All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization.

storyline - Brighter

prompts - elastic, fantastic, sarcastic

not beta'd

I didn't mean to.

Honestly, I didn't. In fact, I didn't even really realize what I was doing until the majority of my clothing was strewn across the futon. With the exception of a couple pieces I bought just for this trip, Pete'd seen all that stuff. In fact, I was wearing his favorite shirt...my favorite jeans. I wasn't sure what I wore still impressed him, although sometimes he still told me when something appealed to him.

But I was wearing that top and those jeans for me, because I looked good in them. I wanted to look good tonight. I needed to...

And that's when I realized, without fully finishing that line of thought, what a slippery slope I was sliding down.

Get a grip, Bella.

I grabbed my makeup bag and took the bathroom while it was blessedly empty of boys. Pulling an elastic through my hair to keep it from my face, I stared at my reflection and tool a moment to breathe deeply, relax. There was no need to over think. We were on vacation, for crying out loud. Nothing mattered but having fun. This wasn't our real life, and the people here... were just passersby.

Pete whistled when he saw me, his eyes trailing me from head to toe.

"Damn," he said, being cheesy on purpose.

"Shh." I grinned, loving the attention, maybe needing it.

He grabbed my ass and squeezed. "I think this lifestyle agrees with you."

"I know it does."

He followed me in to our room. "So let's stay."

I paused, biting my lip, probably eating off my lip gloss. Seriously? The prospect of staying both thrilled and terrified me. Was it silly and idealistic? What would my parents think? But then again...we were adults, right? Free to do as we wished. Perhaps the strings of obligation tethering me to Seattle existed only in my head. Turning to face Pete, I searched his face, trying to see if he was being serious. "For real?"

Shrugging, he pushed his hands in to his back pockets. "I don't know. I mean...would you want to? I know we've joked about it but...Ty said he could hook us up with jobs, an apartment in town or whatever. We can go back home whenever you want."

Amazed, I gaped up at him. "You've really thought about this."

"Kind of." He sat down, resting his elbows on his knees. "I have the money, Bella. That's not a problem."

"No, I know. I just...wow."

"I know." He laughed. "Ty says people do it all the time."

"I think...I'd like to. Let's do it."

"Yeah? We could just stay throughout the season. Wait tables or something."

"Yeah," I said, excitement rippling through me. The possibilities were endless. "We could."

We shared a smile, and then he grabbed me, pulling me down on top of him, tickling me, holding me.

It was a crazy dream, but it was what we wanted. And as relaxing and fantastical as our vacationing had been, I was more than ready to sink my teeth in to the real stuff, the daily grind.

Island style.

We got to Cane Bay for the Full Moon party around six. The sun was setting, casting a ruddy glow on the beach front festivities. An open air bar across the street had a band playing really mellow reggae, stuff that gave me an audio-high.

As usual, Ty knew everyone and their mother, and once it was announced that Pete and I'd decided to stick around for the next few months, rounds of drinks starting coming our way. When the boys started up with shots, I declined, knowing my limits.

Someone in the crowd was passing out glow sticks. Pete gave me his, so I connected a couple to wear as a necklace. Ty wore his on his head, looking like a hippie-raver-beach bum.

After bouncing back and forth between the bar and the beach, our ever-growing group opted to stay on the sand. We set up blankets and chairs, and I shoved my shoes in to my purse, preferring the feel of cool night sand sand between my toes.

I saw Irina in the crowd...and then I saw her again. Wearing something different, and holding on to someone who looked a lot like... Edward.

Confused, I tugged Ty's hand. He glanced down at me, eyebrows raised.

"Does Irina have a sister?"

He swallowed a gulp of beer and nodded, searching the crowd. "A twin. Tanya. Why, you saw 'em?"

"I think so," I said, pointing.

Squinting, his face suddenly broke in to a wide grin. He waved his arms, sloshing beer in the process.

I watched with slight trepidation as Edward broke through the crowd, sandwiched between twin golden goddesses. I couldn't tell them apart, but I had to assume that the one trailing him, holding him by the belt loop, was Tanya.

Well, this made a horrid sort of sense.

Pete chose that moment to slide his hand in to my back pocket, easing me to his side. He always smelled good, and tonight was no exception. Comforted by the familiarity and closeness, I leaned in to him, smiling when Edward stopped in front of us.

"Hey, man," he said, nodding at Pete and shaking his hand. The guys down here called it a daps. It was more of a complicated fist bump, but Pete had caught on to it quickly. "Bella," he added, smiling down at me.

"Hi," I said brightly, glancing at the girls. I'd been right about who was who; the one who was standing apart from Edward – Irina – grinned, stepping forward to give me a quick hug.

"Hey, girl," she said. "You look fantastic! I like these jeans..."

"Thanks," I laughed, looking down. "They're my favorite."

"Hi, I'm Tanya," the other girl said, fluttering her fingers. She seemed nice, actually.

"Hi." I waved back, trying to ignore Pete's thumb caressing my back...and how Tanya had now graduated to holding Edward's hand. "I had no idea you had a twin," I told Irina. "That's so cool."

"It is pretty great," she agreed. Tanya smiled prettily, whispered something to Edward, and slipped away in to the crowd. Irina glanced down at her cell phone, suddenly engrossed with something.

I looked at Edward, but he was chatting with Pete, who'd let go of me for the time being. Suddenly I felt vaguely alone. Knowing that we were going to be staying on St. Croix for awhile put things in a different perspective for me. Who was I here, really? Pete's girlfriend, I supposed. Ty's college friend...but even that hinged on my relationship with Pete. I missed my girls from back home, and wondered how'd they would react when I shared my news. Maybe I could cajole Angela to come visit, or Jessica. They'd been totally jealous when I'd told them about our trip; they'd probably love to come down now that Pete and I were staying.

My Dad, a retired police chief, would definitely freak out. Knowing him, he'd look up crime statistics and email them to me as evidence that I was living in a dangerous hellhole.

"Why so serious?" Edward asked, reeling me back from my runaway thoughts.

I blinked, looking up at him.

"You okay?" he asked, his gaze sliding over me.

Nodding slowly, I tore my eyes away, choosing instead to focus on the drunkards splashing at the shore, shrieking with laughter. "Yeah. Just...thinking about how to tell my friends and family that we're staying."

There was no mistaking the surprise on his face. Now he looked away, pushing his fingers through his hair. It was pretty, I thought, red-gold-bronze like the flames of a fire. "How...how long are you guys staying?"

Shrugging, I shook my head. "I don't know. For the season, I guess."

We stood silently, side by side, watching the people around us move and interact, drinking, dancing, talking.

"You gonna work...or..." he trailed off, smirking. "Nah. You're living the good life, huh?"

"What?"

"You're not the type."

"Type to what?"

"Get a serious job."

"What're you..." I made a face. "I've worked since high school, dude. Of course I'll get a job."

"I just didn't think you needed one...isn't your boy money?"

Put off by his smugness, I folded my arms and glared. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I see it all the time, Bella," he chuckled. "People come down here to play, not to make a living."

"You make a living," I shot back, wondering why I was getting so hot.

"Yeah, but that's me."

"Oh! Well then," I bit back sarcastically. "There ya go."

"I'm just telling it like I see it," he said, sipping his drink. "And anyway, I get it. It's paradise, you know? It calls to you...until it doesn't...at which point you pack up and go home."

Okay, he was starting to lose me here. I understood what he was saying; I just wasn't sure why he was saying it. It was as if he was being subtly, but purposefully, antagonistic...and I had no idea why.

"I don't know what life is really like down here," I said evenly, staring out at the dark sea. "I want to know, though."

Edward stayed quiet, but he'd turned toward me, and was watching me, so close I could smell him. His nearness made my stomach flip, and I hated it.

I heard someone call my name, Pete probably. Edward's eyes shot to something – or someone – behind me, darkening.

"But you know nothing about me," I said, my words making him look me in the eye. "So don't assume you do."

Familiar hands found mine, and I let myself be pulled away.

life is hard when you're a hot bartender/owner in the tropics.