Thank you all so so much for reading and reviewing. As per usual all mistakes are mine all characters are not!
Chapter 3
At six thirty on Saturday evening, Tyler had the music playing while he was tinkering with the sound system; occasionally making bizarre cooing noises every time the lights changed and flashed with the music. He left Emmett and I to move the last few pieces of furniture to the edge of the large open plan living area of our apartment.
"Do you even know how many people are coming?" I asked as we dragged the huge corner couch across the floor. "This is all going to be for nothing if all we get is my workmates and some of your gym buddies."
Emmett laughed. "You're talking about Emmett McCarty here, Edward. I might not be able to program a company's IT systems or cook a three-course dinner but there are three things I consider myself good at—sex, fitness, and party promoting. In that order."
"I admire your confidence," I told him and went to grab a few cold beers for the three of us before people started to arrive. "So, how many did you invite?"
"Aside from any chicks we might have told last weekend, I'd say about five or six," he said casually and I looked at him in horror. "Trust me."
"You are joking?" I asked and he shook his head. "Five or six people? Wow, it's going to be pumping. Shit, I hope Jazz, Jake, and Seth don't show up or we're going to be a little squeezed for space."
"Ye of little faith," he said and I laughed. "You can't plug your own party too much or people think you're lame. They'll assume you're desperate for people to show up so they won't want to come. The trick is to not invite them and make them think they need to come because it's going to be unmissable."
"That is so illogical it actually sounds feasible," I said and he nodded.
"So, I brought it up with some chicks from the gym; mentioned to them that they could come but they probably shouldn't tell anyone because we just didn't have the space for many more. Naturally, they'll tell their friends they're going to this really amazing party and promise to sneak them in because they're tight with the guy throwing it. You make sure you invite the hot chicks because hot chicks bring more hot chicks and they in turn attract the guys—male and female balance is key. Then, throw in a few good mates, great music and as much alcohol as you can source and boom you've got yourself one hell of a good night ahead of you." Emmett grinned smugly. "And if that impresses you, I ranked it third of the things I'm good at."
"And I'll happily go to my grave not having any first-hand knowledge of that order being accurate." I grimaced and sank the rest of my beer.
The buzzer rang a little after seven and Jasper arrived along with two other guys from the office. Jasper looked no different than he usually did at work. A pair of faded jeans and a white t-shirt made it seem he was just over for a quick beer, even his long blond hair was just pulled back roughly in a ponytail like it always was. The other two, Eric and Mike, were fresh out of college and I suspected that they were about as comfortable in this scene as I was.
Next to arrive, Jake and Seth, brought with them four cute girls in barely-there clothes which earned them a double thumbs up from Emmett and Tyler. Jacob Black and Seth Clearwater were cousins who had hired Emmett and Tyler not long after they first set up on their own and the rest was history. The five us and Jasper hung out five nights out of seven most weeks. Jake and Seth worked for their fathers, who owned a property development business. They had a huge portfolio of buildings under their belt, including ours. It was Jake and Seth that had set us up with this apartment and then helped me find the place I'd lived with Jessica in for all of five minutes.
"And so it begins," Emmett said to me as we watched the girls set down some beers on the kitchen counter.
"See, they brought their own beer," I pointed out.
"Four chicks as hot as that and you notice they brought their own beer?" Emmett looked at me like I had three heads. "I barely noticed their hair colour, man. Did you see the legs on that one in the pink dress? My eyes didn't even get further north than her ass."
"I think that's the point of the dress," I told him. "They want you to focus on their looks so you don't notice their assholeish personality."
"And tonight, I'm happy to oblige. Somehow I don't see any of them being the future ex-secret asshole." Emmett shrugged. "Come on, let's go talk to them."
"Maybe later," I said, doubting I'd be able to talk to them about anything at all. "I'm going to go and get a beer with Jazz."
MPA
I realised by about eight thirty that Emmett was probably some kind of genius PR guru because our party was heaving. How many people were currently dancing, drinking and having a whale of a time in our apartment I had no idea but it was incredible. Mike had brought with him a bottle of Jack Daniels, which Jasper, Eric and I had helped him to drink. It seemed to have loosened me up immensely and I had been debating whether to go and introduce myself to a cute girl with black curly hair who was dancing and laughing with her friends.
"Hey, I'm Edward," I rehearsed, standing on my own in a quieter part of the kitchen. "I hope you're enjoying the party? Can I get you a beer or something?"
"Something is too vague; she could assume you want sex and think you're a player. Or, she might want sex and then be disappointed when she realises you really do just want a beer. You need to be more specific about what you want and don't offer to get her a beer, you don't want her to think you're a waiter. You need to ask if she wants to have a beer with you."
The voice came from behind me so I spun around in shock but I knew exactly who it was and I couldn't quite believe my ears. "Penis Girl... Bella?"
"The one and only," she said with a giggle. "Small world huh."
"I'll say," I agreed. "What are you doing here?"
The drunken memory I had in my mind was way off. If I'd thought she was cute then I was wrong, she was beyond cute, she was gorgeous. While a lot of the girls here were dressed up like they were at a movie premiere or showing off as much skin as possible Bella just had on a pair of white skinny jeans, a black top and a short leather jacket. Simple yes, but she looked amazing.
"My friend Alice heard about this party that was supposedly going to be epic so we figured we'd crash it and see for ourselves." She shrugged and added, "I wasn't that impressed at first, but then I spotted you over here talking to yourself. I'd say it's looking up a little now."
"It is," I agreed and before I could wimp out, I asked her, "Do you want to grab a beer with me?"
She grinned and nodded, but not before she said, "I was hoping you'd ask me for a beer or something... I'd quite like to have a something with you. So, Edward, tell me. Have you done any penis comparison since our bathroom conversation?"
"That would be a no," I told her with a grin so wide my face actually ached and my stomach did little somersaults hearing her say my name. "I'm quite happy to continue in life totally unaware whether my dick is smaller or larger than the average man in a public restroom."
"Such a shame," she said, shaking her head. "If I was a guy, I'd look."
"And if I was a girl, I'd spend all my time in the showers at the gym checking out the other naked girls. All this conversation proves is that you like guys and I like girls," I said with a shrug. "And if a girl asked me for a beer or something I'd assume she meant a beer or another drink, I wouldn't expect sex."
"Of course you wouldn't," she smirked as she spoke. "But I think you are underestimating how hot you are. Take the girl you were looking at; she's glanced your way at least five times while we've been chatting. Her friends keep looking too, so I guess they must have told her you were looking at her and now she's wondering who I am and why you're talking to me instead of her."
"How do you do that?" I shook my head. "I was going to ask you what you do for a living but I'm sure you must be some sort of psychic."
"I'm perceptive and I pay attention." She smiled. "And she just looked again. Now's your chance, you should go talk to her."
"I think I'll pass," I said. "I was trying to think of something to say to her that wouldn't make me sound like a moron or let her know just how dorky I am; you already know I'm a dork and you make me laugh so I'd rather talk to you."
"And the fact I've told you I think you're hot isn't a factor? Admit it, you just think I'm the easiest option to get laid." She grinned.
"At least now I know you are actually a human and not some mind-reading figment of my imagination," I said and she frowned. "If you really had me all figured out, you'd know that when it comes to getting laid for me there's no such thing as an easy option. I'm awful with girls."
"I'd have to disagree with that," she mused. "You're a lot of fun to talk to. You're quite charming actually, a bit like Hugh Grant in Four Weddings and a Funeral or Notting Hill. Sweet and a little bumbling, but cute and sexy."
"Never seen it," I told her and she shook her head.
"Them, Edward, them. They're two different films. Hugh gets the hot girl in both FYI," she told me. "You should watch them, you know keep the faith."
"I'll be sure to do that." I laughed. "How about you tell me something about yourself? I think I need to catch up. What do you do for a living?"
"I work part time for my friend, Alice, she's a florist. I deal with the customers, make the deliveries and cover for her in the shop. I was a paralegal up until about a year ago, but I... um... needed a change. This works for me, Alice is a great boss, whenever I need some time off, she understands." She seemed to emphasise the word need and then tried to shrug it off like it was insignificant but she couldn't keep her mask quite in place. There was something else she was dealing with but I didn't press her, obviously she didn't want to talk about it.
"You grow up in New York?" I asked but she shook her head. "Where are you from?"
"Washington," she said. "My parents split when I was young and I lived with my father in a place called Forks. The name is about as interesting as it gets and as soon as I was old enough, I moved out here. It's my kind of place, always something going on and no one running to tell the chief of police what his daughter gets up to on a Saturday night."
"Yeah I can't imagine he'd be too pleased to learn you spy on men while they have a piss."
"I'd just tell him it was all part of my screening process." She smirked. "Got to make sure I'm not wasting my time. Nothing wrong with window shopping."
"I thought you said you couldn't see anything. In fact, you definitely implied you couldn't see anything because I assumed you were mocking my penis." I frowned. "Could you see?"
"That would be telling, wouldn't it?" She laughed. "So, what do you do for a living that pays the rent in a place like this? It's not too shabby."
"Two of our friends own properties and they set us up here and you didn't hear this from me, but we don't pay what the other tenants do. Mates rates you could say—they own the building." I laughed as she shook her head. "I'm the head of IT Security for a payments company and the other two have their own Personal Training business so between us we manage."
"Ha," Bella smirked. "I knew you were an IT geek."
"Not even going to try and deny it." I laughed. "I enjoy what I do and the fact the money is great is a bonus."
"I never thought there was anything wrong with it, none of the stuff I said about you last week I meant as an insult to you." She looked at me studiously and added, "I just say what I see and I liked what I saw."
"Never hurts to hear a few home truths," I said and shrugged. "I wasn't insulted but it gave me something else to think about when I wasn't thinking about you."
"Well, look at that. You dropped a line on a girl," she said, a wide smile on her face. "And it wasn't awkward or cringey. I told you that you're better than you think you are."
"Does it still count as a line if it's the truth?" I asked.
"Whatever it is, it's good and what girl wouldn't want to hear that you'd been thinking about her?" She walked over to one of the huge floor-to-ceiling windows and I followed her.
We were quiet for a minute or so, I watched her lean against the window staring at the view of the city. I really liked this girl, even after such a short space of time knowing her. I thought back to the night we'd met and the discussion with the guys about all girls being assholes and wondered if this was still the case or if I'd met an exception.
"Stop staring at me," she hissed and I grinned. "I can see you trying to figure me out."
"Is that a bad thing?" I asked and she rolled her eyes. "What?"
"Don't try too hard," she said quietly. "It's not pretty."
I frowned at her, for a split second the confident, bubbly girl I'd met vanished and someone totally vulnerable was standing in front of me. Then as fast as that Bella had appeared the one I'd met first re-emerged and she spun around to face me, smiling widely.
"Sorry, this is a great party in an amazing apartment with loads of beer and I'm being an absolute fun-sponge in the company of the best-looking guy here. Do you have anything stronger than beer on offer?" She grabbed my hand when I nodded and pulled me back over to the makeshift bar we'd set up.
Once I allowed myself to focus on something else besides Bella, I realised the party was even more bustling than half an hour earlier. Maybe a little too bustling and loud—in fact had it not been for Bella's company I'd probably have slinked off to my bedroom to escape. I knew no one except my roommates, Jake and Seth, and my work colleagues. Mike and Eric still looked like lost sheep standing in a corner with a beer in their hands, but Jasper had the attention of a blond girl and judging by the way she was giggling and touching his shoulder he was clearly saying something funny.
Or she's pretending to find him funny. Asshole behaviour example one hundred million and one!
Our beer and tequila reserves were seriously depleted so I grabbed a couple of beers and what was left of a bottle of tequila. "We're nearly out," I told her as I handed her a beer. "And there's no paper cups left so we have to slum it and drink from the bottle. Just try not to think about anyone else drinking from it. In fact, I think we have some antibacterial wipes in the kitchen." The thought of who might have taken a drink before us made me grimace and Bella laughed.
"Here he is everybody, Mr. Health and Safety. It'll be fine, alcohol is practically antibacterial anyway," she said and held her hand out for the bottle. "I'll go first, I'm not afraid."
"Mocking me again," I teased and ignored her outstretched hand. "It's like the bathroom scenario all over again." I shook my head in mock disgust and took a swig then held it out to Bella.
She took it off me but didn't drink any. "I was disappointed in the bathroom," she said and stepped close so our bodies were touching. "You were seriously hot and we were alone. Who knows what could have happened? Well, I know what could have happened, I had a picture-perfect fantasy in my head. Then I realised just how drunk you were, so I decided I'd have to make do with talking to you."
I swallowed thickly as she stared intensely at me and then took a drink from the Tequila. Just like every other time I'd spoken to her I could feel it-it was unmistakable the tension between us. I'd never experienced that before and honestly it was exhilarating.
"Then when we talked, I realised not only were you really fucking hot, you were really sweet and funny too. I'm yet to find anything about you I don't like which leads me to suspect you're not actually real."
"Like imaginary not real or like I'm some sort of robot?" I asked.
"Imaginary is the winning option right now. It's as though I've had some sort of mental breakdown and created you as a distraction." She stepped back and had another drink from the bottle.
"Well, I thought the same." I laughed. "It was almost like you apparated into the bathroom and then again out on the street."
"Did you just make a reference to Harry Potter?" she asked, her eyes wide.
"Maybe," I admitted and grimaced. "You will learn there are depths to my dorkiness that you can't comprehend."
"I fucking love Harry Potter," she said excitedly. "The books, the movies, the spin offs. All of it. I'd sell my kidneys to fly to England and go to Harry Potter Studios. "
"Well, when you've found a black-market buyer for your organs let me know and I'll come with you. The guys won't even discuss coming with me so I was beginning to think the only way I'd get there was to be the guy in his twenties who vacations with his mom." I pulled a face and she laughed.
I felt it, the urge to kiss her and she looked as intense I felt, but I didn't want to try something if she wasn't thinking the same. Even more awkward than making the first move to kiss someone would have been having her then reject me. In fact, I'd probably never get over it, I'd be replaying it over and over for the rest of my life.
Here you go again. You haven't even tried to kiss her and you're already worrying about the rejection replays.
"Say what you're thinking," she said. "Don't worry about stuff as much."
"You're doing it again," I grumbled.
"Doing what?" she asked, amused.
"Reading me and getting it spot on." I saw her laugh and added, "It's terrifying."
"I can see the cogs whirling around furiously and you're scowling." She reached up and gently pressed her fingers on my forehead as if she was smoothing away the furrow in my brows. "Don't scowl, you're too cute to look pissy."
Her fingertips were like hot pokers on my skin and it tingled when she moved them away.
"Scowl banished," I said softly. "And I'm working on the whole worrying less thing... I expect to be free of all my worries some time in 2065."
"Well, I'd like to think that I'd have gotten used to it by then," she said with a wink and outwardly I laughed but inwardly a thousand more thoughts and worries started flooding my head.
Gotten used to it by then?
Is she saying we'll still be friends in forty years or we'll be a couple in forty years?
Neither, fucks sake she's joking.
Or is she?
What if she isn't joking?
What if she's serious?
Do I want her to be joking or do I want her to be serious?
Christ, of course she's joking. Get a grip, idiot!
Am I the most pathetic melt in the world ever? A girl can't even have a joke with me without me acting like this.
I wasn't sure if I managed to hide my wild thought train or if Bella noticed but just chose to ignore it, either way I was grateful. If she realised where my mind went from one flippant comment, I dare say she would most definitely not be in my life in forty years.
"You are Penis Girl." Emmett appeared beside me and grinned, a little creepily if I had to be honest, at Bella. "How great is this guy?"
"I am Penis Girl and he's not too bad at all is he?" She laughed. "I guess you're one of the roommates with a bizarre interest in other people's fitness?"
"Emmett McCarty Personal Trainer and Party Planner extraordinaire. You two kids having fun?" He put one arm around me and said loudly enough for Bella to hear, "I like her already. Even if she did encourage you to look at my dick in the bathroom."
"Hey, it wasn't you specifically he was supposed to look at," she said to him. "I merely pointed out that the mens room held a great opportunity to make him feel like a God. At no point in our conversation did I tell him to stare at his friend's junk. Plus, I distinctly remember telling him not to get caught staring so he wouldn't get his pretty face messed up." She winked at me.
"Can I just point out that I did not look at Emmett's, or anyone else's dick for that matter." I grimaced and added, "The way you put it Em, made it seem like you caught me spying on you or something."
"Whatever, but it's made me cautious about being anywhere near you unclothed." He shrugged and I looked at him with even more exasperation.
"Not that we do hang out together unclothed," I hissed and Bella giggled. "Jeez, Em. Think before you speak."
"Well, I wouldn't blame you for wanting to look... I think I have quite a beautiful pen-"
"Shut up, Em. Please I'm begging you." I put my face in my hands and shook my head.
"You're just jealous because I don't want to look at yours." He laughed loudly.
"I can't fault you there," Bella said absently. "From what I saw that night, you might be feeling a little insecure if you did ever sneak a peek."
"You're a firecracker," Emmett said to her, thoroughly amused. "And you clearly have issues with your eyesight if you think my junk is smaller than his junk."
"What is it with guys and their dicks?" Bella asked. "If you said my boobs were smaller than another girls' I wouldn't be offended. Honestly, I'd say the majority of the world's boob population is bigger than mine."
"Hey, don't ballpark me," I argued with a laugh. "I don't care if Em's dick is bigger than mine. Hence my lack of interest in mens room penis comparisons."
"They're not that small," Emmett mused, staring right at Bella's chest.
"Emmett, quit staring," I hissed and glanced at Bella who was just laughing, seemingly not offended at all.
"She brought it up," he said unapologetically. "I like you Penis Girl. I approve of your interest in my best friend. You'll eat him alive and he will have absolutely no idea how to handle you, but I can't wait to witness it all. I love this guy, he's one in a million."
"Fucks sake, Emmett," I grumbled.
"Are you sure you don't want to date him?" Bella smirked. "You'd make a cute couple."
"Fuck yes we would," Emmett shouted. "But I like boobs—big or small. And Eddie most definitely does not have boobs. He's got a great body... I take credit for that."
"And time for you to go and talk to someone else," I said. "We're crossing a very weird line here, Emmett."
"Do you have a lock on your bedroom door?" Bella asked and I shook my head. "Might be time to reconsider that. You might find yourself with a late-night visitor by the boobless version of our species."
"That's a terrifying thought." I grimaced.
"We need to leave right now!" A tiny, dark-haired girl appeared beside Bella, standing with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot and she looked seriously unimpressed. "Guess who I've just seen?"
"This is my friend and employer, Alice," Bella gestured to the angry-looking girl. "This is Edward and his... um... admirer, Emmett. They are the guys throwing the party."
"Nice to meet you," I said to her but just got a curt nod of her head in response.
"I'm not into dudes," Emmett said. "I like boobs."
"Good for you," Alice said sharply and then turned to Bella again. "Can we leave? He's here."
"Who's he?" Bella asked. "I see a lot of he's."
"I've never met anyone like you, you're so beautiful, I've never dared ask a girl this before but do you want to come back to my place?" Alice put on a southern accent and I groaned, I knew instantly who she meant. "I'll call you, baby girl, last night was the best night of my life."
"Oh," Bella said.
"Oh," Emmett and I said at the same time and the girls looked at us in confusion.
"I know why she's saying 'oh' but why are you two saying 'oh'?" Alice asked.
"We may have heard that line before," I said to her. "On several occasions."
"You know the asshole I'm talking about?" she asked. "Isn't it amazing that the world is so fucking small that in a city of eight million you bump into the one asshole you'd hoped had suffocated on his own bullshit a long time ago. It's funny, because when I want the world to be so small that I can bump into Jason Momoa or Idris Elba it seems to quadruple in size."
"Alice does not ordinarily have anger issues," Bella said. "She's just anti-assholes and this asshole in particular."
"That would be Jasper," I said and Alice's expression darkened even more. She was actually quite terrifying. "He's one of our best mates and he works with me."
"World getting smaller and smaller by the minute," Alice growled and looked at Bella. "Of all the guys you had to like enough to talk about non-stop all week, it had to be the guy who's BFF is the one guy I never wanted to see again."
I tried not to feel to pleased with the fact that Bella had been talking about me all week. If I let myself feel too happy about it, I'd smile. If I smiled, the angry friend might think I was smiling at her and kill me.
"You're terrifying," Emmett said to her. "I'm a personal trainer I could help you express the anger and rage through exercise."
"Can I throw dumbbells at the asshole's head?" Alice asked and Emmett shook his head. "Then I'll pass."
"Well, if you ever change your mind just get your BFF to ask my BFF and I'm there for you sister." Emmett slapped me on the back and added, "I'm going to go and talk to some chicks without anger issues. Nice to meet you, Penis Girl, not so much you though, Angry Chick, you scare me infinitely."
"Please can we leave before he sees me?" Alice begged and I saw Bella's face fall.
"Sure," she said and the disappointment in her voice was obvious, even to me. She turned to me and added, "Sorry, I have to go."
"It's probably for the best," I told her. "I don't want to spend all night with forensic teams and police in the apartment after she kills my friend."
"It was great seeing you again," she said. "Kinda hoped I'd see a bit more of you but maybe next time."
"Do you want to grab a coffee tomorrow?" I asked quickly, surprising myself with how easy it was to ask her. "Just the two of us. No friends with rage issues or roommates who may or may not have a weird crushes on their oldest friend."
"I... um... tomorrow? Not sure I can-" Bella started to say no and Alice cut her off.
"She wants to," she said to me.
"Alice, I don't think I can. Tomorrow is probably going to be... difficult," Bella said quietly.
"I'll sort it, don't worry." Alice dismissed her. "Now just swap numbers so we can get out of here."
"So. I guess I'm calling you tomorrow," Bella said to me.
"Yeah, I wouldn't risk angering her anymore by saying no," I joked. "But I'm glad you agreed, under duress or otherwise. I'm looking forward to it already.
"I'm looking forward to it too" she said. "Bye, Edward."
And with a quick kiss on my cheek, exactly like the first night we met, she was gone.
Thanks again for reading! I'm on with the next chapter and all being well I'll have it done in time to post next weeked. Stay safe and well!