I couldn't see over Jake's shoulder, but occasionally I caught a glimpse of strawberry blonde hair to my left or right. I tried to stop myself from looking, but it seemed useless. Eventually Jacob noticed.
"Why do you keep looking at that lady?" I scowled still discreetly staring at her as she and Edward moved effortlessly across the floor.
"I really don't like her."
"Who is she and why?" Jake led in a way that we could keep watching them but not obviously so.
"Her name is Tanya Gilchrest and she is just a very unpleasant person." I wanted to say she was a bitch, but decided that would be immature. Jake half smirked.
"What did she do to you?" He leaned closer so I could tell him the story. With his head so close to mine it would look, from three angles, as if we were kissing. I tried not to think about Jake's close proximity as I told him the tale.
"She goes to Aro Silvia's parties just like I do and every time I see her there she says nasty things. Last time she made me sound like a prostitute sleep my way up the social ladder. I was deeply offended and I don't think I have it in my bitter heart to forgive her." I tried to make my tone light and sarcastic but Jake still noticed my hurt. His arms tightened around me slightly, and then relaxed.
I glanced back at then when Jake straightened up again. Edward's eyes were on us and they were shooting daggers at Jacob. I felt almost smug that he looked jealous. If he still chose to keep company with a snake like Tanya than I could see whoever I wanted.
It just didn't make sense to me. It's true that I don't know much about Edward, but I don't understand why he stayed with her. I thought after I showed an interest he might break up with her but as I watched them slow dance the idea seemed idiotic. He wouldn't leave her for me, he had no reason to. I thought back to the old saying 'why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free'. It made me blush slightly. I had definitely given my milk away for free considering I had asked nothing of Edward after our night together. I was officially a booty call.
"I'm thirsty, let's go to the bar." Jake ensnared my wrist and dragged me to the bar in a room off the dance floor. I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror as we walked. My Grecian lilac dress was a great success, but the fact that my intended flirtee was being monopolized by the sea hag it was being wasted. "You look amazing by the way." Jake commented as he downed a Jack Daniel's shooter. Ok scratch that, it was not being wasted but I wasn't sure if I felt that way about Jacob.
I sat on a swivel stool next to him as he took another shooter. He must be a tank (A/N can drink enormous amounts of alcohol) to drink Jack in such a manner. My stomach twitched as I remembered my faint hangover headache. I studied his profile trying to dissect my feelings. The truth of the matter was I didn't even know what my feelings where. I liked to be around Jacob, he made me feel comfortable but occasionally I would be attracted to him. Generally it would be my own stupid mind
finding its own way to the gutter, but Jacob helped in the process by just being himself. He oozed confidence and sex appeal.
"So that's how you take a compliment? You stare off into space for five minutes and check me out? I don't know if I should compliment you again." He slurped his third shooter and sighed.
"What? Oh, I'm sorry. I was thinking."
"I didn't think 'You look amazing by the way' would provoke such profound thoughts." He smirked at me. I gave him a sour look.
"Ha ha."
"So, what were you thinking about?" Shit. I didn't know if I should tell him the truth or not.
There was a moment of silence while I wrecked my brain for a plausible lie. None came.
"Ah…" was all that I managed to get out. This perked Jacob's interest. He smiled slowly and leaned towards me again.
"You were thinking about me naked weren't you?" His eyes sparkled and his shoulder shook with silent laughter. I blushed bright red since that was not far from the target. I was thinking about whether or not I wanted to have sex with him, while would involve him being naked, but not in as many words. "You were!" Jake laughed louder while his eyes darken when I couldn't deny the accusation.
"No I wasn't!" I argued feebly after a few seconds.
"Ok then what." He crossed his arms with a victory smirk. I felt my face flush again. I still had no lie. The truth it would have to be.
"I wasn't thinking about you being naked. I was trying to decide how I… felt about you." He pursed his lips in thought.
"So?"
"So what?"
"What did you decide?" His arms were still crossed but he seemed serious. It was one of the first times that I saw him without a smile. I was speechless.
"Well… I…. don't know." I looked at him through my lashes hoping he wouldn't be angry or offended in some way. He looked thoughtful.
"Fair enough." He shrugged and downed another shooter. He ordered another and I decided to leave him alone for a while.
"I'm going to go see Rosalie and Alice. I'll catch you later Jake." He lifted a hand in farewell but didn't turn. I made my way back through the dance floor own my way to the main table. I walked by a coat closet and felt myself yanked in before I knew what was happening.
I was pulled to the back behind all the racks before I could figure out who it was. Edward had me trapped against the wall but he wasn't kissing me as he normally would be. We stared at each other a moment before I had the courage to speak.
"Can I help you with something?" I tried to sound bored and wiggle out of his grasp. His hands tightened refusing to release me. I frowned at him waiting for him to respond.
"Who is he?" Edward hissed with a barely controlled temper. I felt my back stiffen. Edward had no right to that information.
"What's it to you?" I threw back. My anger at myself for my stupid decisions was coming out and was directed at him. It was my fault that I didn't tell Edward I wanted a relationship, but it was his fault for assuming ownership of me despite that fact. I felt like I was a communal chew toy that he wanted and that made me even angrier. We glared at each other for a minute before Edward realized that I wouldn't back down.
He took a step back and let of my arms. I crossed them under my breast trying to calm myself down.
"Who is he?" He whispered still staring at me.
"Jacob Black, he works at the Sun with Alice, Rose, and I." Apparently the interrogation wasn't over when he didn't relax.
"He's the same one you danced with at the Benefit." I froze. That was the night I met Edward. We hadn't even spoken to each other yet when I danced with Jacob. I felt sweat bead in my hair line. Had Edward watched me as intently as I watched him that night? I shuddered.
We didn't break eye contact until we herd Tanya's annoying screech calling for Edward. I felt my blood boil when he glanced over his shoulder thinking about going to her. I huffed out a breath and shoved him aside. I tried to claw my way through the coats quickly before he could react but I got tangled.
Edward pulled me back into the recesses of the closet once again as Tanya's voice moved away.
"Are you with him?" He held me against the wall again. His eyes were telling me my answer was of vital importance. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"It doesn't matter to you. You lover is calling you. You should go to her." I felt the venom of my words in my mouth as I spoke. I regretting being cruel but I didn't want him to see how used I felt. He still didn't let go.
"Answer my question and then I'll leave you alone." The second part of his statement was 'forever' and I felt my chest clench. I felt like half of my heart was brutally ripped from my chest. I tasted bile in the back of my mouth, but I decided to be honest, even if this was the last time we spoke to each other.
"No."
"No what? No you won't answer or no you aren't together?" His gripped tightened with urgency.
"No, we are not together." My half-heart was beating erratically in my chest. With each pump I felt cold creep up my extremities.
"Edward?" Tanya's voice was close again as if she was at the door of the closet. We stood locked in a silent battle. My gaze was defeated while Edward's burned with a strange light. "Edward? Are you back there?" We could hear hangers being pushed aside as she climbed towards our hiding place.
He leaned forward and kissed me fiercely for a second before shoving me into a large fur coat. He grabbed a jacket and started to climb out to meet Tanya. I could hear their exchange.
"Edward! There you are I've been looking for you for ages. What were you doing back there?" I imagine she was peeking around him looking for someone of something of interest. I pulled the fur coat tighter around me and hoped I wasn't visible.
"I was looking for my jacket. I found it. What did you want?" He sounded exhausted.
"Is that lipstick on your face?" Tanya whispered. Oh no, when he kissed me it must have smeared.
"No." He replied flatly.
"Then what is it?"
"The light's playing tricks on you Tanya, there is nothing on my face, and I'm just in shadow. Let's get out of here." There were more moving hangers and I knew they were gone. My trembling knees gave out so I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the floor.
I waited until I heard people calling my name. I didn't want someone noticing that Edward and I emerged from the same closet.
"Bella? Are you alright?" Alice rushed towards me searching for injuries when I finally stumbled through the door. I have no idea what my face looked like. I felt completely numb. Her hands forced me to look at her but I saw through her. I nodded at her question as she led me to a chair. "Rosalie and Emmett wanted to say goodbye to you before they went to the airport but we couldn't find you. Why were you in the closet?"
"Hiding."
"From who?"
"My hangover headache got to bad to be around people so I hid in there for dark and quiet." This sounded like a plausible excuse.
"Honey, you should have told me. I have more aspirin right here." She handed me a pill and I took it. Maybe it would make the crevice in my chest stop throbbing.
Alice drove me back to my apartment without the radio on. I guess I looked as horrible as I felt and she believed I really was sick. She walked up the stairs with me to make sure I didn't fall.
"Are you positive you are ok?" She asked putting a hand on my forehead to check for a fever for the millionth time.
"Yeah. I'm just going to sleep it off." I mumbled and walked towards my bedroom. I heard the door close eventually so I removed my dress and climbed into my bed naked. It was going to be a long night.
OOOOOOOOOOOo
I woke up with Maurice sitting next to me. Normally he would be asleep until I got him breakfast but he was watching me with bright eyes. He looked like a sphinx as he stared unblinking at me. I felt like he sat there all night watching over me. I smiled at him and pulled him closer.
I spent the day revising my articles on my couch with a cup of hot chocolate in my hand. I only showered and dressed around five because I needed to go see Charlie. Maurice was my shadow as I got ready. He even patiently sat on my bath rug as I showered. When I was closing the door to leave he sat in the hall, still waiting until the door was completely closed. I could still feel his green gaze through the metal.
As always, Charlie was happy to see me. We awkwardly embraced and sat down to have a conversation. Halfway through his garbled description of the day before I noticed a new picture on his bureau.
"Dad, where did you get that picture?" I stood and moved closer to inspect it. At first I thought it was a picture from his and Renee's wedding that I never noticed, but the dress looking too familiar. After closer inspection it became clear. It was me kneeling next to the flower girl, not Renee. "Where did this come from?" I turned with the picture in my hand suddenly. This was a picture from the day before, who had brought it here?
"Cullen." Was all I could make out of Charlie's explanation. It must have been Alice, she was the only Cullen Charlie knew. But I could have sworn that Alice was putting flowers in Rosalie's hair while I helped the flower girl. Maybe Carlisle took the picture and gave it to Alice. My mind wouldn't accept any other explanation.
"So Dad, did you enjoy Alice's visit?"
"Yes, it –as l-ve-y to meet –er. Is she –oming bac-k?" I felt my face freeze in a polite smile.
"Didn't she come here yesterday? To bring you that picture?"
"No." My palms broke out in sweat.
"Then who was it Dad?"
"I –unno –is name –sides Cullen." Charlie shrugged awkwardly since his left arm still didn't function fully. I needed to talk to Alice, immediately. I said goodbye to a startled Charlie and practically ran down the street. No one would hurt Charlie, I would make sure of that, emotional or otherwise.