Chapter twenty-six. Stepping out, right now.
"Bella, would you mind if I come to Gratin park too?" asked Edward reluctantly. Almost hesitant.
"No", I said, finally feeling myself smile, "no Edward, I wouldn't mind."
"Um, ok. I'll be there in a couple of minutes", he said, sounding relieved, "whereabouts are you?"
My heart was racing for some reason. Pounding against my ribcage, threatening to burst out.
"I'm near the river, on the south from the picnic area", I explained, hugging my knees close to me as the wind whipped around my body.
"Damn it's really dark", muttered Edward as I heard his car door slam shut, "you shouldn't be here on your own Bella. Anything could happen you know."
A surge of warmth ran through me to know that he cared.
"Well, I'm not on my own anymore, am I?" I said back to him, "you're here."
"Yeah…I'm here." He sighed again but I didn't know if he was relieved or giving in to something.
There was a small moment of silence of which I listened to Edward's breathing. He seemed to be either very cold or breathing very loudly. I wondered what he was thinking.
"You still there?" he asked after a couple of minutes.
"Yes, I'm here", I sighed, closing my eyes. I was basking in the sound of his breathing. His lovely velvet voice. More warmth.
"Ok, yeah I can see you", said Edward, "I'm behind you, alright?"
I closed the phone and stuffed it into my pocket. Standing up, I turned around to see a figure walking towards me. Edward was hunched over, his hands in his pockets and his eyes meeting my own. The wind blew around us, making his already messy hair, even messier.
I felt myself resisting the urge to run my hands through his hair, trying to sort out the jungle that it was. Yet, I wanted Edward's hair to stay the same. Its gorgeous feature of being able to stick out into millions of directions gave him more character. I couldn't see his face properly but the small light I received from the moon told me his gorgeousness hadn't changed one bit.
And to think a couple of hours ago his hands were on my body. His lips were glued to mine. Swoon.
"Hi", I said lamely as he got closer. Edward rolled his eyes at me.
"You've run away from home, no one but I know where you are and all you can say to me is 'hi'?" he said, scrunching up his face and shaking his head.
"What am I supposed to say?" I shot back at him.
"I don't know", he muttered shrugging, "I don't normally meet up with pretty runaway girls at this hour."
"Well, I wouldn't know that", I said to myself.
Then my heart sped up at his words. Did he call me pretty? Ok, so we were a bit past the whole flirting stage since he was practically making out with me shirtless, but somehow there was still a small awkwardness.
I sat down on the grass and Edward did the same. He moved closer to me and took my left hand in both of his. I realised that although he made me feel warm, he's hands were freezing cold.
"When are you going home?" he asked softly. I sighed and shrugged. I was avoiding this question. I didn't want to go home. Going home meant confronting my parents. Guilt.
"When I feel like it", I muttered a few moments later.
"Have you called them yet?" he checked, rubbing his thumb on the back of my hand. I shook my head and basked in the feeling of his hand on mine. It seemed that every touch I received from Edward was like no other. He made me feel warm inside, safe. Like I was normal, which I wasn't.
"They'll be worried Bella", said Edward in his hypnotic velvety voice. I turned to look at him, only then realising too late that our faces were close. Too close.
His nose was inches apart from my own and I could feel his breathing against my skin.
My body turned too, so I was now facing him fully.
"My parents want me to see a psychiatrist", I muttered bitterly, looking straight at Edward's face. I wanted see his reaction.
However his face gave nothing away. Edward simply nodded.
I waited for him to say something, to tell me that maybe I was really crazy. Or to comfort me and tell me that my parents were the crazy ones. Instead he smiled faintly and continued to rub my hands softly. The tingle worked through my body and made me feel safe here with Edward.
"They think I'm sick Edward", I whispered, desperately wanting him to see my side, "I hate it…I hate the fact that everyone's treating me like I'm an invalid or something."
"Maybe…. they're just a bit protective, Bella", explained Edward leaning closer, "your parents really care about you, I've seen the way they watch out for you."
I began to shake my head almost immediately.
"It's not that", I sighed, "It's something else. They think I'm mad. I know it, they are think I'm sick."
"I think you need to talk to your parents", suggested Edward, quickly adding, "without running out or getting angry. Just explain how you feel."
I shuddered from the chilly lash of the wind and sighed out again. Edward smiled softly.
I leaned in closer, until our lips were almost touching. I felt his cold nose brushing against mine. My eyes closed automatically as Edward's lips came into contact with my own. He let go of my hands, and I felt his hands into my hair at the back of my head, pulling my face closer.
As our lips crashed gently together a soft moan escaped the back of my throat and I brought my arms around Edward's neck to hold him in place.
It felt like I had never kissed him before. The kiss was as sweet and tender as it had ever been, the feeling of Edward against my body, so close to me was absolutely erratic. I held him close, enjoying the feeling of him. Enjoying his tongue inside of my mouth as it stroked my tongue. The heat of his skin against mine, pushing away the cold icy wind.
"Bella", he breathed pulling away. Our foreheads rested against eachother as another slow smile broke across my face.
"Hmm?"
"I need to get you home", he whispered. I pulled back and frowned. Then realised that he had a point anyway. I needed to go home. Esme and Carlisle were going to have a fit. Emmett and Alice…
Emmett would be mad. Hurt.
I bit my lip as I thought about what would be waiting for me at home. Surely they would definitely want me to see a shrink now.
"Take me home", I whispered back. Edward smile and leaned in closer to kiss me softly, a small chaste kiss.
Edward's POV.
I had convinced Bella get into my car. I wasn't going to let her out of my sight again. Mostly it was my fear of her crashing into a tree or something, but also because I felt responsible to bring her home safe.
I told her that Carlisle's car would be fine outside Groaten's Park. He could come and retrieve it in the morning. Besides, Bella was underage anyway. So riding with me in my Volvo wasn't because I wanted to spent more time with her. Ok, maybe it was a little bit.
"Sent", muttered Bella, rolling her eyes at me. I smiled at her. I had also convinced her to text Alice and tell her that she was safe, and was coming home soon. I saw the worried faces on Emmett and Alice. I could see what it did to them. They saw how upset Bella was.
I still didn't understand exactly why Bella had walked out. What I had understood was that her parents had accused her of something. Something bad apparently.
And wanted her to see a psychiatrist. That was the bit I didn't understand. Bella was perfectly healthy to me. She broke down like other teenagers and she had her weak points, but so did everyone. I knew her softest point was the fact that she had once been abandoned and she had some issues with that, but that wasn't the reason that Carlisle and Esme wanted her to see a shrink.
The reason was they thought she was sick.
There were a lot of meanings behind the word 'sick'. It could've meant anything. When Bella was explaining, I didn't want to push her or anything but I still wanted to know what she meant exactly by that.
Bella didn't look sick to me. The way she acted was perfectly normal. Her soft smile was genuine. Her brunette hair and her chocolate eyes were perfectly perfect. And her soft lips on mine were more than brilliant…
"Emmett's calling", groaned Bella, hitting her head against the side window. I chuckled and rolled my eyes. "I'm definitely not answering it, Edward."
She pressed the reject button and sighed.
As we sat in comfortable silence, her phone kept ringing but Bella didn't answer. A couple of minutes later, her phone rang again.
Her eyes flickered towards the screen and I swear I saw a glimpse of panic. I expected her to reject the call but instead she sat up straighter and answered it.
"Er…hello?"
Was it me or did her voice shake a little bit? Bella turned her face towards the window. Her fingers were gripping the car passenger seat. I tried not to listen to her conversation and kept my eyes on the road.
"Yeah…good. Listen, I can't talk right now", she said quietly. Obviously this wasn't Alice or Emmett, I realised.
"No, look…um, I can't make it", she muttered sighing, "something came up."
I gripped the steering wheel and stared straight ahead.
"No, look I wanted to but…it's something at home", she said softly, "I'm sorry Mi – er, look can I call you back?"
I had arrived at Bella's street now and pulled up in front of her house.
"Yes, you are right", she said slowly, "No, I have to go. Talk later."
I parked and turned off the engine.
"Bit later…later…yeah. That's perfect", she muttered, "bye."
Without turning back to me, Bella opened her door and got out. I followed, jogging to keep up as she stalked towards her front door. Then froze.
"Are you ok?" I asked, wondering why she didn't open the door or knock if she didn't have the key. She turned around, biting her lip nervously.
"Thank you", she whispered. That was unexpected.
"Why are you thanking me?" I asked her curiously.
"For bringing me home", she said, smiling again, "and for treating me like a person. Like I want to be treated."
Hesitantly, I drew up my hand and stroked down the side of her cheek. This was the Bella that I knew. Soft and gentle, innocent and needing me.
I didn't even realise that we were so close until our lips touched again and my eyelids shut tight. Kissing Bella was more than heaven and I loved it. I took her top lip between my own, pressing my lips on her softly, then harder with more urgency.
We wrapped ourselves around eachother, holding on tightly and breathing hard. Bella's sweet strawberry and freesia smell clouded my mind as I continued to caress her tongue with mine.
Then she was ripped away from me.
"Aaaahhh! Alice! What the f-"
"Oh Bella", shrieked Alice, cutting through Bella's outburst and my heart stopping shock.