Chapter Six
"Did Edward say what their plans were today?" Angela asked Bella as she tried to find parking. Edward had recommended a place that had awesome cinnamon rolls and she was craving one.
"He texted me earlier, letting me know they were heading to Pismo to surf. His cousin is going to try to teach him."
"You should see the smile on your face right now, Bella." Angela laughed, but quickly pointed to an empty space that opened up. The parking lot down the street from main road was practically full, with early weekenders and locals for lunch.
"Shut up. It was sweet and his spelling was horrible." Bella smiled. "He sent it at like five in the morning."
"You two looked very cozy last light. Sharing a blanket, both of your heads bent over his guitar as he played."
Angela playfully sighed, batting her lashes. Wearing a summer dress in a nice green, she looked fantastic and at ease. Being the preacher's daughter was no easy feat, and she always appeared so prim and proper. Bella loved how Angela seemed happier than usual, carefree.
"He seemed shy, and he said the song was only for me anyway," Bella said, biting her lip and blushing a little. She couldn't help it; the memory vividly played in her thoughts all morning. He didn't have one of those smooth voices, but one that was a little deeper and rougher, and to her, it was way hotter.
"What did he play?"
"Nope, that's for only him and me to know." She couldn't help but think of his voice, the way his fingers thrummed on the guitar strings or how he'd clear his throat and laugh when he got nervous as he sang.
"It had to be something hot or sweet if you're not willing to share."
Bella only shrugged. "Okay, so we'll grab some sticky buns and coffee and head back to the house to pack some lunch to take to Pismo?"
"We could get the guys something to eat."
Bella agreed and sent a quick text to Edward. He didn't respond immediately and Bella knew he was likely still out on the water.
Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting at one of the little tables between the bakery and a clothing store. Angela licked her fingers, moaning at the cream cheese icing. "We should pull up Santa Cruz Boardwalk on Maps to see how far the drive is."
"It's over two hours away, so it'll be a full day trip if we plan to go. Maybe we can go next week, early enough to avoid the crowd. Not the weekend, though."
"Maybe invite Edward along," Angela teased. Bella thought about it, and knew right then she had it bad. "Hearst Castle and Big Sur would be fun." They made a tentative agreement that they'd do some sightseeing and not just spending their entire vacation chasing guys.
"I have an idea of what else we can do today. I was thinking about doing something to mark this summer and our friendship. You'd have to hide it, though."
Angela's eyes widened as if she immediately understood; it had always been that way with them growing up. She started to squeal in excitement. "Tattoos!"
.
.
.
"Don't fucking chicken out, Edward." Alec stood beside him, arms crossed over his chest and he glared at him. "You lost the bet we made, so now you have to get a tattoo. Just be happy we're not choosing what you get." The rest of his so-called friends roared in laughter, something about unicorns and rainbows.
"Whatever" he grumbled, flipping through a few photo albums. He had thought about getting one for a while, but he wanted the tattoo to mean something.
"And it has to be under the shirt," James reminded him, snapping his fingers at Edward's button down. "Take it off." Edward rolled his eyes and did as he asked. Alec and James stood back, assessing the best placement.
"A rib one would fucking hurt for days," Alec said, poking one of Edward's side.
Edward scowled and slapped his cousin's hand away. "You are all assholes. I want to enjoy my vacation, so not there."
"On his chest," Ben suggested, and the rest of the group agreed. "What are you going to get?" Edward was grateful when the others moved away, checking out a wall of tattoo photos.
"Thanks for making the suggestion. They don't need to know I planned to get one anyway."
Ben chuckled and pulled out his cell phone. "Remember that night you told me you wanted to do something to always remember your brother? To remind you about where you came from."
Edward nodded and looked at what Ben had created. He had always been good at drawing and was going to a school in Los Angeles for computer animation.
"You incorporated my family crest, but added something that made it more personal." Running along one side of the Cullen crest was RIP and the date that Riley died. Wrapped around the crest were bloody black vines with thorns, highlighted in spots to show there was still hope.
"Thanks, Ben. It's perfect."
Alec looked over and saw Ben's phone screen. "That is bad ass," Alec said, none of the teasing from earlier in his voice. He was a Cullen, too, and had gone through all the pain of losing a close family member. He looked at Edward. "Do you mind if I get something like that, you know without the thorns?"
"I don't mind." Alec had a few on his chest and a quote along his forearm, so it wasn't his first time like Edward.
They showed the picture to Sam and Seth, two of the men working in the small tattoo shop. In thirty minutes, they showed them their interpretation. The problem was, Edward hated needles, and his friends knew it. As Seth set up, Edward checked his messages, smiling when he saw he had a couple from Bella.
You are so lucky I had my ringer off. I'm not a morning person. It had been very early in the morning when Alec woke him up, determined to make Edward a surfer by the end of the trip.
Loved the buns ;) We should be in Pismo around one and we're bringing food. Edward told the others, who all groaned, already hungry. Despite the fact they were on vacation, eating out every day would have been too expensive.
He was about to send Bella a text of where they were, when the bell over the shop's door rang. "Please tell me you have the food?" Mike asked, pleading at a very surprised Bella and Angela. Both them were dressed for the beach, with bikinis under summer dresses, showing off long legs.
Edward nearly sighed. He had missed Bella's legs, having only caught a glimpse of them the day before. She had the cutest knees.
Cute knees—you have it bad.
"There's stuff in the coolers in the car, right there," Bella said, pointing at it and handing the keys to Mike.
"Thank you, thank you, we're starved." Mike was off, Eric following him to help.
"What are you doing here?" Edward asked as he sat down where Seth directed him. He wanted to go to her, and maybe get a hug, but Seth was already shaving his chest. That's not awkward as fuck.
"We had the same idea," she said, doing a cute little half shrug.
Edward stilled at her words. "You're getting a tattoo." He never dated a girl with tattoos, but the idea of her getting one was hot. "As long as you don't cover those cute freckles on your shoulder, I'm all for this idea." He had the pleasure of touching them once the night before, when he had wrapped her up in the blanket.
Bella giggled—A sound he happened to love already. "No, I'm not covering them."
Seth chuckled and looked over at the girls. "You'll have to wait until we're done with these two or until Leah comes in."
"We'll wait."
"You have an idea of what you want?" Sam asked Bella, already starting on Alec's outline. He was all business, but Edward could tell he didn't mind cute girls in his shop. Who would?
"Bella drew it, we're both getting the same one," Angela said, holding it for Ben and the others to see. "Her right shoulder, my left one." It was infinity symbol, and along one of the curves was the word always.
"Easy, Leah should be here in about an hour," Sam said, gesturing for them to have a seat. The guys turned their attention to Edward.
"Why are we all staring at Edward?" Bella asked James, her eyes on him. Edward tried to puff up his chest, determined not to look like a pussy.
"Edward can't stand needles." James snickered and leaned closer to Bella. Edward sent him a glare, wondering what he was telling her.
"Ready?" Seth asked under his breath, holding up what Edward assumed with the tattoo gun. He refused to look and only nodded in response.
"Where's Mike with the food?" Edward asked, hoping to take some of the attention off him.
Bella looked out the shop window. "I don't know. Maybe I should check on him." Just as she stepped toward the door, Seth started on his tattoo.
Edward felt his eyes widen in shock from the pain before any sound came out of mouth. "Oh fuck!" He bit his lip to keep from cursing more. His asshole friends were laughing their asses off.
Why did I invite these assholes again?
Bella watched helplessly from the waiting area, as Edward worked hard not to cry out again. She hated blood, and perfectly understood. Some men were babies about getting a tattoo, but Edward was trying not to be.
Walking into the shop earlier to find them all there had been unexpected and a pleasant surprise. She hadn't realized how much she'd been looking forward to seeing Edward again. Dressed in blue and white board shorts and no shirt, she tried hard not to drool. He didn't have washboard abs, but he was slim and his shorts seemed to hang in just the right way off his hips. He'd gotten another necklace, a white shell one that popped against his already tanning skin.
"Are you okay?" she asked, biting her thumb. Something she always did when she was anxious. Edward tried to show he was good, giving her a thumbs up, but he grimaced as Seth wiped away blood. "Would it help if I held your hand?" You can ignore the blood, she told herself. Maybe he'd hold hers when it was her turn.
His face changed from the twisted grimace to puppy eyes and slight pout. It was the only way to describe the look on his face. His jade eyes were wide and pleading and Bella knew he could get anything he wanted with it. "Would you?" he asked, but looked at Seth to see if it was okay.
"I'll get you a stool," Seth said, setting everything on the table and heading to the back of the shop. Bella told all the boys to shut up as they teased Edward, munching on the food Mike and Eric brought in from the car. She grabbed a couple of sandwiches and walked over to Edward who nearly shoved one into his mouth before Seth returned. Boys.
"Thanks," he mumbled, grabbing a bottle of water from her. "You didn't have to do this for us, but it's appreciated."
She offered a smile that would make her the perfect candidate to star in a Crest commercial. "You're welcome. What are you getting?" she asked, trying to peek at the outline, her fingers sliding down his arm as he ate.
Edward watched her hand for a few moments, his eyes lifting to meet her gaze. "You need to stop doing that." She cocked an eyebrow in question, but smiled when she figured out what was wrong.
She whispered near his ear, "Are you going to hold my hand when it's my turn?" She pulled back to watch him squirm in the chair, just as Seth placed a stool beside her and grabbed a new pair of latex gloves to continue where he left off.
Edward held out his hand and waited for her to take it. Placing hers in his, she felt that maybe, just maybe, it could mean so much more.
"Your skin is so soft," Edward murmured, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. She shivered, ignoring the catcalls from his friends and Angela. He tugged her closer so that he would whisper something to her. "I'll always want to hold your hand."