Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or My Sister's Keeper
BPOV
"You cannot be serious," I breathe as I delicately hold Rose's left hand. "Look at that thing." I stare incredulously at the size of her new engagement ring. Of course, Emmett was intelligent enough to purchase her a pink diamond – her favorite color. One of his more intellectual moments. A large amount of his monthly salary went into this, I'm assuming. My guess is that the oval diamond is around two carats, encrusted in a sea of smaller, white diamonds.
Edward is perched awkwardly on our sofa, Emmett next to him, while Rose is gushing to me about her engagement in the kitchen. My first instinct is that the conversation between the two men is uncomfortable and relatively small, but to my amazement, they are laughing. Edward laughing; something that rarely occurred up until the past few weeks. Even during the first months he hardly cracked a smile.
"Well, you're going to be my maid of honor, of course." Rose babbles. Her hand is still in my own, her ring glinting in the kitchen lighting.
"Does this thing weigh your hand down? Or potentially the left side of your body?" I joke and she laughs.
"Should we have a winter wedding?" She asks but then makes a face. "Oh no, I'm not a winter person, am I?" She looks at me quizzically and I shrug in confusion. She scoffs and retrieves her hand. "Bella, you were never good at this. Here, I'm going to call Alice." I frown apologetically, but on the inside, I'm relieved. Discussing weddings and so forth are not my forte, and my head is going to explode any minute deeming I'm Alice's and Rose's maid of honor. Then, I think of my pixie best friend, Alice. Her belly is still smaller than average, but there is no doubt that it's increasingly swelling as the days commence.
I amble over to the sofa, which holds both Emmett and Edward. Sam is on the floor, but when he sees me, gets up to nuzzle my knee. I scratch his ear and then take a seat in between the men.
"Hey, Bell. How was your day?" Emmett grins at me, his dimples deepen. I lean back into the sofa.
"Fine," I glance at Edward. "Edward and I went to Alice and Jasper's today." What an incredibly long day.
"Yes," Edward's fluid and musical voice confirms. "Alice revealed her pregnancy to me." He glances at me and for a moment I get lost in his emerald gems of eyes. They bore deep into my soul and I feel the seams of my life being ripped apart. All the walls I've built up to keep Edward Cullen out, those walls of eight years of healing have been demolished. I succumb to the slope of his right-angle jaw, his beautifully pale demeanor. The way his reddish-brown hair is untamed and screaming for me to run my fingers through the thick tresses. A lock of bronze hair is more out of place than the others and I unthinkingly brush it into place. We both stiffen as a repercussion and I snap my hand back, as if I'd been bitten. I immediately blush a shade of cherry and turn quickly to Emmett.
"How was your day, Em? Oh well… I mean it must have been good and… Yeah." I stumble across my words and Emmett chuckles. He slings his arm around my shoulders in a brotherly fashion and squeezes me. I duck my head in embarrassment because I'm still a furious shade of crimson. After a moment, I can feel Edward relax beside me. Sam begins to whine and nudges his owner's knee, causing Edward to shush and coo his dog into silence. We can all hear Rose's chattering on the phone in the background.
"It was fantastic, Bell." Emmett gives me another squeeze and grin.
"I would imagine. Congratulations to the both of you." To my surprise, Edward responds first. I slowly turn my head to peek at him from my curtain of hair, and although his face is set in stone, his eyes are not. When I reunited with him those months ago, his eyes were glazed and frozen. When had they thawed?
"Thank you!" Emmett's smile is blinding and the men shake hands – a gesture that occurs with both of them reaching over me. After their exchange is over, I shift.
"I'll start dinner," I clumsily stand up then turn to face Edward. "You're welcome to stay if you'd like." He gazes at me with an unnamed emotion and then gets up as well.
"I'll help you." I begin to object but then Emmett lazily sprawls over the entire sofa, covering every square inch – interrupting me. He stretches, causing his tall body to spill over the edge, and then yawns. Edward and I turn to look at him, although Edward has a tinkle of amusement in his eyes while my eyebrow is raised. During a second yawn, Emmett looks at us and begins to laugh.
"What?" He grabs the remote.
"Nothing," Edward chuckles. "Bella, shall we?" He gestures for me to lead the way to the kitchen first. Rose has retired to her bedroom to have her marathon phone session with Alice. While in the kitchen, I open the fridge and fumble around.
"May I?" Edward asks and points to Sam. I nod in acceptance, causing Edward to retrieve a mug from the sink. He fills it with water and sets it on the kitchen floor. I can hear Sam lapping it up while I push a bottle of ketchup aside.
"What do you want for dinner?" I muffle from the inside of the fridge. Edward, leaning against the counter, erects himself to walk over to me.
"Silly woman, we already ate." There's a smile in his voice as he leans in toward my ear. I blush and turn my head to take a look at him, only to find he's a few inches from my face. How badly I want to tangle my fingers into his hair and kiss those lips…
"I know… But," I stumble. "Rose can't cook and Emmett is over for company. The poor man needs to eat." I can see a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, and in a swift second, his face is no longer there.
"Emmett?" Edward calls. He's leaning against the stove.
"Yeah, man?" Emmett's voice calls back from the den. Edward proceeds to glide into Emmett's vicinity and bends down to whisper something in his ear. As every second passes, Emmett's face grows lighter and increasingly mischievous. After about thirty seconds, Edward claps him on the back and swiftly returns to me.
"I told him to take her on some terribly complicated and romantic date. I suggested quite a few upscale places in the city," He half smiles. I roll my eyes and he continues. "It's so you don't have to cook." I give him a look.
"You didn't have to do that." I take a seat at the counter.
"Rosie, babe! Get off the phone and get your purse!" Emmett's voice booms throughout the apartment and permeates every crack in the doors. After about a minute, Rose emerges with her purse and a puzzled look. Emmett grabs her hand quickly, and without another second, runs her out the door. The slam causes Sam to look up curiously, but after that there is only the sound of the baseball game on the television. Edward disappears for a moment, but then returns with his briefcase, sets it on the counter and takes a seat across from me.
"Why do you carry it with you if you didn't have work today?" I point out. He shrugs the question off, almost ignoring it. He faces it toward him, clicks it open, pulls out a set of files and a pen and closes it again. He writes something down in his immaculate script and lifts his head up to gaze at me.
"What is your current stance on Elizabeth Black?" He asks me. I had completely forgotten that I was the one who decides if the trial is in her best interests or not. I haven't the slightest idea which side is morally or ethically correct, but all I know is that either way I'm going to ruin her life. She either loses her sister or herself. As I think about this, a nagging feeling dawns on me.
"Is that what you've been doing? Dropping the jerk façade to sway my opinion?" I angrily snap. He looks at me, surprised.
"No, it's just… I don't know what else to talk about." He says softly. His eyes are brimming with apology and I'm eighteen again.
"Can you tell me how the Krebs cycle functions?" Edward muses, his eyes glittering. I glance briefly at his sheet and scoff.
"You have the perfect diagram drawn right there." I tease. He scribbles out the diagram in a blue pen and scoots his chair closer to me.
"Can you tell me how it functions?" He repeats, skimming his nose up my jaw line and resting it below my ear. My heart sputters and he sighs in content. We're in Charlie's kitchen, sitting at the wooden table doing homework.
"Why would you scribble that out?" I giggle as he tickles me with his nose. "It was correct silly boy." He ignores me and trails soft kisses down, stopping at the base of my neck. His lips linger.
"Let's not talk about that right now." He murmurs.
"Then why did you bring it up?" I muster, blatantly distracted by his cold lips and the scent of his hair reaching my nostrils.
"There was nothing else to talk about." He laughs into my neck and then pulls his head back. I playfully whack his shoulder and roll my eyes. He looks at my sheet, clicks his pen and then scribbles something onto it. I glance down to read: EC + BS. I giggle and raise my eyebrow at him.
"I'm sure I'll get full credit for this. Mr. Banner will love it." I tease.
"Surely not as much as I love you. God, I hope not." We laugh in unison.
I look at him sadly and he looks down at his files abruptly. He scribbles something down in blue ink, lingering on his script.
"I think I should get going." His pen is pressed hard against the piece of paper. I just nod in response, trying to rein in my disappointment. He gives me a small smile and stands up, grabs his suitcase and snaps his fingers. Sam is at his side and after another polite smile, turns around and leaves me for the umpteenth time in my life. However, he leaves the lone piece of paper on the counter. I slowly pick it up, lightly turn it in my hands and read the single sentence: You don't deserve me. I can see the seeping pool of blue ink – the period – from where he pressed the tip of the pen hard. I crumple it in my hands and let it fall to the floor.
Elizabeth POV – 3 Months Before Trial
I'm sitting in Leah's hospital room with her and my mother. Leah is strapped in her bed trying to figure out a crossword puzzle. I'm sitting at the end of her bed while my mother is sitting in a chair reading a book. I flip through the channels on the wall-television, finally landing on an old show.
"What's a four-letter word pertaining to Elpis?" Leah lifts her head up. Her translucent hand is gripping the pencil and I can see the rivers of blue veins snaking down her forearm. My mom lifts her head up from her book.
"I don't know, sweetie."
"God? Greek? Roman?" I attempt all three.
"Four letters, Liz." I scowl at her and she giggles. She uses that nickname to peeve me. Today is a good day. Good meaning Leah is healthy enough to yell at me for borrowing her mascara without permission. I mean, how was I supposed to ask for permission when she's practically been in an out of a coma for the past month?
"Zeus?" My mother offers.
"Spes." Dr. Cullen walks into the room.
"What's Spes?" My sister asks in a pleasant tone. Much more pleasant than she used with me – I might add. Dr. Cullen may as well be a sixth family member to us now.
"The Roman equivalent. Elpis is a Greek goddess." He unwraps his stethoscope and places his clipboard onto the side table.
"That could work." She mumbles and lightly etches the name in – lightly though, in case it needs erasing.
"Give me a number," Dr. Cullen checks Leah's IV. "Five?" He means on the pain scale.
"Three." Leah responds nonchalantly. The doctor sits down next to me at the edge of her bed. He smiles warmly at me and I take note of how little resemblance he has to his son. Oh, the irony. Family versus family; Elizabeth Black and Edward Cullen against the Black family and Carlisle Cullen. I wonder if they are on good terms. As I'm wondering all this, he then turns to Leah.
"It could be five in an hour. Maybe nine." He warns. My mom shoots her head up.
"But she's feeling great now!" My mother attempts. Dr. Cullen turns to her.
"Yes, but the lucid moments will begin to cease. This isn't APL. This is renal failure." The words sting below the belt. Leah is currently dying from kidney failure - not leukemia. She needs the kidney that I refuse to give her. Jake offered one of his, but her leukemia has depleted her frail body to a point where the organ must be a perfect match. This is exactly what I was conceived for and it goes hauntingly silent.
"But after the transplant – " My mom gets cut off by Carlisle. He is the only one brave enough to look at me. He pats my knee and then adjusts his tie.
"It is my understanding that the availability of an organ is still under discussion, Becca." All the air in the room goes thick and I'm almost certain I can hear the dripping of the IV. Leah is the one to break the silence.
"Will it hurt?" She asks softly. I don't know if she's talking about the imaginary transplant or death.
"No," Dr. Cullen gets up silently and retrieves his clipboard. "I'll make sure of that." I don't know if he's talking about the transplant or death either.
"Thanks for the truth." Leah murmurs. He turns around and his eyes are red-rimmed. This is when I realize he's talking about death.
"Don't thank me." He says quietly and strides out of the room, however, with a weight on him for he walked too heavily. After he exits, my mother folds into herself and emits a howling cry. Leah looks at me and then at the tubes protruding out of her body – her anchors. I understand and walk slowly over to my mom. I put a hand on her delicate shoulder, which is shaking from her sobs.
"Mom," I say. "Stop." But then she looks up at me with her hollow eyes.
"No, Elizabeth. You stop." Her brown eyes are haunted, sending a shiver down my spine. I pause for a moment, but then I break away.
"Hope." I murmur quietly. My mother looks at me and asks,
"What?" I turn to Leah.
"A four-letter word pertaining to Elpis. Elpis is the goddess of Hope." And then I walk out of Leah's room.
…………
Later in the day, I'm sitting across from Bella in her office. I swivel around in her black chair out of boredom. She has a nice office; it's glass and located on the second floor of a firm on the east side of the city. Next to her nametag that reads Isabella Swan, she only has two objects. A mug filled with pens and writing utensils is the first object, and object two is a picture. As I lean in to peer at the picture, I can tell that it's faded. It's a picture of a dark-haired man wearing a suit, a beautiful auburn bride in his arms. They are grinning like the sun will never rise again. My assumption is that this is her parents' wedding photo. After lingering on the photo, I look up and gaze at Bella Swan. She's sitting at her desk and her hair is down today. She's very pretty, I think to myself. She has long, mahogany waves, which frame her pale, heart-shaped face. Her brown eyes are abnormally large, but they always tend to be brimming with something.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" I ask her.
"No!" She blurts out but then blushes. She bites her lip and then shrugs. "Do you?"
"I liked this guy named Felix. I went on one date with him to the movies but I don't know anymore," I make a face. "He tasted like onion and garlic. I mean, seriously! Pop some gum or something." Bella begins to laugh freely.
"I love how this determines your relationship." She giggles. I laugh along with her and wonder what my wedding photo will look like. I wonder what dress I'll wear, how I'll wear my hair. And then I think of how Leah won't be able to have one. This nags at me in the pit of my stomach and I shift around in her swivel chair.
"So what type do you go for?" I make another revolution.
"I don't know. Tall, handsome, charming." She leans against the desk and looks at me with amusement in her eyes.
"Do you think Edward is cute?" She nearly falls out of her chair. "Well, for an older guy. I'm only thirteen but he's cute for a twenty-something year old." I swivel once again in the chair, my surroundings are blurred. Her eyes are wide but then she composes herself.
"I could… See how some women find him… attractive." She manages.
"He looks like one of those soap opera stars that Leah watches." Bella smiles at this and then absentmindedly runs her fingers through her hair.
"Why don't you go for him? He likes you, I think." I cup the base of my neck into my hand as I'm leaning against the armchair. Bella blushes and looks away.
"Do you ever talk to Jacob about boys? You know, as advice." She changes the subject.
"Yeah, right," I roll my eyes and run my fingers across the top of her shiny, wooden desk. She tilts her head slightly.
"Why not? Oh, is it like talking about it with your father? The last thing I talked about with Charlie was boys." She muses.
"Who's Charlie?" I ask while plucking a pen from her mug.
"My dad," She smiles slightly, reminiscing. Then she probes again. "Jacob seems like he would tell you about that kind of stuff." I uncap then re-cap the pen.
I scoff. "Nope. He'd laugh so hard he'd bust a rib, then he'd throw me a bunch of Playboys and tell me to do research." Bella laughs freely at this. I touch the picture on her desk lightly.
"Are they your mom and dad?" I ask. She nods in response.
"Charlie and Renee. They didn't last, but then again, nothing ever does." She shrugs.
"Then why do you keep this?" I stare at their happy faces, a moment captured in time, but a moment long lost.
"Do you ever remember being happy?" Bella asks softly.
"No." I run the nail of my thumb along a groove in her desk.
"I remember it a long time ago." She says quietly. It's silent for a few minutes before I make another swivel in her chair and finger the picture again.
"It's weird to think I'm going to grow up and look like this one day. That I'm going to be married…" I knit my eyebrows together and sigh. That I'm going to be married and Leah isn't. Bella leans forward.
"What are you going to do when your sister dies, Elizabeth?" I shrug but don't meet her eyes.
"There's not much do when you lose your other half." I whisper.
"Then why don't you supply her the kidney?" Bella doesn't ask in a snappy tone. She's doing her job and asking as cordially as possible.
"Because," I lift my eyes to meet hers, "I want to have a life, too. I want to be a person. I'm not a person - I'm a thing. I'm something they extract parts out of to keep someone else alive. No one looks at me unless Leah needs a transplant or transfusion. In school, I'm known as the dying girl's sister. At home, I'm only good for spare parts. Why do you think Jacob is so juvenile? Because he's invisible. When I die, I will be on page twenty-four of the newspaper in the obituary column. Maybe my family, Felix, my social studies teacher Ms. Verner, and some girls from the soccer team will come. Maybe you and Edward will come. Carlisle too. And when Leah dies, the city will go. All the hospital staff, all the school, everybody will go. She'll be on the front page, mark my words. I'm tired of being a thing and not an individual. I want to know what living a life is like." I finish and then sigh deeply. Bella slowly wipes a tear from the corner of her eye and then smiles weakly.
"Well, we'll fix that." She concludes quietly.
EPOV – 2 Months Before Trial
Alice is six months pregnant. I've found I've been spending an increasing amount of time at her and Jasper's apartment – purely for overprotective brother reasons. Help me so if she slips and falls under my watchful eye. Not only is my twin three months from giving birth, but tomorrow is the day of her wedding. I'm sitting in my apartment with Sam at my feet, reading the morning paper. I glance at the headline: Successful Fashion Designer Set to Wed Respectable Architect Tomorrow. Of course her wedding would make the front page – she wouldn't settle for anything less. I take a sip of my coffee and glance at the photo of them. It's in black and white, with Alice in the arms of Jasper. For a moment, I think about calling and informing her, but I internally chuckle at the ridiculous impulse; it's probably framed in her apartment already. I take a larger sip of my coffee and a diminutive notion flashes across my mind. My tuxedo is hanging in my closet, I've memorized my speech, I understand where to stand – the amount of rehearsals was ridiculous – yet, I still do not have a date. Not only that, but I'm expected to behave as a raving, drunken imbecile at the bachelor party tonight.
Tanya and Jane Volturi were most definitely out of the question. I'm terribly disappointed in myself that their names popped into my head, actually. Jessica Stanley, my secretary, is a decent woman, but I'd much rather keep our relationship professional. With her, I can almost guarantee that she will attempt everything opposite of such. Lauren Mallory is also absolutely out of the question. My brain cell count is still suffering from that blind date I had with her once upon a time. I pick up my phone and dial the number that's embedded into my mind.
"Hello?" She answers. Her beautiful voice sounds fatigued.
"Hello, Bella. This is Edward – " She cuts me off.
"I know. How can I help you, Edward?" We're no longer hostile but that still does not make all our conversations at ease. I shift my weight in the chair and ensure my words come out fluidly.
"I was simply wondering if you could do me the lovely pleasure of accompanying me to the wedding tomorrow." I coax. My heart is pounding through my chest in anticipation. There's a few seconds of silence before she responds.
"I-I guess… I can do that." She stammers.
"I'll pick you up tomorrow." I snap the phone shut and then my heart begins to chorus. A feeling of happiness spreads from my fingers to my toes – a feeling that breaks through the ice particles frozen in my veins.
…………
I'm in the car with Emmett, Jasper and God help me – James. James is Jasper's closest colleague, a fact I'm not entirely pleased with. In the limousine en route to the VIP club, I loosen my tie a bit.
"That's the way, Edward!" Emmett roars. He already has a shot in his hand, his tie is swept over his shoulder. I chuckle as his antics, although he's immature, he's a decent man to have an eventful night with. Jasper laughs at this and loosens his tie as well.
"Join in, Jazz! Down them shots, this is your last night as a free man!" Emmett booms and he proceeds to make animalistic noises. James eyes me venomously before popping a bottle of complimentary champagne.
"Emmett," I chuckle. "Calm down, you're going to kill the poor man." Instead of backing off Emmett thrusts a shot of tequila into my hand and claps me on the back.
"Drink, my friend! You work too hard, loosen up a bit," He turns and points to Jasper, flashing a grin. "Now this one really needs it. He only has one more night to be free and three months before he's changing diapers." He howls and Jasper laughs again before raising his shot glass and downing the bitter alcohol. Although this is what I was irate about earlier, I chuckle, raise my glass to the three men and swallow my drink.
Fifteen minutes later, the four of us are sitting at a table in the corner of the club. Emmett has already consumed enough alcohol to kill an average man, yet his body is designed to withstand the said amount and more. James has barely acknowledged me all night while Jasper – the poor man – is getting mauled with alcohol and women.
"How long have you been engaged now, Jazz?" James asks after consuming his vodka and gritting his teeth.
"Five months." Jasper grins and raises his arms over his head.
"To my sister!" I raise my glass and Jasper and Emmett roar before raising their own. I've had about six now - the point where I feel decently content and fuzzy. Just then, Emmett snaps his fingers and a moment later a buxom blonde waitress appears at our table.
"How can I help you boys?" She flashes a seductive smile at the three others, but when she turns to me, lingers and then winks. I sigh internally.
"Yes, you see, my best friend here is getting married tomorrow. This is his last night to live in sin! Is there anyway you can help him out?" Emmett guffaws and Jasper smiles sheepishly – he's still introverted while intoxicated.
"Don't do anything too ridiculous. You still have your pregnant fiancée at home." I chuckle, obviously joking, but I made Alice as promise as well that I'd monitor Jasper.
"Oh sure! Married! I'll get a few of my girls for y'all." She tinkles in a southern accent. As she passes us by, she takes the time to walk very slowly past me. Five minutes and two more shots later, the blonde waitress reappears with three other women. The other men have had far more to drink than I and I hope that they can keep it under control, albeit James. The original blonde waitress walks over to my side of the table and takes a seat next to me – far too close for my comfort. The other three go to their respective men and the night commences.
"Hi, Tiger. What's your name?" She coos. I blink in response and shift politely away from her – closer to God help me – James.
"Hello, I'm Edward." I smile cordially.
"So your friend is getting married?" She flashes a bright smile and flips her prosthetic platinum hair.
"To my sister." I nod and then take a swig of the beer Emmett just slid to me across the table.
"Oh wow! I bet she's real pretty if you're her brother." She inches closer to me. Her name-tag says Kim. I shrug off the compliment and ease around it.
"We're twins." I say.
"Even better. I'd be jealous if I saw her." She giggles and props her elbows up onto the table. Although I'm decently intoxicated, I cannot bring myself to call this woman voluntarily attractive. Of course, she is, my testosterone is blaring in neon lights. However, the woman buried deep into the crevices of my thoughts is emerging; it's all I can think of. Bella. This woman, Kim, does not have anywhere near Bella's beauty or intelligence. This is why I hate drinking to excess – I'm going to reach my mourning and self-pitying stage soon.
"She's lovely." I compliment my twin. And take a smaller swig of beer this time.
"You have a girlfriend?" She tilts her head to the side and I can see that her grey eyes are flat. They have no depth to them, unlike Bella's gorgeous chocolate-brown ones. James leans into my ear.
"Yeah, how's Bella?" He hisses. He withdraws his head and his venomous stare does not faze me. I ignore him and turn my head a fraction of an inch toward Kim.
"I do." I lie. I think of Bella and how soft her hair is.
"Oh," I can see the disappointment flash across her face. "Is it serious?" She probes. I think of Bella's soft lips.
"Yes." I half-lie. Only half, because it is unrequited. I'm irretrievably and hopelessly in love with her, although she does not return the same. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see James flash a glare.
"Do you live together?" Kim attempts and scoots even closer toward me. Momentarily, I disregard her question and can see that Emmett and Jasper are enjoying themselves – while keeping it reasonable. Their laughter indicates their happiness, not from the alcohol and club girls, but from the women in their lives. They have Alice and Rose while I have no one. I have someone in my mind, but she's only a memory now.
"No." I finally respond. This is truth. She giggles.
"Well then it can't be that serious." She places her hand on my knee and I swiftly and politely slide it off.
"I assure you," I smile slightly and take a small sip of beer. "It is."
As the night goes on, I spend the rest of it maneuvering around Kim, drinking to excess, laughing with my friends – albeit James, and thinking of Bella. Bella makes up eighty-percent of the night. It's well past midnight and the amount of empty glasses and bottles on the table in front of us is ludicrous.
At one in the morning, Emmett comes to my side of the table and tugs at my arm. Kim and her co-workers left about an hour ago – to my relief. The alcohol had spread throughout my system, concluding me as potentially very intoxicated.
"What's wrong with you, man?" He slurs.
"What are you talking about?" I ask. His face is going in and out of focus.
"You're single! Me and Jazz," He stumbles for a second and then steadies himself against me. "Aren't. Why didn't you get with that girl? She was all over you." I can hear Jasper's drunken laughter in the background. I just shrug in response and blink multiple times, attempting to straighten out my vision.
"Man, I know why," Emmett lightly punches my shoulder and laughs. "It's Bella, right? It's Bella." He guffaws and I scowl.
"No it's not."
"Yeah. You love her! Jazz!" He calls over my shoulder. "Edward still loves Bella, I told you!" I scowl again.
"When did I say he didn't?" Jaspers laughs.
"I don't know, that's besides the point," Emmett ruffles his hair and sways again. "Say it, Edward. Say you love her!" He roars and the guffaws.
"You're plastered, Emmett." I rebuke.
"So are you!" He laughs and then I crack a smile.
"Come on, don't do this." I attempt.
"Ed! Stop burying it and let it out!" He roars.
"Okay," I sigh deeply. The room is spinning. "Okay. I love her." I hold my breath, but after a minute, smile widely, content with finally putting it out there after eight years. Jasper and Emmett roar in content and dance around like buffoons. This goes on for minutes while James does not meet my gaze. They're still cheering and jostling me when a sudden trace of regret flashes across my mind. What would be the repercussions in the morning? Then, without another thought, I just didn't care anymore. I stand up, grab Emmett's arm to steady myself and then smile widely.
"I love Isabella Swan! I love Isabella Marie Swan!" I yell across the room with a grin and everyone swells in whistles and cheers. After a minute of basking in the freedom of having it out there, Emmett thrusts tequila into my hand and shakes my shoulder; the smile is still on my face, but on the inside, I want to breakdown. My sister, pregnant and glowing, is going to be wed tomorrow. My date, the love of my life, my unrequited love, feels none of this for me. We're just friends. Just goddamn friends. And I just drunkenly and publicly confessed my dusty, cob-webbed feelings for her.
Thanks for reading! Reviews and such make my day
I just want it to be Friday already... Thursdays are too long and tedious
I'll update sooner! Alice's wedding will be next
kisses, JennyCullen44