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Chapter 13

Talks and Pool Party

Oh dear, how do I straighten this out?

I looked at Edward. His gaze was still fixed on the floor in front of him.

I was about to get up and go to him when he spoke.

"Bella, it's okay. It often happens that a person doesn't realize he or she is in love with one person until he or she has another. There's really nothing wrong with that. I don't mind - I can understand you! I still wish you the best of luck with Jonath!"

He turned around and was about to leave again.

I love Jonath? He thought that?!

He sounded so sad when he spoke these sentences. I only wanted to take him in my arms, but I was frozen by his words.

It wasn't until Edward reached the door and was about to open it that it burst out of me.

"Edward!? I love YOU!"

He stopped, turned to me as if in slow motion, and looked at me with wide eyes.

"Did you just speak, Bella?"

I had spoken? Oh, I ... I had ... I had just really TOLD him that I loved him! I had spoken!

"I ... um ... I guess so, yeah ...", I admitted meekly.

The next moment Edward was with me, wrapped his arms around me and put his lips on mine. He kissed me with all passion.

We stood there for minutes and kissed. I had my arms folded in his neck, he held me by the waist, and we kissed until I was dizzy.

When I began to sway slightly, he parted our lips, but remained standing with me tightly embraced, resting his forehead against mine!

"Bella, I don't know what to say. I completely misinterpreted your thoughts this morning. I'm just so insanely afraid of losing you - now that I've found you. I love you more than my life - or rather than my existence. You make me feel alive again, after all!"

I was overwhelmed and for a moment I could not speak.

"Great, now you're talking to me and I'm about to make you stand in front of me speechless again," he chuckled.

I caught myself again.

"Edward, I was just thinking that this morning because it's all so unreal - my life, that you know what happened four months ago and you're not mocking me. That you love me and are there for me, you and your family. That you're all vampires, that I get along with you so well. That Charlie knows, it's all so unreal to me. It feels like way too much of a dream and I'm afraid I'll wake up one day and be back in Phoenix and find out you never existed!"

He hugged me tightly again.

"Bella, I will never leave you. Believe me, you're not dreaming any more than I am. I couldn't believe it at first either, until Emmett offered to kick me to prove to me that I was really awake!"

He chuckled.

I looked at him overjoyed, whispered a "thank you" and stretched to kiss him again.

"POOL PARTY!" someone suddenly yelled, and we startled apart.

"Emmett, are you completely nuts right now?", Edward yelled at him, upset.

However, the latter only grinned broadly to himself.

I barely saw Alice, Jasper, Rose and Jo enter the pool house - like Emmett also in swimwear - when I flew through the air and landed in the water, but was immediately pulled to the surface by Edward and held protectively in his arms!

Edward gave Emmett a warning look and growled softly. Everyone else burst out laughing at my puzzled look.

"What was that about, Emmett," I asked, earning confused looks from everyone - except Alice.

She looked at me, beaming.

"I knew it!" she said.

"Did ... did you just speak, Bella?"

Jo looked very confused!

"Yes, I did. I just didn't talk to anyone anymore because no one bought my story about the incident four months ago. At some point it turned to fear - I didn't trust myself. You were the only one who believed me. But I didn't have to speak to you out loud, we can communicate in other ways. Well... and when Edward almost left me ...", at these words everyone looked at him angrily, "it just burst out of me, and I told him that I loved him!"

Edward hugged me briefly as I repeated that I loved him.

I looked at him.

His eyes radiate pure happiness and infinite love, love for me, I thought happily.

Edward nodded.

Then my eyes fell on his white T-shirt - his white WET T-shirt - and I had to swallow.

Edward chuckled in amusement, but I couldn't help but stare at him.

How had I earned this godlike creature?

"Hey! I'm not a creature!" he says, playfully offended. "But I'm asking myself the same question!"

"Oh, man, get a room or something, but stop with the sweet-talking. It's unbearable," Emmett shouted loudly and I blushed.

Rose, however, gave Emmett a blow to the back of the head.

"Hey, it's true," he defended himself.

Rose just shook her head.

She and Alice grinned mischievously at me and quietly positioned themselves behind Emmett, who was rubbing the back of his head, lost in thought - and with a loud splash, Emmett was in the pool, too.

"There will be revenge!" he exclaimed, and the water fight began.

Edward swam briefly to the edge of the pool to remove his T-shirt and chuckled as I stared at his perfect body again.

"You are a hundred times more beautiful than me, my angel!" he said to me and gave me a kiss.

I blushed, but did not reply.

It was not working at the moment!

"Let's go into battle," Edward murmured into my ear and pulled me with him through the water to the others, where we joined the fray.

Edward tried to protect me as much as he could, since everyone else was many hundreds of times stronger than me.

At one point I was standing in the water with my back pressed against the edge of the pool, Edward in front of me pressed tightly against me. I did not see why it was so, who pressed us to the edge of the pool, because I was overwhelmed by the desire I felt inside me.

Edward must have felt the same way, because he suddenly pressed his lips on mine in a demanding manner.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and returned the kiss just as desirously. His hands rested on my hips and pulled me even closer to him, if that was even possible. When I could no longer breathe, he eased away from my lips, but explored my neck, shoulders, and nape with his. I shivered slightly, but not from cold.

Looking around, I noticed we were alone and wondered where the others had gone.

"They wanted to be discreet and leave us alone," Edward murmured against my neck.

His breath tickled a little.

'Okay,' I thought, 'since we're alone, let's take advantage of it.'

Edward laughed out and continued to caress me with his lips. However, he left out my breasts and my private parts, which I was very happy about.

I now did the same and began to explore his body as well - with my lips and my hands, but also left out his private parts.

It was a nice feeling.