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don't blame me if you get cavities from reading this tomfoolery. dreamboatward hits new highs here.
I sat glumly on the edge of the bed, watching Edward pack.
He was attending an architectural conference out of state – something for school this time. It was an awesome opportunity, and something he totally needed for his Master's, but I couldn't deny that I was going to miss him like crazy.
Four long days.
Of course, there had been life before Edward. It's not like I'd given up my friends. On the contrary, I hung out with the girls all the time, and even Edward's. They were my friends now, too.
Edward blew his hair out of his face. "That about does it. Walk me to the door?"
"Of course," I murmured. I'd wanted to drive him to the airport but his flight was insanely early. There was no way I'd be able to take him and then be back for my own classes.
He hauled me off the bed and into his arms, peppering my face with kisses. "I'm gonna miss you."
"Me too," I sighed, sagging against him. Crazy how we'd become such a unit. The end of December had marked our six month anniversary and honestly, it felt like no time had passed at all. People said you had to work hard to make relationships healthy and long lasting, but things with Edward were kind of easy. He was like my best friend and lover all rolled into one.
I'd gone through a brief phase of worry, wondering if and when our days of bliss were numbered, but that had worn off. The honeymoon period had mellowed into something really sweet and really real.
Tightening my grip on Edward, I tiptoed to kiss him. He smiled into our kiss, tickling his tongue against mine.
"Love you," I said once he'd pulled away.
"Love you," he echoed, kissing my nose.
He grabbed his bags and I followed him through the condo and outside, down to the car. It was so early the sun had just barely begun to peek over the horizon, bruising the sky with the deepest and most beautiful colors.
We kissed once more and then he got into his car and drove away.
I turned to go back inside, grateful that our separation was only temporary.
We had a good thing.
"That was hilarious," Alice giggled, still riding high from movie popcorn and the comedy we'd just watched.
"Yeah, it was," I agreed, linking my arm through hers. It felt good to laugh and be silly.
"Ugh, when is the cold going to go away," she groaned, snuggling closer.
"I like it," I said, shrugging, loving how my breath frosted the air.
"Not me. I'm a summa-time girl."
"I know you are." I squeezed her arm and we hurried to her car, parked on the edge of the lot.
"You have hot chocolate?" she asked once we were inside, the heat on full blast.
"Of course. I even got you marshmallows."
Alice squeed, clapping.
"You're so easy to please," I snorted.
"Yep. Now call Rose. See if she's still coming."
Rose had agreed to sleep over at my place as well, after her mystery date. She wouldn't tell us who the guy was, only that he was "just her type". I took that to mean big and buff but, who knew.
"She already texted. Said she'll be over later, and that she has a new shot for us to try."
"Hey guy's a bartender, right?"
I nodded. "Apparently."
We chatted all the way back to the condo, and once again I was glad that I'd never put my best friends on the back burner over some guy. Not that Edward was just "some guy", but I sincerely believed that one of the reasons our relationship was as balanced as it was, was because we maintained other parts of our lives as well. Together and as individuals.
This didn't make me miss him any less when he was gone, but I appreciated it.
"Bella?"
"What?" I pulled my wool socks on and padded out in my pj's.
Alice was holding up a tiny paper heart.
"What's that?" I asked, taking it from her.
"I don't know… I found it with another one by the bottle opener."
Frowning, I stepped into the kitchen to examine the other heart. Like its mate, it appeared to have been cut out of an atlas. One had part of the word "Belgium" on it; the other said "France."
A warm feeling blossomed inside my heart. I began opening drawers, gasping like a goon each time I found a new heart. Alice caught on quickly and for the next twenty minutes or so we ran around like little kids, searching room by room.
Drawers, cabinets, closets, under rugs, behind the coffee maker… they were everywhere.
By the time we collapsed on the living room carpet, we had handfuls.
"Edward is," Alice panted, emptying her hands so the hearts fluttered down, "by far the most romantic guy I've ever encountered. I'd hate you both if I didn't love you so much!"
I nodded quickly, swallowing back the ginormous lump in my throat. "I know…"
She saw the shiny eyes, though. "Awww, babe!"
"No, it's okay," I laughed, waving her away. "I'm just really…touched. Overwhelmed. Whatever."
"I would be too," she said softly, running her hands through the hearts.
Ireland, Sweden, Madagascar, Italy, Malta, the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Barbados… it went on and on. I sniffled when Hawaii popped up.
I got up and walked to our bedroom, where my phone was still in my purse. There were no new texts, other than the one Edward had sent earlier to let me know he'd landed in Colorado. But that had been hours before.
"Your hearts make my heart so full it could burst," I typed.
His reply came as I walked back into the living room, clutching my phone.
"Keep my hearts safe, I left them with you," he wrote back, and I snickered at the awesome cheesiness.
One more text came through before I had the chance to respond, though, and it was so sweet I nearly cried. Again.
"and just so you know, I plan to love you in every one of those places.
A year after I met Edward I knew he was the One. I mean, I'd known for awhile. But it just took a second for me to go from knowing in my heart to knowing all over.
Knowing in my heart was the sweet stuff. The cuddles and the gestures and the romance.
But knowing all over? That was dealing with the toothpaste in the sink, the dirty laundry, the crappy schedule we often contended with.
I was more than willing to learn and deal.
This man was my today, tomorrow, and forever.
We were sitting in the living room, watching something on TV, when he turned to ask me a question. It was like being in a dream state: I could see his mouth moving, the crinkles at the corner of his eyes, but there was no sound. It all faded… his voice, the television, the wind blowing in from the open glass doors.
I don't know what it was, exactly. Maybe a series of moments that had been silently accumulating in my heart, layer upon layer. We had a good thing. It had been good from the get-go and it only got better.
I refocused. He was laughing a bit now. "… five. But he won't."
"Who?"
Edward regarded me slyly, reaching to take a handful of nuts from the bowl on the coffee table. "Did you hear anything I just said?"
I shook my head and got up, moving to sit on his lap, my knees on either side of his thighs. He rested his hands on my hips and gazed up at me.
"You're so cute," I said, smoothing his eyebrows with my thumbs.
He smiled and leaned up, trying to kiss me.
"Ew, you've got a mouth full of peanuts," I protested, covering his hand with my mouth.
He settled back, tucking his thumbs beneath my waistband. "Tease."
"No…" I snuggled closer, covering his neck and face with little kisses until he caught my cheeks between his palms and kissed me good and hard, peanut breath and all.
"What's gotten into you?" he asked, his lips still pressed against mine.
"Hopefully you," I said, grinning.
"Easy, cheesy," he groaned, pulling me in for a hug.
Our anniversary was coming up and I wanted to do something special. He was the most thoughtful person I knew, especially when I thought back to all of the mediocre, lukewarm relationships I'd had before him.
We were both enrolled in summer classes in an effort to finish our respective degrees in a somewhat timely fashion. It was relaxed, though. I had two classes, two days a week whereas Edward had three.
I considered making reservations at one of the nicer restaurants in Seattle, figuring we could enjoy a room for the night afterward, but quickly tossed that idea. I wanted something a little more creative.
On the evening of our anniversary, I got Chinese takeout and switched the fortune cookies with ones I'd had custom made. Each "fortune" detailed a favorite memory: our first kiss, the song he played for me, making love in Hawaii, ziplining, our sexy time video, the night of the paper hearts. There were simpler, more general mentions too: eating dinner on the deck, watching as the sun set in the west. Waking up to him each morning…
I dressed the bed in the new comforter and sheet set I'd bought, then took a shower, traded the lights for candles and got into bed naked. Waiting.
He texted me on his way home, apologizing that he hadn't been able to get us reservations at one of our favorite restaurants downtown. I played it down, urging him to just hurry home to me.
I could barely stand the anticipation. The front door opened and closed. Edward's boots clomped closer and then he opened the bedroom door.
"Hey," he said, his smile growing when he saw me.
I smiled, reclining back.
He crossed the room and leaned down, kissing me softly. "Happy anniversary."
"Happy anniversary indeed," I sighed. "Go shower. I have plenty of food."
Of course Edward insisted on dining naked too, which just made me love him even more. Finally, he pulled out a fortune cookie.
My belly tightened in nervousness.
His look of surprise, as he read his "fortune" was so genuinely surprised, and then pleased, I almost wished I'd had a camera – for above the waist shots of course. I could tell he was touched. He smiled at every one, laughing and looking at me.
"You've got a good memory," he remarked.
"You make it easy."
"Thanks, babe," he whispered after reading the last one. He knelt and kissed me across the bed. "This is… incredible. I love you."
"I love you, too."
He kissed me again and then straightened up, reaching for his messenger bag on the floor. "I got you something too."
My heart skipped a beat. I accepted the package, wondering what it was.
Inside the box was an envelope. Inside the envelope was a pair of tickets.
Hawaii.
JUST SO YOU KNOW, the first part of this chapter came from a (witfit) prompt of little hearts cut out from map/atlas paper. ;)