Rating M

Disclaimer – Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight –
I just like to get weird with her characters.

Much love and thanks to my beta love, Carrie ZM,
for all the edits, the hours, the encouragement, and the laughs we had with this fic.
Writing with you is always a blast – you make this shit fun, Boo.

Many thanks to my wonderful pre-readers, Planetblue and Robsmyyummy
Cabanaboy, for all the time, insight, and commentary you provided on this story.
I greatly admire you both and am so grateful for all of your help on this, pals.

Special thanks to Ceci – Lolypop82 for the awesome banner. Tilt, baby, tilt.

Girl Code – If there's nothing wrong with what
you're doing, there's no need to sneak around
#slimshady

I just want to keep this to myself for a while.

"How was Seattle, girls?" Victoria asks Rose and me, pulling her miniscule salad from her lunch bag.

"We had a blast, didn't we, Bella?" Rose answers for us, elbowing me to which I nod emphatically. Truthfully, I barely recall a detail about our weekend other than the feel of Edward's mouth on mine. My lips curl into a small smile while my leg rests lazily against his. "What did you girls do while we were gone?"

"Alice and I went shopping for homecoming dresses." I don't miss the way she eyes Edward at the mention of homecoming. "I found one I really like, but I have to lose about ten pounds before I can even think about wearing it."

I can barely contain my eye roll, watching her stab at her salad and informing us that she's on a strict no-carb diet. Fact – there is nothing more annoying than a skinny girl bitching about being on a diet. No one feels sorry for you if you have a thigh gap, it's that simple. You want to lose a few, go ahead, but shut up about it.

Alec snorts, and I see him out of the corner of my eye shaking his head. "How about you find a date first?"

Unaffected by the jab, Victoria sucks the dressing off a baby carrot and smiles at Edward. "I'm working on it."

The thought of her in a barely-there dress pressed against him is enough to make me want to puke in my mouth. Everyone knows teenagers don't actually dance at dances, we dry hump. Agitated, I manhandle my yogurt, tearing the foil top off like a savage.

"Actually, I thought it might be fun for all of us to go stag this year." Rose's cheery voice and interesting proposition jars me from mutilating my yogurt cup. "Wouldn't that be fun?"

She looks from me to Alec to Edward and finally Victoria, who's staring at her like she's lost her goddamn mind.

"Shit, I'm in," Alec says, sounding far too relieved not to have to take me to homecoming for the fourth year in a row.

I shoot him a what the fuck glare before agreeing. "Me too."

"Yay!" Rose squeals in her seat. "What about you, Edward?"

"Sure, why not?" Shrugging his shoulders, he brings his water bottle to his lips.

Rose is full-on bouncy clapping now. Lord knows how she loves when a plan comes together. "What about you, Victoria?"

Victoria's face falls at Rose's question. I try not to laugh because this must be a real kick to the dick for her. I'm sure she had Edward's outfit picked, his boutonniere ordered and reservations for a romantic dinner for two already booked. "Uh, yeah. I guess that'd be fun."

She looks sad, and I can't have that, so I do what any good friend would do to a dieting friend by offering her Renee's latest Pinterest attempt. "Cookie?"

I barely make it to study hall before the bell rings, and much to my disappointment, Edward has homework scattered across our table.

"Hey, Sweets."

"Hey." I slump into my seat. "Big test or something?"

He shakes his head, still not taking his eyes off his book. "I'm working this week, remember? Helping my dad after school," he says, flicking the page. "I've gotta get this shit done."

"Oh," I say, unable to hide my disappointment, though he did mention in our instant messages that the next few weeks would be busy for him. "Yeah, I remember."

We spend the rest of the hour in silence, him focusing on his education and me fixating on where we stand. Did the kiss mean anything or was it just a 'you're in a swimsuit and it's your birthday' kiss? I tap my pen against my notebook in time with my nervously bouncing leg beneath the table. My mind races as the crazy takes over in my head when I feel his hand still my knee.

"You alright?" His smile is warm, but his eyes are wary.

I nod, not wanting to chance spewing my insecurity all over him. "I'm fine."

His brow hitches. "Fine as in good or fine as in I want to murder you?"

"Fine as in peachy keen," I say with a laugh, "though I'm curious about your levels of fine."

"My dad says when women say they're fine that they probably aren't." He looks to me to deny it, which he knows I can't.

"There's a little truth to that I'm sure."

"There is." I feel his thumb brush over my knee and give it a little squeeze as he leans into me. "So we good, Sweets?"

Dazzled by the spearmint and his smile, I tilt my head until our foreheads are nearly touching and give him a coy grin. "We're fine."

"Good, now lemme see your phone."

I grab it and clutch it to my chest before he can get a hand on it. "Why?"

The moment the word leaves my mouth I feel like an idiot. He chuckles a bit and rubs his thumb over his jaw a few times. "You not interested in talkin' to me, Sweets?"

"No." I blurt before realizing what I just said. "I mean, yes." This is going downhill fast so I pull myself together with a quick shake of the head and place the phone in his outstretched hand. "I mean, here..."

He's quick about it, punching in the numbers and handing it back to me. His fingers graze mine in the exchange, lingering a bit. When the bell rings overhead, he gathers his things and stands to leave, but not before knocking twice on the desk. "You'll hear from me soon."

For the rest of the week I pour myself into schoolwork and pep club projects, doing anything to keep my mind off my limited interaction with Edward. Since giving him my number, our Facebook personal messages have ceased altogether. I get a few texts in the evenings on his dinner break, and he always sends a goodnight one before he goes to bed.

When my phone starts vibrating across the table at the library on Thursday night, I'm more than a little surprised to see his name pop up on my screen. I grab my phone and practically sprint to the stacks, answering him with a frantic whispered hello.

"Sweets?"

"Yeah, I'm here." I run my finger down the spine of the nearest book, grinning like a giddy girl with a crush, but hiding out in the large print section like a guilty girl with a secret. I can tell he's in his car, radio on, windows open.

"Why are you whisperin'? Can you talk?"

"No. I'm at the library."

"Oh yeah. The lit assignment, right?"

"Right."

"Well I'm thinking about grabbing a shake, you wanna come with me?"

The girl with the crush wants to scream 'YES' When Harry Met Sally style, however the girl with the secret side-eyes me and counts the number of people here who may find it interesting that Victoria's love interest is picking me up. Namely one Alec P. Martin.

"I can't." My voice sounds as bummed as I feel. "I'm not done yet, otherwise I would."

"That's alright." There's a long pause, and all I hear in the background is Lorde bitching how she'll never be royal. "I'll bring one to you. I'll see you in a bit."

And then he's gone.

"Who was that?" Alec asks when I mosey back to the table.

"My mom," I lie, frantically gathering up all of the Zora Neale Hurston books our town library has to offer. "I've gotta go." He stands, grabbing for his keys and I remember he's my ride. I wave him off and practically shout another spectacular fib. "She's picking me up."

"Okay." He stretches the word until it sounds both snarky and suspicious. "She doesn't have to. I can drive you home if you need me to."

Desperate times call for desperate measures. There are two things Alec absolutely cannot handle under any circumstances. One is visible ear wax and two is any and all talk of periods, including—but not limited to— cramps, period gas, period poops, and the mere mention of a heavy flow day. It's his kryptonite and while it's a low blow, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

I screw my eyes closed and blurt out his worst nightmare. "I don't want to leak on your seat."

His shoulders lurch and he puffs out his cheeks like he's going to vomit, waving his hands and shooing me away. "Ugh. Go. Get."

"See ya."

The moment I see the Jeep's headlights, I scurry out of my precarious hiding place in the library landscaping, flagging him down by nearly jumping in front of his car. His tires screech on the pavement. The look on his face is somewhere between 'what the fuck' and 'did I just shit my pants'. In hindsight, leaping in front of a moving vehicle is probably not the best idea considering the goal is to be inconspicuous.

"Sorry about that." I say, climbing into the passenger seat. "I didn't know if you saw me."

He chuckles. "I didn't until I almost ran you over."

Embarrassed, I grab the large cup between us. "This for me?"

"Yeah, uh…" He does a half-shrug and his voice is unsure. "I got strawberry, is that alright?"

"I love strawberry," I breathe before taking a small sip. His eyes are on my lips, watching them wrap around the straw. "You want to get out of here?"

"Sure. Where to?"

Ten minutes later we pull into the deserted parking lot at North Beach. He grabs a blanket from the back and we set out to the rocky shores, looking for a dry spot to sit.

"So how's the agency coming?"

"Good, he interviewed a couple of people today that had potential."

"Do you remember who they were?"

"Uh, yeah, one was some dude named Randall, and the other was…" He scrunches his face, trying to remember the other name. "Mary maybe? I don't know."

"Did she have big hair and lots of make up?" He nods. "Smelled like stale cigs?"

"Yep." We stop and he motions to the ground. "Here okay?"

"Sure." I help him lay out the plaid blanket before circling back to Mary. "He shouldn't hire her."

"Why not? She's got a lot of insurance experience."

I don't know how to explain that the only experience she has a lot of is on her back, so I go with another truth. "Esme hates her." I sip my shake sweetly, waiting for the subtle warning to Carlisle to register with Edward.

He snorts. "Well that's definitely a complication my dad doesn't want." Lifting his milkshake, he toasts me. "Thanks for the heads-up."

We sit and watch the waves crash against the shore, talking about everything and nothing. I'm pleasantly surprised to find out that he intends to follow Carlisle into the insurance business.

Normally when I hear insurance sales I think of smarmy, balding men with coffee breath. Granted, that may be because my parent's current insurance agent fits that bill, but buying insurance from Carlisle or Edward seems far more enticing.

"What about you? Are you going to take over your ma's salon?"

I nod. "Yep, me and Rose."

"Is that what you want?"

I take a sip and contemplate his question because I've honestly never thought about it. It's the plan, always has been. I don't know if I ever had a choice, it just is. "I think so."

"You think so, huh?"

"Meh," I say with a shrug, "I'm pretty sure I'm going that route." The fact that I'm uncertain on something I was always so sure of unnerves me. I stir the straw in my shake, scraping whatever I can off the sides. "What kind of shake did you get?"

"Vanilla," the corner of his mouth turns up, "but I wish I got strawberry."

"Here," I offer him my cup, "want a taste?"

"Yeah," he whispers, leaning in and forgoing the milkshake altogether. I suck in a breath when he cups my jaw and runs the pad of his thumb across my lower lip. "Just a taste."

His mouth brushes mine tenderly at first, before taunting and teasing me with sweet pecks from chilly lips and his warm vanilla flavored tongue. Hesitation gives way to heat when he buries his hand in my hair, kissing me deeply…wildly.

Lost in our kissing, we ignore the fine mist that somewhere along the way turned into fat raindrops until we can't any longer. Hand-in-hand we race to the car with teeth chattering smiles and a flush of warmth on our cheeks, despite the cool sea breeze whipping in our faces.

When we reach the car, he opens the door for me like a gentleman. Rain-soaked, he climbs into the driver's side, slamming the door behind him. His hair is matted to his head, droplets dripping down his face as he starts the car. "Heat?" I nod, shivering slightly watching him adjust the temperature and hold his hand in front of the vent. "It'll warm up in a minute."

We're quiet and awkward for a moment, staring out the rain-covered windshield, and listening to the gentle voice of the DJ for Dorothy's Doo Wop Drive-in. Fall is here a full calendar day early, listeners. Let's go back to 1958 for One Summer Night with the Danleers.

His eyes flicker to mine.

I blink.

And it's on.

I lunge across the console, threading my fingers into his hair and roughly pressing my lips to his. Frenzied and eager, our mouths move together until we're both panting and breathless. His hands wrap around my waist, pulling me to him over the console to rest uncomfortably on his lap.

The steering wheel is cutting into my lower back and my pant leg is caught on the gear shift, but I couldn't be happier because Edward's mouth is nipping just beneath my jaw.

"Wait a second," he murmurs against my skin.

"Hmm?"

"Hold on." He leans forward slightly, reaching for something on the side of the seat and pressing me further into the steering wheel.

"Ow. What are you doing?"

I hear the hum of his seat back reclining, his eyes never leaving mine as our bodies are lowered. "Is this okay?"

"Yes," I breathe, my lips barely touching his.

I close my eyes, reveling in the feel of his hands trailing down my spine just as a smooth falsetto voice croons above a trio of baritones about falling in love under the moon. He sucks my lower lip and moans into my mouth. We're a mess of tongues and teeth and bumping noses.

Out of breath, I pull back and his mouth moves lower, latching onto the tender flesh at the base of my throat. I guide his hand to my chest, begging him to touch me, unable to speak a word. He caresses me gently, moving his thumb over my nipple, while his lips hover near the valley of my breasts. My hips roll over his and I feel him exhale roughly against my shirt.

"Christ, Sweets," he grunts just as his other hand grips my backside to control my movements.

The raindrops are coming faster, pelting harder against the soft top. My eyes flutter open for a split second, taking in the drizzle-covered foggy plastic windows. He's everywhere, and I feel everything.

I lose myself in all the sensations of the wet and the warmth and the want…in him. We stay lost in each other for three more songs until a set of flashing headlights snaps us back to reality.

He holds my hand when he drives me home. We part ways in the car with a whispered goodnight and a gentle forehead kiss. Hours later, I'm sprawled out on my bed, listening to the song One Summer Night for the hundredth time, contemplating making it my ringtone for him. Sappy? Absolutely, but at least it's not Nickelback.

The following evening, Alec, Rose, Edward and I are huddled together on the bleachers under the Friday night lights, cheering on our fledgling football team. The now dry blanket from the beach is draped over our laps. Alice waves at us looking practically perfect in her cheer gear, while Victoria casts spirit fingers and flirty winks in Edward's direction. To them we appear to be two pals, trying to stay warm. Beneath the blanket though, two joined hands are generating a spark that could set fire to this entire fucking town.

A/N: *Carrie ZM does the cabbage patch while singing Nelly's Hot In Herre*

So Carrie and I are posting this together from my Bunco party tonight and listening to Tag Team's Whoomp There It Is. Don't judge us.

Without further ado, lettuce let it WIP…

Darnay Rd by Counselor - *Lay clasps hands together getting ready to say some profound shit* I have a legitimate hard-on for all things Counselor. This fic is no exception. I know most of the fandom is already reading this – but if you're not, you should be. It's got all the feels and the best kind of butterflies. Counselor's Edwards always do it for me…but Easy does it better.

I Belong to You by Twilightladies - *Carrie ZM passes around the Sensodyne because this Edward will give you a toothache with his sweetness* Starting over is never easy, but Swoonward is just what the doctor ordered to cure a broken heart. Slow burn and great chemistry. Don't miss this one, pals!

Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, followed, fav'd, rec'd, tweeted or lurked this fic! I'll see you all next Thursday.