Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my OC
"You've got to come over, I've already sketched out three different chair placements plans." Alice had been trying to convince me to come over all morning but I was already busy.
"I'm volunteering at a hospital, Alice" Her whine came through the phone and I couldn't help but chuckle slightly.
"Fine, sick children win but you need to come over afterwards."
"I will, I will, now I have to go," I said, telling her goodbye before hanging up.
I had actually forgotten about volunteering until Mr. Williams had called me, asking if I wanted to volunteer during the summer, helping out planning the children's summer harvest party that took place in late July. As soon as I got the call, I had jumped onto the bandwagon, after all I couldn't say no. A few of the other teachers would be there as well and it was only a few times a week so I'd still have lots of time to spend planning the wedding with Alice.
I truly missed being around kids and I really enjoyed the previous Saturdays that I had spent in the children's ward. It would be nice to be back. The chaos and laughter that always ensued filled my heart with spilling laughter and I couldn't think of something more that I would love to spend a day around.
Also, I had spent the last week sitting in the Cullen's living room helping Alice tape a bunch of papers to the living room walls about the wedding, calling various places and making up different plans every day. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy myself doing that, it was just starting to feel a bit stuffy. I just really needed space, from the living room of course, not Carlisle. Totally not from Carlisle. It wasn't technically avoiding someone if I was helping sick children have fun. It would just be nice to be spending time away from everyone for just a little while.
Walking into the hospital, I checked myself in, scribbling my name on the sign in board before clipping the badge to my t-shirt. It would be a fun day full of making things with children. I wondered what other teachers had signed up, I did need more bonding time with my colleagues now that I was finally going to be teaching a class of my own. I didn't need them to like me but it wouldn't be horrible having more work friends than just Kathy.
I had just walked through the doors to the children's ward when I came face to face with Dr. Carlisle Cullen. He was standing there with a paper bear taped to his white coat, his face beaming at me. This certainly put a wrench in my plans on getting away from the living room.
"Coraline, good you're here." He said coming over to me, clipboard in hand. "I've already organized this the crafts for today and all the material is set out."
I stared at him dumbly, the words going straight in one ear and out the other. "What- What are you doing here?" I asked, looking at him with a tilt of my head.
Carlisle's head tilted to match me, "I am a doctor, Coraline," he gave me a mischievous smile, the one where the corners of his mouth tilt up ever so slightly and his eyes fill with unabashed amusement. I couldn't help but feel my lips turn up slightly. "And when you said that you were going to the hospital, I volunteered to help, isn't that great?"
I nodded, swallowing back the nerves in my throat. "It's great, Carlisle." So much for spending time away.
Admittedly, the day went really well. The crafts were easy, just cutting out strips of warm colored paper and writing each child's name on a section. The children just adored Dr. Cullen, coming up to him from all sides just to talk to him and ask questions. He was very patient with them, taking the time to answer each and every one of their questions. I had watched from a distance as he had helped spread paste across the paper, getting his finger coated in the sticky substance as the children laughed on, trying to sprinkle glitter on him as well.
Throughout the entire day Carlisle and I barely interacted, focusing all of our time and energy on the kids rather than talking to one another. I actually thought that I wanted space from him, but with him there across the room, somehow this felt better. It wasn't a complete separation but it wasn't apart either. It was nice to know that he was there, laughing with the kids and getting glitter dumped on him. I had only ever seen him interact with kids for the briefest amount of time during the class field trip to the hospital and that was months ago. Now, seeing him being so open and caring with all of these kids, it was no wonder that he was such a wonderful father to all of his own adopted children. He was just such a natural at it.
By the time we had packed everything up and the kids wandered back into their rooms, Carlisle was over by the nurse's station writing something on his clipboard.
"What are you writing?"
Carlisle glanced up, giving me a small smile. "I'm just recording what we finished today, so that I know what we have to do next time."
"Next time?"
"Didn't I tell you earlier, I volunteered to help plan the summer harvest party."
"For the rest of the summer?"
He gave me a look like I had gone bonkers, I probably deserved that. "Well, the party is at the end of summer so, yes."
"Well, then I guess I'll be seeing more of you then,"
"And I'll be seeing more of you,"
I swallowed, looking at his lovely face, was this flirting? I really couldn't tell. I looked at him again and he smiled, shaking his head slightly before tapping his pen on the clipboard.
"I have to file this, I'll see you later, Coraline."
Managing to mutter a goodbye and even squeeze out a smile, I regathered myself for a moment. No, it wasn't flirting, that wasn't like Carlisle at all. He wouldn't…I wouldn't. No, it was not flirting, just things all friends say to one another, that's what I would choose to believe. It was absolutely ridiculous to think that, absolutely ridiculous, I reminded myself.
I had made it all the way to my car before I had even realized that I had left the hospital. I really must stop becoming so enraptured when it came to that friend of mine. Taking out my phone, I saw a text from Alice reminding me that I was supposed to come over after I was finished at the hospital.
With a sigh, I started on the drive there. It was farther out but in the week that I had been helping out, I had gotten used to the longer drive, it almost became calming.
When I arrived at the Cullen house, I was immediately pulled into the living room amidst the various pieces of papers that were scattered everywhere.
"You've been busy," I observed, looking at the new binders that were now lying open at our feet. I had no idea when Alice found the time to continually make binder after binder of ideas. "And I see you've finally picked out a chair arrangement." I said grinning as I picked up the sketch of the aisle.
"I drew that this morning, it's just going to be perfect." Chimed Alice, smiling with a dash of pride as I ran my fingers of the thin lines of her sketch. She always knew exactly where things would go and they always turned out beautifully. She could probably plan the entire wedding herself and it would look just grand.
Alice and I situated ourselves on the floor, handing one another different plans as we needed them, calling to make arrangements for the last fitting with Bella and her father. The wedding was only a month away and there was still so much to do and schedule. Alice insisted on nothing less than a big white wedding and that they would have. Even with all of the guests that would be at the wedding, I was sure that there would still be enough cake left over to feed a small army for a month. Alice dealt with the finances, assuring me that Edward and Bella needed the absolute best of everything and nothing below that would do. I was still worried about the cost of it all, after all since I was helping I saw most of the price tags for everything we ordered. It was not cheap.
The Cullens' were affluent people, that much was obvious but just how much money could they have? Carlisle was a doctor and I'm sure that helped but he also had a lot of children and judging by their current spending habits, money flowed by fast. I tried not to think too much about it. It wasn't my business after all. All my job was to do was be a sort of assistant to Alice as she planned the wedding.
A couple hours flew by, Alice sketching out yet another cake design to send to the baker while I tried to plea with a caterer to cater a wedding that was only a month away. I hung up the phone with an irritated huff.
"You'll find a caterer that will say yes," Alice assured, not looking up from her drawing.
I sank myself further on the floor and leaned back against their wood flooring as I stared at the ceiling. "Or we could just have a wedding with no food? Who really needs food anyway?" I said sarcastically, letting out a sigh.
"Humans, humans need food." She said lightly, smiling to herself as she added another line to her drawing.
"Yes, I suppose we do, how unfortunate." I remarked. Alice hummed in agreement, a sly smirk on her lips. I was just tired of calling catering companies only to get rejected. I swear that I had called over a dozen companies already and yet none were yielding. "You don't suppose people could bring their own food?" I asked hopefully, smiling up at Alice who gave me a roll of her eyes. How she managed to do so gracefully, I did not understand.
"It'll be fine, Coraline, you worry too much."
"Or you simply worry too little." I came back with, shifting myself so that I was propped up on my elbows. "Can I ask you a question, Alice?"
She quirked an eyebrow, "I think you just did," she replied, looking at me with a bit of amusement as I just shook my head.
"You know what I meant."
Alice sighed, shaking her head. "You take all the fun out of it, but yes, you may ask me a question."
I pushed myself up, crossing my legs like children often do before looking at Alice who was waiting patiently. "It's not that I haven't enjoyed helping you, I really have-" I glanced up, looking at Alice who gave me a look to continue. "-It's just that, you really have got everything figured out, you're always the one who knows what to say to the vendors, the one who knows what will look the best, I just don't see why you asked for my help." I finished, slightly hesitantly as I looked at her with the soft tilt of my head.
"That really wasn't a question, only the implication of one." she said, one side of her mouth pulling into a smirk.
"Alice,"
"Fine, fine-" she said, waving me off with a much too mischievous smile. "If you must know, then I just thought it'd be an opportunity to get to know you better."
"Get to know me better?" She nodded and I expected her to continue but she had already returned to her drawing with a smirk pulling at her mouth. I would have to press her further if I wanted a real answer. "Why would you want to do that?"
She looked down at me then, her golden eyes staring straight into me as her lips settled into a soft smile. I almost felt insecure as she looked at me like I was a clueless child and she was the knowing mother but I wanted to know. That is how all children sound, curiosity pouring out of their little bodies as their souls devour everything around them with a brilliant clueless bliss. However, I was not a child. I was young, certainly, but not a child.
"You're Carlisle's friend, that makes you important to me, to this family, and so it was important that I know you and you know all of us." She said finally, and I absorbed her words slowly. They were delivered with a measure of security, her words coming easily but without a pause and yet I still felt a slight refrain from the whole truth.
"Well, I am glad to know you," I said, giving her a slight smile. Despite her age, Alice seemed to be someone of great reliability, I could hardly believe she had only just graduated high school. "I'm also glad to know Carlisle, and your siblings, of course." I quickly added.
"They like you, you know." Said Alice setting aside her drawing and coming to sit opposite me on the floor. "My siblings, I mean, they like you, too."
My unconscious reaction was surprise, my eyebrows knitting together before I corrected my expression to one less abrasively shocked. "That's- that's good, I'm glad."
Alice shook her head, a smile adorning her face as she did so. "You worry too much about that."
I wasn't surprised that Alice had sensed my worry, after all she would be the one to pick up on it since we spent so much time together lately. Instead I asked the next question, hoping the answer would be no. "Was it terribly obvious?"
"There's not many people that could notice, you're only ever around me in the house, anyway."
"Yes, but Carlisle…" I didn't want him to think that I worried about such things. It would be silly of me to confide in him about his own children, at least that's what I thought anyway. Perhaps Alice would prove to be a good confidant.
"Don't worry about Carlisle."
"I will still worry about it nonetheless, I don't want him to think that I think his children don't like me-"
"We do like you" interrupted Alice.
"Thank you," I replied automatically, looking at my hands.
"We do," repeated Alice and I looked up to see her softened expression. "I'm being honest."
I shook my head, running a hand through my hair, messing any semblance of order out. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to just spring this on you, that's not fair of me."
"I want us to be friends, Coraline, I'll always be here if you need reassurance for anything."
I gave her a real smile now, "Thank you, Alice."
"Anytime, now come on, you've got more caterers to call." She said wiggling her eyebrows as she pushed herself easily back onto the couch and off the floor. I laughed, picking up the phone and following in her example pulled myself up, albeit with less grace than she did.
Alice was right, I had caterers to call. After all, what is a wedding without the food?
This is way way late. I started writing this chapter the same day after I posted the last one but didn't finish it until now. It's been really busy in college and it's only going to get busier. Anyway, thought I'd at least post this chapter. Also, I know all of you are frustrated with the pace but honestly their relationship takes a while. I think that a lot of real relationships don't just appear like magic, it takes time and a whole lot of secret longing. I just don't think it'd be realistic for some daring confession of love out of the wazoo after all of this build up. Thank you all for being patient and lovely. Read and Review!
