Chapter 27

I woke to the sound of rain pelting the glass of my window. A few seconds later my alarm went off and I pushed up and smacked it off the bed side table. Today it decided to stop clambering on and I sighed as I fell back on my pillow. It was the soft chuckling that reminded me that Edward had 'slept over.'

"It is incredible rude to laugh at those that need sleep, mister I don't sleep." I told him my voice gruff with sleep. My comment earned another chuckle and Edward moved me off of him and stood. Since he had literally been my pillow I frowned at him and stretched. There went my plan to sleep in and be late for school.

"Good morning Bella." Edward cooed as he knelt in front of me grinning. Why was he so happy after spending a night as my pillow?

"What's got you in such a good mood cranky pants?" I asked and again he chuckled. It was nice to see him relaxed, well as relaxed as the worry wart ever got.

"You talk in your sleep." He told me and I arched an eyebrow to say 'and?' "You said my name a few times." He continued and I rolled my eyes. What a revelation for the poor boy, I may like him. Sadly it had not been an embarrassing wet dream or anything I was merely talking to him about random stuff in the meadow that they took me to the other day.

"Yeah sorry nightmare." I told him as I gathered some clothes and headed for the bathroom. I didn't turn back but I'm pretty sure he was frowning. He hadn't lost the bipolar aspect that seemed so cute now. Gees kiss a boy and the most annoying characteristics become cute.

****

As I stepped out of the shower I noted that the clothes I had picked were not going to work well. I wasn't going to be wearing the red Asian dress today, much too cold and well yeah. Walking back into my room I hunted in my closet for a better outfit finding a pair of jeans and a band t-shirt and a hoodie I turned back to see Edward frozen and staring at me.

"Something wrong?" I asked as I looked at the towel I had wrapped around me. Man had the boy never seen a girl in a towel before? Okay if the roles were reversed I would be drooling and making weird squeaky noises but still. Deciding to be mean I moved the towel like I was going to open it to see if I would get a reaction.

Well I got one. Edward wrapped his arms over mine preventing the movement. I giggled at him as I looked up at him wondering what it must be like to move so fast. I mean he could have hugged me to him and prevented my cheekiness but he went for behind me.

"Bella." He said his voice warning and yet excited. I decided that I had gotten the right reaction and smiled up at him.

"What?" I asked playing dumb.

"I might have attacked you." He said as though that were a bad thing. Oh well maybe if it was to eat me that would suck.

"As in eat or...?" I said leaving the question open with a cheeky grin on my face. Edward chuckled but also ran his hand roughly through his hair. "Oh come on I wouldn't have flashed you but staring at me like I'm your grandmother naked in front of you is not really flattering." I told him and he smiled at me.

"I was not thinking at all along those lines." He replied and kissed me gently and as I tried to deepen the kiss he pulled away. This was going to be irritating soon. "You just smell even lovelier when you're wet." He said as he traced the outline of my face with his fingers. Personally I went to naughty places but decided not to ask if he could smell that or if he was guessing. No need to startle the chaste vampire with my random sex knowledge.

"Nice to know but a non-reaction is not the best reaction." I told him as I pulled out of his grip. I knew that he let me but I still smiled back at him as I left the room. "Want to join me?" I asked as his face displayed shock and excitement. It was nice to have him react to me the same way I do him. Somehow it made me believe that he felt exactly the same even though he was well prettier than me. Talk about dating outside of your league.

I dressed and brushed my teeth quickly and when I returned to my room I noticed that Edward wasn't there. Frowning I looked around and found him in the other bedroom; it was small and turned into an art room for me. It was simple storage for the hordes of paintings I had done over the years and more recently. It had two walls covered in cupboards filled with paintings. All of them mine and most of them were older ones that I had asked Charlie to keep since no one bought them. To me they were failures to him they were marvellous gifts from his niece.

"Ah you found the shelving space dedicated to my failure as an artist." I said sarcastically. Edward frowned at me and showed me the painting in his hands. I called it The Black Forest it was the night's sky and black shadows of a night scene.

"How is this, a failure?" he asked and I smiled at him. As I moved towards the painting I pointed to the large tree and sighed.

"Completely out of proportion and off balanced. I love the shading and colours but I hated that damned tree. I had gotten carried away and added too much to it." I told him as I rolled it back up and put it back in the slot it had sat in for a few years now.

"You have entire room dedicated to your art and you view each one a failure?" he asked and I shook my head. No for many of these I loved greatly but my agent/manager told me and my dad there was no market for childish imaging's of horrible or fantastic paintings.

"No, I love most if not all of the paintings in this room. I remember when and why I painted them. But I also remember what negative things were said about the few I showed before I stopped." I told him as I flicked my hand out to a few of the shelves. "To dark, not realistic, badly done, overly simplistic, weird brush strokes and finally too boring." I said rolling my eyes. It was a painting called Giant Forest simply a giant tree caught in sunlight off to the side of a trail that could be anywhere in the world. The intention was simplistic and supposed to be fancifully empty, but the female critic decided it was boring.

"People do enjoy being critical to those that have so much talent and they have none." Edward said and I slapped his arm and walked down to the kitchen to grab some breakfast. Sitting across from me Edward watched me eat my cereal.

"Would you like some?" I asked jokingly and Edward grimaced and shook his head.

"Somehow I think not." He replied and I smiled at him as I scooped the last of it into my mouth and cleaned out my bowl leaving it to dry as I grabbed my coat and bag. "Could I get a lift to school?"

"Sure, but don't expect to get there in less than 15 minutes." I told him as I walked out to the car. Edward looked at my car appreciatively and I rolled my eyes. The Cullens and their cars.

"After Rose works on it, it might go a lot faster than mine." Edward said enviously as I eyed him and then patted his shoulder.

"Poor baby." I told him as I started the car and pulled out of the driveway. It took me 10 minutes and I was surprised that I didn't mind going fast as long as Edward was sitting next to me. I knew that should I get in an accident he could probably save me and anyone else and still have time to rant about women drivers.

****

Angela and Erik got a kick out of seeing Edward in my passenger's seat. And Erik promptly teased him about being driven by a girl, even if we were dating. Edward beamed at that and wrapped his arms around my waist as I laughed at him.

"Bella will you go dress shopping with me?" Ange asked randomly and I looked at her waiting for an explanation. "The dance next week?" she asked and I nodded.

"Ah yes that big event thingy." I said and rolled my eyes.

"Are you going to go with me?" Edward asked and I gawked at him. Me and dances, no definitely not a mixture that ended in a good time unless...

"Nope and I'm dumping you for asking me that. You obviously don't know me at all." I told him matter-o-fact-ly. "I would love to go dress shopping. Edward does Alice have a dress for the dance?" I asked and he shook his head no. "Perfect girls and dresses it is then, when you want to go Ange?" I asked and she smiled at me knowing that I was playing with Edward.

"How about tomorrow?" She asked and Alice appeared, "Alice want to go dress shopping with Bella and me tomorrow?" she asked and Alice grinned nodding.

"Sounds perfect and Bella please go to the dance?" Alice said pouting evilly and I bowed my head surrendering to the pouting pixy.

"Fine but I am picking out a random dress and Edward has to match me perfectly." I said deciding where we would go shopping. Alice looked at me but said nothing nodding. Edward was going to have fun with this whether he liked it or not. Chances are on the not side really.

"Why do I have a feeling I'm going to wish we weren't going to this dance?" Edward said as the bell rang and I smiled, kissed him and grabbed Erik heading to first period laughing.