It was lunch time. Glorious lunch hour. It had been a week since James and I had been together. One beautiful week had passed. We were sitting at our lunch table, holding hands across the table, leaning in close, in our own personal little bubble, I was wearing the locket that he had given me a few months ago, just before I set off for Ireland. Not because he had given it to me, but to show him that I wasn't taking this relationship lightly. He kissed my hands gently, and the bell went. He carried my book bag to Spanish, we didn't even make it to the door, and we kissed passionately until we were rudely interrupted.
"Bella? Earth to Fabello?" then something hit me on the back. I turned around. Alice was standing there, with her hands on her hips. Jasper standing behind her, carrying her books. Glaring at us. I turned around, James holding my waist.
"Oh hello guys," I sighed. Leaning on James' abs.
"Bella, I feel like I haven't seen you in a week," Jasper moaned, looking at James and me.
"I saw you last night," I frowned. Tapping James' fingers lightly.
"Before you went to bed. For five minutes." He inputted
"I'll spend some time with you today okay? After Baseball practise?" I said, looking up to James who nodded.
"Alone?" he said looking at James.
"Will you be," I looked at Alice, with a smile, she winked at me.
"Um," he faltered, I nodded.
"Then we both will see you tonight after baseball practise." I said. "Now we have to get to Spanish, bye guys," I pulled him into the classroom. Alice sat next to me. I filed through the book bag, I couldn't find glasses. Hm. Maybe they were in my locker. I got up to go to my locker. James looked at me, his eyebrows raised. I mouthed Glasses to him. He nodded.
I practically skipped to my locker. Although that's the only way I travelled nowadays. I opened my locker. My glasses were there, in their case. I took them out. I smiled to myself. I closed the door to my locker, and ran into something solid.
"Sorry," I laughed, and then I saw who it was. "Oh hey Edward. How are you doing this fine, afternoon," I sighed.
"Okay I guess." He smiled, looking down at me. But he didn't look ok.
"Are you sure? You don't look ok. Do you want to talk about it?" I asked. A lot more serious now.
"I just thought that you look very happy these days," he laughed, I laughed awkwardly, "I haven't seen you this happy for a long time, I am glad that you are," he smiled.
"Well, James makes me happy. Like the way you- I mean I have to go, now." I said, going bright red. He held my arm again.
"You never told me you could dance? I feel cheated quite frankly. You lied to me," he said. This felt weird, too familiar. To like it was before.
"Um well, James was the only guy I ever danced with. So I haven't danced in a long time. And there are other things that you don't know about me," I laughed, tapping his hand away from arm, he released it. I smiled and walked away. Leaving a bemused Edward behind me.
OOOOOOOOOOO
"Ok how are we going to do this?" Dad said. Mum sitting on his lap.
"Blondes against the brunettes?" Jasper suggested.
"We would need another blonde," Rosalie stated. She was right. There was one extra brunette.
"Who wants to be our blonde then?" Dad laughed.
"Well Bella was a blonde for a while," Emmett suggested.
"Through no choice of her own," James said for me, I smiled, and snuggled into him closer.
"No, I don't care, I will be their blonde," I said, making a move to get up.
"No fair they get Bella, she's great at this," Alice moaned. I winked at her.
"I will always be a brunette at heart, don't worry Alice," I went over and sat down in between Rosalie and Jasper.
"Let's do this then," Mum said. It was odd to hear her speak with such force.
"Captains shake hands," James said. Mum and Dad got up and shook hands, hard.
"No hard feelings love?" Dad whispered.
"You wish baby," She muttered again. They broke apart. And flipped a coin.
"Tails," Dad shouted.
"Tails it is, Blondes go first, saving the best for last," Emmett laughed.
"And now it's time for," drum roll provided by Jasper, Emmett and James, "CULLEN FAMILY CHARADES!" We cheered enthusiastically.
Jasper went first, picking up the small piece of paper that the other team had provided for us. He took it in his hands then laughed. He stood in the middle of the room facing us. He did speech marks.
"Phrase," Rose said, he gave a thumbs up. Rose smiled. Jasper pointed to Emmett.
"Emmett?" Dad frowned, Jasper nodded. He started to prance up and down the room, in a model like fashion.
"Emmett is a Jackass?" I guessed. Emmett scowled at me.
"Emmett is a model?" Dad sneered, laughing. Jasper flipped his hair.
"Emmett is Sexy?" Rosalie laughed. Jasper pointed to her and nodded.
"Emmett is sexy? Seriously? Three guesses who wrote that one down," I muttered.
"Don't be that way Bella; you know you love me really." Emmett smiled. It was Mum's turn this time. She picked a piece of paper up and laughed. She did the film signal. I knew what it was. The two minutes were up. They hadn't got it.
"It's legally Blonde you Dumbasses," I laughed. Rosalie was up next. She took the next card, she looked worried, and done the film sign again.
"King Kong?" I yelled.
"Oh my god how the hell did you get that?" Rosalie said shocked.
"Bella is a charades genius. You're lucky to have her on your team," Emmett groaned. Throwing a cushion at Jasper.
An hour had passed and the blondes were leading 5 to 2. We were a bit smug to be honest. They had given up, so they had bought us all a pizza. We were watching some home movies of Emmett, Jasper and I. We looked so cute. Emmett and Jasper standing on either side of me, and holding my hands when I was 4, then Dad teaching me to swim when I was 5.
"Come on Bella, come to Daddy." He smiled at the camera. I was wearing some rubber armbands and a pink swimsuit, doing a doggy paddle to Dad on the other side of the pool.
"Daddy, Daddy I'm doing it. I'm swimming!" I was so proud of myself that day. "Mummy, Mummy, look I can swim, I can swim!" I said, still paddling to Dad. When I reached Dad he lifted my up out of the water and twirled me around in the pool. I giggled.
"'Look Daddy I can swim, I can swim!'" Emmett imitated, I threw a cushion at him, and I snuggled into James' torso. Then we moved onto Emmett when we was 6, I was 3. He was wearing only a towel.
"Mummy, Mummy, I'm a big boy now! I strong and I threw Jasper into the pool!" 6 year old Emmett, in his high pitched voice. Jasper hit him over the head.
"Of course you are sweetheart. You going to give Mummy a big hug?" Mum said, laughing. Then 6 year old Emmett made me laugh. He threw off his towel, revealing his naked body. I burst into laughter. I stifled some of it in the cushion. Emmett was going bright red. That wasn't the end of it. Emmett then ran around in the yard in the yard, Jasper and I running after him, Jasper holding my hand strongly and trying not to fall on the naked Emmett. "I am super Emmett, hear me roar. Bella, go and get me a cookie!" He ordered. My younger self just hit him into the pool. Jasper and I laughed, on the tape and in the room.
"I think we've seen enough of that tape," Emmett went to get up.
"No!" we all yelled, Rose whispered something into his ear and he put his arms around her shoulders. The next video was of James and me when I was 8.
"Bella? Bella why don't you tell Daddy who you're with?" Dad said. We walked up to him.
"This is James, and he's my best friend in the whole, entire world," I said to the screen. I held James' hand in the movie. I looked up at him, he smiled down to me.
"And Bella is my girlfriend, She's my bestest friend ever, and I want to Marry her!" James looked at me and stoked my arm affectionately. I smiled and kissed his arms. Emmett threw another cushion at me.
"Ow! Emmett, get a grip." I said. "I'm going to get a drink anybody want one?" I asked. Getting up from my seat and pushing James back down. There was a flurry of replies.
"So that was three diet cokes, a Whiskey for dad, some herbal tea for mum, vodka for Emmett, and water for James and Jasper." They all nodded their heads.
"I'll help you Bella," Alice said standing up and linking arms with me. We walked to the kitchen. I turned on the kettle and Alice assembled the cups.
"Listen Alice, James and I were thinking of going to the movies the week after next. You and Jasper want to come?" I asked, filling two glasses full of water.
"Oh I can't." She seemed genuinely disappointed.
"Oh it's ok, I'll ask Rose." I said, a bit grimly, a double date with Emmett? Joy.
"She's got plans too," she sighed.
"Ok, a family thing I presume," I asked.
"Sort of. It's Edward's Birthday. He's having a huge party. So we have to be there, he'll be seventeen." She said, putting some ice in Dad's whiskey.
"Oh right, ok. That's fine. James and I will be fine," I sighed. A little bitterly.
"Tanya gave me the guest list. She said the Edward had given it to her." She said, trying to defend herself.
"It's ok. How are things going between those two anyway?" I tried to say it offhandedly.
"Fine, until yesterday. She found something she didn't want to in his wallet. They haven't spoken since." She laughed.
"Just because I'm not on the guest list, doesn't mean I can't give him something right?"
"I suppose not. But what would you give him anyway?" she laughed, getting a tray.
"He likes to shop at Calvin Klein, right?" I smiled, I poured out Mum's tea.
"Assorted coloured underwear? Of course he likes to shop at Calvin Klein," she laughed.
"It's nice talking to you Bella. I feel like I haven't seen you since you got together with James. I miss you," she hugged me.
"I'll tell you what. We'll go on a spa weekend, you, me and Rose. No guys around." I suggested. She smiled.
"I will need a whole new outfit." Alice smiled. The phone rang. The home phone, I answered it.
"Hello, Cullen Household." I heard my voice echo. That only meant one thing.
"Hello Darling, how are you this fine day?" he said, with a thick Irish accent.
"Grandpa Patrick? How are you? Isn't it like 4am there?" I smiled. Leaning on the counter.
"Ah no. Time isn't a concept to me and your Grandmother. I was just thinking to call you about Christmas." He started off, drinking some whiskey.
"What about Christmas?" I asked.
"Didn't you know that your Grandmother and meself coming over the pond for the holidays?" he laughed.
"Seriously? Wow, I miss you guys. I'll just get Dad." I skipped.
"Ah, is the fair Isabella there?" he asked again.
"Grandpa. I'm Isabella." He laughed.
"No, your mother, Isabella Esme Cullen." He laughed again.
"Grandpa nobody calls mum by her first name it's Esme," I laughed. But yes she's here."
"Ah, good. I do love a good natter with the beautiful Isabella," I rolled my eyes, holding Mum's tea in one, and the phone in the other hand. "Dad? Someone's on the phone for you," I said to him.
"Who is it Bella?" he sighed.
"I don't know, he has a thick Irish accent and goes by the name Patrick," I laughed. "He came to talk about Christmas." I explained. Handing over the phone to him.
"Hey Dad, how are you," he walked out of the room.
"He's the only guy I know who calls you by your first name Mum," I added, sitting on Dad's vacant seat.
"What Esme?" Rose asked.
"No Isabella," Jasper corrected her.
"Your full name is Isabella Esme Cullen? How did I not know that?" Alice asked. Mum laughed, taking a sip from her cup.
"He does the same to your Aunt Chelsea and Uncle Chester." Mum giggled.
"Grandma and Grandpa are coming over for Christmas? Awesome, they always bring me booze," Emmett laughed. Mum glared at him. "I mean they totally don't. That would be irresponsible," Emmett took some vodka from his glass.
"I am looking forward to seeing them again, Alice and I have never met kinder people," Rose smiled. Lying in Emmett's arms.
"Aren't they lovely?" Mum said. "They were always very fond of me. When I got pregnant with Emmett, Grandma Ronnie helped me, and with you and Jasper. They moved back to Ireland when Bella was 5. That's why we go there every summer," mum added, swallowing her tea. I leant back on James' torso.
"Esme, Dad wants to speak to you," Dad yelled from the other room. Mum left, leaving just us kids in the room.
"Today was nice, would should do it again." I mumbled.
"Sure, we'll make it a regular thing." Emmett laughed.
"Because none of us have lives," Jasper laughed.
"Oh yeah, Rose, Bella and I are going to go on a spa weekend at some point," Alice laughed.
"We should invite Angela, she'd enjoy it," I spoke up.
"And what are we supposed to do?" James groaned.
"What do guys do? Watch saved by the Bell?" I asked.
"Burp the national anthem? Work out?" Alice continued.
"Masturbate?" Rose said, we all looked at her, "What? We all know you do it, why not make it a group occasion," Rose said unashamedly. Looking at the muted TV screen.
"This isn't an awkward silence at all," Emmett added. But whispered something in Rosalie's ear, she smiled. Then shook her head.
"Ok kids, it's nearly midnight. Time for bed." Dad came in. It was Friday night, but I was sleepy. No-one made any signs to move. "I'm just kidding. Do you want to watch more home movies?" Dad laughed.
"Are there any more nude ones of Emmett?" Jasper sniggered.
"Are there ever, that was the whole of when he was 3," Dad laughed.
"Do we really need to watch that Dad? I mean, it's not necessary." Emmett begged.
"Of course there is Emmett. We are very proud of you." Dad said, putting in a new tape.
We were watching those for a long time, I didn't even recognise what time I went to bed, because all I remember doing was falling asleep in James' arms.
Future Chapter preview
I had taken off my dressing gown in a hurry, a bit hot after the long dinner I had had that night, With Steven and Charlotte. I stifled a yawn. I was wearing a black lace bra with a matching pair of underwear with black stockings. I was all set to get into the bath when there was a knock at the door. It was Steven. I shielded my exposed body, behind the door, so that he could only see my face.
"Bella, you fancy a quiet night in, just the two of us?" he asked, a bit slurred.
"Steven, I think it would be best if you go back to Charlotte, she'll be wondering where you are." I told him.
"Okay Bella, I'll see you tomorrow," He walked back to his room, I laughed to myself. I walked over to the window, wondering what was going on back home. I had insisted on this spring break holiday. And I was glad that I had convinced Mum and Dad to let me go alone. James was in Europe with his Dad, for the holidays, I wish we hadn't argued before he departed, but he had called when he landed, like he promised. It was cool under here. There was another knock at the door. Probably another drunk Steven. I walked over to it again and opened the door. My eyes widened. It wasn't Steven. But this person looked lonely, when I had last seen him; he was the picture of good fun. This was unnerving. He was holding a bottle of expensive Champagne.
"What are you going here?" I gasped.
"I know that you wanted to be alone, but I really needed a friend right now," He held out the champagne for me.
"Of course, come in," I opened the door for him, and he stepped over the threshold.