"That was his favorite." Alice mused form behind her menu. I swallowed nervously, praying to the good Christian god that she wouldn't burst into tears at that very moment. She only shook her head, as if it was distasteful to serve such a food after its biggest fan was put to eternal sleep. "He hated this restaurant." She chuckled and looked up at me through her eyelashes. "Rey said this place had too much class for folks like me and him. I would always remind him who my family was, and he had the same reply each time." Her eyes were wet, and her false lashes were heavy with shame. "That won't matter long, Alice. We'll be our own family soon enough." She put a different tone into her words, as if she were his life link to this world- in her words, Reynaldo would live forever. "God, he didn't even know a lick of Italian. My dad hated it." Her face was contorted. A half smile, half sob. "I love him so much, Bella. So much that it hurts." I treasured the way that Alice spoke of him in the present tense, as if he were still on earth, breathing- waiting for her at her apartment.
We left not long after. Alice seemed to be having stomach pains quiet often, followed with a depressing headache. Esme feared for her only daughter's health, and so did I. When I voiced these fears to Edward, he merely brushed them off. Now, as I hovered over Alice, who was going through her closet she kept at our- Edward's home, I was relieved to know she was feeling somewhat better. But as she came across a large, oversized polyester top, I automatically knew her retort. "It's his." Her soft voice whispered, and her nose was buried deep into the fabric. The last name on the other side of the jersey was his. The letters that spelt "Fomosa" were pressed against her small cheekbone. "It doesn't smell like him anymore." And she burst into more tears. Later, I held her hair back as she vomited a dark green substance I attempted to wince away to avoid. She was sobbing as she vomited, and she vomited as she cried.
"Sometimes I just lie there, thinking of him all night. And then sometimes I can't even think." Alice spoke after washing herself and changing into a soft linen nightgown, one that I wasn't afraid to get the contents of her stomach splattered on. "I wish I could go back to that moment and save him, Bella. I wish with all of my might." She put her fist to her mouth, as she was savvy of doing to quiet her sobs. It was useless, seeing as we were alone on the top floor of the Victorian style home on the outskirts of Chicago. While Edward was doing business in the city, I chose to stay in our outer-city home, and he would sleep in his spacious penthouse. We occasionally met, but on such occasions he would overflow my arms with gifts and tackle my senses with my favorite flowers. It was more often than not that he would stay more than a week with me. "I'm forgetting what his voice sounds like." Her soft words and broken intakes of breath made me squirm. Was I too comfortable listening to her sorrows?
Her words were like poetry; none of this seemed real. It was as if I was engaged in a book of Dickenson's collection of poems- ones that swept you away with a whirlwind of emotions. Alice's trauma was my meaning; I believed I was chosen by some otherworld force. Perhaps I was supposed to be intrigued by her open display of human feelings- maybe it was a destiny to teach me the ways of heartbreak. It had been a good two months or so now. His image was forever burned in Alice's mind, and there was no way to shake his lingering spirit that hovered above her, like a wicked curse put on a noble, yet sly man. "My cousin is visiting tomorrow. Just for a day before she has to go back to the city. I think you'll quite favor her." I tried my hardest to cheer her up. It wasn't right for such a small body to be put through so much pain. But then again, it wasn't right for anyone to feel horrible at all.
She only feigned a small smile and nodded. "That sounds wonderful." I had to admire her will. Had it been someone else, they would have collapsed within themselves with such heartache. But not she- not Alice. Never Alice.
"Her name's Rosalie, but we call her Rosa. Ironic that she hates it." I chuckled, trying my hardest to shine some light on it all. Alice nodded and made polite inquiries about her before retiring for the night. I made sure Rena, the housekeeper that stayed on grounds with me, escorted her to bed. I was going to retire also before the telephone rudely rang throughout the house. There were only two of them in the whole place, but my parents owned fewer. I dashed for the receiver, fearing that Alice would be wakened by such a noise. The exuberant red phone was down in the foyer, and this one in the upstairs hallway. "Hello?" I spoke directly into the phone. It was the end of the third decade of the century thus far, and life was quietly pleasant for me.
"Bella?" Edward's low pitch made my cheeks flush. Why had I hoped so badly that it was him? Even with so much space between us, I could feel his chest flush against my back. Miles could not separate our bodies, it would seem.
"Yes?" I feigned an indifferent voice, not wanting him to realize my slip. I glanced at Alice's door. Silence. Unlike me, Alice didn't have loud nightmares or realistic ones at least. When I asked why that was, she would bitterly chuckle and respond "Because I'm in too much of a nightmare realistically." It hurt to hear.
He was silent on his end for awhile. "I miss you, Isabella." The accent he put on the "Isa" made my toes curl in giddiness. My right hand gripped the phone and my index finger twirled through the wires that connected our voices.
"I miss you too, Edward." I finally said, meaning every word. In retrospect, he agreed with me to stay in town for a few weeks so just Alice and I could have private time in the country. I figured she needed to steer clear of her overprotective brothers, and all of the fighting they did with each other. It wouldn't help if Edward and I went into one of our brawls, either- and that one was probably more inevitable than the first.
We were only on day seven. "How is she?" His voice bordered on exhaustion and muskiness. It was a dynamic concoction for my senses.
"Alice is strong. She cries…and I feel like it's me who lost a lover." I murmured into the phone, trying to relay the message to him as quietly as I could. "Her tears hurt me, Edward. It's as if I feel exactly what she feels, but I know its not even one caliber of her pain. It's horrible." I admitted to him, growing teary-eyed. I hadn't cried since the day she and I shared a cup of tea at the local Tea Market after Reynaldo's services. It was when she let everything pour out for the first time, and it was the first time she told just how serious they were. It seemed she had given him everything.
"You won't ever lose me, Bella. Than-…thank you, for being there for my sister. You don't have to be this devoted. Your parents will still be protected-"
"Edward, stop! Alice is my friend… my only friend I have. We're going to be married in a few months. So, this is my family." I declared into the phone. It seemed I had more vigor in me than I assumed. When had I started to care so much for the evil, vile, unchristian-like Cullencianos?
When I found how human they really were.
"What are you wearing?" His voice turned to a full-blown husky drawl. That's what he always did- whenever I said or did something he was proud to hear, he would turn all hot and bothered. I looked down at my cotton nightie and grimaced.
"The truth?" I asked bitterly. I bit my lip, hoping he wouldn't grow angry from my lack of further arousal. I didn't doubt he had a lover, or two. Besides, what man could live without a woman's sensual touch for as long as he was currently resisting? I was hesitant in the matters of the consummation of our relationship. I could not yet give myself to him.
He surprised me by chuckling heartily. "I want to hold you. I want to feel your little body close to mine. You've got my penthouse mattress smelling like strawberries." I rolled my eyes at his corniness, but giggled at the prospect that he missed me- and vocalized it.
"Don't worry. The smell should fade away within the next wash." I laughed easily.
"I don't want it to." I blinked a few times before registering what he meant. Was he just wanting, and speaking out of pure lust-filled nonsense? Or was truthful- did he truly want my smell around him at all times. "I crave your smell, Bella. I crave you so much right now." He was a hundred miles away, yet I could feel the sincere whisper right against my earlobe, and I imagined sucking gently on the lobe like he was known to. And since Edward was animalistic, he didn't know the word "longing"- he only knew "crave", as if he were a historic caveman, or barbaric pirate.
"I need you right now, Edward." I was unsure of my own words, not knowing what I was getting myself into. But the truth was what the truth was- and he needed to know. Now or never, Bella Swan. I heard a growl from his end and a loud thump. I heard a shuffle of objects and the rustle of cloth. "Edward? Is everything okay?"
It sounded as if he had scattered a bunch of papers. "I'll be at the house in an hour." And with that, the receiver beeped loudly in my ear, signally he had dropped the call. I put it down quickly and brought my hand over my heart, not quite believing what was to happen. I scuttled to my room and quickly changed into an outfit I thought suitable. I felt foolish slipping into the satin slip as I threw on a matching robe. I tied the middle and sat on the bed he and I shared. With so little words, I set afire a man's uncontrollable lust. A deep red painted my face as I imagined how he would take me- what he would say. My hands were jittery and I could feel the numbness start in my fingertips. I paced the room nervously, stealing glances at the full-length mirror poking from my wardrobe. I paint my face with light makeup, not to be too blunt about my partake in this, but enough for my best features to be flaunted. I even fussed with my long hair for a few minutes. I decided that using the latrine now would probably come in use later.
When all was done, I was still a heap of anxiety. I ran a frustrated hand down my face and jumped off of the four poster bed. I went out, shutting my door softly and tiptoeing down the stairs. I poured half a glass of ginger ale. I gulped it down nervously and washed my mouth out afterwards. I spared a look at the clock and saw my disfigured reflection, I sneered at the fact that the false coloration of my lips was gone. I decided I would reapply the lipstick as soon as I drank more water. Water always calmed me. But as I finished the glass, I felt a pair of arms snake around my waist. I sighed in pure ecstasy when he placed fiery kisses along my neck and down my collarbone. I turned around and faced him. His eyes feasted upon me, and my enhanced features. I usually chose to wear no makeup. Makeup was often times a false pretense. In this case, it was my backbone. "Breath-taking." He murmured to me, running a hand down my cheek and cupping my chin to thrust his thrust onto mine more forcefully.
I replied with a gasp and held onto him. He hoisted my body on the counter and my legs automatically went around his waist. It really was a wonderful feeling; skin to skin contact…it was indescribable. The ripples of excitement…of that feeling at the pit of your stomach that says more, more, I want more. My fingers went through his hair and held myself tight to him, as if they knew what they were doing. "Pull my hair harder." He demanded.
I was puzzled. Who enjoyed having their hair pulled? I broke away from our kiss to catch a breath, and he continued to feast on my pearly skin. "What if I pull too hard and some falls out?" I questioned in between breaths. He laughed into my skin and kissed me again, silencing any future stupid questions. In the heat of the moment, Edward slid me along the marble countertop and knocked over a few plastic bowls that flew to the floor in our attempts to mold onto each other's skin. I giggled and hid behind Edward's collar. He pushed off my thin black robe and I refuted by busting the buttons of his Oxford. He smirked at me.
"A newfound sex kitten?" The way his accent twisted the word "kitten" into something so much more made me blush
"You were gone too long." I murmured in his ear. He groaned and picked me up from the counter by the sink. As he was turning the island, I began sucking on his lower lip, and it nearly drove him insane. He couldn't wait for the stairs, so he slammed me against the nearest wall, my bottom resting on a coffee table. "Edward!" I hissed lightly. My back would surely be sore the next morning, and perhaps even a bruise. But in the middle of the intimacy, I couldn't help but acknowledge that it was absolutely a turn on. Was that sick? Was that wrong? I had never done anything like that before; it was all so new.
"B-Bella?" I heard Alice's voice call out into the night. I gasped into his ear.
"Alice is awake!" I muttered in shock. I pushed him off of me and hopped off the table. I adjusted my clothing and ran to the kitchen to retrieve my robe. My fingers shook as I threw it on and tied it securely/ Edward came from behind me and began his ministrations all over again. "Edward, stop!" I said in frustration. Was he not afraid to be caught in the act in front of his little sister? "She'll be down anyone second!"
"Don't worry, Isabella. She's a sleepwalker." And as he said these words, her robotic-like body walked down the lit hallway and into the kitchen. She walked to the fridge, grabbed a broken cookie and walked away. I waited until I heard her footsteps creak along the staircase to finally sigh in relief. Jeez, that was close. I never knew that about her, though. How many times had she sleepwalked through the house, without me knowing? "Now, back to us-"
"No." I turned in his arms and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. He made it here in thirty minutes, so it wasn't like he had too long of a drive back. I couldn't risk him being here and stalling Alice's recuperation. She didn't want to see a man for a little while, especially one of her brothers. "I need to focus on Alice right now. I shouldn't have told you that on the phone-"
He silenced me with a long, drawn-out kiss. "Hush yourself. I needed to hear your voice- to see you. I needed to know you had wanted something I've been wanting for so very long." He smiled at my blush. "Bella, I've been waiting for the last four years. I believe I have it in me to wait just a little bit longer." I agreed, but he didn't leave just yet. We sat at the glass dinner table (the one I thankfully wasn't placed on) and conversed about everything. Mostly about how much we missed one another, the odd habits and wonderful scents, specifically. We kept our voices low. I was too afraid to raise my tone to that of a normal pitch. He never spoke specifically about business; he only said that it was keeping him busy enough. "It's good this all works out. By the time Alice has to go home, work will be taken care of for a few days. Meaning we'll have all the time we need." He held my hand as I walked him out to his car. It was late spring, almost summer and the night was still a bit chilly. I tiptoed on the pebbled gravel way towards his Rolls Royce, a car my mother always dreamed of owning. Before he left, I heard him mutter something, but I did not know what it was exactly. I smiled as I waved him off. His automobile (a real luxury, since not many owned them) rolled away peacefully. I went back inside. He had only been present an hour and the whole house smelled of him. The scent was most powerful in the kitchen. I stood there in utter silence and allowed my nose to be overtaken by the powerful aroma that was his.
"You love him." Alice's small voice caught me without my bearings. I looked towards the swinging doors and saw the outline and figure of her furtive body. "I'm sorry if I've kept you two apart. I don't mean to be a burden-"
"No, no, Alice! It was just…it was my fault." I instinctively tucked an escaped curl behind my ear and walked toward her. "I didn't know I would miss him that much."
She nodded and approached me. I then knew that was the wrong thing to say. I knew nothing of missing my boyfriend; she did. "You never do. Until they're gone." Her bitter smile left me in shambles before she walked away, back up the stairs and to her room.