Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.
Author's Note: So last chapter was pretty fun and yummy. ;) Hope you all liked my lemony surprise. Alright so most of you wanted to skip ahead to what's next, while a select few wanted Bella's POV from the party. I myself do not like repeating scenes, so I created a compromise: the engagement party is going to be a tiny flashback in this chapter and then I am moving along from there. Hope this satisfies everyone! Enjoy!
Bella POV
I groaned as the morning light shined on my face and turned slightly toward the window, wondering who had opened the curtains. I looked out on the balcony and saw a blanket draped over somebody lying on the patio chairs, but I couldn't make out who it was. I looked beside me on the bed and noticed Edward wasn't sleeping where he usually did.
Shit, I had a fucking headache.
I grabbed onto my head and rubbed my scalp gently before wincing and climbing out of bed.
Oh. My. God.
I looked down at my body—at my naked body—and gasped. Quickly, I grabbed the bathrobe hanging on one of the dressers and slipped it on, tying the knot extremely tight before tip toeing to the bathroom. I was pretty sure that Edward was the one out there and I didn't want him to walk in on a compromising situation; especially when I needed to figure out what the hell happened last night.
Safe inside the sanctuary of the bathroom, I locked the door and leaned on the porcelain white counters, rubbing my temples and closing my eyes as I thought back to the previous night…
"Bella!"
I turned around and sighed as Rosalie tried for the millionth time to shove a shot of vodka in my face. I told her I just wasn't feeling it tonight, but she wouldn't leave me alone.
"Rose, I told you. I don't want to drink," I insisted, growing increasingly frustrated at her antics.
"You owe me," she said coldly, raising one eyebrow.
I looked at her confused. "For what?" I demanded defensively.
"For keeping yours and Edward's dirty little secret?" she warned, her voice dropping low enough so only I could hear.
Black mail. Nice.
"Ugh, fine!" I finally conceded, grabbing the small shot glass from her and quickly downing the contents. The drink stung as it made its way down my throat and into my stomach. I looked at her grinning face and raised my eyebrows. "Happy?"
"Very," she replied with a huge smile.
And the rest of the night proceeded as such. Rose kept coming to me, wanting me to be her drinking partner, and pulling the whole 'don't forget I know' tactic to get me to agree. After downing what must have been my third or fourth shot, I knew enough was enough. I was already somewhat of a lightweight when it came to drinking and I knew I was going to get drunk. There was no denying it now.
I finally found Alice and sought refuge with her and her friends. I tried not to talk because I didn't want to make an idiot of myself, but they were all pretty tipsy as well so it was hard not to join in on the conversation.
"So, Bella, where's Edward?" one of the girls asked me after Alice excused herself to go find Jasper.
I turned to her and shrugged. "I.D.K.," I slurred, swaying slightly. I was trashed. Why else would I be using text message acronyms?
"You're lucky you have such a handsome husband," the other one—Emily was it?—chimed in.
I looked at her and my eyes widened for some unexplainable reason. "Really?" I asked disbelievingly. I wasn't sure why this information was so interesting to me, but then I realized it probably had something to with the current state I was in.
She nodded and smiled. "Yea, you two are great together. You're, like, the hottest couple I know," she said excitedly.
"Wow," I whispered, looking down at the ground in awe. Maybe it was the alcohol, but what she said felt really nice to hear.
Edward and I were good together?
"Look, there he is now," the first girl—Heidi—said, looking behind me toward the stairs.
I turned around and sure enough there was my gorgeous husband about to begin his ascent up the stairs.
I should probably keep him company.
"Edward!" I suddenly called, unable to stop myself. He stopped and turned around, his lips turning up into a small smile. I looked back at the girls and saw that they were all smiling mischievously at me. I said a quick farewell before practically running to Edward. "My husband!" I announced proudly, because if I was being honest, Emily was right—I really was lucky to have such a good looking man.
I didn't register much of what he said, but I knew he was just as drunk as me—if not more. He was going upstairs alone and for some unexplainable reason, I could not let that happen. So I went with him…
"Oh. My. God," I repeated for the second time that morning. I put one hand over my mouth and turned around so I could look at myself in the mirror. I looked like complete crap and—if I was being honest with myself—I looked thoroughly fucked as well.
I blushed as the memories of last night came flooding back to me piece by piece. Edward and I in the room. On the bed. The way I took control. The way he thrust himself in and out of me. We were so completely trashed and gone, yet there at the same time. Together.
I could not believe I had just had drunken sex with my soon-to-be ex husband. Just then a thought occurred to me. How was it that Edward and I were both drunk? And why was Rosalie constantly throwing drinks in my face all night?
Because Emmett and Rosalie had set us up.
I couldn't believe it.
I took a few deep breaths in and out before finally opening the door slowly and peeking outside. Edward seemed to still be sitting on the balcony, so I quietly and slowly crept to the bedroom door and without a backward glance, stepped out into the hallway, closing the door minutely behind me. It was still fairly early so I figured everyone would still be asleep, seeing as the party had probably gone on all night.
I made my way slowly down the stairs and turned the corner to go into the kitchen. My annoyance and frustration only peaked when I saw that Rosalie was sitting on one of the barstools, casually flipping through a magazine on the counter and sipping her coffee. I put on my best pissed off glare before strutting right up to her and crossing my arms, sighing loudly to get her attention.
She glanced up at me from the page she was reading and smiled dismissively. "Morning, doll," she said casually, looking back down at the page again and taking another drink of her coffee.
"Morning, doll?" I repeated incredulously. "Is that really all you have for me?"
She looked up at me, seeming a bit surprised at my tone, before her face suddenly brightened up and she reached for her purse on the counter. "Oh! You're right, I do have something else for you," she said as she dug around her purse before finally producing a small, white box. She smiled down at it and handed it to me.
I glared at her then looked down at the box in her hands, confused, before my mouth fell open in shock and I looked back up at her. "What the hell is this?" I asked her in disbelief.
She simply shrugged and replied nonchalantly, "Plan B." She gave me a polite smile before putting the box on the counter and returning her attention back to the magazine. "Emmett and I weren't sure if you were still on the pill since…well, you know." She waved her hand dismissively before continuing, "And we knew you were both going to be way too trashed last night to use any real protection…therefore…" she looked up at me and smiled cheekily,"…Plan B."
I wasn't sure whether I should be touched by her thoughtfulness or throw a fit for her interference. It was one thing to actually initiate two people having drunken sex, but it was a whole other thing to give them emergency contraception the next morning.
"How dare you?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes at her. "And for your and Emmett's information, I am still on the pill. So you know what, Rosalie? You can take that Plan B bullshit, and shove it up your ass!" And with that I turned around and stormed out of the kitchen and toward the stairs.
"Should I just keep it for next time then?" she called from the kitchen, sounding sincere, though I knew she was mocking me.
I stopped dead in my tracks and shut my eyes tightly, fighting the urge to go back in there and blow up at her for devising a plan for Edward and I to sleep together and then having the audacity to poke fun at it the next morning and feel no shame whatsoever.
"Hey, B," Emmett's voice said happily. I opened my eyes and saw that he was standing at the top of the stairs with his arms crossed, looking mighty proud of himself. How could these two have the nerve to act peachy keen when clearly they had crossed a line last night?
"Shut up, Emmett," I grumbled, shoving past him and walking toward mine and Edward's room.
"Why so uptight, B? You should be in full post-coital bliss right now," he teased.
I shook my head and walked into the room, slamming the door shut behind me, not caring who I woke up anymore. I was practically fuming with anger. Those two were incorrigible.
Sighing, I rubbed my eyes and sat on the still unmade bed, putting my head in my hands and wondering what the hell to do now.
"Bella?"
My head snapped up in the direction of Edward's voice. He was standing in the doorway of the bathroom wearing black pants and a grey t-shirt. His hair was wet and I realized he must have taken a shower while I was downstairs.
"H-Hey," I stuttered nervously, fidgeting with my hands in my lap.
"I think we need to, um, talk," he said, almost shyly, looking everywhere but at me.
"About what?" I shrugged, forcing a light laugh in an attempt to lighten the mood.
He looked up at me and sighed before shaking his head and walking over to sit on the bed next to me at a safe enough distance so that we weren't touching.
"About last night," he said softly, looking down at his own hands.
"Oh," was my brilliant response.
An awkward silence settled over us for several minutes before he finally cleared his throat and began, "I know we were both pretty trashed. And…while I was in the shower I kind of got to thinking that it was probably Rosalie and Emmett's plan from the start. It just has their names written all over it, you know?" he said, looking up at me.
I nodded. "Yea. It was them. Rose actually had the nerve to go out and get me morning after pills." I laughed humorlessly at the memory and shook my head in an attempt to rid myself of the anger and frustration I was currently feeling.
"Did you take them?" Edward asked me quietly.
I looked back up at him, but he didn't seem worried or nervous about the fact that we hadn't used protection last night. He seemed almost…hopeful. And I couldn't understand why.
"N-No," I said, shaking my head. "I'm still on the pill." He looked at me surprised and I knew he probably thought that had to mean I had slept with other men after him. "I told you, I haven't been with anyone else," I said, repeating my words from the other night. He simply nodded and looked back down.
I knew what he wanted to say. That this was all a huge mistake and how he wished he could take it all back. He would say that we were drunk and didn't know what we were doing. I'm sure he also wanted to make sure that I knew it was a one time thing and should never have happened in the first place. It was just taking him a long ass time to finally say it and I realized he probably didn't want to hurt my feelings.
"Let's just forget it ever happened," I said before he could beat me to it. At least this way I wasn't getting hurt in the process. "We had been drinking and one thing led to another. No one's to blame, but I think it's safe to say that it probably shouldn't have happened. Rose and Em are idiots," I finished quietly.
I didn't mean the words I said and I sure as hell couldn't bring myself to say that last night was a mistake no matter how much I wanted to—or how much I knew I should. I couldn't even deny that if the opportunity arose again, I would probably do it in a heartbeat. Because last night I felt things that only Edward had ever really made me feel.
Wanted. Desired.
Loved.
And it killed me that I was admitting this to myself. And it killed me even more that I knew Edward most likely regretted everything that occurred last night.
"Oh," he finally said after a few moments. He was looking down at the ground, his eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration before he nodded curtly and looked back up at me. "Yea, you're right. It was a mistake and it shouldn't have happened. Let's just pretend it didn't." I couldn't help but hear a hard tone in his voice when he spoke, but I quickly discarded it as frustration at the entire situation.
I pursed my lips and nodded, trying to keep a blank and confident mask in place. He sighed and got up from the bed and walked to the balcony to collect the blanket he had been using earlier. I watched him for a minute before getting off the bed and helping him make it. I told him I was going to take a shower and he just offered a curt response before leaving the room.
And then I was alone.
XxXxX
"Bellaaaa!" Alice drawled out dramatically as she hooked her arm with mine and practically dragged me to the boutique where we would be getting her and Jasper's 'save the date' cards. I wasn't sure why we all had to come with her, but then again I was never sure why Alice did anything the way she did.
I sighed and rolled my eyes as I walked into the boutique behind her. The guys were walking behind us and Rosalie was in her own little world off to the side.
"Why are you so dead today, Bella?" Alice asked me curiously as she looked at a few choices laid out near the front.
"Oh, I think Bella's just worn out from last night," Emmett said with a huge ass grin. I heard Rose let out a very un-ladylike snort before covering her mouth and looking away. I glared at them both before turning my attention back to a very confused Alice.
"I'm fine. Just didn't get enough sleep last night," I said shortly.
"Got that right," I heard Rose mutter under her breath. I turned around again and gave her a hard, stone look as Alice and Jasper followed the sales lady to look at some other arrangements.
"Listen," I started, grabbing Rosalie roughly by the elbow and pulling her with me to where Edward and Emmett were standing. "You two need to shut the hell up right now, okay?" I said it low so no one would hear.
"Why, Bella, whatever are you talking about?" Rosalie asked innocently, batting her eyelashes mockingly like a little school girl.
"Rose," Edward warned in a threatening tone. We all looked his way when he spoke because he voice was gravely serious like I have never heard before.
"You know, for two people who got laid last night you're both awfully cranky," Emmett scowled, grabbing Rosalie's hand and walking over to some card arrangements on a shelf.
"Maybe he wasn't very good," I heard Rosalie mumble to Emmett before they both turned and looked at Edward and I with stupid matching grins on their faces.
I groaned and rolled my eyes before turning back to Edward. His face took me by surprise. He looked…almost angry. His eyes were set on something past me and he wasn't blinking.
"Um," I started nervously before Alice called my name and told me I wasn't being a very good maid of honor by not helping her. Edward's eyes shifted to mine and we stared at each other for a few seconds. His face remained like stone and he didn't even flinch or move as I hesitantly turned around—a bit flustered and taken aback by his attitude—and walked over to where Alice was standing looking at some card choices.
I spent the next two hours helping Alice pick out the perfect arrangements while the guys and Rosalie alternated between walking outside, going on coffee runs, or heading down to the music store next door. Finally, after filling in Alice's orders, the two of us walked down the street to the restaurant we were meeting everyone at for dinner.
It had gotten dark while we were in the boutique, and for a moment, I almost forget we were even in Seattle. I was imagining going to my apartment and having to get up early the next day for work. It was kind of nice to be free of all responsibilities for a few weeks—even though I had a shit load of other stresses on my mind that weren't going to disappear anytime soon. It made it a lot harder that Rosalie and Emmett were taking pleasure in all of the crap going on between Edward and me.
Alice put her arm around my shoulder as we enter the restaurant and smiled at me appreciatively. "Thank you for being my maid of honor, Bella. I know I can be kind of hard to put up with sometimes," she said apologetically.
I smiled and shook my head, wrapping my arm around her waist as we stopped in front of the hostess stand. "Alice, you are the way you are and that will never change," I said. Her face fell a little before I added, "And I wouldn't want it any other way." She looked up at me and smiled as we both hugged and then turned to the amused hostess who was watching our exchange with a sympathetic smile. We must have looked pretty adorable.
We gave her Jasper's name and she led us to a booth where Rosalie and the guys were seated. Alice slid in next to Jasper since he was on the outside. Edward was sitting on the outside across from them and stood up so I could slide in beside Rosalie—even though she was the last person I wanted to be near right now.
Thankfully conversation flowed in the direction of Alice and Jasper's upcoming wedding less than four weeks way. The restaurant had a bar attached so we all decided to order drinks. The night was going smoothly. Everyone was in easy conversation as we waited for our meal to arrive; it almost felt like the good old days.
And then Emmett had to ruin it.
"Hey, let's play a game while we're waiting on the food," he suggested after taking a long swig of beer.
"Good idea, Em!" Rosalie announced a little too over eagerly, looking pointedly at Edward and me with a bright smile. I glared in return and didn't have to look behind me at Edward to know he was probably doing the same.
"What game?" Alice asked excitedly as she took a sip of her margarita.
"Hmmm," Emmett pondered, stroking his chin though I knew he had something up his sleeve. He and Rosalie were devious planners so I knew something was going on. "Truth or dare," he stated with finality.
"Seriously, Em? Are we in high school?" Jasper asked him with a chuckle.
Emmett glared at him and Rosalie just rolled her eyes and smiled. "Afraid of what we may find out about you, Jazz?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow.
Jasper just narrowed his eyes at her and Alice giggled. "Come on, Jazz. Please," Alice insisted, showing him her puppy eyes.
Jasper looked down at her and smiled softly before kissing the tip of her nose gently. "Alright, sweetheart," he finally conceded.
I said a mental 'fuck' before looking at Rosalie and Emmett with death stares. I knew they were planning something.
"Okay, so Alice can go first since she is the bride to be," Rosalie said, smiling happily at Jasper and Alice.
"Oooh, yay!" Alice clapped her hands and sat up a little straighter as she looked at each one of us, trying to figure out who to pick on first. "Edward," she finally decided. I saw everyone look at Edward, but I just kept my eyes focused on my drink. "Truth or dare?" she asked him humorously.
I heard Edward sigh beside me and shift a little in his seat. "Truth, I guess," he answered uninterestedly.
"Boo, pussy!" Emmett laughed.
"Shut up, Emmett," Alice said sternly. I looked up at her, waiting for her question, praying it had nothing to do with me. "Where is the craziest place…that you and Bella have ever had sex?" she finished hurriedly, unable to control her smile.
"Alice!" I scolded.
"Seriously, Alice? You want to know that about your brother?" Edward asked her incredulously.
"She has a right to know whatever she wants to know, Edward," Rosalie said, looking at him with a smug smile.
I knew my face was about thirty shades of red as I gripped my drink in my hand and awaited his response. I tried sifting through all the places we had done it and could not come up with one that would be considered 'the craziest place' to ever have sex.
Wait a second…
Crap.
I remembered.
Edward cleared his throat uneasily and I looked up at him apprehensively. He glanced at me once before looking back up at Alice and sighing defeated. "Mom's flower garden at her and dad's house," he replied quietly, averting his gaze to his lap.
"Oh!" Emmett said, putting a hand over his mouth and laughing hysterically.
"Dude, are you serious right now?" Jasper asked, unable to hide his own laughter.
"That's disgusting, Edward," Alice said, smiling as she took another sip of her drink.
I ran a hand roughly over my face before looking up at all of their amused and laughing faces. "Okay, can we move on now?" I asked a little harsher than I had intended.
"Hey, you cannot talk to me that way," Alice berated me playfully. "You deflowered my mother's flower garden." She ended up laughing hysterically at her own play on words. Okay, she definitely needed to stop drinking.
"Your turn, Edward," Jasper said once everyone had calmed down.
Edward ended up daring Emmett to get the hostess' number by the end of the night to which Rosalie and Emmett glared daggers at him. I couldn't hold back a laugh at that one. Payback was a bitch after all.
But of course they weren't going to let it go that easily.
"Bella," Emmett started, amusement evident in his eyes. He and Rosalie had been whispering for a few minutes since it was Emmett's turn and I knew the two of them were up to no good.
"Yes, Emmett?" I answered with a reserved sigh. I was obviously not into this game and I wasn't even going to try and hide it.
"Truth or dare?' he asked me with a too serious expression on his face.
I went through the choice in my head for a few seconds. Not wanting to end up having to answer an embarrassing question like Edward had, I went with dare.
Emmett and Rosalie just smiled widely at one another before straightening up their expressions and looking back at me.
"I dare you…to kiss Edward on the lips," he said, still smiling hugely.
My mouth fell open a little bit and if it wouldn't have blown our cover, I would have thrown my drink on Emmett and stormed out of the restaurant.
"Um, Emmett, I don't think Alice would appreciate me kissing her brother in front of her," I answered nervously. I had become flustered and it was the best excuse I could come up with.
"Come on, Bella!" Alice cheered. I looked over at her, wishing Jasper had cut off her drink intake already. "You have to do it. It's a dare!" she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"If you don't…I'm going to make you chug down the entire pitcher of beer on the table," Emmett threatened with no traces of humor whatsoever.
I opened my mouth again and turned to face Edward. It would look suspicious if the two of us didn't share a kiss. I mean, we were married after all and Alice and Jasper thought we were still together and happy as ever. They knew we were two passionate people and if we didn't do it, they would think something was up.
Edward looked at me nervously, obviously not thinking I would actually go through with it or would want to, but I knew we had no choice. I leaned in a little and he looked at me questioningly, silently asking if I was alright with this so I just nodded curtly.
"And it has to be a real kiss. Not some quick peck on the lips," Rosalie added.
I shook my head at her, but kept my eyes focused on Edward's before glancing down at his lips and then back up at him. He was doing the same thing. His eyes dancing between my mouth and my eyes. I finally went in, pressing my lips to his firmly, realizing halfway through that this was the first time Edward and I had kissed since the morning of our anniversary when he had left to go to work. Even last night when we had slept together, I remembered his lips had never pressed against mine. Not once.
Overcome with the intense feeling of having his soft lips against mine after nearly three months, I became lost in the sensation, opening my mouth a little wider to allow his tongue entry. I moaned quietly and grabbed the back of his head to press him to me tighter, running my hand through his hair. His hands went to grip my sides and hold me in place as we continued kissing.
Then it hit me that we were in the middle of a restaurant, sitting with his family, and completely going at it. And—oh yea—the whole getting divorced thing was a factor in my stopping as well.
I finally pulled away, breathing very heavily as I straightened myself up and moved slightly away from him. He was breathing roughly as well and cleared his throat before straightening out his dress shirt and running a hand through his hair.
I looked up sheepishly at Alice and Jasper and saw they were sitting close to one another and looking at us with matching smiles, obviously touched by our display of affection. When I looked over at Emmett and Rosalie, however, I saw that their mouths were hanging wide open in shock as they glanced between Edward and me.
"Was that a real enough kiss for you, Rosalie?" I asked, hoping she caught the double meaning in my voice. She simply nodded, mouth still hanging open like a fish. "Emmett?" I prompted him expectantly. He nodded dumbly as well and I just laughed softly and sat back in my seat as the food arrived. Edward put his arm around the back of the booth so it was resting behind my head and the rest of dinner was spent with companionable conversation among everyone.
Finally, the night winded down and we all walked out and up the street to Emmett's waiting black hummer. Rosalie grabbed my arm as Jasper and Alice were sliding into the very backseat.
"That was some very good acting in there, Bella," Rosalie said with a smug smile.
I just shrugged and crossed my arms over my chest. "Yea, well, what can I say? Like riding a bike, right? You never really forget."
She opened her mouth to say something in return, but I smiled brightly and brushed past her before getting into the car. The drive home was uneventful as Alice passed out in Jasper's lap from all the drinks she had and Rosalie and Emmett were talking in hushed whispers up front.
When we got home, Edward and Jasper carried Alice to their room as the rest of us said our 'goodnights' and headed out separate ways. I was just finishing rinsing out my mouth in the bathroom when Edward walked into the bedroom and began unbuttoning his shirt to change into his pajamas. I had already changed into mine so I offered him the bathroom as I climbed into bed and grabbed one of my old books, snuggling under the covers and flipping to the page I had left off on.
Edward emerged from the bathroom a little while later dressed in his plaid pajama bottoms and white t-shirt. He climbed into bed beside me and got under the covers—something he never did. He usually had blankets that he slept with because we didn't think it would be a very good idea to sleep under the same comforter.
"Shit," he mumbled, having realized the same thing I had. "The blankets are in the dryer. Crap, I'll be right back," he said sleepily.
He began climbing out of bed, but I grabbed his arm to stop him. He looked at me confused and I just shook my head. "It's fine. You seem tired. Just stay on your side and it won't be a problem," I said softly.
He nodded and slowly climbed back under the covers, sighing contentedly and laying on his back as he closed his eyes and I turned back to my book. "What are you reading?" he asked me tiredly.
I glanced at him and saw that his eyes were still closed. "Um…Wuthering Heights?" For some reason it came out sounding like a question.
He chuckled softly and shook his head. "Of course you are." He smiled softly as if he was remembering something from the past. "You could never put that down," he said, his voice sounding distant like he was lost in another world.
I laughed lightly and nodded even though he couldn't seem me. "Yea. It's just a classic, I guess," I said softly as I looked back at my book.
"Less than four more weeks to go," he said after a few minutes of silence had passed. I looked at him confused and saw that his eyes were open and he was now watching me. "Until the wedding, I mean. How do you think we should tell them?"
"I..." I started, not sure what to say and wondering why the hell he was bringing it up now. "I don't know, Edward," I replied quietly. "However we do it, it's going to end up hurting them so does it really matter?"
He sat up on his elbow and looked at me incredulously. "Of course it matters," he said harshly. I was taken aback by this sudden anger. It was just like this morning when he had been cold with everyone. "It matters to me. And I'm sure it matters to them."
"What is with you?" I asked, shaking my head. "You've been upset about something all day, I can tell."
"Oh yea, because you know me so well," he spat back unsympathetically.
I just stared at him after he said that, unable to formulate a good enough response. My mouth was open slightly and I looked down at my book, opening it back up to the correct page and trying to concentrate on the words and not the man sitting beside me still staring at me expectantly.
"I guess I don't," I answered softly, my eyes frozen on the age, not really seeing any text written there.
He sighed, defeated, and lay back down on the bed. I shook my head and sat up, resting on my elbow and mirroring his position from a few seconds ago. "What did you feel when we kissed?" I blurted out, not really sure where that question had come from. It just felt like we were dancing around all the topics surrounding us and I desperately needed some answers.
He opened his eyes and looked up at me. "What do you mean, 'what did I feel'?" he asked bemused.
"I mean what I said. What did you feel?" I repeated.
He sat up on his elbow and mirrored my position as his eyes darted to my lips and then up to my face. For a second, I thought he was going to kiss me again. "What did you feel, Bella?" he asked, throwing the question right back in my face and completely catching me off guard.
I opened my mouth and stared at him disbelievingly. "You answer first. I just want to know if—"
"If what?" he interrupted. "If I felt something? Why the hell does it matter? Last night was a mistake right?" I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, wondering where the hell that came from. "You said yourself last night never should have happened. Maybe that's exactly how I feel about that kiss. That it never should have happened," he answered harshly.
"What? Wh-Where did that come from?" I stuttered, shaking my head and trying to make sense of everything he was saying.
"Bella—" he started, but was interrupted by a rapt knock on the door.
"It's me!" Alice's voice flitted in from the other side. "Just wanted to come say goodnight! Can I come in?"
I sighed and lay down on the bed close to Edward and he wrapped his arm around me as we told Alice to come in.
"Awww," she said happily at the sight of the two of us spooning. "You guys are so cute. Just wanted to say goodnight. I love you guys," she said, smiling brightly as she kissed both mine and Edward's cheeks.
"Night, Ali," Edward said, smiling sincerely at his little sister. She blew us a kiss before leaving and closing the door behind her.
Neither of us made a move to change our positions after she left. My back was still against Edward's chest and his arm was still wrapped around me.
"Are you going to answer my question?" I finally asked him, picking up our conversation where it left off.
"No," he answered quickly and stubbornly.
"Are you going to let go then," I answered, a bit frustrated.
"Yes," he replied, but made no move to loosen his grip on me.
I sighed, annoyed that he was giving me a hard time. "Now?" I prompted.
He let out a small chuckle before finally letting go and lying on his back again. I turned over and looked at him expectantly. "Edward?"
"I don't want to talk right now, Bella, please," he said, his playful banter from just seconds ago completely gone. "Goodnight," he said softly before turning over and facing away from me.
I wasn't sure what was going on with his weird mood, but something seemed to be really bothering him and it was frustrating that I couldn't understand what it was or what had happened to make him behave so strangely.
I thought it had to be that kiss from earlier, but then I remembered he had been acting strange since our talk this morning. I wondered what set him off. It was weird how he suddenly brought up how I had said last night was a mistake. I wasn't sure where that had come from or how it played a part in any of this since he, himself, had agreed that it should never have happened.
I sighed and turned off the bedside lamp before cuddling under the covers and staring up at the dark ceiling. I wasn't going to lie—that kiss earlier took my breath away and Edward seemed just as into it. I wasn't sure what had made me so bold as to actually come right out and ask him what he felt, but I was at least expecting some response from him. Instead he got defensive and brought up last night and then just shut me out.
It felt like things were changing—for better or for worse I couldn't tell—but things were definitely changing. For me at least. And I needed to know if they were changing for him as well. Because right now it felt like we were doing things—like sleeping together and kissing each other—and then we would just shut down and bury everything away to be dealt with…never. I was guilty of trying to hide away from them myself for fear of getting hurt, but tonight something in me snapped. When he kissed me…something inside me shifted.
I didn't want to skirt around these topics anymore. I wanted to tell him exactly what I felt. Exactly what he did to me. I didn't want to have to pretend or lie because I was simply unsure. But I needed to know that he wanted those things too. And right now he didn't seem to want to talk about any of it. So I would let it go. For now. But I wasn't sure how much longer I could just sit in the dark and ignore all of my feelings. I knew eventually it would become too much and I would just snap.
I had been doing a pretty good job thus far of convincing myself that I could really hate Edward for the next four weeks. But things were changing. And now I knew I was wrong. I was very, very wrong.
Author's Note: Hope you all liked Emmett and Rosalie's fun interferences in this chapter! More to come! So this was kind of an uneventful chapter? Maybe? What did you guys think?
