Chapter thirty. Compromise number two.
Bella's POV.
Emmett eyed the spoon of Cheerio's that I had scooped up and forced down my throat in the three-minute span of time that the bowl had been sitting in front of me. He grimaced.
"Are you done observing me now?" I snapped at him impatiently. He arched an eyebrow and stuffed a piece of toast down his mouth.
"I'm just wondering how long it'll take you to eat your cereal if you eat one at a time", he explained simply. I stuck out my tongue at him.
"Shut up", I mumbled, scooping up some more milk with a cheerio floating on top, "I'm eating so don't complain."
"Remember, you're eating for your benefit, Bella", said Esme walking in and sitting at the table, "not ours. And your father and I are pleased with your progress."
"Progress", I repeated. I felt like a walking experiment. I might as well have been rat on one of those tread mills by the way my parents were watching me. I understood that they were looking out for me, but measuring my spoonfuls was just stupid.
"Well, I'm off", Emmett announced, standing up suddenly. I jumped and gave a little yelp.
"Where are you going?" I demanded him; it was only half past eight in the morning. Rosalie normally came over a bit later than that.
"Work", he said cheerfully. I nearly choked on my breakfast.
"Careful Bells", he muttered, patting my back gently. I waved his concern away.
"Finish eating, Bella", said Esme firmly.
"You're working?" I asked in bewilderment. Emmett frowned at me.
"Yes. Why are you surprised?" he said, sounding insulted.
"Er, because it's summer", I told him, "Why are you working during summer?"
"Because Emmett has responsibilities", Esme answered for him, "and he can't rely on his poor parents forever."
"Poor", Emmett scoffed, rolling his eyes, "basically Bella, they're training me up for when I leave for college in September. I don't see the point, but whatever. Rosalie's gonna be there with me so I don't mind."
I had stopped listening as soon as Emmett mentioned college. Him going away. Miles and miles away. Moving out.
College.
My bottom lip wobbled.
"September?" I whispered, dropping my spoon and turning to face him immediately, "Emmett…that's…three weeks away."
"Yeah", said Emmett, avoiding my gaze, "I know. So, um, I better leave."
I cleared my throat and went back to the floating hoops in my bowl.
"So where are you working?" I asked him, trying to change the subject.
"The library", Esme announced, sounding smug.
This time I really did choke on the one cheerio that was forced down my throat. I clutched the table as my eyes began to water. Emmett's large hands were shaking my shoulders as Esme smoothly patted my back.
"I'm fine, fine", I gasped out, "seriously Emmett? The library?"
"What's wrong with the library?" he shot back, defensive.
"Nothing's wrong", I told him, regaining my breath, "but have you ever even stepped into a library before?"
"Oh shut up", he sighed, rolling his eyes and walking away, "see you later. Bye mum!"
"Wait", I called out, running after him. Emmett carried on walking out as I followed, "when are you coming home?"
"Half two", he answered, "I'm bringing Rose with me. She works there too. We'll come here then go straight to the beach. Round up the pixie and Jasper. Are you gonna ask Edward to come?"
"Of course", I grinned, winking at him.
"Wear a one piece costume", he ordered, walking out of the door.
"Maybe when I'm ninety with wrinkles", I called out to him.
--
"Wow. This is a big book", muttered Edward, picking up the large book and weighing it in one hand. He grinned crookedly as he looked up at me, "doesn't the size scare you off?"
"Unlike some people, I don't get intimidated by harmless objects such as books", I told him, rolling my eyes, "it's a book Edward. Why would it scare me off?"
"I don't know", he shrugged, placing it down next to my leg and picking up another.
We sat in my living room, on the plush light purple rug on the floor. The air conditioner was on the highest mode so that I even had a small jumper on. Books were scattered around Edward and I as we both sat, cross-legged opposite eachother.
"Have you finished with my book yet?" I asked him; referring to the book I had lent him the previous Sunday.
"It's around six hundred pages, Bella", Edward explained, rolling his eyes, "would you be able to read a book in such a short amount of time?"
"It's been five days", I told him, "Yes, I would be able to."
"I'm up to the bit where they're at the meadow", Edward explained, "there're just so many words, I get bored."
I skimmed through the last pages of my book, Edward watching me in a scrutinizing way. He played with my hair as he watched and I felt the small gentle tug of his fingers. I pressed my lips into a line to stop myself from smiling like an idiot.
"You're coming to the beach with us later, right?" I asked, casually. Well, I tried to make it casual. Edward glanced up, smiling faintly.
"Sure", he said lightly, "I have to go back home to get changed though. When are we going?"
"At around three o'clock", I told him, getting back to my book.
"Oh, is that when Emmett's coming home?" Esme's voice rang through my ears. She plopped herself down on the couch, running her hands through my hair.
"He finishes at half two", I told her, "hey, where's dad?"
"Working today", my mother grimaced, "two of the doctors are away on their summer vacation. So your father has to fill in. he's coming home at around eight o'clock. I begged him for no night shifts."
"Would you like to come with us to the beach then Mrs Cullen?" Edward asked, "We're all going as soon as Emmett comes home. I'm sure you wouldn't want to be alone."
I turned to Edward, mortified. He wanted my mother to come to the beach with us? Did he seriously just ask her?
Gag.
"Oh that's nice", said Esme, nodding, "but I'm afraid I've got some paperwork to do later on."
Phew.
"Don't look too relieved, Bella", Esme laughed, "but it was nice of you to ask, Edward. And please, call me Esme."
"Of course, Esme", Edward smiled.
He was totally sucking up to her. I arched an eyebrow at him. Edward merely shrugged at me, before grabbing a book a reading it intently.
I watched him for a couple of minutes, trying to decipher his ulterior motive before getting back to my book.
"Is Alice with Jasper?" Esme asked, running her hands through some of the books that lay around me.
"Upstairs", Edward and I mumbled in unison.
"In her bedroom?" my mother's voice rose up in pitch.
"No they're searching for spider webs in the attic", I told her sarcastically.
"Have you had lunch, Bella?" Esme asked suddenly.
"Yeah, Alice and I made a sandwich before the guys came", I said, turning around to face her. I knew she'd have questions now. Like what was in the sandwich? Did I eat the entire sandwich? Do I want to eat something else? Am I still hungry?
I frowned as my mother avoided my gaze. Wasn't she going to interrogate me?
She smiled faintly, skimming and reading the back of the books that she randomly picked up. After a couple of minutes of staring at her, I gave up. She'd probably leave the room subtly to check up on Alice and Jasper momentarily. Of course Esme wasn't really uptight about Alice and I having boyfriends apart from when she forbad me to date Edward. We hadn't spoken about that afterwards, I knew she was upset about what I had said. But we both knew, of course, that I liked Edward and I hoped she wouldn't do anything to ruin my happiness. Esme and Carlisle weren't the parents who were too strict about rules. They let Emmett, Alice and I learn from our own mistakes. But they warned us of the paths we weren't to follow too.
"Edward, are you dating Bella?"
The question was so sudden that I barely got to comprehend the words.
"Mum!" I snapped, turning to glare at her.
"Yeah", Edward answered simply. I whirled around to face him. Oh, we were dating now, were we? I didn't get the memo. Well, we were sort past dating…
"Since the beginning of summer?" Esme asked, ignoring my death glares and silent warnings to shut up.
"Around that time", Edward said.
I sat in the middle of them, awkward and embarrassed. Edward didn't seem to mind at all. He got back to the book in his hands, and carried on reading. Esme dropped a book gently and picked up another.
"Mother, can I have a word with you?" I said tightly, standing up and leading the way towards the hallway.
"Sure."
I whirled around, turning to stare at Esme. She smiled back.
"What was that about?" I demanded, gesturing the other room where Edward sat.
"A misunderstanding", she said softly.
"And what does that mean?" I asked her, arching an eyebrow, "I thought you said…I mean, you didn't exactly approve of Edward, remember?"
"No Bella", Esme said shaking her head, "I didn't approve of the fact that my fifteen year old daughter and a seventeen year old boy whom I didn't know much of, were making out on her bed."
"We didn't know you were going to walk in", I mumbled, staring at the floor. Esme laughed lightly.
"I didn't think so", she said, "but the thing is Bella, I'm your mother. I will gladly approve of anything that you approve of. Believe in anything that you believe in. and if you love Edward, I will gladly love him too. Maybe not in the same way, but you understand what I mean, don't you?"
"I never said I loved him", I muttered stubbornly, crossing my arms.
"It's not exactly subtle, either, sweetheart."
--
Edward's POV.
Damn, I feel like such a girl!
My fingers flicked through the T-Shirts hanging in my wardrobe. The blue one? Too blue.
The black one? Too black.
Well, at least I had already chosen to wear the three quarter length shorts. I grabbed a white shirt and pulled it out. I froze and listened to see if I could hear anything. Or anyone walking out of my house impatiently. Nothing. She was still there then.
I was in my room, in my house. Alone with Bella.
Except we were separated by a flight of stairs. She was downstairs waiting for me and I was upstairs acting like a girl.
We had left her house at half past two when Emmett called to tell her to get ready. Of course, I needed to get my swimming shorts so I had to return home. Bella offered to come with me. Before I got to ask her.
"Are you done?" a soft voice made me jump. I stared at my door, half closed as a brunette haired face peeked in.
"Sorry, I was just…um, I was just –"
"Picking your clothes?" she finished for me.
"Yeah", I said lamely, throwing off my shirt and quickly replacing it with the white one. "Sorry, for making you wait. I was having a, er, a dilemma."
"Don't only girls have dilemmas with clothes?" Bella teased, arching an eyebrow.
"I'm the first guy to ever have one then", I told her, unashamed.
"Come on, let's go", she laughed, holding out her hand. I took it and we skipped down the stairs quickly.
"Your house is nice", Bella commented as we got into the car, "where are your parents though?"
"Business trip", I explained, starting the Volvo, "they're normally away on those."
"Oh…I'm sorry", Bella said softly, "Are you normally home alone then?"
"My aunt Liz stays with us", I told her, "so she keeps me company. Like a second mother, Liz is."
Bella nodded but stayed silent. She rested her head on the window as I drove past her house towards the beach. She wore a light blue summer dress with her bikini underneath. I could see the black strap of the top half of her bikini around her small delicate neck.
"Can I ask you something?" her voice echoed softly around my head. It took me a while to pull out of the fantasies that I was wrapped around in.
"Sure", I said lightly.
"Since when were we dating?" she asked, turning to me. A faint smile tugged at her lips.
"Oh…well, about that", I began, laughing nervously as I parked the car, "you see…I mean, your mom…well, she –"
"Do you want to go on a date with me, Edward?" Bella asked, her voice was low and seductive. She bit her bottom lip, staring up at me from under her long lashes.
Crap.
"I don't…I mean, well…yeah", I concluded, forcing myself to look only in her eyes and not her lips. That wasn't the best idea. Her brown chocolate swirls were glimmering, pooling with soft comfort.
"Ask me", Bella whispered, leaning in closer.
"What?" I asked, in confusion. I got so lost in her delicious eyes. My hand went up absentmindedly to stroke the side of her face. Her neck and cheeks flushed red with warm blood, illuminating her pale gentle features.
"Ask me", she repeated again.
Ask her what?!
Oh, right.
"Um, will you go out on a date with me?" I blurted out awkwardly. I was sure dating wasn't exactly necessary in me and Bella's relationship. We sort of skipped that part and went straight to the part involving lips and hands and nervous fumbling around.
"Of course", Bella breathed, before pressing her lips on mine.