Hoped you liked the last chapter.
Okay so here's the next one!
R&R!
xx
When I'm alone in my big, white house, it's kinda lonely. I don't have any pets, sadly, since I am allergic. Sure, I host high classed parties every now and then, but most of the time I'm lonely. I spend my day in the recording studio listening and recording my albums. Most of the time Steve is there, and of course Edward, so he can get my coffee etcetera, etcetera. But today he wasn't there when I got there. I voiced my concern to Steve.
"Hey, where's Edward today?" Steve looks puzzled as well.
"I don't know. He hasn't called me. He did look pretty bummed last night when we dropped him off though," he thinks to himself.
"Hmm… maybe I'll call him," I mumble.
"Good idea."
I had Edward's number on speed dial, for obvious reasons. He doesn't answer right away. I decide to give him 15 rings to answer. After the 12 ring (not like I was counting or anything) he finally picks up.
"Bella. Sorry I didn't call. It was a rough morning." He sounds horrible.
"Edward, you sound awful. What did you take last night?" I joke.
"I didn't take anything. I'm…. sick." He coughs, rather loudly into the phone to prove it. It sounds awfully fake to me.
"No you're not. You always call me when you're sick." I knew him well. I had worked with him for 4 years.
"Fine. I'll come in," he snaps.
"Then you can tell me what's really going on," I add.
"Sure, sure." He hangs up. Hmph.
"So, is he coming?" Steve asks.
"Um, yeah. He'll be here soon, I guess." He was in an unusually bad mood this sunny morning (as it always is in L.A.). Generally, when he was in a bad mood, it had something to do with Jessica.
Edward comes in 15 minutes later. He had dark shadows under his eyes, and his hair was a mess. His expression was blank, completely dead. He looked worse than he sounded. I stared with shock. This was not his usual self, not by a long shot. This was a man who had been dumped.
I knew how this felt. Just about everyone does. When you truly, deeply, love someone, and they suddenly get up and leave, well. It's almost unbearable. You lose sleep, you lose hope, and sometimes, even a part of yourself. Never had I seen Edward this miserable.
"Oh, Edward, I'm so sorry." I was. I really was. I knew exactly how he felt, even though I'm sure he would tell me I didn't. He gives me a look I can only describe as agonizing pain. I wanted to hug him, but of course I can't.
"It's not your fault," he chokes.
"Do you want to talk about it? Sometimes it's good to vent."
"Well…"
"You don't have to if you don't want to," I add, just to be on the safe side.
"I know. Yeah, I guess I could 'vent', as you call it," he smiled. I smiled back. "So, I got out of the limo at my house, grabbed my bags and headed inside. Of course she was waiting for me. I was expecting a hug and a kiss, but she didn't make any move when I opened my arms. Her expression was blank, and I couldn't understand it. It was like she wasn't Jess anymore. We just stared at each other for a long moment, when finally she spoke.
'We need to talk,' was all she said." Ah, there is not a more fateful line in the English language as 'we need to talk'. He continues. "I dropped my arms then, and moved toward her. I asked her what was going on, and she said that she thought I was spending too much time with you." He looked up to see my expression then; I kept my face cool and collected. "Then she asked me if I loved you, and I said I didn't. She didn't believe me, and called me a liar. She said she could see it in my eyes when I looked at you. I begged her to see sense, that it wasn't true. But she kept saying 'words, just words' and pushing me back. So I gave up. I knew I wasn't making her happy, so I just picked up my bags and left. It killed me to do it. I got a cab to the nearest hotel and stayed there for the night. Not that I got any sleep." At that last bit he bit down on his lip, and I could see the moisture brooding in his eyes.
"Oh, Edward." Screw social rules! I hug him tight. He seems very surprised by this unexpected embrace, but hug back. And I am glad. He really needed a hug right now. He may be my P.A., but he's my friend too. Now more than ever.
"Thanks," he says, and brakes away. "You're right, it helps to vent." Then I remember the part about the hotel.
"You don't have anywhere to stay?" I worry.
"Not really. My closest relatives are in Seattle."
"Why don't you stay with me for a bit? Just until you find a place to stay?" I knew this would be awkward, but it was better for him than no place to stay at all. He looks alarmed, but then he thinks about it. It's a big house, with a lot of bedrooms. We wouldn't even have to share the same kitchen.
"I guess that would be okay, just until I get back on my feet," he murmurs.
"Okay. It's settled. Now, we need to get you some chocolate." At that he laughs. But it isn't the same kind of laugh. It's still pained.
I have a lot of work to do.
