Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
DC: I don't own anything from Twilight or New Moon, or the song 'Istanbul (Not Constantinople). The version I'm referring to in this short, fluffy fic, is actually a cover by They Might Be Giants. Ska lovers, check it out.
Summary: Edward spies on Bella as she lets her guard down in secret and does a little karaoke to a CD she finds. Fluffy, kind of funny. Oneshot.
The window was open, as per usual, when I went into the bathroom to 'be human' before Edward returned to Charlie's.
When I came back in, the window was closed, but I saw no sign of the 100+ year old vampire that I was in love with.
Frowning, I checked the closet and all the nooks and crannies, before huffing a sigh and collapsing onto my bed. Down the short hallway, I heard Charlie beginning to snore. I closed my eyes, hoping to do the same, but I found I was too full of anxiety and sugar to let my eyes rest for longer than ten seconds.
I got up and paced the room for a minute, watching the window for any signs of Edward. When I saw none, I got restless and began to wander around my room cleaning things, re-folding all my clothing. I finally turned to the CD player and picked up the case that held all my favorites, flipping through them slowly. At the very end, tucked behind Linkin Park and a compilation of Beethoven favorites, I found a very old burned CD, unnamed and unlabeled.
Curious, I carefully removed Edward's CD and placed the disk in it, turning up the volume so I could hear it.
The track picked up immediately, giving my ears a very shocking build of what sounded like a keyboard, before beginning a very lengthy, complicated-sounding brass solo (I couldn't tell if it was trumpet or trombone…). From there, you could hear the keyboard pick up again, before I was startled by drums, brass, and keyboard alike, rolling into a ball of jazzy noise that held a gypsy-like, almost folk-type sound.
All of a sudden, I found myself barely recognizing the tune, and I strained my ears to listen for words.
"Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night…"
I gaped at the CD player as it played the tune. My mother used to dance around our kitchen in Phoenix, her hair done up and her toes freshly painted, before dates, and before Phil. I soaked up the music filler and laughed, twirling in my sugary high, grabbing my hairbrush off the dresser. I faced my pale complexion in the mirror, pursing my lips as I swung my braid. I opened my mouth as the next verse came up; I knew these words by heart.
"Every gal in Constantinople
Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople
So if you've a date in Constantinople
She'll be waiting in Istanbul," I belted out as moderately as I could, remembering Charlie's snores in the next room. I took it down a few levels, shooting right into the next.
"Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way," I relayed, sucking in a deep breath before the next verse.
I had just finished the next part, twirling again to get more emphasis, to drain my hyper, when I spotted a bronze-locked figure lounging idly on my bed, a stifled laugh evident on his lips. Shocked, or maybe surprised, I let out a high pitched scream and flung my hairbrush at him, stumbling into the dresser behind me. The oval mirror, held there by two wooden bars, gave a little groan and leaned forward just enough, bonking me on the head. I gaped at him.
"The window - I didn't - when did you - how the hell did you get in here?" I managed, gasping for breath as I pushed back my mirror, rubbing my now-smarting head. I could feel the heat from my blush rise from my chest, flooding my neck and cheeks.
He let his chuckle loose now, discarding my offending hairbrush.
"Bella, you should know me better than that," he mused, leaning back on his palms. "I've been here since you found that mix - since you began your amazing karaoke to a They Might Be Giants cover. I must say, I was quite entertained."
I scowled deeply and grabbed the next closest item off of my dresser - a small box of bobby pins I never used - and gently threw it at him.
"You sneaky little - argh! You could've waved or something to let me know. Where did you hide? I looked everywhere!"
He raised an eyebrow, and I rolled my eyes., ignoring the box that he tossed back onto the dresser behind me.
"Hidden in plain sight, eh?" I muttered, and he chuckled once again, standing up to take my hands.
"I wanted to see how long it would take you to wonder where I was," he explained. I was the one to raise an eyebrow now, my lips a crooked, pressed line.
"I've been wondering where you were since I came back from the bathroom. I just don't - I even - I can't get over how you were right here, all the time," I finished, murmuring the last part, deep in thought.
Ignoring this, he wrapped his cool, calming arms around me, and pressed his lips to my hair.
"I didn't mean to frighten you," he said. "I felt like playing a trick, that's all."
I shot him a skeptical look.
"Just like you obviously felt like belting out random songs," he smirked, and I groaned, burying my face in his shirt.
"You have to swear that you will never say a word about this to anyone."
He opened his mouth, but I shushed him, raising both eyebrows.
"Not Alice, Emmett, Carlisle - nobody can know about this. Understood?"
He frowned at me sadly, nodding in understanding. I sighed.
"Good. Because God only knows what would've happened the next time I stepped into the Cullen house if you would've told. I would've been the laughing stock for the next couple centuries you're alive," I said, brow furrowing as I pictured the Cullens sitting around in their perfect living room, reminiscing about my futile attempt at squashing boredom.
"I won't tell a soul," he promised, and I shot him another look, my eyes disbelieving.
"Alright!" he sighed, rolling his eyes again. "I won't tell anybody, not for the rest of my eternal life. Happy?"
I put on a perky smile and squeezed him in my arms, bouncing on the balls of my feet.
"Now I'm happy," I said, relieved that nobody would know about it.
"After all, I would hate to have to relay how you're tonedeaf, and your skill at following lyrics is atrocious," he joked. I scowled once again, pushing him back, away from me, as I walked around him to crawl into my bed. I felt him lay above the covers, next to me, his hand curling to wrap protectively around me.
As I turned to cut out the bedside lamp, I muttered, "Your face is atrocious."
Although it was muffled by my hair as I rolled into his arms, his chuckle was audible. He cleared his throat, and then, in my ear, I heard, "… people just like it better that way…"
Growling, I ignored his laugh as I shoved his shoulder and snuggled closer, knowing I would never be able to live this down. Not for the rest of my life.
The rest:
So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works
That's nobody's business but the Turks
Istanbul (Istanbul)
Istanbul (Istanbul)
Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way
Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works
That's nobody's business but the Turks
So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works
That's nobody's business but the Turks
Istanbul
meh. i told you. i get bored.
review?