Hey guys, hope you enjoy this chapter. Neither Unexpected Answers nor I have ever done a joint story before so we're trying to work out the kinks, not to mention we're like 4 hours from each other and have to communicate all on email. But we think we did pretty good so far. This chapter was written pretty much equally between us then spliced together. Really hope you like this chapter, let us know if there's something we should change…suggestions welcome…constructive criticism welcome too. Read and Review.
CHAPTER 3
In less than a second Edward was at my side and hugging me tightly. He looked rather haggard, if a vampire could look like that, and his eyes were full of some unreadable expression.
"Oh Bella I missed you so much," he murmured into my hair. "As soon as I heard your voice I knew I had to see you. I couldn't kill myself if you were still on this earth. Thinking that you were gone, it made me realize how much I need you, how much you have become a part of me," he spoke elegantly.
My heart clenched and in an instant his lips were on mine. The passion of his kiss was like nothing we had ever shared before and I have to admit that for a few moments I responded to his passion in earnest. When I realized what I was doing, I immediately stopped. Sensing my reluctance he quickly separated our lips and sat back, but would not relinquish his hold on me..
"What's wrong love?" he asked, examining my face like he'd been devoid of it for centuries.
"Edward, I'm not ready for this. I don't…I can't just pick up where we left off. It's too soon for me to just jump into something with you," I replied, trying to make this as simple and painless as possible. "I'm glad you're alive, Edward, really I am. What were you thinking, trying to kill yourself like that? You didn't even try to see if I was truly dead, that was stupid of you," I told him matter-of-factly. I may not love him anymore, but that didn't mean I wanted him dead.
"I guess you're right, Bella. I may have overracted slightly," he said. Biggest understatement of the century, in my opinion.
"Things have changed since you left," I started. Oh boy, I was not looking forward to this.
"What do you mean? " he said, looking into my eyes like they would jump out and tell him what I was so hesitant to say. "You…you don't want me?" he asked, seeming to glean that much from my silence. I didn't answer and I guess this gave him all the answer he needed. "But on the phone, you said you wanted me to come back!"
"Edward! Can you even imagine how Esme or Carlisle or Alice would have felt if you'd killed yourself?" I asked, getting agitated that he was making this much more difficult than it had to be.
"What do they have to do with this Bella?" he asked.
"Come on, why are you making this so hard for me Edward? Can't you tell how much you hurt me? How hard I'm trying to make this easy for both of us? I just…I can't jump into anything with you Edward. I don't trust you to not break my heart again. And this time, Jake might not be there to put it back together."
"Jake? As in Jacob Black? You're with him now?" Edward demanded, standing straight up in a flash with a hard look in his eyes.
I got up too, frowning at him. "No I am not with him Edward Cullen! We just hang out a lot. And it's not like it's any of your business anymore is it? You left me Edward, you left me in the godforsaken forest because 'it was better for me this way, I was safer this way'. Safe from what Edward? Being hurt? Oh yeah you took care of that really well! You tore my heart from my chest and threw it away Edward! Can you even begin to imagine what a mess I've been since you left? The only thing that held me together was Jake. You have no right to question what I do or who I do it with, not anymore. What right do you think you have to come here and act surprised that I have no idea how I feel about you? After all you've done to me you're lucky I'm even talking to you! As for you coming back, I only called you because Alice begged me, because I knew how heartbroken your family would be if they lost you." I had pushed it too far, I knew I had. But he had made me so angry with his accusations; he needed to know how I felt, needed to know there was no chance for us.
"Bella…I really was trying to protect you. And I really did love you, I still do. Give me a chance to prove it to you again. I never meant for any of this to happen," he whispered, looking into my eyes pleadingly.
"I can't guarantee you a chance Edward, you hurt me, maybe beyond repair. You broke my heart and somehow think that just by showing you you'll be able to fix everything, make it go back to sunshine and daisies. I don't know how I'm feeling, and I don't know when I'll know. But I won't push you away yet. We'll see what happens," I said, unable to shut him from my life so completely now that he was back.
"That's all I ask Bella. I need to go, no one else knows I'm here, well, they didn't anyway, Alice has probably told them by now. Can I…will you let me call you? Let me see you?" he asked.
I contemplated and came to a decision. "I will call you if I want to talk to you, and you can see me, if you have Alice or someone with you. It's not because I'm afraid to be alone with you Edward," I said quickly when he tried to protest that he wouldn't hurt me, "it's because I don't know how I'll act with you alone, and I can't let how I felt about you get in the way of how I might feel now."
"I guess that's better than nothing. Thank you Bella, for letting me know you were still alive. Even if you end up not being mine, I'll be glad to know you're safe and happy. It's funny, in the beginning I wanted you to forget about me, move on. But when I realized I could never stop loving you, you do exactly what I no longer what you to do. I need to leave," he said abruptly.
He didn't wait for me to say good bye, he just flitted right out the window into the darkness. I heaved an enormous sigh and laid back down, throwing an arm over my forehead while I contemplated the new predicament I'd gotten myself into.
The next day was Sunday so I slept in as long as possible, or until I started to think about Jake and then I practically jumped from my bed. I was just pulling my jacket on and opening the door to go down to La Push to see him when I gasped and stepped back. There he was, standing in front of me with a huge grin on his face.
I couldn't believe how hard my heart pounded just seeing him there in my doorway. A grin took over my face as well and I stepped forward to hug him. I couldn't say that I knew I loved him, not yet. I was so confused right now that just thinking period was giving me a headache, but I was glad to see him, and thankfully I didn't have to walk down my steps, who knew what injury I could have procured from that. He laughed a little and hugged me back before putting his arm around my shoulders and leading me back inside closing the door behind us.
