BARBEQUE
July 17th
"Come on, Bella! It will be fun." soothed Edward, stroking my hair as we lay in my bed together. Charlie had already gone to sleep, and Edward had snuck in my window as usual. Now, his arms encircled me, and I sighed, playing with the invitation in my hands.
"I'm not so sure…" I said doubtfully. The folded piece of paper I held in my hands was for a barbeque. Not just any barbeque, a barbeque in Jacksonville. My mom had called and begged for me and Edward to come and stay with her for a weekend, so that the family could meet Edward. I couldn't say no, I missed her too much. It was a family reunion, on my mother's side of the family. She has quite a large family when it comes down to it. She had two older brothers, and they had both married and had children, so that left me with two uncles, two aunts, and four cousins. Cousin Owen was one of my favorites, he reminded me of Emmett in a way, big and playful, and a senior in college. Then there was his little sister, Cousin Paige. She was 15, and was pretty amiable, I guess, although she could get a little annoying. Cousin Ava was only 8 years old, and I had spent the better part of my teenage years babysitting her, so naturally, we shared a close enough connection. But the last person I wanted to see was her older sibling, Cousin Leila. She had always been my worst enemy. We were the same age, and had been competitive since the day we were born. She was always better at everything, including sports, fashion, and last of all flirting. She always had a guy at her side, while I went through high school miserable and unnoticed. I giggled internally. Of course, that had changed now. I looked at Edward, and couldn't help thinking I had finally done better than her. He placed his hand on my cheek, and looked at me.
"Why do you think you won't enjoy yourself?" he asked me softly. I sighed, and held his gaze with the same intensity.
"It's only that my Cousin Leila will be there…her and I haven't always gotten along." I told him truthfully, and he chuckled.
"Well that doesn't matter much, I'll be there to protect you from her wrath." I smiled as he spoke these words. Yes, he would be, and I couldn't wait to see her shocked face as she took in the face of my angel.
"Thanks, much appreciated." I told him, and kissed him. He responded, pulling me closer to him. The kiss was short, but passionate, and when he pulled away, my face fell.
"Don't look so sad, darling. There's much more where that came from." He said, smiling his crooked smile. I giggled, and he kissed me again, slow and deep.
* * * * * * * * *
I threw the last sock into my bag, and snapped it shut. Edward picked it up for me, and ushered me out the door, into Charlie's police cruiser. Edward and I were on our way to Jacksonville, for the dreaded barbeque, we would be staying with my mom for the weekend, and the barbeque was tonight. It only took six hours to get from Forks to Jacksonville. It was currently 10 in the morning, and Charlie was driving us both to the airport, and not happily, might I comment. His face was a mask of awkwardness as he pulled out of the driveway, and started in the direction of the highway, his eyes glancing occasionally in Edward and my direction, noticing our hands entwined between us. I rolled my eyes, and rolled down the window. It was a surprisingly nice day for Forks, and the air was somewhat warm as we sped down the street.
Charlie dropped us off at the airport, and after hugging me goodbye, shot Edward a warning glare, before turning to leave. I sighed.
"Sorry about my overprotective father." I laughed, as if Edward hadn't expected his reaction.
"I don't mind at all, actually. His thoughts were a great entertainment on the drive. Almost like a funny radio show." He said, and laughed as well. We boarded our plane, and sat down beside each other, his arm around my waist. "I actually can't wait to meet the rest of your family, Bella. I have to admit I'm a little excited." Said Edward, smiling. I chuckled.
"It won't be that bad I guess, if you're there. Don't leave me alone for one second." I ordered him.
"Your wish is my command, I promise I won't." he said sincerely, and I leaned into him, relishing the love as the plane took off.
I woke up a couple hours later, cradled in Edward's arms. We were in a different airport now.
"Edward, where are we?" I asked. I must have fallen asleep, and slept right through the flight.
"Nebraska, love. Just catching our next flight." He said, smiling down at me.
"Edward can I stand? I want to be awake for my mother, and with being held in your arms like this, sleep is just so tempting." I asked, smiling.
"Of course, sweetheart." He said, and set me gently on my feet, wrapping one arm around my waist. He walked us onto our next plane, and we sat down once more. The flight seemed short to me, and as we arrived in Florida, I was bouncing up and down in my seat, I hadn't seen my mother for a while. Edward steadied me with his reassuringly strong arm around my waist once more, as he led me off the plane. He walked us into the airport, and I saw my mother, her innocent wide eyes searching. She looked my way, and came running as fast as she could, throwing herself in my arms. Edward chuckled.
"Hi mom, how are you?" I asked, returning the embrace, and kissing her cheek. I was so happy to see her, she needed me.
"Oh, Bella! I'm so happy to see you!" she yelled, and rocked me back and forth. I giggled.
"I'm happy to see you too, mom." I told her, and she pulled away, her eyes lingering on Edwards arm, still positioned diligently in its place around my small waist. She smiled.
"Hello, Edward. Good to see you again."
'You too, Renee!" he said cheerily, flashing her one of his best, least frightening smiles. She almost gasped, but held it in.
"Come on, let's get to the car. The barbeque starts in an hour." She said. I checked the watch around Edward's wrist, which he had already switched according to the time difference, and saw that it was 4pm. We stepped out of the airport, and were met by a sticky heat. It was so humid, hard to breathe. I wiped my forehead, and stumbled forward, leaning into Edward's cool body. My mother led the way to Phil's familiar old Ford Anglia, and we climbed in. The inside of the car was scorching, worse than outside, and I gasped.
"Mom! How can you do this! This heat is killer!" I asked her, incredulous.
"You used to do it too, Bella. You're just used to Forks now, how's the rain lately?" she asked. Edward chuckled. I remembered Phoenix, with a sense of home. Not that Forks didn't feel like home, Phoenix was just like an old friend. I remembered the un-escapable heat, and how it had been second nature to me before I had left. It seemed a little strange to me now, but Phoenix had been a dry sort of heat. This was sticky and sweet, thick and disgusting. Hopefully it would get better later at night.
"It's been alright these past weeks actually." I told her, and she looked surprised.
"How's Charlie?" she asked, and I sighed. So many questions.
"He's great, the freezer is nearly overflowing with fish now." I said, giggling.
"Bella discovers a new way of cooking them almost every night." Said Edward, laughing. I smiled at him, it was true, I had spent hours researching different ways to cook fish. My mom just laughed along with him, and her eyes stayed glued to our hands, as she drove, just like Charlie's had. But her face wasn't awkward or disgusted, it was happy.
My mom pulled up in front of their new house, and Edward helped me out. The sun had chosen to hide behind the clouds, so Edward thankfully didn't sparkle. I was nearly dying of thirst by now, and hurried to follow my mother as she led the way into the house. To my extreme delight, it was air conditioned, and I sighed happily. Edward just laughed at me, and kissed my neck, when he thought my mother wasn't looking, but I knew she saw. And apparently, after the fact, he did as well, hearing her thoughts I guessed.
"I'll be right back, I'm just going upstairs to freshen up." Said my mom, disappearing up a set of stairs. I walked into the kitchen, and Edward followed. Phil sat at the table, his eyes skimming the latest paper.
"Bella!" he almost yelled. I grinned at my step dad.
"Hey Phil." I greeted him, as he walked over for a hug. I returned it, and then released him. He still looked the same, short brown hair, blue eyes and broad shoulders.
"Hi Edward." He said, nodding in Edward's direction. What was it with dads and boyfriends anyway? I gave Edward a look, and he smiled crookedly.
"How's the ball coming?" I asked, and he launched into a discussion about his career, and how happy he was. I couldn't help but love this guy. If it hadn't been for him, I never would have made the choice to move to Forks, and I never would have met Edward, who's fingers were currently entwined with mine, his thumb rubbing circles on the back of my hand. Phil's discourse was interrupted by my mother, as she came down the stairs.
"Is everyone ready to leave?" she asked. "Mallory called and said everything's set up." Aunt Mallory was Cousin Leila's mom. She had always been nice to me, even if her daughter had chosen otherwise.
'We're ready." I told her, and we all filed out the door, and back into the Anglia. We drove for a little, and then pulled up in front of a large house. Cousin Leila's house, I thought, as I was pulled out of the car by Edward, his arm around my waist. It was getting dark now, the sun setting on the horizon, and Edward's skin didn't sparkle. It did however seem to emit a very, very healthy looking glow.
"Don't leave me." I whispered to him.
"Promise. This arm isn't leaving, and neither am I." He assured me, and I smiled weakly. We went in the back gate, where the barbeque would be held, and I noticed that a lot of people had already arrived. The first person I saw was Cousin Owen, and he seemed to notice me at the same time.
"Bella!" he called childishly, and ran over to say hello.
"Hey Owen." I said, laughing. He hugged me gently, and I stared at him, the guy was bigger than I remembered. He was tall, and his wavy brown blond hair echoed the color of my mothers. His eyes were deep blue, almost navy. He looked at Edward curiously.
"Owen, this is Edward. Edward, this is Owen." I said, introducing them. It was really a shame Emmett hadn't accompanied us, I had a feeling those two would have hit it off. They shook hands, and Owen smiled.
"Well congrats man, you're the first dude my favorite Cousin actually seems to like." I turned red, and smacked Owen playfully. Edward smiled, and pulled me closer to him.
"Well I'm certainly glad." He said.
"Hey, I'm not saying no one else has tried…" said Owen, trailing off, and then he disappeared with a coy smile. I sighed.
"Don't listen to him, Edward." I said, and Edward just laughed.
"He reminds me so much of a human Emmett." He said, chuckling. I nodded in agreement, and Edward pulled me farther into the growing crowd. I saw little Ava playing with someone's dog, and called over to her. She shouted excitedly, and hugged me around the waist. Her eyes took in Edward, and she held out her hand, shaking her brown hair out of her eyes.
"I'm Ava. Bella is my favorite babysitter." She told him boldly. Edward smiled at her, and shook her hand gently.
"Hello Ava, nice to meet you! And Bella is quite likeable, isn't she?" he said playfully, his arm tightening around me. Ava just smiled, understanding.
"Good catch." She said, smiling at me, and then she too ran off before I could question her. I stared after her, open mouthed. She must be picking up lines from her sister or something. Good catch? Edward laughed wholeheartedly now.
"Bella darling, I officially love that little girl." He said, still laughing. I smiled.
"Yes, she is quite likeable, isn't she?" I said playfully, mimicking his line. He chuckled, and kissed my head.
"You are far more than likeable, love." He whispered, and I turned red. I turned to see my mother standing beside me.
"Oh…sorry!" she said, smiling, looking embarrassed. She smiled through it though, so I knew she wasn't really sorry about what she had heard. I sighed.
"It's alright mom." I laughed. I sniffed. The warm night air was comfortable, and the smell of grass filled the air. Scents of barbequed meat wafted towards me, and I smiled. Smells like childhood. I was actually glad I had come. I spotted Paige in the crowd, and waved to her. She smiled and waved back, but I noticed she was engaged in conversation with a guy who looked her age, and I winked at her. She just smiled appreciatively back, and turned to the boy again. Edward pulled me to a bench that was not yet taken, and sat us down.
"Who was that?" asked Edward quietly, whispering in my ear again.
"Just my cousin Paige, she's nice." I told him, and he nodded, saying her name, as though trying to remember it. His fingers splayed out against my side where they were held, and rubbed in tiny motions, comforting me. It was then that I saw her. Leila. She looked at me from across the yard, and put her drink down on the table next to her. She plastered on a fake smile, and walked confidently towards us, shaking her straight dark blonde hair out. I cursed under my breath, and Edward pulled me closer, whispering yet again in my ear.
"Shh…it's okay." He said, sensing my panic. I clutched what I could reach of his shirt from where my arm was wrapped around his muscular waist, and braced myself.
"Sorry, did I interrupt anything?" came Leila's all too familiar voice, obviously interpreting our whispering for something else. Edward spoke up.
"No, it's okay." He said, looking up. I saw the expression in Leila's face as she registered Edward's appearance, and heard her gasp before gathering herself.
"Hello Bella." She said in a fake sweet voice.
"Hello Leila." I said in the same manner, and Edward continued his soothing motions on my side. Her eyes darted down to Edward's arm for a moment before looking me in the eyes.
"You haven't introduced me to your guest, Bella." She said rudely, and I glared back.
"This is Edward Cullen, my fiancée." I said, and had the satisfaction of seeing her face fall into an expression of shock.
"Oh…I see. How long have you two known each other?" she asked skeptically, looking for a weak point in our relationship. I was happy to think she would never find one. Edward was obviously annoyed by her thoughts, and played along perfectly with my little scheme to make her jealous.
"About two years now," he said proudly, "Isn't that right, Love?" He asked me, his arm pulling me if possible even closer, and moving down to rest on my hip.
I nodded in answer to his question, and Leila smiled awkwardly.
"Why get married so young?" she asked. Edward smiled.
"Well why wait? Why prolong the inevitable? She's already mine forever, I just want to make it official. I'm sort of old fashioned, you see." He said. Leila nodded slowly. I giggled quietly, old fashioned was an understatement. More like ancient.
"I see…" she said. And Edward pushed the hair out of my face. I had been hiding behind it. "So how's life in rainy town?" she asked.
"Good, but we won't be there for long." I said, and she nodded, understanding.
"College?" she asked, making sure her assumptions were correct. I nodded. "Which one?" she asked, curiously, as though she knew it was a bad one.
"Dartmouth." I said simply, smugly. And she looked bewildered for a moment, before catching up with herself, and shaking her head clear.
"And you?" she asked Edward.
"Dartmouth." He said as well, and I smiled. Leila looked surprised.
"The same college?" she asked, and Edward nodded.
"I couldn't very well leave her alone, could I? And let her get snatched up by someone else? No way in hell. I'm never leaving this girl's side. We're moving into a small apartment close to the University after the honeymoon." He said, almost proudly, and I smiled.
"It's not like I would want anyone else!" I told him, and he smiled his crooked smile.
"I know darling, I wasn't implying that." He said. Leila just stared at us, and I was about to wave my hand in front of her face, when someone I really had hope never to see again came up behind her. Ryan Smith, ex boyfriend extraordinaire, and the Mike Newton of Phoenix. I gasped. Yes, I had dated him for four months, and let me tell you, that's four months of my existence wasted. He was heartless, senseless, and lacked romantic qualities, the exact opposite of Edward, who now traced more intricate patterns on my waist, clearly sensing the tension in the air, and reading Ryan's mind. Ryan put his arm around Leila's shoulder, and she looked embarrassed. She had probably hoped to show off that even though I had dumped Ryan, he had still chosen her over me. But she hadn't known I would arrive with the most amazing of all men latched to my side.
"Bella?" said Ryan, shocked.
"Hey…" I said awkwardly. Edward pulled me close, so that I was almost seated on his lap, marking me his territory. Leila noticed this too, and her eyes grew wider, as though she really couldn't believe I had finally done better than her. "What are you doing here?' I asked Ryan, and he smiled awkwardly.
"Well I'm sort of…dating Leila." He said.
"I figured that much out for myself, thanks Ryan." I said, and he became red. "This is Edward, my fiancée." I told him, and he drew in a breath.
"Oh…hello." He said, reaching out to shake Edward's hand. Edward grasped his, and I saw Ryan wince as Edward nearly crushed his fragile bones. Leila looked down, and saw how much stronger Edward was than Ryan, and winced as well, in embarrassment.
"Hello." Said Edward darkly. Ryan seemed unable to say anything, and walked robotically and awkwardly in the other direction. Leila looked strangely after him.
"Bella, sweetheart. I have to go back to the car and get something. I know I promised I wouldn't let go of you once tonight, and usually that's not a hard promise to fulfill, but I really need to go back to the car. Are you alright here for a little? Or do you want to come?" he asked me, and I looked at Leila, Ryan was nowhere to be found. I could take Leila.
"I'll be fine, Edward. I give you permission to break your promise." I said jokingly, kissing him on the cheek.
"Okay, I'll be back in a second." He said, and walked off, but not before whispering so that only I could hear. "Leila wants to talk to you alone, sorry Lovey, she hasn't decided if she's going to be nice yet." He said, and the set off. I took a deep breath, before facing Leila.
"He's something eh?" she asked me, staring after Edward approvingly.
"Yeah, he's really sweet." I told her, and jealousy grew strong in her eyes.
"Ryan asked me out right after you left, said I was the one." She said, trying to sound romantic, but it wasn't working. I really couldn't care less.
"That's good for you." I said nonchalantly. She looked unsatisfied, as though searching for something that would make me break.
"Yeah it is, I guess you were never really wanted. Not by Ryan at least, even your mother sent you away." She said, smiling evily. I was hurt. But someone was behind me in a flash, and I knew Edward was back, a sense of calm spread over me.
"On the contrary, I want her very, very much." He said, wrapping both his arms around me from behind. I was filled with warmth, and reached back to stroke his face. Leila just looked oddly disappointed, and cleared her throat.
"Well I'll just be going…find Ryan or something." She said, turning directly around, and stalking off. I sighed.
"I'm glad she's gone!" I said in relief. Edward kissed my neck gently.
"That was a horrible thing for her to say." He said, and kissed down to my shoulder. "I want you ever so much, Isabella Swan." I couldn't help myself anymore, and tugged him around the side of the house, where nobody else was. He caught my drift, and pushed me up against the wall, placing little kisses up from my shoulder to my neck, and then my chin. Finally he reached the corner of my mouth, and whispered against my skin. "Ever…ever so much." Before kissing me roughly. My hands knotted in his hair, and he pushed me farther up the wall, his hands were cold on my waist, underneath the thin fabric of my shirt. We broke apart, to breathe, and I whispered back.
"I want you too…forever and ever Edward Cullen." And then his lips pressed against mine again, and my tongue skimmed along his bottom lip. To my surprise, he didn't pull away, but instead crushed himself closer. A jolt of electricity shot through my body as I felt his ice cold tongue slide along my top lip, and I parted them, overreacting as usual. His tongue grazed my teeth as I ran my fingers through his bronze hair. He pulled away bruskely, breathing raggedly. I leaned into him, panting. That was the farthest we had ever gone, he had never been so bold before. I liked it, and smiled shyly at him. He smiled back.
"Sorry Bella, Love." He said.
"Don't be sorry, Edward. You don't know how much I enjoyed that." I said, and he grinned.
"I enjoyed it a little too much I think." He said, laughing.
"You're not alone." I replied, and he smiled again, tugging me back out into the garden, where food was now being served. My mother stared at us curiously, coming out from behind the house together, but then turned away as we noticed her looking. I rolled my eyes. We made our way back into the midst of sweaty people, and someone banged into me from behind. It was Owen of course.
"Hey Bella!" he said enthusiastically, I chuckled, and grinned at him.
"Hello Owen." I said.
"Food." He stated simply, handing me a plate with two hot dogs on it.
"Owen, I'm not as big as you, I can't eat two." I told him, trying to pawn of the extra.
"Yeah well I was thinking Edward here might like to eat something too." He smiled, and walked away.
"Oops!" I smiled sheepishly. Edward didn't eat, but now people were expecting him too!
"It's alright Bella, I'll eat it. People are watching me, and it's not so bad. Just like eating dirt, remember?" he asked, reminding me of the first months we had met, and he had asked me to sit with him in the cafeteria. So long ago now, it seemed. I nodded, and he grabbed the smallest hot dog off the plate. "Well, here goes!" he said bravely, and I giggled. He took a bite of the hot dog, and he looked human. In that one second that he chewed and swallowed, he looked like an extremely beautiful human being. It was strange, but then he was back to godly vampire as soon as the bite hit his stomach. He looked up at me, and smiled. "I did it!" he said, like a child.
"Yes, you did." I said, and hugged him. He swayed us for a little, and then released me, stroking my hair.
"Bella you are the most beautiful girl in the universe." He said, smiling crookedly.
"Well you aren't too shabby yourself, Edward!" I said, kissing him swiftly. I caught glimpse of Leila and Ryan staring at us from the corner of my eye, and smiled vacantly. I munched happily on my hot dog, seated in Edward's lap now, on a bench, and he ate slowly away at his.
"Edward? What else do you want to do while we're here in Florida?" I asked him curiously, and he laughed.
"I have some ideas. The forecast says it's going to be overcast for the next few days while we're here, so I can actually go outside!" he said, smiling.
"Yay!" I said, leaning into him. He kissed me again, this time slow and sweet, filling my mind with a foggy haze, it was hard to concentrate on anything else.
"Hah! Edward, you taste like hot dog." I told him, which was perfectly true, and very odd. He laughed, smiling his adorable crooked smile.