Note: I am not Stephenie Meyer, nor do I wish to be.
Hi everyone! I am glad so many of you liked the first chapter… your reviews encouraged me to continue this story. Here's the next chapter! Let me know what you think of it.
"Bella?" He murmured, his tone a mixture of concern and longing—all seemingly insignificant, as they were overshadowed by the stunning beauty that was himself, and everything about him.
My eyes flew open. This hallucination had gone too far, and I needed to stop myself before—
He was really there.
Edward—the real, palpable, painfully beautiful Edward—stood only a few feet away from me, looking at me hesitantly. I stifled a gasp as my eyes racked over the planes of his body, mostly sheathed in a black fabric… silk?
In a moment of numb incomprehension, as the reality of his presence had not sunk in yet, my mind realized that he was the odd man in my peripheral vision, back in the club.
My memory had done him no justice. It was impossible—incomprehensible—that this magnificent, stunningly immortal creature had ever been the cause of my nightmares. Because standing here near Edward, albeit in the back alleyway of a noisy, Manhattan club, I felt a sense of unfamiliar wholeness, one that I had been lacking for the past three years.
As my eyes ran over the icy planes of his face, chiseled to perfection, drinking him up, I allowed myself a quick glance at his eyes.
It was a mistake.
As soon as I glanced into the eyes of the man who truly understood me, and once claimed to love me for who I was, there was no going back. I was immediately locked in the intensity of our trance, forgetting the rest of the boring, useless world around me—anything that was not a part of him lost all interest for me. We stood, leaning against the brick wall of the back of the Midnight Records club, for an immeasurable amount of time.
Still held prisoner in the intensity of his stare, I suddenly felt the urge to touch him. I vividly remembered the feel of his cool, hard skin on mine, and the sigh of contentment that would usually accompany his touch. But, like most things, I assumed my memory's recollection of that was hardly accurate.
Hesitantly, I stepped forward, closing the distance between us in three slow strides. The musical 'clicks' of my leather pumps as they came in contact with the hard, concrete ground, a sound I usually took joy in hearing, sounded muted and far-away, as though the rest of the world had taken on a dream-like quality.
Or maybe the ecstasy was beginning to take effect.
Regardless, with or without drugs in my system, the butterfly sensation in my stomach was inevitable—as far as I could remember, I had always felt this way around him. The fact that I was standing a foot away from him—close enough to reach out, and touch him, if I wanted to—did not help ease the jagged rhythm my heart was pounding out. Of course, that was exactly what I wanted to do—reach out and touch him. My entire being was yearning, and I found myself leaning forward, inhaling the heavenly scent I had missed so much.
"Bella." Edward's voice was gruff, ragged with emotion—but still too beautiful to belong to any human. His eyes seemed to be torn as he slowly—nervously?—raised his hands to my face.
The fluttering butterflies in my stomach suddenly exploded, flooding my esophagus. My breath hitched in my throat as his hands came in contact with the skin on my cheeks. I sighed dreamily, my eyelids slowly closing as he applied more pressure to his hold—like the dimmer switch in a room.
Suddenly, the brick wall surrounding us began to whirl, and the concrete beneath us seemed to shake as I reached out, clutching Edward's shirt, needing him as a support. My vision blurred, and my knees proved unstable as they wobbled uncontrollably beneath me, shaking my entire frame. The sickeningly familiar throbbing in my head grew stronger and more engulfing, threatening to take over. Suddenly, it all grew too strong and pronounced, taking over, and I lost the will to fight.
I collapsed.
A frightened, startled Edward caught me, holding me up. I did not need to worry about falling—his arms formed a snare around my waist, holding me in an unfaltering grip.
"Bella?" He asked, his voice frantic and panicked. "Are you alright?" Still dizzy from my near-fainting experience, I barely nodded. "Mhm," I mumbled, leaning into his shirt. Even half-conscious, I was aware of our proximity, and the sudden, uneven pounding of my heart proved it to him.
His quiet, musical laugh would have been hard to hear if I hadn't been leaning against him, feeling his chest vibrate as he chuckled. "Same old Bella," He murmured, burying his face in my hair.
As much as I wanted to stay in his embrace—eternity would suffice, actually—the faint sense of embarrassment washed through me as I realized I had nearly passed out in the arms of my unrequited love. I needed to convey to him that this was completely normal—I was more than alright, actually.
"I'm fine, Edward." I mumbled into his shirt. "Wouldn't have happened if I hadn't taken four." I looked up at him then, feeling a bit more balanced, and sighed into his face.
Whether he had just taken a whiff of the ecstasy and alcohol on my breath, or had just been reminded of my earlier drug encounter with Jenna, his face quickly turned somber. "Bella—are you sober?" He asked me. He seemed to have difficulty saying this out loud.
I opened my mouth to answer, but slowly closed it when I realized the only truthful answer I could give him would be one he didn't want to hear.
His eyes warily assessed my reaction, and he nodded as if he understood. "Drunk. Drugged. Take care of her at home or the hospital?" He whispered, talking mostly to himself than to me. "Home. Of course." He answered himself.
Before my blurred mind could even comprehend the sequence of events unfolding rapidly, Edward swooped me up into his arms. I sank into his embrace, suddenly feeling very drowsy. Was I this tired before? I wondered sleepily.
Then we were flying.
The crisp, night air bit at my face as Edward raced through Manhattan, his feet leaving no evidence of touching the ground. The world whirled around me, and I watched, uncomprehending, at images that didn't make sense. Buildings, playgrounds, empty streets, and closed whizzed past us as Edward ran forward to an undisclosed location.
I had a feeling that my mind was dangerously close to snapping—so many events had occurred in the past hour, and I had not truly come to terms with them. I began feeling faintly queasy—whether it was due to the double-doses of ecstasy I had taken, the impossibly fast speed we were traveling at, or the fact that I was in Edward's arms, I had no idea—and settled for staring up at the sky.
The sky was unusually clear tonight. City lights sparkled in the distance from tall buildings, and starts, usually invisible in New York, glittered brightly against the navy sky. A crescent moon shone above the buildings, casting a surreal light over the city.
But the picturesque sky did not hold my attention for long. Soon, I turned my head to face Edward, drinking in the excessive, immortal perfection of his face.
And that was infinitely more beautiful than any New York skyline. I watched his face, rememorizing his features with my hands. The gentle thrumming of his run oddly comforted me, reminding me of the vibration of a car. My eyelids became heavier, until any fight against them was impossible, and I curled up in Edward's arms and surrendered to sleep.
Hey guys! How was that? I stayed up until 3 AM finishing it. (The last bit about Bella getting sleepy is inspired by the way I am feeling right now…yawn)
Please, please, please leave me a review of what you think of my writing/character development, what I can improve, or any suggestions on future scenes.
Thank you guys!
-xxtwilight