Snoogles and Bella Bands
Summary: Bella is convinced to attend a dinner party—she really doesn't want to go. Then she's coerced into running down to the complex storage room, a frightening maze of chain link dividers and boxes. Will she find what she's come for, or much more? Written for the Finding Love in Unexpected Places Contest.
Warnings/ ANs: I hope you enjoy my imagination running wild. This idea came from my Twitter friends. Just a little silliness.
I answer the ringing phone without looking at the caller ID.
"Hello," I say, internally cursing myself for not peeking to see who had been calling.
"Bella?" The high-pitched voice calls out. "Bella Swan?"
I recognize the voice immediately, Jessica Stanley, one of my old friends from high school. I'd seen her earlier in the day, and we'd exchanged numbers, but I hadn't expected her to call tonight. Before this evening, I hadn't seen her in forever. Remarkably or unfortunately—I'm not sure which—she'd been my technician at the hospital earlier today.
"Hey, Jess," I half-heartedly answer. "It's great to hear from you."
"Well, I was so excited after seeing you today, I just had to call. So spill, girl." Ugh! Jessica Stanley, insufferable gossip.
"What do you want to know?" I hedge.
"Tell me how you met him," she says as if it's the most evident thing in the world.
I begin to tell my story, letting the memories overwhelm me.
Some few years back, I lived next to two gay guys and their pets, a Jack Russell Terrier and a Persian cat, on one side and a sweet couple on the other. The wife's brother moved in only a few months ago, so I'd never met him—I had heard he was single. Emmett and Jasper, the ones with the pets, were two great guys. Their relationship was solid, more solid than most, more solid than any of mine had ever been up until that point.
Dark-haired Emmett was huge. We're talking the totally muscled out, can't even put his arms down kind of huge. Normally that would have terrified me—I was a total wuss. Actually, when I met him, his size did completely freak me out. Then I got to know him. If I'd had an older brother, he'd have been exactly what I wanted. He was the kindest, sweetest person you could ever meet, almost like that huge guy from the Green Mile, less the superpowers and the dark skin and with a larger mental capacity…okay, so he was nothing like that guy. Anyway, back to Emmett. He was unbelievably loving and accepting, just wonderful. On the other hand, he was also loud, obnoxious and rambunctious—the perfect opposite to his significant other, Jasper.
Jasper was tall with dark blonde hair. He was muscular, though nowhere near as muscle-bound as Emmett—they owned a gym, so of course they were both hot. On first look, Jasper was shy and unassuming. I fdidn't think he spoke more than a simple "hello" and "goodbye" the first five times we hung out. Because of his somewhat cold demeanor, I thought he didn't like me at first. Then I realized he just takes a while to warm up to people. Once he did, we became the best of friends.
Normally, we hung out at my apartment—I had the room. I would have loved going to theirs, if not for their pets—well, the cat really.
Jasper's dog, Alice, was slightly annoying, though cute. She was always bouncing around begging for attention—I thought she could've gone into orbit if she was ever allowed to reach full speed. Honestly, I didn't see how such a laid-back guy like Jasper could want a spitfire ball of energy like Alice. She was this tiny, little thing, mostly white with a black spot on her back and black on top of her head. She had these pointy ears, which bobbed around her diminutive face when she looped the place in her incessant running. She was gorgeous, but her eyes always seemed far away, like she was wondering what mischief she could get into next. I could put up with her… in small doses. But Rosalie was another story.
Rose was Emmett's cat. She was absolutely stunning—pure white with golden eyes that saw right through everyone. Most of the time, she was quiet, but watch out once she got riled. I had been on the receiving end of one too many of her clawing attacks… not a pretty sight. Of course, she hated change, and she must have seen me as a huge change. I was usually greeted by an oh-so-welcoming hiss and the narrowing of her eyes.
I was lucky one night, because I was getting ready for a dinner at their apartment. I had pulled out a pair of black slacks and a white blouse. I knew that by going next door, I'd get covered with fur from both animals and I'd end up looking grey before the night was over, anyway. But at least I'd look good when I arrived—well, presentable.
I grabbed the bouquet of roses and the bottle of wine, before dashing down the hall. After a few seconds, Emmett answered the door.
"Hey, honey," he greeted, wrapping his enormous arms around me and swinging me to and fro like a rag doll. My head slammed into the door, and his normal round of apologies began.
"Em, you'd think after the hundredth time, you'd actually give up on the 'let's hug Bella and fling her into the door' greeting." I rubbed the top of my head, thanking heaven for my thick hair.
As soon as I stepped in, the cat began hissing. I held up the flowers as a peace offering. It always seemed that she calmed whenever roses were in the room. Unfortunately, it didn't work this time. She huffed, shot me a "you're an idiot" glare and then strode from the room swinging her hips in an exaggerated movement with her tail held high.
After, I was assaulted by the peppy puppy herself. She grabbed onto my pants and began tugging and growling.
"C'mon, Al," I whined. "These are the only good pants I have."
"Are they a blend?" asked Jasper.
"I don't know." I shrugged. "Do you think I check those things when I buy 'em?"
"Well, you know how Alice hates cheap fabrics, Bella," Jasper said as if it was the most obvious thing ever. "Now run off home and change into that beautiful skirt I bought you when we went shopping last time."
Yes, Jasper had made it his own personal cause to dress me so that his dog was appeased. Absurd? Obviously so.
While I was stepping into the hallway, I noticed Carlisle and Esme, the nice couple on the other side of my apartment, leaving theirs.
"Hey, guys," I called when they turned toward me.
"Hello, Bella," Esme greeted, her perfectly coiffed caramel hair surrounding her beautiful face.
"Hey," said Carlisle, Esme's gorgeous blonde-haired husband, a huge smile gracing his perfect lips.
I was the token average person in the apartment complex of supermodels. It didn't hurt my self-esteem… not in the slightest. I knew that there had to be an odd man out, but why was it always me?
"Guess we'll see you next door?" Carlisle asked as they passed, his arm around Esme's waist. She had just entered the waddling stage of her pregnancy, and Carlisle had become extremely overprotective of her and her enormous, bulbous belly.
"Next door?" I stupidly answered his question with a question. "I didn't realize that it was a party."
Yes, because five people constituted a party. Four? Not quite. It's that fifth person that pushed a gathering into party limits.
"Oh…um, yes." The look Esme shot Carlisle informed me that I wasn't supposed to know that they were going to be there for some reason.
"Oh!" I exclaimed. "That's right. I can't believe I forgot about it. See you there. I just have to go change. Alice doesn't approve of my attire."
They both laughed, and I slipped through the door into my apartment.
Ten minutes later, I was walking back into Jasper and Emmett's place, a dark blue and white, large-patterned houndstooth mini skirt now barely covering my best asset—find a way to bite that, Alice.
"That's much better," Jasper approved, pouncing on me as soon as I entered the room. "I love that thing on you. But that blouse and those shoes do nothing for the skirt. I have something for that."
"Jazz, what are—"
"Stop right now," he cut me off. "I was going to give them to you for your birthday. Consider them an early present."
He grabbed my hand and dragged me off to the guest room, rushing me by the crowded, miniscule kitchen where everyone else had congregated. On the bed in the never-used guest room lay a dark blue v-neck blouse—a dark blue that mysteriously matched the skirt—and a pair of gorgeous heels.
"Put those on," he said, gesturing to the bed. "I've had a hard time keeping Alice out of this room. She's been enamored with them since I bought them. You won't be able to keep her away from you."
Perfect.
"Did she also insist that you play Dress-Up Bella tonight?"
He laughed. "As a matter of fact, she did."
"Maybe we should have Carlisle take you to the Psych Ward at the hospital," I jibed. "I'm sure he's got an in. And with your dog telling you to do things… I don't want another Son of Sam on my hands."
"That's right, Bells," he said coolly. "Joke about serial killers, when all I want to do is make sure you look your best."
"And why do you care so much tonight?" I asked, coaxing him into divulging his big secret.
"You'll find out soon enough, little girl." He rushed from the room, knowing how that term of endearment pissed me off.
"Someday you'll pay for this, Jasper," I yelled. "I'm gonna get you, my pretty. And your little dog, too!" I cackled, channeling my inner witch.
After the click of the door closing, I heard his laughter and then the doorbell. Next, I also heard Emmett's robust voice rumbling through the door.
Knowing better than to argue with Jasper, I quickly changed out of my blouse and shoes, dreading the extra attention Alice would offer once she saw me. As I stood before the full-length mirror straightening out the blue blouse—admiring how it fit me perfectly—I pondered what Alice would be like as a person. She would have to be small, under five feet, with pale skin and jet black hair. She would need to be energetic, pure power, a great person to have as a friend—as long as you could get past the bossiness. I laughed at myself; there would be no way humanly possible for someone like that to exist. Though a woman like that would be perfect for Jasper—if he was straight, that was.
While folding my clothes, I then pondered Rosalie as a person. She'd be blonde, of course, tall and statuesque and beautiful... and a real bitch. This woman would be protective, too. She'd have been ideal for Emmett, too, the perfect trophy to show off in his gym.
As I opened the door, I laughed. How could I imagine people's pets as human? I had way too much time on my hands.
I walked back to the dining table, and everyone was already seated. There were two empty chairs at already set out place settings. Was someone else joining us?
At that moment, Esme said, "My back is killing me. I wished we hadn't left my stuff downstairs. "
"What stuff?" I asked, sitting in the vacant seat next to Jasper.
"Oh! Just some things I bought at the store earlier today. We went to the basement storage and left them down there." She shook her head. "Carlisle was… getting something from the top of our containers, and he left it there by mistake."
"Just a bag?"
"Yes," she stated. "It has these things called Bella Bands in it. They're supposed to help with the discomfort. I could really use one now." She eyed Carlisle who had just put a piece of beef in his mouth.
Actually, everyone but me had started eating. I hadn't even noticed them putting food on their dishes; they did it so quickly.
"I'll go if you like," I volunteered weakly. I was the only one who hadn't begun, and I wasn't terribly hungry. "I mean, I find the storage area a little scary. It's so dark and dreary… but if you really need this bag, I'll go get it."
Esme looked to Carlisle. He dropped his fork and said, "I'll go with you, if you like."
I felt awful asking him, so I lied. "No, Carlisle. I'll go by myself. I'm a big girl."
"I wouldn't want to bother—" Esme began.
"It's no problem… really." I was still lying of course. But she'd always been so sweet to me, taking care of me in all situations.
There was the time I was carrying a pizza upstairs, and my toe—I was wearing flip-flops—caught on the wide pant leg of my jeans. I fell up the stairs, scraped up my arms and elbows, and was completely covered in cheese and sauce. Esme had been walking to her apartment and heard the commotion, so she came and sorted me out. It was like she was my too young, beautiful mother figure who lived right next store.
Then about a month ago, I had offered to watch Alice and Rosalie for a weekend. Rosalie was easy. She stayed out of my way. All I needed to do was put out food and water and clean her litter box. Alice was another story. I had to actually take her outside for walks. Of course, it was raining that Saturday. I donned my biohazard suit-like parka and made my way down to the lobby. The floor was covered in water, which in my distraction by Alice's yapping and jumping, I didn't notice.
When I reached the lobby after being pulled down the stairs by Alice—for a tiny dog she was really strong—I immediately slipped. Reflexively, I released her leash. She began her circular dash around the lobby, christening her new environment by filling it with her happy barking—that dog was too damn cheery for me. I heard a male voice laugh and looked up to see this handsome, green-eyed guy smiling at me and holding out his hand.
"Are you okay?" he chuckled, looking me over. "You took quite a spill there."
"I think so," I answered, reaching out to grab his hand. It was warm and soft and felt so right in my own. I quickly released it, not wanting to go beyond the traditional "you're a stranger and you just helped me up after I fell on my ass in front of you" boundaries. "Um… Thanks."
"Anytime," he laughed. His eyes crinkled in the corner in the most adorable way. I could almost see a rebellious teenager in their green depths—well, at least, a mischievous little boy. Man, was he gorgeous.
He held out his hand again, and I grasped it eagerly. He shook them up and down, then pulled me in closer to him. I couldn't speak; I could barely breathe. I was entranced by the proximity of his perfection. "Hi, my name's—"
"Bella!" I heard a familiar female voice call from behind, pulling me from my fascination. I turned to see Esme holding a vibrating and panting Alice. "I guess she decided to take you for a run? Carlisle's upstairs if you'd like him to help you. I know she's small but she packs a wallop."
"No, I'm okay," I argued, not wanting to seem weak in front of the hot guy—because falling flat on your backside and releasing the hound of hell on her ritualistic greeting of the lobby just screams strength. "I'll be fine now. I think she's worn out enough. She probably won't even make it half-way around the block."
As she laughed, Esme looked over my shoulder, nodded and then handed me Alice's pink, sparkly leash. I turned to say goodbye to my latest crush, but he was already gone. I wondered if he hadn't been a figment of my imagination.
"Bye, Bella," Esme said as she passed me on her way to the steps. "See you later."
I watched her walk away, fantasizing about the hallucination that had helped me to my feet.
"Thank you so much," Esme chimed, breaking me from my abstraction. "You don't know what it means to me." She looked to Carlisle and winked. "I hate to ask, but I have a Snoogle down there, too. Could you bring that up, too?"
"A Snoogle?" I had never heard of one of those. What the hell could a Snoogle be?
"Yes, a Snoogle," she answered. "I know it sounds silly, but it's an enormous C-shaped body pillow. Perfect for fitting around this." She pointed to her mammoth, bulging stomach and laughed awkwardly, almost forced.
"Oh! Okay. I assume it's in the storage area, too?" She nodded. "Where would I find it?"
Carlisle jumped back when Esme shot him a death glare—he'd obviously not been paying close enough attention to the conversation. I briefly wondered if she had some sort of super power where she could really shoot daggers from her eyes—her glower seemed to have physically hurt him.
"Ow… oh, uh , yeah." He shook his head. "When you get there, you'll see a stack of plastic storage containers to the right," Carlisle replied, holding out a key which I promptly seized. "It's covered in a plastic bag. I put it on top of those… a few weeks ago, when Esme—" death glare returned— "decided she didn't want to use it anymore."
"Are you calling me fickle, Mr. Cullen?" Esme chided affectionately, slapping his arm half-heartedly.
"Not at all, darling," Carlisle soothed. "I was just explaining where I left the pillow."
I was used to their playful banter; they did this sort of thing all of the time, but there was an undercurrent of frustration or annoyance this time. I wasn't exactly sure why.
"I think I'll go get the stuff before World War III breaks out or my food gets cold, whichever comes first," I joked, trying to lighten the situation. "I'll be right back."
"Wonderful!" Esme squealed. She was a little too happy that I was getting her things. I watched her as she practically quivered in her seat, while reaching down and grabbing her purse. "Oh! Wait, sweetie. Before you go, I think you should put on a little of this." She pulled out a bottle shaped kind of like an upside-down cone with a sphere on the point and gestured for me to come closer.
I complied and was surprised when I was met by a spritz of the perfume. It smelled lovely, but tasted terrible and of course, I started sputtering and coughing.
"Hey," Jasper said, laughing. "Be careful with that stuff. We don't want the food tasting like perfume! Plus, now Bella's unattractive spitting--"
"You, hush," Esme scolded him. "Bella smells and looks divine, and she'll be fine by the time she reaches the basement."
"What is it?" I asked sniffing the air. "It smells really good."
"It's what I gave you for Christmas," she explained. "Do you remember? The Issey Miyake? It has lotus and freesia and cyclamen…" she trailed off when Carlisle nudged her. "Anyway, I remember you wore it when you took Alice for her walk and Ed--" another nudge, and Esme shook her head quickly and vigorously. "Um, I remember it smelled great. And I'm sure that it'll help ward off any monsters down in the basement."
"I don't know about warding them off, Esme," Emmett interjected. "With the way she smells, it'll probably attract them. Maybe there'll be one waiting for her."
"Yeah, Bella," Jasper said. "Watch out for dreaded monster in the basement. I hear the green-eyed kind are the worst."
The Green-eyed monster? Jealousy? What the hell was he talking about? Was I going to be jealous of Esme and Carlisle's storage unit? I had one of my own, so I couldn't understand that. I rolled my eyes.
They all started laughing, and I felt uncomfortable because I obviously did not have a sense of humor. I found nothing funny tonight.
"I'm going to go now," I whispered while snatching my purse. No one acknowledged my rousing announcement, so I left quietly.
"Don't forget to flirt a little, sweetie," Esme called after me. "Flaunt your assets." Her words were then followed by a little yelp.
Yes, I would go… flirt… with her body pillow… or was it the Bella Bands? Did she want me to perfect a flirting technique so I would find a man? Maybe I was supposed to practice kissing the pillow like a middle-schooler. Well, she was the authority… she'd at least gotten laid within the last year.
As I walked down the hall to the elevator—stairs and I no longer got along—I pondered what was up with everyone. They were all acting so weird. Beneath the good humor that everyone was forcefully exuding, there was a tension that I could not figure out. And why was everyone trying to improve me tonight? First, Jasper with the clothing. Then, Esme with the perfume. Who next? Emmett and diamonds? Hmmm. I'd love the diamonds, and Jasper can keep Emmett. Perfect.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened. I slipped inside and took in my reflection. Other than my hair, I looked great. I held my hair up. It looked so much better off my face like that, so I searched in my purse for a comb and bobby pins. After I found them, I artistically pinned my hair up. Actually, I jut held it and put pins wherever hair tried to escape. The end result was quite inspiring if I did say so myself.
So, yeah, I was just being kind. I looked more like I'd just plopped my hair on top of my head. But at least it was something.
The elevator only went to the first floor, so I had to brave the treachery of a flight of stairs—my heart leapt into my throat.
What? A little hyperbole never hurt anyone.
Thankfully, I made it past the stairs without incident—was there ever any doubt? And I wandered throughout the maze of fenced off storage areas to the one next to mine, the one I knew belonged to Carlisle and Esme.
As I looked through their neatly organized piles o' stuff, I realized that it looked much larger then I'd remembered. There was very little space to stand, the only free spot being the tiny bit next to the door. I easily spotted the white paper bag sporting "Posh-A-Bye Baby" in pink and blue lettering. Of course, the pillow was another story. For the life of me, I couldn't find that damn thing.
Finally, I looked at the top of the blue plastic containers, reaching a height of a gazillion feet—yeah, I forgot that's where they said it would be. There was no way in hell that I could reach it, unless…
"Go, go Gadget arms." It didn't work. My arms stayed the same length. Damn.
If only I had something to stand on. There was nothing other than the tower that would rival the tower of Babel had it been completed, and numerous cardboard boxes surrounding it. I knew the cardboard would never support my weight, so that was a lost cause.
The stack of plastic containers was next to the chain-link divider. Maybe I could scale the divider a la Spiderman, grab the pillow and then… plummet to a certain death.
Then I remembered that I had seen a tall stool near the entrance for the storage area. I could drag that back here and get on top, using the fence for balance. That was so much better than actually climbing the fence, especially in my ass-baring mini-skirt.
I rushed back to the entrance and grabbed the backless bar stool. It must have weighed a ton, because I could barely lift its feet an inch off the ground. Rather than throwing my back out, I just "walked" it to the storage area, listening to the metal on concrete sound echo throughout the area. Of course, the door had closed and locked automatically. In my haste to get the stool, I had inadvertently locked the only key inside the unit and just out of my reach.
"Damn!" I noted how my voice reverberated nicely around the large space. "Damn! Damn! Damn!"
"Echo… Echo," I laughed. "Okay, back to the matter at hand. You're having too much fun, Bella."
Luckily, there was a yardstick poking out of the storage unit across the tiny pathway. I could just maneuver my fingers to coax it out through the opening in the fence.
Once I had said pilfered yardstick in my grasp, I pushed it through one of the holes, and guided the key back into my hot, little hand. I returned the yard stick to its rightful owners and went back inside Esme and Carlisle's area, waddling behind the bar stool.
I moved the stool as close to the containers as possible, though there was still a gap of about a foot or so. I took off my lovely new shoes and climbed atop the stool, clinging to the fence for dear life—I hoped they acknowledged me taking my very existence into account once I got them this damned pillow.
Still grasping onto the fence, I leaned forward, reaching out my left hand to grab the pillow. I had just closed my fingertips around the edges of it when I heard someone clear his throat beside me.
"Well, this is a much different view than before," a smooth male voice greeted. "Not that I'm complaining about either."
I faltered and nearly toppled from my precarious position on the stool. Luckily, I was able to balance myself with the fencing that was still in my grasp. I looked down to see the green-eyed guy from my spill in the lobby staring up at me through the chain-link barrier. Yes, I was sure he had a lovely view of my black, lace undies—at least I had worn a nice pair tonight—what with "going out" and all.
"I'm glad I could provide that for you," I said, blushing. "How long've you been in here?"
"A while." He chuckled. "Why don't you let me in so I can get whatever you're trying to reach for you." Though it sounded like it should have been a question, he was almost demanding.
I wasn't willing to keep up the free show—why buy the milk? So, I gracefully clambered from the stool and walked to the opening, meaning I fell to the ground and limped over, all the while feigning nonchalance.
"You're not going to try anything funny, are you?" I asked, all the while thinking please try something funny, please. "I mean, this isn't my stuff. I'm here getting something for a friend. You wouldn't try to steal anything, would you?"
He laughed and rolled his eyes. "Trust me; I wouldn't be stealing any of that stuff. Just let me in so I can help you."
I opened the door, and he stepped inside, standing very close because of the limited space. I looked up into his beautiful emerald-colored eyes and lost myself for a moment. He seemed to be in the same predicament, as he didn't shy away from my gaze.
"The thing?" I asked breathlessly, pointing to the pillow on the containers.
He shook his head and came back to reality. "Right. What were you trying to get, again?"
"The pillow up on there on Mt. Everest." I gestured again to the object. "Are you going to be my Sherpa?"
"Your what?" he asked while walking over next to the stool. He easily lifted it and moved it out of the way then reached up, grasping onto the pillow.
"Um… Sherpa," I answered uncomfortably. "They help people reach the summit of Everest… What are you? A superhero? I mean, how did you reach that thing? It's like a million miles away."
"Bella, the ceilings are only ten feet tall. And there's clearly a few feet between the container and the ceiling. I can't help it if you're short and apparently prone to exaggeration."
"I am not," I whined, sulking like the professional pouter I was.
He reached out and tugged my lip. Why couldn't that have been his mouth? I had so many other places for his hands.
"Hey!" I reproached. "I can't help it if you're exorbitantly tall with inhumanly long fingers, can I? Look at those things; you have pianist's hands."
He laughed again. "That's good because I play the piano."
Oooh! Looks and musical talent. Very nice. I was about to comment on his abilities, when something hit me.
"Wait a minute. How did you know my name?" I asked stupidly.
"You announced it after your inspiring impersonation of a yodeler in the Alps," he joked.
"Oh, God!" I groaned. "You were there the entire time, huh?"
He nodded, the amusement playing in his eyes. It wasn't until then that I noticed we were practically on top of each other again. I could almost feel the heat radiating from his body—and what a body it was.
He moved his hand up to my face and gently caressed my cheek. After too short a time, he pulled his hand away, wrapping a loose strand of hair behind my ear, trailing his fingers down my neck and to my shoulder. I willed his hand lower, begging him to press it against my breast. But he slowly lowered it back to his side.
Staring into his eyes, I silently begged him to bring his lips to mine. My breathing increased as he slowly bent down. My eyes fluttered closed when he was only a few inches away. I could feel his warm breath against my face. The kiss was inevitable.
It's Raining Men, Emmett's ringtone, began blaring from my pocket, and the moment completely lost. I pulled away and whipped the phone out.
"Yes, Mr. I'd-Better-Have-An-Excellent-Reason-For-Interrupting. How can I help you?" The anger in my voice was unmasked.
"You were taking so long that I was wondering if you got lost?" he teased, barely suppressing a laugh. "You should have been able to get that thing by now. Besides, your food's up here getting cold."
"No," I tersely answered. "I did not get lost. It was just difficult getting the pillow down. It was, like, a mile high."
Edward chuckled next to me.
"Who's that?" Emmett asked.
"Someone nice enough to help me reach the pillow," I answered, smiling coyly at Edward. "Listen, I'm on my way up now. I'll be right there."
"'Kay, see you when you get here." He hung up, and I put my phone back in my pocket.
"Well," I began, "I'd better get back to them. Are you done down here?"
"Yes," he replied, stepping through the entrance, and then reaching down to pick up a familiar duffle bag. "I just had to pick this up for a friend. Are you going back upstairs?"
"Yep. I have a dinner party with some friends."
"Me, too!" he exclaimed. "I'll walk up with you."
"What floor are you going to?" I asked.
"The second," he replied.
"What a coincidence." I couldn't contain my smile. I knew everyone on that floor—save for one. I wondered who he was visiting. It was possible this gorgeous creature had been so close to me on many occasions. "That's where I'm going, too."
When we had reached the lobby level, I turned to him and asked, "Do you mind if we take the elevator the rest of the way?"
He quirked an eyebrow in response.
"I know it's not far, but I'm not so great on stairs," I answered. "You've seen me on a flat level surface… How do you think I'd survive stairs?"
He laughed. "I get it. But I'd love helping you up again. Better yet, maybe I could follow and get more of the same view as before."
I slapped him on the arm. "Don't remind me."
He laughed even harder. "No problem—elevator it is."
As soon as the doors closed, the air sparked with an inexplicable electricity. The tension could be cut with a knife, but I liked it. I liked being close to this man, so close I could almost feel his body against mine.
He stared at me intensely as we began the ride up—which took forever. Reflexively, I dropped the pillow—it was covered in plastic, so it wouldn't get dirty. My body floated of its own accord over to him. I couldn't stand to have any amount of space between us. He followed suit and we met in the middle of the elevator. He reached out his hand and grabbed onto my forearms. Again his face came dangerously close to mine, so close I couldn't focus on it.
It was going to happen. This man whose name I didn't even know was going to kiss me, and I wasn't going to stop him. I didn't want to stop him. I'd never done anything like this, and I didn't care what it said about me. All I could care about was his touch, his scent, and hopefully, his taste.
The ding of the elevator when we reached the second floor went unnoticed. Emmett's voice, however, did not.
"Bells! Edward!" He yelled, holding the doors open with his enormous arms. "I thought you guys would never get back."
Wait? What? Emmett was waiting for him? And his name was Edward.
Edward sighed and pulled away. He turned back to the corner he had been standing in and reached down.
"Well, you're the one who sent me to get this," he said, holding up the bag. "I would have been back a lot sooner if I'd been able to find it in the damn mess you have down there."
So Edward had been in Emmett's storage area, just on the other side of mine. Any hope I had that he hadn't heard all of my inane babbling was dashed. I could feel my cheeks burning.
"So, you know Em?" I asked Edward, grabbing the pillow from the floor.
"Unfortunately," he responded.
I laughed. "How do you know him?"
"My sister introduced us when I moved in," he explained. "I live a few doors down. Maybe you know her, Esme Cullen?"
He was the mysterious brother I'd never met, and I'd made an ass of myself downstairs. At least I knew where he lived, and I could find him any time I wanted—perfect.
"That's who this is for," I said holding up the pillow.
Then it clicked. It was all a setup.
"Apparently, we've been hoodwinked," I whispered.
"Are you angry?" he asked. "I'm not."
My heart flew. "Not in the slightest."
"So that's how you met him?" the shrill voice on the other end of the line asks. I am abruptly pulled from the memory of Edward's and my first formal meeting by her laughter emitting from my phone's speaker. "You met your husband in the creepy, spider-infested basement storage area of your old apartment building?"
"Yes, Jess," I sigh. "It couldn't be as romantic as how you met Mike. I mean, who else gets to lock eyes across a crowded lunchroom in Forks High?" I don't know if the irony of her comments is lost on her. I am pretty sure my sarcasm is.
I hear quiet laughter behind me, and warm arms wrap around my waist. "Gonna get off the phone soon, love?" Edward breathes in my ear as his arm snakes beneath my shirt.
"Two secs," I mouth.
"Okay," he whispers. The scent of his warm breath caresses me and makes it impossible to concentrate on the phone, as do his fingers ghosting over my bra.
"Jess," I say, my voice wavering, "I've really gotta go. It was great talking to you. We shouldn't lose touch again."
"Definitely, Bella," Jess answers excitedly. "I'll talk to you later."
"Bye." I hang up the phone quickly and turn to face my husband. "You're in for it, mister."
"Am I?" he teases.
"You betcha," I respond, reaching up to put my lips on his.
Gently, he opens his mouth and presses his tongue against my lips. I moan and open my mouth to him.
"Mommy, Daddy." Our daughter's high-pitched voice rings out as she opens the bedroom door.
Quickly, he pulls away, and we both turn to her.
"What happened, Alice?" I groan. "I thought Daddy put you in bed."
"He did," she answers, her drooping black spikes bobbing around her head, so reminiscent of her namesake. "But I'm not tired. I want a drink." She grabs my hand and pulls me up from the bed, jumping up and down.
"At least she's not running circles around the room," Edward laughs. He walks up to us and pulls us into a tight embrace. "I'm so lucky to have my two girls."
"And a third on the way," I say, patting my stomach.
"Really?" he chokes. "Another girl? I really wish I could've been there for the appointment."
"A Rosalie," I correct. "Jessica, the woman I was just talking to, was the ultrasound technician, and she told me at my appointment today. I know you would have been there if it was possible. But like I said on the phone, everything's fine."
A broad smile breaks across his face. "Who would've known that it would all begin with a basement, a mini skirt and a bar stool?"
End Notes:
I hope you enjoyed my silliness, and JRT Alice.