Disclaimer: i don't own Twilight - i do own fudge brownie cupcakes with nice n' thick chocolate frosting! they're...chocogasmic.
chapter thirteen
"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable."
~Unknown
Edward
"Watch your uppercuts," Jasper tells me, drawing my attention from the rough tape in my hand. He was right; I'd pulled too hard in warm-ups and now I had to be careful of pulling the muscle further.
The rematch that was made after Isabella and Eric's match was made for today and while I was pumped to finally fight, I was also relieved that Isabella didn't have a rematch and that Eric was suspended from the Arena. Somehow, Persephone, Hera and Rhea had gotten Bella excused from her Arena assignment; in replacement, the three Goddesses were specially training Bella themselves.
It was liberating for me to not worry about her well-being when I wasn't with her. The humming chord between us had grown stronger over the last week, letting me pin-point her general location and a subtle hint of her emotions. The few kisses we had shared had, admittedly, been the highlights of my days along with seeing her after he classes that her new hell-hound, Amynta.
I'd been weary of the three headed dog at first but quickly grew to appreciate her presence when it became clear to me that she was a natural protector of my girl.
My girl.
When would I call Bella mine…to her face?
"It's time," Jasper tells me, slapping the center of my back a few times.
I nod to him, popping my neck once and slipping on padded black leather gloves, slamming my fists together a few times and relishing in the harsh vibration. My mind is immediately focused on the match ahead, my body thrumming with energy and tension.
The Arena is more crowded than it was a week ago, the on-lookers much more eager to see the reigning Champion and the son of Ares go one-on-one; even immortals have a stinging streak of voyeurism and a craving for spilt blood. The crowd roars when James and I are led onto the fresh navy mats.
Anger ripples through me when I see James and my arms twitch, eager to wipe the smug expression off his face.
A shrill bell rings out after Andre steps off the mat and James springs into action, flinging his body towards me, his leg kicking out in a solid roundhouse that I manage to dodge. We begin our dance, eyes watching each other just waiting for the tell-tale sign of pre-determined movement. James caves first, his left foot supporting the majority of his weight as he again attempts a roundhouse.
I know instantly that James must have pulled or injured on of his arms as he was obviously favoring his foot and leg work - his injury was more severe than my own and I knew I could use it to my advantage.
As his leg comes closer to me, I reach out at grab his calf and twist it in the same direction of his force, causing him to follow the movement with the rest of his body; he lands hard on the mat, face down.
The next round is much the same with James spending nearly all of his energy on offensive maneuvers and me blocking and evading him. He leaves the mats after the second round panting and frustrated.
"You have this locked," Jasper tells me as he hands me a bottle of water. "If you can nail your sixth combination with a upper roundhouse, you should walk away from this unscathed."
"Something's up with his arms, man."
"I noticed," Jasper agrees, eyeing James subtly with a thoughtful look. "Probably his shoulders, though."
I file that information into the back of my head and bounce lightly on the soles of my feet near the middle of the mat as the next round begins, reciting my sixth combination over and over again, preparing mentally for my most taxing maneuver.
Another bell and I'm moving, jabbing low in his belly then slamming between his shoulder blades. Leaving no time for his recovery, several upper cuts connect on both sides of his ribs, my knee coming up to hit just below his sternum. James's hands raise to protect himself as I back off, waiting for him to stand up straight. When he does, his face bright red, angry eyes glaring through me, I jump into a roundhouse kick that lands on the side of his head.
James falls soundly with a heavy groan and applause erupts out in the Arena. I throw my fist in the air, accepting the praise and Andre's hard slaps to my back, his booming voice announcing my win.
Campus is quiet when Jasper and I finally make it back. My hopes of seeing Isabella before she sleeps are dashed. I allow my eyes one last longing glance to her dormitory but stop short when I see a pale figure walking towards me. The unmistakable sound of silver bells ring out along with the figure - bells that Isabella tied around Amynta's neck with a thick silver chain.
"Later, man," Jasper says but I barely hear him, my eyes trained steadily on Bella. The bond between us hums happily, a smile forming on my face and my bag dropping at my side. The hours that I hadn't been near her disappear as I open my arms for her; she fits perfectly against my chest, tiny hands clutched to my shirt and her face pressed against my heart.
We stand still together for an immeasurable time, only the sound of Amynta's damn bells breaking the silence.
I look down at the heartbreaking face pressed against me. "I told you those damn bells would get annoying."
"I like them," Bella whispers against me, her chin sliding in an arc over my chest.
I snort and reach down for my bag, keeping one arm around her. "Not likely." We begin walking in the direction of my own dormitory and I stop, unsure of whether or not she would want to come up - this would be the first time and I wasn't entirely positive that it was the right time.
Reading my unease through the bond between us, Bella leans heavily on me. "Can I come up….or would that be-"
"Would you want to?" I'm honestly surprised by this though some part of me knows that Isabella's intentions are completely pure.
"I would love to," she says quietly, smiling up shyly to me. I can see exhaustion creeping onto her face and know that my body is mirroring hers - while today was my match at the Arena, Bella had undergone training with Rhea and Persephone and was no doubt tired. I felt bad that she waited up for me, but also incredibly thankful.
"Let's go then."
My room is mostly made up of grays and black suede and is typically messy with dirty clothes in one corner, my desk organized chaos and other random objects askew on every surface. Bella doesn't blink at the mess, instead throwing herself onto my unmade bed.
Male satisfaction comes over me at seeing her amongst my possessions but I try to suppress it as I make idle talk with her and put away some of my equipment. Before long, I am leaning against my headboard with Bella's head resting on the pillows beside me, our hands intertwined and our words nearly silent.
"Bella," I murmur, leaning down over her so my lips are right near her ear. The scent of pomegranates from her hair fills my lungs. Her face turns slightly to me, my lips grazing her cheekbone.
"Hmm?"
Nerves settle like steel in my stomach but I push them away - this question had been gnawing at me for days and, really, I wanted the claim and confirmation more than anything at the moment.
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
Out in the open, the question sounds so silly, so mundane that I almost want to take it back and I nearly do when the silence stretches on, Bella's eyes unblinking as they stare up at me.
"What?"
Words begin to tumble out of my mouth in a jumble. "Be my girlfriend, Bella. My girl. I'm so…so enamored by you that I can't sleep some days, that I can't think about anything but you. I adore you," I confess, holding back the one word that I know will scare her away from me forever. "Be mine."
One of her perfect brows raise and light pink spreads over her skin and I realize that I had practically demanded her. I open my mouth to fix it when her tiny hand covers my lips.
"Edward," she whispers, leaning up onto her elbows. "I adore you, too."
Happiness floods through me as I reach up to hold her gloved hand between mine, wondering at the sheer difference in size - her hand being almost half the size of my own. I lean forward slowly, warning her with my eyes, until her pillow soft lips touch mine and I become lost in the slow movements of our mouths. One of my hands snakes up into her curling hair, threading into the thick strands, as our breathing picks up and my lips become more urgent.
I drop her hand and slide mine up her back to her waist and pull her closer, reveling in the soft gasp she releases. Our kiss escalates from there, tiny nips and gentle tugging entering as Bella moves closer, sitting up and nearly sitting in my lap.
I pull away from her mouth, loving the harsh sound of her breathing as my lips leave hot kisses down her throat. Bella's breathing evens as I kiss back up the arch of her neck and place one lingering final kiss on her swollen lips.
No words pass between us but her silvery eyes regard me warmly and the flush on her cheeks sends my stomach spiraling. We move to lay on our sides, Bella eventually shyly asking for a pair of sleep pants through a massive yawn.
For the third time, I fall asleep holding Isabella tightly to my chest and though I bask in the utter calm surrounding us, I cannot suppress the thought nagging in the back of my mind.
Is Isabella still my distraction?
"Should we wake them?"
The familiar voice, whisper quiet, draws me out of my extremely pleasant dream. Last night flashes through my mind and explains the soft, warm weight my body has wrapped itself around.
"Jasper, I don't think we should be in here." Another voice, even softer but bright like bells. Alice and Jasper were in my room, but why? And how did Jasper get in - I know I locked my door.
"Allie, we don't really have a choice. There are important-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"
Though I had already been mostly awake, Emmett's booming voice makes my entire body jolt and causes Bella to let out a shriek. Her head slams into my forehead as she tries to sit up, my arm around her waist keeping her tethered to me.
"What's going on here?" By Emmett's tone, there is no mistaking his meaning - the suggestive sub-text is completely out of context and I can hear the sharp slap of Jasper's hand on the back of Emmett's head, followed by his pouting protest.
"That's what I'd like to know," I groan, rolling onto my back and leaning up on my elbows. I raise a brow at Jasper. "How the fuck did you get in?"
Jasper grins slyly and raises his hand, a single key on a ring hanging from his finger. "I have my ways."
"You fuck wit!"
Before Jasper can retaliate, Alice steps into my line of sight. "We have more important things to worry about." I'm surprised by her no-nonsense voice, the heavy furrow of her brow.
Beside me, Bella sits up, shooting Emmett a glare and me a look that I can't quite figure out. "What's wrong?" She and Alice share a long, significant look that leaves me confused though I knew that they are very close.
"You've been summoned," Alice tells her. My stomach drops, dread for Isabella filling my gut. Summons are typically things not looked forward to, not this early in the day. Then Alice looks at me. "You, too, Edward."
A/N: so, first, i apologize about the delay in updating; a combination of my mother's illness, a massive school project and a small case of Writer's BLAH made it take a bit longer to finish but it's here now and that's what matters.
second, Edward and Bella are going to start getting more, uh, physical and i want to make it clear that while i have written lemons before, they were short and not very detailed and i want to do something different for Gods. bear with me - it may be a few chapters or less/more before we see some action.
third - and this is awesome news - a serious concern in my pre-reader's life has been resolved and we're all ecstatic over it soooo HUGE round of applause to IvySnow who, again, has amazed me with her time-making skills and worked me into her life. she's awesome. really.
finally, for those of you who read these Author's Notes, i want feedback! if you have a question or anything, please leave a review - i answer them religiously!
be brutally honest. i can take it.
~cupcakeriot