"Hey, I brought pizza!" Edward shouts as he lets himself into my apartment and drops his keys and the box on the kitchen counter.
"Oh, great! I was starting to get hungry." I take one look at the box and give my best friend a suspicious look. "What did you do?"
He throws up his hands in mock surrender. "Nothin'!"
"You went to Brooklyn for pizza. You did something, or you want something," I accuse him as I squeeze past him in the galley kitchen to grab plates and beers out of the fridge.
"Can't a friend do something nice, like getting another friend their favorite pizza, for no reason whatsoever?" He smirks as I hand him a bottle and roll my eyes.
Maybe a friend could do that, but when the friend in question is Edward Cullen … well, I had a feeling he had something up his sleeve.
"You know I love you, princess," he says as he plops two greasy slices onto my plate, and I stick my tongue out at him. "But, since you asked, there is something I want to talk to you about."
I hum knowingly as I chew. Of course he wanted something. It wasn't often that Edward came to me needing a favor, but I knew it wouldn't be something I'd have any qualms about agreeing to. In fact, it's when he didn't come to me that I knew I had to be worried.
"Love ya too." I kicked him lightly in the shin as he sat down next to me on the sofa. "So, what is it? What's the favor?"
"Can't even let a guy eat first, huh?" He takes a huge bite and grins at me as he chews, and then takes a sip of his beer. "All right, here's the deal, and I swear, if you make fun of me, I'll tickle you right on your—"
"Don't you dare, Cullen!"
"Okay, so you know how a few of my frat brothers are finally getting married?" He ducks his head a little, and his ears tinge pink. My heart flips and softens for the guy. He's got the big, mean ladies' man shtick down, but deep down, Edward Cullen wants to find a nice girl, get married, have two point five kids, and a white picket fence.
"Yeah, your brother Emmett is getting married in like, what, two months? Down in Tennessee, right?" I pick up my beer and eye him as he nods but keeps his gaze focused on his feet. "Spit it out, Eddie."
"I've got four weddings to go to, and I need a date." He mumbles the words, but since the TV or radio isn't on, I can hear him just fine.
"So, let's pick from your rotation of available women, Edward," I tease as I continue on my slice of pizza.
He shakes his head and finally looks up at me. "I don't want one of them. I want … I want you."
I arch an eyebrow in his direction at his soft words because he's so sweet and endearing but also because I know I own his ass right now.
"I don't know, Cullen. Your frat brothers never really liked me." I lean back against the armrest and smirk. "Make it worth my while."
Edward groans and slaps his thighs before standing and grabbing his beer. He begins pacing in my tiny living room, and I want to laugh at the sight before me.
"Look, you're my best friend, so we'll have more fun together at these things."
"Things? You want me to go to every wedding with you?"
"First class airfare and I'll take care of the hotels." He looks at me with pleading eyes. I shrug my shoulders, and he bites back a growl. "I'll pay for the dresses too, okay? Just say yes, please?"
He stops pacing to drop down on his knees in front of me, and I reach out and touch his cheek tenderly. "The shoes too, Eddie. Don't forget the shoes."
A muttered fuck escapes his lips and I smile. "All right, I'll be your plus one."
He grabs me in a tight hug and resumes his spot next to me on the couch as we both finish the pizza and a few more beers, talking about the week and his promise to buy plane tickets soon.
When my yawning becomes more frequent and the digital read out on the cable box says it's after one AM, he cleans up the mess from dinner as I go change into pajamas. When I come back out to the living room, he's shrugging into his leather jacket and smiling at me.
"Thanks again, princess. I really appreciate it." He presses a kiss to my forehead and walks to the door. "Lock up behind me."
I nod and follow him. "Come by around ten tomorrow morning."
Edward turns to me with a questioning look on his face. I mouth the word shopping, and he drops his chin to his chest. "Can I just Venmo you the money?"
I shove him out the door and sing after him, "Wear comfortable shoes!" Locking the door and sliding into bed, I smile. This is going to be a fun summer.