I was grateful Bella's shield was getting progressively better - this way, while under her protection, I had plenty of time to find ways to avoid Nellie's stolen mind-reading gift for all the times the shield snapped back. The last thing I wanted was having the kid staring inside my mind, only to be welcomed by the anxiety that Alice's vision had planted inside.
Nellie had also seen that vision, I had no doubt about it. The difference between me and her was that she had not given it much thought. She had treated it like she treated most things that came at her: with a shrug. A part of me longed for this level of nonchalance that I knew I could never achieve. In a way, it reminded me of Emmett - she and him would get along just fine, if they would ever meet.
The day after Alice and I had returned to the inn, a vision of Demetri leaving Volterra hit her with full force. He was not coming alone: Aro, Jane and Alec were on their way as well. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they were expecting to find us quickly, now that the stakes were higher and now that they had Demetri.
However, things weren't going to be as easy for them. Demetri and the rest of the guard had never met me or Alice personally. He needed to have been exposed to our minds at least once in order to begin his tracking. But without having this advantage, he had to find someone who had met us in the past and follow our trail from that person's mind; this was buying us time, of course, but not too much. With Carlisle's friends - many of which we had met - spread all over the world, it was only a matter of time before he encountered someone. Their first stop was Ireland, where Siobhan and her coven lived.
We decided to move anyway, not wanting to get too comfortable too soon.
Our next destination was the labyrinth of wide valleys of Dolpa, in Nepal. Far from being over-populated, Dolpa was a good break from the populous Taipei. We would remain in the mountains, where Alice had seen us finding a cabin far enough from civilization - not that it made much of a difference now, knowing that our stay was going to be temporary. But if I could remove any potentially dangerous temptation from Bella's life, I was going to do it.
On our way to the airport, my wife managed to cover both me and Jasper under her shield for several minutes at a time, again and again, allowing us to be fully ourselves again - she couldn't hold it long when she was also having an in-depth discussion with anyone of us, so she resigned herself to small-talk for the sake of training.
Of course, having me and Jasper under her shield left Alice completely exposed again. Nell automatically absorbed her power, leaving both of them shaken. While the kid had not had a particularly interesting vision - just a visual of her hunting down a man to drink from in Dolpa - the force of it had taken her aback. I knew perfectly well how immersive Alice's visions could be, having been witness to them far more times than I could count.
But my sister was not having this power switch. She wanted to be in control of the possibilities the future held, so she urged Bella to try extending her protection further. That only seemed to weaken the shield - now everyone's powers seemed to be fuzzy, reduced to a haze almost.
Throughout all this, I could not help but wonder how she was feeling - if this challenge wasn't too much for her.
"Bella, love, you know you can take a break whenever you feel like it," I told her, as we were waiting in the airport terminal to receive clearance for take off.
"I know, but I don't want to. I need this to become second nature, just like it is for all of you."
"It's just I don't want you to push yourself over the limit, that's all."
"She'll stop when she wants to, Edward, stop coddling her," Alice admonished me.
I kept her hand in mine while we waited, trying to keep my worrying under control. While I traced her palm with my thumb, I couldn't help but feel electricity surging between us; delicate at first, then more fiery as the seconds passed by. Alice had made sure, just as she promised, that Bella would train for as long as possible. That, of course, came with the price of not getting to be as close to her as I longed to be.
The thoughts of those around me were clear enough, which meant that Bella's shield was working effectively, so I allowed my imagination to wander a bit. It wasn't like I couldn't wait, really - with almost a century of effortless abstinence behind me, I should have had enough discipline for this. It was just that the waiting could get so emotionally and physically painful now, especially when the source of all my desires was sitting right next to me.
I hadn't had a chance for a release ever since Bella and I started making love on the forest floor in Taipei, before we smelled the blood and stopped. Back at the inn, I resigned myself to simply holding her as closely as possible against my chest while she was practicing. Sometimes, when the others weren't really paying attention, my lips found the side of her neck and kissed her there, full of yearning, barely grazing the skin with my teeth.
A thought that hadn't really managed to let me have my peace was the knowledge that Bella's luggage now contained plenty of lingerie sets, courtesy of Alice. The last time I had seen my wife wearing such a thing was back in Port Angeles, when we tried - and failed - to watch "Forrest Gump". I could still remember my shock when I discovered her stockings had been set in place with a garter belt. The memory of her riding me in her lingerie for two hours straight, right until the movie ended, was setting every part of me aflame.
I found myself having to adjust my erection as I was pondering over the events of that day- that day that seemed to be so far behind us now, even though not that much time had passed. Back then, my only worries were how to spend as much time as possible with her - specifically, how to enjoy her fully and without limits, knowing that I could no longer break her by accident.
Bella's hand trembled ever so slightly in mine when I pressed my fingernail deep in the flesh of her palm. She looked up at me and I knew that particular gaze very well. She wanted me too.
"How far is the nearest bathroom?" she whispered.
Every fibre in my body became overwhelmed with need at her hidden invitation.
"Less than three hundred feet from here," I answered immediately.
"Can we..."
She didn't finish her question, but it wasn't hard to guess what she was implying. But before I could say something to her, Alice's thoughts collided with mine, showing me a flash of a vision she just had: Bella and I, walking out of a bathroom booth, our clothes crumpled, and a man from security escorting us out.
"You'll get caught in less than ten minutes. Keep it in your pants a little longer, you're not Emmett."
My sister's mental voice scolded me and I growled. But she was right: I was not Emmett. I was currently much, much worse than him.
"Probably not the best idea," I told Bella, reaching out to kiss the top of her head. The scent was intoxicating.
"That's too bad," she mumbled.
"Don't worry, beautiful, I'll find something."
Unfortunately, that something couldn't include her coming into the cockpit of the plane and having her way with me, as long as we were not alone on board.
While we waited in the airport, Bella called her father, to let him know everything was all right. He sounded tired when he answered and it wasn't hard to understand why: two crimes in the span of two months in a city as small as Forks could mess everything up for the policemen who were used to dealing with illicit drug use at worst.
It was nighttime in Forks and he wasn't feeling particularly chatty - not even inquisitive, as usual. But right as Bella was getting ready to say her goodbyes, he asked:
"So are you at least coming home this Thanksgiving?"
"Dad, it's still September."
"Just checking, Bells. I would love to have you here then."
"Is Jacob going to be there again?"
The mention of his name made me cringe - maybe not the name itself, but rather the memory of last Thanksgiving, when Charlie had us spend that day with him, Billy Black and his son. Jacob's crush on Bella had reached new heights at that point, despite neither of them keeping in touch with each other. His childish passion had only been heightened by his transformation. That was why I had made sure - in a way that couldn't exactly be considered gentlemanly, when looking back - that Jacob knew Bella had made her choice at that point.
"I'm not sure he will be. He's going out a lot with this girl from the reservation. It's pretty serious."
"Well… we'll see if Edward can take a few days off from the University," she lied.
"I hope you can make the time, I miss you."
His silent hopefulness crushed me. If only he knew we would never be able to come back to Forks ever again.
"Miss you too, dad."
After Bella hung up, I held her in my arms for a while. She didn't seem as upset as I expected her to be. Something else was now on her mind, as her eyes wandered in the distance, and it hurt me not knowing what was bothering her.
Not long after, we were on board of our private jet, taking off above the mist of the morning. In the back, I could hear the relaxing clamour of voices: both mental and spoken. Every once in a while, the thoughts stopped, when Bella lost control of her power - but somehow, someway, she made them come back each time.
Everyone felt more at ease once we were up in the sky. Up here, not many dangers awaited for us. It was easy to get used to this: Bella accusing Alice of cheating while they were playing Hearts, Alice telling her she couldn't help it, Jasper taking his wife's side as always, and Nellie taking Bella's.
It was easier to ignore Alice's vision when all of us were together. At the end of the day, Nellie was here only as a back-up in the werewolf fight, in case we would still be on the run by the time the next full moon would rise.
Just back-up. Nothing more, nothing less.
And we had to be friendly with the back-up, it was only logical.
I heard footsteps approaching and the mental voice coming closer alerted me it was Nellie - speaking of the wolf and all that. I reached to open the door before she got the chance to knock.
"Thanks for letting me in," she said.
"Fuck, this is awkward."
"So your foul language extends to your mind as well," I noticed. "Why am I not surprised?"
"You act all high and mighty, but I've heard the weird shit you said when… well, I'm not going to say it."
"Good job for making it more awkward."
I closed my eyes shut for a second. Of course she had heard me and Bella two nights ago, in the inn. With all my efforts to hide her moans with my belt, plenty of other sounds remained: such as my desire unleashed in all sorts of obscene words.
Vampire hearing could surely be a curse sometimes.
"That's different," I managed embarrassingly, before deciding it was a discussion not worth continuing, since it was only getting more mortifying for both of us the longer we stretched it out. "So anyway, what happened?"
"I just don't enjoy playing Hearts with cheaters, man."
The offense in her tone made me laugh.
"You would hate playing that with me then."
"Oh, I don't doubt it."
She made herself comfortable in the seat next to me, the one where a co-pilot would normally sit.
"It's so quiet up here. And peaceful. I like it."
"It's something else," I admitted, taking my time to appreciate what was in front of me.
We were way above the clouds, the sun penetrating through the windshield and reflecting off our skin in an array of iridescent colours. It felt liberating, knowing that we didn't have to hide here.
"When did you learn how to fly planes?" she asked.
"Way before you were even born. In the '60s."
"And why did you do it?"
"It sure comes in handy now, but it's not like waking up one day and deciding that you want to learn how to play tennis."
"I play tennis too," I grinned. "But flying… I don't know, I suppose I was curious. I had loads of free time back then, with not much to do. It happened right after graduation, actually."
"Seems fair, I guess."
"My family and I were living in New Orleans in the '60s. Many young men dreamed of becoming pilots and whatnot back then."
"But you never became a pilot - I mean you never had that as your actual job, right?"
"Not really," I admitted. "I just did it for fun and for the sake of learning something new."
"That seems like an easy way of living. No worries, no job…"
"You're right, it was'', I responded to her thoughts. "Carlisle has always been the one with the job in our family. The rest of us played along as high school students, it made things easier, since the younger we started in a place, the longer we could stay in that place."
"But you never got bored of this routine?" Nellie asked.
"It does become tedious, yes. This is what universities are for."
"But you never get past that."
"Well, I was supposed to get my first job this year, actually."
"Oh, that's right, you were planning to go to Cardiff."
I nodded, making an effort to not get caught up in the tempation of asking myself 'what if?'. It would serve me no good to dwell on what could have been. I almost didn't notice the sounds of Nell's mind disappearing. Listening closely, I heard Bella growling at Alice, telling her this was the last time she played Hearts with her if she didn't stop monitoring her moves. Once the spirits calmed down, her shield was back up again, along with my special hearing.
"You're sad," Nellie uttered.
"What makes you say that?"
"I don't know, it's just… you look as if you are ready to jump off a cliff ever since yesterday."
"Far from it."
"And I know you're avoiding me."
"Am I?"
"You don't have to ask me that, you know best."
I remained silent for a few moments, reminiscing the past twenty-four hours and trying to guess if she was, in fact, right. If I had to be honest, I had to admit I had not been at my friendliest with her.
"I've had a lot on my mind, kid, that's all. Nothing personal."
"Okay, that's bullshit."
"I beg your pardon?"
I moved my eyes in her direction, just to be welcomed by a condescending smile.
"Bella's shield hasn't been up non-stop, so I know you've been freaking out over what your sister saw," she replied. "It's a little funny, to be frank with you."
I got back to focusing on the great azure nothingness in front of us, wishing to melt into it.
"It's just a silly vision, why would I freak out over it?"
"You tell me."
Denial didn't seem to work as well as I had hoped. For the past few hours, I had tried to remove completely from my mind the fact that I ever had such a strong reaction to what Alice had seen. And for the most part, it worked.
Until I got called out, of course.
"Nellie, I'm sure you've got better things to do than having this conversation with me."
"Not right now, no."
"I don't know what you want me to say."
"I don't want to hear anything in particular. Just to settle things. I can't handle more awkwardness."
I was perfectly content with keeping things awkward, if that was what it took to not admit to having had a fit.
"Okay, I'll start," she offered. "I hate authority. Hate it, can't stand it. I'm sure you can understand the layers of 'why'. Anyway, I like doing my own thing. So I'm not exactly looking forward to having parental figures hovering over me."
"Good," was all I said.
"Also, I know the circumstances that brought us together - and I know they are extremely temporary."
"I mean I hope. I don't know. I want to get rid of the mongrel more than anything."
"Which means I am aware that neither of us is here for the long run," she added.
There was nothing of value I felt I could add, so I resigned myself to looking forward.
"Bottom line is, it's kind of dumb to get so worked up over this, if you ask me."
"I haven't asked," I pointed out. "And let me tell you this, Nellie: you don't fully understand how Alice's visions work sometimes."
"Oh, for fuck's sake, I don't need to understand that to know that I don't plan on calling you 'daddy' any time soon. Or ever, for what it's worth. So why can't we act normal, not like there is some impending doom awaiting?"
She shivered with disgust, her mind echoing her gesture perfectly.
"That's a comforting thought," I admitted. "Glad to know we're on the same page with this."
"You can say that again."
I threw her a quick look - she was smiling now, looking more relieved than when she had stepped in.
"Good, now that that is out of the way, why don't you show me how you fly this damned thing?"
"You don't want to head back to the others?" I checked.
"Oh, that wasn't an excuse. I really hate playing with cheaters. Besides, I've always been curious."
"It's not as easy as it seems," I warned.
"Oh, please - if you can do it, old man, it can't be that hard," she teased in return.
I rolled my eyes at her, no longer subdued by the uncomfortable tension, before saying:
"Fine, let's start with the basics."
In retrospect, there had to be a better way to teach someone how to fly other than starting the first lesson in mid-air.
Nellie had done all right for a while. We were twenty minutes away from Dolpa when she accidentally disengaged the autopilot's control of the ailerons. The plane started to stall almost immediately as a result. While I managed to level the aircraft - not without effort, given that we had already started the landing procedures and I didn't have that much altitude to work with - the damage had already been done, and I had to do an emergency landing.
The plane's landing gear had been completely destroyed in the process, which meant that the aircraft was in some serious need of repairing. We had to bribe the emergency staff at the airport to let us go without a medical examination.
After Alice called me every name in the book for being an irresponsible pilot and after I apologized a dozen of times, we finally came to an agreement. She, Jasper and Nellie would head to the mountains to find the cabin in her vision, while Bella and I would remain in the airport to take care of the damage.
"You know she can come with us, right?" Alice threw daggers at me.
I responded with a simple nod.
"She's not an impulsive mess anymore, you can see it as well."
Another nod, this time signaling 'yes'.
"All that talk about giving her some credit and here you go."
"I want her near me," I responded and there was no room for further arguments in my tone.
"Call us when you're done," Jasper told us, as we parted ways. He was making real efforts to dissipate the conflict in the air. "And good luck, Bella."
"Thanks."
The maintenance center in the airport had just opened, minutes before the sun began to rise in the sky. We were well-covered with hoodies and sunglasses, looking down and keeping our hands in our pockets, when a few men came to assess the damage of the jet. Soon after, they sent a special truck to lift the plane off the runway and send it to the center, as well as a car to transport us there. Once we arrived, we found out the reparations would set us back a few thousand dollars and three days of staying in this place.
I paid half-heartedly, thinking if we could afford to stay three days there, while Bella was breathing slowly next to me. The air inside the maintenance center was warm and drizzling with the hot scent of human blood. But my wife had not tensed up. She was as calm as ever. Still, I felt the need to tell her:
"We'll be out of here soon."
"It's fine, I can wait."
Thankfully, she didn't have to wait for long. Fifteen minutes later, I was renting a car, while Bella was obtaining the coordinates Jasper was offering her over the phone. I only stopped feeling on edge once we were inside our rented Toyota Avalon with tinted windows.
"I'm sorry for all this, love," I told her, while I introduced the coordinates Jasper had given her in the GPS.
"I think you've said 'sorry' plenty of times today, maybe it's time to take a break," she offered lovingly.
"Maybe you're right."
As I started the engine, she reached over to turn on the radio. Some unknown songs sung in Nepali started playing, filling the silence for a while, until she decided to speak:
"So I heard that discussion you and Nellie had."
"I'm sure you did."
"It was rather interesting."
"Not the word I'd use, but go on."
"You're fun when you're freaking out, I must admit."
"I'm glad my turmoil is amusing for at least one of us."
She giggled, before replying:
"You hadn't told me about that vision though."
"Because it felt pointless, my love."
She slipped two fingers under my chin, forcing me to look at her.
"It couldn't have been that pointless, if it stirred such a reaction from you."
"I might have overreacted," I admitted, subdued by the force she held in her gaze. "It's just that I cannot see myself in that position, Bella. I am happy with us the way we are."
"I am too."
"But?"
"There is no 'but'."
"Of course there is. But you want Nellie to stick around? Adopt her one day? Is that it?"
"I don't want to adopt anyone," she mumbled, letting go of my chin, so that I could focus on the road. "But I wouldn't mind if she stuck around either, she's a great kid."
"She is, but that still doesn't awaken my paternal instincts - especially not in the midst of the chaos we're in."
"Why do you keep pushing this narrative?"
"Because, it's what Alice had seen, for God's sake!"
My voice raised a little and I regretted it immediately. I took her hand in mine and squeezed it softly, apologizing.
"Look, the point is, Bella, that I don't want to be responsible for anyone else's well-being other than yours. And I don't want to spend time that I could otherwise spend alone with you taking care of Nellie. I don't even know how to do that."
"Nellie isn't exactly the type to be taken care of. She's not some helpless child."
"This is true. But it doesn't change the fact that at my very core, I am a selfish creature, which means that I don't want to share you with anyone. If it weren't for my thirst, I'd be happy to isolate myself on a mountain with you and spend the rest of eternity with you there."
"I know some people who wouldn't be too keen on that scenario."
"I know them too. And I love them, so there goes my selfish scenario."
She smiled, just barely.
"Nothing is set in stone," Bella said after a while. "So let's just take it one day at a time and see where that leads us."
"One day at a time is the only certainty we've got right now."
Leaving it at that, I kept driving. The Nepalese autumn was a sight to behold: the sal trees on the side of the road were covered in rusty undertones, their crowns coming together in bouquet-like formations. The sky was blue, barren of any clouds, reminding me just how much I missed this part of being human: getting to enjoy a sunny day properly.
I indulged in this small joy, driving on a sunny day, with Bella next to me. It wasn't much, but I cherished every little thing I could, not knowing how much time we still had. In a practical sense, we couldn't remain on the run forever. But at the same time, I couldn't imagine not being with her if we got caught. As much as the Nellie vision had haunted me, the vision of me and Bella meeting in Volterra for my birthday was a million times worse. The outspoken desperation I had seen in it was something I never wanted to experience in my life.
To soothe the painful memory, I started humming her lullaby. She turned down the volume on the radio, and I caught a glimpse of her smile when she did so.
"Do you want to visit this place properly someday?" I asked.
If we ever come out of this alive and together, that is.
"Oh, yes, without a doubt."
"Where else would you want us to go?"
"Back to Isle Esme."
"That goes without saying, angel, but I was thinking of something new."
"Anywhere in Europe, really - oh, especially that place where they filmed 'Wuthering Heights', what is it called?"
"Depends on which version we're talking about," I answered.
"The one with Juliette Binoche."
"That might be around Malham, in England, if my memory serves me right."
"I don't know, we'll have to check."
"Anywhere else?" I asked.
"I've been curious about the coastal cities of South Africa ever since my mom took a trip there years ago when I was visiting Charlie and told me it was life-changing."
"Never been there myself. Sounds fantastic."
"It must be."
"Where else?"
"A lighthouse."
I raised my eyebrows, surprised.
"A lighthouse?"
"Yes, I think they're fascinating."
"Does the fact that you've watched 'Shutter Island' three times have anything to do with this?"
"Maybe a little bit?" she grinned. "I don't know, I just want to watch the sunrise from one someday."
"Noted."
We kept talking about all these places we never knew if we would ever get to see, making an itinerary for this most uncertain trip with the same enthusiasm I had noticed in human teenagers when they were planning their first vacations without their parents. It was good to have something to look forward to - it kept hope alive, even in dire times.
"This trip would take months at best," she observed.
"I don't see anything wrong with that. More time alone with you sounds like an absolute win to me. It's all I've ever wanted - all I'll ever want, in fact."
Bella bit her lip and I found myself being nostalgic over the lack of blushing in her cheeks.
"One day at a time," she reminded me, leaning over her seat to press her lips in the corner of my mouth.
I turned to meet her kiss fully, surprised by the sudden hunger I found there. As soon as I turned, her mouth opened and she attacked me with her tongue, a soft moan rolling from her throat and getting lost inside our kiss. I had to break away despite my will, to focus on the incoming curb.
"I don't think we need a car crash on top of the emergency landing," I told her.
"Then stop the car, Edward."
I looked at her, raising an eyebrow. She mimicked my expression in return, provoking me. With the way I had been craving her all day, I didn't need any more incentives.
Seeing a cluster of trees further down the road, that opened the way to a trail through the forest, I took a right through the small space between them and went as far as the woods allowed me to.
"Happy?"
"Very," she approved when I stopped the engine.
"Is this payback for the airport?"
"For the airport, for how I ran… I don't know what Alice has in mind, but if I go even one more hour without you inside me, I might just explode."
I smiled, as I leaned to push her seat back.
"I wouldn't want you to explode," I said, making my way on top of her in the small space. Damn, this car was not made for this, but I didn't care.
"You're joking now, but this has been on my mind constantly."
I slid my hands underneath her hoodie, finding her soft breasts awaiting my touch, no bra in sight.
"Mmmmm, I know, Bella. I could smell your arousal perfectly."
I pinched her nipples, one by one, squeezing the most delicious moans out of her.
"It only made me harder to know that you were so wet and ready for me and I couldn't do anything about it," my voice came out in a purr.
"Touch me now," she begged softly.
She didn't have to ask twice, for her wish was also my command. I pulled down her pants, rolling them off her hips along with her underwear. I stroked the inside of her thigh for a short moment, before moving where she wanted me. My fingers grazed her slit and I discovered she was ridiculously wet, as if we had been going at it for hours.
It was impossible to sway my groan at the discovery of this miracle.
"God, Bella, it's like a small ocean down here..."
I moved my fingers aimlessly, just basking in her copious sap, spreading it from her delicate folds to the hood of her clitoris and back.
"It's your doing," she gasped. "It's always your doing."
"I love this."
To prove my words, I inserted two fingers inside her. She squeaked and wriggled with delight at the intrusion.
"More, Edward..."
I pushed as far as I could, pressing against her sensitive spot inside along the way. Her walls clamped down on my fingers and she cried out loud, making me grow harder still.
"Let me make you come like this first," I said, my hand moving with more resolve inside her, up and down, hard and fast. "Come on, I know you're close..."
I felt her hands pulling my hair with full force, and in the next second she was already gone. I smiled, pleased at how easy it had been. The liquids of her orgasm dripped into my palm, while she called out my name, getting lost in a place where only I could take her.
When her trembling subsided, I removed my hand and licked my index finger clean. This had to be the most exquisite taste on the planet: sweet, carnal, rapturous to the extreme. She watched me with dark eyes as I was savouring her taste unashamedly. Impulsively, I put the other finger, still wet from her orgasm, on her lower lip.
"Open up," I told her.
She indulged my wish, her lips parting to take my finger in. She sucked hard, going all the way to my knuckle, once she had my finger inside.
"See how good you taste, Bella? Nothing compares to you."
With my finger still in my mouth, she freed me from my jeans and guided me to her entrance. The little ocean of desire felt positively hot against my tip, and I pushed in. There was no need to go slow: she was more than ready for me. It felt as if weeks had gone by without being inside her, not a day; making the pleasure even more profuse. I slid deeper in her body, sighing at the faultless sensation of our connection and abandoning myself to her.
One hour later, we were far from being sated. We had barely warmed up, in fact, but we had to go. Bella was pressed with her chest against the passenger seat, breathing hard as I was trying to clean up my venom from between her legs with a tissue.
"We've made a big mess here, my love," I murmured, seeing that the venom had dripped on the leather seats of the car as well - and for whatever reason on the windshield.
"Worth it," she replied.
I grabbed another tissue, to clean up the seat, then the tinted glass.
"Can we stay longer?"
"I wish we could, but Alice is probably going crazy as we speak."
"But I am not done, Edward!" she complained with the most whiny voice in her repertoire.
"Of course you're not, my little nympho," I teased, smacking her ass lightly. "You're never done and that's one of the countless things I love about you. Turn around, you're all cleaned up now."
"Ah, as if you're any different," she muttered, while she pulled up her pants and repositioned in her seat. "You think you've got better at hiding your hard-ons since highschool, but I can tell every time."
"Oh, you can, can you?"
"You bet, nothing escapes my radar."
I laughed as I was getting back into my own seat and reached out to kiss her. I wondered when we would get the chance to have more time alone, since I was already craving to claim her again, even if I did nothing but that in the past hour.
As we drove away from the woods, a painful realization struck me: as much as I loved the sunny valleys of Dolpa, I would have given everything to be back in Forks.
Back to the predictable rain.
Back to the safe routine.
Back to the meadow.
Back to the days when time alone with Bella was not a luxury, but a given.
The sun above responded to my longing in the most cruel way possible: shining even brighter, as if to remind me that there was no home for me in these places.
Thank you for hanging on to this ride, guys! This journey wouldn't be as exciting as it is without you - so for that I am a thousand times thankful! :)
I am more than happy to read and respond to any thoughts you might have regarding this chapter or the story in general.
If you want to read more stuff, I've written a few fluffy sexy outtakes for this story that you might like (and there are more on the way).
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Stay safe and happy, everyone!
