Chapter 10. The Starry Night
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Rosalie's POV
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Rosalie barely just refrained from pouting as she stared after Bella's car. The night had gone better than she expected and she kept replaying Bella's timid words in her mind; "So I'd like to…try," Truthfully a part of Rosalie had been prepared to be shot down, so it took a beat for Rosalie to realise the implication. Bella had given her a green light at courtship. If Rosalie was a different person, she would have swooned on the spot.
"You did swoon," Edward called from his room.
"Stop listening to my thoughts asshole!" Rosalie bit back, beyond annoyed at his constant commentating to her private thoughts. She ignored Edward's quiet apology and the murmur of conversation from the rest of her family, who were undoubtably talking about the night events themselves.
While she would forever deny it if asked, Edward was right. She did swoon. Bella brought out this different side to her, a side Rosalie didn't know even existed. Her family certainly did not, to their never-ending delight. She had never put much stock in the concept of soul mates, despite spending all these years in the company of Esme and Carlisle, then later on Jasper and Alice. She always thought they were an exception, or perhaps that she was.
Royce had ruined her romantic side in her human life, or so she had thought up to this point. Although truth be told, she used to be horribly naïve about those things, only relying on information she read in frivolous romance novels and the rest she based off the relationship her good friend Vera's had with her husband. Then her supposed 'prince charming' broke her.
The next century was spent in bitterness and self-loathing, dismissing every romantic prospect and suitor with a sneer and a cutting tongue. She thought she would never love nor be loved, not genuinely. She knew she possessed exceptional beauty, and she figured that was the only thing people saw her worth in. Until Bella came barging into her life uninvited, but most certainly not unwelcome. At least after a few months of denial. Bella was like a breath of fresh air after being stuck underground for almost 100 years. It was no wonder Rosalie behaved as she did around the girl. She was entirely new to the idea of dating, much less someone like Bella. She adored the girl, truly, but they were so alike in some ways that she figured it would be a challenge, at first at least. If not from Bella's side, then definitely from her own. Rosalie knew they had a long way to go, after all they both had many demons they needed to confront, but for the first time ever she felt hopeful about the future. Maybe she wasn't condemned to a life she never wanted. Perhaps Bella was her shot at a life worth living.
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The next day Rosalie was buzzing with energy as she waited for Bella to arrive at school. As soon as she spotted the car however, she froze. They had agreed to try and explore something between them, but they hadn't discussed further than that. Was she supposed to behave differently? How should she address Bella, should she use pet names like they did the night before? Would it be okay for her to touch her or was that inappropriate? Rosalie's mind reeled with unanswered questions and a feeling she rarely felt until she met Bella, resurfaced with full force; panic.
"Relax," Jasper encouraged gently. "Just be yourself and don't worry about the rest," Rosalie let out a shaky breath and nodded.
"Not too much though," Emmett piped up. "Just the correct amount of yourself, so don't threaten her with bodily harm and ease up on the glaring," Rosalie wasn't sure if he was genuinely trying to be helpful or simply teasing her.
"Although perhaps less of the nervous energy you display around Bella. It would be a lot easier if you could actually form a sentence or two," Alice added with a smirk. Okay so definitely teasing.
"No dropping books either," Edward joined in on the fun. To add on to his joke, he fished out a book from his backpack and handed it to Rosalie, who accepted it on pure reflex.
"Maybe she should?" Emmett looked pensive. "After all Bella finds that exceptionally cute,"
"Borderline adorable," Alice drawled and the two exchanged high fives. Rosalie raised the book high into the air and she took a threatening step forward, which made the trio take a step back in response.
"Hey now, we said no bodily harm or – "
"Dear?" Jasper addressed his wife, who fell silent. "You're not helping,"
"Fine," Alice sighed dramatically, as if the task was a hardship. "I'll be silent,"
"Now there's a first," Rosalie quipped, not intimidated by Alice's glare.
"What's a first?" a familiar voice asked and as if her siblings had rehearsed a comedy bit, Rosalie dropped the book in her hand. Edward, Alice and Emmett practically howled with laughter while Jasper was polite enough to hide his smile. Humiliation swept over Rosalie as she carefully bent down to pick up the discarded book.
"Alice being quiet," the blonde answered Bella tightly, carefully not meeting anyone's eyes.
"That only exists in a utopian world," Bella patted Rosalie's arm in a consoling manner. "Although I encourage you to keep dreaming Rose, one never knows. Miracles happen every day," Rosalie's embarrassment faded and she smirked instead at the joke made at her sister's expense.
"Hey!" Alice's laughter ceased abruptly, and outrage replaced her previous mirth.
"Hey," Bella said innocently in return, although hers sounded more like a greeting.
"I take offense to that," Alice informed her with a pout.
"That's unfortunate," Bella exclaimed pleasantly, as if discussing the weather. Rosalie snorted in amusement, her heart fluttering when Bella turned to her to give her a playful wink. The blonde wasn't sure if it was instinctual or if she had heard a part of the conversation, but it was obvious that Bella was trying to dispel her embarrassment. Rosalie appreciated it immensely. A part of her wondered how on earth the human managed to sneak up on her so easily, especially since she was usually hyper aware of her mate's presence.
"Aristotle is in savage mode this morning," Emmett whistled appreciatively.
"Was that a request for a burn Em?" Bella batted her eyelashes dramatically, smirking when the big vampire laughed.
"Not at all," Emmett shook his head, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "I've learned my lesson," Rosalie scoffed. As if Emmett would ever learn to not poke fun at someone.
"I agree with Rosalie," Edward said calmly, although no one else was privy to her thoughts. Rosalie mused the noise had been telling enough.
"What? What's with the doubt?" Emmett crossed his arms, although he looked more as a pouting child in that moment than the intimidation Rosalie guessed he was going for.
"Please," Alice waved her hand dismissively. "I'll give it five minutes until you piss Bella off,"
"Five is a bit generous," Edward smirked. "Two minutes and Bella will cut him off from video games this afternoon,"
"She won't cut me off," Emmett declared with a scoff, although he eyed Bella unsurely.
"Don't even," Edward sassed. "You will never be in a relationship with her but somehow you're still whipped,"
"I'm not whipped!" Emmett gasped, genuinely offended at the remark. Bella's shoulders tensed at the word and without thinking too much of it, Rosalie discreetly reached out and laced their hands together. Bella relaxed at the contact and squeezed Rosalie's hand gently in silent gratitude.
"Tell them Bella!" Emmett demanded, completely oblivious to Bella's discomfort.
"Of course you're not, dearest," the brunette assured him, although a bit condescendingly. Rosalie had to bite her lip to not laugh out loud. Emmett frowned, obviously recognising the tone as well.
"Come on, we have math first," Alice told Edward brightly, grabbing his arm and practically dragging him towards the school building. Jasper shook his head with a small smile and followed. Emmett stayed for all but one minute until running after Jasper, asking if he was truly whipped or not. Rosalie stared after them with a quirk to her lips.
"Are you okay?" Bella's voice captured her attention.
"Yes, why?" the blonde asked, eyeing her mate's smirk with apprehension.
"You got that far-away look in your eyes," Bella's teasing smirk widened. "And there's the fact that you're still holding my hand," unlike the previous times Bella had made that same remark, Rosalie did not let go or jump away in embarrassment. Instead she playfully rolled her eyes and squeezed her hand gently.
"Maybe I just wanted to hold your hand?" she replied. "Is…that okay?" she added hesitantly. Bella responded with a warm smile and a nod, which instantly quelled Rosalie's nervousness. "Good," Bella studied her for a long moment.
"I know we didn't really talk about it last night but maybe we should," the time traveler finally spoke after a long pause. Rosalie swallowed thickly, wondering where she was going with this. "I know we agreed to take things slow, but I don't actually have a manual at hand," the joke eased the knot in Rosalie's stomach, and she smiled.
"Neither do I," she confessed.
"We'll decide the speed for ourselves," Bella suggested, which Rosalie nodded at. "I'll tell you if I find anything uncomfortable and expect the same from you,"
"Hand holding?" Rosalie checked, although she knew the answer already.
"Fine by me," as if to prove her point, Bella gave Rosalie's hand another soft squeeze.
"Dates?"
"I guess that sounds…nice," Bella seemed surprised by the request for some reason.
"You don't sound so sure," Rosalie remarked, half teasing and half concerned.
"No," Bella murmured. "I mean, yes. It sounds nice," she nodded, although more at herself than to Rosalie. The blonde suppressed the urge to smile at the cuteness. "I've just…never been on one before," the confession brought out mixed feelings for the vampire. She was both pleased that she would be the first one to take Bella out on a date, and nervous that there was now pressure for the date itself. It had to be perfect.
"That surprises me," Rosalie exclaimed honestly.
"Why is that?"
"You seem…" Rosalie searched for the right word. Flirty sounded wrong in this context. "Experienced?" it was more a question than a statement. A shiver ran down her spine as Bella's curious look shifted into a suggestive smirk.
"Don't worry, I have plenty of experience in other…areas," Bella stated in such a way that was abundantly clear what she meant by that.
"I wasn't worried," Rosalie cleared her throat, resisting the urge to fidget under that look. Now was not the time to think about the implications of Bella's experience.
"Right," Bella seemed amused and if she was anyone else, Rosalie might have punched them. Instead she wanted nothing more but to kiss that smug face away.
"Well… no one ever taken me out before," Bella's transformation from a teasing seductress to a shy young woman was a mesmerising one and highly endearing. "They were never interested… or maybe I wasn't… Anyway, it was never about…" she fumbled for words. "That,"
"I see," Rosalie murmured, looking at her mate with what Alice might have classified as 'adoring eyes'. "Well I am very interested," she winked, delighted when Bella blushed. Usually Bella was the unflappable one and she was the one stuttering.
"So am I," Bella cleared her throat and looked away.
"How about this Friday?" Rosalie proposed after a beat.
"Okay," the time traveler smiled hesitantly. "Cool,"
"Cool," the blonde echoed. Surprisingly the silence that followed was not awkward. Rosalie would even be so bold as to declare it rather comfortable. Unfortunately, more students were arriving and the bell would ring any moment, so they were forced to leave their little bubble. While Rosalie understood Bella's reasons, she still felt disappointment when the brunette dropped her hand when they started walking towards the building. Everything was too new for obvious public affection but Rosalie's hands itched to grab her mate's hand again.
"I'll see you at lunch?" Bella asked quietly when they stood in the hallway. Rosalie nodded and Bella offered her a cheeky wink before heading to her first class. Rosalie stood in the same spot for almost a whole minute before realising that other students were starting to stare. She quickly schooled her features and walked to her own class. The blonde barely even spared a look to Emmett as she took a seat next to him in math, too distracted with coming up with potential date ideas. She had to plan this carefully.
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"You're just full of surprises tonight Miss Hale," Bella exclaimed happily, her eyes darting around the quiet wooden area. "Is this the part where you'll kill me?" Rosalie's lips pursed, obviously not amused with the joke.
"That's not funny," she murmured with a frown. Bella realised the joke was in poor taste and smiled apologetically.
"I'm sorry," she offered sheepishly. Rosalie's face smoothed at the apology.
"I suppose I can let one comment slide, after all you have a pretty morbid humour," Rosalie rolled her eyes good-naturedly.
"I'm afraid it comes with the job description," Bella quipped dryly, wincing when she caught Rosalie's glare. "I mean…" she paused and shrugged. "Yeah I got nothing," Rosalie was amused despite herself. "To be fair you asked me out, so it's completely your fault if you aren't enjoying my company,"
"I'm enjoying it very much," the blonde told her honestly.
"Well that's good," Bella cleared her throat awkward at the sincerity of the tone and looked away, oblivious to Rosalie's private smile. It was good to see that her mate wasn't unaffected by her presence.
"So why are we here?"
"To kill you, obviously," Rosalie deadpanned, smiling when Bella barked out an unexpected laughter.
"Touché," the brunette acknowledged with a wide grin. Twinkling dark brown eyes met her topaz ones.
"We're here for the show," Rosalie smirked, enjoying the confusion on her mate's face. Taking pity on her after almost a minute of puzzled silence, the blonde pointed to the sky. Realisation lit up in Bella's eyes and she adopted a teasing smirk of her own.
"Are you trying to seduce me under the stars?" Rosalie rolled her eyes, ignoring how the joke made her flustered, because yes that was exactly what she was trying to do.
"Are you always in a perpetual state of being a smart ass?"
"The doctors have tried everything," Bella adopted a solemn expression, cracking a grin when Rosalie laughed.
"You're an idiot," Rosalie remarked fondly.
"We need to work on your terms of endearment," the time traveler quipped dryly.
"I didn't know those were an option for me yet," Rosalie commented slyly. She had to bite her lip to avoid laughing when she noticed Bella's cheeks reddening.
"Let's see how the night goes," Bella murmured vaguely. "So, what show are you promising me?" Rosalie rummaged through the backpack she brought with her and pulled out a blanket. She spread it out on the grass and gestured for Bella to lie down. The brunette raised one eyebrow but obeyed the silent command. Rosalie then lay down next to her, their arms barely touching.
"Meteor shower," the vampire finally responded.
"Really?" Bella asked with genuine enthusiasm. "That's so cool," Rosalie allowed herself to smile, happy that her idea worked out. Initially she wasn't sure if Bella would be impressed with that, but she wanted their night to be rememberable. Going to a dinner and a movie seemed too cliché and she figured Bella would feel awkward to be the only one eating at the restaurant. Plus, those kinds of dates didn't really describe them. She had been wracking her brain for the entire week for something interesting to do and was close to having a full breakdown when Jasper made an offhand comment to Alice about a meteor shower taking place Friday night, and she jumped on the idea. Rosalie had a feeling her 'twin brother' had made the comment only for her benefit, since Alice rarely took interest in the stars, and she was incredibly thankful. Not that she would ever say that to him.
"I wasn't sure this was something you'd be interested in, so I took a gamble," Rosalie confessed in a neutral tone, trying to mask her nerves. Bella looked at her soft eyes.
"It was a good call," a sly grin graced her lips. "There's a lot you don't know about me,"
"That's true," Rosalie acknowledged and hesitated for a moment. "I'd like to find out though,"
"Likewise," Bella replied gently. "So when is this supposed to happen?" Rosalie did a mental calculation.
"After a few minutes," Bella hummed and shifted closer. Rosalie held her breath when a warm shoulder came into contact with hers, only exhaling when Bella looked at her questioningly. She mentally berated herself for acting so stiff and forced herself to relax.
"Are you okay?" Bella's voice held a hint of worry.
"I am," the vampire replied quickly. Bella's skeptical look forced her to elaborate. "This is all…very new to me," she averted her eyes, feeling too exposed under those dark brown eyes.
"What is?" Bella inquired softly.
"Everything," the blonde swallowed. "You're not the only one with a limited dating experience. I'm not really used to…" she took a deep breath before continuing. "I don't do dates or…"
"Or?" Bella probed with that same gentle tone.
"Or contact, aside from my family," Rosalie's hand shot out to grasp Bella's arm when the brunette made to put some distance between them. "Don't," she exhaled shakily. "This is fine, more than fine so there's no need to…I mean I'm definitely not uncomfortable with touching you, I think that has been obvious so far. I just meant that I don't really…" she didn't know how to explain herself. She had been incredibly forward when she asked Bella out but now when they were actually on a date, Rosalie felt completely out of her element.
"I'm staying put," Bella reassured when Rosalie trailed off. "I'm surprised though,"
"Why?"
"I figured you'd have some experience," Bella paused thoughtfully. "If only for the fact that you've lived so long,"
"I've never been interested before," Rosalie replied dismissively. There was silence for a long time, enough to make the blonde look at her mate.
"Then I feel honoured," Bella finally settled on, and true to her words, she looked touched and a bit disbelieving. Rosalie wondered how Bella would feel if she knew just how important she was to her. At this point in time it would probably scare her away. "What made you change your mind?" there was something fragile and vulnerable in Bella's tone, which oddly enough soothed Rosalie's inner turmoil.
"You're special," was the only thing she could come up with. It was probably the most honest answer Rosalie could ever give her.
"So are you," Bella blushed scarlet, clearing her throat awkwardly. Rosalie let out a soft chuckle, a bit relieved that she wasn't the only one struggling with displaying her emotional side. Deciding to throw Bella a bone, Rosalie tore her eyes away from her and looked up to the sky. It was a shame to not properly take in the adorable blush, but she knew better than to make her mate feel uncomfortable.
"It's starting," Rosalie remarked, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Bella's attention had shifted upwards as well. She couldn't help the small smile when she felt Bella shyly grasp her hand and interlock their fingers. Bella was a contradiction, much like herself. She was confident and flirty in one moment and shy and unsure in the next. Rosalie was more delighted than confused of the ever-shifting moods and if Edward were there, he would call her a sap.
"Amazing," Bella's quiet awe snapped Rosalie out of her inner dialogue. It was true, the meteor shower was amazing, but Rosalie had seen too many of them, and although the sight was always quite extraordinary, it had nothing on Bella's expression in that moment. Rosalie could only see her profile from that angle but the spark of joy in dark brown eyes was evident. Her mouth was slightly open in surprise, as if she was truly astonished by the scene.
"Yeah," the blonde agreed just as quietly.
"It's strange," Bella began thoughtfully. "We humans act as if we are these superior beings, entitled to everything in this world when we are in fact such a small part of it, just a blimp in its radar. Astronauts have often talked about some kind of epiphany known as the Overview Effect," Rosalie smiled, always charmed when Bella shared her philosophical musing. "From space, the sort of troubles and preoccupations that once seemed important evaporate in a wider context. But down on Earth, not all of us are so invigorated when we reflect on our place in the universe," it sounded like she was quoting something.
Then she blinked and spared a glance at Rosalie, as if remembering she was there. Bella often got lost in her own little world, which Rosalie found incredibly endearing. Sometimes the blonde wished she possessed Edward's gift, to only catch a glimpse at the fascinating thought pattern.
"Well… it's just easy to forget how large the universe actually is and how our lives are so insignificant in the grand scheme of things," Bella shrugged and smiled to herself. "The view from here is beautiful though,"
"It is," Rosalie blurted without thinking, still staring at Bella. "Breathtaking," her traitorous mouth continued. Something about her tone must have caught Bella's attention, since she abandoned her view to look at the blonde, who mentally face-palmed. Of course, she managed to come off as a lovestruck idiot. Could she be any more of a cliché? Alice was probably laughing her ass off somewhere right now.
Rosalie cleared her throat awkwardly. "The sky too of course," that comment did not help her case. "I mean…err…" it was as if her mind was in full shutdown mode and she hastily tried to recall a fact about meteor showers. "Did you know the earliest record of the Perseids meteor shower is found in Chinese annals from 36 AD," The words were rushed and sounded as if she was reciting from a textbook. Rosalie wanted to dig a hole for herself in the ground.
"You're cute," Bella stated, and Rosalie braved a look in her direction. The time traveler was looking at Rosalie like she was something extraordinarily precious, as if Bella was captivated and charmed by her mere existence. Normally Rosalie would have protested the description but in that moment she was just relieved that Bella found her cute and not seriously off-balanced.
"I'm glad you think so," the vampire muttered sheepishly, averting her gaze.
"There's no need to be embarrassed," Bella's told her fondly. "You make me nervous too,"
Rosalie's eyes snapped back to hers in surprise. "I'm not used to feel nervous around anyone," The admission hit close to home, enough to make Rosalie laugh softly.
"Me neither," A hint of a smile touched her lips when Bella squeezed her hand gently. "My siblings find it hilarious," Rosalie rolled her eyes.
"I feel like that's a standard sibling protocol," Bella said thoughtfully. "To give you shit," Rosalie could not argue with that, after all she wasn't exactly a saint in that area. "Luckily I find it cute,"
"Borderline adorable," Rosalie quipped dryly, smiling when Bella laughed.
"Exactly," the brunette hesitated. "To be honest it's also very humbling,"
"What is?"
"That I get to peek behind your carefully crafted mask," Bella answered easily, almost like she had been thinking about it for some time. "There is so much more to you than what you portray to the world. I told you in our first conversation that you keep surprising me, which is something that I really like about you," Rosalie smiled shyly. "You are normally very reserved, so I cherish the times when you do let me in," the sincerity in Bella's eyes was replaced by something positively wicked. "Plus I think it wouldn't help your street cred if the word got out how much of a dork you truly are," Rosalie couldn't stop the indignant gasp.
"I'm not a dork!"
"A huge one in fact," Bella said gravely.
"Oh fuck you," Rosalie tried to be mad but it was hard when Bella laughed.
"This is only the first date Rose, even with my limited dating knowledge, I know that doesn't happen until after the third date," the brunette gave her a smirk, which widened when Rosalie sputtered at the unexpected comment.
"You're an ass," the blonde pouted.
"I'm sorry," Bella sounded anything but sorry. "How can I make it up to you?" she shifted closer. Rosalie's eyes flickered down to her lips before meeting her eyes again, not bothering to hide her intentions. Bella's breath hitched at the action.
"I'm sure you can think of something," Rosalie husked, hit by a spark of arousal when the human's eyes darkened further. Emboldened by the response, Rosalie lifted her hand to gently cradle Bella's jaw, shifting even closer to her mate. Warm breath hit Rosalie's lips, and the vampire almost purred at the sensation. Just as their lips were about to touch, the universe interfered, and Bella flinched away when a few icy drops of water hit her cheek.
Rosalie growled lowly at the interruption and reached out to pull Bella back. The few drops of water suddenly turned into pouring rain, soaking them immediately.
"Where the hell did that come from?" Bella laughed in surprise with her head tilted up to the sky. Rosalie's eyes followed hers, thinking the same thing. It was the oddest thing, one moment there was a clear sky and the next dark clouds. Rosalie wondered just exactly how absorbed she was in her mate to have missed this detail. Why didn't Alice warn her about this? The blonde cursed herself for not checking the weather forecast. Normally her sister would tell her these sorts of things. Either Alice's power failed her tonight, or she had purposely left this piece of information out. The blonde put her money on the latter.
Rosalie looked at Bella, who was now shivering and all of plans of kissing her went out the window. With a shuddering breath and a pang of regret, Rosalie jumped to her feet and offered her hand to Bella.
"Let's go before you catch a pneumonia," it helped that Bella too seemed annoyed at the interruption. "Come on, I'll run back to the house. We need to get you into warm and dry clothes," giving Bella no time to protest, Rosalie gently scooped her up and started running.
"You forgot your backpack," Bella clung to her desperately.
"Fuck the backpack," the blonde grunted. Bella only laughed in response and held her tighter.
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Rosalie had never seen her without so many layers and she understood why right away.
Bella was covered in scars. It took everything in Rosalie to not outwardly react. She knew Bella had been through a lot but so far she had only caught glimpses of the mental scars, aside from the times she showed up at school battered and bruised.
Somehow seeing the physical scars made the time travel element more real, even though Rosalie had firsthand experience from when she was human herself. Of course she saw the one on Bella's face daily; that thin scar that started at her temple and ran down to her cheek. This however felt different, seeing the hidden ones was sobering. Rosalie doubted she would ever fully understand the extent of Bella's pain and past demons. It was a hard notion to swallow.
Her eyes zeroed in on her forearms, where a few scars stood out starkly on the otherwise unblemished skin, the most prominent one was a long and thick crude looking one. Rosalie could only surmised it was a souvenir from Bella's suicide attempt. There were a few faintly coloured spots on each arm that indicated that the skin had been badly bruised but was healing nicely. Dread filled the vampire's stomach at the realisation that Bella had only removed her sweater, so there was a high chance that even more scars were hidden under the remaining layers.
Her eyes darted up and instantly met brown eyes, which were already fixated on her; guardedly examining her reaction. Rosalie recognised subtle anxiety within brown orbs. Did Bella fear her reaction?
"I heal faster," was the first thing that came to mind. Bella frowned in confusion. "That's the difference between us. Otherwise I'd have a few scars of my own," Rosalie added with a tight smile, trying to reassure her. She needed Bella to know that she was not repulsed by her body, when it was actually the exact opposite. Sure, she felt sympathy but most of all she felt pride, in awe of what her mate had endured and lived to tell the tale. The strength in the young woman humbled Rosalie. She did not know how to voice this out loud, without accidentally declaring her everlasting love or mating bond; which was a high probability of blurting it out in that moment. She seemed to be doing a lot of that around her mate, which frustrated her to no end. Usually she was well spoken but Bella simply flustered her.
To her immense relief, Bella offered her a soft smile and Rosalie instantly relaxed. At least she hadn't screwed that up too badly, even though she didn't say what she really wanted.
"If only you could see Jasper's," the blonde offered, the urge to console her mate still strong. "He's completely covered in scars and bite marks. Your human eyes can't detect it,"
"Bite marks?" Bella asked in morbid curiosity, most likely trying to draw up images in her mind.
"He fought in the vampire wars," Rosalie explained. "After the civil war,"
"Vampire wars?" the brunette's surprise was evident.
"A long story," Rosalie didn't want to go into Jasper's history without him being present. Bella seemed to recognise her reluctance and dropped the subject.
"Where is everyone?"
"You tired of me yet?" Rosalie feigned offense. She excepted a teasing remark or a flippant comment, not the warm half crooked grin.
"You have to try harder if you want to accomplish that," Bella took a step closer, invading Rosalie's personal space.
"What if I desire a different outcome?" Rosalie swallowed when she heard vulnerability leak into her voice.
"Then I advise you to keep being yourself," Bella's hand came up to cup her cheek. Brown eyes searched topaz. "I'm afraid I'm growing addicted at this rate," Rosalie couldn't stop her smile, accidentally mesmerising Bella for a second.
"Sounds like a problem," the blonde teased, which snapped Bella out of her daze.
"The best kind I assure you," her mate exclaimed cheekily. Rosalie only hummed, afraid of breaking the spell between them and accidentally say something stupid. "May I kiss you?"
Rosalie blinked, pleasantly surprised and somehow altogether not at all. She nodded, almost cursing when she realised how eager she appeared. Luckily Bella was either too polite to comment on it or was just as eager herself. After all the rain had interrupted them before so the tension was already there.
Rosalie's eyes fluttered closed when impossibly soft lips touched her own. It was even better than the first time when Bella had surprised her with a kiss outside at school, since she was now prepared for the sensation. It was innocent, just the smallest amount of pressure, yet Rosalie had never felt as ignited by a kiss. She could definitely get used to this. Addiction was indeed an apt description. Even if they weren't already mated, Bella would have completely ruined her for anyone else.
Too soon it ended and on instinct Rosalie chased her lips when Bella made to pull back. The time traveler chuckled lightly and accepted another kiss. Rosalie knew they were taking it slow, but it was as if Bella had pressed some button inside of her, and this time she deepened it. The low moan Bella released only fuelled her desire and the blonde's hands reached out and grabbed her hips almost possessively. Bella's hands wrapped themselves around Rosalie's neck in return and practically fused their bodies together. All of Rosalie's restraint went out the window as soon as she felt Bella's tongue swipe her lower lip, begging for entrance. It went from passionate to a blazing fire within seconds and Rosalie felt drunk on the other girl. Before she could even properly register it, she had backed Bella up to the nearest surface, which happened to be the wall, trapping her body beneath hers. She almost remembered herself then, but when Bella's hands buried themselves into her blonde locks, a delightful shiver ran down her spine and she forgot why she even wanted to stop in the first place. Bella let out another moan when Rosalie's hands grew restless and started roaming the soft curves, doing their best to map out her body. The blonde decided that was her favourite sound from now on.
"Fuck," the brunette mumbled when Rosalie broke the kiss and trailed kisses from her jaw down her neck. "Rose," the vampire growled at hearing her voice in that tone and sucked at her pulse point. Oddly enough neither hearing the increased heartbeat nor the feeling of the pulse under her lips did ignite hunger from the beast within her; only a different sort of hunger.
"This is slow for you guys?" Alice's voice exclaimed amused. Bella instantly tensed up while Rosalie groaned and rested her forehead on her mate's collarbone. She cursed her sister violently in her mind.
"Rose," Bella cleared her throat awkwardly and glanced down. Rosalie shook her head, hoping that if they ignored Alice, she would take a hint and go away. She of course knew her sister better than that, but a girl can always hope.
"Nope," Rosalie mumbled into the brunette's shirt. The body underneath her shook with silent mirth and Rosalie was almost tempted to look up but stubbornly stayed put.
"Pretty sure she's not going anywhere," Bella sounded more amused than embarrassed this time.
"Eventually," the blonde insisted. Truthfully her primal instinct was going haywire, and she was fighting the urge to attack Alice. The mate bond was too new and according to Carlisle, this made her territorial and hostile towards other vampires, mated or not. It was almost ridiculous how she immediately relaxed when Bella's fingers ran soothingly through her hair, and she purred at the sensation. That only increased Bella's amusement and Rosalie hid her face in embarrassment. Had she honestly just purred like a cat?
"Putting out on a first date?" Alice was too entertained to simply quit. "I thought you had more class than that Miss Hale,"
"I swear to god," Rosalie growled agitated.
"Was that a cheap shot at me or Rose?" Bella sounded remarkably levelheaded given their position.
"Both," Alice replied without skipping a beat. "She's a prude and you're a…"
"I dare you to finish that word," Rosalie whispered warningly, the volume too low for the human in the room to detect it.
"I'm a what Alice?" Bella challenged warningly, although not in such a hostile tone like Rosalie. The blonde almost laughed when Alice muttered something about them being too alike and she how she now saw why they were mates. Fortunately, she said so at vampire speed.
"…a wonderful individual?" Alice amended unsurely.
"Better," Bella nodded approvingly. "Although you can do better," the warning tone was back.
"…err…and the greatest gift to humanity?" the pixie tried again.
"Laying it on a bit thick," the time traveler snorted. "No, I was satisfied with my description. I think you need to correct your previous statement," Rosalie's smitten smile was thankfully hidden from view.
"Rosalie is…" Alice paused. "Simply the best?"
"That will do Tina Turner, that will do," Bella's voice was laced with amusement.
"Whatever," Alice rolled her eyes. "You guys are way too uptight," then she turned around and walked away.
"And that's how you make her go away," Bella informed the blonde pleasantly.
"I heard that," Alice yelled from the other room.
"I'm well aware. I didn't whisper it, did I?" Bella sassed back. Rosalie laughed and finally lifted her head from her hiding place and pressed a fond kiss to her cheek.
"As much as it loathes me to admit, Alice is right," Bella sighed tiredly, gently pushing a strand of hair out of Rosalie's eyes. "This was…very enjoyable but perhaps we should slow down a bit," Rosalie pouted for a moment, before reluctantly nodding.
"Yeah," Rosalie untangled herself from Bella's embrace and took a step back. It appeased her a bit when Bella frowned at the loss of contact, seemingly just as disappointed. Rosalie knew her mate had the right idea though; they couldn't rush this. "I want you to know that the non-rational part of my brain is protesting very loudly right now," Bella smiled brilliantly at the sulky comment.
"Mine too," Bella stared at her longingly before letting out another sigh. "It might be for the best that I leave now. Not because I want to," she held one hand up when Rosalie made to speak. "But because you are way too tempting and my 'Spidey Senses' are tingling right now. I'm pretty sure Emmett is about to barge in and demand to play a game with me,"
"How did she know?" Rosalie heard her brother complain from upstairs. Rosalie laughed and told Bella this, which made the other girl smile smugly.
"Okay," Rosalie agreed, handing Bella the dry shirt she had fetched for her earlier. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Definitely," Bella quickly put on the shirt, eyeing Rosalie's private smile with a puzzled expression. It was definitely satisfying seeing Bella adorning her clothes. Luckily the brunette didn't question her look and simply smiled back. "Thank you for a lovely evening. I might even say it was the best date I've ever had,"
"It's the only date you've ever had," Rosalie deadpanned.
"Which should make you feel flattered. I was saving that experience for you," Bella shot back with a flirty grin. Rosalie was disgusted with herself for swooning at that.
"Oh, I am," she admitted in a much softer way than she intended on.
"Good," Bella hesitated for a second before she walked over to the blonde and captured her lips gently, pulling back before Rosalie could even think of kissing back. The vampire blinked stupidly, shooting her a questioning look. "You can't expect me not to kiss you when you act this cute. I only have so much restraint," Bella declared solemnly.
"I wasn't complaining," Rosalie grinned happily. The time traveler stared at her in a daze, before shaking her head and stepping away.
"Stop it," she scolded playfully. "Otherwise I'll never leave,"
"Oh no," Rosalie said as insincerely as she could. "What a horrible predicament I find myself in,"
"Yeah yeah," Bella rolled her eyes good-naturedly, a small smile tugging at her lips.
"I'll see you tomorrow,"
"Sweet dreams," Rosalie winked, laughing lightly when Bella blushed. She didn't need to possess Edward's powers to read where Bella's mind had just gone to.
"You too!" Bella rushed out when Rosalie opened her mouth to make a teasing comment.
"Oh I don't need sleep," Rosalie reminded her, adopting a seducing tone. The vampire watched gleefully as the blush darkened. It was rare she managed such a feat.
"Great," Bella cleared her throat awkwardly, not meeting topaz eyes. "Or not?" she added. "Whatever… see you later!" then she fled the room. Rosalie listened to her throw a hasty goodbye to Esme before the front door opened and closed. Esme appeared only a moment later, her eyes all too knowing.
"I see the date went well?" her adoptive mother drawled in a humorous tone.
"It was perfect," Rosalie answered happily. Esme eyed her dreamy smile with a fond look.
Her silly smile didn't leave her lips for the rest of the night and not even her family teasing could ruin her good mood.
.
.
.
To be continued...
Okay I know this was a mushy chapter, but I have no regrets. I feel like you deserve a chapter without drama and only cute Rosalie and Bella interactions. I decided to give you only Rosalie's POV, mostly because I think she's adorable and I have a great time writing her inner conflict of trying not to melt into a pool of goo around Bella. I figure some of you might have problems with her characterisation and the fact that she's constantly behaving like a nervous teenager, but I assure you this is an adjustment period for her. The mating bond is new and so very fragile, plus she has no idea what to do when it comes to a romantic interest. With time she will manage to get a grip on herself and we will encounter more of her usual snark and pure sass. To be fair Bella is also a hot pile of mess, I mean how often is it socially acceptable for her to clear her throat awkwardly and avert her eyes? (the quota is filled) Those two are hopeless together.
Next chapter will feature time travel, and hopefully start to provide some answers. Who knows?
Don't hesitate to leave a comment - it's incredibly reassuring to know if I'm doing something right (or wrong?).