Falling for Royalty

Chapter 3

Bella

A few days had passed by, and the Cullens and I had fallen into a routine of hanging out all the time. I had witnessed first-hand the relationship that Esme and Carlisle shared with their children, and I was equally amazed that they were treating Jace and I with such love that we both felt like part of the family.

Edward and I had learned that we shared a lot in common, so subconsciously I was finding myself growing closer to him more so than anyone else. It didn't exactly help my crush situation, which was entering the 'feelings' territory, but, whatever. He actually listened to me, and I felt like I could talk to him about almost anything.

Edward knew about my mom. He had probably read Rosalie's mind or something, but I was glad that he didn't pry. He actually respected my privacy, which was something I liked about him. Amongst other things, obviously.

There were multiple times where I felt like I could, maybe, tell him how I felt – simply because he made feel so at ease – but there was also always that glaring possibility he didn't feel the same way, and I wasn't ready to deal with the awkwardness of that type of situation.

It was currently Wednesday, and Felix, Demetri and Heidi were on their way to the racetrack to play with some new 'toys'. I rolled my eyes, not surprised at all when Jace and Emmett took them up on their offer to join in the fun.

We all ended up going to watch the event pan out. Even though I enjoyed driving, in this particular scenario, being behind the wheel didn't have any appeal to me.

That was one thing that I gave Jace the one-up on. Like all vampires, he had the need for speed.

We had front row seats to the show, and without really thinking about it, I opted for the empty seat next to Edward as opposed to the one (that was closer to me) next to Jasper. He had found that all too amusing, and Alice had giggled along with him, but I had ignored the both of them along with Edward.

"So why aren't you in one of those cars," I gestured with my head to the sports vehicles our friends and family were currently sliding into.

Edward wrinkled his eyebrows in thought; "I like it to a certain extent. Driving fast is certainly one of the many things I enjoy doing, but I don't really like racing against people. It's just not that fun to me." I nodded in understanding. I was pretty much the same.

I didn't really feel the need to fill the silence around Edward. If there was something I wanted to know about or talk about, I would. Other than that, I didn't care too much for the small talk, and he followed suit.

My eyes were trained on the cars as they zoomed past, beginning the race. Demetri was currently in the lead followed closely by Jace, then Emmett, who Felix was tailing. Heidi was lagging behind, probably waiting until the second or final lap to send her Fisker into full speed. That was one of her many tricks that usually worked. She relied on the guys underestimating her, which they currently were.

The rest of us placed bets on who would come in first place – minus Alice, of course. Jasper went with Emmett, while I went with Heidi. Rosalie placed her bet on Jace, and Edward called Felix.

Towards the final lap, Edward's choice sped past everyone into first place, followed by Heidi - like I'd predicted, she'd made her way into the top three - then Emmett, Jace, and Demetri. It was ironic that he had moved all the way from first place right into last place, almost like a game of Mario Kart.