Chapter Four
I got home yesterday smiling after my coffee incident with Edward. Jake was standing at the kitchen counter flipping through a catalogue.
"Afternoon Jacob." I sang while I made my way to my room to unload. I saw Jake look up from his magazine and stare at me until he was out of my line of sight. I dumped my books beside my desk. They looked at me, I knew I should do something with them, but I was in too good a mood right now.
I changed into my comfiest sweats so I could relax, maybe watch a movie. I opened my door to exit and was confronted with Jacob.
"Oh, hey Jake." I smiled up at him and he eyed me wearily. I wonder what's got his knickers in a twist today. I asked him, "You okay?"
"Yes," he said positively, "I'm just unsure about you." I shot him a confused look. Why wouldn't I be ok?
"I'm great Jake, thanks." I patted his bicep and made to move past him. Fail. Jake filled to doorway. He wasn't helping me leave though.
"Can I get out, Jake?" I asked. He shook his head. "Do you need something?" I tried and again he shook his head. "Jake, you're killing my mood, move before I knock the gloss off those lips." I threatened.
He held his hands up in surrender, but made no move to get out of my way. "Are you sure you're ok Bee?" He asked and I nodded.
"Why wouldn't I be fine?"
"Well this morning you looked like ass on burnt toast,"
"Really?" I asked him. The visual was doing my head in, how does he come up with this kind of stuff?
"Well, yeah, you stayed up all night and had to leave early. I was just wondering, you know, who you hooked up with." He asked.
"Jacob!" I exclaimed, "I was at school, where could I hook up with someone? In the bed of my truck?"
He stared at me, pondering the thought, "If only you had an enclosed..."
"Jacob!" I interrupted. "It's the weekend, and I just got an assignment off my back, is that not enough for a girl to be happy?" I asked.
"No." He said straight away. "Not Bella Swan."
"Well maybe this is the new Bella Swan." Again I tried to get past, but he was still filling the doorway.
"New Bella Swan, aye?" He asked, leaning against the door frame. I squeezed past him quickly. I didn't really feel like having this conversation with him. He was killing my post-coffee Edward glow.
I went to the kitchen, feeling a bit peckish. It was lunch time and I'd only had three coffees today. I was rummaging through the cupboards when I felt Jacob walk into the kitchen.
"Haven't had lunch yet?" He asked.
"No mum."
"Now Bee, don't be like that." He chastised like a mother would. "Will you make me a sandwich?" He then asked childlike. I nodded. "So how was your day, darl?" He sat down on the countertop.
"Meh. Went to my class, and then got a coffee, why are you still here?" I asked him suddenly, realising that Jacob was still here since this morning.
Now Jacob doesn't live here, but he's always never too far away.
He shrugged and said, "I was returning Alice's discount card and had nowhere to go, so I stayed. I really need a life." He rolled his eyes and picked up the catalogue that he was flicking through when I had arrived.
I decided sandwiches would be perfectly fine and so I started gathering all the stuff and making them next to Jacob's ass on the bench top.
I was just adding the top slice of bread when Jacob paused, staring at a picture of a male underwear model.
"Oh my dingleberries!" He screeched. Dingleberries? What? "Checkout boy number 3!" He screamed and I dropped the knife and grabbed the catalogue.
"Where?" All I saw was a pretty face, a toned bod and probably a stuffed pair of tighty whities. He could compete with number 3, but I'm sure hoping Edward's not stuffing socks down there.
"You got a coffee, right? On campus?" Jacob asked changing the subject so fast that I was getting whiplash.
"Yes." I said slowly, what was he getting at? I have a bad feeling that he's worked it out.
"You had coffee with checkout boy number 3!" He sung triumphantly.
"How did you work it out?" I said slamming my hand on the countertop. I had been hoping that I could've kept that secret a little longer.
"Well," Jacob sang, "Emmett told us his schedule."
"Why?"
"Alice asked, anyway, so Emmett told us his schedule, actually I think it's somewhere here." He said leaving the kitchen. I followed him out of the kitchen. He was in my living room, looking at the bookshelf.
He separated Wuthering Heights and Dr Seuss' One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish (I really should put them in some sort of order) and pulled out a yellow piece of paper. "Edward Cullen's schedule. Friday, breakfast - coffee shop, then class." Jacob read.
"What?" I snatched it out of Jacob's hand and studied the lined paper. Emmett's scrawly handwriting was on the page telling of Edward's classes and where he usually ate lunch.
"Edward's a creature of habit apparently." Jacob told me. I nodded. I did find it unusual that it even had Edward's eating schedule down to the minute.
"I thought it was weird that Alice told me to go study on Wednesday." I mumbled out loud reading that he had classes near the study centre on Wednesday. His started after mine on Wednesday, so the chances of us bumping into each other would've been high.
"Yes, you should've seen how pissed she was when you decided that you could do with a new pair of shoes." Jacob responded.
"Yea, well, my old chucks were wearing."
"I don't see why you wear them anyway." He rolled his eyes. Rosalie walked through the door and stopped dead when she saw me holding the list.
"She found the list! I told Alice not to put it near Wuthering Heights she reads that book every second day!" She ranted dumping her bags on the kitchen countertop.
"I showed it to her chill, Blondie." Rose put her hands on her hips waiting to be told why. Jacob rolled his eyes, but then looked at Rosalie with a gleam in them. "She had a coffee date with number 3!"
Rose's jaw dropped, "What?" She said, excited now. "Tell me more."
"It wasn't a date."
"It was coffee?"
"Yea."
"Was it planned?" Rose interrogated, I laughed at the last question. No it definitely was not planned.
"No."
"Tell us!" She begged.
"Wait!" Jacob said holding up his hand, silencing us. "Alice." He picked up his phone.
"Hey darl, come home right now." Jacob spoke as Alice answered, "ditch the Texan and get your ass home." Alice was with Jasper. Again. Since Rose's party they'd been inseparable. I heard a car pull up in the driveway. That was quick.
The front door opened and Alice walked in trailing Jasper. "Now tell me, why did I have to rush home?" She spoke into the phone despite Jacob standing not two feet away from her.
"Bella had a coffee date with checkout boy number 3!" Jacob told his phone. They still hadn't hung up. Alice squealed and finally hung up on Jacob. Jumping, she launched herself at me.
"Tell me. Tell me. Tell me!" She repeated jumping up and down in front of me,
I sighed. "It was really just nothing. We just bumped," literally, "into each other and he decided to buy me a coffee," because I spilt mine on him, "that was all."
"So, he bought you a coffee, and what?" Alice poked.
"We just chatted, simple stuff like what we did at school." I lied.
Alice, Rosalie and Jacob all glared at me for the lack of excitement. I couldn't stand their glares so I looked away and spotted Jasper. Oh, I'd forgotten about him. I gave him a slight smile, he wasn't glaring at me, and he returned a confused one. Poor fella, I kind of feel sorry for him. If he's going to be spending a lot of time with Alice, which directly includes the rest of us, then he is going to have to be on his toes.
"Fine." Rose huffed, "So all you did was talk, are you going to talk again." She asked waggling her eyebrows.
"Well, we made no plans." My brows furrowed a little. I wasn't quite sure as to how I felt about this. Yes, of course, I would love to see Edward again, and most definitely will. But I wasn't the type of girl to get all hyped up just because a hot guy had coffee with me.
"What is that?" Jacob asked pointing between my eye brows. I stupidly scrunched them further in an attempt to see what was there. "You do want to see him again, Bella's in luuurve."
I swatted his hand away and eyed him evilly, "I am most definitely in love with Edward Cullen." I said adamantly, despite the suggested looks of denial of the faces of three of my friends. Even Jasper had an arched eyebrow in question.
I am definitely not in love with him.
Not even falling.
Not even a little bit.
Maybe just a tiny sexually induced crush though?
...
"Oh God. Shut up. Go away." I seethed swinging my arm wildly in the direction of my bedside table.
Thump! Ok, book's on the floor.
Bang! Phone just hit the wall, I swear to God Bella if you have to buy another phone...
Riiii-! Smack! Clang! Finally! I dropped my arm, so it now dangled over the side of the bed limply. Even my arm was too tired to get up.
It's six in the morning and I have to be at work in an hour. The rest of my body followed suit of my arm and slinked off the bed. I found my phone and pushed myself into an upright standing position and dragged myself to the bathroom.
I am a morning person, except for weekends. My body just seems to know that it's Saturday and that I want to sleep in until at least nine. But nooooo, not this morning, I have to work. Granted my job isn't horrible, but still, it's the principle of the thing!
I climbed into the shower and the hot water instantly started to wake me up. Next comes the coffee. Coffee. My lips slipped into a small smile as they thought of coffee with Edward. I should've made plans, or at least made some silly comment about doing it again minus the spillage.
Oh well, too late now! Now, from this moment in my life I vow that I will not leave anything to the last minute. So I moved my ass to eat breakfast and get to work.
I arrived at the bookstore with 5 minutes to spare. I was opening so I quickly ordered the store. Angela would be coming in around 11, so I'd be alone for the first four hours. I wouldn't be too bad. It was usually just the kids who actually did schoolwork on the weekends (I sadly fell into this category) and the old ladies that woke up at the crack of dawn to have conversations with the unknowing kids who just wanted to purchase their books and get back to their study.
But, at 11 that's when they arrived.
The kids.
Elizabeth, the boss-lady, she doesn't like that name by the way, loves kids, and therefore feels the need to nurture them. She actually doesn't have kids, nor does she work on Saturdays. Probably why she loves them so.
So the store holds a kid's reading session once a month on a Saturday. They were usually around 5 and 6 and most of the time it was alright, the odd tears or wet pair of pants. I could keep them in control as most seemed to enjoy it. Lately though a little girl had joined our little sessions, and frankly she frightened me just a little.
She is 5 and her name is Tanya.
She is a good girl, don't get me wrong, she doesn't try any shit with me and that's why I'm frightened. I know this will sound horrible, but I've never really liked little kids. I have thought about teaching, but I knew I would never be able to deal with the 'littlies'; it would have to be high school for me.
Tanya is quite a manipulative little girl, but I don't think she always understand what she was doing. She is blessed with beautiful looks, long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. I know it's probably a sin to be jealous of a 5 year old. She is a master of the quivering lip and watering eyes. If there is a book Tanya wanted then she will get it. If there is a game she wanted to play, we would play.
I honestly don't think she does it on purpose; it is definitely something that is ingrained in her. Her mother is one of those acrylic nails, perfect makeup and hair, high heels and business suits when everyone else is wearing sweats sort of women. She's not a bitch though, but she lets you know your place.
Man I sound like a bitch. Oh well.
It was a slow morning. Angela entered just as some of the early bird kids did. She quickly joined me and pulled out the books for the parents to sign them in. Don't want one getting away or something.
"You or me, Bella?" She asked. We always did this. Angela is quite introverted. Talking in front of the kids just scares her, whereas the kids themselves just scare me. Elizabeth doesn't know that we aren't kid people. I wonder what she'd say.
"Rock off?" I asked her and she held out her fist.
"Scissors paper rock." We both chanted.
I held out my fist as a sign of rock while she laid her palm flat, paper.
"Goddamit." I mumbled and Ang sighed in relief.
"Enjoy the kiddies, Bella." She smiled and waved.
"It's rigged anyway. What type of person would defend themselves with paper if someone threw a rock at them?" I begged. Let her cave.
She rolled her eyes, "Tis magic paper, protects thou from flying rock." She accentuated, "now go!" She laughed.
I put my 'Miss Bella' face on and smiled broadly at the 12 or so kids sitting before me.
"Hello everyone." I said in that kid voice.
"Hi Miss Bella." I liked it when they called me Miss Bella instead of Bella, gives me power.
Tanya entered then. Don't shiver, the kids will see. "Miss Bella, look what I can do." She performed a pirouette. Apparently she's been doing ballet for the last month, not that she's told me or anything – note the sarcasm.
"Very good Tanya." I smiled and internally rolled my eyes, "Now what book should we read today?"
Tanya's had shot up, "Tanya?" I asked.
"Can we read Angelina Ballerina?" She asked, "Please." She said in that sickly sweet voice.
I sighed softly and reached behind me, "Shall we read this one today guys?" I asked the group.
"Ok." The reply came from most of them. Conformists!
"Ok, more than anything else in the world, Angelina loved to dance." I started.
"I love to dance Miss Bella." Tanya spoke up.
"I know you do, but how about you sit down for now sweetie." She obeyed, mwhaha, I continued reading.
The book closed and I read another one. After I finished that one I didn't read another one, instead letting the kids read a book to themselves, or at least look at the pictures.
I just supervised now.
"Bella, Bella." Tanya was tugging on my pant leg, "watch me touch my toes." She bent over and touched her toes. I congratulated her. "Watch me do the splits." She did and I again congratulated her. "Can you do the splits?" She asked.
I laughed, "No, I'm not flexible."
"Did you ever do ballet, Bella?" She asked.
"I did when I was your age." I fell off the stage and broke my foot during my debut performance. I was a natural.
"So you must be flexible."
"That was a long time ago."
Great. I'm arguing with a 5 year old.
She stood there with her arms folded. I sighed and caved, "I may still be able to touch my toes." I wiggled a little bit and this caused Tanya to laugh. I bent forward and stretched towards my chucks encased feet.
I touched the tips and felt the burn in my hamstrings. Just as I was about to relieve the burn my eyes caught a bronze head, so I held the pose a bit longer
Edward?
"Wow." She awed. I know!
"Bella?" A deep voice called. Wow these kids are hitting puberty earlier and earlier. I stood up quickly, almost knocking Tanya out with my head, and spun.
Holy shit. Checkout boy number 3. Was he checking out my ass?
"Oh, hey, Edward." I blushed. I practically just presented to the man. If this was Animal Planet he would be all over me now.
He smiled, "So I," *TUG* "was," *TUG* "thinking," *TUG*. Edward hesitated looking at my arm. *TUG* What keeps doing that? I looked down. Tanya. Edward-blocked by a 5 year old!
"I see you've got your hands full." He chuckled as Tanya was actually holding my hand. "I'll see you around."
"Wait, what were you going to say?" I asked him before he had the chance to walk away. I really, really, really want to know.
"Bella, can you do the splits for me." Tanya tugged.
"Hold on sweetie." I said patiently, but if she interrupts me again I'll knock her block off.
Edward deliberated, "What time do you get off?" My mind giggled inappropriately.
"I get lunch at 12."
"10 minutes, how about we talk then?" He asked and I nodded mutely.
"Miss Bella," Tanya dragged as I watched Edward walk off into the new releases. "Please do the splits." She begged.
"Fine." I agreed.
I awkwardly split my legs, still holding myself up by my arms. I could feel my hamstrings stretching. This cannot end well.
I caught Edward between the shelves flipping through a book. Aw, he looks so cute, looking intently at the thick novel, not realising I'm watching him.
My arms wobbled and he looked up suddenly. Oh shit! My arms caved as I diverted my eyes and my legs spread a little bit further causing myself to land right on my cooter.
Ow!
"Wow Miss Bella." Tanya awed sounding impressed. A sharp, throbbing pain rushed through my right groin muscle.
Ah shit, shit, shit, motherfu-.
"Oh bye Miss Bella." Tanya said as I heard her mother call her. I tried to turn but that just caused the pain to intensify.
I looked around; most of the kids had gone. The clock said 2 minutes to 12.
I need to get up off the floor. My left leg is out in front, it's the right that's the problem. It's sticking out behind me at a strange angle. I tried to swing it around so it was out the front like the left, but the pulling, burning sensation caused me to stop.
God it sounds like the symptoms for an STD or something.
The urge to rub the painful area, in hope to ease the pain was strong. But there are only two problems. One, it was stuck underneath me and two, it would look like I was rubbing myself.
Great.
Okay Bella, calm. Smile, wave at the depleting kids, there goes the last one, oh thank God.
"Ang!" I called. She rounded the teen novels and looked at me in a confused way. "I need your help."
"What happened?" She asked concerned and approached me slowly.
"Tanya happened." I grumbled quietly but she heard me anyway.
"A 5 year old forced you onto the floor with your legs open?" She asked without laughing. I was the one in pain and stuck on the floor and even I let off a little giggle.
"She asked me to do the splits."
"So you did the splits.
"She scares me." I said grumpily folding my arms over my chest.
Now she let out a small chuckle, mumbling, "Oh Bella." I just stared at her. "Ok, what do you want me to do?" She finally asked.
"Uh, maybe help me off the floor." I said a little rudely, but I was still embarrassed that I let a 5 year old talk me into this.
"How?" She asked genuinely confused.
"Well, uh," I paused and shot her an apologetic smile. How can she help me off the floor? I'd already tried to bend and move my legs, but that hurt like a bitch, maybe, "You might have to lift me."
She nodded and moved so she was in front of me. Tucking her hands under my armpits she lifted. I got some air but Ang is only as tall as me, plus I wouldn't be surprised if I'd gained a couple of pounds from all the leftover 21st cake I'd been eating lately. She couldn't get me up very far.
She lowered me back down into my position and apologised. I waved her off and she took a step back thinking.
A gleam came into her eyes and she got that 'light bulb' look on her face. "I'll be right back." She said running behind the teen novel shelves.
Ok, I'll just wait here. I folded my arms across my chest. I was just a little peeved and in a lot of pain. I used to be so flexible, why the pain now?
She returned moments later with a guy. You could say he looked familiar, if green eyes and bronze hair seem to stick in your memory.
"This is not a sex injury!" I screamed at Checkout Boy Number 3. He chuckled as I felt my mortified face grow red. I wish he would give me back my goddam verbal filter. Ever since the condom incident it's been gone. I know he's the one that has it, I just know it.
"I should hope not Bella, otherwise I would be a bit worried about you being around children." He smiled.
"I'm sorry, it just slipped out." I groaned, not looking at him.
"Would you like some help up?" He asked bending down so he could look in my eyes.
"Yes please."
Edward moved so he was standing behind me. My heart started to race as he placed his hands under my arms. I noticed that he had long fingers, maybe they'll accidently brush by my-
"So how did you get into this situation?" He asked.
"I, uh," I started distracted as he slowly started to pull me up, "was playing with one of the kids."
He chuckled a little, "wow, that's dedicated." I attempted a shrug.
My right knee was now resting on the ground. If Edward was standing in front of me I would be face to face with his crotch... or maybe the correct terminology is face to peen?
"I really enjoyed having coffee with you yesterday Bella." He told me, almost shyly. I wish I could see his face right now. I was now standing, but with Edward still holding me up.
My face felt red as I remembered, "I enjoyed it too." I turned my face to his face to see he was smiling.
"Do you think," Yes? My head begged for him to continue, "You can walk now." Oh. Stupid head. I quickly hid the disappointment in my eyes, my face was red, but I can blame that on the current situation.
"I can try." His grip on my arms relaxed, but he didn't let go, his hands hovered by my arms.
All my weight is on my left leg as it's my right groin muscle that is killing. I shifted to the right and my leg collapsed. I felt Edward's hands clamped down on my upper arms.
I gave a strange laugh, "Maybe not." My head spun as the pain shot through the hurt area.
"Bella, your face is white, let's sit down."
"Well that's different from red." My stomach rolled and my groin throbbed, "Yes, let's sit." I put my hand on the sore muscle. "I'm not touching myself," I assured him, even though he didn't look at me weirdly, "It's just sore."
"Would you mind if I took you home? You could ice it there." Edward asked.
"But, what about work?" He slung my arm around his neck and hoisted me up.
He grinned cheekily, "I'm sure Angela won't mind, especially now as she has a good story to tell everyone." I grimaced.
"Some heat might help too." I said, "Maybe some pain killers also." I added and Edward chuckled.
Edward took me home in one piece, walking still hurt but at least I wasn't even close to passing out anymore. My face was a cherry red. Lovely.
The door opened. Oh hell no! Only this shit happens to me.
"Sex injury." Emmett said in an all knowing way.
"This not a sex injury!" I screamed.
"Please, a man and a woman, woman with obvious honey hurt," Emmett started.
"Did you just call Ginny, honey?" Jacob asked.
"Ginny?" Alice and Jasper said simultaneously.
"Oh please it's better than Camilla." Rose rolled her eyes.
"Well that's not bad." Jasper spoke. He's such a quiet one.
"Camilla, Cum-illa, Cumzilla." Emmett pondered, like he didn't make that up.
"No, what and ew." I screamed point at Emmett, Jacob and Rose. "This is not a sex injury! Now I'm going to ice my groin, take some Tylenol and go to my room. Goodbye!" I tried to move. "Ow, ow, ow, help please Edward." I whined and he helped me to my room.
A/N Hello :) So he almost asked her out. Now he's in her room...
As always I will beg for your reviews, pleeeeeease.