He wrapped his arms around her tightly, engulfing her tenderly with his strength as he whispered sweet farewell words softly into her ear. He was leaving today, after their month of spending everyday together. There was too much remaining unsaid in between them, feelings that weren't yet discovered, and he would be going to fight in a war for the next year while she waited for him to come back to her. The departure had snuck up on everyone, and the bystanders that had come to see him off turned away so the two could share an intimate moment.
Thank God it was Emmett.
It was July 6th and the end of Emmett's leave was here. I watched Rosalie and Emmett, not even saying goodbye because she still had to take him to the airport, cling to each other. And it was a huge wake up call. This would be me in two short weeks.
I frowned sadly at the scene in front of me. And while I didn't want to fathom what it felt like, I envisioned myself in that situation. I knew it would hurt, but it shocked me how deeply it did when I thought about him actually leaving, me having to drive him to the airport and say farewell.
Edward was standing silently next to me; he had come to see his best friend off knowing that he would be joining him in Iraq soon. I couldn't look up at him; instead I stared at the ground. I noticed how Rose's mom hadn't had the neighbor mow her grass for awhile. It was getting a little on the long side. I would have to tell Cam about that.
Without saying a word, Edward slipped his arms around me from behind and rested his chin on my head.
"It'll be okay," he said quietly into my ear, not drawing attention from anyone else. I nodded doubtfully.
"We still have time," he added tenderly while he lightly pulled me closer against his chest.
I didn't say anything. Instead we just watched as Emmett and Rosalie reluctantly pulled apart from each other. Edward placed a firm kiss on the crown of my head as Emmett took Rose's hand and they came to say goodbye to us.
Edward hesitantly unwrapped his arms from me so Emmett could give me a giant bear hug. I wrapped my arms tightly around my friend, not wanting him to go almost as much as Edward.
"Stay safe," I whispered in command. Emmett nodded.
"Look out for my girl," he asked before we broke apart. I nodded and gave him a sad smile. He ruffled my hair and when I rolled my eyes and cracked the smallest of a smile he winked at me.
I hugged Rose lazily as Emmett and Edward said goodbye. She sighed, "Life sorta sucks."
"Yup."
But, on the bright side, I was now officially 18.
Emmett was gone; he had arrived at base in Iraq in the middle of the night and was safe and sound. Rosalie was sad.
It was my birthday and I had woken up with a vase of bright yellow flowers at the end table by my bed with a note that said I love you at its base. I smiled as I stretched out. I was thrilled. Edward and I were finally legal.
Normally I was pretty indifferent about my birthday. It was sort of just another day. But I was excited to celebrate it with someone. Edward was fantastic. From the moment I woke up with the flowers until I fell asleep. Especially when Elliot came a knocking.
Esme and Carlisle had taken the afternoon off but were working in the morning. That meant Edward and I had the first half of the day to ourselves. We spent it kissing extensively and snuggling in his bed watching Happy Gilmore while playing with my digital camera.
After the movie was over we went downstairs to. . .well, a change of scenery I guess. As I was about to suggest a game of rock band, the door bell rang. With a shrug, I hopped off the coach and opened the door. And there stood Elliot in a white polo and jean shorts smiling as I opened it.
I smiled after the door was opened. "Happy birthday!" he cheered stepping in to the house and giving me a casual hug. In surprise I started to hug him back but he was already moving away.
My ex-fake boyfriend and my current actual boyfriend were staring each other down. Sweet.
I watched warily as the men studied each other. Elliot was just as tall as Edward was, but high school basketball player and U.S. soldier have a different type of muscles. I rolled my eyes, unnoticed, as Edward buffed up considerably. Edward's jaw shifted as Elliot rose the slightest eyebrow.
"Elliot," Elliot braved the intense silence first as he stuck his hand out to Edward, whose arms were crossed over his chest. This was déjà vu. This was exactly what had happened when Edward met Carlisle.
Edward nodded at his hand. "Sergeant Edward Masen." I mentally slapped my forehead.
Once Edward caught my eyes narrowing at his childishness he stuck his hand out to shake Elliot's with extreme hesitance. This better be a really fucking short visit. But even though I was already exasperated with the two of them, I was still slightly amused.
After some more silence in which we all stared at each other, Elliot again broke it. "So Bella, I brought you this," he said with a nervous smile as he handed me a wrapped box. I smiled brightly and took the present excitedly.
"Can I open it?" I asked eagerly, my face lighting up. I was a bit of a sucker for wrapped goods. Elliot chuckled and nodded, choosing to ignore Edward and relax a little bit.
Elliot got me a basketball jersey that had my favorite player's name and number on it. I thanked him profusely and gave him a hug after holding it out and looking at it. This was one of those nice, $100 jerseys. After that I tried to usher him out without being rude. Fortunately he had some place to be.
"Well I gotta get going, I hope you have an awesome day," Elliot said distractedly as he watched Edward put an arm around my shoulders. I pretended not to notice Edward's testosterone.
Elliot slipped on his sunglasses as I put the jersey back in the box. "Thank you so much!" I grinned and he smiled back before letting himself out the front door.
Edward had said a grand total of three words. The whole visit. His name.
"Nice," I said sarcastically as soon as the door was closed. Edward knew I wasn't really mad at him because as soon as I tried to glare at him I cracked a smile.
"On the contrary, I thought I was pleasant," Edward smirked, leaning down to kiss me.
"Pleasant as a bear woken from hibernation."
"Still a type of pleasant," Edward argued, kissing me lightly again. I kissed him back, our lips molding together familiarly. I was about to wrap my arms around him as the kiss began to kindle into fire. But we were interrupted.
"What did you do to Elliot? The kid sprinted out of here like someone had just been shot!" Carlisle boomed as the door from the garage opened. Edward and I broke apart with sighs.
"What'd you do Bella, curse him out?" Esme chimed in. I narrowed my eyes at Edward and crossed my arms. He looked at me sheepishly, yet not regretfully.
"Yup," I confirmed in my monotone as they rounded the corner to where we were standing.
"That's my girl," Carlisle winked. Esme and him breezed past us up the stairs, Carlisle unbuttoning the cuffs of his sleeves and Esme kicking off her pumps.
"Why the rush?" I called after them as they entered their bedroom and shut the door, to change clothes I assumed.
"We're going to be late," Carlisle hollered back through the door. I glanced at Edward, curious to see if he knew anything about this, but he was looking at me with a raised eyebrow.
"Late to what?"
"Your birthday present!" Esme's muffled yell replied.
I waited. "I need a little more to go on!" I called. Edward chuckled. Instead of answering the door was opened and they stepped out of their room in more casual clothes. I did a double take. Carlisle and Esme just changed faster than I did? I was in awe.
Carlisle grinned as he shuffled down the stairs behind Esme. "Happy 18th birthday! We're going skydiving."
My face lit up in absolute joy. I had been wanting to go skydiving for years, but you couldn't do it until you were 18. I had forgotten about that. But it took three seconds for me to get fired up about it.
My motto; if I was dying, would I want to be able to say I did this?
Like when I ordered a smoothie, my favorite flavor was strawberry, but do I really want to die without trying the mango? Granted that was on a much smaller scale, but still along the lines of the motto. I wasn't an adrenalin junkie or anything; I just wanted to live life. . .on the edge. . .of a plane evidently.
"Seriously?" I asked with the hint of squeal, trying to contain my burning excitement. Esme shook her head up and down vigorously.
And this led us to where we were now. I was skipping into a building in the middle of no where, where I was going to go get ready to go skydiving. The other three were walking behind me, trying to project normality that made up for my lack of it.
Carlisle was talking to the man behind the counter while I looked around at all the pictures taken from thousands of feet in the air. The part I was a little freaked out about was getting my ass strapped to some guys lap and jumping with him. I mean, it's not like I wanted to fly on my own, I just wanted it to be with someone more familiar.
I drifted over to the counter just in time for the nice man to address me. "You're the birthday girl I take it." I smiled politely and shook his hand. But before I could say something to him I noticed that he was staring at Edward's chest. And then before I got weirded out, I realized he was most likely reading the ARMY label on the gray shirt.
"In the service?" My brows furrowed as he talked to Edward. What kind of fucking question is that? I hoped this would not be the guy I was jumping with.
Edward nodded, "on leave."
"Are you jumping today?" The man whose name tag read Kevin inquired.
Edward shook his head, "it's her birthday."
This answer seemed to confuse the man. "Did you go to the Army Airborne School?"
Edward nodded nonchalantly. "Last year, before my deployment," he answered with a shrug.
"You're qualified to jump with her if you should choose. Or she could of course jump with our trained guys." I had been following the exchange between the two of them and I was now looking expectantly at Edward.
Edward looked at me with his own expectant expression. Hell yes I wanted to jump out of an airplane with an army trained soldier who I just happened to be in love with. As I was waiting for him to say something I decided this would be one of those things where I would get my way. Edward was the only guy I wanted to jump out of a plane with.
"Please?" I asked Edward, blinking my eyes up at him. He rolled his eyes at the little display.
Edward's lips formed the start of his crooked grin. "How much do you trust me?"
"Enough," I grinned.
Edward shrugged and then he and Kevin launched into a fast based talk about parachutes as I smiled victoriously. And before long Kevin was leading Edward and I to a locker room of sorts where we could put on our jumpsuits. My heart was racing in sync with my butterfly filled stomach.
"I can't believe you want me to jump out of a plane with you," Edward remarked as he pulled the zipper of the hunter green jumpsuit up to his chin. I pulled my own up before grinning at him.
"I believe it's called a leap of faith," I corrected him, trying hard to sound like a dork with that fantastic cliché.
Edward sighed and shook his head.
Kevin came back in with several other men and women who were wearing the same jumpsuits as us. We were all introduced and shook hands before Kevin went over what to do. I zoned out because he was just addressing the people who were going to be handling the parachute.
With my palms sweating we then boarded a small, compact plane that would be taking us up. I rubbed my hands on the bulky jumpsuit before taking the weird looking helmet and goggles from Kevin. Edward, who was standing next to me, did the same. Once everyone was secured safely with the equipment and sitting down, they got the plane ready for take off.
Edward grabbed my hand and laced his fingers through mine. I looked over at him, looking just as ridiculous as I did, and grinned despite my nerves. He smiled reassuringly at me.
"I passed the airborne course top of my class," he told me so only I could hear him. "We'll be fine, I promise."
I nodded, taking in a breath. I realized how nervous I was, without being that nervous. I wasn't nervous about Edward's capability; I trusted him with my life. But I was concerned about a possible break in a parachute that would send us plummeting to our death.
My ears popped due to the altitude as we started to climb up in the sky. I had been on an airline before, several times, but this small plane didn't glide as effortlessly, it was more choppy and at the same time thrilling. As we climbed up closer to our destination of 14,000 feet I started to wonder if I would chicken out. I knew I would regret it if I did that, but I was worried that I might plead to spare the jump as soon as I looked down.
Next to me Edward let go of my hand and motioned with his hand for me to move in front of him. Tentatively I moved over to sit where he gestured to. He clipped his harness to mine, his fingers lingering softly on mine. I looked around, my heart skipping beats, to see the others doing the same thing.
Edward started to stand and I stood with him, the awkward harness making us walk difficultly to the wide open door. We were whipping through the wind at a neck breaking pace, but it felt – for a moment – so peaceful. The protests to stop and not jump were on my lips, ready to come out in a few seconds. The ground was way to far away; a tree looked like an ant.
I looked out at the blue sky, putting all of my trust in Edward. And then we fell forward.
It was the single most exhilarating moment of my life. All my nerves were left in the airplane as we began our descent down. I let out a thrilled scream. The air was rushing past our faces and the clouds were coming closer and then disappearing as we passed them. It was extremely thrilling yet peaceful in a weird way. Our velocity increased and I was starting to have trouble breathing, it felt something along the lines of sticking your hand out a car window while going 120 mph down a highway, so I just held my breath. I knew we wouldn't be free falling long due to Edward's weight being higher than the other instructors.
In less than 10 seconds our free fall time was over and I felt Edward – who was thankfully still attached to me – reach for the parachute. In a matter of seconds the parachute caught the wind and we went from diving to certain death to lazily floating in the still air. I let out a breathless whoosh of air as I shivered with the excitement from the falling.
Immediately I wanted to be free falling again, and then again. Floating down was interesting but nowhere near as fun as the free falling had been. It was peaceful gliding around the air. I took it all in and craned my neck to see Edward, he was grinning widely, taking in my expression with amusement and some form of elation.
We were swooping in to where the landing field was. We glided down, way too fast I thought, but I trusted that Edward knew what he was doing. At the right moment he pulled a cord and our glide stopped. For a moment there was no gravity and it seemed like we were suspended from the air before we were set gently on the ground, my feet up and Edward catching us.
"Holy shit."
I took in a giant breath, letting the air fill my deprived lungs as Edward balanced us sturdily. Tentatively I put my feet on the ground, testing my balance. I wobbled a little but Edward held me up as he worked to unclip me from him.
"Fuck!" I exclaimed in amazement, turning around as soon as I was free to launch myself at him. I threw my arms around his neck and he caught me with a laugh. "Let's do it again!" I suggested enthusiastically.
"Maybe later," Edward grinned, placing a kiss on my lips. I smiled against his and kissed him back.
A golf cart came to pick us up; we had fallen to the ground about a minute sooner than the other two groups. The driver took us back to the building where Carlisle and Esme were. I had always thought Carlisle would go up with me, and I was curious why he hadn't gone up.
My legs were a little shaky when it was time to get off the cart so Edward wrapped his arm around my waist to help me get my land legs back. Carlisle and Esme were inside the air conditioned room waiting for us to arrive. When we walked in the door they both grinned at me.
"Have fun?" Carlisle asked as Edward and I gave our helmets and goggles back to the women at the counter.
"Lil' bit," I nodded, wanting to relive every moment of the jump again and again. I launched into details, trying to find words to describe the experience but failing horribly to do so. Directly after that, once the rest of the jumpers and instructors were in the building, we went and changed out of our ridiculous suits.
"She likes mine way better than yours," Carlisle said to Esme as they lounged on the couch not seeing we were there yet. I looked at Edward, but he shrugged, not knowing what they were talking about.
"I haven't even given it to her yet," Esme scoffed.
"Doesn't matter," Carlisle smirked confidently. I assumed they were talking about my birthday present. The skydiving was more than enough, but I guess they chose to make it a competition. Before I could eaves drop more, Edward, evidently not as curious as I was, made our presence known.
I had to wait the rest of the day, all the way until dinner, to figure out what Esme's present was. After she cooked my favorite pasta and amazing steak, we were all sitting out on the patio. The sun was beginning to set through the trees, much like the first night Edward had arrived, on his birthday.
Esme had gone in the house to grab drinks and my present. Edward was telling Carlisle about his views on the presidential race. I was not really listening, just looking at the two most important men in my life. My thoughts were beginning to drift to my father. I was starting to think about what he had gotten me for the last birthday I had with him, and that was a place I didn't want to go. Fortunately Esme returned outside with various drinks and an envelope.
"Happy birthday, sweetie," Esme smiled warmly as she set an iced tea and the envelope in front of me. Wasting no time I opened the envelope. I had gotten pretty good at that.
Inside the envelope was a brochure. The brochure had a picture of a pretty, large wooden house on the cover with the words Duluth Area Nature Retreat scrawled on top of it. Duluth was a city in Minnesota a few hours away from where we lived. It was a port city that had ships coming from the ocean through the great lakes. I opened the brochure and pictures of a homey, large cabin were scattered various spots with captions to the side of them. It was a beautiful place located on one of the lower bays of Great Superior Lake.
I looked closer at all the pictures. There was one of an in-home theater with cozy black leathers seats. There was a snapshot of a gorgeous pink sunset reflecting on the water. There was a game room with a pool table and other little games, like a pinball machine. And there was a hot tub on the porch over-looking the vast lake.
"You're going up for a two night stay! With whomever you want! It sleeps 12 people, but Carlisle and I both have to work and can't get time off. So, you're 18, you get to be off on your own! It's tomorrow night and the night after," Esme said excitedly, living vicariously through me apparently. I looked up at her incredulously. My jaw refrained from dropping.
"Really?" I asked. I was making sure she was actually serious about it. And if she was then I would get completely excited about it.
"Really really!" Esme beamed. And then my mouth did fall open. And then it spread into a giant smile.
"Oh my God, thank you!" I launched myself from my chair at Esme, giving her a grateful hug. She laughed and hugged me back.
"Now the only question is, whose present do you like the best?" Carlisle asked, completely serious after I settled back in my chair. I had to give the man credit; he had to know that there was no doubt I would take Edward and only Edward with me. And he was pretty calm about it.
"Just remember who buys your tampons when you make your decision," Esme sang, even with all the confidence in her voice. I rolled my eyes.
I looked at both of them seriously, "thank you both so much. I love you guys and this was an amazing birthday." Carlisle smiled fondly at me like a proud papa.
Esme on the other hand. . .
"What? Spoken like a politician! I expect an actual answer after you get back from your lovely stay in Duluth. And I expect that answer to be in my favor!" Esme exclaimed, outraged by my dodging on the question. Edward chuckled and I just sighed. Esme was about to continue on with her rant but Carlisle stood up dutifully and pulled his wife out of the lawn chair. We watched as he pulled her along into the house, leaving Edward and I alone.
"Are you excited?" Edward asked with a lazy grin, moving his eyes to the brochure. I smiled brightly with my teeth in response. He chuckled while gently pulling my arm toward him. I moved towards him, standing up out of my chair and moving to his lap, my legs going over his, each of ours in opposite directions. I swung my arm around his shoulders and he wrapped his arms around my waist and rested them there.
"I have a present for you too. It isn't nearly as extravagant as Carlisle and Esme's though," Edward said, and although Edward was always confident, there was an underlying of nerves in his voice. Not knowing what to say in response I simply nodded, urging him to continue.
One of Edward's hands dropped from my waist and went to his neck. He pulled on the small chain that's charm was hidden under his shirt. As he raised it off of his neck I saw that he was taking off his army issued dog tags. My eyes widened as his other hand moved away from my waist to put the chain around my neck. The metal was still warm from Edward as the chain settled around my neck.
Edward's arms settled around me as I looked down at the tag my fingers going up to brush it. I started to protest half heartedly. "Edward, I can't take th-"
"-is without giving you an awesome kiss," Edward finished for me. For the record, if it wasn't obvious, I was not going to say that. I blushed from my rudeness and leaned in to press my lips against his. His lips met mine as if we had been doing this for years. I had to pull away because I didn't want to get too carried away with Carlisle and Esme.
Edward gazed at me passionately, his eyes serious, no longer joking. "I want you to have it. And when I see other guys with theirs I'll think about you. And when you look at it, I want you to think about me and how much I love you. I want you to remember that I'll come home. I will get back to you."
I blinked at him, suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to tear up. I continued to blink rapidly, surprised at the emotion coursing through me. I nodded, biting my lips and starring into his eyes. There were moments that none of this seemed real, it seemed like I was living someone else's life and not my mediocre one. And I was so glad Edward was thoughtful enough to realize that, and give me something that I would cling to when he was gone.
I looked down at the tag that read his name, social security number, division and religious preference. I continued to look at it as I spoke. "You know," I started in a quiet voice, "this is my favorite present." Then I looked up at him, trying to communicate how much I loved him.
"Meeting you was mine," Edward whispered, his lips turning up into a small grin.
I don't know why I said the thing I did after that. I mean, it was a step that every relationship took eventually, but I don't know why I chose that moment to talk to him about it. It just felt right.
"Edward. . .I want one more thing for my birthday," I whispered, scared to an extent of his reaction.
"Yeah?" he asked. I looked into his eyes, he had already decided to get or do whatever I may ask him. I thought about the pictures of the lake house, and the large bedroom overlooking the lake. Hundreds of scenarios flashed through my mind, all involving Edward and I completely together, making love.
"I want all of you."
I've been roaming around, I was looking down at all I see
Painted faces fill the places I can't reach
You know that I could use somebody
You know that I could use somebody
Someone like you and all you know and how you speak
Countless lovers under cover of the street
You know that I could use somebody
You know that I could use somebody
Someone like you
Use Somebody, Kings of Leon
-Lemon next chapter! I'm sure you have mixed feelings about this and what Esme did. I know Esme's crazy/unrealistic. It's fanfiction, let the teenage girls dream of having her. Oh, and. Bella is a teenager. Teenagers have sex. I don't think I can put it plainer than that...
-My golf season starts in a few days, as does my betas. So, don't hate me if the next eightish chapters are late or not editted as well, I'll do by best!
-I'm off to antisocially enjoy Harry Potter Weekend(: Have a good week!
