A/N: Happy weekend, peeps. Thank you, Kim, Melinda and Biebs, and I hope you enjoy.
xoxo

Hoodwinked

Chapter 10

It's early when I wake. The fresh scent of dawn is still in the air, but I'm hot. I'm sweltering hot.

Groaning softly to myself, I roll clumsily to my side as my arm unwittingly drapes across Edward's naked chest. That's when I realise his is wrapped around me and is the reason I'm so overheated.

"What..." I utter, only semi coherent as I pull myself from his arms and sit up. "WHAT!?" I repeat not three seconds later, my voice rising by several decibels upon the realisation I'm wearing only my bra and knickers. "Oh god..." I can barely manage a whisper as my physical condition all too soon becomes apparent. My head's pounding almost as much as my stomach's churning.

Beside me Edward takes a long breath and releases it into a languid hum. He, like me, is sparsely dressed. He's bare-chested and wearing only a pair of army green-shorts.

Impatiently, I shove him fully awake; he jolts and squints up at me, one eye open. "What are you bitching about?" he asks, his voice reflecting an early-morning huskiness as a drowsy smile pulls on his lips.

"What happened?" I demand, my voice wavering. I hastily move to cover my chest as I search his room for my clothes. They're lying in a heap at the foot of his bed.

"What happened...?" he echoes, his brow knotting with confusion as he pulls himself semi-upright by his elbows. "Don't you remember?" Little by little a smirk replaces his smile, and losing patience I shove him again.

"Edward! Jesus!" I burst. "I'm naked!"

He snorts, and moves himself fully beside me. "You call that naked?" His brow arches, and for the third time I shove against him; he barely budges.

"Don't look!" I blurt, pulling my knees to my chest in a futile effort to conceal myself further.

"Bella..." he begins after taking a long breath that can't nearly conceal his amusement. "We didn't do anything."

"...What? How do you know?" I ask stupidly, and this time he snorts his laugh beneath his breath.

"I'm pretty sure I'd remember—and so would you. Would you relax? The power cut out last night. It was hot, we drank some more, fooled around, and then we crashed. That's all!"

"...Fooled around?" I breach, not sure I want to hear the answer.

"You said I was a total spunk, and then you kissed me. You groped me too." His grin turns sly and he winks, as my heart plunges into Dante's Inferno.

"No, I didn't..." I contradict him feebly, my voice all but failing.

"You reckon?" he replies all too sure of himself.

"Oh god—how much did I drink?" I burst, burying my burning face in both palms.

"Not much." He wraps his arm around my shoulders and nudges me. "Lightweight."

"Stop it," I mutter pitifully from behind my hands. I want to sob from continued realisation but I'm not sure my head would survive tears. "Can you get me a Panadol or something?"

In response he expels a deliberate breath. "Righto. Hang on a sec."

I feel the sensation of his bed dip and then spring back up as he gets to his feet, and peeking through my fingers I watch him leave the room. As his bedroom door closes behind him, I lunge to my feet and yank my clothes up from the floor, clumsily throwing them back on before he can return. All the while my head spins and I'm assailed by a huge wave of vertigo.

Two minutes later he re-enters his room carrying a can of Diet Coke. He appears way too cheerful and I'm not sure if it's grating on my nerves or making me want to smile along with him.

He sits beside me, drapes his arms around me again, and hands it to me.

"Thanks," I mutter taking it from him and avoiding all contact with those cagey eyes of his.

"And here," he adds after pulling the two paracetamols from his pocket.

In silence, I swallow the tablets, squeezing my eyes closed against my revolting stomach for a moment, before I brave his response. "What really happened last night?" I ask, wanting to shy away from him.

"You really don't remember?" He rubs his chin in contemplation.

"No." I sigh, and drop my forehead back to my outstretched palm.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"You were teasing me about Cloud having a big sword."

"Is that it?" His voice rises in surprise.

"That's it."

"Hmm...okay, well you told me Lauren was an idiot for 'cheating on my handsome ass'." He quotes with his fingers, that smirk of his resurfacing on his face as I groan loudly and in complete self-pity. He chuckles completely at my expense, but there's something tender behind it. "After that we laid down and talked for a while. You drank a bit more, you got all touchy-feely with me 'cause you're completely in love me"—I immediately elbow him, and again he laughs—"then the power went out. It was bloody hot. I took off my shirt, you took off yours. I pulled your skirt off, you told me I still have six days, and then we crashed."

"You pulled my skirt off?!" I echo, my voice rising, affronted.

"You had no issues with it last night," he points out.

"I was drunk!" I practically screech and almost convulse from the torture it causes my head.

"So was I!" he mocks me.

"I was drunker!" is my feeble counter.

"You weren't that drunk," he mutters, rolling his eyes.

"Did I throw up?" I ask, cringing at the thought.

"No." He laughs through his nose this time. "Would you chill? —geez. We didn't do anything we haven't already done."

"You have not removed my clothes before!" I point out.

"I grabbed your tits. Same thing." He shrugs a shoulder.

"It is not!" I assert. "I'm going home!" I drag myself to my feet only to be afflicted by a sudden bout of dizziness. I sway and almost topple over sideways as Edward immediately pulls himself from the bed and steadies me.

"You go home like this and your old man will shoot me," he says, amusement clearly laced in his tone, as he pulls me against his chest.

I close my eyes and release a conceding breath. Despite the current temperature, his warmth is comforting; definitely a soft place to fall in this gross condition I'm in. "I should eat something," I mumble closing my eyes, as the trace scent of his aftershave causes another roll of nausea to overrun me. I groan. "Just...hold me."

"Jesus, you're needy," he teases me, his tone softening before he drops his face to the top of my head. "Feel better?" he asks against my hair after a few moments.

"No," I whimper, the scent of him is definitely compromising me, but at the same time, I can't bring myself to pull from his arms.

"It's early, want to get some more sleep?" he suggests, turning me back toward his bed.

"I should go home," I mumble, but I don't move.

"You're not going home. I do value my life, you know."

I hum wearily and expel a completely resigned breath. I'm not really in the right state to argue with him. "Okay, but turn your air-con back on. It's hot." I'm not sure whether it's me, him or this house.

"Alright," he agrees. "Be right back."

The moment he leaves the room, I turn and flop stomach first on his bed, groaning softly only half beneath my breath. I feel like crap, and my skin is tingling; at least, I think it is, but I'm not exactly sure, or thinking coherently.

Cool air begins to waft from the air-conditioning vent in his room as I moan out the absolute pleasure of it. I roll to my back in an effort to cool my burning cheeks when Edward returns.

"Better?" he puts to me, pulling himself beside me on his bed.

Closing my eyes, I offer him an unintelligible reply.

He chuckles to himself and slides his hand across my stomach. "Come here, royal pain in the neck," he murmurs, tugging me closer to him.

I let him, and position myself against his still-bare chest as I drift back into darkness.

. . .

When I wake a second time it's mid-morning, and by Alice.

"Hey, you guys, Jas wants to..." she freezes mid-sentence and when I rouse myself and glance up at her I realise she's staring at us, her mouth agape.

"Do you ever knock, midget?" Edward grumbles, turning his head to scowl at her.

"What...?" I ask her blankly, still half-sleep as I untangle myself from Edward's arms.

I still feel like hell.

She shakes her head shortly to herself and starts over, "Jas wants to go to Maccas for lunch. You in?"

I groan loudly at the mere mention of it, and Edward agrees begrudgingly on our behalf.

"I should clean myself up—and brush my teeth," I mutter, crawling pitifully from the bed.

"Come on, then," Alice holds out her hand, and taking mine, she pulls me from the room.

"Hey, Bella," Jas greets me as we enter Alice's bedroom. He's lying on her bed, bare-chested like Edward.

I immediately avert my gaze, mumbling out an awkward, "Hey, Jas," in reply.

We head straight into Alice's bathroom where I tie back my hair, wash my face, and using her spare toothbrush—that she keeps for me—I clean my teeth.

"God, I feel terrible" I whimper, massaging my forehead with my fingertips. "How the hell can Edward wake up so completely un-hungover?"

"He's built up immunity," Alice answers sounding distracted.

"What...?" I wonder out loud. She's acting strange.

"Bella..."

"Yeah?"

"What's going on?"

"...What do you mean?" I ask puzzled.

"You've completely fooled Jas," she says, her voice dropping covertly, "but, you're beginning to fool me, as well."

I shake my head, still unsure of her meaning or where to even begin. "I...I mean...nothing."

"Did you do anything last night?" she asks her voice dropping to a whisper as her expression almost becomes pained.

"Of course not!" I insist.

"You still going along with that bet of yours?"

I shake my head, but I have no idea how to answer this question, either. "Edward reckons he won't hold me to it," I admit breaking her gaze. "Do you have deodorant?" I change the subject as she immediately snorts.

"Edward said that?" she asks sceptically, handing me her roll-on.

"Yes," I stress, avoiding her astute gaze as I apply it under my arms.

She scoffs and almost laughs in continued disbelief. "Jesus, what have you done to him?" she asks rhetorically. She's lost me again; I shake my head to reiterate it, and open my mouth to question her when she elaborates. "He's not acting himself, Bella. Not even close to acting himself. I mean, in another universe from himself."

I hesitate, unsure I'm even hearing her correctly. "Alice..."

"I'm beginning to think he's totally into you," she confesses, as my mouth all but falls open, and for one horrifying moment, I come very close to throwing up.

"No..." I say cynically behind the hand I clamped to my mouth.

"Yes," she imitates my tone. "How can you not see it?"

I release my hand to answer, but I have nothing. I can only shake my head, reiterating my confusion.

"I walked in on him and Lauren countless times," she explains, her eyes widening in some kind of emphasis, while on impulse, I stiffen. "I mean, half the time I didn't even know she'd stayed over, but anyway, he always had his back to her, and vice versa."

"Alice..." I begin, but to say what, I have no idea.

"When I walked in on you two just now, he was...cradling you to him, Bella. Christ, I almost bloody cried."

"I...I just don't feel very well," is my flimsy justification, and as expected, she scoffs.

Edward? Into me?

"You've hoodwinked him!" is her conclusion, and despite her obvious exasperation, a small smile twitches at the edges of her lips.

"Alice, come on," I immediately dismiss her. "Edward? Is it even possible?"

"Oh, it's possible," she assures me, her expression becoming as shrewd as her bother's.

"Sure this isn't wishful thinking?" I ask, arching a brow.

"Are you kidding?" she replies dubiously. "He's the last person I'd wish for you."

"Why?" I'm genuinely curious and a little hurt. "I mean, yeah, he's a shithead and a complete Neanderthal, but deep down, he's super sweet."

"Sweet?" she echoes as if she thinks I've completely lost touch with reality. "Jesus, he's hoodwinked you, as well."

"He hasn't!" I insist a little too defensively, because he's definitely done something to me. What, I can't say for certain just yet.

"Sure..." she says dryly, over-dramatizing it. "God, this is going to end well..." she utters, turning around and leaving the bathroom, shaking her head as she does.

. . .

The car ride doesn't help my physical condition at all. Alice's drives while Edward and I are regulated to the back seat. I feel every bump and pot-hole; every inch of road. It echoes ten-fold through my stomach, as I lean up against Edward clutching him for emotional support. I've always been a complete sook when sick; probably because my mother always babied me at the first sign of a sniffle. I've grown accustomed to physical comfort in times like this, and Edward is the only warm body within reach.

He finds it all highly amusing, even if he does make a half-hearted effort to conceal in from me, but I'm not in the right frame of mind to complain. He's warm, so warm it momentarily calms my unsettled stomach and throbbing head.

Edward insists on paying, and honestly, I feel so dreadful it doesn't occur to me to protest. Alice and I find a booth, and while I slump against the table with my head in my arms, she chirpily engages me in a one-sided conversation.

"I've thought it over and I think you should go for it. If you're able to tame him, it must be fate."

I only groan in response.

"Plus, you're cute together."

Another groan; in exasperation this time.

"And that way we'll be related."

I look up at her this time. "What?" I burst, barely making sense of her.

"He won't let you go. You do realise that, right?"

"Alice..." is all I can manage in my own defence.

"You know I totally get all the credit, right?"

"Stop..." I plead with her, muffled through my folded arms as I once more surrender myself to them.

"Bells, he's kind of experienced. So, if you need advice..." she alludes, as I groan again.

"He's not as experienced as you think," I reply, wrapping my hands around my head as I attempt to shield myself from the sickly aroma of greasy burgers, and tens of noisy customers.

"Is that what he told you?" she puts to me, sounding sceptical.

"Four..."

"Huh?"

"That's how many girls he's been with."

"Bullshit!" she retorts, immediately unconvinced.

"Emily, Rosalie, his boss' daughter, and Lauren," I mumble, and I feel defensive for him all of a sudden; which is ridiculous. Edward can more than take care of himself.

"Who's Emily?" Alice asks, faltering slightly with obvious uncertainty.

"The first girl," I continue to speak with my head in my arms as my heart twinges with guilt.

"Shit..."

"I shouldn't be telling you this," I add.

"Holy shit," her shock increases.

"Alice..."

"Shove over, booger," Edward's voice breaks into my misery as he nudges me to the side.

"No synonyms!" is my knee-jerk reaction.

"What the hell is a synonym?" he asks, dropping his voice.

"You're so illiterate, Edward!" Alice snorts.

"Alice!" I burst a little too passionately, jerking my head up to meet her gaze.

She only stares at me for a moment, her mouth falling open in surprise.

"I-I mean..." I stammer, attempting to take it back as a sly grin steadily tugs on her lips. In complete defeat, I flop my head back to the table, and rest my forehead on the cool surface.

"Never insult another girl's guy, babe," I hear Jas tease her as she snorts loudly, and wholly for my benefit.

"You right, Bella?" Edward asks, his arm snaking around my back, and there's a definite concern in his voice.

"I'm okay," I mumble.

"I got you a cheeseburger," he says, just as I catch a whiff of it.

"Oh god," I whimper, beginning to tremble, my mouth filling with saliva. "Edward..."

"Geez, you're not going to puke, are you?" And that's how long his concern for me lasts.

"No!" I insist, forcing my stomach to calm, because while snotface is somewhat tolerable, pukeface definitely won't be.

"You'll feel better if you start eating," he says, and I look up in time to see him take a large bite of his burger. "Trust me."

"Trust you...?" I repeat, feeling suddenly dazed.

"Start with a chip," he suggests, holding one out to me.

I shake my head, and shrugging Edward turns and tosses it at Alice.

"You're an idiot," she snaps.

"Different words that have the same meaning," I speak up, as Edward turns to me in confusion.

"Huh?"

"That's what a synonym means."

He tilts his head and reflects on it for a moment. "Oh." He smiles and it's almost warm. Almost, until it inevitably shifts and becomes sly. "I didn't know what it meant, so it doesn't count," he leans forward and murmurs in my ear.

I only sigh, and half smile in return; I'm too sick to put up a fight.

"By the way, your mum texted me while I was getting the food," he adds a moment later, only adding to my torture.

"No..." I mumble, completely mortified.

He nods as silent laughter shoots through his nose. "She said she knows I'm pretty irresistible, but she'd still like to see your face from time to time."

"Please kill me." It's all I have left, and once again collapsing into my arms, I burst into tears. I feel hopelessly sick, my mother is beyond all realms of rationality embarrassing, and I have no idea what's going on inside my head, or heart, and Alice knows everything.

Edward takes me outside where the warmth of midday along with the fresh air alleviates my nausea a fraction. We sit along a ledge that walls off the garden as Edward wraps his arm around me and pulls me closer.

"Try and eat something," he urges me, once again offering me a French fry.

I take it this time and nibble cautiously on it.

"Are you always like this?" he asks after a moment of silence.

"Like what?" I turn to him in confusion.

"You're the only girl I've ever known who cries this much." And while he obviously doesn't mean to offend me, I still don't take it well.

"I'm terribly sorry!" I burst, shoving the entire chip in my mouth without thinking, but my sudden irritation is the distraction I need. "I've never had a hangover before, alright?"

"Jesus..." he mutters to himself, tightening his arm around me. "Would you shut up?"

"What...?"

"Shut up and listen." He sounds suddenly frustrated.

"...Why?"

"Is Alice right?"

I open my mouth to answer but hesitate. "About...what?"

"She told me she thinks you're in love with me."

"What!?" I demand, all but lunging to my feet. "She said the same thing to me about you!"

He pauses, gauging me a moment before he all but laughs ironically to himself. "Of course, she did," he mutters dryly as his expression clouds. "She probably has this twisted idea of hooking us up for real."

"Christ..." I whisper, dropping my head to my splayed palm and massaging my forehead. "I should have seen this coming. She tends to get overly invested in certain things."

"Don't worry about it," he assures me with a heavy sigh. "I'll sort her out."

"'Kay."

"Eat another one." He thrusts another chip in front of my face.

I take it; it goes down better than the one previous, but not by much.

"Hey." He nudges me with his shoulder.

"Yeah?" I ask in a small voice.

"Thanks for sticking up for me back there, but you really didn't have to. I haven't taken a thing Alice has said seriously since she was born," he jokes, snorting softly though his nose.

"No worries."

"Bella..." he breaches after another round of silence.

"Hmm...?"

"You're still so on edge around me. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with you," he admits quietly, turning to meet my gaze squarely.

"I'm okay."

He shakes his head. "One minute you're chill and relaxed around me and the next you get all screechy and irritated."

"You're always teasing me, that's why," I say with a smile, though it doesn't even begin to explain my barrage of emotions around him.

"I'm always going to tease you," he replies, leaning slightly toward me, "but it still makes no sense."

"What doesn't?"

"You."

"I-I'm fine," I stammer.

"You sure?" he asks, his brows raising; he's unconvinced.

"I'm fine, really," I promise him with more conviction this time.

He gazes at me for a moment, and breaks into a quick grin. "Kiss me."

"What?" I say vacantly, and Jesus, this guy. "I feel horrendous and my breath is probably just as bad."

"It's not."

"What is it with you and kissing me?" I ask, feeling suddenly exasperated on top of everything else.

He shrugs a shoulder. "You're getting decent at it."

"Getting? God you're an arsehole."

He laughs lightly. "When did Alice tell you she thinks I'm in love with you?" he changes course; though, his tone remains light.

"This morning when I was brushing my teeth," I answer staring at the ground before turning to him. "When did she tell you?"

"Before we left." An ironic smile tugs on his lips. "She told me I've hoodwinked"—he quotes with his fingers—"you."

I scoff to myself and lightly shake my head. "She used that exact phrase with me, except at first she told me she doesn't want me together with you, and five minutes ago she changed her mind."

"Yeah?" he says appearing to appraise it as a smile curves on his lips again; I nudge him.

"Do you want me to fall in love with you so you can give me shit over it?" I ask him after a moment, as the tone of my voice subconsciously drops.

He turns to meet my gaze as a frown knots his brow. "Is that what you think?"

I shrug. "No, but...I don't know..." With a sigh, I abandon it.

"You don't have a very high opinion of me, do you, Bella?" he mumbles, speaking it more or less to himself.

"It'd be higher if you didn't continuously torment me," I say wryly, but I'm not really angry. He's distracting me from my shitty condition, and I'm too grateful to feel anything more.

He smiles and almost laughs before hooking his elbow around my neck playfully. "I've known you all your life, snotface. Do you really think I'd do anything really shitty do you?"

Arching a pointed brow, I break into a subtle grin as realisation dawns on him and his entre expression smooths out in alarm.

"I...I—fuck! Shit, fuck—shit!" He slaps himself into the forehead. "Damn it!"

I chuckle, my expression turning triumphant. "You barely lasted a day."

"Fuck it," he grumbles, rubbing his creased brow heavily.

"What does it matter if you weren't going to make me go through with it?" I remind him.

"That wasn't a definite," he replies, expelling the air from his lungs. "Fuck my life."

"I knew you'd blurt it out eventually," I tease him warmly, my grin pulling broad until it almost instantly falls.

Am I... disappointed he lost? I don't even want to contemplate it, because I'm becoming convinced disappointment is exactly what I'm feeling right now.

Has he really hoodwinked me?

A/N: Twas inevitable. Let me know how you liked/disliked. Or not.