4
One week. Only one week until December 7th, only one week until her wedding. But Bella wasn't as nervous as she expected. She was surprisingly calm about the wedding part. It was the bachelorette party that she was beginning to feel jittery about. Why had she even agreed to such a thing? It was pointless - at least to her. But her friends had insisted on taking her out, before she was 'tied down' as Jessica put it. So tonight they were taking her out to some club in the city, where tonight was 'Ladies Night'. She would be a good sport for her friends, so as not to spoil their fun.
The floor creaked as she walked barefooted around her now box filled apartment, making her way to her bed. She flopped down, thinking it best to take a nap before the long night ahead of her.
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He made his way down the hall to Bella's apartment, number 13. What an unlucky number he thought as he knocked on the door. Knocking was unnecessary, since she had given him a key almost a year ago, but he still felt that this was her space. Soon though, they would have a place together, and it would be their space. The thought brought a grin to his face as he slowly opened the door, having not gotten a response to his knocking. He closed the door behind him, cautiously stepping into the cardboard-castle of a living room. He stood still for a moment, listening. All was silent.
'Bella?' he called softly.
Still the silence persisted. Careful not to knock over any of the precariously stacked boxes, he moved toward her bedroom. Coming to a stop in the doorway, he gazed upon his sleeping bride. Smiling with intense happiness, he lay beside her, careful not to wake her. He softly stroked her cheek, wrapping his arms gently around her. And soon, Jacob Black was asleep, dreaming of the day he so longed for.
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"BELLA HURRY UP WILL YA!" Jessica and Angela yelled in unison.
"I'm coming, sheesh hold your horses! And can you be a little quieter?" Bella called back from the bathroom, thinking of Jacob, still asleep in the next room. Its not like he'll wake up - he sleeps like a log. She finished up with her hair and stepped out of the bathroom to find Angela and Jessica trying to stifle giggles.
"Uh, what's so funny? Is it my hair?" Bella asked nervously, reaching a hand up to feel her hair.
Angela stopped giggling, shaking her head. "Your hair's fine! Come on Bella, let's go have some fun!" They each grabbed one of Bella's hands, pulling her to the door.
Bella pulled herself from their grip. "Wait, I have to say goodbye to Jacob." She strode quickly to her bedroom, to find him, expectedly, still asleep. She thought back fondly to when she had woken up in Jacob's arms an hour earlier, how warm she was in his grip, how sweet and soft his face was as he slept. Leaning over him, she kissed him gently on the cheek. "See you in the morning" she whispered.
As she walked back toward the living room, her hands were again grabbed by her friends, who pulled her out the door and toward the car. Angela climbed into the back, while Bella rode shotgun. Jessica started the car, turning on some dance music, and drove toward the freeway, a bit faster than Bella thought necessary.
"So… where exactly are we going?" asked Bella, not having gotten very many details on the outing, except that they were going to 'a club,' and that it was Ladies Night.
Jessica glanced back at Angela in the rearview mirror, a devilish grin on her face. "Oh, you'll see Bella. Trust us." She gave Bella a sidelong glance and her grin grew wider.
Butterflies began to dance in Bella's stomach. "Somehow, that's not as comforting as it should be." She smiled tentatively and stared out the car window, the scenery whipping by. What did I get myself into?
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Night had fallen by the time Jacob woke up. To his dismay, he was alone. He had known that Bella was going to out, to some Bachelorette party her friends had cooked up, but he couldn't help feel a little bit abandoned. Rolling over, he fixed his gaze on the ceiling. Jessica hadn't been too specific with where they were taking Bella, and he wished he had pried just a bit more. Despite himself, he was worried.
It's just some silly little outing with her friends. She has every right to go. Just because I didn't want one, doesn't mean she has to forgo tradition. Jacob had denied his friend's offers to throw him his own party; they didn't need to use his marriage as an excuse to throw what he knew would be a typical bachelor party. The only woman he had eyes for, the only woman for him, was Bella. She was his center of gravity, the meaning for his existence.
Scanning the room, Jacob debated whether or not to go home. Well, I would like to stay, to meet here when she gets back…but her friends might want to stay over, continue the party and whatnot. It is a girl's night, really.
Sighing, he reluctantly pulled himself up off the bed. He smoothed out the sheets and comforter for her, then made his way back through the living room. Looking at all the boxes brought a smile to his face. The boxes brought back to mind how they would be sharing a home soon, how he would be able to wake up to her by his side every morning, how he would be able to hold her when he went to sleep at night. Still smiling, he went out the front door, locking it behind him. He glanced at the '13' as he left. Stupid number.
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Bella stepped out of the car, and froze, dumbfounded, hoping this was some kind of joke, or that she was hallucinating. "Please say this is not where you guys have decided to take me." Surveying her surroundings, the only thing that stuck to her mind was the neon pink sign flashing in a tinted window: 'Le Strip.' Bella couldn't take her eyes off the sign. It was just so…astounding that her friends would bring her here, of all the places they could have gone. What possessed them into thinking this would be fun for her? She should have known- it was a bachelorette party, after all. She had an inkling that this was mostly Jessica's idea. Angela was too low-key to come up with something like this.
Jessica laughed at Bella's reaction, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Oh come on Bella, lighten up!" Jessica gave her a squeeze then took her by the hand, Angela taking her by the other, yet again pulling her along. Bella was still too dumbstruck to put up much of a fight. "…but…..you've got to be…kidding…this is crazy…" Her mumblings were ignored. Pictures of sleazy men and sluty waitresses filled her mind. She imagined the place to be smoky, smelly, and downright disgusting. Maybe it was just her own uneasiness that was polluting her mind, but she couldn't help but to succumb to such images. All she could think of was what she imagined to be a stereotypical man-filled strip club, having forgotten the fact that it was 'Ladies Night.' Sooner than she would have liked, she was standing in line, getting to the door, paying the $10 entrance fee, and walking over the threshold.
What faced her as Jessica and Angela dragged her through the door was wholly unexpected. A bit of relief seeped through Bella, but not enough to completely quell her distress.
The room, the incredibly spacious room, was adorned in a style not befitting of the century. It was dark, with the already tinted windows covered by heavy deep black and purple drapes that stretched from ceiling to floor. The chairs were plush matching the colors of the drapes, some in alcoves in the wall, others gathered around circular mahogany tables, the heaviness of which matched that of the drapes. The walls were all a deep red, a red eerily like that of blood, which set off the black and purple of the room. The lights were dim, and the place had a certain smell to it, not at all unpleasant. It was a heady, sweet smell, like something out of your great-grandmothers collection of perfumes.
In the center of the back wall was the stage. To Bella's confusion, there were no poles in sight. Isn't this a strip club? 'Le Strip' isn't the most subtle of titles. Maybe guys don't use poles?
Bella was thinking this through when Jessica yanked her out of her thoughts. "C'mon Bells, let's get us some front row seats!" Her friends continued to steer her along, finding their way to some chairs in the front of the stage, the closest ones being about 10 feet back. This observation only added to Bella's confusion. I may not have ever been to one of these clubs before, but don't you need to be close to the stage to give tips or whatever? Isn't that how they make the most money? This whole place was a bit unsettling, despite the comfy chairs and inviting aroma.
Bella couldn't deny that she felt some relief at the fact that this place wasn't at all typical. She looked toward the entrance, where more and more women were arriving – they had been some of the first one's there – while Jessica and Angela chattered and marveled at the place. She turned back around and stared at the stage. Well, at least there are no sleazy old men or sluty waitresses.