I woke up to the sounds of smoke alarms going off next door to me and I groaned still a bit tired but not enough to go to sleep. The alarm became silent and I got up and showered. I let the hot water run over my body and relax my muscles. I got out when the water ran cold and changed into a pair of white capris, a peach color blouse and a pairs of lace up wedges. It was 10 in the morning; the café at the corner of 45th street would still be open on the way to the Masens. I looked in the mirror and my hair was a mess. I grabbed a ribbon and tied it in my hair; I was rocking the 70's look today. The phone was ringing as I was running around the apartment trying to find my earrings.
"Hey, you've reached the home of Bella Swan, leave a message." The machine announced.
"Bell, its Jake. I'm calling to see how you're doing." Jake's voice said his voice sounded so alone and so desperate, just so hurt. "I won't call your cell phone," Jake didn't speak and I thought I heard a sniff like he was crying when he spoke next, his voice cracked in five different places. "I miss you Bells, and I'm sorry for what I did and how I acted last year at Thanksgiving. I still love you. I wanted to know when you are coming in for the wedding and how long you are staying for. That's about it talk to you later hopefully." Jake hung up and I saved the message. Should I call him? I'd be in Washington tomorrow so I don't think I need to.
I grabbed my purse and walked out of the apartment. I walked down to the corner café on 45th street and as I was waiting for coffee my cell phone rang. It was Emily. "Hello bride to be." I greeted.
"Not just yet." Emily laughed. "How are you?"
"I'm good, just stopping for coffee and breakfast then off to meet up with a few friends." I said. "Are you a bridezilla yet?" I joked.
Emily made her clicking sound; it was the sound that she makes when she sighed. "No, and don't hold your breath."
I laughed as I grabbed my coffee and the bag of food. I walked out and I could hear Emily more clearly now. "So what are you up to?" I asked.
"Nothing, Sam and the pack is here, we miss you." Emily said. I walked down the street and a pervert in a cab whistled at me. I rolled up my top lip in disgust and told everyone I missed them too.
"Well, I'll see you all tomorrow." I said, "My flight leaves noon and I'll get in around three thirty, four."
"Why don't we catch up and do a dinner, I'll get all the girls and we can have a girls night."
"Sounds nice." I smirked. "I've got a mani - pedi later this afternoon so don't put me down on your list to spend money on."
I heard someone asked. "Bella spend money on her nails?"
"Won't it chip Bell?" Emily asked.
"No, it's those gel nails, they are almost mandatory for work so I've just kept them on this summer."
"Alright, I'll just book you for a massage as we get the nails done."
"We can get them for Charlie's wedding; I'll need to get them filled before that wedding." I said. Charlie's wedding was July 18th and I wasn't leaving Washington until the first of August.
I walked up to the gate of the Masen estate and I walked in the gate that was unlocked and shut it behind me. I continued to talk to Emily about what was going on and she said that she would talk to Charlie about having her pick me up so we could go right to dinner from the airport and I would find out tomorrow on who was picking me up.
"Oh Bell, Jake's here, he said he called your house but you didn't answer." She said.
"Yeah, tell him I got the message and we will talk later."
"Bella, how long are you staying in Washington?" I heard Jake's voice say after static. I had just walked in the door and Edward's hands had just wrapped themselves around my waist and I jumped.
"Until August 1st Jake, but I'm not wasting my time taking you home drunk, I am there for Emily and Sam, then Charlie and Sue." I said; Edward was kissing my neck from behind and was kissing my neck
"No, I know you're not, I've quit." Jake said. "It's nice to hear your voice again."
"Yeah Jake, I've got to go, we'll do breakfast or something." I said and hung up.
"You are bad!" I said and I walked out of his grip. "You scared me and then you had to kiss me while I was on the phone with my ex."
"Sorry." He muttered, his face was smug and he wasn't. He was wearing a pair of torn up jeans and a tight fitted polo shirt that showed off his muscles.
I took a sip of coffee and it was lukewarm and not as hot as I wanted it. I put it in the microwave and turned toward the bag of food while I talked to Edward. "Where are your parents?" I asked.
"Not here, they are hunting." Edward said. "I hunted before I came to Chicago."
"Do you know when they will be home?"
"Mom told me to reassure you that she didn't forget about your medi-pani or whatever." Edward said.
"Mani-pedi?" I asked with a laugh as I ate my toasted bagel with cream cheese.
"That's it." Edward chuckled and he moved into the living room where the couch and television was and the piano. He sat down at the piano and played a song I hadn't heard before.
I walked over with my coffee has I had just finished my bagel and sat down next to him. "Is that new?" I asked as I set the coffee on a coaster on top of the piano.
"Yes, I was working on it while I was in Alaska." Edward said. "Or at least whenever I came home."
"Oh right, you said something about being in South America a lot." I said and grabbed my coffee. He played the same notes over and over again. I played a little piano, but not much, maybe I could help. Jared and Rach taught me a few keys when I first started hanging out with them.
Edward played it again and then stopped I put my hands to the keys and pushed on the ivory keys adding a few notes that sounded pretty good. "You never ever told me you could play."
"I didn't know how when you were still around, my best friend and her boyfriend taught me."
"That went beautifully." He said. "Do you know anymore?" He asked.
I shook my head and he rested his long cool fingers on mine and started to teach me.
Edward and I finished his song he was working on by the time Edward and Elizabeth got back. "Bella, are you ready to go?" Elizabeth asked.
I smiled looking up from the piano, "Yeah, I'll be right there." I said with a smile and as I got up Edward grabbed my hand and pulled me back down to the bench and kissed me softly.
I blushed, "Come over tonight, I need to ask you a few things." I said.
He nodded and I walked away to go with Elizabeth to the nail salon.
Elizabeth dropped me off at my building and I thanked for the afternoon of shopping and nails. The bell hop person came out and helped me with my bags to my door. I got to the apartment door and there was Edward just kind of chilling by the door. "How long have you been waiting?" I asked as he took the bags from the bell hop.
"Not long." He asked shutting the door behind him with his foot. "What did you need to talk to me about?" I was in the hall closet grabbing my suitcases when he asked it and saw me come into the living room with the suitcases in hand. "Are you leaving?"
"Yeah, I'm going back to Forks."
"For good?" He asked starting to panic. I laughed at him, "Bell, what's going on?"
"Dude, calm down, I have weddings to attend." I said. "Charlie's getting married along with Sam and Emily."
"Charlie?" Edward asked shocked.
"Yeah he and Sue are getting married."
"Wow, congrats to him and Sue." Edward said shaking off the worry.
As I started to transfer clothes from the bags to the suitcase Edward was talking about a trip we could take when I came back. "Edward, I can't afford to continue eating with a roof over my head with the amount of money I am spending on this trip and the shopping that I do and still take a small vacation with you, as much as I want to." I said.
"Who said you were paying for it." Edward smirked. I just shook my head.
"I'm not letting you pay for me." I said. "Maybe next summer."
"We can talk about it later." Edward said following me into my room as I was getting things from my bathroom packing them in a small duffle bag.
"Before I forget about what I wanted to talk to you about, are you staying here?" I asked.
"I don't know, I was thinking about going back to Denali to tell my family the good news." Edward said.
"Well, would you be able to live here?" I asked. "I need someone living here with the amount of time I will be gone." I said.
"Sure, I'll stay here." Edward said, "Maybe instead of going right back here you could go meet me in Denali."
"No." I said, "Edward, I make a very good salary, but it's not that good with all these travel expenses." I said, I felt like a broken record just repeating myself to him.
"You could pay me back." Edward said. "If it really bugs you that much, I'll charge interest."
"No." I said firmly. "Charlie has money if I really, really need it. I am not taking advantage of him for going on trips like the money is nothing."
Edward huffed and picked up a picture that was on my bed stand. "Where did you get this?" He asked. It was the picture of him in 1918 playing the piano.
"Where do you think I got it from?" I smirked. "Google?"
Edward frowned at my sarcasm and set it back down, "How did you get your stuff back?" He asked noticing the things from my 18th birthday, the pictures hanging on the wall. I had put them up after Christmas, maybe Valentine's Day.
"I moved into a new house, new owners put in new floors to the old house and figured I might want the things they found." I said simply.
I finished packing eventually and Edward and I lay on my bed just cuddling and watching a bit of television but mostly talking and kissing. I fell asleep in his arms that night and it was the perfect end to a perfect day.
