Living Within Four Elements
Ch 5
"I'll get right onto that," Edward said, before heading straight into the room phone to call reception.
Bella followed Edward and sat on the small two seater couch while she waited for him to work things out.
After a series of Uhuh's, I see's and are you sure's, the tone of Edward's voice indicated that the phone call didn't appear to be going too well before he hung up with a sigh, "there are no twin rooms available so they're bringing up a folding bed."
"Awesome." Bella said unenthusiastically. Those things were notoriously uncomfortable and squeaky to sleep on.
"Don't worry, I've slept in worse conditions," Edward said, showing his chivalrous side.
"Me too, but that doesn't mean you have to sleep on a thin mattress with lumpy springs when there's a perfectly comfortable king sized bed that we can share. We can even build a separation with pillows if that sits better with your sensibilities Edward."
"Well it's on its way now, so..."
"Up to you mate, I'm having a shower," Bella said, heading straight to the bathroom and leaving Edward to make up his mind.
By the time she was done, the hotel had already delivered the bed. It was still folded in half and didn't look at all substantial. Edward wasn't a small man and was staring at it as though he were an elephant who was asked to stand on an upturned bucket.
Bella packed the day's clothes away and took a running leap onto the king sized bed and made a show of pretending to make snow angels. "So much room, could fit the whole family," she teased.
Edward tried to look unimpressed but couldn't help the corners of his mouth from turning up at the sight of the lovely lady sprawled on the bed.
Although he was a gentleman, he was still a red blooded male and he made a concerted effort to supress the images that Bella evoked in his mind while she was wriggling all over the expansive mattress.
"Again with the amusement on my part," he said sarcastically, placing his hands on his hips and feigning a stern look.
Bella wasn't clueless and she didn't miss the moment that Edward raked his eyes over her form before looking away, asking what she wanted for tea.
Tea meaning dinner in Australian slang, but she had no problem keeping up.
The pair made their orders and while they waited, it was Edwards turn to freshen up and it wasn't the first time that Bella wondered how the rivulets of water would look running down his...
There was an intrusive knock at the door.
"Room service."
Snapping out of it, Bella proceeded to look after the meal and the server, who had made a move to enter the room by wheeling in the trolly.
What happened next unfolded like a trashy romcom, because at that moment, Edward exited the bathroom in just a towel.
Both women were instantly distracted and with that, the girl came to a sudden halt and Bella bowled right into her making the stainless steel closh's clang and some of the cutlery crash to the floor.
"Gees Edward, could you have timed that any better?" Bella asked, annoyed more with herself than she was with him.
"Sorry," Edward said - almost apologetically, before he rummaged through his bag and held up a pair of boxers and smiled roguishly, knowing exactly what he was doing to these women.
"Forgot these."
"That's like, totally ok," the young waitress said in a British accent, almost taking Edwards towel off with her eyes.
"Thanks uh..." Bella made an obvious demonstration of squinting at the girl's nametag.
"Oh! Jessica," the young woman informed proudly, making a move to pick up the fallen silverware.
Of course it's 'Jessica'. Bella thought to herself.
Edward ran a cursory eye over the waitress's backside as she bent down, before he made eye contact with Bella and wriggled his eyebrows at her provocatively.
"Thanks Jessica. Here, let me give you a tip," Bella said with mock pleasantry, thinking: I'll give you a tip alright, move along now.
Bella headed straight to her bag to rummage for some bills before handing the girl ten dollars and subtly herding her towards the door.
"Thanks again Jessica," Bella said with a fake smile.
"You're welcome. Have a lovely evening," Jessica said with excitement, distracted by the windfall that amounted to eighty Soloman Island dollars.
"We will," Bella said before closing the door in Jessica's face, turning her back to it and not quite getting the triumphant feeling that she was expecting.
While Jessica and Bella's altercation took place, Edward had quickly returned to the bathroom and changed into some clothes, making sure to keep an ear on the conversation between the ladies.
He re-entered the room at almost the same time as Bella had closed the door on Jessica and was secretly - not so secretly, because it was written all over Edward's face - chuffed at their exchange.
He leaned up against the door jam and gave Bella the same playful grin he had given both girls earlier.
"What?" Bella asked, knowing exactly 'what', which made her even more disappointed that she was letting herself act like a high-schooler.
Edwards grin grew bigger, "Nothing," he said with a shake of his head.
"Doesn't look like nothing," Bella said defensively.
"Maybe, but at least we're even now." Edward said cryptically - still looking like the cat who caught the canary - before he pushed off the wall and made a move towards the food service trolly.
The two sat across from each other at the small round meals table and ate in relative silence and when they were done, Bella turned down the covers on the monster bed, leaving Edward to set up the flimsy cot.
Edward couldn't escape Bella's bemused gaze from her perch above him, while he attempted to carefully settle onto the poor excuse for a bed without coming unstuck.
"You'll keep," he said, narrowing is eyes at her before settling down and letting out a breath he didn't realise he was holding.
Getting into a bed really shouldn't have been so difficult.
Bella giggled at Edward's expense and it seemed he was turning out to be the running gag.
Feigning indignation, Edward made a scene of snuggling in and looking comfortable - he was far from it- before closing his eyes and saying, "Good night Bella," with an air of finality.
"Good luck with that Edward," Bella teased and with that, she crawled up to the headboard and turned the lights off.
With the room bathed in darkness, both occupants couldn't sleep. Edward tried to get comfortable and tossed and turned, huffing and puffing with his efforts.
And Bella, who could have used the excuse that she was kept awake by said efforts, was distracted by the ghosts of her past that were threatening to reappear the very next day.
Mercifully, her thoughts were interrupted by a thump, followed by Edward moaning, "Ah Shit," under his breath.
Bella naturally turned on the lights and went to investigate.
The comical sight of Edward sprawled awkwardly on the now half collapsed folding bed, with his head down and feet up, had her desperately trying to suppress her laughter.
"Are you ok?" she asked. She knew she should have showed more concern, but it was impossible not to convey the humour in her voice.
"Just dandy," Edward said grumbling sarcastically.
"Do you want a hand?"
"Nope."
Bella couldn't contain herself any longer.
"That's right laugh it up little lady," Edward muttered.
And Bella did while Edward struggled to free himself not only from his awkward position, but also from the covers that had somehow wrapped themselves around him like a straight-jacket.
After a lot of grunting from Edward and uncontrollable giggling from Bella, Edward finally untangled himself enough to be able to do a backwards summer sault onto the floor and stood glaring down at the offending bed with his hands on his hips.
"Go-on tell it off, see if that helps." Bella said, goading him some more.
Edward enjoyed their banter immensely but was not about to let her get the upper hand.
He turned towards Bella with narrowed eyes, "You think that's funny?"
"Heck yeah," Bella responded, amused that Edward was so out of sorts.
"Really?" Edward said, taking a few ominous steps towards the slip of a girl.
"Yeah," she repeated, her big smile faltering for a moment upon Edward's advance.
"Let's see how funny you think this is!" Edward bellowed, and in one swift move he swooped Bella up in his arms.
Bella yelped from the unexpected tackle, before Edward threw her onto her back and proceeded to accost her with a tickle attack.
Between fits of laughter and pleading for Edward to stop, Bella squirmed and slapped at him weakly to try and evade Edwards probing fingers.
Edward was mindful to not let is hands meander to far from the official tickle zones but had to admit that he was thoroughly enjoying Bella's body beneath his own.
Maybe a little too much.
"Say you're sorry," he said in a raspy voice, pausing his attack on her only momentarily.
"Never!" Bella said defiantly, shortly before Edward restarted his onslaught.
Bella squealed uncontrollably, begging again for Edward to stop.
"Say sorry!" Edward said again, this time not giving Bella a break.
"Ok, ok, ok, I'm sorry," she said breathlessly looking up at him with her big brown orbs, "I'm sorry."
Edward stopped and started down at a very flushed Bella, her long dark mane fanning around her head wildly. Likewise, Bella took in Edward's features at close range, noting his pretty green eyes and the masculine square jaw beneath his neatly trimmed beard.
The pair exchanged a silent moment, and before it became too awkward, Edward made the move to roll away from the petite woman, positioning himself on the bed beside her with is arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling in contemplation.
Bella similarly wondered what had just transpired between them and the heavy breathing from their impromptu exertions was the only sound in the room.
"I did not expect to be rolling around in bed with you so early into our relationship, Mr Mason," Bella said, figuring that making light of the situation would at least make her appear a little less bothered by their close interaction than she really was.
They both laughed, Edward impressed with Bella's quick wit - and not for the first time.
"Well, Ms Swan, I had hopes but..."
Edward didn't get a chance to finish is answer before copping a pillow to the head.
"Hey! First you laugh at my expense and then you beat me with your pillow, what did I ever do to you?" he asked, sounding downtrodden.
Bella didn't want to admit what Edward did to her, so she started to rearrange the bed, careful not to make any eye contact with him.
"Aside from whisking me halfway across the world?" she answered with a question that was more of a statement while placing a couple more of the pillows between them as Edward watched on.
"I wouldn't exactly say it was me doing the whisking, Captain."
"No, I guess not," Bella said, finally satisfied with the pillow barrier between them but unfortunately, she was now fresh out of distractions.
So instead she invented one.
"On that note, we really need to catch some zee's before we fly the home straight tomorrow," she said.
Edward nodded in agreement and they both got comfortable, settling under the covers, before Bella turned the light off again.
"Night," she said.
"Night Bella."
Even though it took them a while, they both managed to get to sleep.
That was until Bella woke Edward with a whimper.
It wasn't the first time Edward had his sleep disturbed by her pained sound. Every night Bella had emitted the muted cries and Edward had wondered what it was that upset her so much in her dreams.
Not wanting to be too nosey, he never asked her but even so, it still concerned him to know that her sleep was far from peaceful.
"No" Bella repeated over and over and when Edward couldn't take it anymore, he pulled the away the pillows that separated them and tentatively reached out to gently touch her shoulder.
"Bella," he whispered softly.
Bella quietened instantly until Edward pulled back.
She mewled pathetically once again.
So he repeated the move, soothing Bella's torment.
Torn, he contemplated waking her.
"I am so going to hell" he whispered to himself and against his better judgment, he snuggled closer, wrapping an arm around her and hoping it would be a better option in the end.
Bella took a deep breath.
Edward tensed for a moment and as Bella relaxed with a long relieving sigh, he swore he heard her whisper is name.
Minutes later, Bella's breath evened out and Edward knew she was sleeping soundly.
It wasn't long until he followed her into a blissful slumber.
That was the first night that Bella dreamed of Edward.