TWENTY-FOUR
Thursday afternoon
"God, this is a bit of deja-vu, isn't it?"
He almost doesn't recognise her as she approaches the table, a backpack thrown over her shoulder. He isn't completely used to her new hairstyle yet and doesn't know whether he prefers it over her dark locks.
He smiles.
It's not his hair. He knows what the new look means to Bella.
"We really do need to stop meeting like this, Bella."
She giggles as she sits in the chair across from him. The library at King's isn't as private as their old nook back home, but, with their new label as 'friends', they don't need to be hidden away.
"You know you love it, Edward."
After a few moments of working in silence, Edward's phone screen flashes.
It is a message from Bella.
you ever thought about doing someone up against a bookshelf?
He looks up, cheeks burning, and sees her grinning at him mischievously. He doesn't want to tell her his real answer, that he'd pictured making love to her in the history section too many times to count, from fear that she'll think of him as a weirdo.
He seems to care a lot about what other people think of him nowadays. Especially, Bella. He never used to worry about what she thought of him.
He shakes his head and places his phone face down on the table.
Sunday evening
The white ball is perfectly lined up with his que. He wishes the bar wasn't this loud. He finds his thoughts difficult to calm in crowded places.
As he shoots the stick forward, he feels a small nudge against his waist. The ball doesn't go where he planned it to.
"No fair!"
"That was definitely all you, Cullen. I don't know what you're talking about." Bella stands next to the pool table, innocently rubbing a cube of chalk against the top.
Edward turns to the table next to them. Angela and Jane are watching him, bemused, and he has noticed that they ogle him whenever he is around. Jake and Aro each have a pint glass in hand, chuckling.
"Sorry, Edward. Gotta give it to the lady." Seth calls out.
With a bow, Bella saunters towards him.
"Don't be a sore loser," She whispers in his ear, cracking her stick against the white ball and sending it spinning across the table.
Wednesday evening
The on-site club is crammed with bodies, sweaty and grinding up against one another. The music thumps and Edward can barely hear what Tanya is saying as he knocks back a tequila shot.
He enjoys drinking. With alcohol in his system, he can forget how anxious he is.
"You look really fucking hot tonight, Ed." Tanya slurs in his ear, biting down on his lobe. He hisses. "Wanna get out of here?"
Edward doesn't really want to get with Tanya tonight. He'd promised Bella that he would walk her home. From where he is standing against the bar, he sees her pushed up against a pole, Jacob's large hands roaming over her body.
They are so close that, in the darkness, they almost blend into one.
Edward shakes his head.
"Not tonight. Think I'm gonna have an early one."
Thursday morning
At the coffee shop, Leah is telling Edward about her night. She had gotten with one of Bella's friends, Emily, and they had apparently left quite early. No wonder he hadn't seen her at all.
"Your friend, Bella. She gets around a lot, doesn't she?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing nasty. It was just something that Em told me last night. Apparently, she only got with Paul a few weeks ago, and now she's already dating Jake. You need to talk to her, get the inside scoop."
Edward nods but he is no longer listening. His heart pounds so viciously that it feels as though it is about to come out of his chest. The room spins and he feels like he is about to vomit.
He cries himself to sleep that night.
Poor Edward. Poor Bella. But, at least we get to enjoy their slow burn, right?
Bring on the drama!
Happy reading you lovely people :D