Academy Awards night!
*spanglemaker rolls her shoulders and cracks her knuckles in preparation*
Get your popcorn ready and let's get going! This night turned out to be such a big night that it's two chapters, but you'll get part two as soon as is humanly possible, I won't keep you waiting.
And I don't have much more to say now except thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. The review numbers just blow me away!
Disclaimer: Twilight's not mine, I just like to dress them up and play with them like Barbies.
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BPOV
It was only three in the afternoon and it already seemed like the longest day of my life, and according to Alice's itinerary, we weren't scheduled to be done until the wee hours of the morning. I would never make it.
Currently the "hair team" was well into hour three of whatever they were up to back there. The makeup team was at work on the front of me. Alice hovered nervously around them all lest one tiny fleck of eye shadow end up out of place. Angela scurried around our rooms, coordinating the people coming and going. The Harry Winston people had shown up with my borrowed jewels for the night, which I hadn't seen yet. There was all sorts of official stuff to do with them and papers to be signed, because these things cost more than the house Edward just bought me and they were only on loan.
Angela was getting them out the door and taking delivery of yet another gift basket. I swear, it's like people didn't know what to do with their money, so they sent each other baskets full of luxury stuff no one needs. Ostrich leather custom embossed water bottle holder, anyone? Rose had come over to observe the operations and was reclined on one of the couches, munching on a bag of pretzels, just watching the proceedings and chatting with Alice when she could tear her attention away.
Rose, Emmett, Jasper and Alice had planned an Oscar viewing party later at Rose and Emmett's place. Pizza, margaritas and an Oscar betting pool. Believe it or not, I was actually a little jealous, it sounded like more fun than actually going. But of course, if I was there I wouldn't be with Edward. And tonight I would be. Starting in about an hour until whenever we made it home from the last party, it would be him and me together all night. That made it worth while all by itself.
The makeup people finished first, but I couldn't see how it looked because the hair people were still back there creating what they swore was a masterpiece. Alice had my dress hanging on a rack and was checking it over one more time for any tiny flaws. One of the makeup people came at me one more time with a little tin of something white and a brush.
"Alice," he said, "how much of this do you want?"
She spun around and hurried to me to oversee the application of whatever it was he was holding.
"Just a dusting. I just want her to glow ever so slightly, not sparkle," Alice said, squinting and twinkling her fingers at me to indicate the magic effect she envisioned.
The makeup artist took a deep breath and steeled himself for this monumental task, likely in fear for his life if he screwed up and let Alice down.
Rather than brush that stuff on my face, though, as I was expecting, he started in brushing my neck, shoulders and chest. The soft brush tickled, but I'd be damned if I would squirm one millimeter under Alice's eagle eye.
"Hold!" she barked, throwing up one hand. She examined me carefully, then crossed to my other side to look from another angle.
"Just another whisper on her shoulders and a kiss of it on her collarbones," Alice told him.
I bit my lips to keep from laughing at her serious little face, but quickly stopped before I screwed up my perfect lipstick. He came in at me again, "whispering" on my shoulders and "kissing" my collarbones with the brush. I chanced a glance down at my chest to see what he was putting on me. It was some sort of faintly shimmery powder and the effect on my skin was remarkable. Wherever the makeup artist had brushed, my pale skin glowed like a pearl lit from within. It was kind of cool.
"So, Sam is going with you tonight," Alice was saying. "We thought it might be better right now. You and Edward will be on your own once you're on the red carpet, but he'll stay with you right up until then. And of course you won't really be alone, because Laurent's agency will have Charlotte with you the whole time to negotiate the line."
"The line?"
"The press. You have to stop and talk to all of them."
"What about? Edward doesn't have anything nominated this year and I'm a musician. What can we possibly have to say?"
"Well, you have to tell them who you're wearing, of course! That's all anyone is going to be interested in tonight anyway. That, and of course all the questions about how crazy you two are about each other."
I flushed and looked down at my hands for a minute in consideration of that before gentle hairdresser hands lifted my chin again so they could finish their creation.
They finally wrapped it up and Alice started getting me dressed. It all started, of course, with the perfect underwear. This time it was midnight blue lace panties and a matching strapless bra, trimmed with the same delicate lace along the top edge.
"Bella," Rose called out from the couch, "You have to get that bra in every color they make. It makes your boobs look spectacular!"
"Right? See, Bella? Rose understands the importance of a good foundation."
I snorted softly and focused on getting into the dress without falling over and ruining it in some way. It was a loaner, too, but I got the feeling the designer's staff was less worried about getting it back in one piece than the jewelers had been. They were so abjectly grateful that I was wearing the damn dress that I think they would have given me half a dozen of them if I asked. All the same, I wanted to take care of it.
Alice helped shift it all into place and zipped me in and then she buttoned up the little row of covered buttons that concealed the zipper at the small of my back while I stepped into my crazy high dark blue satin heels. Did I say before that Alice had completely broken my will? I tried arguing that in a floor-length dress, no one would see my feet and that should mean I could wear something more comfortable, but Alice insisted that it would ruin the proportions of the dress, plus it helped me look in better proportion next to Edward's impressive height. So there I was teetering around, wondering how on earth I'd last twelve minutes, never mind twelve hours.
"Damn, Bella…" Rose let out a low whistle once I was fastened into the dress. "Alice, you've outdone yourself."
Alice was practically bursting with excitement and pride. I took a quick peek at the dress in a mirror. It was a deep dark blue color, that I had worried at first was too dark and plain but Alice insisted that it set off my pale skin. She was right, of course. Alice threw around terms like silk satin and bias seaming and fishtail hem, which meant pretty much nothing to me. What I could tell for myself was that the dress had a very fitted top, all full of stiff stuff inside holding it up and in place, since it only covered the very top edge of my bra and it was strapless. The rest of my chest and shoulders were completely bare, displaying just about every inch of me that was legal. The dress stayed tight down over my hips and thighs and then, just below my knees, it flared away full, longer in back to make a little train. There was some sort of dark fluffy sheer net under the bottom to make the shape stay out and full. I turned to look at the back. It dipped low, baring all of me, and met in a V at the small of my back, where the little row of buttons started and continued to the top of my ass. It was beautiful. I tried on so many I thought I wouldn't even notice which one she finally picked, but this was perfect. Once again, Alice had managed to find the one couture dress that was perfect for Bella Swan, even though such a thing was an oxymoron.
"Now, for the jewelry!" Alice squealed, opening the box the Harry Winston people had left. Rose shot off the couch to come look.
"Holy shit! How much is that thing worth?" she gasped.
Alice shot her a look. "Bella won't wear it if I say."
"Oh, come on! Tell!"
"Not until it's on her neck!"
"Bella," Rose barked, "Put the damned necklace on!"
Alice lifted it from the velvet lined box and fastened it around my neck. It was heavy and cold. And beautiful. I really had no interest in expensive jewelry, but even I could appreciate its beauty. It was a fine platinum open delicate filigree that covered my whole lower throat and upper chest. It was scattered all over with tiny diamonds, hundreds of them. Every time I shifted or breathed I felt like I sparkled. Nestled in the middle, suspended right in the hollow of my throat, was one enormous fat sapphire. Alice handed over the earrings, relatively discreet diamond drops. At first I worried that they were too small next to the necklace, but she said one or the other could be dramatic, but not both. I guess she knew the rules.
"So, how much?" Rose prodded.
"Eight hundred and fifty."
"Thousand?" I managed to just squeak it out, one hand flying instinctively to touch the necklace. Shit, I better not do that, I might smudge it. Rose just whistled in appreciation.
"It's not just the diamonds," Alice explained as she adjusted it, "although there are plenty of them in there. It's also platinum, which is very hard to work with. The detail of the filigree takes a million hours to do. And then all the little settings for the diamonds, plus that sapphire is huge."
"Does that…" I started, then I had to start again, afraid of the answer, "does that include the earrings?"
Alice shot me a sharp look from under her lashes.
"No. With the earrings, it's closer to a million."
Shit. I was afraid to so much as breathe.
Alice took one last turn around me to inspect. I looked back at myself in the mirror. I was suddenly glad a million pictures would be taken of me tonight because I was sure I would never look this good again as long as I lived. The hairdressers were right, it was their masterpiece. All the hair had been softly lifted off my face and curled up and to the sides, magically, invisibly, held back, piled up on the crown of my head, with a lot of it still falling long and curly down my back. It was arranged in what were meant to look like artless, tumbling waves and curls, although I knew for a fact, every twist and curl had been coaxed into perfect position and was immobilized there for the night. There were tiny little diamonds on invisible pins nestled randomly all through my hair, catching light just like the necklace. And somehow they made me look as if I had twice as much hair as I did. I looked at the back. There were all those waves at the crown caught up in piles and yet there was still so much hanging down in back. How did they do that?
I pivoted back to face myself from the front again and the image staring back at me made me stop in my tracks for a second.
"Seven months," I whispered, reaching up absently to touch the edge of the necklace.
"What?" Alice was distracted, still looking me over.
I turned to look at Rose. "Seven months ago, Rose."
She raised a questioning eyebrow at me.
"It was seven months ago when I was still waking up on that miserable freaking futon in our house in Seattle," I rattled on, "Seven months ago I was still working shifts at Sandwich Planet. Seven months ago we were still doing the Shower Chart!"
Rose was smiling in understanding now, but Alice looked lost.
"What the hell is a Shower Chart?"
"Our house in Seattle was a dump and the hot water heater was for shit. Only the first shower of the morning was actually hot. After that the most you could hope for was tepid. So we had this rotation chart, so we all got a shot at a hot shower every four days."
"And if you were more than fifteen minutes late for your shower, you lost your spot on the chart and had to wait another four days," Rose was remembering with me now, "Emmett was forever missing his spot and trying to hit me up to share mine. As if."
"Rose," I said softly, "That was only seven months ago."
She stared back at me for a moment, smiling broadly, gripping one of my hands in hers. Neither one of us could believe we were here. Alice looked from me to Rose and back, clearly not understanding the charm of reminiscing about something like the Shower Chart.
"Sorry, Alice," I said, pulling myself back to the present, "I was just having a pinch-me moment. I'm good now."
"No, you're amazing!" she trilled.
"Knock 'em dead, Bells," Rose said firmly.
"Well," Alice exhaled, "Edward's probably waiting. You'd better go down."
"You mean you're not going to come down and take pictures of us like at the prom?"
Alice laughed. "Trust me, sweetie, you will be the most photographed woman in the world tonight." Rose nodded solemnly at her side in agreement. I didn't need to hear that right at this moment. It gave me butterflies.
Rose handed me the little jeweled bag that only had room for a compact, a lipstick, and my phone. She grasped my freshly manicured hands in hers briefly. "Have fun!" She gave me a wink and they both scooted me towards the door.
I would have to walk slow, I realized, as my legs were essentially immobilized down to my knees. And I really hoped there weren't many stairs. I got as far as the top of Edward's staircase and then paused there for a moment to consider how best to negotiate getting down them without humiliating myself.
Then I saw Edward. He was leaning against a wall in the entry way at the bottom of the stairs toying with his phone while he waited. I'd seen Edward in all manner of clothes at this point, but Edward in a tuxedo officially took my breath away. He seemed to have tried to tame the sex hair a little tonight, but it only partially worked, which was fine with me. Alice deserved major kudos for Edward, too. She managed to find what looked like a traditional basic black tux and yet it still showcased every inch of Edward's magnificent body and it didn't look the least bit stodgy or traditional on him. It looked fucking hot. Unreal.
Then he looked up and saw me. His hands froze on the phone, his mouth dropped open a little ways, his eyelids fluttered, he said nothing. Holy shit. I've made Edward Cullen speechless. I felt more powerful than I ever had in my life. And now I felt confident enough to walk down the stairs. I understood suddenly why Alice had strangely not wanted to come down with me. She wanted me alone when Edward saw me for the first time. Sneaky little girl.
I stopped at the bottom of the stairs to look at him.
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EPOV
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
I was hanging in the front hallway, killing time, waiting for the endless Alice marathon to finally conclude when, without warning, I looked up and there was Bella at the top of the stairs. I seriously couldn't breathe or move for several moments. My mouth went dry and my palms got sweaty, like I was some teenaged kid on prom night. My chest actually hurt when I looked at her, she was that fucking beautiful. The dress was spectacular, dark blue and tight, hugging all her curves on the way down, and leaving miles and miles of her creamy pale flesh exposed. Her dark hair was held back in some beautiful satiny curly pile that I'm sure took a century to do, but plenty of it was still down, which was good, because I wanted to be able to touch it and run my fingers through it all night long. And she sparkled. It was mostly from that killer necklace that Alice had scammed from Harry Winston's, but her hair did, too. Even her skin seemed to faintly shimmer, like she was lit from within…like moonlight, I realized. The deep blue dress, her pearlescent skin, the hundreds of tiny shimmering diamonds…Bella was the night sky. And breathtaking.
At first I was frozen and breathless but when she started to edge her way down the stairs, I was flooded with desire for her. Fuck this. I wasn't behaving any more. She wanted me, I sure as hell wanted her. Fuck everyone else. This girl would be mine. Tonight.
I pushed off the wall and crossed the entry hall with three long strides. I met her at the base of the stairs and in one motion slid my hands up behind her neck and pulled her mouth nearly to mine.
"I'm tired of trying to stay away from you," I growled before I crushed my mouth on hers.
She gasped in surprise, but then immediately melted into me, her hands flying up to my shoulders to steady herself as I thrust my tongue into her mouth. I slid one hand down the long bare expanse of her back letting it rest at the base of her spine where my fingers encountered some interestingly placed little buttons. I pulled her body up along mine and she moaned softly. Fuck. We weren't going to get very far at this rate.
With a supreme effort I pulled my lips away from hers and looked down at her. Her dark eyes were half closed, her mouth was still a little open. Fuck. Me. I wanted to drag her upstairs right now. I couldn't believe we had this whole endless thing in front of us.
"Ah…this was probably not the best time for me to start this," I murmured.
She straightened up a little, recovering herself, and she shot me a little smile, looking up at me roguishly. "You're probably right. Plus, you know if you mess me up, Alice will cut you."
I laughed and the spell was effectively broken, except I didn't want it to be, not all the way. I didn't want her for one second to stop thinking of me and what we were about to do together. I wanted this whole day and night to be one long, torturous, delicious session of foreplay. So I leaned forward, my lips just barely skimming along her jaw until I reached her ear.
"Then I guess we'll have to finish this…later." I exhaled against her skin and felt a gratifying shiver run through her. Then I pressed my lips against the little hollow beneath her ear and let them linger there for just a moment, her diamond earring brushing the side of my nose, before I pulled back to look at her face again.
She looked stunned and drowning in lust. Perfect. She let out a long shaky sigh.
"Later," was all she whispered.
I put a finger under her chin, tilting her face up to me, locking eyes with her and holding her gaze. "Later," I said firmly. She nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving mine. I stepped away and took her hand. She fell into step beside me, still half in a daze.
I walked her to the front door where Sam was waiting just outside with the car, a low black sedan this time, so it would be easier for Bella to get in and out of. Alice thinks of everything. I needed to buy her a new car or something to thank her for Bella tonight. I settled Bella in the car and crossed around to climb in the other side.
As soon as I got settled, I reached over and picked up her hand, turning it over and raising her wrist to my mouth. I left a lingering kiss right on her pulse point. She smelled amazing. Her head fell back against the seat and she stared at me with a hazy expression.
"I thought we were waiting till later."
"Until later, yes," I said against her skin, thrilled beyond words that she just said it again. She was going to be mine…later. "But you can hardly expect me to keep my hands entirely to myself all night when you're next to me looking like this."
She blushed lightly and I was delighted to discover that she blushed on more than her face. But I lowered her hand and contented myself with merely holding it, chastely resting our joined hands on my thigh. Except touching Bella in any way never felt chaste.
"How long until we get there?" she asked after she exhaled heavily.
"A couple of hours maybe."
"What?"
"Well, the Kodak isn't far, but with so many cars arriving, you have to sit in traffic forever. And they want to time your arrival for the telecast. So Charlotte is there, coordinating with the Oscar people and Sam until they're ready for us to pull up."
She sighed and sank back against the seat.
"But we have liquor," I said brightly, motioning to the built in bar, "and there's a t.v."
So that's what we did. We drank and we watched the Oscar preshow on the t.v., and it was fun, because everything with Bella is fun. She made snarky comments about the pre-show hosts and the red carpet coverage and rolled her eyes at their momentous pronouncements about hemlines and I kept pouring us gin and tonics. It was probably smart to watch t.v. because as much as I wanted to drag out this whole seduction thing, being alone in the back of this car while touching her, kissing her…no, we'd never make it to the show.
Bella got bored with the pre-show at some point so we channel surfed and she was delighted to find some old repeats of Shark Week on. So we amused ourselves watching sharks rip seals to bits. Did I mention that everything is more fun with Bella?
We sat in queue forever it seemed, with Sam on his cell non-stop with Charlotte coordinating our arrival as the car inched along at a snail's pace. Finally word came to move our car into position. I could see a few couples exiting cars just ahead of us and pointed them out to Bella, so she could watch and know what to expect. There were Tom and Katie, and then came Will and Jada. Okay, we're up.
Sam stopped the car and came around to my side first. Bella suddenly remembered Alice's instructions and scrambled for her lipstick to retouch, which was good, because I kissed it all off of her at home. Fuck, yeah. Sam opened my door for me and escorted me around to Bella's side. The crowd in the stands went absolutely nuts when I came into view and the press along the line began to jostle each other furiously. All the p.a.'s on the red carpet with their headsets and walkie talkies burst into a flurry of action. I could feel the anticipation thick in the air. I was used to out of control crowd reactions and this astounded even me. It was like a massive wall of nervous energy all focused on us. I hoped Bella would be okay.
Sam opened Bella's door and I reached down to take her hand. She looked up at me with those rich brown eyes and smiled with far more enthusiasm than I hoped for. She carefully unfolded herself out of the car and took a minute, shielded by my body to smooth out her dress. I wanted to help, to run my hands down over hips, too, but I behaved myself. Instead, I slipped my arm behind her back and leaned down to plant a tiny kiss on her cheekbone. She smiled up at me and I felt my chest contract and then we turned to face the gauntlet.
It was pretty much an endless string of brief chats with reporters and posing for pictures while photographers screamed at us. Charlotte met us as soon as we left the car and carefully orchestrated our slow progress down the red carpet. While we spoke with one person, she would walk a few feet further ahead and set up the next few chats. Then she would come back to us and politely disengage us from whomever we were talking to (because everybody wanted to keep the two of us all night long) and usher us to the next reporter.
Bella was a champ. None of this was remotely interesting to her but she dutifully recited over and over the name of the designer who'd made her dress, that Harry Winston provided her jewelry, and much to my surprise and delight, she managed to mention several times that Alice Cullen was her stylist. I already loved her, but her devotion to my sister, who hadn't always found it easy making friends with other women, probably because of me, earned her my eternal gratitude. I suddenly wanted her to meet my parents. Never in my life had I had such an impulse, but I was so damned proud of her, and I desperately wanted Esme and Carlisle to see for themselves how spectacular she was. My mother would love her, I just knew it.
I never took my arm away from Bella's back and when things got really tedious I traced little circles with my fingers on her hip or on the bare skin of her back or on the nape of her neck under her hair. She would lean closer in to me every time. At one point, I noticed her gaze getting a little blank, and I leaned into her placing my lips just above her ear.
"Later."
She flushed lightly and turned her body into me, reaching up to grip the lapel of my jacket with one hand and she sighed, her eyes closed. God, this was endless. I wanted her so badly. And the damned awards show itself hadn't even started yet.
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BPOV
As many interviews as I had done in the last six months, nothing prepared me for the marathon that was the red carpet. First there was the endless talking to reporters, but nobody for too long. Oh, no, Charlotte would show up after a minute or two and shuffle us on to the next one. Then there were the pictures, endlessly standing, turning, angling, so that they could all get their shot, screaming our names over and over. I wasn't one for keeping tabs on who was where in the Hollywood social hierarchy, but even I noticed that they kept Edward and me out on the red carpet far longer than anyone else. The reporters were nearly losing all semblance of decorum as they shuffled and elbowed to get their shot at us.
Although I'd been handing out my rehearsed answers about Edward and me for weeks now, all of a sudden, when they asked (and they all asked), I would open my mouth and nothing would come out. All of those platitudes I'd been using ("We're good friends" "We enjoy spending time together" "We have a lot in common") all seemed ridiculous in the face of what was happening between us, what was about to happen.
Because there was "later".
Holy shit.
Did that really happen? Did we say that? Agree to that?
I'm pretty sure we did.
Every time I thought about it, and I was thinking about it pretty much constantly in spite of the distractions around us, my knees got weak and my panties got damp. And in case I did manage to pull my thoughts back to the present, Edward was there, glued to my side, his hands never leaving me, constantly reminding me that he wanted me, that he was thinking about it, planning it. He was making little patterns on the skin of my back with his fingertips, squeezing my hip, leaning down to whisper "Later" in my ear. I didn't know how I would make it through the coming hours.
Eventually I was nearly hanging from him, he'd made me so boneless and weak. And thankfully Charlotte decided they'd gotten enough of us and ushered us inside to where a pre-show reception was taking place. There was a server at our side in moments and Edward snagged us two champagne flutes. I thought I'd have a minute to just stand here, drink a little, and frankly, stare at the magnificence that was Edward. But Charlotte leaned forward and whispered in my ear that there was a makeup and hair person who'd been sent here to touch me up, on Alice's command. I rolled my eyes at Edward and set down my champagne to follow Charlotte, but his arm snaked out and reached around my waist, pulling me to him abruptly. Slowly, deliberately, he lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me, long and lingering, slipping his tongue in to taste mine, right here in a room full of all of the fucking Hollywood elite. I felt like every pair of eyes in the room was on us. And yes, I could tell that every woman in the room was jealous. The room was filled with familiar faces, women I had watched for years in movies and on tv, and at that moment, every single fucking one of them wanted to be me. Bitches. He pulled his head away and smiled lazily at me, his eyes lowered.
"Since they're going to fix your lipstick anyway." Then he winked and released me to Charlotte. Nearly staggering, I followed where I was lead.
By the time I got back, restored to perfection, the reception was breaking up and people were making their way into the theater. Edward slid his arm back around my waist and leaned in.
"I missed you. I actually had to talk to other people."
"Oh, poor baby. Next time we'll trade and you can go get your eyeliner touched up and I'll talk to Michael Eisner."
He chuckled. "Deal. He's so boring, you'll wish you'd stuck with the makeup."
I was never happier to see a seat in my life. Just because I'd quit fighting Alice about the heels, but it didn't mean I had gotten used to them. My feet were screaming at me. Edward lowered me into my seat and took my hand once I got settled. He wasn't satisfied with that level of contact for long however, and instead reached his arm across my shoulders so he could trace circles there with his fingers.
I could smell him now, spicy and Edward-y, and the warmth of his arm around me enveloped me. It was making my head swim pleasantly, that and the feel of his fingers on my skin. I still couldn't believe it. He'd said later. I'd said later. Tonight. We would be together. Rose's warning tickled around my brain a little, I knew I was being stupid, but I was tired of pushing him away when I wanted him so badly. So I'd take him, whatever I could have, for as long as I could hang on to him. I knew at some point our arrangement would end and he'd move on. And it would utterly break my heart, because I was crazy in love with him. I kept trying to squash it down and pretend it was just lust and desire, but I was lying to myself. I was completely, totally, madly in love with him. All the more reason for me to run screaming. But it was too late. I'd made my decision to be with him. I just had to hope I could put myself back together again after he was gone and I fell apart. But I wasn't going to waste a second of tonight with him worrying about it.
The presentations began, and I paid some attention. The musical numbers were boring. Between being on the show and everything that had happened afterwards, I'd had absolutely no time to see movies lately, so most of the ones up for awards were a mystery to me. And Edward wasn't in any of them, so I was even less interested. I was much happier focusing on him, the warmth of his arm, the feel of his fingers, the tickle of his breath when he leaned over to whisper to me. Eventually one of the stage managers came to pull him away to go backstage in preparation of his awards presentation. He turned to look at me and I shot him a frown. He leaned in and took my face in his hands, kissing me again, although more gently than at the reception.
"Save my seat for me, beautiful. And don't forget about…later."
I sighed against his mouth, "Trust me, it's hardly left my mind all night."
He shot me his dazzling crooked smile. "That's exactly what I want to hear." He slipped one hand down my neck and let his fingers trail down my throat, over the big sapphire resting in the hollow, and down to the front edge of my dress. He'd been watching his fingers make their descent, but when he hit the edge of my dress he paused and looked up at me through his lashes. Holy shit. The thought of those fingers, slipping lower, without all of these impossible clothes between us… I felt ready to crawl out of my skin with desire.
With a sigh he stood up and followed the stage manager out of the theater. I collapsed back in my seat and tried not to miss him miserably. I wondered if we were as obvious as I felt. Was everyone watching him nearly undress me? Were we on tv doing that? I didn't care. Let them watch. None of it mattered, except me being with him.
The show dragged even slower without him there. I wondered how the others were doing. Were they all wasted yet? I pulled my phone out of my bag and texted Rose.
"Guess where I am?"
After a moment, she responded.
"Saw you on tv! You looked beautiful. Where's loverboy?"
I smiled at her response.
"Backstage. On soon to present."
"You ok? I saw the way he was touching you. Looked intense."
I paused for a long time, trying to formulate my answer, which in and of itself probably tipped her off. Finally I wrote it and hit send.
"I know what I'm doing."
"Okay"
Leave it to Rose. She'd said her piece, issued her warning, and now she was done. She would pass no judgments on what I chose to do next, regardless of what she'd said.
Eventually Edward showed up on stage to present the award. It was disconcerting to see him up there, being "on", performing in a way. Under the lights, with all of his charm on full-throttle, I felt once again how ridiculous it was for me to be with him. He was so beautiful and perfect. Everybody wanted him. He could have anyone. Why me?
Well, you won't be keeping him for long, you know.
Yes, I know.
I couldn't explain why I had him right now, all I could do was enjoy him as long as it lasted. And then he would move on. Because he was Edward Cullen, and there was no way he would stay. He didn't stay for anyone, ever, and he sure as hell wouldn't stay for me.
I was still mulling over my sudden discomfort, staring at my hands in my lap when Edward suddenly slipped into the seat at my side. He was leaning into me, his arm across my shoulders, his lips at my ear, in seconds.
"Miss me?"
I turned to look at him, not quite able to keep the sadness off my face or out of my eyes.
"Yes," I said simply. He narrowed his stunning green eyes and a little crease formed between his eyebrows. He lifted his free hand up and brushed my cheek.
"Baby, what's wrong?"
I shrugged and tried to shake off my sudden dark mood. "Nothing. I was just thinking too much."
He smiled at me and shook his head. "Don't think too hard, Bella. Just be with me."
Well, there you go. He just told me what I already knew. I won't promise you anything, don't ask for anything, just enjoy it.
Well? I did already know that. So that's what I would do.
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A/N:
Whew! You'll get continuing awards show action and a whole lot...ahem...more in the next chapter.
Little extra disclaimers:
Sandwich Planet is a real place, and they make amazing sandwiches, it's just not in Seattle.
And I have no idea if Michael Eisner is boring or not in real life.