Author's Note: Good morning/day or night to everyone in the fanfiction world! I would like ot thank everyone for all the great reviews last week. We loved them! Here is your weekly fix of Hope.
Forgotten Hope Chapter 36-
APOV
Davis definitely did not ruin Jasper's day. At first things had been a little rocky between Davis and Nick... but Chloe sort of helped Nick smooth things out.
There was a bit of awkwardness between everyone at first, but once we all got comfortable with each other, the day only seemed to improve with Davis there. After a while, both Jasper and Nick relaxed back to their usually cheerful selves. Davis played along with all of their games and sometimes was the instigator. The boys goofed around while Chloe and I watched in amusement.
Davis being there had helped make the day better. Jasper's smile never wavered and I knew he was having a great day. Everyone's eighteen birthday should be amazing--especially Jasper's. I knew that Jasper never really celebrated his birthday before. He had lived with his abusive step dad... who did he have to celebrate with? Definitely not his step dad.
It hurt me to think about it because I wasn't sure if he really wanted to celebrate his birthday when he was younger. He hadn't wanted to live... he had just been tolerating life....
I shook the darker thoughts away. This time he had enjoyed himself. This year was a true celebration of his life. It was the best day this year, in my opinion.
Everything had toned down now. It was six o'clock and Davis had left to check into a hotel for the night. We offered him the couch here, but he didn't want to intrude. I was kind of glad because I knew I wouldn't be able to sneak out tonight if he had stayed. Lucky me.
Nick and Chloe had gone out to a movie. I hoped that they'd be late enough that I would be back before they were. Nick had wanted to bring Jasper and me along with them on a double date, but I think Jasper noticed my hesitance and had decided to stay here. I felt bad about that... iif he had wanted to go, I should have went too. It was his day....
My plan had worked smoothly, though. I knew Jasper too well already. We sat down for a movie and he fell straight into sleep. Now all I had to do was sneak away....
I didn't want to sneak away, but I had to. I knew I was being stubborn, but I couldn't lose Spencer completely. He was my friend--my oldest friend.
So I followed my plan. I skilfully slipped out of Jasper's embrace and made sure he was comfortable. I quickly got him a blanket and laid it over him, hoping it would help to keep him asleep. I leaned down after making him comfy and kissed his forehead.
My breathing stopped when he responded to my kiss though. His eyes fluttered and he mumbled incoherently in his sleep.
Don't wake up. Don't wake up. Don't wake up. I chanted over and over in my mind.
"Darling...." I heard him whisper in his sleep before falling back into his deep slumber. My heart fluttered at the thought of him dreaming of me, but then the feeling was quickly replaced by guilt. He was dreaming of me as I was sneaking out of the house to go to my ex boyfriend's fashion show. Wow. Classy move, Alice....
I sighed. "I'm sorry," I murmured sadly to Jasper's sleeping form on the couch. I left a note on the coffee table in front of the couch he was sleeping on, letting him know I just went out for a few minutes and that I would be back soon, so he should stay put.
Hopefully he would see the note. And hopefully he wouldn't see it till way later....
From our apartment, I drove to my house, speeding through New York City. I had to get there, change into my dress, make myself look presentable, and get to the fashion show as fast I could. I didn't want to be late.
With my skillful driving, I did get home in good time. I had already picked up a dress from the office and had left it here over the weekend. I quickly changed into it and headed to the bathroom to do my hair. By the time I was done--in record time--I looked rather elegant. I smiled to the mirror with satisfaction, then went to my room and slipped on a nice coat before heading down the stairs, heels in hand.
My parents were waiting at the bottom of the stairs for me. My mom didn't bother acknowledging my presence and just left the house as I met them at the bottom of the stairs. My dad smiled warmly at me though.
"You look beautiful, baby girl," he complimented me, offering me his arm. I accepted it with a polite smile and used his arm for balance as I slipped my heels on, then cuddled into his arm, walking outside into the chilly winter air with him.
A limo driver was holding the back door open for us. My mother was already seated in the backseat of the limo. When would she start talking to me again? This was getting ridiculous. She wasn't five... and neither was I. I could pick my own boyfriend.
My dad and I climbed into the limo and got comfortable.
"Hi," I whispered to my mother, trying to be civil.
"Hello dear," she mumbled, not caring to look at me. It was a start....
The driver started the limo up, and we were on our way. The fashion show wasn't being held too far away, so it wasn't a long ride--it felt longer while I was getting cold looks from my mother, though. When we were finally pulling up to the building, I wanted nothing more than to leave the car.
"So where's Jasper tonight?" my mother asked me with a devilish look in her eyes. It was as if she knew that I hadn't told him where I was going tonight.
"Sleeping," I stated in an even voice. She didn't need to know anything.
"Kind of rude of him not to come with you," she commented as the limo driver came around to open the door for us.
My dad rolled his eyes nonchalantly at my mother. He knew she was only trying to find flaws in Jasper. If I had brought him with me, she would have complained because this was Spencer's night. There was no way to win with her... or at least not in ways that I would live up to. I wasn't going back to Spencer....
My mind was set on Jasper. My heart was set on Jazz. That was never going to change.
The car door opened and I was blinded by camera flashes. Oh no-- I had forgotten about pictures. Would Jazz see the pictures of me?
No.... He never looked at the fashion magazines. He would never know. The paparazzi were going to have fun tonight though. I wasn't arriving with Spencer. This was the first time I had ever attended a social event with being on Spencer's arm.
I slowly crept out of the limo, afraid to walk the carpet alone. My dad stood, waiting for me with an outstretched hand and a caring expression on his face.
Daddy, I love you. I didn't know what I'd do without him....
I quickly walked forward and held my dad's hand as we walked through the mobs of paparazzi. They got some pictures of us and then we headed inside. I ignored every single comment about Spencer and me and kept a fake smile plastered across my face. The world wasn't going to hear about my problems.... It wasn't their business.
We walked into the large room full of beautifully dressed people. This was my kind of place, I thought as I scanned the different outfits.
We checked our coats with someone in a coat room and then went to mingle with everyone. I was familiar with most of the people here. They were all rich, high class, fashion-fond people. All of them were the kind of people that I had been raised amongst-- and raised to become. How things had changed....
I shared polite greetings with many people as I walked through the room, heading toward the bar. I wasn't going to get an alcoholic drink. I had learned my lesson last time. I just needed some water or something....
As I neared the bar, my eyes slowly began to recognize a figure standing in front of it. Spencer was leaning against the bar, talking casually with a few other people. I stopped in my tracks, suddenly getting rather nervous. He hadn't been talking to me before. How would I know if he was going to talk to me now? Should I go up to him or should I wait for him to come over to me?
Spencer's eyes never moved to mine though. He was staring off in thought, even as he was talking to other people. He didn't really look like he was here. What had him so distracted?
Eventually his eyes moved, scanning the entire room as if he was looking for something. His eyes moved closer and closer to where I was standing and eventually froze on me. His whole body straightened up and his eyes softened against my gaze.
I watched him politely dismiss himself from the conversation he had been having with the few people at the bar. He spoke to the bartender for a moment, grabbing a drink from him before walking gracefully over to me. Maybe he wasn't going to be distant with me tonight. Maybe being here for him was enough.
"Alice," he whispered, standing in front of me. I held back a sad sigh, seeing how messed up he looked from a close view. He was worse than ever... and on his big day, too....
"Spencer," I copied him, speaking in a calm voice, sounding exactly like him. I gave him a teasing smirk and for the first time in what seemed like forever, a small smile crept over his lips. All my nerves disappeared at that moment. It was my Spencer.
No. He wasn't mine. I corrected myself quickly.
"I got you a drink," he said shakily, reaching out to me with a drink. "It's non-alcoholic," he added on with a soft look, knowing that I was not going anywhere near alcohol.
"Thanks," I said gratefully and accepted the drink, taking a small sip of it. Whatever it was, it tasted delicious.
My eyes flickered away from my glass and to the glass in Spencer's hand. I had a bad feeling that whatever it was had a lot of alcohol in it. I bit my lip and looked down, away from the glass. What if Spence was turning into an alcoholic because of what had happened between us?
"I—uh, I'm glad you're here, Alice," Spencer told me, reaching forward to touch my arm gently. His fingertips barely brushed against my arm before he retracted his arm quickly and put his hand deep in his pocket.
I gave him a grin, ignoring the warm sensation that was spreading through my arm. It was habit to feel that... it was nothing like the feeling I got when Jasper touched me.
"You know I wouldn't ever miss something like this," I murmured sweetly, looking into his deep eyes. They weren't being blocked right now. He was letting me stare into his soul. Why was he being so open all of a sudden? Maybe it was the alcohol....
Spencer shrugged uncertainly. "Nick mentioned it was Jasper's birthday today. I wasn't sure you'd be able to come," he explained with a somewhat questioningly look. He found it weird that I had shown up. Jasper would have been upset if he knew I was coming here and I guess Spencer knew that as well.
"He doesn't mind," I lied, taking a sip of my drink. I sort of wanted to ask him about why he had let Nick drive his car when they had been drinking, but I figured we shouldn't open that can of worms right now. I was lucky he was even speaking to me.
Spencer gave me a forced smile. "Well... thank him for me."
I nodded. I wouldn't be doing that. When had I become such a liar? First lying to Jazz and now lying to Spencer.... This wasn't good....
"So, since you're here, I was wondering if you'd like to sit with me," Spencer suggested with hesitation. His eyes were searching mine frantically, hoping I would say yes.
I was here for him; why wouldn't I sit with him?
"I'd like that," I replied, taking a step forward and slipping my hand into the crook of his elbow. Spencer flinched at my touch and I felt him stiffen beside me, his eyes becoming guarded. Wrong move, Alice.
I stroked his arm gently with my thumb, hoping it would relax him. "Come on, let's go get our seats," I told him in the softest voice I could use. Spencer took a deep breath and nodded obediently.
We both walked into the other room which held the catwalk and the chairs that surrounded it. No one was there yet, really. Just the behind the scenes people. The audience would start to filter in after they finished their cocktails.
Spencer brought me to the seats right in front of the end of the catwalk. I let go of Spencer's arm and sat down on the chair that had my name on it. He had saved me a chair.... My heart broke a little at the kindness behind that action. The Hope. He had been Hoping I would be there....
Spencer sat down beside me and ran his hand over his short hair. It was still weird to look at him without long hair.
"Do you like your hair short?" I asked him curiously.
Spencer's eyes came to mine and he held a smile back from his lips. "Sure. It takes less time to get ready," he chuckled. His laugh was rough and it sounded as if he had almost forgotten how to laugh. It didn't sound as musical as it used to.... He cleared his throat afterward and straightened up.
"Is that what you're going for now? Less time getting ready?" I joked, tapping teasingly at his scruffy cheek. He had a scruff look going on. He hadn't shaven in the last few days.
Spencer shrugged sheepishly. "Seems so. Does it fit me?" he asked me, giving me a weak smile.
Honestly, Spencer could pull of any look, but I preferred the Spencer who was clean-shaven with long shaggy hair, a musical voice, and a knee weakening smile.
"You could pull off any look." I decided to leave the rest of my thoughts to myself, knowing it would only make everything worse. I was the reason why the Spencer I preferred was gone.
A sparkle started to dance in Spencer's eyes at my words and a blush crept onto his cheeks. Wow... a blush? I couldn't help but giggle. I don't know if I've ever seen Spencer blush at something I had said to him before.
"Thank you," Spencer chuckled and leaned back into his seat, seeming to relax.
I sipped my drink and watched as people set up all the last minute things for the fashion show. It should be starting soon. It had better be... I had already been gone over an hour and I was worried. What if Jazz had woken up and had seen the note right after I had left? He would wait, but after three hours he would get worried and call. If he called, I would have to explain and that would mean blatantly lying to him. I didn't want to lie to him....
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. What if Jazz knew I was lying? What if he found out? Would he get mad? We were just getting back together now. What if I messed everything up?
Spencer took a large sip of his drink and then placed it on the ground beside him. "I should go check to make sure everything is going smoothly back there," he said, standing up.
"Okay," I smiled, distracted by my worried thoughts.
Spencer hesitated, but then headed to the back of the room, slipping through a door back there. I watched as models began to practice walking down the catwalk. I admired all of the outfits that they were wearing. Spencer had real talent. He might have been better than me. He knew exactly what to put together and what would go with what. It was all so natural. Cullen and Wright industries was going to go far with the two of us running it.
I finished off my drink and checked my phone for messages. No calls yet. Jasper must not have woken up yet. Thank God.
Eventually Spencer came back into the room, walking across the catwalk when there were still models walking across it. He fit right in... Spencer could pull off anything, even being a model.
He looked down at his phone though and got distracted and walked onto the other side where a model was walking towards him. They bumped into each other.
I jumped up and held my breath, hoping neither of them would fall off of the walkway. No one else needed a bump on the head.
Spencer caught the girl before she could fall though and pulled her against him. He balanced them out and I let out a breath of relief. Everything was fine, except Spencer's cell phone, which went flying and fell on the ground somewhere.
I sat down and watched as Spencer apologized to the girl. His face was so concerned as he looked her up and down frantically. I knew he wasn't just concerned about the dress she was wearing, but also for her well-being. He actually cared about his models.
The girl seemed perfectly fine though. She smiled at Spencer, saying something I couldn't hear. I saw her reach her hand out to him though as she laughed. She was introducing herself...another girl falling under the spell of the charming Spencer Wright.
I watched in amusement as Spencer politely shook her hand and then jumped off of the catwalk to get his phone.
The girl's eyes followed Spencer as he picked up his phone and began to walk back to me. One thing was different about this girl though. Her eyes didn't fill with disappointment when he sat down beside me. Her gaze didn't even waver. She just smiled, seeming pleased, and then glided back up the catwalk. Strange... most girls got angry when they saw him sit with me. Maybe this one knew we weren't together anymore.
I wasn't going to lie to myself. It made me uncomfortable to think of another girl wanting to be with him now that I wasn't. This was a good thing though, I tried to convince myself.
"Who's the girl?" I asked him interestedly.
Spencer's eyes flickered away from his phone and to me, looking puzzled. "Huh?"
I laughed at his flustered attitude. "The girl you almost killed, goof," I said, nudging him my arm against his.
"Oh. Her. She's one of the models, I suppose?" He gave me a funny look at my question, wondering why I would ask.
I rolled my eyes at his answer. "What's her name?" I urged him. He better not have ignored her when she was introducing herself. That wasn't very polite.
Spencer sighed stressfully and rubbed his face. "I don't know," he mumbled. He looked like he was trying to remember what she had said. "Maria, I think."
Maria. Maria was a nice name. Maria Wright. That could work....
I tried desperately to shove the repulsed feeling out of me. I did not own Spencer and this Maria girl was as good as any other to go out with him. Maybe they'd hit it off... she seemed pretty interested.
"She's pretty," I commented with a kind smile.
Spencer scoffed and then laughed and looked up at me. "She's a model, hun. She has to be pretty."
I laughed at his words, glad that he still had his sense of humour, although it seemed a bit bitter. He was probably still sensitive about being with anyone else but me.
Before I could say anything more about the model, people began to start entering the room. The show must have been about to start. All the models had left the room and it was time for the fashion show to begin.
Spencer slipped his phone back into his pocket and straightened up. I could tell he was now getting nervous. His eyes were flashing around faster than I thought possible as we watched the people gather in the room and take their seats.
I watched his hands fidget nervously on his lap. "Do you think everything looks okay?" he asked me in a panicked voice. His eyes finally stopped moving and landed on mine.
"It's all perfect," I promised him, reaching over to squeeze his hand reassuringly. Okay, this was hard. We had always touched. We assured each other with touch. I made sure it didn't go any farther though and pulled my hand directly back. I didn't want to lead him on. All I had meant by that touch was to relax him as a friend.
Spencer's eyes flickered to his hand and I watched him fist his hand together. He watched it meaningfully and I began to regret the touch of encouragement. I needed to learn new ways to relax people....
"Thank you," he murmured. At least he was a tad relaxed now. But he seemed distracted too. His eyes were burning into the hand I had touched and I could see his eyes filling with thoughts. This wasn't exactly the time for that.
Our mothers showed up seconds later though.
"There you two are!" Mrs. Wright exclaimed with an elated expression. Spencer stood in her presence, being the gentleman he was. She hugged Spencer, then lay a gentle kiss on his furrowed brow. After that she moved to me, squeezing me lovingly into a hug.
"Hi Olivia," I greeted her quietly, uncertain about how this was going to go. My mom could hardly talk to me. Why was Olivia talking to me right now? Was it because we were sitting together? Had she seen me touch his hand…?
Crap.
My mother walked straight pass the both of us and sat down with Olivia. They were followed by our dads, who both gave us smiles. I wondered how Jim and Spencer had been doing lately. I hadn't been around to see. Were they getting better after the truth was out? Maybe they had come to an understanding now? I mean, Jim was here right? That was different....
Maybe it was worse though… Jim and Spencer were both good at pretending to be okay.
The lights began to dim as everyone was seated and Spencer perched himself on the edge of his chair, fixating his eyes on the catwalk.
"Don't mess up. Don't mess up...." I heard him whispering under his breath anxiously.
Don't touch him, don't touch him.... I held my hands together tightly as I repeated it in my head.
At that moment it all began. The music and excitement filled the room as the first models began to walk through with the breathtaking clothes that Spencer had designed in the last year. I had already seen the dresses and my eyes dragged along the audience that had their eyes glued to the models. Grins were stretching across the faces of the fashion-lovers and even some of the other fashion designers nodded their heads in appreciation. Spencer was an artist and everyone could see it right now. This was his moment of fame.
Spencer's chanting must have worked because no model even slipped. The music flowed perfectly, and every single piece of clothing was exactly where it was supposed to be. All the work Spencer had put into it had definitely pulled off. It was amazing. Absolutely perfect.
At the end, a voice filled the room, welcoming Spencer Wright to the stage for his applause. Spencer stood up quickly and walked up the steps of the catwalk with all of his grace. Applause filled the room and I jumped to my feet, jumping up and down, cheering for him.
The happiest expression I had seen on Spencer's face in a very long time came over his face. All the cameras flashed and all the video cameras closed in on him. For once I was glad the paparazzi were there. This was the first time they would ever take a real picture of him. Spencer's eyes were filled with joy and pride. This was a picture that would be worth it. A picture I wanted to keep forever....
The applause continued for a good few minutes before it finally died down and Spencer walked back down the stairs. He was instantly surrounded by people. All were congratulating him on the amazing show and fabulous clothing.
I stood proudly, watching him take in all the fame and happiness. I wanted him to live in this moment as long as he could.
I slipped out of the large crowd and headed for the restroom. I figured I would congratulate Spencer when the crowds had died down.
I was passing the bar when I heard a bunch of girls around my age talking.
"She is such a whore," one of the girls said in a disgusted voice. Man… I did not miss all the drama of the high class.
"I know. Why is she even here? She thinks she can just have Spencer whenever she wants."
Those words caused my legs to stop moving and my breath to stall. Spencer. Me? What? I didn't think that....
"I heard she was cheating on him for months before she broke up with him."
"I heard that Spencer knew she was cheating too."
"Why wouldn't he leave her?"
"Because he's too loyal to leave her."
"He's way too good for her."
All the words hit me like rocks. I felt like I was standing alone in a hall being stoned to death. I had cheated on him, hadn't I? He did deserve more than me. He was too good and too loyal. That was why he wouldn't even give that model a second glance or remember that her name was Maria.
"I feel sorry for the guy that's dating her now. Poor thing probably doesn't know what he's getting himself into."
That was enough.
I snapped.
I rounded the corner and was standing face to face with the girls who were speaking. All of their mouths snapped shut when their eyes met mine. I was sure my eyes looked wild at the moment.
"Speak of the devil…literally," one of the girls muttered. My eyes flashed to her face. She was snarling at me. Her eyes matched my anger.
The problem was I couldn't seem to get anything out of my mouth. Nothing would come out. What could I say? I couldn't say that they didn't know what they were talking about because they were right. Every piece of information that they had was true.
The part that was bothering me was the part about Jazz. I would never cheat on Jasper. Ever. And he knew exactly what he was getting into and he still stood firmly at my side. He loved me so much....
I knew I didn't deserve his love either.
The girl gave me a taunting look, daring me to disagree with her words.
"You don't know what you're talking about," I whispered, but my words were sharp. I didn't care if they might actually be right. It was none of their business and they had no right to talk about me like that.
"I think I do," the girl said confidently, walking towards me. "I think everyone knows you're a slut. Your own mom won't even look at you. That's how disgusting you are." Again, the words started to hit me hard and my heart started to ache in my chest. Tears of anger and pain started to mist over my eyes as I clenched my fists.
"Hun?" I heard Spencer's voice come through the room before I could defend myself or break down crying. I wasn't sure which one would have happened first. Or which one would have been worse.
The girl in front of me scoffed under her breath coldly. "Still follows you around like a puppy," she muttered before turning around and walking away. All of her friends followed her.
I blinked away the tears before Spencer could see them. He walked over to me with the grin on his face still shining.
"I was looking all over for you," he said before wrapping me up in a tight hug. He hadn't seen that I was upset. Thank God. I had no idea what I would have done if I had ruined his night.
I hugged him back tightly, rubbing his back. "The show was breathtaking, Spence," I told him with a sad smile, keeping myself pinned against him so he couldn't see my face. I had to give some time for my eyes to clear. After everything I had put him through, I would not ruin his night tonight.
I felt Spencer laugh. "I know. It was! I-I… Wow!" His laughter increased and so did his grip on me. He was on fire. He was his old self for just a moment. I hadn't seen him like this since... well... before I had lost my memory.
"God. This just feels so good," Spencer said ecstatically, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. I couldn't help but laugh, seeing him so happy. The happiness was radiating off of him and filling me.
I was confident enough that my eyes were clear now and pulled out of his embrace, smoothing out his shirt.
"You were amazing. You keep that good feeling. You deserve it!" I ordered him with a pointed look, hoping that the sparkle would never leave his eyes again.
He nodded obediently and then took a deep breath, containing his happiness. "Thank you for coming, Alice," he said sincerely, smiling that knee weakening smile at me.
"Any time," I assured him before turning him around and giving him a gentle push. "Now get back in there and talk to your fans. I'll see you at work in the morning" I urged him with a grin.
Spencer listened to me. He shot me one last grin and headed back into the room. I had been here for him like I knew he needed and now I was going to get back to the person who I needed to be with right now. It was time to get back to my birthday boy.
JPOV
I felt something against my lips. I wasn't sure if it was real or not. I was in that place between sleeping and being awake and I couldn't be sure of anything. It may be a dream starting to sneak into my slumber....
I felt the warm something against my lips move and a shudder wracked through my body from the amazing feeling that came from it. Whether it was a dream or not, I knew it was Alice. She was the only one who could bring that intense of a feeling to me.
I opened my mouth wider, in reality or in this dream, accepting the kiss and kissing back.
Mmm, I liked this kind of dream. I melted into the soft lips, letting out a small moan.
A second later the lips were gone. I couldn't feel the warmth anymore. I let out an involuntary whimper and my eyes fluttered, desperately trying to find where Alice's lips must be. You'd think I would have had enough kisses from her today, knowing it's my birthday and all, but that was impossible. I could never have enough kisses from Alice Cullen. I swear I would never get tired of her lips on mine.
My eyes slowly focused on the dimly lit room that I soon recognized as our living room. I could hear the TV in the background. I guess I had fallen asleep during one of the movies. I still couldn't find what I had been looking for though.
"Alice?" I whispered, squinting my eyes sorely as the brightness of the TV shone into them.
I saw a figure move a few feet in front of me, by the coffee table. I knew that figure. It was definitely Alice. The pixie-like figure. I watched her pick up a piece of paper off of the table and slip it into her pants pocket.
"What's that?" I mumbled, sitting up a bit, but not fully, because I planned to fall back asleep after Alice was lying down with me and I had retrieved my kiss.
Alice jumped, startled by my question, and turned to me. "Just a sketch I was working on when you were sleeping," she told me nonchalantly.
"Can I see it?" I asked. I loved her sketches. I knew I wasn't really into the clothes thing. I didn't know what a 'good' outfit was in the fashion stylist sense, but I did know what a good picture was and hers were always outstanding.
Alice looked hesitant though and she looked down at the floor.
Maybe she wasn't sure if she liked it?
"Never mind," I assured her with a grin and patted the seat beside me softly.
Alice smiled brightly at me, apparently grateful for me letting it go. "I went out and picked us up some food," she informed me, grabbing a bag off of the table and walking over to the couch.
I switched my position quickly, putting my legs up on the couch and leaning against the end of the couch. Alice smiled and sat between my legs, then began to pick things out of the paper bag.
"Chinese, huh?" I said, reaching forward for one of the counters and snatching a fork out of her hand. We hadn't eaten dinner before I had fallen asleep and now I was quite hungry.
Alice stuck her tongue out playfully at me for stealing her fork. That made my mind switch to what it was looking for. I still needed my kiss.
Before I could kiss her though, Alice began to talk. "Yeah, it's a theme. Like... Asian-ish stuff," she giggled with a sheepish shrug. I smiled at her cute expression and turned very curious to what kind of theme this was. What else was 'Asian-ish'?
Alice saw my curious expression and continued. "I got us this action movie too. I thought you'd like it." She started pulling a DVD out of the paper bag and handing it to me. It was a martial arts movie, naturally starring Jackie Chan.
I beamed at the fact that she had known I would like this kind of movie. I liked chick flicks as much as the next guy, but my real love was fighting movies. It made sense....
Alice pulled another thing out of the bag. "I had to buy you this because it reminded me of you... for some reason."
Confusion spread over Alice's face as she handed me a teddy bear. It was wearing a martial arts outfit and I let out a loud laugh, not able to contain myself.
I could see why it did remind her of me. It looked almost exactly like the outfit I used when I had taught Karate in Forks.
Alice was watching me with a questioning gaze, no idea why I liked it or why it had reminded her of me.
Her memory was still there. Subconsciously, she remembered things without realizing why. My heart swelled in happiness. Maybe it would all come back soon. She had been remembering things lately. It was always little things, but every time, more and more Hope filled me. It was going to happen.
I wrapped my free arm around her waist and kissed her cheek gently, relaxing her.
"I used to teach karate in Forks, love. You used to tease me about wearing an outfit almost exactly like this one," I informed her, holding up the bear so she could see what I was talking about.
Alice's eyes lit up and a smiled stretched across her angelic face. "Really?" The excitement in her voice only made my heart swell even more. She wanted to remember just as badly as I wanted her to remember.
Don't get me wrong, I was okay with her not remembering me. She was with me with or without those memories and that was all that mattered to me. I was just looking forward to when she would remember because it would clear everything up and she wouldn't get so frustrated sometimes. It bothered her a lot when she couldn't remember something important.
"Yes, really," I chuckled, playing with the teddy bear, making him punch Alice's arm gently, playfully.
"I remembered that," she whispered to herself with a pleased smile.
"Yes, you did, my darling. Yes you did." I was so proud of her.
I put everything she had handed me onto the table in front of us and Alice took it as a sign of me getting up. She moved over, giving me room. I wasn't planning on going anywhere, though. I took everything that was left in Alice's hands and put them beside the other things I had just put down on the table.
"What are you doing?' Alice asked me cautiously. I gave her a wicked grin and sat up, pulling her towards me.
"Finishing that kiss you started earlier," I whispered as I pulled her on top of me and lay back down. It felt good having her warm, small frame lying on mine. It felt right.
Alice's eyes sparkled as I ran my hands up her body, stopping at her face and bringing it straight to mine, finally getting my kiss....
Alice's lips touched mine gently and I felt a shiver rush through her body. Glad I wasn't the only one enjoying these kisses.
"I love you," I whispered against her, enjoying the feeling of her lips too much to pull away. Alice's eyes fluttered shut and she responded with a not so gentle kiss. I didn't mind one bit. My lips parted for her and our tongues met, finishing what had been started earlier. Or beginning a whole new adventure....
My hands moved down to her back, massaging it gently with my fingers as we both got lost in the passionate kiss. It always blew me away--how easy it was to be with Alice this way. Our lips seemed to be best friends, always knowing what to do with the other, moving with each other. They had their own language. It was incredible. Mind blowing!
And then adding on the way her hands weaved through my hair, massaging my scalp, and the way her little body moved against mine. Not to mention how her mouth tasted... and she always smelled so delicious. And the tingling all over my body....
You couldn't even imagine it if you tried. It was surreal. Too perfect.
It was even better because right now, in this moment, we were both happy. There was nothing between us anymore. It was just Alice and me, kissing, on my eighteenth birthday. It felt like when we had first moved here. It felt perfect. We felt complete again.
And most of all, I felt Hope again.
Author's note: It was a shorter than usually, but I hope you guys all enjoyed it. And because it was short, we may put an outtake up this week! :)
Check the blog out for some awesome edited pictures by a reader!
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Have a great day!