Disclaimer: Twilight and all characters belong solely to Stephenie Meyer.
BPOV
I was still reeling from Alice’s statement, when Edward dropped me off later that evening. Edward promised to call when he went on break. I made my way upstairs and before I opened the door, I heard voices coming from inside. Jacob was home.
I walked in and Jacob, his friend, Quil, and another girl I didn’t recognize were sitting around the couch playing video games.
“Hey Quil. Jacob…” I called out.
“Bella…”
I waited patiently, expecting him to introduce me to the girl. I raised my eyebrow at him and darted my eyes to her.
“Oh… Bella, Leah…Leah, Bella, my roommate.”
“Hi Bella,” she said eyeing me.
“Hi...Well, I’m going to my room, have a goodnight.”
Well, wasn’t that an interesting turn of events. I knew Quil had a girlfriend; so obviously, Leah was here with Jacob and judging by the way she looked at me, he must have filled her in on some details of our non-relationship. Either that or she was sizing up the competition… and thankfully, there was none here.
I stripped out of my clothes deciding to take another shower. I stood in the tub letting the warm water wash over me. My mind went back to what Alice said and the previous night. There was no way Edward could possibly be thinking of a future with me. I met him two weeks ago and that encounter was a disaster. Then, I saw him again, but as my doctor. So, let’s recap…He was a doctor, I was a broke law student. He was rich, I most definitely was not. Doctor… patient… We were complete opposites. It couldn’t work. But then he asked me out and I said yes without hesitation. Let’s be honest though, he asked me out because he had pity on me.
Granted what followed was certainly unexpected. The need to be with him was so overwhelming, I had to take my chance on the train, show him I wanted him, needed him. I honestly didn’t know what came over me. I had never done that before. Then at his apartment, the attention he gave me, or rather my nether region was amazing. I saw the lust and desire he had in his eyes. It seemed as though he wanted to reciprocate that same want and need I had exhibited earlier.
Meeting Alice totally threw me for a loop. I’d known him for two weeks, we had an entirely intimate night and he was already introducing me to his family? I wondered what he said to Alice. “Oh Alice, this is the girl that gave me great head on the train. I barely know her, but you should meet her.”
Alice and Jasper were, admittedly, one of the best couples I had ever met, but it was obvious I didn’t belong, especially when she started talking about my clothes. I could never be good enough for Edward. Yet, they were still so welcoming as if I was part of the family already. I missed that from my own family. I really only had Emmett now, so it felt good to have that comfort you only feel from people that love you.
Oh well, I was calling this as was - an amazing fling with my doctor. End of story. Besides, I had to still concentrate on the upcoming bar exam, I couldn’t get involved in any kind of relationship, fling or otherwise. Right?
I was pulled out of my thoughts when the water turned cold. I finished up in the bathroom and decided I should get started on my studying. I heard the voices still outside, so I didn’t bother leaving my room. I needed to talk to Jacob, but not in front of his friends.
I was focusing on the material in one of my many study guides, when I was startled by the buzzing of my cell phone. It was a text from Rosalie.
Edward just walked by looking like he’s on cloud nine.
What did you do to him? ;-)
I sent back my reply.
Nothing as far as I know.
Within seconds she responded.
Bullshit. He’s positively glowing. It’s disturbing actually. I’m calling
on my break. You WILL give details.
I rolled my eyes. Here was another one that I barely knew but was apparently making herself quite comfortable in my personal life. I guess I didn’t mind so much. Things seemed to be progressing quite nicely, if not quickly, between her and Emmett. I’d have to remember to ask her about that later.
I continued to study, not realizing that I had dozed off until my phone rang waking me up. I checked the caller ID. Rosalie.
“Hey Rose,” I said groggily.
“Were you sleeping?”
“Yeah. I dozed off while studying.”
“Oh. Well, that’s ok…So what’s going on with you and Edward?”
She really just cuts to the chase, huh? I sat up a little more on my bed before speaking. “Well, as I said before…nothing.”
“Geez Bella, I know you for all of a week and I can already tell when you’re bullshitting me. Now… in the weeks I’ve known Cullen, he never looked this happy. As a matter of fact, he looked downright miserable.”
I sighed into the phone. “Honestly, Rose, I don’t think much will happen between us. We went to dinner, I ended up at his place and…”
“Wait…What??? Bella, that’s huge! How could you hold back on me?” she shrieked into the phone.
“Ow, Rose, that was my ear.”
“Sorry. But seriously, that should have been the first thing you told me. So…what did you guys do?” I could tell by her tone, that her mind was in the gutter.
“Ummm…nothing. We didn’t want the night to end, so he took me back to his place instead of mine so we could avoid Jacob.” I lied, but she really didn’t need to know the sordid details.
“You’re bullshitting me again. You don’t go home with the sex on legs that is Edward Cullen and not do anything. But since you claim that you did nothing, you can tell me what his place looks like, right?” She asked knowingly.
Shit, that was a trick question and I realized now that I didn’t see much of his place other than his bedroom…
“Bella???” she said impatiently
“It was big.”
She laughed. “Oh, I’m sure it was.”
Ugh, I wish I could take that back. As if knowing I needed to be saved, the other lined beeped and it was Edward. Thank god. I could end this torturous conversation.
“Rose, I have to get the other line.”
“Hmmm… Let me guess, Cullen?”
“Yeah…Bye…” and I switched over. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself.” I could hear him smiling on the other end. “Talking to Rose, were you?”
“Yeah, how-”
He laughed, “I’m standing in front of her right now.”
“Oh, okay… So, how’s work? How many people did you save so far?” I inquired.
I felt my heart beating faster than usual. I noticed even when speaking to Rose, that my pulse would quicken at the sound of his name. It was almost uncontrollable and I was sure Edward could hear it too.
“…he’ll recover nicely.”
Shit I missed what he said. “That’s good,” I replied, hoping it was the right thing to say.
“Yes, it’s very good, but I didn’t call you to talk about my patients,” he said sternly.
“Oh? What did you call for then?”
“I missed you. I haven’t stopped thinking about you and I wanted to hear your voice.” I smiled. He always knew what to say.
“Really? You’re just saying that,” I said trying to brush off his comment.
“Ummm…no.” He sounded confused. “You are very special, Bella. I like spending time with you. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“In that case, I miss you too,” I said.
He chuckled. “Bella, you don’t have to indulge me. I’m sure you’re too busy with your studying to miss me. It’s okay.”
Busy studying…sure, but hardly concentrating since my mind was filled with visions of Edward. “No. I’m not indulging you. I really do miss you too.”
“Good because I want to see you again soon. My next day off you’re all mine again.” I felt the blood rush to my face at his hidden suggestion. “Hey, love, I’m needed in the OR.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Goodnight. Sweet dreams.”
“’Night.”
I looked at the clock and saw that it was almost two in the morning. I shoved my books off the bed, shut off the lamp and fell asleep.
~*~
A week went by and I hadn’t seen Edward. He did call me every day to tell me he missed me. Work picked up considerably for him and he hadn’t been able to get a free day for himself. He assured me that he would make up those days with me. I could only wish.
I had to visit him today, as a patient, to check up on my arm. I was looking forward to seeing him. I had to admit it was difficult being without him and my dreams had only intensified after our session, but it still felt nothing like the real thing.
I arrived promptly at the hospital for my appointment. I saw Rosalie, who was working in outpatient care for the day.
“Hey Bella, how are you?”
“I’m good. Here for my checkup and a couple of more x-rays.”
“Hmmm…is that all?” She gave me a knowing look.
“Yes, Rose…I-” I was interrupted by two warm arms snaking around my waist and a soft wet kiss on my neck. I closed my eyes in pleasure.
“Mmmm…Bella…you smell so good,” the silky voice whispered in my ear. I swear, he could have bent me over right then and I wouldn’t have cared.
“Edward…” he turned me around and gave me a gentle kiss on my lips.
“Bella, love, I won’t be able to see you today.” I pouted. I was hoping for a few minutes with him. He placed his thumb on my bottom lip and slowly caressed it. “No pouting. I wish I could stay, but we’re swamped with surgeries today. Dr. Berger will take care of you.”
“Okay. I just…”
“I know.” He pulled me closer. “I miss you too.”
“Ahem,” someone cleared their throat behind us. Edward turned around.
“Oh. Dr. Berger,” Edward said moving away. “This is your lovely patient. Please take good care of her for me.”
“Always, Dr. Cullen. Come with me, Ms. Swan. Let’s check that arm of yours.”
I gave Edward another quick peck and followed Dr. Berger. My cast was removed and my arm was x-rayed. The doctor told me that my arm was healing well and I would have another four weeks with the cast and most likely some light physical therapy.
I didn’t see Edward again as I left, but I gave Rose a quick bye and made my way back home. Jacob was home when I stepped into the apartment. Finally. He barely registered my arrival though.
“Jacob?” I cautiously asked.
“Yeah?” He was playing his Playstation and didn’t take his attention off the game.
“I want to talk to you...about us.” I moved to the couch and sat down next to him, my right leg coming under me as I faced him. The tension was already building in the room.
“Okay. Talk.” He still wasn’t looking at me.
“Jake, I need you stop playing so we can really talk about what’s going on.”
“Fine,” he huffed, pausing the game and finally turning to me. “What do you want?”
“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
“Alright, alright. Sorry.”
I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”
“What exactly are you apologizing for, Bells?” he asked sounding annoyed.
“I’m sorry for not realizing your feelings for me and not being able to reciprocate them.”
He sighed. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You’ve always been a good friend. Yes, you were a little blind, but I should have been more straight-forward with you from the beginning.”
“How long have you felt this way about me?”
“Since freshman year in high school,” he said so low, I could barely hear him.
“Since ninth grade?”
“Yeah. Do you remember when you came over that first day of school?” I nodded. “You were crying up a storm because that bitch Lauren found about you being a little clumsy and decided she was going to keep tripping you whenever she saw you. You came running over to my dad’s and all you wanted was for me to hold you and make you feel better. I loved every second of it. I loved how vulnerable you were and you chose me to protect you. I didn’t want it to end. That’s when I realized I fell in love with you.”
I looked up at Jacob, his face full of emotions, love, confusion, fear. “Jake, I didn’t realize…”
“Don’t fuss. It’s okay. I should have figured out that you didn’t share the same feelings long ago and let it go, but I was still hoping against hope that you’ll feel some kind of connection. Then you were with Mike.” He spoke his name in disgust.
I groaned. “Let’s not go there, please?” I pleaded.
He nodded. “I wanted to bash his brains in for what he did to you, but I didn’t want to lose you as a friend. Doesn’t matter, you did what you had to do. But now there’s Edward.”
“Edward’s a great guy. You really ought to give him a chance. You’ll like him. Besides, he went to school with Emmett and they were best buddies then. So you know he has to be good, especially to put up with Emmett.”
“Sure, sure. I know you’re right, but I’m just upset that you fell for this guy in twenty minutes and I got nothing after twenty years.”
“Jacob, that’s not true. I absolutely love you…just not in the way that you want me to, but I will always love you. You’re like my brother.”
He flinched at the last word, turning away from me. “Brother, right…”
“Jake…”
“Listen, Bells…I will try…for you…Anyway, I met someone and I’m really liking her. So maybe this is for the best anyway.”
“Leah?” I asked
He nodded confirming my early suspicions. “Yeah, Leah. She’s really great…beautiful, too. I really miss being around her.”
I smiled. “That’s great, Jacob! I’m sure she’ll make you happy.”
“I think she will, too. Look, I’m not mad at you and I’m sorry for my behavior. Can you forgive me?”
I furrowed my brows in concentration pretending to think about his request. “Hmmm…” I grinned. “Of course, Jake. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t? I’m glad we spoke.”
“Me too.”
We leaned into each other and hugged.
~*~
EPOV
The weekend was finally approaching. I had not seen Bella, except when she came in for her appointment and then I was so busy I couldn’t even take care of her myself. I did have Sunday free though, so I called her on my break so we could make plans.
“So, Bella, you’ve lived here longer than I have. What’s good to do in the city?”
“There’s plenty to do, but I’m not sure what you like.”
“Well…”
“Hold that thought, someone’s at the door,” she interrupted.
“Who are you talking to?” I heard the voice on the other end ask, unmistakably Emmett’s.
“That’s none of…HEY! GIVE ME BACK THE PHONE!”
“Hello?”
“Hey Emmett,” I laughed. “Giving Bella a hard time?”
“You know it. It’s what big brothers are for anyway. You’re just the man I wanted to speak to, so this is perfect.”
“Oh yeah? What can I do for you?”
I could hear Bella’s protestations in the background. “Simmer down, Bells. You’ll talk to him in a minute,” he said to an obviously agitated Bella. “Listen, I’m trying to start a touch football team and I wanted to know if you could play on Sunday.”
Well, that certainly gave us something to do on Sunday, but I did want to spend it alone with her. “How long will the game be?”
“About two hours, tops. The game starts at twelve and if you can bring anyone that would be great. We can always use more players.”
“Let me check with Bella, can you put her on again please?”
“Sure, take care Cullen.” There was some rustling as the phone was handed back to my girl.
“Hey.”
“So, did you hear what Emmett said?”
“Yes. If you want to play, that’s fine. We can always do something after.” Well, she certainly made things easier.
“Okay, but only if you’re there to cheer me on,” I added.
“Of course, I’ll be there. I’ll wear my skimpiest cheerleading outfit,” she giggled. Thoughts of Bella in an outfit did nothing for my libido.
“You’re bad…”
“Of course,” she said seductively.
“I have to go before I end up over there. I’ll speak to you later. I’ll see you on Sunday.”
“Okay. See you Sunday.”
After I hung up with her, I gave Jasper a call and told him about the game. He finally had some downtime as well so he was up for it. I told him to be sure to bring Alice. I mentioned the game to a couple of other doctors who I knew also had Sunday off and they were just as eager to shed some frustration as well.
~*~
Sunday rolled around and I was meeting everyone at Seventy-Second Street and Central Park West. We would find a field from there once everyone arrived. I was anxiously waiting for Bella. I hadn’t been with her properly in two weeks, though it felt like forever. The last time I saw her, aside from her checkup was at my sister’s place.
I remember her reaction when Alice mentioned children. Bella was shocked as hell and I was sure had been wondering where our relationship was going. Our conversations had been limited because of my work so we hadn’t been able to discuss anything. I just hope she didn’t think I was neglecting her in any way.
I walked up to the Seventy-Second Street entrance to the park. Garrett and Eric, the other surgeons, were already there. We spoke about the hospital and our surgeries as we waited for everyone else to join us.
“Cullen! Glad to see you could make it.” Emmett bellowed as he approached with Rosalie in tow.
“Hey Emmett! Hey Rose!” I waved to them. I introduced them to my co-workers.
“Bella’s not here yet?” Emmett asked. I shook my head. “That’s odd. She’s always early.”
“She does have a broken arm, that could slow her down considerably,” I stated.
“True…” I noticed that Emmett was struggling a bit with the big equipment bag he had along with a smaller duffle bag. I offered to help with the bags and he quickly handed me the equipment bag. I glared at him and he gave me a goofy grin in return.
“Alice and Jasper should…”
“Edward! We’re here!” Alice exclaimed as she and Jasper approached. “It took a while to find parking, but we managed to find one just a little way down the block.” I gave Alice a one-armed hug.
My concern for Bella was growing. If Emmett said she was always early, she should have been at the park. Everyone was pretty much here already. I called her cell and it went straight to voicemail. Maybe she was stuck on the train again. I knew I should have picked her up. I began running my hand through my hair, a sure sign I was worried and my ever observant sister noticed.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Bella’s not here yet and Emmett said she’s never late for anything,” I said pulling at my hair some more.
Alice took hold of my hand. “Before you lose that beautiful mane of yours, calm down. I’m sure there’s an explanation. Perhaps she’s on the train. Or maybe she had a hard time looking for an outfit for today.”
I rolled my eyes. “Alice, you know she’s not into clothes like that, but I do hope you’re right.”
“Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear.” I turned to follow her gaze and just as if the clouds opened, there was Bella. She looked beautiful in her khaki shorts and blue tank top. I really liked blue on her. Her hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail. Simple, but sexy. I ran over to her immediately and wrapped my arms around her, placing a small kiss on her luscious lips.
“A little overeager are we?” she laughed.
“Sorry, I was just worried. What took you so long?” I pulled back, placing a strand of hair behind her ear.
She pointed to her left and Jacob was standing with two other men. “I had to convince the three stooges over there to come and play. They were being brats.”
“I see. So what did you say that made them come around?”
“I promised to cook for them for the next two weeks.”
“Mmmm… yeah. That can make anyone change their mind,” I said remembering the meal she made at Alice’s.
She gestured over to them and they came closer. “Edward, this is Quill and Ben, friends of Jacob and of course, you know Jake.” I shook their hands, Jacob giving me a small scowl. This was going to be a long game.
I turned back to everyone else and we were all ready to head into the park and start playing. We found an empty area fairly quickly.
Alice, Rosalie and Bella were our designated cheerleaders. It seemed as though Rose and Alice hit it off well, as they were talking animatedly about something. I was guessing Bella, considering how much she was cringing. She was cute when she was agitated. She caught my eyes and I smiled. She rolled her eyes and smiled back. Yep, they were definitely talking about her.
Emmett called out the instructions. We were playing shirts versus skins, my team, consisting of me, Emmett, Jasper and Garrett, being skins. Jacob, Quil, Ben and Eric were shirts. We discarded our shirts. I handed my shirt to Bella, watching as her eyes grew wide at my now bare form. I was grateful for all the time I spent in the gym. Her face turned a delicate shade of pink as she blushed.
Emmett continued with the rules. We would play a regular game of football, but play ended when the ball carrier was touched and there would be no tackling. I was fast and agile so I knew that we had this game in the bag as long as I had the ball.
We had possession of the ball first. Emmett played quarterback and handed me the ball for the opening play of the game. I gained twenty yards. I turned to the girls and saw them jumping up and down. I made eye contact with Bella, smiled and bowed for her. She giggled at my little performance.
The next couple of plays went the same way, either I gained a lot of yards or Emmett threw to Garrett or Jasper. We eventually scored quickly. Jacob’s team couldn’t get very far during their turn. My speed and Emmett’s strength kept them from moving too far and we soon had ball control again.
We went through similar plays the second go around. When Emmett handed me the ball though, I didn’t get very far when I was knocked back on my ass by Jacob.
“Easy man. It’s touch football, not tackle,” I said picking myself up and dusting off my shorts.
“Right…sorry…” I shook my head letting him know it was no big deal.
“What’s his problem?” Jasper asked as we came to a quick huddle.
“Don’t know. Come on, let’s just play.”
Emmett threw the ball to me and while still in the air, I was hit full force getting the wind knocked out of me. I lay on my back for a few seconds to recover.
“What the fuck is wrong with you Jake?” Emmett boomed.
“Nothing’s wrong. Sorry…I just got a little carried away. You okay man?” He asked looking at me. I had already gotten up and was bent over with my hands on my knees.
“Yeah. I’m fine. It’s cool.” I knew he did it on purpose, and as much as I wanted to retaliate, I didn’t want to do anything that would upset Bella so I just took it in stride.
“Do that shit again and I’m tearing you a new one.” Emmett told Jacob. “You sure you’re okay, Cullen?”
I nodded and took some deep breaths. “Yeah. I’m fine.” I looked over at Bella whose face was contorted with a mixture of concern for me and anger at Jacob. She caught me staring and I mouthed to her that I was fine and flashed my famous grin. She smiled in return and relaxed a bit.
We finished our turn without anymore incidents. The next two quarters were uneventful with neither team scoring.
The last quarter we had the ball again. Emmett faked a pass to Jasper and tossed the ball to me. I was flying down the field virtually unstoppable. All of a sudden, I felt strong hands on me throwing me to the ground. What the fuck? I was on my feet again in a heartbeat about to kick Jacob’s ass when I heard Bella’s voice screaming.
“Jacob Black! What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” She shoved him hard with her good hand.
“I…I…” he stammered
“’I…I...’ what? Spit it out, Jake! You could have really hurt him.” Tears were starting to roll down her eyes.
“Bells, I’m sorry.”
“Bullshit.”
“Really I am. I just wanted to let your little boyfriend know what he’ll have to face if he ever hurts you,” he said glaring at me.
She slapped him. I never knew she had it in her, always so unpredictable, but she was absolutely sexy when she was feisty.
“Thank you for your concern, but a couple of things you should know. One, he’s not my boyfriend.” My heart sank at those words, but we definitely needed to discuss our status. “And two, I think I’m highly capable of taking care of myself. I don’t need for you to be my guardian!”
Jacob stared at the ground completely ashamed. Serves him right. “I’m sorry, Bella.”
“Don’t tell me, tell Edward.”
Jacob walked over to me and apologized. I extended my hand. “It’s cool. No harm, no foul.” He shook my hand. “We’ll just move on from here.”
Emmett came over and smacked my back. “I think this game is over for this week.” We all nodded. Jacob, Quil and Ben quickly left the park. I said my goodbyes to Garrett and Eric and told them I’d see them on our next shift. I turned to face everyone else. Bella was surrounded by Rosalie and Alice, their arms wrapped around her as she still cried.
I approached her, grabbing my shirt and drawing her into my arms after getting dressed.
“It’s okay, baby. I’m fine,” I reassured her.
“He could have seriously hurt you, Edward,” she sobbed into my chest.
“But he didn’t.” I pulled away and twirled around. “See, no scratches.” I could see her mouth twitching into a slight smile.
“Still…I just had visions of not having you in my life…”
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m sorry to say, but you’re stuck with me for a long time,” I smirked.
She started to blush again. “Oh..well… ummm…” For someone who was in law school, I found it endearing that she was always at a loss of words when I was around.
I engulfed her in my arms again. “By the way, do you know how fucking adorable you are when you get angry,” I whispered into her ear. “I was having a difficult time controlling myself. I wanted to take you right then.” I heard her breath hitch. I kissed along her neck, up her jaw until I reached her lips. Her mouth was so soft and sweet. I lightly glided my tongue on her bottom lip and she parted her mouth in invitation. My tongue darted in, tasting her. So delicious.
“When you guys are done playing tonsil hockey, let us know, we want to get out of here,” Rosalie interrupted.
I smiled against Bella’s lips and gave her another quick peck before pulling away.
“I’m only a few blocks away, we can all go back to my place for some drinks,” I suggested.
“Sounds good to me,” Emmett agreed.
I placed my arm around Bella’s shoulders, pulling her close as we walked out of the park. I lowered down and whispered, “I can give you a proper tour of my place this time. We can explore new areas…” She immediately went red at my double meaning. I would never get bored of her reactions.
