 Episode Twenty-nine: UniqueIt was well after sunrise by the time I checked into my very expensive suite in the middle of Manhattan. I arranged it to be filled with flowers, wanting to make an impression on Bella. It was just after ten, and I knew that she was probably at her practice still. So, I decided to get her a little gift from the store across the street from the hotel. It was an antique jewelry store, the whole place stuffed from floor to ceiling with cases and cases stocked with dazzling pieces. “Hello, hello,” an older man called to me from behind one counter. He dusted his hands off after putting his bagel down, taking a quick sip of his coffee. “How may I help you, young man?” “I’m looking to get a gift for someone.” “Oh,” he drew out, nodding his head. “A female someone?” I glanced up at him for a moment. “Um… Yes,” I nodded my head, looking at my overwhelming choices. “Wife, girlfriend, mother, or sister?” He asked next. “Girlfriend,” I replied, stopping at the earrings. I knew that she liked pretty colored stones. Bella had left a pair of purple ones in the bathroom. “So, a girlfriend but not looking for a ring?” He waved his hand at the case beside me. I kind of chuckled. “Eh, though I may be ready for that, she’s not. But it’s only been a month.” “When you know, you know,” he remarked, but then he nodded. “But maybe something else then. Are her ears pierced?” “Yes. She’s got three in each ear.” “Well, you should get her three pairs then!” He joked. “So, what kind of girl is she? Is she a classic, or maybe a more modern woman? What’s her style?” I didn’t even have to think about it for a second. A smile came to my lips. “Unique. She’s an extraordinary woman. And modern.” “Oh, unique! Let’s see what I have for that.” He looked around for a moment before pulling out a pair of large square cut lime green stones. “These are a carat each. They’re peridot. They’re a unique gem because they only come in one color, unlike say diamonds or emeralds, which can come in a variety of shades.” I didn’t realize emeralds were any other color but green. Biting my lip, I looked over the earrings that he handed me. They were very pretty and were not unlike the ones she had left behind, simply bigger and probably much more expensive. “You know what? Yeah, I like them.” I nodded my head swiftly, smiling at him. “I’ll take them.” “Perfect! Let me ring you up!” He said excitedly, happy to make a sale so quickly. As he went to register, I began to look at the next case. It was the one with all the engagement rings. Most of them were quite similar, boring even. None of them said Bella to me when I tried to imagine putting them on her finger. I walked past it to the next one. These were more fashionable and colorful. Some were very obviously antiques. Then one made me stop. The inside was a perfect round diamond, at least two carats, maybe bigger. Wrapped around the edges were dark green emeralds, the border perfectly smooth and rounded as well. The setting was raised and twisted in leafy vines, the band a silver color. The man came back with my bag and credit card, smiling to himself as he saw me looking at the ring. He brought it out without having to be asked. “This is a very unique piece. It’s four carats in total, the diamond is two and a half, and the rest are the emeralds. It’s from the Edwardian period.” I sort of chuckled to myself. He gave me a curious look, and I shook my head. “My name is Edward. When I imagine myself proposing, I just can’t with one of those,” I admitted as I pointed my hand to the case beside us. “Now, something like this… Well, I can see this on her hand.” “Well, you said you were ready!” He encouraged, trying to make another sale. “It’s always good to be prepared.” “I think that if I proposed now, she would run for the hills,” I quipped, but it was probably true. “She would probably think that I’m nuts since I haven’t even told her that I love her yet. She’s not ready. But it’s nice to dream.” Since I had Bella’s address, I decided to head towards her place. I would wait all day if I needed to, just to see her. In the back seat of the car, I was practically jumping in place. When I got out in front of her building, I smiled when I recognized some of it from Bella’s pictures. She had so many from around her home. She was very proud of where she lived. Leaning against the solid brick wall, I took a deep breath and brought out my phone. My hand was actually shaking a little, but that might have been because it was incredibly fucking cold. So cold, in fact, my testicles were starting to painfully crawl into my body. It only rang a couple of times. “You're up early,” my girl started rather cheerfully as a way of greeting. I could hear her moving around in the background. “Not too early.” “You must have slept well,” she replied sweetly. Alice’s cat meowed. She was at home. I fist-pumped in excitement silently. It was working out perfectly. I kept my voice even. “I did indeed. So, what are you up to?” “I'm going to go to a lunch meeting for CFA in a bit.” “Oh, can I come?” I hopefully asked. Bella softly giggled. “Sure. They'd love to meet you. But you better hurry, I'm walking out the door right now. We're having Brazilian.” “That sounds great. I'm starving. Wait for me. I'll be there in a second,” I joked as I went to stand behind the front entryway. “Alright, I'll wait for you by the front door. I've got to order a car anyway. It's too cold to wait for the subway. Fucking climate change,” she mumbled under her breath. “Here, let me call you back in a second, so I can do that.” “Okay.” Now, I assumed that she would walk right outside to wait for her car, and I could surprise her then. But Bella was smart and waited inside. I could just make her out as she walked into the lobby, standing to one side of the door by a window on the opposite side of me. She couldn’t see me. Then I saw her bring her phone up to look at it and go to the door. She took a step onto the stoop, pausing to look out onto the street for her car. Bella looked stunning, even in her heavy coat. “You are right. It is too cold.” Turning, her eyes got wider with shock before she shrieked loudly. Then my girlfriend threw herself at me from the steps, wrapping both her arms and legs around me in the process. Quickly, I coiled my arms around her in support, her lips going to mine right away. “Hey, you called for an Uber?” A man in a newer car called to us, interrupting the moment. “I’m George.” Slowly, Bella slid down to her feet, her eyes looking up at me in almost wonder. I realized that she hadn’t heard him. She was too focused on me. “Yes, we are,” I replied with a smile. I ushered us to the back door to open it for her, my hand on Bella’s back. She got in, sliding in so that I could get in beside her. “You said the twenty-first!” She finally spoke again, the shock wearing off. She wasn’t unhappy, though. “I did. But... one of my meetings for Tuesday got canceled last night, so I decided to flake on what I needed to do today. It wasn't that important. That meeting was, but they rescheduled for next month. So, I decided to take a flight out last night last minute,” I explained to her quickly. “What time did you fly?” “Around ten last night. I got here around seven this morning. I went ahead and checked into my hotel, so I could get cleaned up. I didn't want to ambush you that early,” I chuckled. I felt literally giddy. “I wasn't at home anyway. I was probably already in Brooklyn. It's already been a long day for both of us. Longer for you. Oh, my God, I can't believe you're here,” she said she took both of my hands into hers and smiled. The look of wonder was still on her face, just for me. Then I realized something. “Oh, wait.” I took the box from my pocket and presented it to her. “I brought you a gift.” “Now, you really didn't need to do that.” Bella bit her lip and slowly took it from me. Then she opened it, her mouth opening up just a bit in surprise. She didn’t say anything, and it made me anxious, so I began to babble. “I'm told these are peridots and that they are an interesting gem because they only come in one color. Did you know there were green sapphires and diamonds?” I had googled it on the ride to Bella’s place from the jeweler. She nodded her head. “Sapphires and diamonds come in a bunch of colors. When I was a kid, we went digging for diamonds in Arkansas. They find brown diamonds there a lot,” she explained as she put in her new earrings right away. “I love them. Thank you.” “You're welcome. You can dig for diamonds?” I blurted out. “Yup, and it's fun because you play in the mud, then you can go to the water park afterward. They till up the soil every once in a while, and someone finds a karat or two. It's just a big mud field around the Ozarks,” she informed me, her words starting to jumble together because of her excitement. I couldn’t help but smile. “Really? That does sound like fun,” I replied as I brought her knuckles up to my mouth to lightly kiss. “You look so beautiful. I'm so happy. Is it really okay if I come along, though? I understand if not.” Her smile was huge. “Um, yes! Absolutely. There will probably be another spouse or two there. Probably a kid, too. You just have to buy your own dinner.” “Hm, I think I can handle that,” I returned. She thought of me as her spouse. I was her partner. It made my heart thump hard in my chest. As we walked into the restaurant, Bella held my arm with her whole body pressed against mine. There were a few people already there at the big table. One of them was a woman only a couple of inches taller than Bella with very long black hair and perfect brown skin. Her teeth were extra shiny white as she smiled, contrasting brightly against her dark lipstick. She was holding a very tiny pale white baby. “Hi!” Bella greeted excitedly. “Nicole, he’s beautiful!” She said to the woman who was sitting across the table. There were deep purple circles under her eyes, and she had her chin in her palm. “Thank you,” she murmured tiredly, smiling. “Who are you?” The woman with the baby asked bluntly in a thick Jamaican accent, looking me over. “Kebi Petrov, Eddie Cullen.” She waved between us. “And That’s Nicole.” The tired woman curled her fingers at me. “Oh, you’re her new man. We’ve been watching all of your videos for weeks at the office,” she stated with a laugh. “Instead of working?” Bella snorted as she sat down. She was very close to me, leaning into my side but facing her friends so that she could talk to them. “I can multitask,” she teased. My girlfriend leaned over to gaze at the baby and sort of sighed, a look of longing on her face. “He’s so perfect.” “I want to keep him,” her friend replied. “I think that Nicole might mind that,” she countered with a little smile. The woman holding the baby shrugged. “I’ll just kidnap him,” Kebi insisted very seriously. Bella rolled her eyes, then shook her head. “Okay. Who’s going to keep him while you’re working?” “I’ll hire a nanny,” she answered quickly. “Psh, when you could just let me watch him?” She responded, rubbing a finger over the baby’s stomach. “Oh, that’s probably cheaper,” the woman agreed with a smirk. “Bella!” Someone shouted from behind. There were a lot of greetings after that point. Everyone spoke warmly to my girl, hugging her as they laughed and smiled with her. Then they began to throw a million questions my way. I wasn’t nervous before, but they were making me that way. The excitement of the day had given me a confidence boost. I realized that I needed my mask and swiftly slipped it on so that I could answer anything that they wanted to know. Everything from how old I was, to my family, to my acting career. Everything was inquired about. Bella didn’t really seem to notice them, though. She was focused on playing with the baby while leaning back in my arms. “I know. Sorry, sorry, I'm late. I know. I'm... me. I don't have an excuse,” a woman with wildly curly black hair started as she hurried to the table. “Don't say you're sorry. Say, thank you for your patience,” Kebi insisted, patting the child’s back while gently bounced. My girlfriend sort of smirked as she rolled her eyes. “We lost all patience years ago.” “I know that's right,” she snorted back, fist-bumping her for the mild burn. Clearly, Alice was unamused, making a little face. “Some of us aren't anal assholes who have to be thirty minutes early to- Hey... You're new. I know you,” she said in surprise as she pointed at my face. I stood up from my chair so that I could properly greet her. She was Bella’s best friend, and I wanted to make a good impression on her. She had beautiful, very shiny, curly black hair that just went past her jaw. “Your hair is so lovely!” “Oh, thank you!” She giggled, blushing a little as she looked up at me. “A couple of my sisters have black hair right now. They get theirs from a bottle, though. Of course, they’re still lovely,” I rambled nervously with a small laugh as I sat back down. It was one of those places where the meat came to the table, but there was a big salad bar where you had to make your own plate. Everyone at the table was eager to get their food, except for Bella and Kebi. “I'll hold the baby while you go get your food,” my girl charmingly began in a sugary voice, holding her hands out a little. “No, I don't mind. You can go.” She pursed her lips and then narrowed her eyes, the sugariness going away as she bluntly stated, “I'll give him back.” Kebi made her own face. “No, you won't.” “I will. He'll start crying at some point,” she joked. They stared at each other for a long time before the woman gave in and handed her the baby. My girlfriend smiled in triumph, bringing him to her body to cuddle. “I want him back,” she pointed at Bella before standing up to get food. I knew the look on her face as she peered down at him. Every one of my sisters had it at one point. Usually, while holding one of my sweet, brand-new nieces. It was so adorable, her expression full of gentleness. Suddenly, I wanted that baby to be ours. I thought back to the ring at the jewelry shop earlier. But if it was too soon to tell her that I loved her, it was way too early to even think about bringing up the idea of babies. I pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. “I'll go get us something to share.” She grinned, her forehead pressing against mine. “Thank you.”  Episode Twenty-eight: ImpromptuI crashed so hard the Saturday after my fight training wrapped up. My brain was half-melted, my stomach wrecked, my muscles aching, and my knees probably aged ten years from all the drops that I had to do. It was well past three in the afternoon when I woke up the first time. I had a couple of messages waiting for me. One was from my sisters with my nieces, all waving hello and blowing me kisses in a video. I loved it. The next was a picture from Jasper, his hair wet from surfing. I could see the beach and the waves behind him. It said, “wish you were here, darling.” Smirking to myself, I replied, “me too.” The last was a message from Tyler. “Hey, boss! Long-time, no see! We’re having an impromptu get together tonight. Figured you might need some home-cooked food and company. Let me know if you’re interested.” I only had to think about it for a moment. “Yeah, I’d love to. Should I bring anything?” “Nah, just yourself. It’s going to be around seven at my place.” “See you then.” I considered getting up and doing things, but I was too exhausted to even think. I set my alarm on my phone and just went back to sleep. When I woke up again, It was dark outside. I looked at my phone, and it was just past six in the evening. I cursed loudly, looking at the alarm that I thought I had set. It was for the AM and not the PM. It was an hour after I wanted to get up. “Fuck!” I complained. I hated being late. Quickly, I threw myself in the shower before getting dressed. I wanted to at least pick up some beer for the get-together. The nearest store had a good bakery as well, so I picked up a case and two different desserts. One was vegan for Lauren, and the other was regular chocolate for the rest of us. As I was standing in line, I realized that I hadn’t spoken to Bella yet. She had sent me a message late in the afternoon saying that she had missed talking to me. It made my heart swell with happiness. She couldn’t know how much I missed her. “I am counting down the seconds until I can see you again.” “I want to hear your voice,” she answered just as I was climbing into the car. I dialed her number so that I could talk to her on the drive there. “Hi,” she spoke in a sexy little breath, her southern accent evident even in the short word. “Hello, gorgeous.” “So, how many seconds?” Bella puckishly asked, a little giggle in her soft voice. I hummed for a moment. “I'm not sure, I'd have to look on my phone. It's on a countdown clock. I got an app,” I replied honestly. I looked at it way too often, especially as time marched closer. “I half expected you to spit out a random number.” “You really think I'm joking? I assure you I’m not. So, what have you been up to today, my love?” I wanted to know everything that I missed. She hummed for a minute before answering. “Gym. Practice. Shopping on Fifth Avenue. Had lunch in Times Square. Watched a tourist get in a fight with a person in a Hello Kitty costume. You know, your average day in New York. Oh, I got your birthday gift. It was a productive day, at least.” “Hello Kitty? Really?” I laughed at the very image of it. I didn’t doubt that it was the truth. New York seemed to be a strange place. “I don't want to know. Anyway, you don't have to get me anything. You're my present.” Bella actually scoffed. “Oh, okay. Well, I'll just return this big bag of Victoria's Secret sitting beside me. Such a shame.” I was such a dumbass. I walked right into that. “Let's not be too hasty now. I'm talking out of my ass. Give me presents!” She laughed very lightly. “Oh, no. Too late.” My girl was having fun screwing with me. She was a little wicked. I nodded to myself at a stoplight, looking up towards the sky. “No. Okay. It's fine. You look best in nothing at all, so that's fine,” I repeated the word with a pout. “Are you sure about that?” I could hear the challenge in her voluptuous voice. “I've got something that might make you question that. I was going to take pictures for you while wearing it, but I guess I won't now. Since, you know, no presents.” “Damn, you are so mean.” “Aw, am I?” I wanted those photos so fucking badly. My cock twitched in agreement. “I should not get hard at the mere suggestion of dirty pictures of you. Not even that dirty. Just modeling underwear,” I half complained to myself and my growing erection that was practically laughing at me. She hummed again. The sound was drawn out and flirtatious. “I've got to give you something fun to think about when I'm not there.” Bella was so smooth and in control, and I felt like a babbling twat. “Oh, you've given me plenty to think about. You know what frustrates me the most? You're too cool for that. I don't think I could get the same reaction out of you. I'm a horny idiot, and you're just... unmoved.” “Please,” she actually laughed. “I literally jumped you because I couldn't take it anymore. Or have you forgotten that already?” Oh, she had, hadn’t she? I smiled slightly to myself. “I might need some reminding. Perhaps jump me again next time you see me, yeah?” “I mean... obviously, I was planning on doing that already in my Victoria not-at-all Secrets, but you said no presents,” she spoke in the driest, funniest voice. I liked our playfulness. “Give. ME. Some fucking gifts, woman,” I reiterated jokingly as if I was angry, hissing the words through my teeth. Bella giggled sweetly. “Ask nicely.” I wanted to ask nicely, alright, but I pulled up to Tyler’s house. There were several cars already there, but I was only like five minutes late somehow. “Dammit. I want to be the pervert that I am and give you the proper begging you deserve, but I have to leave my car in a second and go in public. So, I'm going to say pretty please very quickly. Yes, I will beg. I know you were joking about pictures, but I will get on my knees. On my knees, Isabella. Just to see you in whatever you have in that damn pink bag,” I concluded as smoothly as I could manage despite wanting to whine like a child. “Okay. If you beg extra hard on your knees, I might let you take the pictures,” she answered seductively. “Extra, extra hard.” Now I was extra, extra hard. “Okay. Fuck. Dammit. That... Please. Yes. My darling,” I whimpered pathetically. Another one of Tyler’s friends pulled in beside me and was fetching things from the boot of their car. I realized that it was Andy, his brother. “I have to go. I'm going to Tyler's for dinner.” “Tell him and Lauren hello for me. And Seth, whenever you see him next,” Bella replied quietly, I could feel her sorrow, and it matched my own. I ached for her. “I will. I'll talk to you tomorrow, darling,” I swore. I would probably talk to her again that night if it wasn’t too late when I was done with dinner. Though, I didn’t want her to stay up for me. I knew that she had practice in the morning. “Have fun.” “I will,” I answered, biting my lip. “Goodnight, love.” “Goodnight.” I sighed as I leaned my head back against the seat. My phone buzzed, and it was another picture of Jasper. Smiling to myself, I decided to talk to him later as I got out of the car. Just as I was pulling the dessert from the backseat, my mobile began to ring. I was from a number that I didn’t know. “Hello?” “Hello, my name is Amber, and I’m calling on behalf of Mr. Howard at the Disney offices,” the young woman started at the end of the line. “I’m trying to reach Mr. Cullen.” “Oh, yes! How may I help you?” “Mr. Howard won’t be able to attend your meeting this week. He would like to reschedule it for next month. He apologizes for the inconvenience, a personal family emergency has come up.” My mind instantly began to whirl with possibilities. That meeting was something that I couldn’t skip out on. Otherwise, I would have come to New York the night before, right after training finished. I had some shooting planned for the next couple of days, but it was nothing that I couldn’t put off to another day. There was a possibility that I could be in New York by the following evening. “Not a problem at all!” I indicated far too excitedly. “That- that works out, actually. I can leave a bit earlier and do some traveling that I had planned. I can fly out sooner.” “Fantastic. I’ll talk to your manager to arrange a better time. I tried to contact her first, but it went straight to voicemail. Mr. Howard said that it was important and wanted me to get a hold of you as soon as possible. Will you need to rearrange your use of the personal jets?” I paused, confused by her words. “Excuse me?” “Disney’s has airplanes for their top creators to use. It’s part of your contract. You said that you were traveling. Will you need help rearranging your travel plans?” “Oh… I didn’t know that you could do that.” I was stunned. For a moment, I tried to remember that lovely little detail, but I couldn’t. “And how could I arrange that?” “I can do that for you, sir. If you like. I do it for Mr. Howard all the time. Hopefully, this will make up for any trouble canceling might have caused,” she responded pleasantly. “Hh-how fast could you arrange that?” I asked in a very high-pitched excited stutter. I cleared my throat. “I’d like to be able to leave as soon as possible.” There was only a brief pause. “I’d have to make some calls. Can I call you back at this number?” Amber helpfully inquired. “Sure!” I beamed. “Yeah. That’s- yeah! Thanks!” I could barely speak. “Oh, you’re welcome! I’ll call you back.” When she hung up. I was a little too shocked to move for a second, a smile growing on my face. When I finally got to the front door, Tyler and Andy were waiting for me. They were looking at me curiously. “So, hey!” I grinned widely. I gave Andy the beer and Tyler the desserts. “How would you like to have a few extra days off for Thanksgiving?” “I’m always for less work. What’s up?” He pondered as he looked at the two cakes. “Disney canceled on me.” I followed him inside, practically dancing in place. “And apparently they have a jet that I can use. Mr. Howard’s secretary is going to arrange something for me. She’s going to call me back with details. Lauren!” I barked way too cheerfully as I came into the kitchen. “Eddie! You’re in a good mood!” She replied as she hugged me. She was a little thing like Bella and had to bend her head back to look at me as she patted my stomach gently. I nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I am. I’m giving your old man a few extra days off and blowing this Popsicle stand early.” Gently, I squeezed her shoulder. “I brought you a vegan coconut cake thing that looks pretty alright.” “Thank you!” She patted my stomach again before going back to the stove. “So, when are you leaving?” “I-” My phone began to ring again. It was the same number as before. I quickly brought it to my ear. “Hello?” “Hi, Mr. Cullen! It’s Amber again. I wanted to let you know that the soonest possible time is ten tonight. Is that okay?” “Are you fucking serious!?” I shouted too loudly. I turned away from the crowd in the kitchen, which was all quietly staring at me. “Yeah! Um, wow! Yes! That’s perfect. Ten is great.” “Oh, good. The hanger is at LAX. I will text you your gate directions and flight information. Is that alright? Would you like me to email it to you as well?” “Yes, both would be perfect.” I was virtually vibrating. “Thank you so much for your help, Amber.” “You’re very welcome, sir. Enjoy your trip, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!” “To you as well!” I insisted before I hung up. Then I looked between Tyler and Lauren. “I am so sorry, but I’ve got to bounce early. Um, please enjoy the beer and desserts. Everything smells delicious, I’m sorry that I’m missing it.” “Oh, shut up and go see Bella,” Lauren laughed before she came over and gave me a little kiss on the cheek after jouncing up on her toes. “You are so cute right now! Have fun! Have a good birthday and a happy holiday.” “Thank you so much. You too!” “Hey! Wait! We’ve got a birthday gift for you,” Tyler exclaimed before I could leave, running off to his bedroom real quick. “You can take it with you.” He brought me a small bag. I peeked inside and laughed at what I saw. It was a whole host of cannabis oil pens. They were all different strains. There were probably ten of them. “Dude! Wow! It’s so many.” “Your joints haven’t been doing it for you lately, so I thought that maybe you could step it a bit. It might help you sleep if anything else. It’s a variety, so you can see what you like best.” “That’s,” I chuckled, “so thoughtful. Thanks. This is great. I’ll take it with me. I haven’t tried anything like these yet.” My friend threw his hand up as if to warn me. “Go slow,” he advised. “Right,” I nodded, heading for the door. “So, I’ll see you in December. Wait, shit… Can you cancel the shoots for me?” He nodded, giving me a thumbs up. “I got it. I’ll call Seth too and let him know. He’s at his parent’s tonight.” “Great! Thanks! Okay… Um, Have a nice vacation!” I called as I hurried to my car. Tyler was smirking as he waved to me. Lauren was standing behind him in the doorway, smiling. “You too, boss!” I drove like a madman back to my house. Thankfully, I already had my bags packed because I was an anxious asshole who over-planned everything. I threw them into the foyer to wait for my Uber. My phone dinged with the details not long after. She also sent me the information for when I wanted to set up to use the planes again. In less than two hours, I was heading towards the airport. There was a finely dressed host waiting for me, almost looking bored. I was literally giddy. “Mr. Cullen, we’ll take your bags. Your jet is just this way if you will follow me,” he explained as we stood in front of the large hanger. The door was already open with a couple of personal planes, buffed to a shine, just waiting to be used. We were in the air precisely at ten and heading towards New York City. When we were an hour into the flight, I called Jasper. “Hello, lovey!” I exclaimed like a fool. It was too loud, too bright. “Oh, what stupid thing are you about to do?” He jokingly asked. My best friend knew me too well. “So, guess where I am?” He scoffed at how I answered him. I could almost see him shaking his head as he smirked to himself. “Not a fucking clue, darling. Want to give me a hint?” “I’m around thirty thousand feet in the air right now,” I began before taking a sip of fine bourbon that was brought to me in a crystal glass with perfectly clear ice cubes by one of the very young and pretty flight attendants. “Are you seriously flying to New York?” “Yup! My schedule opened up, and I was able to leave earlier. The best part, though, I am on one of Disney’s personal jets, flying for free, because I am one of their top creators.” I buffed my nails on my jacket like an idiot. No one was even there to see me. I was literally showing off for myself. “I’m going to surprise Bella.” There was a slight pause. “Are you sure that’s a good idea, Tony?” “Uh, flying first class on Mickey? Yeah,” I snorted. “No, idiot. Surprising Bella. Doesn’t she have a lot going on?” “I-” I stopped and realized that I hadn’t once thought if it was going to be a good idea just to show up early. It didn’t matter how much I got to see Bella, though. I just wanted to be in the same state as her again. And I knew without a doubt that she missed me as well. I thought about what my therapist said. She was a spontaneous person. Perhaps she would like a surprise? “Yeah. It is. It’s only a couple of days early. I just… I need to see her again. I need to kiss her. I think- I think she’s going to be happy about this.” “Yeah, I think that you’re right. Why wouldn’t she be?” He stated encouragingly. “That’s exciting, though! I’m surprised that you could do it that quickly.” “Me too,” I agreed with a laugh. “I had all my shit packed and ready to go. It was too big of a chance to pass up. Especially for free. It just fell into my lap.” I took a long sip of my drink, enjoying the tingling burn down the back of my throat. “Yeah, that is too good. I don’t blame you. So, you’re going to have your first proper American Thanksgiving with your American girl in the Big Apple. It sounds like a thrilling way to celebrate being a quarter of a century old.” “It sounds… Perfect. Just perfect. Everything is going to be perfect,” I repeated it like a prayer. I finished my bourbon quickly, raising my glass to show that I wanted another to the waiting attendant. She took it with a smile. “Thanks,” I mumbled when she handed it back to me. “It will be. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you nervous like that. I shouldn’t have said anything,” he apologized quickly then sighed. “Damn, sometimes I don’t think.” “No! No, you’re fine. Don’t worry, darling,” I answered lightly. “I should have thought of that, to be honest. You’re more considerate than I am. But I don’t think that I would have done anything any differently.” “No, probably not,” he chuckled. “She’ll be overjoyed to see you, Tony. I know that I would be. Alright, I need to go. I’ve got a date tonight.” “Oh, nice! Anyone that I know?” “Nah, it’s just going to be a shag anyway.” I clicked my tongue. “Oh, don’t judge me! Some of us aren’t gift-wrapped women and have them shipped to our front door!” I laughed. “I’m not judging you. I’m worried about you. I just want you to be happy.” “I am,” he assured me. That was a lie, and we both knew it. I leaned my head back, closing my eyes. I wanted to call him out on it, but it wasn’t the right time for it. “I’ll talk to you later. Let me know how it goes.” “Yeah. Of course. I’ll send you a million pics and videos probably.” “Good. I look forward to it. Kiss your girl hello for me. Bye, darling,” he said quickly before hanging up on me. I looked at the blank screen. It was just before midnight, and the flight would be another four hours, at least. Downing the next glass, I passed it to the waiting girl. “I’d like to get some sleep.” “There is a bed in the back. Or you can recline your seat, and we can dim the lights,” she answered. “Uh, I’ll go lay down in the bedroom,” I decided slowly. The surrealism of the situation was starting to hit me. It was not something that I would have imagined myself doing a year before. In a bed that was nicer than my own, I laid on top of the covers with my shoes kicked off. Somehow, even though I slept most of the day, I fell asleep within minutes.  Episode Twenty-seven: ClayI was always a person who suffered from bouts of depression and melancholy. After I had broken up with Vicky, I was an angry, sullen mess for two weeks. My last week in Sydney and my first week in Los Angeles to be exact, but I quickly found that I was much happier without her. I felt stupid for wasting my energy on being emotional over her when she moved on with someone else before the end of those two weeks was even up. But I had never experienced this sort of hollowness before. I was there, but only a shell of myself. There was no sleep for me, and I either wanted to eat everything or nothing at all. Not that I tasted anything that I shoveled into my mouth. If I wasn’t filming, recording, or editing, I was working out. Hours and hours at a time wasted in my gym on my treadmill or lifting weights in an effort to turn off my mind. All I wanted to do was sleep. All I did was make myself ache. And what little slumber that I got was filled with vivid dreams of Bella. Or Jasper. Some were sexual, most were not. I dreamed about them together again twice more, though. I was always watching them from some corner, her in my clothes. And then she would moan my name. The name that she had never called me before. “Hello Edward,” my therapist, Clay, said with a slight smile as I came into his office a week after she left. I was only coming once a month because I was so busy, but also because I didn’t really enjoy the process. Even though I knew that I needed it. “How are you doing today?” “Um,” I began with an awkward, sad laugh. “Kind of shite, actually.” “Oh, no! What’s going on?” He asked curiously, pointing to his couch. I sat across from him, kind of lounging in the corner. I anxiously looked at my hands, rubbing my thumb across my fingers as I considered how to talk about it. “So, uh… I had this photographer that was supposed to follow me around and stay at my place,” I began. “I remember that gave you quite a bit of anxiety. Did it go badly?” He questioned, obviously reading something from his notes. “No,” I laughed again before licking my dry bottom lip. “No. It… It went- Perfect. Absolutely perfectly. Um, as it turns out, though… this photographer is the love of my life, and she lives in New York City.” “Ah,” he remarked, opening his mouth and nodding his head as he took in what I said. It was a dramatic leap, I had to admit, from how I was feeling about it last time that I spoke to him. “Does she not return your feelings?” “Actually, we’re dating now. Though, I don’t know if hers are as strong as mine. But I realize that I am kind of an intense person.” He wrote something on his tablet before looking up at me with a face that I couldn’t read. “It’s okay to feel things strongly, but it’s also good that you’re aware of them. So, what’s the problem?” “She had to go back home, of course, and I now miss her like crazy. I literally fell instantly in love with her, and I’m not that kind of person, you know? I’m not spontaneous. Nothing is instant for me. I have to plan everything, and it takes me a long time to warm up to anyone.” “Well, it’s understandable to miss someone you love. So, tell me about her,” he encouraged warmly. “What’s her name?” “Actually, it’s just the most perfect name for her. Bella. Isabella,” I drew out with a fake Italian accent. “She is so beautiful, and she cooks awesome Italian food,” I laughed as I thought about it, smiling to myself. “Is she Italian?” I shrugged. “She has no idea what she is. She’s from Texas originally. Charming accent. Here,” I pulled out my phone so that I could show him a picture of her. I actually showed him a couple of them. A normal one from one of the shoots, a picture of us from Halloween, then finally the one I had for her contact picture. She was in my arms on the couch, gold lipstick absolutely smeared everywhere about our faces. I was kissing her temple, my eyes closed as she slid her fingers just behind my ear. Her cheeks were rounded with her cherub smile, her eyes big and bright so that you could see that they were differently colored. “She is adorable, and you look very happy with her,” he commented. I nodded, smiling to myself again as I considered my emotions and how I felt with her. “I am. Happier than I’ve ever been, actually. That’s why I feel like shit now. This girl… She’s literally perfect for me. It’s like I found this missing piece that I didn’t know that I had lost. She’s everything that I need. Bella is relaxed, easy-going, cheerful, strong-willed, brave, and so damn smart and funny. She’s even great in my videos!” “You filmed a YouTube video with her?” He blurted out in surprise. We talked about my fear when it came to trying to find new people for my channel. It was different from the other stuff. This was personal. This was my daily real life. My fun and joy. I just worked so well with my friend group in Sydney. I didn’t know how to open myself up like that again. It took years to build up those relationships. “Yeah, the second day that she was here. I filmed loads with her, too. I’ve been editing them since she’s left, and I’ve almost finished,” I concluded in a bit of a pout. I had already started putting mashups of Bella from the videos that I liked but couldn’t go into the final product together. Usually of her making me laugh, or the other way around. Also, there were a few jokes of hers that I had to cut that were fucking hilarious. My favorite super-cut was of her being sarcastic and mean. It included her telling me that I was a fancy bitch at the tattoo shop, calling me a lying liar who lies, her letting me know that my man card was in her purse, and finally advising Tyler to shut up like a Looney Tune character. “So, does she like being in them as well?” “Yeah, she really seems to. She’s great at it. Actually, she’s better than great. It’s like she was made to do it. She’s really talented in her own right, too. Bella is a photographer and a musician. I keep thinking of all these fun things that she could do for the channel if she was just here and wanted to, too. And we keep coming up with all these brilliant ideas together. She spits them out so fast that it’s hard to keep up sometimes. You should see how many pages of notes I have on it,” I babbled, and he let me, though that was why I paid him. “She’s my muse, and I want her back now,” I whined like a child. He smirked a little, tilting his head to the side as he considered his next question. “So, being in a relationship hasn’t hurt your creativity or productivity any as you feared it might.” “No,” I replied quietly. One of the things that I had complained about with Victoria was how she could kill any spark with a single sour word. I was afraid that would happen in any relationship that I formed. They would insult my fun, and I would hate myself for it, even if they were the actual problem. “The opposite, in fact. I suppose that’s just further proof of how unhealthy that relationship was. Everything is so different with Bella.” “How so?” “She’s generous with her time and her energy. Her patience. She helped her friend start a non-profit organization that helps bring culture to groups of people in New York who may have trouble otherwise. Disadvantaged youth, disabled adults. Vicky was so selfish and self-centered. Bella talks to people like she’s giving you all of her attention and gives you compassionate and intelligent answers. She’s gentle and soft. Vicky was so fucking spoiled. Bella’s so grateful for everything. She had a really fucking rough life, though. It- It hurts me how much she’s gone through.” Clay tapped his stylus pen on his tablet so that it made a slight clicking noise. “What has she gone through, if you can tell me, and how does it hurt you?” “Well… It hurts because I can see how she’s suffered, and I can’t take that pain away from her. She’s an orphan. Her mother died of a drug overdose with her in the vehicle! It put her in a coma for a week, the car crash that it caused. Her grandmother raised her until she dropped dead when she was fifteen. She told me that they made lunch together after church one Sunday afternoon, her grandma said that she was going to lay down and take a nap. Died in her sleep of a heart attack. No other family in the world. She doesn’t know who her father is. Then she was assaulted when she was seventeen, dragged off behind a dumpster and forced to defend herself with a knife, almost raped. Then her husband just dies, too. Young. He was only forty. He was older than her by bit over a decade, I believe, but still too young.” “And how old is she?” “She’s just turned thirty-three. Her husband died close to four years ago,” I over-explained as I scratched my jaw. He nodded again. “I see. She’s a little older than you.” I smiled a little. “Mm, just a bit. I don’t mind it. She doesn’t look or act like it.” “Like what? She doesn’t act or look like what?” “Oh, like, I don’t know. A judgy ass middle-aged ‘let me speak to your manager’ type, you know? She’s a real free spirit.” I shrugged a little and smirked. “She’s so much like my best mate, actually. I’m still dreaming about him, by the way. I keep dreaming about them together now. Sexually,” I murmured the last word. Clay nodded briefly in understanding. “Well, that doesn’t really surprise me. Your friend is such an important part of your life. Sex in dreams is often an indication of becoming closer with someone. Or your desire to be closer,” he typed something out as he spoke, then glanced back at me expectantly. “So, I want my best friend and my new girlfriend to be close?” I sort of asked it like a question. I nodded my head. “Yeah, that makes sense, actually. I keep thinking about how I just need the two of them here, and everything would be perfect. I think that if I had them here, I could keep up with the channel in a way that I like and still do my acting without losing my mind. I feel dirty when I have them, though.” He kind of chuckled. “We can’t control our dreams, Edward.” “Oh, I know.” I shrugged again. “I just wish that it was something else that they were doing together vigorously. Like… surfing. Dancing. Fucking bowling… anything else.” “Is there a reason that sex makes you so uncomfortable?” Just thinking about it made me blush a little. “Uh, well, sex was a no-go topic in my household growing up. My mother did not tolerate it at all. She said it was undignified, and if I had questions, that’s what a teacher or doctor was for, not parents. Which, in her case, I totally agree. I’d rather talk to my local serial killer about my sex life than my mother,” I stated, thinking back to the gory research that I was doing when I had the chance. It was interesting and terrible all at the same time. “My mother and father showed zero affection to one another growing up. My eldest sister says that they weren’t always like that, so I don’t know what changed. Bella’s very openly affectionate, and she allows me to be as well. Vicky didn’t.” “Showing affection is very important in a healthy relationship.” “I agree wholeheartedly. I can’t imagine not wanting to be that way with her constantly,” I admitted to him. “Even thirty or forty years in the future. I can’t conceive of a day when I’m not going to want to hold her hand and kiss her. Cuddle her close to me while we sleep. Fuck, I’m such a dramatic bitch,” I used Jasper’s term for it. It was too accurate. He put his hand up to stop me. “No, Edward. That is a very normal and healthy thing to feel, and Bella is fortunate to have someone that is excited about those things.” “Every time we talk, I keep wanting to shout that I love her. It’s too soon. We’ve only been together for a few weeks, and I think that she’s more delicate and timid than she lets on. I feel like I’m just bursting with it. I’m thinking about doing it when I see her again.” “When will that be?” I bit my lip for a moment. “Later this month. I’m going on a vacation to New York for my birthday.” “How long will you be together then?” He typed some more. I looked up at him worriedly. “Just a month. Is that too soon?” “I think that’s a very individualized answer. I would have to know Bella to give you one. Do you think that it’s too soon?” “It might be. I should probably wait to see how the trip goes before I vomit my feelings all over her. God, I already know that I’m going to blurt it out stupidly while all I want to do is plan and make it perfect for her. Everything about her life has been so unromantic. It would be nice to give her some little moments that maybe we can tell our grandkids about.” “Those moments aren’t usually planned,” Clay replied, writing something down and glancing back at me with a little smile. “You said that she was spontaneous. Perhaps she would prefer it if you blurted it out?” He questioned me curiously. “Maybe,” I smiled, knowing that she would surprise me no matter how I did it. “So, why don’t you tell me what else you have going on right now?” Taking a deep breath, I thought about my life. “Oh, I’m starting my training for a movie next week. I’ve been thinking about that a lot. I was kind of worried because I’ve never done anything like it before, but now I’m nervous because I’m not sleeping more than usual.” “Have you considered talking to your GP about sleep aids? Is the cannabis not helping?” “Oh, it helps. I’ll get to sleep. I just won’t stay asleep for very long. No. I don’t want to try sleeping pills yet. I don’t like how those make me feel. And I do weird shit sometimes, and I’m alone now. I don’t want to drown. Or walk into the street. Fall off a cliff,” I finished dramatically, making him chuckle. “Honestly, when my girlfriend was here, it was the best sleep that I’ve probably gotten in years. She said it was because of all our fucking.” He laughed loudly at my unexpected words. “She might not be wrong. Sex is actually great for that. So, let’s go back and talk about your anxiety over your training…” We spent the next thirty minutes talking about my work worries. It was usually how we spent the sessions. By the time I left his office, I felt exhausted. I stopped for a junk food dinner before going home to edit until dawn. The Sunday morning before the training for the movie began, I drank two doses of NyQuil Severe liquid. Then I darkened the room with blackout curtains, turned the air conditioner down to sixty, put on two fans, laid under a very expensive weighted blanket that was specially made for my giant self with classical music playing on my phone despite my earplugs and an eye mask. It still took at least two hours to fall asleep. When I did, I slept until Monday morning. I quickly learned that there was nothing to be anxious about the fight training. I had more than enough athletic ability to do whatever they wanted for the scenes. The training itself was actually fun, but it was arduous. I was working out two hours a day, at least, on top of my twelve hours of instruction. We had minimal time with the stunt choreographer, so we had to cram as much in there as possible. He liked me, and we worked well together. Every night, I crawled into bed, sore and dead tired. But before I went to sleep, Bella and I texted or spoke. It was the very best part of any day. She indulged my every message with a relatively quick answer, often sending her own at times when she knew that I was busy just so that I would have something waiting for me. She would send me her thoughts, pictures, funny memes, or songs that she liked at the moment. I especially loved her varied taste in music and started making a playlist of just the ones that she suggested. When she realized how much I enjoyed it, she didn’t hold back with our communication, and it was making me feel better. By the end of that week, I was finally feeling like a real human again. I was still sad, and I missed her, but I was getting better at controlling it. That and being rested helped a lot as well. Even though I wasn’t there, I tried to spoil my sweet girlfriend. She spoke of her love of one the local diner’s breakfast food and having it delivered. It was the crack of dawn, and I was in the back of the car being driven to training when I had a thought. “Hey Alice, this is Eddie. I would like to have some breakfast delivered for Bella, and you, of course, and I was hoping that you’d be able to help me out,” I texted her best friend over Facebook messenger. I didn’t have her real phone number yet. “Sure :D,” she answered right away. “How can I be of assistance?” “Bella was talking about these strawberry Nutella waffles that she really likes?” “Gotcha! Would you like me to set up the order so that you can just pay for it? I know what you’re talking about. I’ll order what she likes,” she typed very quickly. I smiled at her helpful best friend. I already liked her. “That would be perfect.” Less than a minute later, a link popped up to a food delivery website. It had two breakfast meals ordered, one strawberry Nutella waffle with whipped cream. Extra of everything with it on the side, country ham, a bowl of fruit, and some chocolate milk. And then a triple chocolate crepe, bacon, a large fruit smoothie, and a large iced coffee. Alice was going to take advantage of my offer, and I couldn’t blame her. It was still less than twenty-five dollars with the tip and everything, though. I was surprised that it was so cheap. Bella sent me pictures of them eating their massive spread on Alice’s bed in their sleep clothes. They were both were animal themed footie pajamas. It gave me so much joy. Patty, the cat, was begging for waffles in the background. It was just after nine when I was finally able to call her. It was the second to last day of training, and I was so ready for it to be over with. “Hey there, handsome,” her voice purred warmly over the receiver. “Hi,” I breathed out. Talking to her like this made me feel like a teenager again. I enjoyed the calls, wanting to learn everything about her. Perhaps Bella was right. That we needed to have some separation from our perfect bubble to figure out our feelings. It forced me to not focus on our fantastic sex lives, at least when I was talking to her. I had learned a hundred new and fascinating things about my interesting girl. Things that endured her to me even more and made my feelings deepen. The separation only solidified my adoration. “So, I was thinking about what I’d like to teach you to cook while you’re here,” she began almost teasingly. “I want to start you off easy with some Tex-Mex since you love tacos so much.” “They won’t be as good as yours,” I complained, but I was smiling. She laughed lightly. “I’ll be there helping. They’ll be fine. And if they’re terrible, we’ll just order some pizza. Oh! You know what would be impossible, but fun? The ranking of the top five New York-style pizzas.” “That sounds fucking delicious, but I think that I’d need to research before we attempted that.” “Probably so. Just narrowing down the top ten places would be hard. God, so much pizza. We’d need a big pitcher of beer to go with it,” she continued. “Mm, what kind of beer?” I just wanted to hear her keep talking. “With pizza? I like a cold sweet lager with lots of citrus. There is a strawberry pale-ale that I really like at this bougie place in Manhattan that Demetri adores. It’s draft, and they serve it with a slice of orange. It’s really good. It’s so easy to drink.” “I like listening to you describe things so much,” I sort of smirked to myself. “What kind of pizza would you like with this strawberry ale? Make me hungry, baby. I need to eat and go to bed, but I might be too tired to bother.” She giggled at my dumbness. “What kind would I like with that? Hm. I think that I’d like one of those big proper New York pizza-rat sort of slices.” I laughed loudly and abruptly at her unexpected answer, making her giggle again in return. “Probably pepperoni.” “Mm, yum. I’m so hungry now,” I said dryly. “I know, right?” Bella teased in a silly voice. “I’ve actually been cooking a lot to prepare for Thanksgiving. I’ve been eating constantly.” We spoke for thirty minutes just about all of the food that she was planning for the big day. My girlfriend was obviously excited. Then we talked about my training. Her practice. We ended up chatting until it was near midnight my time. She was practically falling asleep on the phone but was fighting it as hard as she could. In the dream that I had about her that night, we went on a lovely picnic and ate all her delicious food before we made love under a blue sky in a white flower-filled meadow in the mountains. We laid beside each other, holding hands after as we smiled. I told her that I loved her, though I couldn’t hear myself saying the words. She replied with, “I love you too, Tony.” This episode contains all new stuff, but it goes before Episode Twenty-five of Imperfect Pictures! Episode Twenty-six: UnhappyEven if I was tired and in a piss-poor mood, I had to go filming with Seth and Tyler. They arrived at the house right on time, like always. Tyler brought me a large iced coffee with caramel and handed it to me wordlessly. “Thanks,” I smiled, taking a small sip from the straw as I went to go get my keys. I passed them to Seth. “How are you doing, boss?” He asked softly. “Mm,” I hummed in the way of an answer. “Miserable, honestly. But I guess I’ll have to get over it.” “Bella is really awesome. She’s a good kid,” Tyler stated, grinning to himself as he nodded. “I like her. So does Lauren. I think that you two are really nice together,” he said awkwardly and then smiled at me. He wasn’t great at showing his real emotions. “I can understand why you’d be sad. At least it’s so much easier than it used to be to stay in touch. When we were teenagers, we still had dial-up. And you’ve got all the money in the world to up and visit whenever you have a chance,” he rambled. “You’re right,” I smirked a little. “I'm just dramatic. You know how I am. It’ll be fine. The coffee helps. Thanks.” “I don’t know, man. Bella might be the kind of woman to be a little dramatic over,” Seth chimed in. “But just a little.” “Yeah, I think that she likes just a little drama,” Tyler smirked, obviously thinking about the baby stuff still. He shook his head a little to himself. Lauren was going to win that so fast. I wouldn’t doubt that she was knocked up by the end of next year. “It felt wrong to watch her leave yesterday,” I admitted as we walked to the car in the garage. We were doing a food video first, but my stomach was mildly upset. I had eaten so much shit the evening before. I laid out across the entire backseat, wedged in one corner. “Well, when you find the one, it’s hard-” Tyler started. “Really?” His best friend laughed, looking over at him. He made a little face that I didn’t understand. “The one? I mean, I adore Bella, but he’s not in love with her already. Right?” There was a long silence. Seth turned around to look me in the face while the car was still turned off. I raised an eyebrow at him, challenging him to ask again. But then he huffed and pulled a twenty from his wallet before handing it to Tyler. “You two are assholes! Yeah, okay. Fine. I am in love with her. Jesus. I wondered how fucking obvious I was. And stop betting on it! Or at least be sneakier about it. It’s insulting for some reason,” I snapped as I pouted with my arms over my chest. “Were you seriously betting that I was already in love with her?” “It wasn’t really a wager, in my opinion. It was a sure thing.” Tyler folded the cash and put it in his pocket. “But yeah. It’s pretty obvious.” “Really? Like that? You’re in love with her? After a couple of weeks?” “You wanted to ask her out, too. There was a good reason for that,” I sighed in reply. “It was love at first sight for me and-” I snorted. “She got to watch me looking like a tool online for literally weeks before. And she still agreed to be my girlfriend for some dumb reason. I don’t get it.” “You’re a good guy. She has a lot of excellent reasons to want to be your girlfriend,” Tyler countered, only sucking up a bit. “I’m sorry that you’re miserable right now. I’d be pretty sad without my girl, too. If you need to talk… Let me know. And don’t worry. It’s going to work out for you two, I think. She likes you too, Eddie.” “I think so, too,” I smiled a little. “I mean, I think that she’s really into me. And I hope that it’s going to work out. I want it to. I… I really do.” That night when we were eating dinner around the table, I got a text from Bella. It was really late there, past midnight, at least. I smiled when I saw it. It was a picture that she took of the moon behind the Empire State building from her apartment. The message read, “the view from my bed.” I smiled to myself. “Sending dirty pictures already?” Seth teased. I scoffed, turning a little red at his joke. “Hardly.” I showed him the photo. “From her apartment. I got the tour this morning.” “Oh, sweet…” he mumbled, looking at it. “Let’s take a picture for her.” The three of us got into the frame, very clearly eating Zankou’s chicken again. Seth sipped from his cup, and the containers were all in the frame. I decided to send her a message that she would enjoy. “We need you to tell us about murder.” “You know what I want to do? A true-crime show with her. She understands why I think that it’s interesting and doesn’t judge me for it,” Seth said, and then he smirked a little to himself before shaking his head. “You know what? I am an asshole, I’d probably already be in love with her too. The first time that she nerded out about serial killers with me, and she’s probably own me. Plus, her tits and coffee.” “You are so weird,” his friend grumbled through a bite of chicken. “I agree about the other two.” My phone buzzed again. “I bet Seth knows the story. Get some good sleep tonight.” “I think that you’re right,” I showed him the text with a chuckle. “You know, true crime is a big fucking deal right now, right?” He reminded me once again. “I know that I’m harping on it. But you should seriously look into it. And if Bella does half as well as she does at off the cuff with you… I mean, it’s something you should consider.” “Yeah, you’re right. If anything else, it’s something that she is at the very least interested in. I should learn something.” “Or not. You’re a couple. Not the same person. You don’t have to like the same things,” Tyler added quickly. He just didn’t want to do murder stuff either. “No, of course not. But Seth’s right. It is a thing. Research never hurt anyone.” I tried to sleep that night. Really, I did. I was exhausted. I smoked myself near stupid, just trying to get my mind to shut off. Bella was in bed, and I was still too sour at Jasper to talk to him again. I had been pouring out all my emotions onto him for weeks and not really giving him much back. I shouldn’t have been surprised that he was reaching his limit on my bullshit. He took it a lot more than most. I knew that sometimes, I could be too much. I hated that he felt that I bullied him, but I knew what he meant, though. Pushiness was a virtue when you were the youngest. Otherwise, you might not get the attention that you needed. It still wasn’t an excuse to be a twat. But I had yet to finish pulling my panties out, as he so kindly worded it, so I was going to give it or another day or two until I found my head. I was sure that the pictures they took of me after Bella left were shite. I already missed Jasper, though, and not being able to whine to him about missing her made it all that much worse somehow. When I laid in bed, I could do nothing but think of both of them. I shouldn’t have been surprised that I dreamed about them. Just witnessing the dream, I watched as if I was sitting somewhere in a chair across the room. I had no power in it. Jasper was lying in my bed. He was stretched out in his sleep pants, shirtless and barefoot, like I had seen him a thousand times before. His thick arms were above his head, and his face was lolled to one side, staring right through me. He was expressionless until something began to rustle at the end of the bed. He smiled slowly, looking down at the noise. Bella crawled on top of him while wearing my hoodie. She looked just as she had our last day together. They spoke to each other, not that I knew what they said. She straddled his waist, smiling as she talked to him. She was sitting up, her hands hidden in my hoodie, with the sweetest little expression on her face. Occasionally, my girlfriend would bite her lip and giggle, her hands resting on his chest while his fingers slid up her bare thighs. He was looking up at her hungrily, enjoying their closeness. He peered up at her as if he was in love with her. She was clearly enjoying his attention because she leaned down to kiss him on the lips. My hoodie came off, revealing her nude body underneath. Jasper had his hands in her hair, kissing her in return. Forcefully, he shoved her onto her back. She laughed, drawing him closer with her thick thighs around his waist. Her tiny fingers danced along his jaw and over his ear then slid down his neck. My girl’s eyes never flicked in my direction, not that I was actually there. She rolled her face to the side so that I could see her expression, though, her eyes closed in pleasure as he kissed her neck and shoulder. I had seen him make out a hundred times and walked in on him fucking dozens more, so I had a fair idea of how it would look and sound. In my dreams, he never had his stupid mustache that I hated. I could imagine his freshly shaven skin against hers, warm from the shower. The scent of his aftershave filled my nose in the dream and actually made my mouth practically water with desire. “Tony,” dream Bella moaned my name. I had never heard her say it, but I know that is how it would sound. He moved down her breasts, his plush pink lips kissing between them to her stomach. “Tony,” she whimpered again as her fingers twisted into his blond curls in that way she did when she liked what was being done to her. Her shoulders arched toward his mouth, wanting more. Then her eyes focused on me, wide and her gaze sharp. “Tony.” I shot right up in bed, sitting up surprisingly violently. My heart was pounding in my chest. Shoving both palms into my eyes, I bent my knees as I tried to catch my breath. My fingers tangled into my hair, pulling it. Looking down at the erection that stretched my sleep shorts still after a few minutes, I sighed. I had said that the idea of seeing Bella with another person would turn me on, and I was right. I hadn’t expected it to be with Jasper, though. The dream was probably hotter than it should have been for me. Especially after the one that I had about him a few days before that I kept thinking about. My skin flushed even though I was alone, embarrassed by my own thoughts. It was like watching very specialized porn almost. It wasn’t real, but I still felt guilty. Giving up, I decided to take a hot shower and just edit until I was blind. When I tried to go to sleep again, it was after the sun had come up. I attempted to rest, but my body wouldn’t relax, and I couldn’t stop thinking about Bella. Or Jasper. Or the dream. I gave in and sent one of them a text with a picture of me in the bed, looking worse for wear. I titled the picture 'sleeping is for suckers.' “You don't have to work today. Go back to bed,” Bella answered right away, making me smile. “I tried.” “Did you get any sleep?” “Only a couple of hours. I edited all last night. I'm probably just going to get up and edit all day anyway. Are you having a good day, at least?” “It's been alright. I've been describing our sex in great detail over waffles,” she replied. I actually laughed out loud. Knowing Bella, it was probably true. “lol, sounds fun. Should I be worried?” I asked in return. “She’s just disappointed I don't have pictures.” The idea of Bella being naughty in photos was… so hot. It made my erection come back angrily even though I did something about it in the shower earlier in the morning. “Next time,” I suggested with three winks. “I look forward to it,” she indicated with her own wink. “Me too,” I said out loud. Quietly, I sighed to myself. Looking down at my shorts, I mumbled, “I’d tell you to go fuck yourself, but that’s what you want.” I threw my sheets off of me with a huff and decided to go work out instead. That day, I worked until my eyes were sore and literally twitching. I ordered a pizza for dinner and ate all of it myself with a few beers. Afterward, I sat by the pool with a joint, exhausted and aching. I stared at my phone for a long minute. Finally, I gave in again. “Hello?” Jasper answered after the third or fourth ring. He sounded breathless. “Hey. Do you have a minute?” “Of course, darling. Yeah, just give me a sec,” he mumbled, moving the phone away from his face, and then I heard him hurry off to somewhere more private. I heard a door close in the background. “Okay.” “So, pick my underwear out of my vagina? Bruh, that’s a little harsh.” There was a moment of silence. “Yeah, it was. I’m sorry. I’m… just- I’m honestly jealous. I miss you so goddamn much, and she gets to spend all this time with you.” “I can-” “And I know you can. But I have a career here.” “You hate that place!” “I hate the assholes that I work with, not the job. But I have other things here. My other friends. My family-” “Your father treats you like rubbish. Your Mum has moved away. Your grandparents have passed. Fuck him. I hate how he abuses you,” I growled in annoyance, too drunk to keep it in. “You could at least get a better job at a news station here if you really want that to be your career.” “I couldn’t afford it, and I won’t take a loan, Tony.” “Okay. Well, we’ll figure something else out. No Loans. You could just stay at my place for free then until you get on your feet. I don’t have a house payment anyway. And then once you were stable, you could start paying for the utilities. You know, like before.” He laughed. “I love you. Thank you for being my friend.” “Even if I’m a bully? Yes, I know that I am. I just- I just want you to be happy too, and I know that you’re not.” “It’s not your responsibility to make me happy.” “I want to try,” I answered. “I can at least help if you let me!” Jasper sighed. “Yeah. I know. You know, we have to grow up, right? We’ve got to do some of this shit on our own. What do you suppose Bella is going to think of you begging your best friend to come live with you because you don’t want to be alone?” “She lives with her best friend actually and would one hundred percent understand,” I said with confidence. “I got to see her. The roommate. She’s cute, too. Pale and petite. She had pretty blue eyes. She reminds me of the anime girls that you used to draw with the chubby cheeks and tiny noses back in school.” “Oh, what’s her name?” “Alice. Doctor Mary Alice Brandon.” He chuckled softly. “Doing some online stalking now that you’re alone?” I laughed as well. “Yeah, but she actually told me that part.” “Your girl likes to be around smart people, it seems.”. “She’s too sharp. I think that she’d get bored,” I commented with a sigh. “She went to NYU, by the way. She has a degree in music. She plays a bunch of instruments and has a beautiful voice, too. I heard her sing on Halloween.” “You do like your artistic types,” he teased. I nodded my head, looking down at my drink. “I do. I like creative people. I’ll admit it. Everything would be so boring if there weren’t artists. I want so badly to be one of those people.” “Stop. You know that you are. So, how are you doing? Really?” Biting my lip, I leaned my head back as I considered it. “I’m not currently throwing a tantrum, but I’m not exactly happy. I miss her already. I think she does too.” “I’m sure that she does.” “It still feels like a mistake to let her leave. It feels… wrong.” My friend sighed, thinking about what he wanted to say. “Well, if it is, you two will figure out a way to fix it, I think. But it wasn’t a mistake,” he stated quietly. “Just don’t stress out so much. She seems like an easy-going person. Maybe take a cue from her.” “Probably not unwise,” I agreed as I looked up towards the Los Angeles skyline. “I am truly sorry if I have bullied you, recently or in the past. I know that I am a pushy motherfucker sometimes when it comes to things that I want. It’s just another thing that feels wrong. But we will figure it out. And I will try to be better at respecting your decisions, even if I don’t understand them or like them.” “I wonder how long I could let you go on for if I just let you talk,” he mocked with a light laugh. “A while probably,” I chuckled in return awkwardly. “I mean it, though. I am sorry.” “Apology accepted. But you’re still kind of a cunt.” “Yeah,” I laughed more genuinely. “Good. We’re on the same page then.” He scoffed at my answer. “So, I haven’t slept in days. I’m going to try and probably fail. But I’m starting to hear colors and shit, so…” “Man, suck it up and take the meds.” “And sleepwalk into the pool? Nah. It’s fine. I’ll get to sleep eventually. I’ll talk to you later. Have a good day at work, hm? Text me later. I’ll send you some shit when I wake up.” “Alright. I look forward to seeing it. Goodnight, Tony.” “Night, mate,” I sighed as I hung up. I took a picture of the moon behind the mountains from the loveseat, no clouds or stars in sight. I sent it to Bella. “Goodnight, darling.”  Episode Twenty-five: BrokenI was stupid hungover when I woke up. Most of the last part of the evening before was kind of a blur, but I knew one thing for sure. It was Bella’s last day in Los Angeles. It was her final day with me. I felt on the verge of tears, just waking up. There was nothing that I could do but stare up at the ceiling, sadly. Bella shifted so that she was laying with her head on my chest. She was quiet too. My arms tightened around her. “It can't be over,” I blurted out. “It's not forever,” she whispered. “It's just been so perfect. I don't want it to end.” I let my hand fall down her back as I held her. “It's been like a dream, and I don't want to wake up. Or maybe I actually died during that stupid jump, and this is my idea of heaven. I'm not sure.” Bella rolled over some to look at me with a sweet little smirk. “You are such a romantic soul. It's just a couple of weeks, really. You'll barely have time to think of me anyway. I've seen your schedule for the next month.” I wasn’t sure how she could think that. “I couldn't not think of you if I tried,” I mumbled as I pushed her hair behind her ear. “When you're in New York, we can plan my next visit and figure out what videos you want to make when I'm here,” she said lightly, hopefully. “What do you want to do for your birthday? We'll do whatever you want.” “I don't know. I'll be happy as long as I'm with you. I don't know if I want to do anything at all, honestly. Stay in bed and order food,” I answered as I took her cheek into my palm and gently traced the curve with my thumb. She smiled. “Oh, that sounds nice. Can we do that today as well?” She tangled her legs with mine, her hip pressing against me. “Yes, please,” I answered with a kiss. We needed a shower horribly, but we were too hungry and hungover for that, so we decided to have breakfast first. Bella put on my hoodie, and it looked like a dress on her. I made us coffee while we waited for our late lunch to go with our joints by the pool. Bella laid across me comfortably. The weather was perfect, not too hot or cold. It was just the slightest bit windy. In my head, I prayed for rain. I begged for storms that I knew weren’t coming. Bella kept her big sunglasses on even when we came inside to eat, her temple leaning against her fist as she nibbled on a turkey club with a runny egg and chips. “This is why I stopped seriously partying at your age,” she mumbled under her breath. “Painkillers?” I offered. “I have aspirin and some high-powered ibuprofen from the dentist that I have leftover from some work that I had done a few months ago.” “Mm, high-powered,” she responded. “I hate the dentist. What did you have done?” “I cracked a molar,” I told her as I fetched her one of the tablets. I took one as well. “Ow.” “I didn’t feel a thing.” I shrugged. “Did it on camera too. At least it was a back tooth. Why do you hate the dentist?” “The accident knocked a lot of my teeth loose, and they put silver caps on them to keep them from coming out too soon. Half of my mouth was silver for ages. Then braces, retainers. All that good stuff,” she explained. I nodded my head. I could see why she would detest that. I decided to change the subject. “What would you like to do after this?” I offered next. “It’s up to you. We have all day.” She licked her lips as she thought. “I’m too hungover for anything, honestly.” “Thank god, because so am I,” I replied, making her snort but smile. “Do you just want to… cuddle for a while?” “Just want to go back to bed?” I asked. She nodded her head. “Yeah, let’s go cuddle and wait for the medicine to kick in. That sounds like a good idea.” We laid there for a good long hour in silence with her still in my hoodie and me in just my basketball shorts. Her fingers curled around my hands, and she held them to her lips, occasionally kissing them. My thoughts were all over, but they were mostly in a very dark place. I was so scared, and I wasn't sure how I was going to handle the next day. I didn't want to be away from Bella for even a day to go to work. Weeks sounded terrible. I tried to remind myself that I would see her again soon, but it wasn't enough. And what if something happened and it was the last night that I saw her? What if she came to her senses and realized what a wreck I actually was? Would this be the last night that we spent together? Would I only be allowed this tiny bit of happiness? I felt like I just got a taste, and it was being ripped away from me. “What are you thinking?” She asked softly. I shook my head, kissing her cheek. Bella rolled over to look at me. “You have glitter in your hair,” she giggled. “You’re pretty sparkly yourself there, princess,” I chuckled, rubbing away a piece of red glitter off of her forehead. She smiled, slowly leaning in to kiss my lips before pressing her face into my neck. “I don’t think you know how much I needed this,” she breathed out. “How much I needed you.” “Oh, did you need me?” “Mmhmm. I needed something bright and cheerful in my life, and you're honestly just-” Bella stopped and sighed, kissing my neck. “You make me feel so nice.” “I don’t know if I have the ability to describe how you make me feel, Isabella.” She smiled at my use of her full name. “Thank you for just dropping your life and staying with me. I realize that’s not an easy thing.” “Mm, it was pretty easy,” she countered as she scrunched up her nose. “I don’t want you to leave,” I admitted. “I don’t want to, either. I really don't. I love it here with you.” “Do you really?” She nodded. I smiled a little to myself. “So, um… I was thinking. I really should hire a photographer for the channel and-” Bella giggled, pressing herself closer to me. I hugged her tighter, pulling her onto my chest as I laid flat on my back. “When I’m here, I’ll be your photographer.” “You’re my photographer, no matter where you are.” “Sweet man,” she breathed against my throat. “Mm, it’s the truth,” I mumbled as I rubbed a hand down her back and pushed it underneath the hoodie so that I could move my fingers up her bare skin. “How are you feeling?” “Better.” I rolled us over again so that I was hovering above her. She was looking up into my eyes, biting her bottom lip as she did so. Carefully, she traced her fingers over my jaw and pulled me into a lingering kiss. Bella moaned against my mouth, her legs drawing up around my hips so that it pushed the hoodie over her own to expose her panties. “I want you,” I said as I kissed her lips over and over again. “I need you,” I begged. “I’m yours,” she promised. “I’m yours, Edward. Kiss me. Kiss me, please.” We made love for a long time. I don’t think that I have ever experienced anything like it before. I had never felt so connected to someone. Touching her was bliss, being inside of her was heaven. Her kisses gave me so much pleasure. I hoped that she felt that way as well. Afterward, we showered, and I watched her pack like a sulking child. I tried to be better at dinner and breakfast, but it was so hard. As we sat outside the airport, it felt as if my chest was starting to very slowly crumble into itself. I tried to just keep babbling, letting my mouth say whatever it wanted. It didn't matter what words I spoke, Bella wouldn't be there in the afternoon to greet me with a kiss when I was done with work. Rain lightly fell on the windshield, teasing me. Storms? Ha! Obviously, my prayers were not strong enough. She kept checking the time on her phone. One final time, she sighed. “I need to go inside.” For all my words, I had none. I was going to cry. I was barely holding it together. Holding her face in my hands, I kissed her. She brought her fingers up to mine, pressing them harder to her cheeks. When I finally ended it, Bella kissed my palm. Her nose nuzzled it for a moment. I need her so badly. I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle the next few days. “Take me with you,” I blurted out, making her laugh. I felt myself beginning to lose it. Sucking in a deep breath through my nose, the tears started to gather at my eyes. “You won't fit in my luggage, sadly.” “I'm going to miss you terribly.” “I'll miss you, too. We'll text. We'll call. There is always Facetime and Skype. And in no time, you will be strolling through Central Park and skating at Rockefeller center with me,” she said lightly, but I could see the strain on her own face. I was being a selfish asshole. I needed to try for her. This was hard on her, too. But… she really did want to be with me, and that made me so happy. “Maybe we can go to a Broadway show together, too.” “Anything you want. And after the charity show, I'll have almost a full week off with you. We can do whatever you want,” she promised. “What if I just want to spend it in your arms?” Her lips actually quivered, her breath ragged in her throat. “Stop making it so hard to leave.” Just don’t leave. Please. Please don’t leave me. I love you, I wanted to shout at her. I need you. “Never,” I forced a smile as kissed her again. I stayed in the airport lobby until I watched her curly black hair disappear, turning a corner after security. Numbly, I walked back to the car. I flopped down into the seat, my fingers automatically gripping the steering wheel. Looking at the clock, I realized that there were still two hours before I needed to be at the photoshoot. Pressing my forehead to the steering wheel, I began to weep. Jasper’s ringtone started to sing too cheerfully about ten minutes into my little tantrum. “Hey there, darling,” he greeted slowly, gently. “How are you?” My breath caught in my throat, my voice thick and gunky. “I just made a huge mistake. Why did I let her leave? I feel like I just watched the best thing that’s ever happened to me slip through my fingers. And I just her go!” “She couldn't stay. You knew that.” “I know! Logically, of course. I know.” “It’s not forever.” “What if it is?” I all but whimpered. “What if that's all that I'm going to get? You don't understand! I love her. I legitimately love her. I want her. I want her to be my wife, and I want to spend the rest of my life giving her fucking everything that she could ever dream of! I could do it! I have never met a better person in my life. She makes me feel so confident and happy. If she asked for a hundred mansions, she'd deserve every single one of them!” He let me rant. “You are so fucking dramatic,” he quietly sighed. “Tell me not to buy a plane ticket to New York. Tell me to be an adult and not follow her.” “Is it that bad, Tony?” “Yeah. It is. Please give me reasons because I can’t think of any.” “You can’t drop your life for a girl, darling. I know that you adore her. She does seem lovely. But doesn’t she need to work too? You have a life there.” “No. I have a career. I didn’t have a life until Bella walked through my door.” He clicked his tongue and snorted softly. “God, I really do hope someone talks about me the way you talk about her one day.” I sighed softly, swallowing back heavily. “They will. I promise. You’re amazing.” “Is there anything that I can do to make you feel better?” He asked quietly. “Come. Please. Come to America.” I felt fresh tears begin to well up in my eyes as I said the words. “Tony, don’t do this right now. You’re just upset-” “Please?” “We can’t keep doing this. Bella has got you sad, I know, but-” “No!” I shouted through my tears. “No! This is not about her. I want you here with me. I don’t understand why you don’t want to be here. I don’t understand why you didn’t come in the first damn place. I need you,” I begged him, my nose stinging as I cried. “I’ve always needed you.” “You obviously don’t. Stop that,” he snapped sharply. “I do.” “You just sold a script all on your own-” he began, but I cut him off before he could continue. “No, I fucking didn’t! You know how much you’ve helped me. I couldn’t have written half the goddamn thing if it weren’t for you! You deserve a writing credit! And to be bloody paid-” “Look! I'm sorry that you've got your knickers in a twist because your new little girlfriend couldn't play anymore and had to run along home, but I'm not having this fight with you again! So, why don't you finish picking your panties out of your fanny and look for your head while you're at it? It's going to be impossible to take pictures of your pretty face with it shoved so far up your arse.” “Hey! What is your fucking problem?” I growled angrily. “I'm sick of you thinking that you can have everything you want just because you want it! Bella wanted to go home. If she didn't, she would have stayed. I'm sorry. It's sucks. But she's an adult. Just like fucking me. She's got a mind of her own, and you can't tell either of us what to do.” “I know that!” “Then stop trying to bully me into something that I’ve already told you ‘no’ about many times. If I change my mind, I’ll let you know. But for right fucking now, I’m going to go work. Like I believe you should as well.” “I’m not bullying you! I just don’t fucking understand!” “YOU DON’T GET TO DECIDE WHEN YOU’RE BEING A BULLY, ASSHOLE. THAT’S NOT HOW THAT WORKS!” “Fine!” I snapped. “I am so goddamn sorry that I am bothering you. I thought that we were as close as two people could be. Honestly, I must be fucking terrible to be around. Did you hate living with me so much?” “No! You will not make this about you!” “It must be me! I know that you hate it there.” “I have responsibilities.” “Your father is a grown man.” “So are you. Now act like it. I’m going to work,” he mumbled then hung up on me. I threw my phone against the dashboard and cracked the screen. “Fuck!” I growled. Sighing heavily, I decided to go ahead and replace my phone. I had time to waste before the photoshoot anyway. When the photographer told me that it was going to be a more serious set, I was at least relieved that I didn’t have to fake a smile for anyone. By the time I got home, there was a text on my new phone from Jasper. “Look, I’m sorry that I’m an asshole. I’m just in a mood. I really am sorry that you’re upset. Things will work out for you and her. Just, maybe chill the fuck out with the dramatics, alright?” “Yeah, alright,” I sent back. “If not with me, with her. You’ll scare her off. Just my advice. Not everyone is used to you like me.” “Yeah, probably solid advice. I’m tired. I’ll talk to you later.” “Call me when you’re ready.” “Yeah,” I sighed to myself, rubbing my hands over my face. My head hurt, and I was tired, but I wasn't going to go to sleep. So, instead, I began to edit. Bella was in so many of the videos that I had recently made. I seemed so stupidly obviously in love with her in them, I wondered if she knew already. She smiled up at me so adoringly and sweetly. My phone buzzed beside me after a couple of hours. It was from my new girlfriend. “Finally made it.” “Was your flight okay?” I asked. I wanted to tell her that I missed her but resisted. “It was first class. Of course, it was great. Thank you. I was champagne drunk, though. It makes everything seem nicer. How was your day?” I decided to be a little funny. “Someone else took my picture. I didn't like it. I don't think they did it right. Come back and show them how.” “It's just because you're salty. I'm sure they were great pictures. You're too pretty for them to be bad. Be nice to the other photographers. They can't help it that they're not me,” she replied funnily. “I suppose you're right, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.” She answered a moment later. “I know. I'm sorry. I'm falling asleep. I'm really tired. I'll text you later.” Even if I knew she had to be exhausted, I wasn't ready to stop talking to her. But Jasper was right. I needed not to be so dramatic, or I would scare her. It was the last thing that I wanted. “Okay. Sweet dreams, my darling.” I edited for hours, my mind never even thinking about shutting off for a second. I got a lot of work done, but I wasn't exactly happy about the headache that I was suffering from. Somewhere along the way, I gave up and sent Bella a text just to make myself feel better. “Oh, that's right. I forgot I was an insomniac for a moment there.” An hour later, she answered while I was outside smoking. It was the first time that I really felt like I needed it to get rest in a while. I had tried earlier in the evening, but it didn't do anything but made me hungry. After laying in bed angrily for thirty minutes, I just decided to edit some more. “It's amazing what that much fucking can do for your sleep.” I laughed at her answer, surprised to see her text so quickly. “lol, True. Why are you awake?” “I could ask you the same thing.” “Can I call?” I had to hear her voice. I was trying not to be dramatic, but I still needed to listen to her again. Even if it relieved my anxiety just a little. My phone began to ring in my hand. “Don't you have things to do tomorrow? Don't you have to play video games or something? It's… three something there,” she started flippantly. “Well, I got used to falling asleep with you in my arms. I tried going to sleep, but... here I am, outside, smoking. What are you doing awake?” “Just couldn't get comfortable. I've got really bad jet lag right now. And I can hear Alice in the shower getting ready for work, so I'll stay up to say goodbye to her. She's got a day trip to Amish Country. I'm going to ask her to pick me up some jam and honey, I think. Cheese, probably too. I need to go grocery shopping today. Al lives like you when I'm not around,” Bella explained. “Poor girl.” “Right?” She cheekily teased. “Well, I imagine it's not hard to get spoiled to your cooking, though,” I said honestly, a little smile on my face as I picked at the bottom of the leg of my shorts. “When you come here, I’ll cook for you a bunch.” “I would really love that. But you don’t have to.” “Well, I did promise you that I would teach you how to cook if you came to my tiny kitchen… so…” She trailed off puckishly. “That you did,” I chuckled. “Well, I look forward to your instruction, my beautiful little teacher.” She giggled softly in return. There was a moment of quiet on the other end before she spoke again. “The sun is starting to come up. You should see it. It's beautiful.” I decided to turn Facetime on. It was an excellent excuse to see her face again. Instantly Bella came into the frame. She was wearing a violet beanie over her thick curly hair. Her face was pale, and I could see by the purple under the eyes that matched her hat that she was tired. “Damn, I am sexy,” she joked. She had just traveled several hours on a plane and then struggled to sleep for a few more. Even so, my girlfriend was still the most beautiful woman that I had ever seen. “You look adorable. Don't worry.” Bella stood from her couch and walked over to the window before fully opening the curtain to show me her perspective. It was breathtaking. The orange sun was rising slowly over the Manhattan skyline and making it glow a beautiful purplish-red and robin’s egg blue. I could see why the view made her as happy as it did. “What a thing to wake up to. It might be worth waking up early to take that ferry after all.” Bella giggled again. “Or we can just stay out all night. That might be the better choice. This place isn't everything, but that view is.” I wanted nothing more than for her to show me everything about her life in New York. “Why don't you give me the house tour?” She quietly laughed at my request. “Okay, well, it'll be pretty short. This wall is basically just the window and my window seat, which is actually all my clothes. And there is my bed with all my shit still on it because I was too tired to do anything about it last night. The couch that I normally sleep on, because you know, I'm an adult. My desk. And in the corner we have our musical instrument collection,” Bella said as she showed me a wide variety of instruments. “Which is dusty as hell at this point. I guess Alice didn't fuck around with them while I was away.” “Do you play an instrument?” Something sort of clicked in my brain, and I realized that there was something about that subject that I needed to remember. “I play the piano and violin pretty well, the guitar and bass kinda sorta and banjo terribly because I'm a damn hipster, I guess. Alice can play the viola, bass, and piano, as well. We all did music together. Rose, too. She did the flute and the piano a little, too.” It took a minute for what she said to all sink in. Then the beauty queen bit came to mind. Bella had told me that she played the banjo and fiddle. She was serious. “Jesus, you are your own band. And you can sing, too.” Then the thing I needed to remember popped into my head. “Wait, you said you had a degree in music, didn't you?” “That I'm really not using. I minored in photography. I also studied a program at Julliard for a hot second. It was only a class for a semester.” She showed me her diploma on the wall. It was from New York University. NYU was actually a consideration of mine when I went to uni, but I decided to stay in Sydney. I wasn't ready to lose my family or my friends. NYU was a tough school to get into, though. She must have been very talented. “Why didn't you tell me you were so accomplished?” Bella made a little face. “Because I'm not? Lots of people study music, and some can make a living off of it. I'm not passionate enough about it to do so. Or good enough at it. I quickly became disillusioned of the possibility in my early, early twenties.” I had a million more questions that I wanted to ask her. I had just basically learned that my girlfriend was a hundred times cooler than I initially thought. “Were you in a band or anything?” She bit her lip as she scrunched up her nose a little, shrugging her shoulders barely in the frame. “Uh… I guess you could say that. I was a part of a few different orchestras at different times. Mainly in school. Not like any rock bands, though. I haven't been in any for a few years, though.” “You'll have to play for me one day.” I had already heard her sing and knew that she had a fantastic voice. I couldn’t imagine what other talents she was hiding from me. Actually, she hadn’t hidden her musical prowess, I just hadn’t paid enough attention. “Mm, let me practice first,” she said with a small smile as she walked towards some folding doors. “This is Patricia's room.” I thought her roommate’s name was Alice. And then a very fat fluffy cat jump into frame and literally shrieked at Bella’s head. “Oh, wow. She's loud.” “She's a lying ass whore who has been fed this morning. Don't yell at me, Patty Cat. I see the crumbles in your bowl,” she cooed in a baby voice to the cat as she delicately rubbed its chin. Obviously, the creature loved it and purred in happiness. “She's been fed!” Someone called faintly on Bella’s side. “I know,” my girlfriend answered before rolling her eyes with a tiny grin. “She's loud, too.” Bella obviously walked somewhere just a few feet away. It was a small apartment. Then her kitchen came into view. It was half the size of my smallest bathroom. All of my closets were literally bigger. “Did I wake you?” A petite woman with curly black hair asked over a mug, the words barely mumbled out. “Nope.” “Hello,” I began when I realized that I was being introduced. “Oh! Good morning! Nice to meet you. I've heard nothing about you,” she stated way too cheerfully. Bella sort of rolled her eyes again from beside her, shaking her head a little. I couldn’t help but laugh as I took another hit. “Well, I've heard a lot about you.” My girl obviously loved her best friend very much. And I loved that about her. It’s something that we had in common, though I wasn’t as vocal about it as she was. I missed Jasper so much that when I talked about him, it hurt. “Oh, no. I'm sorry. Don't believe any of her lies,” Alice commented funnily. “So, you're both like this?” I deadpanned in return. “Ha! Yeah, we are. All three of us actually. Rosalie, too,” her friend laughed. “Alright, I need to go pick up the van. I love you. Have a good day.” Alice kissed Bella's cheek, and my girlfriend leaned into it, rubbing a quick hand over her cheek almost mindlessly. “I look forward to talking about you in great detail later.” “Hopefully good things.” “She will tell me everything. Everything.” Well, it seemed fair. I told Jasper everything about her. I was surprised that she hadn't yet. Bella was a quiet person, though, and we had been so closely wrapped up in each other over the last few heavenly weeks. “Mostly good,” Bella smirked then called out to her friend before she left. “Text me when you get there. I have things I want you to pick up for me!” I didn’t hear her answer. There was a scraping noise as my tired little girlfriend sat down at her white kitchen table in the corner. “Mr. Cullen, you're going to be terrible tomorrow if you don't get a few hours of sleep. Go to bed.” “But you won't be there,” I sighed. “Alright. You are correct, Ms. Swan. Go back to bed for a while. You look exhausted.” “I will. I'm just going to eat the rest of this box of doughnuts first.” That was not a terrible idea. I was going to probably finish off the last of the Little Debbies that we had shared those first videos together. “Okay. Sweet dreams.” “You too, sugar. Text me later when you get a chance. I already miss you.” I smiled to myself as she said the words. I was glad that she had voiced them first. I needed to hear them more than I realized. “I miss you, too. I will, I promise. Goodnight, love.” Quietly in the darkness, I finished my joint before heading into the house. Two Swiss cake rolls and a nutty bar later, I crawled into a bed that still smelled like Bella. Her perfume was on the sheets and ingrained into my pillows. There were still specks of glitter from the Halloween party everywhere in my bedroom. I pushed my face into the cushion that she used the most and tried to pretend she was beside me so that I could fall asleep. It didn’t work. Note: Fanny is Aussie/British slang for vagina. :) Episode Twenty-four: Little DevilWarning: this episode contains graphic sexual descriptions. Reader discretion is advised. Intended for a mature audience only. (18+)I couldn’t keep my hands off of Bella. I didn’t want to, honestly. As soon as I realized the possibilities of drawing on her perfect body, my mind went straight into the gutter. She giggled at my touching, curling into me and whispering in my ear about how ticklish I was making her. It just turned me on for some reason. Finally, she begged me to stop for the sake of her makeup, fat tears welling in the corner of her eyes. “I wanna write on your bum,” I muttered like a randy teenager. “Mine. Or maybe Eddie. I might be able to fit Edward's on there if I try.” “Later.” She looked back at me and winked playfully. Tyler, aka Indiana Kinda Jones, was standing outside his bungalow by a barbecue. He was utterly surrounded by Halloween decorations. I knew that he loved conspiracy stuff, but I didn’t realize that he was so into the holiday. He was standing beside his brother, Seth, and a person that I didn’t know. “Oh, my god! Chip and Dale! I loved you as a kid!” Bella began in a giggle as we walked up to them. I hadn't realized it, but as soon as she said it, I saw it too. Seth, who was wearing a terrible Magnum P.I. costume, looked so annoyed. I laughed. “Shit, you're right!” “We didn't know!” Seth whined loudly. “No, it's good. Really. I think it's great,” Bella swore with a little smirk on her lips. She lifted the bags of snacks that she had cooked for the party. We had also stopped to get a big case of beer. “Where do you want the food?” He passed his tongs to the man that looked just like him. “Oh, this way. This is my brother, Andy, by the way. And my friend, Raj. This is my quote-unquote boss, Eddie, and his girl, Bella,” he introduced us to his buddy, who was dressed as a vampire. I smirked. “Quote, unquote. I mean, I do tell you what to do. Kind of. Sort of. Nice to meet you, Raj. Nice to see you again, Andy.” I shook their hands, smiling politely. “Hi,” Bella replied as she curled her fingers up in a wave. Tyler looked back at her as we started towards the door and asked, “did you bring your camera?” “I did if that's okay.” “No, it's awesome. I was hoping you would. Would you send me the pictures?” He asked as he led us through the halls to the kitchen. I had been to his house a few times before. Even the insides were stuffed with decorations. “Absolutely,” my girlfriend answered pleasantly. “I would have never guessed you were this into Halloween,” I mumbled in surprise. “It's me and my girlfriend's favorite. Lauren, where do you want this?” Tyler questioned his longtime girlfriend, who was dressed up as Moaning Myrtle from Harry Potter. It was pretty spot on too. I was impressed. “What is it?” She asked. “Hi, Eddie. Nice to see you again.” “Hi, Lauren. Nice to see you, too. I have some beer, too!” I lifted the case to show her. “Wow, great! There is an extra fridge in the garage. Tyler, go show him. Put it in there so it can get cold,” she directed. “I have some garlic hummus and pita bread to dip, veggies too. And Rice Crispy squares,” Bella explained, bringing her the bags. I followed Tyler to the garage, trailing behind him silently. “How are you?” He quietly inquired. I could still hear our girlfriends chatting as we went inside the dark space. “Great. Really, really, great,” I grinned at him. He had to rearrange a little, so I waited patiently with the beer. “You?” “Good. Excited. Bella looks…” he trailed off, raising his eyebrows. “Wow.” “Yeah, I know,” I smirked a little more. “She is… Jesus. There are no words to describe how good she looks right now. Here, pass me one of those Reds. She likes those.” Once we were done, we headed back towards the kitchen. “You just need a Monterrey Jack,” Bella said to Lauren. “See! She thinks we need to have a baby, too!” She spouted in her boyfriend’s face. “She did not. We can hear you in there, you know. Having a child for the sake of a costume is not a good reason anyway. Don't drag her into your insanity,” he mumbled in annoyance. Bella grinned wickedly. “You know what. I like her. For the sake of causing drama... Yeah, you should totally have a baby,” she stated in a laugh as she rubbed her hands together. Then she made her eyes wide. “Wait, what if you have Shia Labeouf? Your last movie was terrible, Indy.” I pushed my lips as hard together as I could so not to laugh directly at him, looking away from his flustered face. “Oh, Jesus,” Tyler mumbled before basically running away. Both women cackled. My girl was getting into her role for the night as a little devil. Bella looked confused as I gave her the drink that I bought for her. She leaned into me, looking at Lauren as I put an arm around her. “Wait, are you two married?” Lauren sighed, pouting a little. “Practically. But no, but we've been together for seven years. I don't care about getting married. I just want to have kids. We've been talking about it for a month or so now. My sister just had a baby and...” My girlfriend nodded compassionately. “I get it. Babies are babies. That clock is mean and loud. Especially when they're all cute and small and someone else's.” “Exactly,” she sighed with a little nod and a frown. “Do you want children?” I asked before I realized what my mouth was doing. I realized as soon as I did what a bad idea it was and how this conversation should have been private, but I was going to pretend that I wasn’t freaking out inside. Bella didn’t seem phased at all. “I don't not want children?” She shrugged. “I'm probably not going to have kids at this point though if we're being honest. Not of my own, at least.” I wanted kids, I had to admit it. I loved my nieces. It was incredible being around them and watching grow into amazing little people. The idea of having children with Bella was fascinating to me. I couldn't even begin to fathom what they would look like. I couldn't see a reason to stop us if we were both healthy. But I was definitely putting the cart before the horse with that. “Why?” Lauren asked the question that I was too caught up in my own thoughts to ask. “I just turned thirty-three. I haven't been in a relationship in years... well, until Eddie just very recently, I mean. If I were to have children, I'd like to be married to the father or have a partner to make it easier. It takes years to get a relationship to that point. I don't know.” She bashfully shook her head. “I work at a non-profit where we help disadvantaged youth, so I've considered adopting older kids. You know, teens rarely find families. I kind of figured my roommate and I would probably hit our forties as old spinsters together at this rate. We've talked about fostering teens together, but she works all the time, and my money isn't stable enough yet,” she finished and then took a long drink of her cider almost nervously. I was okay with adoption. Her answer made me love her all the more. What a great thing to do. We could do that together. Who did the fuck cares about genetics? I just wanted to raise a family with her. Lauren set her sights on me as she picked up a Rice Crispy Treat Bella made for the party. She smirked a little before asking. “Do you want kids, Eddie?” “Well, I adore children, but I've not quite gotten that far in life. I love all my nieces, though. Babies are fun. Toddlers are too if you can give them back after you wind them up. That's the best,” I explained honestly. “You're the fun uncle,” she cheerfully concluded. I grinned widely. “Damn straight.” I was the best uncle. Full stop. “Is there anything I can do to help?” Bella asked quickly, pushing off the counter a little. “No, I think I got this. If you want, you can go keep the boys company. More people should be getting here within the hour,” she said, glancing between us. Bella and I made it back through the house out to the yard that was now starting to fill with people. Tyler looked so annoyed with us. He snapped the tongs at my girlfriend. “Stop encouraging her!” “You've been together for seven years. She doesn't need encouragement,” I defended her. She turned to me, her face red with her devil makeup. “He's going to give her babies.” And then she drew a perfect heart on her stomach. “Aw, Daddy.” The immature side of me wanted to high-five her for making him so flustered because it was so funny. “That's the scariest thing I've heard all day,” he complained. “Oh, look, trick-or-treaters.” Tyler took the bowl of candy and pushed it at Bella. “Go give out candy.” I chuckled the entire time we walked to the sofa. I had never passed out Halloween candy before, but it was so much fun. Every kid was excited about it, even if they were shy. Some kids knew me, and I was more than happy to take pictures with them. The joy was so pure. And Bella loved every minute of it. A small boy, barely not a toddler who was dressed as a pirate, came up to us with his half-filled bag already out, but he was looking off towards the grill as his mother led him to us. “Happy Halloween. Want some Skittles or M&Ms?” Bella spoke in a voice that I realized she used for children. It was charming. “Can I have a hot dog?” The kid asked with wide sad eyes and pouting lips. He got his way a lot, I could tell. The mother flushed and quickly shook her head. “Chase, no, honey. You can't.” “Mom, I don't blame him. They smell so good!” Bella kindly replied. “You hungry, baby?” “Yeah!” He grinned up at her. “Okay, first, pick out some candy for later.” She gave him his choice from the bucket. “Now, I can't make any promises, but let me go talk to the person in charge real quick.” “Oh, um, thank you,” the mother replied in surprise as Bella stood and walked over to Tyler. “That’s really nice of you.” “You should see how much food is in there,” I chuckled reassuringly. We were probably doing them a favor. There was going to be so many leftovers. “Hey, what’s your name, buddy?” “Chase!” He shouted in return. I laughed at his excitement. “Chase?! Do you run a lot?” I questioned him jokingly. “Yes,” his mum mumbled under his breath, making me chuckle again. “Guess what I have?” The boy asked. He didn’t wait for an answer. “I’ve got a sword!” “What?!” I beamed. “Yeah! That’s cool. I’ve got a weapon too,” I whispered and pulled the water gun out of my jacket pocket. “Oo! Can I see it?” “Go for it.” I gave it to him and winked. “Just don't spray your mum, yeah?” “Okay,” he agreed with a grin. Tyler shouted from beside the grill, “Happy Halloween!” He smiled and waved cheerfully, pulling my attention from the child for a second. Bella walked back over to us, her hips swaying. “Okay. So, you want a hot dog?” “Yeah!” He yelled. My smart girlfriend knew that she needed more information than that, even if the boy was now getting distracted by my gun. “Do you want it on a bun?” “Yes, please!” “Do you want anything on it?” She asked his mother. “He likes ketchup.” Bella leaned down to ask him the next question. “Do you like chips?” Then she looked at his mother. “Does he have any allergies?” She swiftly shook her head. “No, he doesn't.” Chase was standing very close to me, making quiet shooting sounds with his gun before suddenly shouting, “I love chips!” It wasn’t the first time that I had a kid scream in my ear. But it had been a few months. I shook my head with a little laugh. We all watched as my girl walked into the house. “I like her dress,” the boy spoke to his mother in a soft sort of whisper. I understood it completely. “Me too,” I approved with a grin. “You have good tastes, young man.” His mother laughed. “Is that your girlfriend?” “Yeah, ma’am,” I smiled, maybe a little too proudly. “Do you get to kiss her?” The boy inquired loudly, making me laugh in surprise. The mom flushed a bright red. “I’m sorry-” “No,” I continued to laugh. “It’s okay. Yeah, I totally get to kiss her, but only because she lets me. Remember, you have to ask before you hug or kiss someone. Very important,” I told him teasingly. My sisters were always trying to teach my nieces not to climb all over everyone. They wanted to hug and kiss everybody. He nodded very seriously. “I don’t like hugs. I wish people would ask me.” His mother rubbed her forehead and shook her head as she rolled her eyes. I pushed my lips together to keep from chuckling at his attitude. “So, how about this, Chase? Since we sent that very helpful and lovely devil off to fetch your food, I need help passing out candy. Will you help me?” “Sure!” He bounced in place. I patted the spot beside me, and he sat with a hop. “You’re good with kids,” his mother complimented me quietly. “Thanks.” I couldn’t help but smile. Once again, I thought about what it would be like to have these kinds of moments with my own kids. Maybe my kids with Bella. It was so much fun to watch Chase, though. He was a happy and funny kid. Bella came back with a plate fit for any child. It was piled with great snacks, and she brought him a soda even though she forgot to ask about a drink. “Look at that! Look, Chase! What do you say?” His mother beamed at her. “Thank you!” The little boy smiled when she put his plate on his lap. “You're welcome. Let's see. A hot dog with ketchup, chips, and pretzels. Some carrots and hummus. Then we have a fruit kabob, a Rice Crispy treat, and a couple of cookies,” she explained. His mum laughed. “I don't have to feed you dinner tonight! Thanks, that's so nice.” Bella passed her the cold canned drink. “Well, it's easy when it's not your food.” We stayed in the spot, passing out candy and talking to the little boy until he ate every bite of the food on the plate that Bella had so kindly made him. He was so cute. He passed my water gun back to me when it was time to leave, a sad little pout on his lips. I put it in his bucket and winked at him. His smile was worth it. It was a cheap toy, anyway. When we watched them walk away, Bella began to rub her hands over her arms. “Do you want to go inside for a little while?” I took my coat off and put it around her. “Sure.” She went around and took pictures for a while for Tyler. Every once in awhile, I would take the camera from her and take her photo, or take one with us together. We had more drinks and finally got some food to share. She sat on my lap since there was no place for her to do so, not that I minded. I kept stealing kisses, feeding her treats all night. Even while we played Cards against Humanity and spoke to Lauren’s too-drunk friends. When it got later, it got down to just a few people. Lauren and Tyler were loudly singing karaoke together. They loved to do it, and they knew they were terrible. That was part of the charm, though. I watched them with a grin. Bella was in my lap still, her foot going with the music as she lounged against me. “I'll take a picture of you two if you want,” Seth offered, looking over at us with a smile. Bella nodded and gave him her camera so that she could quickly lean into me. We took so many funny pictures, making each other laugh. Finally, we took a few serious ones. Bella laughed a little when she saw them. “Thanks.” Lauren leaned over to look at us, her eyes narrowing on us. She was very drunk herself. “Are you going to sing? Eddie?” I smirked slightly. “I can't carry a tune in a bucket. It'll be painful.” She frowned at me, not thrilled with my answer. “It's just for fun!” My girl shrugged slightly, smiling. “I'll do a song.” Tyler’s girlfriend wildly high-fived her and then pointed at her dramatically. “Yes, you will. See! You do it, too!” She stabbed her wobbly finger at me. I snorted. “Okay, okay. Let me figure out a song first.” She clapped her hands together. “Yay!” Then Lauren very loudly belched. Tyler looked over, making a slightly disgusted face. “These are the classy parties you can expect running in this circle,” he teased. She flipped him the bird. He blew her a dramatic and silly kiss. “Love you, muffin.” I wasn’t sure what I was going to pick until I saw Sunglasses at Night. It was playing in the diner the first full day together. It was perfect. I went first, drunk and feeling very loose. Bella was watching me with her lip between her teeth and her nose scrunched up. Seth ran into the middle of the performance to help me, lending me his sunglasses as he did. It was so much fun. Bella went right after me. She put her horns on me, taking the microphone after a little kiss. She didn’t look at the screen for the words as the tune began. I knew it right away. It was a No doubt song. “Take this pink ribbon off my eyes…” Her voice was incredible. Like shockingly so. She blew everyone that had sung before her out of the water. Bella danced along to the song, singing along perfectly to Gwen Stefani. She smiled, bouncing around as Lauren decided to join her. When they were done, they both bowed. I clapped wildly. She brought the microphone to her mouth and practically sang again. “I'd like to thank my useless music degree for giving me the ability to do karaoke okay at parties,” and then she did a little curtsy. Ohhhhhh… That’s what her useless degree is, my drunk brain thought. I had never gotten around to asking. But I could definitely see Bella as a singer. I tried to store that information away for later, but I was not sober enough for that. We stayed a little while longer, singing and drinking more. We finally dragged ourselves home by four in the morning. It was all kind of a blur to me. Bella walked ahead of me with her shoes in her hand while wearing my tuxedo jacket. It fell past her knees. She put her bag down in the foyer and glanced back at me before smiling slightly. She was so pretty, the outside light shining in her beautiful mismatched eyes. I couldn't resist her for even a moment longer. I tugged her into my arms, kissing her desperately. The jacket went to the ground as her arms encircled my neck, clinging to me. “Take me to bed,” Bella asked me in a breathless whisper as she gazed up into my eyes. Wordlessly, I easily picked her up. Her arms tightened around my neck. I could smell the mix of perfume and liquor on her skin as she lazily spread kisses on my jaw. I laid her in the middle of my bed, kissing her as I did. Slowly I dragged my fingers down her dress to make a path of red from her breasts to her thighs. She was obviously drunk too, her head falling back against the bed as she giggled. I straddled her waist then fixed the sequins until they were all correct again. Then I began to draw hearts on her stomach. “That tickles,” she giggled. “I know,” I laughed wickedly as she squirmed underneath me. “But I think that you like it,” I replied as I drew one over her nipple. I wiggled my eyebrows at her. “You’ve been wanting to do that all night, haven’t you?” She questioned lightheartedly. “Oh, god, you have no idea,” I laughed, drawing one on the other. “In fact, roll over.” She did with another giggle, me still straddling her thighs. She wiggled her ass, looking back over her shoulder at me. “What are you going to write?” “I don’t know. Hm...” I drew my name across her ass. “Oh, yes, very nice. I like that.” She laughed again, pushing her face into the mattress. “Can I write ‘mine’?” “You can do whatever you want.” She wiggled again. I smoothed over the sequins and wrote ‘mine’ neatly across it. “Is it mine, love?” “Oh, yes. All of me is yours,” Bella said in a seductive voice, looking over shoulder at me again. “Is that so?” I leaned down to kiss her bare shoulder blade where the camera tattoo was. She nodded her head just a little. I pecked the back of her neck slowly, letting my nose drag over it for a minute. I sat back and drew a heart on her ass before groping it hard. She shimmied it back at me, and I gave it a good swat, earning a moan. “If you left the dress on, you could use it to keep a tally of every time you get me off,” she joked, folding her arms so that she could lay on them while still on her stomach. I laughed loudly. I unzipped the dress quickly, exposing her back. “But then I couldn’t see your tits.” Ungracefully, I removed her dress and tossed it to the side while she still laid on her stomach. With one hand, I popped open her bra and felt way too proud that I was able to do it. I had mastered the skill with Vicky. I spread kisses down her back, smoothing my hands over her sides as I did. Her panties rolled down her ass to her thighs along the way. I dragged my teeth over one of her cheeks, moving down her thighs before I pushed her legs apart. Shifting down, I brought her up to her knees before I began to lick and kiss between her legs. “Damn,” she sighed into the mattress. “Oh, god…” My actions became more desperate, adding my fingers until she was squirming underneath. Her orgasm only took a couple of fun minutes. I was too drunk and horny for too much foreplay. I slapped her ass again, earning a giggle as I stumbled to get a condom. Throwing my shirt off, I hurried to strip so that I could put it on. Bella was on her knees on the bed, sitting back as she watched me. When I got it on, she brought me into a kiss before shoving me down onto the mattress so that she could straddle my waist. She threw her head back as she slid down onto me. Her fingers dragged over my chest, biting her bottom lip as she rocked on top of me. I sat up, my hands on her back to bring her into a kiss. “My sexy little devil,” I mumbled in her ear before nibbling on it lightly. “You’re the one wearing the horns, baby,” she teased. I flipped us over, pushing more roughly into her. She moaned loudly, her head falling back into the pillows with her eyes rolled into the back of her head. “And they look good on me too,” I responded jokingly, adjusting the angle so that I hit just the right spot inside of her. Her legs stiffened around my waist, “EDWARD!” She practically shrieked as she came, taking me with her. We laid there for a moment, panting and sweaty. She smiled up at me as she brushed her fingers through my hair with a giggle. “Yeah, they do look pretty cute on you,” she agreed as she leaned up to pecked my lips, her fingers playing with the hair at the back of my neck. “You are covered in glitter.” “So are you,” I chuckled, kissing her forehead. “Here, get up.” She patted my arm before she pranced off to the bathroom. Quickly, we both cleaned up. When we got into bed, just before five, the sky was still dark. Bella happily curled up with her head on my chest, holding my hand. She pressed a kiss to my jaw as she pulled the horns from my head and tossed them onto the nightstand beside my phone.  Episode Twenty-three: JokesWarning: this episode contains graphic sexual descriptions. Reader discretion is advised. Intended for a mature audience only. (18+) For the first time in ages, I fell asleep and didn't have to set my alarm. It was amazing. And Bella woke me up in the best way. We were both nude, and she kept brushing her ass against me until I was pressed between her already moist thighs. We played sleepily until the teasing was too much, and we lazily fucked on our sides. I was barely awake, but it was terrific. “Make me cum again,” my tiny sweet girlfriend begged me as I began to kiss her throat softly after we had finished. I could hear the wanting in her voice. “How?” She turned her face to the side to look at me. “I don’t care. I just need to feel you.” I had never felt more goddamn wanted in my entire life. Moving my hand over the front of her thighs, I just gently caressed them until she spread her legs opened for me. She adjusted so that one of them was over mine, bent back. It made her so opened to me. “It's so easy to play with you like this,” I murmured teasingly in her ear. I moved one finger over her sensitive clit. She had cum before, and I wasn't sure how much she could handle. Bella whimpered quietly, her ass rolling against me. I was spent, wet and sensitive, but it still felt good. Just watching her made me feel good. It was brilliant for my ego. She looked so beautiful, flushed and panting, and she looked that way because of me. “That feels incredible. You're so good at this,” she praised me in a tiny breath as I continued to lightly stroke her wet lips and clit. My other hand moved over her breast, squeezing her nipple between my fingers. She brought her fingers on top of mine and squeezed it as well. “My love,” I gasped sleepily as her wet body ground against mine in just the right way. “My beautiful love.” Her wild hair was everywhere around us, softly pressed against my cheek as I kissed her shoulders, neck, and ears. Bella smelled delicious. Coconut, vanilla, and just the faintest hint of coffee as well as sex. My girlfriend smelled like the perfect morning. “Ed-” She began to moan my name but squeaked when I tweaked her nipple somewhat hard. Bella let out a breathy giggle. Carefully she smoothed her fingers over my cheek, turning her face so that we could kiss. Her ass pressed harder and harder against me, practically begging to be fucked again. I was having so much fun. When I finally slipped a finger inside her, my palm pressed against her clit. Her mouth opened against mine as she moaned. And then Bella began to fully ride my hand, both of us working together as I fingered her. When I added another, she pressed one of hers on top of mine between her legs. Her hips rocked and bucked against my palm in time with my movements. I could feel her wetness grow. “Mm, Eddie,” she hummed as her nose rubbing against my cheek. “Fuck, I love your hands,” she whimpered. “They're so big and soft and I- Ohh…” she shuddered as she came on my fingers, but I didn't stop. She whimpered, her fingers holding onto my wrist. “You what? Keep going, I’m enjoying your flattery,” I teased. “It works for me, too.” She giggled, grabbing my hair and pulling me into a kiss as she rode out her climax with slow swirling hips. “You know exactly what to do with them,” she said against my mouth. “I like how you touch all of me. I’m not sure that I’ve ever felt this good.” “Okay, you don't have to lie,” I joked, pushing my fingers deep inside of her with my palm hard against the mound between her legs. She held me there with both of her hands as her hips moved. I could feel the orgasm beginning to twitch again. “Oh, fuck,” I gasped as my own arousal gripped my stomach. I was fully hard once more, and every movement teased me further. “I've never felt like this. I've never wanted anyone more in my life. I love fucking you.” One more became two before pulling away slowly. Bella pushed me onto my back, rolling over finally so that she could kiss me. As we did, I massaged myself with my wet hand. I just wanted to relieve some of the tension. She slid hers over my stomach, watching me hungrily for a long moment. Carefully she moved to her knees beside me and began to kiss down my stomach lovingly. I stroked her hair, just enjoying watching her. Bella looked so happy to take me into her mouth. She hummed loudly, sending vibrations throughout my whole body. I pushed my hips up a little as I tried to control my breathing. “Do you really enjoy doing that?” “Oh, yes,” she breathed as she looked up at me, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear before licking me. Her fingers twisted around me, moving slowly. “I love it. It's…” Bella thought about how she wanted to answer me. “It's sort of an act of submission on both of our parts. We both have to trust each other to enjoy it fully.” She kept playing with me as she spoke. “What do you mean?” I quietly asked. Bella smiled and sucked on my head for just a moment before bringing her hand up to take advantage of the moisture left behind. “You could hurt me right now. Grab my head and ram it down my throat. Or do whatever you wanted to. I have to trust you not to. And obviously, you have to trust me not to use teeth.” To make a point, she very gently brushed hers along my head. I shuddered hard. “Use teeth a little,” I said a tiny voice. She moved her mouth down my shaft and dragged hers carefully up over my head. “Yeah, like that. I agree with your last statement, but lets asterisks that to add, I trust you to use your teeth properly,” my jackass mouth decided to joke. It had been a while since it had been in control, and my brain had gone somewhere else as she pleasured me still with her tiny hand. She pulled up and looked at me, laughing. “Okay, yeah. I like a little teeth, too.” “I know you do, baby,” I commented with a wildly confident smile, playing with her hair. I was in a great mood. “I know you do,” she purred back at me as she began to suck on me again, stroking as she did. “Last night,” Bella licked down my length then back up the top, “was without a doubt the best experience of my life. Your mouth is incredible.” Slowly, I moved my hand over her back and down the curve of her ass. “I love eating you,” I admitted as my fingers smoothed between her legs. She moved to give me better access, making me smile at her eagerness. “I'm going to do it again after I make you cum while you suck on my cock,” I promised, pushing my fingers inside her from behind. She slowly and sensually pleasured me with her hand, mouth, tongue, teeth, and lips as I fingered her again. After several minutes, I felt the promises of another. I sat up a little and began to work in earnest to push her over the edge. Bella moaned loudly around me, rocking on her knees. She pulled away and quickly came up to kiss me. I pushed her onto her back so that I could hover over her. We made out for several long delightful moments. “Edward, I’m not lying,” she whispered. “I don’t know if I have the words to tell you how much I enjoy being with you. Like this. In every way.” I whimpered at the sensation of her swirling hips, so she ground against me some more. My erection was pressed against her wet clit perfectly, and it felt so good. I rocked against her until tiny mewing sounds left her throat. When she came again, gentle and gradual, it coated me completely. I didn't even need to touch her with my hands or be inside of Bella to get her off. “You certainly get wet enough for me.” I grinned as I moved between her legs after we switched positions once more. Spreading them wide, I began to press light kisses onto her tender flesh. As soon as my tongue touched her, her thighs began to shake. “Do you like what I do to you?” “Yes.” She ran both of her hands through my hair, holding me in place. “Oh, fuck… Yes.” I'm not sure how many times I got her off altogether, but it was amazing. We had sex that went on for literal hours. After our second bought in a row, I fell asleep with her head on my shoulder and her thigh over mine. After our short nap, we took a lovely shower. We talked about her tattoos for a little while, and Bella told me some of their stories. When I asked if she would pick one out for me, she laughed like I was stupid. “No. I ain't picking anyone's tattoo out. But I'll go with you to get another one. I loved it. And I can hold your hand this time,” she promised in her cute thick accent. “We're going to have to make a list of videos we want to make when you come back. I'm sorry, I'm assuming you'll want to be in them again,” I swiftly added. I kept just thinking of her in my future by my side, doing everything with me. “I absolutely want to be in them with you. I think making a list would be a great idea,” she smiled up at me as she spoke. Then I remembered a video that we needed to make together for sure. I smirked to myself. “Have you figured what torturous video you're going to put me through for our bet?” She rolled her eyes and shook her head a little. “I was just messing with you.” “I figured, but I still dropped at the end. You must have had something in mind.” She turned her back to me and began to rinse her hands, then she glanced back at me. “I wanted to give a makeup tutorial...” “Oh! Really? That doesn't seem so bad.” That was perfect for Bella. She was so lovely, and her makeup was always on point. She patted my chest. “On you, sweetie. The makeup would be on you.” “Oh... Oh!” I was a dumbass. I should have seen it coming. After all, I had sisters. Bella putting it on me was going to be hilarious, though. “Dammit, that's a good idea for a video.” She laughed wickedly, smiling to herself. “All I'd need to do is to get you some foundation and some concealer because we're totally different skin tones.” “The party isn't until six,” I muttered, looking up as I thought. “So, if you want to run out and go get that, we can get some food and pick that up. If we have time, we can do the video before we go.” “Sure,” she said before pulling me down for a sweet, slow kiss. “It'll get you so many views, I promise.” “Goddammit, probably.” Frankly, getting to spank her and then jerk off on her twice was well worth whatever was about to happen to me. Hell, if she could find a dress big enough... I was not above drag for a laugh as a teenager. I had even shaved my legs more than once and worn stockings. But women’s thigh highs came up just over my knees. After a shopping trip and a quick lunch, we went back to the house. Bella got her supplies while I set up, pulling down the green screen. We sat behind the desk together, the makeup spread out in front of us. I was pouting the whole time. “You start it.” She smirked prettily. “Okay. You're just annoyed you didn't think of it first.” “I am!” I whined. She was right. It was right in front of me. I had bought her all of that makeup after all. “And now I have so many other stupid ideas with makeup,” I complained as I rubbed my hands roughly over my cheeks. “As always, you are an inspiration.” Makeup challenges. Makeup on Seth. Makeup on Tyler. Lauren, Tyler’s funny girlfriend, getting a crack at us. She did costume makeup regularly. Me trying to put on my own makeup. All of us idiots basically taking turns doing each other’s makeup terribly. Themed challenges. They could all go under my costumes playlist. I could probably milk fifty videos from it if I really tried. Hell, when I visited my sisters, I could let them have a go. Jasper, too. I could just imagine putting lipstick on with that goofy hipster mustache of his. She giggled. “Add it to the list.” “Yeah,” I sighed heavily. It was going to be a big list. “I will. Three, two, one...” She kind of rolled her eyes at my attitude, smiling a little to herself. “Hi, my name is Bella Swan, and this is Edward Cullen, and I'm going to give Eddie a whole new look today. And do you want to tell them why, babe?” She looked over at me slowly as her smile turned downright evil. She was just eating this up and having so much fun. It was so infectious, but I wanted to try to keep up our little game. “Insert me making a bet I couldn't possibly win here,” I deadpanned. “Aw, you could have won. You missed it by that much,” she stated as she leaned in, putting her fingers very close together. “But you didn't. So, I'm going to make you purdy, boy.” Damn, she was funny. Her accent was killing me. I pouted my lip out to keep from laughing. I had no idea how fantastic it was going to feel to have her give me this attention. She just didn't do my makeup. She washed my face and rubbed it with cold, sweet-smelling creams. All I could feel was her fingers. And then she started using little scissor around my eyes, which I could have done without, but she made my eyebrows look amazing. Like typically only makeup artists on sets made them look that good. She promised me that she would show me how to do it myself. I doubted I could, but it would be interesting to try. Every sponge and brush she used on me felt amazing. She was gently painting my face like an artist. When I looked in the mirror, I appeared ghostly pale next to her tanned arm. “I'm so white.” “Don't worry, I'm working on it,” she answered distractedly. “No, I meant just in general,” I joked lamely, earning a little smile. She giggled again softly. “Oh. So, I think I'm going to with purple tones for your eyes,” she explained. My girl was going to make me look like Ursula from The Little Mermaid in drag, I just knew it. “Going to make me look like I've got a black eye, eh?” I quipped stupidly. “I could do that,” Bella confidently stated. “I've done stage makeup a few times.” “No, make me pretty, darling,” I replied in a goofy high-pitched prissy voice as her eyes looked down into mine. “Yes, sir,” she whispered in return, taking our teasing in a whole new direction that I instantly liked. I bit my lip, having to distract myself from pulling her down into my lap to kiss her. My hands rebelled, going to her hips and waist so that I could at least feel her. She was smiling a little the entire time. The only part that I didn’t like was when she actually put big fake eyelashes on me. “Don't look again until I'm all done,” she said to me as she turned the mirror around. It made me more curious than ever. “Okay,” I murmured, trying not to laugh at how dumb I knew I must have looked, but I couldn't have possibly cared less. I just loved being touched by her. Bella was so close to me, her breasts in my face as she bent over me. We weren't talking, and all I could hear was her soft breaths. She had such gentle little fingers. “I was not prepared for how intimate this is. I’ve had makeup done before, but not like this,” I admitted. “Are you enjoying it?” “Very much so. I love how gentle you are with me.” I knew that I was a big man and could take the roughness, but I didn't always want that. She was so soft sometimes, but I also liked it when she was a little sharp. “Good. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. Because you look sexy as fuck. I mean, I'd do you. Don't put that in the video,” she said as she turned around and pointed at the camera funnily. “Maybe,” I joked with a smirk. “Maybe not.” She pointed at my nose. “No.” Then she took my chin roughly in her hand and pushed my lips open with her tiny thumb. It was so sudden and unexpected. And incredibly arousing. She leaned forward while still holding me in place and kissed me just once. Her intense eyes were focused on mine the entire time. Bella carefully and slowly ran the lipstick over my mouth. My girlfriend was so goddamn sexy when she was in control. God, I wanted her. “I'm going to be honest with you, I'm kind of mad at how much prettier in makeup you look compared to me,” she began very seriously, interrupting my thoughts. “Oh, do shut up. You are so full of piss. I probably look like a Disney villain. Gender-swap Ursula.” “Hardly.” She handed me the mirror. “Here you go.” Oh, shit. This is unexpected. “Whoa, I thought I was going to be more drag queen at a clown convention. I look legit. What the fuck?” I brought the mirror closer to my face to look at the work she had done. “I am fierce.” For all of Bella's seriousness, she finally lost it and dissolved into laughter. I raised my eyebrow at her. “I love it so much,” she gasped out. “I look like the butch sister got her makeover,” I jested though it was entirely accurate. I looked like Tanya on steroids. “Give the outro.” I looked at myself in the mirror again. “Okay, Narcissus,” she joked playfully. I stuck my tongue out at her. She giggled and turned to the camera. “If you enjoyed this video and want to see Eddie continue to get more in touch with his not so inner diva, please do all the buttons, bells, and whistles! Bye!” I stupidly blew a kiss to the camera. Jasper was going to love this video so much. He was going to laugh his ass off. I couldn't resist her a moment longer and pulled her onto my lap so that I could tickle her. When I was done, I began to take pictures with her so that I could send them to literally everyone. I looked great, and I wanted to show off the talented woman who did it. “Thank you. That will be a fun video to edit.” “I’m sure it will be,” she said with a happy smile. “I have to get ready now,” she informed me as she kissed my neck so as not to mess up my makeup. I caught a picture of her just as her lips puckered up right below my ear, her eyes closed with me smiling in my fantastic makeup. First, I sent several pictures to Jasper, of course, and then my sisters in the group chat. I also sent some to my grandparents, who enjoyed my dumbness. “Well, hello there, my foxy darling. Is there something you need to tell me?” Jasper sent back. “I made a dumb bet with Bella and lost, and this was what I had to do… for a video.” “She put makeup on you for a video? DO I GET TO SEE IT?!” “Yes, of course, you get to see it.” “Hahaha, that’s amazing. But seriously, though. She did great! You are sexy af, my friend.” “RIGHT?! I look hot.” I sent him a gif of a chubby toddler modeling a gaudy dress in the mirror. “Jasper says I'm sexy as fuck,” I said with a laugh to Bella as she straightened her hair by the vanity. She smirked a bit to herself, her eyes glancing up to mine in the mirror. “Well, he's not wrong. Let me know when you wanna take it off, and I'll help you.” I was going to tell her that I was half tempted to go just like that to the party, even if I didn't have a costume to go with the look, but my phone began to ring in my hand. It was my grandmother. “Hello, Nana!” I began happily. “Well, hello there, my very pretty darling,” my grandmother cooed at me humorously. “I do hope that it is for a costume. If not, I must say it's a very bold color for the daytime.” My grandmother was an amusing and charming woman. “No, not for Halloween. It was for a video. I lost a bet,” I cheerfully explained to her. I was even happier that I lost that stupid bet now. Best. Loss. Ever. “Oh, I see! Whoever did it, did a wonderful job. It's perfect,” she praised. “You look just like Tanya with a much sharper chin and short hair.” “Yes, she did very well. I think I look like a manly Tanya, too.” “Who is she?” She asked instantly. “Oh, her name is Bella.” My grandmother wasn’t going to give me a second to breathe. “Have I seen her before?” “She was on the video with me at the jump,” I confirmed quickly. “Oh! The photographer! Does she work for you?” Nana asked with interest. I chuckled to myself. “No, she doesn't work for me. She's my girlfriend, actually.” She actually gasped. “Anthony, darling! That’s so lovely! How very sweet! And she’s a photographer?” “Yes, and a photographer, too. Amazingly, she can do both at the same time,” I joked. “Well,” she laughed. “You of all people should understand my surprise, darling. You are a handful. Always have been! How does she have the time?” I laughed again. “Yes, I do realize handling me is a full-time job.” “It is! Oh, I miss you so much, my lovely darling. Can we talk using the video? I want to see your face.” “Okay… Hold on a sec.” I pulled my mobile away from my face. “My Nana would like to Facetime,” I explained to my girlfriend. I didn't want to surprise Bella with my grandmother's face. “Go for it,” she replied as she dusted her eyes with red. “There you are!” I said when my Nana popped up on the screen. I beamed at her. “Oh, look at you!” She laughed. “Let me see your eyes. Close them. My, look at that!” “I've never felt so sexy,” I quipped, and I heard Bella giggle from her seat. “What time is it there, dear? Are you doing anything for the holiday?” Nana questioned curiously. “It's almost five. We're going to a party at my mate's house. They're doing a potluck and passing out candy to the kiddies,” I gladly explained. I loved talking to her. “Is your girlfriend there?” She asked with a hopeful face. I knew that it was coming. So, I lowered the phone to include Bella’s in the frame. She already looked incredible in her own makeup. “Hello,” she started in a bright voice, her accent thick. “Nice to meet you. I'm putting on costume makeup right now. I normally look more... normal,” she explained. “Are you going to be a devil?” “Yes, ma'am,” she nodded. She had simply looked through Target until she got an idea. Bella had liked the dress, so she would wear it again later. She just bought the horns to go with it. “In a blue dress.” “It's lovely, dear! So bold and excitingly colored. What's your name again?” Nana asked as she leaned way too far into the shot so that all we could see was her big green eyes. Green eyes ran on both sides of the family. “Bella Swan, ma'am.” “Too close, Nana,” I finally told her when she never backed up. She was still trying to get a good look at my new girlfriend. She was going to tell my grandfather everything, and then call my sisters to find out what they knew about her. And then probably call my other grandmother to talk about it too. Everyone was going to know now. And I was okay with that. “I'm Elizabeth Everson, Edward's maternal grandmother. How long have you two been together?” She asked right away. “Just mid-October, Nana. Let's let her finish,” I suggested as I pulled the phone away. She could torture me with questions later. I decided to distract her. “How's Grandpa George?” I asked as I went into the bedroom to have a seat on the bed. “As wicked as ever. You know him.” “Of course. I miss him. How's Ireland? Having fun on the Emerald Isle?” “I love it here! You’d love it, too. I do hope that you’ll come to visit me soon. You can bring your new girlfriend along. She’s very lovely,” she whispered. “She’s not in here to hear you, Nana,” I said laughingly. “But she’s beyond lovely. Maybe one day. No promises. I do hope that she comes along for a visit, too. You’ll just love her.” “I’m sure, darling.” Bella came out of the bathroom with a big grin, her makeup was an amazingly fearsome red. The dress was tiny, clinging to her curvy body. Her red heels made her legs look phenomenal. “Look! I didn't realize it did it,” she declared with great pleasure as she ran a hand over her stomach. As she did, it left a bloody trail of shiny red sequins. “How perfect!” I laughed and showed my grandmother. Bella grinned as she showed off then quickly smoothed the sequins back into place. “Ten out of ten. Perfect costume, love.” “Very good, dear,” she joyfully agreed. Nana really did like it. I could tell by her voice. I smiled to myself. “Okay, Nana, she has to take my face off, so I can put my costume on. I'll talk to you later. I love you. Tell Grandpa George hello,” I told her when I realized the time. “I love you, too, my angel. Have a good time. Be careful,” she reminded me softly before the call ended. I felt lighter talking to her. My grandmother was always around when I was a child, and I missed her. Both of my grandmothers were very good to me. We spent a month with each of them, and then they would spend at least a month with us every year growing up. Bella removed my makeup, scrubbing my skin clean and pulling off the obnoxious eyelashes. I loved it when she touched me. It was so soothing, the few minutes of quiet. When she was done, I went to my closet to get changed into my own costume. I had been thinking about what I wanted to wear to the party since Tyler had asked us. I loved costumes and had a whole closet full of them. Maybe I could have been something stupid or funny, but I decided that I wanted to actually look good for Bella. She was wearing a sexy little cocktail dress after all. So, I decided to go as the classic James Bond. “I'm almost ready,” I informed her when I came back into the bedroom, where she was putting things into her tiny little purse beside her camera bag. She turned around to look at me, and her eyes got wide as her lips parted slightly. Her eyes raked over me hotly, settling finally on my face. My little girlfriend was checking me out hard, and she thought I looked good. I thought my ego was going to pop right then and there. “Mm… I'm-” she drew out, blinking several times before smiling in embarrassment, “Me too. I'm ready.” I had actually made her flushed and flustered. Holy shit. Clearing my throat, I considered just bending her over the bed despite the hours of fucking not long before. “So, I don’t suppose you’d be willing to fill in my eyebrows again? Maybe give me some Sean Connery brows?” She laughed. “Yeah. Sure. Go sit by the mirror so that I can actually reach them.” When I turned, I could actually feel her eyes on my ass. Pop. I sat in the chair by the vanity, and Bella came to stand in front of me. Whenever she would stop what she was doing and catch my gaze, I would make a face to make her giggle. I kept leaning forward to kiss her stomach, enjoying the sensation of just being so close to her. Every moment of the day, so far, had been beyond perfect. I don’t think that I could have been any happier.  Episode Twenty-two: ConfidenceWarning: this episode contains graphic sexual descriptions. Reader discretion is advised. Intended for a mature audience only. (18+)“Oi! That's not fair!” I snapped automatically like a sour child as I stomped over to the computer that Bella was sitting in front of. She had left the game and was on the screen that was showing her the loot that she just won. I had never seen anyone win their very first match, and I was both happy that I captured it so that I could post it at some point and annoyed that I would end up forcing myself to watch my own stupidity over and over again. I wondered what terrible thing she would make me do. “I did say both of us had to be alive at the end,” Bella said in dry amusement. She was right, of course. But that wasn't what she meant, and she knew it. We both knew it. I continued to pout. “But you were talking about yourself.” She smiled to herself wickedly. “Yes. You were more interested in finding out about your possible kinky reward than thinking about the fine print.” I felt like such a jackass. I was just praising myself like an asshole for my attention to detail. And the most obvious thing that I ignored bit me right in the ass. “I...” I began but didn’t know what to say. “Maybe, but I carried you for most of the game. I protected you,” I began to defend myself like it made a difference. My brand-new girlfriend found a chance to fuck with me and happily ran with it. "Hm. Yeah. True. But I was never knocked out, and you had to be revived at the beginning. And I killed that person on my own with a crappy pistol." Bella was annoyingly smarter than me. I had forgotten my near-death at the beginning, bruising my ego further. “But I deleted so many people!” I whined. “You sure did, baby. But the most kills don't win the game, right? It's the last man standing like you said,” she mused. I felt like a moron, and it pissed me off. Not at her, of course. She was openly playing me, and I allowed myself to act foolishly for her entertainment. Jasper was right, she was going to be able to get whatever she wanted out of me but mainly because I was a gullible twit who was thinking with his penis. She was a much better gamer than I expected her to be, though. Bella wasn't perfect, but she was quickly improving. It would make a great video to work on… in a couple of weeks when I wasn't sour about her prowess over me. “God, I really do wish that I could give you a smack on the bum,” I remarked playfully as I wound my hand around her ponytail and gave it a sharp tug. She never looked away from me as I did, a little smirk on her face as she appraised me. "Do you think I was joking when I made the offer?" She asked as she finally turned the chair to face me. It was just the right height to bring her exactly to mouth level with my crotch. Bella leaned forward, holding my gaze, and smoothed her nose down the front of my jeans while she ran a finger up the back of my thigh. I swallowed hard, becoming instantly aroused as I watched her. I had always enjoyed spanking. BDSM, on the whole, was fascinating to me. I had always wanted to explore more of it, both sides of being dominated and submitting, but I wasn’t sure if there was anyone that I would ever feel comfortable doing that with. Vicky and I had played at mild bondage, like most couples who had been together for a little while, but it wasn’t anything too wild. I wasn’t sure what Bella was into. We hadn’t discussed it much, though she seemed to love all the things that I was doing with her. I wasn’t sure that I was confident enough, but I wanted to try. I wanted to attempt everything with Bella. "Would you like it if I were rough with you?" I asked as I moved my thumb over her lips. She drew it into her mouth and began to suckle on it softly. My breath caught in my throat as she licked her tongue over the tip. Pulling it from her lips, I traced them before moving over her chin until I held her tiny neck in my large hands. I knew as I squeezed that I could easily snap her neck. She trusted me completely. "I don't want to hurt you." “I don't think you're capable of that,” she answered without a doubt. "I don't think that's true," I replied as I squeezed to make a point. I moved my thumb over her lips lightly once again. Her eyes grew mischievous, and she bit me, drawing her teeth over my thumb hard. I hissed in pleasure. When I grabbed her chin so that she couldn't again, Bella smiled triumphantly. “I want to feel your hands on my skin long after I'm gone. I want to see your marks all over my body,” she said in a voice that dripped sex and wanting. The idea of marking her as mine for weeks to come was too tempting. Well, if she wanted me to be a caveman… I picked her up easily and threw her over my shoulder. Bella let out a playful squeal before it dissolved into a happy giggle. I could tell this was going to be so much fun. I smacked her exposed cheek, her dress catching under her stomach. She was wearing the pink lace panties that I had picked out again. And I knew that she was wearing them for me. Her ass looked so good that I couldn’t resist biting it. It was so perfectly soft and round. She kind of laughed until my teeth sunk in, changing into a gasp in her throat. Once again, I spanked her, my palm connecting harder with her skin this time. She moaned softly, her fingers twisting into my shirt as she held onto me. “Is that what you would like, my darling?” "Harder," Bella urged softly. I did, earning a soft gasp. "Harder," she begged. I did as she asked, making her moan in pleasure. It was harder than I would have expected her to like. "Yes… Please.” I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I went to my couch and carefully arranged her so that she was over my knees, her ass high in the air as I pushed her dress away. She was giving me full access to play with her, and I was going to take full advantage of that. I touched and massaged every inch of her ass and thighs, squeezing the softness. Every strike made my fingers tingle, leaving red marks in my wake. I was enjoying it far too much. I allowed myself to go farther and farther, her moans spurring me on. Slowly running my hand up her smooth back before I grabbed a handful of her hair so that I could watch her expression, I let myself get completely into our play. "Your skin is turning red..." I breathed as I looked at all the quickly fading marks that I was putting on her skin, my eyes raking over the fabric of her very wet panties. "Shall I stop?" I asked teasingly, hoping that she would allow me to continue as I pulled the lace over the curve of her ass. I had the irresistible urge to kiss it. "No," she insisted instantly as I pecked there. I smiled to myself as I sat up and slapped where I had just lovingly kissed her cheek. She whimpered into the couch. “Mmm… yes!” She moaned so loudly at my rough touch, squirming and bucking up towards every strike. I wondered if she could feel my painful erection rubbing against her stomach and breasts. I would very much like to do this again with her with nothing in between. I would have cum simply from the friction. Then I removed her pretty pink panties, finding new places to spank and touch. Finally, I couldn’t resist her wetness anymore. “You are so delicious. Fuck, I love how that feels,” I moaned as I pushed a finger inside of her. She was beyond wet, and she responded immediately. I added another, making her groan loudly into the cushions, twisting and pushing in and out of her quickly. I wasn't sure how she was enjoying herself as much as I was, but clearly, Bella did. I wondered if she could get herself off like this, laying on top of me as she was with my fingers inside of her from behind. “I want you to play with yourself,” I stated as I pulled her hair back. She wantonly moaned, her eyes sliding closed as she pushed her hand underneath her body and the fabric of her dress bunched under her. “Please, please, please,” she begged between moans, her body getting tight very quickly as she came on my fingers. She twisted away automatically when she finished, it was so intense. Bella moved quickly to sit back on the couch on her knees so that she could help me free my aching cock. She made a hungry sort of sound as she took me into her mouth. My head fell back against the couch, trying my hardest not to grab the back of her head and fuck her roughly like I wanted to. But what she was doing to me was so much better, though. Bella used her teeth and tongue, playing with the tip aggressively. “Oh, God.” The words echoed in my ears. I needed to distract myself, or I would finish way too soon. So I started to focus on her ass again. I began squeezing and massaging before dipping back between her legs. She was incredibly wet, and it was so easy to slide in just the right way. Bella moaned, humming around me. She came again violently and it gushing around my hand after just a few moments of playing with her. There was so much of it. It dripped down her legs to her knees and soaked her dress. Holy fuck. I fucking loved it. I pulled her up by the hair before I knew what I was doing and roughly brought her into a kiss. I needed her mouth on mine. Her fingers clung to my shoulders. Picking her up, I had her straddle my lap as we continued to kiss. When I began to peck along her neck, she reached between us and took me in her tiny hand so that she could jerk me off. Her skin was soft and warm as well as wet from playing with herself. I bit down on her bare shoulder as feral noises rumbled from my chest. All I could do for the moment was hold onto her, tightening my grip. Then she began to rub my cock against her clit, jerking me against her wetness. Bella’s eyes closed, and her mouth formed an O as she used me to pleasure herself. It was gorgeous. She was barely able to keep herself upright, her skin hot pink and dotted with sweat. I slid my hand around her fingers, taking over so that I could go as fast I wanted to against her lips. She pushed her face into my neck, kissing and nipping as she cried out my name in my ear. Bella’s head fell back, her dress still bunched up around her hips as I savagely masturbated against her. Once again, I felt her hard orgasm dripping down on us both, driving me to my own. She quickly grabbed my face, pulling me into a desperate kiss. I couldn't stop touching her, my hands finding her ass. I was still savagely horny, my desire not satisfied. “Goddamn. You turn me on more than any woman I've ever met. I want to make you cum again. I love it so much. I want to bury my face between your legs and see how many more times I can get you off with my mouth,” I confessed as I wound my fingers into her hair. She moaned her approval of the idea. I rearranged us on the couch so that I was on top of her as we continued to kiss. Pushing her hands above her head, she smiled against my mouth as her hips pushed up towards mine. I was desperate to taste her like this, hot, wet, and literally dripping with both of our cum. I moaned as soon as my tongue touched her. It turned me on so much. I wanted every single drop of her, of us, mixed together. Every inch of her was explored and probed, licked, kissed, and touched. Finally, I pushed my fingers inside of her, hoping to feel her orgasm again. "Fuck," she whispered as her first hit her, her fingers in my hair as she writhed. "Oh," she sort of laughed as her back arched up, squeezing tightly around her fingers. It was gentle, and I nursed it slowly until she relaxed back on the couch. I knew that she could handle more, though. "Edward," she shuddered as my name fell from her lips with her second. I was less delicate this time, moving faster as I sucked on her clit until she was bucking up off the sofa and screaming my name. I felt so lost in what I was doing what that I lost count of how many times she came around me. Then she tried to twist away. I don't know what kind of confidence came over me, but I lifted up and pulled her back into place with my hand on the back of her neck. "No. One more," I demanded against her mouth, rubbing my now recovered erection against her very sensitive and wet clit again. I would have fucked her hard, but we didn't have any condoms, and I wasn't going to stop to go into the bedroom. We were both squirming and calling out each other's names as we both came again. I felt her give me what I wanted freely as if her body would do whatever I wanted. Afterward, I suddenly felt frail. My arms gave out as I buried my face in Bella's neck. I could have stayed like that forever. Well, that was incredibly erotic and fun. I lifted up to look at her face, smiling a little as I lightly kissed her lips. “I might have ruined your couch,” she joked, after a few minutes of our wonderful cuddling. “I doubt it but worth it,” I smiled to myself. “Remind me to just hide condoms all over the house, so I can fuck you in every room.” "Yes, sir," she said as she playfully high-fived me. I laughed a little as I brought her closer to my body. I felt so good. Literally, I was on cloud nine. She began playfully in a sweet tone. "Quick question, did you take a class or were you a lesbian in a past life? Because damn. I don't think a man has ever done those things to me." “Oh. Um,” I kind of laughed nervously. “I uh… really? It's okay? I'm doing well?” What I was doing was more for me than her, selfishly. I needed her taste on my tongue. She lifted up and made a little face like I was being almost stupid. “How many times did I cum?” “I don't know, to be honest,” I admitted. “Neither do I. I lost count. That's the point.” I couldn't help but smile at her words. I loved what she did for my confidence levels. Bella leaned in slowly and lightly kissed me before resting her forehead against mine. I would have been happy to stay there for the rest of forever with my scorching hot girlfriend in my junk-crammed office on my comfortable overstuffed couch. “I'm really sticky,” she breathed, glancing over at me with wide eyes. I might have been happy to lay in my own spunk, but, of course, she was not. She must have felt slimy all over. I know that I did. I sat up quickly. "Oh. Right. Why don't we take a bath?" I had never once used my bathtub before. I wasn't against them, I just usually felt awkward in them. But I wanted to with her. I liked watching the bubbles slip down her skin. She lounged on me in the water, her little foot brushing against my calf. "So, I'm not working any Wednesday already, but I've decided to take Thursday off as well. I have to work on Friday, but I already arranged it so that I don't have to go in until after your flight," I let her know. I could film myself eating dumb shit and hurting myself after she left. There wasn’t a need to hide in front of the camera anymore. She looked back at me over her shoulder. “I don't mind that you work. I understand.” "But I'm always working, and I want to spend the last two days with you before you leave. I'm already dreading it. So, I want to spend every possible second with you. I'll never get my fill, but I'm going to have to try." "I am too," she admitted, looking away from me. "But it might be a good thing. We're moving so fast, and we need to go back to our normal lives to see if we can make it work outside of this weird little bubble that we've created. We've been together two weeks solid now, we need time to process our feelings on our own." "I don't think you have to leave for that." If she needed space, I could get her an apartment in LA. She didn't need to leave the state. “It's not for forever. You'll hopefully be able to stay for a few days at Thanksgiving.” It seemed so far away, and I already missed her, even if she was still sitting nude in my lap. “What about after that?” “I think we need to get closer to Thanksgiving to figure that out. We don't exactly know your work schedule,” she answered very practically. Annoyingly so. I sighed a little. “I suppose you're right. I'll be filming for a week in December, mid-month. I know that at least. I've got a small part I'm shooting for.” “What will you be filming?” She asked curiously. “It's a tech drama. I'm not sure it has a title yet. I'm not the lead, obviously. I'm the bad guy's number one henchman,” I joked. I wasn’t actually sure what my name was. They weren’t going to be giving me my lines until I got on set. Everything was real hush-hush. “Most of that shooting will be several fight scenes. I've got some training for it next month in November. I've never done anything like it before.” “That sounds like fun, though,” she sweetly stated. “Who is the lead?” “Matt Damon. I get to film with him four of the days. Oscar Isaac is the bad guy boss that I work for. Jodie Foster is in it, too. I have a scene with her too where I kill her. But it's quick. I just basically shoot her in the head after a witty one-liner,” I explained, freaking out inside. I sure hoped that it was witty. Honestly, I was telling her things that I shouldn’t have, but she wouldn’t tell anyone. I had never worked with such big stars before. All of them were amazing actors and in a different league than me. I felt so out of place and wasn’t sure if I would be able to pull it off. “That seems so exciting,” Bella breathed as she pressed her soft lips to my cheek. “So many good actors.” She was referring to me as one of those good actors. I didn’t believe that for a second. “I never expected to be a real actor. I just wanted to do voices,” I admitted. Bella looked back at me, her eyes were worried. “You don't have to do things you don't like, Eddie.” She had a point, but I wanted to branch out, though. Actually, I did enjoy acting. I just hated the other stuff that came with it. I leaned my head back, thinking of how I wanted to answer her. “I don't dislike it. I don't know. It's complicated. I feel like a fraud. And I hate feeling like meat. And I hate being with the press. With a few exceptions.” I moved my hand so that the bubbles dripped over her skin. She shook her head at my words. "You're not a fraud. You worked very hard, and you are a very talented entertainer." I lifted up so that I could look at her. She truly meant it. I leaned in and kissed her cheek, pressing my nose against it for a long moment before I brought my chin to her shoulder. I wondered if Bella knew what she was doing for me. How she was making me feel. “You make me feel so confident. I think you could encourage me to do anything. I need you to be around all the time to just be my personal cheerleader.” “It's just because you're all euphoric from the new romance chemicals in your brain,” she quipped. “Are you not?” I asked anxiously. Was I the only one falling? I knew that I was in love with her, but the way she looked at me… I felt like she was too, but I wasn’t sure. I hoped. “I didn't say that I wasn't, I just know what it is. I understand, though. What it's like to have someone be unconditionally supportive and encouraging. Alice is my cheerleader, to use your word. I hope I can continue to be yours,” she said soothingly. They were the perfect words. I kissed her ear lightly. I was so glad that one of us knew what they were doing. “I think I'm going to like her. And I adore you.” I love you. She kissed my knuckles, much like she had the day of the jump, and tugged my hand around her waist as she snuggled in closer to me. Bella tilted her head up to smile at me a little. "Yeah, I like you, too. You're kinda cute," she remarked teasingly, lightly. She wiggled her ass on my lap, making me chuckle. She smoothed her fingers over my cheek. "I really do, Edward." I spent the following day doing the most boring voice-overs for ads. I was doing a whole series of commercials for Lays for Super Bowl ads. It was crazy repetitive, but I was making a shit load of money. It did go on much longer than I would have liked it too, though. Bella said that she had dinner half-started and waiting for me when I texted her. I sent Jasper a message asking about his day before I began to drive. He sent a message but got sent an automatic text that I couldn’t answer. So, he called. I put it over the speaker. "Hello, darling," he chirped. “What are you doing?” “Taking a lunch break. What about you?” “Just got out of the box. Heading home now. How are you doing?” “Good. Tired. Working too much. The regular. Dad came by last night,” he sighed heavily. “You know how that is.” “Tell me you didn’t give him more money,” I complained. He didn’t answer. “It’s not helping him, Jasper.” “Alright, but would you say no to your mum if she asked you for some cash?” "My mum would rather eat her Prada handbag than ask for a handout, but I know what you mean. It's just not fair to you. I hate it so goddamn much. Do you need any help with anything?" He had already gone into debt for the man, and it made me furious. “Tony, don’t.” I began right away, ignoring him, “I’m serious. Say the word, and-” “Stop it!” He growled. “I’d rather eat your mother’s purse too than take your handout.” "Then come work for it," I whined. I hated having this stupid fight over and over again. I wasn't going to give up, and we both knew that. We had it the six months leading to my moving, and we were going to have it until I got my way. "Oh, stuff it. That isn't working," he grunted. I stopped at a red light, staring at the display with Jasper's name written across it on my dashboard. I wanted to reach through it as smack him. That was the fucking point. It was work that was fun, so it didn't feel like it. I flipped off the screen with both fingers until the light turned green. “Fine! Just fucking ask for help if you need it. Okay? Don’t be proud. You’re not your dad if you ask for help.” He sighed. “I don’t need your therapist routine right now, Tony.” “It’s because I care about you,” I sighed in return. “You know that, right?” “I know. I do. It’s nice. Just don’t. Okay?” “You could consider it a loan,” I offered instead, trying it from a different angle. “Stop,” he laughed. “Why are you so relentless?” "It's how I get what I want. And I want you. Here. With me." There was a long pause. "It would be so much fun. Fucking come on!" “Oh, I have no doubt,” he said under his breath. “I need to get back to work. Are you home yet?” I wanted to pout and flip him off again, but I was in the middle of driving. "Almost." “Still in love?” He asked to distract me. He didn’t want to go back to work, just get me to stop bugging him. I laughed, giving in to him a little. I didn’t want to stop talking either. “Yeah. I am. This girl makes me feel like Superman. She’s everything that you could want in a person.” “God, you’re such a sap now. I hope that I find someone who can turn me into such an idiot,” he teased. "You're always an idiot around me, so…" I trailed off jokingly. He laughed quietly. "Wait! Do you love me, darling?" I said in a baby voice. “No,” he snapped before abruptly hanging up on me. “Send a text message to Jasper,” I commanded my phone as I continued to drive. “Your mustache is stupid. Send.” I chuckled to myself. When I got to the house, I had a picture waiting for me of an extreme close up of his face, in the sunshine with his sunglasses. He was flipping me off in the photo, his finger reflected in his shades twice. It was almost artistic. He always had a good eye. The house smelled amazing when I got in. Bella had made fresh pita bread and hummus for Tyler and Lauren’s party. She told me about her day while we drank, and she cooked. She put the meal together very quickly, making me some delicious steak fajitas for dinner. Listening to her talk just seem to suck all my stress away. I wanted to get lost in her words as she told me about the art that she obviously loved. “Bella, I'm already so spoiled to your cooking,” I admitted to her after finished eating. We were sitting outside again, her leaning into my side on the loveseat beside me. I pressed my face into her hair, breathing her in deeply. She smelled like bread from all of her baking. “How am I supposed to go back to take out now?” "Good! Good! It's all part of the plan," she taunted playfully. I laughed a little. She was joking, but I couldn't help but think about our future. “Mm, make him too fat to get away?” I asked in a mischievous voice. "Yessss," she said wickedly as she moved her hand over my stomach. "Exactly." Bella was showing out for me. I loved it. I could do it too. "Yay, fat!" I decided to be an idiot for her and clap. She smirked. "I look forward to my epic dad bod, darling," I stated very sarcastically. She was never going to meet chubby Tony. No way. No how. Over my lean dead body. “Hm, how long do you think it'll take? Nine months? Talk about food babies,” she remarked as she poked me. “Six. I'm an overachiever.” I rubbed my stomach to make a point. She giggled at my stupidity. “I don't think it will be that quick. Maybe after six months of living together straight.” The idea of living with Bella sounded terrific. We already were, sort of. But was there a future where we were going to be living with each other? Was she already thinking of that too? I wondered if that was something she would want. I breathed her scent in again, closing my eyes as I pushed my face into her beautiful thick curly hair. “I like the sound of that.” “Too soon,” she answered as she patted my thigh tenderly. She was right, of course. “I know, I just like how it sounds,” I said as I pulled back to look at her. Her eyes were so lovely, looking up into mine. I couldn’t resist her lips a moment longer, kissing her with all my hope and desire for whatever future we were going to have together.  Episode Twenty-one: PlayedI couldn't relax, so I made the excuse of work, my mind swirling with anxiety. I tried to force it out of my mind, keeping myself busy with the happiness that I saw on the screen. Bella worked on the couch quietly, letting me have the time that I needed without a single complaint. I worked too late, getting lost in my thoughts. When we got into bed, Bella soothingly ran her fingers through my hair as if I was the one that needed to be comforted. What did I have to be comforted over? She had gone through a thousand terrible things in her life, and she acted as if it was nothing. I had suffered no great tragedy, and sometimes I found it hard to leave the house or talk to people because of my anxiety. All I wanted to do was make her life better. I wanted to take away her pain. Someone should have been taking better care of her! She was too precious to have such awful things happen to her. Why did they have to happen to her? I wanted to take care of her. I had to. “It makes me very upset that so much has happened to you,” I blurted out. “So much happens to everyone,” she answered calmly. “I'm fine. I'm worried I have too much baggage for you, to be honest, though. I didn’t mean to throw that out there tonight. I didn’t mean to overshare.” “It's not your fault. None of that is your fault,” I answered quickly. None of those things should have happened to her. “I didn't say it was,” Bella replied in an even tone. “Doesn’t mean I want to throw it out there.” Why was she worried about that? I wanted to know everything that had happened to her in life. "Is it normal to be this angry at someone you don't even know?" I hid my face in her hair. I needed its calming effects. "Someone I didn't even know existed until hours before?" She kept stroking my hair, her fingers moving along my ear and down the side of my neck very lightly. It was so gentle. “Hm, it's not that unusual. You don't need to be angry for my sake, though. I can do that very well all on my own.” “I want to protect you,” I told her honestly. She smiled slightly. “That's sweet. And I'm sure you are very capable of protecting me from certain things. But you can't protect anyone constantly against everything, though.” She was right. I sighed as I traced her arm. "I know. You seem delicate, but you're not at all, Bella. I was mugged once, and I just cried instantly and handed over my wallet. To be fair, I was sloshed and like nineteen," I overshared. “Oh, no,” she giggled. “He didn't even threaten me. 'Oi, mate, I'll be needing your wallet.' Said 'cheers' and ran off. He gave my phone back because it was shit, too. It was downright depressing,” I shared the shameful memory. She laughed again, placing her hand on her heart as she did. “No way.” "I had a hand-me-down cell from my sister at the time. It was one of those flippy types. Real thin and fucking hot pink. I was terrible with phones, so I got what I got. The screen was cracked. This was when I was still living off my parents pretty much. I called my mum sobbing and still drunk. ‘Mum, he didn’t want my phone!’” That night was the last time that my mother had ever slapped me. She was furious at me for waiting for a taxi in front of a pub and getting mugged. She got one good crack in before I finally stood up to her. I never asked my parents for help after that. It was bloody fucking terrible. “I bet that was a fun night,” she teased. “Talk about a hangover. Damn,” I laughed humorlessly at the memory of the pain. I actually slept on my bathroom floor that evening. Irina helped nurse me back to health. The fallout of that night lasted weeks. She laid her head on my shoulder as I brought my arm around her. “I don't know how much protection I can be, but I would shank someone for you. If I had to,” she replied. “Aw, how romantic,” I teased her back with a chuckle. “Do you not believe me?” She asked as her hand smoothed over my stomach lightly. "No, I do. You're kind of scary," I smirked. She giggled wickedly before giving me a kiss. She rolled herself around and wiggled her ass until I spooned her back. It was the perfect way to get to sleep, but it wasn't enough by any stretch. I almost fell asleep during the watch shoot, standing up. I downed so much coffee to be perky for filming the shopping for kitchen supplies. Bella was very hesitant about what to buy. I had to encourage her at every pass. She didn't like it when we checked out. I held her tightly to my side, all of us teasing her about her discomfort. She obviously hammed it up a little, but the way her fingers curled around my shirt was real. I could feel her anxiety in my body. It took two trips. We stopped at the house to drop off our goods and to have leftover chicken for lunch. It was delicious, and the conversation was far more cheerful than the day before. After, we went to Target for the rest of the supplies. It took ages to get everything inside. We were both tired from not getting enough sleep the night before. “Pizza?” I offered as I came to stand behind her when we were finally done, my chin on her shoulder. “I know a couple of good places.” “Mm, what kind of crust?” Bella asked as she pressed against me, pulling both of my arms around her. “What would you prefer?” “I love all kinds of pizza, to be honest. But my favorite would be New York style, then hand-tossed, Chicago style, regular pan, and crispy. I just like cheese and bread,” she giggled. “A girl after my own heart,” I commented as I nibbled on her ear very gently. My girl hummed, tilting her head to the side to give me better access. “What is your very favorite pizza?” "My very favorite is a New York-Style with triple pepperoni and extra cheese. But I'm not picky about toppings. I like any meat and anything but bell peppers. I don't like olives either, but I can just pick those off." “I don’t like bell peppers on pizza either,” I agreed quietly. “I like all the meat too. No onions or bell peppers. I don’t care about olives either. I do like mushrooms, though. And pineapple.” “I like pineapple with ham and pepperoni on a New York-style crust,” she said as she bit her bottom lip. “With extra cheese. Actually, I’ve added mushroom to that before.” "Okay, so I'll look up best New York-style crusts, and we'll get a triple pepperoni with extra cheese, and a pepperoni, ham, pineapple, mushroom, with extra cheese. Anything else?" “Lots of red pepper.” “Mm, yeah. I have noticed that you might like spicy stuff,” I joked. She giggled again, twisting in my arms. “How is that spicy honey?” "I like it. It's a nice combination with the cheese and pepperoni. I like trying new and weird pizzas, and I had it in Brooklyn at a hipster place. I keep meaning to pick some up to try at home on other stuff, but it's expensive, and I don't want to waste it on Alice. She's an uncultured swine." I chuckled. “What’s the last interesting pizza you ate?” "Mm. I had a chicken caesar salad pizza, and when I ordered it, I thought it was going to be maybe a caesar dressing sauce with chicken. But no, it was a hot pepperoni pizza with a cold crisp chicken caesar salad on top. And it was shockingly delicious, to the point that when I have frozen pizza at home now, I almost always put a salad on it." "You live in the pizza capital of the world, and you're making frozen pizza?" "Oh, I have a special cooking stone in my oven that gives them a nice crust, and we put extra cheese and stuff on it. We eat it at least once a month," she said, smirking up at me. "Frozen pizza is easy to make nice at two in the morning, and it's lazy." “Do I have this special cooking stone now to make the better frozen pizza?” I asked curiously. She nodded, resting her chin on my chest as she smirked a little. “You could make a video where you improve store-bought stuff,” Bella commented thoughtfully. “Pizza is an easy one.” “You’ll have to show me.” She rolled her eyes at my answer. “Hey, I am only good at ordering it.” “I believe you,” she purred before kissing me. “Now go look those places up. I’m hungry.” We sat outside on the loveseat, Bella between my legs, while we smoked and waited for our dinner. She lounged against me, one of my arms around her waist. I couldn't get close enough. When we made love that night, she whimpered my name, begging for me to take her as her nails dug deep into my shoulders. The next day, I finally had to do real work that I was getting paid to do, and Bella couldn't help me with most of it. She didn't seem to mind, though. I tried to hurry through everything, but it took forever. I filmed like six videos worth of content during that time. When I came out of my office, I realized that I wasn't the only one that had been working. Bella had unboxed everything and cleaned it before putting it away neatly. My kitchen looked amazing. It was packed with the stuff that it deserved to be filled with. It was too nice to be wasted on my takeout addiction. “Wow. Would you look at that? You did that in what... Three hours?” I looked at my watch. “I don't even know what most of it does!” “I can show you,” she replied with a smile. We wouldn’t have time this visit and next time, I was going to her. But she was thinking about the future, just like I was. I knew she wanted to be with me and really did want to show me. "I'm looking forward to it," I breathed before I pulled her into a kiss, my hands on her soft cheeks. When I broke away, I brushed my nose against hers. "Thank you." “You're welcome. I enjoyed doing it for you,” she answered in an airy voice. “Surely not the cleaning part. Or the part where I paid,” I chuckled. She pressed herself into me, a grin spread across her lips still. “I meant the shopping, but the cleaning wasn't bad. I listened to a podcast.” “Oh, what about?” I asked curiously. “True crime comedy.” “How is that possible?” Bella looked a little embarrassed. “It's a thing. It's weird. It's hard to explain. I listen to a few of them. It's basically comedians talking about true crime. It's so niche it hurts.” “Maybe I'll have a listen someday,” I said as I pushed some of her hair away from her face. “It's good for things like road trips when you don't want to fall asleep,” she jokingly explained. “I'm listening to a five-part series on Jack the Ripper right now.” “Oh well, lots of people like Jack the Ripper stories. Wasn't he the Queen's doctor or something?” I said as I went to the fridge to get something to drink. Bella looked at me like I was stupid. “No,” she laughed. “That's a dumb rumor. One of many. It probably wasn't a single person but a couple of people, most likely local because people kill where they live for some stupid reason. Or the neighborhood over. The area was filled with butchers with the ability to do what he did. A Queen's doctor wouldn't go to the worst neighborhood to kill. He could kill the finest quality sex workers if he so pleased. He was rich as fuck after all.” I had a feeling that I was very soundly corrected, but at least she did it funnily. I laughed a little. "I guess you're right. I don't know a lot about crime. My mum is a retired criminal judge, so I think she tried to keep that away from us kids growing up." She nodded thoughtfully. “Also, Australia has less of it. Only a few big things, really. I remember seeing all of this terrible stuff all the time on the World News because my grandma watched it every single day.” “No wonder you like true crime.” “No,” she laughed again as a wistful look came across her face. “I like true crime because she recorded every single Forty-Eight Hours, Law and Order, 20/20, and Unsolved Mysteries and watched them over and over again on VHS. I remember laying on the floor, watching the big wooden television set behind my grandma's recliner, in a corner. My little fort. Watch for hours on rainy Saturday afternoons. Or after mass on Sunday. Then we'd play dominoes and make dinner together.” “That sounds nice, actually. The dinner and dominoes part. But a wooden television?” I couldn’t envision what she was talking about. She flushed, looking embarrassed by my question. “You've never seen a TV from the eighties in the big wooden box with the black chunky knobs that clunked every time you tried to turn to one of maybe ten channels?” Oh, like a really old television… Of course. Sometimes, I was a bit dim. I decided to quickly change the subject back to the original reason that I had come out to discuss with her before I got distracted. I had finished my work, and I could have some fun. “Oh, I guess. I just didn't think about it like that. I was thinking-” I shook my head quickly. “Nevermind, I'm an idiot. Anyway, I came in here to see if you want to come to play with me.” She considered me for just a second as her face got somewhat serious. “I'm not that easy. I do need a little more foreplay than that.” I had to suck in my giggles. If she could be funny, so could I. I slapped her ass hard, making it jiggle with my face blank as well. She nodded her head, still being sober. “That seems fair.” I finally broke and laughed. “Do you want to come to play video games with me for a capture?” “What are you doing exactly?” “I'm going into the playground mode of the game I'm trying to make a sponsored video for and doing dumb shit for said video. It's for the battleground mode release for Mega-Annum. I’m making a few videos for it,” I explained in a quick rush that obviously went over her head. I expected her to tell me ‘no’. “I've never played before,” she stated instead. “That's okay. We're going to be in playground mode like I said, and you can learn to do the controls while I piss about,” I said hopefully. “I don't think my laptop could handle the game. It's a few years old.” I had indeed seen her scuffed up little computer and was prepared for that. My backup desktop was only a year and a half old and was still amazing. The only reason that I upgraded was that a sponsor gave it to me for free. “I set my other computer up for you already.” She shrugged. “Sure, I guess. I'm not very good at video games, even if I like them. Especially shooters. And I don't know if I've ever played one like this on a computer. Just consoles.” "Don't worry about it," I told her with a smile as I led her back into my office where everything was waiting for us. "I upgraded right after I moved here, but I still have my other as a backup." Bella sat down slowly in the chair. I gave her a set of gaming headphones, and she put them on carefully. They looked huge on her. It was too fucking cute. “So, what is the goal of this game exactly?” “The main part of the game is a battle royale, ninety-nine against one. Last man standing wins. You gather clothes, materials, medicines, weapons, or whatever to help you survive as long as possible. There is a barrier that pushes in to bring the players closer together until it closes completely. People behind the barrier die. You don't need to worry about that though because it's just going to be you and me and you can't permanently kill me because there are respawns in this mode,” I babbled excitedly. I was just happy that she had agreed to play with me. “How do I move?” I swiftly showed her the buttons, and she copied my movements. I could smell her lovely scent in my nose as I did. “But they have the key above each item if you forget and if you want to change anything, I can in the menu.” “I'll try it like this first,” she answered almost nervously. My girl played around while I actually built a board game for us to play. She destroyed everything on the map, making it very easy to get materials and find a clear space to work. “Okay, so, the game I want to do is the first to get three matching guns in the same color wins. Everyone starts with full health. Some tiles have meds while others offer death,” I explained in a stupid voice. Bella rolled her eyes but scrunched up her nose. For as timid as she seemed at the beginning, she wasn't once we got started. She would talk back and shoot at me. Several times, she caught me off guard. It was hilarious to see her expression as she ‘killed me' so that I had to come floating down from the sky with my parachute. She won the first and third rounds of my made-up game. It was simply luck. I was having a blast just watching her laugh, even if I pretended to be annoyed. Everything Bella did was perfect for the capture that I needed for the sponsored video. I had to do a bunch for them, but this was by far the most fun. When we were done, she came to sit on my lap. My tiny girlfriend looked at all the junk that I had won or bought for the game. Bella smirked to herself as she glanced through. I decided to entertain myself by kissing her neck. “Do you want to play a game together? A real one? You weren't a terrible shot.” She looked back at me inquisitively. “When you were standing still. You let me kill you.” Probably not as much as she thought. Sometimes she genuinely got me. I shrugged. I just wanted to see what she could do, even if it weren't a perfect match. "We could play in pairs, and I could carry you to a victory." “You're rather confident,” she said with a slight smirk on her face. “Well, I'm not terrible at the game. I bet I could get you an easy win at least.” I was talking out of my ass. I was pretty good. Okayish. I was going to do my damnedest to win in front of her, though. Her grin was mischievous. “Think you could do it on the first try?” I smiled in return. “Are you challenging me, Isabella?” Suddenly she leaned in, taking my face in both of her hands so that she could pull me into a remarkable kiss. Placing mine lightly onto her shoulder, I just held on as she ravished me. With my lip between her teeth, Bella pulled away. I so badly wanted to fuck her right then. "If you win the game for us, I will do whatever you want, and if I win, or rather lose, you have to do a video of my own design,” she suggested in a seductive purr that made my brain melt. “Okay,” I answered before she kissed me again. “Wait. What if it's dirty? The things I want to do?” She looked at me like I was being kind of stupid, but I was all about the fine print. “I was kind of counting on it to be? I’m only doing this because I think it’s going to be easy for me,” she responded as she shook her head and rolled her eyes. “But both of us have to be alive at the very end. I mean, obviously you. But it won't count if I die in the middle like that guy at the charity show and you win. Full escort mission style, baby.” “Sure, sure. But what if I want to do something really kinky?” “Do you want to spank me again?” She sensually questioned against my ear before trailing her plush lips down my chin. She looked up at me innocently. “I hope so.” Fuck yeah. “Shall I take you over my knee?” I questioned as I moved my fingers into her luscious hair. “Yes, sir,” she whispered against my skin before lightly kissing my cheek. Then Bella got up, bent over, and kissed me as she had done before, but this time at an even better angle. Her breasts were practically swinging in my face. “I hope you win,” she insisted as she walked over to the other computer, her hips swaying. Holy fuck, she was doing it on purpose. Jasper was right. I was easy. I kind of liked it, though, and it annoyed me that I did. "I... I-" I began, pouting. But I didn't know what I was going to say. I adjusted myself, and Bella watched with a knowing smirk. Yeah, she was going to be very good at playing me when she wanted to. Hopefully, she only abused her powers in fun ways like this. I tried to start off strong. Instead, I almost died. Bella actually saved me, though she would have had to be truly terrible at the game not to. But it is her first game. After that, I played more cautiously. My girlfriend was far more helpful than that guy I played with at the charity match. She did say she liked video games, though. She even killed two more people on her own while they tried to get me. But she seemed to accept her primary role as mule and healer with grace. I had been hoping for a smoother final battle. I was not given that. They were both pretty good, unfortunately. Desperate not to lose, I put Bella in a wooden box filled with protective traps. I almost got one of the other team members when the other player joined in their assault. I finished one down just as I was knocked out myself as well. Bella leaned over the edge of her protective crate and fired several times with a shotgun from above. It hit him a few times, surprisingly killing him and winning us the game. “We won!” I literally jumped up and down like an idiot. “Yes, but you were knocked out, my dear,” she said as she pointed at the screen. I stopped. “Oh,” I breathed. “Well... Damn." She was right. I had been K.O.ed, and she did say that both of us had to be alive. I didn't win the game, either. Bella did. The win counted towards her stats. My girlfriend had accidentally, on purpose, won her very first game that I had been practicing for years. I was a little dumbfounded. Bella looked over at me with an impish grin. "Don't worry. I'll still let you spank me tonight." |