Episode Twenty-Nine: Thanksgiving

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Episode: Twenty-Nine: Thanksgiving

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It was late when we finally left the Zucker's house with a tremendous amount of food. I got hugs from everyone, as did Edward who they were already acting like was part of the family. The snow was coming down slowly, but there was at least an inch on the ground. It was just a short subway ride to the apartment, so we decided to go there first. We couldn't keep all that food at the hotel. 

We were alone on the subway train except for an ancient Chinese woman with a neon pink suitcase and a big pink puffy jacket to match. Our leftovers sat beside us in the quiet car with only the sounds of the train echoing around us. My thoughts began to build up in my head. 

“Was that too much?” I asked Edward quietly.

"What? It was an overall, very nice day. Very wholesome. I gained ten pounds, I think." He rubbed his aching belly. "They seem lovely. They love you very much and only want you to be happy." 

“Thank you.” I hugged him. “For today. I didn't even ask. It all just kind of happened.”

“Did you get what you needed?”

I considered his question for a moment as the woman got off at her stop through the door beside me. 

"I think so. I feel better than I did this morning. This isn't how you wanted to spend your vacation, though, I'd imagine." 

Edward shook his head in disagreement. “It's exactly how I wanted to spend it. With you.” 

We didn't say anything else the rest of the ride and walk home.

“Food,” I called when I opened the front door to the apartment. Alice's jacket and umbrella were hanging up by the door, dripping with melting snow. 

“What kind?” Alice shouted from the back. Patty meowed in chorus with her. 

“Esther cooked for Aiden's birthday.”

She came padding down the hallway in her dinosaur footie pajamas eagerly. “Is there matzo balls?”

“Yup. And she gave me a whole loaf of homemade challah. Brisket. There are a few kinds of cookies. Apple cake with honey frosting. You know how she does.”

"Fuck yes. I was about to order soup." She took the bag from me. I followed her into the kitchen to put the rest of the stuff away. "Are you going to practice tomorrow?" 

"Yeah, I need to. Would you mind bringing my gear with you so that I don't have to haul it to the hotel and back?" 

"Sure. I'm going to take a Lyft anyway. I have a half off code," she said as heated the soup up in the microwave. "Put it on your bed so I know that I'm taking the right stuff." 

“Okay. Thanks.”

I packed my practice clothes and shoes in a gym bag and put it on the bed. I picked up the case for my banjo from under the bed, placing it on the mattress as well. Edward was quiet as he watched me from his spot on the couch, right in the middle. 

“Will you play for me?” He asked as I picked the instrument up from the stand.

I put the strap around my neck and began to play the song I had been practicing for two weeks. It wasn't a hard song. The Rainbow Connection was a classic and probably one every nerd with a banjo learned along with that song from Deliverance. His eyes were glued to me as I played, and his smile grew wide when I began to sing along as well. I strummed lazily, my fingers dancing over the strings. It wasn't a loud song, slow and winding.  

Alice clapped from the kitchen when I was done. She had heard it a thousand times already. I rolled my eyes hard.

“It is filthy just how wildly talented you are. You should be the one going on Broadway,” he told me as I put the instrument away.

“You know that's why she came here, right? She wanted to be in the theater,” Alice said from the doorway with her hot bowl of soup in her hands. She blew on it, making the steam curl away from her lips. 

"That's why a lot of people move here, and like most, I wasn't good enough," I said as I closed the case. "It wasn't for me, anyway. I was just too young to know that at the time." 

“I don't know. I think you'd be great,” Edward said sweetly. “I think you could be a star.”

"I mostly like being behind the camera," I told them both. "And you two are both intensely biased. One of you wants to sleep with me, and the other is dating me." 

Edward snorted. Alice flipped me off before walking off to her room.

The practice was really early in the day, so Edward slept in and met me back at the apartment afterward. I gave him the spare set of keys we had so he could wait for me inside. When I arrived, he had set up a couple of brand new heaters. One in my bedroom and the other in the hallway outside the kitchen, blowing directly into it.  

The day before Thanksgiving was a busy cooking day for me. I felt bad that Edward was going to be cooped up with me all day working. I hadn't expected him until later in the evening and meant to be done with all of this way before then. 

“Tell me what to do,” he said, determined to help. So I sat him down at the tiny table with sweet potatoes and a peeler.

I started off by cutting up a whole chicken and throwing it into my hot cast iron skillet. I put it's backbones and wings the pressure cooker for broth later. I had a list of what to do and checked it off as I went. I chopped a half dozen onions, a full head of celery, three pounds of mushrooms, and peeled close to ten pounds of carrots. I saved the vegetable ends and bits to go into a broth. I would be making both chicken and vegetable stock that day, probably multiple batches of both. It would be going into a few dishes. Whatever I didn't use right away would be used the next day.

I divided what I prepped, some to be cooked sooner, some to be cooked later. When Edward finished the mound of orange potatoes, I gave him green beans to snap.  He didn't seem put out by the work, smiling as we chatted and I cooked. He stole as many kisses as he could.  

I was going to be making two kinds of stuffing, one with fresh sweet cornbread and the other with the challah that Esther gave me the day before. The first was vegetarian while the latter was not. The stack of baking dishes in my fridge was growing. There were going to be more side dishes than anything else. But, I had to make sure there was enough for everyone to eat.

"So, we're planning to go to your friend's house with all of this before dawn?" He asked, curiously.  

“Yup.”

“How exactly?”

"With you, it'll be super easy. It's usually a bit much for Alice and me," I grinned at him. "Most of the stuff is already over there," I told him truthfully, waving my little knife around as I spoke, chopping cherries. The juice was dark red and dripping down my fingers from the blade. "Two turkeys, a giant ham. All the cans and stuff for tomorrow. All the bread. Liquor. All the drinks." 

“How many people are coming?”

"Demetri invites everyone so who knows. It's going to be a lot of people, but his house is pretty big so he can handle it. They'll come in and out all day after lunch at three, probably." 

“Are you the only one cooking for this?”

I laughed, "oh no. People will bring stuff, too. It's just Alice and Demetri don't cook at all. So they just give me money for their part because they don't want to poison people. Demetri's husband does a little, and he's making a couple of things. Mac and cheese and mashed potatoes. Snickerdoodles too, I think." 

“I should bring something as well?” He asked.

“No, you're my guest. Besides, you've already put more work into this than Alice.” I kissed him on the lips with a smile. “Maybe more than all the Thanksgivings combined, actually.”

The apartment was toasty warm, so I was able to wear shorts and a t-shirt while I cooked. By the evening, the whole place smelled of chocolate cake and fresh chocolate chip cookies.  

Edward couldn't stop stealing the cookies. Good thing there was six dozen of them. 

“I love them so much,” he said through a mouthful. I loved kissing the bittersweet chocolate off his soft lips.

It was late when I finally stopped cooking, and we were going to have to get up very early in the morning, so we decided to just stay at the apartment. It was nine in the evening when we were relaxing in my tiny bed. Edward was curled and tangled around me, holding me in his arms with his chest against my back.  

“What plans do you have for Christmas?” He asked into the darkness, only the city lights filling the room from the blinds. 

“I was probably going to be alone,” I replied quietly. “Alice and Rose are going to Texas. Demetri is going to see his in-laws as well.”

"I was going to be alone, as well. But, I want to spend Christmas with you. And New Years," he said hopefully. 

“I hope you don't want to go to the ball drop in Times Square because I'm not doing that,” I told him honestly. 

“No,” he laughed. “I was actually hoping you could come to spend it in California with me. We could go on that snowy weekend we were talking about. Colorado or Utah. Maybe you could spend three weeks all together?”

"That's so long. I want to, but I may have to work. I've been on a roll, and I don't want it to stop." 

"That's fair, but remember while you're there, we can do those videos we were talking about. You can teach me how to cook. And we can do whatever videos you want. I love your ideas, and I think you're amazing in front of the camera. You really could be a star," he spoke into my ear, his breath warming my skin.  

“I don't want to use you for money.”

“One, you're not. I am. I'm making way more money off this arrangement than you are. You must realize that. And I'm already planning on increasing what you get to match Seth and Tyler if you're going to be so involved. Even though I know you're about to freak out over it.”

“I haven't looked at my bank account in a while because I kind of had a little panic attack last time,” I told him in a quiet voice. “The amount freaks me out.”

“Why? I know not all of it is from the videos you've been doing with me. A lot of it is your store. And the magazines.”

“Which is only because you had me on your channel. And because I took your picture.”

Edward considered my words for a minute, nuzzling my hair with his nose.“That's how Hollywood works though, baby. It's called a break.”

"Everything good that has happened in the past two months is because of you!" I kind of snapped. It was a nice phrase, but I said it harshly. 

“Everything good that has happened in the past two months is because of your incredible talent, generous soul, and immense patience and fortitude,” he said calmly back.

“What if you go away?” I whispered into the darkness. It made me feel so small. 
“I'm not.”

“You can't say that because it's not true.”

“It is true,” Edward promised solemnly. 

"No," I almost cried, my voice breaking. "It's not. Everyone leaves. No one is immortal. Everyone dies. Everything is always changing. I relied on Aiden for money because I was a stupid child, and because I was an idiot, I was almost homeless again. Because we were both terrible with money. I'm not going to make that same mistakes again. I can't be relying on you." 

"You're obviously not. Do you really think you're not working when you did that stuff with me? Or that you don't deserve to be rewarded for your work? I'm not going to short change you because you lack the self-confidence to know your worth. And, your pictures are separate from me and speak for themselves. I'm not going to not shout how awesome I think you are and that everyone needs to see your work. Clearly, I'm not the only one who thinks you're a skilled artist. I'm glad I can show people, but they're looking because your art is beautiful, Bella." 

“How can you be this good?” I asked him when I rolled over to face him. “You can have anyone. Anyone. You are a sexy twenty-four-year-old with literally all the money in the world at this point. Why are you bothering with me?" I begged him, genuinely wanting to know. I didn't understand it.  

“I don't know how you can be asking that. I really don't.” He was a little exasperated.  

“I don't know what I have to give you.”

“You don't have to give me anything. That... that's not how any of this works. What you give me is intangible and undefinable and wonderful. You are full of love and kindness in a way that makes me want to be a better man just for you.”

“Stop it, you're going to make me cry,” I mumbled into his chest. 

“Please don't be down on yourself anymore. I'm going to argue with you every time until you just accept that I'm right and you're great.” 

We made very quiet, slow love on my little bed. He was so gentle with me, his large hands massaging away all my worries and stress. I could still taste chocolate on his sweet lips.  

In the morning, I woke up first and arranged all the things we were taking with us into a laundry basket and a couple of big boxes. Edward took a quick shower and put on some fresh clothes. I would be getting cleaned up once the food was started at Demetri's.  

I had to wake Alice up, her alarm quietly singing away as she slept through it. Crawling into the bed, I sat on her backside as she laid on her stomach. I moved her wild dark shiny black hair away from her face to whisper in her ear, “get up.”

“No.”

“It's time to go.”

“Lay on me,” she grunted into her pillow. I adjusted so that my full weight was on top of her. “Yes,” she sighed, smashing her face deeper into the pillow. “Don't move.”

I wiggled and bounced on top of her. “I need you to carry things.”

“It's too early,” she complained.

“You can go back to sleep at Demetri's. Just like every year. You know how this works, Al.”

Alice whined but didn't move. “I'm comfortable now.”

I kneed her in the butt. She just moaned. I sat up on her thighs and slapped her ass as hard I could. 

“That's what I'm talking about,” she said sleepily with a stupid smile. I smacked her over and over again. She started to giggle, finally rolling and pushing me over. She held me down and put her head on my chest as a pillow. “There. Stop moving. So fucking bony.”

“You know,” Edward said from the other side of the cracked door. “If I need to give you two a few moments, I can.”

“Honk, honk.” She squeezed my breast. I grabbed her own and made her squeal. Then we started tickling and swatting at each other. Several connected, skin to skin. “Ow! Bitch!”

“Then get up!” I pinched her outer thigh fat. She slapped my ass when I got up. I just wiggled it at her. She threw her thin pillow at me as I went out the door. We flipped each other off before I threw it back at her. “You have drool on your face.”

Edward had a curious expression, half bemused and embarrassed with a tiny grin on his face. “You two are fun,” he finally said. “You have an interesting relationship.”

“Good thing you came along. We had a marriage pact at forty-five,” I teased. 
He jokingly thought about it for a minute. “I'm not sure either of you would be too unhappy about that.”

"Oh, no. Al is the love of my life. We'd have beautiful, weird blond hair tanned babies with one blue eye and one brown," I said, doe-eyed. "She's a natural blond, you know. Our children would be strange but cute."
 
“I don't think that's how that works,” he said in a goofy tone, pretending to think about it slowly again. He hummed for a second. “I'm fairly certain someone is missing something essential to the process. Something important.”

“Like what?” I asked stupidly as I smoothed my hand over the front of his jeans. He made a little O-face in surprise before recovering very quickly. 

“If you would like I can show you later,” he mumbled in a deep voice.

“Oh, really?” I teased, kissing along his jaw. 

“Mm, yes. I'm even willing to dedicate my entire day tomorrow to showing you if you're interested,” he said charmingly. He was starting to become harder at my stroking through his jeans. 

“Ohhhh...” I drew out stupidly again. “I think I might know what we're doing wrong now. See, I told her we needed that strap-on.”

Edward laughed loudly, putting his hands on his hips. His face was hot red. “I'm not going to be a pervert. I'm not going to be goaded into it. I'm not.”

“Damn. Why not?” I pouted. “I’m trying so hard.”

“You shouldn't encourage these thoughts and behaviors.”

I grinned wickedly. “You're already going to spend all day thinking about it now. Why shouldn't I encourage it?”

“And, what exactly do you think I'm going to be thinking about? Because I have no earthly idea what you're talking about,” Edward said with his chin in the air. “I am a good boy.”

I leaned up on my toes and whispered softly, “please. You're going to be thinking about me, and my cute little bestie all confused in bed with all the fun toys we could possibly play with." 

“Wicked, wicked, woman.” He took my face and kissed me. “That is... just. I'm- I'm at a loss for words. Why do you do this to me? How?”

"Because it's fun. And, it's because all the blood is in your cock instead of your brain," I said with pleasure as I groped him through his clothes. He obviously loved it. 

“Wouldn't it upset you if I thought that?” He said in a small voice. 

“Obviously not,” I snickered. 

“Do you... think about her... and you...” He was a bit breathless and wide innocent eyed. 

I kissed him slowly before I answered, “sometimes.” I left my tone ambiguous to mess with him further. “Is that okay?”

“Oh, oh... Yeah, um... Yes, of course. I'm just surprised. I didn't- I mean, that you think about things like that. I mean, obviously you do have those kinds of thoughts but I never... um..  Just Alice? Or, other ladies as well?” Poor Edward was having trouble talking. He said the last sentence very quietly.

"I think about you, too," I joked. He smirked at my answer. "Sometimes, even with her. So, are you asking me if I like to think about fucking other women?" I asked with fake naivete, enjoying his blushing. 

"I... I'm not sure how to answer. I want to say yes, but I also don't want to get into trouble," he said to me honestly.  

“You're so sweet and innocent,” I teased him. “Why would you get in trouble?”

“Dude, she’s so gay,” Alice shouted from the bathroom.

“Thanks, sweetie. That's helpful,” I called back. 

"Just trying to speed this along," she mumbled, dressed and ready to go. "I mean, if he's not cool with that, he's going to have a long few days ahead of him.”

“Oh... it's not-  No. Um, I actually... kind of- I thought, I've kind of already figured it out? From things that we've talked about. Things she's said before. The tattoos. All the rainbows. And, the charity thing Saturday. It's more than fine. I was going to ask, but I didn't know the right way to do so. I'm sorry, I'm so awkward,” his words stumbled out. “I figured you were bi, probably. I shouldn't assume anything, though.”

“Pan, but close enough,” Alice said. I looked at her. “What? You don't care who knows.”

“I'm never having sex with you again,” I said in a deadpan voice, walking towards the kitchen to get the food. 

“Damn, I just outed you on a holiday. There needs to be some family drama. So sensitive,” she joked. “I thought he fucking knew already and y’all were being flirty. Damn. Not my fault. Talk to your man. It’s too early in the morning for this shit.”

“Family drama makes it sound like we're literally incestuous,” I pointed out to her. “We’re not even legally sisters.”

“In college, we used to-” Alice began to tell Edward with an amused smile. 

I stopped her with a raised fist. “Don't even think about it.”

“You don't know what story I'm about to tell. It could be a good one.”

“It doesn't matter which one.” I wiggled my fist a couple of inches from her nose. We looked at each with squinted eyes. I bumped it slowly into her nose.

“Now, I want to know,” Edward said as he hefted the large laundry basket of food. 

“I've got some pictures to show you later,” my best friend said evilly. Then she cackled like a Disney villain. 

“One of these days I'm going to knock you to the moon,” I threatened in a Jersey accent. “To the fucking moon, Alice.” 

“I'll tell Mama.”

“She'd understand,” I mumbled in annoyance. “I've definitely seen her pop you one, too.”

Alice fell asleep on the ride to Brooklyn with her head on my shoulder. Edward held my hand as I leaned my head onto him. 

"Don't be afraid to ask anything you want to know about me. You've been nothing but open with me. I should have really talked about certain things sooner, and I'm sorry I'm so closed off. I just didn't even really think about it, because it's not that big of a deal for me. I was honestly starting to wonder if I was going to be attracted to anyone else at all before I met you." 

“I was afraid to upset you or come off as insensitive. I didn't want to push something you weren't ready to talk about. I can understand these things can be hard to express. I would have a hard time telling anyone...” He trailed off. 

“I could never accuse you of being insensitive about anything. I want to be with you, so you have to know all of me. I have to trust you when you say I won't scare you away.”

“There is nothing that could,” he promised. 

I smirked a little. “You're taking a huge leap of faith that I'm not a former or future serial killer.”

Edward looked pleased with his answer before he even spoke, “I've been reading that most serial killers are men, so statically, I should be fine.”

“Oh, you have been reading, have you? No wonder you haven't been sleeping.”

He smirked back. “I wanted to see what interested you about it.”

“Did you get anything out of it?”

“Humans are bloody savages. I'm glad that I didn't live in the sixties or seventies. And why didn't anyone ever lock their damn front door?” He said in horror. I laughed. “It's interesting but scary. I don't think I could read all the books you do. I'm not sure I can have that in my brain.”

"It's not for everyone," I agreed. "It's sweet that you did that, though. You didn't have to." 

“I was doing it for research as well. Seth wants to do a series on crime. It's kind of the rage right now.”

“Oh, he'd enjoy that,” I mused. 

“I think you would as well. I was going to ask if you'd like to do an episode with him. Just him, actually.”

“Just him?” I asked curiously.

“That's what we've been talking about. It would be a different kind of video. Mainly you two talking about it and then we'd add the visuals in post-production. Expand the channel a little bit. Tyler will have his own shit, too.”

“That's a lot of work for you. Are you going to have the time for all that?” I questioned, worried that even more of his time was going to be slipping away from me.

"I'm going to hire some more people next year to start after I visit Sydney in February. A graphics person, a couple more audio-visual people. If it works out, maybe we can really expand the channel. It's what I enjoy doing the most honestly. And I want to keep it going." He squeezed my hand. "Especially if you're there to help me." 

“What about movies and television?”

Edward sighed. "I think with the help I can do both. You were right about needing to hire people. I need to give up some of the reins and delegate. I can be more creative that way and focus on the final product more," he explained to me. "I really am thinking about hiring a photographer for the channel, by the way." 

“I think that's a good idea.”

He glanced toward me and smiled slightly. "Mm, you are my first choice, of course. But, I understand if you don't want to. Your position in my growing media empire is there whenever you want it, though." 

“Esther asked me if I was going to move to LA,” I said thoughtfully. “I want to help you when I'm there, but I'm not ready for that.”

“I could move to New York,” he offered.

I shook my head. "Not right now, you couldn't. Your life works better in LA." 

“Where does that leave us? Stealing time on the holidays,” he said sadly. “You're right. Not right now. But, maybe next year?”

"I can't tell you what to do, but I love your house," I answered.

"I do, too. I don't have to sell it, just get something here. But, the LA house… It can be your home, too, " he said. I was grateful that we arrived at Demetri's place so that I didn't have to respond.  

Riley opened the door for us, sleepy and in his pajamas. 

“Hi, sugar,” he said as he took the box from me. Riley, Demetri's husband, was average height but a little plump in the stomach. He was from Georgia originally. He had thick black rimmed glasses and was growing a thick bushy brown beard. “Demetri is still asleep.”

“I love it so much.” I brushed his facial hair with his fingers.

His grin was jolly. “After November it's getting trimmed. Demetri hates it. It’s for No-Shave November. Cancer research,” he answered Edward’s questioning eyes. 

“Oh, it will look good when it's all trimmed up,” I assured him. “You should keep it thicker.”

“Maybe,” he smiled. “Al, how are you?”

She just looked at him, put the box down, and walked up the stairs to the spare bedroom. I laughed to myself as I began to put things away and turn on the two ovens. 

The bottom floor of their house was an open concept with a large living room, dining area, and kitchen. The kitchen was my favorite though with two big ovens and a nice countertop convection toaster oven. I started my first pie in there, and with the help of Riley and Edward, I got both turkeys in the ovens and the big ham in a giant slow cooker. I got the things I needed started on the eight-burner stove, cooking away for the first two hours. Riley got us a breakfast of doughnuts. Edward helped in every way he could. He washed a lot of dishes mainly. 

After about three hours, all I could do on the stove was finished, and it was just a matter of waiting for the stuff in the oven to be done and to be switched out. It was just before ten in the morning.  

Riley and Edward were playing video games while I lazily decorated the room with the supplies we had gotten earlier in the month. Demetri finally made it out of bed, coming out of the only bedroom on the first floor. 

Demetri was a skinny, tall, severe-looking man. His face was sharp and his lips overly full from fillers. He had long straight platinum blond hair right then that went past his shoulders. He wasn't wearing his usual layer of makeup since he had just woken up, his eyes close to being shut as he came stumbling out. He was wearing black and red silk pajamas.

“Good morning,” I told him softly. He waved at me, his face a little scrunched up and annoyed. Demetri was not a morning person either.

He walked to the back of the black sectional couch in a shuffle. The two guys were too into their fighting game to stop, both slouched down comfortably. He began to stroke Edward's head, who was instantly shocked. His eyes got big, but he didn't move. 

“Why are you petting my boyfriend?” I laughed. 

“What?” He looked down at the hair he was playing with, still squinting. “Fuck. Sorry. Wrong head. Hello.”

“Uh, hi,” Edward laughed. 

He started to pat Riley's head instead. “Good morning, baby.”

“Go put your glasses on,” I teased him. He waved me off. “Go get laser surgery then. This is embarrassing.”

“I don't have the time to be blind.”

“That's not how that works. The laser fixes your blindness,” I reminded him.

“He's scared of it,” Riley commented. 

“But you get work done all the time.” I shook my head. 

“But it's my eyes!” He complained. “Fine. I'll go get ready and put my contacts in. Bells, then I'll do you.”

“Got it,” I saluted. “Also, that’s what she said.”

By the time Demetri came waltzing out of his bedroom, he was thoroughly done up with makeup, fake eyelashes, and was wearing a nice pink tight fitting tracksuit. I had laid out all the desserts onto the table with all the things that could be left out. I had arranged a drink station and put out all the plates and forks. I couldn't sit still at these sort of things. My anxiety wouldn't allow me to.  

“It looks great!” Demetri announced proudly. 

“I don't know. How can you tell?” I asked. He stuck his tongue out at me. 

“I left some shampoo and condition out I want you to try,” he instructed me. “I got some free samples. I think I want to do it curly today.”

"Whatever you want to do," I replied. I liked it when he did my hair and makeup, It always looked beautiful. I had just learned to trust him that he knew what was best. 

I checked everything in the kitchen to make sure I had enough time and then went to the master bedroom. Alice was finally awake and eating doughnuts on the couch while stand-up comedy played in the background. 

I had already undressed when I realized I had forgotten my bag in the living room. Wrapping in a towel, I only peeked my head out of the door. “Eddie, can you bring me my bag? It's by the front door.”

“Yeah, sure.” He hopped right up from his spot on the couch. Quickly he brought it to the room, coming into the bedroom to hand it to me. He smiled when he saw that I was in a towel. He peeked out the door then promptly shut it, pulling me into a heated kiss. 

Edward pulled the towel away from my body. “I wasn't expecting to see your tits in the middle of the day, but I'm not mad about it, at all.”

“If there weren't so many people in there I would be tempted to have a quickie,” I teased him. 

“That would be terrible of us.” He rubbed a hand over my breast and lightly squeezed it. “We can't, but let me kiss them goodbye before they go away.”

He leaned down and kissed along each nipple, making them stiff. Lavishing each with attention, he grabbed my ass. My head rolled back, holding his mouth to my chest.

I pulled away before I was too tempted. He pinched one of them for good measure. 

“Don't worry, you can play with them all day tomorrow if you want to,” I promised him. 

“I was planning on it…”

“I wish you could join me so you could come play with me.  But I guess I will just have to masturbate in the shower all alone,” I said in a silky voice.

He groaned loudly, slapping my ass hard as I left to go into the bathroom with a mean little giggle. He was adjusting himself through his pants when I last saw him.

After I showered and dressed, I checked on things in the kitchen again. There were more people there when I came out, friends and people I had known for years. Everyone hugged me and chatted while Demetri set up a clean space for him to work. 

Demetri had a massive case of makeup and hair tools, it had four wheels and rolled like a suitcase. It put the amount of makeup Edward got me to shame.  

He put creams in my hair and dried it so that it was still very curly. Taking the top part, he braided it back to one side so that it was out of my face but kept the bottom down. Demetri worked on my makeup for ages, yelling at people to do things for me whenever my timers went off. It was outlandishly elaborate.  
“I love the gold on you so much,” he muttered as he dragged the eyeliner brush across my waterline.

"I bought her some pretty gold lipstick, and it looks very nice on her," Edward agreed as he sat across from us, watching and chatting.  

“I've seen!” Demetri praised him. “I like your style of gift giving.” He winked at him.

“Carpet bombing style? One of them is hopefully going to be a hit?” My boyfriend teased.

“No, outrageous. Exactly how it should be.” He waved a tube of lipstick at him. “I'm going to do a plum lip. It says more fall,” he told me as he held my chin to look at my face. 

“Something matte,” I commented.

"That's what I was thinking," he agreed with me as he searched through his shades. "You should spoil this fine lady. She's my best girl, and she deserves top-quality everything,” he said to Edward very seriously, pointing at him with a tube of gloss. 

Edward smirked, “I couldn't agree with you more.”

“Good. Because I will fuck you up if you make her cry. I'm her big brother.” He pointed a long sharp pink nail at him, getting more earnest. “Got it?”

He put both of his hands up. “Got it. Dr. Zucker gave me the same warning already, pretty much. He may have been a bit more graphic on how, as a doctor, he could get rid of my body if I do anything untoward to his daughter.”

“Oh, no,” I laughed at that impossible image. “Sorry.”

“He met Aiden's parents?” Demetri said in surprise. “How did that go?”

"Oh, god. They all loved him. Claire fucking flipped. We went to the cemetery, and Esther was there. I couldn't tell her no, so we went back to the house and spent the day there. I don't think it was too bad," I said hopefully.  

“It was great,” Edward assured me. “I am still full.”

“I love that woman's cooking. She'll feed you until you pop,” my friend said knowingly as he finished up my mouth. “She reminds me of a less racist version of Riley's Grandma.”

Rosalie and Emmett arrived right at lunchtime with a tray of cheeses to add to the spread. I hadn't seen them in ages. The first time it felt like in a year, all my favorite people were in the same space. Dozens of people I only got to see briefly in real life and mainly through social media were there. 

Emmett wrapped his thick arms around my waist from behind and pressed several quick kisses on my cheek just to make me laugh. I wrapped my arm around his, and he lifted me up in the air by a foot. 

“Put my sister down,” Rosalie chided him. She pulled me into a tight hug as soon as my feet were on the ground. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“Oh, Roe… I’ve missed you, too.”

She looked over my shoulder at Edward and smiled. We exchanged looks, both slowly smiling. Rose then high-fived me. I laughed loudly. We didn’t need to talk for me to know exactly what we were saying. Congrats on banging the super hot celebrity. 

"Hey, man. Emmett," he offered his hand to Edward. They were close to the same height, but Emmett had at least a hundred pounds of muscle on him. 

“Eddie. Nice to meet you. Bella speaks so warmly of you both.”

“Girl,” he swatted my shoulder. “Why are you lying to this man?” My sort of brother in law asked in his thick Tennessee accent. 

“Sweetheart, I can’t go around telling people you’re a dumbass,” I said in a mockingly serious tone. “It would embarrass Roe.” 

“Everyone already knows he’s a dumbass,” Rosalie teased her husband, dragging her sharp nail over his jaw. She then flicked her pretty blond hair over her shoulder, giving him a smirk. This was their flirting. She quickly turned her attention back to me. “Now, tell me what to do so I can help.”

“We’re being dismissed,” Emmett told Edward with a smile. 

“We’re playing Smash Brothers if you’d like to join us,” my boyfriend offered with a smile. 

“Hell yeah. Let me get a beer first.”

The day was filled with food and drinking, video games, board games, stand-up comedy specials, then old cartoons later in the day. It was the best Thanksgiving that I'd had in many years.  

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Next: Episode 30

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