FAGE… The 13th.
Title: Storia D'amore Italiana
Written for: LiLJiLL2486
Written By: Cullenlvr 83
Rating: M
Summary/Prompt used: Bella has dealt with enough men like Edward Cullen in her life, and she wasn't impressed. The cocky smile and natural swagger weren't going to crack her. At least that is what she kept telling herself. What happens when an Italian vacation finds them in the same place? / Meet Cute, Vacation setting.
A/N: Here is my entry for Fage the 13th. It was my first year and it was a blast. Hope my recipient enjoys it
Thanks to MarieSCullen for the amazing banner and Monica for betaing!
As a child, I was always very clumsy, which in turn made me accident-prone. Most kids would tell you they weren't graceful, but this was more than that. I could fall upstairs, trip over nonexistent bumps in flat surfaces, and once I broke my ankle stepping off a curb. It got worse when I became a teenager. I was all gangly limbs and growing into my body. I grew up and took dance classes and I finally conquered it.
Whenever I was in a hurry or not paying attention, my clumsy nature showed itself again. Currently, I was in that situation. Alice had to repack her bag 3 times in the last 24 hours, making us late to get to the airport. Kate and Rose were bitching about having to run in heels. I turned to tell them to quit bitching and take them off, when I tripped over a crease in the carpet and fell onto the tile floor, sliding just a short distance. I noticed I was looking at a very expensive pair of sneakers. I heard a smooth voice chuckle and looked up at said person.
"Well, I've heard the phrase, but I've never had a girl literally throw herself at my feet."
He said, smiling a cocky smirk that equal parts turned me on, and made me want to slap him. He put his hand out for me to take to help me up. I begrudgingly took it and he pulled me up to stand.
"Yeah, have you had a lot of girls throwing themselves at you?"
He gave me that fucking cocky, sexy smirk again and winked at me. "You know it. My name is Edward."
"Well, Edward, my name is Bella." I looked at him with my eyebrows raised, appraising him. "And I'm not interested in throwing myself at any man's feet. I tripped. You may need to get over yourself just a little. I appreciate the quick wit, but not the condescension." With that, I grabbed the handle of my rolling suitcase and turned to walk where we were headed in the first place. I heard his buddies laughing and high fiving. My friends rushed to follow me; I know I had stunned them.
Edward was hot as hell—sharp jaw, symmetrical features, green eyes, strong nose, and just enough scruff to make me want to lick that jaw—but I knew his type. He thought he could flash that crooked smile and girls would just throw themselves at him and drop their panties. It was insulting and ridiculous. A hot face and body never lasted, and they always ended up showing their true colors, eventually.
"O.M.G. B. I can't believe that you just totally dissed him like that."
"Yeah, that guy was hot, but he had some good-looking friends, too."
My friends rambled on about the many traits his friends had they each found attractive. I tuned them out. It irritated me that I found him attractive, but I was also proud of myself for showing some sort of composure around him. I'm sure he wasn't used to that. We got in line for the security check. We were flying to Tuscany, Italy. This would be our first all-girls vacation. Having made it through undergraduate school. Kate and I were going to continue on to our master's, Rose was going into med school, and Alice had just secured enough money from an investor (code for her parents) to get a boutique and sell her designs. We were all staying in New York for the foreseeable future, so we had rented a house together in SoHo and decided to finally take the vacation we had been saving and planning for the last few years.
I turned behind me to join in the conversation. That was when I saw the four familiar young men a few people back, waiting in the same line. I tried to tamp down the butterflies that fluttered in my stomach. This didn't mean that they were going to the same place as us. They were just flying somewhere, which people do every day. I threw myself into the conversation.
"I can't believe we're going to Tuscany. I'm going to drink so much wine!" Kate exclaimed.
We all chuckled at her. She was our resident drinker. Whenever there was any type of event or celebration, Kate was the first to head to the bar.
"I'm excited about all the great Italian food. I haven't eaten carbs for 2 months to prepare for this trip." Rose said, excited.
"The Tuscan countryside is gonna give me the opportunity for some amazing pictures," Alice replied.
I kind of felt like the odd man out. I've always just wanted to go to Italy. I wasn't going for the wine or food. Although both were pluses, the countryside was amazingly beautiful. I just felt like Italy was where I needed to be, and I've always wanted to travel there.
"I'm just excited for a vacation," I stated.
We got to the front of the line and got busy with checking in, going through the metal detectors, and having our carry-on bags checked. We all made it through security with no major issues, and I asked my friends if they wanted to eat. Our flight wasn't for another 40 minutes. We found a Subway near our gate and decided to eat there. I ran to the bathroom before they finished making our sandwiches and the girls told me they would find a table for us all.
When I exited the bathroom, I looked around for my friends. Alice was standing up waving her arms, but there were more than three people seated at that table. That is when I noticed Edward and his friends sitting with my friends.
Rose had a tall, muscled guy sitting next to her. Alice was sitting next to a guy with chin-length blond, curly hair. Kate was seated next to a tall, lean guy with spiky dark hair. My dear friends left the only empty seat right next to Edward.
'Those bitches,' I thought ruefully. I made my way over to the table and Edward politely let me by without a word. I started eating my sandwich.
"This wasn't my idea." He whispered in my ear.
I noticed his breath fanning across my ear and neck did funny things to my stomach, and he smelled like peppermint and sandalwood. It was a very pleasant smell.
"No, yet here you sit?"
"It was Emmett's idea. He thinks your tall, blonde friend is cute. I think she said her name was Rosalie."
Oh, she was giving out her full first name for introductions. That she meant she liked the tall, muscled guy sitting next to her, but she was going to make him work for it. Not everyone got to call her Rose or any variation of her name unless they had been properly vetted. We usually called her Ro, or if we wanted to fire her up, we called her Rosie.
"I think Jasper is into the short girl." He continued to speak close to my ear.
It felt like we were trading secrets.
"Alice," I verified.
He nodded. "Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot. From what I can gather, we are on the same flight and by some strange coincidence we are in the same hotel."
I looked at him in surprise. "That's some coincidence."
"I agree. I really wasn't trying to be a jerk downstairs."
"Look, Edward. No harm, no foul, but I don't know what you want from me. Our friends are attracted to each other, and that is great for them. I, on the other hand, have met a hundred cocky guys like you, and while you may be used to girls being all over you, I'm not one of them, nor will I be. That's not the kind of girl I am; so if that is what you are expecting then you can look elsewhere." I explained to him.
"Noted, Bella. I haven't met a girl like you though, so I'm gonna say that I'm intrigued. When you have girls throwing themselves at you constantly, as you assume I do, when one presents a challenge, it sure makes things exciting." He replied.
"Ugh. You are such a guy." I groaned.
"Guilty." He said, raising his hands and smiling.
I crumpled up my sandwich wrapper, having finished the sandwich, and lightly lobbed it in his direction. It hit him in the face, and he picked it up and threw it perfectly into the trash can.
"Showoff," I mumbled. I looked at my watch. "Ladies, we need to head back. They're going to call for us to board soon. It's been real, Edward," I said and got up from the table, leading the way out of the Subway to go get in line for the gate.
As another strange turn of fate, we ended up sitting right behind Edward, Emmett, Jasper, and Garrett, as they introduced him. This made Rose, Alice, and Kate excited. I, however, was ambivalent. I could see that this vacation may not be as relaxing as I had first thought. If I had this guy chasing me all over Italy, I was gonna have to get some better shoes. I sighed and went back to my book.
~SDI~
Halfway through the flight, Rose, Alice, Jasper, and Garrett were all asleep. Kate, Edward, Emmett, and I were all awake. Emmett turned around in his seat and asked Kate if he could switch seats for a second. Curious as to what he was up to, I made a gesture that she was welcome to if she was so inclined. She got up and went to sit by Edward, while Emmett came and sat next to me.
"Yo!" He exclaimed.
"Um… hi," I said, unsure.
"So, I was wondering if you would tell me what's the story with Rosie?"
I spluttered on my water. "Well, I wouldn't call her Rosie when she is in earshot. She hates people calling her that, especially if she hasn't told you your allowed to call her that. She's all about respect, so I'd call her Rosalie, or if you want to get on her good side, call her Miss Hale." I explained.
Emmett flashed a dimpled grin at me and rubbed his hands together. He looked like a little kid, and it made me warm to him immediately. I could tell that he was going to give Rose as good as he got. The mischievous glint in his eye just reaffirmed that theory.
"Got it. What if I called her Mistress Hale?" He asked.
I laughed. Yep, I liked this guy. I wondered why he was friends with Edward, but we can't all be perfect.
"There's not a whole lot to tell you. She dated some assholes in the past, so she just wants someone to respect her and treat her the way a girl should be. She may seem like a girly girl, but she is not into all the hearts and flowers bullshit. She would rather work on her car or go have a juicy burger than do her hair and makeup."
"That's so hot," he said, awestruck.
"That's the mystery of Rose. Beautiful and smart, that one." I told him.
He nodded. "Awesome. Thanks, Bells."
I saw that Kate was talking to Edward, and he seemed to be paying attention to what she was saying. At least he seemed like a guy who was a good listener; he wasn't staring at her boobs, or anything else, he was looking at her face. Interesting.
"So, what's your story, little one?" He asked me.
"Mine? Oh, not much to tell. Single college girl, going on vacation with her best friends."
"Oh, so, you don't have some boyfriend back home missing you?" He guessed.
I tried to not react to his question, but I never had the best poker face. My lips turned down in a grimace. "Not anymore."
"Uh-oh. What happened?" He queried, with genuine concern.
"I had a boyfriend, now I don't. Nothing different from what happens every day to people all over the world." I said, trying to keep the acid out of my voice.
"He cheated, didn't he?" He questioned.
My eyes widened, wondering how he knew. "How—"
"We all have our talents, little one, and that is one of mine. Whoever he was, he was a moron and not worth your time. You deserve someone who knows what he has and appreciates it," he said, showing me those dimples again.
"You don't even know me that well." I pointed out.
"No, but I see the way your friends look at you and how they talk about you. I'm good at observing people, it's easy when people look at you and just see 'dumb jock.'" He answered.
"I don't see a dumb jock. I see someone who is gonna give Rose a run for her money." I said sincerely.
"Here's hoping."
"So, how did you meet your friends?" I asked
"Oh, actually Edward is my brother. Garrett is my cousin. Jazz and I were roommates in college. Been friends ever since."
"Edward is your brother?" This information surprised me.
"Yep, for the last 23 years. I had two blissful years without him."
I laughed along with him.
"What about you girls?" He asked.
"Alice and I grew up in the same small ass town. We met Kate and Rose when we got to college. Kate was my roommate, and Rose was Alice's. We didn't all get along at first. Kate was too domineering for me; Alice and Rose almost came to blows the first semester. But we all hung out more and more and worked on our issues.
"We all live together now. We all just graduated. Rose got into medical school, Kate and I are getting our masters, and Alice is done and ready to dress the world in her clothing designs." I said, assuming I told him too much, but he was nodding along.
Kate looked back at me and asked Emmett if he was ready to switch again.
"Oh, I don't know, Bells and I back here are getting along so well." He said, throwing his arm around my shoulders.
"Emmett—" Edward said, warning in his tone.
I narrowed my eyes at that.
"Keep your panties on, Eddie!" He exclaimed.
"Don't call me that," he said, exasperated.
"It was a pleasure Ms…?" He asked, standing up.
"Swan," I replied
"Ms. Swan." He gave me a curtsy and sat back in his seat, playfully punching Edward in the chest.
Kate sat back down in her seat. "I like him. He is gonna give Rose a run for her money."
"I told him to call Rose Ms. Hale, and he said he's gonna call her Mistress Hale."
Kate laughed out loud and then tried to stifle her laughter when Rose and Alice stirred. I giggled along with her. Edward and Emmett looked back at us. Edward looked curious, and Emmett just smiled and winked. This set off another round of laughter from Kate and me.
When we finally settled down, we chatted a little more about my and Emmett's conversation. She told me about her conversation. As usual, she dominated the conversation with Edward and said he was an excellent listener and wasn't staring at her boobs or lips. I think she respected him for that, and I could too. It seemed there might be a little more to him than a cocky player.
Soon Alice, Garrett, Rose, and Jasper all woke up. I was starting to feel a little tired, so I grabbed one of the airplane's standard-issue blankets, draped it over me, and listened to Jasper's smooth Southern drawl as it lulled me off to a dreamless sleep.
~SDI~
Alice woke me up by shaking my shoulder lightly.
"Hey, Hun. We are going to be landing soon."
"Thanks, Ali," I said, my voice raspy from sleep.
I rubbed my eyes and saw green eyes looking at me with a smile that wasn't the cocky one. I preferred this one much more. It was infectious, and I found myself smiling back at him. Then I winked and stuck my tongue out at him, causing him to laugh out loud. I noticed his eyes crinkled at the corners and the smile overtook his entire face, showing his obvious joy. He was kinda beautiful this way.
The flurry of people getting ready for landing and everyone getting their carry-on out of overhead storage soon interrupted our moment. Jasper and Garrett offered to carry Alice and Kate's bags, respectively. Emmett ogled Rose's ass while she grabbed hers and I stifled my giggle as I grabbed my own. Emmett sidled up to Rose, leaving Edward and I the odd men out.
"Do you feel like we may see very little of our friends on this vacation?" He asked me.
"Starting to feel that way," I answered.
"Well, looks like it's you and me against the world, Bella," he said, throwing his arm around my shoulder.
I giggled and thought, 'What the hell, might as well get along if we are going to be stuck together.' I wound my arm around his waist as we continued to baggage claim.
We broke apart to grab our luggage, and then all eight of us walked to the shuttle that was waiting to take travelers to the hotel.
In a move I saw coming a mile away; they left Edward and me to sit together. I rolled my eyes towards our friends and smiled.
"Oh, was that a smile, Ms. Swan?"
I laughed. "Don't push it, Edward. I would hate to have to push you into the hotel pool, fully clothed."
"You think you could? I'm pretty fast." He asked, smugly.
"Is that a challenge?" I shot back.
"I wouldn't dream of challenging you." He smirked.
I got the same aroused and enraged feeling again. This wasn't good; with him around all the time, it was only a matter of time before my resolve would crumble.
I got a reprieve from Edward when we all checked into our hotel rooms and went off in search to find them. Luckily, the guys didn't have rooms super close to ours. Alice and I were sharing a room, and right next door was Kate and Rose. We paid a lot of money for our rooms because they boasted a view of Florence with the Basilica di Santa Croce in the foreground and the hills of Fiesole in the background.
Alice and I unpacked and got everything put away in relative silence. I sat on the bed, messing with my phone as she went to the bathroom. Once done in the bathroom, she came and bounced on the bed. Now dressed in regular clothes, instead of her traveling clothes.
"Sorry if it seems we are pushing you on Edward. We just really clicked with his friends."
"I get it, Ali. I really do. But what's going to happen when we go back home? I mean, we live in New York, but JFK is an international airport, they could be from anywhere."
"Emmett and Jasper live in Queens. Garett lives in Port Washington and Edward lives in the city; he just finished his second year of med school at Columbia."
"He's a med student?"
Alice nodded. "I think that you may have judged him too quickly and too harshly. All the guys talk about him like he's a great guy."
"After Jacob, you know I can't stand the cocky, smug, I know better than everyone attitude. That is just par for the course for a guy who wants to be a doctor. They all have God complexes."
"I get Jacob fucked you over and he messed with your head, Bellsy, but you need to snap out of it. Not every guy who is cocky or confident is another Jacob."
"I get that, and I see little glimpses of a good guy in him, but he has admitted that he has tons of women throwing themselves at him."
"Honey, he is hot, has a family with money, and he is going to be a doctor. Those are just facts. But answer this: Has he ever said he took any of these women up on their offers?"
I thought for a minute, and I couldn't remember him ever bragging about sleeping with a lot of women. "I don't remember him ever mentioning he had. But would you tell someone like me that? Someone who has made her disdain for the whole player thing obvious."
"No, maybe not, but I don't get that vibe from him. You know I'm never wrong. Annoying, bossy, and overbearing sometimes, but never wrong," she replied, smiling.
Alice knew her flaws and embraced them. She knew she would need those qualities to be a good businesswoman in her chosen field of design.
I chuckled and nodded my head. Before we could continue our conversation, there was a knock on our door. Kate and Rose came inside, looking ready to go somewhere as well. I was starting to get suspicious.
"Alright, so who else needs a drink? I swear that Garrett guy is too damn hot for his own good!" Kate exclaimed.
"Kate, we're going wine tasting tomorrow. Can't you stay sober for 12 hours? I saw you had a drink on the plane." Rose asked.
"Ro, I've been 21 for almost a year and I'm finally finished with my degree. I want to celebrate. I stayed sober during the school year." Kate explained.
Alice and I shook our heads and smiled at their classic argument. Kate turned 22 on August 30th, so she had turned 21 right after school had started last year and she wasn't quiet about it upsetting her. She still drank during the school year, but we were in a place known for having superb wine, so she wanted to go crazy. Rose, ever the responsible one, made it known that it wasn't happening.
They continued their tirade with each other while Alice and I hid our giggles. Alice looked at her watch and smiled.
"Ladies, I feel like I need to cut this little argument short. The boys are supposed to meet us downstairs to go get some dinner."
"Ugh. Pass," I replied. "We have been on a plane for 10 ½ hours and with the time change I'm not able to be sunshiny Bella."
It was 11 am in New York, but here it was 5 pm. That was one of the reasons we chose such a late flight and we had planned on jet lag changing our sleeping patterns, but I still wasn't ready to play nice.
"B, you have to eat. Plus, we are gonna go swimming after dinner. You can't just mope in here, and you can't go to sleep. Fight the jet lag."
I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Whatever."
I got up and grabbed some clothes so I could go change. I came back out and was ready to go. I had learned fashion sense from my friends, but I still was a thorn in their side for my refusal to wear much makeup. I didn't feel the need for all that.
We headed out of our hotel room to the lobby downstairs. I saw Emmett before any of the others. He was taller than all the guys, and he stood out. He saw us, and his dimpled smile reminded me again of a little kid. It brought a small smile to my face, and I felt my mood lift slightly. I saw Edward next. He was talking to Garret and started laughing, and I was again struck by how gorgeous he was when he smiled like that. No pretenses, no bullshit, just pure joy and happiness.
We finally made it over to the group. Emmett called Rosalie Mistress Hale; Kate and I almost fell down laughing while Alice looked shocked. Garett and Jasper looked dumbfounded, and Edward had a small smirk on his lips. The most priceless reaction though was Rosalie. She was blushing, and she never blushed. I saw her smooth her hair down, and her hands were trembling. She looked at Emmett like she was going to eat him and smiled at him. I scrunched my nose; I knew very well what that look meant. I imagined either Emmett's roommate would be kicked out of his room or Kate was going to be knocking our door down. I hoped for the former because I didn't want to share a wall with that room.
Dinner was a loud affair. All of Edward's friends were funny, and they brought the best out in my girls. I could see what each girl saw in their chosen guy and understood why that instant attraction was there.
Where Alice was hyper, Jasper had an inner calm to him. He was charming and funny, not bothered at all by how boisterous she could be.
Kate was always one who loved the spotlight, and Garrett gave it to her. He hung onto her every word and even asked questions to keep her talking about herself. When she asked questions about him, he answered honestly and sincerely.
Emmett was mischievous and playful. For someone like Rose, who took herself too seriously sometimes, he brought a new side of her out. I had seen her laugh and joke around at dinner more than ever.
Edward and I didn't get time to speak much to each other but participated in the group discussions. There were a lot of lingering gazes and meaningful glances between Edward and I.
After dinner, we all went to change into our swimming suits and were supposed to all meet at the pool. The girls had gone without me because I was taking too long. I was headed to the pool when I felt an arm snake around my waist and pull me to the side. I almost screamed, but then I realized it was Edward.
"Jesus, you scared me!"
"I'm sorry. Just wanted to talk to you for a minute alone. Didn't get much of a chance earlier."
"No, that's the hazard of such a large group."
"What are your plans for tomorrow?"
"All I know so far is we are going wine tasting at one of the vineyards."
"Maybe you and I could hang out, like by ourselves."
I folded my arms and leaned against the wall. "I don't know, Edward. Do you think we're ready for that?"
"I guess we'll just have to test it before we know."
"I wonder," I said, sliding closer to him, standing right in front of me. "What might be your intentions of getting me alone?"
I saw him look me up and down. In my skimpy bikini, it made me feel exposed but excited me at the same time.
"I don't think I want to get kneed in the balls, so I think I will skip that answer."
I laughed, and he joined in.
"Let's go, Romeo. Our friends are waiting for us."
He followed behind me, and I turned to look at him and caught him staring at my ass.
"Busted."
He had the decency to look a little sheepish. I shook my head and continued.
We swam and horsed around until we were all completely exhausted; our skin pruned. We all talked about maybe catching breakfast together and the guys broke off to head to their rooms. As I assumed, Rose was heading off with Emmett and Edward hung his head. Edward, Jasper, and Garrett held a little pow-wow and soon Garett was headed off in the same direction as us after talking to Kate. Looks like some roommates were switching for the night. Fine with me, I was still keeping my roommate, so whatever. I just hoped Jasper could keep it in his pants for a week, so I didn't have to switch. Somehow, I didn't think that my luck would hold.
~SDI~
Wine tasting was a boring hobby. The wine guy kept talking about chocolate, cherry, or oak notes. All I tasted was different types of fermented grapes. Then you spit out the wine. We didn't even get to get drunk. Apparently, the guy didn't think my declaration was very funny when I told him that I was all about swallowing. I knew that had Emmett or Edward been there, they would have laughed at my joke. Alice looked just as bored as me, and I wondered how much convincing she would need to form a coup with me to get out of this hellish activity.
Looking back on it now, I should have taken Edward up on his offer to steal me away this morning when we had breakfast. He still wanted to hang out alone with me, and I was flipping back and forth between accepting and declining. I know Alice told me to give him a chance, and I wanted to, but there was a lot to get over.
Jacob really did mess with my head. I felt like a complete moron for not seeing it earlier. I saw the way he looked at other girls, and how he always got upset when I didn't want to be more adventurous in bed. Honestly, I didn't even really want to have sex with him when we did because there was no spark. I felt like I was kissing a stranger most of the time, and not in a good way.
Alice whispering in my ear pulled me out of my musing.
"I swear, I can't take much more of this Bellsy."
"Oh my God, I know. If I was going to sit and drink wine all day, I would expect to be able to get drunk. It's not like wine tastes good, except for that Vin Santo stuff."
Alice nodded, agreeing with me. "So, what are we gonna do?"
I grabbed her hand and pulled her with me to come stand by Kate and Rose. "Ok, we need to go. Alice and I are bored."
"Oh, thank God. I'm bored too. There is a lot of wine here, and I'm starting to get woozy." Rose answered.
"You can swallow it? I've been spitting it out. I thought your eyes were getting glassy." I said.
"Kate, it's time to go. Come on." Rose said, gently extricating Kate from what I'm sure was a riveting conversation about wine.
Alice and I politely dodged conversation from the other guests and booked it out of the venue.
On the ride back to the hotel, Rose was loose-lipped enough to tell us what had happened with Emmett. She kept from going into graphic detail because I started making fake retching sounds.
"Then we talked the rest of the night," she said loudly over me. "He's like perfect for me."
"You're lucky he lives so close. Garett lives in Port Washington." Kate complained.
"It's still in New York, Katie. Yeah, it's not in the city, but it is still really close," Alice said to reassure her.
"B is the luckiest. Her man lives in the city, just like us," Rose said.
"He's not my man," I argued.
"No, but he wants to be. I see the way he looks at you," Kate said.
"Believe me, I see it too," I replied.
"No. When you're not looking, Bellsy. It's not lust, it's like yearning," Alice said.
I looked at both of them in shock. I wasn't expecting them to tell me that.
We pulled into the parking lot of the hotel. As we got out of the car, I asked, "What is Edward's room number?"
Three sets of eyes snapped in my direction. They all looked surprised.
I snapped my fingers. "Room number."
Alice finally snapped out of it and rattled off the number and floor they were on. I walked off without any hesitation. I was about to take a leap of faith, and I prayed to God that Edward would catch me.
When I finally made it to his room, I had tried to talk myself out of it three times, told myself that this was a bad idea five times, and wanted to punch myself twice. I knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. Jasper opened the door. He saw me, smiled, and called for Edward, leaving me standing there. I saw Edward come around the corner and the minute he was within reach I grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him to me. I threaded my hands in that crazy hair and pulled his lips to mine.
The moment his lips touched mine, I felt that spark, the one I had been searching for my entire dating life. He seemed too shocked to respond for a few seconds, but soon his lips were moving with mine and one hand was in my hair at the nape of my neck and the other was at the small of my back, both pulling me impossibly closer.
He was a fantastic kisser and had Jasper not cleared his throat, I may have mounted Edward right there in the entrance to his hotel room. We ended the kiss and just stared at each other.
"Well, that's one way to greet someone," Jasper said, grabbing one of the keycards from the counter and sauntered past us. "I'll just leave you two alone."
"Do you want to come in," Edward asked, still looking a little surprised.
I nodded and walked inside.
Edward closed the door and leaned against it. "Not that I'm complaining, because I really want to do that again, but what was that all about?"
"I wanted to see if the spark was there. I have felt some sort of current or electricity since we met. The minute I looked into your eyes while I was on the floor in the airport, I felt it. I've just been screwed over so many times that I fought against it. You're just really persistent."
"Well, if this is what persistence gets me," he said, pulling on my belt loops, bringing me closer to him again. "Let's see what we can do about that spark."
This kiss was slow and deep. I felt it all the way down to my toes. When his tongue sought entrance, I immediately opened up to him. I started to feel a little melty, so it was a good thing he was holding me up. Soon, we were pulling away from each other again. He thread his fingers with mine and we sat down and talked for hours.
From that day forward, we spent our vacation together. As we had all coupled up, there were times when it was just Edward and me, but a lot of the time we were together as a group.
We all went sightseeing together. We visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Uffizi Gallery, Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, and Accademia Gallery. We all also rented a car and went to Rome for a day. Spending so much time together, I learned I had judged Edward too soon. He was confident and still cocky, but he was also genuine, honest, and kind. He wanted to be a doctor because he was passionate about helping people, not because of the money and power. I felt myself falling a little deeper every day.
The day we left to come back to the United States brought some trepidation. We were going back to real life, where we all had jobs, some of us had school, and we lived in different parts of New York. Edward was still in the city, but med school was not an easy thing, and even after that was over, he still had several years of residency. It was hard for me not to over analyze it. Seeing as we had seating arrangements from before we had all met, I had a lot of time to think.
I spent about an hour obsessing before I felt a large warm hand grab mine and link our fingers together. I looked up and saw that it was Edward. He pulled me close to him and rested his forehead against mine.
"Bella, stop worrying. I know there are things that we need to figure out, but we need to do it together, and we need to deal with any as we come across them. Don't talk yourself out of this."
"I couldn't if I wanted to. As I was sitting here freaking out about the 'what if's,' I realized I don't care. After a week, I still can't get enough, and yeah, it may seem quick, but I haven't learned one thing about you I don't like. Sorry, but you aren't getting rid of me that easily."
The special smile that crinkled his eyes took over his face and he gave me a quick kiss on the lips. That was all we were able to get away with before the eagle-eyed flight attendant came over and shooed him back to his seat.
When we finally got back to the US, I was more optimistic of our future together. I knew there would be struggles, and I knew it wouldn't always be easy, but I knew it would all be worth it.