Chapter Text
Alice had invited Bella out for coffee the first day they were back in Forks. Alice had always looked out for Bella, making sure she was eating, making sure she was standing up for herself, comforting her when she mad even the slightest mistake, so it made sense to take her out when her boyfriend didn't move back. That was all it was. A friendly outing. Bella wasn't going on a date, especially not with her boyfriends sister.
Especially not with a woman.
Bella waved goodbye to Charlie, the door creaking as she stepped outside, rushing to the bright yellow Porsche and sliding into the passenger seat.
"Sooo, which coffee shop do you want to go to?" They questioned.
"It's up to you." Bella fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve, avoiding eye contact.
"Come on, don't be like that," Alice did her best to lighten the mood, before her expression turned slightly more serious. "Edward wasn't good for you anyways," she offered, "he was, like.. closed off, and bad at communicating. Come on, we can go to the park. It'll be fun, I promise."
"Fine," Bella scoffed. "We can go to Hard Rain Cafe. I've heard good things about it."
"Great! Oh my God, I'm so excited, you have no idea!"
The drive was quiet if Bella tried hard enough to tune out Alice. It wasn't like she didn't like her, it was that her endless ramblings about girls that they met in New York made her feel... odd. She wasn't homophobic, it was more like she wished she was one of them, which was also odd, since she wasn't gay. She liked Edward, she and Alice were just.. really close.
The shop was quaint, quiet, peaceful. It was a little eerie. Everything in Bellas life was supposed to be turned upside down when Edward didn't come back, but oddly, she felt a little grateful. What she felt towards Edward was mostly annoyance. When he did try, it was annoying and overenthusiastic, but when he didn't, he felt like boring waste of time. When he was nice, it was cheesy and overprotective, but if he wasn't, it was rude and dismissive. Alice was never like that. Everything she did, and everything she said, was perfect, always just right, always the better version of him.
"Bella? Bella!" Alice snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Oh.. what?"
"What are you ordering?"
"I'll have whatever you got, I'm sure it's good."
Alice blushed. Just slightly, but enough for Bella to be slightly sick. She shouldn't feel like this.
"Anything else?" The barista asked. They both shook their heads.
"We'll take them to go," Alice added last second.
"Will do!"
"To go? Why?" Bella said, confused.
"We're gonna go to the park, remember?"
"Oh. Right." Something about Bellas tone wasn't her usual awkward. Something was more uncomfortable than usual. She felt like she was being skinned and inspected under a microscope every time Alice looked at her.
They left the coffee shop and travelled down the street to the one and only park in Forks, iced coffees in hand. It was dirty and run down, but there were a few trails that led into the woods that Bella and Edward used to walk down in awkward silence. The silence now was refreshing, it was welcome. There was nothing Bella wanted to talk about, there was no pressure to have any conversation.
Alice had picked a dandelion and put in Bellas hair. No words were spoken, but enough was said. It wasn't corny, like it would have been with Edward. It was sincere. Both of their faces burned, staring at each other like this wasn't wrong, like Bella shouldn't have been with Edward right then.
Alice cleared her throat and started walking again, her kitten heels clicking on the concrete. Bella followed quickly. She would have followed them anywhere. There was no hesitation, only a desire to be with her. In a normal, platonic, straight way. She loved Edward, she really did. She wasn't tired of the constant soulless dates, or the empty 'I love you's. That was normal. It was fine to be tired of your partner. Totally normal to like his sister more.
She reached out for Alices hand. The touch was gentle and soft. It wasn't the calloused, rough skin she was used to, when Alice rubbed her hand she didn't want to let go. If she could given up anything to stay in that moment forever, fingers interlocked with the most gorgeous person she had ever seen in her life, their shoes clicking against cracked concrete, their skin glittering in the rays of sunlight that shone through the trees, she would have kissed it goodbye a hundred years ago.
The day had ended far too soon. Bella ate at the diner silently, arriving late and not acknowleging it. She had rushed Charlie, and even though she felt bad, she had to be alone with her thoughts. She sat in her room for a few seconds before messaging Alice.
Bella: Today was really fun! :D Do you want to do something else again soon?
Alice: Of course!!! How does Friday at 8 sound?
Bella: Great! See you at school Monday :)
Alice: <3
Her eyes lingered on the heart for a moment before she closed her computer. That meant nothing. Of course. It was Alice. They probably sent that to everyone. Bella started out her window, trying to get the message out of her head. Alice had sent things like that a ton before, it was nothing new. It meant nothing different with Edward out of the picture. Nothing more, nothing less.
Regardless, Bella fell asleep with thoughts of Alice haunting her dreams.