AN: Thank you to Ashley, Marie, May, Mel, and Sally! Updates on Fridays and Mondays. It's Friday somewhere, right?
BPOV
You know how you'll do just about anything for your best friend, even if you think it might kill you? Maybe because your best friend is more like a sister, and she's always been there for you through thick and thin. She's held your hand and your hair on more than one occasion, and you know, you know, you'd jump in front of a bullet for her.
I love Alice with all my heart; I truly do. But I swear to God, I will not survive this afternoon.
"Bella, you're scowling. Can you try to smile for the pictures?" Alice's mom, Mary, is snapping away with her digital camera, and I plaster a smile on my face as my best friend's fiancé nudges me in the side.
"Tone it down a little there, Joker." Jasper snickers as I try to fix my face. When we're finally dismissed from the group photo, I make a beeline for the open bar set up in the Brandon's backyard. I flash the bartender a smile. "Bourbon, please."
"It's a little early for the hard stuff, isn't it?" My shoulders slump when I hear the voice of the one person I've been trying to avoid as much as possible today.
"Edward, truly terrible seeing you, as always." I sip my drink, sidestepping him, heading for the buffet line.
"Alice and Jasper want to talk to us."
I hear his voice again, and it sends shivers down my spine, like nails on a chalkboard.
"Fine. Go talk to them; I'll find them afterward." I roll my eyes, but he doesn't walk away.
Sidling up to me, he leans down to whisper in my ear. "I don't want to be around you anymore than I have to be, but they want to see us together. So why don't you pull that ever present stick out of your ass and come with me?"
I hate him so much. It's so unfair that Alice chose me to be her maid of honor and Jasper chose his stupid best friend, Edward, as his best man. I'm thinking of all the ways I can make his life hell as I stomp into the house, looking for the happy couple.
I find them standing in the kitchen, talking close. Jasper, at an astounding 6'3", towers over Alice at her 4'10"; although, I'm sure she's rocking a solid five feet with the heels she's wearing today. The sight before me is one I'm not unfamiliar with—Jasper is cradling Alice's hands while they talk quietly. It's something I've always longed for and something I've always admired about them; they can always find the quiet within each other in the middle of the storm.
When Alice and Jasper met ten years ago, I thought it would be a college romance that would eventually fizzle out. But Jasper fell hard and fast for Alice, and eventually, I was the one who taught him how to win her heart. I like Jasper just fine; he's been a welcome addition to my life.
I just wish he wasn't a package deal with the asshole who's just walked in behind me.
"Jesus, get a room, you two." Edward pushes past me and takes a seat on one of the stools at the kitchen island. Alice laughs and beckons me over.
"Sit down. We want to talk to you two." Alice points to the stool next to Edward, and I sigh.
"Can't I stand?"
"Oh, my God, Bella! It's just a chair. He doesn't have cooties!" Alice's cheeks flush, and I know I'm pushing her to the limits. She's already stressed with planning the wedding, and her mom is hassling her; I probably shouldn't add to it.
But I will.
"Probably just syphilis," I mutter, pulling out the stool next to Edward. Everyone glares at me—hard. "Sorry. What did you want to talk to us about?"
My best friend glances at the two of us before clearing her throat. "This. We want to talk to you about this. It's been ten years." She gestures around emphatically.
Jasper leans on the island, sighing. "Look, you guys don't like each other. We don't know why, but we get it."
Edward and I both started yelling at once.
"He's an egotistical pig!"
"She's always an insufferable know-it-all!"
"I am not!" We both scream at each other before Jasper hollers at us to shut up.
"This is what we're talking about." He stands back up and wraps an arm around Alice, and I can see the unified effort they're making.
"We don't need you to be best friends. You don't even need to like each other—"
"Well, good because—"
"Bella, shut the fuck up!" Alice has a finger pointing in my face, and she looks absolutely murderous.
Slouching a little, I whisper an apology. "I'm sorry."
"We just need and want for you both to be able to get along and be in the same space with each other. The wedding is in six months. We need you both by our sides to support us." Alice's eyes fill with tears, and I glance over at Edward, who looks almost as chagrined as I feel.
Reaching across the island to her, I smile. "I'm sorry. I'll be better. I can be nice. I swear."
Edward clears his throat behind me, and I see Jasper shoot him a bitch brow over my shoulder. "Yeah, I can too. I'm sorry, guys. Of course, we support you."
Jasper sighs. "Good; thank you. In order to facilitate this, Alice and I are sending you away for a week. You just need to clear it with work."
"Wait, what?" I stutter out, looking nervously at Edward. He looks as if someone just kicked him in the balls.
"Bella, I actually already spoke to Liam, and, Edward, your boss said you can take a week whenever." Alice is smirking, and I know our goose is well and truly cooked.
Alice and I work together, so her talking to our boss only means one thing: she's been planning this for a while now. "And Liam has already approved it?"
"Yeah. We booked you two for eight nights at Granite Falls. It's a two bedroom, it's gorgeous, but we want you two to work some of this out and be able to be around each other." Alice looks up at Jasper before looking back at the two of us. "This is really important to us."
Leaning back, I sigh. There is nothing I would like more than to be alone with Edward Cullen in the woods, you know, where he might get eaten by a bear. "Alice, Jas … I would love to do this for you, but I can't make that drive. You know how I am."
"Well, if Edward won't give you a lift, we're prepared to hire a car service for you." Jasper looks smug.
"Jas, it's hockey season. We have Kraken season tickets." Edward is leaning forward, drumming his fingers on the countertop.
"I have season tickets; you have been going with me," Jasper explains. "Alice has decided she wants to give hockey a try."
Edward leans back in his seat, crossing his arms.
"You two don't have an option at this point. Say yes, go spend a week, all expenses paid, and learn to be civil."
"Or?" I ask quietly, already guessing the answer.
"Or, we find a new maid of honor and best man … and maybe we re-evaluate these friendships," Alice tells me without any hint of remorse in her voice.
Edward and I are silent as the couple walk away, and I can't figure out if he's still trying to find a way out of this until he turns to me.
"We could fake it." His eyes are wide, his expression earnest.
"What are you talking about?"
"Look, they just want everything to go smoothly, right?"
"Yes, obviously." I nod, reaching for my drink.
"Okay, so we go up, spend a week in what I'm sure is a beautiful cabin in a beautiful setting. Stay out of each other's way as much as possible, and when we get back, we just fake it like two people who like each other." Edward shudders a little, making me roll my eyes.
"You want to lie to our best friends? Make them believe we've put it all behind us and moved on?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
I think for a minute about spending a relaxing week in a cabin, even if I am stuck with this douchebag and realize this is the only way it's going to work. I extend my hand for him to shake.
"It's a deal. Truce?"
He smiles, squeezing my hand for effect. "Truce."