AN: So, epic author's note - are y'all ready?
Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading and reviewing. There are so many people on Team Tanya right now that I almost considered making shirts, haha. We could wear them to the Eclipse premiere? …but then we'd probably end up getting stoned, tarred, and feathered, right? What's with people being so anti-Tanya? Jeez!
Okay, so I love you guys more than life - and I love this story SO MUCH, but I need to take a little break from it. My real life job is really intense - we start filming tomorrow for the next two weeks, and I will be working 14-18 hour days, and I just don't have it in me to write acceptable chapters for you guys in that little time.
So, I hope you guys will be understanding - I will be back probably the last week in January (maybe first week of February), completely renewed and revitalized.
In the meantime, (during my downtime) you should all go check out Little Miss Whitlock's "It Isn't Stalking If You Don't Get Caught" -- because it's the funniest most honest comedy I've ever read :)
Don't forget about my Twi-High Anonymous Challenge, too - we've just added a bunch of guest judges: the lovely GreenPuma, ysar, Saluki, Kassiah, and crimsonmarie. Srsly...I don't know how that one happened....go check it out!
http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2165753/Twi-High_Anonymous_Challenge
And lastly, I've entered thedarknessofthemoon's 1920's Themed Gangsterward Contest, and I'd love it if you guys could head on over there and vote for me? It's one thing I'm actually proud of writing…go figure, huh?
http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5643075/1/The_Great_Cullen
Now, since I'm leaving you for a little hiatus, I left you with a super long, super awesome chapter. I hope you enjoy it as much I enjoyed writing it ;)
~Edward~
"This is a terrible idea," I said mostly to myself as I parked Jake's truck, seeing Tanya pull into the spot next to me in her hunter green Jeep Wrangler. She'd fallen in love with the car on the lot, claiming that it matched her eyes and she had to have it. Somehow, my parents had been too taken by her charm to argue her on it. Such was life with my sister.
As soon as I had two feet outside the truck, Tanya was on my back, her arms and legs wrapped around my torso.
"Onwards, Teddy!" She snickered, pulling at my hair as if it were reigns.
"Fucking hell, Tan," I whined. "Behave, please. This is my place of work, remember?"
I didn't have to see her face to know that she was rolling her eyes in response to my semi-serious chastisement.
"You're such a Grumpy Greta today, Teddy. Let's go find Bella and cheer you up!" she said, far too loudly for my comfort. If Tanya was going to be hanging out with me today, I needed to get some things straight. In an instant, I had her feet on the ground and my hands gripping her shoulders so that I could stare into her eyes.
"Tanya, I love you, but so help me God, you will rue the day you were born if you fuck this up for me."
She snorted and removed my hands from her shoulders before climbing back onto her perch on my back. "Edward, there's no way in hell that I could fuck this up for you any more than you already have, so let's roll." She hitched upwards, as if she were posting and I were an actual horse. Fuck my parents for getting her all those riding lessons.
Done prolonging the inevitable, I started walking towards my bunk, keeping Tanya firmly hitched onto my back. But as my eyes located a group of counselors in the midst of a water balloon fight in the middle of the hill, my feet stopped working.
Bella had changed out of her dress from earlier, which had tortured me so, into something that only served to torture me more. My cock was instantly alerted to the fact that she was dressed in another small bikini under a soaking wet white t-shirt with the mask of a Storm Trooper on it. It was plastered to her skin, riding up to show me the smooth expanse of her stomach. Her jean shorts were cut off so high that I could see the bottoms of the pockets sticking out in front. And then, to make my wildest and wettest dreams come true, she was wearing her dark hair in pigtail buns. I couldn't decide what I wanted to do more - be a creeper and observe in silence, or be a creeper and jump her in the middle of the field. Both options were equally appealing and poor choices.
Tanya's low, rumbling laughter finally clued me in to the fact that my entire world had stopped when I'd laid eyes on Bella. "I found her," she continued to giggle into my ear, lowering her voice to where only I could hear her. "Your description was spot on, Teddy. I'm melting from all the way over here."
Annoyed, I nudged my head into hers, signaling for her to back off. I wasn't quite ready to cease my Bella-ogling just yet, and her commentary was hindering it. When my eyes made their way back to the water balloon fight, all eyes were on me.
My esophagus constricted, forcing saliva back down my throat. I hadn't even noticed that it'd gone dry. All I noticed were Bella's eyes trained on mine and her pert breasts on display under her wet t-shirt.
"Tanya!" Jake hollered, and then they were off. Tanya scrambled off my back and flew into Jake's arms, who had been running toward her at full speed. She managed to come at him with more force than he'd been prepared for, and Jake lost his balance, spinning her around to try to regain his footing. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a balloon came flying through the air and smacked Tanya in the back of the head, causing water to drip down both her and Jake's bodies. The newly introduced water did little to help things, and when Jake's hand slipped, everything went to shit. Before he knew it, Jake was flat on his back with Tanya on top of him.
I jogged over to check out the situation, hoping that Tanya hadn't hurt herself by crashing on top of the Iron Giant.
"Jesus, are you okay, Tanya?" I helped her into a sitting position, which was essentially just her straddling Jake. Awesome.
"Sorry," Bella called out, looking anything but. "I meant to hit Jake." She looked next to her at Seth, in some sort of secret, silent exchange, and they both smiled. I could feel the scowl forming on my face, but I tried to rein it in. I needed to step up my game; I didn't want Seth causing a wedge between Bella and me.
"Look, Edward. Tanya's wet." Jake grinned as his hands went for Tanya's now-wet white tank top.
"Oh my God, stop!" I grabbed his wrists and moved them over his head and far away from my sister's visible bra, making my frown increase.
"If you wanted to make it a threesome, all you had to do was say so, Edward." Jake winked at me as he thrust his hips upwards, making Tanya gasp and get off her precarious position over Jake's junk. Tanya tapped his head lightly with the toe of her sneaker and frowned before wrapping her arms around my waist.
"Jake, that's disgusting," she admonished him. He just grinned at her, his back still on the ground. "Glad to see you haven't changed."
A throat cleared from behind, and I spun myself and Tanya around to face the entirety of my group of friends, except for Bella and Seth, who had wandered up towards the Adirondack chairs - far, far away from my evil sister. And far, far away from earshot. My stomach flipped at the idea of them being alone and out of my sight.
"Teddy, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" she cooed, sounding syrupy sweet to my ears. She was playing it coy, and I was incredibly nervous. This had been such a poor decision. I hated myself for never being able to say no to Tanya.
Always the gentleman, Jasper smiled and held out his hand. "I'm Jasper." He flashed me a dirty look, and I almost recoiled. "Teddy's roommate. And you are…"
"I'm Tanya," she continued, cheerfully sticking out her hand to grasp Jasper's before pulling him into a tight hug. "Teddy's big sister."
Tanya nodded enthusiastically, looking sort of like a bunny on crack. Then she turned to me and pinched my cheek, making me squirm. Leave it to Tanya to embarrass the shit out of me right out of the gate. "The one and only. Well, not the one and only. Kate lives in Los Angeles. She's our oldest sister, but she's lame and doing something corporate and boring with her life. Anyway, I'm only here for the day, so what am I doing?"
"Me?" Jake asked flirtatiously.
"Jake!" I groaned.
"Well, he has a point, Edward. It's not like I'm going to be sleeping in your bed tonight, right?"
I poked her in the ribs before lifting her up and spinning her around, tickling her sides. "Not funny, Tan."
"No, no, you're right," she breathed out as she struggled to stop her laughing. "The funny part is that you don't know I've already hooked up with Jake!"
I searched for a retort but could find none. My mind was absolutely blank. "I—" My eyes shifted to Jake, who was now full out grinning at Tanya. She was grinning back, and I had no doubt in my mind that she wasn't fibbing or trying to get a rise out of me. Fury flashed through my body, and Jake finally had the decency to look guilty.
"Stop giving me that face, Teddy. It's not my fault that we look so much alike." Tanya winked at me and then looked at Jake, but I was totally lost.
There was a momentary pause, and then Rosalie started giggling. I had been so distracted that I hadn't even seen her approach. Then Emmett joined in, and Jasper, too.
Jake's fury was evident; there was practically steam exuding from his ears as he shouted, "I do not want to do Edward! I'm not gay!"
"Edward, I fucking love your sister!" Rosalie stepped up and flashed a grin at Tanya, looking her up and down before sticking out her hand. "Rosalie Hale. And I'm so glad I have the honor of meeting the person responsible for Edward's inferiority complex," she drawled sweetly.
Tanya batted away Rosalie's hand before hugging her thoroughly and stepping backwards. She feigned shock, holding her hand up to her heart and replied, mimicking and exaggerating Rosalie's accent. "Little old me? Why, I'm glad I have the honor of meeting you, Rosalie Hale. But, tell me, where's the famous Bella Swan?" Her eyes flashed around the group. All of them wore surprised smiles, and I could feel a blush creeping its way up my neck into my cheeks. "Aww," she cooed again, running her finger down my flushed cheek. "You're blushing! Teddy, I don't think I've ever seen you blush before."
I swatted her hand away, trying not to call even more attention to myself, but it was too late. I very nearly heard the wheels spinning and clicking into place before the light bulb lit up over Jake's head, causing him to gasp.
"Wait," he paused, staring straight into my eyes. There were very few moments that Jake and I didn't joke around with one another, and I was shocked to find that this was one of them. "You…and Bella?" His tone was incredulous and concerned and skeptical, all at the same time.
"No," I replied quickly. Too quickly, apparently, because soon laughter had broken out amongst the remainder of my friends.
"No?" Jake joined in the laughter. His concern disappeared all too quickly, shifting to amusement, and I was genuinely surprised to see his reaction. I'd anticipated punching and scowling and yelling, not…chuckling. His tone turned serious again as he stepped between Tanya and me, wrapping an arm around each of our waists. "So, is that why you're at zero?" he whispered.
"Zero?" Tanya asked, getting her head into our miniature huddle. "What does that mean? And, seriously, where'd Bella go?"
I was about to reply with something biting and witty when I heard a shrill squeal from the entrance to the counselor lounge. My spidey-senses were tingling, telling me not to go there, but I couldn't help my curiosity. Turning around, I took a few steps up the hill, only to see Bella thoroughly encased in Seth's grasp. Her arms and legs were twined around the front of his body, and he looked as if he'd just won the lottery, smiling back at her like a crazy person.
Jake broke away, running towards the pair of them, and they quickly disappeared, taking Bella and Seth into the lounge and out of my sight again.
"What's going on?" Tanya asked. Having no response, I decided to go check it out myself. Everyone trailed behind as we made our way inside the lounge. Everyone was huddled around a spot on the wall, and Seth and Bella were still beaming at one another.
"Hey." I stepped closer, nudging her side with my elbow. Bella gasped loudly and stumbled, clutching her throat.
"Edward! You scared me!"
"What's going on?" I leaned in and whispered in her ear. Her body broke out into goosebumps, shivering slightly. I couldn't help but wonder if I had anything to do with it, but it was most likely just the cool air of the lounge hitting her drenched clothes.
"Cast list for Footloose went up," she responded, and I could see the edges of her smile tugging upwards.
As people around us continued to cheer and hug, I could see that she wasn't going to give me anything. "So…" I prodded.
"Congratulations, Edward!" Tanya came flying at me. Her hands gripped my shoulders as she bounced on her toes and pressed embarrassingly squeaky kisses to my cheek. I hadn't even noticed that she'd followed me. Suddenly, I was bombarded by a ton of congratulations by counselors I hadn't even talked with before.
"Congrats, Ren," Bella finally continued, staring in front of her, rather than looking at me.
"I can't believe my Teddy is the star of the musical!" Tanya wrapped her arms around my neck and got a little too close to my body for comfort, especially in the people-filled, claustrophobic entryway of the lounge.
I tried to shrug her off until I heard Bella's choked and muttered, "My Teddy?"
And that was when I realized what the fuck Tanya was doing. She was trying to make Bella jealous, and I wasn't fully comfortable with that realization.
"Tanya, cut it out," I snapped, unwrapping her arms from my neck. She pouted, as was predicted, but I ignored her and moved away, going to read the cast list.
There, written in bold, were the leading roles.
Ren McCormack …………… Edward Cullen
Ariel Moore ………………... Bella Swan
I turned around to congratulate Bella, but she was mid-conversation with Tanya. They seemed to be talking about something incredibly serious, and Bella was starting to look upset. As if he could hear a distress signal, Jake jumped in to diffuse the situation quickly. I had no idea what Tanya had said to Bella, but I wasn't okay with her pissing her off.
Soon, Jake was causing them both to laugh, and Bella looked genuinely happy…and maybe a little bit devious? She looked thoughtful as she wandered through the throng of people and out of the lounge to the Adirondack chairs.
"Bella?" I called out. I'd followed her without even realizing it.
She turned around, spinning on her heel at the sound of my voice, the sunlight bringing out the red glow of her hair. "Hmm?" she asked, sounding dazed.
My feet drew me closer to her. Now that I knew I liked her - had a crush on her, or whatever - I had no idea how to act. My hands were clammy, and my breathing changed just by looking at her. I was so utterly fucked.
"Hey," I breathed quietly, approaching her.
"Hey." She smiled back as something akin to confusion flickered through her eyes. "So, tonight should be fun, right?"
Fuck. I had completely forgotten that Bella and I were supposed to go out tonight, and Tanya hadn't come up with plans for me. Or if she had, she hadn't informed me of them yet.
"Right."
"Yeah, it's going to be the best night ever!" Jake cheered, wandering up towards us, Tanya and Rosalie on his arms.
"Wh-what?" I stuttered.
"We're all going to karaoke night at The Pound!" Jake's smile was devious as his eyes flitted from me to Bella and back again. I almost groaned in defeat. Why would this sound like a good plan to anyone? The Pound would be loud and filled with drunk people, making it impossible to talk to Bella, which was what I had hoped to accomplish with our evening out alone.
"But weren't you and Bella supposed to—" Rosalie started to interject, but Bella cut her off quickly with a soft smile.
"Don't worry about it, Rosalie. Tanya wants to take us all out tonight to celebrate. Isn't that sweet of her?" The malice in Bella's tone shocked me. It was like watching Mean Girls up close. I could see that Rosalie was dying to respond. Her vocal chords were probably itching with her quippy response, but she reined it in, letting Bella have this one. "I'll see you later, Edward," Bella said. I was entranced by her eyes, wondering what the hell was going through her mind as she smiled and waved goodbye. I nodded dumbly as she walked off, her jean-shorts-clad rear tantalizing me with the exaggerated sway of her hips.
"So, Edward, what are we going to sing tonight?" Jake asked, hopping around with far too much pent-up energy. "I was hoping we could bring back the classics tonight. A little 'Living On A Prayer?' Or maybe some 'Eye of The Tiger?' What do you think?"
"I—" I actually had no words. All I could do was stare at the space where Bella had last been. Her presence had turned my brain into mush.
"Edward!" Rosalie snapped. "Stop thinking about Bella's ass and focus on us for one second, please!"
My head spun around, confused as to how they knew what I'd been thinking. My mind scrambled for a response, but I could think of none. I shrugged sheepishly, feeling the familiar blush take up space on my cheeks, and their laughter started again.
"Oh, you are in such big trouble, Teddy," Tanya joked, poking at one of my pink cheeks.
"Stop it, Tan," I whined, shooing away her finger. "This is serious! I don't know what to do."
Tanya rolled her eyes and linked her arm with mine. "This is serious," she said in a high-pitched voice, clearly trying to mimic me. Rosalie and Jake started up their laughter again. I, on the other hand, didn't find it quite so amusing. "Just leave everything to me, okay?"
I groaned, unsure of how much I really trusted my sister. Okay, well, that wasn't entirely true. I trusted her implicitly. "You'd better know what the hell you're doing, Tanya," I warned as she pulled me towards my bunk, following Jake and Rosalie's lead.
Jake held the bunk door open as Rosalie skipped off to sit in Emmett's lap. He wound his arms around her waist, and it took me a second to not freak out in shock. Right. 'Cause you already know about them.
Tanya flopped down onto the couch, commanding me to get ready so that she could approve my wardrobe choice.
Such a tyrant, that one is.
I shook my head, dispelling the voice of Yoda, which often seemed to reside in there. How could Bella like someone who thought in "Yoda?" Because yes, that is its own language. As is Ewok, which I can also speak…
Suddenly, something was chucked at my head, making me groan in pain. "What the—?"
Tanya quirked one eyebrow at me before dropping her gaze to the floor where Jake's plush Spiderman action figure lay at my feet. "Seriously, Teddy, you've been staring at that poster for like five minutes." She moved her gaze to the Queen Amidala poster I'd jacked off to merely days before while thinking of Bella's plush lips around my cock, only now I added her outfit from today… "I needed to make sure you were still conscious." Tanya's voice invaded my brain again, pulling me from my out-of-control fantasies. "Go!"
Apparently, my brain was just non-functional today. With Tanya's stellar motivation, I was off, quickly showering and dressing before our excursion to The Pound. Tanya put me in a pair of black jeans, a white t-shirt, and my black Ray Bans because "it was going to be sunny for at least another two hours," as she claimed.
I thought I looked a bit like a greaser, but she insisted that I looked good. And I very nearly believed her when Rosalie whistled and made me spin for her. All in all, I was feeling good.
That was, until I saw her.
Bella was already waiting in the parking lot, joking around with Jasper and Alice, but my eyes were only focused on her. She was wearing tight, dark jeans, which almost looking like a second skin wrapped around her luscious ass. On top, her hair was pulled up, and it looked like she was wearing just a simple black t-shirt, but as she turned around to laugh at something Jasper had said, I saw that there was a huge part of it cut out, revealing nearly the entirety of her back. Jesus, that's hot.
I approached nervously, feeling like the biggest dork in the entire world as Tanya pushed the sunglasses back up my nose. They had slid down as I'd taken a minute to really examine Bella, and naturally, I'd been caught by everyone around me.
"Stop it, Jasper!" Bella squealed as he pinched her side, causing her to grab Alice and use her as a shield.
"You can't lie to me and tell me you don't know what you're singing tonight," he prodded.
"Maybe I'm not singing anything," she teased him, sticking her tongue out, and I had the urge to grab her and suck on it. God, it's going to be a long night.
Instead, I draped my arm around her shoulder as coolly as possible and squeezed it gently. "Well, that would be a shame."
Her eyes looked up and grew wide at the sight of me. She kind of did the same thing Rosalie did, except without the whistle, and I was starting to trust Tanya. Clearly, she was the expert.
Bella's eyes regained their focus, and a sly smile spread across her face. "Why, Teddy?" She emphasized the name, making it clear that she was going to mock me with it for ages. I knew I wouldn't stop her, either. "What are you singing tonight?"
"Me? Uh…nothing, unless Jake and my sister get me completely toasted." My eyes darted around the parking lot for them. I found them quickly, already in the front seat of Tanya's jeep. "Speaking of which, shall we chaperone them? I don't really want Jake's offspring to be related to me."
Bella's mouth dropped in shock, and it was then that I realized she hadn't been around to hear about Jake and Tanya's, ugh, previous relations.
"Ew," she muttered, a slight shudder running through her body as my hand slipped from her shoulder to brush against her bare back, leading her to the car. I hoped her response was for the thought of Jake and Tanya together and not the feel of my hand; otherwise I was going to be screwed.
At the car, I opened the door for her to go in first, trying to be a gentleman, but it had the adverse effect. The jeep was slightly too high for her in her high heeled black boots, which I had just taken the time to notice, so I had to place my hands on either sides of her hips and hoist her into the backseat. Of course, me being me, my hands had to slip and grab her ass, causing her to gasp and tense mid-push.
"Sorry, sorry…" I muttered as I climbed in after her, willing the blush staining my cheeks to disappear immediately. Who was this fumbling, bumbling, awkward boy? I hadn't seen him since I was eighteen, and I really had no desire to revisit him ever again.
I chanced a glance at Bella. She was smiling to herself, fidgeting with her fingers in her lap. I was about to say something when Tanya turned up the radio, blasting (ironically) "Don't Stand So Close To Me," by The Police. It was slightly awkward, seeing as how I was sharing the cramped back seat with someone who I worried was much too young for me, but as Jake started to sing out, not even I could hold back my laughter.
"This girl's an open page. Book mark it, she's so close now. This girl is half his age!" he sang out, and soon we were all joining in. Just as the tension was finally starting to dissipate, we arrived at The Pound.
Jasper pulled up shortly after, and I smiled, seeing how many people he'd fit into his car. Rosalie, Emmett, Seth, and Alice all climbed out.
Emmett ran ahead first, presumably to get us his favorite table, and we were all led out to the back patio immediately. One of the waitresses who worked there had a thing for Emmett, and despite the amount of people always waiting to get in, we never had to.
As we got to the table, I was perplexed by the seating arrangement. Emmett and Rosalie had already taken a spot next to Jake and Tanya on one side of the table, while Alice, Jasper, Seth, and Bella had slid into the other side, leaving no room for me. I stood awkwardly, arms crossed, confused as to what to do. They couldn't pull another chair up to the head of the table, because that would cut off the waitresses' serving path. I looked at Emmett pointedly, glaring at him for being an idiot and getting a table for eight instead of nine, when I heard a meek voice cut in.
"Um, you can sit here, Edward…if you don't mind me sitting on your lap."
My cock hardened in my pants as Bella stood up, gesturing for me to take the seat. This was not going to end well, but how could I resist? Like the dumb fool I was, I nodded and slid onto the bench, adjusting myself quickly before Bella took her perch on my knee. I admired the pale skin of the back of her neck and resolved to tell her to wear her hair up more often.
The waitress came to the table quickly, and seeing our seating predicament, her brow furrowed. "Oh, my, I'm so sorry, y'all! We have a table that's about to leave over there if you want to—"
"No worries," Bella interrupted her. "I'm actually pretty comfortable." As she said the last part, she moved her hand to pat my leg behind her, but she was already taking up so much of that space herself, her palm brushed against my inseam, causing me to jump in my seat.
I shifted so suddenly that Bella nearly slid off my knee and onto the ground. I quickly grabbed her waist and pulled her back in a more comfortable position—and where she wouldn't be able to feel my solid erection digging into any part of her body.
She chuckled nervously and looked over her shoulder back at me. I hoped my face looked calmer than I was actually feeling, otherwise we were going to have some serious issues. "Well, I was comfortable."
I groaned in defeat, letting my forehead fall forward to lean on her bare back. Unable to resist, I tried to discretely inhale Bella's scent, which was savagely interrupted by a jarring pain as she straightened her back suddenly, crashing into my nose.
"Ow!" I cried, holding my hand up to my nose, hoping it wasn't bleeding. "Jesus fucking Christ…"
Carefully, I pulled my hand away, happy to see that there was no blood involved in this injury. I lifted my eyes up and saw the entire table staring at us in silence, their mouths agape.
"You two are so fucking dysfunctional, I can't even begin to…" Jake trailed off, shaking his head at me in disbelief. Yeah, I feel that, too, asshole.
"So, who needs a drink?" the waitress asked, purposefully trying to ignore the most awkward outburst in the history of seating arrangements.
"Me!"
"I do!" Bella and I called out simultaneously.
The waitress grinned, staring at Bella thoroughly with some sort of glint in her eye that I just couldn't figure out. "What can I get y'all?" Her voice was coy, mocking, almost.
"A round of Patron shots for the table!" Emmett called out. That boy sure loved his tequila, but I didn't have quite the same affinity for it.
"Well, if we're doing tequila, we may as well stick with it. We all know what happened last time you mixed liquors, Em." Bella reminded Emmett of their last experience at The Pound. I could only hope that tonight would be extremely different.
"Then let's just get margarita pitchers to share," Tanya suggested.
Dinner went by in a tequila and Bella-induced blur. All I could focus on was the feel of her shifting her weight on my lap every time she'd take a bite of her food and the nice tingling feeling I was getting as a result of my magically refilling margarita glass.
"Bella, can I talk to you?" Rosalie was standing at the head of the table, looking patiently at Bella, who was now finishing the last few sips of her margarita.
Instead of responding, Bella leaned back into my chest, sliding down in my lap and resting her head on my shoulder. I had no choice but to wrap my arms around her waist — just to make sure she didn't slide off my lap, of course.
"Nope," she giggled, and I finally took notice of the pink flush on Bella's cheeks. The girl was buzzed, at least. "I think I'm good right here."
I should have encouraged her to hash it out with Rosalie, but I was enjoying having her on my lap too much. I smiled back down at her and tightened my grasp a little bit more. "Yeah, Rose. She's good right here."
Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Thanks for all your help, Edward."
I held up one hand in a gesture of defeat. "You should go talk to her," I said, whispering into her ear.
"Fine, fine," Bella grumbled.
Although I was sure there was about to be a cataclysmic explosion between the two strong personalities, I knew it needed to happen. And sooner rather than later was probably a good choice. Once Rosalie and Bella had disappeared around the corner, I relaxed back into my seat and took a large gulp of my magical margarita glass, which was filled again.
"So…" Tanya came around the table so that Emmett and Jake could escape, most likely to write their names down for karaoke. Fools. I would not be doing that tonight. Nope, I was content to drink and watch other people embarrass themselves…and keep an eye on Bella.
"So, what?" I grinned.
"You're so adorable when you're drunk, Teddy."
"I'm not drunk," I protested, but to be honest, things were getting a bit fuzzy.
"Sure, you're not." She leaned over and refilled my half-empty glass, and I finally figured out how my magical glass was keeping its supply of booze. My sister had been actively trying to get me drunk. I opened my mouth to object. "Oh, don't get your panties in a twist, Edward. I've been refilling Bella's glass all night, too." With a wink, she slid back out of the booth and ran to go find Jake, presumably.
Huh. So, my sister had not only been getting me drunk, but Bella, too. That didn't seem like such a fantastic plan to me. I wanted to be sober enough to remember everything about tonight. And the last time Bella had had too much to drink, it had ended in absolute mayhem.
Instead of continuing on with the margaritas, I made the executive decision to switch over to water. As I took a large sip, relishing the way the cool liquid slid down my throat, Seth leaned forward to get my attention.
"Good choice," he smirked, pointing to the water in my hand. I swallowed the sip in my mouth and raised it to my mouth again.
"I thought so." I shook my head, trying to clear it of the mass quantities of tequila and sugar my sister had stuffed it with.
"Hey, Edward?" Seth shifted in his seat to face me, and he looked a bit nervous, although I couldn't imagine why. "You really like Bella, don't you?"
"Uh…" I now knew the answer to this question, but I wasn't sure if it was the right one to give Seth, who was also interested in her. My hesitance gave me away, though, and soon Seth was smiling widely.
"Yeah, I thought so."
Jeez, did everyone know I was into Bella? Fuck. Did Bella know I was into Bella? My face must have shown my panic because Seth started talking again, calming me down immediately.
"Don't worry, Edward, she has no idea."
His words should have filled me with relief, but I couldn't help but be disappointed by them.
"Right."
I fiddled with my straw and pushed around the leftover food on my plate, trying to ignore the awkward tension that had filled my body. There was a lull in the noise of the bar and suddenly, Jake's voice was blaring over the speaker system, signaling the beginning of a very long night.
Instead of dealing with Seth right now, I decided to head over to the bar and watch Jake make a fool out of himself. The bar was pretty crowded, so I just leaned up against the end of it. Jake was halfway through "Dead Or Alive" when I saw Bella dart through the mass amounts of people and up to the bar.
Winding my way through the bodies, I finally made it to her as she was ordering her drink—a Long Island iced tea. Or, as I used to refer to them, a sure thing. It made me nervous that Bella was diving into heavier booze, especially coming back from what was sure to have been an emotional conversation, but who was I to judge? Honestly, I'd often found myself doing the same thing. As long as I kept an eye on her, I decided it would be okay. Unable to help myself, I placed my hand at the small of her back, but unlike last time, she leaned into my hand, rather than away from it. Good start, Cullen!
"Hey, are you okay?" I leaned down to whisper in her ear. She didn't turn towards me, instead nodding stoically. The bartender pushed her drink forwards, and as she reached for her wallet, I cut her off. "Here, let me." I handed the bartender a ten-dollar bill, letting him keep the change.
She took a long pull of the mind-numbing drink and sighed, letting her eyes close. I took a moment to shamelessly ogle her tits, seeing as how they weren't confined by a bra tonight.
You are one sick bastard.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I offered, placing my arm on her shoulder, unsure of what I should do in this kind of situation.
She took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly. I could see the tension leave her body, melting away quickly. She opened her eyes and smiled. "Nope. I'm good. And we're going to have fun tonight, okay?"
"Okay." I smiled as she took my hand and pulled me back towards our table. I intertwined our fingers, loving the way her small hand fit perfectly within mine. We were just about to reach the table when I heard the two words I'd dreaded coming tonight over the speaker system.
"Where's Edward?" No, please let this be a joke. A groan pushed its way through my lips as I hung my head in defeat, trying to ignore the MC who was continuing to ask for me. Whoever had signed me up to sing karaoke was going to die a very slow and painful death. I would make sure of it.
Bella giggled, sipping her drink and pushing me back towards the stage. "I didn't sign up for this, just so you know," I protested.
"Unimportant." She smiled and took a seat next to Tanya, right at the edge of the stage.
A microphone was thrust into my hands, and I realized that I had no fucking clue what I was supposed to be singing. I hoped to God it wasn't something ridiculously embarrassing.
As the words, "My Sharona," by The Knack lit up on the screen in front of me, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Not an embarrassing song at all. In fact, I loved the song.
The music started, and I reluctantly started going along with it.
"Ooh, my little pretty one, my pretty one
When you gonna give me some time, Sharona?
Ooh, you make my motor run, my motor run
Got it coming off of the line, Sharona…"
The crowd in front of me cheered, and I couldn't help but laugh at Emmett and Jake, who were high fiving one another. At least I'd figured out who had signed me up in the first place.
When the next verse started up, though, I fucking remembered what the hell the song was about, and it took every ounce of restraint in my body to not run off the stage and pummel my two best friends. Instead, I tried to focus on the screen and not the gorgeous girl in front of me, despite the fact that the lyrics I was singing were so clearly aimed towards her.
"Never gonna stop, give it up, such a dirty mind
I always get it up for the touch of the younger kind
My, my, my, aye-aye, whoa! M-m-m-my Sharona…"
During the musical interlude, I threw down the mic super quickly and rushed towards Emmett and Jake.
"Do you guys think this is fucking funny?" I whispered through gritted teeth. They both nodded, tears of laughter running down their cheeks. Instead of getting angrier, though, I just grabbed their wrists and brought them back on stage with me.
They were pretty rowdy, which took the heat off me for a bit, and I was grateful. Their presence on stage also gave me the opportunity to stare at Bella bit more unabashedly without it being totally creeptacular. She giggled and sipped her drink, occasionally making comments with Tanya.
Raucous applause broke out through the room as we wrapped up the song, but I rushed off the stage quickly, letting Emmett and Jake ham it up. Before I could turn around, Bella's arms were around my neck. "Whoa!" I stumbled backwards slightly, trying to brace myself.
"That was great, Edward," she whispered awfully close to my neck, making my hair rise. "I can't wait to sing with you all summer."
My arms suddenly became like Jello. Unable to hold her up anymore, she slid down my body to find her footing on the ground again, leaving me with a ridiculously painful hard-on.
"Yeah, m-me too."
During the next few songs, some people butchered Journey, Sir-Mix-A-Lot, and Queen, while Bella, Tanya, and I pointed and laughed at them. I ordered them both another Long Island iced tea, which they gratefully accepted, exclaiming what a nice boy I was. It felt really natural and relaxed, and I was internally grateful to my sister for loosening me up with some drinks to dispel that awful awkward boy from before. I was just getting comfortable when the MC called out Bella's name. I was surprised. I didn't even know she'd put her name down on the list.
"Wish me luck!" She winked and then was off. Booze did magical things to Bella. She was this happier, more confident person. It was as if the alcohol melted away all her insecurities, and I wished that she were like that more often. She was amazing, and more people needed to tell her that more often.
I couldn't wait to hear her sing. Bella's voice was incredible, and she didn't use it nearly enough. But as the first chords of her song came on, I wanted to die. This song wasn't going to help me get through the night acting like a proper gentleman.
Her voice was sultry and her eyes were closed as she brought the microphone up to her lips to begin.
"I love myself. I want you to love me
When I feel down. I want you above me
I search myself. I want you to find me
I forget myself. I want you to remind me."
Seriously? Bella had to sing a song about masturbation? It was bad enough that I'd been hard all night just watching her, but now watching her and hearing her and imagining her…I was ready to bust a nut. I was pretty sure the hottest thing I could imagine involved Bella touching herself. I could feel a light sheen of sweat break out on my forehead, and the temperature in the room increased significantly as Bella continued to move her hips to the seductive beat.
"I don't want anybody else
When I think about you I touch myself
Ooh I don't want anybody else. Oh no, oh no, oh no…"
My cock was leaking. I could pretty much feel it now. It was like it was crying, "Please, Bella! Please be singing about me…if you're not, I'll cry!"
And as Bella finished up the last verse of the song, I decided that I was pretty much going balls to the wall tonight. I was going to go for it—I couldn't not be with her, especially after having figured out that I wanted more.
The room went wild as Bella finished up her song, and I could literally feel the wolves about to descend. They were eyeing her like she was a piece of meat. Well, I couldn't let that happen.
"How was I?" Bella spun around, a wide smile on her face. I had never wanted to kiss someone so badly in my entire life.
"You were fab, sweetheart," Tanya answered for me, since I was too wrapped up in my ogling.
Bella retook her seat next to me, but I was itching to spend time alone with her. For the first time in my life, I was jealous of my sister for talking to a girl. After about twenty minutes and another round of drinks, I decided I was going to have my way.
"Hey, Bella." I leaned in and let my nose graze the patch of soft skin behind her ear. "Want to go for a walk?"
"Where to?" she asked, but I noticed she was already getting up, willing to follow me. God, I wanted to be on her so badly right now. I just needed to get her alone.
"Actually," Tanya interrupted, making me want to throttle her. "We were going to head home now. Is that okay with you guys?"
No, you cockblocking son of a bitch! That is NOT okay!
"Of course," Bella replied emphatically, sounding a little drunk. "Heaven forbid you keep Jake's hard-on waiting."
"Oh, gross, Bella." That visual was really more than I could bear right now, and it tempered my raging libido momentarily.
She put up her hand to whisper, away from Tanya, but she was too drunk for volume control, so it just ended up being kind of hilarious. "She wants on his peen, Edward. She told me so. I think it's cute."
Tanya stood, hands on her hips, looking highly amused. "I love her," she mouthed, causing a wide smile to break out across my face. Out loud, she continued, "Okay, come on, drunkards, let's go."
We hopped into the car, where Jake was already waiting with the keys in the ignition. I guessed he was already ready to go. Ugh.
He drove fast — faster than anyone should drive through the dark and winding streets of Maine - until we were back at Long Lake.
As I was getting out of the car, Bella jumped onto my back, throwing her arms around my neck. It was like she had lost all her inhibitions, and she was acting with me like she did around Emmett. I could only hope that the sentiment was different.
"Giddy up, Edward!" She hitched herself on my back as Tanya had earlier, laughing loudly as she did. I didn't even ask her where she wanted to go. Instead, I took her straight back to my bunk…which in retrospect was a terrible idea. As soon as we entered the bunk, I could hear the muffled sounds of my sister and my best friend doing incredibly dirty things behind closed doors. They must have sprinted from the car to get naked so fucking fast.
I shuddered, let Bella down to walk through, and quickly closed my own door, where Jasper was already in bed.
"Oh, sorry…" He sat straight up in bed, ready to leave if need be. What a trooper. That was totally unnecessary. I considered my boner squashed after hearing my sister.
"Don't worry about it, we're just going to—" I looked over my shoulder to ask Bella what she wanted to do, but she was already curled up on my bed, completely passed out. I guessed she'd had a few too many Long Island iced teas to make it much longer. "Never mind."
Tonight hadn't been anything like I'd planned, but it had been fun and completely natural. It gave me hope that I could be in a functional relationship. It kind of seemed like we could. Hell, even Jake was okay with it, which said a fuck ton.
I slid off my jeans and threw on some sweats and quickly curled up behind Bella and shamelessly dug my nose into her hair, pulling her tighter to me.
"Aw," Jasper cooed, throwing a blanket over us from the foot of my bed before sauntering back to his own bed and turning off the lights.
"Shut up," I mumbled into Bella's hair. I must have mumbled a little too loudly because Bella suddenly stirred underneath my arm.
"Edward?"
"Hmm?"
Instead of replying, though, Bella simply nuzzled her head further into my pillow and sighed. I couldn't help but let a smile overtake my face. I didn't know what had happened tonight, but it was definitely good.
Chapter End Notes: Say it with me now, "AWWWWWWWW." Okay, if you didn't read my long ass author's note, now would be a good time to go check it out.
As always, I love to hear what you have to say. Give me some sugar, darlings!