AN: Another week, another update. I'm trying my hardest to get this wrapped up as quickly as possible because I know you are all very worried about how this is going to end. Not sure how many of you have actually been to camp, but the end is always hard. This story isn't over quite yet, though, so don't despair.
Thanks to everyone who has left me a review – I know I am complete shite at replying to them. I try, I really do. Each one brings a smile to my face, even the ones that call Campward out for being a complete clueless tool on occasion.
Extra thanks to the girls at PPSS for rec'ing TLS this week. We're doubling up on the pervtasticness this chapter. Hope you all approve.
Apologies and best of luck to my busy beta lisa89 who is in the midst of applying to med school and more thanks to lreganb for doing all the heavy lifting ;)
~Bella~
"R?"
I popped my head into Rosalie's empty bunk. All the campers were being taken care of by the seniors. It was almost time for the staff dinner, and I had nothing to wear and no desire to get ready. Plus, I missed girl time with my favorite bitch. And since it was the final countdown, I was savoring each moment.
She looked up from her bed where she was stretched out with a book. Her eyes looked tired.
"Hey, B. What's up?"
"Uh, the staff party in about forty-five minutes?" I held up my makeup bag and hair straightener for her to see. "I thought you could help me get ready?"
She sprung up from the mattress, and her eyes were wide with panic.
"Oh, shit! That's tonight, isn't it? I totally forgot with everything else going on. Of course I'll help you, though."
"Everything else?" I asked, confused. "What's going on?"
Rosalie groaned and fell back onto the mattress, her hands covering her face. When she pulled them away, her cheeks were matted with tears. I had only seen Rosalie cry once before, and it shocked me.
"Ha! Where do I even begin?" She laughed through her tears, and I was happy to see she could at least stay lighthearted during whatever she was going through.
My feet plodded across the floor until I reached the edge of her bed. Her hands reached for mine and tugged me onto the bed with her. We sprawled out, facing one another, as Rosalie's tears continued to silently drip from her cheeks and onto the blanket.
"R, you're kind of scaring me," I whispered. A stray hair fell into her eyes, so I pushed it back, and finally the dam broke.
"I heard from Royce today. Well, kind of."
My eyes widened. I hadn't heard that name in months. I'd almost forgotten he existed at all. Obviously, Rosalie felt the same way.
"I hadn't talked to him since he told me about his relationship with Katherine, but she called me this weekend to discuss living arrangements. Silly me, I forgot we were supposed to be roommates this fall. She wanted to know if I'd be okay with forgoing my spot and giving it to Royce because they want to live together. Can you fucking believe that? She had the nerve to call and ask?"
"No," I whispered. How could someone be so insensitive?
"Yeah, well, I heard him in the background and sort of lost my shit at her." She frowned, her eyebrows scrunching together as she continued to vent. "I thought I was fine. I had Emmett and I had camp, but I'm not fine, B. I'm a fucking wreck. With camp ending, I'm realizing I have to go home. I have to go home and tell my mom and daddy that Royce and I are over. I have to go home and start all over, and alone. I thought I was going to be starting college with my boyfriend and my best friend, and now…I have neither."
I squeezed her hand and intertwined my fingers with hers. I could absolutely relate to everything she was saying, but one thing from her rant stood out to me.
"What do you mean, had Emmett?"
Rosalie was silent for a second too long, and I understood. They'd had the end-of-summer conversation already. They were over. I wasn't sure what to think.
"We talked," she admitted finally. "And we both decided that we didn't want to do the whole long-distance relationship thing. It was just a summer thing, anyway. He'll be working in Chicago, and I'll be starting college in Baton Rouge. He's all the way north and I'm all the way south. I mean, we couldn't get any further away unless we were on opposite coasts."
She chuckled, and my stomach plummeted. I was going to be on the west coast, and Edward was going to be on the east coast. At three thousand miles away, how were we going to be able to make this relationship work? And was it "just a summer thing" for us? We hadn't talked about that at all.
Obviously, she saw my face or realized what the hell she'd said because she scrambled to correct herself. "Ah shit, but we're not like you and Edward. Em and I aren't in love. We're friends who happened to want more for a while. And we both came to the conclusion that we want to stay friends instead of staying together and ending badly."
"Right." My eyes wandered to the ceiling to count pieces of plywood instead of thinking too much about what she was saying.
Rosalie groaned and rolled on top of me, her thighs straddling me and pinning me to the bed. "B, look at me." I allowed myself to focus on her, and she stared at me, her eyes serious. "Emmett is a great friend, but I'm not in love with him. We don't look at each other the way you and Edward do, and I certainly didn't give him my precious flower."
She smirked, and I scoffed. She just had to go there. "I'm sure Alice and Jasper will stay together. Don't freak just yet."
I sighed loudly and mumbled an, "Okay. And also, please never call it 'my precious flower' again."
Realizing that was the best I was going to give, Rosalie hopped off the bed and pulled me up. Apparently she had a vision of what I was going to look like tonight, and it was going to be spectacular. I could only hope she was right because I wanted to knock Edward right on his ass and back into my vag.
About twenty minutes later, I was ready to go. Rosalie had somehow curled my hair into loose ringlets using my straightener, and my eyes were lined in smudgy navy eyeliner, which made my eyes look huge. She'd even let me borrow one of her dresses for the occasion—a white strapless dress that was tight around my boobs, giving me some fucktastically amazing cleavage, and that flowed loosely to just above my knees. She offered to let me borrow some of her shoes, but I turned down the pair of high-heeled pumps for a comfy pair of my own gold sandals. I felt like some sort of Grecian goddess.
"B, I mean this in the least gay way possible, but…I'd do you. You look hot, my little sex pot. Earlier in the summer you had that whole, 'I'm hot but innocent' look going on, but now…"
Rosalie's eyes scanned my newly dressed form, lingering slightly on my cleavage, and heat pooled in my cheeks.
"Thanks. You don't look to bad yourself."
"Aw, this old thing?" she said with a twang, one I hadn't heard in some time. We both giggled as she spun around, the bottom of her red skirt flaring out with a swoosh.
"Hey!" We both turned to face the sharp tone assaulting us from the doorway. "You had girl bonding without me?" Alice sounded so sad that I couldn't resist skipping over and embracing her. "No." She pouted and tried to wiggle out of my arms, but once Rosalie attacked her from the other side, she realized an escape from her plight was fruitless. We giggled and smiled until our stomachs hurt and we ran out of air. I was glad to see Rose smiling again. I really didn't like her crying. At all.
"So, what'd I miss?" Alice asked as we started making our way towards the dining hall.
"Em and I have decided to call it quits and just be friends," Rosalie said, filling Alice in on her news as if it were nothing important.
Alice's face dropped, and she reached out to squeeze Rosalie's hand. "Oh, I'm sorry."
Rosalie shrugged. "I told Bella earlier. I'm not."
"Well…" Alice dragged out the word, and as we turned towards her, a blinding smile took over her face. "I have some news."
"Al, what?" I asked pointedly.
"Jasper is going to move in with Edward and look for teaching positions in Providence! This way, we'll only be an hour drive apart while I'm at school in Boston or back home in Connecticut. He said he didn't want me to feel like I was being suffocated, but he couldn't imagine not being with me. Isn't that the sweetest thing you've ever heard? He was all blushing and stuttering, and I hadn't seen him that nervous since the first time he got naked in front of me." She squealed this high-pitched ringing noise, and I cringed—although, that could have been because of the content of our conversation. I literally couldn't believe my ears. "LB, you're so going to be the maid of honor at our wedding."
What?
"What?" I yelled. My filter wasn't working tonight, apparently. My heart pounded and a flush spread throughout my body. I wasn't sure if I was angry or panicked or sad or just overwhelmed, but suddenly, I really didn't want to be around anyone.
Jasper was moving across the country to move in with Edward? With my Edward? I guess I'd always had the small idea in the back of my head that Edward would come to California with me. I mean, he wanted to break into the film industry just as much as I did, and it wasn't like Providence was rolling in opportunities for that. But if Jasper was moving in with him, that definitely wasn't happening. I felt sick and in no mood to party.
Why wouldn't he even discuss this with me? Had I been fooling myself this entire time? Did he just think of me as a child, one not mature enough to handle the implications of a conversation like that?
No, that wasn't fair. And that couldn't be true. If Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and Alice were all adult enough to have that conversation, then we were too. Or maybe he wasn't.
My thoughts bounced around, never ceasing until we reached the steps of the dining hall where the boys were waiting for us.
Edward linked his hand through mine and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek, but I felt nothing. I felt numb.
"You look beautiful," he whispered into my hair, and I tried to muster up a smile. Alice gave me an apologetic look, but I turned my eyes away. I couldn't deal with the "Poor Bella" looks quite yet. That would only twist the knife further.
I was sure dinner was delicious. It looked delicious—perfectly cooked filet, twice baked potatoes, green beans, and cheesecake for dessert—but I barely ate any of it. I was afraid of losing it all over the table. Or Edward's lap.
After dinner, they led us to the gymnasium, which had been cleared out for dancing. There was a DJ and bright lights, and it sort of looked like a bad high school dance. Edward kissed my knuckles and asked if I wanted to dance, but I couldn't do it. I made some lame excuse about having to go to the bathroom and hightailed it out of there as fast as I could.
Outside the gym, I pressed my back against the side of the building and tried to calm my breathing. I'd never had a panic attack before, but I was pretty sure this was the beginning of one. Holy shit, how had I not worried about this before? I was in love—had been in love for five years—and it was ending.
He isn't coming with me.
Saying goodbye each summer had always been hard, but there'd always been next summer. Now, at least for him, there was definitely not next summer. And I had no idea what that meant for us.
Not wanting to cry outside the doorway and have Edward find me, I began to walk away from the gymnasium, down the long path to the docks and the lake. It was peaceful there, and at least I could cry alone.
The blaring bass began to quiet down as I walked away from the gym. I took a long shaky inhale and exhaled calmly. My arms swung at my side, and I looked down, realizing what a waste Rosalie's work had been.
So much for enjoying one night of looking and feeling good.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn't even hear anyone come towards me until both my hands were intertwined with one of each of theirs. I looked from side to side and smiled. I should have known that they had been watching me. They always watched me. We walked in silence until we were perched on the edge of the dock, our feet dangling into the cool water.
"So," Jake began softly, "are you going to tell us why you allowed me to steal not only the rest of your steak but also your dessert tonight?"
I chuckled. Of course that would be my give away.
"Come on, LB," Emmett chimed in. "We just want to help. You've never not come to us for help before."
"This is helping." I kicked my feet, letting the water splash the ends of their rolled up pants.
"Do I need to grab the Oreos and frosting from my bunk?" Emmett asked with a small nudge to my shoulders. I shook my head.
"Do I need to grab Edward?" Jake mumbled under his breath.
That was it. I was sure I looked like some wide-eyed cartoon, but I could feel my lip tremble and my eyes water as I shook my head. I bit down on my lip, trying to prevent the noises that were soon to follow, but it didn't matter. Tears streamed down my cheeks and my shoulders heaved. As I pulled in another breath, a pained sound ripped from my chest and echoed across the surface of the lake.
"Ah fuck, LB," Emmett muttered as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to his side. I melted, my eyes closing and my muscles going lax as I sobbed into his shirt.
As my tears continued to pour, Emmett and Jake started to converse over my head.
"I'll fucking kill him," Jake growled.
"We don't know that he did anything," Emmett countered.
"Sure we don't," Jake scoffed. "He's just been randomly acting like a hormonal weirdo for the past two days and her crying has nothing to do with me mentioning his name."
Jake was really more astute than I gave him credit for.
"LB, whatever happened," Emmett whispered into my hair, "it'll be okay. I promise."
Sniffling, I finally opened my eyes and pulled away from Emmett's chest. "Y-you c-can't promise th-that."
"You need to tell us what's wrong. We can't help if you don't tell us." Jake's face looked pained as he practically begged to hear my problems.
"Em, I heard about you and Rose. I'm sorry." I decided changing topics was probably my best bet this point in the game.
Emmett's eyebrows crinkled, the crystal blue of his irises disappearing partially behind his lowered lids. "Don't be sorry. Rose and I had a really great time hanging out this summer. She's going to be one of my friends for a really long time. Not as good a friend as you, of course." He smiled, and seeing his deep dimples, I couldn't help but reciprocate.
"Good."
"Heyyy," Jake whined. "LB is my best friend. Fuck off, Em." He pulled me to his side, wrapping me in a large bear hug, and a few more tears escaped as I was locked in his embrace.
"No way!" Emmett fought and pulled me back as if they were two boys fighting over their favorite toy, which maybe I was. "LB doesn't want your herpes hands all over her."
I snorted at the ridiculous turn of the conversation. I knew they were trying to cheer me up, and god dammit it if it wasn't working.
"Boys, boys, there's enough of me to go around. No fighting necessary," I joked.
A throat cleared behind us and another voice spoke up. "Enough for me, too?"
My spine stiffened, and my breath caught. Tears that had just dried threatened to spill over again. And I hated it. A feeling of nausea ran through me, and all I could think about was getting the fuck away from him. I wasn't ready. Not even close.
"Uh…" Jake stood up and rolled his pants legs down before awkwardly shoving his hands into his pockets. "Hey, Ed, what's up?"
"I was wondering where you guys ran off to. The party wasn't so fun without my favorite people there. There's only so much Alice and Jasper I can take, you know?"
"Really?" I began, my voice stone cold. Not even Emmett's comforting squeeze was able to bring me any warmth. "I'd think you'd be ready to get used to that, seeing as Jasper is going to be your new roommate and Alice will be around all the time."
"What?" His voice was confused, and I wondered briefly if he was considering denying the whole thing. He clearly thought better of it and continued with trepidation. "Who told you Jasper was moving in?"
I didn't turn around. I couldn't yet. But I could only imagine the expression on Edward's face—confusion, hurt, anger.
"Why does that matter?"
"Bella," he growled. "Who. The fuck. Told you?"
That was it. Something in me completely snapped, unraveled, and fell apart. It may have been my heart.
I sprang up from my perch on the docks and spun around to face him. He looked exactly as I imagined. A mixture of offense and irritation spread across his face, and I stared him down with a similar look of my own.
"You don't get to raise your voice at me, Edward! I have done nothing to deserve being yelled at. Nothing!"
"Whoa! And I have?"
"Yes!" I screamed, my chest heaving with anger.
Emmett scrambled to his feet and glanced at Jake in a silent plea for help.
"We should get going..."
"No!" I shot him a dirty glare. "It's fine. I'm leaving anyway. I don't need to be led on and lied to. Goodnight, boys."
Not even bothering to slide my sandals back on, I grasped them in one hand and took off. I couldn't go the obvious route past the gymnasium for fear of running into anyone, so I ran through the grass and away from the lights and chatter in favor of damp grass, crickets, and seclusion.
It worked for a minute. All I could feel was the adrenaline, pushing me forward and up the hill towards campus. All I could hear was the sound of my feet sliding through the slick grass and my labored breathing. But soon, I could see nothing.
Fuck.
Usually, when walking through this part of camp, I'd have a flashlight, something to help guide my way where the lights were scarce. But now I was blindly stumbling through the hills, hoping like hell that I wouldn't come across a raccoon or, heaven forbid, a skunk. All I needed to do was make it to the shack. I could break there, steal one or three of Edward's beers, and easily make it back to campus. I just prayed I was heading in the right direction. Out of shape and out of breath, my side cramped, and I slowed down to a walk.
Tears clouded my already poor vision, and I was on the verge of another sobfest when I heard something behind me. My breath caught, and I picked up my pace again, charging through the stitch in my stomach. I couldn't look behind me. If I looked and saw some kind of animal, I'd scream and freak it out and probably cause it to attack me. They'd find me the next day, mauled by a rabid raccoon or something. Oh well, at least if I died tonight, I wouldn't have died a virgin. Wasn't that all people really cared about when dying anyway?
As soon as the shack came into view, I broke out into a sprint. I'd almost reached it when he called out to me.
"Bella, slow the fuck down!"
I should have known that there was no animal behind me. Well, actually, maybe I should consider Edward an animal.
"No!" I shouted back, not slowing down. If Edward wanted me, he'd have to catch me first.
Color me surprised when he actually did. He grabbed my arm and spun me on my heel. I nearly slipped as the dew covered grass slid beneath my skin.
"Stop running away from me!"
"Why?" I gritted.
His green eyes glowed, luminous under the faint light of the stars, flickering with heat and anger.
"I don't like it."
I rolled my eyes and pulled my arm out of his grasp. "Well, tough shit, Edward. I don't like that we're going to be three thousand miles apart in three days, but it's happening anyway!"
"And you think, what?" He laughed humorlessly. "That I like that? That I'm going to be perfectly okay here on the east coast with you going to the college that Playboy Magazine deemed has the most attractive student body? That you're going to be alone on that campus, going to parties, getting drunk, and letting pretentious film school twits impress you and then fuck you?"
His words were like venom sloshing around my stomach, making me sick. He was getting progressively louder and progressively angrier, backing me up until I was pressed flush against the side of the shack.
I couldn't process what he was saying. It didn't make rational sense. And it only served to fuel my own anger.
"You're such an asshole," I seethed. "You have such little faith in our relationship that you think I'm just going to leave here and forget about you? You're fucking delusional, Edward." I punched his shoulder, willing him to back up, but he didn't budge. He didn't even flinch. "I have been in love with you for five years. Five years! Do you know how long that is to wait for someone? But I waited. I gave you everything. But because I don't get to keep you, you think I'm just going to pick up with someone else? Fuck you, Edward Cullen! You don't know me at all."
We were both breathing hard, our faces so close together that our raspy exhales mingled together in a gruesome duel. His hands flew to my hips as his fingers bunched up the material of my dress around my waist, and I restrained a whimper as he undid his pants to release his cock.
"No," he snarled as he moved his hands to push aside the thin lace of my thong. "Fuck you, Bella." He entered me quickly—faster and harder than he ever had before. He'd always been too afraid of hurting me, but when my heart was already bleeding, this sort of pain was welcomed.
I groaned as he hitched my leg around his waist, driving further inside me. Flaking paint scraped across my back, and I could feel it leaving marks as he began to move.
"I am the person who knows you best," he snapped. "I am the only person who knows you like this."
He emphasized each one of his sentences with a forceful thrust of his hips, and I moaned out a long, "Yes," in response, too overcome with sensations to compute what he was saying.
Deft hands moved to my breasts, pulling them from the tight confines of the dress and pinching them between his forefingers and thumbs, as he increased his pace.
"You're mine!" he growled, never taking his eyes off me. "I love you, Bella. Always!"
It was too much—the pounding, the feel of the wood planks digging into my spine and his fingers on my nipples, the warm air and his words swirling around us—I fell apart, contracting and shuddering and moaning loudly.
"Fuck!" I screamed.
Suddenly, his fist pounded against the wood next to my head. As he banged, he let his head fall to the crook of my shoulder, and he bit it…hard. I cried out again with the surge of pleasure, and he came with a loud roar. My hands clasped at his neck, keeping him close to me as we struggled to catch our breaths.
Sweat dripped down my neck, pooling at my shoulder. It wasn't until Edward pulled his face away that I realized it hadn't been sweat but his tears.
"I don't want to lose you, Bella. I promise I don't. But I'm going to." He sounded so broken that I couldn't resist pulling him close and resting his head on my shoulder. "Can't we just enjoy what time we have left together and figure it out from there?"
I ran my hands through his hair, my voice breaking as I responded with a quiet, "We'll see."
~Edward~
I had fucked up. Nothing was going the way I wanted it to go, and I knew I was to blame. When Jasper had informed me of his plans to move to the east coast, I automatically suggested he come stay with me. My one bedroom apartment in Providence had a smaller room in the back I used as a studio, but it could easily be turned into a spot for him. I didn't know what had inspired the suggestion—maybe I figured if I could hold onto some part of this summer I wouldn't lose Bella completely, but as soon as I heard the malice in her tone, I knew I'd messed up.
I just didn't know how to make it better.
Bella had essentially confessed that she didn't want to break up, that she wanted to stay together, whether it meant long distance or not, but I still didn't know how realistic that was. She had no idea what was going to change when she got to college, and I didn't want to lose her in some jealous rage.
You wouldn't lose her if you followed her to California…
Except, maybe I would. I still didn't know what awaited her at college, and I was too much of a pussy to take that leap of faith without some sort of guarantee. I'd be miserable, and sure, she'd be miserable for a short time, too, but it'd work out better in the end.
And if we were meant to be, we'd find each other again. At least, that's what I kept telling myself…and her, which she finally let slide.
For the following two days after our, um, argument—aka the hottest sex I'd ever had up against the back wall of the shack—Bella spent most of her time with her campers. I was a little pissed off at this, to be honest, but I was so busy cleaning up the shack and boxing up my personal possessions that I couldn't be too upset.
Plus, Bella promised the last night of camp belonged solely to us.
I tried to relax as I let the faint strains of TV On The Radio drift through the shack, but it was fairly useless. I knew I'd never be fully relaxed unless Bella was with me.
I scooped up a pile of DVDs from the shelf, laughing as I caught sight of Two Moon Junction. That movie would always remind me of the time I thought I'd walked in on Bella and Alice making out in the shack. I figured it was an all girls camp and they probably did some experimenting. In fact, I still wondered about that…
"Hey, Edward," Seth said with a flail of his arm. "What did you want me to do with these?"
He was holding a huge stack of messy papers that had been shoved to the back recesses of the highest shelves in the shack. To be honest, I had no clue what they were.
"Uh, just leave them on the desk. I'll get to them…eventually." I shrugged and cleared the last shelf of DVDs into the large cardboard box I'd be packing into Jasper's car. That was a major positive of bringing Jasper back to Providence with me; I wouldn't have to take some shady Greyhound and ship my shit separately.
"Okay, well, it's the final cookout, and I promised Riley I'd—"
I cut him off. "Go, go, go. I'm nearly finished here."
He looked around the messy shack skeptically, but I waved him off. "Seriously, I'll be fine."
For the next hour, I packed and trashed all my junk. I cranked up the tunes from the computer and did a good old-fashioned cleaning. After five summers, I'd accumulated far too much shit, and I couldn't believe some of the things I'd found—musical scripts from summers past, Star Wars action figures, yet another light saber, a stash of condoms, and enough blank DV tapes to get me through the next year. It was interesting to see my summers chronicled by the stuff I'd held onto, and I realized how much I was going to miss this place. But Jake was right with what he'd told me at the beginning of the summer, Long Lake had always been a safe place for me to hide away from real life, and I needed to finally grow up and stop avoiding that.
I sighed and threw another huge trash bag out the front door. There were about five of them piled out there. Seriously, I had no idea where all this shit came from.
"Ouch," I heard Bella mutter along with the distinct noise of a trash bag being kicked. "What the hell, Edward?"
"MB?" I stuck my head out the propped open doorway to see Bella struggling to get past the trash bag barrier and up the stairs with two plates of delicious looking food. A contented smile spread across my face.
Hers on the other hand didn't look so happy. A scowling Bella finally reached the doorway to the shack, thrust a plate into my hand, huffed over to the closest chair and sank onto it.
"Uh, hey…"
"I thought you might want some food, so we don't have to raid the kitchen at four in the morning," she said before taking a large bite of a ranch-covered chicken finger.
"Thanks." I slid into the chair next to her, the rolly one, and sidled up beside her to press a large kiss to her temple as she continued to chew.
"Mhm," she hummed quietly and swallowed the chicken in her mouth. "I brought yours with honey mustard since I know you don't like ranch, and I couldn't carry soda down, but I figured you had to have something left in your fridge that you'd want to use up anyway."
"You're the best." I kissed her temple lightly again before pulling away to admire my full plate of food—chicken fingers, fries, mixed salad, and a brownie. Yum. "I was about to starve to death down here. And there is Diet Dr. Pepper and/or Sparks if you want to commence drinking."
She leaned over to the recently cleaned out mini fridge and pulled out two sodas. I took mine gratefully and cracked it open to take a long swig.
Still chewing, she shuffled through the stack of papers I'd told Seth to leave for later. "Wha dis?" she asked through a mouthful of fries.
She was too fucking cute for her own good. I leaned in and kissed the salt off her lips, reminding me of the first time I kissed her and tasting the remnants of McDonalds. "Mm, I don't know."
I pulled back and took a good look at what was in her hands. "Wow, I haven't seen or thought about this in ages."
The huge pile of crumpled papers had been projects I'd worked on in RISD—several incomplete animations, story boards, even a list of future ideas. I grinned. "Aw, man. I remember these!"
Bella's eyes lit up with excitement as she browsed through. "Edward, these are great. Have you ever thought of, um, finishing them?"
"Yeah." I shrugged. At the time, I'd promised myself I was going to see each project through. "But it's not like I have a crew and actors at my disposal, plus the equipment for lighting alone is way more than I could afford. It's one thing to do stuff like this at film school where you can utilize their resources for free, but it's a little harder after." I scratched my stubble thoughtfully and watched Bella nod in acceptance.
She opened her mouth, ready to say something, when my cell phone blared, its obnoxiously loud ringtone interrupting us. "Edward Cullen speaking," I answered to the unknown caller ID.
"Edward, this is Deborah Barry. I got your number from Marcy Klein—you taped her daughter Sarah's wedding this past spring?"
I wracked my brain and remembered the wedding she spoke of. Ah, yes. That had been a night to remember. I'd gotten sloshed with one of the bridesmaids and ended up taking her back to my place. Not one of my finer moments, and to be frank, I couldn't believe the mother of the bride would actually recommend me to someone else.
"Of course. How is Marcy?" I asked. Bella looked on with curiosity, but I just made a blabbing mouth with my hand and rolled my eyes. Clients.
"Oh, she's doing really well. A bit sad to have Sarah out of the house, but you know."
I didn't really, but I agreed anyway.
"Anyway," she continued, "I know this is a bit last minute, seeing as how it's Thursday evening, but my daughter is getting married on Saturday and our videographer just called in to say she came down with the flu! Who comes down with the flu in August, I don't know, but Marcy said you were great in a pinch, and I could pay you extra for your time. Please, Edward, I'm desperate here."
I chuckled softly and smiled into the receiver, but on the inside my heart was breaking. I'd have to go to a wedding the day after saying goodbye to Bella, possibly for good? I didn't know how I would be able to make it. "Not a problem, Deborah. Saturday, you said? What time would you need me? We can discuss compensation the day of. I'm not concerned."
I heard her breathe a huge sigh of relief, and she went on to tell me the details for the event. I'd need to be there from noon until ten pm, and it was at the Edgewood Manor—meaning I really didn't need to worry about my pay if they could afford a venue like that.
We hung up quickly after that, and I turned to face Bella, who was still looking on with curiosity. "So, who was that?"
"Client needed a last minute videographer. Edward Cullen to the rescue."
"How noble." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. I decided I didn't want to waste any more time. Glancing at the computer clock, I saw it was already past eight. How the hell had that happened?
"MB, are you all packed and ready to go?" I asked nervously.
"Pretty much," she said with a heavy sigh. "I have to shower and change into my plane clothes, but other than that, I'm finished."
"Well, I have a brilliant idea." She looked at me expectantly, her eyes skeptical. "Why don't you grab your plane clothes and meet me in Bunk Seven for some movie watching and a late night shower with me?"
Dainty arms wrapped around my neck, and her lips were soon attached to mine. I kissed back with equal fervor, not wanting to release her from my grasp.
"I don't think I've ever been one to call you 'brilliant,' since I have no intention of inflating your ego more than necessary, but…that plan does sound pretty inspired, Mr. Cullen."
With a smirk and a swagger, she disappeared from my sight. Sighing, I gathered up the remnants of the trash and took them outside. I paused for a brief moment on my RISD work before shaking my head and throwing that in, too. Pipe dreams, that was all those were. Videography and the bookstore, that was my real life.
Surprisingly, Bunk Seven was empty when I walked in. Emmett and Jake's room was completely in tact still, seeing as both were returning next summer. Each had a half packed suitcase in the middle of the floor, and I assumed they were going to finish up tomorrow once everyone else had departed campus.
I slipped off my shoes and padded over to our rented TV. Emmett would be taking it back tomorrow, so I figured we might as well get one more good use out of it. I'd just put Cruel Intentions into the DVD player when I felt her arms wrap around my waist.
I intertwined our hands and led us back to my bed, which Jake had already claimed for next summer since he "fucking bought that shit anyway," and relaxed into the plush comfort of my dorky bedding as the movie began, Bella happily situated between my legs.
Her nails traced light circles up and down my forearms, and I could feel myself hardening and protruding into her back. Slowly, she moved my hands to join with hers and slide beneath her shirt to caress the soft skin of her stomach. I let my eyes flutter closed and enjoyed the sensations on my fingertips.
"Bella," I groaned as her lips brushed against my neck. I didn't open my eyes. I couldn't. She'd paralyzed me with the intensity of her touch, her tenderness, her love.
"Edward," she whispered against my lips as she pushed up my shirt. I raised my arms and helped her bring the fabric over my head, casting it onto the floor with little thought. My hands reciprocated and soon all our clothes rested in a loose pile next to the bed.
She was over me then, our soft hands roaming and exploring vast expanses of naked skin. Behind each touch was a measure of desperation and need, and I wished I could hold onto it forever.
Needing to take control, I grabbed her waist and rolled us over. If this was goodbye, I had to be staring into her eyes as I entered her. Slowly but with purpose, I did, sheathing myself in her warmth and relishing in her breathy whimper.
"Please," she moaned. I didn't know what she was pleading for, but I knew I would give her anything.
As her heels locked around my back and pressed into my spine, I began to move. Our hips rocked in a perfect unison, finally finding the perfect tempo. I cradled her shoulders in my hands and pressed her soft breasts against my chest. Slick skin slid and created the perfect amount of accompanying friction. Although the movie played behind us, all I could hear were our voices mingling in cries of pleasure.
I never wanted to stop. I wanted to live in this moment, and I would keep this memory for my dreams when I couldn't be with her.
She shifted her legs, letting them slide down to the crook of my knee, opening her further and changing the angle to one so much better I was nearly blinded with pleasure. Our fingers moved and threaded together over her head, keeping every part of us that could possibly be intertwined locked into place firmly.
"I love you, Edward," she moaned, and I returned the sentiment.
We climaxed together, eyes wide and locked, in a rare moment of unison for us. And I collapsed into her chest when we were finished. My cheek rose and fell with each one of her calming breaths, and I let the sound of her pounding heart resonate through my skull.
Her fingers ran through my hair, like I was her pet. I was only too content to act as such. Completely sated, I let my eyes drift closed. They only opened again when I heard her sniffling. I looked up as her fingers continued to weave patterns on my skull, and even though I shouldn't have been shocked, it cut me to see the tear tracks on her cheeks.
"No, Bella, please don't cry." I rolled us over, so now she could be in my arms instead of the other way around.
"I'm not ready for this summer to end," she whispered, her face tucked into my chest. "I can't say goodbye to you."
"It won't be goodbye, MB." At that she looked up.
"No?"
I smiled gently and kissed her forehead. "No. There's such thing as technology nowadays, you know? There's this thing called a computer. I hear you frequent it. And on it, there's email and instant message and facebook and skype."
She chuckled and warmth finally spread back into her eyes. "Yeah?"
"And let's not forget about my favorite—the cell phone. That has all kinds of other methods like texting and pictures and actual voice to voice contact."
"So, this isn't the end?" she asked nervously.
"Bella, I said we'd figure it out as we went along, okay? I can't give you more than that."
"Okay."
"Shower?" I asked with a sudden lightness to my voice.
"Shower," she said with a smirk.
By the time Bella and I emerged from the shower, the bunk was swarming with people again.
"Gah!" Emmett cried, putting a hand up to cover his eyes. "Put some clothes on, fools!" He flailed and turned away from Bella's and my toweled forms walking down the hall back to my room to get re-clothed.
Bella giggled into the damp skin of my shoulder. "Just imagine what he'd say if he knew what we did before and in during the shower?"
"God damn it, LB, I can hear you!" Emmett yelled again, this time singing to himself and covering his ears. What a ridiculous human being.
I pushed open my bedroom door where Jasper and Alice were cuddled up on top of his blankets.
"Oh." Jasper looked startled as Bella and I emerged through the doorway, and I could see his ears turn pink from across the room. Sucker. "Uhh, we can leave."
"No worries, J-Town. Edward—" she beseeched me with her eyes "—can you just hold up my towel while I change?"
"Sure," I said skeptically. I would have preferred if Jasper and Alice had left the room, but I could understand not wanting to kick them out.
"Aw, you're not going to let me see your hot ass?" Alice called out.
"Psh, you've already seen my hot ass a few too many times, Al." My eyes narrowed as Bella changed behind the spread towel. I really did wonder about those two, and I wasn't sure if I was jealous or not if anything had happened.
"So true. I've gotten up close and personal with that bedonkadonk, and it is fine, sweet cheeks."
Incredulous, I looked over my shoulder, only to see Alice mocking me, her eyes sparkling with mirth.
"Kidding, Edward," she said with a wink.
"No she's not." Bella laughed and stepped out from behind my towel curtain and threw my, I mean, her red hoodie over a plain white t-shirt and yoga pants. Feeling lazy, I just slid on some shorts and a sweatshirt. It was already two in the morning, and I knew I was going to fall into bed as soon as Bella had left my side anyway.
Suddenly, Jake popped his head through the doorway. "We're heading up to raid the kitchen. Who's with us?"
Alice scrambled out of Jasper's arms and was on Jake's back before I could say "me!" Giggling, Bella followed suit, hopping onto my back for our trek to the dining hall.
The night sped by quickly, much quicker than I could ever remember a final night going by. Maybe it was the fact that I wasn't returning, or maybe it was the fact that I was counting down the seconds until Bella was leaving, but suddenly two turned into six.
All of us sat in our designated Adirondack chairs at the top of the hill and watched the sun emerge from the lake, breaking through the clouds and bringing the new day upon us. I wrapped Bella in my arms and kissed her as our best friends quipped and joked. The mood never fell, always light and filled with chatter.
That was, until the first busses of crying girls were starting to load.
"Shit," Bella groaned. "I have three campers leaving on this bus. I have to say goodbye." She looked at me wistfully. "Edward, I really don't want to. I'm the worst at saying goodbye."
"LB, they're your campers, and they love you," Alice reprimanded. "Now, come on, I have a few to send off, too. Let's go."
Arm in arm, Bella and Alice wandered off towards the busses to deal with the hoards of sobbing campers. I was ever so grateful the female staff dealt with that. I didn't think I was equipped for that kind of situation.
By nine o'clock, the entire camp had emptied of campers. I'd taken several catnaps, drifting in and out of slumber, as Bella came and went to help board the busses.
"Edward," she whispered, rousing me from my nap with a soft shake of my shoulder.
"Mm?" I smiled at seeing her face so close to mine. She was so beautiful.
"I'm leaving."
And just like that, my world crumbled.
"Already?" I croaked.
"Yeah…Emmett's just about ready to drive us to the airport."
"Us?" I sat up, taking note of Emmett lugging suitcases into the back of a camp van just down the driveway.
"Rose and Alice are on different flights, but we're all leaving out of Portland," she explained, her eyes starting to fill with unshed tears.
I stood up quickly—a little too quickly—and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. "I'll come, too."
"What?"
"Is there room in the van? I want to come with you to the airport." I said it too quickly and with too much conviction for how incredibly exhausted I was, but I couldn't not go.
"Really?"
I looked over her shoulder and called out to Emmett. "Hey, Em! Is there room for me?"
He shrugged and nodded, so I took that as acceptance. As Bella teared up and said her goodbyes to Jasper and Jake, I pulled myself together. I wouldn't lose it. I'd stay strong for Bella. I had to.
"We ready to go?" Emmett asked, clapping Rosalie on the shoulder loudly. She scowled at him, and he laughed heartily. Only Emmett could stay this jovial on departure day.
We shuffled into the van, and I let Rosalie sit in the front so I could hold Bella's hand for the entire forty-five minute drive. No one spoke, and the eerie quiet was foreboding.
Soon enough, the girls had checked their bags and received their boarding passes. I refused to let Bella's hand go the entire time. Finally, she turned to me and smiled sadly. "I'm going to say goodbye to Em now, okay?"
I shrugged and released her hand. Blood flowed back into my fingertips. I couldn't believe how hard I'd been grasping at her, but I hadn't felt a thing.
Alice turned to me with a big smile and threw her arms around my neck. That girl was so much stronger than I gave her credit for. "I'll see you in a few weeks, right?"
"I assume so," I said dryly, causing her to punch me straight in the shoulder. "Ow, Alice, you should know I'm a weakling."
"Get used to it, buddy."
"And I hope to God I never have to hear from your whining ass again," Rosalie drawled, and I couldn't help but chuckle and pull her into a fierce hug. The girl had kept me on my toes this summer, that was for sure.
"Rose, don't kid yourself. You're going to miss me more than anyone."
She rolled her eyes and sighed, but I saw the smile threatening to escape. "Well, maybe not more than anyone, but I guess I'll miss you a little bit."
"Thanks."
Then, she approached. It was slow and timid, and it reminded me of the old Bella, the one before the confidence. It hurt. I didn't want to see her like this. I never wanted to see her like this.
"Hey." I reached out and wrapped her in my arms.
"Hey," she mumbled, but I heard a distinct sniff, signaling the beginning of the waterworks.
"I love you so much, Bella," I whispered into her hair. "Please, don't forget that."
"I could never forget that." She looked up at me with such admiration, it almost made my knees weak…you know, if boys did that kind of stuff. "I love you too, Edward. Don't forget about me. I'm going to write you emails updating you on everything, so you won't have the chance, okay?"
"Forgetting about you is a complete impossibility."
With all the tenderness I possessed, I cupped her face in my hands and brought her lips to mine. It was a small airport, and I was sure we were making some sort of scene, but I needed this kiss to last me for forever.
It was over all too soon, and Bella was being pulled out of my grasp and pushed through security. Alice and Rosalie flanked her, rubbing comforting circles onto her back, and I was glad she had them for at least another hour. Just before she rounded the corner and out of my sight, Bella turned around and blew me a kiss. I smiled, but it faded as soon as she disappeared.
Numbness consumed me as Emmett and I made our way back to the van.
"Dude," he scoffed, but he looked concerned. "You're going to break her heart aren't you?"
I shrugged, not knowing how to respond, and Emmett simply sighed and started up the van.
"I know it's no consolation," I responded, my tone empty, "but I think I just broke mine too."
As we sped away from the airport, I could feel the tattered remains of my heart spilling onto the highway, wanting to stay as close to Bella as possible. But I knew it was too late. The summer was over, and neither of us could know what awaited us.
Chapter End Notes: -ducks- Don't hurt me! This isn't the end yet…just the end of camp. I promise to have the next chapter up as soon as humanly possible, but I'll be spending the weekend hiding away with my girlfriend celebrating my birthday. Try not to hate on me too hard! Love you all. And see you next week. xoxo.