Disclaimer: Twilight and its characters are the sole property of Stephanie Meyers.
A/N: Just a few chapters left! This chapter is the start of Bella and Edward's official relationship, so I hope you like it =)
Chapter 20
BPOV
Edward pulled the Volvo into his driveway, quickly jumping out and rushing around to open the door for me. I climbed out slowly, tossing my bag over my shoulder and turning to face him.
"So...um...I guess I'll see you later?" he asked nervously. His eyes were still glued to my body, as they had been all day. I tilted his chin up with the tip of my finger, smirking as a blush rose to his cheeks.
"Bye, Edward," I giggled, turning to walk toward my house. When I reached my front door, I shot him one last glance, giggling once more when I found him standing in the same spot, watching me walk away.
I got my homework out of the way quickly, really starting to like my lighter schedule. With a little time to waste, I decided to make a nice dinner for me and Charlie. When he got home, we shared stories about our day over lasagna, and he retired to the living room to watch the Mariners. I didn't quite understand how he could still watch baseball, but I guess he loved it too much for anyone to take it away from him.
I trudged upstairs to take a long, hot shower, taking my time shaving my legs and scrubbing myself clean. It hadn't taken as long as I'd hoped, so I went through the trouble of blow-drying my hair, then rubbing on some lotion before I got dressed.
The clock on my bedside table read 10:30 p.m., but I was too keyed up to sleep. Thoughts of this afternoon continued to play through my head: Edward's arm around me, the possessive tone in his voice, the look on his face when I agreed to go with him. I couldn't help but smile as I recalled all of it, lying back on my bed.
My thoughts were soon interrupted by a light tapping on my balcony door, and I rushed over to it, eager to see Edward, although a little confused by his late visit. When I pulled the door open, he didn't even pause before cupping my face in his hands, and pressing his lips to my own. A jolt of electricity shot from my lips to my toes, and my hands reached up to twine in his hair, holding him close to me. One large hand slid down to the small of my back, pressing me flush against his body, and I nearly melted onto the floor. All to soon, the kiss was broken, and Edward rested his forehead against my own, our quick breaths mingling together.
"Sorry, but I couldn't wait any longer to do that," he apologized halfheartedly. I grinned up at him before stretching on my toes, connecting our lips once more for a sweet kiss.
"I'm glad." A heart-stopping smile stretched across his face, before it was replaced with a nervous frown.
"Bella, I know this is kind of fast, and we haven't even really gone out or anything, but we've known each other our whole lives, and you're my best friend, and I really don't want to wait anymore and--" I cut him off, giggling at his little rant, and placed a hand on his cheek.
"Edward, just spit it out," I grinned. He released a heavy sigh, and furrowed his eyebrows, no longer holding my gaze.
"Do you think we could make this, like, official?" he asked, chancing a glance up at me. When I only looked at him in confusion, he ran a hand nervously through his hair, and stared straight into my eyes.
"Bella, I've been in love with you my entire life, and I don't want to waste any more time than I already have. So will you be my girlfriend, officially?" he asked, not breaking eye contact. I stared at him in a stunned silence for a fraction of a second, before I launched myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing my lips to his. He held me close, moving his mouth against my own, only stopping when I started to pull away.
"Was that a yes?" he asked, his breath coming out in short pants. I giggled lightly and nodded my head, still pressing my body against his. His smile nearly split his face in half, and he laughed exuberantly.
"Okay, well, I guess I can let you get some sleep now." I nodded sadly and he chuckled at me, turning my around by my shoulders and giving me a gentle shove towards my door. I turned around before I lost my nerve and called his name, smiling gently when he turned to face me.
"I love you, too," I said softly. He crossed the small space slowly, then leaned down to place one last kiss on my swollen lips, his green eyes glowing with happiness when he pulled away.
"Goodnight, my Bella," he whispered, then climbed the railings and crossed back over to his room. I closed my door and fell onto my bed, my head spinning with the evenings events. A large smile pulled at my lips, and I curled up into my comforter, allowing the memory of Edward's kisses to transfer into my dreams.
**********
The next few days flew by quickly. When I wasn't in class or at practice, I was with Edward. Which, I guess wasn't a huge change, since we had always been inseparable. The major difference was that now, well, we were really inseparable. As in, attached at the lips, inseparable. And they were very nice lips.
I guess seventeen years of pent-up lust (okay, maybe a few less than seventeen; we weren't exactly ogling each other in our Huggies) can really mess with your head. We had lost time to make up for, and we were definitely accomplishing our goal.
For the most part, it was mostly just prolonged make-out sessions. Of course, each one was a little longer, and a little more heated. A little kissing turned to kissing with tongue; that turned into some over-the-clothes touching; the next logical step, obviously, was shirt removal and/or under the bra.
Our little sessions got progressively more intimate, in a very short span of time. I thought I would be bothered by this. I mean, we had only technically been dating for about three weeks. For high school students, it was generally frowned upon to get this far, this fast. But for us, it just felt right. I never felt rushed to do anything with Edward, and he never tried to push me. Even after crossing the barrier of oral sex, I was still completely comfortable with our relationship. In fact, I was more than comfortable.
I craved Edward nearly every minute of the day. At first, it drove me crazy. Every morning when we went to our separate classes, my mind became a puddle of mush. I was given a slight break during lunch, but then went back to my dumbed-down state for the afternoon.
When school was out for the day, we spent every spare second together. Not all of it was spent groping and kissing; actually, we had little alone time to engage in our new favorite pastime. With Esme working from home, and my dad stopping by the house frequently while on patrol, we didn't want to risk getting caught in a compromising position. So most days we spent at the Cullens' house, doing homework and watching movies, then spent the evening with my dad, watching whatever game was on.
Of course, once our parents were in bed, we made excellent use of our joint tree-house; it made slipping into one another's rooms fairly easy.
Now that my brain was finally able to comprehend the fact that Edward was mine, it got a little easier to be away from him. I think part of my anxiety had come from some subconscious belief that this was all just a wonderful dream, and I'd wake up tomorrow to find out that Edward and I were still 'just friends'. It still wasn't fun being away from Edward, but I didn't quite feel like I was suffocating without him anymore.
Oddly enough, however, this didn't minimize my craving for him. If anything, it made me want him more. He was really mine now, and I relished the ability to claim his lips anytime I felt the urge. Now that my 'urges' were getting bolder, I wondered when it would be socially acceptable for me to claim him entirely, or vice-versa. In the midst of one of my inner debates on the subject, I made the mistake of spilling the beans to Rose and Alice.
"You two still haven't done it?" Alice shrieked, a look of utter shock on her face. I shushed her quickly, glancing around the mall to make sure nobody was listening. They had insisted we spend the day together, since we had all been too wrapped up in our boyfriends to have any 'girl time' lately.
"Alice, it's only been three weeks. You make it sound like its been years," I rolled my eyes.
"Bella, that's because for you two, it has been years," she pointed out.
"That doesn't count, Alice. We've only been official for three weeks. What was I supposed to do? Jump him that first night?" She gave me a 'duh' look, and Rose snorted on my other side.
"I jumped Emmett that first night. Remember, when we kidnapped you?" she asked, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
"You guys screwed after my kidnapping?" I cried. Her and Alice both laughed loudly, and I glared at them both in turn.
"Honey, you and Edward were the only ones not screwing that night," Alice giggled.
"But Rose, you guys had only known each other for like, a week!" I pointed out. She shrugged her shoulders in a 'so what' motion.
"He was hot, I was horny. What's not to understand?" she asked. I sighed heavily, frustrated with the answers they were giving me.
"Look, Bells," Alice started, smiling gently at me, "you love Edward and he loves you, right?" she asked.
"Of course," I responded automatically.
"And will you ever want anyone else?" she continued.
"No. I've always known Edward was the right guy for me. It just took me awhile to admit it to him," I shrugged. Alice smiled at me, linking her arm with mine.
"Then what are you confused about? If you love him, and you're sure that what you guys have is real, then go for it. Having sex is the most intimate act a couple can perform; if you're with the right person, it will only make your relationship stronger." I looked to Rose, who had claimed my other arm, and she nodded in confirmation. Alice's words tumbled through my mind for a minute, and my decision was finally made.
"I think we have some shopping to do," Rose laughed. Alice squealed excitedly, and the two of them promptly hauled me into the first lingerie store they saw.
We finally left the store over an hour later, and four shopping bags heavier, and I grinned wickedly to myself while stashing the bags in the trunk of Alice's Porsche. Oh, yeah. I was definitely ready.
A/N: Naughty little Bella...lol Ok, you know the drill: send me some reviews, and you'll get the next chapter =P