CHAPTER 11: Day Spa & Promises
"Oh…yeah…right there," Alice sighs happily.
I'm in the same blissful mood as my tense muscles are being rolled down, pulled, rubbed and even pinched. I had no idea a massage could feel this good! If I had known sooner, I would have splurged on getting this done ages ago. I definitely need this. After all the stress and worrying I've been doing lately, it makes me feel tranquil and at peace with all these negative toxins being released from my body. I make a note to myself to indulge at a spa at least once a month when I got back to LA.
"Whenever you ladies are ready, your warm bath is waiting for you," one of the head attendants tells us. The masseuses leave the small room to let us change into different towels before making our way to the bathhouse. Everything for me and Alice is all inclusive, which gives you a celebrity feeling. Emmett really didn't spare any expense when getting this gift for his sister.
"Even in the U.S. they don't have one of these," Alice whispers to me. "They mix their spa treatments here with Japanese herbs and use hot spring therapy. That's where we're going next."
"Hot spring therapy?" I ask curiously. We place our hair up in towels and pull off new towels from the shelf to wrap around our bodies as we leave the massage room and walk onto the wooden pathway to another wooden building.
"Yeah, they put medical herbs along with epsom salt into the water to release more toxins from your body. It's like a huge hot tub, but it's actually water from a spring. It makes your skin feel softer and younger. A lot of older women enjoy this treatment because it really rejuvenates the skin. That's how women here always look so young and healthy—none of that botox stuff back home," she makes a face. "This is one of the reasons why I like coming to Italy besides the shopping."
"Well, then, you should take me here more often," I joke.
"Sure! That's a great idea, Bella!" she beams. "It's nice to spread your wings sometimes. Maybe then you'll actually learn how to speak the language," she smiles teasingly.
"I was kidding, Alice," I roll my eyes.
"As they say…there's always some truth to every joke," she smirks back.
"Don't you mean 'there's always some truth to every lie'?"
Alice shrugs. "Yeah, but it works both ways."
I continue to laugh softly as we enter the private bath with a view of the mountains. The room is foggy and definitely steam central from the water coming up from the bath. I can also smell those Japanese herbs Alice was talking about. "This is…different," I comment.
"Don't worry, you'll eventually get used to the smell," she replies. And before I know it, Alice disrobes herself, throwing her towel toward the bench on the wall.
"Alice!" I avert my eyes away. How can she be so bold?
"What?" she tilts her head around, her naked back still facing my direction. She firstly dips her feet into the water before fully submerging herself. "Oh, the water's hot! But it feels so good. Come in, Bella!"
"I can't believe you just did that."
"Stop acting like you haven't seen me naked before," she tries to splash me from where I stand. "We're both girls and we're in shape. There's no shame in exposing a little skin to each other once in a while. It's perfectly healthy." She may have been right, but it isn't like I have seen her fully naked before. In her bra and panties yes, but not what she just displayed to me a few seconds ago. Alice is definitely bolder than I am when it comes to our bodies. "Don't tell me you've never gone skinny dipping before, Bella?" she looks shocked.
"What?" I shrug. "Of, course not!" And I don't plan to any time soon either.
"Just get in. You'll feel better. Release those toxins!"
"Fine." I turn my back to her, finally taking off my towel; the one on my head still wrapped tightly, then turn around exposing myself to my best friend. Alice giggles at me, which doesn't help with my embarrassment, but nonetheless, I got in the hot water with her.
"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" she sink in a little deeper. "You have a great figure, Bella. I keep telling you to flaunt it." Alice finally settles near the far side of the bath, sitting down on the wooden seats that protrude outward so she can relax. "You can close your eyes, but try not to fall asleep. If you knock out, you might end up slipping under the water…just to let you know."
"How long are we supposed to be in here for?"
"About twenty minutes, just before we start turning into prunes. Then we'll take a real shower, grab a late lunch, walk around and sightsee, go shopping, you know—the usual."
"Okay…sounds good." I sigh and close my eyes.
The water and the smell of the herbs are making me sleepy. I wish I can do this more often with Alice but I'm not a jet-setter like she is. I'm only a barista at Starbucks after all. I know if I wanted to quit my job for good and visit Italy every few months, Aro would pay for my expenses, but I hate using him like that. The feeling of being a freeloader just because he's famous and my uncle is an uncomfortable feeling. I graduated college with a degree in Marketing and Finance with a minor in Biology, which I should really put into good use one of these days. I think after I fully settle into the LA lifestyle is when I'll get my head out of the clouds. But, for now, I'm just going to enjoy my time here at the spa in Florence with Alice.
Before long, I ended up falling asleep and dreaming of Edward. He is so handsome and his smile is to die for. In my dream he keeps wanting me to go somewhere with him, although I can't hear what he's saying. But, whatever it was, just the look on his face alone makes me say 'yes' immediately. "I'd walk to the ends of the earth you…" I confess.
He smiles his crooked grin at me and takes my hand, kissing it, and leads me again to some unknown destination. The meadow we're at turns into a beach with white sand and clear blue water. He continues to guide me into the water, me thinking that he wants us to go swimming. I am not a strong swimmer but with him, I'm game for anything! That's how bold and confident I feel in my dream. I feel invincible with Edward.
We are finally waist deep in the blue ocean, Edward still saying something to me that I can't understand. I just nod politely, not really caring what it's about as long as I'm in his arms. Suddenly, he dunks me underneath, laughing. I catch water up my nose and try to resurface. I can't believe he did that and was laughing at me no less! I inhale as much oxygen as I can before he dunks me again with the same amused look plastered on his face. By this point I'm on the verge of a bad attitude and can barely breathe. "Edw—" I struggle to say as my body sinks into the ocean again.
"Bella!" I feel a pair of hands reaching down for me. I rise up again, my lungs so close to giving out. I cough out water as my body hunches over against something hard. "Bella, are you alright?" I hear a panicked voice.
"A-Alice?" I cough out her name.
"Bella, I told you not to fall asleep!" she says worriedly.
Now I understand. It wasn't Edward trying to toy with me in the ocean. It was my own fault for slipping into my dream and practically drowning myself. If it wasn't for Alice, I probably would have caught more water in my nose in lungs. Every part of my insides hurt as I lie down on the wooden floor. "Thanks, Alice…" I breathe heavily, still choking out water.
"Are you okay, Bella?" she asks softly, caressing my forehead.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need a minute."
"You really scared me, you know."
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have fallen asleep."
"It's okay. Believe it or not it happens quite often to people. I'm just glad you didn't drown. I was dosing off myself when I felt you flailing your arms besides me. You had called out a name but you went under before I could understand what you said."
"Oh," I blush. Luckily, my face is already red from the warmth of the room and my near death experience for her to notice. "It was nothing…thanks for saving me. I owe you one," I force a smile in my shaken condition.
"Oh, Bella," Alice just smiles back. "Think you're okay to shower and change?"
"Yeah…" I slowly get up with her help, all the while I haven't noticed that we are both still in our birthday suits. Alice doesn't care and I'm still too dazed to really know what's going on so we pay our naked bodies no mind.
After we leave the spa, I start to feel better. The fresh summer breeze in Florence is refreshing and Alice is right, my skin feels so rejuvenated. I almost feel like a new person. Clumsy still, I'm sure, but it makes me more aware of my actions. That is the second time I came close to putting myself in danger. It's almost a life changing experience, one that still has me shaken up when I think about it.
I knocked my head once against the rocks when I went cliff diving with Jacob at La Push but it happened so quickly that I didn't have time to actually panic with the fear that I could have died. By the time I gained consciousness, Jacob was hovering over me, muttering to himself how stupid I was for jumping off the top of the cliff instead of the lower one where most of the sane people dove from. I have to admit though it was a great adrenaline rush. After that experience and practically busting my head open from our little motorcycle adventure before that, I figure I would cool it with the insane stunts for a while.
"Bella?"
"Huh?"
"You sure you're okay," Alice has the same worried look on her features as she did earlier at the spa.
"I'm fine, I promise," I force a reassuring smile. "My head's just in the clouds."
After our late lunch, we precede to the tourist attraction parts of Florence and take about a hundred pictures. I go crazy with my camera, having to delete some of the old ones I already uploaded onto my computer. I think Jasper will be proud of my shooting skills. And, Florence is definitely no Volterra. For one, it is way more crowded with younger people with slim model-like figures, and two, the men are gorgeous! Wherever we went, they smiled at me and Alice telling us to take a picture with them or inviting us out for drinks. We take a picture with a few, but after a while Alice plays the coy smile as we keep walking.
"Don't be charmed by those Italian boys," she warns. "Looks can be deceiving. Those types of men like to go for foreigners and are fun to party with but it gets old and they tend to want something in return—if you know what I mean. Also, keep your wallet and personal belongings close! You just never know what might go missing from your purse if you're not careful."
"Are you serious?" I hold tightly onto my Louis Vuitton purse that she gave me, making sure that all the zippers are tightly zipped.
"Mm-hmm," my little friend nods. "But, don't worry, not all charming Italian men are like that," she winks. "You can kind of spot them from a mile away the more you hang around the city. Italian people are great! Very friendly and welcoming, it's just those types of people you have to watch out for."
"Well, I'm glad I have my Italian-guy guide expert with me," I chuckle.
Alice smiles back. "I know, right? What would you do without me," she states in a matter-of-factly voice. "Oh, look at the time! We should start heading back. We have a long drive ahead of us and I need to prepare a few things before the next scene tomorrow."
"I thought you had two days off?"
"I do, but there's some final touches to the different pieces the actors will be wearing. We always have to prepare for the weather so wardrobe sometimes changes. I'll also be spending the day with Jasper tomorrow and I want to make sure everything's squared away before I have to return to the set."
"You're so organized, Alice," I comment.
"Well, someone's got to be," she laughs softly. "Well actually, Edward is the most organized one in the family and Emmett, ugh…he's the worst!"
"I bet!" I laugh. "I can just see dirty gym socks everywhere."
"You don't know the half of it!" she shivers at the thought. I just laugh again.
My mind suddenly wanders to Edward. I did pretty good not thinking about him today since I was having so much fun with Alice, but this time…the thought of him makes me sad for some reason. Was it because I finally realize my obsession with this guy turned into falling in love with him? Although the fact still remains that I hardly know anything about him aside from what I've discovered so far. There can be plenty of things that Alice didn't know about her brother either. I mean…he could be a womanizer for all I know! The feeling of falling in love with him still makes me feel uneasy and I didn't like it.
"There's my car," Alice brakes me from my thoughts as her yellow Porsche can be heard roaring down the street.
"Alice, I told you we should have just rented a car so that we could take turns driving. You know I can't drive a stick and I feel bad making you drive all the way here and all the way back again."
"I already told you, Bella, it's fine," she gives me a reassuring smile. "Grazie," she tells the valet. He clearly enjoyed driving her car for the short amount of time he had it. We place our things in the small trunk and wherever else we can find space and take off. "One thing about my family is we like to drive in the fast lane." Alice turns to me with a mischievous grin on her. "All of us have some kind of sports car. We love getting from one place to another as quickly as possible."
I raised an eyebrow at her. "How come I didn't notice this crazy speed racer side to you earlier on the way here?"
"Because you were either 'zoning out' again or sleeping," she replies.
My body is gently swaying side-to-side and when I finally pay attention to the road, it's just as Alice says. She loves getting from one place to another as quickly as possible. We practically pass every car on the road or over take them to keep with the 100-plus miles per hour she's insanely driving at. I have a flashback of her Porsche that I saw from the window of the plane when I first arrived. I think even then she was driving a lot faster than this.
"Umm, Alice? Mind slowing down a little? I think one death scare a day is good enough for me."
"This is slow, Bella," she answers sarcastically. "I normally drive faster than this. And just for the record, I have never gotten a speeding ticket in my life."
"And you've never been pulled over?" I ask skeptically.
"Never."
"No even in LA!"
"Not once," she says proudly. "Most police here don't care about pulling you over once you leave the city toward Volterra because there's no real traffic this way. Plus, I can cut down the half time it'll normally take to get there so just close your eyes, sleep, and relax."
"What about you? Aren't you tired at all?" I start to get comfortable in the heated seat. Alice gives me a look that I'm familiar with then sets her eyes back on the road. "Right. You have insomnia and all that."
"Yeah, it's strange. Both my brothers and I have a hard time sleeping well at night. I remember we would play board games and it was always so frustrating because…"
Alice's story suddenly grows quieter as my mind drifts off into slumber land. I'm dreaming of that meadow again with white and purple flowers. The sun is warm against my skin as I lay down in the grassy field. I turn my head to the right and beside me is Edward, smiling sweetly at me. The sun's bright glow makes Edward's skin appear like facets of diamonds as it touches him softly. He truly must be an angel sent from above. His eyes are a deep emerald with a hit of gray in them as I stare, hypnotized by them.
Before I can reach out to feel his warm cheek my body suddenly jerks forward. The seatbelt locks instantly against me, jogging me quickly out of my reverie. I look around frazzled at the rude awakening. "Sorry," Alice sheepishly smiles. "Sheep."
"Sheep?" I repeat, confused.
"Sheep," she points ahead. There is a small flock of sheep strolling along the one way road we were on.
"Oh, sheep," I nod. The Sheppard tending the flock waves his thank you and apology for holding us up after the last little lamb was safely on the other side of the path. "I forgot this place had sheep," I rub my eyes.
"Are you okay? Sorry for the abrupt stop." She puts the car into first gear and drives off again. "But, look, we're almost there!"
I lean forward to get a better view and she was right. Volterra is slowly getting bigger the closer we approach. We have only been gone for half the day and yet, it feels good to be back in the quiet city. A part of me finally starts adjusting to my new surroundings. It also makes me wonder why I stopped coming here after high school. I sigh at the memories I had as a kid coming here in the summertime. "I miss this place."
Alice gives me one of her glances again as if I'm speaking an alien language to her. "We weren't gone for very long…"
"No," I shake my head with a laugh, "I don't mean that. I meant coming here like I used to when I was younger."
"Oh," she mouths and nods. "Well, you still have like a month and half or so left so better live it up now and create new memories!" the pixie-haired Hobbit winks. "Hey, are you okay if I just drop you off? Jas is finally back at his hotel so I was going to spend the night there. Make the trip to the set easier on me tomorrow."
"Sure, that's fine."
I give my best friend a hug and a kiss on the cheek as we say our goodbyes. She hands me the few bags that belong to me, all items I didn't buy for myself, and punch in the gate code. There are two security guards at the front, but they know me so I'm not subjected to any interrogations or being tasered down as if I'm some unwanted intruder.
The lit path to Aro's main villa looks like it belongs in the movies. I can see how Aro gets his inspirations here—this place had a whole 'nother feel to it. Even the stars are out tonight, shining brightly in the sky. I can't remember the last time I saw this many. Living in Forks I saw them all the time with Jacob, but in Los Angeles, you'd be lucky if you saw one or two.
As my mind begins to wander again, gazing at the beautiful scenery up above, I stop paying attention to where I'm going, which is always a big no-no for me. I trip on a small crack in the pavement and stumble forward, the bags in my hands flying away in different directions. I'm close to scraping my knee when I am finally able to grab onto something for support.
"Bella? Are you alright?"
"Huh?" I look up at the person holding onto my arms and elbow. My knees start to give out again, but he holds me tighter to make sure I really didn't fall on my face.
"Hey, you okay?" Edward slightly smiles his concern. I must look like a big idiot to him right now.
"Yeah…" I answer quietly, blushing. "Sorry, I should have been paying more attention…knowing me, right?" I scoff at myself.
"Nah, don't worry about it. Just glad that you're safe." He picks up my bags and places the items back inside. Edward bends down and picks up another item off the grass and slowly turns around to show me the pink, laced object in his hand. A smirk quickly appears on his face as he stares at it then at me.
I quickly snatch the laced panties Alice insisted on buying for me and shove into one of the other bags. I am so mortified that I want to dig a hole by my feet and hide in there forever! "Your—your sister bought it for me against my wishes," I explain.
"Knowing Alice, I'm sure she did," he tries smiling politely, running his hand through his hair. I think he's just as embarrassed as I am.
"What are you doing out here anyway?" I quickly change the subject. "Shouldn't you still be on the set?"
"My scene ended early. The others are still reshooting a few of theirs. I also got a text from Alice asking if I can make sure you got in okay since she was dropping you off at the gate."
"Oh, she did…did she?" I inwardly raise an eyebrow. When did she send that text? It must have been right after she left. That sneaky, little…
"Yeah, so…anyway, is there anything I can help you with?" he extends his hands out with a smile.
"No, I think I'm okay," I half-smile. "Thanks, though." I start to walk ahead of him, wanting to just get to my room and barricade the door shut. My heart is pounding so loudly in my chest that I swear a dog can hear it like one of those silent dog whistles.
"Hey, Bella…"
"Yeah?" I briefly stop to face him. I try to slow my breathing and act as cool as I can in front of this man that always makes things so upside down for me. This man that I lo—
"About that magazine article…"
"Oh, that. Don't worry about it," I laugh off that disappointed feeling I have in the pit of my stomach. "It's not a…big deal. Being around someone famous like you, something like that was inevitable. But, we both know it's just rumors..." I turn to leaving again to mope in private.
"Bella, wait." I feel Edward's hand gently grab my wrist. His unexpected touch pulsates throughout my entire body. "Still, I'm sorry for everyone making it seem like such a big deal. For what it's worth, I really did have a great night with you."
"Yeah, me, too," I admit shyly.
"I hope that stupid article doesn't ruin another dinner with me."
"Huh?"
"You still owe me, remember?" he smirks.
"Oh," I frown, feeling somewhat annoyed for him bringing that up. "Wait, you never specified what I owed you. If it's dinner then, technically, I already had it with you." I cross my arms feeling like I got the upper hand, although I wouldn't really mind another dinner with him. I just need to get over this intimidating feeling I have whenever I'm around him.
"If you owed me a real dinner date, it would be a lot different than that," he chuckles.
"What do you mean?" I furrow my eyebrows. I also blush at the words 'dinner date'.
"I guess you'd just have to see, won't you?" he grins mischievously.
"Whatever," I roll my eyes, unable to hide my smile.
We walk side-by-side to the main house, taking our time, enjoying each other's company and the scenery. I make sure this time to pay attention to where I'm walking. Edward has his hands in his pockets again with a small smile visible on his lips. I wish I knew what he was thinking about. Everything he did always makes me so curious for some odd reason.
"Just to let you know, I'm not that famous," he rolls his eyes playfully.
"Sure you are," I tease, giving him a soft nudge. "You must be if you're gossip magazine worthy. There wasn't one girl—even mother—unwilling to throw themselves at you at the press conference either. Alice also tells me they have to fence off sections of where you guys are filming because of all the crazed fans that show up every day."
"Yeah, well," he chuckles, "they're not all for me. Mike and Riley have a pretty good following themselves. Even Emmett—believe it or not."
"What? Really?" I laugh, surprised.
"Yup. Of course, no one dares to go near him because of Rosalie," he laughs again. "He's pretty nice to the fans and keeps them quiet when we have to shoot serious scenes. It's bad enough having to do retake after retake with girls also screaming in the background," he rolls his eyes.
"I'd love to see that," I chuckle. "I bet it is complete mayhem."
"Hey, you should! Come visit the set sometime. I don't think anyone would object since your uncle is the director after all."
"I'd like that," I smile. "I mentioned that to Alice the other day, too, actually. But, I'll have to see what Jane says. Talking to Jane is like talking to Aro. He's busy enough as it is."
"So…that's great then," he smiles at me. "What's today?" he thinks for a moment. "See if Jane will let you come to the set on Thursday."
"Why Thursday?"
"We're shooting a sunset scene on the beach. It should be pretty nice."
"Oh, okay…" I slowly nod. "I'll ask Jane about it."
"It should also be one of our shorter filming days so I think some of us might go do something afterwards. You should come."
"Yeah, sure."
We finally reach the main foyer that separates our living quarters in the huge villa. I live in the east wing and their rooms are in the west wing. "I'll make sure to tell Alice that you're going so you can't back out of it," he grins. "You know she'll make you go."
"I already said I'd go," I remind him. "But, it's not up to me to decide that. It depends on what Jane says."
"Don't worry about Jane. She has no reason to deny your request, just make sure you're there."
"So persistent," I roll my eyes playfully.
"Yes, I can be," he smiles back, except this smile has a hint of seriousness in it. It has me weirdly nervous as my heart rate picks up double time. When he does little things like that I snap back to reality of how anxious he can make me feel.
"And…what if I don't show up?" I boldly ask.
He walks away backwards so he can still face me, his hands resting in his pockets. He shrugs. "I'd be very disappointed if you didn't." He spins around and continues to his side of the house, his back now facing me. "Good night, Bella!" Edward gives a short wave in the air as he disappears into the dark hallway.
I truly do not understand for the life of me how that man can leave me so dumbfounded sometimes.
Author's Note: Edward's so cute, isn't he? I hope this chapter will hold you off until I can get the next one out. Sit tight! And please, as always…review! You don't know how much I appreciate it! Thanks!