Twelve Things To Do In A Power Cut
Chapter 1 – You Got, You Got It Bad
BPOV
Do you ever have one of those life-changing moments when you're sure it's actually happening to someone else? That is me, right now, this instant, receiving the keys to my new apartment. Moi. I own an apartment, an actual apartment! I have finally entered the world of Being A Grown Up.
I think its happy dance time...
~*~
I managed to control myself until the 'removal men' – meaning my dad and a couple of his mates from the station – had left and then I full on went for it. Happy dance, maximum speed, around the entire house. Lady GaGa blaring, I shook my ass through every room, chanting, 'Mine all mine!'
Bang!
The ceiling shook as whoever lived above me thumped their floor. Great work Bella, you've been here five minutes, and you've already managed to piss off the neighbours. I quickly turned the music down and shouted 'Sorry!' to the grouch upstairs.
At that moment, my mobile began to vibrate in my pocket. I didn't need to look to see who it was – only one person had that ringtone on my phone... Giggling as it tickled me, I pulled it out and answered as the tones of Queen singing You're My Best Friend abruptly ceased.
I immediately had to pull the phone away from my ear as girly screaming shrieked out of the speaker. 'Alice, take it down an octave or two ok?' I begged. Eventually, the banshee on the other end of the phone somehow managed to regain a miniscule amount of control and screeched, 'So when are you inviting us round, you ungrateful biatch?!'
'Um... now?' I replied, trying to quell the wrath of Alice.
Next second, my doorbell is going crazy. 'Well that's good, cos we're right outside! Let us in Isaaabellaaaa!'
~*~
Two bottles of wine and a great deal of party music on the CD player later, we were ready to head out for my first real night out – with no worried Dad sleeping fitfully on the sofa, waiting for me to come home and no curfew! Thank goodness for the inheritance Grandma Swan left me – I could never have afforded to move out otherwise.
Putting our signature tune up to full volume, Rosalie informed us that the cab would be here in ten minutes, and we just had time to do 'Our Dance'. Like the sad creatures that we were, we proceeded to dance our way through the routine we made up in Junior year to 'I Am The One And Only' – singing at ear-splitting volume of course.
Halfway through the first chorus, The Grouch was banging.
'What the fuck...?' shouted Rosalie as the banging grew louder.
'It's my neighbour' I shouted over the racket. 'I call it The Grouch!' In a small corner inside my head, sober Bella was shocked and appalled at my behaviour, but unfortunately, the alcohol had unleashed tipsy Bella, who was well on her way to becoming drunken Bella.
By the end of the song, the banging had stopped, and, assuming the Grouch had given up, we switched everything off and headed for the door. I opened the door, turned to grab my keys, and walked straight out... and straight into the somebody standing just outside my door.
'Woah!' I yelled, and stepped back, onto Rose and Alice's toes. All three of us fell back, legs in the air, very ladylike.
From my position on the floor, I glared at the intruder's feet. They were hairy and hobbit-like and probably more than a bit stinky. Beginning to get riled up, my gaze travelled upwards, past the skanky sweatpants with the cuffs coming unravelled, past the dirty food stain on the left thigh, past the low slung waist band revealing... A very sexy V... Hello V...
After about 30 seconds, I realised I was staring at this guy's crotch, and not subtly either. My telltale blush staining my cheeks, I forced my eyes to leave the sweet V and travel over... rock-hard abs... manly biceps... broad shoulders... up to the face of a dark angel with tousled bronze hair...
Mesmerised by the Adonis before me, it took me a moment to register the fact that he was ranting, full steam ahead.
'...seriously can you just keep the noise down! I just got off a 24 hour shift and I am trying to SLEEP!'
I blinked owlishly at him until I realised he was waiting for a reply.
'I... uh... I... sorry?' I stammered, wincing inwardly at the patheticness of my reply.
He glowered at me wordlessly, his smouldering eyes informing me of his disgust far better than words ever could. I lowered my eyes, utterly ashamed at my behaviour and spluttered out a more sincere apology, promising to be more considerate in future. Blushing beetroot red, I glanced up at him through my lashes and saw that he was ruefully smirking.
'I guess I may have overreacted just a little bit,' he conceded. 'But I'm a grouch when I don't get my sleep.' He treated each of us to a devilish smile and a wink and sauntered back up the stairs. 'Have a good night ladies.'
~*~
'Fuck me was he hot!'
'Rose, shut up, you have Emmett!'
'I can appreciate the bouquet without tasting the wine.'
'Whatever...'
We were sitting at a booth in the club, knocking back shots and discussing the hotness that was The Grouch. Alice and Rosalie exchanged glances, clearly not taken in by my nonchalance ploy.
'So anyway... Any hotties catching your eye tonight?' asked Alice, in an apparent change of subject.
I gave the dance floor a cursory glance.
'Nothing good,' I replied.
'I knew it!' shouted Alice in triumph. 'If you weren't pining over the Greek God of Grouchiness, you would be on that dance floor right now, shakin' your booty!'
'Shows what you know,' I growled, starting to get up.
'And now she's defensive!' crowed Rosalie.
Realising I had risen to their teasing, I sat down in defeat.
'I got it bad, girls,' I admitted.
'Totally!' laughed Alice. 'But I'm gonna help you get in there – after all, you're the only one of us that can.'
'Yeah, Jazz and Em might have something to say about it if you two "got in there" to use your classy phrase, Alice.'
'That's why I live vicariously through you,' she simpered.
'Manipulative pixie,' I muttered, before I let her drag my lascivious ass onto the dance floor.
~*~
Swaying to the deep bass, I closed my eyes and let the music wash over me, thinking of the gorgeous green eyes I had last seen twinkling at me as they disappeared up the stairs of my apartment block. I felt something bump against me and, startled, I opened my eyes to see the same bewitching eyes I had just been thinking about.
'I... I thought you were trying to sleep?' I asked, confused.
'I couldn't sleep without you,' he purred into my ear, one arm wrapping around my waist, the other playing softly with my hair.
I gasped as his lips touched the soft, delicate skin of my neck, sending electric currents spiking through my skin. His kisses moved gently up my neck, along my jaw line, then hovered tantalisingly mere millimetres from mine. Every time I moved forward to close the distance, he moved away teasingly. Growing impatient, I wrapped my arms around his neck, reached up on my tiptoes, and finally, feather light, touched my lips to his. Deepening our kiss, he lightly stroked the skin of my arms, his fingers leaving patterns of goose bumps on my skin.
As he held me in his arms, the kiss grew fiercer and I felt my body moulding itself to his strong frame, losing myself further and further in the moment.
Abruptly, the song changed, the bass suddenly replaced with a loud beeping. What a weird song! I thought as I stood back to look at those sparkling emerald eyes.
My sexy neighbour, who was unexpectedly wearing a pink tutu, looked me solemnly in the eye and declared, 'From the sublime to the ridiculous...'
I opened my eyes unwillingly and slapped my hand on top of my alarm clock, cursing loudly as I managed to knock it off the bedside table. I muttered crossly as I threw myself back down on the covers. Knowing I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, I forced myself to get up and into the shower, ready for my day at college.
Switching on my shower radio, I laughed out loud as I realised what song had just come on.
See I've been there, done it, fucked around, You got it, You got it bad,
After all that - this is what I found,
Everyone of ya'll are just like me,
It's too bad that you can't see,
That you got it bad...hey
When you're on the phone,
Hang up and you call right back,
You got it, You got it bad...
~*~
A/N: This is my first Twilight Fanfic so please be gentle! Also, this is my first published fanfiction since 2004 so please take that into consideration! I really appreciate constructive criticism – but I don't appreciate people who just rip people's work to shreds. Please do let me know how I could improve my work – and I would really like a beta reader, I've never written Edrotica before! (That's Edward/Erotica, a word me and my boyfriend made up lol)
Please review!