 Episode Four: Charmed“So?" I texted Jasper just after one in the morning. I had barely given him enough time to get home and watch the video that I had sent him. He had an extremely long day, and I knew that. I was being a pushy asshole. I couldn't seem to stop myself. “I can see why you’re charmed,” he replied back vaguely. “What does that mean?” “Well, we already agree on the banging body so we’ll skip that. Let’s start with that accent. I know your thing for them.” “Yeah, okay. I’ll give you that. It is charming. She’s Texan.” “I saw that,” he answered. I could almost see the sarcasm dripping from it. “She’s had a hard life. Poor little wounded bird. No family. Dead husband. She seems sad. But, she still seems like a good person. I get what you like about her.” “It’s not just how she looks,” I answered quickly. “No. I can see that. It just really helps. Really, really, really helps.” “Right?” I actually laughed out loud when I typed it. “I like her smile.” "I agree with you that she's funny. That snack cake video is going to hilarious. She's got a really good sense of timing. You play off of each other really well.” “I told her she was a natural.” “She is. Are you sure she’s never done anything like this before?” He asked next. I thought about it for a moment. “I’m not sure. I don’t think she’s done this bullshit before. From her past five jobs, I’d say not. I would watch her if she had a channel.” “And not just because of the tits.” “Omg, stfu you fucking moron. Yes. Not just because of her awesome assets, asshole.” “I like your alliteration,” he commented, sending several smiling faces. I sighed to myself. “You’re such a fucking stoner.” “So are you now,” he answered back quickly. Jasper thought it was funny. He had been trying to corrupt me for years. He had been smoking since he was in his early teens. I always thought he was incredibly cool. I just figured out he was just incredibly shy and nervous like me. He just figured it out on his own that it helped. “She’s got all the answers. Do you think she ever says ‘idk’?” “Idk lol. Do I?” “No lol,” he replied. I knew he actually laughed at that. I could almost imagine his smile and the voice he used when he said it. I missed him terribly and wish he was there so I could actually talk to him. “Christ, you’re going to get so many thirsty comments on any video she’s in. Especially any of the food ones. She keeps sucking on her fingers in the sweets one.” “I know,” I replied. “I bet you’re so horny lol,” he said meanly. “You’re really not being helpful,” I informed him. “I’m not intending to be. So. Come on. What are you going to do? You obviously want to bang this chick. It’s pretty clear in the videos. You’re all dopey and giggly and look like you’re about to eat the poor girl.” “God, is it that fucking obvious?” “To me? Yes. To her, idk. She likes you too, though. She’s all giggles and smiles, too.” “Probably not after twenty questions.” “Idk if that actually bothered her or not,” he replied quickly. “She seems so raw.” “She does.” “So, answer my question. Now what? You've got her number. She's given it to you. Are you going to try to sleep with her? This is the most interesting thing that has happened in a month, and I'm wholly too invested in your self created drama.” “I don’t want to just sleep with her.” “Just lol,” he answered. I actually laughed out loud again. “No, lol. I want to know everything about her. I want to find out what makes her happy and give it all to her. I want to give her the world.” “Goddamn. You are so fucking dramatic, darling.” I sighed, “ Yeah, I know. Anyway, I should go to bed. I’m going to get my tattoo tomorrow.” “Good luck. Sweet dreams.” When I got out of the shower in the morning after working out, the house smelled deliciously of coffee. I hurriedly dressed and followed the delightful smell into the living room. Bella was already working in the kitchen, a small smile on her face when she noticed me. I decided to be a ham, lifting my nose in the air to take in a deep sniff. “That makes the whole house smell so good,” I told her as I came to sit in front of her at the bar. “Would you like a cup?” She asked sweetly. “Yes, please.” “How do you take it?” She asked without hesitation, quickly going to get a clean cup to make my drink. She seemed to have so much more energy than me. I felt exhausted. “A little sugar, a little creamer.” “One or two sugars?” “Two.” I liked my coffee sugary. “The creamer is sweet.” “I know,” I grinned ruefully. “Otherwise it would be three. Or, five.” Bella giggled quietly, making me the drink as I requested before carefully passing it to me. It was actually better than I expected. I groaned into the cup, slurping it down eagerly. “This is the best coffee I've had since the last time I was in Australia. How did you do that?” "Oh, it's not hard. I'll show you," and she instantly began to teach me. "First, you need coffee grounds. You need a generously heaping tablespoon per six-ounce cup you want to make. Not your monster mugs. A normal cup size. Course, not too fine. You want it chunky, or it'll get through the filter." She added a pinch of salt into the course dry coffee. “Salt, really?” “Just a little. Salt literally makes everything better.” After the kettle whistled, she began to explain things again, "so, you need to bloom the coffee, which just means get it wet to wake it up. Jesus, that's what she said,” Bella said with a little giggle. I smiled to myself a little at her joke. “Anyway, once your minute is up,” she showed me the timer on her phone, “add the rest of the water to the top and set another timer for three minutes.” “Would you say this is quicker than a machine?” I asked. It seemed like a lot of steps but not really that hard. "Than a pod machine? No, but they're gross. A drip, maybe. It's a little more work, but it's worth it, I think. I'm not sure. I've not compared them recently." When the time was up, she made me another cup of coffee without me having to ask her. I found it very touching for some reason. She was very considerate. “So, that's it? That doesn't seem that complicated at all. And to think I've been trying to get used to the shitty coffee you people have here!” I took a sip. “No offense.” “Obviously I'm not one of those people,” Bella said challengingly. “Well, yeah. Obviously. God, this fan-fucking-tastic.,” I agreed loudly before taking another gulp. “Thank you.” She flipped her pretty hair over her shoulder, smiling at me charmingly. “I told you coffee was my favorite drink.” I heard the car door slam a moment before there was a quick knock on the door. Seth and Tyler knew my keycode, and I allowed them to come and go freely. They were my friends, and I trusted them. Seth needed to learn to be more gentle with the fucking door, though. It slammed, making Bella jump. “Hey, Boss!” Seth called to me rather loudly. He was dressed well, his clothes always perfectly crisp. He was a sneakerhead that kept his shoes pristine all times. It sometimes made me feel a little bad that I wasn’t always as naturally well kept as him. Tyler came behind him more quietly. He was more like me, trying but still wearing comfortable clothes. "Hey. Sorry, I'm not ready yet. I got distracted." I stood quickly. "Seth. Tyler. This is Bella, the photographer I was telling you about. Bella, this Seth." They took turns, shaking her hand. Literally, all they knew was that there was a photographer coming to follow me around and I wasn't too pleased about it. "And, that's Tyler. It's okay if you confuse them for one another. They're obviously very hard to tell apart," I joked stupidly. She smiled at me. Seth and I exchanged a quick look over her head. “I mean, we're practically twins,” Tyler went along with it with a small smile. Bella giggled lightly, “hi, lovely to meet you. Just let me know if I ever get in your way.” "Are you going to join us in the videos?" Tyler asked her, glancing over at me meaningfully. We hadn't discussed anything beforehand. "We have a lot of fun together when we make them." Bella looked at me before shrugging. "I enjoyed doing them yesterday, but it's up to him, of course. He's the boss. I'm just here to take pictures and not get in the way." “Absolutely not in the way! More the merrier,” I smiled and said it a bit too loudly. Seth’s eyes got big over her head from behind, looking at me in confusion. I quickly shook my head so that she wouldn’t see. “Alright, let me go get dressed. I'll be right back.” And then I ran-walk like a bitch to my room. My friends both had so many thoughts they wanted to share with me, most of them probably jokes at my expense. They knew I was dreading this and I had forgotten to warn them that she was… Well, Bella. I quickly got dressed, grabbing whatever I first found. A button down shirt with a vest and a pair of dark black jeans all were hung up together. My friends and the pretty photographer were chatting about a rather grim subject on my way back down the hall. “Oh yeah. It was a... bridge. It's impressive, I guess. I was kind of worried the entire time I'd see someone jump off. It actually gave me a lot of anxiety. I'm kind of morbid that way,” she said as if commenting on my own thoughts. "I'd be paranoid, too. People try to jump there all the damn time. I think they put nets up, and that helps, but you know how people are," Seth replied before saying, "thanks." “It seems like such a terrible way to die, jumping off a bridge. You have time to regret what you have done and know that it's going to hurt when you hit the water. I can't imagine,” she answered him darkly. I decided to break the tension with a joke when I reappeared from the hall. "I'm gone for five minutes, and you're already talking about killing yourselves?" Bella looked down at herself and then at me in total confusion, ignoring my stupid comment. “Do I need to wear nicer clothes?” She was wearing lovely tight blue jeans again and a blue flannel shirt that hugged her body. I liked it. She looked very comfortable. “No, you're fine. He's just a fancy bitch,” Seth joked meanly before flashing me a smile. I faked laughed like the dramatic asshole that I was with my hands on my hips. “Ha. Ha. Har. Fuck you, sir. I am not a bitch,” I said in my mother’s London accent. "No, he's a hipster," Tyler said, looking directly at me. They had both called me that many times before. They knew that I didn't like it. But, I wasn't going to let it get to me in front of the beautiful woman. I clutched my pearls playfully. “Take that back!” “If he could grow a mustache, he'd have one of those goofy handlebar ones,” Seth laughed. "No. No, I would not. My best mate Jasper has one, and it's stupid. Why are you teasing me in front of the pretty girl?" I spat out before I realized what was coming out of my mouth. I was used to being myself with them, and my mouth just decided to continue. Bella was unbothered. She softly brushed her hand across my shoulder as she walked towards the bedrooms. “I'm not a girl. I'm a woman.” Both of my friends began to laugh, both at her words and my expression. “Shut up,” I whispered to them. “Ha,” Tyler breathed out, looking me over as if he was sizing me up. Seth saw his chance and ran with it. "Right! She's a woman, you chauvinist swine! She's a guest in your home, and you're STILL making her make the coffee for you? You know, he thought you were a dude," he yelled so she could hear it. My eyes got wide, and I shook my head. “I didn't know! My manager kept saying ‘he’ and Swan Photography doesn’t tell you a whole lot about gender, thank you! Not that it matters. And I didn't ask her to! I mean, kinda, but not like that!" “It's surprising, especially coming from a man with four older sisters. You'd think they would have beaten it out of him,” Tyler played along. They both knew my sisters. They both knew what they were like. “My sisters never beat me. They loved me and babied me. And, played with me all the time like I was a damn dress up Barbie doll,” I complained a little towards the end. “And, that's why you are a fancy bitch now,” Bella sassed me dryly, her smile just ever so slightly pleased with herself. Both of my friends fell over themselves at her mocking. She smiled at me prettily. “So, no vest then? Is this what we're trying to say? As meanly as possible?” I asked her sarcastically. Bella nodded slowly, amused with my expression. After I removed the stupid vest I was trying, she closed the distance between us and carefully undid one of the buttons of my shirt. My world sort of melted away. I swallowed heavily as she fixed my collar. Bella smiled up at me, sweetly again. “That's better.” "Thanks," I could barely talk, but my lips copied her smile. I saw my friends smirking behind her back at me. I cleared my throat loudly. "Alright, let's get this show on the road." It was always a good day when a video involved doughnuts. It was made even better by the fact that Bella was there as well. When I asked her if she would like to film, she instantly smiled and asked me where I wanted her. My douche brain ran wild with that the entire time she innocently ate pastries with me. I hoped to God no one caught on. Bella was charming the whole time. "So," Tyler said quietly while Seth set up some camera equipment and Bella was walking around taking pictures at the Korean place Seth had requested. It was one of his favorites, but it was crazy expensive. It sounded like a great idea to me. I just liked to eat. “So, what?” “Bella isn’t a man,” he stated the obvious. “She’s, in fact, a very beautiful woman.” “I’ve noticed,” I breathed out. He chuckled, smirking over at me. “Oh, we’ve noticed that you’ve noticed.” “Am I that obvious?” I asked him quietly. “No, but you’re that stupid,” he muttered before smiling widely at me. “You gave that up easy.” “I could fire you,” I warned. He snorted, rolling his eyes. We both knew how much shit I was full of. “Please don’t tease me in front of her.” “We’ll take it under consideration,” he said cryptically. “I like her,” he said more seriously. “She seems very friendly.” “Mm,” I hummed in agreement. “No, but seriously. I could fire you. Knock that shit off.” “Fine.” He rolled his eyes again. The Korean family meal for eight was worth the price. It was also worth it to see Seth so happy with his leftovers. It was nice to make videos for my friends. "We're not supposed to be to the tattoo shop for an hour, and I need to walk all this off. I think there is a nice park on the way. Let's stop there. It'll be a good place for Bella to take pictures," I offered from the backseat "It's going to be sunset soon, though." I ate too much, and I was miserable. I shouldn't have done it right before getting my tattoo. It wasn't brilliant planning on my part. "That would be good," she agreed readily. "Dusk is the best time to take pictures." The two men met me at the boot of the car to get their camera equipment while Bella was far enough away taking pictures to not hear us. “Go take background shots in the opposite direction of us,” I mumbled to them. Seth snorted. I gave him a sharp look. “So, I shouldn’t ask for her number?” He teased me. I almost growled at him. Tyler started to laugh, "don't taunt him. It's not nice. Plus, it's too easy. Come on. Let's do what the boss asks while he tries to get in the young, pretty photographer's panties." “First, no. I’m not, asshole. Second, she’s older than me.” “Nice,” Seth grinned. “Well, if you’re not interested, let me know.” “Fuck off,” I breathed out before hurrying to catch up to Bella. “Walk with me?” I asked her politely. “Sure,” she smiled, watching my two idiot friends head away from us to take videos and pictures of the sunset for stock footage. I was always collecting more. You never knew when it would come in handy. We walked along the path. I felt so nervous and unsure suddenly. Everything had been going really well all day. “So, how is it going?” I asked as I looked back at her. She smiled slightly as she took my photograph. “Good,” she replied over the black device, taking another picture. “Sick of me yet?” I wasn’t even sure that was possible. I wanted to spend every possible second with her. “Not at all. I like working with you. You're a natural.” The words just slipped out. “You think?” Bella asked me shyly. “Yes. You're very well spoken.” I leaned against a statue, just wanting to take a break for a moment. I wanted to look at her and study her expression as we talked. “I took speech and drama in school. I'm pretty good at turning on that Texas beauty queen voice when I need to,” she said almost teasingly. I liked her accent so much already. “Texas beauty queen?” I asked, just wondering if she would do it for me. She happily obliged. Bella's face instantly became innocent and teasingly sweet, her eyes wide as she grinned at me fakely. "Hi, there! My name is Bella Marie, and I'm from Harris County, Texas! My hobbies include music, dancing, and cooking! My talents include playing the fiddle AND the banjo! Yeehaw, y'all," she began with the thickest accent until the very end. As dryly as possible she said ‘yeehaw, y'all.' I cackled at the unexpectedness of it. She was so funny. “Oh, my god. Yes, you're right. You are good at that.” “Are you laughing at my real accent?” Then she looked annoyed. I was shocked by the suddenness of her mood change until she began to giggle at me. “It is, though. My real accent. It's okay, it's funny as fuck.” Sometimes I hated how much of a naive and gullible boob I was. She was purposefully teasing me. I decided to be honest with her. “It's cute. I like it.” “Well, I'm glad someone does. It's terrible. Anyway, what are we doing at the tattoo shop, exactly?” She said quickly. I wanted to correct her, but she obviously wanted to move on. I pushed off the statue so we could continue down the stone path. “I'm getting my first tattoo.” “And, you're filming the experience?” “Of course. Then I can write it off as a tax expense,” I somewhat teased. It was, of course, a work expense since I was filming it. It would be well worth the upfront costs. “What are you getting?” “Cullen family crest on my chest. The artist designed it for me already. I'm really excited. It's pretty sweet.” I had wanted a tattoo for years. Jasper was covered in them. I went with him often and bought a few of them for him as gifts for birthdays and holidays. My mother hated them. She looked down at people with them as trashy. This felt like my final act of rebellion, cutting the last tie. I was permanently marking myself as other. I would forever be one of the rubbish people Mum despised. I was very much looking forward to it. And even better, I was going to broadcast it to the world. I was extremely excited. “And this is your very first? Any piercings or anything?” She questioned. “Nope. None.” “Oh, boy,” she giggled nervously. “Good luck with that. I hope it's small.” "Hurting myself always gets more views. It's fine," I replied honestly. "I don't think I want any piercings, though. I don't think I could care for them properly. I'd probably lose an ear." “I have a bunch,” Bella said before lifting up her very thick curly black hair away from her neck and shoulder. In each ear was a few silver earrings. They were very fetching on her. I leaned in for a better look, mindlessly brushing some hair back to do so. I didn’t even realize I was doing it until I brought my hand away. “Do they hurt?” Bella was still as she could be as she let me look at her so close that I could smell the coconut of her shampoo or body wash again. I could still smell the faint hint of sugar from the doughnut shop, too. “Of course when you get them. They don't hurt afterward unless you don't take care of them.” “They look nice on you,” I whispered. She blushed a little, quickly combing her hair back over her shoulder as she looked away from me. “Thanks.” It was a gorgeous night, the temperature just right as it got darker. The playground was empty. Bella put her camera away, moving quietly to the swings. I sat beside her. I decided to try to make small talk with her. “So, you were interested in drama? You took it in school, yeah?” Bella seemed a little embarrassed. She gave me a small shrug. "Yeah, in high school and some in college. Just a little. I don't think I was that good. I never had a lead role in anything. Just supporting roles. Chorus line, usually." It was my turn to shrug. “Well, maybe that's because you're just supposed to be yourself in front of the camera.” The pretty photographer leaned her head against the chain of the swing as she looked at me with her piercing mismatched eyes. “Are you yourself in front of the camera?” “No,” my mouth answered for me. It decided to be honest with her. “I am a character of myself.” “You are more self-aware than I'd imagine you would be from your videos. I mean that as a compliment even if it doesn't sound like it. I'd imagine most celebrities aren't self-aware.” Celebrity. Ha. Of course, she saw me like that. “Do you really think I'm a celebrity?” “Why else would I be here?” She asked lightly. “Good point.” I kicked at the rocks gently. “I'm still kinda feeling new to this.” I suddenly felt like I was all alone, and I was always going to be alone. I was a celebrity, and no one was actually going to see me for who I was ever again. No matter if I wanted to be myself with this woman, I never would be able to. “Don't worry. Me too.” She smiled at me sweetly. It was so genuine and kind. I didn’t know what to say. “Hey, boss! We need to head out!” Tyler shouted at us, breaking up the awkward silence between us. Both of us were obviously grateful for it. The tattoo shop wasn’t impressive, but the artist was. "Tyler doesn't have any tattoos, but I know Seth has a couple. Do you have any, Bella?" I asked her. She was standing beside Tyler. Her eyes got wide, a little shocked I was talking to her. “I have a ton,” she answered as she came around to stand beside me in the shot. “How many do you have?” “Oh, um, a few dozen? At least. I'm not sure. Some are really small,” she replied casually. My brain struggled to think if I had seen any tattoos on her. I hadn't, though. She hadn't worn much in the way of revealing clothing, either. There weren't any obvious ones on her arms, neck, or chest. I hadn't seen enough of her legs to see any. When she had worn her dress, she had also worn knee socks. “Can I see any of them?” I decided to go for it. "Um, sure," Bella said before she began to take off her shoes and socks, tugging the denim of her blue jeans up to reveal a whole series of lovely little tattoos. Then she took off her flannel shirt and pulled up her tank top to show off the art on her stomach and back. She was decorated with beautiful pieces that included lots of color and flowers. "I've got more, but I'd have to take my clothes off to show you." “Holy shit! I had no idea!” I said in surprise before I could stop myself. I also had to stop myself from reaching out and touching her silky looking skin as I had done with her hair. Each piece fit her perfectly. I had a million questions that I wanted to ask her. I wanted to know every single story she had about her art. “I try to look professional,” Bella answered. "I love them, though!" The tattoo artist wasn’t shy in the least and reached out to examine something on her ribs, just below her heavy breasts. It was bright orange and red and made up of swirls, flowers, and little birds. “This is some quality ink,” he complimented her. "Thanks. I've spent thousands over the years. I'd love something new, but I've been broke the past couple of years now," she said softly. The artist moved his fingers over to another tattoo, this one directly under her left breast. It was a rainbow heart made to look as if it was made from thread with a needle shoved into it. It was very detailed. Then I got an idea. “Yo, do you think you could give her a tattoo after me as well. For the video.” “If you pay for it, I can do whatever you want. I'd normally be closed right now, so I don't have any appointments coming in,” he answered with a shrug. “Are you serious?” Bella asked me in excited surprise. “Yeah, if you want one. Do you know what you'd like to get?” She was thrilled. It gave me an immediate boost of confidence. “I know exactly what I want to get.” She quickly pulled out her phone and showed it to the tattoo artist. He eyed it curiously. I couldn’t see it. “It'd like it as jewel-toned as possible with blues, greens, and purples like this. Is that possible?” “Yeah, Mama. I got you. Where you want it?” He smiled at her, looking her over. “Collarbone, just below. About three inches across.” Bella pulled her tank top to one side to show him. He nodded thoughtfully. "Let me work on his piece, and I'll hook you up after." I wasn't sure if I was nervous about the pain that I was about to go through or being shirtless in front of Bella. Especially as she quickly took pictures of me. Then I realized I needed to be worried about the pain. “Motherfucker!” “Doing okay, boss?” Seth said mockingly. “It feels like I'm being stabbed a million times in a row in the chest by a very tiny needle,” I said through gritted teeth. “Explaining things to you very accurately in an Australian accent, brought to you by Eddie Cullen,” Bella said funnily to Tyler, making him laugh. She really was too good at being in front of the camera. "Come for the quality content, stay for the sexy accent," I tried to joke, but it was hard while hurting that much. I knew for sure already this was going in the video. “That's probably going to be the worst part,” Bella said to me reassuringly, standing very close to me. “The rest is going to be quick little swipes with a smaller needle.” “She’s right. Breathe, man. You're holding your breath,” I heard the guy say. I was starting to feel a touch dizzy. “Eddie,” Bella said sweetly. I looked at her and realized that I was gripping the arm of the chair way too tightly. “In through your nose, hold it, and count to four, let it out through your mouth slowly. Repeat.” I was terrible with pain. I was a wimp. A total bitch. I wanted to cry. Tears pricked at my eyes despite trying to hold them in. I cursed and complained the entire way. “Holy mother of shit fuckers, you ball-less twat monkey!” “A ball-less twat monkey?” Seth laughed. I said dumber shit all the time. “Where in your brain comes up with these?” “The same place that comes up with terrible video ideas that hurt me,” I whined. “Why do you have so many tattoos? How?” I asked before I could stop myself. “I like pain,” she said rather seductively. I moaned in a complaint, unable to look at her. “Fucking obviously.” Bella giggled, “it's not that bad, you big baby. You're just a big ham.” “It hurts.” “Try having it done on your feet. Or, ribs,” she countered. “You'll be fine. Just stopping tensing up and breathe. Pain is in the mind.” As much as it hurt, it was beautiful, and I instantly knew I would get more. It only took a few minutes for the artist to reset and make her design. We snacked on leftover doughnuts while we waited. Bella took off her purple flannel again when the artist asked her where she wanted her bejeweled butterfly. She struggled with her tank top sleeve for just a moment before pulling off her shirt smoothly. In one graceful movement, she pulled off one strap of her bra and tucked it in. Seth almost dropped his camera. I saw it begin to slip from his fingers as his mouth went slack for a moment. He quickly caught himself and adjusted. I heard Tyler snicker, watching us both with his own camera. Oh, my god, he mouthed to me. My eyes got big in answer. “What?” Bella asked innocently as she picked up both of her shirts and put them under her head so that she was more comfortable. I decided to play it off. “What? Oh? Um, nothing. You've got a lot of tattoos. Do they all have stories?” It took all my willpower not to look at her amazing breasts or smooth stomach. She was obviously very fit and worked out often. “Some do. They represent events and people. But, not all of them. Sometimes a girl just likes cute ass little dragons when she's eighteen,” she giggled. Once again, I found myself charmed by her. After watching her for a few minutes, I realized something. She looked like she was about to take a nice long nap. "Maybe I am a bitch." Bella had her eyes closed, a small smile on her face as her arm laid over them. She honestly looked very relaxed. I wondered if she actually did enjoy pain. She kind of smirked to herself before yawning. “But you're a fancy one,” she teased. Bella lifted her arm up just a little to look at me, her smile innocent and cloying. There was so little distance between us, the sugar scent still strong despite the cleaning product odor of the tattoo shop. I wondered if she tasted as good as she smelled. Then she bit her lip playfully before lowering her arm back down into place. I truly wanted to kiss her, even if she did just deservedly call me a bitch. 
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