DaPK Chapter 9 - Paradiddle

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Chapter 9 - Paradiddle

BPOV

On my way. Be there in a few

I sigh, curling my fingers around my phone, as I nervously tap it against my leg.

"If you don't stop, you're going to wear a hole in the floor." Maggie chuckles from her seat on the sofa.

I don't stop pacing, but I do whip my head around and glare at her. "How long does it take to get from his house to mine? It's not like there's rush hour traffic to get through!"

I turn and walk to the window, looking out for probably the twenty-third time since his text saying he was on his way.

"Bella," Maggie calls calmly and waits for me to face her again. "They will love you. Stop worrying."

I humph, and run my hands down my legs, smoothing imaginary wrinkles as I go. There better not be any ... I only ironed my clothes four times.

Finally, the sound of a car door floats through the window, and I rush to the door, flinging it open before Edward even has a chance to knock.

"Someone's happy to see me." He grins then starts to lean forward for a kiss.

My hands go up and land on his chest. "Nope. Make-up," I tell him with a wave around my face.

"Oh, hell no. I've been thinking about kissing you the whole way here," he answers, rolling his eyes. Before I know it, he's left a very soft, but very needed kiss on my lips.

I take a step closer to him and manage to let my forehead rest against his chest for all of two seconds before his fingers are beneath my chin, tipping my head up so he can look at me. His eyes are full of love and happiness; they're shining and so Jolly Rancher green, my mouth starts watering for a piece of candy. Or a piece of him ... both are as sweet as can be. "Please try not to be so nervous. My parents are the two most easy-going people you'll ever meet, and not only that, they'll love you because I do. So, for me, try not drive yourself any more crazy than you already have been."

"Okay," I whisper then grin at him. "Come on, Maggie's been dying to meet you."

I lace our fingers together and pull him through the entryway and into the living room.

"Wow!" I hear him exclaim behind me and I stop so abruptly, he bumps into me. His eyes aren't on me though, they're bouncing all around the room. "I haven't been in here in years, though I have to say it looks better like this than when the Abbotts lived here. Mrs. Abbott had an … interesting way of decorating. Everything in here was pink and frilly and there were pictures of cats everywhere. She was allergic so she couldn't have any, but she more than made up for it with the pictures."

"I always seem to forget how much you know about this house," I tell him, smiling at the look of wonder on his face. "We don't have time today, but sometime soon I'll give you a tour since you've never seen the whole thing."

"Sounds great, baby. I can't wait." The wink he gives me when he lifts our hands and kisses the back of mine leaves me with a swarm of butterflies in my stomach and makes me want to fan my face because suddenly it's way too hot in here.

A light giggle from behind me causes even more warmth, but it's not the same kind.

"Are you going to stand there all day, or do you think you might introduce me to your young man?" Maggie asks as she stands up. Her eyes dance as she looks from me to Edward and then back again. She gives me a wink then takes a step forward.

"Edward, this is the wonderful Maggie O'Neil that you've heard me talk so much about. Maggie, this is my boyfriend, Edward Cullen."

Edward sticks his free hand out and then lets out a cute yelp when Maggie pulls him in for a huge hug and smacks her lips on his cheek.

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. O'Neil. Bella's told me a lot about you," Edward stammers, the tips of his ears glowing as red as my cheeks do when I get embarrassed.

It's nice to see that I'm not the only one with the awful affliction. Though, on him it's as adorable as hell; on me, I look like a boiled lobster.

"Well, aren't you just the sweetest, cutest thing ever; just as precious as Bella's said," Maggie says gleefully as she pinches his cheeks. She's enjoying teasing me far too much. When her eyes get a wicked gleam in them, I give her my most heated glare, which she just waves off like she's shooing away an annoying fly.

"Though, I have to say …" she begins and I can tell Edward's scared of what she's about to say by the way he's squeezing my hand hoping he's not about to be thrown overboard without a life jacket.

Maggie smiles and it's full of mischief, not that I really expect anything else. I see I'm not wrong when she continues, "I'm not sure how cute I'd have found you at oh say, two in the morning or some such hour."

"Oh, ah ... well, you see ... I um ..." Edward splutters and then snaps his head around, eyes wide and begging me to save him.

"Mags, hush." I giggle and point my finger at her. "Stop trying to scare him."

She throws her head back and laughs and the sound is exactly what I need. Well, that, and the feel of Edward's hand still tightly wrapped around mine. "Not trying to, dear, just stating a fact." She smiles again, and this time it's tender and sweet. "Edward, she's been a nervous wreck all day, so try to get her to relax on the way to your house. She's liable to work herself into quite the tizzy. For future reference, she tends to do that from time to time."

Edward chuckles and nods. "Yes, well, good to know."

I can tell he's not quite sure where he stands with Maggie. I can't help but enjoy him being a little flustered; it's nice to see he's not always so calm, cool, and collected.

"Okay, well you don't want to keep your parents waiting. It's been such a pleasure meeting you," Maggie says as she grabs his free hand. Her voice is laced with meaning far deeper than her words when she says, "I hope you come back before too long. We need a man around here once in a while."

"Thank you. I'd like that, Ms. O'Neil."

"Oh, no you don't. None of that Ms. stuff, makes me sound all old and uncool. Call me Maggie." She laughs. "Bella, don't forget your cookies and have fun, you two." She waves as she leaves the living room.

EPOV

I jerk my head back toward Bella. "Cookies? Did she just say cookies? I swear I just heard Maggie say you have cookies."

She smirks then turns to walk toward the kitchen, that perfect ass wiggling just to tease me. "Well, you can't expect me to show up to dinner empty-handed, can you? I want to make a good impression."

I reach out and slip my index finger beneath the waistband of her cute black pants and tug, holding on until she stops.

"Hey," I say softly as I take a step so that my chest is pressed to her back and rest my chin on her shoulder and my cheek against hers. "While I will never, ever, tell you not to make cookies, you really didn't have to do anything just to try to impress my parents. They will like you just because you're you, not because you happen to make the best damn sugar cookies since, well, ever."

"I think you might be biased," she whispers, though I can feel her cheeks lift in a smile.

"I love you," I tell her, because it's true and because I need her to know that no matter what she thinks will happen today, nothing can change the way I feel about her.

She sags against me. I wrap my right arm around her and lay my hand flat on her stomach, taking just a moment, because I can't help myself, to let my fingers slide beneath the bottom of her thin, white shirt. Her skin is warm and soft, just like I knew it would be. "Baby, please stop. I want you to have fun. I want to show off my gorgeous, amazing girlfriend to my parents and let them meet the person that makes me happier than I ever thought I could be. I know this isn't all that easy for you, but honestly, you're making this a much bigger deal than it needs to be. You don't have to dress up, you don't have to try to be something you're not - just be you, okay? Because you," I smile when she squeaks as I spin her around and slap both my hands on her ass and hold her to me, "are perfect, and mine, and you love me. Got it?"

"Got it." Her entire face lights up, eyes sparkling, and a smile so big it makes the twisty turny thing inside of me roar to life … not that it's not always ready to make its presence known whenever she's around.

"Now, can we get this show on the road? I'm starving and Mom's making her famous fried chicken for dinner."

She throws her arms around my neck and gives me the sweetest, but much too quick, kiss. "I'm sorry I've been so freaked out. I've never done this before and I really want your parents to like me is all."

I hold onto her. She feels too good against me and she's also forgotten one very important thing. I stick out my bottom lip, working the pout for all it's worth. "Um, isn't there something you need to say?"

She scrunches her nose and twists her mouth. I can tell the moment she realizes because her eyes widen and her cheeks get all pink.

"Ahhh! I love you, too!" She giggles as she gives me another kiss, then another, then one more, moving from lips to cheek to the end of my nose.

"There, much better," I say as I squeeze her ass one more time then swat it, before I push her away. "Now, grab those fuckawesome cookies and let's go."

She picks up a glass plate covered in cookies and wrapped in plastic. My mouth waters and immediately I try to figure out how to keep most of them for myself. Sharing is good and all, but these are Bella's cookies we're talking about … sharing can go take a flying leap when it comes to them.

"You can stop that train right now, Edward Cullen." She chuckles as she rolls her eyes at me, knowing me way too well. "These are for dessert and for your parents."

"But, Bella … you know how I feel about your cookies," I whine shamelessly.

"Oh, you big baby!" She turns and grabs a square container off the island. "That's why these are for you."

I cradle it against my chest. "You do love me." I sigh.

"Yep, even when you act like a goofball."

I open the front door for her and follow her to my car, opening that door for her as well. I help her inside, making sure that both she and the cookies are situated in the front seat.

"By the way, you look really pretty," I tell her, leaning down to kiss her again.

And she does.

She's wearing a pair of black pants that are short, stopping about mid-shin. I can't ever remember the name of them, but my mom likes to wear the same kind. Her shirt is white, short-sleeved and my favorite … tight. Her hair's up in a ponytail, showing off her sexy neck, just like I like it. The only make-up she's wearing is the lipgloss I've just about managed to kiss off and a little bit of eyeliner, and on her cute feet there's a pair of black flip-flops.

She looks fucking hot, not that I really expect anything else.

I slide into the front seat beside her and wink when she looks at me. "Love the hot pink toenail polish. Very nice."

She blushes, but the smile on her face I see as she looks out of her window when we take off lets me know she likes what I said.

The trip to my house flies by. I tell her about hanging with everyone last night. She teases me about the fact that she almost beat me yesterday when we went for a run together. I listen to a long-winded, convoluted ramble about Phil and the playoffs and her birthday.

My ears prick at that part.

"Wait, you're going to be gone for your birthday?" I question as my stomach drops at the thought.

I turn off the car because we're in front of my house, but I grab her hand before she can get out. "Bella?"

"No, I'll be here," she says and my heart starts beating again.

"Thank God," I mumble, thinking about all the plans I now don't have to try to rearrange.

She narrows her eyes at me. "And just what does that mean?"

Shit.

She really wasn't supposed to hear that.

"Nothing except that I don't want to miss spending your birthday with you. It's the first one we can spend together, you know."

"Hmmm." I know she doesn't believe me, but luckily she doesn't have time to question me any further.

"You ready?" I ask after a few moments of silence.

She swallows and takes a deep breath, before she nods. "As I'll ever be."

I hurry to open the door for her and take both the plate and the container of cookies out of her hands so I can help her out. So fast that not more than a few seconds pass and she's up, out, and now holding the plate while I clutch the container. The way we move together, being able to anticipate the next step, even for something as simple as this, tells me more about us than words ever could. She's such a part of me; I don't know if she even appreciates just how much.

I keep a hold of her hand and slide my fingers between hers, squeezing just a little bit as we walk up the front steps. My heart's beating about a million beats a minute, I can feel sweat drip down my back, and literally feel like if I wanted to, I could fly.

Not until right this second, standing on the welcome mat in front of my front door, do I really realize how much I've wanted this. Introducing Bella to my friends was important, but it doesn't hold a candle to her meeting my parents. That word forever whispers in the back of my mind again. I push it away for the time being, but not before I silently tell it to come back again soon, just not when I'm about to bring my girl home for the first time.

"Thank you for coming tonight, Bella. You have no idea how much this means to me," I whisper and then kiss her special spot right behind her ear. "You're the first girl I've ever introduced to my parents. Just thought you should know that."

She squeaks and I grin as I open the door, shouting, "Mom, Dad, we're here."

Footsteps come from two different directions; Mom's from the kitchen and Dad's from the living room.

Bella's grip on my hand is so tight I worry for a second I won't be able to play the piano for a few days.

Dad's eyes widen in surprise. One of Mom's hands grabs my dad's arm, the other covers her heart.

Yeah … I totally didn't tell them Bella's name for just this reason.

"Mom, Dad, this is my girlfriend, Bella Swan. Bella, these are my parents, Carlisle and Esme Cullen."

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DaPK A Conversation With Mom

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Outtake #1 - A Conversation with Mom

BPOV

As I leave the kitchen, I hear her say, "I love you, too."

I grab my glass of Coke off the counter and hurry from the kitchen, smiling like a loon because of Maggie's words as I make my way toward Mom's room. The smile stays, even when I open the door and the pfft whoosh pfft whoosh fills the air as it always does. It's still there as I glance at the bed and see my mom's completely still body. Today is a good day for her. I don't know how it's possible, and Maggie, Kate, and Phil argue with me and tell me I'm wrong, but I swear there are days she looks better than others. Some days she's so pale, her skin so translucent, it's almost as if she's a ghost, barely tethered to this world by the machines that feed her and keep a constant record of her vitals. But then there are days like today, when her hair has a slight shine to it instead of the limp, dull, brownish gray I see most of the time. Her cheeks have the tiniest tinge of pink to them instead of the pasty white that reminds me of slushy snow - the pristine white marred by dirt and grime, so that it's a dingy, ashen mixture of white and gray.

No, today is a good day for her, almost as if she's trying to comfort me, and tell me that it will be a good day for me, too.

Instead of my normal spot in the chair, I sit beside her on the bed. I need to be close to her. No matter how close Maggie and I have gotten over the past few months, she's still not Mom. She still doesn't know that my favorite after-school snack, not counting sugar cookies, was a plate of pretzels, celery, apples, and bowl of peanut butter. She doesn't know that I had the biggest crush on Cade Seymore when I was in the seventh grade, and cried myself to sleep every night for a week when he asked Amber Newton to be his girlfriend. Or that my dad and I would spend Sunday afternoons playing with Legos, taking hours and hours to build and create our own designs. And she'll never know that after my dad died, the only way I could fall asleep was to lay in bed with my mom, wearing one of my dad's flannel shirts while we watched episodes of Boy Meets World. She was an Eric girl, I loved Shawn, but we both loved Mr. Feeny.

I could tell Maggie of course, and Phil and Edward, too, but it's not the same as Mom knowing, because she lived it all with me. She was there, ready with a smile or a hug and a kiss and at times, when needed, a swift kick in the ass to tell me to pull myself together, pick my chin up, and face whatever it was that was making me afraid.

She sure could be scary when she wanted to be. She was also full of fire and passion mixed with a heart that was as big as the Grand Canyon and loved me, my dad, and then Phil with an intensity that rivaled the sun.

"Mom, I'm so nervous about today," I tell her, taking her frail hand in mine.

I carefully trace the veins beneath her paper-thin skin with my finger, wishing for the billionth time that somehow, someway, my touch could make her all better. That she'll just open her eyes, sit up, and then freak out because she's late for her belly dancing class. I sigh … if only.

"Edward keeps telling me not to worry, Maggie thinks I'm acting like an idiot, but I can't help it. What if they don't like me? What if they take one look at me and go, "Nuh uh, no way," and tell Edward to turn around and take me home, forbid him to see me, then homeschool him just to keep us apart?" I ask, laughing at my ridiculous self. Even in my over-dramatic and strange mind I know the chances of that happening are less than zero.

"I know, I know," I tell her with a smile, "I'm being silly, but you know how I get when I'm nervous. I start thinking all these weird things and work myself up so much I need medication or a straight jacket to calm down."

I can hear her.

Bella, what in the world is the matter with you?

She'd stand there, hands on her hips, hair tied back with her favorite faded blue bandana, wearing well-worn jeans with holes in both knees, and an old t-shirt of my dad's, probably with a picture of a beer can and some tacky, off-color saying plastered across the front in rainbow letters.

You're being totally absurd right now; you do know that, right?

I'd shake my head, open my mouth to argue with her, but before I could get a word in edgewise, she'd walk to me, grab one of my hands, and push my hair back behind my ear with her other.

Isabella Marie, she'd say and I'd roll my eyes because she knows how much I hate it when she uses my middle name and Isabella at the same time; one or the other is bad enough. You will walk into that dinner, you will hold your head up high, look Dr. and Mrs. Cullen in the eye, and be the Bella that Edward fell in love with. You will be your charming, sweet self. You will more than likely ramble and say something totally random and off-the-wall, but you will make them laugh and in that moment they will fall in love you every bit as much as Edward has. Be yourself, baby girl, she'd smile, because who you are is pretty damn special.

Then she'd ruffle my hair just to annoy me, and quip as she skipped out of the room, Just be careful if they're having spaghetti; you know you always wind up wearing more than you eat!

I feel a drop on my hand and I reach up to swipe at the tears I don't even know I am crying. My heart's so heavy as I focus on her again. Her voice, crystal clear and in surround sound in my mind. The image of her, in full 3-D High-definition.

I want it.

God, I want her here, with me, so damn bad.

My stomach lurches and that familiar feeling of wanting to scream and cry at the same time washes over me.

My phone vibrates, and the oppressive, somber thoughts from just moments ago float away like wisps of fluffy white clouds on a hot summer day.

Two more hours. I miss you! XOXO E~

"Okay, Mom," I say as I slide off the bed and stand up. "I guess I better go and get ready. I love you," I whisper against her cheek and then press my lips to the soft, much too wrinkled and loose skin.

I'm not sure how the night will go, but whatever happens, I know she'll be with me … just like always.

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DaPK Chapter 8 - Two Splash, Four Crash

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Chapter 8 - Two Splash, Four Crash, Two Chinas and a Ride

BPOV

"Crap!" I yell, dropping the knife on the island. It clatters and bounces, flinging bits of vanilla icing everywhere.

Great.

Wonderful.

Just what I need.

As if anything else could go wrong today. I huff and blow out an exasperated breath, then swat at the stubborn piece of hair that keeps falling in my face … just to piss me off. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, counting to ten before I let it out. It doesn't help. I don't have anything to lose, so I do it again. This time, a tiny bit of tension goes away, so I do it once more, clenching then unclenching my fingers in time with my counting. It helps a little more. At least now I don't feel like I'm going to start screaming and throwing a temper tantrum like a little kid at the grocery store that gets told "no" when they ask for a treat.

It sure might help though.

"Bella, what in the world?" Maggie asks as she saunters in from the living room.

I watch her eyes sweep over the tornado that's blown through her kitchen.

"I know. I'll clean it up, promise," I say slowly, shaking my head. At the mess or at my overly dramatic self, I have no idea. Probably a bit of both if I'm honest.

She opens her mouth, then closes it, but not before letting a low "humph" out to let me know I'd better do what I said I would. As if I wouldn't, but I have to say, I've never had a mess quite like this to clean up. It looks like the Abominable Snowman from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer threw up flour in here. There's white … everywhere, mixed with bits of tinted vanilla icing. I think I've used every mixing bowl we have, not to mention if there is even a granule of sugar anywhere to be found, except on the floor or in my hair, I'll let Emmett drive my Escalade.

Or not.

I glance around the kitchen and try to decide where to start first. Do I clean up my mess and try something else, or do I make the best out of what I've done so far? Ugh. Maybe I'll just call Edward and tell him I'm sick or something and I can't make it to dinner. And, well, now there's the queasy, nervous feeling in my stomach that I've been trying to ignore since I woke up at the crack of dawn this morning … after only being asleep a few hours in the first place.

"Bella?" Maggie questions, her voice concerned as she lays her hand on my hand to still the incessant drumming of my fingers.

"I was trying to make some cookies to take to Edward's for dessert. He, ah … um … asked if I'd go have dinner with him and his parents tonight so he can introduce me as his girlfriend," I say barely louder than a whisper.

Just saying the words makes my skin break out in goosebumps.

"And you're destroying my kitchen because … ?" she presses.

I didn't really have time to talk to Maggie yesterday … well, I did, I just didn't. It's not that I'm trying to hide anything, but between not falling asleep until nearly six A.M. and waking up shortly after noon when Edward sent a text, and then spending time with Mom, the day sort of got away from me. Top that off with lots of hours in my head daydreaming about the amazing time Edward and I spent together and talking to him while he was at Jasper's with Alice, Rose, and Emmett, it was a busy day and night. I crawled into bed, exhausted, but couldn't sleep because I was worrying about today's dinner, so I tossed and turned until the wee hours of the morning. I didn't even have the energy to go outside and play, even though it's probably what I needed more than anything.

Except for Edward.

There's nothing I need more than him.

Not counting my mom waking up, because well, if I had that, everything would be perfect.

Maggie scoots around me and bumps me with her hip so she can get to the mess on the island.

"Mag, no! I'll do it, once I figure out what the heck I'm going to do for dessert." I try to reach over her and grab the mixing bowls, but she's having none of it.

"Sit and start talking. If you can't manage to make your cookies without burning …" she stops and does a quick once-over before she looks at me, "three batches, then you obviously have too much on your mind to be using the oven. Now, why are you so nervous about meeting Edward's parents? You've already met Dr. Cullen, more than once, and that went fine."

She moves around, not looking at me and obviously giving me time to get my thoughts in order. Of course I don't really need the time, so off I go, talking so fast I trip over my words. "Mags, what if they hate me? Edward and his parents are really close; you should see how he acts when he talks about them. His mom sounds like a cross between Carol Brady and the mom from The Incredibles. The way Edward goes on about her, I wouldn't be surprised if she were a superhero. And Dr. Cullen, gah, what if he gets mad because I didn't tell him I knew Edward when he first visited my mom? If they find out how Edward and I met, they're going to think I'm crazy, and then ground him for … like the rest of the year. And then Edward's soccer - what if they tell him he shouldn't have a girlfriend right now when he's got all this other stuff going on, Regional Team matches and getting ready for the season to start here? They're going to know that it was my fault Edward almost didn't make it to be held over."

I hop off the stool I am sitting on and pace, waving my arms around like I'm trying to take flight. "He's had this amazing life, with all these good friends he's known forever, and they don't know me from Adam. When they find out I'm his girlfriend, they're going to tell him he's better off without getting involved with me. I just know it. What if they don't like me?"

I flop back down on the stool, and throw my arms across the now clean island. My head lands in the crook of my elbow and I close my eyes, waiting for Maggie to tell me that everything will be just fine.

I wait some more.

Just when I can't take it any longer and I'm ready to scream at her to start talking to me, Maggie laughs. And laughs … until there are tears streaming down her very red face.

"Isabella Marie Swan," she says, hiccuping as she tries to catch her breath, "if that is not the most convoluted, borderline insane string of nonsense I have ever heard in my life, I don't know what is."

Ummm … come again?

I stand up and glare at her, ready to march right into my bedroom and bury myself beneath the blankets. I don't even make it a step before Maggie's voice rings out.

"Oh, don't go giving me that look, missy, and sit yourself right back down." She points and gives me a look that lets me know I best listen. "Now, what on God's green Earth would ever make you think that Dr. and Mrs. Cullen would act anything like you've just described?"

"Well, I don't know," I whine, knowing I must sound utterly pathetic.

I'm a mess, is what I am. I have been ever since Edward kissed me goodbye as the sun was beginning to rise yesterday morning. Why oh why did I agree to this? Oh, I know, because my boyfriend happens to be able to turn me into a dazzled jumble of tingles and breathless sighs when he looks at me in that perfect way he has: head tilted just a bit to the right, left side of his mouth lifted into that sexy, sinful smirk, bright green eyes that tell me almost as much as his words do - then add to it, his voice when he says "please" … yeah, like there's a snowball's chance in hell I'd say no to anything he asks me.

"I want them to like me, Mag. Edward's really important to me, and their opinion means a lot to him. I'm just scared they won't think I'm good enough for him," I say quietly. Admitting it makes me feel a little better, but my stomach is still churning away.

Maggie sighs and walks around the island so she can sit beside me.

"Bella," she begins and takes my hand in hers. "Let me ask you a question, and think about this before you answer, okay?" When I nod, she says, "What would your mom do if the situations were somehow reversed? Do you think she'd be so shallow as to listen to a bunch of gossip, or do you think she'd keep an open mind and wait to meet the boy that was so important to you that you wanted to bring him home to dinner so he could be introduced as your boyfriend?"

Of course I know the answer and I have to smile, though it's a sad one. There's nothing I want more than to be able to introduce Edward to my mom and watch her face light up and get that mischievous sparkle in her eye as she asks him off-the-wall questions just to see what he'll do. She'd laugh when he'd blush at some of the more innuendo-laced ones, and then kiss his cheeks and tell him as long as he made me happy, all was good because it was the only thing that mattered. He'd grin and lay on the charm he's so capable of wielding, and that would be all she wrote.

"She'd love him just because I do," I whisper, my heart hurting, but at the same time the thought of knowing how true it is makes the the pain lessen just a little.

"Exactly," Maggie agrees as she clasps one of my hands in hers. She pushes a strand of hair behind my ear and then lays her hand along my cheek. I can feel warm tears beneath my eyes and she wipes them off with the tip of her finger. "Bella, be happy. It's all your mom would want for you. Phil, too. This whole week you should've seen yourself when you came home from school, listened to the tone of your voice when you sat with your mom and told her about your day. You've been lighter than air and you shine from the inside out whenever you talk about Edward and your new friends."

I start to cry a little harder, wishing with all I am that Mom was able to see and hear what Maggie does. I want it more than anything, would give up anything, besides Edward, to be able to make it happen.

"I want her back, Maggie. I want her to see how amazing Edward is and see how happy he makes me. Why can't she just wake up and be with me?" I sob and then collapse against her when she wraps her arms around me and pulls me close.

I cry for a while until some of the pain goes away. It never will, but there are times it feels like it will completely take over and bury me alive.

"Honey, if I could give you what you want, I'd do it in a heartbeat. All we can do is hope and pray for a miracle. But in the meantime, you have to keep living. For the past year, you've shut yourself away from the world and lived and breathed nothing but spending every moment with your mom. It's time to step out on your own a bit, and if Edward can keep that beautiful smile on your face, then he's pretty close to perfect in my book … even if he possesses stalkerish tendencies."

We both chuckle at that. I know she still doesn't quite understand how Edward and I managed to go from watcher and watchee to boyfriend and girlfriend. I'm not sure anyone can really get it besides the two of us, but truthfully, as long as the two of us do, that's all that matters.

"Better?" she asks after she lets me process and compartmentalize for a few minutes.

She's so amazing that way, knowing when to push and when to wait, ready to offer a hug and a pat on the back when I need it. I suppose what Edward's told me time and again is really true - you really can learn a lot about a person by simply watching and observing. Sometimes I wonder what it is about me that makes me such an open book to the two of them, but most of the time, I'm just glad I mean enough for them to pay attention.

"How about we get some cookies in the oven and then you can go sit with your mom for a little bit before you need to get ready to go to dinner?" she asks as she stands up.

We spend the next thirty minutes mixing, rolling, and pressing, talking the whole time about everything but dinner and my mom. I tell her all about watching Edward play soccer on Friday, how sweet Rose, Angela, and Alice are, how funny Emmett is, and how nice Jasper's been. I tell her about my classes and which ones have teachers that I like. I tell her about some of the other kids, the ones I've met but haven't gotten to know well yet. I don't mention the looks and the nasty comments I've heard a few people make in the cafeteria or when I walk down the hall at school with Edward, and I damn sure don't tell her what Heidi said on Friday. In the long run, things like that don't really matter. It hurts, sure, but catty comments from shallow girls do nothing but make me appreciate how genuine Rose and the rest really are.

"It seems like you've found yourself a really great group of kids to hang out with, sweetie," Maggie says as she turns to look at me.

"Well, I didn't really find them, Mags, seeing as how they belonged to Edward already, but they've all been really nice."

With one last swipe across the island, I dust off the crumbs and shake them into the sink. The delicious smell of sugar cookies fills the air and I feel about a hundred times better. I'm still nervous as can be about meeting Edward's parents, but I don't feel like I'm going to turn into a stuttering, sniveling mess at dinner at least.

I can feel Maggie staring at me so I turn around, surprised when I see a serious look on her face. "Bella, they may have been Edward's friends first, but I've heard you giggle on the phone at night with Rose and Angela. I've listened as you and Edward have talked about them. They're your friends, too, and not just because you're Edward's girlfriend, but because they like you … for you. Don't sell yourself short. You're a brilliant, sweet, pretty girl with or without Edward. Try to remember that, okay?"

Touched beyond words, all I can do is nod.

Then as usual, Maggie knows exactly what I need. "Go, talk to your mom. You can frost the cookies when they cool."

I rush forward and give her a big hug, hanging on to her much longer than normal. Kissing her cheek, I whisper, "Love you, Mag. Thank you for being so wonderful."

She pats me on the back, and I can feel her try to catch her breath because I've managed to catch her completely off-guard with my hug … but mostly with my words. As I leave the kitchen, I hear her say, "I love you, too."

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

DaPK Chapter 7 - Encroachment

And fuck me ... bare feet.

Christ she's trying to kill me.

"Took you long enough." She turns around and grins, sexy and slow.

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

Chapter 7 - Encroachment

EPOV

"Bella."

I hear myself say her name, but I feel the way it sounds more than anything.

My heart flies. My legs go weak, like they do when Coach makes us run bleachers … after practice. The smile on my face must rival The Joker's - the Jack Nicholson one, not the Heath Ledger version - because my face actually hurts from smiling so big.

But mostly, I feel her … sizzling, crackling; the air around us is positively alive with energy. Our energy, whatever weird, 'can't be normal' thing that happens when we're together. I feel it at school and when I walk her to her car, but it's nothing, fucking nothing, like it feels here … in our place.

I toss her notebook on the loveseat and walk past it. I hear the pages flutter as it flies through the air, but I don't stop until I'm close enough that my hands can reach out and touch her. One hand slides into her hair, the other flat across her ass, and I pull, hard, toward me.

"Oh, Jesus Christ." I groan when she rubs against my straining cock.

I wanted the first time we spent together inside our building to be special, but holy hell, the only thing I can think of is skin and touching, and tongues and kissing, and touching some more … lots and lots of touching.

My lips fuse to hers and I plunge my tongue into her mouth. Somehow she squeaks and whimpers at the same time and it's the hottest thing I've ever heard. We've kissed enough this week so that I know she tilts to my right and she knows I'll lean to the left. Her fingers twist my t-shirt into a wrinkled mess. I don't give a damn. She can rip the thing off me for all I care.

She uses my shirt as leverage to get closer, but it's not close enough. I want her on me, over me, hell, if could figure out a way, I'd want her inside of me, if only so she can see how crazy she makes me. I walk backward, and when I feel the back of my knees hit the edge of the loveseat, I sit, taking her with me.

And there she is, all around me.

Her hair falls in a soft, brown curtain around us. The smell of her shampoo fills my lungs when I take a deep breath. If I could invent one, I'd live inside a peppermint, sugar cookie-scented bubble in a fucking heartbeat.

"Oh God." I groan when she rolls her hips just so.

I can't decide what to do first. I want to slide my hand up her shirt, just to feel her skin beneath my fingers, but I want to kiss her until my jaw hurts and I can't feel my tongue. I want her naked beneath me, but love the way she feels on top of me, grinding against the hardest erection known to man. It has to be. I'm so hard it hurts.

"Lips. I want them. Come here and kiss me." I pant, deciding to go with that because it leaves my hands free to roam. Best of both worlds and all.

She smirks and fuck is it ever a turn on.

"These lips?" she teases as she lowers her head and barely brushes said lips against mine. Her hips slide forward again and my eyes roll back into my head.

"Bella," I try to say with some authority, but I'm pretty sure it just comes out as more of a whine than anything. And because I have absolutely no shame whatsoever when it comes to her, when she does it again, looking pleased as can be mind you, I beg.

"Please, Bella. I've been thinking about this all night." I shift, lifting my hips so that she has to lean forward.

She moves just like I want her to. Her weight, what there is of it, welcome and needed against my chest. Her t-shirt's so thin that I can feel her nipples brush against me, already hard and just begging for me to touch them. Her mouth molds to mine and finally, I kiss her, or she kisses me, or we kiss each other. Her hands slide through my hair and I wrap her silky soft strands around my fingers. There's a lot of moaning and a lot of heavy breathing. It's fucking heaven.

"Edward, gah, you taste so good." Bella breathes against my mouth, and then the vixen licks my bottom lip right before taking it between her teeth. She giggles when I try to glare at her.

"I think I want another taste," she whispers, her brown eyes blazing and heavily lidded as she leans forward again.

I loosen my fingers in her hair. There are bare legs calling my name, and I damn sure don't want to ignore any part of her that wants attention. I watch my hands move up her thighs - watch the way my fingers press into her warm, soft skin. I love her legs, especially when they're straddling my own. Muscular, but not overly so. Her skin is the perfect color - peaches and cream - with a hint of a tan. Perfect … just like her.

My hands drift higher, higher, squeezing and caressing until my thumbs cover her hip bones and my fingers curl around to her ass. I've never been so thankful for long piano fingers … ever, especially when Bella groans and adjusts on my lap, settling her center exactly where we both want it the most.

"You're so hot, the way you look right now," I rasp as I gaze up at her. Her eyes are shining, her cheeks flushed pink. A few strands of hair stick to the side of her face and when she bites her bottom lip, I clench my fingers and hold her still.

"So fucking hot." I lift up again and slide her along my hard cock, moaning because it feels so damn good.

Her eyes widen and then flutter close. Her breath hitches in her throat and her fingers twist in my hair. Oh fuck, there's her tongue, sweeping across her bottom lip, from left to right, back and forth like she's licking something sticky and sweet.

I'll give her sticky and sweet.

She moves up and down and the bottom of her t-shirt gets pushed higher. Skin. Lots of skin. Toned, warm skin. Her stomach, the edges of her hip bones - my eyes are riveted to every inch and I have to touch. My hands skim from her hips up her side. She leans back, and for the first time, because honestly before now the only thing I could think about was my tongue in her mouth, I see her shirt. A shit-eating grin spreads across my face.

"Excellent choice, baby," I praise. I still my hands but my eyes are glued to her tits and the hard nipples that are at perfect eye level.

Bella lets out a shaky breath as my hands begin to stroke from her hip up to under her arm, then down and up again and again.

"I thought you'd like it," she says as she tries not to moan. I'll be honest, hearing her sound like that because I'm touching her is such a turn-on. I stop at her waist and stretch my thumbs, ghosting over the bottom of her breasts.

"I do like it; in fact, I fucking love it. Megara … she was hot, just like you." Corny, yes, but nothing but the truth.

She rolls her eyes at my cheesiness, but the pink tinge to her cheeks tells me she doesn't mind. In fact, apparently she likes it so much she scratches her nails across my scalp, leaving the most amazing tingling sensation in their wake.

"I'm surprised you know who that is." She smiles at me and it's sweet and flirty, but the way she's grinding against my dick is anything but innocent.

"I … ahh," My voice breaks when she licks up the side of my neck.

"You were saying?" she asks, like she hasn't just practically rubbed a hole in my cargo shorts from all her grinding and wriggling.

Her soft lips are back on my neck and I can feel the heat of her blush against my cheek. Seeing her this way is totally unexpected, but Jesus, if it's not sexy as hell. I know she hasn't been with anyone like that. I know her experience with fooling around is a little less than mine, but the fact that number one, she seems to want me as much as I want her, and number two, she trusts me enough to show me this side of her, makes me love her even more than I did when I stepped inside here just a short while ago.

On the flip side, it's also making it really fucking difficult not to throw her down on the loveseat, climb between her thighs, yank her tiny ass shorts down her legs, and then ram myself inside of her.

I realize I'm done talking when my thumbs reach higher and rub across her nipples. She hangs her head and begins to move faster, harder against me. The friction feels fucking fantastic and it's making me so damned hard.

"Yes, fuck yes." I groan when I slouch down a bit so she's more fully around my hips.

My index fingers have joined my thumbs and now I'm rolling, pinching her nipples and Bella's heavy breathing matches my own.

"That … oh God, that feels so good," she says roughly.

I trail my right hand down her side, over her hip and then beneath her tiny, fantasy-inducing shorts. My entire hand covers the right side of her ass and I let my fingers squeeze, loving how tight and firm it is. I press and knead, holding her close as we continue to grind against each other.

She lowers her head and plunges her tongue in my mouth. It's wet and sloppy and fucking incredible. Her taste, her smell, the way she's wrapped almost completely around me. All of it. The squeaks and whimpers and the way her muscles feel as they clench and twitch against my thighs and beneath my hand. How hard her nipple is between my fingers. Dry humping has never felt like this.

"Touch me, Edward," she whispers and I almost come right then. Her voice shoots straight to my dick and I swear I get harder, throbbing almost painfully beneath my boxers.

I drag my hand from back to front, still beneath her shorts but over what have to be the skimpiest panties ever made. They feel as thin as tissue paper because I can feel the warmth of her skin against my fingers, almost as if they're evaporating every place I touch her.

"Here, baby? Like this?" I ask as my index finger runs up and down between her legs. She's so hot, and I can feel how damp her underwear is.

Jesus.

I want to touch her, really touch her, finger against slick, slippery skin, but I know she's not ready for that yet. Hell, I don't think I am either, as much as I want it. I've dreamt about touching her … tasting her … being with her for months now, but right this minute, feeling her all around me, just like my first dream of her, is enough.

For now.

Circling and pressing, my finger works her over. Short, choppy breaths mix with moans and whimpers. She's gorgeous like this. Free and totally letting go so she can just feel … and she's all mine.

When I think she can't turn me on further, she shocks the hell out of me when I feel the tips of her fingers graze the edge of my boxers. I about lose my shit, right then and there, but my mind is fucking gone when her hand slips beneath my shorts and her fingers are on me for the first time. Even through the thin cotton of my boxers, it feels like nothing I've ever felt before.

"Oh, ohhhhh," she whispers, her voice scratchy and breathless. I don't know if it's because of my fingers on her or hers on me … I don't really care.

Her fingers dance along my length, a little hesitant but she learns quick as she curls them around me and begins to stroke with the perfect, eyes rolling to the back of my head, pressure.

"Fuck, Bella, holy shit. That feels so good." I groan, and throw my head backward on the loveseat behind me.

Our eyes lock and I suddenly I feel so much. I love her. I want her. I need her more than anything. She's all I see, all I want, and the word forever rattles around in my foggy mind.

We move in concert. My finger, her hand, and we rock, up and down and in circles. Tongues and lips and words hissed between clenched teeth as we get closer to where we need, want, to be.

"Oh fuck, fuck, fuck. Harder, baby. Please," I urge. My hips thrust toward her as I pull my mouth from hers and look up at her. The muscles in my thighs burn, my t-shirt damp with sweat and sticking to my chest, twisted almost uncomfortably, but all I can feel is her begin to move faster, harder.

She spreads her legs wider across mine and my entire hand is down the front of her shorts, cupping her pussy. The heel of my hand presses against her pubic bone, my thumb on her clit, and my fingers glide up and down.

"Oh God, yes. Shit. Ah … just like that, Edward. Close, oh God, I'm going to …" She pants, and her eyes meet mine and they sear straight into my heart … and my cock.

"Kiss me. Fucking kiss me while you come. I'm going to make you come so fucking hard, Bella," I rasp between shaky breaths.

Her mouth crashes against mine. Our tongues twist and tangle around the other's. She's moving against me; my hips keep thrusting into her tight hand. My hand squeezes her ass, her nipple and she's tugging on my hair so hard my scalp stings, but fuck if it doesn't feel good.

"That's it, almost there," I breathe against her lips.

"Please, oh please," she whines, needy and aching.

She squeezes me harder, I press firmer, and then we lose it, coming and writhing against each other. She trembles above me, her legs shake, a rush of heat and wet beneath my fingers. My cock pulses in her hand as I explode and I don't even care about the mess inside my boxers.

"Jesus fucking Christ," I pant.

I feel like all of my bones have melted inside of my body. I'm so spent I can't even pull my hand out of her shorts … not that I really want to.

"Wow. Um … I've never felt like that before," she whispers, her voice a mixture of shock and what I sure as hell hope is happiness as she leans her forehead on mine.

I lift my hand from her ass, not ready for my other hand to leave the heat from between her legs just yet. I lay my palm along her cheek and my thumb gently pulls her bottom lip from the grip of her teeth.

"Me either. That was fucking incredible, baby. I've never … I mean … yeah, what you said, wow," I stammer, tongue-tied and still in a foggy 'Bella has just come on my fingers' haze.

"Was that? I didn't know if you wanted more … I wasn't sure what," she mumbles, her voice now timid and soft.

Oh, hell to the fuck no.

"Isabella Marie Swan," I say as I struggle to sit up, paying no attention to the fact that my shorts are twisted around my waist and my hair probably looks like I just stuck my finger in a light socket.

Her eyes widen; I've never used her whole name before. But if there was a time to use it, it's right fucking now.

"If you even think about finishing that sentence, I'm …" I can't even finish my thought because I want to tell her I'm going to swat her ass, but that would only be hot and not really what I'm going for right now.

"I don't know what I'll do," I huff, "but it'll piss me off if you say anything that even remotely sounds like you're worried about what just happened."

She sighs and tries to hang her head. My fingers lift her chin so she's looking at me. I lean forward and kiss her, this time slow and deep and full of everything, I hope, I feel for her.

"I love you. I've dreamed about, been thinking about touching you and being with you, for months now. Believe me, that," I sigh, and need to shift because there's drying jizz on my boxers and it feels gross, "that was fucking amazing."

"So you don't care that we didn't, you know, really touch and stuff?" She blows out a puff of air and it makes her hair float around her face and for a second I forget her question.

But then I remember once I shake my head to clear it from 'touch and stuff' thoughts.

I open my arms and scoot up, flush against the back of the loveseat and then pull her beside me.

"Come here." I chuckle while running my fingers through her damp hair and let out the girliest sigh ever when she snuggles against my side. "Bella, I kid you not. If all you want to do for now is what we just did … I'm totally, one hundred percent okay with that. I promise," I hurry to say before she can argue with me, like I know she wants to. "Being with you, in any way, any place, but especially here, is plenty, okay? We have lots of time to do more stuff."

I can't help but pinch her side for even thinking I wouldn't be satisfied with what just happened between us. When she giggles and whispers a quiet, but very content, "Okay," I know she's just fine.

I turn and nuzzle my nose in her delicious peppermint-scented hair and say quietly, "That doesn't mean I'm not really looking forward to more, just so you know."

She gasps beside me and I can feel the heat from her cheek seep through my t-shirt as she presses it tightly to me. "I love you so much. I just want to be with you, in every way you'll let me. I won't push you, I promise, but I need you to know how much I want you, always."

"I love you, too. Thank you for not pushing me," she says as she lifts her head from where she was hiding in the crook of my shoulder. She stretches, brushing her lips against mine, smiling so sweetly it nearly makes my heart fly out my chest. "And just so you know," she sort of growls in a voice laced with the promise of lots more stuff that races straight to my dick, "I want to be with you, too."

We kiss and cuddle for a few minutes, until the mess in my shorts takes precedence over her tongue in my mouth.

When I shiver and look down at my crotch with a disgusted look, she giggles then crawls over my lap, rubbing right against me in the worst, best, way. Her ass is right there, so of course I have to run my hand over it, but before I can do anything but grope her a few times, she's sitting back up and shoving a handful of wet wipes at me along with a bottle of water.

Ahh, nothing like a girl that's prepared.

It sort of takes me by surprise how easy and comfortable it feels doing something as unappealing as cleaning up after a round of messy making out. Hot as hell making out, but cleaning jizz off of your boxers is in no way hot.

Ever.

Unless it's Bella, I amend and feel my chest rumble when I see her wipe off her hands, knowing they were just wrapped around my dick. The thought makes my now clean cock start to harden. I want them on me again … soon.

We each take a few sips of water, watching each other as we do so.

"I love being with you like this, just the two of us," I tell her quietly reaching for her free hand because I may have just gotten her off, but I still need to touch her.

Our fingers twine together and I take a moment to look around. It's almost like seeing the inside for the first time. Her books are still on her shelf, her drumsticks still rest across her stool, the fluffy carpet is still just as brightly-colored as it's always been, but it's different now.

"Did you think we'd be here, like this, the first time you saw me?" Bella's voice startles me because she's been quiet so long. It's soft and gentle and just like always, when I go for even a few minutes without hearing it, it makes my heart start beating faster and the twisty turny thing in my stomach to start, well, doing its thing. I'm so ridiculously gone over her that I can't find any part of me that minds being such a damned sap.

She's resting her chin on her knees and her thumbnail is in her mouth as she chews nervously on it, like I'm going to give her an answer she doesn't want to hear. Silly girl.

"Of course," I answer immediately as I turn my head, leaving it against the back of the loveseat. "The second I saw you, I knew. I wasn't sure how it would all work out," and we both laugh as the same thought runs through our minds … how indeed, "but I knew it would."

I remember her notebook, the one I dropped over the side of the loveseat before we got busy, so I lean over the side and pick it up from where it landed beside her backpack.

"Here," I say, feeling a little vulnerable and a lot nervous, as I hand her notebook to her.

I'm not sure where the feelings are coming from; it's not like she shouldn't expect me to have written. In fact, I've written to her every night, just like when I was at camp, even if we haven't really talked about it all week because of everything else that's been going on.

"Yes!" she squeals, bouncing all around. Christ, she's so fucking adorable. She hugs it to her chest, just like every time over the summer when it was waiting for her on her stool. I'm not as jealous this time, though I have to say, it's a hell of a lot better to be able to give it her in person.

I give her a funny look when she giggles and then she's over my lap again, wiggling that perfect ass right where she shouldn't be. We are seriously going to have to talk about this if she doesn't knock it off. Her smile rivals any I've ever seen from her when she pops back up and brings her backpack with her.

"I have yours, too." She sighs as she passes me my notebook.

"I've missed these," she says as she traces a circle over and over again on the cover.

My eyes close and I have to take a few deep breaths before I can look up at her.

"Me, too. It makes me feel really close to you when I write. I know we tell each other everything, all the time, or I hope we do anyway, but writing just feels different, you know?" I shrug my shoulders, unsure if she understands what I'm saying or not.

Well, that is until she throws herself at me and wraps her arm around my neck. "I do. I feel the same way. You know me better than anyone. I don't want that to ever change and I don't want there to ever be anything you don't know about me, even the embarrassing stuff."

I chuckle and kiss her cheek. "You mean like the time you had too many lemonades at your school picnic when you were in the 7th grade and had to pee so bad, that you tripped and fell right in a mud puddle trying to get inside to the bathroom, and wound up splattering mud all over the principal?"

She huffs and crosses her arms, scooting back into the corner of the loveseat. "Jerk! I can't believe you're laughing at me. I was mortified, Edward! I couldn't look Mr. Banner in the eyes again until the end of my 8th grade year, and that's only because I wasn't going to have to see him again."

"God, you're cute when you're being all feisty and shit." I grin as I pounce on her. "I bet you looked adorable all covered in mud."

She huffs again, but I push my luck and kiss her because being with her, like this, in our space, is better than I ever imagined.

"You love me; you can't be mad at me," I whisper.

"Hmph, you're lucky I do." She tries to fight the smile that's just begging to come out, and loses miserably when she gives in after only a few seconds.

"I am lucky. So lucky."

We kiss some more until she moves and we sit up. I glance at her drums. "Will you play for me?"

She smiles and her eyes get bright.

"Yes, of course, but not your song," she says knowing those words were the next things out of my mouth.

I kick off my shoes and lay down. The loveseat's not long enough for me, so my legs hang off the end. The fact that I've dreamed about this exact moment isn't lost on me. I have to take a few deep breaths to keep from making a fool out of myself, and when I look at Bella, her head's tilted to the side as she watches me. I smile, fold my arms behind my head, and close my eyes. "Stop staring and play for me, baby. I've been waiting for this for a long time you know."

I know my girl, so I know she's nervous about having me so close. That's one reason I close my eyes. The other, of course, is she's so fucking hot when she plays that there's every possibility I'll break my promise to not push her. I wouldn't ever, not really, but I figure it's better not to tempt myself any more than necessary.

I hear the stool scrape across the cement floor. There's rustling as Bella fiddles with the iPod to find something to play along with. When I hear her get situated behind her drum set, my heart starts hammering in my chest. The hairs on my arms stand on end, just in anticipation of sharing this with her. The music starts, and I hold my breath, letting it out slowly when the first beats of Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2 start. From there she moves flawlessly into some Beatles, just for me, and then Fell in Love With a Girl by the White Stripes. Ahh, my girl's a huge Meg White fan. Then there's some Led Zeppelin for her dad followed by some Nirvana. The music should be loud in such a small space, and maybe it is, but I don't notice. Eyes open now and I all I can pay attention to is Bella. Seeing her like this, hair flying, arms pumping, eyes closed as she counts out the beats … she's fucking magnificent.

When she reaches the end of Smells Like Teen Spirit, she finally looks at me. Her face is covered by a slight sheen of sweat, her cheeks are flushed pink from all the exertion, and her chest heaves as she tries to catch her breath.

She has never, fucking ever, been more beautiful.

"Bella." It's the only word I can say.

The next ones though, I mean with all my heart, with all I am. "I want you to meet my parents on Sunday. Please have dinner with us so I can finally introduce you as my girlfriend."

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

DaPK Chapter 6 - Extra Time

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

Chapter 6 - Extra Time

EPOV

Hey, Baby,

It's been way too long since I've done this. I'm so sorry. Ever since the night before the first day of school, things feel like they've been on warp speed, even before that, if you want to know the truth. It seems like from the time I left for camp, the days have just flown by.

I've missed this, talking to you this way … our way. It's part of what makes us - us. I can't even begin to tell you what this week's been like with you. From the moment we first saw each other, and God damn those few seconds are always playing on a continuous loop in the back of my mind, to kissing you this afternoon in the parking lot after the scrimmage, the entire week's been full of moments I don't ever want to forget.

We talk every night on the phone. We talk before school, during school, and after school, and I love it. I love being able to see you roll your eyes when I annoy you, or the way the end of your nose scrunches up when you laugh. I really love the way you blush when I whisper in your ear, but writing to you, in our notebooks, makes me feel so close to you. It's not like I'd ever tell you something here I wouldn't tell you face to face. That's not it at all. You're my girlfriend, my best friend, and I want to share everything with you, but this is just different, you know?

I ask you every night, and more times than I can count during the day, though I have a feeling from the way you huff at me you know exactly how many times it is, but how are you? Really? You amaze me, every single day, with how strong you are. You do. I know it hasn't been easy. I can tell when you feel overwhelmed and you just want to run home and sit with your mom, but you've done so fucking well. You know that, right? I'm so proud of you. Is that stupid to say? I don't think so. I hope not. But I am.

Seeing you with my friends does something to me, Bella. I don't even know if I can explain it. I've always been close to them, and never once felt out of place or anything like that, but having you, with me at school, just feels better. Perfect. Like something was missing and now it's not anymore because you're there. God, I sound like one those dudes in the books you like to read, don't I? Shit. But, I do mean it, even if it makes me sound like a pussy to say it.

I can't wait to see you tonight - just a few more hours now. I had a dream one time, right after I left you the drumsticks, about what it would be like to be with you, inside our building. Not be with you, be with you, though it was a really hot dream, but mostly I dreamed about how it would feel to sit close to you and watch you play, and spend time in the space that means so much to you. I know technically it's yours, but I can't help but feel that it's kinda mine now, too. You'll share with me, won't you, baby?

I love you, Bella. I could tell you a million and one times and I'd never get tired of saying it and I hope you won't ever get tired of hearing it … because I plan on saying it for a really long fucking time.

I'll see you soon. You are going to wear a shirt just for me, aren't you? God, I can't fucking wait to see what it is!

Edward

I smile as I close the notebook and glance at the clock. Shit. Still more than two hours to go. I can't wait to see her, hear her play. That reminds me and I flip the notebook open again.

P.S. - btw … you haven't forgotten about my song, have you, because I damn sure haven't. I want it, baby. I want it badly. God, that sounded dirty didn't it? Well, just so you know, I want that, too.

Another look at the clock and I have to laugh at my idiotic self.

P.P.S. - why the hell are we waiting until God-awful 2 fucking A.M. for me to come over? As soon as my parents are asleep, I'm outta here.

I fling the notebook beside me and flop down on my bed, listening intently for any noises to come from my parents. It's almost midnight for fuck's sake; shouldn't they be in bed already? And what the hell was I thinking telling Bella we'd wait 'til our 'normal' time? I could have so easily told my parents I was going to the party and gone over to her house instead, come home, and then gone back out again … double the time with her. Total win. However, I knew I wanted to write her a letter, and I know my girl - she needed some time with her mom.

"Edward," Mom says as she knocks and then pushes the door open. "We're going to bed. Don't forget, Dad and I have to run to Port Angeles in the morning, so we'll be home after lunch. Do you have anything going on tomorrow?"

I look at her from my bed, hoping she can't see that I'm wide awake and not ready to go to sleep in the least. "Nah, not really. I'll probably go run, then maybe do some practicing with Em and Jas in the afternoon. Not sure what the plan is for tomorrow night yet."

"Well, call me if you need anything while we're out and I'll see you when we get home tomorrow. Night, sweetie."

"Night, Mom. Love you."

The door's not even closed and I'm off the bed like my ass is on fire. I showered when I got home from practice because I was a gross sweaty mess, so all I have to do now is brush my teeth, run my fingers through my hair, and spray on some cologne. Yeah, this time, it's most definitely a date. Not my idea of a first 'real' date, but for us, it's perfect. I'm not sure when Bella will be ready for me to take her out, but I'll wait as long as it takes. Introducing her to my parents as my girlfriend probably needs to happen first though. The sooner the better. I want them to meet her and see how important she is to me.

I pace for a few minutes, thinking about what the night will be like … and what I want, and hope, to happen. I'd be a fool to try to deny that I'm wishing for some contact, of the up close and personal variety. All week she's been driving me crazy. Tight jeans that show her perfect ass. Tiny shirts that mold to her tits, and holy mother of God, a short skirt yesterday that made her legs look a mile long and kept me hard all fucking day because all I could think about was having them wrapped around my waist as I threw her down on her loveseat. So yeah, some hand to silky soft sugar cookie-scented skin is definitely on my agenda tonight; I can only hope it's on hers.

Our short, but highly enjoyable, make-out session in her SUV after the scrimmage did nothing but make me want her even more. I didn't think it was possible. I look down, yep, hard as a fucking rock, so apparently it's possible as all get-out.

Thirty minutes have gone by without a sound from my parents' room and I can't wait any longer. I'm down the stairs and out the sliding glass door in no time flat and as soon as I enter the woods and my feet find the familiar trail, I pull out my phone.

On my way, be there in 20

Her response is immediate.

I'll be waiting

Fuck, does that ever sound good, and my mind immediately conjures all the ways she could be waiting for me. Standing sweetly with her hands behind her back right inside the door. Sitting on her stool, fingers already spinning her drumsticks, poised to play for me … laid out on her loveseat, hair fanned beneath her head, ready and waiting for me. Okay, that last one's not likely … but hey, I can dream.

I shake my head at my idiotic thoughts, and force my legs to move faster. I've traveled this path so many times my feet know exactly where to step, where the ground is flat, and where the terrain is a bit rougher and I need to pay attention. It would suck monkey balls to trip, mess up my knee or ankle … and miss a chance to be alone with Bella.

My phone vibrates again.

Hurry

My girl asks, my girl gets.

I push my legs to move faster, ignoring the few twinges and aches lingering from the game. Alec gave me a good knee to my thigh, most likely retaliation for getting in his face like I did. I'm good with that; I'd expect no less. He did apologize for the comment about Bella's mom, though, just like I knew he would. Guys may be clueless dicks sometimes, but saying something like that was low, even for a jackass like Alec. He's lucky I didn't lay his ass out. Like I told Jasper, the way I reacted, what I felt when it seemed like Bella was being threatened, or at least my relationship with her was being challenged, was like nothing I've ever experienced before. My only thought was over my dead fucking body.

Honestly, the way I went from calm to more pissed-off than I can ever remember being in the blink of an eye freaked me out a little bit. I'm normally pretty cool and collected, even on the soccer field. Sure, I lose my temper from time to time, and yes, I get pissed-off and want to hit someone or something, but I've never just wanted to beat the ever-living shit out of a person like that. And the worst thing was, I knew Alec was kidding ... well mostly. Bella's hot as hell, so I have no doubt there was some truth buried beneath the crass and pretty lame attempt to get a rise out of me. If I'd been thinking clearly, I would have just given him a smart ass smirk and told him even on his best day he couldn't take Bella away from me.

I know how she feels about me, and me about her, so I know there's no chance, at all, of us not being together, but the thought of being without her makes my blood run cold. I can't, I won't, be without her now. Just - no.

Thankfully, the glow from Bella's building focuses me on the here and now … and the fact that she's waiting for me.

Holy shit.

I pause beside the tree that I spent so much time watching her from and my index finger finds the groove I rubbed into it. The ground around the tree is trampled down, though because it's been so long since I've been here, new growth mixes with the old. My heart's beating about a hundred miles an hour and the twisty turny thing is having an all out party in my stomach, complete with noisemakers and confetti.

Jesus.

So many memories rush through my mind and I have to lean my head against the tree to calm myself down. The first time I saw her. The way I hurt for her when she danced and was obviously in pain. The first letter, the first smile, the first swivel of her sexy ass to tease me. Creeper. Drummer Girl. A pen. Heartbreak and grief. Sugar cookies. Her words, her touch … her voice after dreaming about it for so long.

Image after image, a kaleidoscope I can barely keep up with. But I feel, God do I feel. All of it, everything. The excitement and frustration. The pull, the want. The need and the happiness. The fear and the hope. Warmth and twists and turns.

Love.

And with that, I'm running. To Bella. My Bella. I don't even worry about being seen; all I care about is getting to her.

My feet skid to a stop the second I see her. I try to catch my breath, the familiar, mouthwatering scent of peppermint and sugar cookies hangs sweet and heavy in the air. Bella. Here. Waiting for me. Standing with her back to me facing the bench behind her drum set. Long mahogany hair loose around her shoulders. My fingers immediately twitch with the need to feel the strands wrapped around them. White t-shirt, tight and showing her curves. Tiny black shorts that cup her ass. So round and perfect. Long legs that are toned and make my dick stand at attention and want to salute for being so fucking hot.

And fuck me … bare feet.

Christ, she's trying to kill me.

"Took you long enough." She turns around and grins, sexy and slow.

Yep. She's definitely going to kill me.

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

DaPK Chapter 5 - Finding A Groove

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

Chapter 5 - Finding a Groove

BPOV

Oh thank you to all things holy.

Whew.

I think I need a cold shower or at the very least a towel to wipe up the drool as I stare, unabashedly and practically panting, at Edward while he walks toward the bench on the sideline of the field. All legs, arms, and a back that even beneath his gray Forks High t-shirt ripples every time he moves. What I wouldn't give to have this be a shirts versus skins game. I wonder if I can suggest that to his coach, because really, I could guarantee that the support for the boys soccer team would fly through the roof if he agreed.

But then again, I don't think I'd much like everyone ogling my guy. Actually, there's no think about it - I'd hate it with the fire of a thousand suns.

Hmmm … seems like I'm a tad possessive about Creeper.

I'm pretty sure he won't mind so much.

"Tongue back in your mouth, Bella. You might not like what lands on it if you leave it sticking out." Alice giggles as she drops down beside me.

"I'm just … that's … wow," are the only words that I'm able to articulate … and not very coherently at that.

She giggles again and wiggles her eyebrows, looking ridiculous and cute at the same time. "Tell me about it. And the football players wonder why at their games the stands are only half full, and the soccer games are standing room only." Her hands lift, palms up, moving slightly up and down. "No contest, guys in shorts, sweaty hair, and shirts stuck to their chests, or guys covered up in pads and a helmet?" She lowers the football hand as if invisibly weighing one against the other. Like her, I agree there's no contest. At all.

Not even close.

I keep staring. I can't take my eyes off Edward and my gaze is so heated he must feel it. My breath leaves in one huge whoosh when he turns and looks in my direction. He's so beautiful, handsome, sexy - hot as hell - take your pick. He's all that and so much more. Perfect and talented and athletic - a veritable walking, talking, breathing, jumble of every adjective imaginable.

The most important one being … mine.

Because he so is.

So, so much mine.

"Nice, Bella," Alice says under her breath and I laugh at the proud tone of her voice.

Not that I'm doing anything but gawking at my very hot boyfriend and appreciating the surrounding scenery. Edward winks and gives me the same kind of chin lift that guys forever think is cool. Can't lie, on him it totally is, but then again, the boy could very probably start singing Celine Dion songs at the top of his lungs and no one would bat an eye. Well, Emmett would, and then he'd join in the singing.

I watch as he and Alec say a few words back and forth. From Edward's body language, I get the feeling that whatever they're talking about has to do with me, mostly because Edward keeps glancing in my direction. He's not mad, that I can tell. He looks focused, sure, but relaxed and totally in his element. His eyes though, I can feel them all the way from where he's standing. Scorching and penetrating … familiar … and my body reacts immediately.

Warm and tingly, the fine hairs on my arms stand on end. My hands flutter about like they've all of a sudden ceased functioning properly and my brain fizzles and sputters as it tries to make sense of anything, which is next to impossible when Edward looks at me the way he does. Like he can see every part of me, even the parts I try to hide from him.

"I've never seen Edward act the way he does when he's around you," Alice says while we watch the guys move toward the center of the field.

I turn toward her, anxious all of a sudden. Alice has known Edward forever. What if she doesn't like what she sees now? What if she doesn't like me for Edward? So far this week, she's been nothing short of a constant ball of energy, full of smiles and encouraging words. I don't think she means anything bad by what she's said, but I still stammer when I ask, "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

She snorts; it's dainty and cute, and totally Alice. Her gray eyes dance and her smile is honest and genuine.

"It's a good thing, you big goof." She laughs. "It's an excellent thing. Edward's always been so controlled, so careful. Sure, we've seen him," she waves her hand around and I know she means herself, Rose, Em, Jasper, and more than likely Ben and Angela, too, "act silly and crazy, but at school he's always kept a wall up. Now, the boy glides through the halls like he's walking on water, practically skipping and jumping. I'm surprised he doesn't cartwheel from class to class. No, it's definitely a good thing to see him so happy. And he's that way because of you."

Wow.

I didn't realize how much I needed to hear all that until she says it and I'm so happy to know she feels that way. Edward's very close to his parents, but his friends mean the world to him. I've always known that, from the very first time he mentioned them; it's easy to see how tight-knit they all are. To know, to really, truly know that his friends are okay with me being in his life, well, it's good to hear.

Really, really good.

A whistle sounds and the guys start moving around the field. I'm mesmerized and I can't take my eyes off Edward as he morphs into Soccerward. Gone is the Edward with the slight smirk on his face, relaxed posture, and playful tilt of his head. In his place is one who stands tall, demands attention, and radiates confidence, if not outright cockiness.

He's almost too much to look at. His shorts hang low on his hips, but as he moves, they cling to his thighs. His very defined, very muscular thighs. Calf muscles pop and flex, and when he jumps up and down in place, releasing that last bit of pent-up energy so he can focus, it does funny things to my girly parts.

Nice funny things, mind you.

Tingly, fluttery things, as a matter of fact.

Alice is talking to me, but honestly, I can't concentrate on a word she says. My eyes are glued to Edward. The whistle blows and I feel every muscle in my body tighten in nervous anticipation. A few minutes into the game, it's obvious that he's the best player on the field. By far. His command of the players on his team, the way he's always finding a weak spot to exploit, how he moves instinctually, it's something to see.

"Jas, behind you. Garrett, watch for the through ball," he hollers as the other team sets up for a throw-in.

Even from the stands, I can hear the grunts as bodies crash into bodies. Anyone who says soccer's not a physical sport must have never watched a game. Elbows jabbing into sides, heels clipped, shins crashing against shins, a cleat to a thigh, heads bumping against another, it's never ending. He runs. He passes. He and Jasper work in perfect sync, each knowing where the ball's going to go without even having to look at it. Edward directs the offense with the precision of a general on the battlefield. With a point of a finger or a tip of his head, his team moves as one. It's a beautiful thing to watch … and this is just a scrimmage - practice for God's sake! I can't even imagine what it'll be like to watch him in a real game setting. It feels like only minutes have passed, but then before I know it, the coach has blown his whistle indicating halftime.

"Holy mother," I say as I exhale.

"Yep, you said it," Alice says, then giggles.

The 'I can't feel my ass' tingles are out in full force and I wiggle back and forth, from one half asleep buttcheek to the other. Apparently I was so spellbound for the last forty minutes that I forgot to move. I lift my arms over my head to try to get some feeling back into my extremities. From my fingers to my toes, my entire body feels like thousands of tiny needles are pricking me over and over as blood begins to flow again. I close my eyes and let my head fall forward, thoroughly enjoying the way the sun feels beating down on me. A few beads of sweat slither down my back and it makes me shiver. I lift my head and my eyes immediately find Edward.

He looks up and smiles. He, Jasper, and the coach are talking, animatedly from the way Edward's hands are waving in the air. It's impressive to see him in his element, and there's no doubt the boy was made to play soccer. His joy is evident in every move he makes while on the field and I love the way his eyes light up with passion and fire.

"Gah, would you look at him? He's so freakin' hot," comes a squeaky, grating voice from behind us.

"I know it. Those legs and that hair, it's so sexy. I can't wait to see him at the party tonight. You know things always get out of control at Mike's. Edward hasn't been to a party since the one at his house for his birthday, remember? He was so trashed, and girl, you were all over him." The pathetic wench beside her laughs.

Ugh, Heidi and Bree. They've been making comments all week in that annoying 'let's whisper just loud enough so that someone - me - will hear' kind of way, rolling their eyes and giving each other those kinds of looks whenever I'm around. I know they've been hoping for some sort of, I don't know, breakdown or cat fight … something, but if they think I'm some shrinking violet who's going to cower in the corner, they've got another damn thing coming. I know how Edward feels about me. The way he talks to me, looks at me, and touches me - I know.

I didn't know about Mike's party, though. Well, I heard people talking about it at lunch, but Edward never mentioned going. I was actually kind of hoping … really hoping, that we could have some time alone tonight. I want to play. I want him to watch me play, and I just want to be with him, away from everyone and everything else.

"Well, only a few hours and I'm sure you'll be able to get your freak on … again."

I snort, loudly, totally not caring that I sound like some sort of overgrown bullfrog. Alice huffs and whips her head around, eyes blazing and ready to rip the two to shreds, but I shake my head, just enough, so she keeps her mouth closed. I appreciate her wanting to jump to my defense, but I'm more than capable of fighting my own battles, thanks very much.

"Something to say Alice? Bella?" Heidi asks in a sing-song voice that's as fake as a porn star's boobs.

I plaster my own fake smile on my face and slowly turn around. Inside I'm boiling mad, but I'll be damned if I let them know it.

"I know all about Edward's birthday and the fact that he turned you down, flat," I bite sharply when I stare at Heidi. "You may not have known about me, but I heard all about you, so don't try insinuating shit just to start trouble because it's not going to work."

Both of them look like they've sucked on a lemon, sputtering and staring at me with huge eyes. Heidi composes herself quickly though, and says icily as she stands up, "Yeah, well we'll see what's what when he's at the party tonight and you're sitting at home, alone, babysitting your mom." Her eyes flash at Bree and then the two of the scamper off to God knows where, twittering about what to wear tonight.

That. Bitch. I breathe in and out a few times, more angry than I've been in a long damn time. Going after me to make me doubt Edward is one thing, but to be so heartless as to bring up my mom is another thing altogether.

"You know Edward's not going, right? At least not without you," Alice says quietly beside me.

I nod, not really sure how I feel about it. On one hand, honestly, I don't want him to go, I want him to spend time with me, and then on the other, I feel horribly guilty for feeling that way. He knows I can't go out, or more that I don't want to leave Mom when I don't have to, but that doesn't mean he has to stay home just because I'm going to. This has been such a long week, full of stress and worry as well as excitement and happiness, and frankly, I need some time to decompress from it all.

I love being able to see him every day. To be able to watch his eyes dance when he and Emmett joke around between classes, or to hear him and Alice nag at each other, and to feel his fingers running through my hair during Spanish class. It's been an amazing week, and at the end of every day I spend a few hours sitting with Mom telling her about all that's happening as well as to just be quiet and think about everything.

There's a lot to think about.

I felt like I knew Edward before school started. We shared so much, talked about things that we haven't told anyone else - became best friends as well as boyfriend and girlfriend - just through our words; but seeing him, hearing him … watching him be the person he is, is about the best thing ever. But every day there's something new I learn about him, tiny things really, but they're the things that make him my Creeper. He chews on the end of his pen. In Spanish he hums the Beatles, but in English it's the Foo Fighters. At lunch he sits on my left side, but when we walk in the hallway, he's on my right. He has the horrible habit of cracking his knuckles. When he talks about his parents he smiles a lot, but when he talks about soccer his whole face lights up. At night, when we're on the phone and it's time to say goodbye, the very last thing he says, right before he hangs up is, "I love you." He never waits to hear it back, if I want to tell him, I'd best be sure to do it before then, because without fail, he's disconnecting the call before the 'you' barely has time to make it out of his mouth. When I asked him why after the first time he did it, he shrugged and said, simply, that he wanted those words to be the last thing I heard before going to sleep.

Not gonna lie, hearing that made me want to push him to the ground and do lots of the tingly, fluttery things that keep me company in my dreams most nights.

All of which leads me to really, really, wanting him to come over tonight. I miss our nights - secret and ours alone. I miss his words in our notebooks … I miss him. Creeper. I see Edward every day and it's great and wonderful, but I miss our strange yet intimate late night encounters.

"You okay?" Alice asks when I've been silent for a while.

"Yeah," I tell her, because I am.

How could I not be?

I focus again on the game and even though it's only a practice and they aren't really keeping score or anything, Edward's intensity is palpable. I've played, I've watched matches on TV and have seen a few games in person with Phil and my mom, so I know the final minutes of the game are the nail biters. There's pushing and shoving, grunting and yelling. Edward's eyes don't stop tracking the ball. Goosebumps cover my skin because watching him as he and Jasper run and pivot and pass and dribble, working together, is like the most intricate ballet. I hold my breath when Edward steals the ball from Alec and begins running up the field, eyes fixed on the goal … his target. The defense moves with him, covering, blocking, so his only choice is to pass the ball to Jasper on the wing. He plants his foot, then swivels right, avoiding Tyler and his elbow, and lays off the perfect pass to Jasper. He jockeys around Tyler, arms and elbows flailing about, but he's finally able to find a free spot. Almost as if it were scripted, Jasper chips the ball from the side to the front of the goal where Edward deftly, fluidly, bounces the ball off his chest, to his feet, where he uses one smooth motion to kick the ball into the corner of the net.

His teammates surround him, giving high-fives and slaps on the back … and me, I'm just in awe.

He's so talented, so good. It's almost heartbreaking the amount of skill he possesses. He's at home on a soccer field; it's obvious to anyone who watches him. It's what he was born to do.

My eyes are glued to him, especially when he lifts the bottom of his shirt to wipe the sweat off his face, leaving his very toned stomach exposed to drool over. And drool I do. I lick my lips as he turns just a bit to the side, giving me the perfect view of his hips and abs. Jesus, is he ever something to look at.

The coach brings all the boys together once the game is over. After a few words, the guys disperse, some head straight for the locker rooms, some sit on the bench, and the rest sort of mingle and talk. I see Edward pull out his phone and about thirty seconds later my phone beeps with a text.

"Wait for me," is all it says, but the three words are enough to make my heart beat a little faster and for me to hurry the hell up and walk to my truck. I tell Alice goodbye and promise to at least text over the weekend once I have an idea of what my plans might be … besides some writing, playing, baking, visiting with Mom and spending as much quality time with Edward as I can.

An entire weekend's worth sounds like a mighty fine idea if you ask me.

I rush to my truck, pressing the key fob to unlock the door. My backpack gets slung inside, a bit too hard due to the butterflies about seeing Edward in a few minutes, and falls onto the floor in front of the passenger seat. I climb inside the Escalade and lean over to pick it up then gasp when two hands grab me by the waist and pull me almost out the door. Edward.

My eyes widen, but before I can do anything other than squeak, he's turned me sideways. One hand stays on my hip and the other slides into my hair as he cups the back of my head. His lips press against mine, hard, almost desperate, and it feels so good. So, so good. There's a tongue in my mouth, and it's warm, possessive. I like it. My fingers plunge in his damp hair and I don't even mind that he's covered in sweat. He smells fucking incredible - salty and spicy and all things Edward.

His breathing is erratic, heavy, like he ran all the way from the field to the parking lot at a dead sprint. He scoots closer, as close as he can get, but it's perfect because my chest is pressed against his and I can feel how hard and fast his heart's beating. Just like mine.

God, I want him.

I want him to kiss me and touch me and make me feel things that set my body on fire and like I'm falling apart right before his eyes.

"So fucking good." He groans as his lips slide from my mouth to the side of my neck. "I've been thinking about kissing you all damn day, Bella."

"Oh, aah." I moan when his tongue flicks my earlobe. I feel his teeth scrape the sensitive skin and all it does is make me roll my hips against him and press myself even closer to him.

He swirls his tongue around that spot, the spot … the little dip where my shoulder meets my neck, and I groan. Loudly. "Jesus, Edward." I pant.

Everything … thinking about him, watching him play, hearing those girls talk about him … all of it and so much more has me going completely out of my mind. I open my mouth to say something, which is pretty damn hard considering all the things he's doing with his tongue, but he starts talking first.

"Bella," he says in a rough voice. He's breathing hard, chest heaving and when I pick my head up to look at him, his eyes are so damn bright. "Can I come over tonight? Please? I miss you … I need you."

"What about the party?"

He growls and wedges himself even more between my legs. "Fuck the party, baby. I've had to share you all week. I don't need or want to spend time with anyone but you."

His words are perfect. He's perfect. "Yes, God, yes," I answer. I pull myself up and wrap my arms around his neck. His hands splay across my back, holding me to him and it feels so good.

"Same time as before, okay? Sooner if my parents go to bed early. I'll text when I'm on my way."

I nod, clinging to him for a few, very short minutes. Not long enough at all.

He kisses my lips one more time, then my cheeks, then the tip of my nose. "I'll see you afterwhile. I can't wait to have you all to myself."

Saying goodbye takes a few more minutes because neither of us want to let the other go, even if we'll be back together in a few hours. When he finally pulls away, closing my door and giving me a sexy wink, all I can think about is tonight.

I smile to myself as I watch him walk away - a very nice sight to behold.

Tonight he won't have to watch from the trees.

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

DaPK Chapter 4 - Hard Tackle

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Chapter 4 - Hard Tackle

EPOV

"Cullen, you ready for today?" Coach Meeks asks as I walk into the locker room.

"Heck yes." I grin, already pumped and in game mode.

He nods and crosses his arms. "Good to hear. I know this is only a scrimmage, but I want you treating this like it was a match, got me? And keep your eye out for who you want on the starting line-up and what positions you want them in. As captain, you have a lot of input, so pay attention - especially to the underclassmen. We need to make sure we give them some playing time on Varsity, so next year when you all leave me, I'm not left with my ass hanging in the wind."

I ignore the instant, and very pronounced clench of my stomach at the mention of next year. Christ, there's still so much I have to think about and decide on … but it's not going to be now. Nope, because now, it's game time.

"I'll see you on the field," I tell him and head toward my locker to change.

Most of the other guys are already dressed, so I hurry to catch up. When I sit on the bench to put my cleats on, Jasper jabs my side with his elbow. "So, you ready?"

I raise my eyebrows. "What the hell? Why wouldn't I be? It's just a scrimmage, Jas … no biggie."

I bend over to tie my cleats and look up at him when he snorts. "That's not what I meant, dude. Bella's coming, isn't she?"

Ah …

Yep, now cue the twisty turny thing that only happens when I think about Bella.

Fuck.

"Thanks for reminding me, dipshit." I growl.

It's not like I'd forget anyway because it's pretty much all I've thought about all day. All week really, since Coach mentioned the scrimmage on Monday after practice and Bella and I talked about it that night on the phone. This entire first week at school has been nothing short of incredible. Even with all the comments and stares, getting to see Bella everyday, being able to touch her and kiss her and hold her hand, has been everything I thought it would be and more.

She's been amazing. I know it hasn't been easy for her. Not at all. No matter how much she smiles and tries to make everyone else think otherwise, I know better. Oh, she's enjoying meeting everyone and dare I say, she really likes being with me as much as I do her, but that doesn't mean that everything is hunky-dory. I see it. I can tell when she sort of curls in on herself and shuts down. There's a look that passes over her face; it's sort of blank with her eyes pinched and a dip between her eyebrows, and usually it's accompanied by her bottom lip firmly in place between her teeth. Sometimes it only lasts a few seconds, sometimes it's an entire class period, but then it's gone again.

I feel the bench shake and look to my right. "Seriously, man, what the hell is the deal between you and the very fine Miss Swan? One minute you're single and fighting off Heidi at your birthday, and the next you're attached at the lips to the hottest girl, besides Rosalie Hale, to ever grace the halls of Forks High. What gives?" Garrett asks with a shit-eating grin on his face.

The locker room suddenly gets very quiet and feels incredibly stuffy. Sweaty shin guards, at least four different kinds of Axe, and the lingering scent of bleach mixes with the dank, musty smell of the showers, making it hard to breathe. It may also be the fact that everyone is staring at me.

Motherfucker.

Bella and I talked about this after the first day of school … which I still think she handled like a champ. She disagrees, of course, because she's stubborn and is way too hard on herself - a trait of hers I'm going to change if it kills me. But when we talked on the phone that night, we agreed to keep the details as vague as possible, but still get the point across. Jasper, Emmett, Alice, and Rose knowing exactly what went down is one thing, sharing the particulars with anyone else kind of makes me sick to my stomach. There is no way I'm listening to anyone cheapen what Bella and I shared this summer. I'll kill the first fucker that starts talking shit.

In a heartbeat.

"We met, we clicked, we talked, and got to know each other; now we're together. What's so hard to figure out?" I ask nonchalantly as I stand up.

"How did you meet?"

"Where did you meet?"

"Where was she when we partied for your birthday?"

"Why haven't you said anything?"

"Why didn't we meet her before school started?"

"Did you tap that?"

"Is she any good?"

The questions come flying from all sides, not just from Garrett. Alec, Mike, Eric, and Tyler all chime in and I can't help but feel cornered like a girl in a dark alleyway being stalked by a gang of drunken thugs.

I clench my fingers, making tight fists, so tight that I can feel my fingernails gouging the skin of my palms. Breathing deeply, I try to calm the churning in my stomach and the overwhelming, irrational need to lash out. These are my friends - assholes some of them - but friends nonetheless. I've known them most of my life and frankly, honestly, I'd be worried if they weren't giving me shit … but this is Bella they're talking about.

My Bella.

Drummer Girl.

Alec chuckles before he throws an arm around Tyler's shoulders. He lifts his chin as he glances at me and says, "Looks like there's already trouble in paradise. Maybe I'll see if the delectable Bella wants to kick it tonight … go to First Beach and take a walk, just the two of us, with nothing but the moon and the stars to keep us company. Or hell, maybe I'll drop by her house. From what I hear, she's all alone except for some nanny kind of person and a mom that's knocking on death's door. I'm sure she could use the company …"

Before he can utter one more disgusting word, we're nose to nose and I'm breathing fire.

"Stay the fuck away from Bella," I say through teeth clenched so hard that my head throbs. My entire body is vibrating, like a powder keg just waiting for the tiniest spark so that it can explode.

Jasper and Emmett close in beside me, probably to keep me from trying to kill the motherfucking asshat. I want to, fuck do I want to, but I force myself to relax my shoulders infinitesimally. It's enough for the red that blurred my vision just a moment ago to fade away.

"Whoa, man." Alec smirks, looking half afraid and half pissed at the same time. "I was just kidding. Jesus, Cullen." He looks at me like I've lost my damn mind, and for second there, I did.

Fuck.

"What the hell's going on in here? Are you boys having a tea party I didn't get invited to, or do you think you can move your butts out to the field so we can play some soccer?" Coach barks as he storms into the locker room.

"Sorry, Coach, guess your invitation got lost in the mail," Emmett quips and the tension that's filled the air dissipates instantly when everyone laughs.

"Funny, McCarty, real funny. Now move it, all of you, before I decide to make you run bleachers."

We grab our bags and follow Emmett and Coach out of the locker room and toward the field.

"My friend, you are so fucked." Jasper chuckles under his breath as he falls in step beside me.

I glower at him, but when he wiggles his eyebrows, I can't help but let the corners of my mouth lift in the semblance of a smile. "Christ, Jas, I've never experienced anything like that. What the fuck's the matter with me?"

"Ahhh, young grasshopper." He laughs. "You two have been in your little Edward and Bella bubble for three months, and now, you're both out in the big, bad world where douchebags like Alec reside. Get used to it. Bella's the shiny new toy and everyone wants to play with her. It's only natural. I mean shit, when's the last time someone new moved to Forks? When Brandon Jenkins came to town when we were freshmen? And he's not half as mysterious or special as Bella." He laughs even louder when I growl at him.

"Don't let Ali hear you call another girl special, Jasper, or you'll be in trouble." I huff, annoyed that he can be so rational while I feel like I'm going crazy.

"Shut the fuck up," he says as he shakes his head at me, totally unfazed by my trying to turn the tables on him. "You know Alec didn't mean anything; he's harmless. A fuckwit, but harmless. No one's ever seen you all ga-ga over a girl before, so it's big news. Top it off with a girl, a beautiful one no less, that's pretty much popped up out of nowhere as far as most of them are concerned, and you've got yourself the juiciest bit of news since Mrs. Stanley was caught with the lawn guy last summer."

"Damn," I mutter, knowing he's right, as I drop my bag down on the ground. I start to stretch a bit, feeling the pull and the burn as I move my body.

I bend over and reach toward the ground, letting my muscles loosen. When I stand back up, the most intense, delicious, and frankly dick-stirring sensation fills me.

Bella.

I twist and look up. Sure enough, there she is. Sitting about halfway up the bleachers looking as gorgeous and hot as can be. God, she's something else. The day's been warm and bright and I can see the sunlight bounce off her hair. Streaks of crimson mix with mahogany and my fingers twitch. I want to feel it. I know how soft and silky those strands are, seeing as they're constantly wound around the tips of my fingers every day in Spanish.

It's a wonder I squeaked by to pass my first test. I don't think I've heard one word Señora Guzman has spoken all week. Thank goodness a few of the guys on our Premier League team are Hispanic and speak Spanish. Of course most of the words they've taught us are the curse words, but they've managed to teach us all a few other things as well.

I can't take my eyes off her and when I see her laugh at something Alice says, the twisty turny thing comes out in full force.

Christ, I love her.

Like hard core, no holds barred, I'll take a motherfucker out if they get in my way, love her.

Sometimes what I feel for her is intense and overpowering, but it's also gentle and soothing, like flannel sheets in the middle of winter. I want her, always, but I want to comfort her, help her, be there for her … love her even more. She's been so fucking amazing this week. Joking around with Emmett, most of the time at my expense. Getting to know Angela. Spending time talking cars with Rose, or history with Jasper at lunch. Chatting about dance with Alice as we walk from class to class … she's blown me away by how strong she is.

Every damn day, there's always something she does or says that takes my breath away. Whether it's seeing her smile, or hearing her laugh … or especially when she sighs all breathless and sexy-like when I kiss her, it makes me realize how crazy I am about her and how much was missing in my life before I stumbled across her in the woods.

She must feel my eyes on her because she turns from Alice with the most incredible smile and gives me a little wave.

If I didn't think I'd make a total pussy out of myself I'd blow her a kiss, but settle for a wink and manly chin lift.

I'm such a fool for her, it's not even funny.

"You are one lucky bastard, Cullen. If you fuck things up with her, I'll kick your ass then swoop in and take your place before she even has time to miss you," Alec says as he walks up beside me.

Bella laughs at Alice again and then looks my direction one more time. I can see her eyes sparkle, even from here, and I shake my head and face Alec. "Keep dreaming, Walker. There's no way in hell you'll ever get the chance."

"Like I said, Cullen," he grins as we head toward the middle of the field to listen to Coach, "you're a lucky bastard."

I look over my shoulder at Bella one last time and think about what I want to ask her after practice.

"Don't I know it," I murmur before sliding my captain's band on my arm and taking my place in the center beside Emmett.

I can't wait to see Bella when we're done. Tonight could be a very good night.

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~