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This is unbeta'd. All mistakes are mine.

Word Prompt: Foreign

Saturday, 31 December

I woke up alone and disoriented. I looked around the room, squinting in the darkness, when I realized I was still on the couch. Bella was nowhere to be found, and it was clear by the cool blanket covering me that she'd been gone for a while. My stomach turned. I hoped she hadn't woken up and freaked out to find herself on the couch with me.

I sat up and stretched, my body stiff and my neck aching. The floor was freezing, and I quickly made my way down the hall. Bella's door was closed, and that sinking feeling I'd felt earlier returned.

I was tempted to knock but thought better of it; I went to my own room and closed the door. I climbed in between the cold sheets, my mind abuzz and unsettled, and eventually let sleep claim me.

~*WS*~

"Morning," I said, my voice thick and raspy, as I walked into the living room.

Bella smiled. She had a steaming cup of coffee in her hand and had her laptop sitting next to her. "Morning, sleepyhead."

I scratched the front of my shirt before scrubbing my fingers back and forth through my hair. "What time is it?"

"Ten," she said as she took a sip of coffee. Her eyes were on mine over the rim of her mug, and that unsettled feeling I felt last night and when I'd woken up in my own bed wrenched again.

I nodded and walked into the kitchen. I fixed myself a cup of coffee and went into the living room, grabbing the blanket off the back of the couch, and sat down on the loveseat opposite her. I draped the blanket across my lap to ward off the chill in the room and took a sip of my coffee. The silence between us felt foreign, and while I was normally okay with the lulls in our conversations, something felt different.

Her eyes darted between me and her mug, and if I was unsure before, I definitely knew something was up. She seemed nervous and distant.

"So…" I said, just as she started to apologize.

"What?" we both said at the same time then laughed awkwardly.

"You first," I said, lifting my mug toward her, and gave her a reluctant smile.

She returned it, just as timidly. "I was just going to say sorry for abandoning you out here on the couch this morning. I woke up with a terrible crick in my neck and was freezing. I tried to wake you, but you weren't having it."

I stared at her in relieved disbelief. "Wait… so you weren't upset?"

She laughed. "Why would I be upset?"

"I don't know," I said, scrubbing my hands through my hair. The tension in my whole body melted away, and I sagged in relief.

"Edward, you're so funny. If you don't relax you're going to have a heart attack and then where would we be?"

I snorted. "I'm always like this."

"No, you're not. I've seen you relaxed. Like last night with your friends… and then here… with me."

There was definitely some truth to her words. I was completely in my element the night before, joking with my friends and just hanging out. Maybe that was it. When I was with her, I felt like I had to do more, be more, not because she was asking it of me, but because I was so determined to make her see that what we had between us wasn't a mistake. Maybe I really did need to relax. She'd said as much the other day and was saying it again.

I took a deep breath and smiled for real for the first time since I'd woken up… the first time.

"You're right," I said, feeling resolved as I stood up and walked the three steps across the rug to stop right between her legs. I reached for her laptop and set it on the table, then did the same with her mug.

I reached for her hands and waited. She looked up at me, questions in her eyes, but she put them in mine, nonetheless. I pulled her up and against me, my hands sliding around her waist to rest at the small of her back. "Can we start this morning over?"

She nodded then giggled as I twisted her around and sat us both down on the couch. After some jockeying, which would have been much easier if I'd released her to do it on her own, we were in the same position we were the night before when we'd fallen asleep.

"Close your eyes," I whispered against her ear.

I felt her shiver a bit, and while the blanket I'd left on the loveseat would've helped ward off the cold bite in the air, I was pretty sure I'd done that to her.

She grinned but obeyed. I pulled her back flush against my chest, ignoring the ache I already felt with her pressed against me. My hands twisted in the front of her nightshirt just as I tangled our legs together.

"Good morning, sweet girl." I nudged my nose against her neck, breathing her in. She smelled so good, like morning and warmth and everything I loved about her.

She hummed contentedly and brushed one of her hands up and down the arm I'd wrapped around her. "Morning, handsome."

I grinned, my chest practically swelling at the playfulness of her new nickname for me.

"Handsome, huh?" I asked, nuzzling her again.

"Mhmm." She twisted around, but by the huff she let out I could tell it wasn't enough. Reluctantly I loosened my arms, and she managed to turn so she was facing me, her body pressed fully against mine.

Her palm cupped my cheek then slid down to my jaw. I heard the slight bristle and scratch of my beard; she didn't seem to mind, and there was no way in hell I was going to tell her stop. It felt really good.

"You are, you know?"

"What?" I asked, completely absorbed by the little gold flecks and the soft brown of her eyes.

"Handsome," she said, her lips brushing against my jaw. "Sexy." The way she said it, all throaty with a hint of grit, with her lips on my skin, was like a shot of electricity straight through my body. I shifted my hips forward, my body automatically responding to her.

"Is that right?" I asked as I slid my lips against hers, tasting the faintest hint of coffee on her breath as she tried to answer.

Her knee moved between my legs, bringing her a little closer, as she parted her lips and let me in. Slow, mingling kisses turned into more as her tongue touched mine. I squeezed my eyes closed, overwhelmed with the way it felt when her hands slid to rest on my neck, how soft her hair was as I tugged it loose and twisted my fingers in it, the way our bodies pressed firmly against each other and shifted just enough to create friction to feel blissfully amazing without going too far.

I was lost in her, completely mesmerized by all the little details that made her her as I ran my hand down her side and back up again. I relished the feel of the indentations between her ribs, the soft slope where her hips and waist met, and the subtle curve of her breast. Our kisses had become slow and lazy, her tongue against mine soft and warm. We lay like that, perfectly content, the slow burn on the cusp of being more when her stomach growled.

She buried her face in my chest and giggled as I groaned. "I guess we should eat, huh?"

"If you think it's necessary," I replied, my lips touching her hair.

She wiggled loose and sat up. I huffed and pouted a little bit, but after a teasing kiss or two we eventually got up. We made breakfast together and spent the remainder of the morning making plans for the evening.

Emmett and Rose had invited us out to an early dinner. They were taking the girls to some place that had games and prizes and food. Bella liked the idea of going. She wanted to meet them, and in truth, I was excited to introduce my goddaughters to her.

"What do you want to do after? We could go to a bar or club or whatever?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I'm up for anything. I've never been super crazy about the crowds at clubs, but it might be fun to go out for a drink or two and see what happens."

I nodded. "Sounds good to me. There's a local brewery we could go to. They have great beer and live music. I'm not sure what it'll be like, but it could be fun."

"Perfect. And if we decide to stay till midnight, great. If not, we can always come back here and ring in the New Year, just the two of us."

"I like it," I said as I stood up and carried our plates into the kitchen, feeling ridiculously happy.

When I'd invited her to visit, I had no idea how things would turn out. I'd imagined how things could be but had tried to keep my expectations low. Everything was falling into place, and as I watched her sip the remainder of her coffee, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt my life would never be the same.

Gah! I love you guys! Thanks for not hatin' over my lack of review replies. I seriously love and read every one! Visit's going well. I love my MIL.

Looking forward to your thoughts! xoxo