Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight related. I own nothing but this little story.
A huge thank you to my team roniangel85, Daphodill and CaliGirlMon. Big shout out to Clancy Jane who helps me through my moments of panic. Thanks babe *mwah*
A huge thankyou to everyone who has read & rec'd my story! You can also find me on FB - Addictedto Fanfiction or my group - Addicted2... Little Miss Norty's Fic
**Warning** This chapter contains emotional abuse.
I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and Bella's reaction to meeting Edward ;)
BPOV
I head into work a little earlier on Monday morning. There are few things I want to catch up on that I didn't finish on Friday, which have worried me over the weekend. Leaving things incomplete is not my style and I feel awful that my duties for the week are only partly finished. I'm so engrossed in what I'm doing I don't hear the door open, but once I hear the clearing of a throat I look up into the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen. Doing a quick scan I take in the messiest of light brown hair that obviously hasn't been styled, but looks like he just stepped out of a salon. The man carries an air of confidence and authority that demands respect. His tailor made black pinstripe suit that fits him to perfection is topped off with a silver tie.
Never before have I had such an instant reaction to anyone, even Jake. My flesh tingles all over from the electricity in the air. My heart is racing and palms are slick with sweat. I swallow thickly, surprised at the sudden dryness of my mouth and throat. These feelings are completely foreign. Why am I feeling like this when I don't even know who he is? All this passes through my head in a matter of a second, before my brain kicks into work mode.
"Oh I'm sorry sir! I didn't hear you come in. Welcome to Lakami Industries, how may I help you?"
He doesn't answer me straight away. Just stares at me, seeming to be in some sort of trance. I start to wonder if there's something wrong with him, if he's 'all there' so to speak. He still has an odd look on his face and I'm starting to worry.
"Sir?" I ask again, looking closer at his face, trying to determine if he's ok.
"Oh sorry, you caught me daydreaming. You must be Bella. We've spoken on the phone. I'm Edward Cullen." No! No, no... just NO! There is no way in the world that this perfect specimen is Edward. I'm still incredibly pissed off with him. How am I going to act aloof now?
I am so fucked. There is absolutely no way in hell I can work with a man this incredible without making an absolute fool out of myself. No doubt he's bound to catch me ogling or drooling over him at some stage. Look up perfection in my dictionary— he's it.
Putting my best professional face on, I say, "It's nice to meet you Mr Cullen." Calm Bella, keep calm. Hold it together.
"Please, call me Edward, Bella." He says with a genuine smile on his face. Damn he's making it hard for me to be still angry with him when he looks like that.
"Edward then," I reply, unsure what to say next. He's still standing at the desk, looking like he wants to say something else. He opens and closes his mouth a couple of times, but nothing comes out. He finally shakes his head as if to rid himself of a thought, taps his knuckles twice on the desktop and says, "We'll it's nice to finally put a face to the voice. I better get to work."
"Yes, same here."
He turns and heads towards his office, messenger bag slung over his shoulder and one hand tucked into his suit pants. The action causes the back of his suit jacket to part and as I rise out of my seat a little I catch a glimpse of what appears to be a perfect ass. Lowering myself back onto my chair I sigh. There's no harm in looking right?
Not a minute later the girls walk in the door.
"Morning," they both say at the same time. Shaking my head I laugh at them. Sometimes you'd think they were twins.
"So I see Edward's car is here. Did you meet him?" Lauren asks. I'm sure she's checking to make sure there's no bloodshed.
Leaning over the desk, I lower my voice to speak to them both. "I did, but why didn't you both tell me he's freaking hot."
They both burst out laughing and Katie replies, "Yeah we know he's hot, but it's just Edward." They both walk off toward their desks. Hmmm a bit strange. He must be married or gay then. Otherwise those two would be all over him like white on rice.
I put my head down and return to work. We're all really busy for a Monday. I don't see Edward for the rest of the day and before I know it it's time to go home. Slouching on the couch I turn the TV on and eat a light dinner whilst texting Ang. Not long after I've finished, Jake rings to check everything's ok and to say goodnight.
About 9pm the phone rings. It's unusual for anyone to ring that late, as I've already spoken to Jake and Ang. Breathless, I answer the phone, panicking that someone's had an accident. Either that or I know what the other option is; I'm hoping against hope that it's not who I think it is. These calls never end well.
"Hello?"
"Bellaaaa? Bellaaaa isss that you?" I hear the slurred voice ask. Fucking hell. Not who I want to deal with right now.
"Yes, Charlie, it's me. Why are you calling?" I answer in a very clipped voice. Knowing him, he won't get the meaning in my tone.
"Bella, come home. I'm dying, I need you to come home." Jesus Christ. We go through this every time he calls. He knows there's not a hope in hell that I'll ever go home, not after all that he's done to me. He's so fucked up in the head he doesn't see it.
I sigh, "No Charlie, I'm not coming home. You're just drunk." Frustrated doesn't even come close to how I'm feeling right now. I know exactly which way this call is heading and I'm not feeling comfortable one bit.
"No, no I'm not, Bellaaa. I need you to come home right now. I love you, kid." No he doesn't. He just wants someone to look after his drunken ass.
"No, Charlie. I'm not coming to you. Go to bed and sleep it off." Squinting my eyes closed and gripping the receiver tighter, I prepare myself for the onslaught of verbal abuse. I've taken it for so many years I can almost tell down to the second when it's going to start.
"I'm not drunk, Bella. Why won't you come home. It's because you're still with that fucker aren't you? He turned you against me and turned you into a little whore. You fucking slut!" he screams in my ear.
I can't take any more and slam the phone down. Sobs rack my body making it nearly impossible to breathe. Before I get hit with a full blown panic attack, I call the only person who can talk me through this. The phone rings four times before a sleepy Jake answers.
"Bella? Bells are you ok?" Hearing the panic in his voice, I try to calm down before I speak to him. He knows I won't call after I've already spoken to him at night unless it's an emergency.
"J...J...Jake" I stutter. Nothing else comes out, but I don't need to say anything else.
"He called didn't he? Fucker!" In the background Jake slams something down, probably his fists on the table. Jake's temper gets the better of him when it comes to my father. The only time they've ever come face-to-face almost ended in Jake's fist to Charlie's face.
"Bells, calm down, baby, it's ok. I'm not there, but you're ok. Take some deep breaths, baby, talk to me. Tell me what happened." The timbre of his voice changes and he's talking in a soothing tone. "You can't let him talk to you the way he always has." Closing my eyes, I let my chin drop to my chest and take some deep calming breaths. Jake's voice has an almost sedative effect. He's the only one who's ever been able to talk me down from one of my attacks.
I finally stammer out what's taken place. He knows the drill, all he can do is try to comfort me as best he can. It's hard to feel comforted though when he's the one that needs to be pacified.
"Bell, honey, I can't leave work. Why don't you come stay with me for a few days?" Of course that's easy for him to say, I'll just drop everything and run to him. Just for once in my life I want someone to come to me, take care of me, and reassure me that everything's going to be ok.
"Jake, you know I can't do that, I've just started a new job."
"Well you need to do something, babe. You need to get rid of this hold he has over you. Change our numbers, cut him off completely. Move if we have to. You know what fucking mind games he plays every time he speaks to you. You need to cut him off altogether. You can't keep going like this, you're not a child anymore."
"I know Jake, I know. I just don't know what to do. Through everything, he's still my father." I say, trying to get him to see things from my perspective.
"He's not a father, he's a drunken asshole who treats you like shit."
"I know, I'll do something," I sigh, I just don't know what.
I assure him that I'm okay and that I'll talk to him in the morning. I know Jake worries when I get calls like this, because he knows what will happen. He's sat through more nightmares and panic attacks with me than I can count.
Grabbing a glass of water, I head back to bed. Sleep doesn't come easy, and when it does it's fitful.
I don't remember waking or being moved. Taking in my surroundings, I find myself standing in the middle of a field. My eyes scan the area for anything that could tell me where I am or how I got here. Fog creeps in and swirls around my ankles and up my legs, sending me into a panic. The thick mist climbs further up my body, suffocating me. I spy a cluster of trees up ahead and force my feet to move in that direction.
Quickening my steps, I try to get out of there as fastas possible. Panic sets in. Tingles run up and down my spine, causing me to shiver—someone is watching me. I move as fast as my feet will carry me through an overgrown and winding trail. Fat dew drops splash upon my face as I race through the forest to a destination unknown.
Breaking through the trees, I am now in front of the house that I grew up in. The cheery flower beds are bathed in sunlight and beckoning me to come closer. Slowly, I make my way to the back door and tentatively turn the cold, metal doorknob. Something doesn't feel right, but this is where I grew up... my safe place, right?
The house is dark and silent. No comforting smells pour from the kitchen. Mom always had something cooking, whether it's cookies or a roast. I call out for her but she doesn't answer. My heart starts to beat erratically. I knows she's here, she has to be. She wouldn't just leave me.
I open the doors on the lower level of the house, only to find all of the rooms unoccupied. I slowly climb the wooden stairs to the upper level, calling softly the whole way. Something is very wrong. I push open the door to my bedroom and find nothing amiss. Tiptoeing quietly to the bathroom, I find everything is in order there too. The next door is my parents' bedroom. Calling softly to her again, I turn the knob and inch the door open little-by-little. My socks dampen, and a familiar smell hits me, making my stomach turn—a rusty, salty scent that I know is blood. Trying to calm my dizzying head, I look down to see the sticky, red liquid seeping out under the door. I try to scream, but nothing comes out...
I'm abruptly pulled from my slumber, gasping for breath because of a crushing pressure on my chest. Clawing at the bed sheets, I try to make sense of my surroundings whilst attempting to calm my frantic breathing and erratic heartbeat. Taking deep breaths, I rock myself back and forth knowing I need to calm down before I pass out.
Sometime around five a.m. I finally drift off again. Getting up for work an hour later is a huge effort; I know I look like shit, but I can't take a day off when I've only been there for three weeks.
Staggering into work right on time, I settle into my desk. The girls notice something is wrong immediately upon seeing me and wrap me in a comforting embrace. Waving them off, silently saying that I'm not ready to talk, we go about our day.
The week continues on with me in the same frame of mind. I just can't seem to get out of this funk. I think a trip to see Jake on the weekend is what's needed.
Sooooo... Are we all ok? Please don't hate me, Charlie can't be the good guy all the time.
Recs for the week:
I'm going with an Actorward theme this week. My all-time fave fics (companion pieces) have an update this week :)
Words With Friends and Words With Strangers by nolebucgrl
Summary: Bella Swan has a major crush on a major star, Edward Cullen. They have an obsession with the same game. Can they connect through Words with Friends and become more than that? Rated M.
and...
EPOV Companion Piece to Words with Friends. Movie star Edward Cullen is done with women and focused on his career. A stranger reaches out to him via Words with Friends. Will her words change his mind?
Flove anything by Nolebucgrl!
Waiting In The Twilight by DeltaDawn'sDreams
Summary: While working on the Breaking Dawn Movie, actor Edward Cullen finds himself addicted to a few web blogs. When a new member joins the group he finds himself captivated by the things she writes about him.
Love love love it! Things are heating up when Edge goes missing. These girls remind me so much of others in the fandom ;)
Changing My Course by Twilover76
Summary: Sparks fly when two strangers collide in the dark. Will Edward star in Bella's future, or will the politics of her life be too much for him to handle? AH/M
That's all for this week. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the tragedies in Boston and Texas. Sonia xx
