Chapter 32

Edward Cullen was pissed off. No, he was fucking furious. First time in his life, he didn't know what to do.

Isabella had, at last, agreed to go for a coffee with him, which hadn't been a huge ego boost: he had to ask her twice before she even had time to meet him. She had suggested the place she worked at, a bookshop with a cafe called Book Attic. Cute little place.

Edward had been so sure of himself that he was totally blown out of his comfort zone when Isabella had refused to go to the movies with him.

"Thanks for asking, but no," she had said.

"Why?" he had blurted before he could think any better. This had never happened to him before. He had never been rejected in his life.

"Well, I'm with someone, and he wouldn't like it if I went to see a movie with another guy, but I like you and would like to be your friend but nothing more."

It wasn't a surprise that she had a boyfriend; of course, a girl like that had one. He just was used to girls dumping their boyfriends if he showed any interest in them. Hey, most eligible bachelor here. He was an arrogant bastard, he knew that, but he had all the reasons to be one. But now, it seemed that Isabella Swan was immune to his charm, and he didn't know what to do next.

"Friends go to see movies together, don't they?" he had said, showing her his panty-dropping smile, but she had still said no.

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

That had happened two weeks ago. Edward had been thinking of Isabella all the time. He hadn't come up with any ideas on how to get her if she wasn't willing to go out with him. What the fuck was there for him to do. He decided to visit the bookshop she was working, hoping to see her there. To have a chat with her, just to see her. He was her friend, after all.

Edward left his home and walked around the corner to the street where the shop was when he saw her. She was with a guy who obviously was her boyfriend. They were just stepping out of the bookshop, his arm tightly around her shoulders, and they were laughing.

Fuck he was jealous, and goddamn, it was a powerful emotion; he hadn't ever been jealous of anybody. But now, he would do anything to be in that fucker's place. He watched as this lucky bastard skimmed his hand on her lower back, brushing the narrow patch of bare skin with his thumb. She had low-waist jeans, and did he just see a tattoo on her hip? He got hard on just thinking about a tattoo on her hip.

The fucker skimmed his hand back up again and tugged his hand under her thick hair, leaving it possessively there behind her neck. He could see his thump brushing her jawline. Bella slipped her hand into the back pocket of his jeans and squeezed his ass. He leaned to kiss her. Edward licked his lips.

So, they obviously were wrapped around each other, but he wasn't going to give up. Shit no. He would find out who this guy was, and maybe he could find something to use for his own benefit.

But now he had to get laid. Seeing Isabella had made him horny. He took his phone and texted Rosalie. She was always ready for a quick fuck.

Ah, it gave him an idea. Rosalie would love to take in a challenge. Isabella surely wasn't one to stick with a guy who fucked other women, and Bella's boyfriend definitely looked like a man who got laid a lot. Rosalie was a gorgeous blondie. If anybody could get that native guy away from Isabella and get him fuck her, it would be Rosalie. And when that happened, she would need a shoulder to cry on, and he would be there offering it to her. By Christmas, she would be his. Edward smirked happily.

Bella was shelving books at Book Attic. It was three days before Halloween, and Megan was grilling her about the Halloween party everybody was going to, held at the Johnson Hall.

"You have to come. You need to get out more, you know. Have fun, you're a college student after all, and this is Halloween, for fuck's sake."

"I'm having loads of fun, thank you very much," Bella huffed.

"Well, other fun than fucking that hunk of yours," Megan snorted.

Few customers turned their heads and looked at them with a frown. Bella had to laugh. Megan had a mouth on her, like her other friends, and she loved that about her, but sometimes she just should tune down a little.

She was standing behind her and tapping her feet on the ground: "Well? Are you coming?"

"If you don't mind Paul coming with us," Bella said. Paul was coming and staying for three nights this weekend.

"Of course not," Megan said and turned to leave. "I'll see you later." And she was gone.

So, it was settled that they would go to the Halloween party. She texted quickly to Paul and told him to pack something he could wear. Bella wasn't a huge fan of Halloween, yeah, she was a very boring person, but she did have an idea of what she could wear.

She didn't go to the college parties very often. For one, she often worked, and school was very demanding, so she didn't have any energy to go to any. She also didn't like to drink, and those parties were all about drinking and getting laid, and since she wasn't looking for anybody to fuck either, there simply wasn't any idea for her to go. And when Bella went with Megan, she usually stayed just long enough for Megan to find herself a guy for the night or some other company.

It usually didn't take long. But every time, she had to shoo away guys trying to get it on with her. This was the immersion into the college life Megan had talked about. And maybe she would be there with her getting immersed if she hadn't had Paul but thank God, she did have him.

But now that Paul was going with her, maybe they could really have some fun and maybe dance a little.

Edward had texted her a few times, and he had shown up at the shop one day. They had had coffee and chatted for a while. He was ok guy and fun to talk with. He had asked her if she was going to the Halloween party held at Johnson Hall as it was the biggest Halloween party on the Campus. She had told him she would go with Megan and Paul if she was going. She had wanted to make sure he understood she wasn't interested in him. He hadn't asked her out again, so maybe he was ok with them being just friends. Well, he had said that much in one of his text messages. They even talked about Paul a little when Edward had asked.

It was the night of the Halloween party, and Bella was tying up her hair in her bathroom. Paul was having a nap. He was exhausted from all the work and studying, and after very little sleep last night, he had crashed after dinner. Bella felt bad that she had to wake him up soon. She wished she hadn't promised Megan they would go with her. She would suggest that Paul stay behind to sleep, and she would make a quick visit to the party and come back to him soon.

She quickly glanced at her reflection and was happy with her looks. She was wearing tight black jeans, a tight-fitting red t-shirt with black polka dots, and on her head, she had a headband with antennas and two messy buns. She thought she looked pretty cute ladybug.

Oh, she forgot the lipstick. She applied some red lipstick on her lips and went to the bedroom.

She looked at Paul. He looked adorable when he slept, like a little boy. Damn, she hoped she could just take her clothes off and sleep with him. She had had quite busy weeks behind her and was pretty knackered. Paul looked so peaceful and was snoring lightly. But she had to wake him up now if they were going to go.

"Hey baby, would you like to stay in and sleep, hmm? I'll go with Megan for a while and come back soon?" she asked and kissed his cheek.

Paul was startled from his sleep. "Hell no. I'm coming with you," Paul grunted and rubbed his face. "I'll have a quick shower, and I'm as good as new." Bella had to laugh; he was so spaced out.

"Are you sure? You sure would benefit from a good sleep. I will be back soon. It usually doesn't take Megan long to find some company."

"I'm sure. I won't let you go out without me looking like that," Paul got up, kissed her, and went to the bathroom.

Bella was sitting by the kitchen island on a bar chair eating a sandwich when Paul emerged from her room looking sexy as hell. He wore a tight black t-shirt showing his muscles and tight black jeans. He had gelled his hair into spikes and had those distinctive-looking black hook earrings on, which made him look even sexier if that was even possible. He would wear a mask over his eyes, just like she was.

"Oh, my sexy bug, you know those horny college girls will eat you alive tonight?" Bella giggled and held her arms open for him to come and hug her. She slid her hands on his ass and squeezed.

Shit, he looked so hot she should actually be a bit worried. He would definitely be eaten alive. Tonight would be the first time they went to a party together, and she felt a bit unsure of herself. There would be a lot of hot girls tonight, and she knew they would come onto him. What would he do when they did? This wasn't La Push or Forks; Campus was full of gorgeous women. She knew she was being irrational again but could not help it.

"As long as it is the one and only horny college girl, I don't mind," Paul said and kissed her. "But I'm keeping you as my shield. I'm not letting you out of my sight, baby."

Paul lifted her to the kitchen island and came to stand between her legs. He kissed her again, deepening the kiss and flicking his tongue on her bottom lip before thrusting it into her mouth. Bella moaned and kissed him back.

"Or maybe," Paul whispered while nipping her neck, "we just stay here and get the apartment all to ourselves. I would love to fuck you right here right now."

Bella wrapped her legs around him and sucked his ear hook into her mouth. Paul groaned with his deep voice that made her lady bits tingle.

"Oi, you two lovebirds," Megan hollered when she came to the kitchen. "You're not staying behind tonight. You're coming with me. You can do all the fucking later, and like you haven't already," she snorted.

Bella blushed.

Megan whistled when she looked at them.

"It should be against the law to look so good together as you two do," Megan laughed. "Can I take a photo of you two?" Not waiting for an answer, she took her phone and snapped a photo.

Megan was wearing a sexy Hermione Granger outfit, or was it Ginny? Who knew. Sexy being an operative word.

"Hey, what should we drink before we leave?" Megan asked and opened the cupboard. "We have tequila, vodka, and beer," she listed the content of the closet.

"What you would like to have, baby," Paul asked and nuzzled her neck.

"Umm... I get terrible headaches of those all. Do we have any wine left?"

She hopped down from the table and went to the fridge. There was one half-drunk bottle of chardonnay.

"When did we open this?" Bella asked.

"It was earlier this week, so it should be fine," Megan answered.

"Ok, I'm having this, you baby?"

"I'll get a beer," Paul said and came to get one from the fridge grabbing her waist and squeezing her tight against him.

"You want wine?" Bella asked Megan

"Nah, I need something stronger. Vodka and coke for me."

Bella gave her a can of coke.

Party was in full swing when they arrived. There were lots of people, and many were quite drunk already. Music was playing loudly in the background.

Bella saw a few people from her course, and there were Eric and Tyler. They had some girls under their arms, and they just winked at her and disappeared into the crowd.

"Maybe we should get something to drink," Paul said, leading her through the crowd.

Bella wasn't sure why on earth they had come here. Megan was getting into a mood after having two vodka cokes at their place and finishing the third one she had made to drink on the way.

"Yeah, let's."

"I'll see you guys later. Try to stay more than ten minutes, will you, this is going to be so much fun," she shouted and vanished.

"Did we really come here because she wanted us to come with her?" Bella snorted.

She looked around and saw how Paul drew in glances from the female population and actually from the males. He was quite a sight in his tight t-shirt. He had been working out for a couple of months, and his body was gorgeous. Well, it was gorgeous without working out, too, not too muscular but just enough to show the strength and the excellent shape he was in. She adored his body, obviously. She snorted. Oh, she seemed to be a bit drunk, a result of too little practice and too little sleep.

She slipped her hand under his t-shirt on his back, feeling his smooth skin under her fingers. She circled the heart shape with her forefinger and kissed the tattoo on his upper arm. Paul leaned to kiss the top of her head.

"Hey Paul, is that really you?" someone shouted. They both turned around and saw a black man smiling widely at them.

"Fuck, Ben, how are you, man? Paul said and gave him a homie handshake and double tap on the back. "What are you doing here? Haven't seen you in ages." Without waiting for the reply, Paul pulled her closer to him. "Bella, this is Ben. We worked together for a while a few years back," Paul introduced his friend to Bella.

"Nice to meet you, Ben," Bella said.

"Ben, this is Bella, my girlfriend," Paul introduced her to him.

"Paul has a girlfriend?" Ben laughed, "I don't believe it."

"You better believe it, man," Paul chuckled.

"Bella, come dance with me," Megan suddenly showed up and dragged her towards the dance floor.

Bella waved at Paul and went with Megan. She was happy Paul had found someone he knew. She worried the party would be dull for him, not knowing anybody.

Megan gave her a shot and asked her to drink it with her. What the hell, why not get drunk while we're at it she thought and emptied the bitter drink into her mouth. She gagged a little; it was so bad. Megan gave her a glass of white wine, and she took a sip.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" she asked.

"And what if I am? Paul is here now, and you can relax and let your hair down, figuratively speaking. I love your hair like that. You look adorable, you know. Let's have some fun," Megan shouted into her ear and started to move to the rhythm of the music. She was pretty drunk already.

They danced. Bella was enjoying dancing. It was a shame the alcohol she drank made her feel a bit sick. She shouldn't have drunk hard liquor.

"You do know that everyone has eyes on Paul, right?" Megan suddenly said to her.

"Yeah, I kinda noticed it," Bella laughed uneasily.

"Well, he looks too gorgeous. If you're not careful, someone will snatch him under your nose. Who was that friend of his?"

"Paul said they used to work together. Didn't catch anything more before you came to drag me away," Bella answered, feeling a bit shitty about what Megan had said. Megan was drunk, but she knew she was right. For sure were many girls sharpening their claws right this moment.

Was she really worried about that? Yeah, she was a bit. It was old insecurity coming to the surface. Paul had never made anything that should make her feel insecure about him or them. But when she looked around and saw all those sexy college girls dancing and drinking, at that moment, she, for some reason, felt like the nerd high school girl she once was.

Paul was happy to see Ben but didn't see Bella anywhere, and he hated that. He tried to look around but didn't see her anywhere.

"What are you doing here?" Ben asked.

"I came to visit Bella. She studies here in the College of the Environment," Paul told him. "What about you?"

"The same, my girlfriend Sybil is studying in the law school, and she asked me to come to the party." Ben chuckled.

They chatted for a while, but every passing minute made Paul more anxious. Where was Bella?

"You're looking for your girl, huh?" Ben chuckled. "She is gorgeous; you should take care. These college kids are horny bastards."

"Gee, thanks. Makes me feel a lot better," Paul said, trying to make it sound like a joke, which it wasn't.

"Let's get beers. She'll find you soon," Ben tapped Paul on the back and led the way.

Ben told Paul what he had been doing since they left the construction company they'd worked together. Ben was a real estate agent making good money, as he put it. Paul told about his plans to become a chef, move to Seattle as soon as possible, and find work here. He constantly looked around, trying to find Bella, but he didn't see her anywhere.

Ben's girlfriend Sybil joined them, and Ben introduced her. When Ben told her that Paul would be a chef, she got very interested and started asking many questions, but Paul was losing interest in talking with these people.

"Hey, I need to take a leek. I'll come back, don't disappear before I've talked to you again," Ben said, and he and Sybil left him.

Paul moved a bit further from the drinks table, but there were so many people everywhere. Where the hell was Bella?

"Oh, hey, gorgeous," Paul heard someone say. He glanced at the woman who had appeared next to him. She was a good-looking blonde woman, but fuck she needed to get her hands the fuck off his arm. He moved away from her, but she didn't let go.

"Hey, take your hands off me," Paul grunted at the woman and tried again to get his arm free, but there were too many people around them, and he didn't have enough room to move.

"Don't be a spoilsport. We could have so much fun," the bitch said and was again glued against his body, and now she licked his ear, and her other hand was grabbing his ass. He felt repulsion going through his body.

"Move the fuck off," Paul said again, and then to his horror, he saw Bella looking at them. Her eyes were big and filled with tears. Then the fucking bitch kissed him on the lips. He was so shocked that for a little while, he couldn't move.

He was in full panic. Surely Bella had seen him trying to get rid of the bitch. She had to.

"Bella!" He shouted and pulled free of the grip of that bitch.

"You're an asshole," the bitch said.

Where did Bella go? He didn't see her anywhere. Fuck, this wasn't happening. She must have seen he had nothing to do with that shit. She had to. But where the hell did she go?