I thought I should add a little author's note. Thank you so much for reading! If you couldn't tell already, this story is going to be a slow burn. These two have a lot of history, but trust that they'll work it out xx
Six.
As it turned out, I did hang out with Edward while he was home for Thanksgiving. A lot.
He and Emmett invited me to a party their old schoolmate was throwing, and this time when I asked Emmett for a hit of his bong, he let me. Edward cackled, slapping me on the back as I coughed and spluttered.
The week went by in our comfortable way, Emmett and Edward even coming with my girls and me to Port Angeles to watch a movie. It was just so easy, all of us being together, and it made me miss them both with renewed intensity.
All too soon, they headed back to Seattle together and I had a brief lull of sadness as I waved my goodbyes from the front porch.
Emmett came back for Christmas, but Edward and his family flew to Chicago to be with family, and the holidays came and went without much fanfare.
Em was back in his regular schedule and kept up his weekend trips when he could. My dad drove us to Seattle a couple of times and Emmett showed us around his favourite spots in the city.
I got into a good groove with school and friends, hanging out with some kids from the next school over and spending more time with Esme learning her tricks in the kitchen. I kind of got used to not having Emmett around, and my dad and I got even closer spending time on the weekends hiking and fishing when the weather allowed.
By the time summer rolled around again, I felt a change in me. I was almost seventeen and I felt myself maturing. It helped that my body had finally decided to catch up, and seemingly overnight actual breasts formed over my chest. So cool.
Guys started to notice me, and I finally had my first real kiss – with tongue – in the dark of the movie theatre in Port Angeles. Corey, a hot skater kid with a wet mouth. I even let him cop a feel of my newly formed breasts but pushed his creeping hands away before he got too excited.
Emmett spent the summer with us, and it was the most fun we'd ever had. Edward and his family had gone to Europe for the summer, so it was just him and me. He hung out with me all the time, and let me trail along with him when his old schoolmates threw parties at the beach in La Push. We were finally, kind of, on the same level. He wasn't stoked about the couple of flings I had over the summer, but he didn't look totally grossed out by it either. I mean, he was never without a new girl, so it's not like he could say much.
One balmy night while groups of school kids drunkenly gathered in front of a bonfire on the beach, I let James lead me by the hand to his car. He was a senior at our school, and he was hot. Golden hair waved around his face, sweet blue eyes, and chiseled arms. We'd been seeing each other for a few weeks, sneaking make-outs and touches in various carparks around town. Emmett didn't hide that he wasn't happy that I was dating someone older than me, but he left me alone.
James opened his backdoor and we slid inside, shrouded in darkness.
When things got heated I didn't stop him from slipping my panties down my legs and putting his mouth where I wanted it. Then, I didn't stop him when his rolled on a condom and replaced his mouth with his penis.
It was uncomfortable, but I liked the weight of his body on me and the whispers of pleasure in my ear.
When we returned to the beach hand in hand, my hair a mess and cheeks flushed, Alice gave me a knowing smile from her perch on Mike's lap.
If Emmett suspected anything, he didn't say it. My best guess was he didn't want to know what his sister was up to in that department.
All too soon, it was time for Emmett to leave. I said goodbye with no tears this time, genuinely excited for the new school year and my newfound independence.
A few weeks into the school year, Emmett surprised me by showing up at our door for my birthday. Alice and Emily were over for dinner and grinned knowingly at my shock. Even more of a surprise, Edward was with him.
"Couldn't miss the big day, kiddo," Edward smiled, pulling me into a hug.
I hadn't seen him in months and when I searched his face I saw the golden tan lingering on his skin from his European holiday. A smattering of freckles had settled across the bridge of his nose, and his jaw seemed to have chiseled even more in the months since I'd seen him.
Edward held me out in front of him, seeming to be conducting his own inventory of me.
I wondered if he noticed how my face had chiseled too, the last signs of baby fat leaving my cheeks to reveal high cheekbones as I developed into more of a woman.
The boys joined us at the table for dinner, which ended with Emily and Alice whispering in the kitchen before bringing out a comedically bright pink cake with a Barbie doll planted at the top. It was hilarious, of course, because we all knew I'd never played with a Barbie doll in my life. It was all sports and trucks and whatever else Emmett thought was cool.
We shoved cake into our mouths indelicately and cleaned up before heading out to La Push for a beach party. Charlie had granted me an extra hour on my curfew for the night, and cocked an eyebrow at me as I stepped out the door.
"Be good," he instructed, eyes flickering to Emmett and Edward. "You two get her home in one piece," he addressed them.
With that he narrowed his eyes at me and smiled. "Love you, kid."
"Love you too, dad," I grinned.
The beach party was in full swing when we arrived. There was a bonfire and music, and a keg stand was already in procession.
People hollered and crowed welcoming Edward and Emmett back like prodigal sons. I guess they kind of were high school royalty when they were here. Both superstar athletes and coveted by every girl on campus.
I left them to their fan groups and wandered over to my friends, perching myself on a piece of driftwood and cracking open a beer can.
A new transfer, Peter, was sat amongst us and we started chatting. He was cute, sandy brown hair and a long limbs that told me he was good at sports. He had a sweetness to his face, and when he flicked his hair out of his eyes, I swooned a little.
He told me how his family had moved here to be closer to his grandparents who were starting to get old and needed assistance. I introduced him to my girls and we sat giggling, pointing out constellations in the stars. Every now and then Peter's hand would brush mine as we ran our fingers through the sand, and a jolt of giddiness would run through me. He was totally flirting with me.
At some point, I craned my neck around looking for Emmett. I caught sight of Edward instead, sitting a few yards away with an arm slung around a girl's neck that I'd never seen before. It wasn't strange to see. Like I said, I was used to girls throwing themselves at Edward throughout the years, and he was never lacking a new girl to focus his attention. But what was strange, was that he seemed almost annoyed. His mouth was pressed into a thin line, and his arm seemed to stiffen around the girl's shoulder as he watched me.
"What?" I mouthed exaggeratedly. When he made no motion, I poked my tongue out and turned back to the group.
Alice got up and started bouncing on her toes in the way that she did. Like some deranged pixie with an evil glint in her eye.
"Swim?" She asked, wagging her eyebrows at me.
The water would have a slight chill to it by now, but I was keen to stretch my legs and step away from the group for a bit. I cracked a smile at her and wagged my eyebrows back, eliciting a squeal from her as she helped Emily up off the sand.
I brushed sand from my backside and looked down at Peter. "You game?" I asked.
His eyes widened for a brief second before he smiled conspiratorially and took my outstretched hand.
There was already a group of seniors squealing and laughing in the water, the boys splashing the girls and the girls pretending to hate it.
We stood at the shoreline and stripped down to our underwear. Alice and Emily wore lacy bras and boy shorts. I stripped to my boy shorts too, minutely berating myself for not wearing a cuter bra, but my little cotton bralette would have to do. I mean, I had breasts now, but they weren't huge.
Out of nowhere, Emmett came barrelling behind me and picked me up, throwing me into the ocean.
I broke the surface and screamed, splashing him before he dove under the waves.
Alice, Emily, Peter and Mike came running in behind me and we floated on our backs, moving with the undulating rhythm of the waves.
I got chilly after a while and slushed my way onto the beach. When I got there, Edward was sitting by my clothes on the sand. I plopped down next to him.
"Hey," I breathed, wiping water from my face.
"Hey," he responded quietly, a friendly smile on his face. "Who's your new friend?"
I thought for a minute. "What, Peter?"
"Yeah."
"New kid. Just transferred," I said casually. Edward nodded curtly and kept his eyes trained on our friends still splashing in the water.
He was quiet, and it was weird. Edward and I always had such an easy friendship, and this was strange for him. I felt like he was holding something back.
"Who's your new friend?" I asked, referring to the girl on the beach and nudging his shoulder with mine.
"Don't know what you're talking about," he mumbled, bringing his beer bottle to his lips. I rolled my eyes playfully, but was still a little confused by his demeanour.
Suddenly, Edward turned his gaze to me and stared intently.
It made me feel like that time at Thanksgiving, his expression unreadable to me. His eyes travelled over my face, then down to my lips and finally landed on my chest before flickering back up with a look of panic on his face.
I felt my cheeks heat and turned my body towards the water, shaking the half empty can by my feet and bringing it to my lips for something to do.
I didn't really know what had happened in that moment, but I felt for the first time a tickle of something whisper through my belly.
Edward blew a breath through puffed cheeks and stood suddenly. "I'm gonna get another bear, you want one?"
I nodded and he took the empty can from my hands.
He walked down the beach and I turned to watch his retreating figure. What was that?
I looked at him as he reached into a cooler and procured two beer bottles. The girl he'd had his arm around saddled up beside him and snuck her hand around his waist. I watched her whisper something in his ear, but he shook his head and her face briefly fell. He said something else, and a small smile crept onto her face as she nodded.
I turned my attention back to the water before he could catch me staring.
The girls waded out and dropped down next to me, beads of water falling from their hair.
"I think Peter might have a thing for you," Emily said, dimpled grin on her face.
Mt face warmed and I watched as he began swimming out of the water. "He's cute," was all I revealed. My girls knew me, though.
Peter sat beside us just as Edward arrived back with my beer, tapping the cool glass on my shoulder.
"Hey, man," he addressed Peter. "Edward."
They bumped fists as Peter introduced himself. "You go to school here?" Peter asked.
"Nope," was all Edward said as he remained standing over us, jaw set and eyes locked on Peter. It was kind of uncomfortable so I made a move to stand.
"I'm freezing," I chattered. I wasn't, really. I just needed something to fill the awkward silence that had descended on us.
"I have a sweatshirt in my car," Edward said, nodding his head in the direction of the carpark.
I nodded slowly and followed his footsteps in the sand as he walked up the beach. We were silent, but it was no longer uncomfortable without the audience of my friends. Edward's car beeped as he unlocked it and reached into the backseat for a hoodie.
I pulled it over my head and stood there, waiting for Edward to close the car door. He did, but then he made no motion to return to the beach. He just kind of stood there, staring down at me with a look of concentration on his face.
Unsure what to do, I stared back.
Then, I looked at him. Really looked at him. He was so, so familiar, yet something had changed in him as he made the transition from boy, to teenager, to man.
He stood a foot over me, and his shoulders looked wider and arms sinewy with muscles under his golden skin. His hair had flecks of blonde streaked through it, bleached from the sun, and his green eyes looked impossibly deeper set beneath strong brows.
Edward looked back at me like he was studying me for the first time, too. His eyes traveled over my face slower than they had on the beach. He looked deeply into my eyes, over my cheeks, down my jaw and to my lips. When his eyes settled again onto my chest, he didn't look as panicked as he did before.
Before I knew what was happening, he brought his finger to my collar bone, running it up to my neck so softly it was only a whisper.
A shiver ran from the crown of my head to my toes, and I felt my heart start thumping inside my chest.
Edward had touched me hundreds of times, but never like this. This felt delicate and heavy all at once.
I didn't make any move to leave, and neither did Edward, his finger lingering just beneath my jaw.
"Bro, you got a towel in there?" Emmett suddenly yelled from behind me, running over and shaking out his limbs like a dog. Edward snapped his gaze over my head and dropped his hand. Clearing his throat he nodded and reached inside the car for a towel.
I was completely dumbfounded as to what had happened. Not sure what to make of it, I turned and walked back towards the beach in a daze, finding my friends and settling into an easy conversation. But my mind was replaying what had happened at the car. I'd never seen Edward look at me like that before, and it was unsettling. What was he seeing? What was he feeling? Because, if it were any else, I'd think I saw a hint of desire in his eyes.
Peter lingered with our group. I liked him, but I was distracted and couldn't focus on him.
It was close to my curfew, and I nudged Alice letting her know I had to go soon. She nodded and we stood to find Emmett.
Emmett was sat around the fire with a group of older kids, and I noticed the girl from earlier was sitting across Edward's lap now. Edward didn't meet my gaze as we approached, and I told Emmett we had to go.
He looked to Edward who had driven us, but Edward pulled his keys out of his pocket handing them to Emmett.
"You can drive, right? Take the car, I'll get a lift back," he offered. Emmett shrugged and took the keys, making his way to another group of kids to say goodbye.
I stood dumbly for a second, staring at Edward. His gaze briefly flicked up to me, and his eyes softened. "Happy birthday, Bella," he whispered.
I pulled a half smile onto my face, but it didn't reach my eyes. The girl on his lap briefly looked up at me, and seemingly bored with what she saw, she turned her eyes back to Edward and snaked her arm around his neck.
I turned and left, my thoughts staying in that carpark and the ghost of Edward's touch burned into my skin.