All publicly recognised characters are the property of Stephanie Meyer; I've just fiddled about with them a little bit. All songs referenced are the property of the original songwriters. I don't own these things; however I do own a large mountain of ironing that I never seem to get to the bottom of!
My thanks go to momma2fan for providing beta'ing this chapter for me, and to everyone who has read and reviewed my little story so far. Special shout for this chapter goes to Rinnie1215 who left me some amazing feedback a couple of days ago.
This one felt like a bit of a filler when I finished it, but after I read through it again my view changed. There were things that I wanted to be covered and some seeds that needed planting and this was the best way for me to get them out there. There's not a huge amount of dialogue, but some more insight into Bella and Edward's minds so I hope you guys like it.
CHAPTER 7:
Take these Broken Wings
And learn to fly again, learn to live so free
When we hear the voices sing
The book of love will open up and let us in
Take these Broken Wings
Broken Wings by Mr Mister
BPOV:
I'd made it to the end of the working week with minimal contact with James. Since he'd returned to the office I'd deliberately steered clear of the Acquisitions department and thankfully there hadn't been any meetings where he'd been in attendance. After my dinner with Edward on Monday I was practically floating on air, and the last thing I wanted was a run in with James to sour my mood.
Kate and I had been working together to get me up to speed on reviewing manuscripts and I'd also gone to her with a suggestion of who could replace me as her assistant. The role had been advertised internally and I'd encouraged Angela to apply for it when we'd had an early dinner on Tuesday. She hated working in Acquisitions and the more James harassed me, the more she wanted to be away from him. Lauren had also applied, however her desire for the role was merely to use it as a stepping stone till she could snag an Assistant's role with one of the Executive team and Kate knew this, so I'd been delighted when Kate offered the position to Angela this morning.
Tonight we were celebrating with a movie at my place. I'd fixed a rather large jug of Cosmopolitan cocktail which was now chilling in the fridge, Angela was bringing the pizza so we were all set for a girl's night in where we could set the world to rights, watch a couple of movies and chill.
While I was waiting for Angela to arrive, I sat at the counter in my kitchen with a mug of coffee thinking about what I was going to cook for Edward tomorrow night when he came over.
Oh Edward, Edward, Edward…just thinking his name makes me want to swoon. After our dinner on Monday and 'that kiss' I'd found myself craving to be in his presence more and more.
He was definitely not what I'd expected him to be when I first met him. His brooding looks, angular set jaw, pouty lips and mop of what can only be described as 'freshly fucked' hair mixed with the tattoos gave him that edgy bad boy feel. Yet he was strong and sure in his actions, almost powerful in the way he carried himself, but with an underlying gentleness which showed whenever he touched me.
On Wednesday Edward had been meeting with the Head of Acquisitions at Hunter to do with some author contracts so he'd asked if I wanted to grab a sandwich once he was done. I had been worried that he might see James while he was in the building but thankfully Edward had been holed up in the boardroom all morning and James had gone off-site to meet with a potential new signing so any issue was avoided.
Edward was waiting for me outside the deli across the street from my office, leaning lazily against the wall looking ridiculously handsome in his black tailored suit, crisp white shirt and black skinny tie. We snagged a booth and shared a ham and Swiss sub. I was sitting with one hand resting on the table and Edward inched his fingers towards mine before decisively twining our hands together, his thumb rubbing gently across my knuckles.
We talked about how our week was going; mine was surprisingly good due to the lack of James and the manuscripts that Kate and I had selected for me to get my teeth into. His week was not going so great, several of his cases were kicking his ass, though a new associate would be joining Edward's area of Masen Platt to help pick up some of the work and ease the pressure on him.
I marvelled at how easy it was to talk to Edward, how in sync we seemed to be in such a short space of time and how comfortable I was around him despite past experience having made me put walls up when it came to the opposite sex. Edward seemed to be rapidly chipping away at my defences and I was putting up no resistance to him.
As we talked, his gentle touches on my hand continued and I found myself leaning in to him, inhaling his scent and just absorbing the feeling of being close to him. Every so often he would press his lips to my temple, or near my ear. The lightest of pecks, the softest of kisses and they were driving me crazy. Ridiculously innocent to the outside world, but I was on fire and I suspect my blush was giving me away to the man sitting right next to me.
All too soon our lunch was finished and we parted outside the deli with a chaste kiss on the lips and a promise from Edward that we would see each other at the weekend. I had offered to cook for him on Saturday night, so he was providing the wine and a movie.
I was snapped out of my thoughts of Edward by the entry buzzer sounding. Angela had arrived which meant that I was a couple of minutes away from a few slices of thin crust cheese feast and some good old girly chat.
Dashing to the entrance of my apartment, I buzzed Angela in and put the door on the latch for her while I grabbed the plates, napkins and the Cosmo jug from the fridge to take through for our chick flick fest.
"Hey girlie, where are you hiding?" Angela called from the hallway.
"Kitchen, but heading for the lounge!" I yelled in response.
Angela wanders into my living room with a smile as big as the moon and a huge pizza box.
"One large cheese feast with mushroom, as requested my friend!" She winked at me as I stood there savoring the aroma, like Garfield would sniff the air whenever lasagne was being served up.
Snapping me out of my cheesy fungus induced trance Angela coughed loudly, "Ummm, would you and the pizza like to be alone? I'd hate to be the third wheel tonight."
"No it's okay" I grinned and joked, "It's a relationship that's doomed to fail, the damn thing is only good for dinner and a movie!"
"Damn girl you crack me up! I'll dish up while you get us set up with this evenings viewing pleasure. What did you decide this time?" She asked while grabbing the plates to serve the pizza.
It had been a tough choice because Angela and I had been going through a bit of a retro phase when it came to our movie nights. We usually decided on a theme for the evening and then the person who was hosting the get together would be in charge of choosing two films that fell under the category. Last time we'd been riding high from the new season of Grey's Anatomy starting so we'd gone with a "McDreamy – the early years" theme so Angela had chosen Can't Buy Me Love and Mobsters.
Tonight's theme was a bit cliché but after Angela had suggest the theme of "80s tough guys with a soft side" while we were having dinner during the week I was up for a challenge.
"Well, I think you'll be happy with our viewing choices for this evening. How does a little Johnny Castle and a bit of Dalton sound?"
"I'm with you on the first one honey, it's a classic, but you lost me with the last one I'm afraid." Angela looked at me somewhat clueless.
"Oh Angela, you poor sheltered thing, we're having a Swayze double header with the ultimate chick flick and the classic that is Roadhouse!" I waved the DVD cases in front of her.
"Well now you've explained it, you'll be getting no complaints from me. Double Patrick sans shirt, bring it on girl!" She giggled.
I popped Roadhouse in the DVD player and settled on the couch next to Angela as she passed me a plate with my pizza.
"Oh baby, come to mama!" I crooned as I brought the first slice up to my mouth, openly salivating with hunger. To the side of me, Angela collapsed in hysterics at my blatant flirting with our dinner.
"Do I need to tell Edward that he's got some competition?" She asked through her laughter.
Oh, she had to mention my own personal kryptonite. When we'd had dinner earlier in the week I'd told Angela about what had been developing between me and Edward. I was falling for him fast and hard; but that at the same time I was scared of letting him in completely.
I smiled to myself at the thought of my wonderful bronze haired, handsome angel
"So everything is going well I take it?" Angela asked with a knowing smile.
"Very," I agreed before taking another bite out of my pizza slice.
"So have you told him everything about James and why he bothers you so much?"
I sighed and shook my head slightly. While we'd had a few short discussions about James and what had happened, we hadn't talked in depth about it. I was reluctant to reveal too much just yet because we hadn't placed a label on what was going on between us. I wanted us to be on completely the same page with regards to what our 'relationship' was before I told him more about my past dating history and why I was so leery of someone like James.
Allowing Edward to see the real me was not something that I had a huge problem with, but we'd only been seeing each other for a week and only known each other for just over two, we'd not quite made it to the 'you show me yours and I'll show you mine' stage . Yes we'd had our little question and answer session at the book store and I'd been completely honest with him. It's just that I don't have a great track record with men if I'm honest, nor do I have a huge amount of experience with them. I have no idea if telling Edward more about me will send him running for the hills or not.
That said, just because I have limited experience, doesn't mean I don't know what I want and Edward is exactly that. The fire that I feel whenever he's touched me leaves me burning for hours. It's so bad I think I might spontaneously combust with need.
Ridiculous I know seeing as we've only just met, but I find myself drawn to him like someone's switched on this huge electro-magnet and I'm made of iron. I can't stop the pull.
"I know I'm going to have to tell him Ange, but now isn't the right time. We're just figuring out what this is between us. If it's going to be something to hold on to, which I hope it is; then I will tell him everything. Can you blame me for avoiding bringing Paul or my mother into the picture so early? He doesn't deserve that…nobody does," I grimace.
Angela chuckled at the mention of Renee, "Say no more. Now let's get this party started and pour me some boozy pink drink missy!"
An hour later we were well on our way to being blitzed, had drooled and dribbled all over my couch because of Patrick's magnificent shoulders, not to mention his brooding, tortured hard guy persona.
"Oh my gosh, I totally forgot to tell you. Mike asked Jessica out on a date!" Angela squealed. Alcohol turns her into such a girly gossip, but its great entertainment.
"Oh wow, that's fantastic. He's a nice guy, and when she's not with Lauren, she's a great girl. I think they'll make a cute couple," I commented with a smile. "I bet Lauren had something to say about it."
"Oh there's plenty that one had to say in the office today. She's fit to be tied because Kate didn't choose her for your old role, and then Jess told her she was going out for dinner with Mike tonight," she giggled.
"So she had no partner in crime to help her bitch about the injustices of this world, and how she could do the job so much better than anyone else that Kate picked including me or you?" I added drily.
"Indeed," was all Angela said, giving me a wry look. We both collapsed on the sofa in fits of giggles. It really was ridiculous how Lauren behaved in the office. She waltzed around like she was top dog and that she was better than anyone else who worked in a support role. Basically she was a social climber who had designs on getting to the top with the least amount of effort to do it, and screw anyone that she had to step on to get there.
Kate knew what she was like, which was the main reason she didn't want her to replace me. She's determined to worm her way into the Executive's Office, and I doubt that it will be hard work that gets her there. Offering the role to Angela had been a no brainer, and come Monday I would officially be a Junior Editor and I couldn't wait.
"So how long before she sets her eyes on the space in Acquisitions?" I mused.
"Good question, but in all honesty do we really care?" She bounced back.
"True. Now you might want a tissue in a moment because it's about to get sad," I said, nodding towards the screen. Our leading man had just arrived back at the bar to find his mentor played by Sam Elliott lying dead on the bar with a knife stuck in his chest. I loved the old guy in this film, such a charmer and a loveable old rogue. A true gentleman, and when he died in this film I always blubbed like a baby.
It was nearly midnight by the time the end credits rolled on Dirty Dancing, and Angela was sparked out on my couch in a Cosmo induced coma, snoring like a freight train and occasionally mumbling about having the time of her life. Not having the heart to wake her, I grabbed a couple of blankets from the linen closet and covered her up as best as I could before turning the lights out and heading to bed.
After completing my nightly routine in the bathroom, I stripped out of my clothes and pulled on my favourite pair of pink and gray plaid flannel pajamas and climbed under the covers. I picked up my phone from the nightstand and noticed a text from Edward.
Hey there, just checking we're still on for tomorrow night? Emm roped me in to help out at Eclipse tonight - the place isn't the same without you! E xx
I let out a little sigh; I'd missed him tonight too. More than I realised, and I couldn't wait to see him tomorrow either. I decided to fire a reply back to him and hope that he was on a break.
Of course we're still on. You like pasta right? Hope your shift hasn't been too busy or as dramatic as the one where we met! B xx
I lay back on the pillows smiling to myself. As bad as that night had been, Edward was the shining light in all of it, and everything since then had been beyond what I could have hoped for. I hadn't felt this good about something since the day I was offered a permanent job at Hunter having spent 12 months as a floating temp administrator. I'd initially gone into the company as temporary cover for secretary who supported Alistair Hunter's assistant who was out sick. When the secretary returned to work, Alistair's assistant suggested that they keep me on because I picked things up quickly and my degree was relevant to their business. The day Kate's assistant resigned, Alistair had personally offered me the role and I'd just about bitten his hand off to accept. Since that day I'd worked my butt off to prove I'd got what it takes to succeed in the Editorial department.
I was just starting to doze off when my phone dinged. Edward had responded!
It's been pretty quiet BBG, and while the night we met was somewhat lively, I'd take any amount of drama as long as it led me to you. I love pasta and I'll see you at 7pm sharp! E xxx
Sleep eventually claimed me as I drifted off with a smile the size of the Grand Canyon on my face and my cell phone in my hand.
EPOV:
After a wonderful evening with Bella celebrating her good news and the most phenomenal kiss I think I'd ever experienced I was floating about like a fool who had been shot in the ass by cupid. Every time I thought about tasting her perfect, plump, pouty mouth, my lips began to tingle. Never before had I felt like this– and let me tell you, I'd had more than my fair share of kisses from women. Even during my college years when I thought I was in love with her, those kisses had never made me feel like this.
I walked into work on Tuesday with a spring in my step and a smirk on my face. I was determined nobody would be able to ruin my good mood. The junior associates looked at me like I was crazy when I wandered into the library whistling to myself as I handed out research assignments for a couple of cases that I'd picked up. Siobhan had given me shit for behaving like a lovesick fool, but deep down I could tell that she was glad to see me with something to smile about.
Life around Masen Platt was about to start getting even better too. I'd joined the firm fresh out of Law School and hadn't looked back. My speciality was Corporate Law, but as more harassment and unfair dismissal cases came our way, it soon became evident that it was my real niche. Garrett and Caius were keen for me to build it up into a specialist area for the firm, and given that there was a lot of change coming within the firm I was more than happy to do it. The one thing I didn't want to be accused of was riding on the coat tails of family reputation or having my successes handed to me due to nepotism which was the rumble that had been going around the firm for the last year based on how close Garrett and I are.
I'd worked damned hard for the firm and they'd nurtured and encouraged my talent exactly how I wanted, but there were those who questioned why I was still only a Senior Associate and this was something that Eleazar Denali had picked up on about a year ago when he started coming after me to join him. He was offering me what he considered the deal of a lifetime, but I knew exactly what kind of game he played with his firm. Old Eli liked nothing more than to gather trophies for his firm, but they were very rarely rewarded with making it to Partner level. In fact he ran his firm in a very odd way because those who he referred to as Partner level had no actual stake in the business; they just got a share in the profits if they billed a certain amount over the year. He was determined to keep the firm in the family, so the only true Partner was his daughter Irina.
If he thought that the lure of joining his firm and becoming a Partner by marrying the parasite also known as Tanya would be enough to sustain me for the rest of my days then he was sorely mistaken.
Hell no, in the next few months I was going to show everyone exactly who I was, what my role meant to the future of the firm and what I was capable of doing for Masen Platt, and it would all start on Monday with the arrival of our newest hire.
Wednesday was a great day for me too; I'd been over to Hunter Publishing for a meeting with Acquisitions about author contracts. This meant I could take Bella for a quick lunch and the deli across the street from her office was perfect for us to catch up on how our week was going. It also helped that we'd managed to snag a booth so I was able to be as close to her as possible. I'd craved her touch since Monday night, so it just felt right for me to hold her hand or pepper the side of her head with gentle kisses shared our lunch.
During the Senior Associates meeting on Thursday afternoon it had been announced that Ben Cheney would be joining Masen Platt from Denali Law the following Monday to work with me. I'd known about the plan for the last couple of months, as Garrett and I had been courting him to jump ship. Like so many other Denali employees, I'd heard Ben had become less than enamoured with some of old man Denali's business practices, and the types of cases he was pushing his staff to take on.
Ben had been the year below me at Harvard and I'd heard great things about him on campus, but couldn't for the life of me fathom why he'd joined Eleazar's firm a couple of years after he graduated. It turned out that Ben had been working in New York, but then his father had died of a heart attack and Ben moved home to help his mother out. He applied to Masen Platt at the time but we weren't hiring at his level, so he'd had to go where the money was, which meant selling his soul to Denali in favor of keeping a roof over his younger brother and sister's heads.
Several years later, Ben was working himself into the ground with the kind of slippery customers that I went up against in harassment cases and he was no closer to making partner. I'd run into him at a legal conference and we'd reconnected over a twelve year old bottle of Macallan where the idea of getting him to join me to build up a specialist team had started to formulate in a slightly alcoholic haze. Garrett &and Caius immediately jumped on the idea and within a week Ben had handed his notice in, and he'd been on gardening leave since Denali found out he was joining Masen Platt, deliberately holding him to his full notice period, unlike a lot of firms who would have just paid him in lieu and shoved him out the door.
Denali hated to lose so he'd deliberately made things difficult for Ben and for us, but he would soon learn that he would never win against me or the firm, no matter what stunts he tried to pull.
Work had been so busy this week that I'd had to cancel dinner plans with Carlisle and Esme on Thursday night which led to questions from Esme about whether I was working myself too hard and if I was eating properly. I resisted the urge to tell her that I was a grown man and could look after myself, and instead let her fuss over me down the phone line like the wonderful mother that she is.
Friday saw me up to my neck in more depositions relating to Emily's case which was still going nowhere fast. By the time I stopped for breath and looked at the clock it was already gone 2pm and I'd been hard at it for nearly four hours without a break. Standing up from my desk and stretching like a cat, I was about to grab my wallet and go grab a sandwich when my door opened and in strode Esme, in the cream cashmere coat I'd bought her for Christmas last year, chestnut hair swept up in some sort of twisty thing, looking every bit the society woman that she was – without any of the snide, calculating demeanour I might add. Hanging from her right arm was a small wicker picnic basket and tucked elegantly under her left arm was the Gucci clutch bag that Alice brought back from her last trip to New York.
Hey, I pay attention to nice things. If I didn't Alice would disown me. It doesn't mean I'm surrendering my man card no matter what Emmett claims!
"Edward, I thought if Mohammed won't come to the mountain then the mountain had better haul ass to Mohammed and make sure he gets fed properly!" She greeted me with a warm smile.
For a brief moment I was lost for words as hurricane Esme took charge with full effect, neatly piling my case files to one side of my desk and carefully laying out a small linen tablecloth before placing two china plates and glass tumblers.
"E...E…Esme, what are you doing?" I sputtered out feeling utterly confused.
"Shush boy, I spoke to Garrett this morning and he mentioned how bogged down you were with this case, and you weren't likely to be coming up for air anytime soon. I was in the area so I thought I would bring you a spot of lunch!" She beamed back at me, her eyes twinkling with glee at having sprung this on me.
She turned back to her basket and started to unload plastic containers and some linen napkins to finish the table setting off. Esme was the master of attention to detail, which was why she was always in charge of organising the Masen Platt Foundation gala each year, but her connections with Masen Platt went further than that.
Esme's maiden name was Platt and she's Garrett's sister. She is one of the firm's owners, although she no longer practices law. She gave that up the day my parents died, stating that Alice and I needed her more than any silly case she might be working on. The role of a soccer mom seemed to suit her perfectly, and it gave Esme more time to devote to the foundation which was hugely important to her. She still has her license to practice law and occasionally provides advisory services to the firm when needed, normally in cases relating to divorce and she does some pro-bono work on behalf of the firm at one of the women's shelters in Seattle who need advocacy services.
To say I am in awe of the woman that took on the role of my mother when I felt so lost and alone would be an understatement. I owe her and Carlisle so much for everything they've done for me and Alice, protecting us when we needed it the most and making it possible to shine in our own right without the ghosts of the past from being held over us.
While I always wanted to follow in my father's footsteps as a lawyer, I wanted to do it in my terms and at my pace. That was why I worked under the Cullen name and I was proud to do so, but that didn't mean I wasn't proud of where I had come from and soon enough the critics would be silenced.
I hadn't realised that I was still standing in the middle of my office, totally spaced out by what was going on around me. Esme shook me from my musings by playfully poking me in the side.
"Come on my dear boy, you need to eat, and I just happen to have your favourites waiting for you. Besides, I think you and I need to have a bit of a chat, don't you?" She said with a pointed look and an arched eyebrow. Oh shit, I was in trouble and I had no idea why.
Sitting back down in my leather chair, I looked in the first container and found crayfish and rocket on wholemeal bread rolls. I started to salivate at the thought, but quickly realised that the lovely, sweet woman on the other side of my desk clearly wanted something from me and she was using food to get it.
The smell of the sandwiches was winning and she knew she had me exactly where she wanted me.
"Please tell me they have your lemon and black pepper mayonnaise on them too Esme," I begged
"Of course they do dear, and for desert there's a batch of homemade brownies, but you only get them if you tell me who Bella is and why you haven't mentioned her to me or Carlisle yet?" She answered simply while smoothing her napkin over her lap before helping herself to a sandwich.
Oh Christ on a cracker, she'd gone straight for the jugular before I'd even managed to swallow the first mouthful of yummy seafood goodness in my sandwich. Trying not to choke on the bite I'd just taken, I tried valiantly to chew it quickly and swallow before answering Esme. All the while she was sitting on the opposite side of the desk delicately chewing away and giving me the biggest hairy eyeball I've ever seen her give any one of her children.
Taking a breath, I decide it's probably best to be honest with her, but if I was being taken down by Emmett, I was sure as hell going to deflect a little bit to save my own ass.
"Umm, she's someone I met a couple of weeks ago. I helped her out of a spot of trouble at Emm's bar the last time I worked for him." I explained carefully.
"And?"
The hairy eyeball was still in full effect and this was likely to get ugly very quickly unless I gave her more info.
"She's funny, beautiful and I enjoy spending time with her. We've been on a couple of dates since then and things appear to be going well." I blurt out while bringing my hands up to my hair in frustration. Emm had clearly sold me down the river because he knew I wasn't going to spill the beans to him about what was going on between me and Bella.
"Oh Edward, don't be like that. She's obviously gotten under your skin if you're not telling that big oaf anything. If it's any consolation, Emmett threw both you and Jasper under a bus because Carlisle caught him wolfing down half a Devil's Food Cake at the house on Tuesday when he got home from work. It was thirty minutes before I was due to serve dinner and the cake was for desert, so he was trying to take the heat off." She chuckled at the thought.
"Sounds about right, the big guy has always been ruled by his stomach, we're all just collateral damage to be used to save his neck when needed," I laughed out.
"Seriously though Edward, I can see a change in you already. There's a lightness to you that hasn't been there for a very long time. In fact I'd go as far as to say since that awful girl during university. You can't imagine how relieved I was when she showed her true colors and you were finally shot of her, but the less said about her the better. I suspect your Bella has everything to do with this lightness and long may it continue if she's got Emmett's seal of approval." She cajoled with a soft smile.
I knew what she meant, so I tried to explain to her everything that had been buzzing around my head over the last few days. "Bella, well, she's like nobody I've ever met before. She makes every other relationship or conquest pale into insignificance. It's like I can't see other women because she is everything I need. I've only known her for two weeks and that scares the crap out of me."
"Edward, you mustn't over think this, it's okay to feel this way about a woman. I know what happened in college left you unable to trust the motives of the opposite sex, but you've worked hard for your success and there's even more coming your way in the next few months. It's not wrong to want to have someone to share that with." She assured me.
I thought back to the last time I'd let a woman get under my skin. I'd felt so foolish when I'd discovered her duplicity, and the fear of ever feeling like that again was what pushed me to be so detached from the women I slept with after that. Eventually I voiced my biggest fear to Esme.
"What if she hurts me the way Tori did?" I asked my voice barely above a whisper.
"Pshh, a little bit of fear is healthy darling. Don't hold her at arm's length because some classless bimbo decided to not treasure your heart when you gave it to her. Please don't let yourself be lonely because of what that cold hearted bitch did to you Edward." She implored.
I knew what Esme was saying was the truth, and sat in quiet contemplation while I finished my sandwiches. Bella and I hadn't really defined what we were to each other because things were so new, but I wanted her to be mine and mine alone. I had this deep seated need to protect her from things and wanted to share everything about myself with her.
As though Esme could sense that I'd had an epiphany, she started to gather the picnic debris and put it back into the basket. She left me the box of brownies and made me promise to share them with Garrett and we parted with her giving me a kiss on the cheek and the fiercest of hugs as she whispered in my ear to 'stop letting the past rule my heart".
Later that afternoon I'd called Bella to suggest another date, she'd readily agreed and proposed that I join her for dinner at her apartment on Saturday evening. This worked well seeing as I ended up getting roped in to help out Emm at Eclipse again on Friday night. Bella was having a girl's night in with Angela her friend who worked at Hunter, they were celebrating Angela being offered Bella's old role.
Before I headed off to the bar I fired off a quick text to Bella confirming our plans for Saturday. I didn't expect an instant response seeing as she was with her friend.
Hey there, just checking we're still on for tomorrow night? Emm roped me in to help out at Eclipse tonight - the place isn't the same without you! E xx
It was nearly midnight when I finally got a proper break and was able to check my phone to see if she'd replied. There waiting for me was a message from Bella.
Of course we're still on. You like pasta right? Hope your shift hasn't been too busy or as dramatic as the one where we met! B xx
Silly, sweet girl. I'd take any amount of drama if it meant that I had the opportunity to know Bella. I smiled at her message and quickly hit reply before heading back to the bar for last call.
It's been pretty quiet BBG, and while the night we met was somewhat lively, I'd take any amount of drama as long as it led me to you. I love pasta and I'll see you at 7pm sharp! E xxx
It was nearly two in the morning when I finally crawled into my bed. Emmett had asked me to cash out the bar while him and Rose did a stock check. Stock check my ass, they were having a quickie in the store room as if the rest of the bar staff didn't know. At least it gave me ammunition the next time he tried to sell me out to Esme at least.
I quickly drifted off with thoughts of seeing my BBG later that day and I was thankful that I would be able to sleep late. The last thing I wanted was to fall asleep on her. Nope, that would not do at all. I wanted to be very awake for spending an evening with the wonderful Miss Swan; I had things I needed to tell her.
A/N So there you go. Esme has made an appearance – largely because I found it easier to give her a voice than Carlisle. Looks like Edward is pretty insecure when it comes to relationships – who would have thought eh? They've both got things they need to get out in the open and hopefully that will happen in the next chapter and I think they'll be on the same page by then.
Thank you so much for reading and as always your feedback and thoughts mean so much so please, please, please…read, review and recommend!
Till next time peeps!
Lou xx
