A/N: Hello all! Well, here is the next chapter! Not quite as long as I had intended, but I ran short on time, and wanted to be able to get the chapter out to you guys sooner rather than later.
Disclaimer: I know how to say "I own Twilight" in seven different languages.
Sigh Alas… that still doesn't make it true.
This chapter is dedicated to xSmallxTownxGirlx for her wonderful, encouraging reviews!
Chapter Thirteen
Having it All
December 14th, 2008
Midday
Edward takes his time heading back home. He runs just above a normal human speed, hoping to prolong the feel of Bella pressed against his back, her small hands holding tightly to his chest. And she doesn't seem to mind either. She's much more relaxed now than she was on the way to the meadow, maybe because she is no longer thrown over his shoulder, swinging upside down.
She is so soft against him, and practically weightless . It is easy to forget that they are two separate beings, separate species even. For a moment he allows himself to be fooled into thinking that they are one. And a part of him thinks it may be the most beautiful moment of his long life.
"Did you miraculously get slower because it seems to be taking a lot longer?"
He had forgotten that her eyes were closed. Grinning, he swings her around from his back until she is settled against his chest. It happens so fast that she barely has time to squeak. Her eyes are still shut tight, as he leans near her ear to whisper, "Forgive me, I'm a little reluctant to share you with my family at the moment."
She laughs, "I'm always reluctant to share you."
"Then why don't we delay our arrival a bit more, say lunch in Port Angeles?"
Her stomach rumbles in answer, and she blushes. He nuzzles the flushed skin of her neck before placing a solitary kiss on her collar bone. "Lunch it is then."
It takes him a few seconds to make it back to his car, and he manages to open the door and buckle her in before she opens her eyes.
She frowns, "I could have done that myself, you know."
"Yes, but then I couldn't have accidentally let my hand brush you here." His fingers dance across her hip near the seat buckle.
Her heartbeat stutters and she gulps.
She doesn't speak at first, and he wonders if he's done something wrong. Was he too forward? Should he really have let her buckle herself in? But his fears are calmed when she finally answers breathily, "I think you should buckle me in all the time, you know, just to make sure it is always done properly."
He grins, "Proper. Mmm, can't promise to be that."
She blushes brilliantly, and there is such longing in her expression that he has to turn away before he does something he shouldn't.
The drive to Port Angeles passes quickly with Edward's foot heavy on the gas pedal and Bella looking everywhere except for the road they're speeding down.
"So, tell me more about your family. I mean, Alice, for example. How does her gift work? I can only imagine what her memories are like—some true and some that never came to be."
He sighs, "It is difficult. Of course, having a vampire memory helps, but at times lines can become blurred between what is real and what isn't. Also, having to deal with not only your own memories, but the memories of others can be tricky."
His posture is weary, and his dark gold eyes speak volumes.
"You're not talking about Alice are you?"
He sighs and smiles sheepishly, before shaking his head.
"Things are complicated for Alice, I won't belittle that. But every thought, every memory, and every vision that crosses her mind crosses mine."
"Not to mention all the thoughts of the people around you." She adds quietly.
"And after all that, there are times when there seems to be very little room for thoughts of my own. It is the irony of our situation that I never have quite as much peace as I do with you. I'm finally able to be alone with my own thoughts. But at the same time, there is no other person in this world whose thoughts I want to know more than yours."
She doesn't reply at first, but he can tell that she is concentrating on something in particular.
"I'm not sorry that you can't hear my thoughts." She twines her fingers together, studying the way they fit together as she speaks, "You think so much of me, more than you should really, and sometimes I worry that if you knew my thoughts, if you knew me as you know other humans, you'd see just how ordinary I am."
He pulls the car to a stop, and she looks around to see that they have already arrived at a small diner in Port Angeles. Her jaw drops, and he takes the opportunity to drag his fingers across it, shutting her mouth with a gentle force.
"Bella. Whether I hear your thoughts or not, I know you better than I know any other human. Most humans fly just under our radar, we don't notice them more than necessary because there is no reason to do so, and it's safer that way. But as I told you, a vampire's mind is capable perceiving many things at once, and contemplating even more all at the same time. I spend nearly every minute of my day thinking about you Bella. I know everything that I could possibly know about you. I could even draw your face down to the smallest detail from memory. I've detected at least seven shades of brown in your hair and four subtle shades of red. You have eleven very light freckles on your face and one on your neck. I've read every book in your apartment just to understand to the best of my ability what you like and how you think. "
She can only stare at him in shock.
"I love you, Bella. You may wrongly consider yourself ordinary, but you have captivated me, all of me. And I like to think that I'm not that easily entertained by ordinary things."
She laces her fingers with his, but offers no reply other than a smile.
He wonders if she'll ever believe him when he says he loves her. He doesn't know any other way to tell her. He can't explain the feeling he has when her small warm hand is covered by his own. It's incomprehensible. It's like sleeping and waking at the same time. Like that moment between night and day when the sun and moon both reside in the sky. It's like having it all, in every sense of the phrase.
"Lunch?" He asks, breaking them out of their quiet reverie.
Her stomach rumbles again, almost as if in answer.
They both laugh, and he moves quickly to open her door. He offers his hand in assistance, and silently thanks his gentlemanly upbringing for giving him another excuse to touch his hand to hers.
He's beginning to understand just how addicted he is to Bella Swan.
The waitress seats them in a booth near the front of the restaurant—a booth that just happens to be right across from her perch behind the front counter. Bella glares at the older blonde, but she continues to stare blatantly.
"Ignore her." Edward grumbles under his breath.
"That's easy for you to say, you're used to this. Girls are always staring at you."
He laughs, "And you think boys aren't always staring at you?"
She opens her mouth to protest, but the bell rings signaling the entrance of a loud group of people a few feet away. There are two girls laughing shrilly at something presumably said by the two guys accompanying them.
Edward's back is to the front door, and it takes him a moment to recognize the voices, or rather thoughts, but he sees the recognition on Bella's face first. They walk by without acknowledging the waitress, probably heading to their usual booth.
He is assaulted by Lauren's thoughts as she notices his presence.
Oh, my, God! It's totally Edward Cullen!
"Oh my God!" She yells in his direction, "It's totally Edward Cullen!"
I haven't seen him since graduation.
"I haven't seen you since graduation!" She smiled widely.
A moment later Jessica appears at her side.
Edward Cullen! God, he hasn't changed at all! He still looks spectacular.
"Edward Cullen!" Jessica crys, "God, you haven't changed at all!"
Edward tries not to roll his eyes. This is how it always is with these kind of people. Things get to be a bit… Repetitive.
Jessica's eyes shift to Bella and she frowns, "Who's your friend?"
He opens his mouth to answer, but is beaten to it as Lauren and Jessica's companions join them.
"Bella?" A male voice asks, before stepping forward from between the two girls.
He watches as Bella immediately drops her hair in front of her face to provide a sort of shield.
His elevated hearing detects the quietest of groans before she finally speaks.
"Hi Mike."
A/N: Haha! I couldn't take them to Forks without an appearance from the good ole gang! Who's excited to see some Mike Newton in the next chapter??
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