Bella's POV
In my dark room, under the twinkling lights that are strung across my ceiling, the air feels almost as cold as a winter night. I'm not sure if that's from the open window or has to do with his body temperature.
Maybe both. But I don't know for sure.
Edward stands in front of my window, a few feet away from me. It's pouring outside and he's soaking wet. A puddle of water mixed with dirt pools at his feet.
The look on his angelic face is scared beyond belief. But I don't know why. He just got here - using my window as a door - and hasn't said a word.
His wet hair that's usually gorgeously tousled is a mess from the rain and the wind. His breathing is wired. It's too fast, yet shallow at the same time and I'm concerned. Something isn't right.
"Edward, are you okay?" I ask, keeping my voice down. My dad is still awake, watching TV downstairs and I don't want him to know I'm not alone.
I have a feeling that if dad knew Edward was up here, he wouldn't be very happy. He might even have a conniption fit. So it's better to keep this from him.
Edward shakes his head no. With that action water droplets fall from his head, splattering on the walls and floor.
Water gets on me as well. I quickly wipe my face with the back of my hand.
"Sorry about that." He mumbles.
"It's okay. Are you hurt?" I wonder, panicking a bit.
If he's injured, I'm not sure what to do. He's a vampire after all, I know he's different from me. How would I help him?
"No." He speaks.
His voice sounds off a bit. There's also something haunting in his golden eyes that wasn't there this afternoon. Usually, they mesmerize me but not right now.
Nope.
Right now, I see something in them that makes me worry for him.
"You say you're not hurt," I say, and he nods. "But you're not alright. Something happened, like you said on the phone. It's the reason why you don't want to go home but you're not saying what's wrong."
"Yeah." His voice is a sad whisper.
"Something happened between you and your parents. That's why you don't want to go home." I guess.
"Hey, I'm supposed to be the mind reader." He smiles weakly.
I bite my lower lip to keep from smiling. My guess was right, but I don't want to rub it in his face since he's in pain. That wouldn't be very nice.
Instead of saying another word, I go around him and close my window, shutting out the cold air, rain, and the horrible wind. With an audible click, I lock the window and twirl around. I'm taken by surprise to see he has turned around too. He has moved even closer to me, practically leaving no space between us. Unwilling, I jump at how close he is. He looks at me with an apologetic expression on his face.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He apologizes. "I should have shut the window upon my entrance. You must be cold."
"Don't worry about it." I reach out and touch his face. His eyes half close as I stroke his jaw line. "My pajamas keep me warm."
His eyes open wider, flashing from mine down to my clothes. He takes in the sight of my thick purple cotton pajamas before looking back at my face.
"You do look very warm." He seems very relieved.
"Yeah. But you look very, very wet." I pointed out, dropping my hand from his cheek.
"Sorry for getting your floor wet." He says, looking down at the puddle of water surrounding his muddy shoes. "I don't mean to be messy; I'm just not thinking clearly. Everything is going wrong tonight and to top it off, my phone is damaged from the rain."
He looks so sad.
"That sucks. But you're here now, don't worry about anything else." I say in an attempt to ease his worrying.
"That's not so easy to do right now." He frowns. "I'm thinking and worrying about everything. Including adding water damage to your floor."
"Really, it's fine." I insist and quickly add, "Would you like to talk about anything? I mean, about what's bothering you?"
He doesn't say a word. His hands are shoved in the pockets of his soaking wet hoodie, and he seems hesitant. There's a look in his eyes that tells me what he doesn't say; he needs me and doesn't want to go home at all tonight. Yet, he won't say any of that for one reason or another, I'm not exactly sure why.
"Maybe you'll tell me later." I answer my own question when he doesn't.
The corner of his mouth twitches ever so slightly. But still, he doesn't move or speak.
His silence intimidates me in a way I can't explain. But I ignore that feeling and pretend to be confident and brave.
I quickly close my curtains and move from our spot by the window, carefully walking past the puddle of water on the floor. The last thing I want is to slip and fall and end up in the emergency room for an embarrassing accident caused by a puddle of water.
I always seem to injure myself in the oddest of ways. But I'm determined not to do that in front of Edward.
No accidents, tonight or ever.
I hope to do just that, stay accident free. But I also know that's not always possible to do, at least for me. At least I make it over to my desk without falling down.
At my desk I grab the dark blue towel that's wadded up in a ball on the seat of my chair. It's the same towel I used to dry my hair when I got out of the shower tonight. Which had been a while before he called, announcing he would be coming over.
"You're welcome to stay the night if you want." I turn around with the damp towel in my hand.
"I'd like that very much." He says with a crooked grin.
"Good." I smile too. "Here, you can use this to dry yourself off."
I toss him the towel which he gracefully catches.
Wasting no time, I scramble over to my dresser. My stomach knots up from nervousness as I open the bottom drawer on the right.
The thought of my boyfriend spending the night with me, thrills me in ways I've never known. I'm tense, shy, and very enthusiastic, and trying very hard to not be awkward about this situation.
Spending the night with a boy is something I have never done before. Not to mention he's my boyfriend that happens to be a vampire who apparently doesn't sleep. It's all unfamiliar to me and I'm not sure how a sleepover works in this case.
Pushing aside all those thoughts, I fumble through the drawer of unused night clothes I never asked for. Such as a couple of unicorn kitty nightgowns that aren't my style. Multiple oversized superhero sleepwear, and Pokémon footie pajamas that look like they were made for a giant toddler. In fact, all of these look-like little kids clothes but they are actually in teenager sizes.
These are all things my mom has sent me. To say she doesn't know what I like is a complete understatement, but I keep the weird pajamas she gives me anyways. It's the thought that counts, as the saying goes. Besides, I never know when one of those pajamas will come in handy and there's one I have in mind that would be perfect for tonight. Not for me, but for him. The only problem is I'm having trouble finding it inside this overstuffed drawer.
"Nope." I mumble to myself, tossing a pair of giant green monkey footie PJs to the floor. "Where are they?" I wonder, still speaking aloud to myself as I push a Disney Princess long sleeve nightgown out of the way. "I know I still have them."
"Bella, what are you doing?" Edward wonders.
His voice is a whisper - a lot closer now. His sweet honey, lilac, and sunshine scent, mixed with rain, making it smell even better, is swirling around me. It smells so much better than any candle or even the most expensive perfume that money can buy.
I wish I could bottle up his scent and keep it forever. It smells so good.
I take a deep breath, breathing it in.
He asks me the same question again and I look up. I'm startled to see him standing beside me, drying his hair with the towel I gave him.
I'm not surprised by his quick and quiet movements of sneaking up on me. He's a vampire after all, and they are fast. He showed me how fast and quiet he could be when we were in my treehouse this afternoon. But I'm more alarmed by how sidetrack I am by how good he smells and have a hard time focusing on anything else.
I mentally facepalm myself for being so awkward and probably looking scared. Why can't I be just as smooth as he is?
"Just getting you some clothes to change into," I explain quickly, going back to rummaging through the drawer. Finally, I find what I'm looking for, I set it in my lap and begin shoving everything else back into place.
"That's very thoughtful," Edward begins slowly, sounding like he doesn't want to hurt my feelings. "But I won't fit into your clothes. They will be too small."
"Not these." I stand to my feet, handing him a pair of dark blue Superman sweatpants and a matching glow in the dark t-shirt.
"Uh?" He doesn't hide his confusion as he takes the clothes from me.
"These," I point to the sleepwear set he is now holding. "Are a size 16 - 18 in boys' clothes. Way too big for me. But they will fit you, right?"
He nods his head.
"Good." I smile in triumph, kicking the drawer closed. "I'll go brush my teeth and you can stay in here and change your clothes."
"Why do you have boy's clothes?" He wonders.
"My mom sent them to me for my birthday this year." I shrug my shoulders. "I can't explain why she sends me the odd things she buys. So please don't ask about that."
"Okay. I won't." He says kindly.
He knows all about my almost non-existent relationship with my mom, since I told him about it. I had also told him about some of the odd presents I have received from her over the years.
Such as a life-size Chucky doll from the horror movie Child's Play, that she had me watch with her when I was four. I don't like that movie one bit, it gave me nightmares for over a month. I was very freaked out by that item when I received it two years ago as an Easter gift. My dad ended up re-gifted it to one of his deputies who loves that movie.
There was also an orange Ed, Edd n' Eddie bowling ball she gave me when I was twelve. That would not have been an odd gift if I enjoyed bowling and actually liked that cartoon. But I didn't enjoy either of those things.
She also gifted me a three-foot empty SpongeBob piñata last Christmas and told me to always save it and never use it. It was the only gift she sent me during that time and she was so sure I would enjoy it. Though I have never once told her that I like that annoying sponge character, because I don't.
I also can't forget about the collectible set of The Golden Girls Geeki Tikis she sent me last Valentine's Day. That too, wasn't something I had ever asked for.
What was I supposed to do with any of those gifts? I do not know.
When we were hanging out in my tree house, I had mentioned all these weird things to Edward that I had received from my mother, which made him seem a little sad. Though he didn't say why.
I see the same sadness in his eyes as we stand here, discussing how I got these pajamas that won't even fit me.
It's not really an easy topic to talk about. Not about the strange gifts my mom gives me, but about her not really knowing anything about me. I know she loves me but just chooses not to be in my life since she lost custody of me when my dad stepped up, picking me up from Palm I wouldn't enter the foster care system, due to her neglect.
Though it's tough to talk about, it's not exactly difficult to tell Edward about it. He's someone that I find it very easy to open up to. I can be myself around him and know he accepts me for who I am.
The air gets cooler as the distance between us becomes smaller. This beautiful boy that stands in my room looking at me with the most loving eyes that I've ever seen. He puts one hand under my chin, tilting my head up to align with his.
No words are said between him or I. Yet I know what he's going to do, I feel it in my bones.
He leans in, gently placing a kiss on my forehead.
Okay. That's not exactly what I thought he was going to do. I was sure he was going to kiss me on the lips. But a forehead kiss is still nice.
He kisses my forehead again. My heart flutters, a content sigh escapes my lips and my eyes close. Being so close to him is purely heaven.
His lips slowly move from my forehead, over my right eye lid, then my left, and the tip of my nose, then my left cheek and my right. Placing a kiss his lips touch, making my heartbeat beat crazy fast in my chest.
The craving to feel his lips on mine is real. I hope he does it soon.
To my dismay his lips graze over mine, skipping the contact that I so desperately crave. Instead of giving me what I want, he places a gentle kiss on my chin and pulls back.
"Edward, kiss me." I beg.
He doesn't respond.
Breathing fast and wanting a real kiss, I open my eyes to see his face inches from mine.
"I love you, Bella," He says, his tone full of devotion.
It's the first time he has said those three little words to me. My head feels light, and my body is tingly all over.
"I love you too." My voice squeaks and my heart races.
A look of adoration twinkles in his eyes as a smile spreads across his face.
My movements mirror his as our eyes close and our lips finally meet. His lips move against mine, soft and gentle, yet very seriously. My mouth moves with his and butterflies float in my stomach. My hands reach up and wind in his soft hair.
He moans as my fingers pull his hair.
It's my turn to moan as he deepens our kiss, dropping the pajamas to the floor and putting his hands on my back. He holds me closer though keeping his distance from me, careful not to get me wet, since he's still in his drench clothes.
His left hand supports the back of my head while the other one grabs my waist. It's obvious he wants to pull me closer, but doesn't.
With my lips pressed to his, moving in a synchronized symphony has butterflies assaulting my stomach in waves.
Without a thought I part my lips and he softly pokes his tongue inside, exploring my mouth. My tongue moves against his as his hand that was on my waist, suddenly slides up my shirt. His hand leaves a cold trail that feels so good as he strokes my back and stomach, never going above my ribs. Though I wish he would.
Unconsciously I moan into our kiss. He tastes as good as he smells and his hand is teasing me with anticipation about where it might go - where I would like it to go. But he doesn't go higher. His hand rubs my lower back, coming around to my side, and finally to my stomach, dipping his finger in my belling button before completely removing his hand.
Wetness pools between my legs as our tongues continue their sensual dance. Our kiss is so passionate, nothing like our very first kiss in the park this afternoon, where I spazzed out. This one is different, more intense.
So much love and emotion is in our kiss. I never want it to end.
We keep kissing and soon I feel something wet poke my stomach. I don't know what it is. Curiously I press my body closer to the unknown object, wanting to figure out what it could be.
Edward scoots back parting his lips from mine. He blinks his eyes, looking hypnotized.
My breathing is heavy and so is his.
In fast movements his hand goes to the front of his pants, adjusting the bulge in his jeans. A look of embarrassment crosses his face as he catches me staring at him. He quickly apologies while I look down at my feet.
In an instant everything clicks inside my mind. The unknown object that poked my stomach was his hard-on!
Sparks sure did fly from our kiss, creating a fire within for both of us. There's no denying that.
I'm very surprised I felt his jean covered erection. My eyes might have lingered on that part of him a little longer than I should have. I really hope I didn't embarrass him again. It's hard not to look at the front of his pants for obvious reasons when that happens to him.
There's a part of my brain that can't help but wonder and imagine what it might look like.
Trying to push those thoughts out of my mind I look at him. Neither of us says a word as he bends down, picking up the clothes I gave him.
"Well," He stands up, clearing his throat. "That was something."
The way he says it makes it sound like we just completed some sort of experiment. I find his words silly and let out a nervous laugh. He does the same.
"You're a really, really great kisser," I smile, wanting more. "And the way you went under my shirt and touched my skin —"
"I hope that wasn't too inappropriate." He cuts me off, shutting his eyes tightly.
His face twists into a look of anguish and I don't understand why. Does he believe I wouldn't like the feel of his skin on mine?
"Not inappropriate enough." I say without thinking.
Edward's eyes pop open and he stares at me in disbelief.
"I… I mean," I stutter, mentally cursing myself for being so awkward. "I like skin to skin contact with you and want more of it. So much more."
Ugh. That wasn't what I thought I was going to say. It sounded so weird. I feel my face heat up and I want to disappear.
"Good to know." Edward smiles. "But I better change my clothes now." He whispers in a husky tone.
Unable to give a verbal response, since I'm very afraid I might say something else that sounds even dumber, I nod my head and hurry out the door. Being as quiet as can be, I shut the door behind me and sprint to the bathroom.
Feeling very excited and a bit nervous, though I don't actually know why, I stand at the sink, grabbing my toothbrush and toothpaste. While my thoughts are on Edward and our wonderful kiss, I mechanically go through the motions of cleaning my teeth. I can't wait to be by his side again.
Once my breath is fresh and my teeth are shiny, I rinse my mouth out and comb my hair. I want to make sure I look good tonight.
Looking in the mirror at my reflection with my hair all smooth, I quickly notice that I appear to be wide awake, despite it being my bedtime. That surprises me. I guess I am just very excited for my sleepover to begin.
My mind begins to wonder if we will kiss some more. I hope we will, and I sure wouldn't mind doing a little more. But does he want that too? After all, he was worried about being too inappropriate, which I don't think could ever be possible.
With no real answers to give myself, I shrug that off as I hear the TV shut off in the living room. Dad must be getting ready to go to bed. It's kind of early for him to turn in for the night which worries me a bit. Because he might go into my room to tuck me in and say goodnight like he normally does, but if he does that tonight, there's a big chance he might notice Edward and I can't let that happen.
From downstairs the old recliner creaks as I hear dad get up. The light switch clicks off, the bottom stair squeaks as he begins to walk up the staircase. My heart pounds in my chest and I think fast.
Deciding it's best to meet dad in the hallway to give him a hug and say goodnight, so he has no reason to go into my room like he normally does. I shove my hairbrush in the draw, shut it and run out of the bathroom.
Barely into the hallway I trip and fall, landing on face first with an audible thump. At the very same time I hear a loud noise coming from my room as something crashes to the floor, immediately followed by another loud bang.
Between me falling to the floor and whatever is happening in my room, there's so much noise going on up here. Usually, our house is very quiet at night. But tonight, it's the opposite.
Something else falls in my room and if I had to guess, I would say Edward opened up my closet and things began to fall. It's a big mess in there since I just shove everything in there. I maybe should have warned him about that, but I never thought he would need to open my closet for any reason.
"Bells," Dad's feet pound up the stairs. "What's all the noise about?"
Deciding not to pick myself up off the floor, so I have an alibi for all of the noise. I lay where I am, and sign.
Falling is embarrassing but at least Edward didn't see. But so much for no accidents, which is what I was hoping for.
"Nothing, Dad. I just fell, that's all." I groan.
He runs up the rest of the stairs and down the hall, right to me. I push myself up with my arms and look at him innocently as he helps me up.
"What hurts, honey? Do you need a Band-Aid?" He has a panic expression on his face. The same one I've seen thousands of times when I hurt myself in the past when I was a little kid.
But that's just it, I'm not little anymore. I'm an independent fifteen-year-old. I don't want my daddy rushing to me every time I get hurt. Especially not tonight when my boyfriend is hiding in my room. I want to play it cool, which isn't easy for me to do.
"I'm fine," I can't help but sound annoyed.
Dad frowns. He takes me in his arms, wrapping me in a hug. Even though I feel irritated with him, I give him a hug.
"Are you sure? It sounded like you really took a tumble." He says, as our hug ends. "For a minute I thought you were going to fall through the ceiling."
"Haha!" I laugh sarcastically.
"Really, kiddo," He insists. "Your fall was very loud. Are you sure you're alright?"
I roll my eyes as he checks me over for any injuries and a possible concussion.
It might seem like overkill, but this is actually routine when I fall since I did get a concussion when I was ten. That was after I fell in the kitchen after demonstrating how well I could do jumping jacks, ended up falling to the floor, and had a mild concussion from it. Going to the hospital was not a fun adventure. There were so many X-rays and CT scans that had to be done.
I know I didn't hit my head tonight so I should be able to avoid going to the hospital. I patiently wait for dad to be done with his examination.
"I don't see any signs of a concussion." Dad says in a very calm tone.
I can't help it; I roll my eyes again.
"What?"
"You don't have to do this. I'm not a little girl anymore."
"You'll always be my little girl," He affectionately pinches my check.
I guess there's no stopping him from insisting I'm still small. I wonder if this is the way all dads see their daughters.
I let out a dramatic sigh.
"Alright," He pulls me in for another hug, I wrap my arms around him. "Since you're such a big girl," He kisses the top of my head. "I'll say goodnight to you now and let you go to bed on your own. Sounds good?"
Relief washes over me as I realize he won't be going into my room tonight. Which means he won't have a chance at uncovering my little secret.
"Yeah, Dad, sounds great." I agree and kiss his cheek. "Good night."
"Good night, baby girl." He playfully says as our hug ends.
I scowl at him in mock annoyance.
"It's late, go to bed." He chuckles, walking down the hall.
I say nothing more, thinking about who is waiting for me in my room. My stomach knots up in excitement as I move closer to my bedroom door. As much as I want to rush inside and run to Edward, I hold back from turning the knob.
Wanting to be sure dad won't turn back around, I wait until he enters the bathroom and shuts the door.
With a deep sigh, hoping to not be any more awkward tonight than I already have been, I open my door and walk in. Immediately I see Edward sitting on my bed wearing the Superman pajamas with the logo on his t-shirt which is glowing in the dark.
I shut the door behind me. Very carefully I walk over to him, trying not to trip over my own feet. He opens his arms, inviting me in with a smile. I imminently sit on his lap, and he wraps his arms around me.
"You look warm and dry." I point out in a whisper tone, putting my head on his shoulder.
"Thanks, I feel very super." He says a bit sarcastically, referring to the character on his clothes.
I giggle and so does he.
"What was all that noise?" I wonder, not moving my head from his shoulder.
"I made the mistake of opening your closet when I heard your father coming up the stairs. I was preparing to hide in there in case he came in here." He explains. "As soon as I opened it, there was an avalanche of stuff that fell everywhere. A tin I Love Lucy lunchbox hit me in the head and is now dented. Sorry about that, I'll replace everything that's now damaged."
"That's fine." I say truthfully. "I should have warned you about the mess in there."
His fingers stroke my back. "You should really organize your closet."
I scoff. That's not something I want to hear. I clean my room, why should I have to tidy up my closet too?
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Thanks for reading. :)))
Alice's vision of Edward wearing Superhero pajamas has come true. Hahah!
Please leave a pleasant review.