SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW ➻ DEMETRI VOLTURI

V E N T I S E I

"I really forgot how much I hated you pulling on my hair," Cecilia said, as she watched Alice's and her reflection in the mirror in front of them. The black-haired vampire was making sure the ends of her hair weren't folded in the hot rollers, before actually rolling them against her head and pinning them there with a clip. "But I appreciate the effort you put into it."

"I know buns and ponytails are easy, but curls look so good on you," Alice said softly, rolling another roller in her hair. "Don't you agree, Rose?"

Rose nodded in confirmation, rummaging through her make-up drawer in search of eyeliner. "It's true."

"At Volterra nobody really cares about my appearance anyway," Cecilia said, shrugging easily. She looked at her nails, which Alice had painted in a dark pink shade, before she had turned to her hair "Besides, I have little precious time as it is and I'd rather not spend it on painting my nails which will be ruined on the first and foremost mission I'm being sent on."

Alice chuckled, but didn't protest. Cecilia observed her in the mirror, paying a little extra attention to the details, like the way her dark pixie-cut was just a millimetre higher on the right side in front of her ear in comparison to the left, or how she frowned her eyebrows together as she teased Cecilia's hair. Feeling overwhelmed with love, Cecilia blinked as if she was trying to blink away some tears, tearing her eyes away. 

"To what is the honour of this girl's night?" Cecilia asked after a while, her voice louder than the soft pop music playing in the background. 

"So that you finally look nice for once again," Alice said at the same time Rose said, "A little girl's time never hurt nobody, right?"

Cecilia let out something that was a mix between a scoff and a snort, raising a single eyebrow at Alice with an expression of obvious amusement on her face. 

Alice coughed awkwardly, fixating all of her attention on Cecilia's brown hair. "Yeah, that too, of course."

"Thanks for the honesty, though, Alice," Cecilia said teasingly. "Really appreciate it, reminds me of Emmett's insults."

"Oh don't be like that," Alice said, pouting. "You are still flawlessly beautiful, but with a little more attention you can look breath-taking."

"How are things between you and Demetri, by the way?" Rose asked quickly, before Cecilia had the time to counter Alice's comment. Holding up a brush with powder, Rose gestured that she should close her eyes, which Cecilia did obligingly. 

The thought of her soulmate brought a smile to her lips, one that seemed to brighten the whole room. "Things are going great," she said honestly. "I'm still amazed at the way I never seem to get enough of him."

"It's probably going to be like that for a couple of decades more," Alice said, her voice sweet like chiming bells. 

Rose snorted, a sound very unlike her. "Talk for yourself," she said. "I really need a break from Emmett sometimes."

"Everybody needs a break from Emmett sometimes," Cecilia said, shrugging. Though Rose had said the words easily, Cecilia knew that she loved Emmett dearer than anything else, even if she tended to show it a little oddly at times. "Even Emmett himself."

Rose hummed in agreement, adding mascara to Cecilia's eyelashes followed by a layer of nude lipstick to her lips. 

"Shouldn't you guys do your make-up as well? I feel like I'm the centre of attention right now."

"Don't act like you don't like it."

Cecilia chuckled, holding up her hands in innocence and opening her eyes again. "Just saying."