All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization.

storyline: Brighter

prompt - Dialogue Flex: "I like to keep my options open," he said.

NOT BETA'D

I sat on top of the bar, legs wrapped around Edward as we surveyed the scene in front of us. We'd settled there about a half hour before, when my insanely long day of travel started to catch up with me and I couldn't stop the yawns. Maggie had given me a Red Bull from her secret stash, and I was almost done with it, waiting to catch my second wind.

Meanwhile, Edward was laughing so hard that my body trembled from it. Things had gotten rowdier as the night went on, and now two of his boys, Jacob and Paul, were acting the fool, dancing like drunk tourists. Or so they said. I cringed, imagining them making fun of how I danced. After all, hadn't I been a tourist up until recently?

But...it was pretty funny. Jacob grabbed Irina, pulling her to his chest so he could work up on her from behind, like actors a cheesy dirty dancing video. A little lit herself, Irina played along, making faces and pushing back against him. Then they continued dancing, and I started wondering how much of their flirting was a joke.

Edward had sobered up a lot, and I'd gotten a bit tipsy, so now we were somewhat on the same page. Coming back to St. Croix to spend New Year's this way, with him, was the best decision I could have made. He kept looking at me, smiling, making me burn with all kinds of love.

The music cut out and the DJ jumped on the mike. "All right, everyone! Thirty seconds to go!"

Everyone . Edward turned so that he was facing me, hands rested on my thighs. I pushed his hair from his forehead; we were both a little sweaty. I held his face, brushing my thumbs over his cheeks, feeling a the beginnings of stubble. I'd missed him so much. How did people do this? How did they bear it? I felt so needy inside, like every drink of him left me thirstier.

"Ten! Nine! Eight..."

We yelled along, pressing closer.

"...one! Happy New Year!" The Pub erupted in merriment, confetti and noise makers.

Edward slid his hand behind my neck, urging me close, and kissed me, sweeping his tongue in to my mouth for a kiss that made the others of the evening feel PG. I tightened my legs around him, holding him as close as I could, giving him back all that he gave me until we were full on, tacky, making out in the middle of everything.

But then reality brought us back, in the form of freezing, cold liquid. I broke away from Edward's mouth with a soft gasp, arching away from the champagne Jacob was spritzing all over the bar, grinning gleefully as people shrieked and shoved. I kissed a drop off of Edward's cheek and let him help me down off the bar, which was slippery and kind of gross now. I'd just slipped my flip flops back on when the first firework erupted, showering the night in technicolor. They came rapidly after that, sparkling over the harbor, shot from a boat anchored further out.

Auld Lang Syne came on as we joined our friends on the boardwalk, and we sang along, silly with laughter.

"So, every year, huh?"

"Yup." Edward turned off the main road. We were one in a long line of vehicles headed out to Grassy Point, the rocky little peninsula where countless generations of Cruzans had watched the first sunrise of the year.

"Ever miss one?"

He wrinkled his brow, thinking. "Well...not really. One year I passed out in the back of Jasper's car. Guess I missed it that year."

I smiled, imagining. Edward certainly liked to enjoy himself, but he seemed to have outgrown his party animal days...which was funny, considering he was a bartender. He was quite responsible now, but I wondered what he'd been like back in the day, drunk and stupid with his teenage friends. I probably would've had a crush on him back then, too.

"What do you guys usually do?" he asked. "Up in Seattle?"

"House parties when we were younger...bars or lounges when I turned twenty one."

"That wasn't too long ago," he said, smirking.

"No, it wasn't." I smiled, shrugging. "But...I may have had a fake ID at one point."

"Ooh, so Bella Swan's a bad girl."

"Sometimes," I said, side eyeing him.

"Don't even start," he warned, sliding his hand from my knee to my bare thigh. "It's been two long weeks and I will pull over right here."

"Nine days," I corrected, putting my hand over his.

"You stopping me or encouraging me?" he asked, squeezing.

"I don't know," I said, suddenly really turned on. I'd had some of the champagne Jacob hadn't gotten to, and it was making everything ultra bright and sensitive, in a good way.

The car in front of us paused, bright brake lights jarring me back to where we were. "Maybe we shouldn't..."

"Okay." He sounded a little strained, but he moved his hand to the gear shift.

"I mean, I want to –"

"Bella," he groaned.

"We have all day and all tomorrow night and all the day after that," I rambled, resisting the urge to just climb in to his lap.

"Yes, we do."

"And we don't have plans, right?"

"I like to keep my options open," he said. "As long as they include you."

"Such a charmer," I snorted. "With those player type lines..."

"I'm not," he laughed. "I don't know why you always say that."

"Because. You're gorgeous."

"That's such a double standard."

I arched an eyebow. "How so?"

"Because you're gorgeous, too, but that doesn't automatically make you 'a player' ...and if I assume that you are one...that's like calling you a slut." He gave me his version of the side eye. "You callin' me a slut?"

"I don't know, are you?"

He shoved his hand up, squeezing my inner thigh –which he knew was a majorly ticklish spot. I squealed, wrenching my leg away and scooting over so he couldn't reach me.

The road ended and we emerged out in to an open area, where countless cars were already parking. Up beyond that, I could see people trailing toward the Point, carrying blankets, bags and coolers.

Edward tossed me a hoodie, which was so huge it nearly covered my dress. I knotted my hair in to a bun and stepped out out of the truck, nearly bowled over by the wind. All around us, the ocean crashed, invisible in the blackness. Edward took my hand and we joined the others.

On the Point, Irina and a couple of her girlfriends had set up a thick blanket. We sat with them, and soon were surrounded by everyone else: my friends, Edward's friends, friends of friends. The night was clear and starry, and it was impossible to tell where in the distance the sky met the ocean.

We took pictures, ate junk food, and sang the songs that drove us nuts on the radio, the ones we heard day in and day out on the boardwalk. My friends back in Seattle were right in the thick of their own celebrations, and I got a couple of texts from Angela and Jessica, complete with pictures. Mild nostalgia fluttered through me, but I felt so good about where I'd chosen to be. I took a picture of Edward and me, and sent it back to the girls.

After a while, the sky began to lighten. At first, it was so gradual that it was nearly imperceptible, but as the minutes ticked by it gathered speed until the first sun rays of morning peeked over the horizon. I couldn't remember the last time I'd watched the sun rise, and even if I could have, I doubted it had felt quite like this: golden, stunning, like I was being given a gift.

Silence fell, like this was too sacred to interrupt.

I snapped a picture of it to post later: First sunrise of the year.

"I'm so tired," I mumbled, my eyes closing.

"I know, so'm I. Let's just..." Edward yawned. "...wait until everyone leaves so we don't get stuck in traffic."

"Traffic," I echoed, giggling. I was so drunk with tiredness that everything was hysterical. "There were like twenty cars here."

"Fifty," he said, cuddling closer.

Irina had left us her blanket and we were cocooned in it. The day grew warmer as the sun rose higher, and soon we wouldn't need it. For now, though, it felt awesome.

"We're gonna fall asleep up here," I said, yawning.

"Hey..."

I opened my eyes and peered at him.

His fingers tickled up my legs, pushing their way between my thighs.

Smiling sleepily, I opened up, not bothering to play coy.

We kissed, pushing closer to each other.

"Are you sure they're all gone?" I whispered, wondering if he could hear me above the wind.

He sat up, looking toward the parking area, and then laid back down. "My truck's alone down there."

Nodding, I drew him closer, pulling him on top of me. More kisses, touches. He pushed his hips against mine.

"Circle circle dot dot, now you've found my cootie spot," I giggled deliriously.

He snorted, face fall in to my neck. "That's not even how it goes, weirdo."

"I know," I said, grinning as I reached lower, sliding my hand in to his pants. "But it works..."

"If you say so," he breathed, his face changing when I made contact with his dick. He kissed me again, a little desperately, and I pulled my hand away so that I could get his pants down.

He let me, breathing hard, and then he yanked my panties down, touching me.

"Can you..."

I shifted, freeing one leg. "Yeah...just..."

"Okay...mm." He slid inside slowly, biting his lip, watching me.

We moved quietly, almost reverently. Speechless. Softer, sweeter than times before. When I could no longer look in to his eyes, I closed mine, shuddering in bliss when he kissed my neck.

"I love when you're inside me," I whispered.

"I love it, too."

And we kissed and touched and came undone beneath the sky.

i love hearing from you guys. your reviews and messages are little sunrises, brightening my moments. *love*

also, my friends and i did the grassy point thing every new years for years. super fun. st croix is considered the easternmost point of the united states, so when you see the sunrise there...it's like you see it first.