EPOV
CHAPTER SEVEN
I started tapping away at my computer to send an email back to Jenks. I could hear Alice enter and walk forward. They would have to wait a minute.
"Bella." Alice hissed.
My eyes snapped up and it was like a ghost floating toward me. Maybe I had too much scotch last night. She was here. In my office. Bella was here in my office. Our eyes locked with one another and I'm sure both of our faces showed equal amounts of shock.
"Bella?" I whispered.
Bella dropped whatever she was holding and suddenly turned and fled from the room. That snapped me out of it and I began to run after her like some kind of maniac shouting her name.
I tore out of my office doors surprised that I hadn't ripped them from the hinges and kept on after her. She didn't try for the elevator; she went straight for the stairwell. She had a bit of a head start on me but I was no longer my former un-athletic self.
"Bella. STOP!" I yelled at her but she continued to keep running down the stair well. Round and around we went. I was only one flight of stairs away when she looked back for just a second, missed the step and went flying into the concrete wall.
For a second I will admit I was a tad relieved. Fourteen hospital visits in nine years. This was my Bella. I kept moving to get to her as she slid down the concrete wall like a bug that just flew into a windshield.
"Bella. God, why didn't you stop?" I asked harshly.
She held onto her wrist which she used to stop her face from hitting the wall. I pulled her hand to me to examine it for myself while she sat there crying.
"Owww." She complained when I turned her wrist slightly.
"This never would have happened if you would have just stopped." I looked up to her face and it was in that moment I could see how drastically she had changed over the years. She looked like…death. Her eyes looked hollow. She looked frail almost as if that concrete wall should have killed her on impact. If possible she looked thinner then when I last saw her.
"What happened to you?" I didn't even think of the words as they left my mouth.
She looked immediately offended. "What the hell happened to you? Mr. Cullen." She said my named sarcastically, "Who the fuck is Edward Cullen?" She snapped.
"Cullen is my father's name. When I was in school I wanted to go by my mother's maiden name because my father was somewhat prominent in the area and I didn't want that attention."
Bella tried to pick herself up and like old times I went right into my role and helped her.
She breathed out and said, "Well…it's uh…been nice but I probably should be going."
"Are you out of your fucking mind? I haven't seen you in almost ten years; you're not going anywhere until we talk."
I just got her back; I'll be damned if I let her go.
"What would you and I have to talk about?" she asked.
"Bella…a lot." Was all I could think to say. "Besides you need to clean up. You scrapped those knees pretty bad and I could bandage up your wrist at least." I took ahold of her good hand and pulled her along out the stairwell door and decided to take the elevator back up. She had made it down three flights before I could reach her.
She didn't say anything as we rode up in the elevator. It felt surreal standing here next to my best friend, in the building I made. The elevator door pinged and opened for us.
Alice was at her desk on her cell phone and stood up the moment she saw us. She looked between us in shock.
"Mr. Cullen, I have a problem I need to discuss with you." Jessica with her irritating voice stepped in our path.
"No not, Jessica." I snapped and she recoiled. "Alice, hold my calls. We are not to be bothered."
I pulled Bella through my office doors and led her to the couch. "Sit there." I ordered.
She complied and took a seat. I went to my bathroom keeping an ear out; I doubt she would try to run but if she did I would stop her once more. I came back from the bathroom and saw her staring at the wall where my diplomas hung.
"You did it." She whispered. "You made it to Dartmouth."
"Yeah. I stuck to the plan." I retorted.
"Ugh, god would you shut up about that stupid plan. I didn't care where you went to college as long as you went. You could have gone to Harvard or if you truly wanted Stanford." She yelled.
"It wasn't a stupid plan; you just didn't have faith. All I ever wanted was to help make your dream come true but you left; so yeah I continued on and I became successful and rich and powerful and a lot of fucking good that did me since I lost the only thing I ever wanted."
I opened the alcohol and poured some on the cotton swab. I put my focus into cleaning her cuts as we both sat there and fumed.
"Why did you leave? I want the truth. I think that is the least you could give me." I said.
She sat there staring at my degrees. "Because I wanted this for you." She tried to control her tears. I could see them brimming. "I knew you could be successful and rich and powerful. I wanted that for you. Being friends with me…or whatever; it would have kept you from greatness and you deserved the opportunity to be great."
"Bella, I could have been great. What I am right now isn't that. You think that having all this makes me a great person. You're wrong." I paused. "I could have done everything I did with you by my side. I could have become something far better if you wouldn't have given up on me."
I continued to swab the skinned part of her knees. The cute little black dress pulled back just enough caused me flashbacks of those legs, once upon a time.
"So….architecture, huh? Just like the Oreos." she said after a moment breaking me from my silly childhood fantasies.
I had forgot about the Oreos.
"What did you think I was going to be?" I wondered.
"I'm not sure. A lawyer, maybe. You always did like to debate the shit out of things."
I smiled thinking back to those days.
"A lawyer? I thought you would at least want me to retain my soul." I teased.
"Maybe…some kind of politician. You always did excel at government."
"That's two things without a soul. Good to know that's what you wanted for me."
"I just didn't want to ruin your life." She snapped.
"Bella, you did." I looked back to her. "You think that I'm happy? You think that leaving me in the parking lot was really the best thing for me?"
She looked away and down at the couch.
"I did what I had to." She whispered.
"No. You did what you think you had to." I argued. "If you would have just given me a chance; I could have helped you. I would have done anything to help make it right. I'm an asshole because I took advantage of my friend when she was drunk. That's something that I have had to live with every single day of my life. I go back to that night all the time and I just keep thinking that if I hadn't given in then maybe we would have stayed friends. I fucked this up and it pisses me off." I yelled and violently threw the bottle of alcohol at the wall. It smashed into pieces.
Bella immediately covered her head like it was going to hit her. She started shaking and breathing harshly.
"Bella." I said softly reaching out to touch her lightly. She pulled back and looked up to me with fear in her eyes. "I'm sorry."
She kept looking around like she was trying to find an escape route.
"Bella, I'm sorry." I said once more and I slowly tried to sit down next to her. I managed to pull her to me. What was she scared of? I have never nor would I ever hurt her.
Fourteen hospital visits popped back up into my head. Oh god.
"Bella, I need to ask you something." Her shaking had slowed a little and her breathing was returning to normal.
"What happened? Why did you visit the hospital so often over the past nine years?"
She pulled back to look at me, "How did you know about that?"
"I…" I didn't know what to tell her.
"Edward, how did you know that about me?" She asked more forcefully.
"I…" Nope. Still nothing.
"Tell me." She demanded.
"I had someone look in on you." I snapped.
"Why would you do that?" she snapped back at me.
"Because I wanted to make sure you were okay. When you went missing a couple of days ago; I had one of my sources look into your past."
"How did you know I went missing? I didn't go missing. I just decided to leave."
"Bella, every couple of years I had someone check up on you. I had heard you were engaged which is why I left you alone. If you were happy; I didn't want to ruin that. But then when it came back that you left your fiancé a couple of days ago, I started to try to find you. I was worried about you. The hospital thing…it has me worried. I need to know. Did…did Jacob cause that?"
She looked at me searching for an answer.
"No. I'm…just…you know me." She tried to play it off but I had my answer and I would kill Jacob.
She knew that I saw through her lie. She had been just about as bad at lying as I was sometimes and she could read me well.
"Edward, its…nothing. Please…." She begged. "I…just want to forget about that life."
"Nothing?" I spit.
Man I wanted to fuck something up. Or someone.
"Please. I finally have a life…well somewhat. The past couple of days have been wonderful. I don't want to go back there. I just want to stay here. I have…friends…and a job…well I'm not sure about the job part anymore but please don't do anything. He can't know I'm here. God, please." She was getting hysterical.
"Bella, calm down. Stop it." I wasn't going to promise her that I wouldn't do something but I didn't want her having a panic attack. Just seeing what he had made her into, this frightened, trembling mess; it made me want to jump on my jet and make things right but I couldn't do that right now. She was far too fragile.
I held her to me until I could calm her down once more.
"Where have you been staying?" I asked.
"Um…a motel." She lied. Once again.
"Stop it. Just stop with the lying. I think I've had my share of it from you to last a lifetime."
"I have been staying with friends." She said softly. Still a lie but I would let it pass.
"Well, you can come stay with me now."
"Edward, I don't know if that's the best idea. I mean we haven't even seen each other for almost a decade. Besides I need to start looking for another job."
"Don't fancy working for me?" I lightly joked.
"I don't think it's appropriate. I imagine this could be the straw that broke Jessica's back out there."
"Screw her." I said. "Bella, if you aren't going to take me up on the offer to stay with me, would you at least consider keeping the job. Please. I…it's just been so long. Would you at least consider being my friend again?"
"I…never…wanted to stop being your friend but it…" she started.
"I know. It's what you thought was best for me but we can get into a much longer debate on that later. There are still things you and I need to talk about. But, I promise to release you from that discussion for now if you promise to come back tomorrow. I really want to show you what I have accomplished. I want to show you everything."
She smiled a little. "Okay. I will come back tomorrow but if I feel this isn't working out then…"
"Got it." I agreed. "Let me take you to lunch." I jumped up from the couch. Suddenly I felt like a teenager again and Los Angeles was my playground. I wanted to show Bella everything that this great city had to offer.
"Uh…I ripped my dress and I don't have anything else I could go out in." She looked down at her dress and I hadn't even noticed that she did in fact rip the side of her dress. Not enough were you could see anything but enough where you couldn't go into a restaurant like that.
"We can stop by a store. Or if you want I will send Alice out to buy you another."
"No. That's not right." She said.
Then I got a brilliant idea in my head.
"I've got it. Come." I held out my hand to her and she handed me the good hand. Crap. I had forgotten.
"Sit back down. Let me wrap that wrist first." I pulled up a chair and sat in front of her. I started to wrap up her wrist.
"So…why did you pick Los Angeles? Were…you sticking to the plan?" I couldn't help but tease her a little.
"Actually I was trying to go to Arizona but when I got to the bus depot in Port Angeles; they told me that there wouldn't be a bus leaving for another couple of hours. I needed to leave quickly so I literally took the first bus out and it just happened to be coming here."
"Well, I would just like to point out that fate stuck to the plan." I said slightly arrogant.
"Shut up, Masen." She said it just like she used to always say it.
"I mean…Cullen." She cringed a little, "I don't know if it has the same ring to it."
"Well, you can still call me Masen, if it makes you feel better." I said finishing up her bandage.
"I think I'm supposed to call you Mr. Cullen; that is until you get to know me better. According to Alice." She smiled slyly.
Hearing her call me Mr. Cullen made my body react in embarrassing ways.
"I think we can bypass the Mr. Cullen thing." I stood up and walked back over to my bathroom for the purpose of putting the first aid tools away but more to calm myself and readjust some things.
After all these years I still turned into a horny teenage boy when I was around her.
"Okay. I'm ready. Come on." I gestured for her to leave with me.
"Edward, I really can't go to some restaurant like this." She said nervously.
"Would you just trust me, Swan?" I took her hand and pulled her out my door.
"Alice, I'm taking Bella to lunch. We'll be back later."
"But…uh…" I couldn't believe that I had made Alice speechless. I don't think that has ever happened. Mentally, I gave myself a pat on the back.
We stepped into the elevator and proceeded to go down to the lobby. Seth had the car waiting on the curb all ready.
"Bella, this is Seth." I introduced. I didn't want to tell Bella what Seth's total job included. I would be happy to keep her in the dark for now.
"Hello." She gave a shy hello.
"How do you do." He replied opening the car door for us. I helped Bella in and then went around the other side to slide in.
"Where to, Sir."
"Take us to In & Out." I requested.
"What's In & Out?" Bella asked.
"Just wait." In & Out was a California staple. In fact I think it was illegal to live in California and not like In & Out. I pointed out different sights on our way to the hamburger joint. I knew that she hadn't seen much since she had only arrived a couple of days ago.
"So did you ever make it to Mann's Chinese Theatre?" she asked.
"Of course. I have seen many a movie there. I'll take you." I promised.
Bella had always wanted to go and see the most infamous theatre in all of the USA. She said it was the epitome of Hollywood and stars and movies and everything we used to love to debate when we would hold our movie marathons.
We pulled up to the In & Out drive thru and I ordered it to eat in the car. I didn't even ask what Bella wanted. I ordered for her. I probably should have ordered a four by four seeing how much weight she needed to gain. A four by four was four hamburger patties and four pieces of cheese; only once did I conquer it. But I didn't want her throwing up on me again.
"What are you smiling for, Mas…Cullen?" She gave me a sly look.
"You don't want to know." I shook my head with a small laugh.
"Cut it out." She demanded. "Tell me."
I always loved seeing her all riled up.
"Well, it just popped into my head…I was remembering the time we went to the movies and saw…"
She cut me off. "Don't even." She shook a finger at me and I couldn't hold it. I busted up laughing, seeing her scowl made me laugh even harder.
Seth handed us our food and we pulled into a parking spot nearby. Seth left to give us privacy, eating his food out on the benches.
"Stop laughing." She demanded. I sat there still unable to control myself as she lifted the burger to her mouth.
"I'm sorry but that guy….god that was the best shit ever."
"Ugh, just say it already and get it out of your system." She huffed.
At the beginning of our senior year, we went to see a movie and before we went into the theatre we had both just purchased two chocolate shakes. The man at the theatre said we couldn't take the shakes into the movie and we needed to finish them before we entered. There was only three minutes before the movie started and so stupidly I got the idea of having a contest to see who could drink their shake the fastest. Bella barely finished but I definitely beat her.
We were five minutes into the film when Bella leaned over and whispered how she wasn't feeling too well. I raised the arm between us and pulled her to me; resting her head on my shoulder. I tried to pet her as we continued to watch the movie but suddenly she couldn't help herself and she threw up in my lap.
The guy behind us leaned forward and said, "I paid to see The Grudge, not the exorcist."
I still couldn't help my laughing as I imitated that man again.
"God, I swear you're gonna put that on my tombstone." Bella scowled.
"It was funny and you know it." I teased.
"You keep making fun of me and I will barf on you in your fancy car." She threatened.
"My fancy car did nothing to you, Swan."
I swear it was like old times. In the course of just a few short hours my life finally had meaning again.
We finished up our lunch and Bella seemed to like the hamburger which she should.
"Why don't I take you to Mann's Theatre now? We could see a movie." I suggested.
"Uh…I can't. I promised my friend Rosalie that I would come to her meeting thing tonight."
I don't know why but hearing her call another person a friend made me upset. I was her friend.
"Why don't I drive you home?" I said solemnly.
"Well, I thought Seth drove you?" she smiled at me a little.
"Whatever." I shook my head. "Where are you staying?"
"You can just take me back to the office. Alice will take me home. I don't want to inconvenience you." She suggested.
"I already sent Alice and Jessica home for the day. See?" I held up my phone showing her my text to Alice. There was no point for them to stay. I wanted my time with Bella. I wouldn't waste the day working.
"Well, I could just catch a bus from here?" She said. I was losing patience with her; like the old days when she would try to fight me on everything.
"Bella, just tell me where you live. Why do you always have to be so damn frustrating?" I might have growled at her.
She looked at me and I already knew that look. She was pissed. She opened the car door and stepped out; leaving me. I scrambled out my side and ran around to chase her.
"Come on. I'm sorry. Would you stop?" I rushed to catch up with her.
"Just go home, Masen…or Edward or AHHHH" She screamed in frustration.
I jumped in front of her path, cutting her off.
"Like I said before. Call me whatever you want."
She walked around me and continued on.
"Stop. Please. I'll do anything." I begged.
She halted. "Anything?" she gave me that look and I suddenly regretted my words.
I sighed. "Anything."
"You know what to do." She folded her arms over her chest and waited. I couldn't believe what I was about to do. I was in the In & Out parking lot in a nine hundred-dollar suit.
"Mmm bop, ba duba dopBa du bop, ba duba dop. Mmm bop, ba duba dopBa du bop, ba duba dop. Yeah Yeah." I sang.
She started to smile and crack up.
"You still know the words." She taunted.
"Of course I do; you would sing that damn song and it would get in my head the rest of the damn day. Now would you please come back to the car? It's not safe for you to be walking around these parts when it gets late and with a dress already torn."
"Fine. But, don't yell at me." She pointed a strong finger at me.
I lead her back to the car and we got in.
"I live over on San Pedro and Fourth." She said.
"What? You have to be kidding me. That area is dangerous." I stated.
"Well, it's all I could afford so you can just bite your tongue like the old days."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
Seth started up the car and proceeded to drive us toward the bad part of town. It made me positively anxious knowing I was leaving her in this neighborhood.
"Really Edward? You don't think I didn't notice all your lunches you would try to feed me from. Always paying for movies back in the day. Every time I told you I couldn't afford something you would magically pop up with a lie and give me what I needed. I never said anything because it made me almost as uncomfortable as it made you to talk about how rich you were."
"You knew I was rich?" I asked dumbfounded.
She nodded her head giving me a duh look.
"How?"
"Well, your clothes for one. You always wore nice clothes. Your car. Even if it was just a Volvo it was still nicer than anyone else at our school drove. Your inability to understand how people like me couldn't afford hundred thousand dollar college educations." She shook her head and I sat there not being able to fathom her words.
She knew all along. God, I was an idiot.
We drove up to the front of her residence after Bella gave Seth instructions and I was seconds away from telling Seth to floor it to my house. There was a wooden sign out in front that had graffiti spray painted across the engraving of My Sister's Helper. The two stories old Victorian home stood out among the other buildings but it look dilapidated.
Bella, couldn't stay here. God, knows if this place was even safe. It probably needed to be fumigated. Scratch that, it should be condemned.
"Stop." She whispered.
"What?" I growled.
"I can see your face. Please just stop, Edward." She sighed. "I'll see you."
She turned to get out of the car.
"Wait." I said. "Please just…come home with me. You don't have to stay here."
She turned to me and placed a hand on my face; she gently caressed it. "It was really good to see you again, Edward."
She stepped out of the car and I got chills. I had a bad feeling. Something wasn't right. Was she going to run again?
I jumped out and walked with her.
"Just…why don't you show me around?" I asked trying to prolong my time with her.
She sighed, "I don't know if I'm allowed to."
"Well, if anyone has something to say then they can say it to my face." I replied.
"Please, I don't want to make waves. These people have been so kind to me and they took me in when I was condemned to spend my night out on the street during that horrible storm. I owe them."
"Fine, I'll be nice."
She opened the front door and there were a couple of people sitting in the living room area. The only one I recognized was Alice.
"Oh Bella, I've been worried." Alice said jumping up from the couch.
"What were you worried about? She was with me." I stated.
"Please don't speak to my wife like that. I don't care who you are, Mr. Cullen." A man defended Alice. This must be her husband.
"Honey, I got this." Alice placed a hand on her husband's shoulder.
"Edward, of course I was worried. I had no idea what the hell was going on between you two. All I know was one minute she was running to get away from you and then you brought her back telling me that you two weren't to be bothered. You two know each other?"
Bella nodded her head. "We…were best friends in high school."
"Bella, our meeting is starting soon. Are you still planning on attending?" A blonde woman who didn't have the good manners to introduce herself pushed into our conversation.
"Yes, Rosalie." The way Bella answered really irritated me. She sounded like some kind of servant.
"Edward, I will see you tomorrow." Bella turned to me and led me back toward the front door.
"Okay." I pulled out my wallet and a pen. I pulled a business card from it and scribbled my personal number on the back of it. "Please, call me if you need anything. I mean it Bella. Whatever you need."
She nodded and took the card. I looked at her one last time worried that I might never see her again. I couldn't allow that to happen. Down the steps I went and back to my car.
"Home, Sir?" Seth asked.
"Seth, I want you to stay here and keep an eye out. If you see Bella leave, follow her. Call me with updates and keep her safe."
I took the keys from him and Seth went to the trunk and pulled out some plain clothes.
I drove off leaving her and somehow I knew I would regret it.
AN: Hope that this helped! I know some of you were a tad anxious for the reuniting. Thank you for reading and reviewing. I updated Working Title last night just in case you missed it.
