Chapter Eleven: Bearable

The first night in the Cullen house was complete bliss for me. I was happy as I changed into my pajamas. I was happy as I curled up under my covers to go to sleep. My dreams, for once, were all pleasant.

I woke up the next morning to the smell of pancakes wafting through the house. My mouth was watering within seconds. I wasn't used to waking up on Sunday mornings to the smells of breakfast. Normally, it was to the sound of Charlie stumbling to bed after a long night out. I'd offer him breakfast, and he'd gag at the thought of it.

I quickly looked at myself in the mirror and gasped slightly. My hair was sticking up in various directions, making me look like I had been electrocuted. I quickly grabbed a brush that either Alice or Esme must have put in here at one point and brushed my hair out as good as I could. I took the hair things that I had on my wrist and put my hair up into a messy bun. I looked in the mirror once again and, satisfied that I couldn't make myself look any better, I opened the door and started heading for the stairs.

I could hear laughter and talking coming from the kitchen, so I figured everyone was up by this point.

When I entered the kitchen, I was greeted with smiles and 'good mornings' from everyone before they went back to their conversations. My eyes searched for Edward, and I found him sitting on the counter eating his breakfast with his eyes on me.

"Hi." I mouthed at him.

He smiled his crooked smile. "Hey." He mouthed back.

I blushed for some unknown reason and walked over to where the food was spread out. As I smelled from my room, there wer indeed pancakes. I put two on my plate eagerly and put a decent amount of syrup on them.

"Morning, Bells!" Emmett said loudly, putting his arm around me. "Sleep well?"

I nodded. "Yes, thank you." I said politely.

He laughed. "Good to know."

He walked over to where Rosalie was sitting at the table and plopped down next to her and began to devour three more pancakes. I smiled.

"Was the guest room alright, Bella?" Esme asked, smiling at me.

"Yes, it was wonderful. Thank you so much."

Esme tisked. "What did I say about thanking me?" She scolded teasingly.

"Sorry, I forgot. But you do deserve to be thanked." I said simply.

She shook her head and smiled at me again. "Family helps each other out when they need help, and I consider you part of my family. So no more thanking me." She reached out kissed my forehead and then walked away. My eyes started watering. I was part of a family now. That concept was amazing to me.

I walked over to where Edward sat on the counter and stood next to him. I wasn't really sure what I should do, but my worry was unneeded. Edward hopped of the counter and grabbed my plate for me, setting it aside. He pulled me to his chest and hugged me.

"Good morning." He sighed into my hair.

I giggled a little, but was very embarrassed. Had he told his family about last night?

"Good morning." I replied.

He let me go and smiled his heart stopping crooked smile at me.

He hopped back up on the counter and patted the space next to him. I hopped up and grabbed my plate and then began eating. I was starving for some reason.

I glanced up as I ate and was surprised that no one was staring at Edward and me. I would have figured Alice would be jumping up and down or something, but her and Jasper were eating their food at the breakfast nook and were chatting about something. Emmett and Rosalie were talking at the table while Emmett started eating Rosalie's left overs. I shrugged and went back to eating.

After I had finished my breakfast and was full, I got up and brought my plate over to the sink and laid it down as I had seen Esme do earlier. I stood there while everyone else finished up and one by one, they brought their dished to the sink and plopped them down. Once everyone was starting to make their way out of the kitchen, I grabbed the dishrag I had found nearby and began to wash the dishes.

"Bella?" Alice said from behind me. Only she and Edward were left in the kitchen.

"Yeah?" I asked as I started to scrub the syrup off of one of the plates.

"You know that you don't have to do that, right? That Esme or someone will get them later?"

I sighed. "I know, but I want to. It's the least I can do." I shrugged.

Alice sighed and smiled at me. "Fine then. At least let me help you. You wash, I dry." She said as she walked over to me and grabbed a dry towel.

I smiled. "Okay."

Edward was standing in the doorway still, smiling at us.

"Go on, Eddie. We've got this." She trilled out.

He rolled his eyes. "Don't call me Eddie." He said. He looked at me, winked, and then walked out.

Alice was quiet for a moment, listening intently to something that I couldn't figure out. Suddenly, she turned to me, grabbed a dish I had just washed and rinsed, and began drying it.

"So…you and my brother?" She said, smiling a knowing smile at me.

I shrugged. "What about us?" I said, blushing.

"Oh please!" Alice said, exasperated. "We all saw your little display of affection this morning. And not that it wasn't adorable, it was just unexpected."

I bit my lip. "I don't know exactly…you're not going to be mad, are you?" I asked, concerned.

She laughed. "Goodness, no! I've been waiting for this to happen since you two first met. I was just wondering how it started."

I began rinsing off another plate. "It started last night, I would say. It's been…building up for a while, I think."

She began to dry the plate once I handed it to her. "Details, Bella! As your best friend, you have to tell me what happened!" She demanded.

I couldn't help but smile at that. "Best friend?" I asked.

She smiled widely at me. "Of course." She assured me.

I smiled back. "Well then…" I picked up another plate and began to wash it. After I rinsed it and handed it to her, I began. "Last night, during the movie, he had put his arm around me and let me put my head on his shoulder." I said quietly as I began to scrub another dish. "And then after the movie, he walked me up to my room. And before I went in, he kissed me."

Alice squealed loudly and threw her arms around me, plate and towel still in hand. "Yes! I'm so happy for you two!"

"Thanks, Alice." I said, smiling at her exuberance.

We prattled on about mindless things as we finished the dishes. Once the last one was finished, Alice dried her hands off and turned to me.

"Well, why don't you go take a shower? I'll find you some clothes you can wear. I'm sure between Rosalie and me, we can find something good." She said with a smile.

"That sounds good. Thanks." I smiled.

She waved her hand, dismissing my gratitude. "I'll be up to your room in a few minutes with clothes." She skipped ahead of me while I slowly walked from the kitchen and headed up the stairs. I went into my room and started to make my bed, not wanting to disrespect whatever rules there may be in this house. Just as I finished up, Alice knocked on my door and opened it.

"Here you go." She said with a smile, handing me a pair of jeans, a white shirt, some…delicates, and a towel. "This should all fit just perfectly." She said with confidence.

"Thanks." I said as she walked out the door.

"Yup!" she said enthusiastically.

I quickly walked across the hallway and went into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind me. I wanted to avoid the disaster of someone walking in on me.

I don't think a shower ever felt so good in my entire life. The hot water relaxed my tense muscles and made me feel more relaxed. I washed my hair, scrubbing it so that when I got out, maybe it would be somewhat tamable. After that, I washed my body, rinsed, and the turned off the water. I hopped out of the shower and threw the towel around my body, drying off, and then wrapped it in my hair.

I looked at the clothes Alice gave me to wear. The shirt was a very soft long sleeved shirt that was modest. I put it on and realized that it did indeed fit perfectly. The pants were next and even though they were a bit tight, they still buttoned and zipped, satisfying me. I looked at myself in the slightly fogged up mirror, making sure I looked somewhat presentable. I then walked out of the bathroom after I took the towel out of my hair.

When I walked into the hallway, I was surprised to see Edward coming out of his bedroom…with no shirt on. He caught me staring just a second too long, and I turned away, blushing.

"See something you like, Bella?" He teased as he walked towards me.

"Uhh…no. I mean, yes…I mean…I've got to go dry my hair." I started to turn away, but he caught my arm, laughing as he did so.

"I was just kidding, Bella. You don't have to be shy like that around me…even though I do love that blush." He chuckled again.

"Oh, hush." I demanded.

He smiled. "What are your plans for the rest of the day?" He asked.

I shrugged. "Nothing. Just hanging around the house. Why?"

He smiled at me. "After I get out of the shower, come see me. We can talk. Okay?" He asked.

"Sure. I'll be up when you finish."

"Good." He smiled. He leaned forward and gave me a peck on the lips, surprising me. "See you in a while then." And with that, he turned around and walked into the bathroom, winking at me before he shut the door.

I sighed and turned around going into my bedroom quickly to brush my hair out. After that, I decided to go downstairs to find something to occupy myself with while I waited for my talk with Edward.

I had to admit that I was nervous. I don't know what he wanted to talk about. Weren't "talks" like this normally a bad thing? From what I've seen and heard, they always ended in someone crying because they got their heart broken. What if he was going to tell me that he was just in the heat of the moment and should never have kissed me?

Stop that, Bella. I demanded myself. He just kissed me again like two minutes ago. If he didn't like it the first time, he wouldn't have wanted more. I sighed, wishing there was a way to just turn my mind off for a few minutes so I could stop my constant strain of over thinking things.

I found Esme in the living room. She was curled up in the corner of the couch, reading a book. I quickly scanned the title, curious as to what she was reading. It was Wuthering Heights, one of my personal favorite books. I loved to read. Reading was a way I had of escaping for me whenever my life became too much for me to handle. Even though Wuthering Heights was one of the most depressing books ever written, I still loved it. There was something about the story. Maybe it was the inevitability of it. It seemed like no matter what, Heathcliff and Katherine would end up loving each other. It wasn't a love story with a happy ending, but then again in real life, some love stories don't have happy endings.

After a few moments, Esme sensed my presence. She looked up from her book and smiled.

"Bella. What can I do for you?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing. I was just wandering and I saw you were reading Wuthering Heights. It's one of my favorites."
Esme smiled widely at me. "I guess I'm not the only one who likes slightly demonic love stories." She said with a chuckle. "Do you read a lot?" She asked.

I nodded. "I love reading." I said simply.

She scooted over and patted the spot next to her on the couch. I walked over and sat down, tucking my legs under me.

"Tell me, Bella. What kinds of books do you enjoy? I'm sure you saw in Carlisle's office, there are quite a few books." She said with a chuckle.

I nodded with a smile. "I noticed." I chuckled. "And I will honestly read anything. I love Jane Austen and both Brontë sisters. Jane Eyre is another one of my favorites."

Esme nodded in approval. "You have some good taste." She said. "What about Charles Dickens?" She asked.

We went back and forth for quite some time, discussing our favorite authors and our least favorite. Esme and I had a lot of similar tastes when it came to reading. I never really had anyone to talk to about books before, so I was marveling in this moment. Having someone to talk to was wonderful.

Just as we started talking about Shakespeare, I heard a throat clear behind us. Edward stood there, his hair damp and looking breath taking as usual.

"Hello, Edward. What can we do for you?" Esme asked, smiling at her son.

He smiled back. "I was wondering if I could steal Bella for a while." He asked, looking at me.

Esme nodded. "She's all yours. I have to run down to the store anyways. Bella, when I get back, I'm going to dig in Carlisle's office for Emma. It's one of my favorites of Jane Austen. I still can't believe you haven't read it!" She said, her face disbelieving.

I smiled at her. "That would be wonderful." I replied.

"Okay then. I'll see you two later." She said. Edward and I stood in the living room as Esme threw her shoes on and then ran out the door. Once she was gone, Edward turned to me.

"Shall we go to my room?" He asked.

I nodded. "Sure."

He offered his hand to me and after a moment, I took it, smiling at him when I felt the electric charge race through our hands.

He smiled back as if he understood.

We made our way quickly to his room. Once we were inside, he shut the door behind him. I remembered being in here yesterday…wow. It was hard to believe that was yesterday. I shuddered slightly and walked over to the couch, sitting down. I looked around his room again, noticing the subtle differences from last time I was in here. Some of the clothes were picked up, but now there were different shirts strewn about in different places. And this time, on his bed I noticed a keyboard.

"Do you play piano?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yes. I use that whenever I get an idea for a composition late at night. I can plug earphones into it." He said with a smile. "I have a baby grand piano in the basement. I go down there a lot."

"Can I hear you play sometime?" I asked quietly.

He walked over and sat down next to me, touching my cheek. "Of course. I'd love for you to hear me play."

I smiled at him. "So…" I began, cutting to the chase. "What did you want to talk about?" I asked, looking at him curiously.

"Ohh…" He began nervously. Edward was nervous? Oh-no. "Well…I just wanted to know…how you felt about…me." He finally mumbled.

I looked down at my hands as I fiddled with them on my lap. "Actually, I was, uh, kind of curious about the same thing. How you feel about me."

"Well I thought that it would be kind of obvious after what I did last night." He said with a chuckle.

I smiled slightly. "Well yes, I just want to be sure." I said with a shrug.

"Bella, I like you a lot. You make me so…happy. I've only known you for a little while, but I can't imagine my life without you now." He said sincerely. "I've never felt this way about anyone else." He finished, looking into my eyes with an intensity that left me breathless.

It was quiet for a few moments as we just stared at each other, basking in whatever feeling surrounded us.

"Okay." Edward said, shaking his head slightly. "Your turn. How do you feel about me?"

I shifted slightly. "I like you a lot too. You make me feel safe and comforted and happy, truly happy for once in my life. I've faked happy so many times that I almost forgot what it felt like to be really happy. You've helped me remember that. And I've never felt like this about anyone either. You mean so much to me already. And it kind of scares me." I said seriously.

"I'm scared too." He admitted. "But I really want to try this. I want to try us. It may take some adjusting, what with us living together," He said with a teasing glint in his eyes, "but I think it could be good. I know it will be." He said as he grabbed my hand.

"I want to try too." I said, smiling at him. "But we need to take things slow. I'm kind of a mess right now." I said with a shrug.

He nodded. "Of course, Bella. I completely understand that."

I half smiled. "That's one thing that I completely adore about you." I said with a smile. "You're so understanding."

He shrugged. "Have you met my mom and dad?" He joked. "It's genetic."

I laughed and leaned into him, wrapping my arms around his waist. His arms quickly wrapped themselves around me, and once again, I felt safe and calm.

I knew as we sat there that there would be many more problems to deal with. My father being one of them. But I also knew that Edward would be by my side, and with that thought in mind, everything seemed bearable

Another chapter complete! Let me know what you think…review!

Also, I'm thinking of adding a one-shot that I wrote a while ago. It's really corny, but it's cute. Should I add it? Review and let me know! Thanks for reading! :)