Folktale

Chapter 17

And I-I-I can't stop the rush

And I-I-I can't give you up

And I-I-I know that you're no good for me, you're no good for me

I fell in love with the devil,
And now I'm in trouble

I fell in love with the devil,
I'm underneath his spell

Someone send me an angel,
To lend me a Halo... - Avril Lavinge "I Fell In Love With The Devil"

Bella's P.O.V 

Edward turns the TV on after reluctantly letting go of me. I have to stay back against the door to stay upright because I'm sure if I try to get up, my legs will give in and that is the last thing I need. Edward turns the TV to the locals news. The storm is pretty bad and the roads both in and out of Forks are blocked by the water, which means that no one that went to First Beach is coming home tonight. Some are sleeping in motels and I'm sure Jacob will let Alice and the rest of the group crash at his place. Would he... would they be talking about me? 

"Esme texted, she said they made it out of the storm and should be in Portland in a hour or two," Edward said, looking at his phone. "I told her we made it back before the storm got worse." 

"That's good," I said in a breathless whisper. 

Edward crossed the room back to me and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. When he pulled away, he ran his fingers through my soaked hair and chuckled when his fingers tangled around it. "Go take a shower. You need to get out of these wet clothes and into clean ones before you get sick." 

"I-I-I don't have clean clothes," I stammer. 

"I'll see what I can get you. Go ahead, you can use my bathroom. I'll shower in the guests." 

In reality, I did want to take a shower and not just to avoid getting sick. I wanted to wash this whole day away. I was exhausted both physically and mentally. Not only had Jacob and I had broken up for good, but I kissed Edward and while that may not seem like a big deal... it feels like it to me. The way my heart hammered my chest, the way my head spun and my body lost all its strength. Nothing else mattered but him... and that cannot be healthy thoughts. 

So I gladly took that shower. As I washed the day's events away, I couldn't help thinking back to him, to kissing him right there in the rain. It really came out of a teenage comedy. But does everyone feel that electricity when they kiss someone? That raw passion, that need, that want... is it the same for other people? Is that what Alice feels when she kisses Jasper? Rosalie and Emmett, do they feel that passion? Because I've never felt that way with Jacob, ever.  

I walk out to Edward's bedroom wrapped in a towel after my shower. It's his towel... and it's smells like him. It's that distinctive smell a person has when you walk in their room, when you're close to them, off their clothes... and his is almost intoxicating, addicting. I notice the neatly folded clothes on the bed and I know he left them there. It's his favorite red flannel shirt and black sweatpants. I curse myself when I remember my underwear and bra are soaked and I need to dry them, but to walk around with only his clothes and nothing underneath? As appealing as that idea is, it's just wrong. But what other choice do I have? 

I change into his clothes, his smell invading my senses in the process. I even stop after I have button the shirt completely to smell the collar. What ever it is he smells, I need to bottle it up and keep it with me. His shirt is big enough to hide the fact that I am not wearing a bra and the sleeves are longer than my actual arms, so I roll them up to my elbows. Good thing I carry a small hairbrush and toothbrush in my bag. Usually I need them for unexpected sleepovers at Alice's... or Jacob's.