Thank you for your continued patience, especially after my test chapter was mistakenly uploaded. I hope this one was worth the wait. Let me know what you think. Sincerely, REW.
Jazzy!" Alice had burst out of the van, half crying with relief as she ran into Jasper's arms. She launched her tiny body at him, sobbing hysterically into his shoulder. I could hear Jasper murmuring, consoling her gently while urging her back into the van for her safety.
Emmett nearly pushed Jasper and Alice's unit aside as he raced into the passenger side of the van, slamming the door closed behind him. He stopped only to kiss Rose once, briefly, before telling her to gas it. She nodded, perfectly in tune with his urgency and started the engine, a booming sound in the silence of the burning forest. It was a starter gun to me, bringing me back to the present race against time. I grabbed Bella's hand instinctively, pulling her with me as I took long strides.
"Get in!" Rose yelled to us over the roar of the engine. Bella and I climbed over Alice and Jasper, barely cramming ourselves into the backseat before I closed the door of the already moving van. The ashen pine trees were a blur as Rose sped away.
I was acutely aware of Bella's body against my left side, her usual cool temperature was exceptionally icy, she shivered once. I wordlessly rubbed her arm with my hand, as if to transfer my heat into her body and brought her closer into my side.
The car ride was silent except for the squealing of Rose's tires as she navigated the winding road expertly at high speed. It was as if the complicated tangle of emotions: relief, anxiety, awe, fear, and an overwhelming sense of frenzy hung in the air like tangled puppet strings, connecting all of our bodies together in an unseen mastery of a performance.
Jasper was the first to break the silence.
"We can live in freedom now." Jasper murmured almost incredulously, there was a relief in his eyes I'd never seen before. How had I never noticed the pain in Jasper's eyes? "It's thanks to Bella."
I stole a look at Bella. She seemed bewildered by the credit and managed a humble nod of acknowledgement. I knew it was the best she could do at the moment. I linked my fingers between hers, squeezing them and then kissing the top of her head. I hoped to affirm all that she couldn't for herself now, later.
Emmett now spoke.
"Who knows what'll happen after this? All we know is we no longer have to worry about VOLT physically coming for us. Unless there are any survivors, of course." Emmett's usual optimism sounded dead.
Bella's eyes reflected the same melancholic loss that Jasper's had earlier. My arms had a mind of its own, as it circled around her as if I could offer a nest for Bella within them.
Anything to make her more comfortable.
Though Bella's face was yet to emote or reveal anything, the telltale signs of Bella relaxing had become second nature to me. Her shoulders relaxing under my touch by just a few degrees, she sank into my torso subtly and dropped her head to my chest.
Relax, for once, Bella.
You can rest at ease now.
Her eyes peered up at me from thick lashes, and I was again, stunned by her beauty. Even with her face covered in flecks of ash and dirt, and strands of loose hair falling into her face, the natural beauty of her face radiated an ethereal glow.
I shook my head in disbelief at her, with a small smile I couldn't help but hide. It made me wonder if I looked like an idiot but I didn't care.
"What?" She mouthed at me with confusion, in the silence of the car. I tucked a stray tendril of hair back behind her ear, marveling at the softness of her cheek at the same time.
"So beautiful." I mouthed back. She rolled her eyes at me but looked away shyly. I chuckled softly to myself.
She can take a hall pass for now, but I'll get her to accept a compliment one day.
I couldn't help but smile at the thought. Of my future with Bella, unobstructed by Volt in any way. My thoughts were interrupted by a shrill squeal.
"Guys! We still have half an hour left!" Alice piped up excitedly, jabbing her pointer finger incessantly at the screen of her phone for emphasis.
A brief video of someone's social media story appeared, ten seconds of chaos was emphasized with the equally loud music and flashing lights. Bella cocked her head in innocent confusion.
"Half an hour left for what?" Her eyebrows pulled together in a V on her smooth brow as they usually did when she paused in perplexity. I scratched my head, completely and equally dumbfounded.
We raided and burned down a building, took down Aro and somehow still haven't been caught. What the heck are we missing that's so indispensable...
"Prom, of course." Alice said as if it were obvious information, with a dramatic roll to her round eyes. A shrill squeal from Rose echoed Alice's enthusiasm from the driver seat, beside Emmett.
"I was hoping you'd say something!" Rose exclaimed. "We're only half an hour away now!"
Bella and I exchanged dubious glances, the skepticism rang as obviously as bells. We were both beyond disheveled and covered in debris, scratches, not to mention sweat.
"Alice. You can't be serious." I asserted, not hesitating to disclose both my distaste for the idea and impart my duty to the rest of the unwilling group. At my urged reluctance, Jasper piped up gently.
"Darlin', I don't know about--" Alice cut him off with an abundance of energy, practically vibrating from the excess dynamism.
"Oh, but I am! I came prepared and brought everything we'll need in the trunk; I figured we might have time! I even brought baby wipes, they're practically as good as a shower!" The fragments of her sentences barely even heard a pause for a breath before Jasper, Emmett, Bella and I started groaning.
When Alice reminded us sternly with an unseemly staid expression that it was important that we made an appearance for an alibi, we couldn't deny that. We found ourselves unanimously, reluctantly agreeing.
Even knowing her reasoning (likely self motivated), her preemptive thinking was not only plausible, but admirable. We humbly subjected ourselves to the seemingly endless packets of wet wipes to clean ourselves up as best we could.
"There's enough wet wipes to disinfect the town of Forks." I muttered, mildly impressed by Alice's preparation. Emmett didn't hesitate to continue the banter. He grumbled as he twisted a wipe into his ear with a pinky. It came out blackened with ash.
"Nice one, Alice. Only you would remember to bring a box of ass wipes to a raid." I immediately began chortling, it was known that Alice's digestion issues were a sensitive topic for her. Bella's eyes widened, so did Rose's.
Ah, so they know, too.
Alice raised a feathery brow threateningly at Emmett over her compact mirror as she applied her mascara, throwing darts with her eyes at him.
"Oh you didn't."
"But I did." He snickered. "Not all of us spend a quarter of the day shitting ourselves. Lay off on the coffee, squirt." I burst out laughing. I couldn't help myself.
"Babe!" Rose's eyes widened in horror at Emmett's remark.
Oh no... Alice's wrath will be unleashed. It's bad enough the control freak side paid us a visit...
Alice used her mascara wand as a stick and pointed it at Emmett threateningly with wild gestures. Even Jasper looked mortified.
"Unless you want the ass wipes up your ass, I suggest you clean yourself up well." Alice retorted quickly. "You're welcome, by the way, everybody!" She huffed.
Jasper was quick to agree and thank her, before flashing a look at Emmett to do the same. Emmett grumbled a thanks mixed with muttered, self-pitying slurs and Bella and I murmured our due thanks, exchanging sheepish glances as we tried to clean off blood and dirt with a family sized packet of baby wipes.
Definitely the last thing I expected from a raid.
A half hour later, just as Alice had promised, we'd slid into the parking lot for the last hour of junior prom. To our relief, there were others that also were either leaving early or arriving late; we blended in well with the traffic coming in and out.
Alice had been true to her word, and had prepared not only our dress pants but fresh flowers for each of our breast pockets, and matching corsages for our girlfriends to wear. She had us dress up to our dress shirts in the van on the way to the party. When Bella began pulling her dress over her T-shirt as she'd seen me do with my suit, Alice stopped her.
She insisted the "boys" wait outside of the van once we were parked while the ladies got dressed inside. Jasper, Emmett and I grumbled the lack of logic in that, there wasn't anything we hadn't seen on our partners before, after all...
"It's a tradition!" She snapped. We all cocked our heads in skepticism.
"Uh, isn't that for weddings?" I asked, scratching my head.
"It doesn't matter, Edward, let her have her tradition!" Rose threw back. I backed away.
"Oi! I know there's windows, but no peeking!" She pointed at me. I held my empty hands up defensively.
"Hey, why are you looking at me?" I retorted. Alice said nothing, lifted two fingers up to her eyes before pointing her crab daggers back at mine, the international "I'll be watching you" sign. "Turn around."
I sighed at her antics, and we all turned around with our backs against the side of the van. We waited patiently with our hands in our pockets. Emmett idly checked his nails for debris, Jasper was looking up pensively at the moon. I listened to the sound of the wind, the sounds of leaves rustling on the pavement and the girls' hushed whispers and giggles.
In a brief moment of silence, sirens blared past the only road by the school in a flash of red and blue lights, followed by multiple firetrucks. They were headed north, towards the mountains we just returned from.
"What do you guys think?" I finally braved myself to ask in a solemn murmur.
"'Bout what?" Jasper asked casually, now he was the one toeing a pebble on the asphalt.
"Volt. Is it over?" I kept my voice as low as possible, not wanting Bella to overhear, though I could hear the girls murmuring. Even Emmett looked somber, as he shrugged the boulders of his shoulders.
"We didn't check for survivors." Jasper murmured back to me. "Nothing is set in stone... but what's important is Aro is gone, right? Without him I doubt Volt could survive. We destroyed their labs, isn't that enough?" Emmett pounded a fist against the van and I jumped at the abrupt sound.
"Fuck!" Emmett snapped. "We should've grabbed evidence!" I couldn't help but smirk, knowing I had somehow instinctively done something right. I carefully pulled the two thick Manila files from the lining of my vest. I took joy in seeing Emmett and Jasper's mouths were agape, just as I thought they might be. Jasper shook his head in disbelief, his blonde curls shook with him as if in sympathy to his cause.
"No way. When'd ya pull that?" Jasper's twang was noticeably stronger when he was emotionally vested in something.
"Before you guys came in." I admitted. Emmett began clapping theatrically, as usual making light and a joke of any given situation.
"Finally, Edward Cullen does something usef--"
We were interrupted when Alice's tiny arm stuck out of the van, holding three neatly folded tux jackets.
"I made sure these would fit. No excuses!" She chimed, as we all reluctantly took the jacket that was thrust into our arms. Once her hands were empty, she pulled out three corresponding ties in purple, blue, and red.
"Crimson for Edward, azul for Jazzy and mauve for Em! Let me know if you need help!" We all wordlessly took our ties with the last shred of dignity we had left and the van door slid closed.
I nearly exclaimed from surprise when Alice popped her head out again and shoved a small jar into my hands. "Pomade, especially for you." She pointed to the eternally disheveled mess that was my hair before closing the door to the van once again, leaving us dumbfounded by the organization tornadoes she seemed to exude. Somehow the signature chaos was present in every perfect thing that she did.
It's a wonder Jasper handles it all.
I handed Emmett the pomade in surrender, hoping he knew how to use it. He sighed dramatically before agreeing with a nod to do the application, curling the fingers of his open palm up twice to signal giving it to him. I surrendered it willingly and Emmett twisted it open, gave me the lid before he dabbed the tips of his fingers in the clay like substance and applied it to my hair. As large as Emmett's hands were, I'll give it to him that he's very steady and gentle with his application.
At least it smells nice.
"Alice sure is something." Emmett muttered with eyebrows raised, as he applied more product to my hair. Jasper shook his head, quick to come to her defense, stopping him before he went any further.
"She's just excited, as I'm sure y'all would be if we were going to a Mariners game instead of this." We chuckled dryly at that.
If only.
"Just put your tie on and she'll stay happy as a clam." Jasper finished, sounding a little exasperated. I chuckled under my breath at their antics, wondering how I managed friends who were simultaneously half vampire and comedians--easily the most entertaining duo in Forks, if not all of Washington state.
My thoughts were interrupted at the sound of the van door sliding open for the second time, and we all lifted our attention to the door as it slid ajar. A bouquet of violet, forget me nots, and roses instantly overwhelmed me. I must say, I was impressed. Despite coming out of a dirty mini van, Rose, Alice and Bella looked like they were something out of a editorial magazine shoot.
Emmett whistled a tone sliding up in pitch at the lavender dress that emphasized Rose's bust. Admittedly, she did look like a model.
"Thanks for waiting!" Alice sang as she hopped out of the van in a precarious looking set of electric blue platform heels. She turned on the balls of her platforms and silver earrings in the shape of stars swung from her ears. It was a nice touch to her quirky fashion.
Only God knows how she still lands gracefully on her feet always twirling around in shoes like that. Her spiky hair sat in a thorny halo around her head and was decorated with a headband adorned by blue stones in a mosaic of butterflies. Though she didn't have Rose's statuesque height, her petite frame in layers of eccentric cerulean hues would certainly catch the eyes and envy of both men and women tonight.
Rose stepped out after, holding her gown in her fingers. She looked like Rapunzel with her golden hair piled on top of her head, and the light purple shimmering just slightly in the moonlight. Rose and Alice were both undeniably lovely in their dresses, fluttering flashes of blue and purple, but I was anxious to see Bella.
I craned my head trying to catch a glimpse of her in the van. She cautiously stepped out, holding the edge of her dress away from her heels, exposing a slit in her dress that showed her creamy thighs. She looked irked, her eyebrows arched in their typical way that I found so sexy even if she was ticked.
Bella was muttering something along the lines of,
"This is why I don't do this kind of thing--" Her words fell short when her eyes locked on mine. I felt my breath leave my body involuntarily and Bella's too, fell silent.
My jaw dropped at the sight of Bella. My Bella, who was stunning in an oversized uniform blouse, or even my T-shirt and basketball shorts was painfully, overwhelming beautiful in a dress.
Her milky white skin contrasted radiantly against the luscious red color that matched her lipstick. A deep V that cut down to her sternum showed ample cleavage and soft skin that I forced myself to look away from, in fear of reacting to it, God forbid--here in a school parking lot.
Alice had somehow pinned Bella's hair back in an elegant style, exposing her bare neck and shoulders, leaving only a few tendrils of hair framing her face. Ironically, she looks like an elegant vampiress.
Bella noticed my ogling, looked up and amber eyes met mine. They almost looked golden in this light. My breath stopped in my chest.
The seduction she held in my dreams looked like mere impressions compared to the real thing. She was without a doubt, the most beautiful sight I'd ever seen in my life. My eyes kept drinking in the vivacious colors on her, and the fit of her dress along her womanly body...
"What do you think?" Bella suddenly was in front of me. She sounded nervous and I realized I hadn't spoken in over a minute, let alone see her step down from the van.
"Um," I found myself fumbling for words.
God help me, I was a stuttering fool for her.
I couldn't help myself. I nearly pulled out my hair as I raked my fingers through it nervously. "You... you look stunning."
"Really? You think so?" She asked, nervously biting down on her lip. My heart melted at her shy gestures.
"I'll have to keep you close, so everyone doesn't steal you away." She looked away, suddenly quiet. Did my remarks come too soon?
I thought to ask about that later, and pushed the thought aside as I offered her my arm and she took it.
Alice and Rose could be heard squealing behind us.
"Yay, Prom!"
We were relieved that there was no one keeping tabs on the time of attendance, just casually jotting down names. We handed our student ID's to the volunteer receptionist, a girl with icy blonde hair. She was a sophomore, I recognized her as Irina. The first and only other girl I'd ever kissed.
"Edward Cullen." Her voice dripped sensuality. She turned to Bella, seemingly unimpressed. "So this is what has everyone's attention. Huh." She was quick to turn back to me, dropping her voice to a whisper.
"Siobhan has mentioned your many... talents." She licked her lips blatantly and I was quick to introduce Bella to change the uncomfortable subject.
What the fuck is she even talking about?
"This is Bella. You don't mind signing her in, do you?" I asked, blinking pleasantly yet suggestively at her.
Take a fucking hint, Irina.
She smiled coldly for a mere second as she took Bella's ID, scanning it with a raised eyebrow before handing it back to her with a chuff.
"Isaballa Marie Swan." The tone of her voice was completely different from earlier, she sounded unimpressed. "Sounds made up."
At the irony of the comment, Bella and I exchanged uncontrollable laughter. It was unintentionally loud, I snorted once, even which caused us both to grip our sides, shaking with laughter. Irina looked disgusted and I'd never felt more satisfied.
"Irina nice to see you!" Emmett boomed from behind me, effectively giving us an out.
Bella and I stood awe struck. It was impressive what they'd done with the gymnasium. In forks' only school gymnasium, they'd created a whole indoor forest, complete with string lights and a gazebo. The streamers and crepe created a festive yet elegant look, it was rather impressive. I questioned the budget the school had expended to create this faux forest.
A camera flashed and we were blinded for a moment.
Angela and Eric were the first to see us, spreading wide grins as the recognition took place.
"Hey man I've been looking everywhere for you!" He exclaimed. I shook his hand in a friendly display and nodded to Angela.
"I was looking for you too! Where've you been?"
Alibi covered.
We chattered on casually, weaving our way through the crowd and greeting everyone we knew on our way to the dance floor. Bella looked uncomfortable, almost as much as her first day in biology.
All the girls that were brave enough to speak to Bella complimented her dress, telling her she looked beautiful. Yet Bella thanked them with a contained 'thank you.'
Did she not see how beautiful she is?
What is on her mind?
I desperately wished I could read her mind.
A loud rock song was playing, and Emmett, Jasper and I began jumping up and down to it carelessly, as if all of our worries were gone. Which, in a sense, they were.
The girls opted to dancing together, mostly laughing at us. When the songs transitioned to heavier bass, Bella looked at me confused and nervous, as she took note of the grinding motions most of our peers were doing.
"We don't have to dance. Let's get a drink." Bella nodded gratefully as she shuffled away to the punch bowl. I poured Bella a cup that was practically vibrating from how loud the bass was.
I didn't need to look at Rose and Emmett in the center of the dance floor to know they were definitely grinding as low as Rose's dress would allow.
Typical.
"Hey! Break it up!" I heard Mr. Garcia snap at them. I chortled at his attempts to control an entire sea of horny teenagers at prom and even Bella was smiling behind her cup.
At Mr. Garcia's insistence, the genre was expeditiously changed mid-song, to a modest slow dance. A chorus of boos erupted from the dance floor but it was announced that there would be no more bass music. I looked over to Bella, who seemed to be the only one grateful for the contraband music to be revoked from the playlist.
The previous strobe lights morphed, softening into hazy blues and purples around us, fog rolled onto the floor from an unseen fog machine somewhere. It created a dreamy effect, and the complaints died down, everyone began dancing. With the string lights hanging above us, it was an impressive illusion of dancing in a night sky itself.
A song I recognized with a legato tempo began playing and my heart began beating stupidly loud. If Bella could hear it, she didn't say anything. I tried to focus on the lyrics of the song. Anything to take my mind off of my climbing heart rate.
I was a quick, wet boy
Diving too deepfor coins
I could rationalize that Bella and I had experienced far more dangerous and intimate things together, yet the uncomplicated act of asking her to dance was overwhelming.
The minuscule chance of rejection wasn't likely but proved it was ever-present, as if rejection were a living entity that loomed over me. The impulsive need to ask Bella to dance surged chemicals in me that made me feel so afraid but alive. The song was nearly reaching its chorus when I finally faced Bella.
Have I found you?
Flightless bird...
"Do you mind if I ask you to dance?" I finally asked through a dry throat. She shook her head with a tender smile and placed her smooth, frigid hand in mine.
I noticed a forgotten smudge on the back of her hand and I chuckled, remembering the riotous sequence of events that caused it to stain her hand.
I kissed the mark away before anyone noticed and swiftly led Bella towards the dance floor. The theme of prom night was twilight romance, and Bella certainly fit the part in her dress that made her look as if she were made to live in the night.
Despite the advantageous dress and natural beauty, Bella stood still on the dance floor, seemingly uncertain of her next movement. I pulled her slender arms around my neck and held her by her hips as I began to move slowly, letting her feel my feet, my momentum lead her.
She slowly eased into the movements as we swayed together, only when she had seemed to memorize the square pattern of footwork of the waltz, did she finally release the tension in her shoulders. I took her ease as an invitation to talk to her.
"I don't think I was able to tell you just how magnificent you look," I murmured into her ear, over the music.
Bella smiled at that, abashedly.
"Was it worth Alice kicking you out of the van for that first look?" Now it was my turn to grin.
"Absolutely. Remind me to never bet against Alice."
Bella's tinkling laugh brought me out from my reverie.
"Yeah, that was pretty funny. She's a powerhouse."
"But so are you," I was quick to remind her.
"Very funny." I listened to the lyrics of the song, the gentle guitar arpeggios that floated together to the lyrics.
Have I found you, flightless bird?
Brown hair bleeding..
I smiled, closed my eyes for just a moment.
How fitting this song was.
"They did a good job with the theme. Twilight romance." I murmured. Bella agreed instantly.
"I like twilight. I just hate it's... impermanence." Bella's brow furrowed as she searched for the right word. "I wish we could enjoy this feeling of peace forever..."
"Transience is what makes life beautiful." I whispered somberly, remembering something my mom had read to me once. "The fact that twilight only happens for an hour, right after sunset and right before nightfall... that limited window of time before the stars come out, that's the beauty of it."
"I guess, I uh..." she cleared her throat. "I guess what I was trying to say is, I wish I could enjoy this moment with you, forever." She looked away nervously, and I chuckled softly at the pink blush that spread across Bella's nose and cheeks
"I thought you 'didn't do prom'." I teased.
"I-I didn't think I'd like it. I mean, I don't like all of it. But... I like dancing with you." She whispered sweetly, as if making a confession.
How did I get so lucky.
I kissed her forehead chastely.
"I'll want every twilight with you. Forever." I promised. She shook her head doubtfully, the tendrils of hair that around her face like a twisted frame swayed gently.
"You can't possibly know that.
But I do, Bella.
"We began life together. I want it to stay that way from now on, too." I said simply, in lieu of explanation.
"I want us to be equals one day." Bella murmured.
"Bella you are my equal. I wouldn't want anything less." I was quick to interject.
"No, I know that rationally you respect me as your equal but I've never felt... your equal."
"Oh." I said dumbfounded. I suppose I could see that, Volt had certainly done a number to Bella's self worth.
"Would you be willing to be my true equal?" Her breathy question made me stop in my tracks. Her lips were at my throat, only hovering and I held my breath.
"Are you ready?" She whispered. Golden eyes glanced up at me, dazzling me in place.
I gulped.
Did she..? Could she possibly mean...?
"I'm ready." I murmured without hesitation. I looked up, uncertain of what to expect, trying to keep my body still.
"Be very still." She muttered against the skin of my throat.
Her lips skimmed upwards towards my carotid artery. I knew what this meant. One cut and the major blood vessels that provide blood supply to the brain would spill. I would die, if this didn't turn me into a half breed.
"Be still." Her ghostly whisper reminded me once more. I reflexively clenched my hands into fists in preparation. I anticipated searing pain.
Yet, I felt barely the weight of a butterfly's wing on me. She'd only placed a chaste kiss on my neck, barely skimming the flesh of her lips against me. She pulled away, with an uncharacteristically wide grin.
"You didn't think I'd really do anything here. Did you?" She teased. I breathed a sigh of relief, shamelessly displaying my obvious nerves. Bella laughed but I found myself pensive.
"With everything I learned today, I honestly won't doubt anything I hear ever again." I said with a ironic chuckle. Bella smiled at me, sadly.
"I'm sorry that you learned all of that." The pure sympathy in her voice rang so clearly it was a mystery that she grew up in Volt and still turned out a gentle, compassionate Angel. She was more human than any of the monsters that ran the Volturi Labs ever could hope to be.
"I'm not sorry." I reassured her with an insisting shake of my head. "I'm glad. Not only it fills a huge gap in my past, It only attests that I always belonged to you." When she shook her head to deny it, I pulled her closer in a whisper.
"You had my heart since the moment I first saw you." I promised into her ear, knowing it was true. The only memory I remembered from my childhood was my first one of Bella.
Bella smiled up at me, a purely jovial expression. I found myself lost in her golden eyes, the faultless smile and red lips.
My mind wandered as I saw the girl I'd fallen for in the labs, the frail runaway who was afraid for her composure beside me in biology. The conflicted apprehension in her eyes as we shared our first meal together. The transformation of her growth showed in the eyes that could barely meet mine, to now, the woman who stood before me who finally let me love her.
It's as if we'd lived three different lives together. I thought, my heart was so full at the many days.
Three? No, I was mistaken. Four. I corrected myself.
Life without Volt, that's a new journey. A whole different life we can navigate together.
"What are you thinking about?" Bella interrupted my reverie. "Your heart is beating so fast. Are you nervous?"
"I'm always nervous around you," I admitted sheepishly.
"What are you thinking about?" She pried, touching a hand to my face. I answered honestly, unable to lie in the cool familiarity of her touch.
"How lucky I am to be with you. To have been with you, in some way or another, all this time." Bella didn't say anything, instead pulled herself against me, so close that the electricity between us was in overdrive.
That's not the only thing in overdrive, and I'm certain Bella can feel it.
I shook my head in mock exasperation.
"You're killing me Bella." I groaned.
"Do you have any plans after prom, Mr. Cullen?" She teased.
"I'd be glad to pencil you in, Miss Swan." I kissed her velvety cheek delicately. The music surrounding us picked up speed, enough to have a fast paced, waltzy tempo. Bella noticed the musical variance as soon as I did and nervously looked around. I wanted to melt at the delicate fingers that gripped me just a bit harder behind my neck out of nerves.
"I really don't know how to dance." She confessed nervously. I grinned. She'd mentioned this once before, so I had prepared ahead of time.
Thank you, TikTok university.
"No problem. I do." I picked Bella up by the waist and set the toes of her heels on top of my dress shoes, she gasped as I began to move. I sent us rotating gracefully around the dance floor. The spinning sent her pealing laugh in icy clouds around my face. She looked so free with her hair moving around us, her mouth open with laughter.
Her genuine laughter was just the beginning. I vowed to myself. The rest of my life would be dedicated to hearing her laugh, over and over again.
I promise Bella. I'll never let your days go dark again. You'll never have to see twilight alone. Not if I can help it.
Thank you.
Red eye writer.