"He... kinda gave it to me," Angela said sheepishly, rising from the bed to look out the window.
"Okay, but when?" I prompted.
"When he came over 3 months ago, remember?" My mind spun; three years ago had been my birthday party. Everyone was there... Except Jacob. Jacob had not spoken to me in a year because of my choices. I wasn't mad at him for not talking to me; I understood his broken heart. But when I heard about him having a girlfriend, I started digging, and it turned out that Leah had gotten to him. I never would've thought that Jacob would end up with Leah, so at first I didnt believe it. I wanted to ask Jacob myself, but every time I called he wouldn't pick up. He didn't even come to my birthday party...
"So I want answers," I said, shaking the thought away as I sat on the edge of Angela's bed.
"Bella, Seth and I were talking at your party... And we were kinda flirting. Nothing too bad, but... then he gave me his number and we've been talking for some time now." She looked so guilty. I didn't know what I was supposed to feel. Angela was only 15, but so was Seth, so it wasn't like there was a big age difference, but it still felt wrong in a way. Maybe... Did she even know? I looked at Angela. She was still staring out the window. I cleared my throat and she looked to me.
"Angela," I said quietly, "he's a werewolf."
She looked at me as if to say 'so?!'. "I don't care, he's nice to me and I think I'm in love," she declared.
Fifteen and in love. I'd never been in love at her age, so I knew I couldn't really relate to her.
"Angela, have you ever been in love? Before Seth?"
She barely met my eyes. It was a long pause before she finally said no and looked down.
It was an even longer pause before I continued.
"Well," I said, "I came up here to tell you that it would be better if you helped us get Angelii settled in." Angela nodded, grateful for the subject change as she followed me down the stairs and to the living room. "Alice," I called.
"Yes?" Alice's voice came from behind us. I turned with a smile and walked up to Alice.
"Where should she stay?" I asked, bending to pick Angelii up as Edward walked into the room.
"Well, she's going to stay in the cottage with you and Edward," Alice said. I glanced at Edward, unsure of how I was going to get to the cottage because Edward usually ran me there. Obviously, I wasn't a vampire; how would Angelii and I get there? The cottage was so far away...
"I'll take Angelii, Edward you take Bella," Angela said, walking up to take Angelii from me. In response I turned to Edward, holding my arms out as he picked me up. Angela and Edward ran beside each other. I haven't been this close to Edward since Italy, I realized. Just being this close to Edward made me want to throw my arms around him, but I knew he'd push me away and I'd feel the hurt of rejection from the man I loved. I hesitated, torn for a moment before realizing I didn't care if he rejected me. I just wanted him. Carefully, timidly, I snuck my arms around his neck, waiting for him to push me away.
But the rejection never came.
Instead, he held me tighter to him, and in that second I knew that everything was going to be alright. My eyes began to tear.
When we reached the cottage, Edward put me down and Angela copied his action with Angelii. One following the other, we walked in the cottage and down the hall to the spare room next to Edward's and mine. Angela opened the door to the room, which was decoreted in light pinks and teals, the striped bed by the window with a toy chest at its foot. There was a closet next to the bed and a wooden dresser stood across the room.
"Oh! It's perfect!" Angelii cried, running into the room and opening the toy box.
Angela clapped her hands beside me. "Alice can do the impossible."
I raised my eyes Edward to find him looking at me. I smiled, hopeful, and he took me in his arms. Content, I rested my head against his chest.
"You know I love you, right?' I whispered.
He looked down at me. "Bella, love, you think I didnt know that you love me?" he asked. I blushed and pulled away from him to look at Angelii, who was trying out her new bed, Angela sitting beside her. Suddenly, I had a feeling that everything was going to be ok from now on.