I woke the next morning sore over every inch of my body. I winced in pain as I propped myself up on my arms. I ran my hand through my bed head hair and looked around the room. It looked just like it did last night. Nothing seemed to change.
I looked over at my night stand that was next to my bed. There was a glass of water with two tinny orange pills and a letter that went along with it.
The letter was written in the most beautiful hand writing I had ever seen. It read;
Dear Bella,
I left the Motrin out for you so that you wouldn't be so sore, I will be back tomorrow whether you like it or not, I just want to make sure that your doing okay, no matter how many times you tell me to leave, I won't. I don't think I can stay away from you. Your Friend, Edward Cullen
He was coming back over today, when was that going to be. It could be in a couple of minutes and hour, maybe six hours. I didn't feel like rushing to get my clothes on, I just wanted to sit in bed. I thought that I should take my Motrin, or Edward would get on my case.
I popped the pills into my mouth and took a few swigs of water.
Charlie might pop in and wonder if I was doing okay, or he might just come up to tell me that he was leaving for work. I didn't really want him to come up because then he would be worried about all the cuts on my body. I hated when anyone worried about me. I was fine.
Then another thought struck me and I felt fear course through my body. What about Jacob, I was sure that he was going to come and fetch me from the safety of my own home and take me back to Billy's so that he could beat me some more.
I crawled out of bed slowly making sure that I didn't hurt myself even more.
"Here let me help you," It was him, he was here again, like he said he was going to be. I sighed.
"No, I can do it myself," I said to him pulling away from him. I could do things on my own.
As I was trying to pull away, I practically pulled myself down to the floor.
Edward caught me before I hit the floor. "If you would just let me help you, I think things would go quicker and much easier," He said with a slightly more stern tone to his voice.
"Don't worry, I can get my own clothes on, I don't need you to do that for me," I said looking at him, "do you mind, could you maybe turn around," I said to him with anger on my face.
"Sorry, if you need me, I'll be right here," He said actually listening to me and turning around like I asked nicely.
I peeled my clothes off my body and put some new fresh clean ones on. It took a couple of minutes, but I did it.
"Are you ready to go downstairs and get something into your stomach?" He asked with a smile. I soon became fearful because Charlie was still down there and he probably thought that Edward and I had done something.
"Wait what about Charlie?" I asked him quickly with panic appearing on my face.
"Don't worry, I have everything covered," He said calmly as we both walked down the steps. We made it to the kitchen were Charlie was leaning against the counter with a black and white newspaper in his hands.
"Good morning kids," Charlie said pulling the paper away from his face and setting it down on the table. He reached for his coffee cup that said "World's greatest Dad," I got that for him when I was about 10 years old, I got for him for his birthday. The cup was full of steaming black coffee.
"Hey thank you Edward for watching her last night, I'm glad you could come today," Charlie said taking a quiet sip of the bitter coffee.
"It's not a problem, chief Swan," Edward said with a generous smile. "I'm glad there are still some decent people in this town that I can trust," Charlie said with a pretty straight face. I looked at my father befuddled. "Bella, this is for your own good, I don't know what's going on with you and why you are always coming home with new cuts and bruises, but now I hoping that it will stop because Edward here is going to be staying with you for a while to make sure that your not hurting yourself on purpose," I looked at him like he was crazy.
"You think that I am hurting myself on purpose, why would you think such a thing?" I asked him not believing what I was hearing coming out of my own father's mouth.
" I don't know what is going on Bella, that's why I'm hoping that Edward here can make it stop, it's not good for you, you will lose to much blood. I talked to Carlisle Cullen and he tells me that Edward is going to take perfect care of you," my father said with a blank expression on his face. He never really smiled except when he was with his friends.
"Well, I gotta get to work Bells, don't, well you know," Charlie said feeling a little awkward. I knew what he was going to say and I was glad that he didn't
He exited the house and left me alone with Edward who had a smug grin on his face.
"Why don't you just leave now before I hurt you because I hurt myself, why wouldn't I hurt you," I wanted to break down into tears right now. I was going to hold them back as long as I possibly could.
"Bella, he's only doing this to keep you safe, and he just happened to run into me and thought that I was a pretty good guy, I'm going to find out who or what is hurting you Bella," The room grew quiet as Edward's eye's bored into mine.
My heart accelerated rapidly in my chest.
"Why can't everyone just leave me alone," I complained as I took a seat at the kitchen table looking at the tiny words in the newspaper.
I didn't realize it until I looked up, that Edward was looming over me. "Because those people care for you and want you to be happy," Did that mean that he actually cared for me then? I asked myself in my head.
"Do you care about me then Edward?" I just had to ask because I was curious.
"Yes, I believe I do, I saved you, so I feel that I should make sure that you don't get hurt while your in my presence," He explained. His hand was placed on the table and his other hand was gripping a chair keeping himself up.
"I'm not worth it," I mumbled under my breath.
He moved quickly and took hold of my chin. "Don't ever say that, do you here me," He said forcefully. I had a look of fear on my face, I could tell. His quick movements startled me. He quickly pulled his hand away. I just shook my head and got out of the chair. I had enough of him for one day. I couldn't take all this.. affection that he was giving me. I didn't deserve it.
I was about to walk out of the kitchen, when the phone rang. My heart pounded with dread. I always hated it when the phone rang. I didn't have collar idea, so I had no idea who was calling. I figured that it was Charlie calling me because he forgot to tell me something, but it could be someone different.
Edward and I held our ground as it continued to ring.
"Aren't you going to get it?" Edward asked me. It was the third ring.
"I'll let the machine get it," I said with my voice sounding dead in a way. That gave something away to Edward that there was something bothering me.
He walked over to the phone and picked it up. I made a quick move and went over to him and hung the phone up before he got a chance to bring it to his ear.
"What was that for?" he asked me sounding very serious. I thought of a quick excuse.
"I don't want you answering the phone," I said quickly. Dang, he would never believe that.
"Then why did you hang up when you could have answered it yourself?" He asked me.
"Because I don't feel like talking right now, it was probably my friend Jessica, you know her from school and when she gets talking you can't get her off the phone, she told me that she was going to call me today to see how I was doing," That was a little bit of a better excuse.
The look that he was giving me right now told me that he didn't believe me one bit.
"I'm going to find out what is going on with you one way or another whether you like it or not," He said leaving the kitchen. I sighed thankful that he didn't figure out what was going on.
I leaned against the kitchen table.
Then, Edward was at the phone dialing the number. There was a wide smile on his face. I lunged myself at him and the phone. I was now on his back reaching for the phone. I was hurting right now because of all my sores, wait. That would be at my advantage.
"Ow, ouch," I said loud enough for him to hear.
He turned around with the phone still in his hands. He fell for my trick and I grabbed the phone from him. I smiled about to hang up when Edward grabbed me gently knowing that I still had the cuts all over my body, and pinned me to the wall. There was a hello on the line, but neither Edward nor I bothered to say hello back.
We were lost in each other's eyes, unable to loose contact. I kept my gaze in his liquid topaz eyes. He did the same to dark brown ones.
"Bella, is that you? Are you there," It was Jacob, but I was to busy looking at Edward to care about what Jacob was saying, Edward was the same way. He didn't seem to care at all either.
"Your hands are so cold,"I I whispered softly as he let go of my wrists slowly, he did not completely pull his hand away. I placed my palm on his and felt his cool smooth skin against mine, it was calming in a way. At first it sent a chill through your body, but once you got accustomed to it, it was very soothing and relaxing.
My hand drifted away from his and moved up his broad shoulder up to the side of his face.
"Your face is so cold," My voice was in an even quieter tone than before. He just kept looking into my eyes with his liquid gold ones.
"And you are so warm" He finally spoke in the same whisper as I. I felt my face start to incline towards his. This moment was so intense, I never wanted to let it go.
The whole world seemed to stop for what was about to happen. He placed his one hand on the side of my face and the other one on my neck. I tilted my head to the side so our lips could join together as one easily.
We were so close, it became hard to breathe. Then my heart seemed to ache, something was telling me that I shouldn't do this. Telling me that it was wrong. I felt it.
"No, this is what I want, you can't pull me away from something I love," I said to myself in my head. I was at the brink of tears.
"Edward, I can't do this, I'm sorry," I said pulling away from him with my heart aching with every beat that thudded through my body. Tears just flowed naturally to me by now. It was something that I was used to and most times then not it didn't bother me, unless someone else was in the room with me.
I ran for my room and landed on my bed crying my heart out, that's what it felt like at least.
I then felt his presence.
I looked up reluctantly because I knew he wouldn't go away if I didn't look up sooner or later.
He had the sweetest most innocent face that I had ever seen, there was also hurt that came upon the sweetness of his face. "Bella, please come here, come to me," He cooed softly, his velvety voice seemed to fill the air making me feel a tiny bit better.
I couldn't resist the sound of his voice and the way he looked at me with those innocent eyes.
I got up and walked towards him. He embraced me in his cold, but comforting arms. I bawled into his chest like a little girl of six in her mother's arms.
"I'm so sorry Edward, I didn't mean to leave you standing there like that, It's just so hard," I mumbled in his chest, but he seemed to catch every single word that I said.
"It's okay, now. I'm here for you, don't cry. Bella I am so sorry for what has happened to you, nothing like this should have ever happened, you don't deserve this. Please let me protect you forever. Bella," He whispered. It sounded like he was admitting his love to me , that made my heart thud with love back for him.
I nodded in his chest. I didn't think now was the time to speak words amongst one another, so I kept it to a nod. The only thing that seemed to matter to me was that Edward was here with me and he wasn't going to leave because he had orders by Charlie that he was supposed to watch me. I didn't want him to leave me even if he wanted to or had to.
