By the end of the week I had recovered enough to be discharged from the hospital. Renée and Charlie wanted me to prolong my stay but Mike was having none of it. He insisted that I come home, claiming to be fully capable of nursing me back to health. I had looked at him sceptically when he said this but reassured myself that my injuries weren't too bad. I had broken my right arm and my left leg was battered and bruised but I was mostly okay other than that. I had hit my head hard apparently and the doctors had had no way of predicting the severity of my condition until I awoke. Thankfully however, excluding the memory loss no other damage had been done.
The car ride home with Mike was awkward to say the least. We made the trip home late in the evening and at first he tried to make small talk. He attempted to remind me of different things we had done over the past two years, such as trips and nights out, but finally gave up when I sat there unresponsive struggling to find words to say. I felt like I was having an out of body experience. Mike was able to relay piece after piece of personal information about me, from my favourite meal to the different ways I liked to be touched, but there I sat hardly knowing a thing about him. A sense of unease washed over me as I realised that to me, he didn't seem like a loving fiancée but an obsessed stalker. He finally admitted defeat to my silence and I tried to distract myself from these disturbing thoughts, watching the city lights fly past the car window.
When we finally reached the house I was somewhat taken aback. It was my apartment. When I had first discovered I now lived with Mike had I automatically assumed I had moved in with him. It seemed this was not the case. This sparked the question as to where Alice was living now. I couldn't begin to imagine what my mornings would be like. I was now without my personal raven haired, pixie alarm clock. Mike must have caught sight of my puzzled expression, as he offered me an explanation. "What happened to Alice? About a year ago she decided to move in with Jasper. You searched for a new room mate for a few weeks but you couldn't really find anyone. The rent started to become a bit much to handle so I moved in." A broad grin broke out across his face. Obviously he had been very happy about this development. I wondered if I had been.
Upon passing over the threshold of my apartment I sighed in relief. I had feared that with Mike now living there I was about to face many changes that had been made to my humble abode. Thankfully this was not the case. The walls of the living area were still a soft cream, lined with bookshelves and a small space for a T.V. Even my old chocolate leather couch was resting where it was, though it undoubtedly looked a bit more worn. I stumbled across to the kitchen with the use of my crutch and found that all was still in order. The white fridge still hummed continuously in the corner and a pile of dirty dishes still inhibited the kitchen sink. I smiled. The only noticeable difference I could find was in the photographs that lay about the joint room. While most still held the family photos I remember, two new photos stood on the mahogany coffee table in front of my couch. One I expected. It was of Mike and me sitting side by side at a formal dinner table, his arm resting across my shoulders. His face was bright and cheerful; with a smile so wide it must have hurt. I too was smiling but looking closely I saw it seemed forced and didn't quite reach my eyes. The second photograph took me by surprise. What it showed left me reeling. Edward and I sat on a chequered picnic blanket in what looked to be my parent's backyard. His eyes smoldered and his infamous crooked grin graced his face as he looked towards the camera. I on the other hand sat facing towards him, beaming for some unknown reason. There was little space between us and our hands almost touched. But this was not the only surprise awaiting me in the frame. Tucked into it's corner was a strip of four small photographs, obviously captured by a photo booth. Each one was of Edward and me; pulling funny faces, ridiculous poses or even just flat out laughing uncontrollably at the other person. A flurry of questions bombarded my mind. What is the meaning of this? Is that really Edward? Edward, my brother's best friend? Edward, the Greek god? Edward, the man who I'd had a huge crush on for as long as I could remember? This made no sense. Since when had he and I become so chummy? I knew that Edward was a nice guy, from the occasional conversations that I had shared with him over the years and because Emmett had always been a good judge of character, but this friendship that we evidently shared was too foreign a concept for me to begin to comprehend. I knew his friendship must have meant a lot to me. The significance of his photos being framed and displayed in my home was evidence enough.
I glanced up to see Mike glaring haughtily at the photos at which I had been gazing. It seemed Mike didn't approve of my apparent close bond with Edward. That or he was jealous there were less pictures of himself with me. I decided against asking Mike how long I had been friends with Edward, I had a feeling it was a touchy subject. I ignored the ever prevailing questions that still bounced around my head and ambled awkwardly into my bedroom. My injured leg was proving to be quite the inconvenience. Again I was overwhelmed with relief. All was as I had left it. I collapsed onto my bed, at ease to finally be alone. Since the accident, I had never been allowed out of sight. It seemed to have slipped the minds of my friends and family that I was a creature of solitude and needed to be alone from time to time. I deeply inhaled the scent of my pillow, and relished in its comforting smell. But something was not quite right, another odour had mingled with the sweet aroma I was used to, and my mind snapped back to reality. I lived with Mike now. This was no longer just my apartment or more importantly my bed. I shared it with …Mike. I let out a soft groan which was muffled by my pillow. This new life I had carved out for myself over the past two years was definitely going to take some time to get used to.
A/N: Hey guys! Thank you so much for reading and especially thanks to those who have reviewed! Sorry I took so long to upload the second chapter. I've been trying to figure out the time frame for different events in the story. Please R&R!! :D
Amy :D xx
PS: I fixed some of the typos and spelling mistakes that were in chapter one.