Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
Bella never got over him.
The second semester came and went, and things started changing slowly but surely. For one, Bella and Edward became inseparable. Any moment they had free, they were with each other. Bella had started working in a library part time, and Edward would often head over to have lunch with her on a bench outside. They started hanging out so much that Bella even quit smoking; not cold turkey, but progressively. It started with her being unable to get even a single smoke in between classes and work, then unable to during work, and then too tired to step out in the dorms. The only time she had was during her lunch break at the library, but since Edward was usually with her and he couldn't handle it, Bella one day announced she'd given up smoking. Everyone had been surprised; she'd been trying for years to give it up but had never been able to. Now, Edward was telling her all the time how nice she smelled. It was a good reward for her efforts, truth be told.
In other changes, over the summer Edward left Hayden to instead reside in an apartment complex. He wasn't taking any summer classes, he said, so he couldn't remain in the dorm —but he also couldn't go back home because his mother was renovating and so the house was unlivable. The issue was, he could only lease an apartment for a minimum of one year, so he was forced to rent one. He'd have stayed with Jake, but apparently he was going backpacking to South America with Nessa for the summer. Bella had taken the first two weeks to visit her father in Washington, Rose had gone home to Texas, and Emmett had gone to a summer camp to coach kids. In other words, when Bella came back from Middle-of-Nowhere, Washington, he stuck to her side like a leech and got a summer job with her; she got hired as a buffet server at Friendship Village Tempe, and he as a server in the local Outback. They'd take turns in going to eat at each other's restaurant, to the point where they became friends with each other's co-workers.
It was the most fun either had ever had working during summer break; they'd both work five times a week, taking a break on Sundays and Mondays. Bella started running with Edward (at a turtle-like pace, of course) in the mornings, or they'd head to nearby bookstores to find stuff for the other to read. Some days Edward would take Bella hiking or to some other outdoor activity, and other days Bella would take Edward to museums or the movies. Twice they got a day off from work and went on a road trip; first they went to Disneyland to celebrate Edward's twenty-first birthday, and then they went to Yellowstone National Park. Bella's favorite outing, though, was when they drove to Mexico and lazied around in the beach a few hours. Edward had been hilarious when they arrived at the border; he'd been nervous enough when getting through border patrol that he'd tried talking in Spanish to the officer on the American side. He didn't even know Spanish. Once they'd gotten out of that sticky situation, they'd gone to a beach where the water had been freezing cold.
"Hey Bella?" Edward turned to face her. They were in his apartment complex enjoying the sun by the pool; it was pretty empty, much to their joy. School was meant to start again next week, and by now they'd both ended their summer jobs. Edward had invited her over to the pool at his apartment building. While Edward wore his swim trunks, Bella was in a red bikini that left little to his imagination. Honestly, he thought he wanted to kiss the feet of whoever had come up with swimsuits. Nay, with two-piece swimsuits.
"Hmm?" Bella lazily turned to face him, using her comic book to shade her eyes from the sun. She was crazy paranoid about having the sunglasses tanned to her face, which frankly Edward found hilarious.
But when she landed her golden brown eyes on his, he suddenly didn't find it as funny anymore, feeling like his mouth was much too dry.
"Edward? What's up?"
Cullen, it's now or never. Fucking do it. Say it.
"Uh…"
Alright, so you're not smooth. But she knows that already. She'll give you time, you dumb sack of potatoes.
Intrigued now about what so hard for him to say, Bella sat up, and Edward copied her. Which he found to be a bad move, because now he had to not talk to her breasts. Which were amazing breasts, even if he preferred her ass.
"You ok?" Bella asked, and feeling a bit self-conscious about his eyes on her, Bella grabbed her beach dress and covered up. A move which Edward deeply appreciated.
"Yeah, sorry about that. Sorry, I'm just a bit nervous," Edward chuckled awkwardly, fixing his glasses higher on his nose. Damn, maybe he shouldn't be doing this with his dorky glasses… or when they were both semi-naked.
"It's ok. Take your time," Bella smiled, and Edward decided to just say it.
"I was wondering if… you'd like to go out with me tonight. On a date. Just you and I."
Edward held his breath.
Truthfully, the last few months Bella had been a huge part of his life. He'd gotten to know her on a whole other level —the Bella Swan that was a Debbie Downer, that was a geek, that could be frighteningly direct and excessively charming. Liking her had been way too easy; it had just hit him, and somehow he'd been ok with it. It was while they were in Disneyland waiting in line for a ride; the time to get on was eternal, and the kids around them were growing restless. So Bella had leaned in and whispered in his ear to follow her lead, then pulled back and had suddenly started playing hand games with him. Patty cakes, hot hands, the one where you kept upping the amount of claps… Soon enough, they were teaching the kids around them the games from their childhood. Just like that, forty minutes went by —their hands hurt like a bitch, but neither had felt the passage of time. The last time he'd gone with Kate to an amusement park, she'd given up after a ten-minute wait and had insisted they do whatever wasn't crowded. He realized then that, despite Bella's Debbie Downer persona, she wasn't really a pessimist; she just liked pretending that she was. She'd always say no to everything at first, but with just a little prodding she'd give in and have fun. Except with exercise, but he gave her a pass on that. But back then, waiting in line while playing patty cakes… He realized he actually rather liked this woman, and that he wanted something more with her. He spent the rest of the visit wondering what it would be like to hold hands with Bella Swan, Prom Queen (unofficial —rumor had it Bella ripped apart the ballots that had her name on it). Now, he just really wanted a chance to prove to Bella he could really make her far happier than someone like Garrett ever could.
"You're asking me on a date?" Bella blinked, her expression unreadable. Edward swallowed hard and, gathering what remained of his courage, nodded. "Tonight?"
"Tonight."
Instead of answering, Bella put on her shorts, put her things away in her purse and stood up. Startled, Edward looked up at her in panic.
"Bella? Is that a no?"
She raised an eyebrow, looking down at him with her poker face.
"It's a 'you're giving me less than three hours to get ready so I need to go'," Bella said, a smile slowly breaking out on her face as Edward realized what was going on.
"So that's a yes?"
Laughing, Bella nodded, surprised when Edward suddenly got up and hugged her, plastering her face to his chest. The advantages of him being 6 ft 3, thought Bella dreamily. She put her arms around his waste, thankful he hadn't put on a shirt yet.
"I'll pick you up at six, ok?" Edward gave her a heart stopping smile when he pulled away, and this time Bella couldn't resist blushing. "Text me when you get home."
Bella pedaled her bike as fast as she could back to her dorm (she'd already moved back in), texted Edward she was back and then proceeded to text Rose to get her ass back to the dorm in thirty minutes, sending Alice a text to wait for her call. Then Bella proceeded to have the most thorough shower of her life —shaving everything but her eyebrows, getting soap into every nook and cranny and making sure her hair was as flawless as it could be. When she was heading back to her room, she passed by Emmett's, feeling guilty that she wasn't telling him first. However, he wasn't due back until tomorrow, and he was very anal about disconnecting his phone during the camp. So Bella sent him a telepathic apology and then ran into her room.
"What's the deal, Swan? Your text sounded very panicky," Rose scowled when she saw her roommate enter with flushed cheeks and crazy eyes. "Are you high?"
"No!" Bella scoffed, then gave her a wide grin. "Better."
"Fucked?" Rose guessed, though both knew that wasn't it. Instead, Bella gave her a mischievous grin and called Alice —who picked up immediately.
"B? What's up? I've been freaking out the last half hour."
"Alice, you're on loudspeaker. Rose is here with me," Bella said, laying her phone on the middle of her bed.
"Hey Rose!" Alice greeted on the other end of the line excitedly, making the two girls smile. Alice's greetings were always full of happiness. "Now spill, Bella."
Looking like she was about to blow a fuse, Bella suddenly released the widest smile Rose had ever seen on a girl.
"Edward just invited me out on a date!" Bella squealed, and even though Rose and Alice were in shock, they squealed with her.
"Ohmygodohmygod—" Alice repeated endlessly on her end, while Rose crushed Bella into a hug.
After twenty minutes of just retelling the whole fucking day to the girls, they decided to get down to business —what Bella should wear for their date.
"No jeans," Rose and Alice agreed. Huffing, Bella closed that section of her closet.
"Skirt?"
"No, you wore that for your first date with Garrett," Rose shook her head. "You don't want to be wearing the same."
"What about a dress? The one I got you for Christmas?" Alice asked, and Bella shook her head no.
"He texted me to dress comfortably. I don't think I should wear a dress."
"Did he say what you were doing?" Rose asked, tugging back on Bella's hair. While they were deciding the outfit, they thought it was a good idea to do something about the hairdo. Currently, they were going for a French braid. However, Bella had three hundred knots to get through.
"No, he didn't. I think he wants it to be a surprise." Bella buzzed excitedly, grabbing the eyebrow brush and giving the little hairs some shape. She didn't like plucking her eyebrows since she felt this was a very good method to keep that part of her face groomed.
"Fuck, fine. Then how about… Pants? Rose, do you have any of those that look like a skirt but are really pants?"
Rose brightened up, letting go of Bella's hair to look through her closet. She came back with black pants triumphantly.
"I do! She'll look great in these. They're high-waist, black with straps."
Alice hummed, tapping what seemed to be a pencil on the other end of the line.
"Ok, I say use a white t-shirt and white Converse. Oh, and your cat bag! Did you take it?"
Miraculously, Bella had, and she said as much.
"Great! Mm, what else? Oh, and a blue cardigan just in case it's cold. Or any color, really, so long as it's not too bright." Something was heard in the background, and then Alice cursed. "Shit, I've got to go downstairs. Alright, I think that's pretty much it. Rose, I'll trust you with her makeup. FaceTime me when you're done, I want to see you!"
Then Alice hung up.
Rose and Bella laughed.
"She's got a lot of energy," Rose laughed, bringing out the outfit and laying it on the bed. "Come on, let me do your makeup before you get dressed."
Half an hour later (Bella was a tough client since she hated shit coming close to her eye) Rose had Bella's phone trained on the outfit, then the whole picture, showing Alice their masterpiece.
"Oh, I love it," Alice gushed, her face frighteningly close to the camera. She had a triumphant gleam in her eye, as if she was a proud mother. "You look gorgeous, Bella."
And she did, Rose praised both in her head and out-loud. Looking a little more put-together, having an actual hairdo and a little makeup made her blindingly, enviously beautiful.
"Damn, I want your body," Rose shook her head at herself. Rose did love her body, but there was something about Bella's that made her want a little more ass, a little less boobs and a lot more waist. A B-cup suit Bella, and Rose could live with her D-cup and flat ass. Not to mention, Bella had once mentioned Emmett was a boob man, through and through.
But more on that later.
"Thanks. Ice cream for breakfast," Bella joked, running a hand down her curves sarcastically. Alice snorted because she'd seen Bella carefully measure each cup of fruit, carbs and protein every morning while she'd stayed at her house during winter break. Though Bella was doing exercise now (read: begrudgingly speed walking half an hour), the only way she'd maintained that body had been through balanced eating.
"How long until Edward's due?" Alice asked, pulling away a little bit from the screen.
"Five minutes," Bella replied instantly. Not like she was obsessively checking the time or anything. Not at all.
"Alright. Now, here's how we're gonna play it ladies: cool. Rose, be cool. Me, be cool. Bella, you be you. I don't want you seeming aloof or anything. Just relax and enjoy your time together. Think how easygoing you were with Garrett, but with the interest you've got in Edward. And have fun, Debbie. You've earned that much, haven't you?"
Bella was starting to shake with nerves, but nonetheless she nodded.
"Good. And Rose, remember —I want to look at them make goo goo eyes at each other." There was a knock. "It's showtime!"
Shushing the giggling girls, Bella cleared her throat nervously before opening the door.
Bella felt her heart about to melt into a puddle. There was Edward, dressed in jeans and a rolled up green button-up shirt, hair a little less gelled and Coke-bottle glasses in place. In other words, Bella's heart gave a kick. When Edward saw Bella, though… He lost his voice for a couple of moments. When the brightest smile known to man fluttered across her face, he knew he was in deep shit.
"Edward!" Bella greeted, opening the door wider for him to come in. "You look really handsome."
He smiled, trying to come up with words.
"What's that?" Bella asked, pointing to whatever Edward was holding in his back. Doing his best to snap out of it, Edward thrust a Hershey's chocolate bar at her.
"Chocolate. Since you've said before you don't like flowers," Edward explained, thankful for his decision when he saw her smile brighten even more. "And you look beautiful, Bella."
The smile now had a blush which nearly made Edward lose his mind.
"Thank you," Bella mumbled shyly, grabbing the chocolate and, to just really hit him where it hurt, leaned up to give him a kiss on the cheek.
"What's going on?" Alice whispered in Rose's ear, who was devouring every second of awkward interaction gleefully.
"Bella's blue-balling him. It's magnificent," Rose whispered back. "Also, he brought her chocolate instead of flowers."
Alice gasped on the other end.
"My God, she's marrying him."
Bella placed her chocolate on the desk, promising to herself she'd make it last for at least a week (spoiler alert: it lasted two hours). Then she glanced back at Rose.
"Bye Rose!"
Startled, Edward leaned to the side and realized that, indeed, the roommate was there. He flushed at the realization that someone had watched their awkward interaction.
"Bye Rose," Edward mumbled to the blonde.
She gave them her Cheshire smile.
"You kids better be on your best behavior!" Rose laughed, rejoicing when Bella flipped her the middle finger before shutting the door behind her.
"So, where are we going?" Bella buzzed next to Edward with excitement as they left the building. Edward had left his Volvo parked on the curb, so when they stepped out Edward made his way to the passenger side to open the door for Bella. "Thank you."
Smiling at her, he rushed to the other side of the car and slipped in.
"So…" Bella trailed off, not wanting to pressure him but really wanting a reply. Edward laughed, pulling away from the dorm.
"Kiwanis Park," Edward said, surprising Bella. She knew that park; she'd only gone there once or twice, but it was pretty. "We're having a picnic."
"Oh! That sounds great," Bella grinned. She loved eating, and she loved parks. She also really liked Edward, so anything sounded amazing if done with him.
"Really? Because if you'd prefer anything else…" Edward trailed off when he saw Bella emphatically shaking her head no.
"I love parks. Seriously."
Edward smiled.
"Good."
The drive to the park was nine minutes of comfortable silence; Edward had playing in the background a soft song that made Bella want to keep listening to it forever.
"Alright, here we are."
Bella stretched, thanking Edward again when he opened the door for her. Once she was out, he made his way to the trunk where he proceeded to pull out a basket.
"You just had that lying around?" Bella asked, surprised. Sheepishly, he shook his head.
"I went home for it. I had to tell mom why I wanted it, so… Mom says hi."
Bella laughed. She'd never met Mrs. Cullen, but she had to be an incredible woman to have raised Edward. Edward didn't bother mentioning he didn't exactly say he had a date —just a picnic with Bella. His mother's eyes seemed to fill in the rest, but he hadn't confirmed nor denied.
"Well, tell her I say hi and thank you for the basket. It's very handy," Bella smiled.
They made their way to a patch of grass, wanting to eat next to the lake. They'd be able to watch the sunset from their spot, and when night fell, there was a light-post right behind them.
"So, what'd you cook?" Bella asked once they were sitting down, thankful for the decision to wear pants instead of a dress.
Edward gave her a sheepish grin.
"Actually, I suck at cooking. But I bought some mean frozen chicken, you know," Edward said, bringing out a Tupperware. He pulled out everything from the basket first; the chicken, pasta, salad, breadsticks, a chocolate cake for dessert and a bottle of wine.
"I'm not really a big drinker, but I've seen you ask for wine before. I swiped this one from my dad's liquor shelf, so I'm betting it's good," Edward laughed, handing Bella a wine glass. She thanked him, glad for the day she told Edward of her love for pasta.
"Then I think I owe your dad my gratitude, too," Bella grinned, feeling carnivorous butterflies in her stomach fly around when Edward returned her smile. "And thank you for the picnic. Everything looks delicious, even if it came from a box."
They made small talk while Edward served each of them their plates, showing himself a little more generous with his share than with hers. She'd talked to him before about her struggle with healthy eating and how she always had to watch she wasn't overeating. He wasn't about to make things harder for her.
"There's something I want to ask you, but I'm not sure if it's appropriate for the first date," Edward said once they'd gone through half their plate. Bella had just been cracking jokes, and he didn't want to spoil the mood with his question. But the curiosity had been killing him inside since like May.
"Well, we'll only know until you ask, right? Hit me," Bella said, taking a swig from the wine. Edward had been right; it was good. Though she knew she wouldn't enjoy more than two glasses, not to mention she didn't want him getting into trouble for giving her the good alcohol.
He finished his own glass before asking.
"I was just wondering… who it is you liked in high school. I mean, you don't have to tell me, but Emmett had been pretty adamant about you not getting over him. I'm just wondering if… Well, if you're over him or not."
Bella looked out at the lake, suddenly really glad that she hadn't rushed things with him and blurted out how she felt back when he broke up with Kate. She sipped from her wine-glass and then put it down, cocking her head to the side and making eye contact with Edward.
"I'm not over him. Everything I did, no matter how much time passed… I could never stop liking him." Bella said this seriously, needing to build up the courage to tell Edward the most important part.
"Oh," Edward mumbled, and he looked so crushed that Bella got up, leaving her half-eaten plate on the blanket, and sat down next to Edward. "Can I ask who it is?"
Bella leaned forward to whisper in his ear.
"Mike Newton," Bella said, and when Edward leaned back with an unamused face, she burst out laughing. "Oh God, I'm kidding, obviously. I liked you, Edward Cullen. For real."
Edward waited for her to laugh again, but she didn't. He pulled back to see her face, and Bella was chewing on her bottom lip nervously. Was she… serious?
"You're joking," Edward deadpanned. "Tell me seriously, Bella."
Bella shrugged.
"I am. I've liked you since you started coming in to Denny's. So that's… all of our senior year of high school and freshman year of college. So this is pretty much a dream come true."
Edward didn't believe her, and he said as much.
"I consulted with you about Kate. You can't be serious."
Bella flinched, nodding.
"Yeah, I hated you a little for that. But it's cool now, obviously. Look, Edward, I don't really have any proof for you other than Emmett and Alice endlessly mocking me for how tongue-tied I got around you. Remember how I started avoiding you last summer?"
"You told me you weren't!"
"I lied. Anyway, I was just kinda burnt over you liking Kate so much. I didn't want to pine anymore, even since then, but I didn't know what to do. You'd talked to her about her staying at a beach house or something, and I just kind of… felt shitty. So I switched shifts in order to not bump into you. Don't look at me like that! I was sore, alright? I didn't want to hear you talk about going with Kate to the beach." Bella pouted, doing her best to make good puppy dog eyes.
"For what it's worth, we never went," Edward confessed, chuckling when Bella's eyes lit up. "Yeah, Kate was never into the outdoors. Like, you're full of it when you say you don't like the outdoors because you always end up going out, like now. Kate really didn't like anything outside. I mean, she did her best in the beginning, but in the end she was just more honest about disliking it."
Bella puckered her lips in deep thought, not realizing that Edward's eyes lingered on them.
"I mean, I'm not forcing myself or anything. Mostly, it's just…" Bella sighed, looking at her half eaten plate and reaching over to recuperate it. She bit into her salad (she'd eaten first what needed to be hot), swallowed and continued. "When I got into college, I realized I didn't want to be that person anymore. Always stuck in the treehouse reading a comic book. Don't get me wrong, I still love it, and I could do it forever, but… I just wanted to see what more I could do. I don't suddenly want to go to parties or clubbing because that's never been me, but I did kind of figure I should try new things and move around more. So I don't really fault Kate for not going out more; I think she just hasn't had that catharsis I went through."
And Bella really wanted to talk shit about Kate.
Edward laid down his empty plate inside the basket, resting his cheek on his hand, his elbow perched on a knee.
"I just can't believe it when you say you liked me in high school. Why?"
Bella quirked an eyebrow.
"I thought you were more confident than that, Cullen."
Edward smirked.
"No, don't get me wrong. I like myself. I just never thought other people would see my awesomeness, too."
Bella rolled her eyes but answered nonetheless.
"You are cool, Edward. I went to see you running a couple of times —you looked incredible when you ran full speed ahead. So happy, so free. And every time we talked in the diner you never failed to pay complete attention to my words. Honestly? At first I thought you liked me. By the time I understood you were just generally nice and had a girlfriend it was too late for me and I totally liked you."
Edward flushed bright red.
"I'm not that nice. And I didn't mean to—"
"You are, and I know. You were devoted to Kate, and that made you more appealing much to my endless fury. Look, Edward, I've liked you for a while now. I don't expect you to reciprocate the extent of my feelings, and that's ok. But you asked, and I wanted you to know."
Edward still couldn't quite fully believe his ears.
"I just can't believe that the Bella Swan had a crush on me. I mean, you saw me hang out with Jake, right? And you still thought, 'Nah, scrawny redhead for me'." Edward joked, but he saw that Bella wasn't really into it. But they were both expecting him to put his foot in his mouth at least once today.
"Edward… I think you're pretty hot. I wouldn't like you if I didn't find you attractive. But that's not the only reason why I like you. And I'm not the Bella Swan, I'm just Bella. So even if you're just joking… don't put yourself down. Please?"
He gave her a wry smile.
"I'll do my best."
The rest of the evening from then went wonderfully. They talked, then talked some more, and at around nine they decided to head for some ice cream (double dessert never harmed nobody). Bella told Edward a bit about Charlie —she was always avoiding talking about her father, claiming he was just not that interesting a topic. On Edward's end, he finally opened up a little more about architecture and started sharing some more about his love for urban planning and some of the challenges he'd faced the last semester, especially with group projects. By the time that they were in front of Bella's dorm entrance, both were more than a little reluctant to let the other go.
"So…" Edward shuffled, looking down at his feet. "I had a great time, Bella, I really did."
Bella smiled. She was a step higher than Edward, which put her a whopping four inches taller. She'd take it though.
"I did, too. Thanks a lot for the picnic, Edward. The food was delicious and the wine was even high quality," Bella teased. He grinned, though he still didn't make eye contact.
"Would you… like to do this again? Sometime soon?"
Bella pretended to consider it.
"How soon?"
"Um… How does tomorrow sound?" Edward proposed, and honestly, the idea sounded excellent.
"I say perfect," Bella smiled when he finally looked up with a face of relief. "Did you really think I'd say no? Didn't I say I've been pining for two years already?"
He gave her a little smirk, but didn't reply to that.
"Good night, Bella. Thanks for today." Edward stuck his hands in his front pockets. Bella echoed the sentiment, but she added a second part. "Close your eyes for a sec."
Instantly, he did.
Getting closer, Bella wrapped her arms around his waist the way she'd been wanting to the whole evening. She squeezed him tightly, sighing in relief when he hugged her back.
"I've always thought your hugs are amazing," Edward admitted, the vibration from his voice reaching Bella's cheek.
"Yours, too."
They remained hugging that way for an awful long time, until both felt it was about time to go.
"Breakfast?" Edward asked.
"Brunch," Bella corrected sheepishly. She liked him, but she hadn't suddenly lost all sense. Chuckling, Edward nodded alright.
"I'll pick you up. Night Bella."
"Night, Edward."
Bright and early, like at nine-thirty in the morning, Bella started spamming Emmett's phone. He was due back today, so she was expecting him to be already halfway through his second early workout.
"Bella? What's up? Is everything ok?" Emmett asked, worried about the fact that his best friend was up before twelve, while on vacation, and calling him. Were they burying a body today?
"Oh my God Emmett I swear this is the last time you disconnect yourself from the world for a whole summer. You're gonna die when you hear this, and you've only got yourself to blame for being the last one to hear about it."
Then Bella regaled Emmett with everything that happened yesterday, from beginning to end, while she got dressed for her brunch date. Emmett didn't interrupt even once, letting his best friend get it all off her chest. When she was done (both explaining and getting ready, because lovely Rose had already picked out her clothes yesterday) Emmett said just one thing.
"Fuck. Me," he groaned, rubbing his eyes in frustration. He couldn't believe he'd missed such an important thing —such an incredible moment in Bella's life.
"Yes. Fuck you," Bella agreed, then grinned to herself. "And hopefully, me too in the coming year."
Oh God. Emmett retched a little. He couldn't imagine the possibility of those two fucking each other.
"I can't believe how suddenly this happened. Did he say he likes you?"
Bella pursed her lips.
"I'm never talking to you again, Emmett McCarty." Bella set the phone down on speaker while she threw her hair up into a half ponytail. "But no. He didn't."
Emmett whistled.
"I can't believe you're still into him after all this time. You're such a masochist, B."
"And a well-compensated one at that." Bella huffed, deciding to forgo the makeup today except for brushing her eyebrows. "Also, I expect you to be ready for midnight. You and I need to talk about our summer, young man."
Emmett almost always disappeared during the summers, so the two best friends had developed a system where they wouldn't pester the other until it was time to go back to school. To compensate, however, they'd spend a full day —literally— catching up in the treehouse. They were only allowed pee breaks, and whoever fell asleep first was subject to punishment. It was, to everyone's surprise, always Emmett.
"Yes dear," Emmett chuckled, excited as always to see his best friend after three months. "I'm actually going to get a massage in a couple of hours. See if I can get ready for you to chatter non-stop."
Offended, because he was the chatterbox, Bella huffed.
"Anyways, B, I'm really happy for you. It's about time you went out with someone you actually dig. And I like Ed, dork glasses and all."
Emmett had a huge issue with Edward's glasses, not that Bella understood why. Sure, they were half the boy's face, but they were cool. Really.
"Well, thanks for approving, dad," Bella snorted, glancing down and seeing that it was time to go. "I've gotta hang up, Em. Edward'll be here any minute now."
Emmett didn't immediately answer, so Bella waited for him to reply.
"I do mean it, B. Enjoy going out with a good guy. But if he ever does hurt you, I'll break his jaw."
Then he hung up, like he hadn't just threatened bodily harm to her date.
Bella snorted; Em was being very cool about it, but she knew he'd be having a crisis or two throughout the day when it dawned on him that his very single, very virgin lifelong friend was about to start dating. Different from Garrett, however, since both had known back then that it was leading nowhere. Even she'd been shocked with Emmett's six-month anniversary with Alice; he'd had a lot of girlfriends by the time they were freshmen in high school, but none had lasted more than a month. So yeah, Bella knew he'd be shitting bricks when it dawned on him.
Knock knock.
The butterflies in Bella's stomach became vultures in milliseconds.
"One moment!" Bella called out, grabbing her phone, wallet and keys and stuffing them in her pockets. She hated carrying purses so much that she only had in her possession skirts or pants with pockets in them; the only exception to this were her leggings, and she used shirts on top of them with pockets to compensate. She rushed to the door, opening the door to find a smiling Edward behind it.
"Good morning," Bella greeted, way too happy despite having woken up at nine in the morning.
"Morning," Edward grinned, sticking his hands in his front pockets. He didn't know if it was appropriate to hug or kiss Bella, so he decided to wait for her to make a move. "Ready to go?"
"Yes," Bella grinned, shutting the door behind her. Together, they walked to the stairs, needing to go down two floors. "So, where are we going?"
"I thought Snooze would be a good place for brunch," Edward offered, chuckling when Bella's eyes lit up like she'd just heard the best idea in the world. She loved Snooze, and it was less than ten minutes away walking from her dorm.
"Oh, I love Snooze," Bella echoed her inner thoughts, blushing when her stomach decided that it was a good moment to make itself known.
"I can tell," Edward teased. He was about to say something else when he noticed Bella tilting her head, gaze intently set on his shirt. He glanced down at the same time that Bella chuckled; oh, right. Today he was wearing a shirt that said 'You look funny with your head that way'. Bella was always looking forward to his graphic t-shirts.
"Is that one new?" Bella managed to ask before slipping on a step between the first and the ground floor. Her nose would've most definitely hit the floor if not for Edward, who quickly wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back, holding onto the railing for support.
"Are you ok?" Edward rushed out, still holding Bella. His heart was pounding against his chest; they weren't at a level part yet, so she would've fallen a long way if he hadn't caught her. Worse still, it wasn't the first time it had happened; he'd seen her trip on air, slip and fall on her ass, she'd even sprained an ankle when she'd gone to visit her father. It was the first time, though, he'd seen it happen on a more dangerous level.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for catching me," Bella breathed out, swallowing hard. It's not that she liked being clumsy; she tried really hard not to be it. It hurt falling down, and it pissed her off about herself that she couldn't change it so easily. She knew she couldn't walk stairs without looking down, damn it.
"Of course," Edward said, letting go of her waist —and making Bella wish she had the ovaries to tell him to keep his arm there. However, showing his experience in this whole dating thing, Edward made her wish come true and, at the same time, dispelled her self-anger: he gave her a charming smirk and latched onto her hand. "Don't want you falling down again."
He walked down, pulling her along with him. He turned back when he heard her laughing.
"Something funny?" He asked, opening the front door of the dorm and letting Bella through first. She thanked him, still laughing. "What?"
"You're just so smooth," Bella laughed, but nonetheless she switched positions so she could lace her fingers through his. Edward smirked, squeezing her hand.
Honestly, he hadn't been able to sleep a wink last night. He kept replaying the date in his head, trying to find a clue —any clue— that last night had been a fluke. It was just really hard to believe that a woman like Bella (funny, interesting, gorgeous, smart, and just all-over amazing) had liked him for the last two years. He, who completely lacked any type of tact and had accidentally asked out his last girlfriend. He never told Kate, but he'd never meant to ask her out; he'd thought she was nice, sure, but he hadn't meant to ask her out. Falling for her came later. Asking Bella out? That had been nerve-wracking. He'd been giving himself pep talks for the last three weeks, and the day before that he'd been unable to even eat from the nerves. Truth was, once he knew he liked Bella he was unstoppable. He couldn't go a day without texting her, he'd spend every minute of his part time job waiting to see her, and he started noticing all the men that stared at Bella. Liking her was a giddy feeling that made him dizzy, and truth be told, he loved that. Much more now that he knew that she liked him, too. Nay, that he was the only guy she'd ever liked (or so she had said yesterday).
Chattering on mindlessly, they made their way to Snooze, swinging their hands between them. Neither wanted to let go of the other, so they waited until they were brought their food to pull apart.
Their brunch went on, and on, until suddenly they were going to Chick-fil-A for late lunch, and then that went on too long so Bella invited herself over to Edward's apartment to cook dinner.
"I'm so embarrassed about giving you frozen food now," Edward groaned, observing the meal Bella had put together. She took the leftover meat from yesterday's barbecue, cooked some rice (which he had no idea was there), cut up some tomato and put cheese on it, and even added some oregano which, again, he hadn't known he had.
"Why? It was good, really," Bella said honestly. She'd thought it tasted nice, but then again, her stomach had been in a knot most of the night so perhaps she wasn't the most objective when it came down to it.
"I'm glad, though you don't need to spare me," Edward grinned. He was already done with his plate, and wholly happy about it too. It felt like they'd spent the whole day eating, and in his mind (and hopefully Bella's too) it was the best way to spend a date. They'd talked and eaten for the better part of the day, getting to know the side of the other that they didn't yet know.
Bella was about to reply when there was a knock on the door.
Edward frowned.
"Sorry about that, just let me go check what that's about," Edward apologized, standing up and heading to the front door. He peeked through the peephole and… that was his mother.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fu—
He opened it.
"Mother," Edward greeted her, eyeing her curiously. She never made any surprise visits, much less at night. Unless…
Fuck Jacob Black.
He narrowed his eyes at his mother, instantly knowing what was going on. He'd told his best friend, who was a fucking blabbermouth, who also happened to have his mother's cell phone on speed dial, who also loved fucking with him. Edward would give him the benefit of the doubt, however, that Jake hadn't expected his date to drag on so long.
"Offspring," his mother retaliated, eyeing him back suspiciously. "I come bearing gifts," Esme Cullen held up the proof, a bag filled with frozen food and already-made meals. Ok, so he was severely spoiled which was why he sucked at cooking.
Sighing, he hung his head. No way could he turn her away, food or no food. So he just hugged his mother in greeting, grabbing the bag from her.
"Thanks mom," he said, then whispered in her ear. "Be cool, please."
"Huh?" His mother frowned, and when Edward pulled away he gave her a look that made her eyes widen. "Oh!"
She went inside.
"Who was it?" Bella asked when she heard the door close. She was already done with her food, so she was in the process of getting up when Edward went in the kitchen with a beautiful red-headed, statuesque woman who was clearly his mother.
"Uh… Bella, this is Esme Cullen, my mother. Mom, this is Bella Swan." Edward quite consciously didn't give Bella a description; Bella was just glad he didn't call her his friend.
"Oh, hi Mrs. Cullen," Bella greeted, stepping away from the sink and moving swiftly to Edward's side. She started extending a hand when Mrs. Cullen chucked it away and went in for a hug.
"Bella! Please, call me Esme. I've heard so much about you!" Esme nearly crushed her in a hug, and in that moment Bella realized that this woman was quite tall. At least five inches taller than her, and she wasn't even wearing heels. Figured; Bella thought this woman might've been a model before.
"Um, ok. Thanks, Esme. I've heard a lot about you too," Bella replied honestly, because Edward had talked a lot about his mom. She'd talked a lot less about her parents, and she was pretty sure she'd only mentioned Charlie once. He wasn't something she liked talking about much for a variety of reasons.
"Mom, you're cutting off her air supply," Edward said, prying his mother's hooks away from his date.
"Oh, did you have dinner already? I didn't think you had so I brought you something," Esme said, looking at the glasses Bella hadn't gotten around to washing.
"We did, mom. Bella cooked —she's great, too," Edward said, smiling down at Bella who beamed back at him.
"Oh, you did? That's amazing! I'm glad someone's feeding him, since he won't cook for himself," Esme shook her head, giving Bella a look of exasperation. Bella giggled, looking up at a red-faced Edward. Esme was doing a good job of low-key embarrassing her son. Already, Bella liked the woman.
"Would you like some dessert? Edward and I bought ice-cream," Bella offered, thinking of how much of a glutton she really was. Esme, though, shrugged her off.
"Oh, don't worry about it. I was just about to leave anyway, sweetheart. But thank you for asking," Esme said kindly. Bella glanced down at her watch; it was already 10:13 p.m. Her eyes widened.
"Please, don't leave on my behalf. I have to get going soon, anyway. I've got somewhere to be by midnight, just like Cinderella," Bella said, holding back a yawn. She was tired already; she didn't see how she'd last against Emmett, who always took power naps the day before.
"Oh? You've got plans?" Esme asked, and though she'd tried hiding it, the judgement was creeping in her tone. Esme couldn't help herself, though; she couldn't think of what a college girl would be doing at midnight except going to a party. Then again, she knew she was old-fashioned, which was why she made more of an effort to keep herself in check.
"Yes, I'm having a twenty-four hour gossip session with my best friend. He's been gone all summer so we've got a lot of catching up to do."
"Oh, you're seeing Emmett today?" Edward asked nonchalantly, though he didn't feel that way inside. He wasn't yet at that level of self-confidence where Bella and Emmett's relationship didn't make him jealous. Esme blinked repeatedly.
"Emmett? The McCarty's boy?" Esme asked, thinking of the slightly older couple. They were nice, if perhaps a little too religious for Esme's liking. They were the type that usually gave you the stink eye when you suddenly appeared for Christmas mass and then disappeared for the rest of the year.
"Yeah, that's the one. We've been childhood friends since I can remember," Bella said. "So, if anything, I should get going. I've got to get to the dorm and drive home before midnight."
"How far is your house?" Edward asked.
"Oh, like thirty to forty minutes from my dorm. I don't have to rush yet, but I need to pick up a few things before heading there."
Before Edward could blurt out that he'd take her, his mother helped out.
"Oh, Edward will take you honey. You know what, sweetie? Why don't you take Bella to her house and you sleep over at home today. I've missed your face. What do you think?"
That you're not really asking, but it's ok because I want more time with your son, Mrs. Cullen.
"If Edward's ok with it," Bella replied bashfully. Edward smirked, seeing right through her.
"Come on, you two. Get going or you'll be late. Nah-ah! Don't touch the dishes dear, let me get them. Edward, I'll do the dishes and then head out, ok?"
Edward knew that meant she'd be checking if he'd done the laundry and how spotless (or dirty) his apartment was. Ever since he'd moved to the apartment his mother had done weekly visits —both to check on him and to remind him that she really, really loved him. Edward suspected that the last part was as truthful as it was said to placate him.
Because both of them wanted the awkwardness to be over, Edward ushered Bella out of his apartment, leading her down to the parking lot. Wordlessly, they got into his car.
Bella started laughing.
"Oh, I really like your mother. Everything she thinks shows on her face," Bella giggled, her laughter intensifying when Edward just huffed and started the car.
"Sorry about her. Jake must've told her I went on a date yesterday, or that I had one today."
Bella gave him a confused look.
"Why would he do that?"
"To fuck with me, why else?" Edward muttered under his breath, but out loud, he chose nicer words. "He and my mother are gossips. He likes reporting to her everything I do, which is why I should know better than to tell him anything."
Bella kept laughing.
"Oh, Jake's got a gift with the ladies. I've seen him charm the socks off of Mrs. Cope, and that's a tough person to please if I've ever seen one," Bella shook her head, unwillingly making a question pop up in Edward's head.
"I've got a question," Edward cleared his throat dramatically. Bella told him to go ahead. "Why did you never like Jake? He was quite clear about liking you before Ness came along, and as I remember, you never disliked him."
Bella shrugged.
"I don't know. In my head, he was always kind of just Emmett's friend. I know he's a good guy, but it always bugged me that he was so insistent on going out with me when he didn't even know me, you know?" Bella felt bad about saying anything negative about his best friend, but she also knew he wouldn't be satisfied with a half-assed answer.
"I see," Edward muttered, then reaching over and grabbing Bella's hand. "Well, I think he's a little sore that you're on a date with me when you wouldn't give him the time of day. He says I broke the bro code because I'm going out with his first crush. Though to be fair, I think it's just his pride talking."
Bella bit down on her lip, suddenly worried she was hurting their friendship.
"But… are you two ok?"
Surprised, Edward looked at Bella out of the corner of his eye. He chuckled.
"Bella, we're fine. Jake's mostly joking. He's happy for me; he never liked Kate much anyway, so he's glad he actually likes who I'm dating."
"He didn't?" Bella asked, miraculously managing to hide the joy she felt. Take that, ex-girlfriend. A part of her thought he'd already told her this, but she had a hard time recalling.
"No. Neither did Kate like him very much, though neither had a real reason for it."
"Did that bother you?"
Edward thought about it.
"Yeah, it did a bit. It wasn't important enough for me to end either of my relationships though, so maybe not all that much. They didn't hate each other, so that's all that mattered to me then. Knowing Jake likes you though, it makes me feel surprisingly relieved." Edward shrugged, not knowing exactly how to explain it. "Oh, we're here."
"Thank you," Bella smiled at him, squeezing his hand. "Will you wait for me? I'll be down in five minutes."
Edward waved her off.
"Take your time."
Bella hurried to her room and came back in seven minutes, looking winded.
"You look like you're about to have a heart attack," Edward commented, taking the bag from her and opening the passenger door. He'd been outside waiting for her to come back; his hair was all messy already, which Bella had to admit she liked. Despite his constant use of gel he was always running his hand through his hair, so by the end of the day she'd come to see he almost always looked like a much cuter, redheaded Einstein.
"What?" Edward smiled, perplexed. He had the passenger door open waiting for Bella to get in.
Grinning, Bella simply took a step closer, put her arms around him and hugged him tight.
Oh my God she's so soft.
Without hesitation, Edward returned the hug. Inwards, he admitted to himself that Bella's height (a whole foot smaller than him) was one he rather liked; Kate had been quite tall, reaching just about his ear, and he'd never had an issue with it, even thought it nice. There was something very instinctive, though, about liking Bella's height. He felt like he had to protect her, even though he'd seen her argue her way into a tip with a rude customer with master skills. Bella felt the same; like Edward could wrap her in his arms and make all her troubles go away. She liked his warmth and the fact that he felt soft despite the muscles he'd acquired from track. She felt like snuggling into him and remaining there for as long as he'd let her.
"I'm really glad you asked me out," Bella said, and Edward swore he'd be killed by her sweetness one day. "Having you as a friend has been amazing, but being able to do this with you without wondering if we're just friends… It's incredible."
Edward groaned so loudly that Bella pulled back, confused. She looked up at him and he had an incredibly pained look.
"Are you ok? Did I say something I shouldn't have?"
"No, no," Edward made the physical effort not to launch himself at her. So instead, he asked. "Can I kiss you?"
No sooner had she started nodding that Edward was on her. He turned them so Bella was now resting against the car door, shutting it at the same time. He didn't want anyone to see this, but he did need to kiss her at that exact moment. He tilted her head up and bent down, giving her a kiss that left her dizzy. It felt hot, and wet, and nothing like the one time Bella and Emmett had kissed when they were eleven. It was exponentially better, and it didn't make Bella gag afterwards. When Edward ran his tongue across her bottom lip, seeking entrance, Bella had to pull away. Not wanting him to feel like she didn't want more, she hooked her arms around his neck, not letting him straighten up.
"Um… I've kind of, you know, never done this before. I mean, Em was my first kiss when we were eleven, and that's it. So you're… gonna have to be patient with me," Bella mumbled, but Edward heard her perfectly.
Did this mean…? Oh God. Bella was a virgin. He hadn't had that realization, though it wasn't strange given how she'd never had a boyfriend before. While a small part of him suddenly felt the weight of being her first anything, the bigger part of him was thrilled. Being this woman's first in everything made him feel even more special —not because he liked her 'purity' or something archaic like that, but because the animal inside of him really liked having her all to himself. If she hadn't been, he'd probably have been relieved to think he would never give her pain while having sex, so he knew he was just looking at the bright side of things.
Turning, he kissed her neck and held her tight. She really did feel good against his chest —he kind of wanted to hold her forever.
"Of course, Bella. You set the pace and I'll follow, alright?" Edward gave her a squeeze, and it took a couple of moments before they both let go. Then they got in the car, and he drove Bella home.
"I'm going to kill you," Bella sneered at Emmett, coming back from the bathroom with a drenched shirt. She had just spent the last fifteen minutes getting Sharpie off her face; on her forehead was an I (heart), and on one cheek was the drawing of a dick and on the other was written Edward. She'd had to face Phil, since he'd been going for a late snack down to the kitchen and their paths had crossed.
It was already eleven at night of the next day, and the two had spent the last twenty-two hours catching each other up on what they'd been doing. Emmett had talked about his kids in the summer camp, and how he'd apparently had a summer fling with some Norwegian girl giving the kids dance lessons. He said he wanted to try the sex friends thing at least once, and that it was enough. He'd had fun, Emmett said, but he hadn't felt the thrill his friends spoke of. Bella had been happily talking about all her summer activities when, at around eight-thirty, she'd fallen dead asleep. Emmett had rejoiced in his first win (his power naps had worked, finally) and had proceeded to draw on her face, then play Crash (he was old school) while waiting for her to revive. Once she had, he'd been unable to hold his laughter in check after fifteen minutes, which had ended in Bella immediately realizing something was wrong and running to the bathroom. She couldn't check with her phone's camera, since they had a rule of no phones while on their gossip marathons.
"I can't believe Phil saw you," Emmett snorted, loving the fact that her innocent step-father had seen such things on her face. Phil was a great guy, Emmett thought; he always went along with Renée's crazy shit, he wasn't afraid to put limits for Bella, he could cook a mean steak and, most of all, you could tell he would lay his heart out for Bella if she asked despite her not being his biological daughter. He couldn't have children, which was something Bella had said used to weigh heavy on her step-father's mind.
"Me neither. He just widened his eyes, snorted and then carried on," Bella pouted. Phil was hilarious, but you needed years of knowing him to understand it. Otherwise, you could live your life thinking he low-key hated you.
"Phil's great, B. I wish my dad could tone his sense of humor down a little," Emmett shook his head, taking a swig of his orange juice. Em was always drinking some juice —orange, papaya, lemon… anything and everything was fair game. It freaked people out in high school when he'd turn beer down to instead drink apple juice.
Bella disagreed.
"No way dude, your dad's great. Sure, every time he laughs the house shakes, but that's what's great about him."
Emmett didn't answer for a couple of beats, getting a lost look briefly before snapping back to the present.
"Where'd you go?"
"Bells… I know you never want to talk about this, but… How are things with your dad?"
He was right; she didn't want to talk about it.
"Oh, you know. I spent the whole time avoiding him, cooking dinner or doing laundry. Same as always. I went to the beach a couple of times, but it's freezing cold out there even in summer so I mostly stayed in the car."
The summer before ninth grade, Bella had gone to Forks and come back not speaking to her father. Emmett didn't know what had happened —he'd asked endlessly, but she never answered— and somehow nobody knew, either. Renée and Phil had asked him a hundred times to please tell them what had happened, but he truly never knew. Renée called and called Charlie, but he'd always tell her he wouldn't talk about it if Bella didn't. This had led to the exes becoming even more estranged from each other, much to Renée's frustration. Ever since then, Bella went back to her father's town once a year for two weeks —and not a day longer. Emmett only remembered that that summer she'd been gone the whole three months; when she'd come back, she'd looked a fake happy that had unsettled him for a few weeks before she'd eventually gone back to normal.
Emmett sighed.
"Are you ever going to tell me what happened? I mean, this was five years ago, Bells. Can't you tell me?"
Bella pursed her lips, thinking about it. If she wanted to say anything at all.
"It's just… hard. I don't know how to tell you, to be honest, not right now. I will, just… with time."
A long ass time, Bella swore to herself.
"You really know how to worry people, Bell," Emmett sighed, yawning. The two of them were lying on the floor just looking up at the roof, battling off sleep for the last forty minutes left to the day.
"Hey, have you talked to Alice recently? By any chance?" Bella asked casually, and when Emmett grunted, she knew she'd failed.
"No, can't say I did. I think she stayed in New York for the summer, didn't she?" Emmett asked, and Bella confirmed it. "Why?"
She bit down on her bottom lip.
"Um, she's… Well, she might or might not be going steady with someone. She met him during the summer."
"Oh," Emmett mumbled, glaring at nothing. "What did she tell you?"
"Just that," Bella lied. "That they met in one of her summer classes, photography I think. She… she seems happy."
That was the truth. Alice had been bursting with excitement when she'd called Bella in June, beyond herself with how much she liked this new guy. The problem?
When Alice sent her the picture of her new beau, it was none other than Jasper Whitlock.
Apparently, Jasper had gone all the way to New York for those summer classes which were open to whoever. Bella recalled Jasper taking pictures around campus, often catching her off guard with a sneaky picture. The two had spent the whole summer attached at the hip —and the dick— getting to know each other in a way that had surprised Alice. He was the typical southern charmer, Alice had told Bella, and he was also going to college in Arizona.
"Have you seen him around, by any chance?" Alice had asked. Bella, face stiff, had been unable to lie to her friend through FaceTime.
"Um, yeah. His cousin is sort of my… roommate."
Then Alice had dedicated two hours to grill Bella on all she knew about Jasper, about his relationship with Emmett, and to beg her not to tell her ex-boyfriend about the current boyfriend. Bella had agreed, but she couldn't not tell Emmett that his ex was moving on.
"I'm glad," Emmett finally replied, and though it wasn't a lie, he wished he could identify what he really felt. "Is he from New York?"
Oh, damn it. Instead of lying, Bella diverted.
"Em, stop it. Don't fish for information."
Bella thanked her lucky stars that Alice didn't have a Facebook, and that Jasper only uploaded pictures about nature or city-life. Otherwise, things would get awkward pretty quickly.
"Fine. I'm just… it feels weird. We went out for so long and yet less than a year later she can date someone else." Emmett took a deep breath, giving his best friend a half smile when he felt her rest her head on his arm and give his chest a pat.
"You're doing well, my dude. You're almost there. I think it was probably easier for her because you broke it off with her, maybe. She's not wrong for wanting to move on as soon as she can, but you're not wrong either for wanting to mourn your relationship as long as you need to."
Emmett gave a deep sigh.
"You know, sometimes I really wish I'd just fallen in love with you. Wouldn't life be much easier for us? I mean, everyone already thinks we're secretly into each other," Emmett complained, making Bella snort.
"I would kill you if I had to bear your snoring every single night. Em, we both know we're not together because neither of us want that. You were happy with Alice, and you'll be happy with someone else. You'll be fine."
Emmett groaned, hating it when Bella spoke the truth about anything.
"I'm just so surprised by how shit went down between you and Cullen. Like, you went from pining for him to making out on your second date. That's the power your ass holds, Swan."
Emmett really felt that Bella's beauty had more to do with her body than her face (which was a stunning face, but her body was to die for). It felt sometimes like quite a few people felt this way, which to be honest, made her as proud as it made her feel hurt.
"I just…" Bella sighed dreamily, ignoring his last statement. "Like him so much, you know? He's the nicest guy out there —no, you're not it, Mr. Your Ass Has Power. And I have such a great time when I'm with him; he's the kind of guy you feel secure in pouring your heart out to, but also really want to bang."
Emmett made a face.
"Was that necessary?" Bella giggled in reply. "I can't believe you think he's hot. I don't see it. I think it's the obscene amount of hair gel he uses."
Bella blew him off.
"You're just saying that because Edward's not as buff as you. I'll have you know though that he's got a six pack, and he's got a v…" Bella laughed when Emmett put a paw over her mouth, and even though she couldn't see it, she could bet he was fake gagging. She would've licked his palm to get it off, but not only did she doubt it would work, she didn't know where that hand had been.
"It's not just that. I simply don't see it."
Bella shrugged, pulling his hand off.
"Of course not. But I do, which is why I like him." Bella sighed, a smile plastering itself on her face when she thought about the boy she liked. "He's… I feel like he's just worth it, you know? Like I didn't miss out on some huge experience of liking an endless amount of boys."
Emmett decided to tease her.
"So you want him to be your first and your last?"
Bella thought about it seriously, as she did with everything else.
"I don't know. Only time will tell. But it'd be nice if that was the case, I think."
Emmett got her, because he knew that both he and Bella were the old-fashioned type. He, because of his older parents, and Bella because of hanging out with him a lifetime.
"Does it bother you that you won't be his first and only?"
Bella really needed a cigarette with that question.
"I mean, only if you put it that way, you asshole. It's not something I think about, at least. I mean, I can't change the fact that he dated Kate. And it's not like I'm gonna date someone else just to make our numbers even out. I guess it's just one of those things that doesn't make me happy, but that I can live with."
Bella had found that she really wasn't a jealous person, which was good because Edward had told her once that it had seriously bothered him how possessive Kate had been every once in a while, especially when they'd been seniors. Back then, when he'd told her that Kate had even been jealous of Bella, it had made her a little smug —but she'd mostly felt bad for the boy she liked. It couldn't be easy having a partner that was so insecure.
"Oh, fine, fine. I was just saying, woman. Geez."
Bella elbowed him.
"I'll be fine, Em. No need to worry."
But must he? Lol. Thanks so much to all of y'all who read my long ass author's notes; sometimes I rant a bit too much, but meh. I have fun, so whatevs. I have a confession to make (which I'm pretty sure I've made before): I live in Mexico, even if I'm not Mexican (immigrant over here). I don't know how up to date everyone is with the local happenings, but we've got a new president, who is perhaps as controversial (more or less) than the US sitting president. Well, this president is tackling gasoline corruption (lots of thieves stole it from pipelines and stuff), which means that nation-wide there's a shortage of fuel, or as the president put it, a bad distribution. Thing is, Mexicans don't really trust their government -and even if the president says there's enough gasoline, no one believes him. Mass hysteria happened, and now gas stations all over the country keep closing. Yesterday, my dad and I went on a gas-searching date; it took us an hour to get through the line, and it was a fast-moving one. Thing is, since I have to travel to far-away hospitals and then college, I end up using like 60 km worth of fuel every single day (I'm too lazy to make the conversion, sorry US readers), and I live in an area poorly connected to public transport so I need fuel. I was meant to see one of my friends yesterday, and he cancelled last minute because he'd been waiting in line all afternoon to get his tank filled; he said there were a hundred cars in line. Am I going anywhere with this story? No. I just wanted to let everyone know a piece of international news.
Leah.
P.S. I lost track of which reviews I'd replied to, so I'm sorry if I didn't. I swear I'll pay more attention. But I read them all, so thanks so much to y'all who took the time, and even if you didn't, thanks for reading anyway!