~Bella~
"…because your love, your love, your love is my drug…"
I groaned. It was far too early to be waking up, but I accepted what the annoying bars of Ke$ha were there to do nonetheless.
"No," Edward complained, burying his face into my shoulder. The repetitive song continued as he relaxed his arms around me again, which unfortunately meant that it was up to me to wake him up. Edward wasn't exactly Sally Sunshine in the morning.
First things first, though. I threw my arm over my head where the stupid clock radio was blaring 102.7 KIIS FM. Apparently Ryan Seacrest was the only thing capable of getting Edward out of bed most mornings, so I'd had to invest in one when our sleepovers became more frequent. I enjoyed the silence for a millisecond as I grabbed his heavy, sleep-laden arm and placed it directly on my chest. He squeezed me and nuzzled my neck, directly behind my ear, and I couldn't resist smiling, despite the fact that he couldn't see my face.
His morning wood was placed precariously at the curve of my ass and the back of my thigh, and it attempted to nestle between my legs as he rolled his hips ever so slightly. I knew what that meant.
Soft lips placed light kisses against my neck, and agile fingers swept away any stray hairs that had escaped my loose ponytail throughout the night.
"Mm, morning," he whispered, his voice still hoarse with sleep.
"Morning," I replied with a groggy smile. I rolled over to face him, my eyes still closed, and was rewarded with slow and sleepy kisses. His lips parted, welcoming my tongue, and within seconds, I was pressed on my back. Edward knew I had a thing about him being on top.
Only covered in boxer-briefs, the only thing Edward would ever wear to bed, I could feel every inch as he rubbed his hips against mine. His head dipped down and out of sight to nip at my bare shoulder, and I attempted to stay strong.
"Edward." I'd meant to say his name as a warning, but it ended coming out as more of a plea. Or that was how he interpreted it, at least. "Edward," I said again in the hopes it would pack a little more punch, but of course it didn't.
I looked overhead at the clock as Edward continued mauling my skin. The harsh red glow of the numbers made it easy to read the 8:04 in the darkened room, even upside down.
"Edward," I repeated sternly, "we don't have time for this."
He paused for a second, lifting his head up to read the time before he rolled his eyes and smirked at me.
"I don't have to be at work until ten. There's definitely enough time for this and a shower, too." He winked and lowered his head, reuniting his lips with mine.
"What about Renata?" I mumbled against his lips. He pulled away, his brow furrowed, and read the sheet of paper that was tacked overhead. After an embarrassing afternoon encounter earlier in the spring, Renata had graciously written out her weekly schedule for us, including class and work hours.
"It's Wednesday?" he asked, and I nodded in return. "She's in bio lab until noon." He frowned but let his hand slip from my waist down my thigh. "I'll be long gone by then. And seriously, who chooses that kind of torture?"
"Edward," I whined, but it turned into more of a whimper as his hand moved up and inwards, tracing small circles at the hem of my undies. "I don't have to be in class until eleven, and we were up way too late last night."
My body betrayed my words, though, my legs widening and my hips angling upwards in a weak attempt to push his hand where I wanted it.
"Oh, okay," he said sadly. What a fucking actor. Edward should have been in front of the camera, not behind it. His face was drawn and disappointed, but his fingers trailed from my thigh over my fabric-covered center and then back again. "Well, if you're too tired…"
He began to push off the bed, but if he thought I was actually letting him go, he was out of his fucking mind. I grabbed his neck and pulled him back down to my mouth in a warm kiss. Simultaneously, I lifted my hips to help Edward as he shimmied my undies down my thighs, throwing them to the floor quickly. His followed within seconds.
"You're such a dick," I moaned as the tip of his cock rubbed against my clit.
"You love me." His eyes shone and his grin expanded as my legs widened to make room for him.
"God only knows why."
I smiled back, knowing how long it had taken us to get back to this moment. I'd been so broken by his lack of communication; I was on my guard for months. Edward was incredible, though. He'd been there for every drunk dial, every paper, every assignment, and every crisis that followed. I could count on him, and he'd never even tried anything below the belt because he'd known we would get there when I was ready to trust him. It wasn't until February, Valentine's Day, that I'd realized he wasn't going anywhere, and I'd finally been ready to take that step.
FLASHBACK
"Hm," Renata noted disapprovingly as she took in my casual attire. "Your boyfriend doesn't have anything planned for Valentine's Day?"
I rolled my eyes at her snide tone and pushed up the sleeves on my comfy sweater. Edward had asked if I wanted to do anything special for Valentine's Day, and I'd told him all I wanted was to be with him. And it was true. We could be doing anything, and as long as we were together, I'd be more than a hundred percent content. Keeping it low key, he decided we'd have a movie marathon with some of our favorite classic romances—how very us. I fully approved, especially since it meant I could go on a date wearing a sweater, yoga pants, and flip-flops. Absolute perfection.
"We're going to hang out and watch movies at his place," I explained, although I didn't really need to.
She scoffed again, and my anger flared. I knew she was pissed because she'd walked in on Edward and me "desecrating" the floor—aka making out while watching a movie—but there was no need to be this snippy. "Don't you guys do that, like, every night? And didn't you tell me he lives with his sister? How romantic." I didn't appreciate her sarcasm one bit.
"His sister is going to be spending the night at her boyfriend's," I snapped, "and it's not like they share a room or anything—"
I was about to go off on her further when my cell phone lit up with Edward's name, saving the day.
"Hi," I said exasperatedly.
"Hey. Uh, is everything all right there?"
"Mhm, just grabbing my bag," I said as I slung the tote over my arm. "You are here, aren't you?"
"Yes, ma'am. Your chariot awaits."
Without a look back, I headed out the door and down to the street where Edward was parked and waiting for me. He was leaning against the passenger door of his brand new (well, used) Volvo with his arms folded across his chest, looking like some sort of James Dean wannabe. But damn, he looked good.
He smiled widely and opened his arms as I crashed into his body. He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead, and I sighed in relief. This night was already getting better, and it had just begun. Still holding onto me, he opened the car door, but as I stepped aside to hop in, he shook his head.
"What?" I asked, perplexed.
"Drop your bag in there, but we're not leaving yet," he said as he grabbed a large paper bag from the floor of the backseat.
"What are we doing?" I pushed. He was literally leading me away from his car and through campus. Why the fuck would we be staying on campus? Needless to say, I was confused. After a short walk, he paused and motioned for me to sit down.
I looked around and smiled. He'd brought me to the fountain in front of Norris Theater, the exact spot 'dI realized I could never be without Edward in my life, no matter how hard I tried to ignore him or how much of a douche he was.
"Bella, I know this probably isn't what you anticipated doing with your Valentine's Day, but I kind of called in a favor through work and, um…"
"What?" I asked yet again. I was starting to sound like a broken record.
"Well, this is where you made me realize that I could be a part of your life in Los Angeles, where you gave me a second chance, and this is my way of thanking you and promising you that I will never take that for granted. Ever. I love you, Bella."
As I always did, I smiled and kissed him instead of replying with the words he was probably dying to hear. I didn't know what was holding me back. I knew I loved Edward. This moment alone was enough to show me how much he loved me. But still, I kept waiting.
"So, what favor did you call in?"
Grinning, Edward laced his fingers with mine. He paused in front of the theater, looked both ways, and typed in four numbers to the keypad on the door handle. With a pop, the doors unlocked, pushing open.
"You…"
As I looked around the theater, I was speechless. I'd never truly been at a loss for words before like this. Edward had taken out the first two rows of removable seats from the theater and replaced them with a large blanket and some pillows, and our only lights were small, flickering candles.
"Is this okay?" he asked nervously, although I had no idea why. This was the "grand gesture" I'd been waiting for, and he had no reason to be shy.
"This is amazing!" I squealed, my voice echoing in the large, empty theater.
I skipped over to the blanket and plopped down, arranging the pillows so that I was propped up comfortably.
Giving me a big smirk, he opened up the bag in his hand and started placing white Styrofoam boxes on the blanket. The smell assaulted my senses immediately, and I couldn't help but squeak in excitement again. I felt like I was turning into some ridiculous teenybopper at a Jonas Brothers concert with all the high-pitched noises coming out of my mouth, but I didn't particularly care.
"Chanos?" I laughed at the casual nature of our date, but it worked. "Gah, I am starving. This is perfect."
"Yeah, that was the favor I had to call in." He chuckled. "We're technically not supposed to have food in here, so just be careful with it, okay?"
I nodded eagerly as I opened the boxes and started salivating. "Steak nachos and carne asada burritos? Oh my God, Edward, I love you!"
His laughter died as soon as the words came out. After all, he'd been waiting since November to hear them again. I hadn't even meant to say them, but I was just so happy. And, well, I did. I loved him.
"Y-you do?" His voice cracked as he lowered himself to kneel on the blanket next to me.
I bit my lip and swallowed hard. "Of course I do," I whispered. "I never stopped."
His hands cradled my face, his thumbs slowly sweeping over my heated cheeks. He pulled me in for a tender kiss, and I could feel sparks circulate throughout my body. The blaring score of John Williams' main theme interrupted our kiss, and I couldn't help but break into giggles. Of course the romantic movies Edward had picked for us wouldn't actually be romances. No, they'd be Star Wars.
"What?"
I shrugged and leaned against his chest, settling between his legs comfortably. "Nothing. I just love you, is all."
"Good." He pulled me closer, keeping me tighter, as if there were any other place I'd rather be than in his arms. "Because I really love you too."
I craned my neck to look up at him and couldn't resist kissing the underside of his jaw. "Best date ever, Edward. Now, are you going to sit there all night or start feeding me some steak nachos?"
Suddenly serious, Edward pushed himself inside me, letting me accommodate him for a few seconds. We'd gotten considerably better at this, with all the practicing we'd been doing since February.
He lifted my knee and wrapped my leg around his back—my favorite lazy position. I appreciated his consideration since it was a ridiculously early hour and all. But as soon as he started to move inside me, I knew that it was just a matter of time before I took control. His hips started rocking slowly, a steady, fluid motion. Mm, so it's that kind of morning. I didn't think sex with Edward could ever be bad. There was something about the way we moved together that was always exciting and never the same. I angled my hips up, trying to get him to move faster or deeper, but he resisted.
"Bella," he whispered as he dragged his hands under my shirt, which for some reason had yet to be removed, teasing the underside of my breasts with his thumbs. "Patience."
Scowling, I pushed his shoulder and thrust my hips simultaneously, effectively rolling him onto his back. With him pinned beneath me, I took control of the pace. I had him exactly where I wanted him.
"Ung," I groaned, stripping away my wife beater before bracing myself against Edward's chest. "It's…early…I'm…cranky…" I rocked faster, clenching down on Edward's cock and making sure my clit rubbed against his pelvis with each word. "No…fucking…teasing!"
"Fuck!" he cried out, his eyes closing in gratification. He'd been teasing himself as well, and I almost threw out an "I told you so," as he came loudly.
His noises and obvious enjoyment brought me to my own peak. Pleasure coursed through me as I climaxed, my shuddering prolonged as I rode out my orgasm for as long as possible.
After I was spent, I collapsed onto his chest, feeling like a big pile of goo. It may have been eight in the morning, but that had definitely been a damned good way to wake up.
His fingertips tickled my clammy back as he pressed a soft kiss into my hair. Needing a little air, I rolled onto my back. But Edward didn't let me go too far. He clutched my hip and rubbed his thumb over my tattoo, as he almost always did after we made love. I felt cherished. Giving my body to Edward was a gift. And although we joked about it incessantly, I knew it wasn't one he took for granted. After all, I'd waited to be in love to give myself to him not once, but twice. He wasn't willing to fuck up again, and it made me smile.
Exhausted, I let my eyes droop closed. Only in the back of my head did I register that Edward had climbed out from underneath me with a soft "I love you," leaving me to my dreams. I couldn't wait to finish my final exams and spend an entire month in bed with Edward. This summer couldn't come fast enough.
~Edward~
I knew it was wrong of me to complain because I was damned lucky to be employed, but I was ready to be done with today. Bella was leaving tomorrow for the entire summer, and I was totally unprepared. The last time we'd been apart, things hadn't exactly gone according to plan, and although that was without a doubt my fault, I couldn't stop the queasy feeling from rising up to my throat every time I thought about another three months without her.
After her final exams, I'd convinced her to move in with me for a little bit instead of heading back to Washington. Well, I hadn't so much as convinced as pleaded, but she didn't put up much of a fight, saying that she wanted to work as long as possible at Plan B, anyway.
I'd managed to finally move out from Kate's fancy apartment downtown to a shoddy-looking one-bedroom apartment in Santa Monica. It wasn't much—no dishwasher, no air conditioning, and street parking—but it was all I could afford, and it was close to work. And having Bella to myself in a queen-sized bed was pure heaven.
Speaking of which…
Glancing at the computer screen in front of me, I noticed that it was already 9:47 PM. Longest. Day. Ever. And a Friday on top of all that. I had anticipated taking Bella out to dinner tonight after work, but since fall television production started next week, I hadn't been able to get out of the office at my normal departure time of seven. I'd asked earlier in the week if I could leave on time because of a date with Bella, and my boss, Lucy, had approved it. But as the phones kept ringing and emails bombarded my inbox, I had a feeling that request had all but been forgotten.
"Hey, Edward," Lucy said with a tired smile. She was the VP of Development and Original Programming for Comedy Central, and I was her ever-devoted assistant. She was incredibly sweet, but she knew her way around the business, that was for sure, and she wasn't afraid to crack the whip with me.
"Hey," I replied, equally as exhausted.
She passed me a piece of paper and leaned her elbows on the top of my sad little cubicle. I scanned the paper quickly. It had call times for the actors and their contact information, so I assumed I was going to be in the office for a bit longer. Unfortunately. It must have shown on my face because she clapped her hand to my shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.
"If you could just make those calls, we'll get you out of here. Sorry it's been such a busy day."
I shrugged and smiled. Like I said, I was really fucking lucky to have been hired at all, much less by a successful television network. So I tried to keep my complaining to a bare minimum.
"Of course, Lucy."
I glanced at the clock again. 9:52. My minutes with Bella were decreasing rapidly, so I picked up the phone, ready to begin my dialing.
"Oh, shit!" Lucy gasped, startling me. "You were supposed to get out of here early tonight, weren't you? Some surprise thing for your girlfriend? Fuck, Edward! Why didn't you remind me?"
"It's not a big deal," I said, lifting up the phone that was still in my hand. "I'll get this done quickly, and then I'll be out of here for the weekend."
She shook her head and pushed my hand down. "Nope. You're getting out of here now. You know those call times will change at least three more times before they're finalized, anyway," she said with a big roll of her eyes. "I'll see you bright and early on Monday, Edward."
I opened my mouth to protest, but she cut me off by turning away and heading back into her office without another word. Sometimes having an awesome boss was, well, awesome.
I quickly gathered my things and jotted off a text to Bella, letting her know I'd be back in the near future before I headed down to the garage. The lack of traffic allowed me to get home in merely ten minutes, and Bella was already at the door waiting when I arrived.
"Hey, stranger," she said as she leaned out over the balcony. I smiled at my warm welcome. My muscles ached and stretched with each step I took, tired and cramped from being sedentary for too long. "I'd almost forgotten what you looked like."
She giggled as I barreled into her arms, pushing us through the doorway and onto the couch placed to its left so that I was sprawled on top of her. I groaned and buried my face in the crook of her neck. She smelled like sunscreen and mothballs…an interesting combination.
"Long day?" she asked with a laugh, and I grunted my affirmation. "My poor baby." She pushed my hair out of my face and placed little kisses everywhere she could reach. "Now, get up."
"I don't think I can move," I whined.
"Not even for mac and cheese?" My stomach growled, making its desires known. With an over-exaggerated sigh, I pushed myself off her and into a seated position. She wriggled her feet out from under my thighs and headed to the kitchen—aka the other corner of the room—where she scooped some food into a bowl and placed it in the microwave.
"So, what did you want to do tonight?" she asked.
"It's your last night, MB. I thought I'd let you decide."
Her eyes fell at my words. I knew she was just as unexcited to be apart for the summer as I was, but I'd just gotten my shit together. I couldn't risk losing any of the progress I'd made. Plus, it wasn't like she wasn't coming back to USC in the fall. We'd be together again in no time, or so I kept reminding myself.
The microwave's high-pitched ding distracted her momentarily from her fall into sadness, and she brought my dinner over to the couch with a smile on her face. I practically inhaled the pasta. I couldn't even remember the last thing I'd eaten today—maybe some Baja Fresh around two? Either way, the food was gone within minutes.
I leaned over and kissed her hard, loving the way she melted back into me. "I love you."
She snorted and grabbed the bowl before heading back to the kitchen, where she placed it into the sink with a loud rattle. "You just love that I can make mac and cheese that doesn't come out of a blue box."
"True," I said seriously, causing her temper to flare and her to fly across the room and back into my arms.
"I know it's early," she whispered as I cradled her in my lap, "but do you think we could just get into bed and watch some crappy TV? I heard there's a new Nick Swardson special on Comedy Central."
"Hey!" I retorted. "I worked on that special. Are you calling my work crappy?"
Instead of responding, she kissed my lips softly and dragged us both off the couch and into our room. With the lights off and our lips attached, we were playing a dangerous game. And instead of making it to the bed, Bella tripped over something and fell back with a loud oomph.
"Shit!" I cried, turning to flip on the lights. "Are you okay?" I shouldn't have worried, though. Bella had simply fallen onto her massive camp duffel, which was supporting her quite nicely.
"I'm fine," she said with a laugh. "But I guess we should move my duffels out of the bedroom."
It took both of us to drag her duffels into the living room. I 'd forgotten how much stuff camp required. I usually kept everything there instead of bringing it back and forth each summer, but the girls couldn't do that, since they had no idea which bunks they'd have.
Finally, after dealing with her luggage, we stripped down to our nightclothes and hopped into bed. Perfect.
"Are you nervous about going back?" I asked, muting the too-loud commercials playing in the background.
"Yes, but I'm way less nervous than last year," she admitted. I gave her a pointed look, willing her to explain. "I couldn't sit still the entire flight last year, and Alice knew exactly why the entire time." She paused and stared at me, as if the answer was evident, but I wasn't keeping up. "You, Edward! God, you're such a moron sometimes." She laughed and snuggled further into my chest.
"Seriously?"
"No, I made it up," she said sarcastically. Her snarktasticness was growing daily. And although it was often a pain to keep up with, I loved seeing her so confident and self-assured. It was such a change from the Bella I'd witnessed only a year ago, and it made me glow with pride.
"You're not going to get drunk and hook up with Emmett or Jake at pre-camp, are you?" I asked as a quasi-joke.
"That's not even funny, Edward. That's gag-worthy."
"Good," I said with a kiss to the top of her head.
"You're not going to meet some floozy actress and have a secret on-set hook up, are you?" she asked back. I knew this joking banter was heading into dangerous territory, but maybe the conversation needed to be had.
"MB, I'm not hooking up with anyone but you, and also, I'm not really into blondes." I tugged at a piece of her hair, and she looked up at me with a scowl.
"Really? Well, Emily would beg to differ."
"Bella, that was—"
She put her finger to my lips, silencing me. "It was only a year ago, Edward. And a lot can change in a year…obviously."
I pulled her closer, locking my legs with hers before squashing any doubts she might have still harbored. "First of all, it was two years ago. And Emily has never held a candle to you. Even she knew the first time I saw you last summer that whatever we'd had between us was over. And yes, a lot can happen in a year. But it can be good—amazing, even."
"Edward," she whispered. "I can't wait to go, but I'm also dreading it. What if things really do change?"
"They won't," I said adamantly. "Bella, people like us, we don't give our hearts very easily. But when we do, we give all of it, and we expect people to reciprocate. I've given you my heart, Bella. And as far as I can tell, you've given me yours, right?"
She nodded slowly, her dark eyes never leaving mine.
"Then things can only change for the better."
I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. The kiss started off slow but became progressively more heated as our need seeped through. Tongues slid together and hands roamed naked skin, making it prickle with goosebumps. We were content just to kiss, a simple reaffirmation of everything we'd been feeling. It was exactly what we both needed.
~Bella~
After our epic make-out session, Edward and I spent the rest of the night talking, our limbs intertwined. I wasn't ready to be apart from him yet, and neither of us was willing to fall asleep. Dawn approached far too quickly, and I cringed as the alarm on my phone let us know it was time to head to the airport, despite being awake before the sun.
The mood in the car was somber. Only the low murmur of the radio and the sound of our breathing were present. Our hands were intertwined over the center console. We were both unwilling to part completely. It was bad enough to let go when he had to briefly switch from reverse into drive. My hand automatically reunited with his in a tight grasp.
LAX came into view far too quickly, and I could feel tears well up in my eyes. I wasn't ready to cry yet, so I tried to stifle my sniffling, but Edward wasn't oblivious. Why was saying goodbye such complete and utter shit? Luckily for me, though, we weren't quite there yet. It went unspoken that Edward was going to park the car and walk me in, despite the fact that he could have easily dropped me off at the terminal. And I was insanely grateful.
With the car finally in park, I gulped and let go of Edward's hand to unfasten my seatbelt. Logically, I knew that we were only saying goodbye temporarily, but something about this situation felt too familiar, and it was far too unsettling. It was making me feel ill.
He grabbed a luggage cart for my duffels, but I refused to be apart from him for even that long. Instead, I slid under his arm and attached myself to his side as we pushed the bags in together.
The terminal was fairly busy for the ridiculously early hour, but we used those stupid electronic ticketing machines to get my tickets, which made the process a whole lot easier. My bags required several attendants to help maneuver them onto the belt because of how heavy they were. People stared as the attendants grunted and groaned about people who exceeded the weight limit. But really, who were they to complain if I were willing to pay the extra baggage fees? I was only slightly embarrassed to have caused such a ruckus, but when I looked up apologetically at Edward, he hadn't even noticed. In fact, he was looking in the complete opposite direction. We really should have stopped for coffee or something because his eyes kept drifting closed. I felt like a horrible, selfish girlfriend. I shouldn't have made him stay up all night with me, but I'd just been so freaked out about saying goodbye; I wanted to keep my memories as fresh as possible.
I bit my lip and lifted my head in his direction. I would not cry in front of him. I refused to let him feel bad about needing to remain in Los Angeles for his job. I understood. I really did. But that didn't mean I had to like it.
"Hey," he whispered softly as he took my hand again. "Don't worry. Remember?"
"I'm not worrying." He shook his head and let his thumb slide across my bottom lip, releasing it from my front tooth's grasp.
"Better." He smiled and kissed me briefly before leading the way up the escalator towards the gates.
I dragged my feet slowly towards security. I was dreading getting there because that was as far as American Airlines would let Edward go. And I was really not ready to say goodbye yet. Stupid airport security and their stupid rules.
I stopped a few feet short, refusing to cross that line yet. Edward chuckled and leaned down to kiss my shoulder.
"Bella, you have to keep going. You can't just stop here."
"But…" I sighed, seeing that there were people starting to form a line behind us. We were blocking the way.
I tried to pull us to the side, but Edward smirked and took us in the opposite direction.
"ID and boarding pass," the airport security worker droned.
My heart nearly started beating out of its chest when, instead of pushing me forward as I had anticipated, Edward pulled out his wallet and a fucking boarding pass to show the lady.
"Edward?" I croaked, my throat surprisingly tight.
"What?" he asked, his eyes wide with innocence.
"Miss?" The security lady attempted to garner my attention, but I was in too much shock.
"Huh?" I spun around again to face her, completely disoriented. What the hell had just happened?
The security lady must have thought I was completely insane because she spoke slowly to me. "ID. And. Boarding. Pass."
Overwhelmed and in a trance, I showed her both items before following Edward through the security line. Because he had nothing with him, Edward got through far quicker than I did, but it at least gave me time to get my thoughts together.
"What the hell?" I yelled, most likely waking up half the sleepy airport-goers. I punched at his chest in an attempt to exert some of the adrenaline now coursing through my body.
He snickered and pulled me into a big hug. His warmth surrounded me, and I couldn't help but melt as he whispered in my ear. "Did you really think I was going to let you leave by yourself? Someone needed to oversee your transition. Being the video counselor at Long Lake requires a certain finesse."
I wasn't sure if it was the amount of relief that swelled up inside me or the fact that I hadn't slept in over thirty hours, but I lost it. Tears poured from my eyes, and heavy sobs wracked my body.
"Fuck, MB, don't cry." He ran his hands up and down my back, trying to settle me down, but it was too late; the floodgates had opened. I lifted my chin and wrapped my arms around his neck, tears still dripping down my cheeks to my chin. He leaned down and rubbed his nose against my red one before kissing me soundly.
"I thought you'd be happy," he mumbled against my wet lips.
I pulled back with wide eyes. "I am happy. God, Edward, I don't think…" I trailed off, not knowing how to complete my thought. I was too overwhelmed with joy. "Thank you!"
He grinned and led us toward our gate, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "I'm flying back tomorrow night, but I couldn't just let you go alone. I needed to go with you."
"You did." I nodded solemnly.
We sat in a contented silence, waiting to board the plane, and finally relaxed, we both let our exhaustion overtake us and drifted to sleep almost as soon as we'd been seated. I had no idea how he'd finagled a ticket on the flight, much less the seat next to mine, but I wasn't going to complain. With Edward's scent surrounding me, I fell into a deep slumber.
x-x-x
"We are now descending into Portland International Airport. We hope you enjoy your time here, and thank you for flying American Airlines."
I cracked my eyes open, startled by the crackling overhead speakers. Edward was already awake, his eyes appraising my form.
"Were you watching me sleep, you creeper?"
"No…" Edward ran a hand though his hair as his cheeks filled with blood, giving them the pinkish hue I always teased Jasper for.
I giggled and kissed the underside of his jaw. His scruff scraping against my lips was the most delicious feeling after just waking up. Well, besides his scruff scraping against my thighs. Yum.
"That's okay. You're my creeper."
"That I am, MB." He kissed me again, and I couldn't resist slipping him a little tongue. I mean, we hadn't even had sex the night before because I'd wanted to utilize our time for talking. But now I was beginning to wish we had taken advantage of our comfy queen-sized bed when we'd had the chance.
"Aw," the flight attendant a few rows ahead of us cooed. I was sure she hadn't intended for us to hear it because she blushed furiously as we passed her by, hand-in-hand and grinning blissfully.
As soon as we stepped off the plane, I heard it.
"LB!" Emmett cried out as he barreled through the small airport. I was in his arms and gasping for air before I could even respond. "I have missed you, little one," he said with so much feeling that it nearly brought tears to my eyes.
He turned slightly and looked Edward up and down, never releasing me from his grasp. "And what do we have here? Hm?" Edward shrugged, but I could see the edges of his smile aching to break through. "Why'd you bring the fun-killer with you? Oh!" Emmett hopped up and down, looking absolutely ridiculous. "Is it so I can break your nose, too? Then we'll all have done it, and we won't have to worry about me getting you back at, like, your guys' wedding or something. I know you'll want his face pretty for photos."
"Em!" I squirmed away from him, shooting daggers with my eyes in his direction. First, no one was breaking my boy's face in again. Jake had definitely taken care of that well enough, and I'd done a pretty good follow up. Plus, it was way too pretty to bash. I wanted to enjoy the last hours I had with it. Second of all, marriage? "Wedding? You're out of your mind. I'm nineteen!"
"And Edward's twenty…" Emmett trailed off. His eyes lit up, and I could practically see the cartoon light bulb above his head. "Fuck, man. You're twenty-six tomorrow! You old man, you."
"Says the twenty-nine year old," Edward muttered unhappily.
I froze. "Wait, what?" I whipped my head around in Edward's direction. It was stupid of me, but I'd forgotten his birthday was approaching, and it wasn't like he wanted me to remember because he hadn't mentioned it once.
"Let it go," he begged. "I hate my birthday."
Emmett clapped his hand around his shoulder and led us both towards baggage claim. "He just hates being the center of attention. I don't know why though 'cause he's just so gosh darned cute!"
"Doucheward's here?" Jake's bellow cut across the room as he loped closer. "Dude! Best kept secret ever! Tell me you're here for the summer."
Edward eyed him warily before cracking a small smile and embracing his best friend. They were so bromantic; it was pretty adorable. "Just here for the night, guys. Sorry. Couldn't get away from work."
"Couldn't get away from work," Jake mocked in a high-pitched voice. I knew he was ridiculously proud of Edward for finally getting his shit together. "Please. He only made the trip to make sure he got his birthday blow job," he added with a small nudge to Edward's ribs, causing him to give me a sly smirk.
My jaw unhinged, and I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks.
"Oh God…" Jake stopped himself with a gagging noise and shook his head rapidly. "I just realized that…no, no, no. That's not what's happening at all. In fact, LB will be sleeping in my bed tonight."
"Ew! No I will not!" "Ew! No she will not!" Edward and I yelled in unison.
"Aw, you guys do the same thing at the same time thing already. That's precious." Emmett chuckled, spotted my bags, and threw them over his shoulders with ease.
With Emmett leading the way, we all headed out to the van. I paused for a second and breathed in the crisp scent of pine, so different from the oppressive smog I'd been dealing with for the past year. My lungs embraced the clean air. I willed it to stay as long as possible before releasing it again.
"Good to be back?" Edward whispered as he wrapped his arms around me.
"Always is, but it's going to be weird without you here."
"No!" a screech came from the back seat of the van, and a flash of black assaulted me before I could get my bearings. "She's mine for the summer!" Alice slapped Edward's hands away and clutched me to her petite frame. "You can't have her!"
Edward raised his hands in surrender and took a big step away, crashing into Jasper, who'd snuck up behind him. They hugged, warming my heart, but I didn't have time to pause very long. Alice shoved me into the van, squeezing me between her and Jake in the middle row as Jasper and Edward caught up in the back seat.
"So…" Alice trailed off, the insinuation clear in her voice. "How's it going?"
I nudged her shoulder with mine before taking a good look at her. She looked amazing. Her hair had grown out to just below her shoulders, and she'd changed the small stud in her nose to a black one, bringing more attention to it.
"Really well." I smiled genuinely and received a grin in return.
"I can tell," she said with a nudge to my ribs. "You both look…" She paused to think of the word she was searching for. "Relieved?"
I nodded. "Yes. Relieved is a good word."
"Hey," Emmett called out. "Why didn't anyone want to sit up front with me? You all know that Rose couldn't get out of summer school, right?"
"Yes, but it's so much more fun when you're our chauffeur, Em," I teased him, wanting to lighten the mood at his obvious disappointment at Rosalie's absence.
"Homeward, Jeeves!" Edward shouted from the back. He tugged on my ponytail and pulled me back so that he could kiss my cheek, and I couldn't resist turning my head to align our lips instead.
Surprised, he grinned into the kiss and reciprocated enthusiastically. So enthusiastically, in fact, that sounds of displeasure filled the van as Jake, Jasper, and Emmett all groaned.
Edward pulled back with a scowl and poked the side of Jake's head. "Fuck you. You're still sleeping with my sister."
"No, I'm…" Jake started to deny before slapping a goofy grin across his face. "Okay, so maybe I am, but damn, she's a good lay."
"Ach!" Edward sank back into his seat, covering his ears to protect them from his best friend's torture. Jake looked so smug that I couldn't resist teasing back.
"I'm a good lay, right, Edward?" I asked all too innocently.
"The best, MB. Especially when you do that thing with your—"
Jake threw out his arm to cover Edward's mouth, reaching over the back seat. "Fucking hell, man! I get it, I get it. I'll shut up about your sister now."
"Now?" Edward said, cocking his eyebrow in Jake's direction. "Because if we go to The Pound to celebrate my birthday tonight, there's no telling what I'll divulge in a drunken stupor…"
"Forever!" Jake laughed and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Seriously, I never want to know."
The conversation continued as we made our way back to the camp. As we turned onto the road, though, Alice and I both squealed and began to sing our welcome-back-to-camp song.
Thunder. Thunderation. We're the best camp in the nation.
When we fight with determination, we create a great sensation.
Thunder.
It was dorky, but we couldn't resist. Neither of us had sung it last summer because we'd been trying to be the cool counselors, fitting in. We didn't want to be seen as campers; at least, I know I absolutely didn't. I'd wanted to be accepted by the counselors I'd admired so much and accepted into their group of friends. But I realized now, as I looked around the van, chatting with the most important people in my life, I did fit in. I always had.
THE END.
Chapter End Notes:
Campward and LB want to thank each and every one of you for spending the past year following their journey. It pleased many and displeased a few more, but such is life.
I wanted to let you all know that I am still in contact with my RL Campward, despite things not working out between us. In fact, this whole story started out as a way for me to gain some sort of closure to the way we ended things, but it turned into so much more. That is because of all of you, my amazing readers. I am so grateful for your love and support and friendship.
Thanks a million and then some.
xo, lexiecullen17