Disclaimer: I do not own twilight and this is a really rough draft yall
Bella P.O.V
I stared down at the medium chocolate balls in front of me, smiling to myself as I wiped the sweat off my brow with a cloth. These turned out much better than the last batch! I picked one up carefully, inspecting the finished product. The thickness of the chocolate was just right. The first batch was extremely fragile because the chocolate was too thin. I couldn't even pick one up without it shattering in my hands. The second batch were too big, they wouldn't even fit in the average mug. So this was my third and final attempt. And they were perfect. I'm going to box them up and give them to her later.
Right now, I need to check on my other project. I had some leftover chocolate that I had already tempered and decided to make a few candy bars. I'm in no way a chocolatier but my girl loves chocolate. And who else around here makes vegan chocolate bars? I would do anything to make her happy. And that means tempering chocolate every day until I get it right, then so be it. I know it's too soon. I'm already calling her my girl, never out loud though. But it just sounds right. My girl… I thought about her golden eyes and how they looked like honey. My girl… I've got so much honey, the bees envy me.
"Bella, you have a visitor!" Sue called out and I grinned. Right on time!
"Be right out!" I called out and headed towards the sink.
Washing my hands thoroughly, the water was hot as hell. But I need to melt the hardened chocolate off my hands. And I've kinda gotten used to the heat. I can't tell you how many times I've burned myself since I've started cooking and baking. At some point your hands just get used to the heat.
I took off my apron, throwing it into the pile with the rest of the dirty ones. I checked my reflection, happy that there was no chocolate or cocoa powder on my face. I quickly rounded the counter, ready to see my girl. But it wasn't Alice standing there waiting for me with that beautiful smile or her soft lips of hers. It was Lauren. Oh…
"Lauren! I'm so glad you're here!" I exclaimed, grinning over at her. Lauren's eyes widened, surprised by my enthusiastic greeting.
"You are?" She asked and I nodded my head. I had so much to tell her!
"I need you to try something for me. I've been working on this project for a few days. It's a surprise for my date tonight." I explained rushing back around the corner to grab one of the hot chocolate bombs. I still can't believe I have another date tonight. I brought it back, showing her the orb. A proud smile on my face.
"Tada!" I exclaimed and she frowned.
"You made chocolate balls?" She asked, completely unimpressed. I understand why, it doesn't look very interesting.
"It's a hot chocolate bomb." I explained, hoping that would make her realize how cool this thing was. Still, she didn't look impressed.
"What?" She asked and I sighed.
How does she not know what a hot chocolate bomb is? They're all over Instagram and TikTok. I grabbed my favorite mug, it was olive green and I usually only use it to drink my tea in the morning. But I don't mind letting Lauren borrow it. I filled it with hot oat milk before carrying back over to her.
"You have to drop the ball into the milk." I state and she sighed. Staring up at me with that bored expression she always wears. Like I can't see past that little facade of hers.
I know her better than anyone. Maybe not as well as Jessica and Angela. But that's different. I know behind that bored look, she was actually intrigued. She grabbed the ball carefully, like she was afraid it would break. She dropped it carefully into the milk and we waited...and waited….and waited.
Maybe I made the chocolate a little too thic- Nope! It finally broke open, and marshmallows floated to the top along with my secret hot chocolate mix. Not even Sue knows the recipe. It took me years to perfect. Which really paid off because Alice loves it. I love watching the way her eyes light up whenever she takes a sip. I smiled at Lauren, who didn't bother hiding the impressed look on her face. When she saw me smiling over at her, the tips of her ears turned pink as she shrugged.
"Neat party trick but I can't drink this. You know I'm lactose intol-" She started and I grabbed her hand.
"Loni, we've been best friends since middle school. I know that you can't have cow's milk. That's why I made it with oat milk. Your favorite." I pointed out and she stared down at my hand on top of hers. Oh. I forgot, no touching.
I moved my hand, grabbing a spoon to stir the hot chocolate. Making sure it mixed completely. It was darker than usual, because of the actual chocolate around the ball. But I adjusted the recipe because of that. Added less cocoa powder.
"Why did you come visit me?" I asked, realizing I never even asked. I've got to do better. I didn't even ask her about her day. I just shoved balls in her face.
"I hadn't seen you in a while. Too busy with your girlfriend to come see us." She states and takes a sip of the hot chocolate.
"She's not my girlfriend yet. How do you like it?" I asked and she rolled her eyes. I tried to pretend like my heart didn't flutter at the word girlfriend.
It's still too soon for that I know. We've only been on one date. One really great date. And just a few kisses. Okay… maybe a lot of kisses. But I couldn't help myself. Not when she was looking at me like that. All soft and teary eyed.
"Stop fishing for compliments. It's okay." She states and I grinned. What she really meant to say was it's amazing and the best thing she's ever tasted.
"How have you been? How's Angela and Jessica?" I asked, leaning against the counter. Giving Lauren my full attention.
"We're all fine. Stop grinning at me like an idiot." She states and I sighed blissfully. I tilted my head to the side, twisting a random strand of hair around my finger.
"I can't help it, Loni. I'm just so happy. She makes me so happy." I confessed and Lauren looked like she wanted to puke. Our date last night was still fresh on my mind.
"Yuck." She mumbled and I shoved her playfully. She hates whenever I get like this. It's only happened once, in 10th grade after Megan Jenkins started flirting with me. That obviously didn't work out.
"I know, gross but Lauren. She's amazing. She's funny and artistic, and cute. She's spontaneous. I don't understand her at all and she kisses like an angel. " I explained and Lauren just rolled her eyes. I wanted to tell her everything about Alice. The way her smile lights up the room, whenever she flirts with me my heart tries to jump out of my chest. How soft her lips are. How easy it is to talk to her. How nice it feels to run my fingers through her hair.
"Ew, I don't want to hear about how she kisses."
"But her lips are s-" I started but Lauren started gagging dramatically.
"Wait until Jessica and Angela get here, they'll love to hear all about Alice's magical kisses." She mumbled and I sighed.
"Let's talk about you then. Tell me everything that's happened these past few weeks." I state, once again giving her my full attention.
No day dreaming about Alice or thinking about any new recipes. Just talking to one of my best friends. She told me about little things that happened. Like how she got a C on her history test. I almost offered to tutor her but then I remember both of her girlfriends were literally the smartest girls in school.
She told me about how she considered cutting her hair but decided to give herself an undercut instead.
"Really? Let me see." I demanded and she turned around. Lifting her hair up and I leaned closer. Moving my hand as if I was going to touch the short hair there but I smacked the back of her neck. Hard.
"Damn, you make it too easy.!" I exclaimed and she held the back of her head, her face and neck bright red as she glared at me.
"Seriously Bee?! How fucking old are you?!" She asked, reaching over to grab me but I dodged her hand. I couldn't stop laughing.
The bell rang, signaling that someone had either left the shop or entered. I didn't look. It was probably just one of our customers leaving. There was a family in here picking a birthday cake. Which doesn't take very long. So they must have just left. She tried to grab me again and she grabbed my arm. Pinching me hard.
"Ow! Ow! Loni I'm sorry!" I exclaimed and she mercifully released me. I sighed in relief, rubbing my very sore arm. Fuck that's definitely gonna bruise.
"How am I going to explain this bruise to my pops?" I asked and she scoffed.
"I didn't even pinch you that hard." She states and I began rolling up my sleeve. Showing her the bruise that was forming. She knows I bruise easily. Alice bruises easily too…
"Didn't pinch me hard? Look at this, broken, broken, gone, gone. Broke, broken, broken, broken." I state, quoting the sea urchin from Surfs Up. One of my favorite movies ever. Who doesn't like surfing penguins? And one chicken.
Lauren winced, touching the area around it gently. A concerned look in her eyes. She looked up at me and I smiled. Her face shifted from one of concern to annoyance as she poked it. I gasped, glaring down at her as I pulled my arm away. Why would she fucking poke it?!
"Does it hurt?" She asked and I rolled my eyes.
"Of course it hurts." I state and smacked her hand away.
"Bella." Sue hissed under her breath but I was too busy making Lauren feel bad.
"I've never experienced such agony." I teased and Lauren cracked a smile. I'm proud that I could make her smile. She has such a pretty smile. I wish I had a smile like that.
"Bella!" Sue hissed even louder and I turned around.
"What's up Su- Alice!" I exclaimed, rolling down my sleeve. She's finally here!
She actually looks a little upset. Very upset actually. I glanced over at Sue, wondering what I did wrong. She tilted her head toward Lauren discreetly and it clicked. Oh. Oh! The first thing Alice saw when she entered the shop was me goofing around with Lauren. Who was sitting in Alice's usual seat. Drinking hot chocolate. This looks bad. Really bad. I took one big step to the side, putting space between me and Lauren. I gotta fix this quickly. I can't have Alice thinking I'm some kind of jerk.
"We were just talking about you! Lauren, I want you to meet Alice, my girlfriend." I stammered out, trying to fix this and fast.
"Girlfriend?" The three women around me all said at once, equal look of confusion on their faces.
"Yes, girlfriend." I confirmed and made my way over to the woman in question. Who looked completely stunned. Stunned is good. Stunned is great. At least she doesn't look ready to rip my head off anymore.
"I mean, that is if you want to be my girlfriend." I mumbled as I got closer. Shit, I wasn't thinking. I should have asked her before. Do people usually call someone their girlfriend after the first date? Not even the first date, the practice first date.
"No! I mean yes, I want to be your girlfriend Bella. I just wasn't…" Alice struggled to find the right words. Seems I had left my girl speechless. How many people could say that? They left Alice Cullen speechless.
"Sorry, I just…" I also fumbled to find the right words. She grabbed my hand, squeezing it reassuringly, before smiling up at me.
"You want to talk outside?" She asked and I sighed gratefully.
"Yes, outside." I mumbled and led her to the back door. Is this gonna be our thing now? Meeting behind the building to have little talks?
The second the back door shut behind us I began rambling off an explanation.
"It's not what it looks like." I already started to explain before she could say anything. Alice stared at me with a blank look on her face for a few moments.
"What did it look like?" She asked, her face and voice a void of any emotion. It was like talking to a wall. Completely different from the Alice I had seen last night. The open, honest Alice was nowhere to be seen.
"It kinda looks like Lauren and I are… more than friends. And we aren't. We're barely even friends." I tried to explain because it was the truth. Lauren is and always has been just a friend. Well not always… not really. I've never seen her as anything more than a friend. But that's a talk for a different time. Much later into our relationship.
"Lauren… that's your other girlfriend's name? Or would I be your other girlfriend?" She mused outloud and I blushed.
"She's just a friend, Alice. I wasn't flirting with her. I was trying out a new hot chocolate recipe and she just happened to come in." I explained and she hummed.
"I know you weren't flirting with her, Bella. You're not that kind of person." She states and I sighed in relief. I'm so glad she believes me! I was worried this was going to blow up and be some big deal or something. And that's the last thing I wanted. For Alice to get all jealous and think I was seeing someone else.
"But she was definitely flirting with you." Alice states and my heart dropped.
"What? No! Lauren wouldn't do th-" I started but Alice shot me a look. I paused, thinking about it for a few seconds.
"Okay maybe she would flirt with me. I don't know, she's weird. I can't really tell if she hates me or she likes me most of the time." I state and Alice chuckled humorlessly.
"Oh she definitely likes you." Alice mumbled and I blushed even harder.
"Well I don't like her. I like you." I assured her and she nods.
"I know that. But she doesn't know that." She states and I shook my head.
"Of course she knows that. I was just talking about you and our date last night. I couldn't shut up about it, she had to ask me to stop talking about ho-" I started but I bit my lip. She doesn't need to know that part. That's just embarrassing.
"About what?" Alice asked and I shook my head. No, I can't tell her.
"You can tell Lauren but not me?" She continued and I groaned quietly.
"... I said… I told you that you have angel lips." I mumbled softly and she laughed in my face. I closed my eyes, trying not to be too embarrassed.
"Awww, isn't that sweet?" Alice purred and cupped my face between her dainty hands.
"It's embarrassing." I mumbled and Alice grinned wolfishly. She slowly began walking towards me and I didn't even realize I had been moving backwards until my back met the cool brick of the building.
"No, it's cute. You're cute." She cooed and leaned up to kiss my lips gently. A soft, short kiss that had me leaning closer for more.
Fuck this was not the plan. I wasn't supposed to kiss her until after our date tonight. Last night was… a bit much. Emotions were high and I just couldn't help myself. She was just looking at me with those eyes. All teary and open… how could I not kiss her. Over and over. And even now, I can't seem to stop myself.
Alice leaned up, kissing me again. Just as soft and sweet as the first. I hummed against her lips as she ran her fingers through my hair. The feeling of her nails dragging against my scalp sent shivers down my spine.
There was a sudden shift, her fingers no longer gently massaging my head. Now they pulled at my hair, tugging my head back as she bit into my bottom lip. Hard. Hard enough to draw blood actually. I could taste the coppery taste of blood on her tongue as she slid it into my mouth. I groaned against her lips, my head starting to spin with the force of her kisses. Soft, loving pecks turned raw and possessive. I could barely kiss her back because my head was so clouded.
Alice pulled away from my mouth suddenly, leaving me flushed and gasping for air. A low moan erupted from my lips as she began leaving hot wet kisses along the side of my neck.
"Alice…fuck. I have to get back to wor-" She bit down on the side of my neck causing another muffle moan to fill the air.
"Mine." She mumbled against my flushed skin and my head fell back against the brick wall. Fuck this was getting out of hand. How do we keep ending up like this? Ever since we kissed for the first time, it's like we can't keep our hands to ourselves. Well our lips I guess… It's like we just keep gravitating towards each other until we collide.
"Baby, as much as I'm enjoying this… we really should just… take a minut-" I struggled to find the right words with her sucking on my neck like that. She pulled away from my neck, kissing me yet again. Kissing me until I couldn't think about anything but her.
I gripped her waist tight, clinging to her desperately as she had her way with me.
"Okay, I'm done now." She states as she pulled away suddenly. I pouted, staring down at her with lidded eyes before pulling her close again.
She giggled against my lips as I cupped the back of her neck. Careful to not mess up her hair because I know it must take a while to get it to look that cute. She pulled back again, causing me to pout even harder as I stared down at her.
Her eyes low and dilated as she stared up at me, a satisfied smirk on her lipstick smeared mouth. I watched as she dragged her thumb across her bottom lip, wiping the smeared lipstick from around her mouth.
"That's it?" I asked and she hummed. My thumb stroked the back of her neck tenderly as I took a few deep breaths trying to calm my racing heart. Where the hell did she learn to kiss like that?
"My lip hurts. What are you a vampire?" I asked and I ran my tongue over the sore area.
"Ha, I wish. If I were, you'd be the first person I'd bite." She states and leaned down. Nipping at the tender area where she had bitten earlier causing a low hiss to leave my mouth.
"Ouch." I mumbled and she cooed.
"Ow be quiet, that didn't hurt." She states and grabbed my hand. Leading me back into the front of the shop. I followed behind her mindlessly, still stuck in my Alice filled dazed. God she's such a good kisser.
"Jessica!" Alice exclaimed and rushed towards my other friend.
"Alice! Girl I wasn't expecting to see you here!" Jessica squealed as wrapped her arms around Alice. You'd think they haven't seen each other in weeks or something. They just saw each other two days ago I think.
I glanced over at Angela, who was standing behind her girlfriend awkwardly also. Only she had a wide grin on her face, a really wide grin. What's up with her? I waved lazily at her and she started laughing. What's so funny?
I rubbed the back of my neck, looking around the rest of the shop. Sue took one look at me before fumbling to pull out her phone. What is up with everyone today? She aimed her phone at me, taking several pictures and causing me to frown. Is my hair messed up?
"Why is everyone staring at me?" I mumbled and Alice just grinned back at me, not breaking away from her conversation with Jessica.
"...girlfriends, Angela and Lauren. You've never met them before have you?" Jessica asked and Alice looked shocked for a few moments. Oh yeah, I probably should have warned her. Angela, Lauren and Jessica are dating. They're poly.
"No, I've never met them before. I didn't know you had two girlfriends Jess!" Alice exclaimed and reached her hand out to Angela.
"It's… it's so nice to finally meet you Alice. I've… I've heard great things." Angela barely managed to say without bursting into laughter. Her eyes kept shifting back to me as I gently touched my sore bottom lip.
It was probably pretty swollen. Considering Draculara over there had bitten it pretty hard earlier but I'm definitely not complaining. I think I like Alice being all jealous. Of course we were going to have to snip that in the bud though. She has absolutely no reason to be jealous of anyone. Especially Lauren of all people.
"Bel- Oh! What happened to you?" Jessica giggled out as she turned to greet me.
"What are you talking about?" I asked and she pulled out her phone. Taking a picture quicker than I could process and showing it to me. Holy fuc-
I glared at Alice who was smiling innocently as she chatted with Angela. Who looked just as charmed by Alice as I am most of the time. Angela was blushing and giggling and oh wow. She definitely has a little crush. I wasn't the only one who was noticed either. Jessica seemed unbothered by it and Lauren didn't like it at all. She looked like a tomato she was so fucking red.
I'm not sure if I should be jealous or not… Angela is my close friend and I don't really care if she gets a little flustered by Alice. I know how pretty she is, I know how it feels when she just looks up at you like that. It's hard not to get flustered around her.
"Alice and I were just talking earlier and she um…" I stammered, trying to explain why I looked so… I was covered in lipstick marks, my lips were swollen, my hair was a mess and I had a huge hickey on the side of my neck. Way bigger than the one I gave Alice last night.
"Oh you were talking?" Jessica teased, poking my ribs and I squirmed away from her.
"Yes, we just talked." I wiped the lipstick from around my mouth and neck. I felt the tips of my ears getting hot as I thought about our 'talk' earlier.
"Yeah right." Lauren mumbled and Jessica shoved her lover gently.
"I thought we talked about being supportive when Bella decided to start dating? And you said you weren't going to be jealous." She states and Lauren and I both avoided eye contact. Yeah… it's still a little tense between us. We don't really talk about what happened a couple of months ago. It was… a lapse in judgment on my part. Calling it a mistake sounds cruel but I definitely shouldn't have done it.
"I'm not jealous. Why would I ever be jealous?" Lauren asked loudly and I glared at her.
"Keep your voice down dammit." I muttered, hoping Alice didn't overhear us. A wide grin broke out on Lauren's face as she stepped closer to me. Her hand reached out to stroke my arm sensually.
"Oh… you didn't tell your girlfriend about our little fo-" she states to ask but I grabbed her wrist tight. I yanked her closer for me, close enough that we were practically breathing the same air now. I needed her to see me. I needed her to see how serious I was right now.
"Lauren, Alice is the best thing to ever happen to me. If you ruin this with one of you stupid fucking games, I swear to God I'm going to beat the shit out of you." I promised, staring deep into her eyes. She stared up at me, green eyes wide and dilated. Her cheeks began to flush as I scowled down at her. Ignoring Jessica's panicked expression, focusing all my attention on Lauren.
Because if she thinks for a second, that I would ever let her ruin what I have going on with Alice… I won't let her. I won't let anyone stand in my fucking way. No one is going to keep me from her. Not Esme, not Rosalie, not Lauren. No one. Alice makes me feel things I've never felt before. I didn't know feelings like this could even exist in real life.
"You barely even know her. You'd really fight me over some frea-" She tried to pull away from me and it took everything in me not to knock the taste out of her mouth. I couldn't even let her finish her sentence.
"I'm fucking serious Lauren.You say a word about what happened last summer and I'm going to knock your fucking teeth in. I will tell her but on my own time. Not now or whenever you fucking feel like it. Stay away from my girl." I growled and Lauren rolled her eyes.
"Now stop being a bitch and introduce yourself to my girlfriend. Be nice." I demanded and shoved her in Alice's direction. She stumbled, almost falling over but Angela managed to catch her before she fell.
Angela looked over at me, concern written all over her face and I couldn't tell if it was for me or her girlfriend. She knows how much of a bitch Lauren can be so she didn't seem too upset with me. She knows I would react like that unless Lauren did something to really piss me off. Which isn't often. Not much could get me riled up like that but Lauren brings out the worst in me.
"Bella… I…" Jessica struggled to speak and I forced myself to take a deep breath. Closing my eyes and I tried to push away those ugly emotions.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have reacted like that. I don't know what came over me." I mumbled, running my hands through my hair to soothe myself. I opened my eyes slowly, smiling gently when I saw Jessica's hand hovering over my arm like she was scared to touch me. Like I would snap at her too.
"I'm okay now." I told her honestly, grabbing her hand and squeezing it reassuringly.
"I know… I just don't know what to say. I'm sorry Lauren crossed a line but you can't…" Jessica stammered and I nodded my head in acknowledgement. I can't just push her girlfriend around like that.
"I know. It's just that… Alice got a little jealous earlier watching us talk. And I don't want her to think that Lauren and I are… I really like Alice. And I don't want her to think that she has to compete for my attention or anything like that. Especially not with Lauren or you and Angie. I know you guys would never but Lauren would…" This is so hard to explain. Lauren knew what she was doing. And I'm not going to let her do that shit. She doesn't need to be fucking with Alice's head like that.
I glanced over at Alice, who was talking to Lauren and Angela but her eyes were glued to me. Her cheeks were flushed as she bit her lip. I felt myself starting to blush a little, realizing that Alice may have seen that whole thing. Now she's gonna think I have anger issues or something. Fuck today isn't going at all like I planned.
"I'll try to keep Lauren under control. You know how possessive she is of her friends." Jessica states and I shrugged. I know she'll try but Lauren is difficult. Extremely difficult. I walked towards Alice, wrapping my arms around her from behind. Resting my chin on her shoulder as I swayed us back and forth gently.
"What are you guys talking about?" I asked, placing a soft kiss on the side of Alice's neck. Never breaking eye contact with Lauren as I did so. Making it clear that Alice is the one I want. The only one I want. No one else.
"Just making small talk." Alice states and I hummed softly.
"Alice was just telling me about the date she has planned for this evening." Angela states and she held Lauren close also. Rubbing her arm soothingly as she talked to us.
"Oh yeah, what exactly have you planned for us?" I asked and Alice just smiled knowingly.
"It's a surprise." She states and a small pout made its way onto my face.
"I hate surprises, so why don't you just tell me?" I asked and her smile just widened.
"You really think I would tell you that easily?" She asked and I nod.
"Yes."
"You'll just have to wait and see. And you'll like this surprise, I promise." She assured me, turning her head to place a soft kiss on my pouting lips.
"Oh you promise huh? It better be the best date ever." I teased and her eyes were practically glowing as she stared up at me.
"I don't know, last night is going to be hard to beat. You're a tough act to follow."
"Oh! Pray tell, what happened last night?" Jessica asked, lighting up at the opportunity to hear fresh gossip.
"Nothing!" I exclaimed and it was Alice's turn for pout.
"Nothing? Why Bella, I thought we had a wonderful time last night. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were ashamed of me." She states and I know she was just teasing. She loves to tease me. But I don't ever want her to think that I was ashamed of her.
"It's not that! I swear, I just… I wasn't very… gentlemanly last night." I mumbled, blushing as I thought about how I had lifted her onto the kitchen counter. Images of hands and lips and gummy worms filled my head and I found my knees getting weak all over again.
"You're talking about when you stole me away and compromised my womanhood?" She asked and I heard someone choking on their drink behind us.
"Isabella Swan! Did you really?! I vouched that you were a good influence and then you turn around and do this?! You haven't even taken the girl on a proper date before you tried to get into her pan-" Sue began scolding me and my jaw dropped.
"I didn't! That's not what happened! She's being dramatic!" I tried to defend myself over the loud laughs coming from my friends.
"Oh really, I don't think Alice would lie!" Sue exclaimed and I groaned.
"We just kissed a little okay! That's it! We went back to my cabin and I made us dinner and we watched a movie. Then we kissed just a little! We didn't even get to second base!" I defended and Sue scoffed.
"I would surely hope not! Your father and I raised you better than that young lady." Sue chastised but I could see the grin she was struggling to hold back.
"Sue! You did that just so I would tell you what happened!?" I asked even though I already knew that's exactly what she did. Sue finally broke, a wide grin covering her face as she sipped her chai latte.
"Well yes dear! You were so tight lipped when you came home last night. You just had that goofy grin on your face and you wouldn't tell anyone why. I figured you had been out with Alice but I didn't think you two had gone that far… I didn't think you had it in you, sweetheart." Sue added on gently, a proud smile making its way onto her face.
"You're embarrassing me Sue." I state as I hid my face in Alice's shoulder. Alice's body shook as she tried to keep from laughing anymore as she just had.
"Yes, well that is my job now isn't it?" She asked and I huffed.
"Don't be embarrassed, at least Sue is proud. My family basically chewed my ear off when I came home last night." Alice states and I frowned.
"I thought you said you had permission to be out with me last night."
"I lied. They knew I was going to see you and I texted them I would be home late. But I technically didn't have permission." Alice states and I groaned.
"This is not going to get me on your family's good side." I state and she shrugged.
"You're on my good side. That's all that matters." She states and I kissed her cheek gently.
"I think all your sides are good." I mumbled and she giggled.
"Gross." Lauren mumbled, successfully popping our little bubble. I glared over at her, feeling that anger from earlier starting to resurface.
"What the fuck did we just talk about? Be nice to my girlfriend." I growled, stepping towards her but Alice pulled me back. Angela stepped slightly in front of Lauren. Knowing that I wouldn't do anything if she was in the way.
"Calm down Mayweather." Alice mumbled and pulled me away from Lauren.
"I'm sorry." I mumbled and Alice hummed gently.
"I have to go anyway, I have a date to get ready for. See you at six?" She asked and I frowned.
"Can we do five instead?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound too clingy.
"Sure, we can do five instead. I'll see you later, sugar." She mumbled as she pecked my lips. She left the shop an extra skip in her step as she walked away from me. I found myself completely distracted by the sway of her hips.
"Bye." I mumbled even though she was already gone.
"Sugar. What kind of pet name is th-" Lauren muttered under her breathe and I launched at her.
"Hey! No fighting in my shop, take it outside you goons!" Sue exclaimed as Angela stepped in between us.
"Be fucking nice! How hard is that?! I ask you for one thing!"
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I grabbed my favorite cologne, the one that smells like cherries and amber. It's unisex and I usually save it for special occasions. And what's more special than l my first official date with Alice. Who was going to be here any minute now. I may have gone a little heavy on the cologne because when I walked downstairs both Leah and Seth started coughing dramatically. Covering their noses and leaning away from me.
"Did you try to take a bath in your cologne?!" Leah asked and while Seth didn't join in heckling me, he did laugh and point.
"No! I just put it on, it still needs to calm down a little." I was quick to defend myself but I was a little worried now. Does it look like I'm trying too hard? I mean I know I am but I don't want everyone else to know that too.
"Yeah, well it needs to calm down before Alice picks you up tonight." Leah mumbled and dad suddenly entered the room. He made a face before glancing over at me.
"Went a little heavy on the cologne huh kid?" He asked as he made his way to the fridge. Leah and Seth chuckled and I groaned.
"You're not helping." I mumbled fiddled with the sleeves of the dark green wool sweater I had chosen for tonight. It was relatively new, only one hole in it. On the left sleeve where Saffire decided to play tug of war with it a few weeks ago. Luckily it was small and around the wrist area. Hopefully Alice wouldn't notice. I know she's really into clothes and everything fashion.
My hair was tied up properly for once instead of just pushed by a bandanna or hairnet. I had even put on a little eyeliner that I had stolen from Seth's room. I just did the… lower eyelid thingy. I don't know what it's called but it looked nice. And I had put on some lip gloss because I know Alice likes it when I wear lip gloss.
"Sorry kiddo, you really gotta learn to spray a little less." Dad states and popped open a bottle of beer against the counter. His eyes went wide as soon as he did so and I could see small chip in the brand new countertops that Sue had just had installed.
"Shit! Don't tell Sue." He states, glancing back at us as he ran his thumb over the marble.
"You don't think she'll notice right? It's so small…" he mumbled and there's no way she wouldn't notice. As small as it may be.
"Notice what?" Sue asked as she made her way into the kitchen. A towel wrapped around her wet hair as she made her way to the stove. From the smell of it… I'd have to say it was succotash for dinner tonight. It's one of Charlie's favorites. That man loves beans, beer and bacon.
"Nothing babe. Dinner smells amazing, my love." Dad states and wrapped his arms around Sue. Hugging the taller woman from behind. Kissing the back of her neck to distract her from the chipped countertop.
"Thank you. Here, taste it. Tell me if it needs anything." She held the wooden spoon out for him to taste. She blew on the spoon before offering it to him.
"It tastes perfect." He gruffed out and she sighed.
"Bella, darling. Will you come taste this for me?" She asked and I entered the kitchen. Ruby and Sapphire sat at the entrance of the kitchen, waiting patiently for any food to be "accidently" dropped onto the floor. They would not be so lucky tonight.
"It could use more white pepper." I mumbled after a small taste and Sue grinned. There was a knock on the door and I ran through the front room.
"I'll get it!" Several people exclaimed and I had to shove Seth to the ground to get there first.
"Alice!" I exclaimed as I opened the door but I was shoved out of the way by Leah. I hit the ground with a loud thud, groaning all the air was knocked out of me.
"Alice! You're early." Lesh states, grinning down at my girl. Who looked even more beautiful every time I saw her. Like it wasn't already hard to breath after a fall like that, then she comes in and takes me breath away all over again.
"Yes, I um… I couldn't wait to see Bella." She states, leaning around Leah to glance down at me from my spot on the floor.
"Are you okay darling?" She asked and I huffed.
"Ye-"
"She's fine. Where did you get that top?! It's gorgeous!" Seth exclaimed and I had to agree. It was beautiful. It had these fishnet sleeves and it looked very good on her.
"I made it. Do you want one? I could totally make you one if you want. It's super easy." Alice states, lighting up at the chance to talk about her designs. And I would have loved for this conversation to carry on bu-
"What happened to my countertop?! Oh heavens this is why we can't have anything nice in this famil-" Sue began to rant and I stood up quickly. Grabbing my dad's old brown leather jacket that I had claimed as mine a few years ago.
"Charlie did it!" Seth and Leah exclaimed in unison and I pushed past them both.
"She's here to see me, not you two dweebs." I state and Seth huffed.
"I don't know why, I'm obviously prettier." He states, fiddling with his pearl choker as he playfully checked Alice out.
"Oh what are you two gonna do?" I asked sarcastically. I could hear Sue tearing into Charlie in the background and I knew it was time to go. Alice did not need to hear that.
"Bump purses." Leah mumbled and Seth slapped her arm.
"I'm sure we could figure it out, couldn't we Alice?" Seth asked, winking at my woman and I mushed his lanky ass.
"Keep your eyes off my girl Seth. You keep it up and Leah will be my favorite from now on." I state and his eyes widened in horror. He quickly schooled his expression, mumbling under his breath.
"I don't care." He mumbled and Leah stopped laughing for a moment.
"Wait Seth is your favorite?" She asked and I slammed the door shut.
"Sorry about them." I mumbled and smacked the window where Seth was making a funny face at us.
"It's okay, I like your family. They're nice." Alice states and I scoffed.
"Yeah, they're nice to you… You look great. I mean wow." I leaned down to kiss her because damn how could I not. I didn't have to lean down much, the heels she had on made us nearly the same height. And I don't know if I liked it better or not. I love our height difference but God the way her legs look in those heels.
"You look pretty wow too." Alice states and she turns her head to the side. Causing me to kiss her cheek instead. I frowned but kissed her cheek softly. Sighing when I smelled the sweet perfume she was wearing. God she smells good enough to eat.
I kissed down the side of her neck, stopping where I knew the hickey was. Carefully hidden by makeup. I was tempted to bite her. To make the bruise even darker. Even if we were the only ones to see it.
"I can't get a kiss?" I asked, pulling back and Alice shook her head. I licked my lips, as I stared down at her. I glanced down at her lips, my chest feeling all warm.. They were painted this pretty red color that was so very tempting. I wanted to ruin it. Kiss her until her lipstick was smudged and her lips were swollen. And her eyes… she had done her makeup differently tonight. It was bolder, almost more… I don't want to say sultry because that's a weird word for me. But damn, just looking at her makes my head all foggy.
"Sadly I don't kiss on the first date, love." She states and my eyes widened.
"You're serious?" I ask in disbelief. Because usually I wouldn't care but we had already kissed. Multiple times. She kissed me a few hours ago. Rather thoroughly if I'm being honest.
"Yes, I am a lady you know." She stated as she turned to walk away from me. I watched, not moving as she made her way to the yellow Porsche sitting in my driveway.
"You coming?" She asked after a few moments of me just standing there. She glanced at me from over her shoulder and I forced myself to look up. And away from the bottom of her skirt.
Shit. She definitely caught me looking. The smirk on Alice's face grew and I blushed a little. Focus. Keep your eyes on her face.
Well her face is just as pretty as her a- What is wrong with me?!
"Ye-yeah." I exclaimed and made my way towards the passenger side of the vehicle. I reached out to open the door but she smacked my hand away. Wha- She opened the door for me, a small smirk on her face as she did so.
"Thanks." I mumbled, blushing a little at the small gesture. I sat down in the car, noticing how it smelled just like her in here. This was a lot nicer than my old ass truck.
"You are very welcome." Alice states before shutting the door gently behind me.
I reached over to open her door for her, ignoring the way she narrowed her eyes at me as I did so.
"I'm taking you out tonight, so that means no more of that. You just sit there and look pretty and got it?" She asked, sending me a rather pointed look.
"Got it." I mumbled and raised my hands defensively. So no more opening the door for her tonight…
She threw her arm over the back of my seat as she pulled out of the driveway. Her eyes focused on the road behind her as I stared at her. How am I supposed to go the entire night without kissing her when she looks that damn good. This is going to be torture.
"So, how was work? Did you have a good time with your friends after I left?" Alice began to make small talk but it didn't really feel small. I noticed the way her nose crinkled when she said the word friends and I knew she meant Lauren. She seemed to like Angela and Jessica just fine.
"Yeah, we just talked a little before they went to their volleyball practice."
"Oh, so they all play volleyball?" Alice asked. What she really wanted to ask was if Lauren played volleyball.
"Well Lauren and Jessica do. Jess isn't any good but she likes spending time with Lauren. And Angela is the coaching assistant." I told her, causing her to hum lightly.
"So would you say that you like more athletic girls or…" She trailed off and I sighed. This is exactly what I didn't want to happen.
"Are you asking if I have a type?" I asked and Alice nodded.
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm asking." Alice states and I pretended to think about it.
"I guess I do have a type." I told her and she bit her lip. I noticed how her lipstick didn't smudge onto her teeth. Must have been a different lipstick than the one she wore this morning. That one smudged a lot, I had to go to the bathroom to clean up after she left. It was everywh-
"Is Lauren your type?" She asked and I glanced away from her lips and I shook my head.
"Nope, Lauren is an alright friend but she's definitely not girlfriend material. For me at least, I'm sure she is for Jessica and Angela though." I state and she nods.
"I guess my type would be girls with short, dark hair."
"Oh really?" Alice asked, a small smirk making its way onto her face.
"Yep, I like girls who are artistic and confident but shy too sometimes. With angel lips." I state and Alice snorted.
"I like girls who get jealous for no reason. Because I like them and only them. No one else." I assured her, noticing the way her cheeks began to redden.
"I'm not jealous. I'm just curious about your friend who obviously likes you." She defended herself and I hummed.
"And I obviously like you. So you have nothing to worry about. Lauren would be the last girl I'd pick, even if you weren't around." I confessed and Alice reached over. Placing her dainty hand on my thigh. Which was a nice gesture if she wasn't going 30 above the speed limit already. She's kind of scaring me. Does she always drive like this?
"You promise there's nothing going on between you two?" She asked and I put my hand on hers.
"I only have platonic feelings for Lauren. And even that is pushing it sometimes…" I told her honestly. But I feel like I needed to be even more honest. I don't want to tell her everything but I feel like I'm lying to her if I don't.
"Lauren and I… we have a complicated relationship. We tried to be more with each other but I didn't want that. I couldn't see myself in a relationship with her." I told her honestly and Alice looked shocked to hear this.
"Why not?" Alice asked, genuinely curious at this point. I couldn't detect any jealousy in her tone.
"I'm not… I just don't see her like that. It's complicated, I'll tell you more about it later. I just thought you should know." I confessed, feeling a little nervous now. Because what if she starts to ask more questions? I can't lie to her. I'd have to tell her. And then what if she decides she doesn't want to be with me anymore.
"Thank you for telling me, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Alice assured me and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in.
"Good because I don't want to talk about her anymore. I want to talk about us. And the date you have planned for us tonight." I state and she grinned.
"I'm not going to tell you Bells. It's a surprise." She states, causing me to groan dramatically.
"I hate surprises."
"Why do you hate surprises?"
"I don't know, something bad always happens when someone tries to surprise me. Last time they threw me a surprise birthday party I had to get 9 stitches in my arm."
I still remember the look on dad's face before he passed out at the sight of all that blood. It was the worst paper cut anyone had ever seen. The doctors were shocked. Everyone was shocked if I'm being honest. The fact that it had been a brand new set of knives that I had been wanting was extremely ironic. I've never even so much as nicked myself with any of my knives. Chef's knives or otherwise. But a piece of paper almost took me out.
"Well I'm here now and I won't let anything bad happen. So just… trust me. Please." She begged and how could I say no to that face.
"Fine. I'll try to be positive." I agreed and the grin on her face was almost enough to outshine the sun. I wanted to taste it… I forced myself to look away from her pretty mouth and focused my attention on the road. I have to stop looking at her so much or I'm not going to make it through the night without kissing her.
"How was your day?" I asked and Alice shrugged.
"It was fine. I was almost late because we changed the time to five instead of six. Thankfully Emmett agreed to help me set up everything and we got done early."
"Set up everything for what?" I asked and she shrugged.
"Our date."
"What did you have to set u- Forget it. It's not like you're going to tell me anyway." I state and she grinned.
"You'll just ha-"
"You'll just have to wait and see! I know, I know." I mumbled and she giggled.
I stumbled blindly through the words, trusting Alice to make sure I didn't bump into anything or fall.
"Careful, there's a log right here." Alice states as I took a large careful step.
"Is the blindfold really necessary, princess?" I asked fiddling with the soft silky material wrapped around my head. Alice tapped my hand, keeping me from pulling it up to sneak a peek.
"Yes! The blindfold is necessary… If you don't like it, just tell me okay. We can always go to plan b." She states and I grinned.
"You have a plan b?" I asked and she scoffed.
"I have plan a through z bells. You're a very hard person to predict." She states and I don't know if that was a good thing or not.
"Thank you? And I know I said I hate surprises but whatever you planned I'll like it. Because you planned it for us." I assured her.
"And I haven't hurt myself yet, so that's a nice bonus." I state after a few moments of silence.
"Sorry, I'm just trying to put the finishing touches on. It needs to be perfect." She mumbled and I stood there patiently.
Rocking back and forth on the balls of my feet as I listened closely. Wind rustling the dry leaves that hadn't fallen yet, birds chirping, Alice moving around putting on the "finishing touches". It was pretty peaceful if I'm being completely honest. I like this surprise already.
"Okay, you can look now." Alice states as she begins to remove my blindfold. It took my eyes a few moments to adjust but when they did…
"Alice…" I gasped out, turning to look back at her. She was standing there with a nervous smile on her face, waiting for me to say something. Anything. But I couldn't talk. I don't know how to talk.
"Do you like it?" She asked as I stared at her in awe. Do I like it?!
"I love it! You did all of this for me?" I asked, looking around the beautiful sight in front of me.
There was a large blanket on the edge of a beautiful field and an even bigger tent filled with pillows and all kinds of other neat goodies. There were white Christmas lights hanging from the trees above us and a picnic basket. With candles and wine and holy shit. I honestly don't deserve all of this.
"Of course it's for you. It's all for you." She states and I turned around. Pulling her into my arms leaning down to kiss her but I managed to stop myself. No kissing. I have to remember that.
"I really want to kiss you right now. Alice, this is beautiful." I breathe out, staring down at her in complete awe. Alice beamed up at me, pride basically pouring off her in waves at this point.
"Good, I was a little worried there for a second." She states as I hugged her dainty frame close.
"This is the best date ever." I mumbled against the side of her neck and she giggled.
"It hasn't even started yet! Come on, I want to show you all the activities I packed for us to do." She states and leads me to the blanket and tent.
As we got closer I could see the laptop that was sitting next to the basket, along with a couple of paint brushes and canvases.
"I originally wanted to take you to a wine and paint night kinda thing but since we aren't drinking age yet, I decided to kill two birds with one stone. I wanted to show you my special place too. Since you showed me your cabin. So I brought the wine and paint to us." She explained and I laughed.
"Alice, I'm a terrible artist." I warned her as I sat down, already reaching for one of the brushes.
"You have to promise not to laugh at me."
"I won't, I promise." Alice assured me as she struggled to uncork the wine bottle.
"What should I paint?" I asked as Alice tugged at the cork futilely.
"Whatever you want, Bells." She states, finally managing to get the bottle open. She poured us both a glass before reaching into the picnic basket. Pulling out different fresh fruits, crackers and jams.
"Okay… you promised not to laugh." I reminded her, reaching for a strawberry. My heart melted when I saw it was cut into the shape of a heart. All of them were…
I stared down at the painting in front of me, feeling pretty proud of myself. It wasn't the best painting ever but I think it was the best I could do. I had tried really hard and it did look like the meadow in front of me. Well kinda. You could see the tent and the trees with the lights and I had even painted the sky a little. Adding little whitish, yellowish dots to make the stars above us.
I grabbed the wine glass in front of me, sipping it as I glanced over at Alice. Who just a few moments ago had been focusing intensely on her own painting but was now staring at me with a cute little smile on her face.
"What?" I asked, blushing hard as I held the glass in front of me. She didn't answer, just continued to stare at me fondly.
"Is there something on my face?" Was my first question and she giggled.
"Yeah actually. You have a little paint right… here." Alice mumbled, leaning close as she stroked my cheek.
Our faces only inches apart down as she wiped away the paint. I stared down at her, completely breathless as she glanced up at me from underneath her long lashes. I licked my lips as I tried to memorize every inch of her beautiful face. Her bottom lip was trapped between her teeth and I noticed the cute little gap between her two front teeth. Her nose button nose was extra sparkly tonight, I think she had put highlighter on it. Her eyes were bright which contrasted perfectly with the dark smoldering makeup. Even her hair was perfect, hanging in front of her face…
"You're absolutely stunning, you know that?" I asked, brushing a few locks of hair out of her face. Her cheeks flushed and she scooted back a little. Putting some distance between us.
"Thank you." She mumbled and grabbed her own wine glass. She sipped from her glass, avoiding eye contact for a few moments. I sighed, enjoying the soft music that was coming from her laptop. It was one of my favorite groups, Thee Sacred Souls. I hummed along with the song for a little before glancing down at her canvas.
"Are you done?" I asked and she glanced down.
"Yeah… it's not my best work. I don't have all my supplies. I can do bet-" She started to ramble but I shook my head. I grabbed my own painting, showing it to her first. Hoping that would make her more comfortable showing me hers.
"Oh.. Bella. It's cute." She states, almost like you would tell a small child their picture was good.
"I told you! I'm not good at this stuff." I state, going to hide it away but she laughed.
"No! Bella I like it! I'm gonna hang it up in my room." She states, taking the small painting from me. Handling it with care because the paint was still wet. She set it to the side so neither of us could accidently mess it up before handing me hers.
"I know it's not perfect but I tried." She warned as I held it carefully. My heart skipping several beats as I stared down at the small canvas in front of me. It… it was me. She had painted me. Quite beautifully if I'm being honest.
"Is that how you see me?" I asked after a few moments, looking away from the painting and at her nervous face.
"...it's not my best piece of you but i-"
"I look beautiful." I told her and I saw the tension melt away from her body.
"Yeah, you do." She states and cupped my face again.
"Nothing I can paint will ever look as beautiful as you do right now." She states and it was too much. Too fast. These feelings were swelling inside of me and it was becoming impossible to keep them under control.
"I need you to shut up before I kiss you." A loud laugh spilled from her lips and I glared at me playfully.
"I'm serious, Alice. You can't be all sweet and take me on picnics at your special spot and expect me not to throw myself at you."
"If you admit yesterday was our first date, I'll consider giving you one kiss. Just one." Alice teased, leaning forward nibbling on her bottom lip as she stared up at me through her lashes.
"It's tempting, I can admit that." I responded, glancing down at her lips. Nibbling on my own bottom lip briefly before focusing on her eyes.
"It'd be a really good kiss. Like really good." She purred, moving forward so that she was straddling my hips. Hovering over my lap, her hands cupping the back of my neck.
"All of our kisses have been really good so far… have you been holding out on me princess?" I asked, noticing the sudden pink in her cheeks. So she really likes it when I call her that.
I reached up, placing my hands on her waist. Enjoying the material of her skirt underneath my palms.
"Just a little bit." She mumbled, sitting down fully on my lap. And it was nice. It felt right, just having her there. We could spend the rest of the night just sitting like this and talking, and it would have been the best date ever.
"Here I am, giving it my all and you've been holding back on me? I can't believe this." I mumbled and Alice chuckled.
"I know you've been giving it your all, that's why it's so hard to stop sometimes." She mumbled, sighing and leaning forward resting her forehead against mine.
"This is nice. I like being so close to you." She whispered and I sighed softly.
"You read my mind." I mumbled and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her even closer.
"...yesterday was our first official date. I was being stubborn…" I mumbled into the side of her neck and she hummed.
"What was that? I couldn't hear you from down there." She hummed and I huffed. I nipped the side of her neck where I knew her hickey was and she gasped. Giggling afterwards and trying to pull away but I didn't let her. I tightening my grip on her waist, smiling as she squirmed and giggled.
"Yesterday was our first official date. I said it, can I please get my kiss now?" I asked, pulling away from the side of her neck.
"I said I would consider i-" She started but I interrupted her. Pressing my lips against hers, sliding one hand up to hold the back of her head.
She should have slapped me. I would have deserved it too. But she didn't slap me. She leaned against me, her hand cupping the side of my neck as she dipped her tongue into my mouth.
A low groan left my mouth when Alice slid her fingers through my hair, tugging at the roots as she kissed me thoroughly. Definitely not appropriate for a first d- second date. This is our second date.
Still not very appropriate but I don't want to stop. It's like she brings out the worse in me. Like now, I should not be touching her like this. Sliding my hands up the back of her shirt caressing her lower back before sliding my hands back down. Squeezing her hips firmly and pressing my thumbs into the sensitive little spot where the thigh and hip start to meet.
Alice moaned against my lips, her hips jerking forward as tightened her grip on my hair.
I pulled away from Alice, gently pushing her off my lap as I panted. Fuck that was a bad idea. I shouldn't have done that. That was a really, really bad idea.
I placed a hand over my heart, hoping that was enough to keep it from jumping out of my chest. Where the hell did she learn to kiss like that? Should I be jealous? I'm definitely jealous but also a little grateful.
"I think we should stop for now." I mumbled even though I wanted nothing more than to keep going. To just pin her to the ground and kiss her until the sun came up.
"...yeah. That's probably a good idea." Alice agreed and I kinda wish she hadn't.
"You pitched a tent." I stated the obvious and Alice looked shocked.
"I did!? How can you tell?!" She asked, her voice cracking slightly.
"I can see it, I never took you for the outdoorsy type." I mumbled, pointed at the tent that was just a few feet away.
"Oh… I had help. Emmett and Jasper helped me get everything set up in time… they did most of the work actually. I just told them how I wanted everything." She confessed and I grinned. Leaning down to press a soft kiss against her cheek.
"Well I'll just have to thank them then. Do they like brownies?" I asked, thinking about the new recipe I wanted to try out.
"They'll love whatever you make them. I think they like you even more than I do. And I didn't think that was possible." Alice mumbled and I grinned. Good, two family members down. Still a shit ton to go.
I watched the laptop skin, a low gasp exciting my mouth as I stared at the scene in front of me. I glanced over at Alice, wondering if she was just as shocked as I was by this sudden turn of events.
"I can't believe he's proposing to her! She forgot his birthday!" I exclaimed, glancing at Alice who wasn't even paying attention to the show she had decided to put on.
"You're not even watching! And it's getting good!" I exclaimed and Alice grinned up at me. All lazy and sweet.
"I've already seen this babe. It's a lot better watching it with you though." She mumbled, leaning up to press soft kisses against the side of my neck.
"You're just trying to butter me up…" I mumbled and turned my head to the side. Exposing more of my neck to her gentle kisses.
"Maybe… just one more kiss. I'll be good this time, I promise." Alice begged softly, staring up at me with the cutest pout I've ever seen in my life. A shiver ran down my spine and I suddenly felt flush.
She's really good at that. Like a little too good at that.
"Maybe later…" I mumbled, trying to be strong.
"But I want one now. Please baby…" Alice whined and it made me feel all warm inside.
"You're killing me here…" I whispered and she grinned. She was slowly inching closer and I found myself leaning in too. I don't think I'll ever get tired of kissing her…
Alice lips brushed against mine and I started to close my eyes. But something on the laptop caught my attention and I didn't even realize what I was doing.
I was just trying to get closer to the laptop but I ended up just crushing my poor little angel.
"Ow Bella! My boob!" Alice exclaimed and I pauses the show. Turning to give her my full attention.
"I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" I asked, trying to move so I wasn't laying on top of her but she didn't let me. She wrapped my arms around me, a content sigh leaving her mouth.
"Yeah, you had just squished my boob for a second. I'm okay now." She states, looking perfectly content underneath me.
"You sure? You don't need me to kiss it better?" I asked and I'm totally blaming that one on the wine. We had finished an entire bottle and a half at this point. Most of it was me… almost all of it was me. But it was really, really good wine.
"And what if I said yes?" Alice asked teasingly and I blushed.
"Exactly, you're all bark and no bite." She states and I huffed.
"Not true, I just feel like… it's a little early to show off my bite." I mumbled and she sighed.
"I don't think it's too early…. Do you feel like we're moving too fast?" Alice asked as I moved to lay on my side. Still as close as physically possible.
"Um… maybe just a little." I confessed and she sighed.
"I feel the opposite. I've waited my whole life for y- someone like you. And now that I have you here, I don't want to take things slow. I want to jump right in and not care about the consequences." Alice states softly, her tone was low and soft. Like she was scared of saying this too loud.
"I just feel like… You're so pretty. It's hard to think straight you're so pretty. Everything about you, your eyes, your smile, your nose, your neck, your kne-"
"My neck?! Were you about to say that I have pretty knees?!" Alice asked, bursting into laughter. I rolled my eyes, pretending to be annoyed by her teasing but god…
"Even you're laugh is pretty… and I want to kiss you all the time. Every time I see you, when you're not around, when I'm asleep."
"Just kiss me?" Alice asked, all soft and breathy. I felt myself starting to get a little warm as I bit my lip.
"Don't make me say it…" I mumbled and she nodded her head.
"I won't… please continue. I didn't mean to keep interrupting."
"It's okay, I like it." I confessed and now she was blushing.
"And I don't want you to think that's all I want. I love looking at you but I love our conversations even more. I love how you can talk for hours about anything. It doesn't matter. You always have something to say. And that's perfect because sometimes… Talking is hard. You make it easier but sometimes I feel like if I could, I wouldn't talk all day. Not a single word." I confessed and laid my head on her chest.
"...all day?" Alice asked after a few moments. Like the thought of going all day without speaking was absurd fo her.
"Yeah. I was really quiet as a kid. Getting me to talk was like pulling teeth. My dad actually learned a little bit of sign language to make things easier. He taught me basic signs so that I didn't have to talk if I didn't want to. Renee hated that we had our own little language. She hates how much I was like my dad."
"Renee? Is that your mom?" Alice asked, running her fingers through my hair.
"Yeah… she left when I was like…seven. She tried to take me with her but I wouldn't go. I cried and kicked and screamed. Eventually she just got tired and left me there. Dad got home at 2am and I found me passed out on the coach with a box of cheerios. I had been there all day waiting for him to get off." I mumbled, the memory of mom packing up everything and just leaving still fresh in my mind. I don't think I'll ever forget it.
Packing up and leaving during the middle of the day. Trying to rush before dad got home because she knew he would ask her to stay. Beg her to. Get on his knees and cry like he had done every other time she tried leaving.
He loved her so much. I thought he would never get over her.
"It's fine though. We have Sue now." I continued after Alice didn't say anything. I mean what do you say to that? Oh wow Bella, I'm sorry your mom left.
"I'm sorry she didn't get to see what a wonderful person you grew up to be." Alice whispered and pressed a soft kiss on the top of my head.
"Can I press play now? I wanna see what happens. Does he end up marrying Irena?" I asked and Alice smirks.
"I'm not spoiling it." She pressed play on the show and I sighed.
Alice P.O.V
"So…This is me." Bella mumbled after a few minutes of sitting in the driveway. She gestured to the house with her thumb in an almost nervous manner. She nibbled on her bottom lip, her cheeks flushing the prettiest shade of pink I've ever seen.
"I know…" I mumbled, not wanting to move. I don't want this night to end. I wish we could have stayed in that meadow forever. Watching tv and drinking wine and feeding each other fruit. Holding each other close and just enjoying each other's presence.
"I should probably go inside. I don't want you to get in trouble for staying out late." Bella states and I shook my head.
"You're worth the trouble." I told her, rubbing the inside of her wrist with my thumb. I wrapped my fingers around her wrist, gently guided her hand to my face.
"Stay with me. Just a little longer." I whispered, holding her hand against my face. Enjoying any and all contact between us.
"Okay, just a little longer." Bella agreed, her other hand coming up to cup the side of my face. Leaning closer to my face, a small smile on her face.
"Hi." She mumbled and I grinned.
"Hi Bella."
"Can I kiss you here?" Bella asked, glancing down at my chin.
"Yes. You don't have to ask Bella." I mumbled, humming contently when she kissed my chin.
"Stop saying my name like that." Bella husked out and I couldn't help but grin a little.
"Like what?" I ask innocently and she huffed.
"Like you want me to kiss you." She muttered, her lips brushing against my lips softly. Too soft to be an actual kiss. And it just made it harder not to grab her by the collar of her shirt and kiss her breathless.
"I do want to you to kiss me." I state and she chuckled.
"I know that. But we made a rule and we're going to stick to it. You can kiss me as much as you want tomorrow."
"You don't mean that." I mumbled because there's no way that she could mean that. As much as I want? I don't think she understands how much I like her. How much I want her.
"Yeah I do." She mumbled and I shook my head.
"Then would mean from the second you wake up to the second you went to sleep we would be kissing." I told her and Bella blushed even harder.
Oh she wasn't expecting me to say that. She had been saying sweet things all night, just leaving me completely speechless. And now it was her turn to be all speechless and shocked.
"What are you doing tomorrow morning?" Bella asked and I grinned.
"Kissing you hopefully." I mumbled and leaned closer. Tempted to sink my teeth into her bottom lip. It was still a little red and plumper than usual, a reminder of our talk this morning. I glanced down the side of her neck, smiling when I saw the hickey I had given her.
"I mean… if you want to stop by the cafe in the morning. Like you did the first time. And we… we could have breakfast and you can keep me company for a while." Bella suggested and I grinned.
"That sounds like another date." I state and she blushed.
"Yeah, it does. Is three dates in three days too many? Should we wait a little while befor-" She started to ask and I kissed her cheek. That shut her up pretty quickly.
"I'll be there at 6." I mumbled, getting out of the car to open her door.
"You can come a little later. You don't have to wake up so early for me." She states and I shook my head.
"I know Sue doesn't get there until around 8 on Wednesdays. So that means we'll have two hours to ourselves. And then we have that lecture tomorrow. We can ride to class together and then I can drop you back off afterwards." I suggested, trying to figure out how to spend as much time as possible with her.
"You're not going to get tired of me? We've spent a lot of time together the past couple of days. And you'll have to watch me work for a few hours. That's not very fun." She mumbled and I laughed.
"No… I'll never get tired of you." I assured her and she pulled me close. Hugging me nice and tight. Like she didn't want to let me go at all.
"Goodnight." She mumbled against the side of my neck and I sighed.
"Goodnight Bella." I whispered back, making sure to say her name the exact same way as before.
Bella squeezed me even tighter, making me feel just a little claustrophobic but in the best way possible. Which I know is weird but I like it. A little too much.
Bella let go of me way too soon in my option, turning to unlock the door. I heard a rustling noise and glanced at the window. Smiling when I saw several eyes peaking through the blinds.
I waved playfully, chuckling when the 4 pairs of eyes peeking through the blinds disappeared.
"I'll see you tomorrow." Bella states after a few moments. Lingering in the doorway, her fingers gripping the doorknob tightly.
"Tomorrow. And the day after that. And the day after that. And the day after that." I told her, forcing myself to walk away. Taking small steps backwards until I just couldn't take it anymore.
I turned around, getting in my car quickly and locking the door. Like that would keep me from getting out and throwing myself into her arms. Kissing her like we were reunited lovers who had separated for years. That's kind of what it feels like. This longing. The yearning.
The tension, the kinds that you only see in movies or books. Of being so close but it's not close enough. It was exhilarating. This feels so much better than rushing into it like I've done before.
I hope this feeling never fades. I hope we always have this tension. This chemistry.
I waited until Bella was safely in the house before driving off. I'm not sure how long we would have sat there looking at each other if someone didn't yank her into the house. Probably hours. I know neither one of us were ready for tonight to end.
Now it's time to go back home. And deal with all that shit. But at least I can think about Bella while their lecturing me tonight.
They would tell me how irresponsible I was being. And how dangerous this was. But how could anything that felt this good be dangerous. Bella doesn't have a cruel bone in her body. I just wish they could see that. I wish they could see how good she is. Not just to me but everyone around her.
I just wish they could see what I see. I started to back out of the driveway but the front door of Bella's house was suddenly thrown open and there she was. Running down the steps, a pretty yellow box in her hands with a pink bow.
Bella fell down the stairs of the porch, landing directly on the box before I could even realize what was happening.
"Bella!" I exclaimed, jumping out of the car. Barely remembering to put the damn thing in park. I rushed to her side, pushing her hair out of her face. My heart dropped when I saw her glassy eyes.
"Are you hurt? Are you okay?!" I exclaimed, cupping her red face between my hands.
"I'm o-okay." She stammered and I didn't believe her. Not when she sounded so sad.
"No you aren't. What's wrong?" I asked, searching for any blood or bones that were poking through skin. She fell that hard.
"I just… I ruined them. I made you something earlier and I completely forgot about them. And now they're ruined." Bella mumbled and I frowned. That's why she looks so sad?
"Oh baby, it's okay. I'm sure whatever you made is still okay." I assured her, taking the smoosh box from her hands. Bella protested, tightening her grip on the box.
"Come on. Let me see." I mumbled, pushing her fingers away. I opened the box slowly, a silent gasp escaping my mouth. And my heart just melted.
"Oh Bella…"
Hot chocolate bombs. I've always wanted to try them but it's hard to find good vegan hot chocolate. Let alone vegan hot chocolate bombs.
"I love them." I confessed, smiling down at her from my spot kneeling next to her.
"You can't even drink them? How can you love them?" Bella asked and my smile just widened. I didn't need to taste them.
"Because you made them for me. You took time out of your very busy schedule to make these for me. Because you know how much I like them." I told her, not even realizing that I had been dragging my thumb over her bottom lip.
"I spent days trying to get the recipe just right. Don't even get me started on the chocolate." She vented and it made me feel all warm inside.
I kissed her like I had been wanting to do all fucking night. It was soft and sweet. I needed it to be that. When I saw Lauren touching Bella, my Bella, I felt like my whole world had shifted. It was something so small, a touch on the arm. I shouldn't have felt so broken-hearted. But it was more than that. It's the way that Lauren was looking at Bella. That's what broke me. Because I thought it was over.
I thought whatever we had going on was over before it really ever started. Because Lauren was obviously in love with Bella. If the longing look in her eyes whenever she looked at Bella wasn't enough to let me know that. The utter disgust and annoyance when she saw me was more than enough.
I thought Bella would never choose me over Lauren. Lauren was tall and effortlessly pretty and athletic and just everything I'm not. But Bella wants me. She doesn't care about Lauren's or anybody's else's feelings for her. Just mine, Bella chose me. She wants me.
I kissed her, silently thanking her for choosing me. Bella moaned into my mouth, wrapping her arms around me and pulling me down onto the pavement with her. A small squeal left my lips and I started giggling.
"Mmm…Bel-...baby. I have to go." I mumbled against her lips because Bella refuses to stop kissing me even for a second.
"I know… I know. Tomorrow… we have tomorrow."
"And the next day… and the day after that…and the day after that." I mumbled between kisses and I heard and click and there was a flash.
"Got the pictures!" Charlie exclaimed, a polaroid camera in his hands.
Bella and I started up at him from the driveway and he quickly took another picture before running inside. Giggling joyfully as he ran to the rest of the family.
"You're embarrassing me again!" Bella whined and unwrapped her arms from around me.
I grinned, burying my face in her chest.