A/N: Wow! Thank you guys so much for the great responses! I'm truly flattered. WOW!
Disclaimer: Like I've said, I'm not the owner of these character but I'd like to play with them for a while.
Upthedownslide, LOVE YOU!
onto the story...
Edward
I took a long sip from my beer as I looked at what was on tonight's menu for gore.
" Zombie strippers, Ryan? Are we really that desperate?" I asked incredulously. I flipped the DVD to it's back to examine the plot until I realized there was none.
Apparently we were.
I was sitting in Ryan's makeshift studio apartment for some much needed guy time. I hadn't seen my good friend in a few years, so I looked at me crashing into him on my way to work to be a thing of fate rather then general bad New York courtesy. I came out of it with a scalded finger after sending my coffee flying as I made impact with his shoulder, but I wasn't complaining.
Ryan's deep laughter rang from the kitchen. " I know, man, but Bella's orders. She wanted to go see a band tonight and I couldn't say no."
I shook my head knowingly. Ah, Bella.. Bella. I hadn't seen her in five years and that name still sent a shock through my spine.
" Still wrapped around that little finger of hers, I see. How is she doing, by the way? I can see that you two are still inseparable."
Ryan walked back into the living room with a phone book in one hand and his cell phone in the other. He plopped down next to me and began flipping through the pages for a decent pizza place.
" Yeah, she's doing great, just busy with attempting to control a nationwide magazine but if anyone would be good for that job, it would be Bella." He answered distractedly. His finger held the number of the place he found decent and began to dial the number. As soon as he had finished ordering two very large pepperoni pizzas, he placed his phone back on the coffee table and took a swig from his beer and completed his actions with a quick hand shuffle through his spiky black hair.
" So, why haven't you guys started dating?" I asked innocently as I took a swig of beer attempting to hide the grimace that crossed my face at the thought of Ryan touching my Be-I mean Bella. Just Bella. A fire was suddenly brought to life in the pit of my stomach and licked up to the tip of my head as I waited for his answer.
Was I blushing? Shit.
Ryan stared at me with a smirk playing on his lips. I glared back in response.
" Don't you mean why the hell you never got the balls to do it in the first place?"
" Ha. Ha." I answered while rolling my eyes at him. " Don't be absurd, Bella and I?" I scoffed. Or attempted to. It came out more like a strangled cough. Ryan nodded knowingly.
" twenty five years old and you still can't grow a pair."
Before I could answer with a loaded sarcasm rocket, the door was shoved open and crashed into the wall with a resounding thud, causing both Ryan and I to yelp in surprise and snap our heads at the intruding sound.
"HELLO, BITCHES!" A booming voice rang through the doorway.
My head dropped.
" Hey guys," A much quieter voice added.
I turned back to the scene to see Emmett and Jasper march their way over to Ryan's kitchen and sat down the case of beer and chips they had stored under each of their arms on the black marble tops of Ryan's counters. Emmett immediately dove into the fridge and attacked whatever he could get his hands on.
" Please, help yourself." Ryan looked over at me and made a 'um, what the fuck is up with your friend' face. I grimaced in reply and shrugged my shoulders.
" How is that related to you?"
" I ask myself that everyday. I still think they made a mistake and took someone else's baby home." I replied and scooted across the couch to make more room for Emmett and Jasper. I felt the couch dip and I fell into a solid mass of man meat.
" Damn, Eddie! Stop trying to cuddle!" Emmett yelled and shoved me straight again then ruffled my hair. I growled in response and ran my hand through the tangled locks subconsciously.
" I really hate that name, Em."
" And I hate one legged stripers, they're just awkward. ZING! " Emmett replied and flashed me a cheesy grin before twisting the cap off his beer and chucked it towards the coffee table. He missed it by a mile.
" What does that even mean?" I asked rolling my eyes. Where the fuck does he get his comebacks?
Jasper ignored our tiff and sat next to Ryan. " So, what did we miss?"
Ryan glanced over at me and I watched his eyes light up. A feeling of dread shot through my veins.
" Bella."
Emmett let out a long dramatic sigh. " Eddie, Eddie, Eddie. When will you come to terms with the fact that that pussy walked away a looong time ago."
" Emmett, get a new view on women, please. I swear if vaginas could talk you'd never come up for air." I answered defensively. " Besides, Bella was more then just some fling, alright? She was an amazing person and a decent writer.." I trailed off becoming enveloped in a picture of Bella's cocky smile that decided to flood through my mind at that moment. I felt a lazy smile cross my lips.
" So you admit it then, you have a crush on Bella?" Ryan asked, adding to a building stack of purple nurples. I'd get them eventually.
" Dude, really. It's been five years." Jasper's voice cut into my memories. I turned my focus to him and watched as he shook his head. " You had your chance."
" Why is everyone assuming I had some huge crush on her? Jesus!" I sipped my beer hoping I was hiding the blush that crossed my cheeks yet again.
" That. Right there. Proves your lying." Jasper rebutted before opening a bag of chips and shoved one into his mouth. He grabbed another and pointed it at me accusingly. " The Bella ship has sailed."
" Man, whatever.." I breathed under my breath. I became wary of the conversation being focused on me, so I did my best to change the topic. I chucked the DVD at Ryan's head.
" Let's get this shit over with."
Thirty minutes into the movie and 2 beers later, I was doubled over in laughter and disbelief. The movie was beyond bizarre and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why the guys in the movie were so attracted to corroding corpses rubbing themselves against poles and then be lured into a back room for a lap dance, only to have their brains eaten.
Emmett just stared at the TV while Jasper snickered, " I love the fact that even when their skin is falling off, Emmett can still twitch his pants."
Emmett just swatted the air in front of him to command silence.
" Alright, I'm calling Bella. This is beyond ridiculous." Ryan stated and grabbed his phone and started looking for her number. A shot of adrenaline coursed through my body at the sound of her name. He was calling my Bella.
I mean, Bella.
I watched as Ryan brought the phone to his ear then smile suddenly. I figured she had answered the phone. A white hot feeling of discomfort flashed through my body causing everything around me to blur and make Ryan's outline sharper. I couldn't recognize the feeling that seemed to be raging through me, but I could feel my heart thundering in my chest. God, how I wanted that phone to be on my ear and to be the one bringing out the brilliant sound of laughter that shot out of Ryan's phone. I wanted to be the one of top of her causing that giggle for other reasons..
I may had been a tid jealous.
" - Call me when you get home, please." I heard Ryan say as he wrapped up the conversation. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and attempted to focus back on the movie, but my mind wasn't having that. All I could think about was Bella. How she was doing, what she looked like now, if her eyes were still as deep and mysterious as I remember…
Stop. I told myself. I shook my head trying to clear my thoughts but they only seemed to become more muddled. I couldn't help but remember how much of an effect Bella had on me all those years ago. I kicked myself every day after our little encounter with one another at the coffee shop two years ago for not pushing things farther like I wanted to. She was willing, I could tell that much by the way she leaned into my hand and the way her eyes bore through mine, which I'm sure mirrored the same amount of desire mine held. But just as usual, I tried to cover my tracks by being an ass and bolted without an explanation. God, what was wrong with me?
As I continued to ponder my disability when it came to Bella, a very loud and very happy, "HOLY SHIT!" broke through my thought pattern and I snapped my head up to see Ryan smiling at me wildly, his eyebrows threaded together with amusement.
" What.." I asked as my hand ran through my hair nervously. I didn't like that look. I knew that look.
Something was afoot.
" Edward, my dear boy, I think I may have found a way for you to dock the S.S Bella." He replied through an impish smile.
My heart jumped up to my throat then sank. " What? No..no. Ryan, whatever you are thinking, no." I tried to switch into damage control, but he held his hand up letting me know I couldn't talk him out of it.
" Clear your weekend, buddy. Tell the hospital that you're going to a convention this weekend."
" What convention?" I asked, feeling a slight bubble of panic begin to expand in my throat.
Ryan just shot me a cocky smile then walked towards the kitchen to grab another slice of pizza.
" End of discussion, Eddie." He emphasized the last word to make me cringe.
Shit.