Hi guys! CAT here! This is my first ever fanfic, so please be gentle with me. ) I'd really like suggestions too, if you have any. So, enjoy. :)
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer is a brilliant woman who owns all of these characters. I'm just writing a story about them.
Chapter One - Brawn and Beauty
Bella's Point Of View
"Edward!" I hissed. "Edward, please, help me!" I had my right arm twisted around to me, trying to pull the zipper of my shirt to the top; it was not working.
Edward kept his back to me, his head drooping as his fitted long-sleeve black shirt stretched over his shoulder blades. I could see that one of his hands was touching his face – probably pinching the bridge of his nose. I snorted.
"Edward, it's just –" I began, stepping toward the corner his was standing it. We were in my room. The house was empty on this Saturday evening, thanks to a call-in at the police station, so Edward had come over to wait while I got ready for our evening out with the rest of the Cullen "teenagers". He decided to scoot himself into the corner of my bedroom while I changed out of my tee and into one of my nicer tops – given earlier to me by Alice.
Edward cut off my sentence. "Bella," he began, sighing, "I really do not want to have this conversation with you. I am not going to turn around and face you while you are dressing and undressing. You've already made it clear to me how much trust you put into my self-control; you're not helping this already tempting situation by asking me to turn around."
I paused and glanced at my alarm clock. It was seven-thirty-two, meaning the movie was starting in twenty-eight minutes. I sighed; I'd been trying to get him to help me for the past ten minutes. I really had to make him help me, or we would be late for the movie, even with his extremely fast-paced driving. I still had to do something with my stubborn hair, brush my teeth, slip on my shoes, put on my jacket, grab my purse, and make it over to the Cullen's house before the six of us would even step in the car. And the movie theatre was in Port Angeles, twenty minutes away even driving at their speed.
"Edward, just listen to me," I said as he tried to cut me off. "My underwear and pants are on, as is my bra." I saw his body tense, and continued on, soaking my tone in sarcasm, but also desperation. "All I need you to do is zip up the back of my top. That's all! The only part of me you will see is my upper-back and the back of my bra."
His body had become stone. "Please, please do this. We are going to be late for the movie." I walked toward him until I could place my hands on his shoulders. "I know that I tempt you, and seeing more of me will make you want to –" I changed my voice into the classic Dracula voice "- suck my blood." I giggled, but apparently Edward didn't find it funny, as his body remained uptight.
I sighed and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Edward." I made sure to enunciate each word. "It. Is. A. Bra. And. A. Zipper. You can do this. Just spin around, I'll spin around, and you zip up. Do you think you can handle that?"
Edward glanced at his watch and I knew he realized how late we were running. How did Alice not see this coming? I thought to myself. The least she could've done was lent me a non-zipper blouse…
Edward nodded his head very fast, and I squeezed him tighter.
"Thank God. Okay, I'm going to turn around now…" I released my arms from around his torso and turned so we were facing back to back. I held up my hair so he could easily see the zipper and complete the task. "Okay, I'm ready. Just spin around and zip up my zipper!" I said cheerily.
I could feel him turn around, and I felt his hesitation. He unthinkingly pushed out a breath which landed on my back, giving me goosebumps and making my upper-back tingle. I yearned to turn around and kiss him, but I fought the urge back and stood still. I felt a slight breeze run up my back and then I saw Edward in front of me, staring at me with deep concentration. I assumed he was trying to get his self-control in balance.
"Done," he said.
I gave him a quick hug and
whispered in his ear, "Thanks. Now, was that so hard?"
Edward brought his face back to look at me. His honey-golden eyes melted through my annoyed atmosphere and dazzled me.
He sighed. "Yes, Bella, of course it was. It's always a struggle for me, you know that. Sometimes, it's easier, I suppose; but most of the time, it is truly difficult." He leaned down and gave me a swift kiss on the lips. "Now, keep getting ready," he said, giving a small smile.
Twenty minutes later, the six of us were crammed into Edward's Volvo. Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and I were getting cramps from being squished together in the backseat, while Emmett and Edward sat freely in the driver's and passenger's seats, staring back at us with great amusement.
I tried not to focus my eyes out the windshield – the speed at which the Cullens drove was still frightening to me – and I looked down at my palms, thinking about the movie we were about to see. All of a sudden, I felt a wave of pride hit me like a brick. My head snapped toward Jasper, who was grinning ear to ear. Then, hearing a snort of laughter, I looked forward at Edward's face, who was looking back at me in the rearview mirror. I twisted my head toward Alice, who was staring blankly at the back of Emmett's seat. Then it dawned on me that Jasper was feeling Alice's emotions and blasting them through the car while Edward could see what Alice was thinking. Of course, Emmett, Rosalie, and I were confused, the three of us out of the loop.
Then, a wave of panic and embarrassment hit me, and Edward stopped laughing, his eyes darting around, clearly embarrassed. He began whispering to Emmett and Rosalie at vampire-speed. I sighed. I was terribly confused and tired of not knowing; I slapped Alice on the shoulder to get her attention, then cringed at the pain I felt in my fingers. "God damnit," I swore under my breath. Why did vampires have to be so strong?
At least I had gotten Alice's attention; she stared at me with bright eyes.
"What was all that?" I asked, my voice sounding more annoyed than I liked. "I felt proud, and then embarrassed… what's going on? What did you see?" I asked excitedly.
Alice just giggled and gave me a grin. "You'll see." She opened the door of the car. I hadn't even realized that the Volvo was stopped and we had arrived at the theatre. I stepped out after her onto the hard, gray concrete sidewalk, as did everyone else. They were all obviously excited about what Alice had seen. I looked back at all of them, and they were all staring at each other, their eyes wide with amusement, but also with fear.
"Oh God," I said, loud enough for them all to hear. "Seriously, when will you guys tell me? I'm dying, here!" Alice gave me another grin and pointed to the door of the movie theatre. I followed her finger to a bright pink poster with black text, advertising some sort of contest.
"This," Alice said in an excited voice, "is about to get interesting."
I leaned in closer to read the title. My eyes got wide and I backed slowly away from Alice. "You've… got to be… kidding… me."
Alice grabbed my arm at vampire speed and pulled me inside, holding the door open for everyone else. "Just calm down, Bella." She pulled out another poster from her back pocket; it was the same pink with black text, but the title was different. Rosalie and I laughed when we saw the title, and all three of us girls looked back at the boys. They were shifting their weight onto different feet and their eyes darted around. I laughed as I put my focus back to Alice.
"Let's have a family meeting at our house after the movie, and we'll come up with a bet." All of us nodded in agreement, all excited and mortified at the same time – with the exception of Alice and Rosalie, who were excited with both posters. Alice grinned her mischievous grin.
This was the first time I had ever truly been happy and frightened at the same time.
Suggestions? Comments? Please review if you'd like. )