A/N: Hi, there! It has been a long time! I was in the mood to write today, so I wrote this one up quick. I hope you all like it! Please review and tell me how you liked it! :)
Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all of the Twilight Characters!
A Perfect Fit
Wham! The door cracked against the frame as I slammed it shut on my way out. I was pissed. Royally pissed. So, what better way to express your anger than slamming the front door shut? I wish it was my fist slamming into that pretty nose of his, I thought to myself. As I am walking down the hallway leading towards the stairs that bring me to the exit of the apartment complex we share, I hear the door I had just slammed shut, creak open.
"Bella! Wait, please, just hear me out," Edward, my boyfriend of seven years, yelled behind me. I quickened my pace, taking the stairs two at a time. I could see the exit - I was almost there. Pounding footsteps chased after my retreating form. If I could make it to the exit, I could lose him and finally be free of his lies.
Just as I stepped onto the landing pad of the stairs, my hand stretched out to reach the shiny door nob that led to my freedom, I felt a hand on my shoulder, tugging me to a halt. My back encountered the cold cement wall next to the door. I put my hands up, ready to do what I wish I had done previously. Edward knew me though, so as he twisted me around, his hands quickly went up to guard his face. I started laughing, maybe I hit him a couple times throughout our relationship. It is his fault, though. He is such an idiot sometimes. Edward peaked from around an arm, checking to see if I was going to deck him. When he concluded that I wasn't going to hit him, yet, he put his hands down.
"Bella, babe. Please, just let me explain," he sighed. His hands gripped my hips, trying to pull me towards him. So close, c'mon, do it. My fist is itching to smash that pretty nose of yours. He must have seen from my glare that I was not happy, so his hands dropped from my hips. He took a step back from me, using his hands to grip his tousled, unruly, beautiful, bronze… your angry at him, Bella, stop it! I shifted in my spot, chills going through my body. I could feel the cool air seeping through the cracks of the door I was trying to escape through.
Sighing, I looked up at Edward. "You lied to me again, Edward! I waited up all night for you. You said you would be home at midnight after having a couple drinks with the boys." The boys, as Edward so eloquently states, are his work buddies – Emmett, Jasper, James and Mike. Edward, Emmett and Jasper have been best friends since High School. We all attended Forks High School in the small dreary town of Forks, Washington. I lived with my father, Charlie, who was the chief of police there. Edwards' father was the head surgeon at the hospital in Forks. Edward and I became really good friends because of all of my trips to the hospital to get something bandaged. Throughout high school, the four of us were thick as thieves. We would do everything together. Then, one night, when Emmett and Jasper had passed out on the carpet after playing Call of Duty and eating too many sweets, Edward kissed me and said he cared for me more than a friend. I expressed my desire to be more than friends, as well, and the rest they say is history. Except for now when I am about to knee him in the junk.
"I was with the boys, babe! We were at Lucky's bar like we usually do on Friday nights. We had a few drinks and watched the game that was playing. I'm sorry we weren't watching the time," Edward exclaimed. I could feel the heat rushing up to my cheeks. My teeth clenched together. Why does he lie straight to my face?
"Edward, I called Rose and Alice. They both said that their husbands were home and fast asleep by 11:30. You didn't waltz in until 2 am. Are you cheating on me? Is that it?" I yelled, my voice raising a couple octaves. I could feel the traitorous tears coming to bay. Logically, I knew Edward would never cheat on me.
We made an oath 2 years into our relationship when we were graduating High School together. We promised each other to never cheat on each other. We would talk to one another if we felt there was something dividing us in our relationship. We had figured after graduating High School, that we might have to deal with having a long-distance relationship, because we were both unsure where we wanted to go to college. I wanted to become an educator and Edward wanted to be a part of the technology industry – making new and upcoming devices. We were both extremely lucky that the college we both were accepted to in Seattle offered both of our career options. Edward and I rented an apartment together as we finished our studies. We both had just received our bachelor's degree a year and a half ago. Edward immediately was offered a position at a local tech shop. I continued my studies and am still taking classes for my Masters, while subbing at a local elementary school. I knew that the school district I was subbing at could have some openings next year and I was ecstatic. I was ready to have my own classroom, and at the age of 25, I would be the youngest teacher there.
"NO! You know I would never cheat on you! It hurts me that you would even say that, Bella," Edward shouted. I looked up the stairs, looking to see if someone was watching our fight. Between my voice and Edwards loud voice, I'm sure we have woken the entire complex up by now. I looked down at my watch. It's only 8:30? Gosh, it is going to be a long day. I raised my eyes up to look at Edward. He wasn't looking at me. Instead, he was looking down at the floor. His foot was tapping on the ground and his right hand was still tugging at his bronze mane. Just then I noticed what he was wearing. His chest was bare except for a tight fitting black tank top. He had on only a pair of navy pajama pants. His feet were bare. I could see little goosebumps on his arm. It is quite cold this March morning. I took a step forward and folded myself into his arms. He wrapped them around me tightly, squeezing me. His head laid against the top of my head.
"I'm sorry, Edward. I know you wouldn't cheat on me. Can you tell me where you were then, please?" I whispered against his chest. I looked up at him, still in his embrace. I could see his jaw clench and his eyes squeezed tightly together. Those two reactions to my question made me step away from him and cross my arms over my chest again. "Edward, where were you?" I repeated, this time with a little more bite in my voice. He started to shake his head and he whispered something so low that I almost didn't catch it.
"I can't tell you. It would ruin everything." Edward opened his eyes and looked at me cautiously.
"What do you mean you can't tell me?" I said, my voice rising. Edward took another step back, his back now meeting the other wall.
"Bella, please, just listen to me. I can't tell you where I was, but please just understand that I wasn't doing anything that might be running through that beautiful head of yours right now," he replied. I nodded my head, my teeth grinding against one another.
"Well, then. Since you can't tell me, then I guess we don't have to talk about this anymore," I whispered, the tears leaking down from my eyes. How could he do this? Why couldn't he just tell me where he was? I reached to the side and grasped the door handle and twisted it. It opened, and I started to walk out. Edward grabbed my other arm, though, before I could make my escape.
"Wait, Bella, please," he cried. Tears from his eyes were now dripping down his cheek and off his chin. "Please don't leave me."
"I will not come home until you can tell me where you were last night," I exclaimed. "I'll be at Alice's house until you decide." I tugged my arm free from his grasp. He let me go. I walked out the door and onto the sidewalk leading to my car without looking back.
~APF~
"Bella, I really think you are overreacting," Alice tells me. I am currently sitting on her couch, Indian style, cradling a glass of wine. I looked up at Alice, who had her hands on her hips, staring at me. She was dressed in designer jeans and a pretty blouse. Here I was, on her couch in my pajama pants with my hair pulled into a disorderly bun. I felt like a slob. I took another sip of the wine. The sting numbed my feelings as it washed down my throat.
I cleared my throat, looking back down at my glass of wine. "Alice, how would you feel if Jasper didn't tell you where he was last night? How would you feel knowing that he was still out when his buddies that he was out with were at home sleeping?"
"Well, Jasper isn't that stupid to not tell me where he is. He knows I would punch him," she replied. I heard Jasper yell from the kitchen a confirmation. Alice snickered at his statement. I was thinking of punching him. Maybe I should have. Could have brought forth some common sense into his brain. My phone buzzed in my lap. I didn't have to look down to see who it was from. He had been texting me since I left him 3 hours ago. I picked up my I-Phone and swiped to see what his latest message was.
Please, love. Come home. I'm sorry.
I scoffed at the latest text. Not once has he mentioned telling me where he was last night. Looking up, I see Alice typing furiously on her phone. She is probably texting him. I hope she wrings him a good one. Alice continues to look down at her phone. It chirps with a new incoming message. I watch as Alice's smile grows from normal to huge. She starts jumping in place, and finally she started squealing. I watch as she sprints into the kitchen – presumably to show whatever the response was on her phone to Jasper. I look down at my glass of wine and down the rest of it in one gulp.
A couple minutes later, Alice comes running back into the living room. She jumps down on the couch and takes my hands into hers. She looks at me seriously. I stare back at her, waiting.
"It's time to do Bella Barbie!" Alice squeals. I quickly take my hands away from hers and shake my head quickly.
"No, no, no, Alice! Why do I need to get dressed up? My boyfriend is refusing to tell me where he was!" I exclaim.
"Just trust me, Bella," Alice replies. She gets up off the couch, tugging me with her. She takes me to her bedroom, pushing down on my shoulders to make me sit at her makeup desk. She quickly walks around the room, turning on the curler, getting her makeup out and all organized to put on my pale face. Reluctantly, knowing I have no say in the matter, I sit like a good little Barbie and let her do whatever she desires.
After over two hours of plucking, primping, and curling, I look up at myself in the mirror before me. My mouth opens a little looking at what Alice has accomplished. My long mahogany hair falls down my back in loose curls, my face is caked in makeup, but Alice makes it look natural. My natural blush plus the blush Alice added makes my cheeks look rosy. My eyelids have on a smoky blue color, which makes my eyelashes look longer. My eyebrows are plucked and look nice. Alice adds a little lipstick to my lips, making my appearance look perfect. As I continue to look at Alice's masterpiece, she comes out of her walk-in closet with a garment bag. I stand up and walk over to her. She uncovers the dress and I gasp lightly. It is a beautiful royal blue dress. I look at Alice and she nods, knowing there are no words for the beautiful dress. She quickly ushers me into the bathroom, where I strip and put on the beautiful dress. Looking at myself in the mirror, I am speechless. I walk out and see Alice and Jasper waiting in the bedroom. Alice gasps when I come out. She runs up to me and hugs me.
"My little baby is growing up!" She squeals. I shake my head looking at Jasper who just shrugs his shoulders.
Curiously, I ask, "So, Alice, will you please enlighten me as to why I got all dulled up?" She frolics across the room, grabbing her phone and typing a message out quickly to someone.
"You have a date, my dear. I set you up with someone who has been dying to capture your attention. You will just love him," she announces, putting my other clothes in a bag for me. A small gasp comes from my mouth. A date? What? She knows that is never going to happen.
"Alice," I ask cautiously. "You know Edward and I are not through. We may just be taking a break after tonight if he doesn't fess up, and there is no way I will be going on a date with someone else if we take a break." Alice just laughs, shakes her head and smiles at me. She looks at Jasper, who nods and grabs his keys from the bedside table. I watch him leave the bedroom and then look back at Alice with a questioning look on my face.
"C'mon, we are going to drive you there," she announces, grabbing my hand and tugging me out of her bedroom and out the front door. She allows me to slide into the front seat of Jasper's Mercedes, while she slides into the back seat. Jasper doesn't say anything, except put the car in drive and slowly pull out of their driveway. I only see that he takes a right, before something covers my eyes.
"Alice, what are you doing?" I ask, baffled. I have been in a state of confusion since she said I was going on a date, and then announces that they're driving me to the location of the date and now this? I just want to go home, drink another bottle of wine and cry.
"Trust me, Bella. You will thank me after the night is over," she says in my ear. Shaking my head and ultimately giving up, I sit patiently in the car. The drive to the mystery location only takes about 15 minutes, which confuses me, because I know there are not many "fancy" places to eat at near Alice's house. I feel the car come to a stop and Jasper turns off the engine. "Wait for second, Bella, until Jasper can assist you out of the car."
"Really, guys, is this necessary? I just want to go home," I exclaim. I hear the passenger side car door open. I feel Jasper grab my hands. I shimmy out of the car seat, and Alice helps me pull my dress down. Jasper and Alice each grab one hand and lead me down a walkway outside. I try to use my senses to figure out where I am. I hear cars passing by, horns honking and people yelling, which really confuses me as to where I am going. Jasper commands me to take a step up, so I do. We enter some building. I am ushered forward. I continue to walk clumsily in my black heels, holding on tightly to Alice and Jasper's hands.
"We have to go up a level, Bella, so we are going to take the elevator. I don't think you should try to go up a flight of stairs," Alice tells me as we turn left and walk straight into what I am presuming to be the elevator. I hear Alice press a button and the following ding as the elevator doors slide shut. The elevator makes a soft humming noise as it goes up a level. When it arrives to the level we are going to, it dings again as the door slides open. Jasper and Alice lead me straight out of the elevator, taking a sharp right when we get off the elevator. We walk a few more steps forward, before Alice and Jasper stop. They turn my body so I am facing sideways. I hear Alice knock softly on a door and the door immediately open. Alice gives me a hug, and then unties my blindfold. I blink a couple times to adjust to the light. First, I look to the sides to see where Alice and Jasper are, but I find the hallway on either side of me empty. Then I look straight and see him.
"Edward," I gasp. He is standing in the doorway, dressed in black slacks, a white button up t-shirt and a skinny black tie. He has the green dishtowel that I hung on the rung of the stove yesterday over his shoulder and a wooden spoon in his hand. I also notice that his eyes are red, and puffy. His hair is a mess as usual, showing me that he has ran his hands through his hair many times during the time we have been apart.
"Bella, you look beautiful, my love. Please, come in," he says, standing sideways. I walk into our apartment, momentarily overwhelmed by the smell coming from the kitchen. Edward shuts our door behind me and places a hand on the small of my back. "Follow me, love," he says gently, ushering me towards our dining room. I gasp when we rounded the corner to our dining room. The table is set so nicely with a white linen cloth on it. A single rose is in a vase with water in the center of the table. Edward quickly walks into the kitchen and then reappears with two wine glasses and my favorite bottle of white wine. He pours two glasses and then leaves the bottle next to the rose. He comes back over to where I am still standing.
"Bella, please. May I feed you dinner and explain?" He asks quietly, looking at me hesitantly. I nod slightly, taking his hand as he helps me into my chair. He quickly goes back to the kitchen and grabs two plates that are full of the delicious smell that consumed me when I walked into our apartment. "I made mushroom ravioli. Your favorite. Just like our first date back in Forks," he says quietly. He sets my plate down in front of me and then sets his down and takes a seat. I continue to look down at the food, overwhelmed and still slightly confused.
"You and Alice set this up?" I asked. He nodded his head, looking at me. He smiled slightly, chuckling.
"I tried to make your favorite meal. I am not sure how it came out. I wanted to do something to show you how sorry I am and that I want to explain everything to you," he whispered. He reaches across the table and opens his hand. "Please, Bella. Have dinner with me and let me explain." I swallow nervously, not sure why I am nervous, but nod. I reach over and take his hand. He rubs his thumb across my knuckles. He leans over and kisses my knuckles, as well.
"Well, Bon Appetit," he chuckles. I smile, sliding my hand out of his. I grab my fork and dig into my favorite meal. I moan quietly at the first taste, closing my eyes at the fabulous taste. When I reopen my eyes, my eyes latch on to Edwards amused eyes. His smile makes me feel a little better. "Is it good?" he smiles. I nod my head, going in for another bite. Edward hums in agreement as he takes his first bite.
Dinner is quiet, except for the few offhand conversations we have. We talk about nothing important, like why he was late last night, which I am still waiting for an explanation of. After eating my helping and drinking two glasses of wine, my belly is fully satisfied. I sit back and wait. Edward downs the rest of his second glass and looks at me. He smiles carefully. I smile back, still waiting. He gets up and grabs our plates, heading for the kitchen.
I continue to sit.
And wait.
And wait.
I listen as he bangs things around as he cleans up the mess I am sure he made in the kitchen. After the night is over, I will have to ask Edward how in the world he made this meal, because he is not very talented in the kitchen. After a while of waiting at the table, I consider pouring myself another glass, but deny myself. I excuse myself to the bathroom to clean up.
I shut the door of the bathroom and grip tightly to the edge of the sink. I can feel the tears welling up again. How long is it going to take him to confess what he did? The longer he keeps me waiting, the more I think of every possible bad thing he could have done. Maybe he did visit a woman at her house. He did come home and go right to the shower. He didn't even kiss me when he came into the house last night. Did he lie to me again?
Trying to regain my composure, I quickly brush my teeth, splash a little water on my flaming hot cheeks, and spritz a little more perfume on. As I walk out of the bathroom, I notice the clock on the wall when you exit the bathroom reads almost eleven o'clock. Has it really been that long? I conclude that if he doesn't explain soon, I will sleep on the couch and first thing in the morning, I will be packing a bag to stay at Alice's.
As I walk out to the living room, not hearing Edward banging around in the kitchen anymore, I stop dead in my tracks when I reach the entrance to the living room. I am momentarily stunned by the dimmed lights and the soft music of Ed Sheeran's song Perfect playing in the background, that I didn't even spot the handsome man on one knee in the middle of the floor. I gasp loudly, my hands shooting up to my mouth. My knees are shaking as I take a cautious step towards him. Edward shifts nervously on the floor, reaching behind him to grab a black velvet box. He opens it slowly, presenting a beautiful diamond ring to me. He clears his throat a couple times, before looking up at me.
"Bella, I love you. So much. I continue to tell you this every day. You are my girl. You have been with me through thick and thin. We have fought, but we have always bounced back. I don't know what I would do without you. And today, I had a scare of what that might have been like. When you walked away from – pulled your hand from mine this morning, I felt lost and dead inside. I never expected to have you leave me. It hurt. I was lost, confused, but mostly sad. You are my sun and savior. I wouldn't be where I am now without you. I need you, Bella. I can't lose you. Yesterday, I didn't go out with the guys. I went to get this ring for you. After work, I spent hours going from store to store looking for the perfect ring for you. Eventually, I found it. It was perfect, and it had you written all over it. I bought it, got it all placed in this nice box, and sat in my car to call my mom and dad and Charlie. I spent a while talking to all of them, telling them my plan of doing dinner out with you and proposing then. My mom asked this simple question that I didn't even think about when I bought the ring. She asked me what size ring I bought. I looked down at the ring and saw it was a size eight. I wanted to start crying then, love. I knew you were a size 6. I don't know why I didn't think of that when I bought it. I immediately hung up and went to go back to the jewelry store when I noticed the time. It was almost midnight. You should have heard me, love. I was cussing up a storm outside," he stopped to laugh. I was still standing, but I had walked a couple steps toward him.
"Bella, I was so nervous. I had this big plan all laid out and of course it was messed up because of something so simple. I couldn't call you to tell you I would be late because that would ruin the surprise! So, luckily, the man that helped me out at the jewelry place was a buddy from work. I called him up and he agreed to come down to the store to help me out. There I was, pacing on the sidewalk in front of the store, waiting for him. Of course, when I saw him walking up the sidewalk, I got all jittery and fell into a mud puddle next to the store. But, anyways, we exchanged the ring and I got the right size for you. That was where I was last night, Bella. I wasn't off with some other girl. I wasn't drinking myself into a stupor. I wanted to surprise you, but I guess that backfired on me," he said forlornly.
"Oh, Edward," I cried, tears coming down my cheeks. I had been so nasty to him over something so stupid. Alice was right, I did overreact.
"But, Bella, please know that I am sorry for not telling you. I love you, so much. So, Bella, would you do the honor of being with me forever and becoming my wife?" Edward whispered. My shaky knees got the best of me and I dropped down in front of him. Nodding and threading a hand through his hair, leaning in and kissing him forcefully, I muttered, "yes," against his lips. Edwards whole body sagged in relief as he fell to the floor. I followed him and laid on his chest. We continued to softly kiss one another for a couple minutes.
After we broke apart, Edward lifted my chin with his finger, and looked at me. "Will you really marry me, love?"
"Yes, yes, yes," I said each time with a kiss to his forehead, nose and then lips. He laughed joyfully, wrapping his arms around me in a bear hug.
"Thank you," he sighed against the top of my head. "Sorry, for keeping you waiting, love. I won't ever screw up like that again."
"You better not," I whispered, as he slid my engagement ring on my finger. It was a perfect fit.
A/N: Another wrap on another story! I hope you all liked this one. It was nice to sit down and write again. I hope to be back on here again with something else! Thanks! Please review! :)