Entry for the Song Prompts Contest

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Summary: When his friends force him to take a break from his studies, Edward is shocked to see a familiar face in a very different way. Is it just a night of fun, or could it be destiny?

Pairing: E/B

Rating: M

Song/Lyrical Inspiration: "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon

DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.

*Lines in italic are direct quotes from the song*

….

Shut Up and Dance

I didn't want to go out. Since the moment I started med school I had been focused. So incredibly focused. More focused than I had been about anything before. I had been a fuck-up in high school, so this was my second chance. By the grace of god I scored high enough on my SATs to forgive some of my low grades, and I was able to get into a good college and ultimately med school. I was not going to screw it up for anything. But sometimes, it was just hard to say no…

"I can't believe I let you convince me to come here," I grumbled as Emmett led me into the nightclub. "I should be studying right now."

"Don't be such a fucking prude," Em chided me. "You're only young once. You need to live sometimes, bro."

"I don't qualify club hopping as living," I retorted.

"Well bro, by living I'm talking about flirting with chicks…and getting laid, of course."

"I did all that shit in high school. Now I need to stay focused on my studies," I argued.

"Edward, I'm not saying you need to abandon your singular focus, but you need to let loose a little sometimes, otherwise you're going to burn out. Come on. We are already here, so you may as well try to enjoy it a little."

I huffed and rolled my eyes, but otherwise followed him to where our friend, Jasper, was sitting with his girlfriend, Alice. The two were already in hot and heavy make-out mode, and they weren't even drunk yet. It was slightly ridiculous.

"Damn! Can you two stop sucking face for a minute to say hello," Emmett shouted over the torturously loud music.

"Sorry," Jasper said sheepishly, before greeting him with a fist bump. Then he turned to me with his waiting fist. "Whoa, he actually got you to come out, huh?"

I met his fist bump, despite thinking it was the stupidest way to greet someone imaginable. "Yeah, well I figured this will get him off my back for at least a month."

"A week, tops," Em disagreed.

I moaned as a response, but otherwise let it go.

I sat there sulking for probably a half hour before I noticed a certain someone walk past me. My mouth must have hit the floor.

"She's hot. Want me to be your wing-woman?" Alice offered, as she followed my eyes.

"No, I know her," I said, still in shock to see that particular girl at a nightclub.

Bella Swan had been in several of my study groups, and while I always thought she was cute, in the messy, nerdy, librarian type of way, she always seemed so uptight. Her glasses were always falling off her face, and her hair was usually a mess. She was the quiet reserved type, and even more focused on her studies than I was. Or so I thought.

This Bella Swan, however, couldn't possibly be more different. She was down right sexy as all hell, in her backless dress and beat up sneaks. Her hair was tightly braided on one side of her head to make for a punky look, and her makeup was dark, just around the eyes to complete the fierceness she was exuding.

I couldn't take my eyes off of her as she hit the dance floor with her friends. The way she moved was absolutely hypnotizing with no bashfulness or inhibitions. She oozed confidence, at the same time she radiated that 'I don't give a fuck' attitude that I usually found to be a turn off. But in this case, with this unexpected version of Bella Swan, I was overwhelmingly infatuated.

"Stop drooling like an idiot, and go talk to her," Emmett encouraged.

As if on cue, Bella turned her head and looked right at me. She didn't stop dancing, but her eyes locked on mine, and that was it. I felt it in my chest, and somehow I just knew we were bound to be together that night.

I tried to resist it. I needed to keep my head on straight, and remain solely focused on school. I couldn't let myself get sucked in to anything more than a casual fling, and deep down I knew that if I crossed that line, my feelings for Bella would be anything but casual. I waited an entire thirty seconds as I fought my nagging desire to go to her, but when she glanced over at me again, I knew I was powerless against her.

Without giving myself another chance to chicken out, I stood, and felt like I was floating as I crossed the dance floor to approach her. I was but a victim of the night, as if there was some kind of chemical, physical kryptonite in the room, that was breaking down my super determination to remain level headed. I was absolutely helpless against the bass and fading light, hypnotically lulling me forward. I had no idea what I was going to say to her, but the moment I reached her, all inhibitions were gone.

I didn't even have to speak first. She took my arm, I don't know how it happened. We took the floor, and she said, "Don't you dare look back, Cullen. Just keep your eyes on me."

I cracked a smile, and then my body swayed to the music, perfectly in sync with hers. I honestly had no idea what the hell came over me. It was like I was possessed, but it was a possession I never wanted to break free from.

The Bella Swan I thought I knew would have never acted like this. Hell, the Edward Cullen I thought I was would have never acted like this either. I honestly didn't know how it happened.

We danced for what felt like hours. All sticky with sweet sweat, and it wasn't even a turn off. She smelled like heaven, and her body was its own symphony. The floor was crowded, but we may as well have been alone, because I honestly couldn't tell what anyone else around us was doing. It was just her, and it was just me – losing ourselves to the beat. Without even having a full conversation, I truly felt like I knew her completely. Somehow our bodies did the talking, and we were the only ones who spoke that language.

When we paused to get a drink, I found myself pouring my heart out to her like a complete moron.

"Is it weird that I feel like there's some kind of strong connection between us?" I asked her brazenly.

Bella laughed. "Right. Because we always hit it off so well when we're at school."

"Man, everything about school is so rigid and strained. I feel like I have tunnel vision when I'm there," I told her.

"So you have a hard time letting loose?" she concluded.

"Exactly. But you must know exactly what I'm talking about, you're studying to become a doctor too. Don't you have a hard time getting away from it all?"

"Not really," she replied casually. "I would go mad if I couldn't cut loose or never took a break."

"I suppose you're right. Perhaps you can help me with that from time to time."

"How about we just plan for the next song, and see where it goes from there," she said with a wink.

Her voice was like silk, and with every word she spoke I felt myself sink deeper. I didn't want to do it. I tried to bite my tongue, but the next thing I knew I was spilling my heart out to her.

"This is going to sound really odd, but I feel like I was meant to be here tonight to find you in this way. It feels… almost bigger than us somehow. Like our lives have been intersecting for a long time, but only now am I realizing what that means."

She stared at me blankly for a moment, and then she laughed. "Don't get all deep with me, Cullen. I'm just here to have a good time."

"I know. Totally. Me too. But I don't know, I feel like we're bound to be together."

"The only thing I'm bound to is this dance floor… oh, and this drink," she said while taking a shot.

"I get that I'm coming off a bit strong, but I just want you to know that I really do want to spend more time with you outside of school. I honestly have this weird feeling about us… and I know you feel it too," I told her unashamedly as I looked deep in her eyes. I swear I could see my future there, and I became suddenly confident that I wasn't actually freaking her out at all. I didn't have a doubt she felt that intense connection just as I did. This woman is my destiny, and I wasn't about to give up just because she was pretending to be indifferent.

She bit her lower lip, and then shook her head no. "Sorry. You're cute, but…"

"You're holding back," I interrupted her.

Her bottom lip broke free from her teeth, and her smile stretched into the most beautiful wide grin I had ever seen. "Edward, just shut up and dance with me."

She wouldn't even give me a chance to argue. She immediately took my arm and pulled me back on the dance floor. I went willingly, and I caught on to her movements, but I still wouldn't give up. I couldn't.

"Will you meet me somewhere tomorrow so we can study together?" I asked her over the thumping of my heart, which was keeping in time with the music.

"No," she said without hesitation.

"You think I'm creepy, don't you?" I asked, fully expecting her to deny it.

"Actually, yes. This is a little creepy," she said evenly. Her words conveyed one thing, but when she wrapped her arms around my waist, her body said the exact opposite. Not to mention that killer smile and the blush to her cheeks when she spoke to me.

"Just so you know, I'm not one of those sickos that can't take no for an answer. Not really anyway," I assured her. "If you really want me to leave you alone, I will."

"If I really wanted you to leave me alone, you wouldn't have a doubt about it," she replied playfully.

"So you don't want to discuss anything beyond tonight?" I assumed.

"What I want, is for you to shut up and dance with me."

How could I argue with that?

We spent the rest of the evening together, constantly in arm's reach. I found myself not wanting the night to end, but I knew it couldn't last forever.

"You're really not going to give me your number?" I challenged her as she was getting ready to leave with her friends.

"I'm really not," she replied. "But I had a ton of fun tonight. It was exactly what I needed after all the stress of midterms. Thanks."

She left me with a little wave, before disappearing through the crowd as she made her way to the exit. I was left standing in her wake, feeling as if she ripped out my heart and took it with her as she left.

"Wow, and here I thought you didn't want to date while in medical school," Emmett said with a slap to my shoulder. "You didn't even come back to the table once tonight. What gives, bro?"

But I wasn't in the mood for his crap. That was exactly why I didn't want to date. In just a few short hours, I had seriously become a pathetic lovesick moron who actually told a girl I hardly knew that we belonged together. I actually thought I could see a future with her. It was asinine. What the hell had come over me? I briefly wondered if perhaps someone spiked my drink. I was beginning to think I had lost my ever loving mind. Did I just read the entire evening's interactions wrong? I was beginning to cringe as I recalled everything I said to Bella.

And then it happened.

Suddenly I was slammed into, and my lips were being completely consumed by the softest, most luscious lips, gently coaxing mine into the best kiss I ever experienced in my life. After my initial shock, my lips responded in kind to each movement. Our mouths parted as we tasted each other for the first time. Our lips and tongues were dancing together I didn't even know what hit me until she pulled back. I felt it in my chest as she looked at me, I knew we were bound to be together. But fortunately, I kept that thought to myself.

"My number is in the study group contact list," Bella said in a rush.

A smile spread across my face, and once again, I was flying. "I might just have to call you then."

"I might just answer the phone," she replied, and then surprised me once more with another amazing kiss, before pulling away to make her exit.

This woman is my destiny.

Ooo Oooh, Shut up and dance!