Welcome back to another Must Read Thursday! We're having so much writing this.
Thanks to Fran for her beta skills, as always.
As promised, we're moving into our own spin on some storylines presented in the show. We hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: We don't own Friends or Twilight. If we did, we wouldn't be here doing this for free. :)
Episode Five: The One with the Sleepover
"Is that ugly fat man naked?"
He is, in fact, completely naked, unbothered by the fact his whole self is open for all of Seattle to see. Of course, this isn't news to Edward, but the look on Bella's face tells him this is her first encounter with the neighbor across the street from their apartment. Technically, it is his apartment, so he's not breaking any laws by walking around in all his naked glory within the confines of his own home. However, the way he parades himself in front of opened windows for everyone to see has been one of the many highlights of living here in the city.
"Oh, yeah. Ugly Naked Guy." The nonchalance in Edward's voice makes Bella's jaw drop even further. She points a perfectly manicured nail towards the atrocity in the window across the street.
"That's his name?" She can't yet comprehend her new friends not only having seen this before, but have apparently accepted this sight in front of them as something deemed socially acceptable. What she sees right now across the way is anything but acceptable.
Edward shrugs with a slight chuckle. "To us, at least."
His laugh is infectious, and a smile spreads across Bella's face in the fluorescent lighting of the balcony, even though she is still appalled at what she sees. "And this is normal?"
"I didn't say that," Edward corrects, amused by her. He can tell by the look on her face the feeling is mutual. "Normal for him."
They turn back towards Ugly Naked Guy and watch as he grabs a Swiffer and begins to clean the hardwood floors of his apartment.
"I can't look at it," Bella laughs, pretending to gag. She turns completely around, so her back is to the naked man, crossing her arms over her chest as she tilts her head up towards Edward. She doesn't remember him being this tall when they were growing up, but now he towers over her. She doesn't bother to deny she likes the way it makes her feel. "And you guys are okay with this?"
"Used to it is more accurate," he answers, leaning on the ledge of the balcony on his elbows. His gaze leaves the naked cleaning session and moves up towards the darkened sky. Bella sighs and turns to do the same, her shoulder brushing against his as they try to find the stars beneath the city lights.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to it," she sighs in response. "Or at least I hope I don't."
"You will," he answers with a knowing nod. "It's just like any other part of living in the city. You'll see things you never thought you'd ever see, but then you'll just shrug and continue on with your day."
City life has definitely grown on Bella in the weeks since she's moved in with Rose. She had been to the city before, but nothing more than for weekend excursions to fill her fashion shopping needs. Now, she works with Jacob at Perk's Place five days a week, pouring her fair share of abysmal coffee to those brave enough to swallow it.
She knows she'll eventually adjust to everything living in the city will bring, but she hopes she never gets comfortable enough to be completely unfazed by the sight of an unsightly naked man.
It's too early to tell, though. She looks behind one shoulder at her friends inside and glances at Edward next to her, all of them so wrapped up in their own worlds to be bothered by all the naked flesh around them.
"Like you guys and Ugly Naked Guy," she jokes, smiling over at Edward. He turns his focus from the sky and looks at her, smiling right back.
"Exactly."
They stare at one another for a beat too long, Bella being the first one to look away. She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and shrugs her shoulders in question. "Who knows? Maybe I will be like you all one day. Maybe I'll be able to blend in like I'm supposed to be here."
"You are supposed to be here," Edward responds encouragingly. He can already see Bella blossoming before his own eyes. Even though it's only been a few weeks, she is nothing like the rain-soaked bride that walked into Perk's Place and all their lives. "You wouldn't have lasted here this long if you weren't."
She knows he's right, and even if she doesn't necessarily believe him, the knowing and gentle look that crosses his face as he looks at her makes her think it could be true one day.
She leans back next to him on the balcony, looking up to the stars again, suddenly very aware of his presence. "I think you may be right."
Edward turns his head to look at her, his eyes catching hers as she stares at him shyly. She's beautiful in the moonlight. Recently divorced or not, Edward can admit it's hard to stand this close next to her and not be aware of how gorgeous she is. Before he opens his mouth and says something stupid, a flashback to his "big lizards in Aruba" comment a few weeks ago comes to mind. But an incoming voice shatters the silence out here between them on the balcony.
They turn abruptly at the sound and watch as Emmett steps his way out onto the balcony with them. He has his phone to his ear and is completely oblivious to Edward and Bella standing there with him.
"Hold on, Carmen, I can't hear you," he says into the phone once he's put some distance between himself and the rest of them inside the apartment. "Sorry about that."
"Carmen?" Bella whispers, leaning closer to Edward, so he has to dip down to hear what she says. He ignores the wisps of her hair the wind has blown against his cheek as he listens.
"His agent." Edward answers, speaking of the person Emmett is on the phone with. They watch the way he talks animatedly with her on his end of the call, unsure if he is aware of their presence in his excitement. Neither of them makes any move to allow Emmett his privacy, both enjoying the evening air and each other's company.
"He has one of those?" Bella continues to whisper, Edward's face bent towards the side of hers, the light from the side of the building highlighting the smooth angular shape of his jaw. One look, and she knows why it's familiar. She had skied off mountains in Aspen as sleek as his jawline. Shaking her head, she forces her focus back to Emmett's phone call. From what she had heard about Emmett and his up and coming acting career, she wasn't aware he needed an agent for the work he was getting these days.
"I use the word agent very loosely," Edward says with muffled laughter, turning his head against her shoulder to stifle the chuckle that escapes his lips.
Bella jumps at Emmett's boisterous response to Carmen's news on the other end of the line.
"Absolutely! Yes! When should I be there?" He looks over at Edward and Bella excitedly. "I'll see you then!"
He ends the call with his agent and shouts, "I can't believe it!"
"I take it Carmen had some good news for you," Edward assumes. Bella looks over at Emmett eagerly.
"I got the part! In the new Chris Evans movie!"
"Emmett, that's incredible!" Bella shrieks enthusiastically. She can suddenly see why he needs an agent after all.
"Who do you play?" Edward asks, completely unprepared for the answer he receives. After he and Bella pry it out of Emmett and then pick themselves off the balcony floor in heaps of laughter, they stumble blindly back into the apartment to spread the hilarious news.
"Emmett's an ass!" Bella squeals between fits of laughter, collapsing onto the couch next to Rose and Alice.
"Don't we know that already?" Jasper asks, not bothering to look up from his phone.
"He's playing an ass," Edward corrects, sitting on the edge of the coffee table so he can see everyone from his seat.
"Unfortunately, we already know he's into ass play, too," Jasper sighs in defeat and continues to keep his eyes glued to his screen.
Bella laughs even harder, loving how Jasper and everyone else knows, accepts, and still pokes fun at these little tidbits of information about each other. She should probably start writing them down, so she has some ammo against them all if the time ever presented itself.
"Very funny," Emmett interjects, joining them all in the living room. He sighs and throws his hands up in the air in defeat. "I'm Chris Evan's butt double in his new movie."
"America's Ass?" Jasper cuts in. "I don't know why I know that expression."
"Wow, Emmett! Your first big break!" Alice, always the supportive one, jumps from the couch to give Emmett a hug of warm wishes.
"That's one way to definitely make a crack into show business," Rose jokes, and they all burst into laughter again, this time even Emmett nodding in appreciation of the perfectly used pun.
"I think it's great, Em," Rose says once they have wiped their eyes and the jokes have run their course.
"Thanks, Rose. I gotta go practice," Emmett says and moves to rush out of the apartment.
"What's there to practice?" Edward asks his retreating form.
"I don't know. But I have to practice anyway," are Emmett's parting words.
Jasper groans and tosses his phone onto the coffee table next to Edward. "Can I stay here tonight? He's probably flexing his ass cheeks in the living room."
"Can't. Alice is spending the night tonight," Rose answers and smiles at Alice and Bella. Once the guys leave, it'll be just like old times when Rose and Bella were younger. With the slight exception of their drinks being a little more adult, Rose has a queue of their favorite movies ready to watch. Adding Alice into their old tradition was a no-brainer. With Emmett's exciting butt double news, the girls now have plenty of fodder to discuss tonight in their pajamas surrounded by junk food and drinks.
"A sleepover?" Edward asks his brain immediately filled with the stereotypical images of pillow fights and innocent touches planted years ago in his adolescent mind. Obviously, his sister plays no part in such images.
"Can we come?" Jasper asks, and there's a possibility he's very serious.
"Not this time," Rose says and uses the moment to segue them into leaving. She turns to look at Jasper. "Maybe you can stay at Edward's tonight so Emmett can…practice."
"Come on," Edward says and grabs his things to head out. "See ya later." He ushers Jasper out of Rose and Bella's apartment and shoots one last look at Bella before he leaves.
She catches his look, as she's already watching him as he leaves, and the smile he gives her makes her grateful she's having a sleepover with the girls.
She suddenly has a lot to talk about.
f.r.i.e.n.d.s
"Refill?" Bella asks later that night once pizza has been delivered and the second bottle of wine has been opened. She makes her way into the kitchen of her and Rose's apartment, her slippers scuffing against the floor as she reaches for another bottle of wine.
"Please," Alice replies, smiling as Bella fills her glass with more wine. "You're getting really good at this whole waitress thing. See? You got my drink order right this time!"
"Because you always do that," Rose interjects quickly, sending a look to Alice to remind her to spare Bella's feelings when it comes to her food and drink serving skills. "Get the drinks right."
Bella laughs, aware of how Rose tries to protect her feelings and fills Rose's glass as well as her own. "I know I'm not the best," she admits. "But for my first job, I think I'm a little proud of myself."
"A little?" Alice questions in disbelief. "I could never do what you've been doing. It's very hard to do what you did."
Bella nods in agreement, knowing how true Alice's statement really is. After spending her whole adult life unemployed, it was a difficult transition into the working world, but somehow she was managing to figure it out.
"How's your family coping with the new you?" Rose asks, carefully sipping the wine before placing it gently on a coaster on the coffee table.
"They think it's still a phase," Bella sighs, her breath blowing her dark hair back from her face. "Waiting for me to just show up on their doorstep one day begging for them to take me back under their roof."
"We won't let that happen," Rose promises.
"Thanks," Bella smiles in return at her sweet words, adding, "Even though you say that now, you don't seem to agree when I use the wrong towels in the bathroom after I get out of the shower."
"The towels are clearly labeled!" Rose shouts, defending her need for order and tidiness, "But everything's fine. You're a great roommate."
"And a great friend," Alice quips before indulging in another delicious sip.
"See? This is why I can't ever go back. I don't have this," Bella motions between the three girls with her hands before continuing, "with anyone back home. Ever since I moved here, I realized just how superficial those people were. Mike and Jessica had forgotten about me practically an hour after I left. Meanwhile, I spent the first few weeks here worrying about how I let them all down and what horrible things they must be thinking about me, and for what? They obviously don't care enough about me to dwell on it. Not like you guys here."
"Bella, of course, we care. You're part of the family now," Alice reassures her. Even though it has only been a few weeks since Bella made the city her home, the girls welcomed her into their lives like she was always meant to be a part of it.
"Whether you like it or not." Rose reinforces.
Bella laughs. "I do like it! I love it, actually. All of you have made me feel like I belong here." She shakes her head as she reflects on the last few weeks of her life. "I don't know what I was expecting when I ran out on Mike the day of my wedding, but it wasn't this. This is better than I could have ever dreamed."
"It was meant to be," Alice rationalizes. "You bailing on your wedding the same day Edward's divorce is finalized. Both of you dodged some major bullets that day."
"Was his marriage to Tanya really that bad?" Bella asks, remembering the forlorn Edward she had greeted at Perk's Place and the Edward from the balcony just a few hours ago. He seemed different tonight - different enough for her to wonder what the hell Tanya was thinking letting him go.
"No, it was great, actually," Alice says with a sigh. "Until the last year or so."
"Yeah, I guess. Edward said Tanya began to act a little…different. I guess she was trying to sort through a lot of the feelings she was coming to terms with." Rose answers like the sister she is, delicate with the words she uses to describe her brother's heartache.
"In a way, it was over way before those divorce papers say," Alice says. "He might have signed them the day you came here, but they knew a long time ago their marriage wasn't going to make it."
Bella understands exactly what Alice is saying. She was unhappy with Mike for way too long but wasn't ready to do anything about it until it was too late.
"It's still hard, though," Bella explains. "I mean, I know I wasn't meant to marry Mike. I knew I should have told him that I didn't want to be married a long time ago. It just took me that long to admit it to myself. And the whole time I was denying my feelings, I was also, very slowly, saying goodbye."
"I think Tanya was doing the same thing," Rose shakes her head. "She and Edward were really happy together."
"I can't blame him for being upset. I know exactly how he feels."
"You and Edward, huh? Connecting?" Rose teases.
Bella shrugs and tries to downplay the taunt from Rose with a shrug of her shoulders. "How could we not?"
"See? That's why fate placed you on the same path that day. I'm sure of it." Alice nods her head like she's seen it happen already.
Bella laughs. "Whatever path it was, it led me to you two."
"Stay on it," Rose smiles and reaches over to squeeze Bella's hand. "Wherever it takes you."
Alcohol-induced or not, Bella pulls Rose in for a hug, and Alice is not far behind. Then the three girls wrap each other into a warm embrace on the couch. Perfectly content on both the couch and in her life, at this exact moment, Bella knows she's surrounded by the best of friends she could have ever stumbled upon.
A minute later, Alice's voice breaks the silence. "How much money would Emmett and Jasper pay to see this?"
They all laugh, untangling from each other to make themselves comfortable back in their spots on the couch and chair again. Innocent or not, any type of girl-on-girl action renders the guys speechless.
Rose agrees. "Whenever you're short on rent, just go across the hall to the guys' apartment and flash 'em. They'll pay good money to see an inch of boob."
"Good to know!" Bella laughs, downing the rest of her wine and snuggling into the throw pillow on the couch. She swears she's never laid on a couch this comfortable.
"Would you do that? Flash them?" Alice wonders.
"Why not? I've got nice boobs," Tipsy Bella answers.
"I can hear their brains exploding from here," Rose jokes and snuggles herself into the other end of the couch by Bella's feet.
"So, they really are typical guys," Bella sighs with her eyes closed. She wonders if Edward is looped into the same category, even if the subject of lesbians is a touchy subject at the moment.
"They all are," Rose pretends to gag on her fingers.
"Whatever happened to the guy you went on a date with last week? Paul?"
"Oh yeah!" Alice adds excitedly. "There must be a reason why you've conveniently neglected to tell us how it went."
"It went great," Rose pauses for a moment. "Possibly a little too great."
"You slept with him," Alice laughs. "I knew it!"
"What's wrong with a woman expressing her needs? Men do it on the first date and get away with it." Bella defends her friend's choice.
"He ghosted me."
"Oh." Bella blanches at Rose's words.
"Well, he can fuck all the way off." Alice declares, and they all agree to that.
"I'm kinda jealous," Alice says again a few minutes later as they're all slowly fading into the late-night hours. "I can't tell you the last time I had a decent orgasm from a man."
"Ugh, Mike was the last man I had sex with, and let me tell you, there were no orgasms there, either."
"Are we pathetic?" Rose wonders out loud.
"Not at all," Alice answers with a yawn. "Just three single ladies living in the city waiting for the right guys to come along."
Rose's answering words are the last they all hear before they drift off to sleep. "At least we'll have each other."
f.r.i.e.n.d.s
A week later, everyone tired and winding down from the work week, Bella rests her head against the glass window separating the balcony from the rest of the apartment. The week was long and exhausting; her boss, Jacob, at the coffee house had been incredibly friendly as he piled more and more responsibilities onto her plate. She enjoys working, likes it even more when she pockets her tips after a long day, but her feet ache by the end of the night, and she craves peace and quiet to get a break from the relentless voices she hears long after she is off the clock. It may not taste great, but she can now make a decent cup of coffee, and she can still hear order after order being sent her way even now as she rests her head against the glass. Her eyes closed, she can hear the voices of her friends around her, buzzing around the kitchen as they mix drinks and argue over what to have for dinner on a quiet, fall night in October.
It's peaceful. Comforting enough, and she could feel herself nodding off to sleep.
And that would be okay around here. Everyone in this apartment accepts everyone for who they are and what they do.
Never in a million years would Bella ever think she would be friends with a free spirit like Alice, but it turns out Alice has become one of Bella's best friends. Who would have thought Rose and Bella would have been able to pick up their friendship exactly where they had left it ten years ago? There's a true quality to Rose that Bella will never take for granted.
And as for the guys? Well, Emmett and Jasper are always here with an endless supply of ridiculousness to always make her laugh. In the last few weeks, they have shown her how genuine men could be; she was used to pretentious men like Mike and his circle of friends. Emmett and Jasper are a breath of fresh air she wasn't aware she needed.
And Edward?
Edward is exactly like the other two guys…but more. A lot more.
They understand each other very well. They're both in the trenches of similar situations, and it's only natural for them to lean on each other for mutual support.
But there's more to it.
She notices little things about him she doesn't bother to notice about the other guys. She sees the auburn strands in his hair catch in certain lights. She takes note of how he listens to his friends when they talk to him, and he listens to hear, not just respond. She sees how he tries his hardest to keep his inner turmoil for Tanya and Irina to himself, so he doesn't tarnish the joy of their impending parenthood. His smile is warm and infectious, and every time she sees it, she wants him to do it again.
It's an unknown feeling to her, especially after all the years of feeling absolutely nothing towards Mike, but she likes it. Feeling perfectly content with her glass of wine by the window, she listens to her friends in the kitchen with a soft smile on her face and her eyes closed.
"You clenched too much?" Bella hears Jasper's voice rise in a fit of laughter as he repeats the words Emmett just shared with them all. His shoot as Chris Evan's ass was earlier today, and evidently, Emmett seems to clench his ass cheeks together in a pinch when he's surrounded by A-list celebrities.
"Apparently," Emmett answers begrudgingly. "I don't know! I got all nervous and shit!"
"So, what happens now?" Alice asks from her seat at the table.
Emmett shrugs and sighs, pulling out a chair and sitting next to her. "They said they were able to use some takes, but I guess we'll see what Carmen says." Carmen, his agent, will ultimately be the bearer of bad news if they decided to cast someone else.
"Sorry, Em." Alice squeezes his hand first and then slaps her own on top of his. "They can kiss your ass!"
"Just don't clench too much this time, okay?" Jasper asks as he dials the number for their favorite take-out restaurant on his phone. It's their Friday usual, and it's his turn to cover the cost for the week. Just one quick stop to the ATM, and he's good to go.
"She wants me to go with them," Edward says as he walks in from the balcony with Rose. He tosses his phone on the counter in the kitchen and runs his hands across his face.
"All three of you?" Rose asks.
He shrugs. "I guess. Since I'll be in the delivery room, she thinks it's important I go with her at least once."
"Go where?" Emmett asks, turning around to hear what the siblings are talking about.
"Tanya wants me to tour the hospital and go to a birthing class with her," Edward explains.
"Okay, well, you go do that, and I'm going to go pick up dinner," Jasper replies, grabbing his phone and heading out the door.
"Good, I'm starving." Emmett exhales, rubbing his stomach in slow circles. "All that clenching worked me up an appetite."
Edward chuckles as he walks away, beer in hand, and stops mid-walk when he spies Bella sitting by herself near the window. Her eyes are closed, a small smile on her upturned lips, the outside lights casting her face in a soft amber that slows him in his tracks.
He doesn't want to interrupt whatever moment she's having with herself, but he's compelled to talk to her yet again.
"You okay?" He asks, scooting himself next to her feet at the bottom of the cushion she sits on.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm great." Her eyes fly open in response to his presence, and she shifts on the cushion, so her legs are pulled up to her knees. She rests her head comfortably on her knees as he peers over at her.
"Convince me," Edward argues, not buying into her feelings of contentment just yet.
"I'm fine, really. Just tired from work," Bella yawns, no doubt convincing him this time.
"I hear you on that one," he agrees and leans his head back on the glass like she had been doing. She's right - sitting here is actually very soothing.
"I think I'm starting to get it now," Bella reflects. "I remember my dad coming home from work so tired by the end of the week, but I didn't get it until today."
"I think you're officially one of us now," Edward laughs and opens his eyes to her. "I think it's great. How does it feel?"
"Incredible." Bella answers and shoots him a blazing smile. "I really mean that."
Edward swallows hard and looks back down at his knuckles.
"So do I."
It's the last thing either of them say before the entire city is engulfed in darkness.
We're falling hard for our Rossward and Rachella. How about you? Let us know!
See you next Must Read Thursday!
Join our Facebook groups to see what other craziness we're always up to.
Dani's Facebook Group: DaniDarlingxx Fanfics
Jill's Facebook Group: Lily Jill Fics
