Nightfall
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Foreplay
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Edward pulled me closer and whispered in my ear, referring to my talk with my father, "We are one step closer to eternity."
I rested my head on his shoulder and looked up at the silver moon. At that moment, eternity felt way more than close.
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That night I had the awful nightmare again, but Edward was right there to make me feel better. It took me a long time to fall back to sleep after it, though. I should've gotten used to the dream by then, but for some reason it still chilled me to the bone and flooded me with panic every time.
The next morning was, thankfully, a Saturday. I yawned and stretched on my bed before glancing sleepily out the window. The sky had stayed as clear as it'd been the night before, and little rays of light were already lighting up my bedroom.
When I turned around to face Edward, I realized he wasn't in bed with me. I frowned and looked around the room.
"I'm right here." His voice came from underneath my bed. I was so startled I rolled to the side, got myself all tangled up in the sheets, and fell.
Edward, who had just rolled out from under my bed, caught me by the waist just inches away from his face.
As he held me suspended in midair, our noses almost touching, I frowned. "What were you doing under my bed?"
He raised his eyebrows. "Honestly?"
I nodded. He folded his arms, letting my body fall gently on top of his. He reached under the bed and pulled out a pair of jeans.
"You lost these two weeks ago." He laughed at my stunned face.
"You were picking up after me?" I could feel the deep blush rising.
"Not really. I just saw you kick those under there a long time ago and I wondered how long it would take you to get them out. You were looking for them yesterday, but couldn't seem to remember where you'd left them."
"Well why didn't you tell me yesterday?" I sat up, still tangled in the sheets.
"Because you look cute when you're frustrated." He folded his arms behind his head, still lying on the floor, and smiled teasingly.
I scowled and stood up. I'd gotten a little better at picking up after myself ever since I'd stopped sleeping alone; apparently I'd have to work harder.
I spun around to storm to the bathroom but my feet got all twisted in the bed sheets. I flew forward, hands outstretched to catch my fall.
Edward grabbed me by the waist and pulled me back before I could smash my face against the window, but even he wasn't fast enough to keep me from grabbing on to the windowsill.
"Ouch!" I cringed and cradled my hand. "What?" Edward asked in alarm.
"A splinter! A splinter in my finger!" He sat me down on his lap and took my hand in both of his. Sure enough, a huge wooden thing had made its way into my thumb and it was way too close to my nail. He tried to use his hands to get it out, but the darn thing was too far in.
When I saw the splinter sticking out of my finger I started feeling faint. "Oh God." I closed my eyes to keep my head from spinning.
"Bella?" Edward frowned.
"Foreign bodies inside my own make me dizzy." I mumbled. Edward sighed, "I need something sharp to pull it out with."
"It hurts!" Everything around me started to swim. My eyes must have glazed over, because he immediately shook me, alarmed. "Bella? Honey, stay with me."
"Get it out." I said between gritted teeth.
He ran a frustrated hand through his hair and sighed. "Okay, Bella? Look at me! Bella! Do not move an inch. Do you hear me? Not an inch!" I somehow managed to nod.
He laid me down on the bed and knelt on the floor next to me. He held my thumb firmly and slowly lowered his mouth to it. I cringed as he took the piece of wood between his sharp teeth and pulled. I felt the splinter moving slowly out of my body. Once it was over, I looked up.
Edward still held my hand in his. He was staring at it. "Edward? Is everything okay?"
"Yes," he said softly, "you're okay." I looked down at my finger. A tiny drop of blood was slowly forming on it. Edward wiped it clean with his hand, and then stared down at his blood-smeared thumb. In a movement so fast I almost didn't catch, he licked his finger clean.
His eyes closed and he gasped, as if he'd just tasted a little piece of heaven. His whole body tensed up and he sat, still as a stone, on the floor. I slowly crawled away from him and his eyes -still wild with hunger- snapped open regretfully.
"I'm sorry Bella. I didn't mean to scare you." His jaw was so tense, he could barely get the words out.
"You didn't. I'm just trying to make things easier for you. I'll even hide my finger." I sat on my hand and he smiled gratefully at me.
I stared at him thoughtfully for a moment before saying, "Or I can not hide it, if you'd like."
He frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I mean you can have some of my blood if you want it."
Edward growled so loudly he scared me. "Isabella, that is absurd! I will not use you as my personal flask! And not just because of you. It's hard enough resisting as it is! I shouldn't have tasted that drop. Now get that finger away from me before I eat you whole."
He sounded so mad I actually snapped my hand back and sat on it again. Edward clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. The sunlight that filtered through my closed window bounced off his skin, making him look like an angel in pain.
"I can leave if you want." My voice was barely above a whisper.
"No, please. Just give me a moment. I can manage this."
I sat perfectly still and waited while his body slowly relaxed.
"I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at me." I finally whispered after minutes of stressful silence.
"I'm not mad at you, Bella. I'm angry with myself. That was incredibly stupid of me. Using my teeth, what was I thinking? I could've... And tasting..."
I slowly moved closer to him and tentatively sat on his lap. He embraced me, so I relaxed against him.
"Is it really that bad?" I asked in a small voice.
"Think of it this way. If you were alone, in the middle of the desert, under the baking sun, literally dying of thirst, and all of a sudden you found an oasis but were forbidden to drink the water..." He let his thoughts hanging for a moment while he concentrated hard on something. When he continued, he did so in such a small voice I was almost sure he was talking to himself. "How crazy it would make you, if you could have only a tiny drop..."
I felt an incredible need to hold him close, to pull his body against mine and kiss away his worried frown. But I had to be careful, I had to give him some space.
Edward sighed and kissed my hair. "You should go downstairs and have some breakfast. Charlie left really early today, but he left you a note saying he won't be home for dinner tonight and asking you to wait until he comes back to call your mother with our news."
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The rest of the morning was pretty uneventful. That evening, Edward and I sat around my kitchen table doing homework for a couple of hours. He, of course, finished his in record time. I, however, had to use a calculator for my math problems, which meant it took me at least half an hour longer to get through my homework.
Edward heated up some leftovers for me while I struggled with my last equation. Math was one of my best subjects, but I kept making mistakes while punching the numbers into the calculator.
He grabbed the hot plate from the microwave and placed it in front of me. I noticed his eyes looked intense, as if he were concentrating on something.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Charlie is a few blocks away. He called Carlisle today."
I dropped my fork in surprise. "He did? What for?"
"Well, from what I can tell, Charlie wanted to see if Carlisle was aware of our plans. He wanted to see if my father could talk me out of it."
"And what did Carlisle say?" I rushed my words. My dad would probably walk through the door any second.
"He told your dad that we'd talked to him already, and that we seemed pretty determined. He also pointed out that we didn't need their permission to do anything and casually mentioned that I have enough resources to support us both for a lifetime. He told Charlie that he'd rather show some support, because if he didn't we'd probably just run off together, and that he was going to offer us the little cabin behind our house so he could keep an eye on us."
I raised an eyebrow. "There's a little cabin behind your house?"
Edward smiled. "No."
"How did Charlie take Carlisle's reply?" The answer to my question never came. In that exact moment the front door burst open. I turned around in time to see Charlie shaking off the rain. I glanced back to where Edward had been standing less than a second before. I found myself staring at an empty kitchen.
"Hi dad!" I called out.
"Hello Bella. Did you get my note?" Charlie hung his raincoat and took off his boots on the way to the kitchen.
"Yes, I haven't called mom."
"Well, why don't you do that while I get out of these soaking clothes?"
I nodded obediently and dialed my mother's number. Charlie was already at the top of the stairs when she answered.
"Hello?" Her breezy voice made me feel a pang of longing for her.
"Mom? Hi!"
"Oh hi sweetie! How are you?"
I sat down on a chair and threw my head back. I could feel a headache coming. "I'm great mom. Better than great actually."
There was a long pause on the other side of the line before my mother let out a strained "Really?" I knew she could predict the general direction our conversation was going to take.
"Yes, really. As a matter of fact, I'm calling to tell you something really exciting!"
"Isabella Swan I swear! If you eloped..."
"No mom! I did not elope! And I'm not pregnant either" I could almost hear the relief when she sighed. "I'm just moving in with Edward next month."
She was silent for so long I soon feared she'd passed out. "Mom?" I asked tentatively.
"You're... moving in with your boyfriend?" It must've taken her a superhuman amount of effort not to yell hysterically.
"Yes." I answered simply. After another enormous pause, she sighed. "Are you sure that's what you want to do Bella? What about college? What about... I don't know, teen age!"
"Mom, I've thought the whole thing through. This is what I want. It's what I need to be really happy."
She exhaled loudly before saying in a defeated voice. "Well honey, I hope you know what you're doing. If moving in with that hunk boyfriend of yours is going to make you happy, then I'm happy."
I rubbed the back of my neck to release some of the stress that had accumulated there during the past couple of days and smiled. "Thank you, mom."
"You're welcome sweetie. Now, could you put Charlie on the phone for a sec?"
The stress hit me again like a ton of bricks. "Oh come on mom! He has nothing to do with this! Don't go off on him!"
"I just want to talk to him honey! I haven't checked in with him in a while!" She was lying, of course, but I knew she would end up yelling at Charlie whether I wanted to or not, so I just called out. "Dad! Mom wants to talk to you!"
He could've answered from the phone in his room, but instead, he dragged his feet all the way to the kitchen and took the cordless from me. "Finish your dinner, Bella." He instructed before going upstairs to his room and locking his door.
I was too upset to eat, so instead I walked over to the dark living room. I sat alone on the couch and whispered into the empty darkness, "I want to know what he's saying."
Edward's soft voice came from the far left corner of the room. "What did you expect me to do, Renee? She's eighteen, she can do whatever she wants now... And how am I supposed to do that?... Cut her off? When was the last time you gave her any spending money? She can get a job, she's in a public school... Rent will not be a problem for them, his father offered to help them. Plus, from what I can see, he's loaded... We can not stop her, Renee. If this is what she wants to do, then all we can do is give her our support. If we go against her, we will lose her forever. I do not doubt she'll run away with this boy if we forbid her to see him. After all, she IS your daughter." Edward's voice had turned into a whisper as the conversation went on. When he said that last part, he sat down next to me on the couch and opened his arms for me to lean against him.
"I feel like a ten year old going through a divorce." I rolled my eyes, "except this really is my fault."
"Well..." Edward ruffled my hair in a tender gesture. "Yeah, yes it is your fault."
I stared up at him with wide eyes. I had not been expecting that answer from him. "Excuse me?"
"What? You expected me to disagree? You're the one begging me to turn you!" He smiled and brushed his lips against my ear, making me shiver and forget for a moment about our little argument.
"Oh, like you don't want to change me."
Edward's face changed from playful to serious in two seconds flat. He took my face between his hands and stared into my eyes. "Unfortunately, there is nothing I want more in this world than to spend forever with you."
I frowned "Unfortunately?" I sounded more than a little hurt.
Edward leaned closer to my face and whispered against my lips "Yes, unfortunately for you."
I sort of understood what he meant, but his breath was driving me so crazy I couldn't even thing about a decent comeback. Instead, I closed my eyes and leaned in for a kiss only to find my lips connecting with thin air.
That was when I heard Charlie, warily walking down the stairs.
"Bella? What are you doing in the living room?"
"I was... thinking."
"Oh." I expected him to ask me about that, but he just said. "Did you finish your dinner?"
"I'm not very hungry." I answered truthfully.
"Well, then you should go to bed. It's getting late."
Even thought it was barely ten, the tone of his voice left no room for arguments. I got up and started walking to the kitchen.
"Where are you going?" Charlie asked.
"To clean the dishes. The kitchen is a mess..."
"Leave it. I'll do it myself. It's my turn to do the dishes anyway."
I nodded, went upstairs and closed my bedroom door behind me.
"He's upset." I sighed.
"Well, his little encounter with your mother's wrath was not a pleasant one." Edward's voice came from my bed, so I sat down next to him in the dark.
"I hate doing this to them." I whispered.
Edward sat, cross-legged, next to me and took my hand. "I'm sorry."
I turned around to tell him it wasn't his fault when I caught a glimpse of him. The light from the moon coming through my window bounced off his bare, stone hard chest. He was wearing only his slacks. My eyes roamed his body all the way down to his feet. Funny, I'd never really seen those.
"You have perfect feet." I thought out loud. My comment obviously caught him by surprise, because he let out a deep laugh. "Excuse me?"
I uncrossed his leg and took his cold ankle between my hands. "Your fingers are perfectly proportioned and the nail is so round..."
He lifted his eyebrows "I never figured you for a girl with a foot fetish."
"It's not a fetish, I just can't believe everything about you is so perfect!"
He lifted me by the arms and laid me down on the bed. Then he crawled down my body and unlaced my sneakers.
"What are you doing?" I sat up but he pushed me right back down.
"I'm looking at your feet." He took off my shoes and socks. I quickly tried to remember when had been the last time I'd cut my nails. A jolt of electricity went through me when I felt his lips against my big toe.
"What are you doing?" I shrieked and took my legs away from him. I leaned up quickly and sat on them.
He smiled. "I'm kissing the foot of an angel."
"Well it's creepy, even for you."
He lowered his head and looked up at me through his eyelashes. "What's that supposed to mean?" He shifted his whole body slowly. I'd seen him take that position once before.
"Edward! Don't even think..." But my statement came too late. I suddenly found myself flying backwards. He slammed me down on the bed, his body completely covering mine. His hands formed steel handcuffs around my wrists as he held them above my head.
"Edward..." I started to say, but he rested his cheek against my shoulder and inhaled deeply, pressing his nose against my throat.
All coherent thoughts left me when he ran his lips all across my face, paying special attention to my closed eyelids. He kissed me then, slowly and sweetly.
The kiss ended too soon, as always. He looked down at the V-neck of my shirt and pulled it down a little lower, so he could rest his cheek against the bare skin just below my neck. He slowly lifted the chain in which my engagement ring rested and gently ran the piece of jewelry through his fingers.
I reached behind me to take the chain off so I could put the ring in my finger, but Edward stopped me. "Wait, please. Don't move."
"Why?" I frowned.
"I want to feel your heartbeat for a little while." I nodded and laid back down against the pillows.
We stayed like that for so long I fell asleep. The next morning I found myself under the covers, but still fully dressed.
"Good morning, gorgeous." Edward whispered in my ear.
"Oh," I groaned, "why didn't you wake me up last night? I'm all stiff from sleeping in jeans."
"You looked like you needed your rest. I thought about changing you myself, but I figured you might not like that very much."
I thought about that for a second. Edward taking my pants off while I slept and getting to see my plain white underwear? And my legs that hadn't been shaved in a week? Hell no.
"You were right. Next time just wake me up."
He smiled and sat up. "Bella? I need to go hunting today." I took a closer look at him. His eyes were almost black.
"Are you going far?"
"Nah, I can't bare being away from you for long. I'll be back tomorrow morning to pick you up for school okay?"
As much as it pained me to let him go, I knew I had to. So I just nodded. He stood up and bent down to kiss the side of my neck. "I'll take a cell phone. Call me if something happens."
I nodded again. He kissed me briefly and then brushed his lips against my forehead in the most tender of gestures. Then he was gone.
I spent the rest of the day reading on the living room couch and catching up on homework. I had dinner by myself and went to bed well before my father arrived. I tossed and turned all night long, surprised at how much I actually needed Edward to sleep.
I got up early Monday morning and took a shower. By the time I went downstairs for breakfast my dad had already left. Edward rang the doorbell just a few minutes later. I practically ran to answer it.
"Hey!" I said as soon as I got the door open. Edward ran to me in that super human way of his and enveloped me in a hug. "Hey, I missed you."
I inhaled his heavenly scent and sighed, "I missed you too."
He kissed me tenderly, but pulled back quickly. "Come on, we're going to be late for school." His eyes roamed my body while I walked over to the coffee table to get my bag. He was searching for something.
"You're looking for some kind of injury, aren't you?" I smiled at his obvious concern.
"The fact that you managed to spend a whole day on your own and not get a single scratch on you amazes me." He grinned cockily.
"Well I did manage to stay relatively unharmed for over seventeen years before meeting you."
Edward snorted and, with his hand on the small of my back, guided me over to the car. "Oh you don't fool me. I'm sure you were a regular patient at some hospital back in Phoenix."
He was right, of course, so I just leaned back against the leather seat and scowled.
As Edward drove us to school I realized something was off. I wasn't sure what, but something was definitely not right. I looked around the car, trying to find something out of place that could justify my feeling. Everything looked the same.
I glanced down at myself. Shoes, socks, jeans, underwear, t-shirt, raincoat, engagement ring, everything was there. I stared at Edward next. He was the picture of perfection, as always.
I finally decided to glance at the speedometer. I gasped so loudly Edward snapped his head around to look at me.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"You're driving so... slow!" For the first time since I'd met him, he was driving well below the speed limit.
He growled, disgusted. "I know. Your dad has some rookie cop following us. I'd lose him, but it might look suspicious. "
"Charlie is having us followed?" I wasn't as shocked as I should've been. It sounded exactly like something he would do, checking up on me in that passive aggressive way.
Edward parked the car in front of the cafeteria and walked over to my side. I was so shocked by seeing him walking like a normal person I didn't even attempt to open the door myself. He helped me out of the car and closed the door behind me.
With his head, he pointed at the entrance of the school parking lot. I could see a cop car parked there. "He's not even good at the whole stakeout business!" The fact that my father thought I'd never notice a police officer following my every step was more than a little insulting.
"Maybe Charlie wants you to know he's there." Edward answered my thoughts as if he could hear them.
"Let's just get to class."
The rest of the day, the rest of the week in fact, went by relatively quickly. The only thing that had been bugging me, other than the annoying escort, was that Charlie had not been home in time for dinner all week.
On Friday, for the sixth night in a row, Edward kept me company while I ate. My father had called around five to say that he was going to be late, again. I couldn't help but worry about him.
Edward stared at me while I pushed my uneaten vegetables around my plate.
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair in the way he only did when he felt frustrated or preoccupied about something. "You should talk to Charlie." He finally whispered in a reluctant tone.
"What for?" I didn't even look up from my untouched dinner.
"He thinks you're moving out because you can't stand living with him."
That caught my attention. "What? How long has he been feeling that way?"
"Pretty much since you told him about the move."
I pushed my plate away, almost knocking down the glass of milk in the process. Edward caught it before even a drop was spilled.
"Oh god, why would he think that?"
"Well, you've got to admit he has reasons to draw that conclusion."
Now that Edward mentioned it, it did seem painfully obvious. I'd actually yelled just how much I hated the current living arrangements right at his face a few months before. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" I reproached.
"Because it's a good thing for him to pull away from you. I just can't bare seeing you so preoccupied anymore."
I sighed. "I know I should leave things the way they are, but I just can't."
Edward knelt down next to my chair and took both my hands in his. "Like I said, you should talk to Charlie."
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I sat in the living room and waited for my dad until almost midnight. When I heard him unlock the door I got up. Edward ran upstairs to wait for me.
"Dad!" I said as soon as I saw him.
"Bella! You scared the lights out of me! What are you doing up?"
"I was wondering if we could talk."
Charlie eyed me suspiciously. He undoubtedly thought I was going to spring some bad news on him, maybe a pregnancy or a drug problem. Nevertheless, he sat down next to me.
"Dad, you know how I'm moving in with Edward next month?"
"Yes." He stared at me through narrowed eyes.
"Well I just wanted to tell you..." I sighed, "It's not your fault."
Charlie frowned. "Excuse me?"
"What I mean is, I'm not moving away because of you, or because of something you did."
My father sighed. "Bella I don't..."
"No, please. Let me finish." I interrupted. "I love being here, dad. I really enjoy living with you and cooking for you. You're so easy to spend the time with! You and I are so much alike, I feel quite comfortable here."
"Then why are you moving with Edward?" He'd forgotten all about denying his feelings.
"Because I love him, dad." I shrugged. "It's really that simple. I can't wait to start my life with him."
Charlie sighed. "Can't you wait to start that adult life until you're like... thirty?"
I giggled. "This is what I want to do dad, and it has nothing to do with you!" I leaned close to him and whispered in a playful way, "you are a superb roomie."
My dad laughed softly. "It's just that... I just got you back, I can't believe I'm going to lose you again so soon."
"Don't worry dad, it's not like we're never going to see each other again. I'm only moving a few minutes away! I can still come around for dinner sometimes."
"Are you sure you're not just tired of me?"
"I'm positive!"
Charlie smiled and stood up. "Well in that case, we should both go to bed."
"Okay." I stood up too.
"Hey Bells?" He stopped at the bottom of the stairs.
"Yeah dad?"
"Would you like to go out to dinner tomorrow night?"
I smiled sincerely. "I would love to."
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The rest of November went by so fast it scared me. Soon, we had only one week left of classes. One week before it happened. Seven days before Edward made me his forever. One hundred and sixty eight hours before I became a vampire.
Alice had the whole week planned for us. She wanted to get me ready for my "vampirization" as she liked to call it. That last Monday of school, I was sitting in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal when Charlie walked in. He stopped in his tracks and stared pointedly at my hands.
"What happened to your fingers?" He asked worriedly.
I looked down at the ten digits, each of which sported a pink Barbie band-aid around the fingernail. "Alice happened to my fingers." I replied grumpily. "She's trying to get me to stop biting my nails." Her exact words had been, "Are you sure you want to spend eternity with your hands looking like THAT?" but I couldn't tell him that.
Charlie chuckled. "And you're going to school with those things?"
I shrugged. "I have no choice. She'll tie my hands behind my back if I don't. She already tried painting my nails with garlic-smelling nail polish. Unfortunately, I found the extra flavor quite appealing."
My father laughed wholeheartedly. "Well, good luck with that!"
Edward rang the doorbell then. I ran my dishes to the sink and waltzed out of the kitchen. "Bye dad! See you tonight!"
I ran out the door before he even had a chance to see Edward. Charlie understood why I wanted to move in with my boyfriend and had even started to accept my decision, but that didn't make him hate Edward any less. According to my mind-reading boyfriend, in Charlie's eyes he was still the monster who was going to take his baby girl away.
"Here." Edward handed me a large cup full of some hot liquid.
"Well, good morning to you too!" I joked.
He kissed my neck gently and whispered in my ear "We said good morning in bed, remember?" For some reason, his comment made me feel like a naughty teenager.
I smiled at him, and then looked down at the steamy cup. "What's this?"
"Gourmet coffee. It's supposed to be really good."
I took a sip while we walked over to the car. It tasted amazing. "Wow Edward, where did you get it?"
"Port Angeles."
I was so surprised I almost sprayed his leather interiors with the delicious drink. "You drove all the way to Port Angeles to get me coffee?"
Edward ran over to his side of the car and got in. "Yes. It doesn't take me as long as it takes you. Remember?"
"Yeah but still... why did you go through all the trouble?"
He caressed my cheek with the back of his hand. "Because I wanted to, and because this is probably your last Monday as a human. I want you to taste, experience and try as many human things as possible."
I rolled my eyes and groaned. "You're gonna make me eat like a thousand times a day, aren't you?"
"And take many, many naps." He admitted.
I turned around in my seat to face him and placed my hand over the one he was using to change shifts. "You don't have to do this you know? I'm completely convinced of my decision."
He let go of my hand to stroke my cheek once more. "Just because you're willing to die for me, doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy the earthly pleasures while you still can."
We were already at school when I grumbled out a "fine." He was going to do it anyway, whether I cooperated or not.
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We had a final test before lunch. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Edward's hand flying over the piece of paper. He finished his test in less than five minutes and spent the rest of the hour staring at me intently while I tried to concentrate.
"Don't do that." I hissed.
"Do what?" He whispered back with a laugh.
"Stare at me. It's hard enough to concentrate as it is."
Edward's smile widened "It's hard to concentrate?"
"With you sitting right next to me? Always." Even as I said those words, my cheeks filled with blood, making them all warm and pink. Edward let out a cocky laugh.
The teacher might have been oblivious to our little chat, but Edward's vocal reaction caught her attention. "Eyes on your paper Mr. Cullen."
"Oh, I'm done." Edward sat back on his chair and raised his test for her to take. As she walked past me I heard her mumble under her breath, "Of course you are."
Edward's smile just widened.
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He was telling me what he'd heard in our teacher's mind while we walked to the cafeteria. After so many months of dating Edward, I'd gotten used to the stares we tended to get. That day was no exception.
I can't blame people, though. If I'd seen someone as beautiful as Edward guiding a simple girl around the lunch tables with a hand on the small of her back and his lips very close to her ear while she giggled uncontrollably at whatever he was saying, I'd stare too.
We sat down with the rest of the family. They all looked up when they heard us approaching.
"What's so funny?" Emmett was already smiling.
Edward whispered the strand of lustful and envious thoughts that had emanated from our English teacher earlier. Emmett roared with carefree laughter and even Jasper chuckled. Alice rolled her eyes. "I swear, they can be seventeen or three hundred years old it makes no difference. Boys never change."
Rosalie stared intently at her uneaten salad. She was picking up the leaves with her hands and tearing them to shreds. When she caught me staring, she picked up a piece of tomato and squeezed it between her fingers with such force it squirted red liquid powerfully in the direction of my face.
I closed my eyes to avoid the spray, but the wetness never came. When I opened them up again, Edward had his hand in front of my face. He looked furious.
"Do that again, and I'll cut your hair when you're not looking."
Rosalie opened her mouth to reply but thought better of it. She stood up, shoved her tray into the garbage can with a little more force than she probably should have, and stormed out of the cafeteria.
Emmett gave Edward an exasperated look. "Dude, was that really necessary? I'm the one she's going to take it out on!" And with that, he got up and left after his wife.
I was mortified. My face had turned beet red and my palms were sweaty. "I hate fights." I whispered.
"Forget about it and eat your lunch." Edward wrapped an arm around my shoulders to comfort me.
"Okay." I started to get up, but Edward applied pressure on my shoulders to make me sit back down.
"Where are you going?"
I looked up at him, surprised. "To get some food?" It sounded more like a question than an answer.
"I have food for you."
Alice smiled and produced from under the table three tupperwares. One of them had pasta, the other one contained meatballs and the third some Caesar's salad.
I groaned. "You're going to do this all week long, aren't you?"
Edward smiled. "I thought we'd already discussed this."
"Yes but still... Won't it look weird if I suddenly eat lunches brought from home every day? Hot lunches, to top it all."
He just shrugged. "People bring their own food all the time, Bella. Besides, do you really want your last lunches to be cafeteria food?"
I raised my eyebrows. "Well, what do you know? Maybe the food here is great."
Edward rolled his eyes. "The food here is barely edible."
"How do you know? You've never tasted it!" I was smiling when I said that, I was trying to keep things light so he wouldn't feel offended.
"Cafeteria food has had a reputation of tasting like cardboard for many, many years." Edward winked at me and I pouted. "Well, if you'd rather eat stale pizza..."
He took the spaghetti away from me. "No!" I shrieked a little louder than I intended.
Edward smiled and handed me back the container. "Good girl."
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After school, Alice took me to get a haircut. I insisted on keeping the same length, so they didn't do much. My hair had no real style, the guy at the mall tried to talk me into some new, layered cut. I refused. I'd rather spend all eternity with plain hair thank you very much.
Edward tagged along, which surprised me a little. He usually stayed far away from the whole girl thing. I figured he probably wanted to spend as much time with my human self as he could.
That night, my dad arrived while Edward was still helping me study for Tuesday's final. He invited him to stay for dinner. Unfortunately, Edward couldn't say no. Charlie looked like he wanted him there, which scared me a little.
As soon as the three of us were sitting around the table with steak and potatoes on our plates, my father attacked Edward.
"So, Edward, have you thought about what you're going to do with your life?"
I almost choked on my milk, but Edward smiled and answered, "I'm thinking about becoming a doctor like my father."
"Oh really? Medicine eh? Won't it take you like ten years before you can really start practicing?"
"Well... yes, and no. But we're not in a hurry, are we Bella?" I couldn't even grasp how he'd dragged me into that conversation. It took me forever to figure out whether I was supposed to nod or shake my head.
"Hmp." Charlie grumbled. "A decade is a very long time, Edward. What if you want to start a family and have no way of supporting them?" My head was spinning so fast I was almost dizzy. How had the conversation gone so wrong?
"Rest assured, Mr. Swan, Bella won't go hungry next to me. I'm a hard worker, and I have plenty of savings." Edward noticed my suffering and took my hand under the table to reassure me everything was fine.
"Oh yes, your father mentioned something about you having money. Where did that come from by the way?"
"Dad!" I finally interrupted. Even though I knew Edward was okay with all the prodding, I was mortified.
"It's all right Bella. It's natural for your father to be curious. If I were in his place I'd do the same thing." Edward smiled at me and turned back to my dad. "My birth mother died when I was very young, that's how I came to be a Cullen. She was alone and had no family, but she did have quite a bit of money. She made a trust fund for me before passing away. My birth father also left everything to me, and Carlisle opened bank accounts for all of us kids when we turned fifteen. I own some stock and a few small properties all over the country."
Charlie was impressed, no doubt. He probably hadn't expected Edward to have that much money, or be that well organized. The speechlessness, much to my dismay, lasted only a few seconds.
"Just because people have been kind enough to give you so much doesn't mean you know how to handle it." It was probably his last defense.
"I know. I try to be as careful with my assets as possible, though. Plus, Bella is great with numbers." Edward winked at me. My dad just sighed.
"Well kids, it sounds like you have it all figured out."
"For the most part, yeah." I smiled at my dad.
He shoved a piece of meat into his mouth and chewed silently. "When do you want to move?" He asked after he'd swallowed.
"Sat..." I started to say, but Edward interrupted me. "Actually, Bella. I have a little surprise for you. I want to take you on a cruise for the first two weeks of December."
I lifted my eyebrows and went along with his new story. "Oh really? Wow Edward, that's amazing!" I got up from my chair and leaned down to hug him where he sat. Edward laughed and hugged me back.
"A cruise?" I whispered in his ear.
"In case you didn't notice, your father was about to offer his help with the move. I'd rather just keep him away from you for a few weeks after your transformation."
"Ahem." Charlie reminded us of his presence. I sat back down on my chair to finish my meal.
"Well kids, I really hope everything works out for you."
To my surprise, Charlie sounded really sincere. When I looked up I thought I saw his eyes shining a little.
"Thank you Chief Swan." Edward forced down some potatoes.
"Oh please, call me Charlie." My dad couldn't help but wrinkle his forehead when he said. "After all, we're practically family."
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I laid down on my bed and made room for Edward, but he just stood there.
"Are you going to join me, or do you plan to stand there all night?" I teased.
"Actually, I need to leave for a few minutes."
I frowned and sat up. "Why?"
"Because I have a stomach full of meat and potatoes." He said that with such a disgusted look on his face I started giggling.
"Oh you think it's funny, don't you?" He grimaced.
"No, I don't. I'm really, really sorry." I got up and went to hug him, but he stopped me.
"I'd rather go get rid of it before anything else happens." If he could've, he would've turned green.
"Go." I encouraged him.
"Thank you!" He sighed, relieved, and dashed out the window.
I was already half asleep when he returned. He pulled me close to his body and rested a cold hand on my stomach. I slept with a smile on my face.
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On Tuesday, Edward made me eat blueberry muffins and hot chocolate for breakfast, a gourmet hamburger with french fries for lunch and a thousand different snacks in between.
I was lying face down on his bed that afternoon while he tried to talk me into another piece of chocolate.
"Seriously, Edward. If you shove one more piece of candy down my throat you're going to get a glance at everything you've made me eat today when I send it flying all over your carpet." The pillow I was pressing to my face muffled my voice.
Edward laughed and tossed the chocolate bar aside. "Fine, I'll give you a rest. But only until dinner time."
I groaned and rolled on my side. "You're like the witch in Hansel and Gretel."
"Well, so what if I like my meals well stuffed?"
I threw him my pillow playfully and he caught it easily before it hit him in the face.
"Did you just throw this at me?" He tried to look outraged.
"Well did you just call me your meal? Please try to keep your cravings to yourself."
He lifted his eyebrows in a playful manner "Oh I'll show you my real cravings." He pounced on me and pinned me down on the bed, one of his hands holding me down while the other one snuck under my shirt and tickled my sides.
I laughed and trashed around, trying to get him to stop. When he finally did, he held himself up above me. His eyes stared at my messed up hair and flushed cheeks. I was breathing hard and could feel my heart racing under my skin. I knew he could feel that too.
My shirt was all crumpled up, leaving my abdomen bare. He let go of my wrists and caressed my exposed skin lightly. Slowly, he lowered his face and traced the contours of my mouth with his bottom lip. Then, he whispered against my lips "This is what I crave." And he kissed me, slowly and sweetly.
I ran my hands through his hair, gently pressing him closer to me. He stilled for a moment, waiting to see if I was going to attack him like I used to. I didn't, but not because he'd ceased to affect me that way, I'd just gotten better at controlling my impulses around him.
When he sensed I needed to breathe, he rolled off me and laid down on his side. "Bella, we should talk about some things."
"Like what?"
"Like... at what time would you like me to change you? Early in the morning? Late at night?"
I shrugged. "It doesn't matter, as long as you stay with me."
He caressed my face with his fingertips. "That's a given. Carlisle and I will watch over you. Don't worry."
I shifted uncomfortably and he frowned. "What's wrong?"
"Well... I was kind of hoping we could do this by ourselves. I want it to be ours."
Edward sighed. "Bella, there is nothing romantic or glamorous about you trashing in pain for three days."
"No, I know. But still, it's something I want us to go through just the two of us." I loved all the Cullens to death, but the idea of them sitting there uncomfortably, staring at me while I sobbed and screamed was not very appealing.
Edward kissed the tip of my nose and smiled. "If that's what you want, then okay."
"Good. I'd also like it to happen in our meadow."
Edward sat up so fast he startled me. "Are you mad? You want to lie on the hard ground in a humid forest for three days? What if it rains? It's December, it's very cold outside!"
I shrugged. "What's the cold going to do? Kill me? Besides, judging by my last experience, I think the cold air might be refreshing."
"Why do you want to do it there?"
"Because that's the place where I really met you, the first time you were completely yourself around me. That was when I first realized I'm in love with you. My life started when I met you, I'd like to come full circle."
Edward smiled and held my chin between his fingers. "How can I say no to that adorable speech?"
I blushed scarlet. "Yeah, well, you bring out my corny side."
Edward laughed and pulled me on top of him. "Oh trust me, that's nothing compared to what goes through my mind every moment I'm with you."
I rolled my eyes. "Come on, what can be cornier than me telling you my life started when I met you?"
He had both his hands on my waist, so he ran them up the length of my body all the way to my cheeks. He framed my face, just inches away from his. "Bella, you are my life. I live solely for you."
His eyes were hypnotizing me. I had to clear my throat before being able to say "You were alive for many years before I came along."
"Pfft, that hardly counts. I existed, but I wasn't really living."
His words, his lips, his eyes, they were all leaving me breathless. "That wasn't corny." I whispered, out of breath.
"Well, neither was your speech."
He lowered my lips to his. I felt the familiar tingle going through me, starting were my mouth met his and ending at the tip of my toes. It took all my willpower to concentrate on something other than the intense kiss. Ever so slowly, I reached for the pillow next to us.
I sat up in a flash, leaving Edward so startled he never saw the soft object coming. I hit him square in the face.
"Oh you want to play dirty Miss Swan?" He growled playfully. I leaped out of his arms and ran for the door.
I practically flew down a flight of stairs, giggling all the way. When I got to the second floor I started walking backwards, away from the staircase. I was amazed he'd let me get that far, and at the same time a little nervous because it meant he probably had a plan.
When I walked past Alice's bedroom I saw something so mesmerizing, it made me forget our game completely. Alice was lying down on the bed with her head hanging over the edge. Jasper was sitting on the floor, right in front of her, gently caressing her short strands of hair while kissing her upside down.
I had never seen those two having a romantic moment and it suddenly struck me how incredibly attractive they both were, how beautiful they looked together and how much they loved each other.
"You better keep running Bella." Alice's voice startled me.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to sneak up on you guys like this!" I apologized quickly.
"Bella, you keep forgetting, you can't sneak up on us. I smelled you coming the moment you opened Edward's door." Jasper murmured against Alice's mouth.
"Down the hall, to the left. Quickly." Alice urged.
I took her advice and ran down the hall, figuring she'd seen Edward's plan in her mind and was trying to give me some leverage. I opened the door on the left and ran in, closing it behind me. The room seemed small, like maybe a closet, and it was pitch black. I giggled uncontrollably, knowing my efforts to hide from Edward were useless, but still enjoying the pursuit.
"And what are you giggling about?"
Edward's voice startled me so much I yelped. He lifted me by the waist and wrapped my legs around his middle in one swift move. Then he gently pressed me against the wall and leaned his body against mine.
I felt heat rising in every place where his body came into contact with mine, so basically everywhere. He leaned in, pressing his body even harder against my own, and traced my jaw with his nose. He took a deep breath, taking in my scent, and kissed my throat gently.
I shuddered and became pudding in his arms when he started tracing kisses all over my face. He placed his lips against my cheek. I could feel him smiling. Then, he whispered.
"I win."
I'd have to kill Alice later.
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That night, I had the nightmare again. Edward fighting that vampire Alice had seen in her visions months before, to keep him from getting to me. The pain of a vampire bite burning my body whole, my blood spilled all around, Edward about to be killed, saying goodbye. But that night, it was different. That night, the dream went a little further. For a few moments, just when the other vampire was about to tear Edward to pieces, I saw brightness, lots of it, all around me.
I woke up, a little shaken up and bathed in cold sweat, but silently. Unlike every other time I'd had the nightmare, I didn't need Edward there to calm me down. It was as if the dream had reached its end.
"Edward?" I whispered into the darkness.
"I'm right here." His answer came from the rocking chair, but before I could even register that, he was sitting on the bed next to me.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah." I frowned.
"You were starting to get a little restless, I was about to come over here and wake you up." He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "You're clammy, are you sure you're all right?"
"I'm okay."
His frown matched my own. "Did you have a nightmare?"
I looked up at him -confusion written all over my face- and answered sincerely
"I don't know."
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First of all, I'm sorry it took me so freakin' long to update (finals will be the death of me) and I also have to apologize because this wasn't were I wanted the seventh chapter to end. I wanted to go a little further, but the place were I wanted to leave it is like thirty pages away, and this chapter is already really long, so I thought I'd post this piece now and add a new chapter sometime next week. So consider this chapter seven and a half ;) Unfortunately, it's the half with no apparent plot… again. Oops
I have to thank all of you who review my silly stories. You make my day! A
special thanks to those who tell me about my spelling mistakes, I
promise never to use contempt again ;) I swear I write these things
with a dictionary next to me! Hehe.
Well kids, have a good weekend! Good luck to those of you who are in finals or getting there!