Chapter 34 – Spooks Afoot
Bella
Halloween was tonight, and the Cullens had come back into town to take the girls trick-or-treating in our neighborhood, since they lived so far from anyone else. In the spirit of the holiday, not only did the children have costumes, but all the adults did as well. Esme and Carlisle dressed as a doctor and a nurse, Alice and Jasper were Peter Pan and Captain Hook, and Rose was the cheerleader to Emmett's football player. Edward surprised me when he came through the closet door dressed as Batman, which was hysterical, since I had chosen Cat Woman, and we hadn't even told each other anything about our costume choices.
We spent the evening passing out candy…when we weren't guarding it from Emmett. He was worse than a five-year-old when it came to chocolate bars. The kids came by in droves, and we handed out candy until after eight o'clock. We were all starting to get thirsty, so we decided it was time to wrap it up. Everyone else headed inside for a drink, while I stayed outside to blow out the candles in all the pumpkins. I was about to go inside when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned quickly, but I only saw a fleeing shadow in the light of the streetlamp. I got the same chills up my spine that I usually got when I felt like someone was watching me. This time, it felt even creepier than usual. My imagination was apparently working overtime tonight.
"Bella, what's the matter? You look like you've just seen a ghost," Esme commented, somewhat concerned by the unsettled look on my face, as I came into the family room.
"I've actually seen lots of ghosts tonight," I laughed nervously, "but I got the feeling just now that someone was watching me outside. I saw something out of the corner of my eye, and I saw a shadow moving, but I'm not sure. It just gave me the creeps. I guess that kind of goes with the holiday, though." Alice looked at me, her brows together, and she knew exactly what I was thinking. Edward noticed the unspoken communication between the two of us, but he didn't say anything at the time.
We helped Carlisle and Esme get the girls all settled into their new van before bidding them goodnight. Walking back towards the house, we noticed Alice and Jasper had moved onto the side porch and were locked in a deep, passionate kiss. Emmett, the sensitive soul he was, yelled, "I always knew Hook had perverted intentions towards that little boy!" Jasper just grinned, and Alice stuck her tongue out at Emmett.
"I'll bet you have plans to have Rose wear that cheerleader costume again before the weekend's out, too!" Edward teased Emmett. Rose blushed crimson, but the look on her face told us Edward was probably right.
"I don't know, Edward, our fantasy seems pretty tame compared to the fun you two could have in those getups!" Emmett countered, pointing at my form-fitting black body stocking, stiletto heels, cat ears, mask, and tail set. "You can't tell me there won't be any kind of interspecies love going on there, my friend!"
Edward came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Actually, no, there won't," Edward said, kissing my neck. Emmett looked back and forth between us, stunned. The very idea of a man and a woman practically living together, dating, and being as close as we were without an intimate relationship was more than Emmett's brain seemed able to process. He stood there a moment, pondering the idea of our relationship.
"How does that work, exactly?" Emmett asked, confusion still evident on his face. "I mean, how can you not…?"
"Emmett, I know this may sound kind of corny and old-fashioned to you, but I want a photo album kind of relationship, something worth capturing that I'd be proud to show as an example to my kids someday."
"Photo album?" he asked, looking even more confused.
"Yeah, that's what my Grammy used to call it. It's a love so special, it deserves doing right and preserving to show as an example to your kids. The kind of love you don't get unless you take the time to give it meaning and let it grow, building it on a strong foundation of faith, trust, and respect. Without that, she always likened it to building a house on bare ground instead of concrete. It's subject to rapid decay and destruction from storms since it isn't anchored to anything solid."
I held my head up and took a deep breath, deciding to share the secret I had guarded from everyone but Alice and Edward.
"I'm still a virgin. I've never done anything with anyone, because I believe that kind of love, at least for me, requires the ultimate commitment for it to have a chance at being right. I'm not trying to be a prude or some kind of religious zealot. I'm just waiting until I'm sure I have what's important to me before I give away something precious that I can only offer once. After you've toasted me and my husband at my wedding, then you can congratulate the lucky guy whose night is going to be one to remember."
"You're a virgin still?" Rose gasped. "But…how?" She was as confused as Emmett. Rose had lost her virginity in high school and had no problem with being sexually active and forward. The concept of someone my age not having had sex yet was inconceivable, but what I was saying was somehow hitting a note with her. Emmett had come up behind her and had started rubbing his hands up and down her exposed sides, and she elbowed him in the gut, making him drop his hands from her waist, as she was listening intently to me. Alice had moved away from Jasper and was listening to me as well, seemingly deep in thought.
"Well, Rose, it hasn't really been all that difficult, until now." I turned around in Edward's arms, looking him in the eyes while I spoke. "But even though I have the biggest reason of all now not to wait any longer, I have an even bigger reason to wait."
I told them about the counsel from my mom and Grammy, and I told them what Poppa used to tell me about love. "My Poppa believed the difference between love and lust was that lust was like running a rough, choppy, mad dash in a triathlon…you're done quickly with one sport, only to run on to the next, always chasing the win, but with no time to enjoy the intermediate victories. But true love is like a slow, steady, consistent ride on a beautiful carousel you never want to stop, so you get to enjoy the good parts over and over again. I want a ticket to that carousel, Rose," I said quietly. Edward leaned in and kissed my forehead softly, smiling down at me.
Alice and Rose came to me, pulling the three of us into a warm embrace. My words seemed to have given them something to think about. Our three guys stood there quietly, staring at us as we whispered to each other, probably knowing that Peter Pan was safe from pedophilia for now, and there would be no cheering in the end zone, either, at least for tonight.
