Chapter twenty-two. Skipping to part three.
Previously…
I was glad I had done this part. Only two more bits left to do. I had to handle Mike and Edward.
But something that Jacob had said troubled me. It made me think that maybe I hadn't done this part right after all.
He said until anything else happens…
I wondered what that meant deeply. It really concerned me to think that maybe my conversation with Jacob didn't work out like I thought it would have. Maybe he didn't understand me at all. I should've made myself clearer.
"You look deep in thought, honey", said Esme as she walked into the kitchen. I blinked a couple of times and realised that I was standing in front of the fridge, with its door wide open. The cold was getting to me.
"Oh…hey mum", I sighed closing the door without a second thought. I dragged myself to the table and sat down.
"What's the matter, sweetie?" asked my mother, scrutinizing my face in depth. I merely shrugged and bit my lip.
"Listen, Bella. Your father and I want to talk to you after dinner this evening", she said softly. I turned to face her, curious about this 'talk',
"What about?" I asked her suspiciously.
"After dinner", she waved me off, "now unless you want to help me cook, I suggest you disappear off somewhere. Emmett, Rosalie and Edward are upstairs along with Alice and Jasper. Go join them."
Grudgingly, I slouched out of the kitchen. My dad was in the living room, watching TV. I thought of asking him to spill about the talk we were supposed to have but I couldn't be bothered. I went to sit next to him on the sofa.
My next part of my grand master plan was to speak to Mike. Although that was a problem itself. I doubted that Emmett or Edward for that matter would leave me alone with Mike. Emmett seemed to have to restrain himself from Jacob, of which I was grateful but I didn't think his patience would stretch that far for Mike.
"Bella", said my dad interrupting my thoughts. I looked at him and noticed he, also, was staring intently at my face.
"What?" I asked him.
"Are you ok, sweetie?" dad asked me cautiously. I was tired of everyone tip toeing around me like this. Like I was a bomb about to be set off. What was the matter with everyone?
"Fine", I mumbled, more to myself.
"You look a bit…pasty", Carlisle mused, tilting his head to the left.
"Nice medical term", I muttered shaking my head, "I'm fine dad. Really I am."
"Sure. What did you get up to today?" he asked, "hope you didn't just stay home again, Bella. It's unhealthy to stay indoors for too long. You should've gone out with Emmett and –"
"I did", I cut in firmly. It's like he thought I had stayed in. I went out. Of course I did. Maybe not in the last couple of days, but that was because I felt…weird. But somehow I felt different now. When Edward had knocked on the door this morning…
"You did?" dad's surprised tone was almost insulting.
"Yes", I said through gritted teeth, "I went out with Edward, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper. We went to the beach. Ask them for confirmation."
"No, no…I believe you", said dad unconvincingly, "but…Emmett called me this morning and said you didn't want to go out with them. Again."
Emmett called dad?
When was that?
How dare he? And why would he? I didn't understand it. So, I had been a little off lately. Ok, a lot off. But I had some things to deal with. I felt so empty. So alone.
When Edward had knocked on the door…I felt warmth. I didn't know what it was though. I knew I liked Edward. Me kissing him back this morning proved that enough. When he was around me, I felt lit up. And when he kissed me today…I felt different.
"Well…Edward changed my mind", I explained shrugging. Carlisle's eyebrows shot up. I had never seen my dad's composed and relaxed face falter before. It was almost amusing. Almost.
"Edward Masen?" demanded dad, "t-the one upstairs? Emmett's Edward?"
Emmett's Edward? That's not exactly how I would call him. It sounded quite queer…
"Yeah…the one upstairs", I confirmed nodding. Dad stared at me, expecting me to go on. I sighed and rolled my eyes. "He came a little bit late and the others had already left for the beach. I told him I was staying here at the house so he offered to keep me company."
"Where does the beach come into the scene?"
"Emmett and Rosalie came home early", I carried on, "and then I found out that Alice and jasper were coming home too. So…we suggested that we go back to the beach now that Edward was here. That's when we bumped into Mike and Jacob and the others."
"Jacob Black?" repeated Carlisle, suddenly alert. "Emmett didn't…?"
"No dad", I said quickly, "Emmett was cool. It was fine."
"Oh…well. Alright then", mumbled dad shrugging, "so how exactly did Emmett's Edward convince you to go to the beach with the others?"
Good question dad. I couldn't exactly tell him that the thought of Edward shirtless and with nothing but shorts on had convinced me, could I?
"He said…I needed to go out into the sun", I bluffed up from nowhere, avoiding my dad's stern gaze, "because my skin was getting a bit pale and…like you said, pasty."
"Pasty", nodded Carlisle, turning back to the TV.
Edward's POV.
She said she was going to get a drink. Does it take twenty-three minutes to get a drink? Was she walking to France to get this drink?
"Edward! Dude, stop staring at the clock", snapped Jasper impatiently, "Are we keeping you from something?"
"Wha…no. I'm just…no", I answered shaking my head. Alice grinned at me and quickly looked away. That was weird.
Jasper, Emmett and I were on the floor playing one of Emmett's childish violent video games. Alice and Rosalie were on his bed, discussing something I couldn't hear.
I sighed impatiently as Emmett cut off my head and made a triumphant noise.
"Oh yeah! Third time in a row", he rejoiced, punching the air, "Getcha head in the game, Eddie-boy!"
"I give up", I mumbled, resigned as I dropped the game controller on the floor and stood up.
"You're just not good enough for…the master", said Emmett dramatically. I went over and whacked him on the head.
"Hey!" he hissed reaching over to me. I skipped out of the way and Alice stuck out her foot. Tiny little pixie…
I collapsed on top of Jasper who said some nice colourful swear words.
"Dude, get off", groaned Jasper pushing me off of him. Rosalie accidentally stepped on my toe as she hopped off the bed.
"Sorry, Ed", she dismissed carelessly. I bit back a howl and tried to grab her leg. In the process, I managed to kick Jasper in the shins and pull Alice down onto the floor.
"You creased my skirt!" she shrieked waving her arms out. I was suddenly scared.
"It looks fine, Al", Jasper reassured her. Alice's feisty face relaxed. I rolled my eyes and stood up.
"Where're you going?" asked Emmett pulling down Rosalie. She gave a little yelp and fell on his lap perfectly.
"To get a drink", I told him. I should've said 'to go find your hot sister', but I knew I'd be pushing things then.
I walked out of Emmett's room and closed the door gently behind me. I knew Esme and Carlisle, Bella's parents were downstairs. I wondered if Bella was caught up talking to them. I walked past her room and stopped. She wasn't in there. On her bed, were book scattered around from this morning. I smiled faintly as I remembered how we had kissed on that bed. How I had held her. How she had kissed me back.
Without knowing, I was walking into her room, towards her bed.
Alice's bed was next to Bella's on the right side. The left side was Bella's side of the room as the right was Alice's.
I picked up the book that Bella had recommended to me and read the summary at the back once more. Yes. I had read this book before. It was one of my favourites too. I didn't tell Bella so because I wanted to talk to her about it. So I played dumb. Asking the questions she would answer.
"I knew you wanted to read it", said a soft angelic voice from behind me. And I dropped the book, I completely froze.
Bella's POV.
I brought my feet up on the sofa. The familiar dark feeling was returning slightly. I tuned out everything and embraced it. The sounds were fading. My mother's singing from the kitchen. The TV. My dad's comments and complaints. Everything…
This was the feeling that I had felt. It was the feeling that gave me the nightmares. Abandonment. Loneliness. Isolation. Darkness. Then suddenly…
Edward.
I didn't know where he came from. And to be frank I didn't care. Edward's face popped up in between the harsh voices and sneers of my dream. The warmth feeling took over my dark emotions. I didn't need to hold my knees close. I didn't need to crush myself together to be able to stay in one piece.
Edward. That one person and suddenly I didn't care if I was abandoned. I smiled and basked in the moment that our lips had touched. It was so precious. So sweet. So urgent. If only I could do it again…
"Bella? Honey, could you skip upstairs and tell everyone that dinner's prepared", asked Esme peeping her head through the living room door. I nodded and stood up.
"Carlisle, set the table please", she commanded getting back to the kitchen. Dad and I both groaned and got to work.
I walked up the stairs slowly, as my mind thought up tiny details of Edward Masen. I sighed heavily as I got to the top stair. Was I obsessed?
Surely not…
I froze when I saw the vision ahead of me. He sat on my bed in my bedroom, his head bowed in concentration. He was holding that book in his hand.
That book…
My bed…
In my room…
"I knew you wanted to read it", I said smugly as I walked in. Edward froze for a couple of minutes then turned around.
He wore a sheepish expression, as if he expected a scolding. I wondered why until I realised he was in my room.
In my room…
"What are you doing here?" I asked him, curious more than angry.
"Eh…I was just…looking for the book", stuttered Edward. I grinned at how nervous he was. I walked towards him and sat myself on my bed.
"As long as you didn't go through my underwear drawer, we're cool", I teased him, shrugging. His face was priceless.
"Sorry", he muttered quietly, "I didn't mean to snoop or anything, I just –"
"It's fine, Edward", I said half laughing at his anxiousness, "you can borrow this book if you want. I don't mind."
"Oh…right", he said nodding, "yeah…I'll, uh, borrow it. Thanks."
"You're welcomed", I said shrugging. There was a comfortable silence of which I stared at Edward's lips and he stared at the book in his hands. I couldn't help but watch, amazed at how his eyebrows furrowed when he was focusing and how he bit his lip unconsciously.
Without thinking twice, I ripped the book out of Edward's hand and launched myself on him.
As soon as our lips made contact all my thoughts melted. And I was flying through bliss and heaven once more.
Edward's POV.
One minute I was reading the back of a book, the next I was being pounced on. Let me tell you, it was great.
I didn't even get time to react as Bella had flung her arms around my neck securely. Her lips crashed into mine and her body was pressed up to my body. I fell back onto her bed and her soft chest squished on top of me. My hands instantly went to her waist, holding her tightly and not wanting to let go.
Our lips moulded against eachother, shaping and claiming. Her taste was absolutely delicious. Her scent alone was erotic. Her soft touches were heavenly.
Bella pulled back so a couple of seconds, to catch her breath. With a quick movement I flipped us around so it was her who was beneath me. I hungrily savoured and kissed down her jaw line, tasting her more and more. The feeling of her being so close to me made me groan softly.
I knew we were rushing and I knew I should've stop but I couldn't. She was too tempting and appealing for her own good.
Bella grabbed a fistful of my hair, guiding my lips back to hers. Our lips pressed together once more, I ran my tongue along her bottom lip as they parted for me and my tongue slipped inside.
We should've stopped there.
We really should've. But we didn't. We carried on. Too lost in the moment. Too carried away.