And All for Me, to Me, You Sue
Chapter 8: One-Way Street

"She accepts!" someone hollered behind me and I responsively shifted my perspective toward my fantasy's – or nightmare's; apparently, I wasn't going to find out now – intruder. Even without such transposition, the voice swung familiar bells into my ears. I've heard it more than should be enough in merely half a high school's lifetime, after all. The only question that lingered now was oblivious: What in the world—! And when that did not quite suffice, I settled upon questioning the entire Milky Way instead. That proved a little better.

Suddenly, a flood of clamor surrounded us, blinking, brazen lights attacking my eyes like flying, broken glass – only it would have been an illusion, for this, at least, delivered no such physical pain. I shielded my eyes with my forearm, tilting my head away from the fluorescent nuisance. I felt an arm slip behind my waist and, at first, I bolted from the abrupt touch, but then I recognized the familiar, sensitive touch that handled me like I was the Declaration of Independence, soaked and fragile from less careful possessors. And then everything dissolved. The mysterious clamor, the irksome flashes of light, the voice to which I am more than just accustomed to, but grew to rely upon during the last few months. It was only me and the boy to which this feathery touch belonged, draped by the curtains of pleasure he's woven with impressive pace. Pitiful that my stronghold be pummeled by a curtain, however magically it was manufactured.

"Bella," an angelic sound dared jangle with my reverie. Transportation back to the inevitable was a heinous task and, with a single blink of an eye, I was once again met with the pandemonium that was the immaturity of senior students. My eyes magnified at Jessica first, whose voice I recognized earlier. She was beside Mike in his car, grinning blithely at the scene in front of her. As if her blatant outcry wasn't enough to emphasize the humiliation of the moment, my eyes landed – no, glared – at the drummer of the basterous noises. Mike – Heaven figures – was punching his horns inside his Toyota, or at least what would be a poor excuse for a vehicle once I'm done with him. Beside him was an ever-so familiar blue Suburban van with which Tyler was flickering his headlights on and off. All the while, encouraging cheers crammed the air as they all staged our privacy.

My mouth hung, disbelieving the sight before me. Some friends. Once they realized I was well aware of their presence – and that I bore a diabolic expression at their jamboree – they came to a fearful halt. I was only too tempted to doom their lives forever.

Mike's eyes widened in realization first. "Shit, run for it, you guys!" he hurried to yell as he began receding from the parking lot.

"Just for the record, it was Mike's idea," Tyler called as he, too, roared his engine to life, speeding away like mice from a ravenous cat. Had God been as generous with me as He was with someone like Callum, I'd have been blessed with a calamitous vision for the unfortunate sake of such juvenile friends as those – only Callum's gift was a force that drew attention to him.

A frivolous chuckle broke through my plans, and I glanced up at the vocalist of such a heart-melting sound. Callum's cheeks were a polished crimson color and his lips arched into a nervous, disheartened smile, and he sighed. It broke my heart to witness the disappointment that now overruled his features. Even in such a state, he remained as dazzling as he ever was, his midnight dark hair caressing the wind beneath them. His eyes were a short distance away from me, and I missed them locked on mine – or his locking mine, rather. After only a fraction of a second, he granted my selfish wish, eyeing me with such warmth that it finely masked all signs of his previous countenance.

"Bella, there you are," he joked at my mental absence from the present.

"Funny," I remarked with a smile as I kept closer to him. "I'm sorry about that."

Callum held me closer by my waist as though, had he not, I would physically fade away with my thoughts – Heaven consumed me. And to think, I'd wanted to dump myself within my reverie – however lovely – and omit to such a tangible fantasy as this, with Callum. "It's alright," he scooted a strand of my hair away from my eyes carefully, "Attention isn't so bad."

I sighed. Lost without a start, I searched my brain for something to say, but Callum spared me eagerly. Perhaps it was possible that he felt more humiliated by the situation that I was. "Well," he began, his hand resting on the back of his ear, "Why don't we just, uh, get going?"

As soon as I nodded in response, I determined that I couldn't be more stupid, more lame. How could I settle for a nod? His attempt needed an answer and his time, an effort from me. Neglecting that much should be a crime – at least for someone as serene as Callum. But I had nothing. My words were drained of significance now, at least to me. It had been enough that I felt insignificant to begin with. I wasn't worth the question he asked, much less did I deserve the offer he created with me – an offer that involved his loyalty, his very heart.

"Would you like to drive?" he offered, "Since it is your truck."

"Um, sure," I answered, unsure of what I was saying.

Had I blinked, or was he actually so light on his feet? Before I knew it, Callum was by the passenger door, ready to strap himself in. Even now, his agility stunned me. Ironic, when I once embarked on a creature that excelled in agility.

"You're going to love this place," he promised with enthusiasm and it was hard to disbelieve the structure of his smile.

I smiled back, his natural warmth influencing my eyes as I felt them sharpen with sincere emotions for the boy next to me. "I trust you."

And he only livened that trust even more once we've arrived at his chosen destination. Benny's Hideaway – it sat on a strip behind the mall in Gilmore, Forks' neighboring town in the East. The outside was plain, and had I been without Callum's promising company, I wouldn't have spared it a second glance. However, the interior overlooked another story. A strong odor permeated the building. It smelled like dried wood and antiques, spicy in a way. I could almost taste the minty flavor that lingered with it on my lips. A large selection of desks, bed frames, drawers, and a variety more were displayed in an orderly fashion, all of which were the same texture as the table my mom had bought near the entrance of our house. I marveled at the view of it. Tall, green plants were strewn around the furniture randomly, but overall presented the entire vista well.

"Callum," I breathed, "This is so beautiful."

"Do you like it?" he inquired near my ear, like he was afraid to disrupt my silent adoration. "I was hoping you would."

"Oh, yes," I proclaimed, my eyes touching everything that was available for me to see in my line of vision, "I do; I love it!"

"Go on," he urged, "Go crazy."

I threw my eyes back at him in objection. "I can't—"

He smiled down at me affectionately. "I've never quite seen you this excited. Won't you please allow me to bathe in it longer?"

What more can I say, when he knows every way to disarm me? His eyes alone could pierce through my arguments, let alone his words. It seemed as though even the God of Victory was charmed by him. He smiled when he sensed my surrender.

"First up, a bed," he rejoiced as he guided me along the rows of masterpieces.

After an hour of exploring the wooden topiaries of furniture, he's insisted and eventually persuaded me to purchase a finely carved, queen-sized bed frame that stood two feet tall without a mattress and a frame that hovered a foot over the body. Overall, it was a simple design with no exaggerated features, but I was in love with it. He also talked me into buying a dark chocolate corner desk that stood about 3 feet higher than I did. It held many compartments, four drawers at each side, CD racks, and a sliding plank for a keyboard. It had plenty of space for open work, but still had a higher stage for a computer desktop. He also threw in a comfortable, brown leather chair for his money's waste. When I'd stated that that was all I needed – not to mention all the size of my bedroom could manage – he finalized the trip with an Italian nightstand that had a single drawer and two English lamps that varied in length – one for my nightstand and another as a general light to my room. We had to stuff those in the cab of my truck in order to fit all of his expenses, which approximately reached 1,550 dollars – a fact I was so ghastly aware of by sneaking a peek at the cashier screen.

"Hm," he contemplated as he looked over the new contents of my truck, which probably equaled the price of the truck itself. "Would you like to drop these off at my house until we could place them in your room?"

I can't believe I'd nodded and pointed my finger to this, that, these, and those without having thought about that yet. My mother and I were probably more alike than we gave ourselves credit for.

"I didn't even think of that," I admitted.

He chuckled rhythmically. "I kind of take comfort in that – it shows how occupied you were. I wish you'd let me do this for you more often."

"It was only this once, and that was because you left me with no choice."

"Then I shall rid you of your choice again next time," he grinned.

"Very funny," I said sarcastically, but then narrowed myself to unveil a more serious expression. "Honestly, Callum, thank you for this."

He smiled and leaned back against the side of my truck, extending his arms until they imprisoned my waist. As gently as I remembered it, he pulled me toward him with an obvious lack of effort and I wasn't quite sure whether I'd helped him with that with a single stride of my own. Once more, he leaned his face close to mine, but teasingly, for he refused to exult me with the sensation that comes with his lips against mine. His eyes closed faintly and I could feel the remaining fraction of his vision scanning my plain features. And then his mouth began to gape slowly, just as his hands begin to tremble against me like it had the last time. His lips quivered before they abruptly shut closed, and he was suddenly avoiding my eyes once again.

"Callum," I began, but where to end?

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "You're just aggravatingly irresistible to me, Bella, and I—I wouldn't want to take myself too far."

"You won't."

He reluctantly glanced back at me, his eyes searching my face for falseness that he became relieved not have found, apparently. Finally, he averted his eyes straight into mine in silent question.

"You can't overdo that which has no boundaries," I explained, surprised by the soft tone of my voice and what's more, the words that it spoke.

Callum stared at me in mild disbelief for a moment longer, before closing his eyes, only to flutter them open a second later. Once they did, they were smiling – along with his lips – generated from the familiar warmth that once again swirled in his brilliant, golden eyes.

We needed no further words.

After picking up his car from the school parking lot, Callum led the way to his house in front of me, which was deep within a private community in the outskirt of Forks. The forest overlooked the village of houses, which were all so elegant – at least, for Forks. I practically flattened my nose against the window of my truck as I admired the column of houses, each bearing a unique essence that magnified their individual beauty. I slowed down as Callum parked on an empty driveway and I followed to occupy the space beside his with his instruction to do so. I stepped out of my truck, which now looked like a jalopy among the brilliance that besieged it, and marveled at the tall structure that stood before me.

It was a two-story house, but its color was hard to determine through the darkened hour, though I can see that its borders were a darker shade than the rest of the house. His garage lay on the western side, with a file of trees separating it from the rest of the house. He guided me through a rock-patterned path, aligned with rows of irises on either side, toward his double-door entrance. Glancing up, I saw that there were two visible windows, both of which were stunningly curtained from the inside, as well as the massive window on his first floor. Four hidden lights were scattered along his front porch, which was put to perfection by the greenest of grasses. They lit up the view of the house in such a majestic way that I found myself feeling too minute in worth to be standing before it.

"Here we are," Callum beckoned as he switch the lights on in his house.

"Do you live alone?" I asked, disbelieving that an eighteen-year old was dangling the keys to this mansion in his fingers.

"Yes," he smiled, "I've told you that already."

"Yes, but I imagined, well, I didn't know what to expect, to be honest, but this," I gasped at the interior of his house.

"It's an inheritance from my parents."

Now I knew why he was aware of the existence of Benny's Hideaway. Everything was made of polished, wooden texture and marbles. The walls and floors were mosaic and absolutely gorgeous.

Callum seemed to notice my admiring eyes, for he asked if I wanted a tour of the place. I nodded automatically and he smiled as he took me by the hand, guiding me through the magnificence of his home.

"And finally, my room," he announced as he pushed open the double doors to his room. I was sucked into a fairytale. His room was just as beautiful as all the rooms and places he'd shown me, except his was engulfed in a feeling of tranquility. It was a tiny bit less dramatic than the other rooms, but it was just right. His bed, which looked like it was a king, was perfectly made in the center of the room and I noticed, with a surprised gasp, that it was the exact design as my own. I glanced at him for confirmation and he smiled at me sweetly, nodding at my unworded question. I exhaled in relaxation as I smiled – almost inevitably. A massive drawer was placed against the wall opposite of his bed, on which an equally humongous television was. His windows were draped with ivory, golden brown curtains, complimenting his tan walls superbly. His room was spacious, but it was hardly a surprise after he'd shown me the study room and the gargantuan bathroom that was right across the hall from his room. I was psyched.

"This is where you sleep?" I whispered, more as a statement than a question. "It's like a dream."

"Almost," he disagreed. "Dreams aren't usually as pleasant when you're alone."

I turned back to face him, and he only smiled at me.

"My mother would have been overjoyed with a female guest," he expressed with a merry thought. "There were only three of us, after all, and she always wished for a daughter, as well. She'd have spoiled you to the brink of no return," he chuckled.

I smiled at his open gesture toward his past. "My mother would be driven insane if she found a clue that exposed my whereabouts," I said with a rollicking smile. Callum laughed.

"She may be right to worry, you know," he implied as he shuffled closer to me.

"Oh, I know," I whispered, breathless at the sight of his handsome smile.

He bit his bottom lip by the moon curve of his lips. "And with how much I want you," he declared, taking another step toward me. "And need you." Another step. "I might just have to disappoint her." And with that said, he took the final step that enclosed the distance between our bodies.

"Well, then, perhaps you should straighten out your priorities," I peered at him sharply. "Her satisfaction, Callum, or mine."

And with that, he smirked, taking no less than a second to prioritize his concerns before quenching my utter satisfaction. I closed my eyes in silent but evident contentment while he ran his hands down slowly against my arms, which dumbly slept against my sides. But not for long, as Callum encircled them around his neck before trailing his fingers back down my arms once more and traced the curve of my sides, where he finally settled them against my hips. I palmed my hand against the back of his head and pulled him closer. Tilting his head to the side, he deepened the kiss a breathtaking amount. Suddenly, a shudder crept itself on my body as I felt two, icy hands make a contact upon my bare stomach. I sighed into the kiss, embracing the warm sensation his sensitive touch has burdened me with. Callum continued to explore my stomach with his hands, his movements as gentle as a breeze and as slow as a current. I shifted my head to the opposite direction of his own as I took pleasure in our subtle progress.

Just when I separated my lips, I felt him tense suddenly and then carefully drew away from the kiss. I opened my eyes weakly to find himself as breathless and his eyes as droopy as my own. His eyes were apologetic, however, and I smiled at him reassuringly through my uneven breathing. I leaned myself against his broad, masculine chest and he wrapped his arms around me, one across my shoulders while the other brushed through my hair. I curved my arms so that they sat atop his shoulders from behind him and kept close to his embrace. Next to my ear, I felt Callum breathe heavily, almost as though in a slight struggle, and his body trembling against mine.

We carefully dumped the new contents of my room in his garage and he kissed me goodnight on my forehead before letting me go.

"I'll miss you," he whispered.

"In that case, I guess I'll miss you, too," I smiled as I pulled myself into the truck, but was startled to find myself flying onto it instead. I watched helplessly as Callum carried me by my waist and then hopelessly as he leaned his body next to me, crossing his arms across his chest, and creating for himself a model portrait.

He laughed at my gibe. "Don't kill yourself over that attempt."

"I'm the morning sun, remember," I smiled at him. "I'll always awake to live another day."

He narrowed his eyes softly as he smiled. "And I shall hope to be the clouds, that which may besiege you in protection, steer the way for your brilliance, and cry at your absence." He grinned, "Besides, evil doesn't die so easily."

I reached for my handle and closed the door full tilt, losing handle from it as it bounced back after hitting Callum, who stood between myself and the door.

"Ow," he complained between fits of laughter, "Point exactly."

I laughed. "Shut up," I uttered with a smile as I shook my head at him.

He smiled a ravishing smile before slipping his arm around me while I sat on my seat, and kissed me fondly on my chin. It somehow made him look more vulnerable – only now because he stood a foot shorter from where I'm seated down – and I combed his radiant, thick hair that matched the shade of the sky, and touched my forehead to his as I closed my eyes, swimming in the moment of his affection. As we slowly drew apart – after a long moment made short by the illusion of time when you feel half as content – he felt for my buckle and slid it across from me, clicking it securely in its place.

Time was likely to be getting a good laugh out of this one. For a moment, I remembered what he'd once told me about time. 'Sometimes, it's the only thing that comes for free – the only thing we can really take advantage of. It takes, but it also gives. Just the same, it breaks and then heals, no matter how hopeless it seems.' It takes, but it also gives… Could Callum be that which was given to me by time, after all it's taken from me? In time, I can take what is there for free and buy into the challenges it presents me with in return, but in the condition that Callum stay by my side and then do, indeed, take advantage of time. The future is so secretive – it lies within every second, every step, but still I know a future lies ahead of time and it will always be right there, waiting for me to decide upon it.

Could it honestly be that simple – that easy? Is it possible to conclude an outcome for your life, and make it only a matter of pursuing it? Perhaps, in more way than one, time is key. It herds you where you need to be and scatters just enough obstacles on your path for you to see for yourself if your objection is worth the while. So you won't have much to regret. And with that, the future doesn't have to be so secretive, because it could be so easy steering the wheel, once I have the drive for it. And maybe then I could finally roam where I desire to roam, because I am who I made myself to be and I am where I chose to be. There's an end to every one-way street, and I can urge forward to meet it. I don't want to reverse back to where I came from, not when I can move forward – the way is right there, right in front of me. And if I can, I will.

"Are you sure you know the way?" Callum beseeched me, warmth evident in his sidereal eyes that could easily be thrown into the night sky as stars, and no one could ever think it be anything otherwise.

"Yes, I know the way," I answered.

and so there goes chapter 8, which i'm proud to have stayed up for. i'm happy i'm able to sent out another chapter for you guys, so please review. i don't have many, but it still encourages me beyond reason when i hear from you guys. a little hint toward the next few chapters: it gets kind of complicated and it's definitely going to take a new course, so i may not be able to keep up with my usual interval between chapters. i'm sorry if that's so, but i'll do my best. ex's & oh's - handwritten

edit: hey guys. so i've gotten a question about this being a bellaxedward fanfiction... it is. but like jacob and bella's relationship in the novel, i wanted to expand her relationship with callum first. i know it's taking a long time and i'm sorry... but she's just gotten through a rough time with a broken heart and i didn't want to make it seem like that kind of thing is easy to forget or that she isn't that much into callum when edward arrives (i kind of begrudged him after he left her so abruptly in the book, hehe). but yes, edward will be coming in soon i hope that this hasn't driven you guys away so far. nevertheless, i appreciate the reviews and the read. i love you guys!