Waxing Crescent (Alice Cullen x Bella Swan)

Chapter 26 - The Dance of Two Lovers p1

Rosalie's fingers flew with such precision and speed, I couldn't even keep track. My makeup was already complete, transforming me—much to my conflicting delight and despair—into something of a vixen, almost comparable to Alice. The soft shimmer of highlighter she'd brushed along my cheekbones and the tip of my nose caught the light, reminding me of their secret, pearlescent glow.

"Are you certain you wish for braids? I would be more than happy to adjust, should you prefer another style," Rosalie inquired again, her fingers never faltering as she pinned my hair into a semi-updo with effortless grace. Either she was confident I'd agree, or she had absolute faith in her speed and impeccable time management.

"No, it's perfect. I'll leave it in your hands—you clearly know what looks good far better than I do."

Rosalie snorted, "Mm, quite true."

I twiddled my fingers in my lap, resisting the urge to fidget on the uneven stool Charlie had dug out from the basement. I fixed my gaze on the mirror, forcing myself not to steal too many glances at Rosalie as she worked.

"Why are you doing this for me, Rosalie?" I finally blurted, unable to hold the question in any longer.

Dammit! Couldn't I have waited just a few more minutes? She was almost done.

"What do you mean?" She asked, her lips pursed, eyes still focused on my hair, her hands moving unperturbed.

"Well, don't you need to get ready too?"

She laughed, the sound ringing out in that musical way only vampires seemed to manage.

"Bella, have you forgotten? Not only will I make it back with plenty of time to prepare myself for tonight's engagement, but I shall arrive well before you and Alice even set foot through the door."

Ha, "prepare myself." Rosalie really had a way of downplaying her extravagance—if I knew her as well as I thought I did.

"Right. Very true," I barely stopped myself from ducking my head in embarrassment—Rosalie's firm grip on my hair keeping me in place.

"That was not what you meant, was it? Surely you don't need reminding of my vampiric nature?" Rosalie said, her lips thinning slightly—though 'thin' was hardly the right word. Even with the most perfect makeup, I could never hope to match Rosalie's beauty. She had a way of making you feel inadequate without even trying.

"No," I sighed, resignation lacing my words, "it wasn't."

Rosalie hesitated, just for a moment.

"I wanted to help you, Bella. Is that truly so terrible?" she finally said, her perfectly sculpted brow creasing ever so slightly, betraying the faintest trace of turmoil.

"No! I—uh, I really do appreciate it. It's just... I didn't think you'd want to. Honestly? I was kind of shocked you even offered to help."

Rosalie hummed in acknowledgment, her eyes briefly meeting mine in the mirror before lowering again to finish the last touches on my hair.

"I wanted to make you and Alice happy. And—no offense, Bella—but I highly doubted you could do your hair or makeup in a way that would truly complement the ensemble. Alice went to great lengths to find you the perfect dress—one that indulged her endless appetite for fashion, yet still appealed to your... sensible nature. I simply couldn't allow you to undermine her efforts."

Ah, there it was—that sounded much more like Rosalie. The "making us both happy" part was the only outlier.

"I get why Alice would, but you? Why would you care about making me happy?" My stomach twisted into knots, but I couldn't help myself. Rosalie had never been this open with me, not once since I'd met her, and I couldn't deny my curiosity—it was practically reflex at this point.