Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight related.
As always, thank you to my awesome, awesome friend Mari for helping me out with this.
She is amazing, just so you know.
Please read A/N at the end.
Chapter 10: One Step Closer…
The best solutions are often simple, yet unexpected.-
Julian Casablancas
"So, do you know how your mom found this place?" I ask Bella after the intense moment we just shared is passed. She shrugs and I think she will leave it at that.
"I honestly have no idea. I just remember being excited when she asked me to go out with her, because I knew we'd come here. It was the only place we'd visit, just us two." She answers me, surprising me once again, by sharing this much. I decide to risk it and ask her something else.
"And your dad never…questioned where you guys went?" I say slowly, scared of her reaction, regretting asking as soon as I'm done talking.
She snorts. "My father never cared much. I suppose things weren't as bad then…you know, since she was still coherent enough to leave the house on her own. But, I don't know, I don't like thinking about this Edward." She says, ending her little tale exasperated at me. I knew I shouldn't have asked anything.
"I know, I'm sorry. We can still leave, you know? If it makes you uncomfortable…being here." I say softly, honestly. She gives me a long look, before shaking her head.
"I used to have fun here Edward. I ate like a crazy person without worrying about my figure. I played with my mom's hair while we waited for our food. I stood up in the chairs to look outside. This was my sanctuary. I don't feel uncomfortable here. I just don't like talking about…things."
I reach for her hand on the table and stroke her knuckles with my thumb. I smile at her and nod, letting her know I understand.
After we get beyond the awkward moment about Bella's past, the night goes smoothly. We order the special cheeseburgers, and strawberry milkshake. The food is delicious, but the company is even better. Watching Bella eat a greasy hamburger is quite a sight. I intently watch her, trying to be discrete about it. But every time she licks her fingers I shift in my seat. By the third time that happens, she notices my discomfort and raises an eyebrow in question. I just smile stiffly and encourage her to keep eating.
We skip dessert and decide to go for a walk in the meadow that surrounds the restaurant. I shrug my jacket off and wrap it around Isabella's shoulders. I hug her close to me and start walking in silence.
"Do you know what the W and the S stand for? It's for Woods and Stars, perfect combination." I say after a while.
"What a shocker." She looks up at me long enough for me to see her roll her eyes. I realize it really bothers me when she does that. It makes me feel stupid. I don't know whether to voice my thought out loud or to let it slide yet again. I stay silent.
We walk some more, but once again I can't stand the silence. Only this time, instead of talking, I choose something else. I trap Bella against a near tree and kiss her. She gasps in surprise at first, but then she gets as into it as I am. I grab the back of her neck to keep her in place while I kiss her with abandon. She places her hands on my shoulders and lets me control the kiss.
"What does it take to impress you Bella?" I pant when we stop. I look intently into her eyes, trying, as usual, to figure her out.
"Why do you want to impress me?" She says, equally breathless, twirling a lock of my hair at the nape of my neck. She presents the question with real curiosity in her eyes.
"Because you deserve to be wooed." I tell her honestly, before grabbing her face between my hands and pecking her lips. She sighs in a way I'm not sure if it's contentment or frustration.
She shakes her head free out of my grasp, lowers her gaze to the ground in a meek and un-Bella-like manner. After a few seconds, she reacts and walks past me, allowing me to face the ancient tree where I had her trapped minutes prior. I hear her soft steps in the wet leaves on the ground before turning around to face her.
"Do you really think I deserve it?" She breathes softly, almost imperceptibly, with her back to me. I hear the insecurity in her voice. I see the slip in her always controlled persona. I wish I could have her like this forever, vulnerable.
I grab her waist and deliberately turn her around to face me. I make sure our eyes are connected before replying her with all the conviction I can pour into my voice.
"Yes, Bella, I really do."
Once we are back in the car, I don't ask her where we'll be going. I know what I want, what I need, and I'm taking it. The drive to my apartment is filled with sexual tension. The confined space of my car coupled with the night we just shared is adding to the usual electric current that exists between us.
My hand caresses her denim covered thigh while she plays with my hair. Each pass I make higher, each time she pulls my hair tighter. She bites her lip in that sultry way, and I know I'm driving her insane. It takes all of my control not to stop the car and have her in the back seat.
When we get to my place, I can't concentrate long enough to open the door. Bella has her lips and teeth glued to my neck and my ear, and her hands are in all the right places. I've asked her to slow down several times now, but she's unstoppable. I'm not complaining, I just want to get her inside the house or else…
"Bella, are you trying to make me take you against this wall?" I ask her in shallow breaths. She chuckles before answering me.
"It wouldn't be the first time." She says in a breathy voice that does nothing to help my condition.
After I finally get the door unlock and step inside of the apartment, I take charge of the situation. I back her up against the door and kiss her mouth with all the pent up energy I've been withholding all night. This kiss seems to go on forever, I don't stop, and neither does she. We don't need air, we need each other. It flows in an endless circle from desperate passion, to slow caresses, to painful need.
While we kiss, I start taking off her halter top, trying not to damage its soft fabric. It's a challenge but I manage to untangle the straps in the back. I tug at the hem to pull it over her head but the motion of stopping our kiss is not appealing to her. She grabs my hair to keep me from doing so, making me buck against her.
I end up breaking the fabric of her top with my impatient fingers. If she's annoyed by that, she doesn't show it. She continues our kiss and her caresses as if nothing happened. I trail my hands over all the new exposed skin, eliciting a shudder from her as I do. I feel the smug satisfaction of being able to make her tremble. But how could I not, when I know her body so well?
I've spent entire weekends memorizing her every reaction to my every touch. I've studied her skin as it comes alive under my fingertips. I've recorded into my brain every delectable sound she's ever made.
This, I know.
This, I can do.
The date was nerve wracking for me, despite the apparent success. I spent the past few days stressed out about it. The fact that I don't typically go out on dates makes it unknown territory for me. Add to it that it was our first date, and I was lost. But this is comfort; this is where I know I'll perform well. This is how we started.
We finally break apart from our never ending kiss. I kiss her neck, her collarbone, her shoulder, while she rips my shirt apart.
"This is revenge for tearing that top Edward." She says with mischief. I hum against her skin without stopping my ministrations.
"It was rather expensive." She continues on.
"Aha." I reply with no interest whatsoever. My one and only focus is making her squirm like I know I can. When she starts another sentence, I interrupt.
"I'll buy another one. I'll buy you the entire damn store for that matter. I needed it off." I say with no regrets. It still amazes me how she has the power to do this to me. She turns me into someone else completely. I've seen my highest and lowest points thanks to her. I've been a tender lover to her and yet, she has always been able to push me beyond tenderness. She makes me lose control. She makes me not want to be patient nor tender.
"My, my, who's desperate now?" She giggles breathlessly.
I groan softly in her ear before taking her earlobe into my mouth. That notion stops her giggles and transforms it into a satisfied sigh. Her hands roam my chest as she drops her head against the door. With that, I realized we've still haven't moved from our spot here. I lift her and she wraps her legs around me while I walk us to the bigger couch of the living room; the bedroom is too far away.
I drop her on the couch and she immediately goes to the fly of my pants. I am still standing while she makes quick work of my jeans. She kisses me all over and I'm panting before she has even begun. I grab her hands to stop her, I kiss each finger to lessen the blow, but she still pouts deliciously at me.
I push her gently on her back and take off her boots, her pants and her underwear. No matter how many times I've seen her naked, it always feels like the first time. It doesn't matter how fast or desperate we are, I always slow down to appreciate her.
"You are so perfect, Isabella, so beautiful." I murmur as I crawl my way on top of her, planting soft kisses here and there. I reach her face and take her bottom lip into my mouth. She sighs and wraps her arms around me, caressing my shoulders and my back. Her touch feels like a band aid against a wound. It soothes the pain but it's not enough. I need more, always more. Our kiss is sensual and slow paced. It's an unhurried dance of lovers who want to taste each other. When we come up for air, her breaths are my oxygen.
I move my kisses to her neck and she pulls my hair, spurring me on. She's squirming under me, already desperate again. We are always a contradiction. When I want fast she wants slow, when I want slow she wants fast. But it doesn't matter, because I always catch up with her. If it's fast she wants, that's what I'll give her. It's not like it's easy for me to restrain myself. It's not, especially when I have a naked porcelain doll under me, ready for me to take her.
I stop my kisses to position myself where she wants me, where I need to be. Then, it's all a blur of sweaty and frantic movements. She digs her fingernails on my back while I grip her hips. We move in sync, answering our bodies' needs. When we're together like this, it feels like the world will end tomorrow. It feels like if we don't get what we want, we might as well cease to exist. It's fast and unashamed. It's raw desire that burns in a delicious way. We fill the apartment with the sounds of our passion and I swallow her screams when they get too loud. We reach our climax together, trembling against each other, not wanting the euphoric feeling to never end.
Being with her like this is the epitome of my night. Watching her come undone beneath me is the most priced image my mind will ever have. Feeling her soft "thank you" kisses after we are done, all over my face, my neck, my chest, is my own kind of heaven.
We spend the night wrapped around each other. The couch, the kitchen table, the hallway, the bedroom floor; have all been surfaces to our lovemaking tonight. She fell asleep once but I woke her up with kisses and tiny bites to her shoulders. That's how round four started.
"I must say, you can wake me up like that anytime." She says lazily from her place on my chest, while tracing circles on my skin. I grin at her and kiss her head, smelling the scent of her hair.
"You weren't supposed to fall asleep in the first place." I say with petulance in my voice.
"You wore me out." She says with mischief.
"I did, didn't I?" I say with fake macho pride. Maybe not so fake. I muse internally.
Bella lifts herself to support her weight on one elbow, looking down on me with a serious expression. At first I thought she was going to make a sarcastic remark. But then, she smiled, and lowered her face to my cheek. She nuzzled her face there and then kissed me.
"Yes." Kiss on my jaw. "You." Kiss on my neck. "Did." Kiss on my chest, where my heart is supposed to be.
After that, we found the strength to finally get ourselves on the bed. We fell asleep completely sated, holding each other tightly.
The next day, I wake up alone, to the sound of loud voices coming from my living room. I don't understand right away what's going on, due to my sleepy state. However, just the shout of one word is enough to get me up and running towards the commotion, wisely remembering to put on some sweats on my way out.
"Bitch!" I hear my brother yell once again while I'm in the hallway.
When I get to the living room, the first thing I notice is Emmett with a furious expression on his face. Next, I spot Bella, wearing just one of my shirts, and an undecipherable look on her face. Before either of them gets another word out, I make my presence known.
"What is going on here?"
Emmett stares at me, but says nothing. I chance a look at Bella, but she doesn't make eye contact.
"Well?" I prompt. "Is either one of you going to tell me? Emmett, what are you doing here?" I ask directly to my brother, letting him know, by the tone of my voice, I'm not jumping up and down by his presence here.
"Mom made me come here to apologize. She said you were coming to lunch tomorrow and I had to make peace with you by then. But I don't think you were planning on going, were you? Apparently you have better, more honorable things to do, don't you little brother?" He says trying to control his anger. Although his last sentence is full of hate and it makes me mad.
"As a matter of fact, I was planning to go to tomorrow's lunch." I lie with a restrain temper. Truth is I didn't even remember. Now that it's been brought up, I vaguely recall the message Jessica gave me, saying something about my mom and lunch.
"You are so full of shit, Edward!" he half yells at me. "You weren't going and you know it. At least have the decency to tell me. I guess that's just too much to ask from you." He says looking down on me. He turns around as if to leave but my voice stops him.
"What a great apology!" I say sarcastically. "I bet mom would be proud. Because, that is why you came, isn't it? Because mom asked you to, right?" I continue. I can't believe that is the reason he's here. I also can't believe he brought our parents into this. What in the world did he tell them? I bet he's already damaged the impression my parents will have about Bella. I could quite kill him for that.
Of course there is the fact that he doesn't feel sorry at all. Mom had to make him come here. It hurts.
"I talked to mom the minute you drove away that day. I was so angry. I tried to explain, without giving too much away, that I wasn't happy with a choice you made. She asked me to calm down and let you be your own man, that you were old enough. But I wasn't having none of that, I was still angry. But the next few days I started to agree with what mom said, so I decided to come here today. I was going to apologize." He explains in an even voice, facing me.
I am shocked to hear all of this. "Em," I start, but he cuts me off.
"But to come here, and see her here Edward, knowing she probably has her husband waiting for her, it makes me sick…to know that this is your choice I have to respect…" He trails off at the end, not finishing his thought. He shakes his head, disgust written all over his face. He chances a look at Bella, and I see her flinch out of the corner of my eye.
I return my attention back to Emmett. He's not going to get it. Nothing I tell him right now will make him understand. I'm not sure I understand everything myself. I only know what I feel. I only know how Bella makes me feel. I only know I can't live without her.
He won't understand that. I don't think he's ever been in love. I don't think in all his life he has ever felt this way. I can't ask him to put himself in my place. I can't ask him to compare the lust he's felt for the women in his life to the undying love I feel for my Isabella.
I don't care she was married. I don't care if she still is. Hell, for all I care, she can be a mob wife and I wouldn't care. I need her. I need to be with her. As crazy, unethical, unreasonable as it is, I need to be with her.
"Yes Em," I address my brother. "This is the decision I made that you have to respect. And if you can't do that, you might as well leave already." I say, my voice dripping with ice, although this might be killing me inside.
He gives me a long look, filled with pain before turning around and walking out of the apartment. The sound of the door closing feels so final and I can't help but cringing at it. I think back to all the nice moments I've shared with my brother while growing up. Even after we grew up, we've always been close. We share a lifetime of memories. I stare at the door for I don't know how long before the sound of Bella's voice brings me out of my trance.
"Edward?" She asks softly, placing herself in my line of sight. I look down at her and I see compassion in her face. "I'm so sorry." She says after a while. Her apology snaps me back to the here and now. I don't think she's ever said those words to me, at least not with so much feeling.
"What? Why are you sorry for Bella?" She searches my eyes as if she doesn't understand what I mean. I just stare at her, waiting for her answer.
"What do you mean why am I sorry, Edward? Your brother just left because he can't accept our relationship. This is my entire fault. I should've said something. He was wrong, you know? I don't have a husband waiting for me, not anymore." She rambles distraught, pacing frantically in front of me. When she did this kind of thing in the past, it felt like she was manipulating me. However, this looks real to me now. It seems as if she really feels guilty for what just happened.
I stop her pacing by grabbing her shoulders. I look at her deeply in the eyes before talking. "Stop, Bella. This isn't your fault." She shakes her head, trying to get me to stop talking. I take her face in my hands, managing to end the movement. "He is my brother. He is my family. He is not supposed to bail on me. He is supposed to respect my decisions. He is supposed to have my back." I say with a firm voice. This is what my dad used to say while we were growing up. That is what he taught us. That is how he raised us.
"What about your parents? What will they say?" She asks in a low voice. I sigh and let go of her to do a little pacing myself. I tug hard at my hair. I don't know what to do with my parents. If Emmett already talked to them they must be apprehensive about all this. They are supportive and respectful. They only have my best interests at heart, but the fact that my brother and I are fighting over this, is bound to have some negative effect.
"Hopefully, they'll remember what they've preached." I answer Bella after a few minutes, facing away from her. "I think they'd like you, if they'd met you." I add mostly to myself.
"Then maybe I should meet them." She says after a long while. I thought she didn't even hear me. I spun around, shocked.
"Would you do that?" I ask her slowly. For a moment I let myself entertain the idea of Bella meeting my parents at tomorrow's lunch. I can introduce her as my date, or even my girlfriend. Dad would talk politics to her and mom could gush about clothing and shopping. They'd both be impressed by her education and professional achievements. They could talk about her work too, having Emmett as a photographer gives them a vast knowledge about Bella's world.
I catch Bella watching me, regarding me intently. "I guess so. I mean, it'd be better if you went to this lunch thing tomorrow and resolve everything, right? I could be there." She answers me with a shrug, as if it's of no importance. She just suggested meeting my parents. That is important, especially given our situation.
She said tomorrow. I think internally. It's starting to really sink in. She is talking about going with me, to my parent's house, tomorrow.
I study her for what feels like hours. She doesn't seem to be backing out.
"Bella," I go to her and look into her eyes with a serious expression. "Are you sure about this?" I ask her giving her the chance to say no.
"Yes." She says giving me a final nod. I swallow hard and nod back at her.
It's settled then. Bella is meeting my parents tomorrow.
It has become a tradition of mine to apologize at every A/N of this story.
I did not intend for it to be that way, but this writing business is harder than I thought.
I love it though. And I write this because I love it, so I just wanted to say thank you, once again, to all the people
that has taken the time to read this. It warms my heart.
Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Liked it? Hated it? Loved it? Hit review!
What do you say if we make next chapter from Bella's POV? Would you like that?
Till next time, xo.