EMPOV:
Well, things have been going very well with Bella and myself. The sex was fucking amazing. I couldn't keep my hands off of her, and I couldn't keep her out of my mind. She was my perfection.
We continued dating through to our graduation. Every moment with her, I cherished it. I thrived on it. I needed it like I needed air.
Now, Bella was going on to Ohio State, with Jasper. They had both gotten accepted on full scholarships. We all three had applied, but my football career guided me elsewhere. I got a full ride to USC. I will admit, being a die hard Buckeye fan, I was hesitant, but USC was a grade A school.
Here we are. Bella and myself. Standing in her practically empty room. She and Jasper will be leaving soon to go off to Columbus. I could practically feel my heart ripping out of my chest.
"Do you really have to practically move across the country, Bella?" I whined.
She laughed as she threw on her Ohio State hoodie. "Yep. It's going to be good for me. You know how much I want to go there, Em. Besides, Jasper will be there to keep a close eye on me, just in case any of those ravenous college boys try to get their claws into me." She winked.
I tried to be happy for her. I really did. I mean, I was happy as a pig in shit for Jasper. He told me he dreamed about Ohio State since he was a kid. Now he got to fulfill his dream there.
I will never forget the day we all three decided to apply.
"I'm never going to get in to OSU. I'm sure they'll look right over me." Bella pouted.
I gave her a wink and a nudge. "No way. You're my best friend. If they take me they have to take you, too. That's part of the deal."
She laughed. "Jasper, what do you think your chances are?"
He grinned from ear to ear. "100%. I bleed Scarlett and Gray, baby!"
We all laughed.
Thinking back from that moment, I see the irony. I told Bella that I would never go without her, but she wasn't making the same jump for me.
I helped carry the last of her things out to the U-Haul and wrapped my arms around her.
"I love you, teddy bear." She sniffled into my chest. I squeezed her tighter.
"I love you, too babe." I said into her hair. I inhaled deeply through my nose. I wanted to remember her scent, her touch, her face every moment she was away from me.
She climbed into the front of the truck that Jasper's dad had bought him for graduation. "I'll email you everyday. I'll call you every Sunday." She smiled, fighting back tears.
I was crying. I was literally crying. "Don't go, Bella. Please. I can't survive without you. I need you. Please don't leave me." I was now bawling.
She pulled my head down and kissed my forehead. "I can't, babe. I'm sorry. I love you." Her eyes were dripping tears.
I nodded my head and stepped back from the truck. They started to pull away. "I love you, Bella. Sunday." I reminded her.
It's been forever since I've seen my whole world, Bella. We emailed everyday, chatted on MSN, and like she agreed, she called me every Sunday.
She and Jasper started renting a place just off of campus, and both of them had taken jobs to pay for rent. Bella was working at a bookstore, which was perfect for her. Jasper was a music major, and his professor hooked him up with a job playing with his cover band on the weekends and he did guitar lessons through the week. Both of their incomes combined was more than enough to pay their way.
Alice and Edward made their way to Ohio a few times to see them. I was always so busy with football and practices that I couldn't make my way out there.
College, for me, was going great. Rosalie was just a few miles away, attending a fashion institute with Alice, and Edward was going to UCLA for medical school.
Unfortunately for Alice, she and Jasper broke it off a couple of weeks back, because she said that the strain of a long distance relationship was too much to handle. To be honest, I started to believe the same thing.
I would go to college parties and there would be beautiful women everywhere. I always had to be good, because I knew my Bella was being faithful to me.
Here it is, Thanksgiving, and Jasper and Bella will be coming home for the week. I was excited. I've planned a special evening for just the two of us.
I was going to ask her to marry me.
~*~
I went to the airport and saw them. Jasper and Bella. When she saw me her face lit up my entire world.
She threw her stuff down and ran the short distance and jumped into my grasp, kissing me repeatedly.
"I've missed you so much, Emmett. Oh my God. I loved you." She was crying.
I didn't want to let her down, afraid that if I did, she may leave again.
Jasper walked up to me. "What? No hug and kiss for me? I'm crushed." He mocked.
"I'll save that for later, baby." I laughed.
"You're just weird." He chuckled.
We made our way to my jeep and I immediately bombarded Bella with a20 questions.
"So, how does it feel to be home?"
She smiled. "It's... nice! Although, in Ohio, it doesn't rain half as much."
I felt my heart tug a little. Fucking Ohio.
"That's good. How are you liking your living arrangements?" I questioned.
She laughed. "I think that Jasper is completely helpless. I'm not sure he ever learned how to do anything for himself while he was growing up."
Jasper laughed. "Whatever, Bells. I just like the way you cook better than I do. You can't blame me for that."
I laughed. Bella cocked an eyebrow. "And cleaning up for you? Does that have anything to do with cooking?"
I slammed my breaks and braced Bella. "You are not his fucking maid, Bella." I scowled.
"Chill out, Emmett. I was only joking. He does a fine job of cleaning up after himself. I was only referring to this party we had a couple of weekends back." She said plainly.
"What party?" I quizzed.
She had a look of shock on her face. "Oh, Jasper decided that he wanted to meet some girls, so HE had a party at the house. It was pretty awesome, too. He was in such bad shape the next day, that I felt bad and cleaned up most of the mess." She winked at him.
I was about to punch Jasper in the fucking throat. What a cock smooch.
~*~
The rest of the drive was pretty uneventful. More questions about how awesome their time together has been, and me wallowing in self pity that I couldn't be a part of it.
It didn't matter, because I was going to ask Bella to marry me, tonight. It was going to be perfect.
After we all ate and everybody sat around talking for awhile I leaned over to Bella.
"Let's go somewhere for awhile." I whispered.
She bit her lip, thinking that I wanted to fuck, which wasn't necessarily untrue, but that wasn't my sole intention.
"If you will excuse us, Bella and I are going to get some fresh air." I took Bella's hand and we started walking.
"Uhm. Emmett. Where are we going?" She looked around.
"The park." I stated.
She laughed. "We're a little too old for the park, Emmett."
I smiled at her. "Hell no we're not! I'm never too old for the monkey bars."
That's how I got the name 'Monkey Man' from Rosalie. I tried to impress her in junior high was hanging upside down on the monkey bars, but my leg somehow gave out and I pretty much fell on my head.
She giggled. "You would think that scar right there at your hairline would prove otherwise."
We made it to the swings. I knew it had to be now or never.
She sat down and I pushed her lightly and began to start up the conversation.
"Do you remember when we were little, we would come here and wait for our dads to get done fishing?"
She laughed. "Mhmm."
I sighed. "Do you remember when those mean kids were picking on you, and I jumped in to save the day?"
She laughed. I continued.
"Do you remember what I told you?"
She smiled. "You told me that you were going to marry me someday, and that nobody was ever going to be mean to me again, not without answering to you." She laughed. "God, we were so young. I can't believe you told me that you wanted to marry me someday. I thought you were ridiculous, and that you had cooties."
I laughed a little. I walked around to the front of her and dropped down to one knee.
I pulled the ring out of my pocket and proceeded.
"Isabella Marie Swan, I meant every word I said when I told you that all those years ago."
Her eyes were welling up. I grabbed her hand and rubbed gently over the top.
"I swear to God, Bella. If you promise to marry me, I'll spend every waking moment of my life trying to make you happy." I choked out. I could feel the tears building up.
"The sun rises and sets with you, Bella. I need you like I need water, like I need air. I've already talked to your dad, and he gave me his blessing. All I need is for you to tell me that you want to spend the rest of your life, letting me make you happy."
I looked up at her, her eyes full of tears. Tears that I couldn't decipher were happy or sad. I was hoping for happy.
"Okay." She sobbed. I slipped the ring on her finger and whispered in her ear.
"It says 'More Than My Own Life' on the inside. That's how much I love you, Bella. I love you more than my own life." She wrapped her arms around me and sobbed into my chest.
I looked up and gave a thumbs up to Alice and Edward who were my partners in crime through this whole thing. Then, I heard claps and catcalls from the tree line.
She laughed. "I think we have an audience, sweetie."
"I don't care. I want everybody to know just how much I love you." I laughed, stood up and yelled.
"SHE SAID YES!"
Everybody came rushing over congratulating us. I felt like a million bucks.
With the passing of Thanksgiving, my life and my best friends were going back to Ohio. I didn't have to wait too long to see them again, because Christmas was coming up, soon.
"I can't wait to see you, Emmett. I see this stupid ring and it makes me realize how truly alone I am here without you." She said on the phone.
I sighed. "Then leave that damned place and come be with me."
She laughed. "You know I can't do that. This is where I have to be right now." Her voice sounded sad.
"You'll never truly be alone, baby. You have me with you all of the time. I may not be there physically, but always know that I'm thinking about you every second that I'm away from you."
She was now crying. This long distance bullshit was getting to the both of us.
"I've got to go, Emmett. I have a ton to do for my Lit class tomorrow. I'll see you this weekend. I can't wait."
"I love you, Hells Bells." I said, a sinking feeling in my heart.
"And I love you, my teddy bear." She hung up.
~*~
Bella is beautiful. I was so glad the Cullens decided to throw their big Christmas bash. I was going to get fucking lit up tonight.
Jasper and Bella seemed to migrate together most of the evening. I guess they kind of felt out of the loop since they'd been gone for so long.
Somehow or another I got stuck with Rosalie for the better half of the night. It didn't help that I hadn't been laid in God knows how long, and she was wearing a sexy Mrs. Claus outfit with her tits halfway hanging out. I stared. Fuck yeah, I stared hard.
I looked over at Bella and her beauty was something different. She was glowing. Everybody would come by and congratulate her. She would look down at her ring and beam. Jasper never left her side. Alice eventually got him to dance with her, but she'd already fucked him over too many times for him to give her another chance.
Suddenly, I noticed that I was standing under the mistletoe and Rosalie was right beside me. Are you fucking serious right now?
Rose blushed and looked up to where my eyes were staring, blankly, wondering how I was going to get out of this mess.
Before I knew it, Rosalie was holding my face and kissing me. I mean, really kissing me. Out of a sexless response, I found my mouth working with hers, and my hands were wrapped around her waist, pulling her to me. Again, I say I hadn't been laid in like, forever.
The only time my attention was broken was when I heard glass shattering and realized the room was silent. I felt about 100 pairs of eyes staring at us.
I didn't realize Bella was standing in front of us and she was so mad she didn't even cry. Please, cry, yell, do something. I deserve it.
Instead, she looked up at me, her eyes were now teared up, and she pulled off my great-grandmother's ring, and threw it at me.
"You can fucking have her, Emmett." She growled.
Rosalie tried to step up and apologize, I think, but before she could get the first word out, Bella popped her in the mouth. "Keep your mouth shut you skanky whore."
"Bella, the mistletoe." I pointed up. I hoped that she would see that it was all done out of tradition.
"Kiss my fucking ass, Emmett. That's a bullshit excuse. Don't think I didn't notice how you stared at her all fucking night. You're such a douche bag. I can't believe I bought that whole 'I'll love you forever' bullshit. You're the king of sweet talking and I was just another crony who fell for your shit." She spat.
"Bella, wait." I stammered. It was too late. She grabbed Jasper, who was shaking his head at me, and ran out the door. Out of my life.
Edward and Alice shot me disapproving looks and even Rosalie looked like she kind of hated my guts. Fuck. My. Life.
