She walked over to him. "Hello, stranger. Fancy meeting you here."
Edward looked up. "Bella?" He said with surprise. "How lovely to see you. Sit down, please."
She took the chair oposite his. Wow, was he ever gorgeous this morning. He wore an old fashioned shirt with lacing across the chest, distressed jeans and skater shoes. His awesome bronze hair was combed for once. She looked at her own clothes, and a bit of her old depression returned. Her jeans were patched everywhere, and her shirt had the front from one of her old ones, the back from another and the sleeves from a third. But now, today, she was going to be just like everyone else again.
They sat at the café for a couple of hours, talking about the revolution, art, poetry, philosophy, litterature and True Blood. It was amazing how similar Edward's taste in things was to her own. She smiled more in two hours than she had done in 10 years. For a while she didn't care that her dad was a monster and a disgrace.
After they left the café, they went for a walk along the river. It wasn't the actual Seine, which was several miles above them, but a new river the vampires had dug out. It had much less garbage in it than the real thing, but there was no moonlight reflected in it, and no gentle breezes stroking their hair as they walked hand in hand under the gaslights. They sat down on a bench, staring into each other's eyes like amber. Then they shared their first true love's kiss.
Bella was so happy she felt like she was soaring down the streets. It was only Edward's strong, masculine hands that kept her grounded. He was just so frickin gorgeous! Then, suddenly Bella saw something that made her good mood sour a little. Lorraine and Jessique were coming down the street, laughing and chatting in their usual manner. Bella didn't like either of them, because they were shallow and only thought about boys and clothes.
"Are they coming to the party?" she asked.
"Yes," said Edward, "but don't care about them. You are going to look so much lovelier."
Bella smiled, and felt reassured. They went to a shop, and Bella bought herself three new pairs of jeans, many cute tops and a couple of sweaters. She also got a couple of bikinis, because she loved swimming. Then they walked hand in hand to the Cullens' house, so Bella could get some of Carlisle's allergy potion. To get to where Edward lived, they walked down a long, wide staircase with wrought iron railings and lanterns. Bella gasped when she saw they street ahead of her. It was lit up gloriously by giant chandelieres hanging from the rock ceiling, and the houses were carved up to three floors. Most of them had balconies where fig trees and palms grew in larve terracotta pots. Edward led her to a house that had a lot of large windows and ivy climbing up the facade.
The house was even more wonderful inside. They had a home cinema with a huge screen and very comfy sofas. There was a big aquarium with all sorts of tropical fish carves into the wall. The kitchen was super modern with all sorts of appliances. Edward led her into Carlisle's lab, and found a small vial of pink fluid.
"One dose is enough to cure it forever," he said.
Bella closed her eyes and swallowed. It tasted like cough syrup with nail polish remover. "Blehhh!" she said with her tongue out. Then she shushed Edward into the next room, so she could try on her new clothes. After having tried them all, she chose to wear a pair of bootcut jeans and a plum-coloured top. She felt like a million bucks.
"Oh, there you are, Bella darling," said a voice, and Esme came in. "Are you ready to go and pick out a dress? Rosalie has been very impatient. Her friend Alice is coming too."
All the girls got into Esme's car. They drove to a very fashionable part of town, and stopped infront of a chic boutique. Bella tried on almost every dress in the shop, because she could. In the end, her choice fell on a lavender satin dress with black lace trimmings. It was knee-length with a v-front and zipped down the back. Rosalie got a black gown with ruffles, and Alice chose a short blue one with corset details on the waist. Esme already had a fabulous wardrobe, so she didn't get anything. She paid for the girls' dresses, and Bella and Alice thanked her.
Esme seemed very happy. She was probably exited about the party and getting out in the sun again when the new tunnel opened. But it seemed to be something more, as well. She looked so serene, in a way. If Bella hadn't known it was impossible, she would have thought Esme was pregnant, because the almost had the glow.
René wasn't in when Bella got was a relief in a way, although she wondered whaqt he was up to. Charline had a friend over for coffee, and Cosette had popped out. Bella left the vial with the vaccine in her room. Then she got a text from Edward, asking her if she wanted to go swimming. Happily she put one of her new bikinis and a towel into her bag, and sprinted off to the pool.