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Chapter 20: Baby Steps
Bella's POV
I listened to Alice's message during the cab ride to our hotel. "Hey Bella," Alice's voice rang through the phone. She had left the message while we were on the plane. "Your and Edward's key is at the front desk. Reservations are under my name, don't forget. That's the only way you'll get the key. We're all next door to each other. Jazz and I are on one side and Angela and Ben are on the other. Remember, we're meeting in the lobby at noon to grab some lunch before we go to the beach. I'll see you soon. Bye!"
"Everything okay, baby?" I heard Edward ask from beside me. I'm sure he could see the confusion and worry on my face. I smiled, hoping to mask my emotions.
"Great. Keys are at the front desk. We have to use Alice's name to get them," I relayed the information. He smiled and kissed my temple. Key? As in one? Did she expect me to sleep with Edward in the hotel? I gulped, and Edward looked at me with curiosity. "Just feeling a little overwhelmed."
"It'll be great." I could see the genuine excitement on his face. I felt the taxi slow and looked out to see our hotel ten feet away.
Edward helped me out of the cab before grabbing the bags from the driver. Edward paid the fare with a quiet 'thank you.' We walked inside still tired despite sleeping during the flight. A bellhop loaded our bags on a cart then stood back as Edward and I approached the front desk. A cheery worker named Glenn greeted us warmly before asking for our names. Edward explained out situation, and Glenn smiled brightly.
"Miss Alice called down earlier to explain the predicament. Could I see your IDs?" he asked. "I just need to confirm you are who you say you are." We passed him our IDs. "Thank you." He handed over a key envelope. "You're in room 317. Take the elevator to the third floor and turn right. John here," he motioned to the bellhop, "will show you where. If there's anything we can do for you please feel free to call down."
"One room?" Edward asked, looking inside the envelope. I wasn't offended in the least that he asked.
"Yes sir."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes sir. There was a mistake with the rooms. We only had your party down for three. You two will be rooming with Mr. Emmett Cullen and Miss Rosalie Hale. It's a suite with two bedrooms. Each bedroom has two beds."
"Oh, okay. Thank you." We went to our room where John unloaded our bags from the cart, we tipped him, and said goodnight before finding our respective rooms and crashing with little more than a peck on the lips.
The next morning Alice jarred me from my sleep by bouncing on the bed. I groaned and pulled a pillow over my head. I knew she would be excited but was hoping she'd let me sleep late. No such luck. I tried to ignore her, but the incessant talking was getting on my nerves. I sat up and hit her with a pillow.
"Bella! Stop!" she exclaimed. I could hear Rosalie somewhere in the room laughing, but since I hadn't opened my eyes yet, I couldn't pinpoint her. "It's ten in the morning. You need to get up, get showered, and get into your bathing suit. We're going to eat then head straight to the beach." I knew that tone. It meant there would be no arguing with her today, probably not at any point on this vacation.
"Leave so I can do that then."
"No. You'll just go back to sleep. I'm not leaving until I hear that shower running." I groaned. "I bought you a new bathing suit," she said quietly. I narrowed my eyes at her.
"I'm not wearing a bikini."
"I know. It's a tankini. You need to update your look." I rolled me eyes. It still ended in-kini. It couldn't be that much better.
"Alice, I wear a one-piece for a reason."
"I know." She pulled out the suit from a bag and laid it in front of me. "It won't show the scars. At least, I think it won't. I can't be for sure since you've never let me see."
"I'll try it on," I finally conceded. She smiled brightly.
I grabbed the bathing suit and made my way to the attached bathroom. The hot water of the shower felt wonderful on my taut muscles. They were still not fully recovered from sleeping on the plane. I washed my hair before getting out and drying off. I slithered into the skin-tight tankini that Alice bought and was pleasantly surprised. It was a solid sky blue halter top and matching bottoms. A fake belt rested just under the bust line. It hugged my curves, the few I had, but did not put anything on display that I wanted covered. I turned around to check my back. The top two inches of a tally mark could be seen. I walked into the bedroom.
"No," I interrupted Rosalie and Alice's conversation. "You can see the scar. I'm just going to wear my suit." I reached for my suit, but Alice popped up from her spot on the bed and rushed to stop me from rummaging in my suitcase.
"Wait!" she said. "Let me see." I turned around so she could see. "Bella, it's only visible a little bit. It looks like a scar that could have come from anything. You're wearing the tankini." She spotted my suit and plucked it out of the bag.
"I don't want anyone to see them. If they do they'll see how disgusting-" I was hushed when Alice put a finger over my lips.
"You are not disgusting. We've talked about this. You are not allowed to put yourself down. Plus, no one is going to think anything of it. There are hundreds of people on that beach. It's Spring Break. How many are going to be sober enough to even notice?"
She had a point, and eventually I would have to get over this fear. Jasper and I had discussed it once. No one had ever seen the scars. Jasper had seen the ones on my stomach, but no one had seen my back, which was shocking with the amount of times I'd been to the ER. I wanted to hide them away, because doing so made the experience less real. I would soon have to face the physical reminders of that horrible year. I could start today. Right?
"Fine," I sighed. Alice bounced in place but soon stopped. Her face grew serious, and she looked at me with hesitant eyes.
"Can I see?" she whispered.
I knew immediately what she was talking about. Could I do it this soon? We stood there in silence for a few moments. Rosalie had walked over to stand next to Alice. She was looking on expectantly. I let out a long breath and turned around slowly. I felt the back of the tankini top lift slowly. I knew when it was in view because they both gasped quietly. I felt a hand ghost over the scars lightly. It caused me to flinch. The marred skin, I knew, felt rough and taut.
"Bella, I am so sorry," Rosalie said. I felt their arms turn me toward them. Alice gripped my face, and I watched as a tear feel to her cheek.
"You're still beautiful," she whispered. I could feel my eyes water.
"Okay. Stop. No crying. This is supposed to be a fun vacation. Let me get some shorts and shirt on then I'll be ready to go."
They both nodded and sniffled before walking into the conjoining living room area. I was guessing everyone gathered in there since it was big enough for everyone and the bedrooms were still private. I threw on a t-shirt and athletic shorts before slipping into flip-flops. I walked into the living room once I had my things together. Alice had already packed beach bags for us.
"Bellaboo," Emmett yelled before pulling me up into a hug. I hugged him back laughing. "How was the flight?"
"Good," I answered as he sat me down. "I slept the whole time." Jasper walked over and hugged me.
"I'm very proud of you," he whispered in my ear. I pulled back and looked at him curiously. "Alice told me you showed her. That's great, Bella."
He was smiling brightly; I couldn't mistake the pride on his face which caused me to smile back. I hugged Angela and Ben before walking over to Edward. He pulled me into his side and kissed me hello. Alice was bouncing with excitement so we left quickly to find a place to eat. Alice was leading, pulling Jasper along. Emmett and Rosalie were walking behind them pointing and snickering at people walking down the street. Angela walked up next to me and leaned in to whisper.
"I snuck some books into my bag while Alice wasn't looking," she said conspiratorially. We both giggled while I nodded in appreciation. I felt Edward tug me back to his side while Ben did the same to Angela wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"I think they're scheming," Ben said to Edward over Angela's head, a smile playing at his lips.
"I think you're right," Edward answered with a smirk. "We should probably keep them separated."
"I agree. There's no telling what they have up their sleeves." Angela and I laughed at how far off base they were. "What were you two talking about?"
"Nothing," we sang at the same time.
"That can't be good." We laughed again deciding to keep them in the dark. We found a sandwich shop and decided to try it. The food was good and we finished lunch within twenty minutes. We were all fairly excited. Washington didn't have sunny beaches with warm water. We took cabs to the beach and found a spot where we could lay out all our towels. The beach was crowded as Alice said it would be. There were so many people that were clearly in their late teens maybe pushing twenty-one. We weren't much older, but there was definitely a visible difference. It felt a bit strange being among so many people I didn't know, but it felt too good outside to pass up this opportunity. Angela and I took a spot next to each other while Ben and Edward looked at us skeptically. Alice and Rose immediately shed their shirts and skirts.
Rosalie was, of course, wearing a bikini. It was a halter wrap top with scooped bikini bottoms that accented her curves. The design was red flowers with a black background. It screamed Rosalie. The suit showed off her curves, and I'm sure every girl that looked at her took a hit in the self-esteem department. Alice was also wearing a bikini, which fit her personality perfectly. It was a halter top with ring in the center of the chest. The bikini bottoms were low rise and had matching rings on each hip. It was white with medium sized polka dots. Angela also took off her top and shorts. She was wearing a tankini like me. Hers was halter style with black and white stripes and red trim. They all looked great.
I reluctantly took off my shirt and shorts as well. I was so worried my scars would be more visible. The beach was crowded. There were a lot of wandering eyes, and with Rosalie they were sure to be drifting this way. I undressed slowly and tried to stay in the middle of the group. I felt arms snake around me from behind and jumped, nervous until I realized it was Edward. He placed a kiss on my neck, which caused me to shiver.
"You look great," he whispered in my ear. I smiled and relaxed into his hold. He had shed his shirt and having him skin-to-skin felt amazing.
"Thank you," I whispered back. "This feels nice."
"No. This feels wonderful." I just smiled wider. "We should put sunscreen on. We don't want to burn." I nodded in agreement. That would make this a vacation from hell. I sat down and pulled a bottle out of the bag. We shared it as we put it on. "Do you want me to get your back?"
"Sure." I turned so my back was to him. He massaged the lotion into my back and shoulders. It was very relaxing. His hands lingered longer than necessary, but I wasn't complaining. Once he had no excuse to linger, he pulled back.
"Your turn."
I spun around and twirled my finger indicating for him to turn around. He flashed his crooked smile before doing so. I took my time covering his back in lotion, enjoying the feel of his strong muscles under my hands. I ran my fingers over his neck lightly causing him to shudder. After a moment, I pulled back. I lay on the blanket and sighed in contentment. If felt great under the warm sun with not a cloud in sight.
"Let's get into the water," Alice chirped excitedly. "We're at the beach. We have to get in the ocean. We can actually swim without freezing. Let's go. Oh! Oh!" She rummaged in her beach bag that should have been too large for her tiny frame to carry and pulled out a football. "I brought toys too. Let's go."
"You brought a football?" Emmett asked. He bounced up from where he was sitting and picked Alice up into a hug and kissed her on the cheek. "You're my favorite girl. You know that?" Rosalie raised an eyebrow at him in question. He sat Alice down and walked over the pull Rosalie into his arms. "Babe, you're my favorite woman. There's no comparison." She rolled her eyes and pulled away.
"You better say that," she mumbled.
"How about you guys?" Alice asked looking our way.
"I'm in," Ben said.
"Me too," Edward said.
"I'll stay here and keep an eye on our stuff," I volunteered. Me and footballs never mixed.
"I'll keep her company," Angela said. Alice pouted until Rosalie told her our stuff wouldn't be safe if left unattended.
"Someone will come back in a while so you two can join us. Okay?"
"Take your time." Edward dropped down beside me.
"I can stay if you want," he said, but I could tell he wanted to go.
"Really, I'm fine. Angela is here with me. We can find something to do I'm sure," I said. I made a show of looking around the beach. "There are some goods around here worth ogling." Edward looked at me dumbfounded. I couldn't hold in my laughter and neither could Angela. He fake glared at me.
"I better be the only person you're ogling."
"I guess I could stay my wandering eyes." He growled playfully, the unexpected sound coming across very sexy and possessive. "You have nothing to worry about. Go. They're waiting on you." He leaned down and kissed me quickly before hopping up and jogging to the water. I watched as Emmett tossed him the ball.
"So things are going well with you and Edward?" Angela asked coyly. I smiled and could feel he familiar blush grace my cheeks. I nodded. "I'm glad to see that. He's a great guy, and you're a great girl. You deserve each other."
"Thank you," I said quietly.
"He's very protective of you and seems to cherish you. It's very sweet, very doting."
"He's been perfect. I couldn't ask for a better man."
"Perfect? Nothing's perfect."
"No, nothing's perfect. He's just been better than I could ever expect. I told him about my past, and he didn't run, like I expected him to; he stayed or rather kept me from running."
"What do you mean?" I took only a few seconds to consider then proceeded to tell her my story. I told her about what happened to me, why I told him, and then how I tried to run because I was scared. She listened the entire time attentively. "I'm sorry that happened to you, Bella, but it sounds like Edward's in this for the long haul."
"He says things sometimes that I don't even think he realizes that give that impression. After my attempt at running, he was telling me I was beautiful, and he said he was going to convince me if it took the rest of his life. It's those little things that are proving this isn't a fling for him. I couldn't be more happy or appreciative for those words, even if he doesn't realize he's saying it. I need that reassurance. I walk a pretty thin line when it comes to having confidence and faith in this relationship."
"Edward adores you, Bella. There's no question about that. He's smitten." I blushed again.
"It's mutual," I admitted. She just smiled at me. "How are the wedding plans going? It's less than five months away."
"And it couldn't be soon enough. Things are coming along great. I've been looking at dresses and just can't decide. I was thinking about asking Alice if she would be interested in designing. I don't know if that's her thing, but it couldn't hurt to ask, right?"
"Ange, she would love to. I can just see her squealing now." She laughed.
"How about a book?"
I nodded and giggled remembering she had to sneak them. She pulled out three and let me pick first. I chose the Leonard Goldberg novel and lay down using the bag as a pillow. Angela pulled out the John Grisham novel and mimicked my position. We instantly fell silent and were absorbed into the story. We stopped about two hours later to reapply sunscreen and motion the rest of the group up to do the same to them. It would be horrible if any of us burnt.
Alice pouted when she saw the books but didn't say anything or insist we join them in the water. They jogged back towards the ocean while Angela and I picked up where we left off in our novels. My mind was so occupied, I didn't even know someone had walked up until I saw a shadow over my body. I looked up expecting to see Edward but met the brown eyes of some frat-looking boy. He couldn't have been more than twenty-one or twenty-two. He held a Frisbee in one hand and a beer bottle in the other. He was smiling down, but it made me feel uncomfortable.
"Hey," he said.
"Hello," I answered not wanting to be rude. I looked over at Angela. She had abandoned her book and was watching.
"What's a hot girl like you doing reading a book?" I bristled at the terms; his tone only lessened my comfort.
"It's what I enjoy."
"Why don't you come with me? Me and a few friends have a place set up down the beach. I can get you a beer, and we can have a really good time." He was smiling sickly at me.
"N-no. I'm here with friends." I could feel my body trembling a little.
"Listen," Angela said. "She said no. Why don't you just move along?"
"You could come to. There's plenty of usssta go around," he slurred. He reached down and gripped my upper arm. I could feel the panic rising.
"Let go," I managed to get out even though my voice was shaky.
"Hey. Let her go," I heard from behind the co-ed. I looked around to see Emmett approaching. I relaxed marginally. Once the boy got a look at Emmett, he released my arm.
"Hey man," he said jovially. "I'll share, but I get the first crack at her." I watched as Emmett wiped the smile off his face with a sharp right hook. The boy stumbled and grabbed his jaw as he swore. "What the hell?"
"Do you really disrespect women that way? You should be ashamed of yourself. Now, apologize to the ladies and get lost. If I see you acting like that to anyone else, I won't go as easy on you."
"I'm sorry," he said to me then looked back at Emmett. "It won't happen again." He stumbled away without looking back. Emmett bent down and leaned in close.
"Are you okay?" he asked with much concern. I nodded even though I didn't know how true that was. "Count Bella." I could feel my chest tightening but was having trouble concentrating. I watched as Edward jogged up and dropped to his knees beside me. He grabbed my hand and held it to his chest with his other hand caressing my cheek.
"Breathe with me baby." I focused on his chest movements and began to calm. He looked up at Emmett. "What happened?"
"I was coming up to get a drink of water and saw some frat boy bothering the girls." I could feel Angela rubbing my back in soothing circles. "I said something, he said something, I punched him, and he left."
"Who?" he asked through clenched teeth.
"It doesn't matter. He's gone." I finally felt in control again but not comfortable being here anymore.
"I don't want to be here anymore," I said to no one in particular. "I'm going to go back to the hotel. I'll see you when you all get back." I started gathering my stuff. Edward stilled my trembling hands. I looked up at him.
"I'll go with you. Remember, you're not alone." I smiled and nodded. He handed me my shirt and shorts. I pulled them on while he packed the rest of my stuff. He helped me up and by the time he had pulled his shirt on everyone else had joined us. "We're headed back to the hotel. We'll see you guys later."
"What? Why?" Alice asked.
"It's almost time for dinner so we should all head back and get cleaned up," Emmett said as he handed Alice and Rosalie their clothes. Rosalie started to say something. "Not now, Rosie. We're heading back to the hotel." I would have been shocked at her easy acceptance of the command if I wasn't so intent on leaving as quickly as possible.
"We're going to go on ahead," Edward said. He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the street.
"See you soon," Angela said. I smiled at her knowing between her and Emmett the situation would be explained. I could still feel small tremors every once in a while.
"How are you doing?" I appreciated that he didn't ask if I was okay. I obviously wasn't. This question was broader.
"I'm shaken," I answered honestly. "It was okay when he was talking, but when he grabbed my arm-"
"What?!" Emmett had left that part out. His anger was apparent.
"He grabbed my arm, but Emmett showed up seconds later. It was nothing." I tried to assuage his anger. I didn't want him doing anything rash.
"It's not nothing, Bella. He had no right to put his hands on you." I could feel him start to turn as if he was going to go back and confront the boy.
"Edward, please don't." I gripped his hand harder. "Don't leave me by myself." He stopped and turned back to me. His face softened.
"I'm sorry. Let's get back to the hotel." I breathed a sigh of relief.
He hailed a cab, and I slid in before him. Edward got in and gave the address to the driver. He placed an arm around my shoulders pulling me into his side. He kissed my temple before resting his chin on my head. I snuggled closer to him, his warmth a comfort. He caressed my arm during the ride back to the hotel. He didn't tell me everything was fine, and that fact made me feel better than any words could have. We arrived at the hotel shortly.
Edward paid the driver and helped me out of the car. We walked to the room in silence, another thing I appreciated. I loved that we were comfortable enough with each other to not have to fill silence with incessant chatter. He opened the door and led me to the couch. He sat down and pulled me onto his lap. It was nice. His soft touch was addictive I decided. It caused the tremors to ease. We stayed like that until the others arrived shortly after. Alice, Jasper, Angela, and Ben had gone to their room to shower and change for dinner. Emmett and Rosalie came in and took a seat on the loveseat.
"Alice said to dress semi nice," Emmett said the muttered, "Whatever that means." I giggled.
"I call the shower first," Rosalie said to me. I nodded not ready to leave Edward yet.
"Me too!" Emmett said loudly reminding me of a kid and breaking the tension. It was a nice reprieve.
They each left for their respective room. Edward turned on the television and we watched but didn't really pay attention. Soon we were able to take our own showers and get dressed. Everyone met up an hour later and Alice insisted we eat seafood. We asked the concierge for a recommendation and took cabs to the restaurant. It turned out to be great food. We didn't linger over dinner wanting to get enough sleep for the following day. My excitement started to take over. I was going to Disney World!
Edward's POV
I lay in bed not able to sleep. My mind was occupied by the beauty in the other room. I thought about the beach earlier and though I was pissed at the unknown boy that had scared her, I felt the smile tug at my lips as I remembered her before the incident. She looked great in a swimsuit. Her clothes had never fit that tightly and I couldn't keep my eyes off her after the big reveal. I didn't understand how she thought she wasn't beautiful. She had long, lean legs with tones calves and 'touch me' thighs. Her arms were also toned and stomach flat. She had a firm butt and perfect breasts. Hey! I'm a man.
I was also excited to see her tomorrow. I could tell her excitement was becoming palpable after the shower. She was vibrating in excitement, and I wondered if she would get any sleep tonight. I heard the television turn on in the living room before the volume was turned down low enough to not bother those sleeping. I got out of the bed and padded silently to the door. I opened it as quietly as possible and looked out. Bella was sitting curled up on the couch. I smiled before going out to join her.
When I shut the door, she looked up and her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes lingered, though not on my face. Her cheeks bloomed red and she ducked her head using her hair as a shield. I was confused and looked down to see what she had seen. I was only wearing my pajama pants, my chest bare. She had been ogling me. The though made me smirk, and damn if it wasn't a turn on. I sat down next to her and placed my hand on her knee. She was wearing a matching tank top and pajama bottoms. They were blue with cute little penguins.
"I couldn't sleep," she said sheepishly. "I'm sorry if I woke you."
"No," I answered. "I was awake. Are you too excited?" She nodded and turned back to the screen leaning into my shoulder. I leaned against the armrest and pulled her back flush against my chest. "Me too. Tomorrow we're going to Magic Kingdom. It's the main one with Cinderella's Castle."
"I looked it up online before you picked me up yesterday. I want to ride the Mad Tea Party, Peter Pan's Flight, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Swiss Family Treehouse, and the Carousel of Progress."
"You're a nerd," I teased.
"Hey!" She swatted at my arm but laughed along with me.
"You don't want to ride Space Mountain or the Haunted Mansion?" Space Mountain was one of my favorite rides. It was a fun roller coaster.
"I don't like speed, and I get scared easily." She said it so quietly I had to strain to hear.
"Space Mountain's great. I love it. Will you please try it?" I looked down to see her bite her bottom lip in nervousness. "I'll be right there with you. I won't let anything happen to you."
"Maybe," she finally conceded. I smiled resolving to get her on it. It really was a great ride.
We fell into a comfortable silence and watched the late night talk show. The silence was interrupted every once in a while when we would laugh. After fifteen minutes, I noticed Bella's laugh died down. I leaned over to look at her face and noted she was still awake. Her eyes looked far off, and I wondered what had her so occupied. I let her be, knowing she would talk when she felt comfortable. I didn't want to rush her.
"I just froze," she said after another ten minutes. I don't know how, but I knew she was talking about the beach incident earlier.
"That's an acceptable reaction," I answered. "You were scared."
"I didn't even try to push him off. I only told him to let go." I smiled at her confession.
"That's great, Bella." She looked at me confused. "Hear me out. You told him to stop. You stood up for yourself. That's great. That was very brave of you."
"But I didn't even pull away." She was expecting too much at once.
"You have to walk before you can run. You did great for the situation. We'll get there. You just have to take baby steps." She smiled slightly and nodded before turning back to the television.
After ten minutes, I could feel her breathing deeply and evenly. I said her name very quietly a few times before deciding she was indeed asleep. I slinked out from under her carefully and went to open her bedroom door. I came back and picked her up, cradling her to my chest. She instinctively wrapped her arms around my neck and turned into my shoulder. It felt so nice having her weight against me. I walked into her room and placed her softly on the bed tugging her arms from my neck. I pulled the covers over her so she wouldn't get cold.
I looked back to her face; she looked like an angel. I tucked a strand of wayward hair behind her ear before kissing her lightly on the lips. She really had been brave today. Angela and I had talked about what happened after Bella went to bed. I was glad Angela had been there. She hadn't interfered, wanting Bella to try and handle the situation herself. She had been about to step in when Emmett walked up. I was glad Bella had a friend in Angela. I had always liked her.
"Goodnight my angel," I whispered. "Sleep well."
I left the room closing the door silently behind me. I drank a glass of water before going back to bed and willing my mind to clear so I could sleep. I fell asleep quickly, sleeping dreamlessly and was woken the next morning by Emmett's alarm clock. We wanted to leave the hotel by nine to wait in line before the park opened at ten. That gave me an hour and a half.
We were all in the lobby at 8:45 eager to leave. We piled into cabs and made our way to the park. We stood in line for what felt like forever until the gates finally swung open. We held onto each other tightly as the hordes of people pushed their way inside. I pulled Bella in between Emmett and myself. I didn't want her to feel uncomfortable with the crowd of strangers. She knew us and could cling to us with comfort. We finally got inside, and Bella's face was priceless. Her eyes grew wide and mouth hung open. I watched her, not wanting to miss one emotion on her face.
A photographer accosted us upon entering. We posed for a group picture in front of Cinderella's Castle. The woman handed us a card with a confirmation number saying out photograph could be seen within the hour and would be available all day. We stood for a few moments while Bella looked around at all the shops on Main Street. Every once in a while her eyes would light up, and I could see her take a step towards something then stop and bite her bottom lip.
"Is there something you'd like to go see?" I asked as the others debated which ride to go to first.
"No, that's okay," she said. "They want to go ride things."
My heart warmed at her consideration, but I was going to make it my mission to ensure she was considered in this trip. I had noticed over the past few weeks that Bella was often forgotten. No one did it on purpose. She made it a point to stay in the background and not ever voice her ideas in favor of others getting to do what they wanted. This was her first trip to Disney World, and she was going to enjoy every aspect of it that she wanted.
"We can go. It'll be okay." She shook her head.
"Really, I'm okay." She looked back at a shop then at me. "Do you think we could stop by on our way out? Will there be enough time? I'll be quick. I just want to take a peek."
"I'll make sure there's time. I promise." She smiled at me, grabbed onto my biceps, and leaned in to kiss me softly on the lips. I hummed in appreciation and leaned in for another when she pulled back.
"Okay, lovebirds," Alice said. I looked over and could see a tender smile on her face. "We want to ride Space Mountain first." I smiled then remembered what Bella had said the night before and looked at her. She seemed hesitant before a look of determination set in her features.
"Okay. I'll try it," she said with a nod. I smiled at her bravery and clasped her hand with mine while we walked toward Tomorrowland.
AN: I updated! I would have had this out yesterday, but FanFiction has been down. Sad day.
I'm kind of a little bit super stoked. (I hope you picked up on the sarcasm.) I'm totally stoked!!! There were 19 reviews of the last chapter. That's the most for any chapter so far. Thank you guys so, so much. I feel a little bit like a tease because last chapter I said this would be about Disney World, and you only got in the gate. :( Sorry. I can guarantee next chapter will be all about DW.
Now everybody yell 'YAY!' Bella stood up for herself. She's making progress. So, will everything go okay on Space Mountain? I dunno. Magic Kingdom is first then MGM, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom in that order. When I went to DW Animal Kingdom was closed because all the animals were sick. It was crazy. So, if anyone's been there, let me know about a ride or something so I can include it. Keep reviewing. They make me giddy. :) I'll send a sneak peek to reviewers.
PS: I always forget to say this so, links are on my profile to outfits and swimsuits. Also, I posted a one-shot that's based on my favorite song. Read it and review. In the review tell me if you can guess the song.