A/N: Sorry this was a bit later than expected. As usual, no beta, just me and my thoughts for this one.
2. these hunters with cell phones
Bella bowed as the lights flashed, feeling the heat from the fireworks. She waved to the crowd as the floor sank beneath her. She grinned madly as the crowd disappeared and someone took the microphone from her hand. The hot rush of the show flowed through her chest, heart thrumming like a song.
-PFK-
"Oh my god, I will never get used to that." Rosalie Hale yelled as Bella slipped into her dressing room and plopped onto the couch. The crowd still roared, stomps echoed from the stadium. "You could play a thousand shows and they just…God, they just get better."
"I know, the crowd tonight was incredible!" Bella gleamed as she bent to unlatch the garter on her upper thigh. It was a beautiful costume, a second skin of black shimmer and shine. But by God, was it itchy. She leaned back, kicking off her red-bottomed boots and began clawing at the panty hose. She ran another hand through her frizzing brown hair; it was unusually hot for Seattle.
"Of course they were. Seattle knows when their girl is home. And that was only night one!" The blonde agreed, smiling.
"Two nights only. Tomorrow's got to be even better." Bella nodded, balling the tights up and tossing them to the hamper across the room.
It was good to be…home, to tease herself with a sweet taste of what was to come.
It had been a while since she had time to get back to her roots, to actually come back to Seattle, to Forks, to the wicked evergreens and rain, where she planned on spending the time off she had after her U.S. leg of the tour wrapped up. She hadn't spent time at her house on the outskirts of Forks, near her parents, since the pandemic—since she'd spent every waking hour there with him.
She avoided it like the plague; surely her house would be decrepit right now if her parents didn't tend to it when she was busy, throwing herself into work, into new music, into people that weren't him.
It's alright though, she told herself, that's just what happens when you flatline, when the hot flame is doused, and there's nothing left but snow-like ashes with a trail of cold, despondent shoe prints.
A pathological people pleaser and a man who learned to look everywhere but at her.
Two tortured ghosts—one yearning to hide away and beckoning her to do the same, one yearning to escape.
They were doomed from the start, she realized not too long ago. Six summers later she was back at square one. Single and alone with a pen and a guitar to keep her company.
"Hat girl was cute. Mama did a good job picking tonight." Rose said.
"She does a good job every night, but yeah, she was. She said her name was Bree Cullen." Bella answered, still struggling with the tights.
"Bree Cullen." Rose repeated. "We will have to have Alice look her up on instagram. Drop a like or something."
"Or something. You'll never guess what she gave me." Bella chided, pushing her thoughts back and focusing again on the high that still ran through her blood.
"What?"
"A bracelet."
"They all give you bracelets."
Bella gave her friend a look.
"Oh no, was it…something particularly vulgar? 12 year olds are the worst."
"No, it wasn't that. She said 'My brother thinks you're pretty and he plays football.'" She stretched the band, pulling it off her wrist and tossed the bracelet to her friend.
"Shut the fuck up. Not his actual number." Rosalie studied it and laughed. "It's the winky face on the last bead for me. Ten bucks says he doesn't know she did it."
"Oh, he doesn't. She told me that she did it secretly because he was lonely."
"Well, he's not the only one." Rosalie raised her eyebrows, continuing to look at the beads.
"Sure, Rose, let me just date this random guy." Bella rolled her eyes and reached for a pair of wide-legged jeans and a simple blank tank from her large suitcase in front of the couch.
"What did you say her last name was?"
"Cullen. Why?" She asked curiously.
"Because you said she said he played football. Does he play for the local high school or maybe…" Rosalie trailed off as she stared at her phone, pursing her lips as her typing stopped. "Nope."
"Nope?"
"Nope, can confirm he does not play for the local high school."
"College?" I guessed.
"How about the NFL?" She tossed her phone to Bella, the singer catching it with ease. Her simple search of the keywords 'Cullen football' brought up a multitude of recently updated news articles.
"Seahawks Quarterback in his Bella Swan era."
"Seattle's Edward Cullen, Emmett McCarty, Tyler Crowley are at Lumen Field...but not to score a touchdown!"
"QB Edward Cullen, all smiles with little sister Bree Cullen, amidst off-season injury."
"Edward Cullen: From Super Bowl to Super Fan"
There were pictures of him with the little girl she'd given her hat to, both of them smiling at the camera, glitter covering portions of their face. His shoulder cast was decked out in her album covers.
"Isn't that hilarious? Your fans are literally so creative." Rose sang.
"It is." She said, taking in the man's penny-colored hair and the siblings identical green eyes. She threw the phone back to Rosalie.
"Still. I'm not sure texting him is the right answer here." Bella huffed, buttoning her jeans.
"Imagine his face. 'Hi, this is Bella Swan, your sister gave me a bracelet with your number on it and I thought you were cute so here I am, shooting my shot."
"Shooting my shot." Bella repeated.
"You're right, you don't need to shoot your shot, you're Bella Swan."
"Because that's what we need. The world just got over Jacob Black."
"Don't even say that slime ball's name. God, you need to sanitize your body again just for saying it aloud." Rose scoffed.
"Shut up, he wasn't that bad. It was literally only a few weeks. He was…supportive." Bella defended as she turned to a large mirror, running a brush through her hair.
"I guess him showing up for a few shows was a step above Blahlec-Alec."
Bella shot her friend a glare, a pang in her heart at the mention of his name. "We're not doing this here."
Rosalie threw her hands up in surrender, gripping her phone in one hand. "Fine. But the other one is cute too. Wonder if Charlie and Renee talked to them? Aren't they big football fans?"
"If the quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks was in the tent next to him, I guarantee my dad didn't watch one second of the show." She said, tossing a striped sweater over her small camisole. Her stomach growled, signaling the end of the conversation. Rose laughed.
"Come on. Let's go find Alice and sort out our dinner situation."
-PFK-
"It's almost midnight, I think the only solution is Dicks." Alice said, coming to meet Rosalie and Bella. She typed away on her phone, nodding at whatever was on the screen. "It's an 11 minute drive. Alistair is around the corner with the car."
Bella started to object, not sure she wanted to go out in public. Alice looked up at her before she could open her mouth. "Come on. We always go to Dicks. We've gone since we were kids. We can take Paul and Jared. If there's any paps, I'm sure it'll be minimal. They know you're here for a big show and you let them get their fill at the airport this morning."
"Come on Bells, I'll even wear a low-cut shirt so nobody will even be looking at you." Rose said.
Alice grimaced, "I can see it now. Actress Rosalie Hale flashes tits at Dicks to evade Paparazzi. I so deserve a raise."
"You're the one pushing us to go." Bella deadpanned.
"Girl, you just sang for 3 hours straight. I know you need some Dicks. "
"They do have the best burgers." Rosalie agreed. "It's been so long since we all have been able to be back here."
"Fine but if we see any paps, I'm giving them the finger and telling them it was at the recommendation of my publicist."
"Reputation two, here we come." Alice said, grabbing her coat.
When the car pulled up to the old diner, Bella's stomach grumbled again. Alice had most definitely been right. Dick's Drive-in burgers and shakes were the best on this side of the U.S. She'd been eating clean recently so she could afford herself the delicacy of such a midnight meal.
"Dicks for Dinner for Bella Swan after her Seattle concert." Alice teased as she opened the door from the dark SUV. Jared and Paul flanked the girls on both sides, but the entrance was relatively quiet for this time of night. Bella rolled her eyes but huffed at a laugh. She was doing it to herself really.
"Take pictures of me all day as long as I get a big, juicy—"
"Don't even finish that sentence." Rose hushed, gesturing her head to people on the far side of the restaurant.
"Saving me one bad lip reading at a time." Bella whispered as Jared went up to the counter to request they sit in a secluded, closed off area of the restaurant.
"One eager kid and a TikTok account is all it takes. Been there." Rose laughed, extending an arm.
Nobody took notice of them yet, but she could tell there were a few post-concert goers enjoying a greasy-late night meal. It was only a matter of time, but she opted to listen to her friends. They were home, haunting their old late night spot; this place was all but sacred to her, the memories of late nights and laughs soared around her head like clouds as she smelled the familiar leather booths. This truly was their spot, her spot. One of the only places near and dear to her that, by pure coincidence, hadn't been tainted by the bad relationship that seemed to turn everything gray.
She looped her arm through Roses. "Let's eat."
-PFK-
"Someone said Rosalie Hale was with Bella in Seattle." Bree said, dunking a fry into her chocolate milkshake. "They saw her at the airport."
"Aren't they like best friends? Maybe Rosalie isn't filming this weekend." Victoria added animatedly.
"Ugh, I need to check Twitter, but the service in here is abysmal." Bree complained, staring at her phone. "My snapchats are still sending."
"Rosalie Hale? The actress?" Emmett chimed in, shoving one of the two deluxe burgers he ordered into his mouth. "What, do famous women just flock together?"
"You guys do." Bree said, reaching for another fry, abandoning her loading phone. Her brother rolled his eyes as Emmett opened his mouth to defend the fact that they were a team. A team. Not a posse or whatever the hell a flock of famous women were called.
"Holy fucking shit." Victoria said, dropping her cheeseburger to the plate. Her eyes were saucers as the sound of the bell went off, signaling new customers walking into the diner. She didn't even bother meeting the exasperated looks from her brother and cousin at her language. There were no other words to describe it.
Holy.
Fucking.
Shit.
"Wha-"
"Holy fucking shit." Bree parroted.
"Holy fucking shit, stop swearing, you're in middle school." Emmett said, turning his head to where the girls glued their eyes.
"Holy fucking shit." He said.
Their outburst made Edward careen his head, the leather of the booth squeaking as he turned his body. Two larger men flanked the small group of women, one stepping away to talk to the manager behind the counter. He gestured to the empty section on the other side of the restaurant.
"She eats at Dicks? Mother is so real for that." Victoria said, still staring. Bella Swan was standing only tables away from them.
Tables.
Away.
"Wasn't that a Swannie Insider secret? They said she loved a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Seattle." Bree said, hesitantly moving her eyes to the still loading phone for half a second. "Confirmed. Rosalie Hale and Alice Brandon are with her." Bree said, shifting, tilting the black fedora on her head back and squinting her eyes so she could see. She might as well have pulled out binoculars.
"Quit staring!" Edward snapped, ripping his eyes from the sway the flared jeans curved just right around Bella Swan's backside. He'd been on the other side of that stare so many times. He felt for Bella, it didn't take a genius to notice other customers sneakily snapping pictures with their phones.
"I bet it doesn't even phase her." Victoria said, "People take pictures of her everywhere she goes. I doubt some kids with her merch hardly shocks her. Maybe we could get her autograph…I heard she is so nice."
"She's probably…I don't know…tired? Wouldn't you be tired after performing a huge concert?" Emmett asked, focusing on the woman next to Bella.
"I can't believe she's out in public. She never goes out in public anymore." Victoria whispered.
"I can't imagine why." Edward said, as his little sister snapped a photo of Bella at the counter,
"Oh shoot." Bree squeaked.
"What?"
"She saw me take that photo." Bree said again, face flushed as she scrambled to hide her phone. If she could pull the hat over her head or hide inside of it like those weird bunny rabbits she saw on television, she would.
"Holy fucking shit." Victoria said again, reaching out to smack her cousin. "Bree, they're coming over here."
-PFK-
"Oh my god, they still have root beer floats." Rosalie said, smiling widely, looking up at the menu above the counter.
"Dad used to swear by those when I was kid. Every time we'd come down here, he'd tell my mom he was stopping for gas. Nope, just a root beer float." Bella smiled, shaking her head as she studied the menu. The familiar creep up of her spine started, a snake crawling that she'd never quite get used to. People were staring, she knew that. She heard the clicks, the accidental curses when their flashes went off. She shoved the thoughts away and studied the menu, giving her simple order to the kind gentleman behind the counter.
"Bella. 7 o'clock. It's the girl who got your hat tonight!" Alice said, jutting her chin to a red faced girl hiding under the hat. Bella looked away from the menu to the small booth across the diner, catching the small girl just as her iPhone was ripped out of sight and a pair of eyes went wide. She recognized those green eyes instantly. She was making something of a habit with those eyes today.
"Our food isn't gonna be ready for a few minutes and there's not many people here…" Her publicist continued.
"Alice!" Rosalie gasped.
"What? As media representation for you both, I can't say no to great free PR like this. Plus, judging by the fat bag of merch at her feet, I'm pretty sure you'd be making their entire night. Year probably. Go ahead, I'll stay with these meatheads and mind the fort. Maybe I'll snap a few pics to leak to the press." Alice said, shrugging her shoulders and nodding to the counter.
"Wait, hat?" Rosalie questioned, looking over at the table in question. "Bella is that the fan that gave you her brother's number on the bracelet?"
"I'm sorry?" Alice said, eyes nearly bulging out of her head.
"Oh did we forget to tell you that?" Rose asked innocently.
"Like stalker number or just trying to shoot a shot for her big bro?" Alice said, turning again to look, judging the threat. It was a small corner booth with two bigger guys sitting on one side, either the girls' dads, brothers, or uncles. On the other side, two young girls were decked out in concert gear.
"I mean he's the quarterback for the Seahawks so I doubt he needs much help from-" Rosalie started.
"Seriously?" Bella said.
"You have a quarterback's number and you failed to mention it?"
"I don't think he knows I have it. I'm probably just gonna throw it away." Bella said casually.
"Just gonna throw it away? God, did Jacob Black ruin you for life? Now you're definitely going over there. " Alice asked.
"No, he didn't fucking—Oh my god, Rosalie, where are you going?" Bella gasped, watching the tall blonde stride across the linoleum floor. With each click of her heel, Bella tried to swallow down the red that was surely taking residence in her cheeks. She'd been doing this for years but it never eased, especially since she'd been trying to shy away from the public eye the past few years.
"Listening to my publicist? Come on! You haven't done anything like this in years." Rosalie hissed over her shoulder. Bella panicked, shooting a look at Jared, who just shook his head, trying to reign in his laughter. Her body guards weren't getting her out of this one.
"Just don't linger. Your pops is already gonna kill me for bringing you out here. Paul, go with them."
"Don't worry, he's going to kill me too." Bella muttered, following after her friend.
-PFK-
"Nice hat! And I love the t-shirts!" Rosalie Hale said as she approached the table. "Did you guys enjoy the show? What was your favorite song?"
After nearly thirteen years of knowing Bree Cullen, Edward had never seen his sister freeze the way she had in the moment the blonde actress approached their table. By the time the brunette approached behind her, Bree was visibly shaking. He kicked her swiftly under the table to make sure he wasn't going to have to perform CPR on the greasy floor of his favorite dive.
"B-B-" Victoria stuttered as she gawked. "I might start crying." Her eyes soared past Rosalie Hale and focused on the small brunette that trailed her. The same brunette they'd seen a few hours ago playing a sold out stadium. Her hair fell down her back, freshly brushed and she wore a simple top and sparkles and lyrica must have been left back at Lumen field.
"Oh my god, please don't. We saw you guys were fans and just wanted to see if we could get a picture with you." Bella said, her own eyes growing wide. She offered Victoria a kind smile. "Love your shirt!"
"I love you so much, you just—" Victoria started again. "Folklore and Evermore were the best things to come out the pandemic—and Lover and Fearless and-"
"Thank you so much. You're so kind!" Bella said, grinning. "Did you enjoy the show?"
"Yes, it was amazing. I—we had the best time. We even made bracelets and everything before. So worth convincing my brother to take me." Victoria said.
"And I love all your movies." Victoria said, turning to Rosalie.
"How about you? I dig the hat!" Bella smiled at Bree. "I'm so glad we get to do that every night."
"I'm a Lover girly, through and through." Bree said proudly, trying her best not to rattle like a snake.
"I can tell. I love your face paint." Bella laughed and turned to look at the man directly across from her with the sparkly 13 painted on his face. "Yours too. Though, I think I'm used to seeing you with a 17, not a 13. It looks good, though."
Edward could feel the blood boiling beneath his cheeks and he was thankful for the paint job. It might give his a chance at keeping a shred of dignity.
"You know football?" Emmett gaped, looking at Bella for the first time since Rosalie approached them.
"I'll try not to take offense to that." Bella deadpanned.
"He didn't mean that-" Edward started, following Bree's sentiments about wishing the floor would swallow them all whole. God, Coach would surely hear about this.
"Don't worry. I grew up watching the Seahawks. Saw you guys kick butt in Glendale last year. My parents are huge fans. I just got to meet my dad's old friend, Coach Chaney, this morning." Bella offered Emmet a grin and took a second to look at Edward, biting her lip. Fuck, those green eyes from far was one thing, but up close…
"Rad." Emmett nodded, turning his attention back to Rosalie.
"I think I saw you at HQ today." Bella continued to Edward, wanting to hear his voice again.
"Yeah, I had to stop in. I thought I recognized your…" He tossed a look to the big man behind the girls. "I probably look different pressed up against a wall." Edward smiled and Bella knew if she didn't cut this short, she was a goner.
"Narrow halls are a bitch." Emmett chimed in, looking between them.
Thankfully, Bree chose that minute to cut in, referring back to the aforementioned photo. Bella, thankful, complied quickly as Victoria and Bree scooted out of the booth and threw their arms around the singer and the actress. Bree shoved her phone into her brother's hand and gestured for him to take the photo.
The girls stared at the camera expectantly, but Edward was too busy looking at Bella's smile. It was beautiful, effortless, even through Bree's stupid iPhone camera. He blinked and remembered his responsibility, pressing the camera button down like his little sister taught him so 'he'd surely get a good one'. When the girls were satisfied, it was Bella who spoke up while Rose ventured to another table.
"Would you guys mind getting a photo with me?" She asked.
"You want a picture with us?" Edward gaped, passing Bree's phone back to her, eyebrows raising to the top of his head.
"It's like they meet one superstar and forgot they play in the NFL." Victoria scoffed, ripping her cousin's phone from the table. "Geez, Edward, time for an upgrade." She frowned at the outdated iPhone.
Bella coughed, raising a hand to cover her laugh.
"Yeah! I mean—my parents are big fans and they're never gonna believe who we ran into at our favorite restaurant."
"Likewise." Edward laughed but how could he say no?
The boys scooted out of their booth and Edward did little to hide his sour expression at his little sister's shit-eating grin. The sourness vanished when he finally stood next to Bella, her friend at her side and Emmett on the other.
Her scent was sweet, like fresh strawberries in his mother's kitchen tickling his nose. She was shorter than he expected, he towered over her like she didn't just command a stadium of seventy thousand in a way he never could. She slid an arm around his waist, light to the touch and probably out of habit. And he froze. It was swift, only for a moment, but it happened—he froze because this was Bella Swan, a superstar, someone the world made out to be ten-feet tall, but in the flesh, she fit just right in the crook of his arm. He awkwardly returned her hold and smiled at the flash of the camera.
Bree didn't hide bother hiding her grin.
-PFK-
"Damn, Edward, she was totally flirting with you." Emmett nodded appreciatively as the gaggle of famous women retreated to another table.
"Come on, no she wasn't." Edward rolled his eyes.
"She so was." Victoria said, slurping her milkshake, staring at the photos they just took. "Wasn't she Bree?"
"About that…" Bree started, shoving a piece of her blonde hair behind her ears. "Don't get mad but…"
Edward gave her a look. "What did you do?"
"I might have put your number on a bracelet…and I might have given it to her when she gave me the hat during the show."
He nearly choked on his coke.
"You what?"
"You guys mentioned it earlier and I thought it was a good idea! Just in case…" Bree exclaimed.
"Better you than Tyler Crowley, I guess." Emmett said, but turned his head to look over at Rosalie again. "Think she kept it?"
"She wasn't wearing any bracelets." Vic said sadly.
"Probably because she thinks I'm a creep. Perfect." Edward said, rolling his eyes. "Just what I need. Some stupid news report or gossip column going around when I can't even do something on the field to make people forget about it."
"She's not the type to do that." Bree defended. "If she doesn't want it, I'm sure she'll just toss it in the garbage."
"Did we not just listen to her sing for three hours about guys that are creeps?"
"Only the ones that treat her badly and deserve it."
"Quit acting like this is the worst thing in the world. I saw how you were looking at her during Vigilante Shit. You were totally jealous of her chair. Not to mention how you stiffened up like one of Mom's holiday fruit cakes when you took a picture with her." Bree said defensively.
"Everyone was looking at her during Vigilante Shit." Edward argued.
"She's probably just gonna throw it away." Emmett said. "I doubt that girl has got time to date. Plus, with how crazy you guys were over the heartbreaking song she sang tonight about…what's his name? Alec or Jacob or something….she's probably not even in the market."
"Could you imagine the next album being about Edward?" Victoria said, gasping, looking at Bree.
"Alright, knock it off. Nobody is texting anyone. Finish your fries and shakes. We should get out here before this place gets swarmed or something." Edward said, but his eyes didn't go back to his half-eaten meal, instead they trailed to the brunette laughing with another young girl.
Nobody was texting anyone.
A/N: We'll see about that edward
Ex Key:
Jacob Black - Matty Healy (barf)
Alec Blahhlec - Joe Alwyn (not barf but i'm gonna make it emo)
Until next time! I'm Sarah H PuzzlingSarah on FB if you want to connect!