Picture Perfect

Edward is led by his best friend and one true love, Bella, to a small clearing in the woods.

Picture Perfect

Over the last few years of my life I had allowed myself to fall for the one girl I couldn’t get. With every girl I’d ever met swooning at my feet, I’d only had eyes for the girl who sat by me and laughed at them. I hadn’t dated a single girl in over five years. Ever since I realised I loved my best friend I didn’t seem to see anyone else. The other girls were like small stars compared to my meteor, my sun, my Bella.

It was her who had dragged me deep into the heart of the woods in Forks, telling me to bring my guitar, in the dead of night. I’d followed her like an obedient child, helping her every time she tripped or stumbled over a rock or branch. Bella was never much of a hiker - she didn’t have the co-ordination skills for it. I loved being there when she did hike, however. Perhaps it was the fact that I was always there to catch her when she fell, a little like a Prince Charming rescuing his Princess. Not that I had any right to be compared to a Prince Charming.

“We’re here,” Bella announced as she stepped into small, perfectly cut off clearing. She spun around, making an attempt to be graceful, then her left foot got caught behind her right leg and she went tumbling forwards straight into my expectant arms. She looked away from me as she mumbled thanks, her cheeks blushing furiously. I loved it when she blushed. I leant forward and kissed the top of her head, my heart pounding unusually fast beneath my ribs.

“So,” I murmured, my lips lingering above her forehead. “Why exactly did you drag me here at this time of night? Did you have a particular reason or was it just to show me how spectacularly skilled you are at tumbling over your own feet?”

She pulled herself out of my grasp and scowled at me, only making my grin widen. “Actually,” she replied coolly as she flicked her hair behind her shoulder with a jolt of her head, “I wanted to show you something.”

She smiled broadly at me and tugged on my hand. I followed her into the centre of the clearing and turned to look in the direction she’d pointed in. “Isn’t it beautiful?” She asked. I turned to look at her. Her eyes were glazing over, as if she were about to cry, as she stared at the night sky. I studied her perfect face once more; her deliciously red cheeks, her beautiful brown eyes, wide in awe, her cute little lips that now curled into a delicate smile, her wonderful hair. Taking a deep breath, I squeezed her hand and replied, “Beautiful.”

She turned to face me then and took my other hand in hers so that she now held both of them. “Play me a song?” She begged, tilting her head sideways.

I rolled my eyes. “Sure, Bells.” As if there were anyway I could have said no. Not to Bella, not when she so wanted me too. I would commit crimes for this girl, and I meant that literally.

Grinning with her little victory, she dropped my hands and dropped to the ground, her legs crossing. She looked up at me, her eyes eager, and beckoned me to sit down too. I rolled my eyes again before dropping beside her, mimicking her position exactly. I placed my guitar case beside me and took the instrument from it, draping the strap around my shoulder and balancing the ‘long end’, as Bella put it, in my hand. I slowly began to strum a few chords, my hands automatically flowing into a gentle rhythm. I found my eyes wondering up into the sky as I continued strumming. I felt Bella lowering her head into my lap and my eyes shut for a moment. I could feel the heat of her head on my lap.

“Darkness finds I listen
To every little thing she has to say
And when I'm all but found its
Darkness that will lead my way”

I opened my eyes and continued looking into the distant sky.

“And all she ever asks me to do is
Stay awake to see a picture perfect
Moon she'll give me
She ties a ribbon too and with the stars
She lets me know she's playin with the sun
He always makes it hard for her to see me”

I looked down to see Bella grinning up at me, her eyes wickedly amused. I shook my head and looked back up at the sky. I smiled, content with this position, and continued.

“One day me and darkness will run away and sun will see
He should have let me take her in the first place and
Stay awake to see the picture perfect moon she’ll give me
She ties a ribbon too and with the stars
She lets me know she's mine
All I ever wanted was for me and the moon to shine
And make the darkness
Stay awake to see a picture perfect moon she'll give me
She ties a ribbon too and with the stars
She lets me know that she
Stays awake to see a picture perfect moon she'll give me
She ties a ribbon too and with the stars
She lets me know she's mine”

I stopped strumming when the song finished and bit my lip, anxious to what Bella would have to say about my newest song. It had some meaning to me and it might just hurt my ego if she didn’t like it, especially since I’d written it especially for her. Luckily, she seemed to like it.

“That was beautiful,” she whispered, her voice horse. I gave into my protective instincts and looked down. There were tears in her eyes as she looked back up at me. Our eyes locked for a moment and I felt my heart rate rise considerably.

“Well,” I said, my ears burning red. “I’m glad you liked it.”

“Hm, yes,” she replied, sounding rather distracted. “Well, liked is rather an understatement. Did I ever tell you that I thought you were a wonderful musician?”

I chuckled lightly. “Thirty two times at the last count,” I replied jokingly. I let my hand drop from the guitar strings and brushed Bella’s hair off of her face, tucking a few strands behind her ear. “Did I ever tell you that I thought you were beautiful?”

Bella blushed at my compliment but she didn’t look away from my eyes. “I’ve lost count,” she murmured, her voice thick with amusement. I realised I hadn’t moved my hand from her face and so did so now, although I was rather reluctant to. “I don’t see how you think I could be beautiful,” she continued, “I mean, especially compared to you.”

I frowned and pressed my palm to her cheek almost immediately. Although it felt incredible to be touching her again, my frown didn’t relax. My eyes were almost as distressed as my thoughts. Why couldn’t Bella understand how beautiful she was? And why she thought I was beautiful was beyond my understanding. “But Bella, you are so beautiful.” And perfect, and wonderful, and utterly enchanting. “Totally picture perfect.”

It was her turn to roll her eyes. She shook her head at me. “Honestly,” she murmured, her irritation clear in her voice. I winked at her and, chuckling, began to strum a few chords on my guitar.

“And all she ever asks me to do is
Stay awake to see a picture perfect
Moon she'll give me
She ties a ribbon too and with the stars”

I carried on strumming but didn’t bother to continue singing. Then, to my surprise, I heard her small, timid voice come from beneath me. It sounded like she was singing.

“He should have let me take her in the first place and
Stay awake to see the picture perfect moon she’ll give me”

I just saw there, completely breathless and totally shocked. I heard Bella take a deep intake of breath and turn to face me.

“Stay awake to see a picture perfect moon she'll give me
She ties a ribbon too and with the stars
She lets me know that she”

We sang together now, her tiny little voice so different to my confident, strong tone. She paused to grin up at me as I continued.
“Stays awake to see a picture perfect moon she'll give me
She ties a ribbon too and with the stars
She lets me know she's mine”

I finished the song again and just stared at her, my eyebrows arched and her cheeks such an adorable red. “You sing?” I asked finally, my voice coming out as a whisper.

“Only when I’m with you,” she admitted. It seemed to embarrass her. I, however, felt my stomach erupt with butterflies. The trill of the words she had just spoken ran down my spine.

Bella suddenly sat up and turned to face me. Her eyes were curious as they stared deep into mine. “I was wondering while we were singing,” she began, pausing to take in my expression before she continued, “that there was something I wanted to try.”

I froze, my heartbeat completely stopping for a few seconds. Then, slowly but carefully, she slid closer to me and inched her face forward. Her eyes still bore into mine. Curious, excited, the expressions she displayed mirrored mine. Then she pressed her lips against mine. Neither of us moved an inch for a few seconds until she pulled back. Her face was still only a few inches of mine. So close, the temptation was incredibly hard to resist. But there was something I wanted to tell her, something that was more important that another kiss.

“I love you,” I whispered. I saw her eyes grow wild, her cheeks turning a furious shade of red again.

“I lose you too,” she whispered back, smiling softly.

I grinned back at her then slowly moved my lips so they were right beside her ear. “She ties a ribbon too,” I whispered, even quieter than before, my eyes now shut. “And with the stars she lets me know she’s mine.”

Author's Note

So yesterday I was reading a piece of Fan Fiction and they happened to mention the song Picture Perfect by Tyler Hilton and I couldn't help but listen to it continiously over and over the whole night. Then, at midnight, I closed my eyes and I saw this scene play in front of my eyes. So I thought I'd write it down and share it with you.