"Whoa!" I screamed as I fell. Seth caught me before my head could fall far back enough to crack my head on the linoleum. Seth laughed.
"Did anyone ever tell you that the middle name of Isabella fits you well?" he chuckled.
"Once or twice," I admitted careful to keep my eyes away from his face.
We stayed like that for a while just laughing over my clumsiness and about how much I deserved to have Bella's name. I heard Leah and Sue having a hushed conversation.
"Leah," Sue snapped.
"But mom," Leah whined.
Silence except for a slight whip in the air.
"Ah," Leah sighed. I heard some click clacks on the floor that faded but I wasn't sure what they were. When Seth lifted me up onto my feet, I noticed we were alone. The conversation and sounds suddenly clicked together in my head. Great. Was it really that obvious?
I quickly wet a towel and wiped the mess on the floor before I slipped on it again. I didn't notice that Seth had crouched down beside me until I felt his hand on mine.
"Here, let me do that," he offered. "You're the guest, not the maid."
"That'll take some getting used to," I said, standing up and wiping my hands on my pants.
"Why?" he asked. "Oh…the orphanage."
I nodded. "The mistress despised cleaning." I chuckled and so did Seth.
I heard a slight buzzing sound and I knew at once it was a phone. I wasn't sure when, but Alice had put a cell phone in my bag. I dug around until I found it. I flipped it open.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Good morning, Jazzy," Alice whispered.
"Morning," I said.
"So glad you had some fun this morning," Alice said. Of course she'd know what I'd been up to.
"So anyway," Alice continued, "Jasper and I send our love and we all miss you. The Volturi haven't a clue… yet. I have to go but I'll see you soon, okay?"
"Okay," I croaked. Hearing her voice made me want to cry.
"I love you."
"I love you, too." And with that, I snapped my phone shut.
I sat down on the couch and contemplated my issues. My life was on the line, I was a thousand percent sure the one I loved didn't love me, and my family was in Volterra facing a family of evil vampires to save me. And, as always, there was nothing I could do about any of it. I had my eyes closed so I didn't notice Seth walk into the room until I felt his warm presence beside me on the couch.
"Did Alice call?" he asked.
"Yeah, I just hung up."
"What did she say?" He seemed frantic. "Do they know?"
"No, the Volturi don't know who I am yet."
"That's good," he said. "I'm glad you're still safe."
"Me too," I said.
The rest of the day wasn't too interesting. Leah stayed in her room all day on the phone and Sue went out to Charlie Swan's house. Seth and I just watched television for hours. My eyes drooped because of my restless sleep the night before and eventually I fell asleep. During my sleep, I seemed to have fallen over and I woke up with my head on Seth's lap. He was stroking my hair, much to my contentment. It was amazing to find that I was still tired so I simply closed my eyes and fell asleep again.
When I woke, I was lying face down on a bed that wasn't familiar. I looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was eight thirty in the morning. Whoa! How did that happen?! I must have been more tired than I thought.
"Hey, you're up," someone called from the doorway.
"Morning, Seth," I said as he came to sit next to me.
"Sleep well?"
I nodded.
"That's good. I didn't think that was possible with this lumpy mattress. But it was better than the couch. The stupid springs in that thing probably left marks in my back." He stretched back and I heard his bones crack.
"This is your room?" I asked him.
"Yup."
"Seth, you really didn't have to do that—" I started arguing but he interrupted me.
"Oh yes I did," he said. "You're the guest, remember? You deserve the best accommodations."
"Thanks," I said.
"No problem."
We sat in silence for a moment and Seth seemed to be searching for how to say something.
"Listen, Jasmine," he started. My heart started racing at the speed of light when he said my name and I felt the blood pounding in my ears. I couldn't stand it, he just seemed too perfect. "You told me you haven't had time to do much sight seeing, right?"
I couldn't do much more than nod at this point. His face was just so close to mine, it made it difficult for me to breathe correctly. I started hyperventilating quietly. I couldn't remember having ever felt so dazed.
"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come to the beach with me. It's been pretty empty around there lately, but the view is beautiful in the mornings. Will you come?" I wanted so badly to look up at his eyes right now and stare into his eyes but there was no telling what my response may be. I kept my eyes safely on my hands.
"I'd love to, Seth," I said. He put his hand on mine for a second and then left me to get ready. I stood up slowly and started to go out into the living room to get my bag when I discovered it next to the door. The moment I picked it up, I heard my phone buzz. I opened it and discovered a text message from Alice.
Wear the dress! she commanded. I sighed and shut the phone. I quickly dug out the dress and shoes she wanted me to wear and put them on reluctantly. I hadn't a prayer of winning an argument with Alice over clothes. I closed my eyes tight and walked out of the room and into the living room where Seth was waiting.
"Ready to go?" he asked eyeing my apparel.
I nodded.
"Let's go then."
He opened the door and held it out for me. I walked outside with Seth right behind me. We both stepped into the Vanquish and he backed out of the driveway. From the window, I caught a glimpse of Leah's smirking face. I rolled my eyes and we continued down the road and to the beach.