bathroom back to my mind.
He pulled back and took my hand in his. "Would you like to go upstairs?" His voice was husky, making me shiver as I nodded. I took a sip of my drink as he led me up a stone staircase to the left, across from the fireplace.
I giggled as Edward ran up the last few steps, showing some of the excitement I was feeling.
Okay, so that was a bit of a filler. Don't worry, there is a ton of exciting vacation stuff to come! Just an FYI, I've never been to Greece, so if my descriptions are a little off, that's why. The weather won't exactly go with the current weather in Greece. We'll just say there's going to be a bit of a heatwave. :)
Okay, enough rambling, go on and review!!!! tell me what you thought about where they are staying!! Reviews make me happy!