Stephenie has it all. I just decided to play with her characters and add some of mine.
Pictures of the characters on my web, here: http:/ newdawn-newday-newlife . webs . com/ residentadviser . htm.
As you know by now, remove the spaces. On FB you find me under the name of Cherry Bella.
THANK YOU, GUYS! I never expected so many reviews or story Alerts/Favorites or hits. You are great! This is seriously my only story to receive such feedback! I update every week.
Pre-read by TeamAllTwilight.
PS1: For those that don't know, I posted outtakes for this story. It's about Edward. And I'm working on more outtakes right now.
PS2: There is a new picture on my FB profile with the house. And one about the clothes in this chapter. :) I also put a picture of the all the characters on my FB one picture of the wedding dresses...
Check out TeamAllTwilight's new story: http:/ www. fanfiction. net /s/7397923 /1/ Lipstick_Kisses_And_Inked_Virtuoso
Enjoy the chapter!
The first few months after moving in were the best and worst. We couldn't find the time to just breathe for a few hours, being constantly shopping, assembling and fighting, but every night we made time to be together. If not intimately, only hugging and just talking.
The day Edward had to put the bed together was the funniest day ever. He sat Indian style on the bedroom floor, instructions in front of him along with the tools we had bought. After the first fruitless hour, he was sweating and cursing. I tried to keep away since he snapped every time I tired to help him. But when two hours passed, I wandered back in the bedroom and found him sucking on his finger with watery eyes. I convinced him to take a break and help me put the books in the bookcase.
At noon, the doorbell rang and we exchanged a confused look before going to open the door.
"Hi!" the boy greeted us cheerfully. "I'm Billy Brandon, your neighbor." He pointed to the house next to ours. He looked really young, probably still in high school, with dark hair and deep blue eyes.
"Hey," Edward greeted him, shaking his hand. "I'm Edward and this is Bella."
Billy grinned. "Here. Mom told me to bring you this." He thrust a bowl with pudding in my hands. "It's delicious."
"Thank you," I whispered. I was still trying to grasp that he was here. Not in one of the four days we had lived there, one person knocked on our door.
"Do you need help with anything? I can help you. My Dad works in construction and I like it too." He was such a bubbly kid. He reminded me of Alice a bit.
"Are you sure?" Edward asked. He was probably happy someone was offering to help him. A male, so his ego wouldn't be shattered if I managed to assemble the bed.
"Sure thing. Just let me tell Mom I'm here," Billy said before jogging to his house.
"He's exactly like Aly was in high school," Edward muttered to me.
"I think he really is in high school." I nodded. "I'm going to put this in the fridge." I shook the pudding before walking to the kitchen.
When Billy returned, he and Edward disappeared into the bedroom while I went back to putting the books in the bookcase. An hour later, they came to the living room smiling. I was happy Edward had befriended him so fast. They did the fist bump before Billy waved to me and left.
"Is he even legal?" I asked when Edward came behind me, kissing my neck.
"Hmm? He's almost sixteen. But he knows how to work a hammer."
"That's good. I'm done here."
"Great. How about we break in the bed?" he murmured in my ear, scooping me up.
"As long as we don't break it," I hinted, kissing his sweaty cheek.
At the end of July, we visited my Mom and stayed for a full week at her insistence. I hadn't realized how much I missed her until I was there. At first, she was reluctant to allow us to sleep in the same room, but I reminded her that we shared a house in Chicago. She and Phil took us to Disneyland and the Harry Potter themed park on our last days there. I hadn't had so much fun in years.
When we returned home, Edward went to talk with his new coach, and officially meet everyone. I kept searching for a job and by September, I was set to accept the first person that called. I hated relying on our parents.
The thirteenth day of September, I woke up alone, wrapped in the soft blanket. I didn't feel like waking up. I didn't want to face that day because I knew Edward had gone over the board. He had been secretive the whole week and when he was on his phone, he either left the room or started talking in riddles.
The bedroom door opened and after a loud clatter, I opened my eyes to see him in the doorway smiling and holding a tray with food.
"Good morning, birthday girl!" he said cheerfully and came to my side, putting the tray on the bed.
"Morning. Thanks," I mumbled, feeling my cheeks burning.
"I made pancakes and didn't burn them."
"I'm sure you didn't burn them." I patted his cheek. Last time he had tried making pancakes, our newly acquisitioned fire sprinklers opened from the smell of burnt food and soaked us.
"And I squeezed an orange for you and made coffee."
"Are you going to spoil me?" I asked, giggling.
"You're twenty four only once." He smirked.
"Argh! Can you not say numbers? Please?" I begged him.
He nodded solemnly and climbed in the bed next to me, bringing the tray closer. "Uh, the toast might be a little burnt," Edward warned. "I was washing my face because the stupid orange had attacked me."
I laughed, leaning to kiss him. "It's perfect."
"You didn't even taste it," he insisted.
"I will after I get my morning kiss."
If the food hadn't been between us there would have been more than a morning kiss, but we broke it when my stomach growled.
Breakfast in bed was one of the things I had hinted that I wanted to experience and Edward always said he loved to have me for breakfast in bed, twisting my words.
He didn't allow me to do anything that day, even insisting that he dress me. He said he had a surprise as we went to the car, a few hours later.
"You know I hate surprises," I moaned, pouting.
"You'll like this. I promise."
"Did you bring everyone here?"
"I wanted to," he said seriously. "But they were busy."
I stayed quiet until he stopped in front of a building I didn't know and took his phone out, texting something. Five minutes later, Sylvia came out. Since I had become friends with her during the wedding preparations, we had met up a few times here.
She opened the back door, grinning. "Happy birthday, Bella!"
"Thank you, Sylvia," I whispered.
"This is for you." She offered me a small box. "Well, it's not really for you…but I couldn't think of anything else."
I carefully opened her present, while Edward maneuvered the car through the streets to an unknown destination.
A gasp left my lips when I saw the most gorgeous porcelain elephant.
"It's for the house," she explained timidly.
"I love it! Thank you so much!" I exclaimed, leaning back to kiss her cheeks. "Isn't it beautiful?" I asked Edward.
He glanced at the elephant and nodded, smiling…like he had seen it before. And he probably had.
He stopped at the Zoo's gates. "Surprise!"
"Are you serious? I always wanted to visit this zoo!"
He shrugged as if he didn't know. "It's not really expensive and it's something you want," he explained.
He was so thoughtful. After buying tickets and some snacks, we started our tour with the map in our hands. Sylvia kept babbling about how she had started the nurse school and it was amazing and how she couldn't wait to start practicing. We shared our boring stories about moving in, but she seemed fascinated. I couldn't help but share the bed story, which made Edward scowl and fold his arms over his chest, pouting.
We took many photos and I allowed him to stay at the lions' area as long as he wanted. I knew he loved them. By the time we left, I was the proud owner of a cappuccino monkey. A toy, of course.
"Where to now?" I asked excitedly when we went to the car.
Edward chuckled. "I think you turned four. Clutching that monkey and bouncing around."
"I'm allowed to do whatever I want. It's my birthday!" I told him seriously. "So? What is next?"
"First, we're dropping Sylvia back since she has a class in the morning, then we're having dinner," Edward answered. I hadn't expected him to tell me.
"Sounds good," I said, turning to Sylvia. "Do you really have to go?"
"Yes, I just wanted to give you the present and leave, but he threatened me," she giggled, nodding to Edward.
"I'm glad you had a few hours to spare. It was really nice."
She smiled. "I'm happy too."
After we dropped her at her apartment, we went home.
"Didn't you say dinner?" I asked, frowning.
"Stop being so nosy! It's another surprise," Edward told me teasingly, taking my hand.
He led me to our bedroom and put the laptop on the bed, pushing the power button. "This is part of the surprise, so you'll be busy while I do something you're going to find out."
"Oookay," I dragged the word out, feeling dazed. I had been right. He had gone over the board.
He pressed some buttons and then stepped aside, beaming at me. I glanced at the screen and my breath caught in my throat. On a small window I could see Rose, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Bob and Tanya.
"This is…." I sniffed, taking Edward's head between my hands. "I love you so much."
He smiled crookedly. "Love you more. Now, enjoy your birthday present." He turned on his heels and left. "And don't come near the kitchen!" he said over his shoulder.
"Hi, guys," I whispered toward the screen.
Emmett cleared his throat and they started signing. My face caught fire as I pressed my palms to my cheeks.
"Stop it, seriously," I mumbled.
"Aw, we want to spoil you too," Alice said loudly. "I miss you!"
"Miss you too. All of you. How are you?" I asked, getting comfortable on the bed.
They took turns telling me about their lives and I promised to call more often. For the moment, Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rose were living in the same apartment above the store Emmett had opened.
They didn't let out much, but kept asking me about how we were, claiming our news were more important and interesting. I filled them in on what we had done. It was so nice to talk with them that when I saw an hour had passed, I thanked them again for the wonderful surprise and said goodbye. They were all too happy. They were on some inside information I wasn't on, or they were really happy to see me.
I closed the laptop and wandered toward the kitchen only to find the door tightly locked and some delicious smell coming from inside. Was he really cooking?
I knocked, licking my lips. I couldn't wait to taste what he had cooked.
"I'm not ready!" he shouted, sounding panicked. "Can you entertain yourself for a few more minutes?"
"What are you doing?" I whined. "It's smells wonderful."
"Bella, don't ruin the surprise. I worked really hard."
"I'll be in the bedroom," I told him, going back the way I came.
I wasn't a curious person but he always managed to bring out a different aspect of my personality out. Now, I was more curious than a five year old.
After sitting on the bed for five minutes, I decided to change my clothes since they were damp. Not really thinking about my clothes choice, I picked a pair of short pants and a tank top then pulled my hair up. I was fighting with my hair, trying to flatten it on the top of my head when Edward poked his head inside the room.
"I'm done." He gave me a huge smile.
I walked to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, inhaling the fried smell off him. It smelled like chicken. I pressed my nose to his neck, inhaling deeply. Edward chuckled, stepping away.
"That's tickling," he complained with a smile.
"But you smell delicious. Almost edible."
"Let me take a shower then we'd dine." He pecked my lips. "Don't go to the kitchen."
I waited on the bed, almost ready to burst from excitement. When he was finally out of the shower, not even five minutes later, he grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a shirt, shrugging into them.
"I guess, it's good we're home. Casual clothes to a fancy dinner."
"Fancy?" I asked. "What did you do in there?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
Our small kitchen table had a white table cloth on and a few candles were scattered around the room. Two plates along with silverware and glasses. He had taken the time to decorate too.
My eyes fell on the counter where I saw an oven pot with something small and dark brown inside and what looked like potatoes around.
Edward cleared his throat, scratching the back of his head. "That's…it should be…a bird."
"Should be?" I laughed.
"Well…I hope you like it extra crunchy."
He walked me to the table and helped me sit down. I realized we really should have dressed accordingly, but it was too late. And being dressed casual didn't make it a big thing. After making sure my chair was close to the table, Edward went to the fridge and took something out.
"Didn't you promise you wouldn't go over the board?" I asked softly.
"Let me spoil you. I wanted to show you that Mom's cooking lessons were good. Mostly," he added with a chuckle.
After a few light entrees, Edward brought the pot to the table. "This is supposed to be chicken. I assure you it's really tasty, I tried a little bit."
"I'm sure it's good. I trust you not to poison me."
"I followed the instructions so we wouldn't end up in ER. If we were closer, I'll buy Mom flowers." He winked.
"Poor Esme," I mumbled, imagining how he had kept her on the phone, demanding instructions to create this beautiful meal. "Let's taste it and see how good it is."
After a few bites of the crusty chicken leg, I was in heaven. I always loved the skin crunchy and the vegetables tasted amazing. I didn't know what I loved more, the chicken or the vegetables, combined with the white wine Edward had poured for me…resulted in a delicious dinner.
When I raised my eyes from my plate, I saw his plate untouched as he watched me with a smile on his face. I slowed my chewing, looking between our plates.
After swallowing, I bit my lip. "Is this the time when you told me that mine was poisoned?"
Edward chuckled nervously, running a hand through his hair. "No, it's not. I guess…I'm not that hungry," he whispered.
"You're not hungry?" I asked surprised. "What did you eat besides the entrée and your breakfast?"
He gulped, clearing his throat and starting to play with the vegetables on his plate. He was acting strange and my appetite was dissolving.
"Edward?" I asked worried. When he didn't look up, I jerked my foot toward his leg but didn't calculate correctly and clipped his shin.
"Crap!"
"Sorry," I mumbled. "But eat something, please."
At my insistences, he started taking small bites and soon he was stuffing his mouth with food. Good. I was sure that he was nervous because of the present I knew he got me. I was nervous too. Taking me to the zoo and making me dinner was more than enough.
When our plates were empty and the bottle of wine was gone, he got up and took the plates away before bringing two cups of ice cream to the table.
"I had no idea how to make a cake and I didn't want to buy one. Ice cream was a safe option," he explained.
"It's better. I don't think I could have eaten cake," I admitted. "I like the bowls," I chuckled.
"I like to be inventive." He smirked. "And I put ice cream bowls on the list of what to buy."
He had put ice cream in two small glasses. Whiskey glasses. We had bought them a while ago just because they were small, not like we'd drink whiskey.
When I started eating, he watched me like a hawk. My hand started shaking as a wild thought crossed my mind. I looked in the glass then at him. He was sweating.
I pretended to mash the ice cream just to subtly see if my wild thought was right. When my teaspoon clanked against something metal, I gasped and choked up on spit.
"Motherfucking shit! This was a bad idea," Edward grumbled.
I scooped my teaspoon up, revealing the cause of clanking. My hand shook violently as I looked at the ring.
"Edward," I gasped, finally finding my voice.
"This wasn't supposed to happen!" he moaned. "Not like this."
"Did I have to swallow it?" I asked in a shaky voice.
A small smile crossed his face before disappearing. "I had a whole speech written and memorized. I don't remember a word from it." He laughed tensely.
Rising slowly, he walked to me and dropped on one knee, gulping audibly and grabbing the teaspoon from my hand.
"Um…" Edward looked up at me through his dark lashes. "Uh…" After running a hand through his hair and closed his eyes, cringing. Clearing his throat, he opened his eyes, boring them in mine. "Will you do me the great honor of marrying me?"
I fought the urge to mimic his stutter, but I realized I couldn't even answer. His face became blurry as my tears clouded my vision and words got stuck in my throat. I nodded furiously hoping he got the message.
I felt his calloused hand on my cheek as he brushed the tears away. "I'd like a verbal statement," he teased me, resting his forehead on mine.
I opened my mouth and an embarrassingly loud sob escaped me. "Yes!" I kind of wailed, throwing myself at him and sending him to the floor.
"I love you. I love you. I love you." He started chanting.
"Me too," I managed to let out, unable to say more.
Edward sat up, keeping me on his lap and took my left hand. "I guess it was a bad idea to put it in the ice cream. Now it's sticky."
I grasped his wrist and brought it to my lips, giving the ring a lick. It tasted of strawberry ice cream.
"It was thoughtful, but you know how you shouldn't do what you see in movies," I whispered, leaning to give him a kiss.
"So you don't think this is stupid? I realize how stupid this is, more and more."
"It's not stupid," I told him sternly. "Now put it on my finger."
He took my hand and slipped the ring on my fourth finger. My hand felt heavy. I never thought how it would be when he actually did it, but besides my tears and the smile I wasn't feeling different. It hadn't sunk in that he had asked me to marry him, to spend the rest of my life with him.
"It's so beautiful," I murmured, looking down at my hand. The artificial light caught the sparkles a few times as I twisted my hand.
"I'm so happy you like," Edward said relieved. "I was so worried. And when that woman asked me about the size…"
I giggled, leaning my head on his shoulder. "You did great. You had experience, right? You helped Emmett."
"But this was different. So very different," Edward insisted.
"Did you go alone?" I asked, squeezing his hand.
"Uh, the first time I asked Liz, but she got swamped at work and I ended up going with Sylvia. Lucky she knew all about ring sizes. As I was saying, when the woman asked about the size, I thought 'Now, I'm fucked. How do I know that?'" He laughed, hugging me tightly.
"Well, I love it and the size is perfect."
When I glanced up at his face, I saw he looked upset. "What's up? You don't look happy at all."
"Oh, I am… I just…had a whole different scenario in my head, but last night I decided to do this. I guess I should have stuck to my original plan."
"What was that?" I wondered, getting up. He followed suit, sighing.
"Singing you something else…then asking you. But I thought it was lame and I went with the traditional dinner." He shrugged.
"Can you still sing? Please?"
"If you insist," Edward teased. "I have two cheesy songs. But first, give me a few minutes to take care of this mess." He waved a hand around the kitchen.
"How about…we leave this for tomorrow? I'll help you clean up," I said, grabbing his hand. "Come on." I led him to our bedroom.
Picking up his guitar from the corner of the room, he sat on the bed and I snuggled into his side. I couldn't wait to hear what songs he thought fit for this moment.
Clearing his throat, he started singing Norwegian Wood by the Beatles. Briefly I wondered if he had actually read the book. He had insisted he wanted to read it since he saw me reading it a few years ago, but when I finally gave it him a few months ago, he said he would.
"Did you finish it?" I blurted out as he finished the song.
"Yeah. About time, huh?"
"The way you whined about it…I thought you'd finish it by the end of the first week," I said seriously.
"Well, I read it. I really liked it, but now let me finish."
He started singing When I'm Sixty Four which made me laugh. "And once I finished this, I wanted to ask you," Edward told me softly.
"I would have liked it."
He smiled, putting the guitar away and crashing his mouth onto mine.
*peeking around* Was that a good proposal? I hope everyone liked it...I'm just as uncertain as Edward.
PS: I have a little present for my beloved readers! This Friday you'll get a little something in your inboxs. Just saying. :)
Review, please.