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Chapter 18
Interventions
Bella
The facility seemed more manageable than what I remembered from the last time, but that was a few years ago. The many greenery that had been added made a natural and cozy impression.
This will definitely be a nice and relaxing day!
The car was parked a good distance away.
Edward had shouldered the large swim bag and we headed for the front desk.
That is, actually I was bouncing, I felt so happy and free, swinging our intertwined hands back and forth like a schoolgirl in love.
Of course he did me the favor, grinning broadly, because if he didn't want to join in, I would have no chance whatsoever of moving his arm even a millimeter.
When we entered the spacious room, also completely in light wood, I was first met by a cloud of solvent smell, infused with intrusive sweet perfume.
How vile did that have to smell to my vampire?
My gaze immediately fell on the strawberry blond receptionist behind the elongated counter, waving her splayed, seemingly freshly painted fingernails in front of her and blowing on them.
It was still morning and the sparsely occupied parking lot had already suggested that not much was going on yet.
But regardless of this fact, her doing personal matters at work did not exactly indicate her professional competence. This appearance was also immediately underlined once again when she stared at us with her mouth open and dropped her completed work into her lap when she spotted us - or rather the man at my side. It's the same every single time! I thought, rolling my eyes.
He squeezed my hand briefly, as if to cheer me up.
I really didn't want to know what she was thinking.
Then he cleared his throat and greeted the ...
I had to seriously pull myself together not to think negatively of her.
"Good morning, we would like two day-tickets."
Her bright red made-up mouth snapped shut and her eyes first flickered back and forth between me and Edward before they widened a bit more and some realization flitted across her face.
"M ... M ... Mr. and Mrs. Cullen?", she finally brought out, which unmistakably pleased the future spouse here in front of me and caused me heart rhythm disturbances when the meaning of the words finally reached me.
But my fiancé's undisguisedly radiant smile apparently triggered about the same reaction in her, because her freshly painted nails abruptly dug into the tabletop, splintering, and she gasped, swaying slightly.
The corners of his mouth dropped again and were replaced by a crease of worry between his brows as he looked back and forth between the two of us, slightly confused, and seemed to wonder who he would catch if we were to fall over at the same time.
But no one needed it and we each quickly recovered from our respective shocks.
So much for a relaxed day. It's already off to a good start.
"Future," he nodded to the woman, his lips this time very controlled only into a smirk.
She just frowned in confusion.
"The wedding ceremony is in two weeks," he added, explaining.
Her expression brightened, but only briefly.
"So not married yet?! Because I have a booking here for one of our offers for married couples ... I'll have to check with the management first ..."
"Wait, what kind of booking?", I dug deeper.
"In our newest indoor facility - the Wellness Oasis - the duo-mud bath for couples has been reserved for you. It is kept at a pleasant temperature by the thermal water, is not only incredibly nourishing for the skin, but also has an incredibly positive deep effect on muscle tension and rheumatism ... And it is located right here behind the main house ... But as I said, I'll have to ask now how to handle it in your case ..."
Somehow, I had preferred her with her mouth open and silent. Once breathing normally, she turned out to be a more annoying chatterbox than Alice - if that was possible. Or was she normally in charge of advertising in the marketing department?
She had completely thrown me for a loop with her ramblings, but Edward put it in a nutshell in disbelief.
"A mud bath for two?"
Somewhat stiffly, he turned back to me with a questioning expression.
"Yes ... No ... So mud sounds so negative, so like dirt, but it's not at all. It just feels wonderful and total privacy is provided ... There's a wonderful new and spacious shower and provided towels, no need to worry."
Her eyes slid unabashedly longingly over Edward's body at this description, his jaw muscles meanwhile becoming more prominent, and I registered an almost imperceptible shake of his head with a pleading look.
Warm mud, Edward all to myself, a generous shower ... it certainly had its appeal. But the way he looked, following my facial expressions, made me conclude that this experiment would probably end with a panicked escape on his part.
Somewhat wistfully, I declined the offer.
It had not even been certain whether we would have been allowed to use it at all.
"You are welcome to visit our small but fine sauna area as compensation. You are also not bound to certain booking times there. I'll just give you the chip for it, then you can still think about it for the whole day. In each case at the full and half hour, the infusions are made."
Without waiting for an answer, on which a key and a pendant with said chip were hanging and cashed up on the slightly overwhelmed Edward.
"For now, please let's just go swimming like we originally planned - before Alice had to get her fingers into everything again, OKAY?", he said quietly towards me and gently grasping my upper arm to maneuver me toward the door.
The outrageously greedy, or rather disparaging, looks that followed us quickened our steps immensely.
Outside in the fresh air, we both took a deep breath before Edward headed purposefully for the locker rooms next to the main building.
I followed him, but faltered abruptly when he disappeared into one of the small cubicles without hesitation.
Um ... should I follow him?
I felt slightly caught off guard.
Wouldn't that be a little tight? Was I really ready to strip stark naked in front of him and even in such a confined space that we would inevitably touch each other? A not inconsiderable part of me whooped loudly at the idea, the other, however, looked steeply upwards at a meter-high inhibition threshold of inferiority complexes and shame - here in a certain public at daylight the situation was suddenly quite different - not that the brightness made any difference for his eyesight. But I preferred to suppress this fact anyway, didn't want to imagine so exactly what he would discover on my body ... Every forgotten hair had to look like a wild boar bristle in his eyes ... Maybe I should have taken Rosalie's offer after all and resorted to the ordeal of a thorough warm wax depilation? Again the same stupid questions ... Would I please him? Had I shaved enough for his taste ...? Although he would certainly not come closer to me there ... But maybe that's why it felt even more intimate? To change clothes next to each other as a matter of course - without thinking about it - you had to share a very intimate privacy, or at least have a certain habit in dealing with each other - and especially nudity. Alice. Again! But she also really knew how to get you into precarious situations. How simple it would have been to simply put on my swimsuit underneath at home! But no ... Miss Allround Manager had to bring everything prepared early in the morning ...
But there he came out again, with some clothes in his hand and his expression changed at that moment from ... - uncertain? - to surprised when our eyes met.
But my face also had to speak volumes.
"Are you all right?", his eyebrow raised questioningly as always.
"Um ... yes?", I groaned, letting the air flow out of my lungs, which I had obviously been holding.
Yes, all right! He had only put my bag inside and taken out his bathing things.
"I am next door," he said, disappearing into the doorway next to it.
Sorting out my thoughts, I entered the locker room and began to take off my Capri pants.
When my brain was fully functional again, it sent me the impulse to maybe get my swimsuit out first. Not a stupid idea.
So I started - only in my underwear and T-shirt - to search in the huge bag and after a short time I became more and more frantic.
All I could get my hands on in the way of swimwear were strings ... Ribbons at best ... Tiny triangles ...
My pulse shot up.
She couldn't be serious, could she? It just couldn't be true ...
Close to hyperventilating, I unceremoniously dug up everything in question - no, not in question.
Pretty great! All four bikinis together did not give as much material as my normal sports one-piece. I could somehow knot them together badly ...
"Argh ...", despair burst out of me.
In my growing misery, I plopped down on the wooden bench and buried my hands in my hair.
A soft knock sounded from the partition.
"Are you all right?"
"Nothing is all right at all," I groaned.
I couldn't walk around in this puff of nothingness, with which I had to fear standing there topless at the slightest movement! Despite his kindly meant encouragement a few days ago, I was still far from convinced that my non-existent bust size would be enough for this. A still very fresh memory of a lingerie store flashed in my mind, and I could only shake my head. How had I been able to get involved in this! It had actually been so clear ... If only I had not been so absent this morning.
"Oh, great!" I uttered sullenly.
"Can I come in?", it now sounded muffled from the entrance.
"Hmm ...", I grumbled and pushed the latch aside.
The door opened a crack, Edward slipped through and took in the whole situation with a lightning-fast scan.
"I'll just buy you a new one. I saw some in a showcase inside," he suggested as he stowed his clothes in the bag.
His voice revealed that he was quite taken with the idea.
"Bella?"
I had to use all my mental strength to remove my gaze from his naked torso, where it had remained glued as I surveyed his stunning appearance. His supple appearing skin seemed to glow from within - not that blinding sparkle in the sun - a dull radiance if there was one, which inevitably attracted my fingers to brush over it. Not a single hair marred the smooth surface, as would probably only be the case with competitive swimmers ...
Had I ever seen him like this before in daylight? Hmm ... In Volterra. But then I really had other things to do than soak up the sight of him.
How could it be that after all this time his appearance still and again left me speechless? How had I only been able to agree to a visit to the swimming pool? How could I even bring myself to show myself next to his personified perfection? The best thing would be for him to get me a diving suit right away. He just looked outrageously handsome and scrumptious. In his olive knee-length swim shorts that sat loose and way too low on his hips than would have been healthy for my weak human heart muscle. Relaxed day, my ass. If it goes on like this, as in the last quarter of an hour ... in which I was now struggling for control for the third time, I'll end up with a heart attack in the hospital today.
"Um ... Bella? Have you been listening to me?"
He stopped mine with his hand, which had dangerously approached the waistband of his pants on the contour path of his abdominal muscles.
That's when it hit me. Why was he wearing such wide chaste - and yet much too sexy - pants ...? Just because I couldn't tear Alice's head off back home, neither theoretically, nor practically ...? That was so unfair!
"Hmm ...", I grumbled, finally managing to focus on what he was suggesting. "That's a waste of money - because of one time. I'll just put my T-shirt back on."
He broke skin contact and snorted in annoyance.
"A swimsuit certainly doesn't cost the earth and you can still wear it later! Besides ..." He gestured in my direction and I looked down at myself. "... Your top is white."
"Oh ... no ... All right, then bring me one," I resignedly conceded.
After all, I didn't want to spend the whole day here in the locker room or have come here for nothing. The thought that it might not have been such a good idea to have him back to the chick in that outfit, popped into my head. Well, she would survive it somehow ... Still better than facing embarrassment myself ...? And in this case, the choice would probably actually fall on the same model for once. The more closed the better.
With a beaming crooked smile and eyes that sparkled with the joy of a little boy when he got an ice cream, he leaned down, pressed a kiss to my lips, and disappeared all too quickly through the cabin door.
Thank you for reading!
