Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews, everyone! Hope you all had a great Christmas. It's been so busy this time of year but I'm getting some time off so hopefully, I can dedicate more time to this story. Keep your fingers crossed!
CHAPTER 32: Unprecedented Actions
"You're so precious and dear to me, you know that?" His voice is silky and smooth as he caresses my cheek with his fingers. His touch has been missing for far too long on my skin.
I lean my head into his touch and sigh. "I missed you…"
"Me, too. Every day I thought about when I'd have you back in my arms. Your warmth is comforting."
"So is yours." And in this moment, I don't want to let go. I want Edward to envelope every part of my being. His scent, his sculpt muscles, messy hair, and his soft, caring green eyes feels like heaven. He's my sanctuary. He's the place I go to when I want to feel safe. He's my everything.
I I I
The sound of an attendant buzzer wakes me. When I open my eyes I am met with the familiar emptiness in my heart and Alice shifting next to me in her seat. "Hey," she says softly. My dream of Edward fades as quickly as it came.
"Hey."
The first class cabin lights are dim and there's a blanket placed on my lap. Checking my watch, it's only been a couple of hours into our flight back to L.A. "How's your head?"
"Once the marching band stops stomping on it, I'll be fine," I cringe into my seat. The high altitude isn't helping either.
After my incoherent explanation and sobbing to Alice once I arrived back at our hotel, she gave me a few small bottles of alcohol to calm my frazzled nerves. It eventually worked and I wanted more. By the time we made it to the airport I was numb and had to focus on each step I took inside the airport—which was a monumental feat in itself with my two left feet. I should have won an award for the way I was smiling at the TSA and customs personnel and the casual pep in my step I displayed to hide my inebriated state. Alice walked closely behind me, of course, in case I tripped on an imaginary crack in the floor. I guess I knocked out after we took our seats on the plane. With the three hour wait at our gate prior to take off, I was able to tell Alice about my night with Demetri.
She closes the window since there is nothing to see outside but the dark night and us flying thousands of miles above the water. I think we are still around the Mediterranean Sea. I'm not sure. We switched seats in case I need to make a quick dash to the bathroom after my short, spontaneous binge extravaganza.
"I still can't believe Tanya," she says quietly, shaking her head.
Alice was angrier than I was when I told her. She heard Demetri cheated on Irina but was unaware it was with Tanya. The shocker was that they were half-sisters. Alice would have lost it if Edward was still dating her when it happened given her microscopic tolerance for the Victoria's Secret model. A scandal like that would also give my Hobbit friend a good excuse to practice the few lessons of mixed martial arts she did before she got too busy with her work.
"I can't believe this is happening," I absentmindedly murmur, my small voice sounding foreign to me. "It still feels…surreal."
"It's a shock, I admit," she gently rubs my arm to console me however she can. "I'm sorry I couldn't get hold of Emmett again…or Edward before we left."
"What about Rosalie?"
Alice shakes her head sadly. "Voicemail."
What is going on with them? Was everyone in on this? I felt like I was on the show Punk'd—which would piss me off if someone did decided to play this nasty trick on me. However, that didn't seem to be the case. I'm feeling more anxious to get home to see how this would all unravel. And I can't decide who I was mad at more—Edward or Tanya.
The plane suddenly takes a small turbulent dip and so does my stomach. I scramble to unbuckle my seat belt but can't lift the buckle to unleash me. Now was not the time to have something Bella proof. The captain's voice echoes throughout the cabin telling us to remain seated and our seatbelts fastened due to the small turbulent clouds we are approaching. Alice knows the urgency of me getting out of my seat so she reaches over and helps, not paying attention to the instructions on the loudspeaker. "Signora," the flight attendant says sternly when she sees me get up. She has platinum blonde hair in a tight bun, blue eyes and a very slim figure in her flight uniform.
"I'm sorry I have to go!" I cover my mouth and try to squeeze past her to the lavatory reserved only for first class cabin passengers. Whatever warning she's saying in Italian, I don't care. Before I slam the door shut and slide the vacant to occupied lock, I faintly hear Alice talking to her about the reasons for my rebellious behavior after the captain just told us to stay in our seats. With both hands on either side of the toilet, I release my dinner. Tears gloss my eyes as I heave a few more times. I'm glad I can't see the foulness in front of me. Closing my eyes and letting the remaining droplets trickle downward, I hit the flush button on the side that sucks everything right up into a tank somewhere like it never happened.
"Signora? Miss, you have to take your seat." The same flight attendant is back harassing me, knocking vigorously on the door.
"Just washing my hands," I yell through the door as politely as possible and turn on the faucet. I'm sure she knows what proper hygiene is all about. I listen against the door for a moment before washing out my mouth and hands to see if she's still acting like a parole officer outside waiting for me to finish my business. When the banging stops, I relax and take a moment to gather myself. I look like death in the mirror. My face is paler than normal and my bright brown eyes have no life in them. They are slightly swollen still from the flood works I did earlier. I hardly recognize the girl staring back at me. What an unbelievable change a few day can make.
Wiping my hands dry, I crumple the used paper towel. As I'm about to throw it in the trash, another turbulent bump sloshes me sideways. I try to hold on to whatever I can, pain coursing through different parts of my body as I'm rocked in the tiny compartment. The bathroom light flickers for a moment and turns back on in a blink of an eye. When it's finally over, I steady myself with one hand on the sink counter and the other against the door. Taking a quick glance again in the mirror to see if I'm still intact, I frown. "Miss? Miss? You must get back to your seat!"
I slide the lock and open the door. The flight attendant doesn't look pleased but has somewhat of a sympathetic look on her features. I give her a weak smile, bending my head down in shame and walk briskly back to my seat. Buckling myself securely again, I sigh, feeling ten times better—sort of. "Bella! What happened to your forehead?" Alice is staring wide-eye at me.
Rubbing the red, sore spot on my forehead, I roll my eyes. "I lost my balance when the plane shook again and bumped it against the handlebar." They really shouldn't place handlebars near the sink! Checking for a closer look at the damage, the red mark across my forehead in my compact mirror looks like I was slapped by a small belt. I'm thankful it's dark and unnoticeable unless you were staring at me like the Hobbit was, making me feel more self-conscious than I already am. Hopefully, it'll clear up in a few hours. I rub it once more with a sour face.
The pesky flight attendant passes us by to make sure I'm finally following instructions. "Do you feel better, Miss?" she stops to suddenly ask. "Can I get you anything?" Her tone is soft and caring. Wasn't she ready to break the lavatory door down a few minutes ago when I broke protocol?
"Umm…just water. Thank you." She nods and leaves to fetch my request. I look to Alice and shrug at the woman's 360-behavior. "What was that about?" I whisper to her. "I thought at any moment she was going to cuff me and have me sit next to an air marshal."
Alice is giggling. "I don't think she would." She looks around our cabin, "I told her you had morning sickness."
"What?" I hiss quietly at her to avoid waking the sleeping passengers. "You told her what?"
"Here you go, Miss." The flight attendant opens my tray for me and sets the bottle down. Alice is trying to hide her smirk. "Will you need anything else?" She looks to me then Alice.
"No, thank you." We both tell her.
Once she leaves, I'm back to scowling at the little fashion designer beside me. "I can't believe you implied to her that I was pregnant!"
"Well, it worked," she shrugs casually. "After I told her you weren't feeling well she obviously eased up on you. If not, she might have forced you out a lot sooner."
"You could have just been honest with her and told her I had a little too much to drink," I mutter. It's embarrassing but at least it's the truth. If word got out to the press that I was supposedly pregnant, I might have to live inside this plane with all the paparazzi camped out at the airport.
"It's better to have her sympathetic toward you instead of giving you dirty looks the entire flight home. The only sad thing is you can't drink anymore or she'll question your condition."
"A condition I don't have!" I glare at her again. But in the big scheme of things, Alice is probably right. The last time I drank this much was the group gathering we had at the beach when Edward and I revealed our feelings for each other. The pang in my heart returns as soon as I trigger the memories. I sink into in my seat, my head throbbing again.
"What's wrong Bella?" Alice asks softly. "You're thinking about him again, aren't you?"
"I can't help it. Not knowing what's going on is killing me. I have so many things running through my head—it's keeping me on edge."
"Here, take these." She hands me two pink pills from a bottle. "It'll help you sleep. Take your mind off things for a bit."
"What are they?" I examine the tiny round tablets. It's too dark for me to see the writing on them.
"Benadryl."
"Oh."
I don't think I've ever taken them before without having actual allergies but I've known people to use them to fall asleep. This allergy medicine definitely works if that's your intent for using them since they make you drowsy within a matter of minutes. I pop the two into my mouth and wash it down with the water the attendant gave me. I soon forget about my headache and my eyelids feel droopy. "Just give in to it Bella," I hear Alice say quietly. Sleeping for as long as I'm able to will hopefully speed up the hours until we land in L.A.
I I I
I'm at the beautiful meadow. The sun is setting over the horizon, its rays of reds, oranges and aquamarines slightly blinding me while I walk through the tall dry grass with the pretty purple flowers like the ones I saw in Volterra; brushing my fingers tips against them as I pass. The grass is dry and browning, but still soft to the touch.
"There you are." I hear Edward's voice in the distance in front of me. I can tell it's him but I can't see his features because the sun's rays are hiding him in its light. He has his hands in his pockets, slightly rocking back and forth on his heels waiting patiently. I can feel him smiling in my direction.
"Were you waiting long?" I ask. Able to finally see him as clear as day, he's wearing that gorgeous crooked smirk of his. Snaking my arms around his waist, I pull him closer to me to inhale his intoxicating smell of cologne, probably body wash, and Edward. There's no other smell like it in the world. A smell I've grown so familiar with that it's become a comforting remedy to a stressful day.
"I'd wait forever for you," he whispers quietly, resting his forehead against mine. "Say you'll never leave me."
His words catch me by surprise. I blink up at him but he has his eyes closed, rubbing his nose against mine lovingly. I don't understand why he won't hold me. "Never," I reply.
"Stay with me, always?"
"Yes…always."
"You mean everything to me Bella." He opens his beautiful green eyes and stares at me through thick lashes.
"What's wrong Edward?" I can't help but feel something's amiss in his voice. Worry starts to sink in and I want to know how I can help him or ease his concern—whatever it is.
"Kiss me Bella…" Wrapping my arms around his neck, I happily give in to his request but he's struggling. Every time I try to draw in his neck and face closer to mine, he resists, trying to move away.
"Edward, what's wrong? Don't fight it." Closing my eyes, I try to assure him that everything's alright.
"Bella…Bella…I…" His voice sounds hesitant and soon frantic like I'm doing something wrong. I'm just doing what he wants. Why's he resisting? "Bella! Bella!" his voice has gotten more pleading. "You don't want to do this!"
"And why not?"
"Because I'm not that kind of girl!"
My eyes fly open to see Alice's horrified features, her arms positioned to push me away in case I got any closer. My arms are draped around her and I'm inches away from her lips. I gasp, removing myself and burying my face under my blanket. "Oh, my Go—I'm so sorry!" I'm trying to make out with one of my best friends, who also happens to be my boyfriend's sister. How mortifying! I can't believe how real my dream had become. "I'm so, so sorry, Alice! I don't know what came over me."
Slowly peeling the blanket away from my face, she gives me a warm, sympathetic smile. "You miss my brother. I get it. When you started talking in your sleep, it was one thing. When you turned toward me and put one arm around me, I said, 'Okay, no biggie.' You probably just wanted someone to comfort you. But when you tried to dive in for a kiss—that's when I have to draw the line. I mean, I'm up for a fun night with the girls and all but not on a plane and not so forward like that."
I sink even more pathetically into my seat. "I can't believe I did that. I'm so embarrassed!" My face feels hotter than the sun. Luckily, no one in our cabin noticed the scene taking place. The older passengers are still fast asleep and probably dreaming of their own make out scenarios that are going better than mine.
Alice starts to laugh softly. "Don't worry about it, Bella. I was freaking out at first—whether or not to let you kiss me if you didn't wake up—but now I find it pretty hilarious."
"Please don't tell anyone! If Edward found out—oh, God—if Jacob found out…" I feel even more mortified at the idea. My Quileute friend will most likely laugh at me until he broke a rib and I know he'd never let me live it down.
"Your secret's safe with me," she winks. "Although…can I tell Jasper?"
"No!"
"But, he's really good at keeping secrets," she whines.
"No, Alice! I mean it—please."
"Fine," she pouts back.
"You said I was talking in my sleep? What was I saying?" I hope it's nothing too embarrassing. But after my display just now, I hardly think so.
Alice casually shrugs. "You were just saying how you miss Edward..." She sounds as if she wants to say more but doesn't. Given my recent dream, I can guess I was saying a lot more than that.
"Thanks Alice," I reply quietly.
"For what?"
"For being a friend. For keeping me as sane as possible."
She leans over and gives me a hug. "What are friends for, silly. And besides, you're like a sister to me."
Tears prickle the corner of my eyes and I can feel my throat closing in on me. I have to take a deep breath to keep myself together. I give her a weak smile and curl up underneath my blanket again. While I let her sleep, I play with the silver charm bracelet Edward gave me for my birthday and trace the letter E with my finger. I thought maybe wearing it on the flight home would give me some sort of comfort. The Benadryl Alice gave me still also has me feeling drowsy so I let it take over me again and fall into a dreamless sleep hoping we'll soon be home.
After a little over fourteen hours, I see my current hometown of Los Angeles below me. It never felt so good to be back to a place I recognize and only now do I realized I missed it after being away for three months. Alice is looking out the window and discreetly taking pictures with her camera phone since we're not supposed to turn on any electronic devices yet. She misses L.A. just as much as I have. Returning means she can finally start working on her clients and the events she's invited to.
"Home, sweet, home," I whisper when the seatbelt sign turns off and the passengers begin to stand to take their carry-on luggage out of the overhead bins. Because we are in the first class cabin, we get to exit the plan first. The captain and the flight attendants thank us for flying with them and to enjoy the sunny weather in the city.
"Are you ready?" The Hobbit asks after we check into customs and make our way to the luggage claim.
"I'd be lying if I said 'yes.'" I sigh.
"Before we deal with your situation…we'll have to deal with the paparazzi first," she points ahead.
As the escalator ascends to the baggage floor area, numerous cameras are flashing in my face. Security is trying to keep them back but the lights have already blinded me once again. Alice grabs my hand so I don't trip on the last step and leads me to our baggage carousel. We're both trying to cover our faces with our sleeves as they click away. Security is holding them at bay a few feet away from us to give us what privacy they can and so people can get their bags as they slide down the conveyer belt. Those who have no idea who we are begin to give us strange looks, while some start to take pictures of their own in case we were people of high importance—which I think only Alice qualifies in that category.
I hear the media shouting questions over the buzzing of cameras and chatter but can't make anything out that distinctly. Then, I suddenly hear Edward's name and I swear Tanya's name was mixed in there somewhere. I finally look up from the safe hiding place of my sleeve and try to find the source of whoever mentioned Edward. The paparazzi are in frenzy now that they can see my face clearly. Now I understand why celebrities like to wear sunglasses all the time—the flashes are just too much to take. Taking a step back, I bump into someone who's picking up their bag.
"Oh, excuse me!" I say apologetically. The man dressed in a military uniform nods and slings his heavy camouflaged colored backpack over his shoulder. A few paparazzi photographers get through the security trying to hold them back and are in my face within seconds. I stumble backwards into the same man again, my bracelet snagging onto something of his and flying off my wrist into the moving carousel. "Oh, no!"
"Back up!" Alice demands of the prying media. "What's wrong Bella?"
"My bracelet! The one Edward gave me," I point to it moving further and further away from us. It means too much for me to lose so I do what any person would who's about to lose something precious to them—I jump onto the carousel and chase after it.
"Bella!" Alice yells in shock. "What are you doing? Get down from there!" The paparazzi are having a field day with my unprecedented attempt to get my gift back.
Trying to step over luggage and backpacks is giving me a bigger workout than the Cross Fit training I was doing before I left for Italy. Some people who found me amusing start asking me to hand them their bags as I pass by. My bracelet is sitting buried underneath a gray bag with a lock code that I have to try to move so I can get to it. Lifting the heavy-duty luggage, I stumble on a bag the conveyer belt has dropped behind me. I go screaming down onto my rear on top of another piece of luggage. I can hear the people around me laughing at my expense.
"Ma'am, you have to get off the carousel!" a security guard says. At first I think he's talking to me until I see Alice gracefully whiz past me and pick up my bracelet.
"Alice?"
"C'mon," she lifts me up by the hand. "I've got your bracelet. Now it's time to go before we both get arrested!"
More security arrives to grab our luggage and escort us away from the public. Holding Alice's hand, I let her lead me the rest of the way while I hide under my arm sleeve again. I can't believe I did that! Another embarrassing moment I've created for myself and this time the whole world is going to see it. I can only imagine Aro's reaction and what kind of heart attack he's going to have.
In the tinted SUV parked on the curb for us, we quickly make our way inside. "Here," Alice hands me my bracelet.
"Alice, I am so sorry! I don't know what came over me. It's just that Edward gave this to me and—"
"I know Bella," she sighs, cutting me off. "I know it means a great deal to you and dealing with what you're already going through is hard enough. But—you could have done that more tactfully."
"I know," I reply, blushing profusely. All of a sudden the Hobbit is laughing her head off. Tears are starting to form in the corner of her eyes that she has to wipe away with the back of her fingers. I'm so confused. "Umm, Alice…are you…okay?"
"I can't believe you did that! I can't believe I did that!" she continues laughing. Finally, she turns to me. "You can be really unpredictable, you know that?" I stare at her still confused by what's taking place. "But that's one of the things I love about you, Bella. You go with your gut instincts and not give anything else a second thought."
"What do you mean?"
She rolls her eyes. "Do you think if you actually thought about what you were doing, you'd get on that moving carousel in front of everyone, and in the airport—of all places?"
"No," I say quietly.
"Exactly," she smiles. "And that's why I'm going to help you figure out why Edward's been acting so strange lately. He deserves someone like you, someone who is more of a doer than a thinker. You can be reckless at times but at least you put your heart into it." Alice squeezes my hand. "We'll stop by Edward's place first." She gives the driver the address who merely nods.
The clasp to the bracelet is broken so I can no longer wear it but even so, knowing I still have it is all that matters to me. I've never seen Edward's place before and I feel somewhat anxious to see him. It feels like it's been an eternity. I only hope I can finally get the answers I'm seeking.
Author's Note: Only Bella would find a way to embarrass herself in public lol. I enjoyed writing the plane scene when she almost kissed Alice, too. Haha. More surprises ahead! Have a great new year, everyone!
And please don't forget to review!