Word Prompt: Serene
Plot Generator—Phrase Catch: Love 'em and leave 'em.
Something True
Serene
This Winter
Bella coasts downstairs in jeans and a sweatshirt to find her dad in his regular thick flannel shirt. He's at the table drinking coffee and reading the paper. It's his day off.
"I have a date with Edward tonight."
Her dad looks up, folding the paper way more times than it needs to be, and sets it down, patting it. "He picking you up at a decent time?"
"Seven. But I don't like any of my dresses."
"You want a new dress?"
"Would you... would you take me?"
"Kiddo? Will I take you?" He stands to get his keys from the hook above the counter. "Let's go."
They drive to Port Angeles in his police cruiser, and he gets annoyed with the way the cars in front of him slow down. "I have a mind to flash my lights just to get them out of my way."
He passes a car when the solid lines break into dotted ones. "Where's Edward taking you?"
"We didn't talk about that."
"He's no player is he?"
She looks at him, raising her eyebrows. "Player, Dad?"
"You know. The love 'em, leave 'em type. Do I need to talk to him?"
"No, you do not need to talk to him. I don't think he's like that. He had a girlfriend for two years before this." Even Bella knows how weak that argument is. Riley, after all, had a wife before.
"He's on the rebound then?"
"Dad."
"All right, all right. You just... take care of yourself as if I was there."
"Yeah. As if you're there."
Bella finds a spaghetti-strap dress in deep coral silk with a lighter tinted sheer overlay. Hugging her body without being too tight, it falls just below her mid-thigh. She hangs it on the back of her bedroom door while she adds some curl to her hair and puts on makeup.
She has already decided that she won't put the dress on until Edward's at the door. At ten minutes to seven she sits on her bed waiting for her dad to announce Edward's arrival.
She pulls her fingers through her hair. She fidgets with the ends of her sweatshirt sleeve, yanking a loose thread out.
The sound of the doorbell sets her heart thumping. She jumps up, throws her sweatshirt off and slides her jeans down. She's zipping up her dress when she hears he dad's voice calling her.
She steps into heels.
It's been so long since she's worn a dress that her shoulders feel bare. She pulls both sides of her hair in front of her before walking down stairs.
She catches Edward's eye and he grins at her but doesn't say anything. He's clean-shaven and wearing jeans as usual, but has replaced his T-shirt with a dark gray button down shirt, the sleeves rolled up a few times. He looks so good she almost says "Damn" out loud.
She slips into her coat, and it isn't until they're outside that Edward places a hand on her back, dipping his face close to her ear and says, "You're beautiful."
He opens her door for her, and she climbs in. It's a big black SUV, and Bella likes that it's kind of dirty, dust always there from his gravel drive.
"Where do you want to go?" he asks, gripping the wheel. "What do you feel like?
"I don't know. Where do you want to go?" She clips her seatbelt in place.
"Nope. You said you want to be listened to. Give me something to listen to."
She smiles at him. "Hamburgers."
"Hamburgers." He takes off, holding her hand as he drives. When he has to shift, he lets go of all of her fingers except for her pinky, keeping it linked with his.
The blood pumping through her feels heated. She could probably leave this car coatless and still keep warm.
Bella looks at him thinking what an idiot Angela was.
Out the window is what appears to be a barricade of trees. Bella knows the scene is only an illusion, nothing but burnt away emptiness on the other side. From here it looks dense and serene.
They dine at Maria's Saloon along the small strip of shops Forks calls downtown. All the buildings' roofs and windows are lined with white holiday lights. Bella remembers hearing about the stir it raised in town when the Chamber had demanded that all lights be white for unification. The tree in the center of town, though, when that's lit up, it's all colored lights.
Aside from the main door, there are wooden swinging doors at the entrance of the saloon. They order at the front, take a plastic number and their drinks, and sit in an aged walnut wood booth where they wait for their dinner.
Edward had ordered Bella a Coke and himself two beers even though both Bella and the cashier had looked at him funny. In the booth, he slides one of the beers across the table to Bella.
"Thanks."
"See that fish over there?" He points to the opposite wall. "It's made out of tin cans."
The fish is huge. It looks about four feet long, and it looks real, even the eye. But where the light bounces off of the tail, she can see that it is made of metal.
"My grandpa caught the original. The one it's modeled after."
"I've heard people talk about what a great fisherman he was. My dad has talked about it. Do you fish?"
"Not really." He takes a drink of his beer. "I get bored. If he was still around-" he aims a chin nod at the fish, but Bella knows he means his grandpa "-I probably would. With him. He'd force me." He laughs.
Bella sits back, the beer in her hand, enjoying how effortless this is.
After dinner, walking back to the car, an arm circling her waist, Edward asks where she wants to go next. She says she wants to see Biter.
Biter jumps around as usual when he sees Bella, and while he hasn't tried to bite her in a long time, he does try to bite the hem of her dress.
"No," she says. "Don't get fresh."
She takes off her coat and folds it over the back of a kitchen chair. From behind, Edward brushes her hair aside.
"There's something I've been wanting to do all night," he says. He tilts her head and traces a finger from the top of her neck to the edge of her shoulder. "Your shoulders, Bella." His lips follow the path his finger made, and he slips the strap down out of his way when he comes to it.
"Edward," she breaths when he lifts away from her. "Do that again."
He does and she can feel the smile on his lips.
Hands at her waist, he spins her toward him, taking her lips with his.
"Mmm," he says as if she tastes good. He tastes faintly of beer and barbecue sauce, maybe they both do. He guides her to the couch and pulls her down next to him without breaking the kiss.
He leans against her until she's on her back and he's on top of her. A sound comes from deep in his throat. Biter whines. "I'll take you out in a minute," he says to the dog without moving his lips from Bella's.
That one minute rolls into several.
She slides her hands up his shoulders to his neck, threading her fingers into his hair above his collar.
He kisses down her jaw, down her throat and lower to her chest. He kisses all over the top of her chest, and then follows along her sweetheart neckline.
Sweeping his hand up her side over her dress, he curves his fingers at her ribs, the edge of his palm pressing against her breast. She arches her neck and squirms a little to try to get his hand to move over her breast. He keeps it where it is.
She doesn't even realize that she has opened her legs and he has found his way between them until his hips are pushing up against hers, and that low sound in his throat comes again. He repeats the movement and this time that sound turns into a groan. He sits up, bringing her along with him. "Sorry," he says, though he's almost panting it.
She doesn't know what he's apologizing for, but she can't seem to talk. Her chest is visibly expanding and falling with every breath.
She lets herself fall forward resting her head in his lap. He brushes fingers along her hair and she closes her eyes.
Any words spoken beyond that moment are in her dream. She falls asleep.
When she wakes, they're both lying down, Edward holding her to his chest. She shoots up.
"Oh my god." She blinks fast trying to get her eyes to stay open. "What time is it?" She picks up his phone from the coffee table. 12:56
"Do you have to go?" His voice is lazy as he reaches for her, trying to pull her back to him.
"Yes, I have to go."
"No." he says, his eyes still closed.
"Edward." She leans down to kiss him. "Wake up more. I have to go. Remember my dad's punctual speech?" She kisses him again and feels him kiss her back, feels his tongue. "Wake up all the way."
She sits up finding one of her shoes under the coffee table. She slips it on and searches for the other one. Somehow it's fallen to the corner of the couch.
"Edward." She tugs on his hand until he sits up. "You have to take me home. I can't walk. I'll never get home in time. And in these shoes I'll be even later."
"You're not walking. I'm up. I'm up."
He takes Biter with them, letting the poor guy finally pee outside.
Outside her house Edward walks her to the door where Bella frantically pokes her key at the lock. It turns.
"Wait, wait, wait." Edward touches her wrist. She turns to him. "Not without..." Holding her jaw, he kisses her.