Chapter Notes: Fiiiinally, right? Thanks to everybody who was supportive of me taking the time needed away to make this chapter as good as it could be. Thank you to all the reviewers, you all are amazing. :)
Before I start with the formalities, I have a few things to say. I'm only going to say this one more time, because quite frankly, it's getting old. Some of you seem to think you call the shots in this story; that the reader holds some authority over the writer. That is not the case. Do not send me reviews demanding updates, because all that is going to do is ensure that you get a PM in reply, severely bitching you out. Secondly, you will notice you can no longer leave anonymous reviews. That is because I disabled them. I have gotten a handful of people who have the balls to talk shit when it's an anonymous review, but are too much of a coward to ever log in so that I can rip them a new asshole. I just don't approve of that shit, so...sorry to all you anonymous reviewers who aren't douche bags, but I don't feel like wasting my time, reading something that I can't even reply to. Lastly, and I haven't gotten this a lot, but it's still annoying, don't fucking make idle threats. Example: somebody reviewed, saying that if something didn't happen in this chapter, they were 'gone'. Um...BYE. Seriously, if you don't like the way my story goes, that's cool. There's a red X in the top, right-hand corner. Use it. Also, there should be a notepad in your start menu. Pull it up and write your own fucking story; stop trying to dictate the way mine goes. Honestly, don't think that you are significant. I may lose one reader, but I'll gain 20 in your place.
/rant
Thanks to my wifey, Maximista, for the little sing-a-long on B's part. She's pretty effing amazing. Thanks to my hooker, GiveUsAKiss413, for listening to me complain, for collaborating ideas with me on this chapter, and for calling me to help me figure out what the hell to write when I was stuck. Thanks to my lovah for all her ecouragement and comments along the way as I was writing the entirety of this chapter, because it really helped. And last, but certainly not least, a FUCKLOAD of thanks to my Cha, crimsonmarie, for offering to beta this post at the last minute, and doing it quickly so you all could get this shit today. You owe her a really huge 'THANK YOU!'
Seriously, I fucking love you all.
Thank you to everybody who voted for Breaking Bella in the Bellie Awards! Also, this story is up for a Twi-Fi Award--Best Bella and Jacob Friendship. Linkage is on my profile page. Go vote; it's open until August 16th!
Okay, so...I'm not going to tell you what the chapter song is up here, because it's mentioned in the story and I don't want to give anything away. I'm pretty positive you all can figure it out on your own, and you'll also know exactly when to YouTube that shit and let it play in the background as you're reading (to add to the effect, of course). I hope this lives up to the hype.
Without further adieu, I give you the first part of chapter 20. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: What I own: A tendency to bite my nails when I'm nervous...kind of like what i'm doing right now.
What I do not own: Twilight and/or any of its affiliates.
-E-
Friday morning, I woke up a little after nine. I'd packed everything I brought home with me the night before, minus the daily necessities that could be packed last minute. Bella had arranged for 'her boys', as she deemed them, to check my car at around 11:30, so I had a bit of time to chill out with my parents before I left.
"I wish you weren't leaving so soon," Mom said, placing a bowl of scrambled eggs in the center of the table.
"I'm only leaving a day earlier than planned," I replied, taking a sip of orange juice.
"That's still one less day we get with you," she sighed, taking a seat next to Dad at the table. "Did you call and cancel your flight yesterday?"
"Yup," I nodded, making myself a plate. "I got it credited."
"Did you print out directions?"
"There's no need to. I take the I-5 straight down to the bay area and follow the signs."
"But you'll have to get off for gas and food and things like that," she argued.
"And I can find my way back to the freeway," I laughed. "Relax, Mom. I'll be fine."
She sighed again with a nod, and we ate breakfast in comfortable conversation–conversation that, naturally, veered away from the fact that I was leaving in less than two hours.
Those two hours went quickly, though, and soon I was slamming my trunk closed, ready to head off. After convincing my Mom that I did, indeed, have everything that I needed, and then some, I hugged both of my parents goodbye, promising to drive safe, and started towards Bella's house. I sent her a text message as I left my house, letting her know I'd be there within the next few minutes and, as was usual the past week, she was on the porch and ready to go when I pulled up.
"You look like shit," I called out, grinning, as I walked towards the porch to help her with her bag.
"Fuck off," she scowled. "I didn't get to sleep until one in the morning, and then I woke up at five. I'm tired."
"Why'd you wake up so early, then?" I questioned, walking back towards the car.
"I asked Charlie to wake me up before he left for work so I could say bye," she replied, stopping next to the passenger door as I hoisted her suitcase into the trunk and closed it.
I nodded in understanding and rounded the side of the car, sliding in and waiting for Bella to buckle up before backing out and starting towards La Push.
We arrived at the shop in reasonable time, with Bella giving me directions that had been text messaged to her, and parked before climbing out and heading into the reception area.
"Hey B," a guy leaning against the front desk greeted with a smile, walking towards her with open arms.
"Hey Sam," she replied, hugging him back. I looked around, feeling slightly awkward, and shoved my hands into my pockets, biting the inside of my bottom lip.
"Introduce me to your friend, rude ass," Sam said, shoving Bella's shoulder lightly as he pulled away.
"Oh! Sorry, this is Edward," she replied, motioning towards me. I nodded and waved with a small smile, but his curious stare made me a little uncomfortable.
"Edward, you say?" he asked with a smirk, throwing Bella a sly glance.
"Yeah..." I trailed off, looking between the two of them with a raised eyebrow. Bella simply rolled her eyes and told me to ignore him. They talked for a few moments before another tall ass motherfucker walked through a door and into the reception area, wiping his hands.
"'Ey, Paul, this here's Edward," Sam grinned, nodding towards me as Paul enveloped Bella in a hug as well.
"Shut the fuck up," Paul laughed, turning towards me and sticking his hand out. "So you're the infamous Edward?"
Infamous? What? I turned to Bella, who looked like she was about to murder both of them simultaneously, wondering what the hell she'd been telling them.
"I–"
"Ignore him, too," she scowled, cutting me off. "In fact, ignore all the idiots here."
"O...kay..." I said slowly. What the fuck were these people on?
Jake walked in right then, with one more guy trailing behind him–Embry, I believe was his name--both greeting Bella in the same fashion. I was instructed to hand over my keys to Jake, who then tossed them to Embry and told him to get to work.
"Why don't you do it?" Embry yelled, tossing the keys back to Jake.
"Because I want to spend time with my girl before she leaves," Jacob said, throwing the keys directly at Embry's head. "Now stop whining and go."
I smirked, trying not to laugh, as Embry walked back through the door he came in, mumbling to himself with a sour look on his face. Jake turned to me and we slapped hands before he headed behind the front desk as Sam and Paul went to sit at a table, motioning for Bella and I to follow suit.
"Anybody want a Coke?" he asked, pulling up a can for emphasis. We all declined and he shrugged, popping it open, before making his way to the table as well and straddling a chair next to Bella. "So how long is the drive?"
"About 15 hours, depending on traffic," I sighed, rubbing my hands up and down my face roughly. Jake whistled, bringing his can of soda to his lips with raised eyebrows.
"You gonna let her drive any?" he questioned, nodding towards Bella. I snorted and shook my head. What a preposterous idea.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, clearly offended.
"It means I love my car, and I don't know jack shit about your driving skills. No way in hell are you touching my baby," I replied.
The guys snickered but quickly muffled their laughter when she shot daggers at each of them.
"She's a good driver," Paul said with a smirk. "She'd have to be to keep that piece of shit truck of hers in one piece after how many years?"
"Five, thank you," Bella quipped, her chin raised. "And don't talk shit about my baby. At least it can actually pass for a vehicle, unlike your hunk of metal."
"Hey, fuck you," he laughed, shoving her head gently. "My bike is the shit."
The banter continued, mostly at Bella's expense, and I threw in a few stories of her unfortunate encounters in San Francisco, much to her dismay. Embry walked back in about fifteen minutes later, handing me my keys, and said everything looked good, but he'd filled the reservoir with coolant, just to be safe. We all sat around and talked for a bit longer, and even though I was anxious to get on the road, I sympathized with them. I was lucky in the fact that I had Alice in the same city, half an hour away at the most, and that I could see her whenever I wanted. They didn't have that luxury with Bella–not even close. I couldn't imagine going years without seeing Alice, and I was willing to give them all the time with her that we could afford to stay.
Bella looked down at her pocket as Paul told a joke and pulled her phone out, hitting a few buttons, before squeaking slightly and biting her lip with a grin.
"What the hell was that?" Jake asked, leaning over to look at the screen of her phone. She pulled the phone away, but apparently not quickly enough, because he followed up with, "Who's eleven D?"
"Oh, God," I muttered, rolling my eyes. He was still texting her?
"Shut up," she snapped at me before turning her head to Jake and telling him it was none of his business. He looked at me questioningly and I stared at him with raised eyebrows.
"Eleven D," I stressed in an obvious tone, though he still didn't understand. "As in airplane...row eleven, seat D."
"Metro undie boy?" he scoffed, looking between Bella, who was focused intently on her phone, and me with wide eyes. I nodded, then shook my head in disapproval, and he chortled, throwing his head back and slamming his can on the table. "What the hell, Bells, seriously?"
"You guys are just jealous," she said with a dismissive wave, putting her phone down on the table.
"Why would I be jealous of Abercrombie and Gay? I'm the really hot nerd, remember?" I teased. "That's so much better. Speaking of which..."
Before she could figure out what I was planning, I swiped her phone off the table and stood up, holding it in the air, out of her grasp, and leaning my head back as I went through her menu to her contacts list. I ignored her protests and the repeated smacks to my chest–seriously, I decided I was getting her a whip for her birthday since she was clearly into that shit–as I changed my name in her phone, just like I'd promised, and saved it before handing it back to her with a grin. She went through her phone, undoubtedly trying to see what I'd done, before rolling her eyes at me and plopping down in her seat.
"You're a moron."
"I'm just keepin' my word, baby," I teased with a wink.
All four of the guys were staring between Bella and I in amusement, before exchanging glances amongst themselves; their lips pursed to hide their smiles.
"Alright, we should probably go," Bella said with a sigh, "and you guys need to get back to work."
They nodded.
"How much do I owe you?" I asked, reaching for my wallet.
"It's on the house," Sam replied, waving his hands around. "Bells being safe has no price tag."
"I'm touched," she joked, dramatically wiping a tear from her eye and sniffing. I thanked him and started shaking hands with the four men as Bella hugged each of them before pecking them on the lips. I raised an eyebrow at that, but decided not to touch base on it inside. After thanking the guys again, we walked out of the reception area, Jake following behind for one last goodbye before we left.
"Are you guys driving straight through or stopping somewhere?" he asked, looking between Bella and me.
"I'm countin' on driving straight through," I replied, unlocking the doors. He nodded and paused next to the passenger door with Bella, and, deciding to give them a few moments, I climbed into the car and shut the door. I started the car and fumbled with the stereo settings before hooking up my iPod and scrolling through my list of songs. I looked at Bella and Jake out of the corner of my eye–yes, I was being nosy, I'll admit it–and saw that they were in a tight embrace, Jake significantly hunched over and both of their faces resting in each other's neck. I felt a little bad for intruding on their private moment, even though they didn't know, and looked away again.
Giving up and selecting the shuffle mode, I sighed, placed my iPod in the center console and leaned my head back, closing my eyes. I was yet again reminded of how lucky I was to have my best friend near me all the time and I had a sudden need to talk to her. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I pressed her assigned speed dial number and hit send, bringing the phone up to my ear as it rang.
"Hey you," she answered brightly.
"Hey Ali," I greeted, smiling upon hearing her voice.
"What are you up to?" she asked.
"Nothin'," I replied. "Just sitting here, waiting for Bella to finish saying bye to Jake. We're driving back to SF, but you probably already knew that."
"Mmhmm," she hummed in agreement, and I smirked, shaking my head. "How was your break?"
"Good," I nodded. "Played golf with your dad, then came back to my parents being home, so it was cool. Other than that, I just chilled out at home or hung out with Bella."
"Sounds like a good vacation," she said. I agreed and asked her how hers was going, and she told me she'd just been spending time with Grammy, harassing Emmett at any opportunity, and, of course, hanging out with Jazz and Rosalie.
"How'd the dinner go?" I questioned.
"Good. Emmett didn't disgrace the family, thankfully," she sighed, and I chuckled, picking at my jeans.
"I miss you," I mumbled, brushing invisible lint off my thigh.
"Are you getting emotional on me, Edward?" she teased. I rolled my eyes, switching my phone to the other ear.
"No, I just forget sometimes that not everybody has their best friend with them practically all the time," I reasoned. "I miss your little pixie face, but tell anybody that and I'll deny it to the death," I joked.
"First of all, fuck you," she said calmly, and I barked out a laugh. "Second of all, I miss you too."
"What time do you get in tomorrow?" I asked, noticing Bella and Jake were finally pulling away from each other.
"3:45 in the afternoon," she replied.
"Okay," I nodded. "Well we're gonna head out now. Have a good rest of your vacation, and I'll see you soon."
"Okay. I love you, bye."
I repeated the sentiment before ending the call and shoving the phone back in my pocket, just as the passenger door opened and Bella slid in. She apologized quietly for taking so long, but I waved it off; what a silly thing to apologize for.
"Alright, have a safe drive," Jake said, bending down to peer into the car. I nodded as we buckled our seatbelts, assuring him I wouldn't let anything happen to Bella.
"Call me when you get in," he said to her, and she nodded in agreement before puckering her lips and tapping them with her index finger. Jake smiled and shook his head before bending down and placing a chaste kiss on her lips, ruffling her hair slightly, and wishing us a safe trip before closing the passenger door. I started backing up as he jogged towards the door and disappeared into the reception area, then started forward, turning to Bella with a smirk.
"You're a kissing whore," I said, shaking my head.
"I am not," she protested. "It wasn't like my tongue was shoved down his throat. It was a friendly peck."
"Uh huh."
"Suck it, Cullen."
"Suck what, exactly, Bella?" I questioned, turning down La Push Road. "Is there something you aren't telling me? Something I happened to miss when you were standing in front of me in your sexy underwear?"
I immediately tensed up, just realizing my slip. Fuck! I hadn't meant to say that. Shit, shit, shit...
"You thought my underwear was sexy?" she asked, amusement laced in her tone.
Shit, shit, shit. Think of something, you moron!
"They were see through and black," I said, thankful my tone came across as if it were the most obvious explanation in the world. "'Nuff said."
"Smooth," she chuckled, shaking her head. "Real smooth."
"And I don't even have to try," I replied smugly, merging onto the 101.
*
"I'm still annoyed at the fact that we'll be stuck in rush hour traffic," Bella sighed, discarding her flip flops and sitting Indian style in the seat.
"But not Seattle rush hour traffic," I pointed out, turning my head to her, with a smirk. "We'll be in Oregon by then. You'll live."
She rolled her eyes and averted her gaze out the window, watching intently as the greenery whizzed by with a contented sigh. "We'll have to play games, you know," she said, "road games."
She was quiet for the next half hour.
*
"Tell me a secret," she said randomly, breaking the comfortable silence between the two of us. I looked over at her curiously before facing forward again, a small smile on my face.
"I don't have any secrets," I shrugged.
"Everybody has secrets," she argued.
"Not me," I replied with a smirk.
"So you're saying...Alice, for example, knows everything about you?" she asked in a disbelieving tone.
"No," I admitted, "but between her, Emmett, Tanya, and my parents, everything is laid out on the table."
Bella hummed in response
"What about you?" I inquired.
"What about me?"
"What are your secrets?" I pressed.
"I guess I don't have any either," she shrugged. I rolled my eyes and shook my head–of course. "I mean, between a much-too-nosy-for-her-own-good mother, and a best friend I did pretty much everything I wouldn't have wanted my parents to find out about with, what secrets are there to keep?"
What a cryptic answer. That just would not do. I furrowed my eyebrow slightly, trying to think of things that a teenager would not want to get caught doing with a friend. The list was fairly short: drugs, drinking, vandalizing, and sex. My eyes widened slightly at the last on the list, but I shook my head, ridding myself of the thought. They were just friends–she'd said it enough. They wouldn't have...would they?
"Like what, have sex?" I blurted, immediately cringing at my apparent inability to keep it together.
"What?" she shrieked, turning to me with wide eyes. "No!"
"Just asking," I defended, exhaling in relief. I didn't know why the thought of them hooking up made me feel so uneasy, but I told myself it hardly mattered if they hadn't had sex.
"Have you and Alice ever hooked up?" she asked, still sounding flustered.
My response was almost identical to hers.
"Exactly," she huffed, "so why would you even ask such a question?"
"Sorry, sorry," I muttered. "Morbid curiosity, I guess." I was silent for a few moments, trying to think of something I could tell Bella to appease her apparent need to know a secret about me.
"Alice was my first kiss," I said, finally. She looked up at me with raised eyebrows.
"How old were you guys?"
"Twelve. It was...awkward," I snorted, shaking my head with a grin. "We just wanted to get it over with, but afterward, we decided we would never do anything remotely close to that again."
Bella laughed, shifting in her seat. "When was the last time you got laid?" she asked. I snorted really loud at that.
"Why, you offering up your services?" I joked.
"Funny," she said sarcastically. "Clearly, I'm trying to get all of your dirty laundry out in the open; clear the air, so to speak."
"Clearly," I smirked. "That's an embarrassing question."
"That long?" she snickered, and I glared pointedly at her.
"It's...been a while," I admitted. "The last time was right before winter break."
"That's only like...three and half months," she replied. "That's not a big deal."
"Not anymore, I guess," I sighed. "It was hell at first, though." She questioned the meaning of my statement, and I sighed, not exactly wanting to get into an elongated conversation about my lack of a sex life. "I was a teenage guy, going from having sex on a regular basis to basically remaining abstinent for a fucking year. That's...not fun."
"A year?" she asked in surprise. "Why so long?"
I shrugged. "I tried, but I was still in love with Tanya at the time," I explained. "As much of a pansy as it makes me, I just couldn't do it."
"That doesn't make you a pansy," she murmured. "It makes you have a heart."
I laughed lightly and shook my head, a half-smile on my lips. "When was the last time you got some?"
"No comment," she replied quickly, going back to examining her nails.
"Did I just hit the jackpot?" I laughed, glancing between her and the road. "Did I find out one of your secrets?"
"Shut up," she muttered, pursing her lips.
"Come on," I said, poking her thigh repeatedly. "Tell me."
"No," she responded, smacking my hand away.
"Come on."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Ye–"
"Alright!" she yelled. "It was a year ago, and before you ask, I don't know who it was. That's right, I can't remember his name!"
I pursed my lips to keep from laughing, glancing at Bella from my peripherals as the car was completely silent after her outburst.
"God, that's horrible," she finally said, and we both burst into laughter. "It makes me sound like a whore."
"It happens," I reasoned, trying to make her feel better. "I can't remember the girl's name I had sex with, either...and I fucked her in a bathroom stall. That's whorish."
"Yeah, that's true," she agreed after a brief pause, and I scoffed. Thanks, Bella. "You're kind of a whore, anyway, so it's not too surprising."
"I am not," I argued. "Obviously I'm not if it's been over ninety days."
"But who's counting, right?" she smirked.
"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled. "Why haven't you...ya know...since?"
I probably shouldn't have been so curious, but I was just the same. Obviously it wasn't for lack of people being interested in her. She was beautiful, smart, funny, and yes, a total bitch at times, but it truly did add to her charm, though I'd never tell her that.
"The whole thing kind of killed my sex drive for a while," she shrugged, "but at this point, I've waited long enough, so I'm not going to just get it on with anybody."
"Not even lover boy?" I smirked.
"Not even lover boy," she replied, "...yet."
I groaned loudly, wondering why she had to throw that last part in there, and she snickered.
"What do you have against him?" she asked.
"I...don't know," I replied honestly. "I just don't think he's right for you."
"Did you suddenly turn into Dr. Phil when I wasn't looking?"
"Har har," I replied sarcastically. "So who was your first? Or do you not remember his name, either?" I teased.
"Diiiick move," she laughed, punching me lightly in the arm. "Yes, I remember. Nick Bennett. I was sixteen, and we'd been dating for a few months, so I thought, 'what the hell'. He practically wanted to marry me afterward, though. I wasn't ready for that kind of commitment, so told him to get 'ta steppin'."
"Poor guy," I chuckled. "Was he heartbroken?"
"For a minute," she sighed. "Then he moved on to Alyssa Elliot and he was fine." She paused for a moment before asking if Tanya was my first, and I nodded in response, sighing softly.
"Tell me about your guys' relationship."
"Why?" I questioned in surprise.
"I don't know," she shrugged, picking at her nails. "Morbid curiosity," she mocked, throwing me a smirk and a sly glance. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, half-smiling.
"We started dating when we were fourteen," I began. "Well, I was fourteen; she had just turned fifteen. Anyway, I'd known her since I moved to Forks, pretty much, and things just kind of...progressed from there, I guess. I fell in love with her, she fell in love with me, and...that's pretty much the gist of it. We had a really good relationship, all the way to the end."
"Why'd you guys break up, then?" she asked softly.
"We were going two different directions, we realized," I sighed, not quite feeling like going down memory lane, but Bella wanted to know, and for whatever reason, I couldn't deny her anything. "We weren't ready to end it, but at the same time we knew it was inevitable. We didn't want any animosity between us, which would have happened if we waited until neither of us could handle it any more, so we broke up when we left for college."
Bella stayed silent, and I glanced over at her curiously. She stared out the window, a contemplative look on her face, and I wondered what was going through her head.
"What's with all this relationship talk, anyway? Is there something you need to get out in the open, Bella?" I teased in an attempt to get her out of her own head. "Do you need counseling on a past relationship?"
"No, you ass," she chuckled, smacking my thigh lightly. "I just...wanted to know, I guess."
I nodded in response, and we lapsed into comfortable silence once again.
*
"We need some different music," Bella announced, as we drove down the I-5. "Just for a little bit."
"What do you suggest?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The radio," she said, giving me a look that clearly said I was an idiot for not guessing it myself. She pressed the button to switch the stereo from AUX to FM and immediately started flipping through the stations.
"God, what the hell is this shit they play on the radio?" I grumbled as that annoying fucking song by that equally annoying sounding woman from the Black Eyed Peas sounded through the speaker.
"Fergie," she replied with a shrug.
"I know," I said, but quickly covered my knowledge of it, as she glanced at me questioningly, by blaming Alice. It was true, but somehow I didn't think she believed me.
Great. Now my name in her phone book would probably read 'Fergie loving Speedo model'. How enticing.
"I'm gonna make up a song about our road trip to this tune," she grinned, tapping her lips with her index finger and looking up in contemplation.
"No, thank you," I said quickly.
"It's coming to me," she grinned, turning to me with wide eyes.
"Oh no," I groaned, silently praying that she had a decent voice.
"You got me trippin', oh," she wailed along to the chorus loudly, killing any hope I had, along with my ability to properly hear.
"Stop," I begged, "please."
"Road trippin', oh," she continued, "highway-in', oh..."
She stopped singing for a few seconds and I sighed in relief, praying that she'd finished.
"...drive-a-lin', oh–"
Clearly, God and I needed to have a chat about the legitimacy of my prayers.
"What the fuck?!" I screeched, furrowing my eyebrows and shooting her an incredulous look.
"Goin' cos I gotta get ho-oooome," she finished, bobbing her head side to side.
"Drive-a-lin'? Really?"
"Don't make me sing it again," she threatened. "There will be no intermissions as I try to think of something clever this time."
"I hope you're not aiming to become a pop star," I snickered, "'cos you sound worse than that Shakira woman, and she sounds like a dying goat. I mean at least she actually gets the notes right."
Bella stared blankly at me for a few moments before starting up the song again, louder than before, and I shouted profuse apologies, promising not to mock her horrible voice ever again if she'd just shut up. Thankfully, she obliged, and I realized in that moment that silence truly was golden.
Jesus wept.
After fifteen minutes of a constant changing of radio stations with horrible music, I was ready to kill myself.
"Can we please put my iPod back on?" I begged. I briefly wondered why I was even asking–this was my car. I concluded that I was just an incredibly nice person, though, and went back to pleading with her to play good music.
"Fine," she sighed, hitting the AUX button. She lifted the center console and pulled my iPod out, scrolling through it momentarily before setting it back down and closing the console. Guitar and drums flowed through the speakers and I immediately cringed, waiting for her inevitable teasing.
This just had to be the song that started playing, didn't it?
-B-
"Sugar Ray?" I scoffed, covering my mouth with my hand to muffle my laughter as Every Morning played in the background.
"Shut up," Edward mumbled. "They were awesome."
"They're not exactly a band you'd want to brag about liking," I laughed.
"Hence the reason you didn't know," he pointed out, and I nodded in agreement. "Clearly, they're my guilty pleasure band."
"Clearly," I repeated with a smirk.
"I'm sure yours isn't much better," he reasoned.
"I don't have a guilty pleasure band," I replied smugly.
"Fine, what's your guilty pleasure song then? And don't say you don't have one, because everybody does."
Damn.
"I'm waiting," he pressed.
"Okay," I drawled, "it's called 'Kiss Me' by Sixpence None The Richer."
"Uh..." he started, glancing at me curiously.
"Have you ever seen She's All That, with Rachael Leigh Cook and Freddie Prinze Jr.?" I asked.
"Unfortunately," he cringed. "Alice made me buy it for her birthday one year, then forced me to watch it with her."
"Nice," I chuckled. "It's the song that plays when she's walking down the stairs after her make-over."
"Yeah, I don't know," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I pretty much blocked out anything I could pertaining to that crap."
"You just don't know good movies," I joked, yawning.
"You're right. Because that was an Oscar winning film, and all," he snorted.
"Exactly," I replied cheekily. I yawned again, shaking my head, and wiped at the moisture under my eyes.
"You can take a nap," Edward chuckled. "It's not a crime."
"I know," I replied, rolling my eyes. "I just know you'll be devastatingly bored without me to entertain you."
"Right," he smirked. "I think I'll survive."
"Mmhmm," I hummed. "I think I'm gonna sleep, though, for a little bit."
"Okay," he agreed, reaching to the stereo to turn the volume up slightly.
I laid my head back, closing my eyes, and was out within minutes.
*
I woke up just as Edward pulled into a gas station.
"Where are we?" I asked sleepily, rubbing at my eyes.
"Portland," he replied, shutting the car off and unbuckling his seat belt. "Gotta get some gas."
I nodded and closed my eyes, attempting to go back to sleep, but it was futile. Just as I'd dozed off, I heard "Jesus!" hissed from beside me, and I opened my eyes to see Edward turning the key in the ignition, just enough so he could roll down the window. There was a man standing next to it, hunched over, and I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.
Edward muttered something to himself then handed his card over, telling the attendant to fill it up, before turning back to me.
"It's against the law to pump your own gas in Oregon," he explained, "I forgot."
Well shit, why couldn't it be that way in California? Although, when I really thought about it, I was kind of glad it wasn't like that. This experience was very...awkward...to say the least, and I didn't think I could handle it on a day-to-day basis.
When the attendant came back with Edward's card and receipt, he thanked him, before stuffing his card back in his wallet and shuffling out of the car. He ducked his head inside, looking at me with raised eyebrows. "I'm gonna grab something to drink inside. You want anything?"
"A Dr. Pepper," I said, unbuckling myself as well.
"Okay," he agreed. "What are you doing?"
"I have to pee," I replied. He chuckled and nodded his head as we climbed out of the car, locked the doors, and headed into the mini mart. I asked the cashier for the key to the restroom—thankfully, it was inside—and made my way to the back, spotting the sign for the women's bathroom on a door in the hall.
I scrunched up my nose at the toilet paper scattered on the ground as I walked in, but I had to piss way too bad to waste time dwelling on it. I walked closer to the toilet bowl and, after piling the paper covers on the seat, I sat down and did my business with a sigh of relief. No sooner had I grabbed some toilet paper, I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. Setting the wad I'd grabbed on my lap, I fished my phone out and opened the new text waiting in my inbox.
Hurry up. You take too long.
I rolled my eyes and hit reply, excusing myself for not having a dick that I could piss out of then shake and go. After shunning Edward and telling him to leave me to pee in peace, I stuck my phone back in my pocket and went on about my business, pulled up my pants and flushed the toilet. As I was washing my hands, I looked into the mirror to make sure I didn't look like a complete hot mess. I saw a flash of blue on my forehead, peeking out from under my bangs, and frowned.
"What the..." I trailed off as I pulled my bangs to the side, realizing I had something written on my fucking forehead. 'Edward is my God', to be exact, in said God's handwriting. "Mother fucker," I hissed, grabbing a paper towel and wetting it, before putting soap on it and scrubbing furiously at my head. I felt my pocket vibrate again, but I was too concerned with getting the stupid ink off my face to check it. After it was completely erased from my skin, leaving a bright pink mark across my forehead where I'd scrubbed, I huffed and shook my hands dry before grabbing my phone and checking the message.
No, no shunp.
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion and walked out of the bathroom, spotting his mop of unruly bronze hair at the register and heading towards him.
"I don't get it," I said once I approached him.
"Check the message you just sent me," he laughed, handing money to the cashier for the items on the counter. I scrolled through my menu to my sent messages and immediately started laughing as I spotted my typo. Instead of typing 'shun', I'd typed 'shunp'.
"I'll shunp you as many times as I want," I joked as he handed me my soda after he'd gotten his change. He headed towards the door and held it open for me to go through.
"Damnit, Bella, don't shunp me. I will not tolerate your shunping," he said sternly, the corners of his mouth twitching as he fought a smile.
"Liar!" I accused, rolling my eyes. "You love it when I shunp you," I teased as we approached the car. He unlocked the doors and we climbed in, shutting them once we were situated.
"Well, if you're gonna talk dirty to me, you dirty, naughty girl," he said lowly, wiggling his eyebrows, "you can shunp me all you want."
My breath hitched in my throat and my pulse quickened of its own accord. I didn't know if it was the husky tone, what he'd said, or a mixture of both, but joking or not, that shit was hot as hell.
"You're blushing," he grinned.
"Shut up!" I shrieked, covering my face with my hands.
"Don't be embarrassed. I just have that affect on women," he said cheekily. I dropped my hands and quirked an eyebrow at him. He simply grinned and, with a wink, turned the key in the ignition. I scoffed and buckled in as he drove off.
Arrogant bastard. A hot arrogant bastard, but an arrogant bastard nonetheless.
I suddenly remembered why I'd spent so long in the bathroom as he drove out onto the street and stopped at a light.
"You asshole!" I yelled, smacking him repeatedly in the arm. "Why did you write on my forehead while I was sleeping?"
He laughed loudly, throwing his head back, and leaned against his door. "I'm sorry! There was a traffic jam and I was bored."
"So you wrote on my face?" I demanded.
"I couldn't resist."
"You could have told me about it," I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest.
"What would have been the fun in that?" he joked, and I glared at him. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I won't do it again, I promise."
I rolled my eyes and sighed with a nod, shaking my head.
Clearly, I'd need to make a list of reasons why I was friends with this idiot, and refer to it every time he did something stupid to remind myself why I stuck around.
He drove back to the freeway entrance and merged into the traffic, both of us silent as we drank our sodas and listened to the music. Within forty-five, though, my stomach was growling like crazy, and from the look on his face, he seemed to be having the same problem.
-E-
"We should have grabbed something to eat," I sighed, cringing as my stomach growled uncomfortably.
"Nothing looked appealing," she replied.
"What are you in the mood for?" I asked, glancing along the sides of the freeway for places to eat.
"I don't know," she admitted, and I rolled my eyes. How insightful. "I just don't want fast food."
I nodded, continuing to search for a restaurant sign. We kept driving for fifteen minutes or so, seeing only fast food restaurants. I was about to tell her she could suck it up and deal with it, because I was on the verge of eating both of our styrofoam cups, when she pointed to the left.
"What about that place?" she asked. I followed her arm and saw a pink '57 Cadillac, held up by a thick, red pole, to the side of the freeway; 'Rock-n-Rogers 50's Diner' printed along the car door.
"I don't even care, I'm just hungry," I said, getting over to the right lane to get off on the exit. I followed the ramp down to the light and turned to the right, towards the direction of the restaurant. I spotted the small white building not even a quarter of a mile down the road and turned into the parking lot, pulling into an empty space. We climbed out of the car hurriedly, slamming the doors behind us, and I activated the alarm before shoving the keys in my pocket as we walked to the front of the establishment.
"I love old-school diners like this," Bella sighed, pulling the handle on the door. I reached above her head and held it open, following behind as she walked through and to the podium. I looked around; it wasn't crowded in the least, but there were a decent amount of people seated, and I noticed a few people standing around a juke box against the wall to the right. It smelled amazing inside, but that could have very well been due to the fact that I was so overcome by hunger that grilled donkey would have smelled delectable.
Well, maybe it wasn't that extreme.
A hostess came to the stand and grabbed a few menus before motioning for us to follow her. I noticed a guy at one of the tables unabashedly checking Bella (and her backside) out as she walked by, and I scowled at him. Fucking asshole.
The hostess settled us down in a booth to the left side of the restaurant next to a window, took our drink orders and promised to be back soon. Neither of us said anything to the other. We simply grabbed our menus and shoved our noses in them, set on trying to find something to eat as soon as possible.
"What are you getting?" she asked as I set my menu down.
"Barbeque Chicken Club," I replied. "You?"
"Regular Chicken Club," she smirked. "Ah, great minds think alike."
"True story," I nodded.
The waitress came and took our order, refilled our drinks, and left us in peace. Bella narrowed her eyes at the waitress' back as she walked away, and I raised a questioning eyebrow but decided not to press the issue. I probably didn't want to know anyway.
"I have to pee," Bella announced, sliding out of the booth.
"Again? Is your bladder the size of a pea?" I teased, raising an eyebrow.
"Har har," she replied, rolling her eyes, before turning and walking towards the restrooms. I looked around, puffing out my cheeks and tapping my fingers on the table as I waited. I noticed that stupid fucking punk still staring at Bella, and I shot daggers at him as my hands clenched into fists. He was about to get a foot up his ass within the next half hour if he kept that shit up.
My eyes landed on the jukebox as I finally tore my gaze away from that douche, and with a shrug, I got up and walked to it, flipping through the songs. Pretty much all of them were 50's songs, but there were a few that were more recent. One in particular caught my eye, and I laughed at the irony of finding it here. It was too perfect. I immediately put some change in, selected it, and decided right then that we weren't leaving the restaurant until it was played. I was being completely honest when I said I didn't remember how the song went, so I'd have to watch her reaction to every song that played to know which one it was.
I walked back to the booth and got situated just as Bella came out of the bathroom. I silently commended myself for knack of always having perfect timing, and smiled at her as she sat down.
"What?" she asked skeptically.
"Nothing," I replied, shrugging my shoulders. She probably didn't believe me, but she let it go. She started digging through her purse for something, her bangs falling into her face as her head bent. Her lips were slightly parted, her tongue snaking out to wet her lips before her teeth captured her bottom lip. At that moment I realized that, sleep or no sleep, she was always gorgeous.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" she demanded, snapping me out of my thoughts. I hadn't realized she'd looked up at me, catching me blatantly checking her out. I smiled, shaking my head. Was it a crime to look at her, now?
"Do I have something on my face?" she continued. "Did I not get what you wrote on my forehead completely off?"
She immediately started rubbing at her forehead roughly, which only made my smile bigger as I chuckled, shaking my head.
"Will you relax?" I asked, leaning over the table and grabbing her wrist gently in my hand, halting her movement. "There's nothing on your face. You look beautiful, as always."
The startled look on her face made me flinch infinitesimally. I didn't know what the hell was up with me today. Why couldn't I control my damn mouth around her? I never had a problem with it any other time.
I muttered a quick apology before clearing my throat and leaning back in my seat, pressing my palms into my eyes. Just then, my phone went off in my pocket, and I pulled it out, opening the new text.
You alive?
Adrian. I hadn't talked to her the entirety of the break. Frankly, I hadn't even thought of her, which was odd in and of itself. I contemplated not replying to her at all, but knowing how girls were, she'd probably end up calling me, and if I acted all vague in my conversation, she'd know something was up, as would Bella, and I didn't feel like offering up an explanation to either of them. I thought it better to avoid that situation all together. I bit the inside of my lip, sighing through my nose, as I typed out my reply and hit send.
Yup. Driving. Can't talk.
I didn't know what drove me to outright lie to her. I should have cared more about wanting to talk to her, especially after what happened between us right before I left. I just...didn't. I didn't feel like talking to her. I was content right where I was.
Within a few minutes the waitress brought our food. I thanked her, not even bothering to take my eyes away from my plate, I was that damn hungry, and unrolled my silverware from the napkin. I heard Bella sigh heavily and I glanced up at her, raising an eyebrow at the scowl on her face.
"Did they get your order wrong?" I asked, looking at her plate. It looked right; chicken club on wheat with french fries.
"No," she grumbled, grabbing her napkin as well.
"Then what's the matter?"
"That stupid waitress has been eye fucking you since we got here, and it's very unprofessional," she said coolly.
I raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Jealous?" I questioned, grabbing the ketchup and untwisting the cap.
"More like annoyed," she corrected, rolling her eyes.
"Uh huh," I replied. "Keep tellin' yourself that."
She snatched the ketchup out of my hand, despite my protests, and stuck her tongue out at me as she poured some on her plate before handing it back. I chuckled. Clearly, she had an issue with females looking at me, even though I didn't pay attention to the waitress. I didn't know why the thought made me grin, but it did, nonetheless.
"Would it make you feel any better if I told you there's a guy sitting over there," I said, motioning to the right with my head, "who has been foaming at the mouth over you since we walked in, and it's taking every ounce of will power I have not to go punch him in the mouth?"
She pursed her lips, fighting a smile, and glanced up at me from under her eyelashes. I swallowed harshly and clenched my jaw. She'd never looked at me like that–well, except that one night she tried to seduce me–and the effects it was having on my body were...not appropriate for public.
"Maybe a little...lot," she replied. I chuckled, subtly squirming in my seat and trying to think of something completely non-sexual to keep a potential problem from occurring, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. I wasn't used to feeling like this because of Bella, of all people.
"So what time do you think we'll get in?" she asked, changing the subject, as she shoved a fry in her mouth.
"I don't know," I shrugged, trying not to pay attention to her tongue licking ketchup from the corner of her mouth. "Maybe around three in the morning? Why, are you anxious to be rid of me already?" I joked.
"Duh," she smirked. "No, I didn't know if I needed to tell Ang to leave the latch undone or not. God, this is a long fucking drive, isn't it?"
"Duh," I mocked, taking a bite of my sandwich. I groaned as the flavors invaded my taste buds. I'd never tasted something so delicious in my life, even though I was positive it was my hunger making it seem that way. Bella had a similar reaction, and if I wasn't so intent on stuffing my face, I probably would have been a little turned on.
Just a little, though.
We finished eating in comfortable silence, and I patted my stomach as I laid back in the booth, sighing contentedly. The waitress came by a few times to refill our drinks and offer us dessert—I almost came undone when she asked. I was staring directly at Bella the entire time, trying desperately not to laugh as she glared up at the waitress and told her we most certainly did not want dessert.
I was thankful that the check hadn't come yet, because the song hadn't come on, as far as I could tell. I was sure I was going to have to take a massive piss soon from all the drinks I was downing to keep us there, but I could only keep up the charade for so long. Like an answered prayer, though, Bella stopped talking mid-sentence, perking up, and tilted her head to the side slightly.
"What?" I asked after a few moments of staring at her in confusion.
"Oh my God," she chuckled, dropping her forehead into her palm.
"What?" I repeated.
"This song," she said. "This is my guilty pleasure song."
Bingo.
"Ya don't say," I smirked. She looked up at me and, upon seeing the amusement on my face, narrowed her eyes.
"You picked this song, didn't you?" she accused.
"Me? Never," I grinned with a wink.
"Liar!"
"Yeah, yeah," I said dismissively, sliding out of my seat, and stood up. "Since it's playing, we might as well make the most of it."
I held my hand out to her, but she simply stared at it; her gaze flitting between my hand and my face. I was becoming slightly nervous, especially since I couldn't figure out what gave me the idea to do this in the first place. It seemed that suddenly, I was doing all sorts of things that I didn't understand when it came to Bella. I wasn't about to show her that I was feeling slightly insecure, though, so I feigned exasperation and rolling my eyes.
"Take my hand, Bella," I sighed, pushing it forward more.
"What for?" she asked skeptically.
"Because we're going to the Alamo, and my hand is the fucking teleport," I retorted sarcastically. "Why the hell do you think? We're going to dance."
"I don't think so," she snorted, shaking her head.
"Bella, if you don't get up, I'm gonna tell your little lover boy about the time you practically raped me in your room," I threatened. "Now take my hand, so I don't look like such a fucking idiot, and dance with me, dammit."
With a huff, she slapped her palm against mine and I grinned, helping her out of the booth.
"Now that half the song is over," I teased, pulling her a small distance away from the table. "Stop being such a baby."
She rolled her eyes, a small smile tugging on the corners of her mouth, and stepped closer to me, interlacing her fingers with mine. I chuckled and brought her other hand up to my shoulder, ignoring the 'allergic reaction' as I was used to doing, before placing my hand on her lower back, bringing our intertwined hands up and resting them on my chest. We started swaying side to side to the tempo, and I pursed my lips to suppress a smile as I looked down at her.
"I'm a horrible dancer," she muttered.
"I guess it's lucky for you that dancing is all in the lead, then" I replied, "and that I'm fantastic at it."
Just as the chorus started up again, I stepped away from her, lifting our joined hands, and, as shock flashed across her face, spun her around. Facing me again, she laughed heartily, and I pulled her back to me with a grin, resuming our previous position and movements.
"We're probably gonna get kicked out," she said as the beat of the drum disappeared during the beginning of the instrumental.
"Nobody's complained yet, but at least we're finished eating if that's the case," I shrugged. She chuckled and shook her head.
"I can't believe you talked me into this. How embarrassing."
"Give me a break, you're loving it," I said as the beat picked up again, and I spun her around twice before pulling her back to me, staring pointedly at the grin on her face for emphasis.
"Yeah, yeah," she dismissed, though the twinkle in her eyes as she looked up at me screamed that I was right.
A smile never left her face as we danced for the duration of the song, and I couldn't help mirroring her expression. At this point, I was sure we were earning stares of everybody in the restaurant, but I didn't care. She was enjoying herself, and I was thrilled that I making her enjoy it. The beat of the drums disappeared again, and the final bars of instrumentation were playing through the speakers. As the last note reverberated through the diner, I spun her around one more time before dipping her. She let out a startled squeak, but it was soon replaced with laughter as she threw her head back and closed her eyes, the end of her ponytail brushing against my knee.
I brought her upright again, a grin still playing on my face. Her hands were still resting on my forearms, and mine slid down to rest on her lower back. Truthfully, I could have let her go, but I didn't want to. She looked up at me and was fucking beaming, her brown eyes sparkling and I was completely taken aback by the way my heart skipped in my chest as I stared down at her.
I couldn't tell you what initially drove me to even consider making my next move. All I saw was her; so completely peaceful, and jubilant, and just fucking beautiful, and she was in my arms. I had caused her current state of happiness, and suddenly everything clicked. All the subconscious urges as of late, to touch her, or have her touch me; the kisses on the head and nose...all of it made sense, as if it were leading up to this one moment.
Staring into her eyes, I decided right then and there that I knew what had to happen. By the look on her face, I was positive she knew what was about to transpire, but I'd be lying if I said I was able to predict her reaction. I couldn't let the fear of rejection hold me back, though. I wanted—no, I needed this much too bad to allow something so trivial to stand in the way. Fuck it, I thought to myself as I cupped her cheek, licking my lips, and began to lower my head. The worst she can do is turn away. At least then I'll know.
I held my breath as my mouth neared hers, my eyes flitting about her face for any indication of forthcoming rejection. I found none, though. Instead her eyes fluttered closed, her warm breath hitting my lips in ragged puffs. My whole body felt like there was a never-ending electric current running through me, just like it always had when I touched Bella.
This is it. This is the make-or-break point.
Could it potentially damage the relationship we'd built; the friendship I'd come to love and cherish so dearly? Probably. Did I think it would be worth it in the end? Abso-fucking-lutely. With that mind set sealing the deal, I closed the gap between us.
And then, ever so gently, I kissed her.
End Note: Oh my Gooooood, right? bahahaha. Review, then head over to the thread and discuss, bb's. Follow me on twitter/add me on facebook, too, if you want. Linkage is on my profile page.