SimplyDazzling is my hero for life. Okay...not really, but she's a damn good beta!
One day.
After a grand total of 218 days since the first letter I sent, we were down to one day before I would finally be able to meet Edward. 218 days. Or about eight months. That's what it all came down to. Eight months was a long time to wait for something. Especially something you're dying for.
Edward's flight was scheduled to arrive at 3:50 tomorrow. I would be waiting for him in his terminal wearing a mid thigh white skirt and yellow plain v neck t-shirt. I had sent him an email a few days ago to tell him this. I cringed thinking back to it; a mid thigh skirt? Not my finest moment. But something had forced me to type it out, so I was rolling with it.
I felt bad for being impatient with Rosalie a couple weeks ago. Take a jittery, anxious Rosalie, multiply it by 7 seven you get somewhere along the lines of what I was feeling. Last night I got about four hours of sleep maximum. I can't even think of a metaphor to begin and describe how excited I was for 3:50.
It was like. . .nothing I had ever experienced before, which is why I couldn't possibly compare the eagerness to anything else. I just knew that the yearning I would have to feel for the next 26 hours to pass by was utterly overwhelming.
Edward didn't seem real to me. He seemed more like a forbidden fruit for lack of a better description. I could hear from him, I could hear of him, I could know so much about his life and him mine. But it didn't seem like it was something I would ever get to experience.
Our worlds were just too different. I was a high school honor roll student, captain of two sports. Edward was a Sergeant in the U.S. Military, living in Iraq without a family. Those two lives just didn't mix everyday. And the fact that they were about to was beyond mind-baffling to me.
It's been Edward, the soldier I write to. Now it's about to become Edward, in the flesh and whatever the hell he is.
I couldn't place it, but something had changed between the two of us towards the end of the eight months. Maybe we'd just gotten to know each other better; maybe we were both antsy for the summer. To me though, it just seemed like it had gotten to be. . .more.
But I was getting ahead of myself with all the time I had to think lately. A blessing and curse about summer. Today, knowing how annoying I would be to Esme, Rosalie and Emmett volunteered to babysit me.
"We could play Rock Band?" Rosalie suggested lazily, without much enthusiasm at all. I shrugged, equally as unenthusiastic.
Currently we were lounging around the living room at my house. I was occupying the entire couch while Rose and Emmett made themselves comfortable on the love seat. Rosalie was resting with her back on the arm of the seat and had her tanned legs across Emmett's lap. They weren't an item or anything, but I felt like the unwanted third wheel nonetheless.
The thing about their situation was even if they wanted to; they couldn't really be an item. Emmett was 22 and Rosalie didn't turn 18 until the beginning of November. Though their age difference wasn't that apparent when you looked at the two of them together; Rosalie could pass as college senior effortlessly.
We both looked at Emmett for a yes or no. He also shrugged.
In summary, they were doing a shitty job of entertaining me.
"How 'bout we watch a movie?" Rose tried.
"Eh, look how nice it is outside." I gestured toward the tall windows behind me that were letting the sun stream through them.
"Then lets go outside," Emmett offered.
Glancing at each other, Rosalie and I simultaneously let out, "eh."
"Glad we're getting somewhere," Emmett grinned. From the looks of him he was pretty content to just sit with Rose. It made me curious as to what those two had been up to for the past two weeks but I didn't want to ask and be rude while Emmett was in the room. Getting Rosalie alone now was like trying to meet with the Queen of England. The two of them had been joined at the hip.
"We could bake cookies," I posed.
"I feel like pie," Rosalie responded.
"That takes too much work."
"Thought I'd throw it out there."
We sat in silence for a moment. I looked around the room for inspiration. Family pictures framed on the wall. Artwork from somewhere in Italy. Coffee table littered with various common household items. Rosalie swooning. Emmett swooning. Glass shelving filled with DVD's. Plasma screen TV. . .gaming system. I sat up abruptly.
"Anyone wanna play Super Smash Bros on the Wii?" I asked. I raised my eyebrows up and down suggestively, suddenly jolted with energy.
Emmett sat up in his seat immediately. "Fuck yes! Are you kidding me? Dibs on Mario. Hands down!" I grinned, enthusiastic that someone shared the same passion as I did for Nintendo games where people beat the shit out of one another. He held his fist out to me. Before I could bump it with as much force as I could he winced. "Sorry for the F bomb Mrs. C," he hollered remorsefully. Rosalie smirked. As did I.
"Thanks Emmett, but I could really care less," Esme responded, her voice coming down from the upstairs where she was probably in her bedroom. Emmett grinned.
Rolling her eyes, Rosalie moved her legs from Emmett's lap so he could dart down to the counsel. "Prepare to go down, ladies."
"It is you, Mario, who shall go down," Rosalie commented mildly with a wicked smile. She looked at her nails, seemingly uninterested in the whole ordeal. Emmett raised a cocky eyebrow at her before turning and scooping low to get three remotes. Rosalie looked over at me and winked.
"Eat that you no good Italian motherfucker. Take that! Not so strong without your light saber, are you, bitch? Taste my umbrella you shit bag!"
Rosalie continued to yell, her eyes never leaving the screen as her fingers pressed the buttons repeatedly and she moved the controller wildly around. Rosalie had taken me out in the first eleven seconds of the game. I now sat watching with growing amusement as Emmett and Rosalie battled it out in a duel between the Princess Peach and Mario.
"That's what I thought," Rosalie said smugly as Emmett accepted defeat and Mario went flying off the screen.
The look on Emmett's face told me that he had just fallen in love with her. Well, maybe not quite that, but his eyes were huge and full of reverence towards his destroyer who currently was too busy smirking at the screen to notice. It looked like he had just learned that Santa Claus was in fact real. I stifled a laugh at the two of them.
"Rematch," Emmett demanded after he gave his little head a shake. Reverence be damned, Emmett was back with a vengeance.
"Bring it, bitch," Rosalie smirked at him, confidence oozing from her tone. I rolled my eyes and turned off my controller. It turned out that it was much more entertaining watching Emmett and Rosalie try to kill each other's virtual characters than actually playing the game.
Later that afternoon, Rose and I went to our last golf practice before state which was in two days. As I was fiddling with the radio in my truck and driving along the freeway, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at Rosalie's smugness radiating off of her from beating Emmett multiple times. I was all for Nintendo domination as much as the next guy but those two had taken it to the extreme and back again. Eleven fucking times.
Though their unintentional distraction had been quite effective, unfortunately it had worn off. Now I was repeatedly stealing glances at the clock on the dash board. 23 hours.
Practice was like hell.
I could not focus on anything whatsoever. Every time I tried to perfect my stance and make sure I was doing everything right, a random thought would pop into my head. Sheets in the guest bedroom needed to be changed. I would take a shot and it would suck. I'd try to clear my head and get lined up with the ball again. I would be able to hit a few balls before bam! Out of nowhere, I wonder if Edward likes muffins. I like muffins. You'd have to be crazy not to like muffins. I think I'll make muffins for breakfast.
I was actually getting very frustrated with myself. State was in two flipping days and I wanted to do really well. I was also mad that my mind was placing Edward before my responsibilities to my team. I could only think about his arrival and how much time until it. The more frustrated I got, the more my shots started to become shit. And the thoughts were still popping into my head.
I felt like crying. The 8th grader was hitting better than me.
I credited the growing lump in the back of my throat to post PMS. I normally got really emotional and hormonal after my period. I was just getting more and more angry with myself.
Part of the problem might have been the pressure I was putting on myself for the tournament. Edward would be walking along with my group to watch me play. And I wanted to impress him. And here I was playing like a four year old.
"Geez, Bella, is everything okay?" Brenner asked as he walked from the phenomenal 8th grader to me. There was genuine concern in his voice which just made me sigh.
I wonder how Edward will take my moodiness in a few weeks. . .
"Yeah, yeah, fine." I reassured him. I went back to the bright yellow ball in front of me and swung my club. Let's just say that that shot did not help my case whatsoever.
"Clearly," he scoffed. I rolled my eyes, annoyed.
"I'm working on it, alright?" I felt bad as I snapped at him. He looked at me with more concern, seeing that I was really worked up about something. I never used that tone with anyone. Except maybe Rose. . .sometimes. . .
"Sorry, just a little tense."
"What's got you all, you know, teenagery?" I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and then just shook my head at his cautious expression.
"Time is being a little too slow for my liking," I answered, not caring to elaborate.
"I have no clue what that means! So," he clapped his hands together and nodded uncomfortably at me, "You just make sure you, umm. . .get some sleep tonight!" I opened my mouth but he just walked off to Rosalie, his hands clasped behind his back and his head not looking at me again. I rolled my eyes and went back to realizing how much I loathed the sport of golf.
After a whooping five hours of sleep last night, I woke up that morning not at all refreshed. I woke up at about nine and I wasn't ready to get out of bed and wander 'round the house for hours. So I dug under my bed one handed, groping blindly for about a minute until I found the bundle of letters.
I pulled them up to rest on my blanket covered lap. I had kept every letter that Edward had sent me since December and they were all tied up neatly with an extra pink shoelace. Grinning like an idiot, I rubbed my eyes and yawned before I untied the neon string holding the papers bound.
For the next hour and a half I read through all of Edward's letters. I grinned, I frowned, I laughed, I sighed but I read through six months worth of conversation.
I found that after that hour and a half had passed, my mind was calmer. I was tired of this feeling like I had just drank six pots of coffee. My mind was exhausted from all the directions it had been going in the past to days. And now I was just left with a feeling of calm excitement.
I should have read his letters days ago.
I got out of bed and threw on a pair of jean shorts and old shirt and threw my hair in a pony. Grabbing my laptop like I did every morning, I went down to find something to eat for breakfast.
There was an email in my inbox and before I could get too excited, I saw that it was from Esme's office. She and I hadn't really talked much about Edward's visit. Well, Carlisle hadn't really said much either. . .So I had no clue in hell what that man felt about the subject at all.
From: Esme Cullen
Subject: You Better Be Awake
Date: 20, June 2008, 10:53 AM
To: Bella Swan
Change the sheets in the guest bedroom. There are fresh ones in the linen closest next to my bedroom. Get the pillowcases too.
And please settle down before you pee your pants on the Persian rug. And if you have calmed down, thank God.
By the way, am I cooking tonight? Or would you like to give it a try. . .? (:
From: Bella Swan
Subject: RE: You Better Be Awake
Date: 20, June 2008, 11:08 AM
To: Esme Cullen
I got it taken care of. Well, it will be as soon as I finish eating.
I am settled down. . .to an extent.
You can knock yourself out with the cooking. I think I'll have to past just tonight. See you later.
I closed the laptop and went off to do her bidding. After the sheets were changed and the bed was made to the best of my ability, I busied myself in baking. I had read something in one of Edward's first letters so I decided to pass the remainder of time in the kitchen by my two best friends: butter and sugar.
I found it surprisingly time-passing to be in the kitchen surrounded by the warm aroma of cinnamon and raw dough. I was being honest when I said that I only glanced at the clock once in two hours.
And when I did glance at the clock I was reminded that I had a 45 minute drive ahead of me to the airport and it was past 2 o'clock. Swearing loudly in the empty house, I turned off the oven and put the perishables back into the fridge. I rushed upstairs to put on what I told Edward I would be wearing.
I cringed when I looked in the mirror. Very nice, Bella. The flour hair is definitely a new trend. I pulled part of my hair into a half pony tail and left the back down. I looked at the clock sitting on the counter in the bathroom. 2:20. Damn it.
"Screw it," I mumbled. I grabbed a clutch makeup bag and flipped off the light switch before flying down the stairs and out the door to the garage.
I wasn't being a model driver. . .to put it lightly. I was driving up people's butts on the highway, challenging the speed limit just a bit, and applying makeup at the stop lights. At least I was buckled and not texting. . .that had to count for something.
I glanced at the clock. 2:57. I still had time. Granted, I was about five minutes away from getting into the actual airport.
I couldn't decide if I wanted his flight to be delayed or not. I decided not. I definitely did not want to wait any longer. Ten more minutes.
Finally I got into the parking lot and fortunately found a fairly decent parking spot near the building. I was glad I hadn't worn anything other than flat sandals. I managed to book it across the parking lot and through the airport lounge in record time. I'd dare any bitch to break the record I just set.
I navigated around that building like I owned it. The terminal Edward's flight was due to land in was near the door where I parted. So at 3:05 I was waiting in that area for a soldier to walk out.
Even though I had already checked twice, I glanced back at the arrival board one more time. No delays whatsoever. My heart started to pound and I found myself fidgeting.
I don't know what was running through my head right then. If anyone had asked I wouldn't be able to say. The was feeling so surreal. It didn't seem like I should have been standing there, waiting for a flight from Iraq. Tell me I'd be doing this seven months ago and I would have laughed in your face and called you a dumbass. Maybe not in those words. . .but something along those lines definitely.
I tapped my foot against the carpet in a hurried motion that matched the beat of my heart. I wasn't sure anxious was the word anymore. I was fervent. And that was not a word I used lightly.
The large windows serving as walls let me see that a plane had landed in the space where Edward's was supposed to be. I smiled to myself. The fluttering butterflies in my stomach were flying all about in a spastic flight. I hated that cliché but it was really the best comparison for what I was feeling at the moment.
People started to walk through the door where the flight attendant stood. I stood up on my toes so I could see around another man. I looked anxiously at the people exiting the makeshift hallway from the plane. Family of six. . .two men in business suits. . .elderly and young women. . .family of four. . .a young couple, probably back from a honeymoon by the looks of their tan. . .
A soldier.
My heart skipped a beat. I noticed because it was pounding so sturdily against my chest. The man had light brown hair that had a bit of a rusty tint to it. He didn't have a flat out buzz cut – he had short, closely shaven hair on both sides of his head, but the top of his head still had a short layer.
The soldier was tan, obviously from the hot desert sun. And he was tall. Not as tall as Emmett, or as muscular. But he had a certain build that I could see through his uniform that was definitely not short of appealing.
The man was looking around, searching for someone. I didn't move. I was frozen to the gross carpet, my tapping foot stopped midway up. The soldier looked at the small group of people I was standing by and then looked at me, in my yellow shirt and white skirt.
Then he looked me in the eyes, a grin, subtle but crooked growing on his face. I began to grin too when I saw the color of his eyes from all the way across the room. That soldier had a pair of green, stunning eyes.
Edward.
Too far down
The road you know i'm scared to go down
I'm waking up anxious to lay back down
'Cause all i can do here is wait
Just wait, i'll hurry up and wait
Well i can't read her expression
'Cause man this vixen she's sly
As she keeps me suspended
I've lost all control of this flight
Hiiii yeaaahhh yeaaahhh
We've ravaged our chances to shine
Would you take what i'm giving to you or did i take this
Do we take this
Hurry Up and Wait, Making April
-Umm...soo...I did warn you...? Don't kill me?
-Okay. If you're dying for more, there is an alternative. My website? Anyone remember it? Well recently, I decided to try and get back into it. There's a blog where I ask a character a week some questions that give some stuff away. I'll be posting a tiny little bit of Chapter 14 on there as well. If you have any questions you want to ask a character, leave me a review. Link's on my profile, you know the drill.(:
-Lemme know how much you hate me(:
