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Chapter 17:
My senses awoke to the smell of beer and men's aftershave, whilst I faded in and out to the sound of gentle humming.
As my eyes opened a little wider, I frowned, "Huh," I mumbled at my unfamiliar surroundings, and it took me a long second or two to recall the fact that I was camping, and I was in a tent, Edward's tent to be exact, and currently wrapped up in the comfort of his arms. I smiled contentedly, shuffling further into him and closing my eyes. Savouring every single second of it.
"Morning" his voice then spoke, and I froze, quickly realising he was wide awake.
"Oh" I timidly pulled back, embarrassment taking over me as I met his fresh morning face. "Erm… hi".
"Did you manage to sleep ok?" he asked as I rose a little more.
"Yeah, I slept, good, thanks" My words stuttered out. How could sentences possibly be coherent when you'd just woken up beside Edward Cullen?
He nodded back, pleased. "Good", before he smiled at me, coming across slightly nervous.
I then realised how bad I must have looked. Hair all tangled up, eyes crusty with sleep, drool potentially splattered around the surrounding areas of my mouth. Whilst he, well, he looked as good as he always did.
I shuffled onto my front, my arms holding me up as I was suddenly brought to the attention of the whereabouts of my leg, which currently sat wedged between his, my knee practically brushing against his crotch.
I struggled to move, not wanting to alert him to the location of where my leg was currently shoved, although I'm almost sure he could feel it, but trying discreetly to shuffle my way out of there.
He laughed. And my previous happiness of sleeping beside him had turned into a humiliating nightmare.
"You make me laugh" he managed to say through his chuckle, and I nodded back in awkward distaste. "Oh great. Thanks" I grunted, not wanting to look into his eyes.
"What? Is that really such a bad thing?" he asked, his brow twitching in amusement.
I scoffed in my frustration. "No, of course not. Why should I mind being the subject of your early morning comedy entertainment" I continued to scamper away from him, no longer with the objective of being subtle, before I sat myself upright, crossing my legs.
"It's not like that, I promise. You just … make me smile". He recovered well, and I felt the skin beneath the collar of my pyjama top flush and start to sweat. My face softened into a smile as I timidly eyed him.
"Look, its not even 6am yet" he glanced at his watch. "Why don't you just lie back down and try and get back to sleep?"
I pondered the thought for a moment. "No, no it's ok" before brushing it off, feeling too weird about going back to sleep with him now, in broad daylight.
He stared at me for a moment before shrugging. "Fine" he said uncaringly as he lay back onto his side, "See you in a few hours then. Oh and, try not to make too much noise will you" he settled down, pulling the covers up to his shoulders and closing his eyes, but a small teasing smile played on his lips.
Following several seconds of watching him pretend to sleep, I rolled my eyes. "Fine," I muttered, and set myself down on my side next to him.
I watched as his one eye opened, just a tad before he grinned to himself gleefully; obviously feeling smug at my lack of resistance.
"Well don't hog all the covers then" I argued teasingly as I pulled them over me, and consequently away from Edward.
I snickered to myself victoriously as he lay there without a quilt. It was then that I took note of his pyjamas. He wore navy blue trousers with a dark checked pattern sewn into them, and a well fitting pale blue top. He looked incredibly cuddly, especially with his hair all askew.
"Well now who's hogging them!" he whined, playing along. "Didn't your dad ever teach you to share as a child?"
"Sure, but he never said to share as an adult" I smartly answered back. "In fact I was always taught to look out for number one, that being me and only me" I smiled, pulling the quilt tighter around me.
He rose onto his elbow slightly to look at me, his face a picture of amusement, and I rolled my eyes back, releasing an over-the-top exasperated sigh, "But, since it's you. I suppose I could make allowances" I went on.
Loosening the quilt cover I offered him his half back, and Edward eagerly scurried inside. We lay there then, facing each other. His eyes staring into mine with a smile. But despite my content, it soon became so hard to look back, as my eyes seemed to pool with tear drops, and my face flushed at how intense his gaze was. His eyes were so unbelievably deep, I felt like if I looked into them for too long, I'd either melt, or he would see into my soul, reading my every thought like I was an open book. I felt so naked under his stare.
My head dipped through my nerves and I let my eyes close shut. And to my surprise, the world faded away once again. And before I knew it, I'd slipped back into the realms of unconsciousness…
…………………………
I hadn't expected to be waking up again following another hour or so of sleep. But as I opened my eyes for the second time that morning, I found the tables had turned. I was now the one who lay wide awake, watching as Edward slept peacefully by my side. The only thing that hadn't changed was the knowledge that Edwards arm wound around my waist, his hand lingering at the skin on the base of my back as he cast my body like mould into his side.
He looked so beautiful, putting a real emphasis to the term 'one of god's creatures'. I felt quite inadequate as I lay there beside him, studying his every inch with fascinated eyes, never having been quite so close to him before. His eyelashes were long and dark, and they fanned out individually like they were artificial, but there was in no-way an artificial millimetre to this man before me. His mass of hair, down to those plump pink lips that needed to be kissed, from arms to legs, toes even, were all very much real. Perfectly real.
He squirmed a little in his sleep, and my breath hitched in the back of my throat as he started to come around, his eyes opening a tad. He smiled as soon as he saw me. And how could my heart not flutter at that?
"Hey" his voice was low and gravelly. I felt my lower regions grow excited at the deepness of his tone. All man.
"Hi again" I replied in a sickly sweet tone, barely sounding like myself.
His hand which touched my back moved down a little towards my butt, holding station for a few seconds before he pulled away, retracting his arm to rub his eyes with his fingers. Inside I felt my entire body almost spasm, any chance of falling back to sleep was taken away, and I was now very much wide awake.
Spotting a clump of my loose hair which fell onto the tent beside my head, he picked it up, twiddling and stroking it between his fingers. He seemed to like doing that. I remembered the first time during Disney on Ice, when he'd played with my hair from almost start to finish. There was something so relaxing about it, as he gently tugged at my roots, causing me to sigh.
His eyes once again zoned in on mine, but this time I didn't look away, I found the strength to gaze right back, pushing embarrassment or nerves to one side as I felt myself becoming swept away…
"Bella! Where's Bella!?" an alarming wail from the forest caused us both to jump, rudely pulling us out of our trance. Rising to my feet I unzipped the tent, clambering outside to confront my panicked best friend. "Alice! Keep it down, I'm fine!" I told her, holding my arms out as if to say, 'I'm right here', as she spun on her heel at the sound of me.
"Oh. Thank god" she sighed through relief, placing a hand to her chest to calm herself "…sorry. I didn't know where you were. I was thinking all sorts," she spoke a little flustered.
"What did you think? That someone had kidnapped me?" I snickered.
"Well, maybe," she started dramatically, "Or that some horrible, big, flapping creature came along and flew you away. You've seen those movies too Bella! Are they all seriously based on peoples vivid imagination, or is there really some truth behind them, that somewhere, out there, there's an undead creature ready to..."
"Alice, stop!" I laughed as her face grew so red it had the potential to explode. I watched as she swallowed hard. "They're fake, I assure you. Although...", and then I remembered. "The creature thing wasn't far off. There was something in my tent last night" I spoke with caution, not wanting to worry her too much, "I heard a noise and felt something touch my foot" her eyes grew wide at that, "but Edward was kind enough to let me stay with him. So it's all good".
"Oh gosh, really?" her wide eyes gradually went back to normal. "So, what was it like?"
I frowned in discomfort, only Alice would just blatantly come out with such an intrusive question, "Erm, it was fine, thanks. I mean I was a little cold at first, but Edward managed too…"
"No Bella" she halted me, before lowering her voice, "I didn't mean you sleeping with Edward" her voice muttered to avoid anyone overhearing, before she returned to her normal shrieky self, "I meant that thing in your tent, was it big!?"
"Oh" I replied, slightly embarrassed and immediately regretting my previous words, as I awkwardly brushed my hair behind my ears as a distraction; I only hoped Edward couldn't hear our conversation from where he remained inside his tent. "Erm, well, I'm not really sure. I didn't exactly stick around for pleasantries; as soon as I felt something I just got the hell out of there, you know?"
"Oh right" Alice looked concerned.
"But don't worry, it's contained at the moment, and I'm sure Edward and Jasper are manly enough to check it out".
"Well" a look of guilt and fear crossed Alice's face, "I sort of went into your tent this morning when I thought you were in there. I left the zip open when I couldn't find you, so it might have crawled out" she glanced back to where my tent sat, the front now wide open.
"Oh… Well, no worries. It's probably still hiding in there somewhere. Probably thought it was the safest place for it. The guys will check it out" I assured her, rubbing her arm.
"Damn straight" I heard a voice behind me, as Edward emerged his way out of the zipped compartment. "Don't you girls worry about anything".
"Exactly! It'll take one look at Edward and run screaming for cover!" I announced, feeling rather pleased with myself, and Alice laughed to herself in amusement.
"Hey!" he scoffed, "That was harsh" he added as he playfully poked me in the side. I kept smiling as I watched him walk away, and once out of eyesight, I giggled right back with Alice.
……………………………
So the thing in my tent hadn't been as life threatening as we'd all been led to believe.
And following several minutes of Edward and Jasper clambering around my small tent in an attempt to catch it (quite an entertaining performance might I add!), they finally succeeded, as it chose to hide away in one of my shoes to escape the guys grabby hands.
It was brown with yellow stripes, approximately 3 inches long and had a tail. A grass Lizard, as Edward had called it. Apparently harmless to humans, probably more scared of me than I was of it, and tended to live in grassy woodland with nearby lakes.
On meeting my intruder I was filled with relief. Thankful it wasn't slithery in any way, had 8 legs or didn't bite and carry anything disease like. Alice on the other hand failed to see the positive, which was a first. And spent the majority of the morning sat in Edwards Volvo eating the left over marsh mellows from last night.
We left her too it whilst we set the lizard free, letting it roam its wilderness as we de-constructed our tents ready to leave.
"Right, all done here!" Jasper called out to us as we packed the last of our camp equipment away. "I'm going to throw this lot into the truck. I'll meet you there ok" he added before walking away, whilst I stuffed my sleeping bag back into his carrier.
"Ok. I'm done too" I grabbed my bags and heaved them towards the truck. Edward followed behind.
"I think I'm going to head to the toilets before we set off. Does anyone else need to go?" I asked as we gathered at the vehicles. The guys shook their heads, whilst Alice told me she'd rather wait until we got home, which was fair enough, if she didn't mind holding it for a couple of hours.
So I took the trek towards the toilets on my own, once there, I deposited what was required before I made my way back to my friends.
It wasn't until I was some 2 minutes into my walk back towards the car park, that I met my terrible fate. It was inevitable really; a surprise that it hadn't happened sooner. But as I crossed the woody expanse, marching obliviously as I failed to take note of where I was stepping, my foot caught on one of the roots. It pulled me back, yanking me like someone had grabbed my foot, and almost flipping me over. My mind was a blur, until I found myself falling flat on the ground, brought face to face with mother earth.
"Ouw!" I cried at the jolting sensation in my leg. My face scrunching up through the pain as tears threatened to spill from my ducts. My hands felt like they'd been whipped, slashed almost by the twigs; my elbow sore as I'd knocked my funny bone.
I didn't know what was happening until I heard my name being called in a frantic state, whilst hurried footsteps trudged towards me. "BELLA!?"
"Ow" I whimpered, hands down on the mud, "My foot".
He was at my side then, kneeling down as I felt his hand touch my back. "Can you move?" Edward asked, but I merely sobbed in return, all I wanted was for him to hold me, and to tell me everything would be alright.
"I'm going to lift you up alright? Tell me if it hurts" Edward informed me, as his hands gripped beneath my arms, and the earth that was once so close moved further and further away.
I stood on one shaky leg, leaning into him for support, but it wasn't for long, as Edward scooped me up into his arms; the hero saving the damsel in distress.
We walked for several moments, with me in his arms gripping his neck as I sobbed into his sweater, my grubby hands leaving dirt patches on his clothes, but I was in far too much pain to be concerned.
And then we stopped, hovering on the spot for a second before he lowered us down, sitting on a larger, sturdier root and perching me onto his lap.
He rubbed my back to soothe me as I rested my head on the top of his shoulder. And as I felt his hands brush my hair away from my face I carefully peeled myself away from him, just enough to be able to look into his eyes.
His face made the most heartbreaking expression as he looked into my eyes for the first time, and that only made my sobs pour out even harder.
"Please don't cry" he whispered to me, his fingers brushing my cheek to wipe away the tears, until he paused below my chin. The sobs eventually subsided, but my misery hadn't.
"What are we going to do with you ey" he lightly spoke. And I managed a weak smile in response, before I stared glumly at my dirty hands.
I felt then as he placed a kiss on my temple at the side of my face and my eyes briefly fluttered shut. I opened up as he retracted, taking a chance to look into his eyes.
His eyes seemed to glaze over with something different then. It was a look I thought I'd seen before, from the other night, as we'd stood together, alone in his bedroom.
And then it happened, his vision flicked down towards my wet lips. And he hesitated momentarily, seeming to calculate something in his head; perhaps the possibility of kissing me?
My forehead was starting to ache at how unbelievably tense I was, badly wanting him to just make a move. Was I really not his type?
But my question was answered. And for once, the screaming in my head was put to rest, and the yearning of what it would feel like to caress his lips against mine soon became a heavenly memory, as he tentatively leant inwards, closing the gap between us.
I think I half gasped/cried at first contact of his lips on mine, my throat feeling as if it would close up in sheer overwhelming excitement, but there was no way in hell I wasn't going to kiss him back, having waited weeks for this moment to finally prevent itself, and it didn't fail to send the sparks in me flying high.
His mouth moved over mine with perfection, so soft and tender, sucking on my top lip whilst he pulled me closer; his one hand pushing my hair away from my face, to curl it around my ear. I couldn't even think as my own hand ran through the mass of his jungle-like hair, wanting to feel more of what I'm sure he could offer.
I'd never kissed anyone before in my whole entire life. Just waiting for the guy of my dreams to come along. And I'd for sure found him, and he didn't disappoint.
But as our tongues briefly touched, it all went rather pear shaped.
As always, my luck, like a glimmering flame of light quickly blew out, and, before I knew it, he'd pulled away. Looking slightly distraught as he did.
My breath came out heavy, my eyes watery from the intensity of his kiss. But I couldn't work out his expression, was he disappointed we had to end the kiss? Or was I in fact the worst kisser he'd ever had the misfortune to come across?
I only prayed it wasn't the latter.
"We should get back," he said with fixed determination on his face.
My heart sunk in my chest as he avoided eye contact. But I nodded back solemnly.
Using all his strength he heaved us both upwards, carrying me back towards the car. My painful foot combined with my disappointment over the sheer hopelessness and confusion that was our relationship, had me sobbing again within seconds, I tried to conceal it from him, but it was no use as the tears simply raced down my cheeks like a swim meet, as in that moment, I'd potentially faced the best and worst moment of my life...
A/N: So the moment's finally arrived =] … But I bet you wish it hadn't now xP
Poor Bella, she doesn't have it easy does she!? lol… But, then again, neither does Edward ;)
Comment me pleeeease =D!