To Mend a Butterfly's Broken Wing, 7: The Drunken Evening
Title: To Mend a Butterfly's Broken Wing
Author: exquisite_ugly
Rating/Warnings: M (language, sexual situations)
Summary: After the newborn fight things take a different turn with the Volturi. Edward goes missing, the Cullen's leave to search for him, and Bella flees town from the pain of loss. Can Jacob help her deal with the grief a second time? AU, M for language, sex
*~*~*
Let me be your everlasting light/Your home when there is cold/In me you can confide/When no one's by your side/Let me be your everlasting light
*~*~*
JPOV:
I had stayed late at work to help Todd - the guy in charge of watching over me for the time being - take apart a couple pieces of this car we were working on. I was ready to go home, but it was cool that I could show what I was capable of. And he was suitably impressed. I decided to take advantage of the shower Jay had installed in a room off the office before heading home.
A quick shower and change and then I headed back to the apartment and Bella. I was starving and ready to crash on the couch or something. The trees in the woods near the apartment building rustled as I walked up the lit front steps. It called at the wolf inside of me. The scent, the soft whistling sound of the trees, and the cracking of branches stirring up the leaves was so familiar.
With a bit of a longing sigh, I stuck my key in the lock to realize it wasn't actually locked. I pushed the door open and had a few seconds to see the kitchen was a mess before I was attacked by a mini tornado with soft brown hair. Bella was typically a clumsy girl, so I was surprised at how fast and easily she pounced on me, arms winding around my neck.
Beyond surprised I stared into her eyes, so close to mine, to see they weren't focused and she was wearing a rather dopey grin on her face. I shook my head, unsure if what I was seeing was real, but it was official. The unfocused eyes that were a bit bloodshot, the grin, and the way her body was waving slightly from side to side as I held her was a dead giveaway.
Bella was drunk.
And my hands were on her ass.
I was torn between surprise, worry, and loving the feel of her in my hands.
"Um, Bella?" I questioned hesitantly.
Her grin widened. "Jake. I missed you. I'm glad you're home."
I tried to lower her before things got a bit out of hand, but her grip around my neck tightened and she draped herself over me. I carried my newly acquired barnacle - while trying not to think of her ass - into the kitchen.
"I'm hungry," I said idly and that was enough to get her to loosen her grip and slide down.
That wasn't such a hot idea after all.
With a sigh, I stopped thinking about a certain part of my anatomy - which wasn't easy - and focused on Bella as she practically dove into the refrigerator and pulled out some pizza and stuck it in the microwave.
"What's going on, honey?" I asked quietly. I couldn't help feeling amused as she twirled her way to the cabinet to get a plate and twirled back to me. Luckily her trip came when she was next to me so I was able to grab her.
"I drank some wine!" she exclaimed proudly. "Where'd it go?" she mumbled as she disappeared into the living room in search of it.
I followed and snagged the bottle away from her.
"Hey! Thas mine," she protested. "You should drink with me!" she added excitedly.
It was one of those smaller bottles, but she drank a little over half of it. This wasn't going to end up pretty.
She waved her hand spastically, trying to grab hold of the bottle, but I just held it out of her reach. "I don't think so, Bells. I think you've had quite enough."
She pouted her lips at me, eyelashes fluttering. "Please?" Her fingers traced over my chest.
What the hell had happened to my Bella? The girl who couldn't flirt if her life depended on it? She was going to kill me with the pout, with her fingers moving over my chest. "How about I take a swallow and then we go eat something?" I asked, hoping to distract her.
She watched me expectantly, doing her weaving while standing thing again. I swallowed a mouthful of the wine and tried not to grimace. It was a bit sweet. In the kitchen, I hid the bottle while she got my pizza. I ate the food, following her around, making sure she didn't hurt herself.
"Let's play a game!" she exclaimed. She rummaged in a drawer and found a deck of cards.
We figured out a game we could both play, and when I won a round, she jumped up and banged her knee on the coffee table. "I have to take off an article of clothing!" she said with a giggle. Before I could do anything, she whipped her top off to reveal a little tank top.
My mouth fell open, but I couldn't help a snort of laughter. "Bella that would be the case if we were playing strip poker, which we are not."
It was tempting, but I knew I couldn't let her do this. She would be horrified tomorrow. Her hands reached for her pajama pants, so I grabbed her hands quickly, tugging her back down where she proceeded to snuggle into me. One hand wound into my hair, and she slipped her other hand into mine.
Apparently Bella was a bit hands-y when she was drunk.
"How about we get some sleep, my little barnacle?" I asked casually.
That caused a wave of giggles, which again caused me to laugh, too. As horrible as the reason was that she did this, it was hard not to like seeing her smile and laugh again. She agreed easily enough and bounced ahead of me to the stairs. I put a hand on her back just in case - we didn't need a concussion on our hands as well - and she turned to me clumsily.
"You take good care of me," she stated loudly.
I smirked. "Sure sure. Now go get ready for bed."
While she went into the bathroom, I quickly changed into a pair of cut-off sweats. Since the door was open, I checked on Bella. She apparently was having a little trouble getting the toothbrush in her mouth. I tried not to laugh as she finally managed to brush her teeth.
"I want to call Charlie," she pronounced when she came out of the bathroom. "I have to say goodnight."
It was my night to swipe things from her apparently. I grabbed her phone. "Not a good idea. Remember Charlie's the chief of police? And you're underage."
She pondered that, her brow wrinkling in consternation. "Oh," she said. "Jake, I'm tired," she whined.
I snickered. "Good. Go to bed."
"I'm cold in this tank top. I want my t-shirt." She pulled a shirt out of the drawer. Her hands went to the bottom of her tank top and I hastily turned away, everything in me protesting at this action.
"Damn," she grumbled. "Jake, I need help."
"I think you're beyond help," I muttered. "Are you decent?" I asked a little louder.
She mumbled a yes. When I caught sight of her, I couldn't contain my laughter. "Nice Bells," I chuckled. Somehow she managed to get her head through where her arm was, succeeding in trapping herself and exposing her stomach at the same time.
She turned her back to me, giving me a coy look over her shoulder. "No peeking," she teased.
Bella was going to drive me insane. I took a deep breath, reaching around her to extract her arm from the tank top. Squeezing my eyes shut, I pulled the shirt off of her quickly. She struggled with the t-shirt, trying to get it on, until I helped her get her head through the appropriate opening.
Don't peek. Don't peek. Don't peek.
I peeked.
I mean, what sixteen year old guy wouldn't? As much as I loved Bella, as much as I came with the sole purpose of trying to help her, there was no way around the fact that I thought of her often before everything happened. And I thought of her naked. And those memories were coming back right now as my eyes focused briefly on her.
Her arms were raised and I saw the pale skin of her stomach. My eyes traveled up and I caught a glimpse of her rounded breast; it looked so incredibly soft. It lasted all of a few seconds, and it wasn't even a full-on look, but it was enough. I squeezed my eyes shut - the image of her perfect breast embedded deep in my mind - feeling guilty and turned-on.
A few deep breaths and I managed to regain control and by then Bella's t-shirt was down and covering all the tantalizing parts of her. Oh, who was I kidding? Every single part of her was tantalizing. She crawled into bed, yawning, and waited for me to get in.
In bed, she snuggled into me, one arm draping over my side and holding me close. I could feel her breasts brushing against my chest, and I sighed. She was not going to make this easy for me.
"Jake, do you think about me?" She asked sleepily.
"It's kind of hard not to think about you, Bella. I live with you, I eat with you, and I sleep in your bed," I said dryly.
She giggled. "No, I mean do you think about me? What do you think about?"
She couldn't seem to articulate what she meant, but I knew. I wasn't sure what to say. There was no easy solution here, and I wasn't sure she would even remember it tomorrow.
"Yes," I said quietly. "I think about you. I think about your hair and how soft it feels. I think about your eyes, and how small and pale you are, and I think about your hands and how they feel in mine. You know I love you, Bella." It was a painful admission; one that I was afraid would hurt me in the long run.
Bella was quiet for a bit, and I thought she had fallen asleep. "I love you, too. And I think about your lips."
I raised my eyebrows, my fingers smoothing over her thick hair. "Um…my lips?" I tried to ask casually.
"Mmhmm," she murmured. "You have beautiful lips. They're full, soft, and kissable."
My heart was banging against my chest as I tried to digest this admission from Bella. She liked my lips? She had enjoyed kissing me in the woods before the battle, I knew that much, but I had no idea she felt quite like that.
She tilted her face up to mine, her chocolate eyes sleepy. They dropped to my lips, a small smile curling up one side of her mouth. My eyes dropped to look at hers as our lips drew fractionally closer. I bent my head until our lips were just barely touching.
Suddenly her breathing deepened and I realized she fell asleep.
I sighed, cursing my luck. I shifted forward slightly since this was her intention and gently pressed my lips against hers. She murmured softly, lips parting slightly, as I breathed in her scent and kissed her. It was soft, brief, but I reveled in the taste of her. Tucking her against my side I lay back and stared up at the ceiling as patterns of moonlight traced across it.
I would have preferred a sober kiss, one that Bella initiated or asked for in her right mind, but I took some comfort in the fact that even if she was drunk she loved me and liked kissing me. It wasn't the same, but it was a start.
*~*~*
BPOV:
What is wrong with me? The question flashed through my aching head as I cracked my eyes open only to close them again quickly. The sunlight was weak, but it still hurt. Slowly I opened them again to find myself half-sprawled on top of Jake, my head nestled under his chin.
What the hell happened?
I vaguely remembered drinking something with apples and spice and how smooth it went down. Groaning softly, I feared what I had said or done with Jake here. I couldn't seem to recall too much of what happened. Carefully I began to ease myself off of him, as he was snoring rather peacefully, but even the gentlest movement was the wrong idea.
My stomach lurched, and my eyes widened in horror. "Oh no," I gasped and even though my aching head protested strongly, I practically catapulted myself over Jake in a mad dash for the bathroom. Somehow I managed to avoid any klutzy moves and made it to the toilet in time. As I got sick, I felt warm hands gather my hair back and hold it out of my way.
Gasping, miserable, and bone-achingly tired I just kneeled on the floor feeling my stomach heave one more time. Afterward I felt slightly better though the headache was now pounding faster from all the movement. And my knee was throbbing as well.
"Oh God, I feel horrible," I moaned resting my sweaty forehead on my arm.
"I would imagine so. I came home to a nearly empty bottle of wine," Jake said, kneeling in front of me and handing me a damp washcloth.
I wiped my face off, stood shakily with Jake's help and brushed my teeth. I couldn't quite meet his eyes, not sure of what had happened last night. Vaguely I remembered clinging to him as he carried me around, but there was a big blank as to what I had said.
"Jake?" I asked quietly. I had to know. "What… what happened last night?" I mumbled.
"I came home to find you… well, drunk," he said.
I bit my lip. "Did I… um… what did I…" I couldn't finish my sentence, but he knew what I was asking.
He was smiling slightly, looking amused. "You're a pretty clingy drunk, Bells."
I glared at him and winced as my head throbbed.
"You weren't too bad; we played a game and you tried to undress when you lost…"
I froze, my eyes widening. "I… I did what?" I asked faintly.
He laughed. "Yeah, it was entertaining, but I stopped you before you actually did."
"I'm glad you find this so amusing," I said irritably and limped my way out of the bathroom. The sunlight coming in the window of the bedroom was too bright, and I pulled the shades tighter.
"Oh come on," he teased me gently. "You were a cute drunk. And I swear you didn't do or say anything too crazy."
"I will never do that again," I vowed.
"It doesn't really help, does it?" he asked, his eyes locked on mine.
I swallowed hard and shook my head.
"Get back in bed," he said. "I'll be right back."
Gingerly I crawled back under the warm covers, snuggling down into the soft mattress. As I waited for Jake, I tried to remember, but gave up when nothing came to me. I still couldn't believe I had gotten drunk; it wasn't like me at all, but I had been desperate to stop feeling so sad.
When Jake came back in, he sat next to me and put a pill in my hand and handed me a glass of water. "This will make you feel better," he said as I swallowed the pill obligingly.
"Why is that you know what to do?" I asked as I set the glass of water on the nightstand.
He laughed, his dark eyes twinkling. "Lets just say I experienced it once myself."
My eyes widened and I stared at him. "What? You did? How come I didn't know this?"
He grinned. "It was before you and I started hanging out. Quil, Embry, and I decided to try drinking beer one night. We scored some from a friend on the Makah rez whose dad had a few cases, and he drank with us. We each had a few; it was enough to knock us for a loop. We didn't have the werewolf abilities yet, so it didn't take a whole lot."
"What happened?" I asked. I was oddly fascinated by his story, wanting to know how he fared.
"Well, we pretty much acted like you did," he said laughing. "Except there was no stripping," he added with a smirk.
I rolled my eyes and felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment.
"To top it off, we passed out in the Rabbit, only to be found the next day. Our dad's were told of course and Billy paid me back big-time," he said chuckling. "I had quite the hangover and when I got up the courage to go in the house he had plenty of chores for me to do. They were all outdoors and hard work, like cleaning the gutter, mowing the lawn, stuff like that." I couldn't help giggling.
"It was his way of punishing me, and hell, it certainly did. I was hurting big-time later when he finally let me relax. I was practically falling down from exhaustion and a headache as I stumbled my way to bed and all Billy did was laugh at me."
I laughed, and I felt my own head throb in response. I groaned and burrowed under the covers. He smiled, smoothing my hair back. It wasn't long after that I was fast asleep.
When I woke a few hours later, my head throbbing less, but with serious hunger pangs I managed to stumble my way downstairs. Jake was on the phone with Billy and he motioned to the refrigerator. Inside there was a plate of leftover grilled chicken, potatoes and vegetables - food that would agree with my stomach. I smiled at his thoughtfulness in getting it together for me.
After I finished eating, I caught sight of the nearly empty wine bottle and froze. "Oh crap!" I cried, wincing a little as a leftover twinge shot through my head.
"What's wrong?" Jake asked coming into the kitchen, turning off his cell phone.
"The wine," I whispered. "I need that to make those cookies for Monday." I couldn't believe how stupid I had been. I felt the tears form in my eyes, unable to stop myself.
Jake picked up the keys to his car. "Don't worry, Bells. I'll go pick up the same thing at the liquor store. It's not a big deal."
"Um, aren't you forgetting neither of us can buy alcohol?" I said.
He chuckled, and I glared at him. "Relax honey. Remember I'm twenty-two?" He grinned when the realization dawned on me. He had the fake I.D. that was sent to him.
I threw my arms around him. "Thank you, thank you. I owe you. For everything," I added.
"I'll remember that," he said with a snicker as he copied down the name and left to get me a new bottle.
Annoyed at my irresponsibility, I got up and began preparing the rest of the ingredients for the cookies. When Jake got back, I had everything mixed together except the wine. My stomach gave a tiny lurch as I stared at what I had drunk the night before.
"Want me to add it?" he asked, again looking as if he wanted to laugh. I wanted to be annoyed at his teasing me, but he had been such a good friend to me I just couldn't. So I just nodded.
He added it to the bowl and stirred it under my instruction. When it was mixed in and I couldn't smell it anymore, I took over and shaped the cookies to be baked. It was a quiet Saturday, one spent recovering from the night before as the smell of cookies filled the kitchen. There were a few extra, so I gave one to Jake to try. I found that I couldn't tear my eyes from his lips as he ate the cookie; how they moved, the urge to brush a cookie crumb off them, the flash of his teeth. He gave me his excited noise of approval which made me smile.
The rest of the afternoon and evening I found myself occasionally thinking of Jake's lips and I wasn't quite sure why.
*~*~*
AN: Well, it may have been (mostly) because she was drunk, but I figured I'd throw you all a little minor kiss and admission from a drunken Bella. And that's my Thanksgiving gift to you all… heh. Happy Thanksgiving to all that celebrate! I can't wait for the food.
Chapter 8
Author: exquisite_ugly
Rating/Warnings: M (language, sexual situations)
Summary: After the newborn fight things take a different turn with the Volturi. Edward goes missing, the Cullen's leave to search for him, and Bella flees town from the pain of loss. Can Jacob help her deal with the grief a second time? AU, M for language, sex
*~*~*
Let me be your everlasting light/Your home when there is cold/In me you can confide/When no one's by your side/Let me be your everlasting light
*~*~*
JPOV:
I had stayed late at work to help Todd - the guy in charge of watching over me for the time being - take apart a couple pieces of this car we were working on. I was ready to go home, but it was cool that I could show what I was capable of. And he was suitably impressed. I decided to take advantage of the shower Jay had installed in a room off the office before heading home.
A quick shower and change and then I headed back to the apartment and Bella. I was starving and ready to crash on the couch or something. The trees in the woods near the apartment building rustled as I walked up the lit front steps. It called at the wolf inside of me. The scent, the soft whistling sound of the trees, and the cracking of branches stirring up the leaves was so familiar.
With a bit of a longing sigh, I stuck my key in the lock to realize it wasn't actually locked. I pushed the door open and had a few seconds to see the kitchen was a mess before I was attacked by a mini tornado with soft brown hair. Bella was typically a clumsy girl, so I was surprised at how fast and easily she pounced on me, arms winding around my neck.
Beyond surprised I stared into her eyes, so close to mine, to see they weren't focused and she was wearing a rather dopey grin on her face. I shook my head, unsure if what I was seeing was real, but it was official. The unfocused eyes that were a bit bloodshot, the grin, and the way her body was waving slightly from side to side as I held her was a dead giveaway.
Bella was drunk.
And my hands were on her ass.
I was torn between surprise, worry, and loving the feel of her in my hands.
"Um, Bella?" I questioned hesitantly.
Her grin widened. "Jake. I missed you. I'm glad you're home."
I tried to lower her before things got a bit out of hand, but her grip around my neck tightened and she draped herself over me. I carried my newly acquired barnacle - while trying not to think of her ass - into the kitchen.
"I'm hungry," I said idly and that was enough to get her to loosen her grip and slide down.
That wasn't such a hot idea after all.
With a sigh, I stopped thinking about a certain part of my anatomy - which wasn't easy - and focused on Bella as she practically dove into the refrigerator and pulled out some pizza and stuck it in the microwave.
"What's going on, honey?" I asked quietly. I couldn't help feeling amused as she twirled her way to the cabinet to get a plate and twirled back to me. Luckily her trip came when she was next to me so I was able to grab her.
"I drank some wine!" she exclaimed proudly. "Where'd it go?" she mumbled as she disappeared into the living room in search of it.
I followed and snagged the bottle away from her.
"Hey! Thas mine," she protested. "You should drink with me!" she added excitedly.
It was one of those smaller bottles, but she drank a little over half of it. This wasn't going to end up pretty.
She waved her hand spastically, trying to grab hold of the bottle, but I just held it out of her reach. "I don't think so, Bells. I think you've had quite enough."
She pouted her lips at me, eyelashes fluttering. "Please?" Her fingers traced over my chest.
What the hell had happened to my Bella? The girl who couldn't flirt if her life depended on it? She was going to kill me with the pout, with her fingers moving over my chest. "How about I take a swallow and then we go eat something?" I asked, hoping to distract her.
She watched me expectantly, doing her weaving while standing thing again. I swallowed a mouthful of the wine and tried not to grimace. It was a bit sweet. In the kitchen, I hid the bottle while she got my pizza. I ate the food, following her around, making sure she didn't hurt herself.
"Let's play a game!" she exclaimed. She rummaged in a drawer and found a deck of cards.
We figured out a game we could both play, and when I won a round, she jumped up and banged her knee on the coffee table. "I have to take off an article of clothing!" she said with a giggle. Before I could do anything, she whipped her top off to reveal a little tank top.
My mouth fell open, but I couldn't help a snort of laughter. "Bella that would be the case if we were playing strip poker, which we are not."
It was tempting, but I knew I couldn't let her do this. She would be horrified tomorrow. Her hands reached for her pajama pants, so I grabbed her hands quickly, tugging her back down where she proceeded to snuggle into me. One hand wound into my hair, and she slipped her other hand into mine.
Apparently Bella was a bit hands-y when she was drunk.
"How about we get some sleep, my little barnacle?" I asked casually.
That caused a wave of giggles, which again caused me to laugh, too. As horrible as the reason was that she did this, it was hard not to like seeing her smile and laugh again. She agreed easily enough and bounced ahead of me to the stairs. I put a hand on her back just in case - we didn't need a concussion on our hands as well - and she turned to me clumsily.
"You take good care of me," she stated loudly.
I smirked. "Sure sure. Now go get ready for bed."
While she went into the bathroom, I quickly changed into a pair of cut-off sweats. Since the door was open, I checked on Bella. She apparently was having a little trouble getting the toothbrush in her mouth. I tried not to laugh as she finally managed to brush her teeth.
"I want to call Charlie," she pronounced when she came out of the bathroom. "I have to say goodnight."
It was my night to swipe things from her apparently. I grabbed her phone. "Not a good idea. Remember Charlie's the chief of police? And you're underage."
She pondered that, her brow wrinkling in consternation. "Oh," she said. "Jake, I'm tired," she whined.
I snickered. "Good. Go to bed."
"I'm cold in this tank top. I want my t-shirt." She pulled a shirt out of the drawer. Her hands went to the bottom of her tank top and I hastily turned away, everything in me protesting at this action.
"Damn," she grumbled. "Jake, I need help."
"I think you're beyond help," I muttered. "Are you decent?" I asked a little louder.
She mumbled a yes. When I caught sight of her, I couldn't contain my laughter. "Nice Bells," I chuckled. Somehow she managed to get her head through where her arm was, succeeding in trapping herself and exposing her stomach at the same time.
She turned her back to me, giving me a coy look over her shoulder. "No peeking," she teased.
Bella was going to drive me insane. I took a deep breath, reaching around her to extract her arm from the tank top. Squeezing my eyes shut, I pulled the shirt off of her quickly. She struggled with the t-shirt, trying to get it on, until I helped her get her head through the appropriate opening.
Don't peek. Don't peek. Don't peek.
I peeked.
I mean, what sixteen year old guy wouldn't? As much as I loved Bella, as much as I came with the sole purpose of trying to help her, there was no way around the fact that I thought of her often before everything happened. And I thought of her naked. And those memories were coming back right now as my eyes focused briefly on her.
Her arms were raised and I saw the pale skin of her stomach. My eyes traveled up and I caught a glimpse of her rounded breast; it looked so incredibly soft. It lasted all of a few seconds, and it wasn't even a full-on look, but it was enough. I squeezed my eyes shut - the image of her perfect breast embedded deep in my mind - feeling guilty and turned-on.
A few deep breaths and I managed to regain control and by then Bella's t-shirt was down and covering all the tantalizing parts of her. Oh, who was I kidding? Every single part of her was tantalizing. She crawled into bed, yawning, and waited for me to get in.
In bed, she snuggled into me, one arm draping over my side and holding me close. I could feel her breasts brushing against my chest, and I sighed. She was not going to make this easy for me.
"Jake, do you think about me?" She asked sleepily.
"It's kind of hard not to think about you, Bella. I live with you, I eat with you, and I sleep in your bed," I said dryly.
She giggled. "No, I mean do you think about me? What do you think about?"
She couldn't seem to articulate what she meant, but I knew. I wasn't sure what to say. There was no easy solution here, and I wasn't sure she would even remember it tomorrow.
"Yes," I said quietly. "I think about you. I think about your hair and how soft it feels. I think about your eyes, and how small and pale you are, and I think about your hands and how they feel in mine. You know I love you, Bella." It was a painful admission; one that I was afraid would hurt me in the long run.
Bella was quiet for a bit, and I thought she had fallen asleep. "I love you, too. And I think about your lips."
I raised my eyebrows, my fingers smoothing over her thick hair. "Um…my lips?" I tried to ask casually.
"Mmhmm," she murmured. "You have beautiful lips. They're full, soft, and kissable."
My heart was banging against my chest as I tried to digest this admission from Bella. She liked my lips? She had enjoyed kissing me in the woods before the battle, I knew that much, but I had no idea she felt quite like that.
She tilted her face up to mine, her chocolate eyes sleepy. They dropped to my lips, a small smile curling up one side of her mouth. My eyes dropped to look at hers as our lips drew fractionally closer. I bent my head until our lips were just barely touching.
Suddenly her breathing deepened and I realized she fell asleep.
I sighed, cursing my luck. I shifted forward slightly since this was her intention and gently pressed my lips against hers. She murmured softly, lips parting slightly, as I breathed in her scent and kissed her. It was soft, brief, but I reveled in the taste of her. Tucking her against my side I lay back and stared up at the ceiling as patterns of moonlight traced across it.
I would have preferred a sober kiss, one that Bella initiated or asked for in her right mind, but I took some comfort in the fact that even if she was drunk she loved me and liked kissing me. It wasn't the same, but it was a start.
*~*~*
BPOV:
What is wrong with me? The question flashed through my aching head as I cracked my eyes open only to close them again quickly. The sunlight was weak, but it still hurt. Slowly I opened them again to find myself half-sprawled on top of Jake, my head nestled under his chin.
What the hell happened?
I vaguely remembered drinking something with apples and spice and how smooth it went down. Groaning softly, I feared what I had said or done with Jake here. I couldn't seem to recall too much of what happened. Carefully I began to ease myself off of him, as he was snoring rather peacefully, but even the gentlest movement was the wrong idea.
My stomach lurched, and my eyes widened in horror. "Oh no," I gasped and even though my aching head protested strongly, I practically catapulted myself over Jake in a mad dash for the bathroom. Somehow I managed to avoid any klutzy moves and made it to the toilet in time. As I got sick, I felt warm hands gather my hair back and hold it out of my way.
Gasping, miserable, and bone-achingly tired I just kneeled on the floor feeling my stomach heave one more time. Afterward I felt slightly better though the headache was now pounding faster from all the movement. And my knee was throbbing as well.
"Oh God, I feel horrible," I moaned resting my sweaty forehead on my arm.
"I would imagine so. I came home to a nearly empty bottle of wine," Jake said, kneeling in front of me and handing me a damp washcloth.
I wiped my face off, stood shakily with Jake's help and brushed my teeth. I couldn't quite meet his eyes, not sure of what had happened last night. Vaguely I remembered clinging to him as he carried me around, but there was a big blank as to what I had said.
"Jake?" I asked quietly. I had to know. "What… what happened last night?" I mumbled.
"I came home to find you… well, drunk," he said.
I bit my lip. "Did I… um… what did I…" I couldn't finish my sentence, but he knew what I was asking.
He was smiling slightly, looking amused. "You're a pretty clingy drunk, Bells."
I glared at him and winced as my head throbbed.
"You weren't too bad; we played a game and you tried to undress when you lost…"
I froze, my eyes widening. "I… I did what?" I asked faintly.
He laughed. "Yeah, it was entertaining, but I stopped you before you actually did."
"I'm glad you find this so amusing," I said irritably and limped my way out of the bathroom. The sunlight coming in the window of the bedroom was too bright, and I pulled the shades tighter.
"Oh come on," he teased me gently. "You were a cute drunk. And I swear you didn't do or say anything too crazy."
"I will never do that again," I vowed.
"It doesn't really help, does it?" he asked, his eyes locked on mine.
I swallowed hard and shook my head.
"Get back in bed," he said. "I'll be right back."
Gingerly I crawled back under the warm covers, snuggling down into the soft mattress. As I waited for Jake, I tried to remember, but gave up when nothing came to me. I still couldn't believe I had gotten drunk; it wasn't like me at all, but I had been desperate to stop feeling so sad.
When Jake came back in, he sat next to me and put a pill in my hand and handed me a glass of water. "This will make you feel better," he said as I swallowed the pill obligingly.
"Why is that you know what to do?" I asked as I set the glass of water on the nightstand.
He laughed, his dark eyes twinkling. "Lets just say I experienced it once myself."
My eyes widened and I stared at him. "What? You did? How come I didn't know this?"
He grinned. "It was before you and I started hanging out. Quil, Embry, and I decided to try drinking beer one night. We scored some from a friend on the Makah rez whose dad had a few cases, and he drank with us. We each had a few; it was enough to knock us for a loop. We didn't have the werewolf abilities yet, so it didn't take a whole lot."
"What happened?" I asked. I was oddly fascinated by his story, wanting to know how he fared.
"Well, we pretty much acted like you did," he said laughing. "Except there was no stripping," he added with a smirk.
I rolled my eyes and felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment.
"To top it off, we passed out in the Rabbit, only to be found the next day. Our dad's were told of course and Billy paid me back big-time," he said chuckling. "I had quite the hangover and when I got up the courage to go in the house he had plenty of chores for me to do. They were all outdoors and hard work, like cleaning the gutter, mowing the lawn, stuff like that." I couldn't help giggling.
"It was his way of punishing me, and hell, it certainly did. I was hurting big-time later when he finally let me relax. I was practically falling down from exhaustion and a headache as I stumbled my way to bed and all Billy did was laugh at me."
I laughed, and I felt my own head throb in response. I groaned and burrowed under the covers. He smiled, smoothing my hair back. It wasn't long after that I was fast asleep.
When I woke a few hours later, my head throbbing less, but with serious hunger pangs I managed to stumble my way downstairs. Jake was on the phone with Billy and he motioned to the refrigerator. Inside there was a plate of leftover grilled chicken, potatoes and vegetables - food that would agree with my stomach. I smiled at his thoughtfulness in getting it together for me.
After I finished eating, I caught sight of the nearly empty wine bottle and froze. "Oh crap!" I cried, wincing a little as a leftover twinge shot through my head.
"What's wrong?" Jake asked coming into the kitchen, turning off his cell phone.
"The wine," I whispered. "I need that to make those cookies for Monday." I couldn't believe how stupid I had been. I felt the tears form in my eyes, unable to stop myself.
Jake picked up the keys to his car. "Don't worry, Bells. I'll go pick up the same thing at the liquor store. It's not a big deal."
"Um, aren't you forgetting neither of us can buy alcohol?" I said.
He chuckled, and I glared at him. "Relax honey. Remember I'm twenty-two?" He grinned when the realization dawned on me. He had the fake I.D. that was sent to him.
I threw my arms around him. "Thank you, thank you. I owe you. For everything," I added.
"I'll remember that," he said with a snicker as he copied down the name and left to get me a new bottle.
Annoyed at my irresponsibility, I got up and began preparing the rest of the ingredients for the cookies. When Jake got back, I had everything mixed together except the wine. My stomach gave a tiny lurch as I stared at what I had drunk the night before.
"Want me to add it?" he asked, again looking as if he wanted to laugh. I wanted to be annoyed at his teasing me, but he had been such a good friend to me I just couldn't. So I just nodded.
He added it to the bowl and stirred it under my instruction. When it was mixed in and I couldn't smell it anymore, I took over and shaped the cookies to be baked. It was a quiet Saturday, one spent recovering from the night before as the smell of cookies filled the kitchen. There were a few extra, so I gave one to Jake to try. I found that I couldn't tear my eyes from his lips as he ate the cookie; how they moved, the urge to brush a cookie crumb off them, the flash of his teeth. He gave me his excited noise of approval which made me smile.
The rest of the afternoon and evening I found myself occasionally thinking of Jake's lips and I wasn't quite sure why.
*~*~*
AN: Well, it may have been (mostly) because she was drunk, but I figured I'd throw you all a little minor kiss and admission from a drunken Bella. And that's my Thanksgiving gift to you all… heh. Happy Thanksgiving to all that celebrate! I can't wait for the food.
Chapter 8