Stephenie Meyer created these little beauties…not me…
A Wide Berth—'A goodly distance.'
Edward POV.
"What time is it?" Emmett asked from the other side of Jasper as he began to peddle on the cycling machine.
"They should be here in a few minutes" I answered the question that he was really asking. Right on cue, the three of them entered the fitness centre and walked into the girl's locker room.
"Do you think that they'll notice us?" Jasper asked nervously as he glanced around at the other fitness machines.
"It was your idea to sit here brother…you wanted the best view" I chuckled while Jasper blushed as I seemed to have read his mind and said aloud his real reason for having opted for the cycling machines for a change.
A few minutes later, the three of us broke into smothered laughter as we watched Bella walk strait into a water fountain. I watched as she began to rub her leg…her pale, smooth, bare, perfect leg. I shook my head vehemently and tore my eyes away from her legs which were on show due to the fact that she wore a pair of short gym shorts.
I looked over the rest of her and sighed in relief at the fact that she wore a loose fitting t-shirt and not a tight, eye catching red one like Rosalie wore.
My composure began to crumple as the yoga class got going. I fought painfully with myself with keeping my eyes away from Bella's stretching and twisting form for the whole lesson. I looked around to the other women out there and realised that neither one of them created the same reaction in me as Bella did. It scared me.
I sighed loudly in relief as I watched her slip away from the yoga mats, to the water fountain. I instinctively followed her and watched in amazement as she gave the water fountain a casual kick.
Bella POV.
"Come on, we need to get out of here if we want to get the best space to do our yoga." Rosalie commanded as she flew out of the locker room door.
I quickly tied my hair up, picked up my water bottle and towel and followed her out with Alice. After walking into the water fountain, I turned around, rubbing my leg as I stood, mouth agape, taking in the look of the whole fitness centre. The right side of the room was devoted to the treadmills, the rowing machines and running machines along with some more which were a mystery to me.
Right in front of us, right in the middle of the fitness centre, spotlighted by tens of over head lights, was the yoga class. There on the huge wooden floor lay rows upon rows of yoga mats.
"Rose! I can't do yoga in the middle of the fitness room!" I hissed at her as the three of us stood beside the square wooden area.
"Yes you can…and you will" she smiled back at me confidently as she shoved me forward to follow Alice.
Alice led us to the middle of the sea of blue mats and plopped herself smack down in the middle. She looked up at Rosalie and I smiling as she patted each of the mats on either side of her for us to sit at.
I looked around me and noticed that the yoga mats were being filled slowly but surely all around us. Within ten minutes, nearly all of the mats were occupied and the session began.
"You are so dead lady!" I growled at Rosalie as I untangled myself from an uncomfortable position.
"And now we move into the 'tree' position…" the instructor initiated us in a calm voice. I looked at the woman in disbelief. She was probably three times my age, but she was way more supple and graceful that I was.
"Tree…why can't I just sit here and be a shrub…" I mumbled childishly as I followed the instructor's orders.
Alice loved it. I watched her as she stretched with all her might, smiling in triumph as she accomplished the new position. Rosalie on the other hand had a dogged expression on her face as she concentrated with all her might to maintain her balance, keeping herself motionless.
"I'm going to get some water…" I whispered to Alice as I slinked away from my spot in the middle of the floor.
I sighed in relief as I made it to the water fountain. I gave a quick look around me and gave the water fountain a quick kick. I held grudges, and this water fountain got in my way earlier, we were even.
I filled up my water bottle and took a few mouthfuls before I took a seat on one of the adjacent benches. I closed my eyes as I pressed my hands into my lower back as I stretched. I froze in mid stretch as a silky voice rang in my ear beside me, "I thought yoga was supposed to be relaxing?"
I quickly opened my eyes and relaxed, smiling as I looked into a pair of green eyes. "I told you my body doesn't do well with any type of sport…" I told him with an embarrassed smile.
"Ahhh" Edward held up a hand with an amused smile on his face as he continued, "But at least you didn't pass out this time." He nudged my shoulder with his playfully.
"True…very true." I laughed back; amazed that he remembered that detail from last night's conversation.
"Did my eyes deceive me just now, or did you kick the water fountain?" he asked, obviously holding back laughter.
I shrugged and told him, "He got in my way earlier…look!" I pointed to a forming bruise just above my knee, "That's what he did to me." I defended myself for my weird behaviour.
After a few seconds silence Edward said a simple "I see." I noted that there was no laughter in his voice now, he sounded slightly dazed. I looked to him and caught him staring at my legs.
"I'm clumsy…what can I say…" I muttered as I looked over all of the various shades of bruises that were scattered over my legs.
I looked back to the yoga class. "I guess I should get going back…" I flinched as I watched the people on the mats move into an uncomfortable looking position.
"Why don't I whisk you away to the cycling machines?" Edward asked in a speculative voice. "There's no chance of you falling off the bike, or getting into a high speed collision." He teased, his eyes sparkled with humour.
"How could I turn down such a proposition!?" I asked as I picked up my towel and water bottle from beside me. I followed him as he led me to the machines which were situated right behind the yoga class. I bit my lip as I stared at his god like body, remembering how it looked yesterday at the pool. As we drew nearer, I realised that we had a clear view of Alice and Rosalie as they stretched on the mats.
"Hey Bells!" Emmett panted as he continued cycling beside Jasper. I greeted him back before I turned to look at Jasper.
"I'm freewheeling…downhill" he told me in a serious tone as he took in my confused expression at his lack of movement on the bike.
I laughed along with Edward as I perched myself on an empty bike that Edward had left for me between himself and Jasper. I cycled silently as I watched Alice and Rosalie follow the instructor's directions, until something hit me.
"Hey Edward…when did you get here?" I asked him. The speculation in my voice was easy to hear even to my own ears.
He shrugged before he answered casually; "About ten minutes before you arrived" I caught an amused look on his face.
"So…you saw it all…?" I asked as I remembered my embarrassing struggles and childish pouting.
"Yep…couldn't tear my eyes away" he said sarcastically to me after he let out a haggard breath as if it pained him to watch.
"Great." I stated simply in embarrassment as I got off the bike, and headed to the rowing machines at the furthest end of the fitness machines.
I stiffened as a strong hand gripped my upper right arm as I almost got to the rowing machines. I relaxed and schooled my face to show a look of boredom as I turned around to face Edward.
"Mike…hi…how are you?" I asked politely as my mind spun in confusion.
I watched his face as he dropped his hand from my arm and ran his eyes none to subtly over my body as he answered, "I feel much better now thanks…I'm sorry that we had to cut our date short like that…I was wondering if you wanted to go to the club with me some night?" he asked in a casual manner.
"Erm…yeah I'll let you know" I said with a smile in the vain hope that he'd get the hint and leave me now.
He nodded his head slowly as he smiled before he said cheerfully, "That's cool…so which machine are you going on now?" he asked as he scanned his eyes around the various machines.
I couldn't lie; I opened my mouth to tell him, when Edwards's voice came from behind me, steadily drawing nearer. "Bella…the yoga class just finished, you coming?" he finished as he set his hands on my shoulders, and gave them a squeeze.
I looked over my shoulder with a smile of relief as I answered in the affirmative. I turned back to Mike after having received a heart stopping smile from Edward, "I'll see you around Mike" I told him with a small smile.
A strange feeling flowed through my fingertips as Edward lowered his hands from my shoulders, down my arms, to my hands. He gave my hands a small squeeze as he spoke to Mike, "Hope you're feeling better…Bella told us about last night." I picked up the underlying mocking tone to his voice as he spoke to Mike from behind me.
"Yeah I am." Mike answered in a curt voice as he toyed with his water bottle.
I realised that I'd left my water bottle and towel back at the cycling machine. I grabbed at the excuse of getting away. "Edward, I need to pick up my stuff from the cycling machine." I told him as I turned around, unfortunately breaking our hands apart.
He nodded in response and followed me as I walked back. "Thanks for that…I'll see you later" I told him as I picked up my stuff and headed towards the locker room.
"Where the hell did you get to?" Alice asked as I reached them.
"I went for a bike ride with the guys." I told them as I headed towards the showers.
I tied my drying hair up as I waited for Alice and Rosalie to finish gathering their things together. "Hold on…weren't the cycling machines right behind the yoga area?" Rosalie asked with a speculative look on her face.
"Yep…from there you could see the just about everyone." I smiled as I watched Rosalie's face turn to a look of understanding.
"So they saw the whole yoga class…and could see us…" Alice asked as she slung her bag over her shoulder.
"Yep, they could see the instructors face…so they couldn't see yours because you were facing the other way…" I beat around the bush. I watched as Alice blushed lightly now that she realised that the guys had a good view of our behinds the whole time.
"I don't know about you guys, but I think I need a nice strong coffee after that!" Alice laughed as she led the way out of the fitness centre.
"What a coincidence, so do we." Jasper's voice came from behind us. I smiled as I watched him fall into stride with Alice ahead of us.
I faltered in my walking as I felt a spark at the contact of a strong hand at my nape. "There was a drop of water on your neck" a velvety voice informed me as his hand rubbed softly over my skin.
As his hand dropped away, I dared to look at him. He was smiling down at me with an odd look in his eyes. I tore my gaze away from the green pools that were his eyes as I wondered if he felt the same spark as I did when he touched me.
"What are you thinking about?" Edward asked me as we walked into the café.
"Hmmm?" I shook my head as I popped out of my thoughts, "Ohh, I was just wondering which coffee to go for" I lied once I recalled what he'd just asked me.
After ordering a latte, I headed towards a table that was big enough for the six of us to sit at. "…Or the theatre…casino?" Alice's speculative voice drew nearer, until she sat down opposite me, Jasper at her side.
"What are you wondering about?" I asked as Emmett, Rosalie and Edward reached us.
"What we're going to do tonight." Jasper informed us as he flipped through the hotels brochure that he'd picked up from the counter.
"Why don't we go to the cinema?" Edward spoke up as our coffee's arrived.
"That sounds cool." Rosalie stated in an up beat voice as she sipped at her hot chocolate.
"Are we all agreed then?" Jasper asked as he leant back, cradling his coffee between his hands.
We all agreed and began to banter about the yoga lesson and then tease at the view that the guys had from the cycling machines.
I had been watching Edward out of the corner of my eye since we sat down, I noticed the change in his mood as the time went by. "Edward…what's wrong?" I asked him as our second round of coffees were brought to us.
"The music is so boring…that guy isn't even putting the piano into good use." He told me as he looked towards the baby grand piano in the corner which had some young guy in a suit sat behind it.
"Why don't you show him how it's done?" Emmett asked with a wicked grin on his face.
"O, and what do I say? Excuse me, but you're boring me to tears, mind if I take over?" he laughed as he gave him a look of scepticism.
"Leave it to me…and Rose" Emmett added with a wink in Rosalie's direction before he grabbed hold of her hand and led her towards the piano, whispering in her ear as they went.
The four of us watched as Rosalie leant against the piano and began to talk to the guy. I laughed as I noticed that the guy was fumbling on the keys, making the music sound even worse. Suddenly, Emmett turned to look at Edward and beckoned him over.
I gasped in shock as Edward latched his hand onto mine in a firm grip and pulled me behind him. Before I got a chance to ask him anything, he explained, "If I'm doing this, you have to come and keep me company."
I put up a struggle as we reached the piano, but one un-amused look from Rosalie soon caused me to sit beside Edward silently in defeat. "See…it's not so bad." Edward comforted me as he began to play. I sat motionless as I watched his hands flitter over the keys, almost in a blur as they produced complex melodies.
"Edward…that was amazing" I told him once he'd finished. He picked up on the awe in my voice and turned to look at me with a pleased grin on his face.
"Glad you liked it" he laughed before he asked, "Do you want to go and sit back with everyone else now? Your coffees getting cold" he added as he glanced towards our table.
"No, no…I'm fine here" I told him as carelessly as I could manage as he started to play again.
"Edward…I thought that was you!" Tanya laughed as she stood beside the piano some time later, with a smirk.
"That good am I?" he teased as another song came to its end.
"Quite the opposite actually…I envy the OAP's that can just switch of their hearing aids." She joked with a dramatic sigh.
"Well I'd love to hang around here and be rebuked by you, but I think we should get back to the others." He finished, looking at me. I nodded my head in agreement even though I secretly wanted to stay and listen to a few more songs.
"I heard that you're going to the cinema tonight…if there's anything that I can do, just let me know." Tanya smiled at me before she was beckoned away by some other member of staff.
"Edward! That was amazing!" Rosalie praised as she stood up, grabbing her bag.
"Thank you, I'm here all week." He laughed as he gave a mock bow at the waist before picking up his own gym bag and mine.
I held my hand out for my bag as we stepped out of the café, but Edward merely swatted it away and gave me a cute smile. As we reached the corridor to our rooms Jasper asked, "Do you know which film you want to watch tonight?"
I realised that I hadn't given it much thought and said as much, before I added, "As long as the place isn't so full that I cant see the screen or that I cant hear the film from the sound of people eating, I really don't mind."
Alice and Rosalie agreed with me on that one before we headed into our room. Within minutes, I was stretched out on the sofa, listening to Edward playing the piano from his suite.
I didn't think that I really needed to go into too much detail on how sexy the guy's bodies would have looked all sweaty in the gym! Use your imaginations!!
Review for me please! They're going great so far!!