AN: This is the last romance scene in this story or at least the last one I have planned. I wish I could just flounce around with the cutesy things but I do have a plan.
So the whole reason for Alice's comments in the last chapter will be revealed here. Hopefully it comes across as cute and not tacky. *crosses my fingers*
As always THANK-YOU ; )
Chapter Nine: Meadow (part three)
"Here we are," Edward declared some time later, "Last call for you Alice."
He parked as confusion set in. We had stopped in the middle of nowhere. I could hear Alice and Edward getting out of the car but it took Alice opening my door to realize this really was where he was taking me. She gave me another hug, "I'll see you later, Bella."
She smiled and then started walking away, "Bye?" I turned to Edward who was getting something out of the trunk. I closed my still open door before walking over to him. "You're just letting her walk off?" I didn't think she had annoyed him that much.
He turned to me, swinging a backpack over his shoulder, grinning, "It's only a ten minuet walk for her." He slammed the trunk and my eyes watched him as he deposited his keys in his faded jeans' pocket.
He laughed jarring my eyes back upwards, "What's so funny?"
"We match." I looked at him closer, a white cotton shirt and jeans. Then I looked down and realized he was right, I smiled.
"So what are we doing?"
"There's someplace I want to show you." He reached out and grabbed my hand before leading me into the trees.
"We're hiking?" I wondered, my voice portraying my fear.
"It's a short hike, I promise. I'll hold your hand the whole time; I won't let anything happen to you." He chuckled, "I won't even let you trip and hurt yourself." Once breaking through the outer trees I noticed a path and relaxed, even I could follow a path.
"Ha-ha very funny." I muttered which seemed to lift his spirits more. "What would you have done if it was raining?" I asked noticing the ever elusive sun peeking through the trees.
"I had backup plans," he told me vaguely, "But they don't really compare."
"Am I allowed to know where we're going now?"
He smiled over to me, "You're not very patient Bella. Don't you want to be surprised?"
I shook my head, "I'd rather know but if it'll ruin your fun I won't ask again," I answered lightly.
His face looked contemplative, "There's this little meadow just a little further in," he told me, "Alice and I used to come down here often as children. It's close to both our homes and one day, on accident, we found ourselves there. I guess I should say, it's special to me and because you," he raised his eyebrow and grinned at me sheepishly, "are special to me, I wanted to show you."
I smiled sweetly, "Won't Alice be upset that you're letting someone in on your secret?"
"It's not like that," he paused again before his voice turned a little more serious, "I used to come here when something was upsetting me, when I had to think things through… when I told Alice I was going to invite you here she was ecstatic; she said it would be good for me to associate this place with something good, someone good."
"Thank-you," I whispered. He brought my hand up to his mouth and gingerly kissed my knuckle.
A little while later he let me hand drop and pushed his way through a small opening behind a shrub. I followed him and my mouth dropped in shock, "It's beautiful," I whispered. It was almost a perfect circle and the sun shone relentlessly down on the deep green grass. I could hear a stream nearby; the whole thing seemed to come out of a daydream.
Edward was setting down the backpack when my senses came back to me. He pulled out a plaid blanket and laid himself down, patting the space beside him. I joined him taken aback by how gorgeous he looked when the sun hit his skin. "Alice lives just over there," he pointed and I turned to admire what looked like a well trodden path. "And I'm about a sixteen and a half minuet walk that way," again I followed his finger as it led away from where we were.
"Very precise time," I laughed.
"I've timed it," he admitted joining in my laugh.
He lay on his back and closed his eyes. I was lying on my side facing him when I noticed how his hand lay limply beside him. Without thinking I let my own cover his and started to gently play with his fingers, his eyes sprang open, "Sorry, do you mind?"
His eyes slid closed again, "You don't know how nice that feels," he told me.
"So what else do you have in that bag?" I wondered absently a bit later.
"Some sandwiches, nothing difficult, just peanut butter and jelly but I was worried you might get hungry."
"That's thoughtful of you." I watched how his grin creased his forehead.
"Now I have a question for you," his voice was again a little more serious, "Where did you tell Charlie and Emmett you were off to this morning?"
I frowned and rolled onto my back, letting my hand still, now just resting against his. "No one was home this morning, like most mornings, so I just left. If I don't get home before them I'll use the excuse I was going to use last time."
"Which is?" he prompted.
"I went to pick up some groceries."
"Hmm," he mused. His voice was clear but I could hear the curiosity in the next question he posed, "What about Rosalie," He spoke Rosalie's name in a cold voice, "why has she been watching you?"
"I assume because I haven't really talked to Emmett in a week."
"Why not?" Edward asked his tone anything but demanding.
"A couple reasons but I'll talk to him tonight I think." Yes I was going to suck it up and breach our strange talk less arrangement, I was tired of being annoyed at him, I just wanted to forget about it and move on.
My eyes drifted away into the trees again, just enjoying the sun on my face. If I closed my eyes I could almost imagine being back in Phoenix. The smell ruined the figment.
It was silent enough that I could hear the stream's water rushing across rocks and other objects. My body relaxed as the time passed. Edward's breathing was in rhythm with mine and I felt contented.
"It's not true," he finally said. I tore my eyes away from the surroundings and rolled on my side to face him.
"What isn't?" His eyes were closed, he looked like he was experiencing a wonderful dream and I hated to ruin his illusion.
"What Alice said," his lips barely moved and the sound carried on the wind. His eyelids slid open; he raised his right hand, looking at it experimentally before resting it on my upper arm, touching his skin to mine. His fingers playfully brushed the exposed skin. His eyes returned to mine before he continued, "What she said about me only focused on the exterior."
His touch was so distracting that it took me a while before I fully comprehended what he meant, "She was just kidding around with you," I offered.
He frowned slightly, "That's the point, it felt like she was belittling how I felt." His fingers brushed against the short sleeve of my shirt before resting on my collarbone, tracing the shape of it slowly. "That's not to say you aren't beautiful," I blushed. He examined my cheeks with a critical eye, "Exquisite," he added with a hushed tone as his index finger moved up to brush against my inflamed cheek, "But it's so much more than that, and I'll be nothing short of ashamed if you've been thinking I was only interested because of, to use Alice's words your outside shell."
I opened my mouth to comment but his finger touched my lips in a silencing gesture, "Because it's everything about you that I'm drawn to. The way you smile, the way you hide yourself behind your hair," he paused as his finger moved around the outline of my lips, "The way your answers always leave too much to the imagination," at this he let a good natured, quiet laugh escape. "I sit around and speculate for days about a ten second encounter with you.
"And you have to know that I'm completely, undividedly, utterly smitten with you." There was a sparkle in his restrained eyes; anxious for my response. He was so close to me that his exhaled air tickled me. He pushed his hand carefully, meticulously, into my hair, "Because the truth is that I, I-" Edward's green eyes shone, propelling me forward and I caught his mouth with my own, silencing him.
My free hand cascaded down his arm that was flexed, still gripping the back on my head, landing on his hips. All the while his lips danced with mine, his cheek nuzzling against me. My hand moved on its own picking at the hem on his shirt; the soft cotton not as enticing as what was under it. He pulled back for air returning with a fever, laying every piece of exposed skin in kisses. Trailing where his hands had just been, a kiss on my shoulder following my collar bone and then up my neck before reaching my lips.
My lips parted with his and all rational thought was gone, I forgot what he had been talking about before. I forgot that he wasn't done speaking. The tension drifted away from my body; my hands now gliding beneath his shirt. He rolled me over so he was hovering above me, all the time our lips connecting us.
I felt warm all over while his body felt cool beneath my fingers. A strange balance, I used my free hand to thread in his hair, keeping him close. Slowly he pulled back, his body oddly supported on his free hand and knees. "I'm sorry," he gasped removing his hand from my hair.
"What for?" I wondered. He fell back beside me and I could hear him catching his breath.
"I didn't mean to attack you."
I laughed, "I attacked you silly." I turned to face him again.
"You did?" confusion lacing his voice.
"I did," I admitted watching as his perfect crooked grin graced his features.
"Are you sure?"
I laughed out loud, how could he not remember? I coughed it back; in mock formality I spoke, "So I should apologize."
"Don't," he had picked up a strand of my hair, twisting it around his finger, "I've been dreaming about doing that for so long…"
"Have you," I teased.
"You honestly don't understand what you do to me."
"Sometimes I think you underestimate the effect you have on me. I've never felt like this before"
"Really?" he was intrigued by this, "Hasn't anyone else ever-"
I cut him off, my cheeks flaming red, "Of course not; never before."
He pecked my lips tenderly, "Me neither." I scoffed at that, "What?" he wondered.
"No one else… ever?"
"No one else ever," He repeated. My eyebrows rose up questioningly, "Why do you look like you don't believe me?" he wondered lightly.
"Well look at you," I explained. "You're perfect."
He laughed, "The way you perceive me is ludicrous."
"I think you have that backward." His arms circled around me in a protective stance.
"No I think I have it exactly right," he whispered.
AN: I couldn't resist using smitten to describe what Edward is feeling. I think that is really one of the cutest ways to describe it. I always adore the ever popular I'm sweet on you but that simply wouldn't fit. *sigh* I just love the way the word smitten rolls off the tongue; I honestly think it is my second favorite word, after curmudgeon (which so rarely fits in with everyday conversation).
Regardless here in your make out scene and I'm sorry it took so FREAKING long to finally get to this point. It's not even a long make out scene either, ah I'm sorry. The previous chapter is really just a lead up to this so I felt it rude of me not to post it quickly.
Before anyone asks, his backup plan would be to take her to Seattle again and get an expensive dinner but he was really hoping he wouldn't have to use his plan B. And also, before anyone wonders; Edward has been thinking about kissing Bella like that for a long time and was pretty sure he initiated the kiss that is why he apologizes (I'm not sure if I explained that well in the text).
Last thing I'll say, because things are going to get serious from here on out I'm probably going to be a terrible update monster for a while, sorry, sorry, sorry!