Rule #1: The roommates can't know
Rule #4: No PDA (love-dovey stuff)
The summer months prove warm and sticky yet again, and it makes me wish this house had a pool more than ever when the AC goes out, and we can't get someone to come repair it for three weeks. Edward and I are lying in a heap of sweaty, tangled limbs in my bed with two fans pointed directly at us when I have a brilliant idea.
"What time is it?" I sit up suddenly, reaching for my phone.
He groans. "Bella, I could do another round, but it's so hot."
It's a Saturday night, and we're blissfully alone in the house again. Jake is at Embry's apartment, and Jasper is on duty. "Ugh, it's only eight. Get dressed. I have a plan." I jump out of bed and run down to the bathroom to clean up. By the time I'm coming back into my room, Edward is dressed and looking at me expectantly.
"What are we doing?"
An hour later, armed with two bags of ice, a plastic kiddie pool, a case of beer, and our favorite ice cream, Edward and I are sitting in the back yard cooling down. Even being around ninety degrees this late at night, it's pretty nice. The sky is clear, and since we live in a quiet neighborhood on top of a hilly cul-de-sac, we have a nice view of the city.
"So, it's been two months. should we check in with each other?" Edward asks me softly as I slosh my feet around in the icy water in the kiddie pool.
I look over at him and smile. "Sure. How are you feeling so far?"
"Good. I mean, that whole thing with Emmett and Rose was wild, but—"
"I know! I can't believe that." Shaking my head, I finish off my beer. "Has Emmett brought it up to you?"
Edward shakes his head. "No. What about Rose?"
"She hasn't. She just thinks it's weird that you and I live together, and it's never come up before." I shrug and grab another beer out of the cooler between us.
"Convenient plot device," Edward tells me, and I laugh. "I think it's called a MacGuffin."
"How do you know that?"
He shrugs. "I pick up weird stuff. Jeopardy."
"Anyway, our friends haven't picked up on anything yet, so that's a plus," I say, and Edward grimaces.
"Don't you think Embry knows? Or at least suspects?" We sit in silence for a few minutes, and I think back to Memorial Day weekend.
"If he does, he hasn't let on. I've been hanging out with them both, and he hasn't said anything to me; neither has Jake," I tell him, and he nods.
"I don't like lying to Jasper," he finally says.
I pull my legs out of the pool and turn my chair toward his. "What are you lying to him about?"
Edward sighs. "He keeps asking for details about the girl I'm sleeping with. Asking if she has any girlfriends, what she looks like; you know, regular stuff."
"Rose has a sister," I offer. "She lives here, but she and I aren't very close."
Edward hums.
"I'm sorry about Jasper." I tap his chair with my foot, and he smiles. "I like Jasper. He's a good guy. I get it."
"But you don't feel that way about Jake, do you?"
I shrug. "I love Jake, and there's a part of me that does feel bad, but it's also none of his business." I glance over my shoulder toward the house, and then back to Edward. "None of our friends ultimately have a say about anything that we do—with each other or anyone else."
He leans forward on his knees, scrubbing his hands over his face. "I know that, and I agree."
"But?"
"What would be the harm in them knowing? They all knew how I was before with a different girl all the time." His gaze meets mine, curious and searching.
"What would they gain from it? What would we gain from it?" Sighing, I stand to move to the cooler to grab more ice for the pool. "They know and leave us alone while we're having sex? We don't have to plan it for when everyone is out of the house? So, they can ask us how good we are with each other?"
He rolls his eyes. "I just think that they probably wouldn't care as much as we think they would, but you've made your point."
"If it's getting to you, we can just stop," I tell him. I don't want to, but I'd be okay with it. "Honestly, Edward, we knew this had an expiration date going in."
He reaches over and drags me in my chair closer to him. "I don't want to stop." Winding his hands into my hair, he pulls me close for a kiss. "And this isn't PDA," he tells me when I pull away abruptly. "It's foreplay."
**BoU**
Edward and I managed to spend the evening together, but when I woke to the sounds of Jasper's Sunday Brunch playlist streaming through the house, I realized I was alone in Edward's bed. By the time I get up and make my way into the kitchen, Jasper has a huge spread prepared and is pulling a tray of pancakes out of the oven when I appear.
"Good morning, sunshine," Jasper tells me as I lean against the island and purvey the food. "Sleep well?"
"Mmm hmm, I did. What's all this about?" I gesture to the food, smiling at the cook.
"We need to go shopping. As a family," he amends. "We need a new couch."
I groan. "I don't want to go furniture shopping with three boys."
Edward laughs over his coffee mug, and I glare at him. Jasper pats my shoulder. "It won't be that bad."
I climb up onto a stool. "Okay, give me a plate and pour me a cup—"
A cup of coffee appears in front of me in the perfect milky shade I prefer. Looking up, Edward winks at me, and I smile. "Thank you." I don't miss the smile Jasper gives us, but I ignore it as Jake walks into the kitchen, and we all dig in and discuss where we'll go.
After we've made a plan, and I've managed to eat two pancakes, a few pieces of bacon, I reach for the bowl of fruit as Jake tries to scoot his blueberries onto my plate.
"She doesn't like blueberries," Edward says quietly, and I glance over at him. Everyone sort of freezes, saying nothing until Jake finally speaks.
"You're right. I totally forgot." He laughs and offers them to Jasper. "You guys have been spending entirely too much time together."
Edward laughs. I laugh. Jake and Jasper share a look.
"Okay, I'll clean up. Can we be ready to go in a couple hours?" I ask, gathering plates and moving to the sink. I hear murmurs of agreement and footsteps leaving as I start rinsing dishes and loading the dishwasher.
"So …"
I turn around to see Jake staring at me. "What?" I ask as I continue loading the dishwasher. When he doesn't say anything, I turn back around to look at him. He's smiling like a maniac, making me sigh in frustration. "What is wrong with you?"
"Edward likes you," Jake says in a dramatic whisper. I flick my wet fingers in his face. "He does! I can tell." He seems so sure of himself; I almost feel bad.
"Jake, what would make you say that?" I turn back to the dishes and try to catch my breath.
Jake comes to the other side of the dishwasher, leaning against the counter. "He knows you don't like blueberries, he passed you the peanut butter for your pancakes, and Jasper told me that he made your coffee just right."
I don't have to look in a mirror to know that my cheeks are tinted pink. "So, he knows what I like."
"Isabella! The peanut butter!"
"A lot of people like peanut butter on their pancakes, Jacob." I slam the door shut on the machine and start scrubbing at the skillet.
"Is there something going on between you two?"
I side-eye my best friend and sigh. "Jake, don't you think I would have told you if there was something going on?" When he doesn't answer right away, I turn my attention back to the pans. "We've just hung out a lot in the last few months. You learn things about people."
He nods and pushes off of the counter. "So, what about when I saw you sneaking out of his room this morning?"
The skillet slips out of my hand as I'm rinsing it, and I freeze. Last night, we made out in our little self-made oasis, fueled by beer and icy water and decided to risk it. "I thought you were at Embry's last night." Jake just smiles at me. "We watched a couple movies last night and fell asleep."
He doesn't say anything as I put the pan into the drainer and turn off the faucet. When I round on him, he's smiling knowingly. "What do you want me to say? That Edward and I are sleeping together?"
"What the fuck, Bella? You told him?"
Edward is glaring at me from behind Jake, and Jasper is right on his heels.
Fuck my life.