5 Times Aden & Belle Kissed (And The One Time They Didn't)

[Jen]

Story Title: 5 Times Aden and Belle Kissed (And The One Time They Didn’t)

Type of story: One-shot

Main Characters: Aden, Belle.

BTTB rating: T

Genre: Romance

Does story include spoilers: No

Any warnings: Language, Teenagery feelings.

Summary: One evening Aden had the realisation that Belle was no longer a Girl With A Boyfriend. And something decided to shift in his chest.

A/N: This is pure unadulterated fluff. Written for Back to the Bay Secret Santa 2010. A present for ariana_tithe. Enjoy!

5 Times Aden and Belle Kissed (And The One Time They Didn’t)

1.

Aden likes to think he knows some things about girls.

He figures all girls can be divided into 4 separate groups - Mums and Teachers, Girls with Boyfriends, Ex-Girlfriends, and Potential Girlfriends. It’s all pretty straight forward.

But then there is Belle.

She’s his friend, having known her since he transferred from Yabbie Creek to Summer Bay High because of the incident Aden would prefer to forget. They got partnered together for an English assignment, and Belle was sarcastic and witty and didn’t put up with any of his crap he might have pulled at his old school. She called him a dork and a loser in a friendly kind of way, and Aden was constantly changing the combination to her locker so she was late to class. Belle also had a boyfriend.

So using Aden’s previous knowledge of girls and his never fail system of allocation Belle fit neatly into Group Number 2. Aden was perfectly content to eat lunch Belle, her boyfriend Drew, Matilda (also Group 2), Nicole (Group 3), and Geoff at the Diner and never even flinched when she leaned across the table and stole some of his fries. It was what they did.

But then Belle and Drew had a massive fight - Belle wouldn’t even tell Aden what it was about - and they broke up. Drew moved to the city to live with his dad and step-mother, rather than deal with the fall out.

After that, all Belle wanted to do was spend nights on her couch watching movies with way too much violence and blood and guts, while stuffing herself with chocolate. She spent her lunchtimes underneath the big shady tree on the edge of the oval with Mattie and Nicole. Their heads down, talking in hushed voices about - Aden can only assume - how all boys are stupid and the scum of the Earth. Once, Aden even saw Belle coming out of the girls’ bathroom, eyes red-rimmed and face pale. For some reason Aden ducked into an empty classroom before she could see him.

Slowly, things went back to normal. Belle would begin roll her eyes at his lame jokes, and fling small bits of paper at Geoff with him when they were bored in Geometry, and started stealing his fries again. And Aden didn’t think any more of it.

Then one evening Aden had the realisation that Belle was no longer a Girl With A Boyfriend. And something decided to shift in his chest. This little twinge in his ribcage that got slightly more intense when Belle plonked herself down beside him on the lounge, her bare leg brushing against the pants of his uniform, and Aden thought Oh.

-

“We’ve done it!” Belle squeals with excitement.

Students are practically pushing each other to get through the door and out of the classroom as quick as possible. Aden has Belle squished into his side as they attempt to go through the same space at the same time. She looks up at him and grins, before Aden gets shoved in the back and they are out in the hallway. Belle is grabbing Mattie in a hug, bouncing on the balls of her feet in celebration.

You’d think that after three hours of essay writing for the Biggest Exams Of Their Lives that they would be exhausted. But on the contrary. Aden is accepting high fives from all directions, even Geoff, and before Aden can react Belle is launching herself at him and pulling Aden in for a hug.

“We’re free!” Belle whispers excitedly in his ear. Aden thinks that Belle is just going to let go, and go back to hugging and squealing with all the girls, but then she’s loosening her hands and Aden turns his head, thinking they are done with the whole display of affection. But then for a split second their lips touch.

Belle’s eyes are wide and she jumps back, putting a significant distance between their two bodies. She blushes and turns away, linking arms with Nicole and disappearing down the hall.

It was only for a moment, but in that second Aden felt his heart pound. His hands are now sweating, and he has to concentrate on continuing to breathe, and Aden knows he’s screwed.

2.

It’s their ritualistic mid-week movie night.

Drew used to have a part time job at a local garage and he used to work late on Wednesdays. Belle would get bored by herself and would end up calling Aden begging him to come over and entertain her. So Aden would grab a movie and packet of microwave popcorn and they would sit on the couch and watch whatever film was on the disc.

Aden thought Belle might not want to do this after Drew left. But, Belle texted him that first Wednesday -- Bring something with zombies -- and Aden knew they would be fine.

They alternate the choice of movie, taking it in turns, so that Aden doesn’t always have to watch romantic comedies and Belle doesn’t have to put up with endless car chases and explosions. Tonight it’s Aden movie of choice, and because he’s feeling nostalgic he’s got Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix playing. Harry and Cho are alone in the Room of Requirement and Aden should have foreseen what was going to happen next.

“As if that would actually happen in real life,” Aden scoffs as Cho looks up and whispers “Mistletoe.”

Harry makes a comment about Nargles and then they are leaning in for probably one of the most awkward kisses Aden has ever witnessed. Not that Aden regularly watches people kissing.

It’s then that Aden realises how quiet Belle has become. She’s normally full of commentary during movies. To the point where Aden has to periodically tell her to stop analysing and keep her mouth shut because he can’t hear what the characters are saying.

Aden looks across at Belle. She’s not watching the tv anymore, instead fingering an invisible thread on one of her couch cushions, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

“You okay?” Aden asks.

“It’s just,” Belle begins, not looking at Aden, “I haven’t kissed anyone since Drew.”

“That’s not a big deal,” Aden replies. He flicks his eyes back to the screen, where Hermione and Ron are by the fire, dissecting the meaning behind Harry’s kiss with Cho.

“But it is,” Belle insists. She looks up at Aden now. “What if I never kiss anyone again?”

Aden rolls his eyes. “Don’t you think you’re overreacting?” Belle shrugs half-heartedly in reply and lifts her eyes to the screen. Aden lets it fall silent, allowing Harry’s dialogue to fill the space.

“Well, you know what you have to do, don’t you?” Aden finally asks. Belle looks up expectantly. “You need to get back on the horse.” Belle’s mouth turns up at the side, and it takes a moment for Aden to realise what he has just implied. “What? No, not like that.”

“Then, like what?” Belle asks.

“You just, have to put yourself out there. Kiss whoever.”

“Really?” Belle tilts her head, quirking an eyebrow in Aden’s direction. “So, what are you suggesting?” Belle has suddenly gone from dumped and depressed to sexy and seductive in record time. She biting down on her lip and watching Aden as he tries to ignore her. She’s speaking slowly and deliberately and it’s driving Aden crazy. He’s trying his best to just focus on the screen. On the lights spurting from the end of Harry’s wand, ignoring the look that Belle keeps giving him. “Aden, we’re friends, right? So anything that happens between us wouldn’t count, would it? Because we don’t feel that way about each other.” Beat. “Right?”

Aden nods noncommittally, pretending like he’s not listening. That he has never seen this part with Voldemort in the ministry before and it’s the most fascinating thing ever. He’s definitely not aware of Belle beside him, inching her way closer, feeling her warm breath on his neck. Aden’s heart is pounding hard, rattling inside his chest, his breaths becoming short, sharp intakes.

Belle is right there, and Aden knows that if he was smart he would just get up and leave. Because, anything else would be potentially problematic. At least, on Aden’s side of the relationship.

But then he’s turning his head and leaning ever so slightly in, and catching Belle’s lips in a chaste kiss.

It’s not long or passionate, just a moment of weakness, when Aden can imagine that they could do this for real. Not when Belle sees him as a friend, and Aden (selfishly) wants more.

Belle pulls away, letting her eyelids flutter open.

“Thanks,” she says. “You’re a great friend.”

“Happy to help,” Aden replies, trying to hide the disappointment that it’s over.

3.

Apparently when teenagers are bored and have nothing to do they play stupid games they should have grown out of when they turned twelve.

“Spin the bottle!” Ric had declared.

So now they are sitting in a circle on the floor of the Summer Bay house with an empty bottle in the middle. Nicole looks eager, Mattie and Ric have strategically placed themselves on opposite sides of the circle, and Geoff seems weary. Aden catches Belle’s eye as she sits down next to Geoff. He tries to shoot her a reassuring smile, because they are all friends here, so it’s not like they are going to video anything and put it online for eternal embarrassment. Aden is more concerned that the bottle might end up pointing at Geoff and he’ll have to make out with him. Ric wasn’t very clear on the rules of the game. Belle doesn’t return his smile, but has this blank expression that Aden can’t read.

Since it was Ric’s idea he spins first. A surprise to no one, it lands on Matilda and they spend the full thirty seconds trading spit. Nicole spins next and also has to kiss Ric. Matilda refuses to watch, while Nicole puckers up and plants a closed mouth kiss on Ric’s lips. Mattie glares at him as he returns to his sitting position, seeming as though he enjoyed it a bit too much.

Aden’s hands are shaking as he reaches for the bottle. He’s beginning to wish he had agreed with Geoff when he voiced his opposition to the game. He can’t even blame his compliance on being drunk, because they didn’t even have to partake in that to get to this point. It dawns on Aden how much of a push-over he actually is.

Aden can’t make eye contact with anyone as he watches the glass bottle spin. Everything seems to happen in slow motion. The bottle turns on its side coming to a slow stop. Aden focuses on the tip of the bottle, looking up slowly from its end to person sitting on the other side. Even before Aden sees her face, he knows what’s going to happen.

Belle is staring at Aden. Aden opens his mouth to say something - anything - but his mouth has gone dry and tongue feels like it weighs a ton.

“Come on, you two,” Ric says. “The bottle has spoken.”

“Shut it, Ric. I’m still mad at you,” Mattie snaps.

Ric looks over at his girlfriend as she pouts. Aden has seen this look on girls before. It’s the one they use when they want something. When they want to drag you shoe shopping when there’s a football game on tv. When they want to watch Love Actually instead of Speed, even though they said it was your choice.

“Mattie, c’mon. It’s the rules of the game.”

“Who made you the rules police?”

“You didn’t have a problem when the bottle spun in your direction.”

“Guys,” Geoff interjects, “We don’t have to do this.”

Aden hates to think it, but he agrees with Geoff. But then Belle is sighing loudly - as in a ‘I’m bored and let’s just get this over and done with’ kind of way - and she’s getting on her knees and leaning across the circle. Using both her hands Belle cups Aden’s cheeks firmly and presses their lips together.

It takes Aden a full three seconds for his brain to catch up with what is happening. Belle, his friend, is kissing him, and he is not kissing back. At least, not initially. As soon as he realises that his hands are floundering at his sides, Aden reaches up and takes Belle gently at the back of the neck, and if possible, tugs her closer.

When they pull away the room is silent. Aden had completely forgotten that anyone else was there. But Ric, Mattie, Nicole and Geoff are staring up at them both. Ric is smirking, Mattie has this mischievous gleam in her eye, while Nicole is beaming and Geoff is biting down on his own bottom lip from nervousness.

“Right,” Belle says, returning to her spot in the circle. “Who’s up next?”

4.

“Pretend like you’re talking to me.”

“But I am talking to you.”

“Yeah, but come in really close.”

“Why are you whispering?”

“That guy over there.”

Aden instinctively looks over his shoulder.

“Don’t look at him,” Belle hisses, yanking Aden’s head back around so he is facing her.

Aden holds his head still, trying to get a sneak peek at this mysterious guy out of the corner of his eye.

“Why can’t I look at him? And who is he?” Aden asks in a hushed voice, because apparently they are talking like that now.

Belle rolls her eyes. “Some dude from the newspaper office. He totally asked me out yesterday and I turned him down.”

“So?”

“So,” Belle emphasises, “He’s persistent. And won’t take no for an answer. He turned up at the Diner this morning to see if I changed my mind.” Beat. “I hadn’t.” Like that wasn’t completely obvious.

Belle tries to subtly look over Aden’s shoulder at the guy hovering behind them. “Crap. He’s seen us,” Belle says.

“He’s coming over,” Belle comments, eyes darting across Aden’s face. “Quick. Kiss me.”

“Wha - ?” Aden manages to splutter before Belle has her mouth on his, and she’s grabbing onto the front of Aden’s shirt, keeping him rooted to the bench.

But it’s not just a kiss. She’s leaning in and skimming her tongue across Aden’s bottom lip, asking him to open. Aden obliges, returning the kiss with enthusiasm. He’s feeling her tongue, warm in his mouth, and he can’t help but let out a moan from the back of his throat.

The other times they’ve kissed is nothing compared to this. Belle is kissing back and Aden is feeling the heat from her body, a blush spreading across his cheeks as she sucks on his lip.

As quick as it started, Belle is pulling away. Releasing the bundled fabric she had in her hand and looking around.

“Well, that got rid of him,” Belle says conversationally.

They sit in silence after that because Aden’s heart is still pounding in his chest – really hard – and he’s concentrating on just remembering to breathe. Belle seems pensive, watching the waves roll in to the shore, and Aden allows himself a few glances at her face. Her features are relaxed, eyes unwavering on the horizon, but there is something there that he can’t quite define.

Aden wonders if it’s possible for you to tell another person that you love them in a kiss. Regardless, Aden thinks he’s just done it.

5.

Alf always throws a Christmas party at the Surf Club. The whole towns seems to enjoy the idea of gathering around the bar on Christmas Eve, and pretending like they actually all get along, when it’s fairly obvious that the scratches from the most recent scandal are still pretty raw.

Aden is nursing a drink in his hand, but he’s feeling very self-conscious because Alf is behind the bar and is refusing to sell him beer. It doesn’t matter that he’s finished school and had his eighteenth birthday, because Alf just tells Aden it’s a ‘family friendly event’, which loosely translates to ‘I don’t want to have to clean up in the morning’.

The room has been transformed into a Winter Wonderland. From his conversations with Geoff and Ric, it seems like the girls were in charge of the theme. There are white lights twinkling on all the window frames, flat surfaces covered in fluffy cotton and a giant snow machine has been placed at the front of the room, right by the juke box. It has been set up to spontaneously spurt little flakes into the air, sending the room into a white haze. Aden has already had one encounter with this machine, much to Nicole’s amusement, and doesn’t want another one.

While Aden isn’t normally the wallflower of the party, he seems to have taken up that role fairly easily tonight. He’s hanging back from the crowds, ignoring his usual friends, because he knows Belle will be there. But, if anyone asks, Aden is not avoiding her.

It’s getting late, and Aden is certain he saw Ric pouring something out of a hip flask into his drink, so Aden decides to call it a night. He puts his glass down on a nearby table before heading for the door.

It’s almost like Lady Fate is sitting up there somewhere laughing at him, because Belle is walking in as soon as Aden steps up to the door frame.

She smiles up at him, and Aden can see she’s smeared something silvery and glittery on her eyelids that make the brown of her eyes stand out. She’s wearing a red dress, and even though he’s totally not looking at her like that, Aden notices how it hugs at her hips, showing enough skin to drive him crazy.

There’s this awkward moment when Aden thinks he can get away without having to talk to her. Which is a horrible thing to want, but it seems like the least embarrassing option right now. So, Aden is on one side of the door frame and Belle is on the other, and Aden tries to step to the right as Belle moves in the same direction. Aden then sidesteps to the left as Belle does the same.

Belle lets out a giggle, before taking Aden by the shoulders and holding him in place. Then Belle is guiding him to the right as she squeezes past his body on the left. As they both slide through the doorframe at the same time Aden feels Belle’s legs graze his own. And even though Aden is wearing pants, he can feel the heat of her body for that second.

“Better?” Belle asks once they are on the opposite sides of the frame. They’re still facing each other, and Belle still has her hands on Aden’s shoulders, almost like they should be swaying some sort of romantic song.

Aden nods dumbly, wishing he could string some words together to form a coherent sentence. But all he feels is Belle’s hands on him, and he’s looking in her eyes, watching as they sparkle under the fairy lights that have been strung around the room.

“Hey,” Belle says. “You leaving already?”

“Yeah,” Aden replies, wishing he still had his drink because again, his mouth is dry. Why does this always happen?

“Party pooper,” Belle replies with a laugh.

Aden shrugs, because yeah, he’s bailing on the party, but it’s not like he’s very good company at the moment. He’s barely said one word, and Belle is acting like nothing is wrong. That nothing has changed between them.

“I should go,” Aden says with as much determination as he can muster. And he is already turning away when Belle is grabbing his wrist and yanking him back towards her.

“You can’t,” Belle argues.

“Why not?”

It’s then that Aden sees where Belle appears to be looking. Her eyes are staring up, far above Aden’s head, because while he is taller than her, he’s not that tall. Aden follows her gaze and sees the lip piece of greenery taped to the top of the door frame. It’s dangling down above his head that Aden hadn’t even noticed it before. But now he sees the mistletoe, and he forces himself to look down at Belle.

Aden figures this is ‘It’. The moment everything falls into place and Belle realises that the boy standing in front of her is The One, and Aden will say something incredibly witty and clever and also romantic and she’ll smile up at him before they kiss. It’s the moment in the movies when there would be a swell in the music and the whole room falls away as these two people finally connect.

He’s leaning down, mouth slightly open as Belle is reaching up with her left hand. But then Belle is using her hand to brush the top of his head and these tiny little flakes drift down in front of his face.

“You look like you’ve got dandruff,” Belle says with a smile, as Aden helplessly stands there while Belle pats down his shirt, getting rid of the fake snow.

“Thanks,” Aden replies. “Run in with the snow machine.”

“Loser,” Belle replies affectionately before turning away and making her way back to the party.

Aden is left standing alone in the doorway. Mistletoe hanging limply above his head.

Aden knew it was too good to be true.

6.

New Years Eve is much louder. And hotter.

Even though the heat is still scorching the sand, the bonfire burns in the middle of the beach. Intermittently, random people run towards it and toss sticks into the orange flames before retreating to the esky to pull out another beer to keep themselves cool.

Aden is sitting on the beach with his toes in the sand. Ric is beside him, passing him another beer. They pop the caps off the bottles and clink them together before taking a sip. The liquid is cold and slides down his throat easily.

After the mistletoe incident Aden is feeling better about things. He still hangs out with Belle and it’s not as awkward as he would have anticipated. She obviously doesn’t think of him as anything but a friend, and Aden has resided himself to the fact that that isn’t going to change.

As it nears midnight, Aden mingles. Some people he recognises from school or footy, others have just turned up as friends of friends, and Aden has no idea who they are.

Aden almost tips his beer when someone bounds up to him from behind and tackles him into a hug. Without even looking Aden knows that it’s Belle. He hears her giggle as she holds onto his body tightly. With the alcohol he’s already consumed, Aden is feeling buzzed. He’s not drunk tough. He is fully aware of all his actions. But it’s like every sense in his body is amplified, picking up every little change in temperature. He can feel her body pressed into his, breathing softly into the back of his neck.

It’s in that moment where she’s hugging him like a best friend, while Aden is wanting more, that he decides he needs to tell her. That even if Belle turns him down outright, or freaks out completely and never speaks to him again, that at least Aden can get on with his life with a clear conscience. He’s giving her the option of getting out of this one-sided friendship.

Dropping his drink in the sand at his feet, Aden turns around.

“Want to go for a walk?” he shouts over the music blasting from the speakers nearby.

Belle nods, rather than attempt to reply. Grabbing Belle’s hand Aden leads her away from the speakers and the fire and main throng of people.

The water laps at their feet as they walk along the shore, the bass becoming nothing more than a drumming in the distance.

“Are you okay?” Belle asks.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Aden replies. “Just been thinking.”

“That’s dangerous,” Belle jokes, nudging Aden playfully in the side.

“Very funny,” Aden replies, with a roll of his eyes.

The party is far behind them, but Aden can still hear someone start the countdown to midnight. This, Aden thinks, is as good as he is going to get. He needs to do something, and do it now.

He stops walking, bringing Belle to a halt in front of him.

Belle’s eyes are glimmering, as the moonlight shimmers on her face. She’s watching him closely as he studies her. They are both silent.

“What’s wrong? You’ve got me worried, Aden,” Belle says.

“I – It’s just that,” Aden begins, and then the words are tumbling out of his mouth before he can do anything to stop them. “Ever since you broke up with Drew I’ve been thinking about you. But in a different way. Like, not just looking at you and thinking, ‘There goes my friend Belle’, but something else. Something more. And I don’t want to let another year pass without telling you how I feel. I’m crazy about you. I adore the way you wrinkle your nose when you’re concentrating, or they way you have to eat all the red M&M’s first, or how proud you were when you saw your name under that photo in the Coastal News. And even though you still see me as a friend, I just – I wanted you to know that,” Aden finishes pathetically.

Belle is looking up at him, as a voice calls out “Happy New Year!” and the party erupts. It’s a brand new year and Aden feels as though this weight has been lifted from his shoulders. Even if Belle can’t reciprocate how he feels, he’ll deal with it. He just couldn’t hold it in any longer.

But then Belle is leaning up towards him, and slipping her hands around his waist.

“Me too,” Belle replies in nothing more than a whisper, and Aden has to strain to make sure he heard her properly.

“What?”

Belle breathes in deeply. “I love you too.”

They have the ocean around their ankles as Aden leans down. He stalls only momentarily, as Belle closes her eyes, making sure this is really happening. Then he’s ducking his head and kissing her, and for the first time he knows that she feels the same way.

The End

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