Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
AN: I am finally reaching the plot! I know the beginning was all fluff!
"I can't help what I hear." He choked back the rest of his laughter and backed out of the driveway and sped off.
"So are you going to tell me where we're going?" I grinned and realized that the speed wasn't so bad. It was something I related to Edward and anything related to him was good.
"When we get there." He turned and stroked my cheek and I felt the surge of heat come to my cheeks at his touch.
I watched the blurs of trees and cars go by as he started in his own version of twenty questions. It seemed like no matter how many questions he asked me he always had more, and I hoped he always would. I replied honestly to the questions and then began to ask him questions.
"Were your eyes topaz before you were changed?" I asked.
"Yeah, but slightly duller." I was shocked I couldn't imagine him having anything but those glorious eyes.
"Any chance you have any portraits or pictures or yourself from then?" I really wanted to see him before he was changed.
"No, Thank God. I wouldn't want you to see me then." He gave a secret smile.
"Why?"
"Trust me. It was different then I am now and besides you can't anyways," he reminded me.
"So, can you swim?" I realized I'd never asked him before.
"Of course!" he laughed.
"I want to see that."
"Maybe someday."
"Someday as in, maybe in a hundred years?" I hinted and he fell silent. "Sorry, I shouldn't have done that."
"Well for that you lose your turn." He said referring to our question game.
"Can you blush for me?" he turned to look at my face.
"I can't do it on command!" I acted insulted.
"Bella…What color is your underwear?" I felt the familiar rush of heat and knew he had his wish.
"Edward! Please, normal, remember?" I turned away.
"Blushing is perfectly normal." He argued and I smiled and watched the flow of trees stagger and then disappear completely only to be replaced by stores and cars.
"Seriously, where are we?" I was getting excited now.
"Santa Cruz." He replied and I nearly screamed. California! And to my happiness it looked very overcast. A perfect day. He slowed and parked the car along the sidewalk.
"Now what?" I asked, preoccupied just watching people walk around.
"We shop." He got out of the car and I felt my smile fall off my face.
"Huh?" I followed him out and could almost smell the ocean. "But, shopping really?" I was expecting this to be a joke.
"No, you'll love this." And he led me into the nearest shop. I was hit by a wave of candle scent and began to browse through a store of seemingly random signs and items when I realized where I was.
"A music store?" I asked happily.
"Sort of. More like a collection of random things for sale, some of which involve music." I was beaming and began to look through the old records and posters. He began pointing out his favorites and I pointed out a few that I really loved. After a few hours browsing shops my stomach and I decided that I should call Charlie then go get something to eat. But first I ran to the counter and asked to woman for the nearest bathroom. When I came back the clerk was eyeing Edward strangely, I thought maybe she had attempted to hit on him.
I pulled out my new cell phone and dialed the home number. It rang twice and Charlie picked up.
"Hey!" I answered, and quickly explained my cell phone and told him we had driven to town and would be back before midnight (my new curfew now that Charlie and Edward were buddies). He was nice and told me to be safe.
I dropped the phone while attempting to place it back in my pocket and nearly fell into an old lady while reaching for it. Of course Edward caught me and, after placing me back on my feet, broke into laughter. I mumbled an apology to the old woman who seemed perplexed by the god-like boy roaring with laughter and the quiet, clumsy girl. What a pair we make, huh? I retrieved the phone and watched her waddle off. I turned and glared at Edward.
"What?" he choked, "I didn't attack an elderly woman, don't look at me like that." And with that I turned bright red.
I began to stomp off and soon felt his cool, hard grip around my waist and realized that I had thundered off in the wrong direction. We quickly righted my mistake and kept walking, leaning on each other (me more than him). We walked like that until we reached a restaurant. And the waiter lazily sat us and read the specials. I ordered quickly and ate even faster. Edward seemed to enjoy watching me.
"You look at me like I'm your pet." I accused.
"That wouldn't be so bad." He grinned, "Having a trained Bella pet for me."
"You couldn't train me if you tried."
"Want to bet?" the challenge was on.
The waiter came and gave us the check.
"Bella, don't even think about it." he commanded as my hand reached for the bill. I quickly retracted my hand and realized I had lost, pretty fast and bad. I shook my head and pouted.
"Come on Bella. Come on girl." He whispered as he stood up. I glared at him and stayed put. He reached over and picked me like he was cradling a baby. As he carried me out like this I must say I enjoyed watching the women's faces go from surprised to open-mouthed-gaping once they truly looked at who was carrying me.
"Where to now, Jeeves?" I joked and he put me down.
"I want to show you something." He looked deep into my eyes and I found myself wobbling and clutched him for support.
He picked me back up, against my small protests, and carried me to the beach. I was in awe, it was so beautiful. We weaved between the few tourists and children and walked on the seemingly endless strips of beach. His hand entwined with mine, I was amazingly aware every time his fingers so much as twitched. Then when the little sun that was visible began to sink below the horizon he grabbed me and took off, in a run, vampire speed. I found myself laughing as he swerved to avoid a jogger we looked put off as a "breeze" nearly swept him off his feet. He stopped on top of a small hill.
"I thought you said no vampire stuff." I chided.
"Well, if you weren't such a slow walker." He grinned then got a little nervous looking and I tensed.
"What?" I looked around and he gave a laugh.
"Nothing, Angel. Nothing." And pulled me close, he wrapped his arms around me just under my chest with my back towards him. We watched the barely visible sun sink down below the water and I could catch glimpses of his arms sparkling in the sunlight. I was truly in heaven. The sky turned pink and his grip tightened a little.
Then he released me.
I spun around and saw him standing back a little.
"Edward?" I was growing worried.
"Bella, I love you. I really do, when I said that you were my life, I meant it. I could never let you go. I want so much for you and part of that is me not being with you, you being human." He continued as I started to make a noise of protest. "But really I can't do that. Not without killing us both and I think that we've been so serious lately. I just want to be close to you. I hate leaving you." He stopped and looked so deep into my eyes I thought that I would cease to exist if he turned away.
His topaz eyes were locked in mine and his serious face was gorgeous in the fading pink sun. His straight nose and firm jaw line were only enhanced and held me enchanted. It brought tears to my eyes. He looked worried.
"Bella?"
"I'm fine, you're just so…" I shook my head slightly. "I love you." I finished at a loss for words.
His eyes grew softer and he stepped close to me.
"I want you. Forever. For as long as the world is, until time has ended and even then I want to be with you longer." His words took my breath away, and I noted that in his unusually nervous demeanor he had stopped breathing.
"Bella, what I'm saying is that I decided the other night." Then I stopped breathing. "I want to spend eternity with you, and I want you to be mine. So, yes, I'll show you I can swim sometime in the next hundred years. I want to marry you Bella, I want to see you everyday. I don't think that seeing you every second for all of eternity could ever make me love you less. Be with me Bella." I inhaled and looked back just as fiercely into his eyes.
"For eternity and more." I whispered and ran into his arms. He pulled me closer than I thought possible and we stood like that until I thought that my heart would burst and the sun was well below the ground.
I looked up at him and kissed him. My arms snaked around his back and neck and slid down to his waist. His arms ran through my hair then were on my lower back pushing me closer to him. His lips were parted slightly and I ran my tongue along his teeth. He tensed then exhaled suddenly and I pushed closer to him, my hands creeping dangerously close to his butt and he pulled me into him in a wild breath. We stood like that until I was sure I would pass out and he released me.
There was no need to vocalize our feelings, we both were filled with passion and love and holding back was hard. There was only one thing left to ask.
"When?" I whispered into his beautiful ear. He knew what I meant.
"I think that I should change you after college."
"No, after high school." I argued.
"That's too soon."
"College is too long to wait."
"I'll think about it." he grinned remembering my words from before. I knew he meant it.
We drove home so fast, that even I was amazed. That night still seems like a blur to me. How can I describe the euphoria of knowing that I would spend the rest of my life with Edward?
I got home at 10, way before my curfew. With this new curfew I got more time with Edward, besides Charlie and Edward were getting to be friends, they trusted each other.
I got home and gave Edward a hug and kiss and ran inside, Charlie stopped me from running up to my room.
"Bella, your mom called and asked about you going to Phoenix after school. I think that's great if you want to go back home for a while." I could tell he wasn't too comfortable with this conversation. I knew we would miss each other.
"I know I talked to Edward tonight and he said that it'd be fine with him that's also why he got me the cell phone."
"He just got that?"
"You were my first call." I smiled and said goodnight.
I ran upstairs and checked my email, unsurprisingly my mom had sent me at least three. I sighed and replied that I would, in fact, be going down to visit her in a few weeks.
Until then I wouldn't be leaving Edward's side.
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Those few weeks were great, Edward hardly left me alone. I even got my cast off with him in the room.
School was over and because I was leaving the next day I had an excuse to miss a few parties –which didn't bother me at all. We were both anxious about me leaving, but Edward made me endless promises that he would visit. I could barely contain myself when the time came for me to leave.
He drove me to the airport with Charlie and gave me a small kiss. He was going to be following the plane; he had told me numerous times about how much me going on a plane with my attraction to trouble worried him. I told him it would be boring but, lo and behold, he insisted and I caved.
The plane flight was a mess, as predicted, I was seated next to a toddler and a mother. A new mother who couldn't keep a handle on her child. I was covered in slime by the time we reached Phoenix.
"Sweetie!" my mother screamed and ran into me practically knocking me over.
"Hey, Mom!" I was more excited than I thought.
"Whew!" she waved a hand in front of her face, "You smell!"
I pointed to the mother and toddler as they passed by. The toddler remembered me and stuck him slimy tongue out at me.
She laughed and we got our bags.
"Where's Phil?" I was curious, I had the idea that he'd be there too.
"He's busy. He'll see you later." She said shortly. My mother was only slightly better at lying than me.
When we were home and I couldn't believe just how unfamiliar everything looked, even my room seemed foreign. But I smiled and asked if I could have a minute to change and unpack. Then I was alone.
I opened the window and called out Edward's name.
"Hey." He whispered from behind me and gathered me up in a huge hug. He didn't seem to mind the smell until he placed his head in the crook of my neck and then leapt back.
"Change now." He choked.
"That bad?"
"Ugh." He replied and quickly turned away. I blushed to myself as I changed quickly behind his back.
"Better." I had barely had the word out of my mouth then he was over me kissing me and holding me.
"Edward. I have to go see my mom." I said after a minute. He groaned and left quickly.
Renee decided that the best thing for me to do was to go to the mall, she wanted me to have some light clothes for the weather.
I decided I liked the mall there, it was the one relief from the constant heat outside. We browsed and shopped while talking about purely girly things. School, friends, Edward and Phil. She still had a surprise but she wouldn't even hint at anything.
12 stores and purchases later we got manicures; mine a light pink, Mom's a simple French manicure. When we were leaving the mall I caught the first glimpse of him.
He was very tall and very muscular, with sandy brown hair, perfect blue eyes and model like features. And he had his eye on me.