Could that really be … "Bella?" In a few short seconds I took in all of her beauty. She sure had changed over the years, grown up. Her mahogany hair cascaded down her back, unstyled as usual and her eyes bore deep into mine as I called out her name. How much I had missed that face of hers. After taking in the exquisiteness of Bella, I took in the whole situation.
Bella was pressed up between two men, one big burly one, someone who I would not want to be tangling with. The other seemed strangely familiar. I racked my brain trying to remember where I had seen that face. Realization hit me like a rock, Matt, my roommate. I took a step towards the confrontation before seeing the knife. Pointed at Bella. What the hell was he thinking?
"Get away from her!" I yelled as I sprinted down the hallway towards the trio. I attempted to sprint right through the trio, trying to get Bella away from Matt and his knife. I barely registered the fist as it came barreling towards my face, almost as fast as I was running, until I found myself on the ground.
I glanced up to see Matt scowling, his fist still clenched, before Bella obscured my view. She reacted quicker than I thought possible. Before I knew it, she was kneeling on the ground next to me, her long hair sweeping across my chest. "Edward!" She cried. I groaned inside my head. I hadn't heard her voice in forever, and for my name to be the first thing she says, was like heaven, right smack dab in the middle of hell.
"Are you alright?" She asked, her hands fluttering around my face. I wished so much that they would touch. I could feel the warmth of her hands radiating from the small distance they were and I longed for her to run her fingers up and down my cheek like she used to.
I smiled at her, I couldn't really help it. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?" She was the one pressed up between two guys, both quite a bit bigger than her, and one carried a knife. All I had was a potential, and very likely, black eye. What was she worrying about me for? She was always this way though, caring about others more than herself.
She muttered something under her breath, something I didn't catch. I wish she would speak up. I longed to hear her voice again. Her hands still hesitated around my face, not quite touching, but very close. Oh how I wished she would just touch my face.
Almost as if she was reading my mind, her fingers lightly brushed my cheek. The second her fingers came in contact with my face, a spark seemed to ignite under her fingertips.
Flashback
I was lying in my bed, the covers pulled up to my chin, a glass of water on my bedside table. The blinds were closed, but the sun's heat still found it's way around the gold shades. There was a light sheen of sweat on my forehead, yet my body was anything but warm. I heard footsteps on the stairs. They were jogging. My whole body tensed up, waiting for the fall that would surely soon occur.
Sure enough, I heard a low thud followed by breaking glass and a muffled "oof." "Are you okay Bella?" I called out.
"I'm fine. You stay in that bed Edward Anthony! If you get out it will only make it worse."
Chuckling inwardly to myself, I folded the sheets back and clambered out of bed to aid Bella. When she saw me emerge at the top of the stairs, a scowl appeared on her face.
"Get back in bed this instant!" She almost shouted, already hoisting herself up from her sprawled position on the stairs.
"Are you okay?" I smiled a little, finding it mildly funny how clumsily Bella was. Thank goodness she didn't get hurt badly this time.
"I'm fine. I don't think I'll even have a bruise from this one. Now go lay down."
"Yes mom," I sang, heading back to my room.
Bella soon appeared carrying a tray with a cup of pills and a glass of water. She set the tray down on my bedside table and put her hand to my forehead. The second her fingertips touched my skin, a spark seemed to flow through out my body. She flinched a little and I knew she had felt it too.
"So, how are you feeling?" she asked.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" I answered.
End Flashback
I was thrown back into the real world from my mind. I looked up to see Bella's eyes glistening with tears. I glanced around to see what I had missed, what would make my Bella sad. Matt's voice cut through the silence.
"So when I threaten to kill you, you listen."
What the hell was he talking about? I have a freakin psychopath killer as my roommate. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Bella yelled, seaming to read my mind once again. I sat up slightly, ready to jump up if he tried anything on Bella. He just glared at the huge muscle man, not seeming to have even heard Bella. An annoyed expression came over Bella's face as she jumped to her feet and smacked his arm. If her smacks were anything like they were back when I knew her, it wouldn't hurt, physically. It sure got his attention though. "Hey!" She shouted, right into his ear.
He turned around, not phased by her little outburst. I quickly sat up not liking the look in Matt's eyes.
"Edward was going to do onto me if I didn't do unto him first, weren't you Eddy?" Duh, I thought to myself. Get Bella out of the way, take care of the freak with the knife. That was my original plan, before it was rudely interrupted by Matt. He talked in a light, mocking tone, that was annoying the hell out of me.
"I'll kick your ass," I started, before being cut off by the freak again.
"Don't worry Eddy," He bent over and slung his bag over his shoulder. If only he knew how much I detested the name Eddy, he wouldn't have said that. He would pay for all this later, especially the tears I had seen in Bella's eyes. He would pay for those a hundred fold. "I was just leaving." He closed his knife and slipped it back into his pocket before turning and disappearing around the corner.
I glared at where he had just turned, making sure he wasn't coming back anytime soon. The glare soon became too much for my injured eye and I winced before closing my right eye. Bella sighed, her warm breath whooshing over my face. I reveled in the warmth and the smell. I was so content with feeling her breath that I didn't notice her hand reaching out towards my face. When she touched my eye, I winced again, definitely feeling the bruise starting to form. "Sorry," she muttered. She appraised my face for a minute, which was fine by me. It gave me a chance to stare into her eyes. They were still swirling pools of chocolate the seemed to go right into her soul. "Well, lets go find you some ice or something."
She put her hand out to help me up. I placed my hand in hers, loving how perfectly they seemed to fit together, but used my other hand to push myself up off the floor. The second I was upright and stable, I pulled Bella into my side, keeping my arm around her shoulder. It felt so right, like two pieces of a puzzle that went together. I was having trouble remembering why we had split up, not even emailing anymore. It felt like things had never changed, having her in my arms. I snuck glances down at her as much I thought was possible without bordering on stalkerish.
Before I even realized we had been walking, Bella turned us through a door and sat me down on a chair. "Stay," she said in what was supposed to be a stern voice. I smiled and rolled my eyes at her. She always used to be so worried and protective about me, and so far, it looked like that part of her hadn't changed one bit. She walked away, presumably to go find some kind of medical help.
The room was completely empty, but brought back a flood of memories from my teenage years. Bella and I spent lots of time in the emergency room, though it was hardly ever me that was being waited on, always her.
Before I knew it, Bella came back into my view carrying an ice pack. I smiled, I couldn't help it. I hadn't seen her face in who knows how long, and it had made me happy when I saw it every day. It was no surprise it made me happy after all this time. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Bella put the ice pack on my eye. I reached my hand up to hold it, trapping her hand under mine. Though she had been holding the ice pack, her hand still felt warm. She slowly slid hers out from under mine, though almost reluctantly. I shook my head a little, trying to rid myself of that thought. I have got to stop thinking she actually wants me. I left her years ago. She has probably moved on by now, has a boyfriend or something.
We sat in silence for a bit, as a wrestled with my mind. I turned my face down to look at her through my good eye. I just couldn't seem to keep my eyes off of her. Whether or not she still liked me, it was pretty clear I had it bad for her.
She glanced up at me, and a smile broke over my face again. Something to be expected at this point. "So..," she said, trailing off. She cleared her throat, and a light blush crept over her cheeks. Oh, how I missed that blush. "Long time no see?" It came out sounding like a question, and I couldn't help but laugh. While I chuckled, Bella seemed to search my face as her got darker by the second. What did she find there? Did she like it or was she hugely disappointed in me?
I sighed and answered her question. "Yeah, I guess it's been awhile, huh?" She nodded in response to my statement. We sat in silence, neither of us quite sure what to say. "So, what have you been doing?" I hoped she would tell me everything, every single little detail of her life that I had missed. I wanted to know it all.
"Oh you know," She started, and paused, thinking. No I don't know, I screamed in my head. I know absolutely nothing and it's killing me! How in the world could I have let her go? Why did we not stay friends? Surely I could have found sometime to go down and visit her? "Not much. School, family, friends. I got a job." I silently willed her to keep talking. What classes was she taking in school? What college was she going to go to? How was her family? Had she kept the same friends over the years or were there new ones? Surely there was someone with the title of boyfriend in her life? Who was he? I hated him already, though if he made my Bella happy, I really should be proud of him, shouldn't I? Where was she working? Did she liked where she worked? I watched her as I thought of all these questions I desperately wanted to ask her, none of them seeming right coming from someone who all but disappears from your life. "What about you? What have you been up to?"
I frowned a little in response to her question, not near satisfied with her sort, bland answer. I thought through how much she really wanted to know. Was she just trying to make conversation? She was probably thinking about her boyfriend or even husband. I mentally shuddered at the thought of her married to another man. I had always imagined the two of us sharing the rest of our lives together. Guess that was never going to happen now. "Not much either. Just the usual." I shrugged my shoulders, following her lead in my answer. We paused for a moment, both lost in thought. "So, what brings you to Morehead City, North Carolina?"
Did she live here now? I hoped she wasn't here all by herself. Someone as accident prone as Bella should never be alone for any lengthy period of time. At the same time, I wished and hoped and prayed that no one was with her, especially no other male.
"Well, I was actually on my way home from a trip to Washington, D.C."
I nodded. Washington D.C. seemed like a place Bella would enjoy. All the history the museums. "That must have been fun." I waited for her to go into more detail, but knew that it was unlikely. She shrugged her shoulders and laughed a little. I loved the sound of her laugh and the way her hair fell off her shoulders and swung around to her back. Everything she did, every breath, every movement, was a work of art, and she didn't even realize it.
I got lost just staring at her. Watching her eyes sparkle in the light, and her hair swish from side to side slightly as he turned her head, the way her shoulders moved as she breathed. I could have watched her for days when she interrupted my thoughts with my name.
"Edward," She said. The way name seemed to roll off her tongue was intoxicating. I had heard it uttered with every accent imaginable and yet her voice was still my favorite.
"Hmm?" I replied, still to lost in my thoughts to form a coherent response.
"You know Matt?" I grimaced and tensed a bit, the images for only a few short moments before flashing in my head.
"He's my roommate." I paused and leaned closer to her, my lips only a short distance from her ears. "I want you to stay away from him Bella. He's dangerous and I don't want you getting hurt." It felt so good to be able to say her name. I wanted to utter it over and over again then scream it to the world.
She nodded, seeming to be in agreement with my warning. "I just didn't know him before. I thought he was nice, but he turned out to be," She paused, looking for the right word, "not." I smiled a little at all of her little mannerisms and quirks.
I nodded, completely in agreement with her statement. I didn't realize how close I was to her until I felt her fingers tracing up and down my arm. I leaned into her touch slightly, fighting the urge to crash my lips to hers, or at least hold her in my arms.
She couldn't feel that way though. If I tried anything, it would only make our muddled relationship more weird. Bella yawned, her mouth opening gracefully, her lips almost hypnotizing me. She brought her hand up from my arm to cover her mouth.
I looked down at her with my eyebrows raised. No doubt today had been a long day for her, and it was getting somewhat late anyway.
"I'm fine." She insisted, before I even had a chance to say anything. Even through all these years apart, she seemed to still know me like the back of her hand.
"No. You're tired. You should head to bed." As much as I wanted to spend more time with her, she shouldn't be staying up so late.
"I'm really not tired. I promise!" She looked up at me with her best puppy eyes. I had to try as hard as I had ever tried to not give in. She looked so cute when she did that, and her bottom lip jutting out was just begging to be kissed.
"Not gonna work this time. Come on, get to bed. Maybe we can talk tomorrow." I didn't want the maybe in there. I wanted to know for sure that we could talk tomorrow, that we could spend all day together, and the next, and the next. She didn't feel the same way though. She couldn't. I didn't want to pressure her or make her feel obliged to talk to me and spend time with me it she didn't want to.
She stood up and smiled at me before tracing something in my hand and walking away. The line her fingers had drawn in my palm was on fire. I wanted it to be a heart, but knew it most likely was just scribbles. I sighed as I watched her disappear around the corner.
I loped back to my room, my head filled with thoughts of Bella. I was at the door to my room before I knew it. I opened the door and shuffled in, throwing myself down on the bed. It was so good to see Bella again. I hoped that I would get to see her tomorrow. I hoped that somehow she still loved me. I hoped that… and all the lights went out.
Thanks for reading guys. Hope you all had a fantastic V-Day. Remember to check out the other POV's on the story, especially Bella's since it's cool to see what they both are thinking. In case you forgot:
Eevy Angel writing Rosalie
Book2romantic writing Jasper
Sierra Echo Bravo writing Emmett
Shaps writing Alice
CarribbeanLady writing Bella
Also, drop me a review. If you could care less about the story, tell me your take on Valentines Day. Is it a waste of time? A conspiracy? The only time you can get you significant other to do anything remotely romantic?