Note: I love all the reviews I have gotten and I thank you all for supporting in my first fanfic! Thanks! Love ya all!
Disclaimer: I take no credit in the characters within this story; those are the sole work of Mrs. Stephenie Meyer. I do, however, take credit for the specific, new traits I gave them and am quite proud of them.
I was about to pull back when he wiped at my cheek, showing me the barbeque sauce I had managed to smear across it. He cleaned his finger on a napkin and then wiped at my face again, making me shiver at the way his thumb was stroking me. He smiled, letting me know that I was cleaned, then leaned back, watching the movie.
As my eyes carried back to the screen I could still feel his thumb on my cheek. I wasn't complaining about this in the slightest. Quite the contrary really; I wanted nothing more than for his thumb to actually be there at the moment, to still be stroking me. I felt another shiver at the thought and decided I had to get up. I began to clear the coffee table, gaining an odd look from the other two.
I went into the kitchen, dropping the plates into the sink before going to a cabinet and pulling out a bag of popcorn. I wasn't really hungry, but you couldn't have a movie marathon without popcorn. As I popped the bag into the microwave I decided to be honest with myself. The only reason I was making popcorn was that I wanted a moment to be alone and not have the urge again to turn and jump on him.This was not good; him being here was supposed to make things better, not worse.
"Hey Bella, you okay?" Alice asked, walking into the kitchen with her glass in hand.
I stood up a little straighter. "Yeah, fine. Why?"
"You clean and cook when you're stressed." She said, giving me a sad look. I looked away from her, knowing I wouldn't be able to lie to her. She came over, laying her hand on my arm. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Maybe later." I said, looking at her before I opened the microwave and pulled out the fully popped bag. "When it's just the two of us. For now, I think I just need to relax a bit, try to focus."
"I thought it would be easier." She said as I went to walk away. I turned back to her, raising an eyebrow. She smiled meekly. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. I just thought it would be like a bang, no problem."
My gaze was steady as I gave her a small smile. "Some things just aren't meant to be. I'm sorry to say that this seems to be one of them." I stepped forward and gave her a hug. "Thank you anyways though."
She hugged me back, then released me, going to the fridge to get more lemonade. It made me laugh a little. I was going to have to go get some lemons and make some more tomorrow.
When I went back to the couch Edward eyed the popcorn that I had just opened. I watched him, eating it slowly just to be a tease. Finally I tossed a piece at his head and it bounced off his cheek. He laughed before eating it. Then I placed the bag between us on the couch, turning my attention to the TV where Jack was sitting there at a table, typing on an old looking typewriter. I sighed; I had never really found The Shining that scary, to be honest. I mean creepy? Hell yes. But not really anything super terrifying. Alice came back in and sat with her back against my legs as we watched the movie, munching a little on the popcorn, but none of us very hungry after our ribs.
When that movie was finally over I glanced at the clock. It was only 10:30. Alice crawled forward, asking if we wanted to watch The Silence of the Lambs next. "Sure Alice." Edward said.
I nodded when she glanced back at me. Then I stretched before lifting my legs onto the couch and placing them under me as I lay my head down on the armrest. The movie started with its normal opening credits and I watched on quietly, not really noticing when I closed my eyes. I listened for a while as Clarice Starling talked to Hannibal, but was out before anything really creepy happened...
--
"Shh." Alice said, "We don't want to wake her."
I yawned. "Too late."
I opened my eyes and found that the living room lights were on now; the movies had been picked up and placed back in their hideaway. I yawned again, stretching my legs before sliding them down to the floor and sitting up. Edward was still on the couch beside me, looking half asleep himself. That was when I realized I must have had my legs stretched across him.
I looked a little sheepish. "I'm sorry, did I use you as a footstool?"
He looked over. "Only for a little while."
I looked up at the wall clock, wondering how long I had been asleep. 1:24. "Ok, well I personally think it's time for bed."
"Apparently you thought that a few hours ago." Edward pointed out, standing up. "And I guess I agreed with you. Sorry Alice."
She just laughed. "It's okay. I don't mind watching movies by myself. Now come on, let's go to sleep so we can have some fun tomorrow!"
I looked at her. "What are we doing tomorrow?"
"Going to the mall of course!" She sang, standing up and giving a cute stretch before starting off down the hall with little more than a wave.
I heard her door close and sighed before standing up as well. "Well Edward, I suppose I'll see you in the morning. I hope you sleep well."
"You too Bella." He said as we started off toward our rooms. His door closed just as I opened mine. I sighed as I closed it slowly, stepping back to Alice's door and opening it carefully before going in. She was sitting on her bed, still fully dressed.
"Hey," she said, smiling a little as she patted her bed. I went and sat down, lying back and closing my eyes. "So what's bothering you?"
"I don't know." I admitted. "Nothing seems any different than it ever did and yet it seems so much worse now. I don't know."
"Well you haven't seen him in three years and you've never quite given up on him. I'm sure when you saw him here you were washed over with quite a few different emotions. Not quite sure how to act?"
I just nodded, my hand going to my head as I felt a little pound in the center of my forehead.
"You know, I'm going to be honest with you Bella." Alice said quietly. I opened my eyes, preparing myself to have my heart broken when she tells me that she doesn't think he feels anything. I already knew that, I just couldn't admit it to myself. Hearing it from her would make it real and it was going to hurt, but I was ready. She took a deep breath. "Since we became friends with you, Edward has loosened up so much, especially when he's around you. He sees you as his best friend, someone that he can really talk to and connect with. But when he saw you step out of the house today I think he began to revise his thoughts. I know that you want everything to happen like it would in a fairy tale, but you know as well as I do that Edward is not like that; he's not going to sweep you off your feet without enough… encouragement."
I stared at her with a blank face, trying to sort through what she said. "Alice, are you saying that I need to … seduce him?"
"Not exactly Bella. I mean, you can think of it like that. You need to make him stop thinking of you as just his friend."
"Alice, I can't do that." I said flatly. "If he's gonna fall for me it's not because I wore a short skirt and some high heels. I've been in love with Edward forever now and I can't…. I just can't." I could feel the tears begin to well up in my eyes.
"I understand Bella." She whispered. "It's okay. I know. I won't push it. I just want you to think about at least making your feelings as evident as possible. Just let him know that you're interested. You don't have to change at all, just be yourself."
I blinked a few times, trying to hold back the tears. It worked; I could see Alice looking kind of worried as she looked down at me. I gave her a watery smile. "Thanks Alice."
"Your're welcome…. but we can still buy you some sexy clothes tomorrow, right? Not for him, just so you have them? Please?"
I smiled at her and laughed. Only Alice. "Okay. We can."
She smiled happily as I stood up and gave her another hug before leaving her room. I went into mine and climbed right into bed, not even thinking about changing. Once I was under the covers I kicked down my pants, making me at least semi-comfortable. I sighed in contentment and closed my eyes, thinking about the fact that I had Edward in the next room. I had him back, along with Alice. How could I possibly be depressed at a time like this?
I lay there for a long time with my eyes closed as I listened to the river just outside of my house, its sweet lullaby surrounding me and rocking me to sleep.
--
I woke up the next morning to a light knock on my door. I blinked a few times, trying to figure out who the hell would be knocking on my door. When it opened, Edward poked his head in. "Good morning Bella. Alice is getting dressed and wanted me to make sure you were awake."
"Yeah, I'm awake." I said with a yawn. I sat up a little, stretching. Then I looked back at him. "How did you like your bed? Is it like sleeping on a cloud or what?"
He laughed and nodded. "I don't think I've slept quite so deeply in months. Thank you."
"My pleasure." I said, and yawned again. "What time is it?"
"Nearly ten."
My eyebrows shot up. Wow, I figured that Alice would be up at six getting ready. "Okay. Thanks. I'll see you guys in a little while."
"Alice told me to tell you to go take a shower but don't get dressed. She wants to help you get ready." I grimaced. Oh god, I was going to have to be a baby doll again, wasn't I? Edward noticed my twitch. "I'm sorry."
"Not your fault I suppose." I said as I rolled my shoulders. "Okay, thank you Edward. I'll see you after I go through hell. It's amazing how good it is for the skin, apparently."
He laughed as he closed the door and left me. I tossed my covers off and got up slowly, heading for my bathroom for a shower. I turned the water on high, just wanting to wake up. It had taken me a while to finally fall asleep last night and I didn't feel at all rested. When I climbed under the water I felt myself sigh, letting the steady stream pour down my body and relax my muscles. Eventually I straightened myself out and washed my hair and body, waking up a bit.
"Bella? Are you almost done?" Alice asked from the doorway.
"Yeah." I said, running my fingers through my hair one last time before shutting of the water. I reached around the curtain and found my robe. I wrapped it around my body tightly, climbing out of the tub carefully, not wanting to slip. I found Alice in my closet, looking through my clothes. I saw that she had a pair of jeans hung over her arm, but was still searching for a shirt.
"You know, you don't have bad taste or anything Bella, but you don't seem to be able to use it when you go shopping. Do you own something that isn't a t-shirt?" I blushed and took the jeans from her. "Okay, I'll take that as a no. Well, you're going to wear one of my shirts today. Come on."
I was pulled across the hall, catching a brief glance of Edward, who was walking out of his room. He gave me a smile but I was gone too fast to return it. Alice marched us straight to her closet and pulled a top off of a hanger before hurrying me back to my own room without letting me see it.
I slipped into the jeans quickly, first pulling on a comfortable pair of 'cheekys'. Once I was in the jeans she handed me the shirt, which was a deep red halter-top that crossed in the front (pic on my profile). It covered me well enough, so I decided not to complain just yet. God knows she could have chosen a worse top, though I was a bit embarrassed about the cleavage that was visible in the gap.
"Okay!" Alice said, "On to makeup! And we have to do something with your hair."
"Alice." I warned. "I told you last night it's gonna be more, or it's not gonna happen. Remember?"
"Of course I do. But that was in reference to my brother, not to dressing up to go out! We're going to the mall and you are going to look good!" She was laughing as she pulled me across the hall again and into her bedroom where she set me on her bed. "Now just close your eyes and relax."
I let out a sigh as I did as I was told. Sometimes you were better off not arguing with her, especially when you knew perfectly well you wouldn't be able to win. A minute later she pushed my hair back and began to prep up my face before taking a brush to almost every inch of my skin. I sat still, keeping my eyes closed because I didn't want to risk getting poked in the eye.
I knew when she was finished with my makeup because she sighed happily before I felt a brush begin to streak through my hair, ripping out the knots in a single swipe; Alice was nothing if not proficient(maybe 'efficient' works better?). I hissed a lot as she tugged the brush back and kept brushing through my hair, but never complained. I was afraid of the repercussions. This time I knew the minute she finished because she was laughing. I opened my eyes. "Can I look?"
"Of course." She giggled, ushering me out the door and back into my room, where I hurried to the bathroom. The girl staring back at me in the mirror was certainly not me; her high, gold-accented cheekbones were much more defined then my own and the normal nest that sat on my head was reflected as a perfect loose collection of braids. And the smoldering smoky looking eyes in the mirror looked nothing like mine. "So, what do you think?"
"Where did you get the mask and why didn't I feel you put it on me?"
She laughed as she bounced a little, her excitement too much for her tiny body. "Silly Bella. A mask could never be as beautiful as your face!" I saw her smile at me in the mirror as I gave her a critical look. "So, let's go find you some shoes. I'm glad that our feet are the same size. I saw nothing but a pair of a pair of flats and sneakers in you closet."
"Sorry." I mumbled as she pulled me away from my room yet again and into her closet. She shuffled through the rows of shoes against the wall and eventually handed me a pair of high, red, strappy wedge sandals that matched the shirt exactly (pic on my profile). I stared at them without taking them from her hands. "Do you want me to break my neck?"
"I'll be there and so will Edward; we'll make sure you don't trip. Besides, you weren't too bad in heels before. You won't kill yourself, I promise. Now, put them on while I find a pair so we can get out of here." She disappeared back into the closet while I lifted my feet and tied the shoes into place. I was glad I just cut my toenails and put a topcoat on because I had been so beyond bored the other day. With the shoes in place, I stood, walking a little to get used to the feel of heels again.
When Alice came back out, I noticed her outfit for the first time. She wore a pleated jean miniskirt, short enough to make her legs look extremely long, but long enough not to look sluttish: a deep green tank top with braided straps and a straight neck; a pair of black high heeled sandals with lace tie-upsthat added to the long legged look and were just plain gorgeous.
"Well, I suppose I should be happy that you didn't dress me up as much as you did yourself."
Her laughter rang out, making me smile a little to myself. "Yeah, so be damn grateful."
My smile widened a little and I walked toward the door. "Are we ready then?"
"Yes." She said happily as she grabbed her purse off the bed before following me. "Edward! Let's go!"
I smiled at him apologetically as when he came out of his room in a simple pair of loose jeans and dark blue t-shirt. His eyes roamed over my outfit before he met mine again, a smile still playing on his lips. "Well, at least she took it easy on you."
I nodded. "I am thankful for that."
He turned and closed his bedroom door before starting in to the living room again. I watched him walk for a moment, mesmerized by his movements to the extent that I simply stood still, rather than try to follow him. He moved with such grace that it surprised me most of the time. I felt Alice push me gently forward, trying to get me to move. I finally got my legs to work, hurrying past Edward and going into my office to grab my purse before we left. I was walking fast as I stepped down into the gravel and almost tripped. If there hadn't been a body in front of mine, and such a solid one at that, I never would have recovered.
"Be careful Bella." Edward said, turning to me as I tried to pull myself from his back. "We can't have you break anything before we at least get to the mall."
"Very funny Edward." Alice said as she stepped around us, helping me stay balanced on the uneven rocks.
She led me to the Volvo that was parked behind my car; probably figuring it would be easier to get out. Edward walked around, climbing into the driver's seat and watching as I was carefully helped in next to him. I thought about this-why was Alice giving me the front? I knew that I didn't really want to know and refrained from asking about the workings of her mind.
"Okay, so let's take off to Seattle!" Alice sang from the back seat as she climbed in and leaned forward. "I'm ready to shop!"
I turned to her, my eyebrows pulling together. "Alice, there are closer malls than that! We don't need to drive two hours for a mall."
She laughed, practically dancing in her seat. That was when I noticed the three bags next to her in the backseat. I felt my jaw drop. "I wanted to surprise you Bella! We're only going up for a night. I wanted to hit a club that just opened and I couldn't go without you!"
I stared at her before looking at Edward. "Did you know about this?"
His lips twitched up as he turned his eyes to me just as he pulled off of my dirt road and on to the main road. "Of course I did. I was forced to listen to her plans during the whole drive from Forks! I know all about her plans for this month and have no say about them. Neither do you, apparently. I was told that if we interfered with her plans we would regret it for the rest of the time."
"Edward!" Alice shrieked from the backseat. "No more! Don't give everything away!"
"Wouldn't dream of it Alice. Just thought a fair warning was a good idea," his eyes flicked to the rear view mirror as he talked to her, no longer focused on me.
"I can't believe you guys! What if I had plans? What if I don't want to go?" I asked, turning to the window with a sigh. I knew Alice had the best intentions, but sometimes I couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking. A club? Me? The girl who couldn't manage not to trip, fall, hurt myself or someone else, or generally have any poise, was going to be forced to dance at a posh club? "Alice, I don't think this is a good idea."
"Too late." Alice sang, her voice containing a tad bit of irritation. "It's too late to go back now. We're already on the highway. Besides, you needed to get out."
I continued to glare out of the window without saying anything. After a minute I felt a hand touch mine lightly. I looked over at Edward, who was looking between me and the road. "I know you don't like surprises Bells, but at least try to be happy. Alice really wanted to take you out and we both know that if we had told you the plan, you would never have agreed to go. It's a nice hotel and Alice called in our reservations ages ago. Just try. If you don't like the club I promise I'll take you right back to the hotel. Okay?"
I felt myself soften as I stared at him. Then I bit my lip, loving the way he was looking at me with those gorgeous green pleading eyes. "Okay. I'll try."
"Thanks Bella!" Alice said from the back, reaching out and taking my hand. "You won't regret it."
I just let out a sigh, already knowing she was wrong.