AN: I'm here! I'm here! And I'm super excited to share this chapter with you. Thank you to everyone for your constant support. I'm continually shocked at the outpouring of love (…er, passion) you guys have for these characters. Especially Campward's Call Girls. You girls were just about to kill Edward last chapter, but I'm hoping this one gives a bit more inside into his head.
Huge thanks to my beta, lisa89, and my bouncing boards/prereaders extraordinaire, laraisawkward and il-bel-mondo. You guys always know how to hold my hand and talk me through this as it gets more difficult for me to write *grumbles* and you know why.
If you haven't been playing on the thread, all I can tell you is that you're missing out. Come play with us if you have the chance.
www (dot) twilighted (dot) ?f=44&t=7126
And, if you're in the mood for something smutty and dirty to read and you haven't checked out my FML one shot yet…I highly suggest that you do ;)
www (dot) fanfiction (dot) net/s/5704985/1/Cell_Mates
Now, without further ado…here's our favorite boy.
~Edward~
My heart thundered in my chest as Bella lifted her head. I held my breath as the tension between us increased. For the first time, I could see the desire in her eyes, and I didn't doubt it or second-guess myself. I could feel her pulse race and her body flush as we continued to gaze into one another's eyes.
"Edward?"
Her voice was so quiet, I would have thought I'd imagined hearing her if I hadn't glanced down at her luscious lips.
"Hm?" I replied absentmindedly, just wanting to tell her how much I liked her, how much I wanted to be with her, why she could never be with anyone else…how glad I was that she never had been with anyone else.
"I can't see anything I don't like about you."
Fuck. She beat me to the punch. But Bella's always been the more advanced one out of the two of us.
Her small voice pierced through the darkness as the credits rolled on the television screen, and I couldn't control the grin that overtook my face. It felt like the broken pieces of myself were coming together, neatly clicking and locking into place.
"I can't see anything I don't like about you, either," I repeated, yearning to lean forward and capture her lips with my own. Just as I was about to lean forward, she turned her head to lay on my chest and breathed out a small, "Okay." I could feel the tension leave her body, and I couldn't help but chuckle softly as I assured her of my affection again.
"Yeah." I paused, realizing that Bella and I were acting out one of my greatest movie fantasies. Well, behind Star Wars and Secretary. "Okay."
Her cheeks heated, and I could feel it seeping through the thin fabric of my t-shirt. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her flush against my side.
"So," Bella began sleepily, "what d—" Her sentence was interrupted by a large yawn, and I couldn't help but laugh at her complete adorableness.
Adorableness? Is that even a word? Whatever… it is now.
"Shhh, we can talk tomorrow, Bella." I silenced her with a soft kiss to her forehead, surprising the both of us. She looked like a contented kitten as she leaned into my chest again.
I stayed awake long after Bella's erratic heartbeat had evened out. And although Jake had given me somewhat of a warning, nothing could truly prepare me for the sound of my name passing through her lips.
"Mmm, Edward," she mumbled, hooking her top leg with mine.
My cock sprang to life at her words, and I had to shift my entire body over to ensure that I didn't accidentally rub against her in my sleep…or cum against her in my sleep like some horny pubescent boy. How embarrassing would that be?
And now, after having heard that she was still a virgin, I knew that I had to take things physically at a slow pace. I didn't want to push her into anything, despite my dick's protests. I'd make the first move, but I'd let her set the pace past that. Anything to make her more comfortable.
Of course, at that second, Bella shifted onto my throbbing cock again, grinding her hips against me. I tried to take deep, steady breaths to calm myself, but it only served to excite me more, as her scent surrounded me.
This was fruitless.
And so, with lewd thoughts of deflowering my innocent Bella, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
* * *
High-pitched giggling brought me out of my incredibly restful slumber. I felt as if I'd been sleeping for days, rather than simply hours. I groaned and tried to stretch my arm out, but it was pinned underneath something soft and warm.
The corners of my mouth pulled upwards as the giggling sound continued, its source moving towards me to free my arm from underneath it.
"Wake up, Princess," a voice chuckled—not the voice I had been expecting.
I tried to figure out if I was awake or still dreaming—although I was clueless as to why I would be dreaming about Jake waking me up. Nervously, I opened my eyes and couldn't help but laugh at what I saw.
Bella was still by my side, looking up at me with a nervous smile on her face, but it was the faces behind her that really woke me up. Somehow, Emmett and Jake had scrunched themselves into bed with us, and they were both grinning gleefully.
"What's going on?" I ran my fingers through my hair with my free hand, hoping that it wasn't too crazy after a long night's sleep.
"Time to get the kids up and out for the day!" Jake bellowed.
I cringed, which brought my lips to Bella's hair again, and I couldn't resist placing a small kiss on it. "Too loud," I mumbled, not pulling away from her.
Emmett cleared his throat loudly, causing me to jerk my head up. What the fuck did he want? His eyes were calculating and set upon my hand, which happened to be resting across Bella's ribs, just underneath her chest on the inside of her unzipped…hey now….
She was wearing my hoodie. To bed. Pride swelled inside my chest, but I couldn't linger on it too long. Instead, I huffed and settled back behind her, temporarily ignoring the fact that Emmett and Jake were definitely staring at us. I couldn't bring myself to care just yet.
She released a long breath underneath my palm, relaxing back into me further, and I couldn't help but stroke my thumb in a small circle across her ribs. Our confession of sorts last night gave me no more room to pussy out. I liked her, and she liked me. And I was a hundred percent okay with using my body to show it.
As my thumb stroked, though, I inadvertently grazed the underside of her breast. Her breath caught, and I could feel her temperature increasing against me as her nipples strained against her thin wife beater.
I could feel myself hardening against her back, but before I could let it get too far, I jumped out of bed in an attempt to put some space between us. I might have been okay with showing physical affection, but I kind of liked my dick and wanted to keep it. Having Emmett present for where that turn of events was headed was a guaranteed way to end up castrated. So, instead of flipping Bella over and letting my hands roam all over her body, I awkwardly blurted out, "Gotta shower," and locked myself in the bathroom.
I'd thought that telling Bella how I felt about her would have made me less awkward, but apparently it'd had the adverse effect. I now felt like some anxious high-school kid with sweaty palms and a perma-boner.
Speaking of which…
My cock needed some attention as of, like, two days ago. Sighing, I slid my pajamas off and turned the water as hot as it would go. It felt so good to have real water pressure after using the measly camp shower for the past month and a half that I actually moaned when the hot water pelted onto my back, massaging away my tension. My head dropped forward to stretch the muscles of my neck as the heat did its thing. Naturally, my eyes landed straight on my cock, which was begging for me to touch it.
Following its simple directions, I poured some soap onto my hand and gripped myself tightly, letting it slide up and down my shaft. By the time my hand had pumped about three times, I was ready to explode. I needed to start doing this more than once a day, otherwise when I slid inside Bella for the first time—
And with thoughts of me driving into Bella's tight, untouched warmth, I came all over my hand.
The rest of my shower followed languorously. I took my time, knowing that I'd be likely receiving hell from my two best friends as soon as I stepped out of the room. When I finally turned off the shower, the entire room was clouded with steam.
"All right, Edward." Emmett's loud voice reverberated through the door. "We all know what you're doing in there, so you can just finish up and come on out. We're going to be late as it is!"
Indignant, I wrapped a towel around my waist and swung the door open. "Jesus Christ, you asshole, I finished that up like twenty minutes a—"
Standing in front of me, mouth opened and eyes wide, was Bella.
~Bella~
The most epic shower masturbation time—thirty minutes of recollecting Edward's hands brushing against my needy breasts as I plunged two fingers inside myself—were completely for naught. As soon as I saw Edward's half-naked body, all the sexual tension I'd ridded myself of came rushing back tenfold.
"Uh…" My eyes roamed his naked torso, lingering on the droplets of water as they dripped from his hair and crashed onto his shoulders. I had to restrain myself from licking my lips as I followed their trail down to his stomach. It took me by surprise to realize that I'd never seen Edward shirtless before. I mean, he'd never participated in a swim meet, instead hanging by the sidelines with his camera in hand.
And Edward was, in a word, beautiful.
His skin was pale, having rarely—if ever—seen the sun, but it only made his eyes stand out more. And although he wasn't ripped or stacked like Jake, he was lean and the perfect size for me to wrap my arms around comfortably.
I let my gaze wander downwards over his waist and to the towel that he was gripping tightly at his hip. I wanted nothing more than to pry his fingers off it and let it flutter to the ground. Every inch of my body yearned to see all of him.
My eyes finally met his, and the nerves that I saw in them, incidentally, were what finally calmed me. Edward Cullen was nervous because of me.
"I can…I was…I…um…" The words tumbled out of his mouth as he shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.
"Right. Well, we're late, so I'm—" I motioned with my head towards the door and spun around quickly. Instead of walking out the door, though, my body collided with The Iron Giant, aka Jake. "Ow, fucking hell. What the fuck?"
Jake placed his hands on either one of my shoulders and stepped back, leaving some space between us. He cocked his head to the side, examining me thoroughly before flicking his eyes over my shoulder towards Edward and then back. "What the hell was that?" he asked gruffly.
"What was what?" I kicked at the carpet with my sneaker, looking anywhere but at the three sets of eyes that were trained on me. "And don't you try and have attitude with me when you were the one who kicked me out of my own bed last night."
"LB, I keep telling you…if you want a piece, all you have to do is ask." Jake's hands snaked from my shoulders to rest on my sides, pulling me closer to him in a death grip. I squealed and tried to get away, but it was no use.
"Hey!" Edward's voice came as a warning to his best friend, and finally the fingers that were gripping my sides loosened. I pivoted my torso towards his voice, needing to thank him, but his face changed to one of curiosity as he looked at me up and down. Despite the fact that I was fully covered, I felt naked under his gaze. "Hey," he said, his tone soft, "are you still wearing my hoodie?"
"I thought it was my hoodie now," I replied confidently, but my blush betrayed me, sneaking up in pink splotches on my cheeks.
"It is," he replied quickly, throwing a t-shirt over his head and subsequently calming me even further. "I just haven't seen you wear it during the day, so…"
"Well, it smells like you again, so I wanted t—" I began to explain, before realizing that my filter was most definitely broken if I'd just said that out loud.
Edward's curious face turned into one of amusement as a large smile spread across his face. "You wanted to what?"
My blush roared, burning up, as I shook my head quickly from side to side. "I have to…" Side-stepping Jake, I made my way through the door and escaped to safety.
I was only a few steps away when I heard Emmett's voice booming through the narrow corridor. "You were just watching Edward and Bella, episode one. Damn, that was hilarious."
* * *
The rest of the morning went off without a hitch. We split the girls up into five groups, one counselor chaperoning, to explore and shop until lunchtime, so I had four hours without Edward. Well, kind of.
Every so often, our groups' paths would cross. It was torturous. And occasionally, our arms would brush against one another's for a brief second, making my stomach clench. Something in his eyes had changed since last night, and I wanted nothing more than to unlock the secrets they seemingly held.
As I held Edward's gaze, I couldn't help but wonder if my declaration last night was fully understood. To me, I'd admitted that I liked him, that I had feelings for him, and that I wanted to be with him. And as much as I knew things between us were changing, I wasn't completely convinced that the words held the same meaning for Edward. I wondered if he had thought it was an admission of platonic affection. We'd had our ups and downs throughout the summer, and it'd only been a month and a half. I worried that my words, which had taken all my courage to say, had been wasted on a misconstrued admission of friendship.
My head ached from a lack of caffeine and the crazy thoughts bouncing around in my head.
Luckily, the gossipy campers were able to prevent me from going insane with indecision with their inane rambling about the latest pop stars and celebutantes. I could have cared less about it, but it was a good distraction nonetheless.
Finally, we picked up some heinously unhealthy food (fuck yes, McDonalds) and hopped back onto the bus. I slid into the seat I'd inhabited on the long ride there and opened up my bag of deliciousness. I spread napkins out on my lap and set up a little station for my chicken nuggets and the appropriate dipping sauce—sweet and sour, obviously. My mouth watered as the greasy scent spread throughout the bus. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had such crappy food, and I couldn't have been more excited. My mom had always been somewhat of a health nut and McDonalds or any other kind of fast food was strictly forbidden in the Swan household. Thank God for summer vacation, or I'd never know the nirvana that came from partaking in chicken nuggets.
As the first drops of sweet n sour sauce hit my tongue, I closed my eyes and moaned.
So fucking good.
Distracted as I was, I didn't miss the feeling of a hand brushing past me to reach for a nugget…and I could not have that. My hand jutted out and gripped the wrist that was making a dive for my tasty meal.
"Back it up, Em." My eyes snapped open and landed on a guilty-looking Edward. "Oh, sorry. I thought..." As I trailed off, I noticed Edward's other hand diving for the chicken nugget and pulling it back to his mouth.
No he didn't…
He chewed it quickly and, with a satisfied smirk, slid into the seat next to me as I continued to stare at him, my mouth agape. "You made me want one," he explained, as if there was a possible justification for him being a food thief.
"I…I…I can't believe you just did that!"
"What'd he do?" Jake asked, walking up the aisle after doing a head count to make sure all our campers were back on the bus.
"He stole a chicken nugget!" I huffed indignantly.
Edward's face fell into one of remorse as Jake burst out laughing, ruffling his already-messy hair. "Oh no you di'int." Jake snapped, cocking a hip to show the proper amount of 'tude for his ridiculous chastisement. "Nuggets are more valuable than gold to LB."
"You had ten of them," Edward mumbled, opening up his own bag of food.
"And now I only have nine." I couldn't control my pout or the whine in my voice.
"Aww, sad face, LB. Don't have an aneurism. I'll give you one of mine," Emmett said, passing one of his own chicken nuggets over the seat.
Giggling, I blew a kiss to Emmett as I swiped the nugget from his hand. "Kiss, kiss, Em. Thank you. And Edward—" I turned to him, looking as serious as I could possibly muster "—you steal my nuggets again, I'll shank you. Also, I'm going to need a few of your fries as interest for your theft."
Edward held out his container of fries as a peace offering, and I lost it, giggling like crazy as I took a few out. He rolled his eyes, seeing that I'd been joking the entire time, and shoved a few fries into his own mouth. I followed the motion of his hand as it brought the fries to his lips, and I almost dropped all my valuable nuggets onto the floor as his tongue swiped the remaining salt from his bottom lip into his mouth.
Suddenly, he leaned over and pulled some ranch sauce from his bag, which he'd laid on the floor between us. As he started to sit back up slowly, the bus started and his body shifted towards mine slightly, bringing our bodies together with his hand trapped between. As he continued to rise, his hand did, too, slowly dragging itself against my jean-covered thigh. I tried not to choke on the chicken in my mouth as I gasped and groaned at the warm feeling that spread throughout my body, concentrating itself in my crotch.
Fuck.
"What?" he asked, pulling me out of my Edward's-hand-on-my-thigh-induced euphoria. I must have looked confused because he just shook his head and continued. "I thought you said something…never mind."
"Nope." My voice sounded strained even to my own ears, and I focused all my attention on my own food, trying to ignore the seductive creature beside me.
Noting to myself that we'd just taken off, I knew that this was going to be a long ass six-hour drive.
~Edward~
Three words: Longest. Drive. Ever.
Bella and I sat for hours, feeling each slight movement as we pressed up against one another, pretending that there wasn't an oppressive amount of sexual tension hovering over us—strangling us.
I was aware of her every move. Every smile, every breath, every flick of her hair. I felt it all and could find no real way to distract myself. It didn't help that every time the bus went over a small bump, my body would shift against hers, causing just enough friction to increase my all-consuming desire for her.
When her eyes fluttered closed, I finally breathed a huge sigh of relief, knowing that I could somewhat relax when she was asleep and not equally as tense beside me. My relief was short-lived, however, as I started listening into the conversation going on behind me.
"So, do you know if anything happened last night?" Jake whispered.
"You mean besides you not being able to keep it in your pants for one goddamned night?" Emmett quipped back. I chuckled and slid my eyes to Danielle, who was engrossed in some lengthy romance novel.
"You know what I meant. With Awkward and Awkwella. Did our boy score…at all?"
Emmet chuckled softly, and I could picture him shaking his head as he affirmed what I already knew. "I took some sleeping pills last night so I wouldn't have the chance to find out."
There was a prolonged pause, and I wondered what was being conveyed. I almost turned around, just to see what their facial expressions were, dying to know what a third party had to say about us. Jake lowered his voice even further, and I had to strain to hear what he was saying.
"To be honest," he whispered softly, "I thought LB was into Seth."
"Yeah, he—" Emmett began, but at his words, blood rushed to my ears, blocking out whatever the rest of his response was.
Was Bella into Seth? That was what I had been fearing. Feelings of awkwardness and inadequacy filled my muscles, clenching my hands into tight fists that I tried hopelessly to relax.
I was so fucking high strung that when Bella's phone suddenly chirped on her lap, I nearly jumped out of my seat. My jerky movement accidentally hit Bella, waking her and making me feel like a jackass.
"Sorry. Your phone buzzed." I handed the phone to her, which had slid onto the seat in between us, but as I grabbed it, my thumb slipped over the center, showing me that she'd just received a text message from none other than my favorite assistant, Seth.
She stretched sleepily and opened the text, a sly smile appearing on her face as she read it. My insides burned with jealousy, wishing that I'd been the one to put that smile on her face.
As she texted back quickly, the words escaped my mouth before I could stop them. "Who's it from?"
Bella's eyes were still filled with sleep as she yawned and shifted to lean against me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her torso flush against my side. With a small yawn, she mumbled a low, "No one," before rubbing her cheek against my hoodie.
It drove me crazy that she wouldn't tell me that she'd received a message from Seth, and my mind started coming up with what she could possibly be hiding from me. Was he sending her lewd messages?
Did you just say lewd? Really??? Because you didn't have an old-man complex before.
Or maybe he wasn't even sending her texts at all. Maybe they were sending back and forth inappropriate picture messages or badmouthing me. Or maybe she truly thought of him as no one important and therefore, not worth telling me about.
Yes, let's stick with that one. We like that one.
As I was busy appeasing myself, I felt Bella inhale a long slow breath, and I couldn't resist teasing her about her comment earlier this morning.
"Getting more of my scent?" I laughed, squeezing her shoulder tightly and smiling at her petulant scowl.
"Don't flatter yourself, Cullen. I…I just…"
"You just what?" I goaded as she stuttered.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed again, and I could have sworn I heard her mumble, "Saved by the bell," but I couldn't be sure.
She read the text quickly and then held it out for me to see. Curious, I took the phone in my hand and couldn't help the slow, satisfied smirk that overtook my face at what I read.
B-town, first play rehearsal tonight. u and ariel's boy toy are the only ones called. – J-town
I reread the text from Jasper. If I had just read that correctly, it meant that Bella and I were the only ones called for rehearsal tonight, and I could not be more excited about that. I could only hope that she felt the same way. And if she didn't, at least this time alone with her would give me time to prove my worth over Seth.
The phone buzzed in my hand again, and I automatically went to check it out, thinking that Jasper had texted again. I was wrong. It was from my nemesis.
We can talk when you get here, Bells. Why aren't you back yet? Miss you, too. – Seth
My mouth went dry. What did she need to talk to Seth about? My stomach churned as I thought of the worst possibilities. And, miss you, too? That meant that Bella had written that she missed him first. How could she miss him when they'd barely been apart for two days? And Bells? What kind of stupid nickname was that? I mean, please…he couldn't think of anything more creative than that? My internal tirade was short-lived, though, because I realized that I was still holding her phone…and for an inappropriately long amount of time.
"Uh, you have a new text…" I said, shoving the phone back into her hand.
I watched her carefully as she read the message, hoping to decipher some secret message through her facial expressions. However, her face was completely passive as she typed out another quick response and put her phone away.
No matter what was going on between Bella and Seth, I knew that I needed to keep my relationship with her as positive as possible. She'd obviously been unable to deduce that I was into her, so I needed to do everything in my power to ensure she knew that. I was finally going to make this happen. I couldn't lose her to Seth—not when she was so close to finally being mine.
"So, play practice is just us, hm?" I asked, resting my chin on top of her head.
"Yeah, it should be fun, right?"
"Should be." I paused, mulling over if whether my next statement would be too inappropriate to admit, but then I decided to fuck "appropriate" and go for it. "Especially if we're practicing our kissing scene again."
I could feel her cheek warm against my chest, which I hoped was a positive reaction instead of one of humiliation. My stomach clenched uncomfortably until I felt her release a shaky breath and mutter, "Uh, yeah…that'd be good."
She still felt slightly tense in my arms, so I decided to continue, letting her know that I was serious about us. "Bella?" Her wide eyes shifted upwards, seeking mine out as I pulled away slightly and allowed my nails to scrape gently up and down her arms in small, comforting strokes. "We can go as slow as you want."
Her eyes widened even further as she nodded. Without a word, she sank back against me, and I couldn't resist kissing the top of her head before settling into an easy silence.
* * *
When we finally arrived back at Long Lake, we still had a little bit of time before Bella and I had to be at rehearsal, so I suggested we head down to the shack to upload the footage from the trip onto my computer. I figured the more time alone, the better.
However, my plans never seemed to go smoothly, and this time was no exception. I should have realized that Seth would be waiting in the shack, but it still frustrated me to no end to see him there, ready to pounce just in case she came back without me. Or, that was what I told myself, anyway. Good thing he wouldn't have that opportunity. Ha.
His face lit up upon seeing Bella but promptly faded as I put my hand on the small of her back. "Seth." I greeted him tersely, hoping he'd get the point, but the boy played dumb, per usual.
"Edward, Bella," he said warmly. "How was your trip?"
I looked down at Bella and slid my hand from the small of her back to her side, bringing her closer to me. "Really good," I replied, never taking my eyes from Seth. His eyes, however, flashed quickly from my face to Bella's waist. I saw the spark of anger flare in his expression, and I wanted to scream out a big, "Yeah, so there!" but I refrained. Instead, I decided to further mark my territory like the alpha male I'd never been before. "Right, Bella?"
She looked up at my smiling face, surprised, and I was incredibly pleased when an intense blush heated her pale cheeks as she smiled back. "Yup. Really good."
"Yeah?" Seth's face was curious, trying to read our expressions. "I've never been to Quebec before…what was your favorite part?"
My eyes met his, trying to convey every ounce of possessiveness I was feeling at that moment as I responded. "The hotel."
"Right, Bella was telling me that you guys were staying in some sort of castle?"
"Chateau, actually," Bella corrected.
"So, it was pretty beautiful?" Seth was straining for conversation, and I knew that, without a doubt, I was winning right now.
"Mmhmm. And I had the best night's sleep I've had in quite a while. Well, since Friday, at least." Bella's jaw unhinged slightly as her blush spread over her neck and to her chest, blending in with the red of my hoodie.
Hook. Line. And sinker. Later, Seth.
"Well," Seth snapped, shoving the chair out from under him and preparing to leave, "sounds like it was a great time. Can't wait to hear more about it later." He nodded quickly to both of us and was gone faster than a speeding bullet.
It took me a full ten seconds after Seth had left to realize that Bella hadn't moved or said anything. I looked down to find her still staring blankly at me, and I panicked for a second, hoping I hadn't offended her. I mean, I'd basically just insinuated that I'd slept with Bella, in front of Bella, and that couldn't have been further from the truth. Shit. I could be in so much trouble right now. Why didn't I know how to be a functioning person at all?
"Uhh…" I had no justification, but I thought I'd try out at least some attempt at communication.
Bella's brow furrowed as she finally removed herself from my grasp to face me properly. "What was that?" she asked quietly.
"What do you mean?" Playing dumb definitely seemed like the best option in this scenario.
"What's with all the 'tude towards Seth? He's a really nice guy, you know. I thought you liked him."
"I do."
She looked at me insistently, and I balked slightly, knowing that she could see right through me. "No, you don't. I just can't figure out why."
I almost rolled my eyes, but I resisted. Was she really that thick that she didn't know Seth wanted her ass almost as much as I did? Seeing her confused face, I received my answer. Apparently, she was.
"Don't worry about it. Let's just…" I signaled my head toward the computer, and she looked at me for a very long second before giving up and sitting in the closest chair.
I sat down next to her and hooked the camera up to the computer, letting the import start. It was going to take a fair amount of time, so I decided to turn on some music while we waited. There was nothing worse than awkward silence, and I had a feeing that Bella and I were in for a world of it.
I knew I had to proceed and talk to her, truly communicate for the first time ever, but the truth was, I had no idea how to do that without sounding like a complete tool or douche. Instead, we sat listening to my shuffle, making odd, unimportant comments about our favorite movies. Essentially, I pussied out…again.
When evening taps rang, I clasped Bella's hand within mine and led us up the hill towards the theater for rehearsal. We didn't get too far, though. Just as we stepped outside the shack, I felt a tugging on my hand and realized that Bella had stopped walking and was staring at me intently.
"What?"
She bit her lip, drawing my eyes to it immediately and making my cock fill with blood. Right, because this is the perfect time for that…
"Edward, are you okay?" she asked nervously.
"Um, yes?" I replied, as more of a question than a statement.
She removed her hand from mine and crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you mad at me or something?"
"What?" I asked, indignant. Why in God's name would she think I was mad at her? "No." I shook my head. "No, of course not."
"Are you sure?" Her voice lowered even further as she looked down, tucking her chin to her chest, and it became progressively shakier with each word. "Because…you've been acting, um, weird…since we got back to camp. I just—" she paused and looked back up at me, and I was shocked to see unshed tears shining in the new light of the moon "—I just don't know what I did…"
As she continued to speak, my brain stopped thinking and let my body take over. I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around her slender waist tightly. "I'm so sorry," I gasped, clutching her small, shaking body to mine. "I…I don't know…" Unable to finish my sentence, I placed gentle kisses into her hair, brushing lightly against her forehead.
Bella leaned back against my hands to gaze up at me, letting hers move to my chest to brace herself. It was only when I saw the few tears that had escaped and run down her cheeks that I made up my mind about my next move.
"Don't know what?" Her brown eyes were inquisitive, and I stared into them, hoping I was making the right decision.
"I don't know what I'm doing," I whispered, cupping her soft cheek in my palm. She sighed quietly, leaning into my hand as her eyes fell closed. Keeping my thumb in place to stroke against her pale skin, I let my fingers slide from her cheek to twine themselves in her long hair.
With another deep breath, Bella reopened her eyes, her tears nowhere to be found, replaced by a warmth I could feel in my toes. With her eyes locked on mine, I couldn't feel anything but an odd fluttery feeling bouncing around in my gut.
Oh hey, stomach, meet butterflies.
After what felt like the longest second in the history of the world, I took a breath and leaned towards her. Her brown eyes never left mine as I approached. I felt her delicate hands start to tense, grabbing onto the fabric of my black hoodie, and her chin lifted up ever so slightly.
We both knew what was about to happen, and I knew it was about to change everything. This wasn't mandated for a stupid audition, and it wasn't some drunken lapse in judgment or a ridiculous dare from immature friends. No, this was me, awkward, nerdy, nervous Edward Cullen, finally getting my shit together and taking a huge fucking leap. I could only hope that I'd land safely on the other side.
Without another thought, I closed my eyes and allowed my lips to meet hers. She was motionless against me for a second, making me wonder if I'd just made the biggest mistake of my life. But then, just as quickly, she was pressing back, her hands fisting my hoodie tightly as she let her lips slide against mine.
The kiss was one of the most tender and delicate moments of my entire life. Never again would I be able to replicate this very moment when I felt Bella's hot breath against my mouth.
Her lips disappeared from mine for a second, only to return with a hunger that I was more than anxious to reciprocate. My hand wove itself further in her hair as she clung to me tightly, both of us desperate not to let go. And it was only when I felt the rough texture of the wood scraping against my knuckles, still wrapped around her waist, did I realize that I'd pinned her to the side of the shack.
Unable to wait any longer, I allowed my tongue to peek between my lips and brush against hers. It was accepted almost immediately with a low groan that reverberated all the way to my aching cock. I felt like I'd been waiting my lifetime for this kiss, and I wanted to savor each second of it. With the slowest pace I could muster while still keeping remotely sane, I met her tongue, soft and warm in her own mouth.
If I could have lived forever in that one moment, I'd be perfectly content until the end of my days. She tasted like leftover salt and sweet n sour sauce, but I truly believed it was the sweetest taste. Pure, unadulterated Bella.
My body's temperature kept rising; every flick of her tongue and each one of her touches was like the hottest inferno I could imagine.
Bella's hands, which had been gripping my hoodie, trailed from my chest to the nape of my neck. And as I felt the delicate touch of her fingers start to scratch my scalp, I lost the will to go slow.
My lips crashed to hers again, this time seeking out her tongue and pulling it into my own mouth greedily. This time, it was I who moaned loudly. Her tongue against mine was the sweetest torture, the most blissful massage, and I prolonged it for as long as I possibly could. I knew I was reaching the end of my breath, but I couldn't bring myself to release her yet. Slowing down again, I finally pulled away with one more short parting kiss to her now-swollen lips.
As my eyes opened, I found her staring at me, yet again, breathing hard and looking completely dumbfounded. She brought one of her hands to her mouth, her shocked expression never dissipating. "You…" she whispered, searching my eyes for something.
Never letting her out of my grasp, I leaned my forehead against hers and reiterated my previous statement, hoping it wouldn't be forgotten. "I don't know what I'm doing, Bella."
She chuckled breathily. "I beg to differ. That was…" She trailed off, tilting her head back up to look me in the eye.
I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like I might have actually landed safely. I should have known that Bella would never let me fall. After all, she was obviously the stronger one of the two of us and most likely the more self-assured one, too.
"Yeah." I kissed her forehead softly, enjoying the freedom I was now being allowed. "It was."
With a sweet smile, she laced her fingers with mine, and we headed up the hill to the theater, enjoying silence in all its non-awkwardness, for once.
Inside the theater, Maria was waiting for us with a huge smile on her face.
"Oh! I could not be more excited about you two. You have such fantastic chemistry that I thought we could jump right into your main duet. How do you feel about that?"
Never letting go of my hand, Bella led us to the piano, ready to learn our duet. Her eyes pierced through me as she sang the lyrics, and it knocked the wind from my chest, feeling that she was singing the truth.
"I feared my heart would beat in secrecy.
I faced the nights alone.
Oh, how could I have known that all my life I only needed you."
I wondered how long both of us had kept this from one another. And I wondered why the hell it had taken me so long to figure it out. Were my friends really that cruel, that they would keep this from me? Did they know that we both wanted one another but had kept it a secret anyway?
"It seems like perfect love's so hard to find.
I'd almost given up, you must've read my mind."
That much I knew was true. I'd seen it in her eyes over the past few days and heard it in her conversation with Emmett at the hotel. She'd wanted to move on, move past me, which was probably the smarter thing to do. But, unwilling to let her go, I'd made my desperate plea to keep her close. And as I looked at her flushed cheeks and twinkling eyes, I felt certain that it had worked.
Maria placed us on the stage, working on preliminary blocking, showing how the progression of the song would have us get closer, gradually ending up in an embrace similar to the one we'd just shared against the shack.
I looked deep into Bella's eyes, seeing the same look of recollection there as I'd been feeling. My lips instinctively sought hers out until I heard a loud throat clearing beside us. I pulled back sharply just before I made contact, seeing Maria's highly amused face.
Yeah, yeah…laugh it up.
"Well," she began, "the song will end with a kiss, but I'm sure you two can practice that on your own time."
An unstoppable smirk spread across my face at the thought of "practicing," and seeing Bella smile and bite down on her lower lip, I had a feeling that her own thoughts weren't too far from that, either.
I couldn't wait.
Chapter End Notes: So, Edward finally made his fucking move. About fucking time, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah…I know. Was it worth the wait? Let me know ;)