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storyline - "Air" (this is the end. sigh.)
prompt - wood
I stood up, brushing my hands off. That was the last box. Everything else was either in the new house or packed into the truck, ready to go.
Alice dawdled in the doorway, a glass of juice in her hand. Neither of us had been as emotional as I'd expected, probably because we both knew we'd still see each other all the time. I'd no longer be living with her and Rose – they were getting a new place of their own at the end of the month – but we'd all still be going to school together. Plus, I'd scored a job for Alice at Whole Foods. She started the following week.
"You ready?"
I nodded, taking one last look around my room. All of my posters were down. I'd done my best to touch up the walls, feeling a little guilty that my penchant for decorating had left it marked. I'd been really picky about which posters and pictures came with me and which ones got the boot. Then there were the ones I'd keep for sentimental reasons, but wouldn't put up out of respect for Edward. He said he didn't mind, but I did. I wanted our new place to be our new place, not Bella's new place.
I picked up the box and carried it out to the truck, where Edward and Emmett were rearranging everything to make sure it all fit.
"One more," I said, resting the box on the edge of the tail gate.
Edward glanced over his shoulder. "Just leave it there; I'll get it."
"'kay." I walked back inside and got a bottle of water from the fridge before hugging Alice. "I'll be back tomorrow to vacuum and stuff, okay?"
She waved me off. "No worries. Just go do what you need to do."
I nodded, sighing. This apartment had been the location of so many good times for us, so many memories, conversations, movie nights and dinners together. I'd miss it.
Surprisingly Rose had been the slightly sad one. She was at work, and had said her goodbyes early in the morning before going in to the restaurant. She blamed it on PMS, but I suspected her heart was softer than she liked to admit.
Edward appeared just inside the front door, wiping his arm across his face. "You about ready to head out?"
His t-shirt was all dirty and his jeans were old and honestly, I just wanted to drag him into the brand new bathroom at our brand new house and have some good old fashioned clean up time with him. I loved when he was dirty. I'd have to tell him that.
I decided to, later.
"Yeah, I'm ready." I quickly drank my water and tossed the bottle, and then gave Alice one last hug. "House warming as soon as we're set up," I whispered.
Edward was so into privacy; he wasn't too keen on the idea of having a housewarming party but I wanted one. Nothing big or fancy, just an intimate gathering of our closest friends.
"Okay," Alice whispered back, smiling knowingly. "Call me."
I sat between Emmett and Edward in the cab of the truck. They were tired. Edward especially looked worn out.
"You okay?"
He nodded, running his hand through his hair. "Hungry."
"Me too. Genova's?"
"Hell yeah," he said, his spark returning with the mention of food.
"Remember the first time we kissed?" I asked him.
We were in the bathtub. I was washing his hair.
"Yep."
"What did you think of me?"
"I don't know if I was doing too much thinking…"
I flicked his ear and he cringed, twisting around to grin at me.
"I know what I was thinking," I said, bringing cupfuls of water up to rinse the shampoo out of his hair.
"What?"
"I was so attracted to you. You made me nervous."
"Why?"
"You just did. You seemed so much more experienced… and you were hot."
"Hm."
I gave him a small nudge and started washing my own hair. "I'm going to need the shower in a minute. I can't rinse properly like this."
"Okay."
I stood up and switched sides with him, inching through the water to where the faucet was.
The water felt so good. Edward had installed a really powerful shower head, one we could adjust depending on what we wanted.
I felt him in front of me, close. My eyes opened.
He gazed down at me, water dripping down his face and off of his eyelashes.
"I like you in the shower," I said.
He smiled.
"But I really like when you're dirty."
"Yeah?"
"Mhm. When you've been working all day, and you're in work clothes. It kind of makes me want you."
"Sounds very romance novel."
"What do you know about romance novels?" I laughed, turning around to turn the water off.
He grabbed me when I turned back around, kissing me.
We got out and dried off, watching one another. Silly smiles. He was so much more open now, much more than he had been a year ago.
Had it only been a year?
On one hand it had flown by. But on the other, it felt like we'd known each other forever.
Bed. I loved his bed. Loved how high it was off the ground, the cherry wood it was made from, the design in the headboard. He'd let me choose new bedding, but I loved his bed. I thought about my first night, and morning, in this bed. Thought about the things he'd done to me.
The things he'd do to me. That I'd do to him. With him.
"Where are you?" he teased, crawling into the sheets with me.
"I'm here…just thinking."
He nodded. He knew. He always knew.
This room had the prettiest sunlight at this time of day.
"I love making love in the day," I said, sighing when he slid inside.
He looked down at me, his pretty green eyes ever greener in the sun. "I love making love with you."
