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storyline - Brighter

prompts - Cringe, fringe, hinge

NOT BETA'D

Jasper and Alice took the girls to his parents for Thanksgiving, but the rest of us were convening at Edward's place. He'd offered to host dinner, as long as everyone brought something. He said he'd done it a couple times before, and it had always been a lot of fun.

After spending a lazy morning at the beach, Angela, Pete and I drove to Edward's. His house was nestled against the side of a hill, at the end of a dusty, dirt road. I found him in the kitchen, checking on the turkey. Inhaling deeply, I set my giant bowl of salad down.

"It smells so, so good in here." I waited until he straightened up, and then gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks." He leaned closer, startling me a bit. "You smell good, too."

Blushing, I stepped back. "Irina brought me oils from St. Thomas. This one is...Egyptian Musk, I think."

He nodded, leaning against the counter.

"Anyway, we brought other stuff too. I'll go see if they need help..." But Pete and Angie walked in right then, laughing about something.

"Hey, Edward. Where should we put this?" Pete said, lifting the wine, bread, and goodies he was carrying.

"Hey, Pete." Edward nodded. "Wherever you can find room on the counter...hi, Angela."

"Hi! You've got a great view here," she said, going to the kitchen window. She was right; we could see rolling hills and beyond that, the ocean. The yard was lined thickly will trees, everything lush and green from all the rain we'd been having.

"I'll give you a tour," Edward offered, stepping away from the oven. "Come on."

They disappeared form the kitchen, chatting easily.

"Beautiful house," I commented, glancing around the kitchen. I tried to envision a teenage Edward here, eating the breakfast his mother had made him.

Peter smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"You okay?" I asked, touching his arm.

"Yeah. Feeling a little...ah, not homesick. Just nostalgic."

"I know." I'd felt the same way earlier. While I didn't regret our decision to stay, it ached knowing I wouldn't be having my dad's famous sweet potato casserole this year. "I called my parents while you were in the shower. My mom almost cried."

"Yeah. My parents were a little bummed too, but they know I'll be home next month."

I thought about that, returning to the place where I was from. There would probably be a sense of culture shock, which was silly, seeing as it had once been the only place I'd really ever known. I looked forward to it, though.

Pete cleared his throat. I looked at him, caught off guard by his frown. "Are you sure you're okay?"

He looked at me then, really looked, and I forced myself not to cringe away from the keenness of his gaze. I knew him well, and he seemed...not himself. "We can talk about it later, Bella. It's not that big a deal." He thumbed my cheek and walked away, leaving me confused.

Honestly, he'd been quiet all morning, but I'd attributed it to tiredness. We'd stayed out late the night before, leaving Savant when it closed only to then hang out at Ty's house out east.

Yes, we'd talk later. I had things I needed to say, too.

Way more people than I'd been expecting showed up. Maybe Edward's house was the gathering place for all of the drifters, people with no family on St. Croix. It was a fun crowd, though: among others, Ty and Mike showed up, as did Eric and Laurie. Irina was back, to my surprise. I would've thought for sure she'd spend the day with Tanya.

After a lengthy feast full of good food and even better company, most of the guys wandered to the living room to watch football. Angela and I stuck with the girls. And the wine.

"Who're you texting?" I asked Angie, peeking curiously over her shoulder.

She bit her lip. "Remember Ben?"

"Shut. Up. Ben? Microbiologist Ben?" I squealed.

Swatting at me, she finished her text before setting her phone down. "Yeah, that Ben. Anyway...we've sorta been seeing each other."

"And you didn't tell me because...?"

She shrugged, fingering the fringe on her purse. "It's really new. I like him, though."

I could see why. Ben had the hot-geeky thing going for him. Super smart, like Angela.

"Well, tell him I said 'what's up'," I said.

"Ha, I will. He's already so jealous of the pictures I've sent him."

"I bet. Maybe he can come down with you next time."

"Next time? How long are you planning to stay?" She finished off her Chardonnay. I was more of a Pinot Grigio girl, myself.

"The season ends with spring," I said. "But...I don't know. I've been thinking of staying longer."

"Without Pete?" Angela whispered, her eyes wide.

"I mean, yeah. Because..."

"No, totally. You should do it. Maybe I'll come down and be your roommate!" she giggled. Yeah, that was the alcohol talking.

"Mm-hm." I grinned, rolling my eyes. "Nothing's decided yet, though, so...keep quiet."

She pretended to zip her lips.

"So, why aren't you going to see your parents?" I asked Edward. We were sitting on the patio, eating pie. The hour was late, and everyone else had either left or dozed off.

Even Pete. I felt kind of bad for leaving him on the couch while I chilled outside with Edward, but it wasn't like I hadn't tried to wake him up. He'd gotten totally drunk, though.

Edward set his fork down, settling back into his chair.

"They'll be here for Christmas," he said. "It's not a big deal. I mean, sometimes they come down or I go up, but...I didn't really want to have to deal with staffing the bar and all that."

I nodded, wondering what his parents were like. "Do you have siblings?"

"Nope. You?"

"No."

He side eyed me.

I wiped my mouth with a napkin. "What?"

"Nothing. You missed a spot."

"Where?"

"Just..." He leaned closer, almost too close, but I leaned away, giggle-snorting.

"What?" he laughed, half way out of his chair.

I stood up, tipsy off wine, pie and starlight.

And his proximity.

"You," I snickered, folding my arms as I looked down at him.

"Me what?"

"I have something on my mouth? Really? I swear, boys like you always have moves."

He stood up, hands in his pockets, a smile on his face. "Bella, boys like me don't need moves."

And then he kissed me.

I lay awake all night, watching the room lighten as the sun rose.

Every time I tried to close my eyes, they popped open. I was utterly sprung, high off the bliss of Edward's mouth. The way he'd moved in, no hesitation, so fast I didn't have time to close my eyes. His thumb tugging my mouth right open, sliding his tongue inside, tasting me.

I'd tasted him, too. Pumpkin pie. With a dollop of seduction.

Edward.

The anticipation of seeing him today had me vibrating from the inside out, so much so that it hinged on anxiety.

Pete snored beside me, something he only did when he was tanked. Angela and I'd had a grand old time last night, giggling hysterically as we'd loaded him in to bed. I needed to talk to him, but he needed his rest.

Easing out of bed, I stripped on my way to the shower, lost in a lusty la la land.

Pete was awake when I got back, sitting up, running his hands through his hair. I'd forced him to drink a huge glass of water when he'd woken briefly during the night, so I hoped he wasn't too hungover.

"Hey," I said, toweling my hair.

"Hey," he croaked, chuckling.

"You feeling okay?"

"I'll survive." He rubbed at his chest. "Did you drive back last night?"

"Angie did. I had to direct her, though. She kept wanting to be in the right lane."

He smiled, shaking his head.

I sat on the edge of the bed, tapping his foot. "You want coffee?"

"Yeah, that would be great."

Angela was still asleep, so I tried to move quietly, pouring giant mugs for Pete and myself. I tiptoed back to our room, shutting the door carefully with my hip.

"Thanks." He closed his eyes and sipped gratefully.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. The guilt of kissing Edward was gnawing at me. It was what I'd wanted, and still wanted, but the timing could've been better. Still...

"Bella."

My eyes snapped to Pete's.

"What are we doing, here?"

I shook my head, looking away. "I don't know."

"Is there someone else?"

Heart caught in my throat, I stared at him.

"Tell me," he said, gentle but insistent.

Very insistent.

"Yes."

He breathed out roughly, setting the coffee cup down. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I...it's not even like that. I mean, nothing happened until last night," I said, knowing how ridiculously lame it sounded. How cliché.

"Edward," he said, eyes boring in to me. "Tell me it's not Edward."

Somehow, the fact that he'd figured it out didn't surprise me.

I swallowed. "It is."

"So...what? You fucked him while I was passed out?"

"No!" I got to my feet, shaking. "I would never do that to you, Peter! Ever. We kissed. Once. And that was it. And I was going to tell you today. I swear." Regret thickened my throat, and I put my coffee down, no longer in the mood for it.

"Please, Pete," I said, not wanting things to do down this way. I was a lot of things, but I'd never been a cheat or a liar. I had way too much respect for myself, and frankly, for him.

This attraction I had to Edward had just...clobbered me over the head. I wanted him so desperately, but I didn't want to lose myself in the process.

Pete shook his head. "It's not...I'm really not even that mad. Not for that. I just, I thought I knew you better. I thought you knew me better. We've talked about...this changing." He motioned between the two of us. "I'm not stupid, Bella. I knew it was the beginning of the end. And that's fine. It is what it is."

I nodded, sitting again.

"I just wish you'd told me you wanted out."

"Did you not want out?" I asked, my voice small.

"I'm not going to lie; yes, I wanted out. But not like this. Honestly, I thought we'd end it officially when we went home," he admitted, shrugging. "We're not in love with each other, and you don't even want me touching you."

Tears burned behind my eyes, forcing me to look down before he saw.

"Hey." He knocked my knee with his foot. "My heart's not broken, Bella. Neither is yours."

"I know that," I whispered.

"You feel more like a roommate than a girlfriend." He sighed, cocking his head. "But you should've told me. And...I don't know. You should've waited. Maybe."

"I know."

A long silence stretched between us. Out in the living room, I could hear Angela moving around.

I couldn't stop wringing my hands. "So what now? I..."

"Nothing, I don't know. Just don't bring him around here."

Shocked, I shook my head. "What?"

"If we're not together, we're not together. It doesn't mean I want to see that guy's face. Let's be realistic. Would you want me bringing some girl home, roomie?" He was being more sarcastic than acerbic, but his tone still cut.

I scowled. "Of course not."

"So just...respect what we have left."

Nodding, I looked out the window, at the flamboyant tree, swaying peacefully in the breeze.

"I might not come back after Christmas," he said suddenly.

"Because of me?" I cried.

He shook his head slowly. "No. I've been thinking about it for awhile now."

"What do you mean, 'awhile'? We've only been here a few months."

"This not for me, Bella," he said. "St. Croix is a nice place to visit, but it's not somewhere I want to live."

"But I thought..." I shook my head, thinking about all the conversations we'd had about our idyllic lifestyle. "You said you loved it."

"I do. But not the way you do."

His words from the day before came back to me. "Is this what was bothering you yesterday?"

He nodded, picking up his coffee again. "I didn't know how to tell you. I thought you'd be upset."

"Well since we're getting it all out, I might as well tell you that I'm probably staying. Even after the season ends," I said, running my fingers over the fabric of our bedspread.

"Wow," Pete said softly. "That's...wow. I guess you really do love it more than I do."

"I feel like I was meant to be here. Like I was made for this life. Although the thought of being here without you is really weird. I'm a little nervous about it. I don't know."

"You'll be okay. If nobody else, Ty'll take care of you."

I laughed, even though I almost wanted to cry. The whole conversation was making me sentimental.

"And then there's Edward," he practically sneered.

I scooted over so that I was sitting right next to him. "I'm really, really sorry, Pete. I just – it happened unexpectedly. Not that it matters, but –"

He shrugged. "Whatever, Bella."

"Not whatever. I mean it."

"I don't know what you want me to say," he said, laughing incredulously. "I mean, damn. It's over. It's probably been over. Give me a minute to catch up."

He was right. It was done, and there wasn't any point in discussing it to death. I stood up, grabbing both of our coffee mugs. "I'm gonna make breakfast with Angie."

I'd made it to the door when he stopped me."Hey, babe?"

I turned, smirking at his somewhat sarcastic term of endearment.

"Make me extra bacon, will ya?"

Needless to say, Pete did not join us for our hike to the baths at Davis Bay. He said he was tired, and that Edward was an asshole, and that he'd rather just kick back with Ty at the dive shop. I didn't have much to say about that, so I just let it go. We hadn't cried or screamed or even fought, really. In the end it had been very efficient, and to the point. Very...Peter and Bella.

A lot of the group from Thanksgiving did show up, though, with backpacks full of leftovers for when we got hungry later.

My mind was swirling; tidbits of my conversation with Pete...intense relief that there were no more secrets...an odd sense of loss that we were actually, officially done. I didn't know why. Like he'd said, it had been over, really, for awhile.

But none of that compared to the nervous happiness I got when I saw Edward at the beach. Angie and I were the last ones to arrive, and when we showed up, the group began making its way down the sand toward the small, rocky peninsula jutting out at the end of the shore.

I'd told Angela everything on the drive over, and while she pretended to be scandalized by the way things had transpired, she was glad Pete and I had "figured our shit out".

"There's your boy," she murmured, waving when Edward came in to view.

Before I could respond, she took off, jogging to catch up with Laurie, who was up walking ahead.

Edward came right to me, grabbing my bag and adding it to his own load. "I was afraid you weren't gonna show."

I smiled shyly. "Wouldn't miss this for anything."

"Everything okay?" He looked around, then back at me. "Where's Pete?"

"Not coming."

"Too hungover?" he asked, somewhere between amusement and concern.

"Not really... I –"

"He knows, doesn't he."

I nodded.

Taking my hand, he pulled me to a stop. "Are you okay?"

The sun shone bright overhead, making his hair look like there was gold spun thorough it. We were so close I could see his freckles. His eyes looked different today, more green.

And his lips. They curved in to a smile as I watched.

This time, I had my own moves.

This time, I kissed him.

yeah, i flirted w/the idea of edward & bella hooking up, wrong and strong, like leo and that hot french chick in the movie "the beach" (come on, ya'll know you liked watching them do it in the water/on the sand regardless of her dorky boyfriend) but decided against it.