Chapter Five

Rosalie had said no. She had no business there, with kids least of all, she said.

Edward was more than happy to oblige, for the first time.

So at three in the morning, I was alone in bed, still wide awake. What time did he usually go home? I knew it was summer, which meant it was easy to go crazy, but didn't Esme and Carlisle implement strict curfew like they used to?

Unfair.

Rosalie had to wake me up the next morning. She had to literally get me off my bed. I loved my comfy Egyptian sheets - they were a gift from Esme and Carlisle along with all other expensive furniture in this room. Unfortunately, I didn't get to bring them to New York.

"Five more minutes!" I groaned into my pillow. I had stayed up so late last night that I didn't even know what time I finally fell asleep. I was too busy thinking about what the fuck happened to Edward.

"I'll get Edward to wake you up then."

That got me going.

We didn't see Edward for the rest of the day. Turns out, Rosalie lied when she said she'd get Edward to wake me up. He had not come home at all. Esme and Carlisle didn't think it was less than appropriate. Rosalie acted like it's no big deal.

Carlisle had a double shift at the hospital, which left me, Rosalie, and Esme by ourselves. Esme thought it was nice for us girls to have some alone time. I could tell she really missed Rosalie so she was more than willing to spend three hundred dollars on home service for some mani and pedi.

Better that than shopping, I think.

Plus, it's not like money was such a big deal to the Cullens. As far as I knew, they were loaded. Rosalie already had access to her personal trustfund left by her great grandmother. There was another one for Edward, but he had to be at least twenty one to get a dime out of it.

Speaking of Edward... "Did Edward... uh, did he come home last night?"

Esme gave me a curious look. I opened my mouth to say something, just anything. I didn't want her to think I was prying into their business. "Ah, er, I didn't hear him get in, that's why I asked. His room is right across mine so, yeah."

Shit, what was that about?

"He must have stayed at his friend's house. Don't worry about Edward. He's a big boy and he can handle himself." Yup, sure. I knew he was a big boy, all right.

At dinner time, Edward was still MIA. I didn't understand why I kept looking for the guy. I mean, it's not like I went back to Forks so I could see him. I wanted to spend some good times with my best friend and on the side, I had some unfinished business to deal with after Charlie's passing. He had left me some properties in the area and I was still deciding which ones were worth keeping.

But I was curious. I didn't exactly expect him to be so much different from the last time I saw him. It shouldn't be a big deal. He was just my best friend's little brother after all; on the other hand, he had been a friend too. I knew I shouldn't be fussing over this, but, I couldn't explain why I felt like it.

I grabbed a couple of sticks and a lighter from my purse and went outside. I did not have it in me to smoke inside Esme's lovely home. Maybe she would be disappointed, or maybe not. But it was a bad habit I picked up in college, and there was no stopping me.

I was finally alone in my thoughts and some menthol flavored sticks.

"I didn't know you smoke."

I jumped up in surprise when I heard Edward's voice. He walked towards me with two bottles of Corona in his right hand. "I was looking for you," he said before he handed me one.

"You shouldn't be drinking," I commented. What a hypocrite, my conscience mused. Yeah, I had been drinking long before I was twenty one, so I didn't have any right to chastise Edward about his drinking habits.

"You shouldn't be smoking either," he countered, smirking. "Besides, it's not like you and my sister were too quiet with your escapades back in high school. I know you two were not as innocent as you faked it."

True, he got me there. We clicked our bottles before I took a sip out of mine.

"So where were you in the last twenty four hours?" I asked. I probably sounded like a demanding wife the way I talked. What. The. Fuck.

"Around." He smirked at me and said: "You missed me, didn't you?" He took a drag from my stick and gave me a wink.

He was so fucking hot. I shouldn't be thinking of him that way, but at the moment, I had no other words to describe him as he stood so casually next to me. If I didn't know him at all, I could think he was older. Maybe in college, at least.

But I had to remind myself that he was only seventeen, and that he was my best friend's little brother. This was getting frustrating.

Finally, we had a decent conversation. I was surprised to find myself telling him some of the best experiences I'd had in college, so far. He held on to each word I said, as though every one of them was meaningful. And I admit, it was nice that he just stood there and listened to me ramble about things, inserting funny comments here and there. In return, he told me about his best friends Emmett and Jasper. Those two, he said, were crazy brothers, but he wouldn't have them any other way. Emmett was older and was attending U-Dub, taking up aeronautical engineering. Jasper was still in high school, just like Edward.

"You know, if you ever feel like smoking some good stuff, I have a stash I keep in my room."

I'm sure he meant weed. I looked at him questioningly, unsure if he was serious or not. He looked at me suggestively and I knew then that he wasn't shitting me. Edward had been up to naughty things in the past three years with the company of alcohol and weed. I grinned, and said: "Do your parents know about these bad things you've been up to?"

"As far as they're concerned Rose is still a virgin. What do you think?"

He had a point there. Rosalie brought guys over at their house every now and then. She had several boyfriends in high school but her parents didn't know she had her cherry popped at the age of sixteen, right under their roof. That's the sad truth.

"And I guess they think you are too. But I saw you with Riley Biers more than I could take,"- he stated matter-of-factly and continued- "and enough to know you like it hard and rough."

My right hand landed on his face faster than I could stop myself. What the fuck? I gasped in surprise as I assessed the damage I had caused. Even in the dim light I could see my handprint on his skin. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry, Edward. I didn't mean to-"

His green eyes turned almost black. He was obviously mad, that much I gathered. When his lips tugged slightly on one side to form a grin, I knew I was in trouble.

Half a second later, his lips were pressed against mine. I grabbed a fistful of his copper hair and hanged on to his body without any reservation. One lick on my lips and then our tongues were battling for dominance.

That's when I realized I'd lost it.

A/N: The lack of response to this story is mildly disappointing. So if you're reading this and found it satisfactory, will you let me know? I'd like some feedback, just to check if it's still worth writing.

Thank you to all who submitted their reviews and shared their thoughts with me.

x Kat / mmecullen