One-shot based on the song "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum.
Picture perfect memories,
Scattered all around the floor.
Reaching for the phone cause, I can't fight it any more.
And I wonder if I ever cross your mind.
For me it happens all the time.
It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now.
Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now.
And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now.
Another shot of whiskey, can't stop looking at the door.
Wishing you'd come sweeping in the way you did before.
And I wonder if I ever cross your mind.
For me it happens all the time.
It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk,
And I need you now.
Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now.
And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now.
Yes I'd rather hurt than feel nothing at all.
It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now.
And I said I wouldn't call but I'm a little drunk and I need you now.
And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now.
I just need you now.
Oh baby I need you now.
BPOV
The phone rang and Alice's name flashed on the screen. I pressed ignore and took another swig of wine straight from the bottle. Several seconds later, it rang again. With a sound somewhere between a sigh and a growl, I turned the volume completely down and stuffed it under the couch cushion.
I plopped onto the ground in front of the sofa with my worn shoebox (and my cheap bottle of wine) that had been collecting memories for four years—since eleventh grade. I ripped off the lid and bit my lip when I saw his face in the picture lying on top. Tears stung my eyes and I let the pain rip through my chest. Did he even ever fucking think of me? Here I was, unable to think of a single thing but him and I probably never even crossed his mind.
One by one, I pulled out each photo, and before I knew it, I was sobbing. A handful of them brought back intense memories.
~~~Prom~~~
I sat on my bed with crossed legs, staring at the phone in front of me. I glanced at the clock. Seven o'clock. And still nothing. Not a word. Jesus Christ, if I had known he didn't plan on asking me I would have said yes to Mike or Tyler or Eric or Ben. But no, Bella. You just had to put everything in your life on hold for him again. I sighed sadly. A couple more minutes passed, and I made a decision.
Fuck this, I thought. I had dropped hints for the last two weeks like crazy. I wasn't going to be going to senior prom alone. No, I most certainly would not.
I grabbed my sweater and was out the door before Charlie could even ask where I was going. Hopping into my truck, I started it and drove with determination to the Cullen house. I flew onto the driveway of the mansion, stopping when I hit the side of the brick wall. Well, whatever. My truck was already full of scratches, half of them made before I was even born.
I marched up the steps and tried the door. Lucky for me, it was unlocked. I slipped off my shoes and walked up the never ending staircase swiftly. Alice bumped into me at the top.
"Bella?" she said, eyes wide and mouth parted in a small 'O'. "What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk to Edward," I said, brushing past her. Normal girls would be angry if their best friend walked into their house uninvited to see their brother, but not Alice. Alice was special that way. And really, really awesome at times like this.
"He's in his room!" she called. When I reached his solid brown door, I kicked it open and it hit the wall with a bang. He had been lying on his bed with his arm covering his eyes, but the loud noise jerked him up into a sitting position. I swept into the room and began pacing.
"Wha—" Edward began. I interrupted him before he could finish whatever he was about to say.
"Glad to see you've been relaxing while I've been staring at my phone all afternoon, stupidly thinking you might call me." He opened his mouth to speak again, but I was no where near finished. "I know, I know. 'Was I supposed to call you, Bella?'" I said, poorly imitating his perfect voice. "No, Edward, I didn't actually specifically ask you to call, but I mean, damn it, I've been dropping hints forever now! You didn't think that maybe, when I said that I wanted a close friend to ask me to the dance, I meant you? Who the hell else would it be? Jacob from La Push? A freshman, nonetheless?"
"Bella, I—" he started again. My face flushed with embarrassment and anger.
"Yeah, I get it, Edward. You don't have…those kind of feelings for me. Awesome. Message received loud and clear. I was an idiot to think that you felt the same way about me as I feel about you. But now, if you're really my friend, you'll take me to the prom because I turned down all four possible dates. I think you owe your friend at least that much, don't you think? We don't even have to dance, if you don't want. We'll—"
I was cut off by the squeak of bedsprings, the creak of feet jogging across the wooden floor, and two warm, soft hands on the sides of my face. The next thing I knew, Edward's lips were on mine, pressing tenderly and moving gently. For several seconds, shock made it impossible to move. But as he continued to kiss me, I relaxed and sighed, winding my hands into his hair. His tongue lightly traced my bottom lip, and I shivered, parting my lips and permitting him entrance. I thought I would melt into a puddle on the floor. Our tongues gently stroked each others as they twisted and explored our mouths.
Finally, Edward reluctantly pulled away and smiled crookedly as we both tried to catch out breaths.
"Does this mean you'll go?" I said shakily. He laughed and wrapped me up in his arms.
"Yes, I'll go. And I'll dance with you all night and do a lot more of what we just did."
~~~end Prom~~~
I wrapped my arms around myself and trembled. Tears flowed down the side of my face as I cried harder than I ever had before. Why was it that I loved torturing myself this way? Hundreds of pictures were spread across the floor around me, reminding me of how much I had lost.
EPOV
I looked at the clock on the night stand. Still only eleven-fucking thirty PM? I felt like it should be morning by now. With a groan, I threw the covers off and made my way to the living room. I grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the cupboard and took a couple swigs. Fuck it. I wasn't going to resist getting trashed any longer.
I threw myself down onto the couch and felt as if I had been punched in the stomach when I looked at the open kitchen door. My mind travelled back to a day just last year. One of the happiest days of my life.
~~~Thanksgiving~~~
"I'm sorry, Mom, I can't come. I have way too much work."
She sighed heavily and it was silent for several moments. "What about Bella?"
Thanks a-fucking-lot, Mom. Just what I want to remember. "If that's your last resort to get me to come home, it won't work. It'll only make me feel shittier."
"Sorry, honey," she said sympathetically, not even bothering to reprimand me for my language. We talked for a couple minutes longer before I finally had to hang up to study. It was much more difficult than it should have been. I had trouble concentrating today. My mind kept imagining Bella. What was she doing? Would she hate me when she found out that I couldn't fly out for the holiday?
Then I started to remember how her lips had felt on mine, how she'd whisper my name, how she'd look at me with those big, brown eyes…
God, was it too late to buy a plane ticket? I didn't matter, I finally decided. I honestly couldn't afford to take a break at this point.
The day passed at the pace of a snail. At five o'clock, my stomach growled and I realized that I hadn't eaten. I closed my book and stood, making my way to the kitchen. In somewhat of a depressed state, I boiled pasta and opened a can of store bought sauce. I became even bluer when I remembered the delicious taste of Bella's homemade marinara sauce.
I grabbed a ladle from one of the drawers and began to dip it in the sad, sad excuse for sauce when a hand suddenly reached out from behind and snatched it away from me. I jumped and spun around, cursing and raising my arm instinctively.
However, the person standing before me was not an ugly-ass burglar like I expected, but Bella. Beautiful, wonderful Bella. My angel.
"What the fuck is this?" she demanded, eyeing the pot filled with red paste critically and tossing her car keys on the counter. Her eyes went to the can opener by the sink and she glared at me. "That better not be from the grocery store."
I laughed and wrapped my arms around her, swinging her around in a circle like something out of a god-damn movie.
"Edward! What the hell is wrong with you?" she yelled, swatting me on the back with the kitchen utensil. I grinned and gave her consecutive kisses on her cheek. She turned her face toward me and I accidentally kissed her lips. I stared in shock and she smiled innocently. We hadn't kissed since…well, since before we both left for university.
I set her on the counter and gave her the most passionate kiss that any man could ever give a woman. When I pulled away, she was swaying. I grinned smugly. It was hard to surprise Isabella Swan.
"What are you doing here? How'd you get in my house?" I asked, my voice louder than usual and probably making flowers in close proximity grow like fucking weeds.
She hopped down and dug into a freezer bag that she had dropped on the ground while muttering, "Door was opened. You never learned to lock it after all these years, did you?"
"You came to spend Thanksgiving with me," I stated, staring at her tenderly. God, this woman was amazing.
She pulled out a jar from the bag. "Of course not. But I knew you'd probably be running out of my sauce by now. And from the looks of that," she said, wrinkling her nose as she stared at my supper, "I was right."
I rolled my eyes and swept her up into a hug. Bella never really showed her emotions, something that she had gotten from her dad, but her fierce personality was something she inherited from her mom. Even though she denied it, I knew she had come here just to be with me. Christ, I loved this woman.
I froze.
Love?
"Are you alright?" she whispered, feeling the tension in my body. Love. I tried out the words. I…love…Bella? I love…Bella. I love Bella. I'm in love with Bella.
I am utterly in love with Isabella-fucking-Swan.
Smiling, I kissed her lips again. "Definitely."
~~~end Thanksgiving~~~
My eyes travelled to the cracked window beside the door and I felt nauseous. I took another drink of whiskey and clenched my fists with closed eyes.
~~~Friday night, three weeks ago~~~
I jogged up the stairs to Bella's apartment, a bouquet of flowers in my hand. A silly, love-sick smile played across my lips and I just felt so damn happy. Bella was the one I was going to marry; I was sure of it.
The only problem? I needed to actually tell her that I loved her first, and that I'd been in love with her for almost an entire year. I was such a fucking pussy. Every time I tried to tell her, I'd chicken out. I mean, what if my feelings were un-requited?
Yeah, like I said—pussy, I know, I know.
Turning the corner, I took several light steps toward her room at the end of the hallway, but gasped at what I saw.
Jacob—fucking Jacob Black had his arms wrapped around her body, holding her tightly against him. Their lips were sealed together and her hands were wound deeply in his hair.
And just like that, my heart fucking broke into two pieces and my life went from everything to nothing.
BPOV
With tears running down the side of my face, I ran up the stairs to Edward's house. Fucking Jacob. I fucking hated him more than anything else in the world.
Pushing open the door (that was, of course, unlocked), I scurried into the house. "Edward?" I called out. There was no answer. The sound of glass shattering took my attention and I ran up the stairs toward his bedroom. I pushed open that door too and shrieked.
Edward was lying on top of the bed without a shirt and straddling him was some girl with fake blond hair and huge boobs. She wore nothing but a bra and thong.
I stood there, completely frozen with one hand gripping the door frame and the other clamped over my mouth. My eyes were wide and I could do nothing but stare. The blond continued kissing up his chest, paying me no attention, and Edward stared at me while hundreds of emotions flitted across his face.
This just couldn't be happening. Things like this didn't happen to me and Edward. We'd been friends since we were twelve years old. Nothing could ever separate us—we were soul mates. Neither of us existed without the other. Our relationship was written in stone. We never ever had the desire to be with anyone else.
Right?
As I stared at the man I loved in front of me and the female that was not me hovering over him, I realized that I had been wrong. Edward had never even told me he loved me before, so why should this be a surprise? Sometimes when I caught the look in his eye when he looked at me I was sure he loved me, just like I loved him. I had come to the conclusion that he still hadn't grown the balls to tell me.
But obviously, I had been totally wrong. He didn't love me. He didn't even want to be with me.
My eyes filled with tears and all I could see was red. I pulled my shaking hand away from my mouth and stared at him murderously. "Fuck you," I spat before running from the room.
Fuck him for leading me on for ten fucking years. For making me feel like my life was and always would be with him. Now I'd lost him. Who the hell was I without Edward? A day hadn't gone by in the past seven years that I didn't speak to him.
And what scarred me more than anything was that without him, I was also without myself.
~~~end Friday night, three weeks ago~~~
EPOV
I grabbed my cell phone off the table. Fuck this. I needed to call her. I had promised I wouldn't but…I needed her now.
It rang, and rang, and rang…beep. No answer. I called again. No answer. I called a third time, and then a fourth, and then a fifth.
She wasn't going to pick up. She probably wasn't even thinking of me.
But I needed her.
I wasn't anything, or anyone without her. And even if she refused to be anything but my friend, I would stay. Because friends was better than not having her in my life at all. Cheating on me with Jacob Black be damned.
Jumping off the couch, I ran to the door and threw it open, jogging through the pouring rain to the Volvo. I was a little drunk, but it was a short drive to her place and I prayed to God that I'd make it there in one piece.
BPOV
A loud, persistent knock on the door rang out in the room. I didn't move. Whoever was there (my guess was Alice) wasn't planning on leaving.
"WAIT FOR TEN FUCKING SECONDS!" I yelled, stomping to the door. My hair stuck to my face where I had been crying and I'm positive my skin was all red and blotchy. Throwing open the door, I gasped.
"Edward?"
His eyes were wild, his hair a mess, and he smelled like alcohol. "Bella! I tried calling but you wouldn't answer. I need to talk to you. No, I need to be with you. Bella, I need you in my life so, so bad. I don't even fucking know who I am without you. I saw you with Jacob—" I gasped a second time, my hand flying to my throat. "—and I got pissed. But if you want to be with him, I'll be okay with it, as long as you're my friend. I'll be whatever you want, Bella. Please. Please."
My brain whirled a mile a minute. "Is that why you were…with her?"
He nodded, eyes sad and desperate.
"Oh my God," I whispered. "Edward, I didn't kiss Jacob. He kissed me. And he wouldn't get off of me. He tried to get his hands down my pants and I kept thinking you would show up at any moment…but you never did. I was able to scream and one of the neighbours heard me and called the police. I came to your house then, crying, only to find you with—with—"
Suddenly Edward's lips were on mine, kissing me so passionately I felt like I would fall over. He pulled away just as quickly and looked into my eyes with deep sincerity and guilt.
"I'm so fucking sorry. I thought—"
"I know." Tears streamed down my face and I couldn't decide if I was happy or sad. I was both, I guess. He pulled me into a hug and we stood there for a long time.
"I love you," Edward whispered. My heart stopped. I slowly looked up to meet his gaze and gasped. Again. His eyes shone with so much love it literally took my breath away.
"Oh God, Edward. I love you too. So much."
~ ~ So? What do you think? It's JUST a one shot, so I'll be leaving it at that. What was your interpretation of the song?