Yay chapter two. The story will pick up soon I promise you guys. Also, I have begun a story playlist on Spotify that I will link on my profile. I've always felt that music has a way of "setting the mood" when I am writing. Also, other sources on my profile are a Polyvore in which I post photo sets for outfits etc. and a tumblr that I will be updating with reviews, coments, Q&A's etc. relatively often. Thank you so much!
BPOV
"Rum & Coke please. Extra coke." I say sliding my money across the counter. The bartender cleans a class and pours it strong I down it all at once.
"Make that two." I say. My nerves are on end. That man has nothing to do with what happened that day yet I can't bring myself to forget the encounter. I grab my second drink and weave through the crowd again towards where I left Alice and Jasper. I stop in my tracks again when I see a glimpse of bronze locks. He's talking to Alice and they're laughing. Are they laughing at me? Is what happened funny to them? I feel steam rising out of my ears as if I was in some kind of cartoon and I stomp towards them furiously. When I come into Alice's view her smile does not waver and she looks at the doctor again.
"Edward, this is Bella. One of Jasper's closest friends." I stiffen. "Bella this is Edward, my biggest brother." She winks and I want to die. I want to run away before he can turn around and give me that look again. But I'm too slow and his eyes meet mine again I could hear a pin drop. His mouth forms a small 'O' and he glances from Alice and then to me. Alice looks at him curiously as to why he has not done anything.
"We've met." He says. Did his voice shake? His scotch he was sipping is quickly downed and I start to do the same. All the color has completely left my face at this point as I thought I had beat the worst already. Jasper takes one look at me and realization plagues his features.
"Edward here is a trama surgeon at Boston Medical!" Alice has yet to pick up on the tone of this greeting so I do the unthinkable. I extend my hand.
"I know Alice. Dr…" I realize I don't know his last name.
"Cullen." He offers, voice gruff.
"Dr. Cullen helped me some years back." I refused to say it out loud but Alice's eyes looked between us rapidly and if she could've thrown a punch against her own face I'm sure she would've.
"Oh. Dear god Bella I am so sorry I wouldn't have invited him had I-I had no idea I didn't think to ask-"
"Alice it's fine. Dr. Cullen is not the bad guy." I glance over and his head is cocked to the side.
"Please call me Edward." He offers. I can't. I can't make this personal. So I avoid speaking until I am asked as they try to make polite conversation. Eventually I can't take it.
"I'm going to get another drink." I offer as I turn on my heel.
"Me too." His voice sounds like rum if it could talk. I realize now why I knew who he was before I knew. That is not a voice you forget. I feel a tingle on the small of my back. I realize the buzz must've started as I seem to have a delayed reaction. I look over at Edward. He notices.
"Sorry I can move my hand I just could tell you were slurring and I didn't want you to fall again." A smirk plays on the edge of his lips. I gasp and laugh out loud.
"You're an ass how dare you!" I say jokingly but I don't move away from his touch. For a second I forget the difference between then and now. We place our orders at the bar and I look up at him again. HE's not looking at me but he speaks as if he is.
"You don't have to thank me." I know what he's saying and I shiver.
"You did your best." A weight lifts off his shoulders. I wonder if it bothers him, how many lives are lost every day.
"So green huh?" I'm taken aback by this and stare at him for a second.
"Is a color yes." I finish. He laughs. I laugh too. Is this witty banter? Haven't done this in a while.
"Your eyes are pretty." I continue. He laughs more.
"So are yours." He says. His words hit me with a woosh. I know it doesn't mean much. But it's different. Our drinks are passed to us and we make our way back to the lovebirds. I feel proud knowing that if I had seen Edward in this kind of way a couple years ago I would've went home and cried all night. But I'm different too.
"So Jasper, what do you do again? Sorry I know we've talked before but I have a terrible memory-" I chuckle under my straw. He gives me a look. I compose myself. He leans down to whisper to me.
"What are you laughing at. I do." I roll my eyes and whisper back.
"You seemed to remember me just fine." He smirks and shrugs but then frowns again.
"That's different." And with that I know we can drop the subject.
"Ah no it's no problem man. I'm child psychiatrist." They continue discussing careers and work life. IT eventually moves to TV shows and plans for the holidays.
"What about you Bella? What do you usually do for Thanksgiving?" Edwards question brings me back to the conversation and I look at each of them.
"The past few years I've just been bumming at Jasper's functions." The statement is loaded but no one pries. Edward takes another swig of his drink and so do it. I look over to Alice who is staring at her brother, and then at me, and then at her brother. She looks down at her feet and her head snaps up. Almost imperceptibly but because of how much I've had to drink everything is in slow motion. A crowd of people come rushing in and Edward places his hand on the small of my back again, he seems to like that spot, and shields me from the masses. I feel a tingling sensation I haven't felt in a very long time. Not even with Mike. I feel guilty. This man saw me lose my only child and now I have the hots for him? I am disgusting. I frown and gulp again.
"Why are you frowning Bella?" He whispers in my ear. I look at him under my lashes.
"I'm a despicable human being." I slur. He looks angry.
"Now why would you say such a thing." He hisses. Why is he angry? I feel like a feather and I feel my inhibitions slipping through my straw and back into the beverage. Maybe if I drink more I'll get them back…
"Bella?" He questions. Shit. Where did I go there. I giggle to myself.
"Have you ever seen Grey's Anatomy?" His face is confused but I don't register.
"McDreamy." I mutter before looking back over to my friends. I feel his breathing hitch before his thumb starts making small circles on my back. It tickles so I giggle again.
"Ooookay I think that's enough liquor for you." Jasper says taking the drink from my hand. Edward's hand stops and before I can filter myself I say
"Why did you stop?" Jasper looks at me as I have three heads but Edward's thumb begins to move again and I inch backward a little more. Closer, yes I want to be closer.
"Because it's two in the morning and we're tired?" Jasper offers. I regain myself and nod.
"Oh yes of course. If you guys are ready. I can walk home too. I know my house is the opposite direction.." Jasper begins to protest but Alice chimes in.
"Edward, you live relatively close to Bella, could she ride with you?" We all stare at Alice. They're usually not so quick to pawn me off on other individuals. I know there is motive here but I'm too drunk to figure it out.
"I think so. Would you mind riding with me Bella?" The way he says my name makes me think how many other things I'd like to ride with him. I look at him and his eyebrow is raised. Did I say that out loud? No one says anything.
"No not at all. As long as it isn't an inconvenience." He is quick to reply.
"It isn't." So we make our way to the exit, making sure to say a goodbye to Alice's other bother on the way out.
EPOV
We make our way through the cold wind toward my Aston. I take off my jacket and wrap it around her bare shoulders. I think about how I felt in her presence five years ago. She was my most memorable patient. Not because of her stunning presence. But because of my utter uselessness in such a situation. I could fix her broken bones and heal the wounds. But I couldn't heal a broken heart.
"My car is right over here." I say guiding her on to the sidewalk.
"She was beautiful." I heard her mutter. She was looking at me. I knew she was talking about her daughter and I wouldn't doubt she was the most beautiful little girl.
Why am I thinking these things?
"I don't doubt it." I say out loud. She smiles and begins fumbling with her wallet to find a small picture. It takes longer than what would usually be necessary but it's cute nonetheless. There are three people in the picture. Bella, her daughter, and a man who I'm guess is the father as there are some similarities. I stare long and hard. Why isn't he the one walking her to the car tonight?
"We divorced." She sneered and I realized I had said that outloud. She frowns.
"Look, if this is a burden to you or something I can walk." The coldness in her voice is clear as day. She takes back the picture and slides it back in her wallet while standing there in disbelief.
"You know" she continues "you don't have to do this for me or whatever. I am fine." I see some tears begin to form as she spits and wipes her mouth with the sleeve of my jacket.
"No! Bella, of course you're not a burden. I was just curious is all." I raise my hands in surrender hoping she'll see my sincerity. She sighs and opens my car door giving me her address.
"It's easy to get to the door so you won't have to park or anything." She slurs. I raise an eyebrow.
"That's quite some sass you have there, Ms. Swan." Her lips form a tight line and she just rolls her eyes.
"I just don't want you to get the wrong idea." I smirk with realization.
"What is that funny to you? The idea of sleeping with me?" She argues, I can hear the pain in her voice.
"Far from it Bella. However, I have no intentions of doing so tonight. It seems to be you who has the wrong idea of me." I say pointing to myself. She challenges me with a raised brow eventually nodding in compliance. Who does she think she is?
"Now if you don't mind I'm going to make conversation with you while we drive to your house." She scoffed and smiled.
"Oh well don't let me stop you then Dr." I smile again and as we pull away I stick my foot in my mouth.
"So why do you push people away who try to help you?" I never was one for small talk, maybe this is why. She looks out the window and begins fidgeting with her hands.
"Look." She begins. "I don't push people away. I don't have to, they run away voluntarily."
"If that what your husband did?"
"Mike? I would say so. I mean he ran to another woman's bed." Pure venom. I always hated the name Mike.
"Well, he's an idiot."
"You're an idiot." I chuckle.
"Why am I an idiot?"
"For giving me your jacket. For falling for Alice's games. For driving me home." She lists off on her finger.
"One" I reply "I do not fall into Alice's traps. More often than not, I enter them willingly. Secondly, I will never let a defenseless woman walk home alone in the dark and cold at that."
"My knight in shining armor." She mutters sarcastically.
"Tell me about her." I say, always the masochist.
"I can't." The desperation in her voice was loud so I didn't pry.
"Where did you grow up then?" I continue.
"Central Florida."
"Disney World?" She giggles.
"No not Disney World. But close."
We continued like that until we pulled up to her apartment and I got out of the car to open her door and help her out. She was still rather wobbly but a champ nonetheless.
"Thank you Dr. Cullen." She says with a smile before unlocking her door and shuffling inside.
My father always said I was a "fixer". I see every flaw or imperfection. I empathize and I spent most of my life helping my mother survive her crippling depression. Being the oldest of my siblings, I kept it a secret. A battle that she faced and I watched, dad ignored.
I could feel the urge again. The urge to wrap her in my arms and find the missing piece.
I do not have a strict schedule in which I will upload chapters as I have a busy week or two ahead of me but bear with me people. Please Favorite, Follow and Review!