A/N
Thanks to my super amazing beta BlackJacklily who rocks my world with her ability to turn my craptastic writing into something worth reading.
I've also been nominated for an Emerging Swan Award- a few of my one-shots were nominated. If you've read them & liked them, please go and vote on Monday. Also, nominations for full length fics are open until Monday, so if you have some favorite stories you'd like to nominate, you have until 8/22 to submit them. The link is in my profile.
Away we go…
Dreams He Sold Her – Part 2
"Isabella, is that you?" Edward whispered, pushing aside a piece of hair that had fallen over my eyes. I could still feel glass and silverware lying on and around me, but there was a flurry of activity from the staff trying to clean it up.
"Edward?" I wanted to say more, but with all the bustle of people, my shyness overcame my intense curiosity. My line of questioning would have to wait.
Carefully helping me up, he pulled me into his arms, brushing any remaining shards of glass from my hair and murmuring how happy he was to see me. It felt so good to be encased in his arms once again after so, so long.
As wonderful as it felt to be held by him, I needed some answers and boldly decided that I couldn't wait any longer for an explanation. "What are you doing in town? Your last postcard said sometime in mid-April? And your e-mail didn't mention it. Did you get an assignment suddenly?" I asked, pulling away to look into his eyes, desperate for the truth behind his amazing reappearance. My mind was whirring with all the possibilities, completely ignoring the nagging sensation that all wasn't what it seemed.
"Edward?" A tinkling voice called from behind him.
I barely heard him curse before he spun us both around to face the petite brunette now standing and looking questioningly at us. She was elegantly dressed, and even though I wasn't in to fashion, I could tell she was decked out in some very expensive and beautiful clothes.
"Alice, this is Bella. Bella, this is my sister, Alice." As happy as I was to find out this was his sister and not some other girl he was seeing behind my back, I still couldn't shake the uneasy feeling of dread.
"Bella, I'd like to say my brother has told me all about you, but he hasn't." Her tone was teasing as she extended her hand and smiled warmly.
"I guess I would say the same," I replied timidly, still completely confused at what was happening.
"Um…Bella's the reason I've been thinking about moving back here," Edward explained to his sister. He reached down and grasped my hand, as if he knew I was tempted to flee the scene.
My ears perked up at the mention of him moving to New York, but I wasn't sure why he was discussing this with his sister instead of me? My heart beat faster with the knowledge that he was considering moving here for me. Glancing up at him, I stared in awe at his chiseled features, watching as he spoke briefly with his sister and the blonde haired man, who I found out, was his brother in law.
He turned to face me, leaned down and placed his mouth close to my ear, "Bella, can you come back to my apartment? I have some things I need to talk to you about, but this isn't' really the best location for that," he whispered.
His sister was watching us intently, but instead of interrupting our moment, she allowed me to answer before she asked when Edward was planning on coming back to the hospital.
"I'll be there in a couple hours. She'll be in recovery for a little while anyways," he replied cryptically, tugging me towards the exit before I could even exchange a polite goodbye with the tiny woman.
My mind whirred trying to figure out who was in the hospital and why he was here having brunch instead of being with them? Once our feet hit the sidewalk, my mind regained the momentum it had built up earlier, wanting to know the answers to all of the questions that were buzzing through my mind.
Before I had a chance, almost like a mind reader, Edward began speaking. "Bella, before you start, I promise to answer everything once we get to my apartment. Although, I did leave you two messages on your phone. Did you not get them?" He was walking so fast that my feet could barely keep up. I registered his question and patted down my pockets, realizing that I didn't have it with me.
"I must have forgotten it at home. Guess I was so set on experiencing New York that I left without it. What did the message say?" His face was creased with worry, and I had a distinct feeling that it wasn't about me.
He stopped walking for a moment, stepping back against a building and hugging me tightly to him. "I'm in town because my mom had to have an emergency hysterectomy. Alice called me and I caught the first flight. I left you a message about an hour and a half ago when I first landed and another a little bit ago." Kissing my forehead, he whispered how happy he was to see me before he tugged on my hand to get us walking back towards the Upper East Side.
"Is she okay? You told Alice she'd be in recovery for a while. Is she out of surgery?"
"She was being taken back just before I headed out to meet Alice and Jasper for a bite to eat to wait it out. The doctors said it would be an hour or two and that the food in the cafeteria should be avoided at all costs." Stopping abruptly in front of a grand old building, he tugged the door open before the doorman could even get around the desk.
"This is the apartment I stay in when I'm in town. It's actually Alice's, but she lets me stay here since she got married to Jasper. It wasn't a great time to sell, so she lets me rent it from her," he explained as the elevator rose, finally stopping at the twenty-second floor.
"Edward, why didn't you tell me you had a place when we were together in January?" My mind raced. Just knowing he lived in such a beautifully kept building made my hovel of a studio look like a cardboard box in comparison. Why had he chosen to stay with me when we could have come here? I thought, just as he unlocked his door and allowed me to enter before him.
"Bella, please. I promise to tell you everything. Please, just sit down." Before I had a chance to take another step, I was in awe at the view that laid before me. A wall of narrow windows overlooked the Park, the lush greenery casting a natural glow that was hard to achieve in the City. Glancing around, I took in the open space that must have been renovated. A building this old would have had tiny hallways between all the rooms, instead I stood facing a large living room with a dark brown leather sofa and two matching club chairs, all aimed at what had to have been a sixty inch television. The kitchen was pristine and pushed off to the side with stainless steel appliances and dark marbled granite that had a similar brown as the sofa and tan to match the walls.
"You live here? Why did you stay at my place eating ramen and hot pockets when we could've been here, Edward?" My voice was reaching a pitch I'm sure only dogs could hear, but the dam had broken. None of this made sense with everything he'd told me in the two weeks we were together.
"Bella, please, sit." His tone was bordering on a command but laced with frustration. What I couldn't tell was if the frustration was at himself or me?
Shuffling my way over to one of the club chairs, I curled into a ball, as if protecting myself from whatever was about to attack.
"I'd offer you a drink, but I didn't stop at the store before coming home. I may have some wine around if you'd like some?" he called out, his head buried inside one of his cabinets. "Ah ha! I have some scotch and a little gin. Nothing to mix and I'm sure the ice is at least three months old..."
Cutting him off, I replied, "Scotch would be great. Just a little. No ice." Normally I didn't drink the stuff, but I sensed I would need it not only for the conversation we would be having, but to keep my hands busy. I was known for fiddling with things, but I didn't want Edward to see my nervous ticks after being separated for so long. I just wanted the truth about whatever it was he needed to tell me and hopefully we could move into what I was sure would be a fluffy, overstuffed bed. I'd craved his touch for far too long, and with him in the same room as me for the first time since January, I only wanted to tear his shirt off and feel his warm, smooth skin against my own.
Handing me my drink, he sat across from me, turning his body in the chair to face me.
"First, let me say that I'm so fucking happy to see you." His words were spoken as if he was exhaling after having carried a heavy load up the stairs. It was breathy and teetering on the edge of being emotional.
"I missed you too. But you already knew that." I smiled nervously at him, waiting for him to continue speaking.
He smirked for just a moment at my comment before it quickly disappeared behind a mask of furrowed brows and a deep seated frown. "Bella, do you remember that night I met you?"
Nodding, I still felt like I was in the dark, baffled as to where he was going with his explanation.
I heard Edward sigh heavily before explaining what would ultimately ruin everything, "When I met you I was just looking for a hook up; a woman to fulfill a need. Someone to kill a little time with before I had to go back to London…back to my life."
Taking a large gulp from the scotch in my now shaking hand, I bit my lip to keep it from trembling; knowing that tears were threatening to escape. I wanted to shout, yell, anything, but that wasn't me. I stayed silent, waiting for him to continue in the awkward silence while my mind created up inventive ways to castrate him.
"Bella, you have to understand. Before I met you? I wasn't the person I am now. I wasn't nice. Do you want to know the reason why I chose to sit down beside you that night?" His voice was shaky, almost as much as his hands were while his eyes were trained on the rug beneath his expensive shoes.
I didn't reply, allowing the quiet to swallow us both whole. He turned his eyes up and I stared at the tears trailing down his cheeks as he explained that he thought I was a tourist. Based on what I was wearing, the way I carried myself, even the way I spoke made him think I would be easy pickings. Someone who he could love and leave without any really complications. It wasn't until after the cab dropped us off at my little studio in Brooklyn that he'd realized his mistake, a mistake that he was ultimately happy to have made.
He was now kneeling in front of me, eyes apologetically wide as he continued to confess how sorry he was, that I was the best thing to ever happen to him. My mind couldn't grasp that he was choosing to now tell me the truth over all the lies he'd told repeatedly over the course of the last three months. He wasn't in corporate espionage, but rather a vice president of global manufacturing and distribution for his sister's clothing line. He lived in London when he wasn't travelling to far off places. He'd wanted to confess everything after we woke up that first morning together, but didn't want to lose the look of awe, appreciation, and respect that I had written all over my face.
Pushing him away, I shook my head, trying to clear it. The information was becoming too much. Too many secrets. Too many falsehoods. How could I ever trust another word that came out of his mouth? Dropping the glass to the ground, I jumped up from my seat and ran out the door. He caught me at the elevator and wrapped his arms around me, trying to stop my forward progress. I shook with anger, embarrassment, and most of all heartbreak over the one man I'd allowed myself to fall for, even when my common sense told me it was all too good to be true.
The elevator doors opened and I freed myself from his grasp, turning and looking at his beautiful, grief stricken face one last time as I slowly backed into the waiting car. Just before the doors closed, I whispered my final goodbye. Finally alone, I clutched my chest, the pain radiating like a heart attack. My breaths came out in pants as I tried to calm myself enough to avoid hyperventilating. Once the elevator door opened, I flew out of the building, crashing into some poor shopper and sent her bags flying into the air. Shouting an apology over my shoulder, I ran until I finally came to a subway station and descended below the ground. Seeing a bench open, I sat heavily and cried. I cried for my stupidity, my naivety, and ultimately the love that even after all the lies, I couldn't just turn off. I cried as much as my heartache would allow until I finally realized what a huge scene I was making.
Three or four trains later, I finally stood on shaky legs and entered the car that would take me home…take me back to my sense of solace. Even if it was grey and somber, at least it was true and real; not some sham of a pretend relationship that I'd been foolish enough to believe in.
A/N
So… what'd you think?
Have no fear my lovelies – Part 3 is with my beta & I think you'll be happy with the end result. Have a little faith.
Would love to hear your thoughts though, so please hit that review button and I might be willing to relinquish a little teaser as a thank you to those that do.