Happy Monday!
This is mostly fluff to thank y'all for reading and reviewing and what not.
Also, I figured you could use something nice before shit gets real next time. Remember that tragedy mention in the summary? Yeah, that's coming up. I told you not to get comfortable.
If you watched the show you know what I'm talking about I bet.
I'm thankful for you.
Beta-ed by Stratan who is awesome.
BPOV
"I'm hungry," Edward mumbles into my neck. I let out a groan and attempt to hold him. I want him to stay just where he is. This morning with him has been so wonderful, I don't want to leave.
"I'd rather starve than get out of this bed," I reply.
Edward chuckles in my ear, but cuddles back in to my neck and hugs me closer. I sigh in contentment and run my fingers through his hair.
His tummy rumbles, disturbing our peace. We both laugh at the sound.
"Five more minutes," I say, on the verge of dozing again.
"Two more minutes," he counters, sounding just as sleepy as I do.
I open my mouth to argue, but don't get anything out before someone starts violently pounding on Edward's door.
"Edward!" I wince at the sound of Rosalie's shrill voice. "Come eat something. You've been moping in your room long enough. Time to greet the day!"
She continues to pound, and Edward lifts his head to look at me.
"I don't think she's gonna just leave," he whispers, grinning because he knows he's about to be fed.
I sigh heavily, knowing he's right, before getting out of bed. Grumbling to myself all the while, I locate my panties, my white halter from last night, and a pair of running shorts I must have left here over the summer.
"Edward!" Rose screeches again.
I wince as I open the door.
"Calm down, Rosalie Hale," I tell her, amused by her completely dumbfounded look. "You're loud enough to wake the dead."
"You have feathers in your hair," Rose says when she recovers, reaching out to pull them out of my hair with a little too much force.
"How?" I ask, looking over my shoulder to Edward.
"Shit happens," he says with a shrug and a smirk.
"Ew," replies Rose, sounding like a little kid.
I let out a big sigh, shaking my head at Edward. But he looks so damn cute, smirking at me with his shirt off and his hair all tousled from my fingers, I can't help but grin back.
"Oh my God," Rose continues. "You two make me want to puke."
"Can we help you, Rosalie Lillian?" I huff, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Nope. Unless you have any desire to help me cook lunch?" She waggles her eyebrows, and I giggle before looking back at Edward. He nods enthusiastically.
"Okay. But let's make it brunch. I want eggs," I say, following Rose into the kitchen.
"Brunch it is."
"So what's all this?" Rosalie says, gesturing between Edward and I as we all sit around the coffee table in the family room and eat.
The boys don't have a kitchen table. I pointed this out over the summer and both Cullen boys stared at me like I was nuts.
"You two gettin' it on again? Nice." Em says, smirking at me. Rose gives him a high five, and I hide my blushing face in Edward shoulder.
"Watch it," Edward says, his voice low and authoritative. He doesn't even look up from shoving food in his mouth.
"You're seriously not gonna give us anything?" Rose demands, abandoning her meal in favor of scowling at me. "How did this happen? Also when? Ed and I got back here at close to three this morning."
"I was here when you got back," I mumble into Edward's arm, still blushing too much to actually look at either of them. I know that they know what we did this morning, and it is just so painfully embarrassing.
"Oh really?" Emmett says. I don't look at him but I can hear the smirk in his voice. Those Cullen boys and their crooked smiles.
"Watch it," Edward says again.
"How did you get here?" Rose pushes. "I don't think your ride home last night would have been so willing to just leave you here."
"We broke up, Rosalie," I say finally. "Happy?"
Rose and Emmett start clapping. I lift my head to gape at them. Rosalie genuinely surprises me. I thought she was all for Jasper and I. Maybe she just doesn't want to be the only one secretly dating a Cullen.
"Well, good for you two," Rose continues, going back to her meal. I hand my plate to Edward because I'm full and he never is. "Shall I assume that this is gonna stay between the four of us?"
"For now," I murmur, smiling shyly at Edward. He smiles back before dropping a kiss on my bare shoulder. His lips linger as he stares up at me, and I push his hair back off this forehead.
"Aw, aren't they cute?" asks Emmett.
"They make me want to puke," says Rosalie, repeating her earlier sentiment.
"Goddamn, woman," Emmett replies. "Could you try to be a girl for like ten seconds?"
"You were sure singin' a different tune last night, doll," Rose shoots back.
"Don't call me 'doll', babe."
"Don't call me 'babe', doll."
Edward pulls me up with him from the couch as the pair continues to bicker.
"What about the dishes?" I ask, glancing back at the annoyingly messy kitchen and TV area as he drags me along by the hand.
"Later," he says, pulling me into his room, closing his door, and pushing me up against it. I giggle as he touches me all over, lifting me off my feet slightly as he grinds into me.
"Edward Cullen!" I say, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and grinning madly. "You are incorrigible this morning!"
"Course I am." His words are muffled against the side of my neck. His lips graze that spot, making my eyes roll back in my head. "You love me."
I smile and sigh because he loves me too.
He hitches my legs around his waist, pushing me up against the door so my head is above his. I like this both because I can touch his hair – a part of him I'm quickly becoming obsessed with – and because his lips find my chest.
I groan softly because he is hard between my legs.
Not pleased with the amount of my skin he is touching, I wiggle out of my halter, and am pleased when his lips wrap around my nipple before the shirt even hit the ground. I whimper and let my eyes drift closed.
Suddenly his movements slow and then stop. I lift my head from the door to blink down at him in confusion. His forehead rests against my collarbone, and I touch his face so he'll look at me.
"What's wrong?" I murmur, unable to read the intense look in his eyes.
"You are mine," he replies beseechingly. "Right?"
"Yeah," I say with a slight smile. "As long as your mine, too?"
He nods quickly and kisses me again, slower, more intensely this time. Securing my legs around his waist, he moves us away from his door and places me gently on his mattress. I sit up on my elbows, watching somewhat dazzled as he pulls off his t-shirt. I reach out to run a hand over the counters of his stomach as he slips out of his shorts and then pulls me out of mine.
I lay there, all exposed but not even feeling embarrassed about it, as he lingers at the foot of the bed. He touches me and I sigh. He places a kiss on my hipbone and then my inner thigh, and my eyes flutter closed.
But then he kisses me there, and I yelp, trying to close my legs to keep him away. My face turns bright red and I can't even form words.
"Bella?" Edward asks, his head popping up to look at me. He has an amused little smirk on his face and suddenly my embarrassment at my reaction overcomes my embarrassment at what he just did.
I shouldn't be so scandalized. It's not like I haven't heard the girls talk about this before. Rose – as is usual – is way too graphic about it, claiming it's her favorite thing in the entire world.
"Do you not like this?" he asks, continuing to look at me in mild concern.
I just shrug my shoulders.
"You don't know if you like it," he continues, letting his chin rest on my raised knee and running a hand up and down my leg.
It feels good.
And I can imagine it; how his mouth would feel there. Just picturing it makes me feel all wiggly, and I try to alleviate some of the tension by rubbing my legs together, but Edward cruelly keeps them apart. I bite my lip and scowl at him.
"My best friend is such a fuckin' moron," Edward mumbles, shaking his head. I wince at the mention of Jasper at a time like this but decide to ignore it. He again looks me in the eye, and says, "Bella, trust me."
I give him one little nod before lying down fully on the bed. If I look at him with his mouth on me like that, I will surely die of embarrassment.
With his hands on my lips, Edward pulls my body down to the edge of the bed, causing me to giggle a little at the abrupt motion.
But then his mouth is on me, and I can't seem to find any reason to laugh anymore because this feels so good. The man I love is making me feel so good.
He does magic things, and I clutch at his hair as my stomach quivers and my toes curl.
Edward lets out a low moan against me, and it proves to be my undoing.
He climbs up my body as I slowly drift back down to earth. I let out giggles between my labored breaths, smiling so widely because he is so amazing.
"You're amazing," he murmurs, his hot breath tickling my ear.
I laugh again because I was just thinking the same thing about him.
I try to tell him but I can't seem to find the words.
He pushes into me then, and words become irrelevant.
"What are we doin' today?" I ask, blinking up at Edward as I rest with my chin on his chest.
"I thought we were doin' it," he replies, giving my butt a playful little whack. I try to scowl at him but just end up giggling because he is such a failure at pulling off an innocent face.
Edward's fingertips trace my spine, and I let myself drift for a moment.
"We can't stay in here all day," I murmur eventually.
"Sure we can."
"Edward," I say with a huff as I sit up. "Let's go somewhere. What do you do by yourself? Just for fun? Something I don't know about you."
He lets out a big old sigh. "Fine. Alright. Whatever you say."
He drags himself out of bed, scratching his head and stretching his arms above his head.
"Where're we going?" I ask, a little bemused by his speedy departure.
"The shower," he asks hopefully. "And then a surprise. Wanna join me?"
"Yes," I reply, beaming up at him as I continue to lounge all wrapped up in his sheets. "But I should really call my mom."
"You're no fun," he mutters, grabbing a towel and walking across the hall to the bathroom.
I roll my eyes at him because I've lost count of the number of times we did it this morning. No fun indeed.
I let myself enjoy my dreamy little bubble for another moment before locating my cell. Calling my mother is letting a little reality in. I know it will be worse come Monday at school when we'll have to pretend, but this weekend I'm reserving just for us.
Which is why I have to call my mom. If she sends the police to find me, it would really put a damper on my Edward time.
"Isabella," my mom snaps. I wince because I can tell by her tone that she has discovered I didn't come home last night.
"Hey, Mom."
"By the state of your bed, I can tell you didn't sleep in it," she says.
"Yeah… I ended up at Rosalie's," I lie, feeling guilty. My mother will totally lose it when she finds out about Edward. And she's already going to be freaking out plenty when I tell her about Jasper.
"That's what I told Jasper when he showed up looking for you this morning."
And the bubble has officially popped. I sit straight up in bed, praying that I'll be able to keep my voice steady.
"Mom, Jazz and I broke up last night," I say, bracing myself for her reaction.
"Well, it's a good thing he's headed over to Rose's place," my mom says, sounding completely unbothered. "You'll talk and clear that foolishness right up."
Good grief. Why does no one take me seriously? I swear, Mom and Jazz should just get together. They would probably live happily ever after just never hearing a word the other one said.
"It's not like that, Mom," I reply, trying not to grind my teeth together. "We're really over."
"Whatever you say, doll," she says dismissively. "I know how you teens are, breaking up every two seconds. One day we'll laugh at this little bump in the road at your wedding."
"Right…" My mother is insane. No doubt about it. Woman seriously needs to remove her rose colored glasses. "Anyway, I'm pretty broken up about it so I'm just going to stay with Rose today. I'll probably just end up spending the night here."
"Okay, honey," she says amicably. "Will your father and I be seeing you at church?"
Her question makes my tummy hurt. They both seem perfectly happy to just pretend like nothing happened, going back to the scene of the incident to worship with the people that shunned us every Sunday until my dad bought their forgiveness.
I just don't get the people that birthed me.
"Nope, but I'll be home for dinner tomorrow," I assure her. My phone beeps, indicating I have another call. "Hey, Mom? My phone is beeping. I've got to go."
I hustle her off the phone and switch calls. Before he speaks, I have a pretty good idea who it is, but I figure I just need to rip off this particular band aid.
"Hey, Jazz," I say with a resigned sigh.
"Where are you?" he demands without preamble.
"Jasper, why are you calling me?" Lord, give me patience.
"We're not over, Bella," he says. "I don't like the way our last conversation played out. Why is no one answering Rosalie's door?"
"Because no one is at Rosalie's," I tell him. "We're out."
Technically it's not a lie. Rose is around here somewhere.
"Out where?"
"Aw hell, Jasper," I say, groaning in frustration. "I'm not telling you where I am. I don't want to see you."
He's silent for a moment, and I think that maybe he finally gets it.
"We have to talk, Bella," he murmurs. My heart hurts because of his tone. When he is all in my face, I forget that I've hurt him, that I'm probably still hurting him. There is a lot about our break up that he doesn't understand, and there is no way I'm gonna tell him about Edward yet, but I do owe him a conversation.
"Okay. You're probably right about that. But I'm not going to change my mind. And I need a couple days," I tell him.
I'm giving myself until Monday to ignore reality as much as possible. It is all Edward for the next two days.
"Sure thing, Bells," he says, sounding like his old, chipper self again. It probably means that he doesn't believe me when I say I won't change my mind. "I'll talk to you soon. I love you."
And with that he hangs up.
With a frustrated growl I flop face first into the comforter, pounding my fists on the mattress a little.
"Shit, woman." Edward sneaks up on me, and I jerk up to look at him, embarrassed to be caught throwing a little hissy fit. He has a towel wrapped around his hip while he roughly dries his hair with another. "I was only gone for ten minutes. I know you hate to be away from me, but there's no need to get violent."
Before I can answer, Edward's phone rings. He kicks around a few pairs of pants before he pulls it out of a pocket. He winces when he sees who's calling.
"It's Jasper," I say, wishing things could be simpler. "Isn't it?"
Edward nods, hits a button, and discards the phone. He sits on the edge of the mattress shoulders slumped. He looks so dejected I move to wrap my body around him from behind to provide a little comfort. He holds my hand against his chest.
"This is gonna be real hard for you, isn't it?" I murmur. "He's gonna want to talk about me. How do you comfort him and love me all at once?"
Edward doesn't say anything but he doesn't really have too. He isn't a big talker, especially about stuff like this. It's a miracle I got as much out of him as I did this morning.
He's loved me forever. How crazy wonderful is that?
"For today," I continue, placing a kiss between his shoulder blades. He relaxes a little and runs his thumb over my knuckles. "And tomorrow, there is just you and me. You don't have a best friend, and I don't have insane parents. There is no Dillon or gossip or high school. Two days of just us."
"Sounds perfect," he says, looking over his shoulder to grin at me. "Get dressed. We've got places to be."
"I'm really worried here, Edward," I say as we cruise down the highway with the windows down. My hair flies around my head, getting in my mouth, so I gather it in my hand as I sputter.
"You worry too much, Swan," Edward replies, shooting me a lazy smile. I return the look because he is just so totally in his environment at the wheel of his pickup with his plaid and his jeans and his aviators.
"I have no idea where we are going," I say, listing all the things I have to worry about. "There is a case of beer in the cooler and a set of golf clubs in the back. This is highly concerning stuff."
He just shakes his head and pushes his hand up my thigh. I lay my head against his shoulder and close my eyes, trying to hold on to the feeling of absolute contentment.
We drive for a while longer before turning on to a dirt road. Edward parks not long after at the bottom of a hill. He hands me a thick blanket and he takes the beer and the clubs. It only takes up about ten minutes to hike to the top of the grassy hill. It flattens out on the top before abruptly dropping off into a cliff. It's not tall, only about twenty feet to the bottom before it flattens out again into the Texas prairie. Directly below is an old dirt creek bed.
And the view is pretty awesome. It is just flat nothing, all the way to the horizon. I never thought Texas was particularly beautiful, but this spot is prefect and breathtaking.
"You love it," Edward murmurs.
"I love it," I reply with a nod. "How did you find this place?"
Edward just shrugs before setting down his load and taking the blanket out to spread in out on a particularly flat patch of grass.
"You are just full of surprises, Cullen," I muse, shaking my head and smile at him. Because it's the truth. I'm coming to understand that Edward has been hiding big chunks of himself. He's not only my carefree, laid back, trouble making friend. I didn't realize until this summer how private he really is, how difficult it is to get to know him.
My Edward, nature lover. Who'd of thought it?
"You like pretty places. You sure know this area, huh?"
"Yeah, well," he says, looking slightly embarrassed as he sits on the blanket and pops the tab on a can of beer. "Texas forever."
I join him on the blanket, grabbing my own beer. We watch the sun slowly move towards the horizon. It's not long before Edward finishes his beer and gets up. I watch him, thinkin' he's gonna grab another, but instead he carefully selects a golf club.
"What are you doin'?" I ask.
"Golfing," he replies as if it should be obvious.
"Golfing," I repeat, still skeptical.
He sets the beer can down, spends more time than seems necessary lining up his shot and swinging away. Shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand, he nods before getting another beer and sitting next to me.
"Golf," he says with a shrug when I stare at him.
"You're just going to litter up that nice field?"
"Stop that tree-huggin' crap," he says, teasing me. "You sound just like Rose. There is no way you can sit there and tell me that you don't want to see if you can whack your beer can farther than my beer can."
I get oddly competitive about weird things. Edward knows this. Even though I have no chance of out driving Mr. Football over here, I just have to try.
"But the littering…" I protest even as I take a long swig of beer, almost finishing off my drink.
"Isabella," he scolds. "Do you see a single beer can in that field? I've obviously packed out what I packed in. Although I must say, drunkenly searching for cans in the dark can be a real bitch so hurry up and take your shot before the sun goes down."
I grin at him, kiss his cheek, and finish my beer before selecting my own club. The bottom part of it is bigger than Edward's. This seems like a good idea. I mimic Edward's earlier motions, carefully setting down the can and gripping the club. The sun glints off Edward's can and it doesn't seem that far.
I swing big and totally miss.
Edward tries to hold back a laugh and totally fails. I stomp my foot and glare at him.
"I've never ever done this before," I rant, getting all huffy with him. He shoots me a lazy grin before standing. He reaches out for my hips, but I bat him away, still obscenely annoyed with him.
"You're just the single most adorable thing I've even seen," he says, getting as close to me as he can without actually touching me. I look up at those startling green eyes and shiver, feeling hot and cold at the same time.
I don't know how anyone can manage to be so irritating and compelling at the same time.
"See, somehow when you say that it doesn't sound like a compliment," I mutter, crossing my arms over my chest and letting him pull me closer with his hands on my hips now.
"That's where you're wrong," Edward replies, smiling the soft smile reserved just for me. "But if you want me to see you as a badass golfer rather than the most adorable thing in the world, than a fuck-awesome golfer you shall be."
"Edward," I chide for his language.
"Come on," he says, hanging me another full can. "Drink up."
I do as he says.
He takes the next shot, talking me the whole time about handgrip, feet placement, and weight distribution. I don't really listen because he looks so unbearably hot standing there on the edge of the small ridge and the sun shining behind him.
When I finish my beer, Edward pulls me up to stand with my back pressed to his front. One hand on my hip, the other against my rib cage, he whispers all the things I should do in my ear.
It is all very, very distracting, but I get it a little farther than my first one. Nowhere near Edward's two, though.
By the time the sun is dipping passed the horizon, I'm really drunk. In my crazed obsession to beat Edward, I ended up drinking much more than him. Around beer four I tried pouring it out on the ground but Edward looked so appalled I decided drinking was the best option.
"No more," he says, plucking the can out of my hand just as I get it out of the cooler.
"But that one was close!" I sway and try to focus as I attempt to grab it back. I lunge for it, trip over my own two feet, and land with my cheek against Edward's chest.
Oh, that's nice.
All hard and warm and sexy.
I grab his butt and he actually squawks in surprise. I find it highly amusing that I've managed to surprise a done-it-all dude like Edward.
"You're so pretty," I slur, smiling up at him as I let him hold me up. Suddenly feeling up Edward is much more appealing than beating him.
"You're so drunk," he replies with a chuckle.
"Whose fault is that?" I remind him, really not too upset about it.
"I didn't know I'd tapped in to some scary competitive vein of yours," he says.
"Liar." He totally knew about must-win Bella.
He chuckles and kisses me. Before I can really figure out how to make my lips respond to him, he pulls away. I pout and huff.
"I've gotta go pick up," he says, tucking my hair behind both my ears. "And then we'll get home. Okay?"
"Okay," I say, beaming at him. "I want to help."
"Bella, you don't even seem like you can stand on your own," he points out.
I push him away and stand there on my own, clearly demonstrating my amazing ability to not fall over myself.
"Fine," he says, grabbing my hand. "But you keep your eyes right on the path and don't you let go of this hand."
He waves our combined hands in my face.
I blink at him, confused by this statement.
"Why would I ever let go of this hand?" I ask.
He smiles, kisses my forehead, grabs a back trash bag, and off we go.
It's fully dark as we drive home. I'm basically lying in Edward's lap, studying his jaw from this angel. He's pretty from this angle. He's pretty from all angles.
"You know," I babble because I'm feeling like a chatty drunk tonight. "You're so fun."
He chuckles, slipping his hand under the edge of my t-shirt. It's actually his t-shirt. I didn't want to go home and a perfectly placed knot makes it so it's not down to my knees. Plus, I like wearing Edward's clothes. Mostly because I can tell he likes me in them.
"I don't know why you're laughin'," I continue when he doesn't reply with actual words. "I'm real serious."
"I know, baby," he says, the endearment making me all warm and fuzzy inside.
"You are the most fun. I've never had fun like I have fun with you. Like this morning," I say, lifting my head a little to kiss his elbow because it is the closest thing I can see to kiss. "And today. It was so simple, and so fun. Although, I think we could probably have fun doing nothing at all because we know each other and love each other."
I haven't really spent a lot of time thinking about this, but it's the truth. There is really something to be said for falling for your best friend.
"Can we go to church tomorrow?" I murmur, my eyes getting heavy. Edward caresses my hip, and I drift off.
He replies but I don't really hear him. It doesn't matter. I know the answer anyway.
This love bubble is warm and safe, so I don't let myself think about Monday.
Thoughts?
