Chapter 22: Finally!

Bella POV:

As I leaned in for a kiss, Edward pulled away. Wait, what? I felt a disappointed feeling in my stomach instead of a set of cold lips on my mouth. Had I misinterpreted everything that was going on? No, right? He said he loved me, why couldn´t he kiss me?

´Not that I don't want to, but Charlie is waiting for you. And he is not exactly pleased with me being here,´ Edward explained.

Oh no, I had completely forgotten to tell Charlie that Edward and I were working on a biology assignment together. I could only imagine the things that went through his head right now, how embarrassing.

´I will see you tomorrow then,´ I gracefully said Edward goodbye. We both got out of the car and he started walking towards his house. Edward turned around to wave at me and I waved back. And then I braced myself and went to see Charlie.

I wasn't even inside of the house before he started yelling; ´Was that Edward Cullen and why were you so cosy with him just now?´ Charlie was standing in the hallway, his hands on his hips and I couldn't help but feel annoyed.

´Hello, Dad. Nice to see you too,´ I sarcastically answered before I rolled my eyes at him.

´Don't use that tone on me, young lady. What is happening?´

´We´re actually working on a Biology assignment together. You can ask literally anyone in this town. I forgot to mention it to you, because… well… I wasn't exactly pleased with it either. The partners were already chosen and I couldn´t switch or else I would fail.´ I said much more gently. I knew Charlie was only looking out for me and I knew how it would look to him. Seeing your daughter absolutely heartbroken over her ex-boyfriend and suddenly that same ex-boyfriend returns again. And a few weeks later, your daughter is cozying up on him. I knew how it looked. I just didn't like it.

´It looked like you were about to kiss him,´ he kept nagging me.

´Dad, listen to me. I know what it looks like. But Edward and I have talked a lot over these last few days. He apologized and I believe his reasons now. You don't have to believe him or any of the Cullens, but I will have to ask you to have faith in my sense of judgement.´

I was stubborn and I knew it. I also knew that I wanted to be friends with him only a day ago and now I wanted him to kiss me, so I needed to get my head in check.

´I´m just looking out for you, Bells,´ Charlie said.

´I know that. And I appreciate it. But please, just let me make this mistake by myself,´ I smiled at him and went to my room.

I didn´t know if Charlie was right or not and that feeling was irritating me. Luckily, I had two female friends who could help me out for sure. First, I sent a quick text message to Jacob, telling him I would love to meet up this weekend before I opened my group chat with Jessica and Angela.

#Girlsquat

Bella: Girls, I went to the Cullens today and it was really nice. Edward drove me home and we had a moment… Until Charlie ruined it and now he's mad. Does he have a reason to be or not?

Jessica: Sis, you had a moment? Spill!

Bella: I wanted him to kiss me…

Jessica: OMG :D

Jessica: Go 4 it!

Jessica: We could go on double dates!

Jessica: Or even triple dates if Angela finds herself a man

Bella: Jess, that wasn't even my question!

Angela: He's looking out for you, Bella. But you need to listen to your own gut. Does Charlie have a reason to be worried? He's only trying to protect you.

Bella: I guess… I told him to trust me.. Edward and I really have talked a lot about us

Angela: And do you want to get back together with him?

Bella: …

Jessica: Bella, answer!

Bella: I just really wanted him to kiss me :(

Angela: Bella, think about what YOU want. Not Charlie. Not us. If you happen to get back together with him, we will support you. Right, Jess?

Jessica: Totally

Jessica: And if he breaks up with you again, we will key his fucking car, stupid piece of shit

Bella: Oh Jessica, I should never mess with you

Angela: And if you decide you don't want anything to do with him, we will also support that

Bella: I really needed to hear this, thank you guys xxx

Jessica: Anytime bae xxx

Angela: Sleep on it, Bella. We have your back xxx

Bella: Now that my relationship crisis is averted. Anything interesting happening in yours, Jess? ;)

Jessica: Sis, you won't believe the cute text message Owen just sent me. I was like, totally shook by it

After texting with them for a while, I´ve decided that Angela was right and that I indeed needed to sleep on it.

The next day was a Friday so I was glad the week was almost over. It really was one of the most nerve-wracking weeks ever and I was done with it.

I hopped out of the bed and saw that the sun was shining. This meant the Cullens would not be at school today because the sun would make their skin sparkle and they would be exposed. Slightly disappointed, I put on a knee-length, floral skirt and a blue pullover. I put my hair in two pigtails and was happy with the result when I looked in the mirror.

I rushed downstairs and made my signature bowl of cereal. Charlie was already gone so I had time to think about Operation Edward Cullen. What was I going to do with him? I still didn't know what the best outcome would be, so I´ve finally decided to let it go. I would just simply go with the flow and see how our relationship would proceed. I wouldn't make any harsh decisions right now.

Happy with the result of this little debate, I grabbed my car keys and opened the door.

´Edward?´

Standing in front of me stood Edward. A crooked grin that I loved so much, amber coloured eyes that sent shivers down my spine and worst of all; him knowing the physical effects he has on me. I just knew my heartbeat had quickened.

He saw what I was wearing and started smiling more.

´Good morning, Bella. I see we´re matching,´ He was also wearing a blue pullover. It accentuated the muscles underneath it.

I looked down at my clothes. He could wear a sack and he still looked like a snack, it wasn't totally fair.

´Good morning, Edward. What brings you here, the sun will shine today?´ I asked him, still unsure why he showed up at my door. I was happy with it, don´t get me wrong. I simply did not understand it.

´Indeed, so we all will skip school today. I've just wanted to see you for a minute before we go. Can I walk you to your car?´ Edward suddenly looked a bit hesitant and I wondered why.

´Those 10 meters? Are you sure I can handle that?´ I rolled my eyes at him before I burst out laughing.

´With your two left feet Bella, I can never be too sure,´ Edward said. He leaned down to give me a little kiss on my forehead and I stopped laughing altogether. The little gesture came as a complete surprise to me. The coldness of his touch sent shivers down my spine and I was sure, made my heart beat a little unsteady.

´Okay,´ I said. Very creative, very witty. Very good comeback indeed.

´I was also wondering if your shoulders were still sore from yesterday,´ Edward said, while gently brushing his finger over my cheek. Cheeks that were redder than a tomato, I was sure of it.

´My shoulders are fine, actually,´ I´ve found my voice again. ´The ice definitely helped.´

´I´m glad. We were all very worried for a second there,´ Edward winked at me. What was this? Dazzle Bella Friday? Make it stop. Let it continue. Argh. Not fair! He gently tucked at my pigtails. ´I like these...´ he mumbled.

´No need, I had a lot of fun. Really,´ I also smiled at him. I was sure my hideous attempts at flirting hadn't the desired effect, but I still tried. His eyes immediately got a little dark edge around the irises again. His glare became more persistent and he tried to reach out to me. I believe my smile even dazzled him, which was a great revelation. I winked at him before I hopped in my car and I waved at him. Two can play this game, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen.

After that eventful morning, school was definitely boring. I told Jessica and Angela every detail about my almost kiss with Edward. Then, Jessica told us all the details from Owen that we were missing. I enjoyed this harmless talk and I knew for sure that whatever I chose to do with Edward, they had my back.

During lunch, I received a text message from Alice, asking me if I wanted to shop with her tomorrow. My weekend certainly became a bit busy, as I had plans with Jacob for Saturday afternoon to watch a movie and on Sunday, Jessica, Angela and I would meet up.

The school day came and went, and soon enough it was Saturday again. Alice picked me up and Charlie was pleased with it. For some reason, he had blamed Edward for everything and the rest of the Cullens were off the hook. So Alice was amazing in his eyes and Edward was utter trash. Oh well, I could handle it. The topic of Edward was off the hook anyway.

But as said before, Alice picked me up and we went to Port Angeles. Alice told me she would buy me something nice, as a little thank you gift for our rekindling friendship. I told her it was absolutely not necessary but she insisted. And debating with Alice was pointless anyway, so I eventually agreed.

She found a beautiful a-line dress in dark blue. We jokingly said I didn't even have to try it on as Alice could see in her vision that it fitted perfectly. And it did. The fabric hugged all my curves in exactly the right places and the a-line made sure my waist looked perfectly. The dress accentuated the hourglass shape of my body and I had to give Alice credits where credits were due; it was a beautiful dress.

After our shopping trip, we sat down somewhere to eat a little piece of cake and drink tea. Or at least, I was eating. Because Alice could not eat human food, she ordered my second best favorite cake so I had two cakes. It was the best day ever.

Alice brought me home, where Jacob was already waiting on me. She creased her brows a bit, but after I asked her what was wrong, she didn't answer. I kept pushing as I didn't like being left in the dark, and she told me she could not see Jacob´s future. It weirded me out but I paid no attention to it.

I got out of Alice´s car and went over to Jake. I was worried for a second that things would be weird between us, because of my stupid attempt to kiss him, but he assured me everything was fine. He pulled me in a hug and I felt at ease.

The movie we were about to watch was something he had chosen. It was a stupid horror movie and I was scared during the whole thing. Something about werewolves. Absolutely not my cup of tea.

We talked a bit about our dads, about school and about our attempts to ride motorcycles. I didn't want to bring up Edward again and Jake did not push further. I could imagine my Dad had already talked about it with Billy, so Jake would have already heard by now that I was more than friendly with Edward.

After he went to his house again, I made myself comfortable and watched a romcom. I had to delete those scary images out of my head. It didn't work so I eventually just went to bed.

Sunday came and went. I had fun at Angela's place as I always had fun with those two. Jessica could talk about Owen all day, and I was happy with the distraction. The rest of the afternoon, I spent doing homework and preparing meals for the week.

But then, Monday morning arrived. I had made myself busy the whole weekend to avoid thinking about Edward. And it worked. But now I had to face him again. And only I could choose how I wanted to face him. What attitude I wanted to have. How I would approach him. And I had decided I would go full femme fatale on him.

So I put on Alice's dress. I knew Edward liked dark blue on me. And I put my hair in pigtails again, as I remembered his words from last Friday morning. I carefully put some brown eyeshadow on my eyelids and finished it off with mascara. A little bit of highlighter and I was good to go. I was pleased with my look, I was a real vamp.

Nonetheless, I was a little bit nervous when I was driving to school, but I had to contain myself. I was a woman on a mission, as I wanted to kiss Edward. I had made up my mind. I wanted him and I was getting it. Today. And no one could stop me.

I arrived, and I noticed I was receiving a few looks from boys across school. Seductress points: +1

I even saw Emmett´s Hummer, so I knew the Cullens were already there. I spotted Edward first. The look he gave me… It was hunger. It was passion. I knew he wanted me, I saw it in his eyes. And I saw how annoyed he was as he could probably hear some upsetting thoughts about me from the boys around him. Nice. Seductress points: +2

I then saw Alice. She noticed I was wearing the dress we bought Saturday and she gave me a huge thumb up. Seductress points: +3

I was very pleased with my entrance.

During the day, I made sure to keep an eye on Edward. As if I needed to because his gaze kept following me like a hawk. I could not wait to get a minute alone with him, as I felt the jolts in electricity coming off from us. We were magnets, getting pulled towards each other. The harder I pulled away, the faster I kept coming back to him. The harder I ran in the opposite direction, the harder I returned. It was as if there was thunder, the clouds were already grey but you kept waiting for the storm to eventually begin. Even Jessica noticed the change in my behaviour today.

My salvation came during lunch break. I walked towards the canteen but Edward was already near me, touching my elbow to grab my attention.

´Can I get a minute?´ He asked me. I nodded. He brought me to the forest behind the school. If my brain was working, I would have thought it was quite ironic as this was the exact same spot, at the exact same time, where I asked him to leave me alone a few weeks ago. And now we were here to kiss. A full-circle moment. But I wasn't thinking clearly so that wasn't the thought I was thinking.

He turned to face me. ´Bella, you have no idea what you´re doing to me,´ he sighed.

This was it. This was my moment. I walked over to him, making sure I came closer to him so he knew exactly what I wanted. ´I think I have an idea,´ I whispered. I looked into his golden, amber coloured eyes. I cupped his cheek with my hand, softly stroking it. And then, I got on my tiptoes. With the hand I was holding his face, I gently pushed him down to me, so our lips could meet in the middle.

I gave him a quick peck on his cold lips. It was a test kiss, to see if my body still reacted the same as before he went. And it did not. The feeling of kissing Edward had only intensified while being away from him. My heartbeat quicked, my blush only became redder and my knees were wobbly.

Edward grabbed my face in both his hands. One hand on my cheek, the other in my hair. He stared at me, asking me for permission. I nodded at him.

And then he kissed me. And I kissed him back. The hand that was holding my face had to grab my waist, preventing me from falling. He was stroking my hair while keeping my face as close to his as possible. As if I wanted to loosen my grip! Both of my hands were now tangled in his hair. Oh, his hair, how I´ve missed it.

Our lips were moving slowly at first, exploring how the other would react but as the hunger was still not completely fed, our movements became more desperate. We simply clung at the other, afraid of letting go.

Not knowing what I was doing, I instinctively opened my mouth a little bit. I tasted his scent on my lips and I had to moan a little bit for how good it felt. I then felt Edward stiffen.

This was it, this was the moment he would pull away. In the second that rested me before that, I quickly licked his bottom lip with the tip of my tongue.

And then the most unexpected thing happened. Edward moaned in return. It was the most heavenly sound in the world and it made some muscles in my body tense on commando. But unfortunately, he did pull away.

´I´m going to try something, Bella. I want to deepen our kiss, but you need to keep your tongue inside your own mouth. Do you understand that?´

I nodded. Did he want to deepen our kiss? We had never done that before, so I was very thrilled to try it this time.

He kissed me again. This time, he was the one who was licking my bottom lip with the tip of his tongue. His cold and wet touch sent shivers down my spine and I gladfully opened my mouth to welcome him. He carefully entered my mouth and I made sure to not stick my tongue into his.

He pulled back again and swallowed. He smiled at me. ´Venom,´ and winked again. As the only fluid in his body was venom, he did not want me to taste that and accidentally kill myself in the process.

We kissed each other again. Now that we knew how it worked, it became easier. We knew the rules. I could not stick my tongue in his mouth and he had to stop each minute to swallow back his venom.

We kissed during our whole lunch break. I was sure Jessica could forgive me for that if I gave some minor details about our kiss.

We walked back hand in hand. I could not delete the smile from my face. We walked across the parking lot and almost arrived at the main entrance from the school when I heard a familiar voice.

´Bells?´

I turned around.

´Jake?´

A/N: Lifehack; find yourself a partner where you can practise ´vampire kisses´ on to see how it would work. It was rather awkward to test this kiss in real life, but I had a lot of fun