Only Human Twilight

19

I woke late the next day; the room was bright with the afternoon sun. For a moment, I didn't move, snug and comfortable as I was in the crook of Edward's arm. His chest moved beneath me, rising gently with each breath, and his heart thumped strongly. In that moment, feeling him warm and healthy beside me, nothing seemed so bad.

When I lifted my head, I saw that he was awake, watching me. I offered a small smile as I studied his green eyes closely, wanting to store the exact shade in my memories.

Edward had other ideas. He took my face between his hands and pulled me to him for an urgent kiss. For once, I ignored my morning breath rule – he had my human weaknesses too, after all – and moved my lips eagerly against his.

He rolled us, trapping me beneath him as his kiss grew more intense, his tongue delving into my mouth. Our breath mingled hotly while his body moved against mine, and I responded helplessly. My body acted with the keening demands of my heart, which recognized in Edward its true match.

Eventually he pulled away to breathe, eyes too bright, and his thumbs continued to caress the line of my jaw. "I'm sorry – I needed to feel you there," he breathed. His fingers came to tangle in my hair, freed as it was from its usual confine of pins.

"Don't apologize for that," I whispered back. "I was made to be whatever you need."

"So that's how you do it so effortlessly," he smiled, massaging my scalp gently. It was hard not to purr in delight.

"I love you." It seemed the only appropriate thing to say at the moment, and even then, it wasn't nearly enough.

He sighed happily and smiled as he nuzzled my cheek. "You can't imagine how those three words make me feel. It's as if nothing can be completely wrong as long as you love me."

"I understand better than you think," I replied.

We lay wrapped up together for a few minutes longer before I thought we couldn't afford to stay.

"Perhaps I should check on your mother," I suggested. I didn't know how long the flu symptoms took to develop, but if she was next...

"She would appreciate that," Edward agreed. "I worry for her...she seemed so lost last night. I don't know how she'll recover. I don't know how I'll manage all this, for that matter...there's my father's business to consider, all his affairs..."

"Hey, hey," I hushed him, smoothing the hair back from his forehead. "Don't stress yourself. You can only do one thing at a time, so there's no use worrying about it until you get there. For now, let's work on the basic needs. We've missed breakfast and lunch, from the looks of it. I'll see to your mother and find us all something to eat."

He laughed, a sound of shaky relief and reassurance. "You're a miracle, Bella. How did I ever live without you?"

"That's one of the world's great mysteries, I suppose," I teased, slipping out of his grasp and throwing on my dressing gown. "You get dressed and washed up. I'll meet you downstairs."

"Thank you, Bella," he sighed with a grateful smile.

"Of course."

I dressed quickly and then went to peek into the room Elizabeth had used. She was still sleeping, her face drawn with the exhaustion of the night before. I decided to let her rest a while longer. From the time when Edward had left me, I remembered how comforting unconsciousness could be when the world wasn't a pleasant place.

Down in the kitchen, I found Mary slumped over a bowl of potatoes she was attempting to peel.

"Did you get any sleep at all?" I asked her, carefully moving the knife away from her, lest she have an accident dozing off.