Disclaimer: I do not own, only play. These are Stephanie Meyer's characters.
"So are you guys dating?"
"No."
"It sort of looks like you're dating."
"We're just hanging out."
"And having sex."
"Yes. And having sex. And hanging out."
"Oh yeah, those coffee shop visits are real relationship builders."
"You're sarcasm isn't relevant because we aren't looking for relationship builders."
"Then what are you guys doing?"
"We're hanging out." Bella finally shot her friend one last look before returning to her laptop which has dimmed out because of the lack of activity on it. Bella was supposed to be doing a discussion post but got caught up on Rose's 21 Questions she liked to play any time Bella had work to do.
It had to have been an underlying reason as to why they never roomed together. Bella would never get any work done. How Rose still managed to keep a 3.84 GPA, Bella would never know. But her patience had been running low with her lately and she wasn't feeling up to sharing everything about her and Edward.
There was nothing to hide. But she could feel Rose's motives behind her questions and Bella just didn't want to deal with it today. Or tomorrow. Or any other day.
And because Bella didn't rag on Rosalie about whether or not she should call Emmett or Leah or whoever, she expected the same sort of courtesy from her.
Rosalie finally gave up, huffing a little as she crossed her arms and legs out in front of her. As she sat on the floor, beneath Bella's desk, she had one of her text books lying on her lap. The pages went unread as the blonde haired girl was too distracted.
"So when Spring Break comes up in a week, are you going to stay with Edward or go back home?"
Bella turned around instantly, sporting another glare. "Do I have to send you out of my room?"
In a silent response, Rose slammed her book shut and got up from the floor. Her hair swung violently behind her as she tucked the book under her armpit and headed to the door.
"Fine. I'll leave."
Bella wasn't exactly sure if that was the typical reaction from Rose as Bella had never meant any harm. Even when raising their voices at one another, it was always more on the sarcastic side than anything else. And even though Bella kind of wanted Rose to leave the room, she didn't really want her friend to leave the room. She didn't want to make her feel bad.
However, maybe there was more going on with Rose than she let on. Because one thing Bella knew about her friend and that was if something was bothering Rose, you didn't know about it. You didn't hear about it.
Her mother could have died (God forbid) and you wouldn't know a thing until suddenly you're being invited to a funeral. Because Rose was good at hiding.
But maybe she was slipping. And Bella couldn't tell.
In truth though, Bella hadn't really known how to answer Rosalie's questions because she hadn't really known herself. And it was the very fact that they were just 'hanging out' that made things so vague.
Relationship? Bella wasn't sure she had one with Edward.
But he invited her out to fancy events. Well, one event.
And they always talked over food and drinks and she's had sleepovers at his house; yet, she didn't have a clue as to what to perceive the relationship as.
It also made it hard for Bella to really decide because of the miniature fight they both had on the double date about a week ago. Everything Edward had said that night just really rubbed her the wrong way. It had been under her skin ever since.
She didn't feel it was smart to bring it up again but she felt that if she kept thinking about it, because it bothered her, it was worth bringing up again. But maybe later.
Bella would decide later.
Since spring was right around the corner, it was easier for Edward to get away without a suit jacket every time he stepped outside. And even now, his jacket had been discarded, folded on the back of his desk chair, as him and Jasper made a short trip to the hot dog vender down the block.
Edward quickly paid the man and took the dogs in his hands; handing one over to Jasper. He smothered it in mustard while Edward ate his plain.
"I don't think I'm going to get an extension on that piece; I can't get it done before Sunday."
"Did you talk to Garrett about it?" Edward grabbed for a couple of napkins.
Jasper shook his head. "No; I'd be in there for hours. You know how he is."
Edward pursed his lips; he knew exactly how Garrett could be. "He was my boss for 6 six years. I know how he is."
The two men continued to eat their hot dogs on the way back to the office. This was custom of them to do so; they had been going to the same vender for as long as they could remember, but in the winter, it's not there. Now, since the weather had been inching higher, the vender finally came back. And so did their business.
Edward finished his and threw the wrapper away in a street garbage can, as well as Jasper's. They sported the same neutral color tones in suit pants and shirts; ties loosened.
Jasper looked over at his co-worker and noticed he had been a bit on edge lately. Work was stressful; Jasper Whitlock of all people had known that. He had been working since 14 as a newspaper boy and then went onto doing hard laboring jobs up until college. Working for the Sun-Times paper was his first suit-and-tie job. The hardened callouses on his hands could prove that.
But for his friend, he had always seen Edward handle things under pressure. And he did it well. Lately, however, his work had been sloppy. Forgetting files, leaving things behind in meetings, and even when it came down to his own writing; the flaws and shallow mistakes of a beginner writer were visibly appearing all of a sudden.
Now Jasper didn't ever critique Edward on his work but because of his actual job description, it was Jasper that dealt with all the articles first hand, choosing which were laid out on Sunday and which weren't. And Edward's work had been careless.
Looking at his friend now, Jasper rubbed the back of his neck, seeing how to approach the situation. He delved into it casually, figuring this method to be best.
"How's everything going?"
Edward looked over at him. "Fine. You?"
"Oh, I'm fine."
"Why ask?"
Jasper's noncommittal shrug was a bit on the heavy side. "Nothing. You just seem… stressed is all."
"Oh." Edward left his mouth on an 'O' shaped form. "No, I mean, I'm fine. Just having one of those weeks, I guess."
"Still seeing that girl?" It was the first time Jasper ever brought her up. There had been no reason to in the past; Edward never really talked about her that much so Jasper didn't feel it was serious. But then and again he would catch slipped conversations where her name was mentioned or it was Edward on the phone for his whole lunch break with her; so Jasper figured that they still were seeing each other.
"Yeah," Edward replied indolently.
"How's that going?"
"Good." His reply was sincere.
The conversation was going exactly how Jasper expected and what he had expected was nothing from Edward's end. One worded responses weren't uncommon coming from Edward but Jasper also knew that if a guy really liked a girl, she would be all he talked about. And even with Edward, he thought maybe he would share.
They all knew Emmett never stopped talking about Rosalie. But it seemed the whole office—no, the whole building—knew she was a lesbian, except him. But he talked about her anyway.
Edward didn't talk about Bella.
"I only met her a couple of times; what she like?" Jasper asked curiously.
Edward and Jasper approached their building and he held the door open for Jasper as they both walked inside, nodding politely to the receptionist behind the counter.
"She's really nice. Smart. Funny," Edward laughed lightly, hitting the elevator button.
Jasper nodded, waiting for him to continue. He didn't.
"So, are you guys dating or…"
"We're taking it slow," he answered sensibly, looking over at Jasper for reassurance.
"Sleeping with each other for over a month is taking it slow?"
Edward peered over at him through the slits of his eyes, trying to figure out what his friend was getting at. Jasper wasn't being intrusive, but everyone seemed to be asking him the same question lately. He had wondered why all of a sudden his relationship was the main topic of the day for everyone. Money, stocks, loans—fine; his advice was more than adequate to be on display for people to pick at but his personal relationships? No; Edward Cullen was still a private kind of guy.
He sighed heavily and started tightening his tie as both men stepped on the elevator. Jasper followed suit, poking around at his maroon and black tie.
"Please, you and Maria almost got married after three months of seeing each other."
"We never claimed to have been taking it slow!" Jasper rebutled.
"Whatever, Jaz." Once they arrived at their floor, Edward stepped out.
"And she's not putting a damper on my work, if that's what this whole thing was about," he added as he walked off.
Being left behind in the elevator, Jasper watched his friend walk off to his office. He rubbed the back of his neck again and let out a sigh he thought he was holding in since the moment he greeted Edward that morning.
Beads of water fell on them, hot water dowsing their bodies and creating steam in the bathroom. Peppered kisses were being distributed all along Edward's chest as Bella traveled down to his stomach and hips.
As she knelt lower, she grabbed him by the groin and enveloped him in her mouth, watching him groan under the shower head. Her nails dragged along his backside, catching him off guard but making the pleasure feel all that more euphoric.
Shamefully, he was finished before he would have liked to. But before she went up to kiss him on the mouth, Edward stopped her.
"What are we?"
Bella wiped her face from the water and tilted her head. "We're showering. And kissing," she said, grabbing him by the back of the neck to taste him. Her tongue rolled around in his mouth, wanting him to kiss her back the way he usually did; hot and fierce.
He pulled back and laughed. "Obviously. I mean, what are we doing? What is this?" he motioned to the two of them.
She looked puzzled until she understood and took a tiny step back in the tub.
"I don't know. We're having fun, right?"
Edward didn't really respond to that.
"You're having fun, aren't you?" All of a sudden, Bella seemed uncertain. Maybe even a little insecure.
"Yeah, of course I am," he reassured her, "I'm just wondering if this is… us dating or…"
Bella wiped her mouth gently. "I don't know. It's whatever you want it to be."
"That's not a very solid answer."
"Well, what are you looking for, Edward?"
"Am I your boyfriend?" he asked plainly, "Or rather, are you my girlfriend?"
Bella falsely smiled, awkwardly shutting her front to him. "You make this sound so middle school."
"I don't care if it sounds middle school; there really seems no other way to ask you about it."
"Can't you just fuck me and we'll talk about it afterwards?" Her tone became pleading and she grabbed onto him by the shoulders, pressing herself against him. Looking closely, her waterproof mascara was now starting to smudge and cloud her eyes, her dark roots starting to show underneath her lavender coloring.
"Bella, I don't know why you're being so resilient to this?"
"Look, I'm just not good at being someone's girlfriend."
"You're doing a good job now."
"That's because I'm not doing it as your girlfriend."
He made a face. "Well, what would you be doing differently if you were all of a sudden to become my girlfriend?"
She didn't have time to answer.
"Just do what you're doing now," he added.
"Why are you so persistent about this?" The water was starting to run cold; she could feel it down her spine, chilling her fingers and toes.
"Because I want to know what to address you as to my friends and family. And apparently 'girl I've been seeing for a month and a half who I like but we're taking it slow' is too long of a label."
The flustered girl pursed her lips in pursuit of saying something sarcastic or bold but in the end, she let it go. She wasn't going to fight for something she wasn't sure of the motive or cause behind it. Because she really did believe she wasn't good at the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing, but also, it may have seemed that Edward didn't care.
Because if they could go on how they were right now, even with the labels, Bella assumed things would turn out alright.
"Okay."
"Okay what?"
She rubbed the water out of her face once more.
"Okay, I'm sorry."
"Sorry for making me beat an answer out of you?" he laughed.
She didn't.
"Edward, would you please just fuck me now?"
His mouth was hot on hers and they stayed in the shower until the water ran completely cold.
Later on, Rose Hale received a text message while she was at the library printing out some forms.
He's my boyfriend. The text read, from the girl who Rose had recently been avoiding up until now.
She grimaced at her phone until it became a frown, while texting back.
Great. But I think Emmett thinks he's mine.
Thanks for the reviews!
Keep checking my profile because I will be posting pictures soon; I have a couple of my own drawings of Bella's tattoos that I thought I'd share.
