A Bite of Forbidden Fruit

Shopping and a Family Visit: Bella's POV

Mature sexual content warning and alcohol use! Thank you so much for reading! :)💕

••••••

I cannot believe I agreed to not only go shopping with Alice, but also agreed to try some things on while shopping with Alice.

My current view is a dressing room mirror and me standing like the most awkward idiot in the world in the now fourth dress Alice has made me model for her. The peachy-pink color of the lace combined with my pale skin is absolutely ghostly, the blush of embarrassment blossoming quickly to my cheeks and spreading throughout my entire face.

"Oh my gosh, that looks INCREDIBLE on you, Bella! Wow! You really should wear pink more, it's totally your color!" Alice's excited voice makes me feel guilty for hating everything we've tried on so far, all of which she absolutely loved and begged me to let her buy.

"Alice, I don't want to hurt your feelings or anything...I just don't really feel comfortable in this. It's not my usual style." I pull at the end of the dress to attempt to make it longer, trying to cover as much of my translucent legs that I can. "Plus, Edward and I live in Alaska now. Where would I even wear a dress like this to?"

"But Bella, shopping shouldn't just be about wearing the same old thing all the time! You have got to step outside of your comfort zone and try something more fun! Seriously I do it all the time, even just to wear around the house." She twirls around in a circle to show off her sparkly purple top paired with skin-tight jeans and the tallest thigh-high boots I've ever seen, looking breathtakingly gorgeous but definitely not a fair comparison to the ordinary human standing before her.

"Alice, I love you, but please remember that not all of us are perfect, stunning vampires immune to the cold." She begins to pout and I instantly feel myself start to cave, rolling my eyes and taking a deep breath. "Okay, okay. We can bring home one dress...but nothing pink."

••••••

Begrudgingly I do a lackluster twirl for Edward in my new dress at his request, showing off the ridiculous garment that Alice peer-pressured me into buying.

Although I was able to talk her out of the tight pink dress she initially wanted me to buy, I still ended up in this eye-catching floral number. My chosen dress is dark blue with little red flowers on it, flowy at the bottom but cinched right in the middle to give me a bit more of a waist. The flowers have little white dots that help tie the pattern together, breaking up the colors in a way that I found very pretty on the mannequin. It is truthfully something that I would absolutely never reach for and yet here I am, modeling it for my husband whose eyes look like they're about to burst out of his perfect head.

"Wow, Mrs. Cullen, you sure do clean up good." He dramatically looks me up and down so I roll my eyes at him, quickly reaching for my cardigan to cover up the outfit.

"Very funny." I feel Edward grasp my hand that is wrapped about the sweater, his cool touch instantly making me drop it onto the floor as his eyes meet mine. His gaze is piercing and I gulp at the sight of him, feeling the sensual shift in energy.

"I'm serious. You look radiant, Bella. Stunning. You put the stars to shame." He closes the gap between us and takes my face in his hands, kissing me passionately and making me light-headed.

Once we finally come up for air (or at least I have to come up for air, anyway), I can't help giggling. "Okay, I guess there are some benefits to this dress after all." Edward smirks at my joke and kisses me once more, scooping me up and spinning me around so that the fabric flows out under me.

"Now that you mention it, Alice and Jasper won't be back from their errands for at least another hour..." Our conversation is cut short when I fling my arms around his neck, crushing his icy lips to mine and allowing him to take my new dress right off.