Chapter Eleven

Day Twenty-Two Stranded

Bella

I woke up in a dazed state, looking around. The first thing I saw was the emerald eyes of my love looking down at me with devotion, love, and lust. I couldn’t feel the sand beneath me, couldn’t smell the usual salt and humidity in the air. The sky was still dark, and I felt as if I were swimming with the stars, they were so bright.

“Bella,” Edward whispered huskily, his honey breath hitting me straight on and taking over my senses like the sweetest drug. His voice seemed to echo, which was strange, but in my daze I couldn’t really seem to focus on it enough to question it. His eyes were clouded and half closed, making him the pure image of hot. He looked down at my body and growled animalistically, turning me on more. I moved my hands up to touch his face, and sand came off my fingers, floating into the air as if there were no gravity. Again, I did not question it, as Edward’s lips were begging for my attention. I kissed him softly at first, our lips molding together perfectly as they always did, and he deepened it, tracing his tongue around my mouth, asking for entrance. I gave it to him.

All of a sudden, I was under him in the sand, caressing his back muscles and arching my back in hopes of getting closer to him. He pulled back and smirked at me, trailing his fingers down to my breasts. Memories of our previous night came back to me, and the sensation of his hands on me now was even better than I remembered. There was no noise around us; all I could hear was the sound of Edward’s breathing. His fingers traced the peaks of my breasts until he replaced his hands with his mouth. My fingers wove into his bronze locks, and I wanted so badly to moan, but I didn’t want to disturb the silence. I was reminded of one of those silent birth things, but quickly jumped out of those thoughts. I definitely did not want to compare my intimate moments with special birth options.

Edward separated my legs with his knee, and in one swift thrust, he was inside me once more. He moaned above me, breaking the silence.

“You’re so perfect,” he murmured as he started a steady rhythm, worshipping my body in the sand. I could feel myself throbbing and my head spinning as he continued to give me pleasure and take pleasure in return. He filled me so perfectly, the missing piece to my puzzle.
Before long, I could feel my insides coiling up, tightening in the most sublime way. I let go, and my climax was so powerful I could feel myself nearly shaking. My peak triggered Edward’s, and he repeated my name over and over as he emptied himself into me. He collapsed onto me, holding himself up by his elbows just slightly. I tugged on the hair in the back of his head, playing with the strands.

“Mmmm,” he sighed. I giggled, and he lifted his head, giving me a giddy, accomplished smirk. I laughed more.

Suddenly, everything around me changed, as if I had switched from one vision to another.

We were scrounging for food again. Edward was smiling down at me from one of the trees on the island, and I was on the ground. The height at which he was perched frightened me; I reached toward him, but he only seemed to grow farther away from me.

“Edward!” I yelled in alarm, “Get down from there!” He chuckled at me.

“Bella, you don’t need to worry about me!” he yelled. As if fate was trying to spite him, the next step he took broke the branch beneath him, and I yelped as his body came tumbling down at my feet. I closed my eyes in horror.

When I opened them, there was no whimpering, no sound coming from Edward like I expected there to be. I looked around and saw him lying just a few feet from me, unmoving. Something was strange about the way he was positioned, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I ran to him, fighting the urge to hyperventilate. Once I was close, I realized it was his head bent at an odd angle.

“Oh, God,” I whimpered. His neck was broken, his body lying lifeless. I checked for his pulse, ignoring the way his eyes stayed open eerily. There was no pulse. “Edward!” I cried. I yelled his name over and over. Come back to me.

“Come back to me, Bella. Wake up, Love.” My eyes snapped open. Edward was sitting above me, concerned. He rubbed my face. “It was just a dream, baby. Shh, it’s okay,” he said. I let out breath in relief--he was okay. I was in a cold sweat, and Edward wiped tears from my eyes. I simply stared at him, never wanting to look away from his face. I could feel his strong arms underneath me, holding me, and I never wanted him to let me go again. I never wanted that nightmare to become a reality.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack! One minute you’re moaning my name in your sleep and the next you’re screaming bloody murder,” Edward said. It was just a bad dream, but I couldn’t get it out of my head, couldn’t let it go. I sat up quickly and threw my arms around Edward, caressing his back and gripping his hair. His stubble scratched against my shoulder, and I had never welcomed the feeling so much. Edward held me tight, and I knew I must have been freaking him out. “You wanna talk about it, Bella?” he whispered.

“Oh, Edward, it was horrible. You were in this really high tree, like thirty feet high, and you fell head first and you broke you neck, and I couldn’t save you. I couldn’t save you..” I trailed off. The tears came in full force and my shoulders shook with my sobs as I remembered Edward’s body crumpled on the ground. It was so realistic, and the fact that it could really happen scared the hell out of me. “We need to get off this island, Edward. What if one of us gets sick? What if one of us gets hurt?” I cried into his shoulder.

Edward ran his fingers through my hair gently, trying to calm me down. “We will, Bella, I promise. We won’t be here much longer. A plane or something is bound to pass close sometime, and nothing is going to happen to either of us.”

I leaned away from him, taking in the sincerity in his eyes. His loving and serious expression didn’t waver for a second, and my tensed muscles relaxed. I looked down to his chest and traced the valleys between his muscles. “Staying here isn’t as appealing anymore after that dream,” I muttered. I could almost imagine the frown that graced his face at my words, but I refused to look at him. He sighed.

“I know. We really can’t live in our little bubble here forever. It would be nice, though,” he said. I looked up at him, surprised that he was agreeing with me. I was all prepared for him to give me a speech on how he could take care of me and not worry about everything else. I raised my eyebrows at him. “We’re kind of like Adam and Eve, eh?” He nudged me, the cute, lopsided smirk plastered on his face again.

I laughed and said, “Oh, yes. Adam and Eve indeed. Where’s that forbidden apple?” I looked around playfully, pretending to look for an apple tree. Edward snorted.

“I wish you were Eve,” he said huskily, giving me a look as if I were his prey.

“And why is that?” I asked, curious.

“Because then you would be naked all the time.” My jaw dropped at his words, and memories of the night before and the beginning of the dream filled my dirty little mind. He chuckled and kissed me chastely. “Speaking of nakedness, how are you feeling? I’m sure last night had to be, uh, different for you,” he said, slightly blushing.

“Last night was perfect, Edward. I want many more,” I whispered the last part. Edward’s eyes widened.

“Oh. It seems I’ve created a monster. Or maybe a vixen,” he said. “But all joking aside, how do you feel?” I was a little sore, honestly, but it wasn’t bad in any way. The slight discomfort in my limbs was a reminder of our lovemaking, and each time I moved and felt a little pain, I wanted to smile. Call me a masochist.

“Sore. And happy.” I kissed him deeply, biting his lip and tracing it with my tongue when I pulled away. Edward cocked an eyebrow at my sudden forwardness, then looked down at his lap. I followed his gaze, and saw that my ministrations were exciting him.

“Yep,” he laughed, “definitely created a monster.”

***

“Let’s go swimming,” Edward suggested after we ate lunch. I was busy tracing the small string around my finger, the one Edward had given to me the night before. I loved it already, even though it was just a string. Edward had given it to me, and I knew he had probably been thinking of a real ring when he tied it around my finger. The thought excited me, and I couldn’t stop admiring the strand.

“I’m not a good swimmer. I thought you realized that when we swam to the island,” I said, embarrassed.

“I won’t let you drown, Bella. Please?” I couldn’t deny that face of his, especially when he wanted something.

“Alright,” I huffed, “let me change into one of those bikinis from the suitcase.”

Ten minutes later, I was on Edward’s back, floating and clinging onto him as if my life depended on it. I was terrified and trying to hide it from him. When we were swimming toward the island almost a month ago, I wasn’t as scared, only because I was so focused on finding land. Now that we had found it, and it was only about fifteen feet away from me, I never wanted to go in deep water again. Ever. But here I was, fighting my fear in an attempt to make Edward happy.

Every little touch or caress to my legs under the water had my heart rate up and my anxiety level going crazy. I was sure my blood pressure had to be really high with my paranoia. I could see Edward’s face, too, and he was smiling like a boy with an entire cookie jar. He was breathtaking.

“I don’t want to go far, Edward,” I said nervously. That was where I would put my foot down. He turned his head to look back at me.

“I won’t, Bella. And you’re stiff as a board. Relax a little,” he said, turning around again. He swam with me on his back for a little longer before putting me down. We were up to my neckline deep, and I was glad that I could see everything through the clear water.

“Hey! Look, a shark!” Edward said loudly, pointing to the right of me. My heart shot into my throat, and I darted to Edward’s side faster than the speed of light. My eyes searched furiously for the offending sea animal. I couldn’t find it, and I froze and started screaming.

Edward clamped his hand over my mouth, halting my shrieks. “Bella, it’s just a little nurse shark. It’s not going to hurt you.” He pointed again, and I could make out the outline of the shark. It was small, only about two feet long, and under the water. It swam past our legs sluggishly, and I calmed down as it moved farther away from us. I looked up to Edward in apology, and I was feeling stupid for being so scared, but when I saw the expression on Edward’s face, I could feel my cheeks heating up with anger and embarrassment.

His lips were pursed to keep himself from laughing at me, and his eyes were full of amusement. I slapped his chest, effectively breaking the dam for his laughter. I scowled at him.

“You should have seen your face!” He chortled out. I crossed my arms.

“You shouldn’t have said ‘shark.’ You scared the hell out of me,” I complained. I bit my lip.

Once his laughter died down, Edward took me in his arms. “I’m sorry I scared you. Forgive me?” he asked. I nodded, knowing there was no point being mad at him. It wouldn’t last long anyway, and I had to admit…it was kind of funny. Edward smiled and we walked in the water to the other side of the island, a relatively unknown place to us.

There were lots of rocks on the other side, and there was a little cliff about fifteen feet high. The rocks blended into the trees, so it was hard to see where the cliff started, but I could tell it was on land.

“Look at that big crevice,” Edward said, pointing toward the cliff. Sure enough, there was a large opening where the water met the cliff, and it looked like a cave. Edward started swimming toward it, dragging me through the water with him.

“Oh, no, I don’t think so! You’re not getting me to go in there!” I said, pulling back. It was dark and unknown, threatening. Edward looked at me, then back at the cave, and then back to me, weighing his options.

“You want to wait here?” he asked me. I looked around, shaking my head. “Well, how about you go on the beach and wait for me there. I’ll come right back; I just want to check it out.”

I internally sighed. “No, I would much rather if we just go back to the shore. Together.” I looked back at the crevice. It looked kind of scary.

Edward’s shoulders slumped. I knew he didn’t want to leave me alone, but he still wanted to see the cave. I gave I.

“Alright. I’ll go with you,” I said, defeated. I knew I could have gotten away with him coming back with me, but I didn’t want to do that to him.

He frowned. “Bella, I don’t want you to do anything that you don’t want to do. If you’re scared, I understand, sweetheart.” Oh, now he’s pulling the sweet name calling trick. That means he’s actually very happy I’m agreeing.

I think I’m starting to know him like the back of my hand, I thought. “No, really,” I lied, “I want to go.” I just had to grin and bear it. “Just don’t let go of me. I’m scared of the dark, too.” I looked at the opening again. It looked extremely dark. We wouldn’t have any light.

Edward smiled and took my hand, swimming to the crevice. Once we reached it, I realized it was much bigger than I thought it was, and it was filled with water. There was only about two feet of space for us to keep our heads up to breathe. My feet barely reached the sand at the bottom, and even Edward had trouble keeping himself upright with his six feet and two inches height. He held onto me as we floated inside. There was enough light to see toward the end of the cave, but when we got to the end, I realized it wasn’t truly the end of the cave; it was just the end of free space. The roof of the cave turned in and met the water in front of us, and to go any farther, we would have to swim under. Edward dipped under to see, and when he came up, he turned excited.

He gripped me by the shoulders and brought me to the left side of the cave so I could hold onto the stone wall. “Wait here,” he said. “The cave goes on, and I can see light at the end. I think it might lead to the island, but I want to make sure. I don’t want you to come in case there isn’t an opening.”

I gaped at him incredulously. “And if there isn’t an opening? What if you run out of breath? Edward, you’re crazy!” I cried. But he was already swimming away from me.

“Don’t worry, love, I’ll be right back.” And with that, he went under and I could see his form swimming through the hole.

“Edward!” I called. My dream from earlier came back to me. Was it a sign? Edward had been doing something dangerous and stupid in my dream, and now he was doing something dangerous and stupid in real life. I wasn’t usually superstitious, but I had a bad feeling about this cavern. I hoped he came back soon, and when he did, I was going to give him a piece of my mind.

Five minutes passed. Then another ten minutes passed. I was growing extremely antsy, and I could feel tears of horror threaten to spill over.

Edward, come back to me, I prayed. I kept dunking my head under the water, trying to get a glimpse. Fifteen minutes was way too long for a human to be under water, even a human who had been the star of the swim team in high school. I made a deal with myself: if he wasn’t back in five minutes, I was going after him.

I counted in my head. I got to one hundred twenty seconds and decided that this was long enough. I was going find him, and he’d better be okay, or I was going to lose it.

I swam to the opening under the water and put my head below so I could see. Edward was right--there was a little light coming from the end, so there had to be an opening somewhere. I rose up, took a big gulp of oxygen, and plunged into the water with open eyes. Big green orbs met mine as soon as I was under the water. I shrieked, my breath leaving my lungs in large bubbles, floating to the surface. I shot back up, grabbing my racing heart.

“Edward!” I yelled. He came out of the little tunnel under water and shook his hair out. “You scared the shit out of me! I was so worried!” I slapped his chest and arms, everywhere I could reach. “What took you so damn long?” I demanded. He merely grabbed me around my waist and pulled me back where he came out from.

“Bella, you’ve got to see this. It’s so amazing,” he spoke quickly and vehemently.

“What is it?” I asked, still annoyed. He had no right to scare me like that.

“You just have to see. Can you hold your breath for forty seconds?” he asked. I nodded, and he told me to do it. I did as I was told, and we both plunged into the water. He pulled me through the water, through the cave. I was extremely nervous, knowing I couldn’t go up for air. I tried to help him out by kicking my legs.

I was growing claustrophobic, holding my breath and waiting for an opening. There was barely any light, and that terrified me, especially while being in water. It reminded me of the times my electricity would go out while I was in the shower and I would get so scared, I would just get out and wait for the lights to come back on, suds in my hair be damned.

Eventually, in thirty seconds, I felt Edward rise up in the water, taking me with him. We floated to the surface, and I took a deep breath as my face hit air. I looked around, and Edward was right--it was fantastic.

“It’s a grotto,” Edward explained to me, “isn’t it beautiful?” We swam to where there were sand and rocks, and I stood up as soon as my feet could reach the bottom.

It was made completely of rock, with a breakage in the roof that let the sunlight in. It was only about ten feet in height and about twenty in width, but it was gorgeous. There were vines along the walls of the grotto, and I could see little fish in the water. There was a tiny waterfall on the left wall, and it made the most beautiful sound. The sand wasn’t as white as on the shore, and it was clumpy and moist, but it was solid and just perfect. There were plants and sea shells everywhere, giving it the most natural effect. Stalagmites and stalactites lined the roof and floor corners. I could feel my grin from ear to ear.

“I knew you would like it,” Edward said, taking my hand.

“It’s gorgeous,” I said, all anger for him gone completely. I leaned into him, looking at his lips. He crushed his to mine, and I opened willingly, tasting his sweet, cinnamon flavor. He brought his hands to my face, holding me in place as he pulled away and returned his mouth to my throat, nibbling there.

“What took you so long?” I asked shakily, trying to keep a hold on my sanity as he nipped along my neck.

“I wanted to make sure it was safe,” he whispered against the heated skin of my collarbone. I gave up talking, as I knew if I tried to speak, it would just come out as mumbo jumbo in my state of being. My breathing turned ragged when I felt his kisses drift to the top of my breasts.

With one last open-mouthed kiss above my heart, he pulled away. I looked at him, and he laughed. “You’re blushing like fire now,” he said. He traced my cheekbone with his fingertips.

I walked into the water again.

“It’s warmer here than the rest of the water out there,” I mused, “Or did you just pee?” I joked. Edward snorted.

“No. I think it’s because sunlight comes through there,” he pointed at the holes in the roof, “and the heat is trapped. It probably cools off at night, though.”

“Well, I don’t want to stick around to find out. I hate the dark. At least out there we have the moonlight,” I said.

“Yeah, but now we have a place to go if there is a storm,” Edward said. I nodded, remembering how miserable I was during the last cold storm. I shivered at the thought.

Edward sat in the sand, and he looked so yummy sitting there, I had to join him. This place was so beautiful, everything on the island was. And I knew as perfect as everything was, we couldn’t stay. It made me sad.

We stayed in the grotto for hours talking and kissing and touching. Edward told me more about his high school and college years, and I shared the same information with him. He couldn’t believe that I had only ever really dated one guy, and I couldn’t believe he had actually tried cocaine.

“I was drunk. I don’t even remember it. One of my friends told me I had the next morning,” he explained. “It’s like I always say: “I’m never mixing tequila with Jack Daniels again.” The waterfall was our only other source of sound, and we had to talk loud over it to hear each other.

And never once did we hear the plane flying above us.




All pictures are taken from either Google or Deviantart.