Ownership: Nothing but the story
A/N: Just a short one leading up to the inevitable big Rosalie reveal chapter that should be posted sometime during Thanksgiving. Thank you again and again and again for the reviews. They keep me up at night fleshing these chapters out.
Oh and PS – Mad spelling and grammar errors will be found in this chapter. Sorry, I have a good excuse but I think it's silly to assume you guys care why I'm a Strunk and White mess right now…
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Bella sat lazily between Rosalie's legs, her back resting on Rosalie's chest, as the blonde absentmindedly played with the fingers that were interlocked with her own. It was two in the morning – they'd been swathed in the soft white sheets of the massive hotel bed, kissing and joking and making love for hours. After finally recovering from the most intense orgasm Bella had ever experienced, she'd urged Rosalie for more, and Rosalie had carefully laid her down on the bed and fulfilled her wishes.
"Rose?" Bella murmured as she turned slightly and cuddled into the light-golden haired beauty.
"Mmm hmm?" Rosalie purred her response contentedly. Again tonight she'd let Bella touch her and do things to her that she hadn't let anyone do before, and she'd been rewarded with one of the most blissful experiences of her life.
"I don't ride you about never telling me about yourself because I'm trying to be annoying," Bella twisted her head and looked up at Rosalie through thick, dark lashes. "I do it because I plan to be around for a while, and I want to know who you are."
"I know," Rosalie sighed, and continued to trace the outline of Bella's hands with her fingers. "I was actually going to ask you if you'd come downtown with me and Emmett next Thursday. I want you to meet Tommy and see his band play, and kind of show you something private, um I guess…" Rosalie hesitated as she trailed off.
"I'd love to, are you going to give me a clue what it is you're going to show me?" Bella twisted fully and pulled Rosalie down from her position propped against the pillows so that now they lay together on the mattress facing one another.
"Nope, it's a surprise," Rosalie grinned sleepily. Bella rolled her eyes and scooted in closer to her gorgeous girlfriend. "Bella, I want to tell you, I'm going to try, okay, I promise. I want you to know about me. Just be patient."
"I'm not planning on going anywhere, I guess I can wait," the smaller girl huffed. Rosalie's toned, leaned arms encircled her and rotated her so that she could pull Bella's back into her chest. Bella immediately adjusted and pressed herself into Rosalie.
"Rosie, what are we doing right now?" Bella's voice was teasing; mischievous.
"We're spooning, beautiful girl," Rosalie whispered in her ear as she brought the covers over them and tucked a king-sized pillow under their heads. "See, I can change…"
"Mmmm, yes you can, I'm very proud," Bella purred back, feeling utterly sated at the feeling of Rosalie holding her close.
###
Emmett put two fingers to his lips and whistled for a cab the same way his sister did, a piercing noise that Bella envied the two siblings for knowing how to make. He held a giant golf umbrella over Bella chivalrously, shielding her from the frozen, driving mid-November rain as he helped her into the taxi.
Upon settling in the cab, he looked Bella up and down, a friendly smile on his lips.
"What?" Bella asked.
'You look perfect for my sister, she told me how much she loves you in skirts." Bella was indeed wearing an outfit specifically intended for Rosalie; a short black denim mini-skirt, trusty black chucks, and underneath her hooded grey wool toggle coat, a black pinstriped tuxedo vest she'd borrowed from Alice over a white ribbed wife beater. Black lace bra straps were visible running down her back, and she could practically hear her gorgeous blond girlfriend growling in approval.
"You think she'll like it?" Bella asked, curious as to why Emmett looked so pleased.
"Yup, of course." Emmett sat back in his seat as they began the long journey from the Upper East Side down to The Knitting Factory, a nightclub that had recently relocated to Tribeca. They were meeting Rosalie at the club at 10, as she had some kind of typically vague meeting to attend beforehand.
"Hey Em, how do I get your sister to open up to me more, I mean, she never tells me anything…" Bella's question was genuine; no trace of bitterness or sarcasm in her tone. She really did want to know how to get the beautiful girl to talk to her. She knew there was something wrong; something had happened to her Rose, and she wanted to figure it out. She wanted to know what hurt her so that she could make it better. She wanted that more than anything…
"Beats me," he responded, but Bella picked up the trace of evasiveness in his voice. "She never tells me anything either."
"Yeah but can you honestly say you don't know what she does all day, or what her life was like before 2008?" Bella raised an eyebrow at him. She knew he was bluffing.
Emmett groaned.
"Fine, I know what she does all day, it's nothing bad, I promise you, Rosalie is just very private…"
"Em, I want to be with your sister, like, forever. And she clearly doesn't trust me enough to tell me anything." Bella's voice was slightly pained. It hurt that Rosalie wouldn't open up. She didn't know how to earn the trust she knew she needed from the elusive model.
"No, it's not a question of trust, Rosalie trusts you." Emmett sighed and looked awkwardly around the cab. "You really do love her, don't you?"
"Yeah," Bella breathed. "I really do." And she really did. Overwhelmingly so.
"Okay, listen, I'll help you, but if you give me up to Rosalie, you're dead. I'll murder you, I swear to God…" Emmett leaned towards Bella and spoke seriously.
"I'm only doing this for her own good. Rosalie trusts you, but she just needs to be pushed in order to let you in, and if YOU do it she'll just be a huge pain in the ass…"
Bella giggled as Emmett rolled his eyes. "It's already pretty big that you're coming here tonight, you'll see why, but I know it's not enough, so I'll try to push her a little, okay?"
The beautiful girl nodded appreciatively.
"I know this is annoying to ask, but do you think she loves me, Em? I'm not just a phase or something?"
Emmett chuckled. "God girls are so freaking insecure. No trust me, you're NOT a phase, she definitely loves you. I told you it would take time for her to say it back, and I'm proud of you for saying it to her anyway, little one."
He mussed her hair affectionately. Sometimes Emmett really did feel like her big brother, despite Bella being a good four years older than the boy. She knew the fact that Emmett was willing to help her was significant. He was extremely protective of his sister; that was easy enough to fathom.
"What is Rosalie like as a sister, Em?"
"Um, she's really smart, and wise, and she takes care of me. Rosalie would do anything for me, and she'd kill anyone that tried to hurt me. Literally, which can be a bad thing sometimes. But she's always been the person I've looked up to the most. Bella, you can't imagine how strong she is. I could never handle some of things I know she's handled. But Rosalie is tough, you know. You see this different side of her; even from the onset, Rosalie has always been different with you."
"How so?" Bella eyed Emmett intently.
"She's more relaxed around you, like funnier, softer. My sister can be really, really cold - with you, it's like she's more herself. She's like, warmer. The bitchy side of Rosalie that you've seen – that's nothing compared to how she usually is. Or used to be, I should say. You kind of changed all of that."
"I did, for real?" Bella was astonished.
"For real, why do you think I haven't gotten you fired and drowned you in the East River for breaking her heart last month?" He chuckled sarcastically.
"It's only because I know you're good for her and I want you guys to work out. I like you Bella. And I especially like how you stand up to her. I don't know if it's because you're clueless, or fearless, or just indifferent because you happen to be just as hot, but you're not afraid of my sister, and you treat her like she's just a person. Which she obviously is, but most people either cow-tow to her and kiss her ass or resent her and try to undermine her like your sister does. But not you, you like, GET Rosalie, I can tell. And I know you love her. Just like I know she loves you, I mean, Jesus, remember that night WAY back when I interrupted you guys after your friend had died, so I made fun of her for letting you call her Rose and she just snapped at me, like basically 'shut up, she can call me that.' I mean Bella, she's NEVER let anyone call her 'Rose" in her entire life and now you do it all the time. And she LIKES it! You're like the fucking Rosalie-whisperer…"
Emmett started to laugh deeply, and Bella couldn't help but join in as the boy started neighing and whinnying like a horse. "I'll help you get her to open up, okay? Just know it's not you, it's just her, and it will take her some time, so tread carefully, okay sport?" He tousled Bella's hair again.
"Emmett!" Bella yelped. "How can I look good for her if you keep messing up my 'do?"
"Sorry kiddo, sorry…"
###
Emmett easily by-passed the line and nodded his greetings to the bouncer as he made his way into the packed club, which was more like a giant theatre. If Bella was astonished by how many people were waiting in the freezing rain to get into the club, she was even more astonished by how many people were already inside. The Knitting Factory was so packed one could barely move.
"Hop on my back," he ordered Bella, and the smaller girl briefly wondered what was with the Hale children's obsession with carrying other people, until a slim hand ran down her back and the familiar sparks told her that it was indeed Rosalie rubbing her back.
"Hey," Rosalie hugged her brother briefly before gathering Bella up into a tight embrace and kissing her softly on the mouth. "I just got here, but I figured I'd wait by the door so I could actually find you guys."
Bella couldn't help but think that Rosalie looked nothing short of magnificent in her silver grey, subtly metallic halter with some kind of jeweled neckline and another pair of skinny grey cropped pants. She towered over Bella, this time in a pair of black d'orsays, and Bella stood on the tips of her converse to kiss the stunning beauty back a second time, smiling adoringly up at her.
Rosalie smiled back, but then quickly whipped her head back to face her brother. "Emmy, get up front and center, I have like a fifteen minute conference call that the manager is letting me take upstairs and then I'll join you guys."
Bella looked at her curiously. "Don't worry, Thumper, Emmett will take good care of you. See that guy on stage –" Bella squinted in the direction of Rosalie's pointing finger all the way over across the expansive room to an attractive, slender young guy with a mop of blond hair in a black "Parental Advisory, Explicit Content" Tee on stage belting out what Bella only just realized was a very good cover of Poison's "Talk Dirty to Me" to an enthusiastic crowd.
"-That's Tommy," Rosalie continued. "He's already most of the way through this set, I think he has like three songs to go and then he'll break, and I'll find you before he starts the last one, okay my gorgeous little bunny?" Rosalie leaned in and pecked her nose, and then pulled her into another tight embrace, seemingly overwhelmed by how happy she was to see the smaller girl.
Bella beamed and nodded into the crook of her neck. "Hurry back Rose, I missed you so much today."
"I'll hurry," Rosalie whispered back and pecked her lips one more time, a devilish grin plastered across her sculpted face. She winked and ducked under a velvet rope that cordoned off some stairs that Bella hadn't even noticed, and Emmet slung her on his back before she had even a second to collect herself, grabbing a cold bottle of Jack that Rosalie had mysteriously handed to him before barreling through the almost impenetrable throng of revelers like a hot knife through butter.
"How can you have your own bottle at a club, isn't that forbidden?" Bella shouted in his ear over the din as they cut through the crowd.
"Not for a Hale it's not!" Emmett shouted gleefully as he carved a path to the stage.
###
When they finally made it front and center, with Emmett ignoring countless threats and protests as he barged through, Tommy's band had just started "Cherry Pie," and Tommy dropped his strumming hand long enough to reach down and high five Rosalie's brother enthusiastically. Emmett helped Bella out of her coat and handed it, as well as his, to a security guard that had suddenly appeared next to them. The guard also received a high five and friendly greeting from Rosalie's imposing but incredibly congenial baby brother.
Bella marveled at how Rosalie and her brother just seemed to know everyone.
She and Emmett danced and sang to the rest of the song, and belted out both "Bad Medicine" and "Up All Night" before the lights dimmed on stage and the band exited for a break. Bella joked and laughed with the handsome boy as if he was her own brother while they traded swigs of the ice cold bottle of bourbon and made fun of each other while they waited for the next set.
Rosalie, elusive as always, was nowhere to be found.
###
The lights on the stage were completely off, and after about fifteen minutes, the entire club suddenly darkened. Bella appreciated the hand that Emmett placed protectively on her lower back as the hulking boy moved her in front of him and out of the way of the throngs of people that had started pushing aggressively to get closer to the stage.
Bella worried that Rosalie hadn't been able to get to them, as the crowd was so thick and tightly packed. She enjoyed Emmett immensely, but she was growing increasingly anxious to see her girlfriend. Just knowing that Rosalie was in the building had set her body on delicious edge, and she could already almost feel the arms that she expected to catch sneaking around her waist in surprise any second now…
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I PROMISED YOU AN EIGHTIES ROCK SHOW TONIGHT, AND WE ALL KNOW A GOOD ROCK SHOW WOULDN'T BE COMPLETE WITHOUT OUR FAVORITE GUEST GUITARIST…" The crowd erupted into screams as Tommy's voice boomed over the speakers from the blackened stage.
"Why are they screaming so loud all of a sudden, Em?" Bella shouted back in Emmett's ear. "And where the hell is your sister?"
"The guitarist he's talking about only plays with them once a month, and he's really, really good." Emmett shouted back over the roar of the crowd in the practically pitch-black club. "And I don't know where the fuck Rosalie is, she'll be back any second…" Bella didn't look at Emmett, but it would have been too dark to see him if she had, and thankfully so, because he wasn't able to hide the knowing smirk that had formed on the lips of his handsome face as soon as he'd heard Bella's question.
"OUR FIRST SONG OF OUR FINAL SET TONIGHT IS DEDICATED TO A CERTAIN GORGEOUS BRUNETTE IN THE FRONT ROW, AND I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT HER EYES ARE ONE HUNDRED TIMES MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN THE ONES I'M ABOUT TO SING ABOUT…"
Bella felt adrenaline rush her system as the familiar feeling that Rosalie was up to something crept up on her.
Suddenly, a spotlight hit a slender, tall figure who stood with their back to the crowd on top of an amp in the center of the stage near the back wall. Bella giggled as she took in the guitarist's outfit. Whomever it was had a killer body, but they were wearing worn low black chucks, loose cropped and very ripped jeans with a navy bandana tied to one of the belt loops, a fitted white tank top, black, curly hair, and a top hat with silver conchos around it.
Bella was ecstatic; Rosalie had promised the beautiful brunette that tonight she'd hear their favorite kind of music, and Bella had just realized that she was watching an actual Slash impersonator on stage. "Oh my God Emmett, where the FUCK is your sister, I'm going to kill her…"
The beginning guitar melody of "Sweet Child 'O Mine" cut through the air as the lone spotlight stayed fixed on the figure on the amp as he riffed through the introductory notes perfectly.
Bella squealed and shouted at Emmett "Emmett, I'm serious, where the fuck is Rosalie, she can't miss this, we love this song!" She started to bounce up and down; whoever this guitarist was, they were playing the opening riff of her favorite song absolutely expertly, something she'd never thought she'd get to hear live.
A second spotlight kicked in on the bassist as he began his part, and then a third when the drums started to beat.
And then Bella's mouth dropped to the ground as a torrent of screams erupted from the crowd.
###
Rosalie Hale had just thrown the top hat and fake wig to the floor as she jumped off the amp and landed facing forward, aviators covering sparkling green eyes and cigarette stub between full pink lips as she shook her long blond hair out and launched into the song. Despite the fact that her fingers were working the frets and strings at about a million miles an hour, Rosalie was somehow able to lower her sunglasses for a split second when the first verse kicked in and caught Bella's eye.
The girl's shocked expression clearly delighted her, because Rosalie smiled brighter than Bella had thought she'd ever seen as she flicked the aviators back up and began to move into the chorus.
Bella was utterly, completely astonished.
"Holy fucking shit Emmett, you little liar, how the fuck does your sister know how to do this?" Emmett laughed at Bella's shouted words and bent down, curling an arm under Bella's legs and hoisting her up so that she somehow sat on his massive arm with her head now at his 6'4' height so she could see better.
She watched as Rosalie took in her brother's actions in from the stage and laughed, her gorgeous, flaxen hair shining and pearly white teeth flashing as she dove into the first solo without even looking down at her fingers.
Bella felt euphoric, like a groupie or something. Her entire body was humming with nerves and excitement. She screamed and shouted, her stomach winding round and round itself as she watched the incredible girl play one and then two of the hardest and (in her mind) greatest guitar solos in history.
###
Rosalie whipped the crowd into a frenzy, clearly having mastered the song to the point where she could strut the stage, stooping and arching and dancing across it as she flew through the notes.
Bella was utterly mesmerized.
She was going to marry this girl, Goddammit.
Right before the third, most difficult solo hit, Rosalie pushed her sunglasses up out of her eyes and onto her head so she could met Bella's gaze. Bella blushed furiously and grinned. Rosalie was just so…she couldn't even thing of a word to do the gorgeous blonde justice.
As soon as the solo began, Rosalie jumped forward, sliding on her knees until she stopped only inches away from Bella and watched the wide-eyed brunette with a devilish smirk as she ripped the incredible piece out, her mouth moving occasionally to grimace dramatically or bite her lower lip like an actual rock star as she played the solo to Bella on her knees. Her fingers whipped up and down faster and faster, but she didn't even need to look at the strings; instead she just watched the brunette, face contorted into dramatic grimaces and lip bites that made Bella laugh, but eyes smoldering in a way that made her feel quite the opposite.
Bella gulped as her nerves twitched and heat pooled lower down.
The crowd absolutely roared as Rosalie utterly destroyed the third solo and then popped up to a mic, blew the cigarette butt into the crowd, and began to sing "where do you go" with Tommy as the refrain kicked in.
She hadn't stopped looking at Bella for a single second.
###
"She loves you, you know," Emmett shouted in her ear. "She really, really loves you." He dropped a beaming Bella to the ground for a split second and then hoisted her back up with his other arm. The boy was unbelievably strong, much like his sister, although in not nearly as dainty a package.
Both Emmett and Bella had screamed so loud by the end of the song that they were horse, but Rosalie was nowhere near from finishing. Tommy's voice boomed through the club:
"THIS IS FOR RICKY AT THE BAR WHO'S BEEN REQUESTING THIS FOR MORE WEEKS THAN I CAN COUNT – SORRY I COULDN'T MASTER IT, RICK, BUT AT LEAST I BROUGHT IN THE GIRL WHO COULD…"
Drums beat twice and Bella almost considered jumping off of Emmett's arm when Rosalie began the notes to Van Halen's "Eruption", wanting to get down only on account of being afraid that he'd feel how soaked her jeans were. She was so turned on she thought she could die. Rosalie Hale, her girlfriend, could play "Eruption" on the guitar? And do it while smirking and winking at her while riling up the crowd like an actual rockstar?
Bella giggled as Rosalie rolled her eyes playfully at Bella before dropping down to focus on her fingers; the song was clearly way too hard to allow her to lose her concentration, and even Emmett uttered an astonished "fuck" as Rosalie rolled through it.
"She's definitely been practicing, she'd never been this good at Eruption, she sounds like the real Van Halen tonight!" He yelled at Bella enthusiastically.
The mixture of pride and desire that filled Bella's senses as she watched Rosalie play was incredible. She was mesmerized.
When Rosalie finished, the crowd absolutely exploded.
"TRY FINDING ANOTHER GUITARIST THAT WILL PLAY THAT LIVE FOR YOU, MOTHERFUCKERS!" Rosalie's flaxen haired best friend Tommy riled the screaming crowd even more, and Bella gazed adoringly at Rosalie as the blonde slipped over and whispered in his ear. Tommy stood back, and Rosalie took the main mic.
Before she could speak, the screaming got more intense, and Bella melted as Rosalie looked down sheepishly and muttered a few 'thank you's' into the microphone. She motioned for the crowd to quiet down, and they did so immediately.
"HEY GUYS, THANKS FOR COMING OUT," Rosalie's voice was sexy; huskier than normal. A few "I love you Rosalie's" rang through the crowd – clearly this wasn't the first time Rosalie had performed with her friend. Men started wolf-whistling as Rosalie rolled her neon green eyes.
"ALRIGHT, THIS NEXT SONG IS ALSO DEDICATED TO THE INSANELY HOT BRUNETTE IN THE FRONT ROW THERE" Rosalie pointed directly at Bella and more whistles filled the air. "AND IT'S IN HONOR OF THE SHIRT I MANAGED TO GET HER OUT OF NOT ONE WEEK AGO TODAY…" Rosalie smirked at the crowd seductively and the explosion of screams and whistles was almost deafening.
The girl really knew how to work a crowd.
She winked at the audience and stalked right over to Bella, slung her Les Paul behind her back, curled her finger at Bella in a "come hither" motion, and leaned down and kissed the brunette softly, teasing the audience. Emmett had already hoisted Bella up and onto his shoulders in one fluid motion.
Bella could feel herself blush ferociously, but Rosalie's quick whisper of "I owe you, okay" calmed her nerves before Rosalie dove in and French-kissed her in front of the entire crowd.
When Rosalie finally pulled back, Bella realized that she'd never heard a crowd roar like it was currently roaring in her entire life.
Rosalie flipped the guitar back in front of her effortlessly and began the intro to the Scorpions "Rock You Like A Hurricane," as she beamed at Bella and then Tommy.
"Like I said Bells," Emmett shouted as he lifted her off of his shoulders. "She really fucking loves you."
###
Bella and Emmett screamed and sang as the band went from the Scorpions to a perfect covers of "Here I Go Again" and "Pour Some Sugar on Me," and laughed along with the crowd as Tommy dedicated a more recent song, "Cold Hard Bitch," to his blonde best friend. The crowd seemed to know every word, and Emmett explained to Bella that Tommy's band had quite a following and always sang this song when Rosalie played with them. After a particularly incredible, perfect cover of "November Rain" (complete with a very imposing bouncer stepping in to play rhythm guitar while Tommy worked the keyboards with a dramatic flair that was Axel-worthy), Rosalie suddenly took the front mic again.
"ALRIGHT YOU GUYS, TOMMY HERE GOT A LOT OF NASTY EMAILS AFTER I DIDN'T CLOSE WITH THIS LAST MONTH, SO…" The crowd was back to their ear-splitting screams upon hearing her words. Tommy laughed but stayed at his spot behind the keyboards as Rosalie began to sing an old Lita Ford song that Bella was surprised that anyone but her remembered.
But clearly, the entire crowd did, because they sang along to every word, as Rosalie's amazingly good, slightly raspy voice filled the entirety of the boisterous, jam-packed bar.
When the refrain kicked in, Rosalie sang directly to Bella:
"But I know what I like… I know I like dancing with you"
She grinned at the smaller girl.
"And I know what you like… I know you like dancing with me"
Bella laughed, keeping her eyes trained on Rosalie's, and Rosalie cocked an eyebrow.
Bella sang the next words back to her with the rest of the crowd:
"Kiss me once…Kiss me twice…Come on pretty baby, kiss me deadly…"
Rosalie's smile looked like it was going to swallow her sculpted features whole when Bella mouthed the words back at her. Bella swore she could detect just a hint of bashfulness behind the grin, but Rosalie expertly masked it for the crowd.
###
The lights on the stage dimmed after the song finished, but the crowd just cheered and howled louder and louder. Shrieks and yelps were quickly replaced by a deafening echo of "ONE MORE SONG, ONE MORE SONG" and Bella, as much as she was desperate to get to her girlfriend, couldn't help but join in the chant. People were banging on the bar and stomping on the floor as they chanted and shouted for an encore.
Bella just about screamed the vocal chords straight out of her throat as a guitar began the opening riff of "Thunderstruck" and the spotlight once again turned right back onto Rosalie.
Bella and Emmett watched Rosalie and Tommy sing and dance through the entire song together, with Emmett briefly shouting to her that this was the first song the two friends had performed together, back when they were twelve, and he couldn't believe how good they'd gotten at it.
It's like I'm at an actual AC/DC concert, but with hot chicks, Bella through as she screamed and sang along.
There had to have been at least a thousand people in the packed room, and Tommy and Rosalie both had managed to change their voices to mimic the Brian Johnson perfectly, much to the uproarious crowd's delight.
Rosalie slid down on her knees a second time and briefly stroked Bella's cheek with her strumming hand while her fingers tapped the strings rapidly with her left, and Bella nuzzled into her touch, enduring the prickles on her skin when the beguiling blonde had to pull away.
Rosalie and Tommy ran all over the stage, now hooked up to cordless mikes, and did a hysterical tandem guitar solo routine that had them both playing almost on their backs at one point as they both hit the solo notes, making the club practically shake as the notes pierced the air and the audience rumbled and thundered, practically mimicking the fake thunderclaps coming from the keyboard in the back.
The crowd was going absolutely bananas, and Bella felt, as always with Rosalie, like she was in a movie. Or a dream.
Whatever, this couldn't possibly be her life…
###
Emmett barreled down the stairs to the caverns underneath the club, Bella firmly affixed to his back as he pushed past the throngs of party-goers vying to get to the band. They pushed into the crowd of the loosely guarded VIP band area as they made their way to Rosalie and Tommy. The brunette was so excited she was afraid she might burst, or at the very least completely embarrass herself at some point soon. Her hands were shaking in anticipation, and her heart was working so hard that she was sure that her pulse was visibly throbbing on from its spot on her neck.
She needed to see her girlfriend, and fast: she was afraid that if she didn't, that the blonde might disappear – she felt like her carriage would turn into a proverbial pumpkin at any second. She thought again, there is simply no way this can be my life now…
Emmett squeezed and shoved his way through the crowd downstairs as best he could, with the slight brunette clinging tightly to his muscular shoulders. Bella tried to temper the smile that stretched her lips almost to the point of discomfort when she finally saw Rosalie in the distance, sitting in a booth on a red leather banquette and laughing with some random attractive people as she sipped some kind of translucent honey colored drink, probably bourbon. Bella took in her incredible, creamy, almost pale but still slightly golden toned arms as they gestured energetically while she engaged in conversation with her friends. She gasped as the statuesque model crossed one leg languidly over the other and smiled insincerely at some random girl's words, but ran her fingers through her white-gold hair and licked her lips with obvious disinterest.
Her body, all tight, leanly muscled limbs couldn't even compete with the incredible beauty of her face. Rosalie was somehow exotically beautiful and yet noble and patrician at the same time. She was absolutely stunning.
And even more stunning as a breathtaking smile graced her own features when she finally saw Bella.
Bella gave up fighting the grin that she reflected back – the sight of her girlfriend was just so overwhelming and, as lame as it was, thrilling to her that her mouth curved in an even broader smile without her mental consent.
Emmett placed Bella down and she pushed her way over to embrace the gorgeous blonde, who had now stood up and was gesturing for the crowd to let Bella through. Bella was almost there, and she giggled as she watched Rosalie boss people out of her way.
But a flurry of limbs caught her before she reached Rosalie.
"Bella!" A deep baritone exclaimed. "I've heard so much about you, I can't believe Rosalie is finally letting me meet you!" Bella pulled back from the enthusiastic embrace to realize that it was Tommy who was now clutching her and bouncing up and down excitedly.
"Good to meet you too, Tom-"
"Hey Tommy, hands off," Rosalie's firm, cool voice cut through the room. Tommy groaned theatrically and reluctantly released her. Rosalie beamed as she pulled Bella into her arms, embracing her tightly and holding her close as Bella felt her smile brightly in her hair. "This is MY girl, no one else touches her…"
Tommy joked with Rosalie as the taller girl sat back onto the low, red banquette and brought Bella down and onto her lap. Bella cuddled into her, relieved that Rosalie was indeed very much real still. The blonde pulled away enough to meet Bella's eyes.
Rosalie's were that otherworldly, now quite light neon green, and as they met her own, they made Bella shiver. Bella noticed Emmett sit down next to Tommy on Rosalie's left and exchange greetings, but Rosalie didn't seem to notice any of it. She only had eyes for Bella.
"So did you like it?" Rosalie grinned as she questioned the smaller girl on her lap, elegant hands rubbing Bella's back affectionately. Bella nodded as she beamed back, and leaned in to catch Rosalie's lips as she suddenly giggled for no reason in particular. "I mean, normally I'd act all cool and indifferent right now Bella, but I've been planning this since the day we drove to the marina, and I'm just so excited that I got to play for you, which is so weird that I'm excited but whatever, everything with you is weird so I'm just going to go with it, but either way, did you like it, did you?"
Rosalie's ramblings caught the attention of both her brother and her best friend.
"Oh my God Rose, of course I liked it, I can't believe you can do that, I mean, where were you hiding that, I would have died even if you'd just taken me to a concert where anyone played those songs, but with you playing them, I mean, FUCK!" Bella brought her in for another kiss, but then broke away. "I mean Rosalie, I think I literally stopped breathing when I first saw you, and shit when you played that INSANE solo to me, and then when you kissed me in front of everyone, which you're so dead for, by the way, but I mean FUCK, I died, I think I actually died, I thought it was a dream, I know that's totally gay but it was THAT incredible…
Neither girl realized how intently the two boys listened in on their conversation.
"I know, I mean, I don't want to sound cocky but I knew you'd love it," Rosalie gushed. Rosalie gushed?
"But I just knew how good I was at guitar and I've wanted to play for you for so long Bella and it's crazy because I've never wanted to play for anyone at all much less like this and fuck did I mention how hot you look tonight, I mean, holy Jesus Bella, that vest and the beater, shit you look so fucking sexy, you were so distracting and gorgeous and…"
###
"Who the FUCK is that girl?" Tommy yelled to Emmett.
"That's Bella, Tom," Emmett retorted. "She's the Rosalie-whisperer…"
###
TBC
PS – Rosalie's set list:
Sweet Child O' Mine – Guns N' Roses
Eruption – Van Halen
Rock You Like A Hurricane – The Scorpions
Here I Go Again (On My Own) – Whitesnake
Pour Some Sugar On Me – Def Leppard
November Rain – Guns N' Roses (duh)
Kiss Me Deadly – Lita Ford
Thunderstruck – AC/DC
Before that, Tommy played Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me;" Warrant's "Cherry Pie;" Bon Jovi's "Bad Medicine;" and Slaughter's "Up All Night,"