Disclaimer: Twilight? Not mine. Dirty thoughts about Robert Pattinson? Copyright. All mine.
Thank yous: Jess; thanks for being there when I ask for your opinion on the same thing 100 times before I finally shut up. Ysar: thank you for all you do to clean up my messes. Michelle:Wow you are truly dedicated to have whipped through my monstrosity of chapters in under a week's time! Thank you so much for everything you do! Everyone: Thank to everyone who tweets this fic, rec's this fic, reviews this fic, and lurks this fic. It's astounding how awesome you all are.
The Lemonade Stand: Owns me.
-x-
The Slowest Burn
That awkward moment when… you snap back into reality.
Ch. 13: An Unfortunate Slight
"I could fucking kill that asshole!" Rosalie shouts from inside my car for like the billionth time in a row since we left Port Angeles.
"I'm pretty sure Jasper and Emmett took care of that already," I sigh and run my fingers through my hair as I rest my elbow against the window beside me.
She turns her entire body to face mine. "How are you not super upset right now?"
"Nothing happened." I shrug and keep my gaze forward.
She snorts, "Nothing happened?" She pulls at my skirt, and I smack her hand away. "Your uniform is ruined, and your knees and elbows are bruised and bloody. How can you say that nothing happened?"
"It could have been worse, okay?" I grimace. "Can we just drop this please? I don't want to talk about it anymore."
Rose huffs and folds her arms across her chest as she slumps back down into her seat. I turn the radio on, and she pulls her cell phone out to start texting people. My guess is Emmett because she wants to know every bloody detail of what went down between them and Mike. When her phone beeps with a response to her text, she scowls at me.
"Cullen was there?" Her accusing tone sets me on edge because I definitely do not want to talk about Edward.
I nod my head.
"And?" she snaps. "I thought you said you two were done?"
I roll my eyes and take a deep breath to keep from snapping back at her. "I didn't know he was going to be there; he was probably slinging."
Suddenly she's in a panic. "Was Royce there?"
I glance over at her. "I don't know."
"Shit," she mutters and stares at the ceiling in the car, "I bet he was checking up on me."
"What exactly is the deal with him anyways?" I ask and turn the volume down on the car stereo. We have a little under a hour left of the drove back to Forks. Now is the perfect time for us to talk.
"I think he's just jealous of Emmett," she explains.
"Does Emmett know?" I look at her in surprise.
She shakes her head. "No. I told him I needed a ride because his jeep had bigger storage space. Plus, I offered to buy him dinner, and he was all in. Plus, I think he's noticed how I've been lately and felt sorry for me because you and I were in a fight." She shrugs.
I nod my agreement, and she continues.
"Anyways, when Royce saw us, he flipped out. He almost blew everything when he started shouting. I was terrified he would mention the baby in front of Emmett. Thank God for Cullen," she sighs and looks down at her hands. "He got Royce to calm down long enough for me to tell Emmett I would meet him in the restaurant. It took some serious begging, but he finally left us alone to talk."
I wait patiently for her to keep going, my stomach is in knots the whole time.
"Royce wanted Edward to leave, but he wouldn't budge. I think he knew I needed him there in case Royce lost it again. He seems to be the only person able to keep Royce in check…" She sighs in exasperation. "Anyways, that's when Royce started accusing me of being a whore and lying about the father. He wants a paternity test, and if the baby is his—which it is," she adds angrily, "he wants an active role in the process."
I gasp in horror. "You mean…?"
She nods. "The pregnancy, the baby… everything. He wants to go to the checkups and be there when I tell my parents. But the way he was explaining it just sounded like he wanted everyone to know that me and this baby were his property. Not a single thing he said sounded sincere in any way possible."
I reach over and squeeze her hand. "He's a dick," I reply with a snort. "No way does he get to be a part of any of this until you are ready, got it?"
She nods with closed eyes and trembling lips. "Yeah," she whimpers and squeezes my hand between both of hers. "I just feel so stupid around him, you know? He knows just what to say to make me feel like I'm the bad person in every situation. If Cullen hadn't been there, I don't know what I would have agreed to…"
I want so bad to comment on the numerous times she's mentioned Edward. What exactly was she trying to say? Was he a good guy? Was she changing her mind?
"Well, I'm glad he was there for you when I wasn't," I mumble. I don't mean for it to sound insensitive, but the moment its out in the open that's the first thing that comes to mind.
She hiccups and shakes her head before she looks up at me sullenly. "I said I was sorry, Bella. I don't know what more I can do about it, okay? I was wrong to take my frustrations out on you, and I know I should have just talked to you before I blew up. I know that, okay?"
"Rose," I grimace and pull my hand back to run it through my hair, "I totally get it, okay? I'm sorry, too. I should have known you had things going on, and instead I was stuck in la la Cullen land. But don't worry, it's ov—"
"If I was a better friend, I would have been considerate of whatever was going on between you two. Come on, Bella," she utters softly, "you two aren't over by a long shot. I can see it on your face every time you hear his name. I'm sorry I was a bitch about him; I guess I'm just a little jealous that Royce wasn't more like him."
I almost let go of the wheel; I'm so freaking shocked by what she's just said. "More like Edward?" I choke on a laugh. "Edward Cullen? That's who you're referring to, right?"
"He's not that bad," she mumbles and stares down at her hands. "I kinda talked to him the other day about… things." She looks up at me. "He really likes you, Bella."
I have to pull over when she says this. We're ten minutes away from home, but I can't go another inch. I roll into a ditch, park, and hit the hazard lights before I turn in my seat to face her after hitting the overhead button to light up the car.
"Are you fucking kidding me right now, Rosalie?" I abruptly explode inside the car. "First you act like he's the devil, and now you're switching sides?"
"What kind of guy lies to his best friend for someone? Huh? 'Cause I can guarantee you won't see Emmett or Jasper doing that—ever. Cullen dropped everything to pick you up and bring you to me. He didn't do it for me; he did it for you, Bella." Her eyes bore into mine intensely.
"And Jasper?" I challenge her logic.
She sighs, "Good guy—great guy," she corrects, "but not for you."
I snort. Wow, thanks, Rose.
"Not like that. What I mean is that… you don't want him like you want Cullen. I knew from the start that you weren't all that into Jasper. But I knew how much you used to like him, so I was confused. All I wanted was for you to be with someone who made you happy, Bell." In an affectionate and motherly gesture, her hand reaches out to curl a lock of hair behind my ear.
With my left hand I reach over and grab her hand from my ear so that I can squeeze it. "Rose, I'm trying really hard not to like Cullen…" I look at her. "You're not making that easy right now."
"Would it make you feel better if I said I still have phantom feelings for Royce?" Her fingers tighten within my grasp. "And that I wish more than anything that Royce was Emmett?"
I gasp.
"I know," she quickly adds. "I know it's horrible to wish something like this on someone as great as Emmett. But…" She pulls away from me to bury her face in her hands. "But I just feel like Emmett would do right by me and the baby, and he's so… so…"
"You like him," I gulp in realization. "For how long, Rose? He's been crazy about you since forever, and you blew him off every time he even tried to ask you out."
She sniffles and shrugs her shoulders. "I want out of Forks, Bella."
I wait for her to continue.
"Emmett has no intention of ever leaving Forks behind. He'll go to college in Seattle, so he can drive home on the weekends, graduate, and come right back here to work with his dad, transporting goods in Port Angeles. He's a family man, Bell." She shakes her head slowly side to side. "He'll want to stay here and raise a family. I guess I would, too, if my family was like his."
I nod my head in agreement. Out of everyone, Emmett has the picture perfect life. He's not rich, but he's not poor. He's popular, but he's not a snob. His parents support him and his two younger siblings in anything and everything they do. I see the McCarty's at every football game, and they're very active in their children's lives.
"You're not even giving him a chance," I scoff. "Emmett is awesome, Rose. He holds a torch for you, and it's one that will never burn out."
"Well it's too late now anyways!" Rose shouts inside the car. "I'm pregnant, if I did want to start something, he'd never want to be with a girl who got knocked up by another guy."
She's right, and we both know it. It hurts not being able to tell her that it's not true, that Emmett would still want her no matter what. But the fact remains the same; Rose is damaged goods in the eyes of young teenage boys getting ready to start the rest of their lives.
I hate Royce King for being such an asshole to Rosalie in a time like this.
"Please don't cry, Rose," I whisper and rub a hand up and down her back to comfort her. "Let's just go home and go from there."
She nods, and I start the car back up and head home.
-x-
It's late, and I can't sleep. Rosalie breathes slowly and evenly beside me, and I don't want to wake her because she's finally just gone to bed. I hate when she cries, and I feel like that's all she's been doing lately. I wish on everything that I could take at least half of the grief she feels so that life could be that much easier for her.
The door downstairs opens, and my eyes flash to the clock on my nightstand. It's midnight, and Dad's just gotten home. I slip out of bed and tiptoe out my bedroom to trot downstairs and join my dad in the kitchen, where I know I'll find him elbow deep in whatever fried fast food he's picked up on his way home. Tonight he's gone to McDonalds, and when I join him at the kitchen table, I steal a few fries and dip them in the ketchup pile he's carefully constructed on a nearby napkin.
"Hey, Dad," I mumble as I chew.
"What are you still doing up?" he asks gingerly, right before he takes a huge bite from his hamburger.
I sigh and grab more fries. "Couldn't sleep. Rose is staying the night by the way."
He nods as he chews, and I slowly guide a fry through the ketchup and draw little patterns on the napkin. It's quiet between us, but it's not awkward. We've both obviously got things on our minds that we're shifting through at this precise moment and time.
"Had to lock that Cullen kid up tonight," Dad grumbles irritably and snatches the fry I've been playing with out of my hands to eat it.
I'm nearly speechless. "F-for what?" I stutter.
Dad eyes me skeptically and sets the remainder of his hamburger down to watch me. "The Newtons called up the station over an hour ago. Said Cullen went down there hollering for Mike, and when he wouldn't come out, Cullen went ape shit on the boys Mustang."
My eyes widen. "Are you serious?"
He nods. "Took three officers to haul him in; the boy was livid. Breathalyzer cleared him of any alcohol in his system, kid swears he wasn't on any drugs…" Dad shrugs and takes another bite from his burger.
"So you… arrested him?" My voice sounds suspect even to me.
"The Newtons are pressing charges for vandalism and assault," Dad answers through a mouthful and pauses to swallow when I wrinkle my nose in disgust. "Guess there was a fight between the two earlier at the football game. The Newton kid said he was going to let it go until Cullen came back to take revenge out on his car."
"That is such a lie!" I jump out of my chair and shout. "Dad!" I slap a hand down onto the table and regard my shocked and wide eyed father angrily. "You have to let Edward go."
He blinks up at me curiously, and then his eyes search my face and the rest of me before he goes back to staring at my eyes. "Now why would I do that?"
"Because…" I pause and bite my lip. Do I really want to tell my dad what Mike did tonight? He would ask questions, want to know why Mike thought it would be okay to proposition me the way he did. What if dad thought I was a slut after this? I gulp the bile down my throat and sit down at the table quietly.
"What aren't you telling me, Bells?" He balls his garbage up into a ball and shoves it all in the bag to push it to the side before he grabs one of my hands. "Please say something, sweetheart. You're startin' to scare me."
I blink my watery eyes a few times and debate inside my head if telling Dad is the smart thing to do. I feel my body tremble as I recall the events that transpired earlier. Shit. I can't tell my father what happened; he'll think I'm a whore, and I can't have him look at me like that. I won't.
I stare down at the table and try to come up with a simple way out of this. I'm tired; I'll just say I'm ready for bed now. I'll yawn and stretch and make my eyes droop and… and…
"Tell him, Bella," Rose startles me from behind.
"Tell him what?" I mutter and turn around to scowl at her. "I have nothing to tell him. Perhaps you might want to share some news with him." I make it a point for her to see my eyes dart down to her stomach.
Her jaw tightens. "Charlie…" She looks over at my father, and I fly into a blind panic. "Earlier tonight, Bella was atta—"
"Rosalie's pregnant!" I shriek.
I immediately regret it after shouting it.
Dad turns to Rose. "Is this true, Rose?"
She gulps and nods her head with tears in her eyes. My dad sighs deeply and closes his eyes to rest his forehead against his hand as he sets his elbow on the table. He gives that same disappointed father look at her that I imagine he'd give me if our roles were reversed.
"Do your parents know?" he rumbles out as he drops his hand from his forehead.
Rose shakes her head and stares at her hands, which she wrings in front of her. She looks like a scolded child who is waiting for her punishment. I've always known Rose to have a particular soft spot for my dad and vice versa, but in this moment… I see just how deep those feelings go.
"I'm sorry," she replies shakily. "I understand if you don't think it's a good idea for me and Bella to be friends anymore. I know my situation isn't um…" she clears her throat, "you know, doesn't set the best of examples."
I watch my dad kick out the chair between us and motion for Rose to sit. "I can't tell you how many times I've had to sit down with a couple of scared parents, whose kids have run away because of a situation just like this." He rubs a tired hand over his face. "You know you're gonna have to tell your parents, right?"
She nods.
He nods, too, and then sets a hand, palm side up, in front of her. "I would never separate the two of you," he says and looks over at me just as Rosalie slides a shaky hand onto his. "I think it goes without saying that I see you in almost the same light as I do my own daughter…"
I feel my chest tighten as I watch Rose's face crumble with guilt, shame, and longing. She knows this, and she hates that she's disappointed him. I know as much as she does that she'd switch lives to be able to have a parent who cares half as much as Charlie does. I suddenly feel really, really grateful for my dad—even my mom. She's not always around, but at least if I really did need her, she'd be there.
I feel a surge of emotions overcome me and slap my hand over the two of theirs. Corny as Kansas on the Fourth of July. I couldn't really give a fuck how anyone would look at this moment, because it's ours, and no one has to understand it.
"There's a lot I wanna say, but it ain't my place to say it," he sighs, and I feel his hand tighten around hers beneath my fingers.
"It's okay," she pipes up. "I want you to…"
He looks pained and shakes his head. "Just know we're here if…" Dad's never been good at the whole comfort thing.
So I clutch both of their hands between mine and finish for him. "We're here for you no matter what." I stare into her eyes as I say this. "Also," I feel it importnant to add, "I'm sorry I blurted it out like that. That was really bitchy of me, and I'm sorry."
She nods, and Dad lets go of her hand so that I can wrap my arms around her shoulders. She whispers in my ear that she loves me and then reminds me what I have to do. I groan and lean my forehead against her shoulder.
"Do it, Bella," she sighs and accepts the tissue Dad holds out for her.
"Do what?" Dad regards me wearily. "Are you pregnant, too?" His face goes ghost white.
I snort over at him, "No."
"Does this have to do with that Cullen kid?" He looks equally as disturbed as before, but I know he'd choose this over the former guess any day of the week.
I nod my head.
He huffs and rolls his hand for me to let him have it.
I take a deep breath. "Something happened earlier tonight at the game." I pause to gulp the saliva that's gathered in my mouth. Dad looks worried, and I don't want to do this anymore. "Mike…he, uh…" I have to look down at the table because looking at my dad is too hard. "He tried to… I mean, he wanted me to…" I close my eyes and clench my fists onto the table. "B-but I didn't!" I shake my head vehemently. "I remembered all those defense moves you showed me. So I mean, nothing really happened, so you don't have to worry…" God this is hard.
"Show him," Rose coaches me.
I tremble as I shakily stand on my feet to lift my sleeves and show my dad the bruises and scratches I obtained while trying to fight Mike off. I pull up my pants legs as well, and when Dad sees how bad my knees are, he sucks in a huge gasp and stands up so quickly that his chair falls backwards onto the floor.
"And what does Cullen have to do with this?" he whispers.
I gulp and shake my head. "Nothing really. He just…uh," I clear my throat. "He helped me calm down while the guys on the team… handled Mike." I cringe at the memory.
Rose speaks when I can't any longer. "Cullen must have wanted revenge or something. He never got to touch Mike, so my guess is he took it out on Mike's car instead."
"Bella," Dad's reply is deeply solemn, "is this true?"
I nod without looking up from the table. "I'm sorry," I mumble. "I'm…sor…"
I bite my lip and breathe through my nose. I pray he doesn't ask me why Mike did what he did. I don't want to have to tell him about Cullen and Jasper, and how apparently I come across as an easy lay. Which is ridiculous because I've never actually done… it.
I flinch when Dad rights his chair firmly and shoves it under the table. He quickly clasps his uniform belt back on and buttons everything up as if he's going to work. I'm confused because I would have thought he'd be mad or upset in some way, but all he looks is determined.
"Get up," he growls at me. "Put some shoes on. Don't change anything you have on. Did you shower when you got home?"
I nod my head slowly, but he's not looking at me. I clear my throat. "Umm, y-yeah. I did."
He mutters something under his breath and then asks, "Who all was there? Did anybody see what happened? Do you know the names of people who can testify to what they saw?"
I feel my ears start to ring, and I feel light headed, "Why?" I utter in a high pitched and panicked tone.
"Why do you think?" he snaps and grabs his keys from the counter. "Come on; let's go." He ushers both Rosalie and me to the front room.
I dig my heels and yank free. "No," I whimper and shake my head. "Just forget it; it's over. Nothing happened."
"Bella," Dad grits his teeth and rubs his forehead in irritation.
"Dad, please," I beg him, even going as far as to grab onto his coat sleeve. "Please don't make this into a big thing. I wasn't going to say anything in the first place, but I just thought you should know why Edward must have done this. He didn't lay a finger on Mike, okay? That's a lie."
"But someone laid a hand on my daughter." The fire in my father's eyes causes me to take a step back. "I am not in a position to do to that boy what I want to do, so we will handle this the only way I am allowed. Which is to put that boy behind bars and slap a sexual predator stamp on his permanent file!"
I shake my head back and forth. "Dad, please. Please don't make me do this. I can't handle the backlash I'll get at school."
"Bella." Rosalie walks over to link our arms. "I would never let anything happen. Neither would Emmett or Jasper."
I feel the angry tears well behind my eyes like hot spring lakes. "Yeah," I snort, "Jasper would really care." I roll my eyes at the ridiculousness.
"Bella," she scoffs in disbelief, "Jasper is the one who told everyone to leave you alone after the two of you broke up!"
I grimace at her because I think she's full of shit. "Well, those first two days were hell."
"And then it stopped, did it not?" she reminds me.
"Yeah," I mumble.
"Plus," she says and takes a step forward, "he was the one who saw you first, right? And he wasted no time beating the hell out of Mike."
I stare at the floor. She's making some valid points.
"And I bet if you turned your phone on right now, you'd have missed calls and messages from him," she adds with an almost smug air about her.
I sigh and run my hands through my hair. "What does any of this have to do with going to the station and stirring up trouble?"
"There are several reasons, but all I have to say to get your ass down there is one." Her hands go straight to her hips.
I roll my eyes. "And what is that?"
"Cullen."
-x-
I've seen it done on crime shows and movies, and I've read about it in books. But going through it is so much more… real. I handed my cheer uniform over for evidence and had so many pictures taken of my body that you would think I was at a Playboy photoshoot. I've been probed and swabbed enough times to make me feel like a disgusting lab experiment.
So now that it's all finally over, all I want to do is go home and crawl in my bed. I suddenly have an ache in my heart for my mother. I want her here, but I don't want her to worry. So I decide to say nothing at all. I get to keep my pajamas because despite everything, it's pretty much an open and shut case against Mike. I just don't want to think about what school will be like on Monday.
The charges against Edward are not dropped; Mike holds firm that Edward must pay for the damages made to his car. On top of that, Edward will have to do community service and attend anger management classes. But he won't have to stay the night in jail or serve any time. I plan to give my dad the biggest hug and kiss on the planet for that.
I'm sitting in the station behind my dad's desk, while Rosalie swings her legs back and forth from her spot on top of it. She keeps watching me for something, but I don't know what it is. I want to ask her, but I know she won't tell me even if I do.
I sigh and place my cheek on her knee to rest my head, because now that the night is finally coming to an end—at four in the morning—I'm exhausted, and my body is starting to feel sore. Every muscle in my body aches as if I've been in a car crash. Dad says it's probably because I was so tense during everything, and on top of that, I had been in a physical altercation. He left the room and hasn't been back since that conversation.
Upon hearing the clank of bars being slid open, I fly up to my feet and rush to the door of my dad's office, looking to see if it's Edward being released. It is, and I don't even realize I'm reacting until I plow into the front of Edward's chest and wrap my arms tightly around his waist.
"Whoa," I feel his voice rumble through his chest and nuzzle my face against the vibration. I want him to put his arms around me, but he doesn't. When I look up at him, he's staring wide eyed at my father, who is watching us with a stern look of curiosity mixed with disapproval.
"Do you have a ride home?" Rosalie has the good sense to ask.
"Yeah," Edward replies with a slight nod. "Roy is picking me up."
I wince and know Rose has probably done the same. She excuses herself and says she'll be in my dad's office when we're ready to go. I know she doesn't want to see Royce, and as much as I know we should leave so that she won't have to, I'm not ready to say goodbye to Edward yet.
Dad mumbles something and joins Rose in his office, and then it's just me, Edward and one of the on call deputies. I go to hug Edward again, but he stops me with a firm grip on my waist. I blink up at him in surprise and stare as he shakes his head with a grimace and gently pushes me away from him.
"Thanks for what you did," he says, "but it still doesn't change anything."
"How can you say that?" I struggle for breath. "Why are you ruining this? Do you need me to spell it out?" I almost laugh at how the tables have turned.
He shakes his head and rubs the back of his neck. "I should go."
"Edward." I reach for him, and when he raises his hands in the air in surrender, I back off.
"I'm gonna wait for Roy outside. Thanks for uh, you know…" He inhales through his nose sharply and then runs his hands through his hair. "Bye."
I watch him slip out the door and lean his back against the side of the building before he grabs his pack of cigarettes from his back pocket and lights up. I don't understand what just happened. So I get mad. Really mad. Like, steaming, hot mess mad, and suddenly I have no idea how I got from point A to point B.
Which is right in front of Cullen, outside the station.
"What the hell was that?" I shove him with my hands, and his back hits the wall, but only because I've caught him off guard.
His cigarette slips out from between his lips, and ashes with tiny little sparks trickle down the front of his jacket. "Shit, what the fuck, Bella?" he snaps angrily at me.
My eyes narrow. "You have done nothing but spin me in circles for weeks now, Cullen!" I shout with my arms raised out at my sides as I grow more animated in my frustration.
"Spin you in circles?" he scoffs in amazement. "Are you kidding me?" He pushes off the wall and stalks towards me. "Bella, you have done nothing but fuck with my head since the day I met you!"
"I have not!" I yell back.
Within the second it takes for a breath, he's in front of me. "Yes." Teeth gritted, he stares me down hard. "You have."
My anger surges through my veins like boiling lava. "Well, if I have, then it's only to keep up with you and your stupid games!"
"That's bullshit, and you know it!" he hisses into my face. "You are just like her." He points at the station, indicating Rosalie, who is safely inside. "You are too ashamed to admit that you want outside of that perfect little world you've created."
I blink up at him in astonishment. "W-what?" I stutter to a stop. stalling out like shifting gears on a truck without popping the clutch first.
His stare burns straight through me, into the depths within myself I wish to hide. It makes me fidget and look away. He lifts a hand; I know to turn my face, but it drops down lifelessly after a second. He can't even touch me now? I can still feel his eyes, and I tremble beneath his gaze.
"I'm… trying." My voice breaks, betraying the cool exterior I'm fighting to keep. But it's a losing battle against myself.
"Really?" he mutters as he steps intimately closer to me.
I gasp and take a step back, my back hits the rails that lines the outside of Dad's building. I wince at the intense pressure against my spine as Edward steps even closer and locks me in by placing his hands on either side of me to grab the rail.
His leans in, bringing his face to mine so that our noses almost touch. "Well, try harder," he sneers at me, and I feel like someone's punched me in the stomach.
I almost double over from the shock of his hurtful words. "You are such an asshole," I whisper shakily, my breath touching his lips. "Why do you always say things you know will hurt me?"
He flinches after hearing my confession, as if he's just now realized who it is he's actually talking to. "I can't keep doing this with you," he says as he backs away. "I won't."
I instantly feel the chill of the night air from his loss of body warmth. "Then don't, Edward." I place a hand on his chest while the other clutches his jacket to bring him back over to me. "Why does it even have to be like this?"
He's silent; I'm silent. Neither of us say a word. Our eyes are locked on to each other's, intense emotions flitng throughout my body as we stand intimately close together. Why, after so long, does he deny me now? His eyes search mine for a clarity I want to give him, but the words fail to make their way past my lips. I don't know exactly what it is that he wants from me. But if I did, I'm more than sure that in this moment—I'd give it to him.
"Please," I beg him and push up to my tip toes so as to share his breath with mine, "say something." I use his words against him. "Say anything to me right now, Edward."
His chest heaves. In… out… harsh, hot breath against my mouth. His hands go to my hips and grip them firmly. "Bella…" he whispers softly and presses his forehead to mine, "I…"
"What, Edward?" I slide a hand up to cup the side of his face and angle my own as if to kiss him. I would, but I want him to make the first move. I've set us up; I need for him to follow through. "Please tell me…" I touch my nose to his and nuzzle him softly.
Kiss me! I want to scream.
I move in closer, my lips actually touching his so slightly that all he has to do is respond to initiate it. I know he wants to, I can feel it in the wild beat of his heart beneath my palm. His cinnamon breath pants through his open mouth. I push into him and flick my tongue out to tease his bottom lip, I want to devour it.
KISS. ME.
"Edward," I whimper, "kis—"
BEEP! BEEP!
"Cullen!" Royce shouts as he rolls to a stop just outside the police station.
Edward jerks away from me as if I were fire, and with wide eyes and an open mouth, he backs away. "I…" He shakes his head to grab his bearings once more. "You…" He touches his fingers to his lips. I bite down onto mine. "Bella, I want—"
The front door opens, and my Dad's stern face pulls Edward even further away from me. I turn to follow him and stop with just one look and a slight shake of his head. My face falls instantly.
"Bella," my Dad calls, "come back inside… now."
It's not a request.
I take a step backward toward my father, but my eyes watch Edward as he slowly backs away towards Royce's waiting car. "I'm sorry," he mouths to me and shakes his head.
I close my eyes in surrender, and when I open them again to see him staring at me, I mouth back, "Me too."
-x-
Like any uncharted territory I don't think you unworthy
I must seem greatly intriguing
You speak of my love like
You have experienced love like mine before
But this is not allowed
You're uninvited
An unfortunate slight
I need a moment to deliberate
-x-
AN: This chapter's title (as well as posted lyrics above) refers to the song Uninvited by Alanis Morissette. I'm pretty sure this song is TSB's unofficial anthem. If you have a song that makes you think of this story, share it with me.
I know I am total FAIL at replying to reviews. I work full time and go to school so sometimes… shit gets complicated! But I L-O-V-E each and every one of you! Go check out the review that was done for this story! I'll post the link on my profile later on today. ;)
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Random Question: In what context do you believe this week's song matches this story?
See you next Friday!