Chapter 6 - Party in the USA

Emmett's wearing my ribbon.

That ribbon is all I can think for the rest of the game, which, true to Mike's prediction, we win. It's all I can think about when I catch Edward's eye as Jess and I walk past him, Bella and Alice in the stands after the game. He lifts his chin, and all three of them give me conspiratorial smiles. Jess is so busy craning her neck to look for Lauren that she doesn't see me wave, a quick wiggle of my fingers.

A dizzy rush of anticipation hits me. In just a few hours, I'll be back in Edward's backyard, where all of this started. I'm already thinking up excuses to leave Mike's fast, which makes me feel like an asshole because they're my friends, too, and it is his birthday party. I mentally justify my actions, pushing down the guilt: they'll all be too drunk to notice anyway and I am going home, just making a pit stop and they'll be fine without me.

But most of all? Emmett's wearing my ribbon.

We all migrate to the parking lot and get into our cars, revving engines and honking horns and whooping out the window. Roy's BMW creeps past just as I'm about to slide into my car, the tinted windows rattling from his music. I can't see him, but I know he's looking at me. He guns his engine and takes off, leaving me in a cloud of his exhaust.

Cute.

Jess rolls up next, steering with her knees so she can flip off Roy's car with both hands. She grins and while a part of me appreciates her loyalty, another part of me thinks she enjoys the drama. I just want it to be over with. I'm tired of talking and hearing about it, being in the middle of a situation that no one else wants to let go of. I already have.

"See you at Michael's?" Jess asks, swaying with Lauren to her music.

"Yeah, I'm just going to swing by my house and get Mike's present." And Bella's, I think to myself, but of course don't say it out loud.

"Hurry that sweet ass up!" Lauren yells, leaning across Jess's lap so she can wave a pompom at me. I give her a sarcastic thumbs up and then they're gone, intermingling laughter and music wafting out the open window.

I duck my head as I situate myself into the leather seat of my car. The lot is an eclectic mix of vehicles, everything from newer BMWs and Lexuses to Mirages and Jasper's clunker (still sitting over near the gym, next to Emmett's Jeep). The cars are just another indication of the variety of students who go to our school, their attitudes and status.

And I know, just from my seventeen years on this earth, that it doesn't change much out in the real world.

When I get to my house, I ditch my car and grab my bag. Lauren likes to joke that it could carry a small child, but tonight it holds Bella's present, which is strategically covered by Emmett's hoodie. Mike's gift sits on top, with my camera nestled in next to it. The house is quiet save for soft music wafting in from the living room. My dad must still be at work.

I peek around the corner to find my mom sitting on the couch, her legs crossed at the ankles. Eric is, of course, sitting regally next to her. A glass of wine sits on the table next to them. "Hi and bye. I'm going to Mike's," I say.

My mom looks up from her book and nods with a small smile. "Sounds good. Remember your curfew." She glances down at her watch. I don't know if the gesture is for me or if it's for my dad. I wonder if she ever gets lonely here, if the silence bothers her, too.

I shift from one foot to the other, gnawing at my bottom lip, suddenly hesitant to leave her alone. "Okay. I'll see you later." I start toward the front door, but stop and backtrack. "Love you."

"Love you, too, sweetie." Her smile gets a little brighter and the heaviness in my chest gets lighter.

Walking the short distance between my house and Mike's, I pass Edward's house and note that while Edward's car is in the driveway, Jasper's and Emmett's aren't there yet. I turn the corner at Valerie, taking in the number of cars lining the street. It's a little overwhelming. Of course, it is Mike's birthday party and the team just won the game; I don't know why I'd expect any different.

I slip in through the side gate, making a beeline for Mike and Jess. They're walking around like prom king and queen, welcoming people and accepting presents, some of which are just ridiculous and totally over the top. Somewhere along the way, gifts became less about what our friends liked and more about one-upping the next guy.

I'll admit that I've fallen victim to that line of thought more than once. Lauren's last present from Jess and me was a leather Coach bag with a matching wallet.

It's only when I started thinking about what to get for Bella's birthday that I realized this. So instead of getting something extravagant for Mike, I went personal. I had a slew of pictures I'd taken of our group of friends over the years: pictures from football games of years past, of us hanging out in his yard, of us in sixth grade with really unfortunate haircuts. We've been through a lot together, so I created an album of all the pictures I'd taken over the years. I spent some time in the photo lab on Thursday, during lunch and after school, so I could add the pictures I'd taken of him and Jess at the pep rally. I'd also stuck in a shot of him and the team, the same one that Angela informed me would be running on the front page of the paper on Monday, much to my surprise.

When I hand Mike's gift over, Jess tucks it under her arm and starts to walk away, undoubtedly to add it to the already massive pile of gifts that have accumulated, but I reach out, stopping her.

"Actually, I'm going to have to head out early. So um, Newt, if you just wanted to open it now..." I don't know why, but I'm a little nervous about this gift; it's like I'm giving a part of myself with these photographs. Besides, Mike usually makes a production out of opening his presents, and I don't want him opening mine with an audience.

"Rosalie Lillian Hale! Why do you have to leave early?" Jess's hands go to her hips, like she's waiting for a good answer so she can figure out if she should act appropriately pissed or sympathetic. I knew the question and opposition were coming, so I figure I might as well put it out there, although I don't answer immediately.

Mike is busy ripping into the wrapping paper. He mutters under his breath, "Ooh, she full-named you, Rosalie Lillian. You better have a good reason."

Oh, I'll give you a good reason. The boy with the navy blue eyes and the amazing smile whom I've been secretly crushing over for the past forever is meeting me at the corner in the dark. There's no better reason in the world.

I bite my lip, thinking about the text Emmett sent while I was packing my bag, asking when I'd be gracing them with my presence. When I'd responded that I'd walk over as soon as possible, he'd gone all knight in shining armor on me, insisting on meeting me at the corner. He didn't want me to walk alone, like those few blocks are a huge deal. For some reason they are to him, and it makes my heart do funny things, knowing he'll be waiting for me when I tell him I'm ready.

Jess rests her hand on my shoulder, craning her neck as Mike lets the wrapping paper fall to the ground. His eyebrows knit together in confusion while he takes in the album, but when he opens it and sees the first picture, he laughs. It's a picture of all of us at the country club - Mike, Tyler, Roy, Jess, Lauren and me with my arm looped through Edward's - tiny, innocent versions of ourselves mugging for the camera.

He flips through a few pages, looking up at Jess to give her a smile that I feel like I'm in the middle of, before winking at me. "Hey, this is really cool, Posie, thanks." And then he hands the album to Jess, who tucks it against her chest.

"Our little photographer," Jess coos, leaning her head against mine. I know she means it affectionately but to my ears, it sounds condescending.

Irritation and disappointment bubble up inside of me, making my jaw lock. I force a strained smile, but they don't notice because suddenly Tyler sidles up behind Mike and claps him on the shoulder, thrusting a bottle of Gentleman Jack against his chest.

"Happy birthday, fucker," he says with a shit-eating I totally won this grin on his face.

"Premium JD? No fucking way!" Mike crows, snatching the bottle from his hand. He gives Jess a quick peck on the lips and me one on the cheek. "Thanks again for the present, Pose. You're the best." He turns to Tyler, grabbing him in a headlock. "Let's go open this shit."

They wander off, singing the happy birthday song at the top of their lungs, just as Lauren stumbles up, already drunk. They haven't even been here much longer than I have, which means Lauren was doing shots or slamming down beer. Knowing her, it's both.

"My besties," she says expansively, her arms stretched out wide. She has a red Solo cup in each hand, and it's a miracle that whatever's in them doesn't spill.

"I thought you got lost. What were you doing inside for so long?" Jess asks, accepting one of the cups. Lauren turns to me, wiggling her shoulders and swaying the other cup in my face, but I shake my head. I'm still too salty about Mike blowing off my gift.

"Drinks. And maybe Tyler a little bit, too." Lauren shrug-snorts and Jess joins her. They don't even realize that I don't.

Jesus. Is it time to go yet?

xoxo

A couple of hours later, we're sitting at the pool with our feet dangling in the warm water. Jess and Lauren are draped over each other, laughing hysterically about who knows what. I've checked my phone at least twenty-seven times, but it's stayed quiet, the screen dark.

There have been pockets of entertaining moments tonight, but I'm restless. I'm three blocks away in another backyard already.

I lean back, resting my hands on the ground behind me. My gaze wanders as Jess struggles to get her snorting fit under control. Roy is at the far end of the yard, smoking a joint with some Port Angeles Prep kids. There's a vaguely familiar girl next to him, a sophomore from our school. Vera, I think. I squint through the darkness and see that her hand is wrapped around his wrist.

Huh.

"Hey, who's that with Roy?" I ask.

Jess tips back and Lauren sways around until she's facing the right direction. I watch both of their expressions morph into disgust, which is...weird. They're acting like they know this girl, but I'm not sure how that's possible since she's a couple grades younger. I know that she moved here from Seattle during the summer. She lives in one of the biggest houses in the development; beyond that, she's a total stranger.

"What's she doing here?" Jess snipes, her lip curling up.

"Seriously." Lauren leans in, wrapping her arm around my shoulder before raising her voice so she's basically shouting in my ear. "How he can go from this to that is beyond me."

Roy looks over at her comment (as do many others; she's fucking loud) and shoots her a dirty look. Or maybe it was directed at me. Always possible.

I have to tell them.

"Shut it down, Lauren." I press my fingers to my temple and look down at the water, embarrassed by her brash behavior. I should be used to it by now. They've always been louder, more vocal than me. Sometimes it's entertaining, but right now I just want to hide. "Listen, you guys. I need to tell you something, but keep it to yourselves, okay? I don't want it to go beyond us."

Jess raises her hand, her expression earnest. "Can I tell Mike?"

"Uh, no. What part of 'don't want it to go beyond us' do you not understand, Stan?" I shoot back, annoyed that she's even asking.

"We promise," Lauren speaks up, and they both try to put on their very best serious and not in the least bit trashed faces.

I do a quick sweep of the area with my eyes, craning my head to make sure that there isn't anyone close enough to hear what I'm going to say. Lauren and Jess look around too, tilting their heads and peeking in the grotto. It's too cold to be swimming tonight, even with the water heater on, but that doesn't really stop drunk people.

When I'm satisfied no one's lurking, I turn back to them, keeping my voice low. "I broke up with Roy, not the other way around. He decided it would be better if he told people that he was the one to end it. I just went along because I wanted to be done with it."

"Okay," Jess breathes out, dragging the word for way too long, clearly not understanding the logic.

"He thought it would put me in a better light." They stare at me blankly and I wave my hand impatiently, annoyed all over again with his ridiculous reasons for lying. "You know, since people already think I'm a bitch. It was for my benefit."

"Asshole," Jess mutters, glaring over at Roy.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Lauren asks, resting her head on my shoulder. I have a feeling the alcohol is diluting her response, making her sweeter than she would have been about the fact that I didn't share this before.

"I don't know. I guess I was just trying to work some things out in my head."

And, there's this whole thing with Emmett that's taken over my every waking thought. Not to mention my dreams.

"Fine, we won't say anything. But if push comes to shove, I'm not holding back." Lauren's looking back at the group again, giving them the bitch brow.

I shrug. At this point, Roy's the only one who'll look bad if and when the truth comes out. I'd rather they just let it die here, though. I don't want to deal with the repercussions.

I can feel his eyes on me and I look back over my shoulder. Sure enough, he's staring at me, taking us in. I can tell by his glower that he knows what we're talking about. He pulls Vera in front of him, pressing her back into his chest.

Jess rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. "I still don't like him bringing Vera around here -"

Lauren breaks in with, "We. We don't like it."

My phone buzzes in my hand and I sneak a look while they continue to rant.

Soon? The message reads.

"It's not cool and she like -" Jess hiccups. "She doesn't belong here."

And I know if they aren't accepting of Vera, who comes from money and at least runs with the same type of crowd, although two years younger, there's probably no hope for them to understand what I feel for Emmett. Because if she doesn't belong here, how could he?

So I have to go there instead.

I text back my answer: Now.

"I'm leaving," I announce, standing up and dusting off my backside.

"What?" Jess exclaims, her eyes wide. "Don't leave because of her, Posie."

"I'm not."

"Don't go!" Lauren wails dramatically, clutching at my leg. I know she's not as devastated as she's acting, though. Her giggles give her away. Jess rolls her eyes and lifts her cup in a mock toast.

"Get home safe, Posie darling. Don't let the bogeyman get you."

Yeah, that's definitely not who's going to get me."Be good, girls."

Jess raises her eyebrows dubiously at Lauren, who's still hanging onto my leg. I have to physically shake her off. She gets clingy when she's drunk like this. She pouts, but forgets to be sad a second later when Tyler sneaks up behind her, crouching down and planting a loud kiss on her neck. Then Mike's there and they're all raucous and yelling and I just drift away, momentarily forgotten.

It's a lot easier to disappear when people aren't looking.

I grab my bag from inside and then dart back out across the backyard, weaving my way through the crowd. I don't look in Roy's direction, but I know he's probably the only one watching me slip past the gate, little Vera hanging on his arm and his every word. He probably seems so impressive to her - senior, soccer star, good-looking, popular, rich. But that's just the shell. Even after three years together, I'm not sure what exactly is beneath it.

I try to forget what I'm walking away from as I make my way down Mike's winding driveway: how Mike brushed off my gift; Roy and all that encompasses; my drunk best friends, whom I'm so out of sync with tonight. It crops up every once in a while, this niggling feeling that I need more from them. But the other times that are good and feel right hide what's missing, or at least make them less obvious.

So, instead I focus on what I'm walking toward: Edward's backyard and the fire pit, mellow music and good conversation.

And Emmett.

He's standing there at the corner as promised. It's dark, even with the fancy streetlights lit, and I can only make out his outline at first. Other than the music coming from Mike's backyard, it's quiet. I hope he can't hear how hard and loud my heart is beating, or how my breath gets just a little bit shorter. If he does, maybe I can blame it on how fast I walked to get to this point.

When I get close enough to really see him, it doesn't make my body's situation any better. He's rocking on his heels, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans. He's wearing a hoodie with the sleeves pushed up and a backwards baseball hat. And when he smiles at me, all slow and sweet, but sexy too? Like he's been waiting for this, for me? It spreads down my legs to my knees and up to my face, making my cheeks go hot.

I don't know what to say to him suddenly. I try to draw up the courage of the Rosalie who's been text flirting with him all week. But she could hide behind a screen, could think about her words before typing them (even when they come out wrong. Damn you, auto correct). Standing in front of Emmett now, I'm not sure where to start, or how.

He takes care of it for me, thankfully. "Took you long enough," he calls out.

I stop right in front of him, inches away, close enough that I can smell clean skin and cologne.

I've never wanted to touch anyone so much in my life.

I shrug and adjust the bag on my shoulder. I try to act casual, like meeting him on street corners is normal. Like he doesn't activate every cell in my body. "Sorry, duty called."

We start walking, our strides matched up, and his arm brushes against mine. He looks down at me, still smiling. Even though my palms are sweaty, I feel kind of peaceful. I feel right.

"Is that what it is?" Emmett asks.

"What?"

"You said duty. Is that what that is?" He nods his head back toward Mike's house.

I think about it for a minute. "Sometimes it feels like it. Lately it feels like it a lot, I guess. They can be kind of a lot to take, especially when I'm the only sober one."

I don't know why I'm telling him all of this, but he's nodding and smiling this really small smile that I think I love. It makes his dimples soft.

"What's this?" he asks, pointing between the two of us.

I laugh, remembering how easy it is between us. It helps me find my voice. "You're so fishing right now."

"Maybe." His fingers slide down my palm before threading through mine. "You gonna get caught?"

I already am.

We both look down at our hands, happily and easily entwined, before looking at each other, smiling. I wonder what he'd do if I kissed him right here in the middle of the street. Just laced my free hand into his hair and pulled him toward me. Would that be inappropriate? Because I really want to.

His cell phone begins to chirp and I start pulling my hand away so that he can answer. His fingers tighten around mine, holding my hand in place, while he fishes the phone from his pocket with his other hand. When he looks at the screen, the easy-going smile (and the dimples that I'm so obsessed with) disappears from his face.

"Uh, sorry, I have to -"

"Answer it, Emmett," I say quietly, gently squeezing his hand. I can tell something's wrong.

He puts the phone to his ear with a frown. "Gram? Is everything okay?"

I try not to eavesdrop but... well, we're attached, so I sort of have to. His voice and demeanor have changed; his features twist with concern, but he's making a concerted effort to sound fine. I'm not sure for whose benefit, mine or his grandma's. Maybe both.

"Did you take the medicine I left on the counter for you?" He pauses, listening to her response. "Right..." His eyes catch mine. "Okay, well, I can come home if you need me to."

I don't know much about Emmett's home life, but from the little that I do know, I think he lives with his grandparents. Or maybe just his grandma. I don't know, so I can only speculate. I want to know and I wonder if this is a sore spot in his life, something that's difficult to talk about, or too personal. Last week he'd said that his Gram raised him right, so I'm assuming that she had a hand in making him the person he is today.

"Are you sure? Okay, listen. I'm going to call you in a half hour to check and make sure..." He's listening to her speak again. Then his face breaks out into a smile. "Yeah, we won. Kicked their ass. Sorry. We kicked their butt. Better?"

I smile inwardly at this. And then he says something that makes my heart stop.

He obviously doesn't want me to hear it, because he darts a glance at me and turns his head away before he speaks. "With her now."

The words are all blended together and low, but in the quiet night they're crystal clear to me. It takes every ounce of willpower not to react.

She knows about me. He's talked to his grandma about me. Me.

I hear a high, thin voice on the other end saying what sounds like "speak up" and Emmett faces forward again, this blush creeping across his cheeks and down his neck. If I wanted to kiss him before, it's nothing compared to now.

"Uh huh, okay Gram, gotta go. You go relax and I'll call you later." He pauses, looking embarrassed and still a little bit worried, and then mumbles out, "Love you, too."

He hangs up and looks straight ahead, his skin flushed pink. We're quiet for a few seconds while I wait to see what he'll say, if anything. Then I drift closer, nudging him with my shoulder until he really looks at me.

"Everything okay?"

He opens his mouth and then closes it, like he wants to say something but can't. And then he stuffs his hand, still intertwined with mine, into the pocket of his sweatshirt. "Yeah, everything's cool. Just my gram checking in."

I nod, running a finger over his knuckle, which is rough, maybe scabbed over. I feel like something's going on, like maybe he needs me, but I don't know in what capacity. I don't want to push, so I don't ask.

I catch his gaze again and his expression morphs into a playful smile. I know this one well. I'm rolling my eyes before he even says anything. "You ready for that cake, Hale?"

"Yes, dick," I grumble, but I can't help smiling.

"No, it was cock," he replies, grinning widely now. "I have it saved on my phone if you want to check."

I stop as all of the blood drains from my face. "You didn't show that to anyone, did you?"

Emmett turns to me, brow creased but dimples flashing. "C'mon now, I wouldn't do that to you."

"Oh, but you'll allude to it every chance you get, I'm sure."

He gives me a look like, "duh," squeezes my hand with a boyish smile, and then we're off again.

Before long, we're walking into Edward's yard. The fire pit is blazing, same as last week, I feel a sense of déjà vu. It's almost like walking in on the same scene, although this week there's a cake involved, which everyone is huddled around. My greeting to them is less shy this time, feels more comfortable. They seem genuinely happy to see me, all of them wearing wide smiles. I don't miss all of their gazes homing in on our intertwined hands, either.

Emmett exchanges a fist bump with Edward, who then throws me a wink. Jasper holds up his hand in a wave and I can't help laughing when I see his shirt, a purple one with "Where's the strippers?" across the chest.

He nods at me. "You like that, huh? It's always the quiet ones."

Alice is wielding the cake knife, pretending it's a light saber, before she hops down from the low rock wall, carefully placing it into Bella's hands. "We held off on the cake until you got here."

I hear Emmett murmur something under his breath about holding the cake, which I pointedly ignore. Yeah, never going to hear the end of it.

"I'm sorry I'm so late. I couldn't get out of there. You didn't have to -"

Bella cuts me off. "Don't be ridiculous, Ro. We knew you'd be here sooner or later."

"I hoped for sooner." Emmett's voice is low in my ear but I'm pretty sure the rest of them hear it anyway. I wonder what, if anything, he's told them about our interactions over the week.

His comment makes me flush, but I play it off. "I bet you just couldn't wait for the cake jokes," I whisper back. He grins with a shrug, running his thumb across the back of my hand.

It feels so good to be here with him. With all of them, really.

Jasper lights the candles on the cake with a Zippo. At that moment, Emmett's phone rings and he slips away from me, walking off the deck and into the yard. I take the opportunity to pull my camera from my bag, slinging it around my neck.

"Oh, hold on! I need the owl hat Al made for me before we start." Bella races over to the bench and opens a gift bag, pulling out an off-white hat that has an owl design intricately knitted around the border. She places it on her head, bounding back over to us as Alice preens. "All right, carry on."

I busy myself taking pictures, but it feels different here than it did with my friends last week. I'm not picking up my camera to separate or distance myself, but rather to capture a moment I know I'll want to remember.

I smile, turning when I feel Emmett sidle up next to me. "Look at this one," I murmur, holding up the camera so he can see the shot I just snapped of Jasper standing behind Edward, pretending to light his hair on fire.

Emmett's hand wraps lightly around my wrist and he laughs, a low, rumbling sound. I shiver because of his touch and also the way his breath moves my hair, how close he is. "Damn, that is E and Jas in a nutshell. Good job, Hale."

I shrug, hoping he can't see the way his compliment makes my cheeks go hot. By the impish way he grins down at me, I'm guessing he can.

We all huddle around the cake and after a loud, off-key rendition of Happy Birthday, Alice pulls the candles from the cake with a flourish. Bella smears her name on the cake with her pinky before dabbing a dot on each of our noses. I'm not sure what to think, standing there with frosting on my face.

Edward laughs, elbowing me. "It's a Swan tradition," he says, then lowers his voice. "Bella says it's for good luck, but secretly I think her mom made it up or something. We adopted it, though."

I arch an eyebrow. "You know, it's really hard to take you seriously with pink frosting on your face."

He chuckles and shrugs, looking back at Bella.

She picks up the knife she's placed on the table and looks at the cake thoughtfully, as though she's about to perform a surgery. "Let's see now," she murmurs, then starts cutting zigzag pieces forward and backward across the cake, seemingly at random.

"What are you doing?" I breathe out the question, mystified.

Bella shrugs. "Whatever I want. Who says you have to cut the cake a certain way, you know?"

"It's another one of our traditions," Alice speaks up, winking at me.

I nod slowly, repeating what Bella said silently as she starts passing around jagged slices of cake.

Whatever I want.

The phrase is so different in this context than it is in mine. There's so much freedom to it, no rules attached or fine print to read. And as silly as it is, I feel like something clicks for me in this moment. It's just a different way of cutting cake, but for some reason it seems so much bigger than that.

I watch as they dig into their slices of cake, laughing and joking around, and it's in this moment that I realize I might have a lot to learn from these people.

xoxo

We've been sitting around the fire pit for a while, gorging on cake, when I remember Bella's present.

"Oh, Bella. I have a little something for you." I jump up from my seat and root around in my bag. When I find the package, I pull it out and present it to her with a little flourish. "Happy birthday."

The group exchanges surprised looks.

"You brought me a gift? You didn't need to -"

I wave my hand, stopping her. "I wanted to, okay? It's just a little something that reminded me of you."

More than once, I've seen Bella in English with her ever-present notebook, scribbling away. It doesn't look like the kind of notebook someone uses for class. I don't know what she writes in there, but she carries them the same way I carry my camera. I saw a purple Moleskine while I was buying Mike's photo album, and I'd known somehow that she would appreciate it.

Bella tears into the paper eagerly, striping it away from the book. When she holds it up, I'm rewarded with a brilliant smile. I mean, it's just a notebook,but I can tell from her reaction that it's a place to write her musings, her inner thoughts and secrets, giving them a home.

"This is perfect." She flips through the empty pages, which are waiting for her words, but stops when she comes across the picture I've slipped in. While I was printing the pictures for Mike's album, I remembered the picture I'd taken at the pep rally of Bella and Edward and tucked it in between the blank pages. "Edward, look at this picture. Oh, I love it so much."

Edward leans in, looking over Bella's head. "That's really awesome. Can you email it to me, Ro?"

"Sure thing," I say with a nod.

I play it cool outwardly, but internally I'm basking in Bella's excitement. It feels good to have gotten this right, especially after Mike and Jess' distracted and lukewarm response earlier. Her gift is so simple, didn't even cost me twenty bucks, but the smile on her face as she looks at the picture of her and Edward is priceless. And when I look over at Emmett, the fire is reflecting off his face. His eyes and smile are full of what looks like admiration, spreading warmth through me.

We settle back into conversation after that, all of us relaxed and laughing. The scene is very different from the one at Mike's. It's so much smaller, more intimate. They have some really random and weird traditions, but it's comfortable. I can tell how much they love each other. I feel like I fit here, right next to Emmett. They're including me, pulling me in even though I'm so new to all of them but Edward. I wouldn't be able to say the same for my friends.

"Way to go on the present," Emmett murmurs in my ear. His hand closes around my leg, and I press my knees together, trapping him there. Our faces are close, our noses nearly touching. "Bella's going to put all of her and Edward's dirty little secrets in there."

I laugh softly. He smells so good, his cologne mixing with the smell of firewood. "How do you know what she writes?"

"I stole one of them once." I must look as horrified as I feel because he cracks up, his eyes squinting adorably. "I'm kidding, Rose. I bet she does write dirty things about Cullen, though."

"I think that's your wishful thinking."

"If you think that, you're confused about who I really like." He leans even closer until his mouth is at my ear. His hair brushes against my temple and I place my hand on his knee to ground myself. He makes me forget my own name when he's this close. "Pretty sure you know her. Maybe you can put in a good word?"

I swallow and let out a breathless laugh. "I'll see what I can do."

He pulls back and smiles, almost shaky, before rubbing the back of his neck. When I look around, everyone is on the other side of the fire, not even trying to hide the fact that they were watching us. Alice grins and then jumps up from her perch on Jasper's knees.

"Oh hey, come check out Bella's gifts, Ro."

Bella moans and groans, cheeks red, but with a little coaxing from Alice, walks me through all of her gifts. Alice proudly holds up the purple Star Wars shirt she got for Bella, who mouths, "Never seen it" behind Alice's back. I swallow a laugh, throwing Edward an impressed eyebrow raise when Bella shows me the beautifully delicate ring he got her with her birthstone. I laugh at the shirt Jasper got for her, which reads "Book Lovers Never Go to Bed Alone" across the chest.

"It's not the books she goes to bed with," Edward calls out.

"That's because you sneak in through her window like a stalker all the time," Jasper drawls.

"Oh!" Bella exclaims, completely ignoring Jasper's comment. Edward, however, reaches over and punches him in the arm. "And Emmett got me a Magic 8 Ball." She holds it up and shakes it, throwing Emmett a playfully dirty look.

I look over my shoulder at Emmett curiously, who's sprawled out on the bench, his hands behind his head. He grins. "It's a practical gift for Swan Lake. She has trouble making up her mind, so now we can leave it to the Magic 8 Ball."

"Cheap bastard," Jasper coughs out behind his fist.

"Please, bitch, I'm doing us all a favor. It took her thirty minutes to decide whether she wanted a burger or a club sandwich the other night."

"You could've used its guidance last weekend, couldn't you? Had a little trouble deciding which path to take?" Bella's statement is purposely cryptic, I can tell, and she gives him an innocent smile. I turn fully on my heel, raising an eyebrow at Emmett. He's glaring at Bella but as soon as he catches my eye, he stands, looking nonchalantly at his watch.

"Hey, look at the time. We have to go."

I frown. "We do?"

He nods, tapping the face of his watch. "Oh, we do."

Our goodbyes are quick, as Emmett seems in a rush for something. Once again, we're alone and I'm pretty sure I've figured out what the something is. His hand reaches for mine before we hit the sidewalk, only now I'm on his left side, rather than his right. Our hands go into his pocket again, where my fingers find something.

The ribbon.

My fingers lace around it and he smiles, sensing my discovery.

"You wore my ribbon."

"I did wear your ribbon," he replies, all casual. His eyes flick to me and I bite my lip to stop from smiling like a total crazy person. "I was going to put it in my hair, you know, but I thought that'd be a little obvious."

"Oh, I don't know, you would've looked very pretty."

He laughs and shakes his head. "And people would've started asking questions, which could have gotten awkward."

I look up at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, this you and me thing is -"

"Don't say 'secret'," I interrupt, even though it's the truth. But it's just so new. I'm not even sure it's real right now, me walking with him in the darkness with my hand in his, completely overtaken by his warm palm and fingers.

"What is it then?"

I think this is what he was asking earlier. Now I'm ready to give an answer, though it's not the perfect one.

"It's ours," I answer truthfully. "For now."

He smiles at my answer, his teeth standing out again the dark night. "For now." There's a shift in the wind and I shiver. "Do you..." He starts to unzip his hoodie, but I put my hand over his, stopping him.

"You'll end up with no clothes if you keep giving them to me."

Actually, that's not a half-bad idea.I take my hand out of his pocket, grinning when he pouts. Pausing in the middle of the sidewalk, I open my bag and pull out his hoodie from last week.

"You're wearing my sweatshirt," he says, teasingly.

I shrug into it with a little smirk. "You have my ribbon, I have your sweatshirt. I'm all about reciprocity."

"Very good to know." He steps forward, brushing my hands from the zipper, and zips it up himself. I stop breathing and look up at him, watching as the tip of his tongue touches his top lip in concentration.

For a second, we just stare at each other. My heart is beating hard against my ribs. The night is so quiet and peaceful, and I think it might happen right here, that I might finally know what his mouth will feel like on mine, how he'll taste.

"Keep going?" he asks in a soft voice. His gaze darts from my eyes to my mouth and back again.

"Okay."

I want to kiss him so badly I almost can't see straight, but at the same time I'm afraid and I don't know exactly why. Maybe because I'll be making the first move, which I've never had to do. Maybe because it's Emmett and he's so much more than any other guy I've ever liked. And definitely because I know that kissing him once won't be enough, but I don't know if that's all I'll get.

He waits until I start walking again and then matches my stride. My hand automatically searches his out. I'm no longer surprised at how easy that feels, how comfortable. My house is just ahead and once again, I'm dreading it because I know that means I'll be saying goodbye to him.

"Well, this is my stop," I say, stupidly.

He knows this. We were just here last week. At least this week I won't be shaking his hand again. I'm trying to limit my stupidity to once an interaction.

We get to the edge of the driveway and, just like last week, he stops there. I look over my shoulder and see that all the windows are dark. It makes me feel even more secluded with Emmett, knowing that everyone's either asleep or blocks away from us, that we have this moment to ourselves.

"I'll call you tomorrow?" he asks. That's something new; we haven't talked on the phone. It gives me something to look forward to.

"You can call me when you get back to your car. You know, so I know you got there all right," I suggest, which is unnecessary, but whatever gets me a little more time with him. Plus, it seems like a reasonable request considering we don't have a chaperone this time.

Emmett snorts. "Yeah, you think someone's going to kidnap me?"

"Oh, I don't know, a beautiful boy walking home in the middle of the night..." I trail off, borrowing his words.

I'm rewarded with a gorgeous smile. "You have to stop calling me things like pretty and beautiful, Hale. I'm going to get a complex about these girly words."

"Oh fine, I'll try to think of some other adjectives." I'm playing with the sweatshirt's zipper, stalling because I don't want him to leave yet. I'm waiting to see which one of us is going to have the courage to do what I know we both want to. I can see it in his eyes.

The waiting is seriously killing me, though, and when he opens his mouth, I can't help staring at it and wanting him. I step forward. I don't even know what he's saying; I can't hear it over my breath.

I have to do it. I have to kiss him.

I take his wrist and pull him close and then we're pressed together, his chest against mine, our thighs touching. His voice trails off. He looks down at me, so serious, his eyes searching mine, and I close mine when his hand moves up to cradle my face.

"Rose," he says, so quietly I almost don't hear it. I hear him swallow and feel his heart pounding and that's really all the courage I need.

I stand on my tiptoes and wind my hand around his neck, pulling him down to me. His skin is warm against mine. And then his mouth, oh, his mouth finds mine and he takes my top lip between his, soft and hesitant at first, like he's trying me out.

Oh, my god, I'm going to die right here, right here in my driveway. His fingers dive into my hair as he inhales deeply. Our lips part together and thank god he's holding on to me so tightly because when I feel his tongue, I think my knees cease to exist. But if they didn't, this kiss would bring me to them.

He shifts his hold on me, his hands finding my hips. No one has ever kissed me like this before, like he wants to devour me but is holding back, like he's memorizing my mouth and the curve of my waist, where his fingers are now dug into.

I've never felt this, not even in my most intimate moments with Roy (or with myself, which I'm not sure even counts). The way he's kissing me is so brand new.

We pull apart after what seems like forever and no time at all and he leans his forehead against mine. We're both out of breath. I don't know which way is up right now. I'm light-headed, woozy.

"Okay," I say finally, when I've figured out how to speak.

"Okay," he repeats, his voice husky.

"I'm going to go." I don't move and his hold doesn't loosen.

"Okay." I can't help it; I start laughing and then he does, too, and brushes his thumb over my cheekbone. "I wanted to do that last week. I've wanted to do that for a really long time, actually."

"Let it be known that I kissed you, McCarty. Don't take all my glory."

"Fine, you get the first one. But guess what?"

"What?" I whisper.

I watch, mesmerized, as he tilts his head so that his lips are right there, right over mine. I feel them and his words and especially his smile, and our mouths part together as he says, "I'm all about reciprocity, too."

Oh, hi there! So yeah, we're six chapters in and they finally kiss. Going for the slow burn over here. ;)

Thank you to Accio and H, as always! And our premium JD (motherfer!) and our street. You girls get us and we love you for it.

And a VERY BIG THANK YOU to all of you who are reading and sharing your thoughts with us. The reviews... oh god, the reviews are so amazing and make us grin from ear to ear. We are very lucky and grateful.

This chapter title goes out to Lore and Heart because I like spreading the ear worm. Heh. You're welcome!

See you on Monday!