Fan Fiction One shots and Short Stories

6/1/2020

And the beat goes on...

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And The Beat Goes On...

It was a steamy spring in Run, Texas, when I started working at the diner. I was on the overnight shifts since I was just starting out. It was my first job, and I had no experience, so I couldn’t complain. The only reason I got it was because my father was friends with the owner. He was why I needed to work so much, though. He was drowning in debt, and I didn’t know where it came from. I gave almost every penny to him at the end of my shifts. I only had savings because I squirreled away five dollars every day, hiding it in my bra. He would go through my purse if he thought I was holding back on him. He even emptied my coins.

Nine at night until five in the morning, Monday through Friday, was hardly an exciting shift. It was never busy. It was mainly truck drivers, bikers, or drunks. Sometimes the cops or doctors came in during their shifts for coffee. My father was occasionally among them if he was working late. He tried not to, though. As the sheriff, he could work whenever he pleased, and he was lazy.

I had been there for a month when I first served... him. He wasn’t alone, walking in with three other men. They were all very well dressed in fashionable suits. They stood out so much with their clean appearance. All four people in the place turned to watch them come in. It was only me, the owner, the cook, and another customer who just paid their bill. They were nursing the last of their soda as they straightened their jacket.

My boss stood up right away, grabbing his hat. “Give them whatever they wish, Bella. Exactly how they want it. Make it perfect. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Mr. Clearwater,” I said in confusion. Like I would do it any other way. I might have been new, but I was an excellent waitress.

He went to the table to greet them. He usually only did it for his friends, but I had never seen them before. “Good evening, gentleman. I was about to head home for the night unless you need anything personally from me?”

The biggest of them smiled at him brightly. His suit was crisp black, and his tie was a bright paisley pattern. “No, Harry. Just coming in to get a late meal after a hard day’s work. Have a nice night.”

Bowing his head like he was being dismissed, I waited behind quietly to be needed. The other customer made their way out the door, the bell ringing as it closed. “Isabella will be your waitress. She’s very new, so please let me know if you have any issues.”

And with that, he rushed out. He didn’t even wait for them to say anything. I couldn’t understand why he acted that way. I stepped up to the table and smiled at them widely, pretending I knew what was going on. “Hi! I’m Bella. May I get you something to drink to start?”

The big guy looked me over and grinned, plopping down in his spot. “She is new. I wonder what happened to the old broad who always gave us nasty looks.”
“Mrs. Flo retired,” I explained with my pad out, waiting.

“Fantastic. She was a cranky bitch.” The blond fellow who was seated beside him lit a cigarette, taking a long drag. “I’ll take a coffee, darlin.” I reached over to the table beside them and passed him the ashtray. “Oh, thanks.”

“Cream or milk with that?”

“Cream.”

The man across from him was next. He was a baby-faced boy with big innocent eyes and a broad smile. He was the youngest among them by twenty years. His tanned skin was spotted with acne still, but he was also huge. It was an odd combination with his freshly pressed suit. “I’ll take a chocolate milkshake.”

I wrote that down. “Good choice. Whip cream and a cherry?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I’ll have a coffee, too,” the large one added as he leaned back in the booth. He stretched out, so his arm rested across the top. He took up all the space he could.

I turned my attention to the last man. I hadn’t really looked at him yet, too distracted. When I did, it surprised me. They were all handsome and well-dressed, but he was out of this world. He was in a gray three-piece suit, a thick silver tie to match. His gorgeous auburn hair was slicked back neatly in place. He might have been in his thirties if I had to guess. His green eyes were so intense and focused on me. I couldn’t say anything because my breath caught in my throat.

“Hey, Eddie, what are you getting to drink?” The massive guy asked. I jumped because he was so loud.

“Don’t call me that,” he hissed in annoyance before clearing his throat. He shook his head, looking down at the menu on the mats on the table. His eyes were unseeing as he blinked. “Uh, just coffee, too.”

“Cream or milk?” I breathed. The tip of my pen was on the paper already. My hand was trembling ever so slightly, creating a messy flower on the pad.

“Cream,” they said at the same time. He didn’t look at me again.
“I’ll get you some water, too. I’ll fetch that then come get your order,” I promised, rushing away.

I took a whole coffeepot to the table with the mugs, cream, and sugar before I brought them water. The cook made the milkshake while I got their order. He rarely helped me, let alone talked to me beyond barking orders once Harry was gone.

The men were talking business quietly the entire time, but they were in a good mood. The handsome one seemed to be their boss. He was quiet, letting them chatter around him while he nursed his drink.

“Can I get you some dessert?” I asked pleasantly as I took away their empty plates. I wanted to make sure there wasn’t a single thing for them to complain about.

“Are you on the menu, gorgeous?” The boisterous one inquired in a teasing voice. He had taken off his coat and loosened his tie. A toothpick hung from his lips, and he played with it with his tongue.

“You’re married to my sister,” the blond grunted at him. “My loyalty to her is stronger than it is to you. So, cool it, will you?”

Taking the pick from his mouth, he laughed. “Aw! You know I mean nothing by it. Don’t worry, sugar. I just like to flirt.” Winking, he pointed the stick at me. “I’ll take some cherry pie.”
“We don’t have time for that. We should get back,” the beautiful boss said to him earnestly, his voice blunt. If I had been at the end of it, I would have cowed right away. It was so powerful without saying much.

“Would you calm down, you fucking fuddy-duddy,” he mumbled, taking a slurp of his coffee. He didn’t flinch or react at all. “Dad won’t care. In fact, would you get me a slice of whatever your best cake is to-go? We’ll take Pop some.”

“Do you have chocolate cake?” The youngest asked. His employer looked at him with a frown. I nodded and pointed at him with a grin before writing it down. The higher the bill, the bigger my tip, I hoped.

“What the hell… What kind of pie do you have, darlin?” The blond questioned after finishing his cup of coffee. He lit another cigarette.

I automatically picked up the pot and poured him the last. “We have cherry, apple, chocolate custard, lemon meringue, and peach cobbler. You can get them with ice cream or whipped cream. We also have chocolate cake, carrot cake, coconut cake, and chocolate chip cookies.”

The big gentleman chuckled. “Gotta love southern diners. They always have the best desserts. I’m glad we came down here.”

“Where are you from?” I questioned with a smile. “You don’t have an accent.”

“We’re from Chicago, but we have family down here.” He pointed to the beautiful man across from him. “We’re both lawyers, and we’ve been setting up an office in town,” he explained. “He and my wife are from around here, though.” He hitched his thumb at the blond.

“I just moved here myself two months ago. I was living in Florida with my mom, but she passed, so I moved in with my dad,” I told him too much about myself. I shook my head in embarrassment as I over-shared. My cheeks heated. “I’m sorry. What about that pie?”

“Cobbler with vanilla ice cream. Getting anything, Edward?” The smoker asked. He was sitting beside him in the booth after rearranging to whisper to each other.
“No,” he snapped. He didn’t seem amused at being outvoted.

“I’ll go get that and more coffee,” I mumbled as I awkwardly rushed away from the table.

They were there for another hour. The entire time, the beautiful one kept silent. No one else came in. I checked on them and refilled their drinks. Otherwise, I was bored and just cleaned.

“Do you mind if I put on the jukebox?” I asked after a while. It was nearly midnight, and I was barely keeping awake. I still wasn’t used to staying up so late.

Fishing a dollar from his pocket, the brash one beckoned me over. “Go put your favorite tunes on for me. Whatever you want.”

His brother sighed heavily, crossing both of his arms over his chest. Smirking, his younger sibling poured them both another cup of coffee. He was provoking his wrath on purpose.

The first song I selected was ‘Chain of Fools’ by Aretha Franklin. She was probably one of my favorites on the machine and one of the newest. Harry didn’t update the box often, from the looks of it. He danced in his seat, making me giggle.

The beautiful man huffed, standing up quickly and leaving after tossing two twenty-dollar bills on the tabletop. “Come on, Seth,” he barked. The big kid got up, slurping down the last of his second shake.

The blond just shook his head and threw some cash onto the table too. It left the loud guy alone. He chuckled. “They won’t leave without me.” He stood up and slowly stretched, tossing more money. Sonny and Cher came on next. The beat goes on. “Groovy. I dig it. Thanks for the fabulous time, Isabella.” He winked at me. “Hey!” He began suddenly as if he thought of something. “That’s a good Italian name. Are you?” I nodded. “Catholic?” I nodded again. But I hadn’t been to mass since my mother’s funeral. I wasn’t exactly a perfect one. I didn’t even know where the church was in town yet, but since I was walking everywhere, I had explored only a little. “Far out, kitten. Us, too. Maybe if I ever wake my ass up early, I’ll see you at church.”

“Maybe,” I laughed. “It’s a problem for me too, but I don’t get off until dawn.”

Lighting a cigarette, he shook his head. “What a great excuse not to go.” He blew out the smoke in a long stream, putting on his hat. “Goodnight, kiddo.”

They left me forty dollars as a tip. The best night I had before, I earned twenty. I could have cried. I decided right away to hide it all. I could be greedy and give my father whatever I made the rest of the evening. They didn’t bother to look at the bill, and I wondered if they meant to. I would give it all back if they wanted it.

My dad was getting up to go to work when I got home. My feet hurt from standing all night. Right away, I pulled out the ten dollars in ones and change, plopping it down in front of him on the old table. The coins scattered and rolled. “Have a good day. I’m heading to bed.”

Charlie grabbed my arm. “Hey! Make me some breakfast first,” he ordered gruffly. I stopped and turned with a sigh, rolling my eyes. I hated it when I got home early enough for him to have time to eat. I didn’t enjoy being his maid, but that’s what he treated me like.

When I decided to come, this was not the fantasy I had in my head. A long-lost father ready to make up for the missing time. I was naïve beyond words.

I grew up with my mother after they divorced when I was a baby. My step-father was a nice man, but I knew once my mom died of cancer, it wasn’t fair to linger. I thought it was a good opportunity to get to know my dad, but I was regretting the decision.

I didn’t know how I could have been an eighteen-year-old girl on her own with no money and only a high school degree, but I didn’t enjoy being the help to a stranger. At least if I did it for someone else, I would get paid to do it. This was becoming slavery.

“Eggs, toast, coffee,” he barked. “Hurry up,” he grumbled as he counted the cash. “Must have been a slow night.”

“I only had five tables,” I explained as I started the meal.

Charlie didn’t even say thank you when I set the plate in front of him.

I waited until he left for the day before I pulled the money from my bra. Hidden under my mattress was my mother’s locked jewelry box. Inside was less than one hundred dollars. I told myself when I got to five hundred, I would buy a used car and leave. I didn’t know where I would go, but I wouldn’t look back. All I had was the meager suitcase I brought with me.

Turning on the AM radio, I listened to music until I fell asleep. I felt like a vampire, rarely seeing the sun. The light streamed through the curtains as I lost consciousness. My dreams focused on the handsome lawyer. He was in my bed, hovering over me as we kissed.

The next evening, it was just as slow. Harry was getting up to leave when the beautiful one in the three-piece suit returned. This time he was alone. I leaned against the counter, pausing mid wipe to watch him enter.

“Mr. Cullen,” he stuttered quickly. “Was there a problem last night?” He glanced back at me worriedly.

I didn’t have a chance to panic. He smiled a little. “Ah, not at all. I only wanted a late dinner. You can go. Isabella can take care of me just fine.” As he said the words, he looked directly at me.

“Yes, sir,” he muttered before scuttling off. It was as if he was frightened of him. My boss didn’t take shit from anyone and was a big man around town. It was interesting to see him like this.

Sitting at a table, he didn’t glance at the menu before putting it back in its holder. I was there right away. “Um, coffee with cream, and can I have a burger, medium, and fries?”

“Of course. Cheese?”
“Sure.” He shrugged out of his jacket, rolling up his sleeves. He was thin but muscular.

“I’ll get that right away.”

I gave the order to the cook before starting a fresh pot. He wasn’t happy. “Why is he here again?” He stomped over to the fridge.

“I guess he liked his club sandwich yesterday,” I offered as I put ice in a cup.

“He’s trouble,” the old man grumbled cryptically. Ephraim was a nervous guy.

Doubtfully, I scoffed. “What do you mean?”

“He’s a Cullen.”

“And what does that mean?”

Leaning in, he whispered. “He’s a mobster from up north. He is a cold-blooded killer.”

I laughed. “I don’t think so. He seems like a quiet person, actually. Maybe a little serious. They said they were lawyers.” He shook his head. I rolled my eyes. “You’re looney tunes. Why would a gangster come to this backwoods town?”

Ephraim lowered his voice. “Drugs. From Mexico. Loads of them, going all over the country. But they’ve got their fingers in everything here now. Their dad is the leader of the local branch.” He nodded like he knew all.

“You’ve been reading too many of those pulp magazines.”

“I’m serious,” he growled as he threw the meat on the grill. It hissed against the black metal surface.

Again, I rolled my eyes and brought him his coffee with a smile. I was just happy to see him after the great tip. If I was lucky, history would repeat itself. I also took a glass of water.

“So,” Mr. Cullen began after clearing his throat before I could leave the table. “I want to apologize for my behavior yesterday.”
Blinking, I stopped in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“I was rude.”

“Not at all.”

He sighed. “Yes, I was. My brothers made sure I knew it, too,” he muttered as he stared at his hands. “I was in a bad mood, but it’s no excuse.”

“You were fine,” I promised right away. “You weren’t unpleasant to me. They seemed to get on your nerves on purpose, though.”

Chuckling, he ducked his head. “Yeah. Well, it’s still not a reason. But it was a long day.”

“I understand,” I said awkwardly. “Really. It’s fine.” Biting my lip, I pulled my hair over my shoulder because I didn’t know what to say. “Actually, yesterday was my best shift here. You made my night.”

Mr. Cullen nodded, smiling slightly as his cheeks flushed. It was cute. If he was a mobster, I didn’t see it. He cleared his throat again and rubbed his fingers over his lips, almost to hide his grin. “Uh, it’s kind of quiet in here.” He pulled out a crisp dollar. “Why don’t you put something on the jukebox?”

Slowly, I plucked it from his grasp. “Sure. Any requests?”

“Pick whatever you like.”

A buck would buy ten songs, so I chose my favorites in the box. I played them whenever I could. They were probably getting sick of them, but I didn’t care.

The Beatles started with ‘Twist and Shout.’

By the time I was done, so was his burger. I brought it to him, refilling his coffee without asking.

“Thanks, Isabella.”

“Bella,” I corrected him. “I prefer Bella.”

“I’m Edward,” he introduced himself as he held out his hand to me to shake. It surprised me, but I automatically took it. It was warm and soft. The tune changed to ‘Brown-eyed Girl.’ “Mm, perfect song. Very fitting,” he breathed as he gazed into my eyes, still holding my palm.

I blushed as I looked down at my feet. I almost fell when I made my way back to the kitchen to work on my other duties.

When he finished, I brought him another coffee. I just wanted him to stay longer. “Can I get you some dessert tonight?”

He peeked at me from underneath his eyelashes. “What’s your favorite?”

“Apple pie with vanilla ice cream.”

“Get me that,” he replied right away.

He ate it slowly and had another cup. I hoped he was a night owl because he would never sleep. When I got another table, two deputies, he finally stood. His tab was less than ten dollars. He put thirty on the counter. “Keep the change, love.”

“Mr. Cullen,” one officer said to him, tipping his hat. They waited until he left to sit at a bar. “Hey, Bella. Coffee.” They turned up at least twice a week.

In the bathroom, I shoved the twenty into my bra again with a grin before leaving the diner.

Edward came in the next night, once again alone. His order was only slightly different. A steak, fries, and coffee with dessert. He gave me another buck to play music. I changed it up a little this time.

Once again, he left a twenty-dollar tip.

He quickly became my favorite customer. I ignored the cook’s warning. He was a crazy old man who liked to gossip. The cops wouldn’t have been so polite to him if he was a crook.

In the next four weeks, he came in at least three times a week. He changed up his order, asking my opinions and going with whatever I said. He was so sweet to me, always friendly. And he always left me twenty, if not more.

About a month later, he showed up again with his brother, and the man who I learned was his brother-in-law. He was married to their baby sister, and the loud one, Emmett, was to his twin sister. They were a tight family and worked closely. And I had discovered his father was a doctor. They were all very well educated.

“Hi!” I beamed at them excitedly. I started a fresh pot of coffee without asking what they wanted. They seemed a little tired, not the cheerful versions they were last time. Edward smiled at me, at least.

“Hello, beautiful,” he breathed in a sigh. There was blood on his collar.

“Oh, no! Are you okay?” I asked, reaching over to study it mindlessly. I touched the spot, the stiff white splattered with red. There weren’t any injuries on him from what I could tell.

His hand came up to touch mine. “Uh, yeah. Don’t worry. This isn’t mine. I had a bad day in court...”

“And it ended in blood?” I demanded in shock. I looked at his sibling, hoping for more of an explanation.

“Happens more than you’d think,” Emmett smirked slightly. “Don’t you fret, though. You should see the other guy.”

“I’d rather she didn’t,” Edward said seriously. “She’s too sweet to be exposed to that.”

His brother laughed, then pursed his lips as he nodded. “Oh, I see why you wanted to come here now. Alright.”

“Shut up,” he grunted at him with a shake of his head. “Can I have a steak tonight?”

“Medium with fries?” I asked. He responded with a nod.

The big man continued to smirk. “Get me the same thing, beautiful,” Emmett cooed, winking at me. He pulled out two dollars. “Why don’t you entertain us for a couple of hours? I don’t think Eddie will be in a rush.”

His older brother’s cheeks heated. Even his ears turned pink.

They stayed until three in the morning. They left as much as before, each of them throwing down money without looking at the bill. Edward knew how much it would be since he had been coming so often. Emmett kept flirting with me as he teased his sibling.

I walked home with a big smile on my face. I didn’t even mind making my father his breakfast.

When he was out of the house, I turned on the old radio from the fifties onto the AM station and counted my cash. It was just under four hundred. It was more than I ever expected to make, and so much quicker. Only a few more weeks, and I would have my goal.

But for the first time, I considered waiting. I told myself it was for several reasons. I could save up more money and get a better car, but really, it was because of Edward. His brother joked as if he had a crush on me, but I knew it couldn’t be true. He was so much older, more mature, and too beautiful. But my feelings were growing every day.

I decided to wait to figure out what to do until I had it. Maybe when I had it in my hands, I would know what to do.

The following night, midnight came and went, and it disappointed me he didn’t show up. But it shocked me to see him when I did. He had never shown up as late as four. It was the very end of my shift. My replacement would arrive by four-thirty to get ready for the breakfast crowd.

I brought his coffee right away. “So, should I apologize for last night?”

“What for?” I laughed. It was like history was repeating itself.

He glanced away as he rolled his eyes. “My brother.”

“Oh, he’s fine,” I replied. “He enjoys giving you a hard time, though. I don’t know why. I’m just a lowly waitress with good coffee,” I awkwardly joked.

“Actually…” He peeked down at his mug. “He’s not wrong about my feelings.” My mouth opened in shock. He was blushing. “Would you… Would you like to do something when you get off?”

I laughed in self-conscious surprise, my face turning tomato red. “Um… Wow. Uh, I would, but my dad expects me to get home before he goes to work.”

“Oh!” He said, nodding in understanding. “Right. Your father. It’s late… or I guess early. He probably wouldn’t like a stranger taking his teenage daughter out.”

Leaning in, I whispered. “I don’t care what he thinks. I just don’t want to make him mad. He screams and throws things. It’s not worth it,” I said with a sigh. “But I have two days off coming up. Saturday and Sunday.”

His beautiful crooked smile pushed up to one side. “Sunday? Lunch?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

He seemed inflated with my answer, sitting up some. “So, can I drive you home when you get off? I know you walk. It’s already hot out there.”

I beamed. “Thank you. I’d love that.”

Rushing through my end of shift chores, I turned over my tables as soon as the breakfast waitress came in. She would only be alone for an hour before someone else showed up to help her. Grabbing my purse, I went to the restroom to wash my face and shoved the money down my bra. My heart was beating so violently, I worried about being sick.

Edward opened the door to his 1969 Camero. It was a beautiful brand new car. I didn’t feel like I belonged in it in my dirty waitress uniform. As soon as he got in, he turned on the radio. We drove in silence. He didn’t have to ask where I lived, but it was a small town. I knew where he did, too, though I had never asked. The cook and other waitresses hadn’t shut up about him. All of their stories were wild.

I had arrived home a lot faster than I normally did and had left work early, so it was still dark outside, and my father hadn’t woken up yet.

I didn’t know what to do or say, but I didn’t want to get out. I had gotten into a vehicle with a practical stranger like an idiot, but I wasn’t scared of him. I knew he would never hurt me.

Slowly, he reached over and took my hand when I didn’t move. I laced my fingers with his. My nerves instantly calmed. “I like you, but people keep telling me I should be afraid of you. I don’t know why.”

“You should,” he said, surprising me. “If you were smart, you’d stay away from me.”

Shaking my head, I glanced at him. “I don’t want to do that.”

“I don’t want you to do that either,” he replied with a sigh. “Because I’m a selfish monster.”

“You’re the most generous man I’ve ever met,” I retorted right away, shaking my head again as I looked down at my lap. “You don’t know how much better you’ve made this last month. It’s been-” I stopped myself from saying something about my father. He had been drinking more, yelling whenever he was the slightest bit angry. He smashed a plate the other day when he didn’t like what I made for dinner. It was exactly what he asked for.

“Bella,” Edward whispered my name. With his other hand, he brushed his fingers under my chin so he could draw my lips into a kiss. I never had been before, and I wasn’t expecting it. I gasped against his mouth, the sweetness that was him flooding my senses. Etta James was on the radio. My eyes sank closed as I dissolved into him.

I knew right then I was in love with him, and I would walk to the end of the earth for him if he asked. There was no way I could leave.

He moved his knuckles over my cheek, smiling as he did. He looked at me from underneath his eyelashes in the way he did. Everything in that moment was perfect.

I didn’t even mind making Charlie his food. I had his plate finished before he left his room.

“Your breakfast and money are on the table. I’m going to bed,” I informed him, shutting my door before he could ruin my mood.

Saturday morning, I waited until Charlie went fishing to go into town to buy things for my date. A dress, nylons, shoes, and even makeup. I hadn’t worn any before, but I wanted to be pretty for Edward. I hid all my new treasures in my suitcase, so my father wouldn’t see them.

The following day, I anxiously waited for him to leave again to go with Harry and their best friend, Billy. They did it every weekend, usually staying out well after dark. He always stank of beer and smoke when he returned.

I bathed then put my hair in curlers while my radio was playing. Lightly, I powdered my nose and cheeks before adding the bright red lipstick. When he finally left at eleven, I let out a sigh of relief. I stayed in my robe to hide my dress, just in case.

Edward showed up at eleven-thirty. He was more relaxed than I had ever seen him before in slacks and a blue turtleneck. He beamed when I opened the door. Saying nothing, he took both of my hands and brought me into a sweet kiss. I giggled as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

“You’re so lovely,” he breathed against my ear.

“Thank you.” I flushed. “So, where would you like to eat?” I hadn’t gone anywhere else in town but the diner.

“Actually,” he paused, licking his bottom lip. “I thought we could go on a picnic. I got everything in the car, and I know a good spot.”

My heart fluttered with joy. “Oh, that would be so nice. And it’s such a pretty day.”
Once again, he turned on the radio, and we rolled down the windows to enjoy the fresh air. It was a perfect spring day. We drove for a long time, going into a national park by a man-made lake.

“My family has a cabin out here,” he explained, holding my hand as we wound ourselves further into nature.

“It’s so beautiful!” I gushed when he took us to the flower-covered meadow. It was filled with bluebonnets, buttercups, and primrose. Monarch butterflies floated through the air.

He pulled a basket and blanket from his trunk. “Could you take this?” He asked as he held up a radio.

I rushed to grab it. When I did, he stole a quick kiss. I leaned in for another. He smiled against my mouth.

We laid in the middle of the field on the blanket after we enjoyed our feast. It was so much more than I expected. Sandwiches, chips, deviled eggs, cookies, and grapes with bottles of Dr. Pepper. “I have to admit I don’t see you making a picnic.”

Laughing, he played with the flowers at his side. He plucked one from the ground. “My mother did, actually. I asked her for advice, and she suggested this. She was more than happy to, as long as I invite you to the next family dinner.”

I grinned. “I’d love to.”

Dragging the bluebonnet over my cheek, he leaned in for a kiss. “So, I brought something special.” He put it behind my ear.

He reached into the basket and pulled out a bottle of French champagne. “Oh,” I breathed. “I’ve never drank before.”

Pausing, he smirked and sighed. “Well, at least we’re starting you out the right way. Only the best for my girl.”

I played with the hem of my dress. My slip was trying to peek out. It came to my knees. “Am I your girl?”

Edward stopped unwrapping the foil around the cork. He looked up at me soberly. “Until the end of time. If you want me.”

My breath left my body as I smiled. “I do.”

He inclined in and kissed my lips until I fell back into the flowers as he hovered over me. I ran my fingers through his hair, holding him as tightly to me as I could. It was better than my dream.

We shared the entire bottle. It made me dizzy, giggling as I laid with my head on his lap. The music made it so easy to float away. When the sunset came, I realized we had lost complete track of time. I was hoping the meadow held some magic to make it still, but I never got my wishes.

I groaned when we drove up to my house. My father’s cruiser was in the driveway.

“What’s the matter?”

“I just didn’t want to explain where I was all day. I kind of snuck out,” I admitted. “Hopefully, I won’t get in trouble.”

Edward chuckled. “Honey, you’re an adult. You’re too old to get in trouble, and if he has a problem with where you were, he can take it up with me,” he teased.

Laughing quietly, I shook my head. “It’ll be fine,” I promised. “Um, I had a great time today.”

“Me too,” he spoke softly. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“I work tomorrow.”

He chuckled again. “I know.” He put his hand on my chin and kissed me tenderly. “Sweet dreams.”

When I headed into the house, I still felt like I was walking on air. Almost instantly, I was greeted by my father’s angry face. I could smell the whiskey from several feet away. It was jarring.

“Where the hell have you been?”

“I went to lunch with a friend,” I replied, blinking as I stared at him.

“Did I say you could do that?” Shouting, he took a step towards me. I stumbled back.

Edward’s words rang in my ears as I regained my footing. “I am an adult, and I don’t have to ask to come and go. And it’s only eight in the evening. It’s not even late.”

His hard palm struck across my cheek, making me gasp in shock. I didn’t see it coming. Both of my hands went to the same one, holding my face. The flower in my hair slowly drifted to the floor.

“Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?” He growled.

“What is wrong with you?” I shrieked in anger. He slapped me again.

“Friend? You don’t have friends. Where did you go?”

“A picnic at a park. Jesus.” I held my aching jaw, bending with the pain. “And I have friends! From the diner.”

“Who did you go with?”

I took a cautious step back. “It’s none of your business.” The door dug into my spine. I knew what was coming.

His eyes darkened with rage as he stalked towards me. “What’s on your face? Lipstick?” His hands balled into a fist. I braced myself. “Where did you get that dress from?”

“What?” I questioned, confused by his words. He grabbed my throat. My eyes got huge. “I bought it yesterday!”

“With what?” I said nothing. He squeezed. “You’ve been keeping money from me?” He was shaking with his strong emotions, spittle spraying from his cracked lips onto my face. “Go get it. All of it.”

“No,” I responded firmly.

Charlie’s other fist connected with my eye. I didn’t make a sound as my head bounced against the wood. This just made him angrier. He hit me again. “Go. Get. It.” When I was silent, he squeezed my neck until I squeaked. “Or I’ll rip that room apart until I find it. I’ll destroy it all.”

Finally, I pulled away from him. I went to the jewelry box and unlocked it with the tiny key, throwing it onto the mattress after. All the meager contents fell onto the blanket. The bills were in a neat stack. I stomped back into the room and flung it on the floor at his feet. The fives and tens scattered everywhere, gently flying and floating onto the carpet.

He punched me so hard that it took me to the ground. “Pick it up.” I didn’t move or look at him while on my hands and knees. He kicked me twice but realized it would make no difference. I was just a dead weight there on the shag.

Hurriedly, Charlie scooped it all up, then shoved it in his pocket. “Get up and go wash that shit off your face. You look like a whore. Don’t keep anything from me again, or I’ll give you worse next time. And don’t leave this house unless I know exactly where you’re going.”

I dragged myself off the floor. After washing my face, I fell into bed and cried myself to sleep. My eyes were both blackened when I woke in the morning, my lip split. My neck was wrapped in bruises. Blood had dripped from my nose at some point, but I didn’t know it. It stained my pillow and dress. My father also ripped it with his kicks, destroying it.

I threw it into the garbage.

Neither my boss nor the cook looked at me when I came into work that night. The other waitress who was just waiting for me gasped, covering her mouth. I had tried to cover it with my new makeup, but I did a terrible job.

Saying nothing, I went into the back to do my side duties.

I was still in there when I heard the bell two hours later. No one had come in, but it was a Monday night. Edward wasn’t alone, his brother’s big voice echoing throughout the restaurant as he laughed.

I started a fresh pot and pulled out the cream. Rushing to the table, I put the small pitcher in the center. It was the four of them again. “Hey, guys. What can I get you to drink?” I tried to speak cheerfully. “Coffee will be a second.”

Seth was the first to sit down, sliding in the booth. He looked at me with wide eyes, gasping. “Holy shit. What happened?”

Emmett turned to look at me. He was still standing, just shrugging off his coat. He put his hand on my arm. “Wow, honey. Were you hit by a van or something?”

Edward’s eyes connected with mine, and I saw as they filled with rage. “Who did this to you?”

“My dad,” I whispered.

“The Chief?” Jasper remarked in shock. He pulled his cigarette from his lips. “What? Why?”

Closing the distance between us, Edward pushed my hair away from my cheek to look at the damage. His thumb moved over my aching lip. “What happened last night?”

“He was drunk and mad as soon as I got home. He met me at the door. I told him what you said. That I’m an adult. He kept…” Stopping, I shook my head. “But then he realized I had money, and he lost it. Demanded that I hand it over. I’ve been saving for a car. I said no. But… He made me,” I finished lamely as I stared down at my feet.

“He’s been taking your tips?” He seethed.

I looked away again. “I’ve been trying to hide what you give me, but-” I paused once more. I felt as if I would cry, but it hurt. Everything did.

“Um, hey Ed,” his brother murmured quietly. “I saw him today. Guess what he gave me.”

His mouth moved in anger, his jaw popping. “How much?”
“Four hundred.”

I didn’t have to say anything for him to know that was the exact amount he had taken from me. He drew in a sharp breath through his nose. “No. No man gets to hit my girl or take her money. No,” he repeated. “You’re getting it back, and I’ll deal with Charlie. He’ll never touch you again, I swear.” He held my chin and stared into my eyes. “Do you believe me?”

Nodding, I lifted to peck his lips. It was tender since they hurt. Edward immediately hugged me to his body. Burying my face in his chest, I wrapped my arms around his waist. Sniffling loudly, the tears came again. We were still for a minute. No one made a sound.

“What are we doing, boss?” Jasper asked, putting his blazer on.

He looked around at the other men. “Harry, Bella is taking the rest of the night off,” he roared. He didn’t wait for an answer. He didn’t care about it, and neither did I. “Emmett, use the phone in the office to call Dad.” His younger brother nodded, going into the back with my boss following behind. “Let’s go wash your face and check the damage. I’ll take you to my father to get patched up, but first, we’ll deal with yours. Do you know where he is?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Home, I think.”

“Perfect,” he mumbled, putting his hand on the small of my back to lead me to the restroom.

After he washed my cheeks, he sighed in disgust. Edward pushed my hair behind my ear, leaning in to kiss my forehead. “Never again.”

Seth drove with Jasper in the front seat. We were in a different car, long and black. I was in the back, wrapped in my man’s protective arms.

“You know you can’t have her go back to stay there after we deal with him,” the blond commented as he turned around to glance at us.

“I realize,” he remarked dryly.

I pulled away to peer at him. “I don’t want to live there anymore. I wanted to get a car to leave,” I confessed, the words tumbling out. “It was a mistake to come here. I wanted to get to know my dad, but now I know why my mom left. Edward is the only good thing about this place.”

Sighing, he pecked my forehead. “I’m sorry he did this to you.” He looked at his brother-in-law, thinking. “We’ll get her things and take her to the house. I’ll figure out the rest tomorrow. I’ll be damned if I let that drunkard hurt the woman I love.”

My heart skipped a beat in joy.

“I love you too,” I breathed. He turned his gaze to me and grinned. Blushing, I buried my face in his chest for the rest of the ride. His heartbeat thumped against my cheek.

I could hear Dean Martin playing on the stereo as we approached the opened front door. It was Charlie’s favorite record. Emmett pulled up behind us in his car. Edward made a circle with his finger, and Jasper broke off from the group to go around the house. He opened the screen door for me, the loud squeak breaking up the chorus of crickets. The front steps of the porch creaked with the weight of the four of us.

Charlie came out of the living room, a beer in his hand. Sweat dripped down his forehead, and he was only in his stained undershirt and boxers. “What the hell?”

The two men couldn’t be any more different. Edward looked sharp in his three-piece suit, his hair perfectly combed back. His arm was curled around my waist. “Good evening, Chief Swan. I’d like to have a word with you,” he said calmly in return.

His eyes focused on me, filling with fury. “Why are you with my daughter?”

He laughed coldly. “Oh. Now she’s your daughter? Was she when you stole her hard-earned wages to fund your gambling habit? Then beat the shit out of her when she tried to save her own money? Oh, Charlie.” He clicked his tongue in disappointment, then shook his head. “I’ve been letting some things slide because of my affection for her. But that ends now.” He looked down at me, patting my hip. “Love, pack your clothes. Seth, help her.”

“Yes, sir,” he commented right away after pushing off the wall he was leaning on. He allowed me to go first, moving between my father and me. I went straight to my room. Emmett was stepping closer to the fearful looking man, going around his big brother. He was almost a half-foot taller, towering over everyone in the space.

My suitcase was already waiting for me in the closet. It took three seconds to get the rest of my clothes. Next, I grabbed the jewelry box from under the mattress. The only thing left was my brush. I threw it in and closed it. It didn’t even fill it halfway. Seth took it from me.

Charlie was on the floor on his knees when I returned. Someone had turned the music up louder, so I couldn’t hear anything from my room. “That was quick. We’ll get the rest of your things later,” Edward promised as he held out his hand to me.

“This is everything,” I explained as I grabbed it. He brought me just behind him as if to protect me.

He took a step forward and slapped my father across the cheek. “Your daughter lives in poverty while you steal her money. You are pathetic.” He said nothing. “Apologize and give it back to her.”

In Charlie’s clenched fist was a roll of cash in a rubber band. I had a feeling Emmett ‘gave’ it back to him to return. He threw it to my feet, and it just bounced, rolling away. The big man punched the back of his head. “Christ, you’re stupid. Pick it up and try again. We got all night.”

Dino crooning ‘Blue Moon’ in the background made it so much more unnerving. It was quiet for a long second except for the music and crickets.

Swallowing, he picked up the roll. He reached forward and shoved it in my hand, not looking at anything but my fist. “Sorry,” he grumbled.

“No. Do it better,” Edward growled.

I crammed it in my apron pocket, not glancing at him. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does to me,” he insisted. He peered at his brother, and I realized it was a threat. A real one. Charlie saw it, too.

He looked between Edward and me, swallowing. His eyes flicked down to the brown carpet. “I’m sorry about taking your money and hitting you,” he said with no feeling. It was the best he was capable of because he felt nothing for me. The only emotion I had for him was revulsion.

Taking a step around my new boyfriend, I stared at my father for a second silently before punching him directly in the nose. It put him on the floor. His face landed about an inch from my ruined flower still on the ground. It had been flattened. I had splattered his blood across the carpet.

Seth laughed. “Yeah! Get him, baby!”

“Rot in hell,” I spat before stepping back into my man. “I never want to see you again.”

“Let’s get those bumps checked out, love,” he cooed before kissing my temple from behind. He was still looking at the asshole. “Emmett, you and Jasper explain some things to Chief Swan. Circumstances are about to change.”

“With pleasure, brother.” The blond strolled in from outside and took off his jacket. There was a cigarette hanging from his thin lips. “You see, Charlie, we take family seriously, and Bella is a part of ours now.” He rolled up his white sleeves. Scars marked his skin. “And we don’t allow people to mess with that, no matter how new the members are.”

“I didn’t-” He stuttered fearfully. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know-”

Emmett cracked his knuckles. “Oh, so you think it’s alright to beat your kid otherwise?”

“No! Of course not. I- I apologize-”

I didn’t look back as we walked out the door. We were in the car before I spoke again. “Will they kill him?” I inquired seriously, unsure if I cared either way. I was happy he was in pain and scared.

He shook his head. “No. They’ll just teach him a lesson. You can’t get cash from a corpse, and he has more money to pay you back. Don’t worry, I’ll have Seth collect it for you so you won’t have to see him.”

The young man got in and started the vehicle after putting the suitcase in the trunk. It was so dark outside I could barely make out Edward’s face.

I still had my work apron on. Fiddling with it nervously, I glanced in his direction. “Why did he give Emmett my money today?” I wasn’t sure how much he would tell me. I realized I knew nothing about the world around me.

“We have a small casino on the other side of town. Its front is a bar. You might have heard of it. He owes us about five thousand. He’s terrible at poker. But he won’t be able to play another card in this state after tonight.”

I sat with that information for a bit. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Anything.”

I believed him after his last answer. It had been brutally honest.

We stopped at a red light in the middle of town. It made an eerie crimson glow in the car. I knew where we were going, even though he didn’t say where.

“Edward, are you a gangster?”

He chuckled softly at my words, nodding his head as he relaxed back in the seat. “Yes. I’m a member of the mafia. As is the rest of my family. We’re a part of the Volturi out of Chicago. We’ve been here for about two years, expanding.”

Making a face, I relaxed too. “Why here? It’s so small.”

He waved his hand. “It’s complicated. Most of our business is coming from Corpus Christi and San Antonio. Laredo. Houston. But it’s easier to operate in smaller towns, though.” I was silent. “Does it bother you?”

Snorting, I shook my head as I looked out the window. The trees just blurred together. “My dad is a cop, and he beat the hell out of me. You’re a ‘criminal,’ and you treat me like a princess. You’re not the bad guy, so no. It doesn’t.”

“I am,” he hastily stated, taking my chin and forcing me to look at him. “I took pleasure in hitting him. Good people don’t.”

“So did I.” Even if my hand hurt, it was one of the most satisfying things I had ever done.

He scoffed. “It’s not the same thing.”

“I don’t care. I love you. Just never treat me like that, and you’ll always be my knight in shining armor.”

“Aw, that’s nice,” Seth said from the front seat. His boss flashed him a look in the rearview mirror. “Sorry. It is, though.”

I knew where his parents lived, but I didn’t know what the house looked like. The large ranch home was stunning, even at night. They must have been doing very well. All the lights were on when we got there. A woman opened the door for us. She might have been in her late fifties, but she was gorgeous, her hair and makeup perfect.

“Oh, dear,” she sighed, holding onto the doorframe. She went straight to me and touched my cheek. “No. I hope whoever did this has gotten what’s coming to them.” She looked at Edward in question.

He gave her a sharp nod. “Happening now.”

“Good,” she cooed. “I’m Esme, Edward’s mother. You must be Bella.”

I nodded. “Thank you for the picnic. I loved it. Your deviled eggs were fantastic,” I breathed. Suddenly, I was nervous, and the words came babbling out. “I’m looking forward to that family dinner.”

Beaming, she hugged me. “Oh, you sweet thing. Come on. Carlisle will look at you.”

“You can take off,” Edward told Seth dismissively.

“Yes, sir. Goodnight, Mrs. Cullen.”

“You too.” She waved at him. “Charming boy. He’s only a baby,” she mumbled to herself. Leading me into an office, a tall gentleman with white hair was talking on the phone while he set things up on his desk. The cord stretched around it.

“If he becomes much more of a problem, we’ll have to get him out of the way and put our own man in. He’s too sloppy. Yeah, I agree.” He stopped when he saw us. “I have to go, Aro. Edward’s here, and he’s brought me a patient.”

“Tell Uncle hello,” Edward said with a smirk. With his hand on my back, he led me to a sofa.

When he returned it, I could see his features in his father. “He sends his regards. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” he remarked before hanging up. “My, what a pretty punching bag you are, my dear.” He clicked his tongue and looked at Esme. “Go start some coffee. She needs at least a few stitches.”

He went to his desk and took two pills from a bottle. He brought them to me with a glass of water from his fully stocked bar. “Pain killers. I’ll need to numb the spots once that kicks in.” I swallowed them without question. Laying against Edward, I felt unbearably tired. It was just after three in the morning.

“I’ll be right back,” the older man mumbled, leaving to get something out of the room. We sat silently while he held my hand.

Edward’s mother returned with a tray of coffee. She automatically made her husband and son each a mug. Almost drastically quick, my brain was swimming with the drugs. Slumping down, I laid my head in his lap. Gently, he stroked my hair.

On the wall across from us was a calendar. I realized it was the last day of spring. My life was wildly different from what it was in the winter. My mother died not long after Christmas. It was hard to focus on anything, though. Thousands of thoughts danced in my mind. Especially with him petting me sweetly.

I pulled his hand around me, curling my fingers around his as I closed my eyes.

“Edward, she’s so young,” she whispered after a few minutes to her son. I think they assumed I had fallen asleep.

“I know,” he sighed.

“How old is she?”

“Eighteen.”

“You’re old enough to be her father! You’re twice her age.”

“I realize!” He hissed. “I’ve thought about it a lot. I’ve been trying to fight this attraction all month, but she feels it too. I love her, and I’m going to marry her. I can’t stop now. I’m in too deep.”

“You want to get married?” I asked drunkenly with a grin, opening my eyes again.

Edward smiled down at me. “I do.”

“When?” I inquired with a giggle. If he told me to stand up and find a dress, I would have.

Chuckling, he pushed my hair out of my face. “Whenever you say yes.”

“Yes!” I said right away. I couldn’t focus, his smile blurring in my line of vision. Music played, but I was almost sure it was in my head. It was Sonny and Cher, ‘And The Beat Goes On.’

“Perhaps you should discuss this when she’s not just been drugged and used as a punching bag,” his mother stated swiftly.

He nodded solemnly. “Of course.”

Closing my eyes again, I hummed. “It’ll be yes tomorrow, too. I want you to be the only man I ever kiss.”

Edward leaned over me to peck my lips. “Me too.”

I fell asleep before his father could give me stitches. It was probably for the best. I wasn’t very good with needles.

When I woke up, I was alone in a sunny bedroom. Somehow, I had changed into my nightgown. I looked down at it, touching my skirt. I couldn’t remember doing it.

“My mother helped you,” Edward informed me. Glancing up, I realized he was in a rocking chair in the corner. “How are you feeling?” Instead of answering, I lifted my hand to my sore mouth. There was a small bandage on it. “Three stitches in your lip and in your eyebrow. Those are just to keep you from scratching in your sleep. Do you need anything?”

“You’re so far away,” I breathed. He smiled as he stood, coming to sit on the edge of the bed. “Where am I?”

“A guest bedroom in my parent’s home.” I nodded in understanding. “You’ll stay here until I set you up in an apartment.”

“But I want to live with you,” I admitted, scooting closer.

“It wouldn’t be appropriate. We’re not married, and I have to do whatever I can to keep your reputation and virtue intact as much as possible.”

I laughed at his seriousness. “I don’t care about any of those things. I just want to be with you, Edward.”

“Well… I’ll care for both of us then. Your soul and keeping it pure is all that matters right now.”

Moving my hands over his back, I leaned in to kiss his neck from behind. “I want to be a mobster’s girlfriend. I don’t care about that,” I teased quietly.

“And I want you to be my wife one day. There’s a difference.”

“Well.” I paused against his throat. “The answer is still yes.”

He seemed surprised, but he probably didn’t think I would remember talking about it. “We’ve gone on one date, Bella. Are you sure?” Nodding, I reached for his hand. He took it in his, bringing it up to his mouth to kiss. “I love you. I loved you from the very second I saw you, and I will until the day I die. I didn’t want to bring you into this life, though. But I think it might be safer. I never imagined your father would do that to you,” he mumbled to himself. He shook his head. “Bastard.”

I kissed his neck again. “It doesn’t matter anymore.” I ignored the small bandages, pressing softly. “Can I stay with you if we’re getting married?” I pressed my palm to his heart.

He hummed in pleasure. “I’ll ask if you can remain here until we do.”

“When?” He understood my question. When did he want to? I would whenever he did.

He put his big hands on mine. “We shouldn’t rush. We want you to finish healing first. It wouldn’t look good if the bride has two shiners.”

“Not too long, though,” I breathed. “I don’t want to wait to be yours.”

Turning his head to the side, his strong fingers curled against my cheek. “By the end of the summer.” Lightly, Edward kissed the corner of my mouth. “Now… are you ready to meet the rest of your new family?”

Thanks to Gina for proofreading for me!

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6/28/2019

Edward Cullen: President of the Dungeon and Dragons society of Forks High

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Edward Cullen: President of the Dungeon and Dragons society of Forks High

Edward is not only a dweeb, but he’s the unashamed president of their club. Bella is a goddess amongst mortals. A Twenty. At least, that’s what Edward thinks. Perhaps they can roll the dice?

Warning: this story contains graphic sexual descriptions. Reader discretion is advised. Intended for a mature audience only. (18+)

It was the first meeting of the school year. I was so excited. All of my friends were in the club, and it was a great excuse to hang out together. We played all the time anyway, might as well make it into the yearbook for it too.

We were meeting in Dr. Banner's class after school. He was a huge comic book nerd himself, having Hulk things plastered all over his classroom's walls. When we asked if we could hold the meetings there every Thursday, he said no problem. He was just happy that some kids were playing the classics still.

Ben was trailing behind me with several books in his arms that he had brought from his car, chattering away. I had switched out my messenger bag for my backpack full of RPG stuff. It also had my snacks. My friend never really did need me to say anything to hold up a conversation.

"So, I was working on a couple of fun short adventures we could do this weekend," he said excitedly, rushing to catch up to me. He enjoyed being the Dungeon Master more than me. We took turns in our little group, but most of the time, it was either him or me.

Dr. Banner wasn’t going to be in his room, he left right after school to pick up his own kids, so I didn’t bother to knock as I pushed the door open roughly. “I wish. We’re going camping this weekend. Emmett is coming home from school,” I complained. I opened my mouth to say something else about my idiot older brother but stopped when I realized we weren’t alone in the room despite the meeting not being for another fifteen minutes.

Standing in front of the whiteboard was Bella Swan.

Bella was the newest girl in Forks, coming from Arizona to live with her police chief father at the very end of the last school year. She was the most beautiful girl in the school, if not Forks, and perhaps the prettiest I had ever seen in real life. I had not understood how a woman could have a figure like an hourglass until I saw her for the first time. She wasn’t thin, making most of the girls around her look like flat-chested no-hipped preteen boys in comparison. Her long, slightly curly brown hair touched the waistband of tight blue jeans. She was a gorgeous woman among children. A goddess amongst mortals.

I actually sat beside Bella in Dr. Banner's sixth-hour science class. Not that I was very good at talking to her. So far, all I had managed to do was say hi, and I’m Edward. I was already stupidly shy to begin with, and it didn't help that I had a wild crush on her.

“Hello, Edward,” she said to me pleasantly when she noticed me standing there, gawking like a fish.

"Oh, um, hi," I said in surprise, my cheeks instantly flaming as I looked at her. She smiled slightly, and my lips tried to curl to match it awkwardly.

"Can I help you with something?" She asked curiously. Though Bella wasn't shy, she was a relatively quiet person as well.

“Dr. Banner said we could use the room,” my friend said for me. “Hi, Bella.”

“Oh! Hi, Ben,” she said back. “Oh, you’re the club he said was coming. Right. Come in. I’m Dr. Banner’s after-school helper this year. I help him clean up his room, grade, or whatever, for an hour after school every day. It looks good on my college stuff,” she explained quickly, almost nervously. “I won’t be bothering you, will I?”

“Nah,” he grinned, arranging his books on the table with tons of paper and pencils. “What are you working on?”

“Cleaning up.” She stuck out her tongue in a complaint. “So boring.”
“You could join us instead,” he offered.

The entire time this conversation went on, I just stood there by the doorway and gaped at her like an idiot still.

"Hey! Did you bring the Cheezits?" He asked, getting my attention. "I brought some mini Snickers. Fuck. I need a drink, though. Hey, Edward! Do you want something?"

Bella turned to look at me curiously again, a smile on her face as she looked me over. I pushed my thin black metal rimmed glasses up my nose and swallowed. My ears kind of rang when I saw her. She was just so lovely. She bit her lip, looking back at the whiteboard as she wiped it off.

“What?” I breathed out.

“Cheezits, fuck face. Did you bring them or not?” He asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

“Oh. Yeah. Sorry. I brought some M&Ms, too,” I mumbled quietly.

“Do you want a soda?”

"Um, yeah. Sure. Grab me a Dr. Pepper," I quickly answered as I pulled out a five from my wallet after I sat my backpack down on a desk. I made money tutoring, so I always had cash on hand.

"Would you like anything, Bella?" My friend offered her casually. He wasn't nervous around her, but he had a crush on her friend, Angela. He didn't have a reason to sputter when he saw her.

“Oh, I don’t have any money,” she answered him as if she was embarrassed.

“I’ll buy you a drink,” I said before I knew what was coming out of my mouth. Both of them turned to look at me. “That should be enough to get you something, too.” I pointed to the money in Ben’s pen ink splattered hands.

“Are you sure?” She asked me quickly, surprised by my offer for some reason.

“Yeah. Totally. Whatever you want,” I said, smiling at her awkwardly again but the way she smiled at me was so nice. My insides literally stirred.

“I would love a Dr. Pepper, too. Please. Thank you so much,” she gushed in a rush.

Ben shrugged and went out the door without another word. Bella hurriedly came around the high desk Dr. Banner usually taught at and walked to me, bringing me into a hug. My arms went around her automatically.

"Thank you!" She beamed at me as she looked up. Our chests were touching, and she had to bend her head back completely to see my face.

I smiled like a dope, my face flushing a wild bright red. It took me a little too long to realize I hadn't let her go. I laughed once nervously, then cleared my throat.

“Seriously, it’s okay. Um… cheese crackers?” I offered lamely, pulling the big red box from my bag after I finally released her.

"That would be great actually. The food here is so gross, and I forgot to pack my lunch." She bit her lip again. For some reason, it did something weird to my brain. "You're so nice, Edward. Thank you."

“It’s cool. Really. Um… so, uh. Do you play?” I asked like I didn’t know the answer. Most girls didn’t play Dungeon and Dragons. And if they did, they rarely looked like Bella.

“Play what?” She asked, confused.

“Oh! You don’t know. Uh, um… we’re the DnD club. You know, role-playing games. Dungeons and Dragons or whatever. I’m the president,” I babbled. I wish I could cram it all back in my mouth. “And treasurer. I’m really good at math.” Words just kept falling out.

Ben came back and handed us each a soda, giving me back my change. He gave us a curious look before shaking his head and going to set up the rest of his things.

“No, I haven’t. I like RPG video games, though,” she finally answered. “I play pretty much just them and like puzzle games. I suck at everything else.”

“Oh, cool! Which one is your favorite?” He asked her cheerfully. He loved video games as much as I did. That was part of the reason we were friends in the first place.

“Mm,” she hummed as she thought. “I really like Skyrim and The Witcher. Vampire the Masquerade, too. I haven’t played since I moved because I left my PS4 at my mom’s, though. My computer here is too shit to play anything.”

“Oh, you might like DnD then.” Ben nodded his head in return, smiling at her. “We’re just setting up and making characters today.”

Bella genuinely giggled, “if I didn’t have to work, I would. Character creators are my favorite part of any game. Here, why don’t I go get some napkins for the snacks? I need to get some more towels for the classroom,” she said to me, looking up into my eyes as she did. We were still very close. I nodded my head quickly. “Great. I’ll be right back.”

She slipped out of the classroom, glancing over her shoulder at us as she did.

“Dude,” he whispered to me. “Bella’s looking at you.”

“No,” I said back in a hushed voice, looking at him in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. She’s looking at you like you’re looking at her,” he chuckled.

"No, she's not," I said in return. He snorted, and I raised an eyebrow at him. "No way."

"What up, bitches!" Tyler said sarcastically as he came into the classroom, his hands in the air. Seth, Alec, and Collin were right behind him. "I have come here to kick dragon ass and chew bubblegum, and I am all out of bubblegum."

Collin walked behind Tyler, pulled a literal pack of gum from his back pocket, took a piece to shove dramatically into his mouth, then threw the crumpled silver wrapper at his head.

"Hey, fuck you!" He snapped, snatching the pack back. Tyler threw a whole unwrapped piece at Collin's face, but it missed, flew past him, and landed in Bella's hair as she walked back into the classroom with napkins.

“Okay,” she laughed, pulling the shiny wrapped spearmint Extra from a curl that was twisted over her shoulder.

“I am so sorry,” Tyler said quickly in embarrassment, his eyes huge. “I was trying to hit Collin, not you, Bella.”

“It’s okay,” she giggled again. “Here, Edward. The napkins.” She handed me a roll of paper towels.

“Please tell me you’re in this club,” Alec said in a little voice as he stared at her longingly. “I mean, it would be great to have a girl player this year! Diversity! Women’s rights-”

“Shut up,” I whispered.

“Thank you,” he breathed, turning away from Bella to hide his blush, and getting something from his backpack.

“No,” Bella answered him. “I’m Dr. Banner’s TA this year.”

The boys all nodded and got to work setting up their own dice, paper, and pencils and pens. Of course, the curvy goddess was not in our nerdy little club.

I wordlessly went to the big desk and pulled out a couple of the paper towels and folded them neatly. On top, I put some of the crackers and candy that I had, a generous portion of each.

“You are so awesome. I think you might be my new best friend,” she said with a sweet little grin to me. She showed me the piece of gum, “I even have a little something to freshen my breath afterward.”

I laughed, making her smile grow.

“Hey! Mr. President, we’re ready when you are,” Seth called to me. “Let’s get this shit started.”

Taking my eyes off of her was hard. Her hour was up at the same time our meeting was done. I lingered in the parking lot to make sure she got in her rusted red truck safely.

My younger sister Alice was sitting at the kitchen table with a bowl of popcorn and chocolate milk while she worked on her homework when I arrived home.

“How was your meeting?” She asked in boredom. She didn’t really care, she just didn’t want to work on her homework anymore. Alice was only a year behind me in school despite being two years younger. She had skipped Kindergarten.

“It was… amazing,” I said with a bit of a grin. “Yeah.” I nodded my head, happy with that word to describe it. “It was really amazing.”

“Amazing? What happened at this meeting?” My mother asked as she worked on dinner. I hadn’t realized she was in the room. I hadn’t seen her standing in the pantry, several cans of something in her arms.

"Oh, um, well," I kind of laughed. I didn't want to tell my mom, but I didn't do anything bad or embarrassing. It wasn’t that big of a deal, I tried to remind myself. She was just being nice to me because I was nice to her. “Bella Swan gave me a hug.”

“What?” Alice asked in shock. “Why?”

“I bought her a soda and gave her some crackers and candy,” I said with my chin in the air. Why wouldn’t she hug me? I wasn’t a total troll of a human at least.

“No! Why was Bella Swan at your nerd meeting?” She demanded to know.

"She wasn't. She's Dr. Banner's senior TA this year. She didn't have any cash, and she was hungry. She said I was her new best friend," I replied as I brushed my shoulders off like an idiot. She snorted at me.

“You can’t even talk to her! I’ve seen you around her! How did this even happen?” My sister asked in confusion.

"Who cares how it happened!" I laughed. "It did, and that's all that matters!"

"Who is Bella Swan, exactly?" My mother asked watching our display as we went back and forth.

“She’s the new girl,” Alice told her with a little smirk and a knowing glint in her big eyes. “She’s really nice. I have a couple of classes with her. She’s really nice to everyone actually. Everyone loves her. She’s just that kind of girl. I have Spanish and gym class with her. And she’s like… really, really, really pretty.”

"No," I argued with her. "She's not just pretty. She's gorgeous! God, more than that! She is just-"

"You have a crush! It's so cute!" My sister giggled, but then her face got a little mean. "You don't stand a chance. Mike wants her."

"Fuck Mike," I snapped angrily. "Oops, shit. Sorry. Excuse me," I apologized to Mom. "But, he's a loathsome little toad." She rolled her eyes. She knew my disdain for him. He had been a jackass to me for years. "Look, I'm not trying to date her, but she deserves better than him for sure."

“Yeah, that’s one frog that ain’t going to turn into a prince when you kiss him,” Alice mumbled under her breath.

She didn’t like him either but because he hit on anything in a skirt, including her. Jasper, her longtime boyfriend, had to take him out behind the school to make him stop finally bothering her. He came back to school with a bruised ego and a black eye, but he hadn’t bothered my sister since.

“Why not try to date her? You obviously like her,” Mom asked curiously.

“Did you miss the really, really, really part of the pretty thing?” I asked her seriously. “She is a twenty and I’m a two next to her.”

“You are not a two!” My mother chided me quickly. “Don’t say that!”

“You’re at least a four,” my sister added into the conversation, throwing a piece of popcorn into her mouth. “If you wore nice clothes every once in a while and did your hair you’d be a six.”

“Mary Alice!” Mom snapped.

“What? I meant it as a compliment! I’m not going to lie to him!” She said. I rolled my eyes. She was actually trying to be her version of nice. “The red hair and freckles aren’t my thing. Nothing personal.”

I shrugged. “Seems fair. I don’t like your hair either. I prefer brunettes,” I said sarcastically.

“Obviously!”

“It doesn’t matter what your brother looks like! Or how anyone looks. It’s what on the inside that counts,” my mother tried to say, like it wasn’t a pearl of wisdom we had heard a million times before in a million ways.

“That’s what you’d say to a two,” I said to my sister, making her giggle. “Mom, really. It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. I’m going to go up to my room and work on my homework until dinner is done.”

“Fine! But you’re at least a seven in nice clothes. Mama didn’t birth no twos,” she mumbled to herself, making me chuckle. I loved my mom. She could be funny when she wanted to be.

The next day in science class on my desk, there was a cold Dr. Pepper, a small packet of Cheezits, and a bright yellow king-sized package of peanut M&Ms in my spot waiting for me. Bella was already in hers, working on some homework from another class.

I felt like my heart was going to swell with happiness in my chest. Before I realized what I was doing, I hugged Bella. Just as she had done to me the day before but from the side.

“Oh!” She said in a little bit of happy surprise, leaning her head on mine since I was hugging her shoulders too tightly for her to move her arms. “You like it, I guess?”

“Thank you,” I kind of breathed into her hair. The sweet fruity scent of her shampoo filled my nose and mouth.

“You’re welcome. Does this mean you’re going to talk to me in class now?” She asked in a laugh. I finally realized I was hugging her too long again and let go.

“Yeah! Totally! I’m so sorry. I’m… shy. Obviously," I said as I sat down in my spot. "I have social anxiety, and I find it really difficult," I over-explained and overshared my issues with her.

“I get it. It was so hard when I first moved here. I’ve been so lucky that everyone has been so nice to me so far,” she said sweetly.

Dr. Banner came in the classroom from lunch, still eating a banana and reading a book as he walked. He almost ran into his desk, making the class giggle as the bell rang.

“Right, let’s go ahead and get your books out. Let’s turn to page three hundred and ninety-four, please.”

The next Thursday, I bought two Dr. Peppers from the vending machine. I walked into Dr. Banner’s room all alone. Ben was getting something from his house after school real quick that he had forgotten. Bella was sitting at the desk instead this time, looking beautiful in a casual little blue dress and white sweater with a pile of papers in front of her and a red pen in her hand.

She smiled a little bit when I came in, her eyes flicking up from her work. Without saying anything, I walked up to her and put the drink beside her.

“You are the sweetest,” Bella said as she stopped me from walking off, grabbing my arm before I could. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Did it make you happy?” I asked quietly.

“Yes,” she said with a smile on her pretty pink plush lips. “Thank you.”

“Yeah,” I said with an embarrassed flush crawling across my face.

When I got the snacks I brought with me out, I made a pile for each of my friends who I knew would be there at any minute and then walked over to Bella. It was Doritos and mini Kit-Kats this time. I put them beside her quietly so as not to bother her while she was working.

“So, I think I’m going to have to get us some of those matching best friend bracelets with the hearts. Yours will definitely say best on it,” she teased me before taking a bite of a chip.

“Is it going to be pink and sparkly?” I asked back sarcastically.

“Ew, not pink. But sparkly. It has to have glitter, right?” She smirked. “What’s your favorite color?”

“Blue.”

She knew right away why I said that, biting her bottom lip and looking down. Her cheeks flushed a little. I made Bella Swan, the prettiest girl in Forks, blush, and it made her even more beautiful.

The next day in class, there was a soda, a Kit-Kat, and a little bag of Doritos waiting for me.

“Thanks.” I smiled to myself, sitting down. I could see her smiling out the corner of my eyes.

“Welcome,” she answered before glancing over at me. “I like your shirt.” I looked down at my t-shirt, not remembering what I was wearing that day. I just threw something on. It said ‘control freak’ and it had all the old school video game controllers on it.

“Oh, thanks! My mom bought me, like, twenty cool shirts for my eighteenth birthday. She folded and rolled them up in pain in the ass ways with cash hidden in them. Put them all in a giant box and stuffed it with five hundred dollars in ones to be funny.”

“That’s awesome!” She laughed. “I love it! Your mom sounds fun.”

“She is, actually,” I agreed.

"My eighteenth is coming up soon. It would be super cool if my dad took that much interest in me and did something like that. Fun geeky shirts. I don't think he pays enough attention to, though," she explained as she wrinkled her nose. "He just works a lot. It's fine."

"It's nice that she embraces my nerdiness," I admitted. My mom had always been supportive of whatever hobby I took up and tried to at least act interested when I spoke to her about it. "I'm sure my father would rather I was a jock like my brother."

"I like your nerdiness," Bella said in reply just as Dr. Banner walked in. I didn't know what to say anyway. I knew I was flirting with her and I thought that she was flirting with me too, but I wasn't sure. I thought about how my sister said she was kind to literally everyone. She was. I saw that with my own eyes.

“Hey! Alice!” I shouted as I came into the house after school.

“What?” She whined from the couch where she was lying with her legs hanging off the arm and playing on her phone.

“Can you find out Bella’s birthday for me?”

“What?”

“Can you… find out… when Isabella Swan’s birthday is for me… for reasons… please?” I drew out and then smiled at her awkwardly. “Pretty please?”

“Why?’

“Because she said it was coming up and that she liked nerdy shirts so I’d like to get her a shirt for her birthday,” I explained to her in a rush. “I want it to be a surprise, or I’d ask myself.”

"I actually already know." She smirked at me. "It's in a couple of weeks. She was talking about maybe going to dinner after school for her birthday yesterday in Spanish. But it's Friday the Thirteenth, and she doesn't know if she wants to take a chance on the bad luck. We may do a movie night at her place instead."

I swiftly leaned down and kissed my sister on the forehead. “Thank you!”

“Yeah.” Alice rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Are you going to ask her out now?”

“What?”

“You want to buy her clothes. Just ask her out already.”

“Because she liked my shirt!” I answered. “We’re just friends.”

"God, you're stupid. She likes you," my sister mumbled as she looked back to her phone. Her thumbs never stopped moving.

“Has she said that? Has she told you that she likes me?”

“No. I just can tell.”

“Whatever,” I snapped, not in the mood for her and her antics. I wasn’t going to embarrass myself by even taking the chance. I was pathetic, and I knew it, but I couldn’t do anything about it.

The next Thursday, I brought Bella another Dr. Pepper and shared my Chex mix and my gummy strawberry puffs. On Friday there was the soda, a bag of Chex mix, and a mixed bag of gummy bears. There was a note on the desk that said, “I couldn’t find yours. Where did you get them? I loved them!”

"I found them once when I went on vacation a long time ago. They're hard to find, so I special order them on Amazon every once in a while," I said in a whisper. She giggled. "They're my favorite."

“I love anything strawberry.”

“I’ll bring you some more,” I said in a low voice as the teacher walked in. Bella reached over and squeezed my hand and mouthed the words, thanks. I just nodded, a blush crawling up my cheek as I did.

The next Thursday, I brought an entire bag just for her to go with her pretzels and drink. When she saw it, she beamed at me. Pretzels, gummies, and a soda waited for me on Friday.

In the two weeks that I had learned about Bella's birthday, I began to make a big basket of gifts for her from all the little things I had learned about her. First was the food, a six-pack of glass bottle Dr. Peppers, a box of Cheezit, pretzels, Chex mix, Doritos, Kit-Kats, M&Ms, and several bags of the strawberry gummies. She said she liked anything strawberry, so I also got her flavored lip gloss and strawberry perfume and lotion when I went to the mall with my mother. I also bought her a rather sly Skyrim shirt with just the little symbol on the heart and a Witcher 3 shirt with the cards from the game. I knew she also liked to read, so I got her a gift card to the bookstore in Port Angeles.

On Thursday morning, I carried it down the stairs with me to the breakfast table. I was going to give it to Bella after school before the meeting.

“Oh, my!” My mother said when she saw it, her eyes getting wider. “Who is that for?”

“Is that for Bella?!” Alice said in surprise. “You said a shirt!”

“Yeah, I got two. And I got her some snacks. Some standard perfumey girly crap, too. You know, just in case she doesn’t like them,” I over-explained. “I wasn’t sure and-”

“Oh, my god! Just ask her out already!”

My father finally put down the sport’s section to pay attention to what was going on. “That is quite a gift, son. Who is this for exactly? Lucky girl.”

"Eddie has a crush on a girl named Bella. She's Dr. Banner's TA, the classroom his nerd meeting is in, and he's obsessed with her. He just needs to ask her out already!" Alice said from over her bowl, waving her spoon at me.

“She doesn’t want me like that!”

“You’re stupid,” she snapped.

“Hey, don’t call your brother stupid,” Dad said, making her smirk a little. “Bella, what? What’s her last name?” He turned his attention back to me.

“Swan,” she answered for me. “She’s my friend. I’m going to her house for her birthday tomorrow.”

“Oh,” he said in a big laugh and grinned. “I see.” He nodded his head and picked up his paper again.

“What?” Mom asked him in confusion.

He chuckled then cleared his throat when he saw I wasn't amused. "Let's just say that I can see why the boy might have a crush on her." He made his eyes big and then whistled. "I've treated her in the ER a couple of times already. Poor dear got the flu when she first came here, and then she hurt her foot over the summer."

“I need to see a picture of this girl,” she said to him as she shook her head. “Everyone keeps talking about how good she looks.”

Alice pulled out her phone and handed it to her after saying, “don’t scroll.”

“That just makes me want to scroll,” my mother said slyly before looking at the photo. “Oh, my. Edward, she is lovely. I can see why you do, too.”

“I don’t!”

“Liar!” Alice said sassily. “Seriously. That basket-”

"We're just friends!" I moaned. "She was just saying her dad wouldn't do anything as thoughtful as Mom would, you know. I was telling her about my birthday, and she got all wistful! I just want to do something nice for my friend."

“Okay,” Mom said, putting her hands out in front of her. “Okay, and it is very nice. I’m sorry we’re ruffling your feathers. You’re being a very good friend, sweetie.”

“Thank you,” I whispered into my oatmeal.

"We're going to Port Angeles today, so you're going to have to fend for yourself for dinner tonight and…" My mother began to explain to the both of us but I kind of tuned her out. My nervousness for the gift tripled with the morning conversation.

I kept the basket in my car until the end of the day. I skipped out of my last class early just so that I could beat Bella to the room for once. I left it on the high desk next to the papers Dr. Banner wanted her to grade for the day. He went once I arrived.

When she came into the classroom, she instantly stopped, seeing the basket right away and then me. Bella could see everything in it easily, just a big bow on top since it was too big and bulky to wrap.

"Is that for me?" She asked in a tiny voice, and I could actually see her eyes beginning to rim red with tears.

“Happy Birthday,” I replied.

She didn't go to look at the basket closer. Instead, she threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around my waist as she pressed her face into my chest. I was so much taller than her, almost by a foot. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer as I pushed my face into her hair. There was no awkwardness in this hug.

“Thank you,” she whimpered into my chest.

“Don’t cry!” I begged, putting my hand on her cheek as she looked at me.

"It's just so sweet, though! It's the best present I've ever gotten."

“You don’t even know what it is!” I laughed.

“It doesn’t matter. I can tell from here,” she laughed, glancing over her shoulder at it. Bella brought her arms up around my neck, pressing herself as hard as she could against me. I never wanted to pull away.

Ben came bursting through the door.

“Oh, uhhhh. Sorry. Did I interrupt something?” He said with wide eyes.

“Edward brought me a wonderful gift for my birthday!” She gushed at him, finally letting herself down so she could go bounce over to it. “This so awesome! All this junk food is perfect! I was just going to lounge around and watch movies.”

"Oh, that is perfect!" Ben agreed. He patted my back as he walked past. He winked at me, and I flushed as I looked away.

The following day, Bella’s birthday, I saw as soon as I walked into the classroom that she was wearing the Witcher t-shirt I bought for her. She was smiling at her book when I sat beside her.

In my spot was a bracelet made of string with a charm on it. When I flipped it over, I realized it was one of those half hearts, cut zig zag in half and it was baby blue with glitter. The word ‘best' was written on it.

On Bella’s wrist closest to me, she was wearing the other half. I couldn’t say anything. I just reached over and squeezed her hand. I didn’t let go.

“I like your shirt,” I whispered finally under my breath, making her giggle. The bell rang loudly, ending our moment.

I was walking about fifteen feet behind from Bella as she walked to the parking lot at the end of the day. People wished her a happy birthday as she went down the hall and she answered them all with a charming smile and thanks.

Mike Newton saw her as she passed and slammed his locker shut so he could run after her. “Bella!” He shouted at her too loudly. “Hey, happy birthday! Hey, can I talk to you?”

She stopped, and I kept on walking very slowly to watch. "What, Michael?" She asked almost in boredom.

"So, there's a dance next week, and I was wondering-"

“No, thanks,” she cut him off and began to walk again. I kind of laughed to myself, just a couple of feet behind her by then.

“Hey!” He growled angrily as he grabbed her arm. “Why not?”

“Hey!” I pushed him off of her right away. “Don’t touch her. She said no. Leave her alone.”

He didn’t like that. He grabbed my shirt with both fists and slammed me as hard as he could into the lockers. “Mind your own fucking business, Cullen!”

"Screw you!" I hissed, kicking at him, but he backed away and slammed me harder into the lockers. "You need to learn to leave girls who aren't interested in you alone!" Bella and my sister.

“Why? What? Do you think she’s interested in you?” He laughed at me.

"Mike! Stop!" Bella shoved at him, but he didn't move. "Let him go!"

"You do!" He laughed at my visibly angry face. He paid her no attention at all. "Why the fuck would-"

"Edward, would you like to go to the dance with me?!" Bella shouted over Mike. He stopped, and we both looked at her in surprise.

“Yeah,” I breathed out. I nodded my head vigorously.

Mike still didn’t let go. “What?! Why?” He growled the words in my face. He slammed my back painfully into the lockers again. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

Bella, with all of her might, used the science book that she had been carrying in her arms to smack the back of Michael's head. So hard in fact that she knocked him to the ground and sent the book flying.

“Leave us both alone, you fucking bully!” She shouted, panicked, and then pretty much began to run towards the parking lot.

“Ow, Jesus,” he mumbled as he rubbed the back of his head, still on the ground.

“Asshole,” I snarled at him, moving past him to get Bella’s book and run after her to make sure she was okay.

When I got to the parking lot, her big red truck was already pulling out in a rush.

I knew where Bella lived. I passed it every day on the drive to school. It was hard to miss the truck. I decided to go to her house since several papers shoved into it looked like homework, and she might have needed them before Monday.

I had to swallow my nerves when I knocked on her front door. Her eyes were wide with surprise when she saw it was me, but she then smiled. I grinned slowly in return.

Then her big Police Chief father stepped up behind her.

“Who are you?” He demanded to know in a booming voice.

“I’m… I’m Ed- Edward. Uh, Cullen. Edward Cullen. I have science with Bella. She- She… dropped her book and I- I figured she might need it,” I stuttered horribly, almost shaking in place as I held up the book. “We’re just friends.”

“Oh, you’re the president of the dweeb club with the snacks that she-”

“Daddy!’ She snapped at him in a warning. He snorted. “He’s not a dweeb. Apologize.”

"No!" I said quickly. "It's fine. Totally fine. I'm a dweeb. It's cool. Here's your book." I handed it to her and began to turn away, but she grabbed my arm.

“Wait! Actually, could you help me with some science homework real quick? I’m having some trouble with it. If you have time,” she added in a hurry.

“Sure.” I nodded. “Of course.”

“It’s up in my room. Why don’t we work up there? The television is a distraction,” she said, pushing her father out of the way and inviting me inside the little white house.

"Alright, kid. When the rest of your friends show up, we'll order the pizza for the party. You figure it all out, and I'll pick it up." And then her dad turned to go back to watch his football game on his big screen television over the fireplace in the small living room.

I followed her up the stairs up to her bedroom, and she shut the door behind us quietly. Bella tossed the book on the bed.

“Are you okay?” I asked right away.

“Yeah,” she nodded, pushing the hair away from her eyes. “If my dad finds out, he’s going to hurt Mike, though.”

“Good,” I laughed. She snorted, biting her lip. “Do you really want to go to the dance with me?”

“I do. If you want to,” she answered.

My face could have split in two.

“Awesome. That is so… awesome," I laughed nervously. I nodded, putting both on my hips. "Great. That's- wow. Really?" She giggled and nodded. "Cool. We'll go to the dance next week," I swallowed. "So. So, um… What was that homework you needed help with? I tutor science, so I'm sure I can help with whatever."

"Oh," she laughed again lightly as she walked closer to me. "I don't have any homework, and if I did, I wouldn't need help with it. I have a hundred and two in the class, Edward." She put her hands on my chest and pressed herself closer to me. "I just wanted to have an excuse to bring you up to my room so I could do this…"

And then she kissed me.

It was like fireworks went off in my head. My arms wrapped around her as tightly as they could, smashing myself into her body.

I had never kissed a girl before, but I was certainly going to try right then. My hands slid up her back and into her hair until my fingers tangled with it. She moaned into my mouth, her own fingers going to my hair as well. She knotted her tiny hands into it tightly, her little tongue dancing across mine.

“Do you wanna stay and watch movies with me and my friends?” She asked when she pulled away from my lips. I nodded, swallowing with the jerky movements. “Oh, good!”

And then she kissed me again.

When we pulled apart this time, she whispered, "I've wanted to do that for months.”

“What?” I said in shock.

"I have liked you since junior year. I've had a crush on you for ages," Bella mumbled, looking up at me. She was embarrassed, but I was over the moon.

“Me too.”

“Then why didn’t you ask me out! I’ve been flirting so hard!” She laughed, obviously frustrated.

“I’m stupid? I don’t know. I’m so sorry. You were really flirting?” I asked, looking away as I thought of everything we had ever done or said to each other. She giggled and tugged my face down into a kiss again.

“I really like you.”

“Do you want to be my girlfriend?” I blurted out.

She nodded in return, throwing herself up in my arms as she kissed me again. Both of her feet were kicked up off the ground as I held her voluptuous body to mine.

This kiss was interrupted by a knock at the front door. Her father yelled for Bella to let her friends in.

“I should get that,” she said as she slid down back to her feet with a little grin. She took my hand and led me back down the stairs to answer it. She didn’t let go when she opened the door.

My sister was on the front steps. Her eyes were huge.

“Finally!” She shouted. Jessica Stanley, the biggest gossip in school, Lauren and Angela were all standing behind her. They all looked confused. I could see my friend Seth’s sister, Leah, pulling into the driveway.

“What?” Jessica asked, offering Bella a wrapped box.

“My brother finally asked her out!” Alice pushed inside. She had a giant bag for Bella and a cake.

“Oh! Nice!” Angela smiled at Bella, pulling her into a hug and giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Happy Birthday! Did you really ask her out, Edward?”

“Yeah.” I nodded happily. We were still holding hands. I was wearing the bracelet she had given me on my wrist.

“Good!” Lauren snickered. “Now talk to Ben for Angela.”

“Shut up!” She shouted quickly.

“Wait… really? You like Ben?” I asked in shock. She kind of nodded and shrugged her shoulders. “Oh, man! He has the biggest crush on you!” I blurted out then covered my mouth with my hand.

“YES!” Angela jumped up and down before quickly containing herself. She grabbed my sister by the shoulders. “Maybe he’ll ask me to the dance!”

“Jeez, just ask him! You’re a modern woman,” Bella said as she wrapped her arms around my waist, all of us walking into the living room. Her father had retreated to the closed off kitchen. “I asked Edward to the dance!”

“You’re going to dance?” My sister said excitedly.

“I’m going to do whatever the hell Bella wants,” I answered her a little too truthfully.

“Have fun with that,” Leah teased Bella. She turned bright red, pushing her face into my chest as we sat next to each other on the couch. I put an arm around her comfortingly.

“Alright! Stop! Let’s figure out what kind of pizza we want. I’m so hungry!” She complained.

I spent the evening pinned beside Bella, my new girlfriend, and all of her friends while they watched terrible horror movies and shoved pizza into their mouths. We went through bags of popcorn, candy, and chips. I might have been the only male, but I wasn’t angry about it at all.

At the end of the evening, everyone left but me. My sister was the last to go. It was just after one. Her father had long gone to bed, mainly leaving us alone since it was mostly just loud squealing girls. And my annoying little sister was there to keep me chaste. Bella walked me to my car.

"So… Um… Tomorrow. I have a DnD game with my friends at my place. And I was wondering if maybe you would like to join us? I could teach you, and you could make a character, if you wanted to," I asked anxiously.

“I’d love to. Do you have any plans on Sunday?” She asked me in return.

“No.”

"Do you want to go to Port Angeles with me? Someone gave me a gift card to a bookstore there, and I'd like to use it." She grinned up at me sweetly.

“Oh? Someone,” I pulled her closer to me. “I’d love to. Do you want to go to dinner and a movie, too? Like a real date? Maybe I can take you out for your birthday.”

“Yeah. I’d really like that.”

That goodnight kiss was the best of all the kisses I had received from her that day.

I later learned that they were her first kisses, too.

The next day Bella showed up at my house right on time with a bag full of snacks. She was wearing the Skyrim shirt that I had given her. She kissed me hello eagerly. We had so much fun, and all of my friends loved her. She fit perfectly into my world.

Sunday, I nervously got ready. It was the first time I was going to be spending any real time alone with her. I showered, shaved, combed my hair, wore new black jeans and borrowed one of my father's nicer button-down shirts since I had outgrown all of mine since the last time I had any reason to wear them. I even put in my painful contacts.

“Wow!” Alice shouted in surprise when she saw me coming out of my room to pick Bella up for our date. “I take it back. You are a solid seven when you dress nice. Gain some weight and get some muscles, you could be an eight.”

“Shut up,” I mumbled but smiled at her. She knew what I meant by it. “Should I pick her up some flowers or something?”

“It wouldn’t hurt,” she laughed, patting my shoulder. “Don’t worry. You’ve got this, big brother.”

I showed up with roses. Bella's truck was in the driveway, but her father's police cruiser was gone. I knocked on her door, rocking back and forth nervously on my heels.

Bella opened the door wearing that pretty blue dress and white sweater, her side of the best friend heart on her left wrist. I wore mine on the right. She looked me over for a long minute, her soft mouth opened just a little. I looked down at myself worriedly.

Do I look stupid?

And then she threw herself at me.

“You look so handsome,” she said between kisses, her fingers knotting into my red hair again like they had the day before when we made out by her truck after the DnD game for a few wonderful minutes.

“You think so?” I mumbled against her neck, trying not to drop the roses as I returned her affection.

“You’re always handsome but, oh, my god. I could eat you up right now,” she said against my ear. I actually did an all over body shiver. “But… um, could you do something for me?” She asked, pulling back. Bella had a furious blush covering her cheeks.

“Anything.”

“Wear your glasses next time. I really like your glasses.”

"Oh! Okay!" I nodded. "That is great, actually. Can… Can I take the contacts out now?" I laughed. "They're super itchy, and I have my spare glasses in the car."

“Yeah!” She giggled. “Here, I’ll take the flowers. You go get your glasses.”

We ended up not going anywhere. Instead, we made out on her couch until her father came home later that night after work. We covered each other in giant hickeys, her lips bruised and our hair wild from being played with so much. Thankfully he went straight to the kitchen, and I was able to sneak out before he could see our appearance. I wasn't even sure he noticed my car parked in the street.

“So, I’ll see you at school tomorrow?” She grinned at me.

"Can I pick you up in the morning?" I asked, hopefully. She had her TA stuff after school, and I had tutoring. We always left about the same time. I just wanted more time with her.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” she said in a warm voice before pecking one last kiss on my lips.

When I came home, Alice was making out with Jasper on the porch swing. They both pulled back and looked at me.

“Wow! Invest in turtlenecks!” He said in surprise.

“Probably a good idea,” I just kind of chuckled to myself before I marched myself up to my room happily.

Three Months, ten meetings, one dance, and twenty-three actual dates later…

"You know what, you are the fuck-face!" Bella said to Ben as she threw a cracker at his head. She was sitting on my lap at my dinner table, all of my friends and some of hers, around it as well. It was her first game where she was acting as the Dungeon Master, and I was helping her. Our little corner was blocked off from everyone else and covered with paper and pencils. As well as trash and snacks. We had been playing for hours already, and it was getting dark outside. Everyone was talking at once. "Oh, my god! It's like herding cats, Edward!" She complained.

“I told you!” I snorted.

"Next time I'm totally making a campaign where there is going to be some sort of magical demon cat herding, and you will all suffer," she said very dramatically. "Can I do that?" She questioned me. She didn't bother to learn the rules or really read the books when I was there to basically be her DnD dictionary. Both Seth and Collin pulled two different books from their bags to research her question.

“Yeah, baby. We can do that,” I assured her with a smile before pressing a quick kiss on her cheek. She smiled wickedly.

“See! You will suffer!” She pointed sharply at Ben.

"I want a magical demon cat!" Angela said from beside her boyfriend. Ben had finally talked her into a game, and it was her very first. The only reason she was there was because of Bella, though. Alice was there too, but basically just to roll dice for Jasper who decided to join us.

“No, you don’t. There are a ton of anime with them. Bad juju,” Tyler said stupidly and then took a loud slurp of his Mountain Dew through a straw.

"See! Listen to him! Now! Seriously, people! Focus. Your group is walking through a forest, and you come to a clearing. It's a perfect round meadow filled with wildflowers, the full moon lighting it up. In the middle of the meadow, a man is standing there. And he is beautiful! His skin is so perfect that it's almost like glow-y or whatever in the pale moonlight," she joked and smiled as they rolled their eyes at her description. "What do you do?"

"Ask him about his skincare routine!" Angela said dramatically. Bella laughed wickedly and before anyone could stop her rolled a twenty-sided dice. It showed a ‘one.'

“He says, ‘blood. Lots of blood.’ And then he attacks and instantly kills you by draining all of your tasty elf blood because he was a vampire!” My girlfriend cackled evilly, rubbing her hands together. “Now, what?”

“She’s enjoying this way too much,” Ben complained to me.

"What. Do. You. Do? There is a vampire that is literally standing over your one true love's already rotting corpse, and you're whining about me? Wow. You're a terrible boyfriend. Edward would have already tried to kill him or died trying to defend me. Also, he probably would have told me to shut up and not ask strangers in the woods about their beauty regime."

“Right?!” Angela pointed at him. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Ben threw a Cheezit at both of them.

We played until four in the morning. Bella called her dad and told him that she was just staying the night with Alice. My parents were actually out of town for the weekend, though. My sister had long gone to bed.

“Edward, can I borrow a shirt to wear to sleep?” My girlfriend asked quietly once we got up to my room when we were all alone after cleaning up the giant mess.

"Yeah, let me get you-" I began, but she stopped me, putting her hands on my waist.

“I want this one,” she breathed, tugging the hem of my ‘control freak’ shirt.

“Oh,” I said, blushing. “Sure.” I helped her pull it the rest of the way off.

I had not taken my shirt off in front of Bella yet. The most we had done was a little bit over the shirt fondling. Since we started dating, I had begun to lift weights. Just in case she ever did want to see me with my shirt off for some reason. She bit her bottom lip, her fingers dancing over my pecs before smoothing over my arms.

"Thanks," she breathed out, kissing my chest once before turning around and taking off her shirt. After popping off her bra she then wiggled out of her blue jeans, leaving her only in panties. I really hoped she would turn around, but she actually pulled on my shirt.

I came up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist. “Um, I don’t suppose you want the sleep pants too?”

“Sure,” she said as she turned in my arms, grinning wickedly.

I could play along with anything she wanted. Tugging them off quickly, I handed them to her. It left me in nothing but my boxers. She threw them onto the couch in my room.

“I don’t like to sleep with pants on, actually,” Bella answered with a naughty smirk.

“Me too, actually,” I grinned in return, pulling her into a deep kiss while wrapping my arms around her tightly. She giggled against my mouth. “How… How far do you want to go tonight? You decide the pace.”

"I'm not sure," she admitted, blushing. Bella pulled away, then walked over to my desk and picked up a twenty-sided die. "Maybe we could roll to find out."

“Oh, god,” I laughed. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, seriously,” she giggled in return. “Do you want to?”

“What happens if I roll a one? I sleep on the couch in footie pajamas and a teddy bear, alone?” I asked sarcastically.

"We go to bed, just like this. And we snuggle. You really can't lose. Either way, you get to go to bed with me." She handed me the twenty-sided die.

I looked at it in my palm. “What’s a twenty?”

“Roll and find out,” she said seductively in my ear before kissing my cheek.

“Okay.” I shook my head at the wild situation we were currently in, nervous out of my mind. I rolled it on my desk. It was ten.

“Oh, that’s very good for you,” Bella said softly.

“What’s ten?” I breathed out. Her hand slid down over my erection that wasn’t hidden at all by my thin boxers. “Ha, oh,” I let out with a smile. “Wow. I really like ten.”

“That isn’t ten, sweetie,” she giggled, leading me over to the bed. Then she shoved me back on it before Bella crawled over my body, straddling my waist. The words ‘control freak’ were stretched over her breasts tightly. My hard-on was now pressed against the center of her panties. Then she took both of my hands and put them on her breasts. Her hard nipples were resting against my palms through the thin material of the shirt.

With her guidance, I began to massage them gently. She hummed quietly in pleasure. We kissed like that for a long time, my hands on her chest as we ground against each other. She obviously enjoyed it as much as I did.

“Would you really have gone through with a twenty?” I asked breathlessly when I pulled away. She nodded against my neck, giggling again as she kissed it. “Damn. I don’t have any condoms.”

“I do in my purse.”

“I am so glad you are a modern woman,” I blurted out.

"Me too," she said playfully as she took off my glasses and put them on her nose. She was in a fun mood, and I wanted to see how far I could push it.

“I think it’s your turn to roll,” I whispered against her ear.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. Really.”

She pushed herself off the bed and walked over to my desk to pick up the dice. Without saying anything else, she rolled it on my bedside table right next to her purse. I sat up on my elbows to watch her.

“Twelve,” she informed me, her hip cocked to one side.

It was my turn to tug her onto the bed, pouncing on top of her so I could kiss her. She laughed excitedly, enjoying the attention. When I pulled away, I carefully pulled her shirt up so that I could see her breasts for the first time. Her eager nipples were puckered at attention. First, I kissed below them along her stomach. I was actually shaking when my lips first touched them. She gasped, her back arching up towards my mouth. Bella ground herself against my thigh between her legs, her fingers in my hair.

A little squeak left her lips when I kissed between her breast to do the same thing to the other nipple.

“Your turn to roll.”

"Do you really want me to stop?" I grinned at her breathless words. She still had my glasses on, and they were cocked to one side.

“I just really hope you get a twenty.”

I moaned, sucking on her nipple again. Now that I had started, I didn’t want to stop. But, I wanted that twenty, too. I wanted Bella. My own personal twenty.

When I stood up, Bella sat up to watch me. She also took the shirt off all the way. I rolled the dice, unable to take my eyes off of her. "Six," I laughed when I finally looked. "Damn. What's a six?" I didn't want to go backward.

She sat up a little more and yanked down my boxers to the ground. My erection stood at attention in front of her face.

“That’s a six.”

“What would happen if one of us rolled a one right now?” I questioned her, trying to be confident while I held her gaze and ignore the fact that my girlfriend’s pretty face was mere inches from my penis.

“We’d go to sleep… just like this. Maybe we could spoon.”

“It’s your roll.” I handed her the d20, making her smirk. She leaned over while still sitting on the bed, smiling as she did. I had bend over to see the number. “Fourteen.”

First, I leaned over to kiss her when I knelt down on the bed. Then I began to kiss down her stomach, moving over her panties as I did. Bella gasped, her legs shifting as I slid down her body. She opened her legs to me.

I didn’t know what I was doing as I kissed all over her very wet and sticky panties. I didn’t care that I didn’t know. I was having fun. I licked and kissed over every fabric covered inch, my hands wrapped around her thick thighs. Her fingers tangled with my hair as her legs went over my shoulders.

"Oh," she moaned softly when I licked a particular spot. I kissed it then licked it again several times in a row slowly. It got the exact reaction I wanted. I attacked it happily with my tongue. "Oh, Edward. I’m going to cum,” she whispered. Her legs were actually shaking. I licked the spot through the fabric over and over, moaning against her as I did. A high pitched sort of whine left her lips because she biting them so hard to keep from calling out as I made her cum for the very first time. I could actually see her panties becoming visibly wetter.

She pulled my hair to make me stop, and I kissed up her stomach and between her breasts until we kissed again. My erection rubbed against her soaked panties.

“Your turn,” Bella said seductively in my ear.

“Fuck,” I laughed, pushing myself up and rolled the dice. “Nineteen…”

“Damn, so close.” She sat up on her knees. “Lay down.”

I did as she demanded, and she began to kiss down my stomach.

“Oh, haha… Oh, wow…” I moaned stupidly when she first brought me in her mouth. She was gentle and slow, a little nervous until she got more comfortable. And as she got more comfortable, she enjoyed it more and began to moan. Two moans and I was already almost there. “Fuck, fuck, fuck… I’m going to cum if you do that.”

“Is it that good?” She asked when she pulled away, kissing my stomach again.

“I don’t know how much I can take,” I admitted. “All this teasing. It feels so good.”

“I like doing that. I can’t wait to do it some more,” she said with a wicked smile before leaning down to take me into her mouth for just another minute. I moaned, my hips flexing up to her mouth with my hand back on her head. I groaned when she pulled away, making her giggle. She got on her knees to roll, giving me a great view of her ass. “Twenty.”

“Fuck,” I moaned in relief. Bella actually laughed, leaning down to kiss me on the lips before she got up from the bed. I watched as she retrieved a condom from her purse. “Were you planning this all along?” I asked curiously.

“No. I’ve had these for a couple of months now actually. I wanted to be prepared because you turn me on so much and I knew it wouldn’t be too long. Could you open this?” She handed me the condom before taking off her panties. Then she went to put down my glasses on the nightstand.

“Wait. Can… Could you keep them on? You’re so cute with them.”

Bella blushed a furious pink all over, biting her lip as she nodded.

Together we put on the condom after Bella straddled my thighs. She slowly pushed herself down on me, her mouth opened just a little as her head fell back.

“Does it hurt?” I asked worriedly, trying to be very still. I wanted to thrust up into her, the warmth and wetness sending shivers throughout my body.

“No. It feels good.” My hips bucked at the word good. Carefully she rolled her hips forward, her big brown eyes watching me the entire time.

Slowly we began to move together, my hands on her hips with her fingers gripping my shoulders. I slipped out a couple of times because of how wet she was. She laughed in embarrassment, shoving her face into my neck. I laughed as well, adjusting us until I slipped back in again, one of my hands on the back of her thigh.

“Edward,” she moaned into my shoulder, my own movement becoming more frantic.

Too soon, it became too much for me. I gasped in surprise of the force of it, my entire body going tense. I held Bella in place until the sensation slowly ebbed away.

We kissed for a few moments before finally, she flopped back onto the bed beside me. Hurriedly, I took off the condom and found a towel to clean up with. She watched me from the middle of my bed, my glasses still perched on the end of her nose.

I chuckled at her happy smile as I removed the glasses finally and put them carefully on the bedside table. Crawling into bed with her, I wrapped my arms around her so I could hold her tightly to me.

We fell asleep for the first time in each other’s arms.

It wasn't morning when I woke up. It was early afternoon, the light pushing through the thick curtains of my bedroom. Bella was still asleep beside me, completely nude beside the best friend bracelet that she always wore. I still had mine on as well.

As much as I didn't want to move, I had to go to the bathroom. Putting on my sleep pants from the night before, I snuck out to go and hoped that I wouldn't see my sister. The house was extremely quiet, though.

When I got back to my room, I finally decided I needed to actually put on my glasses. Beside them on the desk was the die we had been rolling the night before and two more unused condoms.

The die was resting on ‘one.'

I smiled to myself as I walked over to my curtains so I could close them better. Glancing outside when I did, I realized my sister's old used bright yellow sports car wasn't in its regular spot. She must have gone out for the day and hadn't bothered to try to wake us. It was probably for the best.

“Mm,” I heard my girlfriend softly moan from the bed. “What time is it?”

“One something,” I answered. I came to stand beside the edge of the bed where she was laying.

“When are your parents getting home?”

“Tomorrow.” They had gone to Canada to do a little Christmas shopping and have a long weekend alone. I was so glad that they had. “We’re actually all alone right now.”

“Oh,” she said in surprise. Biting her lip, she reached over to the nightstand. Bella picked up the d20 and handed it to me. “Wanna try to get another twenty?”

Without hesitation, I threw the dice.

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5/21/2019

Giving In

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Giving In: A Twilight Fan Fiction

Warning: this story contains graphic sexual descriptions. Reader discretion is advised. Intended for a mature audience only. (18+)

Summary:

It's just a month away from the wedding and Bella and Edward are spending a quiet rainy evening in bed together, just enjoying each other's company. All she really wants is for him to give in... just a little.

It was raining outside, unsurprisingly. It was always raining in Forks. It tapped musically on the roof of the small white house. I found it delightful. Bella was pressed against my chest, her back to me, as she read Jane Eyre for class. She had undoubtedly read it before, but she enjoyed the story. I was just enjoying playing with her hair as she rested her soft, delicate body against mine.

I traced the seam of her sweater over her arm, then down her stomach to the hem. The fabric was soft to the touch, but her skin was softer. She was breathing slowly, but I could hear her heartbeat picking up. I wondered what part she was reading. Perhaps Jane and her Edward had found themselves in the garden, alone. Absently I began to play with the loops of her jeans, smoothing my finger over them.

“Edward,” she breathed my name.

“Yes?” I asked quietly, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Or, are you talking to the book?” I teased.

She put her paperback down and looked over her shoulder at me. Her pretty pink lips were smirking a little bit. Bella flushed suddenly, shaking her head as she looked away.

“What?” I asked innocently.

“Nothing,” she said quickly with an embarrassed laugh.

“Am I bothering you?”

“No,” Bella said slowly, her cheeks filling with blood as she turned even redder somehow. The scent filled my nose.

"Tell me what is on your mind," I said softly. She covered her eyes with one of her hands for a second before she lightly licked her lip, pushing her hair away from her forehead a little bit. Bella made a small humming sound because she didn't want to answer me. "Tell me," I said more firmly.

She rolled over so that she was facing me and ran one of her hands over my cheek lightly. Bella had such a delicate touch. Carefully she lifted her face and pressed her lips to mine. We held it for several long pleasant minutes, our kiss slow and gentle.

“You know, as distracting as your lips are, I’m not going to forget what I asked you,” I teased her when she pulled away. Bella smiled in return, one of her fingers tracing over my lips. I kissed it lightly.

“I was thinking about your fingers,” she whispered to me finally.

“What about them?”

“Edward,” she flushed as she said my name. Even her nose was pink as she bit into her bottom lip. She kissed me again, her fingers in my hair.

“Tell me,” I said against her lips. She was smiling a little bit. We both were. “What were you thinking about my fingers?”

“You were playing with my pants, Edward. You can’t be so naive to not know what I was thinking about,” she said back, her big innocent brown eyes looking up at me. Bella blinked at me as I slowly took in her words.

Oh.

Oh…

"I'm sorry," I mumbled in embarrassment. If I were a human, I would have blushed.

“Why?” She asked me curiously, a small smile playing at her lips still. “Aren’t we engaged?” She asked as she kissed along my chin lightly. “I want you to touch me.”

“I shouldn’t,” I said, closing my eyes as I enjoyed her attention.

“Don’t you want to?” She asked me in a little pout.

"Bella…" I trailed off. She began to roll away angrily, but I grabbed her by the hips to hold her in place. "Of course, I do."

“Then touch me,” she demanded.

“I am,” I whispered before I kissed her softly on her lips. She sighed against them in disappointment. “I can’t do that.”

“Why not?” Bella pouted again. I felt her hands scratch up my chest, digging her nails in purposely.

"I want to be a gentleman, and I don't want to hurt you. Our wedding is only a month or so away and-"

"Yes, our wedding is only a month away, and we haven't done… anything. I'm not saying we should go all the way right this second. It would just be nice to know that you want me, maybe at least a little bit."

My mind stuttered for a second as I took what she said in. I wanted her so badly. I wanted every part of her. Even her blood. I wanted her so badly I could easily kill her with my desires.

I pulled her tightly to my body, smashing my lips to hers. She moaned loudly, her fingers going into my hair to hold me to her. Her leg hitched over mine, and I slid my fingers over her thigh until it grazed her ass for just a second. Bella gasped into my mouth, and her hips pressed towards mine.

“Beautiful woman.” I kissed down her chin to her ear. “Sexy woman.” I kissed down her neck. I laid my cheek against her beating heart. “Of course, I want you. I want you more than is humanly possible.”

“Good thing you’re a vampire,” she said dryly before smiling playfully. “I can’t wait until I’m like you so we can be together.”

“I wish you wouldn’t say such things. That’s not a good reason to want to be changed.”

“Maybe if you touched me I wouldn't be in such a rush,” Bella mumbled. I looked up at her wicked expression. I rubbed my tongue over my teeth as I considered what to say to that.

“And where exactly would you have me touch you? Because I’m touching you now,” I said as I kissed her skin just beside the collar of her sweater. “How would you have me touch you, my sweet innocent bride?”

“Use your imagination,” Bella replied a bit breathlessly as she closed her eyes.

"Oh, I use it often, but I want to know what you want," I told her, not going to give into her easily. If Bella wanted to be bold, she would have to use the words.

She brought her hand to mine and slowly slid it up her chest. I stopped right below her breast. I could tell she wasn’t wearing a bra and I could see her hard nipple through the fabric of her white thin white sweater. She wasn’t deterred though, her hand resting on mine as she pressed her soft lips to mine. Slowly she laid back on the mattress, me laying beside her on my side.

“I want my husband to touch me here.” She touched her breast, squeezing it gently. I sucked in a deep breath of surprise.

"That's mean," I told her plainly, making her giggle a little bit. I laughed once too, looking away. I would have been very red in the face as a human.

“Here.” I slid my hand up slowly over hers. She squeezed again under my fingers, her eyes looking straight into mine.

“Yeah. To start with,” Bella grinned. “Though right now you’re just touching my hand.”

“I suppose that’s true,” I replied. I lifted her hand and brought it up to my lips. Gently I kissed her knuckles. Bella sighed in frustration. Giving in, I rested my hand on top of her breast over the thin fabric of her sweater. Her hard nipple brushed against my palm. “Here,” I repeated again. She nodded her head quickly.

Bella brought her hand on top of mine as she lifted up to kiss me again. It was slow and sweet, her breathing getting harder as time passed. I let her mold my fingers how she wanted them around her.

She whined when I pulled away from our kiss, sliding my hand back to her stomach. Bella let out a little frustrated laugh and rubbed her forehead as she closed her eyes.

“That’s not helping,” she said with a slight sigh and a giggle.

“Did you think it would?” I laughed, brushing her hair out of her eyes and kissing down her nose to her lips. She was looking up at me adoringly, her fingers rubbing through my hair over the back of my neck.

“God! Aren’t you horny at all?” She blurted out loudly. Bella’s hand flew up to her mouth in embarrassment. We both laughed, looking away from each other.

I sighed and laid my head on her beating heart, listening to it for a moment with my hand still resting just below her breast.

"Of course I am, Isabella," I breathed. "How could I not be?" I lightly kissed the center of her chest, slowly kissing downwards over her shirt. Placing kisses between her breasts and down her stomach, I breathed her in. When I kissed just at the button of her jeans, the smell of her arousal between her legs filled my nose.

I quickly sat back on my knees, taking a deep calming breath.

“You’re not helping,” she repeated, red-faced and beautiful. She bit her bottom lip and swallowed as we looked at each other. Bella pleaded with me with her eyes.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do what you want tonight.”

Bella pouted prettily, sighing again and looking up at the ceiling. “Dammit.”

“Sorry.” I rubbed her knee apologetically. “Trust me. I’d love to.”

“Then do it,” Bella complained teasingly, running her own hand over her stomach and over her blue jeans. Her hand dipped below the button and just above the center of her thighs. She was purposely teasing me. I groaned. “What are you complaining about? I’m the one who is going to have to take matters into her own hands.”

I groaned again, laughing once as I looked up towards the ceiling. I suppose she had earned the right to mess with me if she wished. Admittedly, I didn’t hate it.

"I suppose I can't stop you from doing that," I finally replied back, trying to hide my smirk from her. Bella knew she was getting to me, and she was enjoying it.

"No. I don't suppose you can," she said wickedly, and I saw the idea pop into her mind. Bella brought her fingers back up her stomach to the button and popped it open quickly before pushing her hand down her jeans a few inches. My mouth opened a little bit in surprise, and she mimicked me a bit sarcastically. Slowly she inched her fingers lower, her tongue sticking out a little bit between her teeth as she grinned up at me temptingly.

“Bella,” I said softly as I watched her. I knew her fingers had to be just at where the hair between her legs was.

“Edward,” she said teasingly. I loved her mischievous expression.

She bit her lip just as her fingers inched even lower, almost there. I grabbed her arm before she could go any further. Instead of being deterred, she lifted her hips and met her fingers the rest of the way. We both gasped, her in pleasure and me in surprise, and I let go.

She began to play with herself slowly, our eyes watching one another's. Bella smiled slowly, and I returned it, unable to do anything but take in the sight of my future wife.

“Edward,” she moaned my name softly, tilting her head back as she pleasured herself. “I want you to touch me.”

Slowly I laid down beside her and brought my hand to her stomach again, letting my fingers slide over her shirt. I brought my lips to her jaw and lightly began to kiss her there. She turned her face towards mine and began to kiss wherever her lips could reach. When my hand wasn't moving fast enough for her, she pushed it up back to her breast. I allowed her to, letting her squeeze just as she wanted me to.

It was, without a doubt, the most sensual thing I had ever witnessed in person. The gorgeous woman who was going to be my wife for all eternity was pleasuring herself in front of me because she was unable to control her urges. I truly didn’t want her to control those desires.

I allowed my thumb to graze over her hardened nipple and Bella moaned against my cheek. She tilted her head back, her eyes fluttering shut. I realized she was about to orgasm underneath me, her body flushed, and the scent of her arousal incredibly strong. I kissed the thrumming vein in her neck, the one that could fill my mouth with her delicious blood, and let my thumb move over her nipple again. I swirled the pad over it for a moment. Her heartbeat nearly doubled.

She stiffened underneath me, her face pushed into my neck. Bella's mouth opened, but nothing came out as she reached her climax with her own fingers. I moved my hand away from her breast and up to her neck so that I could pull her into a kiss. Though she had stopped, Bella had not moved her hand from her panties. We kissed for several minutes.

Then I heard Charlie's thoughts below us. It was getting late, and he had been drifting off to sleep while watching ESPN. He decided to come to say goodnight to Bella because he didn't remember me leaving. He was in the slow process of pushing himself off of the couch.

“Your father is about to come to say goodnight. I need to leave,” I warned her in a whisper.

“No,” she complained, kissing my cheek sleepily.

“Soon. I promise,” I whispered softly before kissing her deliciously plush lips once more. “Get some sleep. I love you.”

I shoved myself out her bedroom window just as his foot hit the first step. I heard Bella groan as she threw the comforter over her body. Pushing myself against the tree in the wet darkness, I took several deep calming breaths. After I heard her father say his goodnights, I ran back towards my own home.

When I got back to the house, Jasper and Emmett were watching some gory Japanese movie, something both of their wives were not interested in, in the living room. They both took up a couch each, stretched out lazily across them. I wasn't interested in the movie either or their company. I needed a shower and fresh clothes.

“Well, hello there sailor,” Jasper called loudly from the living room as I tried to just go up to my own room silently. I stopped at the bottom step, turning in the direction of the blaring television. Someone was having fun with Bella, he thought at me very loudly. Didn’t get to finish?

“Shut your face,” I growled at him.

"See, that kind of language is how you can tell he's been hanging out with teenagers," Jasper teased me again, looking over at Emmett and pointing at him with the remote as he spoke. He was finding the whole thing amusing. He could feel my frustration and desire wafting off of me in thick waves.

"Oh, has someone been with Bella?" Emmett joined in, throwing up a dirty image in his head for me to see. It's what he imagined we looked like mid-coitus, and it wasn't flattering to me, to say the least. I looked like the inexperienced teenager I actually was.

"I have to deal with your vile thoughts all the time, and I don't say anything to you," I began to complain, but they were both laughing. There was no point in continuing. It was too easy for them. I was always the butt of their jokes.

“You are like three seconds from humping air,” Jasper retorted. Emmett laughed louder. The image came to his mind, his laughter echoing even there. I wanted to rip his head from his shoulders and punt it like a football off a cliff. Jasper snorted at my new anger.

I simply turned on my heels, walking back out of the house. I could hear their laughter until I got into my car, turning it on and turning up the radio loudly to drown them out. Slowly I began to laugh too, resting my forehead against the steering wheel in frustration. Taking in a deep breath through my nose, I closed my eyes.

It was going to be a long month.

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