Take What You Want
Chapter 21
Word Prompts: Flicker
Playlist: Get This Party Started by Pink
My Chick Bad by Ludacris
My floor's covered in art supplies: tacky glue, glitter, fabric markers, rhinestones, and the like. Alice's hunched over one of our many projects when my mother yells for me.
"Shoot, he's here. Alice, crap, I'm not ready."
"You'll just have to do this later! I'll finish this one! Go, go!" Alice says as I start sifting through my closet for something to wear.
"Okay, um, blue or black?" I hold up two shirts. She frowns, so I blindly grab a third.
"Red," she says with a scowl. "Low cut. You owe him."
"I owe him? I owe him? Owe him what?"
Alice falls into a fit of giggles. "You should see your face. Get your mind out of the gutter. I just mean guys like red. They equate it with sex. Or sexy lingerie."
"Bella, are you ready?" Mom calls, knocking on my door. "Edward's here."
"Just give me a minute, and I'll be down."
"Don't take long. Your dad looks like he might be contemplating where to hide the body," she says.
"Got it, thanks." I pull the shirt over my head and slip on some shoes. I pull my hair up, and Alice scowls again. "What? He likes my neck."
"I can see that."
"Oh, shoot. Dammit," I say, looking into my mirror and spotting Edward's love bites. "Okay, down then."
"You look fine. Go."
"Are you sure you want—"
"Get the hell out. I'll be done in ten minutes. I'll see it at the party."
"Okay, I'll be the one humping Edward's leg."
She doubles over laughing. "Can't wait to see that."
"Love you. Thanks. Bye."
"Bye. Have fun," she sings as I step into the hallway to save Edward from certain death.
-TWYW-
"How did you manage that?" I ask, stunned.
"I'm talented. What can I say?" Edward cocks his head to the side, and I kiss him swiftly.
"He's a man. You flirted with a man?"
"I did not flirt with your dad. I made him laugh. It eased the tension a bit." He adjusts his hands on the steering wheel and glances my way.
"You flirted with him."
"I did not. But I will say your mom, however, is highly susceptible to my abilities."
"Really?"
"Yes, really. How much you want to bet there are cookies in your kitchen when I drop you off?"
"That doesn't count. My mom's got a sweet tooth. We always have goodies. And she planned on making you something anyway."
"Whatever. Just saying . . . she kinda wants me."
"You think everyone wants you."
"Well, why wouldn't they?"
I shake my head, laughing.
"How's Rose? Still mad at Emmett?" I ask.
"He came over this afternoon. They were in her room, but I couldn't make out what was happening with all the yelling and thumping. She's a thrower like my Mom. And someone else I know." He glances at me, pointedly.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You threw your Crocs at me, killer."
"They're made of nothing. It wasn't going to hurt."
"Doesn't change the fact that you wanted it to, and that you're a thrower."
"Whatever."
"I liked it," he admits. He is so strange.
We pull up to Garrett's house, and the bass of the music playing inside reverberates through Esme's van.
"You ready to shake your bon bon?" he asks.
"Let's go shake it."
I slide my hand into his as we walk over the threshold and into the house. Edward's lopsided grin makes me so happy. Why didn't I do this earlier?
"Edward, hi!" Kate says, slinking toward us.
"Um, no," I say to her, pulling him away from the girl, although I can't stop him from waving goodbye to her. He gives her a silly pout, and I whack him on the shoulder.
"You're cute jealous," he says, tugging on my hair.
"That's right. Watch out, bitches, Bella's here."
The song changes into another, and Edward hops up and down, belting out the lyrics. He's so hyper. Maybe a side effect of his pain killers – or not. "Come dance," he yells.
I nod, and we weave through the crowd of bopping heads and loud laughter. Jasper and Alice are here already, waving from the kitchen. Emmett and Rose might be here, but who knows if they're over their spat. Doesn't sound like it.
Edward pulls me to him once we're in the living room where a small crowd is dancing. He sways his hips with mine, his hands on my waist, a smile adorning his gorgeous face. We finish out the song, and a new one begins with a hard hitting beat. Edward starts doing his own version of a white boy's krump while I cheer him on, laughing. Only problem is, the other girls cheer him on too, and one that I've never seen before gets up in his grill and tries to bump and grind with him.
I don't think so.
He was being silly, not sexy. Doesn't she know the difference? I raise an eyebrow, and he grimaces, clearly understanding that this is not cool with me.
I squash their connection by throwing him my fishing line, and he swims to me through the gyrating bodies, leaving the hooch behind. Damn, even when he's pretending to have gills he's cute. So cute I want to kiss him.
So I do.
Surrounded by loads of seniors we don't know, I grip his shirt and tug him forward.
"Well, hello, fisherwoman," he says, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Here fishy, fishy, fishy," I say while dragging him toward me, then draw him into a kiss.
My lips linger on his, my hands wandering over his shoulders and into his hair. He groans and releases me, but I go in again, not done yet. Why not? It is a party.
"Okay," he says, pulling my hands from his hair, but I frown, kissing him again. "No, okay, um . . . I mean—"
"Shut up," I mumble against his lips and slide my tongue into his mouth. A loud wolf whistle carries through the room. Emmett. It causes me to stop for a second. I grip Edward's shirt in my hand and laugh. He's addictive.
I take a peek at Edward, and his eyes are bleary, looking dazed. "Okay, you can't just like—wherever and expect me to want to just—because that's like—and you're . . ." He peers down, staring at my cleavage. Apparently, I chose the right shirt. "I wanted to stroll around swinging your hand, but now—after that kiss—I just want to leave." He leans in and kisses my neck then says, "I've got the van."
"No way, Edward."
"I didn't mean—I just—"
"Could you pick a sentence and finish it?"
"You've got me all lust-stupid."
"Oh, is that your problem?"
"Yes." His eyes go wide, and he nods sharply.
"Let's wait 'til Mike shows up. We can smooch-a-roo in front of him then go – wherever you want, I promise."
"Really?" he asks, excited.
"Really," I say.
-TWYW-
An hour later, Alice and I play cards at the kitchen table while the guys throw a ball around out back. Rose is not here, and I wonder if Emmett shouldn't be with her fanning her with a palm frond and feeding her grapes. It's none of my business though, so I don't say anything.
I adore Alice, but I'm really bored. This party's not as exciting as I had hoped it would be. And Mike's a no show, so that blows.
"I kinda want to go, but I wanted to make tonight a big deal for Edward."
"I wonder why Mike's not here. You did say he was coming, right?"
"Yeah, I mean, that's what he said. And earlier in the week Edward said he had a date with Lauren."
"Maybe he's off with her somewhere. Maybe they didn't make it to the party. Maybe they're tied up." Alice locks her wrists together, and in a high pitched voice, says, "Oh, Mike, I've been a bad, bad girl."
I slump over the table, clutching my stomach as I laugh. That's just . . . ew, no.
A hand runs over my head, so I lift it, wiping tears from my eyes. "What are you laughing about, nutter?" Edward asks, eyes bright and happy.
"Bondage," I blurt, and he pushes me over with his butt, taking a seat next to me on the bench. The resounding grin on his face sends me into a giggling fit again.
Edward clears his throat and places both hands, palms down on the table. "Don't let me interrupt. Please, continue as you were, ladies."
I shove him off the seat hard, making him crash to the floor. I laugh at his expense until he drags me by the ankle to join him. I slip and slide around the floor, trying to get on my feet, but he keeps pulling me down while Alice draws a crowd by laughing – that inappropriately loud laughter that only happens after ingesting too much sugar.
Edward's resorted to tickling now, so I'm gasping for air, trying to get up. I can't, though, I'm too weak by all the junk food I ate. "This isn't fair; you're too strong!"
"Too bad, Giggly Spice, you started it."
"Then I'll end it!" I wrap my arms around Edward's waist and throw all my weight forward, sending his back to the kitchen floor. His head hits with a soft thud. I'm nervous for a moment, worried about his head injury, but the goofy way he's sputtering while pretending to die quells my nerves.
I lift my hands above my head in victory, shaking my fists. I grin proudly and press my hands onto his pectorals to get up, but he grips my hips before I can rise. It's then I realize I'm straddling Edward in the kitchen while everyone watches.
It's perfect. I can't let the moment pass. And word of mouth will spread our story to Mike.
So I uncurl my legs, sliding them along his as I lean down and kiss the hell out of him in the middle of Garrett's kitchen.
I can't be sure – because I was in a kissing-Edward stupor – but I may have heard some camera-phones going off. Oh, well.
-TWYW-
A smug Edward sits beside me on my kitchen floor, licking the ice cream between the freshly baked cookies my mother had waiting for us when we got home. Figures.
He's on his fourth ice cream cookie sandwich.
She invited him inside to eat cookies, then went to bed. Nice, Mom. At least she took my reluctant father with her, though.
"Your mom loves me," he says, taking a big bite.
"At least someone does."
"Aw, come on, hot sauce. Don't be jealous. Lick." He holds out his ice cream sandwich, and I oblige him with a lick – a good, long one, followed by a moan just because.
Edward tosses the dessert up and behind him – hoping it lands in the sink, I guess – and attacks me. The shock of his mouth hard on mine sends me careening to the tile where I wrap my legs around his waist. We're tangled legs and hands in hair and a thrust and a sigh and need and want.
I love this so much.
Edward crawls down my body, his hands tickling my exposed skin as he goes. He scrunches my shirt up, placing feather light kisses around my belly button before licking my bare skin from navel to shirt-covered bra.
Gah!
He peeks up once there then hovers over me before kissing me, deep and slow. My whole body relaxes beneath him, and I find myself oddly comfortable with what our bodies are doing. Probably too comfortable, but I can't seem to care because this is Edward, and I love him.
Crap!
Don't love him, I mean.
Our kissing slows down, but he's still just right there, grinding softly and kissing me while stroking my cheeks, my hair, and roving his eyes over my face. "I have to tell you something," he says, voice serious, calm.
"Okay," I say.
I love you, Bella, I imagine, feeling a flicker of hope for those words.
But they don't come. Instead, I hear, "I'm sensitive to dairy, so if you don't have any Gas-X, I should probably go now." He screws up his face, smooshing his lips to one side.
Oh my gosh . . .
I throw my hands over my face, and my body shakes with silent laughter at the chasm between what I thought he would say and what he did say. Only Edward could create this much chaos and ridiculousness inside my brain.
"You're totally making fun of me," he says, giggling into my neck.
"I'm not. I just—" I can't get out what I need to say because we're both cracking up too hard to speak, all the while trying to keep our voices down so Dad doesn't throw Edward out.
I finally squeak out, "Only you, Edward."
He kneels between my legs and shrugs sheepishly with one shoulder. "Is it cool that you're the first girl I've admitted that to?"
"Yes, I'm honored to know that you have farts on the way."
"You should be." I sit up, and he kisses my nose, hugging me. "Aw, we're all intimate and stuff."
I look into his eyes and decide to let it all hang out – just like Edward. "You know, I could use a trip to the drugstore anyway. I feel pretty bloated. I think I'm retaining water."
"I wasn't gonna say anything but . . ." He stares unashamedly at my breasts. "Your boobs seem rather jumbolicious today."
I give him a look of disgust while he continues to stare at my cleavage. He obviously has no idea what I'm saying. "I mean, I'm probably going to get my period soon, so I need to get some tampons."
"Oh, ew. Tampons? Really, Bella? That's disgusting."
"Oh, so bleeding all over the place willy-nilly is better?"
"Can't you just hang out it the bathtub for a week?"
I stare blankly at him and mumble, "Moron."
"Okay, let's go." He stands and pulls me up by gripping my wrist. "I'm buying tampons with my girlfriend," he says in a sigh, "who knew I'd ever be so whipped?"
"I did," I say, adjusting my boobs while Edward stares head on.
"Touché." He turns, grabbing his keys off the counter and walking away. "General rule of thumb after I've had dairy . . ."
"Yeah," I say, encouraging this conversation . . . why? Who knows?
He smirks over his shoulder all confident and stupid-cute looking saying, "Keep the windows down."
A/N: My prereaders, Cejsmom, _ss77, and Modernsafari1, continue to offer awesome insight into these two and make them much better than they were initially. Thanks for that! And thanks to everyone who reads and reviews this story. It's so fun conversing with you via the internets!
This story is coming to a close. Chapter 22: You Can't Please Everyone is the last one. The blog will be up before the weekend, and the chapter itself will be posted here on Tuesday! Eep!