She Rocks My World
80's Rocker, Edward Cullen, is the frontman for the enormously popular band, Cullen.
He's every woman's dream; handsome, wealthy, and talented, but the elusive rocker has something to hide until an overwhelmingly gifted, doe-eyed beauty steals his heart at first sight and sound.
This is Beta'd by my queen, Fran. And should I do some tweaking after the fact … mistakes are ALL mine.
A/N: A reminder.
My story, 'Rescue Ink,' has been nominated for 'Your Best Top Ten Completed Fics ~ October 2017'. So, if you like the story and want to support me (as the writer) and Fran (as the beta), please vote once a day until November 30. The site is: TwiFanfictionRecs.
Thank you, Everyone.
STORY REC: 'Only the Beginning' by Sondo :/ / s/ 12732842/1/ Only-the-Beginning
"She wants to rant and scream hurtful profanities at this life invader, while the other half of her wants to pull him on top of her and scream about something else entirely." AU, E/B, OOC
STORY REC: 'Love That Dirty Water' by princess0789 : s/12736482/1/Love-That-Dirty-Water
Edward is the new pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in 2013. He hears the voice of an angel as she sings the National Anthem. He is immediately smitten. He asks the manager to find out who she is so he can find out more about her. Bella is a vocal student at Berklee. How will she balance college and being the girlfriend of a major-league baseball player?
Chapter Six: The Set Up
BPOV
I see the exhaustion on his face, and I know he's in pain. Edward tries to be slick about his movements, but I read him like a book with no missed pages. Using his peripheral vision, he watches me watch him. I pretend to busy myself with my notes hoping to steer him astray, but he knows I know. It's as though he makes a decision and nods.
I believe I have a list of twelve people, but I want to go through my notes to make sure I haven't missed something.
We move upstairs to the kitchen. As I prepare tea, Edward turns sheet white and runs for the half-bath just making it to the sink. I'm a few seconds behind him. Feeling helpless, I run my palms over his back in a circular motion, trying to calm him.
He says something about it being unattractive, and I order him to sit. I brace him by standing between his legs holding him close whispering, 'I have you.'
Edward holds me close and tight with his head buried in my chest and his arms around me. His warm breath fans over me giving me chills. Scratching his nape and working up my fingertips to his temples, I feel him relax. "Just breathe slowly."
Ali calls for us, and we break apart.
He remains in the bathroom, as I exit and continue brewing the tea.
Ali and Jasper enter the room and sit at the island.
She looks around, "Where did Edward go?"
I sigh. "He's not feeling very well."
Edward exits the bathroom. "I have a headache."
Ali admonishes, "You did too much … again. We can run Bella home and come back."
'No, I'd like it if Bella stayed. I have a few things I want to go over while the ideas are fresh in my head or I'll forget."
"But you won't be able to take her home," Jazz adds.
"Bella, if you like, you could spend the night in one of my guest rooms."
Ali says, "Yeah, use the one next to Edward's. I have clothes there you can use."
I nod. "Okay."
"Are you sure you're all right?"
He reassures her. "It's a headache. I'll take a drink and get some sleep."
"Well, okay, we're going to go. What time tomorrow?"
"Late afternoon to early evening. We won't press too much," Edward says giving Ali a pleading look.
Ali warns, "Damn right, or I'll tell Daddy."
Edward rolls his eyes. "What, are you three?"
She points her finger at him. "No overdoing." She turns to me. "I trust you to put him to bed after we leave."
"Really?" I deadpan.
Edward drinks one of his bottles, and I finish off my tea. He seems better after we discuss the twelve possible musicians.
"Of all of them, who stood out to you?" he asks.
"I liked Ria. Her voice was a good blend, she enunciated every word, and her stage presence was confident, not cocky."
"I got the same thing. She stood out but didn't overshadow you. She's a great backup and plays a mean bass."
I thumb through my notes. "She's a year older and is married. Her husband is a drummer, and he auditioned, too."
"Was that the guy with the long dark hair?"
"Yes. Garrett said you'd like him because he was light on his cymbals."
I laugh. "That's my pet peeve with Garrett. He gets cymbal happy."
"I didn't like the other drummer. His girlfriend was too involved. She kept telling him what to do." I find my notes. "Yeah, Victoria. She nagged James to twirl his sticks, and he told her to shut up. He was in five bands this year alone. I can bet it had to do with her."
"Funny thing, I didn't ask for any drummers. I just wanted to concentrate on guitarists."
"But I like Ria's husband. I didn't get his first name, but their last is Belguim."
"Okay, they'll be here this afternoon. So, who else?"
I look through the pages of notes and stop. "Yeah, I liked this guy, Danny Newman. He was mild in his temperament, but as soon as he played, he let loose. His resume says he also plays the saxophone and accordion. His mother made him play for his Bar Mitzvah."
Edward chuckles. "I like that he has a sense of humor."
I stare at Edward. He has the nicest smile with crinkly eyes.
"He shared the mic easily. I liked that. He's a team player."
"And I liked this girl, Bitsy. She reminded me of Ali only with blonde hair. She plays the rhythm guitar, piano, and harp."
Edward raises his eyebrows. "That's a plus."
"Yeah, I can hear some changes in my music to accommodate the harp sound. It could be very different, maybe haunting."
"I like that."
"Then, there was Peter." I giggle.
Edward frowns. "What?"
"Ali kept pinching me because he was so tall and good looking."
He clears his throat. "Did you think he was good looking?"
I smile. "Yes." I blush. "But not as handsome as you."
He puts his head down and smiles. "Oh, by the way, the night you watched over me, I woke up and you were restless. Did you know you talk in your sleep?"
"Dear God, what did I say?" I blush again.
"I just asked you what you were dreaming about and you answered me, which was a surprise. You said we were performing on stage and I challenged you to play against all the band members. The crowd cheered you on. Then, I asked if you won. And you said you thought we all did. Then you crawled under the covers."
"That's wild."
"It gave me a great idea to showcase your talent. It could be fun."
"Yeah, I'm game."
He clears his throat. "Okay, so tomorrow I'd like to work with these twelve in groups, interchange them to see what combination fits the best for you. We'll do cover songs and then one of yours for them to learn. Ali can call them in the morning to get everyone here at the same time."
"I like that idea better than in separate groups. This will move faster, too."
"I don't care about the time. What I want to see is the fit. And what we think is good, what may not be. So, we'll give all of them a chance to perform with you."
I sigh. "Edward?"
"Yeah?'
"About what's going on with you ..." I hesitate. "I think."
He interrupts, "Bella, you have a right to know, and I promise tomorrow after we finish the auditions, we'll talk. Right now, I really need to sleep."
I nod. "Okay."
"Let me show you to the guest room and set you up." He smiles and takes my hand.
In silence, we walk up the stairs and down a hallway. He stops. "My room is right next door should you need anything. There are clothes in the closet and dresser, toiletries and new toothbrushes in the ensuite, and extra blankets in the linen closet. I think Ali has a hair dryer in the cabinet under the sink."
"Thank you."
"Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning." He squeezes my hand.
"You, too."
We watch one another as he walks into his room. I give him a small wave.
As I close the door, I lean my back against it, close my eyes and sigh.
The room is large with a massive, queen-size, four-post bed in dark wood. The posts are thick and carved with leaf is a step to climb up onto the mattress. Who sleeps with a bed this high?
I smile.
Ali.
She loves gold. The bedspread is a thick, gold brocade with gold and white satin pillows. When I turn the bed down and crawl to test the mattress, I see the alarm clock on the nightstand and set it for seven. Then, I roll around the bed. Oh, it's so comfortable that I rock myself to sleep in seconds.
*SRMW*
I'm glad I set the alarm on the bedside clock. I awoke with a start from the confusion of my whereabouts. Getting my thoughts together, I jump out of bed, quickly shower and find clothes in the closet and drawers. I don't normally wear fitted clothing and Ali and I wear the same size, but her shirt accentuates my every curve, and it's a bit low-cut.
There is a full-length mirror on the door, and I glare at my breasts. They do look good. Then again, the jeans are just as tight. Needless to say, I feel a bit exposed, but I smile. I look sexy even with wet hair in a messy bun.
I feel the need for a little eyeliner and mascara to take the edge of flooking plain.
With a kick in my step, I open the door and head for the kitchen. I don't know if Edward is up, but he'll eat a good breakfast.
As I prepare scrambled eggs in one pan, I cook a steak in the broiler. The teapot whistles and I take it from the burner. I'm so busy with brewing the tea, I don't hear Edward behind me.
He whispers in my ear, "Is that your infamous steak I smell?"
I startle and nearly drop the pot. Edward grabs for me and his arms enclose around me, and his hands burn into my sides through the fabric.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to catch you off guard," he apologizes.
I half giggle and scream, "I'm going to put a bell around your neck."
He smirks. "You look good in Ali's clothes."
"Thank you, I think." I straighten the top by pulling it down over my hips, but the neckline moves down, too, exposing more of my skin.
Edward's eyes widen, he stares and then, looks away. "Aw, I just spoke to her . She's going to call the twelve and arrange for them to be here by noon."
"Isn't that a little early? It takes four hours to get here from Seattle."
"A musician will run for a gig like this. Besides, all of them took rooms nearby."
After we eat and clean up, I go to the guest room to brush my teeth and dry my hair.
I find Edward in the engineering room already guzzling a drink. I say nothing. He did promise to talk later.
I sit down and look out through the glass. Edward has the drum set in the middle with three mic stands in the front.
"I thought I'd set things up for four. If we do choose a fifth musician, we'll work out a different setup. What do you think?"
"Sounds good."
"You're very agreeable, ."
"When it's right, it's right, Mr. Cullen."
We laugh.
"Garrett and Em won't be here. Garrett had to run Kate to work, and Emmett wanted to spend some time in Port Angeles.
"I'm sure Rosalie doesn't mind."
"Emmett doesn't like to say 'no' to anyone."
Ali walks into the room holding a pastry box. "Hola, mi familia. Te traigo dulces." She holds up the treats.
Edward reaches for it, and I shout, "Don't take it."
Silence.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout like that."
Ali questions, "You okay?"
"Yeah, can I talk to you?"
"Sure. Let's go into the lounge."
I stare at Edward and whisper, "Don't eat anything sweet or doughy."
He nods slowly. "Why not?"
"It could be causing your problem."
With understanding, he doesn't take a pasty.
Ali and I sit on one of the sofas.
"I'm sorry for shouting that way."
"It all right. Are you nervous about today?"
"No. I'm fine about the auditions. It's Edward."
She frowns. "What about Edward?"
"Look, Ali, I know there's something wrong. He knows I know and he plans to talk with me after the session. I'm not asking you to tell me anything, just know he needs to stay away from pastries. Once I talk with Edward, I'll explain to you."
"Sure, that's fine. But it isn't serious. And how do you know?"
"It can be serious if not treated properly, but it's not deadly."
"Did you minor in medicine?"
"No, just take my word that I know.."
She hugs me. "I trust you, Bella. So whatever you say, I believe you."
"Thanks."
We spend the rest of the afternoon jamming with the twelve.
Jasper makes a joke about the chosen twelve. Ali throws in about a Judas. And the last round before we break is the 'Last Supper!'
That Peter guy does some flirting and I can see Edward is not happy with his behavior.
I finally go into the studio and play with Ria, her husband, I whose name I still don't know, Danny, and Bitsy. We perform the last part of the song, and Edward surprises me.
Time After Time
Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick,
And think of you
Caught up in circles confusion-
Is nothing new
Flashback - warm nights-
Almost left behind
Suitcases of memories,
Time after -
Sometimes you picture me-
I'm walking too far ahead
You're calling to me, I can't hear
What you've said
Then you say-go slow-
I fall behind-
The second hand unwinds
Edward rushes in and harmonizes with Bitsy and me with his hands on my cheeks.
If you're lost you can look-and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you..I'll be waiting
Time after time
You said go slow-
I fall behind
The second hand unwinds-
If you're lost you can't look-and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you..I'll be waiting
Time after time...
Time after time...
Time after time...
Time after time…
I stare at him.
"This is what I want to hear. The hurt. The loss."
The room is silent.
Edward looks around. "That was great. We'll call you as soon as we have a decision. Thank you for coming, everyone. Ali has an envelope for each of you on the way out. And all of you signed the NDAs so, please, abide by the silence order."
I hug Bitsy and Ria as the rest exit the studio.
I ask Edward, "What was in the envelopes?"
"A check. Look, I know what it's like to start out. Whether they get picked or not, they got paid for traveling and auditioning."
"That was nice of you."
He shrugs it off.
"Ali called our parents and they're on the way. Whatever I say to you, I want them to hear, but I also want them to hear what you have to say."
"Okay."
A/N: Are we ready for the 'talk'?
Hola, mi familia. Te traigo dulces: Hello, my family. I bring sweets.
For a nice guest reader:
She makes tea and he gets sick... um, is he pregnant? Kidding. I have no idea, I mean I know tea is pretty gross. But I don't think that is Edward's issue. I could use her diet, man I eat like Edward, poorly. Yeah I gave up fast food hamburger ages ago, but still go out to restaurant more often then I'd like to admit. And meals I cook, are not always the healthiest. Is there a name for the diet she is cooking?
Bella is speculating on two conditions… so she is safely going with a high protein diet.
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