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Chapter 29: Progress Part 2
Bella's POV
"Be here tomorrow at 5," I told him as he walked me to my door.
"Okay," he answered with a smile. "I'll be here at 5:15."
"No." I smacked his shoulder. God, I'm turning into Rosalie. "Don't be late. I have plans."
"I know you do, but shouldn't I be the one taking you on a date?" He was pouting slightly, which made me smile. Sometimes his chivalry boarded sexism, but I loved him for it.
I froze at the thought causing him to walk into me. Luckily, he caught me before I fell to the ground. Love? Did I just think love? I had been pondering the thought lately. I knew I had strong feelings for him. I actually started thinking about it the weekend in Forks. He had called me 'love.' I don't think he realized it, but I sure as hell did. He never pushed or elaborated. He never said those three words. Still, I thought he might feel that way. I don't know why, but I did.
"Bella?" I heard him ask. I came back from my thoughts to see him standing in front of me with his hands framing my face. He looked worried. "Bella, baby, can you hear me?"
"Uh huh," I answered lamely. He breathed out a sigh of relief.
"You scared me for a minute. Why didn't you answer me?" He dropped his hands and picked up mine before continuing to my apartment.
"Sorry. I guess I was lost in thought. You always take me on dates. Let me do it once." I had big plans for the date. Hopefully he would understand that.
"Once. We'll see how this goes." We stopped at the door, and he pulled me to him. I hugged him back tightly. "What are we doing tomorrow?" I smiled up at him mischievously.
"You'll see. I don't want to ruin the surprise." He huffed in annoyance, but I could see the smile he was fighting to hide. "You do it to me all the time. You can suffer once."
"I guess." He leaned down and kissed me. I think I let out a small sigh but couldn't be for sure.
As per usual the past few days, the kiss quickly turned heated. His hands moved to my side, and he caressed me slowly leaving a tingling trail of fire. I'd never felt so cherished as when he touched me. It was slow, desirous, but never pushy or insistent. His hand traveled up and came to rest just below my breast while the other tangled in my hair. All I could do was wrap my arms around his neck and pray that this was the time he'd venture higher. I had wanted his hand on me, actually touching me; not resting hesitantly close. I wanted him to go further. I was ready, not to have sex but to move forward.
He ran his thumb back and forth just brushing the swell of my breast, and I moaned at the action. He started to pull back, but I wasn't allowing it this time. I used my arms to pull him back into me. He wasn't expecting it and the force of him falling into me pushed me into the door. I kissed him slowly, what I hoped was sensuously. I reached for his hand that was resting on my waist and took it in mine. I drug it slowly up my torso not wanting to alarm him then placed it on my breast. He moved from my mouth to take in a sharp breath.
"Bella," he said his voice rough and husky. "We don't have-"
"Edward, please," I was shocked at how husky my voice sounded as well. "I want this."
He groaned and palmed my breast gently at first. It was my turn to gasp. When he heard the sound, he pulled my mouth back to his. He squeezed and a bolt of pleasure shot through my body to settle in the pit of my stomach. I moaned at the sensation and pulled my head away so I could take a gulp of much needed air. He didn't stop, and for that I was thankful. He attached his lips to my neck and suckled lightly. I leaned my head back on the door with a thud and closed my eyes to focus on how good it all felt.
He slid his hand from my hair to my other breast and cupped each on the side. He leaned his lower half into me pinning me to the door. I could feel his erection and it both frightened and exhilarated me. He felt this way for me, because of me. I couldn't dwell on the thought because he started brushing his thumbs over my nipples, and another bolt of pleasure shot through me. My toes curled slightly, and I could feel myself growing wet and blushed at the realization. I could feel the peaks harden under his touch, which caused him to increase the pressure. Ungh. It took a second to realize I was the one moaning. I couldn't care less as long as he kept up his ministrations.
"Oh god," I heard myself whisper.
He moved his kisses from my neck down. He pulled the neck of the shirt to the side so he could nip at the collarbone causing a heat to radiate from that point. I slid one hand from his neck down his side. He felt wonderful, toned but not bulky. I pushed him away slightly and ran my hands over his abdomen. He nipped a particularly sensitive spot and caused me to curl my fingers and scratch down his torso. I could feel him abdominal muscles contract and he growled. He growled.
He moved his hands back to waist and drew lazy circles just under my shirt as he came back to kiss me. The kisses tapered off in intensity until he was pecking me lightly. He pulled back and rested his forehead on mine. We waited as both our breaths came back under control. I slowly opened my eyes to find him looking at me with his blazing green eyes. He smiled tenderly at me, and I blushed. What did I just do? The thought made me turn away, but he reached for my chin and pulled me back to look at him.
"Don't," he said his voice still a bit deep. "Don't look away. Don't be embarrassed."
"I was so forward," I said as though it were obvious.
"I've told you before; we're going to do this at your pace. You're going to be the one to initiate things." I blushed again at that fact. "So beautiful," he whispered and kissed me chastely again. "Are you okay with what just happened?" I nodded. "Say it. Tell me if this was okay."
"It was great," I whispered. His smile grew. "I didn't know it could feel so good." I ducked my head upon my admission.
"I think good's not the right word." I looked up worried. Did I do something wrong? "I think phenomenal, wonderful, and fantastic would be more appropriate." I smiled at him shyly. "You need to go inside, before I can't control myself anymore." I giggled, and he chuckled. "I…I'll see you tomorrow at 5:00 pm sharp." I nodded and bit my lip. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Buona notte, il mio angelo."
"Buona notte." He kissed me again then opened the door and ushered me in. He waited until the door was locked before walking away. I went to the dining room to watch him out the window and drew up short when I saw Rosalie and Alice glued to it. They both were wearing an impish grin so I turned to leave, but Rosalie caught me by the arm.
"Oh no you don't," she said as she steered me to the couch. Alice sat on my other side, and they looked at me expectantly. "You don't get to run away from us. Spill."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I defended. "What are you two doing here? I thought Alice was brining you home then going back to Jasper's."
"Alice did bring me home, but when we noticed you two lingering around the Volvo and knew you'd be a while she stayed to keep me company. She was about to leave when you two pulled up so we decided to wait."
"You two put on quite a show," Alice said. "Well, we couldn't see you, but from the sounds of it he knows what he's doing." I flushed furiously. "Don't be embarrassed. We're waiting for the details."
"What?" They looked at me incredulously.
"A woman doesn't make those sounds and pant that hard then not want to share. We had this conversation a while back. We said we'd be here to listen when you got around to this stuff." I remembered the conversation from girl's night, and honestly, I did want to tell them.
"We kissed." They moved their hand in a 'keep going' fashion. "He's always so controlled, and he makes sure not to initiate anything because he doesn't want to push me. I love that about him, that he's letting me set the pace, and I don't feel pressured." Rosalie smiled with a knowing look.
"But you wanted him to initiate something," she said; I nodded.
"His hands roam, but they never touch…" I pointed to my chest.
"Your boobs."
"Yeah. I just really wanted that. I don't know why. His thumb grazed one, and he started to pull back. I didn't want that so I pulled him back to me."
"That must have been the thud on the door we heard," Alice said to Rosalie. I felt embarrassed they had heard us. "So what did you do?"
"I initiated. I took his hand and placed it on my…breast." Alice squealed, and Rosalie giggled.
"And how did it feel?" I felt like my blush was permanent by this point.
"Great." Alice launched herself at me and hugged me tight.
"You love him," she said out of the blue. I looked up at her with wide eyes.
"What?"
"You love him." I looked at Rosalie; she nodded her head. "I can see it in your eyes, and the fact that you're moving forward in your physical relationship only confirms it. You wouldn't do that with just anyone. You wouldn't do that with someone you didn't care deeply for."
"You know you do, don't you?" Rosalie asked softly.
"Yes," I whispered and knew it was true. "I love him." It rolled off my tongue easier than I expected. I love him. They both smiled at me.
"Your first love," Alice said dreamily. I giggled, because it honestly felt great. I couldn't wait to hear him say it; if he felt the same way. "Bella, what's wrong?" I swallowed thickly.
"What if he doesn't love me?"
"That's nonsense. That man has loved you since he carried you to the ambulance. Don't worry about it." I could feel a smile tugging at my lips. I hoped he did. "So are you excited about tomorrow?"
"Yes, but I'm nervous too."
"Don't be nervous. He's going to love it. Brandon called about ten minutes ago. He said the tickets will be left at the door for you, and he talked to Dave to set up the thing."
"Great. That's great. Dave and I have been playing phone tag."
"Who's Brandon and Dave, and what's the thing?"
"It's part of the surprise for Edward tomorrow. I'll tell you about it afterwards. I want him to be the first to know." I looked over at the clock to see it was already 11:30. "I'm going to go to bed. It's late."
"Okay," Rosalie said and stood when I did. She pulled me into a hug. "I'm so happy for you. You're glowing; love suits you." I laughed at her. Alice stood and hugged me as well. I went to bed and hoped tomorrow would go smoothly.
I woke the next morning at 8:00am. I loved being able to sleep late. I took my time getting up and took a quick shower. Once I was dressed in comfy clothes, I retrieved the grocery list from off the refrigerator door and headed out. I stopped at the Wine and Cheese Store first to pick up the fresh provolone and havarti. I then went to the grocery store to pick up the rest of the ingredients. I was back home within two hours. I stored all the ingredients before calling Charlie.
Sue had really changed him. He was much more affectionate, and, one of my favorite things, we now talked three to four times a week. We had to talk about graduation and the party Alice decided to plan. I also wanted to hear about his and Sue's latest vacation. They should have gotten in the night before from Alaska. They took a seven-day cruise up the coast, and I couldn't wait to see pictures. I always wanted to go on a cruise.
"Hello," came the other voice on the line.
"Hi Sue," I said cheerily. "How are you?"
"Oh, hi, Bella. I'm great. I was just doing a little cleaning. How are you, dear?"
"I'm great. Really, I am. We all had dinner over at Jasper's last night. He and Alice announced their engagement, and Ben and Angela asked us to be in the wedding party." I sat down on the couch to focus on the conversation.
"That's wonderful. Tell Alice and Jasper we said congratulations. Are you excited about being in Ben and Angela's wedding?"
"I am. She seems so laid back about it, and I know she won't pick some frilly, lace-covered bridesmaid dress so I'm not worried. How was the trip? I've been dying to hear about it."
"Oh, Bella. It was beautiful." I could hear the wistfulness in her voice. "I've never seen snow that white. It always turns to slush here. The water was crystal blue. The boat was huge and had everything you could ever want on it. The food was free, and there was so much of it. I think I'll need to put Charlie on a diet for a few weeks. He ate so much." We both giggled.
"Did you take lots of pictures?"
"Of course. When will you be visiting next? I want to show them to you."
"That's actually why I called. Graduation is in a few weeks, and I wanted to know who all was coming. The weekend after we're going to have a party. Alice has decided she wants a big one to celebrate graduation, Edward's birthday, Emmett and Edward's acceptance to Medical School, and Ben and Angela's wedding. Basically, she wants to celebrate life. She's going to make it a themed party, but she won't tell us anything about it. It's supposed to be a surprise. I have to get a list of people and addresses I want to attend to her ASAP. I wanted to know if there's anyone you and dad want to invite."
"Wow. Okay. Grab a pen and paper so we can get this stuff written down." I did as she asked and sat at the kitchen bar.
We spent the next twenty minutes deciding who to invite to graduation and who to invite to the party. She found Charlie's address book so we were able to look through it and put down anyone's name we felt he'd want there. The list for graduation was a short one: Sue, dad, Leah, Seth, Billy, Renee, Phil, Carlisle, and Esme. The party list was longer, since it would be in Forks.
"Charlie just walked in for lunch," Sue said. I heard them greet each other and what sounded like a kiss. "Do you want to talk to him?"
"Yes, please," I said. I could hear the phone shift hands then my dad's happy hello. "Hey, dad, how are you?"
"I'm good kiddo," he said. "I'm just on my lunch break. How are you?"
"I'm good. Sue and I have been hashing out graduation and party invites. She told me a little about your trip. Did you have fun?"
"It was great, Bells. We got pictures to show you."
"That's what Sue said." I could hear plates being placed on the table. I didn't want to keep him from his lunch break. "I'm going to let you go so you can eat. I know your lunch break isn't long."
"You don't have to Bells. I can eat and talk."
"No, dad, don't worry about it. I can talk to you in a few days. Enjoy your lunch."
"Okay. I'll talk to you later, kiddo. Love you."
"Love you too. Bye dad." I hung up and smiled. Sue was good for him.
I decided to go ahead and make the dessert. The recipe said it would take an hour and a half then needed to cool in the refrigerator. It was simple enough to make; just needed time to set. Once that was in the refrigerator, I started on the rest of dinner. I took breaks between each dish to clean up the apartment. I straightened the picture above the television and grimaced at the memory of breaking the frame. That was not a good time for me. Rosalie coming in brought me out of my thoughts.
"Hey, how was your day?" I asked.
"Good," she answered as she tied the upper part of her coveralls around her waist. Her white wife beater was sweaty and grease stained. Her hair was in a messy ponytail and face was streaked with grease. She really was every man's wet dream. I smiled when an idea popped into my head. I grabbed my phone and snapped a picture of her as she was drinking her water. "What are you doing?" She looked at me suspiciously. I just shrugged as I typed out the message. After a day of bending over the hoods of car. I attached the picture and sent it to Emmett. "What did you just do, Swan?" I giggled.
"Nothing." She walked over and snatched the phone from me. I laughed because I had deleted the message already. "Do you have plans tonight?"
"Not really. I was thinking of calling Em and asking if he wanted to do something." Just then, her phone beeped indicating a text message. She read it and looked at me with a smile. "I guess I should be saying thanks." She held out the phone for me to read. I love you, my little grease monkey. Why don't you come over, and I'll help you clean up. I laughed. "I guess I do have plans. I'll leave before Eddie shows up. What time is he going to be here?"
"Five." I looked at my watch to see it was already 3:45. "Oh! I need to go shower and get ready before I finish dinner."
"It smells amazing, by the way. What did you make?"
"Italian Antipasto Salad, Creamy Fusilli with Mushrooms and Chicken, and Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake."
"That sounds very good. I should probably learn how to cook something." I laughed.
"Alice said the same thing once. I taught her how to make a green bean casserole. She thinks that's all she needs to know." We both laughed. "Okay, I'm off to get ready."
"What are you wearing?"
"T-shirt and jeans." She gave me a reproachful look. "Rose, we're going to a concert. I don't have to get dressed up. I also promised Brandon I'd wear a certain shirt. Otherwise, I'd let you dress me to your heart's content."
"Fine," she huffed as she walked to her room.
I took a shower and washed my hair. I pulled on a pair of True Religion straight leg jeans and the shirt Brandon sent me. I couldn't keep from laughing as I read it. I put a little mousse in my hair and let it air dry. I went back into the kitchen to finish the fusilli. The doorbell rang as I put the mushrooms on to sauté. Rosalie came out of her bedroom wearing the dress.
Yes, Alice and I had dubbed it the dress. It was a one-armed with asymmetrical neckline fitted from top-to-bottom lipstick red 1950s-esque dress. Her hair was a wavy fifties style as well and hung down her back. She was out to impress tonight. She even had her Christian Louboutin peep-toe pumps, and the only reason I knew that was because she had threatened me within an inch of my life if I touched them. I'd probably be protective of a pair of shoes too, if they cost $700.00. She answered the door before I could get to it.
"Hey Eddie," she greeted. "You look surprisingly nice."
"Hello Rosalie," he greeted back. "You look nice as usual."
"You should see what's underneath." Edward froze then looked at me as if a deer caught in headlights. I laughed. Rosalie grabbed her purse and keys before disappearing out the door. I walked over and pulled him into the apartment.
"I don't want to see what's underneath." I laughed again.
"Don't worry about it. She doesn't actually want you to see. Well, she doesn't expect you to look. She's just comfortable with you is all," I said and pulled him into a kiss. He hummed against my lips. "You do look very nice." I ran my hands up and down him chest feeling the soft fabric. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but he looked so good.
"True Religion's one of my favorite brands." I turned around and lifted my shirt just enough for him to see the True Religion patch on my jeans. He groaned and pulled me back against him. "They look so much better on you." I pulled away and swatted at his hands.
"You're early. I still need ten minutes to finish dinner." He followed me into the kitchen.
"Something smells wonderful." He took a seat at the bar while I went back to sautéing the mushrooms.
"Thank you."
"What are we having?" I listed off the menu. "Bella, lemon desserts are my favorite. I don't get to have them that often."
"I know. I called your mom to ask. I wanted to make something you'd like." He walked over and gave me a tender kiss.
"That's very sweet of you. What did I do to deserve this?"
"I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done. You've been kind, supportive, and patient even when I tried to push you away. I'm sorry for that."
"There's nothing to be sorry for. Now, what's the plan for tonight?"
"Dinner then an activity. I hope you like it."
"Tell me what it is, and I'll let you know if I like it." I giggled.
"Not going to happen." He looked at my shirt for the first time.
"What's the shirt about? I was Dave and Zach's teacher." He turned me around to read the other side. "VIP. What does that mean?"
"I can't tell you, or it would give away the surprise. I'll tell you later."
I finished cooking, and we sat down to eat. He seemed to really enjoy the food. Once we finished the entrée, I pulled out the dessert. I served him a piece, and before I could even finish mine, he was reaching for seconds. I made a mental note to make him lemon desserts more often. After dinner, we cleaned up, and he helped me wash dishes against my protests. I checked my watch to see it was 6:00. I told him we needed to go so we wouldn't be late. I locked up, and we walked outside. He opened the passenger door for me, and I slid in.
"Where to m'lady?" he asked once he buckled in.
"1122 East Pike Street," I answered. He just smiled.
"You're not going to tell me. Are you?" I just shook my head. "Alright. 1122 East Pike Street it is." We rode in silence. Once he was in steady traffic, he held my hand in his on my lap. I could feel butterflies in my stomach. I was worried he wouldn't like the surprise. It was about 6:20 when we pulled in front of the address. "Neumos? What's going on here tonight?" We passed the marquee, and he glanced at it. "Mae?" He sounded astonished. I bit my lip thinking he didn't like it. "We're going to see Mae? Really?" I nodded. "Bella, how did you manage to get tickets?"
"So, you like the surprise?"
"Like? I love it. I love Mae. How did you know?" I felt relieved that he was okay with it.
"You hum to their songs a lot, and I found it on your iPod. I have a friend that hooked me up with tickets." He pulled into the parking lot and found a spot fairly easily. Once the car was off, he turned to me.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" I looked at him curiously. "There's going to be a lot of people in there; it's going to be crowded. I love that you did this for me, but we don't have to go in if it's going to make you uncomfortable."
"I want to, Edward. You'll be with me. Nothing's going to happen."
"I will. I'll be by your side the entire time. Just promise me that if it gets to be too much, too overwhelming you'll tell me so we can go."
"I promise." I kissed him quickly. "Let's go. We want to find a good spot." He smiled widely, and we exited the car. He took my hand and led me to the entrance. There was a long line. He huffed as he stopped us at the back of the line. "Come on." I tugged at his hand and started walking to the door.
"Bella, we have to wait in line."
"Trust me." I smiled at him and walked to the door. The bouncer looked up when we approached. "Hi. Brandon left two tickets for me to pick up at the door."
"Name?" he asked.
"Bella Swan." He flipped through the papers on his clipboard. He handed over two tickets and two Backstage Passes. "Thank you." I slipped one of the passes over my neck and the other over Edward's. He looked down at it then his head whipped up to mine.
"Backstage passes?" he asked. I smiled at his excitement and nodded. I steered us inside and found a spot near the stage. "Bella, who do you know?"
"Bella!" I heard someone yell over the background music. I turned around to see Brandon walking closer. When he got close enough, I hugged him briefly. "I'm so glad you made it. I called yesterday to let you know everything had been arranged. I talked to a friend of yours."
"Alice. She told me." I pulled Edward up beside me. "Brandon, this is my boyfriend, Edward Cullen. Edward, this is-" He cut me off.
"Brandon Ebel," Edward said in awe. "Founder of Tooth and Nail Records. Pleasure to meet you." He shook Brandon's hand.
"You know who I am?" Brandon asked. Edward nodded and looked down sheepishly. "I'm impressed. You've got a keeper Bella." I smiled as Edward pulled me into his side. "I was worried you wouldn't wear the shirt."
"It's the least I can do when you did such a big favor for me." He waved his hand in a dismissive fashion.
"Dave and Zach as in Mae's Dave and Zach?" Edward asked. I nodded. "How could you have taught them? You're too young."
"Brandon hired me to work with them on their CD. So, technically I did teach them." He looked at me astonished. I was getting that look often tonight.
"I have to go check on the guys," Brandon said. "You two will be coming backstage after the concert, right? They've been asking about you." I nodded. "Great. I'll see you later. It was nice to meet you Edward."
"You too," he said before Brandon disappeared backstage. Edward turned to me. "You know Brandon Ebel, Dave Elkins, and Zach Gehring. How did I not know this before?" I shrugged.
"It never came up in conversation."
"Bella, you know Brandon Ebel, Dave Elkins, and Zach Gehring. That's a big deal." I laughed at his enthusiasm. He pulled me into his arms and whispered in my ear. "You're amazing, you know that?" I smiled and wrapped my arms around his waist.
The place filled up quickly and soon we heard the opening chords of Embers and Envelopes. The concert was great. The crowd was responsive, and the guys put on a great show. They played a few songs from their first CD before talking to the crowd. Edward stayed behind me with his arms wrapped around my waist. They played one of my favorite songs, Suspension, and Edward sang in my ear. I never felt uncomfortable with the crowd, and having Edward that close was incredible. Soon, the last part of my surprise started.
"Okay," Dave said into the microphone as someone brought out stools for he and Zach. "This next song is one of my favorites." Jacob, the drummer, took a stool next to Zach with an empty water jug. "Brandon hired someone when we were new to help us with the songwriting. She was a tremendous help and an extraordinary woman.
"She's here tonight, and she's wearing a shirt that says, 'I was Dave and Zach's teacher.' If you see her be sure to thank her for all she's done for us." I flushed at him calling me out and turned to duck my head into Edward's chest. I could feel his laughter. "We love you, Bella. This song was one of the first she helped us with, and she'd like to dedicate it to her new beau, Edward. You're a lucky dude, man." I felt his laughter stop as they started the acoustic version of Ready and Waiting to Fall.
"Bella?" I heard Edward ask.
Drowning, just as fast as I can.
But don't throw me a line,
don't reach out your hand.
'Cause, I'm on the brink of something beautiful
and I want to sing about it,
but I don't know where to begin.
"Bella?" I heard again and finally looked up. He was smiling a small, tender smile. He leaned down and kissed me softly.
Write it in a letter,
but the words don't come out right.
Trying to explain how nobody can do me like.
You don't understand how helpless I can get
Since the day that we met.
Oh can you feel it yet?
The kiss stayed slow and languid, and I could just imagine feeling so much love in the kiss. Maybe one day he'd feel the same.
It's never been more perfect being alive
I've never been so satisfied. Oh...
I could feel something different for the first time
Heaven made sense and all the words rhymed.
No chance of stopping now. I'm taking it all.
And now I'm caught in the air, its a good glide.
Pass it up, wouldn't dare what a wild ride.
I remember being ready and waiting to fall
just like I did tonight.
I wanted so bad to tell him, to just say those three little words. It was the 21st Century. Plenty of women were the first to say it. I opened my mouth, but the words wouldn't come. I didn't think I could risk the rejection.
Spinning around and around
Until my left was my right and up became down.
With just one look you knocked me off of my feet.
So unable to speak. Oh how you made me weak.
Though it was a while ago, I still can recall.
That moment so ready, and waiting to fall.
Can you take me back in time
remembering when you captured my heart?
Over and over again.
"Bella," I looked up at him to see his eyes bright and penetrating. "I love you." My breath hitched, and I wondered if I had heard correctly. "I love you, Bella. With all my heart, I love you." He reached up and brushed away a tear I didn't know had fallen. I reached up and pulled him to me for a hard, passionate kiss.
It's never been more perfect being alive
I've never been so satisfied. Oh...
I could feel something different for the first time
Heaven made sense and all the words rhymed.
No chance of stopping now. I'm taking it all.
And now I'm caught in the air, its a good glide.
Pass it up, wouldn't dare what a wild ride.
I remember being ready and waiting to fall
just like I did tonight.
I pulled back, and we both panted for air. I pulled his forehead to rest on mine and whispered, "I love you, too." His face broke into a wide grin.
"You have no idea how long I've wanted to say that," he said with his eyes closed, "and here you say it. That was music to my ears." He pulled me back to kiss him again.
I could feel something different for the first time
Heaven made sense and all the words rhymed.
No chance of stopping now. I'm taking it all.
And now I'm caught in the air, its a good glide.
Pass it up, wouldn't dare what a wild ride.
I remember being ready and waiting to fall
just like I did tonight.
The rest of the concert was honestly a blur. I stayed wrapped in Edward's arms kissing him, hugging him, listening to him tell me he loved me and I back. It was perfect. I should have listened to Alice and Rosalie when they said not to worry. He did love me, had loved me for a while. I should have known when he started calling me love. The guys ended with The Sun and The Moon. The crowd went wild, and we cheered right along with them.
We walked into Edward's apartment that night around 1:30 am. Edward was still wired from meeting Mae. They had ended up talking for forty minutes before I mentioned Edward played the piano. Then they spent an hour and a half playing together. It was great to catch up with them and watch Edward fit in so well. By the end of the night, Brandon had taken Edward's contact information. He said he was looking for someone to do some piano work on an upcoming album. Needless to say, Edward was fueled.
"I'll be right back," he said and jogged into the hallway. I sat down on the couch and leaned my head back with my eyes closed. Tonight had been a success. I might have dozed, I couldn't be for sure, but I smiled when I felt feather-light kisses on my neck. I hummed in appreciation. "You look comfortable."
"Ummhmm," I said.
"Emmett left a note taped to my door. He's with Rosalie at your place." I groaned. I wasn't going to like hearing those sounds all night.
"I wish I didn't have to go home." He paused his kisses.
"You don't have to," he said quietly. I looked up at him with a blank expression. "You can stay here, with me."
"What?"
"I hate sending you away or leaving you every night. I would love to keep you here. I loved falling asleep with you in my arms the night before the trial. I've been thinking about it ever since."
I had loved waking up in his arms. It felt safe and right. I did want him to stay but worried that it wasn't a joint decision. I wanted him to stay, obvious by me asking him, but he hadn't agreed. I worried he had done it out of obligation rather than desire. Now, he was inviting me to sleep next to him, consciously. I smiled at him.
"I'd love to," I said and kissed his jaw.
"Really?" he sounded skeptical. I giggled and nodded. "Okay. Great. I'll get you something to sleep in. Pants or short?"
"Shorts, please." He pushed up and off the couch. He held up a finger to indicate he needed a minute. He came back with a bundle of clothes.
"I'm going to change in my room while you use the bathroom. Just knock when you're ready for bed if the door's not open."
I took the clothes from him and made my way to the bathroom. I'm really going to do this. I changed slowly as I felt my heart speed up. I was nervous. I shouldn't be since he had seen me in my bathing suit, and it showed much less. I shook my head. Pull it together. It'll be fine. I made my way toward his bedroom where the door stood open. He was on top of the covers with a crossword in hand. He looked up when he heard me and smiled. Then he looked down at what I was wearing, a wife beater and a pair of boxers. He swallowed thickly and pulled the covers back on the other side of the bed. I walked over and slid in.
"This isn't going to be awkward, is it?" I asked. He sat the crossword on the nightstand and scooted down to lay next to me. He placed an arm under my head.
"No," he said. "Zero awkwardness." I sighed and scooted closer to him laying my head on his chest and draping an arm over his waist. I rubbed my cheek on his cotton nightshirt and wound one leg in between his pajama-clad legs. "You don't know how nice this feels."
"I do if it feels half as good as I do." I looked up at him and smiled. He leaned down to kiss me chastely. I was having none of that.
I kissed him hard and wrapped a hand around his neck. He reached up and tilted my head to the side to deepen the kiss. He tasted of mint and Edward. I could spend hours kissing him. He rolled us until he rested on his elbow and hip, his upper body hovering above mine. He ran his free hand over my arm before cupping my breast. I moaned at the contact. It felt so much different with one less layer of cloth between us since I had decided to sleep without a bra. I felt the familiar bolt of pleasure settling in my stomach. I placed my arm above my head to give him better access. He rubbed his thumb over my nipple, and it hardened under his touch. He moved his hand down to rub my side. He slipped his hand under my shirt and rubbed circles into my side. He slowed his kisses and pulled back.
"I love you," he said his voice once again deep and husky.
"I love you, too," I answered.
"I want to do something, but I need you to trust me." My nerves flared. I guess he could see my uneasiness, because he hurried to explain himself. "It has nothing to do with sex. Please don't think that." I bit my bottom lip. "Please." I nodded. "Tell me it's okay."
"I trust you."
He kissed me again, and I forgot any apprehension. I soon felt his hand slowly push the shirt up. I moved to stop him not wanting him to touch the scars. He pulled back to look at me and whispered, "Trust me." After a few seconds, I removed my hand from over his. He finished pushing the shirt up until it rested below my breast. He pulled back and looked down at my stomach. I closed my eyes so I wouldn't see the pity and disgust. I felt him shift, and then to my utter shock, I felt his lips press lightly to my stomach. He kissed ever inch of every scar.
Tears stung my eyes, but I tried to hold them in. The one thing that worried me most about our physical relationship was his reaction to my scars. He hadn't run when I showed him in Forks, but he also hadn't touched them. He rolled me over on my side and kissed every scar on my back. I couldn't stop the tears from falling. He washed away every worry with his lips. He pulled me to lie on my back and pulled my shirt back over my stomach. He came back up to kiss me softly.
"I love you, Bella," he whispered as he softly brushed away the tears. "I love every part of you, even the scars."
"Thank you," I whispered my voice not able to do much more. He kissed each eye before lingering at my lips. "I love you, too."
"It's late." He rolled onto his back and pulled me into him. I wrapped myself around him and burrowed my head in his chest. "Let's sleep." I took a deep breath before the heaviness of sleep settled on me. "Buona notte, il mio angelo." He leaned down to kiss me head and whispered, "I love you."
"Love you," I managed sleepily before allowing sleep to overtake me.
AN: They finally say the words! Yay! I hope you enjoyed. Was Bella good at planning a date? Be sure to check out the blog. I'll be putting up pictures and a link to the YouTube video of Ready and Waiting to Fall that I had in mind when I saw this date. It's a specific performance. Hope you all enjoyed.
Reviews have been down the last two chapters. I hope you are still enjoying. Review, and I'll send you a sneak peek at the next chapter.