Chapter 11: It's Just the Beach
AN: You guys are un-freaking-believable. Much thanks to IG AKA Irritable_Grizzzly, who keeps my commas and quotes at bay and BellaMadonna who has also has added this story to her forum. The link to the forum is available in my profile, as well as the pictures of Edward's beach house in Malibu.
I have now joined the 21st century and am on Twitter! You can find me under TG81_. Go figure…original, yes? I'm still getting the feel for it, so I apologize if my "tweets" or "twits" or "chirps" aren't very accurate. I have been told it is quite addicting. I scoff at the idea. However I once scoffed at the idea of fan fiction, look how that turned out.
Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyers owns all things Twilight, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim own all music and lyrics to West Side Story, and I have a migraine.
Edward Masen
"Bella I swear to you, it's not what you think," I protested.
"I know."
" Jasper thought it was funny and I can't figure out how to change it," I tried to explain.
"Edward, I know," she said with a slight laugh. "Alice told me about it a couple of days ago. I have to admit, it is kinda funny."
"You're not mad?" I was shocked.
"Am I annoyed that Jasper knows? Yes. Am I mad? Nah, it's not my ring tone and besides, when was the last time you called Jasper?" She had a small grin playing on her face.
"I dunno, it's been a few days. Lately he's been the one calling me. Why?"
"Call him back and listen to what he says."
I pulled out my phone and dialed his number. He quickly answered yelling, "You son of a bitch! How did you get to my phone?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Bella just told me to call you," I replied.
"Alice must have done it, I gotta go," he said quickly and hung up on me.
"What was that all about?" I turned to Bella who was silently laughing.
"As mad as Alice was at you for the way you talked to me, she still thought it was pretty messed up that Jasper changed the settings on your phone. So she got a little payback on your behalf. Now every time you call him, his phone plays Natalie Wood singing as Maria."
I had no clue what she was talking about and it must have been obvious to her from the look on my face.
"Please tell me you've seen or at least have heard of West Side Story?" I shook my head no, causing her to huff.
"That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. West Side Story is a classic! How can you, as an actor, not be familiar with a piece of cinematic history?" She stared at me with wide eyes.
"Are you going to tell me the song or not?" I asked with frustration.
Then, with a slightly off key tone she sang.
I feel pretty,
Oh, so pretty,
I feel pretty and witty and bright!
And I pity
Any girl who isn't me tonight.
I feel charming,
Oh, so charming
It's alarming how charming I feel!
And so pretty
That I hardly can believe I'm real.
See the pretty girl in that mirror there:
Who can that attractive girl be?
Such a pretty face,
Such a pretty dress,
Such a pretty smile,
Such a pretty me! I feel stunning
And entrancing,
Feel like running and dancing for joy,
For I'm loved
By a pretty wonderful boy!
She was quiet for a brief moment and then busted out laughing.
"So that's what he hears now when I call him?" I asked.
"Yup."
"Bella," I asked with a cautious tone, "may I ask you a few questions?"
"I suppose so, although I'm not quite sure why I feel compelled to answer anything. You have kidnapped me."
There was slight humor in her tone, but not much. The mood in the car had shifted from light to slightly tense.
"Yes, you poor poor thing. I've kidnapped you and I'm taking you to my beach house in Malibu. I'm sure there is someone in your Blackberry who would love to take your spot." I rolled my eyes.
"Clearly I'm not going anywhere so just ask your questions," she spat at me. Her tone took me by surprise. I thought we were being somewhat jovial, but there was clearly something else going on.
"All right then. There have been a few things that I've wanted to know and since someone decided to go MIA and not answer any of my calls, now is just as good a time as any," I stated.
"Yes, Edward, because it's all about you," she snapped.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You asked me to leave, and if I recall correctly, it was right after you called me a whore and told me you didn't want me."
"I said I was sorry!" I yelled.
"Yes, you did and you also kissed me, but that doesn't mean I have to forgive you. Don't you get it? Just because you've forgiven yourself and decided to speak to me again, doesn't mean I have. Did you ever think about how your words hurt me? I would imagine the only reason you did apologize is because you feel bad about what you said. You weren't apologizing for how your words made me feel."
She was right…well only half right. I had only apologized for how I made her sad and not for how she felt.
"Bella, I am truly sorry for what I said. I was angry. I felt used and even though that's a feeling I've grown accustomed to in this business, I had never felt that with you. You told me a lot that day, so I had a lot to process."
I glanced to my right hoping that she was looking at me. Instead she was looking out the window; I could see small tear streaks on her cheeks.
"I do apologize for making you feel like that. It was not my intention. It's never my intention to make you upset."
"I once asked you what you wanted from me, and at the time you told me you wanted any part of me that you could have, and I said I could only give you my friendship. Things have changed a bit since I asked you that question." Her voice was soft and low. She was fighting back sobs, which in turn gave her the hiccups. If the tension in the car wasn't so damn intense I would have teased her about it. "Knowing what you know now, what is it that you want from me, Edward?"
"I can't answer that question at this exact moment, Bella." I saw her shoulders drop in defeat.
"Fair enough." She turned her body back towards the window.
"The reason I can't answer that now is because you haven't answered any of my questions yet. I need those answers in order to tell you want I want from you." I hoped that I was making myself clear.
She sighed, "What do you want to know?"
"That day at the Four Seasons, if Jasper hadn't approached you, would you have approached either of us?"
"No."
"Did you agree to the lunch because you recognized me?" I held my breath.
"Yes." My heart sank a little at her answer. "I was curious, Edward. God, I am completely going to regret this," she said lowly and took a deep breath, "I…"
"Can you say that again?" I smirked.
"Ugh. Fine, okay? I've had a fan girl crush on you for the past four years. There, happy now?" she huffed.
"Yes. So the reason you said yes, did it have anything to do with your list?"
"No. Even if Emmett and I hadn't established our rules, I would have still said yes. Like I said the other day, I was curious. Look at it from my perspective, okay? The best friend of one of the most recognizable actors in Hollywood asks me if I want to have lunch and says that you'll be there. It's a no-brainer."
I decided to get off this topic, I wasn't sure if I could handle too much more talking or thinking about lists and agreements. I had thought and over thought everything in the past few days so much that my brain was on the verge of a meltdown.
"Why did you leave California? I know what I said was cruel, but you didn't have to leave."
From the corner of my eye I saw Bella roll hers. "You really don't get it, do you? It's not all about you! Did you ever think that I had to go back or that maybe I was needed there? No, you probably didn't. I'm going to guess that you thought that I was so hurt and upset by what you said and by you making me leave that the fact we share the same zip code was unbearable for me." Her voice got louder, and she was on the verge of yelling.
I couldn't tell her she was wrong. The way she phrased my thoughts out loud made me realize what an egotistical asshole I could be. I didn't want to tell her that she was right, so I said nothing.
"I'm right, aren't I? If you must know, I went to New York because I had some business to take care of."
"I remember the names on your list Bella and I know you were with that Tyler guy. Since when is hanging all over him your business?" I pointed out.
"It isn't any of your business who I spend my free time with, but yes, Tyler is business and he's a very good friend." She pressed her lips together creating a thin white line.
"I'm sure he's a very good friend," I muttered.
"Do you have a triple-A membership, Edward?" She turned her body towards mine.
"Triple-A?"
"Yeah, Assuming Assholes Anonymous. You really need to just ask the question sometime instead of assuming that I'm-how did you say- whoring it up?" I cringed at her throwing my words back me.
"You're the one who said that you left him exhausted when you left," I smugly pointed out.
"Yes, he was physically exhausted and sleeping when I last saw him. Now instead of assuming that I had fucked him into unconsciousness, maybe you should ask me why he was sleeping and exhausted when I left him," she dared me to say something else.
"Okay, why was Tyler passed out when you last saw him?"
"Because his fiancé just had their baby and he had spent the past two and a half days learning how to care for a newborn child." She smirked and leaned back in her chair.
"Then why did Alec say that he remembers those days?"
"Because Alec has two kids. Again, if you just ask a question instead of assuming you knew it all, life would be a hell of a lot easier for everyone else. I'm not the type of girl who sleeps around, contrary to what you might think. I'm the girl who has people sleep around on her. If you ever want to know something, just ask me, I don't bite and I'll appreciate the fact you're taking an interest instead of thinking that you know better."
"I'm sorry, Bella. For everything, I am really sorry."
"I know."
The rest of the car ride was spent in silence.
Edward Masen
One hour later
When we arrived at my home I told her to look around and that I had a few things to take care of. She promised me that she wouldn't call the police about her kidnapping. I reminded her that she went willingly and there were plenty of witnesses at the valet stand. She rolled her eyes and said she needed to get in touch with Alice to find out what was happening with her schedule.
I left her alone and informed her that she could change into any clothes that she could find, knowing she would find suits and clothes leftover from whenever Tanya would stay. I didn't tell her it was Tanya's swimsuit she'd be wearing. Bella took the time to wander around the house, make her calls and relax a little. Meanwhile, I changed into some board shorts and went digging around the pool shed and found the beach towels and a few things left behind by the previous owners.
I came from behind the pool shed and entered the house from the side. From my angle, I was able to take in the sight in front of me. Bella was in a green two-piece suit with a very short cotton skirt covering her lower half. She had her back turned to me, so I didn't think she was aware of my presence, until she said something.
"Are you just going to stare at my ass all day or are you going to come and talk to me?" she called out from the porch.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you. You looked lost in thought." I joined her on the patio next to the railing that overlooked the shore.
"You know I've never actually played in the sand?" She kept staring at the water.
"How does that happen? You've never been to the beach before?"
"Oh don't get me wrong. I've been to the beach before, but I've never played. When I was a kid, Renee always had some socialite party to go to and I was locked away with the nanny. I was always told that the sun was bad for my skin and I would look older than my age.
As I got older, there were other things that took priority. I would have work or school or some pressing matter that Renee and Charlie insisted I be there for. When I finally did get a chance to have tropical vacations, it was always for an event, a party or some kind of networking thing," she said with a sigh. She no longer looked wistful, but just sad. "It wouldn't be acceptable to have their daughter playing in the sand," she said with bitterness.
"What about college spring breaks?" I asked.
She snorted, "Renee would never allow them for me. She said that she refused to have her daughter seen associating with the Hilton sisters or the Bush twins." She rolled her eyes at her own statement. "As if I would have anyway. Amongst the four of them, they were a mix of a walking pharmacy and CDC Petri dishes."
"Wow." It was all I could say.
"I've never even built a sandcastle."
Bella Swan
Three hours later
"Edward," I panted, "that was amazing. I've never done that before. Who knew I'd be so good at it my first time?" I rolled from my back to my side and grabbed one of the towels off the beach chair.
"I told you that you wouldn't be disappointed," he said smugly. He flashed me his lopsided smile and I had to look away. He was too damn charming and he knew it. It seemed that Edward couldn't help but cheer for himself that he finally did something right with me.
"Do you think we can do it again?" I cocked an eyebrow as I challenged him.
"Give yourself a few minutes and I'm sure we can work something out. Remember the sand puts up more resistance than you realize, you're going to feel it later." He motioned toward my lower body. Edward went to stand up to brush the sand off, but I pushed him back down.
We had been on the beach for a couple of hours now; after we had been on the beach for only a few minutes, he had taken off his shirt. It was too damn hot for me to worry about my comfort level and I certainly wasn't going to complain about the view. Edward kidnapping me to his house so we could talk and figure things out turned out to be exactly what I – no – what we both - needed.
"Don't worry about me. You're the one closer to AARP membership than I am. If anything, I should be worrying about your stamina." I slapped my hand on his bare chest causing him to wince; I forced myself not to focus on the solid muscle my palm had hit and I ignored the urge to run my fingernails between his abdominal muscles. I could see the beginnings of very nasty sunburn, but that's what he gets for refusing sun-block.
I stood up and grabbed the little bucket and filled it with water. I came back to our set-up to find a very pensive looking Edward. I didn't want to interrupt whatever deep thought moment he was having so I settled myself on the edge of the blanket and began working on the moat for our sandcastle.
I found myself in a happy place, a comfort zone of sorts. I was genuinely happy and slowly letting my guard down, as was he. I was letting him see the side that I had carefully built walls around.
I could feel the walls slowly coming down when I was standing on the back porch telling him about never playing on the beach. The silence that we had spent in the car ride down had given me time to think. Surely someone who would be willing to drive an hour away with another person they hardly knew just to get to know them better had to be interested. It was the only thing that made sense. It wasn't a "John Cusack-holding the boombox above his head on the-front lawn" kind of grand gesture, but it was grand enough for me.
The walls all but crumbled when he first surprised me with a small bucket and shovel. He also showed me where he set up the volleyball net and taught me how to play.
I owed him for his patience for teaching me and letting me be me. Then I owned him in volleyball. I didn't have the heart to tell him I played volleyball in prep school, so I let him think that he was a great teacher.
"Hey Bella?"
"Yeah?" I replied as I turned my attention away from my sandcastle and towards him. The sun seemed to frame his hair and highlighted the undertones of red and gold. For a split second his beauty took my breath away, and then I gave myself a mental punch in the ovaries for being a god-damned girl.
"Remember that question you asked me in the car?"
"Uh huh," I could feel my shoulders tensing.
"I have an answer for you." I paused to wait for a response and held my breath.
"Okay, and what is it?"
He pushed his sunglasses into his hair and looked me in the eyes. "The same as it was before. I want you in whatever way I can have you. I know that before you could only offer your friendship and if that's all I'll ever get, I'll be perfectly happy with that. I know you're struggling with things in your past and I just want you to know that I want to be there for you.
I want you, Bella. If that means I get the emotionally messy Bella or the Bella who has major trust issues, then that's who I want. I want to be good enough for you. I don't care how long it will take for you to trust me, because every single day I will do my best to prove to you that I can be the person you deserve to have." He let out a deep breath and averted his eyes to focus on a seagull that was about to shit on a soda can.
"Edward?" I slowly looked up at him. I was on my hands and knees and began crawling toward him like Tawny Kataen in a Whitesnake video. I sat back on the balls of my feet and reached for his hands. This was the moment I had needed and he said what desperately wanted to hear. My resolve to just be friends and to take things slow had been wearing on me. He would have to prove himself, without a doubt, and I couldn't fully trust him, but I wanted to believe in him more than anything. I wanted this to work and I would be willing to try. I wanted to prove to him and myself that I would be enough for just one person.
"Thank you. For the most part you are always able to tell me exactly what I need to hear. I just hope you can keep your promises. I need you to keep them, but I have to be honest with you," I paused and took a deep breath, "I don't want to be just friends with you. I'm not saying I can be sure of what will happen in the future, but I can assure you that I'll try. If you can keep your word, then I think that you and I can be more. I feel the connection between the two of us, and I think it would be stupid to ignore it. I want you in whichever way I can have you. We just need to take it slow and baby steps, if you will."
He was stunned. He sat silent for a moment before taking a firm grip on my hands and pulling me to him. I lost my balance and fell on top of him, knocking him backwards. He briefly chuckled and before I knew it he had me pinned to the towel. His mouth was hovering over mine; I was wondering who was going to have to make the first move. I didn't have to wonder long when I felt his mouth covering mine. I closed my eyes and opened my lips. Both of us groaned at the contact.
I put slight pressure on his shoulders and pushed him back. He looked at me bewildered, probably wondering why in the hell I would stop him. "Baby steps, not toddler."
It was all I needed to say and he nodded. He pulled himself off of me, but not before making it very clear how even toddler steps affected him. I've had sex before with a few different men and I would consider myself decently versed in that department. Taking into account everything I had experienced, I still tried to figure out how he was going to fit.
Edward knew that I could feel the calmness that easily overtook both of us every time we were together, but he never thought I would be ready and I wasn't sure that I was fully ready to be in a relationship but I would be willing to try if we took it slow, especially after everything that had happened in the car. I'm sure he thought we were going to go the friendship route and I he would have to watch me go through douchebag after douchebag before realizing – or hoping I would realize – that I was good enough for him.
Emmett had pretty much destroyed my faith in men and in myself. The only reason I had any confidence was because of Edward. If he would be willing to look past my flaws and get to know me, then I could do the same for him.
Edward Masen
Bella's promise that we could try to have something more than just a friendship and her admittance to us having something real was more than I had expected from her. When I woke up this morning, I was still trying to figure out where she had disappeared to. I would have never thought that less than twelve hours later she would be rubbing my calf muscles because – fucking hell – she was right. My muscles were going to be sore and I was older than I thought; I sure as hell wasn't about to tell her that, though.
After a few more minutes of sitting in silence, we agreed that we needed to get out of the sun and head up to L.A. From what Bella had said, Alice was not thrilled with me and my stunt with taking Bella away. Apparently Bella had some meetings to take care of and Alice had to cover for her or reschedule for another time.
We had just finished packing everything up and were heading into the house when we heard squealing behind us. I didn't have to look up to know what was happening, but my thoughts were confirmed when I heard Bella suck in a deep breath and mutter "fuck me."
"O-M-G! You're totally Edward Masen, aren't you?" I heard a high-pitched voice coming at me. I glanced up and saw that there were two young teenage girls who were practically vibrating from excitement. Thankfully, I was wearing my sunglasses so they couldn't see my eye roll.
"Yes, that's Edward Masen. I bet you girls would like an autograph?" I heard Bella ask, causing the girls to squeal even louder.
I shot Bella a look but either she couldn't see it because of the sunglasses or she ignored it; my guess was the latter.
"I don't think I have a pen, sorry girls," I shrugged turned toward Bella so we could go.
"I have a camera!" One of the girls shouted.
Bella moved to my side and whispered, "C'mon, Edward. Give them a couple of pictures. They can't be more than fourteen; it'd make their year to have a picture with you."
"Fine," I grumbled. Normally I would be more than happy to take a picture or sign an autograph, but we had had a long day at the beach, I was hungry again, and I had a fucking sunburn that was starting to itch.
The younger girl with the camera practically threw it at Bella and wrapped her arms around my neck. Bella instructed the girls to smile and pose with me. After taking a few pictures, they ran back to their blankets. We didn't waste any time in heading inside after that, just to make sure nobody else came after us.
"What are your plans for the rest of the day?" I asked Bella as she headed up the stairs to change.
She turned around and looked thoughtful for a moment and then shrugged, "I know I have some calls to return, but other than that, not much. I wasn't supposed to be back until tomorrow, but since the baby was born early I had to come back earlier than planned. Why?"
I walked to where she was standing on the stairs and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her in close. She immediately put her arms around my shoulders and I forced myself not to cringe from the pain of the sunburn. I pressed my lips to her forehead and silently prayed she would say yes to what I was about to ask. I pulled back slightly and looked her in the eyes.
"I was hoping you would let me take you out tonight," I said.
She didn't respond immediately and shifted her weight from one foot to another.
"Like a date?"
"Yes, like a date. A first date. What would you say to dinner and a movie?" She still hadn't said no, so I took it as a good sign.
"What about the press? What if they see us?"
"What about them? If they see us, they get pictures. I don't really care and honestly, neither should you. You still haven't answered my question. Would you let me take you out on a date?" My palms were starting to get a bit sweaty and I moved my wipe my hand on my shorts.
"Edward, are you nervous?" she giggled.
"No," I lied.
"You are! That's adorable!" She giggled again. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh." She looked anything but sorry.
"Answer the damn question, Swan."
"Yes, Edward. I'd love to go on a date with you. Would like to pass a note to Alice in gym class later too?" She chuckled. She moved her arms to around my neck and whispered, "Thank you for asking me. It's been a while since I've done this. I might be really bad at it." She pulled back and I could see her eyes had a teary look to them.
"I'm sure you'll be fine," I assured her.
She placed both of her hands on the side of my face and gave me a quick kiss.
"Thank you," she said softly, and took off running up the stairs.
All together now…awwwww!
Not every chapter has to end with a cliffy!
So a few recs
Bella the Lioness by BellaMadonna
Stolen Singer by nerac
Not Meant to Be by SweetDulcinea
I am beyond flattered and thrilled that you take the time and notice the small details in every chapter. Thank you again all so much!