Just thought I'd give you a New Year's Eve present.
SM still owns.
Mad props to Minnakoda and Katmom for their tireless efforts. :)
Jasper
I was just finishing up with a customer when Adam showed up for his training session. I could see the disappointment in his face when he walked in and found it was me and not the object of his affection.
"Hey, Jasper, where's Bella?" Adam asked as he walked into the store. If crestfallen applied to a face, it would certainly be the perfect description of his. "I thought she was training me tonight."
I tried really hard not to laugh at his sad puppy dog face. "Sorry, dude, she's not feeling well. Alice and I will be your teachers tonight."
After setting down his messenger bag by the mini fridge, he turned and frowned at me. "She's not avoiding me, is she? I came off a little strong last night."
"No, buddy, she's not avoiding you; like I said, she's not feeling well. No need to get your manties in a bunch. So, shall we get started? What did she show you yesterday?"
Adam showed me what Bella had taught him about the cash, the layout of the store, dealing with the less-desirable customers, how to understand the cryptic messages from head office and inventory.
"Can you PLEASE explain why most of the shift is spent obsessively counting things?" he asked as he printed off an inventory checklist.
"Well…"
Before I could continue, Alice stormed into the store, muttering to herself. Shit, this is not going to be good. I reached for her, but she slapped my hands away.
"Hey, baby, what's wrong?"
"Bella—that's what's wrong."
I grabbed her this time, despite her flailing, lifted her up onto the counter, and stood between her legs. Trying to calm her down, I ran my hands up and down her thighs and placed quick kisses across her face. "Calm down, baby. Tell me what happened?"
"Is Bella okay?" Adam asked, worried.
"Bella's screwed in the head," she proclaimed angrily.
"Hey, now, calling her names isn't cool. Just because she's brain damaged doesn't…"
Alice cut him off so fast he never saw it coming. "Shut it, Adam."
He stepped back and frowned, then turned away. I cocked an eyebrow at her and jerked my head in his direction. She was out of line and she knew it.
"Adam, I'm sorry. You're getting dragged into a major clusterfuck of a situation." She turned her attention back to me after her weak attempt at an apology. "Jazzy, she's definitely taking him back."
I hugged her, rubbing her back as I spoke. "Ali, let her make her own decisions. It's time we cut the apron strings. If she falls apart again…"
Alice slapped my chest with her open palms. "Jebus, you sound like a broken Dr. Phil record. I know I should be happy for her, but it's hard. She's giving up Adam, here, for Angstward the Running Man."
"So the, er, complication is really back for good?" Adam said, sadly. "Damn it."
"Don't give up, Adam. As Bella says, there's always hope."
"I don't think you should be blowing sunshine up the new boy's butt, sweetheart," I whispered to her, "I don't think she'll give up Edward so easily."
"So honestly, guys, is she really sick?" Adam asked as he rang in a purchase for a customer.
"Yes, she really is not feeling well today."
As soon as he had dealt with the customer and sent him on his way, he turned back to us, the canoodling couple on the counter. "I'm starting to develop a complex here. So, what's the deal with Bella and her complication anyway?"
Alice gave me a kiss, and then hopped down so she could stand closer to Adam. "This is really not my place to do this, but you have a right to know. Bella and Edward…"
"Alice!" I warned. "This is SO not your story to tell." I moved toward her, but she held up her hands and waved me off. I wasn't sure if I could handle listening to this, it made me feel dirty, so I tried to busy myself with putting the week's bank deposit statements in some kind of order while my beloved pixie divulged things she had no right to talk about.
"Oh, poo, Jazzy. Anyway, Bella and Edward dated in high school. He knocked her up in tenth grade, so by eleventh grade they were the first unwed teenage parents at Forks High."
I winced at Adam's reaction to the news that Bella had given birth. He was shocked to say the least, as most people are when they find out. "She's a mom? Where's the kid? She didn't tell me anything about a kid."
"There was an accident; Bella's parents and her 2 year-old daughter were killed on impact. She survived, but barely. Edward couldn't handle it, you know, losing his kid and watching Bella dying, so he bailed. Only, Bella lived, well, her body did. He killed something in her when he left."
I turned around when I heard a loud bang and Adam's voice rising in volume. "How could he do that? What an asshat!"
"I KNOW!" Alice shouted in reply to her new ally. Fuck me, they're going to gang up on her. "So, after five years apart, guess who showed up a couple of weeks ago?"
"Edward. And just like that she took him back? Over me? Ouch!"
Shaking my head, I turned to address them. "If you two old hens are done with your gossiping, Adam needs to learn more than just Bella's past to work here. Besides, Alice, what happened to leaving it alone? Letting them figure it out?"
"Bite me, Jazzy."
Bite me? There haven't been many times in my life with Alice that I've been angry with her, but she was fixin' to make this one of the top moments. She was fiercely protective of Bella if someone else was attacking her, but heaven forbid anyone tell Alice to stay out of it. I turned to her and grabbed her shoulders firmly enough to make her understand that I meant business. "If you keep this up, Mary Alice Brandon, you're going to lose her; we'll lose her. I'm telling you now to stay out of it.
"So, Adam, why don't we get started on pricing?"
Bella
Edward and I were curled up on the sectional sofa in the living room with Fred, talking, when Emmett and Rosalie showed up. Fred took off with a screech when Emmett flopped over the side and lay there, smiling at us, while Rose vaulted over and landed on his legs.
"Hey, be careful of the Fred! He was there first. You shouldn't have scared him off like that, he's had a rough day," I pouted as I tried to get Fred to come back.
I don't think Emmett heard a word I said, and I understood why after he spoke. "Is anybody hungry? Rosie suggested that we BBQ tonight."
Of course, he wanted food. "I'm not very hungry, but you guys go ahead."
Emmett frowned as he reached for my hand. "Baby Girl, you're so skinny, you need to eat. Please let me fatten you up a bit."
I rubbed my stomach with my free hand and frowned to emphasize my point. "My belly is still kind of upset from last night. I'm cool with toast and tea, but please, make yourselves at home."
"Why don't we let the boys do the cooking, eh, Bells?" Rosalie said, shooting me a definite we need to talk look.
Catching on to what she was implying, I yawned and stretched out. "That sounds good to me. Edward used to make a potato salad that was just to die for."
He nuzzled my neck. "Would you eat some if I made it?"
"Maybe. If I can't stomach it tonight, I could certainly eat it tomorrow, and I don't know if you remember or not, but I was definitely a day-after potato salad kind of girl."
He smiled against my jaw. "Okay, well, I need to go to the store if you want me to make it. Are you going to be okay?"
I reached for Rosalie's hand. "I've got my Rosie. It's all good, you boys go ahead."
Edward leaned in for a kiss and I'm pretty sure he was surprised when I practically jumped him. "Be safe," I panted when we parted. "Come back, please."
His eyes were still huge from my little sendoff. "I promise. Do you need anything from the store? More tea? More bread for toast? Some chicken noodle soup?"
"Nope."
"Okay, Love, we'll see you soon."
Rosalie gave Emmett a kiss and slapped his ass as he walked away. As soon as she was sure they were gone, she turned to me. "Spill it, Toots."
"We're…we're…well, we're, uh, working on it. I've agreed to take him back and we're going to try. Oh, and thanks for calling him last night. Waking up in his arms this morning was exactly what I needed." I smiled at her and motioned for her to come sit closer.
Rose scooted up the chocolate brown couch and snuggled into me. Fred jumped back up onto the back of the sofa and tried his best to settle down. I felt a furry paw resting on my cheek once he was sprawled out, and I smiled. Have I mentioned how much I love Fred? He always knows what to do to make me happy.
"So everything's okay?" Rose said, breaking me out of my silent adoration of the cat.
"I hope it will be. There's one HUGE problem though."
"What's that?" she asked as she massaged my hand.
"Alice."
She sat up quickly and screeched, inciting Fred to let out a low growl. "What? What happened? I haven't heard from her all day. I've been texting like crazy, and nothing. I was starting to worry."
I reached up to give Fred a reassuring scratch behind the ears. "She's probably too pissed to text right now. She is SO not cool with me getting back together with Edward. I don't understand why—I thought she'd be happy for me. Instead, she's pitching ultimatums like woo. Pick him or pick you guys. How am I supposed to do that? She's still pushing the Adam thing too. It wouldn't be fair to go out with him; I am still very much in love with Edward. I don't think my attraction to Adam goes beyond the physical."
"He IS kind of hot. Alice showed me a picture of him online."
"Yes, I know he's hot, I'm painfully aware of just how hot he is, but he's not Edward."
Rosalie exhaled loudly. "I'm not going to put out any ultimatums, I will never make you choose, but I will say this; I'm worried. I don't want you to get hurt again, especially by him, because I don't think you'll survive."
When I began to protest, Rosalie stopped me. "I will stand back and let you call the shots because it's your life; I'm not your mother and I can't stop you. However, if this gets out of hand and your safety and/or sanity become endangered, then I will step in.
"On the other hand, I see a glow emanating from you that I've never seen in all the years I've known you. Your eyes are actually sparkling, and you seem more alive, so I can see that he makes you happy. Because you're my girl and I want you to be happy, I won't give you a hard time."
She turned around so she was facing me. "Please promise me one thing: take it slow. I know it would be easy to jump right back into things with him because it was so easy before, but you're not the same girl you were back then and I'd hate to see MY Bella fade into HIS Bella. You're strong, fun, loving, and cute as a button. Please don't change."
I was finding hard to fight back the tears. "Thank you, Rosie."
"I'm only speaking for myself, here. Alice is going to be harder to win over. She's, well, she's protective of you. When you hurt, it hurts her almost as much. She's been through so much with you, that's she's scared. You need to understand that."
"Scared of what?" I asked, as I absentmindedly raked my hands through Fred's soft, thick fur, his purrs acting as reassurance to my frazzled nerves.
"She's terrified of losing you. I'm telling you, sweetie, we're all scared shitless that at some point we're going to lose you. You have to understand where she's coming from; don't judge her too harshly."
"I just don't know what to do, Rosie. She's not going to listen to me."
Rosalie hugged me, knocking poor Fred off the back of the couch. "Don't use your words, Bells, show her. Let her see that you are happy and that things are going well. Just don't flaunt it at first; give her a chance to get used to it."
That made perfect sense, and Alice would hopefully come around sooner than later. "What do I do about Adam?"
"Adam? Ha! That's the easy part. Put your foot down. Don't toy with his emotions and I'll work on getting Alice to lay off you."
"Thank you, Rosie, really."
"I just want you to be happy. Don't make me regret it, kitten."
"I won't."
"So, you and Edward looked pretty cozy. Did you guys, uh, seal the deal?"
I slapped at her. "No! My God, I just had a seizure and the thought of having sex so soon scares me; I mean what if I had another one in the middle of it? Oh, good Lord, can you imagine?" I took a deep breath, before I added the next bit. "Besides, I'm not ready."
"It's been five years, Bells; I don't know how you survived this long without sex."
"Store discounts go a long way," I said, smirking.
She tackled me. "Oh, you dirty little minx."
I giggled. "No, not a minx, just a normal human female who has needs and has access to some incredible sex toys."
Rosalie hugged me again. "I don't know if it's possible to love a wing nut like you any more than I already do."
"I love you too, Rosie. Ugh, I need to shower. Would you mind hanging out outside the bathroom in case I go ass over kettle?"
"No problem. Shall I read Cosmo to you while you wash?"
Sometimes it was impossible not to laugh at her. "You're too much, sometimes."
"You love me, though," she said, smirking.
"Always."
"Alright then, let's…" she paused as she pulled the new issue of Cosmopolitan out of her purse, "let's learn one hundred ways to satisfy our men."
Edward
We returned to find the house quiet, save for the faint sound of running water and Rosalie's voice. We walked toward Bella's room and listened intently, picking up random words and the sound of girlish giggling.
"Head…lick…ice cream…swirl…" Rosalie said.
Emmett blushed. "I know what she's doing."
"What is it? Some twisted children's story?"
He shifted around uncomfortably before he replied. "No, it's…it's the latest issue of Cosmo."
"How do you know that?" I asked, teasing.
I could see that he was trying to save face, but it wasn't going to work; he was already in too deep and was going to have to come clean with me. "Well, technically, I don't know that it's the new one; the sex advice is pretty much the same in every issue."
"Again, brother mine, how would you know this?" I prodded.
Crimson bloomed brightly in his cheeks again. "I like to know what the ladies are thinking."
"Come on, tell the truth, Em."
"Fine," he huffed, "I like the hot stories. I mean, I do like knowing what the ladies are thinking, and I want to make sure they're teaching the proper methodology for keeping their men happy, but I have to admit that I really like reading the steamy one-shots."
"Sometimes you amaze me. Come on; let's cook dinner so we can keep OUR ladies happy." I said, as I walked back to the kitchen.
"Not that yours will be eating."
"Yeah, I know. She's so skinny, Em. I hope she's not anorexic or anything."
Rosalie walked into the kitchen and kissed Emmett. "No, Edward, our Bella is not anorexic, she has a hard time eating, and sometimes her appetite is non-existent. She says she wasn't like that before the accident."
"No," I said, sadly, "she could eat me under the table and give Em a run for his money."
Emmett reached for Rose's hand. "Rosie, come help me light the BBQ. Edward, let me know when the potatoes are ready for grilling."
I dug around in the cupboards looking for a bowl and colander. As soon as I found what I was looking for, I began to prepare the tiny potatoes for grilling. When they were ready, I took the bowl out to Emmett. Bella was standing in the kitchen when I came back in from the deck. She held her arms out to me.
Flashing my famous half-smile, I walked over and wrapped her in my arms, inhaling her scent and sighing deeply.
"Hi," she said quietly, "whatcha thinkin'?"
I widened my smile against her cheek. "I'm thinkin' I'm finally home. I didn't realize the extent of my homesickness until this very moment."
She relaxed in my arms. I could swear I heard her sniff at my neck. "Me too. It feels like I've been holding my breath and I've finally just exhaled."
"Is it wrong that I could cry right now?" Emmett said as he walked into the house. "I know, I know, big bad Emmett is being a sappy little girl, but I never thought I'd see this again." He walked over to hug us. "Aww, group hug. Come on, Rosie; join in so my favourite girls are together."
Bella laughed as Emmett squeezed us so hard that I actually squeaked.
"Uh, Em, don't forget about the steak," I reminded him when my ribs could take no more pressure from his death grip.
"Oh yeah. As you were." He ran to the kitchen to grab the steak.
Bella sat on a stool and watched me as I prepared the other veggies for the grill. I felt bad for her because it was no secret that she loved my salad, and if her stomach wasn't so sour, she'd probably eat the entire bowl. At least she would have.
As soon as the vegetables were on the grill being tended by Emmett, Bella brought up something she'd been avoiding.
"I don't know what your schedule is like for the next few days, but I'm going to be swamped between registering for school, meeting my advisors, and work. As much as I hate to say this, I won't be able to see you until the weekend sometime." She walked over and wrapped her arms around my waist. "This sucks."
"Actually, my schedule is pretty full too. Between my music classes and my educational theory classes, I'm going to be pretty busy myself. Why don't we make plans for dinner Saturday night? My house this time."
"That sounds great. It's a date," she said, walking away.
"Hey? Where are you going?"
Turning around, she smiled at me. "Well, this really hot guy just asked me out on a date and I'm going to tell my girlfriend about it."
Bella
The days passed in a blur. I spent most of my time waiting in lines on campus and working. Adam had really turned out to be a huge asset, although he was still making me feel a tad uncomfortable with some of the things he was saying. It was the little things that he said that made me sure that Alice was still pushing him to try. Sometimes his comments were benign, but once or twice, I caught him sneering something about my stupid complication.
Alice—she was another story altogether. She wasn't speaking to me at all, and it was upsetting to say the least. In the entire four years of friendship and sisterhood, we had never been reduced to the silent treatment. Rose kept telling me to give it time, but really, how long could this continue? Jasper, who was the empathetic one of the group, was really suffering being stuck in the middle of it all.
"Bells, if I seem a little, ugh, standoffish, it's not because I don't love you, it just happen to love my balls," he'd said on Wednesday, after a particularly ugly silent standoff with Alice which lead to her stomping out the door.
I hugged him. "It's okay, Jazzy, I understand; sort of. I get why you're staying in the shadows, but I can't understand why Ali is so mad at me."
Jasper hugged me back and kissed the top of my head. "Bells, my dear, have you not learned anything about our sweet little pixie over your many years of blissful cohabitation? You know as well as I do that she's stubborn and hates to concede. If you could find a way to make her feel like she's won even the tiniest bit of the battle, then I think she'll come around."
"I wish I knew what I could do. Hell, I wish this whole thing wasn't even an issue."
"You'll figure it out. In the meantime, you should ask the Cullen boys to cook dinner again. Their feast the other night was awesome even if I only got the leftovers."
I was standing in the quad the following day getting caught up with my friend Angela, when I heard someone calling my name.
"Bella! Hey, Bella! Wait!"
Goosebumps prickled on my flesh and a wave of heat passed over me at the sound of my name being called out by Edward.
"Oh. My. God. Who is THAT?" Angela said, tightly gripping my arm.
Edward jogged over, stopping when he reached us and gathered me into his arms.
"Hi," he whispered.
"Hi," I breathed back, tilting my head for a kiss, which he happily gave me.
Angela cleared her throat, effectively bringing us back to the real world. I laughed and ducked my head into his chest, embarrassed. "Sorry, Ang. Angela Weber, this is Edward Cullen, uh, an old friend?" I ended the statement with a questioning inflection because really, what was he to me at this point other than an old affectionate friend. "Edward, this is Angela, a former dorm mate and good friend."
"The pleasure is all mine, Angela."
I laughed at Angela's reaction to him. It almost looked like Angela was holding her breath. As it turned out, she later admitted she'd forgotten how to breathe.
"H…h…hi, Edward. It's nice to meet you."
Grabbing his head, I pulled it down so I could whisper to him. "Please stop dazzling my friends."
"Sorry," he said, smiling. "I know we weren't supposed to meet up until Saturday, but I saw you and…"
"Shh," I silenced him with a kiss. "It's okay. I missed you too."
Again, Angela cut into our moment. I'm such a horrible friend to ignore her like that, but much like Angela, I was totally dazzled by Edward's presence. "So, Edward, are you new to the campus? I don't remember seeing you around, but you look familiar. Have we met before?"
"No, I don't believe we have. I am new here, I just transferred."
"Oh, that's great. What are you studying?"
"Music Education."
Angela gave me a lucky you look. "A musician, eh? My boyfriend isn't nearly as exciting. He's studying molecular something or other."
"Hey," a male voice said from behind her. "I heard that. I didn't realize you found me so boring."
"Sorry, baby, I didn't mean it like that." She turned around to hug him. "Ben, sweetie, this is Edward Cullen, Bella's, uh, friend."
"Edward Cullen?" Ben paused. "You look really familiar. You're not in the Science Faculty are you?"
"No, music."
"Wow, you…OH! I know, you're in that picture on Bella's mantle," he jumped up and down like he'd won a grand prize on a game show.
"YES!" Angela squealed, sharing in his exuberance, "that's totally it. Oh," she stopped, "oh." Her eyes grew to epic proportions.
I winced as Angela's face changed when she realized who he was. She didn't know the whole story, but she knew enough.
Ben, who might not be the most exciting man on the planet, had impeccable timing. "I hate to run off, but I need to go buy my lab supplies before the boys buy up all the good slides and burners. Edward, man, it was great to meet you. I hope we'll see you around. Bells, always a pleasure. Ang, I love you, babe."
"You too, Ben," Edward said before turning to me, seemingly nonplussed at what had just happened. "I have to run too. I just wanted to say hi. I'll call you later.
"Angela, it was a pleasure. I hope to see you again."
He leaned down and kissed me. "Love you."
"Mm…" I hummed. I wondered if the shock of hearing him say that again would wear off. "Love you too."
Nothing short of an atomic bomb could keep my eyes off him as he jogged back across the quad, watching as he weaved through the throngs of people. It wasn't until Angela poked me that I realized I was still staring, even though he was no longer in my line of sight.
"Wow, Bella, he is the last person I ever expected to meet face-to-face. When did this happen? How did this happen? Why have you been holding out on me?" Angela slapped at me playfully.
I frowned slightly. "Do you promise not to get all pissy and judgmental on me?"
"Of course. Why would I?"
I shifted back and forth on my feet uncomfortably. "Alice and I are no longer speaking."
"WHAT? Okay, spill, girl. If it's scandalous enough to make Chatty McChatterson clam up, then I want to hear it; all of it."
Sighing, I looped my arm though Angela's and led her towards a coffee shop. "Hope you're not too busy because this could take a while."
Two coffees later, Angela was teary-eyed and smiling. "That's just about the saddest, most amazing story I've ever heard. While I can understand Alice's fears, I think she's going about it all wrong. Want me to talk to her?"
"No, you don't need to get involved in this mess. I'm just glad you're not freaking out at me."
Angela pushed aside the coffee cups and took my hands in hers. "Sweetie, I am a firm believer in true love, soul mates, and happily-ever-afters. I have also known you long enough to see that you are in so deep with him that it won't matter what anyone says. I've never seen you smile so wide that it actually reaches your eyes, which are shining, by the way. It also helps that he's smitten with you too; you can totally see it.
"I love you, Bella, I just want you to be happy, and if he makes you happy, then so be it."
"Thank you, Ang," I said, smiling through my tears. "It means a lot to me that you're okay with this, that you understand, and that you'll give us a chance."
"If you're happy, I'm happy—unless he screws up, in which case I reserve the right to kick his ass, and so does Ben. Got it?"
"Yes." I leaned across the table and hugged her. "You'll have to get in line, though."
"So, how does Rose feel about this? She's usually as overprotective as Alice is."
I laughed as I fiddled with a napkin. "She's cool with it; in fact, she's dating Edward's older brother Emmett."
"There are TWO Cullen Gods? Oh, be still my heart. Is he as hot as Edward?"
Again, I laughed. "Emmett is in a category all his own. He's big, brawny, brash, and one of the sweetest men on this planet. He's the one who spent every single day with me, both when I was in the hospital and in rehab."
Angela smiled warmly at me. "Aw, I can't wait to meet him. Can I meet him?"
"We'll have to have a party soon."
"Yeah, for sure. Hey, your birthday is coming up, isn't it?"
Pretending not to hear her, I looked at my watch. "Oh shit, I have to go to work."
"Wait, I thought you were leaving the store."
"No, well, yes, I'm training the new guy and then I'm done." I grabbed my bag, gave Angela a hug and said goodbye.
"Wait? You're really going to leave the store? No more discounts? I'm bummed."
"Alice and Jasper will still be working there for a while; you won't miss out on the cheap Japanese condoms just yet."
Angela blushed when several heads turned to stare at them.
"Thanks, B. I'll call you later."
Alfie was chatting up Adam when I entered the store.
"Sunshine!"
"Alfie! How's my guy today?" I said, hugging him.
"I'm terrible. I was just getting to know the new guy and he informs me that you're leaving me?"
I glared at Adam, who shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't know I wasn't supposed to tell anyone."
"I'm sorry, Alfie, but it's true. I'm not as young as I used to be and doing school and the store is getting to be too much. So yeah, as soon as Adam is trained, I'll be leaving."
Alfie truly looked sad. "Aw, Sunshine, I'm going to miss you."
"Ali and Jasper will still be here, and I'm sure you'll see me around. We can do coffee or something."
"It's not the same. I mean this new fella is pretty, I'll give him that, but he's no Sunshine. You are one-of-a-kind, my dear. God broke the mold when he made you."
I blushed and tried to swallow the lump in my throat. "Shucks, you're making me blush. You know everyone will still take good care of you, right?"
"Yeah, but just the same…"
Adam stepped in to my defense. "Alfie, if I promise to be extra nice and set aside the best movies for you, will you lay off the boss lady? It was hard for her to make the decision to leave; you're not making it any easier on her."
"Fine," the elderly man grumbled, "but I'm not happy."
I sighed. "I'm sorry."
"Oh, cheer up, Sunshine, I'm old but I'm tough."
"Thanks. You know you're my favourite, right?" I said, putting my arm around his shoulder and giving him a squeeze.
"Yeah, well, I'll let you two get on with it. Don't be a stranger, Sunshine."
"I won't." I mimed crossing my heart.
I hugged him again and hoped this wouldn't be our last encounter. He may be old and have a disconcerting penchant for much younger men, but he'd been like an old gay grandfather to me and I was truly going to miss him.
Adam was pretty much ready to work solo, so I decided to let him try. I left my number for him in case he ran into any trouble. I gathered my purse and was heading to the door when he stopped me.
"How're things with Forrest Gump?"
I huffed, annoyed. "His name is Edward, and everything is great."
"Oh, well, just so you know, everything goes better with A-D-A-M."
I rolled my eyes as I walked out. "Call me if you run into trouble or come up with an intelligent line of conversation. I'm outta here."
Stepping outside, I released a tense gust of air from my lungs and gave myself a pep talk. Patience, Bella, patience. Only a couple more shifts and you won't have to deal with the store or Adam again, and only one more day until your date with Edward.
I couldn't help squealing like a giddy fangirl at the thought of being with Edward, on a date, alone. God, I am pathetic.
Pathetic but happy, and happiness is what counts, right?
That was a little fluffier, eh?
So...fanfic rec time...right now I'm really digging "The Lost Boys" by hwimsey. Seems I really like a musically inclined Edward. ;)
Still loving the following:
Rose Petals and Pavement by Minnakoda
Dragon Stones by Katmom
Maybe by 107yroldvirgin
Clipped Wings and Inked Armor by hunterhunting
Black Swan by RavenJadeWolf
Broken Doll by RowanMoon
Edward Wallbanger by feathersmmmm
Dearly Departed by lambcullen (which just finished)
Company Loves Misery by AngstGoddess003
Master of the Universe by Snowqueens Icedragon
Happy New Year Everyone! May 2010 bring many more wonderful stories for us to read and share.
As our beloved Edward said: Be Safe!
