I stayed upstairs in my bedroom for the remainder of time Tess was here with Charlie. Feeling bored I had lain down on my bed with a vampire mythology book. Okay, it sounds weird that I’m reading up on vampires when my fiancé is a vampire. A majority of the ‘facts’ in this book were not true. I had been in Edward’s room and it did not resemble a crypt. He did not stay in a castle either and the last time I looked Carlisle didn’t impale people’s head and stick them around the house. But it was interesting to read about how people have gotten these ideas and facts and how those facts have set up a vampire stereotype that the Cullens fail to fit into.
“Kayla, you have to help me!”
Charlie burst into my room, causing me to jump and drop my vampire mythology book to the floor. Charlie stood at the bottom of my bed looking distressed.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, thinking of the worst possible scenario. Tess had tried to eat him. Why did I trust her? Of course she wouldn’t be able to handle herself around him. Edward had a trouble around me.
“I’m going out with Tess and I don’t know what to wear. She’s left to change so I thought I should change but I don’t know what to wear. Help me.”
I burst into laughter. Oh my sweet baby Jesus is he messing with me? Is he serious? He can’t be. He is a man. He can’t be upset about not knowing what to wear.
“I’m serious, Kay, you have to help me.” Charlie looked annoyed at my ignorance of the seriousness of the situation.
“Okay,” I said, calming myself down. “Where are you going?”
“We’re going for dinner in Seattle,” he said, sounding quite smug. “It’s a date.”
Dinner? When the woman can’t eat?
“Dad, she’s a vampire. You’ll be having dinner while she sits there and watches.”
“It was her idea,” he said, sounding doubtful. “Should I have said no? Maybe we should go somewhere else.”
It was strange seeing Charlie so…..lost. He was usually in control, he knew what he was doing, what was happening. But now he was confused, lost and unable to do anything like dress himself.
“Don’t worry,” I said, sliding down to the end of the bed. “I’ll dress you.”
Charlie relaxed when I said this and decided he would retell everything that happened between him and Tess. I tried to ignore most of it because he would go on and on about how beautiful she was and how perfect her skin was and how her hair was just the right shade and how her eyes were the gold-est of gold. Yuck.
I went through his wardrobe which wasn’t much. He insisted that he didn’t want to go too formal. I tried to arrange that with some jeans and a shirt.
“Too casual,” Charlie said, sitting on his bed and not helping me at all. I tried more combinations of jeans and different shirts, jeans and t-shirts, t-shirts and pants. I even handed him a pair of shorts. He shook his head to all of them. Annoyed, I put together the last combo I could think of.
“I said not too formal,” he said, exasperated, looking at the black pants and black pin stripped shirt in my hands. “Kayla, I want to look as if I haven’t tried too hard.”
“Go in your underwear then!”
I threw down the clothes and looked at him in a stern way. The way my mum would look at me if I was acting like a complete and utter twat. He just stared back at me like he’d done nothing wrong.
“Charlie,” I said. “Going in black pants and a shirt is not too formal. Going to dinner in a tuxedo is too formal. Now stop acting like a twat and wear these!”
I held out the pants and shirt and a stunned Charlie took them. I walked out of his room and back into my own bedroom. I am never getting involved in his life again. It was too hard. I had to arrange for him to meet her, I had to tell him what to do and say and now I was dressing him. Next I’d be paying for his date too.
But it was worth it to see him happy. The big sap that I am I love happy endings and this was turning out to be one.
I sat at the end of my bed and hoped Charlie would not criticize what he was wearing because I knew he’d look good. I had chosen the clothes and I had learned from the best – Alice. I was looking forward to spending some time where I was not discussing the wedding or homicidal vampires or visions or Charlie’s love life. I just wanted to watch a movie or read a book or talk about nonsense to someone that would totally understand.
Charlie walked in then all dressed in the outfit I had chosen looking just as handsome as I knew he would.
“You look great,” I complimented him, standing up. “Knock her dead…..or undead because she’s already dead.”
Charlie grinned and looked slightly embarrassed.
“Thanks kiddo,” he said. “For everything.”
I walked over to him and hugged him. His arms tightened around me and in this one gesture we were both trying to convey the same thing. I love you.
“It’s okay. It’s something to keep me entertained.”
I stepped back and straightened his shirt where my hug had made little wrinkles. I looked him up and down and when I was satisfied I let him leave for his vampire.
Seconds later my vampire appeared. He used the front door for a change and when I answered it he stood there with bouquet of orchids.
“They’re beautiful, Edward,” I said, taking them.
“Nothing compared to you,” he replied, smiling his crooked smile. “They symbolize rare beauty so I thought it appropriate that I should give them to you.”
“You know how to make me blush, don’t you?” I could feel the heat crawling up my face symbolizing my reddening cheeks. I stepped back to let him in. “Go sit down while I put these in a vase.”
He didn’t go and sit down while I found a vase for the orchids. Instead he followed me into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around my waist as put each orchid into the vase.
“I’ve missed you,” he murmured in my ear. “We didn’t get a chance to properly talk last night.”
“No we didn’t,” I replied, remembering what we had spoken about. It was all about Charlie. The premonition where he was killed, the one with him meeting Tess and the idea of him dating Tess. And that was when I remembered something I had to scold him for.
“You bought my wedding dress!” I spun around to face him. His arms remained around my waist bringing me up against his chest. I looked straight into his molten gold eyes and knew I was goner. I wouldn’t be able to tell him off while staring at him.
“I didn’t think you would mind,” he said, his voice velvety. “I just wanted you to have the perfect dress.”
“Thank you,” I said, melting in his arms. “You’re so kind to me.”
His face came closer to mine, his lips touching mine when I realized what he was doing. I pushed him away far enough that he could not distract me.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I am trying to tell you off, Edward Cullen. No distractions.”
He smiled his crooked smile and tried to get close to me but I pushed him away.
“No,” I insisted. “I am trying to be angry and you know I can’t do that when I’m looking directly into your eyes. You shouldn’t have bought my dress because the groom isn’t supposed to see it before the wedding day.”
“I couldn’t help it, Kayla,” he said and his eyes went sad. “It was all you could think about for weeks. The dress you tried on while shopping with Alice the day you were discharged from the hospital. That one simple dress made you so happy I couldn’t not buy it. I tried, of course. But Alice was going to buy another dress because it matched the flowers she wanted and I couldn’t let her do that because I knew you wanted that dress. So I went to the bridal store and bought it.”
How could I be mad at him? He just wanted to make me happy. That was so amazingly kind and sweet and caring of him. Edward made it so difficult to be angry at him.
“Have I upset you?” he asked, rushing to me and kissing my hair. “I can go back to the store and change the dress if you want.”
“You just make it so hard to be mad at you,” I said, kissing him. “Of course I’m not upset. You bought the dress of my dreams. I love you.”
He grinned at me and pulled me close to him so I could not escape. I wrapped my arms around his neck securing him close to me.
“So, my wife-to-be, how was your day?”
“My day?” I repeated. “Where do I begin? Charlie is in love with this vampire and I am so close to slapping him because of how he is now. He’s is so lost and confused and like a little lovesick puppy, it’s gross. And Tess, the vampire, is-”
I stopped. Edward looked at me confused for a second before reading my thoughts which consisted of Edward and Tess being close. Very close and doing what I didn’t want my fiancé to be doing to other girls.
My arms dropped from around his neck and I tried to step away from him but his arms held me.
“Tess and I were never like that.” He instantly denied. “Never. We were friends, Kayla. I was confused and angry and upset about what I had become. I left Carlisle and Esme and travelled when I met Tess. I liked the company of another new vampire so we travelled together. It was strictly platonic.”
He continued to deny any romantic involvement with Contessa Rodriguez and I believed him. Edward would never lie to me. Well, at least I thought he wouldn’t. But this I knew he wouldn’t lie about. He looked absolutely panicked trying to explain to me how platonic their friendship was. I listened to him, let him have his say. He would eventually run out of words. I hoped or else we would be here a long time.
“Okay,” I said, silencing him with a finger to his lips. “I believe you.”
“But you’re still thinking it,” he said against my finger.
“Of course I am,” I said. “She’s an inhumanly beautiful vampire, Edward, and you travelled with her for I don’t know how long. I am only going to think that you and her were more than friends because she is your type.”
“My type?”
“A vampire. You’re suited for each other. It annoys me.”
He kissed my finger that was still against his lips.
“You’re my type,” he said, velvety. He gazed down at me with his molten eyes. “We’re suited for each other. Nothing will change that.”
He smiled seductively and bent his head closer to mine. My mind was wiped. I couldn’t think or speak and my arms instantly snaked around his neck, my hands intertwining in his hair as his mouth touched mine. He pushed me up onto the work-top, knocking the vase off. It shattered to the floor but neither of us cared. Edward had lost himself completely to passion. It was thrilling. He had never let his self-control slip so much before. He traced his fingers down to my calf and then hitched my leg around his hip, holding it there. Edward’s mouth opened and I felt his cold tongue encircling my lips, teasing me. I opened my lips slightly and his tongue was inside my mouth. I was hesitant. Was this going too far? Then I remembered the incident a year ago on my bed with Charlie rudely interrupting. This wasn’t nearly as far as that. Before I could mimic Edward, he was kissing my neck, working his way back up to my mouth. This time I didn’t hesitate. As soon as his lips touched mine I was inside his mouth. I was careful to avoid his teeth and touched his tongue. Something pulled at me but I ignored it, too busy exploring Edward’s mouth. Our tongues danced, touching and then not. Teasing each other. The pulling became insistent but I continued to ignore it. Nothing was ruining this. This feeling was so sensual and intimate that I never wanted it to end. We were finally getting past the fear of me being hurt. Edward was opening up and I was all for it. Again Edward’s tongue darted out of my mouth and he was nuzzling my neck.
“How long will Charlie be away for?” He said, huskily.
“A long time,” I managed to say, knowing what he had in mind. He looked up at me, his eyes burning with intense passion. I smiled and then he blurred. I blinked but he was still blurred. I saw his blurred face move back to my neck and I felt his kisses but I also felt the pulling again. Now that I wasn’t blinded by Edward’s exploring tounge, I knew what was coming.
Oh please, no. I pleaded to the sadistic force that was doing this to me. Not now. Another time. When I’m sleeping, I don’t care, just not now.
The entire kitchen blurred and changed just as I managed to say Edward’s name to warn him.