Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.
Bella's POV
I opened my eyes, a bitter taste in my mouth, my head pounding. I could feel a pair of strong arms holding me and at first I didn't realize whose they were. I didn't want to move so I snuggled into the warm arms. They were comfortable, and when their skin touched mine it sent sparks of electricity up and down my body. Then the previous night came flooding back to me. I shot up, which caused the room to spin and I groaned.
"Bella?" Edward sighed quietly. He was still half asleep.
"Edward," I groaned. My voice was raspy and sore. "I feel awful."
"That would be your first hangover," Edward said with a quiet chuckle. "I know it's awful." He sat up with me. I leaned into him and he rubbed my arm comfortingly. I looked down and saw I was in a pair of unfamiliar pajamas, silky shorts and a matching tank top, no doubt something of Alice's. I didn't remember changing so she must have had to change me. Oh man, what if Edward changed my clothes?! I groaned again.
"What's wrong?" he murmured.
"Who changed me?" I asked. He laughed again.
"Alice." I sighed in relief.
"I'm thirsty," I realized suddenly. My mouth and throat were dry as a bone and I desperately wanted water. Edward stood up. And as I was about to get up with him, a flash of the previous night popped into my head.
I was lying in Edward's bed and he was holding me cautiously. I leaned up and kissed him, softly. Then I snuggled into his arms and fell asleep. I gasped out loud.
"What is it Bella?" Edward asked, hearing my gasp. He sat down on the bed next to me and wrapped an arm around me. I noticed how comfortable I was with Edward's touch. It had been weeks before I even let Jacob kiss me.
"Did we…I mean did I…kiss you?" I whispered. Edward was no longer laughing. He looked wary and hesitant.
"Well…you were drunk…I knew you didn't mean anything by it," he said quickly.
"I'm so sorry," I said, hanging my head. I felt like I was about to cry, which was ridiculous.
"I didn't mind," he said. I looked up at him curiously. "I mean, I knew you didn't mean it so…" He looked uncomfortable, so I let it drop.
"Let's go downstairs. Where's everyone else?" I asked.
"Probably already eating. Let's go." He gently placed his hands on my shoulders and helped me up. When I stood, the room began to spin violently. I placed my arms on his shoulders for balance and closed my eyes. We stood there for a few seconds, his hands on my shoulders and mine on his, the sound of our breathing the only noise in the room. I had an overwhelming urge to kiss him then but I fought it.
"Jacob called last night," Edward whispered, finally breaking the silence. I groaned, opening my eyes. "I didn't answer it. I figured he'd be mad if I answered the phone." He flashed me the crooked grin that I loved.
"Thank you. I'll call him once I drink something." Edward chuckled lightly and began leading me down the stairs. When we reached the kitchen table everyone was already there. Alice and Rosalie looked perfect as usual, but there was a little weariness in their eyes that wasn't usually there. Emmett and Jasper looked dizzy and exhausted. None were feeling as good as Edward or as crappy as me.
"Hey Bella, hey Edward. You two sure slept in," Alice greeted us with a sparkle in her eye. Her voice was quiet but it gave me a pounding headache.
"You look like shit Bella," Rosalie commented.
"Thanks Rose," I snapped. She giggled.
"The first time is always the worst. It'll get better," Alice promised.
"I'm never drinking again," I said as Edward helped me settle at the table. I grabbed a water bottle and began chugging it.
"Until tonight," Alice corrected. "You can't not drink at a party."
"So what were you and Edward doing all morning in bed?" Rosalie asked suggestively.
"Oh you know us Rose. Just having loud, passionate sex," I deadpanned. Rosalie stuck her tongue out at me.
"Well it's about time Edward got laid," Emmett joked. Edward shot him a look.
"Only in his dreams, right Edward?" Alice said with a wink. Edward blushed deeply then and I wondered what she knew that I didn't.
"Okay enough. I need something to eat. Like now," I said. Alice laughed, her voice sounding like wind chimes. She grabbed me a bagel and tossed it to me. I took a huge bite.
"All right. It's time to start setting up for the party tonight," Alice announced excitedly. I stared at her.
"The party is not for another…" I glanced at my watch. It was eleven in the morning. "Nine hours. Why do we have to start getting ready now?"
"Because, good things take time," Rosalie sighed, as if this was oh so obvious.
"So Emmett, you can go buy beer and whatever else you want because you look the oldest," Alice instructed. Emmett nodded and went outside to go to the store, dragging Rosalie along with him. "I'll handle decorations and setting up with Jasper. And Edward and Bella can go to the store and buy snacks and cups and stuff."
"Can we get dressed first?" I asked in mock worry.
"No you have to go in your PJ's," Alice answered. She stuck her tongue out at me. "I laid out a comfortable outfit for you to go to the store in. But I have an adorable outfit planned for tonight!" she sang.
"Thanks Alice," I said dryly. She giggled. Edward helped me upstairs. I went into the bathroom to change and he stayed in his room. "Comfortable" in Alice's opinion, was skintight jeans and a low cut tank top, with flip-flops. I was hoping for sweats.
"Ready to go?" I asked, walking back into Edward's room. I stopped short when I saw he was on the phone.
"Yeah. Yeah it's tonight. Uh-huh. Yeah me too." He was half smiling. He held up a finger and mouthed that he'd be off in a minute. "Yeah. Okay. See you later. Bye."
"Who was that?" I asked.
"No one," he said, looking at the floor.
"Edward! What are you not telling me?" I asked.
"Nothing," he said. I gave him a stern look and he sighed. "It's just this girl. Her name's Liz and she's new and coming to the party tonight. She's…taken a liking to me." I felt a surge of jealousy pulse through my veins. I didn't like this Liz girl, not at all. Who was she to come in here like she owned the place, to call Edward? Edward seemed confused, but slightly pleased, by my angry expression.
"Do you like her?" I asked, trying and failing to sound nonchalant.
"I don't really know," he said slowly, watching my reaction. I tried to keep my face blank.
"Oh. Well let's get to the store, Alice needs food for the party." My tone was sharper than I meant it to be. Edward followed behind me, looking shocked still, with a vague smile on his face. We didn't talk the whole ride there, the music was the only sound.
Why was I so jealous? I had absolutely no right to be jealous, I had no hold on Edward. I had Jacob. Edward should find a girl to date, to love, the way I loved Jacob. But I couldn't bite back the hatred I had for this Liz girl, even though I'd never met her. I can't be jealous, I repeated over and over. But I couldn't help it.
"Bella," Edward finally said, once we had been in the store for ten minutes. The cart was packed with plastic cups, chips and other stuff I couldn't really see. "What're you thinking about? You seem so focused."
"I was thinking about how I had absolutely no right to get jealous about Liz," I replied unthinkingly.
"You were jealous?" he asked incredulously. He had a smirk on his face.
"No," I lied instantly. His grin widened.
"You were, weren't you?" I shook my head. He laughed. "Don't worry Bella, I get jealous about Jacob. So we're even." I stared up at him.
"It just doesn't make sense though. I shouldn't be jealous," I whispered, my face a fire engine red.
"Best friends can get jealous right?" he reminded me.
"Right." That was all. I was mad someone else was trying to steal my best friend. Nothing more.
"All right, we've got everything. Let's go home," he said. He led me to the checkout counter. I saw the girl behind the counter watching him closely, but he didn't look up yet, as he was unpacking all of the groceries. She was pretty, with shoulder length honey blond hair and hazel eyes. Finally he looked up and the girl gave him a playful half smile.
"Hey there," she said.
"Hey Liz," Edward answered. So this was Liz. I felt my eyes narrow and I crossed my arms across my check as I watched her.
"What're you doing?"
"Buying groceries, for the party tonight," Edward said.
"Is this Alice?" she asked politely, pointing to me. I snorted rudely and Liz looked hurt. Edward looked amused.
"No this is Bella. She's my best friend, right Bells?" It was the first time he had used that nickname for me. For some reason, I liked it a lot more when he said it than when Jacob did.
"Right Edward," I agreed. He held out his elbow and I hooked arms with him. I flashed Liz a so there look. "Let's go. Or Alice will kill us." I smirked at Liz.
"See you later," she said, watching me with a hurt expression.
"Bye-bye Liz!" I called. Edward was pushing the cart and laughing.
"When you said you were jealous, you really were jealous," he noted, still laughing. I turned red, of course. The ride home was mostly silent, unless Edward or I was singing along to the radio. When we got back we started bringing in the groceries. The moment Emmett answered the door, I nearly dropped all the bags to the floor.
Alice had transformed her house completely. I noticed that all expensive pictures, electronics and anything else breakable had been removed from the bottom floor. There was a long table with piles of beer, vodka, wine coolers, Mike's Hard Lemonade, and every other type of liquor imaginable. There were also big plastic bowls laid out for chips and a big space for cups. The walls were covered with posters of bands and celebrities, pictures of the Cullen's and their friends at school, like a giant collage. Flashing lights were coming from the ceiling, lighting everything in red, purple, blue, green and back to red. The sound system was blasting top twenty hits.
"What do you think Bella?" Alice yelled, coming down the stairs. She was wearing a short black dress and strappy high heels.
"Wow," was all I could manage.
"Okay so it's three right now, go get dressed and wait for me and Rosalie to do your hair and make-up," Alice instructed. Then she turned to Edward. "Finish bringing in all the groceries, Jasper will know where to put them." She saw me standing in the doorway still and rolled her eyes. She grabbed the groceries from my hands and pushed my upstairs. When I got into Alice's room, I noticed first how pink it was. The bed had a pink bedspread and canopy, the walls were pink, the rug was white. It looked adorable, like a fairy tale princess room. But the walls were plastered with pictures from every magazine. I noticed models, fashion designers, celebrities, sports stars, bands, everyone imaginable. Rosalie was sitting on the bed, running a flat iron through her hair. She noticed my fascination.
"Yeah Alice is a bit of a fashionista, in case you didn't already get that," Rosalie snorted. "Her dream is to become a famous fashion designer. Your dress is over there." It was a deep royal blue, short with a round neckline. There was a bow on the shoulder of one of the straps. Alice had paired it with a pair of blue flats. I grabbed them and went into the bathroom to change. It looked good on me, I had to admit. The neckline was conservative and classy, but it was tight enough that it didn't erase my bust. It was flowy over my stomach, and made me look taller. I loved it. When I came out of the bathroom, Rosalie was leaning in close to the mirror, putting on eyeliner. Alice was waiting for me.
"Oh you look so cute!" she squealed. "Sit, sit, sit!" She grabbed me and shoved me down on the little stool in front of her vanity mirror. She started to curl my hair. There was a knock on the door.
"Come in!" Rosalie yelled. She was sitting on the bed, reading a fashion magazine. Edward came walking in.
"Alice where should I put the-" he stopped suddenly, frozen in the doorway. His eyes were right on me.
"What?" I asked instantly. I had a strange sense of deja vu.
"You look awesome Bella," he answered instantly. "I really like that color on you." I blushed and smiled, pleased.
"Thanks," I mumbled. He smiled my favorite lopsided grin.
"What do you need Edward?" Alice asked. Her tone was frustrated but she had a smile on her face.
"Where should I put the extra chips?" he asked. He was still watching me and I couldn't look away from him.
"In the linen closet, there's no room anywhere else," Alice answered. She was looking skeptically between me and Edward. I lowered my eyes.
"Thanks." He slowly backed out of the room, shutting the door behind him. The moment he was gone, Alice was beaming at me.
"What?" I asked.
"You and my brother are so in love," she sang.
"Are not," I said instantly. Rosalie snorted.
"Please," she said. "The way you two look at each other? I'm surprised he didn't jump you when he got in here."
"No we're just friends. You know I have Jacob," I said. I was turning red again.
"Jacob schmacob," Alice said. "He's in Forks. Edward is here. And you two are totally in love. It's so obvious."
"Alice," I groaned.
"What? Don't pretend like you don't like him," she scoffed.
"I do like him. As a friend."
"As a friend for now," Alice corrected. "Just for now."
People started arriving promptly at eight o'clock. The music was blasting and everyone was dancing. I hadn't had much to drink, just one beer, because I was still a little out of it from the night before. But everyone was having a great time. Alice was mingling and dancing with Jasper. Rosalie and Emmett were making out in a corner. Edward was staying mostly with me, just talking and people watching. Alice ran up to us and tossed her arms around my shoulders.
"You've got to come dance Bella!" she called.
"I don't have anyone to dance with Alice," I said gratefully.
"Nonsense. Edward will dance with you, won't you Edward?" She turned to him and pinched his arm.
"Ow! Yeah, sure," he said. Alice cheered and led us both onto the dance floor. I shrugged and Edward gave me a what-can-you-do look. I put on arm on his shoulder and we both began to sway to the music. A few people jostled me from behind, pushing me closer to Edward, not that I minded. Our bodies were pressed together by the crowd of people and Edward was grinning at me.
"Come dance with me Eddiekins!" a drunk voice called. We turned to see Lauren, in a tiny dress that was more like a shirt, dancing drunkenly behind us. She tossed her arms around Edward's neck and started shaking her hips back and forth.
"First off, don't call me that," Edward said. He grabbed Lauren's arms and lowered them to her sides, off of his shoulders. "And second, don't touch me. Please."
"Oh come on baby, you know you want it," she said. And then she proceeded to growl. I am not kidding. She was growling and waving her hand at him like a cat. Edward's jaw dropped in surprise and I burst out laughing. I grabbed Edward's arm and pulled him into the mostly empty kitchen, glad to have an excuse to stop dancing, even if it was with him. There was a game off quarters being played on the table, but not that many people. Edward and I could hardly stand we were laughing so hard. I watched Lauren make her way onto the dance floor where she spilled beer all over Mike Newton, which sent us into another round of hysterics. I sat myself on the kitchen counter and Edward stood next to me, our faces level.
"She is so delusional," he muttered.
"Oh come on Eddiekins you don't think she's a hottie," I teased, lightly pushing his shoulder.
"Not at all. Yuck." He made a face and we both laughed again. Edward reached up and tucked a loose curl behind my ear. With anyone else, it would've been awkward. But with him, it just felt right.
"Bella," he sighed suddenly. He began leaning towards me, his eyes drooping shut. I let my eyes close and leaned closer to him. He was going to kiss me. And I wanted it. I wanted it bad.
"Bella?" I froze where I was. I knew that voice. But it's not possible. "Bella?" it called again. And that's when I saw him.
He was super tall, almost six foot five. He had russet skin and long black hair. He was grinning when he saw me. Edward looked at me then at him, confusion and want in his eyes.
"Bella!" he called again. He ran towards me, right past Edward and engulfed me in his warm arms. Edward watched with horrorstruck eyes. "Oh Bella I missed you!" he sighed, kissing my hair.
"I missed you too, Jacob."
A/N: Okay a bit of a cliffy! I hope you liked this chapter! Can you believe Jacob is in Phoenix cause I sure can't? How will this affect Edward and Bella? Well you'll have to wait and see ) I know, I'm evil. REVIEW!! Also check out my new story, When We Were Young. It's another all human, Bella and Edward story! Remember to REVIEW!!