Hello, my lovelies; I'm back! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!
oOo
By the end of the second week of December, Bella was exhausted. Her cold still wasn't completely gone, an irritating cough remaining. She had been working for Jasper on Friday and Saturday, ignoring the concerns both her mum and Edward voiced. It was almost funny how these two often shared opinions.
Schoolwork was finally slowing down, giving Bella time to work on some handmade Christmas presents. Up to now, she had no idea what to give to Edward.
She's bought a frame for his drawing – albeit a cheap one – and it was now on her bedside table. She looked at it every night before she went to sleep, and every morning after she'd woken.
She loved it. It was such a tender expression of… was it an expression of his feelings?
Bella groaned. She was slowly going crazy from all the thinking and analyzing.
It was Sunday morning and she'd just finished her shower. She would have liked to crawl back into bed, but she was also looking forward to lunch with the family. Wrapped into her fluffy bathrobe, she grabbed the teapot and a mug and settled on the couch. Edward had sent her a message earlier, saying that he was looking forward to seeing her tonight. She'd agreed to drop by at his place after her family time despite her general tiredness.
It was as if her whole body, her whole being, was hungering for warmth, for comfort, and rest.
.
Once again, Grandma Marie and Paul had joined the Swans for lunch. Jackie had finally decided to take steps to find out where she could study fashion design, and since Paul had inspired Jackie to achieve her new goal, Charles and Renee were more than happy to invite him for their traditional Boxing Day dinner, which included many old and new friends of the family.
"You know," Charles said over their game of Rummy, rubbing his moustache, "if you want, you're of course welcome to bring your… Edward."
Bella's eyes shot up.
Was she really that easy to read?
Well, to her dad, yes.
"Thanks, Daddy. I'll ask him. But I don't know if… I don't know."
"You think he'd decline?"
"That's not what I meant. He's… He's been through a lot lately. I'd love him to come, of course. Just, um, don't be disappointed if he won't. Also, he has his own parents and… his sister, I guess, so…."
Bella wanted to hit her head on the table.
"Just ask him over, why don't you?" Jackie called from the couch, where she was smooching shamelessly with Paul.
"Shut up!" Bella shouted in response.
And that was a big mistake, because it allowed Charles to cheat really big, and for the first time in ages, he won.
.
Bella was nervous as she made her way to Edward's house.
She wanted to ask him, of course she did. She had no idea what he'd say. But she was hoping, hoping from the bottom of her heart, that he'd accept. That the fact she was opening up to him, that her family was ready to welcome him, might pull him out of his shell.
That it might finally show him how much he meant to her.
oOo