A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who's read and reviewed. I really love hearing what you think, please let me know!!! :-) I always respond to every review. Just so you know, this fic is going to be from APOV the entire time. It'll be frustrating at times, but now we'll know how Alice feels. ;-) Thanks to LittleLea05 for beta-ing this for me. She's awesome. Hehe.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Drat.
I woke up the next morning to the sound of my cell phone ringing. I had to catch it before it fell off my nightstand; the vibrations had sent it teetering over the edge. I still had a massive headache, no thanks to my crying and my alcohol intake the night before.
"'Lo?" I said groggily. The bright sunshine was piercing through my skull.
"Wake up sleepy head!" Rosalie crooned, and I wished I could have smacked her across the face. She had drank more than me last night, why wasn't she passed out in bed still? Stupid blonde lush…
"Can you please not be so happy? My brain is going to bleed out my ears," I moaned.
"What's the matter with you? This is not the Alice I know and love!"
"Well, your Alice has taken a tiny vacation," I said. "She's trying to nurse a hangover and a broken heart simultaneously."
"I know just the cure! Plenty of water and let's indulge in some shopping therapy!"
Normally, I would have been over the moon about that idea, but at the moment…
"I dunno, Rose-"
"No. We're going. End of story. We're going to find you something hot to wear when you meet Emmett's friend tonight!"
"Tonight?! But-"
"No buts." Damn it. I hated when she persisted like this. I knew she was right, and that she had my best interests at heart… but I still wanted to put an ice pick through her ear at this very moment. "I'll pick you up in an hour. Be ready or I'll drag you out by your hair."
"You will not touch my hair, Rosalie Hale!" My hair was my baby, long and flowing down my back. I loved my hair.
"Oh, get your panties out of a knot and I'll see you soon," she said, and hung up without another word. I glared at the phone, and dragged myself out of bed before I got too comfortable and slept until next Wednesday. Dreaming, of course, of Jasper.
I jumped in the shower and let the hot water pound on my body. I used my vanilla body wash, the one I knew Jasper loved. After he'd told me I smelled good enough to eat, I'd bought the entire line of lotions and body wash. It was pathetic, but I really, really wanted him to eat me… God, why couldn't I get him out of my mind? I mean, he was always there, but now that I had to somehow give him up, it was like he was fighting back, making sure I could never ever forget him.
What was I going to do?
I got out and dried myself off, and stared at myself in the foggy mirror. I looked like shit. This was no good.
I did all the primping things I was used to: makeup, hair, picking out the perfect outfit, and then went downstairs to grab an apple and some toast. Rose burst through the door just as I was draining my glass of milk.
"Damn, you look hot!" she said. "That's the Alice I know and love!"
I looked down at my black short shorts and red lacy halter top, and shrugged. "It's hot out," I explained. Though, I did have to admit, I looked pretty sexy. Now to stop by the Hales and give Jasper an eyeful…
"Well, I don't care why you're wearing it. Guys in Port Angeles will be flocking at you!"
"Just so long as I can beat them away with a stick," I joked.
"I'm not even going to respond to that," Rose said, and ripped off the corner of my toast, popping it in her mouth. "Okay, let's go hun!"
An hour later, we were driving into Port Angeles. The sky was clear, and you could just barely make out Vancouver Island on the horizon. I really did enjoy this town. Being near the water always made me happy. Besides, I could just make out yachts out on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. I could just imagine Jasper and I living it up on the water, sipping champagne and making love in the captain's quarters…
Rose dragged me to several stores, and I definitely picked up as we surrounded ourselves with satin and lace and accessories. Apparently, Rose and Emmett had planned our double date for tonight, here in Port Angeles, so Rose and I would stay in town all day. We picked out a body-skimming midnight blue dress, which had a low neckline and fell to mid-thigh, for me, and a deep red silky dress for Rosalie. Emmett was going to go wild for her, I could tell.
We ate lunch at a nice bistro, and I lost myself in the pleasantness of this day. I wasn't thinking about Jasper, or how I had to go on a blind date tonight. I was enjoying the sun and my best friend. I felt more like myself now, shopping bags by my side.
"So, you talked to Emmett already then?" I asked, taking a huge bite of my Panini. "That was fast."
Rose nearly blushed. "He called me after I'd gotten home," she said stiffly, as if she were defending herself. I didn't care. She and Emmett were more than welcome to do whatever they wanted. She shouldn't have been embarrassed to tell me.
"Wow, he works fast," I said, and this time she really did blush. Damn.
She sipped on her water, looking everywhere but me, and when I finally caught her eye, I raised my eyebrows and she caved. "We talked on the phone all night, Alice. I didn't sleep at all last night! We just clicked, you know? I know he was super cheesy at the bar, but he's so sweet, and funny, and sexy as hell, and I just want to squeeze him, you know? He's like a big teddy bear, and I just want to… snuggle… with him."
Whoa. Rose wanted to snuggle. That was epic in and of itself. I guess that shock flickered across my face, because Rose bit her lip and looked embarrassed again.
"I'm happy for you," I finally said, and she looked relieved.
"I know I'm acting silly, I mean, I just met him last night, but damn it, Alice, I really like him. Really like him."
I reached out and grabbed her hand. "I can tell… and I can tell he likes you, too. I'm pretty sure you guys are perfect for each other. I just have a feeling about it." She smiled at me gratefully.
"Do you know much about this Garrett guy?"
"Who? Oh, his friend? No, not really. We just focused on each other, really. It was… amazing. I've never felt so connected to another person before, not even you, Ali… and that's saying something."
That really was saying something. Rosalie and I had always referred to ourselves as hetero life-mates. I could finish her sentences and she always seemed to know what I was thinking, and how to either help me out or get it off my mind. The very idea that Rose had found someone that could be more in tune with her than me made me sad, but then I thought about Jasper, and how I was sure that once we were on the same page, we'd be right there with Rose and Emmett.
Damn it and I had been doing so well…
Rose read my expression and frowned. "Stop thinking about him!"
I grinned. "You do know me well, Rose."
"I'm just trying to look out for you, sweetie. My jackass brother isn't worth all this heartache, believe me."
Oh, but he was…
"Maybe Garrett'll be my knight in shining armor," I joked.
Rosalie and I used the bathroom of a tiny coffee shop to dress and do our makeup, to the annoyance of the owners, I'm sure. Emmett and Garrett were supposed to meet us at an Italian place near the waterfront. Rose was giddy with excitement, and she had a lot more energy than even I did.
"Calm yourself!" I hissed as we stood outside the restaurant waiting for the guys. Rose was doing a dance that reminded me of a kid that had to pee. Her eyes were wildly scanning the streets, looking for Emmett.
I was nervous, too, but not beside myself with anticipation. I just hoped that Garrett was enough of a distraction to get my mind off of Jasper. I couldn't stop imagining the different ways he'd take me in this dress… Would he strip me down first, or just pull it up and move my panties aside? Would he lay me on a horizontal surface, or just take me up against the wall? Maybe from behind?
Damn it, I was drenched just imagining it.
"There they are!" I followed Rosalie's gaze, and saw Emmett and an extremely handsome man walking down the street towards us. I guessed it was Garrett.
Well, the boy was not unfortunate looking. He was tall, though not nearly as tall as Emmett, with sandy brown hair pulled back into a pony tail, and hazel eyes. He had a nice lean body, and a beautiful smile. I wasn't a huge fan of guys with long hair, but I think I could make an exception with him.
"Aloha!" Emmett said, and I noticed that his eyes were trained on Rosalie the whole time. She was staring back just as intently, and she was blushing again. Damn, three times in two days. An unprecedented record.
I turned my gaze to Garrett, giving Rose and Emmett some goo-goo eyes time, and smiled up at him. "Hi, I'm Alice," I introduced myself, holding out my hand.
He took it and shook it firmly. "Hey, I'm Garrett," he returned. I liked his voice, it was deep and slightly gravelly. I hoped it didn't mean that he smoked. I, like Jasper, despised cigarettes. I took a deep breath, pretending not to check out his scent, but didn't notice any tobacco mixed with the musk of his soap. Well, good. His voice was sexy naturally.
"It's really nice to meet you. You work with Emmett?"
"Yeah, we're both new to Forks, and we're the only guys that aren't on Ensure at the station," he said, laughing. It was a smooth, sexy sound, and I couldn't help but grin with him.
If I couldn't be with Jasper, I supposed I could make do with Garrett… for now.
We were seated near the window of the restaurant, and we could see the lights of the ships out on the strait. It really was beautiful. Rosalie and Emmett sat next to each other, and giving each other bedroom eyes the entire time. Luckily, it wasn't awkward at all to sit next to Garrett. He wasn't looming, nor creepy. He kept his arms and legs to himself, and engaged me in conversation when Rose and Emmett were being otherwise anti-social… towards the rest of the world, at least.
"What are you going to school for?" he asked pleasantly, munching on a breadstick.
"You're going to laugh and say I have no future."
"I highly doubt that."
"Well, if you did, you'd be just like my parents. They're not exactly supportive, but I figure, hey, art is my passion, why not?"
"So you're an art major?"
"Yup." I took a sip of my wine. "I work with lots of different mediums. Right now I'm working on a painting for my mom's office, although it's rather dull. She wants me to use pastels." I used the word like it was dirty. Pastel was fine for Easter morning, but that was about it.
"I think that's great," he said. "So, do you work with a lot of nudes?"
I burst into laughter as he grinned at me with perfect straight teeth. His eyes did a little crinkly thing when he smiled, it was adorable.
"What would you say if I said yes?" I was teasing, though I wasn't lying.
"I'd say, can I come to class with you? Or maybe pose for you?"
I looked him up and down purposefully. Oh yes, he'd be a fine specimen. I smirked. "I don't think so. You're not quite the look I go for."
I took another sip of wine as he guffawed. "You don't know what you're missing out on," he teased.
"I'm sure I don't."
It was odd, unsettling even, to flirt with someone other than Jasper. Yes, I'd dated other guys, particularly when I was in Seattle, and even fooled around with a few, but my heart was never really in it. I'd given my heart a long, long time ago to Jasper, fully and completely.
Even now, my heart was still 100% Jasper's, but I had to admit I liked Garrett. He seemed smart and funny and he was completely different than Jasper, not that Jazz wasn't smart or funny. Quite the opposite, actually. The boy was a brain, and never once failed to make me laugh. Then again, I was a slightly biased audience.
Garrett and I spent the rest of the night teasing our friends about their besotted behavior. I didn't push Rose too harshly, though. First of all, a cornered and annoyed Rosalie is a bitchy Rosalie, and second, I'd never seen her happier, even after two evenings with Emmett. Just because I couldn't be happy doesn't mean she couldn't.
Garrett drove me home. Emmett wanted to escort Rosalie home, and who was I to stop them? We followed close behind in Garrett's car, while we sang along with cheesy 80s hair band music, and Garrett told me a little bit more about himself. He really was a nice guy, so when he asked for my number and if he could see me again another night without Rose and Emmett, I said yes.
"Just so you know, though," I said as I handed him back my number on a tiny square of paper, "I'm sort of in love with someone else, and not to make you sound like a rebound or anything, but…"
"An ex?"
"No… but I've loved him a long time, and I don't see myself getting over him any time soon. I just want to be fair to you. Right now, I'm not in this 100%. But you're a nice guy, and I'd like to get to know you."
"I understand, Alice. But I'm gonna be honest, you're smokin' hot and I like you. I'd like to get to know you, and I don't necessarily mean that in the Biblical sense, but if it comes to that I'm not going to say no." He grinned, and I couldn't help but smile back. He reached out and took my hand, kissing it like a gentleman in an old school movie. It was charming, but it didn't make my heart melt.
"G'night, Garrett," I said, stepping out of the car in front of my house.
"Do you want me to see you in?" He looked so adorable asking me, even if his ponytail and sports car made him look otherwise dangerous.
"That's okay," I said, and slammed the car door, giving him a little wave as I stepped through my front door. My parents were gone, as usual, and my first thought was to call Rose like I did most nights, but then I remembered that she and Emmett were probably fogging up her car door windows at this exact same moment, and would probably assassinate me later if I interrupted.
I sighed and got ready for bed. My head was still swimming with thoughts, and my head was still pounding in my skull, despite my marginally improved mood. I sank into my satiny sheets, and listened to my iPod while I tried in vain to calm my restless mind. No matter how many boy band ballads I played, I still felt like crap. Besides, I had always pictured Jasper singing these songs to me, since I was a pre-teen, so it wasn't exactly helping the situation.
Somewhere around the hour of four am, I got a text from Rosalie. COME OVER FIRST THING TOMORROW MORNING, it said, and I had a feeling it would have to do with how many orgasms she'd just had.
It wouldn't hurt if I had one right now thinking about Jasper, would it? Nope, didn't think so. I reached into my underwear and pretended he was loving me nice and proper.
