"So what are your plans for your 21st birthday? Are you finally coming home?"
I rolled my eyes as I squeezed the phone between my ear and my shoulder. "No, Jake, I'm not coming home. I'm actually going on a little trip with my roommates for a girls' weekend." I stood up and scanned my messy bedroom. I knew I'd pulled out some heels to go with the red dress but I couldn't find them.
"Where are you going?"
I grinned. "Las Vegas."
There was a long silence. "Seriously? You're going to Sin City?"
"Yes. We made the plans last night. Spur of the moment, you know? I think it'll be fun."
"Oh, so that's why I wasn't invited."
I laughed. "Would you go if I did?"
"Yes." He said it immediately. "I haven't seen you in over two years. I'd come to Phoenix if you'd let me."
I stood for a moment, pondering. "Well, then come on. We're getting a suite with two bedrooms. One extra body won't make a difference." I paused, thinking about how big Jake's body was. "Well, a normal body wouldn't. You've stopped growing, right?"
He laughed. "Yeah. I'll just bunk with you. You take up no space anyway."
I rolled my eyes. "Jake, come on. I just got out of a relationship."
"Yeah, so I can be your rebound."
I laughed. "I'm not really looking for a rebound, Jake. I just want to go to Las Vegas and have fun with my friends and not have to think about sex and guys."
"So, I can really come?"
"Provided your dad and the pack let you, yeah. I miss you Jake."
"Yeah, I miss you too." There was another comfortable silence. "So…what are you wearing?"
I laughed. "I'm wearing shorts and a tube top. You?"
"Wait, seriously? A tube top? Can you take a picture and send it to me? That's something I'd like to see."
"I'm going to hang up, Jake," I threatened with a laugh.
"Ok fine. I'm wearing my shorts and a smile."
"Well, the smile is a given since you're talking to me and I'm your favorite person in the whole world."
"Damn straight. Oh, when are you leaving and how long will you be there?"
"We're leaving in the morning and we'll be there all weekend."
"So I need to get on the ball if I'm coming."
"Yep."
"Alright. Let me work my magic and I'll call you later, ok?"
"Ok. Love you, Jake."
"Love you too, Bells."
I hung up and smiled. I missed Jake like you wouldn't believe. I couldn't believe I hadn't seen him since the night before I left for Florida two years ago. Well, the morning after anyway. We still didn't really talk about that night.
I loved my job at the hotel downtown. It was through that that I'd met a couple of my ex-boyfriends and I always had crazy stories to tell Kate and Mandy, my roommates, and Charlie and Renee on our weekly talks. I loved my crazy roommates and how much fun we had together all the time.
I'd finally gotten to the point where I could laugh and joke about Edward to the girls. I'd never heard from him or the Cullens again, making it all seem like some kind of weird hallucination, the product of feverish nightmares or vivid dreams. I still had the small cold scar on my hand from James and the scars on my arm from my horrible 18th birthday, so I knew it was all real, but it wasn't painful to think about anymore.
I shoved the last of my things into my suitcase and checked my watch. I had just enough time to get dressed and get to the hotel before my shift started at 3. I hated that I had to work the PM today but it was the only way I could get three days off in a row. Sometimes my manager was a real bitch.
***
"Bella!"
I turned and felt a huge grin split my face when I saw Jake on the other side of the baggage carousel. "Jake!" I shouted back. I dropped my bags and ran towards him. I jumped up in his arms and wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, hugging him fiercely. "You made it!"
He laughed. "Yeah, I pretty much told them they couldn't keep me in Forks if you wanted me in Vegas."
He set me down and grinned at me. "You look great, by the way."
I was grinning back at him stupidly. "So do you. You're huge."
He laughed. "Yeah. You should see the others. I'm the biggest one." He looked proud of this fact. I squeezed him again, then pulled him towards my friends.
"Come on," I said excitedly. "I want you to meet the girls."
Kate and Mandy were staring at me with their mouths hanging open. I had to admit, Jake was a fine looking male specimen. Women all around the baggage carousel were turning their heads. I grinned. I loved being around Jake. He was so oblivious to the women eye-fucking him and it was pretty cute.
"Jake, this is Kate and Mandy. Girls, this is Jake."
"Hell-oo, Jake," breathed Kate, leading with her boobs as she stepped forward to shake his hand. I rolled my eyes as I picked my bags back up.
"Hi Kate," Jake grinned at her. This was a grin I hadn't seen before. I could imagine it dropped panties back in La Push. "Nice to meet you." He reached over and took my bag from me. "Thanks for letting me join you on the girls' weekend. I'll try to stay out of your way."
"Oh, feel free to get in our way all you want." Mandy raked her eyes up and down Jake's body. "ALL you want."
"Down girls," I laughed. "Poor little Jake here is a child. He just turned 19."
"He looks all man," Kate grinned.
Jake rolled his eyes. "I'm not looking ladies, so chill out."
Mandy pouted for a moment, then grinned. "Well, it'll be nice to have a big strong man around to keep the creeps away."
We gathered our bags and headed outside. Jake stepped forward and flagged down a taxi. He easily loaded our luggage and we all climbed into the backseat. Jake pulled me on his lap and kissed my bare shoulder.
"I've really missed you," he said softly. His breath tickled my ear and I shivered slightly. I grinned up at him but didn't say anything.
We quickly checked into the hotel and were given the keys to our two bedroom suite. We crowded into an elevator and pushed the button for the 24th floor. I dropped my bags on the floor and wrapped my arms around Jake, leaning against him and breathing in his smell. It was like going home. I sighed and rested my cheek against his chest. I ignored the grins Kate and Mandy gave each other.
The elevator stopped and we piled out. Jake scooped up my bags so I took the key and opened the door for us. Mandy squealed and ran inside, dropping her things on the floor and running from room to room.
"This one is ours," she called from a room to the left off the living room. I rolled my eyes.
"So I guess I'm in the other one," I grinned, heading to the right.
Jake stood uncertainly in the middle of the living room while Kate followed Mandy into the other room. "Where do I go?"
"Oh, right." I paused and looked around. "I don't think you'll fit on the sofa bed. You can have this room and I'll take the couch."
He rolled his eyes. "We can share, Bells. We used to all the time. I can behave."
I looked at him skeptically. "Are you sure?"
He grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him. "I'm sure. God, I'm not just a horny teenage boy anymore." I gave him a look and he rolled his eyes. "OK, not all the time anyway."
I laughed and looked around our room. We had a king sized bed with a flat-screen TV and a big bathroom all to ourselves. The bathroom had a huge garden tub and a separate giant glass shower. The toilet was in a separate room and we had a double marble vanity.
"Damn Bella, can we afford this?"
"Yes, I can. You're not paying Jake. You're here as my guest."
"But it's your birthday," he protested.
"I won't accept your money," I said dismissively.
Mandy stuck her head in then, a huge grin on her face. "You two ready for tonight?"
I nodded. "We're napping right now, though, right?"
She rolled her eyes. "You can nap. We're going to go hit the tables."
I laughed. "Just don't forget the plan. Be back by 8, ok? I'm not coming to look for you."
She grinned. "Will do, Mom." She winked up at Jake. "Keep her out of trouble for me, ok?"
Jake saluted her and headed into the bathroom. I slipped off my shoes and shimmied out of my jeans before crawling into the big bed.
Jake came out a minute later and raised his eyebrows at me. "Getting ready for me, I see."
I gave him the finger. "I was up late last night working. I'm exhausted." I yawned. "Come talk me to sleep." I patted the bed beside me. Jake happily obliged.
"So, how's stuff?" I smiled up at him.
He chuckled softly. "Good, I guess. I graduated. You probably didn't know since you didn't come."
I rolled my eyes. "I tried, I really did, but I had to work. I sent you a card and a gift."
"Yeah, I would much rather have had you there." He reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "I got a job as a mechanic in La Push. It's pretty good money. Quil and Embry are there, too. We're hoping to save up enough to open our own garage someday."
I nodded and smiled up at him. I'd missed talking to him in person. He was so expressive when he talked. He kept going, filling me in on the details of his life. Billy was doing well. He and Charlie went fishing together most weekends. The other wolves were doing well, too. Sam and Emily had a baby on the way, Leah had chilled out a lot and everyone seemed to be pretty happy overall.
"What about you?" he asked when he'd finished talking.
I laughed. "You know it all. I work at the hotel, I hang out with my friends, I'm recently single."
"What happened with Paul, anyway?"
I sighed. "It was stupid. He decided I was too young for him after 3 months of dating so he dumped me."
"Dickhead. Want me to kick his ass?"
I laughed again. "No, it's fine. I didn't love him. It was pretty much just a sexual relationship anyway."
Jake stiffened. We'd never actually come out and admitted to each other that we were having sex, but we both knew about the other. I reached over and squeezed his arm. "Sorry."
He shrugged. "It's fine. I just don't like to think of you with some other guy."
I grinned. "Yeah, I don't like to think about you with some other girl."
"So no more sex talk, unless it's about us having sex."
I swatted at him lightly and sat up. "What time is it?"
"Close to 6. You hungry?"
I nodded. "You?"
He rolled his eyes. "Always. Let's go grab a bite." He climbed out of bed and reached for me, swinging me out from under the covers before I realized what was going on. He grinned at me. "You're not wearing any pants."
"No, I was planning on taking a nap." I pulled away from him and grabbed my jeans, wriggling back into them quickly.
"Hey, what was that?" he asked, leaning over and pulling up my shirt.
I grinned and lowered my waistband. "It's a tattoo. I thought I told you about that."
"Uh, no. What is it?" he frowned and leaned closer.
I shifted so the sunlight from the window fell more fully on the tattoo on my hip. He studied it for a moment, then stood up and grinned at me. "A howling wolf. Suits you."
I chuckled and readjusted my clothing. I stuffed my feet back into my shoes and grabbed my purse. "I promised I'd keep you close."
He hooked his arm around my neck and pulled me close to him, kissing my temple. "I'd rather it was actually me on your hip, but that's nice too."
I rolled my eyes and pushed away from him. "Come on, let's get something to eat. I plan on getting completely hammered tonight."
He laughed and followed me out of the room. We stopped at a small deli in the hotel lobby and paid outrageous prices for sandwiches, chips and drinks. We ate quickly, then went for a walk as we sipped our sodas.
"So, this will be the first time I've seen you drunk. Should be interesting."
I grinned. "Yeah, I'll have to find some other guy to drunk dial, I guess."
He laughed. "I'll keep my cell phone on me so you can still call me."
"Are you going to drink? I don't think anyone would card you."
"I can't get drunk, Bells. My metabolism is too high."
"Oh, right. I forgot about that."
He shrugged. "I can get a little buzz going, but I have to basically shotgun an entire bottle of Everclear to do that."
I made a face. "Ew. That shit is awful." We paused to look at the fountains. They weren't dancing right now, but the sound and smell of the water was soothing. "Have you tried absinthe?"
"I thought that shit was illegal."
I grinned. "It should be. It will fuck your shit up good."
His grin widened. "Well, hell, let's do that tonight then. I'll try anything once."
I snickered. "Of course you will. You don't have to worry about it killing you after two."
He laughed. "Yeah yeah. Ok, I looked up a couple things to do here in Vegas since I'm not really into gambling or hookers. You up for some fun with me?"
I narrowed my eyes at him as we began our stroll back towards the hotel. "What is your idea of fun?"
"Well, you'll be screaming, holding on to me tightly and there will be an adrenalin rush."
I wasn't sure how to respond to that other than with raised eyebrows. He stopped and dug a creased paper out of his pocket. From what I could figure out, there was a hotel in Vegas with a needle sticking out the top of it and if my eyes weren't lying, there was a roller coaster going up and down the needle. Another page had a picture of a ride of some sort teetering off the edge and a third had some kind of carousel thing.
"You are out of your fucking mind," I whispered.
He laughed. "Come on, when's the last time you had a big rush like that?"
I gave him a doubtful expression. "It's been a while, but I figure that's due to me wanting to stay in one piece."
He hooked an arm around my shoulders and we headed into our hotel. "You'll love it. I'll be right beside you holding your hand the whole time."
"I think you'll have to get me drunk off my ass first."
"That can be arranged."
I lightly punched him in the arm.
"Really, I should have dragged you up there this afternoon. Talking and napping can happen after the adrenalin rush sex."
"Ok, now you have to shut up. Kate and Mandy don't know we've slept together."
He looked surprised. "Why not?"
I shrugged. "I just didn't want to talk about it with them. They know about the other guys, just not you."
He nodded and looked thoughtful. "Well, I'll keep your secret for you then, though I don't get why it's a secret."
I didn't have an answer for him that I thought he wouldn't read too much into. I hadn't told the girls about him because I was still embarrassed by the whole thing. It had meant more to me than any of the others and I regretted that I'd left the way I had.
Kate and Mandy were back at the suite by the time we got there. They were running around getting dressed, rummaging through my through my suitcase and borrowing my makeup. I rolled my eyes as Mandy ran through the living room in her underwear, her hair in curlers and my mascara in her hand.
"I'll bring it back," she called over her shoulder as she ran into their room.
Jake raised his eyebrows. "Should I expect more of this over the weekend?"
I laughed. "Yeah, probably. They're always borrowing my shit. Whenever I can't find something I just go to one of their rooms and that's usually where it is."
He grinned and followed me into our room. "So, do you want me to leave while you change?" he asked uncertainly.
I shrugged. "It doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother you. I can dress in front of you without showing more off than I want."
He smiled. "I'm up for that then."
I shut the door behind us, more for Jake's modesty than anything else. The girls and I had all seen each other naked so many times it wasn't even funny anymore. It was just a fact that someone was almost always naked in our house.
I pulled off my jeans and my top, dropping them in a pile by my suitcase. I frowned. "I think my dress is in their room. I'll be right back."
I headed across the living room and stuck my head in the other room. "Mandy, do you have my dress?"
"Which one?"
I rolled my eyes. "So you brought one of mine?"
She gave me an innocent smile and held up a bright yellow dress Renee had bought me last time she visited. I hated it so it basically belonged to Mandy.
"I'm looking for the strapless red one," I said, pushing my way in. I froze and looked around their room in shock. "Seriously? We've been here for five fucking hours!" The room was a disaster area. There were clothes and shoes and random flotsam shit everywhere. I carefully picked my way over to the closet where the garment bag was hanging.
"We may have over packed a tiny bit and then had to dig for what we wanted," admitted Kate, coming out of their bathroom with a curling iron in her hand.
I rolled my eyes and pulled my dress out of the closet. I unhooked my bra and pulled the dress on. I jiggled my boobs into the dress and headed back across to my room, my bra hooked onto my arm.
Jake was wearing boxer briefs and a shirt when I entered. I grinned at him and tossed my bra in the pile of dirty clothes. "I see you got started without me."
He rolled his eyes. "I had to. I'm the man; I'm supposed to wait forever while the women get dressed."
I snickered. "Not gonna happen here. We may look like we're running around bat shit insane, but it always has fantastic results in a timely manner."
There was a knock on the door and Mandy stuck her head in. "Here's your mascara back. Can I borrow your lip gloss?"
I took the tube from her. "Did you bring anything of your own?"
"Yeah, but your stuff is nicer."
I rolled my eyes and led her into our bathroom. I dug through the makeup bag that was already spilled across the counter, due no doubt to my lovely roommates' paws. I handed over the tube of lip gloss that I swear had been used by her more than by me.
"Your friend is way hot," she said in a low voice. "Is he single?"
I grinned. "I think so. He said he's not looking, though. He may be content with his status as man candy."
She peeked out the door at him. "Can I try to change his mind?"
I rolled my eyes. "Go for it."
She grinned at me and sashayed out the door. Obviously the plan to change Jake's mind went into effect immediately. I watched as she tried to make sultry small talk. It was somewhat amusing. I quickly washed my face and swiped on some mascara and lip gloss. I brushed my hair and pinned part of it back out of my face. I adjusted my dress again, this time making sure everything was where it was supposed to be before exiting the bathroom.
Jake was sitting on the bed pulling on shoes and socks. "You didn't have to sic her on me like that," he said, sounding slightly annoyed.
I grinned. "Oh, but it was funny! Besides, what was I supposed to tell her? You're single, right?"
"Not by choice," he muttered. "I'm only interested in changing that if…" he stopped and didn't look at me. "Never mind."
I rolled my eyes. I knelt on the floor in front of my suitcase and pulled out the stilettos I'd bought on our trip to Brazil and stood up. I held on to the wall as I slipped first one foot then the other into the shoes. I walked over to examine myself in the mirror and saw Jake sitting behind me on the bed his mouth hanging open.
I turned nervously. "What?"
"Fuck…you are not the Bella that left Forks."
I smiled. "That was kind of the point of leaving Forks, Jake. Getting away from everything and doing things Bella Swan wouldn't normally do."
He grinned at me. "And you can actually walk in those things?" he gestured to my feet.
I grinned. "I can walk without falling, sometimes I even run in them."
"Why the fuck are you running in shoes like that?"
"Oh, there have been some crazy nights. You don't want to hear about it. I'll just piss you off."
He rolled his eyes and stood up. He grabbed a jacket off the back of a chair and pulled it on. "So are we ready?"
"Hell yeah. Let's go." I linked my arm in his and we headed into the living room. "Kate, Mandy get your asses out here! We're leaving in one minute, with or without you!"
Kate came into the living room looking annoyed. "Bitch, I'm almost ready. Let me just put my shoes on." She sat on the couch and strapped on a pair of silver stilettos that added about 6 inches to her height. She looked fabulous with her blond hair curling around her big boobs and wearing an awesome blue dress of mine.
"Seriously, did either of you bring your own fucking clothes?" I demanded. "Those are my shoes and dress."
"You have a better wardrobe than us. We brought enough shit so we can all mix and match for tomorrow night, too."
Mandy teetered out then in black stilettos and the yellow dress. Jake looked at the three of us and shook his head. "I'm the luckiest fucking man in Vegas," he grinned, putting his arms out for the three of us. "Hugh Hefner can kiss my ass."
I grinned and dropped my cell phone and slim wallet into his inner jacket pocket and we headed out.
We stopped in the hotel restaurant for dinner. We all ate heavy foods so we could drink more, paid the bill and headed out on the town.
My birthday wasn't official until midnight. At 11:59 we were sitting at a too small table in an overcrowded bar just waiting for the clock to strike. There were no clocks in the bar so we were using my cell phone and its satellite timing.
"10…9…8…" Kate and Mandy began counting down at the top of their lungs. Jake grinned and joined in with them as did a few of the bar patrons around us. "5…4…3…"
I buried my face in my hands. No matter that I was a different Bella; I still hated this kind of attention. "1! Happy Birthday!" shouted the girls. Jake grinned at me and leaned over, kissing me lightly on the neck.
A waitress appeared with a round of shots. Apparently the bars gave free shots on a person's 21st birthday. I grinned and grabbed one. The others did too, even Jake, to my surprise. He slipped a credit card to the waitress discreetly but I still saw it. I winked at him and grinned.
We held up our shots, carefully clinking the glasses together, then downed them. I shook off the rawness of the alcohol and stood up. "Alright, time for my next drink."
"I got it," said Jake, waving me down. "I gave the girl my card."
I smiled at him. "No no, dear sweet Jake. We girls don't pay for our drinks, nor do our bodyguards. We get the other unsuspecting male patrons to buy our drinks for us." I squeezed his shoulder and scanned the crowd. I grinned when I spotted my first mark. I winked at Jake as I headed over to the guy at the bar.
I leaned against the bar, my breasts facing him and smiled. "Hi, I'm Bella."
The guy looked me over, turned and grinned back at me. "I'm Ryan."
"Today's my birthday," I announced. "As of midnight, I'm officially 21 years old."
Ryan's grin widened. "Well, happy birthday 21-year-old Bella. Can I buy you a drink?"
"I'd love that."
"What are you drinking?"
"Whatever you've got." I gestured to his half empty glass. He grinned and called the bar tender over, ordering two more Long Island Iced Teas.
I made small talk with him until the drinks came. I winked at him. "Thanks, Ryan." I sauntered off, perching on Jake's knee and sipping my drink. Mandy and Kate were off doing the same.
Jake shook his head. "That's cold."
I laughed. "I didn't promise him anything. He voluntarily bought me a drink."
Jake rolled his eyes. "Details, Bella."
I smiled innocently and offered him my straw. He took a pull and grinned. "Get me one?"
I winked and headed off.
After an hour, we girls had gotten about five free drinks between us, two of which went to Jake as our bodyguard and the purchaser of our first round. We then headed off to the next place. It was a dance club with a heavy beat.
After a couple of free rounds, I pulled Jake out onto the dance floor while Mandy and Kate danced with each other. Jake's face seemed to be in a state of constant shock as I danced up against him. He wrapped his arms around me to help me keep balanced.
I was definitely feeling the alcohol. I slipped my arms around his neck and leaned in, kissing his jaw. "I've missed you," I said, grinning up at him.
He grinned back at me. "I've missed you, too."
"This is usually the stage of drunk where I start thinking about calling you," I admitted.
He laughed. "How many more before you actually call?"
"Two. Two after that and I'm going home with you."
He raised his eyebrows. "Do you do that often?"
"Just once," I admitted. "It was a stupid mistake and I don't do it anymore."
"But there was one time."
I shrugged. "You never did anything you regretted?"
He sighed. "Let's not talk about that. It's your birthday Bells."
I frowned. It was out there now. He'd done something he'd regretted and he didn't want to talk to me about it so obviously it was something that would upset me. I pulled back from him and looked up at him. "Was it me?"
"Bella…"
"Answer me, dammit. Was it me?"
"No, I don't regret anything with you. I regret Leah."
My jaw dropped. "Leah? When the hell did that happen?"
"Summer after you left. It was just a few times and it was a huge mistake. You told me to hook up so I did."
I nodded and stood there numbly. My brain was having trouble computing this. A waitress was winding her way through the crowd, handing out free shots. I grabbed one in each hand and downed them quickly. I looked up at him.
"Leah, huh." He nodded, his eyes searching my face. "Who was better, me or her?"
He laughed. "She was more of an animal, but you were sweeter."
"That doesn't answer my question."
He pulled me against him, kissing me hard, his tongue invading my mouth. I slid my arms around his neck and held on as he straightened up, lifting me off the floor. "I'd make love to you again in a heartbeat. You'd have to pay me to fuck her again."
I grinned and kissed him again. My question still wasn't answered, not really anyway, but I'd take his response.
***
Tali: Yes this is a vastly different Bella. I like her more, not so whiny and broody.
