You better run and hide bb! Lol. Let's just say i had a feeling this was coming....but damn, i can't wait for the next chapter. Will Rob be so jealous and totally pissed, or will he rise above it all (still pissed, mind you) and walk up to Aaron and introduce himself as Gemma's boyfriend? Inquiring minds can't wait to find out!

Author's Response:

Hi roxie,

I'm out of hiding now, to reply to reviews! Whew!

Yep, Rob and Gemma were always going to run into Aaron somewhere along the line. The next chapter should be up soon and we'll get to see exactly how Rob deals with meeting Aaron. Eeek!

Thanks so much! :)

-SwimmingBee

Ok so i have just lost my afternoon to this story and I'm really really loving it. I love the characters you've built, Gem is just gorgeous and her Rob is complicated and damn hot. It reads so well, so easily... the dialogue flows, I can picture what is happening, the people and the places...yup I'm into this one! Beautifully done.

I confess that I don't normally venture over to twilighted but i read the start of this in the summer and liked it...remembered it so it's been a treat today! So much more I want to say bit can't remember it all as I'm reeling from the end of the chapter - don't hide! Jealous Rob, Aaron, Gem leaving him outside...ooooh can't wait for more!

Author's Response:

Hi underthestars,

Welcome! I'm so happy you're enjoying the story. Yay!

Great to hear you're loving the characters. I love them too, so anytime I hear that others are liking them, I do a little happy dance. I have lots of fun writing this story and there's so much more to come... I've actually already written up to Chapter 47!

I've already submitted the next chapter and just waiting for it to be validated now. It shouldn't take too much longer, fingers crossed! We'll have to wait and see how Rob deals with the Aaron situation. Eeek!

Thanks so much for reading and for all your wonderful comments. I hope you keep reading and reviewing! :)

-SwimmingBee

 

Color me confused, shocked, bewildered, annoyed, and did I say confused!  I think that I might need to wait a moment before continuing with this review, as I tend to let my emotions get the best of me when it comes to Robert and Gemma.  I accidentally read somebody else’s review of this chapter when I was checking your reply to my last review and was really pissed off that they called Gemma stupid and I believe a ditz, but I might be wrong on the usage.  Anyway, I know that everybody is entitled to their own opinions and I’m not trying to start anything or be mean to the person who wrote it.  Was it not Voltaire who once said "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it?" I just feel very protective of Gemma and couldn’t understand the apparent backlash.  My second reaction was “OH NO, what the heck did she do to bring about such of a reaction?”  Then the fear hit, and I was honestly too scared to find out.  All sorts of worst case scenarios kept going through my head, till I couldn’t take it anymore and just had to find out for myself.  As much as I don’t want to, I have to start with Gemma and Aaron because that was the focal point of the chapter for me.  Gemma’s inebriated state was clearly illustrated by her slurred speech pattern.  Therefore, Robert should have insisted upon being the one to get the drinks.  With that said…I’m in no way suggesting or saying that Robert is in anyway responsible for Gemma’s actions, because he isn’t.  I also don’t know his level of intoxication, which off course might have been responsible for his lack of chivalry.   I understand that she was caught off guard by his sudden appearance at the party, and that she wasn’t thinking clearly as she seemed to be in this alcohol induced haze while speaking to Aaron.  I understand all of that…I even understand why she didn’t immediately pull away when he was playing with the ends of her hair and gazing into her eyes.  What I don’t understand and can’t forgive right now, are her thoughts during the interaction.  She made references to his “perfect smile.” WTF! She looked into his eyes and remembered what lying next to him bed felt like.  For me, her thoughts were much more of a betrayal than any physical action or inaction that she engaged in.  On second thought, I don’t understand why she didn’t pull away when he was playing with the ends of her hair.  She said it herself, that she wanted to pull away but just couldn’t because he was “Aaron.”  WTF does that mean?  Shouldn’t the fact that he is “Aaron” be even more of an incentive for her to pull away?  I’m very, very disappointed in her for not leaving with Sarah when she had the chance to do so.  I know that she only asked for 2 additional minutes, but that really doesn’t make bit of a difference at all.  This is what upsets me.  Her judgment was momentarily impaired by the alcohol and she sat and spoke to the cheating bastard, but once the cloud began to fade from her mind and her reasoning came back….she choose to stay, and that is not okay.  Finding out the motivation behind his surprised appearance shouldn’t have been more important than going back and putting her boyfriend at ease.  Sarah clearly stated that she and Rob had been worried by her continued absence…and she still stayed.  What does that say to Robert and to Aaron?  It tells Aaron that he can still affect Gemma, and that she placed him above her boyfriend on her list of priorities.  It tells Robert that she left him by himself (I know he was with Sarah), at a strange party in order to go sit around with her ex boyfriend whom she claims to not want anymore.  I know that I really bashed Robert for his behavior during the Daniel/apartment saga, but in my opinion, this is a lot worse than what he did.  I felt so horrible for Robert here.  I was really hoping that Sarah could’ve somehow kept him occupied, and not allow him to witness Gemma sitting and laughing with Aaron.  How would she feel, if she were the one to come across Kristen, or some other ex girlfriend of Robert’s, sitting on a couch with him laughing all happy, happy, happy, joy, joy?  I adore Gemma, and would love her just as much even if she weren’t with Robert.  I’d still love her if she were with Daniel for example, or any other guy that treated her well….but not Aaron.  He treated her like shit, and she allowed him to play with her hair and laughed with him.  I know that I tend to favor Gemma over Robert, but I adore Rob as well.  I don’t want him to hurt, and I think that Gemma really hurt him here and he didn’t deserve it.  Gemma has some serious explaining to do and I’m hoping that Robert will stick around to listen to it.  I’m torn between wanting him to blow up at her cause jealous Rob is sooooooo incredibly HOT, and wanting him to take the high road and not cause a scene at the party.  I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Robert somehow orchestrated to have Aaron witness or walk in on him having sex with Gemma at the party.  That’s all kinds of fucked up I know….but then remember, so is Robert.

Now that my Aaron/Gemma diatribe is over, I’ll move on to the rest of the chapter!  I loved Luke’s reaction in the beginning.  It’s sweet how worried he seemed to be on Gemma’s behalf.  You can really tell that he has grown to like her being with Robert and doesn’t want him to do her wrong.  Loved Sarah and Luke’s jab at Robert and Gemma’s incessant make-out sessions.  I bet they secretly enjoy listening to them go at it….KIDDING!  Max’s house sounds amazing!  Max and his brother appears to be, two very down to earth guys, and I really like them.  The two drunk girls on the beach were hilarious! I LMAO @ their British comment.  Robert’s response to their lament of not having a camera ready was hilarious.  The party sounded fun and dangerous.  I was immediately worried about the police showing up and Rob being arrested for attending a party with illegal drugs present.  Can you imagine the headline?  “ROBERT PATTINSON ARRESTED IN MALIBU DRUG BUST” LOL! Thank you very, very, much for the Lola smackdown!  I squealed when he came up behind Gemma and kissed her shoulder during her chat with Lola.  I felt like shouting, “Take that bitch!”  Bet she won’t talk down to Gemma anymore…however, she does seems to be just the type that would call TMZ and tip them off.

I loved the fact that everybody at the party was so chill and relaxed and didn’t make a big fuss over Robert Pattinson being in attendance.  My favorite part of the chapter was when Robert admitted to being willing to purchase a beach house for the two of them to reside in together.  I was like aweeeee, he so wants to Marry her and have beautiful Gemma and Robert babies, LOL.  Yep, I thought all of that just by him making that one little comment.  Which reminds me, are Gemma and Clare going to keep in touch via e-mail? It would be a nice touch for Gemma to e-mail her some of the picture that Sarah took of the two of them.  Gemma might be a bit too bashful to do it though, but might give in if Clare asks :) Going back to Aaron for the moment….WTH is wrong with him?  I really hope that Gemma saw through his manipulations.  It’s like, he’s suddenly regretting breaking up with her now that she appears to have moved on.  What is this? He doesn’t want her, but don’t want anyone else to have her either?  Why did Max tell him about Gemma bringing Robert to the party?  Was he hoping that Aaron would show up or was he only rubbing his face in the fact that Gemma had an escort to the party for once, signaling the fact that she has indeed moved on.

Favorite Lines

"Well... I can," he said quietly. "And if you wanted to live with me in a house on the beach one day Gemma Taylor, I would buy it for you in a heartbeat."

I almost expected him to say ‘Phew!' He really did look relieved. Did he think Rob had found a second girl for the night? I held back a giggle.

"I get to listen to these two get it on every other night," Sarah added, pointing to us in the back seat. Oh my God! Rob laughed and I gaped at her in shock, completely embarrassed. Poor Luke.

We thanked him and climbed out of the car. It was reassuring to have him there. Not just because we had a quick getaway car in case of emergency, but because he was Luke. I was really starting to appreciate his presence. I liked his kindness and sense of humor, hidden behind that wall of gruffness.

"What the hell sort of party is this?" he smirked. "You're trying to corrupt me, Gemma Taylor."

"I'm L-Lola," she stammered, shaking his hand weakly, as I bit my lip and looked down to stop myself from smiling.

They looked at each other and giggled. "You're so British!"

He nodded. "Yep, I'm British!"

Till next time, Kari

P.S. No amount of running and hiding will save you Bee! We will find you! *cue evil laugh*

Author's Response:

*peeks from behind the couch* Is it safe to come out yet? Hehee!

Hi Kari! 

Ooooh, sorry for making you confused, shocked, bewildered and annoyed! It was a big, important chapter and I always knew people would have a pretty strong opinion about it, one way or another.

But first, let me address one of your main concerns... Gemma noting Aaron's perfect hair and perfect smile. Do you know what? I don't think she was being sucked in by his perfect hair and perfect smile - I think she was just remembering his face. It had been a while since she'd seen him, and really, let's be honest - the guy really does have perfect hair and a perfect smile. Almost sickly perfect. She wasn't pointing out that he was gorgeous, like she does with Rob. She loves Rob's messy hair and stubble, and constantly gets lost in his blue-grey eyes. I really think she really was just remembering him.

And then of course, she couldn't move away because "he was Aaron". I totally get your confusion about that statement, especially when Rob was sitting outside and Aaron had treated her so badly in the past. But... he was Aaron! Aaron, the guy she had dated since she was 17 and was engaged to be married to. That's a big deal. They were together for a long, long time. As much as she despises him now, he'll probably always be part of her life in some way or another. They have lots of mutual friends. They come from the same town in Connecticut. He's Aaron. That's all she meant by that, really. I think we all have someone like that in our lives. Someone we'll always be inextricably linked to, even though we don't necessarily want to be. Does that make sense!?

So yes, she stayed there with him. Boooo, Gemma. As you said on the forums, it was a mistake - and we all make mistakes at times. She was drunk and completely overwhelmed. And even though it might be difficult to read because we like Gemma so much, she really was revelling in his jealousy. She was being petty and mean and loved the fact that he was jealous of Rob. He had hurt her so much in the past that she was pleased that she was hurting him. Perhaps not the Gemma we know and love, but maybe that's what Aaron brings out in her, after all that hurt. Another reason to get cross with him! Grrr, Aaron! But really, that's why she stayed.

Poor Rob. You're completely right - he didn't deserve it and Gemma really has some explaining to do in the next chapter. The question is definitely whether he will stay calm enough to listen to her or not. I love that you kind of want him to blow up at her so you can see Jealous Rob again. Hehee. You want him to orchestrate Aaron walking in on them having sex? Hehee! Raunchy!

There have definitely been some interesting reviews from this chapter. I love that people have an opinion and I welcome people's thoughts... some of them just surprised me more than others! Ahem. Anyway. Sorry you got scared to read the chapter! I'm glad you finally did though. And as for Rob getting Gemma a drink because she was drunk? Noooo. She was happily tipsy, not completely off her rocker. She was having a lovely time pushing her feet through the sand to go get her own drink before she ran into Aaron! Girl power, Kari! ;)

Okay, back to the rest of the chapter... Luke was sweet worrying about Sarah joining them, wasn't he? They had some fun conversations though. Max's house was definitely awesome, and yep, the party was fun and dangerous. Hehee, a great way to describe it. But phew, no police! Ha, I love that your mind must run at 100 miles an hour as you read the chapters. You always come up with such great ideas. You should totally write you own story next! :)

Aww, I'm glad you liked Rob and Gemma's talk on the beach about houses. It was just a little moment between them, but an important one. They've never talked about their future before, so it was a first for them. Aww, little RobGem babies. Cute! As for Gemma continuing to email Clare... hmm, nope. It would be lovely, you're right - but Gemma was nervous about emailing her in the first place so I think it would be a bit too much for her to continue doing it! And why did Max tell Aaron about Gemma and Rob coming to the party? I don't think there was anything sinister there. They're best friends and Aaron called him to say happy birthday. It probably just came up in conversation and knowing Aaron as we do, he freaked out and skipped out on the bachelor party to go check up on her! Grr!

Another fun selection of favorite quotes! I always like seeing which ones you liked the best. The Lola part was fun to write. Actually, this whole chapter was fun to write. Shhhh! Aaron is kind of deliciously evil. *cue my evil laugh*

Thank you for being brave enough to read and for all your thoughtful comments! I always look forward to hearing what you thought. We'll just have to wait and see how Rob and Gemma deal with this little hiccup...

-SwimmingBee

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Author's Response:

Hey Cullenbabe1231,

Eeeeeek, sorry! Next chapter's coming up soon, I promise! :)

Thanks for reading!

-SwimmingBee

Love it

Author's Response:

Thanks so much, campcathryn!

Glad you're still enjoying the story. :)

-SwimmingBee

Arg! Cliffie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please update soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Really Good!

Author's Response:

Hi nsturms72,

Eeek, sorry about the cliffie! Don't worry, the next chapter has already been submitted. Fingers crossed it won't take too long to be validated!

Thanks for reading!

-SwimmingBee

Wow -- lions, and tigers and bears -- oh my!!!!  I wasn't expecting Gemma to want to make Aaron jealous. 

I felt Aaron would be at his best friends party -- yes, checking up on Gemma and  wondering how she is getting along with Rob -- but I didn't expect Gemma to have that kind of conversation with him.  And I quote, "He had never seemed so pathetic to me before and I was revelling in it. I know that's awful, but after everything that had happened, if I could make him jealous just this once, then that was fine by me." 

I understand that she would feel the need to make him aware that she had finally moved on with her life (and with a sexy movie star no less).  But is she so set on trying to make Aaron jealous that she can't see what he's doing?   That Aaron is still as manipulative as he always had been?   That he doesn't want her but he doesn't want anyone else to have her.  

I hope Rob handles himself in a "gentlemanly" manner with Aaron - but Gemma better hold on -- cause I think jealous Rob will definitely be in part 2.  

Gemma's got some explaining to do. 

I think you can see that you have me at a crossroad on this.  You have written this chapter so well that I can't get a feel for how part 2 will go down.  But that's a good thing.  You and Duders79 really have me on the edge of my seat with your latest updates.

I know you won't keep us waiting long.  And oh yeah, what about the sexy lingerie.

Thank you for writing such a delicious story.

Elaine -- sparkledamnu on twitter.

 

Author's Response:

Hi Elaine,

Hehee, lions and tigers and bears indeed!

See, this is why I love reading people's reviews. Some people were furious with Aaron, and others - like you - were confused by Gemma's actions and a bit cross with her.

Really, she was just completely overwhelmed by running into him. She was confused and angry with him, and she was very aware of what he was doing. They were together for years, so she knows exactly what he's like. She knew he was being manipulative, but he had hurt her so much in the past that, as you quoted, she was revelling in it. It's tough to read and kinda mean, but hey. We all do silly things and make mistakes at times.

So yep, Gemma definitely has some explaining to do! We'll see how Rob handles it in the next chapter. Eeek!

Thank you for your lovely comments. I know what it's like to be a bit torn in two by a story - Duders' story is doing exactly the same thing to me at the moment! I've submitted the next chapter already - it's in the hands of my busy validation beta now. Hopefully won't be too much longer.

And don't worry, Gemma hasn't forgotten about the spotty, sexy lingerie! ;)

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!

-SwimmingBee

Lovely update!  What a crazy party!  Love the Aaron and Gemma conversation and oh dear, poor Rob has been blindsided.  I can't wait to find out what happens.

~Newydd x

Author's Response:

Hi Newydd!

Thanks for your lovely words! I think you're the only person who loved the Aaron and Gemma conversation. Hehee. But yes, poor Rob! Let's hope he can handle it calmly and not freak out. Hmm, what are the chances, do you think!?

Thanks for reading, my fun bell-playing Twitter buddy!

-SwimmingBee

Damn it I love them! I'm so nervous about this party!!!! 

Author's Response:

Hi pearlgem,

Aw, I love that you love them! The party chapter is up now... and I'm a bit nervous to hear what you think! Eeek!

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. :)

-SwimmingBee

*hangs head in shame* i cant belive ive had this sitting in my favs for all this time and not read it . What can i say i really want more im well into this your a fab writer its a brill story and i will be checking every day for updates.

 

Author's Response:

Hiya!

Aw, as I said on Twitter, don't hang your head in shame! I love that you've caught up and so pleased you're enjoying the story. :)

Thanks so much for your lovely review and kind words. *blushes*

-SwimmingBee

I can understand her apprehension about going to the party, but if she is going to have a relationship with him she is going to have to get used to being out in public with him and the reaction it causes.

Author's Response:

Hi maizeandblueinvalpo,

Thanks for your review! You're so right - Gemma will have to get used to going out in public with Rob. She'll get there eventually, it'll just take some time. :)

The next chapter is up now, if you fancy checking it out. Eeek!

-SwimmingBee

I think the old boyfriend will show up.But oh my god who could compare with ROb. Gemma will get lucky in the bathroom. All will be well. Till next time.

 

Lilly

Author's Response:

Hi Lilly,

Love your predictions! A few of them were pretty close indeed. ;)

The next chapter is up now! I'll anxiously await to hear your thoughts.

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!

-SwimmingBee