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Eight.

Emmett came by the hotel around midday as we were getting ready to leave.

"Have fun last night?" He asked, wagging his eyebrows at me.

Fear shot through my veins and I answered too quickly. "No!"

He frowned, confused. "You didn't?"

"No, no, I did. I mean, I feel kind of hungover today," I spattered.

Emmett look at me like a weirdo, and let out a long, "oooo-kaaaaay."

Turning to Alice and Emily he asked Alice if we got up to any weird girl sleepover shit and she slapped his arm, poking her tongue out at him. He laughed and flicked her nose, turning his attention back to me.

"Okay, well, I just came round to say bye. The chief has called me twice asking if you've left yet," he chuckled, shaking his head. "Daddy's princess. He never did that shit for me."

"Yes he did," I retorted. "You just never answered his calls."

"Whatever, smart ass. I was an angel."

"Oh yeah, a total saint," I snorted.

As we piled into the car, Emmett handed Alice a narrow cardboard box. "Oooooh, what's this?" She asked in delight.

"Just a little birthday gift. Don't use it all at once," he chuffed.

Alice opened it and found a nugget of weed inside. She clapped her hands gleefully and reached through the window to hug Emmett.

"This the good stuff?" She asked.

"Pfft, don't wound me, squirt. You know I'd never get you anything less than the best."

Alice shot him an appreciative smile and winked as Emily started the ignition.

"See you in a couple weeks," Emmett called as we pulled away from the curb.

—

We were fifteen minutes into our drive when my phone started buzzing with Edward's name flashing across my phone. Normally, this wouldn't be weird. We called each other a lot and texted even more. But after last night, I was suddenly nervously starting at my phone.

"You gonna get that?" Alice asked from the front seat. Emily looked at me in the rearview mirror and snickered knowingly.

"Bella! Answer the phone," Alice pushed, knowing it could only be one person by the way I was hesitating.

I swiped the screen and tried to sound normal when I spoke.

"Hey," I said, as casually as I could manage.

Edward cleared his throat over the phone and replied, "Hey."

"How're you feeling?" I asked, grasping at whatever I could to make this not awkward.

"I stopped drinking early, remember?" He chuckled. I squeezed my eyes shut and slapped a hand to my forehead.

"Right, yeah."

He paused for a moment, and I waited for whatever he was calling for. I half expected him to apologise or something. Say he was wrapped up in the moment, and we could just go back to normal and forget it ever happened. And I would've been fine with it. This was total unchartered territory, and I had no idea what would come next.

"Can I come see you next weekend?" He asked in a rush.

That was unexpected.

"Uh, yeah, but Emmett isn't coming until the following weekend for my birthday."

"I know."

"Oh." Edward had never made a trip just to hang out with me. "Um, yeah, I mean of course you can."

"Okay, cool," he said shyly. I could hear a smile in his voice, and the corners of my lips tugged up in response.

"I had a really nice time last night, Bella," he said then, and a full smile broke across my face.

"Yeah, me too." I felt like an idiot, but it made me happy to hear him say that.

"I'll text you, let you know when I'm coming. Maybe we can go to Port."

"Yeah okay, that sounds cool," I said, still trying to sound casual when I felt anything but.

"Cool, later Bella." And the line went dead.

When I looked up from my phone, Alice was turned all the way around in her seat with a clown-like grin smeared across her face. I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled from my lips, then all three of us were laughing and squealing like the teenage girls we were.