Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the make believe characters mentioned in this story.
AN: I think I've written about every holiday except Halloween. When I was a little girl I didn't celebrate the holiday the way most people did and as I got older I had to have my costume approved by my very strict, very Christian mother. Now that I'm older I appreciate the day a little better, but it's still not my favorite holiday.
Warning: This story contains a same sex couple. If you don't like that kind of thing than I am not going to force you to read it and I completely understand. That being said I should warn you that all hate mail will be laughed at, mocked, and then deleted.
Halloween had never been an important holiday for Bella Swan. It was the one night of the year that her dad would lecture of the dangers of taking candy from strangers and being weary of people who wanted her to get into their car. Not that it couldn't happen any other night of the year but in Forks Washington doctors visits pertaining to food poisoning and abductions tended to spike in the few days after Halloween. She had been Punky Brewster for five years straight because her mom had thought that she looked just like her as a kid. Now that she was older she didn't think that the TV character would work.
The only reason adults threw Halloween parties was so that they had another excuse to get drunk. She wasn't much of a drinker so she had bowed out of her best friend Emmett's notorious keggers the last couple of years. This year he had been a little more persistent.
"Come on, Bells, you have to come," he pleaded.
"Actually, I don't Em," she corrected him
"Do you have anything else planned?"
"I was going spend the night watching TV and handing out candy."
"So in other words it's going to be you, Thor, Captain America, a bowl of M&M's and a bunch of screaming meanies," he said in sarcasm.
"For your information I'm giving out Reese's Cups and I'm throwing The Avengers into the mix this year," she said with her hands on her hips.
"I'll gladly take the Reese's Cups off your hands and you can ogle over Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans some other night," he said pointedly.
"Why is it so important that I come?" she asked with an exasperated sigh.
"Because Paul's invited a bunch of his friends and plus, Alice and Jazz are coming."
Emmett and Paul had only been dating a couple of months. Paul worked odd hours as one of Seattle's finest. Bella had talked to him numerous times on the phone but had yet to met him and if she didn't go to Emmett's party he would hold it over her head until the day she died. She growled in aggravation before agreeing that she would go. Emmett picked her up off the ground, spinning her around as he laughed. She was dizzy and seeing three of everything by the time he put her down. She didn't know why but she felt that her life was about to change.
XXXX
Bella had put off buying a costume until the day before Halloween. She knew what she wanted but finding what she wanted was another question. She'd brought Alice along since Alice needed to pick up the costume that she had rented. They had gone to three different stores looking for what she wanted. They had been at this particular store for half an hour and she'd combed through every single rack when the realization that she wasn't going to find what she wanted smacked her in the face.
"What exactly are we looking for?" Alice asked from the end of the aisle.
"I was thinking of going as Katniss Everdeen."
"You've got a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans and those boots that you have would be perfect, you can even borrow my brown leather jacket and there you go."
"I wanted to wear what she wore during the games," Bella said with a shake of her head.
"I have an idea," Alice said, her eyes alight with mischief.
"I don't like that look, it never means anything good," Bella said with trepidation.
"Let's go," Alice said pulling her out of the store by the hand.
The ten minute drive to Bella's apartment was spent with her trying to pry what Alice had planned out of her. Alice brushed her off each time and once they were at her apartment Alice headed to her bedroom.
"What are you looking for?" Bella asked as Alice rummaged through her dresser.
"Found it," Alice announced pulling a black form fitting tank top out of the top drawer.
The bottom drawer was opened next and clothes were strone across the floor in Alice's wake. She left the mess on the floor as she opened the middle drawer. When she didn't find what she was looking for she went to the closet.
"Will you tell me what you're looking for before you trash my room?"
"Do you still have those black lycra short shorts?"
"The ones that Jasper says show off my ass but yet you can never wear because you don't have one?"
"Yes, those," Alice said shooting her a dark look.
"Top of the closet, in the Edward box," Bella said with a sigh.
"What are they doing in there?"
"Jasper wasn't the only one who liked them. Plus, Edward bought them for me," Bella explained as she flopped down onto the bed.
"We're going to find you a man tomorrow night so you can get over his stuck up, pale ass," Alice said with a deep sigh.
Bella had been with Edward for nearly two years when she found out that he was cheating on her with Jasper's cousin Rosalie. The three months since they had broken up had been lonely for her. It hadn't made things easier when Alice had shown her their wedding announcement two weeks ago. He had moved on, why couldn't she? Emmett had called her seething the other day because Edward had had the nerve to send him a wedding invitation. Her friends were supportive, she could always count on them to stand by her through thick and thin.
"Who am I supposed to be exactly?"
"You are gonna be Lara Croft once we get you some thigh holsters. I know just where to get them too," Alice said, tapping her finger on her chin.
"Does this involve a trip to the sex store?" Bella asked, her voice devoid of emotion.
"Yes, it does," Alice said with an evil smile.
"Have fun, because I'm not going."
"Don't be such a prude. I have to pick up enough condoms to fill my basket anyway so we're killing two birds with one stone."
Bella sighed knowing that resistance was futile.
"I have one question. Who's Lara Croft?"
"She is every gamers wet dream."
"She's from a friggin' video game?" Bella asked, whining.
"Yes, she is; and believe it or not you could pass for Angelina Jolie who played her in the movies."
"Thanks," She mumbled.
Leave it to Alice to compliment her when she least expected it. Bella was probably going to regret this but at least she would have fun with her friends so she could always drag them down with her.
XXXX
"Why are we going again?" Jacob asked.
"Because Paul's been on our backs about coming to see him for weeks. It's only one night, suck it up," Quil told him.
"Easy for you to say. You took the cheaters way out. Freakin' zombie, I oughta beat your ass," Embry said to Quil, muttering the last sentence under his breath.
"Aww shut up before a douse you with holy water," Quil quipped.
"That's not gonna work stupid," Embry said with a eye roll.
"You do realize that he's not really Dracula, right?" Jacob asked Quil.
"Shut up Batman," they both said at the same time.
"You two are imbeciles, I give up," Jacob said with a sigh.
He could think of a better way of spending his night than hanging out with Paul Miller. He barely tolerated the guy but he'd been nice to him because his parents had raised him to kill people with kindness and to not hold grudges. He would put his dislike for Paul aside for the night since he didn't have any other plans. At least he'd be getting free beer out of it.
Jacob adjusted his mask one last time before deciding that he wasn't going to get it any straighter than it already was. Embry had wanted him to go as Frankenstein or a werewolf so that the three of them could go as different characters from the black and white horror movies that they'd watched as kids but Jacob had reneged because making him go as Frankenstein was demeaning. Just because he was the tallest of the three of them and was more filled out that didn't automatically make him a freak of nature.
The three of them got surprisingly very few odd looks and a couple of people had even asked Embry to bite them and one person had asked Jacob if he was looking for a sex slave. Embry being Embry had gladly stopped for pictures while Jacob had ignored the teenage girl who gave him a sultry look after offering him her services. They had chosen to walk since Embry lived only two blocks from Paul. As they neared the house they could see that people had already started to show up. Jacob was already thinking of a excuse that he could use to make a quick exit.
XXXX
Bella had to admit that her costume was fairly simple even if it wasn't something that she would have chosen. Her thigh holsters were in a bag at her feet because she didn't want to put them on until she got out of the car. Alice had bought her a pair of black calf high boots with a small heel which Bella felt comfortable with. Her hair was in a tight french braid with only a few long tendrils framing the left side of her face.
Jasper and Alice talked in the front seat idly but Bella tuned them out. The feeling that something would happen tonight was back again and she had yet to figure out why she was so nervous. They pulled up to the small bungalow style house and the back yard was crowded with people enjoying themselves. Alice pulled the hood of her short red cape over her head and grabbed her basket from the trunk before following Jasper and Bella up the walkway. She got a few wolf howls which caused Jasper to roll his eyes in amusement. Yes, Alice was dressed as a sexed up Red Riding Hood but the least people could do was be more creative.
Jasper pulled off the Green Lantern look even better than Ryan Reynolds had. His blonde hair was a tousled mess but it worked for him and his blue eyes were kind behind his mask. He had even been able to find a ring like the one from the comic books and movie. Bella knocked on the door and Emmett opened it half a minute later.
"Who are you supposed to be? Barbarella?" he asked Bella.
"My costume isn't complete. I need to use your room to finish getting ready."
"But who are you?"
"She's Tomb Raider," Jasper answered.
"For real?" Emmett asked in astonishment.
"You can thank me later," Alice said kissing both his cheeks in greeting.
Bella attached the thigh holsters with little problems and slid the toy guns into place to round out her outfit. She took a look at herself in the mirror attached to the back of Emmett's closet and she decided that she didn't look half bad, even if she was wearing even less than Alice. The door opened and Emmett slipped in.
"You're a bad ass. Every straight guy here is going to have fantasies about you for weeks," he praised her.
"You think so?"
"I would if I didn't like boys."
"I'll go out there and let you get ready," she said with a laugh.
"You can stay."
He went to the closet and grabbed a clear plastic bag and all Bella saw was gold and white fabric. He headed into the bathroom and she sat on the bed while he dressed.
"Where's Paul?"
"He had to work a couple extra hours. He should be here soon."
"Who is he going to be dressed as?"
"The Temerinator."
"Very nice," she said with a light laugh.
"It was a easy choice since he already had everything he needed."
He was silent for a few minutes before he swore loud enough for Bella to hear him. She came to stand at the door and saw that he was dressed as a gladiator and he couldn't get the golden leaved halo to stay on his head.
"I think Alice might have some bobby pins, I'll be right back."
She came back a few minutes later with a handful of bobby pins. She placed the circlet on Emmett's head before securing it with the pins. The door to the bedroom opened and footsteps could heard making their way to the bathroom door.
"If I didn't know who you were I'd toss you out of here for having your hands on my boyfriend," Paul said.
Bella's head swiveled to take him in. Paul was average height but he, like Emmett liked to keep himself in shape. The smirk he was wearing would have made her weak in the knees if he were straight but since he wasn't she smiled in greeting.
"Hi," she said with a small wave.
"I'm so glad that the two of you are finally getting a chance to meet," Emmett said with a wide grin.
"You were right, she is beautiful," Paul said, looking at her over the rim of his sunglasses.
Bella smiled shyly, feeling a blush creep up her neck and soon her face was flushed.
"This is going to be a great night. I get to spend it with my two favorite people," Emmett said draping an arm over Bella and Paul's shoulders to lead them out of the room.
Bella separated herself from Emmett and Paul so that the two of them could make the rounds, giving her the chance to find a corner to hide in; unaware of a small group of people following her with their eyes. She was succeeding until a group of friends that she and Emmett had gone to school with came through the door. She hadn't seen most of them since high school. The only two she had kept in contact with made eye contact with her and she waved. Both girls made their way to her and she took them in. Only Jessica could pull off the naughty nurse look. The top of her dress was pulled taught over her breast which were threatening to spill out. Bella gave her an approving thumbs up and Jessica stuck her tongue out playfully. Angela's costume on the other hand was more subdued. She was dressed as a referee with a striped shirt and short black shorts and a whistle around her neck.
"Who talked you into wearing that?" Jessica gesturing to Bella's costume.
"I wasn't able to find the one I wanted so Alice talked me into wearing this," she said with an exaggerated eye roll.
"I always new that she was a genius," Jessica said under her breath.
"I like it," Angela said with a nod.
"It shows too much," Bella said, folding her arms over her chest.
Emmett came to stand behind Jessica, giving Bella a pointed look.
"Could I steal her for a few minutes, girls? I've been looking for her for almost twenty minutes," he asked, fluttering his lashes at the girls.
"Sure," they both said at the same time.
Emmett gave them a warm smile as he reached between them to grab hold of Bella's arm in a vice like grip. He pulled her up gently and once they were away from Angela and Jessica he leaned down to whisper in her ear.
"I did not invite you so that you could hide all night," he whispered against her ear.
"I'm sorry that I'm a wallflower Emmett, not all of us can be as charismatic as you."
"Can't you just make one pass around the room? That's all I'm asking for," he said with pleading eyes.
She nodded, but clenched her eyes shut in annoyance. He knew that she wouldn't be able to tell him no if he gave her that look. She had fallen for it at least a thousand times since they were kids. They had been best friends since he had moved to Forks when she was in the first grade and he was in the second. She had been the first person that he had told when he realized that he was gay. She had been accepting about it from the very beginning and had been his shoulder to lean on when his first boyfriend had decided that he wasn't gay after all and had only used Emmett to experiment on.
Jake had noticed the girl in all black as soon as she had emerged from the hall with Paul and Emmett. Who was she? It was obvious that she was close enough with Emmett to warrant a private introduction to Paul. Embry announced that he was going to find the bathroom and Quil asked Jake if he wanted anything to drink. He nodded, not taking his eyes off the girl who had found a place to sit by herself in a corner. She was beautiful in an understated way, everything about her screamed that she was a private person. He was about to make his way over to her when two girls cut him off and made their way to her.
"They just fucked up your game plan didn't they?" Quil asked, handing him a cup of beer.
"Looks like it," he said with a sigh.
"I got you some info on her. Her name's Bella."
"You are officially my favorite," Jake said as he raised his cup.
"Damn, right," Quil said tapping his cup against Jake's.
"Did you find out anything else?"
"She's Emmett's best friend, that's all I know."
"How did you find that out?"
"I saw Emmett talking to Red Riding Hood and I took a chance," he said with a shrug.
Jake grinned his thanks and Quil nodded in answer. He had a plan to get his best friend an introduction, he just needed to bide his time. Emmett joined the conversation with Bella and the girls and pulled Bella away. Jake got a better look at her and his eyes drifted over her in a cursory glance. She wasn't very tall but she did have nice legs and a sexy smile. Emmett left her and she crossed to the side of the room farthest from them.
Bella walked the outer perimeter of the room towards the bar that another one of her high school friends was managing. She stopped to say hi to people along the way and let herself be introduced to people who she had yet to meet. She found the end of the line of people waiting to get something to drink and gazed around the room while she waited. She saw Emmett with Paul and they were talking to a tall guy dressed as what she thought was a zombie. She wished that she had thought of something that simple.
Someone brushed into her from behind and she looked over her shoulder to see a guy dressed as Dracula. He apologized and she nodded her acceptance before he continued on his way. Her phone vibrated and she groaned. She reached into her bra to retrieve it. The shorts didn't have any pockets and if they had her phone would have shown through because the shorts were practically painted on her. She swiped her finger over the screen and a text from Alice flashed across the screen.
Get your head out of your ass. That guy was hot!
Her eyes scanned the room and found Alice by the back door. Bella gave her a weird look and Alice shot a dirty look back at her. Before she could retaliate someone crashed into her, spilling their drink down the front of her shirt. She saw a flash of flannel which she remembered the zombie wearing run away and the person in front of her stood frozen in place.
"I am so sorry. Someone shoved me into you."
"It's not a big deal. It was a zombie," she said grabbing a fistful of napkins from off a nearby table.
"We're they wearing a flannel shirt?" the person asked flatly.
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"Wild guess," the person said in aggravation.
Bella looked up to meet the person's eyes only realize that a mask obstructed her view. She would never be able to watch the Batman movies without thinking of this moment again.
"It's fine really, more of it got on the floor than on me."
"I'd like to tell you that my friend isn't normally like that but I'd be lying," he said with a chuckle.
"So subtlety isn't his strong point?" she asked with a wry smile.
He shook his head with a wide smile, his dimples were as deep as craters. Someone came to stand on her other side, gaining her attention. The baseball player costume made her roll her eyes. Mike was wearing his uniform that he'd worn in high school.
"Everything okay Bella?"
"Everything's fine Mike, thanks," she said politely.
"I can go and get you something to drink so you don't have to wait if you want," Mike offered.
"That would be great. Could you get one for him too? His friend made him spill his," she asked putting a hand on Mike's forearm.
Mike nodded and Batman told him what he was drinking. Once Mike was out of earshot Bella rolled her eyes.
"Let me guess, he has the hots for you," Batman asked with a teasing smile.
"How'd you know?"
"I saw him ogling you a few minutes ago."
"I've lost count of how many times I've told him he doesn't have a chance with me. I've known him since we were five years old. I worked for his parents when we were in high school," she said with a shake of her head.
"So your name's Bella?"
"Yeah, what's yours? You owe me at least that since you spilled your drink on me," she teased.
"It's Jake."
Mike came back with their drinks and stood close to her as if he was waiting for something.
"You know, we should find a place to talk. We're holding up the line," Jake said.
Bella nodded in agreement and Jake lead the way to the back door. He opened the door and let her go out first. It was a balmy night and she was not dressed for the occasion. Goose bumps feathered her skin as a gust of wind blew through the yard. She held her arms over her middle to ward off the cold as they sat on the canopy swing that she'd given Emmett for his last birthday. Jake untied his cape from his neck and draped it over her shoulders. She looked at him from underneath her lashes as he pulled off his mask.
"The least I can do is let you see what I look like since you were nice enough not to bite my head off for spilling beer down the front of you."
She stared at him for a minute without saying anything. His voice alone had almost made her knees buckle but when you threw that he was drop dead gorgeous she was at a loss for words. His hair was ink black and his eyes were the color of dark chocolate, his skin was tan, which made her think that he'd more than likely grown up on the reservation with Paul. He looked like the kind of guy who had broken at least a million hearts without hardly trying.
"So what's the verdict?" he asked breaking the silence.
"Well, you don't look like a serial killer," she said with a shrug.
"What does a serial killer look like?" he asked with a laugh.
"Charles Manson and Jeffrey Domer; or you could just use your looks to lure girls in like Patrick Bateman."
"Who's Patrick Bateman?"
"He's from American Psycho. Em's got a fixation with Christian Bale," she said with a short eye roll.
"So you're his best friend?"
"Ever since we were kids," she said with a nod.
"I've known Paul almost as long as I've known my two best friends."
"You two aren't close?"
"Not really. He was dating my sister when he came out and she hasn't been the same since. I don't blame him for what happened but my sister does and sometimes I have to hear a little more about him than I'd like to. He moved off the rez not long after he graduated from high school."
"Emmett came out when he was in high school too. I was the first person he told and I was there when he told his parents."
They'd both had two completely different experiences with their friends who had come out. Emmett's road hadn't been easy but he didn't have any ex-girlfriends who had it out for him either. They both had a wild streak that they were trying to reign in. Emmett had always shied away from commitment and Paul had never been a serial dater.
"Green Hornet gave me a look before we came out here," he said with a dry chuckle.
"What kind of look?"
"It was a 'you better not try anything look'."
"Jasper's all talk, he wouldn't harm a fly. He's new to our group of friends. He and my best girl friend Alice have only been dating a couple of months. He's a good guy."
"Is Alice here tonight?"
"She's the one dressed as Little Red Riding Hood."
"The chick handing out condoms?" he asked with a grin.
"That would be her. We're complete opposites but somehow we make sense," she said with a shrug.
"You know the zombie, right? That's my best friend Quil and Dracula is my other best friend Embry. Sometimes I think Quil needs his head examined and Embry is as calm and polite as they come."
"Emmett and I are polar opposites. He can be hyper and annoying when he hasn't had any sleep and he goes out of his way to make me laugh sometimes. We both suffer from only child syndrome so I consider him the brother I always wanted when I was younger. Alice has a different way of looking at things than most people do and she can make people do things that they wouldn't normally do without hardly trying."
"Like wearing a skimpy Halloween costume?" he asked with a playful nudge.
"Yes," she answered, the blush from earlier making a reappearance.
"I'm gonna have to thank her then."
She turned her head to stare at him. His dark eyes met hers and before she knew what was happening he leaned in to capture her lips in a gentle kiss. Normally Bella didn't let guys she didn't know kiss her but a little voice inside her head that sounded a little like Emmett told her to throw caution to the wind. Her arms wound around his neck and her fingers threaded through his hair. One of his hands cupped her neck while the other rested beside them for leverage.
The kiss was simple and it left Bella wanting more. His eyes were locked on hers once he pulled away. His lips quirked up on side for a nervous smile as she exhaled the breath that she had been holding.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
"You're apologizing for kissing me?" she said her face crestfallen.
"Do you normally go around kissing guys that you've only known for half an hour?" he asked with raised eyebrows.
"No, I usually wait a couple of hours. They have to take me out on a date first," she said with a teasing smile.
"You're a smart ass, aren't you?"
"I've been called worse, but yeah," she said with an indifferent shrug.
His shoulders shook with the laughter that he was holding in and she laughed nervously. She did have a habit of being sarcastic when she was nervous but it seemed to be working in her favor.
XXXX
"Is it too much to ask for her to have sat on the other side of him? I want to see what he looks like," Alice said in aggravation.
She was watching Bella and Jake inconspicuously from the kitchen window. She saw someone come to stand next to her out of the corner of her eye and the girl was going through her phone.
"Here," she said holding out her phone for Alice to see.
"Oh my," she said approvingly.
"You got that right." the girl said gruffly.
Alice turned to thank the girl and her eye brows quirked in question. The girl wore a loose fitting white t-shirt and a pair of jeans with black Uggs rounding out the ensemble.
"Why aren't you wearing a costume?"
"Can't you tell? I'm Urban Girl," she answered, gesturing to what she was wearing.
Alice laughed lightly before sticking out her hand.
"I'm a friend of Emmett's, I'm Alice."
"Leah, my husband's best friends with Paul," she said, shaking Alice's hand once before letting go.
"Let me guess, he's Urban Man?" she asked with a teasing smile.
"Nope, lumber jack. I was lucky to talk him out of carrying an actual axe."
"Well thank you for that."
"What are you two staring at?" Paul asked from behind them.
"Her friend and Jake are getting to know each other out back."
"Her name's Bella by the way," Alice offered.
Paul nodded before walking away. Alice turned to face Leah and Leah leaned her head down to Alice's. They had some plotting to do.
Paul found Emmett by the front door talking to a group of people who were leaving. He stood to the side until Emmett shut the door behind the group. Emmett turned to face him giving him a questioning look.
"I have some questions about Bella," he explained.
"Ask away."
"She isn't the type to get scared easily is she?"
"No," Emmett said slowly.
"So she's pretty stubborn?"
"Stubborn is putting nicely. I'd say she's more bullheaded and headstrong."
"Great, good to know. Is she afraid of commitment?"
"What? No," he said giving his boyfriend a strange look.
"When was the last time she dated someone?"
"A couple of months ago. Before you ask, he broke her heart into a million pieces and he was a douche bag."
"I hate guys like that. If some guy was interested in her do you think she'd push him away?"
"Not if I have anything to say about it. What is this about?"
"She's out back with one of my friends. You remember Jake, right? You played basketball with him and Sam a couple of weeks ago."
"Tall, dark hair, built like a body builder? He's dressed as Batman, right?"
"That's him," he said with a nod.
"Don't worry, he's not my type. He's outside with Bells? Huh," he said in astonishment.
"It could be worse, she could be outside with Quil."
"The zombie? I would laugh my ass off if that happened. She'd be scared out of her mind," he said with a grin and a shake of his head.
"He can be a little over the top sometimes."
"So Jake, can I trust him?"
"We're barely friends but I do know him well enough to tell you that he's a good guy. I can point you in Dracula's direction if you have anymore questions."
Emmett nodded and Paul pointed to a corner where Embry was flanked by Angela and Jessica. They were hanging on his every word and he was telling them what he did for a living.
"You're a bouncer for a bar in Port Angeles?" Angela asked.
"I knew I had seen you before. You work at Bailey's!" Jessica announced.
"Yep," Embry said with a nod.
"Girls, I hate to do this to you again; but I need to talk to him," Emmett said apologetically.
"It's fine," Jessica grumbled.
"This is a great party Emmett. Thanks for inviting us," Angela said with a smile.
"Anytime Ange," Emmett said before draping an arm over Embry's shoulders.
He just hoped that Embry didn't crack under the pressure that he, Alice and Jasper were about to put on him.
XXXX
Another half an hour had passed and Jake had yet to make another move on Bella. He wanted to take his time and not rush things. He had rushed things before and they had come back to blow up in his face. Bella seemed like the kind of girl that appreciated a guy who took the time to get to know her before he threw himself at her. As much as he wanted to he would refrain from that...for now. They had been playing a round of twenty questions to get to know each other and so far he liked what he was hearing. What were the odds that they had grown up less than twenty minutes from each other and yet they had never met? About as slim as the odds of Emmett and Paul meeting before they had met six months ago.
"Have you ever been in a serious relationship and how long did it last?" he asked.
"I dated my last boyfriend for two years," she admitted.
"I've never been in a serious relationship. I haven't met a girl who could put up with me and not run away screaming."
"That's a nice thought," she said with a laugh.
"What can I say? I'm an intense guy; it's your turn."
"What kind of work do you do?"
"I'm a personal trainer. I'm holding off on going to Med school for a few years so I can save up some money. I'm going into debt as it is paying my college loans," he said with a shake of his head.
"What kind of doctor do you want to be?"
"I'm want to study sports medicine."
"You mean that you'd work with sports teams and athletes?"
"Yeah. What do you do?"
"I'm a caterer. Alice and I are in business together along with her sister-in-law Esme. Esme is a party planner and Alice is a photographer. We do weddings and birthday parties mostly."
"So you're a good cook?"
"I've been told that from time to time," she said with a nod.
"You mentioned that you were twenty five, I'm only a couple of years younger than you. I'm twenty three."
"I was wondering when you were going to tell me how old you were. I was starting to think that you were jailbait," she said with a teasing look.
"Yes, Paul is the kind of cop that lets underage kids drink. He'll be passing out tabs of LSD later if you want some," he drawled.
"Jerk," she said with a scoff.
He took hold of her hands and entwined their fingers together. He wasn't usually this forthcoming with information about himself then again he'd never met a girl who mattered as much as she did. His stomach had been doing back flips since he had kissed her and now that he was touching her again his skin felt ablaze where their hands and arms touched and an electrical charge surged through his body.
Bella couldn't remember the last time she had felt so at ease around someone that she'd just met. She now understood the feelings that she'd been having ever since Emmett had invited her earlier in the week. Her mind was reeling and her body was hyper aware of Jake's close proximity to her. If she leaned only a few inches she could kiss him again. Should she kiss him again? She mentally shook her head before leaning in, she'd worry about the reprocutions later.
Her hands fisted into his hair once more, if anyone was going to pull away first this time it was going to be her. His arms wound around her neck and he pulled the elastic from her hair and unwound it gently. She laughed lightly against his lips but was cut off by his tongue. He moaned into her mouth as her tongue massaged his gently. He hadn't wanted to make another move because he wasn't sure if she would let him but he liked that she was assertive enough to initiate things.
The back door opened and closed but neither of them heard it. The footfalls across the yard were ignored as well. The person watched them in amusement, biting back the urge to make their presence known.
"Emmett, get back in here!" Alice called from the door.
Bella pulled away slowly, bracing an arm on Jake's shoulder.
"How long have you been standing there?" she asked breathlessly.
"Long enough to see you acting like a wanton hussy. I love the hairstyle by the way," he said with a snicker.
"Screw you," she said with a laugh.
"Well, at least you don't have to introduce me to your make out buddy. Hi, Jake," he said with a wave.
"Is there a reason why you're bothering us?"
"Jasper and Alice are ready to go but neither of them had the nerve to come out here."
"You can stay if you want," Alice said from the door.
"Or, you can borrow my truck and bring it back tomorrow," Emmett offered.
"I'll take option two," Bella grumbled.
"That means you might get lucky tonight, dude. Hey, hey, hey!" Emmet sang.
"Just go get your keys," she said in embarrassment.
Emmett walked away and they watched him go. Jake shook his head in amusement until the door shut behind Emmett.
"Are you sure he's gay?"
"I'm positive. He had a crush on my dad for the longest time. Thank God he got over that, I can't imagine Em as my step dad."
"So, I might get lucky tonight?"
"If you play your cards right, so far the odds are in you favor," she said, her voice dropping an octave.
"I'll be back. I've gotta stop Red before she leaves."
She watched him jog through the yard and up the stairs. She fell back against the swing with a sigh. She couldn't believe that she had been so blunt with him. Yes, the thought of sleeping with him had crossed her mind but she hadn't wanted to let him know that. She wasn't the type of girl who slept with a guy that she'd known only a couple of hours. Edward had been the only guy she'd ever slept with and it had taken them six months to lead up to it. She intended to sleep him, she just hope that her nervousness didn't show.
Jake came back outside and she stood, gathering his cape around her to ward off the chill. She met him in the middle of the yard and he took one of her hands in his.
"Are you sure about this? I'd understand if you want to back out. We can find an all night diner and get a cup of coffee and then you can take me home. I wouldn't think any less of you."
"You're coming home with me. There's no getting out of that," she said with a shake of her head.
"Okay then."
"How many condoms did you get from Alice?"
"She gave me a whole sheet of them," he said with a light laugh.
"Well, I don't know if we'll use all of them but we'll have some left for next time," she said as she took his hand.
He twisted Emmett's keys on his finger as she pulled him through the gate and stopped at Emmett's 4Runner. She took the keys from him and unlocked the drivers side door and slid in. Emmett would kill her if she let someone that he hardly knew drive his baby so right now Jake would just have to deal with her taking the wheel. He climbed into the passenger side and she looked over at him, throwing him a smile. He smiled back as she pulled out of the driveway. The last remaining guest were getting in their cars as Emmett and Paul watched from the door.
"Does she normally take home random guys?"
"No. But she learned it from watching me," Emmett said with a sigh.
"I can totally see you as a man whore."
"Oh, I know the walk of shame very well. But I'm not like that anymore."
"You'd better not be," Paul said pulling Emmett to him.
Emmett smiled down at him as he shut the door with his foot. They walked to their bedroom still wrapped up in each other. Emmett wouldn't mention it to her, but he was glad that Bella was finally doing something adventurous and a little scandalous. She hadn't been herself since Edward had left her and he was grateful that she had found someone that she trusted enough to let her hair down.