The story is mine, the characters are not. Enjoy!
My talk with Emmett went better than I had expected. It seems like we were on the same page and I couldn't have been happier about it. He and Rose were a good match and I just knew that this was for the best. Plus it gave me a reprieve from the guilt of dating best friends at the same time and I could concentrate fully on Jasper, well as fully as can be expected with my mind constantly on Edward.
"You ready to go rock star?" Jasper kissed my temple, effectively pulling me from my thoughts.
"Huh?" I asked dumbly.
"We wanted to take you out to dinner. Did you not hear a word we said Bella?" Jasper's tone was teasing. I must have really been in my own little world to not hear anything.
"Sorry. I guess I was just in my own little bubble. Dinner sounds great. Let's get out of here."
Edward was the first to walk out of the club, Emmett and Rosalie were right behind him, leaving Jasper and I taking up the rear. Tanya had to stay to run the club so she and Demetri declined the invitation.
We decided to take Emmett's jeep since there was room for all five of us to the restaurant then come back here to collect our separate cars to go home. I was in the backseat in the middle of Edward and Jasper. Hello, can you say UNCOMFORTABLE? I mean really, how the hell do I get myself into these situations? Jasper's hand was on my thigh, while Edward's leg was pressed up against my other one. I swore I felt his hand move up and down my leg at one point, but when I looked at him he was staring out the window. Guess I was just imagining things.
"I knew you could sing Bella, but hot damn you rocked it up there on that stage. I had no idea that you did that kind of thing." Emmett said from the front seat.
"Oh she doesn't do it that often. Usually it takes Tanya giving her a sob story or a guilt trip to do it, although I'm not sure why. She's amazing." Rosalie said, turning around and giving me a wink. Her eyes went directly to Jasper's hand on my right thigh and Edward's leg rubbing up against my left then back to me.
"Do you have a lot of your own songs Bella, or do you do mostly covers, because I have to say that the first two you sang were really good. I bet if we got a record producer to come down and hear you you'd be signed just like that." Jasper said as he rubbed my thigh. I couldn't help but notice that Edward tensed as he did this. Wonder what that was about.
"She has a million songs. She only chooses to sing two or three when she performs though then goes off and does covers. Isn't that right Bella?"
"Uh, yeah. I've been writing since I was 13, so, uh, yeah. I have a lot." I replied nervously. As much as it may seem odd, given my profession I really don't like having attention drawn to me.
"I'd like to hear some more sometime if you'd let me." Jasper said sweetly. To be honest Rose and Alice were the only ones that heard my stuff, all of it. Tanya didn't even know how many songs I had actually written. If she did she'd make me sing more often. Doing it once a month was enough for me.
"Um." Before I could answer Emmett announced we were at the restaurant so everyone piled out of the car.
"I was serious Bella. I want to hear your music. You were truly amazing up there. Although, we will be having a talk about this Jamie character sooner rather than later." I cringed, not wanting to have that conversation with Jasper. We had only just started dating and I wasn't sure where this was going. Talking about Jamie was…difficult and not something I did willingly with anyone other than Rose, Alice and Tay.
"Thanks. Maybe sometime I could show you how to even play a couple of songs since you'll be taking lessons and all." I tried lightening the mood, taking the tense talk of Jamie off the table; thankfully Jasper smiled and didn't press any further.
We sat down at the table and just like in the car I was sandwiched between Edward and Jasper and again Jaspers hand was on my thigh while Edward seemed to be scooting closer to me. I wondered why he was doing this when he could, and usually did, have every girl he wanted. It was obvious he had no issues getting girls, so why rub up against me? Was is because I was dating Jasper and was "off limits" now? That had to be it. The wanting what you can't have thing. I turned and gave him a glare hoping he'd back off.
"Problem?" Edward leaned in and whispered, although he didn't need to lean in too far since he was practically sitting on my lap.
"What are you doing?" I asked whispered back at him, trying my damnedest to sound put off by his behaviour.
"What?" He feigned innocence.
"You know what." I was getting more frustrated with him and just needed him to back off. His close proximity was making me light headed.
"No Bella. Tell me. What is it that I'm doing?"
"What's going on?" Rosalie asked, obviously noticing our little chat.
"Nothing." I answered. I noticed Edward smirking at me from the corner of my eye. Ass! I focused my attention back on the menu and quickly decided on the mushroom ravioli. The waitress came to take our drink orders, but since we waited so long we were all ready to order our food as well.
"So Rosalie, you live in New York right?" Jasper asked my best friend who was currently making eyes at Emmett.
"Hmm? Oh yeah. I live in New York. It's amazing there, but I really miss Seattle, it's always been home to me, that's why I am interviewing for a position here. I miss my friends and my family."
"Wow, that's great, isn't it Emmett?" Edward said to his friend.
"Yeah, it's really great." His eyes never left Rosalie.
"When will you know about the job Rose? I'm anxious to have my best friend back home." I laughed. I was completely serious though; I missed her and Alice like crazy and couldn't wait to have at least one of them back home.
"They said they'd call in a couple of days, basically as soon as I get back to New York. Hopefully I'll have to put in my two weeks' notice and make arrangements to move back here."
"You can move in with me until you can find an apartment, you know I have plenty of room." I told her. I was actually really excited at the prospect of having Rose living with me.
"That would be great Bella. Thanks." Our dinners arrived just then, conversation stilled as we all ate. "Mm, Bella. I talked to Alice today. She said she was coming up in a couple of weeks."
"Yeah, I spoke with her too. She's staying with me for a few days. Any idea on why she's coming? Not that I'm not completely thrilled that's she's coming for a visit, but you know Alice, she never does anything without a reason."
"She told me she and Marcus broke up, said he didn't support her dreams." Rosalie rolled her eyes. Neither of us really liked Marcus to begin with. He was a selfish asshole who tried to control Alice and stifle her creativity. Said no wife of his was going to work for a living, he wanted her to stay home and have like a gazillion babies. Alice isn't the stay at home type; we knew it was only a matter of time before they broke up.
"About time." I told her as she nodded enthusiastically. Like I said, neither of us were fans of the guy.
"Hopefully I'll be back by the time she comes for a visit. Won't that be fun Bella?" She said excitedly. I agreed it would be a blast to have both my girls back; even it was only for a short time. The boys were quiet just listening to us talk. Apparently Rose noticed at the same time I did that we were being rude by excluding them from the conversation. "What is it that you do Jasper?" Rose asked, she said earlier that she wanted to get to know him better.
"I'm a psychiatrist actually. I have my own practice here." He responded. I noticed that Rose looked both impressed and scared at the same time. "Don't worry, I won't analyze you. That's what these two are for." He motioned to Emmett and Edward then laughed.
"Oh thank god." Rose said. "I hear you met Bella at Eclipse? Is that right?"
"Yeah, Emmett and I went to hang out with Edward, he goes every Tuesday and Thursday so we decided to tag along and see what the fuss was about. I was glad I did the minute I saw Bella." He squeezed my knee. I heard Edward huff beside me, but avoided looking at him.
"That's so sweet. Bella tells me that she's giving you guitar lessons as well, have you always been interested in the guitar?"
"Um, no. Music is more Edward's thing, but honestly playing the guitar seems like fun and with Bella as a teacher I'm sure it will be." Jasper kissed my temple and I just smiled. Rose looked at the two of us with a smile, and then looked to my left at Edward and the smile faded to something that looked almost sad.
"What about you Edward?" Rose asked, trying to get him to participate in the conversation.
"I'm a doctor." Edward said to her. It didn't seem like he wanted to talk about his profession, but Rose being Rose, she pressed on.
"Aren't doctors on call pretty much 24/7? How do you find the time to go to Karaoke every Tuesday and Thursday with that schedule?"
"I have my own practice and have three other doctors that work with me. They usually take all the calls on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Karaoke has been a great way for me to unwind and take my mind off sick patients. We're also closed on the weekends, so that's why I'm here tonight." He said casually. I hadn't noticed that I was staring at him the entire time he was talking until his eyes fixed on mine. He gave me a wide smile and lightly touched my hand. Of course the electricity was there as it always. Thankfully Rose brought us back to reality; our gaze broke as we all talked about work. I told them all how Peter wanted me to start teaching at his new school and they all thought it was a great idea. Jasper was already aware of the offer, but he gave his encouragement none the less.
Jasper's hand on my thigh and Edward practically on top of me was getting to me after we finished dinner and I excused myself to use the restroom. Rose followed after me and I heard the boys talking about how women can never just go to the restroom by themselves.
Once in the bathroom Rose cornered me.
"What's going on with you and Edward?"
"Rose, please." I replied. I was in no mood to have this discussion right now. My nerves were already shot from being so close to Edward. I couldn't admit to myself what I felt for him much less Rose.
"Bella. There is something going on between you two, I can tell. I'm one of your best friends; you can't hide it from me. So tell me. What's going on?" She was practically pleading for me to let her in, but I wasn't ready for this conversation.
"I just…I can't Rose. I don't know what's going on." I hung my head low, trying with all my might not to look at her. I didn't want to see the disappointment on her face.
"Bella." She came in close to me, rubbing my back to try and calm me down. I hadn't even realized I was crying until she tried to get me to stop. "It's okay honey. We don't have to talk about it right now." I finally settled down, Rose brought me a tissue to wipe my eyes. I don't know why I was such a mess. No, that's not true; I knew why I was a mess. I was dating the best friend of the man I wanted desperately to be with, but I couldn't, so I was settling. "I'm going to go back out there. Splash some water on your face and come out when you're ready. I'll tell the boys that we need to go home." With a sniffle and a nod from me Rose was out the door. I splashed water on my face and felt a lot better. I looked in the mirror and cringed, I looked like hell. Taking a couple of soothing breathes I opened the door to the bathroom, once I stepped out I ran into something, something hard and warm, with arms that wrapped around me to keep me from falling.
"Bella, are you alright?" His voice soothed me instantly and I relaxed against him. I knew it was wrong. These are not the arms that I should be finding comfort in, but I couldn't help myself. He was there and he smelled so good. I just wanted to breathe him in for a few minutes; pretend that he's the one that was meant to hold me in his arms. "You're shaking. Bella, look at me." I lifted my face to look at him, he was just so beautiful. How was I ever going to resist him? I reached my hand up and caressed his jaw line, his head leaning into the touch and his beautiful green eyes closed. I got up on my tip toes and gave him a light kiss on his jaw as his grip on me tightened. "Bella." He whispered. I pulled away, and went back to the table where everyone was waiting, leaving him standing in the hallway. What had I just done?
EPOV
The ride to the restaurant was the sweetest torture. My leg was pressed up against Bella and I could feel the current running between us. I was getting angry watching Jaspers hand on Bella's other thigh. I wanted to be doing that, but she was with him now, there was no way that was going to be happening. When she asked me what I was doing I acted as if I didn't know what she was talking about, but she was on to me. In the restaurant it was the same. I scooted in as close as I could to her, needing to feel that current again, it was like a drug to me, I needed it to get through this night almost as much as I needed air. Rosalie asked a bunch of questions after the girls chatted about their friend Alice and her impending visit. I didn't really like talking about myself, or my work. It's not that I wasn't proud of what I did for a living; I just don't like flaunting it. Yes I'm a doctor, yes I have money, but that's not what I wanted Bella to see in me. I wanted her to see the real me, not that I had been showing that to her previously with all the girls I would leave the club with. I was just looking for some company, someone to talk to. It also didn't hurt that Bella seemed jealous every time I left with someone. If Jasper and Emmett hadn't asked her out and started dating her I would have asked her out myself soon.
When Rosalie stopped asking me questions I turned to see Bella staring at me, I gave her a bright smile and the world seemed to stop right there, that is until Rosalie started talking again and Bella tore her eyes from mine. Shortly after Bella excused herself to use the restroom and Rosalie followed.
"What is it with women? They can never go to the restroom by themselves; they always have to go together?" Emmett asked with his mouth full of food.
"They go in there to talk about us Em." I told him.
"You think? What do you think Rose is saying about me?" He asked like a teenage girl in home room. Were we going to start passing each other notes now?
"How the fuck should I know man? You guys just met tonight, I'm sure she has a million questions for Bella, but I can pretty much guarantee you that they'll be up all night talking about you and most likely Jasper." Jasper nodded his head in agreement. "I gotta pee. I'll be back." I got up to leave and left Em and Jazz to themselves. Rosalie was coming out of the restroom, sans Bella. She gave me a pat on the shoulder as she passed by me. I wonder what that was about.
I had just entered the hallway leading to the restrooms when Bella literally ran right into me. I put my arms around her to keep her from falling and almost instantly she seemed to melt into me. She looked like she had been crying and I was worried. "Bella, are you alright?" I asked, but there was no response, she just held onto me, taking comfort in my arms. I figured it wasn't going to last long so I just enjoyed the moment, not needing to say anything, just feeling her in my arms was enough right now. She reached her hand up and trailed the line of my jaw before placing a sweet kiss there. My grip tightened around her, not wanting to let her go. "Bella." I whispered to her, not really sure of what I was trying to say. She pulled herself away from me and walked back to the table leaving me standing there utterly confused. I shook myself out of my haze and continued on my original path to the bathroom. I had a lot to think about and couldn't wait to get home. Having Bella in my arms felt right. I needed to find a way to have her as my own. Jasper would understand, he just had to. Maybe if I talked to him he'd break things off with her.
"Hey man, we're getting ready to leave. The girls are tired. We'll be outside waiting for you." Jasper had stuck his head into the restroom.
"Yeah, I'll be right out Jazz." I washed my hands and went outside to leave. They were already starting to pile into Emmett's car when I got out there so I followed suit and got in next to Bella. We arrived back at the club quicker than I thought possible and we were all saying goodbye, ready to go on our separate ways. I noticed Bella looking at me as Jasper hugged her. She looked sad almost. I wished it was me that was hugging her. "See ya guys! Bella, you were truly amazing up there tonight. I'm so glad I got to see it." I told her. She walked over to me, engulfing me in her arms.
"Thank you Edward." Her breath was hot on my ear. I didn't want to let her go, but knew if I held on much longer Jasper would notice and I'd never hear the end of it, so I slowly released her.
"You're welcome. See you later." I gave everyone else a wave as I walked to my car.
The rest of the weekend passed without incident and Monday brought on a hectic day. Seems like everyone was getting sick. They were mostly just the common cold, but one patient broke their arm, so that needed to be set and put in a cast. The craziness of the day kept my mind off of Bella so for that I was thankful. When I finally left the office I was exhausted. I wanted nothing more than to go home, grab a beer and watch some mindless TV. That however was not in the cards. As soon as I pulled up I saw Emmett's car in my driveway. I groaned, not really in the mood to deal with him right now.
"Edward! Thank god. I've been waiting for you for over an hour." He climbed out of his car and followed me to my front door.
"Hey Em. What's going on?" I asked. I tried to keep the irritation out of my voice; apparently I did a good job because Emmett didn't seem to notice at all.
"I talked to Rose this morning."
"Okay?"
"Well it seems she got that job she interviewed for on Friday." He told me, he seemed happy, but also a little scared.
"That's great Emmett." I wasn't sure where he was going with this and he needed to just talk before I kicked his ass out of my house.
"Yeah. So here's the problem. I really like her. We spent all day together yesterday and we're supposed to go out tonight with Jasper and Bella to celebrate. I actually tried calling you a couple of times to invite you but you never answered your phone." He still hadn't told me what the problem was, but the invitation to hang out with Bella was tempting, but I declined. I was just too damned tired, plus I didn't want to feel like the 5th wheel. "That's too bad man. It won't be the same without you." I waved him off.
"So what has you so freaked out Em?" Why can't I just read minds so I can figure out what his problem is and get him out of here faster?
"Okay, well I really like her and I don't want to move to fast, but God Edward, every time I am around her I just want to rip her clothes off and bury myself inside of her. How the fuck am I going to do this?" He asked.
"She's only here until tomorrow night, right?" He nodded in the affirmative so I continued. "You're going to have to take matters into your own hands before you see her. You only have tonight and tomorrow, then she'll be back in New York for at least a few weeks. Build on your relationship while she's there then hopefully by the time she comes back you'll both be ready."
"Yeah. Yeah I could do that. Thanks man, you're a lifesaver."
"No problem man. So have a good time tonight, tell Rose congratulations for me and sorry I couldn't be there." I really wanted my beer and mindless television. I had yet to figure out what I was going to do about Bella, but I needed to think of something and soon. "Can I ask you a question without you throwing a fit and getting all emo on me?" Emmett asked warily.
"Um…sure." I was hesitant, wondering what he was going to ask me that might make me upset. I looked at him expectantly, waiting for the dreaded question.
"What's up with you and Bella?" Say what?
"W-what?" I stuttered in shock by his question.
"You and Bella. There's something going on there, I can see it. I tried talking to Rose about it but she wasn't talking."
"Fuck." I muttered, not meaning for him to hear me, even though he did.
"I knew it." He yelled excitedly like he had won the lottery or something.
"Em. There's nothing going with Bella and me, I swear to you."
"I call bullshit Edward. I saw you two last night at the restaurant. I'm surprised that Jazz hasn't beaten your ass for the way you were looking at her."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Denial was always a good tactic, but judging by the look on his face he wasn't buying it.
"Edward! Come on man. I'm not as dumb as I look." He told me, his voice was nothing but serious.
"Fine. There really is nothing going on between us, but I can't deny that I want there to be something with her. Why do you think I go to karaoke twice a week every week Em?" I sincerely hope that my honesty with him doesn't end up biting me in the ass, but I couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Shit. So what are you gonna do?" He asked.
"If I knew that I'd already be doing it. I can't exactly go after her now that she's dating Jasper. Add that to the fact that she thinks I'm a player, I'm sure I don't have a shot in hell with her."
"I don't know about that. I've seen her looking at you too. She feels something for you, you just have to show her who you really are. The player image you put on yourself and to be honest I'm not sure why. I mean, if you've liked her for this long, why parade girls around in front of her?"
"I'm an idiot, that's why." What was I thinking? He was right; I put this all on myself. If I hadn't paraded girls in front of her face we may be together right now instead of her being with Jasper.
"I don't want to betray Jasper, but I'm going to tell you what he told me." My ears perked up and I was desperate to hear anything that might help me with Bella. "When you left the table to use the bathroom last night I asked him how things were going with Bella and he said that she was a great girl and he could see them being friends for a long time." I blinked several times, trying to grasp what he was saying. He said friends; he didn't say he saw himself settling down with her, he said friends. That's when I realized that Jasper would most definitely be okay with me and Bella together; I just needed to talk to him.
"But if he doesn't see a future with her, then why continue seeing her? That doesn't seem like Jasper." Jasper would never lead someone on; if he didn't see things going very far with them he would end it. He was a great guy because of it and most of his ex's were still good friends of his.
"I have no idea. Maybe he thinks it's too early to tell for sure. All I know is that she looks at you like you're her sun and her whole world revolves around you, she doesn't look at Jas that way." When did Emmett get so deep? "Okay man, I'm out. Have a good evening by yourself. See you tomorrow at Eclipse, yeah?"
"Yep. Have a good night Em. And good luck keeping it in your pants." With a pat on the back he was on his way and I was finally by myself. I went into my room to change into some sweat pants and a t-shirt before I settled in for the night. With a beer in my hand not five minutes later I turned on the TV and lost myself in my thoughts. I was going to be with Bella, of that I was absolutely certain; I just had to figure out how to go about doing it.
BPOV
Edward didn't show up at the bar. I was a little sad when Emmett came in and told us he just wanted to stay at home tonight. I guess he was tired; I tried not to take it personally, like he was trying to avoid me after what happened last night. Maybe I had gone too far kissing his jaw like I did, but I just couldn't help myself.
When I went back to the table Jasper asked if I was okay and kissed me chastely on the lips. I told him I was fine, I just had a long day. He seemed to accept my explanation as he led me out of the restaurant. The ride back to the club was filled with chatting about various things, mostly Rosalie's move. She was excited to be staying with me until she could find her own place. Emmett seemed a little off though, I mean he seemed happy that she'd be coming back, but for some reason he looked tense. I hoped that he could get over whatever was stressing him out; he and Rose were good together. I could already tell and it had only been a few hours.
"I'll call you tomorrow?" Jasper posed it as a question. Maybe he had seen the interaction between Edward and I and wasn't feeling too sure of himself. I hated that I made him feel that way. I couldn't be with Edward, I was in this with him, or at least I was trying to be.
"You better." I teased. I was trying to keep things light especially after my little freak out. I gave him a sweet kiss on the lips before saying goodbye to everyone else. Edward said goodbye to everyone and complimented me on my performance tonight and for some reason I felt like it was the sweetest thing I had ever heard, so I walked over to him and hugged him with all my might. I thanked him before slowly letting him go. Rosalie gave Emmett a little kiss and her phone number before meeting me back at my car so we could head home.
"What was that Bella?" She immediately started in on me as soon as we got home and I knew she was talking about my hug with Edward.
"I don't know. He said that I was amazing on stage and he was so happy that he could see it and…shit. It was just the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me and I got a little emotional and felt the need to hug him." I told her.
"A little emotional?" Rose quirked an eyebrow at me, not so subtly hinting that I had been on an emotional rollercoaster today.
"Shut up. It's not like I did anything inappropriate. I just hugged a friend." She didn't say anything in response; she just stood there looking at me like I had four heads. "What? It's true." She still sat there staring at me and it was starting to get on my nerves. "You know what just forget it. I'm going to bed. You know where everything is to get settled in." I went into my room and shut the door and pulled my pajamas from my dresser. Once I was finally in my PJ's I got into bed and in no time I was asleep.
The next day when I woke up Rosalie was already showered and dressed sipping her coffee.
"Morning sleeping beauty." She got up off the stool, grabbed a cup from my cabinet and filled it with coffee before handing to me.
"Morning." I took the mug of hot caffeinated goodness gratefully. "Thanks." I could tell by the look in her eyes that she wanted to talk about Edward again, so I poured in my cream and sugar and sat down, getting ready for the onslaught of questions.
"I'm probably going to be gone most of the day. Emmett wants to take me out. Is that okay with you?"
I was shocked really and a little sad, I was hoping to spend some time with her before she left on Tuesday, oh well, maybe tomorrow.
"That's fine. Maybe tomorrow we can go hang out? I want to spend some time with you before you leave."
"I'm coming back in two weeks Bella, then I'll be living here, you're going to get sick of me." She laughed, knowing full well I'd never be sick of her.
"Like that's even possible Rose." I rolled my eyes at her, because how on earth was I going to get sick of her, she's my best friend.
"Yeah, yeah. Tomorrow sounds good, maybe we can go shopping. I looked through your closet and if you don't get some new stuff before Alice gets here she's going to have a field day." She didn't have time to go into my closet, she just got here last night and as soon as we got home I went to bed, unless she snuck in while I was sleeping. She wouldn't do that though, would she? Oh who am I kidding, of course she would. I tried to think of what I had in my closet and realized that she was right. I hadn't been shopping for actual clothes in a while, which was surprising since I had Tay living in the same building and that girl loved to shop.
"Sure Rose. Have a good time with Emmett today." I relented. She had a look of shock on her face, she probably expected a battle. HA that shows her.
"Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?" She asked teasingly.
I laughed with her, because I was never one to give up that easily and I hated shopping with every fiber of my being, but as much as I hated it, I knew I'd hate it more with Alice. She could go all day long and while the rest of us were dead on our feet she'd still want to hit some more stores. I don't know how she did it; she's like the fucking energizer bunny.
"I know you didn't think you were getting rid of me that easily. Emmett's not coming for another couple of hours so we have time to talk." This is so not going to end well for me. "Don't you groan at me missy. We need to talk about Edward."
"Rosalie! There's nothing to talk about. He's a player and I'm dating Jasper. End of story, there is absolutely nothing going on between Edward and me."
"Isabella Marie Swan, do not lie to me. I can see through you ya know. Okay, let me start." I groaned, which earned me a dirty look, but I didn't care. "First of all, you wrote a song about the guy." I was about to ask her how she knew that but she spoke again before I had a chance. "Tay told me. I heard the song Bella. You've got it bad for this guy and based on the way he was acting anytime Jasper touched or kissed you not to mention the way he looks at you I'd be willing to bet my paycheck that he has it bad for you too. Now what I don't understand is why on earth you are still with Jasper if you have these feelings for Edward. This isn't like you Bella. You have to know that you're just going to end up hurting Jasper if this continues. You and Edward are like soul mates or something and a connection like that doesn't get weaker Bella, it gets stronger, more intense." She finally stopped to take a breath and I figured that was a good time for me to start talking, unfortunately my cell phone rang. I looked at the screen to see who was calling and it was Jasper.
"Hold on Rose." I accepted the call knowing full well that as soon as I hung up I'd have to talk some more about Edward. "Hey Jas."
"Hey beautiful. A little birdie told me that you'd be on your own today and I was hoping I could convince you to see a movie with me and maybe grab some lunch. What do you say?" Jasper asked sweetly. I had nothing else planned today since Rose was going out with Emmett, so spending time with Jasper sounded like a great idea.
"I think that sounds perfect. What time?" Hopefully he didn't say he'd be here in an hour since I just woke up and have yet to take a shower.
"What time is it now? Hold on." He came back a second later with the time, it was 10:00. "How about I pick you up at your place at 1, does that work?"
"That will work. I'll see you at one Jasper. Bye."
"Bye sweetheart." Swoon.
I hung up the phone and just as I predicted Rose started in about Edward again.
"SOOOO?" She asked.
"So what?" Playing dumb was all I had at this point.
"BELLA! Stop with the stall tactics already." The frustration was obvious in her tone so I figured I'd just fess up at this point.
"Okay! Geez Rose, take a pill would ya?" I took a deep breath then let her have the dirty truth. "IhavefeelingsforEdward." I mumbled into my coffee cup.
"What was that Bella?"
"I said…I HAVE FEELINGS FOR EDWARD. Are you happy now?"
"Very! Now what are we going to do about this situation you've found yourself in?" Rose sat down with her coffee looking deep in thought. I sensed danger coming my way and I was scared. "First things first you need to break things off with Jasper."
"WHAT? Rose, I can't do that. I like Jasper." The thought of breaking things off with him actually hurt even though we've only been on one date.
"Bella, seriously, do I need to go over this again?" When I didn't answer she whipped out her cell phone mumbling something about drastic measures. Shit! She was calling Alice, I just knew it. "Hey Al, glad I caught you. Look, I'm having a difficult time with Bella…No it doesn't have to do with fashion, although she did say we could go shopping tomorrow…Yeah I'm in Seattle…What?...No, well yeah I guess…I had an interview…I haven't heard yet…Of course I'll tell you as soon as I know anything." I wasn't sure how long this was going to go on so I took a seat next to Rose on the sofa waiting impatiently for what I knew was coming my way. "Okay, well back to the reason I called. Bella is dating this guy…Yes Jasper, that's the one…Oh she's told you about him has she?...Well yes, he is very cute…No she's not dating Emmett anymore…Since last night…Well I'm sort of dating him now." I could hear Alice screaming from where I was sitting and I chuckled to myself. She had that coming; I mean she basically called Alice to tell on me. Little snitch, serves her right. "Alright, we'll talk more about that later. Anyways, she dating Jasper but she has feelings for Edward, one of his friends." Her eyes turned to me and she smirked. CRAP! Alice had already heard the whole sorted details on my love of all things Edward, well expect for his whoring around, that I could live without. Now I was really in for it. "Okay, I'll put you on speaker. Hold on Ali."
"ISABELLA MARIE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Alice voice screamed from Rose's phone.
"Hello to you too Alice." I responded.
"Don't hello me missy. What's going on with you?"
"I don't know Al. I like Edward, as you know, but I can't get past all the girls he leaves with and Jasper's nice and wants to spend time with me and he's not a man whore at least he doesn't give off that impression. I don't know what I'm doing. Rose says I need to break things off with Jas, but I like him Ali, but she's right, it's not fair to Jas that I have all these pent of feelings for Edward and yeah it's stronger than the feelings I have for Jas, but other than him having an awesome singing voice, being a doctor and being the hottest man on the face of the planet, what do I really know about him? So what if he makes my panties wet with just a smile, I mean that's not something to base a relationship on. And what about Jamie? I got hurt so badly with him, I really don't want a repeat of that, not that Edward is the abusive type, but you know what I mean." It all came out as one long run on sentence and I know I didn't take a breath during the entire thing, no wonder my lungs hurt and Rose was looking at me like I'd lost my mind or maybe morphed into Alice.
"Okay, let's take a breath Bella. Here's what I think. It's obvious you have feelings towards Edward; however I think you have every right to be nervous about dating him. You have seen him leave the club every time with a different girl, which doesn't seem good, but maybe it isn't what it seems. I'm not saying that you should talk to him about it or anything because actions do speak louder than words, but we have no idea what happens once they are out of those doors. Rose does have a point about Jasper, if you're feelings for Edward are stronger than your feelings for him then it isn't fair to string him along."
"Look Alice, I see what you both are saying, but we just started dating, shouldn't I give it more time? Sometimes feelings develop over time. I just cannot let Edward in just to get crushed, I've been through enough. I need something good and Jasper is good." My voice was pleading with both of them to understand my point. If I gave Edward a chance, knowing what I know about him I was more likely to get hurt. Rose's face seemed resigned, now I just had to convince Alice to let this be.
"I get where you're coming from Bella, I do, and I have to say that I agree with you on this one. I say you continue seeing Jasper, see where this goes for a while. If you still feel more for Edward than him after a few weeks then break things off before it gets too far into it. What do you think Rose?" Alice was on my side. Thank you, there is a God.
"I agree, now that Bella has explained things a little better." Good, now that's over with we can get back to more pressing topics. "Alice, tell us about this upcoming visit, what's really behind it?"
Alice told us both that she broke things off with Marcus and she just needed some time away to clear her head. Our conversation turned to Rose's interview and we both agreed that she was going to get it. I told them both I needed to get going since Jasper was going to be by soon to pick me up and left to finally take my shower. I was feeling a lot better now that the girls were behind me with this.
We chose to see the latest romantic comedy then had a casual lunch. We talked and laughed for a long time before Jasper dropped me back at home leaving me with a kiss that made breathless again. The guy was a fabulous kisser. Rosalie still wasn't home when I got there; I figured she was having a good time with Emmett.
By the time she got back she was acting as if she was walking on the clouds. I had never seen her so happy before. She gushed about Emmett, telling me about their date. They played video games and bumper cars, ate cotton candy and apparently had one of the best make out sessions on the beach that she's ever experienced. My little girl was growing up. Sniff, sniff.
All this brings me back to today, sitting in the bar with Rose, Emmett and Jasper celebrating Rose's new job back home in Seattle. I couldn't help thinking about Edward the entire time, ignoring all the conversations going on around me. What was he doing? Why wasn't he here? Would he come by Eclipse tomorrow or just start avoiding me all together?
Not where I wanted to stop it, but if I didn't it would be 12,000 words, I assure you and that's just too long for 1 chapter. Hope you guys like where these two are going, I know it probably isn't what you were hoping for but Bella has issues due to Jamie and we'll explore that more soon, promise. She just doesn't trust Edward, not that he's given her reason to. He needs to prove himself to her.
Now, please take a few seconds and review. I love hearing what you guys think. Until next time.