oOo
The night of Bella's last class, they had Alice and Jasper over for dinner. Bella had cooked a big meal of spinach lasagne, garlic bread and salad. They were eating outside, and Edward had set up candles on the table and little lanterns throughout the garden.
It was a beautiful evening, mellow after a day of sun, which was setting in hues of pale pink and orange. They were lingering over dessert, a rhubarb pie that Alice had made.
While she, Bella and Jasper enjoyed a glass of the pinot noir that Jasper had brought, Edward stuck to water. But he didn't seem to mind, sharing laughs, telling little anecdotes himself, carefree and exuberant in that utterly charming way of his.
He'd been carrying their empty dishes inside, insisting he do it after Bella cooked. Now, he was coming from the kitchen with a tray of espressi, which he sat down on the table, handing out the tiny cups to the ladies. Jasper grabbed one of the remaining ones, but Edward swiftly intervened.
"Actually, that's my one. It's caffeine-free."
"Eew," Jasper laughed, taking the other cup from Edward. "Thanks."
Edward ran a hand through his hair, resuming his seat next to Bella.
"I didn't even know we had that," she remarked.
"Uh, yeah, bought it the other day." He took a small sip.
"So when are you two going to Wales?" Jasper asked.
"For Edward's birthday," Bella said and smiled. She took his hand, and he braided his long, warm fingers with hers.
Bella found Alice looking at Edward with a strange expression she couldn't quite fathom, but Edward's voice pulled her out of her short musings.
"And we want to get a dog before that," he said.
"You do?" Jasper's smile was contagious. "That's a great idea!"
"From a shelter?" Alice asked at once, her earlier concerns apparently forgotten. She was a notorious animal lover, and had adopted Beeker and Elmo from a rescue organisation helping cats in Spain.
"Yes," Edward said, and Bella could see, she could actually feel how happy the prospect made him. She gave his hand a soft squeeze, and Edward responded by smiling crookedly, looking at her from the corner of his eye.
Suddenly, she wouldn't have minded if their guests would leave right now. But she merely gave his hand another squeeze, and looked forward to later.
The others were meanwhile conversing animatedly about the pros and cons of helping a pet from Southern Europe versus getting one from a local shelter.
"I don't think it matters, do you?" Alice said. "The main thing is to give one of those poor creatures a new home!"
Everyone agreed on that.
"My aunt got a parrot from a shelter," Jasper chuckled. "He curses like a sailor."
They laughed. Edward withdrew his hand from hers to refill his glass of water, effectively emptying the bottle.
She stretched out her hand. "Here, give that to me, I'll get a new one."
"I got it, love." He shook his head, already on his way inside.
"And do you want a puppy or an older dog?" Jasper asked.
Alice was staring after Edward for a second before she redirected her attention to Bella.
"We don't mind," she said. "We'll go there next week and just let it happen. See who finds us."
"Good plan."
"It will be good for Edward," Bella confessed softly, feeling slightly guilty for indirectly admitting there'd ever been a problem.
"I couldn't imagine living without animals," Jasper said. He bent over and kissed his wife's cheek. "Which I'd never have known if it wasn't for this beautiful girl."
Bella smiled at his display of affection, pulling on her cardigan.
A minute later, Edward returned with a fresh bottle of water and kissed her shoulder.
It was a perfect evening, and Bella couldn't remember being that content.
oOo
Thank you, my darling readers.