Where's My Spontaneity?
Title: Where’s My Spontaneity?
Author: teisha_marie
Fanfic/Fanart: Fanfic for venus_fiction’s ‘An Apple A Day Challenge’
Prompt: Rain
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,603
Spoilers: n/a
Summary: Did she wish upon a star or did her wild hopes go awry to spite her?
Carlisle watched Bella curiously as she sat in the backyard of the Cullen household whilst he shrugged on a thick windbreaker. The others had just left to hunt and he was going to catch up to them as soon as he checked in at the hospital to drop off some paper work. She was in the centre of the yard, leaning back on to her hands, her back facing him and head tossed back, letting the heavy rain just fall on her face. She was smiling. It wasn’t a massive grin; it didn’t show any teeth, it was just a small, content smile. She looked happy and warm despite the pouring rain and the cold.
He had the paperwork in his hand, thinking of just leaving the doors open for her to come inside, but thought better of it. He put the paperwork back on the table and made his way out.
He was soaked almost instantly as he stepped outside the house, he sat down on the grass beside Bella, knees drawn up and crossed at his ankles. He wrapped his arms loosely around his knees, looking straight ahead into the forest.
“You know, you’ll probably get the flu if you stay out here,” he said without looking at her. She jumped slightly, unaware of his presence. Though as soon as she recognised the smooth, dulcet tones and faint traces of the English accent of the doctor, she relaxed immediately. She’d always loved that about the doctor, that no matter the situation, she could always turn to Carlisle and find herself at ease.
“Hardly,” she started, she glanced Carlisle briefly before closing her eyes and throwing her head back again. “I’d only get a cold. You of all people should know, Doctor Cullen.”
“You can still get sick and nobody wants to see the human sick.”
“No, you don’t want to see me sick because when Edward comes and finds me with a cold, you’re the one who will have to face his wrath.”
“I’ll give you that one, but wouldn’t want me to get into trouble will you?”
“I’ll risk it,” Carlisle feigned surprise and hurt at her statement. Their playful banter was easy for the both of them and Carlisle felt younger with her - well he felt his physical age. There were some times where he felt so dull; it was as if with his respected position at the hospital and the leader of the family, he never had the opportunity to be twenty-three. It wasn’t often when he could be his real age and when he did; he cherished it. As for Bella, it was rare for her to feel such comfort with a person. She was always on alert, trying to please everybody, to avoid being judged, but with Carlisle it was different, even though they only really saw each other in the few times she had been to the mansion and in the emergency room, she noticed how he had affected her life.
“So why are you out here, Bella? When you could be inside, where there’s heating and blankets and hot chocolate. I think Esme even bought marshmallows.” He had taken to the same position as Bella, with his face looking to the sky, watching the rain fall, feeling it run over his cheeks.
“Stop trying to bribe with warmth so you don’t get yourself into trouble. I want to be out here. Since Forks is becoming a permanent fixture in my life, I figured I’m going to suck it up and get used to the rain. Then maybe, just maybe I may come to like it.”
Carlisle was stunned, “so, you figure sitting out in the rain with a sweater on in sixty five degree weather is going to help you start to like the rain?”
“Perhaps,” Carlisle shook his head in astonishment pondering what was going on inside her head. Even though he thought Bella’s antics were ridiculous, he sat right with her and had no inclination of moving. They fell into a comfortable silence; the only sound was the rain against the house. Before long, a chill ran down Bella’s spine, rather than taking her inside, as if on instinct, drew her close to him, wrapping her in his windbreaker; realistically they both knew that if anything, that would make Bella colder instead of warmer, but neither complained. They thought they must have been crazy.
The brunette buried her head underneath his arm finding a strange comfort against his marble body.
“But,” she started breaking the quiet, mumbling into his side before looking up at Carlisle through squinted eyes. “They say that rain is special, like magic. Like, looking up into the sky on a cloudless night and making a wish on that brightest star and having it come true. But not knowing it’s going to happen. It’s unexpected and completely spontaneous.” Carlisle listened intently, staring into her chocolate doe eyes. “At the same time, I’m frightened of that spontaneity, but I think that’s the thrill; the appeal of it, I never know what’s going to happen.” That’s why Bella felt that while she loved Edward, he basically had everything planned out for her, there was nothing particularly adventurous they could do if she was to remain human. “I guess that I’m trying to find that magic, that thrilling experience and if I look hard enough, I can find it here.” After several second of silence and staring at each other, Bella looked down at the grass, grumbling, “I know; that’s stupid right? Looking for something wonderfully sudden in rain. What the hell… How naïve.”
“No Bella, that’s not stupid at all.” The doctor lifted her chin gently to face him. “In fact, I think that everyone looks for that magic, but they think it will just come to them. You’ve gone out searching for it, that’s a quality I love most about you, you don’t do things in half measures. You’re determined and you fight, that’s a quality in you that I truly admire.” He smiled affectionately at her and the familiar blush crept up her cheeks. She tried to look down again, trying to break away from his gaze, but he wouldn’t let her. His fingers remained underneath her chin and his thumb brushed just underneath her bottom lip. Bella bit her bottom lip and her eyebrows knitted together as she tried to look at anything but the doctor; not because she was uncomfortable, quite the opposite, she was nervous because she was so comfortable. She tried to think of things she could say, bunches of words moved through her head, but nothing would make enough sense.
And before she knew it, Carlisle used his thumb to take her lip from her teeth and gingerly leaned in close, close enough that their noses were touching, but far enough apart that she could pull away if she wanted. Bella didn’t move away, so Carlisle brushed his lips on hers twice before pressing them to hers, neither moved to deepen the kiss, but the blonde cupped her cheek with his other hand and Bella shut her eyes tightly, the rain rolled down their cheeks and off the end of their noses as if they were washing away the rest of the world. The rain beat on, heavier around them, the water flowing around the two, forming a blur, merging their souls into one, they remained like that for several seconds before Bella pulled away. Their foreheads were pressed together and their eyes still closed, Bella’s breathing was much heavier, her eyebrows still drawn together. She was confused, she felt a comfort with this man that she scarcely felt with anyone else, she felt they were equal. So why did she let him kiss her? Why didn’t she back out when he gave her the opportunity? Why did she enjoy it so much?
Bella moved to get up, mumbling about a taking that shower and hot chocolate, leaving Carlisle still stunned in the backyard. She ran inside dripping wet and stumbled up the staircase and straight to the bathroom. She shed her sopping wet clothes that smelled faintly of Carlisle and brought the them up to her nose, sighing as she smelt honey and lemon before throwing them into the hamper beside the door.
The steaming water didn’t help to soothe her and while the hot water warmed Bella’s skin, inside she still felt cold. She sat down on the floor of the shower, leaning her head back against the marble tiles, closing her eyes. As the water ran over her, all she could think of was the rain running off her body and being pressed close to Carlisle’s cool figure.
She remembered the tingling sensation she felt where Carlisle had touched her cheek. She huffed at herself, all the questions were answered with more questions. She stepped out of the shower and changed into warmer clothes, ambling down the stairs into the kitchen. She noticed that the paperwork that was once there was now gone and through the glass of the door, the Mercedes that was usually in the driveway was no longer there.
She sighed sadly and looked to the counter, beside the toaster was a giant steaming hot mug of hot chocolate with two pink marshmallows floating on top. She reached out hesitantly, cupping the mug between her hands and blew on the top of mug to cool it down; it was then her eyes caught sight of a post-it on the counter top, with an elegant script that could only belong to Carlisle.
‘Well, that was unexpected.’ She couldn’t help but smile.