Chapter 7 - Questions
I'd spent the rest of the morning getting ready for work in a tizzy and by the time I actually got there I was mentally strung out and done for. When it came to my job I tried my best to look as polished as possible. Sure, I wasn't working some fancy corporate gig, but banks are typically professional work environments and who knows, maybe I wanted to move up in the company - even if it wasn't my dream job. Actually no, who was I trying to fool? Looking professional made me feel better since I wasn't accomplishing any of my actual goals in life. They say dress for the job you want and not for the job you have, and today I apparently wanted a job as an overworked, erratic, sleep deprived, nonsensical woman raising four children that were extremely difficult to handle.
Was this really the case? No, not even close. I am a single twenty-two-year-old that has never had a real serious romantic relationship with anyone. Although there was that one time when I was seventeen with my best friend, but we don't really talk about that.
Needless to say my coworkers let me be for the day.
When I finally got home, I noticed the lights on in my favorite neighbor's apartment. Perfect time to return the cell phone that sat idly on the kitchen counter. I may or may not have spent my morning debating on whether or not to return the device to his doorstep while he was out. I settled on waiting until he was home for certain. That way we could actually talk about this morning and figure out why it transpired the way it did. I gathered up my courage and made my way to his door. I knocked three distinct times and stood there waiting. After a moment I knocked again, hoping he'd answer this time. I finally gave up and returned home, I guess I would have to wait a little later before trying again.
I made a stop at the Chinese restaurant a couple blocks south and picked up some dinner. The last thing you want to do on a warm summer day is use an oven or a stove. The local evening news kept me company as I sat on the sofa and picked at the broccoli beef and rice I'd mixed together in a bowl. It was nice to finally be home after a rather mentally taxing day. My mind kept replaying this morning's events over and over, exciting and tormenting me all at the same time. He kissed me. He actually kissed me first. I wanted it to happen again and somewhere deep down hoped it would. I was almost desperate to feel his hands on my flesh, to feel his fingertips grazing against my most intimate places. Even the sheer thought made me feel warmer inside.
The phone ringing on my coffee table broke my reverie. "Jessica" flashed across the screen with a picture of a beautiful girl with long light brown hair and piercing blue eyes with a gorgeous white smile. My stomach turned and I sat motionless until it ended. It didn't take long for her to call back and try again. I debated answering and letting her know, whoever she was, that Edward hadn't had his phone all day. But, that would be a violation of his privacy and even with everything that transpired this morning and my complete confusion, I couldn't do that. It chirped as it received a text. "Pick up your fucking phone! Stop making me be the bad guy here, this isn't my..." flashed across the screen in an alert before it cut off and hid the rest of the message. Seconds later the phone began to ring yet again. I sat there frozen, the inner debate eating at me. Something caught my attention out of my peripheral vision and I saw the familiar figure moving around in the apartment across from mine. I put the bowl of partially eaten food down, slung my purse over my shoulder, and grabbed the phone off the table just as it stopped ringing and was out of my home in moments. Another text came in as I exited the building, "For fuck's sake, Edward...if I have to hear this girl cry because of you one more time I swear to God I will chop your..." I climbed the stairs to the third floor faster than I ever have before, needing to get this device out of my presence. It started to ring for a fourth time. My patience and integrity were starting to wear thin and I couldn't risk having it in my possession any longer.
I knocked, praying he was going to answer since he was finally home. I waited a minute before trying again. I heard scuffling on the other side of the door and then silence. It didn't take much for me to get the memo that he wasn't going to answer. My emotions were starting to get the better of me. I had clearly done something wrong this morning. He kissed me though. He started it all! First the tickling and the teasing, then he actually leaned down to kiss me. I didn't pull him toward me first, I didn't pucker my lips and stand on the tips of my toes to reach him. I hadn't initiated it and hadn't done a damn thing wrong.
I knocked again, "Edward, I have your phone for you." Once again there was nothing. He really wasn't going to answer. When the phone began to buzz and ring again I started pounding on the door, "I know you're in there!"
The more time I spent trying to beat down the metal door, the more foolish I felt. I dug through my purse and found a piece of paper and a pen. I jotted down a note before folding the paper in half and setting it on the floor in front of the door with his cell phone on top.
"Since you're clearly not going to answer, I'm leaving it out here for you, asshole!" I shouted into the door for good measure and descended down the stairs as quickly as possible.
As I made my way down the stairs, I heard a door open and a second later a deep chuckle before the door closed. He'd waited until I was gone to open the door and he must have read my brief note before going back inside. Maybe I shouldn't have been quite so hasty about the whole thing, but sometimes my emotions got the better of me. Not one of my finer qualities.
When I returned home, I noticed all of his blinds were closed and the lights off. If he had left before I got back, I would have surely seen him.
He's hiding from you, you must have repulsed him.
A couple of days had gone by and Edward was still avoiding me. I couldn't figure out what I did to ruin our friendship and it was driving me crazy. I delved into my work and got lost in the distraction when I was there, welcoming the change of thought it brought. Unfortunately, I found no reprieve at home. It wasn't like me to think about about a guy this much and the last and only other time I had turned into a disaster. This was bound to go in the same general direction, I needed to put my feelings in check and snap back to reality. I always functioned better on my own and didn't need a man to make me feel complete. Besides, we only had one little moment. Before that kiss we were friends and nothing more, the way it was supposed to be.
My phone went off and I went into the kitchen to retrieve it, a text from Alice greeted me once I unlocked the screen, "We're going out tonight and you're coming with us. End of story."
I smiled. She must have known I needed to get out of this place.
Rosalie and Alice sat at a corner booth in one of our favorite little pubs. The place was a hole in the wall in the heart of downtown. The dim lighting made for a cozy and intimate feel. I slid in next to Rose and smiled at the two of them.
"I feel like I haven't seen you guys in ages," I sighed.
Rose pursed her lips and continued to look at the menu in her hands.
Alice fidgeted with her hands in her lap, "Yeah, it does feel that way, doesn't it?"
The waitress came by and took our orders moments later. After the brief interruption things still didn't feel quite normal.
"Okay," I broke the silence, needing to address what was happening, "what is going on?"
"What do you mean?" Alice asked.
"Alice, you can't stop fidgeting under the table and Rose, you haven't looked at me once since I arrived. What's up with you two?"
They looked at one another for a moment before Alice responded, "How have you been doing the past few days?"
"I'm fine. I've been fine."
"Oh cut the crap," Rose chimed in. "You haven't been yourself at all. You've been very quiet and withdrawn."
I looked over at her, "Rosalie, I am very quiet and withdrawn. You two are the loudmouths."
Alice burst into a fit of giggles, "Ooh she got you there! I told you she was fine."
Rose just rolled her eyes and I smiled. I didn't want to talk about my petty issues with my friends. As far as they knew, Edward was just my neighbor that saved me during the robbery and nothing more. Which was true, we were nothing more than friends.
You're probably not even friends anymore since he's ignoring your existence.
That little, nagging voice inside my head had grown a lot louder and ruder in the past week.
"How's everything with your men?" I asked, wanting to change the subject from me as quickly as possible.
The waitress returned with our food as soon as Alice started going on about Jasper and how great he's been. I picked at the french fries in front of me while she yammered on about how he stayed over at her place for the first time a week ago and how they've finally moved from dating to being in a committed relationship.
"You're being awfully quiet over there, how are you and Emmet doing?" Alice asked after a few minutes of silence.
Our blonde friend sat quietly while she moved food around on her plate. She wasn't acting like her usual self.
"Is everything okay?"
She looked up from the table and her gaze went from Alice to mine a couple of times before she spoke, "Emmet has been acting really weird and distant lately. I don't know what's going on with him. We talked about moving in together a few weeks ago and we seemed to be on the same page that I'd be moving into his place, but he hasn't brought it up since and whenever I hint at it he changes the subject. What if he doesn't want me to live with him? What if he doesn't love me anymore?"
"That can't be it at all. You two have been together for almost two years now. He loves you! How could he not?" Alice comforted.
I put my hand on her shoulder, "You're an amazing woman. Just give him a little space and let him come to you, maybe something is wrong."
I could see her fighting back tears as she nodded, "Yeah, I'll just give him some space."
The night didn't go on much longer and an hour later I was walking in the front door of my dark apartment. As I flipped on the overhead light in the living room something caught my eye. Edward sat on his sofa, his gaze wandering around the walls of his home. Just as his eyes found me, the slight grin on his face faded. We stared at one another for a second before something I couldn't see grabbed his attention and he was getting to his feet and disappearing into the dark hallway. I kicked off my shoes and closed the blinds before making my way to my bedroom. It seemed like a good night to curl up in bed, read one of my favorite books, and imagine myself as Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Before I flipped the light on in my bedroom I saw Edward again, only this time he wasn't alone. I couldn't see any details of the person in the room with him, but I noticed a distinct female silhouette as he opened his dresser drawers and pulled out some clothes and handed them to the mystery woman with a smile on his face.
I quickly made my way over to the window and pulled the curtains closed as quickly as possible while my stomach may or may not have hit the floor.
Hello Lovelies! I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry that I disappeared for quite some time.
Life has been pretty hectic here but now I've finally settled in to our new home.
The husband and I made that huge move to Europe and now that we've got everything together, this story should be coming along now.
I can't apologize enough for how long I've made you all wait for this chapter.
Tonight, I am going to get started on the next one and hopefully have that posted within a week or two.
Don't give up on this story!
I am considering making the chapters longer. Let me if you think I should do that or keep them short like this.
