Author's Note: Thanks again to moosals for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters. Also special thanks to edwardisaputz for pre-reading from the male perspective!
Friday, September 21, 2012
"Edward. Wake up, Edward." Someone is touching my shoulder, shaking me awake. Fuck, I don't want to get up yet! I open my eyes, blinking a few times until I focus on Bella standing over me.
"Did you need me to come warm you up in bed?" What else would she want so early?
"Ugh," she growls, shoving me kinda hard. "I need you to get up and get your things out of the living room. We have about 15 minutes before Mrs. Cope shows up, and she'll come to the front door to get me if I'm not outside fast enough."
I sit up slowly, stretching and popping my back from sleeping on that fucking couch again. Standing, I scratch absently at my stomach and then reach down to adjust my morning wood. "Gross," Bella gags, turning away from me. I can't help chuckling at her reaction — Bella was with her late husband long enough that she should be used to shit like that.
As I step into the bathroom, Bella calls out, "Don't shower now — you might not be out in time. Wait until I leave." Damn, she's so fucking paranoid. I will my dick to soften enough that I can piss, but end up having to brace my hand against the wall to piss at an odd angle.
After brushing my teeth, I head back out into the living room. "Did you want me to make breakfast?" I ask.
"I was planning to just grab a granola bar," she replies. "We've used up the eggs and milk, remember?"
"Oh yeah, can't even have cereal."
"You can eat it dry." Now that is gross.
"Take what you need from your bag," she orders, handing me the two plastic bags filled with my clothes. "I need to hide this in the bedroom." I grab some clothes to wear today and stash them in the bathroom for after my shower.
"I put the grocery list in the side of your purse, ok?" I tell Bella as we eat a couple of granola bars at the kitchen table.
"All right," she nods. "I'll try to find everything."
"And a baseball cap for today, right?"
"You're still set on going to Olympia today?"
"Yeah, I told you I was gonna show you how to have fun."
Just then, there is a knock at the door.
"Quick," she whispers, "Go hide in the bathroom." I do as she says, listening as Bella opens the front door.
"Good morning, Mrs. Cope," I hear her say. "Let me just get my jacket and purse."
As soon as I hear the door close behind her, I turn on the water in the shower. Stepping inside, I reach for the soap Bella bought for me, then put it back, squeezing some of hers into my palm. I rub my hands together, then reach down and tug my erection a few times.
As I work my hand over my cock, I think back to a couple nights ago, dancing with Bella, holding her in my arms, kissing her. If she was any other woman, I'd have fucked her and moved on by now. But I really don't want to move on, even though I know I probably should.
Fuck… this is the longest I've gone without sex since I got out of prison two years ago. Bella though… she hasn't had sex in over two and a half years. My dick is practically weeping at the thought of how tight she must be.
I come against the tile with a loud grunt, bracing myself with one hand as I slowly come down from my high. I wash up quickly — with my own soap — and step out of the shower.
When I open the bathroom door, the cat comes running up to me, meowing. I guess Bella hasn't fed him yet this morning, so I spoon some food into Leo's bowl before taking a seat at the computer.
I know roughly how to get to Olympia, but I bring up Googlemaps, looking for the area downtown that I remember visiting about 10 years ago. When I find the restaurant still there, I get directions and print them out.
It's probably smart for us to spend most of our time away from other people, maybe in dark places. I've got it — we could go see a movie. I can't find a real theater anywhere close to downtown, but there's an art house theater. Ugh. Bella will probably like it though.
I look for restaurant ideas for dinner, finding a place that specializes in microbrews. Now that is my kind of fun. When I find a bar that sounds like my usual type of hangout, it hits me that either I'm going to have to stay sober enough to drive home, or we're going to have to spend the night in Olympia.
I'm not missing this chance to have a good time, so I look over the map of downtown again, trying to find a reasonably priced hotel. When I find one, I get directions for everything and print those out as well.
Bella isn't home yet and morning TV fucking sucks, so I try to find something else to occupy my time. I know I can't be outside when Bella gets home with Mrs. Cope, or I'd go for a walk or something. I head into the kitchen when the idea hits me to organize Bella's pantry a bit. I can't find shit in there, and if she buys everything on my grocery list, she'll need more room anyway.
"Edward?" I hear Bella's voice while I'm stacking all of her canned shit together on one shelf. "What are you doing?" she asks, setting a couple bags down on the counter.
"Organizing your pantry."
"Well, come help me carry all these bags in. Your damn beer is heavy."
Laughing, I follow her to the porch, picking up the three bags holding the beer. "You think this is enough?" I ask, peering inside.
"It's 18 bottles — that should be plenty for just you." I narrow my eyes; what the fuck is her problem with alcohol if her husband wasn't killed in a drunk driving accident? Did she maybe have a drinking problem after the accident? If that's the case, I feel like a piece of shit for making her drink with me. But she would've said something, wouldn't she?
While I put Bella's new purchases in the pantry, she fills up the refrigerator and freezer. "Did you find everything on the list?" I ask.
"Yeah, I did, but I had to ask for help with a couple of them."
"Thanks for the beer," I tell her with a smile, placing a small kiss on the side of her mouth. Fuck, I won't analyze why I did that — I'm not affectionate.
"Um… you're welcome. Let me show you what else I got you." I follow Bella into the living room, where she pulls a baseball cap out of the bag, presenting it to me.
"Nice, Seahawks again."
"You didn't ask for these, but I thought you might get tired of the hoodie," she says, handing me two long-sleeved shirts.
"Oh, thanks. You didn't have to do this, Bella."
She shrugs. "So what have you been doing all morning?"
"You mean after my shower?" I ask with a grin. When Bella remains silent, I continue, "I fed Leo and then did some research."
"Research on what?"
"Olympia. I know exactly where we're going. Will Leo be ok if we don't come back tonight?"
"What!?"
"Well, I was planning on being far too toasted to drive tonight. Unless you plan on driving home."
As soon as the words are out of my mouth, Bella's knees buckle and she reaches out, holding the arm of the couch for support. She's breathing heavily, obviously having another one of her panic attacks. Fuck, what did I say?
I grasp her arms. "Bella? Are you all right?" When she doesn't answer, I lead her to take a seat on the couch.
Bella buries her head in her hands, trying to take deep, even breaths. I feel completely helpless; I don't know how to deal with fucking panic attacks. I try stroking my hand through her hair until finally she opens her eyes.
"Where did you go?" I ask, trying to find the answer hidden in her dark brown eyes.
"I can't drive us home," she replies shakily. Fuck, was that her problem — just the thought of driving did this to her? I wonder briefly if Bella was in the car with Jacob when it crashed, but it must've been a pretty bad accident to kill him, and she seems to be physically fine.
"Ok," I tell her, dropping it so as not to upset her again. "Can we put out enough food to keep your cat happy until morning then?"
"Are you sure about this, Edward? Isn't it too dangerous?"
"Why would it be worse than being there during the day?" I question. "We'll be asleep in a hotel room, safe from anyone else seeing us."
"But there will be a record at the hotel that I'm there."
"Pay with cash if it bugs you so much, but I don't see why anyone should think it's strange that you're taking an overnight trip. People do that, you know."
Bella stares at me for a long moment, then nods slowly. I can't stop the grin that takes over my face; I am so up for a good time.
"Go pack an overnight bag then," I instruct giddily. "Let's get going! I know exactly where we're having lunch."
With a sigh, Bella stands up, walking into her bedroom. I take out one of the new shirts to wear today, then add the other one to the bag with the rest of my clothes. I head into the bathroom, adding my toothbrush and razor to the bag when Bella walks in, grabbing her shampoo out of the shower.
"You know they have shampoo in hotels," I tell her.
"I like my own brand," she replies with a shrug.
When she steps out of the bathroom, I pull my t-shirt off, tossing it into the bag. I pull the tag off the new shirt and shrug it over my head. I look in the mirror and notice that it fits really well, showing off a little definition in my chest.
As I join Bella in the kitchen, I hear her talking to the cat while she pets him. "Ok, Leo, this is for tonight. If you eat this now, you're going to starve until tomorrow morning."
"I don't think he understands you," I laugh. Never mind the fact that I've been talking to him, too.
"You never know," she replies. "He's pretty smart."
"Are you ready to go?" I ask impatiently.
Bella looks up at me, seeming startled by… the fact that I changed my shirt? "Um, yeah, I think so," she replies. "It's just, Leo has never been left alone overnight before. I haven't spent a night away from here since I moved in."
My eyes widen at her admission. "Well, it's about time then." Jesus Christ, this woman needs to get out of her house.
"Can you get me the gun?" I ask as Bells slides her arms into her coat. Not that I plan on shooting anyone, but it just makes me feel better to have some protection.
"The gun? You can't walk around Olympia with a gun. No, Edward — if it's that dangerous, we're not going."
Fuck, I can tell she's not going to give on this, so I nod my acceptance. I pick up her bag along with my own, stepping outside to wait for Bella to lock up. She hands me her keys and I unlock the truck, stowing our bags in the small area behind the seats.
"Do you know how to get there?" Bella asks.
"Sure. I printed out some directions to everything while you were gone," I reply, fiddling with the radio. "Does this thing work?"
"You're kidding, right? The radio hasn't worked in at least two decades. Besides, you need to pay attention to the roads. They're narrow and winding out here."
"You don't have panic attacks just from riding in cars, do you?" I ask, worried.
"Not… not anymore."
We spend most of the drive in silence, Bella staring out the window. I remember this road from the prison bus, but I'm trying not to think about that right now. We're going to have fun. After about 45 minutes, we reach the outskirts of Olympia as State Route 8 merges with the 101.
"Where are we going?" Bella asks curiously.
"Downtown. Have you been to Olympia before?"
"Just once. I, um, visited with Jacob once when he came to see the Washington Supreme Court."
"Well, I don't think I'm going to be setting foot inside a courthouse today," I snort.
"No, I imagine not."
"I was 13 or 14 when I stopped in Olympia with my parents," I explain. "We were driving down to Portland to see Mom's brother and his family. There was this little place right near the water, near the port, where we stopped for lunch. Dad is originally from Boston and he said this place had the best clam chowder he'd ever had outside of New England."
"So that's where you're taking me?"
"Yep," I smile, exiting I-5 toward downtown. The downtown streets are pretty busy for late morning on a Friday, as I navigate the fucking one-way streets heading north.
"Here we are," I announce, pulling into a parking lot close to the West Bay. I put on my new baseball cap before climbing out of the truck cab. We lock the doors then walk inside the restaurant, my hand on the small of Bella's back.
As I request a table for two, I notice the young female hostess eyeing me. She's not really my type, but this is the kind of reaction I'm used to from women. Relieved that I haven't lost it, I flirt with her as she leads us to a table by the windows.
"I wish it was warm enough that we could eat outside on the patio," I complain once the hostess steps away. Bella just glares at me, not replying.
"What?" I ask. "What's wrong?"
"It's rude," she growls.
"What is?"
"Flirting with her while you're here with me." Fuck me, she sounds jealous.
"Am I here with you? I thought we were just here together," I clarify, deciding to tease her a bit. "But if this is a date, then I won't flirt with any other women as long as you promise to hold up your end of the bargain later."
"What does that even mean?"
"You're pretty smart, Bella. You'll figure it out," I grin. God, it's fun to wind her up.
"Ugh — fine, flirt with whoever you want, I don't care," she grumbles.
A waiter comes to our table to take our drink orders and I don't miss the way his eyes seem drawn to Bella. He's practically drooling, for God's sake. "Now that is rude," I complain when he walks away.
"What are you talking about?"
"He was looking at you like you're something to eat."
"He — no, he wasn't."
"Um, yes, he was." Is she that oblivious?
Bella narrows her eyes, then goes back to reading her menu. When the waiter returns with our drinks, she orders the clam and corn chowder trio, then I order the clam chowder and Alaskan lingcod sandwich.
"What do you have planned for after lunch?" Bella asks.
"You'll see," I grin, taking a sip of my beer.
The food is just as good as I remembered — maybe better. I wonder about finding a recipe for clam chowder.
"Can I get you anything else?" our waiter asks, returning when we're about halfway through with our meals.
"Another beer?" I order.
"Ed—" Bella starts, putting her hand on my arm and giving me a warning look.
"Um, just some more water, please," I amend reluctantly. "What's your problem?" I ask, turning to Bella once the waiter walks away.
"We still have to drive, don't we?"
"Yeah, but not far — it's about three blocks to the hotel," I reply. Fuck, she really has issues with drinking and driving. "I would've been fine, Bella," I assure her, stroking her cheek. I hate that she's so fucking paranoid, but I know something bad had to have caused this.
Once we're finished, she pays the bill with cash then heads outside with me. "Where to now?" she asks.
"There's a viewing tower just up here," I suggest, pointing toward the water. "You can watch ships coming into port."
After visiting the viewing tower, we start walking back to the car when Bella suddenly drags me to a farmers market.
"We probably can't buy anything that needs to be refrigerated, you know," I remind her. "I'm not sure if the room will have a fridge."
"I know, but we can look at the other stuff."
"I bet you were the type who liked to go to Pike Place Market up in Seattle." I hated that fucking touristy place.
"Yeah, I was," she confirms with a small smile.
The Olympia Farmers Market is huge and we spend over an hour walking around to all of the tables. I don't really mind shopping for food, but Bella spends a lot more time at the arts and crafts tables than the produce tables. And there are way too many fucking people around for me, though Bella seems to be having a great time. I guess the point of this trip was for her to have fun.
"You're smiling," I note as we leave. "I don't see that very often. It almost makes the last hour worth it."
"Almost?" she says. I shrug rather than tell her that I'd rather stick hot pokers in my eyes than go through that again.
Bella adds her bags to the storage area then hops into the truck. I drive us the three blocks over to the Phoenix Inn Suites then stop out front. "Here ok?" I ask.
She nods, hopping out of the truck. "I'll ask if they have a room ready so we can leave our things here."
I watch Bella walk into the hotel, then I turn back around, relaxing in my seat. I have to admit that I was a bit concerned that someone here would have paid attention to the Seattle news, but the only person who has looked twice at me was the hostess as the restaurant — and she just thought I was hot. Still, I don't want to push my luck and continue to be around as many people as we were at the farmers market.
When Bella comes back, I park the car, then help her gather our bags. I try to keep my head down as we walk through the lobby in case there are security cameras. Bella opens the door to our room with the keycard and the first thing I notice as we walk inside is the bed situation.
"No king-sized bed?" I was kinda hoping for the chance to share a bed with Bella. Fuck, what am I saying? I don't share beds with women, not after we're done having sex anyway.
She shrugs. "This is what she gave me." Uh-huh, sure it is, Pollyanna.
Outside, I lead Bella the several blocks to the movie theater I saw online. "No blockbusters here, but it's the only theater I could find in the downtown area," I apologize.
"It's fine. I haven't seen a movie in ages."
Bella purchases tickets for some movie about a billionaire riding in a limo across Manhattan. Sounds fascinating. She leads us to a couple of seats about halfway back in the dark theater.
I know this isn't a date, but I can't actually remember the last time I saw a movie with a woman. Maybe back in high school? Of course, then it was just an excuse to sit in the back row and make out. Or… a bit more. I get the feeling that Bella won't appreciate it if I try anything though. She's not the type to go down on me in a public place, unfortunately.
"Did you like it?" Bella asks as we walk out. The movie was boring as all fuck, except for a bit of female nudity.
I shrug. "The lead actress was hot at least."
"Oh my God, is that all you think about? Women and beer?"
"You forgot weed," I grin while she shakes her head.
We wander back down toward the water and another viewing tower by the Capitol Lake Dam. "I think the courthouse is down there," she says, pointing toward the south.
"This is as close as I'm getting to the courthouse. You can go, if you want."
"No, no, that's ok."
Heading east from the tower, I lead us toward the Fish Tale Brewpub. It's been awhile since lunch and I'm fucking starved since Bella didn't buy any popcorn at the movie.
"I figured we could get dinner here and start out our night," I explain. "They're supposed to have some great microbrews. Too bad we've missed happy hour."
Once we're seated, I order a beer while she just gets another Diet Pepsi. "You are not drinking pop all night," I insist.
"We'll see," she replies quietly. "You know, you're lucky no one is asking for your ID."
I shrug. "That's why I didn't shave today. And being with an older woman probably helps," I add with a grin, laughing when she punches my arm. I like to see a little fire from Bella.
Bella orders fish tacos for dinner, while I decide to try their fish and chips.
"Are you planning to pace yourself?" she asks after I order a second beer.
"Nope," I answer. "Can she get the apple cider?" I ask our waitress, who nods.
"Edward," she whispers, once the waitress walks away.
"You're going to have fun tonight, Bella." I'll accept nothing less.
After a couple more drinks at the pub, we walk outside, where it's grown dark. "There's another bar with pool tables and live music just a couple blocks from the hotel," I tell her.
"This place looks like a total dive," she complains as we step inside the dark bar a few minutes later.
"Just the way I like 'em," I smile, stepping up to the bar. Once I've ordered each of us a beer, Bella reaches into her purse to pay for the drinks, pulling out a ten-dollar bill.
"Why don't you use a credit card?" I ask. "That way we can just start a tab."
"But—"
"It's not unusual for an adult to go to a bar, Bella."
With a sigh, she puts the cash back in her wallet and gives the bartender a credit card. When that's taken care of, I lead her to the pool tables in the back.
"I'm not very good at pool," she warns.
"I'll teach you."
Setting our beers down, I show Bella how to properly hold the pool cue, positioning her fingers until she's got it. Next, I wrap my arms around her from behind as I explain to her how to line up shots on the table. I have to remind my dick repeatedly not to get too excited as Bella's ass keeps brushing up against me.
I'm a pretty good pool player, but nothing I try to teach actually gets through to her, and I win by a huge margin. I figure gloating won't go over well, so I just try to encourage Bella, telling her she'll do better next time.
She doesn't. As the night goes on, in fact, I think she gets even worse the more beer she drinks.
"Edward," she whines, "I'm awful at this, can't we do something else?"
Just then, the music stops and a man steps onto the stage, announcing the live band for the night. Grinning, I pull her away from the pool tables to a small dance floor.
"Dancing wasn't really what I had in mind," she complains.
"Hush, you did just fine at your house. Now let's see your moves in public."
Bella and I dance, having several more beers, throughout the band's two 60-minute sets. She actually is a lot of fun once she lets her guard down. As she speeds by the "buzzed" stage, her cheeks get rosy and she's smiling so much more. She's really fucking beautiful.
When the band leaves the stage, a DJ starts cranking out dance tunes with a pounding bass. I'm getting really fucking turned on as we dance. I tentatively grind against her, and when she doesn't complain, I keep doing it. Dry humping in a room full of people is probably the most I can hope for from her tonight, so I'm going to make the most of it.
When I start getting thirsty again, I drag Bella over to the bar, ordering us two more beers.
"You're so much more fun when you're drunk," I tell her, running the tips of my fingers underneath her sweater. "I wish you'd take this off." I love how her bare skin feels, but I want to see it. I want to know what she's hiding underneath those baggy clothes.
"I can't — I'm not wearing anything underneath."
"All the more reason to take it off," I grin.
"I think that's illegal," she replies, rolling her eyes.
"We could go back to the hotel then…" I suggest, watching closely for her reaction.
Bella looks away, grabbing one of the bottles that the bartender has just set on the bar top. "Let's close out the tab," I whisper into her ear. Fuck, I want to be alone with her, even if she won't let me have more than a few kisses.
Bella nods, calling out to the bartender. He rings up the bill on the credit card she'd left with him earlier and she signs the receipt, then leaves some bills on the bar top as his tip.
Once the check is taken care of, I lead her away from the bar and back to the dance floor, holding her as close as I can with a beer in one hand. When I finish it, I take her in both arms, leaning in close.
"Bella," I whisper. "Hand me your bottle." I want her to be able to put her arms around me, too.
When she hands me the half-empty bottle, I drink it up in one long chug, belching when I'm finished.
"You're such a pig."
I laugh, set the bottle down and pull her in close. "I needed both of your hands free," I explain.
"For—for what?" she stutters.
"So you can wrap them around me, silly girl."
"Wrap them…"
"Bella," I interrupt, "Shut up."
And then I'm kissing her. The moment my lips touch hers, I'm gone. I want to devour her. Her mouth opens, and my tongue finds a home inside. Fuck, she feels good against me. My dick is straining at the fly of my jeans, trying to get to her heat. I feel like I could rip her clothes off and fuck her right here on the dance floor, but some tiny part of my brain reminds me that Bella isn't my usual hook-up and she probably wouldn't go for that.
Reluctantly, I pull back from her lips. "Let's get out of here, Bella," I whisper.
A/N: I know, RFL readers all remember this cliffy. :)
Blame edwardisaputz for the details on how men pee with a boner.
