CHAPTER 6: GOOD ENOUGH

Bella POV

Alice was a whirlwind. By the time we reached Boise she already had our hotel reservations, my homework assignments, and room service with a juicy cheeseburger and gigantic steak fries. By the time I got out of the shower she had laid out new pajamas that were better than any that I had ever owned and a new blanket with a note saying that it was just in case I got cold. What was with these people and cold?

The next morning when I woke up breakfast and new clothes were on my door step. I hadn't seen Alice or Edward since saying goodnight but apparently she had been quite busy. I brushed my teeth and washed my face and slipped into the clothes that fit me like a glove, how did she know, and made my way to their room.

It was silly that she was staying in the room with Edward. I didn't have any siblings but I would think that being a girl she wouldn't want to sleep in a room with a boy even if it was her brother; especially if it was her brother. Then I thought about all the rumors surrounding them about all of them being together. Maybe this was just more abnormal Cullen behavior. I mean it wasn't like anything else that they had done was normal so why should they start now.

For some reason I didn't want to think about the two of them together. Not just because I couldn't imagine anything more gross but because of Edward. I knew that there was every possibility that given enough time together I could really start to like him. I didn't begin to harbor any notion that he would ever be interested in someone like me but I could see how I could fall for him.

There was the hero worship of course. If I were counting then this would be the second time that he saved my life. Who wouldn't like someone that kept saving them and reminding them that they were safe with them? Then there was the fact that he was drop dead gorgeous. I could look at him all day and never get tired. His eyes alone made me light headed and dizzy. Add in the fact that he has been nothing but polite and considerate about all this and yeah I could really let myself like him.

But I wouldn't. It would just be courting heartbreak. Even if I didn't know that I wasn't anywhere near good enough for him there was the matter of him taking me to Florida and dropping me off with my mom so that his family didn't attack me. I couldn't bring myself to say the other word anymore. Sure he had gone against his family to get me out of town but to be with me he would have to go against them every day. There was no one that would do that.

So that left me hoping that I didn't get too attached to him before we reached Florida or I was sure that I would spend the first few weeks crying like a baby wishing I had never gone to stupid Forks.

I reached their room and knocked lightly. There was some movement on the other side of the door but it didn't sound right. Almost as if someone was moving something just to move it. Alice came to the door a few seconds later already dress too.

"Morning Bella" She was always smiling. "Did you sleep well?"

"Like a baby" Which was so true. "I don't think I have ever stayed any place as nice as this."

"Really?" Alice looked offended. "I wouldn't think of staying anywhere else. I love the Hampton Suites. They are just so comfy."

"Yes I guess they are." I noticed that we were still standing in the doorway. "Is Edward not awake?"

"He's in the shower" She opened the door wider but stayed in the doorway. "Why don't we take a walk around the lobby until he gets done? Your phone will get here in fifteen minutes and we can pick it up at the desk." I decided not to question how she knew that.

"Alice, I really don't need a phone." I didn't think it would do any good but I protested once more. "As it is I'm never going to be able to pay you guys back for hotel and gas and food we've had so far and that's not mentioning the rest of the way to Florida."

"Don't be silly Bella" She scoffed and closed the door behind her. "There's no need to pay us back. Besides your family and family helps each other out."

I just stared at her. Was she serious? Did she not know that her "family" was planning on doing away with me? "But Edward said that your family was planning on…on…." I couldn't say it.

"Edward tends to overreact." She was shaking her head. "You'll learn that eventually."

"You mean I didn't have to leave Charlie?" If she said yes I was going to kill him myself.

"No, that was a good idea." She let me know. "It will give Jasper and Rosalie time to cool off."

"Just them?"

"Just them" Smiled at me.

"But I thought it was the whole family?" Was this going to be another thing to add to my ever growing list?

She looked as if she was having a hard time figuring out what to say and keeping her smile. "Bella, my family is complicated. They see things as one or the other sometimes and well Jasper is extremely protective and Rosalie just has a huge temper." She explained. "But Emmett doesn't have anything against you. Right now he's busy just keeping Rosalie calm and Carlisle and Esme are just worried. They don't like having the family apart."

"How do you know that?" I asked. "Did you talk to them? Do they know where we are?"

"No they don't know where we are, but not to worry you'll be fine." The smile was back.

"You must know that I don't understand any of this." I opened up to her. "I don't understand why they are so mad just because Edward saved my life. You would think with a father that is a doctor and after everything you told me about how you all lost someone they would be more understanding."

"I agree" She nodded her head. "And they will be but we need to give them some more time."

"I can't be gone forever Alice" She acted like I could just ride around in Edward's car until we were all thirty.

"You won't be." She put her arm around my shoulder. "You'll be home in time to hear all the petty gossip of Forks before you know it."

"Forks?" The more I talked to her the more confused I got. "I thought we were going to Florida?"

"We are" She laughed at me. "Bella you are so entertaining." Then she skipped off to the front desk asking about any packages.

Sure enough the phone was waiting for her. She pulled me to an empty table and handed it to me to open. But as I was about to put my finger under the lid she looked up with horror in her eyes and stopped me. "Better let me do that. It will be better all around." Again I didn't understand but I let her open it. She was more excited for it than I was anyway.

She explained to me how the phone worked showing me by example on hers. She programmed her number, Edward's number and Emmett's into the phone. When I asked why Emmett she just shrugged and said "You never know". Then her face got that far away look again and she started pushing more buttons. "Better put in Carlisle's too. You're pretty accident prone." That done she handed the phone to me so that I could put in my parents number. She was surprised when I had no one else's number to put in like Mike, Jessica, or Angela but I explained that I hadn't really been around them long enough to consider them phone friends. Sure I had called talked to Jessica a few times on the phone but she had always called me.

By the time I had a small understanding of how the phone worked she ushered me outside claiming that Edward was on his way down. I hadn't expected it to be snowing and this was nothing in ratio to Forks but it made it look more like the cloud covered town then I would have thought possible. Seconds later, as predicted, Edward came walking out. There was a slight look of pain on his face but it cleared almost immediately by the time he reached us standing by the car.

"This is going to be a problem" Alice had that squinted eye look. "Bella give me a second to talk to Edward really quick."

She pulled him aside and said something to him really fast. He didn't like whatever it was that she said because he almost looked angry. She was shaking her head and his lips weren't moving the same as yesterday. This gave me an idea. Could they hear each other's thoughts? It didn't make sense but watching their silent conversation you could almost bet that they could. And the way that Alice seemed to know when things were going to happen. Could she be psychic? Were these things even possible?

Two days ago I might have laughed at my thoughts but now I wasn't so sure. There were so many things on my Cullen list now that anything seemed possible. They could come back and tell me they were zombies or something crazy like that I would believe them. They turned to face me then and Edward walked toward me while Alice went back inside.

"Where is Alice going?"

"She forgot a few things." He waved it off but I saw that he stopped further away from me then normal when having a conversation. I was going to have to stop trying to use that word when talking about the Cullens. Normal would just never apply.

"Should we get in?" I motioned to the car. It wasn't Forks cold but the temperature was biting and I hadn't had time to invest in a good winter coat. I looked Edward up and down and saw that he wasn't wearing a coat at all. "Aren't you freezing? Is that what Alice forgot? The coats?"

A look of worry crossed his face. "Yeah she did but she left them in Forks so we are going to have to find somewhere to stop and get new ones." He breathed deep taking another step closer to me. "How was your night?"

"Good" I told him. "How was yours?"

"Good" He didn't say anything else.

I watched him look around us moving his head at short intervals. Okay time to test out my theory. Shouldn't Alice be back, I thought as hard as I could while staring directly at him. He must have felt my eyes on his face because he turned then and stared back at me. He didn't say anything to answer my question but he didn't take his eyes off mine either. I felt myself getting light headed and I wanted to look away but I couldn't. He had me pinned in this spot with his eyes and there wasn't anything I could do about it even when I felt my knees start to give way.

"Breathe Bella" His velvety soft anxious voice floated to me. I started forcing air through my chest and all that did was bring his scent closer to me. That wasn't the only thing closer to me. Edward had his arms around my waist and I was inches away from his chest. His eyes were still staring at me but now they looked concerned and had darkened some.

But as I stood there leaning against his chest staring into his eyes trying to figure out for the hundredth time what he was his eyes changed. They lighten right in front of me. One minute they were a dark bronzed gold and the next they were a honey kissed yellow. He seemed to notice too because a smile came to his lips. It was as wide or broad as Alice and there was something a little off to it, almost crooked, but it was perfect.

"Are you okay?" His breath wiped over me and I stopped breathing forgetting his words of a few minutes ago. "Breathe Bella" He reminded me. Then he let out a small laugh. "What am I going to do with you?"

I wanted to say kiss me but I knew that would never happen. So I just shook my head which earned another laugh.

"I like you when you laugh" I said breathlessly.

"Me too" He smiled that crooked smile at me before straightening up. "You sure you're okay?" I nodded still not really able to breathe right. "Good." He let me go completely then walking past me to the car and opening the door. "Shall we?"

"What about Alice?" I asked finding my voice.

"She should be down soon." It wasn't as pin point as Alice but it still gave credence to my earlier theory.

Are you sure, I tried again this time not staring so hard into his eyes but trying to push my question through none the less.

This time when he stared back he seemed to have an idea that I was trying something. "What are you doing?"

Nothing, I answered in my head waiting for him to respond.

"Bella?" For the first time he was looking at me about as strangle as I would say I had been looking at him. "Are you sure you're alright? Maybe you should sit down."

I'm fine; I gave it one last attempt.

"Come on" He looked more nervous than curious this time. "Let's get you inside." He lifted his hand for me to take it.

"Okay" I gave up. Me and my stupid theories. Like any human could read minds. What had I been thinking? I was glad that I had been wrong. If he could read them he would be laughing his head off at me.

"What did I miss?" Alice bounced over to the car sliding easily in the back.

"Nothing much" I told her thinking that the last thing I needed was for them to find out what I had been thinking.

Edward nodded with me and closed the door. Seconds later he was inside and pulling off the parking lot. "Where to Alice?"

"I think we should get Bella a better coat first and then the ice caves." She picked up her phone, which I was learning she lived with, and gave him directions. I saw her look at him the same way that I had been trying and again it looked like they were having a private conversation. Whatever it was it obviously thrilled her because she turned back to me with the biggest smile I had seen yet. And that was saying something.

"Bella did I mention that I just absolutely love you." She put her arms around me and I had one more thing to add to the list. She was just as cold and hard as Edward. "I swear I could just eat you up." Edward turned swiftly in his seat. "Don't worry. I won't." She looked at him. "Sisters don't eat sisters. It's in the handbook."

AN: Has our little Ms. Swan figured things out? Is she getting close to the truth? Maybe, maybe not but I loved writing this chapter. It was fun to see Bella actually try to get Edward to read her thoughts for a change. Hope you liked it to and the best way to let me know what you thought is by pressing that little review button right below. It's green so you can't miss it. Go ahead, it won't bit and then after that go to the next chapter and do the same. Okay see ya soon.

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