Chapter 12: A Kink In The Plans
XOXOXOXO
He came back.
He came back.
He came the fuck back.
Why was my heart having palpitations?
I could hear my heart thudding inside my chest, my ears becoming hot from the sudden rush of blood through my veins.
He looked wonderful, exhilarated and refreshed. Maybe he'd taken a shower or something. Preppy and laid-back in a button-up blue flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of dark washed jeans was his style for the day.
He made me feel extremely underdressed. At least everyone else, save Alice, looked slummier than the two perfectionists that were the Pixie and the God.
Rosalie almost matched me, wearing slim jeans and a tank top that dipped low enough to show cleavage, but not enough for her to lean over and lose a tit.
Emmett and Jasper also wore jeans, but wore different shirts. Emmett's clung to him like a second skin, dark grey and bulgy. Jasper's was brown and only showed off the slant of his chest, which was pretty buff too.
I could faintly hear everyone welcoming him, their voices a weak buzzing in my head.
I was thrilled that he was okay, really I was. But I couldn't help what happened next.
He stood a foot or two ahead of me, a devilish grin on his face that made my panties dissolve instantly. I halted on the stair, one more step from becoming equal with him and the others on the ground.
I had no control over my body as I took the last step, finally standing right in front of him. He smiled down at me radiantly, the slight difference in our height not too much of a bother for either one of us.
"Good morning, Bella," he said as his cool breath blew across my cheeks.
I smiled back at him. "Edward," I replied evenly.
WHACK!
I smacked him across the shoulder with all of my might in a sudden movement that even surprised me.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" I screamed.
The look of excitement vanished from his face as one of bewilderment replaced it.
"I, uh-"
"That's right, 'I, uh-'. Edward, you disappeared! No note, no explanation of any sort! For all I knew you'd been kidnapped or something!" I said angrily. He didn't know what he'd put me through when Alice had asked where he was.
I heard Alice and Rosalie sniggering, Emmett barking out laughter and Jasper coughing erratically into his hand.
I poked my finger in his chest with each word I spoke. "Don't you ever do that to me again. Understand?" I growled.
Straightening up, I started to walk past him confidently. That is, until he grabbed me around the upper arm and pulled me back into his chest.
Leaning down, he replied, "Bella, I'm sorry. I didn't know my leaving would upset you so much." Switching his gaze between each of my eyes, he continued, "I won't do it again."
I felt my anger disappear immediately, the emotion once giving my body its confidence now made me slump down in exhaustion.
Leaning against him I whispered, "You promise?"
I felt his other arm come around my waist, squeezing me to him momentarily. My body registered the nod of his head and I let out a small sigh.
"If Edward's driving, I call back seat!" Emmett yelled breaking up the eerily romantic moment Edward and I were sharing.
I chuckled half-heartedly as the rest of the group started moving towards the parking lot. Breaking away from Edward's embrace, I made to follow after the slowly moving group. Edward's hand delicately traveled down the length of my arm as I pulled myself from him, and it was only when it made contact with my own hand and squeezed sharply did I stop.
I turned back to him, confusion plain on my face. Holding my hand tenderly in his, he closed the distance between us and brought his other hand up to cup my cheek. His green eyes were liquid fire and set my body aflame from their intensity.
Sincerity clearly etched on his face, he said softly, "I'm truly sorry for making you worry this morning."
I closed my eyes slowly so that I wouldn't succumb to the overwhelming need to throw myself at him. It was only ten in the morning and already I needed a time-out. I felt him lean towards me and my heart rate picked up exponentially.
Oh, Lord. Please don't screw this up, Bella. Let him do what he needs to do. No mixed signals this time.
I felt his breath on my face, the delicious fragrance filling my senses.
So soft that I was unsure I felt it, his two lips pressed gently against my cheek. The electrical current that was always present between the two of us flared, zapping at my skin. There was no mistaking he felt it this time; we both gasped. His hand, which was still holding mine, clutched my fingers quickly at the sensation.
My eyes flashed open, my body coming alive, every nerve ending on fire. I wanted to pull him closer to me, I wanted him to consume me, for us to complete each other in a passionate exchange that combusted our souls.
He pulled his head back sharply, his eyes quickly searching my face for what, I didn't know. The grip of his hand on my own dropped as he brought it up to cup my other cheek. Calculating each movement I made, I brought my hands up to rest lightly on his chest. Our breathing had sped up, both of us thrown into our own world where nothing else existed except for the other person which we were so desperately clinging to.
His eyes, burning into my soul, focused on my lips. On instinct, I licked them and saw something flash across his face in response.
I was dreaming. I saw his face drift closer and closer to mine. Each agonizing second played in slow motion until I felt his warm breath on the skin of my mouth. My lips were buzzing as my eyes slid slowly closed.
The soft, warm skin of his lips met mine and it took all I had not to explode or pass out from the sheer bliss I felt.
My skin hummed, my body felt electrified while my mind went completely blank.
All I could do was feel.
It. Felt. Wonderful.
Both of his thumbs caressed the apples of my cheeks, soothing and entrancing me into a hypnotic state while his lips continued to press softly against mine.
"Edward, where'd you- ooohhh!" I heard Alice squeal.
Startled, my eyes popped open as Edward and I broke apart. His hands dropped from my face as I self-consciously bit my lip and looked down at the ground. My face burned with the color of embarrassment.
Edward cleared his throat, "We're coming Alice."
I heard her clap her hands excitedly and then prance off in the opposite direction.
"Bella, that was… incredible."
Yeah, tell me about it.
But when will I get back the feeling in my lips?
Okay, scratch that. When will I be able to move my lips again?
I was trying with all my might to come up with some sort of response.
Oh hells yes that was incredible.
But oh hells no that it should have happened in the first place.
The man is engaged, Bella!
When did you turn into Floozy McHussydrawers?
You don't go around letting engaged men kiss you. Hell, you don't go around letting single men kiss you!
You need to think, Bella. You need – my stomach gurgled – food. Apparently you need food.
Nod at the pretty boy in front of you and then walk towards his car. Everyone talking in it will help you think for a little bit.
Raising my eyes up to meet his face, I nodded my head once and then slowly turned from him. I couldn't look into his eyes, otherwise I'd become subject to my inner desires.
"Food, we need food." Were the only words able to come out of my mouth.
I sounded hollow, empty, defeated.
How can one person feel this good, but so wrong in the same instant?
I walked slowly, trying to figure out what the fuck had just happened. One minute I'm smacking Edward for scaring the bejeebus out of me and the next, we're kissing.
Somehow point A never got to point B that way.
I saw the group waiting near a silver station-wagon-looking-thing. I was never any good with the names of cars, so I'd only find out what it was when I got close enough to read the back bumper. I remember Edward called it something, but honestly everything that had just happened within the past ten minutes or so had gone straight out the window.
I heard Edward behind me, jogging to close the small distance I'd set between us. Without thinking, I sped up. How could I talk to him when I couldn't even think myself?
Sensing Edward's growl of annoyance behind me, I continued on ahead as if I hadn't heard him. Really, the conversation of, 'You're engaged and this can't happen' made me feel sick. It shouldn't have even happened in the first place.
But oh, how I wished it would happen again.
I made it to the car before he could catch up with me. Slightly out of breath, I put a hand on my side to placate the stitch that had formed.
"I-" -gasp- "call-" -gasp- "back seat with-" -gasp- "Emmett…" I panted out between gasping breaths.
Emmett clapped me on the back and I flew forward, catching myself on the bumper and coughing a little bit to try to regulate my breathing.
"Bellsy, I didn't know you cared!" he boomed.
Well, at least he remembered last night.
Edward strolled past me, his breathing labored but he was no worse for the wear like I was. He unlocked the door and got into the driver's seat, hitting the button to unlock all of the other doors. Now that I was familiar with the bumper I could tell which kind of car it was; a Volvo.
Each of us climbed in to the seats, Emmett and I taking the back, Alice and Rosalie taking the middle, and Jasper taking shot-gun.
"I thought we could go to this quaint little diner down the road from here. I've passed by it a few times on my way to classes but haven't had the chance to stop in and try out the food yet. Bella, do you know if the Hangar Inn is any good?" Alice chirped from in front of me.
"Er, yeah. It's all right," I answered slowly.
Truthfully I'd only eaten there once.
"Okay Edward, just exit the complex and take a left. Head towards campus and it'll be on the left a little ways away," Alice instructed.
Edward nodded and started the car, slowly reversing out of the parking spot and then beginning our journey to breakfast.
The car ride was filled with talking, while both Edward and I stayed silent in our positions. In the back seat I was on the passenger side, and I knew that he could see me in his rearview mirror. Childishly I looked away from him, choosing instead to stare out the window at the passing by Seattle scenery.
"So what'd you guys do last night?" Emmett asked from beside me.
I snapped out of my intense focus of the window siding.
"Uh, sleep. He passed out on my couch and I left him alone." I narrowed my eyes at him. "What'd you guys do last night?"
"Oh, played Grand Theft Auto, drank some more, then rehashed last night's festivities," he said smugly.
If he brought up the Jake thing, I'd punch him.
"It seems like you had quite a-"
"Emmett, enough," Edward growled from the front.
I glanced at him gratefully, the first time since our kiss, then lowered my head to look back out the window.
A few minutes later, we were parked in the lot of the diner. I stayed stationary for a moment, trying to summon the energy to move from my place, while everyone started piling out of the car.
Emmett placed his hand on my shoulder. "Bella, are you okay? You don't seem like yourself today," he said with concern.
I looked over at him, my weary eyes betraying my wide-awakeness inside, and nodded. "Yeah, Em. I'm all right. Just a little overwhelmed."
He thought for a moment, trying to decide on what to say next. "Alice told us about what she walked in on," he said tenderly.
I closed my eyes in humiliation. Now not only did Edward and I know what kind of a hussy I was, but now the rest of the group did as well.
Bravo, Bella.
"Don't worry about it," he said strongly.
I was caught off guard.
Don't worry about it?
Don't worry about it?
How in the hell was I not going to worry about it?
For all I knew, if Tanya found out about this kiss, I'd ruin a damn wedding!
Not that I thought that she and Edward should be getting married, but still, I would ruin someone's life! I'd make someone miserable!
I felt miserable and I wasn't even dating anyone!
"'Don't worry about it?' Emmett, are you fucking kidding me? What, are you guys not going to tell Tanya about it? Are you all going to forget that it happened? Shit, Em, you're willing to betray someone like that?" I looked at him like he was crazy.
"Where are you getting betrayal from? Bella, are we talking about the same thing here?"
"As far as I can tell, we are. Wouldn't it be a betrayal if someone you considered family lied to you?" That's what was essentially going on, wasn't it?
"Yes, but who said anything about lying? And for clarifications' sake, you two just kissed, right? You didn't do the whole shebang, or anything?"
Isn't lying about the kiss as bad as the kiss itself?
I mean, not that the kiss with Edward wasn't day-dream worthy. If he and Tanya weren't engaged, I would definitely be up for doing that again. Repeatedly.
With adlibbing encouraged.
"No, Emmett! We didn't screw, we didn't fuck, and we didn't do the horizontal mambo." I ran my fingers through my hair.
"Well, that's that then."
Huh?
How could everything be cleared up in that one conversation?
It wasn't.
At least, it wasn't on my part.
I shook my head, giving up on the semi-argument he and I were having.
I felt the car shifting from the weight of him getting up from his seat and followed suit, slowly stretching my limbs as I exited the car and lazily closed the door behind me.
Looking around, I saw that everyone, save Edward and I, were walking towards the front door of the restaurant.
I sighed. In reality, I was more confused now about what had happened than I was before. There were no concrete answers, no evidence of what was truly going on.
One thing I knew for sure was that I definitely wanted to kiss Edward Cullen again.
And that was one bad thing of which to be sure.
He walked over to me, and I knew I'd have to tell him something, let him know that I couldn't be the other woman.
"Bella, please don't run away," he said once he reached me.
"Edward, I can't do this. It should be illegal, the things you make me feel. I barely know you and we kissed and it was an amazing kiss. And I'm falling, completely and hopelessly, I'm falling and I need somewhere to land, but I'm afraid that all I'll get is broken from it. Just let me land safely, please. Edward, please," I rambled out as tears filled my eyes.
I wasn't sure how any of that made sense, but I felt his arms come around me, tightening his hold around my body and making me feel safe. I cried unabashedly into his shirt, probably ruining it like I was doing to so many other things lately.
"Don't cry, Bella. It'll be all right. Here, let's get you some nourishment. I've been running you ragged, what with the worrying and all," he joked.
I stifled a laugh and smacked him on the shoulder. His hand came up to my chin and brought my head up from his chest so that he could look me in the eye.
Moving his hand from my chin, his thumb came around to wipe at the tears on my cheeks. The simple gesture soothed me and I wanted to melt in his arms.
My eyelashes clung together, changing from singular entities to multiple groupings on my face. I knew my cheeks were blotchy and my nose was undoubtedly red. I felt completely unattractive and hideous.
His next words caught me completely off guard.
"You know, you really are the most beautiful creature I've ever seen."
I gasped.
That was exactly what he said… last… night…
Oh my God, he remembers.
My eyes widened as he smirked that illegal smirk of his and my knees buckled. The air whooshed out of my lungs as he caught me.
"Whoa Bella, are you okay?" he asked softly, smirk still in place. The fucker was toying with me.
My voice sounded strangled as I replied, "Yeah, I just, uh… gotta pee. 'Scuse me." I said as I scrambled away from him.
Luckily the front of the restaurant wasn't too far away. I skidded to a halt just in time to not smack my forehead against the heavy wooden door.
Well, my feelings were completely scratched to hell, but at least my physical self was good to go.
I calmed myself briefly before opening the door and stepping inside. Somehow, whenever I was with Edward, time seemed to zoom past me on a hovercraft. But in reality, our group hadn't even been seated yet.
How 'bout that.
"Hey guys, what do you think of this place? Pretty cool, huh?" I knew that the reason it was called the Hangar Inn was because the back of the restaurant was actually a landing strip for airplanes. You could be sitting with your family and see a plane take off and land right in front of your very eyes.
I heard the door open and close behind me, the strange electrical charge tingled as my body registered Edward's presence.
Just then, our waitress showed up to escort us to our seats. She was a pretty, young thing, close to our age and peppy. Her long, dirty blonde hair bounced in its pony-tail as we followed her down the isle-way.
I couldn't sit next to Edward. I skipped towards Alice and Rosalie, who were in the front of our group, and linked my arms with them. I just had to be surrounded by estrogen.
Scooting into the booth first I tried my hardest to either be in the middle of Alice and Jasper, or Rosalie and Emmett. I knew if Edward sat next to me, I'd be toast.
Sexually frustrated and completely susceptible toast.
I let out a breath of relief when Emmett ended up on my left side and Alice on my right.
The waitress introduced herself as Anna; she had pretty blue eyes and a warm smile. She took our drink orders as the rest of the group filed into the booth, promising to come back in a few minutes to take the rest of our order and deliver our drinks.
We sat in an easy silence as we perused the menu of breakfast items and I won't lie, ever since Alice mentioned pancakes, I was craving the fuckers.
Each of us picked out our choices and sat creating casual conversation. I tried to keep my mouth shut. I didn't want to say something that would ruin the easiness our group had formed.
Rosalie sat on the other side of Alice, each of them casting me knowing looks every so often. Honestly, it creeped me out a little bit.
Jasper had taken the other side of Emmett while Edward sat next to him. The seating arrangement was like battle of the sexes, girls against boys. I was confident that if the need arose, we could take them.
As promised, Anna did return a few moments later. She carried a tray with all our drinks on it and skillfully passed them around to their intended targets. I sipped at my orange juice thirstily, needing to rehydrate after the crying-capades I'd been through in the last twenty-four hours.
"So, what's the plan for the rest of the day?" Jasper asked out of the blue.
"Well, seeing as its still Bella's birthday weekend, I suggest doing something she wants to do," Rosalie piped up.
Um, considering that I want to do Edward, I don't think everyone else will want to partake in that particular activity.
Oh Jesus, it's going to be a long day.
Every eye focused on me as I gulped my juice. "Uh, geeze guys, way to put the pressure on a girl. I don't know what to do. Any ideas?" I offered.
Alice intervened, "Well, since we're so close to the mall, why don't we stop in? Ohh, we could start shopping for Halloween costumes!"
"Alice, Halloween's not for another month and a half!" Emmett chimed in.
"Yes, dearest brother of mine, it is a while away. But as we all know, time flies when you're having fun," Alice responded sarcastically.
"I suppose you'll be throwing another party this year, sugarlips?" Jasper interjected.
"Hmm, I was thinking… maybe we could all meet at a club this year. I mean, since we're so close to downtown Seattle and all, everything's just right there. Plus we're all at least twenty-one. It could be pretty epic. Just imagine it, guys," Alice thought aloud.
I did picture it. Or at least what I thought it would look like. A big, cavernous space decorated with lights and a second story with booths lining the walls. A round, open bar with halogen lights inside the countertops on the ground floor. See-through tiled dance floor where multi-colored lights flashed according to the music thrumming through the speakers. Secluded corners for mischievous activities where no one would ever find you.
Oh yeah, I could imagine Alice throwing an epic Halloween party in one of those for sure.
I glanced at everyone else around the table, each gazing off in their own directions with far away looks on their faces. Alice and Rosalie both had their heads held in their hands, chins resting on propped arms. Jasper was staring off towards the empty landing strip and Emmett was burning a hole into the table top with his concentrated stare.
I closed my eyes and snickered silently into my hand. Emmett was a trip and a half, such a fucking goober.
Opening them up again, I looked over at the last member of our group who I'd been steadily trying to ignore. His green eyes blazed back at me while the sly, crooked smile I'd come to drool over graced his lips.
I gazed back steadily, absently biting my lip in the process. I watched as his eyes darkened impossibly, sending a shot of arousal straight through my body and landing squarely at my core.
Jesus, one look and I'm rip rarin' to go.
"So, shopping it is then," I agreed, if only to break the silence that had consumed us.
Surely a couple of hours at the mall wouldn't kill me. Especially if it meant that I could get to know everyone in the group better.
We chit-chatted about Alice, Jasper and Edward's classes, my job, and Rose and Emmett's shop to pass the time before our food arrived.
"Have you given any more thought as to what you're going to be doing after you graduate, Jasper?" I asked.
"Not really, darlin'. I must say that teaching history is sticking for at me. But I'm not entirely sure if I want to be stuck standing in front of munchkins all day tellin' them the finer points of the Civil War. I might go slightly insane," Jasper answered.
"You'd be great with kids, Jazzy. I know it," Alice bubbled from beside Rosalie.
I smirked; I could tell that Alice definitely wanted kids with Jasper someday.
"Dude, don't you have some kind of concert at the end of the year?" Emmett suddenly asked Edward.
"Ooh! We get to dress up?!" Well, that got Alice's attention.
"Several times, Ali," Edward answered. He turned towards me and explained, "Spread throughout the year, we have concerts to showcase each member's talents and strong points. Since I'm majoring in business as well, I'm in charge of putting together each of the shows. The first one will be somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas. All of you are more than welcomed to come. The more the merrier."
"Can I make your clothes?! Please, pretty please, Edward? You'll look so devilishly handsome and professional, please?! It'll really help me out." Alice bounced in her seat with a puppy dog look on her face.
He chuckled and nodded at Alice. "As long as you don't make me your personal pin cushion, I'm all right with it."
"Oh, please. I coordinated Bella's ensemble last night, and she still lives to tell the tale. Plus, she looked gorgeous," Alice gushed.
The blush ignited in my cheeks as I bit my lip in the recollection of the previous night.
"Yes, she does," Edward agreed softly.
Wow, will the burning feeling in my face ever go away?
All this constant exposure and I'll become the shade of a tomato in no time.
Do not look directly into his eyes. Do not look directly into his eyes! For the love of all that's Holy, do not look into his eyes!
I took in a shuddering breath and turned the conversation on to safer topics. "So Rose, how's the shop going? I'll be bringing my truck in sometime next week. I mean, if that's all right with the two of you."
"Sure thing, sweets. What days off do you have next week? That way we can kind of know when to expect you," she replied after taking a sip of her milk.
"Hell if I know. When I left yesterday, Galen still hadn't made the schedule. I guess when we hit the mall we can stop in and see if it's made."
Emmett snorted beside me. "Galen? What kind of pussy name is that? It sounds… flowery."
"Yeah, well, he's the opposite of a flower, I can tell you that much. He's our second assistant manager and doesn't know how to do his job," I replied.
"If he doesn't know how to do his job, then why is he a manager?" Rose asked.
"Beats me," I answered.
"Does he like his job? Why is he still there?" Rose asked again.
"No, he doesn't like his job. He complains about it all the time and says how he's going to be leaving before the next holiday season. But alas, he's still here. And I have no clue why he stays." I never want to get in his head, like, ever.
"Huh," answered Rose.
"Oh, yeah, mind boggling that one is," I said sarcastically.
I didn't want to be thinking about Galen, or work for that matter. Once again, I changed the topic.
"So! You guys are getting married in the spring! That's so exciting!" Jesus, can I sound any more enthusiastic?
"I decided to take one for the team and pick her for my own. No one else should be subjected to this woman's stinky feet," Emmett spoke from beside me.
Rose picked up a spoon from her place setting and threw it at him; he caught it easily as we all laughed.
"Really, I just can't live without her," he added a second later.
"Aww that is so… so… gah! What's the word I'm looking for?" I fumbled.
What I wouldn't do to feel that kind of love. The kind where you can't live without the other person, can't imagine your existence without their presence, can't function without knowing that they were safe.
I caught Edward's eyes across the table, once again searing into my soul and setting my heart a flutter. I looked down suddenly, for all I knew he and Tanya felt that way about each other.
Unexpectedly, I felt nauseous.
"Romantic? Cheesy? Fairy-tale-ish? Sickening? I could come up with others," Jasper spoke up with a smirk.
"Oh please, like you don't feel the same way about Alice," Emmett scoffed.
"That's my point exactly. It's romantic, cheesy, fairy-tale-ish, and sickening all at the same time. You're in a whirlwind and can't find your way out," Jasper explained.
"Yes, Bella, it's exciting to be getting married. We've got most of the location details penned down, now we're just trying to get everything else together," Rose took over the conversation from Emmett.
"Oh? Where's it going to be held?" I asked curiously.
"We found this really pretty park with a look-out point for Mount Rainier and the Carbon River. In the spring it'll be full of fresh blooms and all kinds of greens and blues, really just exploding with color. It is a bit of a drive from here, but the scenery alone is worth it," Rose gushed with a huge smile on her face.
"Sounds very natural and beautiful, Rose. You'll have to show me all the pictures." I wonder if I'll ever be able to plan a wedding.
"You'll be invited for sure, Bella. So you can take your own pictures, all right?" Rose smirked.
The smile on my face was huge. I don't recall ever being to a wedding before. I had friends who were getting married, how weird is that to say? It was so adult and… big.
I was caught off guard when Anna showed up, tray loaded down with the food Emmett alone had ordered. Rosalie turned to me with a serious look on her face.
"Bella, if he becomes too much for you, just let me know. Sometimes when he eats and he's hungry, he can go a little hog wild."
"Hey! Give me a little credit, will ya, babe? It's not like I'll mistake her elbow for a piece of chicken or something," Emmett spoke up from beside me, winking at the last part.
"You promise you won't try to eat me, Emmy Bear?" I said in mock-seriousness, a pout on my face.
"I promise, Bellsy," he replied as he bumped his shoulder with mine, all of us chuckling at the silliness present.
Rose spoke up one last time, mock-whispering to me across the table, "Just remember to tuck in your elbows and you'll be fine."
Somehow I didn't think she was trying to be funny.
Emmett had three different plates of food, each of them brimming with delectable pieces that called to my stomach. Pancakes, French toast, hash browns, sourdough toast, sausage, bacon, and eggs all lay out before him like a buffet fit for a king. He gazed at the plates ravenously then licked his lips comically before pouncing on the closest dish.
It took poor Anna two more trips to bring the rest of us our breakfasts.
The syrup on the side dish of my pancakes glimmered in the bright early morning sunshine like amber gold. Syrup was almost the best part of having pancakes in my opinion.
I dug in nearly as fast as Emmett had, and he was just finishing his first plate!
The next few minutes passed with all of us moaning over the deliciousness of the food we were digesting. For a not so well known place, the food was amazing!
I made the mistake of watching Edward eating. Seriously, it should be considered an art, the way his fork moved towards his mouth, the contours of his lips wrapping around the utensil as it slid out.
Oh Lord, I'm becoming jealous of scrambled eggs. Bad Bella, very bad Bella.
"Uh, sorry Alice, but I have to use the bathroom," I blurted out. She and Rosalie scooted out so that I could shimmy away from the booth.
"My, Bella, you do have an overactive bladder, don't you?" Edward snickered from the other end of the table as I stood up.
I leaned down to whisper in his ear, "At least it's better than passing out at completely random intervals."
Turning from him sharply, I heard his fork clatter to the plate as I walked away.
Score: Bella 1, Edward, 0.
Using the washroom quickly, I made my way back out to the table to discover that everyone was pretty much done eating. Emmett had engulfed all three plates full of food and was patting his stomach lazily.
"We've decided that we're gonna get Starbucks before we head over to the mall. It'll liven us up a bit," Jasper said as I walked up to the booth and stood at the head of the table.
"What's wrong with the coffee here?" I asked.
"Oh, I'm sure nothing, but sugardumplin' and Rose want come sort of caramel macchiato or something," Jasper explained.
And that's why I don't like Starbucks. That and their coffee stinks to me.
They all started piling out of the booth and heading towards the exit, everyone ahead of me as I stood at the table
"But guys, aren't we suppose to pay first?" I called after them.
"Edward already took care of that," Alice said as she spun in front of me.
I wasn't gone that long.
I ran up to Edward, who was at the front of the group. "Thank you, Edward."
He shrugged. "It's still your birthday, so you shouldn't have to pay for anything."
Quickly, we made the journey back to Edward's car, each of us taking up our previous seats once we reached it.
There was a Starbucks across the street from the mall, so we stopped at that one. Really, there were two coffee shops inside it, why not put a third across the street?
There was a little bit of a line formed, and I wasn't craving coffee, so I stood off to the side with Edward while the rest gathered into the line. He leaned against an empty table with his arms crossed against his chest while I set myself next to him.
"Why aren't you getting coffee?" I asked him as I moved closer to Edward, now leaning against the table with him. What is he, a fucking magnet?
"All full up, besides, I can only stomach certain kinds and sadly, this isn't one of the kinds I can. What about you?" he answered as our shoulders touched and he uncrossed his arms, placing them on the edge of the table between us.
Eh, at least we had that in common. And the electricity, I don't care if he says he doesn't feel it. The jerkface does too, he let his cards show when he kissed me. Or I kissed him. Whichever, it happened between the two of us and — God, now I'm rambling in my own head! Stop thinking, Bella, just fucking feel, kay?
"Not really thirsty. I might get a soda or something later, but I'm all right for now," I answered as I felt his hand come around my back and wrap lightly around my waist.
Jesus that feels nice, like I'm finally home or something.
"If you want anything, just let me know. Like I said earlier, it's still considered your birthday and you shouldn't have to pay for a single thing," he said as his thumb rubbed small circles over my hip bone.
Huh, when had that become exposed?
I was about to answer when a small commotion caught my attention. Curious, I stood up and slowly walked towards the front counter.
There, at the very front of the line, were the group of my friends, shock plastered across their faces.
Exchanging my gaze for them towards the barista, I was met first hand with the reason why they'd gone speechless.
Her name badge said that her name was Tammy, and it looked like she was having a very, very bad day.
Gone was the normal, non-hectic worker who'd usually greet customers in a friendly manner. Replacing her was a harried, slightly crazy looking blonde woman who looked like she needed a vacation to the Galapagos Islands, stat.
I felt Edward come up behind me, the hand I'd come so used to being on my waist now positioned on the small of my back.
"What's going on?" I heard the slight panic in his voice.
"Er, I'm not exactly sure…" I trailed off.
Her eyes alone made me uneasy, the blue color reflecting oddly off of the streaming sunshine from outside. When she spoke, her voice sounded gravelly and like she had a bad case of strep throat.
"Who'd you like to sue today?"
Crazy lady say what?
"Er, sorry, but what was that?" I asked slowly, unsure if she'd said what I thought she had.
"I said: who'd you like to sue today? We've got a wide variety of people to choose from. There's my bastard ex-husband who doesn't want his ex-wife to be happy at all. There's the partner at the law-firm I'm interning at during the week who works my ass like I'm his personal assistant. Oh, and then there are the proprietors of this ass-in-a-can coffee shop."
She leaned forward towards us and whispered dramatically behind her hand, "Tim Horton's is way better than this muck you call coffee anyways!"
Then, apparently having had enough of the coffee establishment she was working for, tore off her apron and stalked around to the other side of the counter. She threw the apron at the closest customer, grabbed her purse from under the counter and walked towards the front door.
She untucked her black polo from her pants and turned back towards the counter where we all stood, speechless.
"You can kiss my big, white, Canadian ta-tas! I fucking quit!" she shrieked before pulling the shirt over her admittedly large tits and flashing us.
She then ran from the store, waving her hands around in the air yelling about blankies and medics.
Uh-huh.
I couldn't help it, I snorted with laughter.
A tall man came into the room from what I assumed was the office. "I'm sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you. To make amends for this incident, we're going to give you your drinks complimentary, anything you'd like. Thank you."
Yes, this was already turning out to be an interesting day.
XOXOXOXO
A/N: Thanks to Ellie and Amelia for being fantastic betas. Also, thanks to my mom for all of her support.
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