Bella invited me over after school. We kissed seventy six times before her father came home! Yes! I am an expert kisser at this point and so is Bella. I am so good, in fact, that I expect I shall receive some sort of trophy or commemorative plaque soon, even if we are constantly interrupted and Carlisle has several Alta Vista search tabs open on his browser showing results for 'Pacific Northwest + chastity belts', 'How to make my adult son be chaste', 'lust repellent spray?' and 'Hip songs about abstinence'.
I have to hunt tonight, so Bella and I could only spend a few hours after school together. While she did a load of laundry I took the opportunity to scent mark everything I could in the house. I rubbed my face all over the couch, Bella's computer, several boxes of food in the pantry and Bella's school bag before getting caught in flagrante delicto with her living room rug. She caught me on her way to the linen closet with an armful of clean sheets just as things were starting to get quite hot and heavy, but I smoothly passed it off as looking for an item that had rolled under the coffee table. She said didn't understand why I had to wiggle my butt so much while searching, but went on her way and disappeared back into the basement long enough for me to have some stern words with both the temptress of a rug and my wayward nether regions. They didn't listen. They never do. I admitted defeat and opted for covering my shame with a cushion and sitting rigidly upon the couch until she returned.
Bella curled up against me and I set to scent marking her, burying my face in her hair and rubbing my jaw against her shoulder. Bella kissed my neck which was delightful and we settled into another long bout of kissing and sighing before eventually having to get on with some homework.
Bella was using her favourite green pen. After a while she broke her focus, then stretched, before asking me how I'd managed to find it for her. I told her the truth. I was a little embarrassed as it had taken me several months to locate, but Bella seemed surprised and then moved as she listened to how I had searched all over town, night after night before eventually finding it inexplicably in the possession of the foreman at the library during the renovations.
Once I finished explaining Bella looked quite sad, which worried me. Her eyes looked extra wet. I gave her some kisses and she hugged me and asked me why I'd bothered going to so much trouble. She doesn't seem to understand the depth of my feelings for her at all. I tried to explain, but found I couldn't without giving too much away, so settled for telling her that she seemed sad about it and it seemed important to her. She rewarded me with the softest kisses and a warm embrace.
Bella told me her grandparents had given her the fountain pen when she graduated middle school and that it has sentimental value for her, so she is very grateful that she has it back, but that I shouldn't have gone to all that bother just for her. I nuzzled against her and whispered that I would do anything to make her smile and that she deserves to always be happy. This was met with more kisses and things were getting decidedly enthusiastic when I heard her father approaching on his way home, about a mile away.
We made wistful farewells and promised to text until we could meet at school in the morning. I shall miss her greatly tonight, but she insisted that I need to hunt and for her safety she is right.
As soon as I left I missed her, so texted to say so. She replied that absence makes the heart grow fonder. But how could I possibly love her more? And yet each day I seem to. She is a wonder, ever changing, a new perfection every day.
A/N: Reviewers get seventy six kisses Edward before their fathers get home. And, perhaps, a commemorative plaque.
Thanks a million to my wonderful betas itsthatkindofanight and wh1teow1, please show some love and read Moirai, a reimagining of Twilight for the new decade!