Just A Kiss Chapter 5

Prompt:  Rescue

“She’s your who’s what now?”

“She’s my big’s big.  Don’t you know anything about sorority lingo?”

Ohmygod…I’m getting a headache.  Focus.

“So you have a big sister and this Lucy person is your big sister’s big sister?”

“Yes!  But that’s not the important part.”

“Then can you get on with it?  I’d like to go back to bed.”  It’s possible that my mood still sucks…just a tad.

She sighs.  “Fine.  Even though you aren’t being very nice about all of this…Lucy is also Edward’s big sister.”

Wait.  Are we still talking sorority stuff?  Because if so, I have much bigger problems.  I’m so confused.

She must realize this because she grasps my forearms and looks me square in the eyes and talks to me like I’m slow…or hard of hearing.

“Lucy is Edward’s older sister.  Lucy Cullen…Alpha Gam president and Sigma Chi’s sweetheart?  Double legacy?”

Crickets.

Blank stare.

I've got nothing.

She huffs and waves her hands in front of me.  “Fine.  Whatever.  That doesn’t matter.  Don’t you see?  The girl you saw him with wasn’t his girlfriend.  She’s his sister!”

Oh.

Oh!

Well that certainly changes things. 

You know that feeling you get when you’re sick?  The one right after you’ve finally relieved your stomach of all its contents?  That feeling of instant relief and zero pressure?  Yeah.  That’s how I feel.  Instantly not sick.  Instantly better.  Like everything suddenly got turned right-side-up and all is well in my little Edward world.

I throw myself at Alice, giggling and squeezing the breath out of her for rescuing me from some serious, and completely unnecessary, heartache.

“And-as per Jasper-he’s totally single.” 

I stiffen, swallow hard and pull away from her with saucer sized eyes…I’m sure.

“You asked him,” I croak.

She rolls her eyes.  Apparently I am a little slow today. 

“Not directly as in ‘Hey Jazz, my friend Bella wants to know if Edward Cullen is seeing someone’,” she says, shaking her head and using a not so flattering male voice.

“He showed me his room-not a word about that,“ she says, pointing at my face, “and I was looking through one of last year’s team programs and he just kind of offered the information up…on nearly everyone.  Seriously…he gossips like a girl.”

“And…”

Gah, this is like pulling teeth!

“And he said that Edward was really smart, like studying computers or engineering or something, and also a little shy around girls.  He gets hit on a lot which…duh…and that makes him think that they’re only after one thing, not really wanting to know the real him.  And apparently he’s just not like that or whatever.”

I snorted.  Sounded a little deep for a dude.  My raised eyebrow must have said it all.

“Look, I’m just saying…maybe he’s not like other guys…you know, like the other athletes you’ve been interested in before.  Maybe you’re both hiding from each other and dancing around each other because you’re both wrong about each other.”

Ohmygod…Alice is way smart.  I’m not prepared for that totally new piece of information.

But with that, hope blossoms anew in my chest and I make a decision.  No more hiding.  It’s time that I put on my big girl panties and finally speak to Mr. Crackerjack Cullen.

~~*~~

It’s the following Monday afternoon…twelve thirty-five on the dot.  I look up when I hear the signature crunch-crunch of his cleats against the tile as Edward enters the library.  He removes his ball cap and runs his fingers through his hair to get rid of the ever present hat ring left around his head.

Why is that even cute?  And here it comes…

The wink.

The smirk.

The perfectly kissable lips that mouth, “Sorry, Bella.”

And…

I smile…I think.  Hopefully it isn’t a grimace.

“No problem, Edward.”

What in the hell?  ‘No problem, Edward’?  I’ve never spoken to my dream guy and that’s all I’ve got?  ‘No problem, Edward’?

He stops in front of my desk, one side of his stupid-cute smirk rising even higher.

Oh…no.  No, no, no.  He’s supposed to just smile and keep walking while I stare at his ass, not stop right in front of me!

Oh, I’m nervous.  Or sick.  Please don’t throw up on the pretty.  I can’t breathe and I can feel the blush spreading…up my chest, my neck, my cheeks, my ears.

“So you do speak.”

The voice.  Yes.  Quiet.  Smooth.  Deep.

I clear my throat and bite my lip until I can figure out something non-moronic to say.  His lips part as his eyes lower to…my mouth?

“Well, it’s kind of frowned upon in my line of work,” I say, waving my hand around us.

He chuckles and looks down, rubbing the back of his neck.  “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Pssssst!  Yo, Ed!  Come on!  I need your help with this Calculus. ” 

Not exactly a whisper, Jasper, but gold star for not yelling like my bone head cousin would’ve.

“You’d better get over there,” I say, cocking my head in the direction of their usual corner.

“Yeah, so…I guess I’ll see you around, Bella.”  He bites his lip and taps my desk with his fist before making his way over to his usual chair…the one that’s facing me.