A/N: And so it continues…
Not my greatest moment. I sat there for what seemed like longer than I should have, completely stunned. What had just happened? Please, I thought to myself. Please tell me I did not just fall on my ass in front of everyone in Port Angeles. I was staring up at my friends, staring down at me. Please, please tell me I didn't just fall in front of the sexiest man I have ever seen. I could not bring myself to turn my head, but I rolled my eyes to the side and tried to catch a glimpse of him in my periphery. I could not quite make him out, but I knew he was there, and he had surely seen my humiliating fanny flop. For the briefest of moments, there was complete silence. Then, to my utter mortification, I heard an unmistakably obnoxious guffaw, and suddenly everyone was laughing. I was turning my head to give Beefy McMuscles the most hateful glare I could muster, when I felt two tiny hands wrapping around my wrists.
"Come on, Bell," Alice chided gently as she helped me to my feet. But there was a smile playing on her lips. I covered my face with my hands, not sure whether to laugh or cry. I could feel my face flaming with color as I resisted the urge to run, run and never look back…But things like this had happened to me far too often for me not be at least a little bit desensitized. So instead of running, I gave a nervous laugh and tried to avoid looking around, tried not to notice that everyone within a thirty foot radius was staring at me and laughing. Some were trying not to be rude, I'm sure, covering their mouths with their hands and whispering to each other, Is she ok? I feel so bad.
I followed Alice and Rosalie to the bar, where the bartender promptly set down a shot in front of me.
"Oh no," Alice said quickly, pushing the shot back away from me and flashing the bartender a knowing smile. "None for her."
"Oh, come on," Rosalie jumped in. "Don't you think she deserves it after that amazing show of coordination?" She picked up the shot glass and handed it back to me with a sardonic smile. I rolled my eyes.
"I thought we agreed that you'd had enough to drink this week, Bella." Sometimes Alice was a little too maternal. I ignored her and took the glass from Rosalie, peering down into it.
"What is this?" I asked the bartender.
"Crown," he grinned. I took a sniff, made a face, shrugged, and downed it. It felt like acid on my throat, and my eyes immediately filled with tears. I coughed and wiped my mouth. I could swear I felt the effects of the alcohol immediately.
"Thanks, I think," I said to the bartender, digging through my purse for my wallet.
He waved his hands, "No, that one's on me," he smiled. He had a nice smile, I noticed. He was fairly attractive, maybe a little young for my taste, but who was I to be picky? I grinned at him flirtatiously and fingered a couple of ones in my wallet. "Bet you needed it," he continued, "after that biff!" He laughed loudly, shaking his head as he moved away. I shoved my wallet back into my purse.
"Ohhkay," I grumbled. I turned to Rosalie and Alice, feeling sheepish. "Now what?" I asked, desperate to direct the attention away from my fall.
"I don't know, but I'm totally turned off right now," Rosalie huffed, rolling her eyes. I suddenly remembered Beefy, Blondie, and Wonder Boy, and ventured a brief glance over to their table in the darkened corner of the bar. The big guy was not there anymore, and the blond one was looking over at us with a strange sort of smile on his face. He nudged the gorgeous one with his elbow, but that did not seem to get much of a reaction.
The one I had mentally dubbed Wonder Boy was staring broodingly into his rocks glass, and in the dim lighting it was hard to make out his features. Everything about him looked dark. His hair seemed to be a medium shade of brown, and his eyes were shadowed by his furrowed brow. I wanted to watch him longer, to take in every detail I could, but I was jolted out of my reverie by Rosalie's voice hissing in my ear.
"What. The hell," she muttered. I followed her gaze and repressed a smile. Beefcake was on his way over to our spot at the bar. I exchanged an amused glance with Alice. This ought to be good.
As he approached, people seemed to stop what they were doing to either stare at him or move out of his way. He was a sheer presence in the room, a hulking mass of masculine strength, with a dimpled grin that could charm the pants off of just about any hot-blooded woman. I stole a glance at Rosalie and realized she was watching him with the same slack-jawed hunger she had possessed before his unceremonious belch that had set off the untimely chain of events that had led to my fall. For a moment I thought she would start to drool, but her face suddenly contorted into a mask of contempt. It was unlike Rosalie to be so blatantly disgusted with someone. She was usually much more subtle when she hated someone. Keep your friends close, your enemies closer, and all that. I could tell this one had definitely gotten under her skin -- and they hadn't even conversed yet.
She leaned over the bar and waved to get the bartender's attention. "Can I get an Appletini, please?" she said haughtily, holding a ten between two fingers.
"No prob," he smiled, but when he turned away I saw his smile turn into a scowl. I could hardly blame him. When Rosalie was in a mood like this, even Alice and I had could barely tolerate her.
"Getting a little hot under the collar, Rose?" Alice taunted. Rosalie snorted in response.
"Over that?" She said derisively, jerking her head at the big guy still making his way through the crowd. "Hardly." She avoided looking at either of us and turned back to the bar instead. Alice shot me a knowing look and I choked back a giggle. A moment later a paw-sized hand attached to a big, hairy arm was wedging itself between us to lay some money on the bar. I looked up to see Rosalie's Beefcake plucking the ten from between her fingers and handing it back to her.
"Keep your money, sweetheart," he smiled, flashing straight white teeth and adorable dimples. He had a self-important air, as though he was used to women swooning at his very presence. Boy was he in for a surprise. "This one's on me." I felt Alice clutch my leg under the bar, and I knew she was as anxious as I was to see what Rosalie would say. This one was not hard to predict.
She had regained her composure and the hateful look from a few moments ago was gone. She looked up at him through her thick lashes and smirked condescendingly. "No, thank you," she said politely, and pushed his money aside. Just then a different bartender returned with her drink.
"Appletini?" The girl looked from Rosalie to Alice to me, trying to decide which of us had ordered the drink.
"Thanks," she drawled, sweetly. The bartender smiled back and reached to take the money from her hand.
"No Angie, I got this." The big guy shoved his money at the bartender. The bartender shot a questioning glance at Rosalie, who shook her head violently.
"Absolutely, not. It's my drink, and I'm paying for it." I could tell she was struggling to keep the sweetness in her voice. The corner of her mouth twitched and her chin jutted out stubbornly. I leaned back in my barstool a little, relieved to not be the focus of attention, and amused by this exchange. It was incredible to see Rosalie this affected.
In private, Rosalie could be fun and sometimes even easygoing. But for some reason, the face she wore in public was a smooth, unruffled sheet of ice. One often could not even tell if she was pleased or angry, until she opened her mouth and released a torrent of condescension that could reduce even the most articulate person to feeble mumbling.
I often marveled at the notion that Rosalie and I were even friends. She and Alice at least shared their love for fashion and a discerning nature regarding men, but I could not imagine a woman more unlike myself than Rosalie. However, I was grateful for our friendship for several reasons, the least of which being that I would hate to be on the receiving end of her boundless disdain.
"Oh, come on, Goldilocks," the meathead was saying gruffly, "I'm trying to buy you a fuckin' drink. Just be polite and take it." That about did it. Suddenly, Rosalie was livid. She turned to him, her blue eyes flashing.
"You listen here, you cretin," she spat. "Don't think for one second that I'll sit here like a lady and let you insult my manners. Especially after all I've seen from you so far this evening. Chugging beer like a goon, burping loud enough for the whole bar to hear, then shoving between my friends and me so you can wave money in my face while swearing at me and demanding I let you buy me a drink? I don't think so, Mister. Keep your money and buy yourself some lessons in etiquette!" With that, she turned on her heel and stormed off, leaving one incredibly dumbfounded Beefcake.
Alice and I looked at each other and shrugged, then burst into giggles. It felt good to laugh, I thought to myself briefly.
"What a bitch," the big guy was saying. The bartender had taken Rosalie's money and walked away shaking her head. Beefy turned to us with an incredulous look on his face.
"Did that just happen?"
"You have to understand Rosalie," Alice said kindly. "She's got…interesting standards."
"She's got a stick up her ass, is what she's got. Jesus. I was just trying to be nice." he was shaking his head in disbelief. Alice, lover of all creatures in need, took pity on him.
"I'm Alice," she said, holding out her hand. He looked down at it for a moment, then back up to her face. "Okay, let's try that again. I'm Alice," she said brightly, though I could tell she was put off by his unwillingness to appease her. "What's your name?"
He hesitated a moment, then awkwardly took her hand. "Name's Emmett. Those are my boys Jasper and Edward." He cocked his head toward the table in the corner, and Alice followed his gaze. I did not follow suit. I was not sure I could handle another round with those piercing green eyes. "Jasper's the one who's had his eye on you all night." Emmett grinned winningly at Alice and wiggled his eyebrows. I couldn't suppress a giggle.
"Well, Emmett," Alice said encouragingly, "I think you should go find out where Rosalie ran off to and bring her back to us. We'll wait for you over with your friends." She winked. Emmett laughed, and I winced. He really did have a rather irritating laugh. But aside from that and his complete lack of tact, there was something good natured and kind of sweet about him, I decided as I watched him bound off toward the ladies room. I shook my head, wondering to myself how he planned to proceed once she retreated inside it.
Alice was tugging my arm. I felt a rising panic as I realized we were actually going over to talk to Emmett's friends. My face flushed with humiliation as I thought about the moment Edward and I had shared. How it had felt like he was staring into my soul, and how I had completely wiped out as a result of it. I cursed under my breath and tried not to hyperventilate. Well, I thought to myself, at least I'll have an excuse to look at him up close.
Before Alice could drag me away, I jerked my arm out of her grip and turned back to the bar. I waved frantically at the male bartender, who put up a finger, indicating that he was busy at the moment. Angie was nowhere to be seen. I huffed and took my seat again, digging around in my purse for my wallet.
"Bella," Alice had taken the seat next to me and was looking at me disapprovingly. I stopped digging momentarily and shot her a pointed look.
"I know what you're thinking, Alice. I understand that you're concerned. But I am not, I repeat not, going to that table without bringing a drink with me." Alice thought for a moment, then flashed an impish grin.
"Yeah, I saw you looking at him. Edward, was it? Cute. Not my type, really…" she was looking over at their table with a thoughtful expression. "Now, Jasper on the other hand…hel-lo." I shook my head and laughed. The bartender finally made his way over to us.
"What'll it be?" He looked from Alice to me. We looked at each other. Alice seemed to consider for a moment, then shrugged. I grinned.
"Two shots of Cuervo with OJ chasers and two Bud Lights, please." I handed the bartender my debit card, and he walked away to make the drinks.
"Now Bella, if you think that you're going to get me to stop lecturing you about drinking by buying me drinks," she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at me. Then her nose scrunched up and she made a face, "you're absolutely right." We laughed together as the bartender brought our shots. "Here's to cute boys," Alice toasted. I hesitated. Edward was cute. He was more than cute. He was…breathtaking. But it didn't matter. Nothing really mattered but Mike.
Mike. I winced as I remembered the last week, and missed him suddenly. Here I was, acting like a giddy little girl over a pretty face and piercing eyes, when what I really should be thinking about was how I was going to live on without Mike. I felt my eyes filling with tears, and I blinked them back, shaking myself back to the present. Alice was frowning at me.
"Honestly, Bella, I don't know what to do with you." She swiveled my barstool so that I was facing the corner where Jasper and Edward sat across from each other. Jasper was saying something, assumedly to Edward, but he had his gaze trained on Alice. She was looking back at him as she spoke to me. "Just look at those boys." Edward was stirring his drink with his straw distractedly, his eyes wandering around the room, not stopping on anyone, not really appearing to see anyone either. "Can't you just forget about Mike for like three seconds and at least talk to that gorgeous hunk of manmeat's friend? You know what they say, Bell." She winked at me, and I knew what was coming before she said it, so I said it with her.
"The best way to get over one guy is to get under another one." I could not help but laugh. I thought about it for a moment and decided she was right. I touched her shot glass with my own. "To cute boys, I guess," I said resignedly. Together, we tipped back the tequila shots, chasing them with the shots of orange juice the bartender had provided. Then we each grabbed our beers and started off toward the dimly lit booth.
As we approached the table, I realized both boys were watching us. Jasper had a welcoming smile on his face, but Edward just looked bored. As I looked at him my gaze caught with his and I felt that sudden jolt of intensity again. His eyes narrowed a bit, and I wondered if he felt it too. I looked away quickly, sensing that he could see everything that I was feeling with those eyes of his, and unwilling to let him see anymore.
"Hi there," Jasper drawled warmly as we reached the table. His voice was soft and light. In a strange way it both complimented and contradicted his look. Everything about him was eclectic. Like Alice, who insisted on wearing a studded leather wristband with her sleek pink minidress. He stood up and reached out a hand to me, smiling, "'Bout time you girls made it over. I'm Jasper. This is my cousin Edward." I took his hand and smiled back at him.
"I'm Bella." I withdrew my hand quickly and flicked a glance at Edward, expecting him to follow Jasper's lead, or at least smile in acknowledgement. But he just jerked his chin at me slightly and leaned back in the booth. I flushed, feeling inexplicably frustrated. And Rosalie thought Emmett was rude, I thought, taking a seat on Jasper's side and sliding to the inside of the booth.
Jasper was holding his hand out to Alice. She introduced herself, and I watched mutely as they shook hands. He held onto hers for longer than necessary, until she smiled shyly and ducked her head. Shy was one thing Alice was not. This night was turning out to be quite the anomaly.
"Sorry about Emmett," Jasper was saying as he tapped Edward's shoulder and motioned for him to scoot in. He took the seat next to him and Alice slid in next to me. "He's a bit crass. I hope he's not bothering your friend."
"Oh, Rosalie can handle her own," Alice smiled. She and Jasper were staring into each other's eyes intensely as they spoke. I wanted to wave my hand between their faces, like they do in movies. It was unnerving the way the two of them could not tear their eyes away from each other. I shifted uncomfortably, and my leg inadvertently grazed Edwards. My eyes flew to his face, but he was glaring at Jasper.
"Yeah," I said suddenly, feebly attempting to join in the conversation. "I'm sure she'll be ok." Just stop talking, Bella, I urged myself. Neither Jasper nor Alice appeared to have heard me at all. I looked down at my hands, feeling decidedly lacking. Alice and Jasper had really hit it off. Hell, even Rosalie seemed to have found someone to occupy her interest for the evening, even if he had already revealed that he lacked the first two of her essential C's: Charisma and Couth.
I decided to try again with Edward. I looked up at him and opened my mouth to speak, but was struck by his beauty once again. He appeared to be watching the ice melt in his glass, and I found myself wondering what he was thinking. In the light from the single round bulb above us I noticed the flecks of bronze in his brown hair. It hung in disarray around his face and I felt a sudden and powerful urge to run my fingers through it. His face was pale and smooth, save for a light stubble on his jaw and chin. His lips were full and red, and as I watched he sucked in his bottom lip and chewed on it softly. I felt a tingling warmth flood my belly and downward and flushed instantly. Just then his eyes met mine.
I jerked backward involuntarily, but did not look away. I wanted to, but the force of his gaze was almost magnetic. His eyes narrowed for a moment, and I felt certain that he would demand to know why I was staring at him so blatantly. But he suddenly smiled, and I sucked in my breath. His whole face transformed with that smile, into something even more beautiful than the shadowy, brooding perfection.
"Your ass still hurt?" His voice was like velvet, but his words were like sandpaper. I blanched.
"What?" I knew what he was asking. He was referring to my fall, of course. That brilliant display of dexterity. I knew this, but I did not know what to say. He was making fun of me. It felt like a slap in the face.
"That was great," he laughed. I closed my eyes, humiliated.
"I know," I laughed, too, after a moment, trying to shake it off. I was desperate to appear unaffected by my ineptitude, by his presence. "I'm amazing," I joked, and rolled my eyes.
"I bet." His eyes suddenly turned dark, and I felt myself redden. The laughter was gone, and the intensity from earlier had returned in its place. I wanted to look away, but instead I felt my lips part on their own accord as his eyes raked me. A sudden rush of heat flared between my thighs as his lips curled up on one side. I felt goose bumps rise on my arms as our legs touched again under the table. His smile deepened into a smirk. He could sense my distress. And he was enjoying it. It took everything I had not to gasp aloud when his cool fingers grazed my bare knee. I tore my eyes from his perfect mouth to meet his heavy-lidded gaze again, and imagined his fingers walking themselves up my thigh and under the hem of my dress...
"Well, well, well," a now-familiar voice boomed. "I see we've all met." My face flamed as I was jolted back into reality. Emmett had returned, with Rosalie in tow. I felt Edward's fingers slip away from my skin and I looked down at the table guiltily, drawing a shaky breath. I felt suddenly self-conscious, suddenly very aware of how reactive I was to Edward's mere presence.
Holy fuck, I thought. Three hours ago I had been sure I would never want to have sex with any man other than Mike Newton as long as I lived, and now here I was letting a complete stranger practically feel me up in public. I felt like I had slipped into some alternate universe. Alice was shy and Rosalie had surprised everyone by returning with Emmett and I was fantasizing about the Green-Eyed Wonder fingering me under the table in the most crowded bar in Port Angeles.
I took a deep swill of my beer. An alternate universe indeed.
A/N: The few reviews I've gotten give me the warm fuzzies. I guess I pretty much suck at updating though. Eeee.
Did I mention Edward's kinda a dick? Ahhh we'll soften him up…maybe…;)