5. 21
A large burst of laughter floated in from under Bella's bedroom door. The noise pulled Bella out a deep sleep. She groggily turned over and rubbed her eyes as another loud round of laughter shook off the remainder of sleep that tugged at her lids. Bella had been having a particularly lovely dream of sitting on a lounger by the ocean taking a nap under the warm sun. The group better be watching the funniest damn show in the universe to justify waking her up on a Saturday morning. She was hoping to sleep away the morning to avoid any anxiety from the looming birthday party later that night.
She finally mustered the strength to sit up in bed. Mercifully, the window blinds kept out the sun so it was cool and dark in the room. She let out a huge yawn and stretched her arms up above her head. She took stock of her room. Books spread on her desk for a paper she had yet to finish. Clothes tossed on the floor, on the bookshelf, on top of her closet door; she really should clean those up. And the vase of flowers that Edward had given her from their date weeks ago. By now you think the flowers would show signs of wilting, but wherever Edward got these flowers, they put must have put something in the soil. The roses were just as fragrant and alive as the day she received it. Not a single petal had fallen. Even the leaves and stem were still green and full of life.
Bella rose from bed and walked over to the vase to take a sniff. She smiled as she touched a petal thinking of Edward. It was like she could almost hear his laugh.
Wait.
She actually could hear his laugh. Out loud, not just in her mind. She snapped her head to the door where jovial laughs and indistinct talking could be heard. What the hell.
With almost inhuman speed, she bounded to the door and threw it open.
Jessica, Angela, and Eric were sitting on the couch, Tyler on the arm of the couch, and there was Edward, sitting on the edge of the coffee table, his hands gesturing wildly as he was mid-telling of a story.
"…and Rosalie, Alice, and I rush over to the bush where the fish is flopping back and forth. The fish is so wrapped up in the fishing line, Rosalie was having a hard time holding the fishing pole so Alice had to help her. And finally I get the hook out, but the line gets flipped into the air because the girls were holding on to it so tightly, and the hook gets caught in Jasper's pants! Jasper starts shouting that he was caught and the entire time Emmett is still running around yelling about how the fishing weight hit his eye and no one cared because we were so focused on the fish!"
The entire group was rolling around in fits of uncontrolled laughter at Edward's story. Tears were leaking out the side of Jessica's eyes. Angela's hand braced against her stomach, sore from so much laughing. Even Tyler had trouble getting his under control.
Edward took notice of Bella as she stood wide eyed gaping at the group.
"Good morning, Bella!" he said with the remnants of the smile still on his face.
"Swan, you never told us he was so funny!" Tyler commented.
"Funny? He's hilarious! My abs haven't gotten this good of a workout in weeks!" Jessica giggled.
"Didn't even know you worked out to begin with."
Jessica's eyes immediately sharpened as if throwing mental daggers at Tyler and then followed up with a physical pillow. He was too busy laughing at his own joke and didn't realize until it hit the side of his face.
Edward stood up from the coffee table and walked over to give Bella a good morning hug. It was only when she felt his arms wrap around her body that she was acutely aware that she was braless, in a very thin camisole, and tiny sleeping shorts. She hugged him back, but then did the best she could to cover what she could of her body with her arms.
"What are you doing here?"
"Can't a guy innocently want to surprise a girl?" Bella raised a skeptic eyebrow. "Come on! Surprises are fun! And I have a feeling this is a going to be a day full of surprises. We have plans, so time to get dressed," he turned her around and nudged her back toward her bedroom.
"What type of plans?"
"Well since I made them, good ones." He nudged her one more time for good measure.
Bella came back out fifteen minutes, teeth brushed, dressed in black shorts, a cream v neck t-shirt, and black and white chucks. Bella was pulling her hair up into a high pony tail when she was stopped in her tracks again.
On the coffee table now sat two open beer bottles still full of beer. Edward was standing next to Eric while Tyler was struggling with a beer bottle in his own hand.
"See the trick is to put the right pressure on one end of the lighter so that it doesn't hurt your fingers, but enough to pop open the top," said Edward coaching Eric. There was an audible pop. "Perfect!"
"What are you guys doing now?" Bella asked exasperated.
"Edward showed us how to open a beer with a lighter!" Eric answered enthusiastically raising the open bottle in one hand and the lighter in the other. Seconds later Tyler whooped as he got his beer bottle open.
Jessica and Angela, from the couch, grabbed an open beer from the table and took a sip.
"You all do realize it's not even noon, right?"
"Stop being a wet blanket. We're celebrating!" Jessica replied.
"Celebrating what?"
"To Bella's birthday!" Angela shouted as she raised her bottle.
"To Bella's birthday!" the group responded, and Tyler, Eric, Jessica, and Angela all took a sip.
Bella shook her head in disbelief. When she finally herded Edward out the door, to the dissatisfaction of her friends who wanted to continue to keep him around, she told him:
"You've only been with them for what, a half hour? And already you're a bad influence."
"Don't knock it, till you try it. It's a good party trick," Edward defended.
They both climbed into Edward's car, and they were off. He warned her that he had to make one stop first. A few minutes later, in the heart of downtown, Edward pulled in front of a tiny café. He was only gone for a minute, but came out of the café carrying a small sized picnic basket.
As he tucked the basket away in the back seat, he cut her off before she could ask.
"No questions yet. Just enjoy for now."
Bella closed her mouth and sat back. They drove on the highway for another twenty minutes sharing a few words but mostly enjoying each other's company. Edward took an exit and started heading towards the forest. The road began to turn a little more mountainous before he finally pulled his car over to a very small shoulder.
"And we would be where?" Bella asked as she looked outside her window. They were in the outskirts of a forested area. The canopy was very porous as beams of sunlight lit up the ground. She saw two playful squirrels tumble around with each other until one chased the other up a tree.
"My super special secret spot, and I don't just take any person to see my super special secret spot. Only the exceptional get to see my super special secret spot."
"Say it again. I know you want to," Bella laughed as she slid out of the passenger's seat on to the forest floor
"Super special secret spot!" he replied in a deep, almost sing-song voice. He grabbed the basket out of the backseat and came around the car.
It's hard to believe how sexy a man could be with a picnic basket as his accessory, but there he was, blonde hair shining as he walked in between beams of sunlight, golden eyes shimmering, and a dazzling smile plastered on his face. He offered his free hand to Bella, and with a beaming smile to match, she intertwined her fingers with his.
He led her on a well-traveled path, over dead logs, through bushes and trees, until the forest broke into a small clearing. It wasn't large at all; about the size of a classroom. But it was a beautiful spot filled with patches of wild flowers, small insects buzzing from one bloom to the next, and the chirps of birds you couldn't see, but you could hear.
Edward pulled a blanket from the picnic basket and spread it out. The ground was covered in a springy moss making it more comfortable than Bella anticipated when she took a seat. The trees surrounding the clearing were tall and towering with moss and twisting vines running up their trunks, but surprisingly, they were not at all eerie. It was almost as if they were sentries, standing guard and keeping out the world so Bella and Edward could enjoy their little bubble.
"What do you think?"
"It's the perfect super special secret spot," she smiled.
"And the pièce de résistance…" Edward opened the lid of picnic basket letting Bella peer in while the aroma of the food wafted out. Bella let out a hearty laugh.
"How did you know the way to my heart was through a breakfast burrito?" She picked up one of the foiled wrapped burritos marked sausage.
"I have good instincts," Edward replied in his usual not so modest way accented with a wiggle of his eyebrow.
Bella bit into the burrito and was met with a mouth full of egg, hash brown, and sausage. It was heavenly. She took her time savoring the bite before swallowing.
"So what did I do to deserve such a good morning?" Bella inquired while wiping her mouth with a napkin.
"Well I wanted to see you before."
"Before…?"
"The great 21, of course!" Edward replied as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.
"You do know the person I am today is going to be the exact same person I am tomorrow. Turning 21 isn't going to change anything," Bella countered while taking another huge bite of burrito.
"We'll see," Edward broke into that same mysterious knowing smile, his eyes wrinkling with delight at some inside joke he wasn't sharing. Bella shrugged and continued with breakfast.
She enjoyed a last bite of the huge burrito and lay back against the blanket letting her body digest. She watched the clouds float lazily by having a hard time keeping her eyes open.
"You know you just woke up not even an hour ago," Edward chuckled.
"When the food coma calls, you must answer," Bella responded closing her eyes.
She could feel Edward shifting next to her, until the sunlight warming her eyelids was blocked. She opened and found Edward's face above hers. He maneuvered himself so his hands were placed on either side of her head, his body straddling hers.
He dipped down and placed a tender questioning kiss on her lips.
"I might be able to stay awake a little longer," Bella hinted. He complied, and kissed her again. What started out as sweet, affectionate kisses quickly turned heated. Bella deepened the kiss. She wanted to taste more of his lips, to get as close as she could to him as she could. Bella wrapped a single leg around his body and ran the tips of her fingers along the sensitive band of skin just underneath the edge of his shirt. She could feel his muscles ripple underneath her touch. Edward nibbled the bottom of Bella's lip and she sighed in satisfaction. A sudden wave of tingling rushed over her, but lost in her desire for Edward, she didn't register when every strand of her hair started floating in the air.
A tiny shock ran across both of their lips, so they finally parted from each other, both breathing a little heavier than usual. Edward smirked at Bella, touching one of the floating strands of hair. Before she could even process, all at once, gravity took hold again and her hair fell back down to the blanket.
"That was weird," Bella touched her lips where she was shocked and then brushed her fingers through her hair. Edward shifted again, so he was lying next to Bella.
"Hmm?"
"So much static electricity in this blanket or something."
"Oh yeah, must be," Edward responded not exactly mocking her, but definitely in an amused tone.
The silence settled. They both stared up at the sky, watching birds skim over the tops of trees, and the breeze blow the various scents of the forest past the clearing. Bella let her mind wander. She was beginning to get a little nervous about tonight. It was really more Jessica's event than hers, but it still made her anxious thinking about how close to the edge of adulthood she stood. And before she could even stop herself, like word vomit, she asked:
"Hey do you want to come tonight?" She half regretted it immediately. They just started dating or doing whatever it was they were doing; he didn't need to be introduced to drunk Bella so soon. The other half of her hoped he would say yes, because she was drawn to him. She couldn't deny how much she liked to be around him and how attracted she was to him, mind and body.
She could see as a handful of smartass retorts were begging to spill from his lips. Instead he held back and simply responded:
"I'd like that."
"Do you think I shouldn't have invited him?"
Bella was sitting on the countertop of the bathroom, using her curling wand to place subtle wavy curls in her hair.
"Why wouldn't you invite him? He's super funny and very cute. And you are both dating, right?" Angela was seated on top of the closed toilet, fluttering her fingers in the air, trying to help the nail polish dry faster.
"Of course they're dating! He took her out for an intimate birthday breakfast in the woods. He's practically her boyfriend." Jessica was perched on the lip of the bathtub, her own feet perched up and airing out the polish almost dried on her toes.
"He's not my boyfriend…" Bella hesitated a second too long, and Jessica pounced.
"But you want him to be! You totally want to be official with him!"
Bella shrugged. She couldn't completely deny it. And she can't say the idea hadn't popped up a few times. But she wanted to keep her expectations realistic.
Tyler pounded hard against the bathroom door.
"You've been in there for over an hour. What the hell are you doing? We are going to be late!"
The girls reluctantly dragged themselves out. They had migrated around the apartment, starting in Jessica's room to do makeup, Angela's room for hair, and the bathroom for nails. They headed over to Bella's room. All of their dresses were hung up on the back of Bella's closet door.
Jessica picked out a fiery red dress with a halter top. Angela had a more demure black lace babydoll dress. Bella decided on a royal blue bodycon dress with a scoop neckline and half sleeves that was extremely form fitting.
They all slipped into their respective dresses. Jessica helped brush a few tight curls in Bella's hair. Angela wiped away a stray line of eye shadow on her cheek, and was given the final okay.
The girls put on their heels and met the guys in the kitchen. Eric and Tyler already had five shots of vodka prepared. Tyler whistled and, Bella noticed, gave an extra-long appreciative glance at Jessica. Eric gave Angela a quick kiss on the cheek. Each took a glass in their hand.
"To Swan, the last baby of the group! We are going to get you wasted tonight!" The group cheered and took what would be one of many, many drinks for the night.
The taxi pulled up to a local bar at the corner of one of the streets downtown. Tavern was a recent addition to the nightclub scene and the spot to be on Friday and Saturday nights.
It was a restaurant during the day, but at night transformed into a club. It was a relatively small place, but it didn't stop people from coming. There was a decent line waiting in front of the bouncer to be let in. From the sound of the muted music and yells, there was already a packed crowd inside.
"11:58. Could we be cutting it any closer?" Tyler complained.
"Stop whining! We have perfect timing. We wouldn't want to wait outside forever." Jessica shot back. She was furiously texting on her phone. Within 30 seconds a huge crowd of their friends burst through the doors on to the patio area behind the rope the bouncer was guarding.
"Finally, you all have arrived!"
"Belllllllaaa woooooo!"
"Next round is on me!"
Jessica walked up to the almost seven foot burley man, protector of the bar, and gave him a hug.
"Hi Robbie, thanks for helping me pull this together. And here is our birthday girl!" Jessica nudged Bella forwarded.
Bella confidently produced her driver's license for Robbie to look over. She was happy to finally be entering bars legally. He compared the tiny image to Bella. He tested the material of the license, looked at the birth date again.
He took a look at his watch.
"Alright, ten seconds till midnight."
"Did you hear that? Ten seconds!" Jessica called out to the group behind the rope. Bella couldn't help as a goofy grin became plastered on her face.
The group, obviously already inebriated, started counting down very loudly.
"Five. Four. Three. Two. One. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BELLA!"
They broke into a chorus of the worst pitched drunken version of happy birthday Bella had ever heard, but she enjoyed it anyway.
"Happy birthday, sweetheart, go on in," Robbie lifted up the rope and let Bella and the rest of the group inside.
She had a shot shoved in one hand and was immediately embraced and congratulated by all her friends. The minute she finished a drink, another one quickly replaced it. She had two shots before she even left the patio area and set foot inside the bar.
When the doors opened, the volume of the music increased tenfold. And the current of the crowd carried her to the bar. Everyone clamored to order her a drink and glass after glass was pushed her way.
Jessica bought the girls all lemon drops. Tyler insisted on Patron, 'the finest in the bar!' he proclaimed until he learned their best tequila was $50 a shot. He then settled on the normal silver Patron. Angela and Eric bought a round of kamikaze shots.
Other friends, Stephanie and Derek, shared their drinks with her, rum and cokes. At one point Bella had a drink in each hand but wasn't sure what the drinks were or who bought them.
She was happy. She was buzzed. But even drunk, Bella couldn't help searching for a particular face in the crowd every few minutes. She thought she saw the back of Edward's head, but realized it was Mike Newton. Bella made a bee-line for the bathroom, leaving her drinks on the bar, and made a mental note – if she remembered – to kill Jessica for inviting everyone on Facebook.
After she relieved herself, she went back out to the bar. Her group of friends had moved over to the dance floor. Jessica, Angela, and another friend, Sophia, gestured to her to come join them, but before she could move in their direction, a pair of familiar hands encircled her waist from behind.
"Happy Birthday Bella," Edward spoke into her ear so she could hear him over the music. His voice sent shivers down her back. Bella twirled in his arms so she could face him.
"You came!" Bella squealed. She wanted to kiss him right then and there because she was just so damn happy he showed up.
"Of course I did. I wouldn't miss this. Can I buy the birthday girl a drink?" Bella nodded, and he guided her over to the bar. He ordered both of them a fancy vodka cocktail. She didn't hear what they were called, but it was delicious.
A few friends floated in and out. She introduced them to Edward, but most of the time she was fully focused on him and couldn't help the silly smile that kept forming on her face when she looked at him.
Over the next half hour, they mingled with her friends, and the group, but Bella noticed that Edward continually kept glancing at the clock on his phone.
"Somewhere to be?" she yelled taking another sip of the drink in front of her. Bella was seated on the bar stool, Edward standing beside her. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and brought his lips close to her ear so she could hear him over the noise.
"Not at all. But," he paused to look at the phone again which read 1:20am in large glowing numbers, "how would you like to go outside with me and get a little air?"
The warmth of his voice caused Bella's stomach to flutter. She did realize it was extremely stuffy in the bar. All her friends were tucked away in their corners, either talking or dancing, but all definitely drunk. No one would mind if she left for a few minutes. She nodded and let him lead the way.
Once the bar doors swung shut behind them, giving them a respite from the pounding music, a refreshing burst of cool air hit Bella. She didn't realize how crowded the bar was. Edward's hand moved from her waist to grasp her hand in his and walked past the roped patio and down the block to a more private sitting area.
Bella's mind was pleasantly fuzzy. Her inhibitions were lowered and she was feeling no regret. Once she and Edward were out of sight from the bouncer and other people, Bella turned to face him and pulled him into a deep kiss.
His lips tasted of sweetness and vodka. She wrapped her hands around his neck to angle him as close as possible. In a natural response to her, Edward encircled her waist and drew her in as well, deepening the kiss. But before anything else could happen, he stopped and pulled his lips away.
"As much as I would love to keep doing that, we have to stop," Edward declared in a slightly deeper and huskier tone than usual.
"Why," drunk Bella expertly purred into his ear before taking a slight nibble of his ear lobe. He let out a breathy sigh.
"I can't think when you're doing that." Bella started placing tiny kisses along sensitive spots on his neck and jaw line.
"Doing what?" Bella asked in an innocent tone, this time letting her tongue dart out where her lips touched. Edward shivered with pleasure, but his phone starting vibrating in his pocket. She watched him pull it out and turn off the alarm set at 1:25am.
"Okay you minx," he forcibly disentangled her hands behind his head and placed them by her side, "I'm doing this for your benefit, but I fully expect to play with this Bella another time." He took a step back, letting Bella stand alone in the space.
Bella was about to start to whine and move back towards Edward when she saw the clock on his phone turn 1:26am and things started becoming very peculiar.
She felt something inside her stomach. It was small, almost like a tiny cramp, until it started pulsating. The feeling in her stomach began to slowly grow. And then she felt the tiny flutter transform into a hammering as if something was trying to fight its way out of her body. All at once it burst forward from her stomach and left a tingling, burning sensation running through her veins, her nerves, her very soul. She felt it rip along her limps like she was on fire from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. He body lifted off the ground and started rising in to the air.
Simultaneously, all the light around her was sucked in. The moon was gone, the stars disappeared, even the street lamps clicked off. It was completely dark until Bella's body began to hum and glow. Bella could feel something buzzing in the air. An unforeseen force that called to her; that she was calling to. All the plant life, the bushes, the flowers, the deep rooted trees lining the street, began to groan as if they were physically struggling against their environment to join Bella's orbit. A strong gust of wind hit and began to push Bella's hair around building up into a frenzy until it was whipping wildly around her face. She tried to gain control of her hair, but when she brought her hands to her face, small bursts of light began to sizzle at the tips of her fingers. At first the bursts were short, a tenth of a millisecond. But it quickly grew out of control; the bursts become longer and stronger, erupting as if her fingers were sparklers.
Bella unconsciously arched her back in midair, light overflowing from every portion of her body as she reached the apex of her awakening. In one large final explosion of energy, she returned the glow back to the moon, the twinkle to the stars, and light to the lamps. With her exhale, every single ounce of air rushed out, and with her inhale, magic galloped forward filling her body, mind, and spirit; infusing her with clarity and a sense of purpose she felt lacking her entire life. The wind ceased. The rustling of the plant life quieted. Bella's feet finally found stable ground as she silently floated back down.
Bella's breathing came out in short erratic spurts. Her legs felt unsteady. Her heart was pounding wildly, and her body was still prickling. Her hair was completely wind swept and her eyes were frantically searching Edward's for an explanation.
"WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!"
He laughed; a full out, unguarded, body shaking laugh.
"Isabella, I told you before. You're magical."
A/N: A big thank you to my nominator for the TwiFic Fandom Awards in the 'Favorite Out of This World Fic' category!