Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.
It turned out that Bella's virginity was a bigger part in their relationship than she'd thought it would be.
September and October went by in a flash. Bella's birthday came and went, and much to her great joy Edward actually remembered (he had a terrible memory, she'd found) and they went on a date. He took her to a park that was further out but really beautiful and private, plus he actually cooked for her.
So the months went by, and two things became clear to Bella: one, that she was incredibly close to falling madly in love with Edward Anthony Cullen. And two, that he was scared about being her first. It was clear when he refused to take things further than second base despite his erections, and it was clear every time the word virgin was brought up. He even reacted when someone said 'extra-virgin olive oil', which was frankly hilarious. Every time she tried asking him about it, he'd somehow divert the conversation to something or other. He seemed to be waiting for something, but Bella wasn't sure what it was.
Going beyond the physical part, Bella had discovered what it was like to live being mindful of another person as opposed to just herself. Honestly? She'd had a hard time adjusting. The first couple of weeks she'd had to remind herself that she wanted to see Edward, even if it meant less time for comics. Fortunately for her, though, with time he'd started getting more and more projects to do —so what little time they had to themselves, Bella learned to enjoy to the fullest by doing everything else she needed to do during the week in order to clear some time for him. Calling him every night, too, had been odd; she'd never talked so often with anybody other than Emmett, and even then they mostly liked socializing in silence after sharing a couple of words. Charlie had never been a big talker either, and Renée was such a talker that Phil and Bella usually just listened. She could tell Edward had a hard time with that, too; he was often complaining that she just let him talk and talk and never said anything about her day. But she tried, and once Edward understood that he wasn't not letting her speak, he finally let up on trying to get her to say more. Bella loved hearing him talk about his day, anyway; he usually had a funny story or two to tell, and he was a great storyteller anyway. So while calling him every day they didn't meet had been a little weird at first, it had quickly become the favorite part of her day.
Something else that had been hard for Edward to adapt to had been Emmett. Even now, Em would flip between being the jolly giant he was and an overprotective brother. One day he'd be joking around with Edward, and the next he'd be glaring at him every time Edward even glanced in Bella's direction. The small grace in all that was that Bella would jump in as soon as she realized what was going on, saying or doing something that would divert the attention from him. That, and the fact that Bella let Edward tell her he was annoyed or pissed with something Emmett did; Kate had always made out her friends to be saints, so he'd always swallowed every snide comment they'd made about him. Bella listened, and she only defended Emmett when she knew the friction was due to Em not being used to Bella dating, or when it was meant as a joke. He also struggled with the best friends' nearness, but that was something he just had to learn to adapt to; he knew it had to do with the fact that he didn't really have female friends (except Bella), and with all the rumors that had always gone around in high school that Bella and Emmett had been secretly dating. More than being jealous of Emmett as a man, Edward felt he was more jealous of Emmett as the best friend. This part, though, he'd die before telling Bella —she loved Emmett, and Edward would never dream of telling her to pull away from him. He still couldn't help the shot of anxiety that went through him at the thought of Bella liking Emmett better than she liked him, which was dumb since you didn't like your friends the same way you liked your significant other.
Apart of those hurdles, Bella and Edward were on cloud nine. They loved spending time with each other, and they enjoyed the process of getting to know each other as a partner. And it really was different dating someone than being friends, leaving the physical part aside —Edward liked complimenting Bella on something every single day. Bella stopped making fart jokes. Edward couldn't go a day without knowing if she was back home safely. Bella started cooking for Edward on Sundays. Edward could interrupt Bella reading a comic and not get his cheeks pinched. Bella could finally pick the music in Edward's car without him trying to immediately switch it back (he waited a few songs before doing it). Edward could text Bella that he was thinking about her and it wasn't weird. Bella made an effort to be nice before eight in the morning when he called to wake her up (which was actually her request, since she was aiming to be more productive this semester). Edward learned that, contrary to what he'd thought, Bella didn't really miss smoking, which relieved him a lot. On her end, Bella found if she promised Edward desserts he'd slow down while he drove just enough to not make her feel like puking.
In other words, they were happy together.
"Ok, so that's what you're gonna wear?" Alice chortled, seemingly having the time of her life with Bella's Halloween costume. "You're gonna give that boy the bluest balls in history."
Bella was, God willing, going to give Edward a heart attack. She was wearing the costume from one of her favorite female manga characters; lately, she'd been getting into Japanese comics, and so she'd discovered Erza from Fairy Tail had the best outfit changes. So, presently she was wearing lose red pants (hakama, actually) with flames at the bottom, a top made of white bandages that covered her boobs and her hair in a high ponytail with red spray painted on her hair to give it a reddish tint. She knew herself, and she'd be taking off a wig before she even left her dorm. The costume was also supposed to have swords, but no way was she taking those to just carry them all night and, least of all, to a place filled with drunkards. She'd gotten one of those fake tattoos on her left arm —one of the character's must-haves— of the guild Erza belonged to.
Not only was the costume incredibly cool, comfortable and sexy, Edward would recognize it; she'd made him start watching the anime, and had him hooked on it since April. He didn't really like reading comics, but the man could binge-watch a show like nobody's business. They'd decided not to tell each other what they'd be going as to Jake's Halloween party. Jacob had been doing an associate's degree in automotive technology, as in he was certifying himself in order to work as a mechanic, which meant that he hadn't moved out of his parents' house. His folks would be out of town though, so he'd decided to invite his basketball friends who'd gone on to ASU and his other friends (which was a shit ton of people, given how popular Jake was).
"I hope so," Bella gave a mischievous smile.
"Also, where's Rose? I haven't seen her in a while," Alice frowned, and even in the video her displeasure was palpable. Bella shrugged.
"Dunno. I actually haven't been seeing her around much lately, which is a lot to say since I rarely saw her before anyway. I actually kind of feel like she's been avoiding me lately," Bella frowned back, actually feeling hurt at the possibility of the blonde purposefully leaving the dorm before she woke up and getting back once she was asleep.
"Did something happen?"
Bella searched the deepest corners of her mind but had no answer.
"Not that I can tell."
The two girls made a face at each other —that face you gave your friend when you'd exhausted your options after not trying very hard— and then Alice suddenly lit up.
"Oh, that's Jasper. Sorry to hang up on you, B, but—"
And then Alice cut off the FaceTime with a not-at-all-sorry face. But Bella didn't mind; she'd get back at her eventually. Just as she was turning off her computer, a knock resounded on the door. Quickly, she grabbed her phone, keys and wallet and stuffed them into the pants' pockets.
Grinning evilly, Bella skipped over.
The moment she opened the door, though, she just burst out laughing.
Edward was dressed as Chuckie Finster Sr, the father of the redheaded kid from Rugrats. He'd spray-painted his glasses purple, wore a purple bow-tie, and had a brown-ish shirt with vertical lines as well as dark green pants with suspenders. He'd managed to find one of the few redheaded characters and somehow perfectly embodied the man.
On his end, Edward had a hard time breathing. Bella was putting on display her hourglass figure, having her non-existent abs exposed and the pants perfectly showing off her hips. Bella had an amazing body, and it actually suited her to have boobs that tended towards the smaller size —she had such a curvy but small body that it would've probably looked disproportionate on her to have big boobs and a big ass. The latter she most definitely had, to Edward's great pleasure.
Still, Bella's costume made Edward shift in order to subtly re-accommodate himself.
"I love your costume," Bella laughed, reaching up to tug at his bowtie. "This is especially adorable."
Edward made a fake-mad face.
"Adorable?"
"Manly, I meant," Bella giggled, pulling it a little harder. "Where's my kiss?"
Grinning, he bent down and gave her a quick peck.
"Better?"
She pouted.
"Insufficient," Bella said, but ultimately sighed. "But it'll have to do since I don't think Chuckie Finster wore red lipstick."
Edward winked at her.
"I don't mind," he said, lacing his fingers through hers. "Though we should probably get going. Jake's waiting for me to bring the beer."
Even though he wasn't behind or anything, Edward was a year older than most of his classmates; apparently, it had something to do with his birthday and the school's administration back when they enrolled him into kindergarten. This meant that on Edward's birthday this year, Jake had designated his best friend the 'alcohol-buyer' over text while Bella and Edward where in Disney. Already he was sick of his new position.
Together, the couple made their way to Jake's place, making small talk to pass the time. Well, Bella did. Edward was lost in his own worries, because it had taken him until that very moment to realize that Bella was not, in fact, his girlfriend.
How hadn't he realized? They'd been dating for two months already, and he was confident neither was seeing anybody else. They'd even talked about sex, and already Edward had smuggled himself into Bella's Netflix account (she had his Spotify). For all intents and purposes, they were an item. And yet, it had somehow escaped his notice to ask the greatest woman he'd ever met to be officially his partner.
And great she was. Bella had a dry sense of humor which had him cracking up all the time, and she wasn't afraid to let her opinion be known —they often disagreed on things like politics and religion, but both did their best to listen to the other one. They didn't shy away from topics that made the other uncomfortable either, simply sticking to respectfully disagreeing. With Kate, for instance, this had been a challenge —both Edward and Kate had had different opinions, but Kate would always make him feel like he was dumb for thinking the way he did, which was why he never commented on anything of importance with her. Now, it felt refreshening to disagree and still feel good about himself and about the girl he liked. Plus, Bella didn't pry into every detail of his life; he was quite an open person, so he usually ended up sharing everything with her, but he didn't feel like he had to tell Bella that he'd had lunch with one of his female classmates or that he'd gotten partnered up with a girl. Honestly, he hadn't felt so oppressed when he'd been dating Kate, but after having dated Bella for just two months, he could feel the stark difference between them. Kate, while a very kind person that had a lot of love to give and always let you feel hers, was an insecure person. Bella, on the other hand, was so sure of herself and of him that she didn't feel the need to reaffirm her feelings at every turn; she was a little dryer with her feelings, but whatever you gave her, she gave back. During one of their first dates, Edward had asked her why she'd never had a boyfriend before, even though so many guys had been clearly willing.
"Well, the last two years because they weren't you, I guess," Bella had blushed furiously, making his heart melt. "And before that… I was good by myself. I had a lot of things to work through on my own, and didn't feel it was fair to make someone give me what I could not give myself. I'm dating you because I like you, not because I want to like who I am."
The reply had been everything to him, and Edward wondered why he hadn't asked her on the spot to be his girlfriend. He'd been surprised to hear that answer —he remembered when he'd heard Jake talk about one of his ex-girlfriends; she'd said that she was terrified of being alone, which was why she was always in a relationship. Jake had liked that, at the time, feeling prideful and needed. Edward thought perhaps too many people lived this way: not feeling good enough, but needing anyone just in case they ended up alone. Once, when he'd been on a party, he'd been taking care of his friend Jim; he'd just broken up with his girlfriend and was puking out his dinner after drinking too much. He'd started mumbling, over and over, that he hated himself; Edward had pointed out that in order to be happy in a relationship, both members needed to love themselves. Jim said, "That's not true. I fucking hate myself and look how much she loved me." Which kind of just proved Edward's point, since Jim's girlfriend found a new man within weeks and looked happier than she'd ever been. Dating someone like Bella, who was clearly comfortable in her own skin, was the relief of a burden Edward hadn't known he had.
Edward thought about this all through the thirty-minute ride to Jake's house, keeping up the mindless chatter with Bella. He held her hand in his, and he thought the whole time how badly he wanted that hand to be with him for many more days. Bella made him happy —and he wanted to give something in return. It was like a loop in his head —he wanted to ask Bella to be his girlfriend, but he was worried she'd say no for some reason. What if she was the type that said she didn't like labels? What if she met tonight someone who was much better than him and swept her off her feet? It could happen; Bella deserved the world, and sometimes he asked himself if he was enough.
"Oh, there's so many cars here already!"
Not right now.
"So, are you here on your own?" A guy dressed like Peter Pan slurred, tilting to the side slightly and sloshing some of his beer. Fortunately for him, Bella was also too drunk to care he'd just spilled some beer on her pants.
"Nope," Bella giggled, squinting her eyes and looking past the guy's shoulder. "But I can't find them. Have you seen Chuckie Finster?"
The guy blinked rapidly, frowning and shaking his head no.
"How about Michael Jackson?"
Again, the guy said no.
"Damn," Bella sighed. In her inebriated state she couldn't tell the difference between a werewolf and a Michael Jackson costume, though Jake had repeatedly told her he was not, in fact, dressed as the singer.
"Swan! It's been a long ass time since I last saw you!" A voice hollered behind her, and squinting her eyes to see through the fog, Bella made out one James Hunter approaching her. He was dressed as… nothing… but his eyes were zeroed in on her costume. Bella didn't like the feeling, so she instantly started looking around for Edward; he'd left her five minutes ago with Nessa, who'd then gone to the bathroom and had left her on her own. Now here she was talking to a guy she didn't know and trying to run away from one she did.
"Hi James," Bella greeted, giving him a polite smile. "Little over a year, I think."
"Yeah, yeah! Since McCarty's party, right? It was wild then, wasn't it? Funny to see you here, though. I never caught you at any of the parties in high school, and now that we're out I count two," James smirked, coming to a stop next to Bella. She smelled vodka and even a little tequila, which made her feel bad for his stomach.
"Well, college and all you know. How's Victoria, by the way? I haven't seen her since the graduation party," Bella said, referring to James' girlfriend. He made a face.
"We're on a break. She can really wear a man down sometimes," James dismissed the thought of his on and off again girlfriend, deciding instead to focus on the girl he'd lusted after all of middle school. He'd never had a chance to talk to her at a party —his turf— but now he finally had the opportunity, seeing as there was no sign of McCarty nearby.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Bella hiccuped, noticing then that the guy who'd been talking to her had scrammed. Oh well.
"I'm not. It happens often," James rolled his eyes. "You here with someone?"
Bella nodded.
"Yup, my boyfriend," Bella smiled, blushing at her own words. Shit-faced as she was, the thought of dating Edward made her tingle all over.
"Boyfriend?" James let his jaw drop, unable to believe the unattainable beauty had finally found someone that suit her standards. Heavens knew she'd never thought he was good enough, much to his chagrin. "He from college?"
Bella was about to answer when she felt warm hands on her waist and a kiss on the crown of her head —Edward's signature move.
"James, s'up?" Edward nodded in the asshole's direction, feeling like the king of the world when Bella leaned back into him with a happy sigh.
"Cullen?" James blinked disbelievingly, wondering if it was all the alcohol. "Are you her boyfriend?"
Not technically, but Edward wasn't going to get hung up on the details right now.
"Yup. Why?" Edward was about to say something else when he suddenly felt Bella's warm lips next to his ear.
"I'm tired, Chuck," Bella whispered, turning around in his arms so she could hook her arms around his neck. Without further warning, she suddenly gave a little jump so she could also lock her ankles behind Edward's back. Surprised, Edward caught her in time, putting his hands below her ass to hold her up.
"Sorry about that, but I think we're gonna have to go. Bella's kinda drunk," Edward explained, shivering when Bella laid a kiss on his neck. "See you around, James."
Then Edward left the party, girlfriend clinging onto him like a monkey.
The moment they'd stepped outside, Edward playfully pinched her ass.
"Ow!"
"I know you're not that drunk, baby," Edward said, doing his very best to focus on anything other than Bella's heat being pressed tightly against his stomach. Because it was.
"I just don't like James. The way he looks at women…" Bella shivered, and Edward did his very best to keep his temper in check. Both of them knew he'd never stand a chance against Hunter in a fight. "I only ever like you looking at me like I'm something to eat."
"I do that?"
"You do," Bella acknowledged, not sounding the least bit upset about it. "Which is fine, because I look at you that way too."
It did so please him to hear that.
"I've noticed," Edward teased. He splayed a hand across Bella's back, the other one still laying on her ass. "Want me to take you home?"
Bella shook her head no.
"I want to sleep at your place," Bella mumbled. "Your bed's like heaven."
It really was, but still, it felt odd to relent to a drunk person's request.
"You sure?"
She nodded.
Edward asked again, but by then it was too late —Bella was out like a light, and Edward had to carry her dead weight to the car, drive home, and then carry her up the stairs to his apartment. Once they were inside, Edward set to work on cleaning Bella up; he undid her painful-looking ponytail, took off her makeup with one of the wet tissues he had, and once he was done debating himself, took off her outfit and replaced it with one of his shirts and sweatpants. While he did so, he tried not to look at her nearly-naked state, and only glanced a couple of times. When she had the shirt on he took off her bra, having heard her complain enough about what a pain it was to know she'd hate him in the morning if he hadn't. Within minutes he was out, too, holding Bella tight against him in his sleep.
Bella woke up to a weight on her chest. Still sleepy, she cracked an eye open to see a head full of red hair resting comfortably between her boobs, Edward's arms wrapped around her waist like a vice. And if she wasn't mistaken, the wetness she felt was Edward drooling on top of her. She smiled to herself but didn't otherwise move; she knew he had to be tired from yesterday's antics, so she wanted to try and let him sleep. She'd been half awake when he'd been changing her yesterday, but hadn't let him know —she felt like being spoiled yesterday, and he was very good at it, too.
About half an hour went by of Bella absentmindedly running her fingers through Edward's hair, thinking about how lucky she was to have this boy all to herself. That his kindness, which she'd once longed for, was now directed at her; not exclusively, but more. And though love was selfless, it could also very well be selfish. She didn't want him being kind only, but especially, to her. It made her deliriously happy when she thought of how he'd looked at her when she'd opened her dorm's door, and also when he'd wordlessly caught her when she'd jumped on him.
"What're you thinking about?" Edward asked sleepily, wiggling up and to the side so he could be on eye level with her and also, not crushing her. Bella really appreciated the wiggling. She turned, smiling when she saw his crusty eyes.
"You," she said honestly, giggling when he blushed. She picked the crust from his eyes mindlessly. "How much I like you."
"God, you're gonna kill me one day," Edward groaned, burying his face in his pillow. She leaned closer and kissed the back of his ear.
"Hopefully not. I like you too much to let you go," Bella tugged on his hair, thinking. "You know, I really like your hair when you've just woken up."
"I really don't like how it looks so unorganized."
Bella hummed.
"Well, can't you leave it like this on special occasions? For me. It's nice running my fingers through your hair, and that's kind of hard to do with gel," Bella confessed, hoping that her wish would get the green light. Edward considered it.
"Only if every time I do, you wear that eyeliner I like," Edward compromised. He liked how it made her eyes pop, but she was always saying what a pain it was.
"Deal!" Bella replied, so quickly Edward knew it was just how badly she liked his hair like this. Not to mention, he appreciated how she didn't ask him to change himself, or said she didn't like how he usually had it; it wasn't hard to realize she really did prefer it this way, but also that she wasn't in the business of shaping him into her type. Kate had asked him once to stop doing his hair that way, and in response, he'd never gone a day with Kate where his hair wasn't perfectly gelled or waxed. She'd gotten the message: he wasn't about to change who he was no matter how much he loved her. With Bella, though, he didn't mind doing it every once in a while if it made her happy.
Which brought on a much more pressing issue.
"What are we?" Edward suddenly asked, confusing Bella. He turned on his side, propping up so he was laying his cheek on his hand. He pressed his lips together, assessing Bella for a moment before continuing. "I mean, we're together, but… are we official?"
Bella blinked, still confused.
"I'm not sure where this question is coming from," Bella said honestly. Had she somehow messed up?
"I just mean, yesterday you introduced me as your boyfriend. But we haven't made it official, right? So what I mean is—"
Yeah, she got the gist of it.
"I don't need you to ask me, nor do I want some grand event in order to confirm this. You're my boyfriend… unless you don't want to be."
Insecurity threatened to creep up on her; maybe he hadn't asked because he didn't want it, and had found it awful yesterday to be called her boyfriend. Maybe it had been presumptuous of her to just say it like that? Maybe he didn't really believe in labels? What if—
"Are you asking me to be your boyfriend?" Edward whispered, smiling to himself when he saw Bella blush.
"Well yeah, since you aren't going to."
He laughed.
"Well yeah, I want to be your boyfriend." Edward laid a kiss on his girlfriend. "Are you hungry?"
"Not particularly," Bella confessed, giggling when Edward immediately dove under the covers. He wiggled his way under her shirt and laid his head on her boobs.
"Good. Be my pillow then. Wake me up when you want breakfast."
"Edward, your head is heavy!"
"It's the weight of my beauty. Can you handle it?" Before Bella could retort, Edward was already snoring softly, making her sigh in defeat. Not that she really minded, and a few minutes later, she was out as well.
The weeks went by, and the new couple adapted well to their new status. If anything, it was much harder getting used to being together than a label; all it meant was that Bella teased Edward a lot by referring to him as 'boyfriend' every chance she could. She'd even saved him on her phone as Boyfriend #1, much to his annoyance. He tried playing the same game and saved her as Girlfriend #2, but that resulted in him almost getting his ear chewed off. He learned there was a difference in making that joke when you were the only ever boyfriend… and when you were, in fact, the second girlfriend. He didn't think Bella had minded that much, but whereas he was just slightly annoyed by the joke, he could tell she was moderately hurt. And that was enough for him to stop doing it. He was still fighting his case though and was making good progress on removing the #1 from his contact.
One thing that did happen in the following weeks?
Bella's fallout with Emmett.
Nobody had seen it coming, least of all his girlfriend. The two had gone over to bully Emmett with their newly declared relationship and had let themselves into his room, unannounced, only to find him, well, pounding away at Rosalie.
Edward saw much more of Emmett than he'd ever wanted to see, and his first reaction had been to try and cover Bella's eyes. But when he saw the fury in them, he decided it probably wasn't the first time she saw Emmett naked and that his hand would be in danger if it tried blocking Bella's line of sight.
"How could you? Both of you," Bella spat, feeling her anger attempt to swallow her whole. Emmett and Rosalie hadn't said a thing, though they'd had the decency to put the blankets around themselves. With tears threatening to overflow, she locked eyes with Rose. "Especially you, Rosalie. I told you he was off limits, didn't I? But you just had to…" Edward squeezed her hand hard, not wanting her to say anything she'd regret. Bella bit back her words, thankful for the man beside her.
"Bella, you're being unfair. You don't own me, and you don't control Rose." Emmett said, angry that his best friend wasn't being supportive. That she wasn't giving them a chance to explain.
It hurt Bella to hear him say that. Did he think that's what bothered her most?
"Come on, Edward. I need friends who won't lie because they're scared of me."
With that, Bella slammed the door to Emmett's room and marched her way to her own room, Edward in tow.
"Help me pack? I don't want to stay here for a while. I'm going home," Bella fumed, opening and closing drawers while stuffing a duffel bag.
"Stay with me tonight. You're in no condition to drive, not to mention it's late. Please, Bella. Let me be there for you."
Closing her duffel bag, she suddenly clammed up. She just nodded and let Edward lead her to his car, thankful at a time like this to know she had a place to sleep with someone who gave two shits about her.
When they got to Edward's apartment, he immediately made her hot chocolate and brought it to her on the bed. She was wearing his clothes —not a good time to get excited buddy— and curled into a ball in the middle of the bed. He set the hot chocolate on the bedside table and crawled beside her, facing Bella.
"Talk to me?" Edward whispered, worried about how she still hadn't said a word in twenty minutes.
"They lied to me for… God, months, maybe. I think that's why Rose has been avoiding me. And Em… I thought he'd been weird since he got back from camp. Do you think…? Heck, they've probably been together since then and lying to me about it." Bella blurted out, catching her breath at the last thought. It physically hurt, and she couldn't even begin to explain how much.
"Why are you so against it baby?" Edward asked, running a hand through her hair to help soothe her.
"I'm not against anything, Edward. I mean, I asked Rosalie not to bang Emmett, but I knew she'd crushed on him in the beginning. I even told her all I wanted was for her to have serious feelings for him and I wouldn't interfere. But then she never spoke of it again, and he never seemed to give her much mind, so I thought that was that. I didn't want them dating, ok? I knew that, like it always happened, Em and his girlfriend would break up and I'd be stuck in the middle trying to preserve the peace. It broke me inside when he and Alice ended things, you know? Having to side with him when I knew how much it hurt Ali and how mean his move had been. But I did, because he's my best friend, and Ali was the only ex-girlfriend not to ask me to side with her. And I really like Rose, but I knew if they dated I'd stop getting close to her as an act of self-preservation. You know what's worse? Feeling like Rose chose him… and he chose her. I practically begged him, Edward, begged him, not to bang Rose. And he looked me in the eye… and promised he wouldn't."
By now she was full on sobbing, and instead of holding her tight like he wanted to Edward just let her cry it out while she talked. She was nearly done, he felt.
"And then he has the gall to tell me I don't own him? That I don't control Rosalie? As if I ever tried! Emmett and I never lie to each other, and he's probably been lying to me for months. It makes me feel like I must be some type of selfish monster if they were that scared to be honest."
Note to self: never lie to Bella. Not even a white lie.
Feeling his heart hurt for his girlfriend, he tried talking to her about their point of view.
"Baby, maybe they just didn't want to hurt you and needed time to think of a way to tell you." Edward suggested, but knew it was the wrong thing to say when the hurt in Bella's eyes doubled.
"Edward, please, just… agree with me? Right now, I don't want to see the other side of things. All I want is to cry and curse them out and feel I've got someone on my side." Her voice cracked, and finally he couldn't take it anymore and simply crushed her to his chest.
"Bella, I'm always on your side. But I get what you're saying, so we'll leave that part for tomorrow, ok?" He resisted crying when her sobbing intensified, aching inside at the wrenching sound of her heartbreak.
The two fell asleep holding each other tightly.
The next morning Bella and Edward spent hours dissecting every moment between Rose and Emmett that could've meant more. Hours of Bella cursing the couple and Edward trying to remind her that it wasn't the end of the world while acknowledging what they'd done was hurtful. It was a thin line between supporting and unhelpful, and Edward wanted to show his girlfriend he was reliable at times like this. And, despite how badly he'd wanted this time apart between Bella and the linebacker, it hadn't been like this: he couldn't be happy that Bella was hurting and on the verge of ending such a long friendship over something she'd regret.
In the afternoon Bella left for Renée's, and at night Emmett showed up at Edward's doorstep.
"Emmett? What are you doing here?" Edward blinked, letting the linebacker into his apartment nonetheless.
"Is Bella here?"
Edward frowned.
"No, she's back at her mom's. I think she'll be staying there until Thanksgiving at the very least," Edward theorized. "If you go now, you could be back before midnight."
But Emmett shook his head no.
"I'm here to talk to you man. I know Bella, and she's not gonna want to hear from me until Christmas."
"I thought you'd never fought before."
"No, but she has fought with other people, and she's a petty little thing I tell ya." Edward frowned, not liking the way Emmett was talking about his girlfriend. His displeasure must've shown on his face because the linebacker raised his hands in defeat. "I mean, she always forgives, but it takes her some time."
Edward pulled out a beer from the fridge (he still didn't drink but people were always leaving alcohol at his place) and laid it out in front of Emmett. They sat around the kitchen island, Emmett nursing his beer and Edward a cup of coffee.
"So, how is she man?"
Edward shrugged.
"Kinda devastated, dude. She didn't even want breakfast. She's got it in her head that she's the worst friend in existence because neither of you wanted to come clean to her."
Emmett groaned, half expecting that's what was going on through his best friend's head.
"What were we fucking supposed to do, Cullen? She was so vehement about Rosie and I not dating that neither of us knew how to bring it up!"
"Yeah, but both of you chose to keep it from her. You know Bella. She's not upset that she caught you fucking, dude. She's hurt because she knows you two have been lying to her for months. I know why you did it, and I get it; that could've been Bella and I in an alternate reality. But that's as far as I can sympathize with you, Em. She's my girlfriend, and I can't stand to see how hurt she is. It's up to you and Rose to make amends."
"But how can we, if Bella ran away from us? She fucking always does that. Instead of talking shit out like adults, she fucking runs away and…" Emmett cut himself off when he saw that Edward's face was getting more and more menacing. "Fine. I'll talk to her. But not tonight, man; she really does need some time."
They spent the rest of the night watching a rerun from last night's soccer game, neither wanting to broach the subject any longer.
One week later, Bella still wasn't talking to Emmett or Rose. She couldn't even talk about it with Alice for obvious reasons, and she didn't want to bore Edward with the same speech over and over again. So she resorted to her trustworthy friend, Angela.
"I can't believe them, B! Especially Emmett, he's supposed to be your best friend," Angela shook her head in disappointment, and Bella sighed in relief. Finally! Someone who got her.
"I know right! And get this —he even had the balls to visit Edward the next day. What, did he think my boyfriend wouldn't tell me?"
"What'd he say?"
"Dunno. Edward won't tell me and I got tired of pushing after two days. He's a stubborn man," Bella huffed, chewing down on her fries angrily. "What does a girl have to do so people will be honest with her?"
They kept up their furious ranting for a few minutes, and then it died down. Angela treaded carefully.
"So… When are you hearing them out?"
Bella groaned.
"Preferably, never. I don't know who I'm most hurt by —Emmett or Rosalie. I feel like they both messed with me and I just can't determine who fucked me the hardest."
Angela laughed.
"B, you do know they didn't mean to hurt you, right? At the very least?"
"I know that," Bella mumbled.
"And if they were dating for months, they probably like each other a lot, right? It wasn't just some fling?"
"Sure," Bella sank in her chair. Chuckling, Angela leaned forward so she was meeting Bella's eyes.
"Ok, so it's time to get over it, don't you think? Or give them a chance to apologize. They shouldn't have lied to you, and I know that's what bothers you most, but you probably pushed them a lot to not have a relationship, right? What would you have done in Emmett's shoes, if he'd made you choose between him and Edward?"
"That's what bothers me! I didn't make him choose. It's not like I threatened to dump him if he got together with Rose, and it's not like I ever suspected he liked her. I thought she just crushed on him, you know? Thought he was hot but nothing more. If they'd, oh I dunno, talked to me, I would've heard them out. As it is, I feel like they're making me out to be Lady Montague or something."
Angela laughed at the last part.
"Bella, talk to them. They could've handled the situation better, but they didn't. They made a mistake. You've probably made a couple and will make a couple more, and you'll want that second chance, won't you? So stop overthinking and listen."
Even though Angela's piece of wisdom was sound, it took Bella another week to see it. She'd gone to the movies with Edward (and they'd both fallen asleep halfway through), and when they were going out they bumped into Emmett and Rosalie. There was an awkward pause at first where nobody knew what to say —poor Edward was the only person not directly involved and he was not about to make the first move.
"Hey Bella," Rose was the first to greet. Despite how much Bella wanted to flee the scene, she said hi back; she wasn't a rude person, and she'd be damned if she ever became one. Once she had, she saw Emmett lose some tension in his shoulders, wounding her a bit; did he think she wouldn't say hi back? So many years together, and Bella felt like he was treating her like a stranger.
"We were just about to go see a movie. Don't you want to join us?" Emmett asked, looking hopefully at the other couple.
"We actually just got out," Bella mumbled, feeling guilty when she saw Emmett's face fall. Then Edward threw her under the bus.
"Actually, Emmett, why don't you take Bella home? I've got a paper due tomorrow and it'd be a big help if you could drive her back, and I'll take Rose back to the dorms." When Edward suggested this, Emmett's eyes lit up so bright Bella couldn't say no. So she just sighed and nodded, giving her boyfriend's ass a pinch in retaliation.
"Don't shut him down," Edward mumbled against her lips, giving her a quick kiss. Though she pouted, she didn't argue back.
"You think they'll make up?" Rose asked Edward as they watched the best friends get in Emmett's Jeep. He shrugged.
"I think they'll be fine, but I wouldn't put it above either of them to stick their foot in their mouth."
Then they went to Edward's car and drove back to the dorms.
"So…" Emmett and Bella began awkwardly once they were five minutes into the ride home.
"You first," Bella muttered, looking out the window at the cars passing by. Emmett coughed, having suspected this was how it would go down.
"Let me just say I'm incredibly sorry B. Rose and I did lie to you, and it was that much worse because of how you found out. I kept secrets from you, and that's the last thing our friendship is about."
It took Bella a couple of moments to reply, but when she did, she let it all out.
"You made me feel like I didn't matter. I know we feel differently about our partners and our friends, so it's not exactly like I thought she meant more to you than I do, but it made me feel like you just didn't care about me. Like you didn't care enough to respect what I asked for, or at the very least, to be honest with me. How many years have we been together? It just really hurt to think you thought so low of me, Emmett. Like I would really give you some kind of ultimatum about it being either Rose or me."
"I'll always love you, B! You're my best friend no matter what. I'm so fucking sorry you thought that, but nobody can ever replace you. And it's… Look, I was scared, alright? I'm —I'm in love with Rosie, and it tore me apart to think I could wind up hurting either of you. I didn't know how to tell you I'd gone ahead and fallen for the one girl you'd asked me not to look at, and then I just kept letting time go on and on until it just… seemed like it was too late. I couldn't end things with Rose if you'd asked, and—"
"See, that's my issue Emmett! That you thought I would ask that of you. Didn't Rosalie tell you? The one time I asked her not to go after you, I told her that my concern was your head wouldn't be in it. I didn't want you using her as a rebound, nor did I want you getting hurt if she didn't want anything serious. Back when you'd just ended things with Alice. I… I would never get in the way of your happiness, and it cuts deep to know you think otherwise."
They drove in silence the rest of the way to Bella's house, and the sound of her sniffles tore at Emmett's heart. He'd spent the last two weeks and a half thinking that Bella was being resentful and petty over him not coming clean earlier about his relationship with Rosalie, but as always, Bella was full of surprises. And he really did understand why she was upset; it was true, what she'd said. He'd made up his mind about what kind of person his best friend was, and it wasn't a flattering look. He'd always been so set on the Debbie Downer persona his friend had carried all through high school that he'd never paused to consider that that wasn't all she was —and that she had always had his back. So when they came to a stop in front of her house and turned off the engine, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight.
"I'm really sorry, Bella. I didn't… I wasn't fair to you. You're an amazing friend, and I see now that I was wrong about pretty much everything. You aren't the type of person who would try to talk me out of my relationship with Rose, and I'm sorry I didn't see it. You're the best person I know, B, and I let my irrational fears get in the way of our friendship. I hope you can forgive this doofus."
Bella gave him a wobbly smile.
"Of course I forgive you, you dumb oaf. I love you. And best friends fight every once in a while, right?" Emmett chuckled and, to hide a tear that was slipping, gave her a crushing hug. When he let go, Bella patted his cheek. "Are you happy with Rose?"
He gave her a smile that answered her question.
"Oh, she's gonna be so relieved, Bells. She's been worried sick about not mending her friendship with you—"
"Woah, woah. No, Emmett, what?" Bella frowned, pulling back. "Emmett, I… I can't be friends with her again, not like before."
He frowned back.
"But… we're good, aren't we?"
Bella nodded slowly.
"We are, because I've loved you for many years and I only want you to be happy. But, Em… she betrayed my trust when she did't even fully have it. We'd been friends for a really short time before she decided she didn't care whether or not she lost me. And she did, when she went behind my back. I'm not angry or upset with her, but I don't think I can have her in my inner circle of friends because I don't trust her anymore. I'd been brutally honest with Rose when I told her I didn't want to be caught up in the middle; I'm done being the informant for your girlfriends, which is inevitably the role I take up. Even you took a step back when I started dating Edward, so you can't tell me you don't get what I'm talking about. I'm happy you two are in love, seriously. I still think Rosalie can make you very happy. Just… I can't be in both your corners. I've tried before multiple times and it really hurts me to be in that position. I'm sorry if you think I'm being irrational, and I hope one day I can grow closer to Rose again, but... I need distance from her. Only time will tell if that'll ever change."
Emmett wanted to argue back, but he saw that Bella was convinced of her words, and he didn't exactly know what to argue back with. So he sighed and agreed, hugged Bella goodbye (eternally grateful he hadn't lost his best friend) and drove back to the dorms. Then he found Rose and, as delicately as he could, broke the news to her: Bella wasn't angry, but she wasn't going to be coming back to be the best friend she'd once been to the blonde.
Rose spent the rest of the night crying her heart out.
Thanksgiving seemed to come out of nowhere.
One day, Edward was rushing three projects in a week, and the next, he and Bella were ringing the bell to the Cullen household (unsurprisingly, Edward had forgotten his keys). The thing was, Renée and Phil never had the tradition of holding Thanksgiving dinners, and instead they usually visited Phil's mother in Jacksonville. Bella almost always opted out —Grandma Dwyer had no love for her step-granddaughter, and it was so blatantly obvious not even Renée insisted that she could charm her way into the old crone's heart. This meant that usually Thanksgivings were spent in the McCarty household… well, that wasn't exactly true. She used to spend it with her dad, but that never happened again after her worst summer ever. In any case, she would've spent the holiday with the McCarty family again, if not for Edward inviting her to his place. It was a good opportunity, anyway; though she'd met Mrs. Cullen, she hadn't been Edward's girlfriend yet, and she certainly hadn't met his father or his little brother, Seth. She was excited, but also quite nervous; Edward spoke of his family like they were saints on Earth. His dad was a pediatric surgeon and his mother was an architect; Seth was a high school freshman. Apparently, they were all the nicest, kindest people Edward had ever met. Which was a hard pill to swallow, as a woman who was usually told she was a Debbie Downer and had recently been called controlling by one of the people who knew her best.
Digressing.
Almost ten seconds went by and then the front door to Edward's house was swinging open with a vengeance, Esme Cullen looking like beauty and grace personified.
"Bella! Oh, it's so good to see you again! Thank you for joining us today," Esme rushed out, just as excited as the last time they'd met. Instantly, Bella was crushed in a hug.
"Thank you very much for inviting me, Esme." Bella thanked sincerely.
"Hey, what about your favorite son?" Edward whined from behind them, making Esme sigh.
"You know Seth is inside helping out," Esme teased, making Bella laugh and Edward pout harder. Esme let go of Bella to hug her eldest. "I've missed you, baby."
"You just saw me last week mom," Edward countered, though he, too, had missed his momma.
"And that's why you don't see me laid out at your feet bawling my eyes out," Esme joked, letting go of her son and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Now, come on. Everything's nearly done; Seth is helping me carve the turkey though, and I need you to supervise he keeps all his fingers."
"Why me?"
"Your father is too concentrated choosing between a cheap and an expensive wine. It's a mystery what we'll be drinking tonight," Esme said sarcastically, already knowing that her husband only took out the good wine for Christmas, her birthday and graduations. She turned her attention to Bella again. "Come on dear. Wanna see Edward's baby pictures?"
Bella covered her mouth, mock-overcome with emotion.
"I would love to, Esme. But is it alright if I say hello first to Dr. Cullen and Seth?"
Esme smiled.
"Oh, Carlisle is in the cellar, and he doesn't even let Edward down there. Don't worry about waiting until he comes up, but as for Seth, he's in the kitchen. Honey, show her the way please."
Putting a hand on her waist, Edward led his girlfriend to the kitchen, where his little brother was hard at work. Being almost six years older, his relationship with Seth included a lot of bonding and little fighting once Edward had surpassed puberty. Seth was an incredible kid, and Edward was proud of him. He also really wanted him to get along with Bella; Seth had been joined at the hip with Kate, so a part of him was worried about them not hitting it off.
"Hey little bro, I'm home!" Edward sang as he entered the kitchen...
... before everything went to hell.
He'd forgotten how mischievous Seth could be sometimes, especially when he felt he wasn't getting enough attention. One moment Bella was heading in first to the kitchen (ladies first) and the next she was covered head to toe in flour.
"Gotcha!" Seth crowed, until the white cloud cleared and he realized that it wasn't, actually, his older brother, but the most famous ex-student from his high school.
"Bella Swan?" Seth squeaked out, gulping when the older girl didn't immediately answer.
Bella was a legend in school. He'd been in sixth grade when she was a junior (like his brother), and since he'd been in middle school he'd had the biggest crush on the prettiest girl in the whole school. The school he went to had an integrated middle and high school, so it was relatively often that he saw from afar the school's beauty. He'd even scouted out the possible threats to his soon-to-come love, concluding that McCarty was no real threat since he was with that pixy. He'd fallen flat on his face once, having two left feet (as if God wanted to compensate for his brother being so athletic), and Bella had been kind enough to help him up.
And now, she was in his house for Thanksgiving.
And he'd thrown flour at her.
Somebody could kill him and that'd be fine.
"That's me," Bella coughed, patting herself down the best she could. At least it was flour and not something sticky.
"I'm so sorry, let me help you," Seth started rambling, startled when he saw his brother start to help her pat down her skirt. "Uh, dude, is she... your friend?"
Edward blew the flour off of Bella's eyes, and when she finally opened them, her eyes widened at seeing Seth.
"Oh my God, Edward, he looks just like you at fifteen! But blond!" Bella laughed, impulsively reaching a hand out and tousling his hair. Seth flushed a nasty red, and that jogged her memory a bit. "Wait, I think I remember seeing you around... Oh!"
Yeah, I'm that dork who you helped up.
"Aren't you in the music club? I think I remember seeing you around school with a violin," Bella cocked her head to the side, expectant.
Surprised, Seth nodded.
"He's first violin," Edward stated proudly, messing up Seth's hair even further. "I've never heard a better player than him."
"Oh, I'd love to hear you sometime," Bella smiled, and even caked in flour, Seth and Edward thought she was lovely. She suddenly remembered she wasn't presentable. "Oh, sorry, I should go clean myself up. I'll be back soon, alright?"
Then Bella was gone, leaving the siblings alone.
Instantly, Seth turned to his brother.
"What the hell, man? Bella Swan is your friend?"
Edward smiled sheepishly.
"Um, not exactly. She's... well, she's my girlfriend."
Seth couldn't help it: he felt his eyes bug out.
"She's your girlfriend?"
Seth had thought Kate was out of his brother's league, but this? This was major league. Bella wasn't 'pretty for a high school kid'. Bella was the kind of pretty supermodels got surgery to look like... and she wanted Edward. Edward, who used a tub of gel like every two weeks. Edward, who was better at running than numbers. Edward, who wore stupid ass shirts every day like he got paid to do it.
He knew his brother was a nice guy, but this? This was overkill.
"Well, yeah. Is that... ok?" Edward said, not really knowing how to reply to that. Seth was reacting weird to the news, which in turn made him act weird.
Seth was about to answer when they got interrupted.
"Which one of you scoundrels did this to Bella?" Esme's screech reached the kitchen, making the siblings flinch.
"My bad!"
"Dad, this is Bella Swan, my girlfriend. And Bella, this is my dad, Carlisle."
"It's so nice to finally meet you, Dr. Cullen. Edward is always talking about his family so it's nice to put a face to the stories," Bella greeted Edward's father when the man finally resurfaced with, indeed, a cheap whine bottle in hand. Honestly, Edward was the spitting image of his father in everything but coloring. Bella really wanted Edward to age this well.
"Please, dear, call me Carlisle. And can I ask why you have something white on your cheek?" Carlisle motioned to said cheek, making Seth flinch.
"My bad dad. I thought it was Edward."
Carlisle was about to reprimand his son further when he noticed Bella shrug off the event and just ruffle Seth's hair. Then the boy blushed, and Carlisle realized his two children had a crush on the same person. Though to be fair, he knew Bella was an extraordinarily beautiful woman.
"Here," Edward turned Bella towards him and brushed the flour off tenderly. "Done."
"Thanks," Bella smiled up at her boyfriend bashfully, and for a second, Carlisle felt as though he was intruding on a private moment. Then the moment passed, and Bella was back to smiling at Carlisle.
"Let's eat then."
The rest of the dinner went by wonderfully. Esme was a hoot, and Carlisle was too in how he laughed at everything his wife said. Edward had spent half of the dinner bugging his kid brother, and Bella had spent most of the time just contentedly taking in the scene. She hoped she had a family like this one someday; she loved her mom, and Phil, but sometimes it kind of felt like they never left the newlywed phase. Which was awkward, to say the least.
By the end of the night, Bella felt like she'd been fully welcomed into the Cullen clan. Even Seth, who had started the night seemingly apprehensive, had warmed up to her. Even though Bella wasn't much of a social butterfly, she knew how to pay attention to people and make them feel heard. She paid rabid attention to every word out of the family's mouth, even when Carlisle explained something medical that she really preferred not knowing or when Esme and Edward got into one of their architecture rants. Often, she'd just turn to Seth and start asking him about school or the violin. He was quite forthcoming, just like Edward.
By the time they were saying goodbye, Esme was already planning for Bella's next four visits.
"I had a wonderful time, Esme, and the food was to die for. Thank you so much for inviting me," Bella was bidding adieu at the door by herself, Edward having gone to find his house keys.
"Oh, thank you dear. We loved having a chance to get to know you. My son... he seems so happy being with you. As a mother, having your son be simply lovestruck as opposed to seeing him happy makes a world of difference."
"Don't get us wrong, we liked Kate. We're just glad he found someone who makes him relax and be happy." Carlisle smiled gently. He motioned back to Seth who was picking up the last few plates. "Seth seemed to like you a lot as well."
Bella smiled at them, thankful. In that moment Edward reappeared, singing he was victorious. Thanking them again, Bella hugged the Cullen trio goodbye (Seth blushed furiously and thanked his lucky stars Edward was his brother. Then Edward drove Bella back to her house, the ride spent in relative silence. When they arrived at Bella's place, she turned to Edward with a sleepy smile.
"Want to come in for a little bit?"
Duh.
Edward eagerly nodded, making his girlfriend laugh.
"You know, I think my little brother has a crush on you," Edward chuckled, going into Bella's house and following her up to her room.
"Really?" Bella pondered jokingly, turning back to give Edward a mock calculating look. "You know, Seth does really look like you. Maybe if I ever feel like switching to a younger model..." She giggled when she saw Edward's furious scowl, guiding him by the hand to her room. "I kid, I kid. He's adorable, but blond's not really my type. I prefer redheads."
"You better. That means, statistically, less competition for me as well," Edward said, making his girlfriend laugh again.
"So, this is my room," Bella said, turning on the line and stepping aside so he could look around.
It was filled with psychology posters on the walls, and on the floor, comic books. There were some shelves, but those too were filled to the brim in comics. He rarely saw her reading, so sometimes he forgot what a geek she was. Which he really liked.
"My God, Swan, you've got an unhealthy obsession with comics. Ever heard of going green? There are digital comics."
Bella sniffled.
"But the feeling's not the same." Then she turned around, ranting about something or other while Edward continued looking around. He eyed her bed —blue duvet and red pillows—and decided he could do with a little nap. Only, the moment he sat down on it and turned back to announce his plans to Bella, his mouth dried. She was in front of some drawers standing only in her panties, her back to him.
Fuck, he wanted her.
Getting up, he walked to stand behind Bella. Because of his height, when he looked down he could see her naked breasts; he didn't even care about the granny panties, feeling himself get rock hard.
"May I help you?" Bella teased, turning around. She might've been sleepy, but she always was down for some action. Not that he ever indulged her. Still, it was chilly, so she slipped on her oversized sleeping shirt.
"You're torturing me, B," Edward groaned, leaning forward and dropping his forehead on her shoulder.
"Good. Now kiss me before I decide to sleep commando," Bella grinned when she felt his hands naturally descend down to her ass. He really wasn't much of a boob man, which she was thankful for, given she didn't have much in that department.
"Well we can't have that," Edward said huskily before swooping in for a kiss. Happily, he let Bella shove her tongue down his throat while he slipped his hands under her panties, kneading her ass cheeks. She moaned, squealing when Edward suddenly grabbed her and threw her on the bed, face down.
"Edward? What are you?—" Her breath hitched when she felt Edward slip off her panties. Oh God, they'd never gotten this far before. She felt him grab a handful of both her cheeks, then his tongue on her left one.
"I'm gonna eat you," Edward said, his voice huskier and lower than she'd ever heard it. Her heart almost left her chest.
"A-Are you sure? It's kind of d-dirty down there don't you— Oh!" Then Edward spread her ass cheeks apart and stuck his tongue in her pussy, feeling as she clenched around him. "Edward," Bella sighed, fisting the duvet in her hands. She then heard his zipper lower and his jeans drop to the floor, and she knew he was pumping himself while eating her out, his other hand on her ass. She couldn't see him, but she knew he was awfully happy about being smothered by her butt. Maybe he was serious when saying he didn't care much for boobs.
Then he flipped her around and started biting down on her clit, and she didn't have much of a choice in the matter. She came, screaming his name...
... And peeing a little.
It really wasn't on purpose. It was probably the most humiliating moment of her life. He was licking her clean, and it got to the point where something inside of her relaxed a little too much, and then she just... peed. On her boyfriend's cheek.
And even though he only blinked in shock, she was mortified enough to run her shirt down his cheek and then dash to the bathroom.
"Bella, it's ok. I promise I don't care," Edward calmly knocked on the bathroom door, where his girlfriend had locked herself in. It hadn't been all that much, really, and he was honest when he said he didn't mind. He didn't like it, but he liked upsetting his girlfriend even less. Not to mention, he was still riding high on how fucking good he was capable of making his girl feel.
"Bella, please come out."
"I can't ever face you again!" Bella wailed. "I'm gonna have to become a nun now! Just fucking kill me, Edward!"
Despite himself, he chuckled. She could be funny when she overreacted. Also, adorable as always.
"Are you laughing at me?" A furious screech sounded from the bathroom, followed by Bella flinging the door open. Edward took that moment to quickly grab her and carry her to the bed.
"Just a little bit. You're way too cute," Edward admitted, pinning her down when she struggled to escape.
"Let me go. I can't be with you anymore," Bella wailed, protesting when Edward laid a kiss on her to shut her up. Then he lowered his bottom half so it was resting against Bella's pelvis.
"Feel that? I still want you, Bella Swan. You're the hottest woman I know, pee and all."
"That's not romantic at all," Bella blubbered, nonetheless placated by the fact that her boyfriend was still rock hard even ten minutes after having accidentally peed on his face. "I'm sorry I peed on you."
He chuckled, wrapping his arms below her and sighing contently. He didn't tell her this, but he was glad whenever shit like this happened; it made her feel more real, and less like a flower on a mountain peak he could never reach. Her humanity was lovely.
"Bella, we can either make small problems big or we can make them smaller. This isn't even worth thinking about, I promise. Can you trust me when I tell you I don't care?"
She sniffled.
"Now you see why Emmett calls me Debbie Downer?"
They laughed.
"Bella, if Jake can puke all over me and still be my best friend, I think it's safe to say I'm not gonna overreact after my girlfriend pees a little because I gave her an orgasm."
"It was a good orgasm, too." Bella muttered, almost as an afterthought. "Which reminds me."
Then she proceeded to give Edward his own mind blowing orgasm, which actually made him kind of jealous.
"Where'd you learn to do that?" He heaved, bringing her up so she was resting on his chest.
"Porn," Bella said proudly, making Edward snort in surprise. "What? Sometimes a girl likes being informed."
"I just pictured you typing 'redhead geek lanky' in the search engine," Edward admitted, chuckling when Bella tried digging her knuckle into his ribs. "What? As far as I know, that's your type."
She kissed his chest.
"As far as I know, you're right," Bella joked. She sighed happily. "I think I would've liked you no matter what you looked like."
"Even as a hot girl?"
"You'd be my best friend, but one of the best things about you is your dick," Bella laughed when she felt her boyfriend's shock. "What? That's a valid reason for me not to be gay, isn't it?"
Even the most politically correct people could be dicks sometimes (pun intended), Edward realized.
"What if I had, like, a micropenis?"
"But you don't."
"But what if I did?"
"I don't know, would you be able to fuck me?"
"You're so crass sometimes, baby." His influence entirely; before they'd started dating she hardly ever cussed.
"I am, but that's because you like asking ridiculous things." Bella yawned. "I don't know, Edward. I'd like to think I wouldn't care, but we can't know for sure what I'd do, right?"
He let up, figuring he'd tormented his girlfriend enough.
"I think if you were a guy, I'd want you. Or even if you weren't as beautiful as you are."
"Really?"
"Really."
"I don't believe you," Bella yawned, nonetheless wiggling until she was almost pasted to her boyfriend from head to toe. "I've never cared much for beauty, but it's all people seem to think about when they see me. Even Seth, sweet as he is, wouldn't have crushed on me if I didn't have this face. I'm not saying you're lying to me or anything like that, it's just... When you're judged by how you look all your life, it's hard to believe someone when they tell you they don't care how you look. I wouldn't even believe my mom if she told me that."
Hearing her words made Edward feel sad, but also a bit angry. He chose to focus on the sadness, though; he figured Bella didn't mean to belittle his feelings and was only generalizing about her life so far.
"I didn't start dating you because you were the most beautiful girl in school, though. I started dating you because I thought you were —and are— the most amazing girl I've ever met. You've always been beautiful, Bella, but I didn't start dating you until I knew how beautiful you were inside as well. So please don't say people only ever care about the outside —but more than that, please don't think it."
Edward didn't hear Bella's reply. She was too far gone in her dream world, probably recreating some argument she almost won but had missed just the right argument to succeed. Every once in a while, Edward thought Bella should've aimed to be a lawyer instead, with how much she loved winning arguments and debating. He'd once started debating with her about abortion and he'd quickly realized what a losing battle that was. He decided he'd only indulge her in such heavy topics every once in a while; he was a sportsman, after all, and he never backed down from a fight. Which was something good on the track but bad for a relationship; even Bella had agreed that they could get too heated about certain subjects and needed long breaks to recover. They still talked about everything, they just... needed breathers in between heavy subjects (even the ones they agreed on).
He cuddled with his girlfriend for about an hour before deciding his mother would kill him if he took any longer.
He laid a kiss on her forehead, and then he was gone.
Alright, before any of y'all dislike me, I'll explain about the Rose-Bella-Emmett fight. I know many of you liked the friendship between Rose and Bella, and so do I. I also wanted to throw in a sprinkle of reality in their relationship; sometimes, great friends have fall-outs because of things that simply could've been handled better. And one of the things I thought was appropriate was Bella not wanting to be in the middle -remember, this Bella has been in that position a lot, and she knows she doesn't like it. It might not be what all of you would react like, but it is consistent with what I've explained about Bella so far. I think most of us would feel betrayed if a friend lied to us on purpose, but most of all, if we felt like we weren't picked. I know some friendships can be really strong even if they've only just begun, but I also think that longer friendships tend to withstand better the trials of life. Not because 'that's the way things are', but because usually people are more willing to put in the effort. Bella has a good group of friends, so she knows which things are tolerable (for her) and which aren't. Have any of you had experiences like this? I'd like to hear how you handled things if you did. :)
Leah.
P.S. Thanks to all of you who worried about the gasoline problem lol, thankfully everything's pretty much resolved. Just... some thieves went to steal gasoline in another state, which caused a huge explosion when something went wrong. Some people here have said that they deserved it for stealing -many even making memes about it- and I just want to ask you to please never rejoice at someone's death. Even if they're thieves, even if they're shameless sometimes (their families are asking the government for compensation), nobody deserves to be caught in an explosion, and it breaks my heart when I see people close to me repost hateful comments.
P.P.S. Also, I'm going to L.A. next week! My God! It's my first time going to the States in two years, and my first time going to the West coast. A cousin of mine is getting married there (he's from the U.S.). My parents are there already, which is a relief. Also, congrats to all the US government employees who'll be getting paid! Finally! I'm sure you've a few rough weeks, so I hope you or your loved ones get your paychecks.