Chapter 53 - Disclosure
"Time to wake up sleeping beauty"
I rolled over and attempted to bring the covers up closer to my face.
"Bella"
That soft voice sent a ripple of desire throughout me…
Wait… It couldn't be morning already? I'd only just snuggled into Alice…
"Mmmm" I murmured, as Alice lent towards my ear.
"Rise and shine honey"
Her breath ticked as I turned my face and opened one eye.
"Seriously" I whispered.
Alice attempted to look serious… and failed.
I lent forward and kissed her lips.
Now this was a much better way of waking up than listening to my alarm sound.
"You really aren't a morning person are you?" she asked, adding "It's rather endearing" as she returned the kiss.
My hand was on the back of her head as I pulled her in closer.
Definitely a better way of waking up.
Alice broke the kiss.
"I hate to say this, but I have to go"
My hand was on her cheek, as two fingers gently stroked downwards.
Alice groaned, "Bella…"
I smiled then.
"Mmmm" I answered, as my fingers now stroked back upwards.
Alice turned her face quickly and caught my fingers in her mouth.
Now that felt… wonderful…
I could feel her tongue slowly push against the tips of my fingers.
I had to feel that tongue against my lips, as I quickly removed my fingers and replaced them with my mouth.
The kiss was deep, intense, and set my lips on fire.
Alice groaned again, before moving back.
"I promise I'll be back in half an hour to collect you for school"
I nodded, as I opened my other eye.
"Thank you for staying with me Alice"
Alice traced the outline of my bottom lip with her index finger.
"There is no other place I would rather be" she replied, as she replaced her finger with her lips again.
All too soon she was lifting herself from my embrace.
"Jake stopped by while you were sleeping last night"
I stretched and propped myself up on my elbow.
Alice continued.
"I saw him yesterday, when Emmet and I collected your truck, and I told him what happened"
I nodded.
"They're with us, Bella. He's going to contact you today to arrange a meeting"
I smiled. Jake could be an ass at times, but I could rely on him in the end.
"I knew he'd come through" I answered, as Alice smiled.
"You need to know something Bella… he was genuinely upset that he let you walk off alone into the woods yesterday"
I shook my head, "It wasn't his fault, I shouldn't have left him" I answered, as Alice swallowed.
She looked… sheepish.
"Alice?" I enquired, as Alice clasped her hands together.
"I hit him" she replied.
Hit him.
I must have looked confused, "You hit Jake?"
Alice nodded, "I was… angry that he left you… and I… well…"
"You hit him" I finished for her, as she mumbled something that sounded like 'yes' as she glanced down at her hands.
"And… he has a bruise…." She finished, as she looked back up at me.
I smiled.
And then I laughed.
"You bruiser" I responded, as Alice literally sighed.
"I'm sorry Bella, I shouldn't have done it, and he just made me so angry and…"
I raised my eyebrow, "and?"
"Well, for some reason it's brought us closer together"
I lifted myself from the bed, no longer conscious that I was naked.
"I guess he won't mess with my girlfriend again" I answered, as I closed the distance between us and claimed Alice's lips with my own.
Alice purred.
"You're making it… impossible…. for me…. to leave…. you" she answered in between our heated kisses as her arms held onto my waist.
I smiled against her lips.
School could wait.
And then I heard her whisper something against my mouth.
"Three"
Three? She was going to give me three more kisses before she left? Or maybe she was going to stay for another three minutes… now that sounded promising….
"Two"
Okay, now I was confused…
"One"
"Bella"
Charlie's voice filtered from downstairs.
"My timing is perfection" Alice whispered, as she gave me a wink before exiting my room from the open window.
Shame I didn't think the same of my dad's.
I didn't pay that much attention in class that morning.
My thoughts were spiralling around my brain.
Was Reuben in the vicinity? Did he know I was at school right now?
Had he followed me and Alice this morning?
What was Alice doing right now?
What would happen later, when the Cullen's finally came face to face with Jake and the rest of the tribe?
What did Rosalie mean when she said I should talk to Alice about my thoughts?
What was Alice thinking right now?
Had anymore teenage girls gone missing in the area?
Would Charlie be safe?
Would Alice stay with me again tonight?
Did Reuben know Alice was Carlisle's adopted daughter?
How long had Reuben been watching me?
The thoughts would have ensued if I hadn't been asked to read a chapter from "Pride and Prejudice"
"In vain I have struggled, it will not to. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you"
I must have read that book a thousand times, and I always liked the scene where Mr Darcy proposes to Elizabeth Bennet for the first time…
As I left English, and walked towards my locker those words echoed around my brain, only it wasn't Darcy talking to Elizabeth…
It was me, talking to Alice…
"In vain I have struggled, it will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I wish you to turn me into a vampire, Alice…"
"Bella"
Alice.
I swallowed hard.
Good thing she couldn't read my mind.
"Hey" I answered, as she raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"Are you okay" she gently asked, as she cocked her head to one side.
I really did love it when she did that.
"Yeah, just thinking about this" I motioned to the book that I was still holding in my hand.
"Ah, a romantic classic" she murmured, adding "Carlisle met her, once. Said she was most charming…"
Carlisle had met Jane Austen…
"Are you joking?" I asked, as we walked towards the lunch hall.
Alice shook her head, "No"
Carlisle had met her? Okay, so later I was definitely asking him for help with my English Literature homework.
"The boys have left school this lunch time, they're meeting Carlisle to do a quick sweep of the area" Alice's voice was firm as we walked towards the table in the middle of the room where Angela had just sat.
I nodded.
"Rosalie will meet us, though I am not entirely sure where she is at the moment" she continued, as we joined Angela.
Angela smiled.
"For you" she spoke, handing me a copy of the notes she had taken in class.
"Thanks" I replied, taking a seat opposite her.
"So how was your afternoon" she asked, as I glanced at Alice who was now seated beside me.
"Great, thanks. It sure beat class" I replied as Angela laughed.
"Bella, getting a tooth pulled out with no anaesthetic would beat class" she answered, as Alice laughed.
"Did you guys get up to much that evening" she enquired, as she pulled out some sandwiches from her bag.
That evening….
I felt my cheeks blush.
"We watched a DVD" Alice answered for me, as her gaze moved from Angela to me.
And then she winked.
And my cheeks flamed that bit more.
"Was it a good DVD" Angela asked, as she opened her sandwiches.
"Oh yes, excellent in fact" Alice answered again for me.
I waited for Angela to enquire what the movie was…
"Hey everyone"
It was Eric.
"So, you've both decided to grace us with your presence today, we're honoured" he continued with a smile, as he sat down and reached out to take Angela's hand in his.
I watched his action, as my eyes then moved towards Alice's hand that was resting on the table.
I wanted that. I wanted to reach out and take her hand in mine…
Then why don't you? A small voice echoed in my brain.
"So, did you have a good weekend, do anything exciting?" Eric asked, as he removed one of Angela's sandwiches from her lunchbox.
Did I have a good weekend…?
Let's see now; I cut class Friday afternoon to spend it in a meadow with Alice. She showed me what happens to her skin when the sun caresses it…oh right, I forgot to mention… she's a vampire, and she's also the love of my life.
And then we went back to her place, where her siblings, also vampires, were arguing over how to erect a bed… because Alice never had one until now…
And that evening we christened the bed, as we gave ourselves to each other for the very first time, mind, body and soul…
Then I had a visit from my friend Jake, and it soon became clear that he was actually a shape shifter who spends half his time howling at the moon; that's right, Jake has paws…
But the story doesn't finish there, because I also met Reuben, an ancient nomadic vampire who could have killed me, but etched his initial in my arm instead, making me bleed, hence the bandage on my arm… oh, and he's still out there, somewhere… waiting…
"Bella"?
Eric's voice infiltrated my mind.
"Yeah" I replied, as Alice lent her hand across the table and placed it on top of mine.
I turned my hand and held onto hers as if my life depended on it.
She had forgotten about Angela and Eric.
But then, so had I.
I smiled as she gave it a squeeze, my fingers encircling hers.
And then someone coughed.
"Err… am I missing something here?"
My head shot up as I saw Angela elbow Eric, as Rosalie often did with Emmet.
"Ouch" Eric hissed.
Only Emmet never actually felt the pain, unlike Eric.
Alice immediately withdrew her hand as I looked back at her.
She smiled apologetically.
There's nothing to apologise for…
I reached out and took Alice's hand in mine again.
Alice looked… puzzled.
And adorable…
Okay Bella, time to come clean…
"Actually Eric, you are missing something, and I'd like very much to explain – to you both"
Eric dropped his sandwich as his eyes moved from my hand, up to my face.
Angela merely smiled.
"You see, Alice and I are together" I continued, my voice firm.
Angela glanced at Alice, before looking back at me. She was still smiling.
Eric, on the other hand looked…
Confused.
"Together, as in next to each other right now or… like… together-together…" he asked, his voice low as he lent forward.
I found myself smiling as Angela finally spoke.
"Together-together, Eric"
Together-together, I rather liked that.
"Oh…" was Eric's only reply, as he lent back on his seat.
"I'm really happy for you both" Angela continued, as she reached out and placed her hand on top of mine, which was still sitting on top of Alice's.
"Thanks Angela" I answered, as I looked at Alice.
She looked… overjoyed.
I winked at her, and I swear if she could have blushed she would have right there and then.
And then I saw Eric's hand as it appeared on top of Angela's.
"Hey, I don't want to be left out" he exclaimed, adding "This would make one cool story for the school mag… seriously, I can just see the headline now: 'New Girl Spurns Male Attention and Dates Alice Cullen…."
Angela elbowed him again.
"Jeeze, will you stop doing that, I was only joking…." He replied, as he rubbed his side.
And then he started to laugh.
Really laugh.
"Okay, so what's tickled you now" I asked, as he removed his glasses and wiped his eyes.
"Mike… when he finds out…."
Mike.
"But Mike is with Jessica" I answered, as Alice smiled.
"With Jessica, thinking of you I suspect" Alice answered, with a slight smirk on her face.
"Bella, I had no idea you preferred girls" Eric asked, as he bit into his sandwich.
Alice's smirk was now gone.
Instead she looked… worried?
I stood then, and walked behind Alice who was still sitting. Placing both my hands on her shoulders I lent forward.
"You fall in love with a person, Eric. I just happen to have fallen in love with this one"
I squeezed her shoulders and lent down, kissing her softly on the cheek.
For the second time that afternoon, Angela smiled, Eric dropped his sandwich and Alice looked… overjoyed.
