Valentine's Day Massacre
BELLA POV
"The death clock is ticking slowly in our breast, and each drop of blood measures its time, and our life is a lingering fever."- Georg Buchner
All things Twilight related belong to Stephanie Meyer
The pounding on the door was enough to jerk me awake, but it took me a while to blink my eyes open. I didn't know what I was going on, and my body was suddenly freezing from the lack of covers that had just fallen off of the bed.
"What the hell?" I exhaled heavily and looked around. The clock on my nightstand read seven. It was way too early to even be thinking about getting up, especially on a Sunday.
"Bella, wake the hell up." The pounding continued, and I heard Rose's voice from the other side.
I stumbled out of bed and went to open the door.
Rosalie was standing there with a bushel of red roses and a bright smile. "Morning, Sunshine." She stepped into my room.
"What are you doing here?" My voice was raspy.
She was in a hot pink dress that clung to her curves and had a pretty dramatic neckline.
"How the hell did you get up here?" I grumbled.
"I flirted the heck out of the stupid boy downstairs. Your security isn't very good here." She sat on the bed. "I brought you roses." She held them up for me.
I took them and almost wanted to burn the things.
"What are these for?" I bypassed her and got under the covers. I felt her lay down next to me.
"It's Valentine's Day." Rose's face broke out into a rare smile. "It's the day of love."
Shit!
I groaned and rolled over, "Go away."
"No, Bella. You have to stop all this mopping. Get up," she commanded.
"I don't mope and I'm not going to church," I deadpanned. I knew that's what she was alluding to.
"You haven't been in over a month, and I'm starting to get worried."
"I don't want to go."
"This is getting really annoying, Bella," she huffed.
"What would you have me do?" I sat up. "He doesn't want to talk to me."
"So force him to sit down and shut up."
This had been our conversation for the past six weeks
Edward and I hadn't seen each other in over a month. I hated to admit that I missed him, but I did. I had come to terms with things in my head. Now that I looked back on it, I realized that I was slightly dramatic back in Forks. I should have told Edward all the things that were going through my head because that would have been the adult thing to do. Didn't adults talk about their problems with each other?
As much as I claimed to be mature, I sometimes forgot that I was still the young eighteen-year-old who shut down easily. I needed to talk to Edward. That was the only way things were going to get better.
I called the first time, two weeks after New Year's. He didn't pick up. I tried again a couple days later, and he didn't pick up then, either. After the fourth time, I quit. I figured he didn't want to speak with me, so I stopped trying. Alice refused to give me any information on how he was doing because she said we were both being stupid. She wasn't going to play "the messenger" as she called it.
From Rose, I got that Edward wasn't doing so well. She didn't know specifics because he didn't really say much nowadays, but everyone could tell that he was hurting. On some level, I blamed myself for that, but I also knew that this wasn't entirely my fault. I was hurt. I just needed to tell Edward that. How was he supposed to know? When I said I needed time, I meant it, but I had cooled and realized that Edward's mistake was forgivable.
I tried to tell myself that he was just thinking things through, but the more I heard from Rose about his downfall, the more I was starting to wonder if he even cared. She told me that he was usually high all the time, and his breath smelled consistently of alcohol.
Edward had to know that what he did was wrong. I couldn't just go running back into his arms and pretend that everything would be alright. That wasn't how it worked, but as much as I tried to fight the pull, I just couldn't any longer.
He had moved all of my stuff back into my dorm, which I took to mean "We definitely need some space". I was kept safe by the hordes of bodyguards who still followed me. The only person I really had any contact with, besides the girls, was Carlisle, surprisingly. I knew why, though. He was keeping tabs on me. I was too close to the family and knew too much to just be set free. He had to make sure that I wasn't spilling secrets, and he instilled the fear of God in me every time he called under the guise of "checking in".
I was starting to wear thin of this and questioned whether or not Edward was even worth it. The answer was always "yes" in my head.
When he asked if we were breaking up back in Forks, I should have given him a solid no, but my mouth wouldn't do it. I needed to think, and there was too much going on to give him a definitive answer. He couldn't just get away with hurting me that way. The immature little girl in me wanted to make him crawl on his knees and beg. I knew Edward was never going to stoop that low, and if he continued down the path that he was going, he could end up dead. I didn't want that, so I was going to have to make the first move.
But how?
"Get up," Rose commanded again. "We're going to church and today, you're going to talk to Edward."
"He's being a bitch," I said under my breath.
"Well, so are you. Move it." She ripped the covers off of me, and my body scrunched up in a ball to hide myself from the change in temperature.
"Can't I just call him?" I asked hopefully.
"No, that's not working. He actually asked me if I knew how to make meth yesterday. Meth, Bella," she stressed. "That man has no shame. You need to help him."
"Well, why won't he answer my calls?" I got out of bed.
"Because he's an immature child. He doesn't understand that you're the best thing in his life and he's being a stubborn jackass."
"We both are," I said to myself.
"Yes, you're both acting like you're ten years old." Rose started pulling stuff out of the boxes that I still hadn't unpacked. "Emmett cheated on me once."
"Really?" I asked a little too loudly.
"Yup, he sure did, but I loved him enough to forgive the bastard. Now I keep his dick on a leash. That was four years ago." She wickedly smiled.
"But Edward's not like Emmett…"
"You're damned right. Emmett would have already cracked by now. He was begging me to take him back, but Edward isn't that way. You need to be the bigger person. He's so immature." She shook her head and kept going through my clothes.
"Do you think he'll listen to me?"
"He'd better. I'll strap him to a chair. You two are getting on my nerves and I refuse to put up with this any longer." She threw me a dress, and it hit me right in the face. "We're going to church. He can't escape there."
Never one to mince words, Rose kept muttering and reprimanding me while I got dressed in a simple, navy blue dress that was casual and still acceptable for church. It had been so long since I went that it almost felt like my first time.
I was whipped into shape by a very demanding Rosalie, who slapped some makeup on my face, put me in some heels and threw a coat over my body. We were already running late, and she basically dragged me out of the door. I had no strength to fight her.
We hailed a cab and sped away to church.
"I don't know what to say to him," I sighed and looked out of the window.
"How about you tell him to shut the fuck up and start acting like a grown up? I'm going to strangle the both of you because frankly, I don't really know what the problem is."
"How can I trust him again?"
"Oh, get over yourself." She rolled her eyes. "I don't care how you do it; just get him off my back."
"So, basically, this is all about you?" I half-laughed.
"Exactly." She sat back, and we rode the rest of the way in silence.
As much as she acted like she didn't care, Rose was more of a lover than she wanted to admit. She liked the little family dynamic that we had and with Edward and I messed up, her world wasn't the same.
We arrived at the massive church fifteen minutes later, and she pulled me out of the cab quickly. We were running extremely late now. We went inside, but instead of going straight through the oak doors to the bottom level of the sanctuary, Rose started pulling me down another hall.
"Where are we going?" I asked as she started up the stairs.
"To the second floor. I can't have you starting a fight with him in church. I'm keeping you two separate until we get outside."
There was a whole new world up on the second level of the church. It was almost as big as the floor below, and I was slightly worried that it was going to collapse underneath the weight of all the people that were sitting up here. There were rows filled with nicely dressed people, and they all looked at us as Rose and I walked right up to the front, basically leaning over the banister.
"Hey, move," Rosalie snapped at three teenage girls who were sitting in the first row.
"No, we were here first," she snippily huffed.
"Look, little girl, I don't have time to rip your hair out right now so just scoot down," she whispered back harshly.
Instead of waiting for an answer, Rose pushed me down into the seat, forcing the girls to move down. By the time we were all situated, I was right in the center of the church and in the first row of the balcony. I felt very self-conscious for some reason but bucked up.
My eyes grazed the crowd below, and I found the Cullens in their normal spot, right near the podium.
The back of Edward's head was just as I remembered it; full of bronze locks that were actually shining in the lights of the church. How he did that, I will never know. He was on the end of the pew, next to Alice, and he was leaning so that he almost looked asleep. His shoulders were hunched slightly, but I could tell that he was fidgeting in his seat.
A couple minutes after we sat down, Emmett shifted in his seat and awkwardly twisted his head up to the balcony. When he saw that I was looking at him, he stupidly waved. That caught the attention of Jasper, who turned around; which then caught the attention of Alec, who also turned around. It was like a domino effect of embarrassment.
I prayed that they would just look back up front, which they did, but their heads would turn to gaze back up every couple of seconds. I guess this made Carlisle and Esme suspicious, because they were soon turning around. Esme smiled widely and almost jumped out of her seat. She waved frantically, and I half-waved back.
"Oh my God." I sunk into my seat and tried to cover my face.
"Sorry, he's just a stupid ass," Rose whispered to me.
"This was a bad idea."
Thankfully, Edward didn't either seem to notice or care. He stayed with his shoulders hunched for the entire service.
I didn't notice it before, but now that I was sitting under the microscope of the Cullens, I suddenly had to pee… very badly. I held it in for a long time and tapped my foot on the floor as I tried to think about something—anything besides water or toilets.
You should have gone before we left the house.
My mother's words were echoing in my head, and I used the service to distract myself. We were almost done, but I really had to go. There was a row of Bibles that were lined up on a small ledge of the balcony. I actually read one of them to keep my mind off of things.
"What is wrong with you?" Rosalie leaned over and spoke in my ear.
"I have to use the bathroom," I whimpered.
"What are you, five?"
"I know, I know. I'm going to hold it, though. I can make it," I said assuredly.
"Just go, but don't leave or I'll chase after you. I mean it, Bella." She pointed at me.
"I promise." I tried to get up gracefully, but of course, that wasn't an option with me.
I stood up, and my arm hit the Bible in front of me. I cursed in my head as I watched the book fall to the first floor below. It was almost happening in slow motion, and I wanted to jump down there to grab it. The Bible kept sinking lower and hit the red, carpeted floor with a loud smack. The sound ricocheted loudly off of the walls in the hallowed halls.
I was frozen upright in my spot as every single pair of eyes in the church turned to me. All the heads from the first floor look up to see what had caused such a loud racket. Even the priest stopped preaching and sought me out.
My breathing was coming out in short spurts, and I felt the heat of my blush rise to my cheeks like fire.
"Sorry," I said to no one; it was so soft that even I almost didn't hear it.
I didn't want to, but I couldn't help look towards the Cullens.
Edward was staring at me with wide green irises and a slightly opened mouth. Even from here, I could tell how strung out he was. He awkwardly stood up in front of everyone, and we were suddenly the two focuses of the church service.
"Uh… Mr. Cullen," The priest brought my attention back to reality, "is there something you need?"
Edward looked like he was trying to say something to me, but I knew I wouldn't be able to hear him. He reluctantly turned around and sat back down.
I took the small time of confusion to grab my coat and run out of the balcony, down the stairs and into the lobby of the church.
I leaned against the wall in a secluded hallway, trying to get my breathing right again.
The first time I had seen him in a month and a half, and I had to make a scene like that?
Geez, Bella. What the hell is wrong with you?
Then I remembered that I had to use the bathroom and raced to find it.
After I was done, I just sat in the lobby for church to get out. There was nothing in the world that would make me go back in there. When the first groups of people started to come out, I hid my face so that they wouldn't see me.
"Bella, I'm so glad you came." I felt arms wrap around me and smelled Esme's sweet scent in my nose. "It's been so long since I've seen you. How are you?"
"Good and you?"
"I'm fine. You'll have to wait for Edward. He's in confessional." She nodded behind her.
"Really?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, he's working through some things," Esme explained.
I was about to say something but got wrapped up in beefy arms as Emmett lifted me off of my seat.
"Thank God. He's been such a bitch." He spun me around.
"Emmett, language," Esme scolded.
"Oops, forgot we were in church." He set me down and crossed himself.
"It's good to see you, Bella." Carlisle smiled at me.
"You too, sir."
He never corrected me if I called him "sir". I liked that.
"I'll take it that you're here to straighten my boy out?"
"That's the plan. We've both had if kind of rough lately."
"Well, get to it. We miss the changed Edward." Jasper gave me a hug.
They all left me alone in the lobby. It was starting to thin out and after a minute or two, I was the only one around. I held my head in my hands, trying to work out my thoughts.
"Bella, is that you?" I heard Edward's voice, but it was deeper than I remembered.
I stood up too quickly and almost fell over, catching myself on the wall.
"Oh, hi," I replied lamely.
Edward didn't even look the same. His eyes were sunken in, and he looked as if he'd aged maybe ten years. His eyes looked lifeless, and I would guess that he had lost a considerable amount of weight.
I couldn't help myself; my hand reached out to touch his stubbly jaw. "What happened to you?"
"I… I don't know," he answered dryly. "What are you doing here?"
I decided not to acknowledge that question. We would get to that later.
"Why do you look so sick?" I took a chance and cupped his face with both of my hands. He hadn't pushed me away yet so I took that as a good sign.
"I don't look sick." He closed his eyes. "It's good to see you."
"Edward, are you high?"
"Probably, I can't remember," he said truthfully.
I could smell the vodka on his breath. I had turned him into a full blown addict. I wanted to cry.
"Why didn't you answer my calls?" I sat him down on the bench that had been sitting on earlier.
"I didn't have anything to say. I already said my peace back in Forks." He shrugged. "I meant everything I told you, but that's all I could come up with. I knew you wanted more."
"I was calling to tell you that I forgive you." I hung my head. "You made a mistake and I realize that. You just hurt me. I need time to think."
"That's what I figured. I am sorry." He spoke sincerely, but firmly. "Once I realized what I was doing, I stopped kissing her."
"You said you liked it." I cringed.
Edward nodded. "Bella, I was messed up. I know I've done some stupid stuff, but I never meant to hurt you."
"I know," I sighed heavily. "I didn't mean to be so dramatic."
"I deserved it," he nervously chuckled.
"I want to make you beg for forgiveness," I told him truthfully. "I really want to drag your ass through the mud."
"Please do."
"I can't, but… how can I know that you won't do anything like that again?"
He bit his bottom lip in thought, almost like I did frequently. "I don't know. After I met you, I used to think that I couldn't do that because truthfully, you're all I needed. But I don't think I can trust myself anymore. I'm thinking about going to rehab."
"That… would be good," I said slowly, trying to digest it.
"I won't, because I don't have that time, but…" he trailed off.
"Are you that bad?" I moved some hair out of his face.
"I just needed something," was his wonderful answer.
"You're going to kill yourself."
"I've been dead this past month."
"That's a little dramatic." I almost laughed.
He half smiled. "I know, but it's how I felt. I truly am sorry."
I nodded and wanted to kiss him so badly.
"I know you are. I think we could apologize to each other for years so… can we just start over?" I said hopefully.
"I would like that," he said without moving.
I took his hand. It flinched away from me, but he settled when I tried again.
"I know we have a lot to talk about and growing to do, but I would like to do it together." My line was cheesy, but I had to say it. He needed to know.
He nodded assuredly. "Can we just… enjoy today and then work on everything later."
"Okay, but I want to say this. You have problems, Edward," I told him straightforwardly. "To be honest, I should leave your ass right here and go find someone who is actually worth it."
He looked at me fearfully for the first time.
"I just can't." I hung my head. "I can't just let you go. That might make me weak or whatever, but… I've grown up. Of course I have a long way to go, but at least I'm trying."
"I'm too…"
"No, you're not, Edward. You went back to the same old guy who I first met. This isn't you. You need to grow up. I'm not trying to change you or anything, but I can't just let you live like this. I will leave you if you don't get help for yourself," I vowed and as much as it killed me to say that, it was true.
He didn't say anything for a long while. I could almost see the gears in his head turning.
Edward finally nodded. "You're right. I'm not worthy to even be sitting here, and I promise I'll try."
"Well, you need to try harder. I know I'm sounding like Esme, but I'm trying to help the both of us. That doesn't mean you have to go 'soft'." I put my words in quotations.
"I'm killing us, aren't I?" he asked and pulled at his hair.
"Yes," I answered. "It's not all your fault, but… if you keep down this same path, I don't know how much longer I can stick around."
He let out a deep breath that I felt hadn't been released since Forks.
"If you ever look at another woman again, I will chop off your penis and feed it to a bird." I couldn't stop the words from coming out.
Edward looked at me for a second before he started clutching his stomach in laughter. He was out of breath for a couple minutes.
"That's not funny." I tried to fight my own laughter.
"I just never thought I'd hear that coming out of your mouth."
"I never thought I'd be in this situation." I rolled my eyes.
He calmed down and breathed normally. "I should have been using our separation to get better."
"I really wanted to even the score," I confessed. "I wanted to go out and kiss whoever I could, just to make you jealous."
Edward's eyes darkened, but he didn't say anything.
"I could have done it and made you feel so bad, but I didn't."
"I know I don't deserve that. I thought I slept with someone two weeks ago. Emmett didn't let me though."
"Would you have?" I asked. Maybe I was a glutton for punishment.
"I hope not," he sighed. "I wouldn't want to do that to you again."
"You're digging yourself into a deeper hole, Edward." I tried not to get mad again.
"I know, and I'm sorry."
We sat on the bench for a little while longer, not saying anything but soaking up what we had just admitted to each other.
"Do you still love me?" I asked.
"Of course," he answered immediately, without thought or question. "Do you still love me?"
"I shouldn't, but I do. I can't help it," I said pathetically.
"Me too."
"I don't mean to sound egotistical, but it's obvious that you can't function without me."
"I'm functioning," he argued.
"No, you're not."
He didn't have anything to shoot back, so he just wrung his hands together.
"Would you like to come to dinner?" Edward asked shyly.
"Yes."
"And… we'll talk about living situations later?"
"You moved me out. I don't think there's much to talk about."
"I didn't think you wanted to see me, but… I still want you to stay with me… for your safety."
"For my safety?"
"And…" His lips moved, but I couldn't hear any words. I knew what he wanted to say, though. I just needed to hear him say it.
"What was that?" I asked.
He grumbled again.
"I can't hear you, Edward."
"I said, 'I like being close to you'," he whispered.
That brought a smile to my face.
"That's good to hear. Anything happen in your world since I left?"
"A lot. We're cracking down on Aro and he doesn't like it. I had an altercation with Felix the other day."
"Did you get hurt?"
"No. It was nothing." Edward leaned back in his seat.
"Are you high?" I asked again for I think the third time today.
"Probably."
I started to pat him down.
"What are you doing?" He held his hands up.
"If you can't go to rehab, we'll do it the old fashioned way." I found the bottle of pills in his coat pocket and a pack of cigarettes in his other pocket. "Let's go."
I stood up and threw them both away in the trashcan near the door.
"Bella, I needed those." He got up and smoothed out his clothes.
"No, you don't." I took his hand and led him outside.
"Finally, we've been waiting for hours," Emmett shouted from across the street. "Let's go."
Edward stopped me. "Wait, hold on."
"What?"
"Can I kiss you?" He leaned in close to my face.
"Please."
His lips were strong against mine. He didn't bother with easing me into anything as he took control of my mouth with a force that was almost painful, but the discomfort didn't bother me. I needed it. I craved every inch of his being and needed to be closer to him so I moved my arms to encircle his neck.
I felt the smirk without even opening my eyes; his tongue worked wonders on my mouth. A throaty moan unintentionally escaped me, but I couldn't have helped it if I'd tried. That familiar tingle was shooting between my legs again.
I was on my way to defiling Edward on the steps of Holy Name Cathedral.
Good thing someone stopped me.
"I don't mean to break up the love fest, but the Massacre is about to begin." Emmett poked his head in between Edward's and my conjoined ones.
"Go away," Edward growled, not releasing my lips.
"No, we have things to do." Emmett pulled us apart.
It was in those two seconds that everything just went back to normal. It was strange. The past month seemed like nothing. Like Edward requested, we would talk about everything else later.
"Emmett, you are quite possibly the most insufferable person I have ever met." Edward moved past him to my side. "I don't want to play that stupid game."
"What's going on?" I asked as the rest of the family came from across the street.
"It's Valentine's Day," Jasper said, like I was supposed to know what that meant.
"Okay…" I drawled out.
"Every year, the family has a massive hockey game," Esme explained, hooking her arm in mine. "It's just an excuse for them to use up their testosterone and Carlisle is just sadistic enough to have it on Valentine's Day."
"Oh," I replied.
Edward pulled me aside. "We don't have to go. We can… I don't know, do whatever you want."
"No, no. This is your family time. Do you play?" I asked. The mental image of Edward as a hockey player was suddenly my first priority.
"Usually. It's a good way to get out my anger," he answered shyly, as if he was ashamed.
"Well then, we can go," I assured him.
"Would… you like to ride with me?"
"This isn't our first date, Edward." I tried not to laugh at his uneasiness.
"I know, but I feel like I have to watch myself. I don't want to say anything that might upset you."
I didn't really know what to say to him. He was right. We were both going to have to watch our tempers for a while.
Instead of speaking, I took his hand, and we walked to the parking lot. He opened my door of the Saleen, which I saw he brought out of commission, and then started the car with a roar when he'd slipped in the driver's seat.
I didn't know where we were going, but I didn't ask questions, and the ride was silent. To ease our awkwardness, Edward played the soft sounds of an old Frank Sinatra record. I leaned back in my seat and breathed in his scent that wafted through the car.
Since I was woken up so early in the morning, I was kind of tired. The car lulled me to sleep, and before I knew it, I'd fallen into darkness.
I couldn't tell you how much time had passed, but it felt like hours.
"Bella," I heard Edward's voice and something poke my side. "Bella, we're here."
I pried my eyes open and saw that we were in a parking lot in front of a massive rec center.
"Sorry." I sat up and stretched.
"Did you not get enough sleep last night?" he asked, almost worriedly.
"I just woke up too early this morning." I cracked my neck. By the look of him, I could tell that he wasn't sleeping that well anymore, so I didn't bother asking about his night.
"We don't have to do this if you don't want."
I looked over to Emmett who had his gear ready and tapping his foot impatiently.
"I think he might have something to say if you didn't play." I opened my car door and Edward followed.
We went to the trunk and he pulled out a large duffle bag. I don't know how it fit, but there was a hockey stick in the back as well.
"Do you know how to play?" I asked. "Isn't hockey supposed to be kind of dangerous?"
He chuckled, "Bella, I know how to play everything."
Not wanting to be away from his touch any longer, I took his hand as we began walking towards Emmett.
"Can I talk to you for a second, Bella?" he asked.
"Uh… sure," I replied. "Talk."
"Alone." He looked at Edward.
They both scowled at each other for a second and had a silent conversation between themselves.
"I'll be inside." Edward awkwardly leaned in to kiss my lips but pulled back and settled for the top of my head. I wouldn't have even noticed it if I wasn't paying attention. He left Emmett and me out in the cold parking lot alone.
"Am I in trouble?" I joked.
Emmett loudly laughed. "No, I just had some things to say."
"Okay, I'm listening." I shifted my feet.
"I don't know if Edward told you, but a couple weeks ago, he went to a strip club. He almost went home with some girl, but I wouldn't let him. He was too high to remember anything."
I was surprised that Emmett would say anything about that, but I'm glad he did.
"Well, thank you for telling me. Edward mentioned something, but I told him we would talk about it later."
"I just didn't want you two to get off on the wrong foot again. I like you too much for that." He wrapped a massive arm around my shoulders.
"I like you too." I tried to walk under the weight, but it was too much. "I'm going to need your help. Edward is sick and you know what I'm talking about," I hurried when I saw him start to protest. "I need you to watch him when I can't be around him. No more drugs and for the time being, alcohol."
"Finally, someone's taking action. Dad tried to get him some help, but after a couple years with no luck, he gave up. Edward's a big boy, but I'm glad you're kicking his ass."
"I want him to be healthy," I admitted as we went into the warm gym.
"We all do. Another thing while I have you." He stopped walking. "Don't just take his ass back. Make him work for it."
"Aren't you supposed to be an advocate for our reconciliation?" I grinned.
"Oh, I am. I'm your biggest supporter, but that doesn't mean he just gets to get off scot-free. He's never been held accountable for anything in his life… until now." Emmett smirked that famous Cullen smirk on his way down the hall towards the locker rooms.
I would have to get to that line of thinking later.
I followed the signs until I found the large ice rink that was situated in the middle of the building, which was empty. My guess would be that Carlisle rented the place out.
"Bella, over here!" Alice shouted up in the red, comfortable looking chairs. She was about half way up with some other people from the family, and I climbed the stairs to join them.
I sat in between her and Rose after I said "hi" to some of Edward's aunts and cousins, who were also there. We were the only ones in the rink.
"This is my favorite day of the year." Rose got situated as I took my coat off.
"Why?" I asked.
"Sweaty hockey players and lots of hitting." She shuddered. "Afterward, Emmett is always ready for a couple rounds of hot sex and I'm in no position to deny him. I can't wait."
Alice and I looked at each other for a second but didn't say anything. If we fueled Rose's lustful thoughts, she would go on forever.
"So, have you and Edward talked?" Alice asked.
"About some things, but there's more to figure out." I shrugged.
"I'm just happy you're back together. You are back together aren't you?" Rose turned to me.
"I would think so."
"Things between you two just happen so seamlessly." Alice sighed. "That's what I like about you two. There's drama, you're both feisty, but at the end of the day, you both love each other enough to shut up and handle things. I can't wait for the wedding."
Rose laughed and choked on some water she was drinking. She acted like it didn't happen and went back to her drinking. I think I heard a "yeah right" from her, but I couldn't be sure.
Our conversation was suddenly cut off by the sounds of skates cutting over freshly frozen ice, and I realized why this was Rose's favorite day of the year.
Edward—along with some guys from the rest of the family but mostly Edward—was skating around in bulked up, padded jerseys. Of course, with me being from Washington, I had seen ice hockey games before, but nothing like this.
Edward didn't have on a helmet and his hair was in more of disarray than normal. His jersey was black and with "Cullen" across the back.
I unconsciously licked my lips and shifted in my seat.
"Why I have I never seen this before?" I said to Rosalie in a daze as I watched them all skate around, practicing shots.
"Stop talking." She didn't even bother answering me.
On one team was Edward, Emmett, Jasper, Alec, Carlisle, and a cousin of theirs who I had met, but couldn't remember his name. The other team was six more uncles and cousins.
They warmed up for about half an hour, stretching—which was glorious— and doing other drills. By the time the game was ready to start, Edward was deliciously sweaty and his hair was faintly wet.
I couldn't even look at him fully, or I was going to charge the ice and take him into the locker rooms. A month and a half without him was enough to get my brain going in that naughty direction.
Right before the game started, Edward sought me out with his eyes and grinned when he saw me looking. I waved and he waved back with a hockey glove covered hand.
"Don't let those thoughts get too dirty," Alice whispered to me. "It is Sunday after all."
"Shut up." I shoved her. "You can't tell me that this isn't insanely hot." I pointed to the ice where the teams were splitting up, getting ready to start.
"Oh, I know. Jasper wore his jersey last night." She sighed in remembrance. "The best night of my life."
"I can't wait to get home." We all turned around and looked at Esme with wide eyes when she spoke. "What? I'm old, not dead."
The game began, and if there hadn't been a partition separating us from the ice, I'm sure all of us in the bleachers would have stormed the players. I had never seen hockey played this way before. It was raw and animalistic, while being completely hot.
It seemed that the Cullen men were just amazing at everything; they played like professionals. My lips were permanently chapped from licking them in the cold so much. I couldn't help it. I didn't really know the positions because I wasn't an avid fan of hockey, but Edward was always racing after the puck like a madman.
Alec served as a pretty good goalie, only letting one goal in throughout the whole game.
By the time the game ended, the score was in favor of Edward's team and they were up by three. The final horn blared, and the ice was filled with manly grunts and hollers. It was almost too much for me to take when Edward pulled off his helmet and his hair was matted over his face like he had just stepped out of the shower.
"Sweet Lord," I sighed and couldn't take my eyes off of him.
"Told you." Rosalie grinned.
We all went outside to wait for them to change, and I stood near Edward's Saleen, running my hand over the red paint.
"Are you coming to dinner, Bella?" Esme asked from Carlisle's car.
"Yes, I think so."
"Good, I'll make sure to set a place for you." She smiled and pulled the car up so she could get Carlisle, who was just coming out.
He was followed by Alec, who got in Jasper's car, and then Emmett. Jasper and Edward came out at the same time. They split up and Edward walked over to me, still in his jersey but had one some sneakers.
"You could have come into the locker rooms to get the key instead of standing in the cold." He went around the back to put his stuff away.
"It's fine." I looked him up and down, licking my lips once again.
Damn it.
"Bella," Edward called my attention back.
"Yeah… what did you say?" I felt my teeth sink into my bottom lip.
"I asked if you got my flowers this morning?" he chuckled.
"What flowers?"
"The roses. I gave them to Rosalie so she could drop them off, but I guess she took that to mean drag you to church."
"Those were from you?" I couldn't stop the smile on my face.
Edward nodded. "I just didn't want you to feel like complete shit on Valentine's."
I stood on my tip toes and placed my mouth on his chastely. He was still for a second before he responded slowly.
"I love you." Edward's voice was a whisper in between our kisses.
Him saying that—especially right now, with all the shit that we had put up with from each other—meant more than any inferior words or kiss ever could.
HOLY RECONCILIATION BATMAN
THOSE TWO COULDN'T STAY AWAY FROM EACH OTHER FOR LONG.
I TOLD YOU IT WOULDN'T BE DRAGGED OUT FOR LONG.
THANKS TO JENNY FOR THE BETA'ING
AND THANKS TO ALL THE READERS WHO KEEP COMING BACK TO REVIEW, ADD TO FAVS, ETC. YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME.
NEXT TUESDAY'S CHAPTER IS TENTATIVE. NOT SURE IF IT WILL HAPPEN, BUT I'LL TRY TO GET IT OUT FOR YA.
(at)johnnyboy1029 IS WHERE IM AT ON TWITTER. YOU'LL GET INFO ON CHAPTER UPDATES OVER THERE.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND.