Disclaimer: I wrote this story. But Stephenie Meyer came up with the characters in the first place, which is why she has a big old place in the desert and I have to open my kitchen cupboards really carefully in case they fall off.
A million thanks to my beta-mum xoEMC and my pre-reader mum JAustenlover for their hard work.
This chapter is dedicated to my daughter, who has written in her holiday diary that she "woke up and had a hobnob for breakfast" at her grandparents' house, and with love and healing vibes for Allyinperth and for Lemonamour, who continues to amaze everyone with her tenacity.
~o0o~
Say Hello, Wave Goodbye Chapter 10
(Sun, sea and Smurfs)
~o0o~
From the Wavesfanslondon website: Dateline September 15 - One more week to wait! Things are coming to an end on the Waves 2 set in Italy. Our sources say there's only a couple of days left in Bella Italia for the cast before they head to London for another six weeks of filming. And if the shots we've seen taken at Mount Vesuvius are anything to go by, it should be hot and steamy - and not just the volcano! And just as hot is the latest casting news - supermodel and Bafta-winning actress Funmbi Elemo has been cast as femme fatale-turned-woman scorned Irina. Welcome to Waves, Funmbi! For more information from Waves 2 as it happens, follow our Twitter account.
~o0o~
BPOV
On Sunday morning, I was woken up by the sound of church bells and the warmth of Edward's body surrounding me. Somewhere in the depths of the house, I could hear Alice laughing. I cracked open one eye and saw it was only 7.30am, much to early to be awake.
I dozed for half an hour or so, until the urge to pee took over and I had to slip out from under Edward's arm and go to the bathroom.
He was still fast asleep when I was finished. I was really hungry so I put on one of his t-shirts and padded downstairs.
Tia had laid out an amazing breakfast of fruit, bread and pastries. I found a tray and loaded up two plates with melon, strawberries and grapes, some pastries and two glasses of orange juice. I didn't trust myself to make it upstairs with a whole jug.
I crept back up to our room. Judging by the silence in the rest of the house that I was the only person awake, or at least the only one on the move.
We'd come straight home after our trip to the fountain, making out like mad in the back of the car. On Edward's request, I'd worn my new cami again, without the shorts this time; at my request I had taken the lead, ending up on top.
I remembered the expression on his face as I set the pace and looked down at him; the memory made me quiver slightly and increase my pace up the stairs.
When I got back into our room, Edward had turned over in bed and was now starfishing, his arms and legs filling up all four corners of the mattress.
I put the tray down and snuck back under the covers, curling myself up between his armpit and hip, enjoying the warmth of his skin and the coolness of the sheet as I pulled it up over my waist.
Still sleeping, he turned on to his side, with his front to my back. I realised he was poking me with his morning wood, which twitched and grew as I moved closer. I molded my body against his and, just for the fun of it, wriggled a little bit.
He groaned, still more asleep than awake, and tucked his head into my shoulder so his stubble brushed against my cheek. "Morning," he croaked, and I felt a laugh coming on. "Why are you so chipper at this ungodly hour?"
"Just happy, I guess," I answered as he reached down and kissed my neck. "I did have a good birthday after all..."
"I am very pleased to hear that," Edward replied, hooking his arm around my waist and pulling me around so I was facing him. "I enjoyed it too."
He kissed me on the tip of my nose, then my forehead before swinging his legs off the side of the bed and heading for the ensuite.
I took advantage of his absence to lay out the breakfast, banking the pillows up and sitting cross-legged on the bed, swiping a slice of melon to de-fuzz my morning mouth.
I was putting the plates out when Edward came back from the bathroom, and I watched his face widen into a grin.
"My t-shirt suits you," he said, folding his long legs under him as he got onto the bed, deftly avoiding upturning any of the the plates. I passed him a glass of juice and he picked up some melon which he sucked on so suggestively that it made me burst out laughing.
"Not doing it for you, kid?" he asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively at me. "Not pushing your buttons?"
I laughed even harder and he reached over and started to tickle me, digging in at my sides and trying to get to my feet.
I fought back as well as I could, trying not to scratch him. We rolled about, laughing and play fighting, squashing some of the pastries into the bed and only stopping when his wayward foot hit my glass of juice, spilling it across the tile floor.
I stood up, hiccuping from laughing so much, with a stitch in my side. He looked at me, then the bed, and shook his head, before reaching over and removing the remains of a squashed pastry from my hair.
"Shower, now!" he said, moving in behind me and swatting at my rump. I squeaked and jumped. He followed me into the bathroom, where he'd already put out shampoo and conditioner bottles, shower gel and an elaborate purple poof.
I busied myself getting undressed, cleaning my teeth and removing a rogue piece of strawberry from my cleavage. Edward turned on the shower and fiddled with the temperature controls until he declared it 'just right'.
He stepped out of his boxers before circling his arms around my waist and half carrying, half dragging me to the shower cubicle.
He turned to face me, not letting go of my waist and dropped a kiss onto my shoulder. He moved his lips up my neck, meeting my mouth and walking me backwards directly under the steady stream of water.
I stood on tiptoes to return his kisses. I pulled his head down to a more comfortable angle, and enjoyed the sensation and taste of his mouth on mine, diluted by the water pouring between us.
I'd never given shower sex much of a thought before I met Edward. I'd have been frightened of falling over or something equally as stupid. After my experience the day before, it was becoming a favourite of mine.
I could feel his erection between us, slippery with water. It made me tingly inside at the thought that I had this effect on him - and so often.
As his kisses moved from my mouth down my throat to my chest I let my mind wander back to the highs and lows of the previous day - of our afternoon love-making and of having to pretend to not know him in public.
It was something we had to deal with, but as his mouth clamped onto my nipple and his hand slid further southwards, I put all those concerns to the back of my mind and let myself get lost in the moment.
He was gentle to begin, but within minutes he had me begging for more. He moved his mouth down to where his fingers had been, pressing me into the wall of the cubicle, and holding me up when my knees began buckling.
The sneaky sod had left a condom on the soap dish, which I was more than happy to put on him. He was strong enough to lift me up to meet him, before sliding us both down onto the cubicle floor and rocking us over and over again until we climaxed together, the water washing our sweat away.
We sat together, spent, panting, for as long as it took for the water to run cold. True, we hadn't actually washed, but it didn't matter at all. Eventually the cold water made me come out in goosebumps so I had to get up and turn off the shower.
I helped Edward get to his feet and found some towels. I knew that we wouldn't leave the bedroom all day if I didn't take some action soon and there was too much to do before we had to head back to reality.
Edward asked if I could wear my blue dress again, so I teamed it with a brown leather belt and my blue Converse lace-ups. I swiped a plain short-sleeved linen shirt of Edward's to wear over the top.
He randomly picked out a pair of Levis, a plain grey Gap t-shirt and a zip-up hoodie. It was obvious Alice had a hand in his packing for the weekend.
A ping from his phone broke the silence. He wandered over to it and clicked. "Alice says they've gone antiquing and to text her back if we want to go."
Then his face fell. "And apparently, you're Marcus' girlfriend. Alice says it's all over the internet."
What the fuck?
"What the fuck? I'm what?" I felt a laugh gathering in my gut but one look at his face killed any humour dead. He looked bereft, lost and angry, all at once. I immediately moved across to pull him into a hug.
"This was the kind of thing you expected, right?" I asked. He nodded. "I'd rather they didn't know anything, but if I am not directly linked to you then you won't get into trouble? Isn't that right?"
He frowned. "That's correct, but it's not right, not right at all. I don't want you mixed up in this any more than you have to be - it's not your fault and it's not something you need to have happen to you."
He took a shuddering breath. "I'd understand if you didn't want to have anything to do with me after something like this. That would probably be the right thing to do."
I felt the floor begin to spin and my heart lurched in my chest. It was hard to speak thanks to the enormous lump forming in my throat. I was going hot and cold in horror at the thought of this being the end. I pulled myself even closer to his chest and sucked in a breath, centering myself.
He gently walked me over to the bed, which was still rumpled and stained with fruit, and sat me down on the edge. He knelt down on the floor between my knees, held my face in both his hands and wiped at my eyes with his thumbs. I hadn't even registered I was crying. I realised he was teary-eyed as well.
He put his forehead to mine. "Don't cry, please baby, don't cry," he crooned. He looked me in the eyes and gave me a watery grin.
"I'll take that as a no, then," he said. I nodded, unsure if I could speak yet.
"Right. So over isn't an option?" he said, a glint in his eye. He was obviously trying to cheer me up, his face lighting up as I let out a small giggle.
"You need to know what you're letting yourself in for," he said. He rested back on his heels and looked at me, taking a deep breath.
"I decided months ago that I'd rather say nothing at all than be misquoted about Rose and me, but we're obviously not Rose and me, are we? I don't want to deny anything about us, but I won't confirm it either." He kept his voice steady, the only movement was one of his thumbs steadily circling my left knee.
"It's not going to be easy while we're filming. If the press gets a sniff of anything between us, they won't leave us alone. They get everywhere: at your work, at your flat, your parents', my parents'. One caught my mum in the queue at Starbucks once."
His hand stilled. "And the fans can be worse - some of them assume they know you. Just walk up and take your picture. Or tell their friends where you are. I've been hounded out of pubs, gigs, restaurants. You've not seen anything yet."
His mood darkened. "I want you to know exactly what is likely to happen if you get mixed up in this. You have to be careful who you talk to in case they go to the tabloids. You can't just tell them to fuck off or they go online and moan about you. Old Man Volturi and his Victorian rules are just the icing on the cake..."
I stopped him mid flow with a peck on the lips.
"Enough," I said. "I have one more day with you in the romance capital of Europe. I don't care if I have to walk 10 feet behind you all day, I want to go out with you and look at this market Alice has found."
He pulled me in for a hug. "You are a mad, wonderful person and you know just what to say. I agree. Let's go browsing," he said.
I went and checked my face in the bathroom mirror, de-puffed my eyes with some cool water and put on some mascara. Edward called Alice for directions. She organised for a car to come and collect us and asked to speak to me while he waited for it.
"Are you OK with the news, honey?" she asked, with obvious anxiety in her voice. "We've been casing the joint here and it seems alright, no sneaky paps in the rafters." I giggled at her joke and she laughed back.
"Don't panic about your new-found fame, they don't know who you are and they've just jumped to conclusions," she said, confidently. Tell Edward to keep his hat on and his head down and we'll be fine today, I promise."
When I told Edward about Alice's prophesy he snorted with laughter. "The psychic munchkin strikes again," he said as he opened the car door for me.
The Porta Portese market was packed. Rather like the enormous car boot sales my step-dad liked to browse round on Sundays at home, some of the stalls were piled with tat, some with genuine antique paintings, vases and plates, and some with found items and homewares.
We found Alice in raptures at one stall selling antique clothes and material, her shopping bags spilling over with yellowing antique lace.
Marcus and Jasper were rooting through boxes of old plastic toys. Jasper was, of course, most interested in soldiers, but Marcus was looking for Happy Meal toys and got us to join the hunt.
For some reason he decided he wanted to get Smurfs, and the four of us had an hysterical time running from stall to stall with the odd whoop and holler if we got one.
Alice watched on with a world-weary, almost maternal, look on her face. She was far more interested in vintage jewellery, clothes and buttons. We couldn't even persuade her to look for Barbies with us.
Marcus and I were on our knees rooting through a box of teddy bears and knackered Star Wars figures, discussing the merits of Smurfette. Edward crouched down to join us, his fingers brushing against mine as he smiled and winked at me from under his baseball cap.
Alice appeared at his elbow and whispered something to him. He got up and wandered off to another stall with her. Possibly sensing my shift in mood, Jasper distracted me with a stall of old band shirts, which were far too expensive for us, vinyl singles and old cassettes.
I leafed through the R&B section, listening for Edward and Alice's return, concerned that something has happened. Jasper spotted a tray of old band patches and badges which were far more in my price range.
I bought an old-school Nirvana cloth patch, a Led Zep badge set and a couple of Hard Rock Cafe badges shaped like guitars for a few euro apiece, thinking Edward and Marcus would like them. I bought some earrings made from old beer bottle tops for me because they made me laugh.
Alice and Edward re-appeared and said they'd found a cafe. They lead us away from the market and off up a side alley. We followed a fantastic coffee smell to a tiny place filled with Italians downing espressos at the bar - some of the hardy ones chasing them down with shots of grappa - it was the Roman version of a greasy spoon cafe.
The rest of the cafe was deserted, so we crammed ourselves around two of the tables, and decided what to have.
Alice skipped over to the bar and ordered for us. We all tipped our finds onto the table, admiring the number of Smurfs we had rounded up.
I gave Edward and Marcus their mini guitar badges and Marcus presented me with one of the three Smurfettes, saying it was my prize for being a good Smurf-spotter. I thanked him, sipped at my coffee and tucked my prize away in my bag.
Edward cased the joint then leaned in towards me. "This is for you. Think of it as a late birthday present," he said, handing me a small package wrapped in tissue.
I ripped it open to find an exquisite pink flamingo brooch, about two inches tall with enameled feathers and sparkling stones in its head and neck. I pinned it on immediately.
He looked a bit sheepish. "Alice spotted it. It's what she was showing me when we walked away. I knew you'd like it. Happy birthday." He picked up my hand and kissed the back of it, smiling up at me as he did so.
~o0o~
EPOV
I couldn't believe it was only 11am. The way the day had flipflopped from joyous to horrible and right back again. The despair on Bella's face back at the Palazzo was finally washed from my memory with the look in her eyes when I gave her the brooch.
Alice brought us all back to reality, reminding us that we needed to pack up and be ready to head back to Sorrento in the evening.
Even though I wasn't filming, I wanted to be near the set, and there was some publicity work which Rosie and I could do on our day off.
Alice had one more trick up her sleeve.
"I've changed Bella's ticket so it goes from Naples Tuesday afternoon, an hour after Marcus leaves for Paris. I thought she'd like to see where we've been staying, perhaps have some 'quality time'," she said, making air quotes and wiggling her eyebrows when she said it.
We left the cafe and headed back into the market. Alice, using her sixth sense, flitted from stall to stall, collecting bits of material and buttons and stuff. She squeaked with delight when she found some WWII Italian army buttons, saying they'd be perfect for costumes.
I walked with Jasper, Marcus and Bella, conscious that we were more physically close than we had been the day before. It felt lighter, more informal somehow - it was just simply just great fun.
We mooched about for another hour, steering clear of fucking Smurfs, thank God. I spotted a leather jacket I liked. After getting the nod of approval from Alice, I bought it and put my Gibson badge on the lapel.
Eventually we were back in the car heading to Vincenzo's brother's restaurant, which was packed with locals scarfing down pasta. Vincenzo led us to the backroom again, parting diners like Moses, clearing people's tables and almost throwing them out into the street.
He refused to give us menus, saying it was chef's choice on a Sunday. What a choice it was - there was course after course, antipasto, pasta, fish, meat, salad, ice cream and coffee and cakes, plus bottles of local red wine. I genuinely thought they'd have to roll us out of the doors and into the car.
The whole meal was a riot, with everyone sharing plates, swapping and changing about. Bella and I got to be couply, feeding each other and playing footsie under the table.
Eventually it was time to go. Leaving Vincenzo a hefty tip - and a Smurf - we got into Didi's car and headed back. At the palazzo we found that Tia had cleaned up the dreadful mess we'd left in the morning, much to Bella's mortification. She'd even folded our clothes and put them on the bed for packing.
It was a wrench to leave the Palazzo but in a perverse way I was looking forward to going back to the set. It was quieter there and more secure. While dashing from shadow to shadow had been memorable, it was hard to relax when I was frightened I'd appear on Twitter in minutes, thanks to some git with a phone.
The Sunday afternoon roads were clear, so we made it back in good time. Alice, Jasper and I were not worried by the cliffside drive along the coast any more. We'd done the drive dozens of times, but it was new to Bella and Marcus, and we had fun teasing them about it.
Far too soon we were pulling up at the hotel, where a couple of paps were waiting out at the main entrance and a few fans were loitering at the gate. I gave the photogs the stinkeye as I got out of the car and they stopped as soon as they had their pictures, slinking off down the hill, talking in Italian.
Once the coast seemed clear, the others got out of the car and moved the bags into the lobby. We managed to book a room for Marcus for two nights, on a different floor but at least it had a sea view.
Bella, of course, was destined for my suite on the top floor with its huge balcony with views over the Bay of Naples and access to the very private rooftop pool area, which was meant to be for top-floor guests only.
I got back to my suite to find a message from Garrett saying there was going to be a pool party at said pool that evening. I was invited, as was Alice, Jasper and 'your friends', by which I assumed he meant Bella and Marcus.
After a shower, where we actually washed, we curled up on the bed together and fell asleep. I hadn't realised just how exhausted I had been from the sex, the drama, the shopping and the enormous lunch. I was jolted awake by the loud banging of someone at the suite door.
Making sure I closed the bedroom door, I left Bella sleeping and went to see who wanted me. It was Alice, of course, with several garment bags under her arm.
She bustled past me into the room, and put the bags on the table. "These are for your photo-shoot tomorrow," she said, waving at two of the bags. "This one is for Bella to wear tonight."
We chatted for a few minutes before she made her way back to the door, saying she'd bring Jasper and Marcus to the room in an hour and that we would all head up to the rooftop together.
After she'd gone I got a couple of beers from the minibar and went to wake Bella up. She looked so serene with her hair everywhere, wearing my battered old Jimi Hendrix t-shirt, that I didn't really want to disturb her.
I decided to wake her up in the nicest possible way. I took off my shirt and got into bed with her, shaping myself to spoon round the curve of her back. I wrapped my arms around her chest and started to pepper her neck and jawline with kisses.
She moaned softly and turned over so we were nose to nose. Still with her eyes closed, she traced her hand slowly but firmly down my chest and into my waistband of my joggers, reaching in to palm my dick, which was very pleased with the sudden attention.
She opened her eyes at this point and kept them focused on mine as she moved her hand slowly up and down, smiling at the involuntary noises I was making, diving in for the occasional kiss.
After I slid out of my pants, I went to move my hand down to reciprocate, but she swatted it away, saying I'd only put her off her stroke.
After that, I tried every trick I could to put her off her stroke, tickling, nipping, giggling, even pretending to be bored, but she was very determined. Soon all it was all I could do to lie back and enjoy myself, especially when she added her other hand, then finally her mouth to the mix.
Afterward, she crawled up my side and kissed me, tasting of both me and her; and we laid side by side. I was buzzing, not just from my orgasm but also from her proximity. I gently ran my hand down her arm, admiring the way my t-shirt sat on her hips, and relaxed.
Fortunately, Alice had not relaxed. Three minutes later she was on the phone to ensure we were awake and giving us five minutes of grace before she arrived to make sure.
I scooted off the bed, pulled on some boxers, and went to get Bella's latest outfit, which turned out to be a very glamorous 1950s-style swimming costume with a wrap-round skirt and sandals. It was all I could do not to drag her straight back to bed when she'd wriggled into it.
I put on some shorts and a t-shirt, resisting the temptation to wear the Hendrix one Bella had left on the bed. Just as we were settling down with a beer, Alice appeared, in a bikini, sarong and ridiculous platform shoes, with a purple flower that she tucked behind Bella's ear. Jasper looked mortified in a pair of board shorts with big blue flowers on them and a white tank top. Marcus was happier in cutoffs and a T-shirt like me.
We had a drink out on the balcony, where we could hear laughing and splashing from the roof, meaning the party had started up there. We sauntered out of the suite and headed for the lift.
We were giggling when we arrived on the roof. The others went ahead while Bella and I loitered in the shadow looking in. I was gently rubbing circles in the curve of Bella's back when I heard someone behind us.
"Well, well, the charming Bella Swan, we meet again. What brings you here?" James leered as he appeared out of the gloom.
~o0o~
From the Wavesfanslondon website: Dateline September 16 - NEW FRIENDS GET A WARM WELCOME... We have finally found out who Marcus Lee's Brown Eyed girl is. She's Bella Swan, 22, a wannabe fashion designer who has made her way onto the set thanks to her boss Alice Brandon, who works on the costumes for Waves 2. She's a Brit, just like head hottie Edward 'Dr Dan' Cullen, who has come back to the cast hotel to see what his sweetheart Rosalie Hale bought for him on her trip to Capri. Welcome to the family, Bella!
~o0o~
A/N Thanks for bearing with me, I thought I'd have more time over the school holidays, but it seems to have sped up and suddenly I am taking a week and a half to update. Shame on me!
This chapter includes the first of my Fandom Gives Back cameos, for review diva Funmbi Elemo *waves*.
My smutty one-shot The Boy on the Bus is now on Twilighted where it could do with some love, at http: / / twilighted(dot)?sid=12959
My AH rec this week comes from xoEMC and is www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5934882/1/For_the_Summer
The AU rec is www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6142197/1/While_You_Were_Gone it's only 3 chapters in but I am loving it!
Hopefully I'll be back in a week or so, before I head off on holidays again. Please feel free to press the review button, it's lovely to hear your views.
AFMxx