Fifteen
Bella placed her hands on his hips, leaning her body against his. But before she could deepen the kiss, she heard a loud, booming voice yell, "Eddie's kissing a girl? And they say miracles don't exist."
Edward tore his lips from hers, groaning as he released her, and they turned, finding his brother and the blond girl he'd been with at the peer walking toward them. Bella glanced at Edward, preparing to leave if he called her a nobody again.
"What are you doing here, Emmett?" Edward asked, his arm wrapping back around Bella.
"Meeting James and Alice." He and the blond stopped a few feet away, his smile growing, and Bella saw dimples dipping into his cheeks. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your girlfriend?"
"No." Edward spun them around, and they started walking away. But when Emmett grabbed his arm, he shifted so he was standing between her and his brother, which seemed to Bella to be a protective maneuver. "Leave us alone, Em."
"I'm not doing anything, Eddie. Just wanting to meet your little girlfriend."
The blond rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, which Bella found amusing. "Emmett, just let him be."
"Why don't you mind your own business?" Emmett snarled.
The blond raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
She scoffed. "Why don't you fuck off?"
And glancing back at Bella and then Edward, she turned and walked into the arcade.
"Rose!" Emmett called out, but when she held up her middle finger, he sighed.
"Bella, will you wait for me inside?" Edward asked, looking down at her. "Please? Just be a few minutes."
She glanced at Emmett before nodding and following Rose.
She stood just inside the door, watching as the two brothers argued. Even though Emmett towered over Edward by a solid two inches, he didn't appear intimidated.
"Is he still out there?"
Bella turned, finding Rose behind her. "Yes."
"Asshole," she muttered, pulling her phone from her back pocket. "Sorry you had to see that. He doesn't usually speak to me like that."
She nodded.
"I'm Rosalie, but most people call me Rose."
"Bella."
Rosalie smiled. "I know. He talks about you all the time."
"Who?"
"Who do you think? Edward, of course! It's Bella this and Bella that. Boy is smitten by you."
"Oh," she whispered, feeling her cheeks warm.
"He's a good one," Rosalie added before looking past her at Emmett and Edward. "I'd better go. Looks like I've got to find a way back to New York."
"Is that where you're from?"
Rosalie nodded. "Born and raised. I met Emmett at school, and he invited me to come home with him for the summer. Figured it would be better than going home and listening to my father remind me what a disappointment I am."
Bella frowned.
"Sorry. You don't want to hear my sob story."
"I don't mind."
She smiled. "Well, it was nice to officially meet you, Bella."
"You too, Rose."
Bella watched as Rosalie walked outside and ignored Emmett as he tried to stop her from leaving. He glanced back at Edward before he chased after her.
Edward dragged a hand through his hair before he turned toward the door, smiling when he saw Bella watching. She pushed the glass door open, gnawing on her lip as she joined him.
"Everything okay?"
Edward nodded. "He's just an ass."
"I don't disagree."
"We're not going to let my idiot brother ruin our afternoon, are we?"
"Nope," she chirped. "But we don't have to stay here, do we?"
"Not if you don't want to. Where do you want to go?"
"Somewhere private."
Edward grinned. "I know just where to go."
—TBHC—
Half an hour later, Emmett and Rosalie had been pushed out of their thoughts and Edward and Bella were seated on the fallen tree trunk once again. Edward held her hand, though they hadn't spoken in several minutes. All she could think about was the feel of Edward's lips against hers, how he held her, how he said she'd rocked his world.
"What are you thinking right now?" he asked, causing her cheeks to heat. "Must be good, seeing how much you're blushing."
"It's just hot out here," she lied.
"Hot, huh?" Edward smirked.
"Yep."
"If you say so."
Bella rolled her eyes. "Fine. I was thinking about the kiss."
"I see." Edward looked away. "Did you like it?"
"Yes."
He turned back to her. "Really?"
"Yes," she laughed. "You sound surprised."
He shrugged. "I am."
"Why?"
"Because I've never kissed a girl before."
Bella's eyes widened. "You haven't?"
"No," he mumbled, this time it was his cheeks turning pink. "You're kind of the first girl I've ever gone out with."
She smiled. "I am?"
"Yes."
"Oh."
"You sound surprised."
"I am."
"Why?"
"I don't know. You just . . . you seem so confident."
"I do?"
She nodded.
"Well, I'm not. Especially with you."
"What do you mean with me?"
"I mean, you're so beautiful."
Bella laughed.
"I'm serious."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are."
She shook her head.
"Why do you think that?"
"I don't know," she mumbled, shaking her head. "Just . . . boys never really talked to me. Nobody really talked to me."
"They were probably intimidated by you. I was."
Bella scoffed. "You approached me."
"Yeah, but I was scared."
"You didn't seem like it." She shifted toward him. "What were you doing on the beach in the middle of the night?"
Edward frowned. "Just needed some fresh air, I guess. My mom . . . Well, she'd been drinking a lot. More than normal, and sometimes she gets mean."
"Mean how?"
"Like . . . I don't know. She starts talking about my dad and how he's a bastard. Then she talks about how I don't do well enough in school, and I'm not popular enough. That night, she kept asking if I was going to move . . . if I was going to leave her, too. I kept telling her no, that I wasn't going anywhere, but she just wouldn't listen. Eventually, she passed out, so I went for a walk."
"That really sucks."
Edward nodded. "She's trying to stop, though. I mean, stop drinking."
"Do you think she will?"
"Oh, yeah, I mean, she will for me."
"I hope so."
Edward inhaled a deep breath. "What were you doing on the beach in the middle of the night?"
Bella frowned. "Needed a safe place to cry, I guess. That was the day my stepfather shipped me off."
"You didn't want to move in with your uncle?"
"No," she admitted. "I mean, I love Carlisle, but Phil is . . . was my father. Or as close to a father as I've ever had. When my mom got sick, when it became clear she wasn't going to survive, she made him promise to take care of me. But he didn't want me anymore, I guess."
"Have you talked to him?"
Bella tensed. "No."
"At all?"
She shook her head. "He calls Carlisle, but I haven't heard from him."
"That's bullshit."
She nodded. "I . . . I texted him earlier, but he didn't reply."
"Maybe he hasn't seen it yet."
"It shows he's read it."
"Oh."
"Yeah," she whispered. "I don't want to talk about him anymore."
"Okay."
"Sorry."
"Don't apologize, Bella. You're allowed to be sad. Or angry. I would be."
She nodded.
They fell into an awkward silence. A soft breeze was coming off the ocean. Bella saw a couple of seagulls and heard people on the peer.
"Tell me something nobody knows about you."
"Um." She paused. "I don't know."
"What's your favorite hobby?"
"I don't really have one."
"Do you like to draw?"
"Can't even keep a line straight."
"Write?"
"Not really."
"Do you listen to music?"
"A little, I guess."
"Do you like to read?"
"I mean, sometimes."
"You're not giving me much."
"I like being with you."
Edward grinned. "I like being with you, too."
"I . . . I liked it when you kissed me."
His grin grew. "I liked kissing you, too. Wouldn't say no to doing it again."
"Me either."
Edward turned to her, his hand coming up to her face. "Can I keep you, Bella?"
"Yes."
And a moment later, she felt his lips touch hers for the second time.
Thank you for all the AMAZING reviews! Huge thanks to Sunflower Fran for being an amazing beta!