Chapter 3:
From my perch in the coffee shop, I stared at the spot, unable to look away. Just yesterday, my body had been splattered across the pavement. Accept, it wasn't yesterday… My thoughts were a jumbled mess and my mind searched for meaning in all of this. What was happening to me?
"Bella?"
Edward's voice pulled me from my thoughts. I turned my head to gaze at him, finding him peering down at me with an incredulous stare. If he had something on his mind, he didn't seem willing to share it. His jade eyes, filled with confused, trailed over my body for a moment before he shook his head and placed my small coffee in front of me. I smiled at the scent of it, happy I made a different decision today.
As Edward took his seat, my mind filled with images of the last time I saw him in this very spot. He had been with someone else; a woman I had never seen before. Who was she? And, more importantly, who was she to him? I understood the distance between Edward and me. I knew all too well how many times I had ditched him to pursue other things. Maybe, he had found someone else. Not that I was anything to him. Anything more than a friend.
He sipped on his coffee and I gripped mine, wanting to ask him about the woman. However, what could I say? If this moment was the present, and the day in question hadn't occurred, what could I possibly utter? He hadn't been with a woman. Not on this day in this reality, at least. In this reality, there was only him and me.
"Is there something weighing on your mind?"
"No," I spluttered, taking a quick sip of my coffee. "Nothing more than usual."
"Is that so?" he questioned with a smirk. Lifting his index finger, he pressed it against my forehead as he continued, "You stress yourself out too much, Bells. And I always feel like I'm slacking when I'm around you."
"Really?" I laughed at the idea as I stared back out at the street. Images of yesterday continued to flash through my mind, making it hard to concentrate on anything else. "You're so much smarter, you can slide by without much studying. So, it's not my fault I have to work so much harder."
He snorted and said something in response. However, my mind was suddenly too occupied to hear it.
My body felt like it was tearing apart under the impact. The screams turned into a blur of sound. Edward's voice calling to me is all I heard. The feel of the cold pavement had it hit my cheek, causing blood to fill my mouth. It tastes bitter. I swallowed it as my eyelids fluttered closed. I wanted to reach out to Edward. In my final thoughts, I imagined him holding my hand, yanking me toward something better.
"Bella? Are you even listening to me today?"
"What?" I questioned as my eyes snapped back to meet his.
"You can be so spacey," he replied with a snicker. "Studying really has gotten to you, hasn't it?"
"I suppose so," I said weakly, feeling sick suddenly.
"You don't look too well. You look more pale than you usually do," Edward commented as he reached out to place his palm against my forehead.
I shuddered against his touch. My body always reacted in the most embarrassing ways when he touched me. I wished I could control it, but after all this time, it seemed useless. Today, however, my thoughts weren't centered around Edward like they usually were. Today, all I could think about was my accident. I wondered if this was all a dream. Maybe I am dead?! Could this be heaven…
Are you living in the real world?
If I managed to relive today, what else could I do? When I had flown through the air, I managed to wake up in my bed. Could I manage more than that?
"Well, if you're not too sick, want to head someplace else? There's an exhibit at the art museum this week I wanted to check out. If you're willing, I wanted to go with you."
I pushed all my wonderings aside and focused on the man in front of me. With a forced smile, I nodded and rose from my seat. Edward grabbed our coffees off the table and headed toward the door. I followed behind him as my feet slid around in my Doc Martins, which were one half size too big. I had been too lazy to return them and now that they were no longer giving me blisters, I loved them.
"You're going to have to walk faster than that if we're going to get there on time," Edward said as he opened the front door of the coffee shop and ushered me outside first.
Was he planning on taking that other woman here? I wondered to myself as I tripped over a crack in the pavement and both my feet lifted off the ground. I practically flew into Edward, effectively knocking both cups of coffee on me before I tumbled onto the ground, cringing at the burn from the hot liquid.
The burn was quickly gone and to my shock, I found us both back in the coffee shop. My eyes shot around in confusion as I sat right in front of the exit. Edward was staring down at me with a shocked look on his face.
"How did you get on the floor?"
My heart was racing. I was just outside… How…?
"I'm just clumsy, I guess," I responded in a shaky voice. "Listen, is it okay if we go to the exhibit tomorrow? There's something I have to do."
His eyes widened as I rose from the floor and took my coffee out of his right hand.
"Sure, Bella. Go home and get some rest. Let's hang out when you're feeling better."
"Of course." I nodded.
As I exited the coffee shop, I felt his stare on me. I avoided the crack in the sidewalk and traversed across the street, trying not to cringe at the memory of my broken body on the ground. Today, I had traveled through time again. Only this time, I hadn't traveled as far. Was this something I could do on command? If so, could I rewrite history? Could I change everything I regretted?
If this was a dream, I wasn't sure I wanted to ever wake up. If I could move through time, so many things could change for me. Maybe this dream is better than reality. Who cares about the real world, anyway.
A/N: Yay! We passed 100 reviews! Thanks so much to everyone reviewing! While I'm not great at replying, I do read and cherish them all. I'm so glad you all take time out of your day to read my little story. If I don't update again before Halloween, I hope you all enjoy the holiday!
