Toxic Rose
Chapter Nineteen: A Meeting with the Cullen's
A/N: Woo! Finally things might get straightened out between the girls. Also there's some fluff in this chapter. About time, right? I think I have a couple more scenes planned out before things get more serious between the two girls, if you know what I mean ;) Also if anyone has a request for a romantic scene feel free to PM me and I'll take one of the ideas into consideration and incorporate it into a chapter.
Bella stood in the middle of the Cullen's house living room, shifting from one foot to another uncomfortably. She felt exposed, the room too big and bare around her, and her right in the middle of it, all the attention of the three other people in this room on her. Carlisle was sitting down on the couch in front of her and Alice had taken the arm chair to his right while Rosalie was leaning against the wall to his left, arms crossed over her chest. She still had the neck bandage on, small spots of red flecking it. Bella couldn't stand to look at it, once again reminded how close the girl had been to death because of her.
"I suspect all of you have an inkling of an idea as to why I asked you to be present here," Carlisle started softly and lacing his fingers together in front of him. He was still wearing his doctors coat and Bella wondered if the doctor had come straight from the hospital to talk to them.
It was a day since Thanksgiving had passed, and since it was a Saturday, Carlisle had called Bella to tell her she was requested to be at his house at a certain time and that he wouldn't take no for an answer. Bella hadn't sleep tonight, fearing this talk, and especially fearing to address the pixie who she knew was definitely not going to be happy about any of this.
"It's about Rose and Bella," Alice piped up, her face neutral for now. "Are you going to punish Rosalie for what she did to Bella? She hurt her in more than one way." Alice had absolutely no concern for Rosalie's health, even though the blonde had barely come back from the hospital.
Carlisle shook his head at this. "I talked to Bella at the hospital about this whole situation and it seems there was a mix up. Bella would like to explain this to you herself." Carlisle turned the floor over to Bella who immediately felt like she was going to pass out as everyone turned their eyes to her. "I uh, I uh, I think you misunderstood me that night Alice," Bella said as she tried to steady her breathing and not sound so out of breath as she spoke.
"And what exactly did I misunderstand? You flat out admitted to me that Rosalie molested you against your will!"
"No, that's not the case," Bella squirmed uncomfortably and played with the edges of her sleeves as she looked down. She couldn't maintain eye contact with the pixie. "What I meant was that at first I wasn't sure what Rosalie's intentions were. I thought she was touching me and stuff to get a rise out of me but she wasn't because she actually liked me and I saw her motions as a form of harassment at the time because I was so confused as to what was going on. But now I-"
"That's still molestation, Bella!" Alice shot up from her seat, disbelief in her face. "The fact that she touched you in the beginning and you didn't like it or know what to make of it still makes it wrong. It doesn't make it right. What are you doing Bella?" Alice's soft question at the end made the brunette squirm even more. She could feel her skin get clammy. What did she say now? She had tried rehearsing what to say to the pixie all night yesterday but their conversations were never predictable, so in short, there was no way to prepare.
"But I still liked it," Bella admitted, her face flushing. Oh god this was so embarrassing. She cursed everything and anything that had caused her to have to admit this in front of others. Alice's mouth flapped open and shut like a fish, Carlisle sat still where he was and Rosalie smirked.
"What?" Alice wheezed when she had regained her voice.
"I said I liked it Alice. I liked all of it. I like Rosalie," Bella said softly, feeling like she was giving her friend the ultimate betrayal. She hugged her shoulders hard in a bid to maintain some semblance of calm in this whirlwind of a conversation. She felt like her head was spinning; like she was going to go out of control.
"You-like-her?" Each word came out painfully and Bella winced, sorry to be causing her friend such pain. It seemed she just couldn't stop hurting everyone. Rosalie, Leah, Alice, and her dad if he ever found out.
"I can't believe you," Alice muttered, sounding like her heart was breaking. "I can't believe you Bella! What is wrong with you?"
"There's nothing wrong with her," Rosalie spoke up, coming off the wall. Her face was calm but her eyes were dark. She strode up over to Bella, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "She likes me and I like her back. You can't accept the fact, that's not my problem." In her sentence was the unsaid implication that Alice was mad that Rosalie was getting over their failed romantic relationship.
"But you'll only hurt her!" Alice spat, having drawn closer to the two girls in her agitation.
"I won't. Bella trusts me not to," Rosalie said calmly and Alice turned her wide eyes to Bella. "Don't tell me you actually believe her! She's hurt countless people. She's hurt me, her family, my friends at school; did you know she bullied all my friends?" Bella winced at this. She had heard this before from her dad but she hadn't known it was Alice's friends specifically. Alice saw Bella's wince and went on. "See, you didn't know. You don't know a lot about her but I do and I'm warning you to stay away from her!"
Bella's own rational had told her the same thing but had Bella listened? No. And she certainly wasn't going to listen to someone else if she couldn't even listen to her own self. "Alice," Bella slowly started, licking her dry lips nervously. These next words were either going to break Alice or push her away from Bella and the brunette didn't know which was worse. "I want to be with Rosalie. I trust her to take care of me."
Rage flashed in the pixie's normally docile features. "You don't know her Bella. You claim to like her but do you know that you're in love with a murderess?"
"Alice-!" Carlisle rose up but Alice snapped back at him. "She deserves to know. She needs to know just what she's getting into." Alice turned to Bella, a triumphant smile on her lips, certain she had scared the brunette off but to her shock the brunette hadn't reacted at all the way the pixie expected. She looked sad if anything.
"Alice I know."
Those words swept a cold chill down the pixie's back. "You know?" her voice was barely a whisper as Bella nodded her head in affirmation. Bella had found out the night Rosalie tried to commit suicide. The blonde hadn't outright said she killed others but the implications were clear, and even an oblivious girl like Bella could figure it out. "But how can you lay with that thing, touch her knowing all this?" Alice's voice shook with unrestrained emotion.
"The same way you did, Alice dear," Rosalie smugly stated. Alice wanted to wipe that smug look off of the other girl's face. And would have, but she was still filled with so much horror at Bella's admission. Bella was crazy to love Rosalie! The irony of how Alice had done the same months ago was lost on herself, and the short girl ran her hands through her hair as she tried to cope with this. "Besides, father approves." Rosalie raised her chin up haughtily at this.
"Carlisle!" She turned to her father who had been quietly standing around, making sure the situation did not escalate out of hand.
"Yes, Alice?"
"Do something about this! It's not right! How could you ever agree to it?" Alice gestured wildly to Bella and Rosalie. The man simply shrugged. "Alice, I cannot. Both girls wish to be in a mutual relationship and I will not take this away from them if it makes them happy. The last thing I would want to do is impose on the happiness of my child, or any child."
Alice gave a scream, tugging on her hair ends painfully before letting go. "I can't believe that all of you are against me," she hissed, betrayal thick in her voice. "You're no longer my friend Bella!" The brunette flinched at this, feeling tears gather in her eyes as her heart ached. "And you!" Alice pointed at Rosalie. "I never wish to speak to you again!"
"Gladly possible," Rosalie replied as Alice shot her an evil look and stamped away, slamming doors, knocking things to the floor and banging furniture. This chaos continued for a few minutes, Alice's cries ricocheting in the other rooms in the house.
"I'm sorry for all that," Carlisle spoke up once Alice's enraged cries and the shattering of objects grew distant. "Alice is very prone to overreacting so pay her outburst no mind. I'm sure she doesn't really wish to stop being your friend. I will talk to her until she calms down." With that he left, his coat swishing around him as he followed the trail of Alice's destruction.
The two girls stayed silent for a little while longer before Rosalie let out a lengthy exhale. "That girl is always so annoying." Her thumb was unconsciously rubbing circles on Bella's shoulder. The brunette felt bad. She had upset her friend and ruined their relationship. She knew it was going to happen but still, it hurt to hear the pixie admit it aloud. "Don't worry about her," Rosalie murmured, seeing that Bella's eyes were glistening with unshed tears. She brought her mouth down lower and gave the brunette's ear a kiss. Shivers ran down Bella's back, coiling down in her belly. "How about a nice distraction?" Images ran rampant in Bella's head. Which distraction would it be? Would it involve them making out or would it go further than that and-
Bella stopped herself there, her face flushing. Rosalie had spoken but the brunette hadn't heard, so wrapped up in her naughty thoughts she had been. "What?"
"I said I'm taking you on a date."
"A date?" They had never been on a date before. Excitement tugged at Bella's belly. "But wait, I'm not wearing anything cute, or even have my money, and my hair-"
Rosalie silenced her ramblings with another kiss to the ear, her lips so soft. "It's fine," she murmured against it. "Think of this as out pre-first date, like a practice date. And then we can set up a real date to celebrate us going out. We'll dress up and go out to a nice restaurant and then enjoy each others company. Would you like that?" Bella nodded her head obediently, Rosalie's close proximity so damn distracting. "Good." The blonde pulled away, leaving Bella feeling cold without her. "Now let's get into the car."
"Where are we going?"
Rosalie winked at her. "It's a surprise."
The surprise turned out to be an ice skating rink, in the next town over. "I don't want people at school seeing us," Rosalie reasoned. "Their all judgmental small town hicks that don't understand the complexity of love and how it's not only found between a man and a woman but between same genders as well." Bella didn't mind. It was nice being out of Forks once in a while and she certainly did not need her classmates seeing her hanging out with the notorious blonde.
"But an ice skating rink? Rosalie I'm super clumsy. I'll break all my bones just trying to get on the ice," Bella whined as Rosalie parked her mustang in the ice rink's parking lot.
"I know you're clumsy, that's why I took us here." Bella felt a hint of unease. Was the blonde going to go back to her threatening ways? Did she want Bella to get hurt? "That way we can cling onto each other all we want and blame it on your inability to skate."
Oh. So that was the reason.
Bella felt her cheeks blush. Now she definitely was motivated to go skating. What were a few bruises if she could just hold onto Rosalie.
True to her word, Bella could barely make it five steps without sliding forward or letting out a squeak as her legs went in opposite directions on the ice. Rosalie was there to catch her or to hold her and guide her and it felt nice to be in the blonde's arms. Bella might have overdone the whole clumsy act once or twice if only for Rosalie to grab her hand. If the blonde knew of what Bella was doing she gave no indication of it.
When Bella retired to the bench once her feet started hurting, she ate a hot dog Rosalie had bought for her and watched the blonde as she skated for a couple more minutes. Watching the blonde on the ice, without Bella's clumsy attempts to slow her down, was a real treat. The girl was absolutely majestic. Her blonde curls span around her, her arms came up above her head gracefully and her eyes were far away, lost in reverie to whatever music she was hearing in her head as her supple body moved across the ice like it was nothing. Bella was certain that this was what professional ice skating looked like, even if she had never seen anything else to compare it too. The girl was just so beautiful and dazzlingly. Would she be like this in bed too? All graceful limbs and body moving-stop, Bella growled to herself, trying to get her mind out of the gutter. Geez, since when was she such a horn dog?
Rosalie came off the ice, after she caught Bella's open mouthed staring at her. "Like what you see?" she asked in a teasing lilt.
"Yea," Bella dumbly responded, unable to deny this. Her cheeks burned at her slip up but Rosalie only laughed. She held out a hand to help Bella up, the brunette having taken her skates off long ago. "I'm glad you did. Now let's go get some food. I'm thinking an all you can eat buffet."
"I already ate, so it doesn't have to be something big," Bella waved her hands around to dissuade the blonde.
"I don't know. With the way you were hungrily looking at me, I'd say you need something more," Rosalie purred in Bella's ear as she kissed her there gently. Bella's body under went a full flush and she wanted to contradict Rosalie but suddenly her tongue wasn't working anymore.
Rosalie took off her skates and then they were off to a restaurant, one that looked very comfy and chill and was a short walk from the ice skating rink.
"And what will the two of you ladies be having today?" A waiter asked, taking out his notepad and scribbling down the orders as Rosalie shot off the dishes for them. Done, he sped off to get the meals made. Rosalie turned her attention back to Bella, smiling gently. "How's school going?"
Over the course of the meal the two girl's talked. Rosalie was a very attentive listener and always chimed in at the right moments. She also always had the right thing to say and Bella found herself gradually surprised by the level of the other girl's charm. She could make any topic interesting and she knew so much. Not only that but she made Bella feel like everything Bella said was of utmost importance. Bella never had someone pay so much attention to what she was saying. It would have been unnerving if not for the fact the Rosalie made the conversation flow effortlessly. Bella felt like she was talking to an old friend. Even when she had talked with Alice she had never felt this way and she had considered the pixie her closet friend, other than Angela. Talking with Alice had been like having a flurry of information thrown at her and trying to digest it all. The pixie hardly took into consideration what someone else had to say and when she did it was for her own advantage. Talking with Angela was more pleasant but she wasn't as poised or charismatic as Rosalie was. Bella was shocked she had never noticed this about the blonde, but to be honest the blonde had never talked to her like this before. Usually she was too busy threatening the brunette or touching her in suggestive manners.
"You could be so popular at school," Bella blurted out, cutting Rosalie off from talking about a new movie that was coming out.
"Excuse me?" she asked, her brows drawn in confusion. Bella flushed, realizing she had said this aloud. She looked down at the ice cream on her plate. It was starting to melt. They had finished their main course and moved on to desert.
"I was um, just thinking you're really, um, great at conversation. You have a lot of charm. And then I thought you could be really popular in school if you talked like this with everyone."
Rosalie's face became withdrawn and she looked away, quiet. Bella let her fork scrape against the porcelain of the plate. Great, she had ruined the only good conversation she had ever had with the blonde. Good job fucking it up, Swan, her conscious snarled at her. It was going so well and you just had to speak without thinking!
I'm sorry! The other part of Bella's subconscious sniffled.
Well sorry is not gonna cut it this time, it hissed back at her.
Bella looked up at the blonde, who was still distant. The background noise of the restaurant took the place of where what had moments ago been their animated conversation. Bella had to do something to fix this! "I'm sorry," she blurted out and the blonde snapped her head back to look at her. "For what?" the blonde arched a brow, hand propping up chin.
"For saying what I said. I ruined the atmosphere between us. It's weird now," Bella evasively explained, not wanting to cause the blonde to withdraw further.
Rosalie let out a deep breath, pushing herself back into her seat. Her eyes sought out Bella's. "It's okay. I'm not mad. And it's not weird now. I was just thinking about things. You know I used to be like that back then."
"Like what?"
Rosalie gave a wry smile. "Popular."
"And what happened?" Bella cautiously asked. She was still curious about the blonde's past.
The blonde spread out her hands. "I blew it. Like I blow everything." Then she reached out and grasped the brunette's between her own. "But not with you. I want to make a fresh start with you. I do like you and I want to treat you properly. I'll try hard not to blow it." The blonde's serious expression changed into a smirk. "Besides, you're a girl. I don't think you have the right equipment that requires blowing." She added a wink at this and Bella felt her face burn all the way to the tips of her ears as a particular image of the blonde-no, stop!
Bella disentangled her hands from the others and coughed awkwardly into them. The ice cream was a complete puddle on her plate now, much how Bella's insides felt at that comment. Rosalie knew what her words had done to Bella and leaned back into her chair cockily. She had succeeded in changing the serious tone the conversation had taken but it wasn't entirely gone and this time she was the one who interrupted the pleasant mood. The cocky expression faded away as a more sober tone took over her emotions. "You know I wish I could tell you everything. About me. About my past. About what makes me, me."
"Then why don't you tell me?" Rosalie looked shocked by the brunette's words. "I already know some of it, so I don't see the harm in telling me more."
Rosalie made a face at this, it clear that she disagreed with this idea. "I can't. I don't want to burden you with my...my sins."
Bella felt a lump in her throat form. Now that she had ruined the dinner's mood she supposed she should do it all the way at least. "Then just answer me one thing."
Rosalie's eyes were guarded and the corners of her mouth hardened. Bella was sure the other girl knew what the question was without having to ask it because she started explaining herself before Bella even voiced her inquiry. "I...I feel like a killer. Like I'm responsible for others pain and deaths, but I..." She paused at this and chewed on her lip. "I've only done it in self defense. Because my life was in danger. I don't know if they actually died or what...but it felt like they did. There was so much blood." Rosalie's voice dipped low and Bella had to strain to hear her. The blonde's arms had unconsciously wrapped around her own shoulders. Remembering this hurt the blonde but Bella felt more reassured hearing this. Rosalie hadn't actively sought out to hurt people. She had been threatened, so it was only natural that she would fight for her life. Bella reached out a hand and placed it on the blonde's arm, startling her, the blonde having gotten lost in her memories, staring down at the table with a haunted look in her eyes. "I'm sorry for asking. But thank you for telling me. It means a lot."
Rosalie was silent, an uncertain and vulnerable look on her face. Then she smiled and everything was better.
"Well I guess that this is good night," Rosalie said as she pulled up in her car, her voice a bit pensive. They were a block away from Bella's house but didn't dare to go any closer for fear of Bella's father seeing them together and that was something they had not worked out how to approach yet.
"Are we ever going to tell him?" Bella quietly voiced the concern she had been mulling over all day in the back of her mind. Now that they had arrived at her father's house the concern rose back up in her mind. How were she and the blonde going to get around seeing each other if the chief of police hated Rosalie's guts?
Rosalie was quiet a moment. "I don't think we should for now. I want to...I want to prove myself first. I want to show him I'm a good person."
"And how are you going to do that?" Bella was touched by Rosalie's words. She was learning today that the blonde was indeed a sweet person; she had just been hurt too often and her true self was hidden under a thick barrier of the nastiest rose thorns that pricked anyone and everyone that pressed too close to them. Bella was determined to get past them, no matter what it took.
"I don't know yet," the blonde answered truthfully and a bit morose. "But when I figure it out I'll let you know."
Bella said nothing, just sat there in the dark of the car. Heat was blasting from the air vents and she let her fingers trail absently over them. They were quiet, soaking up each others presence, hesitating to depart. "I guess I better let you out, before Charlie gets worried and calls Carlisle over," Rosalie said at last, reluctance at the idea dripping from her voice. Bella didn't want to leave, not yet. When she was with Rosalie she could forget about how she had fought with Alice, how she had work to do for school...
"Rosalie..." Bella turned to the blonde, trying to figure out how to voice these feelings. The younger girl couldn't see the other girls expression in the dark of the car, but her face leaned closer and she pressed the gentlest of kisses to Bella's mouth, sensing what the girl had wanted before she had to ask for it. "I had fun today," Rosalie admitted, pulling back.
Was that kiss it? Was that all Bella was going to get? She wanted more, god damn it! Now that Rosalie and her had somehow balanced out this weird relationship of theirs, were by some miracle on the same page, she was not going to leave with just a simple kiss. She had been burning up all day from the small touches as Rosalie righted her on the ice, melting from the smoldering stares from the blonde, and turned on by the suggestive phrases.
Now that she finally had the blonde-the girl was her girlfriend after all (she still hadn't been able to wrap her head fully around the fact)- she was going to use her girlfriend privileges and get more out of Rosalie. She thought she deserved it in the very least for the blonde being so cruel to her before.
"Bella?" Rosalie asked hesitantly, as Bella closed the distance before them and hungrily kissed the blonde's lips. The younger girl's insides lit up at the exchange and made her only press harder, seeking to get more, to taste more of the other. Rosalie merely groaned at the way their lips meshed together. Her hands ran up to the sides of Bella's ribs whose insides tingled at the touch. Still Bella wanted more. She needed the girl's hands on her skin not on her shirt. She redirected the blonde's hands under her shirt, tugging them up to her bra. Rosalie pulled away from the brunette's mouth at this, her breath shaky.
"Bella are you sure about this? I don't want your first time to be in a car next to your father's house." There was slight amusement in her voice but also desire.
Bella let out a frustrated groan at this. The blonde was right. But she only wanted a little. Just a little more to kiss her at least. "It's fine. I just wanna make out with you a bit."
Rosalie smiled and leaned back into the kiss. This time they were slower, less insistent. It was more about exploring the insides of each others mouths. Rosalie's hands hovered over where Bella had put them, feeling the rapid heart beat of the younger girl. She slide them down, teasingly to her sides and could feel the others breath hitch in her mouth. Bella placed her own hands on Rosalie's sides, sliding them up and down experimentally, the fabric moving with her hands until it had bunched up and a span of smooth flesh greeted her. She let her fingers run over it, enjoying the warmth of the other girl's body. The windows of the car had fogged up from all the heat they had created, whereas outside snow had begun to fall gently on the car as it idled, it's lights off so as to not alert attention. The girls would have kept kissing if not for a phone going off. With a groan of reluctance Rosalie pulled away, digging her phone out her bag. It was her father. What did he want?
"Hello," she said, trying to clear as much of the lust and irritation at being interrupted out of her voice.
"Rosalie, are you still with Ms. Bella?"
"Yes, I am. Why?"
"Charlie called our house asking for her and I said that she was done hanging out with Emmett and Alice and had already started on her way home. I can't keep him ignorant forever so I'm afraid your time is up." Bella sat quietly in the car, wiping away at the fogged up passenger window as Rosalie talked, and fighting the snake of lust that coiled in her lower belly. Why had Carlisle called? Couldn't he have done it when they were less busy?
"Fine. I understand. We're right by her house."
"Good girl," Carlisle hummed. "I'll see you home for dinner." He ended the call and Rosalie rolled her eyes. Yea yea, she'd see him for dinner at six. He never had dinner with his kids except on rare occasions such as when he wanted to ask them something or get them to do something for him. And she knew what this dinner conversation was going to be about: Bella. He couldn't talk to Rosalie in the hospital because he was busy with other patients and she was recovering, but now at home nothing would stop him. She put the phone back in her purse. "That was Carlisle. He says your dad called, asking where you were."
Bella gave a sigh. "I guess it's my cue to go. I'll just tell him one of you guys dropped me off by the house." Bella rummaged through the dark for a few things. She had to go home eventually but she kind of didn't want to, her new found relationship with Rosalie making her want to stay in the blonde's arms. There will be time later, she reassured herself. No need to rush things.
Her hand found the door handle and she was about to leave when a sudden thought paused her. Without giving it a second more consideration she leaned over in the dark and sought out Rosalie's lips, kissing them long and hard before biting down on her bottom lip and pulling it gently with her teeth before letting go. Then with a burst of cold air she was out the car, running to her home, enjoyment thrumming in her veins. She hadn't waited for Rosalie's reaction to the last kiss but she knew she had to have surprised the blonde. Bella had been googling some kissing techniques and other things, in order to be more well versed in such matters and she was intent on testing them out on the blonde sooner or later.
Back in the car Rosalie let out a shaky exhale, her fingers coming up to touch her lip where Bella had bit it. Where had the girl learned such tricks? All the desire that had been washed away by that phone call with Carlisle came back full force and she let out a groan as she let her head hit the wheel softly. How was she going to drive in this state? She couldn't focus on anything right now. On anything except the thought of having the brunette squirming underneath her, naked and panting.
She was trying to be good and patient for Bella, treating her like a normal person would. She wanted to erase all that happened before between them for a fresh start so to speak. Yet here the brunette was, testing the limits of Rosalie's shitty self control. The blonde wanted to sleep with her but she was forcing herself to be patient, to start off with slow kisses and hand holding and then move onto being hot and heavy with her. She was going to have a normal relationship for once and for all, damn it! She wasn't going to fuck it up like she had with Marie or Alice.
Rosalie gave another groan and squeezed her thighs together. Focus Hale. Get your head out the gutter! One hand trailed down her crotch, disregarding her commands. Just for a minute. It'll be real quick and I promise you'll feel much better afterwards. It whined, pleading.
No! Rosalie snarled internally and snatched her hand away, picking her head up from the wheel. She rolled the windows down and turned off the heat. She was going to freeze these feelings of lust away. Now was not a good time for them. She turned the car lights on and rolled away, casting a wistful look at Bella's house. It would happen one day, in the right moment. But not now.
A/N: Now that the two girls are dating I kind of included both their thoughts. This is to herald the change that has occurred in their relationship. No longer will Rosalie's actions be super mysterious. And I didn't want to do one scene entirely from one's perspective and then give the same scene but from the others because I felt it would be much easier to read something once as opposed to twice with both girl's input in it. But that's just my writing style. Anyway leave me a review and let me know what you thought of this. Was the date too sudden? Should I have waited longer to put it in?