Fighting Temptation

Chapter Fifteen: Finally

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are property of me, Dobber17. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

This chapter has been edited by CherryBerry12.

Bella Swan

I was going to kill Edward. He was beyond patient and incredibly helpful, which I loved, but he was being a mother hen. An overbearing mother hen about to force feed me carbs if it was the last thing he did. I was finally able to keep food down and Edward was trying his damnedest to make up for lost time.

"Edward," I groaned. "I'm stuffed."

"You haven't really eaten in a few days." I didn't try to move away as he leaned closer, frowning at my half-eaten container of penne. If he was going to catch what I had, he was damned by this point already.

"Exactly! It's going to take a bit before I can fully eat again." He ignored me, glancing down again with a critical eye, assessing my intake. Finally, I waved him away with my fork. "I'm finally keeping food down so I should hopefully be good to hit the gym with you guys again tomorrow."

Tyler pipped up before Edward could even open his mouth. "I don't think that's the best call. With how much energy you'd need to get through a day at the gym, some saltines and electrolytes won't exactly cut it."

I wanted to argue, but I knew he was right. Not feeling like death didn't mean I was good enough to spend the better part of a day sweating out half my body weight. I was just so bored. We were all in good academic standing and were approved to write our exams in the week before we came to Seattle so I didn't even have the option of studying to kill time.

I leaned back. I knew they were right, but I was no means happy with the eternal boredom starting to unfold. "What all have I missed?"

Apparently not much in terms of drama or drills. Edward said Jaclyn was asking how I was doing, and her friend Jared seemed like a pretty decent guy. He actually doubled up and partnered with Edward a few times when he needed it.

Edward shook his head, a light laugh slipping through his lips. "It's entertaining but exhausting

to watch. They're completely attracted to each other but act like there's nothing between them."

Tyler's eyes snapped to mine, followed by a pointed look to Edward before I could look away. His eye legitimately twitched across the room as his gaze shifted between us. Edward remained oblivious, continuing his story on how they always seemed to find a way to touch each other, whether it was a finger brush on the arm, or an arm slung loosely around the other's shoulders.

I hid my face as I snuggled under the covers, forcing down my rising emotions. I tried to act normal. I tried to laugh and nod in all the right places, but my mind was elsewhere. By the time I was tossing and turning in bed, I wondered if lovesickness really was a thing.

~!~ FT ~!~

The sound of the door closing roused me. My first glance was to the clock; it was well before any alarm were bound to go off. My next glance was to the door where all three guys stood, holding plates of food. Edward passed me a plate of scrambled eggs on his way to the small table near the window.

"You're feeling better, I see."

"What did I do?"

"You started yelling in your sleep – enough to wake Tyler up."

I froze. I truly must have been loud – not even Tyler's own snoring could wake him up.

Before I could even apologize, Edward cracked a grin. "It was a good bonding experience for us. Plus, we finally had time in the morning to see what the good ol' continental breakfast had to offer."

One look at Mike's face was a clear indication he could have done with another hour of sleep instead. I joined Edward at the table with my plate of eggs, envious of his bacon and waffles smothered in syrup. I worked on washing down my eggs with swigs of Gatorade. I drank greedily, suddenly thirsty beyond belief. I traitorously eyed the golden waffle being devoured bite by bite, my mouth watering more and more by the minute. I begrudgingly shoved a few measly bites of bland eggs in my mouth, forcing them down. I was ravenous … just not for eggs. As soon as I forced the last bite down, a perfect quarter of golden deliciousness appeared in my line of sight. I wolfed it down, chastising myself for not giving myself enough time to enjoy it.

I watched the guys as the suited up for the walk outside. It was the best call for me to rest for another day, but I was ready to start moving again. After they left I tried cracking open a new book but even that couldn't cure my restlessness. After only an hour I swapped the book for my swimsuit, ready to give myself a real way to burn energy.

I managed far better than I expected. The pool was empty this early, with only a middle-aged couple sitting in the hot tub. I did a few laps, my confidence growing with each stroke. Tomorrow, I promised myself. Tomorrow I would give the gym another go.

By the time I returned to the room some of my restlessness was gone. Sure, there was a bit of exhaustion, but mostly pride in getting back to my regular self.

The room had been turned over. One look at the neatly folded linens told me it must have been Greta. Tucked neatly with my pillows was a small bottle with a fancy black label for the hotel. In swooping gold letters: EXCLUSIVE: BUBBLE BATH.

~!~ FT ~!~

The guys found me sprawled on the bed, swathed in blankets and a pillow tucked under me as I tried once more to read my book. Edward sat next to my fortress of blankets while Tyler dumped the contents of his suitcase on the bed, frantically searching through a sea of clothes.

"Tyler has a date," Edward said as Tyler tore through his clothes. It also explained why why Mike was a little rain cloud in the room.

Tyler emerged from his search with a shirt in each hand. A slightly wrinkled black button-up in his left, a navy henley in his right. He turned to face me, a sheepish expression across his face. "I need help."

"Pants?" I questioned.

He hesitated for a moment. "Yes…"

"Color?" I clarified, forcing back my smile.

He held up black jeans in response. As soon as I gestured to the henley sweater he hurtled into the bathroom, taking one of the quickest showers known to man. He was ready and out of the hotel room in less than ten minutes.

Mike shuffled his deck of cards and started dealing. I was antsy from being inside all day. After a few rounds of blackjack, I let them know I was stepping out to get some Gatorade, and didn't fight as Edward insisted on joining me. I picked up a few more bottles of blue Gatorade for myself and tossed a few red ones in as a small thank you to Edward. I added some well-deserved chocolate bars to my pile, handed over my money, and thanked the cashier as we left.

The night was rather uneventful, a blushing Tyler refusing to disclose even the smallest detail of his date. As the boys fell asleep, I found myself becoming more energetic. The few chocolate bars I wolfed down may not have been the best choice, but I couldn't find it in myself to regret it. I tossed and turned, willing myself to fall asleep. Edward rustled on his side of the bed, reaching toward the bedside table. He faced me with bleary eyes, putting his iPod on my lap.

"Sleep playlist." He muttered a few more unintelligible words, settling himself back under the covers. "Or whatever you want."

I grabbed my headphones and scrolled through his playlists. I hovered over "Piano Compositions" before finally selecting "Sleep".

And it worked. As the notes drifted over me, I drifted asleep.

~!~ FT ~!~

I was dressed and ready to go before the guys the next morning, a far cry from the sluggish slowpoke I typically was most mornings.

I was ready. Ready to go, ready to participate, ready to get out of this damn hotel room.

Any hope of freedom fluttered away when Edward stopped us just as we stepped out of the elevator into the lobby. He was already wincing as he showed me his phone. It was a group text with Emmett and Jasper.

Emmett: Today's going to be high intensity drills. Tell Bella she's grounded for another day.

Jasper: Tomorrow shouldn't be bad.

"Sorry," Edward apologized before I finished reading the text.

I let out a frustrated sigh, turning on my heel to take the elevator ride of shame back to our room.

I tried swimming, I tried reading, I tried playing all the games on my phone until my lives ran out. I was able to kill most of the day. The guys were due back in about an hour, and I swapped out my book for Edward's iPod, scrolling to his playlist "Piano Compositions". My eyes scanned the list and I quickly realized these must have been the ones he created. There were a few dedicated to his mom, the titles "Esme – Mother's Day", "Esme – Birthday", but there was one that held my attention more than anything else.

Swan Song.

The familiar melody from a few days earlier filled my ears.

Oh.

Oh.

Content calm washed over me. It clicked. Everything clicked now. Even though Alice basically confirmed everything on day one, this was the last piece of the puzzle I needed.

I stayed in my bubble of content calm, repeatedly listening to the composition, finding a new element to examine each time around. It was still so extraordinarily lovely, but there was something about seeing Edward play, seeing the calm spread through him as he played that was missing.

The door clicked open. I couldn't fight back the huge, ridiculous smile that was permanently plastered on my face. Edward walked in, letting the door close behind him. He froze when we caught sight of me. His eyes travelled from my headphones down to his iPod. He approached slowly, a calculating looking growing with every step he took. Finally, finally he was close enough to read the screen. The most beautiful smile crossed his face as he gently tugged on my earbuds, letting the notes sound softly between us.

The air froze in my lungs. The thrumming beat of my heart served as the only indication of time still passing. It was like I was seeing him for the first time all over again … expect … expect it was for the thousandth time with blinding clarity. Gone was the fight to figure out where each piece of the puzzle went, leaving only the completed masterpiece without its veil.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

I didn't trust my voice, letting my enthusiastic nod serve as my answer. At his answering smile, I pulled his face to mine, our lips touching for one glorious long-awaited moment … when incessant pounding on the door caused us to jump back.

Edward flopped himself back on the bed. "We're cursed," he muttered.

I giggled. Sure, our moment had been spoiled, but I could still feel happiness bubbling in my chest.

The pounding continued. "We don't have a -". I yanked the door open, Mike still posed with his hand up to continue knocking. "I'm in a hurry. I have a date tonight … unless you want to double or nothing our bet from the other night."

"Mike," Edward said calmly. "If you could stop hitting on my girlfriend, that'd be great."

Tyler pushed his way around a frozen Mike blocking the doorway. "Finally."