Stephenie has it all. I just decided to play with her characters and add some of mine.
Pictures of the characters on my web, here: http:/ newdawn-newday-newlife . webs . com/ residentadviser . htm.
As you know by now, remove the spaces. On FB you find me under the name of Cherry Bella.
THANK YOU, GUYS! I never expected so many reviews or story Alerts/Favorites or hits. You are great! This is seriously my only story to receive such feedback! I update every week.
Pre-read by TeamAllTwilight. Check out her new story: http:/ www. fanfiction. net /s/7397923 /1/ Lipstick_Kisses_And_Inked_Virtuoso
PS1: For those that don't know, I posted outtakes for this story. It's about Edward. And I'm working on more outtakes right now.
PS2: There is a new picture on my FB profile with the house. And one about the clothes in this chapter. :) I also put a picture of the all the characters on my FB one picture of the wedding dresses...
PS3: I'll keep a new updating schedule. Mondays and Fridays.
A special thanks to EdwardsSexyBitch for helping me reach 1,000 reviews.
I posted a new outtake for those that don't know... JS. :)
I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year! Happy 2012!
Enjoy!
The second day of Christmas was better than the first. I slept in late and woke up in Edward's arms. He must have snuck up in the room after the girls had left. I burrowed myself in his embrace, revealing in the warm skin. He mumbled something, bringing me closer to him before giving me a loud snore.
Ah, he was adorable, especially in the morning.
After a look at the clock, I had to take another one and make sure it was indeed almost noon. It's been forever since I last slept for so long.
Sighing contently, I pressed my cheek to Edward's shoulder and closed my eyes again.
"You awake?" he whispered hoarsely, his voice rumbling in his chest and against my cheek.
"I thought you were asleep," I answered, surprised.
"Listen, I'm sorry about what I said last night," Edward mumbled. "That's our thing. I shouldn't have said it."
I smiled, looking up at him. "I'm sorry too. I overreacted."
I was rewarded with his bright grin. Cupping my cheek in his palm, he brought my face to his, letting our lips touch.
"Are you feeling better?" I murmured against his lips.
"Yeah… Much better," he replied, pecking my lips constantly before finally settling for a kiss we both needed.
We were interrupted by the loud growl from his stomach. I burst in giggles as his face turned pink.
"Let's go, feed you," I decided, slipping out of the bed.
"The best idea you ever had." He nodded eagerly.
The house was oddly quiet as we made our way to the kitchen. Not one sound from anywhere.
"You think they're still asleep?" Edward asked, pushing the kitchen door open.
"I don't think so. Maybe they're in one room, talking quietly?" I suggested, unsure.
"Oh, look!" he exclaimed, grabbing a note from the table. After he scanned it, he turned to me. "Aren't they sweet?" he asked, rolling his eyes. "We looked too adorable and they couldn't wake us up. They're out for lunch."
I laughed. "Well, I'm sure we have some leftovers here."
After heating up food and taking it to the living room, we turned on the TV, leaving it on a music channel before starting to eat and play cards. I was losing horribly by the time we heard the keys in the front door.
"Aw, they're awake!" Emmett exclaimed, stepping inside the living room.
"Hello," Edward told them. "So nice of all of you to wake us up."
"I couldn't do it," Esme told him softly. "How are you feeling?" she asked, coming to his side and feeling his forehead.
"I'm okay. That's mine," he added, looking at me annoyed. "I had the bigger card."
"Whatcha playing?" Emmett asked, leaning over the back of the couch.
"War," I explained, giving Edward his cards. I was just trying to win and a little cheating hadn't killed anyone…yet.
After Esme left with Carlisle, the others joined us, watching us play.
"Swan!" Edward exclaimed annoyed. "Can you at least cheat subtly?"
"I didn't cheat this time," I defended myself.
"This time?" he snorted, pushing against my shoulder. "I give up. Want to play?" he asked Emmett who was hovering. He grabbed the cards from Edward and took his place.
"No!" I cried out. "Don't let me play with him. He'll beat my ass."
"You deserve it," Edward said affectionately, kissing my head. "Chess, Jazz?"
"Sure."
Some time later, Alice gasped, looking up from the game of Scrabble she was playing with Rosalie.
"I just realized it! Have you kept in touch with Sylvia?" she asked, looking mostly at Edward.
He groaned loudly and I shot him a grin. I had become very close friends with her and most afternoons she was over at our house.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to…" Alice whispered, thinking she had made a mistake probably.
"Why don't you ask Bella about her? I'm sure she knows more," Edward answered.
"Bella?" Alice asked surprised, glancing at me.
"Yeah." I grinned. "We've become friends," I explained.
"All the summer they spent the whole day in front of the laptop watching TV series and eating ice cream."
I burst in laughter, remembering the first time he had seen us with the ice creams tubs, crying and watching the new 90210, the thing – as I called it because it wasn't exactly a Beverly Hills, 90210 and not a spin off either, so it was a thing. A funny thing at that. And when Edward had seen us like that, he was "Did we break up and I didn't know?" I had shot him a confused look to which he shrugged and answered, "You know…you're eating ice cream…" We had explained that it was the sitcom and that it was too hot outside. It didn't make sense to him.
"Really?" Rose questioned me, raising an eyebrow.
"What TV show?" Alice asked.
"90210, the new one, you know?" I asked, grinning.
"Are you serious? How old are you?" Rose moaned. "Honestly, Bella."
"Oh, shush! It's so funny. You should watch it too. I realize how many things I missed in high school. There was no drama at Forks High. The only things that caused drama can be counted on my fingers from one hand," I told them.
"Oh, we had drama, but not much. Besides, do you really think at West Beverly High is actually drama?" Alice asked skeptically.
"Uh, yeah. I'm sure. Not as much as they do it in the movies, but there is." I nodded, sure about that.
"Tell us about the drama at Forks High and we'll tell you about Port Angeles No. 10 High," Emmett said eagerly, abandoning our game.
I realized everyone was interested in my stories so we made ourselves comfortable and Alice quickly made hot chocolate before I started talking.
"So…" I knotted my fingers on my lap, trying to remember what actually happened on one of those times. "Oh yes! In Biology, we had to cut the toads, you know? And mine moved just before I could cut her stomach. I freaked and started screaming so loud, the whole school came in the Bio lab," I told them, laughing.
"Are you kidding? They gave you live toads?" Rose asked.
"No, but mine happened to be alive. Like always…it just had to happen to me."
"Oh, remember the time the heating system broke down and it was winter and so freaking cold?" Jasper asked, chuckling.
"Man, I complained that I couldn't keep the pen in my hand with the gloves on!" Emmett groaned, smiling at the memory.
"Where I was heading to was…" Jasper trailed off, looking at Edward then at me. "The principal made an announcement that the next day we wouldn't have to come to school since it was Friday and the heating installation was to be repaired… Anyway, Edward was busy during the announcement…in the janitor closet probably," he finished, smirking.
"And so was Sylvia, apparently," Alice added, giggling. "Because another explanation there isn't! You can't say he's the studious type." She jerked her head to Edward, who was scowling at them.
"You went to school?" I laughed.
"Yeah!" he groaned loudly. "It was oddly quiet around the house that morning, but I thought they had already left then I saw the car and shrugged, not really wanting to go after them. I went to pick Sylvia and when we made it school….it was closed and the parking lot was empty. Then I called Emmett, waking him up." Edward laughed.
"And I laughed of them for so long, it wasn't even funny anymore, but really, I could imagine them in the parking lot wondering why they were alone!" Emmett said in a booming voice before bursting in raucous laughing.
"But I paid him back," Edward said smugly. "One day was a party and I told him it was customary to dress like a superhero. He believed me."
"Oh, and you ended up taking a bath in the pool!" Emmett snapped back playfully.
"And I stole his clothes," Rose joined the conversation. "It was so funny to see Edward's face when he swam to the edge and found no clothes."
"But why were you naked in the pool?" I asked, confused.
"It was a dare," he explained. "I wouldn't have done it if I hadn't had a few Jacks in my system."
"And how did you get out? You did, right?"
"He didn't want to, at first, but then the chlorine made his skin itch and when he got out he was red and didn't know what to cover first as he rushed inside." Emmett laughed. "I think we have it on tape somewhere."
"You don't!" Edward shouted. "Who the fuck recorded that shit?"
"The host," Emmett answered making Edward gasp.
"Bella, I'm really sorry, but I have to kill your ice cream buddy," Edward said solemnly then he turned to the others. "Did you all know about this?"
"Of course!" They exclaimed and nodded.
We kept talking, exchanging high school experiences and funny times until Esme came to us, asking if we weren't tired. It was really late. Time flew by when you had fun.
The rest of the week, we spent it with our friends from college. Meeting up with Bob was a funny sight. Alice wanted to go to the movies and we agreed.
Outside the theatre, we found Bob and Tanya waiting. When he saw us, he yelled and ran to us like some lunatic person. Being mostly burrowed in Edward's side since I was cold, Bob caught us both in a hug.
"I'm so glad you're here! I missed you two so much!"
"Did you take something? Are you high?" Edward asked slightly concerned.
"It's been too long," Bob answered, releasing us.
After the movie, we went to a fast food and talked for hours, catching up with everyone. Jacob and Bree had joined us after the movie. It was so good to have everyone around. I was going to miss them all when we returned to Chicago.
Later in the evening, we ended up in a bar and the guys got plastered. It was so funny.
Like most times Edward was drunk, he was extremely loving and cuddly. I couldn't keep him off me on the ride home and when we arrived back at the condo, he took me to the guest room. Emmett, not knowing better, cat-called after us. A bit too loudly because I heard Carlisle talking with them in the hallway.
*RA*
After our mini holiday vacation, we settled back home into our daily routines. February was upon us before we knew it.
Today went down even more as my meeting with the last client never happened. She called an hour after she should have met with me, telling me that her boyfriend surprised her with a dinner invitation and she was busy getting ready. I told her it was okay, even though I hated her and shouted that inside my head.
Grabbing my purse, I made my way to the elevator where I met with a few other girls I didn't usually talk to. They were talking about dinner plans with their boyfriends.
This Emily person was the third person in a day to cancel our meeting. I officially hated Valentine's Day.
First, I woke up alone with a quickly scribbled note on the kitchen table that Edward had to start early then the taxi driver hit on me and at work, I lost three clients. Okay, I didn't lose them but they made me feel even more horrible when they rescheduled because of the holiday.
Second, I was sure Edward had forgotten what day it was. He would have mentioned something if he remembered.
As I left the building, I raised the collar of my coat and tightened the scarf around my neck. It was too freaking cold. I started walking as quickly as I could on the icy asphalt with my ridiculously high boots when I heard it. A whistle.
I had had it for one day.
Clutching the purse in my hand, ready to use it as a weapon when I knocked the guy over, I whirled around, eyes narrowed.
"Whoa!" Edward shouted, shielding his head when my purse hit him.
"Holy shit!" I exclaimed surprised and scared I had hurt him. "Edward, Jesus! Are you okay?"
"Well, it's not every day when I see this side of you."
"I'm so sorry, I thought you were trying to hit on me," I mumbled, snuggling in his embrace. He hugged me tightly to him.
"Do I have to kick someone's ass?" he asked amused.
I looked up at him, rolling my eyes. "You can start with the taxi driver from this morning then have a go at my second client and then you can finish with the creepy guy that works three cubicles away."
He raised an eyebrow, which got lost under his beanie. "Sounds like you had quite the day."
"You have no idea."
Edward cupped my cheek and lowered his face, kissing me soundly. "Missed you." When he stepped back, he opened the door of the car, letting me inside.
"Missed you too," I told him, grinning.
Who needs Valentine's Day? If I had Edward, I didn't need anything.
When he was behind the wheel, he maneuvered the car out of the illegal spot he had parked and drove away, grabbing my hand in his.
"How about your day?" I asked, lacing our fingers.
"Practice," he mumbled.
"I need more than that," I whined. After coming back from the holiday in Seattle, I had sat him down and we talked about what was bugging him. Turned out he didn't feel like he was really part of the team, although everyone had welcomed him with open arms. I had told him that he was still a rookie, no matter how good he was and that he wasn't going to play in every game, or be much known for a while. Then he had told me that wasn't the problem. Besides three other guys – including his coach – the others were black and he had told me how good they were, how they looked like a huge family and that he had felt like the intruder and the white sheep, although it wasn't true. I had told him that it didn't matter what color his skin was or how tall he was or how old he was. Only one thing mattered there: how good he was. And he was amazing. Everyone had told him that, but he never saw himself clearly. After our long talk, the next day, Edward had come home lots happier and told me he had talked with everyone and everything was clear and out in the open. He had even played in two games and soon, was going to be on the cover of a basketball magazine with his team. I had never been prouder of him like I was then.
"Did you hear me?"
"Huh? Sorry," I mumbled. "What was that?"
Edward laughed, shaking his head before bringing my hand to his lips and kissing the back of it. "I said that at the end of February…there's the NBA All-Star Rookie Challenge….and Coach wants me to attend. Can you believe it?"
"No, I can't! What must he be thinking?" I asked in mock-disbelief.
"Ha, ha, very funny, Swan."
"Seriously, I told you that you are great. Where are we?" I asked, suddenly realizing we were parked in front of a restaurant.
"We're having dinner, Miss Swan."
We walked into the fancy restaurant hand in hand and to my surprise I saw two of his teammates there.
"I know you. You wouldn't have really liked it if we were alone and…you know…me spending money…" he trailed off nervously. "So yeah…Korver and Boozer told me about this place and…we don't have to stay," he blurted out. "We can just go home and yeah-"
"Edward, shut up!" I said loudly, covering his mouth. "Thank you. I love this. I love you."
He sighed in relief before giving me his crooked smile. "I love you too, Bella. Uh, shall we?" He gestured nervously toward his friends.
"Sure. And…you realize it's the first time I see them, right?"
Edward's eyes widened in shock then he grabbed my hand and walked me to the table where the two men were there with their dates.
When we reached the table, they got up and I knew Edward was tall, but they were huge. One was white and one was black – the sad thing was that I had no idea who was who. I should have done some research on Edward's team. I didn't know anything about Chicago Bulls besides Michael Jordan.
"Uh, hi," I whispered, giving them a weird wave of my hand.
They smiled, shaking hands with Edward before turning to me. "Hello, Bella." The white one greeted me.
"Um, hi…"
"Kyle Korver," he explained with a light smile.
I sighed in relief. He wasn't upset I didn't know his name, although he seemed to know mine and knowing Edward, he had babbled about me a lot.
"And I'm Carlos Boozer," the other one introduced himself.
Then I was introduced to their dates and we sat down. It wasn't as bad as I had thought.
"Hey, stop fidgeting," Edward whispered in my ear.
"Easy to say, hard to do," I mumbled. "They're…huge. Isn't it…intimidating?"
"See what I meant?" He chuckled in my ear.
The waiter brought our meal and the conversation flowed surprisingly easy. They were normal, then again I had one Bulls player around all the time and he was definitely normal. They shared experiences and tried to scare Edward by telling him that they once had a live mascot – a real bull. Edward believed them for like one minute before he caught on and told them that he knew everything about the team since he loved it. But, for the minute he thought it was true, his face had been so comical.
I learned that Boozer was the captain and a power forward, whatever that meant and that Korver was shooting guard slash small forward. I had to ask Edward about the terms when we got home. I didn't want to embarrass myself or Edward, so I just nodded and smiled – exactly what clueless people do in such situations. Edward grabbed my hand, and started talking about the Rookie Challenge. It was confusing as they talked about rookies and sophomores, but I didn't ask. Again. The other girls looked just as clueless as me and one of them decided to engage me in a conversation. About my blouse. I was glad of the distraction and we started talking girl talk which I usually hated, but I welcomed it right then.
When dinner was over, we left and as we waited for our cars, there were a few people that stopped to talk and ask for autographs. Only one of them recognized Edward as one of the team too. He was surprised too because he jumped when the boy said his name and asked for an autograph. His hand trembled horribly as he signed.
His teammates told him that was only the beginning and that soon it would become second nature.
Then one girl rushed toward us, her hands flying over her face. "Oh my God! You're Ashton Kutcher!"
Kyle groaned loudly as Edward and Boozer, elbowed each other and started snickering. I didn't get the joke. Kyle explained that he wasn't the actor and that he wasn't cheating on Demi Moore since the lady at his side was his girlfriend. The Ashton fan girl didn't really believe but left.
"What did I miss?" I muttered.
Edward tried to explain but he burst in a new round of laughter.
"Oh, shut it, Cullen! It was a horrible idea to share with you all the experience," Kyle Korver exclaimed before telling us – the girls – how people used to confound him with Kutcher since they looked alike and shared the same hometown. I looked at him better and if you were really careful, you could see the semblance.
"Well," I said, probably too loudly, but I had to drink Edward's wine too because he was driving. "You're taller, for one," I said to which Korver nodded, beaming.
"Exactly, I keep telling everyone that."
"And second, really, you look much better."
"Okay, Bella, our car is here," Edward told me amused.
We said good bye and on the way home, I just held his hand and hummed along with the songs on the radio.
Arriving home, I became tired, probably the wine combined with the hard day at work. Edward unlocked the door and flipped the light on.
"I'm soo tired," I moaned.
"I believe you. I think you had half a bottle of wine by yourself." He laughed, toeing his shoes off.
"Oh, but it was soo good. Pity you couldn't drink."
"Bella, I think you're drunk," Edward told me slowly, gauging my reaction. Did he think I'll be mad?
"You may be right." I nodded, but then I became dizzy. "Whoa! Spinning."
That made us laugh and with his help I took my clothes off and was in bed. Before falling asleep, I had enough presence of mind to thank him for the wonderful night. I didn't hear his answer.
Uh...so I don't own anything of you might have recognized...especially the people. I just love to make it as true as possible.
Review, please.