Chapter 4: Handcuffs, Beds, and Homesickness…Oh My!
I push the blanket off of me and blink through sleep blurred eyes. I look around feeling somewhat confused as to where I am. I sit up trying to remember when I got the blanket. I cant remember getting the blanket, definitely something I will have to ask Jade about. I look to my right and see Jade still sound asleep. I flip open my cell phone to see what time it is. Seven forty five- ugh, are you kidding me? I stretch quietly and get to my feet. I open the door to our room softly and slip out not wanting to make any noise. I haven't tip-toed down the stairs since I was twelve but somehow I felt just like a child creeping through this big house. I walk into the kitchen and find Rosalie and Edward already awake talking quietly. I look at them both and my breathe catches in my throat. How is it possible that two people can look so stunning so early in the morning, it just wasn't fair. I nervously pull at the hem of my shirt, feeling completely homely compared to these two.
" Good morning," Rosalie says, pouring some orange juice into the pink glass in her hands.
" Morning," I respond, smiling as best as I can so early in the morning.
" How did you sleep?" she asks, handing me the glass. I take it smiling as I take the first drink.
" Good thanks, definately better than I did last night in Hotel Hell" I say, sliding myself onto the counter top. "Maybe you can tell me who brought me the blanket." I watch as Edward and Rosalie share a look between them.
" Oh erm, that would have been me," Jasper's sleep filled voice comes from the door way. I turn my head to see him shirtless wearing only a pair of blue sweat pants. I can't help but to stare at him for a moment, his lean body pale in color but perfectly toned.
" Thanks," I say, sliding from the counter. " So Jade and I are needing to go shopping today to pick up some things, I was wondering where the best place is to find furniture, at a decent price of course. We have our credit cards but for the most part we cant charge too much to them, at least not until we get jobs. Paying our first years tuition pretty much drained our accounts and our parents" I say, rambling on nervously, looking around the kitchen. " Sorry, I have the tendency of rambling on when I am nervous and have no caffeine in my system."
" Oh that's easy, Ikea," Rosalie says, rinsing her glass. " In fact, I'm not busy today, so if you would like maybe Emmett and I could join you guys, your own personal tour guides of the city," she says, smiling hopefully at me. " Oh and if you guys are in search of a job be sure and ask me later, I just might no someone who can help."
" That would be great, Jade will probably be up shortly, I just have the last few boxes to get out of the car, and then we can go," I say, happy to know that I wouldn't have to try and find my way around town alone.
" For the last time Jade, I am not going to let you talk me into buying that bed just because the bars on it would be perfect for handcuffs," I say, walking towards the beds on the other side of the store. Emmett's booming laughter soon follows that comment, and I cant help but get caught up in his wave of cheeriness.
" Aww come on Ana, you know that you would love it," she teases me, incessantly.
" It was one time Jade, one time. And I never said I loved it, I just kind of liked it" I say, easily teasing her back. I run straight into Emmett as I was walking behind him and didn't realize that he stopped.
" Oof, Emmett, why did you stop," I ask, looking at his facial expressions.
" So you guys are partners, like life partners, you're lesbians," he says, his voice growing louder. I blush from head to toe.
" We most certainly are not. I don't like girls, I like guys. I mean I like girls, I just do-" he stops me mid sentence a new light flicking on over his head. Seriously it is almost as if I could see the little light bulb switching on over his head like in all the old cartoons you watch.
" Ahh, so you play for both teams," he says, smiling broadly.
"Ugh no, I like guys. I like girls. But I do not like, like girls," I say slapping his shoulder playfully before collapsing from laughter at the absurdity of this conversation.
"Damn that would have been awesome," he says, collapsing onto the bed next to me.
"What would have been so awesome," Rosalie asks, her and Jade standing next to each other a look of utter amusement on their faces.
" Oh just that Emmett here thought that you and I were life partners," I say, looking at Jade trying to sound completely serious. It took her a moment to register what I said, before she starts laughing just as hysterically as we were.
" I think they have caught onto our secret Ana," she says, sounding serious.
" Oh yes, yes they have," I get up and look around a little bit more before deciding on a an iron wrought day bed and black dressers. Jade stuck pretty close to my choice, only she went with the bigger and in her words, better bed.
" No, Emmett turn it the other way," I say, trying to maneuver the boxes of furniture into the back of my car was harder than it should have been.
" We already tried it that way Annalisa," Emmett says, groaning lightly.
" Well then we are trying it again, come one push the box towards me," I say, trying to not sound annoyed. I watch his muscles ripple as he shoves the box in full force only my face was too close to the box and what happens next should have pissed me off, instead I find myself laughing until my sides ache while holding wadded up tissue to my bleeding lip.
" Thanks a lot Emmett for the fat lip, really first my finger, now my lip, whats next?" I ask, a slight lisp from the swollen lip making me sound funny.
" I didn't mean to," he says, rather glumly.
" I know its okay. I should have known better, it was like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole," I say, laughing harder. Jade chuckles from the drivers seat as we find our way back to our new home.
" She has a tendency of getting hurt, so you might as well get used to it," Jade says, laughing.
" Yes, yes I do," I reply, sitting back to look in the mirror in the car. It really didn't look all that bad, a little puffy, a little bruised, no big deal.
" So does Edward have a girlfriend?" Jade asks, looking in the rear view window, at Rosalie and Emmett in the back. Thats one thing I have always loved about Jade. She speaks her mind. If she wants to know something she asks, she isn't scared. Often times though, it was that sheer honestly, and bluntness that gets us into trouble.
" Nope, he is six months single. He and Bella broke up when she moved back to Arizona to be with her mom and new boyfriend. Bella and Alice used to share a room," Emmett answers, leaning forward to turn the stereo down.
" Alice?" I ask, turning in my seat to look at them.
" Me and Edwards little sister, she is twenty. She and Jasper, they used to have a thing, but it was kind of a messy break up. Jasper, he is kind of a serious guy. I mean he has fun, but for the most part he is like the parent of the group. Anyways, he wanted something serious, but Alice. Man I love her, but she a total free spirit. She wasn't ready to settle down, so Jasper broke it off. We tried living in peace for two months after that, but it all came to a head the night-," Emmett stops talking when Rosalie smacks him upside the head. " Sorry, it really isn't my place to finish this story." With that silence fills the car, save for the soft murmur of the radio playing. I cant help but to feel somewhat intrigued as to what happened, but I decide not to push the issue. I turn the radio up when Paramore's Misery Business starts playing and much to my surprise Emmett and Rosalie start singing right along with me. That's how we ended the car journey, singing and dancing like fools in the car until we backed in to the drive way to unload all of the stuff we bought.
I am studying the instructions to putting my bed together, which might as well be printed in gibberish because I dont understand any of it. When Jade, who is completely finished putting hers together, lays down on her bed with a satisfactory laugh. I look up from the paper in my hands, pushing my hair from my face.
" What do you think happened between Alice and Jasper that ended things so badly?" I ask, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. Jade sits up on her bed, looking up at me. " I don't know. If you are all that curious, ask him yourself," she says, standing up to admire her work. I roll my eyes.
" Oh yeah, I will just walk up to the new room mate who I find drop dead gorgeous and have known less than twenty four hours and ask him why him and his ex-girlfriend broke up," I say, grabbing the tools that were sitting next to Jade.
"True my friend true, but who knows. Maybe its like Emmett said, maybe she wasn't ready for the big commitment what twenty year old is?" she asks, pulling the plastic cover from her mattress. I think about that for a second.
" I need to stretch, so I think I am going to go for a walk," I say, leaving Jade to situate her side of the room the way she wants it. I walk outside, the crisp September air nipping at me slightly. I wrap one arm around myself, and scroll through my cell phone finding my mothers phone number. I press the call button and listen to it ring.
" Hello Baby-Doll, how are you? How's The Evergreen State? Meet any cute guys, how are the dorms?" my mothers excited voice rings through the phone. I smile to myself as I open my mouth to speak.
" Slow down mom," I say, sitting on the back step, staring out across the trees. " I am great. And so far the Evergreen State is doing well. Cute guys are all around here, as for the dorms. Well see there was a problem. It seems that Jade and I forgot to confirm our room, so they booked over us. But don't worry, we found an awesome place, rent is three twenty five each, so we are going to be just fine," I say, heading off any worry that she would have.
" Aww, I am sorry baby-doll I was hoping you both would get the dorm experience, but I am glad that you guys got it all worked out," she says, sounding relieved. Our conversation continued for another thirty minutes. I happily listened as she replayed her last few days, just realizing how much I have missed hearing her voice. The homesickness hits me like a tidal wave. I can feel my throat thicken as I fight against the tears.
" Okay momma, I will call again soon, or look forward to an email, I love you, bye," I say quickly shutting my phone firmly trying my hardest not to cry. I always fight against my tears but its futile. So I look around quickly to assure that I am alone, before I bury my head in my hands and cry. I hear the soft clicking of the door open, and I quickly try and wipe my face before I turn to see who is standing there. Jasper. Its like a sudden wave of calm seems to radiate off of his body and washed over me. I smile a watery smile up at him as he takes a seat next to me. We sit in a comfortable silence for a few moments before he finally says something.
" You okay?" he asks, looking over at me, his serious green eyes looking at me as if he can see into my very soul.
" Oh yeah, the tears. I was on the phone with my mom. I didn't realize how homesick I would be until I heard her voice," I say, wiping the last few tears from my face.
" Its hard at first to be away from everyone and everything that you know," he says, easily understanding how I am feeling. I nod my head, sliding back into the comfortable silence. I catch myself every once in a while looking over at him trying to read his face.
" Well uhm I better get back inside, I have a bed to put together," I say, getting to my feet.
" Do you need any help with that? Wow what happened to your lip" he asks, stopping to look at me.
" Oh, this. Ha no big deal we were trying to get the boxes in the car only it was too small a space to big a box and SMACK, right in the face. Anyways, better get back to building my bed, thanks for the offer to help, but I think I have it this time, maybe the next time I am in need of furniture assembly I will call on you," I chuckle slightly walking through the kitchen, and I could have sworn I heard him whisper I hope so under his breathe. I turn around and see him sitting at the kitchen table looking at the screen of his laptop, so I just shake my head and walk away. I smooth the sheets in place onto my freshly built bed humming to the song playing on the stereo. Jade left an hour earlier going for a ride with Rosalie to the grocery store, for a shopping trip her favorite thing to do in the world. I smiled knowing the falsehood of that statement. She hates grocery shopping, if she could she would avoid it like the plague. I look around our new room and find that we are pretty much completely unpacked, a few things remained for each of us to unpack, and deep down I think we were both putting it off because by finally unpacking those final few things we realize just how real us being here and not home is. That the safe familiar valley, is supposed to just become a memory. I walk from the room, trying to think of something to do. I decide to start looking around the house. I knew that the room across from ours was Jaspers. Actually, the bedrooms upstairs were me and Jade's room and Jasper's. There was a small guest bathroom, and another family room. I take the hall leading to the family room, and that's when I notice it. The halls were lined perfectly with different family portraits. I take my time looking down the long line of photo's. I smile at some where I can definitely tell who it is. One picture stands out more than the rest of them, a smiling picture of Jasper, Edward, Emmett, Rosalie, and who I was assuming is Alice, seeing as her resemblance to Edward and Emmett was scary. They all look happy in this photo. There own little unit. I look on, still with the image of that photo burned into my memory. I have always wanted that. My own little unit. It was just me and my mom for so long, and the Jade was added into my unit, but to have all of that almost palpable love to surround me would be one of the greatest gifts in the world.
"Ana, oh, Ana," Jade's sing song voice fills the room. I open my eyes, and lift my head from the couch cushion.
" Huh?" I ask, not quite ready to get up.
" I went grocery shopping" she shudders dramatically, before smiling wickedly. "Therefore you have to help put them away." I groan loudly as she pulls me up from the couch by the back of my shirt.
" But I don't want to Jade, please, please, don't make me," I whine as she pushes me towards the stairs.
" Don't be such a baby. I had to suck it up and do the shopping, you can help put them away, besides I bought you something," she says, happily linking her arms with mine as we walk towards the kitchen. I perk up instantly at the thought of her buying me something.
" What did you get me?" I ask, smiling looking at all of the bags that litter the kitchen.
" Put away and then you will see" she says, and we start unpacking the kitchen, working methodically easily finding where things are supposed to go.
" Where is Rosalie?" I ask, suddenly realizing that its just us working in the kitchen.
" Oh, she and Emmett had a few errands of their own to run, anyways here," she says, tossing me a box. I catch it and look down before breaking into hysterical laughter at the box of tampons with a pretty pink bow taped to the top of it that landed into my waiting hands.
" Thanks friend, really this is the best gift ever," I say, laughing until my sides feel like they are going to burst.