The muffled sound of feet walking back and forth outside the chamber fill my ears as the help get ready for another day in the Palace. A faint clink of silverware tells me that they've got breakfast ready for us, but they won't come in until they're called. Birdsong plays outside the vast bay window, the gentle sounds of the carefully sculpted gardens beckoning me towards another day of entertaining guests and royal duties.
I snuggle a little further in the warm poster bed, his arm still draped over me and his breath in my hair. My body feels so sated, so warm and happy. Loved. I stay here for a while longer. 20 minutes, according to the alarm clock. But I can't stay in the fantasy forever.
It tastes like something died in my mouth overnight and my bladder is close to bursting. Squeezing my eyes tightly shut one last time to burn the royal fantasy into my mind for further exploration on another morning, I try to prepare myself mentally for the day.
My legs slide out from under the covers first, toes reaching blindly to find the floor, before my torso follows slowly so not to wake Edward. Black dots cover my vision for a moment when I'm finally upright, a faint headache knocking on my temples.
Pushing open the bedroom door left ajar, I stumble along to the bathroom I heard him use last night and practically collapse onto the toilet. God, I really need a cup of tea.
I'm smiling when I look down at the soft white cotton t-shirt I'm wearing and last night's events float back.
I feel like I remember everything, but there's some doubt. I mean, how would you know if you couldn't remember something?
Colour infuses my cheeks when I think back to how forward I was from the start of the evening to the end. Promising promiscuous dances, mixing it up with creepy strangers, dancing and singing in public… all the things that make me cringe and shudder. I grimace a little. I can't quite believe I really did all of that.
But if I hadn't, then maybe that wouldn't have happened. Sure, he didn't fuck me like promised… but that was really something. Feeling his desire pulsing in my hand, knowing I make him feel like that, it's like a drug. I feel high on it all.
I clean up and inspect the cabinet over the sink. There don't seem to be any spare toothbrushes so I just take a swish of mouthwash and rub my teeth thoroughly with my tongue.
There are 2 other doors on the landing, one is an airing cupboard and the other is a tiny bedroom that's been converted into a study or workshop of sorts, although it looks like it's being used more for storage right now. There are cardboard boxes piled up and gathering dust. The door creaked when I cracked it open but Edward hasn't stirred. He's still sleeping peacefully on his side when I pad softly back into the bedroom.
His room is smaller than I remembered last night, the walls a little closer together and the furniture a more worn than I'd first thought, seen with a little light filtering through the curtains. It's not too dark to examine the photos sitting on the chest of drawers. The largest one, at the centre, is also the oldest. It shows 2 couples standing together, the pair on the left are dark-haired, willowy and tall, their gaze seeming proud and strong. The other couple are gentler, the woman has softer curves and caramel hair and the blonde man besides her is watching her smile with such an ardent look of compassion. Between the couples is a boy that's so obviously Edward it makes me smile back at them all. The auburn hair is the first giveaway. The fiery shade combined with the green eyes he shares with the willowy, dark-haired woman, make it undeniable. He can't be older than 10 in the picture and yet he already has so much character, his lips curving up into the signature smirk.
"Hey," his quiet voice rasps from behind me, still thick with sleep.
I turn around and whisper "hey," back at him. His eyes close for a few moments and then open again, disorientated. He rolls onto his back with a sigh.
"Did you sleep okay?" he asks, his voice still quiet and sleepy.
I perch on the end of the bed, his soft cotton shirt long enough to drape mid-thigh on me. "Yeah, thanks for letting me stay," I tell him, unsure what I should do now.
His breath deepens again as he drifts off for a moment, his lips parting a little before he snaps awake again.
He lets out another sigh and pulls himself upright, the covers slipping down to reveal his toned torso. No rippling body-builder muscles, just firm skin pulled taut over his strong frame, a smattering of hair on his chest.
He smiles when he catches me ogling but it doesn't last.
"Fuck," he mutters as he probes his forehead with his fingers, "I'm too old to get drunk like that, you gotta stop me next time."
"Okay," I agree, still smiling because there's definitely going to be a next time. "Do you want some tea?"
"Please," he mutters, almost pushing me off the bed as he lurches from under the covers and makes his way to the bathroom.
Loving the way the carpet is so plush between my toes, I walk downstairs and explore the kitchen for tea making supplies. I remember him telling me he doesn't like to cook much – it explains why there's not much food here. The milk is past its best but it still smells ok. I put the kettle on and get back to exploring the rest of the front room while it boils.
The shelves are even better when observed by sober eyes. Long branches, possibly from an oak tree, have been stripped of bark and sanded lightly, then fixed to the walls. Grooves and platforms carved into the tree limbs hold books and carvings. A chess set fills one dip with intricately carved pieces lined up for battle.
A knock on the door interrupts my nosey search around Edward's home. I hesitate when there's no sign of Edward coming down to get it. Should I answer it? I've no idea what the social protocol is here.
The knock turns into a banging fist.
"Get the door, Bella," Edward calls down at me.
Hyperaware that I'm only wearing a t-shirt – a white t-shirt – I search around in a panic to find something I can wear while answering the door. Pantyhose and a bra aren't going to cut it, so I stuff those into my handbag and tug on my coat before reaching the door handle.
It swings open to reveal a tired-looking Emmett and a child, a girl. This must be Alice. She pushes past me immediately, a blur of short black hair and sparkly pink trainers.
Emmett looks at me, my bare legs and feet underneath my winter coat, my ruffled hair and smudged mascara. I can see the wheels turning behind his tired eyes. We stand there for a few more moments before he sighs.
"I'll take a rain check on the inappropriate joke I should be making right now," he grumbles, "I'm too hungover for this shit."
He pulls my bag off his shoulder and hands it to me. "Rose said this was yours, is Ed up yet?"
"Yeah, he just got up," I reply, jumping slightly when the TV starts blasting music from the other room.
We stand there awkwardly for another few moments before Emmett shrugs to himself and tells me to remind Edward he'll be back around 5ish for Alice, and not to give her any sweets before dinner.
I want to run back upstairs and get dressed but I can't just leave Alice by herself, can I? I look between the door and the staircase a few times, dithering. The kettle clicks and that decides it for me.
I wander back into the kitchen and start pouring.
Alice is on the floor, still in her sparkly trainers and coat, watching some kids show on TV. She's completely engrossed, her large blue eyes trained on the bright lights. She looks so much like Emmett, the unruly dark hair and pale skin framing curious eyes. Edward told me she was starting school soon. I guess that makes her 4 or 5 years old. It's always been unspoken but I'm pretty certain Emmett is a single dad. I wonder what happened to Alice's mum and whether she still gets to see her.
The tea is made. Edward is still nowhere to be found. Now what?
You're the adult in this situation, take control.I clear my throat a little. "Hey, um, do you want a drink?"
I'm ignored. Or maybe she just wasn't paying attention.
"There's orange juice, if you want some," I continue, just to fill the really weird silence that's in the room.
"Daddy says you're not a witch," her soft voice finally acknowledges me.
"No, I don't think I am," is my amazing response. At least I've got her attention now. Her piercing eyes are watching my every move.
"Do you have a pointy hat?" she asks, deadly serious.
"Nope," I pop the 'p' in an attempt to sound more child-friendly and cheery in my response. I'm not sure it worked.
"Do you have a cat?" she continues her quiz.
"No, but I love cats," I try out a smile this time. She doesn't smile back, just continues with her probing stare.
"Do you fly on a broomstick?" she asks, like this is the most important question of all.
I pause a little, watching her eyes widen as I pretend to think about it.
"No flying broomsticks either, sorry Alice."
She sighs, her whole body exaggerating the movement as she heaves her shoulders like the adults do. I bite back a smile.
"Okay," she says, disappointedly and turns back to the TV.
I take a gulp of my tea, feeling a little proud that I just successfully had a conversation with a child. Maybe there's hope for me yet. My eyes drift away as soul-warming thoughts swirl into my head. Baking jam tarts with a little girl whose hair is like mine in this very kitchen.
"Sometimes I hear daddy say mummy is a witch," her soft voice cuts my daydream down before it can go deeper. She's not looking at me, still transfixed on the TV – she doesn't see my mouth pop open with shock.
What the hell do I say to that? I seriously hope he does say witch, not the very similar sounding word that Alice definitely shouldn't be hearing at this age.
"Is he silly?" Edward's voice breaths life into the room, the rich and playful tone smothering the worried clouds that were beginning to linger.
Alice giggles. "Very," she smiles up at him and he grins back down.
He's dressed, his hair darker and damp from the shower. And he smells glorious as he gets nearer, his green eyes playfully boring into mine as he takes a sip from his tea.
"Go take your coat off, Alice," he tells her, watching her scuttle out of the room with a huff before leaning in closer to me.
"You ok?" he asks, seeing my still shocked expression from what Alice just told me.
"Um, yeah," I try to work out the right words to ask what their situation is without sounding like I'm prying.
He takes another sip of tea, eyeing my bare legs and leaning against the counter. Reaching out, his long fingers grasp the metal zipper of my coat and tug it down halfway, his eyes devouring my collar bones and the soft rosy pink shades of my nipples visible through the thin cotton.
"Keep the shirt, it suits you," he smirks and swiftly pulls the zipper back up just before Alice comes back round the corner, minus her coat and sparkly trainers.
"What are we doing today, Edward?" she asks, her voice so innocent and soft. Anything could happen today, in her eyes. Endless games and adventures to be had. I envy her. Her whole life can be a fantasy with people taking care of her and no responsibilities to weigh her down.
"How does Twister sound?" he asks her, making his voice light and inviting like you're supposed to when you're talking to kids. The way she responds, you'd think she just won the lottery.
I leave them to it, grabbing my bag and heading upstairs as they lay out the Twister mat.
The bathroom is still humid, the heady scent of Edward and shampoo in the air. I stand there and breathe it in, trying to memorise the scent, before digging into my bag and getting dressed. I carefully fold up the gifted t-shirt, feeling the soft cotton on my skin one last time before I close the bag and slowly walk back down the stairs.
Edward has one hand on green and one on blue when I reach the living room. He stages a fall when he sees me ready to leave, making Alice squeal with delight at her victory. She heads off to pick a new game from the shelves.
"Thank you for, uh, letting me stay here," I tell him, because that's polite.
He pauses for a moment. "You're welcome here any time," his eyes glow with sincerity as he smiles down at me.
"I guess we should do some talking too," he watches my reaction and continues quickly when he sees the panic, "I'm sure you have some questions for me and… stuff."
Good, it's not that kind of talk.
I peer around him, checking that Alice is still preoccupied. Taking a deep breath to inhale that Edward-y scent and remembering the confident Bella from last night, I press my body against his.
"And stuff?" I whisper, looking up at him through my lashes a little.
His eyes darken in response.
"And stuff," he confirms. "Dinner, tonight?" he asks, although I'm not sure saying no is really an option. I wouldn't turn him down anyway.
I shift my weight against him a little and he grumbles in his chest appreciatively, sending butterflies nosediving from my stomach and bringing to life deeper desires. "I'll cook something nice."
"Walk, don't run," he chuckles as I sling my bag over my shoulder and hesitantly hold onto the door handle, searching for a reason to stay with Edward for a little longer.
"Bye, Bella," Alice's voice calls from the living room, eager to have her playmate back for another round of Twister.
With that, I push open the door and head back down the front garden with a date, a hopeful heart and a happy smile brightening my face.