Guess who has covid now too D:
Chapter 20.
I always thought that when it came to typical college experiences, I would draw the line at beer pong, but somehow I find myself next to Bella, at one end of the ping pong table, kicking Emmett and Vicky's asses and taking their names. There are a few cups we have to drink anyway, and I take as many I can for Bella. At the end of the game, I'm feeling a little wobbly.
It's hot and muggy inside the house, too, so Bella and I walk outside for some fresh air.
It's probably after midnight when we sit on one of the swing benches on the lake shore, enjoying the view, the breeze, and our hands in each other's.
"That was fun," she says, resting her head on my shoulder. "Thank you."
"You feeling okay?" I let go of her hand to wrap my arm around her while she looks up at me.
"Yeah. You? That was a lot of beer." She scrunches her nose in an adorable way which makes me chuckle. "Beer's kind of gross. I don't think I'll be partaking anymore."
"Good," I say, running my fingers down her arm. "I don't like the stuff either, so we can abstain together."
"I will tell my parents we're together," she says suddenly, as if she's been thinking about it. "It's just…" She reaches for my hand over her shoulder, linking her fingers with mine. "I think I'd rather do it in person, so I will when I go home for Thanksgiving."
I won't lie—it stings a little. Thanksgiving is over two months away.
I don't know if I can keep hiding for so long, and after tonight, I worry there won't even be a point. I take a deep breath and try to keep an even face, but I don't think I succeed, and the back and forth of the swing is making me dizzy.
"I'll talk to Rosalie, though," Bella says quickly, reaching for my hand. "We can talk to Jasper, too, so we won't have to hide anymore. As long as they don't tell my parents, it will be fine."
I guess my suspicions were correct. The non-fraternization policy has nothing to do with the team and everything to do with Bella and her parents.
"Why would they tell your parents?" I try to keep my tone calm and level despite the uneasiness that surges through my stomach. Maybe it's just the motion of the swing and the alcohol I've ingested tonight.
"It's sort of complicated…" Bella looks away from me, taking a quick breath, clearly not wanting to get into this. "It was one of the conditions so that I could come here."
"That you don't date?"
"That I don't get distracted."
"So Coach and Jasper keep tabs on you and report back to your parents?" I don't mean to sound judgmental, but I can see Bella's face fall, so I worry that's exactly how I sound.
"It's not that bad," she says dismissively, her eyes on the water. "Plus, Rose is cool. She's always been on my side."
"Shit, Swan, then maybe don't tell your parents." I hold onto the handle on the seat, hoping I can keep it from moving. "I don't want to get you in trouble."
"No." She turns to me, a small smile stretches on her lips. "It will be okay. We will talk to Rose and Jasper so you won't get in trouble either."
I take a deep breath and look down, but she turns my face to her.
"I want to hold your hand whenever I feel like it," she says, intertwining her fingers with mine. "And kiss you whenever I want to." She presses her lips to mine, breathing softly through her nose. "I don't want to hide anymore."
Our foreheads touch as we hold on to each other, and I try to tell my heart and my brain that it will be okay.
"I want you to say I'm your girl too," she says, pulling back and smiling broadly when my eyes connect with hers.
My girl.
That's all I want.
"Deal." I am unable to contain my smile, admittedly feeling a little silly, from the booze maybe. Or maybe I'm just happy. "Any other requests?"
"Are we still celebrating my birthday?"
"Sure."
"Then I want to dance with you again."
"Done…" I tease, grabbing her hand in mine. Whatever gets me off this swing. I stumble a little as we step away from the bench, but I chalk it up to the switch in motion. Bella tightens her grip on my hand as we head back inside.
We dance for a while, until I'm sweating through my shirt. We kiss, too, with her hands around my neck and my arms around her waist. We don't worry about keeping up with appearances anymore.
Grabbing my hand, Bella pulls me through the crowd to the wall that frames the stairwell.
"Wanna get some water?" I whisper-yell in her ear as the music is still very loud. I pull back to look at her, her eyes wide and glassy, her bottom lip between her teeth as she shakes her head no.
Without words, she heads to the stairs and looks back at me as she takes the first step.
"Where are we going?" I ask, but I don't think she hears me as she rushes up the steps, my hand still in hers.
At the top of the stairs, there's a long hallway with several doors. Bella is chuckling, pulling me to her as we clumsily kiss and make our way down the hallway, until she finds an open door. Then we're in someone's bedroom. The music still reverberates through the bones of the house as Bella closes the door behind us.
"Swan—" My words die in my throat as her lips press on mine. She closes her hands around my neck, pulling herself to me, reaching as high as she can. Our difference in height makes standing the worst angle for kissing, so I lift her to straddle my waist, while my hands clasp on her thighs.
Smooth, soft skin under her dress. Desperate lips pressed on mine. Hands fisting my hair, we land on the bed with me on top of her.
"Do you want to touch me?" she asks under me, and I think I moan out loud into her mouth.
"Of course I do." My hand obeys immediately, trailing farther up, still inside her dress, past her hips and her waist. Skin. Ribs. She squirms under me as my hand finds the lace of her bra. There's no padding, no wire, no clasp, no structure really to the thing, just delicate fabric covering even more delicate skin.
Before I can do much more though, she's pushing me off her until we're both kneeling on the bed. She pulls my shirt off of me, her hands trailing quickly over my chest and down my stomach, and before I can even catch my breath or have a thought, her fingers are undoing the buttons of my jeans.
I bring her face closer, catching her mouth with mine. My hands roam over her, stopping at her breasts, over her dress, but I am quickly at a disadvantage as she circles me with both hands.
There's no zipper, no buttons, my fingers frail at her back.
How do I get her dress off?
Her strokes speed up. I'm about to lose my mind.
"Swan, slow down," I beg, circling a hand over her wrist.
"Sorry!" She laughs nervously, pulling back and releasing me. "I'm sorry." She looks down, embarrassedly.
"It's okay." I reach for her face. "Just give me a second to breathe." I chuckle, making her smile.
She moves to stand on the bed, in front of the headboard, while I'm still on my knees, sitting back on my heels.
Bella starts playfully fiddling with the hem of her dress into a little dance.
I reach for her with grabby hands, but she steps back, laughing freely.
She wants me to watch her, I think, so I do just that.
She starts pulling her dress over her head, while I stare at her, mesmerized.
Black lace. Matching set.
She turns around, showing me all of it, what it covers and what it doesn't.
My eyes roam all over her, while I ache to reach for her.
She steps closer to me, and then drops to her knees in front of me.
I'm burning all over until I look into her eyes, and all I see in them is fear. Her hands clasp in front of her, her fingers twisting into each other.
The music stops and so does my heart.
"Hey…" My hands cup her face while her eyes water. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know," she half cries, half laughs. "I'm just a little nervous, I guess."
"It's okay…" I wipe her tears with my thumbs. "I'm nervous too."
"I thought drinking would help me relax, but I don't know if that was such a good idea." Her hands clasp over her stomach while she looks away, shaking her head as she sniffles.
"Swan, we don't have to do anything that you don't want to do," I say softly, quickly stuffing myself back into my boxers.
"But I do want to! It's just…" She lets the thought end there, but I don't mind.
"You don't have to explain. I understand." I pull her to me until we're both sitting on the bed. "We can take it slow, okay?"
She stares into my eyes, a few tears still on hers. "You won't get tired of waiting?" She says it so softly, I'm not sure she meant for me to hear, but it angers me either way.
"Tired of waiting?"
"Vicky said—"
"Fuck Vicky." I almost spit it out. "She doesn't know me. You know me. Do you really think so little of me?"
"No, of course not." Her hands cover her face, and the little sob that comes from her breaks my heart.
"Swan, do you trust me?" I push her hair to the side and run a soft hand over her arm.
"I trust you with my life." Her hands leave her face, but she still looks down. "Both literally and figuratively. You know this."
"Then, trust me on this, it's too soon." I reach for her dress, discarded on the bed, and set it on her lap, scooting back to give her some space. "We'll get there when we're ready, okay?"
Her eyes meet mine, her eyelashes wet with the remnants of her tears, but a small smile appears on her lips.
"Thank you," she mouths and starts throwing her dress back on, as I fish for my shirt. That's when I realize the buzzing coming from my pocket.
I have a few missed calls from Emmett and at least five texts that only say "COPS!"
"Shit!" I get up from the bed, realizing the music actually did stop, and I can see the red and blue lights flashing through the windows. I throw my shirt back on and pull the curtains, peeking outside. While this room doesn't face the road, I can see at least two campus police cars on the street. "Shit!"
"What is it?" Bella is next to me then, holding onto my arm.
"Cops…" I look at Bella and the lights reflected in her wide eyes. A few things flash through my brain. Our spot on the A-Team. My chances at a scholarship. Bella's 'brand.' "We can't get caught."
Bella seems a bit frazzled as she paces the room but then turns to me with determination. "Should we jump out the window?" Her eyes flicker between me and the window.
I look down from the window. Just a standard second-story height. I can definitely make it if I hang on the sill. It's dark too, so I don't think anyone would see us. The window faces the woods that lead to the trail that rounds the lake, on the opposite way to the dorms. If anyone is trying to escape, they won't be taking this way, I don't think.
"Okay, yeah." I push the window up as far as it goes then squeeze my body out, feet first, until I'm hanging from the windowsill by my fingertips. One push against the side of the house and I let go, landing on my feet a little clumsily. "Okay, do the same thing I did," I whisper-yell to Bella who's peeking her head through the window. "I think I'll be able to reach you once you're hanging on the ledge, okay?"
"I shouldn't have worn a dress!" she says as she sits on the windowsill, tugging on the hem of her dress. She laughs loudly as her dress rides up her legs, and I have to shush her, worried the cops will hear us.
"Hurry, but be careful, okay?" I set up under her, just in case. I should be able to catch her.
Once she's hanging on her fingertips, I can reach her shoes—barely. I secure my grip as best as I can, leaning onto the wall. "Okay, let go." Her weight is on my arms and shoulders then, but she keeps her body straight and balanced. It's not too different from the full extension pose we are so used to. "Just going to move away from the wall a bit," I tell her between my teeth. "I got you."
Once away from the side of the house, I pop Bella off, while the commotion inside the house is still going strong. I see flashlights too, coming from the backyard, so without saying anything else, I grab Bella's hand and we start our run.
It quiets down behind us quickly once we're on the trail. We slow down but we don't stop until we begin to cross the bridge that leads downtown, far enough away from the house that I think we should be safe.
"Holy crap, that was close." Bella pants with her hands on her hips. "Do you think we'll get in trouble?"
"I don't know." My stomach turns, but I swallow down as I walk closer to Bella. "Probably not with the school, but this will not go down well with Coach." I hold onto the bridge's railing as I try to catch my breath while Bella's hand runs over my back.
"I'm sorry," she says softly. "We shouldn't have gone to the party."
I don't say anything, hoping that having my mouth shut will keep me from hurling. I'm torn, too, because I did have fun, and it was nice to forget about everything for a bit—about commitments and responsibilities, and classes and practice and work—and just have fun.
But now reality has set in, and the repercussions of our actions will surely not be pleasant.