Bella began to get nervous again when they pulled into the driveway of the Cullen house. She started playing with her hands and the leg nearest Rosalie began bouncing up and down.
"Our mother is really lovely, Bella." Rosalie started telling her as they got out of the car. "I promise she is going to love you."
Bella wasn't sure of that. She swallowed thickly, trying to take deep breaths but her rib was protesting in pain.
She wasn't sure how the appointment had gone with Carlisle. She could tell he wasn't completely convinced with her answers, but at best she was hoping Carlisle thought she had some sort of eating disorder. She could deal with that. She needed to make sure she paid more attention to what and when she was eating, particularly when she was at school. She wasn't going to get much chance to eat at home, so at least if she ate in school, she would be able to manage her weight better. She wasn't happy with how thin she had gotten, but there wasn't much she could do with Charlie's budget and the constant feeling of sickness that stopped her appetite in its tracks.
She really hoped that that was the last time she would need a follow-up appointment at the hospital, and that she could go back to seeing Dr. Snow at the doctor's office. Dr. Snow wasn't particularly observant, and Bella felt more confident hiding the fact of Charlie's outbursts from him. She had narrowly escaped Carlisle seeing her battered and bruised body today, and that was too much of a close call for her liking.
Bella followed behind Rosalie towards the porch of the Cullen house, and the door opened before Rosalie could let them inside.
A woman was standing on the other side of the door with billows of gently waving, caramel-colored hair. She had a heart-shaped face with dimples, and she was slender but rounded. She was extremely beautiful, and she reminded Bella of the ingenues of the silent movie era. She had a warm, compassionate look to her face. "Hello," She spoke softly. "I'm Esme."
Bella nodded, feeling a small smile emerging on her face. "Bella. Thank you for letting me come over."
"Of course, dear." Esme told her, stepping aside so Bella and Rosalie could come into the house.
The inside of the first story of the house was open and bright, with few internal walls, with a wide central staircase to the left and a raised area with a grand piano in the center to the right, as well as a dining room and kitchen. The floor itself was bigger than the house Bella shared with Charlie.
"Please feel free to sit down, dear." Esme told her and she realized she was standing in the entryway just gawking at the house.
She blushed and moved to sit on one of the couches near a large TV. Emmett was sitting on the other couch playing a video game, Jasper by his side. "Hey Bella!" They both greeted, whilst their eyes remained fixed on the TV. She mumbled a greeting back before looking around the room.
She gave a small smile to Edward who was sitting at the grand piano, but who was turned to face her rather than towards the keys.
Alice came down the stairs then and squealed in delight at Bella. "You've arrived! How did the appointment go?"
Bella nodded, looking to Rosalie for some sort of reassurance, but looking back at Alice quickly. "It was okay. I'll be okay."
Alice frowned a fraction but moved to join Bella on the couch without saying a word.
Rosalie had moved to sit on the arm of the couch next to Emmett, and Bella noticed she was chewing her lip lightly. She didn't want Rosalie to be worried about her after the appointment, but she didn't know how to ease the worry either. The appointment had gone as well as it could have in Bella's eyes, and they seemed to believe that she had fallen down the stairs and hadn't made food much of a priority. Rosalie met her gaze just briefly, but smiled warmly at her.
"Bella," Esme drew her attention back to her. "Would you like a drink? Something to eat? I've baked some cookies."
"A cookie would be nice." Bella found herself saying. She needed to show the Cullens that she didn't have an eating disorder after today's encounter, and she was quite looking forward to a cookie because it wasn't something she would get at home. Charlie wouldn't allow cookies to be part of the thin budget, and Bella wouldn't have been allowed to eat any of them if they were in the house.
Esme seemed delighted by her answer, and so did Rosalie. She quickly went off to the kitchen and came back with a small plate of two cookies and a small glass of milk. She set it down on the small table in front of the couch.
Bella ate the cookies happily, sitting with her knees to her chest on the large couch. She was starting to get a bit warm, but didn't want to take her jacket or second layer of pants off. She tried to distract herself from it, and found herself quite enjoying watching Emmett and Jasper play the video game. It wasn't something she had really seen before, and it did spark a small interest in her. When the cookies were gone, she drained the glass of milk. It felt so nice to have someone prepare and give her food, and not have to worry about whether she was in budget or if Charlie approved.
"Do you want anything else?" Esme asked her, noting the empty plate and glass.
Bella felt herself blushing again, worried that she had been too quick to clear the plate. "It's okay, thank you so much. They were lovely. I'll be having dinner with my dad shortly so I best not have anything more."
"Just let me know if you want or need anything." Esme told her, moving to the kitchen with the empty plate and glass.
"Bella," Edward called to her. "Do you want me to show you around the rest of the house? I know you like reading. We have an extensive library if you'd like to check it out."
Bella really liked that idea, and she did want to spend more time with Edward. There was something different with Edward when she looked at him, that she had never felt with anyone else before. She wanted to get lost in his warm topaz eyes, and learn more about him.
She moved from the couch slowly so that she didn't trip, and then followed Edward as he began his way up the stairs.
