Title: Wait for You
By: Liz
Rating: M
Disclaimers: The characters are not mine, any and all music is not mine, only the plot and my words belong to me.
Notes: I'm sorry this chapter took so long. Real life has done its level best to delay me - I moved house this weekend and have had a terrible cold for the last few days. The chapter also ended up being longer and more detailed than originally planned, which is why it ends in a place I hadn't originally set it to. Hopefully, it will still work and y'all will enjoy it. And hopefully line breaks on will work and stop messing with my formatting. Thanks as always to everyone who reviews, to twilight-is-lovee for her awesomeness, and a special thanks to my angst-queen beta/co-conspirator goo82. You're the best, girl!
Chapter 4
Bella rolled over and smacked the snooze button on her alarm clock. Monday. Ugh. Why was the weekend always so short? Suddenly, the fog cleared from her brain and she sat straight up in bed. The weekend. Edward. She practically leapt from her bed, suddenly very anxious to get to school.
She hastened through her morning routine, slowing down only slightly to choose her outfit. She decided on jeans and a deep blue blouse and dressed quickly. She pulled on her sneakers, applied a touch of mascara, and hurried downstairs for breakfast.
Charlie was already finishing his breakfast when Bella entered the kitchen. "Morning," she said, pulling a bowl and her box of cereal from the cabinet.
Charlie raised an eyebrow at his daughter's cheerier than normal tone. "Morning, Bells," he said easily. "You seem pretty chipper this morning."
Bella sat down at the table and began to eat her cereal. "Do I?" she said innocently. "Guess I'm just happy it's finally getting to be spring around here."
Charlie looked skeptical but didn't push the issue. Even though Bella rarely complained about it anymore, he knew very well how much she missed the sunny weather of Phoenix so her explanation was entirely plausible. "All right, sweetheart." He folded up his newspaper and put his coffee mug and plate in the sink. "You have a good day."
"You, too, dad," Bella replied. Charlie walked out the door and moments later she heard his cruiser start and drive away. She shoveled down the rest of her breakfast then placed her dirty dishes in the sink and hurried back upstairs to grab her book bag from her room.
Maybe she should try to find Angela before school, she thought as she came back downstairs with her bag. She really hadn't had much of a chance to talk to her friend the night before as Charlie had arrived home only moments after Bella herself had. All she had really been able to tell Angela was that she and Edward were together and she would try to explain everything soon. Angela had still been a little concerned but had understood that Bella was in no position to talk about it with her father right there. After promising not to tell anyone about finding the couple in the closet and telling Bella she would see her tomorrow, they had gotten off of the phone and Bella had gone to prepare dinner.
She wished she had had a chance to give Angela the whole story before she had to face everyone else at school today. She groaned quietly as she thought of the reactions they would probably receive from their classmates. Even though Jessica had probably already spread the news far and wide, thereby preparing everyone to see the two of them together, Bella knew that she and Edward were definitely going to be garnering quite a bit of attention over the next few days.
She opened the front door, preoccupied with thoughts of the upcoming gossip she was sure to face at school, and nearly jumped out of her skin when she came face to face with Edward. He had his hand raised as he had been about to knock when Bella opened the door and he quickly lowered it. "Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to startle you."
Bella couldn't help smiling at him. "That's okay. What are you doing here?"
"Well, I was hoping you would let me drive you to school," Edward said with a shy smile, gesturing to his silver Volvo parked in her driveway.
Bella melted. He really was just the sweetest guy she had ever met. "I'd like that," she told him honestly. She stepped out the front door, locking it behind her, and followed Edward to his car. He opened the passenger door for her, shutting it behind her when she was settled.
Edward walked around to his side, unable to keep the smile off of his face. He was glad Bella was letting him take her to school, his reasons behind wanting to drive her being twofold. He had been anxious to be with her again, that was a given. But he also knew the kind of scrutiny they were going to face when they arrived at school and he felt a need to protect her as much as he possibly could from all of the gossip and the stares of their classmates.
He climbed into the car, pulling the door closed behind him. Then he turned to Bella. "How are you today?"
Bella smiled. "Surprisingly good for a Monday. You?"
Edward grinned. "Never better." He leaned across the console to kiss her sweetly. When they separated, he smiled at her, one hand still resting on her cheek. "Good morning," he said with a gentle smile.
Bella beamed. "Morning."
"I've been waiting to do that since you drove away last night," Edward confessed.
Bella blushed and looked down at her lap. "Now you're just being silly," she mumbled.
Edward lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. "I think you're underestimating the effect you have on me," he told her seriously. He captured her lips with his own again and she sank against him with a sigh, sliding her arms around his neck.
Eventually, they parted and Edward rested his forehead against Bella's. "This is one Monday morning routine I could definitely get used to," he told her.
Bella smiled, one hand gently playing with the hair at the base of his scalp. "Me, too."
Edward closed his eyes, sighing contentedly as Bella continued to play with his hair. "You have no idea how good that feels," he told her. He pressed a quick kiss to her lips and then pulled back. "And if you don't stop, we're never going to get to school."
Bella flushed and put her hands in her lap. "I'll be good," she promised as Edward started the car.
"Well, I didn't say that," Edward said, reaching over and taking her hand in his. He rested their joined hands on his thigh, his thumb tracing gentle circles on the back of her hand as he backed out of Bella's driveway and onto the street.
They drove for a few moments, music from the mp3 player hooked into the car playing softly in the background, before Edward spoke. "I know this is kind of last minute, but I was wondering if you'd like to come to my house for dinner tonight. It's kind of family dinner night – Rose and Jasper will be there, too."
"Family dinner night?"
"Since the five of us have such different schedules, my parents try to get us all together for dinner at least once during the week. This week, it's tonight."
Edward saw the nervous expression on Bella's face and he hurried to add, "You don't have to, really. It's okay. I know I should have asked you earlier. I just thought I would ask you before Alice jumps on you at school about it."
Bella smiled. "No, I'd like to," she told him. "I just want to stop at my house after school so that I can leave dinner and a note for Charlie."
Edward smiled back, relieved. "We can definitely do that. So, you're in for dinner?"
Bella nodded. "Are your parents going to be okay with me coming, though? I mean, I don't want to impose if they're not expecting me."
Edward grinned. "Once again, you can thank Alice. She couldn't help letting it 'slip' last night during dinner when mom said tonight would be family dinner night that I might actually be bringing someone for the first time ever."
Bella blushed. "Wow. No pressure, huh?" she joked weakly.
Edward squeezed her hand reassuringly. "None at all. My parents are very cool and they're going to love you," just as much as I do, he finished silently. "And then tomorrow, you can get back at me by introducing me to your dad, okay?" He kept his tone light, trying to chase away the nervousness he could see in her eyes, and Bella forced a feeble smile for his benefit.
"So speaking of Alice, where are she and Emmett this morning? Don't you guys usually carpool?"
Edward raised an eyebrow. "Noticed that, did you?" he asked with a sly smirk.
"Lucky guess," Bella returned innocently.
"Mm-hmm," Edward said, his tone clearly telling her he didn't buy it. But he didn't push the issue any further. "Rose drove everyone this morning. She and Jasper live in the same neighborhood so they came over and got Alice and Emmett so that I could come and get you."
Bella flushed. "Seems like you went to a lot of trouble for me."
Edward looked at her. "It wasn't any trouble at all," he told her seriously. "Actually, it was kind of selfish on my part. I didn't want to wait any longer than I had to to see you again."
Bella squeezed Edward's hand as he pulled into a parking spot in the student lot. "Well, I'm very glad you showed up," she said softly.
Edward turned off the car and turned to Bella with a smile. "Ready to face the masses?"
Bella grimaced. "No."
Edward put his hand behind her neck and gently pulled her to him as he leaned closer to her. "I promise I'll protect you," he told her. His tone was serious but Bella didn't miss the mischievous glint in his eyes. Bella made a face and started to speak, but before she could get a word out, Edward's lips were on hers and it was all she could do to remember how to breathe.
When they finally separated, Bella was dazed. "You don't play fair," she accused.
Edward grinned. "Nope." He climbed out of the car and came around to Bella's side, opening the passenger side door for her and offering her his hand.
From where the couple stood in the parking lot, Edward could see Alice and the rest of his siblings standing near the entrance to Building 4. Alice frantically waved to them and Edward sighed. "Think you can handle Alice this early in the morning?"
Bella smiled. "I like Alice. She's very, um, exuberant, but she's never been anything but nice to me."
"Your choice," Edward teased.
Bella smiled back, gripping his hand tightly. "Lead the way," she told him, trying to sound confident.
Edward and Bella made their way across the parking lot hand in hand and Bella was acutely aware of the stares and whispers of her classmates as they passed. Edward squeezed Bella's hand reassuringly, feeling the tension radiating from her. "Don't worry," he said softly. "They're all just jealous."
Bella groaned quietly. "They're all wondering what sort of alternate universe they've entered where someone like you wants to be with me."
Edward stopped in his tracks and pulled Bella close to him. "There you go again, not seeing yourself as clearly as the rest of the world." His tone was teasing but his eyes were troubled. "Bella, I wish I could make you see just how beautiful and perfect you are and how lucky I am to be with you."
Bella blushed and started to speak but Edward cut her off with a finger to her lips. "There is nowhere else I'd rather be than at your side and no one else I would rather be with." His voice dropped to almost a whisper. "I am the luckiest guy in the state of Washington to have someone like you care for me. I know that and anyone with a brain does, too. People around here are always going to look for something to gossip about. I don't know, maybe their lives are all just extraordinarily boring. But I don't care what they say and I wish you wouldn't, either. I'm with you and I'm happy and that's what matters to me." He kissed her gently, quickly, before pulling back to look into her eyes. "Okay?"
Bella could only nod, suddenly quite unable to speak past the lump in her throat. His words were earnest, from his heart, and she couldn't believe that she was the cause of this emotion. She resisted the urge to savagely pinch herself, knowing that if this was a dream, she was certainly in no hurry to wake up.
Edward smiled gently, afraid he had frightened her with his passionate words. "Sorry, that was probably a little heavy for a Monday morning, huh?" he teased.
Bella shook her head slightly. "No, it was perfect," she said quietly.
Edward squeezed her hand lightly. "Ready to go face Hurricane Alice, then?" She smiled back at him and the two walked the rest of the way to where Alice, Jasper, Rose, and Emmett were standing.
"Hey, guys," Alice said as the two walked over to join them. The small girl was so excited she was practically bouncing up and down.
"Hi," Bella said, smiling shyly at the group.
"Bella, you already know most of these fools," Edward said. "And I don't know if you two have met, but this is Rose."
"Hello, Bella," Rose said politely.
"Hi, Rose."
"So, did Edward ask you about dinner?" Alice asked Bella.
Edward gave Bella a look that clearly said 'I told you so' and Bella smiled. "He asked me on the way to school," she told Alice. "And I'm really looking forward to it." That part was only a bit of a lie. She was looking forward to it, but she was also extremely nervous about making a good impression on Edward's parents.
Alice clapped her hands in glee. "I'm so glad you're coming! Mom and Dad can't wait to meet you."
Edward could feel Bella tense up beside him and he gave his brothers a pleading look. Jasper caught on immediately. "Come on, Alice," he said, taking her hand. "We should get to class."
Edward smiled gratefully. "We should, too. We'll see you guys later."
"See you in Biology, Bella!" Alice called back excitedly as she let Jasper lead her into the building.
"Bye, Alice."
Edward turned to Rose and Emmett. "We're gonna get to class."
Rose nodded and Emmett grinned. "See you guys at lunch. Bye, Bella."
Rolling her eyes, Rose took Emmett by the arm, dragging him toward Building 3 and their first class.
Edward looked down to Bella with a smile. "Okay, where to first?"
Bella made a face. "Trig with Varner."
"Not the nicest way to start your day," Edward agreed.
Bella sighed. "Nope. Oh well. I guess I had better get going."
"Let's go." At Bella's look, he smiled. "Don't boyfriends usually walk their girlfriends to class?"
Bella's heart skipped a beat. Boyfriend. He had just referred to himself as her boyfriend. And, he had called her his girlfriend. Butterflies started fluttering in her chest and she smiled up at him. "I don't know," she told him honestly. "But if it's not out of your way, I'm certainly not opposed."
"Trig it is, then," Edward said, squeezing her hand gently.
The couple made their way into the building and to Bella's classroom. Bella tried to focus only on Edward and the feel of her hand in his, but it was impossible to not notice the way people stopped and stared as they walked by together.
Much too quickly for either of their liking, they arrived at the door to Bella's Trig class. "Looks like I'm on my own from here," Bella said. She tried to keep her tone light but she was dreading the thought of spending the next hour without Edward and surrounded by whispering classmates.
Edward smiled ruefully. "Me, too." Ignoring the people around them, he leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I'll see you later, okay?"
Bella could practically feel the stares burning into the back of her head from the students in her class and her cheeks turned pink. "Okay," she said softly. With a final squeeze of her hand, Edward turned and walked down the hallway as Bella took a deep breath and walked into her classroom.
Bella quickly made her way to her desk, refusing to make eye contact with any of her classmates. When she sat down, she allowed her hair to hang forward, blocking her flushed face from the curious stares of her classmates. The hour long class always passed slowly for Bella, given the subject matter, but today it seemed that the stares and whispers around her made the class take twice as long as it usually did.
When the bell finally rang to signal the end of the hour, Bella sighed in relief and shoved her book and notebook into her bag. She hurried from the classroom into the hallway and stopped short at the very welcome sight of Edward leaning against the wall opposite her classroom.
"Hi," she said, unable to keep from smiling happily at the sight of him.
Edward grinned as well, moving toward her and taking her hand. "Hi," he said softly.
"Um, not that I mind, because believe me, I don't, but what are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to walk you to your next class."
"You didn't have to do that." She tried to protest but her smile grew at his words.
"I didn't want to have to wait until lunch to see you again," Edward replied, giving her puppy dog eyes.
Bella blushed. "Well, I have gym next." She wrinkled her nose. "Trig and then gym. Somebody really hated me when they made up my schedule this year."
Edward laughed and started swinging her hand as they made their way toward the gym. "And here I was thinking I was so lucky because whoever made up the schedules let me have last period with you."
"Well, I guess my schedule's not too terrible," Bella joked. Edward gave her a wounded look and she laughed. "Let me rephrase that. Once I get past my first two classes, the rest of my day is puppies and daisies. Especially last period."
"Nice save," Edward teased as they came to a stop in front of the door to the girl's locker room. He sighed. "I do wish we had more classes together, though."
Bella wrinkled her nose. "Well, I'm very glad we don't have gym together," she told him honestly. "I like you far too much to subject you to the danger that is me in any kind of athletic situation."
Edward laughed before looking furtively up and down the hallway. "What are you doing?" Bella asked curiously.
"Just making sure the coast was clear before I did this," Edward said, pulling her to him and kissing her thoroughly. When they finally parted, Bella's head swam and she looked up at Edward, glad to have his steadying arms still around her. "I didn't want to embarrass you by doing that in front of a big crowd of people," he told her softly, her favorite crooked smile gracing his lips. "But I was going crazy waiting until I could do that again."
Bella blushed and Edward chuckled softly. "I guess I'd better let you go get changed," Edward said reluctantly. "See you after class?"
Bella nodded, still slightly dazed. "Yeah," she managed. "I should go. I'll see you later." She walked into the girls' locker room, nearly colliding with the doorframe in her distracted state, and she heard Edward's quiet laugh before the door clicked shut behind her.
Bella made her way to her gym locker in the middle bank of lockers in the changing room and pulled her gym uniform from the locker with a look of disgust. Why did the stupid high school have to have a stupid rule about taking stupid gym every single semester of your high school career? Ugh.
As Bella began to change, she heard the distinctive voices of Lauren Mallory and Tanya Thurston coming from the next bank of lockers. Normally, Bella would have paid no attention to their conversation; however, the mention of Edward's name caught her attention.
"Edward could have any girl in this school. Why on earth would he pick her?"
"I was sure Jessica was lying," Tanya said. "Or that it was all just some kind of big joke."
"I'm not convinced it's not some big joke," Lauren sniffed. "I mean, look at the two of them together. He's cover model gorgeous and sexy as hell. She's just so blah and such a loser."
"Yeah, she's totally lame," Tanya agreed. "She always knows the answer in class and she always has her nose in a book. What the hell could he possibly see in her?"
Bella's face turned tomato red and she hurried to change her clothes. Who the hell did Tanya and Lauren think they were making judgments about her relationship with Edward? Oh, come on, a little voice in her head said. It's not like you're not wondering exactly the same thing. What does he possibly see in you?
Stop that, she told herself sternly. Edward had told her only this morning how lucky he felt and how happy he was with her. That was good enough for her, so who cared what these gossipmongers said? She finished tying her sneakers and shoved her books and clothing into her locker, shutting it with a bang. Raising her chin defiantly, she walked past Lauren and Tanya, who were still talking, and out into the gym.
When Bella reached the gym, she heard someone call her name. She turned, shoulders sagging in relief at the sight of her friend Mike Newton. Here was someone she could count on to not stare or give her crap about her relationship with Edward.
"Hey, Mike," she said as he jogged up to her.
"How was your weekend?" he asked, watching her face closely.
"It was good, really good," she told him, her eyes dancing happily even as she tried to keep her demeanor calm.
Mike cringed. Apparently, Jessica had been telling the truth. Dammit. "So, I guess it's true, huh?" he asked unhappily. "You and Cullen?"
Bella was too caught up in her thoughts to catch Mike's gloomy tone of voice and she couldn't stop the blissful smile that spread across her face. "It's true," she confirmed.
Mike frowned. "Why?"
Bella's smile disappeared. So much for the not giving her crap part of the equation. "What do you mean, why?"
"I mean, why would you want to go out with someone like him?"
Bella flushed angrily but she was saved from having to answer by Mr. Matthews, the gym teacher, calling for everyone's attention. What the hell is wrong with everyone? she thought to herself in annoyance as the class was split into teams for volleyball. Don't they have anything better to do? This is no one's business but Edward's and mine.
For most of the class, Bella did her best to hang back on the volleyball court and avoid the ball. Toward the end of the period, the teams rotated courts and Bella found herself facing Lauren and Tanya on the other side of the net. She did her best to ignore the girls but near the end of class, much to Bella's irritation, she saw the pair of girls whispering to each other while staring directly at her. Lauren smirked as she stepped back behind the line and served the ball straight to where Bella stood. Normally, Bella would have done her best to get out of the way and let one of her teammates handle it. Today was not a normal day, however, and Bella found herself channeling all of her frustration with her classmates into a solid hit on the volleyball that sent it back over the net. The other team was so astonished by Bella's sudden display of athleticism that they could only watch as the ball fell, untouched, between Tanya and Lauren.
Mr. Matthews blew his whistle signaling the end of class. "That's time, everyone. Swan, nice hit!"
Bella gave Lauren and Tanya a haughty look before turning and jogging back to the locker room to change. Take that, bitches.
Bella walked out of the locker room still inwardly congratulating herself on showing up Lauren and Tanya. Her celebratory thoughts were cut off abruptly, however, when she saw that Edward was not waiting for her in the hall. Her shoulders slumped slightly. She knew she'd told him he didn't have to walk her to every class, but she had certainly enjoyed him doing so.
"Looking for something?" A familiar velvety voice asked from behind her.
Bella spun around, a smile instantly lighting her face at the sight of Edward. "Hey," she said happily.
"Hey," he returned, taking her hand in his. "How was gym?"
Bella's smile widened. "I actually got the ball over the net in volleyball," she told him. "And I managed not to kill anyone in the process."
Edward grinned. "A banner day," he agreed. "So, ready for Bio?"
"How did you know I have Bio next?"
"Alice," Edward reminded her.
Bella blushed and looked down, instantly feeling foolish. Right, Alice had mentioned having Biology together this morning. Of course Edward would know his sister's schedule. It wasn't like he knew it because it was her schedule or anything.
Edward smiled at the flush on Bella's cheeks. "And Alice might have mentioned a time or two that you were in her class," he said casually.
Bella looked up into Edward's eyes, smiling at what she saw there. So maybe it wasn't just knowledge of his sister's schedule after all. The thought that Edward had cared enough even before this past weekend to know some of her classes sent a thrill down Bella's spine.
Edward and Bella entered the science wing and Edward sighed wistfully. "I have such fond memories of this place all of a sudden," he said, smiling wickedly.
Bella blushed but she smiled back. "Me, too," she admitted.
They stopped in front of the door to Bella's class and Edward took both of Bella's hands in his own. "I may have to change my whole outlook on Biology because of you," he teased, rubbing circles on the back of her hands with his thumbs.
Before Bella could respond, a small figure bounced up to the pair. "Hi, Bella! Hi, Edward!" Alice said enthusiastically.
"Hey, Alice," Bella said, smiling at the small girl's energetic entrance.
Alice pulled Bella free from Edward and turned them toward the classroom. "Okay, Edward, go to class. I promise I'll take good care of her," she said as she swept Bella into the classroom with her. "See you at lunch, dear brother."
Jasper appeared at Edward's side. "Sorry, man," he said. "I tried to slow her down, but you know how she is."
Edward shrugged. "The hurricane."
"The hurricane," Jasper agreed.
"Don't worry about it. We both know that when Alice gets like this, nothing can slow her down. Just don't let her scare Bella too much if you can stop her. I'll see you later."
"Later." Jasper entered the classroom, walking over to where Alice was sitting perched on the edge of Bella and Angela's lab table, talking a mile a minute to the two girls. He greeted Angela and Bella before practically dragging Alice over to their own table as Doc Marin entered the classroom.
They were told to break into groups of four for the week's lab and Alice was at Bella and Angela's table almost before Doc had finished talking. Alice's friendly nature instantly put Angela at ease and the four spent the rest of the period in friendly conversation as they quickly worked through the lab.
When Alice and Jasper returned to their table at the end of the class, Bella turned to Angela. "Um, I think I'm going to be sitting with them at lunch today," she began apologetically.
Angela smiled. "That was kind of a given."
"Do you want to sit with us?"
Angela shook her head. "Maybe another time. I think you might want a few days to feel comfortable with that group on your own first. But I'm really happy for you, Bella," she continued, patting her friend's hand gently.
Bella smiled. "Thanks, Ang. And I promise, I will tell you the whole story soon."
The two girls gathered their books and joined Alice and Jasper at the classroom door, walking out into the hallway together. Edward stood just outside the door and Bella smiled at him. "Hi."
"Hi," he said softly, clasping her hand in his. He looked up at Angela and smiled. "Hi, Angela."
"Hi, Edward," she returned, a small smile gracing her lips as she looked at Bella and Edward together in front of her. "I had better get to class. I'll see all of you later."
"Bye, Ang," Bella said. "I'll talk to you later."
The others said their goodbyes and Angela turned and made her way down the hall. "We'd better get to Trig," Jasper said to Alice. "We'll see you guys at lunch."
The couples parted ways and Edward and Bella began to walk down the hall. "Where to?" Edward asked.
"English," Bella said with a smile. "My favorite class of the day. Though history's running a pretty close second," she added, smiling brightly up at Edward as she referenced the one class they had together.
Edward squeezed her hand. "I saw your collection of books," he told her, remembering the small bookshelf in Bella's bedroom that was absolutely crammed with books. "I think I can take being second to that."
Bella flushed slightly but she was still smiling as she responded, "Yeah, I guess I'm kind of a dork, huh?"
Edward shook his head as they stopped outside of Bella's classroom. "Not at all," he said seriously as he tilted his head down toward hers. "Smart girls are sexy as hell," he said in a low voice, quickly brushing a soft kiss across her lips. "And you're the smartest girl I know."
"You're hardly a slouch in that department yourself," Bella responded, a deep blush coloring her cheeks.
Edward grinned, running a hand lightly down her cheek. "You'd better get in there," he told her, gesturing toward her classroom. "I'm not going to be able to resist you much longer if you keep blushing like that." He was smiling but Bella could see the desire in his eyes and she felt her blush deepen.
Edward chuckled lightly. "Now you're just doing it on purpose," he teased. "I'll see you after class for lunch, okay?"
Bella nodded, still a bit breathless at the intensity she saw in Edward's gaze. She walked into her classroom and dropped into her seat, completely unaware of the dreamy smile she wore. She found herself absently hoping the teacher wouldn't decide to call on her during class, knowing the fog in her brain would render her quite incapable of coherent speech.
Fortunately, English passed without incident though Bella was sure she saw Lauren Mallory toss several nasty looks her way during the hour. When the bell rang for lunch, Bella practically jumped out of her seat, eager to be the first one out the door. In her hurry, however, she knocked her books to the floor and by the time she finished collecting them, the classroom was empty.
She hurried into the hallway and stopped, her stomach twisting into a painful knot. Edward stood near a bank of lockers across from Bella's classroom, talking to Lauren. The blonde stood way too close to him for Bella's liking, resting a hand on his arm as she spoke to him and flipping her hair over her shoulder.
He glanced over Lauren's shoulder and his face lit up at the sight of Bella. He quickly excused himself and walked over to Bella. "Finally," he said, sliding his arm around her waist with a smile. "I get a whole hour with you. I may have to join Emmett's school of thought and consider lunch my new favorite class."
Bella smiled up at him, the tension in her stomach dissipating at his touch. "I missed you, too," she admitted softly. The two made their way to the cafeteria, blissfully unaware of the poisonous glare of Lauren or the now familiar stares of other classmates as they walked by.
They made their way through the lunch line then walked over to a small table where Emmett, Rose, Alice, and Jasper were already seated. The group exchanged greetings as Alice patted the empty seat next to her. "I saved you a seat, Bella," she said brightly.
Edward's eyes narrowed playfully as he sat down on Bella's other side. "No way, Alice. You already got to spend an hour with Bella today. It's my turn."
Emmett groaned as Alice stuck her tongue out at Edward. "We've lost him, Jazz," he teased, tossing a french fry at his younger brother.
Rose rolled her eyes but there was a small smile on her face. "Leave them alone, Emmett."
Emmett smiled wickedly. "Never."
"I'm ignoring you," Edward informed him, turning his full attention on Bella. "Do you want to sit somewhere else? Really, I don't even know these people. I just thought you might like me better if I pretended to have some friends."
Bella giggled and picked up her pizza as Emmett began to protest Edward's statement. Alice seized the opportunity to engage Bella's attention while Edward was distracted by Emmett and the two girls quickly fell into comfortable conversation.
From her own lunch table, Angela smiled softly at the sight. Edward and Bella's chairs were as close to each other as they could possibly be and Edward's right arm was draped casually over the back of Bella's chair. Angela had never seen Bella look so content and she was truly happy for her friend.
"Why him?" Mike's grumbling from his seat next to Angela pulled her from her thoughts.
"What?"
"Why him? She never said yes to any of the other guys who asked her out. Why did she say yes to Cullen? What's so special about him?"
Angela looked over at Bella and Edward. Their heads were bent together and they were talking softly. "Because he makes her happy, Mike."
"I could make her happy," Mike said petulantly.
Angela shook her head slightly. "I'm sorry, Mike, but not like this," she said gently. Even from where she sat, Angela could see the slight glow to Bella's face, hinting at the joy that she knew her friend felt at being with Edward. She patted Mike's hand comfortingly. "She's your friend. Just try to be happy for her, okay?"
Mike grudgingly agreed. "But if he ever hurts her," he began threateningly.
"You'll have to get in line," Angela assured him. However, she could tell by the way the two looked at each other that there was little danger of them doing anything but continuing to be deliriously happy together.