Author Note: thanks for all your support and reviews, as always--on this story AND on Going for the Gold, both Tami and I have been kind of overwhelmed by the amazing response for that story.
Also, thanks to my emergency beta CallistoLexx, who got this back to me very fast so I could post before I go to Seattle in a few hours. I really wanted to post it before I left.
FYI, Ground Kontrol and Rock Band Tuesdays do really exist, John is my boyfriend John, who helps host it every week with our good friend Anthony, who is the co-owner of Ground Kontrol. I'm in there briefly, referred to by my RB alter-ego, Daphne. John, by the way, is really excited that he is now a character (no matter how minor) in the story (though he has never actually read this)--he says "now I'm going to be famous!"
One last thank you: to the wonderful twilighted forum ladies, who stroke my ego (and various other body parts) anytime I need it: TZ, moon.witche, pwtf, birdee18, acireamos, devadasi7, mommyofboth, barbarito, angel, jenniesmith, Cristygen, lothlorien, Goo82, Ereeen, ECEyesplease, InsaneGrizzlies and LAST BUT NOT CERTAINLY LEAST, the FABULOUS Twinster (aka Debussythis). I'm sure I missed someone, if I missed you--I'm sorry!!
BPOV
It had been two days.
Two infuriatingly long days since I'd seen Edward.
I'd gone to work like I always did on Monday morning, and tried to pretend to myself and to everyone else that this was a Monday like every other Monday, but it wasn't. By Tuesday evening I'd come to grips with the fact that while I might wish differently, the rhythm and composition of my life was undeniably altered now.
Tuesday evening had been, for as long as I'd known Alice and Rosalie, our sacred girls night. Nobody was allowed to go on dates, and there was a firm no boys rule. The male sex was typically talked about ad nauseum but their presence was forbidden. Normally, this was not an issue. Rosalie simply told off the guy of that particular week, and neither Alice nor I dated regularly. Sometimes we went out, and sometimes we stayed in, but I definitely preferred it when we did the latter. Getting all gussied up, drinking too much and staying up late during the week was not my idea of a good time. I much preferred putting on sweats, ordering Chinese, watching cheesy, fluffy movies and gorging on popcorn. I usually had to fight both Alice and Rosalie, though, and I tended to lose more than I won.
I'd come home from work today exhausted, expecting the usual Tuesday argument. Surprisingly, the three of us had been on the same page. Rosalie had come in the door looking even more tired than I felt. I wondered if she was having the same issue with sleeping as I was, but I didn't ask. Out of a mutual unspoken agreement, we hadn't discussed the Cullens since they'd left Sunday afternoon.
Rosalie had been quieter than normal, working longer hours than normal, and spending an inordinate amount of time in her room, by herself.
Even Alice hadn't been her normal spunky, talkative self. We'd all been unusually introspective, but I suppose that was to be expected. Our lives had been shaken to the core by the introduction of the Cullen brothers.
I had a feeling, though, that we'd all had enough of our own thoughts, and that tonight, the truth about what had happened over the last week was bound to come out.
I plopped down on the couch, hearing it squeak, and stretched my long pajama-clad legs out. Almost automatically, I picked my cell phone up from the coffee table and checked it for missed calls or messages, even though I had it turned up to high volume plus vibrate. You, I told myself, are a sentimental fool. Stop obsessing!
Edward had called once, last night, and we had talked for about ten minutes. It had been a casual conversation but even that was enough to set my heart racing and my insides fluttering. Mostly we'd just talked about work, yet there had been something so private and personal about telling him about my day and he'd been undeniably interested, despite the lack of interesting news I had to impart. In turn, he'd filled me in on more details of their business. It was in this conversation that I found out that Rosalie was location shopping with all three of them on Wednesday.
This would likely explain Rosalie's late nights and also her silence. Not for the first time since I'd met her, I wanted to know what was going on inside her head. I hoped that Sunday hadn't been a fluke and that she was really willing to at least tolerate Emmett's presence in the future. It would great if they could even start as friends.
Alice danced in the room, looking more energetic than I'd seen her since Sunday afternoon when Jasper had left. I wondered if she missed him even half as much as I missed Edward. If she did, that would explain her uncharacteristic behavior.
"I ordered the Chinese!" she sang out, her voice bright and cheerful.
"Did you get the Kung Pao?" Rosalie asked, emerging from the kitchen, holding three cans of Diet Coke. She'd changed into a t-shirt and athletic shorts and twisted her gorgeous hair into a ponytail. It amazed me the kind of transformation that Rose could make from the austere businesswoman that I barely recognized to the college girl I knew so well.
Alice rolled her eyes in response. "Have I ever forgotten?"
"Yes," I piped up, earning a glare from Alice, "it was our junior year, and Rose nearly strangled the delivery man before she discovered that it was really your fault."
"The key word in that sentence is almost," Rose added. "There was no actual physical harm caused." She plopped down on the couch next to me and it let out another loud squawk. "Hmmmm," she continued, more to herself than to me or Alice, "I think we may need a new couch."
Unfortunately, Alice jumped on it like a fish on fresh bait. "A new couch?" she jumped and down excitedly, "that's a great idea!"
I groaned, loudly. "Great, Rose, now you've done it."
"What? We need a new couch," Rose defended.
Alice was jumping up and down, clapping her hands, and Rose laughed, turning towards her. "Except that you don't get to pick it out yourself—you only get to help choose," she said pointedly to Alice.
"Fine," Alice pouted.
"That means no going out and just buying one without telling us first, like the rest of the furniture," I lectured.
Alice's pout deepened. "But . ..but. . .you liked the furniture!"
Rosalie and I exchanged looks. Under the false impression that the townhouse came fully furnished, we hadn't even discovered that Alice had furnished the townhouse herself until it had slipped out three months after we'd moved in. Understandably, both Rose and I had been extremely disconcerted by the revelation, but we'd eventually agreed, without too much torture from Alice, that she'd done a good job.
"So," I began, thinking it was time to change the subject, "what should we watch?"
Alice started bouncing again. "I know! I know!" I wished I could say that Alice's enthusiasm was atypical, but it wasn't. Even a movie on girl's night turned her into a hyperactive nut.
"Yes, dear?" Rose asked indulgently. If anyone was used to Alice's nearly constant emotional high, it was her.
Alice shoved the movie she'd picked in our faces and I couldn't help but laugh. We were fairly typical girls, but this seemed like a bit much.
"Clueless?" I asked hesitantly, scrunching up my nose, "I don't want my IQ to drop by ten points."
Despite my reaction, the excitement on Alice's face didn't diminish at all—in fact, it only seemed to grow.
"I think it would be good for you. Obviously you've never seen it," Rosalie snarked back.
I was kind of surprised to see her take Alice's side on this. Sure I'd never seen the movie, but did I even need to watch it to comprehend how ridiculous it was?
"Don't you dare roll your eyes one more time, Bella" Alice yelled, and I covered my ears automatically, "this is a movie that every girl should see. Obviously we have to remedy this travesty."
"It's not a travesty."
To my dismay, both Rosalie and Alice nodded their heads emphatically.
"Really, Bel," Rose added, "she's right, as much as I hate to admit it." Alice emitted a strangled and offended shriek and I couldn't help laughing at that point.
"Fine, fine," I agreed, "it's not like it's life or death or anything. It's only a two hour movie."
Alice wagged her finger at me, "It's really our job to make up for your tomboy past, Bella. You need to let us help you."
"I was perfectly fine as a tomboy," I argued.
"No, you weren't," Alice sang, "and if you were still a tomboy, I bet you that Edward Cullen never would have looked your direction."
Both Rosalie and I swiveled our heads in Alice's direction. Great, she's done it now, I thought to myself with resignation.
"Well it's true," Alice defended herself, no longer quite as enthusiastic,
I shrugged my shoulders, "It's hard to say," I answered lamely.
Rosalie turned toward me, those incredible aquamarine eyes boring into mine. "Yes, Bella, why don't you tell us what is really going on with Edward Cullen?"
"Uh. . .uh. . .uh. . ." I stammered, my eyes wide with fear.
And then the doorbell rang, essentially saving me from having to answer at that particular second, though I knew that the unspoken gag order was gone and I was going to be pounced on later.
"I'll get it!" I said, scrambling to my feet and heading towards the front door.
When I came back into the room with the bags of takeout, the steam filling my nose with delicious smells, I noticed that the TV had been turned on and the DVD was already set up, ready to go.
Resignedly, I set the bags on the coffee table and Alice reappeared from the kitchen with a stack of plates and silverware.
"This is so exciting!" Alice enthused. I stopped myself from rolling from my eyes just in time and good thing, because the little pixie was looking right at me.
"Sure," I said sarcastically. "I have to admit I'm more excited about the food than the movie."
"That's because, Bel," Rose replied, sneaking a first piece of chicken from the container with her fork, "you haven't yet been exposed to the deliciousness that is Paul Rudd."
"Paul Rudd? The old guy in Knocked Up who, instead of cheating, went to fantasy league baseball?"
"He wasn't that old," Rosalie defended, "he was at least better to look at than that Seth Rogen. He was gross. I couldn't imagine anyone like Katherine Heigl liking him. . .ever."
"This coming from our resident Katherine Heigl," I drawled.
"Please, Katherine just wishes she looked this good. Anyway, Paul Rudd is mucho younger in Clueless, and mucho adorable."
"I thought he was pretty cute in Knocked Up," Alice added, and I groaned.
"Enough with the Knocked Up," I yelled, "I only wish we were watching something that intelligent."
"Clueless is a font of all wisdom for girls, Bella. You should pay good attention. The only thing Knocked Up teaches you to do is wear a condom and not smoke so much weed your brain melts," Alice scoffed, curling up in her favorite pixie-sized chair with a plate heaped with food. How did someone so small eat so much? That was a question I'd never been able to find the answer to. Maybe it had something to do with the amazing amount of energy she needed to get through a day at her frenetic pace.
"Watch and learn," Rosalie taunted in me in a sing-song voice as she hit the play button on the remote.
I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back on the couch. I was here under incredible duress. Nothing ever would convince me that a movie about a dumb blond high school girl could be in any way enlightening.
Two hours later, the food devoured and the movie finished, I sat on the couch with a shell-shocked expression on my face.
How had I missed this important and undeniable rite of passage? I cursed inwardly at Charlie, who had been a good dad but had lacked some important anatomical features to make him a good conductor on the wild ride of being a young girl.
I sighed in delight, not wanting to move.
It was only then I became aware of Rosalie and Alice, who were wearing the biggest cat-ate-the-cream grins I'd ever seen. Still, I didn't care if they were right, all that mattered was that they had been right.
Then they exchanged a not so subtle high five as Alice got up and started to collect the empty dishes and food containers to take to the kitchen.
"Nice, guys," I uttered sarcastically.
"What?" Alice asked, all sweetness and light. "I'm just glad you liked it."
"Of course you are, but you're even happier that you were right."
"Duh," Alice deadpanned as she disappeared down the hall.
"Alice you better get your butt back here soon so we can interrogate Bella about Edward," Rosalie called after Alice's disappearing form.
Shit. This was no good. Vividly, I suddenly remembered the part of the plan where Rosalie was not supposed to know about me and Edward. Was that still in place? Had we moved to a different plan? God damn this plan. I hated it.
I jumped off the couch suddenly, causing Rosalie to look at me strangely, but then that was not exactly an atypical reaction.
"I'm going to go make some popcorn!" I said quickly and was nearly down the hall before Rose could even think about responding. I needed a last-minute conference with Alice before I went back out there and Rose dragged something out of me that she wasn't supposed to know and our plan imploded.
Alice was loading the dishwasher, her back to me.
"Alice!" I hissed as quietly as I could, checking behind me every five seconds to make sure that Rosalie hadn't followed me. That would be just my luck.
She whipped around, her face confused. "What the hell are you doing now Bella? First you argue about Clueless, when you should know that I would never steer you wrong. Clueless. . ."
I never let her get the second thought about Clueless out. There was no time for a play-by-play recap of the movie right now. I was in a bad situation and I didn't know how Alice could be so blithe about it when she'd heard Rose just as well as I had.
"Alice!" I interrupted her. "We need to talk!"
A tiny crease formed between her perfect brows on her perfect forehead. "Why are you whispering, Bella?"
"Gah," I exclaimed in whispered frustration, more to the universe at large than at Alice. She could be so obtuse sometimes.
"Seriously, I can't believe that . . ."
Before she could even think about getting started again, I slapped a hand over her mouth.
"Shhhhhh! We're whispering because I need your advice on what I should tell Rose."
"About?" she managed, shoving my hand off her face.
"Edward, DUH!" my voice rose, and I frantically looked behind me, hoping that Rose hadn't chosen this minute to appear in the kitchen.
"Oh. That. Well, I think that it wouldn't be a bad thing to tell her, I mean, obviously, it's going to be hard to deny. You two were nearly about to eat each other on Sunday."
She had no idea. No fucking clue.
"Ahhhh," I stammered, "good point. It's a little late to say nothing's going on."
"You think?" Alice said, a bit tartly.
"Should I just tell her everything?"
"There's something to tell?" Alice's eyes widened. "You work fast, girl. And here I thought you needed the invaluable lessons that only Cher could teach."
"No, no, no. Nothing's really going on. Just a few. . .kisses. That's all. And he told me he really liked me."
"That's great, Bels!" Alice said excitedly, clapping her hands.
"Keep it down," I whispered.
"Why? You're just going to tell her anyway."
"Well, maybe not all of it. Maybe I want to keep some of it to myself."
"Yeah right," Alice scoffed. "You know you're dying to tell me and Rose everything. Besides, don't underestimate her abilities to tear it out of you."
Alice did have a good point. Rose was unbelievably good at forcing people to tell her things they didn't want to. I might as well go into the living room with the expectation that anything that had happened between Edward and I was about to enter the public domain.
"In any case," Alice added, "I think that with me and Jasper together, so to speak, and you and Edward growing closer, that will only push Rosalie and Emmett together even more."
"Or it will it scare them away from each other," I added doubtfully.
"Nope," Alice proclaimed with a huge sunny smile. "It'll work, just you watch."
Great. Another one of Alice's feelings. . .I swear she only uses those to get her own way about everything.
"Fine," I grumbled, "we'll do it your way. Now let's go get this over with."
Rosalie was smiling slyly when we walked back into the living room together.
Her smile reminded me that I had said something as I exited the living room earlier. . .
Damn. Shit. Fuck. The popcorn.
"Forget something, Bels?" she asked me sweetly, the undertone of her voice laced with poison.
"Uh. . .that's right. . .the popcorn." I turned to retreat back to the kitchen and to whatever sanity I had left.
"Just leave it," Rosalie ordered, "and come here and tell me right now what is going on between you and Cullen?" She patted the empty spot on the couch next to her.
"Cullen?" I squeaked.
"As if you were interested in anyone but Edward," Alice rolled her eyes.
I gingerly sat next to Rosalie and turned to her with what I thought might be a hopeful smile, but probably looked more like I was being led to the guillotine.
"Tell me everything," Rose insisted and I nearly trembled. I started praying that Alice was right here. Not that she was ever wrong.
"Well. . .I like him of course."
Alice groaned. "Nothing mushy, please! Just the hot, smoking details."
Rosalie nodded, clearly agreeing with her sister.
"Like what?" Not having much of a physical relationship with anyone in college, I'd been spared the interrogation before. I never liked being the center of attention and even though this was just my two best friends, I felt myself breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Let's start with the basics," Alice said in a only mildly patronizing voice. "How does he kiss?'
My eyebrows shot to the ceiling. This was the basics? I didn't even want to know what anything more advanced was.
Of course I'd heard details of their experiences for years—okay, mainly Rosalie's experiences—but never in a million years did I ever think I would be sitting here, telling them what had happened between me and someone like Edward.
"He kisses. . .good," I said proudly, glad I got out the sentence without blushing like a prudish maniac.
"Good?" Alice sounded disappointed and I didn't understand.
"Isn't that a good thing?" I challenged.
"No," Rosalie added. "Guy looks like that—you want him to be able to curl your toes with a kiss."
And he definitely did.
"Um. He certainly does," I mumbled.
"But you said he was just a good kisser."
"Isn't good the same as toe-curling?" I know I sounded lamely confused, but I couldn't help myself. Even through six years of friendship and four years of college with Rosalie and Alice, I still didn't get a lot of normal girl stuff. Damn Charlie for not having boobs and a doo-dah.
"Of course not," Rosalie scoffed, apparently shocked at my naivety.
"Okay, well, then he is an amazing, mind-blowing, hot as hell kisser. Is that better?" I asked innocently, enjoying the way that Alice's jaw had dropped.
"Yep," Rosalie said satisfactorily. "Now what else have you guys done?"
I almost added that he'd said he was barely able to resist me after feeling my birth control patch, but I didn't think I could actually force that sentence past my awkward lips.
"That's it," I lied. I didn't mention that he'd held me against my bedroom door devouring me like he could never get enough and then not even two hours later I'd done exactly the same to him without a second's thought. Or that we'd already talked about having sex eventually. I wanted to keep those memories and savor over them myself.
Alice shot me a glare like she knew I was lying, but I was Fort Knox, locked down tight.
"Fine," she grumbled, obviously far from pleased at my discretion.
Rosalie jumped off the couch. "I have an early morning so I've got to get to bed."
"Don't you have the boys tomorrow?" Alice asked, clearly trying not to sound too eager. Anyone could see she was dying to ask about Jasper. When it came to him, Alice was just about as transparent as a mirror.
"Yep," Rose offered noncommittally. "We're meeting at the office early."
"Great," I enthused, so jealous that she was going to see Edward I could barely keep the venom from leaking into my voice.
"Wonderful," Alice echoed. "Good luck."
"Thanks for the great night, bitches," Rose tossed over her shoulder, as she headed down the hallway.
I relaxed back into the couch and for the millionth time that night checked my cell phone to see if maybe he'd texted or called me. Damn it. Still nothing. What if he'd forgotten all about me?
EPOV
I palmed my phone surreptitiously so that Jasper or Emmett wouldn't see and wondered if she'd called yet. Nope, I thought as I glanced at the screen for probably the thousandth time in the last twenty minutes. I ran a hand through my hair, probably making it stand straight on end, and thought about banging the phone on the wall in frustration.
I'd loved talking to her the night before, even if our conversation had been of the most mundane variety. Knowing what she'd done all day made me feel almost as if I'd been there beside her, watching her make phone calls and type emails, her delicate yet capable fingers tapping lightly on the keyboard.
"Yo Edward!" Emmett called out, jerking my attention away from yet another sexual fantasy of Bella—this time I was the phone she cradled to her ear, and the keyboard she plied on.
One of these days I was going to kill my brother.
"What?" I asked in a bored, annoyed voice.
"Did I see you looking at your phone again?" he asked, the goofy grin he typically sported entrenched on his face.
"No," I lied, "what's up?"
"Dude, I swear I saw you holding it."
"Emmett," I said patiently, since sometimes you needed the patience of a saint to deal with Emmett, "it's dark in here, there's lights flashing, I don't think you saw what you think you did." I felt a slight twinge of guilt at lying to him, but I pushed it away and reminded myself what kind of shit I would be subjected to if my brothers found out exactly how much I was mooning over Bella.
After all, it was guys night out, and we were supposed to be having a good time.
"Okay," Emmett agreed reluctantly, obviously having some kind of inkling that he was getting lied to, but not really interested in pursuing it any further.
"So what's up?" I asked again, changing the subject.
Emmett's face lighted up like a tree on Christmas. "John just told me they have the new Muse downloadable content."
"Muse?" my ears perked up and I felt slightly justified in coming out tonight, after all. Muse was one of my favorite bands.
Typically, I didn't exactly enjoy Rock Band night, hosted by Ground Kontrol, a retro gaming arcade and bar, in the Pearl District, but it was Emmett's passion and he browbeat us into coming every Tuesday night. I liked to escape as much as I could to the upstairs pinball gallery in an attempt to block out the bad singing we were subjected to.
"Hell yes. I signed us up to play 'Hysteria.'"
I was even more gratified to know that for once, we'd be playing something I had an interest in. Usually Emmett and Jasper conspired to pick the worst possible songs, and I was forced to sing them. Finally, they had picked something good.
"Good," I said casually, not wanting Emmett to sense my gratification. If they knew, I'd never be able to feign total disinterest again.
"I just wish we could go somewhere we could play real instruments," I whined, before I could help myself.
"Yeah, except that we don't play real instruments," Emmett grumbled back.
"I do," I said, not even bothering to tone down the self-satisfied smirk on my face.
"Bastard," Emmett boomed, not upset in the least.
"Hey guys!" I turned to see John, the guy who helped the co-owner of Ground Kontrol, Anthony, put Rock Band night on every Tuesday. John was a super cool guy—he'd played in a punk band in high school and college and knew something about real music. Unfortunately he was also a serious video game addict and even more enthusiastic about Rock Band than Emmett.
"John," I replied, taking and shaking his hand firmly. "Great to see you."
"You, too. I saw that Emmett signed you guys up for 'Hysteria.' I'd be careful if I was you—the bass line in the song is wicked fast and intense."
I nodded. "And the guitar?" I tended to sing, since I was the only one out of the three of us who could even dream about carrying a tune and since we needed four players, I also played the guitar, which was a feat that not many other players could manage. Unfortunately, the first time I'd done this I realized what a mistake it was. I was now one of the more popular and successful players who came to the event and it made my studied disinterest much harder to maintain.
"Still pretty rough," he admitted. "If I were you, I'd have Emmett take the bass, and you should stick to guitar because you're going to fail out otherwise."
"I could sing 'Hysteria' in my sleep," I boasted.
He looked a little incredulous, but before he could say anything else, Jasper walked over and handed me the beer he'd left to get. Lifting his own to his lips, he asked, "Did Emmett tell you about Muse?"
I nodded. "John here is saying that it's a rough track."
"Man, it's great to see you," Jasper said, and John agreed. Of all of us, he'd hit it off with John the best, and they were friends outside of Rock Band night.
"Is Daphne here?" Jasper asked, referring to John's girlfriend.
"Nah," he said and if I wasn't mistaken I detected a slight note of regret in his voice, which didn't surprise me in the least—Daphne kicked ass and John would be insane not to be crazy about her. "She said she needed to write tonight, so I let her off the hook."
"The fact that you can get her to come at all, I give you total props, man," Emmett said, giving him a hard high five.
John smiled, and there was just enough feeling behind it that I felt suddenly overcome with jealousy. I wanted to be able to smile about Bella like that. I wanted her to be supportive; I wanted to share my life with her.
I was momentarily floored by the strength of the feelings coursing through me.
Feelings? God, I am now certifiably lame. I just used the F word.
But could I really deny that I did have feelings for Bella? It wasn't as if I hadn't already dipped into the lameness category more than once tonight. In fact, I was nearly pouting because she hadn't called—not because I felt like I'd lost any kind of stupid game we had between us but because I just wanted to hear her god damned voice.
Yep, I'm now officially a total fucktard.
Before I could delve any further into my fucktardedness, I heard Anthony, the host of Rock Band night, call our band to the stage.
"And now, playing 'Hysteria' by Muse, we have the incomparable Cullen brothers!" he yelled into the microphone, and there was an ungodly amount of cheering as we made our way to the stage, sprinkled in with some loud catcalls by the few girls in the audience.
A small rush of adrenaline moved through me, but it was only a fraction of what I would have felt if we'd actually been playing in a band, on a real stage, with real instruments. Still, I had to admit it was better than nothing, and probably one of the main reasons I kept coming back to this godforsaken event.
I grabbed the plastic guitar, inwardly grimacing like I did every time at how cheap and fake it felt in my hands, and stepped up to the microphone.
Emmett situated himself on the other side with an identical guitar, ready to play the "insane" bass line. Jasper was in the middle, looking as relaxed as he always did on the drumkit.
"You guys ready for this," I yelled into the microphone, feeling the adrenaline surge even a little harder than normal. Maybe because I had suddenly, insanely, wished that Bella could see me now, singing some of her favorite bands' music and even playing this ridiculous plastic guitar.
I glanced down at the TV monitor, ready to get started. The song finally finished loading and the ripping bass chords started almost immediately.
"SHIT. FUCK," Emmett yelled, frantically trying to keep up with the sixteenth notes. I thought I heard John laughing on the side of the stage, but I was too busy with the opening lyrics, crooning them into the microphone, and running my hands over the buttons of the guitar.
John hadn't been kidding, I thought as I started feeling myself begin to sweat, this was a hard song. I almost felt sorry for Emmett, who hadn't let up on the string of continued profanity since the song had started.
Luckily, I could sing the words to the song without having to look at the lyrics. If I'd had to, I would have been totally screwed and doubly grateful that Bella wasn't here to see me fuck up.
I loved the song, but I couldn't deny I was glad to see it end. Still, the applause at the end was sweet, though not as sweet as it would have been if Bella had been standing on the side of the stage, ready to give me a big kiss as a reward for kicking ass.
As it was, there was definitely no lack of females to greet us as we tromped off the stage. None of them were even remotely palatable, though, and I inwardly shuddered at even beginning to compare them to my sweet Bella. Still, I was as nice as I could be while brushing them off as quickly as possible.
As soon as we'd managed to do that, Emmett sank against the back of one of the arcade games and let out a huge sigh. "That was rough man," exclaimed, kneading his hands, "I can't even feel my fingers. That was sixteenths through the whole damn song."
"If you'd heard it before," I sighed, "you would have known that they were coming."
"Muse is weird," was his only response. I rolled my eyes.
I walked off to the bar, chugging the rest of my beer as I went. I needed another if I was even going to dream about sleeping tonight. I hadn't had a case of blue balls since I was in high school but I was definitely balanced on that thin line now. I could no longer deny that she'd completely unraveled me. It was embarrassing and almost a little humiliating and I dreaded her finding out.
Signaling the bartender for another beer, I leaned against the hardwood bar and closed my eyes. I had to get control of myself now.
I was so tempted to call her I nearly forgot all about the beer and went right out the door and dialed the number. Except I forced myself to stay rooted to the spot. Mustn't sound too eager, I lectured myself.
Finally I decided a compromise was in order. We'd all be downtown tomorrow to meet with Rosalie. First thing in the morning I'd call her office and say I was coming to see her. Then I could drop by and make it seem casual, like I was already downtown, and I could even make the appointment around noon so I could ever so charmingly take her to lunch. Brilliant, I reassured myself, you've got it all under control.