I awoke later when I could feel my heart racing out of my chest. My eyes fluttered open, only to have them snap back shut when the minimal amount of light shining into the room reached my retinas. I moaned softly and tried to swallow to alleviate the dry mouth and sore throat I was currently experiencing. Once again, I tried to pry my eyes open. And that was a pretty big mistake on my part. At that moment, the nausea swept over me and I quickly rolled out of bed and bolted to my bathroom. I leaned over the toilet and let whatever the hell I did to myself last night come flying back out.

I fell down on my ass and scooted far away from the toilet until I was leaning against my bathtub. The cool tile felt awesome on my clammy, naked skin.

Naked?

I quickly glanced down when I realized that my skin was touching the floor. My eyes widened when I saw that I was completely naked. I gasped and stood up straight, memories flying at me like crazy. I grabbed my boobs to cover up whatever dignity I had left as I cautiously walked back into my bedroom and stared at my bed.

Aw, fuck. He's still hot as hell.

I bit my lip as I watched Edward's muscular back rise and fall with his breathing. He was laying on his stomach, sprawled out all over my king sized bed. His left foot was hanging off the edge and his arm was buried under my pillow. His face was pressed against the pillow with his mouth wide open. I could see the shine of drool pooling around his mouth and I giggled.

Quietly, I walked to my dresser and pulled out a pair of yoga pants, a loose fitting shirt, a sports bra, and a thong. I figured I should probably get dressed and ready for the day of lounging.

Then, I started my hangover ritual.

First, I brushed my teeth to get rid of the excess alcohol taste and bad breath. Once my mouth is minty tasting, I pop two Excedrin in my mouth and take a large gulp of water from my faucet. Already starting to feel a little better once brushing my teeth, I took a quick shower and got out of the bathroom.

I quickly walked out into the kitchen where I noticed all of our clothes from last night were strewn. I laughed to myself as I remembered us stumbling all over my apartment before we found our way into my bedroom. I stepped over the discarded clothes and opened my fridge to pull out my iced coffee and made myself a cup with soy milk. I glanced at the clock. 09:10. Wow, I slept in.

I walked over to my clothes and pulled my phone out of my purse that was thrown next to it. I turned it on and read all of the texts I received through the night and into the morning. The last one made me laugh out loud.

Here's to hoping Roger is as good in the sack as he is taking creepy pictures in bars. Cheers.

I pressed the call button and waited for her piercing voice.

"Isabella," she greeted in a clipped tone. "I'm surprised you're talking to me considering you left without even saying goodbye last night."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't give me that. We both know you were rooting for me all night long."

"So it happened?"

I scoffed. "We walked out of a bar together after midnight. What did you think would happen?"

She squealed and I ripped the phone away from my ear and my pounding headache. "I'm so proud of you! He is one hot piece of meat. How was it? Shut up Jasper, you know I think you're the hottest piece."

I sat back on the bar stool by my breakfast bar and drank more of my coffee. "From what I remembered, I'd give it a…twelve out of ten."

She laughed exuberantly over the receiver. "Sharmota," she clicked her tongue in mock disapproval. I buried my face in my hand and giggled like a freaking schoolgirl. "He seemed really cool. Is this more than a hit it and quit it?"

I shrugged before I realized that she couldn't see me. "I'm not sure," I whispered into the phone. "This guy's different, Ali. There's something there that makes me feel comfortable in my own skin around him."

"Aw," she swooned from over the phone. "Tell me about your night!"

"I'm not telling you about my amazing sex from last night, Alice."

I could practically hear her pouting from all the way over here. "I thought I was your best friend." I heard Jasper laugh loudly in the background. He was probably just as dumbfounded by his wife's strange mindset as I was. Alice yelled at him to stop laughing at her and turned back to me. "Fine, you might not have to talk about it now, but we're getting coffee tomorrow morning. And it will come out."

I figured as much. "Jasper better today?"

She sighed. "He might be getting deployed in a month or so and he's all pissy about it."

"Oh," I mumbled, not really sure what else to say. We all know it's a given for any of our occupations. I'm constantly flying overseas, but that doesn't mean I'm exempt from months-long deployments. Alice had already served an eight-month deployment in Japan right before they got married. I spent about seven months in Iraq about a couple months after I got stationed here. Jasper apparently offered to get deployed a lot more before he met Alice. He hasn't been on one in a while.

"Yeah, but you know him. He's going to be excited about the opportunity. It's been forever for him and I know he misses it, but he's just worried about me."

"Like you don't know how to take care of yourself…" I grumbled. "Who knows, maybe you'll both get deployed at the same time," I laughed. The thought made me cringe, though. If both of them were gone, where would I spend my free time?

Alice began talking again, but I looked up when I heard a throat being cleared. I audibly gasped when I saw Edward casually leaning against my bedroom door with nothing but my sheet wrapped around his waist. The phone in my hand loosened from my grip as I watched him stroll over to where I was sitting. I gaped at his chest as he got closer and closer.

I felt myself swallow in anticipation when he grabbed the phone from my hand and proudly proclaimed, "Sorry, Joanna. Bella has to go now", before ending the call.

I gazed up at him. He set the phone down on the breakfast bar and leaned down to press his smooth lips to mine. My eyes fluttered closed and I gripped his toned waist, pulling him in closer to me. He smiled underneath my lips and pushed my hair away from my shoulders. "Good morning," he murmured around my mouth.

I smiled brightly up at him. "Good morning." I kissed his lips once more and pushed him back. "Coffee?"

He glanced at my own glass and raised an eyebrow at me. "Iced?"

I shrugged. "I prefer it any day over hot coffee."

He sat down next to me, still sporting only the white sheet. I giggled at his outfit and he sent me a playful look. "I kind of had to improvise when I realized none of my clothes were in your room. I hope you don't mind that I destroyed your bed."

I smirked. "It's fine, we already did enough of that last night."

"Sleep well?" he asked.

I hid my face from him so he couldn't see that damn red mess creep its way up to my face. I nodded, nevertheless.

"I did too," he whispered. I looked at him from the corner of my eye to see he was staring right at me. I smiled.

"I would make breakfast for you, but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't burn it and ruin everything."

He laughed. "I appreciate the thought. And I wish I could stay longer, but I have to get going. My sister is coming down from DC to visit for the long weekend."

I turned to look at him. "You have a sister in DC?"

He nodded. He stared down at his sheet-covered legs as he spoke softly of her. "She's my younger sister. She moved there from Chicago when her husband got a job in the city."

I felt uncomfortable by the way he talked about his sister, so I didn't venture any further into it. To be honest, I was still shocked that he said he wished he could stay longer. I'm not sure what I expected last night, but it definitely wasn't anything long-term. The last time I was in a long-term relationship was senior year of college. I'm pretty sure I've forgotten how to operate in relationships by now.

I stood up slowly, careful not to trip in front of him, and went to retrieve his clothes. He watched me from the stool as I stumbled my way over there. I walked back and handed him the boxers and business casual attire.

He took them slowly while looking down at my hand wrapped around the clothes. I suddenly felt this weird sense of dread creep its way into my system.

I'm not a rookie when it comes to sex, or even one night stands. I have a fairly healthy sex life. I know the methods of the "morning after". Honestly, this is the farthest I've ever gotten with someone in that sense. I knew this guy's last name for God's sake and the fact that his sister, who lives like three hours away, is visiting. That wasn't supposed to happen. These encounters are simply to get my mind away from the bullshit I have to deal with at work. If names and occupations and families get involved, it gets sticky.

But for some reason I wanted to know more about this guy. I wanted to understand every facial expression that crosses his handsome face and what triggers them. I want to hear more about his days in college and what it's like to be a photojournalist. I want to find out why he doesn't talk about his time in the military. I want to ask him what the hell Great Lakes beer tastes like. And I want to tell him the same about me.

I felt my throat constrict as he took the clothes out of my hands. "Uh," I choked out. I wasn't really sure what I was even trying to say, anyway. I glanced down at my bare feet and sighed. "You can use the bathroom to change if you want." I was suddenly feeling very exposed. Awkward.

He smiled a bit and stood up. He dropped the sheet right there and yanked on his used boxers. I gaped at him like a damn fish and he simply laughed as he tugged on the rest of his clothes. He pressed his finger to my chin to push my face up so that I was looking him in the eye. "Give me your phone, Bella Bond."

I flushed and handed him the phone that was laying on the breakfast bar without a question. He typed around in it for a minute then handed it back to me.

"Ball's in your court. You have my number." He patted his pockets to make sure all of his belongings were in it. He pecked me once on the lips and strode towards the door. I gawked at him from the same position I've been in with my phone in my hand. He picked up his camera from the table next to the door and turned back to look at me with his hand on the knob. "Call me sometime. I know this isn't the last time I want to see you."

And with that, he was out the door.

. /

After I finally managed to pick my jaw up off the floor and get my mind moving, I decided it was best to get my home organized. I cleaned up the clothes I still had scattered on the floor and put my sheets in the washer. While waiting for my load to finish, I did a bit of yoga and made myself a cheese omelet—pretty much the only thing I knew how to make. As I was sitting in the living room, staring blankly at the TV that was casually playing reruns of How I Met Your Mother, I reached for my phone and sent a quick text.

My place. Now.

I could always count on Alice. Not even forty minutes after I sent the text, she was barging through my door with her spare key and a grocery bag attached to her wrist. She strode over to me as I sat cross-legged on the couch and dropped the bag. She stood in front of me with her hands on her hips.

"What the hell took you so long?"

I sent her a glare and changed the channel with the remote. "What? Was I supposed to call you immediately after he left?"

She sputtered out a "yes!" and threw her hands into the air in exasperation. I rolled my eyes. "I almost ran over here after he hung up on me this morning, but Jasper stopped me because he assumed you'd be going for a second round. This kind of shit needs to be talked about ASAP."

"Well, you're here now. And you're right. I really need to talk about this shit."

I spent the next thirty-seven minutes going over last night and this morning in as little detail as Alice would allow. She broke open the Phish Food Ben & Jerry's and Franzia. She listened to me whine and complain about not understanding why I was feeling this way. She listened to me act like a mushy teenage girl while I went over how his hands felt all over my body. I glared at her as she tried to cool herself down as I was explaining.

"What! You expect me to not feel all hot and bothered when you're talking about this shit?" she would yell.

I stuck my legs up on my coffee table as she sat cross-legged next to me on the couch. I finished my tale of the night, from what I remembered at least, and ventured into this morning. Hungover, confused, still finding him naked in my bed, him walking into my kitchen in just a sheet and kissing me like last night actually meant something to him…

"Ugh!" I screamed and threw my spoon across the room.

Alice jumped and choked on the wine going into her mouth. After she was finished spluttering about, she snapped, "What the hell, Swan!"

I put my face in my hands and slouched back against my couch. "This isn't supposed to happen. This was only supposed to be one night. Why do I feel like this?"

She groaned overdramatically. "Oh, come on!" She stood up and knocked my legs off of the table to get past me. "Stop overanalyzing everything for once in your life! You're bein' as dumb as a bag of rocks."

I opened my mouth to retort, but she beat me to it.

"And do not even pull that 'wah wah my job is all about analyzing blah blah'. Shut up," she whined and threw her hands into the air. "This guy is clearly something awesome. Do not let your brain get in the way of what's right for you."

"My brain always knows what's right, Ali. I know getting myself into relationships is only a prerequisite to heartbreak."

She rolled her eyes. "You're so dramatic. That's just your fear of actually opening up to someone and you know it. I don't see what the big deal is. So what if you want to spend more time with this guy? Let loose and have some fun for once in your life. He already knows what you do for a living and he still wants to deal with your shit so just let him. That's a pretty amazing feat in itself."

I pursed my lips. "Thanks."

"I'm serious, B. Stop making decisions for other people. I know that you're afraid of what men think of your job. I understand, seriously, you know that. And I was lucky enough to find a guy who understood completely. And from what I've heard about Edward, he seems fully ready to get to know you better. And this is after learning you're in the military, watching your two best friends scream at each other, and having a nasty-hot fuck session all night."

Her face was soft as she stared down at me, almost like she was pleading. Her dark brown, almost black, hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and her face was clear of any makeup. She was still beyond beautiful. She was my best friend, and I'm so extremely lucky to have her. But she knows me more than I know myself, I think. I realize that I push people away before they have a chance to hurt me. I even tried to do that with her when we first met, but she refused to be pushed away. Looking back now, I know how big of a mistake that would have been if I really did push her away. Is that what it would be like with Edward?

I looked down at my hands. "I don't know how to handle it. I can't—not since…"

Alice sat down on the arm of the couch next to me and rested her palm on my cheek. "That was so many years ago, B…" she whispered softly.

I licked my lips and shook my head. "I know that. But that shit seriously made me question everything; it fucked with me so bad. Now I'm afraid to be more than a one-night girl to someone."

"I know, but you are worth so much more than that," she whispered as she scooted off of the arm until she plopped down into my lap. I laughed a bit as she sprawled across me and locked her arms around my neck. "Tell me, babe. What did your gut tell you when you met Edward?"

I smirked and narrowed my eyes. "I was drunk. My gut was telling me to have Seth get more vodka."

She didn't look amused. And she didn't respond to my sarcasm.

I sighed. "Something about him is real. I wanted to tell him about myself. I felt proud. And to see the look on his face when I did tell him…it helped me continue talking to him."

She opened her mouth to speak, but I continued.

"He asked me questions about me and you guys and he was intrigued by the answers. He took my picture and I could see the look on his face as he scrolled through them. He showed emotions on his face and I wanted desperately to understand every thought that entered his head."

"Can you picture yourself raising a puppy with him?" she asked seriously.

I hesitated. "What?"

"A cute, fluffy, German shepherd puppy. Can you picture raising one with him?"

For a split second, I imagined a tiny little puppy running around in an enclosed yard. I ran around with him in circles as Edward snapped pictures of us from the side. We both laughed heartily as I ran around with a bone, dangling it in front of the puppy's face. I shook my head to relieve myself of the thought.

Alice grinned. She saw right through me. "Oh, I knew it. What's the pup's name?"

I huffed and pushed Alice off of my lap. She laughed wholeheartedly as she fell to the ground, but caught herself before she could hit her body on the coffee table.

At that moment, her phone went off loudly. Her eyes went wide when she heard the specific ringtone and she groaned out an "oh no" before reaching over to the table to grab it and answer. I watched with amusement as she talked on the phone.

"Momma Whitlock," she greeted with slightly fake enthusiasm. "How are you?"

I could hear Momma Whitlock's southern twang from my position on the couch. I love that woman to death. She is the definition of southern comfort. After everything that woman went through, her happiness and joy of life amazed me. It was no wonder she took Alice in with open arms—they are very similar. They both went through awful times, yet they hardly ever show their downfalls in their personalities. I could count on one hand the amount of times I've witnessed Alice breakdown and let her emotions take over. She is constantly the most outgoing and bubbly person I know. The only other person who could even reach her level is Momma Whitlock. My mother too, I suppose. But she's a whole other story.

"No, momma, I don't know any more about that. Have you talked to your son? Don't ask me, the boy's been madder than a wet hen for quite a while now."

I chuckled at her lame southern phrases and rinsed out the glasses of wine and spoons after I walked into the kitchen. I guess it was a good time to actually clean up my kitchen a bit. After a couple minutes, I could still hear her talking with Momma Whitlock, but her voice got closer as she walked into the kitchen.

"Uh huh, will do, momma. I promise. Okay, give Dixie and Johnny Cash my love now, you hear? Okay, momma. Love you, too. Mhmm okay now. Bye bye."

Alice threw her head back and ended the call. "My lord! That woman needs someone to keep her company. And not just those damn dogs. I know she has full blown conversations with them. I just really hope she doesn't hear them talk back."

I laughed loudly and loaded up the dishwasher with utensils and dishes that have been sitting in my sink for like a week now. I'm not lazy, I promise. I just have a busy life.

"She sure knows how to bring out Mississippi-born Miss Mary Alice Brandon!" I exclaimed in my well-practiced Southern Belle accent.

She rolled her eyes and picked up her stuff from the breakfast bar. "Unfortunately, Mary Alice gets triggered to come back to life when she hears that damn outdated term 'tarnation'."

"You leaving?"

She nodded. "I have to get home and knock some sense into Jasper. He hasn't given his mother a call in about a month and you know how she gets when she hasn't talked to him in a certain amount of time…"

I was already nodding in agreement. "Say no more." I dropped the last dish into the dishwasher and closed it. I walked Alice to the door and gave her a tight hug. "Thank you, okhty. I'm not sure what I'd do without you."

"You'd probably be a loner with fifteen cats all named after various Nicholas Sparks characters while speaking Arabic to yourself," she countered promptly.

I narrowed my eyes and pushed her out the door.

"No, but for real. Just let it happen, B; don't go out of your way to deny yourself happiness. And actually call him."

"I will, I will," I waved her off.

"You have until we go back to work and I'll be waiting for a mission report at lunch on Tuesday. I'll see you on the Fourth, yeah?" she confirmed. When I nodded, she gave me one last quick hug and made her way out the door and to her flashy Porsche. She honked and I waved as I shut the door, leaned against it, and sighed.

Now I have to come up with some way to contact Edward without being a chicken shit.

. /

Saturday night and Sunday passed in classic fashion. I spent the whole night on my couch watching random movies and episodes of The Office on Netflix before crashing around midnight. Sunday was spent running errands and struggling to walk around outside in the heat and humidity. I even managed to call my parents to see what they were up to for the Fourth.

"Oh, you know how it is up here, Bella. We'll be lucky if we can even light up some sparklers! The forecast calls for overcast and rain and sixty degrees," Mom complained over the phone.

"Do you remember that one time I extended an invitation to both you and Dad to come visit me for the long weekend and spend time in Virginia for the Fourth? I hope you remember, it was only last month, Mom. You could have easily come here."

She huffed. "Your father refused to leave work. He's convinced something bad is going to happen this weekend."

"The worst thing to ever happen to the town of Forks that required a police presence was when Lauren Mallory freaked out on her ex-boyfriend in the school parking lot and threw a shit ton of eggs at his car, then slashed his tires because he refused to take her to junior prom."

"That was the worst in your time, sweetie. Some serious things went on up here during the 70's. I think someone might have been drunk when they knocked a pole down with their car trying to get to the bicentennial festival on the beach at the reservation. Come to think of it, I think he was related to that Mallory girl…"

I scoffed. "Oh, sorry. How could I have forgotten about the Great Pole Disaster of '76?"

"Half of the town lost power because of that downed powerline, Bella!"

"Mom, seriously. I really want to see you guys. You know it's difficult for me to get over there. I'll never know when I might get thrown into a mission last minute. But if you guys were here and I had to leave for a couple days, it wouldn't matter. You'd have Alice and Jasper and a beach and really good seafood."

"I miss you," she whined. She sounded unnervingly similar to Alice. "I'll talk to your father. Hell, it'd probably be better for you to get on that Skype thing and make him stare into your eyes as you ask. He'll have a hard time denying you then."

I spent the rest of the day being lazy as all hell and refusing to eat anything other than the pizza I ordered from a local pizza shop. I drank beer and danced around in my underwear while listening to my random playlist that consisted of anyone from Amy Winehouse to Biggie to Foo Fighters.

Monday morning finally rolled around and I was ready to take on one of my favorite holidays. I got up around eight and took a quick shower. I pulled on some white shorts and a patriotic shirt to go along with my red high top Chucks. I wrapped an American flag bandana in a thin band and used it as a headband after I did my hair and makeup to make me look more like the 25-year-old woman I am. I made sure to bring my phone charger and the several random cans of beer I had in my fridge before locking up and making my way to my car.

Alice and Jasper's townhouse already had a couple cars parked in the driveway and on the street when I pulled up. I pulled into my usual spot along the curb and grabbed my stuff out of the car before making my way into their house. The first thing I noticed when I walked into the place was the volume of Jimi Hendrix's version of the Star Spangled Banner being played throughout the house. It was deafening.

I walked into the living room to find everyone who was already here sitting on the couches and jamming out. Jasper was standing by the fireplace rocking an air guitar while Alice sat on the couch and saluted towards him. Victoria was by Jasper, rocking out similarly. Garrett was shot-gunning a Budweiser and his girlfriend, Kate, was sitting quietly on the side watching the incident play out.

Alice caught my movement from the corner of her eye and broke her salute. "Bells!" she screamed and launched herself over to me. "Just in time!"

"For what?" I yelled over the music and followed her into the kitchen. "Looks like you guys started the party already."

Alice snickered and pulled a tray out of the refrigerator. "Garrett and Kate showed up around ten to ten and he brought this so-called 'Freedom Playlist' with him so they popped that shit into the AUX cord and it's been a party since." She set the tray down in front of me on the table in the corner of the kitchen. I looked at the red, white, and blue Jell-O shots jiggling in their little cups in front of me. I raised an eyebrow at her. She grinned and clapped her hands. "I went full Pinterest mode, aren't you proud? I even wore an apron!"

I put a hand over my heart. "Oh, I am so proud of you. This is just what the founding fathers wanted."

She rolled her eyes and shoved a blue one in my hands. "This is blue raspberry Jell-O and blueberry vodka, the white is Pina Colada and Malibu rum, and the red is Fireball and apple Jell-O!"

I sneered. "Keep that Fireball away from me."

Alice waved her hands. "I think Heidi is going to hog all of those. Apparently she's had an obsession with Big Red gum and all that bullshit since grade school so she's been throwing them back since she got here. Garrett brought the damn Budweiser because he's being extra stereotypical today. Victoria brought the whiskey."

"Jameson?"

Alice gave me a 'duh' look and threw back a Jell-O shot. I followed her lead.

Kate walked in at that moment. "Is it normally this American in here?"

I laughed and took the beer Alice handed me. I eagerly popped it open. "Garrett brings out the patriotism in everyone. But normally in this house, we don't wear American flag clothing and jam out to our national anthem willingly."

Alice was nodding along. "You're in for a long day of American patriotism."

. /

A couple hours later and the party was really in full gear. The rest of our friends showed up shortly after I did. Felix and Heidi brought some burgers and hot dogs to grill outside on the deck from right next door. Alec brought his sister, Jane, and a twelve pack of PBR. Seth, our bartender from Calypso and friend, came with tequila and limes, and Angela brought the beer pong supplies.

It was only two in the afternoon and I was already pretty buzzed. Not like that was something unheard of. The Hampton Roads area is one big military town. Between NS Norfolk and Langley-Eutis, there are tons of airmen, soldiers, marines and sailors floating around this section of Virginia. On days like today, the country's birthday, we all tend to go all out. And I guess that's how I am in this position right now.

I'm lying on a hammock outside of their townhouse in the backyard, sipping on a fresh beer. I'm feeling pretty chatty so I'm hanging out with my friend Angela. We're lying down and watching Felix, Jane, Jasper, and Seth play a pretty wild game of beer pong. There's a lot of screaming going on. The sun is shining bright and the temperature is well into the 90's. It's muggy and gross out and I have a constant layer of sweat coating my skin. Alice is manning the grill—something I was initially terrified about, but she seems to be doing a pretty decent job. Victoria is talking with her while taking shots of Jameson. Heidi and Alec are dancing along to various Springsteen and CCR songs while Kate and Garrett make out on a chair off to the side of the yard.

I pressed the cold PBR can against my chest and moaned. "Why couldn't this holiday be in January?"

Angela laughed around her glass of straight tequila and ice. Girl's wild. "This is a typical summer holiday. I couldn't even imagine celebrating it while wearing a damn sweater."

"Is it weird?" I asked suddenly. Angela looked confused. "Being one of only four civilians here?"

Angela shrugged. "You guys are pretty normal for military personnel," she laughed. "Except that guy. He kinda makes me nervous."

I saw she was pointing to Garrett and I laughed. "He's harmless. He may be a crazy buff Marine, but I once saw him tear up because he came across a snake in his backyard. Dude's a baby."

"They've been making out for a long time now," Angela observed quietly and squirmed around the hammock.

"They're about ten minutes away from inadvertently creating an orgy in this backyard," I murmured and sipped at my beer. "I met someone," I blurted out randomly.

Angela raised an eyebrow. "Like, met someone?"

"Like met in a bar and then went home and screwed around for hours before falling asleep together and getting his number met someone."

She started a slow clap after she clamped her thighs around her glass to keep it from falling down. "Isabella Swan. Finally breaking out of that miserable shell of yours?"

"Oskuti!" I slapped her arm. She looked frazzled and I realized that's probably because she's not as used to me yelling random phrases in Arabic. "Shut up," I rephrased in English this time.

"Sometimes I forget you're fluent in Arabic…" she trailed off as Alice screamed from the other side of the yard.

"Burgers and wieners are ready for eating!"

I've never seen so many people spring to a table outside the minute after someone announced hot dogs were ready. Garrett pretty much threw Kate off of his lap to get to the food. Seth was already standing by the table making drinks for anyone who requested one.

Angela threw me a look. "He also acts like he never eats."

"Whitlock, why haven't you built a damn pool yet back here?" Alec complained while putting condiments on his burger. We were all sitting around the table they had set up on the deck after everyone flocked to it. "You've got plenty of room and it's hot as hell."

Alice looked pretty proud of herself at the head of the table. She was taking this housewife thing pretty seriously today and knowing that she was throwing a good party, she felt accomplished. I sent her two thumbs up from my seat. She beamed.

"Build it your damn self, Volturi. You're the only one who complains when you come over here."

Victoria snickered. "Yeah, okay. Like he would ever do more than he was physically forced to do."

Alec grimaced while Jane laughed heartily. "Good to know he's like that with everyone and not just me and our father."

"Oh, Alec, honey, you throw a bigger fit than my three-year-old niece when you're told to do something you don't want to do," Heidi giggled and patted his head. Felix huffed and shook his head.

Alec was still frowning at Victoria while she studiously ignored him, continuing to drink her Jameson and eat her hot dog. I knew they were screwing around together a couple months ago, and by the looks of it, it doesn't seem like it turned out so well.

Victoria was a difficult girl to get along with. She comes from an extremely poor family in Brooklyn. Her mom was a drug addict and her father could barely keep any job for longer than a year. She joined the Army on her eighteenth birthday and shipped out three months later, never to go back. I met her last year while I was at work. She works in Fort Eutis and accompanied me on a week-long mission to Iraq while she was deployed over there. At first she was really standoffish and any time she would talk to me, it would be bitchy as all hell.

While we were overseas, a convoy carrying some of her company detonated an IED on the side of the road and were killed instantly. She was in the car behind them and watched her boyfriend take his last breath. When she got back to camp, I was the first one she saw and I leant her my shoulder.

She's still icy towards me every once in a while, but I've gotten her to come to our cookouts and parties every time we have them. She's like an acquired taste—you have to learn her ways and appreciate them in a different manner. She has a strong attraction towards Jameson and that's pretty much all you'll see her drink. Whether it's neat or mixed with something like ginger ale or lemon, I've never seen her drinking anything else. She fits in well with the rest of our group. She fills the role as the lone soldier.

Alec, on the other hand, is very much like the child of our group. He isn't the youngest, that would be Garrett, but Alec is the more immature one of us all. He likes to look at the world as his playground. He takes his status as Petty Officer 3rd Class in the Navy seriously, but outside of work, it's the opposite. He is lazy and crude and procrastinates more than I ever did in college, and that's saying something.

Jasper kind of took him under his wing when he transferred here from Pensacola. His mother was killed by a drunk driver while Alec was in training down in Florida. His superiors were nice enough to transfer him from Pensacola to Norfolk after his training was finished to be closer to his sister, Jane, and his struggling father. Jasper saw the lost kid who lost a parental figure and saw himself. So since Alec moved up here, he's been a part of this group.

Garrett is the marine of the group. And he's the stereotypical one, most definitely. He is massive and has a buzzed haircut. He could easily let it grow out and even get a classic crew cut, but he refuses. He's a part of the Security Force Regiment down at Camp Allen. He met Jasper while at a briefing, and suddenly he was starting to come around more. He loves his country music and classic rock, the American flag, and large, environmentally unfriendly trucks. I've told him many times to keep his diesel-smoke-spewing truck away from me, but he laughs in my face.

Felix is one of Jasper's bosses. He really knows how to flip his switch in-between work and home. At work, I've heard he's one of the hardest dudes in the world. He is the ultimate boss—tough, unforgiving, and stern. But once he's home, or at a gathering with the rest of us, none of that is the same. He's got a nasty streak, but he's a teddy bear. He's kind and sometimes has the best advice, considering he's the oldest of us all at 31 and has been in the military longer than anyone else. And whenever he's around his wife, he softens even more.

Heidi and Felix got married six months ago. We were all in the wedding and it was a cute little ceremony along the shore of the Atlantic. Heidi is our NCO friend, or the non-commissioned officer, meaning she's enlisted. She joined the Air Force right out of high school and has worked up the ranks. She works air traffic control and has one shitty, stressful job.

Angela isn't in any branch of the military. I actually met her when I was at a coffee shop on my day off of work. It was busy and I had a table to myself in a crowded room, so she asked if she could sit with me. We started up a conversation and since then, we've been really close friends. She's a seventh grade social studies teacher at a junior high school a couple miles away. She really gives off that teacher vibe—she's calm, but when things get rowdy around her, she knows how to make everyone chill out. She's really useful to have around a bunch of testosterone-filled guys.

Seth, our bartender friend, was brought in because of our many nights down at Calypso. He was always there when Alice and I decided to rant about random dramas in our lives. Seth kind of became our confidant. He's been coming around our group a lot more and seems to be relaxing a bit, as well.

"Beach around seven?" someone asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I glanced up from my drink and looked around the table. Everyone seemed to be finishing up their food and getting ready for seconds. Alice held Jasper's hand on the table as he ate his macaroni salad and she sipped at her beer. Alec was focusing on his plate while his sister and Victoria were engaged in a conversation. Garrett was whispering to Kate while Felix and Seth were making themselves another cheeseburger.

I glanced at Angela. "What?"

"The fireworks start around ten. I think we should get down there earlier to hang out and chill as the sun sets."

I nodded and stabbed my fork into the piece of macaroni. "Yeah, sounds awesome."

. /

The rest of the afternoon was spent drinking and playing pong and corn hole. After I helped Alice clean up the mess, we joined the rest of the group in the back. We listened to music and told stories. By the time seven o'clock came around, we were all packed up and ready to head to the beach for the final celebration of the day.

We all piled into separate vehicles—but Seth, Victoria, and I drove with Angela in her SUV. We made it to the boardwalk parking lot in good time and unloaded our towels, chairs, and coolers. We found a spot on the beach that wasn't occupied by anyone and set up shop. After everything was in order, I took off my shoes and picked up the Frisbee on the cooler.

"Martin!" I yelled out. Garrett turned away from Kate and looked towards me. "Frisbee?"

He grinned from ear to ear and sprinted towards the shore, away from more onlookers. I followed and we began our game of tossing the Frisbee back and forth to each other.

"Kate's really nice," I commented after throwing the disk towards him. He caught it effortlessly. "If she can handle all of us, she's definitely worth it."

Garrett smiled brightly and threw the Frisbee. "It's been a really great ten months, Swan."

We continued on, chatting lightly and throwing the disk, until he overthrew it and the wind took it behind me. I groaned as he laughed out, "Sorry, Bells!"

I took off and chased the Frisbee down, trying hard not to trip on holes in the sand or anything else. When I stopped where the Frisbee was, a hand was already offering it to me.

"Well, looks like Bella Bond adds Frisbee to her list of capabilities."

I froze. That voice.

I squinted up from the disk and immediately looked into his green eyes. Like a magnetic pull.

"Edward," I breathed. I was still frozen. I knew I should have been reaching for the Frisbee, but I couldn't move. He captivated me. "What…" I cleared my throat. "Uh, what are you doing here?"

He looked around him. "I heard from someone that apparently there's this thing called a firework show on the beach? I guess it's some kind of important day today?"

I narrowed my eyes. His sarcasm pulled me out of my trance and I yanked the green Frisbee out of his hand. "Very funny," I grumbled, still not looking away from his eyes. "That's not what I meant."

"I know," he responded easily with a shrug of his shoulder. "My parents told me it's really fun down here, so I decided to try it out."

I heard a throat being cleared at that moment. I turned to my left and saw a legitimate model sitting down on the towel right next to Edward. My eyes widened at her appearance. Suddenly, I hated everything about myself, because it wasn't anything like her. She had wavy, honey colored hair and it flowed down to her mid-back and this wild shade of purple colored eyes. I've never seen anything like it. She had a small smile playing on her red lips as she stared at me.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" I mumbled and trailed off. I looked back at Edward. "I didn't mean to…Jesus Christ."

"Rosalie," he interrupted. He was still looking at me, but he was now speaking to Aphrodite over there. "This is Bella. Bella, Rosalie."

She held out her hand and I cautiously took it. "Bella, it's so nice to meet you. I've heard so much about you."

God damn. Even her voice was beautiful. It was this raspy, deep sounding voice that captivated me. I shivered.

I was confused. By both her words and my body's reaction to this beautiful woman. "Oh?"

Scarlet Johannsson over here stood up and brushed off the sand on her butt. "He even showed me the pictures," she smirked. "Okay, so maybe he didn't willingly show them to me, but I definitely saw them. You're hot."

My confusion increased. Edward's cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

What?

"Um, Rosalie…"

Edward seemed like he was getting frustrated. "Bella, this is my sister. Remember I told you I was hanging out with her this weekend while she's down here from DC?"

A lightbulb automatically flashed on in my mind. Sister.

Holy shit. What kind of gene pool is this?

"Oh!" I exclaimed, probably saying that word too much now. I blushed and turned to Rosalie. "I'm so sorry, I forgot he told me about you and I thought…well I wasn't thinking anything I just…I don't mean I forgot about you—um…"

Luckily, Rosalie saved me from embarrassing myself any further. "Seriously, stop worrying," she giggled. "You play Frisbee?" she asked as she nodded her head down towards the disk in my hand.

That reminded me. I turned around and noticed Garrett was done waiting for me and was now sucking face with Kate.

"Casually, really. It's not like I'm a professional or anything. I mean, I played ultimate Frisbee with friends in college if that counts," I chuckled nervously and glanced at Edward. He was staring right at me. I swallowed thickly and cringed as I noticed just how much word vomit I had because I was nervous.

"Excellent," Rosalie smiled. "Mind if I join?"

My eyes widened. "No, of course not. Garrett though…" I trailed off, peeking back at him making out with Kate. I looked back at Rosalie and Edward. "Actually, do you guys want to come over and hang with us? You already know Alice and Jasper, Edward. We have a lot of alcohol over there."

Edward did that damn crooked grin of his and touched Rosalie's arm. Her smile faltered just for a moment, but then her eyes shined. "You had me at alcohol. I would love to meet new people. Edward, come on."

I watched as they collected their towels and bags. Edward picked up his camera bag and I raised an eyebrow at him.

"What? Did you really expect that I'd go anywhere without this?"

Let me know what you think :)