One: You Look Better When I'm Drunk
I dropped another spoonful of sugar into the milky coffee, the spoon making a little tinkling sound each time I stirred it. Satisfied that each grain was fully melted, I tapped the small spoon lightly on the edge of the cup and set it carefully on my napkin.
"And then, he had the nerve to wear the white pants after I specifically told him not to. Why did I marry such a- Rosalie are you listening to me? Rose. Rosalie!"
I dragged my eyes across the table to the petite, raven haired chatter box.
"I warned you not to marry him. And then you forced me to be a Maid Of Honor, with Bella no less." I drank some of the coffee, warmth from the hot liquid spreading through my chest.
"Rosalie! That's your brother you know, and twin no less!" Alice threw up her hands, the sparkling diamond on her left hand glittering in the morning light. "And Bella's my best friend too! You'd think after all these years you'd finally warm up to her!"
"Doesn't make him any less of an idiot." I rolled my eyes at her, and then curled my lip. "And I'll never understand your tolerance of Bella, god she's so whiny. And-"
"Alice, Rose!" I froze, shooting Alice a frosty glare. She shrugged, bare shoulder moving up slightly with a non-apologetic smile on her face.
"Hey guys, sorry I'm late, traffic was horrible." I looked up and narrowed my eyes at Bella's outfit. She was wearing faded jeans with a hole in the knee, and a blue shirt three sizes too big, knotted at the side. Her hair was in a messy braid, thrown carelessly over her shoulder. I couldn't understand how she wasn't embarrassed wearing that next to Alice and I. Alice was wearing a deep purple off the shoulder dress, her short hair skillfully swept to the side with a silver pin.
I was wearing a short red, one shoulder dress, hair perfectly pinned back in a low bun, chandelier earrings gracing my lobes. I smoothed my dress and threw a pointed look up at Bella, and she blushed before sitting in the last chair at the small round table. Alice noticed and giggled.
"Is that Edward's shirt Bella?" Bella covered her mouth, her whole face turning an unattractive tomato red. I curled my lip as Alice laughed loudly, earning stares from the other patrons in the café.
"Traffic my butt! You were sexing Edward this morning!" Alice pointed her spoon, drops of her hot chocolate splattering the wooden table.
"Alice!" Bella hissed looking worriedly around them making sure no one overheard.
I smirked crossing my legs, feeling particularly catty that morning, "Oh, don't be so shocked Alice. Eddie always did like morning sex."
Bella's face immediately drained of color, and her nails bit into the wood on the edge of the table. I felt a sharp pain to my shin as Alice's stiletto heel kicked me.
"I'm…sorry, I really can't stay after all, I've got to get the house cleaned." Bella mumbled before quickly getting up and leaving the restaurant. I let a full blown smile form as the tinkling bell above the door signaled her departure.
Alice threw me a look so shriveling and demeaning it would have had her husband on his knees begging forgiveness. But my name wasn't Jasper, and instead it was my turn to shrug.
"You can be such a bitch sometimes Rosalie. I honestly don't know why I put up with you. If it weren't for Jasper-" She shook her head angrily, throwing a ten down before standing up and scurrying after Bella.
So dramatic. It wasn't my fault Bella's precious Edward had a sex drive before he met her. It was a shame he wouldn't put out for me anymore, because, believe me I still tried. He wasn't repulsive, and was halfway decent in the bedroom. And he was rich.
I sighed finishing off my drink. The Cullen's were made of old money. I could have had that fortune in my grasp…but he had to go fall in love. With a police officer's daughter no less. Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel. Not only did I have to deal with Alice and Jasper being disgustingly in love, Edward and Bella were always together now too. I didn't honestly believe they were in love though, it was the sex, had to be. Why else would two people tolerate each other for so long? It was lust pure and simple, love was a farce made up to make being tied to someone forever sound even remotely tolerable.
Putting my own money down, I stood up and made my way towards the door, heels clicking on the tile. An arm was suddenly thrown over my shoulders.
"Hey baby, are you-" I looked up and immediately cut him off, voice full of contempt and disgust.
"No."
Emmett McCarty was tired, and that was putting it mildly. After a long day at school, and an even longer practice where his boys acted like they forgot how to throw a damn ball simply because it was a four day weekend was a mystery to him. Honestly, they were lucky he was feeling generous and decided not to throw a Saturday morning practice at them.
He wasn't normally a complainer or in a sour mood often, but those boys made a promise to him and his team when they tried out, a promise to work hard, and always keep their love for the game alive. He shook his head, half of them were ready to forget that just because they were going to a 'hot' party or 'getting some' from their girls over the long weekend. Or guys, Emmett thought with a chuckle, he didn't really discriminate. Unless it affected their game.
Putting his phone on silent, he pushed open the bar door and looked around the place, well over technically since at 6'5 he towered over most. He grinned, dimples popping into view when he spotted a familiar bronze head sitting at a corner in the back of the smoky bar.
He stepped all the way in, ignoring the smoke that attacked his face and walked to the bar, used to the way slighter men quickly stepped out of his way seeing his size and bulk, he grinned at the red headed woman across from him wiping down the counter.
"Whiskey, preferably Jack Daniels," He boomed startling her, his dimples popped up as she jumped then narrowed her green eyes at him, "And as much as your willing to give me."
"Those kids must have been a bunch of brats today," She shook her head grabbing a glass from behind her and tipping the bottle down until the amber liquid was flowing in. She handed him the glass, significantly fuller and he grinned at her.
"How'd you guess? Thanks Jenna." He saluted her with the glass and thumped the slightly shorter man on the back of the head with his drink.
"Jesus Em, way to almost start a fight you giant." Edward said clapping his back before snatching his drink to swallow half of it.
"Fucker." Emmett mumbled good naturedly stealing it back.
"What took you? I have to leave soon, Bella's making Chinese." He grumbled, but the small smile and the softening of his green eyes after didn't leave much weight behind the statement.
"I would have been here sooner, but the boys had to do extra laps." Emmett grinned a little too sadistically to be acceptable. Edward gave a small laugh.
"I used to hate those." He shook his head and Emmett snorted.
"Please Cullen; you only had one season of it, try for all of high school and college to boot!" Emmett laughed finishing off his drink in one swallow, the liquid burning pleasantly as it went down.
Edward waved a hand dismissively at him, before quickly swallowing the rest of his drink, the ice clinking together as he sat it back on the table.
"Exactly, I got out." Edward grinned. "Glad too, I still have no idea how you talked me into joining in the first place. Jasper laughed his ass off when Alice showed him those pictures."
"Speaking of Alice, how are the newlyweds? It'll be a year soon right?"
"Yeah, great actually, I still can't believe you haven't met Jasper yet, you two would get along great."
Emmett looked down at his knee forlornly; he had had surgery on it a few days before their wedding and was still at the hospital in Washington, not able to make it to the wedding in Jasper's home town of Houston. And it seemed he and Jasper always just seemed to miss each other when he ever was visiting Edward's sister. They had all three been inseparable since the third grade when Alice had an unfortunate incident involving a class clown, a piece of gum, and Alice's hair. Apparently Emmett pushing the little boy off the slide in retaliation made him best friend material to the fraternal twins.
"Sunday!" Edward suddenly grinned. Emmett raised a brow.
"Dinner! Its Jasper's birthday and we're having a little get together for him. It's perfect, the one day all of us aren't busy."
"I'd love to meet him Edward, but it's his birthday I don't know if he-"
"Please, the only person he really talks to is Alice and me. He needs more guy friends. He'd love you, I know it. And, you literally get along with everyone."
Emmett rolled his eyes, "Who's all going?"
"Me, Bella, Alice and- oh shit."
Emmett burst into loud laughter, turning the heads of several bar patrons. He rarely heard the bronze haired man cuss.
"Oh shit?" He grinned and Edward shook his head, eyes snapping back to him.
"I gotta go Em," He ran a hand through his perpetually messy hair. "Really gotta…go. Sunday Emmett! Alice's!"
Emmett watched in amusement and confusion as Edward headed to the back exit near the restrooms no one ever dared go to, wondering what had the man so flustered and in such a quick hurry to leave. He shrugged making his way back to the bar for another drink.
He sat down slowly, wary of the bar stool remembering the unfortunate incident that happened the first time he and Edward discovered the small bar.
"Another." A smooth voice to his left floated into his ear. He looked over and shit, he always tried to be a gentleman, really he did, but the blonde situated directly next to him, with three empty shot glasses already in front of her did nothing to stop his eyes from roaming over her form. A tight blue dress ended just above tan knees, showcasing a pair of long slim legs he wouldn't mind wrapped around his-
He swallowed, slamming his glass down, "Me too, Jenna." He didn't know why it was so difficult to get out those three words, tongue almost glued to the roof of his mouth. Jenna rose a brow a few seconds later, sitting two shots in front of them. He watched as a manicured hand shot out and then a second later the glass was thrown back down, empty before he could even grab his own. Holy shit, Emmett thought, she was beautiful and could drink better than most of the guys he knew?
"Um." Was all he stuttered out a second later when the shot meant for him was raised towards lips slathered in red lip stick and all he could do was stare as they parted, easily swallowing his drink as well.
"I need it more than you do." She said, and he could detect the barest hint of a slur beneath her words.
"Bad day?" He managed to ask and she threw her head back, blonde hair falling in soft curls down her back before she finally looked at him. He sat up a little straighter when her eyes, a blue almost lavender in color, focused in on his arms briefly, before looking at his face appreciatively.
"Hardly. But, if I'm going to do this I need something of the liquid quality to help me." She muttered, but then brightened a moment later looking at him.
"You're cute; I always had a thing for dimples. What do you do?"
Emmett was thoroughly confused but answered anyway, "I teach at the local high school-"
And immediately the interest vanished behind her eyes as she looked down at her phone frowning. She set a few bills on the bar before standing up in impossibly high heels, and Emmett wondered how she didn't fall and break her neck. But it was nice to look at none the less. The smell of coconut, vanilla and a slight trace of Vodka assaulted his nose and there was warm breath on his ear, "I think I might be a little short, cover it for me?"
By the time he looked up and recovered his senses, she was gone, her vanilla scent the only thing that remained of her visit.
Emmett cruised slowly in his four year old jeep, admiring the view. Alice and Jasper lived in a nice house on the outskirts of the city, and the scenery was nice. He wouldn't mind hiking in the woods off in the distance. Or hunting he thought fondly, thinking of his late father who taught him everything he knew about it.
Edward had informed him on the phone a few hours prior that it wasn't anything too formal, so he'd pulled on a pair of dark jeans and dark blue plaid button up thrown over a white shirt. He'd attempted to brush his hair, but as usual that did nothing to keep the curls down and they sprang up in every direction as soon he stepped out his front door and the wind hit him.
Pulling into the drive way Emmett was again amazed at the Cullen-Hale household. Now, it wasn't a mansion, but it was big enough to make his small two bedroom one floor look extremely shabby in comparison. Emmett looked up at three storied house with its white paint and blue shutters and felt no resentment. Sure it was nicer than his, but he was content in his little home. It was his and that was all that mattered.
Grabbing the poorly wrapped gift out the front seat he hopped out the jeep and made his way to the wooden front door to ring the bell. After a few seconds of no sound he pushed his finger back on the button, pressing it again and again.
Alice absolutely hated it when he did that instead of waiting, and Emmett used any knowledge he could that would annoy his pint sized best friend. Even after years of knowing each other, Emmett still found humor and entertainment in annoying her. Now Edward had always been a little bit tougher, but he realized the key to annoying Edward now was flustering or embarrassing his girlfriend. It worked every time.
The door swung open a second later, and a tiny form was glaring up at him, looking rather formidable for someone her size.
"Emmett. How many times do I have to tell you, ring the doorbell once! Is it that hard to understand?"
"Oh, I understood all right." He grinned stepping into the foyer, kicking his boots off by the door, figuring his shoes on her new hardwood would be a bit too much if he still wanted to pester her later.
"Then why do you do it?" She threw her thin arms in the air, glaring hair seeming even more spiky than usual in her anger.
"Because it pisses you off." He replied happily picking her up with one arm and squeezing her two him in one of his infamous bear hugs.
"Emmett! You put me down right now! I told you-" She cut herself off with a squeal as he walked down her hall, then past the living room to her kitchen following the cacophony of voices.
"You have five seconds to put me down, or I swear I'll-" She was once again cut off as Emmett dumped her to the ground and she nearly fell over. She righted herself a second later, and shot a look of murder at him.
"Alice?" A voice drawled, with a very thick accent from across the kitchen and Emmett looked over at the man just a few inches shorter than he, but much leaner. With honey blonde hair a bit too long and eyes a shade of blue that was almost lavender and Emmett wondered dimly why they seemed so familiar.
"Jasper, this is Emmett, also known as the giant, no brained Neanderthal that picks up women like a grocery bag just because he's inhumanly large and has no sense of respect or what's appropriate!" Alice turned away from him going towards her much taller husband, clearly annoyed with Emmett.
Emmett rolled his eyes and walked around the marble island to shake Jasper's hand, his grip was strong and firm and Emmett grinned appreciatively. Dressed in an old band t-shirt, torn jeans, and cowboy boots Emmett immediately liked him.
"You hunt?" Was Emmett's way of introduction, and Jasper's eyes lit up immediately.
"All the time, well I used to, till I married the missus that is. I take it you do-"
"You just had to mention hunting didn't you? Now he'll never shut up." Emmett looked across the room startled, hearing a very familiar voice even though he'd only heard it once before.
And there, sitting down in one of the chairs at the small glass table, dressed to the nines in a white dress and black heels that were, once again impossibly long, was the same blonde bombshell he saw at the bar just a few days ago.
Author's Note: An udpate, and Em and Rose meet! Thanks for the reviews guys! Hope you liked it!