Disclaimer: SM is the lucky girl who crafted these characters, but I get to let them tell me about life in '65. While SM owns the Twi universe, the remaining content is all mine. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without my express written authorization.
BPOV (Cont'd)
The floor fell out from underneath me. Victoria? I am not Victoria! I turned to Edward, his eyes had grown wide.
"No, actually um..." Edward seemed to stutter, his confident demeanor disappearing before me. "Brady, this is my date, Bella Swan. Bella, please meet Brady, an old friend from when I was in the Air Force."
Brady's face grew red, and he shook my hand with perhaps too much vigor. It was obvious that there was a sense of awkwardness in the air.
"Pleasure to meet you, Brady." I politely smiled back, although inside I felt hurt and anger.
"Oh, the pleasure is all mine, dear. Umm, yes." I could tell Brady was flustered and looking to recover from this moment. The conversation continued for a few painful minutes, the contents of which I could not recall if my life depended on it. My body might have physically been in that room, but my mind was elsewhere, racing with a million thoughts.
...Who is Victoria? Is he seeing someone else? True, we hadn't had THAT discussion, but wouldn't he have mentioned her to me? I know we aren't going steady, but then again, we did have sex. Didn't that mean something to him? But what if Victoria is a girl from his past? Perhaps a most recent girlfriend? Could she be his wife?...
I knew I could very well be jumping to conclusions, that maybe I was overreacting. Yet, everything between us suddenly felt so unsettled. I didn't like thinking that I might be the 'other woman' or equally bad, his rebound. What we had so far had seemed so special. I couldn't help but wonder if somehow I was being used. My stomach churned, and I wanted to throw up.
I let my hand slip from Edward's grasp, and I recalled giving him a blank stare. Like an out of body experience, somehow I bid goodbye to Brady and found Edward leading me outside and over to a park bench.
"Well, that was awkward," he admitted. "I am really sorry about that, Bella." He looked at me nervously, his eyes scanning mine in an effort to read my thoughts.
"Who is she?" I found myself saying in a cold manner. My emotions were boiling up to the surface at that point.
"Correction, who was she?" he paused. "Victoria was my old steady. Brady remembers me talking about her back during our military days. He just assumed you were her because he hadn't seen me in awhile. I'm sorry, Bella."
I intently fiddled with a button on my coat as a way to maintain my composure.
"She's my past, Bella. You're my present, and I hope...my future," he insisted with puppy dog eyes.
Even though he had just expressed the words that any girl could hope to hear, I still couldn't help but fear I was his rebound. I looked away from him, denying Edward the assurance he probably needed.
"Bella?" he asked with hesitation in his voice.
I nodded my head because I wanted to be with him, but I still needed to know more. I swallowed hard. "When did you two, I mean, how long ago-"
"It's been awhile now," he jumped in. "Do you really want to have this conversation now? Here?"
"I just need to know something...anything, Edward."
"Okay, I suppose I owe you that after what just happened," he admitted.
He looked down for a bit before he began to speak. "I met Victoria back at the University of Washington, during my senior year. She was a junior. We hit it off and started dating. I had already enlisted in the Air Force, and when it came time to leave, we had made promises to wait for each other and talked about getting married one day." He paused, nervously nibbling on the backside of his index finger, his hand tightly clenched.
"While I was away, her family relocated from the West Coast to New York for business. It was understood that upon being discharged from the military, I would settle out here so we could finally be together. That's why I chose New York as my Pan Am base. When I moved here a little over a year ago, I quickly proposed to her. She had waited for me for so long that I was eager to start our life as husband and wife."
My mouth was suddenly very dry. I glanced over at Edward, he looked sad and lost in thought. Some time went by, and I was startled when he resumed speaking.
"She said "No," Bella. But, she didn't just reject my proposal. She revealed to me that she was a few months pregnant." My heart sunk, but then he continued. "With another man's child. She never truly waited for me like I did for her."
While I could certainly feel his pain, I was also torn by my own insecurity. My body was numb.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
"Bella, this doesn't change what we have going here," he reassured.
"Listen, I hate to ask this, especially now, but I just need to know. Am I your rebound girl?"
"No, no, no!" I could see a look of pain spread across his face. "Are you the first person I have dated since things ended with her? Yes. But, Bella, you have to know I wasn't on the make!"
He looked deeper into my eyes. "I was the one who got dumped, but it's been a year now. I took the time I needed and am over her. Did it hurt? Yes, very much so, but I can assure you that I've worked through all this."
I placed my hand over his, squeezing it slightly. My stomach was still doing flip flops, but I couldn't figure out why. He had made me feel comfortable again about us, but I couldn't hone in on why I was feeling so off.
"Are you okay?" he inquired. I nodded at him, prompting him to give me a kiss on my forehead while rubbing my shoulder.
"Let's say we table this conversation and get back to having fun." He looked above, noticing the brightly colored buckets that were buzzing by on thin cable lines. "How about we go on those?"
I stood up and took the map out of my purse in order to find the entrance to the Swiss Sky Ride. We quietly headed towards the boarding station, hand in hand.
When we were seated in a blue bucket, Edward placed his right arm around me. I tried to enjoy the view, but I was still feeling lost in thought. Memories of my last birthday soon flooded my mind.
"Blow out the candles, Bells," my dad called out from behind. My friend, Claire, also reminded me to make a wish.
I stood in front of a gorgeous carrot cake that I know must have come from Dee's over on Campbell Street. Twenty-one candles illuminated the dark room and flickered light upon the faces of my friends and father. I thought about my wish, but I couldn't come up with a desired object or even something tangible. All I had was a deep seeded feeling inside; a desire for something new in my life, something bold.
I inhaled air and with one mighty release, I successfully blew out all the candles in one fell swoop, provoking a round of applause from everyone.
Assuming someone would jump in with a knife to serve the cake, I took a swipe of the delicious cream cheese frosting. When I turned around to see why everyone had suddenly grown quiet, I found Mike staring intently at me. The others had all taken a step back from their places. Something was definitely up.
"Bella," he began, nerves clearly displayed on his youthful face. "I know today is about you making a birthday wish and hoping it comes true. But if I could be so bold as to ask for one wish too, would you give me permission?"
"Of course, Mike. What is it?" I asked, curious why he was suddenly being so formal.
His intentions became remarkably clear when he got down on one knee. I could hear Claire making an "ahh" sound as she sighed out loud.
Mike gathered his hand in mine. I was surprised to find that it felt cold and oddly foreign. My mind was racing a mile a minute.
He reached into his pocket and produced a sparkling solitaire ring. I started to feel the room spin, my friends and father swirling around me.
"Bella, will you..." he stuttered, trying to gain confidence. "Will you make me the happiest guy in Forks by becoming my wife?"
I stared at him blankly. A proposal was every young girl's dream, yet I was feeling more fretful with each passing second. My heart was empty. I couldn't force what was never really there to begin with.
"Mike, I just...can't." I could hear a collective gasp in the room. His smile quickly disappeared. His proud hand, once displaying the ring, now laid limp. Tears flew freely down my face. "I'm so sorry," I barely whispered before escaping up to my room.
No one ate cake that night. The presents sat unopened for weeks.
I got taken back to the present moment when our bucket started to shake. It was descending into the station on the other side of the fairgrounds. I looked at Edward, and his face showed grave concern. I tried to hide the tear drops that were starting to make their way down my hot cheeks.
The ride worker stepped up to open the door of our bucket so we could depart, but I wasn't ready to join the masses just yet. I held the door trying to keep the man from opening it. Sensing my need, Edward silently begged him to let us stay on for the return trip. Fortunately, he complied and our bucket proceed back down the cable.
"I should warn you, I'm no better than Victoria," I found myself saying out loud as I stared blankly ahead.
"Why would you say that, Bella?" he asked, quickly turning his face towards mine.
"You should know that last year, I also left my ex-boyfriend when he proposed."
"Did you ever promise him your heart for eternity?"
"No, but then again he never really had my heart" I replied.
"Were you knocked up with another man's child when he asked for your hand in marriage?"
"No, of course not!" I did not mean for my response to sound so hurtful, so I quickly continued. "I just couldn't imagine him in my future. I didn't love him in that way."
"Then you are certainly not like Victoria," Edward insisted. He pulled me closer, brushing the wet hair away from face. He gently dried up my tears with his soft fingers.
While Edward's words were certainly reassuring to me, I had never really thought about how my decision affected Mike. I did not fault myself for staying true to my feelings, yet in light of hearing how a rejected proposal affected Edward, I worried that I might not have sufficiently told Mike why I was declining his offer of marriage. Obviously, I had a lot to process, but I wanted to put the focus back on our date. I didn't want this amazing day with Edward to end on a downer.
With our arms locked around one another, we headed over to a quiet area by a pond. It was about as secluded as one could get at the crowded Fair. We stared for a few moments at the beautiful swans as they preened their bright feathers.
Edward broke the silence. "I'm sorry it had to come out this way, Bella. I'm sure we weren't planning to have the infamous talk about our pasts while at the Fair today."
I laughed, more at myself than over Edward's words. It was kind of absurd that this conversation occurred while here, but I certainly played the major role in making that happen.
"Well, at least we have it behind us now," I offered.
He turned to face me. "Yes, and just to be clear, I wasn't out trollin' for girls right after she left me. You're the first girl to have caught my eye in a long time. I think you have caught more than just my eye."
My heart did a little dance. "Really, I was the first? I thought all you guys couldn't resist the charms of Miss Cart Tart Jessica?"
"Jessica Stanley? Ugh. Bella, I probably know more stories about her than you girls even think you do! It seems like every pilot talks about his latest conquests with her, as if it was a challenge. I just sit in the cock pit and shake my head."
I reached up and placed my arms around his neck. "I'm sorry I had a little freak out back there. I just needed to know I'm not a rebound, that what we did back in San Francisco means something to you."
He gave me a quick kiss on my lips before responding with words. "It means everything to me. Maybe we were a bit unconventional and let our hormones win out a little too quickly, but Bella, I do not regret it in the slightest. I told you even during the act itself that it meant something to me, and let me remind you that you shut me up!"
"Yes, yes, I did." I smirked, recalling the lust-driven state I was in when he suddenly wanted to get serious.
"Did I not say I see a future for us?" he reminded me while wrapping his arm around my waist to draw us closer.
I smiled my response back.
He started chuckling a bit as he looked behind me. He turned me around, his chin nestled into my neck. "See that sign up there?" he pointed in its direction. "The words just below that big arch?"
I looked up and read the words out loud. "Peace Through Understanding." It was the theme of the New York World's Fair.
"I'd like to think we have reached that here." He squeezed me tight.
"Yes, I think we have. We definitely have."
I turned back toward him, and our lips met, showing that we were ready to move on. There might have been thousands of people surrounding us, but at that very moment, I felt all alone with Edward. There was nothing like knowing he really wanted me the way I wanted him.
"While I could certainly kiss you the rest of the day, how about we go back to the Fair? Sound good, Forks gi-"
"Ah, ah, ah....," I interrupted. "What did I say about you calling me that?"
"Sorry, you're my Forks Girl, and there isn't anything you can do about it!" With those words, Edward quickly ran off, periodically calling me by my nickname as he asked for me to follow him.
Grateful I was wearing flats, I chased that boy down and tickled him in retaliation. We continued to flirt until we found ourselves in front of the Pepsi Pavilion. I had heard amazing things about Walt Disney's "It's a Small World," and thought after the serious tone our date had taken, it was time to bring back the fun. He followed my lead as I guided us to the back of the line. The wait might have been long, but Edward held me in his strong arms, sneaking chaste kisses to bide the time.
The ride itself was amazing, like nothing I had ever seen before in my whole life. We sat in the boat like children and were completely mesmerized by the singing dolls that were carefully choreographed to the song. After the ride, we sang the song to one another over and over again.
While looking for a place to eat, Edward stopped in front of a souvenir stand. The man was selling all sorts of products emblazoned with the Fair's logo.
"Pick a color, Bella." Edward pointed to the various colored felt hats, each with its own matching large feather sticking out of the top. They were as silly looking as could be, but I had to indulge him.
"Yellow, please," I responded.
"Yellow for the lady, Sir. I'll take a green one, please." Edward paid the salesman. Taking my hat in his hands, he placed it on my head. "So adorable," he grinned.
I took his hat and placed it on him as well. "Ahh, Peter Pan!" I teased, bursting out in giggles.
"Watch it, Tweety Bird!" he retorted. We laughed like two goofballs as we continued on our way.
Our legs were growing weary, and we were both feeling hungry. In our outrageous hats, we proudly strolled into the Lowenbrau biergarten. We found a little table for two and collapsed into the chairs. I let Edward do the ordering, figuring he would know what to make of the menu.
The waitress came back with two frothy pint glasses and a big plate featuring various types of sausage. Having never had anything but American beer, I found the German variety to be a lot more flavorful, not to mention strong. Edward had a good laugh at my expense as he poked fun at my beer mustache.
Our conversation started off fairly serious with Edward talking about his time being stationed in Ramstein, Germany. I then told him more about my roommates and their own particular quirks. Soon, we were laughing over pilot and stewardess antics, revealing which ones we had perpetrated or been a victim. I was laughing so hard and feeling a little light headed. Perhaps because there were two empty pint glasses sitting in front of me.
As we got up to leave, I was able to walk without much assistance, but I didn't mind getting to hold Edward a little closer. He didn't seem to care at all.
It was dark out now, and we decided to do one more thing before calling it a night. Edward asked for the map, and I heard him slightly chuckle to himself while viewing it. I looked at him with curiosity, watching his eyes twinkle back at me with amusement.
"Come, Bella, let's have one last memorable ride tonight," he beckoned, enclosing my hand with his as he led us down a walkway.
Within a few minutes, we were standing in front of a giant tire lit up with the words, "U.S. Royal Tires." It wasn't just a tire, but actually a Ferris wheel with red gondolas rotating around the wheel's rim. I knew the ride well, having driven past it many times on my way to JFK. I was eager to finally get to ride it.
After a brief wait, we boarded an enclosed gondola and had it all to ourselves. I curled into Edward's side, allowing his left arm to pull me even closer.
As the gondola jerked forward to start its first rotation, I let out a loud squeal followed by a round of giggles. I was still a little giddy from the beer. The ride operator shook his head smiling, waving goodbye as we slowly started to rise towards the top of the tire.
I leaned outward, admiring the nighttime view of the Fair and the expansive array of colorful lights stretching as far as the eye could see. It was breath taking, but when I went to look back at Edward, he wasn't looking outside. His eyes were trained on me.
"Hi, beautiful," he murmured.
Perhaps it was his devilish smirk or how insanely adorable he looked in his silly hat, but at that moment, I couldn't resist him. I collapsed back into his arms, and our needy lips reconnected again. His tongue prodded inside, exploring deeper and taking mine along for the ride. Our hands were wild; his digging into my back and mine clawing at his neck to pull him closer. Just as his hand was about to grasp my bottom, he abruptly stopped. I pulled away out of concern and saw that his demeanor displayed nothing but innocence.
I turned to glance around and noticed that we had reached the ground. The Ferris wheel operator gave us a curious look as our gondola started to rise again.
Oh you sneaky thing, Edward, I thought as I started to catch on to his little game. I shook my head at him, and he flashed a devilish glint right at me.
As we slipped out of view, we tossed our hats to the floor, and his lips came crashing back on mine with even more feverish passion. With his free hand, he positioned my coat over my lap. At the same time, he took my top lip and slightly nipped at it, causing me to uncontrollably moan into his mouth. I was so enraptured by his aggressive lips, that I barely noticed that his right hand had begun massaging my thigh. I was becoming so aroused by his touch, that I found myself voluntarily parting my legs for him. Accepting my invitation, his fingers starting exploring under the hem of my dress, moving ever so closer over my tights to the very center of my desire.
As he inched upward, I could tell I was growing wetter and wetter. I felt a little embarrassed that he would feel my dampened tights; however, my concerns were quickly erased as soon as his fingers began to stroke the spot where I ached for him most.
"Uhhh...," I shivered, before allowing myself to fully relax onto his strong hand. Sensing I was thoroughly submitting to his touch, he teased my entrance by pushing in and out with his index finger. While the fabric served as a barrier between us, his suggestive movements were sending me into a frenzy.
"Bella. You are so...ready," he uttered in between heavy breaths. "I wish I could have you right here, right now. To hell with decency!" he groaned.
Just as I was starting to buck slightly with my hips, he suddenly made his fingers very still. I came out of my lustful haze to find Edward smiling yet again at the ride operator. I joined in, putting on the most innocent face I could muster at that moment, even though deep inside, my body whimpered for the return of Edward's touch.
As soon as we were back in a perceived state of privacy, his fingers thankfully began to move again. This time with increased rhythm as he firmly rocked his palm against me. As if the challenge to maintain control was not enough, he became more brazen with his other hand, cupping my left breast while pinching my hardened nipple over my dress.
I was ablaze with excitement, and it took every ounce of restraint I had in me to keep my moans inaudible. I was on the verge of my release, my body only capable of taking so much of the friction of his hand and the firm flicks of his tongue against mine. I tightened my grip on his suit's lapel in an effort to stay steady. My breathing was now coming in quicker pants while his fingers moved impossibly faster over my drenched tights.
I was abruptly brought out of the moment when our gondola lurched forward than back. A little scared by the sudden movement, I broke away to peek outside. I noticed that we were at the top of the Ferris wheel, and the ride operator was starting to unload people down below.
Edward leaned into me, pinning the side of my face to the glass window as his teeth grazed ever so lightly up my neck. I could feel his hot breath emanating over me before he whispered into my ear, "Come for me, Bella. Let me see a naughty side of you."
As it appeared that we had some time before our gondola would reach the bottom, I flashed him a sly smile. He took that as his cue and, within seconds, his hand was back under my dress.
I slipped further into the seat with my right leg propped over his knee and my face pressed into his chest. My knees began to shake, followed by the trembling of my entire body. As Edward took me past the point of no return, I bit at his chest, desperate to muffle any sounds I was unknowingly emitting. A powerful surge of pleasure rippled though every inch of my body.
"Yes, Bella, yes," he groaned out, pulling me closer to him as he entangled his fingers in my hair.
His right hand slowed, matching the pace of my gyrating hips as I started to flutter back down to earth, literally and figuratively. I closed my eyes, resting my head back on his chest to allow myself a few moments to recover. I could hear his heart beating rapidly while his chest expanded in and out. When I opened my eyes, I caught Edward smiling as he slowly inhaled the remnants of my scent on his fingers. It was incredibly erotic to know I could do that to him.
Our gondola was about to reach the bottom so I collected our hats and straightened out my dress. He found humor in watching me try to quickly regain composure. "What? It's your fault! You're the one who let the air out of my tire!" I teased. Edward seemed to smile with pride.
The operator opened the door and assisted me off the ride. As Edward allowed himself out, the man looked at me for a few uncomfortable seconds before giving me a knowing wink. I instantly blushed with embarrassment, taking Edward's hand in mine to guide him quickly away. God only knows what that man heard or saw! But then again, it sure was worth it.
As we walked further away from the ride, I got a good look at Edward. The poor guy appeared to be having a bit of a struggle with walking, and even in the darkness, I could see him poking through the front of his pants.
"You gonna be okay, Pilot-boy?" I taunted, looking down at his crotch area.
"Oh, me? I'll live." He tightened the curve of his arm around my neck, pulling me closer. "I would gladly suffer again to watch you come undone like that," he grinned before planting a loud kiss on my cheek.
It was getting late, and our day at the Fair was sadly coming to an end. We slowly headed back to the Unisphere, the steel of the globe frame was reflecting the night time lights. Edward and I stepped up to the ledge of the reflecting pool, overlooking this massive structure.
"I can't believe this all goes away in October...for good," I sighed, taking a final look all around.
He took both my hands and pulled me close to him. "It might all be gone soon, but I am never going to forget this moment." He leaned in towards me, his firm kiss sending a strong spark that traveled right down to my very toes. It was one of those kisses that ends with an exclamation point. I might have even lifted one foot in the air. Sigh.
A/N: I know I gave you all a little bit of angst at the beginning of this chapter, but I hope you feel rewarded for reading through it with the Ferris wheel lemon. (I was so excited to see the Ferris Wheel scene as nominated for a Golden Lemon award!) The Fair might be over, but there is much more ahead. The next chapter might take a little longer to write/post because I have some reading to do for research. In the meantime, feel free to come visit my new twilighted thread. I would love to discuss this story with you guys, and I will post bonus teasers there, so come show me some love. The link is in my profile.
Speaking of my profile, as usual, I have more links for you as they relate to this chapter. More pics of the Fair, the goofy hats worn by B&E, and a picture of the scene of the crime...the US Royal Tire Ferris Wheel. I wonder if those gondolas had some luvin' in them back in the day? It's a shame if they did not.
Thanks go to my lovely beta, siouxchef, as always. Special shout outs to Lolashoes and hopefulwager. I want to also thank all of you for reading and reviewing. Your feedback is priceless and keeps me motivated. Please continue to hit the review button, even if just to say a few short words! As with the last chapter, reviewers get special teasers and a choice of chicken, beef, or veggie dinners on their flight tray. xoxo, FLC