Hello again! Guess who's back!!
This was a slow chapter to write. it just dripped out of my brain at a snails pace. Delightful imagery, I'm sure!
The first few weeks of school have really taken it out of me, and I've had a really had cough (not Covid thankfully). I basically didn't do any writing the whole first week because I was coming home and just falling into bed. That's teacher life, I guess.
It took a little bit to get everything to flow nicely, so I hope it's enjoyable to read! Have a good time, and I'll see you on the other side :D
BPOV
"This place looks really cute, actually," Rose said optimistically as we drove down a tree-lined street with various businesses.
I had to agree with Rose as I looked around the lively area on the East-side of Seattle where Alice had suggested we go shopping. There were a lot of independent businesses mixed in with the regular CVS and Subway. I'd never been to this part of the city, even when I was living here after college. It looked like a lot of the shops were newer, so perhaps the area had been gentrified in the last few years?
"Just up here." I pointed toward the parking lot behind the Starbucks on the corner we'd agreed to meet Alice in. While the line for the drive-thru was fairly long for mid-morning on a Saturday, there were thankfully plenty of parking spots.
Rose switched off the car and turned to me. "Now, are you ready for this?" she asked, her voice concerned but light. "No last-minute change of mind?"
I shook my head. I tried to smile but my lips were tight, so I knew I looked more nervous than prepared. "No. I'm sure."
"Okay, then," Rose said with encouraging confidence. "I think we need a game plan. Like, if you need to get out of there at any point, say a code word and I'll make up some sort of excuse and we can leave. That way you can have an easy out, but you don't have to feel like you might offend Alice."
I was so thankful for Rose. She always knew how to change the subject in the perfect way to distract me. "Like a safeword?" I laughed. "Do you have something in mind?"
"Yeah. Like, you could slip something into the conversation that I would instantly understand. Maybe you could start talking about wanting to eat octopus or something. Then I could say that that idea makes me feel violently ill and we go home."
"Don't you think that might give Alice the idea that I actually want to eat octopus, and then she'll want to take me out for a plate full of tentacles?"
"Well, something less tentically then," Rose huffed at my teasing. "Like soup? I don't know, something subtle. What if you hang your sunglasses from your collar or something like that?"
"Alright. I'll put my sunglasses on my collar if I need to signal you." Reaching out, I took one of Rose's hands. "I promise. And I can't wait to see what sort of emergency you could come up with."
Rose laughed. "Oh, Honey. Years of working in a hospital have prepared me for this. You have no idea how many wild emergencies I've seen."
Still chuckling, we got out of the car and made our way into the building. Instantly I saw Alice, sitting towards the back by the window. She waved eagerly.
"I'll go get us some drinks," Rose said softly before she left me to line up at the counter.
I made my way towards Alice, who jumped out of her seat as I got closer. "Hi, Bella," she practically sang and pulled me into a friendly hug. "I'm so glad we're doing this!"
"Hey, Alice." I pulled away from her and gave her a smile. "How are you?"
"I'm great!" She smiled broadly and moved to sit back at the table she'd been waiting for us at. "How are you today? Are you as excited as I am to go shopping? Was that Rose?" Alice nodded her head toward where Rose was waiting at the pick-up counter. I was becoming more accustomed to Alice's habit of asking way too many questions at once.
"I'm good, thank you," I said as I sat down opposite her. "And yeah, that's Rose." I left the question about my level of excitement unanswered, hoping that Alice wouldn't notice.
"How far along is she?" Alice asked as she looked over at Rose. Then her head snapped towards me. "I didn't mean that in a 'she looks huge' sort of way. I was just thinking about how many outfits she might need to get and which stores we should go to."
From everything Edward said about his sister, I had assumed Alice was always an overly confident and self-assured person. While it definitely seemed like that was the case when I'd met her, the dinner with the Di Nalis had apparently affected her more than I'd thought. That, or Edward had spoken to her before she'd come today.
Trying to put Alice at ease, I smiled and waved her comment off. "Don't worry, I won't say anything," I reassured her. "She's five months, but she's actually having twins. A boy and a girl."
Alice paused and looked at me with worry. Her eyes shifted back and forth between Rose and me. "Oh, what a surprise! That's really lovely," she said delicately, her tone full of tact. "Are you excited?"
I could tell Alice was worried that my sister-in-law having twins would 'trigger' me, or something along those lines. It was clear to me now how much Alice already cared, even if she didn't know me well yet.
The smile that took over my face was uncontainable. "Yes! I'm very excited. We have twice as much joy coming to our family. And it really wasn't that surprising when you take into consideration that Rose has a twin brother, too."
With a breath, Alice relaxed. She picked up her large iced coffee and swirled the straw around, making the ice clink together. It was hard to wrap my head around how such a small woman could consume such a large drink. "So, it just runs in her family and it's not just some cruel twist of fate."
"What's a cruel twist of fate?" asked Rose as she approached the table with two drinks. She had already taken a large sip from the strawberry lemonade refresher she carried, but in front of me, she placed a cinnamon dolce latte with toasted vanilla syrup and white chocolate mocha sauce. It was my go-to order back in college and it warmed my heart that Rose still remembered that little detail.
"Your brother," I joked, before taking a large gulp from my cup.
"Oh, yeah. That's for sure," Rose nodded as she eased herself down into the remaining seat. "Some of the things I had to deal with growing up with him were definitely cruel." She then turned to face Alice directly and stuck out her hand in a very forthright manner. "You must be Alice Cullen. I'm Rosalie."
Alice took Rose's outstretched palm, completely unintimidated. When I'd first met Rose, I'd felt so insignificant being anywhere near someone so insanely beautiful until I got to know her better. It probably helped that Alice was incredibly beautiful and had grown up in an exceptionally attractive family. All her relatives and extended family were probably as good-looking as Rose and she was used to it.
"Nice to meet you," Alice beamed. "And congratulations! Bella told me you were having a boy and a girl."
"Thank you," replied Rose, who ran her hand over her round belly. "Emmett and I are really blessed with this 'two for the price of one' pregnancy. We're really maximizing productivity."
Alice laughed heartily. I was glad to see she got Rose's dry humor. People often thought she was a bitch, but that was only because they hadn't figured out how straight a face she had. Rose really had a Morticia Addams vibe - cool and aloof, with a sense of humor so dark people were frequently confused.
The next few minutes were spent going over the list Rose had made of everything she wanted to get. She wanted to get as many clothes as possible to fill out her wardrobe, as most of the maternity clothes she already had were getting too tight. There were also a few larger things Rose needed for the nursery. She'd had to send the changing table she'd bought online back after one of the parts was faulty, so now she wanted to make sure she could see the product before she purchased it.
After we'd compiled our to-do list, we headed back out to our cars. Following Alice, we pulled into a strip mall that had a large baby outlet store, as well as a few maternity and children's clothing outlets. Now I understood why Alice thought this place would be perfect and I thanked the heavens she hadn't chosen a store like a Chanel Momma and Baby store if that even existed.
Rose proclaimed that trying on clothes was going to exhaust her, so we first headed to the furniture store. Alice was excited to find out that Rose had a Pinterest board for the twin's nursery, and proceeded to score her inspiration and pepper Rose with questions.
I didn't know what cosmic shopping voodoo Alice was wielding, but she proceeded to find a changing table that Rose declared as being "Perfect!", as well as a high-end rocking chair and ottoman that had been marked down after being on display in the window. As we left, two store clerks kindly helped us get as much as we could into the back of Rose's SUV. Shopping with Alice certainly was a different experience.
We spent the next forty-five minutes in one of the larger children's clothing stores, oohing and ahhing over all the cute, little miniature things. I think Rose may have even spent almost more money there than she did on the furniture. I was immune to the adorable clothes either, spending way too much of my savings on matching his and her sets for newborns and babies.
I was looking through a rack of little boy's clothes when a wave of sadness overwhelmed me. Standing there, surrounded by all the blue, dinosaurs, and trucks, I saw a onesie covered in little fish and was instantly reminded of my son. I bought so many of these things, ready and waiting for when he came home. Dad had started the fish trend right after Jake and I had told him we were having a boy. From there, it all kind of spiraled, with almost everything in the nursery ending up themed.
Rose must have seen my look of despair, as she quickly wrapped up our time in the baby store by saying she really needed to get clothes for her before she bought more for two people who weren't even born yet.
Between Rose and Alice, my mood soon recovered. The two combined inadvertently became a comedy duo. Rose was her normal aloof self that she always was around strangers. Alice, who was incredibly energetic and enthusiastic about everything, seemed to sense that Rose warmed up to people slowly and was plainly trying to win her over. Rose, of course, knew that, so wasn't making it easy. Though I could see her resistance crumbling.
We were both finding it really hard not to like Alice.
She'd flit around each store, pulling items off racks with a practised hand and taking them straight to the dressing rooms. By the time Rose had looked around and found anything she wanted to try on, Alice had a stall set up like a professional. She also had an amazing eye. Everything Alice chose for Rose fit well and looked great, and it seemed like Rose was having more trouble deciding what not to buy.
"It's a little annoying how good you look in everything," Alice sighed as Rose came out in a deep red, shirred bodycon dress with elbow-length sleeves. It hugged every curve of Rose's body, accentuating her bump while making her look incredibly sexy. "I mean, that burgundy looks phenomenal against your skin tone!"
"And this annoys you how?" Rose asked, deadpan.
"Well, I just know that when I get pregnant, I'm going to look ridiculously out of proportion and nothing will look as good on me as it does on you right now," Alice explained. "You look like some sort of fertility goddess and I will look like…" She thought for a moment. "Have you ever seen a video of a pregnant chihuahua waddling around?"
That cracked through Rose's ice wall and her loud, genuine laugh rang free. Within moments, the three of us were in hysterics, clutching our sides and generally making a scene in the middle of the dressing rooms.
Gaining control of herself with a few deep breaths, Rose wiped a tear from the corner of her eyes. "Gosh. You're absurd," she giggled. It looked like Alice had gained her approval.
"You know," Alice said in a speculative voice. "If you'd ever like to do some modeling, my work is always looking for real pregnant women to model our maternity ranges. We're about to start our product shoots for next Valentine's Day and they are always gorgeous. Think classy boudoir shoot."
"Where do you work?" Rose asked in a curious tone.
"I'm a Lead Buyer at the online store Pick/See. We stock mostly American designers, as well as lots of smaller accessory labels. We're still growing, but we have national distribution."
Even though Rose was possibly the most gorgeous woman I had ever met, she was still insecure in her own ways. I knew one of the things she didn't tend to like showing when it came to her looks, after years of people only valuing her for her face and body, and modeling was something Rose viewed as performative.
But I also knew how much this pregnancy meant to her. After years of trying, and the heartache that came with not being successful, Rose deserved to celebrate this phase in her life.
"You should do it, Rose," I encouraged her with a nudge.
Rose looked between Alice and me with her eyebrow cocked. "I'll think about it," she said.
"It would be so fun," Alice cheered as she began to bounce a little. "And I would be more than happy to get you a copy of a few shots. You could always give them to your husband for Christmas."
That seemed to intrigue Rose, warming her to the idea.
"Ew," I whispered in jest, only slightly joking. I never really wanted to think about my brother's sex life.
"Oh, shut up" Rose laughed as she swatted at me, knowing exactly what I'd meant. "You lived with us for nearly six months; you know we have sex. I mean, come on, I'm very pregnant." She rubbed her hand over her rounded belly.
"You and I both know a doctor put those kids there, so I choose to remain blissfully ignorant," I ribbed, waggling my finger at her.
We all laughed again, more like old friends than strange acquaintances.
Rose headed back into the dressing room to try on something else, while Alice began to hang the clothes Rose didn't like back on their hangers.
"So, how did you meet Bella's brother?" she called out to Rose.
"Actually," Rose said, sounding slightly muffled. "Bella and my brother introduced us."
Alice turned her questioning gaze to me. "You did?"
I smiled and nodded back as Rose came out of the dressing room wearing a long, white, collared smock dress with wooden buttons down the center. "Oh gosh," Rose sighed. "I look like a tent."
"No, you don't," Alice waved her off. "And you're going to want some looser options you can wear for a while." Rose began twisting and turning, pulling at the dress to adjust how it fit over her still-growing bump. "So, you introduced them?" Alice asked me.
I nodded again. "Jasper and I were actually dating and that's how they first met. Was it that night Emmett picked us all up from that Spring break party after we drank too much?" I directed at Rose.
"It was," she laughed. "I remember because I puked in his car, but he was so nice about it and even called me the next day to see how I was feeling."
"Aww!" Alice sighed, while I chuckled, "What a sap."
"Okay, wait," Alice backtracked, looking back at me. "You were dating her brother?"
"Yes. Though we didn't stay together much longer after Rose and Emmett started dating."
"Why not?"
"Mainly because we both realized we were better as friends," I explained. "We became close freshman year and all our other friends convinced us we'd make a good couple, so we gave it a shot. We weren't a bad couple, but it felt very… safe. When Emmett and Rose got together, we saw what actual love love looked like, and not just friend love."
"Emmett and I were pretty hot and heavy at the beginning there," Rose chuckled. "We really showed them what attraction looked like."
"Ew! Stop!" I laughed, shaking my head to try and keep the images from emerging from where they were buried in my memory.
Rose ignored me. "They were close, but never the perfect match like me and Emmett."
Alice cocked her head to the side, intrigued. "In what way?"
"We were just never entirely right for each other," I said, remembering the way Jasper and I fell into a relationship and simply fizzled out.
"You mean you weren't entirely each other's types," Rose clarified, then turned to Alice. "Bella's type is sensitive and passionate men, though how they show those traits can be really different. Jasper is an emo nerd, but not in the right ways for her. My brother's type is… well, let's be honest, it's Zooey Deschanel. On paper, you'd think Bella would be perfect for him, but what he really wants is a manic pixie dream girl." Rose paused for a moment and looked Alice over. "As a matter of fact, are you single?"
Rose and I both started to laugh because she was right, Alice would probably be perfect for Jasper. When I looked at Alice though, I saw her cheeks blush, making me wonder if she was as unaware as I would have assumed.
"Okay. I think I'm done," Rose said, releasing a breath and walking back into the dressing room stall. "Let's get out of here."
"Wait!" Alice yelped. "There's just a few more things I wanted to see."
Rose groaned from behind the door. "I'm way too tired to try on anything else, Alice," she warned.
"No, it's…" Alice's eyes darted towards me, a little hesitant. "They're actually for Bella."
"Me?" I asked disbelievingly while Rose laughed, "Oh, well. In that case."
A wide grin spread over Alice's face when she realized she had an ally in getting me to shop. There was a devilish glint in her eye that made me think I wasn't getting out of that easily.
"How did you find something for me to try on in a maternity store?" I practically whined.
"Trust me. It's basically my superpower. I could find something fashionable at a garbage dump," she said with unwavering confidence. "And anyway, this place isn't just for maternity clothes. They have other stuff as well, you just have to know what you're looking for."
Alice picked up a pile of clothes that had been sitting on one of the other benches along the dressing room's mirrored wall. I had thought they were more rejects that she's discounted without Rose having had to try them on. Rose came out of the stall, arms laden with her selections, a smirk on her face.
At that point, Alice was unleashing a direct assault of puppy-dog eyes. She was doing a very good Puss in Boots impression and it was wearing down my resolve.
"Fine," I acquiesced with a beleaguered sigh, making Alice jump up and down with joy. She rushed into the stall Rose had just left and hung everything she'd chosen for me. Rose winked at me and mouthed "Bella Barbie" as Alice started rattling off instructions about what I should try on first.
Standing in the dress she'd asked me to try on, I didn't want to leave the stall. It was a high-necked, floral boho dress with elbow-length, voluminous sleeves. It came down below my knees, making me feel completely swallowed by the overwhelming brown and yellow pattern. Like a 1970s tent was turned into a dress.
I could see why Maria had never allowed Alice to put these sorts of clothes on her.
"Come on, Bella," Rose sang through the door, knowing full well I was stalling because I thought I looked absurd.
"Yeah," Alice clapped along. "We want to see!"
Reluctantly, I left the comfort of the stall and joined them in front of the larger mirror. I focused on Rose instead of Alice, latching on to her blatant amusement at the sight of me.
I obviously didn't hide my aversion well enough because Alice's face dropped. "You don't like it," she pouted.
My mind ran through the best ways to break the news to her. With a wince, I bit the bullet. "I'm sorry. I know you wanted to like the things Maria wouldn't try on for you, but it's really not my style." I hoped that was gentle so as not to hurt Alice's feelings, but clear enough that she would understand.
Alice's face mixed with emotions. She looked confused, hurt, disappointed, and offended, all within a few seconds. "I didn't pick that out because it was something I'd wanted Maria to wear. I actually thought it might go with your style."
"Oh," was all I seemed to be able to say. I didn't know if I had a 'style', or if I could describe it. But deep down, I knew it wasn't this Brady Bunch-esque ensemble.
"Bella's more of a 'good jeans and a cute sweater' sort of girl," Rose clarified, coming to my rescue.
"So no dresses?" Alice pouted.
"No, I wear dresses," I reassured her. "Just not so…" I tried to think of a way to describe it. "Floral," I said. At the same time, Rose said, "Boho."
She contemplated for a beat, but then Alice nodded. "Okay. No problem." Then she darted behind me into the stall, coming out a few moments later with a handful of coathangers. "Try the next thing on. I'll be back in a moment," she said behind her as she walked back to look through the racks.
Rose and I looked at each other and shrugged before I scurried back into the stall to take the monstrosity of a dress off my body.
The next outfit she'd set out first was completely different. It was a long, black pencil skirt with buttons on the left, running down to the hem, paired with a purple wrap shirt with slouchy sleeves. The top wasn't something I saw myself in, but I actually loved the skirt. It wasn't too tight and I knew I'd be able to wear it with a lot of the other things in my closet.
The reaction when I came out was completely different from the first time as well. Alice jumped up and down, bouncing towards me to fiddle with the way the shirt was sitting on me, while Rose looked a little shocked.
"I can already see this is so much better!" Alice sang. She looked like the cat that caught the canary, so proud of herself.
I smiled at her, letting her know that I was a lot more comfortable. "I like the skirt," I told her, making her smile even wider.
"Oh, good!" she clapped. "It really suits you! But what about the top?" She was more curious than hurt about the fact that I didn't like it.
"It's just a bit…" I searched for the right word. "Flouncy? And I'd never be able to wear it to work. I'd be paranoid that a kid would pull on one of the ties and the whole thing would fall off me."
Alice laughed at the image I painted. "Okay, so more practical-cute than funky-cute."
"Sure," I smiled. Though it sounded a little like a question, I felt more optimistic that letting Alice dress me wouldn't blow up in my face.
The next few things she brought me to try on were pretty much spot on, adding an adorable cardigan with embroidered stars along the edges and an extremely soft, turtleneck in a green that reminded me of Edward's eyes.
I was also extremely surprised about how much l liked a pair of high-waisted jeans she convinced me to try on. I'd always assumed that I couldn't wear high-waisted pants like that because I was short and I didn't want to end up looking like a giant pair of jeans with a head poking out the top. But Alice assured me that I wouldn't look like that at all. Nor did she hold back her gloating when she was proved right. I couldn't believe how long my legs appeared, or how great my butt looked.
"One last one!" Alice called to me as I headed back into the stall to get out of the magic jeans. "And you have to trust me."
A swathe of blue fabric swung over the top of the door and fluttered down to show a mid-length dress with a three-tiered, gathered skirt and puffed cap sleeves. The color was lovely, though the deep hue wasn't something I had really worn before. When it was on, it fell mid-calf, swishing with every move. The top of the dress had a shirred waist and a boob-tube style bodice with a small drawstring in the middle that created a sweetheart neckline when I tied it in a bow. Between the straight cut of the neckline and the sweet puff sleeve that sat on the very edge of my collarbones, my entire upper chest was bare.
I was so surprised by how beautiful and feminine the dress made me feel. It was both sweet and sexy, in all the best ways.
"Wow," said Rose when I came out into the dressing room. The voluminous skirt swirled around my legs, making me want to twirl. "Girl, you look hot!"
I couldn't hold back a giggle as I came to stand in front of the large mirror. I even bounced a little, making me look almost Alice-like. "You think?" I asked, a little unsure at how sexy I was feeling in the dress.
"OH MY GOD! Yes!" squealed Alice. "I knew that would look great on you," she added, adorably smug.
I couldn't stop swaying, watching the skirt swoosh around in the mirror.
"Buxom," Rose said suddenly. "That's the word I was looking for when you came out."
"Rosalie!" I sputtered through my laughter. I very rarely could tell what was going to happen next with her.
Alice seemed to have picked up on Rose's humor and that she was teasing. "Like a sexy Ren-Faire girl," she said, playing along.
"I'm pretty sure the proper term is wench," Rose clarified. "Sexy Ren-Faire wench."
"Ahh," Alice nodded as if Rose had just passed on some sacred wisdom.
"Though I was thinking more of a damsel on the cover of a bodice ripper," Rose went on, ignoring me. "You know, the old ones with the painting-style cover of a dude with long hair, embracing a woman with a heaving bosom."
"Stop!" I snorted, sincerely amused by imagination.
"Seriously though, Bells," Rose said, acknowledging me again. "That looks really good on you."
"You so have to buy it," Alice added.
"It's not too girly?" I asked. "I don't know where I'd wear it."
Alice looked offended by what I'd said. "What does 'too' girly even mean?" She besieged me. "And you could wear it literally anywhere!"
"Well, maybe not work. You look way too hot to be around teenage boys in that dress," commented Rose.
"Here," Alice said, pulling out her phone and snapping a few photos. "See how flattering it is? It makes you look womanly and elegant." She thrust the phone toward me.
I could see everything they'd said and I found it hard to believe the woman in the photograph was truly me. My waist looked slim where the waistband drew me in and the flare of the skirt flowed over my hips, making me look downright curvy. What I couldn't take my eyes off, however, were my boobs. I'd never been incredibly well-endowed in the breast department, though I'd always been happy with my B-cups. But the dress accentuated what I had, making me look exactly what Rose had said - buxom.
"Please get it, Bella?" Alice began to beg, her hands clasped before her. I was surprised she didn't drop to her knees in supplication. "Please, please, please!"
It didn't take much to convince me to buy the dress and as soon as I acquiesced, Alice jumped for joy. When she tried to convince me to try on a few more things, now that she'd "proven she knew what would look best on me", I shut her down. She tried to bring out the puppy-dog eyes, but being a teacher had given me a thicker skin when it came to guilt trips. I also got the feeling that Alice would literally shop until everyone dropped if I didn't put a stop to her now.
After Rose and I had checked out and were heading to our cars with armfuls of bags, Rose proclaimed she was hungrier than a tic on a teddy bear and needed to eat quick-smart or she couldn't be held accountable for what she did next. I knew how hangry my sister-in-law got on a regular day, so I calculated we had about ten minutes to find somewhere to get lunch.
Alice took control and within a few minutes, she found a nearby noodle place online and texted me the directions. She then dashed over to her car and hopped in, obviously assuming would just follow her. Rose looked at me with a baffled expression, before shrugging and opening her car door.
When we got to the restaurant, we joined Alice who was already seated, waiting for us. Rose huffed as she eased down into a seat. "Are you always such a bossy little demon?" she asked Alice testily.
Alice just laughed back at Rose's mood. "Kind of, yeah. I'm sorry. But, you looked like you needed food urgently back there, and I thought noodles would be the quickest thing that wasn't straight-up fast food or something you couldn't eat, like sushi. Was it not a good choice?"
"No. It's just…" Rose puffed out a breath. "You could ask next time. Just to check everyone's on the same page, you know?"
At least looking a little contrite, Alice nodded and apologized, just as the waiter approached the table. Luckily, it didn't take long for our food to be brought out, so it wasn't long before Rose's temper began to thaw.
Conversation flowed easily between the three of us, and I could see a future with more days spent like this. I was glad that it hadn't been awkward between Alice and me; my fears about her expectations had lessened as time went on.
Unfortunately, it was my old friend that made it awkward halfway through the meal.
"So, Alice," Rose began after a lull in the discussion. "Tell me about your brother? What are Edward's intentions around this whole situation?"
I almost choked on the shrimp I'd been chewing. "Oh my God!" I rasped, taking a sip from my water. "Why would you ask that? I've told you exactly why Edward reached out to me."
She shrugged nonchalantly. "I get why he contacted you. I just want to know if he has any ulterior motives in getting closer to you."
"What kind of motives do you think Edward could have?" Alice asked, raising her eyebrow in challenge.
"I don't know," Rose said in a slightly sarcastic tone. "Is he getting close to Bella in the hopes that she will eventually fall in love with him?"
"Come off it, Rose!" I protested. "Edward doesn't see me that way. He's still very much in love with Maria and I'm pretty sure that looking at me can be pretty painful for him at times."
Rose rolled her eyes. "You can say that, but I saw the way he looked at you that first time. It was so intense, even I could feel it."
"I mean, yeah," I scoffed. "Of course, his stare was intense. He'd thought he just saw the ghost of his dead wife!"
"Edward's intentions are pure," Alice interrupted our argument. "I know he would never consciously do anything to hurt anyone, especially Bella."
"Exactly," I chipped in. "Edward and I are just friends."
"What I do know is that being around Bella has really helped him," continued Alice. "He was in a bad place for a long time, but since they've been hanging out, he's been happier and more like himself than he has in a year. She's been a really good influence on him. If Edward has any ulterior motives, they would probably just be a motivation to heal himself."
"Alright," Rose intoned, seemingly mollified. "I just don't want Bella to get hurt. You've been through so much," she added to me, her eyes shining with sincere emotions.
"I know, Rose," I assured her, reaching out to take her hand. "But I'm okay. You don't have to worry about me around Edward. We really have become good friends."
Thankfully she let it drop and the rest of lunch passed fairly quickly. I was grateful that Alice didn't let Rose's bluntness affect her, diving right back into a discussion about Rose doing maternity modeling again. Rose had allowed Alice's enthusiasm to sway her and they were currently going through their schedules to find time for a photoshoot.
The two of them happily chatted away while I was lost in my own ruminations. Between Rose's inquisition today and Carmen's accusations last week, it seemed that everyone assumed that it was impossible for Edward and I to be anything other than friends.
Not that I hadn't thought about it. I had. A lot. It was a little mortifying to think that how I was feeling about Edward was so evident to the people around me. Surely Rose wouldn't have been so concerned about me getting hurt if she didn't think I was in danger of falling for Edward in the first place.
When we were leaving after paying for lunch, Alice gently pulled me to a stop just before we reached Rose's car.
"I just wanted to say thank you," she said softly. "I know we didn't get off on the best foot after last week, but I'm so glad you asked me to come today. I had a really great time."
"You're welcome," I smiled at her. "And I had a great time, too."
She looked nervous suddenly. "I wanted to apologize for last week, as well. I know that my presence didn't really help at all and I feel awful that I only made it worse. I was just so excited to meet you, you know?"
I once again wondered if Edward had had a talk with his sister after the horrible dinner with the Di Nalis last week.
"It's okay, Alice," I reassured her. "I understand and, not that you need it, but I forgive you."
Alice pulled me into a strong embrace and hugged me tightly. "Thanks, Bella. I'm really glad we found you."
"Me too," I mumbled emotionally before we broke apart and headed in different directions.
~oOo~
I was relaxing on the couch after having a light dinner, looking through story drafts from my junior narrative writing class, while a rerun of Charmed playing on the TV. I was engrossed with the sister's antics, dealing with Piper's powers going haywire while pregnant when my phone chimed.
E: Hey. How was the shopping trip today?
Just seeing Edward's name flash across my screen brought a smile to my face.
B: It was actually really fun. Definitely easier than I thought it was going to be
E: That's really good. I know Alice had a great time
B: I'm glad. It was nice to get to know her better
B: And she was in her element. We got everything Rose needed in less than 2 hours!
E: Oh yeah she's an expert
E: She came over for dinner and has been showing me photos
E: I see she roped you into her shenanigans ;)
E: It looks like you guys had a really good time
Alice had been snapping photos all day as she ran around looking at different pieces of furniture, or disappearing into clothing racks, leaving Rose and I in her wake. She'd find us again, minutes later, and show us all the things she thought Rose would like to see. Alice had also taken photos of the clothes we'd tried on, trying to show us the different angles of the outfits. I hadn't spared a thought at the time.
Now, the idea of Edward seeing the photos of me in the blue dress sent a blush spreading across the entirety of my body.
That dress made me feel beautiful and sexy, two things I hadn't felt in a very long time. I'd felt assured in a body that had been through so much in the last few years. I'd never really stopped to think about how the traumas I'd suffered had affected how I saw my body, but when I put that blue dress on I'd felt like the person I'd been before my world turned upside down.
B: I definitely bought more clothes than I have in a while
B: But you know what, I'd go shopping with her again
B: Maybe not for a few months though. Got to let my bank account recover
I really hoped my texts were coming off as cool and collected because I was still feeling anything but.
E: Hey
E: Now that you've met my sister, do I get to meet your brother?
E: I mean, Alice got to meet Rose… ;)
The thought of Edward meeting Emmett gave me a little anxiety, but I also knew that if I truly wanted to be friends with Edward, I would need to bring him into my sphere. Some of the most important things to me were my brother, Rose, and Jasper. Without their approval, Edward would always be on the fringe of my life.
B: I'm sure something could be arranged :)
B: I'll talk to them and see what we can work out
That night I dreamed of Edward once again. We were dancing - which was a dead giveaway that it was a dream because I would never be able to do that in reality - him holding me tightly in his arms. I felt the gentle caress of soft fabric against my legs. I was wearing the blue dress. When I looked down at myself, I saw were dancing across the surface of a placid lake. I could see my reflection in the dark waters as I peeked over Edward's arm.
The sky lit up, drawing my eyes to the heaven above me, only to see a roiling storm; completely silent to the two of us below. Beneath our feet, the once-smooth lake began to lurch. Edward's arms tightened around me, but I sudden boom of thunder jolted us apart.
I sprung awake, the sound of rain pelting against my window and the low rumbles of the thunder that had woken me faded as my heart calmed with it.
Of three things I was now certain. Firstly, mine and Edward's lives were becoming more entwined. Secondly, it was becoming harder and harder to suppress my profound attraction to him. And third, because of those feelings, I was doomed.
Well, there you go! I hope you liked it!
Alice definitely won both Bella and Rose over, and we all know what a tough customer Rose is!
What did you think? Do you see them becoming BFF's?!
Please leave a comment, I love hearing what you think!
Until next time, Lovelies!