Bella's POV
I woke up Saturday morning, just as the pink light of dawn was slipping over the horizon. The T-shirt had given me to sleep in the night before had ridden up and was bunched around my waist, leaving plenty of skin for Edward's strong arm to touch as he lay wrapped around me, my back to his front. I felt his morning erection pressed between our bodies, and I could feel just how hard he was. Suddenly, I had an overwhelming need to touch him, to feel him against my skin, not just through the fabric of my panties and his sleep pants.
Carefully, I moved out from under his arm, enjoying the soft noise of protest he made when he wasn't touching me anymore. I paused, waiting to see if he would wake up, but he didn't. He simply rolled over onto his back a little, pulling my pillow with him.
Thank you very much for making my job even easier, Edward, I thought with glee before sliding down between his legs under the sheets.
I was careful not to touch him too much; I didn't want to wake him too quickly. First, I carefully pulled his sleep pants over his impressive erection, sliding it down his hips as best I could. Then, bracing myself on my hands on either side of his hips, I leaned forward and oh-so-slowly ran my tongue from the base of his cock to the tip, swirling it around the flared head before moving my way back down. My tongue traced the veins under the skin until I got to his balls, where I sucked first one, then the other, into my mouth.
When I eased my mouth back to the top, I encased just the head between my lips, gently sucking to get as much of the pre-cum beading at the tip that I could. It tasted so good, I unconsciously hummed my appreciation, which apparently was enough to finally wake Edward from his light sleep. He moaned my name softly, and I felt the pillow get shoved to the other side of the bed before his hands tossed the sheet over me, exposing me to his view.
"God, Bella," he hissed, fisting his hands in my hair gently.
I looked up at him from under my lashes and slowly lowered my head until he was as far in my mouth as he could go. When I wrapped my fingers around the base to stroke the length I couldn't reach with my mouth, he groaned and thrust his hips up slightly, his fingers pulling my hair subconsciously.
I made a sound deep in my throat, and from the whimper it pulled from Edward, I knew the vibration had felt good on his cock. His pre-cum was flowing freely down my throat as I stroked and sucked him. My fist twisted on every movement up his shaft, over and over again, until he was thrusting with every other stroke.
Moving to brace myself on my elbow, my now-free hand moved to cup his heavy sac. I rolled his balls in my palm for a moment, relishing the weight and warmth. With one last hard suck, I moved my mouth down, using my hand to continue stroking his length. When I sucked a ball between my lips and used my tongue to trace circles on the warm skin, Edward cried out, his body tensing.
"Fuck! Bella, I won't last like this," he groaned.
I smirked against his skin, letting his ball slide from between my lips before sucking the other into my mouth. My tongue massaged it in my mouth for a moment while my hand twisted and stroked his erection. When I got to the tip, my thumb brushed over the slit, spreading the pre-cum around the sensitive head.
With one last draw on his sac, I released him and moved my mouth back to his cock. One hand cupped him again, and I braced myself on the mattress with the other as I swallowed his entire length into my mouth and down my throat, taking pleasure in his immediate reaction.
He cried out and thrust hard as I deep throated his cock. I could feel his sac draw tight under my palm, and when I reached back with a finger to press and rub the sensitive spot behind his balls and moaned around him, he exploded.
I watched as he threw his head to the pillow, arching his back and thrusting his hips when he came, shooting thick ropes of tangy, salty cum into my mouth. He was gasping for breath, and I swallowed and swallowed all he had to offer, until he was nearly boneless beneath me. His hands fell to his sides, as if the mere act of holding his arms up was too much at the moment.
Gently, I let his softening cock slide from my lips, giving it one last kiss before moving back up the bed to lie beside Edward.
"Good morning," I murmured. I wrapped my arm around him and slid my leg on top of his.
"Shit, Bella," he breathed. "That was amazing!"
~*~*~CIBD~*~*~
Edward's POV
I turned to my side and wrapped the reason for my existence in my arms, telling her again, "You are amazing, my love."
Her answering grin made my heart stutter, like I was on the edge of death, before it began beating so hard that I felt it would jump right out of my chest. When she whispered, "I love you, Edward," I thought I had died and was lying there in Heaven.
I leaned down to brush my lips lightly with hers, moving to cup her face with my hands and sweeping my thumbs across her cheeks as I answered softly, "As I love you."
We lay together for another minute before I glanced over at the clock and sighed. "Love, we have about thirty minutes before Rose and Emmett get here to pick us up. How about I grab some clothes, and then we head to your place to get ready?"
"Sounds good," she answered, smiling.
With one last kiss, we both climbed out of bed, and I pulled my sleep pants off completely, smirking when Bella watched me instead of moving further. I watched the blush spread across her cheeks as I used the pants to wipe myself off. Then I grabbed a pair of basketball shorts from the dresser, pulling them on to wear across the landing to Bella's apartment.
When I moved to find a shirt and jeans to wear to Seattle, Bella finally shook herself out of her trance-like state and went to the bathroom to grab her clothes from the day before. She came out a few minutes later, wearing the jeans, but carrying the shirt, still in my T-shirt I'd given her last night.
"Ready?" I asked, smiling at her.
She nodded, and I grabbed the clothes from the top of the dresser before ushering her out of the bedroom.
I stopped in the living room to grab my keys, wallet, cell phone, and sneakers, letting Bella grab her things too, and then moved to the door. Before opening it, I paused.
"Let me go first, okay?" I told her. When she nodded, I continued. "When we get to your door, stay outside until I tell you it's okay to come in."
To my relief, she didn't protest at all, just simply nodded again. I could tell she was still shaken up about the day before, and I vowed to myself that I would make her feel safe again.
I opened the door and stepped out; seeing no one, I motioned Bella out, as well. Locking my door behind her, I traded her keys. "If something happens, go let yourself back in and lock it behind you," I told her. I wasn't expecting anything to happen, but better safe than sorry.
When we got to her door, I handed her my things and then used her key to let myself in. I left the door open and made a quick sweep of the apartment. Finding nothing out of place, I went back to Bella, ushering her inside.
"Everything good?" she questioned.
I smiled, nodding. "Looks fine," I said, taking my things back from her. "You wanna shower first, love?"
She nodded, turning toward the hall. She'd moved a few steps before she paused and turned to look over her shoulder at me.
"Wanna save time and shower together?" she asked with a grin. Without waiting for an answer, she took off quickly down the hall.
I tossed everything but my clothes down on the couch and raced off to find her in the bathroom, already out of her jeans and stripping off my T-shirt.
Standing there in her lacy, pink panties, she looked like a sex kitten. Her breasts were just the right size for my hands, the nipples a pale, rosy pink. Her trim waist led to gently flared hips, which brought my eyes to the soft curve of her ass and the special place at the juncture of her thighs.
She held my eyes as she slowly slid the panties down her legs, baring herself to me. My dick went from semi-hard to completely rigid in seconds when I saw the moisture gathering on her curls, almost begging me to taste it.
Suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to bury my face in those curls until she came on my tongue. Without bothering to undress myself, I set my clothes on the bathroom counter, moved the two feet to Bella, picked her up, and carefully set her on the edge. I moved her thighs apart with my hands and then did exactly what I'd wanted to do from the moment I set eyes on her.
I lowered my head and began to taste.
Within minutes, I had her writhing underneath me, her hands braced behind her and head thrown back as she moaned my name over and over again. My mouth covered her whole pussy, teasing and tasting her.
"Please, oh, please," she mumbled, trying to thrust her hips up to meet my tongue.
"Please what, love?" I asked against her lower lips.
"Oh, God, Edward, please, let me come!" she pleaded.
Never one to deny my love anything she asked for, I slid two fingers inside her, curling them, and sucked her clit into my mouth, swirling my tongue around. When I bit down gently, she cried out, her orgasm hitting her suddenly. I withdrew my fingers, moving them to circle her clit softly as my mouth descended on her opening, and I used my tongue to gather all the juices flowing out of her.
When she finally stopped shaking, I pressed one more kiss to her lower lips and then stood and gathered her to me. She tangled her hands in my hair, tugging me to her, and kissed me for all she was worth.
My face was slick with her juices, but she didn't seem to care. She slid her tongue between my lips; we both hummed with pleasure as I shared her own taste with her. My cock, hard as steel, was nestled between us, pressing against her clit with every movement. I wanted inside her, but knew we needed to get in the shower.
I pulled away, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, and said, "C'mon, love, let's get in the shower." I shed my shorts and tossed them aside. Turning back around, I picked her up and set her on her feet before turning to the shower.
As I turned on the water and waited for it to warm, Bella wrapped her arms around my waist, pressing her breasts against my back. She kissed my skin once and reached around to stroke my dick. I growled softly, thrusting into her hand before moving my own down to cover hers, helping her stroke me.
"Bella, love, if you don't stop now, I won't be held responsible for the consequences," I promised her.
Her only response was to tighten her fist and stroke faster.
As soon as the water was hot, I stepped into the shower and pulled her in with me.
"Bella," I murmured, pressing her back against the cool tile of the shower.
She looked up at me with her big, beautiful brown eyes, waiting for me to continue.
"Do you know what I thought the first time I saw your bathroom?"
She shook her head, biting her lower lip between her teeth.
"All I could think about was how it would feel to take you against the wall of this shower, to take you from behind until we could both barely stand." My voice was low, husky, as desire and need seeped in.
Bella smiled wantonly and then stepped closer, pressing herself to me as she whispered, "Why don't you, then?"
I growled once and then turned her around, bending her at the waist so her chest was pressed to the tile. With a foot, I nudged her legs apart, and then I slid my fingers into her from behind, testing her wetness.
Bella whimpered and thrust her hips back at me, begging without words for more. I pulled my fingers free, and holding the base of my dick with one hand and her hip with the other, I thrust balls deep into her.
We both cried out as her pussy gripped my cock. We'd made love several times a few nights before, but even so, it felt like coming home.
We were both too worked up already to go slow. Bella blindly reached back, pulling me forward until I was bent over her, my head close to hers. Her hand moved to my hair, tugging until my mouth hovered above her shoulder.
"Touch yourself," I begged. "I'm not gonna last long, Bella."
Her hand left my hair and disappeared in front of her, and I knew she was fingering her clit when she gasped and thrust back against me. I gripped her hip with one hand and braced myself on the wall with the other and then began to pound into her. She was meeting me thrust for thrust and began trembling as I fucked her.
"Oh, God!" she cried, and from the way her arm began to move, I could tell she'd begun touching herself more forcefully.
I felt my orgasm beginning, so I growled a plea for her to come with me.
I bit down lightly on the spot where her neck met her shoulder, and when she cried out, I felt her clench tight around me, her orgasm pulling mine from me, as well. I continued thrusting until it began to get too sensitive, and then I slowly pulled out and turned her around, pressing my forehead to hers.
"Oh, God, Bella," I moaned softly. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" I touched the little mark on her skin I'd made with my teeth and felt her shudder.
She was breathing heavily, but shook her head and said, "No, not at all. That was..." She paused, like she was trying to think of the right word. "That was better than amazing."
We stood under the spray for several more minutes, until Bella gasped.
"What's wrong?" I looked her over, making sure she wasn't hurt anywhere.
"Edward! We need to hurry. Emmett and Rose'll be here soon," she said quickly, trying to turn around to get to the soap.
"Let 'em wait," I murmured, pulling her back to me and burying my face in her neck, breathing in her scent.
"And have Emmett tease us the entire way to Seattle?" she asked, tugging at my hair until I was looking at her. "I don't think so!"
I laughed, knowing she was right. "Okay, love. You're right. I'd hate to have to kill him before my parents even get home. Let's get clean, sweet girl."
~*~*~CIBD~*~*~
Bella's POV
Ten minutes later, we were out of the shower and dressed. I was drying my hair when I heard a knock on the door and Emmett's booming voice.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are!"
Edward just looked at me and rolled his eyes. We both chuckled when we heard what his brother yelled next.
"Rosie, baby, are they over there?"
"Damn," Edward said with a laugh. "I'm gonna go let 'em in before people start calling the police and Emmett gets arrested for disturbing the peace."
He gave me a quick kiss and then walked out to the living room. I heard him open the door and greet Emmett and Rose, and then the TV in the living room switched on.
I was bent over, drying the underside of my wavy hair, when I heard a knock on the door frame. I quickly flipped back up and saw Rose standing in the doorway.
"Hi," I greeted her, smiling.
"Good morning, Bella. How are you doing this morning?"
I grabbed a small clip and began pulling my hair back before answering. With a sigh, I said, "Better. Nothing really happened yesterday. I dunno why I got so freaked out."
Rose came into the bathroom and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Bella, it was okay to be scared. From what you told us, the guy was uber-creepy and disturbing. Better to be frightened enough that it puts your guard up for a while than to blow it off and be sorry later."
I nodded. "I guess so, yeah." I paused, thinking over what Rose had said. "Well, anyway, I'm better today. I fell asleep in Edward's arms, and that's like a big ol' security blanket," I said, chuckling.
"Believe me, I know the feeling. I've never felt as safe as I do when I'm in Emmett's arms. He's such a big teddy bear, but he can be protective and fierce when he needs to be."
We smiled at each other in the mirror as I checked my reflection one last time.
"Okay," I told her. "I'm ready."
We walked out to the living room and saw Edward and Emmett sprawled on my couch like they owned the place.
"Make yourself right at home, doofus," Rose told Emmett, smacking the back of his head.
"Hey!" he called loudly. "What the hell did I do?" He looked mystified as he stared up at his wife.
"This is new furniture, Em. Move your feet!" Rose looked at me and rolled her eyes when I just grinned.
"You ready, love?" Edward asked, looking over at me.
"I am," I replied. To the group, I said, "We haven't eaten anything, and I haven't had my coffee, so let's run through someplace first, please."
"Oh, yeah, I could get something to eat," Emmett agreed, rubbing his stomach.
Rose rolled her eyes again. "Don't let him fool you, Bella. He already had three pancakes, three scrambled eggs, three pieces of bacon, and nearly half a gallon of orange juice this morning."
My eyes bugged out, and I looked Emmett over, trying to find out where he'd put it all.
He cracked a grin and said, "I look good, don't I?"
Edward snorted from behind him.
Emmett sniffed, like he was offended. "Hey, don't knock it. I know I do. Besides, anything I eat today will be burned off moving the pixie and her cowboy."
"Sure, Emmett, whatever you say," Edward told him, laughing. He turned to look at me again. "What do you need to take, Bella?"
"Lemme just grab my purse and make sure my cell and everything I need's in it, and then we can go."
I quickly threw in my cell phone, the book I was in the middle of, my iPod for the heck of it, and a can of mace—courtesy of my father. After checking to make sure my wallet was already in there, I grabbed my keys and smiled, moving toward the door.
After ushering everyone out ahead of me, I locked up, tossed my keys into my purse, and took Edward's proffered hand, letting him lead me to Emmett's waiting Jeep.
~*~CIBD~*~
On our way out of town, we drove through McDonald's, where Emmett placed an order for two breakfast burritos, five sausage egg mcmuffins, four hash browns, and four large coffees. The voice over the speaker seemed hesitant and had Emmett repeat the order twice. He finally got frustrated enough that he drove up to the window without being told. When the worker got a look at Emmett and the rest of us, she blushed and meekly gave Emmett the total.
After passing my single sandwich, Edward's burritos, two hash browns, and two coffees back to us, Rose handed Emmett the bag with a laugh.
"I've known you for almost ten years, and you still surprise me," she told him, shaking her head.
"Good," he said, nodding. "Gotta keep you on your toes." He looked in the rear view mirror and winked at me. "Everyone ready?"
We nodded, and he carefully drove out of the parking lot, heading for the 101.
The eighty or so mile trip took just over two hours with traffic. About an hour into the drive, Rose got a call from Alice, who suggested we meet them at Pike Place Market, where she wanted to go one last time before moving.
At Rose's suggestion, I called Angela and asked if she and Ben wanted to met us there as well. When I called Ang, she said they were both working until just before noon, so instead, she suggested a place to meet up for lunch in the Market. The rest of us could hang there until lunch and meet up with them then. I asked the three in the Jeep with me if that sounded good to them and then told Ang I'd see her then.
~*~CIBD~*~
We spent two hours walking around the Market, talking, laughing, and just enjoying hanging out as a group. Our first stop was Rachel, the giant brass pig sculpture, which was a real working piggy bank and the mascot of Pike Place Market. Emmett insisted we each hop on and get our picture taken, but when it came to his turn, he stood behind the pig and made obscene gestures.
Laughing, Jasper and Edward pulled him away while Rose hissed, "Dumbass! You're gonna get us kicked out!" She promptly put in some money to the big bank, rolling her eyes and smirking at Alice and me as she turned away from the boys.
Edward lead us directly into Pike Place Fish, claiming he wanted to see the flying fish. Just as we walked inside, the guy standing out selling to the crowd shouted, "Sockeye!"
Everyone behind the counter yelled it back to him, and then the whole, cleaned salmon went flying through the air to someone at the counter. We watched for a few minutes, different types of fish getting called out and thrown, even seeing them sometimes pass them back and forth several times.
Just before we were set to leave, a worker behind the counter caught a fish, set it down, and then pulled something out from behind the counter. He looked into the crowd and tossed the stuffed animal our way. Emmett caught the toy salmon and began dancing around like he'd just caught the winning touchdown.
As we walked away, he decided if the shop ever went under, he was moving to Seattle and becoming a fish thrower; Rose just glared at him, as if she dared him to even entertain the thought further.
I looked around and said, "I wanna go to Market Spice. I think it's that way." I pointed in the direction I thought I saw the little store.
I'd heard about the great shop on the Food Network. It sold bulk spices, teas, and even a few coffees. I ended up buying several containers of the coffee and tea, promising to make Edward a cup the next morning.
As we walked, Rose stopped at Frank's Quality Produce. "I want an apple," she said randomly.
We all looked at each other, shrugged, and followed her inside.
While there, "Little Frank," as he told us to call him, told us a little about their history. The shop had been in their family for nearly a hundred years, and we could tell they loved it. Rose picked out her apple while Alice and I asked for directions to the place we were meeting Ang and Ben for lunch. After diligently writing them down, Alice and I said goodbye to Little Frank, and we headed back out to continue playing tourist.
We wandered for a while until we came up on a cute little shop dedicated to the Day of the Dead. All of us but Alice enjoyed Milagros Mexican Folk Art; she claimed it freaked her out, much to our amusement. None of us hesitated to tease her about it.
When we got to Beecher's Handmade Cheese, I saw Angela and Ben standing outside waiting for us.
"Ang!" I ran up and grabbed my old friend in a big hug, twirling her around as she laughed.
"Hey, Bells! It's so good to see you! You look amazing," she gushed once I'd put her down.
Ben immediately grabbed me in a hug, patting my back gently. "She's right, Bella," he said, pulling back to look me over critically. "You look...happy."
I grinned. "I am." I held my hand out for Edward, who was standing with the rest of the group a few feet away. "Very."
Edward stuck out his free hand to shake Ben's and said, "Hey, guys. It's good to see you. Enjoying Seattle so far?"
Angela nodded and answered, "We are. It's a great city. So much to do here compared to Forks and Port Angeles. Hi, guys," she called over Edward's shoulder. "Is everyone ready for lunch? They have the best mac-and-cheese here!"
Alice nodded. "Don't they? I get that every time we come here."
Everyone greeted Angela and Ben, and then we walked inside, quickly finding a place to park ourselves so we could order our lunch and still watch the cheesemakers at work. We all ordered a sandwich and mac-and-cheese, except Rose, who ordered a sandwich and Tomato Flagship soup.
"So you found a house already?" Alice asked Angela, as we watched them making the cheese and waited for our lunch to arrive.
"We did. We close in a month. We were supposed to close in a couple of weeks, but something went wrong with the seller's scheduled move date, so they asked if we could push it back for two weeks," Angela told us.
Ben continued, "Yeah, since we aren't paying rent right now, it wasn't a problem for us. The guys at work are free to help whenever we move to the house, so we're okay staying where we are until then."
"What's it like? Do you have pictures?" I held my hand out, like I was reaching for something.
Angela laughed and nodded. "I took some on my phone the last time we were there, knowing you'd wanna see." She dug it out of her pocket and handed it to me.
Edward leaned in and watched as I flipped through them. The house was a brick Tudor, built into enough of a hill that the garage looked to be underground. There were big trees and bushes out in front, with steps from the sidewalk leading up to the walkway and then again to the front door. The doorway and door were arched, and the door itself was a pretty yellow color.
"The floors are hardwood, and there's plenty of space. It's got four bedrooms and two and a half baths, which is more than enough for us for a while," Angela said while we continued to flip through the pictures.
"Love the cabinets," I told her when we saw a picture of the kitchen. It was fairly small, but the cabinets were a light-colored wood, and the appliances were stainless steel, which I loved.
"The backyard is a great size," Edward commented. "You guys should get a dog."
All of us chuckled when Angela nodded her head enthusiastically.
Ben looked resigned and playfully said, "That's what she keeps telling me."
We finished looking at the pictures and then passed the phone around so Alice and Rose could look, too. Just as Rose and Emmett finished and handed the phone back to Ang, our lunch arrived at the table.
I had the Dungeness Crab & Flagship grilled sandwich, which was delicious, but their "World's Best Mac & Cheese" was amazing. Edward liked his so much, he tried stealing a few bites of mine, but I stabbed him gently with a fork, making him laugh.
Everyone chatted back and forth while we ate, catching up and just enjoying the company. When we'd finished, I looked at the clock on the wall of the little restaurant and sighed.
"I guess we'd better go," I said, sighing. "We need to get them loaded and cleaned so we can head back home."
Angela frowned and grabbed me for another hug. "I wish you didn't have to go," she told me sadly.
She released me, and I felt Edward's arms wrap around me from behind. His warm breath was suddenly near my ear as he said softly, "Why don't you go hang out with Angela and Ben, and then I can pick you up when we're heading back home?"
I turned in his arms, surprised. "Really? You guys wouldn't mind?" I looked from him to Alice.
She shook her head. "Not at all, Bella. There are plenty of us to do it all. Go hang out with them. You and Edward are gonna drive Jazzy's truck back to Port Angeles, so he can swing by and get you on his way out of town. It's not far from here, right, Angela?"
"Nope, only about six miles. It'll be easy for him to find. Umm, lemme find something to write with, and I'll give you our address and directions." She took the paper and pen Alice pulled from her purse and began writing.
~*~*~CIBD~*~*~
Edward's POV
I knew Jasper and Emmett needed to get away from the group for a bit, so I began trying to think of a way for that to happen. When Angela finished writing and gave me the paper, I stuck it in my pocket and asked, "Where did you guys park?"
Ben rolled his eyes and laughed. "There are spaces right outside, but no...Angela wanted to look for something down at the other end of the place, so we parked all the way at the south end. How about you guys?"
"Yeah, that's where we are, too. Alice and Jasper, as well." Suddenly, inspiration struck. "You know, Bella, we can't leave until we hit up the original Starbucks. It's just down the street." I'd heard someone else mention it being close earlier in the morning and knew it was something Bella would enjoy.
I watched as her head whipped up. My girl was nothing if not addicted to her coffee.
"Oooh, do we have time?" she asked excitedly, looking from me to the rest of the group.
I looked at Jazz, who nodded almost imperceptibly, and then turned back to her. "We do."
"I wanna go back to a little shop I saw earlier, maybe pick up a T-shirt or something. I don't really want any coffee. Meet you guys back at the car?" Jasper looked at Alice, and then the rest of us, before turning his gaze on Emmett.
Emmett quickly said, "Hey, man, that sounds good. Rosie, baby, I'm gonna go with Jasper. I wanna see if they have a T-shirt with a flying fish or a pig on it."
Rose just laughed and shoved at his shoulder. "Fine, then. Go on. We'll meet you guys at the cars."
The two of them left quickly, and I slipped an arm around Bella's waist and led the rest of the group out and down the street to the Starbucks. It really was close, less than a tenth of a mile, if my guess was right. It was also extremely crowded. We almost decided not to go in, since we could get a coffee at any of the many, many coffee places around Seattle. For people addicted to coffee like Bella and me, though, the temptation to buy from the original Starbucks was too great to skip, even with the crowd.
When we got inside, Alice insisted we each get a Frappuccino. She ordered a Double Chocolaty Chip, while Rose and Bella got a Cinnamon Dolce, and I got a Tazo Green Tea Crème for myself. Alice had her camera out and flirted with the guy behind the counter until he took a picture of us all holding our drinks, standing in front of the sign proclaiming it to be the original store.
Just as we were leaving the Starbucks, my phone beeped, signaling an incoming text. I handed Bella my drink and pulled my phone from my pocket.
Hey, we heard about this cool thing and thought we should check it out. Head back the way we came, and I'll meet you guys. – J
Alice asked, "Is that from Jazz?"
I nodded and held out my phone for her. "He and Emmett found something cool we have to look at before we can leave. We're supposed to head back toward the cars, and he'll meet us."
~*~*~CIBD~*~*~
Alice's POV
We walked for a couple of minutes before meeting up with Jasper in front of a restaurant called Lowell's. He waved as we approached and then moved to my side and gave me a hug.
"Emmett didn't wanna leave. So he's waiting for us there," he told us as he led us down the street.
"Where's there?" Rose asked, looking at Jasper with a curious expression on his face.
"We were walking down to the shop and heard these people talk about the gum wall."
"Gum wall? That sounds weird," Bella said, smirking.
"Oh, it is. It's bizarre," Jasper told her, "but it's pretty cool. If you don't mind gross stuff."
"Ahh, my big bear is right at home, then," Rose teased.
"Apparently, it's been rated as the second germiest place in the world," Jasper explained. "It started when people waiting in line at the theatre got upset at the wait time and stuck their gum on the wall. People just continued to do that over and over again until the walls of the little alley began filling up. They cleaned it off twice, but it became so popular and famous, they finally decided to leave it."
I laughed. "It sounds like the underside of park benches and school desks, but worse!"
"Yeah, it's crazy. Anyway, we just thought we should check it out before we left. It's in Post Alley, which runs through the Market."
We turned off into an alley and saw Emmett about midway down. He waved and shouted, "This is so cool! It's gross, but cool. Come check it out!"
We walked toward him, looking at some of the odd designs made by bubblegum on the wall, until something caught my eye. I stopped and stared, looking at it twice before it hit me that what I was reading was real.
"Jasper?" I almost gasped his name, still staring at the wall. When he didn't answer, I said it again.
When I turned to find him behind me, I saw him down on one knee, a little black box in his hands. I looked back at the wall, saw the bright green bubblegum saying MARRY ME ALICE, and then whipped back around to him.
The expression on his face was a mix of excitement and fear, but the look in his eyes was one of peace and love.
"Alice," he began quietly, "I feel like I've loved you my entire life. You make life worth living, and I can't imagine going on without you as my wife. Please say you'll do me the honor of marrying me."
I squealed and threw myself into his arms, nearly knocking him over. Only Edward behind him prevented us from falling.
"Yes, yes, yes! A million times yes, baby!"
I grinned as he slid a beautiful white gold diamond ring onto the third finger of my left hand. The diamond in the middle was a Princess cut and about a carat, with a good handful of smaller diamonds in two split rows on each side. It was a little different and definitely more interesting than a normal engagement ring. In other words, it was perfect.
Jasper was holding my hands in his and smiling. I looked at him and back at the wall before something occurred to me.
"Omigod! Please tell me you didn't touch that thing!" I shrieked, pointing at the wall behind me.
"Hey, Energizer Pixie! Lookie over here," my oafish big brother called. When I looked back at him, he held up two pairs of latex gloves. "Don't worry, sister dear. I've got you covered. Your man is clean."
Everyone, including Jasper, cracked up when I gave a big sigh of relief. I pretended to get huffy and upset, but finally, my own laughter bubbled up. I was too happy to be upset at the teasing!
~*~*~CIBD~*~*~
Bella's POV
Watching Jasper propose to Alice nearly made me cry. What he and Emmett had done on the wall was gross, but he'd scored major points for doing something so unique and interesting. As the two of them stood there staring into each other's eyes, Edward snuggled me back against his chest and leaned down to whisper into my ear.
"He's been planning to propose for a while. When we made the plans to come here today, he texted me and told me his idea. He and Emmett ran to one of the shops a few minutes ago and bought two big bags of green apple bubblegum so the green would show up enough on the wall. He'd read about this before, but neither of them had ever seen it."
I turned my head and kissed him softly before replying. "Well, I think Alice is happy. That's what matters."
"Okay, kiddies, let's go! We got things to do!" Emmett's voice echoed off the walls of the alley, startling Angela, who was standing near me.
I giggled as she jumped. She glared at me before laughing herself, and the four of us moved toward Alice, Jasper, Rose, and Emmett, beginning the walk to the car.
At the entrance to the parking garage, Angela mentioned that she and Ben were parked on the fourth level. Since everyone else was parked on the first level, I said goodbye to the others and turned to Edward.
"Call me later when you're about finished, okay?" I murmured as he wrapped his arms around me.
"I will. Have fun with Angela and Ben." He gave me a long kiss before releasing me. "Love you, my Bella."
I smiled. "Love you, too."
Angela, Ben, and I stepped into the elevator, and the last thing I saw before the doors closed was Emmett running and jumping at Edward, who was laughing as his brother led him away.