Chapter 36 Welcome back to humanity Edward
BPOV
He drove the Aston again on Thursday morning to collect me, this time with the top up because of the rain. But it was no less incredible to me. It was an amazing car, even for a girl like me who couldn't normally care less what they were or what they could do. Even I could tell this was no ordinary car.
Gone again was the sweater under the jacket look of the old Edward, when he came to collect me on Friday morning he was wearing a long sleeved jersey with a white button down under it, the collar poking out the top, the tail poking out the bottom. Nothing too unusual about that really, he'd worn something similar a few weeks ago though it had been boring beige and tucked into his pants before. This time the jersey was dark blue and it hugged him like it was a second skin. He wore it with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows and I spotted the cuff again. Emmett and Jasper both wore them but I'd never asked what they were before and I'd had no idea that Edward had one the same.
Gone were his perfectly pressed jeans too.
I'd noticed the day before that his jeans were slightly different to his usual staid blue denim, flat washed boot cuts that he usually wore. Now he sported a pair of strategically faded, soft washed stovepipes. No belt either, they hung off his hips like they did off everyone else his age. He wore no jacket now so he had his wallet in his back pocket. I knew this because I'd done everything I could to manufacture ways to place myself so that I could watch him walk in front of me. His ass looked positively edible in those jeans. It was all I could do not to insist on following him up stairs all day so I could look at it!
He said nothing about my odd behavior and I didn't mention his.
Saturday had dawned dark and stormy so we'd stayed in all day, at my house, watching movies and cuddled up on the sofa. It was easy to forget for a while that he was anything other than what he appeared to be, a normal teenage boy. He had been attentive, funny and desperately hot. He shrugged out of his leather jacket when he came to the kitchen door and he hung it over the back of the kitchen chair. I stared at it for a few seconds before I returned to staring at Edward. Black leather jacket over a Black Eyed Peas t-shirt that hung over faded acid washed jeans and trainers. Trainers! Scuffed and marked trainers. Not perfectly polished brown or black leather shoes, he wore trainers.
I hadn't been looking forward to Sunday because I had known I wouldn't see him that day at all. When I was asleep Saturday night he left to join his family hunting. He'd been able to go two or three days without feeding this past week or so, he was getting better at managing his thirst all the time, but felt he should go with the family. They used to go all together before they moved to Forks but hadn't gone on a family trip like this since moving here. I felt guilty at his obvious delight that he was able to go this time. I hated knowing I was the reason he didn't spend as much time with them as he had before, but I also wanted time with him myself and didn't want to give that up either.
The Cullen's all felt it was safe for them to go away overnight because Charlie was home and would be home all day Sunday. They were almost one hundred percent sure that the wolves would make no move with Charlie insitu and so they planned their trip accordingly.
As I turned out I had a nice day with Charlie. We slept in, ate a late breakfast and plodded around the house all day together. He slept for a while in his recliner while the football was on and I did laundry and cleaned the house from top to bottom. I felt so good having done it, I liked the place clean and tidy.
We had no trouble with unwanted visitors and it really was a nice day.
We had our dinner and I went to my room to email mom and even managed to gossip with Angela for a bit before I turned in for the night.
I wasn't sure what time Edward would be returning but knew he'd be there to collect me for school in the morning.
EPOV
We'd had a fantastic hunting trip and it was so good to do that with the whole family again. I missed Bella of course but I still needed that time with the family.
I had glutted myself and had played with my brothers and sisters just like we always did.
I'd managed to get Carlisle on his own for a few hours and we talked a little about his discussion with Bella. He wanted to tell me what Bella had asked but I stopped him, that was between the two of them and if she wanted me to know she'd tell me herself.
I'd asked him again if he thought I had enough control to go further, physically, with Bella and he said he was sure I did. Inwardly I wanted him to give me the green light to go ahead but knew that he wouldn't, he'd let me come to my own conclusions.
He encouraged me to continue hunting as often as I could and told me not to spend too many consecutive days away from her. I had laughed and told him how much I ached from being away from her even for this short time. He'd asked if the ache I felt was easier to bear than my thirst when I was near her and I'd been honest and told him that the thirst was nothing in comparison. He'd smiled and put his hand on my shoulder. I chuckled a bit when he said, "Are you waiting for a written invitation son?" as he was running off after a mountain lion.
"I told you to wear the blue one with the stonewash jeans Edward. The darker ones go with the red rugby shirt." Alice was pissing me off now. She had been fussing over me for half an hour and I'd had enough. She kept mumbling about this shirt going better with those jeans and not to wear that jacket with that shirt blah blah blah. Now she was pissing me off in her head as well.
"Give it a rest Alice. I've been dressing myself for over a hundred years just fine." I pulled the shirt out of her fingers and threw it on the bed. I wasn't too good at putting all these new clothes together yet but I wasn't an idiot. I could tell what made Bella stop breathing and what made her sigh in despair. I was getting better every day.
"Yep." She popped her mouth on the p. "You've been doing a great job Edward." She was laughing now.
"Look, I appreciate all your help, I really do. I'm grateful you took the time to shop with me, but I can do it now." I really was grateful, she'd changed my life, again. She had been so excited when she'd had the vision of her and I shopping for new clothes together. She'd leapt onto my back, in front of everyone at school, and had actually kissed me. Gross. Bella had watched us wide eyed but had said nothing. I didn't want to hurt Alice's feelings I just wanted her to let me do it for myself now.
"Don't forget your cuff." She pointed towards it on my bed stand and I nodded as she left the room.
I wouldn't forget the cuff, that's for sure. Bella loved it. She hadn't taken her eyes off it the first day I'd worn it and she'd made a point of looking for it on my wrist every day since. I'd had it for over ninety years but this was the first time I'd worn it on a regular basis. All the Cullen males had one. Carlisle had them made for us as we were added to the family. Each one was hand made so they were all slightly different, but they all bore the Cullen family crest. It was etched into a slab of half-inch thick titanium and embedded into a thick, wide band of black leather. Over the years Emmett and Jasper had had to have their bands replaced as they wore through the leather, mine was still as it was when it was given to me in 1919. In addition to his cuff Carlisle wore the original crest in a ring on his right hand. He'd had our crests copied from that soon after my change.
I had always been proud to carry the name Cullen. My birth name had been Masen but I'd taken Carlisle's name as my own in 1931 when I'd enrolled for the first time in school as a vampire. So it wasn't that I didn't think of myself as a Cullen that stopped me wearing the cuff full time like the other two did. I just never thought it suited me as it did them. We were all very different but Emmett and Jasper had much more in common with each other than I had with either of them. So I kept it, of course, but very rarely wore it.
The girls all had their own significant pieces of jewelry that Carlisle had bestowed on them when they joined our family but they were all different, none of the pieces was the same as the next.
I wondered what Carlisle would have made for Bella after she was changed?
Jesus Christ, did I just think that? New clothes and shoes was one thing, a shifting in the continental plates inside my head was another thing totally. I was not ok with everyone's assumptions that Bella will one day be one of us. We'd not discussed it and I was perfectly content to leave it that way.
I stood in front of the row of car keys and tried to decide which to take today. The Volvo was always going to be the sensible choice. With Bella in the car I would always want to drive the Volvo. It was the safest. If we had an accident, which was unlikely but could happen, she'd stand a better chance if we were in the Volvo. I could take the Mercedes. It was a Guardian and was as safe as the Volvo, even more so if you factored the bullet proof glass and the body armor into the equation, but it was also not yet released in the United States and I'd spend more time answering questions about it than I already had about the Aston.
After I'd picked Bella up on the Wednesday afternoon I'd decided to drive it for the rest of that week. Bella had loved it and I'd enjoyed her reaction to it but it had had an unusual side effect. Human boys started speaking to me.
Many of them had seen the Aston on the television and had a myriad of technical questions that apparently only I was able to answer. I toyed with the idea of telling the lot of them to go Google the damn car and leave me alone, but Bella was amused by the attention. Alice told me she thought it would be good for me to associate with the human boys more because it would teach me more about how they spoke, behaved and dressed. I'd agreed for that reason only.
So my Thursday study period in the library had quickly descended into an informal lesson on the technical aspects of the DB9. I'd really rather enjoyed it. The more enthused the boys became the more I enjoyed their parallel thoughts.
They were all genuinely impressed by the car and by association by me. I didn't know any of them and I couldn't say if a single one was in any of my classes, but that didn't seem to bother them so I didn't let it worry me.
Just before the bell rang that lesson I told them that I had the Guardian already and they went nuts over that too. I promised that I'd bring it next Thursday and that I'd meet them there again that lesson to tell them all about it. I wouldn't admit it to Alice but I was looking forward to it.
The keys to my bike were hanging here with the others and I wished for the thousandth time that Bella was a little more resilient. I'd love to take her out on the bike for the day. I was convinced she'd love it. I patted the keys fondly.
"We should take them out sometime soon Ed, before the snow comes anyway?" Emmett asked as he grabbed the keys to Rose's BMW.
"Sure, I'd be in that. We could take the girls. Make a day of it?" I was hoping he'd agree to take the girls because I wouldn't want to go without Bella.
"Cool. What are your plans for Saturday?"
"None really. I'll ask Bella if she wants to go, you ask Alice and Jaz and I'll let you know at lunch ok?" He nodded and took off out the door with the keys.
I snatched up the keys to the Aston and grabbed my sunglasses off the counter.
I was dying to get to Bella this morning, it had been thirty-two hours since I'd seen her and I couldn't wait any longer. I'd be happy to sit and wait for her to get ready but I couldn't wait here for her anymore.
I was prepared for the burn of my thirst to be fairly overwhelming this morning, but I had a hard time worrying about it knowing that I'd see her in a few minutes.
BPOV
I didn't even bother to try and hide how happy I was to see him. I flung myself at him before he even knocked on the door, leaping into his arms and squeezing him tightly.
"Thank god Edward. That was too long."
"Oh fuck, I missed you, baby."
I stepped back and looked up at him. Did he really just say that? I was getting used to the foul mouth but did he just call me baby? Oh er. Yes please.
"What?" He was grinning and he knew very well 'what'?
I answered him by shoving my tongue into his mouth. He slid his hands into my hair and countered my tongue with his own. He pushed me back into the kitchen and kept walking us backward until my butt was up against the sink. He ground himself up against me roughly and pulled my face towards him with his palms.
I clung to him desperately, trying to pull him closer to me.
I was groaning and panting and breathing heavily into his mouth and a strange purring noise came from his mouth into mine. Sort of like a soft rumbling.
I had to pull my mouth away and take a gulp of air to avoid feinting. He didn't pause for a breath for himself, instead he rained kisses across my cheek and into the soft hollow below my ear. He sucked on the fleshy lobe and blew his cool breath into my ear.
"I'll never leave for that long again baby." He whispered as he took the lobe into his mouth again.
I nodded but knew he couldn't see me. Had my brain been functioning correctly I'd have made an audible sound to let him know that I agreed with him.
"Did you miss me Isabella?" he asked roughly into my ear as he licked his way up the shell shaped curve of my ear.
"Yes" a breathless 'yes' was all I could manage to croak out.
"I'd like to show you how much I missed you." His voice was hoarse at my ear and I felt my knees weaken with desire.
"Who are you?" I managed to squeak out.
He stepped away from me and his hands went up into his hair as soon as the step was complete. I hadn't meant to startle him, or make him angry. I hadn't even really meant to say it, I was just so surprised that he was so, well, vocal this morning.
"I'm so sorry Isabella. That was so rude of me, I got carried away. Forgive me?"
Oh great, welcome back middle-aged-ward.
"I didn't mean anything by it Edward. It's just a turn of phrase, a saying. You know? When someone changes something they do or say you ask them who they are, like, who are you and what have you done with the real Edward?"
I saw comprehension dawn on his face and he came to stand in front of me again. He took my wrist in his hand and drew it to his lips, breathing in deeply as he kissed my fingers.
"You said I didn't fit in with my peers so I changed. I thought you liked the new Edward?" He was smiling against my hand as he said it but I knew he wanted a truthful answer. So I gave him one.
"I fell in love with the old Edward. I love him, but I have to tell you, I totally fucking adore this new Edward. He's so hot he makes me feint when I look at him."
"Good. He stays then. Shall we go to school?" He held out his hand to me and I took it.
Halfway to the school Edward asked if I'd be interested in going with the family out for the day on Saturday? Of course I'd said yes. Then he told me that they were planning to take their motorbikes out for a run and he wondered if I'd rather it if we took a car, we could meet the others at the destination and we'd still be able to spend some time with them that way if I wasn't keen on the bike.
"Are you kidding Edward? I want to go on the bike, with you. Where will we go?" I was getting excited already and it was still four and a half days away.
"We haven't decided yet but I said I'd tell Emmett your answer today, so we'll work it all out at lunch. Are you sure you want to go on the bike? I'll take good care of you but I have to tell you I won't be riding slowly." The wickedest grin settled on his lips and I ached to lick them.
"Do your worst Edward." Was all I said and I watched his eyes darken.
My day had passed in a blur. My classes flew by me, I barely had time to sort out my things on my desk and begin writing when the bell would go and I'd be pulled out the door and onto my next one. My lust filled haze from the morning stayed with me well into the day and on into lunch. Edward met me at the door to my class, as usual, and he proceeded to drag me back into the classroom once everyone else was gone.
He asked me which seat was mine in this class and I pointed to the one at the back near the window. He grinned lasciviously at me and dragged me to it. He picked me up by my shoulders and placed me gently but squarely onto the desk and proceeded to kiss the life out of me.
I had no idea what had gotten in to him lately but I liked it, a lot.
I didn't remember being pulled along to the cafeteria or choosing the pasta that sat in front of me when we got to our table. I barely registered who was with us, there let alone what they were talking about.
It took me a good ten minutes to make my heart calm down from the kissing so I could concentrate on keeping the drool inside my mouth. Edward was running his fingertips up the outside of my thigh as he sat stock still beside me toying with a packet of crisps.
Every now and then he threw his head back and laughed loudly and as he did it he'd put his hand on the inside of my thigh and squeeze, making my heart leap up into my throat and my blush jump onto my cheeks. I swear he was doing it on purpose, timing it right so that my blush and heart rate had only just returned to normal before he did it again.
I leaned across him slightly and he bowed his head so that I could whisper into his ear. "Stop" was all I said, but it was enough for him to nod and he put his hand across the back of my chair instead.
I mouthed thank you to him and he nodded again.
Emmett was asking him now whether we were in for the bike riding on the weekend.
"Bella said bring it on, so yeah, we're in." Emmett leaned across and offered his fist for me and I bumped it like I'd seen Edward do before. Emmett laughed and I laughed along. This was all a bit surreal. I'd only just gotten used to being with Edward and now I had to get used to Edward 2.0?
"Bella, they boys want to go for the whole weekend so I thought I would ask your dad if you can come for a sleepover this weekend? What do you think?" Alice asked.
"Um, sure Alice. If you ask I think Charlie will say yes."
Edward leaned in so that he could whisper, "It may take several hours to ride to where we want to go Bella, do you think you'd be ok with that?" When I nodded yes he went on, "We will stay overnight in a cabin there, I will be making our reservations this evening, do I book one room or two?"
I blinked up at him and realized what he was asking me. The position he'd put me in was impossible. No matter what he asked me his siblings would hear and no matter what I answered they'd know instantly. Time to man up Bella, this is how it's going to be, you want Edward this is part of the cost. "One." I answered as clearly as I could.
Alice giggled and clapped her tiny hands over and over.
Edward nodded and smirked.
EPOV
Jasper clapped me on the back the second we were out of the car. "Way to go dude, you're on your way."
Alice danced over to us, "I'm going to call Charlie as soon as I get inside. I can't wait for her to be my sister Edward."
I had just dropped Bella off after school. She'd blushed furiously for most of the trip home today. I knew she was embarrassed that the others knew what I'd meant and that she'd had to answer yes in front of them. But it was good for us to get used to having little or no privacy, if she really wanted to be with us we'd both have to deal with it eventually. I walked her to the door as I normally did but instead of the chaste kiss on the cheek I'd pinched her behind and sucked on her bottom lip until she moaned. Then I'd called to her that I'd see her tonight and had gone back to the Aston to drive home. I'd had to put up with Alice and Jasper all the way home but I didn't care. I was starting to like the new Edward. He got what he wanted with a minimum of angst.
Rose and Emmett had already gone off to the garage so at least I'd be spared their teasing. Esme was out and Carlisle was at work so I raced up to my room to begin making preparations for the weekend. The minute I stepped into my room I realized I would not be escaping their teasing today after all.
Hundreds of condoms had been inflated and filled every available space in my room. I couldn't even see out the windows there were so many.
I could hear Emmett cackling and knew he was already across the river. I ran back down the stairs and out the back door and was flying over the ground before he'd landed his next step.