A Tree with a View
Hello everyone! Here is my second Fanfic! And something I've been planing to do for months! Don't fret, I still intend to finish my first fanfic "For the love of Music," but lets just say this project has been irking me for a while so I stayed up all night to write the opening chapter to see if you all would like it!
Just a heads up: This story and some character descriptions will be based on the movie Sabrina with Stephanie Meyer's Twilight characters thrown in for fun, and then my own personal flavor of writing for your own enjoyment.
The prologue is a combination of the old and new Sabrina films scripts...plus some of my own words. It's simply meant to set the stage... the rest of the chapter words will be all me!
Prologue
Once upon a time, on the North Shore of Long Island, some 30 miles from New York, there lived wealthy family by the name of Cullen.
The mansion was very large indeed, almost a castle, and had many servants. There were servants for inside the mansion, and outside the mansion. There were six crews of gardeners to take care of the gardens, and a tree surgeon on a retainer. There was a boatman to put the boats in the water in the spring and scrape their bottoms in the winter. There were specialists to take care of the grounds, the outdoor tennis court and the indoor tennis court, the outdoor swimming pool and the indoor swimming pool. And a man of no particular title took care of a small pool in the garden for a goldfish named Garrett.
Also on the estate, over the garage, there was chauffeur by the name of Swan, who had been sent from the across the country some years ago with a Rolls-Royce, and he had a daughter by the name of Isabella... or Bella for short.
The Cullens were noted for the parties they gave. Few people anymore give parties the way they did. It never rained on the night of the Cullen party. The Cullens wouldn't have stood for it.
There were four Cullens in all—father, mother and two sons.
Carlisle Christopher Cullen, who inherited the Cullen Communication Corporation, retired last year and passed his familie's life's work on to his eldest son, so he could retire at 50. He was once on the cover of Fortune magazine. He married his wife, Esme Elizabeth Cullen, in London and bought her a townhouse in New York, this estate for weekends, and an island in the Caribbean, named Isle Esme, as an anniversary present.
The townhouse has since been converted into Saks Fifth Avenue.
Edward Anthony Mason Cullen, the oldest son, who graduated from high school at 16 and from Yale at 19, followed in his fathers foot-steps all this life. His classmates voted him the man most likely to leave his alma mater several million dollars, and best hair in the class.
In two years, he turned his family's hundred-million dollar business, into some serious money. He was once on the cover of Time magazine, and despite public demand, turned down any other publicity photo shoots that weren't considered serious.
But most of all, there was Emmett McCarty Cullen, the younger son. He was in and out of the best Eastern colleges money could offer, and even more relationships. He was handsome and charming and funny and romantic.
Edward writes his brother off these days as a walking tax deduction.
Emmett... was in a Gap ad.
Life was pleasant among the Cullens, for this was as close to heaven as one could get on Long Island.
Chapter 1: The Same Old Routine
"Isabella Marie Swan! Will you please come down from that tree!"
Isabella, or Bella as she preferred to be called, had always thought herself to be a rather plain sort of girl. She had long brown healthy hair that came past her waist, deep chocolate brown eyes with long lashes, her height came to about 5'6, and was notoriously shy and clumsy. She was slender but possessed a fit figure from actively climbing trees and constantly running about the estate assisting the servants inside and outside the Cullen manor.
Bella had never been confident or known for her fashion sense, but she was and always had been very kind and loving. Everyone liked her, and since she was practically raised on the Cullen estate for most of her life, everyone knew her and treated her as if she were their own.
But for as long as Bella could remember, she had always, always loved and admired only one boy her entire life, who was now indeed, a man. Emmett Cullen.
Emmett was everything Bella could ever dream of; tall, strong, handsome, and charming. Just like a prince. Her prince. But Bella was well aware that, according to Emmett Cullen, she may as well have been invisible.
Sure she occasionally, and almost unintentionally, bumped into him sometimes around the house or outside while working in the gardens. And Emmett would always excuse himself kindly, and graciously apologize for having been so rude to knock her down or cause her to drop whatever she might have been carrying.
She lived for those short but sweet moments. When he would always bless her with one of his earth-moving pearly white smiles, with two precious dimples on either side of his cheeks. Those smiles were meant for her... and she remembered every single one.
"Bella. Isabella, are you listening to me?"
Bella's attention was currently fixated over the garden wall and could scarcely make out the complaining of her father ten feet below her on the ground, while she was perched like a bird inside her favorite sycamore spying tree. Her eyes were zeroed in and focused on one figure only, moving about the dance floor in a white tailcoat Armani jacket with his present conquest well in hand. A curly red headed vixen dressed in a silver sequined gown, who just now whispered something into Emmett's ear, causing him to burst out with his loud joyous laughter, echoing across the garden directly into Bella's ears.
"Drat, she made him laugh," she muttered and looked away from the scene, unable to bare staring any longer at the happy couple.
"Bella..." Charlie sighed. He thought to himself this obsession with Emmett Cullen had gone on long enough.
It's high time this girl gets out and explores the world. A world which doesn't involve or have anything to do with the Cullens!
"Am I funny?" Bella looked down to her father imploringly.
"Hilarious," Charlie droned with a blank expression, "Now will you come down? You have to start packing. You've delayed long enough."
Bella turned her face back to the throng of elegant dancers, dressed to the nines, unable to tear her eyes away from Emmett a moment longer than she had to.
"I'm not sure if I want to go anymore. He'll forget all about me," she whispered the last part to herself knowing that it's a fat chance Emmett Cullen will even notice she's left to begin with.
"It's difficult to forget someone when they don't even know they exit." The minute the words left Charlie's lips, he instantly regretted them.
"I'm sorry, Bella. I—I didn't mean—"
"No, it's alright. It's true. I'm not—I'm mean he never—" she huffed once then shook her head to stop the unwanted thoughts flooding through her mind about a fantasy she was quite certain will never come true. "I'm sorry dad. Just give me five more minutes. Just until they play 'I remember you,' then I'll meet you inside."
Charlie was used to this routine by now; knowing his little girl had the entire evening of the Cullen party mapped out inside her mind. Especially the flawless way Emmett picked up girls as if it were a rehearsed play.
She knew that first he would dance with them and exchange some witty banter. Afterward, if the woman consented, he would direct her to meet him inside the solarium and wait for him there. Meanwhile, while the lady waited in anticipation, he would ask the band singer to sing "I remember you," and hide two flukes in his back pockets, and a bottle of the Cullen's best champagne inside his jacket to surprise the lady with a toast when he arrived. Finally, he would ask her for a private romantic dance under the moonlight.
Then as if right on cue, Bella heard the band playing the opening cords to the familiar standard song. Instantly and expertly, she climbed down the tree, landing like a feline on the soft ground. She looked up and saw her father's silhouette in the window on top of the garage, so quickly and quietly, tripping only once, she made her way toward the solarium. She decided to use the short cut through the downstairs of the mansion this time so she wouldn't be seen in her casual attire by the party guests.
She stepped out of the shadows and into the bright kitchen where the hustle and bustle of the servers and chefs, were quickly and efficiently replenishing the hors d'oeuvres on the trays, and refilling the flukes and wine glasses for the party goers outside.
"Mi'ja, where are you going?"
Bella winced from being caught, realizing only now it would have been impossible to pass through here undetected, since practically everyone working inside the room knew her... except for the extra hires for the party this evening. Quickly recovering and without missing a beat, Bella casually turned around and smiled warmly, opening her arms wide to acknowledge the familiar voice that called out to her.
"I was looking for you, Maria."
Maria, a short and plump Hispanic woman with a thick Puerto Rican accent, was flattered and touched and beamed a brilliant smile. She stopped refilling the shrimp tray to give a hug and a kiss to her little niña.
"Awe, we're going to miss you here, mia Niña."
Much to Bella's relief, Maria was successfully oblivious as to her original destination.
Bella always counted Maria as one of her many motherly figures that worked inside the manor. "So good of you to say good-bye before your grand departure! And when are we expected to lose you to this other country, huh? Where are you going again?"
"Vienna, the music schoo—"
"Ach ja! Our song bird is taking flight tomorrow! Come here cantante, and give your old Marcus a kiss!" Marcus called out in his thick German accent loudly over his frying pan and rushed over to lift Bella off her feet in a huge bear crushing hug.
"Oof! Mar-cus! Put me down, you silly man!" Bella managed to chuckle lightheartedly at her friend, but still felt anxious to pass through kitchen, just to catch a glimpse of Emmett before she had to reluctantly pack and leave for the year.
"Marcus, you're getting tomato sauce all over the floor. Put the poor girl down and go back to your post, please! Maria, we're running low on shrimps, how much longer, dear? Oh, Carmen, please inform Maggie the fireworks will be going off right on schedule, and to start heading up to the roof at a quarter past. Thank you."
At times like these, Sue Clearwater was never to be trifled with. She was in her professional work mode. Her job at all the Cullen parties and other functions was to make sure everything ran smoothly and efficiently... and she was good at it.
She was currently barking at some servers for their disheveled attire. Yet no matter how stressful her job became, Sue remained polite and respectful when speaking to all the workers on the job, which always made everyone respect her in return.
Sue was Bella's favorite amongst all the workers at the Cullen mansion, and was also the closest she had to a mother.
Sue helped Charlie frequently after Bella's mother passed away when she was only seven years old. Bella felt very lucky to have her, and would also miss her terribly.
"Bella, dear, shouldn't you be getting ready? Your flight leaves at the crack of dawn, doesn't it?"
Sue's kind dark eyes were focused on Bella while her hands stayed busy, helping Maria hurriedly finish garnishing the shrimp platter. Her black hair was tied up in a neat bun on top of her head, and Bella could make out how flustered she was from the heat of the kitchen by the rosy color on her cheeks, causing her soft smooth mocha skin to glow.
Bella always thought Sue was very beautiful.
"Yes. I was just saying a last goodbye to everyone before I left. I see you all are busy, so I'll leave you to it. Goodbye everyone! I'll miss you all!" Bella called out over all the loud kitchen clanks and shuffling noises. She was sent off with various warm farewells, well wishes, and cheerfully sad goodbyes from all her friends and extended family telling her to write and keep in touch while she's away... or else!
After she jokingly promised to write everyone at least one email a day, just so they don't flog her when she returned, Bella slowly walked out the back door to the kitchen, and closed the door behind her.
She waited until she was out of sight then bolted down the hallway through the large rooms on the ground floor leading to solarium, hoping she wasn't too late. She cursed herself under her breath for taking the short cut now, instead of on the way back so she could have gotten here sooner and said goodbye to everyone properly rather than in passing.
Finally, she reached the outside of the glass windows to the solarium, and could faintly hear the music playing from the party going on outside in the garden. She noticed the song had changed to a new standard as she clumsily crouched down into her usual hiding spot. Then immediately, she spotted him... still dancing handsomely with the same red-headed woman on the other side of the glass bathed in moonlight.
This was her fantasy being played out for her in real life.
Only the red-headed woman wouldn't be dancing in Emmett's arms, it was Bella. She imagined her hand touching the rough stubble on Emmett's chiseled jaw while they swayed. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to his masculine form so her cheek could rest upon his strong shoulder.
The couple was silent as they swayed back and forth in the same spot. He must have already spoken the familiar lines to her, "You're like an angel sent down to dance amongst us mere mortals," "You smell so sweet, I could have you for dessert," "Having you in my arms feels so right, like you're meant to be in them..."
Bella held her breath as she heard Emmett speak for the first time tonight.
"Victoria, you dance divinely. If you let me, I could stay here all night and just hold you forever."
Oh God... if only he said the name 'Bella' instead of 'Victoria.'
I seriously am a glutton for punishment... but it's worth it, just to hear the sound of his voice which still makes my heart beat a thousands beats per minute.
"Do you say that to all the ladies, Cullen?" a sultry voice whispered.
Bella looked up to see the back of Victoria's silver dress, knowing her voice sounded unbelieving of Emmett's smooth pick-up lines. "I've been warned about you, you know? They say, you're the perfect man... for a single perfect night."
A single perfect night? Who is this lunatic? He's perfect every night and every day!
Emmett's smile never wavered or missed its mark. He knew how close he was to zeroing in on his prey, he could almost taste it. This night had been dedicated to one woman alone the minute he spotted her, and he put in all his efforts tonight to ensnare this fine dish before the night is out.
He knew it would be easy by this time to disappear for a while, since his brother was presently occupied with another boring business call from Hale Electronics, and knowing him, probably wouldn't resurface for the rest of the night.
For Edward, the excitement in life lay in the kill of sealing another business deal, and making the family billions of dollars. Emmett would constantly patronize him for having not gone out on a date in ages since he took over Carlisle's company.
Edward was married to his work.
Emmett also knew his parents wouldn't be looking for him, since they were off being the generous hosts that they always were. Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, who never missed the firework show at the end of the evening, would never suspect their son had once again trapped another delicious red-headed fire cracker into his lair.
The chase is almost over... and now all that's left, is to seal the deal... my way.
"Is that what they say about me?"
Emmett slowly revealed Victoria's long neck that was hiding under layers and layers of red curls, and placed his nose closer to her skin to inhale her fragrance. Then ever so delicately he kissed her shoulder up to her jaw, touching her as if she were fragile, then finally savored the last salty taste of her skin with one flick of his tongue by her ear.
"Y—yes," her voice stuttered and both Bella and Emmett knew it was only a matter of time before the final blow.
Resistance is futile.
"And what do you say?" he whispered so low that Bella had to strain her ears and hold her breath in order to listen to his words over the sound of the loud blaring pulse pounding inside her eardrums.
"I say, they're right," Victoria pulled away from Emmett just enough to look up into his smoldering seductive stare, "...and I don't care."
At that moment, Victoria crashed her mouth to Emmett's and wrapped her arms securely around his neck. Emmett quickly lifted Victoria's long and lean body into his arms and placed her delicately onto the settee that was located in the far left corner of the room... away from Bella's hiding place located on the opposite side behind the glass, under a thick plant with large leaves that always effectively hid her from sight.
Bella looked down to her lap, knowing exactly what was to come next because she could faintly hear the rustling of clothing, jackets, and shoes being strewn onto the solarium floor.
Just like all the other times she'd followed him here, she couldn't bare to stay a moment longer to hear the moans and cries of pleasure echoing from the other side of the glass room.
Some farewell present this was.
Why did I feel compelled to torture myself by coming here? Why... when I could predict down to the letter, exactly what was about to happen?
Perhaps it was because she was waiting for something to change. For something or someone to break Emmett out of his normal routine and make him pay attention to the actual person inside, rather than go through the motions time and time again.
Perhaps, Bella was just waiting for him to find 'the one' who would shatter the dream of ever having a shot with Emmett Cullen away for good.
But it hadn't happened yet.
Tonight was just like every other night she'd seen for the past several years. Since she was a sophomore and followed him here for the first time during his high school graduation party.
That was also the first time she dreamed her life was different... that she was different.
Bella wanted to be beautiful, graceful, funny, and smart. Like all the women Emmett Cullen noticed and payed attention to. The only times she could remember Emmett speaking to her, was when he needed her for something like a dance partner for dance lessons, or finding his lost sneaker, or racket.
Bella stood up from her crouched position and ran back home before she broke out into tears over this entire evening, and cursed this silly infatuation that had controlled her life ever since she first set eyes on Emmett.
What could I ever offer him? A chauffeurs daughter. A clumsy musician. A nobody.
Somberly she made her way up the stairs to her apartment over the garage to start packing her bags for her year of exile, away from the world of the Cullens.
She did love it here. It was her home, and it had been since before she could remember. All her family was here. The people she cared about.
Even Esme and Carlisle treated her like family rather than an employee. They started giving her a salary when she turned sixteen so she could start saving up for her college education. She got along and knew everyone here... all except Edward.
Well, that's not entirely true.
She thought to herself. Bella knew Edward, but she was also somewhat afraid of him.
Unlike his brother, Edward rarely smiled. He was always so serious and hard faced. He was the opposite of warm, but he was never cruel, unless it involved business. He lived in his work, and kept to himself, never really having very many close friends except one. His best friend and VP of his company Jasper Whitlock. Jasper's wife, Alice was Edward's head secretary and visited the house frequently with her husband for social gatherings. Bella spoke to Alice on a few occasions and liked that she always had a smile on her face and a cheerful demeanor.
The few times, I interacted with Edward he never really said much to me... He only saw me as a child. Probably not worth his time... except, there was this one time...
Suddenly she remembered long ago, one stormy night—
"Bella, is that you?"
"Yes, Dad. I'm packing, I'm packing," she grumbled the last part to herself, tossing the contents of her drawer inside one of her suitcases.
She next tackled her closet, full of frumpy clothing, and threw the items inside the suitcase. She never bothered to dress up nice anywhere because most of the time she was out around the grounds working. She never had time to go out to nice parties and social gatherings because she was always pre-occupied with her friends and family here. And of course whenever she was asked to go out somewhere on a date, she would politely decline. She wasn't interested in anyone else and had no intentions on leading anyone else on when she was waiting for the perfect man to notice her back at home.
She made a promise to herself a while ago that she refused to give up on Emmett until that final moment when he would say "I do" to some unknown face. Then her attempts would cease. But as Bella was packing up the few beauty products she possessed, she realized that she never truly made Emmett Cullen aware of her affections toward him.
Maybe all she had to do was literally spell it out for him? Like go to his room and physically tell him that she'd been in love with him for ten years of her life. Bella looked up at herself in the bathroom mirror and stared at her reflection.
"I'm twenty years old and about to leave for my last year of college in a foreign country where I may lose him forever if I don't do something about it right now. What's the worse that can happen? He says he doesn't love me and I leave tomorrow anyway. Then I'll have ten hours to cry about it on the plane... doesn't seem so bad. Okay..."
She nodded her head to the mirror after her encouraging pep talk and rushed out of the bathroom and down the stairs pass Charlie, who called out to her asking where she was off to. Bella shouted out that she forgot to say goodbye to someone, then plowed out into the driveway.
She passed by her tree and looked up to see Emmett's light turned on in his bedroom window, and a shadow passed by quickly, which meant he must be getting ready for bed by now. She rushed to the side entrance of the house, missing the kitchen this time in case she ran into more well wishers delaying her from her purpose. She slowed down once she reached the landing for the grand staircase and slowly started to climb, giving her time to practice whatever she intended to say to him once she reached the bedroom.
Edward had been in and out of meetings all evening, only being able to spare half an hour of time for another one of his parent's frivolous annual parties. It was just long enough to grab a plate of food, kiss his mother on the cheek to show his face, then go back up stairs to finish his conference call from Japan.
The buzz around wall-street these days was Hale Electronics. Everyone was quickly buying up stocks for this new company that had vastly expanded world-wide and was producing the most advanced entertainment technology in the world. This company was going places and Edward knew if he played his cards right, he'd be able to strike a deal with the CEO who played golf with Carlisle on holidays, and could possibly make the billion dollar merger of a life time between Hale Electronic and the Cullen Communication Corporation (CCC).
Edward knew it would take a lot of ass kissing and hard balling in order to make this deal happen... and Edward wasn't too keen on the idea. Edward rarely had to bend over for anyone these days. He was clever and knew how to be charming in order to get businessmen and women to succumb to his will.
He was his father's son after all, but Edward was the one who took his father's life work to the next level. He was good at what he did, and he knew it. He didn't have time for fun and games... his younger brother did plenty of that for the both of them.
But to Edward, this was the game... and he always won.
"Thank you for your time Mr. Hong. I'll have to have my lawyers look over the contract and you will hear back from us by the end of the week," he thanked him again in Japanese and ended the call right when his mother burst into the office.
"Edward, what are you still doing up here? Everyone has been asking when you'd show yourself. Please don't tell me you've been working all this time."
"Well someone has to bring the bread home, mother. You look radiant tonight by the way," he stood up and leaned over his desk to give his mother a peck on the cheek causing her heart to soften, which was exactly what he intended happen.
"Don't try to play to my ego, Edward. You know that never works," she recovered instantly and crosses her arms over her body, like only a mother could.
"I beg to differ. It always works quite well," Edward sat back down at his fifteen thousand dollar desk and leaned back arrogantly in his chair giving his mother a half grin.
"Why not go and drag your other son down to meet and greet your hundreds of friends. You know he would do a much better job at charming the socks off of everyone and have them begging for more," his tone sounded dismissive and partially bitter knowing how flippant and irresponsible his little brother could be. But he did have people skills marked in spades... he'd always envy for him that.
"Emmett has been down there all evening socializing, and has wondered off somewhere. I haven't seen him for an hour," Esme said while taking a tissue from Edward's desk and quickly started wiping away a finger print from the expensive furniture.
"Surprise surprise," Edward sighed dully, knowing exactly where and what his brother was probably up to, and had no intention to seek him out in case of catching him in some compromising position again with another one night stand.
"Well if you have no desire to return to the party, I must insist that you stop working for the night. You're just like your father was. Never knowing when to quit. He only just started enjoying himself after he retired, I don't want that to be you sweetheart. There's no harm in slowing down a little. Besides, if you never go outside and meet people, how do you ever expect to meet someone and—"
"Mom, I have no desire to meet the love of my life at one of our annual parties. Trust me, I go out plenty, and when the right one comes along, I'll stamp her and mail her straight away for your approval and take a long honeymoon vacation. Fair enough?"
Edward was tired of the same arguments repeatedly from his parents. Wanting him to meet someone, making grand-babies... slowing down. Edward had plenty of time for all that later... before he was dead. For now, he was happy with just the way things were... drama free.
The last serious relationship Edward was in was probably the longest most drawn out piece of torture he experienced in his entire life. Tanya Denali was a life long friend of the family and she had two sisters. Tanya and Edward attened Yale together and both of them were at the top in their class. The only difference was that Tanya was two years older than Edward, who was the youngest to graduate from Yale in two decades at 19 years old. He hadn't slowed down since high school.
Tanya was a business woman through and through, just like her father, and was next in line to take over his seat for Denali Incorporated based in Chicago. But she had other aspirations too.
The first year was alright enough when they were finishing Yale, because they motivated each other and were known as the dream couple. Bound to be most successful out of their class. Then Edward realized that was all they had in common... business and determination.
Right after graduation, Tanya wanted to settle down and get married so they could start a family right away before they both devoted their lives to inheriting their father's businesses. She also demanded that Edward should relocate his company to Chicago so their two companies could merge into one. But Edward refused.
He was nineteen and not ready to start a family, but he didn't want to break up either because Tanya was one of the key reasons he was so driven and graduating early. He asked her to wait, because knew she was a good asset and would keep him in check.
It was only after, the third year of dating Tanya, that things turned to hell. Edward realized that it wasn't love that he and Tanya shared... it was a business partnership... and Tanya made his his life miserable with words and fits of rage.
Near the end, Tanya told him she was too good for him to just toss aside and that he didn't even know what love was, to which Edward replied, "You're probably right, but I'll let you know when I do find out, because it will probably slap me right in the face!"
With that Tanya slapped him, and Edward felt nothing. He wasn't hurt... he was indifferent, and the sting from the slap faded within a few seconds, so he simply brushed it off.
That's when he knew it was over with Tanya.
Since then Edward tried going on on a few dates every so often. Usually they where set up by his mother, or by recommendation from a friend or his brother. That was a huge mistake.
All of the girls turned out to be either slutty, boring as hell, dense, or gold diggers.
"Was there something else you wanted? I'm about ready to turn in for the night," Edward yawned for effect and stretched his arms over his head, stretching the fabric on his tuxedo shirt.
"Well, I refuse to give up hope that you'll find a nice girl someday. Hopefully, fate will just take it's course. Now, I have something here for your brother, but I'm not entirely sure where he's gone off to, and I have to go outside for the firework show before everyone leaves. Would you be so kind as to put it on his dresser or somewhere when he might see it?" She hands him a square looking envelope and Edward curiously reads the front cover.
"Who's it from?"
"Kate Denali, I think," Esme raised his eyebrows knowingly at him and Edward rolled his eyes to the back of his head and smacked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
"Got to hand it to her. She's just like her sister. Never gives up," Edward drops the envelope on the desk almost disgustedly and stands up to retrieve his jacket from behind his chair.
"I will see you in the morning, Mom. Enjoy the rest of the party," he grabbed the letter once again and walked over to kiss Esme on the cheek, this time a little longer than the first.
Edward waited for his mother to exit then closed the lights in the office to make his way toward his brother's bedroom, dragging his feet in exhaustion. He felt tired, and probably more worn out than a twenty-nine year old man should be feeling.
Then again he had been up for roughly twenty hours, so he was greatly looking forward to stripping and collapsing in his bed for the next six hours until he had to get up again to make it to the city for his next eight o'clock appointment.
Edward turned the corner and walked straight into Emmett's bedroom. At first glance, Edward could tell Emmett made a stop inside here since the maids had come to tidy up, because there were shirts and shoes strewn carelessly on the hardwood floor, and underwear and three bow ties lying across the bedspread.
Edward wasn't OCD by any means, but he did like things to be neat and tidy. There was no reason to have dirty clothes on the floor when there was a hamper not three feet away.
Edward sighed deeply and started picking up the random articles of clothing around the room, figuring he'd do his brother this small favor. He groaned disapprovingly when he saw on the other side of the four poster bed, one of Emmett's three thousand dollar suits lying crumpled on the floor. After tisking and picking up the suit very disgruntled, he strolled inside the walk-in closet to find a suitable coat hanger and shake it out.
Ugh... I can't believe I'm blood related to this guy. Three thousand dollar suit all wrinkled and—
Knock knock knock
"Come in," Edward grumbled from inside the closet. He figured it was the housekeeper who would walk in and find that her job had already been taken care of. He smiled a satisfyingly to himself, but when he heard a throat clearing, it wasn't the voice he was expecting.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you..." the voice sounded small and meek... and quivered like a shaking leaf. Edward instantly felt the need to see who it was so he could console or comfort... whoever it was.
The reaction he had to the soft feminine voice surprised him. He'd never felt the need to comfort a stranger's voice before... and yet he wasn't even sure if this was a stranger.
He had to come out and see for himself, but just as he was about to move into the door way the voice panicked in a fright and called out, "No, please! Don't come out. If you do, I may not be able to get through this and I know I won't if I see your face. Please... just please bare with me."
Edward didn't know what compelled him to obey the voice, but his feet stayed planted to the ground, waiting for whoever it was to get it over with so he could go to bed.
"You see... I'm leaving tomorrow and I won't be seeing you for a while. A long while. I don't expect you to miss me... I don't even expect you to notice I'm gone. I realize you never noticed me before."
Oh splendid! Another girl part of the Emmett Cullen fan club. This is just a waste of my time...
"But I will miss you nonetheless. Everyday while I'm away... and I wanted you to know—I—wanted you to know that someone will be thinking of you always. See, I know you... probably better than anyone, aside from your family... and Edward, of course, cause he sees everything."
What was that supposed to mean? Wait, a minute. I know this voice...
"I'm sorry I waited until now to tell you that I love you, but I didn't know how before. I'm aware that all we'll probably ever be is just friends, but if there is anything I can do for you..." Bella realized how desperate and pathetic she must sound to him, pleading with him to be a part of his life in any small measure, even if it meant doing something for him as a friend, watching from the sidelines while he finds the girl of his dreams and marries her instead.
"Anything I can do, even while I'm away in Austria... all you need to do is ask, and I'll do it..."
Just then the person she did not expect to walk through the closet doors of Emmett's walk-in closet, spoke in a casual manor as if he were reciting the weather, "If you happen to go to Salzburg while you're there, you should do The Sound of Music tour. I hear it's just like being part of the movie."
Edward had just enough time to see Bella's face go from stark white to beat red, and heard her cry out before covering her mouth, "OH MY GOD!"
She bolted out of the room and down the stairs straight home to hide herself under her covers until daybreak... trying to forget that awful embarrassing scene ever happened.
In the morning, Bella would say a silent goodbye to the Cullen manor and Emmett Cullen humming "I remember you," throughout the entire trip on the plain, and then start to her new life in Vienna... Emmett Cullen free.