Disclaimer: Ms. Stephenie Meyer owns all the characters. I just make them do crazy things.
Chapter 2: The Twilight Lounge
BPOV:
After class, I took the bus straight to Alice and Rosalie's apartment. This was where I spent most of my time when Mike wasn't home. I walked in the door–I never bothered with knocking–to see Alice and Rosalie waiting for me on the couch.
"Hi ladies," I greeted them as I joined them on the couch.
"Hey, Bella. So where do you want to go tonight?" Alice asked me excitedly.
"Umm, I don't know. I was thinking I'd rather not go anywhere too crowded or busy. I just want to relax."
"What about that new bar on 2nd street? The Twilight Lounge," Rosalie offered.
"Oooo, yeah, I heard they sometimes get a DJ on the weekends and they have a dance floor, but it's more of a bar atmosphere. It's perfect for tonight. You can celebrate your new found freedom without the pressure of a club, Bella," squealed Alice so quickly that it would have sounded like a mess to the untrained ear.
"I haven't broken up with Mike, yet," I responded. "I think I'm going to just let it go until our lease is up in June, so it saves the hassle of the break up. I probably won't see him more than a few times in the next two months, anyway."
"Bella," Rose said as she scooted closer to me and put her hand on mine, "that doesn't sound like a very healthy situation. Just get out of it while you are determined. Staying around is only prolonging the inevitable."
I sighed, feeling defeated. "I don't want to think about it right now. We're going out and we're going to have a good time, ladies. Let's go get ready!"
We all jumped off the couch and ran to our respective bedrooms. Since I stayed at their apartment so often, I had claimed their extra bedroom as mine and had most of my things there. I heard someone shut the bathroom door and turn on the shower, so I decided to pick out my out outfit for the night.
I wasn't in the mood to dress up too much, and we were just going to a bar, but I knew I needed to put some effort into my appearance if I wanted to enjoy myself tonight. A lack of effort always made me feel less confident and I rarely enjoyed myself when I was feeling self-conscious.
After much deliberation, I picked out a pair of jeans with a burgundy tank top with lace at the low plunging neck line. It was cute but subtle and I hoped it would help me feel better than I had today.
I heard one of the girls leave the bathroom and the other slip in immediately. I decided to pass the time while I waited for the bathroom by choosing my shoes and accessories. I needed to keep my mind occupied so it didn't revert back to Mike. After picking through every piece of jewelry I owned, I decided to wear a black bracelet with over-sized beads and a matching necklace. I didn't want to risk tripping and falling tonight, so I conceded to wearing black ballet flats.
I peeked my head out the door to see Rosalie open the bathroom door in her towel and I rushed to it before anyone else could. Alice preferred to do her make-up in the bathroom, but a shower was not something I was willing to forfeit tonight.
I turned on the water in the shower and jumped in quickly. I let the warm water calm my aching muscles and wash away all negative thoughts before putting a dollop of shampoo in my hand and massaging it through my hair. Just as I was getting ready to wash the strawberry shampoo out of my hair I felt the water run cool. Alice and Rosalie must have used all the hot water. Trying to wash my hair out hurriedly I grabbed the bottle of body wash and quickly rubbed the soap all over my body. The water was becoming cold now as I tried to get all the soap out of my hair and off of my skin. My body couldn't take the frigid water anymore and I quickly turned off the faucet.
I stepped out of the shower to see myself in the mirror. Most of the soap was out of my hair, but there was still a little in the ends. I sighed, knowing that I would just have to wear my hair up in a pony tail tonight.
We all finished beautifying ourselves and left the apartment, ready to have a good time tonight. We walked to the bar since the girls lived only minutes away and I was thankful I had worn my flats instead of heels.
When we got to the Twilight Lounge, it was relatively busy. I was glad that we had chosen to go here rather than a club. I wasn't in the mood to deal with large crowds and creepy boys tonight.
There was a DJ, so we paid a 3 dollar cover charge. Alice went directly to the bar to order our drinks while Rose and I checked out the seating arrangements. We found a table near the small dance floor and placed our things on the empty seat next to mine.
Alice came back with our drinks and sat down with us.
"Let's show this place what we've got, ladies! Let's dance!" Alice yelled over the music.
Rose stood up with Alice, but I remained seated.
"I'm really not in the mood right now. Give me a little bit and I'll join you guys," I explained.
"Are you sure? We can stay here with you," Alice said, disappointment in her voice.
"No, you guys go have fun. I'll be there in a little bit," I offered.
"You heard the woman! Let's go!" Rose shouted as she grabbed Alice's hand and lead her to the dance floor.
Just then my phone vibrated on the table. I looked down to see that Eric was calling me. What did he want? He never calls me...
I grabbed my phone and ran to the front door so I could step outside and hear him better. The door man stopped me and told me I needed a hand stamp to be able to get back into the bar. I shoved him my hand to get the stamp and darted out the door.
I looked down to see that I had already missed his call. I waited for him to leave me voice mail. I couldn't imagine why Mike's on-the-road room mate would call if it wasn't an emergency.
My phone began to vibrate again and I saw that Eric had left a message. I called my voice mail and lifted my cell phone to my ear.
"Bella, it's Eric. I didn't want to tell you this through a message, but I think you need to know..." There was a long pause before he finished, "Mike hasn't been back to the hotel room after work. I don't know where he's going. He hasn't told me, but I know it has nothing to do with work. I would know if it did since we work together. I'm sorry, I should have told you sooner, I just..."
I snapped the phone shut before I had a chance to hear his apology. My blood boiled in my veins and my breathing became rapid and shallow. How long had he been lying to me? Eric never specified how long this has been happening. Weeks? Months? For all I knew it could even be years!
A wave of nausea washed over me and I sprinted through the front door, pushed my way to the bar, and ordered three Jaeger bombs. I gave the bartender a twenty dollar bill and rushed to our table without waiting for my change. I spotted Alice and Rosalie dancing with two very cute guys. I didn't care, I needed my girls right now. I grabbed their arms and pulled them to our table. I handed each of them a shot and raised my glass.
"What's gotten into you, Bella?" asked Rosalie, obviously concerned and intrigued.
"I just want to have a good time!" I lied over-enthusiastically. "Drink up ladies! To friendship!"
They lifted their glasses to mine, shot each other confused glances, and took the shot.
"Ugh, Jaeger bombs, Bella? That stuff tastes like cold medicine" coughed Alice.
"Fine, you go order the next shot. I'm ready for another!"
"I vote it's Rose's turn!" squealed Alice.
"Why don't you get us each two shots this time?" I asked, determined to forget the anger coursing through my veins.
Rosalie raised her eyebrows in suspicion, glanced at Alice, and turned around towards the bar.
"What's going on, Bella?" Alice asked me. I could tell she was worried.
"Honestly, I don't want to talk about it tonight. Can we just have a good time?" I pleaded.
"Sure. But we will talk about it tomorrow." Alice insisted.
I shook my head yes. I knew that I couldn't avoid talking about it eventually. I just wasn't ready yet. I had to process everything first, and frankly I didn't feel like dealing with it tonight. It would still be there tomorrow like a nasty pimple that just won't go away.
Rosalie returned with only three shots. Behind her were a tall, very muscular man with curly brown hair holding another three shots and a beautiful blond guy holding a salt shaker and a handful of lime wedges. I recognized them as the guys Alice and Rosalie were dancing with earlier. The big one set down the shots. Alice grabbed a napkin from the table and set it down so that the blond could lay the limes on the table for us.
"Thank you, boys," Rosalie said smiling.
"Not a problem," the big guy answered. He winked at her as he walked away.
I looked at the blond behind him and saw that his eyes were locked with Alice's eyes. He winked before he followed his friend to a table on the other side of the room.
"Alright, girls! Tequila time!" Rosalie shouted enthusiastically.
We all licked our wrist as we passed around the salt shaker. We each grabbed a shot and raised it in the air. Our glasses clinked as we licked the salt off of our wrists. I took the shot quickly and reached for a lime to sooth the burning in my throat. I found my glass of rum and Coke from earlier in the night and took a swig.
"Ready for the next?" I asked Rosalie and Alice, who were still recovering from the first tequila shot.
"We should wait a minute," Alice choked out.
My mind wandered back to Mike, so I grabbed my mixed drink and chugged it, leaving nothing but melting ice in the cup. I was not going to allow myself to think of him tonight, no matter what it took.
"Fine then, let's dance!" I yelled so loudly the entire bar probably heard me. I didn't care. I was on a mission.
We all went out to the dance floor and started shaking to the music. Alice and Rose were definitely better dancers than me, but I could keep up enough to hold my own. I started gyrating my hips sensually, hoping to attract the attention of some men at the bar. I wasn't looking to go home with them, but I definitely needed to feel sexy tonight after what I'd learned about Mike. Besides feeling betrayed, I felt completely undesirable and I refused to let him make me feel that way.
Eventually, I looked over to see Rosalie and Alice dancing with the same two guys they were earlier–the big guy and the blond. I started to feel like a fool since I'd lost my dance partners and was now dancing alone, so I stopped. I needed to get another drink anyway.
Just as started walking away, I felt a warm hand grab my shoulder from behind and I felt a surge of electricity fly through my system. I turned around to see a piercing set of green eyes in front of me. He smiled at me, removed his hand from my shoulder and ran his long fingers through his unruly bronze hair.
"Would you like to dance?" He asked.
I hesitated for a moment, trying to decide if I wanted to dance with him. He was beautiful, there was no doubt about that. I didn't want to give him the wrong idea after what had happened tonight with Mike, though.
"It's just a dance, nothing more," he smiled as if he could read my thoughts.
"Ok, but just one dance. Then I need another drink."
He chuckled and we made our way back to the middle of the dance floor. Together, we started moving our bodies to the music. He was a better dancer than any man I'd ever met, and we seemed to move in sync like we'd danced together all our lives. He stared at me with his intense green eyes and I felt my legs become weak. To keep myself from fainting, I ripped my eyes away from his and turned around. He rested his hands on my hips and we continued to dance this way, swaying sensually to the beat.
When the song was over, I turned around to thank him for the dance.
"Would you like me to accompany you to the bar for another drink?" He offered, his voice silky and entrancing.
"Um, sure," I stuttered.
He kept his left hand on the small of my back and led me to the bar. We pushed our way through the crowd of people standing by the bar.
"What are you drinking?" He asked as the bartender made his way over to us.
"Rum and Coke," I responded as I reached into my pocket to grab some money.
He paid the bartender, grabbed our drinks and we headed over to the table.
"Will you let me give you the money for my drinks, please?" I asked, not willing to let another man buy drinks for me.
"Of course not. I've got it, don't worry about it," he answered back with a dazzling crooked grin. "I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your name."
"Oh sorry. Bella," I extended my hand to shake his. "Yours?"
"Edward," he gently grabbed mine to return the hand shake. "It's nice to meet you."
With this beautiful man sitting with me at my table, my thoughts shot back to Mike. I could have had someone as beautiful as Edward years ago, but I wasted my time on stupid, cheating Mike. Well, maybe not quite as beautiful as Edward, but I could have at least been single without the constant hurt Mike forced upon me.
"Excuse me for a moment," I said to Edward as I gulped most of my drink quickly and ran over to the girls on the dance floor.
"Ladies, it's time for the second shot!"
The girls tore themselves away from the guys they were dancing with and I saw Edward get up to walk away. He joined the guys that Alice and Rose were dancing with and they went over to the table I saw them sitting at earlier. I hadn't noticed Edward there earlier, but they must have come together.
Alice, Rosalie and I all completed the same ritual as before to take our tequila shots: salt, shot, lime. This time I noticed the girls making a show out of licking their wrists, looking over at the boys when they did it. I just giggled, took the lime out of my mouth and grabbed my rum and Coke again to chase the shot. I finished what little was left and went to the bar again for another drink.
I was definitely starting to feel the affects of the alcohol as I approached the bar. Standing next to me in line was an older man with a beer gut. He was almost bald and looked like he hadn't showered in days.
I ordered my drink, paid, and quickly grabbed it to get away from the creepy old man. As I turned around to leave he pinched my butt. For a moment, time seemed to stop as I processed his disgusting display of manhood. Furiously, I swung my body around, slapped him in the face, and darted to the table. I chugged the drink in my hands and noticed that the light on my phone was flashing. I had a text message from Mike.
'I miss you' was all it read. I shut my phone, threw it in my purse, and sat down at the table.
I put my head down to stop the room from spinning and thought about the text I'd just received and the uninvited groping from the scumbag at the bar.
Who do they think they are treating me like this? I am not a toy to be played with! I couldn't believe I was so weak to let Mike treat me this way, to let him make me feel worthless. I was not weak, and it was my mission to prove it.
With a new determination, I jumped out of my chair, stumbled across the dance floor, and found the table where Edward was sitting. I was not going to let dirty men like Mike and Mr. Wandering Hands make me feel undesirable.
I walked up to Edward, grabbed the hair in the back of his head, and crushed my lips to his. It was a quick kiss, but it was urgent and it proved my point. I was desirable.
I let go of his head and darted back to our table. I didn't even bother to wait for his reaction.
"We're out, ladies. I need to get out of here, now!" I demanded.
I had no doubt they saw what I had just done, and the desperation in my voice and eyes must have frieghtened them. They grabbed their things and we all rushed out the door into the fresh air.
"What the hell is going on, Bella?" Rosalie urged.
I looked at her and felt my eyes drop to the ground as I bent over and stared at the cement sidewalk. That was the last thing I remembered.
