Word Prompts: Headstrong, headache, headway
Choose one word and write what your imagination dictates. For an added challenge, include all three words in your entry.
Something True
Headway
This Winter
Biter's sleeping under Bella's window. Edward's in Seattle again, and has been for two days. Bella's uncomfortable with the fact that she doesn't like being away from him. It's bad enough when they're minutes apart between her house and the cottage, but miles and miles—he may as well be on the other side of the country.
Like at Edward's—under the piano bench, under the real Thelonious—Biter has a "place" in Bella's room. He likes it under her window. She brought his dog bed over this time so he could feel even more like it's his. If dogs even feel that way, like they belong somewhere. She's not so sure if it's the place they feel is theirs so much as the people they're with, wherever they happen to be.
She attempted to call the dog Thelonious around her dad just to make him seem less intimidating, but "Biter" is too ingrained.
As Biter sleeps, Bella sits beside him, stroking his soft fur. He's grown so big, he has to curl up tight to fit in his bed. When he's on all fours, his head nearly meets Bella's mid thigh.
It's New Year's Eve, opening night of the play. Angela's play, but also the play Edward composed for. He'll be behind the scenes, not part of the audience. He won't have to attend every performance, just the opening, and maybe the closing and after party where he might pick up another job lead or two.
He's coming home tonight, but unable to leave before ten, he won't be home until after two AM. He promised to call her at midnight and promised that they would spend all of New Year's Day together.
It isn't quite nine. Rose will be coming around to pick her up soon. Bella steps into an old black dress and reaches her arms behind her to zip it up herself. She runs a brush through her hair, leaving it straight down her back and shoulders, and glosses her lips.
She can't believe she agreed to go to a party, but she couldn't argue with Alice when she'd said how depressing it would be to stay home alone on New Year's. Although, looking at Biter, Bella thinks she could curl up next to him and not feel a smidgen of loneliness or regret.
She leafs through the four books of drawings Edward got her for Christmas: da Vinci, Michelangelo, Van Gogh, M.C. Escher.
Unsure of what to get him, and not having much money, she'd printed out a stack of blank sheet music and tied it with ribbon. In the glow of blue lights, and accompanied by kisses, they'd exchanged gifts by their painted tree.
Bella had also given Biter a new rope toy to destroy. It's sitting under his head now like a pillow.
Making sure her closet's closed and everything of any value to her is out of the dog's reach, she takes the chance of shutting him in her room. Her father's on duty tonight so she locks the house up all dark behind her and follows Rose to her car.
Rose looks too beautiful for words in a blue dress that makes her eyes look almost like sapphires.
They walk through a loud music and people filled living room Bella's never been in before. She's not sure whose house this is, never asking in case the answer might have deterred her from coming.
Alice, Lauren, and Jessica find Rose and Bella right away and walk toward the kitchen barring Bella in the middle as if they're her bodyguards. Rose has a hold of Bella's pinky, maybe just as much for her own reassurance as for Bella's. It's more than likely Royce will be here.
After chatter and a couple of beers in blue plastic cups, the other girls go off with their guys, leaving Rose and Bella in the kitchen. They stick close together.
"Swanny!" Bella hears and then feels herself getting enveloped from behind, lifted off the ground. Turning her around, Pete kisses her cheek, but when he goes for it a second time, she puts her hand on his chest and pulls her face away.
"Can't blame me for trying, not when you look like that."
Bella buttons up her coat.
"That's even worse you know," he says. "Looks like you got nothing on underneath."
"I have a boyfriend," she says.
"What?" He points upwards like he's pointing at the music. He does a little bounce of his knees to the beat.
She repeats herself, louder, too loud apparently.
"Mr. Dupree?" Quill asks from behind Pete. "Mr...?"
"Shut up-" Pete starts to say, an elbow to his friend's gut, just as Rosalie says, "Cullen."
"Your dad?" Quil over-exaggerates his laughter, spitting it out as if it simply can't be held back.
"My brother." Rose links her arm with Bella's. "And he'll be here soon so just—" she waves a dismissive hand at him "—scat. Go annoy someone else."
Bella wishes that were true, that Edward would be here soon, like the time he arrived home from Seattle a day early.
"Rosalie Cullen," Quil says, moving to her side, putting an arm around her shoulders. "You've grown some balls."
Looking over Bella's head, Quil drops his arm from Rose fast and steps aside. Bella turns to see Royce standing there. She's almost relieved to see him. In fact, she is relieved, until he speaks.
"Go ahead," he says to Quil. He pumps the keg and fills his cup. "Whatever. She's fair game. Kiss her in the right place and she might put out."
Rose's gaze locks on Royce. The blue of her irises shines too bright. Tears.
"Pete?" Bella says, pleading with her eyes.
"Back off. Leave 'em alone," he says. But all he gets is a "Yeah, right," from Quil and a playful shoulder shove.
Rose covers her forehead as if she has a headache.
Bella grasps Rose's fingers and leads her out the back door. "We should've gone to Seattle."
"Maybe we still can. I can drive. I've barely had one beer. We'll be there at..." She pulls her phone out of her purse. "One thirty-ish."
"Yeah, and I have to be home at one."
"Tell him you're staying at my house."
Bella shakes her head. She can't. She won't. She's done with lying to her dad. It was the whole reason she told Edward she couldn't go with him in the first place.
Pete joins them on the patio, letting the door slam behind him. "Okay. Okay, ladies." He pulls a joint out from behind his ear and holds it out in front of him with his thumb and forefinger as if he's presenting the rarest of diamonds. "Doctor's orders."
"I think you mean 'just what the doctor ordered,'" Rose says.
"Whatever works. Who's got a lighter?" He pulls one out of his back pocket. "I do." He lights it up, smokes, and passes.
Bella hesitates, passing the first time around. But eventually, on another cycle she accepts. Omitting something like this, she tells herself, is not the same thing as a blatant lie. Just like when she drinks.
"Boyfriend, Swanny? Is it true?"
She nods, blowing out the smoke, and offering the joint to Rose.
Pete lifts her chin so that Bella looks at him. Gray eyes right on hers. "Not me?"
Bella swallows, something hardening within her stomach. Something like guilt. "You never asked."
"Ego," he says, accepting the joint from Rose. "A guy can only be shut down so many times. You know?"
Bella drops her gaze.
"What if I had asked? No. Forget it. Don't answer that. Maybe if we'd had a class together or if I wasn't such a chicken-shit. Can't ever talk to you unless I'm drinking or stoned."
"I'm the same way with anyone but Bella," Rose says. "Except for stoned because I don't usually... Mostly drinking. It's hard for me to talk to people other than Bella unless I'm drinking." She nods her head, already high.
Bella laughs, Rose following.
"This talk is too serious for New Year's," Pete says, despite the laughter. He takes a hit.
...
Still out back, phone in hand, Bella watches it at midnight. It lights up. Over the noise-makers and horns, the screams and whistles, and even with Rose's lips on her cheek, she hears Edward's, "Happy New Year, Bella."
Her heart leaps at his voice.
"Where are you?" she asks, hoping he's closer than she expects.
"Halfway."
"Tomorrow, then?"
"Come over in the morning," he says. "First thing."
"Happy New Year, Edward."
...
Bella stands on the deck in the foggy white morning, watching the door. Biter can't be still, prancing, wagging his tail, whining when it takes three seconds too long.
Her bedroom had survived the night unscathed by him.
Edward opens the door and Biter jumps toward his legs as if in slow motion, like he knows he isn't supposed to jump up, but just can't help himself. Edward bends to pet Biter, but his eyes are on Bella.
He clasps both of her hands, attaching his lips to hers. He tastes like spearmint tooth paste. He raises their hands inline with her shoulders and then drops them down to their sides, the twine of his fingers between hers tightening.
"Hi," he says between a kiss. She can't say anything back. Releasing her fingers, he holds her hips, pulling her into the cottage. She lifts her arms up and around his neck, leaning into him, letting him hold all her weight.
"I missed you," he says, and continues the kiss, guiding her, not to the couch, but to his bedroom. He bends over her, laying her back on the bed. Biter jumps up on it with them.
"Happy New Year," he says. He won't stop kissing her long enough for her to respond and she's okay with that, holding his face to hers, feeling his smooth skin. He must have shaved this morning.
After a few more kisses, Edward rolls off of her and pats the side of the bed for Biter to lie beside him. "Okay, Buddy," he says, one arm under Biter's head, the other arm under Bella's.
She turns toward him, her face against his chest, her leg over his. "How was it?"
"Good," he says, then looks down at her. "Bad."
"Bad?"
He fingers hair from her eyes. "No Bella."
She smiles.
They take Biter outside and throw the ball for him, trying to teach him "drop." He doesn't quite get that concept yet, but the puppy treats in Bella's fist help. They play until Biter is panting and ready to go inside to lap up his entire bowl of water. He collapses on the floor by his bowl, spilled and drooled water surrounding him.
"I wrote something for you," Edward says.
Back in his room, out of an unpacked bag, Edward produces sheet music and places it on the piano. He plays his new song, pausing to laugh every once in a while.
"I wrote it at Emmett's without a piano. It needs some adjustments."
From behind, Bella hugs him around the neck. He turns, lifts her up and brings her to the bed, holding her sideways against him, her legs tented over his lap. "How was the party?"
"Bad."
She thinks about Rose, Pete, Quil, Royce. She thinks about Riley. She thinks about Angela. She thinks about her dad.
She thinks about trust and trusting herself.
"Edward, I would never cheat on... anyone." She wants to say "you," but she can't bring herself to do it. They have not yet defined themselves as anything. Maybe they won't, maybe they don't have to, but it still makes talking bluntly to him like this difficult for her.
"Not anyone?" He half-smiles.
She shakes her head.
He picks up her hand and presses his lips to the back of it, saying nothing else.