Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns everything Twi-related. I own Anthony and Marie...(look, D three dots!) well, at least their versions in this fic anyway :)
My amazing beta is IZZZYY. She's hot and she got rep (just like Anthony,lol). But what I love most about her is that she's crazy. Like me :)
EARLY THANK YOUS:
Before I forget again, I wanna say massive thanks to the peepz who recced BHT: Lady Ali *waves* who recced it as a Twigasm Fic of the Day and The Fictionators. You guys rock!
Chapter 18
Stop thinking about the rule! Your plan is lame − it will not work!
Glaring at her reflection in the bathroom's vanity mirror, Bella continued brushing her teeth. It was one thing to have an epiphany; it was another to pretend like you hadn't had it while the object of said epiphany had been a mere step away. She thanked God and all that was holy that she'd managed to not freak out the entire time.
That or jump Edward's bones.
Or worse, cry.
She spit gurgled water and started brushing again. Dear God, Hi. The timing did suck, but at least you didn't let me make a fool of myself tonight. I kept my cool at the party – how I successfully pulled that off I have no idea – and I didn't lose my quiddich even when Edward reluctantly sang another song due to the crowd's insistence. The song he chose the second time around made me remember vividly what occurred between us but still, no major freak outs. He did "Fields of Gold." You know, our D-Day song? I mean the song that was on the background while he was...Bella paused then blushed. Should she be discussing her D-Day with God? Wouldn't that be sort of disrespectful, getting all detailed with her carnal thoughts to the Holy Man?
Hel-lo, you saw Him hang out with dead people when you orgasmed, prude. This is so not the time to be shy about your sexperience.
Brain was being her usual Benedict Arnold-y self. Yay, happy times.
Not. Bella rolled her eyes. Anyway, God, as I was saying, Edward was a hit at the party. Dude can sing and play musical instruments! Cool, right? He looked very comfortable playing the guitar, as if he'd been doing it for a long, long time. And don't get me started with him playing the keyboard while singing our frankfurter song...umm, err, you know, the song playing while we were doing the yummy deed. That was definitely another level of wow. The man can do everything! So, thank you, God, for keeping me sane until the party ended. I couldn't do it without you. Love, me. Oh, me as in Isabella Marie Dwyer Swan.
Bella dropped her toothbrush in the sink and sighed. She eyed herself critically, from her mousy brown hair down to her barely B-cup boobies, and sighed. I totally have no idea what to do next. Mom said I had to be sure of my feelings. Well, the Mighty Trinity – yep, that's you three: brain, heart and Marie! – all agreed that it'll only be Edward for me. Marie in particular whined and assaulted my hearing with her voice just to insist that she wanted Anthony and him alone. I think if it was possible for a vagina to commit suicide, she'd do it in a heartbeat if another penis as much as grazed her. Bella's expression turned sentimental. Although, I must admit, I love her loyalty. She was acting like she was Juliet to Anthony's Romeo.
The brunette wistfully smiled. Star-crossed lovers: Anthony and Marie. Aww. I wonder if Anthony speaks to Edward. And if he did, what kind of voice does he have? Maybe James Earl Jones meets Rod Stewart? How would that combination sound anyway? Bella pondered, her brows knitting in concentration. A raspy King Mufasa! Edward's penis would sound like a raspy Lion King? Hmm. She shook her head. Nah, that's impossible. Edward would never reach that level of nuttiness. I'm crazy enough for the both of us. She picked up her toothbrush, put the head under the faucet, and watched as bits of toothpaste washed off and went straight to the drain. She then rinsed, gargled mouthwash, and wiped her mouth with a towel.
I should call Mom. I needed to talk to her about this or I'll burst.
Bella walked out of the bathroom and went straight to the bedside table where her phone was and grabbed it. Hurrying, she trotted back to the bathroom, closed the door gently and gingerly sat inside the empty bathtub – the safest place to have this conversation, considering the object of her epiphany was just a room away and she tended to speak a bit too loudly when excited and/or nervous – and I'm both, dear God, I'm both! Then she stared at her phone.
3:30 am.
I am so, so sorry Mom for disturbing your sleep. She dialled the number then started chewing her nails while waiting for her mother to answer the call. After the fifth ring, she heard her Mom's husky "Bella?"
"Mom! Babe A is in love with Babe B! She's sure of it now and she's going crazy thinking of ways of how to deal with it!"
"What do you −? Umm...what?" Renee sounded confused.
Breathe in, breathe out, Bella. Stay calm and coherent for the love of God! "Mom, remember what we talked about this afternoon at lunch? About Babe A and Babe B?"
"Yes..."
Bella, use your frigging names and stop referring to you and Edward as Babes A and B! "Umm, I am one hundred percent sure that I'm in love with Edward. Oh, I'm Babe A and he's Babe B. In case you missed that. Anyway, it took me a long time to figure that out, but I finally did. My everything loves him, Mom. My brain, my heart, even my, err, lady parts love him. They want him, and only him." She paused. "I want him, and only him."
"Oh. Okay. Bella...umm...you see..." Renee exhaled loudly.
"But here's the dilemma, Mom," Bella continued, barely registering her mother's discomfort. "Edward and I have been platonic friends for three years. I am not a huge fan of that word now. You know, platonic. I wanted a lot more from him. I mean, I'm twenty-five years old and of course my body wanted me to do something about my feelings for him. Emotionally, I am so there, you know? Physically, I don't even know where to start." She expelled a breath. "Mom, have you ever heard of the 'Golden Rule of Sex?'"
Her mother coughed. "Bella, honey−"
"I didn't want to make you uncomfortable discussing this, but I have no one to talk to about this, Mom. Please. I couldn't possibly talk to Alice. She'd freak out, and I'm not sure when she'd calm down enough to have a serious conversation with me. Rose would say 'just tell Edward, and be blunt about it!' but I couldn't be that forward with him. I'm ten times more confused when I'm nervous and agitated; I'd most likely speak gibberish! And I love Jess a lot, but she would be very distracted by the sex talk itself. And this is beyond sex, Mom. I mean, of course, there'll be sex in the future. I'd be more than willing to give him lots and lots of it, if Edward truly wanted me that way. For now though, until everything's been revealed and resolved, I needed to talk to someone who would look beyond the sex stuff and see the bigger picture and give me proper advice on how to deal with this situation. That's you!"
Renee cleared her throat but couldn't say anything to save her life. I'm in the middle of a sticky situation here. Not that she needed to say anything at all; her daughter was on a roll. "Anyway, back to the golden rule of sex. It's stated that 'without attraction, there will be no erection.' It makes perfect sense, Mom. Edward has to move on from looking at me as his best buddy to recognizing me as a woman. So I asked myself 'How would Edward see me as a woman?' Logically, he has to be attracted to me, right? And a foolproof way of confirming a man's attraction to a woman is, you know, be the reason for his erection, just like the golden rule states. So I decided to seduce Edward, and see if he'd show that kind of physical response to me. I decided that if he did indeed have an erection during my seduction, that completely−" A choking sound made Bella pause. "Mom? Are you okay? What was that noise?"
A pause. Then another voice came through the line. "That'd be me, Isabella," Charlie answered flatly.
Bella's eyes widened hearing his father's voice, and she promptly dropped the phone in mortification. She quickly stood up, took a few steps away from the phone and covered her mouth with both hands, all the while staring at the electric device in dread as if that long-haired, creepy girl from The Ring would suddenly crawl out from it and kill her. Oh my God! Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! Dad was there all along! He heard everything! She started to hyperventilate, remembering the stuff she had been yapping about. She heard her Mom's voice calling her name over and over but she was too overwhelmed – and overwhelmingly embarrassed! – to respond.
Bella couldn't breathe. Death by embarrassment. What an equally embarrassing way to die. No! I just have to calm the frankfurter down. Calm down, Bella!
Edward came barging in, holding his phone, a frantic look on his face. "Bella! What happened?" He reached out and wrapped a hand around her wrist.
Not helping, Edward! Bella mentally screamed, feeling her heart race in reaction to Edward's touch. She pulled her wrist from his hold. "Can't...breathe...go...away!"
"There's no way in hell I'm leaving you like this!" Edward stubbornly replied then picked her up as if she weighed nothing at all and carried her bridal style outside of the bathroom. They headed straight to the kitchen where she was carefully deposited on one of the stools. Bella watched as Edward took a brown bag from one of the overhead cabinets, gave it to her, and ordered her to breathe into the bag, which she did.
After a couple of minutes, her breathing started to even out and Bella was finally able to breathe properly. She looked up from the brown bag, ready to thank Edward and praise his fast thinking, when it suddenly registered to her what he was wearing.
Black boxer shorts, nothing else. In Edward's haste to save her life, their "no walking around the house in one's underwear" agreement was forgotten.
Not that I mind. Bella blinked a couple of times. Hello pecs. Abs. Anthony's outline...
Edward swallowed hard seeing Bella eye his body in obvious awe. Her lips parted and the tip of her tongue appeared to moisten her lower lip. Anthony responded by hardening. The perv then twitched in excitement.
For fuck's sake Anthony, it's just tongue! Get a hold of yourself! He reprimanded with disgust.
Did you have amnesia, boss? Have you already forgotten what Bella's tongue did to me – to us – yesterday morning, in this exact place? How could you have forgotten that amazing blowjob? We jizzed nonstop for minutes!
Shut up.
Bella's nipples pushed against the thin material of the nightshirt she had on. They looked like twin beamers, lighting up Edward's libido. No bra. Bella isn't wearing a fucking bra. By then Anthony was stretching to his full potential.
Bella's jaw dropped seeing Anthony's shape become more defined. She couldn't look away. Could it be possible that Edward's getting an erection? Why? I'm not wearing sexy lingerie. Visually, I am less than desirable right now. Not that I was a red-hot seductress to begin with, but at least with proper ammo, I could turn Edward on. He said so himself the first time I saw Anthony up close and personal. And he was so aroused last night. Sexy lingerie is a reliable resource to incite erection.
"Bella? Please stop staring at Anthony."
There was a pleading note in Edward's voice that made her look away. Blushing, she tried to explain her sudden fascination. "Umm, sorry, it's just...erm, he looked awake." Impressively awake.
Edward sighed. "He is."
A moment of silence. "Why?" Bella inquired bravely. All in the name of research, she reminded herself, for seduction purposes. I need the info.
"Do you really have to ask?"
It was her turn to sigh. "No."
Edward gazed at Bella's bent head and sat beside her. This is a normal conversation with Bella, Edward. You talk about anything and everything with her. Deal! "You're wearing a very thin shirt, Bella. I'm just a man, and seeing the impressions of your nipples, well, Anthony definitely liked it, so he reacted."
Bella glanced at her chest and saw there was indeed the outline of her nipples poking out lewdly under her shirt, as if she was cold even though she felt really, really hot at the moment. She blushed and crossed her arms in front of her chest to cover them. "I'm sorry."
"I'm not," Edward answered then grinned at her. "I'm a perv, remember, and you've got great-looking tits."
Take note, Bella! Edward liked seeing your "tits." She blushed even more. "Stop perving please." Quiddich, I left my notebook in my room. I should be writing this!
He chuckled then sat back. "Are you feeling better now? Your Dad sounded so worried when he called and asked me to check on you."
Dad. The rule I kept on blabbering about. My plan to seduce Edward. And oh my God, how many times did I actually say "erection" with Dad hearing it? She face palmed. Stupid, stupid, Bella!
As if on cue, Edward's phone started ringing. Bella grimaced as she watched Edward pick up the phone from the table and showed her who was calling. Renee. He gave her a look. She made a face but nodded anyway.
"Hey, Renee." A pause. "Yes, she's fine. She's sitting beside me. Okay." Edward gave Bella the phone. "She wants to talk to you."
With a resigned sigh, she took the phone and lifted it to her ear. "Hi, Mom."
"Hey baby girl. You okay?" Renee gently inquired, even if she couldn't really cover the worry in her voice.
"I'm fine. Edward saved the day. Oh, him and a brown bag." She cleared her throat. "Umm, is Dad there?"
Renee chuckled. "No. He decided he wouldn't be joining our phone conversations anymore except when you asked for him to be there personally. Ignorance is bliss, he told me." Renee giggled.
Bella cringed. "It's not really funny, Mom."
"Oh honey, if you really think about it, it was pretty comical. If only you could have seen you father's face as he listened to you talk. He started as a bit red-faced, went really red, and progressed to purplish. For a second there I really thought he'd cry hearing his baby girl talk about−"
"Edward, can you get me a glass of water please? Thanks," Bella quickly interrupted, throwing the man beside her a grateful smile.
"Oh. I completely forgot he was there. Sorry honey."
"Mom, what time will you be back tomorrow? I really, really want to talk to you about this." She resisted the urge to bite her nails again; instead she followed Edward with her eyes. I love how he fills his boxers oh-so-perfectly. Nice butt.
"We'll leave Forks around six, so let's meet for lunch."
And oh, those shoulders, so broad and manly. And his muscled back...dayum.
"Bella?"
I especially love how he consistently takes good care of me. I mean, I do love his body and there is no denying how truly gorgeous Edward is (scruffy or clean-shaven, super casual to semi-formal, whatever – look he'll own it effortlessly), but at the end of the day it's who he's been and continues to be with me that really matters the most.
She would not cry.
"Bella!"
Mom. Right. Sheesh. "Yes! Sorry, my mind went to Oz and played with Dorothy for a minute there. Sure, Mom. I'd love to have lunch with you. Where do you want to eat?" She mouthed 'thank you' to Edward who joined her with the glass of water.
"Hmm. I missed walking around Pike Place Market. Why don't we go there and let our feet dictate what we'll be doing for the rest of the day? You'll have your dear mother for company until the wee hours of the evening. I promise."
Tear ducts, please cooperate. "Thanks Mom. I love you."
"I love you too, hon. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
"Tell Edward I love him as well." There was a teasing note in Renee's voice.
Bella automatically blushed. "Mom!"
Even Edward heard Renee's laughter. He glanced at Bella inquiringly. She just rolled her eyes but the blush did not subside at all. "Bye, Mom."
"Bye, hon. Thank Edward again for us, baby girl." She was still chuckling when she ended the call.
"Mom said thanks for taking care of me," Bella told Edward as she returned the phone to him.
"She didn't have to thank me. I feel it's my responsibility to always make sure you're okay. You do know that I feel protective of you, right?"
She nodded. "You're kind of scaring other people actually." Then she smiled to show she was just teasing.
"I can be very intense," Edward admitted, wincing a little. "Take the Jacob incident, for example."
Bella groaned. "Good thing Jacob's pretty solid. I thought you killed him or something. I felt like fainting when I saw him sprawled on the floor."
"That was me getting all protective." And insanely jealous.
Bella stood up and pulled him with her. "Come on, I'm still not sleepy and I missed talking to you. Let's go get comfy on the couch."
Edward ordered Anthony to behave. Bella's version of getting "comfy" sometimes led to resting her head on his shoulder. There was even a time when she lay her head on his lap as she talked nonstop about her manuscript. It involved an elephant on some crazy adventure, but he remembered sitting there, listening to her with a smile on his face. I should've realized then that I was in love with her.
Predictably, Bella did rest her head on his shoulder as she started recounting the highlights of her birthday party. She laughed, recalling Jessica's none-too-subtle singing of Sting's "Every Breath You Take" while focusing her entire attentionon James. Then she awww-ed at Emmett and Rose's duet, which was "Lucky" by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat.
Rose informed everyone that the song wasn't for her and Emmett but for another soon-to-be-couple. Subtle, Edward had thought, smiling a little. Bella, certified Queen of Oblivious that she was, turned to grin at Jessica and started teasing Hoe with James.
Duh, Bella. Duh.
"Then there's Victoria Horne." She turned curious brown eyes on Edward.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"She was all touchy and purr-y when she talked to you. Could she be the next girlfriend?" Say no, Edward. For me and my tummy's sake, say no.
"Who?" He was genuinely clueless.
"Victoria Horne. The redhead?"
Edward frowned. "Sorry, I don't remember any redheads." I was too busy watching over a certain brunette to notice other people.
Bella sat up. "Seriously?" Happy dance.
Edward rolled his eyes. "Yes. Between fuming over the perverts and trying to keep them away from you, I had neither time nor the inclination to meet women."
Hearing what he said deflated Bella's happiness a little. "I didn't need another Dad, Edward."
"What?" Edward turned to fully face her. "Explain. Now."
Bella shrugged. "You didn't have to look after me, you know. The last thing I want to happen is me Anthony-blocking you from other women."
"Anthony-blocking me?"
"Sheesh. Anthony is the name of your..." She looked at him expectantly.
"Dick."
Bella shook her head. "The other name for dick."
"Penis."
"Another name."
Edward scowled. "What the hell, Bella? Are we playing a game here?"
"Of course not! Just answer, Edward!"
He scratched the back of his head. "What was the question again?"
"What is the name given to a male chicken?" She sighed, simplifying it.
"I don't know." Edward exhaled loudly. "Mario?"
Bella gaped at him in disbelief. "Mario? A male chicken, Edward, not a male person! Ugh! This is not Nintendo!" she exclaimed, arms flailing in annoyance at the man's slowness.
"Oh. Rooster."
Bella snarled. "Cock, Edward! Cock! God!" She took a deep, calming breath. "I don't want to cockblock you from other women!"
Edward stared at her for a minute then burst out laughing. He was laughing so hard he fell to the floor, pulling Bella with him.
"That wasn't nice. You did that on purpose just to make me say the 'c 'word. You totally made fun of me," Bella grumbled as she lay beside Edward on their carpeted floor.
Still chuckling, Edward put an arm under her head and pulled her closer to him. Perfect. "I honestly didn't get it the first three times. When you half-shouted 'male chicken' it finally clicked, but you looked so fucking adorable that I had to continue pretending to not know what you're talking about."
"Glad I amused you then."
He grinned down at her. "I'm happiest when I'm with you, you know."
Bella melted but she feigned indignation instead. "Drop it, Edward Cullen. You're still mean."
Edward chuckled some more. "I'm sorry Miss Bella. That will never happen again."
"Try saying that without chuckling and maybe then I'll believe you."
He dropped a kiss on top of her head then sighed. "Seriously, I'm happiest when I'm with you, Bella."
Bella's lower lip trembled at the heartfelt declaration. If only it was said to her as a lover rather than a best buddy..."Same here," she mumbled, taking a deep breath.
They were quiet for a while, just enjoying the silence and company, when Bella shifted positions and faced Edward. Always attuned to her, he did the same thing until they lay there, face to face.
Babe A and Babe B exchanged smiles.
"My back is killing me."
"It's awfully cold down here, and I'm only wearing boxers."
They giggled like children, standing up. Edward entwined his fingers to Bella's and pulled her towards his room.
"Why are you leading me to your room?" Bella's heart went thump-ta-thump-thump.
"Are you sleepy?" Edward asked her instead.
"Not really," she admitted.
"Then let's talk some more in my room. We can lie down on my bed − it's more comfortable there."
Edward's room. Bella's knees wobbled a little. That was where she'd lost her hymen. The memories of their schmexing were still fresh in her mind, and she couldn't trust herself to not blurt out her newfound feelings if they stayed there.
"What about my room?"
Edward shrugged. "Okay."
Bella sighed in relief. They walked inside her room, Edward closed the door, and they settled on to her bed. Good thing she loved big, spacious beds. She looked at Edward and couldn't help but laugh. "This is the first time we've ever done this. And you're still not wearing a shirt."
"Where's the old Stoli?"
"Edward, I haven't washed it yet. I told you that already."
"And I told you I didn't mind. Come on, I'm cold. Give it to me." He pouted. "Pweeasee, Bewwa."
She scowled at Edward then pulled something under the pillow that he was using. "Here."
Not gonna lie that makes me fucking happy. She keeps my shirt under her pillow! Fuck yeah! He sat up, sniffed the shirt – it smells like Bella, I'm a lucky sonofabitch – and with a smug smile, slipped it on. He then lay back on the bed, whistling a little.
His smile got even wider when Bella settled comfortably beside him. He could picture them doing this nightly until they were old, wrinkly and gray. I bet Bella would still look fucking fantastic. He grinned to himself.
And Anthony would still harden and be ready to pump and hump the wifey in a New York minute even if his boss resembles a dried prune by then.
Edward mentally scoffed at his dick. You're not invited here, Anthony. Go away.
"Edward?"
"Yep?"
She moved a bit closer then turned to faced him. "I never knew you could sing that well, nor play guitar and keyboard."
So we're having this conversation now. "The last time I tapped on my so-called musical skills was ten years ago."
Bella slowly nodded. "Ten years ago you were eighteen."
"Such mad math skills you have there, kiddo," he joked, trying to lighten the mood.
She smiled a little. "You told me in passing that your estrangement with your parents happened before you left for college."
"Correct."
"Was it because you wanted to pursue something totally different than football?"
Edward took a deep breath. "In a way, but it didn't have anything to do with football." He gave Bella a sad smile. "Ten years ago, I was hoping to go to Juilliard. Actually, I've been itching to go to that school since I was sixteen years old."
"That's huge."
"Yep. I did have a knack in mastering anything I put my head to. I never enjoyed music when I was a bit younger. Back then, I was all over the place; my interests varied. One year I devoted to swimming, the next photography. Then I also tried my hand in portrait painting. It's crazy. Looking back now, I think I was just a very bored child."
"What did your parents say about it?"
He shrugged. "Let's add spoiled to 'very bored child' shall we? Whatever I wanted to do, they indulged me, especially since I excelled in just about anything. Then, when I was sixteen, there was this girl. Her name was Lucy, and she played the violin. I was hormonal and she was very pretty. I thought I was in love, so I desperately tried to learn to play a musical instrument. Piano was handy, so I focused on that. Good old Mom hired this retired pianist, Amadeus Banner – I know, crazy name but he was a good teacher – and he became my mentor. Back then I could compose two or three songs a day. I was so psyched to impress Lucy, but she left school before I even made a move. Then I heard she attended Julliard's Pre-College Division. She was there every Saturday, so I told my parents that I wanted to go there as well. For the first time I was told 'no.' Dad wanted me to explore other 'avenues,' as he called it. He wanted me to go back to being try-anything-and-succeed Edward. He suggested athletics. He also told Mom to stop my sessions with Mr. Banner. I was so annoyed with everything that I chose a sport where it was most likely to get injured. So, football it was, and just to spite him, I started learning to play the guitar on the side."
"What a brat," Bella teased, wrinkling her nose at him.
Edward wanted to hug her so badly. "I was a brat. I'm sure you wouldn't have wanted to be my friend back then. I was so full of myself it was disgusting."
"Considering you lived in New York while I was in Forks, I'm pretty certain our paths would never have crossed."
He didn't even want to think about life without Bella. "That's why I'm thankful Daddy C forced pre-med on me during my senior year and threatened to disown me if I didn't follow his wishes. I was never interested in medicine. Just because my Dad, Grandpa and most of my relatives were doctors, it didn't mean that I wanted that career for myself. He tried the guilt trip approach, but it didn't work. He moved to goading me with money and told me I could only help the hospital our family owned if I became a doctor myself. I never desired owning a freaking hospital, and I told him that up front. He was so angry, he pulled the 'disown me card' and told me if I insisted on attending Juilliard, I had to fend for myself, 'cause he was cutting me off." Edward snorted. "He was very shrewd. He told me that news when it was already too late to work on a scholarship. I'm skilled, but because I also had other extra-curricular activities – as set up by my wonderful Dad – I wasn't really given the opportunity to hone my craft. Sure, I could play two musical instruments and I could compose songs, but Juilliard was one tough school to get into. It wasn't called the Harvard of music for nothing. Besides, I stopped pursuing music when I started playing football. So the Doc won. Goodbye Juilliard. But what I did next totally took the smug look off his face."
Bella nodded. "You accepted the football scholarship offered by Seattle U."
"It certainly wasn't Columbia University where quote 'three generations of Cullens attended' unquote." Edward smirked. "It was so worth it."
The brunette faced him. "And our worlds got a little bit closer."
"That made it even more worth it." Edward smiled down at her. "A couple other schools offered me the same thing, but there was something about Seattle U...hmm. It must have been fate." Fate playing Cupid.
Bella gazed at him for a moment. Thank you, Fate. "Don't you miss it?"
"Miss what?"
"Music."
"A little." He shrugged. "But my life changed a lot and a part of me had to admit that it wasn't really something that I would commit myself for the long haul. Music could be a hobby, but it could never be my entire life." Edward shifted to fully face her. "I did enjoy studying business and playing for the NFL, but when I got injured and was advised to retire, it didn't feel like my life had ended. It was so easy to move on and do something different. I guess that bored kid who wanted to try anything remained in me somehow. It just made sense to open a bar since I frequented them a lot. Em knew a real estate agent who showed me this two-story building that I instantly liked. I bought it and thought I'd use the second floor as my living quarters, but that didn't work out, so I went to look for an apartment, saw this ad from a guy named Izzy who was looking for a roommate...well, you know the rest."
"Izzy." Bella chuckled. "That was Alice's fault."
"I'm so grateful that she posted that ad."
They exchanged grins. They were quiet for a while, each reliving that fateful day of their first meeting when Bella abruptly sat up.
"Bella?"
"Please don't be angry with me. I just have to say this."
Edward sat up as well. Together, they leaned on the headboard, shoulder to shoulder, both a bit tense. A safe word will be used in the not-too-distant-future, he thought, his fingers combing his hair. "I won't get angry, promise."
Bella took a deep breath. "Ten years have passed, Edward. You admitted that music wasn't really something that you'd pursue your entire life. You didn't go to medical school; you followed your own path. Don't you think it's about time to cut the estrangement and make amends?"
Fuck. "Do you want me to do that?"
"This is not about me. This is about you and your parents."
Edward pursed his lips. "I honestly haven't thought of dealing with my parents again. I told you, I'm happy and content with my life now."
"Your mom misses you a lot."
"And you know this because...?"
Bella smiled a little. "We exchange random e-mails from time to time. Actually, I do that with both of your parents. And knowing me, I'm touched that they tolerate my 'random thoughts', because I assure you, most of them have been quite random."
Edward was aware of Bella's long-distance friendship with his parents, but not to this extent. "How random, exactly?"
Bella blushed. "One time, I e-mailed Esme a lengthy message about Ellie the Elephant and how that book came to life in my imagination. I even scanned this really ugly drawing of Ellie I'd done myself and attached it. Your Mom called me and we chatted for hours about that. She loved Ellie and bought a lot of copies and gave them all to a local kindergarten school. Then, just a couple of days ago, I e-mailed your Dad, venting about the injustice of sexually transmitted diseases. I was Googling about fellatio and I got distracted by these links forwarding me to sites that discussed STDs. The next thing I knew, I was typing a message to your Dad about what I'd read. It never even entered my mind that Carlisle was Chief of Surgery and I was most likely wasting his valuable time. Like your Mom, he called me and let me vent some more. I think we ended up talking about the sick children in Africa or something. And yeah, he gave me an advance 'happy birthday.'"
Edward didn't know how to react, or what to think, for that matter. Not that knowing people liked Bella could still shock him. As Jasper said, everybody liked her. Bella was a very likeable person. Lovable.
"They're really nice, Edward. I love them both, to be honest. My Mom and Esme, they 're also close considering they only met once."
Edward remembered his first Thanksgiving with the Dwyers and Swans. Bella prepared an elaborate dinner; she cleaned the house from top to bottom and informed him they'd be dressing up for the occasion. When her family arrived – they all flew in from Jacksonville – he got introduced formally to everyone. Nessie was all braces and big words then. Alice barely made it, because she was already working in Paris at that time. Then Bella told everybody that once the last two guests arrive, they'd officially start Thanksgiving dinner.
The two other guests had been his parents.
Bella had an idea that his relationship with his parents had been non-existent. There was some media speculation about it when he was still playing for the NFL, and she remembered Edward's own outburst of choosing to die first before asking for his parent's help when he had to rent an apartment because he didn't have enough money to start a business and buy his own house. However, she did admit that she invited them over for selfish reasons: she wanted to meet her housemate's family. That and she wanted to finally shut up Renee, who wanted to "bond" with the Cullens. Renee had argued that it was only fitting for both families to meet considering their children were living under one roof.
Dinner was awkward, at least for the Cullens. Bella's family made it tolerable though, and the Cullens' deeply-ingrained manners helped in at least appearing to be civil. Nobody commented on how distant Edward had been to his own parents, or how they didn't really talk. It helped that Alice and Vanessa could be a force of nature as they prepared post-dinner games in the living room.
It was during that time Edward discovered the following facts: Bella sucked at Charades, Phil could host Family Feud in his sleep, then fifteen-year-old Ness could be a sore loser, Alice and Vanessa shrieked a lot when excited, and his own parents had their own version of a happy dance whenever they scored points.
Admittedly, if he wasn't all grumpy about it, he'd had fun that night.
It turned out that everybody was staying at the Four Seasons Hotel, and he later found out that the families bonded over breakfast the next day. Edward had made some lame ass excuse to miss it, and had to endure listening to Bella's stories that night.
"I don't know, Bella. I haven't really thought of them for years. Excluding our first Thanksgiving together, I never talked to them again."
Bella nodded sadly. "For what it's worth, Edward, they really love you. I'm positive that they have regretted the mistakes they made in the past every single day of your estrangement. I mean, none of us fished for information about your falling out. I'm pretty sure Mom didn't ask Esme about it, because we all respected your privacy. But I think the main reason why your parents continued communicating with me is because I'm their only link to you. They may not ask about you directly, but they both know that I talk about you a lot. And I could sense that whatever stories about you that I shared, they kept them locked and memorized in their minds."
Edward didn't respond. He just kept on staring – unseeingly – at Bella's floor to ceiling bookshelf.
"Touchdown?" The brunette quietly asked.
He exhaled loudly. "I just need time to think about everything."
"Okay."
Edward cleared his throat. "Are you disappointed?"
"No. I'm the queen of taking time to overanalyze and over think, remember? Just take all the time that you need."
Edward nodded. "I better go and let you sleep."
"Honest to God, I'm not sleepy," Bella assured him then grinned. "This week has been epic and I'm pretty sure I'll be obsessing about the events that happened to me over and over again for months. Years, even!" Understatement of the century. I'll most likely tell our grandchildren the tale of Nana Bella's true love as a bedtime story.
"Then give me top three of the most unforgettable or memorable moments for you," Edward challenged, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Eeeek. Bella shook her head. "That'd be impossible to do considering a lot happened this week."
"Come on, you're more than capable of answering that! We have these 'top three' conversations all the time! We even timed it, and you were always the fastest to answer."
"That was because I blurted out whatever came to mind! I had zero filter compared to you." Danger! Danger!
Edward rolled his eyes. "Since when did you ever need to filter your thoughts with me?"
Since I realized I'm frigging in love with you, that's when. "A woman has to have a secret, you know."
"Nope, unacceptable answer, sorry. Give me your top three, Bella. Come on."
Bella started to sweat. Frankfurter my life! Quiddich! "Fine." No, Bella. Noooo!
Edward rubbed his hands and smirked at her. "Three?"
"I got to spend my birthday with my entire family." That was easy.
"Two?"
Bella started blushing. "Umm, losing my virginity."
Edward looked at her in surprise. "That's not you're number one?"
Uh-oh. Bella's heart started beating fast. She rubbed her sweaty palms on her comforter and blushed some more.
Edward whistled. "You mean something more epic happened?"
"Errr, manuscript?"
Edward scowled. "No way! No safe word! You already gave me your top two! What's number one?"
Bella started to tremble. Lie! Just lie!
"Umm..." Quiddich! I can't lie.
"Just say it. Come on!" Edward prodded, looking curiously at her.
I still have to talk to Mom about this! I haven't even decided yet what to do to seduce Edward! "Err...you see...umm..." She started to fidget and avoided looking at Edward. Embellish! Embellish!
"Bella!"
"What?"
"Number one! What's number one?"
She pressed her lips together.
Edward stared at her for a full minute then stood up. "Fine, don't tell me. We better sleep." Maybe its Alec's presence, that or his riveting performance...fuck my life. That's her number one?
Bella cringed, seeing Edward's hurt expression. Catch 22 just made sense. "Edward..."
"No, Bella. I don't want to force you to give me an answer. Really." As if I wanted to hear you admit Alec's performance moved you so much. That fucker. "Have fun spending the day with your Mom tomorrow." He started walking towards the door.
"You singing...performing for me! That's my number one." That's partly true, right? I didn't lie.
Edward stopped walking and turned to look at her. He lifted a brow and frowned. "You're holding something back. I can almost taste it."
I wanna taste! I wanna taste!
Go away, Anthony. "What's going on, Bella? You've never had second thoughts sharing stuff with me before." He couldn't mask the hurt in his voice as he asked the other question. "Don't you trust me anymore?"
Bella sighed. "Of course I trust you. I've never trusted anyone more in my life than you, Edward! Come on, you know that. I trust you! So much."
I wanna thrust! I wanna thrust!
Dammit, Anthony, Bella and I are having a serious conversation here! "Then why are you holding back?" he demanded. "You never hold back, Bella."
"Because this...thing, whatever, I needed time to deal with it by myself. Or at least until I talk to Mom about it," she explained.
"Now I'm worried," Edward said, and went back to sitting beside her. "Are you in trouble? Come on Bella, just tell me already. I'll help you deal with it."
Bella rolled her eyes at him. "Dude, remember when you said that you'd tell me about the thing that bugged you, soon, just not now? And how I didn't push you to make a decision about your parents? Please extend the same courtesy to me."
Touché. "I'm not as gracious as you, sorry." He paused. "So please tell me, Bella. Just tell me."
"Oh my God, you're so irritatingly persistent! Grr!" Bella exclaimed, standing up.
Good. I know that reaction. Goad her some more. "Tell you what, I'll make amends with the 'rents tomorrow – yes, tomorrow! – I'll call them and invite them here for...um, Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving with us, my treat! Just tell me what it is that you're keeping from me."
"You're bribing me?" Bella asked incredulously. "Sheesh, you're that desperate now?"
He stood in front of her. "Yes."
"Unbelievable. What happened to 'Patience is a virtue'?"
He scoffed. "I'm not really a virtuous man."
Duuuuuu eeeeet! Jowst teeell heeeeeem.
Bella cringed. Ugh. Be quiet, Marie.
Prude, I'm getting bored with this conversation. Just tell him and be done with it.
She ignored her brain.
Edward was getting antsy. "Bella, come on! Tell me! Please." He reached out and rested his hands on top of her shoulders. "Let's be simple about this − just blurt it out! Come on! Tell−"
"I'm in love with you!"
Oops.
Quiddich.
Wowza :) Bella can indeed handle pressure, haha...
I'm still a bit overwhelmed with the response I got for Chapter 17 *impersonating Rudolph the reindeer now...yep when I blush, even my nose gets red, go figure* THANK U guys! Glad to know a lot of you shared my love for the song Collide, yay! Special mentions to the peepz who personally gushed about it to me: Mwabee, Jecks, K, Grace and Anne. A wave hello to Trina, Bev and Mona. And a special hello to Twimom143.
Oh and please vote for BHT at the Annual Glosp Awards. Voting is until October 26. To those who voted, thank you so much :) Link is in my profile (thanks D!)
Lastly, I wanted to thank Jenn from The Writer's Coffee Shop. She created this awesome BHT banner and if you want to see it, just go visit their fab site. Thanks Jenn!