CHAPTER 14
Soon enough, it was Thursday morning, and I was waking up to the smell of coffee in Emmett and Rosalie's little apartment. I could hear the two of them laughing softly in the kitchen, trying to be quiet and failing miserably as they made breakfast. I stayed snuggled under the quilt on the couch listening for a moment, feeling oddly safe and warm. It almost felt like a moment I should have remembered from my childhood: waking up to my parents teasing each other lovingly in the kitchen, cooking breakfast and drinking coffee, getting ready to leave for work.
I looked around their apartment and saw things differently than I had just over a month ago. They both had good, well-paying jobs (Emmett as a pediatrician and Rosalie as a mechanical engineer), and I always wondered why they never moved out of their tiny college apartment into an actual house in the suburbs or at least a bigger apartment or condo. But I could better understand it now. It was cozy and welcoming here. It felt like home.
There were pictures on the wall and random knickknacks on the perfectly mismatched furniture. It was easy to see that Rosalie had tried to find a common theme with the décor when they first moved in, but it seemed like she had somewhat given up along the way. I liked it though. It was styled and tidy but lived in and loved.
Eventually, I stretched and picked myself up off of the sofa to wander into the kitchen.
"Morning, baby girl. Breakfast is ready. You'll need to eat up quick, or you'll be late for school." Emmett greeted brightly before taking a huge bite of a biscuit.
I glared at him and grabbed a mug from the cabinet. "I'm fine, Dad. Thanks."
"I forgot how grumpy you were before coffee. Maybe we should've went with your mom, Rosie."
Rosalie giggled and took a sip of her grape juice. "Don't be mean to her. She's going to put us in an old folks' home."
"When do we give her to your brother? Is this an every weekend or every other weekend arrangement?"
"I'm not sure we've gotten that far in the custody litigation yet."
I rolled my eyes at their antics as I made my coffee. I turned around to see them both smiling widely at me. "What?"
"We just missed you." Rosalie said sweetly.
I eyed both of them carefully. "I don't know the energy in this room or what's going on with the two of you, but it's freaking me the fuck out."
"What are you doing today?" Emmett asked.
I shrugged. "It's my day off. Probably just practice with the band and then get dinner with Edward."
"I think we should discuss your curfew." Emmett said sternly.
Rosalie choked on her grape juice and tried to hide her laugh by turning her head over her shoulder.
"Emmett Carter, I swear, if you don't cut the dad crap, I'm going to throat punch you." I threatened.
"Now, young lady, that's no way to talk to me." He said, trying to keep his composure.
I glared at him, silent.
"Just one more, Bella, please?" He asked.
I sighed. "One more and then you're done completely while I'm staying here."
He nodded.
"Proceed."
He was already unable to keep from laughing as he spoke. "Well, I'd just like to know this Edward boy's intentions… being as he's older and more mature and more experienced, as it were."
"I'm gonna go shower." I stated and swiftly exited the room, coffee in hand. I could hear the both of them snickering as I left the room, and I rolled my eyes.
When I finished my shower and morning routine, I left the bathroom feeling refreshed and went back into the kitchen to refill my coffee. Emmett had already gone to work, but Rosalie was finishing off her breakfast at the counter.
"Okay, but really, what time do you think you'll be home tonight? Just so Emmett doesn't try to shoot you when you come in." She laughed.
I shrugged. "Honestly, I really don't know. Ten? Eleven? Twelve?"
"Well… maybe you should just come home in the morning." She suggested. "You shouldn't be on the road that late at night."
I raised an eyebrow at her.
"Bella, I know living with your brother is probably going to make dating awkward, especially since we're all friends, too… but don't worry about it. If Emmett gets weird, I'll handle it, and you'll never have to hear about it, alright? Just text me tonight when you decide what you're going to do. You are an adult, and I know he has a hard time remembering that sometimes. But I've got your back, honey."
I nodded and smiled softly at her. "Thanks, Rose."
"Well, I have to get to work. Remember what I said, alright. I'll see you later." She said, winking as she stood up and walked to the door.
I shook my head at her and got another cup of coffee.
~ COFFEE & BOURBON ~
"Let's just call it a day for today." I suggested as Marcus and Alec got into what seemed like their thousandth disagreement since we started practicing two hours ago.
"Yeah, I think that'd be best." Tyler agreed.
"Yeah, fine, whatever." Alec said as he took off his guitar and set it in the case.
I looked at Tyler with knowing eyes, shook my head, and started to gather my own things.
"So, you really aren't aggravated about our shows being around here for a while?" Tyler asked as we walked outside. I was standing on the passenger side of Alec's van, and Tyler stopped to talk to me on the way to his truck.
I shrugged. "I'll deal."
"Your brother finally talk you into staying in Fort Worth?"
"Something like that. For a little bit at least. I'll ditch y'all when the time comes if I need to." I laughed.
"I hope not. I can't take those jackasses alone, ya know."
"Yeah, I know." I smiled.
He stood there awkwardly for a moment, and I knew what was happening. I braced myself for the following question, trying to think of any excuse I could that wouldn't completely ruin my friendship with him. "Bella, I know that we've talked about it, but—"
"I can't, Ty." I whispered.
His hazel eyes lost their humor from our earlier jokes, and I felt a pang in my gut. "We're not going to be famous. We're not going to be doing this forever. And even if we are, it's not like the band is going to fall apart if it doesn't work out. Hell, with Alec and Marcus and their shit, it'll probably fall apart before then. I just don't see why it's not an option."
"Tyler, you're one of my best friends. I don't want to fuck that up."
His eyes narrowed at me. Here we go. "You already have a guy out here, don't you?"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
He nodded, the realization washing over his face. "That's why you don't care that we're in Fort Worth for a while, and that's why you aren't even hearing me out. You haven't had a change of heart. Just a change in the boots under your bed."
I sighed, getting angry. "Tyler, how many times have we had this conversation? Regardless of if I'm seeing anyone or not, it shouldn't matter. Take the fucking hint, man."
He ignored me. "Another one of your rodeo pretty boys, Bella?"
"Fuck you. As if your taste in women is any better than my taste in men."
"At least I don't have to run away from mine."
"Hey!" Alec shouted angrily as he walked to his van. "Stop being a dipshit. She's not interested. Get over it. You're forgetting that I'm much more likely to replace a drummer than a lead singer. I'm sure Marcus would agree."
Tyler shook his head angrily before walking over to his truck, slamming the door once he got in.
Shaking with anger, I got in the passenger seat and turned to look out of the window.
"You good, baby doll?" Alec asked after we had been driving for a few minutes.
I looked over at him, seeing only concern on his face. Aside from Emmett, Alec was always the big brother that I turned to when I needed one. I nodded sadly. "He's right, ya know." I mumbled.
Alec shook his head and turned down the street to Emmett and Rosalie's apartment. "No, he's not. He's a jealous prick, and he's being a little bitch. How many times have the two of you had that same exact conversation?"
I cringed.
"Exactly. It's about time he takes the hint. I'll beat his ass and kick him to the curb if he doesn't figure it out soon. His drumming is mediocre at best, anyway."
I laughed. "Thanks, Alec." I said as he pulled up in front of Emmett and Rosalie's apartment building. I could see Edward waiting for me, leaning against the hood of his car.
"That's the guy, right?" He asked.
I nodded.
"He a good one?" He raised a brow.
I smiled to myself and nodded thoughtfully. "He really is. He's a lawyer." I bragged playfully.
Alec looked impressed. "Damn, Bell, lock that one down."
I shook my head and hopped out of the passenger seat. "I'll see what I can do." I laughed and grabbed my guitar case from the backseat.
Alec rolled down the window and stopped me. "Hey, if you and ol' boy ever wanna double date… come over to the house. Irina makes a hell of a pot-roast."
"So, I've heard." I laughed. "I'll let you know."
He waved goodbye to me and then drove off.
I turned on my heel and then walked over to Edward. He smiled crookedly, and I felt all of my past frustrations about the band get pushed to the back of mind.
"Hey, my girl."
I smiled and kissed him. "Hi."
"How was practice?"
And there went my slightly better mood.
I rolled my eyes. "It was practice." I muttered and started walking towards the apartment to get cleaned up for dinner.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine. The guys were all just PMS-ing today."
Edward chuckled. "Throw any punches?"
Almost.
I hadn't meant to say that out loud, but I must have because Edward's features hardened slightly. "Almost?" He asked.
Fuck. "It's nothing. It's like I said. They were just moody. I can handle 'em." I said and opened the door to the apartment.
Rosalie and Emmett were in the living room watching a movie when we walked in.
"Hey, B, how was practice?" Rosalie asked.
I sighed. Why was everyone taking a sudden interest in my music? And why on the day of dealing with the most frustrating practice I've had in about three months? "It was great." I said, trying to sound sincere as I rested my guitar case against my little dresser tucked up in the corner of the living room. It most definitely came out more sarcastic than I intended, and I cursed to myself. "I'm going to go shower and change, and then we can go get some dinner." I told Edward, grabbing some clothes and then going into the bathroom.
As I was walking away and shutting the door, I heard Emmett ask Edward if I was okay.
"She says she is." Edward muttered, sounding unconvinced.
I sighed again and turned on the shower. I looked in the mirror and glared at myself. "Get it together, Isabella." I grumbled to the girl in the mirror. Shaking my head, I got undressed and stepped in the too hot shower. When I was done, I quickly dried off and pulled on some jeans and my black top, clipped my damp hair back, and painted a smile on my face before walking back into the living room. "Ready?" I asked Edward.
He nodded and stood up from the recliner.
"Wait!" Rosalie interjected. She fumbled with her words for a second, "I have some earrings that would look really cute with that." She said as she stood up and then pulled me towards her bedroom.
"Okay, weirdo." I said as I trailed behind her.
She shut the door to her and Emmett's room and then walked over to her jewelry box. "It was that drummer, wasn't it?" She whispered.
I nodded. "He asked to go out again and then went off when I told him no. Just a normal day in paradise."
I had confided to Rosalie a couple of times about Tyler's advances. Each time, she begged me to let Alec kick him out of the band or at least to let Emmett put the fear of God in him.
"Fuck that guy." She said and pulled out some earrings. "You need to let your brother kick his ass."
"That's the one thing I shouldn't do, Rosalie. Emmett would kill him. And if he didn't, he'd just make the situation worse. I can handle Tyler." I whispered forcefully.
"Bella! Have you seen that guy? Dude's like six foot three and a complete gym rat. If he ever—"
I cut her off. "He won't."
She sighed and looked at me pleadingly. "You need to be careful with him. You've said yourself that he has a temper."
"I can handle it." I insisted and put on the earrings she handed me.
"Handle what?"
Rosalie and I both whirled around to see Emmett in the doorway, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. We both audibly gulped. He was pissed.
"It's nothing, Em." I said casually. "I really should be getting to dinner." I pushed my way around him to the living room to where Edward was watching the television from the arm of the sofa, oblivious.
"Bullshit." Emmett snapped.
Edward jumped, startled and looked between the three other people in the room. Rosalie looked concerned, Emmett was clearly very annoyed, and I was acting too casually. It wasn't hard for him to figure out something had happened in the other room.
Emmett took a deep breath to calm down. "I was standing there since Rosalie said six foot three, Isabella, and I was still standing there when she said you needed to be careful with him. Now who was she talking about?"
Edward's expression quickly matched Emmett's, and I fell back onto the couch, glaring at Rosalie for being nosey.
"Just tell them, Bella." Rosalie urged softly.
I sighed. "This is really just getting blown out of proportion. Just one of the guys in the band has a thing for me, and he got a little upset when I shot him down earlier today. It's fine. It's nothing."
Emmett rolled his eyes at me and sat down on the recliner. "It's the drummer, isn't it? I knew I didn't like that kid."
"Yeah, your people judging skills are always so on point, Em." I agreed casually before looking up at Edward, who was still sitting on the arm of the sofa. He was looking at the floor, jaw clenched slightly. "Ready?" I asked.
Edward looked at me incredulously for a moment before shaking his head and giving me a tight smile. "Yeah, let's go." Emmett was about to protest, but Edward shot him a look I didn't see before holding out a hand for me to walk out in front of him.
The walk to his car was tense and quiet, and he shut the door to the passenger side slightly more aggressively than usual after he helped me in.
"E, I—"
"Remember the other day when I said I didn't have any lectures?" He asked softly, sounding exhausted and nearly hopeless as he started the car.
"Yes."
"Do you want one now?" His tone was the same.
"Not particularly."
"Then I need a minute, darlin'."
I nodded, picked my right foot up on the seat, and turned to look out of the window.
We rode to the strip that the restaurant was in in silence, and when he parked, he left the car running and didn't make a move to get out. He reached over, took my hand, and turned his head in my direction, but he kept his eyes focused down. "You're going to need to explain to me why you're not at all worried about this guy because I'm getting the feeling this wasn't the first time that this has happened, and I also get the sinking suspicion that he's not as harmless as you're letting on."
"I guess he's not harmless, but… he's just known for having a little bit of a temper, so it makes Rosalie nervous. But I really don't think he'd do anything. And even if he tried, we're hardly ever alone together. Alec and Marcus would get to him before he ever could. There's no reason to worry." I promised.
"How many times has he cornered you?"
"He really hasn't cornered me."
"Bella."
I sighed. "I don't know. Like five… six times maybe."
Edward's eyes widened, and he shook his head. "Six?"
"About that many… we got close when we first started playing two years ago. Sometime about a year ago, he told me he liked me as more than a friend, and I told him that I didn't think we should try anything because of our friendship and the band. Since then, his reactions… have gotten a little angrier. But he's never tried to come at me or anything. Just passive aggressive comments." I explained.
He closed his eyes, and I had a feeling I knew what his next question would be. "Has anything ever happened between the two of you?"
It was a moment before I answered, already knowing my answer wasn't going to help my case any. "We kissed once about three months ago. He had gotten into a fight with this guy after a show, and I helped him ice his eye, and it just happened. But that's it. Nothing more than that."
"How romantic." Edward mumbled sarcastically.
I brought my free hand to join our clasped ones in my lap. "E, please don't be mad at me for this. It's why I never said anything in the first place."
"I'm not mad. At you, anyway." He said and took a deep breath. "I just… how often do you have to deal with guys that can't take no for an answer when you're on the road?"
"I can handle it."
I could tell he fought the urge to roll his eyes as he looked at me. "That's not what I asked."
I looked down at our clasped hands. "I don't know. Not as often as you're thinking, I'm sure, but it does happen occasionally. There was only one time that someone's tried to physically grab me, but the guys keep an eye on me throughout the night and… well, that was Tyler's bar fight that I just told you about."
"Well, at least he's not a total jackass, I guess." Edward muttered and took his hand away from mine to turn off his car and take the key from the ignition.
When he got out of the car and came around to my side, he opened my door and squatted down in front of me. His hands rested on my knees, and I brought my hand to his cheek to gently scratch the perfectly trimmed scruff he had yet to fully shave after nearly two weeks. It was the wrong time to admire it, but I did very much like the new look and couldn't help myself.
He smiled gently and turned his head to kiss the palm of my hand before turning back to me. "I told you that I trust your judgment, and I am still trying. I'm not convinced that this guy isn't something to be concerned about, but if you are, then I'll leave it at that. But if he does something like this again, you need to tell me, alright?" His eyes were hard and severe, without even the slightest of the normal playful glint that was always there, and it took me aback a little.
"What good would it do?"
"Bella, please." His voice was pleading but stern.
I nodded.
He pecked my lips gently before standing up and holding out his hand to help me out of the car. He wrapped an arm around me as we walked down the sidewalk to the restaurant. He was still a little stiff, and I was brought back to the first few times I'd met him before he was fully comfortable around me. I hated it.
"Hey." I got his attention.
"Hmm?" He kept his head forward.
"How many guys' asses did you kick back in the day, Cullen?"
A smirk quickly crossed his face, and he looked down at me mischievously.
That's more like it.
"That information's kept on a need to know basis, Miss Swan." He replied smoothly and opened the door to the restaurant for me.
I pouted.
He chuckled as we entered the front foyer. There was a line of people waiting for tables, so we had to hang back a little. He draped his arm over my shoulder and pulled me close.
"You were a butcher in Chicago, right?" I asked lowly, looking up at him.
"Before you even ask, no, I was not in the mob, nor was the shop a front for the mob. As far as I know, they don't hire rednecks." He whispered in my ear.
I giggled.
He looked down at me and shook his head, chuckling softly.
When we got to the hostess stand, she led us to a high top in the bar section of the restaurant. I hopped up in my chair and opened the menu.
Dinner was as normal. The tension from our earlier conversation had dissipated, and we were able to talk and joke like we always did. I got tipsy on a pint of Coors Light and a beer flight of IPAs, and Edward had to keep me steady as we walked out to his car.
"For someone that drinks her weight in whiskey regularly, I have to say, your alcohol tolerance is embarrassingly low." He laughed.
I stopped walking and stomped my foot. "Take it back, law school."
"I just call it like I see it, bellbottoms. Come on. I need to get you home." He tugged my hand, and I stumbled forward to his chest. His arms wrapped around my waist, and he looked down at me with an amused grin.
Gah, he's so handsome. "There's a mean woman living in my home."
"Well, who's fault is that?" He teased. "I'm taking you to your current home, which is your brother's."
"I think we should go out for a couple more rounds. It's still early."
"If it were a Friday or Saturday, I'd agree, but we both have work tomorrow."
I pouted.
"We can stay out as long as you want on Saturday, okay?" He promised and kissed my nose.
I sighed dramatically and nodded. "Fine."
We got back to his car, and he drove me to Emmett's with an amused smile on his face the entire time. I'm sure it had something to do with the fact that my feet were propped on his dash with the radio turned up loud, singing along to my Cher playlist, but I couldn't be positive.
He walked me up to Emmett's apartment, and I suddenly felt like a teenager being dropped off after a date in high school.
"So, what are the plans for Saturday?" I asked him.
He leaned his shoulder against the door trim. "Specifics are a surprise but be ready at noon."
"But what do I wear?"
"You said nothing fancy, right? What you normally wear is fine." He said and leaned down to give me a kiss. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, beautiful." He was still only inches from my face.
I nodded and closed the distance between our lips again. Just as I was reaching up to tangle my hands in his hair, the front door to Emmett's apartment opened.
"Yeah, I figured." Edward muttered, laughing as he stood up straight.
Emmett was holding the door open, trying to fight his laughs and look stern.
"What did I tell you this morning, Emmett?" I asked angrily.
He opened his mouth to speak and closed it again, still smiling a shit-eating grin.
"Well?" I urged.
"Cut the dad act." He replied, somewhat sheepish.
"Cut the fucking dad act." I repeated and grabbed the door from him, closing it in his face. I quickly got on my tip toes and pulled Edward in for another kiss. He laughed against my lips for a second before his lips started to move with mine.
He pulled away too quickly. "We still have a couple weeks of this. Let's not give him an aneurysm tonight."
"It's fine. He's a doctor." I said and tried to kiss Edward again.
He kept it chaste and chuckled when he pulled away again. "Saturday." He promised.
"Alright." I sighed and opened the apartment door.
Emmett was still there, arms crossed, still failing miserably at looking serious.
"Dr. Swan, I believe this belongs to you." Edward smirked and gently pushed me inside with a hand on the small of my back.
"Don't forget it, boy." Emmett replied and shut the door quickly.
I didn't miss the wink Edward threw me as the door closed, and I blushed a little. Then I remembered what was happening and turned to my brother, pointing a finger at his chin. "Pull that again, and I'm going to beat your ass."
Emmett burst into laughter and took a couple steps so that he was towering over me. "You and what army, pipsqueak?"
I huffed and walked from the entryway into the living room. "I thought you were going to control him." I grumbled to Rosalie as I fell onto the sofa next to her and grabbed some Oreos from the pack she was holding.
"Sorry. I was in the shower when you guys first came home."
"You left him unsupervised?" I asked pathetically.
She smiled sheepishly. "I know. Rookie mistake."
Emmett squeezed onto the sofa on the other side of me, smushing me between the two of them.
"So…" Rosalie started. "Are you seeing him Saturday?"
"Yes."
"Specifically, because of Valentine's Day?"
"Yes." I repeated.
She smiled brightly. "Good." She turned back to the television. "We should get you a new outfit tomorrow." She said after a couple minutes. "Do you open or close?"
"Open."
"Perfect. We'll leave when you get home from work. Maybe Ali will be free, too."
I thought about it for a minute. A new outfit probably would be nice. At this point, Edward had seen my rotation of clothes about three or four times, and I liked the idea of getting something new to surprise him.
"Yeah, that sounds fun. I'll ask her when I get to the bar tomorrow morning."
~ COFFEE & BOURBON ~
"Baby pink, Ali?" I groaned. "Look, I came into this preppy boutique for you, but I'm not trying on a fucking pastel." I whispered harshly.
We had been shopping for three hours after a long, busy, and tiring shift, and I was hungry, cranky, and ready to go home to sleep.
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, you are. Try it on with the skirt we bought at the last store. It's going to look good. And don't act like you didn't wear stuff like this all the time in college. I stalked your Facebook, srat girl. You wanna talk about how you were a cheetah-print-on-game-day kinda girl? They're the tigers, Bella. Learn your goddamn animals."
I growled. "Fine."
Rosalie giggled from two racks away.
I took the sweater from her and walked into the dressing room. I put on the skirt I had picked out at the last store. It was a higher waisted, cognac colored leather skirt that hugged my hips and had a little slit in the hem. Rosalie and Alice both looked at me slack jawed when I walked out, so I figured if that had been their reaction, I'd get an even better one from Edward.
I pulled on the sweater Alice had handed me, and I couldn't lie, it did look really good with the skirt. It was slightly cropped and chunky with bishop sleeves and a relaxed neckline that made it hang off my shoulder slightly. It was just cute enough to balance out the sexiness of the skirt, but it wasn't so cute and girly that I looked like a five year old.
"Well, fashion major?" Alice asked impatiently.
I sighed and stepped out.
Alice smiled smugly. "You look good."
"Yeah, it does work pretty well." I muttered under my breath. "But pink on Valentine's day? You don't think that's a little cheesy?"
"Not when you look that damn good in it. We need to find shoes." She said and walked off.
I shook my head at her and went back into the dressing room to put my clothes back on.
After I paid for the sweater, the three of us walked out of the store and started window shopping for shoes and accessories. I stopped at a window when a Betsey Johnson bootie caught my eye.
Rosalie laughed when she saw what I was looking at, and Alice glared at me.
"You're kidding." Alice deadpanned.
I looked at her with a mischievous smile and walked into the store.
"Bella…" She groaned and followed me in.
I picked up the bootie and looked at the salesgirl at the register. "Do y'all have these in a seven and a half?"
She looked over her computer to see what shoes I was holding. "Yes, actually, I think we have one pair left. Let me go check the back for you."
"You're gonna look like a buckle bunny." Alice mumbled.
"I think they're cute." Rosalie defended. "They're Bella's style. You already have her in pink, Ali. Take what you can get." She laughed.
I remained silent as I impatiently waited for the salesgirl to come back.
She walked out of the back room and towards me with a box in her hand. "We have eights." She said apologetically.
I smiled reassuringly. "I'll find thick socks. Thanks." I said and grabbed the box from her hands before sitting down on a bench in the corner and trying them on. I stood up and inspected them in the mirror. The shoes had a chunky three inch heel, a pointed toe, and were covered in rhinestones that were a soft gold color. And despite being a half size bigger than I was used to, they fit perfectly. "I'm getting them." I said, not leaving any room for discussion.
Alice sighed but followed silently as I walked to the front register.
All in all, I'd consider it a very good shopping day, and I was very anxious to see what Edward had planned for our day.
A/N Until the next one, bebs. Hope you liked it.
