Author's Note: I own NONE of this. No copyright infringement is intended. I just wanted to borrow the characters and play with them.
Thank you to all of the people who have faved my story! It means more to me than you can imagine!
Chapter 11: Emerson Express
BPOV
Edward headed to his piano lesson. There was something bothering him, though he didn't mention it. Perhaps I'll bring it up if I see him tonight. I went to The Cage and got a light lunch. I pulled out my laptop and sent my mom a quick email. I also told her my new phone number. I had forgotten to do so when I had gotten my new phone. I also began outlining my educational philosophy paper for my Introduction to Education class. I had a pretty good beginning when I had to walk back to Brandon Hall.
I trudged up the stairs to Benjamin Cairo's studio. I heard Edward play a very lush piece of music. There was a bit of a fumble and I heard Edward curse. He seemed exasperated. I chuckled at his frustration. He was so much like me, it was quite humorous. Edward seemed like the type of person to run a portion of music a hundred times until it was perfect. I did the same thing. I was such a perfectionist.
Edward played a small portion of the piece, very slowly and deliberately, as to correct the mistake that he had made. I heard a clap and then the door opened up.
"Excellent work today, Edward. You really worked hard this summer and it shows," Benjamin said with a satisfied smile.
"Thanks, Benjamin. I appreciate it very much," Edward replied as he shook his hand. "I see your next lesson is here. Benjamin, this is my girlfriend, Bella Swan."
"Ah, Ms. Swan. Your reputation precedes you. You are the talk of the music department. I'm looking forward to working with you." He nodded gallantly, which didn't match his attire of a pair of jeans, sneakers, a sweater and a suit coat. It was far too formal for such a casual look.
I felt the heat creep up my cheeks.
Stupid blush. Why can't I take a compliment without turning into a tomato?
"Thank you, Professor Cairo," I replied softly.
"Please, call me Benjamin. I'm too young to be a professor," he laughed. I looked at Benjamin and he was pretty young. He was about thirty years old. His red hair was short and very curly. He had ice blue eyes that twinkled. I did feel a little weird calling him "Professor." He looked like the character 'Howdy Doody.'
I nodded my assent, looking at Edward, "You sounded wonderful. What piece were you working on?"
"Something I wrote," Edward said shyly. "It came to me last night and I wanted Benjamin's opinion."
"It sounded lovely, Edward."
"Thank you, Bella. That means a lot coming from you."
"Well, Bella. Are you ready for your lesson?" Benjamin asked.
"Not really, but let's do it," I said with a grin. "I'll see you later, baby."
"I hope so, beautiful," he replied with a sweet kiss to my temple.
Those lips should be illegal. So yummy.
Focus, Swan. Play the piano. Stop obsessing about Edward's delicious lips.
My piano lesson went smoothly. Benjamin was a very patient instructor. He seemed to understand my stubborn streak. I assume that he had to with Edward. We reviewed some scales and then we chose a piece that I would prepare for my piano jury at the end of the semester. Piano juries and vocal juries were the final exams for private piano and vocal lessons. We would perform in front a panel of instructors and they would critique and comment on your technique. We would also spend our lessons on sight reading techniques and part reading for choirs. After my piano lesson, I headed back to Patterson Hall.
When I got back to my room, Rosalie and Alice were working on homework. Rose was typing on her laptop while listening to her IPod. Alice was reading a business textbook. I strode into the room and plopped down on my bed. Alice looked up from her reading and gave me an impish grin.
She's up to something. I have a feeling.
"Are you ready to head to the mall?" I asked.
"Yep. Let me finish this page and we'll go. Is that okay with you, Rosalie?" Alice said.
Rose pulled out an ear bud and nodded. "I'm almost done with this write up for business law. Where are we going?"
"There are some really cute stores in the mall that have some nice jackets. I also want to get a new jacket as well. My jacket is so last season," Alice complained.
"Alice, you should join a twelve step program. Is there such a thing as 'shopalics anonymous?'" I asked sarcastically.
"There is never such a thing as too much shopping," Alice admonished.
"Yes, there is, Ali. You are the poster child. I'm surprised that your parents are not broke with everything you buy," Rose teased.
"Meh," Alice responded with a dismissive wave of the hand.
We piled into Alice's car, a small yellow Audi. Rose sat in the front seat and I squeezed in the back. Alice sped to the mall like it was the last mall on earth and it was closing.
"Christ, Alice! Slow down. The mall will still be there," Rose admonished. "Does Edward drive like this?"
"He has a bit of a lead foot, but nothing like Alice. I fear for my life with Alice. Edward, not so much," I teased.
"You both just suck. If I was in my right mind, I'd just leave you both at the mall and never come back," Alice said dryly.
"I could just call my boyfriend. He'd rescue us, Rose," I retorted.
"Good to know. At least one Cullen is admirable," Rosalie said with a sardonic grin.
"Are you both finished? I didn't know that it was 'National Tease Mary Alice Day," she grumbled.
Rose and I shared a look, "Mary Alice?" we said together.
"Uh, yeah. I hate the name Mary. So, when I moved in with the Cullen's and was adopted by them, I started using Alice as my first name," Alice explained.
Alice pulled into a parking spot and we headed into the mall. We stopped at every single store in that mall. Alice had a shopping addiction and Rosalie, despite her griping in the car, enabled that addiction. They both ended up with cute jackets. I also buckled and got a leather jacket, similar to the jacket that Edward lent to me, but in my size as opposed to Edward-sized. His jacket was still hanging in my closet. I didn't want to relinquish that coat. It smelled like him. When I wore it, I could almost feel his strong arms encapsulating me in a cocoon of safety.
After the great jacket search of 2010, we walked to a burger joint in the mall called Rob's Garage. We were ushered to a table in the center of the dining room. We quickly placed our orders and began talking about the first week of school.
"So, Rose, how do you like Emerson?" Alice asked.
"I like it. I like it a lot! Much better than Northwestern. It also helps that I have two awesome roommates," she said with a wide grin. "My classes are a challenge, but I expected that. How about you guys?"
"So far, so good," Alice said as she sipped her Diet Coke.
"I'm really enjoying it," I replied. "I finally feel like I fit in somewhere."
"So, Alice mentioned your sectional during University Singers today. How did you think it went?" Rose asked.
"I felt surprisingly comfortable up there leading rehearsal. Not so much when I was behind the piano," I said with a cringe.
"Bella, I was amazed. You definitely were more than just comfortable up there. You and Edward make an excellent team. I got chills from the rehearsal," Alice said. "I was very impressed."
"Thanks. Eleazar was impressed as well. I had a chat with him after rehearsal and he said that I was one of the best young musicians he worked with, if not the best. I was floored."
"You should be very proud. However, there were some of the other sopranos that were bitching about you being the section leader and not some other girl named Senna. They felt that Senna got robbed from being section leader, after it was guaranteed to her, supposedly," Alice explained. "I don't believe them. They seem like petty, spiteful bitches."
"I was afraid of that. I think Edward heard something about that after our debrief with Eleazar. He got very ruffled before his piano lesson and wouldn't really talk about it. Speaking of Edward, I was hoping…never mind."
"What, Bella?" Rose asked.
"Aw, crap! Well, my birthday is tomorrow. I can't do much tomorrow because I have rehearsal. Anyhow, Edward and I are planning on going out for my birthday on Friday evening. Would it be too much of an imposition to have the room for a few hours Friday night? As a birthday present?" I asked.
Alice and Rose shared a look. "More than happy to do so, Miss Bella!" Alice exclaimed. "Jasper is actually taking me out on a date Friday evening and we won't be back until late."
"Me too, Bella. I'm actually heading back to my parents for the weekend to pick up some things that I forgot," Rose said nodding eagerly.
"Really? Thank you so much, guys! I really didn't want to come off as being a room-hog or anything. Edward and I haven't really had any alone time since we began dating. The only times we've had to ourselves have been in a hallway or a practice room….shit!"
"Practice room?! What the hell, Bella?" Alice screamed.
"Uhhh…we kind of made out in the practice room today," I said quickly, blushing a deep crimson.
"Didn't quite get that, Bella," Rose admonished.
"Shit! After rehearsal today, Edward and I got pretty hot and heavy in his practice room. It was intense," I said. I felt my cheeks heat up.
"Damn! Who knew my brother would be an exhibitionist?" Alice wondered. I scowled at her. She just giggled.
"Well, I'm proud of you, Bella. If I was dating Edward, I'd try to get that as often as possible. He is delicious. Not my type at all, but still attractive in a music geek with sex hair kind of way," Rose said.
"What type of guy do you like, Rose?" I asked.
"Honestly, I've been kind of crushing on your brother, Bella. Emmett is one fine specimen of man," she said with stars in her eyes. She was so lost in her Emmett-induced fog that she didn't see me wrinkle my nose in disgust. My brother? Ewwww! "He seems really sweet and not to mention good looking."
I scrunched up my nose. "Emmett. My brother, Emmett. The big oafish brute that has bad gas and has the mentality of a two year old. That Emmett? Ewwwww! I think I just threw up in my mouth," I groaned.
"He can't be that bad. He's probably just horrible to you because you're his sister," Rose reasoned. "Anyhow, it's probably just a crush. I'm very hesitant to get into another relationship after Royce. I don't want to get hurt again."
"Well, Emmett may be gross, but he would never do what Royce did. He has a protective brother bear vibe going on. He'd probably kill Royce for doing that to you," I said with a sad smile. "Give him a chance. Who knows, he may be a perfect gentleman with you."
"Thanks, Bella. We'll see what happens," Rose said.
We finished our dinner and headed back to the car. When we got settled in Alice's Audi, I sent a quick text to Edward.
The room is ours on Friday! – B
Hallelujah! Oh the possibilities. Where do you want to go for your birthday dinner? – E
I really like Baci's but you know the area better than me. What do you suggest? – B
Baci's sounds good to me. – E
Am I going to see you tonight? – B
Probably not. I'm meeting with my biochem lab partner. We need to write up our lab assignment from yesterday. I'm struggling – E
Sorry, bello :( - B
It's okay, beautiful. I just can't wrap my head around biochem. ARGH! – E
I'd help if I could, but I'd be just as lost as you – B
Thanks for the offer, baby. Just texting you has given my brain a boost. See you bright and early tomorrow. Xoxo – E
Buona notte xoxo – B
Buona notte, my beautiful Bella – E
We had returned to Patterson. I had some reading I needed to get done for U.S. History before I could head to bed. I took a quick shower and settled in bed to read my chapter. I finished my U.S. History reading and decided to do some recreational reading. I pulled out my worn copy of Wuthering Heights and read until I felt my eyes droop. I closed my book and turned off my lights and went to sleep.
xx LC xx
Today's my birthday.
Crap.
I had woken up to Alice bouncing on my bed. She had wished me a happy birthday. I groaned. I really hated celebrating my birthday. I grumbled as I get ready for the day. Edward met me with my usual cup of coffee. We walked to Aural Harmony. I was very quiet. The caffeine was not cutting it this morning. We walked into our classroom and I laid my head onto Edward's shoulder. I was actually almost asleep when Larry came in with James.
James is nasty. I needs to stop undressing me with his eyes.
I was hoping that James would behave himself today with it being my birthday and all. However, it was no such luck. He was still being a smarmy bastard. I linked my arm with Edward's and tried to hide myself behind his body. Edward gave me a peculiar look. I nodded in James' direction. Edward whipped his head around and saw James staring. Edward growled, tensed his body and narrowed his eyes. I tugged on his sleeve and laid my hand on his forearm. He relaxed but he was still giving James an evil sneer. James visibly shrank back and ignored us for the rest of the class.
After Aural Harmony, Edward headed to his biochem lab. He needed to meet with his lab partner, Eric Yorkie, to combine their lab report before the class. I headed to my practice room and rehearse my material from my piano lesson on Wednesday and voice lesson on Tuesday. I spent an hour in the practice room before going back to my room for a little bit. I relished in the quiet time of the empty room. I set up my cell phone alarm and took a quick nap.
After my very refreshing snooze, I worked on my Italian homework before heading to U.S. History. I walked to my U.S. History class by way of The Cage. I picked up a cup of coffee for myself and some coffee and a bagel for Edward. When I entered the classroom, Edward was talking to Jasper. He looked very frustrated. I slunk down into the chair next to him. I put the coffee and bagel in front of him. He pulled me into a tight hug and kissed me enthusiastically.
"You read my mind, beautiful! Thank you so much," he beamed.
"You're quite welcome. Hi, Jasper," I said with a wave. "Alice told me that you two are going out on Friday. Where are you going?"
"Yeah, Jasper. Where are you going?" Edward asked coldly. I elbowed him. He shrugged, keeping his ice-cold gaze on Jasper.
"Umm, McFinnigans and then to this comedy club," Jasper sputtered. "Is that okay?"
"Jas, I'm just teasing you," Edward replied as he clapped Jasper on the shoulder. "Just act like a gentleman and try not to get into her pants and we'll be good."
"Got it," Jasper said with relief. "Is kissing okay?"
"That's entirely up to Alice," Edward laughed.
"Okay. Happy Birthday, Bella, by the way," Jasper drawled. "Are you doing anything special for your birthday?"
"Not today. Edward and I have rehearsal," I said as I rolled my eyes. A stipulation of my scholarship was my participation in two vocal ensembles. I knew I made it into University Singers. The second ensemble I had wanted to join was the women's group. However, it didn't fit in my schedule. I had to settle with Emerson Express, the school's show choir.
"Not fan of the Express, I take it," Jasper chortled.
"Not really. I'm excited to perform in any way possible. However, walking on a flat surface poses a threat to me. Dancing is definitely not much better. I did it in high school but I was always in the back," I mumbled.
"You'll be fine, beautiful. I'll try to swing it that you are my partner. It's all in the leading," Edward said confidently.
"I hope you are not attached to your toes," I replied. "Me in character shoes, sparkly dress and big poofed hair is not attractive."
"I beg to differ. We'll see how you do tonight." Edward gave me a chaste kiss and then dug into his bagel and coffee.
U.S. History was, surprise, surprise, very boring. We were told that we had an exam in two weeks. Edward, Jasper and I decided to meet up the night before for a study group. After U.S. History, Edward headed to calculus and I went to the library. I wanted to finish up my educational philosophy paper before Emerson Express. I was walking to the library and my phone shrilled from my pocket. I checked the caller ID before picking up.
"Hi, Mom," I said. "I see you got my new number."
"Yes, I did. I can't believe Jake would do that. Asshole," she grumbled.
"To what do I owe the pleasure, Renee?"
"Happy Birthday, sweetheart!"She squealed.
"Thanks, Mom," I said as I blushed.
"Are you doing anything special tonight?"
"Not really. I have rehearsal from 5 until 7, then homework. Edward and I are going out to dinner tomorrow evening," I replied.
"So, tell me about Edward. Is he cute? Is he taking good care of you? Are you being careful?" Renee gushed.
"Christ, Mom! Breathe! Edward is insanely handsome. He's about 6'2", has reddish, brown hair. It almost looks like it is a combination of bronze and copper. It's so different. He has the greenest eyes, the color of jade. He's slender, but built. Not muscle-y like Emmett. Actually, he lives with Emmett. He's a floor above me. Edward is taking great care of me. He's very attentive and extremely romantic. I also feel very safe when I'm with him.
"We are being careful. Seeing as we've only been dating for less than a week, haven't had any time to ourselves and both living in triples. The opportunity has not arisen."
"Oh, my baby girl is in love!" Renee exclaimed, but there was a hardness in her voice.
"I think I am. I'm afraid to say it to him, though. I don't want to scare him off. I never felt this way before. When we touch, it's like my skin erupts in a million tingles. My body turns into a livewire. It's amazing! He's also a musician. He's in a band, Breaking Midnight. He's also in University Singers, Emerson Express and we're in music theory and aural harmony together."
"I'm so happy for you, Bella!"
"Me too, Mom. Anyhow, I got to go. I have to finish writing a paper before rehearsal tonight. I love you and I'll call you this weekend," I said.
"I love you, too. Happy Birthday!"
I ended the call and went into the library. I shook my head at my mom. When I lived with her, I was the parent. I took care of her. I cooked. I cleaned. I balanced the checkbook. If I didn't, then we would have starved, lived in a pigsty and the bills would never have gotten paid. She was fun, though.
I settled into a study cube and pulled out my laptop and continued working on my educational philosophy paper. I had a good start to it from yesterday. I worked on it for a few hours before my stomach made its presence known. I pulled out a granola bar and munched on it as I edited my paper. I saved it to my flash drive and logged into a computer in the computer lab. I printed out my paper and put it into my bag. I checked the time and dashed to Brandon.
As I walking past one of the academic building I slammed into some poor, unsuspecting soul. I fell on my ass and set my bag flying. I heard a velvety chuckle. I looked up through my lashes and saw Edward trying to contain his laughter.
"That's okay. I'm on the ground on my ass with my shit sprawled everywhere. Laugh. I'm glad you find my clumsiness humorous," I snapped, glowering at him.
He reached down with his hand and pulled me up. He crouched down and picked up my messenger bag and the various items that fell out of the pockets. I dusted off the dirt off my ass and inspected myself for any injuries. My right wrist was a bit sore, but no big deal.
"Sorry, Bella. You really weren't kidding when moving on a smooth, flat surface," he snorted.
I narrowed my eyes and held out my hand for my bag. He shook his head as he brought it over his head and laced his fingers through mine. We walked to Brandon together.
"Are you okay, Bella? That was a nasty fall," he said with concern in his eyes.
"I'm fine. My butt is a little sore and I broke my fall with my wrist. It's nothing that I haven't dealt with before. When you are clumsy like me, being bruised and gimpy is par for the course. I'm thinking I should make t-shirts that say 'SuperGimp,'" I replied.
"You make 'em, I'll buy one. Because, you're my gimp," Edward replied with a kiss to my forehead. "Are you going to be alright for Express? We'll probably be dancing today. Typically, we learn a song and then choreography for the song."
"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me," I pressed.
"I'll always worry about you, Isabella. I lo…I want to make sure you're safe."
Whoa! Did he almost say that he loved me? Holy Crow!
"I'm perfectly fine," I whispered.
He nodded and we entered the doors that led us to the stage. Emerson Express was a small ensemble of thirty-two singers. There were eight singers on each vocal part. We walked up the aisle to the stairs to allow us access to the stage. There were a few singers that I recognized from University Singers. Tyler Crowley, Tia and Senna stuck out immediately. I also recognized another tenor, Mike Newton and another bass, Ben Cheney. They were all talking in small clumps on the stage. There was a small combo of instrumentalists on the stage as well. There was a keyboardist, drummer, guitar, bass and a few horns. They appeared to be tuning their instruments. We dropped our bags in the seats in the auditorium and climbed the stairs to the stage.
As we got on stage, the director of the show choir, a very tall and very gay man named Felix, strode over to the combo and gave them some music. He passed out the music to us. "River Deep, Mountain High."
Awesome song!
"Good evening ladies and gentleman. I hope you had a great summer. I know I did. I married my partner, Demetri, and I couldn't be happier. However, that will not prevent me from riding your asses to make people smile with our cavity-inducing sweetness that is Emerson Express. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Felix. I am God in the world of Emerson Express. I choreograph. I arrange your parts. I make all of the decisions for this group. You are merely my minions. However, we will have fun, damn it! We work hard and we play hard too! We do have a couple overnight performances. You'll get the schedule of performances at our next rehearsal. However, for now, I want to warm you up, learn this music, take a brief break and learn the choreography," Felix barked.
We did a quick vocal warm up. We then sight read through the piece of music. It was pretty straight forward. There was some difficult chords, but with some rote learning, we got them down. After about forty-five minutes, Felix gave us a break. He told us to put on some comfortable clothes, if we had them. If not, be prepared to sweat next time. After our break, Felix put us into an opening formation. I was paired up with Mike Newton. He looked absolutely giddy. Edward was with Senna. She appeared to be yelling at him as they were working through the opening steps. I didn't pay that much attention as I was struggling with the choreography. Mike got his toes stepped on several times.
"Sorry, Mike. I'm a bit of a klutz," I mumbled.
"It's no big deal, Isabella. I don't mind my toes getting stepped on by you," he said as he fluttered his eyes at me.
Are you kidding me?
"It's Bella," I corrected.
"Right, Bella. Did you know that Bella means 'beautiful,' in Italian?" he flirted. "I'm in my second year of Italian. I could teach you some phrases."
"That's okay, Mike. I'm in Italian right now as well. I'm good," I answered curtly.
"Perhaps I can tutor you," he pressed.
Will he get a clue? NOT INTERESTED!
"I really need to pay attention to Felix, Mike. I'm struggling and you're not really helping," I explained.
"Fine," he said with a resigned sigh.
We learned the opening section of the song and then Felix moved us to a new formation. I was paired up with Edward. I was happy. When we got to the new formation, I took my spot next to him. He seemed distant and a bit pissed off.
"Is everything okay, Edward?" I asked quietly.
"Not really. I'll tell you after rehearsal. I should have told you yesterday, but I didn't get a chance. I'm sorry," he apologized.
"Why are you apologizing? You haven't done anything," I reasoned.
"I'm just apologizing for the situation, that's all. I saw Mike drooling all over you," Edward said with a pointed look.
"Uh, yeah. Ew. He would not take a hint," I said with a small shudder. "Besides, why would he flirting with me? That girl, Jessica appears to have the hots for him."
"When will you see yourself clearly, Bella? You're gorgeous. I'm holding onto my control by a paper-thin line. All I want to do with you is pull you into a dark corner and have my wicked way with you," he said with eyes darkened with lust.
"What's stopping you?" I responded seductively.
"That tall, gay man, Felix and his penchant for jazz spirit fingers. I really can't wait until tomorrow, Isabella," he whispered in my ear. His breath caused me goose bumps and gave me tingles. "We better pay attention. I saw you stumbling over with Mike. I'm not helping you right now by distracting you."
"I'd rather be distracted by you than do this," I muttered.
"Me too, baby."
Edward was a very patient partner. I actually learned the choreography with him much faster than the first part. We learned two more formations before the end of rehearsal. I was paired up with Ben and thankfully ended up with Edward. At the end of the piece, Edward and I were placed into an intricate lift. I was hesitant to do it. Knowing my luck, I'd miss a hand-hold and cause Edward to injure himself. Edward actually knew the lift and easily hefted me into it. I was placed on his shoulder and cradled by his arm. I balanced myself by holding onto the opposite shoulder and raised my other arm above my head. Felix reasoned that I was tiny, Edward could do it easily. He did. We ran the piece three times before the end of the rehearsal. I was actually pretty comfortable with the choreography. My only concern was the lift at the end and Edward did it every time perfectly.
"Fabulous rehearsal, Express! There are a few rough spots in the choreography but I'll fix those before next Thursday. You'll also get your performance schedule and will be measured for your costumes. Guys, you're pretty easy. Tuxedos with vests, no bow ties, though. We're using ties this year. It'll look much sharper. Ladies, your dresses are purple with iridescent sequins and flesh toned character shoes. They are so adorable. You will need to get your own spankies, though. I have a store in town that is ordering them for me. I'll let you know when they are in," Felix said enthusiastically. "See you next week, Express."
Edward and I went to retrieve our bags. He picked up my fleece and held it up for me to put on. He put on his jacket and laced our fingers.
"Hey Cullen! We're heading to The Cage for some dinner. You wanna come?" Ben Cheney asked.
Edward looked at me. I gave him a sleepy smile. I was actually exhausted from the rehearsal. The choreography that Felix gave us was much more intricate than the dances we performed in my show choir in high school. I could already feel my legs, arms and stomach muscles get tight. I needed to head back to my dorm room and stretch.
Edward brushed my hair behind my ear. "No, thanks, Cheney. It's my girl's birthday and I want to spend some quality time with her. I'm also starting to get tight from all of the moving around. I'm just going to head back to my room," he replied.
"Who's your girlfriend?" Ben asked, scratching his head.
Edward answered the question to Ben's question by kissing me. Ben chuckled. "Happy Birthday, Bella. Have fun. See you both later."
Edward's phone rang as we were heading back to Patterson. He picked up, "What's up, Whitlock?"
He and Jasper spoke for a few minutes before turning to me. He had a sparkle in his eye.
"What are you up to, Cullen?" I asked.
"Jasper is down by Alice and Emmett is doing some athletic training thing with the football guys. We have some time in my room to hang out before we're invaded. I can give my beautiful girlfriend her birthday present," he said with an impish grin.
"Edward," I whined, "You got me the phone. I don't need anything else."
"Who said I bought you anything," he replied with a suggestive wiggle to his brows.
Oh…OH! Alone time with Edward. What a perfect present!
I slowly smiled in understanding and we both starting walking a bit more quickly back to Patterson. We reached it in no time at all. We climbed the stairs to the third floor. Edward led me down to his dorm room. He unlocked the door and led me inside. His dorm room was the same layout as mine. The beds were arranged differently, but it was the same room. Edward slipped my messenger bag off of my shoulders and led me to his bed. I took off my jacket and put it on his desk chair. Edward did the same.
"Sit," Edward commanded as he pointed to the bed. I looked at him confusedly. He moved me to the bed and lightly pushed me onto his bed. He sat behind me and began massaging my shoulders.
Oh, that feels SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good! Can you follow me around and do that forever? Please?
"We should stretch out after rehearsal. However as I was lifting you, I could feel how tense you were and you need this. You need to relax as I lift you. It'll make it easier for both of us," he explained.
"When you're done, in an hour or so, I'll massage your shoulders," I teased.
"An hour? Are you kidding me? I have strong fingers, but I don't think I can last an hour, Bella," Edward whined, laughing slightly.
"I was kidding. Jeez. Relax," I said as I rolled my head, causing my neck to crack.
"Holy crap, Bella. You should see a chiropractor," Edward admonished.
"I'll put it on my to-do list. Can you rub in between my shoulder blades? Please?"
He traveled down my back to in between my shoulder blades and massaged there. His fingers were very strong and got out all of the knots as he worked over my back. He began lightly scratching my back after the massage. It felt so good. I was slowly turning into a puddle of goo. He rested his hands on the top of my shoulders and put his chin on top of one his hands.
"I know it's your birthday and all, but can you return the favor?" he asked as some hair flopped onto his forehead. I ruffled his hair and nodded.
"You had to lift my fat ass. It's the least I can do," I replied.
"Seriously, Bella? You weigh like nothing. It was more the usage of muscles that I don't normally use," he retorted.
"Whatever. Switch with me," I said as I stood up. He scooted forward on the bed and I sat behind him on my knees. I began massaging his shoulders and his head rolled forward.
"Damn. That feels amazing. Can you do that forever?" Edward sighed.
I chuckled, "I was thinking the same thing when you were rubbing my shoulders."
I continued massaging Edward's back and shoulders. I also did some light scratching. He leaned into my touch and almost purred. "God, Bella. Talk about magical fingers."
I finished my massage for Edward and leaned back on his pillows. He turned his body so he was facing me. "So what was Senna saying about me?" I asked bluntly.
"You saw that? Shit," he responded as he ran his hand through his hair. "She pretty much gave me an earful about how much she hated you and that you took her job."
I looked down to my hands which were folded in my lap. I knew that being such a young section leader would cause ripples. I didn't realize how many. "Alice warned me about Senna. I kind of knew she was going to go bat-shit crazy. I'm just having a hard time not taking it personally."
"You shouldn't. She's jealous. Tia's jealous. They're all jealous. Fuck 'em," Edward stated simply.
"Easier said than done, Edward. However, I'll try," I responded quietly.
Edward lay down on his pillows and pulled me to his chest. I snuggled against his muscular torso. I could still smell his cologne and something that was pure Edward. He lightly scratched my back. As we were lying there, I could feel my eyelids become droopy. I wrapped my arm around his waist and burrowed myself closer to Edward. I looked at the clock before closing my eyes. It was eight.
"CULLEN! WHY IS MY SISTER IN YOUR BED?" Emmett screamed.
I jumped a foot and actually fell out of the bed. "Ow! Shit!" I bellowed.
Edward scrambled up and helped me off the floor. He looked confused and half-asleep. "Christ, Em. We fell asleep after Express rehearsal. Are you okay, Bella?"
"No," I grumbled. I walked over to my brother and smacked him upside the head and hit him a few times on his arms and elbowed him in the stomach. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was a little after eleven.
"What the fuck, Bella?" he boomed.
"Now, I'm better," I said as I went back to Edward's bed and curled back up on the pillows.
I heard a bit of scuffling. The door opened and I could hear Emmett yell at Edward in the hallway. I didn't really hear Edward come back in as I think I fell back asleep. I felt him get in the bed behind me and pulled me to his chest and spooned with me.
"Beautiful, as much as I want to spend the entire night cuddling with you, you need to go to your room. Emmett is ready to feed me my balls, covered in chocolate sauce. I've never seen him so pissed," Edward said as he brushed my hair off of my face. He kissed along my jaw and nibbled on my ear.
"Don't wanna. Too tired to move," I mumbled. "I slept the best ever when I was with you."
"Me too, beautiful. I think I lasted about five minutes before I zonked out. Seriously, Emmett gave me ten minutes to get up and down to your room before he would turn me into a human pretzel," Edward complained.
"Ugh, fine," I snorted. Edward got up and helped me. He gently cradled my face in his hands. He brought his features up into a crooked grin. "What?"
"I'm getting my sexy librarian tomorrow," he said.
"How red are they?" I groaned.
"Pretty red. As beautiful as your eyes are, I don't want them to be damaged. Wear your glasses tomorrow."
"Yes, dear," I said with a roll of the eyes.
"Come on, lovebirds! I need to go to bed!" Emmett yelled through the door.
"For the love all that's holy, Emmett! I'm trying to say good night to my beautiful girlfriend," Edward yelled back.
"Your girlfriend is my sister, Cullen. She ain't that beautiful," Emmett replied.
Edward growled and scowled at the closed door. "You suck, Em!" I screamed, pissed off at his hurtful words.
"Love you, Isabelly," he chuckled.
"Can we kill him and dump him in Lake Erie?" I asked, pouting slightly.
"My trunk is big enough," Edward laughed. "Sleep. Bed."
I turned to his bed. He grabbed my hand, "YOUR BED. As tempting as that is, you need to go to your bed," Edward chided.
"So responsible. Good night, baby." I said with a kiss.
"Good night, my beautiful girl," he replied against my lips. His tongue slipped through and danced languidly with mine. He pulled my bottom lip with his teeth and groaned. "Bed."
"See you in the morning, Edward," I said as I walked to the door to get my bag. I opened the door and saw Emmett waiting by it. I smacked him a few times and gave him a pointed glare. Emmett gave me a wave. I flipped him the bird and went down to my room. I took a quick shower and got into my cold bed. My phone chirped from my desk.
My bed is lonely without you, beautiful. Wish you were here – E
Me too, baby. Me too – B
A/N: Aren't they so stinking adorable? I so want my very own Edward to curl up with. Le sigh…Anyhow, a picture of the show choir dresses are on my blog (link in my profile). Find me on Facebook: Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation or on Twitter: tufano79. Leave me some lovin!
