A/N: So this should be the last chapter of the cookout. Sorry it's lasted so long, but a lot of important stuff has happened, wouldn't you say?
I was very impressed that my groveling got me so many reviews and story alerts last time! We are now at 13 reviews, 20-something story alerts and a few have even put the story under their favorites. Emails telling me that the story has been reviewed and alerted just flat out make me giddy. So lots of thanks and keep feeding my giddiness!
Once again, lots of thanks to my Beta, Magan Bagan. I am trying to get this story on twilighted, but it hasn't been validated yet. We'll see if I make the cut.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or Stephenie Meyers or anything Twilight related. I do, however, own all four books in the saga, although I need to repossess one from my sister-in-law.
A big shout-out to my girls from babycenter that are reading this!
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Three months!? Mike and I only broke up a month ago! He had cheated on me. Talk about adding insult to injury. I looked over at him to see him focusing on a spot on his coffee cup. He wouldn't even look at me. I saw red. Fuming was not even close to what I was doing. Alice must have caught on to the slip also, because she looked just as pissed. I mustered up what calmness I could and looked over at Esme, smiling sweetly. "Esme, would you mind if I walked down to the pond? It looks so beautiful and calming."
"Of course, dear," she replied. "We will all be heading down there shortly anyway." I smiled to her in thanks, excused myself and got up. Alice started to rise, also. I leaned over and whispered in her ear. "You don't have to come, Alice. It's ok."
She spoke back in low tones so no one else would hear. "Bella, I know you need a friend. Just let me try to be there for you." I gave her a grateful smile and we started toward the pond. After successfully trudging through the small thicket with only a few scratches, we reached the pond. I gazed around in awe. What you couldn't see from the patio were the thousands of tiny lights strung through the trees. There were lover's benches scattered throughout the clearing and I even noticed a few tucked back into the thicket. A gazebo harboring two swings was strategically placed on the right side of the pond. I could imagine myself sitting there for hours with a book and not a care in the world. I temporarily forgot why I had stalked down here in the first place. And then it came crashing back.
"Why, Alice? What did I do to him? What did I do to deserve all of this?" A single tear rolled down my cheek. She came up beside me and wrapped her little arms around me.
"Bella, you did nothing wrong. There is something seriously wrong with that guy. He doesn't deserve you. Hell, he doesn't deserve anyone."
I was tired of feeling sorry for myself. My sorrow turned into just plain anger. "AHH! I am so mad right now! I just want to go back and punch him square in the jaw! Give him a little taste of his own medicine!" I stomped my feet. Yes, seriously. Stomped my feet. What a girl I was.
"You want me to sick Emmett on him? All you have to say is the word and I will tell him everything. Emmett would kill him." I laughed but I knew Alice wasn't kidding. "Seriously Bells, I know it's hard, but just forget about him and move on. Don't let him get to you. There are plenty of other hot fish out there in the sea. Even ones that take their shirts off while playing football." She winked at me. Gah. Was I that obvious? I just rolled my eyes at her and wiped away my tears. I heard the small crowd making their way to the water, so I put on my best smile and changed the subject. Emmett and Rosalie joined us while Jasper and Edward lagged behind talking in low tones but focusing on us. Suddenly the loud boom caught all of our attention as we craned our necks toward the distant sky. Emmett and Rosalie quickly made their way to a bench as did Jasper and Alice. Feeling a bit abandoned, I grabbed a seat in the nearest one, kind of away from all of the happy couples. Focusing on the beautiful colors that lit up the night, I didn't notice anyone around until I was startled by a low velvety voice asking, "Mind if I join you?" I looked up to meet those amazing green eyes and crooked smile and felt my heart almost melt away. And then blushed, of course. "Sure. If you want." He sat down beside me and we stared in silence at the sky. We were very close since the bench was so small. I moved and our forearms touched sending a spark of electricity through my body. I gasped and jerked my arm back muttering "Sorry". I turned my attention to the bursting lights. I had always loved fireworks. My favorites were the white ones that exploded and then trickled down resembling a weeping willow tree. Just as the thought crossed my mind, one appeared in the sky. I sighed to myself, but it must have been louder than I thought.
"You ok?"
"Yes," I said, sounding dreamy to my own ears. He must think I am crazy. I explained, "I love those fireworks. You know-the ones that look like a weeping willow."
"Ah. I like the loud ones myself. What can I say? I'm a guy." He smirked and winked at me. Yes you are, I thought to myself. And one heck of a piece of a male specimen, I might add. Oops. I need to knock those thoughts out. I had no chance. What in the world would he want with me? Plain old brown haired, brown eyed, pale Bella? Nothing, that's what. I really didn't want another relationship right now anyway. Did I? What does it matter? Quit talking to yourself, Bella.
The fireworks ended and everyone started gathering together again to head back to the house.
"Edward!" I heard a nasally whiney voice yell, "I was hoping you would sit with me! I was looking for you everywhere!" Tanya was obviously trying to be flirty and seductive but she just looked and sounded like a dying duck. I looked up and Edward rolled his eyes and walked away. I giggled to myself and joined Alice and Jasper for the walk back to the house.
On the way back, I caught up with Esme. "Esme, do you mind if I take a midnight swim?" Her eyes lit up. "Sure, Bella, dear! Alice will show you where everything is. In fact, I bet they would join you if you asked." I thanked her and joined Alice to tell her my plans. She shrieked in excitement and informed Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie and Edward that we were all going for a midnight swim. I noticed she didn't invite Jessica and Mike, but they must have overheard because Jessica asked if they could join also. Alice discreetly glanced at me as I sighed and nodded. "Sure Jess. We'll meet you out there." Alice didn't make the invitation sound very welcoming, but Jessica seemed oblivious.
Once we got to the house, Alice showed me my room. "I am going to change and help Jasper get ready," she winked, "and we'll meet you out there. Ok?" I nodded and she left the room. I turned around. Taking in the warmth of the space, I just stood and admired how beautifully the room was decorated. From the mahogany sleigh bed and matching dresser to the antique vanity, everything was arranged perfectly to flow well in the room. I peeked into the bathroom and was not disappointed in it either. I would like to say it was pretty basic, but nothing was basic in this house. The tiled shower was big enough to have a party in. I smirked to myself with that thought. There was only one person in this house I might enjoy having a party with in that shower. I wondered if his eyes got any brighter when they were wet with water. Hmm. Back to reality, I made my way out of the bedroom and down the stairs out to my car to retrieve my bag. Once back in my room, I pulled out my blue and white polka dot bikini and threw it on. I don't know why I packed it. I really didn't want to even be in a bathing suit in front of anyone else, but the idea of plunging into crystal clear blue water was just too tempting. I took a tank top and some old cheerleading shorts out of my bag and put them on to cover up so I didn't have to reveal anything before I got to the pool. Thinking I could get down there before everyone else so I didn't have to take off my tank top and shorts in front of anyone, I grabbed a towel and dashed down the stairs and out the back door. I slipped through the wrought iron gate thinking victory was mine, but stopped short when I saw someone was already in the pool. Edward was leaning up against the side with his arms propped out of the pool. He looked up when the gate shut with a bang and grinned. Damn that beautiful crooked grin.
"The water is the perfect temperature. Thanks for making such a great suggestion." He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Seeing this as a perfect opportunity, I quickly set my towel down on a lounge chair and stripped off the tank top and shorts. I let my hair down and as I turned to walk to the steps, I saw Edward staring at me. Actually, staring at my body. Thank you, kickboxing class. Thank you. He caught my eyes and looked away quickly. I think he actually blushed this time. I grinned to myself and proceeded to the steps. The water was so warm. The temperature was like bath water. It was wonderful. Not giving it another thought, I dove and glided through the water until I was on the other side of the pool. Coming up for air, I heard more voices surrounding the pool now. Everyone else had joined us….including Tanya. She had started removing her cover-up the way a stripper removes her uniform to reveal a hot pink bikini, if you could call it that. It looked more like a few pieces of strings. I stole a glance at Edward, but he wasn't paying attention to anything but the label on his beer bottle. Bless her heart. All that effort and no response. I almost felt sorry for her. Almost. Alice started chatting animatedly about the events of the day while pulling off her cover-up to reveal a little plain black tankini. I expected her suit to be a little more daring. She surprised me. As she and Jasper started in, I turned to see Rosalie in a bright red halter bikini lounging. I guess she wasn't ready to get in. Couldn't say the same for Emmett. He looked over, gave me a mischievous grin, broke into a sprint and cannon balled right beside me resulting in a HUGE splash soaking everyone who was around, including Rosalie.
"Damn it, Emmett! I didn't want to get my hair wet, you big oaf!" She huffed and got up. As she neared the pool, a grin spread over her face and I'll be damned if she didn't just do a cannon ball, too. Everyone just started laughing. She surfaced and gave Emmett a quick peck on the lips. "That's my girl!" he cried.
Our time in the pool was so relaxing and fun. Emmett and Rosalie played a game of chicken against Jasper and Alice that seemed to last forever. Alice may be small, but she can hold her own. After struggling and finally losing her balance, Rosalie fell into the water and Alice screamed in celebration, laying a big wet kiss on Jasper. Afterwards, we all lounged around and just talked while I tried to ignore the fact that Mike was exploring Jessica's body underwater and Tanya was basically trying to sit in Edward's lap. We were all heading back to Seattle in the morning to get back to our normal lives. I heard Alice suck in a breath and glanced over at her. I swear I almost saw a light bulb blink on above her heard.
"Edward! You should ride back with Bella tomorrow! Emmett's Jeep will be so crowded with all five of us, but Bella is riding by herself so she totally has room!"
He turned his head to face me and gave me a look that seemed to ask, "Ok?"
"That's fine if you want to. I can follow Emmett back to Jasper's apartment. That's where you are staying, right?"
Alice squealed in delight. Rosalie cocked an eyebrow at me. Emmett and Jasper smirked at Edward. Tanya looked downright pissed. Mike scowled and turned to Jessica. I rolled my eyes and thought, I am getting myself into so much trouble.
EPOV
After I had reached the pond and flipped on the lights by the breaker box mounted to a tree, I sat in front of the benches hidden back in the trees. I was trying to relax without having any interruptions by Tanya, so when I heard the footsteps coming through the trees, I froze and shrank back out of sight. I was kind of surprised to see Bella and Alice. Bella looked very upset and Alice was clearly trying to comfort her. I couldn't quite make out what the exchange of words were about between the two of them, but in what looked like a fit of rage, Bella actually stomped her feet. I thought that only happened in movies. I could tell that she wasn't upset with Alice and wondered if she had received a bad phone call of some sort.
I heard voices starting to get louder and louder as the rest of the crowd drew near. I ducked out of the other side of the trees as quietly as I could. Of course, Jasper was the first to spot me. I caught up with him as we started back through the trees.
"Did you get the lights turned on, Eddie?"
"Jazz, don't call me Eddie. And, yes, the lights are on." Nearing the clearing, I wanted to make sure Jasper didn't mention to Bella and Alice that he just saw me coming from there. "Bella and Alice are already here, but don't tell them I know that. I sort of eavesdropped on a conversation although I couldn't really hear them. Bella looked upset though. Do you know why?"
"Nope. Although I can probably guess."
"Are you going to share with me?" Jasper and I were pretty close, but I knew if Alice has silenced him on something, he wouldn't dare breathe a word of it.
"There again, bro. Not my story to tell."
I sighed and Jasper walked off toward Alice. They joined hands and headed to one of the benches tucked in the trees just as the fireworks started. I tried not to think of why they wanted to be in the dark.
I looked around and noticed Bella sitting by herself. She was so engrossed in watching the fireworks that I startled her when I asked if I could sit with her. She agreed and I settled in beside her on the bench. I had forgotten how small those benches were. She shifted beside me and grazed my forearm with hers. I felt a shock shoot up my arm and looked over at her to see if she felt it too. Apparently she did because she jerked away quickly and that beautiful blush graced her face again.
We remained silent for a few minutes after that, but then she gave this beautiful, contented sigh that made me look at her with curiosity. She saw me staring and went on to explain about her favorite fireworks. It was a thought that had never really crossed my mind before, so I just told her I like the loud ones.
After the show was over, we rose and started gathering with everyone. Tanya's voice pierced me like a spear before I could run. She was whining because we couldn't sit together, so being the gentleman my mother raised me to be, I just told her that I didn't see her looking for me. I don't know what I thought I might accomplish with that statement, but apparently it sounded like encouragement to her. I could see it in her eyes.
As we walked back up to the house (Tanya latched onto my arm, of course), I overheard Bella asking my mother for permission to go swimming. Of course my mother agreed and it was quickly suggested that we all go. Brilliant idea.
So as I made my way out of the house toward the pool, I grabbed a beer. I found the pool still empty and quickly jumped in and swam a few laps. I was relaxing against the side with my beer when she walked through the gate. With nothing else to try to distract me, I tried to make small talk about the temperature of the pool while leaning my head against the edge of the concrete. When she didn't respond, I stupidly opened my eyes and looked up. There she was in a tiny little blue bikini. A very tiny bikini that showed off those gloriously toned legs, the taut little stomach, the perky little, yet plentiful, breasts….then she removed her hair holder and it cascaded more than halfway down her back.
Suddenly, she looked up and met my eyes. Crap. I was caught ogling her body. I darted my eyes away quickly and felt my face heat up. Please tell me I am not blushing, I thought. Oh well. I could always blame my gaze on just being a man. We are simple creatures. A scantily clad woman equals a whole lot of staring from the surrounding guys. I heard her enter the pool and dive beneath the surface. I watched as her body glided through the water and came up at the other end of the pool. The others were entering the gate and stripping their cover-ups. Emmett cannon-balled into the pool subsequently soaking Rosalie. I watched as she yelled and glared at him, but rose from her seat and made a huge splash into the pool herself. Those two were made for each other.
We played around as I tried to avoid Tanya, but I swear she was stalking me. Whenever I moved, she was right behind me. There was a rousing game of chicken going on between my siblings and their significant others. Alice and Jasper won, of course. No one could beat Mighty Mouse. I was trying to ignore the fact that Jessica and her boyfriend were getting frisky in the shallow end. As we all started to relax, I went back to my spot I held before everyone got there, only to be followed, AGAIN, by Tanya. She was practically sitting in my lap. I was losing my patience quickly and was afraid I was going to lose my temper with her.
I heard Alice give a little shriek that was followed by, "Edward! You should ride back with Bella tomorrow! Emmett's Jeep will be so crowded with all five of us, but Bella is riding by herself so she totally has room!"
That kind of made sense. I looked over at her and she was the picture of calm. I quirked an eyebrow silently asking if it was ok.
"That's fine if you want to. I can follow Emmett back to Jasper's apartment. That's where you are staying, right?"
I nodded and silently started panicking. What would we talk about during that time? Would I hit on her? Oh no. Damn Alice and her meddling!
I was still absorbed in myself when everyone started climbing out and drying off. Thankfully, Bella had climbed out and wrapped herself in a towel before I broke out of my daze. I jumped out quickly and dried off. We all made our way back to the house. I stopped in the kitchen to grab an apple and get a drink. There was quiet laughing and talking among everyone except Tanya who had gone to the downstairs bathroom to change. "Goodnights" were finally given and everyone started ascending the stairs to head to bed.
"Edward, can you walk me out?" I turned to see Tanya was back and giving me a innocent pouty look.
"Sure, Tanya." I followed her outside and as we reached the car, I stopped to say goodbye. She turned quickly and planted a big sloppy kiss on my lips.
"Come see me sometime, Eddie," she purred.
"Tanya, listen. I am flattered by the attention, but I am not really looking for anything right now, ok?"
She just grinned. "Sure. We'll see about that." With that, she got in, started her car and drove off. I just rolled my eyes, shook my head and moved back toward the house and the bed that was calling my name.
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A/N: That wretched Mike. As always, let me know what you think. Reviews are almost as good as watching fireworks with Edward. Or creating your own (wink, wink). I am anxious to know if you like both POV's each chapter. Some of the future chapters may only have one POV. It depends a lot on your response. Thanks!
