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Anyway, on to the chapter. Let's continue the party!

Chapter 4: Overindulging

BPOV

In the end, Rose and I walked away from the bar sipping on a Rum & Coke each, Emmett following us, beer in hand.

They took it upon themselves to introduce me to some of the people there. Or rather, Emmett pushed me towards various groups of people, said my name and then went back to making out with Rose.

It was difficult trying to remember so many faces and names while drinking something made by Emmett Cullen, so I gave up. I simply nodded and smiled at people if they said hi to me, thinking I would be forgiven on Monday in school – I had just moved here, so hopefully they wouldn't expect me to remember everyone.

From time to time, I would see Edward as he moved about the room, talking and laughing with people.

He looked… amazing. The grey jeans and black shirt combo was simple, yet devastating on my ability to conduct a normal conversation. I probably seemed slightly more intoxicated than I actually was, since I had to ask people to repeat themselves several times.

I caught him looking at me occasionally, at which he would simply give me that crooked smile and turn his eyes back to whoever he was speaking too.

"Hey, I brought you another one," a voice said next to me, startling me enough to take my eyes off Edward – he was talking to some girl with curly hair… Jessica something? I couldn't remember her name. I had been mesmerised by the way he kept running his hand through his hair.

I wished I could do it. I wanted to know what his hair felt like, running through my fingers.

But the voice forced me to rip my eyes off the tantalising sight. It was one of the guys I had been introduced to earlier during the night. Rose and Emmett had given up any pretence of introducing me to people about an hour ago – I hadn't seen them since. Neither had I seen Alice or Jasper, so things were probably going well for them too.

The guy was rather generic-looking; blond hair, blue eyes…etc. I guess you could call him attractive, but honestly, he paled in comparison to Edward. Anyone would – Edward was simply perfect. And now I was spoiled. No one would ever be as attractive and beautiful as Edward. Fucking bastard.

The guy was holding a glass out to me. It looked like another Rum & Coke – my third one for the night. I took it from him and put my empty glass down.

Mike. That was his name. The Golden Retriever. I giggled at the mental image.

I probably shouldn't drink this new glass. I had probably reached my limit.

Oh well.

"A bunch of us are going to play Ring of Fire – it's a drinking game. You in?" he asked me then, pointing to a group of people behind him.

"Yeah, sure," I said. I followed him to a table in the corner. I recognised the faces of all of them, but the only name beside Mike's that came to mind was Angela.

She seemed nice. I liked her.

Ring of Fire was fun! I finished my glass in no time, and Mike brought me a beer, since the game still wasn't over.

"I have to use the restroom!" I said after awhile, as I realised that I needed to use it rather badly.

"You need an 8, a bathroom pass!" some blonde chick told me.

I looked down at the small stash of cards in front of me.

"I have one!" I held it up, delighted.

Without further ado, I stood up, downed the rest of my beer and walked away.

I did not stumble.

Much.

A lot of people said hi to me as I walked past, so I nodded and smiled a lot. I asked a few people where the bathroom was and I finally found it.

There was a massive line. I couldn't wait that long.

I turned around and walked – okay, I stumbled – towards the stairs, thinking there had to be another restroom on the second floor.

There was, but other people had had that idea too. Stupid queues.

I tried a few of the doors lining the hallway, but they were all locked. Damn.

I had walked all the way down the hall when I noticed another set of stairs. People didn't go further than the bathroom, so no one else had seen these. There was a third floor? Seriously?

How huge was this house?

I walked up, hoping that perhaps there was a bathroom there too.

The hallway was desolate. It was only half the length of the one on the second floor, and there were only three doors.

I opened the one to my right. Not a bathroom, which I needed desperately at this point. I only managed to recognise the room as a sort of play room – there was a pool table in the middle.

I closed the door and went on to the next one. When I opened that door I almost forgot about my bathroom-quest.

The room was magnificent. It looked like it had originally been two rooms, but a wall between them had been removed at some stage.

I had never seen so many books outside a library or bookstore. I wanted to go in, explore it, read something, but I didn't have time for that. Regretfully, I closed the door to the Cullen library with a small sigh.

I turned around, and in a vain hope opened the door on the left side of the hallway.

If the sight of the library had made me forget about finding a bathroom for a few seconds, what I saw in this room made me forget how to breathe.

Edward.

Without a shirt.

I couldn't have held that gasp in even if I wanted to.

He turned around, startled. He looked at me for a few seconds, probably wondering what I was doing in his room.

Blood rushed to my face. My skin felt like it was on fire.

"I-I'm sorry, I was just looking for a bathroom. The ones downstairs are all occupied," I said lamely a few seconds later, stammering slightly. I might have been slurring. I prayed that I hadn't.

"Oh." He continued to look at me, his eyes somewhat glazed and unfocused.

Suddenly he seemed to remember his shirt-less state. "Jessica spilled her drink on me. I had to change." He gestured vaguely at his chest.

I tried not to stare.

Much.

"You can use my bathroom if you want," he offered, pointing towards a door in his room.

"Thanks," I murmured and hurriedly entered the bathroom.

I was suddenly envious of Edward, with his huge, beautiful house and large, private bathroom with a tub and a shower.

I had to share one bathroom with Charlie. Life just isn't fair.

Under normal conditions I might have been embarrassed by that fact that Edward was standing outside the bathroom while I used it, but the drinks I had consumed during the night clouded my judgement slightly.

It just felt too good to finally relieve myself – I simply didn't care if he could hear me or not.

As I was washing my hands, I observed myself in the mirror. I still looked pretty good – my make-up was still in place, and while my hair had straightened itself out just a little bit, it was still wavy. My face was slightly flushed, probably from all the alcohol I had in me.

And because I had just seen Edward without a shirt on.

I put my fingers on my face, touching my numb lips. I bit down on my lower lip, chewing on it out of habit. I could barely feel myself doing it. I giggled at myself. I was so drunk.

It was difficult, looking into the mirror – it kept moving around. I couldn't focus on it.

Okay, I shouldn't have had that third Rum & Coke. Or the beer. That was stupid.

Really, really stupid. Because it was getting increasingly difficult to stand up straight, and if that was difficult for me, how the hell was I supposed to walk – in heels no less – without falling over?

And that would be embarrassing. Especially if Edward saw me.

I was half wishing he wouldn't be there when I came out of the bathroom, walking slowly and carefully. Therefore I was partially relived that he wasn't.

And partially disappointed.

I began walking towards the door when I noticed that the wall opposite from me was entirely glass – just like the wall downstairs. Was the whole back of the house one huge window or what?

I approached it slowly, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other.

The view was beautiful, looking out over the forest. I put my hand up against the cool glass.

It felt so nice against my warm skin. I leaned my forehead on it too. Lovely.

"Bella, what are you doing?" Edward's velvet voice reached me from the door.

I still had sense left not to whip around too quickly, even though I jumped and my heart started beating twice as hard from the fright.

I turned around with a speed that wouldn't cause me to fall over.

Edward was standing in the doorway. His new shirt was dark blue. It looked just as good on him as the black one had. But still not as good as he looked without a shirt.

I blushed again as I thought about it, but the room was rather dark, so I don't think he noticed.

"Oh. Honestly, I don't know," I told him, trying unsuccessfully not to sway where I stood. "I thought you left," I said, feeling a frown on my forehead.

"I was waiting for you out here in the hallway." He paused and looked at me a bit sheepishly. "Please don't be offended, but I thought you might need some help getting down the stairs. I don't think I'm wrong in assuming that you're kind of clumsy, and as of now, also rather drunk."

He gave me a small apologetic shrug. "I didn't want you to fall down the stairs or anything."

Under normal conditions I might have been slightly offended by that. Not that it wasn't true, but still – isn't it rude to point out things like that to people you barely know?

However, I was drunk.

"That's so sweet, Edward! Thank you!" I told him earnestly, my hands clasped in front of my chest.

He looked at me, humour glinting in his eyes.

Good god, those eyes.

"Yeah, I'm really nice like that," he told me, laughing a bit. He held out his hand. "Shall we?"

I wanted to walk forwards and grasp his hand. I really, really wanted to. But I couldn't.

Fuck that stupid Golden Retriever for giving me more to drink.

"Uhm… Actually, Edward, I think I need to sit down." I felt myself swaying where I stood.

This is so embarrassing. Even through my rum induced haze I could recognise that this was exactly the kind of situation I had not wanted tonight. Bad first impression and all that.

I cursed the Golden Retriever again.

"Oh!" Edward quickly walked forward and grasped me by the arms. He gently steered me over to his bed. It was amazing that I didn't fall over – not because I was drunk, but because the feel of his hands on my bare skin made me light-headed.

I sat down rather hastily on his bed, trying to stay upright as Edward stood in front of me. He looked a bit worried.

"Water?" he asked me, a hint of anxiety colouring his sweet voice.

"Yes, that would be nice, thank you," I informed him, oddly formal.

He disappeared into his bathroom. I heard the tap running for a few seconds, and then he was standing in front of me again, a glass of water in his hand.

I took it from him and gulped down half.

Cold.

"That tastes so good." It slipped out of my mouth as soon as I began to think it. I realised belatedly that it made me sound really drunk. Especially given the way I said it.

But Edward only chuckled softly. "How much have you had to drink tonight Bella?"

"Uhm… We made drinks at Rosie's place, but I only had one," I promised him. "Then we came here… Emmett made me a Rum & Coke." At that he gave an understanding nod, as if something suddenly became very clear to him. "Then he and Rose disappeared. Someone gave me another glass. And then someone wanted to play Ring of Fire – it was so much fun! – so he gave me another glass. And then a beer."

His chuckle was a bit louder this time. It was such a nice sound. I felt myself smile because of it.

"Finish that glass Bella, and I'll fill it up for you." He gave me a kind smile.

"Okay." I did as he told me. As he left for the bathroom again, I tried my hardest to sit up straight.

I tilted my head up. And up. And….

A "whoop" of surprise left my lips as I suddenly felt myself falling backwards onto Edward's bed. Then I started laughing.

"Bella?" He sounded so confused, it only made me laugh harder. I heard a faint chuckle in response. "Bella, are you alright?"

"Yeah," I managed to squeeze out between giggles. "I'm… I'm only-y a little… d-drunk, that's all!"

I heard him approaching, and then the clink of the glass as he put it down. The bed moved under me as he sat beside me. He waited until I stopped laughing, and only the occasional giggle escaped my numb lips.

"Bella, where are you staying tonight?"

I didn't really understand where he was going with that question, but I answered him anyway. "At Rosie's place. Her parents aren't home!" I don't know why the last part came out so excitedly.

"Okay, good. Her place isn't that far away…" he seemed to say to himself. Then he looked at me. "You don't happen to have the key to her house do you? I think it's best if I take you there so you can get some sleep."

"No, Rose has the keys." I thought for a second. "She's with Emmett though, so I can't get them."

He laughed a little. "Don't worry about it, I'll get them."

He turned away from me, leaning over to his nightstand. When he turned back, he held the glass of water in his hand.

"Here, drink some more of this. You'll thank me in the morning."

"Okay," I said meekly, knowing that he was right. I sat up, swaying. He put his hand on my back to keep me steady. While it was difficult for me to focus on any one thing at the moment, I was still acutely aware of the warmth radiating from his hand. It made my heart beat faster.

No. No, no! I did not want this! I had come to Forks to get away from stuff like this – I couldn't afford to even begin to like anyone! My heart wouldn't be able to take it when it was forced to break again.

I would not let Edward affect me this way.

And yet, I did.

I drank the glass of water rather quickly, and then Edward helped me to stand. He took out his phone and I realised he was calling someone when he put it up to his ear.

I could hear Emmett's voice as he answered.

"What?!" He sounded very annoyed and loud.

"Dude, where are you? I need Rosalie's keys, Bella doesn't have them. She staying at Rose's house, and she's ready to leave now."

Emmett murmured something indistinct as an answer, and then apparently hung up on him, as Edward put his phone back in his pocket.

"Come on, they're in Emmett's room." He held his hands out to me, eyebrow's raised. He seemed to be silently asking me if I needed his help to avoid falling on my face.

I gave him a small smile. "I think I'm good. Be ready to catch me though, just in case," I giggled quickly.

He gave another throaty chuckle and a crooked grin and walked towards the door. I took a deep breath to calm my suddenly racing heart and followed him, rather steadily if I say so myself.

I was glad Edward was there when I almost fell down the stairs, just as he had been worried I would. I slipped thanks to the heels, and while I managed to grip the railing in time to stop myself from rolling down the steps, it was Edward who saved me from falling on my ass.

After that, he held on to my arm as we walked down the rest of the steps and down the hall. There were only two people standing in line for the bathroom, but I could see their looks of surprise as Edward and I came down from the third floor together, him holding my arm. I blushed as I realised what they must be thinking, but Edward didn't seem fazed at all.

He walked straight up to one of the doors in the hallway and knocked three times.

"It's me," he called through the door. I could hear a lot of shuffling and a few muffled oaths and then the door cracked open. Rosalie poked her head out, wrapped up in a sheet. Coupled with her head full of messed up hair, it was very clear what they were up to. I couldn't help but laugh rather hysterically, as Rosalie looked like an actress from a true Hollywood romantic comedy movie, with the sheet and bed-hair.

She gave me a strange look before handing Edward her keys and slamming the door shut without a word.

Edward shushed me as I only laughed harder. I doubled up with it, and clasped my hand over my mouth.

"Bella, calm down," he told me. The other people in the hall were staring at me funny. I made a sincere effort to stop. I blamed the rum when I couldn't.

Edward only shook his head at me. "Come on," he said quietly as he began to drag me along.

Suddenly, we were downstairs and heading for the front door. I seemed to be at that level of intoxication where time begins to behave strangely. I couldn't remember walking down the stairs.

Then we were outside, and the cool breeze felt wonderful on my overheated skin. I probably should have been cold, but it just felt nice.

"It's not even raining!" I informed Edward as we walked. I giggled happily.

He just wrapped an arm around me and laughed a little himself.

If I didn't need the support, I would have shrugged away from his arm. The way it felt so nice around me was definitely not good. I needed to stay clear of anymore of these moments where my heart started beating and my breathing accelerated because of Edward. It was definitely not good.

For the first time, I noticed how nice he smelled. It was mouth-watering and delicious, and I took a big breath of it, even though I knew I shouldn't. He just smelled so good.

After a minute or two of walking, I stopped.

"Wait, wait! I need to take my shoes off," I told him. I tried to do it, but I didn't really seem able to remember exactly what to do. I lifted my foot, but the shoe stayed on.

"Bella, it's cold out. Keep your shoes on, we're almost at Rosalie's house now."

"But it hurts!" I whined. I shook my foot violently, and the shoe flew off, landing a few feet in front of us. I laughed triumphantly and did the same with my other foot.

Edward sighed and went to pick up the shoes. He held them for me while we walked, which was really sweet. When I told him so, he just gave me that sexy crooked smile and tightened his arm around me for a few seconds.

When we reached Rosalie's house, Edward unlocked the door and lead me inside. I stumbled up the stairs, him holding one of my hands so that I didn't fall.

I walked in to Rosalie's bedroom and grabbed my bag. I fished out my pyjamas with some difficulty, and without even considering the fact that Edward was still in the room, I pulled off my shirt.

I heard him gasp and I lifted my head just in time to see his startled expression before he spun around and faced the door.

"Bella! What are you doing?"

"I'm changing," I told him as I unclasped my bra. "Duh," I added as it was so obvious.

He sputtered slightly, but couldn't form any words, so instead he only stood there, putting his hands in his pockets, then pulling one out to run it through his hair, then back in the pocket, then both hands out again.

"Okay, you can look now," I told him, my voice rather uninterested. I was so sleepy.

He turned around slowly and I saw his eyes focus on my bra where it lay on the floor. He cleared his throat loudly and then determinedly walked over to me and helped me get into the bed, pulling the cover up around me.

"Do you need me to stay? Do you feel like you might throw up?" he asked me.

"No, I'm 'kay," I said, my eyes already closed. I was half asleep.

"You're sure?"

I nodded.

"Okay. I've put your phone here beside you – if something happens, call Alice or Rosalie, alright?"

"Mmhm."

I felt a faint pressure on my head, as if he was stroking my hair. I sighed pleasurably, not being able to stop it.

"See you later, Bella."

His velvet voice was the last thing I was aware of before I succumbed to sleep.

How do you like my drunk Bella? Or the chapter as a whole? Was there anything in particular you thought was good, funny or bad?

I really, really want to know what you think, so please give me a review - I'm beginning to crave them, and I want more!