Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, the works of Sarah Dessen, Wuthering Heights, or anything else I may have mentioned in this fic. Some elements in this story you may find parody-esque. If you do, congratulations! That is what I intended. Some OCC-ness. Definitely AH/AU. One-shot.
Pants.
Isabella Marie Swan wasn't interested in the mass amounts of chick-lit that her best friend, Alice Cullen, read. (Though in Alice's case, it was clearly an obsession. Her room outsized the local library.) She did not believe in love at first sight or vampires or werewolves. No matter how much people may have drooled over Pobert Rattinson or Laylor Tautner when those Daylight movies had come out - They. Did. Not. Exist.
So why in the world would she believe in a pair of magical pants?
"Oh, come on Bella. Stop being such a killjoy. You won't die if you just put them on," Alice said, holding out the pair of faded blue jeans. Alice danced around impatiently, as she always did, before Bella. Even while throwing somewhat of a mini-tantrum, Alice still seemed to take graceful ballerina steps.
Alice was pixie small and cute, with short hair and bright, green eyes. Though Bella wouldn't admit it, she felt intimidated by Alice's charisma and charm. She felt like a wallflower – her brown hair and eyes always blending into the background, unseen. If their parents hadn't been friends in college, the two girls wouldn't have even been acquaintances. Not when Alice was the social queen and Bella was… for lack of a better word, browning. Withering.
Bella raised one eyebrow at her friend. She hoped the eyebrow would convey enough doubt, incredulity, and refusal to repel Alice and her ratty jeans away from her. Though it was more likely that Bella would cave in first.
"If they fit that," Bella said, gesturing to Alice's thin body, "then they aren't going to fit this." She gestured to her own.
When The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movie (and its sequel) had come out, Bella accompanied Alice to go watch them like the good friend she was. She watched the flick. Commented on the hot Greek actor. Possibly googled pictures of him. But now she was putting her foot down now. She was not going to let Alice's crazy fandom let her believe that this fabric was enchanted.
Even if it was, admittedly, harmless.
"Killjoy," Alice repeated, slinging the pair of jeans over her arm. She moved over to the next rack.
Bella's element had never been shopping, and she felt out of place in this expensive mall in this expensive store filled with expensive clothes. She pulled out a random swimsuit and tried to casually glance over the price tag.
"Two hundred dollars!" she muttered, pushing it back onto the rack.
"Oooh," Alice trilled beside her, taking the article of clothing she'd just returned. She held it up. "It's cute."
Bella winced slightly. Alice was talking loudly, and she didn't really want the other customers to be staring in their direction. Not when she already felt like she didn't belong here.
"Mm-hmm," Bella replied, pretending like she didn't agree. Because if she did, then Alice would make her –
"Try it on!" she said, throwing it at Bella.
Oh, well. Too late for that.
Bella oof-ed as the hanger stabbed into her stomach. Then she fumbled with it, trying to catch the swimsuit before it hit the floor. Which, in turn, made so much noise that everyone snapped around to look at her anyway. She lowered the swimsuit so it was out of their line of vision.
No, I'm not really buying this people. Don't worry!
"It's not my style," Bella said nervously.
"Anything that doesn't cover ninety percent of your body isn't 'your style,' Bella," Alice said, rolling her eyes. "This is why you don't have a boyfriend."
Ow.
…
Ow.
"Fine," Bella said, snatching up the bikini and bringing it with her to the dressing room. Alice smiled smugly, having accomplished one thing on her routine shopping to-do list: force Bella into sexier clothing.
Nobody's looking at you, Bella reminded herself as she carried the skimpy two-piece to the back of the store where the dressing rooms were located. Nobody's looking at you, she reminded herself as she passed an old lady who was clearly eyeballing her. Nobody's looking at you…
"Why are you following me in?" Bella asked, frowning as she locked the door behind her. Alice just shrugged and seated herself on a stool in the corner. Bella stood there, staring at her best friend lounging on the seat.
"What?" Alice asked. "I won't look." She pulled out her phone and began pressing a few buttons, pretending to be texting away.
Bella turned around and slowly dressed, maneuvering her clothes awkwardly in an attempt to cover herself and get dressed at the same time. She felt overly conscious of Alice sitting in the corner, even though Alice hadn't looked up from her phone screen. Bella was staring at her through the mirror just to make sure.
Finally, she finally got the small pieces of fabric on. She stood in front of the mirror, looking at her body… and almost hating her figure, or lack of. She heard Alice giggling behind her, and was about to reprimand her friend, when she realized Alice wasn't laughing at her all.
She breathed a sigh of relief, gazing at her reflection again. She was so pale, and she looked so… fragile.
"Jazz just said he's here! I'm going to meet him outside," Alice said, getting up. She pocketed her phone and reached for the door. "By the way, you look awesome in that. I'm totally buying it for you."
"You don't have to—!" Bella protested, but Alice had already gone out the door. Did she really look nice in it? She looked over herself again, brushing some stray pieces of hair out of her face. Over her shoulder, then back again. Seeing if it would look nice this way or that.
She decided it made no difference. She didn't know what Alice saw, but she didn't like was she was seeing in the mirror. She pulled on her jeans and paused. The jeans felt strange. She looked down – they were the stupid magic jeans! Alice had stolen her pants!
"Alice!" Bella cried, slamming open the dressing room door.
It was not, however, Alice waiting outside for her.
A tall boy – no, man – with bronze hair stood before her. His green eyes looked familiar, Bella was sure she had seen the same shade somewhere else before… He seemed to be taking notice in her too.
He was so much better than that Greek actor.
Bella couldn't help but stare – he was beautiful, not handsome. Beautiful. A piece of art. The corner of his lips upturned to a small smile at her. She liked the crooked tilt of his lips as he did.
It was then she felt a draft. Goosebumps shot up her back.
…she wasn't wearing a shirt.
Her eyes widened, gazing down at her bikini-clad top that was conveniently drooping at the moment and revealing much more of her skin that she wanted. She knew it wouldn't matter at this point, but she still sucked in her stomach. Thankfully, at least, she was wearing jeans – but she still felt so naked and exposed. She ran back into the dressing room, hitting her elbow on the door as she went.
Well, she certainly didn't look pale anymore! Every inch of her skin was flushed red in embarrassment. She squeezed her eyes shut, resisting the urge to bang her head against the mirror.
She grumbled to herself as she pulled off the bikini top and yanked on her shirt. Feeling like a child, she peeked under the dressing room door to see if that guy was still there.
The coast was clear.
She exhaled, blowing her bangs out of her face. She left the bikini hanging in the room as she left, shouldering her messenger back.
"Ma'am?" Bella jumped as one of the saleswomen spoke to her from behind the counter.
"Y-yes?" Bella asked.
"Are you planning on wearing those out?" The woman pointed towards the jeans.
Like she had a choice.
"Yes," Bella replied, reaching for her wallet. Ooooh, she would make Alice pay her back twice fold. She glanced over at the cash register to see her total, and almost dropped her wallet. She couldn't afford these jeans!
Forget getting Alice to pay her back. She would have to burn Alice's walk-in closet to get the proper revenge.
She sighed. With a guilty conscience, she reached for her "emergencies only" debit card that her father had given her. Hopefully, he wouldn't be looking too closely at the bill this month.
She felt something snake around her waist, and someone's hip smashed into her side. The stranger pulled Bella towards his body. Bella looked up to see it was… him. The guy.
"Hey there," he said, as if he knew Bella. She was too shocked to speak – partly because a) he was touching her b) he was shockingly good-looking up close.
He slid a card over the counter. Bella noted, with interest, it was platinum. Much like all of Alice's cards. It took her another moment to realize that he was paying for the jeans. For her.
…what?
She felt strange with his arm slugged around her, snug but… nice in a way. At the same time, she was standing stiff – unsure whether or not she should move. She tried to shove those mushy feelings to the back of her mind. He wasn't being serious. He couldn't be – not when there was that mischievous twinkle in his eye that meant nothing but trouble.
"Thank you for shopping with us," the clerk said, handing over the newly bagged jeans. The guy took them and passed them over to Bella. They continued to walk out the store in that fashion – her squished up against this stranger.
"You weren't going to buy that lovely bathing suit from before?" he inquired with a slightly teasing tone.
Lovely? Nice word choice.
Bella shook her head quickly. "I've got one at home already. Er – not necessarily a bikini, but, uhm… swimwear. It's just that my friend didn't approve of one I bought for less than twenty dollars. She wanted to look good for when we go to the beach next week."
She was babbling. She was telling him things he didn't know. Why was she babbling? Shut up, shut up, shut up…
"That's unfortunate."
Unfortunate. Instead of too bad. Again with his strange use of words…
"Perhaps you could try a different style. Not all two pieces are bikinis," he suggested.
"Oh," she said, uncertain of how to answer to that.
She sidestepped out of his hold as they came to a stop far from the shop.
"Well… thanks for the help," she said unsurely, holding up her shopping bag. "I want to repay you, since it was pretty expensive. How can I get a hold of you?"
He crossed his arms, showing off his muscled biceps. Or triceps. Whatever they were – they were bulging.
"Are you asking for my number?" he said, his lip quirking up to its usual smirk.
She opened her mouth in retort, but couldn't think of anything. He was amused by her lack of response. She glared at him with narrowed eyes, but couldn't hide the fact that her cheeks were probably bright red now – negating any sort of irritation she was trying to convey.
"Forget it," she snapped, whipping around to leave.
He caught her by the shoulder. She gritted her teeth, facing him – but she froze as their eyes met. She found herself lost in the intense gaze of his eyes. They really were a pretty shade of green…
"I apologize," he said, and it sounded genuine. "I did not intend to offend you."
She was struck speechless again. If anything, these blasted jeans were cursed not blessed.
"It's fine," she said a beat later, reluctantly. She only half meant it.
He smiled, relieved. "Good to hear. I'll be seeing you soon."
And with that, he left.
Bella dumped the pair of jeans into the trunk of her truck.
She slid into the driver's seat, then reached up to adjust the rearview mirror. She shrieked at what she saw through the mirror.
"Holy crow!" she cried, looking away from the mirror.
In the back seat, Alice slowly finished kissing her boyfriend, Jasper Whitlock, before sitting up. The couple smiled innocently back at Bella, as if they hadn't done anything wrong. Jasper brushed his blond hair aside, every hair still perfectly in place. The two had been dating for as long as Bella could remember, and now they acted like an old married couple. Well, with the exception of times like these…
"I don't even want to know why you decided my car was a good getaway," Bella mumbled, starting up the engine. Alice let out a musical laugh.
"Did you buy something?" Alice asked, trying to redirect the conversation.
"Not really," Bella said. She didn't really count the jeans as a purchase when they brought her such misfortune.
"This just means I'm going to drag you out shopping again," Alice threatened lightly.
Jasper nudged Alice. "I almost feel sorry for her."
"Oh no, Bella doesn't need sympathy. She needs to be forcefully pushed out of her shell," Alice said, shaking her head. They became immersed in their own discussion.
Bella's mind wandered as she drove.
This would be their last summer before going off to college, and yet – she had done nothing all year. She lived such a boring existence. Not that she could help it. Forks wasn't exactly the most exciting town in the States.
She thought back to the guy she'd run into at the mall. He probably lived quite a life. He had donned a leather jacket – and leather jackets were obvious signs of motorcycle-riding, street-racing, living-life-on-edge drifters… or something like that.
Thinking of him made her think of his eyes. They were so striking. Hard to forget.
Hard not to gag at the thought. It was such a… romantic comedy movie-esque scene, their exchange. She flushed at the memory of him seeing her in that bikini top.
She had to stop herself before she began imagining situations in her mind. A second chance meeting on the beach! Bonding over the sound of the waves! Kissing under the moonlight! Stomp, stomp, stomp. She swatted them all away.
Besides, there was something utterly wrong with him.
He spoke so strangely. It reminded her of a novel she had to read in English, one of those old timey Victorian ones. Not to mention that he had offered her fashion advice.
…oh dear.
He was gay, wasn't he?
This seemed more plausible, and she suddenly felt repulsed that she had even considered him as some sort of romantic book hero. This put a final end to all of her daydreams.
She didn't even know his name anyway.
Bella pulled up the Cullen house driveway. "We're here," she announced, in case Jasper and Alice were once again too preoccupied to notice that they'd arrived. Right on cue, she heard a plunger-like sound from the backseat.
"Thanks Bella," Alice said, kissing her on the temple. "Oh, and I got these for you." She plopped a large paper bag into the front seat.
"What is it?"
"Your summer reading assignment. If you aren't going to go shopping with me, you should at least catch up with the newest book trends," Alice replied, patting the bag.
Bella was about to give them back to Alice, but she noticed that the first book was The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
"All right then," Bella said, trying to sound reluctant as she eyed the stack with interest.
"I'm sure you and Miss Dessen will be grand friends after this," Alice said, slipping out the door with Jasper in tow.
"Who?" Bella asked.
It wasn't like she was a trouble-making, middle school boy reading playboy under the covers, so why did she feel like it? Bella had her flashlight out as she tore through The Truth About Forever. She had already read her way through all of the traveling pants series after checking them out at the library (having been too embarrassed to ask Alice for the remaining books.)
She. Had. Been. Missing. Out.
She was addicted now. Spent the nights lying awake on her bed reading book after book. She could understand Alice's wild obsession for these stories.
"Don't do it," she whispered, clutching the book tightly as it got to a particularly dramatic moment. "No… no… NOOO! BUT YOU LOVE HIM!"
"Bella?"
She dropped the book and flashlight, just as someone flicked the lights in her room on. They softly thumped against the wooden floor. Her dad stood at the doorway, a concerned look across his face.
"Why are you sitting in the dark?" he asked. "It's only six."
"Um," was the only thing she could think to say. "Is it really that time? I should probably get started on dinner, huh?" She got up, kicking the books under her bed as she went.
Bella got dressed to head to Alice's. She needed to return her books. She rummaged through her closet, pulling on a t-shirt.
There was only one pair of pants in her closet.
The pants.
She had been neglecting laundry lately, being that she was busy with something else…
This is a sign, some ominous, narrative voice in the back of her head said. You were meant to wear these pants today. Something's going to happen, Bellaaaaaa.
She zipped up the jeans. That was nonsense. She was just reading too far into things.
Really… so maybe the jeans did make her thighs look slimmer, so maybe they made her legs look longer, her butt… more firm? But they were worth a fortune. She would've expected them to do so. They were designed that way, not magically enhanced.
Right?
Right.
"I'm going out," she called to her dad. His eyes were glued to the television set, full attention on today's game. He gave her a brief nod of acknowledgement, though it could've been that he was nodding at the scantily dressed cheerleaders swinging their hips (and other body parts) on screen.
Bella had to kick start the truck today. It was a 1953 Chevy, forced out of retirement when her dad had "acquired" it from a family friend so Bella had something to use to get around.
Luckily, the Cullen house wasn't too far. The truck would make it…
…that is, if the tank was full.
Right when she was about to pull up at the turn, the truck wheezed out and stopped in its tracks. She squeezed the steering wheel tightly, sighing heavily.
She hit the gas. The truck moved not.
She glanced up at the rearview mirror to make sure that nobody was behind her. Nope. But as she looked away, a flicker of silver flashed in the mirror. Her eyes darted back up again. There, down the road, was a shiny, silver car making its way up to her.
She bit her lip, stomping down on the gas again. The gears in the engine were gnawing against each other, making strange, metallic-y thumps from below the seat. Still, the truck was rooted to the same spot. Still, the truck refused to move.
The silver car was nearing now. She could make out the driver in the seat – a male.
"Come on, come on," she urged the truck. It was starting to sound like a blender now. The engine whirred, but nothing else happened.
The driver was getting out of the car. She could only make out his dark silhouette – the sunlight, though dim as it was here in Forks, glinted right in her face. It made it hard for her to see clearly. All she could tell was that he was pretty tall.
And then he swaggered up to the car door, grinning that winning smile of his. He leaned into the window, one elbow propped against the still - invading her personal space. Just how he liked it. Watching his target squirm under his gaze. She couldn't help but admired his muscled chest… even though he was wearing a hoodie, it was obvious he worked out. His eyes met hers, smoldering. Absolutely smoldering. He leaned even closer and…
"Do you require assistance?"
Bella snapped out of her daydream.
…had she really thought that? Oh no, Oh no, she had been reading far too many of those books. She was now imagining things. Hallucinating. Who knew the side effects were so dire?
"Excuse me?" the man said.
"Oh, I…" She stopped in mid-sentence as she looked up at him.
He flashed her a smile. "Overtaken by my good looks, ma'am?"
She rolled up the window, almost hitting his nose as it went.
It was that guy. The green-eyed jerk from the mall. The very attractive, green-eyed jerk from the mall. And she was having daydreams about him! She rubbed her forehead, feeling slightly ashamed of herself.
He tapped against the glass.
Why was he still there?
She rolled the window down an inch, just enough to let his voice filter through.
"Yes?"
"I asked if you required assistance. It would appear that you're stuck."
"Yes," she said again. Words seemed to escape her… like every other time she encountered this guy.
"Is that a yes, I confirm your statement or a yes, I need help?"
"Yes…" she trailed off, then quickly finished, "I need help."
He paused, as if expecting something else.
She rolled her eyes.
"Please."
His smile widened, settling into a smirk. His facial features seemed to be more comfortable that way.
"I've got a hook in my car. I can attach your truck to it and pull your truck along. You are going up the road, right?" he asked. His eyes glanced up in the general direction of the Cullen house.
"Yes," she said for the fourth time. She didn't like his tone of voice when he addressed her truck. Like her car wasn't worthy or something. "Stupid shiny Volvo owner," she muttered.
He drove back and forth up the road, trying to squeeze the stupid, shiny Volvo by the truck without scratching anything. Not that one little scratch would hurt that silver paint job… It was tricky, but he was admittedly a pretty good driver. It was minutes later the Volvo was positioned in front of Bella's truck.
He popped open the trunk to retrieve the hook, then went about attaching it between the two cars. Bella sat in her truck, arms crossed over her chest, as he towed the truck up the street. She could see the familiar glass house now as they came closer, then finally coming to a stop at the driveway.
The door flew open, revealing Alice. She always just appeared at the doorway right before Bella got a chance to get out of the car. It was almost like she could tell when Bella was coming before she did.
She grabbed Alice's bag of books before getting out of the car.
"Hey there!" Alice greeted, walking towards the truck.
"Hey," Bella replied.
Then, to her surprise, Alice went up and gave the man a hug. He returned it.
"Woah, woah, woah!" Bella said, jumping in between them. "Alice! You have a boyfriend!"
The man had his hands up defensively, and Alice just laughed.
"Bells, are you okay?" she asked. When Bella didn't answer, she continued, "This is Edward. Remember? My brother?"
Bella whipped around, staring warily at the man.
Edward. Alice's older brother. Bella knew exactly who he was. Two and a half years her senior. He was sophomore – now junior – at the University of Alaska. Oh, and he enjoyed tormenting Bella as a child.
She took a step back automatically, a reflex she had learned when she was younger. She took another. Then another. Then she sprinted back towards her truck. Yanked open the door. Shoved the keys into the ignition.
The truck groaned.
Right. It was out of gas.
"Bella?" she heard Alice's concerned voice sound from ahead.
"I need some gas," Bella said to her friend as she got out of the car again. Edward was eyeing her with an amused look.
"Sure. I'll tell Emmett to fill you up once he comes back from his date with Rosalie," Alice said, nodding. She looped her arm around Bella's and began to drag her into the house. Edward followed them, to Bella's misfortune.
"Have you guys eaten yet?" Alice asked. When they both shook their heads, she grinned. "Great! I have a new recipe I want to try out…"
So that was how Alice, Edward, and Bella ended up in the Cullen kitchen gathered around an Italian cookbook.
Bella couldn't help but shoot a few glances over at Edward. On the day he said he was going off to Alaska, she had rejoiced. Finally, Edward the Bully would be out of her hair! But he hardly looked like the pubescent teen he was at eighteen anymore. He was a man now. A big, tall, strong man…
Chick lit situation number one: childhood tormenter turned into hunky love interest.
No, she told herself. No. That's ridiculous. He may have changed over the years, but she was the same as ever. Even if she… wait. Was she actually considering it? Considering them together? The same Edward who used to dump pudding in her underwear?
She shot a glare at the back of Alice's head.
It was all her fault. Her and those books of hers.
"You guys excited for the beach?" Alice questioned.
"Absolutely," Edward responded. "I haven't been surfing in ages."
Oh, so that's what he meant by they would see each other again when he'd said it at the mall. Edward was tagging along on the family trip.
Chick lit situation number two: hot summer romance on the beach with ripped out, tanned ex-surfer who hasn't been able to forgive the sea for taking away his father during a typhoon until a girl changes his life…
Bella almost dropped the knife she was holding. This was getting bad.
"Bella, I need those tomatoes," Alice chimed.
"Here," Bella said distractedly, handing the chopped up slices to Alice on a plate.
"Nicely done," Edward complimented, nodding his head in approval. "You didn't cut yourself."
I'm still on to you. She shot him suspicious eyes. Almost like he could read her thoughts, his grin grew larger, even more smug than before. As if it were possible for him to get any more presumptuous.
Then again, it was Edward Cullen.
"Hey kids!" Emmett came in through the door with the beautiful Rosalie Hale latched onto his side. The two were fresh out of college and lived nearby in a shared apartment. Everyone was waiting for Emmett to pop Rosalie the question any time now.
"Em," Alice said, without looking up from her pot. "Bella's truck needs to be refueled."
"Please and thank you," Bella added.
"Actually," Emmett said, sitting at the table with Rosalie, "I think it needs to be recycled. Why don't you let it rest in peace?"
"I believe the Mercedes Guardian is out. It would be perfect for you, Isabella," Edward said.
"Why's that?" Bella asked, almost grudgingly. She felt like she had taken the bait, and he was about to laugh about it in her face.
"It's bulletproof protected, so even you can't get hurt in it."
Har har.
Edward kept standing right next to Bella as they cooked. Sometimes their arms would brush over one another's, making her feel uneasy. More so than she already was. But… it was different from when she was little. When she was young, she would be shaking in her boots in fear of Edward. When he matured a bit the pranks simmered down, but it still struck fear in the eight year old within her.
Even now she was scared, but of something totally different.
I'm just imagining it, she told herself. He's not really looking at me.
"Those jeans look nice on you."
Bella backed away. Edward was leaning towards her, speaking right into her ear.
"What?" he asked, laughing at her reaction.
"Nothing… it's just that the… the last time you were here, you said jeans make me look fat." Ugh. She hated the pathetic, wimpy tone of her voice. It only got like that when he was around.
"Really?" he said in a slightly surprised voice. "I don't recall."
Chick lit situation number three: They were fine, until he got into a car accident. Now, he's forgotten everything about her. She remembers everything about him. What happens when they…?
Groan. Now she was starting to think in rhetorical questions.
And then she realized something. This wasn't the fault of Alice's books. No, not at all. It was the pants! The pants! Everything started happening because of these pants! They were cursed! Evil! Possessed with the spirit of some girl who got rejected by the hot guy next door!
The pants had to be disposed of. Immediately.
She turned to hand Alice some mushrooms when she caught Edward staring at her. This time, it was no hallucination. He was definitely staring. He even had the audacity to grin up at her when he was caught.
Okay… maybe she didn't have to return the pants that soon.
The question was, now, whether she should go with the Hannah Montana fun party beach blanket or the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers one. She needed one for the beach trip, so she had headed up to the store. Of course, the one of Laylor Tautner shirtless looked like a good choice too…
"Bella!"
She turned, facing two boys she knew from school. Eric and Mike. The two were the founders, along with their friend Tyler, of the Forks High School Chess Club and were really the only guys who would talk to her. They were pretty nice, but she found them a little too nice. Like now, as they were smiling widely at her with expectant looks in their eyes.
"Hey guys," she said, being polite. She had a feeling she knew what they wanted.
"So Bella," Mike said, propping his arm on Eric's shoulder. He tried to shove Mike off. Mike flicked his head around, trying to sweep his bangs out of his face. "I was wondering if you'd like to dance with me during the last dance."
Bella made an apologetic face. "I'm sorry, Mike, but I'm…"
"I knew it!" Eric said. "She wants to go with me!"
"I don't think so!" called a third voice.
Tyler, riding on a shopping cart, came out of nowhere. He zipped towards Mike, Eric, and Bella. The boys stepped aside in the nick of time, but Bella found herself frozen in her spot as Tyler's cart tore towards her….
…and then, at the last moment she was pulled aside! Somebody's arms took hold of her, taking her to safety. She looked up to see who her savior was… and made a face.
"Edward," she addressed.
"Isabella," he replied.
"Bella! Bella!" Mike exclaimed. "Bella! Are you okay?"
"Yes," she answered, pulling away from Edward's grip.
"Good!" Eric said cheerily. "So, we still on for that dance?"
"Actually," Bella interrupted. "I… er…"
"She already has a date."
Edward slung his arm around Bella's waist again. She wondered if it was bad that this action was starting to feel all too familiar and comfortable to her.
"O-oh. Edward. W-we didn't know you were b-back in town!" Mike said, laughing nervously. He began tugging the Eric back, and then they broke off into a run once they were far enough away.
"What was that about?" Bella asked, stifling a laugh.
"Surely you didn't think yourself privileged?" Edward responded. "There were many others I tortured in my younger years."
"Poor Mike," Bella mused. She found it strange she could joke lightly about it now, Edward's bullying stunts. "But thanks for the rescue."
"No problem." Edward took her hand. She half-expected him to kiss it, but he just squeezed it lightly and put it back down.
…which was strange. Nevertheless, it sent goosebumps up her arm. Unwarranted goosebumps.
"So what are you up to?" Bella began, trying to regain a serious tone to distance herself from him. "Stalking young maidens?" She faced the towels again, pretending to take interest in choosing one. Edward followed her as she paced up and down the aisle.
"I just happened to be here," Edward said. "Stalking would be like if I watched you sleep every night outside your bedroom window."
Well, that totally clarified everything.
"So, what is this last dance?" Edward inquired casually.
"Exactly as it sounds. Next week during the beach party, they play one last song before we leave. People who dance together during the song are said to be together forever."
"Is that a scoff I hear in your voice?"
"It's just a bit silly," Bella said, shaking her head. That I'm having a normal conversation with you right now without running for my dear life. "That people truly believe in such a made up story."
"Is it really that bad to believe?"
He was leaning over her again, his side pressed against hers. She made the mistake of looking up into his eyes. They were hypnotizing. Dazzling, really. She found herself strangely drawn to them again. His hand reached up to her cheek, cupping it. It was startlingly cold, but she didn't jerk away from it. Her breath caught in her throat as he bent down…
"Yes," she said, with a final tone in her voice. She stepped away from him. "Yes, it is."
That did not just happen, she chanted to herself. I'm getting it all wrong. It's not what I think it is. I don't need this…
Edward snorted. "Perhaps that's why a frumpy girl like you has never had a boyfriend before."
She stopped walking. "Excuse me?"
"You think you're so superior," he said, "that you don't need love. That by disregarding it you're better than other people who have significant others. But really? Really and truly? I think you're just a bitter, jealous, old woman."
It was hard to miss the acid in his voice, or the condescending glint in his eyes. The same eyes that had glared down on her so many times before when she was little. She shrunk back to her eight-year-old self, cowering away from the tormentor. She was wrong. He hadn't changed at all. He was still a mean, insensitive jerk. She shot it right back at him… by punching him in the gut.
She turned away on heel, ignoring the stinging pain in her fist. The man had abs of steel. She could feel frustrated tears pricking the corner of her eyes, but she didn't care. She didn't care. She didn't care.
At the same time, she couldn't help but think that all this happened because she wasn't wearing the pants today.
"Liar," Alice accused over the phone. "I know you're not sick, and I expect you at South Beach in an hour or else."
"Excuse me?" Bella said, coughing into the receiver.
"Liar," Alice repeated. "You're a horrible actor."
"But I am sick," Bella argued. Sick of your brother.
"We're leaving in a couple of minutes. I expect you here when those minutes are up," Alice said sharply.
"No, Alice I will not…"
Bella found herself in her truck minutes later, driving up to the Cullen house. The door was unlocked, so she let herself in.
She couldn't stop thinking about Edward's harsh words the past few days. She knew deep, deep down that he was speaking some sort of truth – even spitefully so. It would be snobbish of her to disregard what he said, but she didn't know how to change herself.
"Alice?" she called out. There was no response, so she headed up the stairs to seek out her friend. Alice's room was farthest to the right… but when she got there, the room was empty. Confused, she checked the next room over. "Alice?"
There, glinting in the light of the sun, stood a man.
A naked man.
"Oh," Bella gasped, turning around and cover her eyes. "S-sorry! I was… trying to find Alice. She wanted to drag me to the beach and…"
She was rambling. Again. This wasn't supposed to be happening! She was supposed to be angry… she was… Well, was there really a way things were supposed to happen? A written code or law? Was it so bad if things just happened to end up like this?
"She told me you needed a ride and requested I drive you," Edward's dull voice sounded. It was clear that someone was still hurt.
"Okay," she squeaked. "I'll wait outside…"
As she reached for the door, she tripped over something and fell face-first onto the floor. She scrambled to her feet, trying to see what exactly she tripped over.
It was the remote to Edward's stereo system, and a mushy, slow love song was playing. She snatched up the remote and turned it off. Edward made a strangled sound, as if he was trying not to laugh.
She got up, brushing off her clothes and walked out again when something caught her eye. The bookshelf to the left. She took a step back to examine it closer. Edward's bookshelf was filled top to bottom with books. But not just any books. They were Victorian novels with classics like The Scarlet Letter and Jane Eyre.
That's why he talks like an old English gentlemen, she thought. He reads this stuff! She found herself giggling again. Admittedly, it was kind of cute…
"What exactly do you find so hilarious?"
There he went again. She bit down on her lip to keep from bursting out into laughter. Then shook her head, clearing her mind.
"Your book collection is… interesting," she said.
"You think?"
He actually sounded excited about it. He walked up to her side, now fully dressed, sliding his hand through the top shelf.
"The classics are the only things worth reading in my opinion. Not those horrible books Alice reads," he said.
"I agree," she said. It was weird to agree with Edward on anything. She examined a copy of Wuthering Heights sitting on the second row.
"That's my favorite," he said, voicing her exact thoughts as he pulled it out of the shelf. "Catherine and Heathcliff have a love that transcends death."
"A love that lasts forever," Bella added, shocking herself with that sudden epiphany.
"Yes. Exactly."
Slowly, she turned her head up at him. And she really looked at him. Not at his muscled arms, or at his sharp features. But him. Her eyes scanned over every small detail of his face, and she found that he was doing the same. They met each other at eye contact.
He hooked his fingers through her belt loops and brought her closer to him. She let out a small sound of surprise as his arms enclosed around her, but she didn't try to fight against him. How could she? Those eyes were entrapping her again. She found her own arms automatically reaching up to wrap around his neck.
"These jeans really do make you look hot," he said. They were far too close for her to see his mouth, but she knew he was smirking. She pressed her lips to his just to check and make sure.
Yes. The smirk was absolutely there.
The kiss was gentle, natural… but at the same time, utterly dizzying. When they broke apart, she gasped in surprise as her knees gave way and she landed on the floor. She laughed nervously. He walked over to the stereo and turned it on again. The love song was still playing softly from the speakers.
He returned, offering out a hand to Bella.
"Shall we dance?"
Bella smiled as she took his hand. Sure, it was a corny line, but she didn't really care. It was okay to be sappy once in a while.
Edward and Bella arrived at the beach hand in hand. Emmett whistled as Alice and Rosalie exchanged knowing looks. Jasper grinned up at them in congratulations.
Edward pulled Bella into his lap as they sat together atop a shared beach towel.
"Is it true?" Bella asked him. "That boys tease the girls that they like."
"No," Edward said. "I never saw you as a girl. And when I did, I was already way past the liking stage."
"Charming," she remarked, raising one eyebrow at him. He kissed her forehead.
"Bella," Alice said, rolling over to her side so that she was facing Bella. She dropped her voice down into a whisper, "Jasper is mad at me."
"You know," Bella said, "there's only one thing that will help you now."
"What?"
Bella stripped off her clothes, revealing a ruffly two-piece underneath. Alice stared at her in shock, but didn't really have time to register the reason for Bella's new boldness. "This!" Bella cried as threw her pants at Alice's face just before jumping into the water.
Author's Notes:
If I didn't have a title for this story, it would probably be "the one-shot I never, ever, ever thought I'd ever, ever write" largely because
1) it's not my usual style (though I did tweak it to more my liking)
2) this one-shot is longer than a single chapter in one of my serial stories and
3) I still prefer my side characters.
Though, admittedly, I am tempted to write a couple more chapters for this. -rubs chin- We shall see. Later.
Readers of Mirrors, this story is the reason why Mirrors hasn't been updated for some time. This one-shot has sucked everything out of me, pun very much intended. Still, I hope this can suffice until I finish writing up chapter seven.
And I do not like using these dividers! Why do my dashes not work? Roar! I am also ashamed that my version of Microsoft Works claims that Heathcliff is misspelled. I understand that it's outdated and doesn't have cyborg, but Heathcliff? Really?
Anyway, thank you for reading!